Wrestle Kingdom in Tokyo Dome

Legacy Review

Wrestle Kingdom in Tokyo Dome

January 4, 2007 from the Tokyo Dome

It's the start of year two following Antonio Inoki's ouster as head of New Japan after leading the company down a blind alley since about the turn of the century. The future of the company seemed OK thanks to the new majority owners, Yuke's, but the future of the annual January 4th Tokyo Dome show, which started in 1992 with New Japan's second joint show with WCW and had become the biggest date on New Japan's calendar, was very much in doubt. To try to inject some new life into the show New Japan and All Japan agreed to hold their first fully joint show, once a regular occurrence, since Keiji Mutoh's shocking defection to All Japan in 2002. But what to call this show that was hoped to begin a new era? Well it just so happened that in '06 Yuke's released a new game on PS2 and XBox 360 that featured a roster of wrestlers from all of Japan's top three companies: New Japan, All Japan and Pro Wrestling NOAH. The name of that game? Wrestle Kingdom. The name was agreed on by both sides, and we were off and rolling to the Tokyo Dome. It's safe to say that name stuck. This show would also be a tribute show to New Japan legend Shinya Hashimoto, who had passed away in 2005 from a brain hemorrhage at only 40 years old, with a special main event to take place in his honor after the title matches.

As usual this is from the New Japan World archives so Japanese commentary only. You'll have to bear with me on most of these undercard tag matches as I'm not very familiar with the All Japan roster.

Ryusuke Taguchi, Masanobu Fuchi and El Samurai def Kikutaro, Akira Raijin and Nobutaka Araya in 8:20- Fuchi being on the New Japan side is weird as he's a career All Japan guy through and through. Must have something to do with being opposed to Kikutaro, a comedy wrestler who wears a cartoon mask with giant ears and a pink baseball jersey. He's basically a baseball mascot come to life. Since his last 1/4 show appearance Taguchi has become the full Funky Weapon that we still know today, though with an afro that has to be seen to be believed. My "Fuchi is on the New Japan side because he hates Kikutaro" theory is validated early as the two of them go at it. Kikutaro gets his comedy spots in, like doing his own count and getting slapped by the ref. Kikutaro dares Fuchi to hit him and Fuchi hits his teammates instead. Again the ref gets annoyed with Kikutaro and attacks him. Samurai and Kikutaro trade low blows, then the ref gets low blowed. We're digging into the midget match comedy spot bag here. The AJPW team keeps trying to attack Samurai in the corner but Samurai keeps getting his boots up. Finally the frustrated All Japan guys go full 3 Stooges on each other. Nyuk nyuk. Things get serious for a minute (not Lance Storm serious) as Samurai gets knocked around and double lariatoed. Tags to Kikutaro and Taguchi, who actually do some half serious wrestling. Kikutaro misses a moonsault. He hits a shining wizard for 2. He hooks Taguchi up and gives a whole speech in the middle of the ring. Where's Chris Charlton when you need him? Finally Tacguchi reverses and hits a snap suplex. Missile dropkick and we're donnybrooking. Kikutaro takes all the finishers of the New Japan plus Fuchi team and gets pinned. Even by comedy match standards that was pretty bleh. *1/2

 

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Gedo and Jado def Tokyo Gurentai in 13:06- Gurentai do the Suzuki-Gun jump before the bell and everyone brawls around the ring. Jado and I think MAZADA trade shoulderblocks in the ring, then have a chop exchange. Speed run from Jado and Rongai and Rongai hits a shining wizard. Everyone in Japan was doing that in those days. There's a long stretch of Gedo in peril that takes up over half the match with nothing hugely interesting happening. Finally he gets a hot tag to Jado, who has German suplexes for everyone. He hooks on a crossface. Gedo tries to hold him back but Rongai breaks it up. Both sides tag. Gedo does a move combo into a DDT. He goes up top, gets crotched, fights off a superplex, then gets off for the frog splash but falls right into raised knees. MAZADA counters a Gedo tombstone. Another Rongai shining wizard for 2. Jado distracts the ref with a weapon and Gedo hits a low blow. Avalanche powerbomb, frog splash and it's over. **

 

GBH def D'Lo Brown, Buchanan and Travis Tomko in 9:36- Now these are guys I know. We're starting to get into the modern factions in New Japan. GBH (Great Bash Heel) formed in late '06 with Hiroyoshi Tenzan as the leader and is still hanging around in a much smaller form today. They'll be the big New Japan heel faction over the next few years. In this match they're being represented by Togi Makabe (who'll eventually take over as leader), Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii and his still weird full head of hair. Brown, Buchanan and Tomko are all ex-WWE guys now wrestling for TNA, who was New Japan's official American promotion partner at this time. You'll be seeing a lot more TNA guys at the next Wrestle Kingdom. GBH takes their turn to do the SG jump at the bell. Tomko hits a double lariato on Makabe and Yano and the TNA guys clear the ring. Slow reset as GBH recover on the floor. Makabe and Tomko go nose to nose and chop to chop. Buchanan goes for an Undertaker style rope walk on Makabe, but sees Yano coming in and dives on him instead. Elbows and kneedrop from Buchanan for 2. Brown hits a sliding lariato on Makabe for 2. He hits some jabs. Makabe counters with a powerslam and tags. Yano and Ishii double team Brown, then toss him out and Brown takes some shots with Yano's always handy chair. They go up the ramp. Brown clotheslines Makabe to cut off a double team, but then gets slammed by Yano on the ramp. Back in Ishii hits a suplex and Brown gets beat down in the GBH corner. Somewhere Yano got a hammer (The bell ringing hammer? Not sure) and whacks Brown with it. Brown turns it around with some shots on Yano. Yano dodges a moonsault. Spear from Yano! Nice spit sell from Brown on that. Brown and Yano have a long suplex fight that Brown wins and tags out. Tomko runs wild on everyone. Lariato on Yano. Brown tags right back in and hits the Low Down spinebuster on Yano for 2. Yano distracts the ref by doing the Marty McFly "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" point, hits a low blow, and tags out. Double faceplant on Makabe for 2. Buchanan black hole slam for 2. The TNA guys triple team and Buchanan hits a scissors kick. Claw! Yano saves Makabe and they hit a second rope lariato/powerbomb double team for 2. Buchanan claw slam on Makabe for a long 2. He hits the ropes and Yano nails him with his chair! Makabe lariatos Buchanan and gets the pin. Acceptable 6 man spotfest. **1/2

 

Giant Bernard, RO'Z, Suwama and Taru def Manabu Nakanishi, Riki Choshu, Takashi Iizuka and Naofumi Yamamoto in 15:38- Bernard is now a New Japan regular, but he was in the big heel Voodoo Murders faction in All Japan so he's siding with his former teammates here, all of whom are in the group. RO'Z is ex-WWE wrestler Rosie, known as a member of GM Eric Bischoff mercenaries 3 Minute Warning and later as the SHIT- Super Hero In Training. RO'Z is also pronounced Rosie. Another big brawl to start with everyone going to the floor and a couple even up the ramp. Once again in one of these matches the New Japan team is the Generic Black Trunks Brigade. Back in the ring Choshu murders Taru with one of his signature lariatos. All of the New Japan team take turns on Taru. Taru gets a low blow on Yamamoto (future Yoshi Tatsu) to turn things around. Random thought: I wonder if Taru and Bernard went to the same tattoo artist? RO'Z comes in and does some big man stuff. Yamamoto goes in peril for a while. The fight goes to the floor again for a bit and Suwama dumps some water on commentary. The VM team does all the heel tricks, including a wrist tape choke and holding Yamamoto upside down for a clear kick to the nads. Yamamoto does a horrible botched counter on Taru and tags out. More Choshu lariatos. RO'Z absorbs his because he's big. On a double team attempt Bernard lariatos RO'Z, allowing Choshu to finally chop him down. Nakinishi takes everyone down and puts Taru in the torture rack. Suwama tries to break it up so Nakanishi throws Taru into him. Nakanishi tries to get RO'Z in the rack, manages to get him up, but then drops him back down again almost immediately. Iizuka hits an exploder suplex for 2 and puts a sleeper on. RO'Z breaks it up and Iizuka gets knocked around. Yamamoto tags in and hits a missile dropkick. He tries to chop Bernard down. Bernard hits a HUGE Last Ride powerbomb. The pin is broken up and we're donnybrooking again. Suwama hits Yamamoto with a German for 2. He follows up with a Saito with a bridge and gets the pin. *3/4

 

