The New Beginning in Osaka (2018)

The New Beginning in Osaka (2018) is an upcoming professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The event will take place on February 10, 2018, in Osaka, Osaka, at Edion Arena Osaka. The event will feature nine matches, three of which will be contested for championships. In the main event, Kazuchika Okada will defend the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against SANADA. This was the fourteenth event under the New Beginning name and the fifth under the New Beginning in Osaka name.

Background
The event will air worldwide on NJPW's internet streaming site, New Japan Pro Wrestling World, with English commentary provided by Kevin Kelly and Don Callis, the latter of whom replaces Kelly's previous broadcast partner Steve Corino.

Storylines
The New Beginning in Osaka will feature nine professional wrestling matches that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.

The New Beginning in Sapporo will be main evented by Kazuchika Okada making his tenth defense of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against SANADA. On January 6, 2018 Okada and his CHAOS stablemates Hirooki Goto, Yoshi-Hashi, Will Ospreay and Gedo faced SANADA and his Los Ingobernables de Japon stablemates Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi. After the match, L.I.J. attacked CHAOS and SANADA would lay out Okada with the Skull End. Afterwards, SANADA challenged Okada for his title. In the weeks leading to the event, Okada accepted SANADA's challenge for his title on the condition that he would have put first his IWGP Tag Team Championship against him and Goto. SANADA made his debut in New Japan Pro Wrestling on April 10, 2016 at Invasion Attack 2016 by interfering in the main event and helping Naito defeating Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, joining Naito's Los Ingobernables de Japón (L.I.J.) stable in the process. The two would face each other on May 3 at Wrestling Dontaku 2016, where he Okada was victorious.

Okada has held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship ever since defeating Naito at Dominion 6.19 in Osaka-jo Hall, and became the longest reigning champion after defeating EVIL on October 9, 2017 at King of Pro-Wrestling. After Wrestle Kingdom 12 Okada stated that he would beat Hiroshi Tanahashi's record of eleven successful title defenses. This will be SANADA first opportunity for a singles championship in NJPW, this marks the rematch between the two since the 2016 Wrestling Dontaku.