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King of Pro-Wrestling (2017)

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King of Pro-Wrestling (2017)
Promotional poster for the event, featuring Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito and Kenny Omega
PromotionNew Japan Pro-Wrestling
DateOctober 9, 2017
CityTokyo, Japan
VenueRyōgoku Kokugikan
Attendance9,234[1]
Event chronology
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Lion's Gate Project 8
King of Pro-Wrestling chronology
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2018
New Japan Pro-Wrestling events chronology
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Global Wars 2017

King of Pro-Wrestling (2017) was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), which took place on October 9, 2017, in Tokyo at Ryōgoku Kokugikan. This was the sixth event under the King of Pro-Wrestling branding.

The top two matches featured Kazuchika Okada defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Evil and Tetsuya Naito defending his status as the number one contender to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 12 against Tomohiro Ishii.

Production

[edit]

Background

[edit]

King of Pro-Wrestling is considered NJPW's biggest event between August's G1 Climax and the January 4 Tokyo Dome Show.[2][3][4]

Storylines

[edit]
Evil, the number one contender to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship heading into King of Pro-Wrestling

King of Pro-Wrestling featured nine 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.[5]

King of Pro-Wrestling was main evented by Kazuchika Okada defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Evil.[6][7][8] In July, Okada, having at that point held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for over a year, entered the 2017 G1 Climax with the goal of winning the tournament as the reigning heavyweight champion, arrogantly asking for anyone to stop him.[6] On August 5, Okada suffered his first singles match loss in almost a year, when Evil scored an upset win over him.[6][9] Okada then went on to wrestle Minoru Suzuki to a draw, before losing another match to Kenny Omega, thus failing to advance to the finals of the tournament.[6] With Evil also failing to reach the finals, he established himself as the next challenger for Okada's title by attacking him after a match on August 13.[10] Eight days later, NJPW officially announced the match between Okada and Evil for King of Pro-Wrestling.[7][11] The match would mark Evil's first-ever shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.[12] The match would mark the eighth title defense for Okada, whose reign had started on June 19, 2016.[6] With a successful title defense, Okada stood to break Shinya Hashimoto's 489-day record for the longest reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion on October 22.[13][14]

Tetsuya Naito carrying the briefcase containing the Tokyo Dome IWGP Heavyweight Championship challenge rights certificate

On August 13, Tetsuya Naito defeated Kenny Omega in the finals to win the 2017 G1 Climax.[6] Following the win, Naito gained possession of the Tokyo Dome IWGP Heavyweight Championship challenge rights certificate, granting him an IWGP Heavyweight Championship match at NJPW's biggest event of the year, Wrestle Kingdom 12 in Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2018. Upon receiving the certificate, Naito nominated Tomohiro Ishii as his first challenger for it due to Ishii defeating him not only during the 2017 G1 Climax, but also during the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship tournament in July.[6][15] The match was officially announced for King of Pro-Wrestling on August 21.[7][11]

The rest of the matches for the show were announced on September 25, the day after Destruction in Kobe.[16][17][18] Added were title matches for both of NJPW's junior heavyweight titles. In the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match, Kushida would defend the title against Will Ospreay.[16] After successfully defending the title against El Desperado on September 16 at Destruction in Hiroshima, Kushida was approached by Ospreay, who stated that he was being defined as the man who could not beat Kushida and wanting to change that perception, challenged him to a title match. This was followed by Hiromu Takahashi entering the ring, but before he could make his own challenge, he was knocked out by Ospreay.[16][19] Ospreay had been defeated by Kushida in all four of their previous matches against each other,[20] including the finals of the 2017 Best of the Super Juniors and What Culture Pro Wrestling's 2017 Pro Wrestling World Cup tournaments,[16][21] as well as two IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship matches, which took place on April 10, 2016, at Invasion Attack 2016 and June 19, 2016, at Dominion 6.19 in Osaka-jo Hall.[22][23] In the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match, Funky Future (Ricochet and Ryusuke Taguchi) were set to defend the title against the mystery team known only as "Roppongi 3K".[16] After dissolving his Roppongi Vice tag team with Beretta on September 16, Rocky Romero approached Ricochet and Taguchi after they had successfully defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship against Taichi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru and announced he was bringing in a new team to challenge them for the title.[19] Heading into the title match, the identities of Roppongi 3K were kept secret.[16][17]

The IWGP Tag Team Championship was to be defended in a three-way tornado elimination match, where the defending champions Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer) would face the Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) and War Machine (Hanson and Raymond Rowe).[16] The three teams faced off in three separate three-way title matches during the previous Destruction tour; the first two matches were won by the defending champions War Machine,[19][24] while the third match was won by the Killer Elite Squad, who captured the IWGP Tag Team Championship for the first time in three years and eight months.[16][25] Following the conclusion of the third match, both Guerrillas of Destiny and War Machine challenged Killer Elite Squad to another three-way match, which would this time be contested under elimination rules.[16]

