A very big news day for New Japan, and we’ll start with the full 10/13 Sumo Hall card that was announced, and what a lineup this looks to be. Shinsuke Nakamura’s chance for revenge is set, as he challenges Keiji Muto for the IWGP Heavyweight Title. Tenzan and Iizuka’s second Death Match follows their Lumberjack Death Match from July that Tenzan won, and this one will feature a chain. G1 winner Hirooki Goto battles RISE betrayer and gaijin ace Giant Bernard in a special singles match. Hiroshi Tanahashi, quiet since returning from injury and after having a mediocre G1, is set to head to TNA on an indefinite refresher, and his last match looks to be at Sumo Hall as he and Chono battle Nakanishi & Yoshie, the reformed monster team.

NJPW “DESTRUCTION ‘08″, 10/13/08 (WPW/PPV)
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Minoru & Prince Devitt (c) vs. Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito
2. Jushin Thunder Liger, Koji Kanemoto & Tiger Mask vs. Jado, Gedo & Low Ki
3. Togi Makabe, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Satoshi Kojima , KAI & Hiroshi Yamato
4. Masahiro Chono & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Yutaka Yoshie
5. Hirooki Goto vs. Giant Bernard
6. Chain Death Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Takashi Iizuka
7. Yuji Nagata vs. Masato Tanaka
8. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Keiji Muto (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

All twelve teams for the G1 Tag League have been announced, and its a unique cast of heavyweights, juniors, home-based stars, and outsiders. Rocky Romero returns after a long time, teaming with another familiar face, Negro Casas, while Taichi Ishikari has finally won Milano’s respect after their long feud, and they team up. There is no Hiroshi Tanahashi in this tournament, as he will be off to America by that time. The top two teams in the group stage will meet in the final at Korakuen Hall on November 5th.

- [MVP] Togi Makabe & Toru Yano (IWGP Tag Team Champions)
- [TenKoji] Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (G1 Tag League 2001 winners)
- [RISE NxG] Shinsuke Nakamura & Hirooki Goto
- [Big Mountains] Manabu Nakanishi & Yutaka Yoshie
- [DETONATORS] Giant Bernard & Rick Fuller
- [Aogi-gun] Yuji Nagata & Mitsuhide Hirasawa
- [WK2] Wataru Inoue & Koji Kanemoto
- [IRON HADES] Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii
- [The World Class Tag Team] Jado & Gedo
- [NO LIMIT] Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito
- [Uni-ONE] Milano Collection AT & Taichi Ishikari
- [Caribbean Syndicate] Negro Casas & Rocky Romero

January 4th, 2009 will mark the 20th year that New Japan Professional Wrestling has run the Tokyo Dome, after the first was held on April 24th, 1989. Many trades routes with other promotions have been opened in recent times, as New Japan has worked hard and patiently to rebuild its image after lots of turmoil this decade, and President Sugabayashi wants them to put on a show worthy of the industry leader in January when New Japan runs “WRESTLE KINGDOM III IN TOKYO DOME”. Sugabayashi wants Nakamura to lift the IWGP belt from Muto and greet the Tokyo Dome in January with it to start the year fresh. The president’s plan is to run a “professional wrestling all-star” show featuring talent from all the promotions New Japan is linked to - such as All Japan, ZERO1-MAX, DRADITION, and TNA Wrestling. But magazine reports have suggested that Professional Wrestling NOAH, when while enjoying a boom, cut off ties with New Japan over a disagreement with then-president Simon Inoki, is working hard to reestablish ties with New Japan. NO LIMIT’s invasion of NOAH might be considered baby steps, but Sugabayashi has laid out his conditions: NO LIMIT come back with the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title and we may see NOAH at the Tokyo Dome in January, as he believes a NJ/NOAH fighting environment needs some context and thinks that could be it.