#the book is no no boy by john okada about a japanese guy who comes home after 2 yrs of internment and 2 yrs of prison bc he said no to

[kuiinncedes]

not this book im reading for class getting me so emotional hello

[takerfoxx]

All right, so long as we’re playing catch-up, let’s address exactly what I was doing over the weekend that cut into my activity, why I posted “finally” at 3AM Sunday morning for seemingly no reason, and why at that very same time I was kneeling on the living room floor in front of the television, a luchador mask pulled down over my face, a Los Ingobernables de Japon towel draped over my shoulders, stomach full of Pringles and candy, and tears of joy prickling at my eyes.

You see, something happened at that moment, something I’ve been waiting to see for two years, something that brought me the most genuine joy and relief from any story in an exceptionally long time.

Yes, this is going to be about wrestling. Deal with it.

But honestly, it was more than just my favorite wrestler winning the big one at the big show against the big rival. It was the culmination of a five year journey, a story with twists and turns, one about failure and redemption, starring the coolest anti-hero ever and that happened almost entirely by accident.

Let’s wind back the clocks a bit. I’ve been a fan of pro wrestling for pretty much about half my life now. I got into it at around seventeen when I saw the Undertaker on tv, remained a devoted fan for several years, and even when I stopped watching due to life circumstance I still kept up with what was happening through internet news and would pick up the occasional PVP DVD from Best Buy. And over time I became as equally fascinated with what was going on outside the ring as inside it, with how these seemingly normal men and women would craft intricate second identities that they would embody at almost all times in order to stage violent battles over extravagant prizes. Wrestling is basically live action anime, and has been my longest lasting passion.

But unfortunately, at that time wrestling was entering something of a dark age. The WWE crushing all of its competition had left it without any reason to really try, and the quality dropped. Sure, there was the occasional bright spot, the occasional revolutionary storyline or character that would make waves, like the Shield, CM Punk, the Broken Hardys, Daniel Bryan, etc. All well and good, but these bright spots were just that, and overall the landscape seemed bleak. And when I traveled to Florida for Wrestlemania to see the Undertaker’s grand finale, I sort of considered my own grand finale with the WWE, a way to close the book on that chapter of my life. I saw my idol, the man that got me into wrestling in the first place, reach the end of his story, and so I could move on.

And then something magical happened.

In early 2017, the wrestling world suddenly started clamoring. Apparently, a match in Japan had happened between two wrestlers I knew little about that was supposedly the greatest match of all time, a transcendent masterpiece that dwarfed all other contests. These two men were called Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada, and the match was at an event called Wrestlekingdom, for a promotion called New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Now, I knew what NJPW was, of course. I had read several wrestling autobiographies, and many of those wrestlers had done tours there. And I knew of the famous Bullet Club through several of its members coming to WWE and bringing that attitude with them. And of course Shinsuke Nakamure also going to WWE and Kota Ibushi working the Cruiserweight Classic tournament put NJPW in a spotlight. And yet, until that moment, I hadn’t actually really checked it out. I had checked out a couple matches here and there, but they weren’t really my thing, so that was that.

But I had to see this match. I had to see what all the fuss was about. So I hunted down a recording and watched now.

Now, my experience probably wasn’t the same as a dedicated fan watching it in full live. I was someone going in cold, watching it in chunks here and there over a couple days. But it was a damned good match. I could see why it was so highly praised. But it wasn’t enough to make me keep watching.

But then, as a listened to several wrestling journalists and commentators discuss the match, one made mention of its very slow start, pointing out that it had to start slow because it was following another fantastic and highly anticipated match that had gone on right before it. So my curiosity got the better of me, I looked up this other match for the Intercontinental Championship between a couple of guys called Tetsuya Naito and Hiroshi Tanahashi, and…oh…

That. That’s all it took. Tetsuya Naito’s entrance, right there. I had never seen anything that cool before in my life, from his fancy suit and skull mask combo, to his overall languid disdain for everything around him, to how the giant eye opens up on the screen behind him right as he removes his mask, to the way he tosses his championship belt around like he couldn’t care less. He was absolutely mesmerizing.

This match clicked with me in a way that the other didn’t, and it was all because of Naito. His trollish persona, his mindgames, his over bastard demeanor had me hooked, and I simply had to know more about the man!

Well, it really looks like I know how to pick them, because not only was Naito a fascinating character, he had an actual bonafide backstory, the sort that would make any anti-hero jealous. And rare for a wrestling character, it happened almost by accident in a manner that came incredibly close to sabotaging his entire career.

To explain why, we have to go over to the man he was facing that night. We have to explain Hiroshi Tanahashi.

Tanahashi. The Ace of the Universe. The Once in a Century Talent. The Savior of New Japan Wrestling. The man that took the company on his back and singlehandedly lifted it out of its darkest days.

Tanahashi’s persona has been described by many as being the Japanese John Cena. Certainly there are parallels, in that’s he’s portrayed as an ultra-wholesome do-gooder, the ultimate superhero, an incorruptible paragon of good that was always the top champion, was always in the main event spot, and almost always won.

However, that comparison also does Tanahashi a massive disservice, because while John Cena’s supposedly unbreakable goodness and winning streak made large swaths of fans turns against him, the crowd in Japan never stopped loving Tanahashi. That is in part because he came around when the company was in a bad place financially and creatively. Multiple bad business decisions had left it in a rut, and poor attempts to course correct had only made things worse. But Tanahashi was exactly the man they needed, someone who could take Japanese workrate and combine it with Western flashiness and pageantry to turn himself into a genuine must-see star, and unlike John Cena, whose wrestling skills never seemed to be equal to his billing until fairly late in his career, Tanahashi was an amazing wrestler from the get-go, one who had a knack for pulling the best performances out of his opponents and make them look like a million bucks, so that even when he won, they came out of it looking better for having battled against the Ace.

Tanahashi saved the company. He brought back the fans, filled the seats, and got people buzzing about NJPW again. Hell, he pretty much was the only thing keeping the company afloat until other stars, such as his arch-nemesis Shinsuke Nakamura, Prince Devitt and the aggressively Western Bullet Club, and others could come along to help shoulder the load. However, while having all those other stars was great, they could not fill Tanahashi’s role, and too many were being tempted away with big WWE contracts. Tanahashi wasn’t going to be around forever. Sooner or later, a new Ace needed to be created.

To this, the company decided to have not one, but two stars at the ready, one to fill the role of Ace, the ultimate good guy, and the other to be his rival, the ultimate bad guy. For this, they chose two of their most promising rookie, a pair of prodigies that had all the tools they needed to succeed. The one chosen to be the bad guy was one Kazuchika Okada, the Rainmaker.

