Wrestle Kingdom 18 was a
professional wrestling event promoted by the
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on January 4, 2024, at the
Tokyo Dome, in
Tokyo, Japan. It was the 33rd
January 4 Tokyo Dome Show and the 18th promoted under the Wrestle Kingdom name. Wrestlers from NJPW partner promotions
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and
Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah) were featured at the event. This was the first Wrestle Kingdom event to feature
Hiroshi Tanahashi as the new president of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. This was the first Wrestle Kingdom since
Wrestle Kingdom 13 to have a one-night format, as the previous Wrestle Kingdoms had been held across multiple nights in a row.
Eleven matches were contested at the event, with one taking place on the
pre-show. In the main event,
G1 Climax winner
Tetsuya Naito defeated
Sanada to win the
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. In other prominent matches,
Kazuchika Okada defeated
Bryan Danielson,
David Finlay defeated
Will Ospreay and
Jon Moxley to become the inaugural
IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion and
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated
Zack Sabre Jr. to win the
NJPW World Television Championship.
The event was also notable for appearances by former
WWE wrestler
Dolph Ziggler, now known using his real name Nic Nemeth, and his brother
Ryan Nemeth
Ryan Nemeth (born November 4, 1984) is an American professional wrestler, writer, actor, and comedian who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his appearances under the ring name Briley Pierce in WWE, where he wr ...
who were in the front row.
Production
Background
The January 4 Tokyo Dome Show is NJPW's biggest