#and started talking bout chris and buck and how they team up against him and never let him taste the dough (but they eat spoonfuls)

[tommygotwrittenoff]

bobby says to eddie one shift where buck is home sick with chris. going home to see your boys? eddie smiles and says. yeah. and your boys just Sticks in eddies brain and when he gets home he sees chris and buck curled up on the couch asleep and the sight makes him pause cuz. yeah. those are his boys

[weresilver]

40 (almost kiss) + 54 (secret relationship)? 🥰

Being in bed at 12:00 am will not stop me, I guess. Bonus Getting Together, I guess. Spent 3 or so hours at this. Ops.

Post S4. This is a disgusting amount of fluff. Unbeta'd (but self proof-read) as I wrote this from 12 am to 3:30 am.

On AO3

Years In The Making

Not that he believed it, but he was sure most people around him would say it was meant to be; something fated somewhere to happen somehow. Eddie didn't really believe that.

What he did believe was that they may have been too afraid (or maybe too repressed, in his case) to see what was going on, what had been growing for a long while. Years, maybe?

But getting shot (again) had given him a good shake, and he could say he'd been almost disappointed to see Ana by his bedside. No fault of her own, of course not, but...

He was pretty sure of what he wanted at that moment.

Breaking things off with her hadn't been that difficult, or painful, a couple of weeks after his return home. Ana's disappointment was clear, but she seemed to know as well as he did that they weren't going anywhere as a couple. With a promise to stay in touch, she walked out of his home one last time.

Now all he had to do was talk to Buck.

-

Buck had been cagey for the first few days when Eddie had asked him about Taylor. It took about a week and a couple of beers for him to blurt out, "She kissed me then ran out." He fidgeted for a couple of minutes. "Then she came back and we talked through it."

Eddie's heart sank, but he still put on a smile for the sake of his friend (if that was all that he would be for Buck, he'd make do). "And?"

"And we are at very different stages when it comes to romance." Buck shrugged, but the tiny frown was right there between his brows. "She became a good friend, but damn, we wouldn't have lasted as a couple."

Buck finished his beer and turned to Eddie, though not looking beyond the water bottle he was holding in his one good hand.

"She, uh... She isn't quite who I want." Buck cleared his throat, abruptly standing up and walking away from the dining table to place his empty bottle in the recyclable bin. "How is Ana, by the way?"

Eddie accepted the deflection well enough, watching as Buck stood by the doorway with his arms crossed, a stance that tried to project calm. Eddie doubted he was anywhere near it; he never enjoyed talking about failed relationships (including those that never took off).

"We broke up last week," he replied easily, standing up to refill his bottle in the kitchen. "Don't worry," he added, seeing the wide-eyed surprise (and dare he say, hope?) in Buck's expression. "It was pretty amicable and even. We both saw we weren't going to get anywhere and decided to split."

"Okay," Buck whispered, following him into the kitchen. "You okay?"

Eddie nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I'm fine." Though he had to ask... "Who is it?" Buck's confused, scrunched-up expression was pretty damn cute, making him look a little bit more like the Golden Retriever pup Hen and Chimney often compared him to. "You said Taylor isn't who you want, so who is it?"

"Eddie," he said on a groan, though he simply leaned against the counter instead of answering.

"See," Eddie spoke with a new bout of confidence (maybe just as ill-placed as the excitement he was starting to feel), standing against the sink across from Buck. "I'm kind of hoping for a specific answer here."

Buck didn't reply. Eddie had barely even noticed a shift in Buck's expression before he moved into his space, pressing a hard kiss against his lips, a huge contrast to how softly his hands cradled his head and how careful he was to not press against the sling and his injured shoulder.

Eddie wasn't sure if the bottle ended up on the sink or on the floor by their feet. What mattered was that he managed to get his hand on Buck's neck, drawing him even closer.

(Not that Buck let either of them press too close, and god, he loved him.

And he was distantly aware that he should be at least a little freaked out over the thought after one kiss - their first kiss - but, well... Years in the making and all that.)

-

One kiss became two, became many, and Eddie could see the same feelings reflected in Buck's blue eyes. Belonging, a finally and a home.

There was no need to go beyond kissing and cuddling, both of them content to sit even closer together, hands intertwined whenever they could.

It was... Soft in a way Eddie hadn't had in so long, intimate in ways he thought he wouldn't experience.

-

And they weren't subtle, weren't actively trying to keep anything a secret. Eddie was still off work, doing his PT as he should and Buck had been staying at his house (their home, he couldn't help but think every time) since Eddie got out of the hospital anyway.

But two months passed and the only two people aware of the change in their relationship were Christopher and Carla because they found them cuddled up on the couch, Eddie knocked out by painkillers and then too out of it to deny anything when his son questioned him about it.

(Christopher had simply nodded with a mumbled "Good" and left it at that. They still had no idea what that was about.)

The sling had come off a few days ago, though he still couldn't do that much, and it was driving Eddie up a wall. Buck was at the station, and he didn't want to think about the conniption he'd have if he drove there.

He knocked on Christopher's bedroom door, opening it slowly to see his son smiling at him from where he sat with his book.

"Hey, buddy." It was impossible not to smile back, feeling the all-encompassing warmth at the fact that he was still here, could see his son growing up for a while longer. "What do you say we pay a visit to the station?"

The frown he got for that was so much like Shannon's that he didn't know what to do with the pang in his chest. There was no guilt, not then, over the fact he missed her. He just did, she should be able to see how much their kid was growing, how much like her he could be sometimes. And maybe she was, if the afterlife turned out to be a thing after all.

"You are not supposed to drive."

And that tone was way too much like Buck's, just this morning, for Eddie to hold back his laughter.

"I was thinking we could take an Uber." He shrugged with his left shoulder. He might have been desperate to get out of the house, but he wasn't stupid; he didn't want pain and he didn't want to end up lectured by the entire team once he got there. "What do you say?"

Christopher considered it for a moment, then placed his bookmark and got up. "Let's go!"

-

"You better not have come in your car, Eddie!"

He rolled his eyes at the very much expected exclamation as Christopher giggled beside him.

"Don't worry, Buck," the kid said, walking ahead as Buck came downstairs. "I didn't let him drive."

"Thank God for you, kid," Buck said, kneeling on one knee to give Chris a hug. "Your dad is stubborn, he probably would have driven here if it weren't for you."

"Hey!" There was no real annoyance in his protest, but Eddie still said, "I get enough sass from my kid, don't you start, too."

Buck, in such a show of maturity, stuck out his tongue at him before turning to Christopher once again.

"Come on, buddy, let's go see the fun people."

Chris' laughter echoed in the station, and Eddie let the light atmosphere carry him upstairs to the loft where he was greeted by the rest of the team with hugs, and some friendly pats on (thankfully) his uninjured shoulder.

Chimney and Hen immediately walked with Christopher to the pinball machine, and Bobby had given him a plate of leftover breakfast to carry wherever he ended up sitting.

He chose the couch, where Buck had already made himself comfortable again and was currently watching the trio at the machine. They could hear Hen encouraging Chris to beat Chim's high score.

"Hey you," Buck greeted softly, an arm going around his shoulders as Eddie adjusted himself.

"Hey yourself." Buck glanced at the other side of the loft, then pressed a quick peck to his lips. Apparently, everyone was sufficiently distracted. "How are you?"

"So far so good." He took one of the biscuits from Eddie's plate, quickly popping it into his mouth as if Eddie hadn't sat here to share them. "I'd ask how your day is going, but it's obvious you're bored out of your mind."

Eddie groaned, letting his head fall back against Buck's arm. He was beyond bored, at this point, and no amount of movies or video games had helped. Buck's chuckle beside him was another pretty good incentive to get out of the house.

He turned his head to face him, his own expression undoubtedly soft as he took in the man that had been by his side for so long and for so many things already.

Buck's expression softened even more, somehow, his smile bright as the sun and even warmer. He leaned closer and-

And what sounded like a very undignified squeak interrupted their almost-kiss, causing Eddie to huff in mild annoyance and turn around.

Chimney stood by the dining table, gaping at them. Bobby was still in the kitchen and turned to look at them at the sound of Chimney's squeak.

"What's wrong, Chim?" Hen asked, frowning all the way from the pinball machine (where Christopher continued to play).

"They..." He gestured between the two of them. "Since when are you two together?!" He ignored Hen's own surprised exclamation. "They were about to kiss!"

"Yeah," Eddie confirmed, nonchalantly making himself comfortable in Buck's arms in the new position so he could look at the rest of their team. "And you had to ruin the mood."

Buck hid his face in his hair, and Eddie could hear the quiet snickering. They really thought the others would have caught up after two months of visiting Eddie at least once every few days.

"What about Ana?"

"We broke up two months ago, man."

"And Taylor?"

"Dude, we never started dating in the first place." The exasperation was clear in Buck's voice. "She's really just a friend."

Chimney nodded, satisfied for the time being. They had no doubt that there would be more questions later.

"When did this even happen?" Hen asked this time, walking over with Christopher.

"Two months ago," Chris answered before either of them could, smiling a little too innocently. "A week or something after Dad broke up with Miss Flores."

Eddie had no idea Christopher knew that level of details, but he had definitely been out of it when he told him. Maybe he said more than he remembered.

"Well," Bobby finally spoke up, walking over to their little family unit on the couch, now that Christopher was tucked on Eddie's other side. "I'm happy for you two." Eddie could feel whatever tension had been on Buck's body (not that there was much in the first place) drain out of him at Bobby's words. "And we can deal with HR and paperwork once you're back at the station," he added, directed at Eddie. Bobby's smile was genuinely warm, putting him even further at ease.

Years in the making. Maybe it was obvious to everyone else, but Eddie wouldn't change a thing about the road they took to get here. It had been hard and full of hurt, but what they had was solid and them and it was definitely worth it all.

Including the cheering, clapping, and whistles of everyone else when Buck pressed a kiss to his lips right there and then simply because he could.

[mattzerella-sticks]

Jolly Holly, a Buddie fic immediately after the fall finale

With all the mistletoe hanging around, at some point Eddie and Buck had to end up under some. And if it doesn't come to pass, then someone will have to take matters into their own hands.

Will a stolen moment at the Christmas Party lead to something more?

Buck drags him down the fire station’s stairs, Eddie chuckling at the excitement splashed across his face. Their station’s stand-in for a dalmation. If he grew a tail between blinks Eddie bets it would wag fast enough to blow him away. Although not really. The tight grip cutting blood off his blood flow and turning his hand purple needs jaws of life tearing through it for a chance at freedom.

Freedom was overrated in his opinion.

“Where are you taking me?” he asks, feet stuttering in the wake of Buck’s haphazard pulling.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it,” Buck tells him, “...not far.” They turn the corner around the ambulance and Buck slams against the side. Eddie knocks into him, drawing further laughter from them both.

“Okay, okay,” Eddie says, creating space between them with a gentle shove. Hand lingering against Buck’s chest. “I’m here… why?”

Buck sucks his bottom lip under his teeth, glancing away from Eddie. He tries to see what drew the other man’s attention but the ambulance blocks them from view of the entire firehouse. A private corner for only two.

“Well…” he starts without prompt, startling Eddie. “We’ve been here for a few hours now and… you have yet to thank me for planning this whole get-together.”

Eddie rolls his eyes, head lolling to the side and resting against the ambulance’s side. Thunk . “And this is how you want it? In private?”

Shrugging, Buck mirrors his pose. Birthmark pinching with his smile like an adorable kidney bean. “Didn’t want you to embarrass yourself in front of everyone when you fell to your knees in praise.”

“Oh, yeah,” his knees buckle slightly. Eddie sags halfway and widens the already great height difference between them. “Thank you Evan for making this one of the best Christmases I’ve ever experienced on this Earthly plane. For making it so I didn’t miss spending today with my son and ensuring that he won’t grow up hating me and when I’m on my deathbed he’ll be  there with tears in his eyes!” His snickers grew the more he spoke, until Eddie’s vision blurred from squinted eyes. Buck leans forward and laughs through quiet huffs, arms wrapped around his stomach. Eddie’s hand trails down Buck’s chest and latches onto his arm. Limply dangling, holding on with a finger or two.

“Something like that,” Buck says, wiping at his stretched cheeks, “I mean, I didn’t do this all because of you. Nice that you think so, though. Makes me feel better about my big head.”

“No one’s head’ll ever be bigger than yours… Buck .” He lightly scuffs his friend’s chin with his knuckles while he pops the ‘B’.

The bright smile shudders for a beat, sliding into a pout. But like a roller coaster it climbs high and returns to where it was. “So much for gratitude…”

“Gratitude?” he scoffs, “you mean my plaintive thanks wasn’t enough for you?”

“Well… if we’re talking…”

“What? What else could you want?”

Something tickles his forehead. Eddie glances up and finds a sprig of mistletoe waiting. His heart bounces up into his throat and wedges itself tightly, not powerful enough to choke but makes each swallow hurt. “You want a…”

“A kiss,” Buck says, soft like the leaves against his skin, “That’s all.”

“A kiss?”

“Yeah… you can say a lot with a kiss. Figured it’d beat you trying to find the perfect words to thank me with.”

Eddie’s lips thin into a firm line. “How long have you been hiding that?”

Buck brings the mistletoe closer, inspecting it. “Swiped it after our picture… it was hanging over us, then, y’know. Could’ve made you kiss me there. But like I said… didn’t want to embarrass you too much in public.”

His eyes nearly roll off his face. “You’re too much, Buck.”

“You mean you’re not gonna kiss me?”

“You think you deserve it?”

“I mean, a little,” Buck says, other hand showing off its finger and thumb, a scant inch of space separating them. “Coordinating all of this with Athena behind everyone’s backs… working with the group home to get all the kids here… promising Abuela I’d be her date at the next senior potluck if she told me what presents Christopher already had waiting for him so I could buy him a little gift.”

His legs wobble of their own accord, Eddie glad for the ambulance’s support. Reminded of Christopher in this moment, how his face lit up brighter than a Christmas tree’s when Buck revealed the present. “It’s my second favorite thing,” he told them, “after being able to spend the day with my dad…”

Buck dragged Christopher into a hug, finding Eddie easily over his son’s shoulder. The expression on his face so tempting mistletoe would be an excuse but not the reason.

“That,” Eddie says, voice low and gravelly, “that, uh… that was a hefty price to pay.”

“Worth it to see how happy it made him,” he shrugs, “how happy it made you .”

Eddie leaps towards Buck and catches him off guard, the mistletoe bouncing at their feet. His hand cradles Buck’s face, keeps it still so their lips can crash into each other. Buck’s nose tickles Eddie’s cheek. Tiny jolts cascading from the point of contact and spreading through every nerve. He imagines Buck looks shocked, but can’t muster the strength to open his eyes from when they slipped close.

Luckily, when Eddie pulls away, Buck’s remain shut. They flutter open a second later, awe shining like he stole the sun and trapped it in his gaze. Its warmth melts the block of ice his heart became, allowing it to melt to where it belongs. “What…” Buck whispers, “what was that?”

He barks a short laugh. “A kiss. What you wanted.”

“I didn’t think you’d actually go through with it!”

“I’m not one to back down, Buck,” Eddie smirks, slipping two fingers past his collar to curl around his neck, “Are you?”

Buck grins, trembling hands dancing at his sides. “Hell no. C’mere and shower me with more of that gratitude.” “Without mistletoe?”

“We never needed that weed.”

Eddie agrees, Buck’s lips draining the remnants of his will to fight. One taste like shotgunning forty cans of eggnog at once, the rush dizzying. They turn, Eddie pushing off the ambulance and splaying Buck’s back against it. Hands that grazed hips flew upwards. Tugging at his hair and squeezing his bicep. He grins into the kiss, tracing the sharp angles of Buck’s face and following a path lower. Massaging the one part of the other man that’s only curves.

“ Oh ! Oh, I’m sorry -”

They crumble, Eddie tripping over himself in shock. He stares at May, the younger girl frozen by the edge of the ambulance. Her eyes dart from the ground to Eddie to Buck and to the ground again. “May -”

“I, I didn’t mean to intrude,” she says, face heating up, “Mom needed Buck to help with dishes - part of the deal he made with her that he’d clean up if she set up. Denny saw you two come down here, and since Harry was playing with Chris she made me come over and check and - if I had known you two were…”

“Mistletoe!”

Both May and Eddie glance at Buck, the other man burning a shade similar to their firetruck. “What?” she asks.

“We were, we were caught under some mistletoe,” he explains, kicking at the near-forgotten decoration, “And, y’know what happens when two people are under… are under mistletoe…” Buck seizes, hands snapping and pointing in a series of aborted gestures that worries Eddie. Neither respond to his antics, however, and the panicked expression shifts into resignation. “Yeah, I’ll be up their in a moment to clean up.”

“Okay…”

“And May,” Eddie calls to her, attempting a smile, “maybe keep this on the low?”

She sighs, “Sure. I mean… it was mistletoe.”

“‘Atta girl.” He waves goodbye, waiting until May fully disappears to give Buck his full attention. Eddie moves closer to him, approaching cautiously like he would a wounded deer. The other man rubs at his eyes, quietly muttering to himself. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah,” Buck tells him, “Just completely mortified at having a teenager catching us acting like -”

“Like teenagers?”

“Yeah…”

His hand hesitates near his shoulder, unsure whether or not he should close the gap. “This,” he starts, sweetness in his mouth sharply decaying into bitterness, “this… you were okay with this, and - and what we -”

“Yes,” Buck cuts him off, throwing his hands off in further panic. Drawing him in with wide eyes. “Of course,” he continues, “I… I liked it. I really like it… But, I’m not sure if I’m ready for the whole team to know -”

Eddie relaxes, squeezing Buck’s shoulder. “They won’t. May’s a good kid, she’ll keep this under wraps until we’re ready.”

“You think?”

“I mean maybe not forever ,” he levels with him, smirking, “Athena’ll probably get a whiff that something’s up and it won’t be long before she figures it out.”

“That sounds like her…”

“So,” Eddie shrugs, thumb rhythmically brushing against his shirt, “maybe tonight… when Christopher’s tuckered out. We can continue where we left off and… sort a few things out. And,” his face hurts from the splitting grin stretching out his lips, “I’ll even let you bring the mistletoe.”

Buck laughs, drifting towards Eddie and ghosting their lips together in imitation of a kiss. Fuels the burning desire inside for more of a taste. “ Perfect ,” he says, spinning around Eddie, “now let’s hurry up. The faster we clean the quicker we can end our shift.”

