King of Pro-Wrestling (October 14) Full card, preview
Main event: IWGP World Heavyweight Championship- Tetsuya Naito vs Zack Sabre Jr.
Singles record: 7–5 Naito
The main event of the evening sees Tetsuya Naito edfending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against g1 Climax 34 winner Zack Saber Jr.
In the wake of his historic G1 victory, Zack Sabre Jr bucked recent historical trends in a major way when he stated he would be taking his IWGP World title shot not at the traditional spot of January 4 in the Tokyo Dome, but rather October 14 at King of Pro-Wrestling. To Sabre, this is a chance to earn something even greater than the G1 trophy in the same spot as his summer success. Yet it also present sthe chance to exorcise some demons; twice ZSJ has won the spring New Japan Cup tournament, and twice he has failed to convert to IWGP success with defeat coming right here in Ryogoku.
For Naito, putting a stop to ZSJ’s freight train like momentum wouldn’t just re-extend a lead over the Briton, and bring revenge from a defeat during the G1 Climax league phase, but also silence a lot of doubters. Naito’s reign as world champion has been one of survival rather than supremacy, and that’s a fact of which the champion is keenly aware. With doubts circling Naito’s ability to retain until his stated goal of entering and leaving the Tokyo Dome as champion in January, Naito has already stated that in success, he will be choosing his next challenger, and has alluded to matches with both Shingo Takagi and Hiromu Takahashi. An enciting vision of the future, but Zack has plans to shape a future of his own creation.
8th Match: IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship- David Finlay vs Hirooki Goto
Singles record: 1–0 Goto
Doubtless one of the most emotionally resounding moments of the summer in NJPW was Hirooki Goto’s victory over IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion David Finlay. The win, in the main event before a red hot Korakuen crowd made all of Japan and indeed the world believe that the G in G1 could once again stand for Goto. All the more tear jerking was the fact Goto had his hand raised before his children in the crowd.
That read to Finlay as both a humiliation and a threat. Sure enough, he would see the opportunity in an injury to BULLET CLUB War Dog Jake Lee to manipulate Gabe Kidd into trying to take Goto out in a no DQ match at Destruction in Kobe. The plan backfired though, and while Goto’s partner YOSHI-HASHI couldn’t quite wrest the gold away from the Rebel King, Finlay now has the Fierce Warrior to contend with.
Finlay was quick to press Goto’s buttons, inviting the challenger’s children back to the venue to see ‘daddy’s blood get spilled’; but could it be a champion’s hubris that sees his downfall?
7th Match: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship- DOUKI vs SHO
Singles record: 5–0 SHO
Through wins over Hiromu Takahashi, Robbie Eagles, El Desperado, Taiji Ishimori and most recently Yoshinobu Kanemaru this year, DOUKI has put together an all timer of a run through 2024. In picking up his first victories over each of these opponents, DOUKI has cemented a transition as champion; no longer is he an underdog in any situation, but the superior athlete in all of them.
Yet, SHO remains as a thorn in his side. After DOUKI defended his junior heavyweight gold against Kanemaru in Kobe despite SHO’s interference, the Murder Machine would try to steal away with Japones Del Mal’s belt. Already vociferous in his criticism of SHO’s title reign earlier in the year, DOUKI asserted that SHO was not worthy of the IWGP title, but that he did have business to settle in Ryogoku. A laundry list of dirty tactics has seen SHO victorious twice over DOUKI this year alone, leading to a 5–0 overall singles record. Can DOUKI check SHO off his list in his incredible year?
6th Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 25th Anniversary- Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shota Umino & El Phantasmo vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
It’s been an incredible quarter century for the Ace of New Japan, professional wrestling and the universe. Six man tag action sees us celebrate the remarkable legendary career of Hiroshi Tanahashi, but HOUSE OF TORTURE are on hand to ensure we can’t have nice things. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru are here to crash the party, but Shota Umino and El Phantasmo are on hand in Tanahashi’s corner. No longer emotionally conflicted, ELP is back with conviction, and determination to wipe away H.O.T for good.
