#njpw pay per view predictions

[pwrestlingxpress]

I'm Back...Predictions for Historic X-Over

After being away from this for over three years, I'm back here on the "Pro Wrestling Express" and...I'm going to start off with key predictions for the NJPW/Stardom crossover event coming up in a couple of hours.

First thing though: The opening video package fans around the world will be seeing on Pay-Per-View.

Sadly...I will not be watching the event LIVE due to the fact that despite having much money, I have to use that money for Christmas shopping and things most important in my life right now and because of that...won't have enough to order this event but...this card is going to be awesome. This show is going to be amazing. Anyway, time for my predictions for "Historic X-Over"

Match #1: EVIL, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, and Dick Togo [House of Torture] vs. Lio Rush, YOH, YOSHI-HASHI, and Tomohiro Ishii

Many have been looking forward to seeing Lio Rush make his debut in Japan and I got the feeling that him and YOH will send a strong message to the remaining 9 Junior Tag Teams. Thus...I'm going with Chaos for the opening win.

Match #2: Thelka, Himeka, and Mai Sakurai [Donna del Mundo] vs. Saya Kamitani, AZM, and Lady C [Queen's Quest]

Now...being honest here, I don't watch Stardom but I do like what this company does and from everyone I follow on social media, their matches are completely off the charts and this one will be just a sample of that. As for who I have winning this 6-woman tag match, since Saya and AZM are reigning champions (Wonder of Stardom and High Speed Champion, respectively) feeling like someone from "Donna del Mundo" will get the winning pin with that person most likely being Thelka because I feel like with her having been out for parts of the year, she has something to prove.

Match #3: Giula [Donna del Mundo] and Zac Sabre Jr. [Suzuki-gun] vs. Syuri [God's Eye] and Tom Lawlor [Team Filthy]

This is one of the few matches that is hard to predict but if this is used to setup Giulia's eventual rise next month, then I see her getting the win for her team. I'm more of a George Michael fan by the way.

Match #4: Starlight Kid, Momo Watanabe [Black Desire/Oedo Tai], El Desperado, and DOUKI [Suzuki-gun] vs. Natsupoi, Tam Nakano [meltear/Cosmic Angels], Taichi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru [Suzuki-gun]

Feel like this match is going to be insane. Rarely will we see Suzuki-gun members face each other but...big opportunity arises and...as of this typing, I have the feeling once that bell rings, all bets are off. As for who I have winning...can't really predict this one because it's going to be crazy.

Match #5: Maika and Hirooki Goto vs. Utami Hayashita and Hiroshi Tanahashi

The opening package above bills this as "The Aces vs. The Fierce Warriors" with Tanahashi and Utami as the aces of their respective companies and Goto and Maika as those warriors who never give up or never surrender. My prediction for this is I have Utami and Tanahashi winning with Tanahashi getting the winning pinfall.

Match #6: Gideon Grey, TJP, Francesco Akira, Mark Davis, and Kyle Fletcher [United Empire] vs. Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA, and Tetsuya Naito [Los Ingobernables de Japon]

Continuing from where they left off in the "Battle Autumn 2022 " tour, LIJ and United Empire square off once again. As for who I have winning, with 3 of the 5 LIJ members competing in the two Tag Tournament starting Monday, with Hiromu competing at "Wrestle Kingdom 17", and with 4 of the 5 United Empire competing also at those two tag tournaments, I see LIJ winning with Gideon Grey once again being the pinfall victim.

Match #7: Great O-Khan, Aaron Henare, and Jeff Cobb [United Empire] vs. Great Muta, Toru Yano, and Kazuchika Okada

In less than two months, the alternate persona of Keiji Mutoh (Great Muta) will officially be retired. Before that though, the Great Muta will make his last NJPW match in the Ariake Arena. As for who I have winning this match...as of this typing I'm going with the United Empire and Jeff Cobb pinning Toru Yano. Got to protect Okada before "Wrestle Kingdom 17" on January 4, 2023. And though I predict United Empire to win, I feel like Great Muta will do something that'll be memorable for all as he says goodbye to NJPW.

