NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18.

[The Natural]

The main event confirmed, SANADA defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship (still hate everything about the fucking thing) vs. Tetsuya Naito. Expect Naito to win and finally get to do the LIJ post match roll call. I'm underwhelmed by this main event as SANADA has never done anything for me. For that reason, I'm interested in what the co-main event will be. I'm hoping for Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada II or Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Danielson/Okada was a great match marred by Danielson badly breaking his arm. Danielson was only the second guy in 11 years to submit Okada since he returned from excursion as the Rainmaker. Danielson/Sabre Jr is my current MOTY. Irish Sabre Jr got the big push Will Ospreay's had. Speaking of, still curious to see what happens to Will Ospreay who does little for me either. Ospreay/Omega III?

[SturmCRF]

Everyone seems very quick to assume Naito beats SANADA, but I'm not so sure. They've committed this far to getting SANADA over as a main eventer, and him beating Naito is a more interesting story. Naito has already gone through his whole arc and got his big win over Okada at the Dome. I'd have SANADA win and then drop it at New Beginning to someone more interesting like Tsuji or Shota or Uemura. Or even ZSJ!

On that subject Natural, while we're never going to agree on Ospreay, I also love ZSJ and wish he'd get a main event push. What I don't know is whether he bears some responsibility for being typecast as an upper midcard workrate guy. His wrestling is incredible, his character work is a joy, but I wonder if both are pitched slightly wrong for what people thing of when they think top of the card wrestling champion. Maybe that just means NJPW should adapt to allow for a submission based, vaguely Clockwork Orange hipster douchebag at the top of the card, but maybe Zack should integrate a few more impactful moves and add a bit more edge to his character. Don't get me wrong, him vs Danielson was probably my match of the year and I crack up at almost everything he says, but he could do with projecting as being a bit more brass ring grabby to make that final step up. Say what you like about Ospreay as a person and wrestler, but he has the aura of a dangerous idiot who's just smart enough to Hidden Blade the shit out of anyone in his way.

[Eivion]

10 minutes ago, SturmCRF said:

Everyone seems very quick to assume Naito beats SANADA, but I'm not so sure. They've committed this far to getting SANADA over as a main eventer, and him beating Naito is a more interesting story. Naito has already gone through his whole arc and got his big win over Okada at the Dome. I'd have SANADA win and then drop it at New Beginning to someone more interesting like Tsuji or Shota or Uemura. Or even ZSJ!

I kind of like this idea. SANADA cleaned sweeped his block during the G1 including running through all of the new Musketeers. There is an interesting story to be old with them and Uemura challenging him for the title until surpasses the others with the win. 

[Salads]

I don't mind that idea for SANADA, but Naito going over would be one of those pro wrestling moments where predictability is best. He's their top draw, hasn't had the top title in three years and is beginning to break down. 'We're going to do the roll call properly this time' is the biggest incentive they have to get fans back into attending live post-pandemic and I don't think it's the time to play around with that expectation.

 

Agreed totally on ZSJ. He isn't a draw in any meaningful way currently and nothing says making a connection to the Japanese crowd like George Michael references and Argos observations in your move names. Saw the promo vid for Ospreay v Zack and Will is the one that looks like the star. Will say however that he has been making good progress in terms of his style/aggression recently in addition to his physical transformation. Was also impressed that he's now comfortable enough to make jokes in Japanese. If he has managed to be at least halfway fluent that's a big standout factor for him and if he can communicate the personality we know he has through that then it's very encouraging.

[Horangi]

Spoiler

Danielson vs Okada II confirmed it seems

Also Hiromu vs Despe, Catch-22 vs War Dogs, possibly Zack vs Tanahashi and something involving Ospreay, Moxley and Finlay

 

[The Natural]

Spoiler

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JxzljTb3OT0

Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada 2! The first match at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door was hampered by Bryan Danielson badly breaking his arm and the seizure sell to buy time. It was still a great match. Hopefully Danielson gets through this one without injury. Danielson tapped Okada out, it's only the second time in 11 years that's happened since Okada returned from excursion as the Rainmaker at Wrestle Kingdom 12. Shinsuke Nakamura was the first. Even Zack Sabre Jr was never permitted to submit Okada and Submission Master is his gimmick, it's in his old entrance video. I'm sure the rematch will surpass the original.

 

[The Natural]

f4wonline.com:

Spoiler

Will Ospreay retained the IWGP United Kingdom/United States Championship in the show's main event with a victory over Shota Umino and was confronted by Jon Moxley after the match in a tease for a Wrestle Kingdom bout. Ospreay and Moxley were then laid out by David Finlay who proceeded to destroy the US and UK title belts. In post-show comments, Ospreay stated that he wants Moxley and Finlay in a triple threat match at Wrestle Kingdom and hinted at the return of the IWGP Intercontinental Championship for the bout. Moxley defeated Great-O-Khan earlier in today's card.

