10 Big Predictions For NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11
5. The Master Thief Steals The Gold
Great Bash Heel and the Guerrillas Of Destiny produced a show-stealing war at December’s World Tag League finals, and they’ll meet again on January 4th. GBH were victorious over the much-improved Tama Tonga and Tanga Roa that night, but while this gives them a significant edge over the current IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, they’ll have to be wary of the X-factor.
Chaos’ Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii were added to the match a couple of weeks ago, and they have an outstanding chance of coming away with the gold. Ishii is one of the absolute best wrestlers on the planet, and while it’s a crying shame that he hasn’t been given a singles match this year, at least he has a chance to walk away with some gold. His partner, meanwhile, is one of the most divisive wrestlers in NJPW, and a man whose inclusion has caused more than a few eye-rolls.
Yano is NJPW’s Marmite character. You either love his snivelling, heelish ways, or he makes you want to throw a brick at your television. He’s got more tricks up his sleeve than Houdini, and while far from the best wrestler in the world, NJPW’s master thief has stolen victories over Hiroshi Tanahashi, Minoru Suzuki, and countless others in recent years.
This year’s G1 Climax saw Yano take a victory by tying Yuji Nagata’s feet together with electrical tape then running back into the ring for a countout. Who knows what he’s got planned on January 4th, but he and the burly Ishii should overcome the ageing GBH and the much-improved GOD.