Koji Kanemoto, Tiger Mask, Wataru Inoue, Taka Michinoku and Kaz Hayashi def CTU and Voodoo Murders in 13:01- More promotion crossover here as this match is more straight faces vs heels. Leader Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru and Milano Collection AT are representing CTU, who had been New Japan's big heel faction the past few years but were now drawing their dying breaths. The whole group would break up later in the year. Minoru is also the reigning IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion in his 4th reign. Kanamoto starts with the Voodoo Murders guys (Brother YASSHI and Shuji Kondo). Early boot scrapes from Kanemoto, but the running boot scrape is cut off. Minoru and Hayashi have an exchange. Somersault tope from Hayashi! The faces clear the ring. Taka and Hayashi double team Minoru. Liger maneuvers Taka into a low blow and the heels do war drums on him. Taka and YASHHI give each other Greco Roman Nut Locks. Milano and Taka have a good back and forth. Taka gets trapped in the rope Paradise Lock! Liger surfboard on Taka. All 5 heels run in and attack. Near fall on Taka. Taka gets a series of kicks on Kondo and tags out to Inoue. He gets in a chopfest with Kondo. Fujiwara armbar! Liger breaks it up. Inoue missile dropkick for 2. Minoru and Hayashi dodge around each other and everyone's in again. More Minoru/Hayashi counters. Minoru hooks in an armbar. Rope break and Hayashi gives him a dragon screw. TM finally gets tagged in and hits a missile dropkick. Tombstone for 2. The heels attack in full again, triggering our final big DONNYBROOK. TM hits YASSHI with a series of moves, ending with the tiger suplex for the pin. **1/4

 

Toshiaki Kawada def Shinsuke Nakamura in 19:02- Now we get to the serious portion of tonight's program. Nakamura's streak of January 4th main events ends at three. All Japan legend Kawada is part of a group of All Japan guys from this period that could be called Meltzer's Favorite Wrestlers. I'm not saying Kawada wasn't great. He was. But he could take a crap and Meltzer would probably rate it 4 stars. 4.5 if it was in a Tokyo Dome bathroom. Red Shoes is working this match. Cautious start with some extended feeling out mat wrestling. Nakamura takes the first rope break. Kawada hits some chops in the corner. Nakamura responds with forearms. Huge forearm slugfest. Kawada hits corner kicks. Nakamura nails Kawada with a knee to the gut on a rope break that puts Kawada down. Both guys wrap up leg holds at the same time and we get another break and reset. Nakamura lays in some more knee strikes. Sleeper! Into an armbar! Kawada tries to block it and gets a foot on the rope just as Nakamura fully stretches it out. Nakamura holds it as long as he can and breaks at the last second. I have till 5, referee. Though with Red Shoes it's more like I have till 3 then 3 again then 5. Kawada is up and pissed. Open hand strikes. Kawada hits a slam and stomps on Nakamura against the ropes, taking his turn to play loose with the break count. Red Shoes tries to force a break and gets knocked over. Nakamura tries for a triangle choke. Kawada fights it so Nakamura switches to another armbar attempt. Kawada fights to the ropes again. Nakamura hits some kicks to the arm slowly, almost taunting Kawada. Kawada fires back up. Double lariato and no one goes down! Lariato from Nakamura and that puts Kawada down. Nakamura tries a German suplex. Kawada blocks it and hits a pele kick. He cuts a Nakamura flurry off with an enzuguri for 2. Kawada tries to hook on Stretch Plum. Nakamura gets to the ropes. Kawada kicks him and tries again, getting the hold fully on. Nakamura fades and Kawada covers for 2. Armbar from Kawada! Nakamura fights free without a break. Kawada lays in some hammy kicks. Lariato. Nakamura blocks a powerbomb and backdrops Kawada. Kawada gets right back up with a big boot and backdrop driver! Nakamura pops right back up! Inverted exploder! Kawada pops back up! Backdrop driver 2! Nakamura up! German! Kawada up! Backdrop driver 3! Nakamura almost stays down but he's up again! Tiger suplex! Both guys are finally spent. What a sequence. After some recovery time both lay in strikes with Nakamura getting the edge. Kawada hits an open hand slap for some space. Lariat...no! Nakamura grabs the arm and spins into an armbar! Kawada gets a rope break and they go into a crazy armbar reversal sequence. Nakamura switches gears and goes for the triangle. Kawada stomps his face to get free. Another armbar attempt by Nakamura but he can't quite get the right position or leverage. After a rope break Nakamura lifts Kawada up for Landslide. Kawada fights free but Nakamura lifts him into a powerbomb for 2. Kawada uses the position to hook on a triangle! Nakamura uses the position to try for a pin and Kawada lets go. Classic hard mat knees from Nakamura. He gets Kawada up again for Landslide. Kawada fights it again but Nakamura manages to hit it at about 50% and covers for 2. More hard forearms and more hammy kicks from Kawada. Nakamura forearms fire Kawada up and he responds. Running enzuguri! Kawada kneedrop for 2. He tries for a powerbomb but can't quite fight Nakamura up. He lets go, hits some kicks, and tries again. After a big leverage fight the powerbomb hits! Nakamura gets right back up! Brain buster from Kawada! Nakamura JUST kicks out! Kawada knee to the face! Nakamura ducks but then runs into one last huge stiff kick. An exhausted Kawada falls on top of Nakamura, and gets the pin! I'd say that's a dream match that lived up to the hype. ****

