New Japan has announced that a Japanese wrestling legend will be part of Wrestle Kingdom next month. Yuji Nagata has been added to the pre-show match, replacing Michael Elgin.
We recently posted on the news that Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger would not be appearing at Wrestle Kingdom. Liger had been part of every Tokyo Dome event since 1989 except for the 1995 iteration. Incidentally Yuji Nagata now appearing means that he maintains a 25 year January 4th appearance streak. This will also be his 31st consecutive New Japan Tokyo Dome card, more than anyone else in history.
Yuji Nagata was also recently added to the Wrestling Observer’s Hall of Fame. The WO Hall of Fame is notoriously difficult to be added to, giving credence to the level of star and ability of the legendary Nagata.
Here’s the five teams taking part in the pre-show gauntlet match:
- Ryusuke Taguchi, Toru Yano, & Togi Makabe
- Minoru Suzuki, Davey Boy Smith Jr., and Lance Archer
- Jeff Cobb, Yuji Nagata, & David Finlay
- Chuckie T, Beretta, and Hirooki Goto
- Marty Scurll, Hangman Page, and Yujiro Takahashi
Here’s the full card for Wrestle Kingdom 13:
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Kenny Omega (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi - IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Chris Jericho (c) vs Tetsuya Naito - Kazuchika Okada vs Jay White
- IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
KUSHIDA (c) vs Taiji Ishimori - IWGP United States Championship
Cody (c) vs Juice Robinson - RevPro British Heavyweight Championship
Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs Zack Sabre Jr. - IWGP Tag Team Championships
Guerrillas of Destiny (c) vs The Young Bucks vs. EVIL and SANADA - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado (c) vs Roppongi 3K vs BUSHI and Shingo Takagi - IWGP NEVER Openweight Championship
Kota Ibushi (c) vs Will Ospreay
Yuji Nagata will replace Michael Elgin at the pre-show match!?WK13?https://t.co/U8Voj4AkOS#njpw #njwk13 pic.twitter.com/3Drebiiyvg
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) December 21, 2018