Empyrean Heaven
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For the 25th consecutive year, New Japan Pro-Wrestling presents its annual Tokyo Dome show, held on January 4th. For the 10th year, it will possess the name Wrestle Kingdom, featuring arguably the greatest talent in Japan and around the world, and for the second straight year, it will be shown live and with English commentary for a worldwide audience. The best part? You won't need to pay $35 for a pay-per-view, but in the spirit of another wrestling-focused streaming service, you'll only need to drop 999 yen (about $8.50 USD) for a month's subscription to NJPWWorld.com, where you can watch all previous major NJPW shows, and yes, Wrestle Kingdom 10 live. And with a record eight championships to be decided, this year's event looks to be the biggest yet.
While the legendary Jim Ross won't be making a return to Japan this year, current Ring of Honor and former WWE announcer Kevin Kelly will be calling the action, while current Lucha Underground and former WWE announcer Matt Striker will provide color commentary, reprising their roles from NJPW's King of Pro-Wrestling event in October. But there will be a third man in the booth for Wrestle Kingdom, as current NJPW and former WWE star Yoshitatsu will translate the live promos for the event, allowing foreign fans to finally understand what the hell the wrestlers are saying. Yoshi became fluent in English while living in the US, so he should be able to give a unique take on the action.
With that said...PRO-WRESTLING IKOZE~!
Pre-Show Match – New Japan Rumble
Like last year, Wrestle Kingdom will kick off with a special get-everybody-on-the-card battle royal, being competed under Royal Rumble rules with 1-minute intervals. Wrestlers can be eliminated by the traditional going-over-the-top rope method, but in Japan, also by pinfall, submission, and disqualification. While NJPW has yet to announce the number of participants, NJPW junior legend Jado has been confirmed to compete, along with former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight champions Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask, and Ryusuke Taguchi, as well as former IWGP Heavyweight champions Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Manabu Nakanishi, and last year's winner, Yuji Nagata.
Last year's match ended up being a ton of fun and featured surprise returns from Japanese wrestling legends Hiro Saito, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, and The Great Kabuki, so you can expect more of the same this year to get the Tokyo Dome crowd excited for the night's action.
Match 1 – IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Four-Way Match
reDRagon (Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish) (c) vs. Ricochet & Matt Sydal vs. Roppongi Vice (Rocky Romero & Beretta) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)
In what is becoming a Wrestle Kingdom tradition, the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship will once again be decided in a one-fall-to-a-finish four way match, featuring four of the top Jr. Heavyweight tag teams on the planet. First, the defending champions, reDRagon, comprised of Ring of Honor talents Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish, return to this match after successfully defending the titles in last year's event. O'Reilly and Fish's technical acumen is certainly unusual given the high-flying action expected in a match like this, but the duo has yet to be pinned in title matches since coming to NJPW, making them the odds-on-favorites.
Next up comes the surprising team of independent standouts Ricochet and Matt Sydal. Despite never having teamed before in NJPW, the duo came together and won the 2015 Super Jr. Tag Tournament beating three former champion teams, earning them this title shot. Arguably two of the best high-flyers in the world, and better known as Prince Puma in Lucha Underground and Evan Bourne in WWE respectively, Ricochet and Sydal's aerial assault will be truly unmatched as they try to earn tag team gold.
Next up is Roppongi Vice, the team of Rocky Romero and former WWE star “don't call him Trent” Beretta. Members of the faction CHAOS, the duo joined up after Romero's previous Forever Hooligans partner, Alex Koslov, took an indefinite hiatus from pro-wrestling in early 2015, and immediately won the Jr. tag titles in their first opportunity. They also made it all the way to the finals of the Super Jr. Tag Tournament, even defeating the reigning champs, reDRagon, to earn their spot in this match. While many are overlooking these two, their status as former champions, as well as the only team to defeat reDRagon in a standard tag match, makes them a definite threat to win the titles.
