By: R. Faliani
When Kazuchika Okada defeated Jay White at the Tokyo Dome, we thought Wrestle Kingdom 17 was over, but the leader of Kongo had other plans. KENOH stormed through Tetsuya Naito’s press conference with a declaration of war in the middle of the show, and his challenge was loud and clear. Motivated by his loss against Kaito Kiyomiya, and the responsability of representing Pro-Wrestling NOAH in this conflict, Kongo’s leader challenged Los Ingobernables de Japon to a series of matches to truly define which was the biggest group in Japan today. LIJ’s leader accepted the challenge, and everything was set for another historic night at Yokohama Arena.
拳王ら金剛が、L・I・Jのバックステージに殴り込み!
拳王「オイ!シングルだ! 見てみろ! 1vs1だ。金剛はな、何でもいいぞ!(こっちは)6人いんだよ。テメエらは何人いんだよ?1vs1だ。どっちが強いか、決着を…つけてやるからな」
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⇒https://t.co/wgLjIVWDlG#wk17 pic.twitter.com/7lKeIN8xZZ
— 新日本プロレスリング株式会社 (@njpw1972) January 4, 2023
The days passed, and New Japan Pro Wrestling announced not only the event, but the card of Wrestle Kingdom 17. The top stars of NJPW and NOAH were going to clash against each other in crazy tag team matches, but the hype came for that series of 5 matches between KONGO and Los Ingobernables. Each member of the group was going to have his own singles match to showcase his talents, and to prove who was the better man. The last two matches were the most promising, because they had what many consider to be 4 of the best wrestlers in the world today. Shingo Takagi was going to face Katsuhiko Nakajima, and KENOH was going to face Naito in the main event.
Here's your Yokohama Arena full card and preview!https://t.co/PNABF2Cy7j#NJPWvsNOAH pic.twitter.com/xdkHmQocgL
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) January 6, 2023
While the tensions were already high due to the nature of this showdown, the actions of said groups leading to this event were truly interesting. As both groups were filled with charisma and attitude, the road to Yokohama Arena was nothing but chaos. The angry and serious KENOH faced the “Tranquilo” and “Calmado” attitude of Naito, and their interactions were something to behold. KENOH invited Los Ingobernables to come to his territory, and Naito commanded the most passive-agressive invasion we ever saw. A challenging Naito forced each member of Kongo to sign, and this was the most disrespectful thing he did in a long time. And that’s a lot coming from a man that destroyed prestigious belts. Kongo was defied, NOAH was defied, and of course, every member of LIJ enjoyed every second of it.
😯 This was the shocking moment when L.I.J arrived at the NOAH show today!
L.I.J, directed by leader Tetsuya Naito, had been invited by KONGO supremo Kenoh! #NJPWvsNOAH #noah_ghc #njpw pic.twitter.com/5OREElbtC2
— Pro Wrestling NOAH Global (@noahglobal) January 15, 2023
The road to Wrestle Kingdom was filled with interviews, segments, and the most petty trashtalk between each group. Of course, the contrast between the serious Kongo and the playful LIJ offered some of the best entertainment we had on our timelines, and while Kaito Kiyomiya, Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi and many others will wrestle on this show, the spotlight is on the rivalry between each team, and every little piece of this big puzzle by the name of Wrestle Kingdom 17. Kongo and LIJ were the protagonists of the show, and their natural charisma and ability to be the most disrespectful and insufferable possible with their opponents were the undisputed highlight of the road to Yokohama Arena.
Liger calls Kenoh ‘KONGO-kun’ by accident and @kenoh_prowres EXPLODES! #noah_ghc #NJPWvsNOAH #njpw #新日本VSノアpic.twitter.com/Svg4mDBLRc
— Pro Wrestling NOAH Global (@noahglobal) January 20, 2023
This series of matches will showcase the best of the best each company has to offer, and the Main Event will be an absolute classic. Each group will give his absolute best to defeat the other company, and finally put an end to this never-ending rivalry. Kongo will defend Mitsuharu Misawa’s Ark, and LIJ will defend Antonio Inoki’s spirit. We are just hours away from an historic night for pro-wrestling as a whole, and many people are looking forward to see what each faction will bring to the table, in matches that promise to steal the show, and even compete against the first night of Wrestle Kingdom 17, that was already filled with the best pro-wrestling we have seen from NJPW on a long time. You can see this show live in NJPW World with English commentary.
It's #NJPWvsNOAH Saturday January 21, and it's #kongo vs #LIJ in a five match singles series!
Full card, preview: https://t.co/DQFTiWu47q
LIVE in English (outside Japan) on @njpwworld PPV!
(separate purchase required. Added to subscription service 1/28) pic.twitter.com/BtKQLjHX14
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) January 6, 2023
Date:
January 20, 2023
Category:
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