Danielson versus Okada II.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling wrapped up their 2023 Power Struggle tour with a show in Osaka on 11/4. One of the matches on the bill was Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tomohiro Ishii defending the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships against T.M.D.K. (Zack Sabre Jr., Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls).
In the end, the trio of Tanahashi, Ishii and Okada retained when Tanahashi locked in a small package on Sabre Jr. to score the win.
Post-match, Okada was the last to leave the ring but before he could exit, the lights in the arena went out and cameras focused on a video package from Bryan Danielson. Danielson confirmed his broken orbital bone injury and attributed that to Okada.
He said Okada is the reason for his arm and eye injuries so he’s going to return the favor and make sure he can no longer do The Rainmaker. Danielson then called out Okada for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 on January 4th. Following the video package, Okada accepted.
When the match is formally announced, the updated Wrestle Kingdom 18 card will be listed as follows:
- IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: SANADA (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
- Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada
