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Preview: CyberFight Festival (6/6/21)

CyberFight Festival

The Cyberfight Festival is a massive cross-brand event that will take place at the Saitama Super Arena which will feature talent from Pro Wrestling Noah, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling (TJPW), Ganbare, and Dramatic Dream Team (DDTPro).  This show has a loaded lineup with three major championships on the line as the top titles of NOAH, TJPW, and DDT will be defended at this event.  As this is a big event we have three different contributors taking part in this preview.  Beth Harris is covering the TJPW matches, Robert Glasier is covering the DDT matches, and Xavier Williams is covering the NOAH matches.

Starting Battle: Delayed Entry Battle Royal

Xavier: Pro Wrestling NOAH is represented by The Funky Express of Masao Inoue, Akitoshi Saito, Muhammad Yone, and Shuhei Taniguchi. As far as full-time roster members not in a match, they are the only one’s available. Their outlook is simple, and that’s to make people continue to take them seriously. After Yone and Taniguchi failed to win the GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Championships, they both will be looking to get back on track. The only way they can do that is with a win.

Mirai Maiumi, Suzume, Arisu Endo, Haruna Neko & Moka Miyamoto vs Kaya Toribami, Mahiro Kiryu, Nao Kakuta, Pom Harajuku & Raku

Beth: The first offer match from TJPW will take place on the pre-show, featuring all of the younger or lesser experienced talents, giving everyone a good look at who the future of the company is. BeeStar, which is the team of Mirai and Suzume, recently challenged for the tag titles against NEO Biishiki-Gun and had an excellent showing despite coming off the losing end. The rookie on their team, Arisu, has been proving herself to be somewhat of a super rookie as she continues to show amazing improvement in every match. For Haruna and Moka they have both been stepping up their game slightly with the time they’ve been given on the English-only special That’s J-PW!. The main focus of their opponents is the debut of the newest TJPW trainee Kaya Toribami, a masked wrestler so far. It will be interesting to see how well she does, especially in comparison to Arisu who has had a lot of praise for how good she is. Nao recently challenged Kamiyu for the International Princess title when she was champion and had a decent showing against her. Mahiro, Pom, and Raku are also a group of women that have been having a good run on the English show. While this is the pre-show offer, this will be a nice opener typical of what TJPW usually does.

Yuki Iino & Toi Kojima vs Junta Miyawaki & Kinya Okada

Bobby: Yuki Iino is a strong talent most well known for his explosive energy in the ring and is teaming with Toi Kojima. Toi Kojima has been finding his legs rather quickly gathering wins in tag matches, one of which was in a tag match with Iino so they aren’t complete strangers to each other. However, Iino is coming off of his own streak of bad luck and his chances of winning can seem like a coin flip at times. If the Noah representatives can’t handle the power and speed of Iino then the match is DDT’s to win.

Xavier: The first of the inter-promotional matches on the main card is between a few inexperienced members of the roster with Kinya Okada and Junta Miyawaki representing Pro Wrestling NOAH. The match was originally a six-man tag, but it has left Junta and Kinya in a tag following other circumstances. Junta is looking to prove his dominance over the DDT opponents. Important for him as he is trying to build momentum to the junior rumble where he can earn a shot at the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship.

Kinya Okada will be looking to prove his strength as a heavyweight and make an impact. Going up against the powerhouse in Iino will be good practice for him. The smart strategy for the team would probably be to isolate the least experienced in Kojima. If Iino gets going it’ll be hard for the NOAH team to get the win.

Danshoku Dieno & Sasadango Machine vs Takashi Sugiura & Kazushi Sakuraba

Bobby: Sasadango and Sakuraba aren’t especially unfamiliar with being on the opposite sides of the ring. The most famous example of this was at a Saitama Super Arena event where Sakuraba beat Sasadango. Let’s see if Sasadango can get revenge. Dieno and Sasadango have been teaming together off and on for well over a decade. And where that kind of chemistry would normally give them an advantage. They struggle against people who they can’t get under the skin of. I think given the bigger stakes Dieno might be willing to pull out more from his bag of tricks, which may give them the edge.

Xavier: Sugiura Gun was called out by  Sasadango Machine and Danshoku Dieno. However, they were ignored and Takashi Sugiura did not even want to entertain the idea of facing Sasadango and Dieno. Sasadango Machine would proceed to show up to every NOAH show, trying to get near the Sugiura Gun. However, he was continuously denied entry.

Takashi Sugiura made his first defense of the GHC National Championship against his partner, Kazushi Sakuraba. After the match is when both Dieno and Sasadango showed up and offered them two choices. Sugiura took the B option, where Dieno and Sasadango would challenge for Sugiura and Sakuraba’s custom-made Sugi and Saku belts. Sugiura and Sakuraba will definitely look to bypass the comedy and try to punish their opponents, with aspirations of holding onto their custom belts.

