New Japan is celebrating its 50th anniversary with its biggest show of the year devoted to the legacy and memory of the company's founder, Atonio Inoki. O-Khan wins the Ranbo and gets into the KOPW 4-way for NY Dash. Inoki Trios tag is up and Suzuki and Makabe get into a nice headbutt series up top. Makabe pins Tiger Mask with a victory roll drop-down. Stream has been pretty in and out - but it's nice and clear. Fujinami bows to all four corners and wishes everyone a happy new year. He chants for Inoki and leaves with an Inoki towel to his theme - this was about perfect.
Detonation Kick hits for 2.9! Lio hits a spanish fly and a 3K GETS 2.9! Rush Hour after a forearm slap combo! TJP gets a small package on YOH TO WIN IT! TJP ACTUALLY HAS A GOOFY EMOCORE THEME. Incredible! The first women's match in Wrestle Kingdom history is up with Tam Nakano vs. KAIRI for the IWGP Women's Title!
Chris Charlton just places this into its perfect place in history as he always does - setting this up as the heart of STARDOM now against a part-timer who went to WWE and it was like two ships crossing in the breeze now. MASSIVE big match intro here with KAIRI getting the grim reaper and some incredible cinematography.
Headlocks and basic matwork to start with Chris hyping up the cutlass of KAIRI. What a start as they lie in front of each other and gaze before KAIRI has ENOUGH OF THAT SHIT and just picks her up and hits a big spear and the marching corner forearm. Tam dives to the floor and Chris just outright says they're here to catch people and HOLY SHIT THEY FAILED as Nakano just thuds with KAIRI on a dive off the top to the floor.
Nakano BLOCKS THE CUTLASS and hits the Violent Screwdriver for 2.9999! KAIRI hits the cutlass and gets 2.9 and IS PISSED! Another hits to set up the insane elbow and this was the best five minute match you'll ever see.
MERCEDES MONE' IS HERE! Sasha and KAIRI stares her down and MONE' LAYS HER OUT! She's here in NJPW and STARDOM to make more history - she's the standard, the conversation and the CEO of NJPW's women's division! Her new finish sucks but THAT RULED. IWGP Tag Titles are up with Goto and YOSHI-HASHI facing FTR.
Good matwork with Dash before Dax and Goto forearm the daylights out of each other. FTR POWERPLEX GETS 2.9! Goto gets busted up on the splash before TONS OF FOREARMS! Shoto avoided and the Big Rig hits for 2.9! YOSHI and Dash hit a crazy over the top rope suplex! Suplex to Dax from Goto! Dax piledriver gets 2.9 on YOSHI! SPIKE PILEDRIVER HITS FOR THE 2.99999! FTR EATS THE assisted GTR/Powerbomb and it's over - FTR loses their last title!
Kevin Kelly rants about PWI leaving HASHI and GOTO out and it really feels like Yamcha winning big. Then they have some fun with getting into the WON awards and some goofy "kiss the ring" comedy. Ren Narita vs. ZSJ is up - one year since Narita faced Shibata, he now faces ZSJ to crown the first TV Champ! ZSJ is out all-blonde and rants about nurses being paid a living wage - well he's not wrong.
The match has a 15 minute time limit since it's the finals of the tourney and ZSJ takes him down quickly with a flying bodylock. Armwork by ZSJ leads to him eating a few Shibata-level elbows to the jaw! We get a back and forth abdominal stretch exchange - which is perfect on the Inoki tribute show before NASTY chest kicks by ZSJ!
NASTY elbow by Shibata! European clutch gets 2.9! ANOTHER COBRA TWIST EXCHAGE ATTEMPT! Grounded octopus hold GETS THE WIN FOR ZSJ! TMDK comes out and offers him a shirt and ZSJ joins TMDK to give them a MASSIVE boost. And Jesus this belt looks dreadful. Tonga vs. Anderson is up and WWE having Anderson wear the OC shirt with the BC tron just makes them look worse.
Karl Anderson is t-shirting it up here in the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom. Belt shot to start and he wants a countout. Bernard Driver on the LED RAMP - and the Rush bloodshed earlier helps get this over. RKO SLAPS ON THE RAMP and the Gun Stun is pushed off on the ramp! ROCKET KICK ON THE APRON after Karl avoids the Gun Stun on the apron! TKO hits for 2 for KA. "2012 G1 Finalist" feels like "scored four touchdowns at Polk High" Al Bundy in 2023. Anderson calls for a brainbuster off the top and it's avoided. Big Crossbody and the Supreme Flow hit for 2.9!
Back and forth Gunstun exchanges are blocked before A GUNSTUN TO KARL! 10 PACK IS REVEALED and the GunStun...is botched thanks to Karl fucking up the bump. He really has been studying Hogan! Well that got Tama Tonga under. Muto Tanahashi, and Umino face Naito, BUSHI, and Sanada in Muto's final NJPW match.
BUSHI wears a Muta over mask and Charlton talks about Bushi being in Muto's AJPW and Sanada got his start in All Japan it was due to Muto and Sanada returned from excursion and got his ear talked off by Muto. God. I remember the joy of getting VHS tapes months later to see Muta matches and now I can watch Muto's final NJPW match live.
Sanada works the knee and hits a missile dropkick and a shining wizard by Muto. Muto HITS THE BACKBREAKER and wants the moonsault before Tanahashi talks sense into him. Tana and Naito middle-age it up a bit. Sanada, Tana, Muto, and Naito may have one good knee between them. Umino runs wild and Charlton talks about Naito's dad buying a ticket to see Muto and Umino being inspired by Naito as the Stardust Genius to wrestle! TRIPLE SUBMISSIONS BY THE FACES! UMINO DEATH RIDER ENDS IT AND HE WINS MUTO'S FINAL NJPW MATCH!
