Wrestle Kingdom: Preview

Hi guys,

After a long year of wrestling amazing wrestling from NJPW, we're nearly at Wrestle Kingdom 13 which is on January 4th and, after seeing the entire card, I am so excited to spend a whole morning in my PJs watching WK on NJPWWorld. I know there's been some controversy over the match build ups, due to vacant champs, but there have been some matches that have been built up perfectly. So, here's my look at the entire WK13 card and my predictions on who I want to win (it is a long post but bare with me)!

No. 1 Contender Gauntlet for Never Openweight 6-man tag team titles

I guess that the problem with a company that has so many amazing stars but not enough places on the card is that we're going to have wrestlers like Suzuki and Goto without main card slots. This Gauntlet is probably the best way to get some amazing stars on the show in some way... even if it's not idea. The teams have now been announced and apart from a few sad tears (I mean where the hell is Chase Owens?!), the match looks great with some seriously strong teams from all the factions. We've got the odd group of Taguchi, Yano and Makabe, the Elite Hangman Page, Yujiro and Marty Scurll, Chaos (Baretta, Chuckie T and Goto). Taguchi Japan (my boy Finlay, Elgin and Cobb) and my picks to win which is the unstoppable team of Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. I mean these 3 guys from Suzuki Gun really should've been on the main card and will have a chip on their shoulder because of  and also... SUZUKI GUN ICHIBAN!

Winners: Suzuki Gun

Kota Ibushi (c) v Will Ospreay - Never Openweight Championship

What else can I say about this apart from the fact that NJPW is bringing us a dream match! Will Ospreay is by far one of my favourite wrestlers in the world and Kota Ibushi is probably one of the most magnificent wrestlers in the world (and they're both handsome as hell). The thing I'm most looking forward too is the speed and risk of this match, I mean I'm both terrified and excited at the same time. They're both going to be doing move after move that will just make me squeal in delight but I can also see times where I'm going to be hiding behind my pillow in fear that one of them is going to hurt themselves. Both are such fierce competitors that I know they're going to put everything into that match and risk it all to give us all the match we've dreamt of. This match up has the potential to steal the entire show and, by starting the show, it's giving all the matches something really tough to follow!

Winner: Will Ospreay

Yoshinobu Kanemaru/ El Desperado (c) v Roppongi 3k v LIJ - IWGP Jr Tag Team Champiosnship
This year's tournaments with the Jr Heavyweights have really shown that it's one of the best divisions in the world and Jr Tag League was perfect evidence of that. Even though some people weren't happy with the WK match up being the same as the Power Struggle final and that Roppongi 3k should've got a singles defence, I am more than happy to see this match again. We've got the dastardly Suzuki Gun champs of Despy and Kanemaru who are on their way to being the longest reigning Jr tag champs. Then there's Roppongi 3k, the gold and silver standard of wrestling who fought for this title match and my babes. I then can't forget about the LIJ team of Bushi and Takagi who, even though they didn't win the league, deserved their place on the card for putting on some amazing matches together. This match is a pure clash of styles between all three teams and. it has the potential to be the stand out tag match with home grown talent and pure heart! I want the world to see what the NJPW Jr tag team division is made of!

Winners: Roppongi 3k

Tomohiro Ishii (c) v Zack Sabre Jr - British Heavyweight Championship
I was there when Minoru Suzuki beat Ishii for this belt at Strong Style Evolved in Manchester. Fast forward half a year and we've got this Rev Pro title having the biggest match of it's career on the biggest stage possible. It would have been great to see another Ishii/ Suzuki match but Zack Sabre Jr has had such a red hot year through his NJPW Cup win and he's one of the best in the world, so why not? It will be a clash of styles with Ishii's hard hitting strength against ZSJ's technical prowess. Even though on paper an Ishii win seems obvious, with ZSJ it could go anyway and that's what is so exciting - there is no clear winner! For me, it would be nice to see Zack hold the championship again and maybe Suzuki will challenge for it (because after World Tag League, a singles match between them is something I need to see).

Winner: Zack Sabre Jr

G.O.D (c) v Evil/ Sanada v The Young Bucks - IWGP Tag Team Championship 
This match is probably one of the most controversial because of the addition of the Young Bucks (which annoyed me but I get because they are entitled to their rematch against G.O.D). However, even with all this going on, you have to know that it's going to be an amazing match! In each teams, we've got power houses (Tanga Loa, Evil and Matt Jackson) and quick paced, agile, risk takers (Tama Tonga, Sanada and Nick Jackson) which makes the match even more exciting! I always love watching Tama and Sanada in the ring together and put in Nick Jackson (who never ceases to amaze me) and you're onto a winner. I always like to see the positives in all the matches and this one definitely has the potential to be a knock out with some of the best tag teams in the world!i wouldn’t mind who wins really because G.O.D are amazing but let’s see what happens.