Last but certainly not least are the Young Bucks, brothers Matt and Nick Jackson, representing Bullet Club. Probably the most renowned team in pro-wrestling today (and trust me, they'll tell you all about it), the Bucks back up their sky-high egos with sky-high moves, not to mention the most innovative offense of any tag team going today. The Bucks won the first four-way Jr. tag title match at Wrestle Kingdom 8 two years ago, and now look to be victorious once again and win their fourth reign as champions. With six other combatants in this match, the Bucks will most certainly bring the #SUPERKICKPARTY.
Match 2 – NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Championship Decision Match
Toru Yano and the Briscoe Brothers (Jay & Mark) vs. Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi, & Tama Tonga)
Toru Yano has made a career of perhaps having the greatest amount of success with the least amount of talent, using an array of steel chairs, exposed turbuckles, hair pulls, and roll-ups using the tights for leverage to constantly gain success, sell his damn DVDs, and be an annoyance to pretty much everyone in the company. The CHAOS co-founder ran afoul of the Bullet Club's “Underboss”, the 7-foot-tall Bad Luck Fale with his signature tactics earlier this year, which brought the ire of Fale upon him, not to mention his cohorts “Mr. Rated R” Yujiro Takahashi and “Bad Boy” Tama Tonga. To that end, in Yano tradition, he once again announced he would be bringing mystery partners to join forces with him in the Tokyo Dome, which in the past has included such Japanese wrestling luminaries as Bob Sapp, Naomichi Marufuji, and The Great Muta. This year, Yano is bringing some help from overseas – unquestionably the greatest tag team in Ring of Honor history, the Briscoe Brothers.
Known for their wild brawling style, Jay and Mark are former eight-time ROH World Tag Team champions, with Jay also being a former two-time ROH World Heavyweight champion. With the vicious hardcore tactics often used by the Bullet Club, “Dem Boys” seem to be the perfect counter, and form a dangerous trio with Yano. And NJPW has apparently taken notice, as they are using this match to crown the first-ever NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team champions. The NEVER name has become synonymous with free-for-all melees in matches contested for its singles championship, so expect total warfare when these two teams fight to become the first six-man champions in NJPW history.
Match 3 – Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Championship
Jay Lethal (c) vs. Michael Elgin
In 2013, New Japan announced they would be entering into a new partnership with an American promotion, joining forces with Ring of Honor to share talent and co-produce shows. Several ROH wrestlers such as reDRagon and The Kingdom have found success overseas, but for the first time ever, an ROH championship will be on the line, as the face of the company, Jay Lethal, comes to the Tokyo Dome to defend his title.
Lethal, who set a record with the longest single reign of the ROH Television Championship, would go on to become a dual champion when he won the world title in 2015 from Jay Briscoe. Armed with a tremendous ego (only further inflated by his manager, Truth Martini), Lethal can back it up in the ring better than anyone, and routinely defended both championships in a single night for many months. While he is no longer TV champion, Lethal is still the top man in ROH, and announced an open challenge for the World title at Wrestle Kingdom – which was just what “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin was waiting for.
With a respectable showing in the G1 Climax tournament, #BIGMIKE became a huge sensation in Japan, thanks to his incredible strength and surprising agility. Winning ROH's 2015 Survival of the Fittest tournament earned him a shot at the title, and he could think of no better place but on the grandest stage in the country that has taken him in as one of their own. While Lethal has found numerous ways to escape with his championship, he will find himself in his most hostile situation yet when he enters enemy territory in the Tokyo Dome.
Match 4 – IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
Kenny Omega (c) vs. KUSHIDA
After winning the 2015 Best of the Super Juniors tournament, “The Time Splitter” KUSHIDA cashed in on the opportunity of a lifetime at DOMINION in July, defeating the seemingly unbeatable Kenny Omega and winning his second IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title, a victory many felt would be his ascension to the top star in the Junior division. However, “The Cleaner” had other plans, and, thanks to help from his Bullet Club brethren, regained the title at DESTRUCTION in September, effectively crushing KUSHIDA's momentum with a brick wall.
