Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome

Promotional poster for the event, featuring various NJPW wrestlers

### Tagline(s)

"The New Year Comes! January 4!" (Japanese: 新春闘耒! イッテンヨン!, Hepburn: *Shin Shunkoure! Ittenyon!!*)

### Theme song(s)

"Get Ready" by Cypress Ueno and Robert Yoshino

## Information

### City

Tokyo, Japan

**Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome** was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4, 2017, at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It was the 26th January 4 Tokyo Dome Show, which is NJPW's biggest annual event and has been called "the largest wrestling show in the world outside of the United States" and the "Japanese equivalent to the Super Bowl".

The event featured eleven matches, eight of which were contested for championships. In the main event, Kazuchika Okada defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against 2016 G1 Climax winner Kenny Omega. Other featured matches included Tetsuya Naito defending the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Hiroshi Tanahashi, Katsuyori Shibata defending the NEVER Openweight Championship against Hirooki Goto and KUSHIDA defending the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Hiromu Takahashi. As part of a partnership between NJPW and the American Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion, the ROH World Championship would also be defended at the event with defending champion Kyle O'Reilly taking on Adam Cole.

## Production

### Background

Wrestle Kingdom 11 aired worldwide through NJPW's internet streaming site, New Japan Pro Wrestling World, with both Japanese and English language commentaries. The English commentary was provided by Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino. The event would also air in four parts on the American AXS TV network, starting January 13, 2017, with commentary provided by Jim Ross and Josh Barnett. A shortened version of the event would also air on tape delay after midnight on January 5 on the Japanese TV Asahi network with special guests Ken Yasuda, Masahiro Chono, Suzuko Mimori and Yasutaro Matsuki.

### Storylines

Wrestle Kingdom 11 featured eleven professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.

Wrestle Kingdom 11 was main evented by Kazuchika Okada defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Kenny Omega. Okada won the title on June 19, 2016, by defeating Tetsuya Naito at Dominion 6.19 in Osaka-jo Hall. Meanwhile, Omega became the number one contender at the Tokyo Dome by winning the 2016 G1 Climax the following August, defeating Hirooki Goto in the finals to become the first foreign winner of NJPW's premier tournament. Afterwards, Okada successfully defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Pro Wrestling Noah representative Naomichi Marufuji, avenging a loss suffered during the 2016 G1 Climax, while Omega defended his status as the number one contender against Yoshi-Hashi and Hirooki Goto, leading to the match between Okada and Omega being made official for the Tokyo Dome in a press conference on October 11. Omega stated that his goal as champion was to take the IWGP Heavyweight Championship abroad and defend it in countries like the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand in direct opposition to WWE and their global strategy. Okada and Omega were the heads of the CHAOS and Bullet Club stables, respectively, and the match at Wrestle Kingdom 11 marked the first singles match between the two. The match also marked Omega's first ever shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

Wrestle Kingdom 11 would also feature a match for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, where Tetsuya Naito would defend against Hiroshi Tanahashi. In January 2016, Shinsuke Nakamura was stripped of the IWGP Intercontinental Championship after he announced that he was leaving NJPW for WWE, which led to Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kenny Omega being put up in a match to determine the new champion. Omega went on to win the match on February 14 at The New Beginning in Niigata, which led to a rematch being booked in ladder match on June 19 at Dominion 6.19 in Osaka-jo Hall. However, before the match, Tanahashi suffered a legitimate shoulder injury and was forced to pull out, being replaced by Michael Elgin, who went on to defeat Omega to become the new IWGP Intercontinental Champion. Elgin then entered a storyline rivalry with Tetsuya Naito, during which Naito was backed by his *Los Ingobernables de Japón* (L.I.J.) stable, while Elgin had the backing of Hiroshi Tanahashi, who had started his own rivalry with L.I.J. member Sanada, after losing to him during the 2016 G1 Climax. On September 25 at Destruction in Kobe, Naito defeated Elgin for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship in a match that featured outside interference from the entire L.I.J. as well as Tanahashi. A rematch was booked between the two for the November 5 Power Struggle event, but Elgin was forced to pull out of the match after suffering an eye injury. Naito instead went on to defeat Ring of Honor (ROH) wrestler Jay Lethal to retain the title. Following the match, Tanahashi, who had defeated Sanada earlier in the event, confronted Naito, challenging him to a title match at the Tokyo Dome, which Naito accepted. The match broke Tanahashi's seven-year streak of Tokyo Dome main events, although Naito did bring up the possibility of NJPW setting up a fan vote to decide whether the Intercontinental or Heavyweight Championship match would main event the show. This harked back to the 2014 Wrestle Kingdom 8 event, where Naito and Kazuchika Okada's IWGP Heavyweight Championship match lost the main event spot to Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura's IWGP Intercontinental Championship match, following a fan vote. Naito, however, claimed that he was against a fan vote, stating that he had always felt that the Heavyweight Championship should main event the Tokyo Dome and him being the Intercontinental Champion had not changed his mind. Naito had yet to win a singles match in the Tokyo Dome, having lost all five of his previous matches.