Match #8 [Semifinal match]

In the semi-main event, we have the returning Shota Umino challenging perhaps the best wrestler in all of 2022 in Will Ospreay for the IWGP United States Championship. Who I have winning can go in two ways. Should Ospreay retain over Shota, expect a certain someone (most likely Kenny Omega) to send a video and announce a match between the two at "Wrestle Kingdom 17". Now...if we get the "Roughneck Shock" as it shows in the video package, then expect Shota's first challenger to most likely be Jeff Cobb. No matter who wins this match, this could be a MOTN candidate and possible MOTY.

Main Event [aka Match #9]

History is going to be made in this main event as it's Mayu Iwatani going one on one with KAIRI to determine the first IWGP Women's Champion. As for who I believe will win this match, it's really hard to predict because, been over 2 years since we've seen KAIRI compete and her comeback this year has been something else. Then, we look at Mayu Iwatani who's a history maker in almost anything. She's got a wild personality and when she wrestles...she'll make you go "wow". So...with that said...it's hard to pick a winner but I'm going with...Mayu Iwatani as the first champion with the first challenger either being Tam Nakano or Starlight Kid.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Although I will not be watching "Historic X-Over", I have the feeling that this is just the starting point for both NJPW and Stardom. Come 2023 and beyond, we're going to see more collaboration events between these two companies. Get ready for a wild Sunday...all on Pay-Per-View.

[hazyheel]

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 Day 1 Predictions

Wrestle Kingdom is always in contention for show of the year come December, even though it is usually the first big show of the year. New Japan is just that good. And this year’s card is just as appetizing as past years, even if it is split into a two night event. So we don’t have all the big title matches on one night, but it is still a packed night. Ten huge matches with a lot of big names. i’m still definitely looking forward to it. Here are my predictions for this year’s Wrestle Kingdom.

Oh yeah, also I’m back. Went through a bit of a rough patch in my life (college is hard) but I’m back on the wrestling train. Happy to be blogging again :)

Mayu Iwatani & Arisa Hoshiki vs. Giulia & Hana Kimura: This is a Wonder Ring Stardom showcase match that I did not expect to happen, but here it is. I have heard great things about Stardom, but my only real experience with it was in my small experience with Ring of Honor. So I have only really seen Iwatani wrestle, but she is pretty good, so there is no reason not to look forward to this. Iwatani is currently the World of Stardom Champion (main event), while Hoshiki is the Wonder of Stardom Champion (midcard). Since I have no clue who anyone other than Iwatani are, I am just gonna guess that she will win. This will probably be pretty good. 

Alex Coughlin, Clark Connors, Karl Fredericks & Toa Henare vs. Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura: A young lion showcase at the Tokyo Dome. This is probably the biggest stage that any of the young lions have been on, so good for them for getting on the card. I’m gonna say that the US Dojo boys will win this one, only because Fredericks won the Young Lion Cup so he may get the pin. But I will be rooting for my boy Tsuji all the way. This could be good, but I’m not going to get my hopes up.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata: The last pre show match has a few of the older guys on the roster in a tag match. While I’m not a huge fan most of these guys, other than Nagata, they have been working together for a long time and have probably developed a good amount of chemistry. I’m calling TenKoji to win this, because they are an actual tag team. Again, could be a good match, but I’m not willing to bet on it. 

The Great Sasuke, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tatsumi Fujinami & Tiger Mask IV vs. Naoki Sano, Ryusuke Taguchi, Shinjiro Ootani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa: The match opening up the official Wrestle Kingdom Card is Jushin Thunder Liger’s first retirement match, and features a host of Japanese wrestling legends. Now, I don’t know much about old school New Japan, but I definitely recognize a few of these names. I’m gonna say that Liger’s team will get the win on this one, just so he can have one last pin to his name. I’m not expecting much from this match, but the aftermath should be quite touching. 

