Fighting Spirit Unleashed (2023)

Promotional card featuring various NJPW wrestlers

**Fighting Spirit Unleashed (2023)** was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The event will take place on October 28, 2023 at Sam's Town Live in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. This was the nineth show under the Fighting Spirit Unleashed name.

## Production

### Background

On July 12, 2023, NJPW announced the Fighting Spirit Unleashed with the event being held on one night at Sam's Town Live in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States NJPW began usually promoting the Fighting Spirit Unleashed events since 2018, as part of NJPW annually promoting events in the Untied States. However, since 2020, NJPW began promoting the shows was part of the *NJPW Strong* televisions series, until its change in format in January 2023. On September 8, NJPW announced the celebration of 40th Anniversary of Atlantis' career in the United States.

### Storylines

Fighting Spirit Unleashed (2023) featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.

On August 12, 2023, after reigning Strong Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston was victorious in a eigth-man tag team match, HENARE came to the ring and subsequently attacked Kingston, before motioning toward his Strong Openweight Championship belt. The following day, after a eight-man tag team match, Kingston returned the favor and attacked HENARE. The two brawled to the back, where Kingston suggested they faced each other for the Strong Openweight Championship at Fighting Spirit Unleashed, setting up the the title match. Initially billed as a potential title match, after Kingston successfully defenfed the title four times, including a title vs title match on September 20 at *AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam*, where Kingston retained Strong Openweight Championship and defeated Claudio Castagnoli to win the ROH World Championship, on October 3, NJPW made the title match official for the event.

On October 1, at a Stardom event, after Giulia successfully defend the Strong Women's Championship against Ami Sourei, Hyan, who worked for various promotions across the world such as Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw) in Germany and Impact Wrestling and Ring of Honor (ROH) in the United States, challenged Giulia to a title match at Fighting Spirit Unleashed.

On October 14 at Royal Quest III, after Shingo Takagi faced Tomohiro Ishii in a winning effort, he was confronted by reigning NEVER Openweight Champion Tama Tonga, who challenged him to a match for his title, having been previously defeated by Takagi during the 2023 G1 Climax, which he accepted, setting up the match at Fighting Spirit Unleashed.

## Matches

### Kickoff

 2P | Team Filthy (Jorel Nelson, Royce Isaccs and Danny Limelight) defeated Jakob Austin Young, Titus Alexander and Baliyan Akki

* (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
* – refers to the video of that match
* **P** – indicates the match will take place on the pre-show