NUPW Wrestle Kingdom 13 - Omega vs. Tanahashi

 

The pre-show feed has some amazing wackiness - but nothing tops Officer Liger. The pre-show gauntlet is a bit different from the Rumble, but it does mix things up a bit. Marty, Hangman, and Yujiro are out and my god is PIETER amazing. Cobb, Nagata, and Finlay are out. Yuji starts with Marty and god is Yuji still so good at his age. Marty outsmarts himself by avoiding a headbutt, but eating a dropkick to the knee. NAGATA LOCK! The Not Bullet Club beats up Cobb for a bit. Apron SSP to Cobb by Page. Finlay rolls up Yujiro to take them out. Goto, Trent, and Chucky T are out. Goto hits a rope run lariat to Nagata. Trent hits Bryan's flying knee and then a dive to the floor. Chucky and Trent dive.

Cobb hits a double throw and Finlay darts around. Finlay's schoolboy on Chucky T was absolutely gorgeous. SUZUKI GUN IS OUT AND WE'VE GOT SOME SUZUKI VS. NAGATA ACTION! Cobb hits an Olympic slam and a standing moonsalt on DBS. Bridging Saito suplex by DBS gets 2. Killer Bomb on Finlay ends it for his team. This revamped Jimmy Hart version of Immigrant Song is great. Taguchi, Yano, and Makabe are out and get the shit beaten out of them by Suzuki-gun right away. DBS lands a big boot to Taguchi and a legdrop. Archer goes Old School and tags in Suzuki.

HIP ATTACK TO SUZUKI! MAKABE RUNS WILD! YANO COMES IN AND GOES FOR THE BUCKLE PAD AND DBS MISSES A KNEE. Hart Attack gets 2, and goddamn it was terrible. Two hip attacks for Suzuki. Yano's double nutshot is caught, but a double hip attack hits. Ref is down and the YANO SPECIAL WINS IT! OH MY GOD! Recap of NJPW's year and then a rundown of 2019's events. They're coming to Dallas in June and New Year's Dash will now be at the Tokyo Dome as well - perfect! They're missing out not calling Ibushi vs. Ospreay HANDSOM BATTLE II.

Ospreay vs. Ibushi is going to be the greatest opener ever. Ospreay has his best gear yet and he may not be long for NJPW as he's been following and retweeting AEW a ton. Kicks are ducked, but a Will monkey flip gets an edge. Kamigoye and Oscutter are avoided early. AJ-esque dropkick to Will. Triangle moonsault misses and Ospreay kicks him too. Ospreay lands a space flying tiger drop. Schoolboy plex gets 2 for Ibushi. Ibushi's powerslam leads to a moonsault attempt, but Will traps him and superkicks him. FOREARM EXCHANGE! They exchange flipping out of all the things until Will hits a C4. Wow!

SUPERKICK TO THE NECK BY OSPREAY! Rana out of a stormbreaker for 2. BOMAYE TO THE NECK OF OSPREAY! Sitout last ride gets 2.9! Tree of woe and Will gets some near PRIDE stormps on him. Ibushi's jaw smacks the post hard, but he gets a double stomp on the neck. DEADLIFT GERMAN BUT OSPREAY ROLLS THROUGH! Ibushi high kick misses, Will's doesn't. LARIAT OF DEATH BY OSPREAY! Stacked tombstone gets 2 for Ibushi! Kneeling KO backhand hits! STORMBREAKER HITS AND OSPREAY WINS IT!

I would feel so much better right now if Ibushi was moving his arms. They're loading him up on a backboard. Don talks about this possibly being a concussion alongside a busted-up jaw and maybe some broken teeth too. Welp, the junior tag title match is totally doomed. Crowd is absolutely dead for Roppongi 3K. Rocky won't need his goofy fire extinguisher - cuz this won't have any heat. Don burying Rocky Romero for literally every single thing he does is fantastic. BUSHI and Shingo get a badass intro. Kanamaru and Desperado have no heat.

 

3K hits some dives, but Desperado and Kanemaru nix more. Stereo 3K knees take Desperado down. Ref is distracted and more LIJ members come in. No Shingami hits Sho! LARIAT OF DEATH TO THE NECK! ANOTHER PUMPING BOMBER GETS 2.9! Last of the Dragon hits and Shingo gets his first title in New Japan. This had no heat until Shingo came in and looked amazing - the goal of this was to get his shit over and they did just that.

Rev Pro title is up for grabs with ZSJ and Ishii. Opening with Ospreay vs. Ibushi may have been the best worst thing they could've done for the show. NOTHING can follow it. TAKA being a prick is great. We get a nice closeup of the belt and Ishii lands a big backdrop driver. ZSJ recovers and locks on a nasty armlock. ZSJ lands big kicks and this cocky ones. That isn't wise. ISHII GETS AN ANKLE LOCK! Big superplex hits for Ishii, BUT ZSJ HANGS ON AND DROPS THE KNEE ON THE ELBOW! Octopus is on followed by the Hurrah! variant. Ishii taps and ZSJ wins the belt!

