WELCOME TO the SMARK SHOOTER's WRESTLE KINGDOM 10 Preview!!!!!!!
So for the people unfamiliar with this event, the Wrestle Kingdom event is the World Series, the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup, the World Cup, the Wrestlemania of arguably the most wonderful pro wrestling company(and 2nd biggest in the world) called New Japan Pro Wrestling, or Shin-Nihon Pro Wrestling.
For some quick background, New Japan was started by Antonio Inoki in the 70s and has hosted some of the greatest wrestlers and matches of all time. Names like Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, Vader, Stan Hansen, Daniel Bryan, and Eddie Guerrero are among the elite Americans and non-Japanese (Gaijins) who have passed through here and have had success here. Among the home grown talent, names such as Jyushin Lyger, Masahiro Chono, WWE Hall of Famer Tatsumi Fujinami, The Great Muta/Keiji Mutoh, and Riki Choshu were some of the greatest wrestlers that have waved the New Japan flag as their home promotion proudly.
During the event, you'll probably notice that unlike American wrestling promotions, the Japanese Style is a little different. In Japan, they treat the art of professional wrestling more like sport rather than entertainment. The strikes are stiffer, the action leans towards more hard hitting shots, and fast paced action.
Wrestle Kingdom has been the marquee event for New Japan for many years, but has only had the moniker of "Wrestle Kingdom" since 2007. Of all the events that the Japanese hold, New Japan's biggest event is always held in the famed Tokyo Dome. Think of the Tokyo Dome as NJPW's equivalent of Madison Square Garden. For many years, all the Japanese promotions save their biggest showcases for the Tokyo Dome, and New Japan's Wrestle Kingdom event has developed a reputation as one of the best wrestling shows on a yearly basis. In fact, last year's show was considered the best event in the entire year,(even better than Wrestlemania 31! Considering this year's card, anything less than spectacular would be shocking indeed!
On that note, here is the card for Wrestle Kingdom 10. If you think there are biases, you're probably going to be right. That being said I'll do my best to be as impartial and as knowledgable about the matches as I can.
PreShow:New Japan Rumble
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Jado vs. Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Manabu Nakanishi vs. Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Satoshi Kojima vs. Tiger Mask vs. Yuji Nagata
Every year, New Japan kicks off WK with a battle royal using the majority of wrestlers who don't have a specific match on the card. While, the names listed above are the known wrestlers in the match, I wouldn't be surprised if any of the New Japan Dojo's Young boys (apprentice wrestlers) are part of this as well. But until the match happens, I can only preview what I know. And since this is the first match, I won't waste too many words on this match.
Hiroyoshi Tenzan:Legend and most decorated wrestler in NJPW history. Multiple time International Wrestling Grand Prix (IWGP, the acronym used for new japan's titles)Heavyweight Champion, as well as the record holder for most reigns as one-half of the IWGP Tag Team Championships.
Jado: One half of the World Class Tag Team, and one of the current bookers (matchmakers) for NJPW
Jushin Thunder Liger: The most decorated Junior Heavyweight in New Japan's history. multiple time IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, NWA Jr. Heavyweight Champion, and the innovator of the Shooting Star Press.
Manabu Nakanishi:Former G1 Climax winner.
Ryusuke Taguchi: Former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight and Jr. Heavyweight Tag team champion alongside now-NXT Champion Finn Balor (formerly Fergal Prince Devitt)
Satoshi Kojima:one of the few wrestlers to hold all of the top Japanese titles: NJPW, All Japan pro Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling Noah World Heavyweight Championships. Also the frequent tag team partner of Tenzan, known as TenCozy.
Tiger Mask: Japanese character that many wrestlers have dawned the moniker of. Names like Satoru Sayama, Koji Kanemoto, and Mitsuharu Misawa have worn the mask of the popular tv and comic character.
