NJPW’s broadcast partner has announced that it will air Wrestle Kingdom 20 next January.
TV Asahi stated it will air the January 4 special, featuring Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement and the tentative debut of Olympic gold medalist Aaron Wolf.
Tokyo Sports reported the announcement, marking the first time that the January 4 show from the Tokyo Dome would be broadcast since 2004. TV Asahi has yet to announce the broadcast time. Typically, the broadcaster would air an edited version of the show featuring select matches.
The entirety of the event would presumably air live on New Japan World in Japan and worldwide, with the service run by New Japan and TV Asahi.
The 2004 show was branded as Wrestling World before shifting to Wrestle Kingdom three years later. That show was headlined by Shinsuke Nakamura defeating Yoshihiro Takayama in a Title vs. Title match just days after Nakamura fought Alexey Ignashov on the K-1 Dynamite card on New Year’s Eve and suffered facial injuries.
The 2004 show aired in a two-hour slot on TV Asahi beginning at 11:25 p.m. and drew a 6.4 rating, according to Chris Charlton in Eggshells: Pro Wrestling in the Tokyo Dome.
