NJPW ROAD TO SAKURA GENESIS RESULTS (4/2) : Lansdell’s recap and analysis of Ishimori and Robbie X vs Akira and Young, Douki-Yoh, and more

NJPW ROAD TO SAKURA GENESIS REPORT
APRIL 2, 2026
KORAUKEN HALL
TOKYO, JAPAN
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD

Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton were on commentary for the junior heavyweight spotlight night of the Road to Sakura Genesis tour.

(1) TIGER MASK & SHOTA UMINO vs. MASATORA YASUDA & KUSHIDA

A rare story-setting preliminary match, as Umino beat Yasuda with Konosuke Takeshita’s Raging Fire finish. The only other noteworthy thing here was the musings of Chalrton and Stewart about whether Yasuda might take up the Tiger Mask mantle in July when the current incarnation retires. Tora is Japanese for tiger, you see.

WINNERS: Tiger Mask & Umino via pinfall at 5:34. (*1/2)

(Lansdell’s Analysis: Kushida has already been announced for the Best of the Super Juniors, and I would expect Tiger Mask to join him. Aside from letting Umino taunt Takeshita, this was here to remind people who Kushida is.)

(2) KONOSUKE TAKESHITA vs. TATSUYA MATSUMOTO

Takeshita was in the building and on the card, but not in a preview tag with Umino? Interesting. This was of course a giant mismatch, but Takeshita gave the Young Lion a lot here. They brawled on the outside, Matsumoto gave as good as he got, and even hit his “finisher” undercut suplex. That’s a sure sign that he is trusted by the dojo trainers. Naturally Takeshita got the win, but not as you might have thought with Umino’s Second Chapter. Instead he hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for the finish.

WINNER: Takeshita via pinfall at 6:35. (**)

(Lansdell’s Analysis: This was good for a squash match with no drama. After the match, Umino left the Japanese announce table to briefly get in Takeshita’s face. That match will be extremely interesting; do they use it to get the TV title off Takeshita and the monkey off Umino’s back, or does a loss for Umino here send him over the edge as he fails again to win a title?)

(3) MASTER WATO & TOMOAKI HONMA & TOGI MAKABE vs. YUYA UEMURA & TAICHI & EL DESPERADO

On paper this did not look like much, but we ended up with a bit of a heated exchange and pull-apart brawl between Uemura and Makabe. I did not have that on my 2026 bingo card. Or the card for any year, honestly. Taichi pinned Honma with a very suggestive rollup, holding the pose well after the bell in what could only be called a teabagging incident.

WINNERS: Uemura, Taichi, and Desperado via pinfall at 9:15. (*1/2)

(Lansdell’s Analysis: I have no idea why we are going through a Makabe-Uemura feud, but I got the feeling it might not have been planned. Makabe seemed heated early in the match, and that continued throughout. Time will tell, but surely Uemura has nothing to gain from that contest?)

(4) HOUSE OF TORTURE (Sho & Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi & Don Fale & Ren Narita) vs. HIROOKI GOTO & YOSHI-HASHI & BOLTIN OLEG & AARON WOLF & TORU YANO

It was a match that happened. It contained several of my least favourite wrestlers in the company. And honestly, there isn’t much more to it. Oleg wants a title shot against Narita, but Narita won’t grant one until Oleg puts up the six-man titles. Hence, this match. Fale pinned Yano after a “running” elbow drop. I have to go bleach my eyes.

WINNERS: House of Torture via pinfall at 8:08. (½*)

(Lansdell’s Analysis: The six-man titles will be defended on April 4 as Goto, Oleg, and Yoshi-Hashi defend against Narita, Owens and Yujiro. Aren’t we lucky?)

(5) TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson) vs. UNBOUND COMPANY (Oskar & Yuto-Ice & Gedo)

Lots of hard-hitting aggression on display for this match, as if we weren’t looking forward to the TMDK-KOB match already. Jackson got the pin on Gedo, as expected.

WINNERS: TMDK via pinfall in 6:53. (**1/4)

(Lansdell’s Analysis: I enjoyed this, short though it was. Ice and Oiwa got right in each other’s faces after the bell again, and Oskar bad-mouthed ZSJ. That match is going to be a lot of fun.)

(6) UNITED EMPIRE (Callum Newman & Zane Jay & Jake Lee) vs. UNBOUND CO. (Daiki Nagai & Shingo Takagi & Yota Tsuji)

Aside from the obvious ongoing feud between the factions, this was to set up the title match on the 4th. Zane Jay finally had his own entrance music, which I think is kind of a shame because it was fun to have him come out to the Young Lion music and get mad about it.

For a five-minute sprint, a fair amount happened. Newman and Tsuji had a lot of one-on-one time, and the chemistry was encouraging. Few people think Newman has a chance at winning, but I genuinely believe he’s the favourite. He picked up the win here after hitting Excalibur on Nagai.

WINNERS: United Empire via pinfall at 5:20. (**)

(Lansdell’s Analysis: Aside from the preview, we continued to develop a Shingo-Lee feud and a Nagai-Jay one. As the kids say, I am not mad about it. It was a bit surprising that this only went 5 minutes, but they did a lot in that time and it was a fun watch.)

