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<\/p>\nGet your new wrestling year started right – with our review of WrestleKingdom 12 from earlier today\u2026 Alpha vs. Omega\u2026 Naito vs. Okada\u2026 which would steal the show?<\/p>\n
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Strangely, one of those matches seems to have attracted a large Western contingent to the Tokyo Dome this year, with one such traveller poking fun that \u201cNew Japan has drawn more Americans to Tokyo than TNA has to their US shows\u201d. Ouch.<\/p>\n
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New Japan Rumble<\/strong> Should I read anything into Kitamura growing a Suzuki-like mane? Leo Tonga<\/em>\u2019s next up, and he dwarfs Kitamura, which is a weird sight to see. A uranage nearly pins the Young Lion, as number five\u2019s revealed as Manabu Nakanishi<\/em>. Slow it down\u2026 although he\u2019s bloody jogging to the ring! Number six is another Bullet Club guy: Chase Owens<\/em>! I\u2019d guess he\u2019s going to be doing something else at New Year Dash!! as that\u2019s a heck of a fly-out for just the Rumble.<\/p>\n Delirious exits first after a package piledriver from Owens – and a botched pin as the referee checked the shoulders extra closely\u2026 next up was Yuji Nagata<\/em> as BUSHI was thrown out over the top rope. Nagata\u2019s first move? To kick Leo Tonga in the arse\u2026<\/p>\n After Nagata and Nakanishi renew their always-simmering rivalry, the countdown hits\u2026 and my feed dies! In the midst of this TAKA Michinoku<\/em> comes out as we\u2019ve had several eliminations, including Nagata and Kitamura, which makes me sad. Yoshinobu Kanemaru<\/em> and his bottle of whisky comes out next ready to go after the only non-Suzuki-gun guy in the match, Owens.<\/p>\n The beatdown to Owens continues even more when El Desperado<\/em> hits the fray. You think this is planned? Owens tried to fight back, but he\u2019s sprayed in the face with whiskey before he\u2019s eliminated over the top rope\u2026 and now we\u2019ve got a Suzuki-gun trio waiting for\u2026 Jushin “Thunder” Liger<\/em>. Uh oh. Shoteis for all! The Liger comeback left the Suzuki-gun trio reeling, but that Romero special left him wide open as the trio went to work over his mask. Another countdown brings out Tiger Mask<\/em> for the save, but he too finds his mask at risk as Desperado takes him down and begins to unlace the hood. Tiger turns the tables as Kanemaru and TAKA are unawares, and Tiger almost does it…<\/p>\n More over-dubbing brings out an Australian – \u201cMr Juicy\u201d Gino Gambino<\/em>! It\u2019s a debut here for him, as Liger and Kanemaru get eliminated. Gambino\u2019s apparently a Bullet Club guy, and he obliterates TAKA with a lariat for a quick elimination. Well, thanks for coming Suzuki-gun! Another Young Lion follows as Henare<\/em>, complete with face paint and tassles, hits the ring to go after his Oceanic brethren. Of course, Henare\u2019s Samoan\u2026 am I watching TK Cooper here?<\/p>\n YOSHI-HASHI<\/em> enters next but he takes his time to make it to the ring so he can show off his new ring gear. Number sixteen is out as David Finlay<\/em>, and for some reason he goes straight for Gambino, getting an assist from Henare as a Stunner eliminates the Aussie. A dropkick in the ropes from YOSHI-HASHI gets rid of Henare, as Finlay then rolled up YOSHI-HASHI for the rather surprising pin to complete the ring clearing.<\/p>\n Just in time for Yujiro Takahashi<\/em> to come out! Yujiro eliminates Finlay, who manages to skin the cat only to get clotheslined out over the top. So that\u2019s a break for Yujiro, who thinks he\u2019s won, except we have more\u2026 Cheeseburger<\/em>?! Eh, it\u2019s his annual appearance in this thing since he\u2019s gotten cult status in New Japan. We\u2019ve got even more entrants as Satoshi Kojima<\/em> heads down, since there\u2019s still names left in this roster.<\/p>\n Yujiro eats a Koji Cutter before replying with a Fisherman buster as he turns his attentions back to Cheeseburger for reasons. Hiroyoshi Tenzan<\/em>\u2019s next, bringing the Mongolian chops to Yujiro ahead of the entry of Masahito Kakihara<\/em>, who\u2019s bedecked in UWFI gear. We\u2019re down to Tenzan, Kojima, Cheeseburger and Kakihara as the final four, but the latter two\u2019s chops barely faze the former tag champs\u2026 they\u2019re quickly eliminated though, so our final two are Cheeseburger and Kakihara!<\/p>\n Kakihara gets the win via pinfall, shrugging off a superkick and dropping Cheeseburger with a STO! A feel good story to open the show then, with Kakihara having been put over on English commentary as a cancer survivor. As for the match – well, it was more than a bog standard rumble, with some good stories being threaded throughout, but it was what it was. ***<\/p>\n A quick break to grab another coffee and have some breakfast later, and it\u2019s main show time. The pre-show card rundown reveals that Cody vs. Kota is being called the \u201chandsome battle\u201d. Eh, it\u2019s better than a \u201cspecial singles match\u201d.<\/p>\n The \u201cproper\u201d WrestleKingdom stage is rather grandiose, with random pillars marking the entry curtains on the way to a monstrous video screen. They\u2019ve pulled out the big stuff for the Dome again.<\/p>\n IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) vs. Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) (c)<\/strong> Early on the Bucks were poking fun at how the champions were \u201cyoung boys\u201d, which played into them going for a Sharpshooter early\u2026 but YOH escapes and actually trapped Matt in one as the Bucks were forced to scramble for the ropes early. All the Sharpshooters!