BUSHI, EVIL, SANADA & Shingo Takagi vs. El Desperado, Minoru Suzuki, Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr: Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. Suzuki-Gun. An 8 man tag that serves to get a bunch of deserving people on the wrestle kingdom card, and preview the British Championship match for night two. Not much else to say about this, but there is a lot of good talent in this match. I’m not normally into the hastily thrown together multi-man tags in New Japan, but this might be good if they step up their game for the Tokyo Dome. I’m going to say that Suzuki-Gun gets the win, because then the heels will get to beat down the faces, and that is always fun. 

Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, KENTA & Yujiro Takahashi vs. Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI: CHOAS vs. BULLET CLUB. Another big 8 man tag that gives a big old Wrestle Kingdom Paycheck to some deserving guys. This match, however, kinda previews two matches. Not only the NEVER Openweight Championship, but the 6-man tag team championships as well. I don’t care much about this match because most of the Bullet Club guys aren’t super exciting to watch, but I’m looking forward to whenever Kenta gets in the ring. I’m gonna call the CHAOS team winning so that there can be a bit of tension between Ishii, Hashi and Yano, because Ishii and Hashi are gunning for Yano’s title on Night two. 

FinJuice vs. The Guerrillas of Destiny for the IWGP Tag Team Championships: The unlikely winners of the World Tag League take on the totally dominant Guerrillas of Destiny. The big story coming into this match is that GOD beat FinJuice in the World Tag League late last year, so they have the edge going into this match. Even though I really want FinJuice to win this, and I’ll probably be rooting for them on the day, I doubt they are coming away with the big win. It’s not even really because they are a bad team, I just don’t think that they want to have Juice with two belts before the main event of night two (spoilers for my later predictions). I hope this is a good match, because I feel like it will be but GOD can be kinda iffy sometimes. But I think it will be pretty good. 

Jon Moxley vs. Lance Archer in a Texas Death Match for the IWGP United States Championship: New Japan does not often use stipulations of any kind, and this is actually quite the big one. In this match, there are no pinfalls. The win can only come from a submission or a KO, to be represented by a ten count. So it’s kinda a hybrid between a submission match and a last man standing match. Very interesting. This match came about on the final day of the World Tag League, when Moxley confronted Archer after his final league match with Suzuki. Because of the violent nature of both of these wrestlers, they busted out the aforementioned violent stipulation. I think that Moxley is winning this match because Archer has really just been a transitional champion. Moxley never actually lost this belt, and it’s a damn shame that we didn’t get the Moxley-Robinson rematch last year. So I think we are gonna get it on Night two. This looks like it’ll be a brutal match with a lot of weapons and maybe even a bit of blood. I’m really looking forward to this wild brawl, because we never see matches like this in New Japan. 

Hiromu Takahashi vs. Will Ospreay for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: MY LOVELY LOVELY BOY IS BACK! I’ve missed Takahashi so so much. The story of this match goes back a while actually. In 2018, Takahashi won Best of the Super Juniors and went on to beat Ospreay for the Junior Heavyweight Championship at that year’s Dominion. Unfortunately, the next month, Takahashi suffered a broken neck during his match with Dragon Lee at the G1 Special in San Fransisco. So he had to forfeit the title and has been out for a year and a half. While was out, Ospreay won last year’s best of the Super Juniors by beating Takahashi’s stablemate and now heavyweight Shingo Takagi, and went on to beat Dragon Lee at Dominion. He has held onto the title since then with defenses against Robbie Eagles, El Phantasmo and BUSHI, as well as entering the G1 Climax and New Japan Cup while he was still a Junior Heavyweight. After he beat BUSHI, Ospreay offered an open challenge to anyone in the Junior Heavyweight division, and Takahashi returned. And everything was right in the world. I think that Takahashi is winning here, because he never lost his belt and he deserves it back. Also, Ospreay has been flirting with the heavyweight division for a long time, and it’s about time that he moves up. He’s beaten a whole bunch of heavyweights, and he needs to be higher up on the card. This should be an amazing match. Ospreay is probably my favorite wrestler in the world right now, and Takahashi is just as amazing. Any other card and I would’ve predicted this as the match of the night, but Wrestle Kingdom is stacked as hell this year. 

