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With a three-way IWGP title match set and Tanahashi defending his Wrestle Kingdom shot against Jay White, one would imagine the coming week's King of Pro Wrestling couldn't get any bigger. That's where you'd be wrong.
After the unfortunate injury to Hiromu Takahashi, LiJ are in need of major reinvention, especially with the upcoming Super Jr's tag league. As such the boss Tetsuya Naito has decided to add to the yearly swelling ranks of LiJ giving the faction a new leg up in New Japan.
There weren't many hints to who this might be though dirt-sheets give a fair indication. Meanwhile, a particular phrasing in Spanish might just have given away what New Japan and Naito are thinking for the factions newest member or should I say, members.
Either way one can only guess who's next to go Tranquilo and here are four such predictions.
#4 The Lucha Brothers
So let's just get the twist out-of-the-way, in his slick video, Naito mentions the word 'Pareja' when speaking of a new member for the team. In Spanish, 'Pareja' means a couple or pair. This, therefore, could indicate a wrestler brought to make a pair with Bushi for the Jr. Tag league or a tag team? Maybe even both!
Speculation rises over the situation between The Lucha Brothers (Pentagon Jr. and Fenix) and Lucha Underground. Even if they're contracts are up, the duo cannot head to WWE until the final episode airs of the latest season. The MLW promotion currently uses this as fuel to add to the fire, yet what if the involvement of the brothers in ALL IN is a way for New Japan to get the leg up on the WWE.
New Japan could just as easily lap up the duo with lucrative offers as well as the promise of not having their characters butchered by the Big 'E and also free rein around the world while also in Japan. Entry to the LiJ would be a sweet fit for them, especially with their Lucha roots.
Fenix could easily slot into the Jr.'s division alongside the masked Bushi, while Pentagon Jr. adding an intriguing Alpha dynamic to LiJ side by side with Tetsuya Naito. As long as they are Tranquilo, Pentagon can break as many arms as he wishes. Making them the perfect 'Pareja' for Los Ingobernables de Japon.
#3 Shingo Takagi
Honestly speaking, don't know much about the barbaric Shingo Takagi. The wrestler is a bruiser and bully from Dragon Gate with tons of promise. Rumors keep floating of his leaving Dragon Gate, in search of greener pastures. They don't come greener than New Japan, in today's day with pro-wrestling.
If that is the case, then Takagi could add some undeniable muscle to the New Japan roster as well as LiJ. Though the involvement of a hoss like EVIL already makes them formidable, he'd be something else. The only issue comes in Shingo's current character and trajectory.
LiJ for all its coolness is a faction that transcends beyond the mythic, to utilize this to intimidate opponents in quirky and ruthless fashion while still playing 'Tranquilo'. It comes from that Mexican DNA of the faction, which Shingo certainly lacks. Dragon Gate is a stellar promotion that makes wrestlers, not characters.
The final point not in his favor, despite his upside potential, is that LiJ just isn't in need of heavyweights at this point in time.
#2 Bandido
ALL IN's curtailed main event featured one prominent goal that got fulfilled, young Bandido joined by the likes of Kota Ibushi, Young Bucks, Fenix and legend Rey Mysterio got his time to shine. It was a point of mandate that the independent event refused to avoid, especially the Bucks knowing that talent begets talent and that's what ALL IN is about.
As such the world of wrestling is now well aware of Bandido and you can bet your bottom dollar so are WWE and New Japan. In the coming years, this young man will launch a bidding war. Unless New Japan already won the bid and has gone ALL IN with bringing Bandido to the East.
He would add a wonderful body to the New Japan roster as well as give LiJ the thrust in the Super Jr. League. Honing his skills could be the key, making Bandido the perfect Sanada to Hiromu Takahashi's Natio, when he returns to the Juniors.
#1 Neville
A muted return to Dragon Gate might not have been where fans expected to see Neville land first, but it's more like a way to honor his roots as he returns to the Independent scene. Yet one can probably expect Neville to head to the top of the food chain with a prime chase by New Japan, to get him there.
Neville could join a whole host of factions, his snivelling heel might be perfect for Suzuki-Gun but two other factions are in desperate need of his wares. If New Japan wants fans to take the Firing Squad seriously, then they'll need a heavy hitter like Neville. If LiJ looks to a replacement, none comes better than Neville.
This is especially true of the latter as it allows Neville to first smoothly fit into the Juniors to aid Bushi and even have a featured match at Wrestle Kingdom 13. Secondly once Hiromu returns, Neville can easily move to the heavyweights to do what he left WWE to do.
The Man that WWE misused can once more become the Man that gravity forgot, and the Tranquilo that LiJ needs.
