New champions crowned at NJPW Summer Struggle in Sapporo

New champions were crowned on night two of NJPW Summer Struggle in Sapporo. 

Tetsuya Naito and SANADA defeated Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. in the main event of today’s show to win the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles. Following a battle of nearly 37 minutes, Naito pinned Sabre after hitting Destino. 

The story of the match was Naito overcoming Sabre and Taichi working over his left arm, while Naito and SANADA’s offense focused on softening up Sabre’s neck to allow Naito to hit Destino. Sabre kicked out of one earlier Destino, but the second was enough to put him away. 

The win marks Naito and SANADA’s first reign as a duo. Naito previously held the IWGP Heavyweight Tag titles with Yujiro Takahashi in 2010. SANADA is now a three-time IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champion. He had two prior reigns with EVIL. 

Taichi and Sabre’s second reign with the titles came to an end after 41 days. They defeated Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa to win the titles at a Road to Dominion event on June 1 in Tokyo. 

Naito, SANADA, Taichi and Sabre faced off backstage in the post-match comments following the event. Taichi and Sabre proposed that an immediate rematch take place at Wrestle Grand Slam on Sunday, July 25. Naito and SANADA appeared to agree, but NJPW has yet to make the match official.

A bevy of official match announcements for Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome should be made imminently. Matches teased for the event include Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA, Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb, Tomohiro Ishii vs. EVIL, El Desperado defending the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title against Robbie Eagles, plus Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo vs. Ryusuke Taguchi and Rocky Romero for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles. 

Already announced for the Tokyo Dome are Shingo Takagi defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Kota Ibushi, plus a pre-show New Japan Ranbo for the provisional KOPW 2021 title.