New Japan Pro-Wrestling
 NJPW logo used since 1972 | |
 | |
| New Japan-Pro Wrestling | |
Native name | 新日本プロレスリング株式会社 |
Romanized name | Shin Nihon Puroresuringu Kabushiki-gaisha |
| Type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Professional wrestling Streaming media |
| Founded | January 13, 1972 |
| Founder | Antonio Inoki |
| Headquarters | JR Tokyu Meguro Building, 16F, 3-1-1 Kamiosaki, Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan[1] |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Naoki Sugabayashi (Chairman) Takami Ohbari (President & CEO) |
| Products |
|
| Services | Licensing |
| Revenue |  ¥5.4 billion (2019[2]) |
| Owners | Bushiroad[3][2] (majority owner – 85%) TV Asahi[2] (minority owner – 10%) Amuse, Inc.[2] (minority owner – 5%) |
Number of employees | 83 (2019[2]) |
| Divisions | Divisions
|
| Subsidiaries | Lion's Break New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America[4] |
| Website |
|
New Japan Pro-Wrestling Co., Ltd. (新日本プロレスリング株式会社, Shin Nihon Puroresuringu Kabushiki-gaisha) (NJPW)[2] is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares of the company.[2] Naoki Sugabayashi has served as the promotion's Chairman since September 2013,[5] while Takami Ohbari has served as the president of the promotion since October 2020.[6]
Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, NJPW is the largest and longest-running professional wrestling promotion in Japan.[7] It was affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance at various points in its history. NJPW has had agreements with various MMA and professional wrestling promotions around the world, including WWE, World Championship Wrestling, American Wrestling Association, World Class Championship Wrestling, Impact Wrestling, WAR, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, UWFi, Ring of Honor, Pride Fighting Championships, and All Elite Wrestling.[8] NJPW's biggest event is the January 4 Tokyo Dome Show, held each year since 1992 and currently promoted under the Wrestle Kingdom banner.
The promotion is currently owned by Japanese card game company Bushiroad, which parlayed its entry to the world of professional wrestling into a best-selling trading card game, King of Pro Wrestling, and appearances from NJPW stars in its various franchises.
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History
Formation and early history (1972–2000)
The promotion was founded by Antonio Inoki on January 13, 1972[9] after his departure from the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance promotion.[10] The first NJPW event, titled Opening Series, took place on March 6, 1972, in the Ota Ward Gymnasium in Tokyo, to a crowd of 5,000.[11][12] The following year, NJPW signed a television deal with NET TV, now known as TV Asahi.[9] The company launched its own governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix (IWGP); and in 1983, Hulk Hogan became the first ever IWGP Heavyweight Champion by defeating Inoki.[13] However, this championship was later abandoned and the current version of the championship was established in 1987. Inoki would serve as the president of the promotion until 1989, when he was succeeded by Seiji Sakaguchi.[9]
On April 24, 1989, NJPW hosted Battle Satellite, its first show in the Tokyo Dome.[14] The promotion was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) from 1975 to 1985 and once more from 1992 to 1993. NJPW was briefly reaffiliated with the NWA in the late 2000s to the early 2010s as well. On January 4, 1992, NJPW partnered with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) to produce Super Warriors, the first ever January 4 Tokyo Dome Show,[15] an event that would become an annual tradition for NJPW and is considered their biggest event of the year and comparable to WWE's WrestleMania event. In April 1995, NJPW and WCW held the two-day Collision in Korea event at the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea. The event was the first professional wrestling event held in North Korea and holds the record for most attended wrestling event of all time, with 355,000 people packing the stadium over the two days.[16][17][18]
Decline and Inoki's departure (2000–2007)
In the early 2000s, the burgeoning popularity of mixed martial arts (MMA) in Japan was noticed by Inoki, who wanted to integrate elements of shoot wrestling to make the company appear more realistic. The company would partner with martial arts organization K-1 and begin to insert wrestlers into MMA fights, with the goal of pushing NJPW in a more realistic direction and to make it appear as an actual sport.[19] The company's new management was criticized by critics and fans.[20] Inoki later departed NJPW in 2005 after selling his share of the company to Yuke's,[21][22] and began his own promotion, the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF), in 2007. After his departure, Inoki's son-in-law Simon took over the company, before Naoki Sugabayashi was appointed president in 2007 after Simon also left NJPW to join Antonio in IGF.[9] After the departure of the Inoki family, the company began to reintegrate its prior puroresu style of wrestling.
Resurgence and expansion (2007–2020)
Also in 2007, NJPW hosted its first ever pay-per-view (PPV) event Wrestle Kingdom I.[23]
The promotion debuted a new series called NEVER in August 2010, designed to be a series of events spotlighting younger up-and-coming New Japan talent and feature more outsider participation in the promotion. The final NEVER event was held in November 2012.
