The Natural Posted August 18 Posted August 18 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GyivWOkaUAA6MwH?format=jpg&name=small The 20th edition of Wrestle Kingdom says goodbye to Hiroshi Tanahashi as his retirement tour ends and he wrestles his last ever match. The Ace deserves the biggest sendoff ever for what he's done for NJPW. That's the biggest draw for this show. Konosuke Takeshita deservedly won G1 Climax 35 and a shot at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship here. Currently the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion is Zack Sabre Jr. I think ZSJ walks into Wrestle Kingdom 20 as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and we get the rubber match here. ZSJ won their first ever match in this year's G1 Climax and Takeshita won the second.
The Natural Posted August 25 Author Posted August 25 Breaking news: Konosuke Takeshita will take his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match he won in NJPW G1 Climax 35 at NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling, 13th October instead of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20. Zack Sabre Jr did the same last year at NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling beating Tetsuya Naito for the belt. Konosuke Takeshita will be going into Wrestle Kingdom 20 as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. I think he'll face either Yota Tsuji or Yuya Uemura there.
The Natural Posted September 30 Author Posted September 30 https://www.f4wonline.com/news/new-japan/hiroshi-tanahashi-gives-update-on-final-njpw-match/
Horangi Posted October 2 Posted October 2 Over 20k tickets sold so far apparently. They've just opened more 1F Stand (which is what i went with). I thought my estimate of 28-30k was a little ambitious but maybe not. 1
Sublime Posted October 4 Posted October 4 With the hints Tanahashi gave for his last match, it leads me to think Okada as most likely. I guess Kojima who he wrestled at an early WK could be it or Nakamura but idk if NJPW and WWE would work together. I’m thinking Okada though 1
Eivion Posted October 5 Posted October 5 I don't think WWE would have an issue lending Nakamura. Its ore a case of NJPW likely not wanting to annoy AEW. 1
The Natural Posted October 19 Author Posted October 19 F4wonline.com: Dave Meltzer believes Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura is possible for Tanahashi’s retirement match at Wrestle Kingdom 20. WWE presented back-to-back live events on Thursday and Friday in Tokyo, and Nakamura gave a subtle shoutout to Tanahashi, using his “Aishitemasu” catchphrase. Tanahashi responded to Nakamura on social media, writing (translated), “Hmm? I think I heard something…” This led to some fans speculating that Nakamura could be announced as Tanahashi’s opponent for the January 4, 2026, show in the Tokyo Dome. Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed the possibility of such a match taking place on last night’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio. Meltzer said on the show: “Nakamura, on the first night in Tokyo, he was doing some Tanahashi mannerisms. So there’s been a lot, a lot of talk about Tanahashi and Nakamura at the Tokyo Dome show. I would just say it’s not a done deal right now.” “Could it happen? I mean, Nakamura has in his contract he can do stuff in Japan, that was part of the deal that he signed. It’s a weird political thing, because obviously New Japan and AEW work very closely together, and Nakamura is a WWE guy.” “My gut is that, and I could be dead wrong, even though WWE and AEW are feuding, and all the stuff WWE does to AEW constantly, I do think that Tony Khan – I don’t know, people are going like oh he’s going to get really mad and I don’t know – maybe he will but I don’t think so. I just think it’s Tanahashi’s retirement, and if Tanahashi wants to retire against Nakamura, and they can pull that off, I think it should be okay.“ If Nakamura vs. Tanahashi is announced for Wrestle Kingdom 20, it would take place on the 21st anniversary of their first singles match against one another. One year before the first Wrestle Kingdom event was held, Nakamura defeated Tanahashi in the Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2005, at NJPW Toukon Festival. They would go on to wrestle each other in another 16 singles matches throughout their careers, with Tanahashi having won their last bout in the finals of the G1 Climax in 2015.
Ace Posted November 2 Posted November 2 We have a Wrestle Kingdom 20 main event Spoiler Konosuke Takeshita vs. Yota Tsuji for both the IWGP World & Global Championships. 1
The Natural Posted November 2 Author Posted November 2 (edited) NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 spoiler: Spoiler IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita vs. IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20. Both belts on the line. I'd have gone Takeshita vs. Tsuji or Takeshita vs. Yuya Uemura. I never thought it would be Takeshita vs. Kazuchika Okada like some did. I'm fucking pissed both belts are on the line as it reminds me of NJPW's fucking stupid decision to unify the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Intercontinental Championship. We lost two great belts for much worse replacements in the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship. Fuck. The big draw for the show is the legendary Hiroshi Tanahashi's final match. Does he face a legend like Kazuchika Okada or Shinsuke Nakamura? An up and comer who needs the rub? Really hope it's not Gabe Kidd or Shota Umino. Give it to Yuya Uemura. Edited November 2 by The Natural
Sublime Posted November 2 Posted November 2 it’s looking like my prediction I made in the Destruction thread is coming closer to fruition. Quote Okada goes over Tanahashi at WK and Tana reminds Okada who he is amd Okada defects from Callis and challenges Takeshita at the end of WK after Takeshita beats… *closes eyes and points to*…..Tsuji Okada is going to remember what it means to be the Rainmaker but now I’m not sure which stays heel in AEW
username Posted November 3 Posted November 3 14 hours ago, The Natural said: NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 spoiler: Hide contents IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita vs. IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20. Both belts on the line. I'd have gone Takeshita vs. Tsuji or Takeshita vs. Yuya Uemura. I never thought it would be Takeshita vs. Kazuchika Okada like some did. I'm fucking pissed both belts are on the line as it reminds me of NJPW's fucking stupid decision to unify the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Intercontinental Championship. We lost two great belts for much worse replacements in the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship. Fuck. The big draw for the show is the legendary Hiroshi Tanahashi's final match. Does he face a legend like Kazuchika Okada or Shinsuke Nakamura? An up and comer who needs the rub? Really hope it's not Gabe Kidd or Shota Umino. Give it to Yuya Uemura. Hear me out though... Spoiler ...What if unifying them means we get a new IWGP belt design? 1
Ace Posted November 3 Posted November 3 Another match added to WK20. Stardom spoilers: Spoiler IWGP Women's Champion Syuri vs. New Japan Strong Women's Champion Saya Kamitani for both titles. Kamitani has a defense of the World of Stardom Championship against Saori Anou on 12/29 and Dream Queendom.
