Wrestle Kingdom 12 Review

Wrestle Kingdom is New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest event of the year, their “WrestleMania,” if you will (the similar name is surely no coincidence). Held every year on January 4 at the Tokyo Dome, the event dates back to a 1992 card headlined by New Japan legends Riki Choshu and Tatsumi Fujinami. In 2007, the event was re-branded as “Wrestle Kingdom,” and the name has been used ever since, following WWE’s pattern of sequential numbering for WrestleMania.

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Image Credit: https://www.hisgo.com/us/Contents/Package/DetailPackage.aspx?PkgNo=US1700090

As with WrestleMania, New Japan’s showcase event features matches that are the culmination of year(s)-long angles and builds, and often determines the direction of main-event and other storylines throughout the year. Wrestle Kingdom 12 is heavily built around its “co-main events”: the IWGP (International Wrestling Grand Prix, New Japan’s “governing body”) Heavyweight championship match between champion Kazuchika Okada and challenger Tetsuya Naito, leader of the popular Los Ingobernables de Japon faction; and the “dream match” between New Japan’s top gaijin star Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho (dubbed “Alpha vs. Omega,” based on Jericho’s assertion that he was the Alpha to Kenny’s “Omega”), who hasn’t wrestled a match outside the WWF/WWE since 1999.

The first-ever meeting between Omega and Jericho has drawn a tremendous amount of interest from Western pro wrestling fans, and has been well-received in Japan as well. Jericho is not unfamiliar to Japanese fans; he wrestled there regularly from 1994-1998, first for the defunct WAR (legend Genichiro Tenryu’s oddly-named “Wrestling and Romance,” then “Wrestle Association R” promotion) and later for New Japan as part of WCW’s talent exchange agreement with the company. Omega has been widely lauded as one of the top wrestlers in the world, partly due to his stellar trilogy of matches with Okada in 2017. Omega is also leader of the Bullet Club, a “cool heel” faction (strongly reminiscent of the nWo) whose merchandise can regularly be seen among fans at wrestling shows around the world, including in the crowd on RAW and other WWE events.

On the other hand, the IWGP heavyweight title match is the culmination of developments dating back to Wrestle Kingdom 8 in 2014, when Okada successfully defended the IWGP heavyweight championship against Naito in another “co-main event” in which fans voted to have the IWGP intercontinental championship match between Shinsuke Nakamura and Hiroshi Tanahashi be the last match on the card, demoting Okada-Naito to semi-main status. Naito and Jericho have been bickering back-and-forth about whose match is the “true” main event, recalling the events of 2014. Indeed, Naito’s “cool heel” persona has been largely built around the popular perception that he, as a babyface poised for star status, could never “win the big one” and reach the level of top stars Nakamura, Tanahashi, and Okada.

His push over the past two years came after an excursion to CMLL in Mexico that saw him join that promotion’s Los Ingobernables heel faction and go on to establish a Japanese version, with himself as leader. Like Rocky Maivia’s heel turn in the mid-1990s, the somewhat bland babyface Naito was no longer lost in the shuffle. As a calm and disillusioned heel (for example, he would often wear suits to the ring, then take an inordinate amount of time to remove them, with a bored look on his face throughout), Naito reached new heights of popularity while achieving his full potential as a performer.

His opponent, IWGP champion Okada, is regarded by many, including myself, as the absolute best wrestler on the planet at the moment. Only thirty years old, Okada has been IWGP heavyweight champion for 564 days as of January 4, 2018, the longest-ever reign for that title. Dave Meltzer gave his Wrestle Kingdom 11 match against Omega an unprecedented six-star rating, followed by six-and-a-quarter stars for their April 2017 rematch, an hour-long draw. Okada consistently has excellent matches with opponents of various skills and styles, from the shoot-style Minoru Suzuki to “big man” wrestler Bad Luck Fale, and many others in between. The co-main events have dominated fan and journalist conversations leading into Wrestle Kingdom 12, though, as we will see, the card features a number of other interesting matches as well.

On New Japan World (the company’s streaming service), the link to the English-language version of Wrestle Kingdom 12 featured the Omega-Jericho match, while the Japanese-language version had Okada-Naito, a clear indication of the promotion’s understanding of each match’s market appeal. I usually watch the Japanese-language versions, partly because I thoroughly enjoy the seemingly endless enthusiasm of the commentators, and partly to maintain some semblance of my rusty Japanese skills. I first began watching puroresu in the late 1990s, still the era of tape-trading; I became fully accustomed to the Japanese commentary, and still prefer it even when there’s an option for English.