Jay White vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship: This match has higher stakes than the Intercontinental Championship, as it is also to qualify for the main event double championship match of night two. These two absolutely hate each other, and were very passive aggressive when they interacted during their feud last year. Naito lost the Intercontinental Championship to White at Destruction in Kobe last year, and since then, both men have announced that they want to be double champions. So that is where we are with this feud. I think that Naito is winning here, mostly because of my next prediction and the fact that they have held off on a match that they seemed very fond of for a really long time. I think it could be White winning here, because they like him a lot, but it’s Naito’s time to main event in the Tokyo Dome. This should be a really good, if not great, match, but it is kinda falling in the background for me considering Takahashi’s return and the main event. 

Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship: The big passing of the torch match that I have been waiting for since I started watching New Japan. These two faced off in the G1 Climax A Block, with Ibushi picking up the big win against the champion. Ibushi went on to win in the finals of the G1 Climax and earn his title shot here. Since then, both men have defended their status, with Okada beating Minoru Suzuki and SANADA to retain his title, while Ibushi defended his contract against KENTA and EVIL. Now the two are on a collision course, and I can’t wait to see them go all out. I think that Ibushi is winning here, because it is his time to shine in the sun. He didn’t leave for AEW with Kenny, and he deserves to be World Champion for that. Also, I NEED THIS. I have literally predicted that he would win the Heavyweight Championship for the past two years, but none of it has happened. I need him to win here. Also, Naito and Ibushi in the main event of night two would be epic. This is the match I am most looking forward to. I can practically see the A+ that I will give it. 

[wwe-money-in-the-bank]

2019 WWE Money in the Bank matches, card, date, rumors, start time ... https://www.cbssports.com/wwe/.../2019-wwe-money-in-the-bank-matches-card-date-ru...

▶ 2:54

4 hours agoEverything you need to know ahead of WWE's annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

2019 WWE Money in the Bank matches, card, date, predictions ... https://www.cbssports.com/wwe/.../2019-wwe-money-in-the-bank-matches-card-date-pr...

▶ 2:54

May 7, 2019Everything you need to know ahead of WWE's annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

Raw's Money in the Bank Ladder Match competitors sound off: Raw ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV0J9ez92Ak

▶ 4:34

Jun 12, 2018 - Uploaded by WWE... order, as the competitors of both Money in the Bank Ladder Matches have heated a... ... Subscribe to WWE on ...

FULL MATCH - Money in the Bank Ladder match for a Title Contract ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywl9mSvkB9s

▶ 22:11

15 hours ago - Uploaded by WWEDean Ambrose, Alberto Del Rio, Cesaro, Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn fight for a WWE World ...

FULL MATCH - 2015 Money in the Bank Ladder Match for a World ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJDEosl_A9c

▶ 21:10

4 days ago - Uploaded by WWE... Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Neville and Kane battle to grab the coveted Money in the Bank ...

WWE Money in the Bank 2013 Kickoff - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9bOn_xiQuM

▶ 29:44

Jul 15, 2013 - Uploaded by WWEAt Money in the Bank, WWE Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns will put their illustrious ...

Full WWE Money In The Bank 2018 event results: WWE Now - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDaVA_xVcAo

▶ 2:34

Jun 18, 2018 - Uploaded by WWEFind out which Superstars from both Raw and SmackDown LIVE stood tall atWWE Money in the Bank 2018 ...

WWE Money in the Bank Kickoff: June 17, 2018 - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byYWQL3OTec

▶ 1:02:59

Jun 18, 2018 - Uploaded by WWECatch all of the late-breaking news, expert analysis and Kickoff show matches before all of the action goes down ...

Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match: WWE Money in the Bank ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co4TIc78sW4

▶ 1:04

Jun 19, 2017 - Uploaded by WWEAt WWE Money in the Bank 2017, Sami Zayn becomes a one-man wrecking crew in his bid to become the next ...

WWE Money in the Bank 2018 video highlights: Courtesy of WWE ...

[usatrendingsports]

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 predictions: Match card, breakdown full PPV preview

With future WWE Corridor of Famer Chris Jericho leaping ship to Japan for a red-hot feud towards Kenny Omega, extra eyes will likely be on New Japan Professional-Wrestling’s model of WrestleMania than any yr in latest reminiscence. Omega-Jericho will function one half of a twin foremost occasion at Thursday morning’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 card from the Tokyo Dome (2 a.m. ET, stay stream on NJPWworld.com). 

