New number one contender for IWGP World title crowned at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19

2025 could be Hirooki Goto’s year.

The longtime NJPW veteran won the Ranbo battle royal at the start of Wrestle Kingdom 19, earning a future IWGP World title match. The final two in the ring were Goto and Great-O-Khan, the final KOPW Champion. Goto hit the GTR and threw GOK out of the ring, but he held on the the apron. The two fought back and forth until Goto finally eliminated GOK for the victory.

The Ranbo participants in order were Great-O-Khan, Josh Barnett, Oleg Boltin, Goto, Yuji Nagata, Togi Makabe, KENTA, YOSHI-HASHI, Yujiro Takahashi, Toru Yano, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Tomoaki Honma, SANADA, Taichi, Tomohiro Ishii, and Alex Zayne. During the match, SANADA and Taichi ended up eliminating one another and brawled to the back.

In recent years, the Ranbo had been used to determine the KOPW Champion of the new year. However, Great-O-Khan retired the title after his final title defense, instead suggesting that the winner of NJPW’s annual battle royal should get a future title match.

Zack Sabre Jr., the current IWGP World Champion, defends against Shota Umino in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 19.