This was way, way better than it had any real right to be, but such low standards were set by Karl Anderson wilfully taking the p*ss out of the art of wrestling itself in knowingly bad matches.
Tonga was in fantastic condition, Anderson wasn't far behind, the the two worked a competent but completely unremarkable match (save for an unfortunately botched finish) that wouldn't have looked out of place on Raw if it had gone five minutes longer than the nine it was allotted.
But there was a feeling of celebration in the air in Tokyo - the idea that normalcy was around the corner and Wrestle Kingdom was a monument to that. For such bland flavourless action to command a spot felt as much about Anderson's unique status between WWE and NJPW as it was the epic conclusion to a storied tale.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
