10 Major Predictions For NJPW Dominion 2018

5. EVIL & SANADA Vs. The Young Bucks - IWGP Tag Team Title Match

Tetsuya Naito Chris Jericho
NJPW1972.com

A long-overdue match showcasing Matt and Nick's long-overdue promotion to the Heavyweight doubles ranks, this promises much, especially since the Bucks are as adept at selling as they are at big, daft PWG diving and bumping in 2018. Matt's selling is among the best in the business - the best, on the evidence of The New Beginning Night 2 and Strong Style Evolved - and SANADA comes equipped with a finisher, the Skull End, practically designed to exploit his knackered back.

There are no doubts over the Bucks' ability to "graduate" to the Heavyweight ranks. They are the best tag team on the planet, and the distinction is only nominal in this era of stylistic conflation. It's a distinction you'd expect the Bucks to take seriously regardless, given the seriousness with which it is treated in the fiction of NJPW. Expect a story in which the Bucks overcome the strength of their larger opponents to convey the idea that they belong.

Prediction: A brave losing effort should prove sufficient in just doing that, which is the prediction here - though it isn't beyond Gedo to rush through a story arc when it concerns four men, as opposed to two.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!