From the time Hiroshi Tanahashi won the finals of the G1 Climax 2018 back in August, we have been counting down the days until Wrestle Kingdom 13. Here we are, with only one week to go until January 4th 2019, and the biggest show of the New Japan calendar is almost here.
A lot has changed in the past 12 months in the world of New Japan Pro Wrestling: Kazuchika Okada’s record-breaking 720-day reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion came to an end in June when he lost the title to Kenny Omega in an outstanding 2-out-of-3 falls match at Dominion; Chris Jericho became a 10-time Intercontinental Champion and won his first ever title in NJPW, and Bullet Club has been anything but fine.
So, with just seven days to go until we once again venture to the Tokyo Dome, let’s take a quick look at some of the marquee matches scheduled for the 28th annual January 4 Tokyo Dome Show.
Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Will Ospreay (NEVER Openweight Championship)
The idea of this match was put into the minds of the fans during the Road to Destruction tour in September, when a tag match of Chaos mates Tomohiro Ishii and Will Ospreay vs. Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi (The Golden Lovers) was to set the scene for the then-upcoming Heavyweight title match of Omega vs. Ishii. However, it was the other matchup that had people talking. When Will Ospreay and Kota Ibushi stood face to face in the ring, you knew that some crazily athletic showdown was about to ensue. From that moment on, people wanted to see them go one-on-one.
There was one issue though. Kota Ibushi is a heavyweight, Will Ospreay is a Junior Heavyweight. The solution, have Kota Ibushi defeat Hirooki Goto to become NEVER Openweight Champion; a belt whose very definition means it can be defended between weight classes. All that was left was for Ospreay to defeat Taichi to become number one contender, and a match is set for January to determine perhaps who is the most athletically gifted wrestler in the entire world.
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| Kota Ibushi celebrates becoming NEVER Openweight Champion for the first time |
Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (British Heavyweight Championship)
Of course, the most interesting part of this to us fans here in Britain, is that NJPW, for the second time, is having Revolution Pro Wrestlings' Heavyweight title being defended on a major show, between two of the top stars in the company. Fingers crossed this leads to more New Japan shows and talent coming to the United Kingdom to perform.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White
What a year these two men have had. From Okada transitioning from the greatest wrestler on the planet into the crazed, red-haired, Scooby-Doo yelling, balloon-making maniac, it’s safe to say he’s had his ups and downs. Meanwhile, Jay White made his return from excursion at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in a match with Hiroshi Tanahashi that underwhelmed many. Some saw that as perhaps the end of Switchblades’ push, but as we always say, never doubt the man with the plan, Gedo.
From the very beginning, Jay White has been portrayed as a master manipulator, pulling strings so that opportunities would fall in place. At first, he turned down an offer to join Bullet Club, and the very next day joined Okada’s ranks in Chaos. However, he always said that he wasn’t going to take a step back and sit in Okada’s shadow as other Chaos members had. He started off strong and defeated Kenny Omega to win the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship. From then on, he never truly felt like a member of Chaos. Throughout the G1, he would turn his back on Yoh; his tag partner, and yell at Rocky Romero who was sat on commentary for much of the event. Importantly, on the very first night of G1 action, he used a chair and a low blow to defeat his “leader”, Kazuchika Okada, and then in his next match, defeated the eventual G1 winner Hiroshi Tanahashi via similar means.
Following a match between Okada and Tanahashi for the Tokyo Dome main event contract at Destruction in Kobe, Jay White came to the ring to demand a shot at Tanahashi’s contract, and rightfully so, White had beaten Tanahashi in the G1. Next, however, he attacked Okada, but fortunately, Gedo, the man who had been by Okada’s side for six years, through four Heavyweight title reigns, came to his friends' aid. That was until Gedo slammed a steel chair into the back of the Rainmaker, destroying everything they’ve built together since 2012. Gedo aligned himself with Switchblade, before Jado, Gedo’s longtime tag partner also jumped ship from Chaos and did the unthinkable. All three men aligned themselves with Bullet Club. Jay White, in less than a year, went from turning down Bullet Club, to becoming its leader. Now Okada, who has had issues with Bullet Club when it was run by Prince Devitt, AJ Styles, and Kenny Omega, now has a new thorn in his side in Switchblade. At Wrestle Kingdom 13, he needs to avenge his loss from G1 and beat the man who broke up Chaos and his alliance with Gedo.
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| Jay White's new manager Gedo begs for mercy from his longtime ally Kazuchika Okada |
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito (IWGP Intercontinental Championship)
Chris Jericho’s not had too bad a year himself either. After semi-main eventing Wrestle Kingdom 12 with a show-stealing match with Kenny Omega, most thought he was then done with New Japan. That was until he returned on January 5th to attack and bloody up Tetsuya Naito. Jericho then appeared on the abomination that was Raw 25, made bank by flying to Saudi Arabia to enter at #50 in the Greatest Royal Rumble, before returning to Japan in June to destroy Tetsuya Naito at Dominion and gain control of the Intercontinental Championship. Plus, he organised his own wrestling cruise during this time.
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| Chris Jericho and Tetsuya Naito in their war over the Intercontinental Championship from Dominion |
Kenny Omega (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (IWGP Heavyweight Championship)
In short, this match is Tanahashi, the G1 winner, facing the Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega in the main event of the biggest show of the year. However, it is so much more than that. This is a battle of ideologies. This is new school vs. old school. Kenny Omega’s motto is ‘Change the World’. He wants to revolutionise the wrestling business. He doesn’t care about heels and babyfaces, he wants there to be a grey area. No one on earth is a solely good person, nor a solely bad person, so why should wrestlers be portrayed as such. To Omega, long gone are the days of Hulk Hogan saying his prayers and eating his vitamins, and here are the days of wrestlers opening up to the world about who they really are. He is willing to show himself off behind the scenes on shows like Being the Elite or taking on The New Day in Street Fighter tournaments. Tanahashi on the other hand, brought back New Japan from the brink of extinction, by returning to what made wrestling popular in the first place. He became the biggest babyface perhaps in the history of Japanese wrestling. People weep as he makes his way to the ring, people bring air guitars to toss to him so he can play them a victory song, people bring towels for him to wipe his sweat off his face after a match. He is the ultimate babyface. But, as Kenny Omega will point out, is this all just a farce, is this part of the show? Is the Hiroshi Tanahashi that is seen in the ring anything like the man who lives outside of it?
This is a match between two of Japan’s top stars, nay, two of the world's top stars, but it may also offer a glimpse into how New Japan sees its future. Does it go with the progressive style of Omega, or does it stick with what’s worked since 1972 and crown Tanahashi an eight-time Heavyweight champ? We’ll have to find out come January 4th.
Also on the show are Kanemaru and Desperado (c) vs. Roppongi 3K vs. Bushi and LIJ’s newest member Shingo Takagi in a three-way tag match for the Junior Heavyweight tag belts; Guerrillas of Destiny (c) vs. Evil and Sanada vs. The Young Bucks in another three-way tag match for the Heavyweight tag belts; Cody (c) vs. Juice Robinson for the IWGP US Heavyweight title in Cody’s first defence; and Kushida (c) vs. Taiji Ishimori in what will likely be a spectacular match for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship.
From the card that has been put out, this looks to be one of the top shows of 2019 just four days into the new year. We hope you can watch it, especially if this will be your first venture into the world of New Japan Pro Wrestling, and we at A Few Good Marks will be back in the new year with brand new content and a full audio podcast review of Wrestle Kingdom 13. Have a happy new year and you’ll hear from us all again soon.
by Michael Candeland
All images from njpw1972.com
