13 Ups & 4 Downs From NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13

10. The Brisk Pacing

Wrestle Kingdom 13's main card ran for about four hours. That sounds long, but this thing raced forward at such a brisk pace it almost felt as if it was going to be wrapped in three. Only two-and-a-half hours had passed by the time we reached Chris Jericho vs. Tetsuya Naito, the second-to-last match, and at no point did it feel like the show was dragging, which is absolutely essential for those enjoying the stream in foreign time zones.

There are two sides to this, as several bouts were undoubtedly trimmed as a result. Regardless, there wasn't an ounce of fat on WK13. It was still long, but far from bloated, and those four hours felt significantly shorter live and in the moment.

Such is the power of a well-paced show. It didn't even feel like a traditional New Japan layout either, as a match like Will Ospreay vs. Koya Ibushi (as blistering as it was) would usually be saved for the closing stretch. Instead, it set the night off with a lightning bolt, and while things cooled off for a bit afterwards, but the typical slow-build wasn't anywhere to be found.