Next month New Japan Pro Wrestling will host their biggest event of the year, WrestleKingdom 15 from the Tokyo Dome. This extravaganza is similar to WWE’s WrestleMania, and for the second year in a row will be presented as a two-night event. (January 4th & 5th).
According to the Wrestling Observer, NJPW was considering putting the grudge matchup between Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay in the main event slot for night one, an idea that has since been scrapped. As of this writing the current headliner will be Kota Ibushi challenging Double IWGP champion Tetsuya Naito, with the winner defending the gold the next night against Bullet Club leader Jay White.
The report does not mention exactly why Okada and Ospreay was set to go on last over the company’s top titles, with speculation being that the quality of the bout would be hard to follow. Okada and Ospreay met earlier this year in the G1 Climax, where Ospreay finally defeated the Rainmaker thanks to outside interference. That sparked the beginning of Ospreay’s newest faction The Empire ,which consists of himself, Great O-Khan, and Jeff Cobb.
Stay tuned.