13 Ups & 4 Downs From NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13

8. Shingo Takagi Plants His Flag

BUSHI SHingo Takagi
NJPW

Though somewhat hampered by a sub-seven-minute runtime, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Title match just exceeded the heavies. Its brevity isn't necessarily a problem, either. A handful of matches were always going to be trimmed on a show this big, and we'd much rather this than something like Ospreay vs. Ibushi or, god forbid, Tanahashi vs. Omega.

NJPW were very, very clever with the layout. Defeated champions El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru were barely involved as their long reign came to an end. Instead, it boiled down to the Shingo Takagi/BUSHI pairing and Roppongi 3K, with the Los Ingobernables de Japon boys taking the prize when Shingo went nuts with Pumping Bomber lariats, then nailed his Last Of The Dragon finisher for the 1-2-3.

Like the heavyweight bout, the fact that the champions lost their belts without being pinned keeps things open for a two-on-two rematch. Giving Shingo a belt this early is great, too. He'll split from LIJ before long, but he was a big star and proven draw in Dragon Gate, and can be the same for New Japan somewhere down the line.

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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.