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NJPW: Previewing The Road To Wrestling Dontaku 2019

By Corey Collins

NAGAOKA,JAPAN - MARCH 24: Kazuchika Okada and SANADA comptete in the final bout during the New Japan Cup of NJPW at Aore Nagaoka on March 24, 2019 in Nagaoka, Japan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
NAGAOKA,JAPAN - MARCH 24: Kazuchika Okada and SANADA comptete in the final bout during the New Japan Cup of NJPW at Aore Nagaoka on March 24, 2019 in Nagaoka, Japan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images) /
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April 22: Road To Wrestling Dontaku

The very next show on the tour will feature a championship match which also serves as a preview for another match down the road. The current NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Ryusuke Taguchi, Toru Yano, and Togi Makabe will look for their second successful defense against the Guerrillas of Destiny and Hikuleo.

Yano has already gotten under the skin of GoD by stealing their IWGP Tag Team Titles after their successful defense at G1 Supercard. Demanding the titles be returned to their rightful owners, GoD will look to stop out Yano and partner Makabe on April 29.

GoD have been on a tear lately and solidified themselves as one of New Japan’s top teams by defeating The Young Bucks and EVIL & SANADA at Wrestle Kingdom 13 to start their fifth reign. They now sit just one reign behind the most decorated tag team on the list of previous champions, Tencozy.

After coming away from MSG with the ROH Tag Team Titles around their waist (or, in the case of Tama Tonga, thrown against the wall), GoD and Hikuleo will look to add yet another set of tag team gold to their pile. That is, if YTR doesn’t sneak away with every belt in his grip.

April 26: Road To Wrestling Dontaku – Aki no Kuni SENGOKU EMAKI

Shifting gears, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles will main event as the 59th champions Roppongi 3K defend against former champions Shingo Takagi and BUSHI. RPG3K picked up the titles at the NJPW Anniversary Show in March and this will be the first defense of their third reign.

While the match should be good to great, it underscores the dire state of New Japan’s Junior Tag Team division. There’s a definite Groundhog Day vibe going on as the same couple of teams rotate around the titles as champions and challengers over and over again.

If RPG3K drop the gold here, it will feel like more of the same as they will likely vie for a rematch against LIJ. On the other hand, if SHO and YOH are able to retain against the former champions we could see a fresh new team burst onto the scene as eventual challengers.

More than anything, though, this feels like a placeholder ahead of Best of the Super Juniors 26. The annual tournament is set to kick off on May 13 and is likely to feature all four of these men, so the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles will be put on the back burner for most of May and a portion of June.

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