10 HUGE NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13 Predictions You Need To Know

1. Kenny Omega Vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

Kenny Omega Hiroshi Tanahashi Shinsuke Nakamura
NJPW

The Wrestle Kingdom 13 main event is a glorious headliner on pro wrestling pedigree alone, but the ideological war between NJPW icon Hiroshi Tanahashi and "world-changing" IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega has its finger on the pulse of an alarmed corner of the company fanbase.

The concern, subversively, comes from the complex mindset of the man at the top of the tree.

Omega himself informs - and steers into - the grand contraction at play, and booker Gedo has structured the biggest main event of the calendar around it. The babyface Kenny Omega literally told the world how he'd had to lose everything just to win the IWGP Championship from Kazuchika Okada - but the heel 'Cleaner' has no truck with his own past, let alone that of Hiroshi Tanahashi or the soul of New Japan 'The Ace' genuinely believes he has to fight for.

Underneath this delicious narrative is an even tastier in-ring combination. A pre-Christmas curtain raiser saw Omega's Golden Lover Kota Ibushi again at odds over his partner's problems with Tanahashi, and if New Japan really is becoming the Sports Entertainment try-hard some have claimed, it could well be the 'Golden Star's towel that seals 'The Best Bout Machine's fate.

Your writer believes this may not be the end for Omega/Tanahashi in 2019 (and title-winning) vindication for the Challenger awaits at a later stage, but the Tokyo Dome will be the Champion's proving ground yet again. Head rules over heart, but it shouldn't have done during 2018's G1 Climax...

Winner - Kenny Omega

In this post: 
NJPW
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. 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