wrestling / Columns

Csonka’s NJPW WrestleKingdom 12 Preview

January 3, 2018 | Posted by Larry Csonka
NJPW WrestleKingdom 12 Naito Okada

WELCOME back to column time with Larry! Today, I am going to discuss and preview the NJPW WrestleKingdom 12 event. Despite the fact that I watch so much wrestling and have been doing so for so long, I still get really excited for the big events. You simply don’t watch as much wrestling as I do unless you’re a huge fan. I love wrestling, because when the wrestling is great, it’s some of the best stuff around. While many will claim WrestleMania to be “THE big show of the year,” and I get that, there is another big show that I feel is extremely important; WrestleKingdom. On January 4th, New Japan takes center stage; and in my opinion, many times, this show sets the tone for the entire year. So today I will break down the card. I hope that you enjoy today’s preview, and feel free to share your thoughts. It’s wrestling, we love it and will disagree. The only rules are “have a take, be respectful of other’s opinions and don’t be a dick.” Also, don’t be afraid of sharing your predictions. Have fun, and always, thanks for reading.

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THE NEW JAPAN RAMBO: This is the traditional “ Pre-show royal rumble style, get everyone on the card match”, featuring returning legends, low card wrestlers not on the main card and sometimes surprise outsiders. We’ll see Nagata, Nakanishi, Liger, Tiger Mask IV, Tenzan, Kojima, YOSHI-HASHI, BUSHI, and random young lions, some possible surprises, legends and more. As a match, it’s usually not good, but it’s a lot of fun in a “gimmick battle royal” kind of way. It can be fun, there are some mark out moments (like HAKU & Scott Norton in past years), and I enjoy it for what it is. If this is your first rime watching the match, do not go into it expecting “good wrestling,” but it can and likely will be fun. The winner tends to get rewarded with a lower tier title shot, and with YOSHI-HASHI being the biggest name in the match; I can see him picking up the win to attempt to give him some direction, which will only lead to him becoming a challenger of the month. In all honesty, that seems to be his ceiling. But the outside shot is that Honma is cleared, makes the miracle return and wins so that he and Makabe can go back after the tag titles. There’s been rumblings, but we’ll have to wait and see. Fuck it, I’m making the pick. WINNER: Honmania Will Run Wild Again

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IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Roppongi 3K vs. The Young Bucks: This will be the official PPV opening match, and in all honesty it’s the right call. The Bucks are over big time, and are the top dogs in the division, even without the titles. Roppongi 3K returned from excursion and were made men right away, coming in and winning the titles and from there, they won the junior tag tournament. There was no messing around establishing Roppongi 3K when they came back to NJPW, they’ve been booked strongly and have had quality matches. And with no challengers coming from the tournament, Romero laid out the challenge to the Young Bucks so that his young protégés could prove themselves as the real deal. I really feel that Roppongi 3K SHOULD WIN the match to continue their run and further establish themselves, but with the junior tag ranks so thin and the Bucks being major players, I believe that they will pull the title change to set the teams up for a long feud. I think they’ll have a good and fast paced match, which could be great if they get the time to do so. WINNERS: The Young Bucks

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NEVER Openweight Six Man Champions Bad Luck Fale, Tanga Loa, and Tama Tonga vs. Taguchi, Juice, and Makabe vs. Trent, Yano, and Ishii vs. Hanson, Rowe, and Elgin vs. Taichi, Iizuka, and Sabre: The NEVER Openweight Six Man tag title gauntlet match has turned into a get everyone on the card style match, which is ok because other wise guys like Trent, Juice, Ishii, and Sabre would be frozen out of the card. Last year’s match was actually a very good match, with LIJ walking out with the titles. This year’s match has talented guys in it, Elgin, War Machine, Juice, Ishii, Trent, and Sabre give me some hope that this will be at the very least good, but it also has the chance to be a complete cluster fuck. With Bullet Club just winning the titles, I think that they keep the belts here to keep some credibility for the stable and to feature them on the smaller shows as champions. I’ll hope for the best match quality wise, but the format could make it rough. WINNERS: Champions Bad Luck Fale, Tanga Loa, and Tama Tonga

