FTR's NJPW Wrestle Kingdom Opponents Announced

The champions of NJPW's World Tag League 2022 have finally been crowned. After a competitive tournament that saw Aussie Open and Bishamon advance to the finals, the latter team — comprised of Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI — walked out of Sendai as the victors.

With the win, Bishamon will challenge Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler of FTR for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships at Wrestle Kingdom 17, which is scheduled to take place in the Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2023. The imminent showdown between the teams also marks the latest NJPW vs AEW match to be added to the Wrestle Kingdom card, as Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega have already been booked to clash at the event.

Bishamon's victory makes them World Tag League winners for the second year in a row. Last year's tournament saw them overcome EVIL and Yujiro Takahashi in the final round and they went on to defeat Dangerous Tekkers at Wrestle Kingdom 16 for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. This was also Goto's fourth time winning the event, having previously picked up the trophy with partners Karl Anderson and Katsuyori Shibata in 2012 and 2014, respectively.

FTR, meanwhile, have held the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles since June. The duo defeated United Empire and Roppongi Vice at the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door to win the gold. Since then, Harwood and Wheeler have defended the titles in some critically acclaimed bouts, most notably against Aussie Open at Royal Quest II in October.