Tokyo Dome
The site of NJPW's biggest show of the year, Wrestle Kingdom, held annually on January 4 (with occasional exceptions).
The Tokyo Dome in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan has hosted a number of professional wrestling supercard events over the years. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is the promotion which has held the most shows at the Tokyo Dome, but the very first professional wrestling event at the venue was UWF's 'UWF in Tokyo Dome' on November 10, 1988, not an NJPW show. NJPW holds their annual January 4 Tokyo Dome Show event, currently promoted under the Wrestle Kingdom name – Wrestle Kingdom is considered NJPW's biggest show of the year, their version of WrestleMania. The first January 4 show, Super Warriors in Tokyo Dome, took place in 1992, but the annual tradition did not begin in earnest until 1994 (there was no January 4 show in 1993). As of night two of Wrestle Kingdom 15, NJPW has held approximately 50-51 shows in the Tokyo Dome.
- Location
- Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Primary NJPW Event
- Wrestle Kingdom (January 4)
- Significance
- Host of the company's biggest annual show
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
The Tokyo Dome was the site of the only NJPW, All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), and World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) co-promoted show, the Wrestling Summit held on April 13, 1990. WWE participated in two additional Tokyo Dome events, co-promoting WrestleFest and SuperWrestle with Super World of Sports (SWS) in 1991. Many Tokyo Dome events are collaborative efforts that feature wrestlers from multiple promotions; Weekly Pro Wrestling magazine's Bridge of Dreams event featured the participation of thirteen professional wrestling and mixed martial arts promotions and AJW's Big Egg Wrestling Universe event featured the participation of every major joshi promotion in Japan.
In Their Own Story
NJPW wrestler Hiroshi Tanahashi has worked eleven main event matches at the Tokyo Dome, the most of any wrestler. This is followed by Shinya Hashimoto, Keiji Mutoh, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Kazuchika Okada (tied at eight). The first January 4 show, Super Warriors in Tokyo Dome, took place in 1992 and has been held each year since then. As of night two of Wrestle Kingdom 15, NJPW has held a total of 55 shows in the Tokyo Dome.
Reader's Guide
The Tokyo Dome has hosted events from many promotions beyond NJPW, including Pro Wrestling Noah, All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW), DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT), Jd', the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) and its successor the Union of Wrestling Forces International (UWFi), Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi (PWFG), Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the Universal Fighting-Arts Organization (UFO), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), Global Force Wrestling (GFW), All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Ring of Honor (ROH), Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), and World Wonder Ring Stardom. The very first professional wrestling event at the venue was Battle Satellite in Tokyo Dome on April 24, 1989, promoted by NJPW.
Did You Know?
- The first professional wrestling event at the Tokyo Dome was UWF's 'UWF in Tokyo Dome' on November 10, 1988, not NJPW's Battle Satellite.
- The first January 4 Tokyo Dome Show, Super Warriors in Tokyo Dome, took place in 1992, but the annual tradition skipped 1993 before resuming in 1994.
- As of night two of Wrestle Kingdom 15, NJPW has held approximately 50-51 shows in the Tokyo Dome, not 54.
- Hiroshi Tanahashi has worked eleven main event matches at the Tokyo Dome, the most of any wrestler.
- The Tokyo Dome was the site of the only NJPW, AJPW, and WWF co-promoted show, the Wrestling Summit on April 13, 1990.
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