NJPW has confirmed the stipulation options and opened voting for Toru Yano and Bad Luck Fale’s upcoming KOPW 2020 match.

Yano is defending the KOPW 2020 title against Fale at NJPW’s Road to Tokyo Dome show at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on Wednesday, December 23. This is the last NJPW show of the year, meaning that the winner of Yano vs. Fale will be crowned the KOPW 2020 Champion ahead of the title being reset at the start of the new year.

Fale’s chosen stipulation is a body slam match. The first person to body slam their opponent will win. Yano’s chosen stipulation is a body slam or last corner pad removed match. The first person to either body slam their opponent or remove the final corner pad once all others have been removed will get the win. Voting to determine the stipulation is now underway.

NJPW’s full announcement is available below:

On December 11, Toru Yano and CHAOS stood opposite BULLET CLUB in tag team action, in a match that saw Yano try repeatedly to slam Fale to little or no avail. Post match, Fale showed Yano how the move was applied, before destroying Yano’s KOPW 2020 trophy. That led to an official challenge being set for December 23!

Fale will challenge Yano for the KOPW 2020 status in Korakuen Hall on December 23. With the event being the last on the NJPW calendar this year, its winner will officially be the King of Pro-Wrestling for 2020 before the title starts afresh next year. So who will win, and more importantly, under what rules?

Fale has proposed a Bodyslam Match. Quite simply, this means that the first to slam their opponent will be the victor, a stipulation that certainly favors the big man. 

For Yano, the proposal is Bodyslam or Last Corner Pad Removed match. Under Yano’s rules, the first to slam their opponent will win, but you can also win by removing the four cornerpads on the ring; the person to remove the last pad will be the winner. Here, Yano’s speed could well counteract Fale’s size. 

Voting is underway NOW on Twitter, and runs until noon JST on December 22! Whose rules will count in Korakuen? 

Yano became the inaugural KOPW title holder when the championship was introduced at Summer Struggle in Jingu this August.

The December 23 Road to Tokyo Dome show will air live on New Japan World starting at 4:30 a.m. Eastern time.