Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi will headline “WRESTLE KINGDOM 8″ at the Tokyo Dome, the third time this combination has main evented the famous 1/4 show. On 1/4/05 the two young men were given the big responsibility of headlining an otherwise terrible Tokyo Dome show and did well, with Shinsuke winning. Then a more mature Tanahashi and Nakamura headlined again, this time for the IWGP Heavyweight Title, on 1/4/08, Shinsuke again winning. Now, the two are established superstars of the Japanese industry and won a fan vote with 20,422 votes to headline the show above Okada vs. Naito (11,886 votes), perhaps a sign that fans are not yet ready to accept Naito as a top guy.

The full card for 1/4 was announced today with a few big additions. Hirooki Goto returns from injury to resume his fierce rivalry with Katsuyori Shibata in a singles match. Togi Makabe and King Fale will meet in a “King of Destroyer Match” where there will be no pinfalls or submissions, only a KO or TKO finish.

Toru Yano will bring a mystery partner to the Tokyo Dome to face Minoru Suzuki & Shelton Benjamin. Satoshi Kojima gets a second chance at Rob Conway’s NWA World Heavyweight Title as the two meet. And World Tag League winners Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows cash on on their chance to take the IWGP Tag Team Title, as they face the Killer Elite Squad.

So, a stacked card, so stacked that there isn’t even space for the likes of Tenzan, Nakanishi, Yujiro, Liger, and Tiger Mask, although it’s possible there will be a dark match with these.

NJPW “WRESTLE KINGDOM 8 IN TOKYO DOME”, 1/4/14 (WPW/PPV/iPPV)
Tokyo Dome

1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title – 4WAY Match: Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (c) vs. KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley vs. TAKA Michinoku & Taichi vs. Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov
2. IWGP Tag Team Title: Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. (c) vs. Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows
3. NWA World Heavyweight Title: Rob Conway (c) vs. Satoshi Kojima
4. Special Tag Match: Yuji Nagata & Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Daniel Gracie & Rolles Gracie
5. Special Tag Match: Minoru Suzuki & Shelton Benjamin vs. Toru Yano & X
6. King of Destroyer Match: Togi Makabe vs. King Fale
7. Special Singles Match – Hirooki Goto Return Match: Hirooki Goto vs. Katsuyori Shibata
8. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Prince Devitt (c) vs. Kota Ibushi
9. Double Main Event I – IWGP Heavyweight Title: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
10. Double Main Event II – IWGP Intercontinental Title: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

NJPW “DOMINION 6.22″, 6/22/13 (WPW/PPV/iPPV)
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium
7,240 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

0. TAKA Michinoku & Taichi beat Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask (7:09) when Taichi used a Taichi-style Gedo clutch on Tiger.
1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov (c) beat KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley (13:09) when Romero pinned KUSHIDA after the Contract Killer (1st defense).
2. Karl Anderson, Tama Tonga & Bad Luck Fale beat Yuji Nagata, Ryusuke Taguchi & Captain New Japan (8:19) when Fale used the Grenade on Captain.
3. IWGP Tag Team Title – 3WAY Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima (c) beat Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka and Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. (11:50) when Kojima used a lariat on Archer (1st defense).
4. NWA World Heavyweight Title: Rob Conway (c) beat Manabu Nakanishi (8:32) with the Ego Trip.
5. Minoru Suzuki & Shelton Benjamin beat Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii (12:36) when Benjamin used the Paydirt on Nakamura.
6. Tetsuya Naito Return Match: Tetsuya Naito beat Yujiro Takahashi (15:01) with a Stardust press.
7. Special Singles Match: Katsuyori Shibata beat Hirooki Goto (13:16) with a PK.
8. Prince Devitt beat Hiroshi Tanahashi (15:33) with the Bloody Sunday.
9. IWGP Heavyweight Title: Kazuchika Okada (c) beat Togi Makabe (25:04) with the Rainmaker (2nd defense).

* “Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada retained his IWGP Heavyweight Title against Togi Makabe before a packed house in Osaka tonight. In an exciting match, Okada overcame a really tough challenge from the former champion and after spiking Makabe with a tombstone piledriver, finished him off with the Rainmaker to conclude a 25 minute war. Okada was immediately challenged by Bullet Club leader Prince Devitt who is set for his first ever shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Title after picking up the biggest win of his career in the semi final. Devitt, the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion and Best of the Super Jr. winner, has completely dominated and conquered the junior division so facing Tanahashi, the face of the company, was a real test of his credentials in the heavyweight division. Unlike most of his junior matches, Devitt couldn’t beat Tanahashi without help but did beat him after help from Anderson and Fale, a second Bloody Sunday getting the job done and securing a momentous victory for the Irishman. Okada vs. Devitt looks set to happen at the pre-G1 big show on 7/20 and will determine who enters pro wrestling’s biggest tournament as IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Okada “reverse” challenged Devitt asking that Gedo get a shot at his IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title.

* After their double KO last month, former university friends Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata went at it again in a match that has people raving. In an intense stiff war that saw them trade vicious headbutts, Shibata weakened Goto with a sleeper hold before landing a PK for the big win. Shibata’s Laughter7 tag partner Kazushi Sakuraba announced on the show that he will a return from injury on 7/20 and challenged Nagata to a singles match!

