The excitement for this year’s Wrestle Kingdom is palpable as we approach January 4th, but I don’t have to tell you that. You’re here, looking for EVEN MORE Wrestle Kingdom content. Bless the hearts of J. Michael and Suit Williams; they did a fantastic job with the verbal preview of Wrestle Kingdom 17, which means I don’t have to dig any deeper than I already have to catch you all up. Below are the exact notes, statistics, and research that I sent along to Kevin Kelly and Chris Charlton ahead of January fourth’s Wrestle Kingdom 17.
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17
Date: January 4, 2023
City: Tokyo, Japan
Venue: Tokyo Dome
Time: 5:00 pm JST
Double Main Event
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
Jay White [c] vs. Kazuchika Okada
Recent History – 2022 Singles
- Kazuchika Okada’s 8 hours, 29 Minutes, and 13 seconds of Total Singles Match Length was the most in NJPW in 2022. Okada’s stamina surpassed the wrestler with the second-most Total Singles Match Length (Will Ospreay) by over an hour.
- Kazuchika Okada’s 18 singles victories in NJPW were the second-most in 2022.
- Jay White’s 15 singles victories in NJPW were the third-most in 2022.
- Okada thrived in high-stakes situations in 2022. Of his 22 singles matches, 20 were either tournament matches or IWGP World Heavyweight Championship matches.
- Jay White’s .938 Singles Winning Percentage in 2022 was the best in NJPW. White’s only loss occurred against Tama Tonga in the G1 Climax tournament.
- Eight of Jay White’s fifteen victories occurred in the USA, seven occurring on NJPW Strong.
- Though not a one-on-one match, Okada and White both participated in a four-way IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door, and that is included in their NJPW records. White was victorious, and Okada did not figure in the fall.
Recent History – Last 180 Days Singles
Recent History – Last 90 Days Singles
Recent History – 2022 Individual Overall (Includes Tag Matches)
- Kazuchika Okada’s +28 Fall Differential (Winning Falls – Losing Falls) was the third-best in NJPW this year.
- Okada’s 27 hours, 58 minutes, and 17 seconds of Overall Total Match Length was the second-most in NJPW in 2022. This was driven mainly by his 15-minute and 59-second Overall average match length, which was the highest in NJPW.
- Jay White’s 14-minute and 52-second average overall match length was the second-highest in NJPW in 2022.
Head To Head History
- Jay White famously holds a 4-1 one-on-one record over Kazuchika Okada, including one victory in the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom 13.
- Due to their participation in the four-way-singles match at this year’s AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door, very technically, Jay White is actually 5-1 in singles matches over Kazuchika Okada.
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – SINGLES
- Kazuchika Okada is 6-3 in Tokyo Dome main events, and he enters Wrestle Kingdom 17 with a 6-1 record in his last seven Tokyo Dome main events.
- With a win on January 4, Kazuchika Okada would tie Hiroshi Tanahashi for the most Tokyo Dome main event victories with seven.
- Jay White’s last Tokyo Dome appearance occurred in 2021 at Wrestle Kingdom 15. That was his only main event appearance, and he was unsuccessful.
- Kazuchika Okada’s 7 hours, 11 minutes, and 9 seconds of Total Singles Match Length in the Tokyo Dome is second-most all-time, only behind Hiroshi Tanahashi’s 8 hours, 54 minutes, and 43 seconds.
- Strategically, Jay White will look to finish the match quickly, as that has been how he’s been most successful in Tokyo Dome matches. Okada’s legendary stamina will be at play here. Okada holds a hefty statistical advantage if the match crosses the 30-minute mark.
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – OVERALL (Includes Tag Matches)
- All five of Jay White’s Tokyo Dome matches have been singles matches.
- Kazuchika Okada’s first three Tokyo Dome appearances occurred in tag team matches. This year will be the twelfth consecutive Wrestle Kingdom where Okada has a singles match.
Jay White Matches In Tokyo Dome
- Jay White’s 48-minute and 5-second loss at Wrestle Kingdom 15 was the longest professional wrestling match in Tokyo Dome history.
Kazuchika Okada Matches In Tokyo Dome
- Kazuchika Okada’s 15-minute and 18-second loss to Jay White stands as the shortest Tokyo Dome singles match of his career. Okada’s next-shortest Wrestle Kingdom match was twice as long (30:57 in a loss to Hiroshi Tanahashi in 2015).
