Nic Nemeth's Debut, Wrestle Kingdom 18 Rematch Set For NJPW New Beginning In Sapporo

The date and location of Nic Nemeth's first New Japan Pro-Wrestling match has been revealed. The former Dolph Ziggler was released from his WWE contract in September 2023, ending a 19-year run with the company. 

He then made a surprise appearance at New Japan's biggest show of the year, Wrestle Kingdom 18 on January 4, and got into an altercation with David Finlay. 

Finlay had just won the brand new IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship in a three-way match against Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley, and will defend the title against Nemeth at the New Beginning in Sapporo on February 23.

The New Beginning in Sapporo is a two-day event on February 23 and 24, and will also feature several other big matches. 

Notable among these is a bout featuring new company president and NJPW World TV Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi (after defeating Zack Sabre Jr. at Wrestle Kingdom). The Ace will defend his title against another recently-released former WWE Superstar, Matt Riddle, on night one of the event.

Night two will feature a rematch of the Wrestle Kingdom main event, which saw Tetsuya Naito defeat former stablemate SANADA to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Despite being rivals, SANADA assisted Naito at the end of the January 4 show, fending off an attack from another former member of Los Ingobernables de Japon, EVIL.