Tag: wrestle kingdom 12

Four matches from Wrestle Kingdom 12 airing on AXS TV tonight

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

AXS TV will be televising three hours from Wrestle Kingdom 12 tonight, with the special airing from 8-11 p.m. Eastern time and again from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. Eastern time, with the idea of it being prime time for both the East and West Coast.

The three-hour show was produced on Thursday after the Dome show ended with Jim Ross and Josh Barnett doing the commentary.

In order to air complete matches with video pieces building them up, there will only be four matches shown, which will be the IWGP title match with Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito, the United States title match with Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho, the IC title match with Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White, and the Kota Ibushi vs Cody match.

AXS will also be broadcasting matches from the Tokyo Dome in its usual Friday night at 8 p.m. time slot from January 12th to February 9th, so that every match on the main card will be airing.

AXS is currently doing an all-day New Japan marathon that started at Noon Eastern time.

The first three hours of the marathon will be built around Omega matches from 2017, in particular his US title win over Tomohiro Ishii, his G1 final match with Tetsuya Naito, and his US title defense against Juice Robinson.

They will broadcast the October King of Pro Wrestling show from Sumo Hall at 3 p.m. Eastern and follow with the top matches from Power Struggle in November from 6-8 p.m., which include Omega vs. Beretta for the US title and the classic Tanahashi vs. Ibushi singles match.

BAN: NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 reviewed and what lies ahead

Posted on by Adam Summers

The original alternate is coming in hot after the main event of today’s Wrestle Kingdom XII. We discuss the somewhat controversial finishes of the IWGP and IC title matches, and answer all the important questions like:

– Was this one of the best shows of all-time?

– Did you lose a Suzuki-Hiromu-White-Naito parlay?

– Can snow elephants break wind…and many more.

The 14 year legacy of talking DOMES lives on. it’s the Adam and Mike BIG AUDIO NIGHTMARE!

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Fan Feedback: NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12

Posted on by F4W Staff

Thumbs UP!

– Best Match: Okada-Naito
– Worst Match: New Japan Rumble

I was there live and it was definitely worth the trip. Surprised Naito didn’t win. I love Okada, but Naito’s merch dwarfed everyone else combined 10 to 1. Naito got the biggest pops of the night by far. 

– Adam Berger

For what it’s worth, I was impressed by what I saw from Reika Seiki in the main event of the Joshi show that aired on DDT Universe ahead of WK12. She’s this cute 25-year-old who is 4’11” but throws these amazing kicks, very stiff, with a style that reminds me of Nakajima.
—–

Thumbs Up
– Best Match: Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito
– Worst Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White

This show was outstanding with great matches in a variety of styles. It was a mistake in my opinion to not pull the trigger on Naito as that crowd was ready to pop huge for a Naito title win. But I’m sure Gedo has a long-term plan with this. Most of the matches delivered at or above my expectations, which were
rather lofty. Goto vs. Suzuki was brutal but excellent, ditto for Omega vs. Jericho in a different way, and of course the four-way for
the Jr. Title was remarkable, especially when they started using their opponent’s trademark moves against one another.

I watched the Japanese version and really enjoyed Shinpei’s calls, especially in the Jericho/Omega match, but also in the four-way when Scurll hit an Oscutter on Ospreay and Shinpei went bonkers over it. It will be fun to hear Jim Ross’ play-by-play of the final two matches on AXS TV. Tanahashi vs. White wasn’t a bad match, but on a loaded show that overachieved, their match felt flat.

– Lou Pickney

Thumbs way up. The whole show was great. Best match for me was Alpha v Omega. This was absolutely my favorite. I’m a big Jericho and Omega fan, so I may be biased, but the passion and story in this match was just fantastic. It never mattered to me who would win, just that both were giving their all. And I was literally on the edge of my seat the more the match played out. I marked out a little when the Liontamer happened and with the One Winged Angel on the chair. Too many spots to be honest to call them all out.

I loved the whole show. Okada v Naito was amazing, as was the 4 way, and I thought Cody showed up to play. Great heel tactics with Brandi.

– Josh McGee

Thumbs Up

MOTN: Omega vs. Jericho
Worst: Tag Gauntlet (not counting Rumble, and I didn’t think it was a bad match, just “worst” on the card)

Loved Omega vs Jericho. Shocked to say it was my MOTN. The No DQ stip was obviously the smoke and mirrors they needed for Jericho at this point in his career, but he really came through and the match over delivered. Hats off to them, didn’t think it could eclipse the main event, but it did.

Okada vs. Naito felt flat aside from the last few minutes. I don’t mind Okada retaining, Gedo’s booking an all-time king and we had arguably the best year of title defenses in the history of the business, so I’m not complaining that it’s not over. Also, with the interjection of Jericho into this card, for better or for worse, Naito wasn’t the main focus of this event in the final build and to a large portion of the global audience, so perhaps the eventual crowning is better off when the focus is solely on him. 

Suzuki vs. Goto was great, and again over delivered as I could not care less about Goto, but Suzuki was on fire and gave one of his best performances of the year. 

4-way was good, but I think almost any combo of the 4 in a singles would have been a better match. Didn’t need the umbrella whacking finish, it added nothing to the match, especially when a No DQ was following it up later. 

Tana vs. White, I really had zero investment in White whatsoever. Tana put on a great show as always, but White has no business in a Top 3 Tokyo Dome match. Glad Tana won because White is not ready to beat him, but upset Tana is seemingly never going to take time off to heal.

Ibushi vs. Cody was decent, but Cody just isn’t a big match NJPW performer, as we all know. 

Good card, but overall definitely the weakest Tokyo Dome of the last few years as was expected due to the booking and leaving Ishii and Ibushi out of big singles matches with too much focus on guys like White and Cody who are not at Tokyo Dome singles matches levels yet. The top 4 of last year vs. this year is no comparison, and nothing hit 5 stars IMO.

– Tim Dudley, Toronto

I think WK12 was not on the level of WK 11, 10 or 9. It’s too bad with so many new eyes, people are seeing this WK and not WK11. I personally don’t have any match as 5 star match on the card.

MOTN – IWGP Jr. Heavyweight 4 Way followed by: Omega – Jericho

Okada – Naito – a little disappointed both in the booking of the match and the match not delivering like Omega – Okada or Tanahashi – Okada. Naito is white hot and they don’t go with him?

Also what was up with Okada’s pants?

