4 Ups & 3 Downs From NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 (Night 2)

1. This IS The Tokyo Dome, Right?

Master Wato
New Japan World

Another match that didn't feel worthy of the Dome, this take feels cruel because it's punching down on a young man ill-suited to a not inconsiderable spot, but there's something so awkward and unconvincing about Master Wato. That awkwardness has become canon now, thanks to El Desperado's brilliant patter, but their amusing feud has a distinct "...and then the bell rang" fate to it.

Wato isn't bad. The bones of a decent undercard wrestler are there - he can execute some nice enough aerials - but the disposition and the footwork is all wrong.

The second successive comedy match, this was better than the first, but that two were promoted back-to-back was either a glaring sequencing error or an indictment of where NJPW has found itself after the seminal peak of 2019. Neither is ideal.

When it wasn't overtly comedic, it was just drab and not particularly well-paced. Wato grabbed a hold deep into a match that should have erupted into hollow thrills by that point, and when it did get halfway decent, Wato botched a 619, the poor prick.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!