Pretty disappointed Goto didn't retain, Nakamura has done just about all he can with the belt at present and it's starting to feel like Inoki's NWF title (in that, while other people won the belt, it was Inoki's belt and always returned to him). I think the most disappointing thing about Goto's reign is that he didn't get to define it free of Nakamura's shadow, so it never really seemed like HIS belt.
Karl won't win, but I can see AJ challenging for the title at WK - also, with him as ROH's no.1 contender that could be a title vs title match, which would be a big get for ROH in what'd likely be the semi-main event of the biggest show of the year. As for Goto? Fuck knows. Perhaps he and Shibata will win the tag league and Gedo does Meiyu Tag's title reign right this time, lol.
Also, how long do young lions typically be young lions for? I feel like I've been watching the same 3 guys jobbing in opening matches the entire 2 years I've been watching NJPW. They don't have anyone else coming up? I guess Cody Hall qualifies although he's probably going to get a push a lot sooner than any of the other guys.
Komatsu & Tanaka will probably finally go on their learning excursions next year, as Watanabe & Hiromu Takahashi will be returning from their own excursions - however, that'd leave only gaijins in the NJPW dojo; Jay White, David Finlay, Cody Hall & Juice Robinson. There's a few trainees from Bushiroad Club, which is NJPW's amateur wrestling school, but the more promising of those are either training for the Olympics or trying their hand at MMA.
New Japan really need some new young lions, but they may need to lower the levels required for acceptance - a lot of trainees are looking at places like Dragon Gate, BJW and the DDT/ZERO1 dojos as there's a perception that it's easier and more modern than the NJPW dojo system.