Ibushi – Cody – Cody’s best match so far

Bucks vs R3K – Can you report if  Matt was legit injured because either that is the greatest sell job of all time or he tweeked his back bad.

KES vs LIJ – Young Lions were the MVP

6 Man – Gauntlet 

Tanahashi – Jay White – I hated this match. I have seen Jay White live twice in ROH and each time the crowds were dead for him. I was speaking to some people who watch RevPro and they said the same thing. I have nothing against Jay White but I dont see anything in him and I dont understand putting him against Tanahashi in that slot at WK. 

Imagine Tanahashi and Ibushi have their match from Power Struggle at WK12. I think the whole event feels different.

– Thomas Grimes

Thumbs way up

Best match – Okada/Naito
Worst match – gauntlet match

I thought it was an amazing show. The backlash of Okada winning online is somewhat ridiculous. My only real criticism of the show is the TERRIBLE blade hand off spot with Omega/Red Shoes . This ALMOST completely lost me on the match. I couldn’t believe they did such a horrible job with camera angles there and it seemed to go on forever. 

-Ty Dawson

Thumbs SIGNIFICANTLY up. Stayed up all night watching it live and I’m glad I did. 

Best Match: Jericho/Omega. Okada/Naito an inch behind. I liked more of Jericho/Omega than I did the other. The last 6-7 minutes of Okada/Naito was absolutely bonkers.

Worst Match: Tanahashi/White. Not to say it was bad. It just wasn’t as good as the others. Poor Tanahashi. That guy can’t get a break. Literally. He needs to go away and heal. He looks miserable and constantly in pain. 

– Cale Koprowski

Thumbs firmly in the middle due to NJPW’s own standards they’ve set for themselves over the last year. Length wise it seemed to drag, especially including the NJR. 

Jnr 4 Way easily the best match of the night with what felt like a surprising winner too. Scurll looked like a superstar out there, he’s always very good but thought he was MVP last night.

Tanahashi vs White worst for me, very underwhelming debut for White, got the tools but no where near ready for a WK singles match. Seen some Young Lions have much better performances the in the previous weeks. Sad that Tanahashi has now had two high profile matches between the US show against Gunn and this match that were both pretty poor, through no fault of his own. 

– Scott Anderson

First off i want to give this show more than 2 thumbs up. What i really liked about it was the different champions comming out of the show and i think somd stars were made including Switchblade Jay White and Will Ospreay.

My match of the night was for the IWGP JR heavyweight championship between Kushida, Takahashi, Ospreay and Marty Scrull. I thought this match was faced paced and action packed. What i took away from this match was Will Ospreay is superstar now. I feel he showed the world just how darn good of wrestler he is. In my own opinon if someone does not think Ospreay can work, watch this match, he has his own flare and style that i think really translates.

My worst match of the night still wasnt even that bad and that was the guanlet match. It was a little quick and i just didnt like some of the quick pins by Yano. I still liked the match but that one just didnt go over well for me.

I think a very notable match was Kota Ibushi vs Cody. I thought the match was paced well and had a little of everything in it to keep it interesting. I really think Kota is future champion.

– Ryan Stine, Ohio

Overall great show last night, truly the best wrestling on the planet.  Best bout for me was the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Fatal 4 Way match.  If I had to pick a worst bout it would have to be the Never 6 Man Tag gauntlet match.  Great show though, exceeded my expectations for my first NJPW show.

– Tyler Switzky

Thumbs up. One of the best shows we will see all year.

Best Match: Fatal 4 Way for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship. Nonstop excitement, innovative spots, pure talent, and a total spotfest but not sloppy. Jericho vs. Omega is a close 2nd place for Match of the Night.

Worst Match: Tanahashi vs. Jay White. Hands down, the worst of the Night. Slow, limited, and definitely the wrong spot on the card. 

– Chris Rogers

This was more than an A show, let’s get the easy log out of the way.  I just want to talk about Naito and Okada’s match. 

Well, the penultimate match on the card was, yes, what we kinda hoped for but not fully expected to devlier. Lots of spots, crazy sequences, and in-ring psychology were continuously chiseled as the match progressed. Saw some botches (I mean, okay some chair shots were meh) but really forgivable. Last thing that I want to point on this match then is that, damn I liked that transition from Walls of Jericho into Liontamer then as soon as Omega tried to grasp some solitude, he went back to the Walls. Hehe that was so really logically cool.

Okay then here are my main cards at hand.

To be honest, I have really toned down my expectations with the bout. Heck, maybe I was just rooting for Okada to win so much that it hindered me to dig deep into the Naito angle.

The opening sequences were pretty WWE-like, it was filled with theatrics and yeah, just trying to immediately connect with the audience thingy and all, but the slow yet equally entertaining start, in a fingersnap, turned into a fast-paced slugfest. Okada was trying to be the aggressor in the early goings, since as for my understanding, he’s taking in the heel role in here, but actually I then got to appreciate how tweener-like their natural characters are. 

Of course, the proverbial “Attack Okada’s Neck” ploy was employed. I was actually expecting that even before the match began. But at least it was not really strung up to a degree where it would be unimaginably possible for anyone to fight through. I was scared on a certain spot where Okada nailed his head after a top-rope reverse frankensteiner. He seemed quite groggy to me, well if he isn’t then yeah haha he sold it pretty well on me, AGAIN.

Of course, the instances where both competitors kicked out of each other’s greatest aces, in an extremely close fashion, are always a treat. Okada ultimately won and personally, that made me happy. Not just because I heavily favoredhim, but I think he can still imprint quite a heavier impact say a few more months before relinquishing it to someone. Damn, Naito or Omega, or anyone else can do the succession. 

Truth be told, not even meters close to that masterpiece of a main event last year but if we talk about storyline continuity and psychology, it skyrockets its way to certain heights. WOULD BE RATING IT A GENEROUS 4.5 AT THE VERY LEAST. Omega-Jericho can have 5 stars at the very most.

– Juan Carlo Trono

Just back from seeing the show live at the Dome.  The show was incredible live so very much a thumbs up. Best match for me was by far Okada/Naito, the atmosphere was unreal and much louder than it was for even Jericho/Omega. Worst match would have to be the gauntlet match which was fun but nothing else, although the biggest disappointment was Tanahashi/White.

– Daniel McIlwra

Overall: Thumbs up

My wife and I attended live this year for our honeymoon. We were excited, yet anxious the show might not live up to the hype. It was amazing. I might put it above last year, but that might be the bias of being there live. The crowd was intense. We were seated right by the stage, and it was impressive seeing all those people packed in the stadium. 