KUSHIDA remained undaunted, and at Power Struggle in November picked up a huge win over the Bullet Club in an eight-man tag, putting forth his challenge for one more shot at Omega. And one more shot it will be, as Omega announced this will be KUSHIDA's final opportunity as long as he is champion. Now, two of the best juniors in the world will battle in the ultimate rubber match at Wrestle Kingdom 10.
Match 5 – IWGP Tag Team Championship
Bullet Club (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) (c) vs. Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma)
One of the most surprising stories of the last two years in New Japan has been the rise in popularity of Tomoaki Honma, whose fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude despite losing all of his matches in the 2014 G1 Climax gave him a surprising level of stardom. He parlayed that into his first ever championship opportunity this past Feburary, coming up just short in an incredible match against Tomohiro Ishii for the NEVER title. However, the popularity of “Honmania” continued to grow, as Honma was entered in the 2015 G1, where in one of his final matches, he defeated Ishii to finally win a G1 match and popping the crowd at Korakuen Hall beyond all sanity. This led Honma to another match for Ishii's title at Power Struggle, where despite another match of the year-caliber performance, again couldn't claim his first championship.
However, success would still come to Honma, as he and long-time friend and ally “Unchained Gorilla” Togi Makabe made it to the finals of the 2015 World Tag League, and in a stunning upset, would defeat Los Ingobernables de Japón to win the tournament and achieve an IWGP Tag title opportunity in the Tokyo Dome. However, victory won't be easy for the duo collectively known as Great Bash Heel (GBH for short), as they must face Karl “The Machine Gun” Anderson and “The Outlaw” Doc Gallows, the Bullet Club duo that has dominated New Japan's heavyweight tag division with three championship reigns in the last two years. Will Honma fall just shy yet again? Or will he, with Makabe's help, finally earn his first taste of New Japan gold?
Match 6 – Special Singles Match
Hirooki Goto vs. Tetsuya Naito
While there were many stories and headlines for New Japan in 2015, perhaps the most surprising was the change in attitude of the “Stardust Genius” Tetsuya Naito. Despite having numerous opportunities to become New Japan's top star, Naito could never cash in on them, and to make matters worse, NJPW fans weren't exactly sympathetic to his efforts. A trip to CMLL in Mexico in early 2015 caused a transformation to the previously energetic Naito, as he would be apathetic when teaming with wrestlers that were previously his friends, uncaring towards the fans, and downright hostile and violent against referees and ring announcers. Naito had joined the CMLL faction Los Ingobernables, going by a new motto of “tranquilo” - he no longer cared about his friends or his fans, only about himself.
Naito would defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi during the G1 Climax, and - as a result of Tanahashi's eventual tournament win - would get a shot at the rights to his Wrestle Kingdom main event title match. While Naito was seemingly outgunned, he revealed that he had backup in the form of former NJPW young lion Takaaki Watanabe, now going by the name of “King of Darkness EVIL”. This brought out Hirooki Goto, who - along with tag partner Katsuyori Shibata - would fend off the duo and help Tanahashi win the match, but not before Goto was taken out by EVIL. This led to a singles match between the two at Power Struggle, where Naito's interference led to a disqualification victory for Goto, who was once again infuriated by the disregard for honor and fighting spirit on display by the duo. The duo would quickly become a trio a month later, when BUSHI, a talented junior heavyweight who also was never given an opportunity from New Japan, would join up with Naito, who officially christened the group “Los Ingobernables de Japón”.
Now, Goto and Naito will meet one-on-one with honor and pride on the line in the Tokyo Dome. And with both men considered to be among the top stars in the company to never have held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, the victor could earn the next opportunity at the biggest prize in New Japan.
Match 7 – NEVER Openweight Championship
Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata
As stated earlier, the NEVER Openweight Championship has gained a reputation as the title for New Japan's toughest competitors. And perhaps nobody showcases the NEVER spirit more than the “Stone Pitbull” Tomohiro Ishii, currently in his fourth reign as champion. Ishii's tremendous strength and resiliance to pain has made him well-respected by the New Japan fans, as he has defeated many top stars, most recently the mighty Togi Makabe, to make the NEVER title a prestigious piece of hardware.
