Wrestleview’s own Josh Boutwell sent this in.
Today New Japan Pro Wrestling announced the full lineup for their huge Anniversary show, “Wrestling Kingdom VI” which is typically the biggest show of the year in Japan. NJPW is bringing in stars from all of the world as well as stars from other companies like Pro Wrestling NOAH, Zero-1, and All Japan Pro Wrestling in Japan along with CMLL in Mexico and Ring of Honor in America. Despite a slew of American stars, there are no TNA Wrestling stars appearing on this years card. That would mark it as the first time in 5 years that no TNA talent has appeared on New Japan’s biggest show of the year. Ring of Honor’s Heavyweight Champion Davey Richards will team up with his No Remorse Corps buddy Rocky Romero (also a former ROH star) to defend their IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles against former champions Apollo 55 (Taguchi & Prince Devitt). Former WWE Light Heavyweight Champion Taka Michinoku will take part in an international Jr. Heavyweight showcase match as he teams with 3 stars from CMLL: lucha legend Atlantis, Taichi, & Valiente to face the team of Jushin Thunder Liger (who has spent the last several months in CMLL), KUSHIDA, Tiger Mask IV, and CMLL’s Mascara Dorada (who is one of the most impressive high flyers in wrestling today). TNA fans will remember the former Okada/Okato, he will face off against Nobou Yoshihashi (who has spent the last couple of years in Mexico with CMLL) in a one-on-one matchup. Former WWE United States Champion MVP will team up with former WWE Intercontinental Champion and current ROH Tag Team Champion Shelton Benjamin in a big tag team war as they do battle with the team of former ECW Heavyweight Champion Masato Tanaka & Yujiro Takahashi (who spent a couple of years in CMLL as well) known as Complete Players. The show is being headlined by IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi defending his belt against Minoru Suzuki and a generational battle between Tetsuya Naito (another former CMLL star) and the legendary Keiji Muto (aka Great Muta). The full lineup is below.
NJPW 01/04 “Wrestle Kingdom VI” PPV Tokyo Dome Lineup
1) IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles: Davey Richards & Rocky Romero (c) vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Prince Devitt
2) Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV, KUSHIDA, & Mascara Dorada (CMLL) vs. Atlantis (CMLL), Valiente (CMLL), Taka Michinoku, & Taichi
3) Kazuchika Okada vs. Nobou Yoshihashi
4) Yuji Nagata & Wataru Inoue vs. Masakatsu Funaki & Masayuki Kono
5) MVP & Shelton Benjamin vs. Masato Tanaka & Yuji Takahashi
6) IWGP Tag Team Titles: Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson (c) vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima
7) Hirooki Goto vs. Takashi Suguira
8) Togi Makabe vs. Yoshihiro Takayama
9) Shinsuke Nakamura & Toru Yano vs. Go Shiozaki & Naomichi Marufuji
10) Tetsuya Naito & Keiji Muto
11) IWGP Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Minoru Suzuki