NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12: Predictions For Each Match

Credit: NJPW1972 Instagram

On January 4th, New Japan Pro Wrestling hold their equivalent of WrestleMania, Wrestle Kingdom 12. It is a stacked card with two huge main events, and may be the most watched Wrestle Kingdom ever. Who will be starting 2018 on the right foot with a win at the Tokyo Dome?

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Roppongi 3K (c) vs. The Young Bucks

During the Super Jr. Tag Tournament, fans were excited about BUSHI and Hiromu Takahashi’s pairing. It looked as though they might win and provide a legitimate alternative in the division. Instead, the returning Sho and Yo ran through said division, leaving no one in their way besides The Young Bucks.

The veteran Jackson brothers will need to quell the fire lit under Romero’s prodigies. If they don’t, it could spell the end of an already thinning Junior Tag Team division. Fortunately, The Bucks’ limited dates in New Japan make them a special attraction, and one that will likely walk out of the Tokyo Dome as Champions.

Winners: The Young Bucks

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship Gauntlet Match

 Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) (c) vs. Chaos (Beretta, Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano) vs. Michael Elgin and War Machine (Hanson and Raymond Rowe) vs. Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Takashi Iizuka and Zack Sabre Jr.) vs. Taguchi Japan (Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi and Togi Makabe)

More than last year, the 6-man gauntlet holds a meaningful place on this year’s Tokyo Dome show. This is mainly because surprise additions to the singles matches, such as Jay White and Chris Jericho, have left many without a role at the event. Rather than chuck them in the meaningless New Japan Rumble, many are now in the slightly-less-meaningless NEVER 6-Man Championship bout.

Ishii, Elgin, Zack Sabre Jr. and Juice all could have had featured spots. Instead, they’ll make this gauntlet feel a bit more star-studded. As for the winner, it’s pretty much a crapshoot. War Machine can be safely ruled out as they are likely headed elsewhere. Suzuki-gun likely won’t walk out of Wrestle Kingdom shining, so this might make a good consolation prize.

For being 2017’s most improved performer, I expect Juice to get a crowning moment with his first New Japan title win.

Winners: Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi and Togi Makabe