By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Wrestle Kingdom 20”
January 4, 2026, in Tokyo, Japan at the Tokyo Dome
Streamed live on New Japan World
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 Pre-Show
The broadcast team was Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton.
1. Katsuya Murashima and Masatora Yasuda defeated Shoma Kato and Tatsuya Matsumoto. Murashima powerslammed Kato and then put him in a Boston Crab. Kato tried to get to the ropes, but he didn’t get close. Matsumoto ran in and threw punches at Murashima, who maintained the hold. Yasuda took out Matsumoto, and then Kato tapped out to the Boston Crab.
2. El Phantasmo defeated Chris Brookes to retain the NJPW TV Championship. Brookes picked up several near falls down the stretch, but Phantasmo eventually came back and used a Thunderkiss 86 to get the three count. After the match, the wrestlers shook hands and then bowed to one another. Phantasmo posed for some photos with fans along the guardrail and even handled the camera for a photo with a younger fan.
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 Main Card
A video package focused on Hiroshi Tanahashi, and ran through the full card… Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton remained on commentary… A boy band performed on the impressive stage while Kaisei Takechi, Shota Umino, and Yuya Uemura made the first entrance for the opening match…
1. Toru Yano, Master Wato, and Yoh vs. Tiger Mask, Togi Makabe, and Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Boltin Oleg, Hirooki Goto, and Yoshi-Hashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Taichi, and Satoshi Kojima vs. Ren Narita, Sanada, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Ryohei Oiwa, and Hartley Jackson vs. Kaisei Takechi, Shota Umino, and Yuya Uemura vs. Clark Connors, Oskar, and Yuto-Ice in a Ranbo for the Never Openweight Six-Man Tag Titles. The champions were eliminated late, guaranteeing there would be new champions. The match came down to Oleg, Goto, and Yoshi-Hashi facing Sabre, Oiwa, and Jackson. In the end, Sabre pinned Oleg to win the match for his team. The TMDK trio was given their title belts, and then their final three opponents got in their faces briefly.
Powell’s POV: I didn’t watch much NJPW last year due to having a full plate of American wrestling to cover. I still enjoy checking in for the annual Wrestle Kingdom all-nighter, and I want to experience Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement match live. With that in mind, I sat back and watched this one rather than try to keep up with so many wrestlers coming and going, especially with some faces I’m not familiar with. While this had better wrestling than the regular Ranbos I’ve seen, I have no idea why they crammed so much talent into one match. The regular Ranbos included some notable names, undercard wrestlers, and some surprises, whereas this match had several wrestlers I would have expected to see in traditional matches.
2. IWGP Women’s Champion Syuri vs. New Japan Strong Women’s Champion Saya Kamitani in a double championship match. Kamitani sent Syuri to ringside and then performed a springboard dive onto her. Later, Kamitani dropped Syuri with a kick. Syuri performed a German suplex, but Kamitani landed on her feet. Kamitani performed a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. Kamitani followed up with a Star Crusher for a good near fall. Kamitani went for another, but Syuri stuffed it and went back on the offensive. Syuri put Kamitani in electric chair position, and then Kamitani performed a Poison Rana for a near fall. Moments later, Syuri got Kamitani back in electric chair position and then hit her sit-out powerslam finisher and got the three count.
IWGP Women’s Champion Syuri defeated Saya Kamitani in 12:10 in a double championship match to win the New Japan Strong Women’s Championship.
Syuri was emotional after the match after she got the three count, and then again once she held up both title belts…
Powell’s POV: A very good match. I’m not familiar with their finishers, so some of the near falls may have been more effective on me than they were for someone who follows their work closely. By the way, the stage looks great, and the production work is strong. They haven’t done a good job of showing off the sold-out crowd yet, but it definitely has a big show look and feel.
3. Andrade El Ídolo, Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan, Henare, and Jake Lee vs. David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, Drilla Moloney, Shingo Takagi, and Hiromu Takahashi in a ten-man tag. Charlton played up the story that Andrade was revealed as the mystery businessman who has been pulling the strings for the United Empire faction. Lee was the surprise member of his team. The teams fought while the introductions were taking place to start the match.