Young Bucks are out and Kevin Kelly talks about AEW and how their time in New Japan will make them even more successful with AEW. Sanada comes out looking so badass. EVIL can't help but look great, and having seen them live in ROH, it's amazing how they come off like stars live. They imply that Tiger Hattori may not be doing many more WK shows - well he is 100. Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga have new Mortal Kombat palette swap ninja outfits while JADO is in Bullet Club paint.

EVIL lands a running lariat on the ramp to Matt. Paradise Lock leads to Nick being sent into Matt's ass, but they cut away to Milano and almost miss the whole thing. SANADA hits a dive to the floor. SKULL END is countered into a sliced bread, countered against into the SKULL END before a superkick. Magic Killer somehow accidentally done to Tanga by Loa and EVIL. Grenade is avoided and Jado eats a double superkick. Tama hits a spear and Matt hits a step-up rana and a superkick! MELTZER DRIVER IS MET WITH A GUNSTUN! Magic Killer and a moonsault end it with EVIL and SANADA winning! This was a fun match - but not exactly good. Too clustered at times. Kevin Kelly gracefully points out that EVIL and SANADA are literally in the exact same spot they were a year ago.

Juice is out looking great, while Cody is in aqua and looks a bit odd. Cody and Juice start with a slugfest thank God. Cody teases a knee injury off a flip but it's a fakeout and he lands a kneeling uppercut. Juice lands a spinebuster. Brandi covers Cody so he won't eat a dive and then she dares Juice to hit her. They tease apron finishers, but Cody throws him shoulder-first into the post. Kevin Kelly talks about Cody sporting the Jaguars colors. Brandi hits the bionic spear and slaps away. This isn't a DQ. Between this and the last match, things have been way too interference-heavy - so I like this taking her out. Cross Rhodes gets 2! Juice avoids Din's Fire, but can't hit Din's Fire. Cross Rhodes by Juice gets 2! Cody hits Pulp Friction for 2.9 .Juice and Cody exchange punches, but the Left Hand of God hits twice before the Pulp Friction and then doing it a second time in a row! That was exactly what it needed to be - minus all the Brandi stuff. Don talks about Cody being en route to Jacksonville - so he's seemingly done.

Ishimori is out to face KUSHIDA. A terrifying MINI-KUSHIDA is out. Thankfully, he gets blown up! Doc Brown uses a Funky Weapon to make him big again! OH THANK GOD!

Cartwheel dropkick hits for KUSHIDA, but Ishimori gets the Lebell Lock. KUSHIDA hits the ropes and gets a triangle. Butterfly lungblower is counted by KUSHIDA putting his legs on the ref, so he can PK Taiji. Bloody Cross is countered into the hoverboard lock, but it's not fully locked on. Rollthrough and now it is! DVD hits! Small package driver hits, but he can't hit another! Bloody Cross hits and wins it! This didn't go long enough to be a classic in any way - but they did everything well. That needed to get out of first gear - but for what it was, it was quite good. Switchblade is out in white and red - which seems like a better color choice if he was facing Tana here.

Okada comes out without balloons to MAKE IT RAIN. I love that they spent 2018 phasing out the Rainmaker stuff - it feels like a nostalgia run despite it being like two years old. Gedo trips Okada and Jay tosses Okada into the buckle. Saito suplex over the top the to floor to Okada! Jay hits a uranage into the ring frame and the barricade. Okada beats up Gedo on the floor and both heels eat the over the barricade dive! I love that we'll probably get a nostalgia-infused run with Rainmaker Okada and Ace Tanahashi going after the tag titles as well - or at least being a team. GIANT elbow hits! RAINMAKER POSE!

White hits a German and a uranage for 2. Okada avoids the blade runner Heels try to cheat with a chair, but Okada dropkicks Jay into the chair and into Gedo before a dropkick to the face! Kiwi Krusher hits for 2. Jay's blue highlights are just bizarre - especially with the white and red gear. Tombstone to White! Running boot to White leads to White hitting a big chop. Nakamura shot hits for White and a series of tombstone reversals lead to a SPINNING RAINMAKER! RAINMAKER ITSELF is countered into the Blade Runner and it only takes 1 to end it. Wow. This wasn't the star-making match it needed to be. Jay is a complete under-achiever as an act and as a main event-level worker. It's a bit like Cody having his weaknesses exposed more the higher on the card he is.

Jericho vs. Naito gets a fantastic hype video. Jericho's reign of terror is showcased. Naito comes out first with a goofy mask. Don talks about Jericho becoming the best brawler in Japan since Brody and going from being a high-flyer to doing something totally different. Jericho is out in a new spiked jacket and black and silver long tights.

Naito starts things off quickly with a cable choke. Naito spikes him with a piledriver on the ramp! Naito beats him up with the buckle cover and they talk about how Naito destroyed the IC Title before. Running rana for Naito. Naito goes for a dive, but Jericho bonks him with a kendo stick!  Jericho climbs up and hits him with the stick off the top. Triangle dropkick hits for Jericho.