And the man chosen to one day replace Hiroshi Tanahashi as the Ace of New Japan was Tetsuya Naito.

In Okada’s case, the plan worked perfectly. He spent some time in America, where he studied various tapes and characters and came up with the gimmick of the Rainmaker, an ultra-arrogant rich boy who draped himself with gold and acted as if he was owed the world. And it is with this gimmick, this character, that Okada was rocketed into an immediate rivalry with Tanahashi himself, where he then showed everyone that he could walk the walk and was, despite his youth and inexperience, one of the greatest wrestlers walking the earth. His and Tanahashi’s rivalry has become the stuff of legends, as the upstart newcomer battled against the aging veteran for the top prize in a series of matches that are simply breathtaking in their quality. When it came to Okada, his place was secured.

At the same time Okada was being built up as the man who deposed Tanahashi, Naito was being groomed to be the man to replace Tanahashi. He built up a following as a white-meat babyface nicknamed the Stardust Genius, an enthusiastic, high-flying underdog hero that the fans could get behind. He was even turned on by his tag-team partner to build sympathy. Over time, he rose through the ranks, gaining popularity and esteem, until finally the time came to pull the trigger.

Okada had already taken Tanahashi down and claimed the Heavyweight Championship for himself, so someone had to be the one to confront him at Wrestlekingdom. That someone was, of course, Naito, who won the prestigious G1 Climax tournament by besting Tanahashi himself and earning the right to challenge the champion at Wrestlekingdom, and he did so to rapturous applause. Everything was working out great.

And then, just when it seemed that Naito the Stardust Genius and Naito the actual person had finally achieved everything he had ever dreamed of, it all came crashing down.

As Tanahashi was being led to the back, Naito got on the mic to make his celebratory promo, in which he declared himself to be the Shuyaka, or top star, of New Japan.

This was a mistake.

You see, it was still in Japan, and Japanese culture still puts great stock in its elders, those who have established themselves as successful leaders, and there was no veteran wrestler as beloved as Tanahashi. So for Naito to brazen declare himself to be the Shuyaka right there when Tanahashi was still in the room was akin to a slap in the face.

Now, unlike WWE, New Japan does not script out their wrestlers’ promos. More often than not, they simply improvise, say what they want, so long as they hit the right points. So this little comment came directly from Naito. Perhaps it was a heat of the moment thing, something he just spouted off in the giddiness of having won the G1? Maybe it’s something he planned out in advance. Regardless, it doesn’t matter, because right at the moment that was supposed kick off his rise to the top, it instead was the beginning of the end for Naito.

Now that the main event spotlight was upon him, it was up to Naito to back his arrogant words up, and he outright bombed, and bombed spectacularly. Oh, he was still an excellent wrestler, but he just didn’t have what it took to be the next Tanahashi. He didn’t have Tanahashi’s irresistible charisma, Tanahashi’s godlike connection with the crowd, his knack for eliciting sympathy while under attack and making the place erupt with cheers when he made a comeback. Instead of making both himself and his opponent look good like the Ace should, Naito would look weak even in victory. Everything about Naito just seemed off, like he was trying to wear someone else’s clothes that were not made to fit him, and it was clear that he was completely out of his depth. And little by little, the crowd who once chanted his name began to turn on him.

Cheers dulled to polite applause, which weakened to apathy. Naito was dead in the water. Instead of riding a tidal wave of support and momentum into his clash with Okada, he was being greeting by silence, which is the worst response for a wrestler to get. Negative reactions were one thing; any wrestler worth their salt could work with getting booed when they ought to be getting cheered. It’s what turned the Rock into the blazing star he became, after all. But Naito was getting absolutely nothing at all. And things finally came to a head when he came out to a wall of silence to formally challenge Okada for the Heavyweight Title and once again called himself the Shuyaka.

And the audience laughed at him.

They laughed. They mocked him. Naito wasn’t a anything anymore. He wasn’t the hero, he wasn’t the valiant underdog, he wasn’t a rising star, he most certainly wasn’t the Shuyaka. He was a joke.

And New Japan noticed.

It bears repeating that this wasn’t supposed to happen. Wrestling is fixed and staged, yes, with storylines and rivalries being written out in advance backstage and the wrestlers themselves only feigning hostility and working together to make the matches as exciting as possible, but things don’t always go according to plan. The crowd was supposed to be cheering Naito. They were supposed to be chanting his name. Instead, the loudest reaction he was garnering was laughter. And with him already penciled in to face Okada for the Heavyweight Title in the main event of their biggest show of the year, New Japan was in trouble.

However, they had an out. The crowd might not care one bit about Naito vs. Okada, but they were intensely interested in the undercard battle for the Intercontinental Championship, which was to be between none other than Shinsuke Nakamura and, you guessed it, Hiroshi Tanahashi. The writing was on the wall. The crowd didn’t want this inferior new model. They already had a perfectly good Hiroshi Tanahashi, and would accept no substitutes.

For the first time ever, the company took a fan vote. Which match did they want to headline Wrestlekingdom? The battle for the top title by the two young up-and-comers, or the match for the lesser title by the established stars? By a factor of 70%-30%, people voted for Tanahashi vs. Nakamura, thoroughly rejecting Natio.

Now, I’ve seen video of the moment Naito was laughed at by the crowd. I’ve also seen clips of when the results were announced. And in both cases, Naito looked absolutely heartbroken, like he had a lump in his throat and was trying not to cry. And why shouldn’t he feel that way? This was his dream, the moment he had sweat and bled for years to achieve, the moment he had done everything that was asked of him in order to earn! It wasn’t his fault that he wasn’t Tanahashi! It wasn’t his fault that they had told him to be something he was not! It wasn’t fair!

Fair or not, the decision was made. The Naito experiment had failed, and while it isn’t known if he was originally scheduled to win the title, he certainly couldn’t be allowed to hold it now. In quick succession, he lost the Tokyo Dome main event, the match itself, the undercard title he was already holding at the time, and slipped down the card. He was booked to lose most of his matches now, and the crowd continued to be absolutely merciless, turning from apathy to outright hostility. The man who had been rising to the top of the mountain was now little better than a jobber. Naito had lost.

And so, after little more than a year of enduring abuse and ridicule for something that really wasn’t his fault, Naito left the company and departed for Mexico in disgrace.

