Rate Wrestle Kingdom 12

[Grievous 3D]

Well...I watched the Fatal 4 Way...& its the 1st time I've seen
any of these 4 wrestle.

Ospreay is a freak & I really like Scurll's style...his theme &
entrance were fantastic...and of course...it was a great match.

I can see why so many wrestling fans enjoy NJPW.

 

[CM Punk]

Meltzer's rating for WK12 and New Years Dash

Wrestle Kingdom 12

New Japan Rumble 1.5

Roppongi 3k vs. Young Bucks 4

Gauntlet Trios Match

• Suzuki-gun vs. War Machine/Elgin 2.5
• Suzuki-gun vs. CHAOS .75
• CHAOS vs. Taguchi Japan 1.5
• CHAOS vs. Bullet Club 2.75

Kota Ibushi vs. Cody 4.25

KES vs. EVIL/SANADA 4

Minoru Suzuki vs. Hirooki Goto 4.5

Marty Scurll vs. KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi 4.75

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White 3.75

Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho 5

Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito 4.5

New Year's Dash

Nakanishi/Nagata/TenCozy vs. Young Lions 2.75

Suzuki-gun vs. Henare/Kawato/Liger/Tiger Mask/Makabe 3

Jay White vs. Katsuya Kitamura 2.5

The Elite vs. Roppongi 3k/Cheeseburger 2.75

Bullet Club vs. Taguchi Japan 2.5

Bullet Club vs. CHAOS 3.25

Suzuki-gun vs. Tanahashi/Elgin/War Machine 3.25

Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. CHAOS 3.75

 

[CM Punk]

Called the Jericho match being 5*.

Think the only other one who agreed in the LD was Jacob Fox.
Damn. My ratings for certain matches are the same as Meltzer.
2/2 so far.

AJ Styles Vs. Brock = Predicted 4.25 stars
Jericho Vs. Omega= Predicted 5 stars

 

[CM Punk]

Called the Jericho match being 5*.

Think the only other one who agreed in the LD was Jacob Fox.
Damn. My ratings for certain matches are the same as Meltzer.
2/2 so far.

AJ Styles Vs. Brock = Predicted 4.25 stars
Jericho Vs. Omega= Predicted 5 stars

Actually make that 2/3. I remember me giving SS match a 3 when it was like a 1.75

 

[¡Tranquilo!]

Meltzer's rating for WK12 and New Years Dash

Wrestle Kingdom 12

New Japan Rumble 1.5

Roppongi 3k vs. Young Bucks 4

Gauntlet Trios Match

• Suzuki-gun vs. War Machine/Elgin 2.5
• Suzuki-gun vs. CHAOS .75
• CHAOS vs. Taguchi Japan 1.5
• CHAOS vs. Bullet Club 2.75

Kota Ibushi vs. Cody 4.25

KES vs. EVIL/SANADA 4

Minoru Suzuki vs. Hirooki Goto 4.5

Marty Scurll vs. KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi 4.75

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White 3.75

Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho 5

Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito 4.5

New Year's Dash

Nakanishi/Nagata/TenCozy vs. Young Lions 2.75

Suzuki-gun vs. Henare/Kawato/Liger/Tiger Mask/Makabe 3

Jay White vs. Katsuya Kitamura 2.5

The Elite vs. Roppongi 3k/Cheeseburger 2.75

Bullet Club vs. Taguchi Japan 2.5

Bullet Club vs. CHAOS 3.25

Suzuki-gun vs. Tanahashi/Elgin/War Machine 3.25

Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. CHAOS 3.75

Kenny Omega the five star machine. Suprised to see the main event not even at least 4.25.

 

[Rosie]

I actually kinda agree with Meltzer's ratings. The Alpha vs Omega match was for sure five stars and it is nice that Jericho gets one notch on his belt. The actual main event I kind of felt missed that little bit extra to give it the last bit.

Although, I still really enjoyed the show.

 

[Grievous 3D]

I watched the Goto/Suzuki match...and it was pretty good...and I have
a feeling this is the kind of match most "uneducated" people would think
of if you mentioned Japanese wrestling to them.

Suzuki has a disturbing look about him...like he's the kind of guy
who would have a coffee table made out of human bones.

 

[¡Tranquilo!]

I watched the Goto/Suzuki match...and it was pretty good...and I have
a feeling this is the kind of match most "uneducated" people would think
of if you mentioned Japanese wrestling to them.

Suzuki has a disturbing look about him...like he's the kind of guy
who would have a coffee table made out of human bones.

Yes, yes Suzuki is just the type to have a coffee table made of human remains.



Here's a cool video on him if you're interested.

 

[Jacob Fox]

I got unusually busy in the past week and a half and didn't get back to this as soon as I would have liked to. I ended up giving the show a 9. I went back and forth between an 8 and a 9 and just decided there was enough good in it that it really was deserving of a nine.

