Puroresu is a blend of American and British wrestling, Lucha Libre and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), in Japan its often referred to as Strong Style and it blurs the line between entertainment and sport. In Japan the art of professional wrestling is treated like a sport, its still choreographed but the competitors do not pull punches and there are no fancy storylines, only one story is told in strong style and that is who is the best in the ring.
Before all Puroresu was done with Japanese commentary, which was fair being its their country but for other audiences, but it was hard to really enjoy the performance when you have absolutely know idea what is being said, but thanks to NJPW's partnership with Global Force Wrestling (GFW) we can now watch what Japan has to offer with ease.
Another huge reason why this Wrestle Kingdom event is so special is that its the first to feature the NJPW faction known as the Bullet Club, a group of western wrestlers who that dominating the competition. alot of Puroresu purists think they are tarnishing the name of Japanese wrestling and "corrupting" the younger generation of Puroresu fans.
For nine years NJPW have displayed there best talent to the world, but what make this event even more special was that for the first time it had English commentary.
The English commentary featured the voices of the ever enthusiastic Matt Striker and the legendary Jim Ross, both former WWE commentators who left the company and went to other promotions, and in this case they both now commentate for GFW.
What the purists can't deny is the Bullet Club gimmick is something western audiences can relate to, and this makes NJPW more popular and prosperous and gives wrestling fans an alternative to the stale products that certain companies are dishing out on a weekly basis.
The entire event as a whole was a perfect example of what a wrestling show should be. The show had its weak matches but they were heavily out weighed by the stronger matches. the show was a showcase of eleven matches, six of them being title matches.
The first contest was a fifteen man over the top rope battle royal, this gave all of the wrestlers that didn't get their own match to appear on the biggest show of the year. This match feature Puroresu legends The Great Kabuki, Hiro Saito and Yoshiaki Fujiwara.
The second contest was a four way tag team match for the IWGP Jr heavyweight tag team championship. Competing in this match was Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov and Rocky Romero), Time Splitters (Alex Shelley and Kushida), The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) and the title holders reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly). The match was a tag team wrestling clinic with high flying, mat wrestling, brawling and super kicks to the face.
The next match was a six man tag team match with one team comprised of Bullet Club members and the other with NJPW originals. Representing Bullet Club was Bad Luck Fale, Jeff Jarrett and Yujiro Takahashi facing off against Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima and Tomoaki Honma. This match didn't have much impact on the show but it was a classic example of the old guard squaring off against the new guard.
The fourth match being similar to the last match, once again featuring two teams facing off but this time in two teams of four. The competitors were Mikey Nicholls, Naomichi Marufuji, Shane Haste (these three representing Pro Wrestling NOAH) and Toru Yano battling Suzukigun (Davey Boy Smith, Jr., Lance Archer, Shelton X Benjamin and Takashi Iizuka). Like the previous match it ended very abruptly and had no major highlights, but it was interesting to see NJPW feature talent from their rival company Pro Wrestling NOAH, showing that in Japan competition and rivalry can put aside to put on a fantastic show for their loyal fans.
The next match was some more than a wrestling match, this contest featured long time rivals Minoru Suzuki and Kazushi Sakuraba facing off in a MMA rules match, this meant only to win is by either K.O. or submission. This match managed to capture everything that is real about professional wrestling and leave out the choreography and theatricality, it was a real brutal contest between two protégés of the British wrestler and MMA trainer Billy Robinson who sadly past away last march.
The fifth match was a hardcore style battle between two pro wrestlers that could be classed as human tanks, this match featured Togi Makabe colliding with Tomohiro Ishii for the Openweight Championship. These two monsters gave a great example of Puroresu and strong style, throwing everything they have at each other and then some more.
The sixth match once again showed the audience a high flying spectacle but this time in a singles match for the IWGP Jr heavyweight championship between Kenny Omega and Ryusuke Taguchi (defending). Sadly the match has alot of outside interference which broke up the flow of the match, but the athleticism is still top notch and graceful as ever.
Match seven was a classic two versus two tag match for the IWGP tag titles. The champions Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson defended their titles against Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata. This match was a classic tag team match, slow and steady to begin with but then builds up for an epic finish.
The eighth match features a confrontation of two of the most charismatic wrestlers in Japan, maybe even the world. Tetsuya Naito and A.J. Styles faced off in a singles match, this contest was a highlight reel of athleticism, it was filled with exciting and shocking moments.
