10 Major Predictions For NJPW Dominion 2018

4. Hirooki Goto Vs. Michael Elgin Vs. Taichi - NEVER OpenWeight Title Match

Tetsuya Naito Chris Jericho
NJPW1972.com

A very rare NJPW three-way dance, the potential of the match is difficult to gauge.

It's a format WWE has mastered as a result of its wider, blockbuster, false-finish approach, but how Hirooki Goto and Taichi in particular approach this match is a mystery. The intrigue, happily, does not end there. Michael Elgin should excel in this environment, with its scope for tandem power spots; Hirooki Goto operates best in the dramatic climax of a match, the effect of which is doubled here; Taichi is a heat-generating pr*ck who usually outstays his welcome in long singles matches, the risk of which is minimised on Saturday.

Kept short - the thought of Taichi of all people exhausting the crowd on this show is a depressing one - this is an on-paper fun midcard attraction unique and novel enough to avoid crowd burnout.

Prediction: For all Gedo's genius, the NEVER title is one of several bandied about arbitrarily in a midcard not entirely immune to 50/50 booking. No one result will dramatically alter the New Japan landscape - though the format of the match leads one to believe that Taichi is capturing the gold via his trademark nefarious tactics.

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!