The New Beginning in Sapporo (2023)

Promotional poster featuring various NJPW wrestlers

**The New Beginning in Sapporo** **2023** was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on two nights on February 4 and 5, 2023, in Sapporo, Hokkaido, at the Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center. Both nights featured eight matches, one of which was contested for a championship, while the second night featured three championship matches out of also eight matches overall. The first night was main evented by Tetsuya Naito facing Shota Umino. The second night was main evented by Hiromu Takahashi defending the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Yoh. This was the thirty-fifth event under the New Beginning name and the fifth to take place in Sapporo, with the last back in 2020.

## Production

### Background

In recent years, NJPW has held the opening day of the G1 Climax tournament in Sapporo. With The New Beginning in Sapporo, the promotion revives an old tradition of holding a show during the annual Sapporo Snow Festival, under the subtitle 雪の札幌2連戦 (Yuki no Sapporo 2 Rensen, *"2 Sapporo Snow Battles"*). Since January 2018, NJPW hosted the event on two different nights. The event will air worldwide on NJPW's internet streaming site, New Japan Pro Wrestling World, with English commentary provided by Kevin Kelly and Chris Charlton.

### Storylines

The New Beginning in Sapporo 2023 featured eight professional wrestling matches in two nights that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.

The first night of the event by Tetsuya Naito facing Shota Umino. On January 4, 2023 at Wrestle Kingdom 17 in Tokyo Dome, Naito and Umino took part in Keiji Mutoh's retirement match in NJPW, with Umino teaming with Mutoh and Hiroshi Tanahashi in a against Naito and his *Los Ingobernables de Japón* stablemates BUSHI and SANADA. Pledging to attain Naito's attention, the following day, at *New Year Dash!*, the two would engage in a heated brawl following a eight-man tag team match, which led to NJPW scheduling a match between the two at The New Beginning in Sapporo.

The eight-man tag team match also involved Naito's *Los Ingobernables de Japón* stablemate Hiromu Takahashi and Yoh, who teamed with Umino. After picking a direct victory over Takahashi, Yoh challenged him to a title match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Despite enduring a difficult year in 2022, as a singles competitor, a key part on his journey was defeating Takahashi during the Best of the Super Juniors, which led to him new found confidence as he and Lio Rush also won the 2022 Super Jr. Tag League.

On January 5, at *New Year Dash!*, Taka Michinoku alongside former Suzuki-gun members Taichi, DOUKI and Yoshinobu Kanemaru announced the formation of "Just Four Guys", with its namesake referring to the four of them. The stable's official match took place shortly after, with Taichi, DOUKI and Kanemaru facing United Empire's Will Ospreay, Francesco Akira and TJP in a winning effort. Following the match, DOUKI and Kanemaru challenged Akira and TJP to a title match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, before a brawl broke out between both sides. The attack saw DOUKI and Kanemaru target IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Akira and TJP and Taichi targetting United Empire's leader Will Ospreay.

At *New Year Dash!*, TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr., Mikey Nicholls, and Shane Haste) faced CHAOS' Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii and Yoshi-Hashi in a winning effort, after Nicholls pinned one half of the IWGP Tag Team Champions Yoshi-Hashi. Shortly after, Nicholls and Haste held the IWGP Tag Team Championships over the champions. Meanwhile, Sabre and Ishii also had a stare-down, as they resumed a long running feud, setting up both title matches for the event.