On November 9th, 2019, New Japan Pro Wrestling made its way to the United States once again, and this time, they had set their eyes on San Jose, CA at the San Jose Civic as a part of their expansion throughout North America. This tour would be the last tour in the U.S. until Wrestle Kingdom 14.
This occasion was special as it was the final match on American soil for legendary wrestler, Jushin Thunder Liger. The fans in attendance were very appreciative of him wrestling before them but also his overall contributions to pro wrestling.
Showdown was amazing because of the photo opportunities with some of the brightest stars in all of NJPW. Fans had the opportunity to meet such stars before the event like IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kazuchika Okada and IWGP Intercontinental Champion, “Switchblade” Jay White. The other stars fans could meet included Sanada and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, Will Ospreay. Later on, fans could meet Hirooki Goto, Rocky Romero, Lance Archer, and more.
Many of the top names received massive pops like Minoru Suzuki, Tetsuya Naito, Kazuchika Okada, and Jushin Thunder Liger.
From the first match which included the Young Lions from the LA Dojo to the main event match, people were on their toes and really receptive to the style of wrestling from Japan.
I liked the big wrestling shows that come to my home area especially at smaller intimate venues. It was awesome being up close to a lot of the action. I really liked that this event was included in the buildup to their biggest wrestling show, Wrestle Kingdom.
Written by: Timtastic
