NJPW returns this weekend with their first major show in Japan since the G1 Climax finale, Destruction in Kobe, and the card is stacked. Tetsuya Naito defends his IWGP World Heavyweight Title for the first time in nearly three months.
Shingo Takagi challenges HENARE for the NEVER Openweight title, and TMDK is set to reveal a new member.
All this and much more are kicking off on NJPW World at 4 pm JST/3 am ET/8 am BST. Here’s the full announced card:
Announced Card for NJPW: Destruction in Kobe:
- Tetsuya Naito (c) vs Great-O-Khan – IWGP World Heavyweight Title
- David Finlay (c) vs YOSHI-HASHI – IWGP Global Heavyweight Title
- HENARE (c) vs Shingo Takagi – NEVER Openweight Title
- DOUKI (c) vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru – IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title
- Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano & Oleg Boltin (c) vs House of Torture (EVIL, SHO & Yujiro Takahashi) – NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Titles
- TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr. Kosei Fujita & ???) vs Just 5 Guys (Sanada, Taichi & Taka Michinoku)
- Hirooki Goto vs Gabe Kidd
- Los Igobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Yota Tsuji) vs United Empire (Callum Newman, Jeff Cobb & Francesco Akira)
- Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma & Yuji Nagata vs Dragon Dia, Ryusuke Taguchi & Shota Umino
Naito Makes First Major Title Defense Since June
On reflection, no title-defense since June seems quite shocking but with a hectic schedule of tags and a grueling G1, the champion has been kept occupied. The last time wasn’t even a defense.
Actually, it was back at Forbidden Door where Naito would win the belt back from Jon Moxley. Therefore, in a slightly unusual position for Naito, he couldn’t really pull his usual desperate babyface on the chase for G1 glory act, which he could do so well.
In addition to this, there was a whole host of injury issues, and many were questioning whether he would even make it through the G1, but here he is, out the other side. And now, after a disappointing G1 by Naito’s standards, he looks for redemption with the belt still around his waist and a proper chance to prove that he is still the top guy in Japan.
The Great-O-Khan, in contrast, had a very impressive G1, making it out of A block on the final day, beating…Tetsuya Naito. That was a pretty damn entertaining match, and I expect more of the same now these two are set to fight again, but with Naito’s title on the line this time.
O-Khan may be the first of many to cash in a challenge on Naito if he survives this defense, as O-Khan is just one of four who beat the LIJ leader one-on-one across the G1. O-Khan’s faction, United Empire, has been on a strong run since the G1, too, with big tag wins picked up on the Road to Destruction tour.
However, LIJ have bested them twice in a row at the last two events and this booking switch might indicate we are headed for a strong LIJ outing come Destruction in Kobe.
TMDK to Reveal Mystery New Member ‘X’ for Key Match Against Just 5 Guys
Now this is one of the most intriguing stories of the night. Zack Sabre Jr. revealed just over two weeks ago at a key stop on the Road to Destruction tour that TMDK would be getting a new member at Destruction in Kobe calling the mystery member ‘X’.
Since then, a tag match has been announced that will see TMDK take on Just 5 Guys, primarily a preview looking ahead to Zack and Sanada’s announced match for Royal Quest next month, but this match will also see the debut of ‘X’.
It is currently billed as Zack, Kosei Fujita, and the mystery partner taking on Sanada, Taichi, and Taka Michinoku. This element of mystery has stirred up an abundance of discussion about who this could be.
The first guess from many and what is the most obvious presumption is that this is the return of Ryohei Oiwa, who has been on an excursion with Pro Wrestling NOAH but had his ‘send off’ match on September 14, indicating he was due for return to NJPW. However, many think he’d be better suited elsewhere, opening up speculation as to who it may be.
Others have suggested British Indie talent, Robbie X, for obvious name indication reasons, but also that he is one of the most talented Junior Heavyweights in the world and has begun competing in America and Mexico recently with a potential expansion to Japan surely not out of the question.
However, he is scheduled for a match on Saturday, the 28th, in the UK, so this one has been ruled out by many. Another intriguing proposition has been Dijak who was released by WWE earlier this year and has been working indie shows since.
NJPW could really benefit from a proper big man back in the fold after losing JONAH (now known as Bronson Reed) to WWE back in 2022; interestingly, JONAH was also a member of TMDK during his time in Japan.
Whatever happens, this should be a very interesting addition to TMDK and potentially New Japan in general, and I look forward to seeing how it all plays out.
