The January 4th Tokyo Dome Show, held by New Japan Pro Wrestling, has become an annual event kicking off the new year since 1992. Though the first New Japan event held in the Tokyo Dome was in 1989, the January 4th event has become one of the most anticipated shows on the Japanese wrestling calendar.

History

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Rivaling World Wrestling Entertainment's WrestleMania, the January 4th event features some of New Japan's best matches, sell out crowds and historic moments. The 1998 show featured the retirement of wrestling legend Riki Choshu as he wrestled five opponents that night and defeated Jushin Liger in his final match. In 2006 former WWE star Brock Lesnar defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Title.

Event results

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Starcade 1992 in Tokyo Dome

January 4, 1992
Attendance: 60,000

• Black Cat beat Hiroyoshi Yamamoto.
• Osamu Kido & Kuniaki Kobayashi beat Kengo Kimura & Kantaro Hoshino.
• Jushin Thunder Liger, Masashi Aoyagi & AKIRA beat Super Strong Machine, Hiro Saito & Norio Honaga.
• Arn Anderson & Larry Zbyszko beat Shiro Koshinaka & Michiyoshi Ohara.
• Dusty Rhodes & Dustin Rhodes beat Masa Saito & Kim Duk.
• Tony Halme defeated Scott Norton.
• Shinya Hashimoto pinned Bill Kazmeier.
• Big Van Vader vs. El Gigante went to a double DQ.
• Antonio Inoki submitted Hiroshi Hase.
• Great Muta & Sting beat Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner.
• WCW World heavyweight champion Lex Luger beat Masahiro Chono.
• IWGP heavyweight & Greatest 18 Club champion Riki Choshu beat Tatsumi Fujinami.

Fantastic Story in Tokyo Dome

January 4, 1993
Attendance: 63,500

• El Samurai, Takayuki Iizuka & Akira Nogami beat Koki Kitahara , Masao Orihara & Nobukazu Hirai.
• Shiro Koshinaka, Great Kabuki, Masashi Aoyagi & Akitoshi Saito beat Super Strong Machine, Hiro Saito, Tatsutoshi Goto & Norio Honaga.
• IWGP junior heavyweight champion Jushin Thunder Liger beat Ultimo Dragon.
• Ron Simmons defeated Tony Halme.
• Sting beat Hiroshi Hase.
• Masa Saito & Shinya Hashimoto beat Scott Norton & Dustin Rhodes.
• IWGP heavyweight champion Great Muta beat NWA heavyweight champion Masahiro Chono.
• IWGP tag team champions Road Warrior Hawk & Power Warrior battled Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner to a double countout.
• Tatsumi Fujinami beat Takashi Ishikawa.
• Genichiro Tenryu beat Riki Choshu.

Battlefield

January 4, 1994
Attendance: 62,000

• Shiro Koshinaka, Greak Kabuki, Kengo Kimura, Kuniaki Kobayashi & Michiyoshi Ohara beat Osamu Kido, El Samurai, Satoshi Kojima, Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata.
• Takayuki Iizuka & Akira Nogami beat Masashi Aoyagi & Akitoshi Saito.
• Brutus Beefcake defeated Black Cat.
• Super Strong Machine beat Tatsutoshi Goto.
• Jushin Thunder Liger pinned Tiger Mask.
• IWGP Tag Team Title: Road Warrior Hawk & Power Warrior beat Scott Norton & Hercules Hernandez.
• Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner beat Keiji Muto & Hiroshi Hase.
• Hulk Hogan defeated Tatsumi Fujinami.
• Riki Choshu beat Yoshiaki Fujiwara.
• IWGP Heavyweight Title: Shinya Hashimoto beat Masahiro Chono.
• Genichiro Tenryu beat Antonio Inoki with a powerbomb.

Battle 7

January 4, 1995
Attendance: 62,500

• UWA Welterweight Title: Shinjiro Otani beat El Samurai with a Dragon suplex hold.
• IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Norio Honaga beat Great Sasuke.
• Great Kabuki, Kuniaki Kobayashi & Akitoshi Saito beat Osamu Kido, Takayuki Iizuka & Akira Nogami.
• Koji Kanemoto beat Yuji Nagata with a Shooting Star press.
• Hiroyoshi Yamamoto Return Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan (Hiroyoshi Yamamoto) beat Manabu Nakanishi.
• Tiger Jeet Singh Sr. & Tiger Jeet Singh Jr. beat Shiro Koshinaka & Michiyoshi Ohara.
• Final Countdown BVD Tournament - Semi Final: Sting beat Tony Palmore with a Scorpion Deathlock.
• Final Countdown BVD Tournament - Semi Final: Antonio Inoki beat Gerard Gordeau.
• Riki Choshu & Yoshiaki Yatsu beat Kengo Kimura & Tatsutoshi Goto.
• Masahiro Chono & Sabu beat Tatsumi Fujinami & Junji Hirata.
• Road Warrior Hawk beat Scott Norton.
• Final Countdown BVD Tournament - Final: Antonio Inoki defeated Sting with a sleeper hold.
• IWGP Tag Team Title: Keiji Muto & Hiroshi Hase beat Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner.
• IWGP Heavyweight Title: Shinya Hashimoto beat Kensuke Sasaki with a vertical drop brainbuster.

Wrestling World 1996

January 4, 1996
Attendance: 64,000

• New Japan vs. UWF-I: Yuji Nagata , Shinjiro Otani & Tokimitsu Ishizawa beat Hiromitsu Kanehara , Kazushi Sakuraba & Kenichi Yamamoto.
• Satoshi Kojima Return Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Satoshi Kojima with a diving headbutt.
• IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Jushin Thunder Liger beat Koji Kanemoto.
• Shiro Koshinaka defeated Masahiro Chono.
• Hiromichi Fuyuki beat Yoji Anjo.
• Kensuke Sasaki beat Hiroshi Hase with a Northern Light powerbomb.
• Inoki Final Countdown 5th: Antonio Inoki submitted Big Van Vader with a cross armbreaker.
• New Japan vs. UWF-I: Riki Choshu beat Masahito Kakihara with a Scorpion Deathlock.
• Shinya Hashimoto beat Kazuo Yamazaki.
• New Japan vs. UWF-I - IWGP Heavyweight Title: Nobuhiko Takada beat Keiji Muto.

Wrestling World 1997

January 4, 1997
Attendance: 62,500

• Yuji Nagata Farewell Match: Junji Hirata, Manabu Nakanishi, Satoshi Kojima & Osamu Nishimura beat Kazuo Yamazaki, Osamu Kido, Takashi Iizuka & Yuji Nagata.
• Super Liger (Chris Jericho) beat Koji Kanemoto.
• Jinsei Shinzaki beat Michiyoshi Ohara.
• New Japan vs. Big Japan: Shinjiro Otani beat Yoshihiro Tajiri.
• New Japan vs. Big Japan: Kendo Nagasaki beat Tatsutoshi Goto with a piledriver.
• New Japan vs. Big Japan: Masahiro Chono beat Shoji Nakamaki.
• New Japan vs. Big Japan: Masa Saito beat Great Kojika.
• Inoki Final Countdown 6th: Antonio Inoki beat Willie Williams with the ground Cobra twist.
• J Crown: Jushin Thunder Liger beat Ultimo Dragon.
• IWGP Tag Team Title: Tatsumi Fujinami & Kengo Kimura beat Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan.
• Power Warrior beat Great Muta with a Northern Light powerbomb.
• IWGP Heavyweight Title: Shinya Hashimoto beat Riki Choshu.

NJPW Final Power Hall in Tokyo Dome

January 4, 1998
Attendance: 65,000

• Kendo Kashin beat Koji Kanemoto with a cross armbreaker.
• IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Shinjiro Otani beat Ultimo Dragon.
• Yuji Nagata beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan with the Nagata Lock.
• Osamu Nishimura Return Match: Tatsumi Fujinami & Osamu Nishimura beat Manabu Nakanishi & Satoshi Kojima.
• Riki Road Final Message 5: Riki Choshu beat Kazuyuki Fujita with a lariat.
• Riki Road Final Message 5: Riki Choshu beat Yutaka Yoshie with a lariat.
• Riki Road Final Message 5: Riki Choshu beat Tatsuhito Takaiwa with a Scorpion Deathlock.
• Riki Road Final Message 5: Takashi Iizuka beat Riki Choshu with an achilles tendon hold.
• Riki Road Final Message 5: Riki Choshu beat Jushin Thunder Liger with a lariat.
• Don Frye beat Naoya Ogawa by referee stop.
• Shinya Hashimoto beat Dennis Lane by referee stop.
• Masahiro Chono defeated Shiro Koshinaka with a Yakuza kick.
• IWGP Heavyweight Title: Kensuke Sasaki defeated Keiji Muto.

Wrestling World 1999

January 4, 1999
Attendance: 62,500

• Manabu Nakanishi beat Kazuyuki Fujita with an Argentine backbreaker.
• Tatsumi Fujinami, Osamu Kido & Tadao Yasuda beat Kengo Kimura, Tatsutoshi Goto & Michiyoshi Ohara.
• IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Kendo Kashin & Dr. Wagner Jr. beat Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa.
• IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Jushin Thunder Liger beat Koji Kanemoto.
• Kensuke Sasaki beat Atsushi Onita by DQ.
• New Japan vs. UFO: Yuji Nagata beat David Beneteau with a triangle choke hold.
• New Japan vs. UFO: Don Frye beat Brian Johnston by referee stop.
• New Japan vs. UFO: Shinya Hashimoto vs. Naoya Ogawa went to a no contest.
• IWGP Tag Team Title: Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima beat Genichiro Tenryu & Shiro Koshinaka.
• IWGP Heavyweight Title: Keiji Muto submitted Scott Norton with a figure-four leglock.

Wrestling World 2000

January 4, 2000
Attendance: 63,500

• IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa beat Kendo Kashin & Minoru Tanaka.
• Shiro Koshinaka beat Satoshi Kojima.
• Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Wild Pegasus (Chris Benoit) with a diving headbutt.
• IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Jushin Thunder Liger beat Koji Kanemoto.
• Manabu Nakanishi beat Kenzo Suzuki.
• Kazuo Yamazaki Retirement Match: Yuji Nagata beat Kazuo Yamazaki.
• Kimo beat Kazuyuki Fujita by DQ.
• Scott Norton defeated Don Frye with a powerbomb.
• Rick Steiner beat Randy Savage.
• Shinya Hashimoto & Takashi Iizuka beat Naoya Ogawa & Kazunari Murakami.
• Masahiro Chono beat Keiji Muto with a cross-style STF.
• IWGP Heavyweight Title: Kensuke Sasaki defeated Genichiro Tenryu.

Wrestling World 2001

January 4, 2001
Attendance: 52,000

• Kensuke Sasaki beat Satoshi Kojima via submission.
• Hiroyoshi Tenzan pinned Yuji Nagata.
• Koji Kanemoto & Minoru Tanaka beat Shinya Makabe & Tatsuhito Takaiwa.
• Takashi Iizuka beat Kendo Kashin via submission.
• Kensuke Sasaki defeated Masa Chono by submission.
• Toshiaki Kawada pinned Hiroyoshi Tenzan.
• Shinjiro Ohtani & Keiji Mutoh beat Manabu Nakanishi & Jushin Liger.
• Riki Choshu vs. Shinya Hashimoto went to a no contest.
• Kensuke Sasaki pinned Toshiaki Kawada to win the vacant IWGP Title Heavyweight Title.

Wrestling World 2002

January 4, 2002
Attendace: 52,000

• Masahito Kakihara & Masayuki Naruse beat Katsuyori Shibata & Wataru Inoue.
• Minoru Tanaka & El Samurai beat Akira Nogami & Koji Kanemoto.
• Kazunari Murakami & Yuki Ishikawa beat Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kenzo Suzuki.
• Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask IV, & The Great Sasuke beat Gedo, Jado, & Dick Togo.
• Manabu Nakanishi beat Giant Silva via countout.
• IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Champion, Kendo Kashin pinned Daijiro Matsui.
• Keiji Mutoh & Hiroshi Hase beat Osamu Nishimura & Tatsumi Fujinami.
• Kensuke Sasaki vs. Naoya Ogawa went to a no contest.
• Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima beat Giant Singh.
• GHC Title: Champion, Jun Akiyama pinned Yuji Nagata.

Wrestling World 2003

January 4, 2003
Attendance: 30,000

• Osamu Nishimura pinned Tatsumi Fujinami.
• Yutaka Yoshie pinned Shinya Makabe.
• Ryushi Yanagisawa beat Kenzo Suzuki via submission.
• Makai Mask #1 (Junji Hirata) & Daimajin (Giant Silva) beat Tatsutoshi Goto & Hiro Saito via DQ.
• Makai Masks #4 & #5 (Katsuyori Shibata & Mitsuya Nagai) beat Takashi Iizuka & Masahito Kakihara..
• Koji Kanemoto, Takehiro Murahama, & Jushin Liger beat Masayuki Naruse, Tiger Mask IV, & Heat.
• Ryushi Yanagisawa beat Yutaka Yoshie via submission.
• Shinsuke Nakamura & Michiyoshi Ohara beat Tadao Yasuda & Kazunari Murakami.
• Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima beat Masa Chono & Manabu Nakanishi.
• Yoshihiro Takayama pinned Tsuyoshi Kohsaka to win the NWF Title.
• IWGP Heavyweight Title: Yuji Nagata pinned Josh Barnett.

Wrestling World 2004

January 4, 2004
Attendance: 40,000

• Hirooki Goto beat Naofumi Yamamoto via submission.
• Katsushi Takemura pinned El Samurai.
• Mitsuya Nagai, Ryota Chikuzen, Ryushi Yanagisawa, & Makai Mask #1 beat Tatsutoshi Goto, Michiyoshi Ohara, Hiro Saito, & Enson Inoue.
• Shinya Makabe & Toru Yano beat Wataru Inoue & Blue Wolf.
• Masayuki Naruse beat Tadao Yasuda via DQ.
• Masayuki Naruse beat Tadao Yasuda by TKO.
• Ryusuke Taguchi pinned Akiya Anzawa.
• IWGP junior heavyweight tag team champions Gedo & Jado beat Heat (Minoru Tanaka) & Tiger Mask.
• Jushin Liger pinned Takashi Sugiura to win the GHC junior heavyweight title.
• New Japan U-30 champion Hiroshi Tanahashi pinned Yutaka Yoshie.
• Josh Barnett & Takashi Iizuka beat Kazunari Murakami & Katsuyori Shibata.
• Tatsumi Fujinami retirement ceremony.
• Osamu Nishimura pinned Minoru Suzuki.
• Manabu Nakanishi pinned Genichiro Tenryu.
• Yuji Nagata defeated Kensuke Sasaki by TKO.
• Bob Sapp & Keiji Mutoh beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Masahiro Chono.
• IWGP heavyweight champion Shinsuke Nakamura beat NWF heavyweight champion Yoshihiro Takayama via submission to unify the titles.

Wrestling World 2005

January 4, 2005
Attendance: 46,000

• Wataru Inoue & Katsushi Takemura vs. Jado & Gedo fought to a draw.
• Jushin Liger pinned Koji Kanemoto.
• IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Tiger Mask IV pinned Heat.
• Yuji Nagata beat Katsuhiko Nagata by a score of 15-11 in an "exhibition" match.
• Minoru Suzuki beat Takashi Iizuka.
• Satoshi Kojima pinned Osamu Nishimura.
• Ron Waterman defeated Masayuki Naruse by TKO.
• Manabu Nakanishi beat Toru Yano.
• Dolgorsuren Sumiyabazar beat Mitsuya Nagai.
• Yuji Nagata beat Blue Wolf.
• Ron Waterman beat Manabu Nakanishi by submission.
• Yuji Nagata beat Dolgorsuren Sumiyabazar by TKO.
• Ron Waterman beat Yuji Nagata by submission to win the "Ultimate Royal" tournament.
• Masahiro Chono beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Riki Choshu in a "dogfight" match.
• U-30 Title: Shinsuke Nakamura beat Hiroshi Tanahashi via submission.

NJPW Toukon Shidou Chapter 1

January 4, 2006
Attendance: 43,000

• Ryouji Sai beat Naofumi Yamamoto.
• Masato Tanaka, Kintaro Kanemura & BADBOY Hido beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Jado & Gedo.
• Tiger Mask & Minoru beat Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Tomohiro Ishii.
• Riki Choshu, Kohei Sato, Takashi Uwano, Kamikaze, Yoshihito Sasaki & Daisuke Sekimoto beat Tatsumi Fujinami, Takashi Iizuka, Osamu Nishimura, Toru Yano, Hirooki Goto & Hiroshi Nagao.
• Akebono & Yutaka Yoshie beat Black Strong Machine & Hiro Saito.
• Yuji Nagata beat Kazunari Murakami with a backdrop hold.
• Shinjiro Otani beat Koji Kanemoto.
• Katsuyori Shibata defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi.
• Giant Bernard beat Manabu Nakanishi.
• IWGP Tag Team Title: Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Shiro Koshinaka & Takao Omori.
• IWGP Heavyweight Title: Brock Lesnar beat Shinsuke Nakamura with the Verdict (F5).

References

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• Slam Sports
• Strong Style Spirit

External links

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• The Official New Japan Website
• Official New Japan USA website

New Japan Pro Wrestling shows