Yota Tsuji vs Yuya Uemura, Tag Team Bout Added To NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18
Two new bouts added to NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18.
NJPW announced that Yota Tsuji vs Yuya Uemura and Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL & Ren Narita) have been added to NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 on January 4.
Kaito Kiyomiya & Ryohei Oiwa vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL & Ren Narita)
Ever since Ren Narita turned on Shota Umino and joined HOUSE OF TORTURE, frustration has only continued to mount as Umino has tried and failed to get his hands on his former friend long enough to hit the Death Rider. As H.O.T have continued to get between the two, it became clear that Umino could not enact the vengeance he felt he deserved unless he had some backup. That backup came from Pro-Wrestling NOAH’s Kaito Kiyomiya, who himself has been embroiled in a feud with EVIL that has stretched between the two promotions. After the two young stars join forces at NOAH’s New Year card January 2 for an elimination bout, they tag once again, two on two in theory, under the ceiling of the Big Egg.
Yota Tsuji vs Yuya Uemura
Fated rivals from day one in their respective careers, Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura wrestle one on one for the first time since April 2021 in a special singles match.
Their first 21 encounters resulted in a string of ten minute draws, and when they had the benefit of experience and more time alloted to them, Uemura and Tsuji traded wins as Young Lions. But as excursions beckoned, Tsuji seemed to be a step ahead, eventually reaching a 15-10-22 record.
Both took their own separate paths in excursion and returned in contrasting form, Tsuji adding spectacle to his offensive arsenal while Uemura solidified already impressive fundamentals. Tsuji’s showiness expressed itself in an instant desire to wrestle in main event spots, while for Uemura, Wrestle Kingdom will be his first singles match since return from excursion.
The points of comparison are numerous, but the one that Tsuji feels he has proven is that he’s the better hand than Uemura. A tag victory over Just Five Guys at Power Struggle had the exclamation point of Tsuji hurling Uemura outside the ring in as dismissive a form as possible, while criticising that Uemura’s red colour scheme and long hair was stealing from his own look. Now they finally go head to head, will it be Tsuji solidifying his advantage, or will Uemura make a huge statement on the biggest of stages?
Fans can check out the lineup for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom by clicking here.