Yuji Nagata: Submission specialist, one of Daniel Bryan (of the WWE)'s favorite wrestlers, and an innovator of the various Nagata Locks. Former IWGP heavyweight Champion and last year's New Japan Rumble winner.
Among these guys, I'd go with either Tenzan or Taguchi. Tenzan is just a legend that can still go, and I wouldn't be surprised if he were to win it all.
My reasoning behind Taguchi is that last year, he entered Wrestle Kingdom 9 as the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion and since losing the title to the current holder, Kenny Omega, he's been simply irrelevant since. Dude's got a sweet finisher in the Double Chicken Wing Gutbuster, AND uses my personal favorite submission finisher, the Ankle Lock. A win here can finally bring the Funky Weapon(the guy uses his hip as a battering ram, like WWE NxT's Asuka) some much needed momentum and a possible opportunity towards a title shot.
Main Card Match 1:Young Bucks vs. ReDRagon vs. Roppongi Vice vs. The High Flyers
Most likely to get the crowd truly hyped, this will probably be the opening match. Four of the most exciting tag teams go at it in a high frenzied spot fest for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships.
Team 1:The Young Bucks: The brothers Jackson, Nick (the blond-ish one) and Matt (the brown-haired one) are probably not only the most exciting team in the world, but the most coveted by WWE. These long haired renegades are New Japan's annoying representatives of the Gaijin terrors known as the Bullet Club (TOO SWEET ME BRO!) For the past few years, these guys have lighted up crowd....after crowd.....after crowd with (I love this part) SUPERKICK PARTY after SUPERKICK PARTY! Look out for the coolest tandem finisher, the Meltzer Driver, where Matt delivers a Tombstone Piledriver while Nick does a front flip into the opponent to increase the momentum that the opponent goes head first. (DON'T TRY AT HOME.....or at a Trampoline park).
Team 2:Roppongi Vice: These two weirdos (and I mean that nicely) represent what would be considered the "bad guy" Japanese stable, CHAOS. The former WWE superstar, Trent Barretta and his tag parter, the well traveled and underrated Rocky Romero, have held the IWGP Jr Tag Titles on a few occasions and have a few victories over the Bucks among others. Romero's a Cuban madman and Trent.....is probably the best example of stoner that wasn't from ECW. That being said, fun team to watch (that's a trend in this match). Oh, and Romero mixed and produced their theme!
Team 3: The High Flyers. Honestly, I would prefer to call this team Gaijin Dragon Gate. The former WWE star Evan Bourne, Matt Sydal and Lucha Underground's Prince Puma, Ricochet, are the recent winners of the Jr Tag Team League tournament that NJPW holds near the end of the year. Both guys, while still relatively new as a team in NJPW, are no strangers to Japan. Sydal and Ricochet both cut their teeth and were very successful in the Red headed-StepChild of puroresu (Japanese Wrestling), Dragon Gate. For as exciting as the Young Bucks are, the next level of excessive amounts of flips would be this team. Ricochet in 2014 was considered the BEST wrestler period in the world and Sydal is one of the greatest indy wrestlers of all time. A tandem shooting star press is what to watch out for....but considering how often they're in the air....anything is worth putting on the highlight reel.
Team 4: The IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions:ReDRagon.
The most grounded team....with the most awkward name, Ring of Honor's technical pride and joy of a tag team consists of world beater Bobby Fish and former PWG World Champ Kyle O'Reilly. I've been a HUGE fan of O'Reilly since his debut in the top prospect tournament in ROH and he's grown leaps and bounds since. Fish is a journeyman who I don't think I've ever seen a bad match from. Unlike the other 3 teams, they specialize in submission and technical wrestling. Their work is smooth like butter and painful like 1000 chakra needles in all the wrong spots. Their finisher, Chasing the Dragon, consists of a brain buster, preceded by a roundhouse kick while the opponent is held upside down up in the air.
