NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 is now just a number of weeks away, scheduled for January 4 from the Tokyo Dome. The event is a staple on the calendar of many wrestling fans and has been held annually since 1992 under various monikers. In total, this will mark the thirty-second annual Tokyo Dome supercard.
Four matches have already been signed at the time of writing, including defences of the IWGP World Heavyweight, Junior Heavyweight, and Women’s Championships, alongside the crowning of the inaugural NJPW World Television Champion. Further down the card, though, it appears there may be representation from overseas in All Elite Wrestling.
FTR Confirmed For Wrestle Kingdom
As confirmed by Dave Meltzer on a recent Wrestling Observer Radio broadcast, FTR – the pairing of Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood – will be making their Wrestle Kingdom debut. It’s believed they’ll be defending the IWGP Tag Team Championships against the victors of the forthcoming World Tag League:
However, it appears that they may not be flying over alone. Reportedly, there could be a couple of other AEW stars appearing too in the form of Jon Moxley and The Young Bucks:
“FTR is going to be at the Tokyo Dome, I got that confirmed. Originally, there were going to be more but I don’t know. A lot of people seem to think the Will Ospreay/Shota Umino match is a set up for Will Ospreay and [Jon] Moxley. I don’t know that that’s the case, but Shota did do a Death Rider (Moxley’s finisher) on Will Ospreay. And there is unfinished business from Will Ospreay and Moxley from when they were doing that feud earlier this year. So it’s possible.
Heard Young Bucks at one point were going, but I don’t know if that’s still the case. So I think that there will be more people, but FTR’s the only one that I know for sure.”
Jon Moxley, the current AEW World Champion has only had one Wrestle Kingdom match thus far, whereas The Young Bucks were as regular on the show as they were in NJPW itself. They haven’t competed since the 2019 instalment, however.