Five title matches, first Liger retirement bout highlight night one of Bang Dream! Presents Wrestle Kingdom 14
The full card has been determined for night one of Wrestle Kingdom 14, as the eyes of the wrestling world descend on the Tokyo Dome for two nights of action.
Wrestle Kingdom 14 night one tickets here!
Wrestle Kingdom 14 night two tickets here!
Wrestle Kingdom 14 will air LIVE and in English on NJPW World!
At the top of the card are three already announced championship matches. Kazuchika Okada and Kota Ibushi collide for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in the night one main event. After some tense exchanges, the switch flipped in Kota Ibushi in Hiroshima at the World Tag League finals, as he leveled Kazuchika Okada with the right to challenge contract briefcase, and bodies did their best to vainly keep Ibushi from fighting with the champion all the way backstage. This situation is only set to escalate along with Ibushi’s resolve as we count down to January 4.
In the semi-main event, IWGP Intercontinental Champion Jay White puts the title on the line against Tetsuya Naito. White believes he has nothing else to prove to El Ingobernable when it comes to the Intercontinental title, but he has to assert his superiority one more time on the grandest of stages if he is to steal Naito’s double gold ‘destino’ and win the Double Gold Dash.
Sixth on the card, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship is at stake when Will Ospreay meets the returning Hiromu Takahashi. Firm friends make fierce rivals as the Aerial Assassin and the Time Bomb will push every limit there is to steal the show of shows on January 4.
Newly added to Wrestle Kingdom 14 night one, a ‘Texas Deathmatch’ for the IWGP United States Championship as Jon Moxley challenges Lance Archer. In Hiroshima at the World Tag League finals, Jon Moxley appeared to viciously attack Lance Archer, and lay claim to the US title he never lost after he was stripped for failing to appear for a scheduled defence in October. No rules will be in place when the Deathrider and the Murderhawk Monster meet in the brutal environment of the Tokyo Dome.
Rounding out the title match action on January 4, IWGP Tag Team Championships are at stake when the Guerrillas of Destiny face World Tag League winners FinJuice. In Hiroshima on December 8, FinJuice scored World Tag League victory in a hard fought and intense tag team war against EVIL and SANADA. Can they ride their WTL victory to tag team glory on January 4, and put an end to GoD’s phenomenal V7 reign?
In eight man tag team action in the third match of the evening, the CHAOS team of YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii and Hirooki Goto meet Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, Bad Luck Fale and KENTA of BULLET CLUB. On January 5, Goto will challenge KENTA for the NEVER Openweight Championship, and will lead a CHAOS team eager to get an upper hand on BULLET CLUB on the biggest of stages.
The second match of the night will see Los Ingobernables De Japon continue their long standing war with Suzuki Gun. BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, EVIL & SANADA will face El Desperado, Taichi, Minoru Suzuki and Zack Sabre Junior. ZSJ and SANADA will take center stage in this tag team bout, as they prepare to face off for the British Heavyweight Championship in a featured match on night two, while you can expect Suzuki and Takagi to tear into one another based on their form through the autumn.
The opening bout will be the first of two Jyushin Thunder Liger retirement matches. An all star cast of Liger’s partners and opponents meet in eight man action when Tiger Mask, Great Sasuke, Tatsumi Fujinami and Liger himself take on Ryusuke Taguchi, Naoki Sano, Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Shinjiro Otani. El Samurai will be in Liger’s corner, Kuniaki Kobayashi in Sano’s and Norio Honaga will be special guest referee!