“We?” Eddie asks, following, “How did I get roped into this?”

“Remember that day when you walked into the 118?”

“Yeah?”

“That’s how!”

Eddie shakes his head at how Buck races away, hopping up the steps. He waits at the bottom. Prefers to wait and let the past few minutes soak into him. Clutches the banister when the memory of Buck’s lips. Buck calls for him. “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

Of course Eddie will help Buck. It’s the foundation of their relationship, and of who they are as people. Together they can overcome everything, including a sink full of messy dishes.

Especially when it’s the only thing keeping them from each other. The last thing.

Finally.

“Merry Christmas, Buck,” Eddie says, elbow deep in suds, fingers pruning.

Buck smiles, scans the room before blowing a soft kiss Eddie’s way. “Merry Christmas.”

[andymull]

AEW Full Gear 2019 – Preview & Predictions

Cody vs Chris Jericho (c) – AEW World Championship Match

This match also now has the added stipulation that if Cody loses he can never go for the world title again………..smells like a screwy finish to me, more later.

Such a well built and enjoyable feud between these guys, Cody played a clever stroke when AEW started putting on shows by letting Omega go for the title first then Hangman Page. Knowing that Jericho was going to be a dominant champion for awhile he instead wrestled just out of sight of the title knocking up win after win, and when this company is trying to be known as one that runs with its records it made a lot of sense for him to do so. Not being cynical or having a crazy theory but both Omega and Page have had to take backwards steps slightly because of that whereas Cody has been able to stride forward once the tv deal began and now finds his-self in the spot of spots.

Jericho has again been able to re-invent his-self again in his career as le champion and the leader of the Inner Circle (still not sure about that tbh), he’s worked well to get over a new finisher with the Judas Elbow too.

With the added stipulation I see this coming down to Cody having the match won after the Inner Circle and The Elite try to interfere and end up causing a big riot at ringside, this results in Cody having Jericho ready to hit his finisher when Hangman Page turns on Cody letting Jericho retain. They have been playing it up on Being The Elite for awhile now with Page feeling left adrift slightly from the rest of the group, with Cody and others trying to bring him back into the fold but I see this being his hook to turn holding it over all of the Elite. The popular option of who to turn would be MJF, but truthfully ITS TOO OBVIOUS!!!! They have to see that already and realise they need to hold it off for as long as possible, then twist it and either have Cody catch him mid turn OR even have Cody turn on him first…..but that’s for later – CODY

Jon Moxley vs Kenny Omega – Lights Out Match

Another lights out match? Ok

Still not sure if I like these guys together, they’ve had some fun angles but clicking in-ring for me is still to be seen. They’ve tried to hold off with Mox as much as possible so as to not burn out certain matches which is clever, but at the same time it feels like there should have been more to this feud before the big match.

They’ve ran the story of Kenny losing the title match but now has finally started to get his mojo back, but I don’t feel he’s winning tonight sadly and its going to hurt again as people were/are expecting him to be the main guy in the company from the get go having the best matches weekly. Its just not plausible though is it? You cant run everything from the beginning of your tv deal, some ideas have to be held back and paced out, and the main one is Kenny being the best in the world. The time will come, no doubts about that, and it will be great but it will be a bumpy road ahead for alittle while yet…………….then we’ll be talking about is it possible to reach the heights of the last few years in New Japan against Okada with the talent they have in AEW? Definite thing to write about in the future.

Im going to be going with Mox taking the win tonight and setting his-self up for the next title feud against Jericho, hopefully they book it well so that the crowd don’t turn too much on Omega not winning – MOXLEY

Riho (c) vs Emi Sakura – AEW Women’s World Championship

The teacher vs the student, just a shame the company haven’t been drilling this match and story the past few weeks and instead it felt like a rushed match for the PPV.

Should be a fun match with two women who know each other inside out and should have a PPV caliber match in mind for this perfectly – RIHO

Proud -N- Powerful vs The Young Bucks

This should be an excellent match between two great teams, I don’t think this will be the last of their bouts while the two groups feud but hopefully the Bucks allow themselves to take the victory tonight – YOUNG BUCKS

Hangman Page vs Pac

The rubber match between the two finally takes place, just a shame that the feud has died slightly from where it was before the Pac situation of not coming in previously to lose while champion in Dragon Gate. Currently Pac has gone from strength to strength on tv with his win record while Page has stumbled in his attempt to be the young rising star that AEW will create from the go.

As I mentioned previously I see Page turning in the main event and to add another added level to his turning will be him losing here, it then allows him to say that no-one came to help him in this match whereas The Elite will end up ringside in the title match to help Cody.

Pac will take the victory, not sure where he goes next, potentially Omega? – PAC

The Lucha Bros vs SCU (c) vs Private Party

Three fun teams should make for a really fun match, probably EXTREMELY spotty but who cares.

No chance the titles change hands already so SCU retain, ill take them to pin one of Private Party to win and hopefully not the Lucha Bros as they’ve lost enough – SCU

Shawn Spears vs Joey Janela

Really not looking forward to this, Spears has looked very average since coming in having competitive matches recently with guys he should have run through to build him up. While Janela’s record isn’t that good and is more of a hardcore guy not a guy able to go higher than 3 stars in a solid wrestling match (though is trying very hard to improve, see the Omega 2nd match).

Have to imagine that Spears goes over and most likely sets up a series with MJF once he’s fully fit for action, but man he’s dropped since debuting against his friend Cody and clocked him with that chair, they said it wasn’t his fault it was the chair but the lack of a push didn’t seem that way….who knows – SPEARS

Britt Baker vs Bea Priestley – Buy In Match

Poor Britt has really taken a beating on social media with how much she’s been pushed since debuting (did you know she’s a Dentist?) and Bea hasn’t been around weekly I don’t think to be able to really push this feud. After Bea had alittle brawl with Sadie Gibbs backstage then followed that up with being super stiff and awkward in her match after im still to be convinced they really want to push her fully yet. And truthfully this being put on the Buy In show kinda shows their ideas for both girls sadly/currently. Britt needs alittle time off of Dynamite to have afew wins on AEW Dark then return back up later (Did I mention she’s a qualified Dentist?) - BAKER

Have to imagine they have another big match or two on the Buy In show as well to get guys a pay day.

