After a legendary 26-year career in professional wrestling, Hiroshi Tanahashi is having his final match at Wrestle Kingdom 20 against long-time rival Kazuchika Okada. Regardless of promotion, Tanahashi is highly regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Wrestle Kingdom 20 is taking place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, on January 4. There are eight matches on the card, with five for a championship.
This is the 18th match between Tanahashi and Okada and their first since February 2024 at The New Beginning in Osaka. Okada is 8-6 against Tanahashi in singles competition, and three of their matches have ended in time-limit draws. Three of their matches have occurred at Wrestle Kingdom, with their last one at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in 2016. Tanahashi is known as the face of NJPW and has wrestled at all 19 Wrestle Kingdom events.
Throughout his career, Tanahashi has accomplished everything there is to achieve in NJPW. Tanahashi is a former eight-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, six-time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion, three-time IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion, three-time IWGP tag team Champion, two-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion, NJPW Television Champion, and NEVER Openweight Champion. In his career, Tanahashi has also won the G1 Climax tournament three times, the New Japan Cup twice, and is the second NJPW Grand Slam Champion.
Another big match on this card is between Konosuke Takeshita vs. Yota Tsuji. At King of Pro-Wrestling in October, Takeshita beat Zack Sabre Jr. to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, while Tsuji beat Gabe Kidd for the IWGP Global Championship. Now, Takeshita and Tsuji will face off with both titles on the line at Wrestle Kingdom 20.
Check out the full card for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20, along with viewing information, below.
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 Match Card
- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada — Tanahashi’s Retirement Match
- Konosuke Takeshita vs. Yota Tsuji — Winner Takes All Match for IWGP World Heavyweight Championship & Global Heavyweight Championship
- Evil (c) vs. Aaron Wolf — NEVER Openweight Championship Match
- El Desperado vs. Kosei Fujita vs. Taiji Ishimori vs. Sho — Four-Way #1 Contender IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match
- Bullet Club War Dogs & Unaffiliated vs. Andrade El Idolo, United Empire — Ten-Man Tag Team Match
- Saya Kamitani (Strong) vs. Syuri (IWGP) — Winner Takes All Match for the IWGP Women’s Championship and Strong Women’s Championship
- Toru Yano and Spiritech (c) vs. Tiger Mask, Togi Makabe, and Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Boltin Oleg and Bishamon vs. Tomohiro Ishii and Team 100 (Taichi and Satoshi Kojima) vs. House of Torture vs. TMDK vs. Kaisei Takechi and RoughStorm vs. Bullet Club War Dogs — NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship
- El Phantasmo (c) vs. Chris Brookes — NJPW World Television Championship
How to Watch NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20
You can watch Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4 at 2:00 a.m. ET on NJPW World. This event is taking place at 4:00 p.m. in Japan.
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 FAQ
Where will NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 take place?
The event is taking place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.
What time does NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 start?
The main card for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 begins at 2:00 a.m. ET and 4:00 p.m. local time in Japan.
How can I watch NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20?
Fans in the U.S. can view this event live on NJPW World.
