Over the next few weeks, some of the biggest shows in the world will emanate from Japan with major events produced by New Japan, Pro Wrestling NOAH, Stardom & more.
After the pandemic tore through the industry, no one saw a great decline in its appeal and atmosphere than New Japan Pro Wrestling which was coming off back-to-back nights at the Tokyo Dome in 2020 before going dark for months due to COVID-19.
The start of 2023 feels like a return to form with its annual January 4th traditional at the Dome that will see its late founder Antonio Inoki celebrated, Kenny Omega’s first match in a New Japan ring in four years, and a heightened buzz due to the expected arrival of Mercedes Varnado a.k.a. Sasha Banks.
But it is hardly a singular event focus in the country over this period as Pro Wrestling NOAH returns to Nippon Budokan, highlighted by WWE’s Shinsuke Nakamura wrestling The Great Muta and the reunion of KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji.
STARDOM presents its biggest card of the year on 12/29 with the long-awaited showdown between Syuri and Giulia for the World of Stardom Championship as the company returns to Ryogoku Kokugikan after a tremendous year of growth that those are hopeful extends into the new year.
Other highlights include the resurrection of the Inoki Bom Ba Ye concept, a unique RIZIN vs. Bellator showdown on New Year’s Eve that will air in the United States, a showdown of the two biggest DDT stars, and All Japan kicking off its year with its annual battle royal and a Triple Crown defense.
Below are the full lineups for the major Japanese cards to close off the year and ring in 2023:
INOKI BOM-BA-YE x Ganryujima
Date: Wednesday, December 28th
Time: 1 a.m. ET
Stream: Pay-Per-View (info in link)
*UWF Rules: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tom Lawlor
*Josh Barnett vs. Shouma Sivixay
*Melvin Manhoef vs. Igor Tanabe
*Minoru Kimura vs. Yusuke Yachi
*Rafael Lovato Jr. vs. Taiga Iwasaki
*Albert Kraus vs. Usami Hide Meison
*Jan Soukup vs. Hideki Sekine
*Ryusei vs. Dawasakhon Bang Bang Gym
*Marcus Aurelio vs. Galore Bofando
STARDOM Dream Queendom II
Date: Thursday, December 29th
Time: 3 a.m. ET
Stream: https://fan.pia.jp/stardom/ticket/detail/186/
*World of Stardom Championship: Syuri (champion) vs. Giulia
*Wonder of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani (champion) vs. Haruka Umesaki
*Goddess of Stardom Championship: Tam Nakano & Natsupoi (champions) vs. Nanae Takahashi & Yuu
*Artist of Stardom Championship: Starlight Kid, Momo Watanabe & Saki Kashima (champions) vs. Risa Sera, Suzu Suzuki & Hiragi Kurumi
*High-Speed Championship: AZM (champion) vs. Hikari Shimizu
*KAIRI vs. Utami Hayashishita
*MIRAI & Ami Sourei vs. Maika & Himeka vs. Natsuko Tora & Ruaka
*Mayu Iwatani, Momo Kohgo & Hanan vs. Hazuki, Koguma & Saya Iida
*Mai Sakurai & Thekla vs. Unagi Sayaka & Mina Shirakawa
DDT Never Mind 2022
Date: Thursday, December 29th
Time: 3 a.m. ET
Stream: Wrestle Universe (subscription required)
*KO-D Openweight Championship: Kazusada Higuchi (champion) vs. Yuki Ueno
*DDT Extreme Championship: Jun Akiyama (champion) vs. Super Sasadango Machine
*KO-D Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Naruki Doi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata (champions) vs. Tetsuya Endo, Kotaro Suzuki & Yusuke Okada
*Shinya Aoki vs. Chihiro Hashimoto
*Daisuke Sasaki vs. Chris Brookes vs. Cara Noir vs. MAO
*Konosuke Takeshita & Yukio Naya vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & RSP
*Saki Akai & Yuki Arai vs. Saori Anno & Riko Kawabata
*Yuki Iino, Danshoku Dieno, Yumehito Iminari & Takeda Koju vs. Akito, Osamu Nishimura, Shinichiro Kawamatsu & Shunma Katsumata