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Cody vs. Kota Ibushi: With Cody losing the ROH title at Final Battle, this match become way more interesting in terms of the winner. Had Cody walked in ROH champion, it was a virtual lock that he would win to retain. But with Cody not being champion any longer, I feel that the match becomes all about building Ibushi. Many were upset that we didn’t get Ibushi vs. Omega and I get that, but I feel that match is part of a longer build and that the effort to heat up Ibushi begins here. Ibushi should pick up the win, and for Cody, this is all about stepping up on the big stage and delivering a great match. He’ll have the chance, working with Ibushi, and I believe that he’ll be working hard to impress and prove that he is a main event style guy. Cody, outside of his loss to Okada on the US show, has been winning matches, but he’s been winning average and unforgettable matches. That is why I feel he needs a great performance here, he’s likely losing, which is fine because he lost against Okada and received nothing but praise for his work there. But this is all about getting Ibushi a big win in order to heat him up for the eventual well built feud with Omega later in the year. WINNER: Kota Ibushi

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IWGP Tag Team Champions KES vs. EVIL & SANADA: One of the glaring weaknesses of the NJPW product is the tag team ranks. The junior largely just trade the belts, but the higher ceiling of match quality allows them to get away with a little more since people like having fun and good wrestling, unless you are too concerned with shitting on the Young Bucks. I have no issue with people not liking them, but some people are on a life mission to post “I hate the Young Sucks” as much as possible. With War Machine reportedly WWE bound (if medicals come back clean) the ranks will be even thinner. KES have not been horrible champions, but their matches have a lower ceiling for quality and then of course there’s the lovely Suzuki-gun bullshit. KES is a fine team, they work hard and when the bullshit is cut out are more than capable of having very good matches. But they aren’t the future. At the ages of 30 & 29, EVIL & SANADA are vital parts of NJPW’s future. They will be future main eventers and in time will be two of the guys carrying the company. They have both had times to shine over the last two years, have both had some outstanding performances and are ready to be more. I think that the first step is having them with the tag titles here, and having them go on a long and dominant run with the titles makes a lot of sense to me. This match has mixed potential quality wise, too many shenanigans will obviously hurt it, but if they can play it straight and just go in with a plan and deliver a regular wrestling match, this could be very good. WINNERS: EVIL & SANADA

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Hair vs. Hair NEVER Openweight Title Match: NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki vs. Hirooki Goto: In my opinion, Minoru Suzuki & Hirooki Goto had two of the worst/wasted years on the entire roster. This time last year, Hirooki Goto defeated Champion Katsuyori Shibata in an excellent match at WrestleKingdom 11; Goto had got the monkey off of his back, he finally won the big one and seemed primed for a big 2017. But the next day, fortunes changed for everyone, especially for Goto as Minoru Suzuki & Suzuki-gun made their return at New Year’s Dash. The return came off like a big deal, but started slow due to Archer missing time due to a back injury. The overbooking of the Suzuki-gun juniors really took away from the BOTSJ tournament, and Suzuki’s run with the NEVER title has been absolutely horrible, constantly filled with bullshit, run ins, and overbooking. For as much as Suzuki has a bad as aura, NJPW has done their best over the last year to make me want to avoid his matches. But the booking to get back to the Goto match has been well done. Goto has kept winning, and kept demanding a match, but Suzuki wanted no part of it because Goto had nothing to offer him. But Goto kept pressing, kept winning and kept pissing Suzuki off. It initially started as a title vs. hair match, but at the final NJPW Road to The Tokyo Dome Suzuki finally/officially accepted Goto’s challenge for a NEVER Openweight Championship match at WrestleKingdom 12, saying he wouldn’t just take Goto’s hair, but that he would end Goto. It then changed to a hair vs. hair match with the title on the line as Suzuki upped the ante, claiming that whoever wins the match will get the title and the clippers, all or nothing. After a completely wasted year, Hirooki Goto needs to win the title back and be given a quality run with the belt. He’s 38, and with the style he works, it isn’t getting any easier on his body and he’s not getting any younger. With Suzuki-gun being barred from ringside, they should have the chance to deliver a quality match here, and I hope that they do after a largely disappointing year from both. WINNER: Hirooki Goto