On January 4, 2011, New Japan officially announced the NJPW Invasion Tour 2011: Attack on East Coast, the promotion's first tour of the United States to be held in May 2011. The tour featured shows in Rahway, New Jersey on May 13, New York City on May 14 and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 15, as well as cross-promotion with American independent group Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW). As part of the tour, NJPW introduced a new title, the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.[24] On January 31, 2012, Yuke's announced that it had sold all shares of New Japan Pro-Wrestling to card game company Bushiroad for ¥500 million ($6.5 million).[25]
New Japan aired its first internet pay-per-view, the fourth day of the 2012 G1 Climax, on August 5, 2012.[26] The October 8, 2012, King of Pro-Wrestling pay-per-view marked the first time viewers outside Japan were able to order a pay-per-view by the promotion through Ustream.[27][28] On October 5, 2012, New Japan announced the creation of the NEVER Openweight Championship, which would be contested for on the NEVER series. A two-day tournament to determine the inaugural champion was held between November 15 and 19, 2012.[29]
In February 2014, New Japan announced a partnership with Ring of Honor (ROH), which saw the promotion return to North America the following May to present two supershows; Global Wars in Toronto and War of the Worlds in New York City.[30][31] During the tour, New Japan wrestlers also took part in an event held by Canadian promotion Border City Wrestling (BCW).[32] A year later, NJPW and ROH announced another tour together to produce four more supershows; War of the Worlds '15 on May 12 and 13 in Philadelphia and Global Wars '15 on May 15 and 16 in Toronto.[33]
In June 2014, New Japan announced a partnership with the new American Global Force Wrestling (GFW) organization helmed by Jeff Jarrett.[34] In November 2014, GFW announced that it would be broadcasting NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome on pay-per-view in the United States as a four-hour event.[35] Also in November 2014, the American AXS TV network announced it had acquired rights to rebroadcast a series of thirteen episodes of NJPW matches from TV Asahi. The series premiered on January 16, 2015, airing weekly on Fridays.[36] Averaging 200,000 viewers per episode, the show was considered a success, leading to AXS TV and TV Asahi signing a multi-year deal to continue airing the show.[37] In June 2016, the show was also acquired by the Canadian Fight Network.[38] On December 1, 2014, NJPW and TV Asahi announced NJPW World, a new worldwide streaming site for the promotion's events.[39]
On July 18, 2015, NJPW announced the "New IWGP Conception", a global expansion strategy centered on their international partnerships with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), GFW, ROH, Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW), Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) as well as holding more shows in Thailand, Singapore, and Taiwan. Also announced was the Lion's Gate Project, which would feature NJPW rookies as well as up-and-coming outsiders working trial matches in an effort to earn a spot in the promotion. Finally, it was announced that there were plans to take the company public with a listing on the stock market within three to five years.[40][41][42]
On December 21, 2015, NJPW announced the creation of its seventh active title and the first six-man tag team championship in the promotion's history, the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship.[43] On January 5, 2016, NJPW announced a partnership with the Amuse talent agency with the goal of making the promotion's wrestlers internationally recognized stars in the vein of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.[44]
In March 2017, NJPW partnered with the New Zealand-based Fale Dojo, a pro wrestling training facility run by NJPW performer Bad Luck Fale.[45] NJPW will utilize the partnership as an opportunity to scout talent from Oceania.[45] The following month on April 24, 2017, it was announced that NJPW would co-present the Japanese qualifiers for the Pro Wrestling World Cup tournament hosted by the British What Culture Pro Wrestling (WCPW) promotion.[46]
On May 12, 2017, NJPW announced the creation of a new title: the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, with the inaugural champion to be crowned during the promotion's G1 Special in USA shows in Long Beach, California on July 1 and 2.[47][48] Four days later, NJPW held a press conference to announce plans to establish a subsidiary company, including a dojo, in the United States.[49] A Los Angeles office was scheduled to be opened before the end of 2017, with a dojo scheduled to be opened at the start of 2018.[50] NJPW's second American event, Strong Style Evolved, took place on March 25, 2018, also in Long Beach.[51] In November 2017, NJPW signed a television deal with Discovery Communications, which would see the company's programming brought to 70 million Indian homes through DSport.[52] In January 2018, NJPW announced the four-show Fallout Down Under tour, the promotion's inaugural tour of Australia spanning from February 16–19.[53] In March 2018, New Japan opened the NJPW LA Dojo with Katsuyori Shibata serving as head trainer and ROH wrestler Scorpio Sky serving as assistant trainer.[54] On May 13, 2018, New Japan hired its first foreign president, Dutch businessman Harold Meij.[55] In February 2019, NJPW re-established their partnership with the NWA and entered into a new partnership with The Crash Lucha Libre; both partnerships ended later in 2019.[56][57] On October 21, 2019, NJPW announced the formation of a new American subsidiary of the company, named New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America.[4] In 2019, they had run a record 13 shows in the United States, with plans to run double that in 2020. It was reported at the same time that NJPW and ROH had no joint shows planned for the future.[58]
On October 31, 2019, Super7 announced the first line of NJPW action figures.[59][60]
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–present)
Amidst from the Japanese onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, in accordance with recommendations from the Japanese Ministry of Health, NJPW decided to cancel all scheduled shows from March 1 through March 15.[61] On March 10, NJPW announced that they were cancelling all shows through March 22, which meant that they cancelled the 2020 New Japan Cup as well.[62] World Wonder Ring Stardom, the sister company of NJPW also owned by Bushiroad, also made adjustments to their scheduled, cancelling shows from February 18 to March 14. Their March 8 show in Korakuen Hall was held without any spectators in attendance, instead streaming live on their YouTube channel.[63] On March 23, NJPW would later cancel the 2020 Sakura Genesis event that was originally scheduled to take place in on March 31.[64][65]
