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Wrestle Kingdom 14 in Tokyo Dome was a two-day professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The two shows took place on January 4 and 5, 2020, at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. This was the twenty-ninth January 4 Tokyo Dome Show and the fourteenth promoted under the Wrestle Kingdom name, which is NJPW's biggest annual event and has been called "the largest wrestling show in the world outside of the United States" and the "Japanese equivalent to the Super Bowl".[5][6] This was the first time that the Wrestle Kingdom was held on two nights, instead of taking place solely on January 4.[1]

The first night of the show was headlined by Kazuchika Okada defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against the winner of the 2019 G1 Climax, Kota Ibushi, in a rematch from the 2019 G1 Climax, while the second night was headlined by Kazuchika Okada facing Tetsuya Naito to crown the first dual IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Champions in NJPW's history. Another high-profile match scheduled for the show featured Chris Jericho facing Hiroshi Tanahashi. The shows featured the retirement of the junior heavyweight legend Jushin Thunder Liger.[1] The event aired live on FITE TV and NJPW World streaming services. As part of Bushiroad's acquisition wrestlers from the Japan based women's promotion Stardom would also appear on the show.

The first night of the event featured four other title matches with Jay White defending the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Tetsuya Naito, Guerrillas of Destiny (Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga) defending the IWGP Tag Team Championship against FinJuice (David Finlay and Juice Robinson), Lance Archer defending the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Jon Moxley in a Texas Deathmatch and Will Ospreay defending the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Hiromu Takahashi.

The second night featured five other title matches with Ryusuke Taguchi, Togi Makabe and Toru Yano defending the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship against CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii, Yoshi-Hashi and Robbie Eagles), Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, Shingo Takagi, and BUSHI), Suzuki-gun (Taichi, El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) and Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi), Bullet Club (El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori) defending the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship against the winners of the 2019 Super Jr. Tag League Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh), Jon Moxley defending the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Juice Robinson, KENTA defending the NEVER Openweight Championship against Hirooki Goto and Zack Sabre Jr. defending the British Heavyweight Championship against SANADA as part of a partnership between NJPW and the British Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW) promotion.

Production[]

Background[]

Since 1992, NJPW began annually producing shows on January 4 in the Tokyo Dome, becoming NJPW's premier annual event and the biggest event in Japanese wrestling, similar to what WrestleMania is for WWE and American professional wrestling.[7] Since 2007, when the event was renamed "Wrestle Kingdom in Tokyo Dome", the Dome shows have been broadcast on pay-per-view (PPV).[8][9][10] Wrestle Kingdom 14 was officially announced on January 4, 2019, during Wrestle Kingdom 13, and instead of traditionally taking part in one night, the event would take part on two nights on January 4 and 5 at the Tokyo Dome.[11]

The two nights were part of a plan by Bushiroad to run larger arenas in order to increase attendance and merchandise sales, while also running promoting the event.[12][13] Bushiroad announced that NJPW looked to get a 12% growth in revenue and 1% in profits overall, following its successful financial year in 2018.[12][13] It was also noted that the numbers of subscribers in NJPW World were above 100,000, following NJPW's financial revenue.[12][13] NJPW looked to get 80,000 fans in attendance for both nights.[14] On May 29, NJPW held a press conference to announce further details for the shows.[1] Pre-sale tickets for the shows were put on sale on June 3 until June 11 for the "Team NJPW" fan club, while general sale tickets were put on sale on July 12; with individual tickets costing from ¥3,000 to ¥50,000.[15] On September 18, NJPW announced that part of the tickets for the event was sold out.[16] In October, Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that ticket sales for the show were doing better than last year's show, which was the first Tokyo Dome sell-out in nearly two decades.[17][18] On November 6, it was announced that TUBE’s guitarist Michiya Haruhata would provide the official theme for the event.[19] On December 9, NJPW announced the full match card of the event for both nights.[20][21] Two days later, NJPW announced that some of the tickets for the event were sold out.[22] On December 14, it was announced that the event would also be available on FITE TV as part of a special package including the New Years Dash on January 6.[23] On December 16, it was announced two pre-show matches for the first night, while in the second night was announced a gauntlet match for the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship.[24] On December 25, it was announced that World Wonder Ring Stardom would have an exhibition match at the event with Arisa Hoshiki and Mayu Iwatani facing Giulia and Hana Kimura in a dark match, as part of Bushiroad's acquisition of Stardom, due to Stardom being broadcasted on TV Asahi's rival network Nippon TV.[25] Afterwards, NJPW was criticized for its decision to put the match as a dark match.[26]

JerichoAEWWorldChampion

Chris Jericho, who faced Hiroshi Tanahashi in the second night of the event

The event featured a special singles match between Chris Jericho and Hiroshi Tanahashi, where should Tanahashi defeat Jericho, he would have received a future title opportunity for the AEW World Championship.[27] Jericho, Tanahashi, and NJPW's booker Gedo had the idea to use the possible shot at AEW World Championship to add intrigue to Wrestle Kingdom 14.[27] All Elite Wrestling's owner Tony Khan and Rocky Romero were involved in the deal, with Khan approving and working with Romero for the use of the championship as part of the storyline.[27] Khan made the decision to allow it for the show, but he didn't allow it to be used as part of an All Elite Wrestling storyline, mentioned within All Elite Wrestling on television, or social media by the company.[27]

