Wrestle Kingdom IV: NOAH Rivalries Give the Tokyo Dome Card Its Best Edge

Super Strong Machine, Wataru Inoue & Mitsuhide Hirasawa defeating Jushin Thunder Liger, Koji Kanemoto & Kazuchika Okada occupies match 1 and runs 04:59. In the main card, the bout's value comes from how clearly it performs its assigned job. The result is easy to understand, the time allotment is neither hidden nor exaggerated, and the match gives the surrounding card a distinct beat. A 6.0 score reflects the combination of stakes, placement and available time rather than reputation alone. The match is judged as one part of this specific Tokyo Dome event, so its grade rises when the result changes a title picture or advances the card and falls when the slot is mostly functional.

Match 2 has Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi) (c) over Averno & Último Guerrero in 09:07. The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship is at stake. That runtime is important to the verdict because Wrestle Kingdom cards can become crowded, and this bout has to justify the space it receives. Within the main card, it provides a different matchup or championship consequence without being credited merely for the names involved. The 7.3 score weighs the finish, the position on the show and whether the bout feels complete for its role. Where the match succeeds, it gives the event momentum or a tangible result; where it is limited, the grade stays closer to supporting-card territory.

At 13:28, No Limit (Tetsuya Naito & Yujiro) vs. Team 3D (c) and Bad Intentions is positioned as match 3. The IWGP Tag Team Championship is at stake. The bout is most useful when read in sequence with the matches around it: Wrestle Kingdom needs each section of the card to change pace while still preserving the strongest attractions for later. This one earns a 7.6 because its result and structure contribute something identifiable to the event without automatically becoming a must-watch attraction. Championship stakes or a distinctive stipulation add consequence, but the grade remains tied to the complete viewing experience, including runtime and card position.

TAJIRI & Masato Tanaka beats Yuji Nagata & Akebono in 09:37 at match 4. The placement gives the bout a clear responsibility within the main card: either establish the event's rhythm, bridge into the stronger singles programs, or deliver one of the card's major payoffs. Its 6.8 score reflects how fully it meets that responsibility. The verdict does not treat a famous participant or title belt as an automatic quality boost. Instead, the match is measured by the way the finish, time and stakes work together and by whether the next match inherits more momentum than the card had before it.

Terry Funk, Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono & Manabu Nakanishi defeating Abdullah the Butcher, Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka & Tomohiro Ishii occupies match 5 and runs 08:52. In the main card, the bout's value comes from how clearly it performs its assigned job. The result is easy to understand, the time allotment is neither hidden nor exaggerated, and the match gives the surrounding card a distinct beat. A 6.6 score reflects the combination of stakes, placement and available time rather than reputation alone. The match is judged as one part of this specific Tokyo Dome event, so its grade rises when the result changes a title picture or advances the card and falls when the slot is mostly functional.

Match 6 has Togi Makabe over Muhammad Yone in 05:39. That runtime is important to the verdict because Wrestle Kingdom cards can become crowded, and this bout has to justify the space it receives. Within the main card, it provides a different matchup or championship consequence without being credited merely for the names involved. The 6.2 score weighs the finish, the position on the show and whether the bout feels complete for its role. Where the match succeeds, it gives the event momentum or a tangible result; where it is limited, the grade stays closer to supporting-card territory.

At 14:14, Naomichi Marufuji vs. Tiger Mask IV (c) is positioned as match 7. The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship is at stake. The bout is most useful when read in sequence with the matches around it: Wrestle Kingdom needs each section of the card to change pace while still preserving the strongest attractions for later. This one earns a 8.2 because its result and structure contribute something identifiable to the event without automatically becoming a must-watch attraction. Championship stakes or a distinctive stipulation add consequence, but the grade remains tied to the complete viewing experience, including runtime and card position.

Hiroshi Tanahashi beats Go Shiozaki in 19:04 at match 8. The placement gives the bout a clear responsibility within the closing stretch: either establish the event's rhythm, bridge into the stronger singles programs, or deliver one of the card's major payoffs. Its 8.8 score reflects how fully it meets that responsibility. The verdict does not treat a famous participant or title belt as an automatic quality boost. Instead, the match is measured by the way the finish, time and stakes work together and by whether the next match inherits more momentum than the card had before it.

Takashi Sugiura (c) defeating Hirooki Goto occupies match 9 and runs 20:54. The GHC Heavyweight Championship is at stake. In the closing stretch, the bout's value comes from how clearly it performs its assigned job. The result is easy to understand, the time allotment is neither hidden nor exaggerated, and the match gives the surrounding card a distinct beat. A 8.5 score reflects the combination of stakes, placement and available time rather than reputation alone. The match is judged as one part of this specific Tokyo Dome event, so its grade rises when the result changes a title picture or advances the card and falls when the slot is mostly functional.

Match 10 has Shinsuke Nakamura (c) over Yoshihiro Takayama in 15:51. The IWGP Heavyweight Championship is at stake. That runtime is important to the verdict because Wrestle Kingdom cards can become crowded, and this bout has to justify the space it receives. Within the closing stretch, it provides a different matchup or championship consequence without being credited merely for the names involved. The 8.4 score weighs the finish, the position on the show and whether the bout feels complete for its role. Where the match succeeds, it gives the event momentum or a tangible result; where it is limited, the grade stays closer to supporting-card territory.