What's the story?
New Japan Pro Wrestling announced the complete lineup of the King of Pro-Wrestling event set to take place at the famed Ry?goku Kokugikan (popularly known as Sumo Hall) in Tokyo, Japan on October 9, 2017.
In case you didn't know...
King of Pro-Wrestling is one of the biggest shows of the NJPW calendar year and is the third largest event after G1 Climax and the Wrestle Kingdom. The event takes place annually on the second Monday of October, the day of the Japanese public holiday known as the Health and Sports Day.
This year is the sixth edition of the annual King of Pro-Wrestling event.
The heart of the matter
The full card for the King of Pro-Wrestling event is as follows :
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defending against EVIL
Tetsuya Naito defending his WrestleKingdom 12 briefcase (and the IWGP Heavyweight title shot at the Tokyo Dome) against Tomohiro Ishii
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion KUSHIDA defending against Will Ospreay
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Togi Makabe vs. Kota Ibushi & Juice Robinson
YOSHI-HASHI, Baretta & Jado vs. Kenny Omega, Cody & Marty Scurll
IWGP Tag Team Champions Killer Elite Squad defending against War Machine and Guerrillas of Destiny
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Ryusuke Taguchi & Ricochet defending against Roppongi 3K
Toru Yano & Hirooki Goto vs. Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr.
Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Leo Tonga vs. SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
Many of NJPW's current international talent will be working on the show as well, with Zack Sabre Jr., Cody, and Marty Scurll all taking part in tag team matches on the show.
What's next?
The King of Pro-Wrestling event is set to take place on October 9 at the Sumo Hall in Tokyo and is bound to be a fantastic show with such a stellar lineup.
Author's Take
Interestingly, despite being promoted during the Destruction tour, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi isn’t taking place at this event. The leading theory suggests that it will take place at WrestleKingdom 12.. Tanahashi & Togi Makabe is expected to team up to take on Ibushi & Juice Robinson.
NJPW always manages to put together great cards for their big events and this is no different. With such a plethora of incredible pro wrestling talent on the card, it is bound to be an incredible show for NJPW fans worldwide.