<\/p>\n There\u2019s some lovely fluid series too as the champions seemed to be easing ahead, using some double teams as YOH\u2019s knees were driven into one of the Bucks by SHO. The Beretta splat dive series follows as Roppongi 3K crashes and burns into the raised stage, and my feed dies again. It recovers in time for Rocky to take a powerbomb on the catwalk from the Bucks, before the challengers went after YOH\u2019s injured back and all. Apparently during the time-out I missed YOH taking a German suplex onto the apron\u2026 and he takes an apron powerbomb too as the Bucks seemed to be focusing on that body part, because who can\u2019t relate to having a bad back?<\/p>\n I\u2019m pretty sure a lot of the Americans staying up late for this can\u2026<\/p>\n Matt crashes and burns as YOH low bridges him to the outside, and it looks like it\u2019s bad backs for all! Still, YOH\u2019s kept isolated, with SHO doing the dummy thing of tying up the referee before Nick takes him off the apron as Matt tries to powerbomb YOH on the catwalk\u2026 right next to the still-recovering Rocky Romero. A back body drop gives YOH an escape\u2026 something that\u2019s helped when Nick topes into Matt on the outside!<\/p>\n Finally SHO gets the tag in and he works away on Nick with a series of kicks, but Nick viciously elbows him before Matt tagged in to take some rolling Germans, culminating in a German duplex to both of the Bucks! The double team Dominator\/Cutter nearly gets the win for the champs, but then we get a barrage of superkicks from all sides as Nick counters out of the 3K with ease.<\/p>\n We\u2019re back to the bad back boys with Matt and YOH, but a powerbomb into the corner followed by a senton to an elevated YOH puts the Bucks firmly in control, ahead of a Sharpshooter from Matt. Eventually YOH makes it to the ropes despite some helping hands from Nick.<\/p>\n An attempt at More Bang For Your Buck nearly backfired as a crucifix counter from YOH got a near-fall, as duelling single-leg crabs put the Bucks in peril. They do the Revival\u2019s \u201chold each other\u2019s hands to stop them from tapping\u201d deal before breaking the hold, and now it\u2019s a mirror match as Nick and SHO kick their worn-down opponents right in the back. Good heavens, this is amazing stuff, and not the archetypical \u201cflippy stuff and shtick\u201d that I loathe the Bucks for.<\/p>\n Ah yes, that\u2019s the cue for flips as a corkscrew moonsault to the floor wipes out SHO, as Matt and YOH try to finish things with their backs. YOH sprung back in after taking a superkick, but he couldn\u2019t finish it off as the Bucks caught him with an Indytaker, before Nick grabs YOH in a Sharpshooter for the submission. Was he legal? Does that matter anymore? That\u2019s definitely not the result I\u2019d have gone for given how much of an impact Roppongi 3K made since their debut, but this was a cracking match to get the main show underway. ****<\/p>\n Gauntlet for NEVER Six-Man Championships: Suzuki-gun (Zack Sabre Jr., Takashi Iizuka & Taichi) vs. War Machine (Hanson & Raymond Rowe) & Michael Elgin vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Beretta vs. Taguchi Japan (Ryusuke Taguchi, Juice Robinson & Togi Makabe) vs. Bullet Club (Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) & Bad Luck Fale) (c)<\/strong> Iizuka quickly takes a stalling suplex before a Hanson beard rub was responded to in kind with some biting. Taichi\u2019s shenanigans follow as he whacks Hanson with the bell hammer, but the big guy\u2019s able to make it away to tag in Rowe, who goes straight for Sabre with a massive forearm to the head. Shotgun knees keep Sabre down, as do another barrage of strikes, before the ring fills up.<\/p>\n Hanson heads up to the top for a moonsault\u2026 but Iizuka moves away as the Parade of Stuff continues, and ends with a pop-up slam to Taichi. Problem was, Taichi rolled the ref to the outside, meaning that interference to prevent Fallout was missed as Iizuka gets his funky oven glove. Elgin and Hanson take the shots, but Rowe does not\u2026 and he soon falls to a ref stoppage after Sabre tied up Rowe in one of his many arm\/leg\/choke combos.<\/p>\n The next team out were the CHAOS trio of Ishii, Yano and Beretta, and yes, there\u2019s another jumpstart as Suzuki-gun meet them in the aisle. Taichi tries to out-do Yano, but fails as he tries to snatch a pin when Sabre PK\u2019s the Sublime Master Thief. A near-fall follows as Yano manages to reply with a low blow and a roll-up after Iizuka tried and failed to use his oven glove again.<\/p>\n Taguchi Japan\u2019s out next, with some more over-dubbing as we can\u2019t have Led Zeppelin clearly heard on this thing. Or perhaps we can\u2026 Taguchi has a new blue tee, and a football for\u2026 reasons. Juice busts out a bunch of Dusty punches for all, before Makabe heads up for his mounted punches in the corner to Yano.<\/p>\n Taguchi tags in next for some trios offence to Yano, ending with a springboard hip attack that almost eliminated the CHAOS team. Chops put an end to some Dusty punches, before Yano steals another pin, avoiding a hip attack and rolling up Taguchi to put CHAOS in the finals against the defending champions of Fale, Tama and Tanga. Good luck!<\/p>\n So this is effectively the title match, and the Bullet Club trio walk over their opponents early, kicking them when they were down\u2026 and in the case of Beretta, planting him on the apron with a death valley driver. Fale accidentally charges into an exposed corner before Tama\u2019s whipped into the same one as Tonga takes a pounding for a while.