Original Date Sent: January 1, 2015
Sent to: Various people in my life who have at least a passing familiarity with puroresu.
Context: I just really like writing about Japanese wrestling, apparently.
I am pumped beyond belief for what, on paper, looks like it could be one of the all time great wrestling shows. Not only does it feature a wide variety of match types featuring some of the best wrestlers that the world has to offer, but the main event showcases an era-defining rivalry that is rejoined over a year since the last one-on-one encounter. I felt so strongly about the show, in fact, that I decided to use some of my precious vacation time to write up a preview.
This year an extra spotlight has been shined on New Japan Pro Wrestling thanks to their American PPV breakthrough in conjunction with Jeff Jarrett's Global Force Wrestling (JOIN THE FORCE). Jim Ross and Matt Striker will be providing English-language commentary on tape delay Sunday night. The show can also be watched live thanks to the worldwide launch of New Japan World, a streaming service similar to WWE Network (which even borrowed the "9-99" catchphrase by charging 999 yen per month for their service - somewhere Herman Cain patiently waits for royalty checks).
Below is a breakdown of each match on the card giving a reason why a first-time viewer should be excited and why a long time viewer should be excited.
Pre-Show: New Japan Rumble
Why a First-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: Does anyone not love an over-the-top-rope battle royal? The rules are unclear to me but there's a chance that this could even be contested Royal Rumble style.
Why a Long-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: It could be a Royal Rumble! Lots of old school faces in this one including Liger, Nagata, Tiger Mask, and Nakanishi. Plus, there is always the chance that Muta could hobble down the entrance ramp for a Shining Wizard or two.
Prediction: Yuji Nagata is the biggest of the announced names involved here (though it should be said that Liger is bigger with international audiences) so I'd say he's probably the favorite to win.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
ReDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly) vs. Forever Hooligans (Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov) vs. The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) vs. Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA)
Why a First-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: Do you like flips? Do you like super kicks? Do you like comedic misunderstandings? Well, this match will have all that and more. These teams have been having great matches together for years now and they should have some time to really let loose with everything they've got.
Why a Long-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: Any combination of these teams would be great but all four of them is magic. The Young Bucks and ReDRagon have provided a shot of adrenaline to an already hyperactive division that has turned every opening match this year into a Crank sequel. It's as if somebody sat these guys down in front of The Raid 2 Clockwork Orange-style and told them that their families would be in great danger if they didn't set out to top those action scenes every time out.
Prediction: I don't know that I've ever picked one of these Jr. Tag matches correctly, but it seems like it's about time for the belts to rotate back to the Hooligans.
The Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi & Jeff Jarrett) vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma
Why a First-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: Remember Jeff Jarrett? He's back! And he's strutting around like a kid again as the elder statesman of the Bullet Club.
Why a Long-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: For all the talk of how great this year's G1 tournament was (and it was historically great), the competitor who stood out the most was Honma. His various losing efforts only served to beatify him with New Japan audiences. His match with Shibata was as violent and emotional as any of his classic deathmatches back in his Big Japan days. Honma's late career resurgence is only lacking one thing: a win on a big stage. On the other side of the ring, Yujiro is likely to come to the ring with extra hookers and porn stars given NJPW's penchant for ostentatious entrances on dome shows. So there's that too.
Prediction: It's hard not to root for Honma here, but with Jarrett backing New Japan's American expansion it seems likely that this will be a low stakes Bullet Club win.
Suzuki-gun (Takashi Iizuka & Shelton X Benjamin & Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) vs. Toru Yano & Naomichi Marufuji & TMDK (Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls)
Why a First-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: Toru Yano (YTR) is the best comedy worker in the company, Iizuka has a habit of spray painting the broadcast announcer, and look at all those former WWE guys! Hell, even Iizuka had a cup of coffee in WCW in his younger days.
Why a Long-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: The cameos from the NOAH guys give the card some diversity and TMDK's long term loan will give the relatively moribund tag division a boost. But this really comes down to former tag partners YTR and Iizuka squaring off without being a sideshow to the Suzuki/Sakuraba feud.
Prediction: YTR stands tall and shills his DVDs to all 50,000 fans in attendance. Also expect to see TMDK take the first steps toward a tag title shot.
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Minoru Suzuki
Why a First-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: Sakuraba is a Japanese MMA legend (sporting the nickname "The Gracie Hunter") who also happens to be a solid professional wrestler. Suzuki is an 80's movie villain come to life who was once serenaded to the ring by the Japanese equivalent of Pat Benatar.
Why a Long-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: This match feels like it has been brewing forever. Expect this to be slow, grounded, and intense with more than a few stiff hits that would put any mortal man into a coma. Sakuraba's best match (professional wrestling match, anyway) occurred two years at the Tokyo Dome and Suzuki is exactly the type who can bring out the best in him again.
Prediction: At this point in his career Suzuki is a guy who doesn't need to win to feel like a threat so I'd wager on a feel good victory for The Gracie Hunter.
