Since 1992, New Japan Pro Wrestling has put on wrestling shows at the Tokyo Dome on the same date, January 4th. Legends of the ring, like Tatsumi Fujinami, Brock Lesnar, Antonio Inoki, Shinsuke Nakamura and recent Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame inductee Yuji Nagata have all performed there on that date. Today, Callum Owen and Colin Hebert take a look at their favourite matches from the January 4th New Japan tradition.
“The Wrestling Brain” Callum Owen
Last year I bought NJPW World for one reason, and that was for Chris Jericho Vs Kenny Omega, it was truly mind-blowing seeing Y2J inside a none WWE ring, and once again reinventing himself.
This whole feud had an incredible build-up, Jericho was on fire, cutting promo’s which wouldn’t be allowed in WWE, throwing a table at Kenny during a press conference was certainly a highlight. It was the most excited I’d been for a wrestling match in a while, and over the last year with his run in NJPW and appearance at ALL-IN, he has become my favourite wrestler of all time. The match itself lived up to its hype, and it just proved that the then 47-year-old Jericho was still one of the best in the world at what he does.
“The Curtain Jerker” Colin Hebert
It may be a bit of a cop-out to give you Wrestle Kingdom 11’s Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega match as my favourite Wrestle Kingdom match ever, but it happens to be so.
It is more so of the backstory of the match than anything else. Even as Kenny Omega was winning 2016’s G1 Climax, there were still major doubts about the match. New Japan was very worried that Omega couldn’t get over in a big-time main event match and that Okada might not be able to work a New Japan main event style with someone other than a Tanahashi, Nakamura, or Suzuki.
Add to that that Okada came down with the flu the night before Wrestle Kingdom 12, it was a miracle that they were able to put on even a 5-star match. The match itself was incredible, getting me up out of my chair several times due to the near-falls (something that never happens). The match ended up getting a record 7 stars from Dave Meltzer and close to 20,000 new subscriptions in a week to New Japan World, New Japan’s streaming service.
What is your favourite Wrestle Kingdom match? Let us know below.
Recent Comments