Sakura Genesis 2018

Sakura Genesis 2018 is an upcoming professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), is scheduled to take place on April 1, 2018, in Tokyo at Ryōgoku Kokugikan. The event will be main evented by 2018 New Japan Cup winner Zack Sabre Jr. challenging Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. This marks the second show under the Sakura Genesis name.

Background
Sakura Genesis 2017 was officially announced on January 4, 2018, during Wrestle Kingdom 12 in Tokyo Dome. This marks NJPW's second April Ryōgoku Kokugikan show under its new name. The previous events had been held under the name Invasion Attack. The event will air worldwide through New Japan Pro Wrestling World with English commentary provided by Kevin Kelly and Don Callis.

Storylines
Sakura Genesis 2017 will feature professional wrestling matches that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.

Sakura Genesis 2018 is the first major NJPW show following the 2018 New Japan Cup. The New Japan Cup is an annual single-elimination tournament, where the winner gets to choose whether to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight, IWGP Intercontinental or the NEVER Openweight Championship. Traditionally, the title match has taken place at the April Ryōgoku Kokugikan show, previously known as Invasion Attack and now as Sakura Genesis. On March 21, 2018 Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi in the finals of the 2018 New Japan Cup, and become the number one for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. This led Sabre becoming the second gaijin to win the tournament after Giant Bernard in 2006. During the tournament, Sabre stablemate Taka Michinoku became his manager and spokesperson. The following day, NJPW officially announced the match between Okada and Sabre as the main event of Sakura Genesis 2018, while also announcing that Sabre and Okada would face in a predule match at Strong Style Evolved, with Okada teaming with his CHAOS stablemate Tomohiro Ishii and Sabre with his Suzuki-gun stablemate and co-holder of the Undisputed British Tag Team Championship Minoru Suzuki. On March 23 in a press-conference Sabre stated that aimed to be the first British IWGP Heavyweight Champion and that he would also submit Okada for the win. Sabre also criticized NJPW for not using submission like in the past. He also brought up, that during the New Japan Cup that he had beaten NJPW's top wrestler including Tetsuya Naito, Kota Ibushi, SANADA and Hiroshi Tanahashi.

In the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match, Suzuki-gun's El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru will make their first title defense against Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi) and Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh). On February 10, 2018 Suzuki-gun's El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh). During the match, the two reapeatedly attcaked Sho's injured back. After the match, Kanemaru and Desperado made their intensions of challenging Sho and Yoh into a title match. Four days later, Sho and Yoh lost to Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi). BUSHI and Takahashi also challenged Sho and Yoh into a title match. This led on February 13, NJPW annoucing that Sho and Yoh would defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship against Suzuki-gun (Desperado and Kanemaru) and L.I.J. (BUSHI and Takahashi). On March 6 Desperado and Kanemaru won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, after pinning Sho who was blind after being hit with poisen mist by BUSHI. Sho and Yoh crticized the way Desperado and Kanemaru won the titles. During the New Japan Cup, L.I.J. and Suzuki-gun would attack each other until RPG 3K, laid out the two teams and made their intensions on recieving a rematch for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, leading NJPW officially announced the rematch on March 22.