8 Ups & 2 Downs From NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12

5. Cody Rhodes Ascends

There were plenty of reasons to be pessimistic about Cody Rhodes vs. Kota Ibushi.

Not only is ‘The American Nightmare’ not over with Japanese crowds, but he’s an extremely limited performer compared to the prodigious ‘Golden Star,’ who’s one of the most exciting wrestlers in the world. Pre-show consensus was that this was a waste of Ibushi’s talents, but guess what? They over-delivered, tenfold.

Cody and Brandi Rhodes are a marvellous heel act. Their antics had the crowd invested in the ex-WWE star like never before, and they generated massive sympathy for Kota, who was forced to fight their shenanigans. A brutal Cross Rhodes from the apron sent Cody’s heat through the roof. He came off like a genius-level villain thereafter, and his dance partner was in typically excellent form, too.

Ibushi bumped and sold like crazy, doing everything in his power to make Rhodes looked like a star. It worked. The former ROH Champion was enhanced immensely by Kota’s astounding workrate, to which the bout owed much of its success.

‘The Golden Star’ won with his spectacular Phoenix Splash, but full credit to Cody: he put forth an awesome performance.