On April 8, NJPW would cancel more events from April 11 through May 4, which mean both nights of 2020 Wrestling Dontaku were cancelled as well.[66] On May 6, NJPW cancelled their annual Best of the Super Juniors tournament.[67] The next day, NJPW postponed their Wrestle Dynasty event to 2021, which was to take place in Madison Square Garden in New York.[68] On June 9, NJPW announced their return with special show with mystery match card called Together Special on June 15 and the return of the New Japan Cup would now be held from June 16 until July 11, with the final being held at Osaka-jō Hall in Osaka alongside Dominion in Osaka-jo Hall being rescheduled to July 12.[69][70]
On September 29, NJPW announced that Meij would no longer be appointed president of the promotion and was replaced by Takami Ohbari on October 23, who is the current CEO of New Japan Pro-Wrestling of America.[6]
In 2020, NJPW partnered with Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) and Major League Wrestling (MLW), with both promotions sending wrestlers to the Super J-Cup tournament.[71] On July 31, NJPW announced a new weekly series titled NJPW Strong, with its initial episodes to feature matches from the inaugural New Japan Cup USA tournament. As part of NJPW's expansion into the United States, the series would be produced by NJPW of America.[72] In February 2021, it was reported that NJPW had entered into partnerships with All Elite Wrestling (AEW)[73] and Impact Wrestling.[74] On November 19, 2021, NJPW would re-establish a relationship with Pro Wrestling Noah with Noah wrestlers being involved at the third night of NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 16 event.[75]
During Wrestle Kingdom 16 in January 2022, it was announced that NJPW programming, including new programs and reruns of past English broadcasts, would return to AXS TV and Fight Network in the United States and Canada. Reruns will begin airing on AXS starting January 20, with all new content to premiere on March 3.[76] On the April 20, 2022 episode of AEW Dynamite, it was announced that New Japan and AEW would co-promote a supershow called AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door. The event would take place on June 26, 2022, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.[77]
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Contracts
Up until the 1980s, NJPW signed its workers to multi-year contracts,[78] before changing to a system where the promotion signed its wrestlers to one-year deals that expired at the end of every January.[79] Following the departures of A.J. Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura, NJPW chairman Takaaki Kidani announced in February 2016 that the promotion was returning to the multi-year contract system.[78] The contracts forbid negotiations with other promotions.[80] After All Elite Wrestling (AEW) was launched by wrestlers working for NJPW, they started signing foreigners to guaranteed deals as well.[81] Any side contracts or agreements offered to wrestlers under NJPW contracts, need the promotion's approval before being signed.[82] NJPW currently has partnerships with several promotions across the world, for which NJPW wrestlers can also perform for.
| Promotion | Country |
|---|---|
| Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL)[83][84] | Mexico |
| Impact Wrestling[74] | United States |
| All Elite Wrestling (AEW)[73] | United States |
| Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah)[85] | Japan |
| Revolution Pro Wrestling (RPW)[86] | United Kingdom |
| World Wonder Ring Stardom[87] | Japan |
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Championships and accomplishments
The promotion has its own fictional governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix, shortened as IWGP.
At the top of NJPW's championship hierarchy for male wrestlers is the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Secondary titles include the IWGP United States Championship, the NEVER Openweight Championship, the NJPW World Television Championship, and the KOPW (King of Pro Wrestling) Championship.
For tag teams, there is a traditional championship for two-man teams (the IWGP Tag Team Championship), and one for three-man teams (the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship).
There are two championships in NJPW for junior heavyweight wrestlers - a singles title (the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship) and one for tag teams (the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship).
In New Japan's United States based NJPW Strong brand, there are two championships - the Strong Openweight Championship for singles wrestlers, and the Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship for tag teams.
There is one championship for female wrestlers in NJPW, which is the IWGP Women's Championship.
Current championships
Men's division
Singles
Tag Teams
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held |
Successful defenses | Location | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IWGP Tag Team Championship |  
|
Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi) |
2 (3, 2) |
January 4, 2023 | 39 | 1 | Tokyo, Japan | Defeated FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) at Wrestle Kingdom 17. | [95] |
| IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship |  
|
United Empire (TJP and Francesco Akira) |
1 | June 20, 2022 | 237 | 4 | Tokyo, Japan | Defeated Six or Nine (Master Wato and Ryusuke Taguchi) at New Japan Road | [96] |
| Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship | 
|
The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) |
1 | October 28, 2022 | 107 | 1 | New York, NY | Defeated Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis) and Kevin Knight and The DKC in a Three-way match at Rumble on 44th Street. | [97] |
| NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship | _(52292653626)_(cropped).jpg) 
|
Strong Style (Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado and Ren Narita) |
1
(1, 1, 1) |
February 11, 2023 | 1 | 0 | Osaka, Japan | Defeated House of Torture (Evil, Yujiro Takahashi and Sho) at The New Beginning in Osaka. | [98] |
Women's division
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held |
Successful defenses |
Location | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IWGP Women's Championship | 
|
KAIRI | 1 | November 20, 2022 | 84 | 1 | Tokyo, Japan | Defeated Mayu Iwatani in a tournament final to become the inaugural champion at Historic X-Over. | [99] |
Defunct championships
| Championship | Last champion(s) | Reign | Date retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IWGP Heavyweight Championship | Kota Ibushi | 1 | March 4, 2021 | Unified with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship to create the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. |
| IWGP Intercontinental Championship | Kota Ibushi | 2 | March 4, 2021 | Unified with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to create the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. |
| IWGP Third Belt | Shinsuke Nakamura | 1 | February 17, 2008 | Unified with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship after Nakamura defeated the previous champion Kurt Angle. |
| IWGP U-30 Openweight Championship | Hiroshi Tanahashi | 2 | June 7, 2006 | Vacated by Tanahashi at the age of 29 and soon deactivated. |
| NWF Heavyweight Championship | Shinsuke Nakamura | 1 | January 4, 2004 | Unified with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship after Nakamura defeated the previous champion Yoshihiro Takayama. |
| Greatest 18 Club Championship | The Great Muta | 1 | August 16, 1992 | Muta retired championship, in order to focus on his IWGP Heavyweight Championship title defenses. |
| WWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship | Antonio Inoki | 2 | December 31, 1989 | Contested in matches billed as shoot wrestling fights. |
| IWGP Heavyweight Championship (original version) | Antonio Inoki | 2 | May 11, 1987 | The championship was deactivated and replaced by the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, that was awarded to the winner of the IWGP League 1987.[13] |
| WWF International Heavyweight Championship | Tatsumi Fujinami | 3 | October 31, 1985 | Abandoned after the NJPW and the WWF ended their working relationship. |
| WWF International Tag Team Championship | Kengo Kimura and Tatsumi Fujinami | 1 (1, 1) |
October 31, 1985 | Abandoned after the NJPW and the WWF ended their working relationship. |
| WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship | The Cobra | 2 | October 31, 1985 | Abandoned after the NJPW and the WWF ended their working relationship. |
| Asia Heavyweight Championship | Tiger Jeet Singh | 1 | April 23, 1981 | Championship retired after announcement of the IWGP, a new governing body, which would promote their own-branded championships. |
| Asia Tag Team Championship | Tiger Jeet Singh & Umanosuke Ueda | 1 | April 23, 1981 | Championship retired after announcement of the IWGP, a new governing body, which would promote their own-branded championships. |
| NWF Heavyweight Championship (original version) | Antonio Inoki | 1 | April 23, 1981 | Championship retired after announcement of the IWGP, a new governing body, which would promote their own-branded championships. |
| NWF North American Heavyweight Championship | Tiger Jeet Singh | 1 | April 23, 1981 | Championship retired after announcement of the IWGP, a new governing body, which would promote their own-branded championships. |
| NWA North American Tag Team Championship | Riki Choshu and Seiji Sakaguchi | 1 (1, 5) |
April 23, 1981 | Championship retired after announcement of the IWGP, a new governing body, which would promote their own-branded championships. |
| WWF North American Heavyweight Championship | Seiji Sakaguchi | 1 | April 23, 1981 | Championship retired after announcement of the IWGP, a new governing body, which would promote their own-branded championships. |
| World Heavyweight Championship | Karl Gotch | 2 | 1972 | Abandoned for undocumented reasons. |
Discover more about Championships and accomplishments related topics
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
NEVER Openweight Championship
KOPW (professional wrestling championship)
IWGP Tag Team Championship
NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship
Cruiserweight (professional wrestling)
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
NJPW Strong
IWGP Women's Championship
List of current champions in New Japan Pro-Wrestling
Kazuchika Okada
Events
Marquee events
- Wrestle Kingdom
- The New Beginning
- NJPW Anniversary Show
- Sakura Genesis
- Wrestling Dontaku
- Dominion
- Summer Struggle
- Wrestle Dynasty
- Wrestle Grand Slam
- Destruction
- Fighting Spirit Unleashed
- King of Pro-Wrestling
- Power Struggle
Collaborated events
- Fantastica Mania (with CMLL)
- Global Wars UK (with RPW)
- AEW×NJPW: Forbidden Door (with AEW)
- Historic X-Over (with Stardom)
Developmental events
Tournaments
Active
| Tournament | Latest winner(s) | Date won | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G1 Climax | Kazuchika Okada | August 18, 2022 | Tokyo | Defeated Will Ospreay in the tournament final. |
| World Tag League | Bishamon (Yoshi-Hashi and Hirooki Goto) |
December 14, 2022 | Miyagi | Defeated Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis) in the tournament final. |
| New Japan Cup | Zack Sabre Jr. | March 27, 2022 | Osaka | Defeated Tetsuya Naito in the tournament final. |
| New Japan Cup USA | Tom Lawlor | April 31, 2021 | Port Hueneme, California, U.S. | Defeated Brody King in the tournament final to become the inaugural Strong Openweight Champion. |
| Best of the Super Juniors | Hiromu Takahashi | June 3, 2022 | Tokyo | Defeated El Desperado in the tournament final. |
| Super Junior Tag League[Note 1] | Chaos (Yoh and Lio Rush) |
December 14, 2022 | Miyagi | Defeated Bullet Club (Ace Austin and Chris Bey) in the tournament final. |
| Super J-Cup | El Phantasmo | December 12, 2020 | Port Hueneme, California, U.S. | Defeated A. C. H. in the tournament final. |
| Young Lion Cup[Note 2] | Karl Fredericks | September 22, 2019 | Kobe, Hyōgo | Defeated Shota Umino in the last block match at Destruction in Kobe. |
| Lion's Break Crown | Clark Connors | October 9, 2020 | Port Hueneme, California, U.S. | Defeated Danny Limelight in the tournament final |
Inactive
| Tournament | Last winner(s) | Last held | Type | Created | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J Sports Crown Openweight 6-Man Tag Tournament | Apollo 555 (Hirooki Goto, Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi) |
2011 | Openweight six-man tag team | 2010 | A single-elimination six-man tag team tournament, held in 2010 and 2011. |
| G2 U-30 Climax | Hiroshi Tanahashi | 2003 | Openweight | 2003 | A tournament for wrestlers under the age of 30. It was held only once, in 2003. |
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Halls of fame
Greatest 18 Club
The Greatest 18 Club was New Japan's first hall of fame, being established in 1990 during Antonio Inoki's career 30th anniversary. Additionally, Lou Thesz also debuted a new Greatest 18 Club Championship, awarding it to Riki Choshu.