If Will Ospreay brings back the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, that's one thing going for him with me. The other is the Hidden Blade and Elevation, his entrance theme. That's it. Don't like Will or Stormbreaker. Not holding my breath over the IWGP Intercontinental Championship returning with Kazuchika Okada wearing the IWGP Heavyweight Championship V4 again. I was hoping it would replace the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Hate that fucking thing.

 

[Evil Otto]

Moxley vs. Great O-Khan was gloriously stupid and I loved every second of it.  Moxley is amazing right now, and the New Japan fans love him.  It was essentially Stadium Stampede with two guys.  Chairs everywhere, fans running away from their seats.  Congratulations to Moxley for perhaps unlocking O-Khan's secret level of epic brawler.  

Ospreay-Umino and the 6-man title match were also really great.  The one thing Umino has going for him is that I think he's capable of having good storylines.  He's borderline heelish in this match, perhaps some foreshadowing, but reels it back in to gain sympathy near the end.  Not as great as Ospreay-Tsuji, but Umino is simply not Tsuji, and that's that.  He needs to work harder to get the fans to believe in him, and that's what I think the entire purpose of this match was, to show that he can hang at the main event level.  

[The Natural]

Spoiler

This will be Bryan Danielson's first NJPW match in 20 years. Thought it was.

 

[The Natural]

F4wonline.com:

Spoiler

Say goodbye to the IWGP United States/United Kingdom Heavyweight Championship. 

NJPW chairman Naoki Sugabayashi revealed at a press conference Monday that the IWGP US/UK title will be replaced by a new championship that the promotion is creating. A Google translation of Sugabayashi's comments reads: 

Regarding the IWGP US belt, we will establish a new championship. It is true that fans were confused as to whether it was IWGP US or UK, so we have created a new championship. We will announce the details later.

---

NJPW has a thing lately for retiring and introducing new championships. Concerned for how it looks with NJPW's recent track record of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and the NJPW World Television Championship.

 

[Teflon Turtle]

Well...supposedly both El Desperado and Tetsuya Naito are set to have eye surgery in the lead up to Wrestle Kingdom.

The only source I've seen for Despe needing this is his WK opponent, Hiromu Takahashi (via NJPW's official website).

Naito's has been discussed in various outlets, originally Tokyo Sports. I first saw it via Fightful:
https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/tetsuya-naito-undergo-right-eye-surgery-november-7

If the above article and Tokyo Sports are to be believed, this is apparently the last time Naito can get this surgery (he's already had two and I guess people are limited to three for whatever reason I, as a person who isn't a doctor, don't entirely understand). 

Gotta admit to being a little nervous given that both are maybe my two favorite wrestlers working today. Of course, this has kickstarted a lot of speculation about how much time Naito has left in the ring, too.

[Curt McGirt]

Hey, how long does it take for new NJPW episodes on AXS, as in like how far behind are they? I wanna know when I get to see Moxley/O-Khan. That sounds hilarious in all the good ways; also I've only seen O-Khan like, once and dug the shit out of the (admittedly old-fashioned) character.

[lostinube]

Shingo vs Tama in a rematch for the NEVER belt has been added to the card post the Lonestar Shootout.

[Teflon Turtle]

18 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

Hey, how long does it take for new NJPW episodes on AXS, as in like how far behind are they? I wanna know when I get to see Moxley/O-Khan. That sounds hilarious in all the good ways; also I've only seen O-Khan like, once and dug the shit out of the (admittedly old-fashioned) character.

On 11/4/2023 at 10:24 PM, Evil Otto said:

Moxley vs. Great O-Khan was gloriously stupid and I loved every second of it.

As best I can tell, the AXS episodes roughly three weeks to a month behind the date of the event. But, sometimes it's hard to tell when a specific match will be on since they seem to split up the big shows over several weeks/episodes.

And yeah, you both have it right with respect to the match itself. As I was watching, I said to myself that it was a comedy match dressed up in no-DQ/falls count anywhere trappings. With bowling.

Also, "Moxley bleeds" is a meme at this point. Don't really even mean that in a bad way.

 

[The Natural]

On 11/7/2023 at 12:42 AM, Teflon Turtle said:

Well...supposedly both El Desperado and Tetsuya Naito are set to have eye surgery in the lead up to Wrestle Kingdom.

The only source I've seen for Despe needing this is his WK opponent, Hiromu Takahashi (via NJPW's official website).

Naito's has been discussed in various outlets, originally Tokyo Sports. I first saw it via Fightful:
https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/tetsuya-naito-undergo-right-eye-surgery-november-7

If the above article and Tokyo Sports are to be believed, this is apparently the last time Naito can get this surgery (he's already had two and I guess people are limited to three for whatever reason I, as a person who isn't a doctor, don't entirely understand). 

Gotta admit to being a little nervous given that both are maybe my two favorite wrestlers working today. Of course, this has kickstarted a lot of speculation about how much time Naito has left in the ring, too.

Tetsuya Naito's eyes and his dodgy knees too. Can't see him hanging around like Hiroshi Tanahashi and Minoru Suzuki have.