Naito’s first excursion to Mexico as a rookie wrestler years later had been rough, and he had been constantly bombarded by racist taunts from the crowd. This time, however, things were different. This time he had friends waiting for him, specifically a luchador named La Sombra, whom Naito had befriended a couple years earlier. And as it so happened, La Sombra knew exactly how Naito felt. He too had tried to play the wholesome good guy only to be flatly rejected by the crowd. He had tried to do the right thing only to have it thrown back in his face. And so he had decided that if he was going to get booed anyway, then he was going to do something to earn it.

La Sombra had turned heel, rejecting the crowd like they had rejected him, and gathered a small group of like-minded individuals. Callings themselves Los Ingobernables, they embraced being outright bastards who did what they wanted, how they wanted, and wallowed in the crowd’s hatred. For poor Naito, the experience was life-changing. No longer hampered by New Japan’s restrictions, he was allowed to cut loose, unleashing his pent-up aggression out on his opponents and the crowd alike. He was finally allowed to be the bad guy, and it felt good.

As such, when he later returned to New Japan later that year, the Naito that the Japanese crowd was a very different person than the one they had rejected.

Gone was the excitable good boy who was happy to be there. Gone was the attempts to pander to the crowd and do the right thing. This new Naito was a lazy, dickish malcontent, one who straight up didn’t give a fuck. He regularly refused to do his part to win matches for whatever team he was assigned to, would regularly abandon his partners, lounge around when he was supposed to be wrestlers, and walk off during beat-downs, leaving his partners to the wolves. He showed disrespect to everyone and anyone, spitting in people’s faces, cheating whenever he felt like it, screwing with the referees and ring crew, and generally just being a really unpleasant person. The only thing that he seemed to care about at all was his Los Ingobernables hat and the group it symbolized, the only people in the world to ever accept him.

If the crowd disliked him before, then they outright hated him now, and before too long Naito was the most hated man in the company. And he just relished in their anger. Yeah, that’s right! I tried to be the good guy, and you rejected me! So now here’s the new me! Enjoy!

But it didn’t stop there. Naito might now be a lazy asshole, but he still had his ambition, and over time he started to gather disciples of his own, such as the psychotic Jet-Black Death Mask BUSHI, the self-proclaimed King of Darkness EVIL, and the silent and sinister Cold Skull SANADA, and later on the lovably deranged Ticking-Time Bomb Hiromu Takahashi and the deadly brawler known as the Dragon Shingo Takagi. Together, they formed the Japanese branch of Los Ingobernables, known as Los Ingobernables de Japon. And together, they cut a swatch across New Japan, using their uncanny coordination to overwhelm opponents with their numbers and pick them apart. What was more, in a company that revolved around faction warfare, this small group, easily the smallest of the New Japan factions, stood out. Others were alliances of convenience, or several individuals working together toward a common goal, or friends who occasionally had each other’s backs. But LIJ was a brotherhood, a family of outcast miscreants.

And then, something fascinating started to happen.

The tide began to turn on Naito, and the crowd began to appreciate El Ingobernable in a way they had never appreciated the Stardust Genius. In a culture built around conformity, seniority, and submission, there were many among the younger fans who also felt left behind by society, unappreciated by their employers, overlooked because of their youth. To them, Naito became something of a symbol, a man who had both company and society turn their backs on him, and who turned his back on them in turn. And unlike the manufacturedness of the Stardust Genius, this was something that felt real. The crowd’s rejection of Naito had been real, as was his betrayal by the company, so everything he did now felt completely honest, and they appreciated that about him. They empathized with him. They understood him. And what was more, for the first time ever, Naito was actually cool. His new detached contempt made him hotter than he had ever been. Instead of the plucky hero, he had turned into the edgy renegade, the man with a grudge and chip on his shoulder, and every reason to feel slighted.

The boos quieted, and in their place Naito began to hear what he had craved for so long. People were cheering for him. People were chanting his name. LIJ merchandise became New Japan’s hottest selling item, supplanting even merchandising titans that were the Bullet Club in some places. Because Naito had tapped into something that few other wrestlers other wrestlers had managed to reach. He had touched the zeitgeist of a generation and become something real. He had turned himself into a movement.

However, unlike other anti-heroes that had found themselves unexpectedly popular, Naito did not lose his teeth. Instead, he took all of that support and channeled it, feeding upon it and using it to drive himself further and further up the card. He embraced his new legions of fans while not caring one whit for anyone else. To his mind, if you were with Los Ingobernables, then you were cool. If not, then fuck you.

Now with his brothers at his side and his supporters at his back, Naito once again went after Okada, whose star had only risen higher in Naito’s absence. Okada had recently managed the impossible and defeated Tanahashi at Wrestlekingdom to claim the throne that was meant for Naito. Using his new talent for mind games to bewilder and stall Okada, and having his brothers swoop in with sneak attacks time and time again, Naito finally managed to get the better of Okada and claim the Heavyweight Title.

Which he then tossed away like a piece of trash.

See, it wasn’t about fulfilling his dream anymore. It wasn’t even about proving himself. It was about making a statement. It was about getting back at those who had left him in the dust. In Naito’s mind, he had already reforged himself into the biggest star in the company, and he did it on his own without the higher-uppers’ help. So why should he treat the title like it was a big deal? He was a bigger deal than it, and so long as he held it, he was going to treat the top prize of New Japan with as much disrespect as New Japan had shown him.

Naito’s time as top champion was ultimately a short one, but that didn’t slow him down. He instead then focused on gaining the Intercontinental Championship instead, which he did. However, this time wasn’t coldly disrespectful to the title, he was outright malicious and abusive! He wouldn’t just toss it around like it didn’t matter, he would actively try to destroy it, by kicking it around, throwing it against the steel steps and ring posts, spitting on it, leaving it behind in the ring, and at one time trying to use it to pay for snacks at a convenience store. It was that title that had robbed him of his coveted Tokyo Dome main event, and now he was going to get his revenge.

And the more vile and abusive Naito was toward NJPW’s treasured prizes, the more people loved him. The Ungovernable Army was growing by leap and bounds, and soon Naito was being cheered when going against Tanahashi. The message was clear. Naito had absolutely been the right choice to place at the forefront of the company, but not as an artificial Tanahashi clone, but as himself. He had tapped into something real, and it was carrying him forward on a wave of momentum.

But Natio wasn’t done. He had rebuilt himself as a star when the company couldn’t. He had founded a movement of the mistreated and disenfranchised, one that embraced him as their standard-bearer. He had even held the top title, albeit for only a short time. He had claims victories over both Okada and Tanahashi. But though he had gotten his revenge, he hadn’t taken back what had been denied him.