Hideki Okatani vs Masa Kitamiya

Bobby: Hideki Okatani the youngest member of the Junretsu stable is an impressive talent with a lot of potential. Lately, he’s seemingly taken the back seat mostly due to the other members of the unit taking the DDT representative positions in most tag matches. He’s been a little bit of an afterthought, competing mostly with other young lions, but with nothing really major to hang his hat on. Due to him mainly being in the background in the lead up I don’t entirely see him stepping up and taking a win but I do expect a gutsy showing from him.

Xavier: This match is coming off the heels of Masa Kitamiya leaving Kongo and breaking up The Aggression. Masa Kitamiya is consumed by anger after his brawl with Katsuhiko Nakajima and the announcement of their upcoming cage match. So he is going to go into this match to make quick work of Hideki Okatani. However, he should not overlook his opponent, or he may just be on the end of an upset.

Maki Itoh, Marika Kobashi & Yuki Kamifuku vs Hikrai Noa, Mizuki & Yuki Arai

Beth: The idol feud between Maki Itoh and Yuki Arai continues in this one. Yuki Arai is the newest member of TJPW and so far has only had one match but shows a lot of promise despite only being a part-time member of the roster. Her teammates include the International Princess Champion Hikari Noa who has been doing the best work of her career so far and has really stepped up her in-ring game since becoming champion. Mizuki has been floating around TJPW a little in recent weeks as she hasn’t had any big feuds or challenges but has been the standout member in the triple threat matches that TJPW has been running recently. On the other side is the woman who Hikari beat for the title, Kamiyu, she has also been picking up the pace recently and has been doing great work whether that is in tag matches or in singles matches. Marika has been a little up and down lately but she is going to be in the ring with a lot of strong women so this is going to be a time for her to shine to audiences that might not see her in opener matches. As always Maki will be the main international focus of this match which is completely deserved and as per the press conference, Maki is bringing back the Itoh Respect Army. This is another match that could be one of the stand-out matches but since there are a lot of matches it could get lost in the shuffle with some fans.

Daisuke Harada, Hajime Ohara, & Atsushi Kotoge vs Yoshinari Ogawa, HAYATA, & Seiki Yoshioka

Xavier: This is a NOAH showcase featuring the junior heavyweight division. With the GHC Junior Heavyweight and Tag Champions facing off with former champions who will definitely be looking for another shot. Atsushi Kotoge has to be the biggest target with everyone else in the match gunning for his championship. The outcome will definitely have implications on the future.

DAMNATION (Daisuke Sasaki/Tetsuya Endo/Soma Takao) vs MAO/Shunma Katsumata/Chris Brookes

Bobby: This is the strongest form of DAMNATION you could probably have going given that two of the members are former KO-D openweight champions and Soma Takao has pulled off major wins. While on the other side of the ring are two members of The 37Kamina the big wild card in this match is Chris Brookes. It was inevitable that he would be seen on the card given that he is the DDT Extreme champion, a title he took from Shunma Katsumata. Their rivalry has been well documented stemming back to a hardcore match stemming from Shunma being the cause of a Twitter suspension. This leaves a lingering question if DAMNATION is coming not just as a threat but unified, can the 37kamina team keep it together?

Hyper Misao & Shoko Nakajima vs BAKURETSU Sisters (Nodoka Tenma & Yuki Aino) vs Miu Watanabe & Rika Tatsumi

Beth: Three of TJPW’s best tag teams face off in a triple threat. The BAKURETSU Sisters recently held the tag team championships together before losing it to NEO Biishiki-Gun, they are one of the strongest teams in every sense of the word as they use their size and power to bring something different to the match. The team of Shoko and Misao on paper looks a little out of left field but they have shown consistently on TJPW that they make an incredible force that plays into the wacky antics of a superhero and a kaiju. The final team is Miu and Rika, Rika lost the title to Miyu who is defending it in TJPW’s main event but you shouldn’t count out her and Miu as a team. They are former tag champions together and currently hold the record for the longest reign as champions, their amazing teamwork will be one to watch in this. No matter who wins this match, it has all the possibility of sneaking up and being one of the best matches on the entire card. 

DDT vs KONGOH Full-scale war

Bobby: A match like this occurred at Peter Pan 2020, and KONGOH got the win there. That was a six-man tag, whereas this is a full-scale war, the only two people to return from it on the DDT side are Sanshiro Takagi and Kazusada Higuchi. Team DDT has also added on a killer team but what sticks out to me is the full members of Eruption being on there as well as Akito. Any of these three on their own are strong competitors. They also have smart people on the team. I think given that Team DDT has this in the bag.