Of all the matches, this is probably the biggest crapshoot that isn't the two main events. I think due to the tournament victory and the fact that 2.5 of the four team were in this exact match last year (Baretta was the replacement for a retired Alex Koslov, thus ending the Forever Hooligans), I expect The High Flyers from Dragon Gate to win their 1st NJPW gold.
Match 2: Hirooki Goto vs. Tetsuya Naito
This is the ONLY match on the card that Isn't for a title. Rather this is a grudge match that developed from a few factors.
Naito last year was a good guy who didn't connect with the crowd. He spent some time in Mexico, and returned with a COMPLETELY different attitude. From Stardust Genius to the leader of the Ungovernables, alongside Evil and Bushi, Naito has become one of the most hated Japanese wrestlers in the company.
Goto spent the majority of last year fighting for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, winning it briefly from the man who I will mention later because he's too cool to spoil now. Naito has been causing an annoying amount of crap for Goto and his tag team partner Shibata. But with Shibata fighting for gold, Goto has the opportunity to shut down Naito before he can really gain momentum.
Naito wins with help from his buddies. He's a new character now and needs some big wins. While I do like Goto, he's more stale.
Match 3:Bullet club vs Chaos
Bullet club is the non-japanese antagonistic stable in NJPW. Their representatives for this match include former IWGP Intercontinental Champion Bad Luck Fale, Bad Boy and Son of the legendary Haku Tama Tonga, and the Japanese turncoat Yujiro Takahashi.
They'll be facing Chaos member Toru Yano.....the Heath Slater....Santino Marella.....He's a comedy act ok?
Teaming up with him is one of my favorite Ring of Honor Tag Teams. Man up, because Dem Boys, Mark and Jay, THE BRISCOES are finally making their NJPW debuts.
Bonus part of this? The very first NEVER Openweight 6-man Tag Team Championships will be crowned from one of these two teams.
oh....NEVER stands for New Blood Evolution Valiently Eternal Radical. I don't get it either....
I'm calling for Chaos to win this one. Only because, I really like the Briscoes.
Match 4:NEVER Openweight Championship.
If there is a match that truly defines the New Japan Strong Style....it's this match right here.
Representing Chaos is the current NEVER Openweight Champion, Tomohiro Ishii. Known as the Stone Pitbull, it always seems in his matches that he's getting the living crap beaten out of him.....blood and all and yet he tends to win a lot more than I would have given him credit for. Normally he'd be a favorite to win this match......BUT
His opponent is probably my favorite New Japan Wrestler, (and the dude with the coolest theme in NJPW), KATSUYORI SHIBATA!
The dude is the Zack Sabre Jr. of New Japan. Originally one of the wrestlers, alongside the man and the other man (I can't spoil it yet) expected to carry on the legacy of the Three Musketeers of New Japan (the aforementioned Chono, Mutoh, and the late, great Shinya Hashimoto),Shibata originally left and attempted an MMA career. He returned in 2010 (I think) and since then has slowly reestablished himself as the dude with the hardest kicks. The stiffest combination finish of them all: GTS (Go To Sleep) set up into the PK (Penalty Kick)
Ishii lost the title last year to Togi Makabe. Shibata has never won a singles title in NJPW. If there was ever a time for him to truly step up, Shibata's time is now. New Champ.
Match 5: ROH World Title Match.
This is a special attraction match for New Japan and Ring of Honor Fans.
Ring of Honor is the top indy promotion in the US. Over the past couple of years, NJPW and ROH have had a talent exchange, resulting in cool dream matchup and talent excursions. The results have been favorable with both ROH and NJPW guys becoming popular with both sets of fans.
The ROH World Champ Jay Lethal makes his NJPW debut defending the biggest prize in ROH against a former ROH champ who has become a huge fan favorite in NJPW.
Michael Elgin won the title from Adam Cole (BAY BAY!....I'll explain this later) a couple of years ago before losing it to Jay Briscoe. Briscoe would then lose the title to Lethal in a title vs. title match. Since then Elgin has rebuilt himself into a new wrestler, with the Japanese contingent on his side.
