Hiroshi Tanahashi shared details about the success of Wrestle Kingdom 20 and his farewell match at the Tokyo Dome.
At a Tuesday press conference, the NJPW president boasted that “over 3.5 million” viewers watched the tape-delayed TV Asahi broadcast. It was the first broadcast window for a New Japan Tokyo Dome card in over twenty years, highlighted by Tanahashi’s retirement match and the debut of Olympic gold medalist Aaron Wolf.
Tanahashi said, “over 3.5 million” watched the special “nationwide” and that Wrestle Kingdom 20 exceeded expectations, leaving the outgoing star “completely floored.”
He added that approximately 155,000 people watched the show live, which would combine the announced attendance of 46,913 and those streaming live on New Japan World.
The broadcast on TV Asahi in Japan aired from 10:15 – 11:55 p.m. local time on Sunday and featured Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement match with Kazuchika Okada and ceremony, the debut of Aaron Wolf against EVIL, coverage of Yota Tsuji’s double championship win, and Syuri defeating Saya Kamitani, according to a user on Reddit.
The attendance places this show as the largest of the “Wrestle Kingdom era”, which began in 2007, and is believed to be New Japan’s most successful one-night event since the retirement of Antonio Inoki in April 1998.
Special thanks to Karen Peterson for Japanese translations