He had to main event Wrestlekingdom.

He had to win back the Heavyweight Title in the main event of Wrestlekingdom.

He had to prove that he really was the Shuyaka. The crowd now believed in him. Now it was time for those whose shadows he stood in to understand as well.

See, despite all of his contempt and disrespect, despite having shed the Stardust Genius, despite for all of his tranquilo disinterest, deep down inside Naito still cared. That driven young wrestler with stars in his eyes desperately wishing to ascend to the top of the company that he dearly loved was still there. The wound of rejection still gaped open, and he desperately needed to prove to himself that he was worthy of being the Shuyaka.

After finally losing the Intercontinental Championship (to Hiroshi Tanahashi no less), Naito powered through the grueling G1 Climax, winning his block and again progressing to the finals. But waiting for him was none other than Bullet Club leader Kenny Omega, the man who had won that same tournament the previous year and was gaining a reputation as possibly the best wrestler in the world.

What followed was a spectacular battle between two alpha anti-heroes, each of them heading immensely popular villainous factions and vying for the same prize. Naito and Omega gave each other everything they had, taking greater and greater risks and nearly ending their own careers several times. And at one point, Naito seemed to have finally gained the upper hand and laid Kenny out. The crowd roared in delight, certain that their hero was going to win the big one.

And then Naito made a mistake.

Overcome by the prospect of victory and giddy with emotion, he did not go for the cover or set up his finishing maneuver, the Destino. Instead, he turned and pointed at the top turnbuckle, signaling for the Stardust Press, the finishing move of the long-abandoned Stardust Genius persona. He believed that by winning with that move, he would prove that he had always been worthy, that even as the Stardust Genius he had still been deserving of being the top star.

The crowd roared with anticipation. They too understood what move meant to him. They knew his story very well.

Unfortunately, Kenny managed to roll out of the way, causing Naito to come crashing down.

It was almost the end then, but Naito managed to rally and finally put Kenny Omega down with a pair of Destinos, once again winning the G1 Climax, and this time as the beloved star he was almost meant to be. And with the G1 trophy in hand and his fellow Ingobernables all around him, he got on the mic and once again proclaimed himself to be the Shuyaka, and this time there was no objections whatsoever. Everyone agreed with him.

That ought to have been the catalyst to his ascension to the top. Finally, the Wrestlekingdom main event was his, and he had done it on his own! Tickets to Wrestlekingdom were selling better than ever, everyone wanting to see the Ungovernable One finally achieved his Destino. And on that, fans flocked to the Tokyo Dome and tuned in to the stream from around the world, all of them with one thought. This had to be it, right? Naito had to win the big one. It was his time!

Unfortunately, reality can often be a cruel mistress.

Despite all he had achieved, this was Naito’s first Wrestlekingdom main event, and in his excitement he forgot the tranquilo attitude that had brought him his success. Whereas Okada had main-evented not only multiple Wrestlekingdoms at that point, he had become perhaps the greatest champion of all time, striking down every challenger and sending them hurtling back into the abyss. To him, it was just another title defense. As wrestling’s self-proclaimed Final Boss, no one had been able to touch him, not Tanahashi, not Kenny Omega, no one.

Not even Naito.

Naito again began playing to the crowd, pulling out moves he hadn’t used in a long time, including two more attempts at the Stardust Press, but none of them succeeded. Okada had his eye on the prize, and he took advantage of Naito’s lack of focus to turn his pandering back against him, rallying and taking him down. One, two, three.

When that pinfall was counted and Okada declared the winner, fans all over the world felt the air get sucked out of their lungs. What had happened? Why had Naito lost? This was supposed to be it, his big moment! How could he fail.

Then, as Naito left the ring in defeat, Okada got on the mic and called him out, mockingly asking him how it felt to main event the Tokyo Dome, and suggesting that if he liked it, he could try again. In answer, Naito gave a nonchalant smirk, but inside his heart was breaking. He had finally gotten everyone to rally behind he, and he had let them down.

Over the next two years, Naito would try and fail to regain the same momentum that had led him to the Tokyo Dome, only to see obstacle after obstacle. He would get eliminated from the New Japan Cup twice. He would score high on the next two G1’s, only to choke in his last matches, failing to gain enough points to qualify for the finals. And, as if to mock him, his fate seemed entwined with the Intercontinental Championship.

Despite his disinterest in it, the title seemed to keep finding its way back to him, and he would find himself battling the likes of the sadistic Minoru Suzuki, the brash foreigner Christ Jericho, and his supremely talented “frenemy” Kota Ibushi for the title. Though he would lose it every now again, circumstance would bring him once again in contention with whoever he lost it to, and the title would once again be his.

As this happened, he found himself reconsidering how he felt about the belt. Certainly it had been the source of his downfall years later, and he had made his hatred for it clear. But over time he began to reconsider. Perhaps he had been looking at it all wrong. Perhaps the title would be the key to his redemption.

As 2019 rolled by and NJPW began its march toward the next Wrestlekingdom, Naito saw his opportunity. As Japan was to be hosting the Olympics next year, Wrestlekingdom was going to be expanded into a two-night event in celebration. And as his worthy arch-rival Kota Ibushi ended up winning the G1 Climax that year, he was set to main event one of the nights.

But what of the other?

Showing a rare instance of like-mindedness, Naito and Ibushi proposed an idea. As Naito was the current Intercontinental Champion, and Ibushi was gunning for the Heavyweight Championship the first night, should they both come out with gold around their waists, why not face each other in the main event of the second night in a winner-take-all match to decide the first ever double champion? If Naito could accomplish that, then he would finally achieve something that none of his peers had been able to do. Not Okada, not Omega, not even Tanahashi. He was going to be the first.

Enter Jay White.

In the years since their G1 encounter, Kenny Omega had since departed both the Bullet Club and New Japan to see his fortunes elsewhere. And in his absence, the Bullet Club had come under the control of the sinister and dangerous Switchblade Jay White. Under the Switchblade’s rule, the Bullet Club had returned fully to its villainous roots, becomes a despised and despicable faction that ran down all in their path. And once he heard of the Double-Gold Dash tournament, Jay White saw an opportunity for himself to insert himself into contention, to not only be the first double champion himself, but also deny the prize to the man who needed it the most.

Using the fact that he had defeated Naito in the G1 Climax, Jay White targeted Naito and his Intercontinental Championship, claiming that he was going to take the title and insert himself into the Double Gold Dash in Naito’s place. And Naito, who had supposedly written the book on mind games and opportunistic sneak attacks, suddenly found himself under attack by a mind more wicked and devious than his own. Jay White stalked and harassed Naito for months, the two trying to one-up one another and psyche each other out. But at the end, it would be Jay White that would come out ahead, wielding the Bullet Club as a weapon to take Naito down and steal his title away, leaving him with nothing.

