NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16 Results Coverage, Reactions & Highlights For January 4, 2022

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16, a Pay Per View extravaganza produced by New Japan Pro Wrestling, captivated wrestling fans from January 4, 2022, to January 8, 2022, at the prestigious Tokyo Dome – Yokohama Arena, located in Tokyo, Japan, and Yokohama, Japan.

This marquee event marked the 31st edition of the highly anticipated Wrestle Kingdom / January 4 Tokyo Dome Show series, following the success of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15. A staggering crowd of 25,503 passionate fans filled the arena, setting the stage for a series of enthralling matches and unforgettable moments.

The main event of the evening featured a fiercely contested showdown between Shingo Takagi and Kazuchika Okada, with Kazuchika Okada also engaging in battles against Will Ospreay and teaming up with Hiroshi Tanahashi to face off against Keiji Muto and Kaito Kiyomiya.

Here are the key details of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16:

Event Info:

• Promotion: New Japan Pro Wrestling
• Event Type: Pay Per View
• Start Date: January 4, 2022
• Event Date: January 8, 2022
• Year: 2022
• Event Series: Wrestle Kingdom / January 4 Tokyo Dome Show
• Location: Tokyo, Japan – Yokohama, Japan
• Arena: Tokyo Dome – Yokohama Arena
• Attendance: 25,503
• Network: NJPW World

Main Event:

• Shingo Takagi vs. Kazuchika Okada
• Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
• Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Keiji Muto & Kaito Kiyomiya

NIGHT 1 – TOKYO DOME (01/04):

• [PPV Kick-Off]
  • 19-Man New Japan Ranbo
    • “Final 4 will challenge for the Provisional KOPW 2022 Trophy on Night 2”
    • Winners: Minoru Suzuki, CIMA, Chase Owens, Toru Yano
    • Participants: Minoru Suzuki, CIMA, Chase Owens, Toru Yano, Tatsumi Fujinami, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, TAKA Michinoku, Bad Luck Fale, Togi Makabe, Aaron Henare, Kosei Fujita, Yuto Nakashima, Ryohei Oiwa, Master Wato, Tomoaki Honma, Douki, Yuji Nagata, Yoshinobu Kanemaru
• “Special Match”
  • YOH defeats SHO
• Bullet Club (KENTA, Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo) defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi & Mega Coaches (Ryusuke Taguchi & Rocky Romero)
• United Empire (Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan) defeat Los Ingobernables de Japón (Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI & SANADA)
• “Special Match”
  • Katsuyori Shibata defeats Ren Narita
• NEVER Openweight Championship
  • EVIL defeats Tomohiro Ishii (c) to win the title
• IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
  • CHAOS (Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) defeat Dangerous Tekkers (Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi) (c) to capture the titles
• IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
  • El Desperado (c) defeats Hiromu Takahashi to retain the title
• IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
  • Kazuchika Okada defeats Shingo Takagi (c) to claim the championship

NIGHT 2 – TOKYO DOME (01/05):

• [PPV Kick-Off]
  • Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) & Yugi Nagata defeat Bullet Club (Gedo, Jado & Bad Luck Fale)
• [PPV Kick-Off]
  • Tencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima) & Master Wato defeat Suzuki-gun (TAKA Michinoku, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
• [PPV Kick-Off]
  • Los Ingobernables de Japón (Shingo Takagi, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi) defeat Suzuki-gun (Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi & Douki)
• IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship 3-Way Match
  • Flying Tiger (Tiger Mask & Robbie Eagles) (c) defeat Mega Coaches (Ryusuke Taguchi & Rocky Romero) and Bullet Club’s Cutest Tag Team (Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo) to retain the titles
• “Stardom Special Match”
  • Tam Nakano & Saya Kamitani defeat Mayu Iwatani & Starlight Kid
• Provisional KOPW 2022 Trophy 4-Way Match
  • Minoru Suzuki defeats CIMA, Chase Owens, and Toru Yano to win the vacant title
• NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship
  • House of Torture (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi & SHO) (c) defeat CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & YOH) to retain the titles
• “Special Match”
  • SANADA defeats Great-O-Khan
• “Special Match”
  • Tetsuya Naito defeats Jeff Cobb
• IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship No DQ Match
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi defeats KENTA (c) to win the title
• IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
  • Kazuchika Okada (c) defeats Will Ospreay to retain the title

NIGHT 3 – YOKOHAMA ARENA (01/08) – New Japan vs. NOAH:

• [PPV Kick-Off]
  • Kosei Fujita [NJPW] vs. Yasutaka Yano [NOAH] ends in Draw via Time limit
• [PPV Kick-Off]
  • Tencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima) & Yuji Nagata [NJPW] defeat Funky Express (King Tany, Muhammad Yone & Akitoshi Saito) [NOAH]
• CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) & Six or Nine (Ryusuke Taguchi & Master Wato) [NJPW] defeat Daisuke Harada, Hajime Ohara, Daiki Inaba, Yoshiki Inamura & Kinya Okada [NOAH]
• SHO [NJPW] defeats Atsushi Kotoge [NOAH]
• Stinger (HAYATA & Seiki Yoshioka) [NOAH] defeat Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & Gedo) [NJPW]
• Suzuki-gun (El Desperado & DOUKI) [NJPW] defeat Los Perros del Mal de Japón (YO-HEY & NOSAWA Rongai) [NOAH]
• Sugiura-gun (Takashi Sugiura & Kazushi Sakuraba) & Toru Yano [NOAH] defeat Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi) [NJPW]
• Go Shiozaki & Masa Kitamiya [NOAH] defeat House of Torture (EVIL & Dick Togo) [NJPW]
• Naomichi Marufuji & Yoshinari Ogawa [NOAH] defeat Suzuki-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) [NJPW]
• “Double Main Event I”
  • Los Ingobernables de Japón (Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI, SANADA & Hiromu Takahashi) [NJPW] defeat Kongo (Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kenoh, Manabu Soya, Tadasuke & Aleja) [NOAH]
• “Double Main Event II”
  • Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi [NJPW] defeat Keiji Muto & Kaito Kiyomiya [NOAH]

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16 showcased an exceptional display of athleticism, fierce rivalries, and championship glory across three action-packed nights, solidifying its status as a pinnacle event in the world of professional wrestling.