NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12: Predictions For Each Match
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IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
After all of IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada’s eight previous defenses during this legendary reign, never has he been less-favoured.
NJPWWorld’s Monday Free Match： IWGP Heavyweight Championship bout Kazuchika Okada VS Tetsuya Naito 4 January 2014!!
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Tetsuya Naito won the G1 Climax for the first time as an Ingobernables. This crowing achievement has been years in the making, and is unlikely to stop there. Naito is the only man to have usurped the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Okada since AJ Styles. In that time, his popularity has grown more than any performer in the company. For many, the main event is a forgone conclusion.
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Okada fans should not despair. The Rainmaker works best when he has a bonafide rival, as he did with Tanahashi and Omega. The Cleaner/Rainmaker trilogy ended with Kenny getting a tournament win, before starting to build the prestige of his US Championship. In order to keep Naito around as a long-term dance partner, Okada will have to lose on the grand stage.
Winner: Tetsuya Naito