<\/p>\n Ishii tries to brainbuster Fale, but instead he opts to headbutt away before his switched up attempt at a German suplex backfired. Another headbutt from Ishii counters a Grenade, and it\u2019s second time lucky as he gets Fale up for the suplex\u2026 but Fale\u2019s barely affected as he\u2019s able to come back with a Samoan drop to Ishii moments later.<\/p>\n Beretta eats the Guerilla Warfare, but the Guerrillas don\u2019t go for the cover, instead looking to wear down Beretta further. Out of nowhere, Beretta\u2019s attempt at a delayed moonsault\u2019s met with a Gun Stun in mid air as the ring fills, then empties, as Beretta manages to get the upset pin on Tama Tonga, hitting hm with a Dudebuster as we have yet another set of NEVER six-man champs. Some parts of this gauntlet were great, but there was also a fair amount of fluff as we got to the headline story of Beretta getting his first achievement as a heavyweight. ***<\/p>\n Cody vs. Kota Ibushi<\/strong> Despite losing the ROH title, Cody\u2019s keeping up the \u201ckiss the ring\u201d gimmick, and he starts off with the archetypal headlock\/shoot off\/shoulder tackle stuff as Kota shows him he\u2019s more than used to that intro. A snapping \u2018rana took Cody to the outside, and I think we know what Kota\u2019s doing next\u2026 dive!<\/p>\n The plancha accidentally wipes out Brandi as well, and of course Kota\u2019s all shocked and distracted by that. Hang on, we\u2019re getting the 1992 SummerSlam shtick as Kota played Rick Martel\u2026 but Cody punches him as it\u2019s revealed to be a ruse. Back inside, Kota takes a Disaster kick for a two-count before trapping him in a Butterfly lock. Hey, where\u2019s YOSHI-HASHI?<\/p>\n Brandi wanders into commentary to steal a chair, which Cody uses on Kota on the apron\u2026 but Ibushi overcomes and responds with a picture-perfect Golden Triangle moonsault! We get more old WWF throwbacks as they tried the Ultimate Warrior\/Rick Rude finish, but Brandi\u2019s caught as Ibushi frees himself and attempts to piledrive Cody on the apron. That\u2019s blocked as Cody instead plants Kota with some Cross Rhodes off the apron to the floor. Dear GOD that looked nasty.<\/p>\n Is Cody trying to win the handsome battle by murder?<\/p>\n Kota somehow beats the count, but he\u2019s barely able to get to his feet as Cody borrows some offence in the form of a top rope \u2018rana for a near-fall. Cody takes too long with the Cross Rhodes as Ibushi counters by lawn-darting him into the turnbuckles, before unleashing with a barrage of strikes ahead of the Golden Star powerbomb to almost put Cody away. The Kamigoye looks to put the finishing touches on things, but Cody escapes with a lariat that nearly swung the match his way once more.<\/p>\n Another Disaster kick misses, before Cody headbutts away from a Kamigoye… but a strait-jacket German follows before Kota finally connects with the Kamigoye. He\u2019s not done though, as Kota heads up for a Phoenix splash, and that\u2019s plenty for the win. So, Kota\u2019s challenging for a title after tonight then? This was easily Cody\u2019s best match in a New Japan ring, and all he had to do was nearly kill someone with a finisher off the apron\u2026 ****<\/p>\n IWGP Tag Team Championship: Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA & EVIL) vs. Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) (c)<\/strong> We almost had a squash as EVIL took a Killer Bomb at the bell, but SANADA\u2019s able to make the save as the KES were in control. EVIL can\u2019t even stand as he crumples to his feet from an Irish whip, so Smith\u2019s call to throw EVIL into the corner for a tag looked suspect\u2026 until you figured that it was just so he could slam SANADA from the ring to the floor.<\/p>\n It\u2019s pretty brutal, and that\u2019s just the beating they gave Hirai Kawato on the floor, as Archer followed up with a chokeslam on EVIL into the pile as the KES went back after SANADA in the ring. We\u2019re definitely in the realm of \u201cstatement squashes\u201d here, as the Ingobernables barely got a look in, to the point where the crowd were forced into an almost-stunned silence.<\/p>\n Smith mockingly used SANADA\u2019s arm to tap as he held him in a rear chinlock, but it\u2019s looking inevitable\u2026 except the KES are taking their sweet time, and a uranage gets a near-fall as Archer kept it going. Finally SANADA gets in some hope courtesy of a \u2018rana, before tagging in a clearly worn-down EVIL, who looks a good step or two off the pace.<\/p>\n EVIL has to fight out of another Archer chokeslam with a lariat, before Archer somehow busts out a Spanish fly?! Good God, Will Ospreay, you\u2019ve got to go some to outdo this big man. Smith tries to follow up with a moonsault, but he misses as SANADA gets a Skull End, but Archer\u2019s quickly back for another thunderous chokeslam before a Backdrop Hold from Smith nearly ends it.<\/p>\n A Hart Attack stops EVIL in his tracks, before a second Killer Bomb only gets a two-count as somehow the Ingobernables found a way to keep on going. The EVIL STO drops Archer, before Smith\u2019s caught with a Magic Killer as a brief LIJ flurry nearly ended it\u2026 SANADA then puts the icing on the cake with a Muta-esque moonsault as we have more new champions! That was weird\u2026 massively one-sided before the brief comeback at the end. I got the story of LIJ taking the beating, but there\u2019s something here that didn\u2019t click. Maybe it\u2019s me not \u201cgetting\u201d the KES, but I certainly appreciated their arrogance of going for the squash and getting caught out in the end. ***\u00bc<\/p>\n Hair vs. Hair, No Seconds Deathmatch for NEVER Openweight Championship: Hirooki Goto vs. Minoru Suzuki (c)<\/strong> Apparently Goto\u2019s entry video was comprised of him getting beaten up by Suzuki-gun. Well, it\u2019s only a slight change from the usual.