For Naito, it seemed like the end of the road. He had lost his ticket to the Double Gold Dash, which had been his idea to begin with! He had lost the title, lost his spot, and also seemed to lose his spirit, becoming languid and dead inside. And with that weakness seeping in, the sharks came out for blood.

One of Naito’s long-time rivals, Taichi from the nefarious Suzuki-Gun faction, came after Naito. He had also beaten the Ungovernable One during the G1 Climax and had been hoping to challenge him for his title as well. But with it now in Jay White’s hands, that opportunity was gone, and he was going to take it out on Naito. He began to come after him like Jay White had, only this time Naito seemed to muster barely any will to fight back. What was the point?

But when the two finally had their singles match, Naito finally snapped. He struck back, firing up and finally defeating Taichi. And with his fire back, he decided to go after what he had lost. After Jay White still needed to defend his title on night one. Who better to challenge for it than him?

Naito had managed to wriggle his way back into the Double Gold Dash, but he still had a long and difficult road ahead of him. After all, with Jay White going in with the Intercontinental Championship, Okada with the Heavyweight Championship, and Ibushi with the G1 Climax contract, Naito was the only participant entering the tournament with nothing. It was do or die for him. The others could bounce back, but if he failed, then he would never recover.

First order of business was Jay White, who was as crafty and malicious as ever. Furious that Naito had managed to get back into the tournament, he attacked viciously, but wisely, breaking down Naito’s body and spirit with a series of brutal and calculated attacks and taunts, all the while with his Bullet Club allies waiting on the outskirts. Naito, however, was not going to fall this time. He couldn’t afford to. And it was time to show this upstart punk who the real Alpha Asshole was around here.

Naito rallied, countering Jay’s moves and foreseeing and countering the Bullet’s Club’s offenses as well. And with the Switchblade staggered, he managed to get the upper hand and take him down with a Destino, winning both the match and the wretched Intercontinental Championship as well.

One down, one to go.

Unfortunately for him, a complication had emerged. In the main event of that night, his friendly rival Kota Ibushi took on the nearly godlike Kazuchika Okada. Now, Ibushi might be one of the most skilled and resolute wrestlers in the world, but this was Okada, and Wrestlekingdom was his domain. He was called the Final Boss for a reason, and before everyone, he took Ibushi’s best shots in a long and absolutely brilliant match before felling the Golden Star and retaining the championship.

This was a problem. See, Naito had beaten Ibushi before, and of the two of them he was the only one who had ever main-evented Wrestlekingdom. If it was Ibushi he was facing, then he would have the advantage. But not against Okada. Twice already he had tried to best Okada at Wrestlekingdom only to come up short, and the only recent victory he had over the Rainmaker was due to Los Ingobernables’ help. But in this, he had to do it himself. He had to defeat the man chosen to be his arch-rival on his own.

The second night arrived, and Naito came to the ring battered and weary. This was it. This was his final and most important chance. It was a true clash of titans, between the two biggest stars in the company, hand-picked years ago to be the ones to carry New Japan into it’s future. In this, Okada had succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest dreams, while Naito had choked and choked hard, and had to reinvent himself completely in order to finally become the star he was meant to be.

The two were complete opposites, Okada being the shining champion on top of the world, while Naito was the edgy renegade with a chip on his shoulder. Okada’s success and accolades were at a level that Naito would never be able to touch, while Naito had the love and support from the fans that Okada could never hope to equal. The two were equally jealous of one-another. Why should Okada be treated like the face of the company when it was Naito that had the crowd support, Naito that was selling the tickets, Naito that was moving all the merchandise? And why should Naito be in the main event when it was Okada who had succeeded, Okada who had risen higher and higher against Tanahashi when Naito had crashed and burned, Okada who had helmed the company and taken it to its greatest heights when Naito had left? It was like Rameses vs. Moses, a tale of two brothers.

This was going to be Naito’s greatest challenge yet.

The match started off slow, the two working their way through familiar moves, almost seeming nervous to make a mistake. Then the pace started to pick up. Naito started to feel himself and took greater and greater chances, but for everything he tried, Okada had an answer. After all, this was Okada’s world, and Naito was out of his element.

The two continued to fight, bringing the crowd to a rage. They traded finishers but each managing to kick out, neither willing to stay down. The damage was piling up, and Naito’s bruises were being felt. Ten minutes went by. Fifteen. Twenty-five. Thirty.

Now things were at their most dangerous. The few times Okada had been defeated, it was usually done within the first twenty minutes. Long matches were his specialty, and the longer it went, the more the odds favored him. Naito hit him with everything he had, move after move, counter after counter.

And then it happened. He laid Okada out, and looked to the ropes. The crowd rose to their feet in anticipation while the commentary team begged him not to do it. He couldn’t be trying for it again, could he? It had failed every time, and the last time he had faced Okada, it had cost him the match.

Not this time though.

This time there was no hesitation, no second thoughts. Naito leapt to the top rope and took flight, finally, finally, finally hitting Okada with the Stardust Press, just like he had been supposed to all those years ago.

But this was Final Boss Okada, and not even the Stardust Press could keep him down.

Another quick flurry followed. Okada try to fell Naito with a Rainmaker Lariat, but Naito ducked, and nailed him with a huge buster. It was time. He got the groggy champion to his feet, wrung his arm around, took a running start, and leapt.

Okada had countered the Destino so many times, grabbing him partway and bringing him crashing down again. Not this time though. Naito’s feet went up and up, completing a full revolution and brining Okada crashing down again. Naito then hooked the legs as the referee counted, all the world counting with him.

One!

Two!

Three!

Naito had done it. He had finally defeated Okada in the main event at Wrestlekingdom. He had claimed both the Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships at the same time, both the title that had been denied him and the title that had denied him. And he did it as the most beloved wrestler in all of New Japan Pro Wrestling.

And as Okada was led away, Naito got onto the mic, reminded him of his words two years prior about main-eventing Wrestlekingdom again, and suggested that they should do it again in the future. And rather than be angry, Okada simply smiled, and raised his fist in acknowledgement that his little brother had finally done it.

