Wrestling Dontaku 2017
Wrestling Dontaku 2017 was a professional wrestling event promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). The event took place on May 3, 2017, in Fukuoka, Fukuoka at Fukuoka Kokusai Center and featured ten matches, three of which were contested for championships. The show was headlined by Kazuchika Okada defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Bad Luck Fale. This was the fourteenth event under the Wrestling Dontaku name.
| Wrestling Dontaku 2017 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster for the event, featuring caricatures of several NJPW wrestlers | |||
| Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
| Date | May 3, 2017[1] | ||
| City | Fukuoka, Japan[1] | ||
| Venue | Fukuoka Kokusai Center[2] | ||
| Attendance | 6,126[3] | ||
| Event chronology | |||
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| Wrestling Dontaku chronology | |||
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Production
Storylines
Wrestling Dontaku 2017 featured ten professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[4]
Wrestling Dontaku 2017 was headlined by Kazuchika Okada making his fifth defense of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Bad Luck Fale.[5][6] This match was set up on April 9 at Sakura Genesis 2017, where Fale attacked Okada after he had made his fourth successful title defense against the 2017 New Japan Cup winner Katsuyori Shibata.[5][7] Fale, who had lost to Shibata in the finals of the New Japan Cup, had defeated Okada on August 8, 2016, during the 2016 G1 Climax,[8] but instead of a title shot, was granted a non-title match against Okada on September 22 at Destruction in Hiroshima, where he was defeated by the reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion.[5][9] The match at Wrestling Dontaku 2017 marked Fale's first shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.[5][10]
In the semi-main event, Kenny Omega took on Tomohiro Ishii.[5] Prior to challenging Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2017, Omega stated that he wanted to defend the title against Ishii.[5] After failing to capture the title, Omega and Ishii faced off in the first round of the 2017 New Japan Cup, where Ishii was victorious, derailing Omega's quest for another shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.[5][11] On April 9, Omega pinned Ishii in a tag team match and afterwards requested a singles rematch with him, which was made official the following day.[5][12]
Two more title matches were scheduled to take place at Wrestling Dontaku 2017. In the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship match, Taguchi Japan (Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ricochet and Ryusuke Taguchi) would defend against previous champions Los Ingobernables de Japon (Bushi, Evil and Sanada) in a rematch from April 4.[5] Meanwhile, the IWGP Tag Team Championship would be defended in a three-way match with new champions War Machine (Hanson and Raymond Rowe) facing Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) and Tencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima).[5] After defeating Tencozy for the title on April 9, War Machine accepted a rematch challenge from the previous champions as well as another challenge made backstage by Guerrillas of Destiny, leading to NJPW announcing the three-way match the following day.[5]
Other matches at the event included the returning Cody taking on David Finlay and the Chaos and Suzuki-gun stables facing off in a ten-man tag team match.[5][13]
Results
References
- 濵かつ Presents レスリングどんたく 2017. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). Retrieved May 3, 2017.
- ＩＷＧＰ王座Ｖ５のオカダ ケガ人続きの新日に緊急提言. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- オカダがファレ退けＶ５！次期挑戦者にオメガ指名「世界中の人がまた見たいらしい」. Daily Sports Online (in Japanese). Kobe Shimbun. May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- Grabianowski, Ed. "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Discovery Communications. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- 【5月3日（水・祝）福岡大会・全カード決定！】オカダvsファレ！ 石井vsケニー！ NEVER6人タッグ戦！ IWGPタッグ3Way戦！ Cody、タイガーマスクWも参戦!!. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). April 10, 2017. Archived from the original on April 10, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- Rose, Bryan (April 10, 2017). "NJPW reveals cards for Wrestling Dontaku and Wrestling Toyonokuni". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ＩＷＧＰ王者オカダ 緊急手術の柴田に再戦約束「またやりましょう」. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). April 10, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- Macklin, Matthew (August 8, 2016). "8/8 New Japan G-1 Climax report". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- Rose, Bryan (September 22, 2016). "NJPW Destruction in Hiroshima results: Kenny Omega defends his title shot". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- 【新日本】５・３福岡でファレとＩＷＧＰ戦のオカダ 長期政権に自信. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). April 11, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
- 【新日ＮＪＣ】優勝候補筆頭ケニーまさかの初戦敗退. Tokyo Sports (in Japanese). March 13, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- Rose, Bryan (April 8, 2017). "NJPW Sakura Genesis live results: Okada vs. Shibata". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- Macklin, Matthew (April 10, 2017). "Complete 4/9 New Japan Sakura Genesis report including an amazing Okada vs. Shibata match". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
- Rose, Bryan (May 2, 2017). "NJPW Wrestling Dontaku live results: Okada faces Bad Luck Fale". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
- Macklin, Matthew (May 3, 2017). "Bad Luck Fale challenges Okada, Omega vs. Ishii and more: 5/3 NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2017 report". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved May 4, 2017.