<\/p>\n Suzuki\u2019s not interested in a lock-up, as he just slaps Goto. It\u2019s returned as the pair slug it out early, with Suzuki trying for an early sleeperhold, eventually lifting up Goto off the mat as he tried to strangle the life out of his title challenger. They bring the doctor in to check on Goto after Suzuki eventually lets go, and it\u2019s a fantastic sell as Suzuki just stomps him out on the mat. Instead of going for the win, Suzuki just threw Goto to the outside as we got the obligatory guard rail and chair usage, all while the English commentary painted this as another potential blow-out. Finally the doctor checks on Goto\u2026 and that seems to fire him up as Suzuki just laughs at the Goto comeback.<\/p>\n A running boot into the corner from Suzuki looked to keep things going, but Goto again tries to fight back, catching a PK and eventually working up into a bulldog out of the corner. More strikes take us into an ushigoroshi, but it\u2019s countered into a guillotine by Suzuki\u2026 then a rear naked choke before the Gotch piledriver is escaped.<\/p>\n Suzuki tries it again and it\u2019s escaped again as Goto hits an ushogoroshi, and now there\u2019s interference as Desperado and TAKA hit the ring. Kanemaru and Taichi too, but YOSHI-HASHI intercepts Taichi\u2019s ridiculous sneakers as the distraction backfired\u2026 or did it? A thunderous dropkick to the jaw dumps Goto, before an unholy barrage of palm strikes and slaps weaken Goto some more, as another rear naked choke almost forces the stoppage.<\/p>\n Instead, Suzuki goes for the Gotch piledriver again, and it\u2019s again blocked as Goto escapes and blasts Suzuki with a lariat in the corner. Minoru comes back with cracking headbutts in the ropes, but his attempt at a guillotine choke on the top rope is rather predictably countered into an avalanche ushigoroshi.<\/p>\n Goto tries to go for the GTR, but that too is stopped with more strikes, before a clunking headbutt from Goto puts Suzuki down. That headbutt\u2019s very remniscent\u2026 and before I can say any more, Goto rushes in with the GYR and GTR\u2026 and that\u2019s it! Goto gets the belt, and I believe there\u2019s some shaving to do\u2026 See, without the Suzuki-gun shenanigans, Minoru can still go in the ring and tell a hell of a story without needing the shortcuts. Minimialism! ****\u00bc<\/p>\n Suzuki-gun stayed at ringside, and quickly carried Suzuki to the back\u2026 but the brave referee shooed them away as Minoru willingly headed back to the ring. He\u2019s come with a chair, which he sits on as Suzuki shaves away most of the mane at the back of his head, all while the crowd chanted his name.<\/p>\n They run through the New Japan calendar for the rest of the year, including the March 25 show in the US, April 1\u2019s Sakura Genesis, the Wrestling Dontaku trio of shows, Best of Super Junior 25 (starting May 18)… Dominion on June 9, the G1 running from July 14 to the final on August 10. The final 3 days of the G1 will take place in Budokan Hall, which is a bit special…<\/p>\n IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi vs. KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay vs. Marty Scurll (c)<\/strong> Marty used the Hiromu trapdoor too, as he\u2019s grown wings. It looked ridiculous, and it’s up to you how you read that!<\/p>\n Scurll heads outside to watch from the floor as Ospreay and KUSHIDA rekindle their past encounters\u2026 but of course, Marty\u2019s on hand to run in and break up pins. Well, it\u2019s better than just \u201cresting\u201d on the outside.<\/p>\n Hiromu tried to steal it with a roll-up of his own, but of course everyone\u2019s breaking up covers as the breathless pace continued, with Ospreay sneaking ahead. Scurll\u2019s next, stamping on Hiromu\u2019s hand before going for a superkick off the apron, as KUSHIDA decides to fly with a flip senton off the top rope and into the aisle.<\/p>\n They head into the crowd as Ospreay climbs a lighting rig and moonsaults into the other three below, before taking KUSHIDA back in and locking the gate\u2026 as if that\u2019s that much of a barrier! A diving dropkick into KUSHIDA keeps Ospreay ahead, but his standing shooting star press is met with an inside cradle for a near-fall, before a springboard\u2019s met with a cross armbreaker from KUSHIDA.<\/p>\n Scurll returns to try and steal the pin, as we get duelling submissions as Scurll and KUSHIDA tried to eke out a win with their finishers. Scurll broke his so he could superkick away KUSHIDA and keep the match alive\u2026 leading to a Just Kidding superkick as KUSHIDA again fell for it.<\/p>\n That seemed to be the cue for the tempo to raise, but Ospreay\u2019s rope-running just led to a series of clotheslines as all four men crashed to the mat. It turns into a four-way slugfest from their knees, before Ospreay tried to sneak in an OsCutter to Scurll\u2026 who catches it and turns it into another chicken wing as the bodies continued to fly all over the place, with KUSHIDA being sent into the turnbuckles via an overhead belly-to-belly.