NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 To Be One Night
No more two-night Wrestle Kingdom
New Japan Pro-Wrestling's biggest show of the year inside the Tokyo Dome is no longer a two-night event.
Wrestle Kingdom in 2020 was a two-night show held on January 4 and January 5 due to the Double Gold Dash which ensured one competitor held the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental titles by the end of the event. That man was ultimately Tetsuya Naito, who defeated Jay White on night one and Kazuchika Okada on night two.
Wrestle Kingdom was then three nights in 2021 with shows on January 4, January 5, and January 8. The third night was a special NJPW vs. Pro Wrestling NOAH show as part of New Japan's 50th-anniversary celebrations.
NJPW announced today, though, that Wrestle Kingdom will return to being a one-night event with 2023's Wrestle Kingdom 17. The show will once again be held on January 4 inside the Tokyo Dome. The main event of the show was also set up today as Kazuchika Okada defeated Will Ospreay to win G1 Climax 32, setting up an IWGP World Heavyweight Title match with champion Jay White.
New Japan also revealed that New Year Dash will return after a one-year hiatus. That show will take place on January 5.
Written by Aidan Gibbons
Editor-in-Chief of Cultaholic.com Twitter: @theaidangibbons
