King of Pro-Wrestling

This article is about the NJPW event. For the King of Pro-Wrestling championship, see KOPW (professional wrestling championship).
King of Pro-Wrestling
The NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling logo
NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling logo
PromotionsNew Japan Pro-Wrestling
First eventKing of Pro-Wrestling (2012)

King of Pro-Wrestling is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event has been held every October since 2012 and aired domestically as a pay-per-view (PPV). The event also aired internationally as an internet pay-per-view (iPPV) until 2015, when it was moved to NJPW's worldwide internet streaming site, NJPW World.

King of Pro-Wrestling was created by Bushiroad, a card game company, which had bought NJPW in January 2012.[1] The event became NJPW's main show of October, a spot previously held by Destruction, which was instead moved back to September. 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 (体育の日, Taiiku no hi). Held annually at Tokyo's Ryōgoku Kokugikan, the event has been nicknamed "Autumn Showdown at Ryōgoku" (秋の両国決戦, Aki no Ryōgoku Kessen) and is considered NJPW's biggest event between August's G1 Climax and the January 4 Tokyo Dome Show.[2][3][4] Traditionally, King of Pro-Wrestling is main evented by the final defense of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship before the January 4 Tokyo Dome Show.[5]

King of Pro-Wrestling is also the name of a collectible card game, created by Bushiroad.[6]

  1. ^ Caldwell, James (January 31, 2012). "NJPW News: New Japan sold to new owners, change-over taking effect February 1". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  2. ^ 【10.13両国全カード決定!】年内最後の“IWGPヘビー選手権”AJvs棚橋！“権利証戦”オカダvs内藤！勝者同士が1.4東京ドームで激突!!. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). September 24, 2014. Archived from the original on September 25, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  3. ^ 【10.12両国全カードが決定！】メインはオカダvsAJ！棚橋vs内藤！真壁vs石井！ケニーvsサイダル！ジュニアタッグ戦！本間vsYoshiも実現！. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). September 29, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  4. ^ Meltzer, Dave (September 26, 2016). "NJPW announces full King Of Pro Wrestling show lineup". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  5. ^ 【新日本】王者オカダに挑むEvil「俺が勝てば年内にV1戦強行」. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). September 26, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  6. ^ 新日本プロレスのトレーディングカードゲーム「キング オブ プロレスリング」概要決定!! 8月の『G1』で先行発売!!. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). February 29, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2013.