The junior heavyweights will take center stage before NJPW Sakura Genesis.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling announced that El Desperado will defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title against Clark Connors at NJPW Junior Genesis on April 4.
Plus IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Robbie X & Taiji Ishimori will defend their titles against Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles.
With Sakura Genesis set to be stacked on April 5 in Ryogoku, headlined by the New Japan Cup winner challenging for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, a lot of attention will be on Korakuen Hall just 24 hours prior. The Road to Sakura Genesis event has just had its stakes raised higher though, as the night has been transformed to Junior Genesis, with two big title matches signed!
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship will be on the line when El Desperado faces Clark Connors. Desperado has long talked of needing to 'settle some business' before Best of the Super Jr. in the month of May, all likely in reference to a BOSJ bout last year in Osaka that erupted into a violent brawl and ended in a no contest. It would be Clark Connors that made that business explicitly public though, and issued a video challenge to the champion this week in Korakuen Hall. After the Osaka events last year though, Connors wasn't satisfied with any regular match, and has demanded hardcore rules to settle things. Desperado readily accepted as Connors is set to play a dangerous game indeed on April 4.
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships will also be on the line on April 4, as Robbie X and Taiji Ishimori will challenge TMDK's Kosei Fujita and Robbie Eagles. After a spirited defence of their gold in Osaka February 11 against Roppongi Re-VICE, Ishimori made it known that he wanted a shot at the Ichiban Sweet Boys' titles, and said that it would be the returning Robbie X who'll be his partner in Korakuen. Can the tag champions make it to V2 with the titles, or will it be Ishimori7s fourth junior tag reign, and X's first, inbound?
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