Next IWGP World Title Challenger Revealed At Wrestle Kingdom

Kazuchika Okada survived two grueling main events to leave Wrestle Kingdom 16 with the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Okada turned away the challenge of Will Ospreay in the Night 2 main event on Wednesday.

Okada won the title from Shingo Takagi in the main event of Night 1 of Wrestle Kingdom on Tuesday. This is Okada's first reign as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. It's also the first time he's held the top singles title in New Japan Pro-Wrestling in two years.

Tetsuya Naito emerged after the main event to announce his intention to be Kazuchika Okada's next title challenger. Naito defeated Jeff Cobb earlier in the show.

For Ospreay, it's the second straight year where he's lost to Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom. Okada prevailed in a non-title match last year. Ospreay has now defeated Okada only once in seven singles matches between the two.

Will Ospreay won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Kota Ibushi last year. But New Japan stripped Ospreay of the title after mounting injuries put him out of action.

Ospreay refused to acknowledge New Japan's decision. He began referring to himself as the "true world heavyweight champion", carrying a replica of the IWGP World Heavyweight Title belt and calling the new titleholder Shingo Takagi an "interim" champion.

Other titleholders also escaped Night 2 of Wrestle Kingdom 16 with their reigns intact. EVIL, SHO, and Yujiro Takahashi from Bullet Club's "House Of Torture" held on to the NEVER 6-Man Tag Team Titles. They defeated the CHAOS team of Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, and YOH.

The main card on Night 2 of Wrestle Kingdom 16 opened with Robbie Eagles and Tiger Mask retaining the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles. They won a 3-way against the teams of Rocky Romero and Ryusuke Taguchi; and Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo. The referee ejected Ishimori and Phantasmo mid-match, after a piece of metal was found inside Phantasmo's boot.