Another title match would see KUSHIDA defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Hiromu Takahashi. This match was set up at Power Struggle on November 5, when, after Kushida had defeated BUSHI to regain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, he was confronted by the returning Takahashi, who challenged him to a title match. Takahashi was revealed as the surprise "time bomb", NJPW had promoted for the past months. Takahashi made his debut in August 2010 and wrestled on NJPW undercards until June 2013, when he was sent on an indefinite overseas learning excursion, originally to the United Kingdom and eventually to Mexico and the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion, where he adopted a mask and the ring name "Kamaitachi". Takahashi, as Kamaitachi, returned to Japan on January 24, 2016, wrestling Dragon Lee for the CMLL World Super Lightweight Championship at the NJPW and CMLL co-produced *Fantastica Mania 2016* event. Following the event, Takahashi returned to CMLL, where he remained until the following April, after which he began wrestling in the United States. During his Power Struggle return, Takahashi was once again promoted under his real name and not as Kamaitachi. On December 10, Takahashi attacked Kushida during a tag team match and afterwards joined *Los Ingobernables de Japón*. Six days later, Takahashi wrestled his official return match, where he and Tetsuya Naito defeated Kushida and Hiroshi Tanahashi with him pinning Kushida for the win.

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship would also be defended at Wrestle Kingdom 11 with The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) defending against Roppongi Vice (Beretta and Rocky Romero). Roppongi Vice earned the shot at the title by winning the 2016 Super Jr. Tag Tournament on November 5 at Power Struggle. Despite entering the tournament in the midst of a storyline, where Beretta and Romero had begun showing signs of dissension, the two went on to defeat ACH and Taiji Ishimori in the finals to win the tournament and immediately afterwards challenged The Young Bucks to a title match at the Tokyo Dome, which was made official two days later.

The rest of the matches for Wrestle Kingdom 11 were announced on December 12, following the conclusion of the 2016 World Tag League. On December 10, G.B.H. (Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma) defeated reigning IWGP Tag Team Champions Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Roa) in the finals to win their second consecutive World Tag League. This marked the first time in 22 years that NJPW's top tag team tournament had been won by the same team in two consecutive years. Hiroshi Hase and Keiji Mutoh had won the tournament in 1993 and 1994, when it was known as the Super Grade Tag League. Following the win, G.B.H. challenged Guerrillas of Destiny to a rematch for the IWGP Tag Team Championship, which was made official two days later. Earlier in 2016, the two teams had met in two matches for the IWGP Tag Team Championship, which were both won by Guerrillas of Destiny; first on April 10 at Invasion Attack 2016, where they captured the IWGP Tag Team Championship and again on May 3 at Wrestling Dontaku 2016, where they successfully defended the title. On December 16, Toru Yano returned to NJPW from a stay in Pro Wrestling Noah, requesting to be added to the IWGP Tag Team Championship match with Tomohiro Ishii as his partner, despite the fact that Ishii had already been booked for another match at Wrestle Kingdom 11. The following day, Yano and Ishii attacked both G.B.H. and the Guerrillas of Destiny, stealing the latter's IWGP Tag Team Championship belts. On December 19, Yano and Ishii were officially added to the IWGP Tag Team Championship match at Wrestle Kingdom 11, turning it into a three-way.

The NEVER Openweight Championship would also be defended at Wrestle Kingdom 11 with defending champion Katsuyori Shibata taking on Hirooki Goto. Shibata and Goto were high school classmates, who started a storyline rivalry against each other following Shibata's September 2012 return to NJPW. The rivalry lasted until January 2014, when the two came together to form a tag team, eventually winning both the 2014 World Tag League and the IWGP Tag Team Championship. The team disbanded in March 2016, when Goto joined the Chaos stable. Shibata and Goto did not face each other until the 2016 World Tag League, where, on December 5, Shibata and his tag team partner Yuji Nagata defeated Goto and Tomohiro Ishii with Shibata pinning Goto for the win. Five days later, Goto avenged the loss by pinning Shibata in a non-tournament tag team match and afterwards made a challenge for Shibata's NEVER Openweight Championship. The match was made official two days later. Prior to the match at Wrestle Kingdom 11, Shibata brought up the possibility of retiring the NEVER Openweight Championship.