Ishimori vs. Despie vs. Wato vs. Hiromu is up for the junior title. Stream goes to hell a bit but luckily it's just during the intros. Charlton talks about a brawl backstage. NJPW Brawl Out angle between Umino and Naito, it would seem. "WHAT HAS KENNY DONE NOW!?" from Gino! Pop-up Ligerbomb by Hiromu to Wato! Pinche Loco is avoided with a superkick and Wato eats a forearm and falls like a tree. Chris updates everyone to the brawl between between LIJ and Kongo of NOAH.
This match is getting treated like a vintage "THERE'S AN NWO BRAWL IN THE BACK" cruiserweight match on Nitro. Pinche Loco and then a TIME BOMB GETS 2.9! Wato almost wins but Ishimori blocks the ref and chairshots Wato! EVEREST GERMAN GETS 2.9 ON HIROMU! Time Bomb 2 hits and Hiromu wins it!
DOUBLE MAIN EVENT TIME with Omega having Sephiroth's theme. "Four years ago, It was Kenny Omega's final fantasy - and now Kenny Omega rides again." Ospreay gets an instrumental of "Zenith God" before ELEVATED BLARES THROUGH THE TOKYO DOME! DON CALLIS JOINS THE CALL!
Nice brawl to start after some tackles and a nip up from Ospreay. I love Don putting Kenny over as the greatest in EVERYTHING...except Ospreay may be a bit more athletic to put him over big. Kenny kicks the back a bit before just stomping the shit out of him. DOUBLE ROTATION Stormbreaker-style BACKBREAKER on Ospreay gets 2. This feels like a more modern version of Omega vs. Jericho - like if we'd gotten that match with the 2017 Omega against the 2008 Jericho.
MONSTER chop by Omega! It's amazing how Ospreay has taken the US Title from a prop for Juice Robinson to something on-par with the IC Title at its peak in mere months. Oscutter attempt on the apron, but Omega grabs the rope and Ospreay hits hard. Kenny pulls out a table. "Those tables are there in case ours gets damaged!" - I love the detail work, it reminds me of Mid-South trying to apply regular logic to everything. Kenny dives through it and he's lucky he didn't just mess his ankles up on that one. SKYTWISTER PRESS ON OMEGA!
Modified hidden blade off the top gets 2! DEATH VALLEY BOMB ON THE KNEE FROM OMEGA GETS 2! Kenny slaps the bad kidney and Omega sets him up for the super snapdragon ala Okada! OSPREAY FLIPS OUT AND HITS THE TORNADO KICK AND THE OSCUTTER FOR 2.9! Corner yakuza kick by Ospreay and a head-trap superkick!
Omega teeters on the rope! MONSTROUS CHOP FROM OSPREAY! Spanish fly attempt and Omega hits a massive kidney punch before a BIG DDT TO OSPREAY on the top buckle and the Empire helps him out. Don leaves to go to the ring and yells at them. Ospreay is split open! MASSIVE pool of blood on the floor. RISE OF THE TERMINATOR hits and Omega hits it perfectly and is covered in Ospreay's blood.
Omega slaps him and then insulting kicks the head. Ospreay shoves Red Shoes and eats a snapdragon and sells it wonderfully. They're telling a tale for Ospreay akin to Austin at WM 13 and it's incredible to see this unfold live in 2023. V TRIGGER AGAINST THE ROPE SENDS OSPREAY'S LIMP BODY ONTO THE DOCTOR!
Omega goes up top and Ospreay stumbles into the rope to crotch him and give himself some hope. ANOTHER TOP ROPE ATTACK, but Omega now snaps the jaw against the buckle! V TRIGGER INTO THE BOLT! CROYT'S WRATH OFF THE TOP GETS 1 AND A V-TRIGGER GETS 2.9! They're going for an Austin-Hart at Mania story here and it's amazing.
Ospreay survives amid V-Triggers and avoids an OWA. OSCUTTER HITS! Kenny runs wild with chops and knees, but the hidden blade hits for 2! A STYLES CLASH HITS FOR OSPREAY! Ospreay spits in his face and hits the kamigoye and the ONE WINGED ANGEL ENDS IT! KENNY OMEGA WINS THE US TITLE! This was a masterful match and it only gets better with Chris Charlton saying "I can't find the words" right as Don's insane suit enters the frame. WHAT A MATCH AND WHAT A CARD.
I was going to watch the main event later, but World is back working on the Xbox. Jay White says he's the true leader because he works hard while Okada is now coasting. Okada's all-black gear pays tribute to Inoki and he gets a big epic intro while Jay White comes out all cocky and TURNS THE FANS INTO A CLAPPING CROWD AGAIN. Amazing.
Snap Saito suplex by Jay White hits hard. Uranage shove into the barricades by White hit hard on Okada. Okada goes crazy and hits a flipping senton off the top onto White and Gedo and THAT gets the crowd alive. German by Okada and he wants a rainmaker, but gets a backslide and a shortarm lariat! SECOND ONE! GODDAMN DROPKICK into the rainmaker NO BLADERUNNER NO LANDSLIDE! BLADERUNNER HITS FOR 2.9!
Grounded bladerunner attempt, but Okada fights with forearms and eats TWO JAYMAKERS! RAINMAKER POSE BY JAY! FULL ON RAINMAKER GETS 2.9 FOR OKADA! They bring each other up by the head and FOREARM THE DAYLIGHTS OUT OF EACH OTHER! White now adds chops to the mix, so Okada fights back in kind!
Okada hits a cobra flowsion! A MONSTROUS RAINMAKER HITS and Okada wins it and celebrates! Shingo wants an IWGP World Title match on Feb. 1 or January 20. What a remarkable show - it's insane to me that we've got the ability to see these shows live and in good overall quality right away.
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