Pre-show: New Japan Rumble

Much like pre-WrestleMania battle royals (and, more recently, the Andre the Giant Memorial version), the New Japan Rumble is a way to fit more wrestlers onto the biggest card of the year. Like the Royal Rumble, the match begins with two wrestlers, and more (usually around 20; there were 21 this year) enter every minute or so (I used a stopwatch several times, and intervals ranged from 50 to 80 seconds). Unlike the WWE Rumble, wrestlers can be eliminated via pinfall or submission, as well as being thrown over the top.

Usually, this match features a mix of young and veteran talent (along with a few surprise entrants), and typically allows for each wrestler to get a few nice spots in before elimination. As an aside, I appreciate that wrestlers in the ring continue to battle as new wrestlers enter the match; one of my major pet peeves with modern WWE Royal Rumbles is that, especially later in the match, most of the guys in the ring lay around like they’re incapacitated when a new entrant arrives, so that the new wrestler can have a one-on-one confrontation with whoever they’re feuding with, only for those 8-10 comatose wrestlers to miraculously recover and start fighting each other again as soon as the new entry finishes their preordained spots. I’m not a big stickler for 100% realism in wrestling, but it comes across as incredibly staged and even silly when all but one or two guys suddenly collapse around the edges of the ring every two minutes or so.

I’m not going to cover every entry or elimination in this match, but there were several fun moments throughout the match. Former dojo mates Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi, both in the twilight of their careers, entered consecutively and got big reactions with a nice exchange of stiff strikes. Nagata submitted Nakanishi with an MMA-style neck crack, only for the other wrestlers to roll him over and pile on to pin him, using Nakanishi’s body to hold him down. Young Lions (New Japan’s “rookies,” usually trained in the company dojo) Kitsuya Kitamura and David Finlay (son of David “Fit” Finlay of WCW/WWF/WWE fame) were allowed to shine. Kitamura, who entered first, seems destined for stardom, with a heavily-muscled physique rarely seen among Japanese wrestlers. Perennial Ring of Honor underdog Cheeseburger got a huge pop when he entered at #18, probably due to his appearance in this match last year. The final entrant, former New Japan and UWFi (a short-lived but incredibly popular shoot-style promotion in the mid-90s) wrestler Masahito Kakihara actually won the match; after he and Cheeseburger eliminated NJPW legends (and frequent tag partners) Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan, he pinned the lovable RoH underdog for the somewhat surprising win. Imagine Sgt. Slaughter entering this year’s Royal Rumble at #30, then winning it. Of course, the stakes are a bit lower in the New Japan Rumble, with no title shot on the line, but surprise nostalgia entrants rarely win such matches, in WWE or elsewhere.

Match #1, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Roppongi 3K (champions) vs. The Young Bucks

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Image Credit: http://www.adventuresinpoortaste.com/2017/12/28/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-12-preview/

Roppongi 3K is a “new” version of Roppongi Vice, the popular junior heavyweight team of Rocky Romero and Trent Barreta. When the latter split, Romero announced the impending arrival of Roppongi 3K, which turned out to be former rookies Sho (Sho Tanaka) and Yo (Yohei Komatsu), who had been wrestling in Ring of Honor as the questionably-named Tempura Boyz until their re-debut in October 2017, winning the junior tag titles in the process. The duo are managed by Romero, whose in-ring career appears mostly over.

The Young Bucks need no introduction to most modern pro wrestling fans; Matt and Nick Jackson have become two of the hottest non-WWE talents in the world, and have masterfully marketed themselves, profiting tremendously via merchandise sales and bookings in multiple promotions, including Ring of Honor, New Japan, Pro Wrestling Guerilla, and various other random shows. The Bucks are most definitely talented, even if they rely too heavily on highspots for my taste. At the risk of sounding too much like Jim Cornette, I think they would benefit from slowing down a bit. More than anything they do in the ring, I’m impressed by the fact that the Bucks have managed to build a decent degree of financial independence, allowing them to choose their own bookings and control their own image and merchandising, a rarity in a world dominated by the WWE machine. Sho and Yo are no slouches, either; I’ve watched them transform from (by design; Young Lions wear simple black trunks and boots, and are only allowed to perform fundamental maneuvers and holds) bland opening-match wrestlers to colorful (both have wildly-dyed hair: blond, blue, and purple), flashy (shiny silver and gold tights), and entertaining stars in the promotion.

