The much-anticipated New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) pay-per-view (PPV) event NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 is set to take place over two nights, starting with Day 1 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on Wednesday, January 4, 2023.
This will be the 32nd January 4 Tokyo Dome Show. Day 2 NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 will be held on Tuesday, January 21, 2023 at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. We will provide some Wrestle Kingdom 17 Day 1 odds from BetOnline in this preview.
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17, the 17th event promoted under the Wrestle Kingdom brand name, will be honoring NJPW founder Antonio Inoki, a 12-time professional world champion and the first-ever IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
Inoki, who founded NJPW in 1972, died on October 1, 2022 at the age of 79.
DAYS TO WRESTLE KINGDOM: 🔟
Wrestle Kingdom 17 sees us pay tribute to an icon and our founder Antonio Inoki!
A special tribute match will preface a huge Tokyo Dome event!
LIVE in English ONLY on @njpwworld!https://t.co/fV4cYNTR1N#njpw #njwk17 pic.twitter.com/ixGFAyGCyB
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) December 25, 2022
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 Day 1 will feature appearances from wrestlers in WWE, World Wonder Ring Stardom, Pro Wrestling Noah (NOAH), and All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White will try to defend his championship versus G1 Climax 2022 winner Kazuchika Okada in one great matchup from Day 1 on January 4 and pro wrestling sites have Okada as a big -400 (1/4) betting favorite.
IWGP United States (US) Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay will also try to defend his title against AEW star and former NJPW star Kenny Omega. BetOnline has Ospreay as a solid -300 favorite (1/3) over underdog Omega at +200 (2/1) at the Tokyo Dome.
Also, on tap for Day 1, WWE Superstar Karl Anderson will defend his NEVER Openweight Championship against Tama Tonga and Ren Narita will face Zack Sabre Jr. to crown the inaugural NJPW World TV Champion. BetOnline has Sabre Jr. as the -180 chalk.
IWGP Women’s Champion Kairi will put her championship belt on the line against challenger Tam Nakano in Day 1 at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17. Kairi is the prohibitive betting favorite in that women’s fight at -1000 (1/10) with Nakano at +500 (5/1).
And IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Taiji ishimori will also be defending his championship in an enticing four-way match on Day 1 what will also feature:
The main event of Wrestle Kingdom 17 is officially set!
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
Jay White (C) vs Kazuchika Okada pic.twitter.com/L645v6YcUZ— Ciarán (@CiaranRH93) October 10, 2022
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match
Underdog Jay White beat Kazuchika Okada to become the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion at Dominion 2022, so these two are familiar with each other and the online oddsmakers are favoring Okada to claim the champion’s belt in Tokyo.
Okada won his G1 Climax 32 A Block Singles match against Jeff Cobb by a pinfall to earn this NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 Day 1 showdown.
White defeated Sanada by a pinfall in his G1 Climax 32 B Block Singles match on the first night of the tournament at Hokkai Kitayell in Toyohira-ku, Sapporo, Japan on July 16, 2022, in the match preceding Okada-Cobb.
Expect Okada to get his revenge here and beat White in the main event, possibly by a pin.
IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Match
Will Ospreay is the US Heavyweight Champion and he will put his belt on the line on Wednesday against Kenny Omega at the Tokyo Dome.
BetOnline has Ospreay as a solid -300 favorite (1/3) over underdog Omega at +200 (2/1).
Ospreay beat El Phantismo by a pinfall in his D Block Singles match on the first night of the G1 Climax 32 tournament at Hokkai Kitayell in Toyohira-ku, Sapporo on July 16.
Ospreay also wrestles for NJPW’s United Kingdom based partner promotion Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro), he hails from England and is the leader of the United Empire stable. Ospreay is the longest reigning undisputed British Heavyweight Champion.
These two men have had a very public rivalry that has spilled over onto social media and has spanned numerous wrestling promotions. Although, not the main event, this is probably the most highly anticipated bout on the card.
Unfortunately for Omega fans, I believe Ospreay will get the win here which will definitely intensify their feud. Perhaps, Omega will get revenge in an AEW ring in 2023.
The KAIRI Interview
Days before she defends IWGP Women's gold at Wrestle Kingdom 17, @KAIRI_official reflects on her title win, battling Tam Nakano, and what may lie beyond for her as champion!https://t.co/XpSQ4al3YA#njpw #njwk17 pic.twitter.com/OUudTMrfmG
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) December 29, 2022
IWGP Women’s Championship Match
In the IWGP Women’s Championship Match at the Tokyo Dome in NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 Day 1, defending champion Kairi faces challenger Tam Nakano in one of the card’s 12 events.
BetOnline has Kairi as the huge favorite here at -1000 with Nakano priced at +500 on the takeback and it’s hard to see anything but a Kairi pin and win in this showdown January 4. Would love to see a Sasha Banks appearance after this match.
NJPW World Television Championship Tournament Final Match
Match 7 on the Wrestle Kingdom 17 Day 1 card will see Zack Sabre Jr. and Ren Narita meeting in the NJPW World Television Championship Tournament Final Match.
Oddsmakers online have made Sabre Jr. a -180 favorite over underdog Ren Narita, priced at +140. Thirty-two fighters started in this tournament which started in October.
Bracket survivors Sabre Jr. defeated Evil by a pinfall in his Semifinal while Narita beat Sanada by a pin in his Semifinal match in Battle Autumn (Night 16) back on November 5.
The 4 Way match at Wrestle Kingdom 17 can see @taiji_ishimori losing the championship to a familiar foe, @ElDesperado5.
Desperado has shown a fire inside that could help him at the Tokyo Dome, and could make him be the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion!
📷 @taigaPhoto_pw pic.twitter.com/J4W2LxSmdF
— Monthly Puroresu (@MonthlyPuroresu) October 11, 2022
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match
Oddsmakers have Ishimori as the -150 favorite for the fight (2/3) with El Desperado and Takahashi both lined at +250 (5/2) with Master Wato the big underdog here at +650 (13/2).
Ishimori will try to find a way to keep his championship here but you never know what’s in store with professional Wrestling and the storylines they like to have evolve.
Seeing one of the three underdogs like El Desperado win here wouldn’t surprise hardcore NJPW fans in the least.
🔥JANUARY 4
🔥TOKYO DOME
🔥WRESTLE KINGDOM 17
🔥DOUBLE MAIN EVENT
Jay White vs Kazuchika Okada
Kenny Omega vs Will Ospreay🔥CHEERING CROWDS
🔥LIVE ENGLISH @njpwworld
International Tickets: https://t.co/xs5Qs07CJ3
Full previewhttps://t.co/fV4cYNUoRl#njpw #njwk17 pic.twitter.com/eGGK1Fr1qP
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) December 15, 2022
Wrestle Kingdom 17 Should Definitely Live up to the Hype
Besides these five higher-profile matches on the card, there are others to look forward to including Match 2, a six-man tag team match—the Inoki Memorial—featuring Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima and Togi Makabe vs. Tatsumi Fujinami, Minoru Suzuki and Tiger Mask.
Also on tap will be another six-man tag team match and the farewell one for NJPW legend Keiji Muto. Will he go out as a winner?
With all of this and more, NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 Day 1 should be an entertaining PPV with more than enough drama and surprises over the 12-fight card.
You can stream NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 Day 1 on Wednesday, January 4 on the NJPW World App but remember the early starting time of 3 am EST/12 am PST (8 am GMT) if you plan on betting and/or watching this event.
