Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa to Challenge for IWGP Tag Team Championships at NJPW New Year Dash

By Noah Leatherland

NJPW announced that the winners of World Tag League, Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa, will get their shot at the IWGP Tag Team titles at New Year Dash. The duo break the tradition of challenging at the Tokyo Dome, and will main event the following night instead.

Speaking at a press conference for the announcement, Sabre Jr. reflected on the decision to challenge at New Year Dash, stating that ‘Oiwa winning his first championship in the main event of the first night post-Tanahashi’ is ‘more important than being in the middle of the card’. Sabre Jr. also shared that a big goal for him in the coming year is to ‘prepare Oiwa to the point he’ll be a world champion by the time he’s 30’.

Oiwa shared that he wants to prove that ‘NJPW is more than fine without Hiroshi Tanahashi’. Comments made by the champions, Yuto-Ice and OSKAR, during the World Tag League had gotten under Oiwa’s skin. At the press conference, he took time to zero in on the champions, saying:

We can’t allow these classless champions to lead the way and set a bad example for kids and young adults watching…I don’t like champions who are all talk.

NJPW New Year Dash takes place on January 5th in the Ota City General Gymnasium.

(Quotes taken from njpw1972.com)