First of all, this was an amazing show top to bottom and well worth staying up all night to watch. Wrestle Kingdom is regarded as one of the best shows every year and there were no disappointments this year. The stars of New Japan Pro Wrestling put on a spectacular event so without further ado, here are my star ratings for the card:
Star Ratings
NEVER Openweight Championship: Will Osprey def. Kota Ibushi – My god, this was brutal. These two men did so much in this match and so many moves looked so dangerous. After the match was over, Ibushi looked knocked out and was taken off on a stretcher. I’m not sure if this is a work or not, but Ibushi wasn’t in Kenny Omega’s corner as usual for the main event. Nonetheless, an amazing way to kick off the main show. 4.75 stars.
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Championships: Bushi & Shingo Takagi def. SHO & YOH, El Desparado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru – A shorter match but very fast paced. This followed the opener pretty well all things considered but this was able to flow well in the second slot of the night. Most important takeaway coming out of this match is that Shingo finally has gold in NJPW. 3.5 stars.
British Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. def. Tomohiro Ishii – These two are crazy. Sabre is a technical wrestling wizard and Ishii is made out of stone! You can’t have more differing styles in a match up and it couldn’t have worked better. Both men worked their styles throughout the match but Sabre pulled out the win with a lethal octopus stretch. 4 stars.
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Championships: EVIL & Sanada def. Young Bucks & G.O.D – A fast pace match with a lot of big spots. It was predictable to have one of the Bucks take the fall as they are leaving New Japan for their new promotion AEW after Wrestle Kingdom. EVIL & Sanada take home the titles for the second straight year in a row. 4 stars.
IWGP United States Championship: Juice Robinson def. Cody – Probably the most predictable outcome of the night. Cody is leaving and everyone knew it. It was an alright match but for sure the weakest on the whole card. 3 stars.
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Taiji Ishimori def. KUSHIDA – This was a fantastic Jr. Heavyweight title match! It wasn’t the best match these two have put on but it was pretty damn good. KUSHIDA losing the belt here will only further speculation on whether or not the Time Splitter is going to WWE soon. 3.75 stars.
Jay White def. Kazuchika Okada – My favorite moment all night came when Okada (coming out to the OG Rainmaker music!) removed his entrance gear to reveal his old tights, a symbol that the Rainmaker is back at last! All of that was for nothing however, as Jay White picked up a win out of nowhere via Bladerunner. This match was amazing; Okada is the best pro wrestler on the planet. 4.5 stars.
IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Tetsuya Naito def. Chris Jericho – A blood feud culminating in an amazing match. They used the no DQ stipulation perfectly and after a few incredible near falls, Naito has finally overcome Chris Jericho. It will be interesting to see where both men go from here. 5 stars.
IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Kenny Omega – Match of the night. In what could have been Tanahashi’s last opportunity in the Tokyo Dome main event to capture his beloved title, the Ace succeeded and air guitar-ed his way out of the Dome. This match had everything and no one in the wrestling business can sell and make a comeback like Tanahashi. With Kenny losing here, it looks like the former champion is on his way out of the company as well. 5 stars.
Takeaways
- Eight title changes out of eight title matches
- Every member of Los Ingobernables holds gold now
- The Rainmaker is back
- The Ace of NJPW is back
- Jay White will be the face of the company soon enough
With New Years Dash in a matter of hours, the fallout from Wrestle Kingdom 13 will be felt and we will find out the direction New Japan is going as they begin 2019.
