The biggest wrestling event outside of WWE’s WrestleMania will light up the Tokyo Dome in Japan on Wednesday, Jan. 4. New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom has made a name for itself over the last two decades for showcasing some of the best professional wrestling on the planet each year on 01/04 — and based on this year’s match card, it’s likely to do so again.
Looming large over this year’s event is the death of NJPW founder Antonio Inoki, who started the promotion in the early 70s. A six-man tag team match will be wrestled in his honor between some of NJPW’s oldest hands.
The headline bouts will see the return of AEW’s Kenny Omega in a match against Will Ospreay for the IWGP United States Championship before Jay White faces off against perennial main-eventer Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to close out the show.
As with Wrestle Kingdom 14, 15 and 16, the event will take place over two nights, but things are a little different this year. Rather than having the second night 24 hours after the first, Wrestle Kingdom 17’s sequel will occur on Jan. 21 in Yokohama Arena. Matches for that night are yet to be determined, but you can bet there will be a few rivalries kindled on night one.
Here’s when and how to watch Wrestle Kingdom 17, along with the full card and a few predictions and stray thoughts about what to expect.
The event kicks off at 3:20 p.m. Japan Standard Time on Jan. 4, which makes it a very late (or very early) start for residents in the US.
Officially, the bell rings at 5 p.m. JST to kick off the night, so you have an extra couple of hours up your sleeve if you’re not interested in the early matches or pre-show.
The easiest and most convenient way to watch is to sign up for NJPW World, the streaming service of NJPW. This gives you access to both Japanese and English commentary. Sign up costs 999 Japanese Yen, which is around $7.60 USD. You can watch live or on demand, so if you’re in the US and you need to get to sleep… just whack it on the next day.
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