5 best storylines potentially building up for the year

1. Kota Ibushi's championship pursuit

The new ace?

With the Elite's move to AEW, NJPW was forced to adjust its top-level storylines. While Kenny Omega was the right man to end Kazuchika Okada's historic title run and Tanahashi's redemption on beating Omega at Wrestlekingdom made for an emotional storyline, the IWGP World title is once again back in Omega's capable hands, with the Rainmaker looking for the right challenger to do the honors.

Enter Kota Ibushi.

Ibushi has been a top star at NJPW over the years without ever being the World Champion. His tremendous 2018 G1 block deciding victory over Omega, the emotional final defeat against Tanahashi and the brutal Intercontinental bouts with Tetsuya Naito all solidified that he was the true NJPW babyface and that a date with Okada for the World title should not be far away.

The fact that he chose to remain a freelancer instead of signing an exclusive deal with NJPW did complicate matters last year, but the NJPW management pulled off a major coup in persuading him to finally commit himself to the promotion instead of following his friend Omega to AEW.

With the management fully invested in him, Ibushi won this year's G1 Climax, fittingly beating Okada to advance to the finals where he rode the momentum to beat the foreign heel Jay White and set up a potential crowd-pleasing culmination to his IWGP World title arc at next January's WrestleKingdom.

Okada vs Ibushi for the World title is a mouth-watering prospect and it has all the characteristics for a torch-passing moment. Expect fireworks at the dome!