Kambi's NJPW Markets For This Week

This past weekend, the oddsmakers from Kambi installed a handful of New Japan Pro Wrestling markets for the company's upcoming Summer Struggle shows.

On Wednesday, NJPW will begin an eight-man tournament to determine the inaugural provisional King of Pro Wrestling Champion. 

It's my understanding that the newly-created title (in name only) will be defended in matches that career away from regular NJPW bouts as the provisional champion will have to defend his right to be named King of Pro Wrestling in speciality matches. The choice of matches will be put to vote by fans.

At the tail end of each year - a final King of Pro Wrestling match will be contested. Whoever is the provisional King of Pro Wrestling at the conclusion of the bout, will be crowned King of Pro Wrestling and receive a trophy.

Even though Wednesday's event is being promoted as having a 'tournament' on the card, the  simply four qualifying matches because the winners of the bouts will meet in a four-way on Saturday.

Wednesday's matches have already been decided by fan voting. What happened was both wrestlers picked the stipulation they would like, then it was up to the fans to make the final decision.

SHO .vs. SANADA

Both SHO and SANADA requested for their contest to be a submission match. Therefore, there was no reason to go to a vote.

This is the only match market that remains available for the tournament. It started with SANADA as a 3/4 favourite. His price was down to 1/2 when I checked in almost a day later.

 

Date/Time	SHO	SANADA
22/8 9:00PM	19/20	3/4
23/8 8:30PM	7/5	1/2
24/8 11:30AM	"	"

SANADA has also been the wrestler whose odds have shortened in the outright tournament winner market.

He started off at 5/2, but was down to 2/1 when I checked in last night.

Kazuchika Okada - who is credited as coming up with the King of Pro Wrestling concept - is a favourite to leave Saturday's four-way as the provisional king. 

His price was kept at 13/10 when the adjustments were made to the market on Sunday.

On the topic  of Okada, his tournament match is an interesting one.

Kazuchika Okada .vs. Yujiro Takahashi

Okada's request was to meet Yujiro Takahashi in a 1-on-3 handicap match. He got his wish as fifty-six percent of the vote went to that request over Takahashi's request for a lumberjack strap match. 

The other two participants in the match are Okada's nemesis' Gedo and Jado. 

Date/Time	Kazuchika Okada	Yujiro Takahashi
22/8 9:00PM	2/5	7/4
23/8 8:30PM	7/20	19/10
24/8 11:30AM	OTB	OTB

Going by the betting between Saturday and Sunday, Okada dipped from 2/5 into 7/20.

Customers can also bet on Okada in a tournament winner prop bet. In it, customers get to gamble whether or not Okada ends up the tournament winner.

'Yes' is obviously in line with the outright market number of 13/10. However, those who'd like to bet against him can take the field by gambling on 'No' at 13/25.

Satoshi Kojima .vs. El Desperado

68.5 percent of the fan vote chose for the Satoshi Kojima .vs. El Desperado match to have the stipulation that neither man can use their finisher. This was Desperado's offer to the fan vote. 

This will mean that there will be no lariat from Kojima or a Pinche Locho from Desperado.

When it was available, the betting market listed Desperado as a 4/6 favourite over Kojima (27/25).

Toru Yano .vs. Bushi

Toru Yano and Bushi will meet in a bout which has two-count pins. This was, unsurprisingly, Yano's proposal. It was voted in 57.2:42.8.

Bushi's suggestion was a five-count countout which would have also played into Yano comedy. 

Kambi had Yano as a 13/20 favourite. A victory for Bushi will pay out at odds of 11/10.

The bookies are still accepting wagers on the other matches that are set for Saturday's card from Meiji Jingo Stadium.

NEVER Openweight champion - Shingo Takagi - is a 4/5 favourite to successfully retain his title against Minoru Suzuki (9/10).

The team of Taichi and Zack Sabre, Jr. are 13/20 for their IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship defence against previous titleholders, Kota Ibushi and Hiroshi Tanahashi (11/10).

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champ, Hiromu Takahashi, is a slight underdog - at 9/10 - for his defence against Taiji Ishimori (4/5).

The main event will see EVIL defend both the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships against the previous champ, Tetsuya Naito. 

EVIL was 7/10 on Saturday night, but has since moved up to 4/5 due to Naito's price having been reduced into 9/10 from EVS.

Date/Time	EVIL	Tetsuya Naito
22/8 9:00PM	7/10	EVS
23/8 8:30PM	4/5	9/10
24/8 11:30AM	"	"