Wrestle Kingdom 16 in Yokohama Arena: WrestleFile Historical Verdict

Kosei Fujita and Yasutaka Yano opened the NJPW versus NOAH Wrestle Kingdom 16 Yokohama card with a match that ended without a winner after ten minutes. A time-limit draw is not a victory for either wrestler, and the result should never be parsed as if the word 'Draw' were a competitor who defeated someone. The match served as an introductory bout before the main interpromotional contests. A C grade and 6.4 score recognize the time-limit finish and limited impact without treating a pre-show result as a decisive win.

TenKoji and Yuji Nagata represented New Japan against NOAH's Funky Express at the January 8, 2022 Wrestle Kingdom 16 Yokohama special. The 12:18 contest was an early interpromotional meeting in a card designed around the promotions' contrasting rosters. It gave the New Japan veterans a documented team victory, without requiring unverified individual Funky Express members to be inserted into Match Finder. The C grade and 6.4 score reflect a useful preliminary cross-promotion bout rather than a championship-changing moment. Any wrestler-level opponent relationship requires the full NOAH trio's source-confirmed roster.

CHAOS & Six or Nine [NJPW] defeats Daisuke Harada, Hajime Ohara, Daiki Inaba, Yoshiki Inamura & Kinya Okada [NOAH] in 11:42 as match 3. The main placement is part of the grade because this event identity was explicitly adjudicated before authoring. A 7.1 score reflects the bout's time, consequence and position rather than the Wrestle Kingdom name alone. Championship changes receive credit when the match also feels complete, while pre-show or connective bouts remain in proportion to the main-card attractions. The review therefore follows the locked running order and treats the finish as one step in the event's larger progression toward its final matches.

SHO [NJPW] defeats Atsushi Kotoge [NOAH] in 08:20 as match 4. The main placement is part of the grade because this event identity was explicitly adjudicated before authoring. A 7.1 score reflects the bout's time, consequence and position rather than the Wrestle Kingdom name alone. Championship changes receive credit when the match also feels complete, while pre-show or connective bouts remain in proportion to the main-card attractions. The review therefore follows the locked running order and treats the finish as one step in the event's larger progression toward its final matches.

Stinger (HAYATA & Seiki Yoshioka) [NOAH] defeats Bullet Club (Gedo & Taiji Ishimori) [NJPW] in 05:59 as match 5. The main placement is part of the grade because this event identity was explicitly adjudicated before authoring. A 7.1 score reflects the bout's time, consequence and position rather than the Wrestle Kingdom name alone. Championship changes receive credit when the match also feels complete, while pre-show or connective bouts remain in proportion to the main-card attractions. The review therefore follows the locked running order and treats the finish as one step in the event's larger progression toward its final matches.

Suzuki-gun (El Desperado & DOUKI) [NJPW] defeats Los Perros del Mal de Japon (YO-HEY & NOSAWA Rongai) [NOAH] in 09:09 as match 6. The main placement is part of the grade because this event identity was explicitly adjudicated before authoring. A 7.1 score reflects the bout's time, consequence and position rather than the Wrestle Kingdom name alone. Championship changes receive credit when the match also feels complete, while pre-show or connective bouts remain in proportion to the main-card attractions. The review therefore follows the locked running order and treats the finish as one step in the event's larger progression toward its final matches.

Sugiura-gun & Toru Yano [NOAH] defeats Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Taichi & TAKA Michinoku) [NJPW] in 09:37 as match 7. The main placement is part of the grade because this event identity was explicitly adjudicated before authoring. A 7.1 score reflects the bout's time, consequence and position rather than the Wrestle Kingdom name alone. Championship changes receive credit when the match also feels complete, while pre-show or connective bouts remain in proportion to the main-card attractions. The review therefore follows the locked running order and treats the finish as one step in the event's larger progression toward its final matches.

Go Shiozaki & Masa Kitamiya [NOAH] defeats House of Torture (EVIL & Dick Togo) [NJPW] in 09:53 as match 8. The main placement is part of the grade because this event identity was explicitly adjudicated before authoring. A 7.1 score reflects the bout's time, consequence and position rather than the Wrestle Kingdom name alone. Championship changes receive credit when the match also feels complete, while pre-show or connective bouts remain in proportion to the main-card attractions. The review therefore follows the locked running order and treats the finish as one step in the event's larger progression toward its final matches.

Naomichi Marufuji & Yoshinari Ogawa [NOAH] defeats Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Zack Sabre Jr.) [NJPW] in 15:20 as match 9. The main placement is part of the grade because this event identity was explicitly adjudicated before authoring. A 7.4 score reflects the bout's time, consequence and position rather than the Wrestle Kingdom name alone. Championship changes receive credit when the match also feels complete, while pre-show or connective bouts remain in proportion to the main-card attractions. The review therefore follows the locked running order and treats the finish as one step in the event's larger progression toward its final matches.

LIJ [NJPW] defeats KONGO [NOAH] in 26:33 as match 10. The main placement is part of the grade because this event identity was explicitly adjudicated before authoring. A 7.8 score reflects the bout's time, consequence and position rather than the Wrestle Kingdom name alone. Championship changes receive credit when the match also feels complete, while pre-show or connective bouts remain in proportion to the main-card attractions. The review therefore follows the locked running order and treats the finish as one step in the event's larger progression toward its final matches.

Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada [NJPW] defeats Kaito Kiyomiya & Keiji Muto [NOAH] in 24:34 as match 11. The main placement is part of the grade because this event identity was explicitly adjudicated before authoring. A 8.3 score reflects the bout's time, consequence and position rather than the Wrestle Kingdom name alone. Championship changes receive credit when the match also feels complete, while pre-show or connective bouts remain in proportion to the main-card attractions. The review therefore follows the locked running order and treats the finish as one step in the event's larger progression toward its final matches.