Bucks matches typically abandon any semblance of a traditional tag bout, with all four men brawling and hitting spots in and around the ring throughout. This match was no exception. There were plenty of the expected dives and a few comedy spots (at one point, the Bucks were both trapped in half-crabs, facing each other, and one held the other’s wrist to prevent him from tapping), as well as a powerbomb delivered to Romero on the entrance ramp. The Bucks won the match and titles with the Meltzer Driver, a spiked tombstone piledriver, followed by a sharpshooter/scorpion death lock. It was all very entertaining, but I always feel like I’ve seen it all before (to be fair, I saw these four in an RoH tag title match at a TV taping in Atlanta last January).

Match #2, NEVER Six-Man Tag Team Championship Gauntlet Match: Taichi, Takashi Iizuka & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. War Machine (Raymond Rowe & Hanson) & Michael Elgin vs. CHAOS (Trent Barreta, Tomohiro Ishii, & Toru Yano) vs. Togi Makabe, Ryusuke Taguchi & Juice Robinson vs. Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa (champions)

Much like the New Japan Rumble, this match is designed to get as many guys on the card as possible. Each time one team is eliminated, another enters to take their place; the last team remaining win the titles. One could rightly argue that New Japan has too many titles, but many promotions are guilty of this trend. At least titles like these give more wrestlers something to fight over, especially important in a promotion like New Japan, where most feuds and matches are built around a more realistic semblance of athletic competition than one might find in many WWE angles.

There were the usual power spots from (soon to be WWE-bound, if rumors are to be believed) War Machine and Elgin (whose recent issues in the States seemingly have not affected his standing in New Japan). Hanson moves as well as any big man in the business, performing moonsaults and cartwheels with ease, and it’s unsurprising that WWE would be interested in him and partner Rowe. Sabre is always impressive, and I thoroughly enjoy his mat- and submission-based style.

The early phase of the match featured Sabre attempting to out-wrestle the much-larger War Machine, resulting in Rowe submitting to a triangle choke. The CHAOS faction team of Trent Barreta, “Stone Pitbull” Tomohiro Ishii, and comedy wrestler Toru Yano replaced War Machine and Elgin. Many “smart” fans are critical of Yano, as his performance usually consists of blatant, comedic cheating (removing the corner pads, pulling tights, tying up opponents, etc.), but I find him entertaining most of the time. He’s not going to win any “wrestler of the year” awards, but I appreciate some variety in my wrestling. The fourth team consisted of Togi Makabe, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Juice Robinson, who appears to be heading up the card of late, especially after his pinfall victory over Kenny Omega in the G1 Climax tournament.

The champions, Bad Luck Fale and the Guerillas of Destiny, entered last. Ishii and Fale had a nice power clash, with each fighting the other’s attempts to perform moves. These sorts of sequences are common and popular in Japanese pro wrestling, with guys no-selling each other’s stiff strikes and deadweighting attempts to perform suplexes and other moves. I believe such sequences add a greater sense of realism to matches, though the strikes carry the potential for injury, such as Katsuyori Shibata’s career-ending, near-fatal brain hemorrhaging following a stiff headbutt on Okada in their April 9, 2017 IWGP title match. In the end, Barreta (who also appears poised for a significant singles push) secured the victory and titles for his team, the second title change of the card, with several more surely to follow.

Match 3: Cody vs. Kota Ibushi

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Image Credit: https://www.cagesideseats.com/2017/11/6/16613432/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-12-matches-cody-rhodes-kota-ibushi-tanahashi-white-omega-jericho

As with the Young Bucks, I’m impressed with Cody (Rhodes)’s career trajectory since his voluntary departure from WWE. He has shown more personality in his persona and promos than the “creative team” scripts would ever allow, and has become one of the hottest performers in pro wrestling. His in-ring abilities are certainly limited compared to an Omega or Okada, but he’s a good worker and has drawn consistently good reactions from crowds in both North America and Japan. Ibushi is a great worker, though one who seems to have peaked at the upper mid-card level. He’s excellent in the ring, but just hasn’t quite broken through to true “main event” status.

