For the second year in a row Wrestle Kingdom will be a 2 night event.
By virtue of winning the 30th G1 Climax Kota Ibushi is the number 1 contender heading into Wrestle Kingdom.
Printable View
For the second year in a row Wrestle Kingdom will be a 2 night event.
By virtue of winning the 30th G1 Climax Kota Ibushi is the number 1 contender heading into Wrestle Kingdom.
So just reading tea leaves here Naito vs Ibushi and Okada vs Ospreay are locks to happen here. If they can get Moxley into the country then it's likely he wrestles Tanahashi. Depending on the angle they run with Bullet Club I can see Jay White vs EVIL happening here too. Probably Hiromu wins BOSJ and challenges for Jr Title because really what other option is there?
Not sure beyond that.
Ibushi has the potential to being recognized as one of the greatest wrestlers of the last 20 years if he can win the IWGP title. I've been following his career since he was a scrawny 20 year old in DDT where his finisher was simply a fucking dropkick.
Well looks like the first two matches are settled
Kazuchika Okada has accepted the challenge by Will Ospreay for a match at Wrestle Kingdom
Jay White defeated Kota Ibushi for the right to challenge contract and will face Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Double Championship
I'm guessing AEW let Moxley over to Japan, pending quarantine rules, to drop the belt to KENTA?
First night is surely going to be some form of White vs. Ibushi rematch with Ibushi getting the shot back for the Naito match on night 2. Career on the line? If not, Ibushi heel turn at the BOSJ finale on Tanahashi? They're a bit limited on options this year.
Sounds like the original plan for the big hook for the two nights before covid was Jericho and Ospreay were going to be together attacking Okada and Okada would wrestle each of them one of the nights. Maybe they changed that to Ibushi having to get his shot back night one and getting it night two.
Jay White is officially getting a title shot on 1/5
At the Press Conference Tetsuya Naito challenged Kota Ibushi to a match on 1/4.
We have three official matches
1/4
IWGP Double Championship: Tetsuya Naito vs Kota Ibushi
Kazuchika Okada vs Will Ospreay
1/5
IWGP Double Championship: Winner of Naito/Ibushi vs Jay White
So looks like we can add EVIL vs SANADA, Hiromu vs The Winner of the Super J Cup, the winner of that vs Taiji Ishimori, KENTA vs Juice Robinson, and Shingo vs Cobb.
Why did KENTA attack Juice?
Because Moxley isn't comingQuote:
Originally Posted by Sinner
But like, storyline-wise, I know he was helpin GOD..but, now he's gonna have to defend the case again lol
Bullet Club shenanigans I guess
Watching the backstage promos from today looks like Tanahashi vs O-Khan and Despy & Kanemaru vs Wato & Taguchi are also happening at the Dome.
So as of now this is what is official
1/4
IWGP Double Title: Tetsuya Naito vs Kota Ibushi
IWGP Tag Team Title: Dangerous Tekkers vs Guerrillas of Destiny
Kazuchika Okada vs Will Ospreay
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Great O-Khan
Hiromu Takahashi vs El Phantasmo
1/5
IWGP Double Title: Winner of Tetsuya Naito vs Kota Ibushi vs Jay White
IWGP Jr Title: Taiji Ishimori vs Winner of Hiromu Takahashi vs El Phantasmo
NEVER Title: Shingo Takagi vs Jeff Cobb
SANADA vs EVIL
Watched the Ospreay challenge to Okada segment. Will is beyond shit as a promo.
Yeah 1 thing Western fans have grown accustomed to and that's promo ability. I don't think that's ever really been a big deal in Japan as it's so much more about look and in-ring ability as opposed to storylines and Mick Foley mic skills.
It adds realism, to me. Not every fighter has charisma, catchphrases, and supreme mic confidence. it's nice to see people having difference. Ishii doesn't talk, just murders.
I like that.
All of that stuff, when you see it in Japanese wrestling, it's the influence of the West. We take the realism and sport-element from them and in turn they take the over the top gimmicks and that's where you get shit like Hustle, DDT, etc. New Japan, you don't really see that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sinner
Who should challenge for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Championships? At one point in time, they were probably the most fun titles in all of wrestling...
Current Champions: Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hirooki Goto.
I think them facing The Empire is an inevitability, but I miss the whacky random teams. I want to see a team like Satoshi Kojima, David Finlay, and Robbie Eagles team up for the Belts.
