Seven titles will be defended across two shows as New Japan presents “INVASION ATTACK” on 4/7 at Sumo Hall and “ROAD TO INVASION ATTACK” two days earlier at Korakuen Hall. At Korakuen, the Killer Elite Squad will make their V4 defense of the IWGP Tag Team Title against Nakamura & Ishii after accepting a challenge from the CHAOS team yesterday. Prince Devitt makes his V3 defense of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title against Alex Shelley and like the tag match this also leads into another title match two days later. Another match of note at Korakuen is GHC Tag Team Champions, Yano & Iizuka, facing the all-star Suzuki & Takayama duo (non-title).

On to Sumo Hall and there will be a triple main event featuring three title matches! Of course the biggest of them all sees Hiroshi Tanahashi make his V8 defense of the IWGP Heavyweight Title against New Japan Cup winner Kazuchika Okada. Tanahashi’s previous reign lasted from 1/4/11 to 2/12/12 before Okada took the belt off him. But Tanahashi then won it back on 6/16/12 and has held it since, and looks to continue his domination of Japan’s most prestigious title in April. Nakamura makes his V7 defense of the IWGP Intercontinental Title against Davey Boy Smith Jr. in a direct sequel to the IWGP Tag Team Title match two days earlier, and of course he beat Smith’s tag partner Lance Archer in his previous defense. The NWA invasion begins with Rob Conway defending the historic NWA World Heavyweight Title against Satoshi Kojima, Kojima’s most high profile match for a while.

Nagata once again locks horns with Sakuraba but not in the singles match he requested, instead another tag as he and Goto face Saku & Shibata. In a rematch from the New Japan Cup second round, Minoru Suzuki looks to avenge his defeat to Toru Yano, while Tomoaki Honma makes his formal return by teaming with Makabe against Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi. The CMLL World Tag Team Title will be on the line as New Japan’s Tama Tonga and his partner El Terrible defend the belts against La Mascara & Valiente. Akebono and Bob Sapp return for the first time since 1/4 in another New Japan vs. CHAOS eight man tag, and the show opens with TIME SPLITTERS’ V3 defense of the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title against 4-time champions Apollo 55. This show should be on iPPV like most other important New Japan events these days, but nothing announced just yet.

NJPW “ROAD TO INVASION ATTACK”, 4/5/13 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Road to INVASION ATTACK I: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. KUSHIDA
2. Road to INVASION ATTACK II: Yuji Nagata & Hirooki Goto vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Captain New Japan
3. Road to INVASION ATTACK III: Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Yujiro Takahashi, YOSHI-HASHI & Jado
4. Road to INVASION ATTACK IV: Minoru Suzuki & Yoshihiro Takayama vs. Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka
5. Road to INVASION ATTACK V: Hiroshi Tanahashi & BUSHI vs. Kazuchika Okada & Gedo
6. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Prince Devitt (c) vs. Alex Shelley
7. IWGP Tag Team Title: Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii

NJPW “INVASION ATTACK”, 4/7/13 (WPW)
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley (c) vs. Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi
2. Special 8 Man Tag Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Manabu Nakanishi, Super Strong Machine & Akebono vs. Takashi Iizuka, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Bob Sapp
3. CMLL World Tag Team Title: El Terrible & Tama Tonga (c) vs. La Mascara & Valiente
4. Special Tag Match: Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi
5. Special Singles Match: Toru Yano vs. Minoru Suzuki
6. Special Tag Match: Yuji Nagata & Hirooki Goto vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Katsuyori Shibata
7. Triple Main Event I – NWA World Heavyweight Title: Ron Conway (c) vs. Satoshi Kojima
8. Triple Main Event II – IWGP Intercontinental Title: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
9. Triple Main Event III – IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada

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