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship History
- In its short history, the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship has been defended in fourteen matches and has changed hands four times for a 28.57% title change rate.
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Defenses in Tokyo Dome
- The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship has been defended at the Tokyo Dome three times, with one title change (January 4, 2022).
- The bright lights of the Tokyo Dome negatively impact the incumbent champion. The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship’s predecessor, the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, was decided at the Tokyo Dome 44 times between 1989 and 2021. In those 44 matches, the championship changed hands 20 times for a title change rate of 45.45%, which was 16.02% higher than the title’s overall title change rate.
Double Main Event
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship
Will Ospreay [C] vs. Kenny Omega
Recent History – 2022 Singles
- After a grueling 2021 of singles title defenses, Kenny Omega only wrestled in one singles match in 2022, an 11-minute and 16-second victory on the December 20th episode of AEW Dark.
- Will Ospreay ended 2022 with a 15-7 singles record in NJPW, but that doesn’t tell the whole story of his 2022. Ospreay also wrestled in eleven singles matches outside of NJPW, where he compiled a 10-1 record, bringing his total 2022 singles record to 25-8.
- Twenty-three of Ospreay’s 33 singles matches in 2022 were high-stakes tournament or championship matches.
Recent History – Last 180 Days Singles
- Will Ospreay’s nine singles victories over the last six months of 2022 were the most in NJPW over that timeframe, and his twelve singles matches in the back half of the year were also the most in NJPW.
Recent History – Last 90 Days Singles
Recent History – 2022 Individual Overall (Includes Tag Matches)
- Kenny Omega only wrestled in ten matches in 2022, ending the year with a record of 10-3. Omega was only the losing fall recipient in one of those three losses (33.33%)
- Will Ospreay only took the losing fall in his singles losses.
- Add to Will Ospreay’s 55 NJPW matches his eighteen appearances outside of NJPW, and he suddenly represents one of the most active wrestlers in 2022.
Head To Head History
- It has been over seven years since Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay wrestled in a singles match, and the venue couldn’t be much different now than it was in 2015.
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – SINGLES
- At 33:52, only Jay White holds an Average Losing Match Length in the Tokyo Dome longer than Kenny Omega (32:55) and Will Ospreay (31:02).
- Statistically speaking, Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay are nearly identical in their Tokyo Dome careers.
- Omega and Ospreay both enter Wrestle Kingdom 17 with a 2-3 singles record in the Tokyo Dome.
- Both wrestlers enter with an Average Losing Match Length that is significantly longer than their Average Winning Match Length. This is considered a sign of strength, as each wrestler is incredibly resilient in losses but capable of a victory at almost any time.
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – OVERALL
Will Ospreay Matches In Tokyo Dome
- Will Ospreay enters Wrestle Kingdom 17 on a three-match losing streak in singles matches in the Tokyo Dome. Ospreay’s last singles win in the Tokyo Dome occurred at the beginning of 2019, when he won the NEVER Openweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 13.
Kenny Omega Matches In Tokyo Dome
- Kenny Omega will wrestle at Wrestle Kingdom 17 after leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling following his loss to Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 13 in 2019.
- Omega’s last Tokyo Dome victory occurred in January of 2018 when he successfully defended the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Chris Jericho in a match with many parallels to his upcoming bout with Will Ospreay.
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship History
- The IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship has been decided in 38 matches, and it has changed hands in 42.11% of those matches. That is the highest Title Change Rate among IWGP championships.
- Kenny Omega’s inaugural IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship lasted 210 days and included four successful title defenses. As of January 4, Will Ospreay’s current reign will sit at 206 days, including four successful title defenses.
- Between November of 2021 and June of 2022, the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship was vacated twice and changed hands in six consecutive matches.
- Will Ospreay has successfully defended the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship four times during this reign. Ospreay would tie Jon Moxley for the most title defenses in a single reign with a victory over Kenny Omega.
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Defenses in Tokyo Dome
- Will Ospreay has successfully defended the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship four times during this reign. Ospreay would tie Jon Moxley for the most title defenses in a single reign with a victory over Kenny Omega.
Match Seven
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Taiji Ishimori [C] vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado vs. Master Wato
Recent History – 2022 Singles
- Hiromu Takahashi’s 6 hours, 3 minutes, and 21 seconds of total singles match length in 2022 was the fourth highest in NJPW in 2022. Only Tetsuya Naito, Will Ospreay, and Kazuchika Okada spent more time in singles matches in 2022.
