Credit: NJPW/TV Asahi

Kenny Omega & Bullet Club Will Not Work New Japan’s Next Major Tour, Match Cards For NJPW New Beginning Shows Revealed

kenny omega
Credit: NJPW/TV Asahi

Following their just-for-fun tour with Mexican promotion CMLL, which wrapped up this weekend, New Japan Pro Wrestling is gearing up for their first major tour of 2017 coming off an incredible Wrestle Kingdom 11 event, and a New Year Dash show that completely shook up the roster.

The Road to the New Beginning kicks off at Korakuen Hall this Friday with a live event streamed on New Japan World, followed by a house show tour that will conclude with two major events – New Beginning in Sapporo (2/5) and New Beginning in Osaka (2/11). The biggest news, which had been speculated on but until now never confirmed, is that Kenny Omega is nowhere to be seen on either of the major cards. In fact, there will be no Bullet Club presence of any kind, on any show of the tour.

Instead, the primary focus for the next few weeks will be the return of Suzuki-Gun, the main event title match between Okada and Minoru Suzuki, Michael Elgin’s return and his title match with Naito, and the juniors title match between Takahashi and Dragon Lee. It’s important to point out that Bullet Club being off the tour doesn’t necessarily mean anything. In fact, the idea that NONE of the Bullet Club guys – who are all under contract and are major draws for the company (although it’s still not clear what Omega’s contract status is) – lends itself to the speculation that we will see a major return for the faction at one of the big shows.

The New Beginning in Sapporo

February 5, 2017

Kushida & Hirai Kawato vs. El Desperado & Kanemura

Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima & Tenzan vs. Henare, David Finlay & Yoshitatsu

Tiger Mask, Jushin Thunder Liger & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Gedo, Jado & Will Ospreay

Yoshi-Hashi (Chaos) vs. Takashi Iizuka (Suzuki-Gun)

Tetsuya Naito, Bushi, Evil, Sanada & Hiromu Takahashi (Los Ingobernables de Japon) vs. Dragon Lee, Ryusuke Taguchi, Nakanishi, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Michael Elgin

IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship

Roppongi Vice (c) vs. Taichi & Taka Michinoku (Suzuki-Gun)

NEVER Openweight Championship

Hirooki Goto (c) vs. Juice Robinson

IWGP Tag Team Championship

Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano (c) vs. Tomoaki Honma & Togi Makabe vs. Killer Elite Squad (Suzuki-Gun)

IWGP Heavyweight Championship

Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Minoru Suzuki

The New Beginning in Osaka

February 11, 2017

Hirai Kawato & Yoshitatsu vs. Henare & David Finlay

Kushida, Satoshi Kojima & Tenzan vs. El Desperado, Kanemaru & Takashi Iizuka

Tiger Mask, Jushin Thunder Liger, Juice Robinson & Yuji Nagata vs. Gedo, Jado, Yoshi-Hashi & Hirooki Goto (Chaos)

Roppongi Vice & Kazuchika Okada (Chaos) vs. Taka Michinoku, Taichi & Minoru Suzuki (Suzuki-Gun)

NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Championship

Tanahashi, Nakanishi & Taguchi (c) vs. Sanada, Evil & Bushi (LIJ)

British Heavyweight Championship

Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Will Ospreay

IWGP Tag Team Championship

Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano (c) vs. Tomoaki Honma & Togi Makabe vs. Killer Elite Squad (Suzuki-Gun)

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship

Himoru Takahashi (c) vs. Dragon Lee

IWGP Intercontinental Championship

Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Michael Elgin

TRENDING


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