Best match: Okada v Naito 

There was no way to tell who was winning this, although my wife and I agreed before the match that Naito winning would be a bit too obvious. They have done well establishing Okada as a strong and worthy champion. It is going to be something really special when he finally drops the belt. Naito was super over with the crowd, but Okada still had some very strong support especially in my section of the crowd. Omega v Jericho and the Jr 4 Way were close for best of the night. The Omega match justified the double main billing, though I’m still not sure it needed the no DQ stip.

Worst match: Tanahashi v White

It wasn’t bad, just disappointing. Tanahashi looked like he had a hard time just getting to the ring. The audience seemed to be very uncomfortable watching Tanahashi get worked over by White. There were no real bad matches on the show. The gauntlet managed to be more fast paced and easy flowing than last year’s, even though there were more teams. Even the opening rumble got by with some simple story telling in it with the various alliances and factions, and the ending with Kakihara made it impossible to hate. 

– Will Treadway

MVPs

Naito – This house was there for Naito and his crew.  He deserves that recognition.
Yoh – That opener was hot, and Yoh’s babyface-in-peril performance carried the bulk of it.

I want to say Jericho as well, but his comments about Benoit leading up to the show did spoil the occasion.

Best Match: Naito/Okada – This is rough because it ends on such a sour note, but up until the very last second this is the match of the night.  I came into the show more excited about this than Jericho/Omega.  That finish really does feel rotten, though.  The crowd went dead for it.  They chanted for Naito during the post-match speeches.  I don’t want to predict gloom and doom, nor make this a thing against Gedo or the booking, but it just feels like the wrong choice was made here.

Worst Match: Tanahashi/White – Tanahashi needs to be resting.  White just needs more time to figure out his deal.  Neither one did very badly here at all, but it just wasn’t what it was supposed to be.

THUMBS UP: In the end, this was a very watchable show that didn’t feel like it dragged too long except perhaps the Jericho match.  Booking frustrations aside, the performances were good, the stage looked great, it felt like a big show.  Not as good as last year’s show. 

– RJ Zavala

This was my first time watching a wrestle kingdom and watched very little New Japan product. Having said that I give the show a thumbs up! The match of the night for me was Jericho vs Omega, this was the best match I have watched in the past five years, maybe since Shawn vs Undertaker WM25 which is my personal favorite. It was very nice to see the story telling in this match and color was a great addition. I also really enjoyed The Young Bucks vs Sho/Yoh, Naito vs Okada, and the fatal 4 way. My most disliked match was the tag team gauntlet, kinda confusing and just too much going on.

– Brian Owens

Thumbs up!

Best Match: Junior 4 way
Worst Match: New Japan Rumble (it still ruled!)

Notes: Stream wouldn’t load on laptop until after the Rumble. Tried it in Chrome & Edge before it eventually loaded in Chrome. Others on my Timeline were having similar issues except those who were watching via Chromecast or Amazon Fire. Stream worked fine for the rest of the show. Someone on my timeline said that the Japanese broadcast was easier for them to stream. Tamia, a streaming site, was streaming the show. At 2:15 AM PT they had 1100+ people in the English broadcast room and 800+ in the Japanese broadcast room.

This is my second consecutive year watching WK live. My timeline was much more active this year. Most of the active participants in our group chat set alarms to wake up to watch the entire show live, a few others joined in around 2 PT. There was one person who I didn’t even know watched wrestling watching New Japan for the first time. Eventually they powered down during the KES/LIJ tag match.

I could pick apart some of the booking, such as going with Ospreay over Hiromu, beating Sho & Yoh this early, and not taking the belt off Okada. But, I don’t necessarily mind the directions they chose to go. I hope Hiromu gets a singles match, Sho & Yoh had run through the top end of the division, and Okada is the best wrestler in the world drawing very well. But it felt like a missed opportunity to crown Naito. So it goes.

– Brady Childs

Huge thumbs up overall.

I missed the Rumble. Young Bucks, thumbs up, that Swanton spot was nuts! 6man gauntlet, thumbs middle. Alright match, I had some connectivity problems during so I missed the middle act. Ibushi v Rhodes, thumbs Up. Crossrhodes on the apron, holy hell. I thought it was an excellent upper/midcard match. Tag match, thumps up. Again excellent match for its spot. 

Suzuki v Goto was where the event began its climax for me. I loved the psychology in this match. I dug Suzuki as the crazy one but come back to honor the stipulation. Fatal 4way. Holy hell. Match of the night for me. The entire thing is instantly rewatchable. Everyone brought it. I love Scurll but Ospreay just showed up. Even the botch towards the end was recovered nicely. This kept me on a high.

Tanahashi vs Switchblade was the match you had to have after he fatal 4way. Was a well done match but was definitely the primer for the next match. Probably the lullest match but I like what I see in Jay White.

Y2j vs Omega. Perfect storytelling. Omega it th scrappy never give up kinda guy. Y2j is the arrogant veteran who controlled the first half but by the end was putting over Omega perfectly. I wish the set up chair spot for the the winged angel was done a little differently but that is nitpicking. This hit my expectations exactly right. 

Okada vs Naito. Again just perfect storytelling. I kinda wanted Naito to go over but that’s personal preference more than anything. Okada proves once again why he’s headlining WK for a third time in a row. 

The whole show was almost too much to handle honestly. Perfect combination of technical prowess and utter pure unadulterated fun. I really hope njpw can reach higher audiences. Next time they tour states I’m going regardless where their shows are. Once again a a lifelong WWE fan I cringe when I look at the past few WM offerings in comparison, especially because wwe has the personnel to execute comparable show. After wk12, njpw I my go to recommended product. 

– Phil Stricklin

Thumbs up for the show. 6 hours doesn’t feel like 6 hours without endless filler and advertising like a WWE show, the show was booked in perfect order of ascending quality and heat of match with 1 exception. Which leads to the Worst match: white v. Tanahashi. Just flat. So, so flat and dull and… Just bleh. It was a fine match, but it was just not “good”

Best match: I’m gonna do it. I want to say Naito v. Okada or Omega v. Jericho, but the truth is the best match was the Jr heavyweight 4 way. It had all the coordination of a tag, the high spots, some technical wrestling, some comedy, some viciousness. It was a match with something for everyone on top of great athletes doing great things and the added bonus of not telegraphing the winner at any point.

