NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16 – Night One
Date: January 4, 2022
City: Tokyo, Japan
Venue: Tokyo Dome
Time: 5:00pm JST
Watch: NJPWWorld.com (Live English Commentary)
For the 31st consecutive year, New Japan Pro Wrestling will invade the Tokyo Dome on January 4th. This year, they will host Wrestle Kingdom 16 with a card that features four top title matches and Katsuyori Shibata’s return to the ring.
New Japan’s biggest card of the year will be headlined by Shingo Takagi defending his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against G1 Climax 31 winner, Kazuchika Okada. In the semi-main event, El Desperado will defend his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Best of The Super Junior 28 winner, Hiromu Takahashi in what will be the highest-stakes match between these two generational rivals. In the sixth match of the night, fan favorites and World Tag League 2021 winners, Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI will challenge Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr for their IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. Further down the card, Tomohiro Ishii will defend his NEVER Openweight Championship against EVIL.
The first scheduled major event on the card will be match four when Katsuyori Shibata will return to the ring for the first time in 1199 days to face a mystery opponent in a catch wrestling match. The card is rounded out with two tag-team matches that will preview action for the January 5th card. Los Ingobernables De Japon trio, BUSHI, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito will take on The United Empire’s top trio, Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan & Will Ospreay. The second match of the night will preview both the IWGP United States Championship match and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match on January 5th, when Hiroshi Tanahashi, Rocky Romero & Ryusuke Taguchi take on KENTA, El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori. The night will kick off with a grudge match between SHO and YOH in a match that will surely have implications for the next IWGP Junior Heavyweight challenger.
Below, you will find detailed statistics and notes for each match including 2021 results, head-to-head history, and detailed statistics and history for each wrestler in the Tokyo Dome.
Main Event
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
Shingo Takagi [c] vs. Kazuchika Okada
Shingo Takagi’s run as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion has produced some incredibly exciting wrestling matches and that is in part because Shingo’s title reign was never supposed to happen. Takagi won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in a last-minute match against Kazuchika Okada in June of this year after Will Ospreay vacated the title due to injury. Okada had been preparing for an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match against Will Ospreay and Shingo had recently lost to Ospreay in his first attempt to win NJPW’s top title, so Shingo got another shot in the deciding match against Okada. Shingo defeated Okada in Osaka-Jo Hall and he has been a dominant champion ever since.
Kazuchika Okada ripped through the G1 Climax with the best G1 Climax record of all time, only suffering one loss throughout the entire tournament. With a G1 Climax performance like that, Okada decided that he deserves to carry the old, retired IWGP Heavyweight Championship into his match with Shingo Takagi. Okada is acting as a defending champion as he enters his 8th Tokyo Dome main event, but he still must slay The Dragon for the first time in three tries as he looks to regain his familiar spot atop the card as NJPW heads into its 50th anniversary year.
Recent History – 2021 Singles
- Shingo Takagi’s 22 singles victories were the most in NJPW in 2021.
- Kazuchika Okada’s 17 singles victories were the second most in NJPW in 2021.
- Kazuchika Okada’s .810 and Shingo Takagi’s .786 singles winning percentages were second and third most in NJPW in 2021. The best record in 2021 NJPW singles matches belonged to the man who awaits the winner of this match, Will Ospreay (.917).
- Shingo Takagi was challenging to put away this year. His 32 minute and 23-second Average Losing Match Length is the longest in NJPW in 2021.
Recent History – Last 180 Days Singles
- Shingo Takagi and Kazuchika Okada have produced nearly identical results over the last six months.
Recent History – Last 90 Days Singles
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
- Shingo Takagi’s +53 fall differential (winning falls – losing falls) was the best in NJPW in 2021.
- Shingo’s 71 victories were third-most in NJPW in 2021.
Head To Head History
- This will be the third meeting between Shingo Takagi and Kazuchika Okada in the last year.
- Shingo Takagi leads the all-time series between himself and Okada 2-1. Shingo has won his last two matches with Okada, eliminating The Rainmaker from the New Japan Cup, and then winning the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship after Will Ospreay vacated the title.
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – SINGLES
- Kazuchika Okada is 4-3 in Tokyo Dome main events. A win against Shingo Takagi will give Kazuchika Okada the second-most Tokyo Dome main event victories all-time, behind Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 7.
- Only Hiroshi Tanahashi has accrued more singles Total Match Length than Kazuchika Okada’s 6 hours, 2 minutes, and 33 seconds.