Should be a real fun show, hopefully it doesn't go on too long on PPV but as long as the big names get time then great

Bye for now

Andy

[some-sort-of-sidewalk-slam]

The Big Wrestle Kingdom 12 Thoughts Post

Some spoiler-free thoughts before we get into specifics under the cut. I thought it was an overall excellent show. This is the second Wrestle Kingdom I've ever watched, and while I thought 11 was better, I still think this is probably going to be the best wrestling show of the year, and I feel sorry for the Royal Rumble having to follow it later this month. I thought the undercard matches, especially the various tag matches, were better than 11's, but the major singles bouts were not quite as good. I did like the end of the main event because it makes me curious and interested for the future, and it was also just a fantastic match to boot. The Junior Heavyweight Championship four-way match was probably my favorite of the night, though the NEVER Openweight Championship and United States Championship came damn close to being my favorites. I wouldn't say there were any bad matches on the card per se, but a couple of them were disappointing for various reasons, which I'll get into in the spoilery section. Considering this was a four hour show (five if you include the pre-show rumble, which I didn't watch), I was entertained the whole way through, which is no small feat. Get New Japan World and watch this show.

I'm going to go through this match-by-match, and give a sort of general summary at the end.

Match 1: Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships- Roppongi 3K vs The Young Bucks

I should note that I'm generally not a fan of the Bucks, but they really impressed me here. Sho and Yo are a team I'm not super familiar with but I saw two of their matches before this and I was on board with them almost immediately. So I was expecting this match to be like... fine. Not great, but not bad. Just fine. But color me surprised, this is probably the best Young Bucks match I've ever seen. They set up a storyline pretty early in the match where one member of each team had a back injury and they would struggle with doing certain moves that require a lot of lifting. It's simple stuff but it's effective nonetheless. The only downside I found is the result. I'm not sure The Young Bucks needed a 7th run with the belts this soon, and I feel like they were wasting some of the momentum that Roppongi 3K had built from their strong debut. I only hope that this is the start of a larger feud that sees Sho and Yoh reclaiming the belts.

Match 2: NEVER Openweight Six-man Tag Team Championship Gauntlet Match 

This match was a mess, but a fun one. It's still one my least favorite matches on the card, mostly because it doesn't feel like a lot of care went into the booking. Trent getting the pin was a good for him and a good sign that his transition into the heavyweight division is going to go pretty well, but he didn't actually do a lot of wrestling. I mostly remember him breaking up a lot of pins. It was nice to see War Machine again, especially considering it's rumored that this is their last match with New Japan. Wasn't crazy about them teaming with Elgin, though. Like, visually it makes sense but ever since I read the news that he's a dong in real life, I've gotten real hesitant to watch him. I also don't feel like Suzuki-Gun brought their A-game. Aside from finding Zack Sabre Jr. a boring wrestler, I feel like they should have maybe replaced Iizuka with El Desperado or something to have some more athleticism. Also a side note: in the graphic for Taguchi's team, it said David Finlay was on the team, whereas it was actually Juice Robinson in that spot.

Match 3: Cody vs Kota Ibushi Special Match

I think this is my least favorite match on the card, which kind of hurt because Kota Ibushi is in it. I put this mostly on Cody's shoulders, who has slowly started to become one of the most embarrassing acts on the indies. He left WWE with all the hype in the world, and everyone was so excited to see the creativity and in-ring prowess that he wasn't allowed to show. But then he just sort of became a cog in the Bullet Club machine, who is a shockingly average wrestler, and gets pissy at Roman Reigns on Twitter. Brandi calling everyone who doesn't think she's the most attractive woman in wrestling “marks” while on the way to the ring really set the scene for this slightly mediocre match with an admittedly impressive Cross Rhodes off the apron onto the floor. If you can't have a good match with Kota frigging Ibushi at goddamn Wrestle Kingdom, you might not be as good as you say you are, Cody.

Match 4: IWGP Tag Team Championship- Killer Elite Squad vs EVIL and SANADA

I wasn't super hot for this match in the beginning. Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. are both really big dudes who are excellent at being dominant powerhouses, which was definitely the case in this match. I do admit to being slightly annoyed at how long SANADA spent on his back while Archer and Davey Boy kicked the hell out of him. SANADA and EVIL's strengths are sudden explosions of athleticism, which was good counter to KES's slow style. SANADA and EVIL didn't get to do as much as I would have liked in this match, but they got some great moments to shine, and I think putting the title on them was a good move.

Match 5: NEVER Openweight Championship Hair vs Hair Match- Minoru Suzuki vs Hirooki Goto

This match was rad from start to finish. There wasn't a lot of flashy stuff in it, but flashy is not the strong suit of either of these guys. This was an old-fashioned, no-nonsense fight. Minoru Suzuki looked like the monster he is, coming out of most exchanges on top. But slowly but surely, Goto managed to make comeback after comeback. It's a pretty simple story of an underdog overcoming a powerful adversary, but as I said before, simple storytelling works. The whole match was stiff and powerful, as expected, and they told a hell of a story through the match. It built to an excellent crescendo of Goto hitting a backwards and then a proper GTR for a well-earned victory. I also very much enjoyed the moment where Suzuki walked away from his faction to shave his own hair. It's a character-defining moment that shows that even sadistic heels like Minoru Suzuki still have a sense of honor.

Match 6: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Four-Way Match- Marty Scurl vs Will Ospreay vs KUSHIDA vs Hiromu Takahashi

This is probably my favorite match of the night. It was fast-paced, exciting, full of storytelling, and had some frankly ridiculous spots. I loved watching the storylines between KUSHIDA and Hiromu, Ospreay and Scurl, and even Ospreay and Kushida, all woven through this match, with a sprinkling of excellently devious heel tactics from Scurl. Seeing what he's capable of, I refuse to believe that Will Ospreay is a human being. He has to be some sort of human/cat hybrid or something. Seeing KUSHIDA incorporate some of Hiromu's moves into his own is a great callback to their feud. Probably my favorite moment was the brief unspoken alliance between Ospreay and Scurl. I think I would have preferred Scurl to retain here, but I would have been 100% fine with anyone winning this match, and I think this way Opsreay and Scurl can continue to have a one-on-one feud, which is always exciting.