The present is predicted to be a serious a part of NJPW’s present North American enlargement, which incorporates the featured push of many English-speaking American and Canadian stars like Omega, Cody (nee Rhodes), the Younger Bucks and now Jericho. The enlargement will proceed in March when NJPW returns to the US for the second straight yr with a card set in Lengthy Seashore, California. 

What is not recognized is whether or not Jericho will likely be a part of that U.S. present. The longtime WWE star, who introduced his NJPW signing in stunning style in November, is reportedly a free agent once more after Friday’s New Yr Sprint card (which is akin to WWE’s Uncooked after WrestleMania). One has to wonder if Thursday’s card, and the way nicely it’s obtained or how a lot enjoyable Jericho has within the Tokyo Dome, will play a component in his choice making. 

For a lot of North American professional wrestling followers, this week will mark their first time viewing an NJPW pay-per-view present. Let’s take a more in-depth take a look at every match, what’s at stake and what to anticipate. 

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 predictions

New Japan Rumble: Just like WWE’s Royal Rumble, this match encompasses a new shock entrant each jiffy. The important thing distinction between this and WWE’s format is that wrestlers will be eradicated by way of pinfall and submission in Japan, in addition to being thrown excessive rope. NJPW would not announce the members prematurely, making a prediction unimaginable. However the high quality of wrestling usually is not the sturdy due to what number of growing old legends participate. Final yr’s match, gained by present star Michael Elgin in his return from harm, featured 14 members together with nostalgic names Billy Gunn, Jyushin “Thunder” Liger, Tiger Masks and Scott Norton. Choose: None

IWGP Jr. Tag Staff Championship — Roppongi 3K (c) vs. The Younger Bucks: After the amicable breakup of Beretta and Rocky Romero in September because the tag group Roppongi Vice, Romero moved right into a managerial position and introduced a brand new group. Consisting of Sho Tanaka and Yohei Kamatsu, Roppongi 3K (named after Romero’s declare that they had been “Three,000 instances higher than Roppongi Vice) made a shock reveal at October’s King of Professional-Wrestling PPV and defeated Ricochet and Ryusuke Taguchi for the belts. The duo additional established itself as legit by successful November’s Tremendous Junior Tag Match. After the match, 3K was challenged by The Younger Bucks, who’ve dominated the division since their 2013 NJPW debut, holding the belts six instances. Contemplating what number of instances the Bucks and Roppongi Vice have traded the titles lately, this has all of the making to be the beginning of an thrilling spin-off feud with 3K, that includes no scarcity of high-flying spots between the 2 greatest junior heavyweight tag groups. However with the belts’ sizzling potato historical past of late, that includes six title modifications in 2017, it is a good wager that the Bucks will exit as seven-time champions. Choose: The Younger Bucks win the titles

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Staff Championship — Bullet Membership (c) vs. Chaos vs. Michael Elgin & Struggle Machine vs. Suzuki-gun vs. Taguchi Japan: Thursday marks the two-year anniversary of the titles’ creation, which has included 14 separate championship reigns. Representing Bullet Membership, the trio of Unhealthy Luck Fale, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa are lower than one month into their first. This gauntlet-style match can also be anticipated to be the ultimate NJPW look for Struggle Machine, who’re rumored to be signing with WWE. Anticipate chaos and physicality on this one, involving a number of with WWE connections. Tonga and Loa (previously Camacho in WWE) are the sons of former WWE star Haku. In the meantime, Zach Sabre Jr. of Suzuki-gun was a standout within the 2016 WWE Cruiserweight Traditional, and Juice Robinson of Taguchi Japan was previously often called CJ Parker in NXT. Choose: Bullet Membership retain their titles

Cody vs. Kota Ibushi (Particular Single Match): This one misplaced the luster of being contested for the Ring of Honor title when Cody dropped the belt to Dalton Citadel in December. However that does not rob from its potential to steal the present. Ibushi, recognized to American followers for his run within the WWE Cruiserweight Traditional, made a case for inclusion because the world’s greatest in-ring performer this summer time throughout NJPW’s G1 Climax event. Cody, in the meantime, has grow to be one of many prime unbiased stars on this planet since asking WWE for his launch in 2016 and a serious participant in Bullet Membership. 

