Wrestle Kingdom 20 may be the talk of the town regarding New Japan Pro Wrestling right now, especially since it will be the event where Hiroshi Tanahashi wrestles the final match of his career. But once Tanahashi’s swan song has ended, New Japan will have little time to reflect, as their annual New Year’s Dash event will take place the next night in Korakuen Hall. A match for the IWGP Tag Team Championships has already been announced for the event, featuring champions OSKAR and Yuto-Ice defending against Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa, but as per tradition, no other New Year’s Dash matches have been revealed.
Earlier today on their website, however, New Japan gave fans a hint at what could happen by releasing a full list of talents that will be appearing on New Year’s Dash. Both IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita and IWGP Global Champion Yota Tsuji are scheduled to appear following their title vs. title match at Wrestle Kingdom, confirming the IWGP World Champion will be on hand for the Dash.
Among other talents listed are former Olympic gold medalist Aaron Wolf, who will make his wrestling debut at Wrestle Kingdom against EVIL, New Japan/AEW star Tomohiro Ishii, the entire Bullet Club War Dogs faction, and Andrade El Idolo. Arguably the most notable talented not listed as appearing is AEW star Kazuchika Okada, suggesting his match with Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom will be his only New Japan appearance next week.
Notably, New Japan lists Andrade as a member of the United Empire, suggesting he may have a presence in New Japan beyond his matches at Wrestle Kingdom and New Year’s Dash. The luchador’s future has become wide open now following the end of his WWE non-compete clause earlier this month. Though unconfirmed, many expect Andrade to return to AEW as well, having previously appeared for the promotion in October before being sidelined by WWE invoking his non-compete.
