NJPW to crown new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion at Dominion
A new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion will be crowned at NJPW Dominion.
NJPW has announced that Kazuchika Okada will face Shingo Takagi for the vacant title.
The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship has been vacant since May 20, when NJPW revealed that former title holder Will Ospreay had vacated the title to return to the United Kingdom to seek treatment for a neck injury.
Okada had been scheduled to face Ospreay for the title at Wrestle Grand Slam at the Tokyo Dome on Saturday, May 29, a show that has been postponed indefinitely. Shingo challenged Ospreay for the title at Wrestling Dontaku on May 4 in a losing effort, but beat Okada in this year’s New Japan Cup.
NJPW also announced that Dominion will now take place on Monday, June 7 in Osaka-Jo Hall. The show was originally scheduled for Sunday, June 6, but a state of emergency in Osaka related to the COVID-19 pandemic was extended through that weekend.
In addition to the IWGP World title match, two other matches were announced for Dominion.
El Desperado will defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against YOH. That match had been scheduled for Wrestling Dontaku on May 4, but the match was pulled from the show due to COVID-19 protocols. Desperado later revealed that he had battled COVID.
The other match set for Dominion is Kota Ibushi vs. Jeff Cobb. The first angle for this match was shot at Sakura Genesis back in April, as Cobb laid out Ibushi after Ibushi lost the IWGP World title to Ospreay.
Here is the lineup for Dominion so far:
NJPW Dominion, Monday, June 7, 3 a.m. Eastern time on NJPW World —
- IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi
- Kota Ibushi vs. Jeff Cobb
- IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado (c) vs. YOH