– David Litrenta

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 draws 34,995 paid at Tokyo Dome

Posted on by Josh Nason

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 was seen by 34,995 paying fans and 43,000 total at the Tokyo Dome. Based on the stage and configuration, that’s a near-sell out and the biggest crowd for a Japanese pro wrestling event in about 15 years.

The 2017 event drew 26,192 paid to watch Kazuchika Okada successfully defend his IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Kenny Omega in the first of three outstanding matches the two had throughout the year. This year’s show was co-headlined by Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito and Chris Jericho vs. Omega.

2015 was headlined by a Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Okada IWGP title match, a Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi Intercontinental title match, and AJ Styles vs. Naito.

Here are the paid attendance figures for Wrestle Kingdom over the last three years. Prior to that, NJPW didn’t announce the actual paid number.

  • 2018: 34,995
  • 2017: 26,192
  • 2016: 25,204

Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed the show for subscribers on a special Thursday afternoon edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 live results: Okada-Naito, Omega-Jericho

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Masahito Kakihara won the NEW JAPAN RUMBLE

Surprise entrants were Delirious, Cheeseburger, and Masahito Kakihara. 

Chase Owens eliminated surprise entrant Delirious by pinfall. BUSHI was tossed out over the top. Leo Tonga was pinned by Nagata and Nakanishi. Nagata pinned Nakanishi, who then helped Owens and Kitamura pin Nagata. Owens hit a package piledriver on Kitamura for an elimination.

Taka Michinoku and Kanemaru were joined by Suzuki-gun stablemate El Desperado, and they triple-teamed Owens, throwing him over the top. Jushin Liger was in next, and Suzuki-gun continued their quest to unmask him. Tiger Mask jogged down for the save, and he and Desperado worked together, eventually unmasking each other, but they hid their faces. Mr. Juicy Gino Gambino was next in, and in the mask chaos, every other wrestler was eliminated.

Henare was in next, followed by YOSHI-HASHI and David Finlay. Henare and Finlay pinned Mr. Juicy after a cutter. Henare got tossed out, and Finlay rolled up YOSHI-HASHI for an elimination. Yujiro Takahashi and PIETER entered which was quite the entrance. Takahashi eliminated Finlay and danced and posed with PIETER until Cheeseburger rudely interrupted. Satoshi Kojima entered, and he and Yujiro did some clunky spots. Hiroyoshi Tenzan was in next, and Kakihara was the final entrant. Cheeseburger and Kakihara tossed Kojima and Tenzan over the top, leaving them as the final two.

Kakihara pinned Cheeseburger, and cut a promo after announcing that he has beaten cancer, and thanking fans for donating to a foundation raising money for Yoshihiro Takayama. This was a below average battle royal, but that doesn’t matter. The guy survived cancer and is trying to raise money for his injured friend. Happiness was the goal here, so mission accomplished. 

The Young Bucks defeated Roppongi 3K to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship

Matt and Yoh applied sharpshooters on their counterparts in the first major spot of the match. Sho and Yoh hit stereo dives on the Bucks, and Yoh sold his back. Matt hit two power bombs on the apron on the injured back, and the Bucks superkicked and powerbombed Rocky Romero on the ramp. Yoh briefly fired up and sent Matt out over the top, and Matt started selling his back. Nick tagged in and worked over Yoh. While Nick took the ref, Matt tried to power bomb Yoh on the ramp, but Yoh countered. Nick went for a dive on Yoh, but missed and hit Matt. 

Sho got a hot tag and hit a double German suplex on the Bucks. A superkick party broke out, leading to Matt and Yoh being the legal men, working each other’s backs. The Bucks hit a buckle bomb and a senton for a nearfall. Yoh survived a sharpshooter for a near-submission. Sho tried to bounce back from a superkick, but his back gave out. The Bucks hit a Meltzer Driver and Nick locked in the sharpshooter for the tapout. This was a very good opener, and a totally different style of match than a casual fan might expect from the Bucks. 

Beretta, Tomohiro Ishii, and Toru Yano defeated Bullet Club, Suzuki-gun, Elgin & War Machine in a Gauntlet Match to win the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship

Elgin and War Machine started against the Suzuki-gun team of Iizuka, Taichi, and Sabre. Elgin ran wild, then Iizuka got the best of Hanson. Sabre and Rowe tagged in and the pace quickened significantly. Hanson missed a top rope moonsault. War Machine recovered and went for Fallout, but Iizuka ran wild with the iron glove, and Sabre choked out Rowe for the first fall. The team of Elgin and War Machine were eliminated. 

Suzuki-gun jumped the Chaos team of Toru Yano, Beretta, and Tomohiro Ishii as they came down the ramp, but it was for naught. Yano hit a low blow on Taichi and rolled him up, eliminating Suzuki-gun. 

The Taguchi Japan team of Ryusuke Taguchi, Togi Makabe, and Juice Robinson entered next. They ran wild on Yano with the highlight being a series of one million clotheslines on Yano in the corner. Taguchi began channeling Shinsuke Nakamura, but in his fervor, he got rolled up by Yano for the elimination. 

The Bullet Club team was last in. Ishii ran wild on them and hit a suplex on Bad Luck Fale. The Tokyo Dome exploded for a vertical suplex of all moves. Tonga and Loa went to work on Beretta. Beretta went for a moonsault but ate a Gun Stun in mid-air. Tama Tonga went for a second Gun Stun, but Beretta turned it into a dudebuster for the pin. That was a good finish, but there wasn’t much to the first half of the match. 

Kota Ibushi defeated Cody

The first major spot of the match saw Ibushi miss a dive on Cody and crash into Brandi. Ibushi picked her up to help her to the back, but Cody punched him in the face, and Ibushi dropped her. Brandi and Cody cackled at this together. Brandi passed Cody a chair, then diverted the ref’s attention while Cody hit Ibushi with it. Cody missed a fourth chair shot, and Ibushi recovered and hit the Golden Triangle. They traded counters on the apron, before Cody hit Cross Rhodes from the apron to the floor. 

After teasing a countout from the Cross Rhodes, Cody hit a tope rope rana. He went for Cross Rhodes in the ring, but Ibushi reversed and launched Cody headfirst into the middle of the turnbuckle pad. Ibushi hit a Last Ride for a nearfall. Cody hit a lariat for a near fall. Cody missed a Disaster Kick, and Ibushi hit him with Kamigoye, setting up the Phoenix Splash for the pin. This was good, but didn’t come close to the show-stealer that it could have been if given more time. 

