King of Pro-Wrestling
King of Pro-Wrestling is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The event has been held every October since 2012 and aired domestically as a pay-per-view (PPV). The event also aired internationally as an internet pay-per-view (iPPV) until 2015, when it was moved to NJPW's worldwide internet streaming site, New Japan Pro Wrestling World. King of Pro-Wrestling was created by Bushiroad, a card game company, which had bought NJPW in January 2012.[1] The event became NJPW's main show of October, a spot previously held by Destruction, which was instead moved back to September. The event takes place annually on the second Monday of October, the day of the Japanese public holiday known as the Health and Sports Day (体育の日, Taiiku no hi). King of Pro-Wrestling is also the name of a collectible card game, created by Bushiroad.[2]
Events
| # | Event | Date | City | Venue | Attendance | Main event | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | King of Pro-Wrestling (2012) | October 8, 2012 | Tokyo | Ryōgoku Kokugikan | 9,000 | Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) versus Minoru Suzuki for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship | [3][4][5] |
| 2 | King of Pro-Wrestling (2013) | October 14, 2013 | Tokyo | Ryōgoku Kokugikan | 9,000 | Kazuchika Okada (c) versus Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship | [6][7][8] |
| 4 | King of Pro-Wrestling (2014) | October 13, 2014 | Tokyo | Ryōgoku Kokugikan | 9,100 | A.J. Styles (c) versus Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship | [9][10][11] |
| 5 | King of Pro-Wrestling (2015) | October 12, 2015 | Tokyo | Ryōgoku Kokugikan | 8,302 | Kazuchika Okada (c) versus A.J. Styles for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship | [12][13][14] |
(c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
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References
- ^ Caldwell, James (January 31, 2012). "NJPW News: New Japan sold to new owners, change-over taking effect February 1". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
- ^ "新日本プロレスのトレーディングカードゲーム「キング オブ プロレスリング」概要決定!! 8月の『G1』で先行発売!!". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). February 29, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
- ^ "NJPW 40th anniversary King of Pro-Wrestling". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved October 18, 2013.
- ^ "新日本プロレス「King of Pro-Wrestring」". Sports Navi (in Japanese). Yahoo!. October 8, 2012. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
- ^ Namako, Jason (October 8, 2012). "10/8 NJPW iPPV Results: Tokyo, Japan". Wrestleview. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
- ^ "King of Pro-Wrestling". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved October 18, 2013.
- ^ "新日本プロレス「King of Pro-Wrestling」". Sports Navi (in Japanese). Yahoo!. October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
- ^ Namako, Jason (October 14, 2012). "10/14 NJPW iPPV Results: Tokyo, Japan (Tanahashi/Okada)". Wrestleview. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
- ^ "King of Pro-Wrestling". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved October 13, 2014.
- ^ "新日本プロレス「King of Pro-Wrestling」". Sports Navi (in Japanese). Yahoo!. October 13, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
- ^ "PPV results - 10/13 New Japan in Tokyo, Japan: Styles drops IWGP World Hvt. Title to Tanahashi, more title changes, former WWE star returns to New Japan, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. October 13, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
- ^ "King of Pro-Wrestling". New Japan Pro Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (October 11, 2015). "NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 10-11: Kazuchika Okada vs. A.J. Styles for IWGP heavyweight title". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ^ Johnson, Mike (October 12, 2015). "Tokyo Dome main event is set: complete NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 2015 coverage". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved October 12, 2015.