Xavier: Kenoh has been at it with Sanshiro Takagi since NOAH was purchased by CyberFight. Claiming Takagi cared more about DDT than NOAH and he was treating the company as a joke. He confronted Takagi and went on a rant before he was confronted by Yukio Sakaguchi. A gigantic tag match was set, and Kenoh continued to belittle DDT about how all of them have jobs outside of wrestling.

However, the DDT team pointed out how he was doing all the talking while his team stayed silent. Kenoh and Kongo were rocked back at the Misawa Memorial show – when Masa Kitamiya left their ranks, so this exploits a crack in their armor. Their head is on a swivel, so they’re going to have to lock in if they’re gonna be victorious.

The 37Kamina (Konosuke Takeshita/Yuki Ueno) vs Kaito Kiyomiya & Yoshiki Inamura

Bobby: The 37Kamina has been a silent but powerful entity in the DDT landscape. Konosuke Takeshita and the DDT Universal Champion Yuki Ueno are two of the most talented people on the DDT roster. They’re always adapting and changing their style to fit with a new opponent. And that’s what makes them so dangerous. Ueno and Takeshita can be technical if need be, but should it call for it. They can overwhelm with speed and power. And in the back pocket of Ueno there’s always the WR, a move that is yet to be kicked out of. Them bringing their best may be too much for Kiyomiya and Inamura to handle.

Xavier: This is a clash of four young stars who will lead their companies into the future. Konosuke Takeshita and Yuki Ueno faced Kaito Kiyomiya in the past with Kiyomiya’s team getting the win. However, the last scenes were Takeshita and Kiyomiya still brawling after the bell. Kaito wants to prove that he is the strongest young ace in wrestling. While showcasing the power of NOAH.

While Yoshiki Inamura wants to defend NOAH alongside Kiyomiya and attempt to take down two of the faces of DDT in the process. Kiyomiya and Inamura have an uphill battle due to them being in a slump both failing at Masato Tanaka. With Kiyomiya not being able to buy a big win this year. Things aren’t looking good for the NOAH duo. Ueno and Takeshita are on a roll, so Kaito and Inamura will have to bring everything they have to overcome them.

Princess of Princess Championship – Miyu Yamashita (c) vs Yuka Sakazaki

Beth: TJPW’s Main Event is a battle of the aces with the champion Miyu Yamashita making her first defense against Yuka Sakazaki. Miyu beat Rika for the title at TJPW’s last Korakuen Hall to the surprise of many fans but with CyberFight Festival being the biggest possible show for all three companies, it is obviously top priority to have your aces in the main event to even compete with what NOAH and DDT are showcasing. The pair have faced off for the titles in previous years, wrestling three times for the title with Miyu coming out on top twice. This match is going to show new fans exactly what TJPW is capable of and while they have been moving away from their “idol company” stereotype, this match has all the opportunity to bring in new fans that will be tuning in. Any one of these women could easily walk out as champion which adds an element of excitement to proceedings

KO-D Openweight Championship – Jun Akiyama (c) vs HARASHIMA

For a full preview of this match check out our detailed Match Point on the KO-D title match.

GHC Heavyweight Championship: Keiji Mutoh (c) vs Naomichi Marufuji

Xavier: In one of the three main events of CyberFight Festival, the GHC Heavyweight Championship is up for grabs. This is much more than a title match. Like the rest of Keiji Mutoh’s defenses, this one has a story behind it. Two geniuses clashing in a generational battle, but the champion had the advantage. This is truly the last stand for Naomichi Marufuji when it comes to capturing the GHC Heavyweight Championship at this stage. Mutoh manifested and captures the championship, and has been showcased worldwide.

Whether it be magazines, interviews, or on social media. Mutoh has been the one getting all eyes on NOAH. Naomichi Marufuji – as the genius of the ark and one of the first homegrown talents – is envious of this. He wants to be the one taking NOAH back to the top, and most importantly wants to recapture the GHC Heavyweight Championship. This is a match built on respect.

However, who knows what will happen when the bell rings. Marufuji’s back is against the wall in this one with Mutoh holding the preview battle win over him. The odds are stacked against Marufuji yet again. Will he overcome those odds and reach the mountain top once more, or will Mutoh continue his dominance as champion? Tune in to find out.

Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can watch Pro Wrestling NOAH as well as DDT, TJPW, and more on Wrestle Universe. 

Looking to talk wrestling, pro football, or any number of sports? Head on over to the LWOS Boards to engage in conversation with fellow fans!

Last Word Staff

Last Word Staff

Includes collaborations of Last Word On Sports writers and guest posts from non-LWOS writers.

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