Ranking NJPW’s Factions Post-WK12: Worst To Best

Credit: NJPW Twitter

Wrestle Kingdom 12 is in the books. After such a hectic build-up to one event, the landscape of New Japan in 2018 starts to take shape. The factions are reshuffling, and their position on the hierarchy has changed in previous months. Which NJPW faction is kicking off the new year at full-speed, and who is lagging behind?

5. Taguchi Japan

Down 2

What was once a lovable, loosely-aligned contingent of superstar wrestlers is now a shade of its former self.

Where a group later on this list had some stellar pick-ups the past few months, Taguchi Japan’s numbers have thinned. The most significant loss has been Taguchi’s right-hand man Ricochet, who also happened to be one of the elite performers in the company. The Jr. Tag division and Taguchi Japan have not been the same since Ricochet has started his transition to the WWE.

More of Taguchi’s top allies, IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi and Michael Elgin, have distanced themselves from the impromptu alignment also. Elgin even lined up in a separate trio for Wrestle Kingdom’s gauntlet match. On the upcoming New Beginning tour, Taguchi will also have to replace one of his rising stars, Juice Robinson, with the recently returned Henare. Taguchi, Henare and Togi Makabe will take another stab at the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Championships in Sapporo.

Maybe Taguchi Japan was never meant to be a long-term factor in the New Japan landscape. If it’s time for Taguchi to stop parading around as a faction leader, we can at least look back fondly at the memories he gave us. If not, the manager needs to do some serious recruiting (Kota Ibushi sticking around?), or help to build the likes of David Finlay and Henare into bigger stars.