Sakura Genesis was a

professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

event promoted by

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

(NJPW). The event took place on April 4, 2021 in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Ryōgoku Kokugikan , also known as Ryōgoku Sumo Hall or Kokugikan Arena, is the name bestowed to two different indoor sporting arenas located in Tokyo. The first ''Ryōgoku Kokugikan'' opened its doors in 1909 and was located on the premises of the Ekōin temple i ...

. It was the third event to be held under the

Sakura Genesis Sakura Genesis is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) since Invasion Attack (2013), 2013. Held annually at Tokyo's Ryōgoku Kokugikan, the event has been nicknamed . Originally known as Invasion Attack ...

name, and the first since the 2018 event Six matches were contested at the event. In the main event,

Will Ospreay William Peter Charles Ospreay (born 7 May 1993) is an English professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a former two-time AEW International Champion. He is also known for his eight year tenure with New Japa ...

defeated

Kota Ibushi is a Japanese professional wrestler and martial artist. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his tenure with New Japan-Pro Wrestling (NJPW), Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) and WWE. His career began with the Dramatic Dre ...

to win the

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship The is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The championship was created on March 1, 2021, by the unification of t ...

. In another prominent match, Roppongi 3K ( Sho and Yoh) defeated El Desperado and

Yoshinobu Kanemaru is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he is a member of House of Torture and a former member of Bullet Club. He also works as a backstage producer for NJPW. Professional wrestling career ...

to win the

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on August 8, 1998, at an NJPW live event. The IWGP Junio ...

for the fifth time.

Production

Background

Since 2020, NJPW has unable to run events with a full arena capacity due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

restrictions. On January 22, NJPW announced Sakura Genesis for April 4, 2021, making it the first time the event will held since 2018 due to the G1 Supercard taking place instead in 2019 and the 2020 event being cancelled due the COVID-19 pandemic.

Storylines

Sakura Genesis will feature

professional wrestling matches Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...

that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray

villains A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...

, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches. On March 1, NJPW announced that the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships would be unified to create the new

with the inaugural champion being decided at 49th Anniversary Show, following the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Champion

defending the titles for the final time against El Desperado in the main event. At the anniversary event Ibushi defeated El Desperado to become the inaugural champion. Ibushi will make his first title defense of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis against the New Japan Cup winner. On March 21,

defeated

Shingo Takagi (born 21 November 1982), known by the ring name Shingo Takagi (鷹木信悟, ''Takagi Shingo''), is a Japanese professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a former member of the ''Los Ingob ...

in the New Japan Cup final to face Ibushi at Sakura Genesis.

Results

References

External links

Official New Japan Pro-Wrestling's website
{{New Japan Pro Wrestling events, Sakura Genesis 2021 in professional wrestling 2021 in Tokyo

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...