Impact Talent To Challenge For NEVER Openweight Six-Man Titles At NJPW Destruction in Ryogoku

New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced that three Impact wresters will team up to challenge for the NEVER Openweight six-man tag team titles at NJPW Destruction in Ryogoku. Josh Alexander and the Motor City Machine Guns will face champions Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tomohiro Ishii. The event happens on October 9.

Destruction in Ryogoku on October 9 has a huge championship bout freshly added, as after a successful second defence of their championship gold in Korakuen last week, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii and Kazuchika Okada will put their titles on the line in Ryogoku.

Backstage after their defence against Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Tiger Mask and Togi Makabe on September 9, Tanahashi made a direct appeal to IMPACT Wrestling to put together a trio to face the champions. Earlier this summer, Tanahashi headed to Philadelphia to wrestle IMPACT World Champion Alex Shelley at Multiverse United 2, but after the match ended in defeat for the Ace, Tanahashi wanted revenge on IMPACT competition. Shelley was quick to step up, and has brought with him his Motor City Machineguns partner Chris Sabin. Sabin and Shelley showed a good deal of hospitality both to Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada on their respective excursions to IMPACT years ago, and now are reunited in competition against the Ace and Rainmaker.

Joining MCMG is the Josh Alexander. The former IMPACT World Champion never lost his title directly, having had to vacate due to injury earlier in the year, setting off a chain of events that saw Shelley begin his current reign. Alexander puts his singles championship ambitions aside in Ryogoku to team with Shelley and Sabin, and face his title opponent from last May in Tomohiro Ishii. With this being Alexander’s first ever trip to Japan, the Walking Weapon is more than willing and capable of leavinbg a huge impression on the Ryogoku faithful come October 9.