Liger

Jushin Thunder Liger, who wrestled his final match at the event

The event also featured the retirement of junior heavyweight legend Jushin Thunder Liger.[28] Keiichi Yamada debuted under his real name for NJPW in 1984, after being trained in the NJPW dojo. Three years later, Yamada was given the gimmick based on an extremely popular anime superhero, Jushin Liger, created by manga artist Go Nagai.[29][30] Yamada was given a superhero-like full body costume and a demonic looking mask, resembling the superhero type featured in tokusatsu and anime programs.[29][30] NJPW had done this previously with Tiger Mask, which had become a huge success.[29][30] During the 1990s, Liger became one of the greatest junior heavyweight wrestlers of all time,[31] winning various championship and accomplishments throughout various promotions across throughout Japan such as Michinoku Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Noah, WAR and most notably New Japan Pro Wrestling, where Liger became the longest-tenured member of the roster and won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship a record eleven-times; setting the record for longest reign with the title during his second reign at 628 days. He also won the Best of the Super Juniors a record three-times.[29][30] Liger would also revolutionize the junior heavyweight division being the creator of the Super J-Cup, a tournament featuring junior heavyweight wrestlers from all over the world, winning it on two occasions in 1995[32] and 2000[33] and was also the creator of the Sky Diving J, an event notable for revolutionizing junior heavyweight wrestling in NJPW and Japanese wrestling history.[34][35]

Storylines[]

Wrestle Kingdom 14 featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[36]

Ibushiwbriefcase2

Kota Ibushi, the winner of the 2019 G1 Climax and the number one contender to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, who faced Jay White in the second night of the event

The first night of the Wrestle Kingdom 14 was main evented by Kazuchika Okada defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Kota Ibushi, while the second night of the event was main evented by Kazuchika Okada facing Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships. The storyline behind the match dates back to August 18, 2013, at DDT Pro-Wrestling's annual Ryōgoku Peter Pan event, when Ibushi who was representing DDT faced New Japan representative and reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada in a losing effort in a special non-title match.[37] Later that year, Ibushi signed a dual contract with DDT and NJPW, making him the first wrestler to have two home promotions.[38] Okada and Ibushi faced each other for a second time on March 16, 2014, at NJPW's 42nd Anniversary event, in the annual non-title match between the IWGP Junior Heavyweight and IWGP Heavyweight champions, where Ibushi who was the reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion faced reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada in a losing effort.[39]

OkadaIWGP(2)

Kazuchika Okada, who defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in the main event of the first night, and faced Tetsuya Naito in the second night of the event in as part of the Double Gold Dash

In August 2019, Ibushi and Okada took part in the 2019 G1 Climax, where both wrestled in the A Block.[40] Ibushi and Okada faced each other for a third time on August 10, where Ibushi defeated Okada for the first time to advance to the finals.[40] Both wrestlers had entered the final day of the tournament with a chance to advance to the finals.[40] Two days later, Ibushi defeated Jay White in the finals to win the 2019 G1 Climax.[41] Afterwards, Ibushi announced his intentions of challenging for the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships in both nights of the Tokyo Dome.[42] Following the tournament, Ibushi defended his status as the number one contender against KENTA and EVIL,[43][44] while Okada retained the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against SANADA, avenging a loss suffered during the 2019 G1 Climax,[44] leading to the match between Ibushi and Okada being made official for the Tokyo Dome in a press conference on October 15.[45][46] During the press conference, Okada criticized Ibushi's proposal to challenge for IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships in both nights of the Tokyo Dome, claiming that he didn't need to win the "silver medal" since he was holding the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.[46]

Whiteic

Jay White, who defended the IWGP Intercontinental Championship in the first night of the event, and faced Kota Ibushi in the second night of the event

Since March 2019, Tetsuya Naito had the desire to hold both IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships simultaneously.[47] However, his desire was derailed by Jay White, who also wanted to main event the second night of Wrestle Kingdom 14 and become the first-ever double champion in history, leading Naito to lose the IWGP Intercontinental Championship to White on September 22 at Destruction in Kobe.[47] Afterwards, White feuded with Hirooki Goto, while Naito feuded with Taichi over the desire to hold both titles at Wrestle Kingdom 14.[47] On November 3 at Power Struggle, Naito defeated Taichi to become the #1 contender to the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.[47][48] Later that night, White defeated Hirooki Goto to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.[47][49][48]

TetsuyaNaito2

Tetsuya Naito, the number one contender to the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, who faced Jay White in the first night of the event and Kazuchika Okada in the second night of the event as part of the Double Gold Dash

Following the match, Naito confronted White and challenged him to a match for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.[47][49][48] Afterwards, Kota Ibushi and Kazuchika Okada would come to the ring and Okada suggested a fan vote to determine whether the main event of the second night of Wrestle Kingdom 14.[47][49][48] Previously, NJPW had a fan vote to determine whether the match between Okada and Naito or an IWGP Intercontinental Championship match between Shinsuke Nakamura and Hiroshi Tanahashi would main event Wrestle Kingdom 8.[50][51] The dual championship match for the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships won the vote, resulting in Naito receiving his championship rematch at the event.[47][52] It was also announced that the losers of both championship matches on the first night would face each other on the second night.[52] In the build-up to the event, the dual championship match would be billed as "Double Gold Dash".[52] Naito has also previously lost to White during the 2019 G1 Climax in their head-to-head match to determine the finalist in the B Block, which White lost the finals of the tournament to Kota Ibushi.[47] The last double title match of this type took place on January 4, 2004, at Wrestling World 2004 between IWGP Heavyweight Champion Shinsuke Nakamura and NWF Heavyweight Champion Yoshihiro Takayama in a title unification match.[53][54] As part of the built-up to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Okada began berating Ibushi following their matches, sometimes Okada began kicking Ibushi's briefcase, leading him to Okada afterwards or Okada countering his attack.[55] In their final confrontation, on December 21, Okada and Ibushi confronted each other, before being attacked by White. Naito would attack White, but White overpowered, leading White to attack Okada again with the help from Gedo, before Okada overpowered both, while proclaiming that the IWGP Heavyweight Championship was the most important title.[56][57]

