10 Matches For The Ultimate NJPW Vs. AEW Supercard
6. The Young Bucks Vs. Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito
In which New Japan’s genuinely piss-poor tag division prompts something from left field; the Bucks starred in matches opposite EVIL and SANADA in the twilight of their NJPW run, and since GoD are accounted for in the opener, that leaves no other major, established tag teams (in the heavyweight division; juniors SHO and YOH are also fantastic, but it’s another well-worn combination).
That does leave the sort of makeshift tag team made congruous through NJPW’s stable-dominated narrative—and the Takagi/Naito combination is a lethal one.
Takagi is an extraordinary pro wrestler with the most apt of nicknames and aesthetic: a propulsive powerhouse, he is a dragon, and the prospect of Nick Jackson bumping for his Pumping Bomber lariat is the sort of funeral you’d pop your t*ts off at. There’s scope for some excellent character work in this tag war, too, given the Bucks’ legendary ability to wind up their opponents with their bratty cheerleading.
This psychology contrasts excellently with Naito’s own, unflappable cool, the limits of which would be tested and, if overstepped, manifested with a gruesome festival of high-octane, head-dropping violence.