New Japan has announced the full card for its 41st anniversary show at Korakuen Hall on 3/3, which is completely sold out in advance. As expected it will be headlined by the big IWGP Heavyweight Champion vs. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion match as company ace Hiroshi Tanahashi faces junior ace Prince Devitt in the battle of two men who have largely dominated their weight classes in recent years. However, despite Devitt’s calls for a shot at Tanahashi’s title this will be a non-title match.
What will be a title match is Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Lance Archer as Shinsuke makes his V6 defense of the IWGP Intercontinental Title against the IWGP Tag Team Title co-holder. Nakamura is really giving the IC Title its own character with matches of all styles, and this defense against the tall American powerhouse will come after defenses this year against shoot legend Kazushi Sakuraba and lucha star La Sombra.
Along with Nakamura vs. Archer, CHAOS vs. Suzuki Gun also continues in the form of an Elimination match as Okada leads Ishii, Jado & Gedo against Suzuki, Davey Boy Jr., TAKA & Mashimo. As per usual with New Japan’s Elimination Matches over-the-top rope eliminations are allowed. “TIME SPLITTERS” KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley make their V2 defense of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title against the “junior legend duo” of Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask after accepting the challenge from the veteran masked men.
Aogi-gun reunites as Yuji Nagata brings his small group back together to face Goto, Anderson, Tama & Taguchi. Along with Wataru and Captain New Japan (who was a member under his original name Mitsuhide Hirasawa before going overseas), we see a very rare appearance nowadays of the legend Super Strong Machine (Junji Hirata, but he’ll deny it!) who has been with New Japan since 1978. The anniversary show opens in very traditional fashion as for the first time all four of New Japan’s active young lions appear in the same match.
New Japan has confirmed its first advance on Sumo Hall for 2013 in the form of “INVASION ATTACK” on 4/7. Whether the name foreshadows anything or is unclear at this stage. There will also be a Korakuen show leading directly into it two days before.
NJPW “ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 3/3/13 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. Anniversary Opening Match: Hiromu Takahashi & Takaaki Watanabe vs. Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu
2. Yuji Nagata, Wataru Inoue, Super Strong Machine & Captain New Japan vs. Hirooki Goto, Karl Anderson, Tama Tonga & Ryusuke Taguchi
3. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley (c) vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask
4. Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Manabu Nakanishi vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka, Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI
5. Elimination Match: Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Jado & Gedo vs. Minoru Suzuki, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Kengo Mashimo 
& TAKA Michinoku
6. IWGP Intercontinental Title: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Lance Archer
7. Anniversary Special Singles Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Prince Devitt