Wrestle Kingdom III | ||||
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Promotional poster for the event, featuring Keiji Mutoh and Hiroshi Tanahashi
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Information | ||||
Promotion | New Japan Pro-Wrestling | |||
Sponsor(s) | Fields | |||
Date | January 4, 2009 | |||
Attendance | 40,000 (official) 27,500 (claimed) |
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Venue | Tokyo Dome | |||
City | Tokyo, Japan | |||
Pay-per-view chronology | ||||
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Wrestle Kingdom chronology | ||||
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Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome (レッスルキングダムIII in 東京ドーム Ressuru Kingudamu III in Tōkyō Dōmu) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion, which took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on January 4, 2009. It was the 18th January 4 Tokyo Dome Show and the third held under the "Wrestle Kingdom" name. The event featured eleven matches (including one dark match), five of which were contested for championships. Wrestle Kingdom is traditionally NJPW's biggest event of the year and has been described as their equivalent to WWE's WrestleMania.
For the second year in a row, the show featured wrestlers from the American Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and again their matches aired in the United States as part of the Global Impact! broadcast. In addition, the show also featured wrestlers from the Mexican Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) as part of a new relationship between NJPW and CMLL. Wrestlers from other Japanese promotions also took part in the show, including All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), Pro Wrestling Noah and Pro Wrestling Zero1, whose top title, the World Heavyweight Championship, was defended during the show.