Kevin is off a bit saying that Jericho debuted in Japan in '97 before he grabs a TV camera and does the same bird flip he did last year. Jericho hits a nasty spike DDT on the table. Jericho rings the bell and demands Red Shoes raise his hand, but he won't. Jericho hits a crossbody off the top for 2. Naito recovers and lands cocky kicks of his own on Jericho. Jericho turns the step-down dropkick into the Walls.

 

Jericho whips him down to avoid a Destino and gets the Walls again. Naito gets the kendo stick and lands a few shots. BATTER UP shot to Jericho! A second one is met with a CODEBREAKER! Jericho goes under the ring to grab tons and tons of chairs. Naito eats a gutshot, but lands a DDT on the chair. CODEBREAKER BY NAITO! Naito doing Jericho's finish would've meant so much more if Cody and Juice fucking Robinson hadn't done it in the third match. Naito goes up for a cane shot, but eats a chair to the face.

Naito German misses the chairs a bit. Ref gets shoved and Jericho gets a low blow and a codebreaker for 2.9! Naito sells the Codebreaker better than anyone. Jericho wants a beltshot, but Naito ducks and flapjacks him into the exposed buckle! DESTINO GETS 2.9! Best nearfall of the night! Naito LANDS A BELTSHOT, sending it flying, and then WINS WITH THE DESTINO! This was just a perfect match and the best thing on the show. Match of the night. They should've had the NEVER title match before this and then it would've worked out because this was so different. Jericho is so much better as a worker in New Japan than he is in WWE - it's astounding how he's far better now that he's wrestling at the level of his current athletic ability. He's been struggling in WWE for half a decade trying to live up to what he was when what he needed to do was fine a new version of himself to be the best he can be now. Love "jobber battle royal" being the closing line in the main event hype video.

Tana is out looking a God among men. Don talks about Tana being amazing - but he's done athletically. He has joint damage that can't be undone. The Kenny's Quest video airs as Kenny's tron. Chris talks about how Tana's gear is incomplete, literally, without the IWGP Title as it's shaped for that exact title. 

Tana slaps Omega and Omega clubs him. Kenny has to be sponsored by Razer with this black and neon green getup - and he almost makes that work. Tana gets a victory roll for 2. Tana works on the knee and gets a kneeling figure four, with Kenny slapping him. Tana is all the What Bars put together tonight. Muto-esque elbow by Omega!

Running side backbeaker by Kenny gets 2. Back and forth forearms hit! Omega back suplexes him on the apron and slams him on an announce table. It takes out Chono and Milano and Kenny moonsaults onto Tana and mocks Milano. Rise of the Terminator hits and with the Bucks doing the pounding on the mat, it feels like all of Kenny's New Japan career going full circle here. It was an ugly one too, as he smashed the ramp with his back and Tana's head with his left leg.

V trigger hits! Kenny avoids a twist and shout and gets a Finlay roll. He goes for the moonsault, but his knee buckles and Tana holds him for an inverted dragon screw! Twist and Shout hits! ELEVATED CLOVERLEAF! Styles Clash hits, but a high fly flow is met with knees! CORNER V TRIGGER MISSES AND KENNY HITS HARD! Rope-assisted dragon screw!

APRON SLINGBLADE! Tana goes for a high fly flow off the top to the floor through a table, BUT KENNY MOVES! Double stomp and a Dr. Wily bomb get 2! A second one gets 2! A THIRD WITH A SITOUT HITS AND GETS 2.9! Desperation slingblade by Tana! Slaps, elbows, and chops by Kenny! Snap knee to the gut hits for Kenny and he lands more PRIDE knees to the gut. DEADLIFT GERMAN RIGHT ON THE HEAD! TANA FIGHTING SPIRITS UP!

Kenny takes him down and lands a high fly flow for A ONE COUNT. V TRIGGER! Tana avoids one and lands a dropkick as a fakeout for the dragon screw. Rope-assisted V Trigger hits! Rewind rana hits, but TANA TURNS THE ANGEL INTO A REVERSE RANA! Standing high fly flow hits and a regular one gets 2.9! Goddamn - Tana is just the best! Tana goes up again, but eats a V Trigger!

Kenny teases a super dragon akin to the first Okada match. AND HE HITS! Jesus! Well if you're going to take that, I guess taking it face-first is the least-bad way to do it. Bottom rope V Trigger hits! Tana avoids the angel with a falling knee to the face and a slingblade hits! A HIGH FLY FLOW WINS IT! Tana regains the gold! I love that Tana's counter to the Angel wasn't smooth - it was just whatever would happen to work to get him the hell out of that move and he went with it. With this, you've got to go with Tana as the best overall IWGP Heavyweight Champion in history and he made history for New Japan by making the G1 title shot a valid way to get the title.

 

 

Tana says that he didn't think he could be on top anymore - but thanks to his friends and Shibata, he got there. He apologizes for being too tired for a full post-match performance - BUT HE'LL DO ONE SONG! Damn is his just the best ever.