Jericho’s late addition to the cardboard doubtless means Cody took the spot initially meant for Omega, who was a former tag group associate and rival of Ibushi with Japan’s DDT promotion. However he made positive so as to add sufficient juice to the storyline at December’s World Tag League PPV when he hit Ibushi with a very stiff Cross Rhodes on the stage. The regular teasing over 2017 rising riff between Cody and Omega has been constructing inside Bullet Membership might grow to be an element right here. So, too, might a five-star match as Cody proved towards IWGP heavyweight champion Kazuchika Okada ultimately years’s NJPW G1 Particular in USA card that he can increase his sport to ranges above what he has proven in WWE. Choose: Ibushi wins

IWGP Tag Staff Championship — Killer Elite Squad (c) vs. SANADA & EVIL: Fronted by G1 winner Tetsuya Naito, the previous 12 months have been huge for the Los Ignobernables de Japon (LIJ) faction. SANADA and EVIL have been no exception in that regard. The duo twice had been a part of six-man tag group championship reigns and every raised their inventory significantly with performances on the G1. As a conventional tag group, in addition they gained final month’s World Tag League event, successful the A Block earlier than defeating Tonga and Loa within the remaining. There is not any cause to recommend that momentum slows down right here, particularly with KES having closed 2017 with the longest reign (96 days) of titles that change fingers usually. If Lance Archer’s identify sounds acquainted, he wrestled in WWE’s ECW reboot as Vance Archer and the huge, 6-foot-5 Davey Boy Smith Jr. is the son of the late British Bulldog. Choose: SANADA & EVIL win the titles

NEVER Openweight Championship (Hair vs. Hair Match) — Minoru Suzuki (c) vs. Hirooki Goto: With two wins over Goto in 2017, together with his title victory in April, Suzuki turned down Goto’s a number of requests for yet one more title match. It in the end took a pair of Goto victories in non-title bouts over Suzuki and Goto’s willingness to place his hair on the road for the psychotic, 49-year-old legend to just accept (and conform to put his personal distinctive locks at stake). Any match involving this model of the maniacal Suzuki, an MMA pioneer within the early 1990s who as soon as beat Ken Shamrock, is value watching and his performances on the G1 had been among the many greatest within the event. The construct to this one has additionally been enjoyable, together with Suzuki’s failed try to trim Goto’s hair with clippers forward of time (which ended with him shaving a younger boy). Per Suzuki’s insistence, no seconds for both wrestler will likely be allowed at ringside, which might in the end play towards his pure heel tendencies. Choose: Goto wins the title  

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship (Four-Manner Match) — Marty Scurll (c) vs. Will Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi: The final three males to carry the junior heavyweight title earlier than Scurll gained it in November will get a recent shot on the gold in a match that must be off the charts by way of large spots. That is additionally the primary Four-way title match within the belt’s 32-year historical past. Ospreay, a local of England, is simply 24 and among the many most acrobatic and thrilling performers on this planet. He’s additionally a longtime rival of KUSHIDA, whose “Time Splitter” gimmick is a tongue-in-cheek knockoff of the character Marty McFly from “Again to the Future.” In reality, this match melds a number of juicy rivalries into one, as every member bodily tried to cease the opposite from making an official problem of Scurll within the buildup. Britain’s Scurll is doing one of the best work of his profession for the time being. And do not be shocked if the presence of his Bullet Membership mates performs a component within the end. Choose: Scurll retains the title

