MOMIJI NO SENSHI (10/14 - 10/22)

In the first post-J1 tour, MAX-J will celebrating the coming of the autumn season with their MOMIJI NO SENSHI ("Maple Tree Warriors") that will cap off with a two-day event across the Pacific in British Columbia, Canada. Last April, MAX-J canceled a North American event due to the corporate restructuring of North American affiliate POLLO ROAD when the fast food chain Pollo Bucket was replaced by Laurentide Promotions as the company's owner. GM Masaaki Sano, as a result, has struck a deal with ENSOU! TV to offer a two-night trios tournament - a first in the history of MAX-J and something that is sure to excite the fans!

MAX-J sponsored fighters will first compete in the following venues:

- Beginning with the Japan Chessboxing League's second annual Gusuku Bowl, fan favorite "Checkmate" David Troy - the winner of last year's Gusuku Bowl - will receive the opportunity to win the second event, defending his crown against the JCB's own "Renaissance Man" Rhythm Saitoh. This will truly be a clash of styles, as David Troy will likely have the advantage in the ring, while Saitoh's intellectual horsepower will give him an advantage across the board. In an undercard match, the AI-enabled fighter NEXUS will compete against, well, another computer! The software company ShogiMind wants to test their software versus the AI fighter. This match will be contested purely across the board.

- Several fighters will travel north to BLIZZARD Pro to compete in Sapporo. METAL HERO, reportedly healthy, will make his return to the ring against a team led by J1 SUMMIT 3rd Place fighter AJ Knight. Hometown SHYc will compete versus the Demon Brigade, as well. The main event will feature the Demon Brigade's own Hayato Hamada and Jin Hirai attempting their V2 defense of the World Jr. Heavyweight Tag Titles versus Thunder Mask and SANGRE, both very formidable opponents.

- Ōkinasaru Championship Wrestling will host the team of Alexander Irvine and Jimmy Winner versus David Troy and Orville Newton, something of a rubber match between Irvine and Troy who split their J1 matches 1-1. Additionally, Hayato Hamada will be undergoing a Demon Brigade-organized "rebirth" after his winless performance on the J1 SUMMIT 2024. His opponent will be fellow stablemate and OCW star "Battleship" Kenzo Hirata in a sport form rules match. Finally, we'll see Tiger Mask Red make his return to Japan after a stellar runner up performance in the J1 SUMMIT in a leather strap match versus an emerging star in Ryan Samuels. While Tiger Mask Red is an all-world competitor, Samuels' sheer mass and strength will certainly come into play with the leather strap not allowing either fighter to make an escape.

- In a two-day event being referred to as the BOLD WARRIOR INVASION, ENSOU! TV is sponsoring the SEKAI ("World") Trios Cup, pitting eight teams versus one another. While the exact order is not known, we have identified eight teams that will compete for the Cup in what is sure to be an exciting night of action. Notably, Demon Lord ZENKI has agreed to lead the Shin Demon Brigade into battle and travel across the Atlantic into foreign lands, an occurrence that rarely happens and, as a result, may symbolize a new shift in the Demon Brigade's mission.

Date: 10/14/2024

Location: Naha, Okinawa, Japan

2. Gusuku Bowl II - Chessboxing Rules: David Troy (c) vs. Rhythm Saitoh

Date: 10/21/2024 - 10/22/2024

Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

- Punch Line (Roy Vezina, Harv Norris, Rick Hull)

- Demon Brigade (ZENKI, Kenzo Hirata, Shigeru Toyama)

- Hotel California (Tiger Mask Red, Nizbel, Azalo)

- Alexander Irvine, Jimmy Winner, Earth Warrior

- SHYc (Takeda Izumi, Akira Nakamura, Shinzo Takamori)

- AJ Knight, Eiichiro Yamazaki, and Devlin Masters

- David Troy, Ryan Samuels, and Orville Newton

- El Refresco, Il Ladro, and Dark Feather II