Inductees
| Ring name (Birth name) |
Accolades |
|---|---|
| Lou Thesz (Aloysius Thesz) |
Consider to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. He was three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and a two-time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. In Japan, he helped training young Japanese talents. |
| Karl Gotch (Charles Istaz) |
Inaugural and two-time Real World Champion. Wrestled Antonio Inoki in the main event of the very first show in NJPW. Helped training young Japanese talents. |
| André the Giant (André Roussimoff) |
Winner of the 1981 MSG Tag League, 1982 MSG Series and 1985 IWGP League and the Sagawa Express Cup. |
| Dusty Rhodes[Note 3] (Virgil Runnels Jr.) |
Three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and one-time NWF World Tag Team Champion. Participated in several NJPW tournaments. |
| Stan Hansen (John Hansen) |
One-time NWF Heavyweight Championship. |
| Wim Ruska (Willem Ruska) |
Professional wrestler and a judoka, only athlete to win two gold medals in Judo in one Olympics. |
| Billy Robinson (William Robinson) |
Two-time IWA World Heavyweight Champion, one-time NWA United National Championship and PWF World Heavyweight Champion. Helped training young Japanese talents. |
| Hiro Matsuda (Yasuhiro Kojima) |
Two-time NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion and one-time NWA North American Tag Team Champion. |
| Bob Backlund (Robert Blacklund) |
Two-time WWWF Heavyweight Champion, and one-time WWF Tag Team Champion. |
| Verne Gagne (Laverne Gagne) |
Ten-time AWA World Heavyweight Champion, four-time AWA World Tag Team Champion and one-time IWA World Heavyweight Champion. |
| Strong Kobayashi (Shozo Kobayashi) |
Two-time NWA North American Tag Team Champion. |
| Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea) |
First original IWGP Heavyweight Champion, winner of 1982 and 1983 MSG Tag Leagues and 1983 IWGP Leagues. In America he was also six-time WWF Heavyweight/WWE Undisputed Champion and six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion. |
| Muhammad Ali (Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.) |
Considered to be one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. Three-time heavyweight lineal champion. Fought Antonio Inoki in a wrestler vs. boxer match. |
| Seiji Sakaguchi | Four-time NWA North American Tag Team Champion, one-time NWF North American Heavyweight Champion and WWF North American Heavyweight Champion. |
| Nick Bockwinkel (Nicholas Warren Francis Bockwinkel) |
|
| Johnny Powers (Dennis Waters) | |
| Johnny Valentine (John Theodore Wisniski) |
|
| Antonio Inoki (Kanji Inoki) |
NJPW founder and first IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Also won many top titles, including the WWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship, NWA United National Championship and NWF Heavyweight Championship. |
Greatest Wrestlers
The Greatest Wrestlers is New Japan's hall of fame, established in 2007 to honor wrestlers who have wrestled for the promotion. From 2007 to 2011, the inductions begin on March 6, the anniversary of the promotion's founding.[100]
Inductees
| Year | Ring name (Birth name) |
Accolades |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Antonio Inoki (Kanji Inoki) |
NJPW founder and first IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Also won many top titles, including the WWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship, NWA United National Championship and NWF Heavyweight Championship. |
| Seiji Sakaguchi | Three-time NWA North American Tag Team Champion and one-time NWF North American Heavyweight and WWF North American Heavyweight Champion. | |
| Kantaro Hoshino (Tatsuo Hoshino) |
One-time IWA World Tag Team Champion with Kotetsu Yamamoto as the Yamaha Brothers. Also known as a promoter and manager. | |
| Kotetsu Yamamoto (Masaru Yamamoto) |
One-time IWA World Tag Team Champion with Kantaro Hoshino as the Yamaha Brothers. | |
| Shoji Kai (Motoyuki Kitazawa) |
Winner of the 1976 Karl Gotch Cup. Famous as the debut opponent of many legends, including Kotetsu Yamamoto, Rusher Kimura, Masa Saito, Tatsumi Fujinami, Osamu Kido, Mitsuo Momota, Satoru Sayama (the original Tiger Mask) and Hiro Saito. | |
| 2009 | Kuniaki Kobayashi | One of NJPW's top junior heavyweights of the 1980s and of a few to win the junior heavyweight titles in both New Japan and All Japan Pro Wrestling. |
| Akira Maeda (Go Il-myeong) |
Two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion. Founder of the Universal Wrestling Federation and Fighting Network Rings. | |
| Black Cat (Víctor Manuel Mar) |
One-time Mexican National Junior Heavyweight Champion and Naucalpan Tag Team Champion. | |
| 2010 | Animal Hamaguchi (Heigo Hamaguchi) |
Trainer and two-time All Asia Tag Team Champion. Also four-time IWA World Tag Team Champion. |
| Shinya Hashimoto | One of the Three Musketeers. Three-time IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Tag Team Champion. Founder of Pro Wrestling Zero1. | |
| 2011 | Don Arakawa (Makoto Arakawa) |
One-time WWC Caribbean Tag Team Champion. Best known as an underdog and comedy wrestler. |
Discover more about Halls of fame related topics
Greatest 18 Club Championship
Lou Thesz
NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship
Karl Gotch
André the Giant
NWF World Tag Team Championship
NWF Heavyweight Championship
Judo at the Summer Olympics
Billy Robinson
IWA World Heavyweight Championship (Australia)
NWA United National Championship
PWF World Heavyweight Championship
Broadcasters
Domestic:
- TV Asahi (1973–present, currently broadcasting weekly highlights show World Pro-Wrestling and live specials)
- Fighting TV Samurai (1996–present, currently broadcasting live specials, retrospective shows and magazine show NJPW Battle DX)