The Natural Posted November 3 Author Posted November 3 7 hours ago, username said: Hear me out though... Hide contents ...What if unifying them means we get a new IWGP belt design? Ooh. Spoiler Providing its better than the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, you wouldn't think it can be worse, I'll take that. The IWGP Heavyweight Championship V4 is in my top three best belts ever made. The V3 was great, liked the V2 and V1. I fucking despise the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. It's my most hated belt ever as it replaced one of the best belts ever, the main plate is too small, the shape of the main plate, the side plates are too big and the strap is too small. 1
The Natural Posted November 4 Author Posted November 4 My top ten Hiroshi Tanahashi matches countdown: 10. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii. NJPW G1 Climax 2013. *****. 9. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kenny Omega. NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13. *****. 8. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. NJPW G1 Climax 2015. *****. 7. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada. NJPW Dominion 2012. *****. 6. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada. NJPW Invasion Attack 2013. *****. 5. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito. NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11. *****. 4. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada. NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling 2013. *****. 3. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi. NJPW G1 Climax 2018. *****. 2. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki. NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling 2012. *****. 1. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada. NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10. *****.
The Natural Posted November 4 Author Posted November 4 (edited) Hiroshi Tanahashi announced today two months out from IWGP Wrestle Kingdom 20 that 31,548 tickets sold. It’s the first time NJPW has sold more than 30,000 tickets to a Wrestle Kingdom event since before the 2020 global COVID-19 pandemic. Night one of Wrestle Kingdom 14 that year drew 40,000 fans to the Tokyo Dome on January 4, and night two drew just over 30,000. Wrestle Kingdom 19 in January drew 24,107 fans to the Tokyo Dome which was down from 27,000 in 2024 and 26,000 in 2023. Hiroshi Tanahashi is still a draw! Edited November 4 by The Natural
Salads Posted November 4 Posted November 4 On 11/3/2025 at 10:54 AM, The Natural said: Ooh. Hide contents Providing its better than the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, you wouldn't think it can be worse, I'll take that. The IWGP Heavyweight Championship V4 is in my top three best belts ever made. The V3 was great, liked the V2 and V1. I fucking despise the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. It's my most hated belt ever as it replaced one of the best belts ever, the main plate is too small, the shape of the main plate, the side plates are too big and the strap is too small. Tsuji's been campaigning to bring back the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for a while now so def a possibility. 1
The Natural Posted November 4 Author Posted November 4 (edited) 49 minutes ago, Salads said: Tsuji's been campaigning to bring back the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for a while now so def a possibility. I really hope so. So fucking stupid getting rid of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Intercontinental Championship especially the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. One of the worst decisions in wrestling history that. Edited November 4 by The Natural
Doragon Posted November 4 Posted November 4 (edited) They should tell who is the final opponent of Tanahashi is before Jan, to boost more ticket sales. Wish it was the last match on the card. Might be some fans drop off when he is gone as well. They don't always stick around for everyone else. Edited November 5 by Doragon 1
Salads Posted November 7 Posted November 7 It was their intention to announce by now as they had the opponent booked but good old politics got in the way so they're probably scrambling to either get on their knees and beg or find an option B which doesn't suck. 1
The Natural Posted November 7 Author Posted November 7 (edited) On 11/4/2025 at 6:17 PM, Doragon said: They should tell who is the final opponent of Tanahashi is before Jan, to boost more ticket sales. Wish it was the last match on the card. Might be some fans drop off when he is gone as well. They don't always stick around for everyone else. I said same as you, Hiroshi Tanahashi should go on last. 16 minutes ago, Salads said: It was their intention to announce by now as they had the opponent booked but good old politics got in the way so they're probably scrambling to either get on their knees and beg or find an option B which doesn't suck. Considering Tanahashi is beloved, it would have been nice to let politics aside. I think it has to be Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura or Kenny Omega if you're wanting a big name. If you want someone breaking out and needing that rub to go to the next level, Yuya Uemura. Better not be Gabe Kidd or Shota Umino. Edited November 7 by The Natural
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