The wrestlers of Michinoku Pro will be in action on May 5 at Aomori City Hamanasu Kaikan in Aomori, as a part of Golden Week series 2022.
Match 1: Manabu Murakami vs. Taro Nohashi
The careers of Manabu Murakami and Taro Nohashi share similarities. They are both former Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champions, and they are both former members of the Kowloon faction, which existed in Michinoku Pro from 2008 to 2012. Murakami and Nohashi have faced each other in matches since then, Murakami emerging as the victor in those contests. But in the past five months, Nohashi’s career has had a resurgence, with him becoming a Triple Crown Tag Champion. It will be interesting to see what impact this will have on their next match against each other.
Match 2: The Great Sasuke vs. Rasse vs. Ken45 in a “Michinoku 3Way” Match
The Great Sasuke and Ken45 will see each other one day earlier in a, “Michinoku 3Way” match when the Golden Week series comes to Akita. Perhaps one of them will be entering the match with momentum from their previous days’ victory, but a big factor in this match is Rasse’s participation- although he is most successful in tag team competition, Rasse holds singles wins over both Sasuke and Ken45.
Match 3: Yapperman No. 1 & No. 2 vs. Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei
Not only are both teams very familiar with each other, but they are the two most decorated teams in Michinoku Pro’s history. Both teams have held the Tohoku Tag Team Championship, with Yapperman No. 1 & No. 2 having the second-longest reign, and Brahman Shu & Kei capturing it more times than any other team. And both teams have held the UWA World Tag Team Championship, with Yapperman No. 1 & No. 2 having the longest reign, and capturing that championship more times than any other team as well, while Brahman Shu & Kei are the second-longest reigning UWA World Tag Team Champions. Both teams have almost equal levels of success, and this match could go either way.
Match 4: Ringo Yamatani vs. MUSASHI
This will be Ringo Yamatani’s debut match, and it will be a true test, as his opponent will be the current Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion.
Match 5: GAINA & Rui Hyugaji vs. Ayumu Gunji & Koji Kawamura
With Taro Nohashi seeing singles action at this event, the other half of the Triple Crown Tag Champions, GAINA, will team with Rui Hyugaji to go against New Generation members Ayumu Gunji and Koji Kawamura in the main event. Even though Hyugaji has been more focused on his singles career in recent years (where he has seen the most success), he has a history with Gunji as a tag team wrestler. It was only a number of years ago that they were tag team partners, and they were a very successful team, capturing both the Tohoku Tag Team Championship and UWA World Tag Team Championship. It will be interesting to see if their familiarity with each other plays a role in this match.
TICKETS
For those of you who will be in Japan on May 5, tickets are currently on sale for this event.
#MichinokuPro #MichinokuProWrestling #prowrestling #wrestling