- AbemaTV (2014–present, online linear television service, live-streaming episodes of World Pro-Wrestling)
International (former):
- Eurosport (mid '90s–2007, Europe, dubbed episodes of World Pro-Wrestling and major shows for various continental markets)
- The Wrestling Channel (2002–2005, UK & Ireland, dubbed and undubbed broadcasts of major shows)
- 1Sports (2020, Indian Subcontinent, broadcast the AXS version of World Pro-Wrestling)
- DSport/Eurosport (2017–2020, 2021, Indian Subcontinent, broadcast the AXS TV version of World Pro-Wrestling, Season 3–5)
- J-One (May 2018 – 2020, France, dubbed with French commentary)
- FX (2019–2020, South Korea, broadcasting the AXS TV version of World Pro-Wrestling)
International (current):
- AXS TV (2014–19, 2022–present, United States, Canada, broadcast World Pro-Wrestling and major shows, dubbed with English commentary)
- The Roku Channel (2021–present, United States, United Kingdom and Canada broadcast World Pro-Wrestling and major shows, dubbed with English commentary)
- Fight Network (2016–2019, 2022–present, Canada, broadcasting the AXS version of World Pro-Wrestling)
Worldwide:
- NJPW World (streaming service, in partnership with TV Asahi, broadcasting most NJPW shows live, as well as on-demand classic, documentary and anime content, as well as content from other promotions, beginning with promotional partners CMLL's weekly Super Viernes and AEW's weekly Dynamite and Rampage shows)
- FITE TV (for Wrestle Kingdom and Dominion LIVE)
Discover more about Broadcasters related topics
Source: "New Japan Pro-Wrestling", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, February 12th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Japan_Pro-Wrestling.
Further Reading
Hiroshi Tanahashi
Minoru Suzuki
Rocky Romero
David Finlay (wrestler)
Kota Ibushi
Kenny Omega
Chaos (professional wrestling)
Tomohiro Ishii
Jeff Cobb
Back to the Yokohama Arena
Juice Robinson
Wrestle Kingdom 10
Will Ospreay
Invasion Attack 2016
The Elite (professional wrestling)
Wrestle Kingdom 11
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship
G1 Special in USA
Notes
- ^ NJPW has previously held other round-robin tournaments for junior heavyweight tag teams: the Junior Heavyweight Super Grade Tag League in 1996, won by Eddie Guerrero as Black Tiger II and The Great Sasuke; the G1 Junior Tag League in 2001, won by El Samurai and Jyushin Thunder Liger; and the Super J Tag League on November 13, 2010, won by Jado and Gedo.
- ^ NJPW held the Karl Gotch Cup between 1974 and 1976, a similar style rookie wrestler tournament. In 1989, 1991 and 2002, NJPW held tournaments under the name Young Lion Tournament, which are not considered part of the Young Lion Cup lineage.
- ^ Originally Tiger Jeet Singh was inducted in this place. However he was later expelled and replaced with Dusty Rhodes.
References
- ^ "Company Profile". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Company Profile". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved November 5, 2017.
- ^ ５億円！新日オーナー会社 電撃交代. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). Retrieved 2012-04-11.
- ^ a b "NJPW Announced New Japan Pro Wrestling of America Subsidiary". f4wonline. October 21, 2019. Archived from the original on May 23, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- ^ 新役員人事決定のお知らせ. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). September 25, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
- ^ a b "Change in NJPW Directorship". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling: New Japan Pro Wrestling on AXS TV in United States". Miami Herald. November 24, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ^ "New Japan Pro Wrestling comes to the U.S." Wrestling Observer Newsletter. October 3, 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
- ^ a b c d "About us | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ Herzog, Kenny (June 29, 2017). "Everything You Need to Know About New Japan Pro Wrestling". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ "NJPW 1972: Opening Series". Puroresu.com. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ Smallman, Jim (August 23, 2018). I'm Sorry, I Love You: A History of Professional Wrestling. ISBN 9781472254214.
- ^ a b "INTERNATIONAL WRESTLING GRAND PRIX CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
- ^ "The Story of the Tokyo Dome's First Pro Wrestling Match The Story of the Tokyo Dome's First Pro Wrestling Match". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. December 17, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ "WCW/New Japan Pay Per Views WCW/New Japan Supershow II". Prowrestlinghistory.com. Retrieved October 6, 2007.
- ^ Meltzer, Dave. "WED. UPDATE: Flair talks wrestling in North Korea, Okabayashi inhjury update, Henderson signs new contract, Batista movie, Cro Cop return, Ross talk, Rumble vs. UFC 170, Classics on Demand". Wrestling Observer. Archived from the original on 26 January 2014.
- ^ "PWTorch.com – WCW FLASHBACK – "Collision in Korea" 20 yrs. ago today: Flair & WCW crew head to N. Korea with New Japan Pro Wrestling". pwtorch.com. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
- ^ Meltzer, Dave. "April 11, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter". f4wonline.com. Wrestling Observer. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
The all-time pro wrestling attendance record would be for shows on April 28 and April 29, 1995 at May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea. The announced crowds for those shows were 165,000 and 190,000, although the real numbers were about 150,000 and 165,000. The first show was headlined by Scott Norton vs. Shinya Hashimoto and the second by Antonio Inoki vs. Ric Flair. While there were tickets sold, most of the people attending got in free, and were pretty much ordered to attend, so it's not really a fair comparison.
