More matches for the upcoming “CIRCUIT 2009 NEW JAPAN ISM” tour have been announced, which each card headed by Tanahashi vs. Nakamura preliminary skirmishes. You may notice that after 1/31 (contract cut-off day), RISE’s Minoru is nowhere to be found. There has been a lot of speculation about his future, and this may (or may not!) be the writing on the wall.

NJPW, 1/30/09 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Wataru Inoue, Ryusuke Taguchi & Prince Devitt vs. Jado, Gedo & Tomohiro Ishii
2. Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito vs. Milano Collection AT & Taichi Ishikari
3. Tiger Mask & Koji Kanemoto vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Minoru
4. Riki Choshu, Mitsuhide Hirasawa, Kazuchika Okada & Nobuo Yoshihashi vs. Togi Makabe, Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomoaki Honma
5. Masahiro Chono & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yuji Nagata vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Hirooki Goto

NJPW, 1/31/09 (SXW)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Nobuo Yoshihashi vs. Minoru
2. Milano Collection AT & Taichi Ishikari vs. Jado & Gedo
3. Manabu Nakanishi, Koji Kanemoto, Mitsuhide Hirasawa & Kazuchika Okada vs. Takashi Iizuka, Giant Bernard, Karl Anderson & Tomoaki Honma
4. Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono & Wataru Inoue vs. Togi Makabe, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii
5. Yuji Nagata & Tiger Mask vs. Hirooki Goto & Jushin Thunder Liger
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Ryusuke Taguchi & Prince Devitt

NJPW, 2/1/09
Tomi Fureai Gymnasium

1. Milano Collection AT & Taichi Ishikari vs. Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson
2. Manabu Nakanishi & Wataru Inoue vs. Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii
3. Riki Choshu & Masahiro Chono vs. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma
4. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuji Nagata, Tiger Mask & Kazuchika Okada vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Hirooki Goto, Jushin Thunder Liger & AKIRA

NJPW, 2/7/09 (Samurai! TV)
Tochigi Bunka Center Sub Hall

1. Ryusuke Taguchi & Prince Devitt vs. Milano Collection AT & Taichi Ishikari
2. Manabu Nakanishi, Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito vs. Giant Bernard, Jado & Gedo
3. Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono & Wataru Inoue vs. Togi Makabe, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii
4. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuji Nagata, Tiger Mask & Koji Kanemoto vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Hirooki Goto, Jushin Thunder Liger & AKIRA

NJPW, 2/8/09 (SXW)
Zepp Sendai

1. Manabu Nakanishi, Wataru Inoue & Koji Kanemoto vs. Togi Makabe, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii
2. Yuji Nagata, Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito vs. Hirooki Goto, Ryusuke Taguchi & Prince Devitt
3. Riki Choshu & Masahiro Chono vs. Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson
4. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tiger Mask vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Jushin Thunder Liger

NJPW, 2/10/09
Ota City Nitta Gymnasium Ex Arena

1. Manabu Nakanishi, Milano Collection AT & Taichi Ishikari vs. Takashi Iizuka, Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson
2. Wataru Inoue & Koji Kanemoto vs. Togi Makabe & Tomohiro Ishii
3. Riki Choshu & Masahiro Chono vs. Toru Yano & Tomoaki Honma
4. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuji Nagata & Mitsuhide Hirasawa vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Hirooki Goto & Kazuchika Okada

NJPW, 2/11/09 (Samurai! TV)
Act City Hamamatsu

1. Manabu Nakanishi, Milano Collection AT, Taichi Ishikari & Mitsuhide Hirasawa vs. Jado, Gedo, Karl Anderson & Tomoaki Honma
2. Wataru Inoue & Koji Kanemoto vs. Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii
3. Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono & AKIRA vs. Togi Makabe, Toru Yano & Giant Bernard
4. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuji Nagata & Tiger Mask vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Hirooki Goto & Jushin Thunder Liger

NJPW, 2/12/09
Toyohashi City Gymnasium #2

1. Wataru Inoue & Mitsuhide Hirasawa vs. Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii
2. Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Togi Makabe, Toru Yano & Tomoaki Honma
3. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuji Nagata & Nobuo Yoshihashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Hirooki Goto & Kazuchika Okada

-

The late February to late March schedule has been announced, with the New Japan Cup returning, plus a series of special Korakuen Hall shows.

- 2/29 “NEW DIMENSION” @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
- 3/6 “STRONG STYLE 37TH ANNIVERSARY” @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall

CIRCUIT 2009 NEW JAPAN CUP ~SOUL ON THE RING~
- 3/8 @ Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
- 3/14 @ Kuki City Gymnasium
- 3/15 @ Tokyo Korakuen Hall
- 3/16 @ Tsubame Citizen Gymnasium
- 3/17 @ Kumagaya Citizen Gymnasium
- 3/20 @ Takamatsu City Gymnasium
- 3/21 @ Fukuyama Big Rose
- 3/22 @ Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium

- 3/29 “EXCITING BATTLE IN OKINAWA 2009″ @ Okinawa Prefectural Budokan