WWE has WrestleMania but every January 4 New Japan Pro Wrestling puts on a spectacle like no other as they present Wrestle Kingdom from the Tokyo Dome.
The annual event is in its 17th year and will see all the NJPW gold on the line, including the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
While Wrestle Kingdom is always one of the biggest events in any wrestling fan's calendar, this year there's some extra intrigue for fans outside of Japan, thanks to WWE's Sasha Banks.
Back in 2018, at Wrestle Kingdom 12, Chris Jericho (then with WWE) faced Kenny Omega in a dream match, leading to a huge surge in NJPW World subscriptions from English-speaking fans.
With reports that Sasha is set to make her debut at Wrestle Kingdom 17, NJPW will no doubt be hoping to capture the same level of intrigue from fans outside of Japan. While Sasha isn't scheduled to have a match, many believe she will make an appearance after the IWGP Women’s Championship match between Kari (WWE's Kari Sane) and Tam Nakano.
Getting Sasha would be huge for NJPW, who established the IWGP Women’s Championship in November. The title is NJPW's first-ever women's championship, with matches mainly featuring competitors from NJPW's sister promotion Stardom.
Wrestle Kingdom 17 will also see current WWE Superstar Karl Anderson defend his NEVER Openweight Championship against Tama Tonga.
Anderson won the NEVER Openweight Championship before he and tag partner Luke Gallows made their return to WWE in October.
He left NJPW before dropping the NEVER title and also pulled out of their Battle Autumn show in November where he was scheduled to defend against Hikuleo.
Anderson ended up having the match with Hikuleo in December and unexpectedly retained the title, setting up the Wrestle Kingdom match with Tama Tonga.
But Wrestle Kingdom will not only see a current WWE Superstar appear, as AEW will also be represented when Kenny Omega takes on Will Ospreay.
The match will be Omega's first with NJPW since Wrestle Kingdom 13 in January 2019, after which he left Japan for AEW.
AEW's FTR will also be on the card, defending their IWGP Tag Team Championship against Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi.
The main event will see the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on the line as Bullet Club leader Jay White takes on Kazuchika Okada.
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 card: What's the full match card for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17?
- IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match: Jay White (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada
- IWGP US Championship match: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Kenny Omega
- IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match: Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. El Desperado vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Master Wato
- Keiji Muto, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Shota Umino vs Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI)
- NEVER Openweight Championship: Karl Anderson (c) vs. Tama Tonga
- Tournament Final for NJPW World Television Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ren Narita
- IWGP Tag Team Championship: FTR (c) vs. Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi)
- IWGP Women’s Championship match: KAIRI (c) vs. Tam Nakano
- IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Catch 2/2 (TJP and Francesco Akira) (c) vs. Chaos (Yoh and Lio Rush)
- Antonio Inoki Memorial Match: Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima & Togi Makabe vs Tatsumi Fujinami, Tiger Mask & Minoru Suzuki
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 start time: What date and start time is NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 in the UK?
In the UK, NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 starts at 6.20am for the preliminary matches and 8am for the main card on Wednesday, January 4.
What's the date and start time for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 in the US?
In the US, NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 starts at 12:00 am(PST), 3:00 am(EST) for the main card, with the preliminary matches starting one hour 40 minutes before on Wednesday, January 4.
How do I watch NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 ?
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 will air live globally on NJPW World which is available online and on Amazon Fire TV. NJPW World costs ¥999 (around £6) per month.
Fans can head to https://njpwworld.com/ where they'll find a button on the top left corner to take you to the English language site where you can sign up for full access.
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 will be available to watch with both English and Japanese commentary.
