9 Things We Learned From NJPW Dominion 6.19
What now for Okada, Shibata, Naito and Ospreay?
After a rather inconsistent 2015, New Japan Pro Wrestling continues to thrive in 2016. The year started off terribly, with four of its biggest names (Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows) jumping ship to World Wrestling Entertainment. Rather than sulk about the departures the company has set about making new starts and promoting those from the middle of the card, who has responded with gusto.
The early hours of this past Sunday saw the company present Dominion, generally regarded as one of the biggest shows of the year. The annual G1 Climax looms large, and this year's Dominion had a stacked line-up full of intriguing stories that were either to end or evolve. Six titles were also on the line in Osaka.
The show didn't disappoint, with the majority of the card matching or exceeding expectations. Tetsuya Naito and Kazuchika Okada continued their feud over the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in the main event, with Kenny Omega and Michael Elgin vying for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship in the semi-main in what may have been New Japan's first ever ladder match.
The show is now in the bag, and plenty of questions have been answered. No small amount of new questions have come out of it too.
Here are 9 things we learned from NJPW Dominion 6.19...
9. Jay White Will Return To NJPW As A Star
When one begins to immerse themselves in New Japan Pro Wrestling, it is a difficult idea to get your head around initially. The opening match on pretty much every card will either feature a one-on-one match between two seemingly indistinguishable individuals in black trunks, or a multi-man match featuring those guys on the same team against a group of grumpy old men. The grumpy old men always win.
After a while the young lions disappear on excursions around the world, with the idea being that they will eventually return as fully fledged professional wrestlers in New Japan Pro Wrestling. The company has truly been blessed with some extraordinary talent in this position over the last few years, and the latest to finish up opening match duties with the company is Jay White.
White is heading to Ring of Honor, and has already expressed his intention to return to NJPW to compete as a heavyweight. White is a serious talent, one with a high ceiling, and if used properly in ROH could be a major star in wrestling's future. White took the fall in the multi-man dark match at Dominion, tapping out to Hiroyoshi Tenzan's Anaconda Vice.
White finished off with a loss here, but his time in the opening matches of NJPW events has been an unqualified success.