Match 7: IWGP Intercontinental Championship- Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Switchblade Jay White

I missed the build to this match but the video package did a decent job explaining the kayfabe reason for this match. What I can't understand is the out-of-kayfabe reason for it. His character is supposed to be an assassin of some kind? Or at least some sort of violent dude with a knife fetish. I do like that he's not part of any factions. It helps sell the lone wolf thing he's got going on. But once he takes off the leather coat and knife necklace, he just sort of looks like a scrawny dweeb. He just doesn't have the experience to carry a big feud like this yet. They want to make Jay White a big deal right off the bat by putting him up against Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom but I had a really hard time believing it. He's a pretty good in-ring worker, and he had some pretty good smack-talk in the ring, but this was not a Wrestle Kingdom-worthy performance.

Match 8: IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification Match- Kenny Omega vs Chris Jericho

This was probably the biggest draw for most of us Western fans. To see Chris Jericho in a New Japan Pro Wrestling ring, and wrestling one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, was something we all wanted to see. And... I wish I liked it more than I did. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was very good, and the biggest reason that I wasn't a fan of it wasn't the fault of the performers or the match. I'm just generally not a fan of weapons and hardcore brawls, which the first part of this match definitely was. I understand that it was an important part of the match's story that needed to happen. It's Jericho's American brawling style contrasted with the second half of the match, which was done in Omega's cleaner Japanese style. Despite the stuff I didn't like about it, it was still a phenomenal match that told an awesome story.

Match 9: IWGP Heavyweight Championship- Kazuchika Okada vs Tetsuya Naito

The one for all the marbles. This match had a lot to live up to, having to not only follow last year's 6-star main event, but also the four-year build of the Tetsuya Naito storyline development. This one was a conflicting one.  First thing's first: it was not better than last year's main event, but that was going to be hard to top so I'm not holding that against it. The match was excellent in its own right. I watched it in stunned silence as it built to its crescendo, watch two of the best wrestlers in the world go at each other. But the finish was conflicting. On one hand, it felt like it made narrative sense for Naito to finally win the belt at Wrestle Kingdom, as a glorious payoff for a four-year storyline, and having Okada retain instead feels kind of like wasted potential. On the other hand, the impression I get from the promo Okada gave after the match, and the way Naito smiled as he walked away from the match is that this story is not over. I, personally, thought the ending was fine. If nothing else, it intrigued me for what's coming next.

Wrap up

Wrestle Kingdom 12 was a spectacular show. It had some hiccups, as all wrestling shows generally do. I enjoyed 11 more because I liked its last three matches better. But 12 had better undercard matches, and I understood more of the stories going into it because I've actually been watching some of the stuff leading up to it. If nothing else, this confirms to me without a doubt that New Japan is the best wrestling in the world. The match quality is so high, the stories so effectively told, even in a language that I don't speak. Pro wrestling is so goddamn cool, and New Japan is the best place to watch it. If there was anything you wanted to convince you, let this be it. Start watching New Japan Pro Wrestling. It's so worth your time.

[junker-town]

Wrestle Kingdom 12 was a wrestling storytelling event of the ages

The story is just as important as the match itself, and Wrestle Kingdom 12 told some beautiful tales.

Stories are important. No matter the context or setting, the story of a thing can often tell you more about than what that thing is actually doing. That’s definitely true in wrestling, where the stories in and around a given match lend so much meaning and context that a well-executed story can sometimes be more valuable and complete as an experience than what actually happens inside the ring.

New Japan Pro Wrestling have become masters of the storytelling art in professional wrestling, and that art was on full display at Wrestle Kingdom 12, the promotion’s biggest show of the year. From start to finish, there were cohesive stories that were easy to follow, and it made for compelling viewing all night long. The storytelling took an already high technical level of wrestling throughout the card and elevated it to a level that’s going to make this show a tough one for any promotion to beat this year, and Wrestle Kingdom 12 is going to go down as an utterly fantastic night of wrestling.

Omega eclipses Alpha

In November, legendary WWE superstar Chris Jericho made a shocking appearance at the end of the NJPW Power Struggle show to issue a challenge for Kenny Omega’s IWGP United States Championship. What seemed at first to be a friendly contest between one of the all-time best in the industry and one of the current top stars quickly became a much more heated rivalry when Jericho assaulted and bloodied Omega in December, eventually turning this match into a No Disqualification bout that is incredibly rare in Japan.

With Jericho seeming offended that people felt Omega’s star had eclipsed his own, he seemingly became unhinged. Declaring himself the “Alpha” of professional wrestling, he and Omega had a fiery and physical press conference confrontation, and had a massive war of words in the buildup to this match. Once both men were in the ring, it was little different — Jericho attacked Omega before the bell even rang while he was getting good luck hugs from his Bullet Club and Elite partners the Young Bucks, and his early flurry of attacks once the bell did ring seemed to keep Omega on the back foot.

In fact, the shocking aggression of Jericho would be a hallmark all match long. At one point, he repeatedly mashed Omega face-first into a chair hung up in the corner ropes, going several strikes past the point of Omega’s forehead being busted open and bleeding. And that was after a brutal attack that saw Jericho counter a tope dive out of the ring to drive Omega into the announce table, then put him into the Walls of Jericho on the ruins of the table before assaulting him with remains of the announcers’ equipment, including throwing a monitor directly under Omega’s belt.

But Omega’s athleticism couldn’t be denied, and the defending champion finally started to make his presence felt with his own offense. Jericho’s incredible veteran ring presence let him pull out several incredible counters to Omega’s varied and normally impactful offense, but eventually Omega started hitting his patented V-Trigger knee strikes, and started trying to hit the One-Winged Angel finisher that no one has yet kicked out of. Jericho rolled through the first one in a beautiful counter to lock in a Walls of Jericho that nearly forced Omega to tap out, then hit a second one a little too close to the ring ropes, allowing Jericho to grab one to force a break.