This one is hard for me to pick personally, because while I like both guys and I normally would root for Elgin, if Lethal wasn't friends with local wrestling star, Sonjay Dutt, I probably would have had to wait to watch a ROH show longer than last year.
Regardless, if the Briscoes win their title match, I would expect Lethal to win his.
Match 6: Tag Team Championships.
Bullet Club's most vocal members, Machine Gun Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows, have held the titles for almost the entire calendar year, with a small blip at last year's WK.
The winners of the 2015 NJPW Tag League are mainstay Togi Makabe and hard-luck fan favorite Tomoaki Honma.
Apparently in the midst of all this, there have been allegations against Honma about possible domestic abuse so this team winning is honestly going to be very unlikely, Bullet Club takes this match because this is their best chance of winning.
Match 7:Jr. heavyweight Title match.
Bullet Club's most consistent winner, is the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champ, The Cleaner....and Xavier Woods's newest rival, KENNY OMEGA. Probably the best pound for pound wrestler in the Bullet Club, and one of the best around the world, the man's got everything needed for a huge run.
His opponent is who I dressed up as for a Halloween party haha....And also one half the Time Splitters, KUSHIDA.
Hoverboard Lock vs One-Winged Angel.
Considering that Omega should really be going after higher prey, I think Kushida wins this one.
(I know that one is short but considering the next two, YOU needed the last few to be short.)
Semi Main Event: DREAM MATCH
This match is for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, (while it's not the Heavyweight Championship, it's treated with equal relevance and respect. Where you at WWE?)
On one end...the leader of the Bullet Club and the longtime face of TNA, AJ STYLES! Considering he's already held the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, the mere fact that he's CHOOSING to go after the IWGP IC Title shows how much that title means. Now that's a part because of how Phenomenal he is....and the rest of the credit goes to....
SHINSUKE NAKAMURA! The Kingpin of the IWGP IC Title scene, he's done so much in raising the prestige of the IC Title. The most charismatic dude in New Japan, he's just as much of a megastar around the world as Styles is.
I'll pick Styles for the match, BUT THIS is my Match of the Night (Japanese Standard)/Morning (EST).
Main Event: IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP.
I really don't have much to say on this one.
3 Wins for Okada
3 Wins for Tanahashi
1 Draw.
Tanahashi has been the John Cena/Hulk Hogan for YEARS.
Okada has played 2nd Fiddle.
Okada's the Champ and Tanahashi is the G1 Climax Winner.
My pick? As much as I would Love Okada winning, betting against Tanahashi is a sucker's bet. TANAHASHI 8 Time Champ!
They'll be facing Chaos member Toru Yano.....the Heath Slater....Santino Marella.....He's a comedy act ok?
Teaming up with him is one of my favorite Ring of Honor Tag Teams. Man up, because Dem Boys, Mark and Jay, THE BRISCOES are finally making their NJPW debuts.
Bonus part of this? The very first NEVER Openweight 6-man Tag Team Championships will be crowned from one of these two teams.
oh....NEVER stands for New Blood Evolution Valiently Eternal Radical. I don't get it either....
I'm calling for Chaos to win this one. Only because, I really like the Briscoes.
Match 4:NEVER Openweight Championship.
If there is a match that truly defines the New Japan Strong Style....it's this match right here.
Representing Chaos is the current NEVER Openweight Champion, Tomohiro Ishii. Known as the Stone Pitbull, it always seems in his matches that he's getting the living crap beaten out of him.....blood and all and yet he tends to win a lot more than I would have given him credit for. Normally he'd be a favorite to win this match......BUT
His opponent is probably my favorite New Japan Wrestler, (and the dude with the coolest theme in NJPW), KATSUYORI SHIBATA!