(7) ROBBIE X & TAIJI ISHIMORI (C) vs. JAKOB AUSTIN YOUNG & FRANCESCO AKIRA – IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match

Coming into the match I was of the opinion that X and Ishimori were transitional champions to let Fujita win BOSJ. Akira and Young feel like more of a team, and would present more interesting challengers going forward.

Ishimori and Akira started out with some mat exchanges that ended in stalemate. The pace picked up and Ishimori sent Akira to the floor with a dropkick. His dive was cut off by a trip from Young. But the advantage was short-lived as X low-bridged Akira to the outside. X and Ishimori hit a series of athletic tandem moves, including an assisted standing moonsault by X. Young tried to take a timeout on the floor, X went to the top rope for a dive but again it was a bad idea. Akira knocked him off the turnbuckle, crotching him and giving United Empire the upper hand.

Young and Akira took turns beating on Ishimori. He was able to block a corner lariat from Young and turn it into a reverse STO into the corner pad. He tagged in X who hit a pair of acrobatic kicks to the delight of the crowd. Akira blindsided him but also fell foul of the agility of X, who sent both men to the outside and hit an impressive slingshot plancha to both opponents. The crowd chanted for Robbie as he hit a missile dropkick on Young for a near fall. Young went for a piledriver but Young blocked, hit a stiff superkick, and then dropped X with the Brain Rot spinning brainbuster for a two-count.

Young lifted X for a Death Valley driver, but X slipped out and hit a spin kick to the head. Ishimori and Akira tagged in and traded strikes. Ishimori hit a handspring attack, a rolling senton and a low superkick for a two-count at the ten-minute mark. He went for Cipher Utaki but Akira fought it off. Instead Ishimori hit a double hammerlock shoulderbreaker for another two-count. That was a new move on me, which is rare. Ishimori continued to attack Akira’s arm, but Akira countered a whip to the corner and hit a corner lariat. They traded high-impact strikes until Akira outsmarted Ishimori, dropping down unexpectedly and hitting an enzuigiri and a moonsault to the back of the head. Speed Fire connected but only got a two-count.

Akira went for a fisherman’s buster, Ishimori did not want to do that. Akira hit a knee lift and tried it again, but again Ishimori escaped and went for Cipher Utaki. Akira reversed it and hit a Cipher Utaki of his own. Ishimori ducked the Fireball knees and went for the Bone Lock. After a series of counters, Ishimori got a quick two-count from an innovative pin. Off the kickout he transitioned to the Bone Lock. Young tried to break the hold but was intercepted by X. Akira tried to roll to the ropes but Ishimori rolled back to the middle of the ring. Akira gouged Ishimori’s eyes, loosening his grip enough to break the hold.

Akira escaped a Blood Cross and fought off a double-team before falling victim to a two-footed Pele kick to the head from X. X tried to follow up with his handspring cutter but Young and Akira caught him and dropped him with a tandem powerbomb for a two-count that was broken up by Ishimori. As we passed 15 minutes, Akira hit a Fireplex and tagged in Young. He went for a Sliced Bread, but X blocked it and sidestepped charges from both Young and Akira. After a series of reversals Young hit the Sliced Bread for a very near fall. Young went for a hammerlock DDT, but Ishimori broke it up. He hit an assisted Cipher Utaki, X hit the springboard cutter, and together they hit a Magic Killer. X went to the top for the X Express but Young rolled to the outside. X hit a dive from the top onto both opponents and rolled Young back inside. Ishimori pancaked him with a 450 splash, and X followed with the X Express to retain the titles.

WINNERS: X and Ishimori via pinfall at 18:11 to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. (***1/2)

• After the match, Kosei Fujita came out alone to congratulate the winners and, naturally, challenge them. Ishimori accepted the challenge, specifically mentioning Robbie Eagles. Fujita never mentioned Eagles though, so I wonder if maybe there will be a surprise partner?

(Lansdell’s Analysis: Maybe it’s because I find Robbie X hard to watch with the excessive acrobatics, but this match never really felt smooth to me. I enjoy some back-and-forth in matches but here it felt disjointed and a little…jerky, I guess? Almost like every change in momentum came 30 seconds too soon. I was a little surprised by the result, and the way the match was put together, but if it means Akira gets to have a deep BOSJ run I will be very happy. I am less enthused about going back to the well of Fujita and Eagles, but there’s a bit of a dearth of options right now.)

(8) DOUKI (C) vs. YOH – New Japan Cup IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match

I have been an unabashed Yoh fan in recent years. He’s currently using a lot of Evil’s moves and mannerisms, which naturally has drawn the ire of the House of Torture. Having said that, Yoh is not really presented as a threat at the top of the card, and it IS a HoT match, so my expectations are very tempered.