But after countering an attempted chair-aided Lionsault from Jericho, Omega put down that same chair and hit the One-Winged Angel once more, this time driving Jericho into the chair originally meant to end his title reign, and there was no doubt as to the result of the move this time around. It was a massively impressive win from Omega, beating a cagey veteran that had him on the ropes so many times. The win only added to a legacy for Omega that’s fast approaching legendary status, and added all the more value to the IWGP United States Championship that he’s helped establish since becoming it’s inaugural champion last summer. Overcoming such a wild and driven Jericho on the biggest stage

Los Ingobernables de Japon show a new side

The Tetsuya Naito lead Los Ingobernables de Japon faction in NJPW made their impact by being a disruptive, corner-cutting, and incredibly aggressive group of men who weren’t afraid to attack anyone in their way, even if it was against the rules. Heck, breaking the rules almost seemed to be an encouragement to them at times, as we saw when Bushi, Evil, and the then-debuting Sanada continuously interfered on Naito’s behalf when their leader faced and — thanks to their help — beat Kazuchika Okada to win the NJPW Heavyweight Championship in April 2016. That’s not even mentioning the rampant disrespect Naito showed to the IWGP Intercontinental Championship belt when he held it as the champion, something seen as utterly loathsome in Japan.

But recently, they’ve been starting to turn over a new leaf. When Tetsuya Naito won the G1 Climax to earn this Wrestle Kingdom main event spot — the first he’s had after a fan vote stripped him of the main event the first time he won the G1 — and an IWGP Heavyweight Championship opportunity against hated foe Okada, Naito’s focus has earned the respect of the fans more than ever before. He’s even started pulling out his old high-flying Stardust finisher in recent months, something we hadn’t seen from him since before he became one of wrestling’s premier bad boys.

This match really helped cement Naito’s turnaround, as we saw a very different side to him. Yes, he still used his signature tranquillo tactics to slow the match down to his advantage at times, and he focused heavily on the injured neck that’s plagued Okada over the last six months. But this time, that wasn’t an underhanded move — he wasn’t dirty about it in any way, instead using the injury to execute a smart gameplan. Naito wasn’t cutting any corners this time; he wanted to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on his own merits, forcing Okada to bring out an aggressive side of himself that we rarely see.

This is the fourth time that Naito and Okada have faced off with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship on the line, including two such matches last year that the pair split wins in. They’ve learned a lot both from and about each other in that time, and that was on full display in this match. Not only were they countering so many of each other’s best moves, they were both pulling out all kinds of new tricks to keep each other off balance.

This match was very much about the evolution of both wrestlers, though the drive of Naito to be the absolute best in New Japan Pro Wrestling had him pushing Okada to the absolute limit. This match was Naito at his very peak, and after a brilliant late series of finishers and counters, Naito hit an absolutely devastating Destino finisher — but just a hint of his former arrogance came back in that crucial moment, and instead of going for a cover that could have won him the match, he went for a second straight Destino. Okada had just enough left in the tank to counter it into a leaping Tombstone Piledriver, while Naito had nothing left to resist the follow-up Rainmaker clothesline, allowing Okada to finally put him away to retain his title.

Naito walked away with plenty to be proud of, though. Yes, he’d failed in his mission, but he showed everyone who watched just how good he can be. He even earned words of respect and praise from Okada and his manager Gedo as he walked away from the ring, something you don’t always see after a match like that. We’ve seen a new side of Naito, and where he goes next will bear close scrutiny.

Naito wasn’t the only Ingobernable to show a different side, either. After two years of using underhanded tactics to beat their foes, Evil and Sanada let their skill do the talking during the World Tag League tournament in 2017, ultimately beating the tournament’s Bullet Club representatives, the Guerillas of Destiny in a straight-up battle of wills to earn a match against the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, Suzuki-gun representatives Davey Boy Smith, Jr. and Killer Elite Squad. That will was put to the test when KES jumped them before the bell, with Evil eating their Killer Bomb finisher just seconds into the match. Archer and Davey Boy dominated for almost all of the first ten minutes of the match, utterly pounding Evil into the mat before turning their attention to Sanada, and even to the Young Lion ring attendants at times.

Finally, though, the Los Ingobernables members made an opening for themselves, with Evil managing to assert himself into the match before Sanada finally got to start showing off his athleticism. And once the powerful duo really got rolling, that was it for the once-arrogant KES — Smith and Archer had lost their momentum, and Sanada and Evil were able to show just why they make such a good tag team. Sanada’s overwhelming athleticism and Evil’s surprising explosiveness spelled doom for the Killer Elite Squad, and Los Ingobernables de Japon came away hold the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship title.

This was truly the best of the super juniors

New Japan Pro Wrestling always makes headlines with their Best Of The Super Juniors tournament every year, but Wrestle Kingdom 12 put on a display in an IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship match that topped anything we’ve seen in that tournament in years, and it was a story unto itself. NJPW’s three biggest stables were represented, with the Bullet Club’s Marty Scurll coming in as the defending IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Chaos’ explosive aerial artist Will Ospreay, and Los Ingobernables’ always-odd Hiromu Takahashi filling three corners of the four-way matchup.

The fourth man was, of course, Kushida, the defending BOSJ winner and one of the most successful junior heavyweights in recent NJPW history. While all four men have been NJPW Junior Heavyweight Champions in the last year, Kushida has been at the heart of it all, with an amazing months-long war against Takahashi, before battling with Ospreay and Scurll over the last half of the year ahead of this match.

If you came into this match expecting something high-paced and exciting, that’s exactly what you got. They were flying at full speed almost from the moment the bell rang, and none of the four men let up for even a moment until it ended.

.@WillOspreay is doing @WillOspreay things #njwk12 ➡️ https://t.co/8n90d75Nfk http://pic.twitter.com/GWliYbIoDc

— TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) January 4, 2018

But it wasn’t just about the high-flying moves, though, because the sheer aggression between these four men — with Kushida and Takahashi renewing their rivalry and two of the top English stars in Scurll and Ospreay battling once again — came out in some truly eye-opening ways.

THEY JUST DON'T STOP. #njwk12 ➡️ https://t.co/8n90d75Nfk http://pic.twitter.com/iaCLGpQBlK

— TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) January 4, 2018

Hiromu sends KUSHIDA flying! #njwk12 ➡️ https://t.co/8n90d75Nfk http://pic.twitter.com/RhTAFa0N11

— TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) January 4, 2018

The Tokyo Dome is going ballistic for @TIMEBOMB1105! #njwk12 ➡️ https://t.co/8n90d75Nfk http://pic.twitter.com/9u2YvKBWUN

— TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) January 4, 2018

.@KUSHIDA_0904 has a sunset bomb of his own! #njwk12 ➡️ https://t.co/8n90d75Nfk http://pic.twitter.com/jh1R0CxRTz

— TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) January 4, 2018

The action just wouldn’t stop. There were so many near-falls that were either fought out of or desperately broken up at the last moment. All four men looked incredible — Scurll was at his villainous best, Ospreay was showing new dimensions of of toughness and drive that we haven’t seen from him before, Kushida was pulling out all the stops to stay in the match, and Takahashi was constantly fighting his way into the center of the match and making huge impact after huge impact on the proceedings.