The dude is the Zack Sabre Jr. of New Japan. Originally one of the wrestlers, alongside the man and the other man (I can't spoil it yet) expected to carry on the legacy of the Three Musketeers of New Japan (the aforementioned Chono, Mutoh, and the late, great Shinya Hashimoto),Shibata originally left and attempted an MMA career. He returned in 2010 (I think) and since then has slowly reestablished himself as the dude with the hardest kicks. The stiffest combination finish of them all: GTS (Go To Sleep) set up into the PK (Penalty Kick)
Ishii lost the title last year to Togi Makabe. Shibata has never won a singles title in NJPW. If there was ever a time for him to truly step up, Shibata's time is now. New Champ.
Match 5: ROH World Title Match.
This is a special attraction match for New Japan and Ring of Honor Fans.
Ring of Honor is the top indy promotion in the US. Over the past couple of years, NJPW and ROH have had a talent exchange, resulting in cool dream matchup and talent excursions. The results have been favorable with both ROH and NJPW guys becoming popular with both sets of fans.
The ROH World Champ Jay Lethal makes his NJPW debut defending the biggest prize in ROH against a former ROH champ who has become a huge fan favorite in NJPW.
Michael Elgin won the title from Adam Cole (BAY BAY!....I'll explain this later) a couple of years ago before losing it to Jay Briscoe. Briscoe would then lose the title to Lethal in a title vs. title match. Since then Elgin has rebuilt himself into a new wrestler, with the Japanese contingent on his side.
This one is hard for me to pick personally, because while I like both guys and I normally would root for Elgin, if Lethal wasn't friends with local wrestling star, Sonjay Dutt, I probably would have had to wait to watch a ROH show longer than last year.
Regardless, if the Briscoes win their title match, I would expect Lethal to win his.
Match 6: Tag Team Championships.
Bullet Club's most vocal members, Machine Gun Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows, have held the titles for almost the entire calendar year, with a small blip at last year's WK.
The winners of the 2015 NJPW Tag League are mainstay Togi Makabe and hard-luck fan favorite Tomoaki Honma.
Apparently in the midst of all this, there have been allegations against Honma about possible domestic abuse so this team winning is honestly going to be very unlikely, Bullet Club takes this match because this is their best chance of winning.
Match 7:Jr. heavyweight Title match.
Bullet Club's most consistent winner, is the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champ, The Cleaner....and Xavier Woods's newest rival, KENNY OMEGA. Probably the best pound for pound wrestler in the Bullet Club, and one of the best around the world, the man's got everything needed for a huge run.
His opponent is who I dressed up as for a Halloween party haha....And also one half the Time Splitters, KUSHIDA.
Hoverboard Lock vs One-Winged Angel.
Considering that Omega should really be going after higher prey, I think Kushida wins this one.
(I know that one is short but considering the next two, YOU needed the last few to be short.)
Semi Main Event: DREAM MATCH
This match is for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, (while it's not the Heavyweight Championship, it's treated with equal relevance and respect. Where you at WWE?)
On one end...the leader of the Bullet Club and the longtime face of TNA, AJ STYLES! Considering he's already held the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, the mere fact that he's CHOOSING to go after the IWGP IC Title shows how much that title means. Now that's a part because of how Phenomenal he is....and the rest of the credit goes to....
SHINSUKE NAKAMURA! The Kingpin of the IWGP IC Title scene, he's done so much in raising the prestige of the IC Title. The most charismatic dude in New Japan, he's just as much of a megastar around the world as Styles is.
I'll pick Styles for the match, BUT THIS is my Match of the Night (Japanese Standard)/Morning (EST).
Main Event: IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP.
I really don't have much to say on this one.
3 Wins for Okada
3 Wins for Tanahashi
1 Draw.
Tanahashi has been the John Cena/Hulk Hogan for YEARS.
Okada has played 2nd Fiddle.
Okada's the Champ and Tanahashi is the G1 Climax Winner.
My pick? As much as I would Love Okada winning, betting against Tanahashi is a sucker's bet. TANAHASHI 8 Time Champ!
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