NJPW reveals stipulation options for Yano vs. EVIL KOPW match

A Twitter poll will decide the stipulation for the KOPW 2021 match at NJPW’s Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni event. 

NJPW announced that a poll on the NJPW Global Twitter page will kick off on Monday. Fans will be asked to choose between provisional KOPW 2021 Toru Yano’s stipulation choice, and challenger EVIL’s proposal. 

Yano has proposed a Creation of Darkness Blindfold match. The rules of that stipulation would see a hood placed on each of the four ring posts. Pinfalls, submissions and countouts would not be in effect until one competitor placed a hood on the other. 

EVIL’s proposal is a Darkness match. Under that stip, the lights would be turned on and off for thirty second intervals in the first three minutes of the match. After that point, there would be a thirty second period with the lights out for every three minutes of match time. 

Yano and EVIL’s feud has incorporated both proposed elements. EVIL defeated Yano in the New Japan Cup after his second, Dick Togo, turned out the lights to distract Yano. Yano answered by placing a hood on Togo, then hitting him with a low blow and pinning him at Sakura Genesis on April 4. 

Night one of Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni will be held on Wednesday, April 28 at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time. 

Here is the lineup for the show: 

Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni night one, Wednesday, April 28 —

  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: SHO & YOH (c) vs. El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • KOPW 2021 provisional Championship: Toru Yano (c) vs. EVIL
  • Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Will Ospreay, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & Aaron Henare
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo
  • Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado
  • Tiger Mask & Gabriel Kidd vs. Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura

And night two: 

Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni night two, Thursday, April 29 —

  • Kota Ibushi & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jeff Cobb & Aaron Henare
  • Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito vs. Will Ospreay & Great-O-Khan
  • Toru Yano, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & Dick Togo
  • Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado
  • SHO, YOH & Tiger Mask vs. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • SANADA & BUSHI vs. Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura