NJPW/NOAH Wrestle Kingdom 16 In Yokohama Arena

NJPW's "New Year Dash" Delivers Thrills and Spills

The Yokohama Arena played host to New Japan Pro Wrestling's annual "New Year Dash" PPV event on January 8th, and boy, did it live up to the hype! With a sold-out crowd of 7,077 in attendance, the Japanese promotion put on a show that will be remembered for some time.

The pre-show matches got things off to a rousing start. Kosei Fujita and Yasutaka Yano went to a time limit draw in a solid opener, while TenKoji and Yuji Nagata made quick work of Funky Express in their six-man tag team match.

As the main card got underway, CHAOS put on a dominant display against Daiki Inaba and co. in their ten-man tag team match. Meanwhile, SHO looked impressive in his singles victory over Atsushi Kotoge, besting him in just 8:20.

The action only intensified from there. Stinger's surprise appearance led to an upset win over BULLET CLUB, while Suzuki-gun made light work of Los Perros del Mal de Japon. Sugiura-gun and Toru Yano also got the better of their six-man tag team match opponents in Suzuki-gun.

Go Shiozaki and Masa Kitamiya proved too much for House Of Torture to handle, and Naomichi Marufuji and Yoshinari Ogawa put on a clinic against Suzuki-gun. The latter pairing's 15:20 victory was one of the standout matches of the night.

The main event tag team match saw Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada come out on top against Kaito Kiyomiya and Keiji Muto, with the former duo's chemistry proving to be too much for their opponents to overcome. The 24:34 runtime was well worth it, however.

But the real main event was yet to come – the ten-man tag team match featuring Los Ingobernables de Japon and Kongo. This one was a barnburner, with both sides giving it their all. In the end, LIJ emerged victorious in 26:33, capping off an unforgettable night of action.

Overall, "New Year Dash" was a resounding success for NJPW. With such a talented roster and consistently great matches, it's no wonder this event has become a staple of the wrestling calendar. For those who missed out on the live broadcast, rest assured that Zohash.com will have all the highlights and analysis you need to relive the magic.

Match Ratings:

Kosei Fujita vs. Yasutaka Yano (Pre-Show): 2/5
TenKoji & Yuji Nagata vs. Funky Express (Pre-Show): 3.5/5
CHAOS vs. Daiki Inaba, et al.: 4.5/5
SHO vs. Atsushi Kotoge: 3.5/5
Stinger vs. BULLET CLUB: 4.5/5
Suzuki-gun vs. Los Perros del Mal de Japon: 3.5/5
Sugiura-gun & Toru Yano vs. Suzuki-gun: 4.5/5
Go Shiozaki & Masa Kitamiya vs. House Of Torture: 4.5/5
Naomichi Marufuji & Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Suzuki-gun: 5/5
Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Kongo: 5/5
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada vs. Kaito Kiyomiya & Keiji Muto: 4.5/5

Overall Event Rating: 4.75/5

Card Details

Date: 08 Jan 2022
Promotion: New Japan Pro Wrestling
Arena: Yokohama Arena
Attendance: 7077
Type: Pay Per View
Broadcast Type: Live
Broadcast Date: 08 Jan 2022

Matches

Kosei Fujita Time Limit Draw Yasutaka Yano in a Pre-Show Match
Match Time: 10:00
TenKoji and Yuji Nagata defeat Funky Express in a Pre-Show Six Man Tag Team Match
Match Time: 12:18
CHAOS, Master Wato and Ryusuke Taguchi defeat Daiki Inaba, Daisuke Harada, Hajime Ohara, Kinya Okada and Yoshiki Inamura in a Ten Man Tag Team Match
Match Time: 11:42
SHO defeat Atsushi Kotoge in a Singles Match
Match Time: 08:20
Stinger defeat BULLET CLUB in a Tag Team Match
Match Time: 05:59
Suzuki-gun defeat Los Perros del Mal de Japon in a Tag Team Match
Match Time: 09:09
Sugiura-gun and Toru Yano defeat Suzuki-gun in a Six Man Tag Team Match
Match Time: 09:37
Go Shiozaki and Masa Kitamiya defeat House Of Torture in a Tag Team Match
Match Time: 09:53
Naomichi Marufuji and Yoshinari Ogawa defeat Suzuki-gun in a Tag Team Match
Match Time: 15:20
Los Ingobernables de Japon defeat Kongo in a Ten Man Tag Team Match
Match Time: 26:33
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada defeat Kaito Kiyomiya and Keiji Muto in a Tag Team Match
Match Time: 24:34