10 ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE Moments From NJPW Dominion 6.9

The Greatest Show, Man

Kenny Omega Kota Ibushi
NJPW

Expectations are a tricky thing in professional wrestling.

Good booking raises them enough to lift money from the pockets of punters. To attend shows, to get merchandise, to sign up for a subscription service, to invest.

To buy in financially, audiences have to be connected emotionally. It's why WWE unleashed their Network right around the time their most potent creative fires finally burned out. Or how those fires became fully extinguished, depending on your viewpoint. The investment became the routine rather than the response, endangering the need for sound storylines, logical narrative flow or electric in-ring action.

New Japan Pro Wrestling, despite themselves now bound to the similar 'World' subscription model, haven't let adjustments muddy the intense creative process. Head Booker Gedo has a plan. He always has a plan - the only thing routine about NJPW's direction is the regularity with which he reveals his latest incredible arc.

With a majestic card on paper and the aforementioned expectations, NJPW Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jõ Hall had with it the potential to be the all-time greatest wrestling pay-per-view ever. These were not understated by fans and followers beforehand, only adding pressure to the pile.

Expectations, lofty as they were, were exceeded...

10. The Juice Is Loose

Kenny Omega Kota Ibushi
www.njpw1972.com

United States Champion Jay White was given the rub of a lifetime defeating Kenny Omega at February 2018's New Beginning In Sapporo a month removed from running then-Intercontinental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi close at Wrestle Kingdom 12, but the 'Switchblade' had yet to find a match or rival that justified his rapid-fire ascent through the ranks in NJPW before the beginnings of burgeoning tension with Juice Robinson.

The former 'CJ Parker' has been a revelation since travelling East from the doldrums of WWE's creative disinterest, translating a strong showing into last year's G1 Climax into a steady charge through the company's midcard over the past several months.

Their colliding conflict was the beating heart of the lower-card tag clashing pitting Robinson and David Finlay against White and Yoshi-Hashi. Along with his early catcalls ("Eat sh*t, motherf*cker!"), Juice was relentless in his attacks on the Champion, scoring the eventual victory with his Pulp Friction finisher. Parading around the ring with White's belt after the fact, Juice exuded confidence over the fallen titleholder, their impending match since confirmed for 7 July's G1 Special in San Francisco.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett