I might lazily break this ppv down. It's about 6/7 hours and I've watched some of it. I can't make my mind up about new Japan, but I don't see much of it all year anyway.
Yet to watch the main events, but I'm looking forward to see a Jericho match in new surroundings. He's a veteran now, and has obviously been working under the WWE umbrella exclusively since what 99? That has to make it even more special an occasion, going back to Japan as a legend to work with one of the best workers around.
Anyway... NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12. From an outsider’s perspective.
Weird New Japan Royal Rumble thing.
First impressions. Production is still pretty cheap in 2018. I think the cameras missed every key moment in this match haha, but it’s only a pre show, I think.
I remember pretty soon that I prefer the Japanese commentary, but I’ve got the USA guys. They suck, really suck. Honestly don’t think they should use inside terms that often on commentary either.
Jr tag titles. Roppongi 3k? vs Young Bucks. Are the champions R3k over? They have weird dance music and a guy blowing a fire extinguisher around the place.
The dangerous ring side setting (same as last year) injures one guy already on an offensive rope dive. How do they have a licence to put on shows haha. Just a big edge of ramp exposed for no reason. They work his spine injury into the match. He didn’t die or get paralyzed, so fair enough.
You know the current trend of doing a big move that leads to your opponent doing another big move right away flooring both guys. If this happens all the time in every match, it won’t be as impressive or exciting. But they know this, right?
Lots of impressive stuff, with lots of moments in between where it looks like they forget how to move in between spots without looking really casual and like they are thinking about future spots.
Meltzer driver hit! Crowd peak, but then they lock in a sharpshooter and the atmosphere dips again before a submission win for the young “marketing themselves well for big” bucks. New champs.
Zack Sabre Jr. And a man on a leash being held by Taka Michinoku?
Vs
Big Michael Elgin and some Vikings from outer space. Yes.
Impressive start from Elgin with the power moves. Oh It’s a gauntlet. winner stays on. Okay
Just your standard “roll onto the ref to cuddle him outside the ring thus distracting him” spot lol.
Cool triangle choke finish from ZSJ on a big guy who tries to fight him off in all kinds of ways.
Then his team Suzuki Goon get a low blow “in the ding ding” and are eliminated
Next team out are carrying a football? Okay
MUSIC CHANGED DUE TO RIGHTS
Then the music fades back in anyway. So you can clearly hear
The one with a captain’s armband points at it and says “that’s cos I’m the coach”
During the match Captain coach goes into a “Nakamura Shinsuke” motion but misses the knee getting rolled up.
Bullet Club Tonga division, the champs are out last.
Dudebuster, new champs.
American Nightmare. Crowd are picking up now. New blonde hair Cody looking like Dusty. It feels like people are attending this for the show from now onwards.
Vs Kota Ibushi
This should be good. It feels more like their biggest show of the year now.
Special singles match. No titles. Cameras miss Cody putting his ring carefully in a box. You see two camera men running towards him from the current shot. Nope. Too late lol. Not that his character is important to the show or anything.
I like Cody in this. Total dick head, counting along with refs count instead of breaking the hold. He turns into a bit of an 80's movie villain too after the spot with his wife taking a bump and faking injury to distract Ibushi lol. A good spot that the crowd really bought into. The transition from Cody doing a villains laugh and stopping is funny as fuck. Just stops laughing and carries gets up lol.
Ibushi is still insane. Takes a sick cross Rhodes from the apron to the floor, but really spikes himself hard on top of his head and neck. If he took it less vertical it would still look great.
Cody stomping around the ring is fantastic haha as Ibushi flops back into the ring half dead.
Good match. Good selling. Physical, technical. Ibushi wins with a straight jacket German, wrists still locked and controlled into a knee strike on a prone Rhodes. He hits the phoenix splash for the fuck of it to prove a point. But it works with the crowd into it.
The show feels a lot cooler now. Even if the next guy out is called “Eeeeeeeeevil”
and Sanada
Vs Davey boy Jr and a giant James Storm
Finishing move to start fast. Killer Elite establishing their dominance and size advantage
Killer Elite Squad killing the young boys at ring side lol. Everyone is now dead. Apron chokeslam onto the pile of dead young boys.
Tag rules are very relaxed. Everyone is involved most of the time
Decent big monster dudes vs smaller Japanese guys match
New champions, Evil and Sanada big comeback special. Obviously after all that dominance.
Entrance video. Chairshot. Piledriver. Chairshot. Piledriver. It’s a Hair vs Hair match! And maybe Minuro Suzuki's title on the line as well.
There's Good tension between the two.
Suzuki hangs Goto until he passes out early on. The ref is powerless and Suzuki kicks the doctor out of the ring (the cameras missed it, but they said it) the match isn’t over though? So it must be pinball only.
I’d guess Suzuki is like the head of the wrestling Yakuza and he holds power over all officials. A cool element.
2 one sided matches in a row, a bit strange planning. Will the comeback win be the same, or will it be a blown comeback this time? I have a feeling, even though Suzuki already has a trademark pattern shaved in his hair, it looks like his hair is thinning with age so he’ll be the one to lose lol.
Stiff palm strike fest. About 40 in a row on Goto hahaha.
I liked that match. Another New Champion. Goto beats Suzuki. Comeback special 2.
Suzuki goon try to save their leader, but he goes back to have his head shaved as he has shamed himself. He also chair shots the chair that was set up for him lol.
Ticking timebomb... Guy Gets shot out of the stage while biting on to a stuffed cat wearing a mask.
Vs Timesplitter... Kushida. Back to the future?
Vs Willyy Osperayyyu
Vs Marty Skurll. Best entrance so far because of extendable vulture wings. Ignoring the continued poor production from the promotion itself. And the commentary "Is he going to wrestle with those?"
Fatal 4 way.
Skurll exits the ring quickly as the villain. Cameras miss the first strike of the match...
It's the Will Ospreay show case
Lol Marty Skurll jumps over the ropes shouts "superkick" and kicks cat mouth into the camera haha
Sick dive kushida
Ospreay climbs some scaffolding and his opponents wait for him to jump on them.
Ospreay is over, winks at the camera. Not as over as Skurll stomping on some fingers.
Hoverboard lock lol back to the future is his entire gimmick.
Skurll faking out guys shouting superkick and then doing something different ha.
Ospreay gets all his big moves reversed into the other guys moves.
Desperate men do desperate things, Skurll tapes TakaCatty to the rails
Finger snaps for all.
Avalanche cross arm breaker on W.O kind of ruined by Ospreay blocking the hold when on the ground lol
Standard Cocaine throwing spot.
Takahashi gets free and goes insane, but doesn't get a 3 count.
Skurll and Ospreay team up, nice storytelling but a botched to fuck sequence.
Insane match, good and unrealistic in equal measure.
New Champion, as it should be with that story. Will Ospreay finally beats Skurll.
A shot of Will with his title and a close up on the cat. Because JAPAN!!!
