is an annual professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It takes place at the end of Japan's Golden Week, in the city of Fukuoka alongside the Hakata Dontaku festival in early May.
History Wrestling Dontaku was originally held from 1993 to 1995, and again from 2000 to 2001, in Fukuoka at the Fukuoka Dome. The event was revived in 2009 in the smaller Fukuoka Kokusai Center, and aired as a pay-per-view (PPV). From 2013 to 2014, the event also aired outside Japan as an internet pay-per-view (iPPV). Since 2015, the event has aired worldwide on NJPW's internet streaming site, NJPW World. In 2018 and 2019, Wrestling Dontaku took place over two back-to-back shows. The event was originally scheduled to take place in 2020 on May 3 and May 4, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the event took place on May 1 at Fukuoka PayPay Dome, formerly known as the Fukuoka Dome. This was the first time that Wrestling Dontaku was held in the domed venue since 2001.
Events #EventDateCityVenueAttendanceMain eventRef(s)Fukuoka, JapanAntonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Genichiro Tenryu and Riki ChoshuAntonio Inoki vs. The Great MutaShinya Hashimoto (c) vs. Keiji Mutoh for the IWGP Heavyweight ChampionshipPower Warrior (c) vs. The Great Muta for the IWGP Heavyweight ChampionshipKazunari Murakami and Naoya Ogawa vs. Manabu Nakanishi and Riki ChoshuHiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Hirooki Goto for the IWGP Heavyweight ChampionshipShinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Togi Makabe for the IWGP Heavyweight ChampionshipHiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the IWGP Heavyweight ChampionshipKazuchika Okada (c) vs. Hirooki Goto for the IWGP Heavyweight ChampionshipKazuchika Okada (c) vs. Minoru Suzuki for the IWGP Heavyweight ChampionshipKazuchika Okada (c) vs. A.J. Styles for the IWGP Heavyweight ChampionshipShinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Hirooki Goto for the IWGP Intercontinental ChampionshipTetsuya Naito (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii for the IWGP Heavyweight ChampionshipKazuchika Okada (c) vs. Bad Luck Fale for the IWGP Heavyweight ChampionshipKenny Omega vs. Hangman PageKazuchika Okada (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight ChampionshipDragon Lee (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipKazuchika Okada (c) vs. Sanada for the IWGP Heavyweight ChampionshipHiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Jay White for the NEVER Openweight ChampionshipWill Ospreay (c) vs. Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Heavyweight ChampionshipFukuoka PayPay Dome8,162Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight ChampionshipFukuoka Kokusai Center4,489Sanada (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi for the IWGP World Heavyweight ChampionshipWrestling Dontaku 20242,440Nic Nemeth (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship4,238Jon Moxley (c) vs. Ren Narita for the IWGP World Heavyweight ChampionshipWrestling Dontaku 20252,903House of Torture (Evil, Ren Narita, Sanada, Sho and Yoshinobu Kanemaru) vs. Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay, Clark Connors, Drilla Moloney, Gabe Kidd and Taiji Ishimori) in a Dog Pound match5,407Hirooki Goto (c) vs. Callum Newman for the IWGP World Heavyweight ChampionshipWrestling Dontaku 2026TBAYota Tsuji (c) vs. Andrade El Idolo for the IWGP Global Heavyweight ChampionshipTBACallum Newman (c) vs. Shingo Takagi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship
1993
1994
1995
2000
The fourth Wrestling Dontaku, first in five years, was held on May 5, 2000, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, at the Fukuoka Dome.
The event featured eight matches, two of which were contested for championships. The event opened with the finals of the 2000 Young Lion Cup, where Kenzo Suzuki defeated Shinya Makabe, who later became better known as Togi Makabe, winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. In the semi-main event, Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata successfully defended the IWGP Tag Team Championship against Kazunari Murakami and Naoya Ogawa, while in the main event, Kensuke Sasaki, using his Power Warrior persona, defeated The Great Muta to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
2001
The fifth Wrestling Dontaku was held on May 5, 2001, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, at the Fukuoka Dome. The event featured nine matches, one of which was contested for a championship.
In the title match, El Samurai and Jyushin Thunder Liger defeated the Mexican brother tag team of Dr. Wagner, Jr. and Silver King to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. The event also featured appearances by mixed martial artists Don Frye and Rainy Martinez.
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2021
2022
2023
2024
See also
List of New Japan Pro-Wrestling pay-per-view events
References
External links The official New Japan Pro-Wrestling website Wrestling Dontaku at ProWrestlingHistory.com