# Wrestle Kingdom 19 (レッスルキングダム19)
**Wrestle Kingdom 19** (レッスルキングダム19) was a professional wrestling event promoted by [New Japan Pro-Wrestling](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-japan-pro-wrestling) (NJPW) on January 4, 2025 at the [Tokyo Dome](https://www.edgepedia.org/tokyo-dome) in Tokyo, Japan, headlined by [Zack Sabre Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/zack-sabre-jr) retaining the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Shota Umino.[1](https://www.njpw.co.jp/tournament/507777) • [2](https://prowrestling.net/site/2025/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-results-zack-sabre-jr-vs-shota-umino-for-the-iwgp-world-hvt-championship-aew-international-champion-konosuke-takeshita-vs-never-openweight-champion-shingo-takagi-for-both/) It was the 19th edition of the Wrestle Kingdom series, which NJPW has run at the Tokyo Dome every January 4 since 1992 under the Wrestle Kingdom name since 2007.[3](https://www.njpw.co.jp/546896) The show was officially presented as "JR東海 推し旅 Presents WRESTLE KINGDOM 19 in 東京ドーム" and was followed the next night by Wrestle Dynasty, a cross-promotional card.[1](https://www.njpw.co.jp/tournament/507777) • [4](https://finance-frontend-pc-dist.west.edge.storage-yahoo.jp/disclosure/20250515/20250515553918.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and venue | January 4, 2025, Tokyo Dome, Tokyo; doors 14:45, start 17:00[1](https://www.njpw.co.jp/tournament/507777) |
| Edition | 19th Wrestle Kingdom; NJPW has held a Tokyo Dome show every January 4 since 1992, named Wrestle Kingdom since 2007[3](https://www.njpw.co.jp/546896) |
| Main event | Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Shota Umino to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in a match over 40 minutes[2](https://prowrestling.net/site/2025/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-results-zack-sabre-jr-vs-shota-umino-for-the-iwgp-world-hvt-championship-aew-international-champion-konosuke-takeshita-vs-never-openweight-champion-shingo-takagi-for-both/) |
| Title vs. title | Konosuke Takeshita retained the AEW International Championship and won the Never Openweight Championship from Shingo Takagi[2](https://prowrestling.net/site/2025/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-results-zack-sabre-jr-vs-shota-umino-for-the-iwgp-world-hvt-championship-aew-international-champion-konosuke-takeshita-vs-never-openweight-champion-shingo-takagi-for-both/) |
| Broadcast | Streamed live on NJPW World and TrillerTV; commentary by Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton[2](https://prowrestling.net/site/2025/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-results-zack-sabre-jr-vs-shota-umino-for-the-iwgp-world-hvt-championship-aew-international-champion-konosuke-takeshita-vs-never-openweight-champion-shingo-takagi-for-both/) |
| First for the Dome | The four-way IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship ladder match was the first ladder match ever held at the Tokyo Dome[6](https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2025/01/04/1-4-njpw-wrestle-kingdom-report-radicans-results-analysis-of-finlay-vs-tsuji-takahashi-vs-naito-sabre-vs-umino/) |
## Event and context
NJPW positioned the show within a wider "Wrestle Kingdom Week" running from the end of 2024 into early 2025, concentrating NJPW and STARDOM events around the [New Year](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-year) holidays, including a January 3 pre-event for the Tokyo Dome show and a STARDOM card at [Tokyo Garden Theater](https://www.edgepedia.org/tokyo-garden-theater).[7](https://www.njpw.co.jp/508913/) On January 5, 2025, NJPW, STARDOM, and promotions from the United States (AEW and ROH) and Mexico (CMLL) jointly held "Wrestle Dynasty" at the Tokyo Dome, the first two-day consecutive event at the venue in three years, since January 4-5, 2022.[4](https://finance-frontend-pc-dist.west.edge.storage-yahoo.jp/disclosure/20250515/20250515553918.pdf)
The show opened with a pre-show New Japan Ranbo, a royal-rumble style match in which elimination could come by pinfall, submission, or going over the top rope. Great-O-Khan had retired the KOPW Championship and the match was repurposed as a #1 contender match for the [IWGP World Heavyweight Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/iwgp-world-heavyweight-championship); Hirooki Goto won it.[6](https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2025/01/04/1-4-njpw-wrestle-kingdom-report-radicans-results-analysis-of-finlay-vs-tsuji-takahashi-vs-naito-sabre-vs-umino/) • [2](https://prowrestling.net/site/2025/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-results-zack-sabre-jr-vs-shota-umino-for-the-iwgp-world-hvt-championship-aew-international-champion-konosuke-takeshita-vs-never-openweight-champion-shingo-takagi-for-both/)