EVIL and SANADA defeated Killer Elite Squad to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship

Killer Elite hit the Killer Bomb on EVIL for a nearfall in the opening seconds, but SANADA made the save. EVIL sold the move as though he was in fact dead. Killer Elite threw SANADA over the top to the outside and started attacking Young Boys. Archer chokeslammed EVIL from the apron onto a pack of boys on the floor. 

The story of the first ten minutes of the match was that SANADA and EVIL refused to quit. Archer and Smith hit them with everything and they got no offense at all, but they would not stay down. Archer hit a superplex on EVIL which was a sight to behold. SANADA got a hot tag and did some flying, but Smith cut him off. SANADA kicked out of a Killer Bomb. EVIL cleared out Archer, and SANADA and EVIL hit a Magic Killer for a nearfall. SANADA hit a moonsault immediately after for the victory and another title change in an okay match.

Hirooki Goto beat Minoru Suzuki in a Hair & No Seconds Deathmatch to win the NEVER Openweight Championship

Suzuki brutalized Goto with hard slaps to the face and they teased a doctor stoppage after a hangman’s choke. Despite selling the slaps, Goto fired back with chops to the chest. Suzuki locked on a guillotine, but Goto was able to get out and nailed an Ushigoroshi. Seconds tried to interfere in this no seconds match as YOSHI-HASHI chased Taichi as he tried to run in. 

Suzuki locked on a choke and the ref did the old arm check on Goto, but before the ref could stop it, Suzuki went for the Gotch. Goto powered out. More slaps and Goto was bleeding from the mouth. Goto put Suzuki up top and hit a super-Ushigoroshi for a nearfall. Goto hit Suzuki with forearm strikes, and hit the GTR for the pin. 

The post-match was great. Suzuki-gun tried to hustle Minoru out of the ring, but he insisted on doing the honorable thing. He took his own chair and sat in the middle of the ring and shaved his own head.

Will Ospreay defeated Marty Scurll, KUSHIDA, and Hiromu Takahashi to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

This was an excellent, state-of-the-art match. Ospreay is other-worldly. KUSHIDA did a senton from the top to the floor. Ospreay hit a moonsault off a light tower. Ospreay went for the Oscutter but Scurll caught him in the chicken wing. KUSHIDA broke that up. Takahashi hit a belly-to-belly on KUSHIDA. Scurll hit a neckbreaker on Ospreay for a nearfall, and an Oscutter for another. Scurll went under the ring and pulled out a bag of tape, and tied Takahashi to the barricade, then hit him with the finger break spot. 

Scurll teased a double finger break spot on KUSHIDA and Ospreay, but KUSHIDA countered with a finger break on Scurll. KUSHIDA hit a flying armbar on Ospreay, transitioned to a gogoplata, then back to the armbar. Ospreay powerbombed his way out and sold his arm. Scurll threw powder in KUSHIDA’s eyes. KUSHIDA countered with Back to the Future. Ospreay broke up the pin. Takahashi broke free and hit sunset bombs on KUSHIDA and Scurll. 

Takahashi got a nearfall on Ospreay. Ospreay and Scurll teamed up to try to take out Takahashi, but he countered. KUSHIDA hit a sunset bomb and Ospreay hit a shooting star to the floor on all three guys. Ospreay hit a 450 on Takahashi for a nearfall. Ospreay missed an Oscutter and Takahashi hit Time Bomb, but Scurll pulled the ref out of the ring and used an umbrella to take out KUSHIDA and Takahashi. Ospreay finally hit Scurll with an Oscutter for the pin and another title change. Best thing on the show to this point. 

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Switchblade Jay White to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Championship

Tanahashi got some offense in the early-going, but missed a plancha and White went to work on his bad right knee. Tanahashi recovered long enough to hit a summersault senton, then hit a pair of dragon screws, working over White’s left knee. Tanahashi hit a High Fly Flow to the floor, but missed a sling blade inside. White hit a deadlift German, and then the pace slowed. It appeared as though they mave have had some miscommunication over a spot, as White went to the top, then climbed back down as Tanahashi rolled to the opposite corner. 

White hit two suplexes and a DVD for a nearfall. White missed a missle dropkick and Tanahashi hit another dragon screw. White hit a dragon suplex, but Tanahashi countered with a pair of sling blades. Tanahashi hit High Fly flow and went for another, but missed, and sold his knee. White slapped on a choke, then hit a Kiwi Crusher for a nearfall. Tanahashi hit a bridging dragon suplex for a nearfall. White got up as Tanahashi went up top, but Tanahashi slapped him down, and hit two High Fly Flows for the win. 

This was good, but felt like it was just short of a star-making performance for White, and it was Tanahashi’s aura that carried the match. 

Kenny Omega defeated Chris Jericho to retain the IWGP United States Championship

They traded punches and chops. Jericho got the Walls, but Omega escaped and sent Jericho outside. Omega sent Jericho outside and over the barricade, but missed a dive and crashed through the English announcers table. Jericho put some Young Boys in the Walls. They continued brawling through the broadcast area, and Omega hit a double foot stomp off a light tower onto a table and Jericho. Jericho teased a powerbomb through a table, but dropped Omega on the floor instead. Jericho was clearly having the time of his life, flipping off everyone, taking a photographer’s camera, just 

Back inside, Jericho hit a spinning back elbow for a nearfall. They were completely working Jericho’s style and pace. Jericho hit a Lionsault for a nearfall, and a huge pop. Omega hit his Terminator dive, and Jericho begn selling his ribs. Back inside they teased finishers, before Jericho locked on the Walls again. Omega reached the ropes, then under the ring, and pulled out cold spray. He hit Jericho in the eyes with the spray, but Jericho countered by sending him into a chair set up in the corner, repeatedly. Omega bled. 

Omega fired back with three dragon suplexes, but Jericho countered with a bunch of chair shots. Jericho teased coming off the top with a chair, but Omega sent him outside and through the Chekov’s gun table that had been set up earlier. Omega hit two V-Triggers and a underhook piledriver for a nearfall. He hit another V-Trigger and went for the One-winged Angel, but Jericho rolled through and applied the Walls. He tranisitioned to the old school Liontamer. Omega tased passing out, then tapping out, but reached the ropes. Jericho went for a Codebreaker, but Omega countered with two V-Triggers and a One-winged Angel. Jericho reached the ropes on an incredible nearfall. 

