#i thot i started wanting to in 2018 bc that was when i actually tried to lmao

[kingscribbles]

THE weirdgirl of all time, also I guess semi-redraw bc I actually drew her traditionally back in 2015 [ X ]

[hotpinkstaples]

On Why Ibushi/Omega Can Wait Until Sakura Genesis

I've written before how important the month of April is to Bullet Club leaders' character development in the overall New Japan narrative, and as we step closer and closer to Wrestle Kingdom, the more I realize that Sakura Genesis 2018 is likely going to be the critical turning point for the inevitable Bullet Club/Elite split. As far as we know, Kenneth will not be defending the US title at Power Struggle, and is likely to hold onto it going into Wrestle Kingdom. For all intents and purposes, it's pretty much expected that Kenny Omega will be issued a challenger either during Power Struggle, or during the World Tag league. At Power Struggle, that allots Kenneth two months to build an on-screen story with his challenger. If it happens during the World Tag League, then it leaves New Japan with less than a month of storytelling to push into Wrestle Kingdom 12.

Now, can they build Ibushi/Omega in two months? Sure. The Golden Lovers storytelling has been predominantly done through social media, however, if two solid months were used to build up an on-screen feud, then it could very well come to an culmination at Wrestle Kingdom. But what's the point of spending two months on a simmering feud when that rarely gets any live content? Personally, I think this is where Suzuki and Tanahashi step into the game.

Please realize that there is very little chance that Ibushi/Omega will be the semi-main event of the night when he haven't even factored our bloody Ace into the game. Is Ibushi/Omega a draw? Absolutely, but you out yo damn mind if you think Tanahashi Hiroshi's match is gonna play back-up dancer to a feud that's only going to have two months of live footage and some vagueposting on Twitter. Of the last five Wrestle Kingdoms, Tana's only semi-main evented for one- which was this year's Wrestle Kingdom. The other four? He main evented. He won three out of the five Wrestle Kingdoms, and though he might just lose at this coming one on January 4, 2018, it still won't erase the fact that he's arguably one of their most powerful characters and has a lot to offer to the story.

So where does Tanahashi factor into Kenneth and Ibushi story?

It could very well be that at Power Struggle, Tanahashi will lose to Ibushi. If he loses, then he's free to wrestle whomstever he wants, and Ibushi goes into Wrestle Kingdom as champion. Now, I understand some of y'all are thirsty for a unification match between the IC and US titles, but recognize that the US title hasn't even been in existence for a year- there is no point in unifying it with the IC title bc the IC title doesn't need the US title. It is a prestigious title on its own, whereas the US title doesn't even have ten defenses underneath its belt. Unifying it would be like throwing crumbs at a person already enjoying a feast.

Best case scenario for if Tanahashi loses? He challenges Kenneth at Wrestle Kingdom, and the US heavyweight title suddenly gets elevated to semi-event because Tanahashi is about to validate it. Tanahashi might just lose, which would make perfect sense since then the US title will be strong enough to pull in mighty top draw challengers instead of midcarders, and Tanahashi can finally take a fucking break to heal up. Ibushi, on the other hand, can either battle Goto (to whomst he lost in the G1), or Suzuki, since his welcome back into the New Japan fold included him getting jumped by Suzuki-gun. Or, it could be someone out of thin air, but we'll see what Gedo's headass is up to in November.

But what if Tanahashi wins? Kenneth is still champion, a unification match could still happen, but if it doesn’t- why would Ibushi get a shot at another title when he couldn't come through for the IC title? Tanahashi, at least, was a champion if he were issued a match against Kenneth. Ibushi doesn't have a damn thing underneath his belt since returning, so two title shots and a G1? Nah. It doesn't make sense in terms of the battle narrative, but who knows. If Ibushi loses, he could very well challenge Kenneth, but at the end of the night, all it'll do is... be a battle for the US heavyweight title. It won't be any special commentary on Golden Lovers, Bullet Club thottery will still be at a record high, and whoever wins, wins, and whoever loses... loses. That's it. As for Tanahashi, he remains in the semi-event scene, and Suzuki could very well challenge him for the IC title if he loses to Yano at Power Struggle, since Taguchi Japan and Suzuki-gun have had steady beef streaming for these past couple of months.

But at the end of the day, all I'm tryna say is- we ran out of time. If Ibushi/Omega had been a steady presence through the G1 and into the Destruction series, it would have been a credible match for the future. But that's not what happened. Kota returned to New Japan and linked his return to Shinsuke and then reconnected with Tana- those are kayfabe facts. Kamigoye is not a homage to the V-trigger. It is an homage to Shinsuke Nakamura, the man whomst Ibushi fought in arguably one of the best matches in professional wrestling history, and now Kota's challenging Shinsuke's biggest rival- one Tanahashi Hiroshi.

Kenneth, on the the hand, had his series with Okada tied up, and now his main feature is to build the US heavyweight title. Besides the tidbits that we see in the backstage videos and the Twitter posts, the story is a mere fetus compared to overall narrative of New Japan. I wanna remind y'all that Golden Lovers is a DDT love story that transitioned into New Japan. New Japan has only the years Golden Lovers lasted as a tag team, and the betrayal that took place at Invasion Attack 2015. When they split the team, New Japan tried to build each man separately. They essentially tried to suppress the story, or at least make it go away. It was Kenneth and Kota who decided to keep the remnants of it alive. Don't believe me? Watch the rise of Ibushi Kota as a singles competitor in New Japan, versus the rise of the Cleaner. Also note that the actual New Japan equivalent of the Golden Lovers tag team was none other than Apollo 55, so watch that story for how New Japan concluded the story of the ultimate betrayal.

At the end of the day, Wrestle Kingdom simply isn't the time to tell the story of the Bullet Club leader and the man he betrayed to lead the Club. As y'all be knowin, it's the long-haul that counts in New Japan, and if there is a story to be told about the Golden Lovers- it's gotta start after the Dome show. Start it at the Dash, and you have a story that'll build up over months to culminate at Sakura Genesis 2018 in April- much like how Fergal and Ryusuke's story came to an end at Invasion Attack 2014 after it reignited at New Year Dash 2014. It also gives Gedo and the characters a series of shows in which to tell the story live, and to also incorporate the larger narrative of the Bullet Club collapsing in on itself while the Elite drifts farther and farther away. It also allows Ibushi to build relationships with others and perhaps either a) create a faction of his own, or b) join a faction, since he doesn't have a home stable for the time being. Wrestle Kingdom? Premature, and a poor choice as it does nothing in terms of the overall narrative. If drawing power was all New Japan thought about, we’d be watching WWE- but we’re not.

And those are my thots.