HiroshiTanahashi2

Hiroshi Tanahashi, who faced Chris Jericho in the second night of the event

On June 9, 2019, at Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall, Chris Jericho unsuccessfully challenged Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.[58] Afterwards, Jericho attacked Okada, leading to Okada's Hiroshi Tanahashi, who was on commentary, making the save.[59] On November 3 at Power Struggle, Chris Jericho made his return to NJPW, appearing in a video, where he challenged Tanahashi to a match at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in Tokyo Dome.[48][60] The challenge was quickly accepted by Tanahashi, leading the match to be officially announced on the following day.[60][61] Jericho made a second return in a pre-taped vignette at the December 8 show, warning Tanahashi that their match at Wrestle Kingdom would be the last match of his career.[62] On December 23, during an interview for Tokyo Sports, Tanahashi announced his intentions of challenging Jericho for his AEW World Championship, should he defeated him during their match at Wrestle Kingdom.[63][64] On December 28, Jericho announced on his Instagram account that All Elite Wrestling's owner Tony Khan had granted Tanahashi a future title opportunity for the AEW World Championship.[65][66] Leading to the event, Jericho didn't won a match at Wrestle Kingdom.[67]

OspreayIWGPjr3

Will Ospreay, who defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in the first night of the event

In the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match, Will Ospreay who was set to make his fourth title defense against Hiromu Takahashi. On November 3 at Power Struggle, Ospreay defeated BUSHI to make his third successful title defense. Afterwards, BUSHI's Los Ingobernables de Japón stablemate Hiromu Takahashi made his return from an injury, challenging Ospreay to a match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.[48][68] Takahashi had defeated Ospreay to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on June 9, 2018, at Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall, but he would be forced to vacate the title on August 20, due to being sidelined with a neck injury.[69][70] On December 19, Takahashi made his in-ring return teaming with Los Ingobernables de Japon stablemate BUSHI in a losing effort against Ospreay and his CHAOS stablemate Robbie Eagles, after Takahashi was pinned by Eagles.[71] Afterwards, Ospreay mocked Takahashi with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship belt, stating that he "wasn't ready" for their match.[71][72]

IshimoriPhantasmoiwgp2

Bullet Club (El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori), who defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship in the second night of the event

In the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match, Bullet Club (El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori), who were set to make their second title defense against Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh). On June 16, 2019, Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship to Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo).[73] From October 16 until November 1, Bullet Club and Roppongi 3K took part in the 2019 Super Jr. Tag League. Both teams entered the final day with a chance to reach the finals, Sho and Yoh were victorious over the reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Phantasmo and Ishimori in the head-to-head match between the teams, leading Sho and Yoh to advance to the finals.[74] On November 3 at Power Struggle, Sho and Yoh defeated Suzuki-gun (El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) to win the Super Jr. Tag League, for the record setting third time. Afterwards, Phantasmo and Ishimori attacked Roppongi 3K and stole their trophies.[48] Leading to the event, on November 9 at New Japan Showdown, Phantasmo successfully defended the British Cruiserweight Championship against Sho, after cheating to retain his title.[75] On December 20, Phantasmo and Ishimori attacked Sho and Yoh after their match and afterwards taunted them by laying out their manager Rocky Romero with the 3K.[76] The following day, Sho and Yoh returned the favor to Phantasmo and Ishimori after attacking them, when their match ended by disqualification, leading Sho and Yoh to regain the 2019 Super Jr. Tag League trophies that Phantasmo and Ishimori stole.[56]

JuiceRobinson

Juice Robinson, who took part of the IWGP Tag Team Championship match in the first night and the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship match in the second night of the event

Since June 2019, Jon Moxley began feuding with Juice Robinson, leading Moxley to defeat Robinson on June 5 to win the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.[77] Their feud continued in August during the 2019 G1 Climax, leading NJPW to schedule a title match between the two, however on October 14 at King of Pro-Wrestling, Moxley was forced to vacate the title after to being unable to wrestle in the scheduled championship defense, due to travel issues arising from Typhoon Hagibis.[78] Later that night, Lance Archer defeated Juice Robinson in a no disqualification match to become the new champion.[79] After the match, Archer attacked Robinson until his partner David Finlay made the save.[79] On November 9 at New Japan Showdown in San Jose, Archer defeated Finlay to make his first successful title defense.[80] Afterwards, Robinson confronted Archer and made his intentions of challenging for his title.[80] On December 8, Moxley returned to NJPW confronting Archer, before laying him out and his Suzuki-gun stablemate Minoru Suzuki with the Death Rider.[81][82] Afterwards, Moxley challenged Archer to a Texas Deathmatch at Wrestle Kingdom 14.[81][82] Later that night, Robinson and David Finlay defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL and SANADA) to win the 2019 World Tag League.[81] Traditionally, the winners of the tournament have earned a shot at the IWGP Tag Team Championship at the January 4 Tokyo Dome Show and following the win, Robinson and Finlay called out reigning champions, Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa), and challenged them to a title match.[81][83] The following day, NJPW officially announced the IWGP Tag Team Championship match, while also announcing the Texas Deathmatch for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship between Archer and Moxley, with the winner of the match facing Robinson for the title in the second night of the event.[21] On December 19, it was announced the rules for the Texas Deathmatch and the match could be won by either knockout or submission.[84]

