Big Spoiler Alert on Wrestling Dontaku 2018
According to PWInsider’s Mike Johnson, after recently competing for the WWE at the Greatest Royal Rumble event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia back on April 27th where he competed in the Royal Rumble match itself, Chris Jericho is set to return to New Japan at Wrestling Dontaku 2018 presented by Hamakatsu either on May 3rd or May 4th to set up a big angle leading into Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-Jo Hall. At this time, it is unknown if that angle is against Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, if he’s the mysterious Bone Soldier that “The American Nightmare” Cody has apparently recruited to continue the Bullet Club infighting as well as destroy the Golden☆Lovers, or for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship when he could face either Kazuchika Okada or Hiroshi Tanahashi pending on who will be the champion at the end of the second night of the event on May 4th.
Most fans expect Jericho to set up that angle with Naito leading to the title match for Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-Jo Hall. For me, however, I’m still expecting Zack Sabre Jr. to be the first challenger since he’s only scheduled for the May 3rd event and is no where to be found on the May 4th card. So I don’t know where to put Jericho but if Okada retains the IWGP Heavyweight Title over Tanahashi, then that’s where I probably put him at leading into Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-Jo. Anyway, watch both nights of Wrestling Dontaku 2018 to find out what angle Chris Jericho will be involved in, starting on May 3rd at 4 AM Eastern (5 PM local time) only on NJPW World with English Commentary provided by Kevin Kelly and Don Callis. Down below is the official match card for the two-day event. Again, please enjoy it:
Opening Match Tag Match with a 20 Minute Time Limit: Yota Tsuji and Shota Umino vs. Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi [Bullet Club]
Six Man Tag Match with a 20 Minute Time Limit: Ren Narita, Tomoyuki Oka, and Yuji Nagata vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask, and Jushin Thunder Liger
Six Man Tag Match with a 20 Minute Time Limit: Sho Tanaka, Yoh Komatsu, and Rocky Romero [Chaos] vs. Takahsi Iizuka, Davey Boy Smith Jr., and Lance Archer [Suzuki-gun]
Eight Man Tag Match with a 20 Minute Time Limit: Toa Henare, Michael Elgin, Togi Makabe, David Finlay, and Juice Robinson vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, Jay White, and Hirooki Goto [Chaos]
Six Man Tag Match with a 60 Minute Time Limit for the NEVER Open-weight 6-Man Tag Championship: (Challenger Team) Marty Scurll, Nick Jackson, and Matt Jackson [Bullet Club] vs. (Champion Team) Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, and Bad Luck Fale [Bullet Club]
Ten Man Tag Match with a 30 Minute Time Limit: Hiromu Takahashi, BUSHI, “King of Darkness” EVIL, Seiya Sanada, and Tetsuya Naito [Los Ingobernables de Japon] vs. El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., and Minoru Suzuki [Suzuki-gun]
Special Tag Match with a 30 Minute Time Limit: KUSHIDA and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada [Chaos]
Special Singles Match with a 60 Minute Time Limit: Kota Ibushi [Golden☆Lovers] vs. “The American Nightmare” Cody [Bullet Club]
Special Singles Match with a 60 Minute Time Limit: Kenny Omega [Golden☆Lovers/Bullet Club] vs. Hangman Page [Bullet Club]
Opening Match Six Man Tag Match with a 20 Minute Time Limit: Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask, and Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Ren Narita, Shota Umino, and Yuya Uemura
Tag Match with a 20 Minute Time Limit: Tomoyuki Oka and Yuji Nagata vs. Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi [Bullet Club]
Six Man Tag Match with a 20 Minute Time Limit: Sho Tanaka, Yoh Komatsu, and Rocky Romero [Chaos] vs. Taka Michinoku, Taichi, and Takashi Iizuka [Suzuki-gun]
Tag Match with a 20 Minute Time Limit: Toa Henare and Togi Makabe vs. Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii [Chaos]
Six Man Tag Match with a 30 Minute Time Limit: Michael Elgin, David Finlay, and Juice Robinson vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Jay White, and Hirooki Goto [Chaos]
Ten Man Tag Match with a 30 Minute Time Limit: Hiromu Takahashi, BUSHI, “King of Darkness” EVIL, Seiya Sanada, and Tetsuya Naito [Los Ingobernables de Japon] vs. El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer, and Minoru Suzuki [Suzuki-gun]
Ten Men Tag Match with a 30 Minute Time Limit: Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, Bad Luck Fale [Bullet Club], Kenny Omega [Golden☆Lovers/Bullet Club] and Kota Ibushi [Golden☆Lovers] vs. Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Marty Scurll, Hangman Page, and “The American Nightmare” Cody [Bullet Club]
Singles Match with a 60 Minute Time Limit for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: (Challenger) KUSHIDA vs. (Champion) Will Ospreay [Chaos]
Singles Match with a 60 Minute Time Limit for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship: (Challenger) Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. (Champion) Kazuchika Okada [Chaos]
