New Japan Pro Wrestling
Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome
September 4, 2021
Saitama
MetLife Dome
5:00pm JST

Watch: NJPWWorld.com (With Live English Commentary)

International Start Times

Event Preview

New Japan Pro Wrestling returns to the MetLife Dome in Saitama for the first time in over seven years with a doubleheader of Wrestle Grand Slam events this weekend. Both nights will feature five solid matches, with each night headlined by a singles championships match. Night one will feature the first IWGP United States Heavyweight championship match on Japanese soil in well over 500 days when Hiroshi Tanahashi defends his newly acquired championship against the returning Kota Ibushi. The semi-main event will feature another grudge match between Kazuchika Okada and Jeff Cobb in their third career singles match. The Provisional KOPW 2021 will be on the line in a No DQ, I Quit match between Chase Owens and Toru Yano. The first singles match of the evening will have SHO facing off against longtime tag-team partner, YOH as they establish themselves as rivals.

The show is sure to be a swift but compelling five-match card with the added bonus of a Stardom match to kick things off.

Main Event
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship
Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Kota Ibushi

The IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship will be defended in Japan for the first time in 574 days as Kota Ibushi, returning from illness for his first match in just over two months, faces off against newly crowned champion, Hiroshi Tanahashi. Tanahashi defeated Lance Archer for the red belt at NJPW’s Resurgence event in Los Angeles just three weeks ago. Upon The Ace’s arrival back in Japan he suggested that Kota Ibushi be his first challenger for the belt. Ibushi and Tanahashi teamed together as The Golden Aces last year, and while Ibushi shined in those situations, Tanahashi may have the momentum coming into this match-up.

Ibushi has been sidelined with illness since July 2nd, and Tanahashi stepped in for the Golden Star on July 25th when Ibushi needed to miss his scheduled IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match. These two have had classic matches in the past, most notably their 2018 G1 Climax Final, but it remains to be seen whether Kota Ibushi has fully recovered from his illness and just how hard Hiroshi Tanahashi will fight for the Red leathered IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.

Recent History – 2021 Singles

Kota Ibushi last wrestled on July 2nd, 2021, when he defeated Yota Tsuji in a singles match at Korakuen Hall.
Kota Ibushi’s .889 2021 Singles Winning Percentage is the highest in NJPW this year, his 8-1 record is tied with Will Ospreay for the best in NJPW this year.
Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 3 hours, 59 minutes, and 8 seconds of Total Singles Match Length is second highest in NJPW this year. Only Shingo Takagi has spent more time in NJPW Singles matches this year.
Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 11 minute and 43 second Win-Loss differential is the second-best in NJPW this year. He has been incredibly tough to beat
Hiroshi Tanahashi has lost two of the four longest singles matches in NJPW this year. His 39:01 NEVER Openweight Championship loss to Jay White, and his 37:26 IWGP World Heavyweight Championship loss to Shingo Takagi.
Kota Ibushi won the longest singles match this year when he defeated Jay White for the double titles at Wrestle Kingdom.

Recent History – Last 365 Days Singles

Kota Ibushi’s 16 singles victories are second-most in NJPW over the last 365 days. A win tonight would tie him with Shingo Takagi for the most.
Ibushi’s 7 hours, 13 minutes, and 6 seconds of Singles Total Match Length is second -ighest in NJPW in the last 365 days.

Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall

Hiroshi Tanahashi’s +21 Fall Differential is fourth-best in NJPW this year.

Head To Head History

Kota Ibushi and Hiroshi Tanahashi’s classic 2018 G1 Climax Final was, at the time, the longest G1 Final of all time. Ibushi’s victory over SANADA in last year’s G1 Final surpassed that match by 12 seconds.
Kota Ibushi’s two career victories over Hiroshi Tanahashi occurred in their two shortest matches (G1 Climax 29, G1 Climax 27)

History In MetLife Dome

Hiroshi Tanahashi has wrestled once in the MetLife Dome. On the night of the 2014 G1 Climax Finals, Tanahashi defeated AJ Styles in 16 minutes and 24 Seconds in the semi-main event of that night’s card.

IWGP United States Championship Statistics and Information

The IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship has been decided in 27 matches over the course of just over four years. It has changed hands in 37.04% of those matches.
The IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship was last defended in Japan 573 days ago on February 9, 2020, when Jon Moxley defeated Minoru Suzuki.
Less than half of the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship matches have occurred in Japan (13 of 27).

Match Four
Special Singles Match
Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb

The semi main event will feature a grudge match between Kazuchika Okada and The United Empire’s dominant enforcer, Jeff Cobb. Okada defeated Cobb at July’s Wrestle Grand Slam event in the Tokyo Dome, but it was only with a sit-down pinfall, certainly not the definitive victory we’re used to seeing from Okada. Everyone had thought that Cobb had gone home, but he showed up at the next Summer Struggle event at Korakuen Hall and laid out Okada, staking his claim at a third match with Okada in under a year.

Cobb has been dominant in tag matches this year, but he has yet to hit his stride in singles matches and he is looking gain some momentum with a big victory over Kazuchika Okada here.