KENTANEVER

KENTA, who defended the NEVER Openweight Championship in the second night of the event

At Power Struggle, Hirooki Goto unsuccessfully challenged Jay White for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, after White's stablemate KENTA interfered in the match, causing Goto to lose the match.[47] Goto would enter in a storyline of a path for vengeance after KENTA attacked Goto's best friend Katsuyori Shibata.[21] On November 17, during the 2019 World Tag League, Goto and KENTA faced each other in their head-to-head match, with Goto teaming Karl Fredericks and KENTA with his Bullet Club stablemate Yujiro Takahashi, where Goto scored the win for his team, after pinning KENTA.[85] Afterwards, in a post-match interview, Goto announced his intentions of getting revenge for KENTA's actions.[86] Throughout the 2019 World Tag League, KENTA began usually mocking Goto after his matches, leading Goto to attack him on November 29.[87] Despite being attacked by Goto, KENTA continued to mock Goto leading him to attack KENTA again on December 8.[81] At a press conference the following day, Goto drew the ire of KENTA, after calling into question his in-ring abilities, leading KENTA to return the favor and attack him.[88]

SabreJr2

Zack Sabre Jr., who defended the British Heavyweight Championship in the second night of the event

As part of a partnership between NJPW and the British Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW) promotion, Zack Sabre Jr. made his first title defense of the British Heavyweight Championship against SANADA.[21] Also at Power Struggle, Sabre and SANADA faced each other in a six-man tag team match, where Sabre teamed with Suzuki-gun stablemates Lance Archer and Minoru Suzuki, while SANADA teamed with his Los Ingobernables de Japon stablemates EVIL and Shingo Takagi.[48] SANADA would score the win for his team, after pinning Sabre.[48] On November 28, SANADA scored another pinfall victory over Sabre during their head-to-head match in the 2019 World Tag League.[21] On December 8, Sabre attacked SANADA due to being furious for losing to him twice.[83] At a press conference the following day, Sabre walked out of the press conference after feeling to be disrespected by SANADA.[89] On December 19, Sabre and SANADA faced each other in a tag team match, where Sabre teamed with his Suzuki-gun stablemate Taichi and SANADA with his Los Ingobernables de Japon stablemate EVIL.[71] The match ended with Sabre pinning SANADA for the victory.[71] The following day, SANADA returned Sabre the favor, after pinning him during their tag team match, leading Sabre to be furious for losing to SANADA for the third time.[76][90] On December 21, due to SANADA being injured, his Los Ingobernables de Japon stablemate BUSHI faced Sabre, scoring an upset win over Sabre, leading his Suzuki-gun stablemate Taichi, who was mocking BUSHI with the Masked Black Horse mask, attacked the referee, leading him to be furious again.[56][91]

TigerMask

Tiger Mask, one of the wrestlers that took part of Jushin Thunder Liger's retirement match

The event also featured the retirement match of Jushin Thunder Liger.[28] On March 7, 2019, it was announced that Liger would make his retirement match at Wrestle Kingdom 14.[92] Liger also competed in the opening televised match at the first January 4 Tokyo Dome Show in 1992.[7] On October 15, NJPW announced the competitors for Liger's retirement match, which would include some legends and rivals during his career; El Samurai, Naoki Sano, The Great Sasuke, Tatsumi Fujinami, Tiger Mask, Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Shinjiro Otani.[45] Tiger Mask was his regular partner and the two won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, while Liger last faced Fujinami in June 2008.[45] Liger's rival The Great Sasuke also took part in the match.[45] Throughout the 1990s Liger and Sasuke had a rivalry, which main evented various events such as the Super J-Cup, they won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, and the last time they faced each other was in December 2011.[45] Naoki Sano was also one of the Liger's rival, during their excursion as young lions in 1989, as well as facing each other in October 1995, when NJPW was feuding with UWFI.[45] Liger also wrestled in the opening televised match at the first January 4 Tokyo Dome Show on January 4, 1992.[7] On December 8, Ryu Lee, who was previously known as Dragon Lee, returned to NJPW in a pre-taped vignette, challenging Liger to take part in his retirement at Wrestle Kingdom 14.[93] The challenge was immediately accepted by Liger, he also hinted that he wanted to face Lee's rival Hiromu Takahashi, who had recently returned from a neck injury.[94][95]

Event[]

Night 1[]

Dark match[]

Other on-screen personnel
Role: Name:
English Commentators Gino Gambino
Kevin Kelly
Chris Charlton
Rocky Romero (pre-show)
Japanese Commentators Shinpei Nogami
Milano Collection A.T.
Katsuhiko Kanazawa
Kazuyoshi Sakai
Togi Makabe (Guest)
Ring announcers Hidekazu Tanaka
Kimihiko Ozaki
Makoto Abe
Referees Norio Honaga
Kenta Sato
Marty Asami
Red Shoes Unno
Tiger Hattori

Prior to the televised part of the event, there was a tag team match featuring World Wonder Ring Stardom wrestlers Mayu Iwatani and Arisa Hoshiki taking on Hana Kimura and Giulia in an exhibition tag team match.[96] In the end, Iwatani performed the Moonsault Press on Kimura for the win.[3]

Pre-show[]

The pre-show featured two matches, the first match featured an eight-man tag team match where Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Yota Tsuji, and Yuya Uemura faced Toa Henare, Karl Fredericks, Clark Connors, and Alex Coughlin. In the end, Henare performed the Toa Bottom on Tsuji for the win. In the second match, Tencozy (Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan) faced Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi. In the end, Kojima performed the Cozy Lariat on Nakanishi for the win.[97]

Undercard []

