Destruction In Hiroshima (2016)

Destruction is a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) annually since 2007. In 2016, NJPW produced three events under the Destruction name; Destruction in Tokyo on September 17, Destruction in Hiroshima on September 22, and Destruction in Kobe on September 25. The events featured nine matches each, six of which were contested for championships. These were events twelve to fourteen under the Destruction name. All three events aired live worldwide on NJPW World with the Kobe event also airing on pay-per-view (PPV) in Japan.

Production

Background

2016 was the first year in which NJPW holds three events under the Destruction name. From 2007 to 2013, NJPW held one Destruction event per year, expanding to two shows in 2014 and 2015.

Storylines

The Destruction shows featured nine professional wrestling matches, each of which 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.

Destruction in Tokyo was main evented by Kushida defending the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Bushi. The two previously faced off for the title on February 14 at The New Beginning in Niigata, where Kushida retained the title. Afterwards, Bushi began eyeing a rematch opportunity with Kushida, which eventually came during the 2016 Best of the Super Juniors tournament, where Bushi defeated Kushida in their final round-robin match on June 6, eliminating the reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship from the finals of the tournament. Following the match, Bushi made a challenge for a title match, which was made official on August 22, the day after Kushida had won the 2016 Super J-Cup. In the buildup to the title match, NJPW noted the similarities between the two wrestlers with both being 33-years old and having come to NJPW from other organizations (Kushida from Smash and Bushi from All Japan Pro Wrestling). Despite having already been granted the title shot by NJPW, Bushi suggested he would boycott the match unless he was nominated as the challenger by Kushida himself. After being pinned by Bushi in a six-man tag team match on September 12, Kushida officially appointed Bushi as his next challenger. Destruction in Tokyo would also feature another title match, where Katsuyori Shibata defended the NEVER Openweight Championship against Bobby Fish. This match was made as a result of events that took place at a Ring of Honor (ROH) event in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 20, where Fish successfully defended the ROH World Television Championship against Shibata. Fish would be the first junior heavyweight wrestler to challenge for the NEVER Openweight Championship since April 2014. In the week leading to the title match, Shibata was sidelined with a cervical spine injury, forcing him to miss NJPW's September 14 and 15 events. However, it was announced that the title match would go on as scheduled.

Destruction in Hiroshima was main evented by Kenny Omega taking on Yoshi-Hashi. On August 14, Omega defeated Hirooki Goto in the finals to win the 2016 G1 Climax, becoming the first foreigner to win the annual tournament. During the tournament, Omega suffered three losses, against NEVER Openweight Champion Katsuyori Shibata, IWGP Intercontinental Champion Michael Elgin and Yoshi-Hashi. Omega's loss against Yoshi-Hashi in their opening match on July 22 was considered a major upset, and after winning the tournament Omega called the loss humiliating and nominated Yoshi-Hashi as the first challenger for his G1 Climax winning prize; a contract for an IWGP Heavyweight Championship match on January 4, 2017, at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome. The match was made official on August 22. Other featured matches included reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada taking on Bad Luck Fale. During the 2016 G1 Climax, Fale defeated Okada, who afterwards demanded a rematch with him. Due to Okada already being set to defend the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Naomichi Marufuji on October 10 at King of Pro-Wrestling, the title would not be on the line in the match with Fale. However, Fale stated that if he were to win at Destruction in Hiroshima, he wanted a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at NJPW's New Zealand event on November 12. Also on the card, reigning ROH World Champion Adam Cole returned to NJPW, taking on 2016 Best of the Super Juniors winner Will Ospreay. This would mark Cole's singles match debut in NJPW. On August 29, NJPW announced that the match would be contested for Cole's title. Destruction in Hiroshima's only title match would see The Briscoe Brothers (Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe) defend the IWGP Tag Team Championship against The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson). The Young Bucks made a challenge for the "heavyweight" tag team title on August 21 after successfully defending the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship against The Motor City Machine Guns. Though the two teams work in different weight divisions in NJPW, they had a history with each other from ROH, where the tag team division has no weight limits. This match would mark the first time in NJPW history that the reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions challenge for the IWGP Tag Team Championship.

Destruction in Kobe was main evented by Michael Elgin taking on Tetsuya Naito. The match was originally announced as a "potential" IWGP Intercontinental Championship match, provided that Elgin first successfully defended the title against Donovan Dijak at an ROH event on August 27. Elgin went on to defeat Dijak to make the main event of Destruction in Kobe for the title. The match stemmed from the 2016 G1 Climax, where Naito defeated Elgin. Afterwards, Elgin offered a title match to Naito, who accepted. Though he took part in the tournament to crown the inaugural IWGP Intercontinental Champion in May 2011, this would mark Naito's first ever shot at the title. The event also featured outside participation from the Pro Wrestling Noah promotion with Atsushi Kotoge, Daisuke Harada and Naomichi Marufuji teaming with Toru Yano to take on the Chaos quartet of Gedo, Jado, Kazuchika Okada and Yoshi-Hashi. The match not only built up the IWGP Heavyweight Championship match between Okada and Marufuji, but also a GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match between champions Kotoge and Harada and challengers Gedo and Jado. Toru Yano, who teamed with the Noah trio in the match, was also a member of Chaos, but held the GHC Tag Team Championship with Marufuji in Noah. This led to problems between Yano and Marufuji with the latter beginning to question his partner's ultimate allegiance in the week leading to Destruction in Kobe. The event's second title match was scheduled to feature Matt Sydal, Ricochet and Satoshi Kojima defending the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship against the Bullet Club trio of Adam Cole and The Young Bucks. The champions had won the title on July 3 by defeating another Bullet Club trio, made up of The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. However, on the day of the show, the champions were stripped of the title due to Sydal failing to make the show because of travel issues with David Finlay replacing him in a new match for the now vacant title. Destruction in Kobe's undercard was also set to feature the culmination of a storyline, where Yoshitatsu had announced a fan poll on Twitter to decide whether Captain New Japan

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