- ^ Ireland, Rob (6 February 2019). "Brock Lesnar, Shinsuke Nakamura and Their Real-Life Battle". ProWrestlingStories.com. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (July 30, 2001). "July 30, 2001 Wrestling Observer Newsletter". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved January 11, 2020.(subscription required)
- ^ "Yuke's Media Creations". Archived from the original on October 27, 2009. Retrieved 2010-02-10.. uk.games.ign.com
- ^ Yuke's Buys Controlling Share of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Gamasutra.com (November 15, 2005). Retrieved on May 10, 2014.
- ^ Alvarez, Bryan (January 8, 2007). "TNA, Tokyo Dome results, Sylvia's next battle, Death of WCW, Dark Angel, more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on January 8, 2007. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ Caldwell, James (January 5, 2011). "NJPW News: New Japan to introduce new title on U.S. tour, officially announces dates & venues for "Invasion" tour". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
- ^ Caldwell, James (January 31, 2012). "NJPW News: New Japan sold to new owners, change-over taking effect February 1". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
- ^ Caldwell, James (August 1, 2012). "NJPW debuting on iPPV this weekend". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
- ^ "10月8日『キングオブプロレスリング』 ＰＰＶ配信が更に規模を拡大して「全世界」へ！ Ustream all over the world !". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). September 28, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
- ^ Caldwell, James (September 28, 2012). "NJPW offering Oct. 8 show on iPPV". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
- ^ "あの『NEVER』がリニューアル!! "無差別級王座"も新設!! 11.15＆11.19Shibuya Axで再出発!!". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). October 5, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
- ^ "今年5月、新日本プロレスが北米再上陸!! ROHとの共同開催で、5月10日カナダ、17日ニューヨーク大会が決定!!". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). February 24, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- ^ Carapola, Stuart (February 22, 2014). "Live ROH HonorCon coverage: the big announcement". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (April 24, 2014). "Notes on New Japan/Border City main matches for 5–9 in Windsor, Ontario". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
- ^ Caldwell, James (March 7, 2015). "ROH news: ROH adds fourth New Japan show to May tour". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ "「G1」出場メンバー、各大会の主要カードを電撃発表!! 開幕戦で、中邑vs柴田が実現! 西武ドームにROH勢が参戦!!". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). June 21, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
- ^ Caldwell, James (November 4, 2014). "NJPW/GFW news: Tokyo Dome Show to air on U.S. PPV". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
- ^ "AXS announces New Japan TV deal, official details, time slot, debut date and more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. November 24, 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (July 27, 2015). "July 27, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: The Undertaker returns at Battleground, NXT/ROH insanity with Liger booking, and more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California. p. 24. ISSN 1083-9593.
- ^ Caldwell, James (June 13, 2016). "New Japan's English-language TV series to air on Fight Network". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- ^ Caldwell, James (December 1, 2014). "NJPW news: New Japan announces streaming service like WWE Network, will include live shows". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
- ^ "新日本プロレス３～５年後上場目指す". Daily Sports Online (in Japanese). Kobe Shimbun. July 18, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ "木谷オーナーが「ファーム設立プラン」「21世紀のIWGP構想」、そして「新日本プロレスは株式上場を目指す」と宣言! 【7.18戦略発表会】". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). July 18, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ Caldwell, James (July 18, 2015). "NJPW news: New Japan announces big int'l expansion plans, including expanded N. America partnerships & NXT-like program". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ 【WK10】1.4東京ドームは“8大選手権”！ 第2試合は初代NEVER無差別級6人タッグ王座戦！ 第3試合はROH世界選手権に！ NJランボー参戦選手も追加！. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). December 21, 2015. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ^ Caldwell, James (January 5, 2016). "New Japan – tons of developments at post-Tokyo Dome show". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
- ^ a b "Fale Dojo Facebook page". Facebook. Archived from the original on 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
- ^ "Japanese World Cup Qualifiers Hosted In Association With NJPW & RevPro". What Culture Pro Wrestling. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (May 12, 2017). "ROH War of the Worlds PPV live results: Daniels vs. Cody vs. Lethal". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
- ^ Johnson, Mike (May 12, 2017). "New Japan announces new championship, unveils belt". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
- ^ 戦略発表会で、木谷オーナーが「2020年の東京ドーム満員を目指す」とコメント！さらにアメリカへの“本格進出”、道場の設立も視野に!!. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). May 16, 2017. Archived from the original on June 13, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ 【新日ＬＡ】木谷オーナー「大成功、超成功。いずれは巡業スタイルも」. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). July 4, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
- ^ Currier, Joseph (November 5, 2017). "NJPW returning to Long Beach, California in March". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
- ^ "New Japan Pro Wrestling signs India TV deal". Pro Wrestling Insider. November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ^ "NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING ANNOUNCE FALLOUT DOWN UNDER TOUR!". Destroy All Lines. January 9, 2018. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
- ^ "Katsuyori Shibata to be Head Coach of New Japan Dojo in Los Angeles!". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
- ^ "新日本プロレス社長にオランダ出身実業家メイ氏就任へ 元タカラトミー社長". Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). May 13, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ^ Currier, Joseph (February 8, 2019). "NJPW and CMLL sending teams to NWA-ROH Crockett Cup". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ "The Crash Lucha Libre confirma su alizanza con CMLL, NJPW y ROH". Solo Lucha. February 21, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ Sapp, Sean Ross (October 21, 2019). "NJPW Launching American Wing, New Japan Pro Wrestling of America". Fightful News. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
- ^ "New Japan Pro Wrestling Ultimate Figures".
