16 Ups & 9 Downs For NJPW In 2018

5. Wrestle Kingdom 12

Tetsuya Naito Kazuchika Okada
NJPW

The year's first big wrestling show is always a spectacle, and while Wrestle Kingdom 12 was an ever-so-slight step down from 11, it delivered the incredible big theatre experience fans expect on 4 January.

Only the rushed NEVER Openweight Six Man gauntlet was anything less than decent, and even that crowded scramble provided a few fun moments, most notably NJPW jester Toru Yano dispatching Taichi and Ryusuke Taguchi in quick succession. Prior to that, we got the start of the incredible Young Bucks back-selling saga. Cody Rhodes' best singles match followed as he faced Kota Ibushi, before EVIL & SANADA brawled the IWGP Tag Team Titles away from Killer Elite Squad, Hirooki Goto and Minoru Suzuki bludgeoned the sh*t out of each other, and Will Ospreay, Marty Scurll, KUSHIDA, and Hiromu Takahashi worked a blitzkrieg Junior Heavyweight Title spotfest.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White didn't hit the mark, but after that? Two cast-iron classics. Chris Jericho rolled back the years against Kenny Omega, scoring the first five-star match of his career, and while Kazuchika Okada's defeat of Tetsuya Naito was controversial, the match itself was exemplary, with Naito's reversion to his old 'Stardust Genius' babyface character leading to his demise.

With most of the flab cut and a strong focus on singles bouts, Wrestle Kingdom 13 looks just as stellar. Regardless, 12 was spectacular, and it's still your writer's favourite show of 2018.

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Channel Manager

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.