NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 start time, match card, live stream, and how to watch

Every January 4, New Japan Pro Wrestling presents its biggest show of the year. That is none other than Wrestle Kingdom, an event that features some of the best professional wrestling matches of the year. Look no further than last year's incredible bout between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.

On Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024, this will be the 18th edition of the Wrestle Kingdom pay-per-view event, and it features some great matches on the card.

The main event will be Sanada defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Tetsuya Naito, the winner of the 33rd G1 Climax. Other big matches include Kazuchika Okada taking on AEW's Bryan Danielson in a rematch from their bout at Forbidden Door last summer and Ospreay facing Jon Moxley and David Finlay in a three-way match for the new IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship.

All in all, Wrestle Kingdom 18 will have 10 matches on the main card and one match on the pre-show. For fans who want to watch the show, here is how you can do so.

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 start time

Wrestle Kingdom 18 is scheduled to begin at 1:30 a.m. ET/12:30 a.m. CT. So be sure to set your alarm, or maybe make yourself some coffee if you plan to stay up to watch the show live.

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 live stream and how to watch

• Start Time: 1:30 a.m. ET/12:30 a.m. CT
• Date: Thursday, Jan. 4
• Location: Tokyo Dome -- Tokyo, Japan
• Live Stream: NJPW World

The only way you can watch Wrestle Kingdom 18 is to subscribe to the NJPW World streaming service. Membership for those in the United States will run you $9.99 a month. You can sign up by using the link above.

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 match card

Main Card

• IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Sanada (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
• Kazuchika Okada vs. Bryan Danielson
• IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay vs. Jon Moxley vs. David Finlay
• IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs. El Desperado
• Winner Takes All match for the IWGP Tag Team Championships and Strong Openweight Tag Team Championships: Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi) (IWGP) vs. Guerillas of Destiny (Hikuleo and El Phantasmo) (Strong Openweight)
• NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Tama Tonga
• Shota Umino and Kaito Kiyomiya vs. House of Torture (Evil and Ren Narita)
• NJPW World Television Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
• IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Bullet Club War Dogs (Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney) (c) vs. Catch 2/2 (TJP and Francesco Akira)

Pre-show

• New Japan Ranbo for a chance to challenge for the Provisional King of Pro Wrestling (KOPW) at New Years Dash