Posts : 23405 Join date : 2013-07-23 Age : 32 Location : Kotzebue, AK
Subject: Wrestle Kingdom 12 Tue Jan 02, 2018 9:40 am
IWGP Heavyweight Title Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
IWGP United States Heavyweight Title No Disqualification Match Kenny Omega (c) vs. Chris Jericho
IWGP Intercontinental Title Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Jay White
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Marty Scurll (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay
NEVER Openweight Title Hair vs. Hair Death Match Minoru Suzuki (c) vs. Hirooki Goto
IWGP Tag Team Title Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) (c) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA)
Cody vs. Kota Ibushi
NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Title Gauntlet Match BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (c) vs. CHAOS (Beretta, Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) vs. Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi & Togi Makabe vs. Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Takashi Iizuka & Zack Sabre Jr.) vs. War Machine (Hanson & Raymond Rowe) & Michael Elgin
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) (c) vs. Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson)
I haven't been this excited for a show in a long time. Top to bottom this is a great card. My only gripe is Ishii not being in a singles match, he's one of my favorites in New Japan, but whatever.
Also, here's a prediction: Jericho/Omega will have a solid match (Nothing out of this world, but entertaining), but all the hardcore fans will trash it no matter what.
MooseNugget TeamMoose
Posts : 23405 Join date : 2013-07-23 Age : 32 Location : Kotzebue, AK
Subject: Re: Wrestle Kingdom 12 Thu Jan 04, 2018 5:20 am
I stayed up to watch Minoru Suzuki vs. Hirooki Goto. Great story telling. No BS when it came to the stipulation. That made me very happy.
Best match so far has been Cody vs. Ibushi.
I gotta go to work tomorrow so I'm going to bed. Goodnight.
Rellim TeamMoose
Posts : 1613 Join date : 2013-07-22 Age : 29
Subject: Re: Wrestle Kingdom 12 Thu Jan 04, 2018 8:06 am
I actually managed to stay up for the whole thing. Wow, that was an incredible show. Jericho/Omega exceeded my expectations and Okada/Naito was phenomenal. There wasn't a single bad match on this card. Now, time for bed.
TJ Ω #TeamRomie
Posts : 5285 Join date : 2013-07-23 Age : 29 Location : Where I Shouldn't Be
honestly should the rumble even count for the show as a whole. It's just the preshow and they never take it serious. Plus it only had one reason this year, that was for Masahito Kakihara come back after battling cancer.
TJ Ω #TeamRomie
Posts : 5285 Join date : 2013-07-23 Age : 29 Location : Where I Shouldn't Be
Subject: Re: Wrestle Kingdom 12 Fri Jan 05, 2018 12:10 am
Oh, definitely. It doesn't take away from the show as a whole at all. I'm just saying it sucked ass and you shouldn't watch it.
Dragon Fx KingofSwing
Posts : 9018 Join date : 2013-07-23
Subject: Re: Wrestle Kingdom 12 Fri Jan 05, 2018 2:36 am
James Ellsworth and Cheeseburger should beat the Young Bucks for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Titles
MooseNugget TeamMoose
Posts : 23405 Join date : 2013-07-23 Age : 32 Location : Kotzebue, AK
Subject: Re: Wrestle Kingdom 12 Fri Jan 05, 2018 8:47 am
The Wrestling Observer is reporting that there was 34,995 paying fans at Wrestling Kingdom. That's the biggest crowd since 2015.
Guest Guest
Subject: Re: Wrestle Kingdom 12 Sun Jan 07, 2018 5:57 pm
Funny how that "old" Chris Jericho was in consider MOTN. ????
MooseNugget TeamMoose
Posts : 23405 Join date : 2013-07-23 Age : 32 Location : Kotzebue, AK
Subject: Re: Wrestle Kingdom 12 Sun Jan 07, 2018 6:01 pm
Gobba-Gulak wrote:
Funny how that "old" Chris Jericho was in consider MOTN. ????
I didn't see the match yet but I saw some people give it like 3 stars. I know Meltzer liked it.
Gopher Love Bites
Posts : 9666 Join date : 2013-07-19 Age : 31 Location : Arlington, Texas
Subject: Re: Wrestle Kingdom 12 Sun Jan 07, 2018 6:42 pm
Most people I've seen gave it a perfect rating and called it MotN.
