Gabe Kidd will defend his NJPW Strong Openweight Championship against Tomohiro Ishii at NJPW Battle in the Valley on January 11.
Plus, Sumie Sakai will have her retirement match in a six-person tag. She will team with a male and female partner against Hiromu Takahashi, who will have two female partners.
The first matches have been made official for Battle in the Valley on January 11, where NJPW’s 2025 US campaign will kick off in style.
The first NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship defence of the year will see Gabe Kidd defending against Tomohiro Ishii. After defeating Ryohei Oiwa to end 2024 as STRONG Champion, Kidd called out Ishii on the microphone for January 11 2025. It’s going to be a tough week for Kidd, who will go from wrestling Kenny Omega January 5 at Wrestle Dynasty to Ishii six days later. meanwhile, opportunity knocks for the Stone Pitbull, who could see himself a triple NJPW STRONG, NEVER and AEW International Champion before 2025 is two weeks old.
Plus, a legendary mainstay in women’s wrestling retires in San Jose as Sumie Sakai wrestles her final match. Starting her career back in 1997 in the JD’ Star promotion, Sakai would become a staple of Ring of Honor’s women’s division as a former Women of Honor Champion, and a significant bridge between the worlds of Japanese and American pro-wrestling. Hiromu Takahashi has accepted Sakai’s request to be her last opponent, but in a six person mixed tag match that will see Hiromu and two women face a one malem, two female Sakai led side. Who else will be a part of this special match?
Here is the current lineup for NJPW Battle in the Valley:
NJPW Battle in the Valley (1/11)
- NJPW Strong Openweight Championship: Gabe Kidd (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii
- Sumie Sakai, TBA, & TBA vs. Hiromu Takahashi, TBA, & TBA
Fightful will have coverage of NJPW Battle in the Valley on January 11.