<\/p>\n Hiromu\u2019s forced to take a Cheeky Nando\u2019s as he went for a superplex\u2026 but Scurll gives some to Ospreay too as everyone tries to superplex KUSHIDA. Another shooting star from Ospreay\u2019s met with a cutter, then a Blackheart buster as Scurll tried to get another win over his rival\u2026 picking up near-falls from that and an Oscutter of his own.<\/p>\n With his plan A failing, Scurll goes to plan B – which involved taping Hiromu to the guard rails. Hey, someone\u2019s watched his Yano tapes! Back inside, Scurll tries to snap the fingers of KUSHIDA and Osprea, but they turn the tables on the Villain before KUSHIDA takes Ospreay down off the top into a cross armbreaker, then a triangle choke as Will\u2019s forced to hold on\u2026 which he does as he powerbombs free.<\/p>\n Scurll\u2019s back for more tape as he does a self-repair, then grabs some powder which gets flung into KUSHIDA\u2019s face\u2026 but it\u2019s no-sold and met with the Back to the Future as a Revolution kick from Ospreay barely saved the three count! Somehow Hiromu\u2019s freed himself to bring the insanity back, throwing sunset bombs to put Ospreay and Scurll through the guard rails. Jesus\u2026<\/p>\n Hiromu keeps up on Scurll, but a Time Bomb doesn\u2019t get the job done as the pair start to counter each other\u2019s counters, before Ospreay returns to help wear down Hiromu with superkicks. They actually work as a unit, teasing a double-team OsCutter, but instead it\u2019s countered into a Time Bomb from Hiromu, who follows up with a missile dropkick to Ospreay for another two-count.<\/p>\n Scurll takes a death valley driver on the apron before KUSHIDA gets redemption, courtesy of a sunset bomb to Hiromu on the apron! Ospreay throws himself with a shooting star press to the floor, before rolling Takahashi back in for an imploding 450 splash\u2026 but that too is only enough for a near-fall! Another OsCutter misses as Hiromu follows in with a lariat, before one more Time Bomb would have won it\u2026 but this time Scurll pulls out the ref!<\/p>\n The umbrella comes into play as Hiromu and KUSHIDA get waffled by it, before Ospreay ducks another shot and hits a standing Spanish Fly. Another OsCutter later, and Will\u2019s broken the curse – he\u2019s regained the title, and there\u2019s the moment some would have argued he should have had a year ago when that crowdfunded documentary was being filmed\u2026 ****\u00bd<\/p>\n IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Jay White vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (c)<\/strong> White starts with a tie-up as he looked to go after Tanahashi\u2019s knee in the corner, but the Ace is able to shrug it off as he goes after Jay\u2019s arm before taking him outside for a missed plancha\u2026 a plancha that looked to cause extra damage to the already-injured knee. Of course, White takes the opportunity to work over Tanahashi on the floor, tying is knee into the guard rails before snapping into Tana back in the ring with a Saito suplex for a near-fall.<\/p>\n White keeps it up with a Zack Sabre Jr-esque submission that forces Tanahashi to grab the ropes, before Tana tried to leap over the back of the New Zealander\u2026 only for his knee to buckle again. Tanahashi eventually grabs a leg for a Dragon screw, before working up into a middle rope senton as the champion seemed to be easing back, with another Dragon screw to White in the ropes increasing the torque on the knee.<\/p>\n More of those weaken White some more, taking the Kiwi outside for a High Fly Flow that looked to hurt Tanahashi\u2019s knee some more. Back inside, White hits back with a deadlift German suplex, then a brainbuster on the apron, before climbing down off the top rope as Tanahashi rolled away from any more offence. The crowd booed that particular choice\u2026<\/p>\n Instead, White drives knees into Tanahashi in the corner before standing on the body part, demanding that Tanahashi \u201cshowed him the Ace\u201d. Oo-er\u2026 Tanahashi fires back, only to get suplexed into the corner as White throws more suplexes, ending with a roll-through death valley driver for a near-fall. Jay goes back up top, and misses a missile dropkick as Tanahashi goes for a grounded Dragon screw, before catching Jay up top for for a swinging neckbreaker out of the corner!<\/p>\n Some shots from Tanahashi send White staggering into the ropes, but he replies with a Dragon suplex, only to turn around into a series of Slingblades for a solid two-count. Tanahashi adds to that with a High Fly Flow, before missing a second as White countered with a crucifix on the mat as he tried to force a stoppage with elbows to the head.<\/p>\n White throws in a Kiwi Krusher, but Tanahashi kicked out as we entered the business end of things, with White taking a High Fly Flow to the back of the head\u2026 a frog splash version follows, and that\u2019s it! Well\u2026 if you come at the Ace, you\u2019d better not miss. Jay White did, so now I guess\u2026 what\u2019s next? In fairness, White is still raw, but I\u2019d have put this match before the insane four-way as this just felt flat in comparison\u2026 or better yet, not have White debut in this gimmick on such a big stage. It\u2019s not a Super Liger-esque bomb, but it\u2019s not ideal. ***\u00bd<\/p>\n No Disqualification match for IWGP United States Championship: Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega (c)<\/strong> Chris had his light-up jacket, but they missed a trick by not having a live band for him.<\/p>\n Kenny Omega one-upped his entrance from last year with a wacky helmet and cape\u2026 and of course he had lackeys out with him in the form of the Young Bucks. Expect shenanigans.