- El Desperado’s 5 hours, 22 minutes, and 48 seconds of total singles match length in 2022 was the seventh highest in NJPW in 2022.
- Hiromu Takahashi’s 15 singles victories in 2022 were the third-most in NJPW in 2022.
Recent History – 2022 Individual Overall
- All four wrestlers in the IWGP Junior heavyweight Championship match wrestled in over 100 matches in 2022, which places them all in the top 15 in Overall Total Matches in NJPW in 2022.
- These four wrestlers combined for a total of 456 total matches in NJPW in 2022.
- Hiromu Takahashi’s .782 overall winning percentage in 2022 was the second-highest in NJPW, only behind Will Ospreay’s .800.
Head To Head History
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – SINGLES
- This will be Master Wato’s first Tokyo Dome singles match.
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – OVERALL
Taiji Ishimori Matches In Tokyo Dome
Hiromu Takahashi Matches In Tokyo Dome
El Desperado Matches In Tokyo Dome
Master Wato Matches In Tokyo Dome
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship History
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Defenses in Tokyo Dome
- Dating to its inception in 1986, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship has been defended in 309 matches and changed hands in 28.16% of deciding contests. That is the lowest Title Change Rate among all active NJPW championships.
- The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship has been defended in the Tokyo Dome 36 times and changed hands in 19 matches for a Tokyo Dome Title Change Rate of 52.77%.
- Between Wrestle Kingdom 8 in 2014 and Wrestle Grand Slam in 2021, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship changed hands in nine consecutive Tokyo Dome defenses, a streak that was finally broken when El Desperado successfully defended against Hiromu Takahashi at last year’s Wrestle Kingdom event.
Match Six
Shota Umino, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Keiji Muto v. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, BUSHI
Recent History – 2022 Individual Overall
- Tetsuya Naito finished 2022 with the most matches with 133, and he logged the most Overall Total Match Length with 31 hours, 11 minutes, and 30 seconds over the course of the year.
- BUSHI’s 131 matches were the second most in NJPW in 2022, while Hiroshi Tanahashi finished third with 122 matches.
- Tetsuya Naito’s +30 Fall Differential (Winning Falls – Losing Falls) was the second-best in NJPW in 2022, behind only Shingo Takagi’s astounding +45.
Tokyo Dome Statistics – Individual Overall
- This will be Keiji Muto’s 32nd Tokyo Dome match, the sixth-most all-time.
- Muto’s 21 overall Tokyo Dome victories are good for fourth-most all-time, only behind Jushin Thunder Liger (28), Hiroyoshi Tenzan (23), and Yuji Nagata (22).
- Keiji Muto last lost a fall in the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom 3 in 2009 when Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated him in a singles match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
- Keiji Muto’s 13 winning falls in the Tokyo Dome are the sixth-most all-time.
- Muto last won a fall in the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom 6 in 2012 when he defeated Tetsuya Naito in a singles match.
- Hiroshi Tanahashi is just 2-6 in tag matches in the Tokyo Dome, and his 12 losing falls in the Tokyo Dome are the third-most all-time.
- Tetsuya Naito is just 1-3 in tag matches in the Tokyo Dome.
Match Five
NEVER Openweight Championship
Karl Anderson [C] vs. Tama Tonga
Recent History – 2022 Singles
Recent History – Last 180 Days Singles
Recent History – Last 90 Days Singles
Recent History – 2022 Individual Overall
Head To Head History
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – SINGLES
- This will be both wrestlers’ first singles match in the Tokyo Dome.
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – OVERALL
Karl Anderson Matches In Tokyo Dome
Tama Tonga Matches In Tokyo Dome
NEVER Openweight Championship History
NEVER Openweight Championship Defenses in Tokyo Dome
- Dating back to its inception in 2012, the NEVER Openweight Championship has been defended in 82 matches and has changed hands in 45.12% of those matches. That is the highest Title Change Rate among all active NJPW championships.
- The NEVER Openweight Championship has been defended in the Tokyo Dome nine times and has changed hands in 7 of those matches for a Tokyo Dome Title Change Rate of 77.78%.
Match Four
IWGP NJPWWorld TV Championship Tournament Final
Ren Narita v. Zack Sabre Jr
Recent History – 2022 Singles
Recent History – Last 180 Days Singles
- Ren Narita’s 7-0 record in singles matches over the last 180 days (six months) is the best in NJPW, and he has done so efficiently, averaging just over nine and a half minutes per victory.