Winners: G.O.D or Evil and Sanada

Cody (c) v Juice Robinson - IWGP US Heavyweight Championship

I guess we can all agree with the fact that, since winning the title, Cody has made the title the most irrelevant it's ever been. I know that he's been injured and things like that, but that doesn't reflect why the title has pretty much been vacant from the company. Kenny and Jay were both amazing champs and we all thought Juice was going to carry that on, but we were wrong because the compamny (wrongly) chose to let him lose it too quickly. However bad a champ Cody has been, Juice has perfectly managed to build this match up all by himself through post match promo's. Juice has so much passion for wrestling and NJPW as a company and I really hope that he's going to be Cody clean and have a title run that we all want him to have. Even though I was sad when Juice beat Jay (I mean Jay's my fave), I just want Juice to get that title back and add some prestige back to the beautiful belt.

Winner: Juice Robinson

Kushida (c) v Taiji Ishimorii - IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
Like I said for the Jr tag titles, this match is going to be another piece of evidence showing the strength of this company's division and my desire for the Jrs to be treated as equals! After a crazy year where Hiromu Takahashi won the IWGP Jr Heavweight Championship off Ospreay and then had to relinquish it because of injury, the title went back to the capable hands of Kushida. But, after pinning Kushi at Power Struggle, Bone Soldier Taiji Ishimori's got his shot at the title and, I know it sounds repetitive, but this could steal the show too... okay maybe all the matches are show stealers in their own way. but this one is exciting. Both guys have such a diverse and innovative style combinging strength, agility and high flying so, when you put them all together on the biggest stage of the NJPW calender, then you're on to a winner! It's also a great story telling match with the rise of the BC OG's and there dominance. I mean the match could go anyway and I'd be happy with either winning really.

Winner: Kushida

Jay White v Kazuchika Okada - Special Singles Match

To anyone saying that this match with Jay White is a demotion for Okada - poo you because this is the match I have probably been looking forward to the most since White and Gedo turned on Okada earlier this year. I think Jay White is one of best heel's in the business and we all know how amazing Okada is as a babyface and just generally an in-ring competitor. Couple this with how amazing their G1 match was in July and then add the implications of pure scorn and hatred the two have for each other then you have a recipe for success. Unlike all the other WK matches, there aren't any title implications but it feels as important as any other just for pride and it's the perfect way to end such an amazing storyline but with an opening for more development. I mean will we get to see who the Chaos Mole is? Is that the end of BC OG v Chaos? Will more people turn on the loser of the match? This match has the ability to steal the show for me and, as much as I love Okada, Team Switchblade all the way!

Winner: Jay White

Chris Jericho (c) v Tetsuya Naito - IWGP Intercontinental Championship

Just like Cody, we have another pretty much vacant champ and it's gotten to the point where I sometimes forget the title even exists. However, Naito is one of my favourite superstars at the moment and, like Juice, he's really been trying to build up this match by himself before Jericho arrived in Japan for the press conference and ambushing Naito at Korakuen, so I am still excited. I also just hope its not like the squash match they had earlier this year when Naito lost the IC belt because, when both at their best, they are two of the best superstars in the world. It's going to be brutal and there'll be weapons and that's what excites me about the match - it's going to be unpredictable as hell! Yet, it's pretty obvious who I want to win #Tranquilo.

Winner: Tetsuya Naito

Kenny Omega (c) v Hiroshi Tanahashi - IWGP Heavyweight Championship

Even with the absence of Kenny from a lot of the tours, there has actually been some pretty decent build up for this match since Tana won the right to challenge for the title in the G1 Climax. As much as Kenny doesn't think matches need to be heel v heel, Kenny has undoubtedly become the heel in this from his taunts to his attitude to even not turning up, I mean he's even getting booed when he's tagging with Ibushi which makes him's the perfect heel to the people's champ Tanahashi who can do no wrong in the eyes of the NJPW fans. Then you mix that with the fact that they two completely different styles and personalities and that they genuinely seem to hate each other - I mean it's a recipe for a classic. I don't really know or have anyone in mind that I want to win but I'd like to see Kenny retain to actually make his reign mean something (because it's been criticised a lot) but then I'd love to see Tana regain his crown to be at the top of the company, it's so conflicting!

Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi

Overall, this is an amazing Wrestle Kingdom card and I can't complain in anyway. Yes, there have been some issues with the build up due to absent (cough Gaijin) champions but you can't say anything about the quality of the card. My only issue is stars like Suzuki, Goto and Hangman Page not getting big matches but that's the nature of the beast. I don't see any of them going anywhere soon so I know they'll be back fighting with a vengeance.

I hope you enjoyed my little look into Wrestle Kingdom and, like always, let me know in the comments or on social media (@Wrestling_Chat on Twitter and Wrestling Chatter on FB) what you thought of this post! Also, let me know who

Until next time,

Bye!