NEVER Openweight Championship
Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Togi Makabe
Why a First-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: This will be two tanks laying waste to each other. Picture the Battle of El Alamein but with dudes.
Why a Long-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: There has been a lot of speculation about matches that could potentially steal the show. That is a tall order given the main event. However, if anyone is capable of doing so it's Tomohiro Ishii. He has been consistently outstanding for two years running. His matches almost always get the crowd into an absolute froth. We'll see if that translates to the dome setting from the more intimate confines of Korakuen Hall and Osaka's Bodymaker Colosseum. And Makabe is no slouch himself when it comes to big matches.
Prediction: Ishii - if only because the guy deserves a big win on a big stage and has plenty of fresh title defenses still to come.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Ryusuke Taguchi (c) vs. Kenny Omega
Why a First-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: A fast-paced contest for the most prestigious Jr. Heavyweight Title in existence. Omega is the newest member of the Bullet Club and is transitioning nicely into wrestling's version of Billy Zabka.
Why a Long-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: Kenny Omega will be looking to prove himself here after dropping out of WWE developmental and working his way up through the Japanese indies. Taguchi will also be looking to prove that he's more than just the tag team partner whom Prince Devitt left in the dust.
Prediction: Omega brings more gold to the Bullet Club and takes his place as the ace of the Juniors division.
IWGP Tag Team Championship
The Bullet Club (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) (c) vs. Meiyu Tag (Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata)
Why a First-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: Anderson has turned down WWE offers in the past and seems to be a lock to end up there eventually. And Shibata is about as terrifying in the ring as professional wrestlers get.
Why a Long-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: Goto and Shibata, former college roommates as well as mortal enemies, have temporarily buried the hatchet in pursuit of tag team gold. Standing in their way are the pair of bald badasses who have dominated the division ever since winning the titles at last year's dome show. This resulted in a relatively lackluster year in the ring for "Machine Gun" Anderson, but he now has the most capable challengers to work with in a very long while.
Prediction: Goto is a born loser (at least in storyline) so I can certainly see him losing and then having Shibata kick the crap out of him to renew their endless blood feud.
AJ Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito
Why a First-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: AJ Styles has totally rejuvenated his career since leaving TNA and reminded us all why he was once regarded as one of the best in the world. Here he fights what amounts to a younger, Japanese version of AJ Styles.
Why a Long-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: Styles has been a little lost in the shuffle since losing the top title to Tanahashi. Naito has had a tough time carving out a spot after returning from a long injury despite winning last year's G1 and having an acclaimed series of matches against Tomohiro Ishii (not to mention a pretty strong G1 again this year). This match will let them showcase all that they have to offer as they try to gain momentum heading into 2015.
Prediction: It feels like Naito could use the win a bit more and would be a natural fit as a challenger to either of the two big titles at New Beginning in February.
IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Kota Ibushi
Why a First-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: Nakamura is the most charismatic wrestler in the non-English speaking world (and it's not like there are a ton of WWE guys giving him a run for his money either) and Ibushi is the smoothest high-flyer New Japan has to offer.
Why a Long-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: Their previous match at last year's G1 was spectacular and at least one major Japanese outlet declared it their Match of the Year. Since then, Ibushi has made overtures into the heavyweight division and this could cement his status at the top of the card. Nakamura, meanwhile, has bolstered the status of the Intercontinental belt to fringe World Title status while also staking his claim as arguably the biggest star in the company. This has all the makings of a classic.
Prediction: It feels just a bit too soon for Ibushi to get a win this big, but New Japan has surprised us all before. Adding to that is the fact that Nakamura is not afraid to put guys over (he has previously dropped the belt to La Sombra and Bad Luck Fale) Still, I think that Nakamura hangs on to his title for at least another month or two.
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada
Why a First-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: Dave Meltzer, the godfather of wrestling journalism, said that this feud was better than Steamboat vs. Flair. As outrageous as that may sound at first glance, I unequivocally agree. Their series has featured six matches - all of them are great, two of them are perfect, and one of them is era defining. This seventh match, the first in well over a year, could top them all.
Why a Long-Time Viewer Should Be Excited: Quite simply, this could be New Japan's version of Rock vs. Austin at Wrestlemania X-7. This is the biggest match that they have and it has only gotten bigger since the two last met at the Tokyo Dome in 2013 (much like how Rock and Austin had faced off at Wrestlemania initially two years before). Okada won this year's G1, perhaps the greatest tournament of all time, besting stablemate Shinsuke Nakamura in an epic final to earn this shot. Tanahashi, the longtime ace of the company, regained the title just a few months ago by beating AJ Styles. Now they are set to clash for the first time since October of 2013 with the world title on the line. It's tempting to get over-hyped for this match. But given their previous track record, it's hard to believe that they will do anything but tear the house down.
Prediction: Okada finally gets his main event win at the Tokyo Dome. I throw things around the room in celebration and wake up the whole neighborhood.
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