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All Japan Pro Wrestling
All Japan Pro Wrestling superstar SUWAMA has vacated the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship due to testing positive for COVID-19.
SUWAMA was scheduled to attempt his eighth defense of the title against Champion Carnival winner Jake Lee at All Japan’s show on June 26 in Ota Ward Gymnasium. Now, All Japan has less than a week to find a new main event.
Lee will remain in the main event. At All Japan’s show today in Matsumoto, Lee offered an open challenge to anyone who wants to fight him for the title on June 26.
Also on today’s show, Kento Miyahara and Yuma Aoyagi both stated their intention to win the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship. However, they currently hold the World Tag Team Championships and are scheduled to attempt their fourth defense of those titles against Koji Doi and Kuma Arashi on June 26.
Aoyagi defeated Lee during the Champion Carnival, while Lee defeated Miyahara in the final match of the tournament.
The only other man to beat Lee during the Champion Carnival (other than SUWAMA) was Shuji Ishikawa. He is scheduled to attempt his first defense of the GAORA TV Championship against Yuko Miyamoto on June 26.
Shotaro Ashino could also be a feasible opponent for Lee. He is scheduled to team with Ryuki Honda against Jun Saito and Rei Saito on June 26.
Another option could be Zeus, who won last year’s Champion Carnival. He is scheduled to team with Izanagi, Shigehiro Irie and UTAMARO against CIMA, El Lindaman, Issei Onitsuka and T-Hawk on June 26.
SUWAMA defeated Miyahara to win the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship on March 23 last year. He held the title for over 450 days, making seven successful defenses against Ashino, Ishikawa, Zeus, Aoyagi, Ashino again, Kohei Sato and Yoshitatsu.
It was also SUWAMA’s seventh reign with the title, a current record. Even Mitsuharu Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada, two of the greatest wrestlers ever in Japanese wrestling history, only amounted five reigns with the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship each.
Turning 45 this year and once again in an executive role, it remains to be seen if SUWAMA’s last ever Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship reign ended due to testing positive for COVID-19.
Needless to say, it would be an incredibly unfitting end for the company’s greatest homegrown star since Misawa led the exodus which formed Pro Wrestling NOAH in 2000.
The full results from today’s show, without SUWAMA on the card, were:
• Izanagi and Zeus def. Jun Saito and Rei Saito
• Yoshitatsu def. Dan Tamura
• Hikaru Sato def. Black Menso~re & Rising HAYATO
• Koji Iwamoto and Takao Omori def. Francesco Akira and Shuji Ishikawa
• Hokuto Omori and Jake Lee def. Ryuki Honda and Shotaro Ashino
• Atsuki Aoyagi, Kento Miyahara and Yuma Aoyagi def. Koji Doi, Kuma Arashi and TAJIRI
Koji Iwamoto defeated Francesco Akira in their tag team match today. Iwamoto will attempt his first defense of the World Junior Heavyweight Championship against Akira on June 26.
New Japan Pro Wrestling
New Japan Pro Wrestling held its fifth Kizuna Road tour show today in Lily Arena Mito.
The full results were:
• El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru def. Ryusuke Taguchi and Yuya Uemura
• Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Master Wato, Satoshi Kojima and Yuji Nagata def. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma and Yota Tsuji
• Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano and YOSHI-HASHI def. Dick Togo, EVIL, Jado and Yujiro Takahashi via DQ
• Kazuchika Okada, SHO and YOH def. El Phantasmo, Gedo and Taiji Ishimori
• BUSHI, SANADA, Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito def. DOUKI, Minoru Suzuki, Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr.
New Japan will hold its first show with live fans in attendance in America since the start of the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic on August 14 in The Torch at L.A. Coliseum, Los Angeles, California.
Among the stars confirmed for the show are All Elite Wrestling superstar and IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship holder Jon Moxley, NEVER Openweight Championship holder Jay White, Major League Wrestling star and STRONG Openweight Championship holder Tom Lawlor, Impact Wrestling’s Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, Shota Umino and many more.
Tickets for the show will go on sale on June 30. Ticket prices start at $39 and the most expensive tickets, premium ringside tickets, cost $299. Attendees will be asked to wear a mask during the event when not eating or drinking.
DDT Pro-Wrestling
DDT Pro-Wrestling held a show today in Korakuen Hall.
The full results were:
• Hideki Okatani and Yukio Naya def. Yuki Iino and Yuya Koroku
• Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship battle royal: Yukio Sakaguchi def. Shinya Aoki (c), Antonio Honda, Chris Brookes, Kazuki Hirata, Mad Paulie, Makoto Oishi, Saki Akai & Toru Owashi
• Danshoku Dieno def. Yusuke Okada
• Akito and Naomi Yoshimura def. Nobuhiro Shimatani and Soma Takao & Shunma Katsumata and Yuki Ueno
• Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship: Shinya Aoki def. Kazuki Hirata (c)
• King of DDT second round: Kazusada Higuchi def. Tetsuya Endo
• King of DDT second round: Konosuke Takeshita def. MAO
• King of DDT second round: Daisuke Sasaki vs. Jun Akiyama
• King of DDT second round: Yuji Hino def. HARASHIMA
Yukio Sakaguchi won the battle royal but did not win the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship as he eliminated the title holder, Kazuki Hirata (who had won it during the course of the battle royal), over the top rope. Hirata lost the title back to Shinya Aoki later in the show.
Following today’s results, the King of DDT semi-finals are Daisuke Sasaki versus Konosuke Takeshita and Kazusada Higuchi versus Yuji Hino. The semi-finals and final will take place at DDT’s show on July 4 in Korakuen Hall.
Big Japan Pro Wrestling
Big Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling ZERO1 held a co-promoted show today in Shin-Kiba 1st Ring.
The full results were:
• Daichi Hashimoto and Hideyoshi Kamitani def. Kosuke Sato and Masaki Morihiro
• Yuya Aoki def. Takumi Baba
• Abdullah Kobayashi, Ryuji Ito and Yoshikazu Yokoyama def. Jaki Numazawa, Kazumi Kikuta and Takuya Sugawara
• Drew Parker and Kota Sekifuda def. Shoki Kitamura and Tsugutaka Sato
• Takuya Nomura and Yuki Ishikawa def. Junya Matsunaga and Takafumi
• Chris Vice and Hartley Jackson def. Takuho Kato and Yuji Okabayashi
• Shinjiro Otani and Yasufumi Nakanoue def. Akira Hyodo and Kankuro Hoshino
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