Source: VoicesofWrestling.com
New Japan Pro Wrestling presents its biggest annual event, "Wrestle Kingdom 8" live from the Tokyo Dome in Japan. The show was a legitimate sell-out, with an estimated 35,000 fans in attendance. Reports coming in say that WrestleMania will have to compete big time with this show's entrances, as NJPW went all-out.
NJPW "Wrestle Kingdom 8"
Jan 4. 2014 – The Tokyo Dome
Pre-Show Match
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Tomoaki Honma, Captain New Japan & BUSHI def. Manabu Nakanishi, Super STrong Machine, Jushin Thunder Liger & Yohei Komatsu
(1) IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match
The Young Bucks (c) def. KUSHIDA & Alex Shelly, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi, and Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov. This was said to be a pretty great kick-off match with lots of high flying action. The Time-Splitters (Shelly & KUSHIDA) came out in a real DeLorean.
(2) IWGP Tag Team Championship Match
"Machine Gun" Karl Anderson & DOC Gallows def. Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. (c) to become the 64th champions. The new champs earned this shot after winning the World Tag League late in 2013. They came out with Bullet Club muscle Tama Tonga.
(3) NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match
Satoshi Kojima def. Rob Conway (c) to become the 85th champion. The legendary Harley Race was there to present the title, and decked Bruce Tharpe.
(4) Yuji Negata & Kazushi Sakuraba def. Daniel & Rolles Gracie
(5) Great Muta & Toru Yano def. Minoru Suzuki & Shelton Benjamin. This was a quick match with Muta using green mist and Toru Yano getting the pin with a roll-up.
(6) King of Destroyer Match
Togi Makabe def. King Fale. Basically you have to win a "King of Destroyer" match by submission or by knocking out your opponent.
(7) Hirooki Goto def. Katsuyori Shibata. This was Goto's return and apparently the end of a very long rivalry between the two.
(8) IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match
Kota Ibushi def. Prince Devitt to become the 67th champion. If the rumors that Devitt is WWE-bound are true, taking the title off him at the biggest show of the year would seem to be a major step towards making that happen. Also, Devitt came out of a casket in a pretty sick entrance.
(9) IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match
Kazuchika Okada (c) def. Tetsuya Naito to retain. One of two main events in contention for "match of the night". Okada got him after two piledrivers. This one went at least half an hour.
(10) IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Shinsuke Nakamura (c) to become the 7th champion. Stan Hansen was ringside for this match. Marty Friedman, the guitarist from Megadeth did Tanahashi's theme live.
