Felix Upton on January 3, 2026
NJPW is really happy with how fast Wrestle Kingdom 20 sold out — and now they’re patting themselves on the back for making a major change that clearly paid off.
According to Fightful Select, sources inside New Japan Pro-Wrestling said the company anticipated a quick sellout even before opening up additional seats. And while over 50,000 tickets are now believed to be distributed, what has NJPW excited internally is how it happened.
“As one would expect, NJPW was thrilled with the ticket sales. Even before they opened up more seats, they anticipated selling it out quickly. This led to a number of people in the company telling us that they considered moving back to one specialized night a big success.”
That’s a big shift from the two-night format Wrestle Kingdom has used in recent years. This year, NJPW went all-in on one mega-show — and clearly, it worked.
The event was already tracking toward history: over 20,000 tickets were sold on the very first day of general sale, making Wrestle Kingdom 20 the fastest-selling edition in NJPW history.
Adding even more emotion to the card is Hiroshi Tanahashi’s retirement match. The Ace of NJPW is set to face longtime rival Kazuchika Okada in what will be his final bout, bringing his epic Final Ace retirement tour to a close on January 4, 2026, at the Tokyo Dome.
From emotional farewells to a sold-out dome, Wrestle Kingdom 20 is shaping up to be one for the record books — and NJPW knows it.
Do you think NJPW should stick to the one-night format going forward, or should they bring back the two-night spectacle? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
January 3, 2026 11:37 pm
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