<\/p>\n Jericho jumped Omega as he was hugging the Bucks, but this quickly becomes a pull-apart as the Young Lions stop it for some reason. They resume, and it\u2019s straight into a knock-down brawl, which Omega edges out on as he chopped Jericho with some venom\u2026 at least until Jericho uses the ref so he can sneak in an eye rake. In a no DQ match.<\/p>\n Omega tried for a \u2018rana, but Jericho catches him and turns it into the Walls of Jericho\u2026 but he clings on despite Omega reaching the ropes because it\u2019s no DQ! Omega frees himself as he throws Jericho out for a baseball slide\u2026 but it\u2019s caught, before a second baseball slide sent Jericho into the commentary table for the traditional flying body press that saw Kenny crash and burn through the table!<\/p>\n Whomever\u2019s iPhone was left laying\u2026 you had a lucky escape there!<\/p>\n Jericho capitalises with a Walls of Jericho to a laid out Omega, before laying out referee Red Shoes\u2026 and then putting his son Shota Umino in the Walls of Jericho. Hey, it\u2019s a family affair at least!<\/p>\n Omega gets some retribution as he throws a monitor into Jericho as the English language feed died with their equipment, before the pair fought around the Japanese commentary area. Good job they don\u2019t have Spanish teams\u2026 or French\u2026 or German\u2026 or even Mandarin\u2026<\/p>\n Omega keeps up the pressure as he leaps off a lighting stand to stomp a table through Jericho – with the table luckily not buckling – before Jericho responds with a suplex from the guard railings into the ringside area. For some reason they start the count-out, which Omega narrowly beats to keep his title alive\u2026 before his attempt to springboard into the ring was rudely halted via a Jericho dropkick as Kenny was hung in the ropes.<\/p>\n Jericho sets up a table on the outside as they tease a powerbomb, but instead he dumps Kenny on the floor rather than the hardware. In the meantime, Jericho throws some chairs as they headed back to the ring, where Jericho kept control until he connected with a Lionsault ahead of a delayed near-fall attempt.<\/p>\n The Omega fightback begins as he clotheslined Jericho to the outside\u2026 and I think the crowd knows what\u2019s next\u2026 Terminator dive! He followed up with a Kotaro Krusher back inside as Omega started to raise his game some, countering a Walls of Jericho before rocking him with a V-trigger. Another counter follows as Jericho slips out of the snap Dragon suplex and turns him into another Walls, which Kenny broke by using the referee to help claw his way into the corner\u2026 and eventually into the reach of some freeze spray which he used to blind Jericho.<\/p>\n Despite being blinded, Jericho was able to pull Omega into a chair he\u2019d wedged into the ropes earlier, before mocking a crowd that were really turning on the former WWE star. Another throw into the chair knocks the seat pad out, leaving Omega bloodied as the match sailed past the 20 minute mark.<\/p>\n A seeming low blow from Omega gets him some breathing room as he pulls off some snap Dragon suplexes, before lifting Jericho into a One Winged Angel\u2026 which is turned into another Dragon suplex as Jericho popped straight back up to whack the remains of that chair from the corner over Kenny\u2019s head. More chairshots to the back follow, but Jericho gets too cocky and has a chair dropkicked into him\u2026 before a V-trigger sent Jericho flying off the top rope and through that table from earlier.<\/p>\n Back in the ring, Kenny throws some more V-triggers, then a Jay driller as Omega started to collect those two-counts. Jericho turns a One Winged Angel into a Victory roll, then into some more Walls\u2026 and finally an old-school Lion Tamer! Still, Omega clings on, again literally, before making it to the ropes as Jericho relinquished the hold for\u2026 reasons.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve gone past half an hour now as Jericho looked for a Code Breaker, but instead he takes a pair of V-triggers before Omega plants him with a One Winged Angel\u2026 but Jericho grabbed the bottom rope just in the nick of time! Omega tries to fly, but he\u2019s instantly crotched up top, before he stopped a superplex tease by just driving Jericho\u2019s head into the top turnbuckle.<\/p>\n Eventually Jericho hits a Codebreaker after avoiding the moonsault out of the corner\u2026 but he\u2019s slow to make the pin and so Omega gets a shoulder up! Jericho tries for another Lionsault, but Omega throws a chair at him\u2026 causing him to freeze in the ropes before he\u2019s dumped onto the chair with the One Winged Angel\u2026 and that was unexpectedly brilliant. I wasn\u2019t thinking this would be bad, but Jericho damn near hit a home run when there were several thinking he\u2019d come nowhere close. Perhaps a touch too much like a WWE match for purists, but this is was something extra special. ****\u00be<\/p>\n IWGP Championship: Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada (c)<\/strong> There was a healthy smattering of boos among the 35,000 crowd to compliment the cheers for Naito, ahead of the appearance of Okada\u2019s funky new trousers, who\u2019d just eclipsed the record for longest combined reign as champion (beating Tanahashi by two days as he entered day 1,360 with the belt in total).