Naito’s story certainly has not stopped there. The fact that KENTA of the Bullet Club saw fit to attack him during his victory speech tells us that Naito’s problems are far from over, and there is still Jay White waiting in the wings. But though the story goes on, nothing will ever be able to take that moment away from him, the moment when he became the first double champion, when he was able to slay the demons that had haunted him ever since his days as the Stardust Genius, when he finally ascended to the top, not as the Stardust Genius, not even really as the Ungovernable One, but as Tetsuya Naito, the Shuyaka.

And as someone whose love of pro wrestling had been reignited largely in part thanks to him, who had been following him for the last couple years as a loyal Ingobernable, who had experienced a rare moment of starstruck when I finally got to meet him, I will continue to follow every step of the way.

Tranquilo.

[mautadite]

may book round up

24 books this month, a pretty good stack. even though i’m working from home i keep expecting work to swamp me and leave me with no reading time but... that hasn’t happened yet? so, good.

silver moon - catherine lundoff ⭐️⭐️⭐️ a paranormal novel about a small town in which certain women who reach the age of menopause find another change happening to their bodies. i.e. they become werewolves. i fucking adored this concept and there was f/f romance, but the execution and the writing was sadly pretty boring.

no-no boy - john okada ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ post-wwii, following a young japanese american man who was just released from prison. called a no-no boy because like all other japanese men at the time, he was asked two questions: will you serve in the armed forces and swear loyalty to the us? he answered no to both questions and was detained. the novel follows him grappling with that decision after the war, looks into his friends, family life, race relations, and what it’s like living in a country that despises you. enjoyed it a lot.

the husband gambit - l.a. witt ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the kind of tropey romance nonsense that i live for. contemporary m/m slow burn fake marriage between a struggling actor, and the son of a famous hollywood producer. there were some meh parts (like, the plotting and the reasoning behind why they had to get fake married was like... are you SURE marriage is the best way to fix this) but i really liked it for the romance and the tropes.

drive your plow over the bones of the dead - olga tocarczuk ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ contemporary polish mystery fiction, following an old woman living in a secluded community in the woods, when poachers and prominent hunters begin turning up dead. really interesting writing and format, and a really excellent protagonist. not sure how much i liked the actual mystery.

the babysitter - jack harbon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ quick and dirty m/m romance, a literature-loving babysitter falls for the divorced father of the kid he babysits. pretty fun.

zipper mouth - laurie weeks ⭐️⭐️⭐️ contemporary fiction that follows a queer, mentally ill woman as she hurdles through life, unrequited love, jobs, and lots of drugs. i enjoyed the themes when there was a coherent one, but i really didn’t gel with the style. i guess it was trying to be stream of consciousness, which i have read and enjoyed in the past. but this didn’t do it for me. interesting tho, and honestly, i just might not have been the audience for it.

spirits abroad - zen cho ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ a PHENOMENAL collection of stories drawing inspiration from malaysian spirits, culture and folklore. absolutely loved it, fave read of the month for sure. loved the use of language and dialect, and the writing was simple and precise and wonderful. and there were some great f/f stories in here. 

a cat, a man and two women - junichiro tanizaki ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the setting: 1920s japan. the characters: lily, a fat tortoiseshell. shozo, her lazy, well-meaning, but ineffectual cat-dad. fukuko, his hot young former mistress, current wife. shinako, his strong-willed, slightly bitter ex-wife. the plot: shinako decides, HEY ACTUALLY FUCK YOU KEEP YOUR HOT WIFE BUT I WANT THE CAT. a great novella about loneliness and comeuppance and marriage. the best part was the cat lol.

the terracotta bride - zen cho ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ really interesting novella about a young dead woman living in chinese hell. she’s married, and her husband has three wives. the first: estranged, conniving, distant. the second: herself, unwilling but resigned. the third: newly arrived, and made out of terracotta. very interesting novella, beautifully written, grim but hopeful, f/f romance on the side.

king and the dragonflies - kacen callender ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ wonderful queer children/YA book about family, grief, racism, coming to know yourself and also accepting yourself. contemporary, but it almost FEELS like a fantasy/magical realism book. 

orphan number eight - kim alkemade ⭐️⭐️⭐️ a novel about an orphaned woman coming to terms with experiments done on her as a child, when she encounters the doctor who performed said experiments, dying in a nursing home. the writing in this was pretty so-so, did a lot of head-hopping which is my biggest pet peeve. i liked the concept, but the plot and the follow through were meh. loved that the main character was a lesbian though, and some of the writing was great.

firm hand - nora phoenix ⭐️⭐️ meh... not for me. m/m contemporary romance following a guy recovering from the car crash that killed his best friend, and his best friend’s son. it went some places that i’m just not up for, lol.

meet cute club - jack harbon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ REALLY adorable m/m romance, following a dorky, earnest romance novel lover, and the new cashier at his favourite book store. they end up trying to revive the main characters struggling book club, and falling in love along the way. very fun and sweet.

mrs. mix up - candice harper ⭐️⭐️ the concept sounded so so cute: an f/f romance about two librarians with similar last names that go to a library convention and the staff mistakenly thinks they’re married and book them into one room. but the writing and chemistry were lacklustre and it was extremely poorly edited. it’s a shame, i could have liked this.

mine - kim hartfield ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ a sexy f/f romance that i liked a LOT, about a young woman who after a traumatic event in her life decides to quit her job and go volunteer on a farm in the middle of nowhere. she ends up falling for her sexy lesbian farmer boss. it got deep in some areas i wasn’t really expecting it to, though it was a tad... idk, preachy? and the conflict at the end was annoying. enjoyed it a bunch tho.

the hobbit - j.r.r. tolkien ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ nth reread! i’ve been listening to this on audiobook around bedtime since like... march, i think, it’s just such a comfort read for me.

the knight and the necromancer 1-3 - a.h. lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ a very solidly good fantasy m/m romance series, about a young prince and a necromancer in a war against an invading sorcerer. sorta enemies to lovers? the three books span their relationship and the war, and though it was only a few weeks in time, it didn’t feel insta-lovey at all. liked it a lot.

the fake game - kim hartfield ⭐️⭐️⭐️ contemporary f/f fake dating office romance! pretty cute; didn’t blow me away but i solidly liked most of it.

what the wind knows - amy harbon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ historical time travel romance centred around the aftermath of the ireland easter rising. i spend so much time reading solidly gay stuff that it’s so weird reading things where the existence of queer ppl isn’t even acknowledged lol. anyway this was pretty good, i liked it mostly for the historical facts and aspects, but the romance was pretty touching too.

the golem of mala lubovnya - kim fielding ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ LOVELY m/m romance in a small jewish community between a newly created golem and a stonemason. lovely writing and atmosphere and characters. i had my nitpicks with the resolution but holy heck i’m so happy with this.

the electric heir - victoria lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the second part of a queer YA duo-logy that i started earlier this year, set in a future dystopian magic-riddled US, dealing with abuse and trauma and survivors. extremely difficult to read, almost unenjoyable at times (because god these kids go through so much) but very very good.

first everything - kim hartfield ⭐️⭐️ aha, possibly my last try with this author, though i liked the first book i read by her so much i might read one more! f/f romance between a journalist and a fictional first daughter (who’s also like, a domme, lol). the plot was fine but a lot of the character stuff and the shitty parent stuff really bothered me.

and that was may! for june i’ll... read lots of queer stuff, but i mean i do that every month. i also want to try to read less romance, more thriller and historical and just general contemporary? i feel like i say that all the time, but i’ll try. (though i did just get my first ever advanced reader copy from netgalley and it’s f/f romance, so... exciting!) currently reading the 7 deaths and evelyn hardcastle, a thriller. pretty okay so far.