On December 10, during the final day of the 2016 World Tag League, *Los Ingobernables de Japón* members Bushi, EVIL and Sanada defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima and Yuji Nagata in a six-man tag team match with Evil pinning Kojima, one third of the reigning NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions, for the win. Following the win, Bushi called out Kojima as well as his championship partners David Finlay and Ricochet. Two days later, NJPW announced that at Wrestle Kingdom 11 Finlay, Ricochet and Kojima would defend the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship not only against the L.I.J. trio, but also against the Bullet Club trio of Bad Luck Fale, Hangman Page and Yujiro Takahashi and the Chaos trio of Tomohiro Ishii, Will Ospreay and Yoshi-Hashi in a four-team gauntlet match. On December 19, after Tomohiro Ishii was moved to the IWGP Tag Team Championship match, his spot in the Chaos team was taken over by Jado.

Other matches at Wrestle Kingdom 11 included the debuting Cody taking on Juice Robinson, Tiger Mask W making his second appearance following October's King of Pro-Wrestling, and Kyle O'Reilly defending the ROH World Championship against Adam Cole in a rematch from ROH's Final Battle event on December 2, 2016, where O'Reilly defeated Cole to become the new champion. The pre-show featured the annual "New Japan Rumble", a battle royal including both NJPW regulars and surprise entrants.

## Event

The pre-show featured the annual New Japan Rumble, involving fourteen wrestlers, including surprise veteran entrants Hiro Saito, Kuniaki Kobayashi and Scott Norton. Michael Elgin, making his return from an orbital fracture, was the first man to enter the match and scored the last four eliminations over Saito, Norton, Hiroyoshi Tenzan and ROH wrestler Cheeseburger to win the match.

The first match on the main card saw Tiger Mask W, portrayed by Kota Ibushi, defeat Tiger the Dark, portrayed by ACH. The second match saw Roppongi Vice defeat The Young Bucks to become the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, ending the previous champions' reign in their third defense. With the win, Rocky Romero set a new record by winning the title for the seventh time. The third match was a gauntlet match for the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship. The Bullet Club trio of Bad Luck Fale, Hangman Page and Yujiro Takahashi started the match against the Chaos trio of Jado, Will Ospreay and Yoshi-Hashi. After Takahashi had eliminated Chaos by pinning Jado with the *Pimp Juice*, the L.I.J. trio of Bushi, Evil and Sanada entered the match. The L.I.J. trio quickly eliminated Bullet Club with Sanada submitting Takahashi with the *Skull End*, which led to the final entrants, defending champions David Finlay, Ricochet and Satoshi Kojima, entering the match. In the end, Bushi misted Kojima as Evil distracted the referee of the match. Evil then hit Kojima with the *Evil* to win the match and make L.I.J. the new NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions.

Next up, Cody defeated Juice Robinson in his NJPW debut match. The fifth match of the main card saw Adam Cole defeat Kyle O'Reilly to regain the ROH World Championship, winning the title for a record-setting third time. Next up was a three-way match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship, contested between defending champions Guerrillas of Destiny, the 2016 World Tag League winners Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma and the team of Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano. Yano entered the match carrying both the IWGP Tag Team Championship belts and the World Tag League trophies, stolen from his two opposing teams. The finish saw Yano perform a blind tag. As the Guerrillas of Destiny faced off with Ishii, Yano snuck up behind them and hit them with the *634*, a double low blow. Ishii then hit the champions with a double lariat, which led to Yano rolling up Roa to win the match and make himself and Ishii the new IWGP Tag Team Champions.

