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NEW JAPAN PRESIDENT DISCUSSES POSSIBLE RETURN OF LIVE FANS IN UNITED STATES, AEW, IMPACT AND MORE, AJPW CHAMPION CARNIVAL FINALS AND MORE FROM JAPAN

New Japan Pro Wrestling

New Japan Pro Wrestling has uploaded an extensive interview with company president Takami Ohbari on its English website.

Topics discussed include the company’s plans for international expansion, how soon there could be shows with live fans in attendance in America and New Japan’s new working relationships with All Elite Wrestling and Impact Wrestling. The full interview can be read here.

New Japan held its penultimate Road to Wrestling Dontaku tour show today in Grand Messe Kumamoto.

The full results were:

• Gabriel Kidd def. Yota Tsuji
• El Desperado, Minoru Suzuki and Yoshinobu Kanemaru def. Ryusuke Taguchi, SHO and YOH
• DOUKI, Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jado, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa – No Contest
• Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Master Wato, Tiger Mask and Toru Yano def. Dick Togo, EVIL, Gedo, Taiji Ishimori and Yujiro Takahashi
• Aaron Henare, Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb and Will Ospreay def. BUSHI, SANADA, Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito

Impact announced during last night’s show that El Phantasmo will debut next week.

KENTA has announced his intention to pursue the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on Twitter. He will have to wait though, as Will Ospreay is set to make his first defense of the title against Shingo Takagi at Wrestling Dontaku and Kazuchika Okada will face the winner at Wrestle Grand Slam.

New Japan will hold its final Road to Wrestling Dontaku tour show tomorrow in Beppu B-Con Plaza.

The full card is:

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

Dragon Gate

Dragon Gate has announced Oji Shiiba’s departure from the company, effective at the end of April.

Dragon Gate has announced the full card for its show on May 4 in Tsushima Bunka Hall.

The full card is:

• Diamante, Kaito Ishida and KAZMA SAKAMOTO vs. Kagetora, Naruki Doi and Yasushi Kanda
• Bokutimo Dragon, Ryo Saito and Ultimo Dragon vs. Genki Horiguchi, Ho Ho Lun and Kzy
• Keisuke Okuda and Punch Tominaga vs. Susumu Yokosuka and U-T
• Ben-K and Dragon Kid vs. Eita and SB KENTo
• BxB Hulk, H.Y.O, HipHop Kikuta and KAI vs. Jason Lee, Kota Minoura, La Estrella and Shun Skywalker

DDT Pro-Wrestling

DDT Pro-Wrestling has announced the full cards for its shows on May 9 in Korakuen Hall and May 15 in Sendai PIT.

The full cards are:

May 9 in Korakuen Hall
• Hideki Okatani vs. Toi Kojima
• Akito and Keigo Nakamura vs. Danshoku Dieno and Super Sasadango Machine vs. Kazuki Hirata and Toru Owashi vs. Sanshiro Takagi and Yukio Naya
• Kazusada Higuchi, Saki Akai and Yuki Iino vs. Mad Paulie, Soma Takao and Tetsuya Endo
• Yukio Sakaguchi vs. Yusuke Okada
• HARASHIMA and Naomi Yoshimura vs. MAO and Yuki Ueno
• Ultimate Tag League: Daisuke Sasaki and Yuji Hino vs. Konosuke Takeshita and Shunma Katsumata
• Ultimate Tag League: Antonio Honda and Chris Brookes vs. Jun Akiyama and Makoto Oishi

May 15 in Sendai PIT
• Akito and Toi Kojima vs. Hideki Okatani and Keigo Nakamura
• Danshoku Dieno and Shunma Katsumata vs. Kazuki Hirata and Saki Akai
• HARASHIMA, Naomi Yoshimura and Toru Owashi vs. Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya and Yusuke Okada
• Konosuke Takeshita, MAO and Yuki Ueno vs. Mad Paulie, Soma Takao and Tetsuya Endo
• Ultimate Tag League: Daisuke Sasaki and Yuji Hino vs. Jun Akiyama and Makoto Oishi
• Ultimate Tag League: Antonio Honda and Chris Brookes vs. Kazusada Higuchi and Yukio Sakaguchi

All Japan Pro Wrestling

All Japan Pro Wrestling has announced the full card for its final Champion Carnival show on May 3.

Full card is:

• Dan Tamura, Francesco Akira and Hikaru Sato vs. Izanagi, UTAMARO and Zeus
• Black Menso~re, Ryuki Honda, Takao Omori and Yoshitatsu vs. Hokuto Omori, Kuma Arashi, TAJIRI and Yusuke Kodama
• Champion Carnival: Koji Doi vs. Shotaro Ashino
• Atsuki Aoyagi, Koji Iwamoto and Rising HAYATO vs. CIMA, El Lindaman and T-Hawk
• Champion Carnival: Kohei Sato vs. Yuma Aoyagi
• Champion Carnival: Shuji Ishikawa vs. SUWAMA
• Champion Carnival: Jake Lee vs. Kento Miyahara

Jake Lee, Kento Miyahara, Kohei Sato and SUWAMA are all in the running to win the tournament. All four men are tied at the top of the standings with a 5-3 record and 10 points each.

Miyahara is best positioned to win the tournament. If he defeats Lee on the final show, he will win the tournament.

If Lee defeats Miyahara, he will also need Shuji Ishikawa to defeat SUWAMA to win the tournament.

If SUWAMA defeats Ishikawa, he will also need Lee to defeat Miyahara and Yuma Aoyagi to defeat Sato to win the tournament.

Sato faces the biggest uphill battle to win the tournament. If Sato defeats Aoyagi, he will need Miyahara and Lee to draw.

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