13 Ups & 3 Downs From NJPW Dominion 6.9 2019

6. The Dragon Declares

Putting Satoshi Kojima in the dirt was only the first step of Shingo Takagi's heavyweight takeover. Per 'The Dragon' himself in his post-match promo, he, like Moxley, wants in the G1 Climax.

This is even more exciting than the Mox promo. While it'd be premature to assume that the junior heavyweight is definitely in the tournament, he's one of the most exciting wrestlers on the planet and has been for many a year. Some of his Dragon Gate work up stands with the very best of NJPW's main event scene. He shone throughout BOSJ, too, with the Will Ospreay match standing as one of 2019's best so far, and other battles with SHO and Dragon Lee hitting similar levels. The guy rules, basically. Get him in there.

Takagi's junior heavyweight sojourn was always going to be a temporary measure, and it was a huge surprise when he debuted as part of the division. Get him up, get him pushed, and Gedo could have his next big star ready to go.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.