Cody, sporting bleached-blond hair reminiscent of his father Dusty, is accompanied by his wife Brandi, leading to an American-style spot early in the match that saw Ibushi accidentally collide with her and attempt to carry her to safety, only for Cody to capitalize and attack him. It faintly reminded me of the classic Megapowers breakup angle on Saturday Night’s Main Event in 1989, when Hulk Hogan accidentally ran into Elizabeth and carried her backstage, though Ibushi’s demonstration of concern for Brandi was far less hammy than the Hulkster’s overacting. Cody played the heel throughout the match, methodically punishing the high-flying Ibushi, which I think suits his skillset better. Ibushi triumphed with a nice 450 splash. I wonder how this might have been booked had Cody still been RoH champion, as this was originally scheduled to be for that title.

Match 4, IWGP Tag Team Championship: Killer Elite Squad (Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr., champions) vs. EVIL & Sanada

Like Juice Robinson, EVIL appeared poised for a major push after pulling off a major upset in the G1, pinning Okada. That set up a match for Okada’s title in October, which EVIL unsurprisingly lost. I love his grim reaper scythe, mask, and robe, and the gimmick is certainly colorful. I’m also a big fan of his finisher, the STO, a judo-inspired slam first made popular in pro wrestling by New Japan, PRIDE, and Hustle alum Naoya Ogawa. Like the Diamond Cutter/RKO, the STO (a front leg-sweep slam) can be applied at any time, giving it an element of surprise and excitement. Indeed, EVIL defeated Okada by using the STO to reverse the latter’s attempt at his Rainmaker finisher in the G1. Davey Boy Smith Jr. looks every bit his father’s son, down to his ring gear of boots and jeans, a look sported by the British Bulldog in his late 1990s WWF run.

I wouldn’t call the Killer Elite Squad “exciting,” but they certainly fit the typical role of the muscular, power-move gaijin tag team. In puroresu, foreigners, and Americans (and Canadians, to a lesser extent) in particular, are usually expected to be big and powerful, relying heavily on brawn over finesse. In a match like this, it means that EVIL and Sanada (of heel faction Los Ingobernables) are the de facto babyfaces, giving up a size and strength advantage to their opponents. The formula here dates back to Japan’s original pro wrestling superstar, Rikidozan, who drew massive crowds and TV ratings for his bouts against (usually larger) American heels such as Lou Thesz and “Classy” Freddie Blassie.

Accordingly, much of this match consisted of the gaijin bullying their opponents and posturing for the crowd, who responded with some rare catcalls and boos. This worked perfectly, as every hope spot for the Japanese team drew nice pops, accentuated by the Japanese commentators’ emotional responses. As tag matches often do, the bout’s climax featured a rapid-fire sequence of moves, resulting in EVIL hitting the STO on Archer and a Sanada moonsault on Smith for the win and titles. Three title matches, three title changes so far on this show. Will any champions retain at Wrestle Kingdom 12?

Match 5, NEVER Open Weight Championship, hair vs. hair: Minoru Suzuki (champion) vs. Hirooki Goto

I love Minoru Suzuki. Maybe it’s my preference for catch/shoot style wrestlers, but he does such a fantastic job of embodying the “grizzled” old shooter gimmick that it’s impossible for me not to like him. Suzuki was, along with Masakatsu Funaki, the co-founder of Pancrase, the world’s first major MMA promotion, in 1993, the same year the first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event took place. Pancrase had more limitations than UFC, such as open-palm (rather than closed-fist) strikes and rope breaks a la pro wrestling. I mention this only to note that Suzuki, like Ken Shamrock and Brock Lesnar in the WWF or Dan Severn in various promotions, is a wrestler who could legitimately defeat 99% of his pro wrestling opponents. The fact that he can perform believable worked matches is therefore impressive to me. As an aside, I was very impressed with Shayna Baszler in the Mae Young Classic, and am curious to see how Ronda Rousey performs in her rumored WrestleMania bout, opponent TBA.

Goto is, like Ibushi, a solid upper mid-card wrestler who fans generally adore as a loveable, determined, “never say die” underdog, but who has never really been given a signature win that would establish him as a true main eventer. Even at 49 years old, Suzuki comes across as more credible than most wrestlers, and plays the bullying heel role exceptionally well. He’s slowed down a bit from his prime, meaning he resorts more regularly to classic heel tactics including regular outside interference from his Suzuki-gun lackeys. My only major complaint with Suzuki is the overabundance of run-ins in his matches, a rarity in puroresu but an apparent concession to his age and heel persona. Much like a Ric Flair, Japanese fans generally cheer him despite his dastardly behavior, as his legendary status as both a worker and a shooter trumps almost anything he might do to draw heel heat.

