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NJPW WrestleKingdom 12 in Tokyo Dome 1/4/2018


Raziel

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I guess we'll know after the WTL finals tonight, but it's really difficult to see how they're getting everybody on this show without doing another NEVER 6-man gauntlet.  I guess if they want to make the New Japan Rumble a bigger deal that would be one way.  Otherwise, every iteration I come up with leaves me going "What about Juice after the year he had?  Where does Fale fit in?" And on and on.  Because guys like that clearly aren't going to get left off.

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I have to admit to being rather impressed that Jericho is still able to carny people in 2017. "Never watched an Omega match." Yeah, and he's never listened to a Black Sabbath album either...  Have it from a pretty reliable source that Jericho constantly watches stuff from all over just in case he runs across someone doing something cool that he feels like "borrowing". 

I'm actually really looking forward to Jericho/Omega, Chris might be able to rein in Kenny's worst human video game tendencies and we'll get a real classic. Or, Jericho's ego might run amok and he'll try to keep up with Kenny leading to a hot, steaming mess in the ring, and Jericho getting an over-night stay at the hospital.  This is either going to be really, really good or really, really awful. I don't see any middle ground at all.

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Tag Title match is finalized, which is something new that we haven't seen already, which is good.  Put the Suzuki/Goto Title vs. Hair match up there as it'll happen.  So no 6 Man Belts, which is fine, I imagine they'll add one or two more matches with guys that should be on but aren't yet (Ishii, Fale, GoD, Juice, War Machine, the Old School) but wouldnt' bet on more than 2.  

 

It was also hinted at that the Cody/Ibushi match might be non-title, at least giving some suspense that Cody might drop the belt to Castle, since I don't really see Ibushi getting the RoH belt and no fucking way does Cody go over.

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Here's everybody I can think of who doesn't have a match yet that could plausibly warrant getting on the show outside of the Rumble (grouped by faction where applicable):

Ishii/Yano/Beretta/YOSHI-HASHI

Fale/GoD/Yujiro/Page

Bushi

Taguchi/Juice/Elgin/War Machine/Finlay

Desperado/Iizuka/ZSJ/Taka/Taichi/Kanemaru

Makabe (probably time for him to be moved into the Rumble with all the other old guys, though)

That's a LOT of fucking guys.

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5 minutes ago, Casey said:

2018 will be Bad Luck Fale's year, guys.

He does have that G1 victory of Naito, but didn't get to challenge for the briefcase. I'm not saying he's Naito's first defense, or definitely winning the New Japan Cup, but.............

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Interested in the main event with the wrestlers involved. Okada vs. Naito from NJPW 40th Anniversary Show was brilliant, ***** for me. You have the story how the fans voted the IWGP intercontinental Championship match between Nakamura and Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom 8 to be the main event instead of Okada vs. Naito.

I also want to see Omega vs. Jericho because nobody saw that coming and the build to the match. The match could go two ways, Jericho reigning in Omega's excesses or Jericho wanting to prove something. I liked Jericho's matches with AJ Styles though he went up against Styles and he is phenomenal.

That's it as of today.

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on paper I think this could be the strongest WK from soup to nuts yet. surely the main is a lock to be great. two greats at their peak? yes please. i cannot wait. the year of Naito will be a thing to behold.

Omega-Jericho has sort of done what it needs to do already - get people invested. i don't think it's possible for them to have a blow away super match but i also think it'll be very good and smartly worked.

the wildcard is Tanahashi-White though I think Tanahashi is overstating his injury for effect because the build doesn't need him. Jay is a good worker but can he step up? I don't think defeat kills him as long as he shows he can hang with the master.

whilst I prefer 1 vs. 1, 2 vs. 2, etc., the 4-way for the Jr title is bound to be good because the British goobers in the match will drop their shtick and go all out. this is better than the random jr tags they do because it's had actual build. think it's all about Hiromu again.

R3K vs Yungbux is bound to be good

Ibushi is a good opponent for Cody. I have reservations about another year where Cody turns up and wins and gets a flat reaction. but surely this is better than defending against a random ROH guy and fighting in silence. would love to see Ibushi get a big win in 2018 though.

Goto vs. Suzuki in title vs hair is a novel spin and bald Goto would be hilarious

KES vs. LIJ for the tags is one of those matches whose floor is probably *** and whose ceiling is probably ****. would love to see LIJ win with a further starmaking performance or break up and start an EVIL-SANADA feud. notice how the WTL post-match was basically the EVIL show?

 

 

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lot of potential, fiery, technically sound, think maybe he looks too young to work the gimmick of some sordid nightstabber and is a small heavyweight/large jr. but you can tell that they love him and their judgment is usually pretty dead on and their hit rate in bringing excursioneers back and retooling them has been solid. honestly I thought when Takaaki Watanabe left he would come back and job for life but he's EVIL and he has a good look and a sick STO and he's a believable and safe brawler. R3K look like two members of a J/K-pop boyband and the girls dig it. And Hiromu is just wtf.

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I think the card in general and Okada/Naito specifically will benefit--not that they need the help--from the preceding matches being different. White and Tanahashi will presumably milk Tana's injuries, and then escalate into the kind of showcase that will hopefully get White over no matter the result. Omega and Jericho will just brawl for the most part. We might see an awful lot of plunder and even more blood, given the build and the fact that New Japan basically doesn't DQ anyone for using weapons. That leaves the final match to be unique in its epic presentation of "main event strong style evolved," or whatever. The floor for it is a MOTYC, and a pop for the ages. So that's a pretty good place to start.

The show will still be too long, open slowly, and drag in parts; I'm pretty sure how 90% of the matches are going to go. And yet, I'm pretty stoked for all of it. (And I hope Ibushi wins, even though it doesn't really make sense.)

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So, on the 17th, LIJ are defending the 6 Man belts against Fale and GoD, so I suspect BUSHI eats the fall from Fale here and they swap the belts, leaving room for a 6 Man defense, either straight  up or a Gauntlet to get the last bulk of the guys not on the show active.

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7 hours ago, sevendaughters said:

lot of potential, fiery, technically sound, think maybe he looks too young to work the gimmick of some sordid nightstabber and is a small heavyweight/large jr. but you can tell that they love him and their judgment is usually pretty dead on and their hit rate in bringing excursioneers back and retooling them has been solid. honestly I thought when Takaaki Watanabe left he would come back and job for life but he's EVIL and he has a good look and a sick STO and he's a believable and safe brawler. R3K look like two members of a J/K-pop boyband and the girls dig it. And Hiromu is just wtf.

Agreed, and you're missing one name. The last time someone came back and was bumped up the card to such a WTF degree was Okada. People hated him getting a title shot.

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2 minutes ago, Salads said:

Agreed, and you're missing one name. The last time someone came back and was bumped up the card to such a WTF degree was Okada. People hated him getting a title shot.

Okada is/was Lightning in a bottle though,.

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1 minute ago, Raziel403 said:

Okada is/was Lightning in a bottle though,.

With regards to the judgement of New Japan management I remember reports of them being high on him from day one, and it being odd at the time that they would 'adopt' someone who had already been trained and debuted in Toryumon of all places. There must be some insight there because by the time the Rainmaker character appeared he'd been around for seven years and no one was buying it.

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