The first match of the show saw Jushin Thunder Liger's first retirement match featuring Naoki Sano, Shinjiro Otani, Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Ryusuke Taguchi (with Kuniaki Kobayashi) against Liger, Tatsumi Fujinami, The Great Sasuke and Tiger Mask in an eight-man tag team match with Norio Honaga as the special guest referee. In the end, Taguchi performed the Dodon for the win. After the match, the opponents embraced and posed together.[97]

The second match saw Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, SANADA, Shingo Takagi, and BUSHI taking on Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi and El Desperado). In the end, Sabre submitted BUSHI with the Jim Breaks Ambar for the win. After the match, SANADA went after Sabre but Sabre left the ring. The third match of the show saw CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, and Yoshi-Hashi) taking on Bullet Club (KENTA, Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi, and Chase Owens). In the end, Goto performed the Ushigoroshi followed by GTR on Yujiro for the win.[97]

NaitoIC5

Tetsuya Naito, who defeated Jay White to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship to face Kazuchika Okada on the second night.

The fourth match of the show saw FinJuice (David Finlay and Juice Robinson) taking on the Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) for the IWGP Tag Team Championship. Before the match, Robinson and Finlay attacked Tonga and Loa. In the end. Robinson performed the Left Hand of God on Tonga followed by Finlay who performed the Acid Drop on Tonga to win the titles.[97] The fifth match of the show featured Lance Archer defending the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Jon Moxley. In the end, Moxley performed the Death Rider from the apron through the tables to win the title.[97]

The sixth match of the show featured Will Ospreay taking on Hiromu Takahashi for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. In the end, Takahashi performed Time Bomb II to win the match. The seventh match of the show featured Jay White defending the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Tetsuya Naito as part of the Double Gold Dash. In the end, Naito went for the Destino but White blocked it, White would try to perform the Blade Runner, but Naito reversed into a Valentia followed by the Destino for the win.[97]

NaitoOkadawk14

Kazuchika Okada (left) and Tetsuya Naito (right), who were going to face each other in the second night as part of the Double Gold Dash

Main Event[]

In the main event, Kazuchika Okada defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against the winner of the 2019 G1 Climax Kota Ibushi as part of the Double Gold Dash. At the end of the match, Ibushi hit a running knee, he then went for the Kamigoye but Okada reversed and hit a Sit-out Scoop Slam Piledriver and then performed the Rainmaker win the match. After the match, Tetsuya Naito came to ring and asked Okada if he remembered what he told him two years earlier. Naito said he's back in that spot and he was going to beat Okada in the next night. Both men posed with their respective titles and Naito left the ring. Okada then thanked the crowd and Ibushi for the match but was sad due to the arena not being sold out. Okada then promised to be the strongest IWGP Heavyweight Champion of all time.[97]

Night 2[]

Pre-show[]

Other on-screen personnel
Role: Name:
English Commentators Gino Gambino
Kevin Kelly
Chris Charlton
Rocky Romero
Japanese Commentators Shinpei Nogami
Milano Collection A.T.
Yasutaro Matsuki
Miki Motoi
Togi Makabe (Guest)
Ring announcers Kimihiko Ozaki
Makoto Abe
Referees Jeremy Marcus
Kenta Sato
Tiger Hattori
Marty Asami
Red Shoes Unno

The pre-show featured a gauntlet match, for the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship between Ryusuke Taguchi, Togi Makabe and Toru Yano, CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii, Yoshi-Hashi and Robbie Eagles), Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, Shingo Takagi, and BUSHI), Suzuki-gun (Taichi, El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) and Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, and Yujiro Takahashi). Teams worked to eliminate each other, and the last remaining team won. In this match, eliminations occurred via pinfall, submission, disqualification. At the end of the first elimination, Hashi performed a thrust kick on Owens, followed by a Vertical Drop Brainbuster from Ishii for the first elimination. Afterwards, Suzuki-gun entered in the ring. In the end, Kanemaru missed the Deep Impact, leading Eagles to pin Kanemaru with a cradle pin for the second elimination. Afterwards, Los Ingobernables de Japón entered in the ring. In the end, EVIL performed the Darkness Falls for a nearfall, followed by the EVIL on Ishii for the third elimination. Afterwards, Taguchi, Makabe, and Yano entered the ring. In the end, BUSHI spat the black mist on Taguchi's eyes followed by the Made in Japan from Takagi to become the new champions.[98]

Undercard []

LigerWK14

Jushin Thunder Liger, who had his last match at the event.

The first match of the show saw Jushin Thunder Liger's second retirement match featuring Liger teaming with Naoki Sano against Hiromu Takahashi and Ryu Lee. In the end, Hiromu performed the Time Bomb on Liger to win the match. After the match, Hiromu stood over Liger and nominated Lee as his challenger for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. The second match featured Bullet Club (El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori) defending the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship against Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh). In the end, Sho and Yoh performed the Strong X on Phantasmo for the win.[98]

The third match featured Zack Sabre Jr. defending the British Heavyweight Championship SANADA. In the end, SANADA went for the Skull End out of the nearfall. Sabre reversed into a Cobra Twist. SANADA pulled away and went for another Skull End. After various pin attempts, Sabre pinned SANADA with the European Clutch for the win.[98] The fourth match of the show featured Jon Moxley defending the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Juice Robinson. In the end, Juice went for the Pulp Friction, but Moxley reversed into a Death Rider, followed by another Death Rider for the win. After the match, Minoru Suzuki came to the ring and both Suzuki and started a brawl, leading Suzuki to lock in the Sleeper Hold followed by the Gotch-Style Piledriver. Afterwards, Suzuki proclaimed himself as Moxley's next challenger for his title. Afterwards, Yota Tsuji went on to check Moxley, leading Moxley to attack him, leaving the arena.[98]