The seventh match on the main card featured Kushida defending the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Hiromu Takahashi. Near the finish of the match, Kushida locked Takahashi in his finishing hold, the *Hoverboard Lock*, but Takahashi managed to reach the ring ropes to force the referee to break the hold. Takahashi then dropped Kushida with a running Death Valley driver into the turnbuckles, before hitting him with the *Time Bomb* to win the match and become the new champion, ending Kushida's reign in his first defense. The next match saw Hirooki Goto defeat Katsuyori Shibata with the *GTR* to become the new NEVER Openweight Champion. Afterwards, Shibata announced he wanted to distance himself from the NEVER Openweight Championship, having wrestled for it eleven times during 2016. The semi-main event featured Tetsuya Naito defending the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Hiroshi Tanahashi. In the end, Naito blocked Tanahashi's *High Fly Flow* with his knees and then hit him with his finishing maneuver, *Destino*, first swinging from the ring ropes and then normally in the ring to to win the match and retain the title. Following the match, Naito showed respect to Tanahashi by bowing to him. The win marked a clean sweep for L.I.J., who left Wrestle Kingdom 11 holding three championships with all five members being champions. Backstage, Naito was confronted by Michael Elgin, who challenged him to a title match.

The main event of Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome saw Kazuchika Okada defend the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against 2016 G1 Climax winner Kenny Omega. The match lasted 46 minutes and 45 seconds, making it the longest in the history of the January 4 Dome Show. The match featured dives from the ring over the safety barricade as well as table spots, with Omega first double stomping a table that was laid on top of Okada, before being back body dropped by Okada out of the ring through the table. At the end of the match, Omega hit Okada with the *V-Trigger*, before setting up his finishing maneuver, *Katayoku no Tenshi*. Okada, however, got out of the hold and dropped Omega with a spinning jumping tombstone piledriver. Okada then hit Omega with his finishing maneuver, the *Rainmaker*, to win the match and retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

Following the match, Omega praised Okada as the "best wrestler in Japan, perhaps even the world", while Okada dubbed Omega the best foreign wrestler in the history of NJPW.

## Reception

Dave Meltzer of the *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*, who normally rates matches on a scale of zero to five stars, gave the main event a six-star rating, stating that Okada and Omega "may have put on the greatest match in pro wrestling history". Bryan Rose, also of the *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*, called Wrestle Kingdom 11 "[a] really great show, with the last four title matches delivering what they set out to accomplish", adding that it was "[n]ot the best top to bottom WK card of all time, but this was a great show that'll be tough to top in 2017". Mike Johnson of *Pro Wrestling Insider* called the top four matches "absolutely great" and the main event "one of the best matches [he had] ever seen". While the main event was also praised by industry veterans like Daniel Bryan, Mick Foley and Stone Cold Steve Austin, Jim Cornette, while calling the match "a great display of athleticism", ultimately panned it as an "exhibition of guys doing moves", stating that the match had "obvious cooperation and moves that nobody could really get up from". Okada himself caused some controversy among fans by stating on Twitter that his match with Omega was better than the match between AJ Styles and John Cena at WWE's Royal Rumble.

## Aftermath

Following Wrestle Kingdom 11, all of NJPW's championships were held by two stables; CHAOS and *Los Ingobernables de Japon*, with members of CHAOS holding the IWGP Heavyweight, NEVER Openweight, IWGP Tag Team and IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships, while members of L.I.J. held the IWGP Intercontinental, IWGP Junior Heavyweight and NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships. However, this ended the following day, when L.I.J. lost the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship to Hiroshi Tanahashi, Manabu Nakanishi and Ryusuke Taguchi, in what marked Nakanishi's first title win in seven and a half years. The show also saw a major angle with the return of the Suzuki-gun stable, who attacked Chaos, ending with Minoru Suzuki laying out IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada.

On January 6, Kenny Omega announced that he would be "stepping away from Japan to reassess [his] future", adding that he had no plan and was "weighing all options". Rumors quickly rose that Omega would be debuting for the WWE at the Royal Rumble on January 29. Adding to the rumors was John Cena posting a picture of Omega on his Instagram account just as he had done with AJ Styles prior to his debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble. In a video that was later pulled by WWE, Seth Rollins stated that he hoped Omega would be in the Royal Rumble match. Omega, in an interview with *Tokyo Sports*, claimed he was suffering from a burnout, having focused completely on winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the Tokyo Dome, but failing despite perfect training and preparation. Omega was not booked on the *Fantastica Mania 2017* tour and stated that he wished to also miss the next tour, starting on January 27. Omega's original NJPW contract was set to expire at the end of January 2017 with some believing he had already re-signed, although Omega himself denied signing any new contracts. On January 26, Omega announced in an interview with *Wrestling Observer Radio* that he had decided to stay with NJPW. Omega stated that he was going to be flying back to Japan in February to negotiate a new one-year deal with the promotion.