- ^ "Super 7 Ultimate figures shipping March! | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING".
- ^ Currier, Joseph (26 February 2020). "NJPW CANCELS SHOWS FROM MARCH 1–15 DUE TO CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ^ Rose, Brian (10 March 2020). "NJPW CANCELS REMAINDER OF NEW JAPAN CUP TOUR DUE TO CORONAVIRUS". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ^ Nason, Josh (18 February 2020). "STARDOM MAKES MAJOR SCHEDULE CHANGES DUE TO CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ^ "2020.03.31 SAKURA GENESIS 2020". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- ^ "Sakura Genesis, April 11 Kanagawa events cancelled". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ "NJPW cancels events through May 4, Wrestling Dontaku included". F4wonline.com. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ NJPW. "Best of the Super Junior 27 Tour Events Cancelled | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ NJPW. "Wrestle Dynasty postponed to 2021 【NJoA】【WD1】 | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ NJPW. "New Japan Cup 2020 a NJPW World Special this June! | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ NJPW. "NJPW welcomes the fans back to Osaka Jo Hall July 11 & 12! | NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING". NJPW. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ Rose, Bryan (November 2, 2020). "NJPW HOLDING ONE-NIGHT SUPER J-CUP IN US, PARTICIPANTS SET". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- ^ "New Japan Cup USA announced for NJPW STRONG debut 【NJoA】". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Bushiroad. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ a b "AEW, New Japan Pro Wrestling Established Working Relationshp". F4wonline.com. February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ a b Johnson, Mike (February 13, 2020). "NEW JAPAN STARS HEADING TO IMPACT WRESTLING, FULL DETAILS". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- ^ Renner, Ethan (November 19, 2021). "NJPW VS. NOAH SET FOR WRESTLE KINGDOM 16 NIGHT THREE". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
The card will air live on Abema pay-per-view and have an English language option for the broadcast. The cost will be 3960 Yen. The show will be made available on NJPW World and NOAH's Wrestle Universe streaming service one week after the air date. A portion of proceeds from the event and PPV will be donated to Japanese Red Cross.
- ^ "NJPW Returning To AXS TV With New Episodes In March". Fightful. January 4, 2022.
- ^ Barrasso, Justin (April 20, 2022). "Tony Khan Announces First-Ever AEW, NJPW Joint Pay-Per View Event". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ a b 新日が“至宝”オカダ流出阻止へ２億円プロジェクト. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). February 13, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
- ^ Rose, Bryan (January 4, 2016). "NJPW stars Nakamura, AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson headed to WWE". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
- ^ 中邑 新日プロ退団しWWEへ！世界に羽ばたく日本プロレス界最高のカリスマ. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
- ^ "David Finlay Says NJPW Got Him Under Contract Once AEW Started, Talks Kenta, NJPW USA | Fightful News". www.fightful.com. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
- ^ Csonka, Larry (August 11, 2016). "Will Ospreay Discusses Not Signing With Evolve, Taking Less Independent Dates, More". 411Mania. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
- ^ "CMLL President Francisco Alonso passes away". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. July 9, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
- ^ "A joint statement from NJPW and CMLL". njpw1972. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
- ^ "【来年1月8日(土) 17 時～横浜アリーナ大会は、「ABEMA PPV ONLINE LIVE」で生配信！】『 WRESTLE KINGDOM 「新日本プロレス vs プロレスリング ・ノア」』配信概要はコチラ【WK16 】". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ Caldwell, James (July 18, 2015). "NJPW news: New Japan announces big int'l expansion plans, including expanded N. America partnerships & NXT-like program". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on August 21, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ Rueter, Sean (December 10, 2021). "Despite WWE's reported interest in re-signing her, Kairi Sane is a free agent". Cageside Seats. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
Sane — who we presumably should start getting used to calling Kairi Hojo, the name she wrestled under in Stardom for six years before signing with WWE in 2017 — is interested in returning to the ring. Bushiroad-owned Stardom was interested in having the Pirate Princess appear on their 10th anniversary show earlier this year, but WWE allegedly rebuffed their request. Dave Meltzer writes that New Japan's sister promotion is interested in bringing the former World of Stardom champion back, but nothing is in the works... yet.
- ^ "IWGP World Heavyweight Title History on the official website". New Japan Pro Wrestling.
- ^ "IWGP United States Heavyweight Title History on the official website". New Japan Pro Wrestling.
- ^ "IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title History on the official website". New Japan Pro Wrestling.
- ^ "NEVER Openweight Title History on the official website". New Japan Pro Wrestling.
- ^ "Strong Openweight Title History on the official website". New Japan Pro Wrestling.
- ^ "Wrestle Kingdom 17 Full Card, Preview 【WK17】". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. 2022-12-22. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
- ^ "Official NJPW World Television Championship History". New Japan Pro Wrestling.
- ^ "IWGP Tag Team Title History on the official website". New Japan Pro Wrestling.
- ^ "IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title History on the official website". New Japan Pro Wrestling.
- ^ "NJPW Rumble On 44th Street - Pay Per View @ Palladium Times Square in New York City, New York, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ "New champions crowned at NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka". Wrestling Observer.
- ^ "NJPW & STARDOM creating IWGP Women's Championship The title will primarily be defended on NJPW events". F4wonline.com. July 29, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
- ^ "Greatest Wrestlers". New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 23, 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
External links
- Official website (in Japanese)
- Official website (in English)
- World Pro Wrestling – NJPW official program – TV Asahi
- Puroresu.com: New Japan Pro-Wrestling
- Wrestling-Titles.com: New Japan Pro-Wrestling
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