NJPW Sakura Genesis 2018: Results, Grades, and Analysis
Final Thoughts
Show Rating: 5/5
This is an absolute must watch show.
This was an excellent pro wrestling show. There is little more that needs to be said. The top three matches were all great, and all different from each other. The great thing about NJPW is that everyone can work a different style. There is no set formula to matches, nor is there any restrictive or arbitrary rules. The wrestlers are given the freedom to be creative and to work their kind of match. The benefits of this were seen at Wrestle Kingdom 12 when Chris Jericho had the best match of his career against Kenny Omega. Good wrestlers thrive in this kind of environment, and the guys at the top of NJPW are the best.
Kazuchika Okada has a legitimate claim to being the best wrestler ever. He can work a different type of match with every opponent he has. He literally worked a totally different style in this main event, wrestling primarily as a technical mat wrestler exchanging hold for hold with ZSJ. The story of the match saw ZSJ being one step ahead of Okada, and Okada doing just enough to keep himself afloat until he was able to finally finish Sabre. It was beautiful. Okada is definitely having the best run of any champion in NJPW in years.
The Bullet Club drama is continuing to be one of the best stories in wrestling. We saw major developments with The Young Bucks, hinting at them finally starting to see Cody for what he is. We saw Omega have more reasons to hate Cody. The OG Bullet Club walked out to the Bullet Club theme music, further highlighting that they do not care about this feud. They’re still going to be there at the end, and maybe Tama Tonga will fill a potential leadership gap.
We also saw some significant development with Naito, as he continues his journey of becoming more and more tranquilo. Minoru Suzuki, the Intercontinental champion, challenged Naito. That is how much Naito was able to get under Suzuki’s skin, and it was awesome. Naito doesn’t care about the championship (saying so in his promo), and he doesn’t care about Suzuki. This is the Naito that should eventually defeat Okada for the title. In losing to Suzuki, he will actually be better prepared to defeat Okada, the one match that really matters.
Will Ospreay also defeated Marty Scurll in an absolute war. He finally got his major win over Marty, as their match completely stole the show. Ospreay is well on his way to having one of the best Junior Heavyweight runs NJPW has seen in a long time. I just hope he’s okay after that scary apron bump.
Next: Cody Rhodes is the Perfect Foil for Kenny Omega
NJPW has successfully set up the next little while of stories, all building towards the G1 this summer. I fully expect to see some more interesting developments soon, including more appearances of Chris Jericho. The opening months of NJPW’s 2018 has been incredible, and NJPW will look to continue this momentum into the summer. They are the promotion to watch this year.