In the fourth match, KENTA defended the NEVER Openweight Championship against Hirooki Goto. In the end, Goto went for the Ushigoroshi, but performed the GTW instead, followed by the GTR on KENTA to become the new champion.[98]  

The fifth match, Jay White facing Kota Ibushi, in a rematch from the finals of the 2019 G1 Climax. During the match, the referee went down, White threw a chair into Ibushi's face and Gedo then hit Ibushi with a brass knuckles. In the end, White performed the Bloody Sunday, followed by the Blade Runner for a nearfall. White would perform a second Blade Runner on Ibushi for the win.[98]

NaitoICIWGP

Tetsuya Naito, who won the Double Gold Dash for the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships to become the first double champion in NJPW history.

In the fifth match, Chris Jericho faced Hiroshi Tanahashi. Before the match, Tanahashi in a pre-taped vignette mocked Jericho, disguising himself as The Painmaker. In the end, went for the High Fly Flow, but Jericho managed to escape and hit Tanahashi with the Codebreaker, Jericho submitted then Tanahashi in the Walls of Jericho for his first Wrestle Kingdom victory.[98]

Main Event[]

The main event featured Kazuchika Okada facing Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships as part of the Double Gold Dash. In the end, Naito went for the Destino but Okada blocked it, Naito performed the Valentia followed by the Destino to become the first double champion in NJPW history. After the match, Naito said he was happy for winning in the main event felt good and called Okada for a rematch in the future. Afterwards, Naito was attacked by KENTA, who hit him with the PK followed by the Go 2 Sleep. He would then seat on top Naito posing with both IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championship belts. BUSHI would come to Naito's rescue, leading KENTA to escape. BUSHI would then escort Naito out of the arena.[98]

Reception[]

The first night drew 40,008 fans to the Tokyo Dome,[3] while the second night drew 30,063[4] to the Tokyo Dome, while in average was down from the previous year's announced attendance of 38,162[99]

Wk14arena

The stadium of Wrestle Kingdom 14 event at the beginning of the show.

Ethan Renner in his review for the Wrestling Observer Newsletter said that the main event was "epic", he also praised the show and that main event was "amazing" [...] main event worthy of the biggest show of the year. Whether you prefer this or the Ospreay/Hiromu match is just a matter of what you prefer in your wrestling. Both were all-time great matches."[100], while in the second night in his review, said that the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship match to be "frenetic", and the Jushin Thunder Ligers retirement match to be "good but nothing special", while also praising the post-match angle between Jon Moxley and Minoru Suzuki. He also praised the match between Kota Ibushi and Jay White, stating that the match was "better than White vs. Naito last night". In the match between Chris Jericho and Hiroshi Tanahashi, he also praised the match to be a "very good match with not as much brawling on the outside as [...] expected.", he praised the main event to be "superb" main event and claimed that "this was the best Naito match in a long time. Years, in fact, if you don't count the daredevil stunt shows with Ibushi last year.".[101]

Suit Williams in his review for the Voices of Wrestling, praised the IWGP United States Championship match to be the "first great match of 2020 for New Japan", while also claiming that the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match, was an "incredible display of professional wrestling". He also praised both IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championship match, claiming to be "very good", and the main event to be "main event drama and [...] action made for an incredible and worthy January 4th main event".[102]

Neil David in his review for the second night for the Voices of Wrestling said that Naito winning the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships, and Jushin Thunder Liger's last match to be "one of the most significant moments in New Japan history." while praising the Double Gold Dash to be "one of the best matches [...] have ever seen". He also praised the British Heavyweight Championship match with "SANADA and ZSJ having good chemistry [...] has transcended his significant wrestling skill [...] performance was an incredibly solid match". He also praised KENTA's heel role and Hirooki Goto to be his perfect opponent, stating that KENTA "exists purely to mock those around him, almost satirizing the ridiculous pedestal they put themselves on. For that reason, Goto is his perfect opponent."[103]

Alfred Konuwa in his review for Forbes stated that "this was a masterpiece of a match brilliantly called back to a spot from their lukewarm main event two years ago and it was arguably the most over spot of the night."[104]

Rich Fann in his review for Pro Wrestling Torch, said that "the event was [...] state of the art, top notch soulful professional wrestling [...] outstanding junior’s match or the heavyweight main event you were given excellence in those final 3-4 matches."[105]

Aftermath[]

Kenta

KENTA, who challenged Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships

After the event, on January 6 at New Years Dash, Jushin Thunder Liger had his retirement ceremony, being congratulated by NJPW founder Antonio Inoki. The ceremony featured NJPW home unit and CHAOS members ending with a ten bell salute.[106]

At the event, Kota Ibushi and Hiroshi Tanahashi challenged Juice Robinson and David Finlay to a match for IWGP Tag Team Championship. In a four-way tag team match, Suzuki-gun (El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeated IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh), leading NJPW to announce a title between the two teams on February 9.[107] On February 1, Tonga ana Loa defeated Robinson and Finlay to win the IWGP Tag Team Champions[108][109] while on February 9, Sho and Yoh defeated Desperado and Kanemaru to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.[110] On February 21, Ibushi and Tanahashi defeated Tonga and Loa to win the IWGP Tag Team Championships.[111]

