On March 6, 1972, Antonio Inoki and Karl Gotch headlined the very first New Japan Pro Wrestling event. These two legends showcased the very best in professional wrestling and set the bar for the future. Flash forward to 2019 and the competition has never been hungrier, nor has it been so athletically gifted. The main event of this special two-hour broadcast will pit two champions against each other in what no doubt will be a classic.

“Switchblade” Jay White has been the talk of the town as of late. His accomplishments have been covered here before in the past: Defeated the top names in the company, won the IWGP U.S. Title, joined and became the leader of the Bullet Club, won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. To main event this historic event is another feather in his cap, though he won’t get out so easily when he takes on Will Osprey. There is little reason to not believe that the “Arial Assassin” is looking to seek revenge after what White has done to Osprey’s CHAOS stablemate, Okada. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. The NEVER Open Weight champion has recently been cleared from injury and has that itch to soar to high-heights and live up to his moniker that will have viewers reaching for their remotes to press rewind just to re-witness the impressive moves this daredevil can do. Afterall, if he defeats the Heavyweight Champion, one would assume he’d be next in line for a title opportunity. White on the other hand wants to continue his awesome dominance over the entire company and be thee name everyone talks about in professional wrestling.

As spectacular as that main event will be, underneath is an IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship defense that could steal the show. After retaining the championship at New Beginning in Osaka, Taiji Ishimori issued a challenge to arguably the greatest junior heavyweight of all time, Jyushin Thunder Liger. Since 1984, Liger has paved the way for the division. Wrestling in every major company in the world. He has been called out before but now nearing his final wrestling days, one last ride in the sun doesn’t seem like a bad idea for this veteran of the squared circle. Ishimori of course, with that Bullet Club mentality, wants to destroy everything that was a staple within New Japan. In the Bone Solider’s mind, he wants to be known as not only the greatest IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, but the greatest junior heavyweight on the planet, period. Defeating Liger, he can make that claim.

Even before those two colossal matches, we kick off the night with a fast-paced tag match for the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championships. Los Ingobernables de Japon’s BUSHI and Shingo Takagi take on Roppongi 3K.

Two Championship Contests. One Champion vs. Champion match. We honor the history of the 47 years of New Japan with these three incredible matchups. All this and more in our special 2-hour episode THIS FRIDAY 8p/7c