NJPW News: More seating available for Wrestle Kingdom 12 following high demand for tickets
What’s the story?
Tickets for Wrestle Kingdom 12 have already surpassed 30,000 sold, but further demand has led to New Japan Pro Wrestling providing more seats for the event.
In case you didn’t know...
Wrestle Kingdom 12 will take place Thursday, January 4, 2018, at the Tokyo Dome. The two biggest matches on the card are Kazuchika Okada vs Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, and Kenny Omega vs Chris Jericho for the IWGP United States Championship.
The heart of the matter
Wrestle Kingdom 12’s ticket sales have already surpassed the gates for Wrestle Kingdoms 10 and 11, but a report from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter says that ticket sales are closing in on 40,000 sold.
Because of the increased demand for Wrestle Kingdom tickets, NJPW opened more seating up for fans who want to purchase tickets on the day of the event. However, the quality of the seats was noted by NJPW to be reduced with the view of the stage and video screen being harder to see.
The Tokyo Dome has a 55,000 seat capacity and the closest Wrestle Kingdom ticket sales have come to that number was 43,000 in 2012 when Hiroshi Tanahashi defended the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Minoru Suzuki.
If ticket sales for Wrestle Kingdom 12 reach the 40,000 mark, they will have also eclipsed sales for Wrestle Kingdoms 8 and 9 as well as tying the attendance record of Wrestle Kingdom 3.
What’s next?
Wrestle Kingdom 12 can be viewed live on the NJPW Streaming Service, NJPW World on the day of the event for $9.99 USD.
There will also be a three-hour block featuring three championship matches from Wrestle Kingdom 12 presented on Saturday Jan. 6 on AXS TV.
Author’s Take
Wrestle Kingdom 12 is one of the highest anticipated events for 2018 and the show will feature some of the best wrestling all year.