I won't go over the entire show. The important things are the last three matches and I rate them:

Tanahashi vs Jay White ***1/2 Not as good as I hoped. Generally, Tanahashi could put on a good match with a broom... well he's actually better than that. He could put on a good match with James Ellsworth. But this one really wasn't as good as I was hoping it was. Still, a good match.

Jericho vs Omega ***** can't deny it. This match was everything I was expecting and more. I was a bit tipsy when I was watching it because I was drinking amaretto all night, but I followed it well and enjoyed it. Never a dull moment and a classic by two great wrestlers. The only detriment was that we pretty much knew Omega would win because it was a title match.

Naito vs Okada ***** Okay, I may be rating this higher than everyone else because Okada is my favorite wrestler. I acknowledge and I don't care. I went into this match thinking Okada's title reign was definitely going to end. His reign was in the 560 something in days. He is the longest cumulative holder in days of the IWGP championship in history. And I just kept waiting for Naito to end the reign. And he didn't, and I loved it.

We have a tendency as wrestling fans to sometimes decide who we think is the "right" person to win a championship match. But I think doing that takes the fun out of wrestling. Watching Okada makes feel like I did when I was younger when I first began watching wrestling because I wanted Hulk Hogan to hold the belt because I was 10 years old and liked him. When I grew out of that, I wanted Ric Flair to win every title match simply because he was my favorite wrestler. It didn't matter to me if most people felt it was right for him to win or not. The only thing mattered is that Flair could make me feel that wrestling was real for the length of the match by totally drawing me into it. Okada is the first wrestler in a long time that makes me feel that again and hey, I'll be cheering for him in each title defense no matter who he faces off against or how long he held the belt.

 

[Jacob Fox]

I have one question though...has Naito always looked like a crazy, homeless person?

No. Before his current heel run, which began in 2015, I believe, his hair wasn't as frizzy ... sometimes it was short too. Here's a page with a couple of pictures before this time:

Ingobernable: Tetsuya Naito’s rise to the top of NJPW

 

[Grievous 3D]

No. Before his current heel run, which began in 2015, I believe, his hair wasn't as frizzy ... sometimes it was short too. Here's a page with a couple of pictures before this time:

Ingobernable: Tetsuya Naito’s rise to the top of NJPW

Wow...I personally think he looks more intimidating with shorter hair...but that's just me opinion...

Don't get me wrong...the guy has mad skills & a great finisher...but there is something in his eyes...
something a little unhinged.

But then I said the same thing about Kenny Omega...so it may just be the lighting NJPW uses possibly
highlights its performers eyes more than the other wrestling programs I've watched in the past.

Naito vs Okada ***** Okay, I may be rating this higher than everyone else because Okada is my favorite wrestler. I acknowledge and I don't care. I went into this match thinking Okada's title reign was definitely going to end. His reign was in the 560 something in days. He is the longest cumulative holder in days of the IWGP championship in history. And I just kept waiting for Naito to end the reign. And he didn't, and I loved it.

We have a tendency as wrestling fans to sometimes decide who we think is the "right" person to win a championship match. But I think doing that takes the fun out of wrestling. Watching Okada makes feel like I did when I was younger when I first began watching wrestling because I wanted Hulk Hogan to hold the belt because I was 10 years old and liked him. When I grew out of that, I wanted Ric Flair to win every title match simply because he was my favorite wrestler. It didn't matter to me if most people felt it was right for him to win or not. The only thing mattered is that Flair could make me feel that wrestling was real for the length of the match by totally drawing me into it. Okada is the first wrestler in a long time that makes me feel that again and hey, I'll be cheering for him in each title defense no matter who he faces off against or how long he held the belt.

So...is it true that Okada is "The Face of New Japan"? kind of like what the WWE want the
Dead Tree Stump to be for them?

I don't think its wrong for you to want the wrestlers you like to hold their respective titles...
and long title reigns can be a fantastic way to elevate the belts themselves.

The longer Okada holds that belt...the more of a big deal it will be when he drops it.

573 days & 9 title defenses...that's one every 2 months as of January 14th 2018...which is pretty solid.

I know the WWE seems like a better organization to me when Charlotte & A.J have titles...mainly
because they elevate the titles they have & are for the most part guaranteed to put on the best
possible matches while defending them.

 

[WholeFN'Moe]

I said it was too scripted. Too scripted strong style is a recipe for disaster. I just didn't get it. The tag tittle match was like what the fuck. They beat theshit out them like they were in a movie and then the faces buried the heels finish. Tell me where is the psychology in that. If you broke down the match between y2j and omega what was the story or the drama? To me it was confusing as hell. Although i kinda liked the finish.

lol what a kid