Wrestle Kingdom 13
| Wrestle Kingdom 13 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuring various NJPW wrestlers | |||
| Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
| Date | January 4, 2019 | ||
| City | Tokyo, Japan | ||
| Venue | Tokyo Dome | ||
| Tagline(s) | "Pro-Wrestling Winter Fest! 1.4!!" (Japanese: プロレス! 冬フェスト! イッテンヨン!!, Hepburn: Puroresu! Fuyufesuto! Ittenyon!!) | ||
| Event chronology | |||
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| Wrestle Kingdom chronology | |||
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Wrestle Kingdom 13 in Tokyo Dome is an upcoming professional wrestling event produced by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event will take place on January 4, 2019, at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It will be the twenty-eighth January 4 Tokyo Dome Show and the thirteen promoted under the Wrestle Kingdom name. The event will be streamed live on NJPW World and air on Fite TV.[2]
The card will comprise between eight and ten matches.[3] In the main event, Kenny Omega will defend the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against the winner of the G1 Climax 28, Hiroshi Tanahashi. In other prominent matches, Chris Jericho will defend the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Tetsuya Naito, Kushida will defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Taiji Ishimori, Tomohiro Ishii will defend the British Heavyweight Championship against Zack Sabre Jr., and Kazuchika Okada will face Jay White.
Production
Background
The January 4 Tokyo Dome Show is NJPW's biggest annual event and has been called "the largest professional wrestling show in the world outside of the United States WWE WrestleMania" and the “Japanese equivalent to the Super Bowl”.[4][5] The show has been promoted under the "Wrestle Kingdom" name since 2007.[6]
Wrestle Kingdom 13 was officially announced on August 12, 2018, during the finals of the annual G1 Climax.[7]
Storylines
Wrestle Kingdom 13 will feature professional wrestling matches that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[8]
On August 12, 2018, Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Kota Ibushi in the final match to win the G1 Climax. As is an annual tradition since the 2012 edition, the winner of the tournament receives the Tokyo Dome IWGP Heavyweight Championship challenge rights certificate, which grants him a match at the next Wrestle Kingdom event for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Tanahashi went on to defend the certificate against Kazuchika Okada – on September 23, at Destruction in Kobe – and Jay White – on October 8, at King of Pro-Wrestling. Similarly, the IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega went on to defend his title against Tomohiro Ishii – on September 15, at Destruction in Hiroshima – and in a three-way match against Cody and Kota Ibushi – also on October 8, at King of Pro-Wrestling. The match was then officially announced, with Omega defending the title against Tanahashi.
On January 5, 2018, after the main event match at New Year Dash!!, Chris Jericho attacked Tetsuya Naito. Later in the year, on April 29, at Wrestling Hinokuni, Naito won the IWGP Intercontinental Championship by defeating Minoru Suzuki. Then, on May 4, at night 2 of Wrestling Dontaku, Jericho returned to attack Naito again and set a match between the two at Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall for Naito's championship. Jericho went on to defeat Naito and win the title. His first defense was at Power Struggle, on November 3, in which Jericho defeated Naito's Los Ingobernables de Japon stablemate Evil. After the end of the match, Naito went on to save Evil after Jericho's continued assault on him and proceeded to challenge Jericho for the championship. Despite Jericho's refusal, NJPW management went on to announce the match for Wrestle Kingdom 13.
On October 27, 2018, at the Road to Power Struggle, the tag teams of Taguchi Japan – Kushida and Chris Sabin – and Bullet Club – Taiji Ishimori and Robbie Eagles – faced off in a tournament match of the Super Junior Tag League. The Bullet Club team went on to win that match with Ishimori pinning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Kushida, laying a possible challenge on the table. On November 3, at Power Struggle, Kushida was set to team with the Great Bash Heel to face Eagles and the Guerrillas of Destiny in a six-man tag team match. Ishimori, in crutches, was in the corner of his Bullet Club stablemates and ended up costing Kushida the match, hitting him with a crutch. After the match, he revealed that he had faked the injury and held up Kushida's title. On the following Monday, NJPW management announced a match between the two for the championship.
