NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12: 3 Biggest Winners That Lost Their Matches

Photo Source: njpw1972.com

Chris Jericho

What more can be said about Chris Jericho at this point? He’s arguably the best in the world at what he does. He’s also arguably the best professional wrestler of all time. He’s in-arguably the best of all time at staying relevant in the world of pro wrestling.

At the age of 47, Jericho left his “comfort zone” in WWE to go back to his roots in Japan and test himself against one of the absolute greatest talents in the world today and leader of the Bullet Club, Kenny Omega. Jericho had not wrestled anywhere outside of WWE since 1999 and was on a mission to show the world that the “Lionheart” was still alive and beating. Kenny and Jericho went back-and-forth in what I believe was the best match of the night at Wrestle Kingdom 12.

Jericho showed us all that he’s seemingly timeless, hitting all of his signature spots like the Lionsault, Codebreaker, Walls of Jericho, etc. while also playing a classic heel character to the Japanese audience. When Jericho went old school and locked on a LIONTAMER I have no problem admitting that I totally “marked out”.

Kenny ultimately won the match with a One Winged Angel onto a steel chair but Jericho’s stock has never been higher. Jericho also showed he can still go toe-to-toe with the best talents in the world and has the gas tank to keep up (this match went almost 35 mins).

Most assumed that Jericho would return to WWE after this match with Omega, as Y2J can come and go from WWE without ever missing a beat. But with New Japan making major strides in North American expansion, it looks like Jericho will be sticking around and has entered into a feud with Tetsuya Naito (who unsuccessfully challenged for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Kazuchika Okada at WK12) .

Next: Cody Silences The Critics

Chris Jericho has a chance to reinvent himself once again while also helping to change the entire landscape of professional wrestling.