10 Reasons Why New Japan Pro Wrestling Had A Great 2016
7. Wrestle Kingdom 10
The January 4th show, now known as Wrestle Kingdom, has been New Japan’s version of Wrestlemania and is the turning of the calendar year for them as a company. It allows for new champions, stories, and arrivals for those who are new to the fans. The tenth edition of the show may have been their best show yet. (Don’t worry! This is a spoiler-free section.)
The opening lacked some punch as they had a New Japan Rumble (15-man battle royal), but after that, the show really got rolling. A four-way Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match, punctuated with high spots and cheap tricks from the Young Bucks, kept the crowd loud and into what was happening in the ring. From there, the first NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions were crowded and the Ring of Honor World Championship was defended.
Kushida faced off against Kenny Omega for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, while Gallows and Anderson took on Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma for the IWGP Tag Team Championships. Hirooki Goto and Tetsuya Naito had an outstanding match in what was implied to be a number one contender match for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship as well.
The real treat was the last three matches on the card. Katsuyori Shibata challenged Tomohiro Ishii for the NEVER Openweight Championship in a match that personified strong style. The crowd reactions to the way both men were hitting each other really makes the match what it is. After that, AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura wrestled in their first (and so far) only singles match against one another for Nakamura’s Intercontinental Championship.
The main event was so good that it needed its own spot on the list, so at number six is...