- Kazuchika Okada’s average singles match length of 30 minutes and 13 seconds is the highest in Tokyo Dome history.
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – OVERALL
Shingo Takagi Matches In Tokyo Dome
- Shingo Takagi enters tonight’s match on a three-match winning streak in the Tokyo Dome and he has won two consecutive Tokyo Dome singles matches.
Kazuchika Okada Matches In Tokyo Dome
- Kazuchika Okada enters tonight’s match on a two-match winning streak in the Tokyo Dome.
Championship Statistics and Information
- The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship has been defended once in the Tokyo Dome. Shingo Takagi defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi in July at Wrestle Grand Slam.
- The previous IWGP Heavyweight Championship was defended 44 times in the Tokyo Dome, and it changed hands 18 times (40.9%).
- The other title that was consolidated into the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, the IWGP Intercontinental Championship was decided 11 times in the Tokyo Dome, and it changed hands four times in the Tokyo Dome (36.36%).
Match Seven
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
El Desperado [C] vs. Hiromu Takahashi
There hadn’t been a time limit draw in a Best of The Super Junior tournament match since 2006 before Hiromu Takahashi and El Desperado went the distance during 2021’s tournament. In over 15 years, NJPW hasn’t seen two junior heavyweights as equally matched as these two and this match in the Tokyo Dome promises to be a showcase for the top two juniors in the company.
El Desperado and Hiromu Takahashi are amid what could be their generational rivalry and they’ve made it clear that they’re out to have the match of the night. Many are treating Hiromu like the clear-cut favorite, but El Desperado can’t be ruled out. The Suzuki-Gun junior is seeing an incredible rise in popularity and with a victory on NJPW’s biggest stage, Desperado could cement himself as a top-of-the-card junior for years to come.
Recent History – 2021 Singles
Recent History – Last 180 Days Singles
- Over the last six months of the year, no two wrestlers had a more similar win/loss record than Hiromu Takahashi & El Desperado. Just one loss separated them over that period
Recent History – Last 90 Days Singles
- Hiromu Takahashi’s 10 singles victories in the last 90 days are the most in NJPW.
- El Desperado’s 9 singles victories in the last 90 days are the second most in NJPW
- Hiromu and El Desperado also have the most single match length in the last 90 days, with Hiromu clocking an astounding 4 hours, 59 minutes, and 55 seconds.
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
- El Desperado’s 67 overall victories were the most among NJPW junior heavyweights and the sixth most in NJPW in 2021.
Head To Head History (Recent)
Hiromu Takahashi & El Desperado’s Time Limit draw in this year’s Best of The Super Junior tournament was the first Time Limit Draw in a Best of The Super Junior tournament in over 15 years. The last time limit draw occurred in 2006 between El Samurai and Jado.- Since 2018, Hiromu and El Desperado are 2-2-1 in five singles matches.
Head To Head History (Pre-Excursion)
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – SINGLES
- Hiromu Takahashi’s only singles loss at The Tokyo Dome occurred in 2018 when Will Ospreay won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Four Way Match against Hiromu, Marty Scurll, and KUSHIDA.
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – OVERALL
El Desperado Matches In Tokyo Dome
Hiromu Takahashi Matches In Tokyo Dome
- Hiromu Takahashi enters his match with El Desperado on at four-match winning streak in the Tokyo Dome, including the longest IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match in Tokyo Dome history, his victory last year over Taiji Ishimori.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship History
- The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship has been decided in 304 matches dating back to 1986. The title has changed hands in 28.62% of championship matches.
- The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship has been decided 35 times in the Tokyo Dome, with a new champion being crowned 19 times (54.28%).
- Last year’s 25 minute and 31-second match between Hiromu Takahashi and Taiji Ishimori was the longest IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match ever in the Tokyo Dome.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Defenses in Tokyo Dome
- The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship has changed hands in nine straight defenses at the Tokyo Dome. The last successful defense of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in the Tokyo Dome occurred in 2013 when Prince Devitt defeated Kota Ibushi and Low Ki for the title.
Match Six
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr [C] vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI
The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships have changed hands in the Tokyo Dome nine straight times. Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI are looking to make that an even 10 as they take on Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr. in the sixth match of the night. YOSHI-HASHI is looking for the first IWGP Championship of his career as he and Hirooki Goto attempt to win the IWGP Tag Team Championships for the first time. Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr know the champion’s trend at Wrestle Kingdom all too well, having lost the IWGP Tag Team Championships to 2020 World Tag League winners Guerrillas of Destiny, but they’ll look to buck the trend as they step into the ring with the CHAOS duo of Goto and YOSHI-HASHI.
