New Japan advances on the Tokyo Dome with “WRESTLE KINGDOM V” on January 4th, and the full card of 13 big matches were announced today! As expected, ace Hiroshi Tanahashi is the chosen one to try and bring home the IWGP Heavyweight Champion from freelancer Satoshi Kojima, who has returned to New Japan with such impact this year. The feud that never dies, Togi Makabe vs. Masato Tanaka, continues under it as in a rematch from their IWGP Heavyweight Title slugfest a few months ago, they collide again.

Two young men at the top of their promotions go to war again as Shinsuke Nakamura and Pro Wrestling NOAH’s great young hope Go Shiozaki meet one year to the day after Shiozaki faced Nakamura’s generation rival, Tanahashi, in the same building. One half of NO LIMIT, Tetsuya Naito, is thrown into the spotlight as he challenges the “Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy for the TNA World Heavyweight Title in the biggest match of Naito’s career to date. One of New Japan’s brightest young stars, Naito has impressed massively this year and is rewarded with this match.

Another of New Japan’s great young hopes, Kazuchika Okada, returns home after a lengthy spell in TNA Wrestling, as he teams with Hirooki Goto against GHC Heavyweight Champion, Takashi Sugiura, and the man who was in last year’s 1/4 main event, Yoshihiro Takayama. A very big return match for Okada, who will look to show his growth and make an impact. The Best of the Super Jr. final will be replayed, this time over the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title, as two of the most impressive junior heavyweights in Japan, Prince Devitt and Kota Ibushi, collide over the prestigious belt. This continues Devitt’s run of defending the belt against outsiders, the Irishman yet to have defended against one of New Japan’s own.

Old rivals Yuji Nagata and Minoru Suzuki reunite in combat on the heels of Suzuki return to New Japan days ago, in a rematch from the original “WRESTLE KINGDOM” titled show on 1/4/07. Rob Van Dam, known to all American wrestling fans, is another TNA star to hit the Dome as he battles CHAOS second-in-command, Toru Yano. And speaking of CHAOS, the dastardly Takashi Iizuka revives his blood feud from 2009 with the recently returned Hiroyoshi Tenzan in a “DEEP SLEEP TO LOSE MATCH”, where the only way to win is to render your opponent unconscious.

The road to the CMLL/New Japan co-hosted “FANTASTIC MANIA” show sees three of CMLL’s finest showcased at the Dome, as Hector Garza teams with New Japan’s own Jushin Thunder Liger against La Sombra & Mascara Dorada. The show will kick off with a bang as Bad Intentions defend their IWGP Tag Team Title in a 3WAY Match against Tokyo Sports Tag MVP winners, Manabu Nakanishi & Strong Man, and TNA Wrestling’s Beer Money Inc., who defeated Bernard & Anderson in a non-title match at the beginning of the G1 Tag League tour.

There will also be two dark matches for fans who arrive early, focusing on interpromotional junior action and the New Japan vs. CHAOS feud.

NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM V IN TOKYO DOME”, 1/4/11 (WPW/PPV)
Tokyo Dome

0-1. World Wrestling Interpromotional Match: Wataru Inoue, Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma & Tama Tonga vs. Yujiro Takahashi, Tomohiro Ishii, Jado & Gedo
0-2. World Wrestling Invitation Match: Koji Kanemoto & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kenny Omega & Taichi
1. IWGP Tag Team Title – 3WAY Match: Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson (c) vs. James Storm & Robert Roode vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Strong Man
2. ROAD TO FANTASIC MANIA: Jushin Thunder Liger & Hector Garza vs. La Sombra & Mascara Dorada
3. DEEP SLEEP TO LOSE: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Takashi Iizuka
4. NJPW-TNA Greatest Showcase: Toru Yano vs. Rob Van Dam
5. NO JUSTICE, NO LIFE: Yuji Nagata vs. Minoru Suzuki
6. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Prince Devitt (c) vs. Kota Ibushi
7. NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Combustion I – Kazuchika Okada Return Match: Hirooki Goto & Kazuchika Okada vs. Takashi Sugiura & Yoshihiro Takayama
8. TNA World Heavyweight Title: Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
9. NJPW vs. NOAH Battle Combustion II: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Go Shiozaki
10. The Absolute Exhaust: Togi Makabe vs. Masato Tanaka
11. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Satoshi Kojima (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

Before the Tokyo Dome comes a build-up show at Korakuen with some big matches leading in!

NJPW “ROAD TO KINGDOM ~BATTLE XMAS!~”, 12/23/10 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Manabu Nakanishi & Tomoaki Honma vs. Toru Yano & Jado
2. Hirooki Goto & Tama Tonga vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito
3. Jushin Thunder Liger, Koji Kanemoto & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Taichi, X & X
4. Special 6 Man Tag Match: Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Tiger Mask vs. Masato Tanaka , Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii
5. Special Tag Match: Shinsuke Nakamura & Gedo vs. Go Shiozaki & Atsushi Aoki
6. Special Tag Match: Yuji Nagata & Wataru Inoue vs. Yoshihiro Takayama & Minoru Suzuki
7. Special Tag Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Prince Devitt vs. Satoshi Kojima & Kota Ibushi