Omega went up top but Jericho crotched him. Jericho teased a tope rope rana, but Omega escaped, dropping Jericho face-first on the turnbuckle. Jericho hit a Codebreaker for another nearfall. Jericho placed a chair on Omega and wen for another Lionsault, but Omega popped up, nailed him witht he chair, then hit a One-winged Angel onto the chair for the pin. 

Jericho the character has been top-flight in recent years, but what was the last really good Jericho match you’ve seen? For me, it was this one. This might have been Jericho’s last true classic. 

Kazuchika Okada defeated Tetsuya Naito to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship

Naito took his time disrobing from his awesome suit. Okada worked in bell bottoms. Tokyo Dome-caliber wardrobe choices by both competitors. Okada did not take kindly to an elbow to the head, and sent Naito to the floor with a sweet dropkick, in the first big spot of the match. Outside, Naito hit Okada with a neckbreaker over the barricade. Back inside, Naito continued working on the neck with elbows, dropkicks to the back, and neckbreakers. Okada countered by going after Naito’s neck, and hit a draping DDT from the barricade to the floor. 

Inside, Okada hit a flapjack and an inverted DDT. Okada hit an elbow drop and teased the Rainmaker, but Naito escaped. Okada locked on the Cobra Clutch, and his facial expressions were top-notch here. Naito reached the ropes, forcing Okada to regroup. Naito hit a reverse rana from the top, but missed with his old Stardust Press corkscrew off the top. Judging crowd reactions from television can be a tricky thing, but it appeared to me that they really got the crowd going with that one. 

Okada landed a running dropkick, but Naito popped up and hit a flying forearm. Okada took a huge bump off a missed missile dropkick from the top. Okada hit a German, and a Rainmaker, but Naito kicked out. Naito escaped from a Tombstone, and seemingly out of gas, missed an enziguri. Okada went for the piledriver again, but Naito hit him with Destino. Naito was too exhausted to go for a cover. Okada sold Naito’s finish, while Naito sold exhaustion. 

They traded finishers in an intense, crazy closing sequence. I am not doing this justice. Okada retained after one last Rainmaker. This picked up significantly after a very slow start, and the climax of this bout was the best thing on the show.

This felt like Naito’s time, but with the way the show was constructed, full of title changes, you could sense this result coming. 

Thank you, and goodnight. 

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12: Full card, start time, more

Posted on by Joseph Currier

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest show of the year takes place overnight as the Tokyo Dome hosts Wrestle Kingdom 12.

The annual January 4th event will air live on New Japan World and will have options for English (with Kevin Kelly and Don Callis) and Japanese commentary. The pre-show begins at 2 a.m. Eastern time with the New Japan Rumble, which is a Royal Rumble-style battle royal featuring surprise entrants from the past and members of the NJPW roster who aren’t otherwise booked, before the main card kicks off at 3 a.m. Eastern time.

Mr. Lariato on Twitter has some time zone conversions:

https://twitter.com/MrLARIATO/status/948634569070215169

For those not watching live, Wrestle Kingdom will be available on New Japan World shortly after it ends. AXS TV will also be showing a three-hour special of the top matches on Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern.

At their fan festival last night, Yuji Nagata announced that there had been 32,600 tickets sold for the event in the pre-sale before walk-ups are accounted for. The fan festival also included the final promos hyping up the card as the wrestlers met face-to-face with their opponents. Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho didn’t appear ahead of their match, seemingly to have their previous two angles as the final build going into tonight.

Kazuchika Okada defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Tetsuya Naito will go on last after Omega vs. Jericho takes place second from the top. Here’s the full lineup for Wrestle Kingdom 12:

  • IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defending against Tetsuya Naito
  • IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega defending against Chris Jericho in a no DQ match
  • IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi defending against Jay White
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Marty Scurll defending against Will Ospreay, KUSHIDA, and Hiromu Takahashi in a four-way match
  • NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki defending against Hirooki Goto in a hair vs. hair match where Suzuki-gun and Chaos are barred from ringside
  • IWGP Tag Team Champions Killer Elite Squad defending against SANADA & EVIL
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Cody (w/ Brandi Rhodes)
  • NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Bad Luck Fale & Guerrillas of Destiny defending against Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Beretta, Togi Makabe, Juice Robinson & Ryusuke Taguchi, Michael Elgin & War Machine, and Zack Sabre Jr., Takashi Iizuka & Taichi in a gauntlet match
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Sho & Yoh defending against The Young Bucks
  • The New Japan Rumble (pre-show)

For more Wrestle Kingdom coverage, check out Ethan Renner and Brian Denny’s preview of the card.

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 Preview: Okada vs. Naito, Jericho vs. Omega

Posted on by Ethan Renner

It’s just about time for Wrestle Kingdom 12, New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest show of the year, and the biggest non-WWE event on the pro wrestling calendar. This year’s edition airs live on New Japan World with your choice of English or Japanese commentary. If you don’t mind waiting another day or so, you can see a three-hour special on AXS TV on Saturday, January 6th, in prime time with Jim Ross and Josh Barnett on commentary.

This year’s show feels more high stakes than in years past as New Japan has embarked on a slow, steady global expansion plan. That plan saw them run shows in the United States in 2017 with at least one more scheduled in 2018.

Additionally, New Japan has brought in WWE stalwart and global star Chris Jericho for this year’s Dome show. His inclusion is interesting in that it marks a clear departure from the workrate-centric style that New Japan is known for booking. Now in his late 40s, Jericho simply can’t hang in the ring with his much younger foe, Kenny Omega.

But for all he may lack in athleticism at this stage, Jericho will more than make up for in his ability to draw eyeballs to the product, meaning that New Japan is clearly thinking business over artistic success, something that has not been their hallmark in years past.

Here’s a look at the show from yours truly with additional thoughts in the second half from fellow NJPW writer Brian Denny.

New Japan Rumble (pre-show)

This is always a bizarre mix of a way to get undercard guys on the show, and nostalgia pops for returning veterans. Remember when Scott Norton came back in this match and almost got a push out of it? As an outlandish prediction, I’ll pick Hulk Hogan to make a surprise appearance and win this year.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Sho & Yoh vs. The Young Bucks

The Bucks will be looking to claim the Junior Tag Team titles for a seventh time while the Roppongi 3K team of Sho and Yoh will be looking to continue to establish themselves. It feels to me that Sho and Yoh aren’t over yet, and that The Bucks are primed for another run with the titles. I expect a fun 8-10 minutes of action, ending with the Cease and Desist.

NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa vs. Michael Elgin & War Machine vs. Taichi, Takashi Iizuka & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi & Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Beretta (gauntlet match)

Like WrestleMania and the battle royal, you have to come up with matches like this one to try to get everyone a payday on the biggest show of the year. There are more than enough good workers in this contest for it to be good, but they likely won’t be given much time to tell a story. I expect a fine 10 minutes, and that’s about all.

Cody vs. Kota Ibushi

This is a bucket-list match for Cody, and another Tokyo Dome showcase for the freelancer Ibushi. The two worked well together when they were in the ring in a tag match at the World Tag League Final, and Ibushi did not have to slow his pace or change his style as much as one might think.

Cody is going to feel the pressure to deliver on the big stage, and Ibushi is one of the most talented flyers in the business. The heat is on, but I expect both men to deliver.

IWGP Tag Team Champions Killer Elite Squad vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA)

KES are three-time champs, while EVIL and SANADA earned this title shot by winning the 2017 World Tag League tournament. While not the best team in the WTL, EVIL and SANADA had a good showing in the tournament, and the Los Ingobernables stable is massively over. SANADA’s flying should be the highlight of this match, and I expect a title change.

Brian Denny:

NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki vs. Hirooki Goto (hair vs. hair match, Suzuki-gun and Chaos barred from ringside)

The NEVER Openweight title was once for the younger wrestlers to fight over, but current champion Minoru Suzuki is the oldest guy on the main Wrestle Kingdom 12 card. Suzuki has been champion since April 2017 where he beat his WK opponent, Hirooki Goto. What makes the match even more interesting is that both Suzuki and Goto’s hair will be on the line and the loser will have to shave their head.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Marty Scurll vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay

Scurll, the joint-manipulating villain, will put his title on the line against LIJ member Hiromu Takahashi, KUSHIDA, and the high-flyer Will Ospreay in a four-way where all guys held the belt in 2017. Expect a lot of flips, high spots, and plenty of “how did he do that?” moments.

IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White

White was gone from NJPW for more than a year before returning in November and taking out Tanahashi. He is coming for the Intercontinental Championship, but more importantly, he wants to prove he’s the future of NJPW. The old guard Tanahashi will be wrestling (again) with injuries, including a knee injury that has kept him out of action since the Tag League tour, as he tries to show the Switchblade that he’s not ready to go away just yet.

IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho (no DQ match)

In 2017, Omega won a tournament to become the promotion’s first-ever US Champion at the Long Beach G1 Special shows, which were NJPW’s first solo shows in America. He faces Jericho is an dream match of sorts come to life as we never knew we wanted or needed it until it was announced.

The build to this has been right out of old school professional wrestling, an art that is clearly lost in the big stages of American pro wrestling. We got the surprise video announcement by Jericho challenging Omega, then a Jericho post-match beatdown saw Omega get busted open, a rarity in NJPW. Then, we had a press conference that turned into an all-out brawl.

Now what we have is a showdown that might be so good, we’re talking about it next January.

IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito

Naito won professional wrestling’s most grueling tournament, the G1, to get this championship match against one of the longest reigning champions in NJPW history, Okada. Four years ago, the two were fan voted out of the main event of Wrestle Kingdom and now the match that has most of the buzz is not theirs, which has led to Naito and Jericho exchanging insults.

Naito is the merchandise-selling king, and is so good he has turned boos into cheers while Okada is arguably the best professional wrestler on this green Earth whose resume speaks for itself. His 2017 trilogy with Omega rivals (maybe beats) Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat’s 1989 trilogy.

One thing is for certain: Naito and Okada have a chance to prove that they’re the true main event and an instant classic is expected.

Follow along with our live coverage tonight.

BAN: NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 Preview~!

Posted on by Adam Summers

The original alternate returns with a look at the upcoming New Japan Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo Dome, including our predictions (aka the winds of title change).

Plus, we talk about NOAH’s most recent Korakeun Hall show, this weekend’s AAW, and much more.

It’s the show that’s already looking forward to the The Best of 2018 compilation — it’s the Adam & Mike BIG AUDIO NIGHTMARE!

Right click save

NJPW reveals finalized card for Wrestle Kingdom 12

Posted on by Joseph Currier

With New Japan Pro Wrestling having no more shows between now and the Tokyo Dome, the full card for Wrestle Kingdom 12 has been revealed.

There will be 10 matches on the show. Most of those had already been announced going into NJPW’s Road to Tokyo Dome events, but two more title matches and the pre-show Rumble have now been confirmed.

NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki will officially defend his title against Hirooki Goto in a hair vs. hair match, with another stipulation being that no other wrestlers will be at ringside for it. The NEVER Six-Man Tag Team titles will also be on the line in a gauntlet match at the Dome. It will be champions Bad Luck Fale & Guerrillas of Destiny vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Beretta vs. Togi Makabe, Juice Robinson & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Michael Elgin & War Machine vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Takashi Iizuka & Taichi.

This will be the fourth year in a row that the New Japan Rumble has taken place on the pre-show. No wrestlers are announced for it in advance, and it features regulars from the current roster and some familiar faces from the past.

The Tokyo Dome will host Wrestle Kingdom 12 on January 4th. It will air live on NJPW World with English commentary available, then a three-hour special with the top matches will be shown on AXS TV on January 6th. Here’s the full lineup for the show:

  • IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada defending against Tetsuya Naito
  • IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega defending against Chris Jericho in a no DQ match
  • IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi defending against Jay White
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Marty Scurll defending against Will Ospreay, KUSHIDA, and Hiromu Takahashi in a four-way match
  • NEVER Openweight Champion Minoru Suzuki defending against Hirooki Goto in a hair vs. hair match
  • IWGP Tag Team Champions Killer Elite Squad defending against SANADA & EVIL
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Cody (w/ Brandi Rhodes)
  • NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions Bad Luck Fale & Guerrillas of Destiny defending against Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Beretta, Togi Makabe, Juice Robinson & Ryusuke Taguchi, Michael Elgin & War Machine, and Zack Sabre Jr., Takashi Iizuka & Taichi in a gauntlet match
  • IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Sho & Yoh defending against The Young Bucks
  • The New Japan Rumble (pre-show)

NJPW adds no DQ stipulation to Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho

Posted on by Joseph Currier

New Japan Pro Wrestling has added a stipulation to Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho’s IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship match at the Tokyo Dome.

