Pro-Wrestling NOAH Occupies Ring At NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 16

By Matthew Carlins

Pro-Wrestling NOAH made its presence felt during New Japan Pro-Wrestling's flagship event. Members of the NOAH roster briefly occupied the ring during Night 2 of Wrestle Kingdom 16 on Wednesday.

A large contingent of NOAH wrestlers was led to the ring by Keiji Mutoh. Speaking during the English language broadcast on New Japan World, Chris Charlton said it was Muto's first time in Tokyo Dome since Wrestle Kingdom 8.

Keiji Mutoh is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion from his years in New Japan. Early last year, Mutoh signed a contract with Pro-Wrestling NOAH, where he won the GHC Heavyweight Championship. Mutoh is currently one-half of the GHC Tag Team Champions alongside Naomichi Marufuji.

Kaito Kiyomiya and Kenoh took the microphone and addressed the crowd at the Tokyo Dome. They were eventually confronted by New Japan's Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi, and BUSHI. The trio exchanged words with the NOAH wrestlers inside the ring but left without any physical interaction.

Keiji Mutoh took a picture while the NOAH wrestlers were in the ring. He later posted it on Twitter, along with words explaining that NOAH had occupied the ring at New Japan's biggest event of the year.

Members of the Pro-Wrestling NOAH and New Japan Pro-Wrestling rosters are preparing to meet in matches on Night 3 of Wrestle Kingdom 16. That card will be held at Yokohama Arena on Saturday.

The matches announced for Saturday's card include New Japan's Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. NOAH's Keiji Mutoh and Kaito Kiyomiya.

A 10-man tag team match is also on the card. All five members of New Japan's Los Ingobernables de Japon – Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA, and BUSHI – are set to face the Kongo team of GHC Heavyweight Champion Katsuhiko Nakajima, GHC National Champion Kenoh, Manabu Soya, Tadasuke, and ALEJA.

There is also a 6-man tag team match which will see KENTA teaming with Pro-Wrestling NOAH's Takashi Sugiura and Kazushi Sakuraba to face Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, and TAKA Michinoku.

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