wrestling / News

NJPW Confirms Major Title Matches for Wrestle Kingdom Nights 1 and 2, Updated Lineups

November 5, 2019 | Posted by Jeffrey Harris
Wrestle Kingdom 14 NJPW - IWGP Title Matches

During today’s NJPW press conference in Tokyo, Japan, several featured matchups were made official for Nights 1 and 2 for Wrestle Kingdom 14. Wrestle Kingdom 14 is scheduled for January 2020, and it will be a two-night event taking place over January 4 and 5 at the Tokyo Dome.

First up, IWGP Intercontinental champion Jay White vs. former champ Tetsuya Naito for the title was made official for Night 1. This will be the first match in the Double Gold Dash. The winners of this match and Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi for the IWGP heavyweight title, also on Jan. 4, will compete in the double championship match on January 5. The winner will secure both the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships.

Also confirmed for Night 1, Will Ospreay defends his IWGP Jr. heavyweight title against former champion Hiromu Takahashi. Takahashi made his return last Sunday at Power Struggle to challenge Ospreay for the title, and now the matchup is official.

For Night 2, IWGP Jr. heavyweight tag team champs Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo defend their titles against Super Junior Tag League Winners Roppongi 3K (SHO and YOH). AEW World champion Chris Jericho vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi is also official for Night 2. Jericho appeared in a video at Power Struggle to challenge Tanahashi to a match at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom, which Tanahashi accepted.

Additionally, the two losers of the Night 1 featured title matches will be facing each other one-on-one for Night 2. The winner will likely be kept in the main event conversation for weeks to come. Night 2 will have Jushin Thunder Liger against a mystery opponent in a one-on-one match. The final opponent of Liger’s illustrious career is going to remain a mystery until match time.

Here are the updated lineups for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 Nights 1 and 2 at the Tokyo Dome:

Wrestle Kingdom 14 Night 1 – January 4

* Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Kota Ibushi – IWGP Heavyweight Championship
* Will Ospreay (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi – IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
* Jay White (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito – IWGP Intercontinental Championship
* Jushin Thunder Liger, Tatsumi Fujinami, The Great Sasuke and Tiger Mask vs. Naoki Sano, Shinjiro Ootani, Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Ryusuke Taguchi

Wrestle Kingdom 14 Night 2 – January 5

* Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Mystery Opponent
* IWGP Heavyweight Champion vs. IWGP Intercontinental Champion – Winner Take All
* IWGP Heavyweight Champion Loser vs. IWGP Intercontinental Championship Loser
* Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Chris Jericho
* El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. SHO and YOH – IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships