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.

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IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match

Roppongi 3K (Sho & Yoh, w/ Rocky Romero) (c) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)

Result: The Young Bucks defeated Roppongi 3K via submission to become the new IWGP Junior Heavywieght Tag Team Champions

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Well, this was certainly a good way to open up a show, huh?

Depending on your views of wrestling, you either love the Young Bucks, or you hate them. If you like a lot of fast-paced action, with high spots every two seconds that show off pure athletic ability, the Jacksons are the best in the world. If you think all that is a bunch of hooey, and over choreographed garbage, well, you’re probably Jim Cornette.

Perhaps intentionally trying to prove to the world that they can wrestle a “traditional” match full of psychology, the Bucks spent this bout targeting a body part. Early in the match, Sho and Yoh went for a double tope con giro – but Yoh landed awkwardly and hurt his back. From that moment, Matt and Nick focused their attack on the injury. Sharpshooters, suplexes, apron bombs – anything that could damage the spine was fair game.

And for critics who say the Bucks don’t sell, well, Matt took a nasty spill to the floor and hurt his back. It compromised his ability to function as usual, but he gutted through the match. When the Bucks went for More Bang For Your Buck, Nick had to get down from the turnbuckle to help Matt set up the rolling senton.

Lots of great stuff in this one. The Bucks are now seven time Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, cementing their legacy as one of the best tag teams in the world. Roppongi 3K more than held their own.

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NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship Gauntlet Match

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

Result: Chaos defeated Bullet Club to become the new NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Excuse me while I mark out that TRENT BERETTA JUST WON A CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH INSIDE THE TOKYO DOME. Sure, Roppongi Vice won the Junior Heavyweight Tag Titles last year, but let me have this one. The only thing missing was Chuckie T, but all in due time.

My love of trios matches knows no bounds. CHIKARA’s King of Trios event is something I look forward to every year. The Shield and the Wyatt Family brought great six man action to WWE a few years back. So going into this contest, it was pretty likely that I’d be all in for something of this nature.

All five teams had their moments. War Machine is one of the best HOSS teams in the world, and the agility both guys have with their size is ridiculous. Juice Robinson is crazy over, and Taguchi Japan is such a fun group to watch. ZSJ is so fluid with his movements, and the submission he used to eliminated Rowe was beautiful. Bullet Club is, well, Bullet Club – it’s easy to forget that there’s more to the stable than The Elite, but this trio is pretty darn good, too.

And then there’s Chaos. Ishii is amazing – suplexing Fale? Ridiculous – Yano is great, and Beretta has been terrific since transitioning to the heavyweight division. The Dudebuster is such a great finish, and we’re two for two on title changes to kick off the show.

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Cody (w/ Brandi Rhodes) vs. Kota Ibushi

Result: Kota Ibushi defeated Cody via pinfall

Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

For those of you who don’t know, I hate Bullet Club Cody Rhodes. When he left WWE, I really and truly hoped he would succeed, because even at his best he was always underutilized. Then he became a part of the Bullet Club, and it just seemed like the group was jumping the shark. Popular heel, and not signed to WWE? HERE’S YOUR BIZ CLIZ SHIRT.

I was at ROH Final Battle in December, praying that Dalton Castle would beat Cody for the world title. There are only two times I have been happier at a wrestling show than when Castle beat Cody – Bayley defeating Sasha Banks at TakeOver: Brooklyn, and Princess Kimber Lee winning the CHIKARA Grand Championship from Hallowicked.

So color me surprised when this match with Ibushi was rolling along and I found myself loving what Cody was doing. Ibushi is a madman – the Cross Rhodes to the outside was probably the best stupid bump I’ve ever seen in my life – who makes everything awesome. But Cody played this match absolutely perfectly and killed it.

I love where Cody’s story is going right now – super arrogant, cocky villain starts questioning his ability after losing consecutive huge matches. Is he going to take it out on the rest of the Bullet Club? Can he turn things around? Did he mentally take himself out of these matches because of his attitude? It’s fascinating to me.

Oh, and Cody screaming at Ibushi that “Kenny doesn’t love you like I do”? Beautiful.

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IWGP Tag Team Championship

Killer Elite Squad (Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & SANADA)

Result: Los Ingobernables de Japon defeated Killer Elite Squad via pinfall to become the new IWGP Tag Team Champions

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

After the insanity of Cody vs. Ibushi, this one didn’t really click for me. I totally get the story of the match. It was well executed. The match itself was objectively good. But It’s not my cup of tea.

LIJ earned the title shot by winning the 2017 World Tag League. But their feel good story almost ended in seconds when KES hit the Killer Bomb on EVIL more or less right as the bell rang. From there, the whole match was basically KES just picking apart and dominating LIJ.

I’m not super familiar with Archer, but he comes across like a monster. Smith, on the other hand, reminds me so much of his dad. As a pair, Archer and Smith seem like they should be unstoppable. For the first three quarters of the match, they were unstoppable.

But then everyone got to bust out their “Golden State blew a 3-1 lead” jokes, because LIJ had a comeback for the ages. SANADA is a stud, and showed a lot of great heart. EVIL is, well, evil.

I really don’t have much to add about this one. Three for three on title changes in the first four matches of a show is a bold move. But LIJ deserved this win for withstanding that beating from Archer and Smith.

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NEVER Openweight Championship Death Match – Loser Shaves Head

Minoru Suzuki (c) vs. Hirooki Goto

Result: Hirooki Goto defeated Minoru Suzuki via pinfall to become the new NEVER Openweight Champion

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

As a lifelong WWE guy, when I think of puroresu and Japanese wrestling, this is the kind of match I picture. This was two guys just beating the stuffing out of each other. And honestly, I think the championship was less important than pride with this match.

Suzuki is practically the definition of lunatic. He’s everything you want from your intense, prideful heel. The idea that he wouldn’t be satisfied just making Goto pass out and literally give up was the epitome of hubris. Kudos to Don Callis with the perfect call, too – “Suzuki’s got him with the sleeper, don’t go for the Gotch, don’t go for – he went for the Gotch.”

I want to take this opportunity to point out how much better the presentation was on Wrestle Kingdom 12 than you get with a WWE show. Commentary seemed much more realistic and less forced, for one thing. But even more important was the lack of quick camera cuts and changing angles during chaotic action. Wrestle Kingdom 12 is presented like an athletic event – WrestleMania is presented like a cinematic event. To each his own, but I enjoyed how this show looked.

Goto hanging around long enough to avoid the Gotch piledriver every time Suzuki went for it put him in position to become the fourth new champion of the night in as many title matches. The added stipulation of “no seconds” was, of course, violated by Suzuki when members of Suzuki-gun tried to interfere. But Yoshi-Hashi made the save, and Goto capitalized.

Suzuki trying to leave without shaving his head, then returning to bring his own chair and shave his own head – or part of it, at least – was a nice touch. To me, it almost seemed like a sign of respect to Goto. Like, Suzuki probably wouldn’t have followed through if anyone else would have beaten him – but Goto deserved this to be seen through.

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IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match

Marty Scurll (c) vs. Will Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi

Result: Will Ospreay defeated Marty Scurll via pinfall to become the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

If the right person would have won this match, I would have given it another quarter star – maybe even made it a 5-star match. But even though I like Ospreay, Takahashi should have left the Dome as champion. The crowd was solidly in the corner of Takahashi, and his performance absolutely warranted a victory. Plus, Daryl was wearing a mask!

Regardless of the victor, there were a bunch of times in the match where I just threw my hands up and said “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!” Counter upon counter, ridiculous spot after ridiculous spot – it was bonkers. Sometimes I think Ospreay overdoes things a bit – he’s good, and athletic, but he almost always operates at full tilt. That’s great, but look at it this way – in music, if everything is loud, it loses its power. You need a soft section here and there to change it up, which makes the loud more impactful. If Ospreay is always at an 8 or a 9, there’s no impact anymore, even if he kicks it up to a 10.

KUSHIDA impressed me a lot in this one. I enjoyed that he didn’t roll over and give up after the powder in the eyes. You don’t need to be able to see to catch your opponent if he’s making physical contact with you – especially for a signature move you should literally be able to do with your eyes closed.

Scurll is great, too. The umbrella shots to the head made me cringe, but his joint manipulation is top rate. I get the impact of Scurrl and Ospreay sort of joining forces, but to me, it made both guys look dumb, mostly Ospreay. Why would you randomly start to trust your mortal enemy – who is a member of a whole group of relatively untrustworthy numpties – and work with him?

The fact that so many high impact moves led to false finishes was a little ridiculous, like the imploding 450 splash. In general, though, the match was awesome – even if the wrong guy won.

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IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match

Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Jay White

Result: Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Jay White via pinfall

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

After six mainly fantastic matches to start Wrestle Kingdom 12, Tanahashi vs. White was a tremendous disappointment. I honestly can’t think of a match that was this high profile that was so poorly booked and completely wrong for the platform it took place on.

I’ve seen comparisons online to John Cena beating Bray Wyatt and/or Rusev at WrestleMania. That’s close, but I think this takes the cake. When Cena beat Wyatt, it ruined the momentum of an already established character. The Rusev loss for the US Title was bad, but it wasn’t really seen as a “marquee” match that year.

But “Switchblade” is barely established! It was teased through videos beginning at the G1, and the reveal that Switchblade was Jay White came two months ago. That’s no time at all. White hasn’t even had a single match since making it known that he’s the guy from the vignettes.

Based on what a guy named “Switchblade” should be, the match was completely wrong. White should have been portrayed as a cold, ruthless, remorseless machine, whose only goal was to destroy Tanahashi. Instead, he tried to win a wrestling match. Big mistake. Tanahashi may have been the ace of NJPW, but in 2018 he’s held together by gum, kinesio tape, and ~FIGHTING SPIRIT.

And of course, Tanahashi wins, becoming the first champion to successfully defend his championship on the evening. On any other card, this match would have been more acceptable. But on the biggest show of the year, with a relatively new wrestler officially debuting a new character, this was a disaster. At least it’s proof that NJPW isn’t infallible.

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IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Match – No Disqualification

Kenny Omega (c) vs. Chris Jericho

Result: Kenny Omega defeated Chris Jericho via pinfall

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Prior to the match, it was abundantly clear that Kenny came to play. Jericho – wrestling outside WWE for the first time in nearly 20 years – showed up for his “new” endeavor wearing his light up jacket from five years ago, walking down to the ring as a song he wrote and recorded with Fozzy blared through the arena.

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Meanwhile, Omega dressed up as a steampunk version of the Egyptian god of death – Anubis. You know, death? The end? The OMEGA. Right off the bat, point to Kenny.

Whatever your expectations were for Omega vs. Jericho, I can pretty much guarantee they were exceeded. The match was no disqualification for a reason – these two hate each other. Even before the bell, things got out of hand with a brief tussle. Then the bell rang and all hell broke loose.

Within five minutes, poor Don Callis got taken out when Omega went for a springboard plancha and crashed through the announce table. Kenny countered with, uh, cold spray (in fairness, he’s got a history with the product).

Blood was spilled, chairs were literally broken over heads, and this one more than lived up to the hype. You can criticize Jericho’s selling and spot calling if you want. But the dude is clearly one of the all time greats and he’s out there with absolutely nothing to prove, still going full tilt. If that’s not going to win you over, nothing will.

Plus, as far as his character for the night went, Jericho killed it. His job was to get the crowd to hate him, despite his history in pro wrestling. And boy, did everyone want to hate him. Not sure how Omega is going to function as a babyface and be the leader of the Bullet Club, but it should be interesting.

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IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match

Kazuchika Okada (w/ Gedo) (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito

Result: Kazuchika Okada defeated Tetsuya Naito via pinfall

Rating: 6 out of 5 stars

When pro wrestling is at its best, it’s better than almost anything in the world. There’s elements of sport and story, drama and athleticism. On the rare occasions where everything clicks, and one enhances the other, it’s indescribable.

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I looked at the clock when I heard the bell ring to start the match. Here in the northeastern United States, it was 7:25 a.m. – four hours and twenty five minutes after the show began. It was surprising because it felt like the show had just started. The overall match quality of the entire card was amazingly good, so the time flew by.

Then Okada and Naito continued the war they’ve been waging for years with a 40 minute classic that felt like it could have gone on twice as long. I don’t know how I didn’t wake up my wife screaming at the television during this one. Mind blowingly great.

Like a ton of other people, I really thought this was Naito’s moment. Okada is the longest reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion in history, so it seemed like the time was right. Naito is more popular than ever, and had a great angle heading into this one. LIJ is hotter than everything in pro wrestling except for Bullet Club. Put the top title in the promotion on the leader of that group and it’s basically a license to print money.

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But Okada is on a different level than any other wrestler in the world. Omega is great, AJ Styles is great – Okada is untouchable. Kevin Kelly and Don Callis mentioned a comparison to Tiger Woods – at one point, there were a ton of great golfers, but only one Tiger Woods. Well, there’s a ton of great wrestlers in NJPW, and in the world, but there’s only one Kazuchika Okada.

I don’t want to just sit back and write up every last great spot in the match – we’ll be here all day. Poison rana, Rainmaker kickouts, Destino kickouts, spinning Tombstones – all amazing. But more important than that was the crowd, who was hotter during a main event match nearly five hours into a show than they were at any point prior.

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The real testament as to how emotionally draining the match was? Listen to the crowd reaction after the bell. Initially the pop was huge – and almost instantly it went nearly silent in the building. Everyone pulling for Naito – myself included – was devastated. Okada’s fans, though, were just exhausted.

Next: Greatest Wrestlers in NJPW History

Truly fantastic main event to cap off a tremendous card. What did you think of Wrestle Kingdom 12?