Photo Source: njpw1972.com
At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12, three of the show’s biggest winners actually lost their matches. Here’s why they managed to gain positive momentum despite their respective defeats.
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 is in the books and was a fantastic show from start to finish. Pro Wrestling is unique from the sense that if booked correctly, even the losers of the matches can come across like bigger stars than how they were previously perceived. These three wrestlers lost their matches at Wrestle Kingdom and now the fans are more behind them than ever.
Minoru Suzuki
Minoru Suzuki is an international treasure. His in-ring style reflects his legendary status in the worlds of both professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Suzuki and Hirooki Goto had a FIGHT for Suzuki’s NEVER Openweight Championship with a hair vs. hair stipulation at Wrestle Kingdom 12.
This was a matchup that most fans weren’t clamoring for but possibly the one with the most buzz on my social media as it was happening. Suzuki and Goto took part in an absolute war that had fans on the edge of their seats. Suzuki really shined in this match by looking completely insane while incorporating his MMA-based offense.
Suzuki seemed to have the match won, implementing a series of Rear Naked Chokes and trying to transition into a Gotch Style Piledriver but Goto fought through it valiantly and hit a nasty GTR for the win. After the match, Suzuki shined even more as he shaved his head HIMSELF in the middle of the ring.
There are a lot of fans that think this was the best match of the show. Suzuki doing the honorable thing by shaving his head in defeat was the epitome of what the kids would call a “boss move”. I’m suspecting a full babyface turn for Suzuki in the near future to capitalize on the buzz coming off of this performance.
Photo Source: njpw1972.com
Hiromu Takahashi
Hiromu Takahashi got one of the biggest crowd reactions of the night at Wrestle Kingdom 12. Fans love him because he’s incredibly charismatic, a fantastic in-ring worker, and Daryl. Who’s Daryl? Daryl Takahashi is a plush cat doll that Hiromu brings to the ring with him for his matches. Daryl is a total badass and the fans know it.
I kid you not, Daryl is more over with the crowd than a lot of really good wrestlers. That all being said, Hiromu was involved in an insane Four-way match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship which pitted himself against champion Marty Scurll, Kushida, and Will Ospreay.
This entire match was one giant highlight reel filled with spots that have to be seen to be believed. I highly recommend anyone that missed this match go watch it immediately because my words can’t do it justice. The fans were greatly invested into this match but it seemed like Hiromu was the crowd favorite.
At one point, Hiromu had all of the momentum and the crowd was going nuts while he hit Sunset Flip Powerbombs from the ring apron to the floor on everybody followed by a couple of devastating Time Bombs.
Will Ospreay wound up winning this match and he’s the new champion, which nobody can be mad about. Ospreay is one of the best in the world at a ridiculously young age and hasn’t even scratched the surface on his potential but this should have been Hiromu’s moment.
My guess is that NJPW is going to try a slower build with hopes of a bigger payoff down the line and Hiromu will capture the title later this year but this show seemed like the perfect chance to pull the trigger. Regardless of the outcome, Hiromu and Daryl Takahashi are here to stay and the fans can’t get enough of them!
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.