New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Taichi have added a Kickoff Show match to the October 17 event being held at Taichi’s former middle school. Young Lion Masatora Yasuda will face Ryoma Tsukamoto in a singles bout before the main pay-per-view card gets underway.

The addition gives the event an opening contest built around two wrestlers looking to establish themselves in different ways. Yasuda enters as a Hokkaido native and a member of NJPW’s Young Lion group, while Tsukamoto arrives from outside the NJPW system as a product of Just Tap Out. The matchup also follows Tsukamoto’s public effort to secure a place on this year’s card.

Taichi’s school event has already assembled a distinctive lineup, mixing championship competition, a Falls Count Anywhere match across the school grounds, and several pairings that remain partially unannounced. The Yasuda-Tsukamoto bout now gives the afternoon a clear starting point, with the stakes centered on pride, visibility, and the question of which emerging wrestler can make the stronger statement.

Tsukamoto Gets the Opportunity He Sought

Ryoma Tsukamoto has been seeking an appearance on the October 17 show for some time. At Korakuen Hall, he made a direct appeal to Taichi for a match. Taichi answered that request by naming Yasuda as his opponent.

For more background on this topic, read Shingo Takagi and Natsupoi to Team Against Hirooki Goto and Yuna Mizumori at STARDOM on October 29.

Tsukamoto has prior history at the school-based event. He took part in a six-man tag match at last year’s Ishikari school show, a bout that became especially heated during his exchanges with Yota Tsuji. That appearance supplied a notable connection to the setting and helped establish why Tsukamoto wanted another opportunity on this year’s event.

His return is not framed as a routine appearance. Tsukamoto was persistent in pursuing a spot, and the resulting match places him against an NJPW Young Lion rather than in a multi-man contest. A one-on-one meeting gives both men a more direct platform. There will be no partners to absorb pressure, no tag rotations to alter the pace, and no uncertainty over who was responsible for the result.

“Before the main pay-per-view action gets underway, Masatora Yasuda goes one-on-one with Ryoma Tsukamoto.”

For Tsukamoto, the assignment creates an immediate test against a wrestler who will have the regional connection on his side. For Yasuda, it is a chance to make the case that NJPW’s homegrown prospects can handle outsider opposition at an event with a personal connection to one of the company’s established figures.

Yasuda Represents NJPW’s Young Lion Guard

Masatora Yasuda comes into the match with the opportunity to represent more than himself. NJPW has positioned him as a Hokkaido native who will be looking to assert himself as the true leader of the company’s Young Lion guard through a victory over Tsukamoto.

That description raises the importance of the bout beyond its place on the Kickoff Show. Young Lion matches are often a proving ground, and Yasuda will have the added responsibility of entering against a wrestler from outside the NJPW system. Beating Tsukamoto would offer Yasuda a meaningful result in a match designed to put the spotlight on his standing among NJPW’s developing talent.

The location adds another layer to the scenario. This is not simply an ordinary event date on the NJPW calendar. It is a show connected directly to Taichi’s past, taking place at his old middle school. Yasuda’s Hokkaido roots make him a particularly fitting opponent for Tsukamoto in that environment, while Tsukamoto’s previous involvement at the Ishikari school event ensures he is not a stranger to the wider atmosphere surrounding the card.

The central contrast is straightforward: Yasuda is seeking to defend the standing of NJPW’s Young Lions, and Tsukamoto is seeking to capitalize on the match he personally requested. Both wrestlers have a reason to treat the opening contest as an opportunity that could resonate beyond a single afternoon.

A Card Built Around a Unique Setting

The October 17 event will feature Taichi in the main event, where he and a still-to-be-announced partner will take on Naomichi Marufuji and another opponent yet to be revealed. With two names still open in that match, the contest remains one of the major unanswered questions heading into the show.

Elsewhere, Ryusuke Taguchi will defend the DDT Universal Championship against Dick Togo. The match places a championship from DDT on the card, adding another promotion’s title competition to an event presented with NJPW and Taichi involvement. Taguchi enters as champion, while Togo has the opportunity to leave the school event with the title.

Yuya Uemura is also scheduled to compete against an opponent who has not been announced. Uemura’s match is another part of the card that will take shape once the remaining name is confirmed.

One of the most unusual announced attractions will see Toru Yano and El Desperado face Unbound Co., the team of Yuto-Ice and Gedo, in a Falls Count Anywhere match on the school grounds. The stipulation makes the surrounding location part of the contest and distinguishes the match from the more traditional bouts scheduled for the event.

Bishamon, Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI, will meet Kumagoro Hokkai and another unannounced partner. As with the Taichi and Uemura matches, the missing participant leaves an important variable in place heading toward October 17.

With Yasuda vs. Tsukamoto moved into the Kickoff Show position, the full event now has a defined first match before the larger card begins. The bout will provide a focused singles opening ahead of a lineup that includes title stakes, a school-grounds stipulation, and multiple pending partner or opponent announcements.

Updated October 17 Card

  • Kickoff Show: Masatora Yasuda vs. Ryoma Tsukamoto
  • Taichi & TBA vs. Naomichi Marufuji & TBA
  • DDT Universal Championship: Ryusuke Taguchi (c) vs. Dick Togo
  • Yuya Uemura vs. TBA
  • Falls Count Anywhere on School Grounds: Toru Yano & El Desperado vs. Unbound Co. (Yuto-Ice & Gedo)
  • Bishamon (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) vs. Kumagoro Hokkai & TBA

What the Kickoff Match Can Establish

Though it is positioned before the main card, the Yasuda-Tsukamoto match carries a clear competitive premise. Tsukamoto enters with history at last year’s Ishikari school event and the determination of someone who actively pursued this year’s booking. Yasuda enters as the local Young Lion tasked with proving himself against outsider opposition.

The match also offers a clean entry point for the audience before the event shifts into its more elaborate attractions. The main card features several unfinished match details and a Falls Count Anywhere stipulation that will use the school grounds. By contrast, the opener is a direct singles contest with a defined competitive issue: Tsukamoto’s bid to turn an opportunity into a statement versus Yasuda’s effort to establish his leadership among the Young Lions.

Taichi’s decision to place Yasuda opposite Tsukamoto means the latter received the chance he sought, but not without a meaningful challenge. Yasuda has the chance to show that NJPW’s next generation can deliver when confronted by a motivated opponent from outside its ranks. Tsukamoto has the chance to demonstrate that his appeal for a place on the card was justified.

On October 17, the school event will begin with that confrontation. Before Taichi headlines at the venue tied to his own past, Yasuda and Tsukamoto will be responsible for setting the competitive tone for the day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.