Later that night, Shingo Takagi pinned Hirooki Goto in a tag team match, and afterwards challenged him to a title match. EVIL and Tomohiro Ishii were also in a brawl, leading to a match on February 1.[107] Later that night, CHAOS and Suzuki-gun faced each other in an eight-man tag team match, which ended by disqualification after Taichi attacked Kazuchika Okada with his microphone stand. Afterwards, Taichi kept attacking him until Jon Moxley came to the ring and brawl with Minoru Suzuki, which Moxley ended up laying out Suzuki with the Death Rider.[106] Their match was made official on February 9.[107] On February 1, Takagi defeated Goto to win the NEVER Openweight Champion, becoming the first person to hold the NEVER Openweight and Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions simultaneously.[112] On February 2, Okada defeated Taichi[113] while on February 9, Moxley defeated Suzuki to retain the IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion.[110]

At the end of the event, after Tetsuya Naito and SANADA defeated KENTA and Jay White, White hit a low blow on SANADA, White and KENTA attacked SANADA and Naito. White proclaimed SANADA to be his next opponent, while KENTA attacked Naito again.[106] The matches were officially announced to take place on February 9.[114][115][107] On February 9, White defeated SANADA while Naito defeated KENTA to retain the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships.[110]

The following day, during a press conference, Manabu Nakanishi announced that he was going to retire on February 22.[116][117] On February 22, Nakanishi had his last match and his retirement ceremony, being congratulated by NJPW legends Seiji Sakaguchi, Hiroshi Hase, Riki Choshu, and Tatsumi Fujinami. The ceremony featured NJPW home unit and CHAOS members ending with a ten bell salute.[118]

Results[]

Night 1[]

# Results[3] Stipulations Times[119]
1D AMA (Arisa Hoshiki and Mayu Iwatani) defeated Giulia and Hana Kimura (with Jungle Kyona and Konami) Tag Team match
Stardom Exhibition match
9:04
2P Toa Henare, Karl Fredericks, Clark Connors and Alex Coughlin defeated Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura Eight-man tag team match 7:36
3P Tencozy (Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan) defeated Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi Tag Team match 5:47
4 Naoki Sano, Shinjiro Otani, Tatsuhito Takaiwa and Ryusuke Taguchi (with Kuniaki Kobayashi) defeated Jushin Thunder Liger, Tatsumi Fujinami, The Great Sasuke and Tiger Mask (with El Samurai) Eight-man tag team match with Norio Honaga as the special guest referee
Jushin Thunder Liger Retirement Match I
8:52
5 Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi and El Desperado) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, SANADA, Shingo Takagi and BUSHI) Eight-man tag team match 8:39
6 CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano and Yoshi-Hashi) defeated Bullet Club (KENTA, Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens) (with Pieter) Eight-man tag team match 8:17
7 FinJuice (David Finlay and Juice Robinson) defeated Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) (c) (with Jado) Tag Team Match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship 13:25
8 Jon Moxley defeated Lance Archer (c) by knockout Texas Deathmatch for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship 14:26
9 Hiromu Takahashi defeated Will Ospreay (c) Singles match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship 24:33
10 Tetsuya Naito defeated Jay White (with Gedo) (c) Singles match for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship 33:54
11 Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Kota Ibushi Singles match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship 39:16
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
  • Videoicon – refers to the video of that match
  • D – indicates the match was a dark match
  • P – indicates the match took place on the pre-show

Night 2[]

# Results[4] Stipulations Times[120]
1P Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, Shingo Takagi and BUSHI) defeated Suzuki-gun (Taichi, El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru), Ryusuke Taguchi, Togi Makabe and Toru Yano (c), CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii, Yoshi-Hashi and Robbie Eagles) and Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi) Gauntlet match for the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship 6:08
2 Hiromu Takahashi and Ryu Lee defeated Jushin Thunder Liger and Naoki Sano (with Yoshiaki Fujiwara) Tag Team match
Jushin Thunder Liger Retirement Match II
12:16
3 Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh) (with Rocky Romero) defeated Bullet Club (El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori) (c) Tag team match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship 14:08
4 Zack Sabre Jr. (c) defeated SANADA Singles match for the British Heavyweight Championship 12:32
5 Jon Moxley (c) defeated Juice Robinson (with David Finlay) Singles match for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship 12:48
6 Hirooki Goto defeated KENTA (c) Singles match for the NEVER Openweight Championship 16:12
7 Jay White (with Gedo) defeated Kota Ibushi Singles match 24:58
8 Chris Jericho defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi by submission Singles match
If Tanahashi had won, he would had received a match for the AEW World Championship
22:24
9 Tetsuya Naito (c; IWGP Intercontinental) defeated Kazuchika Okada (c; IWGP Heavyweight) Singles match for the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships 35:37
  • (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
  • Videoicon – refers to the video of that match
  • P – indicates the match took place on the pre-show

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship match[]

Elimination Wrestler Team Eliminated by Elimination move Time Ref
1 Chase Owens Bullet Club Tomohiro Ishii Pinned after the Vertical Drop Brainbuster 3:40 [120]
2 Yoshinobu Kanemaru Suzuki-gun Robbie Eagles Pinned after a Samson Clutch 7:34 [120]
3 Tomohiro Ishii CHAOS EVIL Pinned after the Darkness Falls 13:26 [120]
4 Ryusuke Taguchi Togi MakabeToru Yano and Ryusuke Taguchi Shingo Takagi Pinned after the Made in Japan 19:34 [120]
Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japón (EVIL, Shingo Takagi and BUSHI) (New NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions)

Double Gold Dash bracket[]

