NJPW 2014: New Beginning to Dominion

[Greg_McNeish]

Wrestle Kingdom is behind us, and we're 7 1/2 months away from the G1 Climax. How will the landscape change over that period? Who will walk into the G1 wearing the IWGP Heavyweight Championship? Let's find out.

[Greg_McNeish]

Complete cards for Feburary "New Beginning" shows in Hiroshima & Osaka:

NJPW “THE NEW BEGINNING in HIROSHIMA”, 2/9/2014 [Sun] 15:00 @ Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall

(1) Kota Ibushi & BUSHI vs. El Desperado & Jushin Thunder Liger
(2) Minoru Suzuki vs. Tama Tonga
(3) Special Tag Match: Yuji Nagata & Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Toru Yano & Takashi Iizuka
(4) Special Single Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Michael Tarver

(5) NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match: [125th Champion] Satoshi Kojima vs. [Challenger] “BIG DADDY YUM-YUM” Byron Wilcott
~ 1st Defense.

(6) Special Tag Match: Tetsuya Naito & Tomoaki Honma vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Yujiro Takahashi
(7) Special 8 Man Tag Match: Togi Makabe, Ryusuke Taguchi, KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley vs. Prince Devitt, Bad Luck Fale, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson
(8) Special Tag Match: Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI

(9) IWGP Tag Championship Match: [64th Champions] “The Machine Gun” Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows vs. [Challengers] “K.E.S.” Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.
~ 1st Defense.

(10) IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match: [7th Champion] Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. [Challenger] Shinsuke Nakamura
~ 1st Defense.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

NJPW “THE NEW BEGINNING in Osaka”, 2/11/2014 [Tue] 17:00 @ Osaka BODYMAKER COLOSSEUM

(1) IWGP Jr. Tag Championship Match: [37th Champions] “The Young Bucks” Matt & Nick Jackson vs. [Challengers] KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley
~ 2nd defense.

(2) Katsuyori Shibata vs. YOSHI-HASHI
(3) Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. “The Machine Gun” Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows & Tama Tonga
()
(5) NWA World Tag Contendership Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Michael Tarver & “BIG DADDY YUM-YUM” Byron Wilcott
(6) Special Tag Match: Yuji Nagata & Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Daniel & Rolles Gracie
(7) Special Tag Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Yujiro Takahashi

(8) IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match: [67th Champion] Kota Ibushi vs. [Challenger] El Desperado
~ 1st defense.

(9) NEVER Openweight Championship Match: [2nd Champion] Tetsuya Naito vs. [Challenger] Tomohiro Ishii
~ 3rd Defense.

(10) IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match: [59th Champion] Kazuchika Okada vs. [Challenger] Hirooki Goto
~ 8th defense.

[jsnnmk]

Call me crazy, but the trigger FINALLY gets pulled on Goto.

[Greg_McNeish]

Yeah, I'm totally on that bandwagon. It feels like an absolute certainty that Nakamura is going to get a run with the title, this year, possibly right into Wrestle Kingdom, but the best call is for someone to transition it to him from Okada. Goto has been knocking on this door for years, and the crowd has stayed with him through it all. After that return against Shibata, there will never be a better time to put the belt on him, so that he can forevermore be billed as a former-champion. Giving him a run from New Beginning to Dontaku or Back To The Yokohama Arena (which is a fantastically lazy show name), in May, would be perfect. With Tanahashi as the Intercontinental Champion, the pressure to draw is mitigated, and March is a breeze, with the Anniversary show and New Japan Cup. Heck, Goto & Shibata have now tied their series at one win a piece, and that's definitely something that the fanbase is still buzzing about. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable booking those two to headline Invasion Attack in the Sumo Hall, but Wrestling Dontaku? I'd sign on the dotted line for that.

Otherwise, it's a pretty big departure from New Japan's usual booking style to have so many immediate rematches. It's very WWE-esque to be running back title rematches for both Nakamura and KES, especially when we've also got Nagata/Sakuraba vs. The Gracies again. Granted, trying to book this as a double-header PPV is new territory for them, but it may be getting too far away from their typically conservative style of not burning out matches. I'm sure that this will be a big monetary success, bringing in two big houses, as well as iPPV buys, but there's a definite question of sustainability, just as there was and continues to be for the WWE's schedule.

One thing's for sure: 2014 is going to be a very different year from 2013.

[GooberBM]

To their credit, they have a way better foundation for having an aggressive booking strategy than anyone in the last 20 years

[Greg_McNeish]

Yeah, they've cultivated and maintained a large roster of potential headliners, and have the structural base to keep that going for the long haul.

[Red_And_Yellow]

I haven't seen much Goto but I didn't like his match against Shibata.

[Greg_McNeish]

I'd suspect that's at least partially because you're unfamiliar with the characters. Goto & Shibata worked an especially no-selly, strong style, fighting spirit match, because they are the two guys on the roster that are built as indestructible, never-stay-down, never-back-down guys. So, the entire point of the match was to determine which one is definitively THE most bulletproof man on the planet. Against other people, it's simply the character dimension that they bring to the table, to be balanced, amplified, and juxtaposed with their opponents.

Check out Goto vs. Okada from the New Japan Cup finals, this past March, to get an idea of what he can do, as well as what's in store for the New Beginning main event.

[GooberBM]

Here is the full video of the 2013 New Japan Cup Final. For Okada/Goto, go to the 2:04:00 mark

[Red_And_Yellow]

Will check that out after Nakamura/Tanahashi, thanks Goobs.

[Greg_McNeish]

As an FYI, both Goto & Okada had wrestled once previously, that show, in their respective semi-finals. Tournament finals are always a riot.

[Greg_McNeish]

Also, this happened that magical day:

[GooberBM]

My life needs a gif of that. Can't someone get Eboney on it. No offense to Nikki Bella kicking my girl in the mush, that should've been your avatar

[Greg_McNeish]

You're not wrong about that.

[GooberBM]

It's everything you and I love about the mockery of life that wrestling is

[El Canuck]

MISTICO! The original at that.

[Greg_McNeish]

Is it the original? I hadn't heard about that.

[El Canuck]

Mistico II has a telltale tattoo on his right side that pokes over his waistband.

[El Canuck]

Never mind, I can see the tattoo now. That's Mistico II

[Jama7301]

Yano/Suzuki in the New Japan Cup? Fuck yes.