10 Ups & 4 Downs From NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14

1. Jay White’s Diminishing Returns

On his day, Jay White is one of the most effective heels in the business. His wonderful G1 Climax finals performance against Kota Ibushi is a perfect example of this, as his earned, well-placed f*ckery meshed perfectly with his opponent's indomitable babyface spirit to craft a minor Sports Entertainment masterpiece, and one of NJPW's most distinct 2019 matches.

It's a shame, then, that White is so inconsistent. One night, he's brilliant; the next, it's like 2018 all over again, and 'Switchblade' looks like he's still putting his villainous pieces together. This was the case at Wrestle Kingdom 14.

Wrestling Ibushi and Tetsuya Naito, White and manager Gedo brought chairs and brass knuckles into play, staged interruptions, downed referees, and played the numbers game, over, and over, and over, and over. By the end, it was hard to watch, almost compelling this reviewer (and many others on social media, it seems) to go and do something else with his time.

Both bouts were derailed by this lazy, uncreative shenanigans, which were executed with little flair or creativity. They were spammed in ways that hurt rather than helped the bouts. This was particularly problematic against Naito, where, given how long that bout felt, White's antics barely even felt necessary.

Heels cheat. That's fine, but this is NJPW. This is Wrestle Kingdom. Antics should inform the drama rather than nullify it, which is exactly what happened here.