However, when it comes to hard-hitting, perhaps nobody does so more than Ishii's Wrestle Kingdom opponent, "The Wrestler" Katsuyori Shibata. A former MMA fighter, Shibata's wide array of strikes and submissions, including his devastating Penalty Kick (PK) finisher, has led him to great success since he returned to New Japan in 2012, but throughout his 10-year-plus career he has yet to obtain a reign with a singles championship. Shibata picked up three huge victories in tag matches over Ishii to earn this title shot, and now, these two will meet in a singles match that promises to be an absolute brawl.
Match 8 – Double Main Event I – IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. AJ Styles
Since its inception in 2011, the IWGP Intercontinental title hasn't just made Shinsuke Nakamura - the “King of Strong Style” has made the championship. Currently in his fifth reign as champion (more than twice anyone else), and with the most individual defenses, “Swagsuke” has transformed the gold into a title on par with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, defending it against the best talent the world over. However, while Nakamura's strikes, submissions, and impeccable dance moves have led him to become arguably the company's biggest native star on an international scale, he has never faced anyone "phenomenal".
When AJ Styles came to NJPW as leader of Bullet Club in mid-2014, he immediately made an impact, winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in his first match. Since then, he has faced and defeated almost all of New Japan's top stars, with one very notable exception. And after his Bullet Club compatriot Karl Anderson fell to Nakamura at Power Struggle, Styles was quick to step in, point at Nakamura's championship, simply saying “I'm taking this”, drawing an eruption from the New Japan fans.
Now, for the first time ever, arguably the two best wrestlers in the world will go one-on-one in what is nothing short of a dream match for one of the most prestigious titles in all of Japan. It will be King vs. Phenomenal, and no matter who wins, we, the wrestling fans, will be the real winners.
Match 9 – Double Main Event II – IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Rivalries, more than anything else are what define professional wrestling. Thesz vs. Gotch, Brisco vs. Funk, Flair vs. Steamboat, Hogan vs. Savage, Bret vs. Shawn, Austin vs. Rock. However, despite many attempts to build rivalries since then, nothing has been able to match these classic wars, that is, until January 4th, 2012. That was the day when Kazuchika Okada returned to New Japan and immediately challenged IWGP Heavyweight champion and ace of the company Hiroshi Tanahashi, fresh off his record 11th consecutive defense, and proceeded to stun the wrestling world by winning the IWGP title one month later, placing “The Rainmaker” among the top names in the wrestling world and co-leader of CHAOS.
Since that time, Okada and Tanahashi have battled numerous times over the championship, and while Okada has won his share of their incredible battles, Tanahashi came out on top the two times previous at the Tokyo Dome, including last year's event, where Okada was led from the ring in tears as Tanahashi admonished him for his disrespect. For as Shawn Michaels is “Mr. Wrestlemania”, Tanahashi is undoubtedly “Mr. Wrestle Kingdom”, having main-evented the event eight of ten years going into his sixth-consecutive main event, and more impressively, having won eight of his nine matches at the event.
This year, however, the roles are reversed – after Okada went through a losing streak after his defeat last year, he quickly rebounded, and upended AJ Styles for his third IWGP Heavyweight title reign. But he quickly found a familiar foe in his path after Tanahashi won the 2015 G1 Climax, earning an opportunity to challenge for the championship at Wrestle Kingdom 10, after which he quickly reminded “the Rainmaker” that while he may be champion, Tanahashi is the ace, and only a win over him in the Tokyo Dome will change that. The rivalry quickly grew personal at Power Struggle in November, as Okada's trademark disrespect for his greatest rival led to the usually reserved Tanahashi's anger being unleashed, with a wild brawl breaking out between the two heading to the back of the arena while a divided Osaka crowd cheered for both men.
And now, it comes to this. Champion vs. Ace. The young upstart superstar vs. the face of Japanese wrestling. A battle between two men who have defined an era. And it is only fitting that at the 25th January 4th Tokyo Dome show and the 10th to bear the Wrestle Kingdom name, it will all end with a match that will decide the heart, the soul, and the future of New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