I don't agree on either. I thought it was very good, but I'd say 4.25/4.5, not quite a 5 or even 4.75. The match of the night, for me personally, was the four-way.
Dragon Fx KingofSwing
Posts : 9018 Join date : 2013-07-23
Subject: Re: Wrestle Kingdom 12 Sun Jan 07, 2018 7:04 pm
I don’t think it was MoTN either. I liked the match, but it isn’t something I’d watch over. Personally, other than the fatal 4 way, I really enjoyed the Suzuki-Goto match the most. I enjoyed the storytelling.
Dragon Fx KingofSwing
Posts : 9018 Join date : 2013-07-23
Subject: Re: Wrestle Kingdom 12 Sun Jan 07, 2018 7:07 pm
I thought Okada vs Naito was boring a’f until like the end too.
Gopher Love Bites
Posts : 9666 Join date : 2013-07-19 Age : 31 Location : Arlington, Texas
Subject: Re: Wrestle Kingdom 12 Sun Jan 07, 2018 7:19 pm
Dragon Fx wrote:
I don’t think it was MoTN either. I liked the match, but it isn’t something I’d watch over. Personally, other than the fatal 4 way, I really enjoyed the Suzuki-Goto match the most. I enjoyed the storytelling.
I saw some guy in an article on a site called Fightful give Omega/Jericho a perfect 10/10, but then gave Suzuki-Goto a 5.75/10. That match was really good.
I also really enjoyed the opening tag match. Matt's injury selling in that was amazing and it had really good storytelling (which people continue to say the Bucks can't do, despite matches like this).
One of the MVPs for me was Don Callis, though. "Michael Jordan was a mark" is my favorite commentary line of the year, so far. Granted, we're a week into the year, but still.
Guest Guest
Subject: Re: Wrestle Kingdom 12 Sun Jan 07, 2018 11:23 pm
Suzuki is a badass and proves that Heels are still needed in 2018. Jericho vs Omega imo was the MOTN, but the Fatal Fourway and The Goto/Suzuki matches are really close 2nds. Naito vs Okada was good, but out of the four I have talked about it was the weakest. Tho like other people i don't mind Okada keeping the belt. Building Aura and a legacy around the reign and when someone finally dethrones him it will make that person huge. I can't think of a single bad match on the card, even the NJPW Rumble. Yeah it is pointless, but that ending is very meaningful to me since I have lost a lot of family members to cancer and seeing Kakihara's come back is something I can't hate on.
Guest Guest
Subject: Re: Wrestle Kingdom 12 Sun Jan 07, 2018 11:27 pm
if any match was weak, at least to the big money matches it be Jay White vs Hiroshi Tanahashi. It wasn't bad, but nothing to write home about. A typical Tanahashi match.
MooseNugget TeamMoose
Posts : 23405 Join date : 2013-07-23 Age : 32 Location : Kotzebue, AK
Subject: Re: Wrestle Kingdom 12 Sun Jan 07, 2018 11:48 pm
Gobba-Gulak wrote:
if any match was weak, at least to the big money matches it be Jay White vs Hiroshi Tanahashi. It wasn't bad, but nothing to write home about. A typical Tanahashi match.
I haven't seen it yet but I don't expect much out of Tanahashi right now. I wouldn't say he's in a bad way but he's certainly not 100%.
Dragon Fx KingofSwing
Posts : 9018 Join date : 2013-07-23
Subject: Re: Wrestle Kingdom 12 Mon Jan 08, 2018 12:33 am
Tanahashi is really banged up rn, but I don't think Jay White was the right opponent for him at that spot either.
The match got no reaction
MooseNugget TeamMoose
Posts : 23405 Join date : 2013-07-23 Age : 32 Location : Kotzebue, AK
Subject: Re: Wrestle Kingdom 12 Thu Jan 11, 2018 9:37 am
I'm reading the new Wrestling Observer Newsletter. New Japan World's sub count went up about 35,00 for this show bringing it to near or maybe above 100,000 current subscribers. New Japan isn't counting on most of those people to continue their into February.