Hirooki Goto Earns #1 Contender Spot for IWGP World Title at Wrestle Kingdom 19

Wrestle Kingdom 19 kicked off with a massive New Japan Ranbo battle royal, where the winner would receive a shot at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Naturally, many fans were excited to see who would ultimately win the match and show the world they deserve to go after the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

The battle royal kicked off with big names like Josh Barnett and Great-O-Khan, keeping the fans on the edge of their seats. Yuji Nigata and Oleg Boltin would eventually make their way to the ring, followed by the likes of Hirooki Goto and Togi Makabe.

Barnett and Oleg were both eliminated at the same time while Barnett had Oleg in an armbar. KENTA came out and eliminated Yuji Nagata. YOSHI HASHI quickly ran to the ring to face KENTA. Yujiro Takahashi joined in to help KENTA, and together they eliminated YOSHI HASHI.

However, Yano Toru came out and immediately took out Takahashi and KENTA, showing his dominance. Fans were then in for a surprise as Hiroyoshi Tenzan made his way to the ring and immediately started beating up his nemesis Great-O-Khan.

This was followed up with MLW Champion Satoshi Kojima entering the match as he teamed up with Tenzan to attack Yano Toru. It didn’t work in their favor as Toru ended up pinning Tenzan to eliminate him.

Tomoaki Honma would then get fans excited with his entrance and he also set his sights on Yoru before going after Kojima. Right after that, SANADA came out with a lot to prove ot the world. However, things didn’t go as planned as he took a series of machine gun chops from Kojima. SANADA managed to escape the situation and eventually gained the upper hand.

Taichi then came out and the two would immediately start fighting outside the ring. Right after that, the tough Tomohiro Ishii entered the ring and started exchanging punches with Tomoaki Honma. In the end, Ishii managed to pin Honma, eliminating him from the match.

Alex Zayne made his way to the ring and tried to make a statement but failed. A lot of chaos ensued as Taichi, SANADA and eventually Yano Toru were eliminated back to back. Great-O-Khan then eliminated Ishii from the match from the apron while Zayne was fighting Ishii. Khan didn’t forget this as he wasted no time eliminating Zayne as well.

The final two featured Great-O-Khan and Hirooki Goto in what was certainly a nail-biting situation as both were determined to win the match no matter what. The final moments of the match saw Goto kick out O-Khan and thus, he earned the right to challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

Do you believe Hirooki Goto was the right choice to become the #1 contender for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below.