12 Early Predictions For Wrestle Kingdom 12
5. Okada Vs. Shibata
When you look at the top half of a New Japan card over the past year, one name that is always creeping towards the top but never quite making it is Katsuyori Shibata. Now that he has been relieved of the NEVER Openweight Championship he could be moving towards the more prestigious belts, and perhaps a G1 Climax victory is on the cards.
On top of that, when you look at Tanahashi's run of Wrestle Kingdom main events, three were with Okada but the other three were with Japanese stars that had risen through the ranks to provide a believable threat to the top star. If Okada is going to mimic The Ace's rise, he will need viable competition and while Kenny Omega was a great start, fans also want to see Shibata in that prime spot.
It has been rumoured that Shibata has fallen out of favour with the company due to issues in his private life, but hopefully this can all be sorted and he will fulfil his potential.