Jun Kasai
On March 13, Kanemura lost to Tetsuhiro Kuroda in a #1 contender's match for the WEW World Heavyweight Championship. On March 18, Yamakawa suffered a severe brain injury in a match against The Wifebeater, which put him out of action and Kanemura continued to compete in singles competition. Kanemura dropped the Hardcore Championship to Mammoth Sasaki on April 1. At 12th Anniversary Show, Kanemura defeated Sasaki to regain the title winning it for a third time. Kanemura successfully defended the title against Jun Kasai on May 22 and then retired the title afterwards.