Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
Big Japan Pro Wrestling’s Saikyo Tag League tournament final will take place at tomorrow’s show in Korakuen Hall.
Fuminori Abe and Takuya Nomura will face Daichi Hashimoto and Hideyoshi Kamitani in the strong style block semifinal, while Isami Kodaka and Yuko Miyamoto will face Ryuji Ito and Shunma Katsumata in the deathmatch block semifinal.
The two semifinal matches will open the show and the tournament final – a hardcore match – will be competed in the show’s main event.
This year’s tournament was split into two brackets, a strong style bracket and a deathmatch bracket. The full bracket for this year’s tournament was:
Deathmatch block
• Ryuji Ito and Shunma Katsumata vs. Toshiyuki Sakuda and Yuki Ishikawa
• Masaya Takahashi and Takayuki Ueki vs. Brahman Kei and Brahman Shu
• Isami Kodaka and Yuko Miyamoto vs. Ryuichi Sekine and Takumi Tsukamoto
• Abdullah Kobayashi and Minoru Fujita vs. Jaki Numazawa and Kenji Fukimoto
Strong style block
• Daichi Hashimoto and Hideyoshi Kamitani vs. Kazumi Kikuta and Ryuichi Kawakami
• Daisuke Sekimoto and Kohei Sato vs. Kuma Arashi and Yasufumi Nakanoue
• Fuminori Abe and Takuya Nomura vs. Shinjiro Otani and Yuya Aoki
• Quiet Storm and Yuji Okabayashi vs. Akira Hyodo and Takuho Kato
Traditionally, the tournament has taken place under round-robin rules. This year however, it switched to a single-elimination format.
The deathmatch block semifinal between Kodaka and Miyamoto versus Ito and Katsumata will be the first match on the show.
Kodaka and Miyamoto won the tournament three times in successive years in 2012, 2013 and 2014, tied with Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi for the most tournament wins as a team. Additionally, Kodaka and Miyamoto have held the BJW Tag Team Championships three times.
Kodaka also won 2009’s tournament with Masashi Takeda and held the BJW Tag Team Championships with him the same year.
In Katsumata’s Big Japan debut in July – a six-man tag team match between Abdullah Kobayashi, Kodaka and Miyamoto versus Masaya Takahashi, Ito and Katsumata – he was pinned by Kodaka.
Ito has held the BJW Tag Team Championships twice. His first reign was with BADBOY Hido in 2003 and the second was with Kobayashi from 2017 to 2018.
Kodaka and Miyamoto defeated Ryuichi Sekine and Takumi Tsukamoto then Kobayashi and Minoru Fujita to advance to the semifinal. Ito and Katsumata defeated Toshiyuki Sakuda and Yuki Ishikawa then Takahashi and Takayuki Ueki.
The strong style block semifinal semifinal between Abe and Nomura versus Hashimoto and Kamitani will be the second match on the show.
Abe and Nomura currently hold the BJW Tag Team Championships while Hashimoto holds the BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship.
Nomura unsuccessfully challenged Hashimoto for the BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship in February. It was Hashimoto’s second successful defense of his current reign.
Hashimoto and Kamitani advanced to the tournament final in 2018 but lost to Ryota Hama and Yasufumi Nakanoue.
Abe and Nomura defeated Shinjiro Otani and Yuya Aoki then Quiet Storm and Okabayashi to advance to the semifinal. Hashimoto and Kamitani defeated Kazumi Kikuta and Ryuichi Kawakami then Kuma Arashi and Yasufumi Nakanoue.
The full card for tomorrow’s show is:
• Saikyo Tag League deathmatch: Isami Kodaka and Yuko Miyamoto vs. Ryuji Ito and Shunma Katsumata
• Saikyo Tag League: Daichi Hashimoto and Hideyoshi Kamitani vs. Fuminori Abe and Takuya Nomura
• Kota Sekifuda and Tatsuhiko Yoshino vs. Yusuke Kodama and Yuya Aoki
• Akira Hyodo, Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi vs. Kuma Arashi, Ryota Hama and Yasufumi Nakanoue
• Deathmatch: Kankuro Hoshino and Yuki Ishikawa vs. Ryuichi Sekine and Takumi Tsukamoto
• Deathmatch: Abdullah Kobayashi, Drew Parker and Minoru Fujita vs. Masaya Takahashi, Takayuki Ueki and Toshiyuki Sakuda
• Saikyo Tag League final hardcore match
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