  Title matches
Night 1
    Double Gold Dash
Night 2
                 
  Tetsuya Naito Pin[3]  
  (IC) Jay White 33:54[119]    
      (IC) Tetsuya Naito Pin[4]
      (HW) Kazuchika Okada 35:37[120]
  Kota Ibushi Pin[3]    
  (HW) Kazuchika Okada 39:16[119]   Special singles match
Night 2
 
  Jay White Pin[4]
    Kota Ibushi 24:58[120]

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  88. KENTA attacks Goto at Wrestle Kingdom Press Conference! 【WK14】 (in English) (2019-12-09).
  89. ‘Are you taking the p***?’ ZSJ’s press conference tirade to SANADA 【WK14】 (in English) (2019-12-09).
  90. NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING 2019-12-20. ZSJ is furious at losing to SANADA! .
  91. NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING 2019-12-21. Unstable ZSJ yells himself horse after losing to BUSHI! .
  92. Rose, Bryan 2019-03-06. Jushin Thunder Liger to retire at Tokyo Dome in January . Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
  93. 新日本プロレスリング株式会社 2019-12-08. “元ドラゴン・リー”リュウ・リーから獣神サンダー・ライガーへメッセージ .
  94. New Japan Pro-Wrestling 2019-12-08. “Is Jyushin Thunder Liger's last match set? .
  95. Dragon Lee appears at NJPW World Tag League finals, challenges Liger (in English). 'Wrestling Observer Newsletter'. Retrieved on 2019-12-08.
  96. Jeremy Lambert 2019-12-24. Stardom Talent To Compete At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 . Fightful. Retrieved on 2019-12-24.
  97. 97.0 97.1 97.2 97.3 97.4 97.5 97.6 Powell, Jason 2020-01-04. 1/4 NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 results: Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Jay White vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi for the IWGP Jr. Hvt. Championship . Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved on 2020-01-05.
  98. 98.0 98.1 98.2 98.3 98.4 98.5 98.6 98.7 Powell, Jason 2020-01-05. 1/5 NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 night two results: Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Chris Jericho, Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White, Jushin Liger’s final match, Jon Moxley vs. Juice Robinson for the IWGP U.S. Title . Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved on 2020-01-05.
  99. Bryan Rose 2018-11-09. REVPRO BRITISH HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH SET FOR NJPW WRESTLE KINGDOM 13 . Wrestling Observer. Retrieved on 2018-11-10.
  100. Renner, Ethan 2020-01-04. NJPW Wreslte Kingdom 14 night one live results: Okada vs. Ibushi (in English). Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved on 2020-01-06.
  101. Renner, Ethan 2020-01-05. NJPW Wreslte Kingdom 14 night two live results: Double title match (in English). Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved on 2020-01-06.
  102. Williams, Suit 2020-01-04. NJPW Wreslte Kingdom 14 (Night 1) Results & Review (in English). Voices of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2020-01-06.
  103. David, Neil 2020-01-05. NJPW Wreslte Kingdom 14 (Night 2) Results & Review (in English). Voices of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2020-01-06.
  104. Konuwa, Alfred 2020-01-05. NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 Results: News, Notes After AEW’s Chris Jericho Submits Hiroshi Tanahashi (in English). Forbes. Retrieved on 2020-01-06.
  105. Fann, Rich 2020-01-04. 1/4 WRESTLE KINGDOM 14 REPORT: Fann’s full results, star ratings, match analysis for Okada vs. Ibushi, Ospreay vs. Tanahashi, Archer vs. Moxley, Jay White vs. Naito, more (in English). PWTorch. Retrieved on 2020-01-06.
  106. 106.0 106.1 106.2 Renner, Ethan 2020-01-06. NJPW New Year Dash live results: Jushin Liger retirement ceremony (in English). Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved on 2020-01-07.
  107. 107.0 107.1 107.2 107.3 Currier, Joseph 2020-01-08. NJPW announces New Beginning in Sapporo and Osaka lineups (in English). Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved on 2020-01-08.
  108. THE NEW BEGINNING USA . New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2020-02-01). Retrieved on 2020-02-02.
  109. Rose, Bryan 2020-02-01. NJPW crowns new Tag Team Champions at New Beginning USA (in English). Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved on 2020-02-18.
  110. 110.0 110.1 110.2 THE NEW BEGINNING in OSAKA . New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2020-02-09). Retrieved on 2020-02-18.
  111. NEW JAPAN ROAD . New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2020-02-21). Retrieved on 2020-04-30.
  112. The NEW BEGINNING in SAPPORO . New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2020-02-01). Retrieved on 2020-02-18.
  113. The NEW BEGINNING in SAPPORO . New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2020-02-02). Retrieved on 2020-02-18.
  114. Currier, Joseph 2020-01-07. Double title match set for NJPW New Beginning in Osaka (in English). Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved on 2020-01-07.
  115. New Beginning in Osaka Jo Hall main is set for Feb.9! (in English). New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2020-01-07). Retrieved on 2020-01-07.
  116. Manabu Nakanishi to retire February 22 (in English). New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2020-01-07). Retrieved on 2020-01-07.
  117. Rose, Bryan 2020-01-07. Manabu Nakanishi retiring at Korakuen Hall next month (in English). Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved on 2020-01-07.
  118. Renner, Ethan 2020-02-22. NJPW results: Manabu Nakanishi retirement show (in English). Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved on 2020-02-23.
  119. 119.0 119.1 119.2 Philip, Kreikenbohm 2020-01-04. NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 In Tokyo Dome - Tag 1 . Retrieved on 2020-01-06.
  120. 120.0 120.1 120.2 120.3 120.4 120.5 120.6 Philip, Kreikenbohm 2020-01-05. NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 In Tokyo Dome - Tag 2 . Retrieved on 2020-01-06.

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