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IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Marty Scurll vs. KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi: Despite the high level of talent in this match, there was a largely negative reaction to the match when it was made official. KUSHIDA & Takahashi killed it last year and I think many hoped for a high-level singles match, and I get that and even agree to a point, but all four men involved are more than worthy and this certainly has a chance to be great with the four men involved. We have three former champions all looking to climb the mountain again, while Scurll is looking to prove himself and keep the title. The juniors delivered a lot of great matches in 2017, but I feel much of the year was rushed. Takahashi won the title. KUSHIDA got his redemption; making Ospreay his bitch again and then won the title back. Ospreay then finally got revenge on KUSHIDA, winning the title and then dropped the title to long time rival, Scurll. It was an interesting, but chaotic year, and one where I felt Takahashi got short-changed, as I think he should have run wild with the title, leading to the rematch with KUSHIDA here. But with all of that being said, and I understand the negatives of booking the match, I think that the amount of talent involved here will all come together, and we’ll get a great match. I have a feeling that WrestleKingdom 12 will be a huge night for LIJ, who are already over huge, but will take control of NJPW come January 4th, so Hiromu Takahashi takes back his title here. WINNER: Hiromu Takahashi

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IWGP IC Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay “Switchblade” White: There were actually some claiming that Tanahashi was being wasted with this match, but I completely disagree with that train of thought. Tanahashi may be older, a bit slower, and banged up from injuries, but he’s still Tanahashi, his name has a lot of equity with the fans and that allows White to walk into one of the top three matches on the biggest show of the year. His excursion was really strong, putting on a lot of great matches in ROH. The argument can be made that white can lose here as long as he has a great match with Tanahashi, and that does carry some weight. There is no shame in losing to thee former ace of NJPW, especially in a great match, but Tanahashi is also in a place in his career where he is absolutely bullet proof, and can take losses and even some time away. If I am being honest. I strongly feel that Jay White should win to make his return really mean something and cement him as a new main event guy; the same thing Tanahashi did for Okada & Naito. But with Tanahashi coming off of two WrestleKingdom losses in a row (to Okada & Naito), I think that NJPW will be too gun shy to have him lose again. But considering his injuries; the fact that THEY DO NOT NEED HIM AS A DRAW like they used to, thanks to the fact that Okada, Naito, & Omega are all pulling in good numbers at the live gates. He should lose here, he should lose clean as a sheet in a high quality match, and White should (in storyline) basically cripple Tanahashi, taking him out for a good 5-6 months so that Tanahashi can get his arm and knee taken care of, and then come back for G1 season fresh and healthy. But the Japanese mentality is to fight through injury and not take time off. And when you add in Tanahashi’s history of not taking time off and the cold feet in terms of having Tanahashi lose a third WrestleKingdom on a row, I think he walks out with the win, but hope I am wrong and that they do the right thing for both White & Tanahashi. WINNER: Hiroshi Tanahashi

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IWGP US Title NO DQ Match: Champion Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho: Love him or hate him, you have to respect the drive and business acumen of Chris Jericho. He busted his ass for years, made it to WCW and then got signed by WWE. He overcame the odds (and WWE size bias) and became a true superstar when many said he couldn’t do it. The man then started a band, which so many people said would fail, but his love, drive and hard work took a vanity project and turned it into a pretty successful group. Jericho became such a big star that he was able to leave WWE on his own terms and pursue outside projects, and keep his star power in the business. Jericho also earned the respect of Vince McMahon to the point that he has been able to come and go to WWE as he pleases, enjoying a lot of creative freedom and doing things on his own terms. And there was no bigger example of that with his newest announcement. But he took things one step further at NJPW Power Struggle 2017, as a free agent challenging Kenny Omega for the IWGP US Title. He got the wrestling world buzzing, giving himself new life and giving NJPW & Omega credibility among fans that normally don’t talk about the NJPW product. For many, Jericho is a gateway drug into the world of NJPW, and that’s a great thing. Despite some “puro elitists” knocking the match, and even going so far as to not discuss it, which is absurd. Mostly because they are upset about no Omega vs. Ibushi, which is coming and will see a much better build when it does. I for one have loved it. It was the genius of Jericho, parlaying his Twitter feud with Omega, using his troll abilities (a compliment), to set the stage and get people talking about “what if” and then making it come true. Jericho teased something cool, he teased something most thought wouldn’t happen, and then he took that tease and delivered a genuine surprise. Jericho has done tremendous media work hyping this match. It only got better when Jericho attacked Omega at the NJPW World Tag League Finals; Jericho had continually said it was one appearance, the dome, and to his credit, he seemingly kept every one off balance and again, delivered a great surprise, delivering a tremendous attack and beat down of Omega. The attack was about more than just an awesome surprise and a great angle; it completely changed the tone of the match. While Jericho never half asses anything, I think that we can agree that at age 47, Jericho can’t keep up working a traditional Kenny Omega match. Omega is on a different level right now, some love him and some hate him, but the guy is having an outstanding year in the ring. You don’t have to believe in “6 star ratings” (no offense to Dave Meltzer), but to discount Omega’s year simply because you may not like him or the Young Bucks is ridiculous. Jericho is a smart guy, and I think he knows at age 47, despite him being in great shape and a smart worker; but he can’t have a Kenny Omega match in January. Look back a few years ago, he had trouble trying to keep up with AJ Styles, and I think that is because he tried to be the old Chris Jericho when he wasn’t. But like I said, he’s a smart guy, and this attack turns a “dream match” into something more serious, it changes the tone and allows for the match to be something different for Omega, a match where his priority isn’t stealing the show, but instead, he’ll be going for revenge. He’ll be looking to prove Jericho wrong, to prove that he is the true alpha and to prove that NJPW is his territory, and that in his territory, business is good. Turning things personal and changing the match to a no DQ match allows for more freedom, for some smoke and mirrors and likely a much better match than a straight up wrestling match. The deeper we get into this feud, the more I think that Jericho in NJPW is more than just the dome appearance. He’s working New Year’s Dash the next day and isn’t working Mania, which makes me believe that despite my original thoughts, that Jericho will win here, setting up a rematch in March when NJPW returns to the US. WINNER: Chris Jericho

