Sengoku Lord in Nagoya (2020)

Promotional poster featuring various NJPW wrestlers

**Sengoku Lord in Nagoya** was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on July 25, 2020 at the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium. The event is available at NJPW's streaming service NJPW World.

The event featured seven matches, two of which were contested for championships. The main event featured EVIL defending the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships against Hiromu Takahashi. The event also featured another title match with Shingo Takagi defending the NEVER Openweight Championship against El Desperado.

## Production

On January 4, 2020, during Wrestle Kingdom 14 in Tokyo Dome, NJPW officially announced the show for July 25, 2020, taking place at the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium. The event began being promoted in 2019, which became an annual event.

#### Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, other wrestling promotions began to cancel or postpone their shows in an attempt to prevent further spreading of the COVID-19 virus. At the end of February, following recommendations by the Japanese Ministry of Health regarding the coronavirus outbreak, NJPW canceled the events between March 1 and March 15 including the promotion's Anniversary Event and the first and the second round of New Japan Cup. On March 23, NJPW also canceled the 2020 Sakura Genesis event, which was originally scheduled to take place on March 31. On April 8, NJPW canceled more events from April 11 through May 4, leading to the cancelation of both nights of 2020 Wrestling Dontaku and would also cancel the whole Best of the Super Juniors tournament as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on May 6. Various wrestlers such as David Finlay, El Phantasmo, KENTA, the Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa), Jay White, Juice Robinson, Will Ospreay, Rocky Romero, and Robbie Eagles were unable to work on NJPW events due to travel restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, NJPW wrestlers and staff created the *NJPW Together* project in order to do bring content to NJPW World with interviews and old archived matches. On May 6, NJPW announced that their Wrestle Dynasty event would be postponed to 2021, due to the effects of the 2019-20 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. On June 8, during an online press conference, NJPW Chairman Naoki Sugabayashi announced that the promotion would start to held shows on June 15, starting with the *Together Project Special* and the return of the 2020 New Japan Cup between June 16 and July 11, with all shows being held behind closed doors. It was also that the finals of the New Japan Cup and the Dominion in Osaka-jo Hall would be the first shows to allow fans into the arena, but only a third of the venue's normal capacity, after the Japanese Government lifted some restrictions on many regions in Japan.

On July 25, it was announced that Tomoaki Honma and Yota Tsuji would not be appearing at the event as a cautionary measure, after both took part in a recorded a television show with another cast member, who tested positive for COVID-19 on the previous day, leading the match card to be changed.

### Storylines

Sengoku Lord in Nagoya (2020) featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.

Sengoku Lord in Nagoya was headlined by EVIL defending the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships against Hiromu Takahashi. Since March 2020, Takahashi, who was the reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, was supposed to face his *Los Ingobernables de Japón* stablemate and reigning IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito at NJPW's 46th Anniversary event on March 3, in the annual non-title match between the IWGP Junior Heavyweight and IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental champions. However, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, NJPW was forced to cancel their anniversary event. After NJPW returned resuming events in June, Takahashi's had the ambition to face Naito, but his plan was derailed when his *Los Ingobernables de Japón* stablemate EVIL defected from L.I.J. to join Bullet Club, before defeating Naito on July 12 at Dominion in Osaka-jo Hall to win the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships. Afterwards, Takahashi challenged for both titles, before entering in an emotional breakdown due to EVIL's betrayal.

Also on July 12, after Shingo Takagi defeated Sho to retain the NEVER Openweight Championship, El Desperado attacked Takagi after his match, sarcastically challenging him to a title match, before stealing the NEVER Openweight Championship belt. On July 20, Takagi and Desperado faced off in a tag team match, which Takagi's team won. Afterwards, Desperado attacked Takagi and stole the NEVER Openweight Championship belt for the second time.

The event also featured a title match between Kazuchika Okada and Yujiro Takahashi, after Okada and Takahashi faced each other in a tag team match, which Takahashi's team won. Afterwards, Takahashi layout Okada with the *Pimp Juice*, before showing his resentment towards him. Takahashi had previously cost Okada his match against EVIL in the finals of the 2020 New Japan Cup, as well, his match against A.J. Styles on May 3, 2014, at Wrestling Dontaku for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to defect from CHAOS and join Bullet Club.