[The Natural]

If I'm AEW/NJPW I'd be worried about Bryan Danielson getting through the Continental Classic to his match vs. Kazuchika Okada at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18. Danielson has broken his arm and orbital bone this year.

[Teflon Turtle]

Agreed; had the same thought the other day. Danielson/Okada is probably the co-main, at worst would be third from the top of the card unless New Japan decides the Jr. Heavy and whatever the Ospreay/Mox/Finlay title match is would be more important.

I realize that New Japan technically needs AEW more than AEW needs New Japan, but if I'm in charge at NJPW or Bushiroad, I'm at least a little peeved that AEW is potentially jeopardizing a marquee matchup in the biggest puroresu event of the year...that had already been announced.

Unless the plan is for Danielson to win the tournament and the "American Triple Crown" and defend it (and probably lose it to) Okada, it doesn't make sense and is a huge gamble. It's almost too ridiculous to even consider.

[Evil Otto]

The World Tag League has been okay so far, suffering from the pitfalls of all the tag leagues from recent years: mostly medium-sized prefectural and municipal gymnasiums in smaller markets with polite but fairly unenthusiastic crowds.  Nothing too bad in terms of in-ring quality, and the overall attendance in most venues looks solid, but honestly there has yet to be a truly inspiring match.  

That is, until tonight's main event in Nagoya of Kaito Kiyomiya/Ryohei Oiwa vs. Shota Umino/Ren Narita.  Both Umino and Kiyomiya have done really good work in making fans want to see them face off in future singles matches against a variety of competitors throughout this tournament so far, so it should be no surprise that Umino and Kiyomiya continued to further add fuel to their own rivalry which started in this year's G1.  A nice mix of obvious and subtle storytelling going on in this match.  Oiwa has improved dramatically, so I hope they keep him simmering over in NOAH for a while longer, as whatever they're doing over there with him appears to be working.  One of the fastest elevations to main event status (granted, a WTL main event) that I can recall.  

Great match, well worth your time.  

 

 

[DreamBroken]

On 11/10/2023 at 8:52 PM, Curt McGirt said:

Hey, how long does it take for new NJPW episodes on AXS, as in like how far behind are they? I wanna know when I get to see Moxley/O-Khan. That sounds hilarious in all the good ways; also I've only seen O-Khan like, once and dug the shit out of the (admittedly old-fashioned) character.

this aired tonight, if you happen to catch it. (Replays on AXS at 2 AM EST) 

[Curt McGirt]

Yep, I got NJ set up to record along with Impact every Thursday. Thanx for the heads up!

[Evil Otto]

Two nights in a row for New Japan with a really solid main event, this time in Shizuoka with Bishamon facing off with Atlantis Jr. and Soberano Jr.  In theory, both teams are faces, but Soberano Jr. read the room and went almost full rudo for the entire match, which was a wise choice.  The crowd in Shizuoka was practically asleep up until this point, but perked up for this one.  If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing Soberano Jr. do his heel work, I implore you to watch and be amazed.  It's a real treat.  

I can't say I'm a huge fan of Bishamon, but I will concede that they are indeed a great team who consistently go hard in every match, which is precisely why they have the belts.  They are willing to take equally as much as they give, if not more.  I can't say enough good things about Atlantis Jr. and Soberano Jr. though.  They are fantastic ambassadors for this seemingly new era for CMLL.  This match was a joy to watch.  

Speaking of CMLL, the World Tag League also has Zandokan Jr. getting a huge opportunity by teaming up with Yota Tsuji.  Zandokan has a top-tier overall appearance and swagger, but his in-ring still needs some polishing, as he's a bit clunky and just hanging around a bit in matches.  No doubt this experience will help him, though, and you can tell he knows and wants to work in a more Japanese style.  His path forward in CMLL and possibly New Japan seems to be just beginning, so it has been fun to watch him try to figure it out.  

Tonight's card in Osaka looks promising, and the crowd should obviously be much hotter, with Bishamon vs. Tsuji/Zandokan Jr. as the main event.  I expect some craziness.   

[John E. Dynamite]

I'm actually paying attention to the Tag League off the lure of the CMLL guys and the the Yung Musks + Oiwa.

Zandokan's been good for a minute. Dude doesn't even have a cagematch page, that's the state of lucha libre awareness. At least NJPW knows what's up. I got back into CMLL early last year off the strength of the Soberano vs. Templario feud and at first I thought Soberano was the rudo. Apparently he's more-or-less turned in Arena Mexico and I'm very pleased to hear it. He might be the best guy they've got.

[Eivion]

Soberano Jr. has been one of my favorites in CMLL this past year. Glad to hear he is doing well in NJPW. I'm behind a decent bit. I need to catch up on the AXS shows and see the first show of the tag league.

[Control]

I think it’s interesting that NJPW runs a tournament that their top guys just sit out. Not even a criticism! Just funny that they can say “yeah, we’re not even booking our main eventers on most of these cards.”

[lostinube]

And especially useful when you have two guys with big matches at Wrestle Kingdom (Naito and Despy) who can go and get surgery and still have some time to rest up before January hits.