IWGP Intercontinental Championship — Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Switchblade: Returning to NJPW for the primary time since 2016, Jay White made fairly a press release in November by difficult Tanahashi earlier than attacking him. He additionally debuted his new edgy “Switchblade” character, clad in a black leather-based jacket. White’s push exhibits the type of confidence the corporate has within the 25-year-old from New Zealand, who was given the mysterious vignette therapy for the earlier three months earlier than his reveal. White has a golden alternative to recover from as a heel contemplating he is dealing with the veteran Tanahashi, who at 41 has put forth a protracted babyface profession on prime that is akin in WWE to John Cena. He has additionally routinely labored via severe accidents, together with the grueling G1 event the place he made a run to the A Block finals with just about one working arm. At the moment slowed by a knee harm, this appears like the precise time for NJPW to seek out out whether or not White is actually a breakout star within the making, able to changing into a think about its North American push. Choose: Switchblade wins the title

IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship (No Disqualification Match) — Kenny Omega (c) vs. Chris Jericho: With all due respect to everybody else on the cardboard, that is the explanation many within the U.S. are so prepared to set their alarms at an ungodly hour to observe an web stream from midway the world over. It isn’t a stretch to name Omega, a local of Canada, one of the best wrestler on this planet after authoring fairly probably the best calendar yr of in-ring work within the historical past of the style. Omega is NJPW’s most dear asset to the thought of competing with WWE from a crucial standpoint and faces the right dance associate in Jericho, 47, who brings with him legendary expertise and the legitimacy of business enchantment. 

The construct to the match was as easy and uncooked because it was sensible. A Jericho vignette shocked Omega at a November PPV, difficult him for his U.S. championship. One month later, Jericho brutally attacked him from behind and left him bloodied. The next day, the 2 brawled at a press convention producing depth that was electrical. Billed as “Alpha vs. Omega,” pairing one of the best on this planet towards one of the best of all-time, the match might find yourself being the right marriage between Omega’s big-spot model and Jericho’s storytelling because of the no DQ stipulation and the expectations it can really feel like an actual combat. 

Despite the fact that each enter as heels, Jericho has reinvented his character so brilliantly as a psychopath that Omega has obtained babyface cheers. When you think about Omega’s star energy and the plans NJPW has for him, seeing him retain is the almost certainly situation. That’s, until Jericho, who appeared to tease a future program with Tetsuya Naito on Twitter, plans on hanging round lengthy sufficient to help the North American enlargement. Choose: Jericho wins the title

IWGP Heavyweight Championship — Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito: Whereas the “actual” foremost occasion has been overshadowed by Jericho’s late addition to the cardboard, this one has all of the makings to be a traditional simply the identical. Backed by an unimaginable storyline, it is the potential for in-ring magic that simply would possibly current the largest enchantment. Each males achieved close to perfection in 2017 matches towards Omega (together with a trio with Okada that redefined how nice wrestling will be) and after a protracted construct, they will lastly do enterprise towards each other. 

The story is one in every of real-life redemption. Naito, who is likely to be greatest described in WWE phrases as Roman Reigns if he turned heel, defeated Omega within the G1 remaining to safe the shot within the Wrestle Kingdom foremost occasion. 4 years earlier,  Naito additionally gained the G1 to earn a shot at then champion Okada however was denied a foremost occasion slot at Wrestle Kingdom after NJPW, fearful Naito wasn’t over sufficient as babyface, allowed the followers to vote for which match would shut. 

After taking his profession to Mexico in 2015 and becoming a member of the heel Los Ingoberales secure, Naito returned to NJPW as a villain and based the LIJ faction. Because of his newfound “tranquilo” persona as a likable no-care heel, the 35-year-old enters 2018 as the corporate’s hottest star in Japan. He’ll face Okada, 30, who defeated Naito for the heavyweight crown in 2016, and can enter the Tokyo Dome because the longest reigning champion (564 days) in IWGP historical past. Whereas Naito’s story has been a feel-good one to observe, it is laborious to shake the sensation that it already peaked for him on the G1. Okada is the corporate’s greatest wrestler not named Omega and the one would take advantage of sense contemplating their rivalry to have “The Cleaner” finally go over when it is his time to lastly win NJPW’s prime prize. Choose: Okada retains the title

require.config();

from Usa Trending Sports – NFL | NCAA | NBA | MLB | NASCAR | UFC | WWE http://ift.tt/2lKh7qx