I think we are getting: Yano/Ishii/Goto vs Fale/Owens/Yujiro at WK
That would be a pretty solid match. I'm not a big fan of the 3 BC members mentioned BUT they can work. It seems like every match I've seen for these titles had Bullet Club involved but I could be wrong.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sinner
Full cards are out
1/4
Pre show match will be the Rambo with the last four guys going to a four way on 1/5 to be the first hold of KOPW 2021 for the year
Hiromu vs Phantasmo
Tag Titles: Tekkers vs GOD
US Title Right to Challenge: KENTA vs Satoshi Kojima (Juice broke his orbital bone)
Tanahashi vs O-Khan
Okada vs Ospreay
Double Title: Naito vs Ibushi
1/5
Dark match will be a Stardom offer match
Four way for KOPW 2021
Jr Title: Despy and Kanemaru vs Wato and Taguchi
NEVER Title: Takagi vs Cobb
EVIL vs SANADA
Jr Title: Ishimori vs winner of Hiromu vs Phantasmo
Double Title: Winner of Naito vs Ibushi vs Jay White
Also because of covid restrictions there will be no more tickets sold. The cap for indoor events is 5000, but events that have already sold more than that get grandfathered in but can sell no more tickets.
I have a feeling that Ishii, Goto, Yoshi-Hashi, and Yano will be the Four Way for the KOPW
Wrestle Kingdom is not Wrestle Kingdom without Goto and Ishii
Japan may be going back into lockdown. Uhoh.
Last two matches were great
Riki Choshu's grandson melting down was funny too
That stage is pretty as frick, but lord it's distracting during the matches. They should switch it off after entrances.
Tanahashi, Okada, & Naito are not on tonight's show at all. It will be the first time since 2003 that none of them or Shinsuke Nakmura main evented 1/4 & now 1/5 Dome show.
Day 1 thoughts
- I too very much enjoyed Riki Choshu marching to the ring with his grandson in his arm crying his eyes out. Grandpa couldn't give a fuck :lol:
- Big fan of the chap with the hair. More of him.
- Rather enjoyed the opener. Hiromu is still incredible as painful as it is to watch him fall on his head/neck. What a star. Phantasmo really is a tremendous bell end as well, the Waltman comparisons are on point.
- Tag titles and KENTA/Kojima were okay - Satoshi Kojima at 50 gave a good accounting of himself - and I actually enjoyed Tanahashi/Khan a bit more than I thought I would. Khan is still really fresh to me so that's helping his case at the moment. Not sure how long that will continue.
- Top two matches were really good. Seems like Okada/Ospreay is getting the most love but I think I preferred the main. Really great stuff from that mad hurricanrana off the apron onwards and they didn't go as crazy with the mad spots as you might have expected. Naito pausing before handing the belts over to Ibushi. What a moment.
Go out of your way to watch Jay's post match promo from today
Should I troll the WWE section by saying God doesn't know who Vince McMahon is?
Sure, I doubt many people would give a shit at this point.Quote:
Originally Posted by Defrost
So no fun thenQuote:
Originally Posted by Peter Griffin
I mean I barely care at this point and have been accused of riding his dick in the past... If they put the title on Bill it will probably just be big ppvs, NXT and AEW for me.
Props to Ibushi. I have one of his earliest DDT matches on a Japanese Death Match DVD where apparently his famous move was "the dropkick". So for him to be where he is now and what's accomplished, wow. One of the few Japanese wrestlers I tried to keep tabs on over the years and really enjoyed his match against Naito. It'll probably stay in my top for 2021. Not just because it was a good match but because Ibushi is so deserving.
Day 2
- 4-way was nothing. Shit choice of guys anyway imo. Ended abruptly, was expecting more funny moments with Yano at least.
- Not a lot to the jr. tag either but they tried. Wato's fresh and we know he has potential. Doesn't quite seem to be putting it altogether just yet though.
- Cobb/Shingo was such a war. Great match but would've really been something with the crowd going wild.
- Found both EVIL/Sanada and Hiromu/Ishimori to be too long and too excessive. The first because I still don't think those guys are interesting enough to go 25 minutes so often. It's not the first time I've thought that. Jr Heavy title match was littered with great moments but I must admit to tuning out a bit towards the end. Just too much going on and I began to lose interest. Still good matches but they didn't keep my attention throughout.
- So by the main event I was kind of resisting the temptation to fast forward given I'd already seen Ibushi win the big one the day before, still find Jay White to blow hot and cold and I knew it was going to go LONG. Well, it WAS long but boy did it rule. What a match! Drew me right in and I soon forgot about the lack of crowd noise. Incredible effort from Ibushi over the two days, amazing Jay performance. After the first 10 minutes the next 35 flew by. Really had me thinking Switchblade was going to spoil Ibushi's party.
- His post-match comments are interesting but I'm assuming it's setting something up for NY Dash.