King of Pro-Wrestling (2017) was a

professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

event promoted by

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...

(NJPW), which took place on October 9, 2017, in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Ryōgoku Kokugikan , also known as Ryōgoku Sumo Hall or Kokugikan Arena, is the name bestowed to two different indoor sporting arenas located in Tokyo. The first ''Ryōgoku Kokugikan'' opened its doors in 1909 and was located on the premises of the Ekōin temple i ...

. This was the sixth event under the King of Pro-Wrestling branding. The top two matches featured

Kazuchika Okada (born November 8, 1987) is a Japanese professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is a member of the Don Callis Family stable and is the current AEW Continental Champion in his first reign. Known as the , he is b ...

defending the

IWGP Heavyweight Championship The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IW ...

against

Evil Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others. Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extreme ...

and

Tetsuya Naito is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his 20-year run in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he served as the leader of the ''Los Ingobernables de Japon'' stable, and was a multi-time world champion. ...

defending his status as the number one contender to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 12 against

Tomohiro Ishii is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is currently a double champion: being the Strong Openweight Champion in his first reign, and one-half of the current IWGP Tag Team Champions with Ta ...

Production

Background

King of Pro-Wrestling is considered NJPW's biggest event between August's

G1 Climax The is a professional wrestling tournament held each August by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. Though it has sometimes been held as a single-elimination tournament, it is usually – and currently – held as a round-rob ...

and the

January 4 Tokyo Dome Show The January 4 Tokyo Dome Show is a professional wrestling event produced annually on January 4 in the Tokyo Dome by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), a Japan-based professional wrestling promotion. NJPW has promoted events in the venue every January ...

Storylines

King of Pro-Wrestling featured nine

professional wrestling matches Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...

that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed

villains A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...

heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. King of Pro-Wrestling was main evented by

defending the

against

. In July, Okada, having at that point held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for over a year, entered the

2017 G1 Climax The is a professional wrestling tournament held each August by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. Though it has sometimes been held as a single-elimination tournament, it is usually – and currently – held as a round-robi ...

with the goal of winning the tournament as the reigning heavyweight champion, arrogantly asking for anyone to stop him. On August 5, Okada suffered his first singles match loss in almost a year, when Evil scored an upset win over him. Okada then went on to wrestle

Minoru Suzuki (born June 17, 1968) is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, known for his tenure in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former one-time IWGP Intercontinental Ch ...

to a draw, before losing another match to

Kenny Omega Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name , is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the current AEW International Champion in his first reign. He also works as an ...

, thus failing to advance to the finals of the tournament. With Evil also failing to reach the finals, he established himself as the next challenger for Okada's title by attacking him after a match on August 13. Eight days later, NJPW officially announced the match between Okada and Evil for King of Pro-Wrestling. The match would mark Evil's first-ever shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. The match would mark the eighth title defense for Okada, whose reign had started on June 19, 2016. With a successful title defense, Okada stood to break

Shinya Hashimoto was a Japanese professional wrestler, promoter and actor. Along with Masahiro Chono and Keiji Mutoh, Hashimoto was dubbed one of the " Three Musketeers" that began competing in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in the mid-1980s and dominated the p ...

's 489-day record for the longest reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion on October 22. Tetsuya Naito Tokyo Dome IWGP Heavyweight Championship challenge right certificate

Tetsuya Naito Tokyo Dome IWGP Heavyweight Championship challenge right certificate

On August 13,

defeated Kenny Omega in the finals to win the 2017 G1 Climax. Following the win, Naito gained possession of the

Tokyo Dome IWGP Heavyweight Championship challenge rights certificate The is a professional wrestling tournament held each August by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. Though it has sometimes been held as a single-elimination tournament, it is usually – and currently – held as a round-robin ...

, granting him an IWGP Heavyweight Championship match at NJPW's biggest event of the year,

Wrestle Kingdom 12 in Tokyo Dome Wrestle Kingdom 12 in Tokyo Dome was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4, 2018, at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. It was the 27th January 4 Tokyo Dome Show. The show was h ...

on January 4, 2018. Upon receiving the certificate, Naito nominated

as his first challenger for it due to Ishii defeating him not only during the 2017 G1 Climax, but also during the

IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship The was a professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" are the initials of NJPW's governing body, the . The final champion was Will Ospreay, who was in his second reign at the time ...

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...

in July. The match was officially announced for King of Pro-Wrestling on August 21. The rest of the matches for the show were announced on September 25, the day after

Destruction in Kobe Destruction is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event has been held since 2007 as a pay-per-view (PPV). From 2013 to 2014, the event also aired outside Japan as an internet pay-per-view (iPPV). ...

. Added were title matches for both of NJPW's

junior heavyweight Junior heavyweight is an alternate name for cruiserweight used in multiple combat sports: *Cruiserweight (boxing), a weight class in boxing between light heavyweight and heavyweight. The current weight limit for the division is 200lbs (14st 4lbs/90 ...

titles. In the

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship The is a professional wrestling world junior heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . Only wrestlers under the junior heavyweight weight-limit may hold ...

match, Kushida would defend the title against

Will Ospreay William Peter Charles Ospreay (born 7 May 1993) is an English professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a former two-time AEW International Champion. He is also known for his eight year tenure with New Japa ...

