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Yota Tsuji Makes Allegiance to LIJ Clear Ahead of NJPW Dominion
Image Credit: NJPW
– NJPW1972.com has announced that Yota Tsuji has officially joined the LIJ during a recent public contract signing ahead of NJPW Dominion. Tsuji recently returned from excursion at Wrestling Dontaku and confronted former LIJ member and the current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA. Here’s the full announcement from NJPW:
Tsuji joins LIJ as title contenders go face to face in Osaka
Public contract signing sees Yota Tsuji’s allegiances made clear
Saturday June 3 saw a public contract signing for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight and World Heavyweight Championship matches Sunday at Dominion.
Following up was the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship contract signing. In his first Japanese public appearance since his shocking return at Dontaku, Tsuji stated ‘I will destroy all that came before. For NJPW to enter a brave new world, I must become its very emblem.’
SANADA responded, first with a now regular quip that the junior heavyweights had gone on too long, before saying that with weather related travel delays ‘actually I only just got here ten minutes ago, so Hiromu really helped me out’. SANADA praised the impact Tsuji had made, and the visual changes he had undergone, while warning ‘I expect big changes from you in the ring as well. If not, the fans are going to go home unhappy after a short main event.’
In response to questions from media, Tsuji remained cagey, saying that it would be up to fans in the venue to see what had changed the most about him, but acknowledging his rapid challenge, stating ‘I thought from the start when I went away, the best way for me to have eyes on me coming back would be to challenge for the top belt. Now we have cheering crowds, we’re out of the pandemic and the timing is absolutely right.’
Another question from the press concerning Tsuji indicating that he would be part of Los Ingobernables De Japon would be batted away by the challenger, but when he and SANADA got ready for their photo session, Tetsuya Naito made a surprise appearance to huge cheers. When Naito asked Tsuji whether his chest bump in Fukuoka meant that he wanted to join LIJ, Tsuji responded in the affirmative. ‘I will be fighting in Japan from here on, and I want to do it in Los Ingobernables De Japon(… ) but are you ready? Because I plan on bringing LIJ and New Japan Pro-Wrestling to new heights.’
BUSHI would present Tsuji with his LIJ tee, and after Naito bid Osaka ‘adios’, Tsuji promised to ‘make things interesting around here in NJPW’.
This year’s NJPW Dominion is scheduled for June 4 at Osaka-Jo Hall in Osaka, Japan.
