NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 Night 2: Results, Grades, and Analysis

https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/1213744404747321345

An opening video showed a guy dressed like Chris Jericho, and someone slapped him and picked up his hat. It was Tanahashi dressed as Chris Jericho, and he sang a song/cut a promo on Jericho. This was great. Jericho’s video saying he was going to offer a title shot to Tanahashi if he could win played.

Tanahashi’s entrance featured remixed version of his theme that sounded like it was being played by a live band. Jericho walked down to the ring with the AEW World Championship around his waist, which is very, very interesting. We are far closer to a relationship between AEW and NJPW that we ever have been before.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Chris Jericho (Inner Circle)

Jericho flipped the crowd off and posed to massive boos from the crowd. Tanahashi got wildly cheered. They did nothing in the first few minutes of the match and got a ridiculous reaction. They ran into each other for a shoulder block, but Tanahashi posed and yelled “Come on, baby!” like Jericho would. That was great.

Jericho did an arm wringer and Tanahashi turned it into an armdrag and armbar of his own. Tana went for a back-body drop, but Jericho kicked him. Jericho went for a back-body drop, but Tanahashi kicked him. Tanahashi hit a rolling dropkick and a hip toss in the middle of the ring before putting his foot on Jericho’s chest and yelling “Come on, baby!” to a great pop from the crowd.

Jericho responded by throwing Tanahashi to the floor and hitting a springboard dropkick when Tanahashi went back onto the apron. Jericho threw Tanahashi into the guardrail and slammed the door of the guardrail on his head. Jericho stole a ringside camera and took several pictures of himself flipping the crowd off before slapping a young lion and throwing Tana into another guardrail.

Jericho threw Tanahashi over the guardrail onto the US announce table. Jericho cussed them out and hit a DDT on the table that sent both of them crashing to the floor. That was nuts. Jericho brought Tanahashi back into the ring and hit him with a knee drop from the middle rope for a 2 count.

Tanahashi hit several forearms, but Jericho did the butterfly suplex into a backbreaker and then dropkicked Tanahashi. Jericho then mocked Tanahashi by doing air guitar and going for a horrific High Fly Flow. Tanahashi rolled out of the way and smiled, to a roar from the crowd. Tanahashi hit a few strikes, but Jericho threw him over the rope. Tanahashi skinned the cat and hit more strikes before hitting a flying forearm.

Tanahashi went for a splash in the corner, but Jericho pulled the referee in the way and then kicked Tanahashi low. Jericho took off his weight belt and started whipping Tanahashi with it. Jericho went to pick up Tanahashi, so Tanahashi low blowed him. Jericho got his comeuppance quickly on that one, but that was great.

Jericho went for his face crusher, but Tana ran Jericho into the opposite corner and then hit his splash before hitting a flipping senton off the middle rope for a 2 count. Tanahashi hit the ropes, but Jericho hit a back elbow and went for the Lionsault. As Jericho hit the middle rope to go backwards, Tanahashi cut him off and sent Jericho to the floor.

Tanahashi hit a High Fly Flow off the top rope to the floor! Jericho barely made it back into the ring, and Tanahashi hit two dragon screw leg whips in the ropes on Jericho as he screamed “No!” Tanahashi went for the sling blade, but Jericho countered with the Code Breaker. Tanahashi held him up and then hit another dragon screw! Tanahashi followed it with two more on the ground!

Tanahashi went to the top rope and went for the High Fly Flow, but Jericho got his knees up and hit the Lionsault. Jericho sold his knee and Tanahashi kicked out at 2. Jericho went for the Judas Effect, but Tanahashi blocked it and hit a straight jacket suplex for a 2 count. Tanahashi went for the sling blade again, but Jericho countered it into the Walls of Jericho!

Every time Tanahashi tried to make it to the ropes, Jericho would pull Tanahashi back into the middle of the ring. Eventually Tanahashi gave up on trying to get to the ropes, so he powered out and twisted Jericho to the mat. As they both stood up, Tanahashi hit the sling blade! He dropped Jericho again and went to the top rope, looking for the High Fly Flow.

Jericho stood up and countered it into the Code Breaker for a 2 count! Jericho went for the Judas Effect, but Tanahashi ducked and hit the Code Breaker himself for a 2 count. Tanahashi went for another sling blade, but Jericho countered into the Liontamer, but Tanahashi rolled him up for a 2 count. Tanahashi held on and hit Twist and Shout before hitting another sling blade.

Tanahashi got another 2 count and went back to the top rope for a High Fly Flow, but Jericho rolled through into another Liontamer attempt. Jericho got him over this time, and after a period of time was able to pull Tanahashi into a full Liontamer, and Tanahashi tapped out.

Result: Chris Jericho

Rating: ****1/4 (4.25 stars)

Fantastic match from Jericho and Tanahashi here, as they told a very old school story, with Jericho being the cheating, lying heel, and Tanahashi being the traditional babyface. While Tanahashi wasn’t able to win and challenge for the AEW World title, it’s obvious that some of the walls between the two companies have been removed.

There might be no official working agreement yet, but I think the fact that both companies allowed the AEW World Championship to be an important part of marketing the match between Tanahashi and Jericho is a sign that things might be progressing towards that. I could be entirely wrong, but that does seem to be the natural direction, especially with Jericho wearing the title out on the show and the announcers talking about it openly.