Usually the main event is the best match of the night, this time the match before stole the show. The ninth match of the show was a grudge match for the IWGP Intercontinental title between Kota Ibushi and Shinsuke Nakamura (defending). Both huge fan favourites tore the house down with a match that was filled with tension, electricity, punches, elbow shots, precision kicks and deadly knee strikes.
Even though it was hard to try and follow the last match the main event didn't disappoint. This particular match was a year in the making and could only have been resolved on the biggest stage possible. The final match was a stage for two of the most decorated pro wrestlers in Japan to tell their story of who is the best, for the IWGP world heavyweight championship Kazuchika Okada went to battle with the champion Hiroshi Tanahashi to be crowned champion. This match would go on to last forty minutes, there was no interference, no element of the Bullet Club and there was zero western involvement because this was a fight between two masters of Puroresu. Okada had his deadly Rainmaker (hammerlock twist into a closeline) and Tanahashi had his High Fly Flow (high angle frog splash), both men looked to finish each other with their signature move. After an dramatic showdown the match finally ended and a loyal crowd erupted with cheers out of respect for both participants.
Puroresu and professional wrestling is a show put on by incredibly talented people men and women that put their bodies on the line for a loyal crowd and if a wrestling promotion fails to see that, then they are doomed to fail.
Wrestle Kingdom only comes round once a year, and for a very good reason. Through out the year rivalries are formed and alliances are shattered and only one event can be the battleground to their conclusion, in the end its what makes wait worth while.
The entire event as a whole was a perfect example of what a wrestling show should be. The show had its weak matches but they were heavily out weighed by the stronger matches. the show was a showcase of eleven matches, six of them being title matches.
The next match was a six man tag team match with one team comprised of Bullet Club members and the other with NJPW originals. Representing Bullet Club was Bad Luck Fale, Jeff Jarrett and Yujiro Takahashi facing off against Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima and Tomoaki Honma. This match didn't have much impact on the show but it was a classic example of the old guard squaring off against the new guard.
The fourth match being similar to the last match, once again featuring two teams facing off but this time in two teams of four. The competitors were Mikey Nicholls, Naomichi Marufuji, Shane Haste (these three representing Pro Wrestling NOAH) and Toru Yano battling Suzukigun (Davey Boy Smith, Jr., Lance Archer, Shelton X Benjamin and Takashi Iizuka). Like the previous match it ended very abruptly and had no major highlights, but it was interesting to see NJPW feature talent from their rival company Pro Wrestling NOAH, showing that in Japan competition and rivalry can put aside to put on a fantastic show for their loyal fans.
The next match was some more than a wrestling match, this contest featured long time rivals Minoru Suzuki and Kazushi Sakuraba facing off in a MMA rules match, this meant only to win is by either K.O. or submission. This match managed to capture everything that is real about professional wrestling and leave out the choreography and theatricality, it was a real brutal contest between two protégés of the British wrestler and MMA trainer Billy Robinson who sadly past away last march.
The sixth match once again showed the audience a high flying spectacle but this time in a singles match for the IWGP Jr heavyweight championship between Kenny Omega and Ryusuke Taguchi (defending). Sadly the match has alot of outside interference which broke up the flow of the match, but the athleticism is still top notch and graceful as ever.
Match seven was a classic two versus two tag match for the IWGP tag titles. The champions Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson defended their titles against Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata. This match was a classic tag team match, slow and steady to begin with but then builds up for an epic finish.
Usually the main event is the best match of the night, this time the match before stole the show. The ninth match of the show was a grudge match for the IWGP Intercontinental title between Kota Ibushi and Shinsuke Nakamura (defending). Both huge fan favourites tore the house down with a match that was filled with tension, electricity, punches, elbow shots, precision kicks and deadly knee strikes. Even though it was hard to try and follow the last match the main event didn't disappoint. This particular match was a year in the making and could only have been resolved on the biggest stage possible. The final match was a stage for two of the most decorated pro wrestlers in Japan to tell their story of who is the best, for the IWGP world heavyweight championship Kazuchika Okada went to battle with the champion Hiroshi Tanahashi to be crowned champion. This match would go on to last forty minutes, there was no interference, no element of the Bullet Club and there was zero western involvement because this was a fight between two masters of Puroresu. Okada had his deadly Rainmaker (hammerlock twist into a closeline) and Tanahashi had his High Fly Flow (high angle frog splash), both men looked to finish each other with their signature move. After an dramatic showdown the match finally ended and a loyal crowd erupted with cheers out of respect for both participants.
Wrestle Kingdom only comes round once a year, and for a very good reason. Through out the year rivalries are formed and alliances are shattered and only one event can be the battleground to their conclusion, in the end its what makes wait worth while.
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