10 ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE Moments From NJPW Dominion 6.9

6. Masked Ball

Kenny Omega Kota Ibushi
NJPW1972.com

The six-man tag team match pitting Jushin Liger, Hiroshi Tanahashi and NJPW debutant Rey Mysterio against bothersome Bullet Club b*stards Cody, Hangman Page and Marty Scurll dutifully provided a palette-cleansing six-man tag during a show loaded with taste-makers and talismanic talents and was thus rife for analysis of aesthetics more than action.

Though the lasting impression from the match was the potential in singles clashes between the various foes, the first impression was the best one. It wasn't enough that 'Rey-Rey' looked resplendant in red, white and black alongside his legendary partners - Mysterio's mask was a thing of beauty.

Blending together his standard iconography and the lion on NJPW's own legendary 'King Of Sports' crest, the Lucha Libre legend looked amazing. More amazing than he already looked with his rejuvenated movements and slimmed-down frame, first revealed in an astonishing Royal Rumble 2018 display earlier this year.

Perhaps a statement of intent, Mysterio's mask was possibly far more than just an announcement of his arrival on a stage he'd long looked towards. There may be more 619s to follow in the Far East if lingering disputes with Scurll and Page were by design, and the aforementioned Junior Heavyweight Title would gain incredible steam from having such a crucial cruiserweight figure compete for it.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 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 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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