King of Pro-Wrestling (2024) was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), which took place on October 14, 2024, in Tokyo at Ryōgoku Kokugikan. It is NJPW's biggest show between August's G1 Climax and January's Wrestle Kingdom 19 in Tokyo Dome. The main event featured Tetsuya Naito defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against the winner of the 2024 G1 Climax Zack Sabre Jr. This is the eighth event under the King of Pro-Wrestling name and featured its returned for the first time since 2019.
Production[]
Storylines[]
King of Pro-Wrestling featured 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.
Tetsuya Naito, who defended the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at the main event
King of Pro-Wrestling was main evented by Tetsuya Naito defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against the winner of the 2024 G1 Climax Zack Sabre Jr. On August 18, Sabre defeated Yota Tsuji, in the finals to win the 2024 G1 Climax and become the second non-Japanese G1 Climax winner in history. Following the match, instead of having his title shot for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship traditionally at Wrestle Kingdom, Sabre decided that he wanted to have his title match at King of Pro-Wrestling. On September 29 at Destruction in Kobe, Naito successfully defended the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Great-O-Khan, setting up his title match against Sabre. Following the match, Sabre confronted Naito for their upcoming title match. They were accompained by Ryohei Oiwa, who was part of Sabre's TMDK stable and Shingo Takagi part of Los Ingobernables de Japón stable. Afterwards, Takagi challenged the winner of the match between at King of Pro-Wrestling to a title match. However, Oiwa then challenged Takagi to a title match for the NEVER Openweight Championship at King of Pro-Wrestling, which he accepted.
David Finlay, who defended the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship
On August 7, Hirooki Goto defeated reigning IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion David Finlay in their block match in the 2024 G1 Climax. Finlay who felt humiliated, sought revenge on Goto and saw him as a as threat. This led to the Bullet Club War Dogs targetting him and try to injure him. At Destruction in Kobe, Goto faced one of Finlay's Bullet Club War Dogs stablemate Gabe Kidd. Their match ended in a double count out, leading Kidd's partner Jake Lee to manipulate him into trying face Goto in a no disqualification match, which Goto won. Later that night, Finlay successfully defended the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship against Yoshi-Hashi. Afterwards, Yoshi-Hashi's partner Hirooki Goto confronted Finlay, hinting at a future challenge for his title. Afterwards, in a post-match interview, Finlay, who had not forgotten his loss to Goto in the 2024 G1 Climax, challenged him to a rematch for his title, vowing to get revenge from their previous encounter.
DOUKI, who defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
At Destruction in Kobe, DOUKI successfully defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against his former mentor Yoshinobu Kanemaru, despite the interference from his House of Torture stablemate Sho. After the match, Sho stole the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship title belt from DOUKI’s hands, continuing to discredit the champion and declaring himself the next challenger. Sho would then threaten to destroy the title belt if his challenge was not accepted, leading DOUKI to accept, before being attacked by Sho.
Jeff Cobb, who defended the NJPW World Television Championship
On September 8, during the Road to Destruction tour, Jeff Cobb faced Yota Tsuji in a time limit draw to successfully defend the NJPW World Television Championship, with Cobb failing to avenge his two consecutive losses to him, during the year. Following the match, Ren Narita attacked Cobb and declared himself as his next challenger. However, he was forced to withdraw from the title match due to a right arm injury. At Destruction in Kobe, with Cobb and Tsuji agreeing to a rematch between them, they were attacked by Narita, who also wanted to challenge for the title, setting up a three-way match.
On September 13, at a NJPW TAMASHII, in Melbourne, Australia, Mikey Nicholls faced Caveman Ugg in a losing effort, following the interference from Bad Luck Fale and his Rogue Army stablemates. After the match, Ugg demanded a title match against Nicholls and Shane Haste, while recognizing that they were "the best tag team to come out of Australia", Ugg and Fale wanted a match against them for the IWGP Tag Team Championship.
TMDK (Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste), who defended the IWGP Tag Team Championship
On August 30 at Capital Collision, Kevin Knight pinned one-half of the reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Drilla Moloney. After being attacked by Bullet Club War Dogs, in a post-match interview, Knight and his partner KUSHIDA challenged Moloney and Clark Connors to a title match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. The two teams had previously faced each other titles on October 9, 2023 at Destruction in Ryogoku, where Connors and Moloney successfully defended the titles against the Intergalactic Jet Setters.
Hiromu Takahashi, who faced Místico
On August 27, 2023, at a CMLL Arena Mexico event, Hiromu Takahashi faced Místico for the World Historic Middleweight Championship in a match that ended in a double pinfall. The two would meet a second time on June 21, 2024 at Fantastica Mania México, in the main event to celebrate Místico's 20th anniversary commemorative match, where Místico would defeat Takahashi via submission. On September 29 at Destruction in Kobe, Takahashi challenged Místico to a rematch in Japan at King of Pro-Wrestling.
The event also featured NJPW's President Hiroshi Tanahashi's 25th year debut anniversary match. At Destruction in Kobe, El Phantasmo made his return to NJPW, saving Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano and Boltin Oleg from Ren Narita's interference in their NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship title match against House of Torture's EVIL, Sho and Yujiro Takahashi. After Tanahashi, Yano and Oleg retained their titles, Tanahashi welcomed Phantasmo and Jado back to the NJPW home unit.
Matches[]
| # | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hiromu Takahashi defeated Místico by submission | Singles match | 8:01 |
| 2 | Intergalactic Jet Setters (KUSHIDA and Kevin Knight) defeated Bullet Club War Dogs (Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney) (c) | Tag team match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship | 12:21 |
| 3 | TMDK (Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste) (c) defeated Rogue Army (Bad Luck Fale and Caveman Ugg) | Tag team match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship | 7:49 |
| 4 | Shingo Takagi (c) defeated Ryohei Oiwa | Singles match for the NEVER Openweight Championship | 10:42 |
| 5 | Ren Narita defeated Jeff Cobb (c) and Yota Tsuji | Three-way match for the NJPW World Television Championship | 12:27 |
| 6 | Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shota Umino and El Phantasmo (with Jado) defeated House of Torture (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (with Dick Togo) | Six-man tag team match | 9:05 |
| 7 | DOUKI (c) defeated Sho | Singles match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship | 0:14 |
| 8 | David Finlay (c) (with Gedo) defeated Hirooki Goto | Singles match for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship | 16:58 |
| 9 | Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tetsuya Naito (c) | Singles match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship | 24:41 |
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