Wrestle Kingdom Rewind: Fighting Spirit Forever
A tribute to the past and a bridge to the future at Wrestle Kingdom 17
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There was a lot to celebrate heading into January 4, 2023. Wrestle Kingdom 17 would be the culmination of 50 year anniversary festivities for NJPW, bringing the half century celebrations to a close and opening a new chapter. Meanwhile, after long years of pandemic enforced restrictions, capacity crowds were returning, and at the last minute before event day, cheering crowds were confirmed for the Tokyo Dome to welcome a loaded card. Yet the biggest note for Wrestle Kingdom would be a poignant one. The death of founder Antonio Inoki in the autumn would transform the theme of the card into that of an Inoki memorial, and as such, represented the past, present and future of a legendary legacy.
Wrestle Kingdom 17 would become, across TV, NJPW World and in person, the most watched Wrestle Kingdom to that point in history. While many of those that tuned in were there for the debut of Mercedes Moné, or the brutal war between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay for the IWGP United States Championship, the fitting main event was for the crown jewel of the King of Sports, challenged for by a man who had proudly worn the founder’s influence on his sleeve throughout 2022.
Having won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on January 4 2022, Okada took the responsibility of carrying the standard of New Japan Pro-Wrestling through its 50th year very seriously. The Rainmaker would repeatedly state that he hoped for Inoki himself to appear at a NJPW event to see him in action in person, but fate would have other designs. Inoki’s declining health would put paid to a personal appearance, while Okada would be separated from the World Heavyweight gold by the time summer rolled around.
Switchblade Jay White had been absent from Wrestle Kingdom 16, plying his trade in the US and under the banner of NJPW STRONG. White was out of sight and out of mind, but when the ninth anniversary of BULLET CLUB came around at Dontaku 2022 though, he returned to the forefront to lay out Okada and issue a challenge for his title. In their resulting title match at Dominion, Jay White would seize the IWGP gold, and retained it at forbidden Door in Ch9icago and against Tama Tonga in Ryogoku. Having fallen short of glory two years earlier, White saw WK17 as his chance to bathe in the splendour of a Tokyo Dome main event win, but Okada stood in his way.
The Rainmaker had won the G1, his second consecutive and fourth overall, but Jay White had the Rainmaker’s number, with none of their bouts on Japanese soil ending with Okada’s hand raised. That changed in the main event. In a culmination of their five prior singles matches, both champion and challenger knew one another like the backs of their hands, and that paid off in the closing stretch for Okada. White went for a ‘Jaymaker’ on Okada but the Rainmaker struck with his own version of the Bladerunner, before a Cobra Flowsion and emphatic Rainmaker ended White’s reign. The night would close with a fitting tribute, as Okada led the crowd in an emphatic cheer of ‘1,2,3 Daa!’ in tribute to one of professional wrestling’s greatest icons.
For the IWGP United States Championship, Will Ospreay would defend against AEW’s Kenny Omega. All the way through the pandemic, Ospreay’s scintillating performances had kept fans entranced, and garnered a perception of being the modern best bout machine label that Omega had long laid claim to. A challenge issued at Historic X-Over gave to mind a very similar challenge that Chris Jericho had issued to Kenny himself five years prior, and set the two for an emotional contest.
In his first NJPW match since 2019, Omega was going all out on Ospreay, quickly using a table to his advantage. With a psychotic bent, aided all the while by the scheming Don Callis at ringside, Omega laid brutal assault after brutal assault into the Briton. Ospreay kept coming back, and countered a top rope Dragon suplex with a Robinson Special, but moments later, a sickening DDT onto an exposed corner would open the champion up.
Fired up at the sight of his opponent’s blood, Omega was even more brutal to Ospreay, who omehow survived sickening V Triggers and even Croyt’s Wrath off of the top tope. With all he had, Ospreay summoned up a Styles Clash and Hidden Blade, but even as he spat in defiance, the champion took a Kamigoye and then One Winged Angel as Omega walked away with the US title.
Omega’s win would see the US title scene mired in some controversy amiod a lack of defences in the months to come. A similar fate had befallen the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship ever since the summer of 2022, and Wrestle Kingdom 17 saw a four way match designed to clear up the controversy.
Taiji Ishimori had won the junior gold for the third time at Dontaku 2022 from Hiromu Takahashi, and defended it against Hiromu in a rematch in Korakuen Hall after Takahashi had won Best of the Super Jr. After that match, Ishimori was surprised by the NJPW return of KUSHIDA, but a planned challenge from the Timesplitter never happened after he contracted hand, foot and mouth disease. In his place, Master Wato scooped a non title singles win on Ishimori, and as BOSJ finalists Hiromu and Desperado joined the mix, the title was finally set to be defended at Wrestle Kingdom.
In a hectic environment, it would be Hiromu uncharacteristically keeping his head while all around lost theirs. Wato planted Desperado with Recientemente, but Ishimori pulled the referee away before using a chair. Recientemente landed on Ishimori in response, but then Hiromu was able to strike with a Time Bomb II on Wato and his fifth IWGP reign that would last all the way to the next year’s Wrestle Kingdom.
