NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13 For Beginners: Part 2
By Laura Mauro
.@IAmJericho vs. @s_d_naito IWGP Intercontinental championship match is now a NO DQ MATCH!!https://t.co/HmaQ3hcqbt#njwk13 #njpw pic.twitter.com/YjQ5DUvcrk
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) January 3, 2019
Chris Jericho vs. Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables de Japon) – IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Josiah: One of the names that is synonymous with pro wrestling is Chris Jericho. Jericho has been one of the bigger names in wrestling for 20 years, and he added another intercontinental championship to his collection when he managed to defeat Tetsuya Naito for it on June 9, 2018.
Jericho and Naito had an incredible brawl that saw Jericho defeat the leader of Los Ingobernables de Japon, and subsequently defeated EVIL at Power Struggle 2018. While some criticize Jericho, his value has skyrocketed since joining NJPW, and even appearing at All In.
Tetsuya Naito is one of the top stars in wrestling today. Naito is a legitimate top 5 star in NJPW, and one of the most charismatic wrestlers in the world. While the IWGP Intercontinental Championship has been the bane of Naito’s existence for many years now, it keeps coming back to him.
Naito may hate the title (more on that later), but it marks him as a main eventer worthy of closing shows for NJPW. Naito’s 2018 has been rough since losing his IWGP Heavyweight Championship match against Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 12, but still managed to stay on top for most of 2018.
2019 will have to be started on the right foot for him, and winning his title back from Chris Jericho would go a long way towards setting him on the right path. However, Jericho won’t be willing to give it up without a fight.
Expect this match to be a wild, bloody brawl, with both men giving their all. This feud has turned into quite the blood feud as Naito and Jericho had cut increasingly personal promos against each other, and I (Josiah) for one, cannot wait to see it.
Josiah’s Prediction: Tetsuya Naito
Laura’s Prediction: Tetsuya Naito
Recommended Viewing:
Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega (Wrestle Kingdom 12 – January 4, 2018)
Chris Jericho vs. Tetsuya Naito (Dominion – June 9, 2018)
Chris Jericho vs. EVIL (Power Struggle 2018 – November 3, 2018)
Tetsuya Naito vs. Kota Ibushi – (G1 Climax 2017 – July 17, 2017)
Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (G1 Climax 2017 – August 11, 2017)
Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenny Omega (G1 Climax – August 13, 2017)