## Match results
The main card ran as follows:[2](https://prowrestling.net/site/2025/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-results-zack-sabre-jr-vs-shota-umino-for-the-iwgp-world-hvt-championship-aew-international-champion-konosuke-takeshita-vs-never-openweight-champion-shingo-takagi-for-both/)
1. **IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, four-way ladder match**: Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita defeated the champions Intergalactic Jet Setters (KUSHIDA and Kevin Knight), Bullet Club War Dogs (Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney), and Catch 2/2 (TJP and Francesco Akira) to win the titles.[2](https://prowrestling.net/site/2025/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-results-zack-sabre-jr-vs-shota-umino-for-the-iwgp-world-hvt-championship-aew-international-champion-konosuke-takeshita-vs-never-openweight-champion-shingo-takagi-for-both/) • [6](https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2025/01/04/1-4-njpw-wrestle-kingdom-report-radicans-results-analysis-of-finlay-vs-tsuji-takahashi-vs-naito-sabre-vs-umino/)
2. **IWGP Women's Championship**: [Mayu Iwatani](https://www.edgepedia.org/mayu-iwatani) defeated AZM to retain the title, winning with a dragon suplex in a match of roughly nine minutes.[2](https://prowrestling.net/site/2025/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-results-zack-sabre-jr-vs-shota-umino-for-the-iwgp-world-hvt-championship-aew-international-champion-konosuke-takeshita-vs-never-openweight-champion-shingo-takagi-for-both/) • [6](https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2025/01/04/1-4-njpw-wrestle-kingdom-report-radicans-results-analysis-of-finlay-vs-tsuji-takahashi-vs-naito-sabre-vs-umino/)
3. **NJPW World TV Championship, four-way**: El Phantasmo defeated Ren Narita, Jeff Cobb, and [Ryohei Oiwa](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryohei-oiwa) to win the title, shortly after returning from a medical layoff.[2](https://prowrestling.net/site/2025/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-results-zack-sabre-jr-vs-shota-umino-for-the-iwgp-world-hvt-championship-aew-international-champion-konosuke-takeshita-vs-never-openweight-champion-shingo-takagi-for-both/)
4. **Lumberjack match, "Final Road"**: [Hiroshi Tanahashi](https://www.edgepedia.org/hiroshi-tanahashi) defeated EVIL. After the match Katsuyori Shibata saved Tanahashi from a post-match attack and challenged him to a match at Wrestle Dynasty, which Tanahashi accepted.[2](https://prowrestling.net/site/2025/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-results-zack-sabre-jr-vs-shota-umino-for-the-iwgp-world-hvt-championship-aew-international-champion-konosuke-takeshita-vs-never-openweight-champion-shingo-takagi-for-both/)
5. **Title vs. title**: Konosuke Takeshita (with Don Callis) defeated Shingo Takagi, retaining the AEW International Championship and winning the Never Openweight Championship.[2](https://prowrestling.net/site/2025/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-results-zack-sabre-jr-vs-shota-umino-for-the-iwgp-world-hvt-championship-aew-international-champion-konosuke-takeshita-vs-never-openweight-champion-shingo-takagi-for-both/)
6. **IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship**: El Desperado defeated Douki to win the title. Douki suffered a serious elbow injury while performing a top-rope seated senton to the floor, the match was stopped, and Desperado was declared the winner by forfeit.[2](https://prowrestling.net/site/2025/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-results-zack-sabre-jr-vs-shota-umino-for-the-iwgp-world-hvt-championship-aew-international-champion-konosuke-takeshita-vs-never-openweight-champion-shingo-takagi-for-both/)
7. **IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship**: Yota Tsuji defeated David Finlay to win the title.[2](https://prowrestling.net/site/2025/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-results-zack-sabre-jr-vs-shota-umino-for-the-iwgp-world-hvt-championship-aew-international-champion-konosuke-takeshita-vs-never-openweight-champion-shingo-takagi-for-both/)
8. **Singles match**: Tetsuya Naito defeated his longtime Los Ingobernables de Japón ally Hiromu Takahashi; the two embraced at ringside before leaving together.[2](https://prowrestling.net/site/2025/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-results-zack-sabre-jr-vs-shota-umino-for-the-iwgp-world-hvt-championship-aew-international-champion-konosuke-takeshita-vs-never-openweight-champion-shingo-takagi-for-both/)
