Njpw World

Following the announcement that Iwgp Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura was departing Njpw for WWE, it was announced that Nakamura would be vacating the title. The announcement wasn’t without some controversy, as most expected Nakamura to drop the belt to Kenny Omega, the obvious Ic champion in waiting.

As far as New Japan was concerned, though, they didn’t want a Nakamura vs. Omega match to happen where the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Instead, they made the decision to strip Nakamura of the belt and decide the champion at a later date.

The match to determine the new champion occurred Sunday at New Japan’s The New Beginning In Niigata event. Former Iwgp Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, who headlined WrestleKingdom 10 just over a month ago, took on the new leader of the Bullet Club, Kenny Omega, for the vacant Iwgp Intercontinental Championship.

In what was the main event of the evening,...