Stardom Match To Take Place At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16
STARDOM will be represented at NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 16 this January for their third year in a row. It was announced that the company will have select competitors compete in a match on the second night of the event.
"Wrestle Kingdom 16 night two on January 5 2022 will see the best of STARDOM compete in a special matchup," NJPW's website reads. "This marks the fifth time STARDOM has been a part of NJPW events. January 4 2020 and January 5 2021 saw STARDOM showcase matches for live crowds in the Tokyo Dome, while September 4 & 5 saw kickoff matches at Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome."
The first bout STARDOM was showcased in at Wrestle Kingdom 14 was a dark match for the people in attendance featuring Mayu Iwatani & Arisa Hoshiki defeating Giulia & the late Hana Kimura.
The next night, two different STARDOM matches were featured on night two of the event: Utami Hayashishita, Saya Kamitani & AZM defeated Himeka, Maika & Natsupoi followed by a tag match with Syuri & Giulia defeating Mayu Iwatani & Tam Nakano. The matches would be featured on the pre-show of Wrestle Kingdom for New Japan World subscribers.
This year's STARDOM match has yet to be announced but we will update you when it is.
In a recent interview with Tokyo Sports, Takami Ohbari revealed that he estimates around 10 matches to be held on each night of the event.
"First of all, please pay attention to the Best of the Super Juniors and the World Tag League, which are currently being held and will (both) be decided on December 15," he said (translated from Japanese). I would like you to understand that the (wrestlers) and staff are concentrating (their efforts on these shows).
"I would like to have around 10 matches on both days (of the Tokyo Dome shows). I want to make the content and amount suitable for the beginning of the 50th anniversary. I want to build it."
Other matches announced so far include Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada in a singles match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on night 1. And the winner of that match, either Shingo Takagi or Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Will Ospreay in a singles match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on night two.