Andrade El Idolo has booked himself a date with IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji.
Andrade won a #1 contender’s match against Gabe Kidd as part of NJPW’s New Beginning in Osaka card on Wednesday, earning him a future title opportunity against the promotion’s top star.
The AEW talent prevailed in a 14-minute clash this week, putting Kidd away with a spinning back elbow into his DM finisher for the pinfall victory. Kidd, who donned an all-black Young Lion-esque outfit for the match, wasn’t able to put away Andrade with many of his top moves.
Earlier moments in the match saw Andrade score a torneo to the outside and a split-legged moonsault for a two-count.
The win means that Andrade will face Tsuji in the main event of NJPW’s New Beginning USA card in Trenton, New Jersey on February 27. This matchup was made last month shortly after Andrade made his return to NJPW as part of the annual Wrestle Kingdom card.
It’s worth noting that the upcoming match won’t see Tsuji put his IWGP Heavyweight Championship on the line, the more prominent of the two titles he currently possesses.
Here’s an updated look at that card set for New Jersey:
- Syuri vs. Athena (IWGP Women’s Championship)
- El Phantasmo vs. Konosuke Takeshita (NJPW World Television Championship)
- Tomohiro Ishii vs. Boltin Oleg (NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship)
- Yota Tsuji vs. Andrade El Idolo (IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship)