9. **IWGP World Heavyweight Championship main event**: Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Shota Umino to retain the title.[2](https://prowrestling.net/site/2025/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-results-zack-sabre-jr-vs-shota-umino-for-the-iwgp-world-hvt-championship-aew-international-champion-konosuke-takeshita-vs-never-openweight-champion-shingo-takagi-for-both/)
## The main event
Umino entered riding a motorcycle around the main floor and was booed at several points during the match; his father, the referee known as Red Shoes Unno, officiated. Umino shoved his father to the mat when Red Shoes tried to enforce a rope break. Sabre targeted Umino's ankle throughout, and when the ankle gave out late in the match he finished with a Gotch-style piledriver and a Sabre Driver for the three count. The match ran over 40 minutes, reported at 43:44.[2](https://prowrestling.net/site/2025/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-results-zack-sabre-jr-vs-shota-umino-for-the-iwgp-world-hvt-championship-aew-international-champion-konosuke-takeshita-vs-never-openweight-champion-shingo-takagi-for-both/) • [8](https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2025/01/05/wrestle-kingdom-19-get-to-the-point/) Sabre then announced he would defend the title against Ricochet at [Wrestle Dynasty](https://www.edgepedia.org/wrestle-dynasty).[2](https://prowrestling.net/site/2025/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-results-zack-sabre-jr-vs-shota-umino-for-the-iwgp-world-hvt-championship-aew-international-champion-konosuke-takeshita-vs-never-openweight-champion-shingo-takagi-for-both/)
## Reception and business
Reviewers were mixed: one overall show rating of 8.5/10 praised the drama of the main event[9](https://www.enuffa.com/2025/01/njpw-wrestlekingdom-19-review-feeling.html), while another gave the event 6.5/10 and judged it enjoyable but not particularly memorable by Wrestle Kingdom standards[5](https://411mania.com/wrestling/pantojas-njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-review/). The Takeshita vs. Takagi title match was the best-received bout, rated ****1/4 by the Wrestling Observer and averaging 8.12 on Cagematch from 605 votes.[6](https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2025/01/04/1-4-njpw-wrestle-kingdom-report-radicans-results-analysis-of-finlay-vs-tsuji-takahashi-vs-naito-sabre-vs-umino/) • [10](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=111&nr=107146)
Ticket prices ranged from 5,500 yen for a second-floor stand seat to 200,000 yen for a front-row Royal Seat with benefits; the Royal Seats, Arena A, balcony stands, sofa seats, family seats, and the 1,231-yen "Ippzai seat" category were sold out before the show.[1](https://www.njpw.co.jp/tournament/507777)
## References
1. [JR東海 推し旅 Presents WRESTLE KINGDOM 19 in 東京ドーム, New Japan Pro-Wrestling official site](https://www.njpw.co.jp/tournament/507777)
2. [NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19 results: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shota Umino..., Pro Wrestling Dot Net](https://prowrestling.net/site/2025/01/04/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-results-zack-sabre-jr-vs-shota-umino-for-the-iwgp-world-hvt-championship-aew-international-champion-konosuke-takeshita-vs-never-openweight-champion-shingo-takagi-for-both/)
3. [“世界最大級のプロレスの祭典”1.4東京ドーム大会..., New Japan Pro-Wrestling official site](https://www.njpw.co.jp/546896)
4. [SPORTS UNIT, Bushiroad Inc. FY2025 1Q disclosure (PDF)](https://finance-frontend-pc-dist.west.edge.storage-yahoo.jp/disclosure/20250515/20250515553918.pdf)
5. [Pantoja's NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19 Review, 411MANIA](https://411mania.com/wrestling/pantojas-njpw-wrestle-kingdom-19-review/)
6. [NJPW WRESTLE KINGDOM RESULTS (1/4): Radican's results & analysis, PWTorch](https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2025/01/04/1-4-njpw-wrestle-kingdom-report-radicans-results-analysis-of-finlay-vs-tsuji-takahashi-vs-naito-sabre-vs-umino/)
7. [年末年始へ向けて『WRESTLE KINGDOM WEEK』を発表！, New Japan Pro-Wrestling official site](https://www.njpw.co.jp/508913/)
8. [Wrestle Kingdom 19: Get To The Point, KB's Wrestling Reviews](https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2025/01/05/wrestle-kingdom-19-get-to-the-point/)
9. [Enuffa.com: NJPW WrestleKingdom 19 Review](https://www.enuffa.com/2025/01/njpw-wrestlekingdom-19-review-feeling.html)
10. [Konosuke Takeshita vs. Shingo Takagi, CAGEMATCH](https://www.cagematch.net/?id=111&nr=107146)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Professional wrestling promotions and championships › International promotions*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license