NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16 Notes: NOAH Invades Show, Hiroshi Tanahashi Regains Title

– During today’s NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16 event at the Tokyo Dome, Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated KENTA to recapture the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship. The match was held under No DQ rules, and Tanahashi won the match after hitting KENTA with a High Fly Flow through a table off of a ladder.

This gives Tanahashi his second reign with the IWGP US title and ends KENTA’s reign at 60 days. KENTA had won the title from Tanahashi last November at Power Struggle in Osaka, Japan.

In the main event, newly crowned IWGP World Heavyweight champion Kazuchika Okada pinned former champion Will Ospreay to retain the title. The match went nearly 33 minutes. Okada had won the belt from Shingo Takagi the night before, so he had to defend the title in another grueling contest the following night.

Elsewhere during the show, Keiji Mutoh and the Pro Wrestling NOAH roster invaded the show. The NJPW and NOAH rosters are set to face each other for Wrestle Kingdom 16 Night 3 on January 8 on Saturday in Yokohama. Shingo Takagi and members of the LIJ then came out to confront the NOAH wrestlers. Kenoh vowed that they would change the pecking order of the Japanese pro wrestling industry, and NOAH will become the new top promotion.

You can view some additional highlights and clips from Wrestle Kingdom 16 below:

Kenoh, Muto, Kiyomiya lead NOAH charge into Wrestle Kingdom territory ahead of PPV warfarehttps://t.co/psFgeMmne1#njwk16Day2 #ProWrestlingPower pic.twitter.com/5nUY8WmdBr

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) January 5, 2022

Highest Fly Flow

Hiroshi Tanahashi goes to extreme lengths to reclaim US gold over a bloody KENTAhttps://t.co/JQPpGPYLKs#njpw #njwk16day2 pic.twitter.com/cJqffDVxaC

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) January 5, 2022

／#njwk16Day2 の次は
「1.8 新日本プロレス VS ノア」!
＼

1.5東京ドームで衝撃的な”乱入事件”が勃発、
もはや「全面対抗戦」へ待ったなし💥

ABEMA PPVで1/8(土)ごご4時〜
全世界独占生中継❗️#プロレスのチカラ #njpw #njwk16 #新日本プロレス #プロレスリング・ノア @njpw1972 @noah_ghc

— ABEMA(アベマ) (@ABEMA) January 5, 2022

.@tanahashi1_100 "High Fly Flow!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Sign up Now & Stay tuned to https://t.co/CcdQ1XamUA#njpw #njwk16Day2 #njpwworld pic.twitter.com/IMqSUaDWrR

— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) January 5, 2022

.@tanahashi1_100 "🎸💥"

Sign up Now & Stay tuned to https://t.co/CcdQ1XamUA#njpw #njwk16Day2 #njpwworld pic.twitter.com/rnc4n3E26G

— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) January 5, 2022

https://twitter.com/njpwworld/status/1478704557526229005