When you get down to it, the final taped Road To show for New Beginning was a remix of the one from the day before. However, it’s topped off with a big main event as Goto and Okada go after the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Titles. This was what Sanada and Evil had to put up to get a shot at their belts, and it creates an exciting dynamic a few days before those matches. Let’s dish out some stars.
You can usually skip past Road To… events without worrying too much about it. However, New Japan has gone all out with this show and the one that followed. We’re getting singles matches and an English commentary team! Guess we better see if it’s worth tuning in. Let’s dish out some stars.
Having delivered with a solid undercard and a fantastic main event on the first night of New Beginning, NJPW returned to the same arena for round two. It’s a sign off how hot the company is that they went ahead with that, as neither card was packed with big matches. Let’s dish out some stars.
Sadly, New Beginning doesn’t feature flying cavemen or drunk drones. It’s the New Japan equivalent of the Bat Signal. It’s time to put that silliness behind us and get back to business. Which we’re doing by having a battle of the legends as Tanahashi takes on Suzuki. Not a bad way to start the year by anyone’s measure. Let’s dish out some stars.
It’s the night after Wrestle Kingdom and all through Korakeun Hall, new stories are stirring and I’ve got nothing more.
That will be my last Christmas themed intro I promise.
If you’re getting into New Japan for the first time, look at New Year Dash as being their Raw after WrestleMania. It’s when NJPW hit the reset button and set up the storylines that are going to take them into the New Year. Which makes it pretty damn exciting. Let’s dish out some stars.
It’s time. I’m not going to bother with a preamble. It’s January 4th and New Japan are in the Tokyo Dome. We all know what that means. Let’s dish out some stars.
Forget Christmas and New Year, it’s Wrestle Kingdom season, and that is the most wonderful time of the year. New Japan is all set for their biggest show of the year, and it looks likely to be their biggest version of their biggest show in quite a while.
Which means that a lot of people will be watching for the first time. A year ago, I did the same thing at Wrestle Kingdom 11. That decision kickstarted my love of New Japan. However, there’s no denying that a lack of context took a bit of sparkle off that show. Going back to it with what I know/have seen now, it is even better.
So, with that in mind, this is a beginner’s preview to Wrestle Kingdom. I’m not only going to focus on who I believe should win each match and why, but also how we got here. I hope it proves useful.
Naito must be fed up with this by now. Credit: NJPW
It’s the final stop before Tokyo. If you aren’t on board now, well, to be honest, you can still watch. You just won’t be up on the storylines. Dammit, I’ve lost control of this intro. I’m going to get on with it. Let’s dish out some stars.
We’re on the Road to Wrestle Kingdom, every night I’m hugging my IWGP Title. Yea that didn’t work. Anyway, we’re back in New Japan and it’s not for a World Tag League show. Bless the wrestling gods. Nope, it’s the final build-up to the Dome and gosh darn it I’m excited. Let’s dish out some stars.
Photos aren’t up yet, but I’ll get some when they are. Credit: NJPW
This was one hell of a card. New Japan’s last major show of the year was stacked, as every title match not involving a bull rope looked like a guaranteed success. Throw in some intrigue over the debut of Switchblade and Wrestle Kingdom beginning to take shape, and this was unmissable. Let’s dish out some stars.