The opening round of the NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Championship Tournament to crown the currently vacant title got underway at Korakuen Hall early August 6th in Eastern Standard Time.
The marquee match during the Summer Struggle 2020 tour saw the Los Ingobernables de Japon (LIJ) team of NEVER Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi, Sanada and Bushi defeat the Suzuki-Gun team of Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, and Douki in 13 minutes and 37 seconds to move on to the semi-final round when Sanada submitted Douki with the Skull End after an impressive exchange between the two.
The highly competitive match saw Takagi and Suzuki exchange blows and get under one another’s skin as Suzuki’s Summer Struggle in Jingu plans began to come clear.
While neither was involved in the fall, it was clear they wanted to make a statement against one another throughout the match. The two coming together at Summer Struggle in Jingu will help stack the card as New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) looks to amass a gate of well over $1 million.
The aforementioned exchange between Douki and Sanada is an example of how much Douki has grown since his NJPW debut during Best of the Super Junior 26 tour on May 13, 2019. While the results haven’t been there, he’s become far crisper in the execution of his techniques.
After the match, Shingo and Suzuki traded barbs after Suzuki snatched the NEVER Openweight Championship. However, Sanada quietly grabbed the moment as his continuous victories make it seem as if he is on a collision course with IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental ‘Double Champion’ Evil.
If allowed time to gain momentum a match between the two could do huge business for NJPW and elevate Sanada as a permanent marquee player.