In May 2017, NJPW announced two rematches from Wrestle Kingdom 11 for their Dominion 6.11 in Osaka-jo Hall show on June 11; Kazuchika Okada versus Kenny Omega for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and Tetsuya Naito versus Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Later, after Kushida had won the 2017 Best of the Super Juniors, a third Wrestle Kingdom 11 rematch between him and Hiromu Takahashi was also announced for the show. Kushida and Tanahashi went on to win their matches to become new champions, while the main event between Okada and Omega ended in a 60-minute time-limit draw. In his review of the show, Dave Meltzer wrote that "Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega followed one of the greatest pro wrestling matches of all-time, with an even better sequel", awarding the match a six and a quarter star rating.

## References

1. ↑ Wrestle Kingdom 11 Theme Song - "Get Ready" by Cypress Ueno and Roberto Yoshino . *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2016-11-14). Retrieved on 2016-11-14.
2. ↑ WrestleKingdom11 . *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2017-01-04). Retrieved on 2017-01-04.
3. ↑ WrestleKingdom11 . *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2017-01-04). Retrieved on 2017-01-04.
4. ↑ WrestleKingdom11 . *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2017-01-04). Retrieved on 2017-01-04.
5. ↑ WrestleKingdom11 . *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2017-01-04). Retrieved on 2017-01-04.
6. ↑ GFW News: New Japan Pro Wrestling "Wrestle Kingdom 9" press conference details . *Pro Wrestling Dot Net* (2014-12-23). Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Keller, Wade 2016-12-13. New Japan's WrestleKingdom 11 to air on AXS TV starting Jan. 13 in four weekly special episodes with Ross & Barnett on commentary . *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved on 2016-12-13.
8. ↑ Meltzer, Dave 2016-12-12. NJPW reveals complete Wrestle Kingdom 11 lineup . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-12-12.
9. ↑ Nason, Josh 2016-12-13. NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 11 airing on AXS TV starting January 13th . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-12-13.
10. ↑ ja:1.4東京ドームを地上波2時間半超の大型枠にて放送決定！ ゲストに人気俳優の安田顕、人気声優の三森すずこ、サッカー解説者の松木安太郎や黒のカリスマ蝶野正洋が出演!!【WK11】 (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2016-12-30). Archived from the original on 2016-12-30. Retrieved on 2016-12-30.
11. ↑ Grabianowski, Ed. How Pro Wrestling Works . *HowStuffWorks, Inc.*. Discovery Communications. Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 ja: 【WK11】東京ドーム第1弾カード決定！ケニーは「俺が新しい“伝説”を創る」と宣言！オカダは「ドームのメインはそんなに甘くない」と一刀両断!!【10.11会見】 (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2016-10-11). Archived from the original on 2016-11-07. Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Meltzer, Dave 2016-06-18. NJPW Dominion live results: Tetsuya Naito vs Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP HW Championship . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
14. ↑ *ja:【新日Ｇ１】初出場初優勝！ケニー・オメガが史上初の外国人覇者に* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-08-15). Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Rose, Bryan 2016-10-09. NJPW King of Pro Wrestling live results: Kazuchika Okada vs. Naomichi Marufuji . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
16. ↑ Rose, Bryan 2016-09-22. NJPW Destruction in Hiroshima results: Kenny Omega defends his title shot . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
17. ↑ *ja:【新日本】ケニー激白！ＩＷＧＰベルト国際化プラン明かす* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-12-20). Retrieved on 2016-12-20.
18. ↑ *ja:【新日】オカダに王者の貫禄　ＩＷＧＰ初挑戦・ケニーの挑発を受け流す* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-10-11). Retrieved on 2016-12-14.
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 ja: 【1.4東京ドーム第2弾カード決定！】 内藤vs棚橋のIC戦、KushidavsヒロムのIWGP Jr.戦、ヤングバックスvsロッポンギのIWGP Jr.タッグ戦が正式決定！ (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2016-11-07). Archived from the original on 2016-11-07. Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
20. ↑ Meltzer, Dave 2016-01-12. New Japan strips Shinsuke Nakamura of the Intercontinental Title . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
