tl;dr - Doing their own WrestleMania Weekend.

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After the complete purchase of STARDOM by NJPW was finalised at the end of June, July 3 saw a press conference starring a pair of names seen at the head of many a pro-wrestling card; this time though, it was Okada alongside Tanahashi, and Taro Okada, President of STARDOM along with President Hiroshi Tanahashi delivering exciting news for the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025.

Wrestle Kingdom Week

・Sunday December 29 STARDOM, Ryogoku Sumo Hall

・Thursday January 2 Pro-Wrestling Matsuri, Bellesalle Haneda

・Friday January 3 Wrestle Kingdom 19 Kickoff venue TBA

・Friday January 3 STARDOM New Year Dream Tokyo Garden Theater

・Saturday January 4 Wrestle Kingdom 19 in Tokyo Dome

・Sunday January 5 Wrestle Dynasty in Tokyo Dome

・Monday January 6 New Year Dash!, Ota-ku Gymnasium

The main focus of the presentation was the announcement of Wrestle Kingdom Week. Starting at the end of December and running through the first week of January, Tanahashi promised that ‘NJPW and STARDOM will see wrestling dominate Tokyo through the start of the new year’. Tanahashi declared that the ‘key point of the week is to bring fans together across Japan, and around the world’

The first event of Wrestle Kingdom Week will be December 29, as STARDOM’s now traditional year end card in Ryogoku Sumo Hall will see the culmination of 2024’s action in grand style with what Okada described as ‘the biggest STARDOM event of the year’.

Okada announced that the first STARDOM matches of 2025 will take place Friday January 3 in the Tokyo Garden Theater in Ariake. STARDOM New Year Dream will see the venue host professional wrestling for the very first time for a hot start to the year.

The centerpiece of Wrestle Kingdom Week is Wrestle Kingdom weekend itself. On January 4, Wrestle Kingdom 19 hits the Tokyo Dome, while Wrestle Dynasty on January 5 will see representation from NJPW, AEW, CMLL, ROH and STARDOM.

To ensure fans from around Japan can travel to Tokyo and enjoy the matches from bell to bell, Wrestle Dynasty this year will start at 1PM JST. This allows for fans to watch live from overseas more easily as well, with an 11PM eastern, 8PM Pacific start time for the card.

There are also new viewing experiences on offer within the Tokyo Dome, with special premium sofa seats for groups of four as well as bench sofa family seats for the whole family to enjoy. On January 4, Tanahashi announced, new fans coming for the very first time will be drawn in to the limited number, low priced ‘Itsuzai’ seats for 1231 Yen (1,2,3,1 read ‘i tsu za i’ in reference to the Ace’s Japanese nickname).

Wrestle Kingdom Week doesn’t end with Wrestle Dynasty though as Tanahashi confirmed that New Year Dash will take place on January 6 in Ota Ward Gymnasium, kicking off NJPW’s 2025 in the promotion’s birthplace.

There are also two special satellite events before the Wrestle Kingdom Weekend. On January 2, Pro-Wrestling Matsuri returns. The fan festival this year will take fans travelling in to Japan into especial consideration, emanating from Bellesalle Haneda connected to the international terminal at Haneda Airport. Stars from NJPW and STARDOM will be on hand for this very special event.

Then, January 3 will see the Wrestle Kingdom 19 kickoff event, with details on both days to be announced soon.

Historic X-Over 2

As previously announced, Historic X-Over 2 will see NJPW and STARDOM collaborating on a major cross over card for the first time in two years on November 17. This time it will be Osaka’s EDION Arena hosting what is sure to be a memorable event.

On the IWGP Committee

Tanahashi also announced steps for the reorganization of the IWGP governing body for title matches and tournaments within NJPW. The IWGP Committee, composed of former IWGP Champions as well as NJPW executives will have further announcements soon about their commitment to wrestlers and officiating in NJPW events.

In closing, both Okada and Tanahashi promised that both NJPW and STARDOM will grow to unforeseen heights together.