<\/p>\n Naito wasn\u2019t in any rush to get underway, but when we did get going, he avoided a back senton from Okada before rolling into a tranquilo pose to try and get under the champion\u2019s skin. It didn\u2019t quite work, as Okada remained undeterred, and dropkicked Naito off the top rope to the floor as we received our obligatory guard rail spots.<\/p>\n Naito makes use of the raised ringside area, as he catches Okada by the throat, then the back of the neck across the guard rails, before hitting another neckbreaker, this time dumping the champion on the apron. It\u2019s rather methodical stuff from Naito, rather than frantic, as he leaned into the corner outside-in dropkick and another neckbreaker to keep Okada on the back foot.<\/p>\n A simple cravat keeps Okada down, but the champion\u2019s able to snap back with a DDT that stacked Naito on his head. They headed outside as Okada blasted Naito with a running boot before going for the neck again with a draping DDT off the guard rails as Okada went tit-for-tat in terms of picking a body part to wear over. Just like that though, Naito hits back with a scoop slam into a reverse DDT, before Okada flipped out of Gloria and came back with a flapjack instead.<\/p>\n More neck trauma followed for Naito with a neckbreaker slam out of the corner, before going to the bodyslam, elbow drop and\u2026 Rainmaker pose! The cobra clutch is attempted next, but Naito escapes as they counter and counter back into the clutch, with Okada dragging Naito to the mat as he looked to force a submission, holding on as Naito tried to hiptoss free.<\/p>\n Eventually Naito gets enough in him to scramble to the ropes, and that seemed to give him some impetus as he took Okada onto the apron\u2026 and dragged him back in with a neckbreaker on his way into the ring. A reverse \u2018rana off the middle rope keeps it up, but it\u2019s still only a near-fall as Okada heads up for Gloria before missing a Stardust press!<\/p>\n They go back to the tit-for-tat strikes, but Naito edges ahead with a Koppo kick\u2026 only to get met with a shotgun dropkick as Okada refused to stay down for too long. Okada tries to make a point with a back senton off the top, but he crashes and burns as Naito tries for the Stardust press once more\u2026 but he too is caught with Okada dragging him down into a high-angle German suplex! Okada holds on too and eventually turns Naito into a Rainmaker for a solid two-count!<\/p>\n A tombstone attempt follows, but Naito escapes, only to whiff on an enziguiri as Okada looked to be firmly in control once more. Of course, that\u2019s the curse as Naito out of nowhere lands Destino, but he can\u2019t even attempt to make a cover as both men fought to climb back to their feet.<\/p>\n More strikes seemed to buckle Okada, as a tornado DDT underscored that\u2026 and is it time? Destino? No! Okada counters into a Rainmaker, and clings onto the wrist once more\u2026 but a second Rainmaker is ducked and met with a Destino for a 2.99999 count! Holy hell, this is heating up!<\/p>\n Okada cuts off another Destino with almost desperate strikes, before waffling Naito with a trademark dropkick, and follows up with a tombstone. That\u2019s not gonna get the win, it\u2019s not gis finisher\u2026 and sure enough, Naito goes for the Rainmaker again, but it\u2019s countered into a Destino! Another Destino? No! Okada counters into a spinning tombstone, then another Rainmaker\u2026 and against all predictions, Okada retains! Yeah, I\u2019m not too sure about the result, given that Naito comes up short yet again, but I felt that the somewhat lacklustre build to this perhaps didn\u2019t justify a title change in the end, regardless of the classic that unfolded in front of us all. *****<\/p>\n Usually these big events have something on the undercard that anchors them\u2026 not this year\u2019s WrestleKingdom. When the \u201cbad\u201d match involves a new act that didn\u2019t quite click, or a gauntlet that rarely comes off well, you know you\u2019ve got a fantastic show on your hands. With something for everyone, from the flippy stuff, to WWE-style, to a truly epic war, WrestleKingdom 12 quite possibly has show of the year locked down\u2026 and it\u2019s only January 4!<\/p>\n Sure, the show doesn\u2019t have the attention-grabbing match that robbed everyone of superlatives like last year, and some will undoubtedly gripe over the result of the main event, but bell-to-bell, the story of Okada beating all comers remains an outstanding one. With New Year Dash!! tomorrow, things usually change as the table gets set for the rest of the year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Get your new wrestling year started right – with our review of WrestleKingdom 12 from earlier today\u2026 Alpha vs. Omega\u2026 Naito vs. Okada\u2026 which would steal the show?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"NJPW WrestleKingdom 12 (January 4, 2018) - Get your new wrestling year started right - with our review of WrestleKingdom 12 from earlier today\u2026 Alpha vs. Omega\u2026 Naito vs. Okada\u2026 and every other title in New Japan is on the line, along with the manes of either Hirooki Goto or Minoru Suzuki.