With Jon Moxley set to defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship May 4 at Dontaku, Shota Umino will challenge the winner of Moxley and Ren Narita in Ontario. After he caoptured the world title from Tetsuya Naito in Chicago on April 12, Mox nominated Shota Umino for his ‘final exam’, but no sooner had the words left his mouth than Ren Narita jumped the new champion and declared that he was next. For Umino, either he faces his former friend and generational rival in Narita, or his mentor in the potential culmination of a five year story.
After Gabe Kidd emerged successful in a Riot Rules brawl at Windy City Riot, he challenges Eddie Kingston for the STRONG Openweight Championship. As the hatred between the two men continues to grow however, it’s in no regular environment, but rather a No Rope Last Man Standing match. Back at Battle in the Valley, Kidd lured Kingston to a double countout draw as he pushed the Mad King’s buttons. With Kingston’s mental state fragile in the wake of his recent ROH and AEW Continental Championship losses, the War ready Kidd is looking to take away the final piece of Eddie’s championship puzzle in Ontario, and a week after battling Shingo Takagi for the NEVER gold, could well leave California a double openweight champion.
The STRONG Women’s Championship is on the line when Stephanie Vaquer takes on Alex Windsor. Windsor was victorious in tag action in the WIndy City Riot kickoff on April 12, and in her introduction to the NJPW US audience, showed how physical she can be. A former two year plus holder of the RevPro Undisputed Women’s Championship, she has all the tools required to become the next champion, but her opponent is just as dangerous between the ropes.
It’s LIJ vs BULLET CLUB when Yota Tsuji and Tetsuya Naito take on David Finlay and KENTA. Days after Tsuji and Finlay collide at Wrestling Dontaku, the fallout from that special singles match carries over into tag team action, in Tsuji’s US debut.
Fred Rosser and Tom Lawlor take on the West Coast Wrecking Crew, Royce Isaacs and Jorel Nelson. As frustration boiled over for Isaacs and Nelson after their loss in the STRONG Openweight Tag Team Championship match at Windy City Riot, a brutal attack saw them cut Lawlor’s hair and feed it to the former leader of Team Filthy, a sickening recreation of the Team Filthy’s own attack on Fred Rosser two years before. Now with Team Filthy a distant and bitter memory, Rosser and Lawlor face WCWC in a heated battle.
Kicking off the action, the latest STRONG Survivor match will see Matt Vandagriff face Adrian Quest. A win over Zane Jay at the Windy City Riot kickoff saw Vandagriff continue his run of STRONG Survivor wins. Now he faces another one time stalwart of NJPW STRONG cards in Quest. Will the streak continue?
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