21. ↑ Rose, Bryan 2016-01-30. NJPW Road to New Beginning report: Nakamura bids farewell to New Japan . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
22. ↑ Meltzer, Dave 2016-02-13. NJPW New Beginnings: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kenny Omega for the IWGP IC Title . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
23. ↑ *ja:【レスリングどんたく】ケニー・オメガ　棚橋とラダーマッチで激突へ* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-05-04). Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
24. ↑ Caldwell, James 2016-06-03. Big change to New Japan’s “Dominion” PPV – Tanahashi out due to injury, ROH star replacing in first-ever NJPW ladder match . *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
25. ↑ *ja:新日・内藤 エルガンの指名受諾！ＩＣ王座に照準* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-08-19). Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
26. ↑ *ja:【新日プロ】Sanada　棚橋追放予告「ドームはファンサービス要員で来い」* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-08-19). Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
27. ↑ Rose, Bryan 2016-09-25. NJPW Destruction in Kobe results: Elgin defends his title against Naito . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
28. ↑ Currier, Joseph 2016-10-13. Michael Elgin out of NJPW Power Struggle main event due to injury . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
29. ↑ *ja:【新日本】ＩＣ王者・内藤　１・４東京ドームで棚橋と激突へ「トランキーロ！　あっせんなよ」* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-11-06). Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
30. ↑ *ja:【新日本】内藤が因縁の“ファン投票問題”で注目発言* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-11-07). Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
31. ↑ ja: 【WK16】IC王者・内藤、なんと“ファン投票”を真っ向否定！ 挑戦者・棚橋は回答を“保留”したが…!!【1.4東京ドーム会見】 (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2016-11-07). Archived from the original on 2016-11-07. Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
32. ↑ *ja:【新日本】内藤の正論攻勢に棚橋“惨敗”* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-11-08). Retrieved on 2016-11-08.
33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 Rose, Bryan 2016-11-04. NJPW Power Struggle live results: Tetsuya Naito vs. Jay Lethal . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
34. ↑ ja:高橋 広夢 (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling*. Archived from the original on 2015-12-24. Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
35. ↑ Meltzer, Dave (May 2, 2016). "May 2, 2016 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Death of Chyna, new UFC 200 main event, plus tons of news". *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Campbell, California: 42. ISSN 1083-9593.
36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 NJPW World Tag League finals live results: The winners are crowned . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter* (2016-12-09). Retrieved on 2016-12-10.
37. ↑ *ja:【新日本】Kushidaに挑戦のヒロムがLIJ軍入り* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-12-12). Retrieved on 2016-12-12.
38. ↑ Rose, Bryan 2016-12-16. NJPW Road to Wrestle Kingdom 11 results: LIJ vs. Tanahashi & Kushida . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-12-16.
39. ↑ ja: 【今週末より！『Jr.Tag』トーナメント開幕！】10月21日（金）後楽園で、石森＆ACHvsヤングバックス！リコシェ組vsオスプレイ組！田口＆フエゴ組！【PS16 】 (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2016-10-11). Archived from the original on 2016-10-11. Retrieved on 2016-11-07.
40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 40.2 40.3 40.4 ja:【1.4東京ドーム・全カード決定！】柴田vs後藤！タマ＆タンガvs真壁＆本間！オライリーvsコール！Codyはジュースと激突！タイガーマスクWは第1試合に出陣！【WK11】 (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2016-12-12). Archived from the original on 2016-12-12. Retrieved on 2016-12-12.
41. ↑ Johnson, Mike 2016-12-12. Complete lineup for New Japan Wrestle Kingdom 2017, ROH Final Battle main event rematch announced . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2016-12-12.
42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 *ja:【新日】真壁＆本間がタッグリーグ連覇　１・４ドームでＩＷＧＰタッグ王座挑戦へ* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-12-11). Retrieved on 2016-12-12.
