4 Ups & 4 Downs From NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 (Night 1)
Naito vs. Ibushi & Ospreay vs. Okada highlight Wrestle Kingdom 15's middling first night.
Wrestle Kingdom 15 arrived on the back of the Gedo era’s weakest year, throughout which New Japan Pro Wrestling suffered not only from a similar array of COVD-related issues to every other promotion in the world, but also a perceived creative downturn at headlining level.
EVIL’s unnecessary IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental Title reign was symbolic of an increasing reliance on tedious western tropes that reduced many a main event to Ref Bump Bingo. Kazuchika Okada, considered the best wrestler in the world by many, was reduced by design, stuttering through the poorly-received Money Clip arc. Though many have since returned, the pandemic robbed NJPW of key overseas players. Circumstances have made reigning IWGP United States Champion Jon Moxley unbookable.
These factors and other creative concerns, plus the lack of 2020 standouts Tomohiro Ishii and Minoru Suzuki on the card, slowed the usually indomitable Tokyo Dome hype train to a chug. Japan’s impending state of emergency announcement (which would have rendered a two-thirds empty Dome totally empty) almost derailed it.
Still, this is Wrestle Kingdom: the biggest, most bombastic show on the puroresu calendar. While the circumstances leading to 4 and 5 January weren’t ideal, the card boasted double-champ Tetsuya Naito and G1 Climax winner Kota Ibushi reprising their bruising 2019 rivalry, Okada’s shot at revenge on Empire punk Will Ospreay, and the intriguing Great-O-Khan entering the proving grounds against the Ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi.
And that’s only the first night.
Let’s dive into it…