NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 notes: Inoki film, Pro Wrestling NOAH angle

A film on Antonio Inoki is in development and an inter-promotional angle took place following Wrestle Kingdom 17.   

A short video played after the Inoki tribute match on Wednesday that announced a movie based on the NJPW founder is being developed. A potential release date or other details on the film have not been revealed, however. 

Inoki passed away on October 1, 2022, at the age of 79. 

An inter-promotional angle also took place at the post-event press conference following Wrestle Kingdom 17. 

Los Ingobernables De Japon’s Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, SANADA, and Tetsuya Naito were being interviewed backstage when Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Kongo faction interrupted. LIJ defeated Kongo in an eight-man tag match at the NJPW vs. NOAH show from Yokohama Arena on January 8, 2022. 

Kongo’s Kenoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Manabu Soya, Hi69, Tadasuke, and Hajime Ohara walked into the press area and Takagi expressed that perhaps the group had confused the Tokyo Dome with Korakuen Hall. 

Kenoh said:

‘I came here to give a new year’s greeting. Happy New Year- as if! Do you really think that things are settled between KONGO and LIJ?’

Naito responded:

‘Yep. I definitely remember seeing and hearing the three count. I think people there and watching on NJPW World saw it too.’

Kenoh would later say:

‘We came here to settle this, and we can either find a time and place or do it right now. We want closure on this.’ Shingo would reply that ‘You can have whatever you want, a ten man tag, 8 man, six man. Singles, it doesn’t matter’.

Kenoh would also say “let’s figure out who’s better one-on-one” directly to Naito, setting up a potential singles match between the two in the future.