43. ↑ Meltzer, Dave 2016-04-09. NJPW Invasion Attack live results: Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Championship . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-12-12.
44. ↑ Rose, Bryan 2016-05-03. NJPW Wrestling Dontaku results: Super Juniors lineups; IWGP champ Naito vs. Ishii . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-12-12.
45. ↑ *ja:矢野通が乱入　１・４東京ＤでＩＷＧＰタッグ挑戦ゴリ押し要求！* (in Japanese). *Daily Sports Online*. Kobe Shimbun (2016-12-17). Retrieved on 2016-12-16.
46. ↑ *ja:【12月17日（土）後楽園のカードが一部変更】 “IWGPタッグ挑戦”を要求する矢野が石井とタッグ結成！裕二郎＆Soldierと激突!!【WK11】* (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2016-12-17). Retrieved on 2016-12-17.
47. ↑ *ja:戦国炎舞 -Kizna- Presents Road to Tokyo Dome* (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2016-12-17.
48. ↑ ja:1.4東京ドーム・IWGPタッグ選手権試合は、矢野通&石井智宏組も加わり、3Wayマッチに！　NEVER無差別級6人タッグ選手権に、邪道が参戦！【WK11】 (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2016-12-19). Archived from the original on 2016-12-19. Retrieved on 2016-12-19.
49. ↑ *ja:柴田１・４洋央紀倒しタイトル戦線殴りこむ* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2013-12-16). Retrieved on 2016-12-12.
50. ↑ Macklin, Matthew 2014-12-30. Previewing this weekend's New Japan WrestleKingdom PPV . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2016-12-12.
51. ↑ Caldwell, James 2015-01-04. Caldwell's NJPW Tokyo Dome show results 1/4: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of live Wrestle Kingdom PPV – Tanahashi vs. Okada, Bullet Club, Nakamura, Jim Ross, more . *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved on 2016-12-12.
52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 *ja:【新日本】同級生対決が新展開！柴田と洋央紀の遺恨再燃* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-12-06). Retrieved on 2016-12-12.
53. ↑ *ja:【新日】後藤洋央紀　１・４ドームでＮＥＶＥＲ王者・柴田に挑戦へ* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-12-11). Retrieved on 2016-12-12.
54. ↑ *ja:【新日本】１・４東京ドーム全１０試合決定 ＮＥＶＥＲ王座戦は柴田と洋央紀同級生対決* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-12-13). Retrieved on 2016-12-13.
55. ↑ *ja:【新日本】柴田が木谷オーナーに激怒！ＮＥＶＥＲ王座封印辞さず* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-12-17). Retrieved on 2016-12-17.
56. ↑ *ja:戦国炎舞 -Kizna- Presents World Tag League 2016* (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2016-12-12.
57. ↑ Currier, Joseph 2016-12-19. NJPW announces change in Wrestle Kingdom 11 tag title match . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2016-12-19.
58. ↑ Keller, Wade 2016-12-02. Keller's ROH Final Battle 2016 PPV report 12/2: Cole vs. O’Reilly, Cody Rhodes vs. Lethal, Cabana vs. Dalton, Briscoes vs. Young Bucks . *Pro Wrestling Torch*. Retrieved on 2016-12-12.
59. ↑ ja:【WK11】16時10分開始！1.4東京ドームの第0試合『ニュージャパン・ランボー』に、天山、永田、中西、ライガー、タイガー、田口が出場決定!! (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling* (2016-12-22). Archived from the original on 2016-12-22. Retrieved on 2016-12-22.
60. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Rumble`
61. ↑ 61.0 61.1 61.2 61.3 61.4 61.5 Johnson, Mike 2017-01-04. Omega vs. Okada classic, Tanahashi vs. Naito, lots of title changes & more: complete New Japan Wrestle Kingdom 11 coverage . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2017-01-04.
62. ↑ *ja:【新日１・４ドーム】時間差バトルロイヤルはエルガンが復活勝利* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2017-01-05). Retrieved on 2017-01-05.
63. ↑ *ja:【新日１・４ドーム】華麗技で魅了！タイガーマスクＷがダークに快勝* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2017-01-05). Retrieved on 2017-01-05.
64. ↑ 64.0 64.1 64.2 64.3 64.4 64.5 64.6 64.7 64.8 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `WrestleKingdom11`
65. ↑ *ja:【新日１・４ドーム】ロメロ、バレッタ組がＩＷＧＰジュニアタッグ王座奪取* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2017-01-05). Retrieved on 2017-01-05.
66. ↑ *ja:戦国炎舞 -Kizna- Presents Wrestle Kingdom 11 in 東京ドーム* (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2017-01-05.
67. ↑ *ja:【新日１・４ドーム】NEVER6人タッグはSanada組が制す* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2017-01-05). Retrieved on 2017-01-05.
68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 68.2 68.3 68.4 68.5 68.6 NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 live results: Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter* (2017-01-03). Retrieved on 2017-01-04.
69. ↑ *ja:【新日１・４ドーム】元ＷＷＥのＣｏｄｙが圧巻新日デビュー* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2017-01-05). Retrieved on 2017-01-05.