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[688,6],"tags":[44,1439,75,77,1440,1902,1642,1823,1798,1302,1156,1306,139,2883,1825,1441,1853,1071,178,179,1325,1532,1178,1312,1305,224,228,1855,778,237,1854,2391,250,1442,538,2884,1391,272,990,2882,292,2881,1392,1443,2545,633,1239,556,2546,991,2119,1309,397,1311,1236,1237,400,1313,1444,414,416,1445,434,2878,2547,1240,1310,458,1235,1238,521],"class_list":["post-6360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-japan","category-reviews","tag-bad-luck-fale","tag-beretta","tag-bullet-club","tag-bushi","tag-chase-owens","tag-cheeseburger","tag-chris-jericho","tag-cody","tag-davey-boy-smith-jr","tag-david-finlay","tag-delirious","tag-el-desperado","tag-evil","tag-gino-gambino","tag-guerrillas-of-destiny","tag-hanson","tag-henare","tag-hiromu-takahashi","tag-hirooki-goto","tag-hiroshi-tanahashi","tag-hiroyoshi-tenzan","tag-jay-white","tag-juice-robinson","tag-jushin-thunder-liger","tag-katsuya-kitamura","tag-kazuchika-okada","tag-kenny-omega","tag-killer-elite-squad","tag-kota-ibushi","tag-kushida","tag-lance-archer","tag-leo-tonga","tag-los-ingobernables-de-japon","tag-manabu-nakanishi","tag-marty-scurll","tag-masahito-kakihara","tag-matt-jackson","tag-michael-elgin","tag-minoru-suzuki","tag-mr-juicy","tag-new-japan","tag-new-japan-rumble","tag-nick-jackson","tag-raymond-rowe","tag-roppongi-3k","tag-ryusuke-taguchi","tag-sanada","tag-satoshi-kojima","tag-sho","tag-suzuki-gun","tag-taguchi-japan","tag-taichi","tag-taka-michinoku","tag-takashi-iizuka","tag-tama-tonga","tag-tanga-loa","tag-tetsuya-naito","tag-tiger-mask","tag-togi-makabe","tag-tomohiro-ishii","tag-toru-yano","tag-war-machine","tag-will-ospreay","tag-wrestlekingdom-12","tag-yoh","tag-yoshi-hashi","tag-yoshinobu-kanemaru","tag-young-bucks","tag-yuji-nagata","tag-yujiro-takahashi","tag-zack-sabre-jr"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p73vbt-1EA","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/njpw-wrestlekingdom12-logo.jpg?fit=700%2C390&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6360"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6406,"href":"https:\/\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6360\/revisions\/6406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nKatsuya Kitamura<\/em>\u2019s out first, and I\u2019m buffering already. Uh oh. We recover just after BUSHI<\/em> hits the ring, and it\u2019s the usual from BUSHI as he chokes the Young Lion Cup holder with his t-shirt for long enough that our next man appears\u2026 and courtesy of over-dubbing, we see Delirious<\/em>!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/newjapan-wk12-final4rumble.jpg?resize=700%2C395\")
<\/p>\n
\nIf the Bucks win, they become 7-time junior tag champs – breaking their own record further.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/newjapan-wk12-jrtagduelsharpshooter.jpg?resize=700%2C395\")
<\/p>\n
\nFirst up was the Suzuki-gun trio, who had Desperado and TAKA out to help contain Iizuka, as \u201cTeam Awkward\u201d proved to be their first opponents – Michael Elgin and War Machine. Hoo boy. Yeah, we had the Suzuki-gun jump start, but Elgin quickly heads away so he can take Taichi and Sabre with the fallaway slam\/Samoan drop combo.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/newjapan-wk12-never6man.jpg?resize=700%2C395\")
<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s Handsome Battle Time! Although I\u2019m pretty sure that bleach blonde hair disqualifies Cody\u2026 ever the charlatan as the Bullet Club guy\u2019s crystal-encrusted gear bears zero hallmarks of that group.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/newjapan-wk12-codykota.jpg?resize=700%2C395\")
<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s the World Tag League winners cashing in next, and EVIL\u2019s got an ornate scythe now. It\u2019s not plastic anymore\u2026<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/newjapan-wk12-dbsjr.jpg?resize=700%2C395\")
<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s an overblown stipulation, as I\u2019m sure nobody\u2019s dying unless the clippers are rusty. Basically, Suzuki-gun and CHAOS are banned from ringside, as the loser gets his hair shaved here. I\u2019m sure all of those stips will be adhered to\u2026<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/newjapan-wk12-suzukigotochoke2.jpg?resize=700%2C395\")
<\/p>\n
\nHiromu went all Rey Mysterio on us, and not just because Daryl was back with a lucha mask! Heck, everyone had their big show gear, including KUSHIDA\u2019s shiny, even more Back to the Future inspired stuff, while Will\u2019s got spikey blue gear. I guess he\u2019s already done the Spiderman stuff?<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/newjapan-wk12-martywings.jpg?resize=700%2C395\")
<\/p>\n
\nWell, this is a hell of a return match. Gone is the \u201cblue eye\u201d babyface Jay White, and in his place is Switchblade\u2026 a man who\u2019s fed up of the Ace being, well, the Ace.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/newjapan-wk12-tanachamp.jpg?resize=700%2C395\")
<\/p>\n
\nSpeaking of Super Liger, it\u2019s the \u201cwestern\u201d main event, I guess, as Chris Jericho returned to New Japan for the first time in over 19 years. Judging by the live reaction, this may be a pretty big match for \u201clocals\u201d too\u2026<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/newjapan-wk12-jerichostare.jpg?resize=700%2C395\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/newjapan-wk12-omegaend.jpg?resize=700%2C395\")
<\/p>\n
\nApart from the Destino vs. cobra clutch battle, a lot of the build-up to this featured Naito from four years ago – where he had the same opponent, but had this match in the semi-main event after a fan vote. So if you\u2019re wondering where the chip on the shoulder came from\u2026 there you go.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/newjapan-wk12-okadanaitopunches.jpg?resize=700%2C395\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backbodydrop.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/newjapan-wk12-okadanaitopost.jpg?resize=700%2C395\")
<\/p>\n