Shock Victory Last Month Earned Yoshi-Hashi Shot at Global Heavyweight Title, Now He Must Deliver
【9月29日 ごご4時 DESTRUCTION in KOBE LIVE配信】
👑IWGP GLOBALヘビー級選手権試合
YOSHI-HASHI 🆚 デビッド・フィンレー💀8.18両国大会で敗れてしまったフィンレー、雪辱なるか‼️
💥YOSHI-HASHIは地獄を味わった地・神戸でシングル王座初戴冠⁉️DESTRUCTION in KOBE はNJPWWORLD… pic.twitter.com/lx2uNDIO4c
— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) September 27, 2024
YOSHI-HASHI, fresh off a surprising tag team victory at the G1 Climax finale, is now set to challenge David Finlay for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship. Though he didn’t make the cut for the G1, YOSHI-HASHI still earned a shot at Finlay, showcasing his ability to seize big opportunities.
For both wrestlers, Kobe has been a significant, if sometimes painful, location. Finlay’s transformation into the aggressive, no-nonsense leader of BULLET CLUB began here two years ago in a standout match against Will Ospreay.
YOSHI-HASHI, however, had a less fortunate moment in 2018, injuring himself during an entrance while trying to assist Kazuchika Okada, sidelining him for months.
Despite Finlay’s recent taunts about that incident, YOSHI-HASHI holds a 2–1 singles record over him, adding a layer of unpredictability to this title bout. This could be YOSHI-HASHI’s biggest career milestone or Finlay’s next successful defense in his current title run.
More: Shota Umino Continues Battle for Redemption, HENARE Hands Opportunity to Shingo Takagi, LIJ Battle United Empire, Hirooki Goto Faces Tough Test Against Gabe Kidd, Never 6-Man Titles on the Line, DOUKI Faces Next Challenger
【9月29日 ごご4時 DESTRUCTION in KOBE LIVE配信】
👑NEVER無差別級選手権試合
鷹木信悟 🆚 HENARE🐉鷹木が神戸の地でNEVER奪還！？
👑HENAREのマナでドラゴンからNEVER王座防衛できるか？DESTRUCTION in KOBE はNJPWWORLD でごご4時からLIVE配信📡#NJPWWORLD 登録はこちら
➡️… pic.twitter.com/HFutbljNdy— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) September 26, 2024
Elsewhere on the card, Shota Umino wants a big comeback after an underwhelming G1 and is looking to build back up some wins. At Destruction, he faces the ‘dads’ of New Japan in Honma, Tiger Mask and Nagata and will hope to deliver.
He will team up with Ryusuke Taguchi and Dragon Dia, who have made their first NJPW appearance since competing in Best of the Super Jr. 31.
Shingo Takagi, after making the G1 Quarter-Finals, has renewed confidence and believes he can take down HENARE and reclaim the NEVER Openweight Title.
This will be their third match this year alone and is guaranteed to be a heavy-hitter as HENARE looks to hold down the title and prevent Shingo from a 5th run.
United Empire clashes once again with LIJ, a theme running through the Road to Destruction tour and even the main event of the show, with LIJ’s Naito and United Empire’s Great O-Khan competing.
Here, though, tensions are running high, and this one is being built as a number one contenders match for the NEVER 6-Man Titles, so the stakes will be high.
Talking of the 6-Man Tag Titles, the champions Tanahashi, Yano and Boltin Oleg will face House of Torture in a rematch from the Road to Destruction tour. House of Torture have run excuse after excuse for their losses and get one more chance here to show they can beat this trio.
DOUKI defends again after putting on a classic match for the Junior Heavyweight title against Ishimori two weeks ago. His confidence is at an all-time high especially with a completed hat-trick, beating the ‘Big Three’ of the junior-heavyweight division in Hiromu Takahashi, El Desperado and now Taiji Ishimori.
This time, he faces his former mentor, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, who is hoping to secure a second Junior Heavyweight Title reign.
Now, this next one will be a hard-hitting affair guaranteed (and probably a shortlist contender for Match of the Night once it’s all said and done); Hirooki Goto faces Gabe Kidd, a man in a very angry mood after a frustrating Road to Destruction tour.
The Mad Bastards team of Kidd and Jake Lee formed during the closing nights of the G1 Climax and seemed ready to cause more havoc on the Destruction tour, targeting everyone from legend Tomohiro Ishii on his return to Bishamon and TMDK.
However, after Jake Lee suffered an injury on the tour, Kidd set his eyes back on singles competition and got himself a first-time matchup with Hirooki Goto. Will be intriguing to see if Goto can stop Kidd’s warpath through the New Japan roster.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
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