Results

[edit]
No.Results[26][27][28][29]StipulationsTimes[1]
1Los Ingobernables de Japón (Bushi, Hiromu Takahashi and Sanada) defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Leo Tonga and Yujiro Takahashi) (with Pieter and Raby)Six-man tag team match06:44
2Chaos (Hirooki Goto and Toru Yano) defeated Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki and Zack Sabre Jr.) (with El Desperado and Taka Michinoku) by Count OutTag team match09:18
3Roppongi 3K (Sho and Yoh) (with Rocky Romero) defeated Funky Future (Ricochet and Ryusuke Taguchi) (c)Tag team match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship14:52
4Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer) (c) defeated Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) and War Machine (Hanson and Raymond Rowe)Three-way tornado elimination match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship16:10
5Luxury Trio (Cody, Kenny Omega and Marty Scurll) defeated Chaos (Beretta, Jado and Yoshi-Hashi)Six-man tag team match13:42
6Juice Robinson and Kota Ibushi defeated Ace to King (Hiroshi Tanahashi and Togi Makabe)Tag team match10:26
7Will Ospreay defeated Kushida (c)Singles match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship15:32
8Tetsuya Naito defeated Tomohiro IshiiSingles match for the Tokyo Dome IWGP Heavyweight Championship challenge rights certificate23:56
9Kazuchika Okada (c) (with Gedo) defeated EvilSingles match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship33:26
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "King of Pro-Wrestling". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  2. ^ 【10.13両国全カード決定!】年内最後の“IWGPヘビー選手権”AJvs棚橋！“権利証戦”オカダvs内藤！勝者同士が1.4東京ドームで激突!!. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). September 24, 2014. Archived from the original on September 25, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  3. ^ 【10.12両国全カードが決定！】メインはオカダvsAJ！棚橋vs内藤！真壁vs石井！ケニーvsサイダル！ジュニアタッグ戦！本間vsYoshiも実現！. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). September 29, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  4. ^ Meltzer, Dave (September 26, 2016). "NJPW announces full King Of Pro Wrestling show lineup". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  5. ^ Grabianowski, Ed. "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g 【10月9日（月・祝）両国大会の主要カード決定！】IWGP王者・オカダにEvilが初挑戦！“G1覇者”内藤がIWGP挑戦権利証を懸けて石井と再戦!!. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). August 21, 2017. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c Rose, Bryan (August 21, 2017). "NJPW announces Destruction cards, King of Pro wrestling matches". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  8. ^ Radican, Sean (August 30, 2017). "NJPW announces lineups for Destruction PPVs, Okada's next title defense announced, Naito's first G1 Climax 27 briefcase defense". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  9. ^ 【新日Ｇ１】オカダついに連勝ストップ　Evilに敗れリング上で大の字. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  10. ^ Rose, Bryan (August 12, 2017). "NJPW G1 Climax 27 finals live results: Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenny Omega". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  11. ^ a b Johnson, Mike (August 21, 2017). "New Japan announces 'King of Pro Wrestling' main events, Destruction tour lineups". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  12. ^ 【新日本】オカダ IWGP王座V8戦でEvilにG1の雪辱だ. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). August 22, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  13. ^ Bergonzi, Ezequiel (August 3, 2017). "Los récords que puede romper Kazuchika Okada en 2017". Superluchas (in Spanish). Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  14. ^ 【新日本】オカダ　IWGP最長政権樹立見えた. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). August 25, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  15. ^ 【新日】Ｇ１覇者・内藤が「ＩＷＧＰ挑戦権利証」獲得　防衛戦に石井を指名. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). August 14, 2017. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i 【10月9日（月・祝）両国の全カード決定！】Kushidavsオスプレイ！ 棚橋が飯伏とタッグ戦！ 噂の“Roppongi 3K”がJr.タッグ挑戦！ Cody、スカル、ザックも参戦！. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). September 25, 2017. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  17. ^ a b Rose, Bryan (September 24, 2017). "NJPW reveals full card for King of Pro Wrestling". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  18. ^ 【新日】１０・９両国の全対戦カード発表　KushidaはオスプレイとＶ３戦. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). September 25, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  19. ^ a b c Rose, Bryan (September 16, 2017). "NJPW Destruction in Hiroshima results: Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  20. ^ Macklin, Matthew (October 6, 2017). "New Japan's King of Pro Wrestling 2017 preview". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  21. ^ Currier, Joseph (August 26, 2017). "Daily Update: Mayweather vs. McGregor, Charlotte, WCPW World Cup". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  22. ^ Caldwell, James (April 10, 2016). "4/10 NJPW "Invasion Attack 2016" PPV Report – Okada vs. Naito, Ospreay's debut, more big title matches". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  23. ^ Caldwell, James (June 19, 2016). "6/19 NJPW Dominion PPV Results – Caldwell's Complete Live Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  24. ^ Rose, Bryan (September 10, 2017). "NJPW Destruction in Fukushima results: Minoru Suzuki vs. Michael Elgin". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  25. ^ Rose, Bryan (September 23, 2017). "NJPW Destruction in Kobe live results: Kenny Omega vs. Juice Robinson". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  26. ^ Rose, Bryan (October 8, 2017). "NJPW King of Pro Wrestling live results: Kazuchika Okada vs. Evil". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  27. ^ Johnson, Mike (October 9, 2017). "Evil vs. Okada, Naito vs. Ishii, Roppongi 3K revealed & more: complete New Japan Pro Wrestling King of Pro Wrestling coverage". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  28. ^ Namako, Jason (October 9, 2017). "10/9 NJPW King of Pro Wrestling Results: Tokyo (Okada vs. Evil)". Wrestleview. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  29. ^ Radican, Sean (October 11, 2017). "Radican's 10/9 NJPW "King of Pro Wrestling" PPV report – Ospreay-Kushida, Naito-Ishii, Okada-Evil". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
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