Official NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 Discussion

[MopOfVirtue]

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12

Date | January 4th, 2018

Location | Tokyo Dome

Event Times (Global)

JPN | 3pm Pre-Show, 5pm Main Card (1.4)

GMT | 6am Pre-Show, 8am Main Card (1.4)

EST | 1am Pre-Show, 3am Main Card (1.4)

CT | 12am Pre-Show, 2am Main Card (1.4)

PT | 10pm Pre-Show (1.3), 12am Main Card (1.4)

AEDT | 5pm Pre-Show, 7pm Main Card (1.4)

Where to Watch

The event will be streamed live on www.njpwworld.com

Subscription costs ¥999 ($9 USD, or £6.65 GBP)

Note - When subscribing, make sure you do so at the beginning of a new month. NJPW World processes payments on the 1st day of each month.

Match Card

IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Kazuchika Okada © vs. Tetsuya Naito

IWGP U.S. Championship - No Disqualifications Match
Kenny Omega © vs. Chris Jericho

IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Hiroshi Tanahashi © vs. Jay White

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Fatal 4-Way
Marty Scurll © vs. Will Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi

NEVER Openweight Championship - Hair vs. Hair, Suzuki-Gun Barred From Ringside
Minoru Suzuki © vs. Hirooki Goto

IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
Killer Elite Squad (Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) © vs. EVIL and SANADA

Special Singles Match
Cody vs. Kota Ibushi

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship Gauntlet Match

Bullet Club (Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Bad Luck Fale) vs.

Taguchi Japan (Ryusuke Taguchi, Juice Robinson, Togi Makabe) vs.

CHAOS (Beretta, Toru Yano, Tomohiro Ishii) vs.

Suzuki-Gun (Zack Sabre Jr., Takashi Iizuka, Taichi) vs.

War Machine & Michael Elgin

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
Roppongi 3K (Sho & Yoh) © vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)

----------

Pre Show

New Japan Rumble

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Unbooked NJPW Talent
(likely participants in the NJPW Rumble)

Yuji Nagata
Manabu Nakanishi
Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Satoshi Kojima
Jushin Thunder Liger
BUSHI
Chase Owens
Yujiro Takahashi
El Desperado
TAKA Michinoku
Yoshinobu Kanemaru
David Finlay

YOSHI-HASHI
Rocky Romero

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Prominent unbooked ROH & Independent Talent
Hangman Page
Chuck Taylor
Jeff Cobb
Sami Callihan

Dalton Castle

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Top Young Lions

(unlikely to be booked, could make an appearance in the Rumble)

Katsuya Kitamura
Hirai Kawato
Tomoyuki Oka
Henare
Leo Tonga

[Lil' Kazu]

Taichi is back for the Road to Tokyo Dome shows.

 

The angle they shot at the press conference was great. Such an old school feel to it with Kenny sporting the bandage on his head. Was kinda like the crazy gaijin coming in to challenge the Japanese champ except they're both Canadian

[MopOfVirtue]

The presser and WTL final were great. I went from having some interest in Jericho vs. Omega, to being hyped for it. Regardless of what is said though, Naito vs. Okada is THE main event. That is a 4-year story arc that needs to come to a close in the biggest way possible. That will be an awesome match.

 

EDIT: Original post updated with starting times & matches that are looking likely for the event.

[Lil' Kazu]

 

Naito's take on the 'double main event' thing. Haven't watched it yet, but I feel like that is going to be used for the Naito vs Omega feud we'll likely see next year.

 

Neat beginner's guide for WK12 for those not quite familiar with NJPW's current product:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17Vj0JBidL4Ex_6LWgBEVsvO1TGcDRBKJ

[MopOfVirtue]

He's right in saying everything that he's saying. He knows from personal experience that the main event is the final match on the card. We've seen it with Naito, we've seen it with CM Punk in WWE.

 

Another thing that he said rings true, and that is NJPW's treatment of stars who leave for WWE. Management is too nice to them if their endgame is to be as big as, if not bigger than, the WWE. The U.S. expansion will be interesting.

 

Also, just a general spoiler related to the WK 12 card (I'm sure most people know, but still):

 

 

 

Dalton Castle def. Cody for the ROH World Championship @ ROH Final Battle.

Cody vs. Ibushi is now non-title.

 

 

[Lil' Kazu]

It will take a while, if ever, for NJPW to become as big as WWE. If their TV situation never changes I don't see it happening period. If it does happen it's due to their domestic situation, not the American expansion.

[cuey82]

He's right in saying everything that he's saying. He knows from personal experience that the main event is the final match on the card. We've seen it with Naito, we've seen it with CM Punk in WWE.

 

Another thing that he said rings true, and that is NJPW's treatment of stars who leave for WWE. Management is too nice to them if their endgame is to be as big as, if not bigger than, the WWE. The U.S. expansion will be interesting.

 

Also, just a general spoiler related to the WK 12 card (I'm sure most people know, but still):

 

 

 

Dalton Castle def. Cody for the ROH World Championship @ ROH Final Battle.

Cody vs. Ibushi is now non-title.

 

 

 

I get what your saying here, but really the issue by comparison is the shady way WWE treat people who want to leave or are leaving, by burying them, devaluing them, isolating them,in some cases deleting and refusing to acknowledge their previous employment.