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IWGP Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito: And now we come to our main event of the evening, Champion Kazuchika Okada looks to extend his long and successful title run against ever popular and anti-establishment hero Tetsuya Naito. Despite what the contrarians will tell you, Okada is having an all time great year. You know who they are, the ones that when someone has a good match they can’t help but to say, “but if it was Okada it would be 6 stars and would be praised way more than it should because Okada is overrated.” For some reason, being great in 2017 has become a crime, and that’s a shame. Okada has done great business as the champion, they ran hard with him as the new ace and while we can argue personal tastes and star ratings all day, you just can’t deny that his 2017 was great. And then you have the challenger, Tetsuya Naito. One of, if not the most over acts in the company. Also a good draw, having great matches and turning traditionally babyface towns in his favor. His series with Tanahashi was excellent this year, adding to his elevation. I knew a dome main event was coming, but I didn’t see Naito winning the G1, I always saw him playing spoiler and beating someone for the briefcase to get there as I felt it fit his character perfectly; the G1 win was just a bonus. The argument can certainly be made to continue the record setting and high quality reign of Okada running for as long as possible, it’s an understandable though process and in terms of business, makes sense. There is still meat on the bone in regards to his title run, but I’d much rather the company end it a bit too early to a hot act instead of having it overstay its welcome and become tiresome (the contrarians will say it already has and that Okada is a bad wrestler). I mention the contrarians because thier big arguments are “Okada always wins, he’s overrated, and his matches have patterns.” He’s being booked as the dominant champion, so he will win a lot. Overrated? Why be so concerned if others like him and praise him? Why spend so much time taking the opposite side to an insane degree? It’s like when people take a generally bad performer and try to raise him up with ridiculous amounts of praise, it happened with Jinder Mahal. And as for patterns, almost every wrestler in some way is a slave to pattern, including the greats. It’s not a bad thing when it works, or are we going to start shifting on Flair’s 89 run & Michaels’ 95 run because they were slaves to pattern? Tetsuya Naito must suck too because he sure as hell has patterns he falls into. But Tetsuya Naito is red hot right now, as is the LIJ stable. Okada is 30 and has a lot of years left in him, while Naito is 35 and has been banged up with injuries. His shelf life is starting to fade, and now feels like the time to give him a real, extended run with the gold before it becomes too late. As far as match quality goes, these two are excellent, and always step up on the big shows and I expect the same to happen here as both have had a great year. Okada will be working to keep the title and continue to prove that he is the ace, while Naito is still fueled by rage and jealously over being snubbed in the past. His goal is not just to win the title, but also to prove that he is the man and that he belongs on the Tokyo Dome main event. This one is a real toss up, but I’m going with another title change. WINNER: Tetsuya Naito

JOIN 411 FOR OUR LIVE COVERAGE ON JANUARY 4TH STARTING AT 2AM ET!

* Csonka’s WrestleKingdom 9 Review.
* Csonka’s WrestleKingdom 10 Review.
* Csonka’s WrestleKingdom11 Review.

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

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“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”