Kazuchika Okada wants the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match to headline NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18, but he is open to a fan vote for it.
SANADA will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Tetsuya Naito at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 while Okada will wrestle Bryan Danielson.
In a recent interview with Tokyo Sports, Okada opined on whether a fan vote should determine the main event of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18. He said,
“I can understand if I were to say, ‘It’s okay to do it,’ but I think the customers are starting to say that,” he said. “I can understand if I say, ‘Why don’t we do it,’ but I think the audience is starting to say that. It was 10 years ago, right? I want New Japan to have IWGP fights as the main event, so I hope they will never waver. But, well…if I’m going to do it, I’ll do it. I think it’s okay to do as much as you want to do.”
SANADA vs. Naito is currently listed as the main event of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18.
MLW has released a video of Delmi Exo issuing a challenge for MLW One-Shot, calling out Princess Of Princess Champion Miyu Yamashita.
MLW One-Shot takes place on December 7th and airs live on FITE+.
You can check out Exo’s challenge below:
Mayu Iwatani will not be competing at the STARDOM Gold Rush event after suffering a dislocated finger.
STARDOM announced that Iwatani dislocated her pinkie finger and would be taken off the show.
It was also announced that Waka Tsukiyama is taking some time off due to a lumbar hernia.
Mayu Iwatani dislocated her pinky finger and withdraws from the November 18 Gold Rush PPV from Osaka.
Waka Tsukiyama is also taking time off due to a lumbar hernia.
— We Are Stardom (@we_are_stardom) November 14, 2023
And finally, SHO will defend the KOPW Championship against Taichi this weekend, and he has listed several proposed stipulations for the match.
NJPW announced that SHO had listed some stipulations provided by the HOUSE OF TORTURE, breaking the tradition of both sides usually giving their proposed match stipulation leading to a fan vote.
The voting on the stipulations begins tomorrow, with the stipulations proposed as follows:
* Lumberjack Strap Match (proposed by EVIL)
* Two on One Handicap Match (proposed by Dick Togo)
* Yujiro Takahashi serves as ‘special weapons officer’ and gives weapons to the two (proposed by Takahashi)
* Yoshinobu Kanemaru as guest referee (proposed by Kanemaru)
SHO has also added the stipulation that in any case, the loser can never wrestle in Yamagata again and that “any use of the Black Mephisto, Seitei Jujiho, Dangerous Backdrop, or sumo techniques is forbidden. In that case, I’ll say my finishers are banned as well.”
The match is scheduled for the November 17th show in Yamagata.
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Kazuchika Okada, one of the top stars in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), has expressed his desire for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match to headline NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18. However, he is also open to the idea of a fan vote determining the main event.
In a recent interview with Tokyo Sports, Okada shared his thoughts on the matter. He acknowledged that while he personally wants the IWGP fights to always be the main event, he understands that the audience’s opinion should also be taken into consideration. He mentioned that fans have been expressing their desire for a fan vote to determine the main event, and he believes it is okay to give the fans what they want.
Currently, the main event for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 is scheduled to be SANADA defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Tetsuya Naito. Okada, on the other hand, will be facing Bryan Danielson in a highly anticipated match.
In other wrestling news, MLW (Major League Wrestling) has released a video of Delmi Exo challenging Princess Of Princess Champion Miyu Yamashita for MLW One-Shot. The event is set to take place on December 7th and will be broadcast live on FITE+.
Meanwhile, STARDOM announced that Mayu Iwatani will not be competing at the STARDOM Gold Rush event due to a dislocated finger. Additionally, Waka Tsukiyama will be taking some time off due to a lumbar hernia.
Lastly, SHO will be defending the KOPW (King of Pro-Wrestling) Championship against Taichi this weekend. Interestingly, SHO has listed several proposed stipulations for the match, breaking the tradition of both sides usually giving their proposed stipulation leading to a fan vote. The stipulations include a Lumberjack Strap Match, a Two on One Handicap Match, and more. The voting on the stipulations will begin soon.
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In conclusion, Kazuchika Okada’s desire for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match to headline NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 highlights the importance of fan engagement in professional wrestling. The industry continues to evolve, and fan opinions are being taken into consideration more than ever before. It will be interesting to see if NJPW decides to implement a fan vote for the main event and how it will impact the future of the promotion.