10 HUGE NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13 Predictions You Need To Know
5. Cody Vs. Juice Robinson
Cody was briefly a belt collector when he surprisingly lifted the United States Championship from potential breakout babyface Juice Robinson shortly after his instantly iconic ALL IN NWA World Heavyweight Championship victory, but his inflated status was surely the only reason NJPW elected to remove Robinson from the position so soon after he'd ascended.
Defeating Jay White for the prize in the first place was reward for showing resilience in a middling G1 Climax for the former NXT alsoran, but hindsight suggests that he'd had to become the most amped up version of himself to reach that summit. More so than Cody for a hot minute, Robinson was the most vital voice in the industry thanks to some incendiary promos - his laser-focus on toppling a confident and cocky 'Switchblade' wasn't present for his first title defence, but should have returned in time for the Tokyo Dome supershow.
Whilst both are superb character wrestlers, it's Juice that's more likely to find something extra between the ropes to something beyond three-star expectations. If he can do that, the IWGP United States Championship won't be the only thing enhancing his status for the year ahead.
Winner - Juice Robinson