Recent History – 2021 Two Man Team
- Just like when they held the NEVER Six Man championships, Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI were very challenging to defeat in 2021. Their average losing match length of 19 minutes and 7 seconds was the longest for any tag team with more than 3 losses in 2021.
Recent History – 2021 All Instances Tagging
- Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI Tagged together 90 times in 2021.
- Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr tagged together 71 times in 2021.
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
Head To Head History
- Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr lead the all-time series between themselves and Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI 3-1.
Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr Matches In Tokyo Dome
- Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr have tagged four times in the Tokyo Dome. They are 2-2 and 1-1 in title matches.
Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI Matches In Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome Statistics – Individual Overall
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship History
- The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships have been defended 264 times since their inception in 1985 and they have changed hands in 34.47% of those matches.
- The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships have been defended in the Tokyo Dome 30 times. They have changed hands 17 times (56.66%)
- The team of Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI are 0-3 in IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship matches. They have lost two title matches to Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr, and one to Guerrillas of Destiny.
- YOSHI-HASHI is 0-6 in IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Matches. He las lost three while tagging with Hirooki Goto, two while tagging with Tomohiro Ishii, and one tagging with Kazuchika Okada.
- Hirooki Goto has lost his last five attempts at winning the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. He is 1-11 all-time when competing for the tag titles.
- Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr are 6-3 all-time in IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship matches.
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Defenses In Tokyo Dome
- The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships have changed hands in nine straight Tokyo Dome defenses. The last successful defense occurred in 2013 when Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer defended successfully against Hirooki Goto and Karl Anderson.
Match Five
NEVER Openweight Championship
Tomohiro Ishii [C] vs. EVIL
Tomohiro Ishii is 0-3 in Wrestle Kingdom singles matches and two of those three matches have had the NEVER Openweight Championship on the line. Ishii will have the crowd pulling for him as he defends his NEVER Openweight Championship against EVIL on January 4th. Prior to this year’s Summer Struggle tour, Ishii was 9-0 all-time against EVILl, but even finally defeated Ishii in Nagoya. Ishii will look to get his first Tokyo Dome singles victory and retain the NEVER Openweight Championship in the fifth match of the night. EVIL is likely to arrive with backup in the form of Dick Togo, but as we’ve seen in the past, Ishii’s no-nonsense ways work in his favor when outside interference becomes a part of his matches. Will House of Torture outsmart Tomohiro Ishii, or will Ishii stand tall in the Tokyo Dome?
Recent History – 2021 Singles
Recent History – Last 180 Days Singles
Recent History – Last 90 Days Singles
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
- EVIL’s 127 total matches were the second-most in NPJW in 2021. Only SANADA participated in more matches with 133.
- Tomohiro Ishii wrestled in 105 NJPW matches in 2021. Ishii has wrestled in 100+ matches in 13 of the 16 years he’s been with NJPW. Aside from the pandemic shortened 2020, he has never wrestled in fewer than 95 NJPW matches in a year (2006: 98, 2013: 95, 2020: 67).
Head To Head History
- For most of their careers, Tomohiro Ishii has dominated this series. Prior to July’s Summer Struggle in Nagoya, Ishii had won all 9 matches against EVIL or Takaaki Watanabe. EVIL was able to get the upper hand in July though, winning in 28 minutes and 7 seconds.
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – SINGLES
- Neither of these wrestlers has won a singles match in the Tokyo Dome. Ishii has lost two NEVER Openweight Championship matches and a RevPro Championship match.
- EVIL’s first singles match in the Tokyo Dome was his loss last year to SANADA.
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – OVERALL
- Tomohiro Ishii’s .267 winning percentage in the Tokyo Dome is the third worst among wrestlers with more than 10 matches in the Tokyo Dome. Only Gedo and Hiroshi Hase have fared worse than Ishii overall.
Tomohiro Ishii Matches In Tokyo Dome
EVIL Matches In Tokyo Dome
NEVER Openweight Championship History
- The NEVER Openweight Championship has been defended 76 times since its inception in 2012, it has changed hands in 44.74% of those matches. That is the highest percentage of any NJPW singles championship.