As usual, this match saw attempted run-ins from the Suzuki-gun guys, though the ringside “young boys” (who are present for every match as ring attendants) and likeable mid-carder Yoshi-Hashi (who appeared in the Rumble earlier) heroically prevented them from reaching the ring. There were several spots built around Suzuki fighting to land his cradle piledriver finisher, a move first utilized by catch wrestling legend Karl Gotch, who main-evented the first-ever New Japan show against Antonio Inoki in 1972 and helped train Suzuki and various other Japanese shooters in the 1970s and 80s. Goto picked up the win and title here, which I think was the right move. Suzuki will remain over regardless of wins and losses, and Goto, whose career has been heavily defined by his usual failure to “win the big one,” could use a major title victory, with the hair stipulation as a bonus. Of course, Suzuki already sported a stylized buzzcut on most of his head, but hair stipulations continue to carry more cultural weight in Mexico and Japan than in the United States, adding additional gravity to Goto’s victory here.

Match 6, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Marty Scurll (champion) vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Will Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA

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Image Credit: https://www.njpw1972.com/16956

This match featured four of the top junior heavyweights in the world, and it did not disappoint. Scurll, from the UK, has made a splash with his “Villain” gimmick, which saw him enter with mechanized black-feathered wings at this show. Takahasi has become increasingly popular with the aid of Darryl, the stuffed cat that usually accompanies him to the ring. Will Ospreay has been a consistently excellent performer in junior matches in New Japan, and KUSHIDA has, more often than not, been the top star in the division.

This match was a fast-paced affair that featured numerous (seemingly requisite) dives and Scurll’s always-gut-wrenching finger-breaking spot. There isn’t much else to say here, really; all four are great wrestlers who consistently deliver, though the four-way nature of the match was a bit hectic and didn’t allow much time for any single spots to register before the next one. Ospreay won the match and title by pinning Scurll after the latter tried and ultimately failed to clean house with his umbrella. This is the fifth title change in five title matches on this card; I’m beginning to think this is all in preparation for a main-event surprise in which Okada retains his belt.

Match 7, IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi (champion) vs. Jay White

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Image Credit: https://www.njpw1972.com/16956

Tanahashi appears to be in the waning years of his lengthy run as a top star in New Japan, while “Switchblade” Jay White is getting a surprisingly rapid push. White, from New Zealand and a product of the New Japan dojo, spent his overseas excursion in Ring of Honor, making a surprise return in October as “Switchblade” to attack Tanahashi and set up this match. Tanahashi is an excellent performer, but is desperately in need of an elbow surgery he’s delayed for nearly all of 2017. To make matters worse, Tanahashi injured his knee in late 2017, further limiting his mobility. In December, White attacked him again, partly to help establish that the veteran would not be 100% at Wrestle Kindom. Conventional wisdom would indicate that White will go over here, but never underestimate the stubborn, perhaps even vainglorious, determination of a top star to extend their run. I’m reminded of Paul Orndorff’s decision to delay neck surgery in 1986, when he was in a hot feud with Hogan, a decision that led to permanent nerve damage and atrophy in his left arm. I sincerely hope Tanahashi finally takes the time off to address his injury issues after this match, but I have my doubts.

The match’s narrative was well-done, as the ailing veteran desperately tried to fend off his young and hungry opponent. Much of the bout’s psychology was built around White working over Tanahashi’s injured knee, but the latter still managed to pull out several high spots, including a dive from the top rope to White on the outside. In the end, Tanahashi retained after hitting White with his High Fly Flow frog splash finisher, becoming the first champion to successfully defend their title on this show. And I am left wondering if he will attempt to continue wrestling through injuries, causing further damage to himself in the process.

Match 8, IWGP United States Championship, No Disqualifiaction: Kenny Omega (champion) vs. Chris Jericho

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Image Credit: https://www.f4wonline.com/japan/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-12-live-results-okada-naito-omega-jericho-249171

The build for this match was very American, in the sense that it featured the two trading out-of-ring assaults, amplifying the perceived animosity and resulting in a “no disqualification” stipulation. Beginning with their seemingly “real” feud on social media, the two have done an excellent job of building interest for this match, and it has seemingly paid dividends for New Japan in the form of increasing attention and interest in the United States and elsewhere. Dave Meltzer recently reported that this year’s Wrestle Kingdom sold more tickets outside Japan than any previous Tokyo Dome show.

