Sakura Genesis is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). Originally known as Invasion Attack, the event was renamed in 2017 after the sakura, in English "cherry blossom", which blooms in early April.[1]
The event has been held since 2013 and aired domestically as a pay-per-view (PPV). From 2013 to 2014, the event aired internationally as an internet pay-per-view (iPPV) and since 2015, it has aired worldwide on NJPW's internet streaming site, New Japan Pro Wrestling World. In 2022, the annual April event in Ryōgoku Kokugikan did not use the Sakura Genesis name, instead using the name Hyper Battle which was the name of series of events from 1993 until 2004, this due NJPW using names from old events for their 50th anniversary.
Teld annually at Tokyo's Ryōgoku Kokugikan, the event has been nicknamed "Spring Showdown at Ryōgoku" (春の両国決戦 Haru no Ryōgoku Kessen).[2][3] In 2019, the event was replaced by G1 Supercard. In 2020, NJPW planned to return the event, following recommendations by the Japanese Ministry of Health regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, NJPW decided to cancel the 2020 edition, as a result of the pandemic.
Events[]
| # | Event | Date | City | Venue | Attendance | Main event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Invasion Attack (2013) | April 7, 2013 | Tokyo | Ryōgoku Kokugikan | 8,200 | Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) versus Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship |
| 2 | Invasion Attack 2014}} | April 6, 2014 | 8,500 | Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) versus Shinsuke Nakamura for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship | ||
| 3 | Invasion Attack 2015 | April 5, 2015 | 9,500 | A.J. Styles (c) versus Kota Ibushi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship | ||
| 4 | Invasion Attack 2016 | April 10, 2016 | 9,078 | Kazuchika Okada (c) versus Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship | ||
| 5 | Sakura Genesis 2017 | April 9, 2017 | 10,231 | Kazuchika Okada (c) versus Katsuyori Shibata for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship | ||
| 6 | Sakura Genesis 2018 | April 1, 2018 | 9,882 | Kazuchika Okada (c) versus Zack Sabre Jr. for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship | ||
| 7 | Sakura Genesis 2020 | March 31, 2020 | N/A | — | ||
| 8 | Sakura Genesis 2021 | April 4, 2021 | 4,484 | Kota Ibushi (c) versus Will Ospreay for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship | ||
| 9 | Sakura Genesis 2023 | April 8, 2023 | 6,510 | Kazuchika Okada (c) versus SANADA for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship | ||
| 10 | Sakura Genesis 2024 | April 6, 2024 | 6,632 | Tetsuya Naito (c) versus Yota Tsuji for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship | ||
| 11 | Sakura Genesis 2025 | April 5, 2024 | TBA | Hirooki Goto (c) versus David Finlay for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship | ||
(c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
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References[]
- ↑ ja:【年間スケジュール発表！】6月11日大阪城ホール！『G1』両国3連戦！ 現地時間・7月1日、2日にロサンゼルスで初のビッグマッチ！『G1 Special in USA』決定!! (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling (2017-01-04). Archived from the original on 2017-01-04. Retrieved on 2017-01-04.
- ↑ ja:【4.6両国全カード!!】棚橋vs中邑! 後藤＆柴田がタッグ挑戦! 石井vs内藤! デヴィvs田口! グレイシーvsクレイジー! 桜庭vs鈴木が初遭遇! (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling (2014-04-01). Retrieved on 2016-03-23.
- ↑ ja:4月5日（日）両国でAJvs飯伏が決定! オカダvsファレ！ 棚橋＆柴田vs矢野＆桜庭! ケニーvsドラダなど4大IWGP選手権が実現!! (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling (2015-03-16). Retrieved on 2016-03-23.