Founded | 1997 |
---|---|
Defunct | March 1998 |
Style | Shoot style |
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan |
Founder(s) | Former UWFi wrestlers |
Predecessor | UWF International |
Successor | Pride Fighting Championships Kingdom Ehrgeiz |
Kingdom, or Kingdom Professional Wrestling, was a Japanese shoot style professional wrestling promotion that held events in 1997 and 1998. It was considered a continuation of UWF International, having most of its former roster: Nobuhiko Takada, Yoji Anjo, Kazushi Sakuraba, Daijiro Matsui, Naoki Sano, Masahito Kakihara, Yoshihiro Takayama, Kenichi Yamamoto and Hiromitsu Kanehara.
Several wrestlers began pursuing mixed martial arts during their time at the promotion, most notably Kazushi Sakuraba who won the UFC Japan: Ultimate Japan heavyweight tournament representing Kingdom. The promotion is also a predecessor to the Pride Fighting Championships, which held their first event towards the demise of Kingdom. With the rise of mixed martial arts, Kingdom held legitimate shoot fights in their events.