NJPW Destruction in Beppu 2019 preview

This Sunday is the first of three major stops on the NJPW Destruction tour as they head to Oita for Destruction in Beppu. The show will be highlighted by a match for the British Heavyweight Championship as Zack Sabre Jr. looks to win his title back from Hiroshi Tanahashi.

Live on NJPW World featuring both English commentary and the full camera setup, Destruction in Beppu is scheduled to air Sunday, September 15, from the Beppu B-Con Plaza. The tour will see its first pair of six total titles matches as both the IWGP Tag Championships and British Heavyweight Championship are on the line.

First up will be an IWGP Tag Team Championship match between champions, the Guerrillas of Destiny, and challengers, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI. The British Heavyweight Championship will be featured in an NJPW main event for the second time this year as Zack Sabre Jr. looks to end his two-match losing streak to champion, Hiroshi Tanahashi.

Event: NJPW Destruction in Beppu 2019

Date: Sunday, September 15, 2019

Venue: Beppu B-Con Plaza — Yamanotecho, Beppu-shi, Oita

Start time 4:00 a.m. Eastern/1:00 a.m. Pacific

Watch live: NJPW World

Young Lion Cup Tournament Match
Yota Tsuji vs. Karl Fredericks

Fighting for the pride of his dojo, Yota Tsuji took exception when Shota Umino joined forces with Jon Moxley, someone who didn’t graduate from the young lion system. He’s going against the man who’s making waves in the L.A. Dojo., Karl Fredricks. Turning heads during his G1 Climax undercard matches and showing off his fighting spirit, Fredericks was able to win the crowds over immedately. These are two fan favorites who are both looking to make an impression to start off the show.

Young Lion Cup Tournament Match
Shota Umino vs. Alex Coughlin

The veteran of the Japanese Dojo, Shota Umino takes on the least experienced member of the L.A. Dojo, Alex Coughlin. While his dojo mates were granted a place in the G1 Climax undercard, Coughlin was left out. He has the least amount of reps in an NJPW ring as he’s set to step in there with the tournament’s most experienced trainee. Umino received his first taste of what’s to come earlier this year when he earned a spot in the New Japan Cup. Now it’s up to him to defend his spot as the top young lion.

Yuji Nagata, Ryusuke Taguchi, Ren Narita & Yuya Uemura vs. Manabu Nakanishi, Toa Henare, Clark Connors & Michael Richards

In the midst of the Young Lion Cup, the trainees team up with the legends to take on their adversaries. The young lion pairings of Uemura-Connors and Narita-Richards are scheduled to have their tournament matches the following night.

Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI vs. Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger & Roppongi 3K

Coming off his IWGP Heavyweight Championship loss to Kazuchika Okada, Minoru Suzuki has set his sights back to Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger. These two were attached at the hip earlier this year but that dissipated when Liger took time off during the G1 Climax. Now that the tour is over, the games are back on. Without a singles match yet scheduled, there’s no way of knowing what exactly will come of this feud but this will be yet another taste of what’s in store.

Also, DOUKI is back. Originally entering this year’s Best of the Super Juniors as a replacement for the injured El Desperado, DOUKI was removed from the official roster page after the tournament. With Desperado still unable to perform, DOUKI has been brought back into the fold.

Kota Ibushi, Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Will Ospreay & Robbie Eagles vs. KENTA, Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo

This match features a couple of previews of the following night, the first being a clash between Kota Ibushi and KENTA. Although he won the G1 Climax, Ibushi will have to defend his right to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom by beating those he suffered defeats to along the way. As the newest member of Bullet Club, KENTA will have the opportunity to claim the main event of Wrestle Kingdom for his faction.

Another glimpse into the following night, the Birds of Prey (Will Ospreay and Robbie Eagles) have a chance to gain more experience against the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo. These teams have been at odds ever since ELP joined the Bullet Club back in May which resulted in Eagles turning his back on his faction to align with Ospreay and CHAOS.

Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto & Rocky Romero vs. SANADA, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI

For the second time this year, Kazuchika Okada and SANADA are set up for an IWGP Heavyweight Championship match. That match isn’t scheduled to take place until the next tour but we’ll see a preview of what’s in store here. The immediate story is the one between Hirooki Goto and Shingo Takagi. These two have a singles match set to take place on the tour’s finale.

Goto and Shingo met on the final day of B-Block action during this year’s G1. Still officially listed as a junior heavyweight, Shingo was able to pin the long-time gatekeeper of NJPW. Now an official heavyweight, Shingo wants to prove that his win over Goto wasn’t a fluke. That match won’t take place for another week but we’ll get to see a glimpse of what’s to come.

Tetsuya Naito & EVIL vs. Jay White & Chase Owens

After winning the IWGP Intercontinental Championship at Wrestle Kingdom back in January, Tetsuya Naito made it known he wants to be the first person to hold both the IC and Heavyweight titles simultaneously. He was well on his way to earning that opportunity by winning the G1 Climax until he fell to Jay White on the final night of the B-Block which sent White to the final instead. White was unable to capitalize in the final, losing to eventual winner Kota Ibushi, but has now turned his attention to Naito’s IC title.

Having lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Kazuchika Okada at G1 Supercard in April, White has demanded a rematch. The match never came so he turned his focus to earning the title challenge by winning the G1 Climax. That plan fell through but by defeating Naito along the way, he’s now won a claim for the IC title. To add insult to Naito’s dream of becoming double champion, White has now gone on record with the same goal, saying it’s his “Destino.”

IWGP Tag Team Championship
Guerrillas of Destiny (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI

Coming in on their hottest run as champions, the Guerrillas of Destiny will be looking to extend their number of defenses to six and become the most dominant team since their Bullet Club predecessors, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows, back in 2014. Throughout this reign, the Guerrillas of Destiny have brought a new level of visibility to the titles by defending them not only in Japan but also in Australia, the UK and U.S. making them synonymous to these belts for this generation of fans.

Challenging them will be the team of Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI. These two teams are no strangers. They last met at Power Struggle 2016 on G.O.D.’s second reign, a match that saw the champions retain. A company man for over a decade now, YOSHI-HASHI has yet to win any sort of championship throughout his 11-year career. He comes into the match paired up with a man who’s found success beating G.O.D. in the past when teamed up alongside Toru Yano.

British Heavyweight Championship
Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Match eight in their series, and for the fifth time this year, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Zack Sabre Jr. are set to clash. Since he made his NJPW debut back in 2017, Sabre and Tanahashi have been attached at the hip. Sabre won their first meeting at the G1 Climax 27 and up until last month, the two had been trading wins. Their records against one another were mirror images, splitting wins in the G1 Climax and New Japan Cup, where Tanahashi defended the IWGP Intercontinental Championship and Sabre defended the British Heavyweight Championship.

The back and forth nature of their rivalry ended on August 31 at Royal Quest in Camden when Tanahashi defeated Sabre for the second time in a row, claiming the British Heavyweight Championship in the process. Now, Tanahashi will be tasked with finding a way to score a third straight victory over Sabre in a series that’s beginning to weigh in his favor. The British Heavyweight Championship is synonymous with Sabre as he’ll be looking to extend his record number of reigns and add onto his record number of days as champion.