Three matches added to NJPW Windy City Riot
Three matches have been added to the card for NJPW Windy City Riot 2025 — including a potential IWGP World Heavyweight title bout.
NJPW returns to Chicago for Windy City Riot on Friday, April 11. It’s been announced that David Finlay vs. Zack Sabre Jr. will take place at the show. If Finlay is able to dethrone Hirooki Goto at Sakura Genesis on April 5, this will be his first title defense. Finlay vs. Sabre will still happen as a special singles match if Finlay loses to Goto.
Finlay earned the Sakura Genesis title shot by winning New Japan Cup 2025, and Sabre was the opponent he defeated in the semifinals. Sabre dropped the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship to Goto in February and is looking to get the title back.
The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship will be defended at Windy City Riot no matter what. A challenger for Goto if he’s still champion has not been named yet.
NJPW’s Strong Openweight Tag Team titles will also be on the line in Chicago with Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson defending against KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight.
Plus, a tag team match has been added to the show with Tetsuya Naito & Titan facing Rocky Romero & El Phantasmo.
Wintrust Arena is hosting Windy City Riot, which will air as a pay-per-view on NJPW World. Here is the updated lineup:
- Hiroshi Tanahashi’s last match in the United States: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Konosuke Takeshita
- 30-minute Iron Man match: NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Gabe Kidd defends against Tomohiro Ishii
- David Finlay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
- NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson defend against KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight
- Tetsuya Naito & Titan vs. Rocky Romero & El Phantasmo
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.