NEVER Openweight Championship Defenses in Tokyo Dome
- The NEVER Openweight Championship has been defended eight times in the Tokyo Dome, it has changed hands six times (75%). Shingo Takagi broke a six match streak by defending the title against Jeff Cobb at last year’s Wrestle Kingdom.
Match Four
Catch Wrestling Match – No Strikes Allowed
Katsuyori Shibata vs. “X”
Katsuyori Shibata will wrestle in a sanctioned New Japan Pro Wrestling Match for the first time in nearly 1200 days when he steps into the cerulean blue of the NJPW ring for a catch wrestling match against a mystery opponent on January 4th. I can certainly understand some disappointment that Shibata is returning to a match that doesn’t allow strikes but seeing him get into the ring after 4 ½ long years away will be a treat either way. Obviously, who appears as “X is very important to what this match produces, and I can’t speculate on that, but it is worth keeping an eye on whether Shibata’s opponent plays by the rules, or if he sneaks in an errant strike or two to rile up the returning veteran.
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – SINGLES
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – OVERALL
Katsuyori Shibata Matches In Tokyo Dome
Match Three
BUSHI, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito vs. Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & Will Ospreay
BUSHI, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito will take on the nearly unstoppable United Empire Trio of Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan & Will Ospreay in the third match of the night. Ospreay, Cobb & O-Khan went winless during last year’s Wrestle Kingdom festivities, and they aim to do the exact opposite this year. Momentum is on The United Empire’s side. O-Khan, Cobb, and Ospreay all produced some of the most statistically impressive years ever NJPW in 2021 and they hope to carry that momentum into Wrestle Kingdom. SANADA and Naito will certainly aim to prove their upper hand against their January 5th opponents and Will Ospreay will be using this match to loosen up for his main event IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match on January 5th.
Recent History – 2021 Team
- No trio in NJPW produced a better record than Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & Will Ospreay who ended the year at 17-1.
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
- Jeff Cobb’s +48 Fall Differential (winning falls – losing falls) was the second best in NJPW in 2021, only behind IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Shingo Takagi
- Great-O-Khan’s 86 victories were the most in NJPW in 2021.
- SANADA’s 80 victories were the second most in NJPW in 2021.
Tokyo Dome Statistics – Individual Overall
Match Two
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Rocky Romero & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. El Phantasmo, KENTA & Taiji Ishimori
Hiroshi Tanahashi will challenge KENTA for the IWGP United States Championship in a No disqualification match on January 5th and Rocky Romero & Ryusuke Taguchi will join El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori as challengers for the IWGP Junior Tag Team Championships, so this trios match serves as the perfect opportunity for someone to gain the upper hand headed into their big match on January 5th.
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
Tokyo Dome Statistics – Individual Overall
- At 10 hours, 37 minutes, and 3 seconds, Hiroshi Tanahashi has logged the second-most ring time in Tokyo Dome History. Only Jyushin Thunder Liger has more Tokyo Dome ring time than Tanahashi coming in at 11 hours, 55 minutes, and 43 seconds.
- Rocky Romero’s only Tokyo Dome victory occurred at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in 2017 when he and Beretta defeated the Young Bucks to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. Of course, Rocky is also 1-1 as Black Tiger.
Match One
SHO vs. YOH
What a difference a year makes. This time last year, SHO & YOH were exercising their Tokyo Dome demons by finally picking up an IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship match victory in the Tokyo Dome. This year, they’re each entering the ring alone and with eyes on each other as they face off in what is sure to escalate into a grudge match during the opening match of Wrestle Kingdom 16.
SHO will certainly arrive locked and loaded this time, as he is certainly out for revenge over YOH after YOH eliminated SHO from Best of The Super Junior contention just a few weeks ago. This match is one to keep an eye on, as it could serve as a de facto number one contender’s match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
Recent History – 2021 Singles
Recent History – Last 180 Days Singles
Recent History – Last 90 Days Singles
Recent History – 2021 Individual Overall
Head To Head History (Recent)
Head To Head History (Pre-Excursion)
- Before teaming together and leaving on excursion, YOH lead the all-time series with SHO 18-10-23.
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – SINGLES
- This will be both SHO and YOH’s first singles matches in the Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – OVERALL
- SHO & YOH teamed together three times in the Tokyo Dome, challenging for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships all three times. They finally won those titles in the Tokyo Dome last January, the fifth when they defeated El Phantasmo & Taiji Ishimori to begin their fifth reign with the Junior Tag Titles
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