In the semi-main event, Kazuchika Okada was booked to defend his certificate for an IWGP Heavyweight Championship match at Wrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome, which he had obtained by winning the 2014 G1 Climax, against Tetsuya Naito. During G1 Climax, Okada had been defeated by Naito, which resulted in him nominating Naito as his next challenger for the certificate.[5] In the main event, Bullet Club's A.J. Styles would make his third defense of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Hiroshi Tanahashi. After failing to capture the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Okada at the 2013 King of Pro-Wrestling, Tanahashi announced that he was leaving the title picture. However, after defeating Katsuyori Shibata at Destruction in Kobe, Tanahashi announced he was back and looking for a shot at A.J. Styles.[11] Tanahashi and Styles previously faced off in Ryōgoku Kokugikan on February 17, 2008, and more recently met in a special non-tournament singles match during the final day of the 2014 G1 Climax. Tanahashi won the match, but was afterwards attacked by Bullet Club's newest member, Jeff Jarrett.[5][12] Jarrett did not make another appearance for NJPW for two months, but was working behind the scenes on getting Wrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome broadcast on the American PPV market.[13] On September 29, Jarrett announced he was returning to NJPW at King of Pro-Wrestling.[14]
Event
In the second match of the event, the debuting Chase Owens successfully defended the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship against Bushi. After the match, NWA president Bruce Tharpe, who had accompanied Owens to the ring, nominated NJPW wrestler Jyushin Thunder Liger as the next challenger for Owens' title.[1][15] In the following match, Tencozy's six-month reign as the NWA World Tag Team Champions came to an end as they were defeated by K.E.S. in their fifth title defense. Post-match, Kojima and Tenzan began arguing with each other, setting up a potential break-up storyline.[1][16] In the third title match of the event, Time Splitters made their third successful defense of the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, defeating Forever Hooligans and The Young Bucks in a three-way match.[1] This was followed by Ryusuke Taguchi also successfully defending the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against El Desperado, despite a pre-match attack by El Desperado's Suzuki-gun stablemates Taichi and Taka Michinoku. Following the match, Taichi and Michinoku attacked Taguchi once more.[1] In the fifth title match, Tomohiro Ishii became the first ever two-time NEVER Openweight Champion by defeating Yujiro Takahashi in his second title defense.[1][17] The event also featured a tag team match, where Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata defeated Shinsuke Nakamura and Yoshi-Hashi, with Shibata pinning Yoshi-Hashi for the win. After the match, Nakamura nominated Shibata as his next challenger for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.[1][18]
In the semi-main event, 2014 G1 Climax winner Kazuchika Okada defeated 2013 G1 Climax winner Tetsuya Naito to retain his status as the number one contender to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the Tokyo Dome.[1] Finally, in the main event, A.J. Styles, accompanied by Jeff Jarrett, defended the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Hiroshi Tanahashi. Towards the end of the match, as Jarrett went to interfere in the match, Yoshitatsu made his return to NJPW after a seven-year stint in WWE and stopped his attempt.[19] This was followed by Tanahashi hitting Styles with the High Fly Flow to win the match and become the IWGP Heavyweight Champion for the record-breaking seventh time.[1][20][21] The event concluded with Tanahashi having a staredown with Kazuchika Okada, setting up the main event for Wrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome.[1]
Reception
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter called the show "excellent", giving the highest rating of four and a half stars out of five to the NEVER Openweight Championship match, calling it "the best singles match with Takahashi that [he had] ever seen". Meltzer gave the lowest rating of two stars to the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship match, writing that the debuting Chase Owens "seemed out of his league here, both in look and work". Overall, Meltzer called King of Pro-Wrestling "excellent show by most standards", while also noting that NJPW had produced better shows earlier in the year, calling the matches before the intermission (matches 1–6) "so-so".[22] In reviewing the show for the Pro Wrestling Torch, Sean Radican gave the highest rating of four and a half stars out of five to both the IWGP Heavyweight Championship match and the match between Okada and Naito. Overall, Radican called the show "amazing".[23]
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