Wrestlers Pulled from New Japan’s Wrestling Dontaku Due to Covid Protocols

New Japan’s Wrestling Dontaku show earlier today was forced into some card changes after two un-named wrestlers were sent for a Covid test.

At the start of the show in Fukuoka, New Japan Chairman Naoki Sugabayashi announced that a wrestler who was scheduled to appear on today’s card was running a fever and had since been sent for an examination, including antibody and PCR testing. In addition, a second wrestler was also reporting a fever – they had only joined the tour from Saturday’s event in Beppu.

Both wrestlers, in addition to those who worked matches with them in recent days, were pulled from today’s card – which led to the El Desperado vs. YOH IWGP Junior Heavyweight title match being scrapped from the card. At time of writing. no replacement date for this match has been announced.

In addition, two more matches were altered, with azuchika Okada & SHO vs Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Dick Togo, Taiji Ishimori, Yujiro Takahashi, EVIL & Jay White matches being replaced with Master Wato & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Taiji Ishimori & Yujiro Takahashi and Ryusuke Taguchi, Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Dick Togo, EVIL & Jay White.