NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17: Live Results, Omega Sephiroth, Sasha Banks Arrives and More

New Japan Professional Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom has made a reputation for itself during the last twenty years for showcasing among the finest skilled wrestling on the planet every year on the Tokyo Dome. It is a Jan. 4 custom — and this yr’s card is as soon as once more stacked with the promotion’s finest expertise. 

Looming giant over this yr’s occasion is the dying of NJPW founder Antonio Inoki, who began the promotion within the early 70s. A largely uneventful six-man tag staff match was wrestled in his honor between a few of NJPW’s oldest palms on the pre-show.

As with Wrestle Kingdom 14, 15 and 16, the occasion will happen over two nights, however issues are a bit of completely different this yr. Reasonably than having the second evening 24 hours after the primary, Wrestle Kingdom 17’s sequel will happen on Jan. 21 in Yokohama Area. Matches for that card are but to be decided, however you’ll be able to guess there might be a number of rivalries kindled on evening one.

The headline bouts will see the return of AEW’s Kenny Omega in a match towards Will Ospreay for the IWGP United States Championship earlier than Jay White faces off towards perennial main-eventer Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to shut out the present.   

Here is when and learn how to watch Wrestle Kingdom 17, together with the total card, dwell outcomes and some stray ideas about what’s transpired.

When does Wrestle Kingdom 17 begin?

The occasion kicks off at 3:20 p.m. Japan Customary Time on Jan. 4, which makes it a really late (or very early) begin for residents within the US. 

• US West Coast: 10:20 p.m. PT, Jan. 3
• US East Coast: 1:20 a.m. ET, Jan. 4 
• UK: 6:20 a.m. GMT
• AUS: 5:20 p.m. AEST

Formally, the bell rings at 5 p.m. JST to kick off the evening, so you may have an additional couple of hours up your sleeve when you’re not within the early matches or pre-show.

Find out how to stream Wrestle Kingdom 17 dwell

The best and most handy strategy to watch is to enroll in NJPW World, the streaming service of NJPW. This provides you entry to each Japanese and English commentary. Enroll prices 999 Japanese Yen, which is round $7.60 USD. You’ll be able to watch dwell or on demand, so when you’re within the US and you might want to get to sleep… simply whack it on the subsequent day.

If that is the case and you do not need any spoilers… do not learn on. 

Wrestle Kingdom 17 match card and outcomes

Winners are denoted in daring.

Pre-show:

• Ryohei Oiwa vs. Boltin Oleg (Exhibition) — led to a time restrict draw.
• KOPW 2023 Proper to Problem Rumble — Nice-O-Khan, Sho, Toru Yano and Shingo Takagi have been the ultimate 4. They may face off at New 12 months Sprint!! on Jan. 5 for the KOPW Championship.
• Yuji Nagata, Satoshi & Togi Nakabe vs. Tatsumi Fujinami, Minoru Suzuki & Tiger Masks (Antonio Inoki memorial match).

Fundamental present:

• Catch 2/2 (TJP and Francesco Akira) (C) vs. CHAOS (Lio Rush and Yoh) for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Staff Championship.
• KAIRI (C) vs. Tam Nakano for the IWGP Girls’s Championship.
• FTR (Dax Harwood and Money Wheeler) (C) vs. Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi) for the IWGP Tag Staff Championship.
• Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ren Narita (First ever NJPW World Tv Championship match).
• Karl Anderson (C) vs. Tama Tonga for NEVER Openweight Championship.
• Keiji Muto, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Shota Umino vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon.
• 4-Means Match that includes Taiji Ishimori (C) vs. Hiromu Takahaski vs. El Desperado vs. Grasp Wato for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship — Takahashi pins Grasp Wato.
• Will Ospreay (C) vs. Kenny Omega for the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship.
• Jay White (C) vs. Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

Wrestle Kingdom 17 Stray Ideas and Observations

• Nicely, the rumours have been true. Former WWE famous person Sasha Banks was anticipated to make her debut on the Tokyo Dome this yr, as NJPW continues to construct out its Girls’s division, and he or she did — as Mercedes Moné. She entered precisely when most predicted she would — proper after Kairi retained the IWGP Girls’s Championship. She introduced the 2 can be dealing with one another at Battle within the Valley on Feb. 18.
• Bishamon’s win is the primary title change of the evening, however do not count on it to be the final!
• Zack Sabre Jr., a local Brit, known as out UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak throughout his entrance, screaming “pay nurses dickhead, pay nurses a residing wage.” 
• I believed we would see a extra important look from Katsuyori Shibata, who final wrestled at NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 16. He was on commentary for the NJPW World Tv Championship match.
• Zack Sabre Jr. joined the steady TMDK after successful his the World Tv Championship, which was his first singles title in NJPW.
• Karl Anderson got here out sporting an O.C. shirt, a WWE creation.
• The Anderson/Tonga match was actually fairly good however it ended with a fairly horrific botch by Anderson (I feel?). Tonga tried the Gun Stun and Anderson appeared to throw him off… Messy.
• Tetsuya Naito giving off actual Donnie Darko vitality together with his rabbit masks. Additionally very harking back to WWE’s Fiend, however I do not wish to throw any stones.
• Keiji Muto’s closing match in NJPW actually received the gang going for the primary time within the night. Enormous pop when Tanahashi informed Muto not to strive his moonsault. 
• Completely cherished that Los Ingobernables de Japon’s Naito and Bushi simply wore… the match T-shirts the entire time. Unimaginable.
• What within the everloving-Darkish-Souls-Boss-Battle was Hiromu Takahashi sporting to the ring? 
• In the course of the 4 Means, the commentary staff introduced that one thing had occurred backstage, probably between Tetsuya Naito and Shota Umino. Gino Gambino requested “What’s Kenny performed now?” referencing latest AEW hassle with CM Punk. It was a transparent work and turned out to be NOAH’s Kongo confronted Los Ingobernables de Japon with a pleasant plug for the YouTube channel.
• Kevin Kelly mainly dropped an F bomb after Grasp Wato gave up on a pin… he one way or the other pulled out of the curse on the ultimate syllable.
• Omega’s return was fairly unimaginable. He goes full Sephiroth in his entrance, utilizing the One Winged Angel theme and in burning Nibelheim mode. Wild stuff solely topped by Ospreay’s entrance.