NJPW News: NJPW announces New Beginning card for three events in Sapporo and Osaka, minimal top talent available for U.S. events for concurrent tour

NJPW has announced the cards for The New Beginning Tour that will span three shows in Sapporo and Okada in Japan. The first show of the tour will take place on Feb. 2 in Sapporo with IWGP World Hvt. Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White & Bad Luck Fale headlining the show. The semi-main event will see Zack Sabre Jr. vs. EVIL. It doesn’t appear that Sabre’s RPW Undisputed British Hvt. Championship will be on the line.

The Feb. 3 event in Sapporo is headlined by new IWGP IC Champion Tetsuya Naito defending his title against Taichi. Also on that show new IWGP Hvt. Tag Team Champions L.I.J. (EVIL & SANADA) will defend their belts against Suzuki-Gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki) and the new IWGP Jr. Hvt. Tag Team Champions L.I.J. (BUSHI & Shingo Takagi) will defend their titles against Suzuki-Gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado).

The Feb. 11 New Beginning in Oskaka has the best lineup, as Jay White will challenge Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP World Hvt. Championship in the main event. In the semi-main event Kazuchika Okada will face Bad Luck Fale. New IWGP Jr. Hvt. Champion Taiji Ishimori will also defend his belt on the card. He will face Ryusuke Taguchi.

During this tour, NJPW is also running three straight nights in the U.S. from Jan. 30-Feb 2 in L.A., Charlotte, and Nashville. Right now it appears the biggest names that would be available for that tour are Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, and Juice Robinson.

New Beginning in Sapporo: Night One (Feb. 2)

• IWGP World Hvt. Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada vs. Bullet Club (Jay White & Bad Luck Fale)
• Zack Sabre Jr. vs. EVIL
• Minoru Suzuki vs. SANADA
• L.I.J. (IWGP IC Champion Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi & BUSHI) vs. Suzuki-Gun (Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado)
• Ryusuke Taguchi & YOSHI-HASHI & Tomoaki Honma & Toru Yano & Togi Makabe vs. Bullet Club (IWGP Jr. Hvt. Champion Taiji Ishimori & Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi & Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)
• Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Tiger Mask IV vs. Suzuki-Gun (Takashi Iizuka & Taka Michinoku)
• Manabu Nakanishi & Toa Henare vs. Ayato Yoshida & Shota Umino
• Ren Narita vs. Yuya Uemura

New Beginning in Sapporo Night Two (Feb. 3)

• IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito vs. Taichi
• IWGP Tag Team Champions L.I.J. (EVIL & SANADA) vs. Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr.)
• IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions L.I.J. (Shingo Takagi & BUSHI) vs. Suzuki-Gun (El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
• Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Bullet Club (Jay White & Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens(
• Ryusuke Taguchi & Tomoaki Honma & Toru Yano & Togi Makabe vs. Bullet Club (IWGP Jr. Hvt. Champion Taiji Ishimori & Yujiro Takahashi & Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)
• Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Ren Narita vs. Suzuki-Gun (Takashi Iizuka & Taka Michinoku)
• Manabu Nakanishi & Tiger Mask IV vs. Ayato Yoshida & Shota Umino
• Toa Henare vs. Yota Tsuji

New Beginning in Osaka (Feb. 11)

• IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White
• Kazuchika Okada vs. Bad Luck Fale
• IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Taiji Ishimori defending against Ryusuke Taguchi
• Togi Makabe & Toru Yano vs. G.O.D.(Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)
• Tomoaki Honma & YOSHI-HASHI vs. bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens)
• L.I.J. (IWGP IC Champion Tetsuya Naito & IWGP Jr. Hvt. Tag Team Champion Shingo Takagi & BUSHI) vs. Suzuki-Gun (Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado)
• L.I.J. (EVIL & SANADA) vs. Shota Umino & Ayato Yoshida
• Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Iizuka & Taka Michinoku)