10 HUGE NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13 Predictions You Need To Know

2. Chris Jericho Vs. Tetsuya Naito

Kenny Omega Hiroshi Tanahashi Shinsuke Nakamura
NJPW

Chris Jericho's IRL redemption for his late-2017 gamble was paid off within weeks of his Wrestle Kingdom 12 loss to Kenny Omega.

'The Alpha' was indeed the main man for the company, despite the epic main event that was supposedly set to be the crowning moment for his opponent this year. Though not entirely down to his presence, Jericho could credibly claim that the extra tickets and New Japan World Subscriber numbers were down to his appearance, rendering Tetsuya Naito's main event secondary for the second time in the LIJ leader's Wrestle Kingdom career.

At Wrestle Kingdom 8, he lost the headline spot before he even made it to the Tokyo Dome thanks to a fan vote that resolutely rejected him as the company's top star, and last year's defeat against Kazuchika Okada was again because he allowed the flawed 'Stardust Genius' within him to escape in a moment of misplaced euphoria.

2018 was the year Naito fought to find compromise between 'Tranquilo' and transcending himself, not least after 'Y2J' shockingly pounded the f*ck out of him to take an Intercontinental Championship he'd previously disavowed. Victory here will be all things - a telling message of intent to those above him that he's not to be forgotten or overlooked, a revenge assault on the company's most lucrative imposter, and the confirmation that he has began the long, long road path to his true destiny as IWGP Heavyweight Champion through important reconciliation with an entirely different prize.

Winner - Tetsuya Naito

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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