Michinoku Pro will present a special event on November 17 at Yume Messe West Hall in Sendai (1:00 PM). One day earlier, the new Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion will be decided. The winner and new champion will then have their first defense less than 24 hours later in Sendai.
The challenger will be El Pantera Jr., a Mexican talent who was relatively unknown until recently, and is now making a big impact on the Japanese wrestling scene. He is the son of 3-time CMLL World Welterweight Champion El Pantera and the brother of El Hijo del Pantera, who has had impressive showings in Japan during his appearances in NOAH.
How El Pantera Jr. got here
El Pantera Jr. earned his shot at the Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship by winning Fukumen World League 7, a tournament hosted by Michinoku Pro that took place last month across three different locations in Japan.
Fukumen World League is one of the most distinctive tournaments in the industry, with it featuring masked talents from around the world. The first tournament took place in 1995, and since then many famous wrestlers have won the tournament, including Dos Caras, Tiger Mask, Atlantis, The Great Sasuke, and Caristico.
El Pantera Jr. won matches in this year’s tournament against former DG star La Estrella, El Hijo del Alebrije, The Great Sasuke, and former Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion Kenbai, adding his mask to the Fukumen World League’s legacy.
Now, El Pantera Jr. has set his sights on dethroning the Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion- but who will he face? Will it be three-time Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Champion Rui Hyugaji, or Ringo Yamaya, who became current co-holder of the Tohoku Tag Team Championship with only one year of in-ring experience at that time?
Tickets
For those of you who will be in Japan on November 17, tickets are currently on sale for this event.