Daily Update: Wrestle Kingdom fallout, Roode & Gable vs. Revival

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News

Latest Audio

F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: WWE’s biggest news stories of 2018

2018 was an especially mixed year for WWE. It’s been an incredible year for WWE financially — even if that hasn’t always been mirrored by traditional metrics. They agreed to two transformative TV deals that will shape the company for years to come. WWE also reached a lucrative 10-year deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority, with the first two shows in Saudi Arabia being among the most controversial in the history of the promotion.

WON NEWSLETTER (ONLINE ONLY): January 7, 2019 Observer Newsletter special: History of the Tokyo Dome – NO HARDCOPY AVAILABLE

When the Tokyo Dome opened on March 17, 1988, the idea of pro wrestling there wasn’t even an idea.

The Dome was built to be the new modern home of two baseball teams, the Yomiuri Giants of the Central League, the team of Shigeo Nagashima and Sadaharu Oh years earlier, the unofficial national team that had all its games on NTV, and sold out every game. The Dome held 48,316 fans for baseball, but for years, every single Giants game announced the attendance as 56,000. The other team, the Nippon Ham Fighters of the Pacific League, which played there through the 2003 season, were the ones that the average person could get tickets to see.

The idea was baseball and concerts, the Rolling Stones (who have 19 Tokyo Dome sellouts), Michael Jackson (who sold 405,000 tickets for nine dates in December 1988), U2, Madonna and Japanese artists. But while it has housed numerous sporting events, including NFL and Major League Baseball, with the exception of baseball and concerts, it’s probably best known for pro wrestling.

Pro wrestling was still huge on television back then. All Japan, headed by Giant Baba, was a fixture on Nippon TV, one of the major networks. New Japan, on TV-Asahi, had matches airing in prime time. 

ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to Dave Meltzer, or by using PayPal directing funds to Dave@WrestlingObserver.com. 

Rates in the United States are $13 for 4 issues, $32 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $14.50 for 4, $35 for 12, $67 for 24, $111 for 40 and $144 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to moonsault@mediaplusint.com. For the rest of the world, rates are $16.50 for 4, $44 for 12, $85 for 24, $141 for 40 issues and $183 for 52. If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.)

If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can choose one free classic issue or two free classic issues with a 40-issue subscription.

FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE

Pro Wrestling

  • The fallout from Wrestle Kingdom 13 takes place overnight tonight as Korakuen Hall hosts New Year Dash 2018. The show will air live on New Japan World for free at 4:30 a.m. Eastern time. The full card for the show won’t be revealed in advance, but it will feature tag matches and angles to build what’s next for NJPW. There will be a NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team title match on the show, with Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Taiji Ishimori defending against Ryusuke Taguchi, Toru Yano & Togi Makabe. Taguchi, Yano & Makabe won the pre-show gauntlet match at Wrestle Kingdom to get the title shot.
  • Every title that was on the line at Wrestle Kingdom 13 changed hands:
    Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Kenny Omega to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship
    Tetsuya Naito defeated Chris Jericho in a no DQ match to win the IWGP Intercontinental title
    Taiji Ishimori defeated KUSHIDA to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
    Juice Robinson defeated Cody Rhodes to win the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship
    EVIL & SANADA defeated Guerrillas of Destiny and The Young Bucks in a three-way match to win the IWGP Tag Team titles
    Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tomohiro Ishii to win the Revolution Pro Wrestling Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship
    Shingo Takagi & BUSHI defeated El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru and SHO & YOH in a three-way match to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles
    Will Ospreay defeated Kota Ibushi to win the NEVER Openweight Championship
  • Omega wrote “1-1” on Twitter following his match with Tanahashi, bringing up that they both have a win against each other.
  • Jay White confronted Tanahashi in a backstage angle after Tanahashi’s IWGP Heavyweight title win, likely setting up a future match between the two.
  • Jericho also said in his post-match comments that he wants to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight title.
  • Jericho posted a picture of welts on his torso and back after his match against Naito.
  • Matt Jackson tweeted after the Tokyo Dome show: “Thank you Japan.”
  • Ospreay posted an in-character tweet after his match with Ibushi: “My reckless style has shortened not only my career but my life. You all wanted change, so that I have a long career. You’ve just shorten everyone else’s.”
  • NJPW apologized for the streaming issues that occurred on New Japan World at the start of Wrestle Kingdom: “From 16:00 to 17:20, the server faced too much traffic, making it difficult to log in and for new registration. It is currently stabilized. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience to our customers.”
  • Impact Wrestling uploaded the opening video for Sunday’s Homecoming PPV.

UFC/MMA

Daily Pro Wrestling History: NJPW Tokyo Dome cards

CONTACT INFORMATION