Jon Moxley's first IWGP World title defense set for NJPW Wrestling Dontaku

Jon Moxley will defend his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship for the first time next month. 

Wrestling Dontaku is scheduled for Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4 at the Fukuoka International Center. NJPW recently revealed the lineups for both nights. 

The show on May 3 will see the NJPW World TV title and the IWGP Global Championship defended. Nic Nemeth will make his first defense of the Global title against Hiroshi Tanahashi on the show. This match likely would have taken place at Windy City Riot had Tanahashi not suffered an ankle injury. 

Fresh off regaining the NJPW TV title from Matt Riddle on Friday, Zack Sabre Jr. will defend his belt against Jeff Cobb on the first night of Wrestling Dontaku as well. Cobb and ZSJ went to a time-limit draw at Wrestling Dontaku last year before ZSJ defeated Cobb the following month at Dominion. Cobb then defeated ZSJ in the G1 last summer to even up their head-to-head series at 1-1-1. 

On May 4, the IWGP World Heavyweight, IWGP Tag Team, and NEVER Openweight titles will be defended. 

Moxley will defend his IWGP Heavyweight title against Ren Narita on the show. Narita attacked Moxley following the main event of Windy City Riot on Friday as Moxley was attempting to announce he was giving a title shot to Shota Umino. 

Shingo Takagi will defend his NEVER Openweight Championship against Gabe Kidd on the show as well. Kidd attacked Takagi at Sakura Genesis after Takagi won the title from EVIL. Kidd then cut a promo that was heavily critical of NJPW before issuing a challenge to Takagi. 

An IWGP Tag Team title rematch from Sakura Genesis has also been announced. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI will put their titles on the line against former champions KENTA and Chase Owens. 

The next IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match has been announced as well. SHO will defend against DOUKI on April 29th's Satsuma no Kuni event. 

Upcoming NJPW title matches:

• Road to Wrestling Dontaku on Tuesday, April 23: NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, & Boltin Oleg defend against Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi, & EVIL
• Road to Wrestling Dontaku on Saturday, April 27: Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls defend against El Phantasmo & Hikuleo
• Road to Wrestling Dontaku on Saturday, April 27: KOPW 2024 Provisional title holder Great-O-Khan defends against Yuya Uemura
• Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni on Monday, April 29: IWGP Junior Tag Team Champions Drilla Moloney & Clark Connors defend against BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi
• Wrestling Satsuma no Kuni on Monday, April 29: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion SHO defends against DOUKI

NJPW Wrestling Dontaku on May 3, 2024 lineup --

• Boltin Oleg & Shoma Kato vs. Katsuya Murashima & Togi Makabe
• TAKA Michinoku & DOUKI vs. SHO & Yujiro Takahashi
• Yuya Uemura, Taichi, & SANADA vs. Callum Newman, Francesco Akira, & Great-O-Khan
• Jado, El Phantasmo, & Hikuleo vs. Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, & Mikey Nicholls
• Ryusuke Taguchi, YOSHI-HASHI, & Hirooki Goto vs. Taiji Ishimori, Chase Owens, & KENTA
• BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, & Tetsuya Naito vs. Gedo, Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, & Gabe Kidd
• El Desperado, Shota Umino, & Jon Moxley vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Ren Narita, & EVIL
• NJPW World TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defends against Jeff Cobb
• Yota Tsuji vs. David Finlay
• IWGP Global Champion Nic Nemeth defends against Hiroshi Tanahashi

NJPW Wrestling Dontaku on May 4, 2024 lineup --

• Boltin Oleg & Shoma Kato vs. Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls
• DOUKI & Yuya Uemura vs. Francesco Akira & Great-O-Khan
• Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Callum Newman & Jeff Cobb
• El Desperado, Shota Umino, El Phantasmo, & Hikuleo vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, & EVIL
• Nic Nemeth & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Taichi & SANADA
• BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji, & Tetsuya Naito vs. Gedo, Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, & David Finlay
• IWGP Tag Team Champions Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI defend against KENTA & Chase Owens
• NEVER Openweight Champion Shingo Takagi defends against Gabe Kidd
• IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley defends against Ren Narita