Recent History – Last 90 Days Singles
Recent History – 2022 Individual Overall
Head To Head History
- This will be the first singles match between Ren Narita and Zack Sabre Jr.
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – SINGLES
- Zack Sabre Jr. last wrestled in a Tokyo Dome singles match in 2020 when he defeated SANADA in 12:32 to defend the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship. Since then, he has wrestled in three IWGP Tag Team Championship matches and a six-man tag.\
- Ren Narita made his Tokyo Dome debut last year as “X” in a loss against the returning Katsuyori Shibata.
Tokyo Dome Statistics and Information – OVERALL
Zack Sabre Jr. Matches In Tokyo Dome
Ren Narita Matches In Tokyo Dome
IWGP NJPWWorld TV Championship Tournament Statistics
Match Three
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler [C] vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI
Recent History – 2022 Two-Man Team
- In 2022, Across NJPW, AAA, AEW, ROH, AML, ASW, BTW, and PWF, Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood wrestled in 27 two-man tag team matches, and they produced a record of 18-8-1.
- Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI’s 15 two-man tag team victories were the most of any two-man team in NJPW in 2022.
Recent History – 2022 All Instances Tagging
- Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI tagged together an astounding 82 times in 2022. That was the most of any duo in NJPW. The next highest duo was EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi, who tagged together 77 times in 2022.
Recent History – 2022 Individual Overall
- Hirooki Goto’s 112 total matches in NJPW in 2022 were the ninth-most in the company, and his 71 wins were the seventh-most in NJPW. YOSHI-HASHI’s 70 victories landed him eighth.
Head To Head History
- This will be the first meeting between FTR and Bishamon.
Tokyo Dome Statistics – Individual Overall
- YOSHI-HASHI made his Tokyo Dome debut in 2009, but he was not on the winning side of a match in the dome until 2020 and didn’t score his first fall in the Tokyo Dome until 1/4/2022 when he pinned Taichi to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Tag Team Championships.
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship History
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Defenses In Tokyo Dome
- The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships have been defended 31 times in the Tokyo Dome and changed hands 18 times.
- The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships have changed hands in ten consecutive Tokyo Dome defenses, dating back to Wrestle Kingdom 8 in 2014.
- Dating back to their inception in 1985, The IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships have been decided in 272 matches, and they have changed hands in 34.19% of those matches. That is the third-lowest Title Change Rate among active NJPW titles.
- With a victory here, FTR would become the first V3 (3 defense) IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions since Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa did so in 2019. Guerrillas of Destiny went on to defend the titles six times during that reign.
Match Two
IWGP Women’s Championship Match
KAIRI [C] v. Tam Nakano
Recent History – 2022 Singles
- Since returning to STARDOM, wrestlers have given their all to compete with KAIRI in singles matches. Albeit a small sample size, KAIRI’s twenty-minute and nine-second average singles match length in 2022 far surpassed any other singles wrestler in STARDOM last year.
Head To Head History
- This will be the first singles match between KAIRI and Tam Nakano.
Match One
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
Francesco Akira & TJP [C] v. Lio Rush & YOH
Recent History – 2022 Two-Man Team
Recent History – 2022 All Instances Tagging
- Akira and TJP may have the familiarity edge here, having teamed together a total of 48 times in 2022. Lio Rush and YOH only tagged together 11 times total, with ten of those instances being two-on-two matches.
Recent History – 2022 Individual Overall
Head To Head History
- These two teams have wrestled once before. In the main event of night one of the 2022 Super Junior Tag League, Akira & TJP defeated Lio Rush and YOH in 19:06.
Tokyo Dome Statistics – Individual Overall
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship History
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Defenses In Tokyo Dome
- Since their inception in 1998, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships have been decided in 186 matches, and they have changed hands in 37.63% of those matches.
- The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships have been decided in 23 matches in the Tokyo Doe, changing hands in 11 matches for a title change rate of 47.82%.
- After a stretch of five consecutive title changes in the Tokyo Dome, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships have been retained in three straight defenses at The Dome.
- YOH has wrestled for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships 16 times, and he is 9-7 in those matches. This will be the first time YOH wrestles for these championships without his longtime partner, SHO.
- With a victory here, TJP and Francesco Akira would become the first V3 (3 defense) IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions since El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru did so all the way back in 2018.
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