5th Match: NJPW World TV Championship Three Way- Jeff Cobb vs Ren Narita vs Yota Tsuji
After a sensational Korakuen Hall battle between Yota Tsuji and Jeff Cobb in early September ended in the NJPW World TV title’s mandatory 15 minute time limit draw, it was clear these two proud bulls were not done. A rematch over the championship seemed inevitable, but before it could be put into the books officially, Ren Narita intervened. Laying out both Cobb and Tsuji, Narita declared that instead, he would be next, and a furious Cobb vowed to crush the Souled Out one. Now all three are in action, the time limit champion’s advantage for Cobb negated by the chaotic three way ruleset. Who leaves with the gold?
4th Match: NEVER Openweight Championship- Shingo Takagi vs Ryohei Oiwa
Singles record: 1–0 Takagi
Destruction in Kobe on September 29 saw the newest member of TMDK revealed as Ryohei Oiwa. After a year in the green rings of Pro-Wrestling NOAH and receiving direct instruction from the maestro Yoshinari Ogawa, Oiwa might have only gone up in TMDK frontman Zack Sabre Jr.’s estimation. Yet Oiwa is not here to be second fiddle in TMDK or to anyone, a fact proven by his actions after the Kobe main event. As Shingo Takagi interrupted a face to face between Sabre and Tetsuya Naito, Oiwa joined the fray and challenged for the NEVER Openweight Championship in this, his first singles match back from excursion.
A long way removed from the early career Young Lion who fell to Shingo Takagi in singles action three years ago during the World Tag League series, Oiwa is being hailed by pundits worldwide as the next big thing in Japanese wrestling, but is he the next NEVER champion? After a war with HENARE to start his fifth reign for the title, Shingo Takagi will look to issue a resounding ‘no’.
3rd Match: IWGP Tag Team Championships- TMDK (Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls) vs BULLET CLUB Rogue Army (Bad Luck Fale & Caveman Ugg)
While Ryohei Oiwa and Zack Sabre Jr. grab justified headlines and attention, Shane Haster and Mikey Nicholls are here to remind the world of TMDK’s Australian backbone, and its backbone of superior tag team wrestling. In a one week stretch between King of Pro-Wrestling and Royal Quest, they will have to defend both their IWGP and NJPW STRONG Tag Team Championships, and their first defence comes with some unfinished business that began in Australia.
At a recent NJPW TAMASHII event in Melbourne, Caveman Ugg pinned Mikey Nicholls in singles action, thanks to outside distraction from Bad Luck Fale and his Rogue Army branch of BULLET CLUB. In a mic address afterward Ugg asked for more competition and issued a challenge to TMDK that we now see play out.
A highly athletic super heavyweight, Ugg has long laboured on the Australian independent scene and now with Bad Luck Fale at his side, looks to break through on the world stage. But can this imposing duo overcome Haste and Nicholls?
2nd Match: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships- BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney) vs Intergalactic Jet Setters (Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA)
Direct tag record: 2–1 Jet Setter
After Kevin Knight brought his side to victory over the War Dogs at Capital Collision in Washington DC at the end of August, he and partner KUSHIDA reform the Intergalactic Jet Setters to gun for Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney. A direct 2–1 winning record for the challengers against the champions belies the fact that these two teams have warred plenty more over the last couple of years, in matches that have seen KUSHIDA and Moloney specifically in bitter exchanges. A popped eardrum for Moloney from a KUSHIDA kick a receipt for some of the most sickening Drilla Killas ever seen just an example fo what we may see in this second match that is sure to be as violent as it is spectacular.
1st match: Hiromu Takahashi vs Mistico
Singles record: 1–0–1 Mistico
Spectacle indeed is on the cards at King of Pro-Wrestling, right from perhaps the biggest opening match in recent NJPW history. Hiromu Takahashi, without the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, and having lost a recent NE VER challenge, is looking to rectify a loss in Arena Mexico this summer to recover heading into the winter at home.
At Mistico’s Anniversary Event, a singles dream match for he and Hiromu ended in the CMLL icon scoring the victory. With their first meeting years earlier ending in a double pin draw, the win meant Mistico could gain some closure, but the Time Bomb feels otherwise. In this sensational opener, who will get their hand raised?