Jericho entered first, with his light-ridden jacket and scarf, to a huge pop from the crowd. Conventional wisdom (which didn’t work in the last match) would suggest Omega goes over, as this is reportedly a one-shot deal for Jericho. If, however, he wins, it may indicate plans for a series of matches, which is not impossible given that he has no current WWE return date. The match was a fun brawl in the beginning, with lots of fighting around the announcers’ tables, complete with Jericho dropping several “f-bombs” that would most definitely not have been well received on a WWE show. The two utilized lots of props throughout, including several chairs and a table, items that rarely feature in typical New Japan matches.

The climax of the match featured an exciting series of near-falls, including Jericho escaping Omega’s One-Winged Angel finisher via rope break. I thought the finish was clever, with Jericho going for the Lionsault, only for Omega to throw a chair at his back, then catch him with a second One-Winged Angel for the pinfall. That’s two champions retaining their titles, and I suspect Jericho’s next appearance will be back in a WWE ring, whenever that may be. This match may not have been as technically sound as Omega’s trilogy with Okada, but it delivered on its “dream match” expectations, putting New Japan’s top gaijin over a future WWE Hall of Famer.

Match 9, IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (champion) vs. Tetsuya Naito

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Image Credit: http://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2018/01/03/njpw-wrestle-kingdom-12-preview-predictions/

And now, New Japan’s current top two native stars will attempt to prove that their match is the show’s true main event, despite all the hype for Omega-Jericho. It may not be quite the spectacle of the previous match, but this should be the most technically sound of the show.

The pre-match psychology is interesting, as Naito kept staring off into space, intentionally looking away from Okada as the latter posed on the turnbuckle. As expected, the two put on a fantastic match, full of drama, reversals, and near-falls. I was fully expecting Naito to win this match, given his rise as the clear number two star in the company and the fact that Okada’s title reign has already broken every record there is to break in New Japan.

Instead of kicking out of finishers, a common dramatic element in American pro wrestling, match psychology in New Japan builds around avoiding or reversing an opponent’s attempts to use their finishing move, and there was plenty of that in this match. Late in the match, Okada kicked out of Naito’s Destino finisher, a rarity in a promotion where finishers are heavily protected. This usually only happens at the biggest shows, and it greatly adds to a match’s drama, because fans are conditioned to expect that a finishing move is the finale. When Okada hit Naito with a full-on Rainmaker (short-arm clothesline that opponents usually sell with a flip), I thought this would be a rare occasion in which someone would kick out of it, but I was wrong (and gasped audibly at the three-count!).

With the slew of title changes earlier on the card, I had a sneaking suspicion that there would be some retentions in the feature matches, but I was still surprised by this. We American fans have been conditioned to expect that the heavily-pushed championship challenger (Naito won the G1 tournament to earn this title shot, a la the Royal Rumble winner getting the WrestleMania championship match) will win at the biggest show of the year, but historically, top Japanese stars have been far more protected, more akin to Hulk Hogan’s push in the mid-1980s that saw him retain at WrestleManias 2 and III. Accordingly, Naito’s push was sacrificed to the greater objective of furthering Okada’s likely legacy as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. I don’t think a loss would have hurt him here, but booker Gedo’s number one goal is to ensure Okada has an epic run (nearly) unmatched in the history of Japanese pro wrestling, and he’s certainly well on his way to that.

Conclusion

While this show didn’t live up to the high standards of last year’s event, and some of the booking decisions were surprising, I enjoyed it overall. Omega and Jericho delivered a wild brawl, and Omega got a win over one of the biggest names in wrestling. Okada and Naito had an excellent match, though I’m still not sure if Okada going over was the right call; some in the crowd seemed deflated after the pinfall, as expectations of a Naito victory had seemingly reached their zenith. The undercard was full of good matches, though in my opinion there were too many title changes, and too many titles, period.

Still, I’m eager to see where New Japan goes from here: Okada’s next challenger, the (still unlikely, in my opinion) possibility of a Jericho-Naito match (the two have had a recent “Twitter war”), and whether young talent such as Roppongi 3K and Jay White will continue their pushes into the new year. This year’s Wrestle Kingdom was more continuation that culmination, and in that sense, New Japan has succeeded in maintaining my interest in what happens next.

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