It was almost a shame that it finally had to end. The story the match told in among the frantic pace of all the action was fantastic — Scurll getting more and more desperate as he realized he was facing three elite wrestlers, Takahashi looking to reclaim the belt that he’d held so jealously after winning it a year ago, and Kushida realizing he had to take a step or two up to stay relevant in a rapidly-improving division of NJPW.

Above it all, however, was Will Ospreay. Over the last two years, he’s been on a rapid ascent in the wrestling world, and at Wrestle Kingdom 12 he may have taken his biggest step yet. He was knocked down and put on the ropes so many times throughout this match, but he constantly found ways to dig deep and fight through. He wasn’t just doing the ”flippy shit” that put him on the map — Ospreay was fighting tooth and nail all throughout the match, including pulling out some incredibly physical counters and smart moments that we haven’t typically seen from the young Englishman. It was fitting, then, that he would finally break his years-long drought against Scurll, hitting a huge Oz Cutter springboard stunner on the defending champion to win the pinfall and become a two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, and assert himself as the man to beat in the division.

The Bullet Club rises, the Bullet Club falls

For years, one of the biggest rivalries in NJPW’s junior heavyweight tag team division was the Bullet Club’s Young Bucks against Rocky Romero. Whether it was part of Forever Hooligans or Roppongi Vice, Romero constantly found the Bucks in his way, and he and the Jackson brothers put on some absolutely tremendous matches. Now mostly retired from the ring, Romero is leading Roppongi 3K, the young tag team of Sho and Yohthat’s taken NJPW by storm, winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on their first night back in Japan after more than a year away from the company.

With the Bucks looking to win the Junior Heavyweight belts for a record seventh time to cement themselves as arguably the best junior tag team in Japanese history, they had to get past the man who knows them best once more. Rocky Romero’s team stood in their way, and the Young Bucks were eager to get one over on their old rival again. They went to work fast, riling up Sho and Yoh, then using an injury to Yoh to take out Romero himself with a running powerbomb on the entrance ramp while the attention was on the fallen tag champion.

.@MattJackson13 ruthlessly disposes of @azucarRoc! #njwk12 ➡️ https://t.co/8n90d75Nfk http://pic.twitter.com/LQoNa9Z68g

— TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) January 4, 2018

That back injury to Yoh, and one that Matt Jackson would suffer several minutes later, would become the story of the match, with the Bucks doing everything they could to add to Yoh’s misery, while smartly keeping the top-shelf talent of Sho outside the ring, knowing that with Yoh hurt, Sho was the much bigger threat to them in this match.

YOUR BACK ASPLODE. ➡️ https://t.co/8n90d75Nfk http://pic.twitter.com/RzV8WjydfJ

— TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) January 4, 2018

But Yoh kept fighting out of whatever the Young Bucks threw his way, and every time Sho got into the ring he did significant damage to the Bucks, especially to Matt’s own injured back. Roppongi 3K had answers to most of the Bucks’ tricks thanks to Romero’s coaching — but the Bucks had a few more tricks up their sleeves that Sho and Yoh weren’t ready for. After Matt blasted Sho out of the ring, the fourth Sharpshooter that Yoh found himself in during the match was the last one. The youngster’s hurt body finally overriding his near-bottomless will to keep fighting and tapping out to give the Young Bucks their seventh IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship win.

That kind of in-ring storytelling was on display again as another Bullet Club member, Cody Rhodes, took on Kota Ibushi. This was a match about the arrogance and deviousness of Cody against the heart and passion of Kota, and it played out in every part of this match like chapters in a book. Cody and his wife Brandi took every advantage they could by hook or by crook, with the former Ring of Honor World Champion frequently attacking Ibushi’s surgically-repaired neck, while Brandi distracted him at every opportunity.

Ibushi never stayed down for long, though, pulling out one brilliant counter after another to keep Cody off-balance and do as much damage as he could. But that all seemed to be at risk after Cody hit a jaw-dropping Cross Rhodes — his finishing maneuver — off the ring apron, driving Ibushi’s head onto the floor.

.@CodyRhodes delivers a nightmarish CROSS RHODES! #njwk12 ➡️ https://t.co/8n90d75Nfk http://pic.twitter.com/LNDh1jLSRC

— TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) January 4, 2018

It looked like that would be it for the match — Kota beat the referee’s 20 count to return to the ring by slimmest of margins, and seemed completely out of it for several minutes, but Cody’s next attempt at a Cross Rhodes saw Ibushi dig deep to find an escape out of nowhere, sending Cody face-first into the corner padding. Cody kept Ibushi on the ropes for a short time, but you could tell the momentum was shifting, and Kota started looking for his Kamigoye knee strike finisher as Cody started to turn to more and more desperate attempts to finish the match. He would finally catch Cody off-balance and hit Kamigoye cleanly, leaving Cody face-down on the mat — but Ibushi decided that wasn’t enough, deciding to add an exclamation mark and show off his athleticism in the face of all the damage he took in the form of a huge Phoenix Splash to put Cody away.

In the end, the story of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 was one of triumph. It was a fantastic show on a technical level, but every match told a clear and concise story. We didn’t even touch on everything in great detail, because there’s simply not enough time or space to go over everything.

But when you look at Omega’s tenacity, Naito’s drive, the juniors’ passion, the Young Bucks’ mission to take down an old rival, and Cody’s arrogance, and you add it to things like Hirooki Goto’s honor beating Minoru Suzuki’s unhinged aggression and Hiromu Tanahashi proving that the former ace can still beat a young upstart, and you have such a complete storytelling experience that even if you somehow didn’t enjoy the technical product, it’s almost impossible not to understand and appreciate the full range of the story on display in NJPW’s biggest event of the year.