70. ↑ Johnson, Mike 2017-01-04. New ROH Champion crowned, history made . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2017-01-05.
71. ↑ *ja:【新日１・４ドーム】ＲＯＨ世界選手権はコール奪還「新日征服する」* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2017-01-05). Retrieved on 2017-01-05.
72. ↑ *ja:【新日１・４ドーム】ＩＷＧＰタッグ選手権3Way戦は逃げて逃げて最後に…矢野が盗った！* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2017-01-05). Retrieved on 2017-01-05.
73. ↑ *ja:【新日１・４ドーム】高橋ヒロムがＩＷＧＰジュニア初戴冠* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2017-01-05). Retrieved on 2017-01-05.
74. ↑ *ja:【新日１・４ドーム】洋央紀万感！ＮＥＶＥＲ新王者だ* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2017-01-05). Retrieved on 2017-01-05.
75. ↑ 75.0 75.1 *ja:棚橋弘至・Kushida時代の終焉…ロス・インゴベルナブレスがベルト席巻！* (in Japanese). *Battle News* (2017-01-05). Retrieved on 2017-01-05.
76. ↑ *ja:【新日１・４ドーム】ＩＣ王座Ｖ２ 内藤ついに棚橋超え！* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2017-01-05). Retrieved on 2017-01-05.
77. ↑ *ja:【新日１・４ドーム】オカダ　史上最長４６分４５秒の死闘制しＩＷＧＰ２度目の防衛！* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2017-01-05). Retrieved on 2017-01-05.
78. ↑ *ja:【新日１・４ドーム】ＩＷＧＰヘビー級王者オカダＶ２「死ぬかと思った」* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2017-01-05). Retrieved on 2017-01-05.
79. ↑ Meltzer, Dave 2017-01-05. January 9, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Ronda Rousey loses potential final fight, NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 review . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2017-01-05.
80. ↑ Schwartz, Nick 2017-01-08. John Cena trolls wrestling fans worldwide on his Instagram . *Fox Sports*. Retrieved on 2017-01-14.
81. ↑ Allen, Taylor 2017-01-23. Winnipeg wrestler Kenny Omega wins 'greatest match in pro wrestling history' . *Metro Winnipeg*. Retrieved on 2017-01-25.
82. ↑ Cornette, Jim (January 11, 2017). "Episode 163: Austin Idol (Part 1)". *The Jim Cornette Experience*. MLW Radio Network.
83. ↑ *ja:【新日本】オカダ　Ｖ６戦に “最強挑戦者”ケニー選んだ理由* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2017-05-05). Retrieved on 2017-05-05.
84. ↑ 84.0 84.1 Rose, Bryan 2017-01-05. NJPW New Year's Dash results: The return of Suzuki-gun . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2017-01-05.
85. ↑ *ja:【新日本・後楽園】中西が７年半ぶりベルト奪取* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2017-01-06). Retrieved on 2017-01-08.
86. ↑ Omega teases exiting New Japan, Fantasticamania lineups released . *Pro Wrestling Insider* (2017-01-06). Retrieved on 2017-01-06.
87. ↑ Johnson, Mike 2017-01-08. You will never guess what John Cena posted on Instagram . *Pro Wrestling Insider*. Retrieved on 2017-01-09.
88. ↑ Kenny Omega reveals his future plans . *Pro Wrestling Dot Net* (2017-01-26). Retrieved on 2017-01-26.
89. ↑ *ja:燃え尽きたケニー心配される精神的ダメージ* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2017-01-09). Retrieved on 2017-01-09.
90. ↑ Currier, Joseph 2017-01-09. Kenny Omega addresses his future & WWE rumors . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2017-01-09.
91. ↑ Alvarez, Bryan; Meltzer, Dave (January 26, 2017). "WOR: Kenny Omega talks the decision he has made on his wrestling future". *Wrestling Observer Radio*. Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Online.
92. ↑ Currier, Joseph 2017-05-04. Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega rematch set for NJPW Dominion . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2017-05-06.
93. ↑ Rose, Bryan 2017-06-05. NJPW rounds out Dominion card with two more title matches . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2017-06-11.
94. ↑ Rose, Bryan 2017-06-10. NJPW Dominion live results: Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2017-06-11.
95. ↑ Meltzer, Dave (June 19, 2017). "June 19, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Conor McGregor/Floyd Mayweather on, Okada/Omega classic, more". *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Campbell, California: 6–19. ISSN 1083-9593.
96. ↑ *ja:戦国炎舞 -Kizna- Presents Wrestle Kingdom 11 in 東京ドーム* (in Japanese). *New Japan Pro Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2017-01-04.

## External links

* The official New Japan Pro Wrestling website
* The official Wrestle Kingdom 11 website