At a press conference prior to this morning’s Road to Tokyo Dome show, NJPW revealed that Omega vs. Jericho would now be a no disqualification match. The stipulation is the result of two angles that took place last week. Jericho first attacked and bloodied Omega at NJPW’s World Tag League finals, then Omega tried to get retribution by attacking Jericho during a press conference the next day.

Both Omega and Jericho have hyped up their match as a fight and said it’s not about star ratings. To further the build for it, Omega wrote on Twitter after the no DQ stipulation was announced: “No DQ isn’t what I wanted, but it’s what we both need in order to settle this… #AlphaVsOmega”

After Cody Rhodes lost the ROH World Championship to Dalton Castle at Final Battle, NJPW also made the official announcement that Cody vs. Kota Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom 12 will be a non-title singles match.

The final build to Wrestle Kingdom took place at Korakuen Hall this morning ahead of the January 4th Tokyo Dome show. Hiroshi Tanahashi made his return and was laid out after a brawl with Jay White, Minoru Suzuki and Hirooki Goto continued to build up their hair vs. hair match for the NEVER Openweight title, and Tetsuya Naito got the better of Kazuchika Okada at the last stop before their IWGP Heavyweight Championship match.

VIDEO: Omega attacks Jericho in angle at NJPW press conference

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The build to Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho continued at a press conference last night.

After Jericho made a surprise appearance and attacked Omega at NJPW’s World Tag League finals, both were on hand for a Wrestle Kingdom 12 press conference overnight. NJPW announced that Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito and Omega vs. Jericho is a double main event at the Tokyo Dome show. Omega then spoke first, positioning their match as a fight between two people who think they’re the best.

Jericho was in the middle of answering his second question when Omega ran back in to attack him. Omega was punching him before being pulled off, then Jericho threw the press conference table at Omega. Jericho fought back until they were separated.

Jericho got back on the microphone to say their match isn’t going to be about star ratings or how many times they can go for their finishing move. He said it’s a fight, and Omega is going to get the sh*t kicked out of him. Jericho said he’s going to end Omega’s career when they face off at the Tokyo Dome on January 4th. To further make his point, Jericho took a reporter’s notepad and wrote down that it will be Omega’s last match in Japan.

Full video of the press conference is available to watch below (Omega attacking Jericho happens at the 28:50 mark):

AXS to air three-hour NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 special on January 6

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

On Sunday, AXS TV will officially announce a three-hour Wrestle Kingdom 12 special to air on Saturday, January 6th, starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time, the main focus of 11 straight hours of New Japan programming starting at noon that day.

All of the top main card matches — IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito, US Champion Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho, and IC Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White — will be on the special.

The marathon will feature many of the biggest matches in New Japan from the last six months, including Omega’s matches with Tomohiro Ishii in Long Beach where he won the tournament to be crowned the US Champion, Omega vs. Naito in the G1 Climax final, and Omega vs. Juice Robinson for the US title.

From 5-8 p.m., they will replay the recent King of Pro Wrestling special from Sumo Hall in Tokyo that featured Okada vs. EVIL and Naito vs. Ishii.

They will be airing matches from Wrestle Kingdom 12 starting January 12th through February 9th, broken down into five one hour programs in their regular Friday night timeslot.

“While NJPW has delivered some of the greatest matches in wrestling history over the past year, we’ve seen viewership growth on AXS TV thanks to New Japan’s expansion in the U.S. and our commitment to air matches closer to when they take place,” said Andrew Simon, the CEO of AXS TV Fights.

“With Wrestle Kingdom as their marquee annual event, we thank NJPW and TV Asahi for their support and are proud to kick off 2018 with this historical prime time Saturday night special featuring the dream match-up Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho.”

Five more title matches confirmed for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12

Posted on by Joseph Currier

After they were made apparent at yesterday’s Power Struggle show and in the fallout from it, New Japan Pro Wrestling confirmed five more title matches for the 2018 Tokyo Dome card.

Kenny Omega’s IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship will be on the line when he faces Chris Jericho at the January 4th Wrestle Kingdom event. As Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio last night, Jericho is able to work the match because he’s a free agent after his most recent short-term contract with WWE expired.

Kota Ibushi had been thought to be a possible opponent for Omega at Wrestle Kingdom, but he’ll instead be challenging for Cody Rhodes’ Ring of Honor World Championship. While that match is scheduled for after Cody’s title defense against Dalton Castle at ROH’s Final Battle pay-per-view, NJPW notes that Cody vs. Ibushi will be a non-title match if he loses the championship before January.

Prior to their matchup being announced, Cody and Ibushi took part in a post-show angle at Power Struggle.

Hiroshi Tanahashi defending the IWGP Intercontinental Championship against Jay White (who returned to NJPW as yesterday’s Switchblade reveal), Marty Scurll vs. Will Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi for the Junior Heavyweight title, and The Young Bucks challenging for Sho & Yoh’s Junior tag titles were also made official after they were set up in challenges at Power Struggle.

With Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship having previously been confirmed as the main event, there are now six matches set for Wrestle Kingdom 12. The rest of the card should take shape over the next month as NJPW’s World Tag League tour takes place.

Chris Jericho to face Kenny Omega at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12

Posted on by Joseph Currier

For as wild of a year as 2017 has been for pro wrestling, next year already appears to be following suit.

In a shocker, Chris Jericho will be wrestling Kenny Omega at the Tokyo Dome for New Japan Pro Wrestling on January 4th, 2018. Omega retained his IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Trent Barreta at today’s Power Struggle show and called out his next challenger after. It was teased that no one was left to challenge him, but Jericho then appeared in a video.

Jericho said he was the best in the world and the Alpha of this business before challenging Omega to the match, which Omega accepted. Jericho and Omega, who are both from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, have been engaged in a Twitter “feud” recently, but it wasn’t apparent if that would ever amount to anything.

After Power Struggle, the other matches that appear to be set for Wrestle Kingdom 12 at the Tokyo Dome are Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White (who returned to NJPW as Switchblade today) for the IWGP Intercontinental title, Marty Scurll vs. Will Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi for the Junior title, and Sho & Yoh vs. The Young Bucks for the Junior tag titles.

Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez will have more on the particulars surrounding Jericho wrestling for NJPW later. Jericho has been off the road for WWE and touring with Fozzy in recent months, with his most recent WWE match coming when he made a surprise appearance to face Kevin Owens and AJ Styles for the US title on an episode of SmackDown in July.

UPDATE: Meltzer notes that Jericho is able to work the match due to being a free agent after his WWE contract expired.