NJPW Sakura Genesis News: New Champions Crowned!

Saturday night at Ryogoku Sumo Hall marked a monumental shift in the NJPW Sakura Genesis event, witnessing the crowning of new champions in a series of hot matches.

Shingo Takagi emerged victorious against EVIL, clinching the NEVER Openweight Championship in a tumultuous semi-main event. The match was a spectacle of chaos, featuring interventions by factions such as Shingo's LIJ and EVIL's House of Torture, unexpected appearances by Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Hiromu Takahashi donning referee shirts, and an array of wild moments, culminating in Shingo securing his win with the Last of the Dragon.

The event also saw Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI of Bishamon defeating the Bullet Club's KENTA and Chase Owens, reclaiming the IWGP Tag Team Championships for a fourth time. This victory solidified their status as a dominant force within the tag team division.

Other notable title defenses of the evening included Tetsuya Naito retaining the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Yota Tsuji, the Bullet Club War Dogs holding onto the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, and SHO maintaining his reign as the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion after a match against YOH, which ended in a referee stoppage due to YOH's shoulder injury.

Shingo Takagi has defeated EVIL to win the NEVER Openweight Championship at Sakura Genesis! pic.twitter.com/VvgmEtUlqH

— Ciarán (@CiaranRH93) April 6, 2024

Bishamon have defeated Chase Owens and KENTA to win the IWGP Tag Team Championships at Sakura Genesis! pic.twitter.com/qftdO8neVC

— Ciarán (@CiaranRH93) April 6, 2024