It’s finally 2017 and that means that it’s time to kick off the year with New Japan Pro Wrestling’s 4th of January show at the Tokyo Dome – this year’s iteration being Wrestle Kingdom 11.
Also Read: NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11: Results, Predictions and Full Match Card Analysis
This year’s Tokyo Dome show may be missing the raw star power of previous years but the card is stacked with a host of exciting matchups and two massive headliners – Kenny Omega challenging Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and Tetsuya Naito defending his IWGP Intercontinental Championship against the “Ace” of New Japan, Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Wednesday’s show will have huge implications for New Japan over the coming year as they try to vest away WWE’s growing influence in the region and reassert dominance. They need to start 2017 off with a bang and WK11 is set to deliver. Let’s take a look at 5 things that must happen at Wrestle Kingdom 11.
5: Young Bucks must lose the Jr. Heavyweight Tag-Team Championships and rise to the main Tag-Team Division
Matt and Nick Jackson have revolutionized tag-team wrestling, for better or for worse, over the last few years and are by far the most popular tag-team outside the WWE’s umbrella.
As of now, the current IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag-Team champions have held their titles for over 200 days but The Bucks deserve so much better. Their slightly childish antics don’t go down as well in the Far East as it does in the States and they’ve been condemned to NJPW’s Junior Heavyweight tag division instead of the main division.
At Wrestle Kingdom 11, it should finally be time for Matt and Nick Jackson to get elevated to the heavyweight tag-team division after dropping their belts to Roppongi Vice. If New Japan don’t give the Bucks their due, they’ll eventually leave for the greener pastures of the WWE.
4: Tetsuya Naito caps off an excellent 2016 by retaining the IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Early in 2016, New Japan Pro Wrestling got rocked by the sudden departures of Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows. In response, they decided to elevate from within the company and one of the major beneficiaries of that decision was the leader of the Los Ingobernables de Japon – Tetsuya Naito.
Naito was always a good wrestler but his popularity has sky-rocketed this year – both domestically and abroad – as he’s led his boys against the men from CHAOS and the Bullet Club amongst others. Naito defeated Okada earlier on in the year to become IWGP Heavyweight Champion only to lose it back to him down the line.
Following his defeat to Naito at Dominion 6.19, he beat Michael Elgin to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. At Wrestle Kingdom 11, Naito will face one of the stalwarts of New Japan Pro Wrestling – Hiroshi Tanahashi – in what can be deemed as the semi-main event.
Tanahashi is a grizzled veteran and a former 5-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion who thrives on the big occasion but expect Naito to pull off the win when it matters and continue his ascent through 2017.
3: ‘The American Nightmare’ Cody Rhodes hits the ground running
Kenny Omega unveiled the newest member of the Bullet Club in December at the 2016 World Tag League Finals and revealed him to be none other than former WWE Intercontinental Champion, Cody Rhodes.
Deeming himself ‘The American Nightmare’, Rhodes will look to assert his dominance on New Japan and establish himself as a player in the coming months. His debut against former NXT Superstar Juice Robinson has been hyped up and he couldn’t expect a better way to integrate himself into the NJPW roster than as a Bullet Club member.
Expect Cody Rhodes to impress upon his debut and make short work of Robinson. Rhodes has a chip on his shoulder and something to prove to WWE officials and management and he will stop at nothing till he achieves what he’s set out to.
2: Kenny Omega wins the IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Kenny Omega has had a spectacular 2016. He started the year off by losing the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship to Kushida at Wrestle Kingdom 10 but attacked his leader AJ Styles soon after to dispatch the latter from New Japan and take over the reins of the Bullet Club.
Under Omega’s leadership, the Bullet Club has re-emerged as a force to be reckoned with in Japan. Omega capped off an excellent year by becoming the first gaijin to win the G1 Climax tournament and will headline Wrestle Kingdom 11 when he challenges Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
Okada is one of the top names in Japanese wrestling but expect Kenny Omega to upset him at Wrestle Kingdom and win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Omega is super-over with the Japanese fans even though he’s a heel and It feels like it’s his time to spearhead NJPW into 2017 and beyond.
1: A shock after the main-event
The fact that Tiger Mask W is actually Kota Ibushi is one of the worst kept secrets in wrestling right now. The “Goldenstar” will face Tiger Mask Dark in one of the opening matches of WK11 and expect Tiger mask W to pull off the win.
However, the potential shock could come after the main event. There’s a possibility that Tiger Mask W will come out after the main even if Kenny Omega wins it. After unmasking himself, Ibushi will challenge his former tag-team partner for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and start one of New Japan’s top feuds for 2017.
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