King of Pro-Wrestling is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The event has been held every October since 2012 and aired domestically as a pay-per-view (PPV). The event also aired internationally as an internet pay-per-view (iPPV) until 2015, when it was moved to NJPW's worldwide internet streaming site, New Japan Pro Wrestling World. King of Pro-Wrestling was created by Bushiroad, a card game company, which had bought NJPW in January 2012.[1] The event became NJPW's main show of October, a spot previously held by Destruction, which was instead moved back to September. The event takes place annually on the second Monday of October, the day of the Japanese public holiday known as the Health and Sports Day (体育の日 Taiiku no hi). Held annually at Tokyo's Ryōgoku Kokugikan, the event has been nicknamed "Autumn Showdown at Ryōgoku" (秋の両国決戦 Aki no Ryōgoku Kessen).[2][3] King of Pro-Wrestling is also the name of a collectible card game, created by Bushiroad.[4]
Events[]
# | Event | Date | City | Venue | Attendance | Main event |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | King of Pro-Wrestling (2012) | October 8, 2012 | Tokyo | Ryōgoku Kokugikan | 9,000 | Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) versus Minoru Suzuki for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship |
2 | King of Pro-Wrestling (2013) | October 14, 2013 | Tokyo | Ryōgoku Kokugikan | 9,000 | Kazuchika Okada (c) versus Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship |
4 | King of Pro-Wrestling (2014) | October 13, 2014 | Tokyo | Ryōgoku Kokugikan | 9,100 | A.J. Styles (c) versus Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship |
5 | King of Pro-Wrestling (2015) | October 12, 2015 | Tokyo | Ryōgoku Kokugikan | 8,302 | Kazuchika Okada (c) versus A.J. Styles for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship |
6 | King of Pro-Wrestling (2016) | October 10, 2016 | Tokyo | Ryōgoku Kokugikan | 9,671 | Kazuchika Okada (c) versus Naomichi Marufuji for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship |
7 | King of Pro-Wrestling (2017) | October 9, 2017 | Tokyo | Ryōgoku Kokugikan | 9,234 | Kazuchika Okada (c) versus EVIL for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship |
8 | King of Pro-Wrestling (2018) | October 8, 2018 | Tokyo | Ryōgoku Kokugikan | 9,152 | Kenny Omega (c) versus Kota Ibushi versus Cody for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship |
9 | King of Pro-Wrestling (2019) | October 14, 2019 | Tokyo | Ryōgoku Kokugikan | 9,573 | Kazuchika Okada (c) versus SANADA for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship |
(c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
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References[]
- ↑ Caldwell, James 2012-01-31. NJPW News: New Japan sold to new owners, change-over taking effect February 1 . Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved on 2013-10-23.
- ↑ ja:【10.13両国全カード決定!】年内最後の“IWGPヘビー選手権”AJvs棚橋!“権利証戦”オカダvs内藤!勝者同士が1.4東京ドームで激突!! (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling (2014-09-24). Retrieved on 2016-03-23.
- ↑ ja:【10.12両国全カードが決定!】メインはオカダvsAJ!棚橋vs内藤!真壁vs石井!ケニーvsサイダル!ジュニアタッグ戦!本間vsYoshiも実現! (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling (2015-09-29). Retrieved on 2016-03-23.
- ↑ ja:新日本プロレスのトレーディングカードゲーム「キング オブ プロレスリング」概要決定!! 8月の『G1』で先行発売!! (in Japanese). New Japan Pro Wrestling (2012-02-29). Retrieved on 2013-10-23.