Okada vs. Cobb, New Japan Ranbo, title matches added to NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam

News
1

Originally published at Okada vs. Cobb, New Japan Ranbo, title bouts set for Wrestle Grand Slam

New Japan Pro-Wrestling originally scheduled their Wrestle Grand Slam show at the Tokyo Dome for May 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the company to push the event back and it is now taking place on July 25th.

The card for that show was announced via New Japan’s digital channels and rounding out the card are the following matches, which will be headlined by Shingo Takagi defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Kota Ibushi.

  • Kickoff Match: KOPW Trophy — New Japan Ranbo: Toru Yano, competitors TBA
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo (c) vs. Rocky Romero & Ryusuke Taguchi
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado (c) vs. Robbie Eagles
  • Jeff Cobb vs. Kazuchika Okada
  • IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Tetsuya Naito & SANADA (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi
  • IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Kota Ibushi

【7月25日（日）東京ドームの全カード決定！】

メインはIWGP世界ヘビー戦・鷹木vs飯伏！

セミはIWGPタッグ戦・内藤＆SANADA＆タイチ＆ザック！

オカダvsコブがシングル激突！

IWGPジュニア戦・デスペラードvsイーグルス！

※見どころ記事
⇒https://t.co/dir0Y2c7Cy#njwgs #njpw pic.twitter.com/MsXq6ajqUV

— 新日本プロレスリング株式会社 (@njpw1972) July 12, 2021

Naito and SANADA defeated Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi at the 7/11 Summer Struggle show. Immediately after their loss, Dangerous Tekkers demanded a rematch for the titles.

The Wrestle Grand Slam event on 7/25 will be available to watch on FITE TV. New Japan’s next show is scheduled for July 13th as a part of their Summer Struggle tour. Closing out that show is an eight-man tag match between Los Ingobernables de Japon and Suzuki-gun.

2

Weighing this on the pandemic scale of what NJPW have been able to put together with their available roster, this feels like the most complete card they’ve had since New Year’s Dash. Four really fresh matches and a rematch of something I just really enjoyed getting a far bigger platform. It feels like a very big match for Despy. His momentum has slowed much to reasons that have nothing to do with in-ring, but there’s not a lot of time between now and when the Hiromu match will seemingly happen, so you hope he can reach that high level again so whenever they get there, it can be a top match. Less worried about Shingo/Ibushi pulling out a hell of a match, but it’s going to be a really intriguing month and a half to see if Shingo gets to the G1 as champion. I’m really hoping so. Ibushi and whoever is at the other stadium show are probably all that’s standing in the way.

2 Likes