[wrestlingisfake]

Wrestle Kingdom 11 preview

This is the 26th annual wrestling show on January 4th in the Tokyo Dome, and the 11th to be called Wrestle Kingdom.  The show airs Wednesday evening at 5pm Japan time, so Americans get to pull an all-nighter Tuesday night and Europe will have to skip work Wednesday morning.  Or you could just watch it on demand on njpwworld.com, whatever.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega - Okada is defending the IWGP heavyweight title, which is essentially the world championship of New Japan Pro Wrestling.  To qualify for this match, Omega won the G1 Climax tournament, becoming the first non-Japanese man to ever do so.

It’s been a big year for Omega, who stepped out of the junior heavyweight division to help fill the void left when AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows went to WWE.  In short order, Omega turfed out Styles, took over Bullet Club, and then beat Hiroshi Tanahashi for the vacant intercontinental title.  He dropped the belt in a ladder match that really put over Michael Elgin, and then delivered a top-notch performance in the G1.  Omega can’t replace any of the four guys who jumped to WWE, but he has unquestionably filled the role of “main event foreigner” left behind by Styles.  He’s on the rise, and it’s probably time to pull the trigger.

Okada spent most of 2012-2015 under Tanahashi’s shadow, but this year there’s been a clear effort to establish him as THE guy while de-emphasizing Tana.  It’s tough to say that has worked.  There’s still a feeling that Okada is overpushed, especially when you look at how he dropped the title to Tetsuya Naito earlier this year and then quickly regained it in spite of Naito’s obvious popularity.  With that in mind, it’s hard to say whether Okada will go over here, but it’s also hard to say if that’s because putting him over is such a great idea.

Since they’d been in separate weight classes, Omega and Okada hadn’t really crossed paths until this year, and they haven’t wrestled much beyond some tag matches here and there.  So I’m hoping this match will feel fresh and innovative, and that it can hold my attention after five hours of the rest of the card.

It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Okada retains, but it would be the most boring thing they can do here.  It would be a pretty big moment if Omega climbs all the way to the top of the mountain and captures the title at this, the biggest show in Japan.  I don’t know what Omega as champion would mean, but I’ve seen plenty of Okada as champion and I know that doesn’t turn my crank.  So even though Kenny is bound to be doing annoying “I am a smark nerd heel so I will heel on you now” stuff, I’ll be pulling for him.

Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - Tanahashi is challenging for the IWGP intercontinental championship.  He was supposed to feud with Omega for this title back in the summer, but an injury sidelined him and Michael Elgin took his place.  Elgin won the belt and eventually lost it to Naito, and now Elgin’s the one who’s hurt.  So I don’t know if this match is about Tana filling in for a planned Naito/Elgin match, or if it’s about finally getting back to that IC title shot he missed a few months ago.

This is far and away the clearest good guy vs. bad guy match on the card.  Tanahashi a beloved hero to all, like WWE wishes John Cena was; Naito is a total jerkwad, the leader of the sinister Los Ingobernables de Japon.  New Japan fans have started to like Naito as a “cool heel,” but I don’t know if that goes as far as turning against Tanahashi.  This could end up having a Cena vs. CM Punk vibe to it.

The best move, I think, would be for Omega and Naito to both go over at this show, and spend 2017 building to a big showdown between them and their respective stables.  (I guess one has to turn face, but I don’t care which.)  I think most American promotions would jump at the chance to do that, but NJPW strikes me as being more conservative with their booking, and more protective of their franchise players.  It would make a big statement to job Tanahashi and Okada on a January 4 show, but it’s not the kind of statement I’d expect.  And since I’m expecting Omega to go over, I’ll predict they play it safe with Tanahashi here.

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hirooki Goto - Shibata is the defending NEVER openweight champion.  These two seem to always seem to be just a step below the real top guys, so you can think of this as the Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz of New Japan.  They’re always fighting, except sometimes they’re on the same side, and neither of them ever gets ahead long enough to do anything more important.  The main thing these guys have over Dolph and Miz is that they seem like genuine ass-kickers who will beat the fuck out of you, rather than two extras from an 80s movie about challenging the preppies in a sports thing.

I keep thinking they’re about to push Goto any day now, but they always seem to stop short of actually doing it.  So, ennh, Shibata wins.

KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi - Kushida had just recaptured the IWGP junior heavyweight title when Takahashi made his high-profile return to New Japan and…uh, licked the belt, so now they gotta fight over it.  Kushida’s a good dude but it’s pretty obvious he’s gotta lose here.  New guy wins.

Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa vs. Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma vs. Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii - The Guerillas of Destiny (Tonga & Roa) are defending the IWGP heavyweight tag team championship.  GBH (Makabe/Honma) earned this title shot by winning the 2016 World Tag League tournament.  Yano just sort of wandered back from Pro Wrestling NOAH to add himself to the match, naming Ishii as his partner.

I’m not sure I’ve ever even seen New Japan do a three-way match, so I don’t know if this is like WWE’s triple threat rules (anything goes, first to score a fall wins it all) or if it’s elimination style or gauntlet style or whatever.   I have absolutely no idea why they’d add Yano/Ishii to this match except to book some wacky swerve, but that isn’t really New Japan’s style.  Then again, it’s totally Yano’s style, so maybe.  Certainly if Yano steals a win it sets up months of programs with the other two teams chasing them.  So, uh, sure, Yano and Ishii win the titles.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Adam Cole - O’Reilly just won the Ring of Honor world title from Cole at Final Battle, so this is the rematch.  I haven’t been keeping up with ROH but I like that this is the continuation of a major program from ROH storylines, rather than just throwing two random guys out there for a midcard match.  Like, the only things I even know about O’Reilly are a) he’s best friends with that hipster guy with the mouthpiece and b) he and Adam Cole want to murder each other.  The last O’Reilly/Cole title match involved thumbtacks, I believe, so hopefully this will be similarly intense.  I always root for the ROH title to change hands at the Tokyo Dome, but I don’t think they put the title on O’Reilly just to move it back after like a month.  O’Reilly wins.

Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson vs. Rocky Romero & Trent Baretta - This is for the IWGP junior heavyweight tag team championship.  Roppongi Vice (Romero & Baretta) issued the challenge for this match right after winning the Junior Tag League tournament, and the Young Bucks (Nick & Matt) accepted.  I think this is about the 47th time these teams have faced each other for these titles, but I can’t remember the last time it was two-on-two.  Usually junior tag title matches end up being clusterfucks with reDragon and Ricochet/Sydal in the mix.

I like RPG Vice because Rocky is a cool dude and Baretta is like his goofball friend that eats McGriddles from Japanese McDonald’s super-early in the morning.  The Bucks are like that guy you know who thinks a joke stops being funny if you keep repeating it but then it turns around and becomes even funnier if you repeat it even more.  I’ve seen enough Bucks matches to know how this one is gonna go.  I’d like for Baretta and Romero to win, but the Bucks have become (for better or worse) a cornerstone of counter-WWE major league wrestling, so it’s like hoping Harlem Heat or the Steiners will beat Hall & Nash.  The title stays with Bullet Club.

Satoshi Kojima & Ricochet & David Finlay vs. EVIL & SANADA & BUSHI vs. Bad Luck Fale & Hangman Page & Yuriko Takahashi vs. YOSHI-HASHI & Will Ospreay & Jado - Kojima’s team is defending the NEVER openweight six-man tag team championship.  The other trios represent the three major stables in New Japan–Evil’s team is from Los Ingobernables de Japon, Fale’s team is from Bullet Club, and Yoshi’s team is from Chaos.  (Jado is replacing Tomohiro Ishii, who was booked for this before being moved to the IWGP tag title match.)

This is a gauntlet match similar to WWE’s “tag team turmoil.”  Two teams have a match, and whichever team wins advances to another match with the third team; whoever wins the second match goes on to a final match against the fourth team.  The winners of the last match will get/keep the championship.  The order of entry in this match hasn’t been announced, except that reportedly the defending champions will enter last, giving them an enormous advantage.

This trios title is kind of a hot potato in New Japan–I get the feeling they don’t like to hot-shot the IWGP championships, but with this one they feel more free to book some crowd-pleasing title changes.  Kojima and Ricochet won the belts back in July with Matt Sydal, but when Sydal was busted for pot they had to vacate and re-capture the championship with David Finlay.  In the process, Finlay got to suddenly step up from a curtain jerker “young boy” to a genuine undercard guy, so that’s kinda neat.  But it’s been about six months with more or less the same team on top, so it’s probably time for a change.

Assuming we get a title change, the outcome may help indicate which stable will be dominant in 2017.   I think there are big things coming for Yoshi and Ospreay, but if Chaos were slated to win I don’t think they’d have swapped Ishii for Jado.  A Bullet Club win could reinforce the idea that Omega is rebuilding the faction, after a couple of years where everyone thought they had run their course.  On the other hand, LIJ is in a position to possibly have all five members holding gold by the end of the night, which would indicate that they’re still the hot new thing and Bullet Club will have to fight to not be yesterday’s news.  I’m liking that last scenario best, so I’ll go with LIJ.

Cody Rhodes vs. Juice Robinson - Cody recently left WWE to begin a whirlwind tour of many wrestling promotions.  As of this show, he’ll be the first man to appear at WWE’s Wrestlemania, PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles, TNA’s Bound for Glory, ROH’s Final Battle, and Wrestle Kingdom in a single year.  Juice, better known to NXT fans as CJ Parker, left WWE a couple of years ago and has been working his way up the card in New Japan.  But he’s still little better than a prelim guy, and that makes him the kind of guy they’d feed to a debuting star.

Both guys have a lot to prove, so this should be interesting.  For one thing, I’m curious to see if Juice’s act holds up when he’s in there with another white guy his size that’s a bigger name than he is.  He stands out among New Japan midcarders, but against Cody he may look more like WWE dark match material.  Cody, meanwhile, is just starting to turn heel as a member of Bullet Club, and it’s not clear what his “American Nightmare” character is going to be, or how it’ll stack up with gimmicks like Dashing Cody, Masked Cody, Mustache Cody, and Stardust.

It’s pretty obvious Cody wins here, but I’m more concerned with both guys showing something on this big of a stage.  Can’t I just bet that all the horses have a good time?

New Japan Rumble - This is part of the pre-show.  It’s a gauntlet match where wrestlers enter at one-minute intervals, similar to WWE’s Royal Rumble except that eliminations occur by pinfall or submission.  This mainly exists to ensure everybody on the roster that isn’t otherwise booked (like Hiroyoshi Tenzan or Yoshitatsu) gets to be on the show, and usually there are some old-timers brought in for surprise appearances.  One time Haku showed up.

One possible wrinkle that could make this interesting is the working relationship between New Japan and Pro Wrestling NOAH.  There are a bunch of New Japan names (like the entire Suzukigun stable) that have been supplementing the NOAH roster for years, but with NOAH recently being sold it’s possible they’re all about to come back.  Also, a lot of the usual NJPW/ROH names (reDragon, the Briscoes, Michael Elgin) are notably absent from the card, so they might pop in here.  In any event, the outcome of the match probably won’t matter beyond whatever comedy spot they think of to blow it off.

Tiger Mask W vs. Tiger the Dark - Another pre-show match, to promote the new Tiger Mask W cartoon.  New Japan has a guy wrestling as Tiger Mask IV in prelim matches, but W is a new iteration of the gimmick.  Similarly, Dark is a modern take on Tiger Mask’s archenemy Black Tiger.  Dave Meltzer believes Kota Ibushi will be playing W (he has before) and Ring of Honor’s ACH will be playing Tiger the Dark, but I assume NJPW isn’t terribly picky who they stick under the masks.

The last time I saw Ibushi wrestling in the Tiger Mask W gimmick, he had a much more realistic mask than previous Tiger Masks, which didn’t look easy to breathe through.  That could affect match quality, but then again they might have tweaked the design a little for this show.  I assume W has to win because he’s a superhero and stuff, but Dark looks pretty tough so ya never know.