* Tetsuya Naito returned from a very long injury absence against the man who put him on the shelf, former NO LIMIT tag partner Yujiro Takahashi. This was a difficult return match for Naito which Yujiro largely dominated, but Naito’s fighting spirit saw him come back and win with a Stardust press. Much will be expected of Naito in the coming months.

* The NWA Invasion continued with Rob Conway’s second NWA World Heavyweight Title defense on a New Japan show. After defeating Kojima earlier this year he today faced another third generation veteran, Manabu Nakanishi. Conway defeated Nakanishi with his Ego Trip (elevated DDT) and New Japan has still yet to throw anyone at him who can bring the historic NWA World Heavyweight Title to the company.

* The IWGP Tag Team Title was again contested by multiple teams as Tenzan & Kojima (IWGP Tag Team Champions) made a successful V1 defense of their belts against Yano & Iizuka (GHC Tag Team Champions) and the Killer Elite Squad (NWA World Tag Team Champions). Archer & Smith Jr., who were very unlucky to lose the belts last month in a 4WAY Match as neither was pinned, had the match won but the referee was knocked out. TenKoji took advantage of this, Kojima nailing Archer with a lariat for the win. Yano did what Yano does and stole the belts after the match.

* The TIME SPLITTERS vs. Forever Hooligan series continued with yet another addition to this entertaining if slightly overdone series. Having won the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title back last month, Romero & Koslov were able to prevent another title switch as they successfully defended the belts against KUSHIDA & Shelley with Rocky pinning KUSHIDA.

Seven titles will be defended across two shows as New Japan presents “INVASION ATTACK” on 4/7 at Sumo Hall and “ROAD TO INVASION ATTACK” two days earlier at Korakuen Hall. At Korakuen, the Killer Elite Squad will make their V4 defense of the IWGP Tag Team Title against Nakamura & Ishii after accepting a challenge from the CHAOS team yesterday. Prince Devitt makes his V3 defense of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title against Alex Shelley and like the tag match this also leads into another title match two days later. Another match of note at Korakuen is GHC Tag Team Champions, Yano & Iizuka, facing the all-star Suzuki & Takayama duo (non-title).

On to Sumo Hall and there will be a triple main event featuring three title matches! Of course the biggest of them all sees Hiroshi Tanahashi make his V8 defense of the IWGP Heavyweight Title against New Japan Cup winner Kazuchika Okada. Tanahashi’s previous reign lasted from 1/4/11 to 2/12/12 before Okada took the belt off him. But Tanahashi then won it back on 6/16/12 and has held it since, and looks to continue his domination of Japan’s most prestigious title in April. Nakamura makes his V7 defense of the IWGP Intercontinental Title against Davey Boy Smith Jr. in a direct sequel to the IWGP Tag Team Title match two days earlier, and of course he beat Smith’s tag partner Lance Archer in his previous defense. The NWA invasion begins with Rob Conway defending the historic NWA World Heavyweight Title against Satoshi Kojima, Kojima’s most high profile match for a while.

Nagata once again locks horns with Sakuraba but not in the singles match he requested, instead another tag as he and Goto face Saku & Shibata. In a rematch from the New Japan Cup second round, Minoru Suzuki looks to avenge his defeat to Toru Yano, while Tomoaki Honma makes his formal return by teaming with Makabe against Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi. The CMLL World Tag Team Title will be on the line as New Japan’s Tama Tonga and his partner El Terrible defend the belts against La Mascara & Valiente. Akebono and Bob Sapp return for the first time since 1/4 in another New Japan vs. CHAOS eight man tag, and the show opens with TIME SPLITTERS’ V3 defense of the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title against 4-time champions Apollo 55. This show should be on iPPV like most other important New Japan events these days, but nothing announced just yet.

NJPW “ROAD TO INVASION ATTACK”, 4/5/13 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Road to INVASION ATTACK I: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. KUSHIDA
2. Road to INVASION ATTACK II: Yuji Nagata & Hirooki Goto vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Captain New Japan
3. Road to INVASION ATTACK III: Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Yujiro Takahashi, YOSHI-HASHI & Jado
4. Road to INVASION ATTACK IV: Minoru Suzuki & Yoshihiro Takayama vs. Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka
5. Road to INVASION ATTACK V: Hiroshi Tanahashi & BUSHI vs. Kazuchika Okada & Gedo
6. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Prince Devitt (c) vs. Alex Shelley
7. IWGP Tag Team Title: Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii

NJPW “INVASION ATTACK”, 4/7/13 (WPW)
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley (c) vs. Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi
2. Special 8 Man Tag Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Manabu Nakanishi, Super Strong Machine & Akebono vs. Takashi Iizuka, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Bob Sapp
3. CMLL World Tag Team Title: El Terrible & Tama Tonga (c) vs. La Mascara & Valiente
4. Special Tag Match: Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi
5. Special Singles Match: Toru Yano vs. Minoru Suzuki
6. Special Tag Match: Yuji Nagata & Hirooki Goto vs. Kazushi Sakuraba & Katsuyori Shibata
7. Triple Main Event I – NWA World Heavyweight Title: Ron Conway (c) vs. Satoshi Kojima
8. Triple Main Event II – IWGP Intercontinental Title: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
9. Triple Main Event III – IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada