SANADA is the new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.
NJPW held its Sakura Genesis event on Saturday and featured a loaded card for one of the bigger shows presented by the promotion.
It was headlined by an IWGP World Heavyweight Title match between SANADA and Kazuchika Okada, with Okada being dethroned. This marks the first time that SANADA has held the title in his tenure with New Japan Pro Wrestling.
SANADA defeated Okada by hitting his new finisher, Deadfall, to pin “The Rainmaker” and earn the championship.
After he was passed on to be the opponent for Keiji Muto’s retirement match, with his former stablemate Tetsuya Naito serving that role and going on a losing streak, SANADA did a storyline where he knew he needed to make a change, which led to him getting back to his winning ways.
This title change snapped Okada’s second reign with the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at 95 days – the shortest reign of his career.
.@seiyasanada “Rainmaker”
Watch Sakura Genesis live in LIVE in English on https://t.co/CcdQ1XamUA (outside Japan)#njSG #njpw #njpwworld pic.twitter.com/SMwvYPuW5A
— njpwworld (@njpwworld) April 8, 2023
(H/T Andrew Ravens)
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