NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades

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New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest show of the year took place at the Tokyo Dome. Find out what happened at Wrestle Kingdom 12.

January 4 is a special day for fans of New Japan Pro Wrestling. Every year since 1992, the company has produced a major event in the Tokyo Dome. It’s become one of the most anticipated days of the year for wrestling fans. In 2018, the world was treated to Wrestle Kingdom 12.

This year’s card was highlighted by a double main event. The most intriguing match to NJPW newbies was likely the IWGP United States Championship match. Kenny Omega became the inaugural US Champ over the summer, successfully defending the title at all turns. But after a Twitter war, Chris Jericho made a shocking return to NJPW at Power Struggle on November 5, challenging Omega to a match at Wrestle Kingdom. After a bloody brawl in December, “Alpha vs. Omega” became a no disqualification match.

The other half of the main event was the IWGP Heavyweight Championship match. G1 Climax winner Tetsuya Naito challenged Kazuchika Okada, the longest reigning champion in New Japan history. Okada defeated Naito to win the championship back in June 2016. Okada and Naito were scheduled to wrestle in the main event at Wrestle Kingdom 8 in 2014, but lost the spot thanks to a fan poll. This year, though, the match is one of the most anticipated on the card.

Hiroshi Tanahashi was also scheduled to compete, taking on Jay White in a featured contest. Cody (Rhodes) vs. Kota Ibushi was billed as a special attraction. Zack Sabre Jr., The Young Bucks, Marty Scurll, Will Ospreay, and many more were in action as well.

Read ahead for our review of Wrestle Kingdom 12. Full disclosure before we get started: Unless you count Ring of Honor’s War of the Worlds, this is the first New Japan show I’ve watched in full.