13 Ups & 4 Downs From NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13
Ups...
13. Big Night, Big News
Those who skipped the pre-show missed several huge announcements, as NJPW dropped a big Wrestle Kingdom 14 bombshell: in a break from tradition, the promotion's signature show will take place across two consecutive nights, both held inside the Tokyo Dome, in 2020.
This is massive. More than 38,000 poured into the baseball stadium last night, and while attracting comparable numbers for two nights is a huge ask, it's great that New Japan are even in the financial position to pull such a ballsy move. It almost guarantees an immaculate build, too, as the consequences (both in terms of business and potential embarrassment) of a Dome full of empty seats are monstrous.
A number of other dates were announced, including a London show at the 7,500-capacity Copper Box Arena on 31 August, continuing the European excursions started in 2018.
How NJPW's business will be impacted by All Elite Wrestling's emergence remains to be seen, particularly outside of Japan. Regardless, this is encouraging. Rather than being rattled by the newfound competition, wrestling's second biggest promotion have been empowered to push harder towards their ambitions than ever before.