That said, Yoh started the match by jumping Douki during the latter’s entrance. Not only is that a very HoT-like move, it also saved us from another case of Tanahashi shoehorning himself on screen again to read a proclamation. The match immediately went to the outside, whereupon Yoh launched Douki into the crowd and some chairs ringside. He wrapped one chair around Douki’s neck and was going to use a second chair to waffle the first (à la Evil), but the referee stopped him. Yoh pushed the referee away, but Douki used the delay to grab his pipe and wallop Yoh in the knee.

Still on the outside and still without a referee, Douki applied a single-leg grab around the pipe. He relinquished the hold and took Yoh up into the crowd. He dropped Yoh’s knee on the concrete. Douki and the referee got into the ring, and the ref started to count. The commentators were convinced there had been no bell to start the match, but there was one when Douki was briefly hauled into the ring during the opening blindside. Yoh got back into the ring at the count of fourteen, and immediately had his head rammed into an exposed turnbuckle. Douki slammed Yoh’s leg repeatedly into the ring post. Yoh tried to fight back but Douki avoided a dropkick and went back after the leg with a modified figure four.

Yoh blocked a kneebreaker and used the referee to hold Douki’s leg while Yoh hit a kick and a DDT, again channeling Evil. He hit a flying forearm that sent Douki to the outside. Yoh followed him to the floor and barged him into the timekeeper’s table, at which Tanahashi was also sitting. Back in the ring he hit a falcon arrow for a two-count. Douki blocked the follow-up superkick and dropkicked Yoh’s knee, applying a half paradise lock variant at the ten-minute mark. After Yoh got to the ropes, Douki dropped him on both knees and went for another leg lock. Yoh fought it off, Douki tried for the Daybreak slingshot DDT, but Yoh blocked that and hit the Drop the Needle neckbreaker to leave both men down.

The crowd got heavily behind Yoh as both men crawled to the middle of the ring. They traded shots, Douki went back to the knee but Yoh got a quick schoolboy for a two-count. He hit a dragon suplex and bridged for a near fall. He went for Direct Drive but Douki lashed his leg out and kicked the referee, blocking the move in the process. Douki pushed Yoh into the exposed corner, then went under the ring to retrieve a sheet of metal. He crowned Master Wato, who was on Japanese commentary, with it before bringing it into the ring. Yoh blocked the attempted shot, kicked Douki in the nutular region, and smacked him with the sheet metal. He lifted Douki…Darkness Falls! 1…2…no! Yoh locked in a Scorpion Deathlock, and that was the cue for Sho to come to ringside. He rang the bell, which of course caused the idiot Yoh to break his submission hold. Sho assaulted a Young Lion at ringside and threatened to hit the ref with the sheet metal…and that brought out Yoshinobu Kanemaru. One ref bump later, and it was time for HoT Shenanigans (TM).

Kanemaru and Sho stomped on Yoh as the crowd booed loudly. Kanemaru took a swig of whisky but ate a superkick instead. Yoh took a mouthful of it for himself and tried to spray Sho. Sho covered Yoh’s mouth…and Yoh just planted a deep, passionate kiss on him instead. I am not kidding, this happened in a New Japan ring. He hit Everything is Yoh-vil on Sho before nearly decapitating Douki with a lariat. He called for a second referee, but Douki took care of that one by pushing Yoh into him. Douki tried a low blow, Yoh blocked it but still got thrown into the exposed corner again. Douki charged…into a superkick! A third referee came down as Yoh went for Direct Drive…Douki countered and ran Yoh into the third ref and into the exposed corner!

Dick Togo was the next to come out, and they hit a Magic Killer. A chair shot from Togo followed, and he found a fourth referee. Douki hit Everything is Evil and covered for an extremely believable near fall. The crowd was loudly behind Yoh, but to no avail as Suplex de la Luna finished the match.

WINNER: Douki via pinfall at 21:01. (**3/4)

• After the match, Douki demanded that Tanahashi put the belt on him. Tanahashi was reluctant to oblige, and was spared the ignominy by Tiger Mask of all people. Douki acted like The Undertaker had shown up. Tiger Mask issued a challenge to Douki, and boy am I ever disinterested in that.

(Lansdell’s Analysis: We had 16 minutes of a very good match, and five minutes of utter nonsense that didn’t just stretch the bounds of credulity; they shredded them. Three referee bumps, four referees, three people interfering, multiple weapons, low blows…all to beat someone who is not, or should not be, on Douki’s level anyway. And who came to Yoh’s aid? Literal nobody. Wato and Tanahashi were at ringside, and although both were put down by spots they had time to recover. It’s the same old tune and I have typed it so often I don’t think I need to say it again. As for Tiger Mask issuing a challenge…well it’s a nostalgia moment and a nice way to give him a spotlight before he retires. That’s about it.)

Final thoughts: These “Road to” shows usually don’t try to do much on the undercard, saving the big moments for either the main event or the big card they are meant to preview. This show was weird, in that the undercard matches were all shorter than one would expect while still progressing some story beats. The two title matches were a bit of a letdown, although I did not expect much from the main. I would imagine the next show on April 4 will be much more telling. Or rather, I hope it will.