NJPW has announced a Best of Seven Series that will take place throughout the Road to Destruction tour. Strong Style (Minoru Suzuki, Ren Narita, and El Desperado) will face Shota Umino, Yuji Nagata, and Master Wato in the series that starts on September 10th. Should it go all seven, the final bout will be held at Destruction in Ryogoku on October 9. NJPW issued the following:
“The Road to Destruction has a new combustible element added to it, as explosive six-man tags will unfurl throughout the tour.
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Ren Narita and Shota Umino have been at one another’s throats since well before the G1 began. Generational rivals since their Young Lion days, the two were itching to get in the ring across from one another as soon as it was revealed they would be in the same G1 block. Yet their opening night bout ended in a 20-minute draw and didn’t satisfy either man’s desire to show that they are the sole leader of a new generation in NJPW.
At the G1 final, matters escalated when Narita was joined by his teammates in Strong Style, Minoru Suzuki, and El Desperado. Opposite them, Shota Umino enlisted Yuji Nagata and Master Wato for a perfect storm of hatred. Nagata and Suzuki have been fighting one another for years, ever since Suzuki’s return to professional wrestling from the field of Mixed Martial Arts in the early 2000s. Meanwhile, Desperado has long stated that he ‘hates everything about’ Master Wato, a hatred that has slowly been bringing about some of Wato’s more fiery performances as he continues his journey to grand master status.
After a wild brawl in Ryogoku on August 13, the main event in Togane, Chiba on September 10 will now start a best of seven series for Strong Style and the Nagata-led side. September 17 in Fukuoka, 25 in Nagoya, and 30 in Korakuen will see the series unfold before its final three matches on October 1, 7, and Destruction in Ryogoku on October 9. It would certainly seem that whichever team of three can best the other will also have a very strong claim to being the best trio in New Japan Pro-Wrestling right now- except perhaps for the NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Team Champions. How will this volatile situation play out?”
The Best of Seven Series is set to bring intense competition and fierce rivalries to the Road to Destruction tour in NJPW. With Strong Style, consisting of Minoru Suzuki, Ren Narita, and El Desperado, facing off against Shota Umino, Yuji Nagata, and Master Wato, fans can expect explosive matches and high-stakes action.
The animosity between Narita and Umino has been brewing for a long time, dating back to their Young Lion days. Both wrestlers have been eager to prove themselves as the leader of a new generation in NJPW. Their opening night bout in the G1 ended in a draw, leaving both men unsatisfied and hungry for victory.
Things escalated at the G1 final when Narita joined forces with his Strong Style teammates, Minoru Suzuki and El Desperado. On the other side, Umino enlisted the help of Yuji Nagata and Master Wato, creating a perfect storm of animosity. Nagata and Suzuki have a long-standing rivalry that dates back to Suzuki’s return to professional wrestling from Mixed Martial Arts. Desperado has expressed his disdain for Master Wato, fueling Wato’s fiery performances as he strives to reach grand