. After successfully defending the title against El Desperado on September 16 at Destruction in Hiroshima, Kushida was approached by Ospreay, who stated that he was being defined as the man who could not beat Kushida and wanting to change that perception, challenged him to a title match. This was followed by

Hiromu Takahashi (born December 4, 1989) is a Japanese professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of the ''Los Ingobernables de Japón'' stable. Takahashi made his debut for NJPW on Augus ...

entering the ring, but before he could make his own challenge, he was knocked out by Ospreay. Ospreay had been defeated by Kushida in all four of their previous matches against each other, including the finals of the

2017 Best of the Super Juniors The Best of the Super Juniors (stylized as the BEST OF THE SUPER Jr. and often abbreviated BOSJ) is an annual professional wrestling tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), typically in May or June. Originally known as Top of the Super ...

and What Culture Pro Wrestling's 2017 Pro Wrestling World Cup tournaments, as well as two IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship matches, which took place on April 10, 2016, at

Invasion Attack 2016 Invasion Attack 2016 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on April 10, 2016, in Tokyo at Ryōgoku Kokugikan, and featured nine matches, six of which were contested f ...

and June 19, 2016, at

Dominion 6.19 in Osaka-jo Hall Dominion 6.19 in Osaka-jo Hall was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on June 19, 2016, in Osaka, Osaka, at the Osaka-jō Hall and was the eighth event under the Dominion name and second ...

. In the

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on August 8, 1998, at an NJPW live event. The IWGP Junio ...

match,

Funky Future is a professional wrestling stable in the Japanese promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The group was formed the night after Wrestle Kingdom 11 on January 5, 2017. Starting out as a trio formed by Hiroshi Tanahashi, Manabu Nakanishi and Ryu ...

(

Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...

and

Ryusuke Taguchi is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, trained by and performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is a former List of IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champions, two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, List of IWGP Junior He ...

) were set to defend the title against the mystery team known only as "Roppongi 3K". After dissolving his

Roppongi Vice Roppongi Vice (sometimes stylized as RPG Vice) are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Trent Beretta and Rocky Romero. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where they are a sub-group of the Don Callis Family. They have also ...

tag team with

Beretta Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta (; "Pietro Beretta Weapons Factory") is a privately held Italian firearms manufacturing company operating in several countries. Its firearms are used worldwide for various civilian, law enforcement, and military p ...

on September 16,

Rocky Romero John Raymond Rivera (born October 28, 1982), better known by his ring name Rocky Romero (ロッキー・ロメロ, ''Rokkī Romero''), is a Cuban-American professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and All Elite Wrest ...

approached Ricochet and Taguchi after they had successfully defended the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship against

Taichi Taichi is a Japanese given name and surname. Given name Taichi (written: , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. People with the given name Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese volleyball player *, Japanese footballe ...

and

Yoshinobu Kanemaru is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he is a member of House of Torture and a former member of Bullet Club. He also works as a backstage producer for NJPW. Professional wrestling career ...

and announced he was bringing in a new team to challenge them for the title. Heading into the title match, the identities of Roppongi 3K were kept secret. The

IWGP Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at an NJPW live event. T ...

was to be defended in a

three-way In human sexuality, a threesome is "a sexual interaction between three people whereby at least one engages in physical sexual behaviour with both the other individuals". While the term ''threesome'' typically refers to sexual activity involvin ...

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

elimination match Much like the Singles match (professional wrestling), singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, Hardcore wrestling, ha ...

, where the defending champions

Killer Elite Squad Killer Elite Squad, often abbreviated to K.E.S., was the professional wrestling tag team of Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer. The team made its debut in the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) Professional wrestling promotion, promotion in Septem ...

( Davey Boy Smith Jr. and

Lance Archer Lance Hoyt (born February 28, 1977), better known by his ring name Lance Archer, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where is a member of The Don Callis Family and one-half of The Murder Machines w ...

) would face the

Guerrillas of Destiny The Tongans, formerly known as Guerrillas of Destiny (G.O.D), is a Tongan-American professional wrestling tag team currently signed with WWE, founded by and consisting of brothers Alipate Leone and Tevita Fifita, who both perform on the Smack ...

(

Tama Tonga Alipate Aloisio Fifita Leone (born October 15, 1982), better known by his ring name Tama Tonga (), is a Tongan-American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand where he is a former WWE Tag Team Ch ...

and

Tanga Loa Tevita Tu'amoeloa Fetaiakimoeata Koloamatangi Fifita (born May 7, 1983) is a Tongan-American professional wrestler. As of May 2024, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Tonga Loa, as a member of The ...

) and

War Machine War Machine (Col. James Rupert "Rhodey" Rhodes) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by David Michelinie, John Byrne, and Bob Layton as a supporting character for Iron Man, he first appeared i ...

(

Hanson Hanson or Hansson may refer to: People * Hanson (surname) * Hansson (surname) * Hanson (wrestler) or Ivar (born 1984), American professional wrestler Musical groups * Hanson (band), an American pop rock band * Hanson (UK band), an English ...

and

Raymond Rowe Raymond Rowe (born August 21, 1984) is an American professional wrestler. As of January 2018, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Erik. He is in a tag team with Ivar called The War Raiders. He is a form ...

). The three teams faced off in three separate three-way title matches during the previous Destruction tour; the first two matches were won by the defending champions War Machine, while the third match was won by the Killer Elite Squad, who captured the IWGP Tag Team Championship for the first time in three years and eight months. Following the conclusion of the third match, both Guerrillas of Destiny and War Machine challenged Killer Elite Squad to another three-way match, which would this time be contested under elimination rules.

Results

References

External links

King of Pro-Wrestling at NJPW.co.jp
{{New Japan Pro Wrestling events, King of Pro-Wrestling

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

2017 in professional wrestling October 2017 in Japan 2017 in Tokyo Professional wrestling shows in Tokyo