NJPW King Of Pro-Wrestling 2025: Date, Start Time, Match Card, How To Watch & Live Stream

New Japan Pro-Wrestling presents King Of Pro-Wrestling in what will assuredly be one of the most consequential shows of the year. Tonight's card in Ryoguku features six championship matches with a huge main event for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship as the current champion Zack Sabre Jr. defends his title against G1 Climax 35 winner Konosuke Takeshita.

The event also marks the official return of former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Hirooki Goto since suffering an injury on June 29th when he lost the title to Zack Sabre Jr. at Tanahashi Jam.

With a lot on the line tonight for many of NJPW's top champions, King of Pro-Wrestling will be a crucial stop on the road to Wrestle Kingdom 20 in the Tokyo Dome. Over 20,000 tickets were sold on the first day of the general on-sale for NJPW's biggest show of the year.

So far, the only talent confirmed for Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4, 2026, is NJPW president Hiroshi Tanahashi, who will wrestle his last match at the event, and Olympic gold medalist Aaron Wolf, who will have his debut wrestling match.

Keep reading for a preview of NJPW King Of Pro-Wrestling from Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.

Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

Zack Sabre Jr. will defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against the G1 Climax 35 winner Konosuke Takeshita. — New Japan Pro-Wrestling

When the three-contract phenomenon Konosuke Takeshita won the G1 Climax tournament in August, he earned the right to challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at a time of his choosing. That time has finally arrived, and the Alpha of AEW, NJPW, and DDT is eager to continue this monumental year in his career by capturing NJPW's most prized title.

Despite being contracted to NJPW, Takeshita is still seen as an outsider by many NJPW fans due to primarily performing in America with AEW and spending his formative years in Japan on the DDT roster.

Because of this, the current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. seeks to not just defend himself and his title, but to defend the values of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Sabre and Takeshita wrestled each other for the first and second time in the G1 this summer, currently tied with a 1-1 record.

Tonight will serve as the official tiebreaker and will likely determine which man will go on to headline the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom 20. Can Sabre enter the Dome as NJPW's top champion two years in a row, or will Takeshita's global dominance expand even further, beginning tonight in Ryogoku?

Gabe Kidd (c) vs. Yota Tsuji for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship

Gabe Kidd vs Yota Tsuji — New Japan Pro-Wrestling

In the third match of their trilogy this year, Yota Tsuji and Gabe Kidd will face off once again for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship. Currently, they have a 0-1-1 record with the only decisive victory in their match series belonging to Gabe Kidd.

With both men seeing the Global Heavyweight title as their ticket to Wrestle Kingdom 20 in the Tokyo Dome, will Yota be able to finally even the score and reclaim the championship that he lost earlier this year, or will Gabe Kidd continue his reign as a fighting Global Heavyweight Champion?

Knockout Brothers (Yuto-Ice & OSKAR) (c) vs. Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships

Yuto-Ice and OSKAR versus Shota Umino and Yuya Uemura. — New Japan Pro-Wrestling

The Knockout Brothers have been on a roll since returning from excursion as Bullet Club War Dogs and quickly winning the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. Tonight at King of Pro-Wrestling, they will face their toughest challenge yet as they go head-to-head with two of Hontai’s top young stars, Shota Umino and Yuya Uemura.

Now that they’re officially a tag team, Umino and Uemura are eager to make their mark as the leaders of NJPW’s new generation. They’ll have to go through Yuto-Ice and OSKAR first. Which team will come out on top as the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions in this clash of NJPW’s brightest young stars?

El Phantasmo (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the NJPW World TV Championship

El Phantasmo vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi — New Japan Pro-Wrestling

Celebrating his 20th anniversary as a professional wrestler, El Phantasmo will defend the NJPW World TV Championship against the Ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi. This is a match that both men have wanted for a while, ever since El Phantasmo officially joined the Hontai unit and has regularly teamed with Tanahashi in recent months.

El Phantasmo has always had a lot of respect for Tanahashi and is looking to prove himself in what will likely be their final match before Tanahashi retires. The Ace would love to walk into the Tokyo Dome for the final time with gold around his waist, and winning the NJPW World TV Championship for the second time may be his key to making it happen.

Sareee (c) vs. Syuri for the IWGP Women's Championship

Sareee vs Syuri — New Japan Pro-Wrestling

Sareee and Syuri captivated audiences around Japan this year with their hard-hitting classic battles. Widely considered to be two of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers in the world, they share one draw and one victory for Sareee when she defeated Syuri for the IWGP Women’s Championship at STARDOM The Conversion.

Tonight, they will continue their rivalry by fighting for the IWGP Women's Championship at King of Pro-Wrestling. In preparation for this match, Sareee went to the United States and defended the title in Ring Of Honor against Alex Windsor, much like Syuri did earlier this summer in Pro Wrestling EVE. Will the third time be the charm for Syuri to finally defeat Sareee, or will the Sun God rise in victory again?