On January 5, 2018, at New Year Dash!!, newly returned Jay White was invited by Bullet Club's leader Kenny Omega to join his faction. White seemed to accept, but then turned on Omega and left the ring. On the following day, NJPW hosted a post-Wrestle Kingdom 12 press conference to announce Jay White as a new member of Chaos instead. During the press conference, White expressed his ambitions towards the leader Kazuchika Okada's IWGP Heavyweight Championship title and said that he was not going to "fall in the background" like several other members of Chaos. In response, Okada said that White was not on his level yet and that if they were to wrestle in the future he would realize that. Throughout White's time in Chaos he would pull for intra-faction matches, even picking fellow Chaos member Tomohiro Ishii to win the New Japan Cup and urging him to challenge Okada if he were to win the tournament. He would also attack opponents before the start of his matches, much to the disapproval of his teammates. White was drawn in Okada's block at the annual G1 Climax tournament, and on July 14, at the first night, he defeated him through nefarious means such as knocking down the referee, using a chair and hitting Okada with a low blow. Neither of them advanced to the final of the tournament, which was won by Hiroshi Tanahashi. On September 23, at Destruction in Kobe, Okada challenged Tanahashi for his Tokyo Dome IWGP Heavyweight Championship challenge rights certificate, but ended up losing. After the match, White attacked both Tanahashi and Okada, with Okada's former longtime manager Gedo turning on him and aligning himself with White. On October 8, at King of Pro-Wrestling, White unsuccessfully challenged Tanahashi for the certificate. However, after the match, he assaulted Tanahashi only for Okada to make the save. Okada turned his focus to Gedo and this brought Gedo's tag team partner Jado. Initially it seemed that Jado was trying to be the peacekeeper, but he eventually turned on Okada as Bullet Club's OG faction rushed to the ring and assaulted him. White, Gedo and Jado ended up joining Bullet Club. Then on November 3, at Power Struggle, Okada tagged with his stablemate Beretta to defeat the team of White and Bad Luck Fale. White proceeded to challenge Okada to a singles match, anytime and anywhere, and NJPW management officially announced the match for Wrestle Kingdom 13.
On November 3, at Power Struggle, the team of Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh) defeated the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion team of Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado) and the team of Los Ingobernables de Japon (Bushi and Shingo Takagi) in a three-way tag team match to win the Super Junior Tag League. On the following Monday, the same match was scheduled for this event – this time for Suzuki-gun's championship.
On October 14, at Global Wars UK, Tomohiro Ishii defeated Minoru Suzuki to win the British Heavyweight Championship. At Power Struggle, Ishii successfully defeated Suzuki to retain the title. On November 9, at Revolution Pro Wrestling's Uprising event, Tomohiro Ishii successfully defended the championship against David Starr. Following the match, Ishii was attacked by Zack Sabre Jr. and Suzuki-gun, with Sabre challenging Ishii for a championship match at Wrestle Kingdom 13.
Matches
References
- ^ "SiM、新曲「LiON'S DEN」が"WRESTLE KINGDOM 13 in 東京ドーム"テーマ・ソングに決定！" [SiM's new music "Lion's Den" is chosen as the theme song of Wrestle Kingdom 13 in Tokyo Dome!] (in Japanese). 9 October 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ "NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13 set to be available Live on FITE". FITE.TV. November 29, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
- ^ "WRESTLE KINGDOM 13 in 東京ドーム" [Wrestle Kingdom 13 in Tokyo Dome] (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 November 2018.
全8～10試合予定
- ^ "GFW News: New Japan Pro Wrestling "Wrestle Kingdom 9" press conference details". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. December 23, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- ^ Keller, Wade (December 13, 2016). "New Japan's WrestleKingdom 11 to air on AXS TV starting Jan. 13 in four weekly special episodes with Ross & Barnett on commentary". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- ^ Hoops, Brian (January 4, 2017). "Daily Pro Wrestling History (01/04): NJPW Tokyo Dome cards". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ "Fight Size Update: Wrestle Kingdom 13 Logo Revealed, New PROGRESS Tag Team Champions, Kairi Sane Responds To Cody's Comments, More - Fightful Wrestling". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
- ^ Grabianowski, Ed. "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Discovery Communications. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- ^ Bryan Rose (November 9, 2018). "REVPRO BRITISH HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH SET FOR NJPW WRESTLE KINGDOM 13". Wrestling Observer. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
- ^ "Wrestle Kingdom 13 in Tokyo Dome". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Retrieved November 7, 2018.