 

Really business wise why would you not treat someone with respect, as long as they are honouring their contract, still giving you 100% commitment and contributing until their final day. You never know when you might need that employee again, or what reputation that employee may give your company on social media and to colleagues if ill treated on the way out.

 

I get the comments Naito made about Nakamuras treatment on his way out made NJPW look little league, but I disagree, its due to WWEs terrible, shoddy often acrimonious treatment of people and employees that makes it seem thats the only alternative. Its not, I work in HR and I realise they need to value of treating those at the end of their contract and are honnouring it with respect because of the knock on consequences this could have on business reputation and my recruitment if I didn't.

 

If NJPW want to be a true different alternative to WWE then I say fair play to not copying every unscrupulous business method WWE has.

 

WWE got as big as they did doing stuff like this but it was a whole different employment game in the 80s and 90s when Vince did it. It still happens in the WWE of course today but they are not necesarily in a state of accelerated business growth in the way NJPW are and probably and sadly dont think it matters. Culturally the Japanese always appear to have respected its workforce also

[MopOfVirtue]

*CARD UPDATE*

 

An emergency press conference was held not too long ago. The following matches have been altered:

 

Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho will now be no disqualification.

Cody vs. Kota Ibushi will remain on the card as a special singles match.

[Willows Way]

Man Omega/Jericho cant come fast enough.

[Guest]

Omega/Jericho just got WWE af lol.

[Lunchbox]

Would kinda rather see them have a regular match then a no DQ match.

[Lil' Kazu]

I'm not worried, I completely trust them on this.

 

I just hope that now that Cody vs Ibushi is non title that Ibushi gets the win. Wonder if they'll had a ROH title match to the show, hope not. Wiki has Goto vs Suzuki as Hair vs Hair, can anyone confirm this? Also Kanemaru was on the show yesterday, so he's not on hiatus.

 

Super hyped for this show, can't believe it's just 2 weeks away, pretty much.

[MopOfVirtue]

I'm not worried, I completely trust them on this.

 

I just hope that now that Cody vs Ibushi is non title that Ibushi gets the win. Wonder if they'll had a ROH title match to the show, hope not. Wiki has Goto vs Suzuki as Hair vs Hair, can anyone confirm this? Also Kanemaru was on the show yesterday, so he's not on hiatus.

 

Super hyped for this show, can't believe it's just 2 weeks away, pretty much.

Goto vs. Suzuki hasn't been officially confirmed, but it's pretty much a foregone that it's happening. Suzuki teased shaving Goto the other night.

 

 

EDIT - It has been confirmed that Suzuki vs. Goto will be Title and Hair vs. Hair. Somebody's getting a haircut.

[Willows Way]

Suzuki has like no hair to begin with so im assuming hes losing lol.

[LEGION]

Suzuki has like no hair to begin with so im assuming hes losing lol.

Quality over Quantity

[Lil' Kazu]

I'm glad it's hair vs hair and not just title vs hair.

[MopOfVirtue]

The full card has been announced, along with the participants of the 5-team gauntlet for the NEVER Trios title. I'll update it when I'm at a computer.

[Lunchbox]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBlkPQ1qZys

[Lil' Kazu]

That dude's videos are all awesome. He's wicked talented.

[MopOfVirtue]

Haven't watched this new one yet, but Showbuckle has put together some great videos. I will definitely be watching this one before I fly out.

[St★rstruck]

Found out about Showbuckle a little over a year ago, and every video that he's uploaded has been top notch and really insightful for wrestling fans who may not be too familiar with NJPW.

 

The video about NJPW's video production is probabaly my favorite one next to The Fall and Rise of Naito. You know your videos are good as *Censored* when it gets a shout out on an actual NJPW show.

[classiq.]

 

 

 

 

Subtitles are there, just click the CC button.

[MopOfVirtue]

Greetings from Tokyo! It really didn't hit me that I'll be in the audience for WK12 until yesterday. I went and visited Minoru Suzuki's store in Harajuku, and I bought a replica of the towel he wears to the ring. The woman running the store asked if I was a fan of Minoru, to which I replied "of course." She then said to keep my eyes on twitter because Minoru would be there later that day.

 

Well, later that day came and sure enough, he was tweeting, so I went back to the store. When I got there, he looked like he was in a pretty important business meeting. The woman behind the counter said hi and asked if I wanted a photo with him. I told her I didn't want to interrupt anything important, that I understand he is a busy man and I'd come back later, but she insisted on asking him. When she asked, he didn't look frustrated or annoyed. He happily replied with a yes, then got up and took a photo with me. We talked briefly and I told him I was a big fan. I then told him that I couldn't wait for him to shave Goto's head. He replied saying that after he's done with Goto, he'd look for me and go after my hair, even motioning it. We had a bit of a laugh and I let him get back to his meeting.

 

I did not expect Minoru Suzuki to be anywhere near as nice as he was. He could have said no, he could have told me to wait til his business meeting was over, but he didn't.

[Lil' Kazu]

Oh dude, that's so awesome, I'm super jealous.

 

Have fun at the Dome

[Lunchbox]

Man I am 100% jealous of that story, have a good time man!