16 Ups & 9 Downs For NJPW In 2018

5. Tetsuya Naito's Mixed Fortunes

Tetsuya Naito
Bushiroad

The great hope heading into Wrestle Kingdom 12 was that Tetsuya Naito, the coolest wrestler in the world and most popular star in Japan, would finally defeat the godlike IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada inside the Tokyo Dome, cementing him as NJPW's undisputed top guy.

That didn't come to fruition.

Naito was felled in an awesome, story-driven match, and proceeded to stumble through a very mixed year. The Minoru Suzuki matches were flat disappointments. He became IWGP Intercontinental Champion, but Chris Jericho murdered him at Dominion 6.9. His tournament form wasn't great either: defeated by Zack Sabre Jr. in March's New Japan Cup, a 6-3 G1 Climax run saw him finish fourth in Block B.

Shunted out of the spotlight after Wrestle Kingdom, Naito has been feeding off scraps all year. He'll likely retake the Intercontinental strap on 4 January, and there's no doubt that booker Gedo has a long-term plan, but it's hard to see Naito's 2018 as anything other than a moderate disappointment.

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Channel Manager
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.