Night three of four in Korakuen sees time run out on Wrestle Kingdom approach
Wrestle Kingdom 16 is finally nearly here, as night three on the Road to Tokyo Dome hits Korakuen hall with under two weeks to go until the big event. Who makes the biggest waves tonight?
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Main event: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI) vs Suzuki-Gun (El Desperado & DOUKI)
2021 records:
Takahashi: 39-15-3 (68.4%) of which singles 14-5-1 (70%), championship matches 2-1 (66.7%)
BUSHI: 65-60 (52%) of which singles 7-8 (46.7%), championship matches 0-4 (0%)
El Desperado: 64-31-1 (66.7%) of which singles 13-6-1 (65%), championship matches 7-6 (53.8%)
DOUKI: 41-52 (44.1%) of which singles 3-9 (25%)
A preview of January 4’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match sees Hiromu Takahashi and El Desperado on separate teams tonight. El Desperado’s 13 championship matches in 2021 is indicative not just of his ascent in the junior heavyweight division from this point last year, but across all of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. The masked man who has openly ‘never looked to be the face of anything’ now carries a heavy champion’s responsibility, and will be more than willing to do whatever it takes to retain his gold come night one of Wrestle Kingdom 16. Meanwhile all four of these men have pushed dangerous limits against one another through the year, and will end 2021 in spectacular fashion this week.
6th Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & Shingo Takagi) vs United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan & Aaron Henare)
2021 records:
Takagi: 73-39-2 (64%) of which singles 21-5-1 (77.8%), championship matches 5-2 (71.4%)
Naito: 66-42 (61.1%) of which singles 3-5 (37.5%), championship matches 1-6 (14.3%)
SANADA: 81-49-2 (61.4%) of which singles 12-7 (63.2%), championship matches 1-5 (16.7%)
Cobb: 73-15 (83%) of which singles 11-5 (68.8%), championship matches 0-1 (0%)
O-Khan: 86-23-2 (77.5%) of which singles 9-9 (50%), championship matches 0-2 (0%)
Henare: 36-17 (68%) of which singles 0-2 (0%
As LIJ and United Empire prepare for singles clashes on January 5 in the Tokyo Dome, this six man preview will see the very elite of NJPW in 2021 in action. Shingo Takagi’s 27 singles matches is a massive number for the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, and his 77.8% win rate is impressive indeed. Meanwhile SANADA is the ironman of New Japan over the year, his 130 matches wrestled this year outpacing everyone else. Yet for sheer dominance across all environments, Jeff Cobb’s 82.6% success rate across 86 bouts in NJPW, STRONG and CMLL is an incredible feat. What matters now though is making the biggest statement before Wrestle Kingdom.
5th Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, Tomoaki Honma, Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask vs BULLET CLUB (KENTA, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo)
2021 records:
Tanahashi: 64-54-1 (53.8%) of which singles 12-9 (57.1%), championship matches 4-3 (57.1%)
Okada: 54-44-1 (54.5%) of which singles 17-4 (81%) championship matches 0-1 (0%)
Honma: 16-75 (17.6%) of which singles 0-3 (0%)
Eagles: 24-23 (51.1%) of which singles 9-7 (56.3%), championship matches 3-1 (75%)
Tiger Mask: 25-40 (38.5%) of which championship matches 1-0 (100%)
KENTA: 29-32 (47.5%) of which singles 11-6 (64.7%), championship matches 1-2 (33.3%)
Fale: 18-13 (58.1%) of which singles 0-1 (0%)
Owens: 31-40 (43.7%) of which singles 3-10 (23.1%), championship matches 1-3 (25%)
Ishimori: 52-53 (49.5%) of which singles 7-9 (43.8%), championship matches 3-5 (37.5%),
Phantasmo: 51-43-1 (53.7%) of which singles 12-9-1 (54.5%), championship matches 3-5 (37.5%)
Kazuchika Okada and Robbie Eagles of CHAOS join a Hontai side to take on BULLET CLUB opposition tonight. For one night only, Okada will take his focus off his January 4 opponent Shingo Takagi while Tanahashi will be consumed with KENTA before their no disqualification match January 5, and Flying Tiger seek to show their dominance to BULLET CLUB’s Cutest.
4th Match: Tomohiro Ishii, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & YOH vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Dick Togo & SHO)
Time is running out before a reckoning for HOUSE OF TORTURE at Wrestle Kingdom 16. That’s certainly what YOH and Tomohiro Ishii are expecting as they head into action January 4 and 5, and TenCozy will gladly bring a fight to the worst of NJPW’s worst. Yet HOUSE OF TORTURE will be equally keen to ruin the holidays and plunge Korakuen into darkness tonight.
3rd Match: Toru Yano & Yuji Nagata vs Suzuki-Gun (Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
24 hours before they clash in an alcohol fueled battle to determine KOPW for 2021, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Toru Yano meet in tag team action tonight. Meanwhile, as they approach Wrestle Kingdom, Yuji Nagata and Minoru Suzuki meet one another to resume a rivalry that has graced many a Tokyo Dome card in the past.
2nd Match: Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Kosei Fujita vs Suzuki-Gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & TAKA Michinoku)
CHAOS and Suzuki-Gun collide in another preview of IWGP Tag Team Championship action January 4. Meanwhile Fujita has a major opportunity to represent NJPW in the kickoff to Wrestle Kingdom in Yokohama Arena on January 8 as he faces NOAH young prospect Yasutaka Yano; finishing 2021 strong will make for a more confident Young Lion to start 2022.
1st Match: Team Six or Nine (Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato) vs Yuto Nakashima & Ryohei Oiwa
Team Six or Nine are in tag action to kick us off as they face the Young Lions Oiwa and Nakashima. As Taguchi prepares to reunite with Mega Coaches partner Rocky Romero, a Tokyo Dome warmup for Six or Nine, while the Young Lions want to end their year on a high note.