*Yuji Hino & Yuki Ishida vs. HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi
*Sanshiro Takagi vs. Takeshi Masada
Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN
Date: Saturday, December 31st
Time: 8 p.m. ET (tape delay) / 5 a.m. ET on FITE
Broadcast/Stream: Showtime (U.S.) / YouTube (in Canada) / FITE TV
*Patricio “Pitbull” Freire vs. Kleber Koike Erbst
*A.J. McKee vs. Roberto de Souza
*Juan Archuleta vs. Soo Chul Kim
*Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Hiromasa Ougikubo
*Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Koji Takeda
Pro Wrestling NOAH The New Year 2023
Date: Sunday, January 1st
Time: 4 a.m. ET
Stream: Wrestle Universe (subscription required)
*GHC Heavyweight Championship: Kaito Kiyomiya (champion) vs. Kenou
*The Great Muta vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
*GHC Tag Team Championship: Takashi Sugiura & Satoshi Kojima (champions) vs. KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji
*Masakatsu Funaki, Katsuhiko Nakajima & Manabu Soya vs. Kazuyuki Fujita, Kendo Kashin & X
AJPW New Year Giant Series
Date: Monday, January 2nd
Time: 11:30 a.m. local time (9:30 p.m. ET on 1/1)
Stream: AJPW.tv (subscription required)
*New Year Battle Royal
*World Tag Team Championship: Suwama & KONO (champions) vs. Kento Miyahara & Takuya Nomura
*World Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Atsuki Aoyagi (champion) vs. Hikaru Sato
*Shuji Ishikawa & Hokuto Omori vs. Minoru Suzuki & X
*Yuma Aoyagi & Naoya Nomura vs. Jun & Rei Saito
*Dan Tamura, Ryo Inoue & Yuma Anzai vs. Ryuki Honda, Yusuke Kodama & Masao Hanabata
*Takao Omori, Rising HAYATO & Kaz Hayashi vs. Yoshitatsu, Black Menso-re & Mitsuya Nagai
AJPW New Year Giant Series
Date: Tuesday, January 3rd
Time: 11:30 a.m. local time (9:30 p.m. ET on 1/2)
Stream: AJPW.tv (subscription required)
*Triple Crown: Kento Miyahara (champion) vs. Takuya Nomura
*All Asia Tag Team Championship: Takao Omori & Masao Inoue (champions) vs. NOSAWA Rongai & Kendo Kashin
*Shuji Ishikawa & Yuma Aoyagi vs. Minoru Suzuki & X
*Atsuki Aoyagi, Hokuto Omori & Rising HAYATO vs. Dan Tamura, Ryo Inoue & Hikaru Sato
*Naoya Nomura vs. Ryuki Honda
*Yoshitatsu, Yuji Nagata & Yuma Anzai vs. Suwama, Jun Saito & Rei Saito
*Black Menso-re & Mitsuya Nagai vs. Yusuke Kodama & Masao Hanabata
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17
Date: Wednesday, January 4th
Time: 3 a.m. ET (pre-show at 1:30 a.m. ET)
Stream: New Japan World (subscription required)
*IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Jay White (champion) vs. Kazuchika Okada
*IWGP U.S. Championship: Will Ospreay (champion) vs. Kenny Omega
*IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Taiji Ishimori (champion) vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado vs. Master Wato
*Keiji Muto, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Shota Umino vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI
*NEVER Openweight Championship: Karl Anderson (champion) vs. Tama Tonga
*NJPW World Television Championship (Final): Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ren Narita
*IWGP Tag Team Championship: FTR (champions) vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI
*IWGP Women’s Championship: KAIRI (champion) vs. Tam Nakano
*IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: TJP & Francesco Akira (champions) vs. Lio Rush & YOH
*Pre-Show: Minoru Suzuki, Tatsumi Fujinami & Tiger Mask vs. Togi Makabe, Satoshi Kojima & Yuji Nagata
*Pre-Show: New Japan Rambo (final four meet the next night to determine KOPW2023 holder)
*Pre-Show: Ryohei Oiwa vs. Oleg Boltin (Exhibition Match)
NJPW New Year Dash
Date: Thursday, January 5th
Time: 4:30 a.m. ET
Stream: New Japan World (subscription required)
*Card TBA