 

Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship: Minoru Suzuki (c) def Yuji Nagata in 17:22- One of Japan's ultimate forever feuds comes to the Tokyo Dome for the first time. And not for the last. When I say forever I do mean forever, they first crossed paths at a wrestling tournament in high school. I still can't believe they fist bumped at Destruction earlier this year (as I write this). Suzuki is in his first reign with All Japan's top title that would last just a few days short of one full year. In this day the Triple Crown title was still represented by three different belts, one of which is so old it still has a buckle. The bell rings, both guys charge in and here we go! Forearms are flying. Nagata mixes in kicks. Suzuki grabs his leg and uses it to push him down. Corner whip and charge. Suzuki runs, leaps in front of Nagata, stops, slaps him and smiles! Nagata slaps back and spits on Suzuki! Huge strike flurry from a pissed Nagata. Suzuki tries to hide in the ropes but Nagata's not stopping. Suzuki stretches out the rope armbar! The fight goes to the floor. The All Japan ref goes down into the fray to try to get some control but only ends up on his ass instead. The back of Nagata's head gets rammed into the post. Suzuki gets a chair and swings it right in Nagata's face! Suzuki rolls back in and chills while Nagata is checked on. As Suzuki plays to the crowd we see Nagata is busted open. Nagata slowly crawls back on the apron. Suzuki charges and kicks him off back to the floor! The fight is on out on the floor again. Suzuki wants another chair. The ref goes full death wish and tries to take it away. Suzuki fights him off, but Nagata uses the opening to kick the chair into Suzuki's face! Now Suzuki is bleeding a bit. Nagata brain buster on the floor! He rolls Suzuki back in and gives him a hard kick. The ref backs him off and starts a KO count. Suzuki is up and 4 and Nagata is instantly back on him. Corner whip and helluva style kick followed by some forearms. Suzuki twists a whip around and hooks on a sleeper! Nagata grabs his arm and snaps it to get out! Kicks to the arm. Nagata Lock! The eyes roll back! He cranks for all he's worth but Suzuki manages to slowly fight to the ropes. Nagata licks some blood off his hand and hits some more kicks, followed by another KO count. More kicks in the corner and Suzuki actually looks hurt. Nagata goes for a Saito. Suzuki rolls in midair, jumps up, and nails Nagata with a knee to the face! Kneeling headbutt exchange. Both guys get up swinging open hand strikes. Suzuki looks happy again. Possibly even aroused. He pummels Nagata with slaps. The Gotch style piledriver hits! Suzuki is slow to follow up from all the previous damage and by the time he covers Nagata is able to kick out. Cobra twist from Suzuki. Nagata flips out and we get another staredown as both guys try to find their extra fuel tank. More open hand slugging. Nagata grabs a Suzuki kick, backs him into the corner, and nails him with a high knee. Brain buster! Nagata doesn't cover. Instead he takes his time lifting Suzuki's lifeless carcass up. Saito! Cover. NAGATA PULLS SUZUKI UP AT 2! Ooooooh, I don't know about that at all. I think someone's letting his emotions get the better of him. One more hard kick from Nagata to finish him off. Suzuki pops back up at 1 and is swinging! Nagata strikes back and Suzuki gets wobbled. Decapitation kick! Nagata is still refusing to cover, staring Suzuki down. He goes for another Saito. Suzuki eye rakes out! Sleeper! He flips Nagata over! Nagata fights up, tries to grab an arm and snap it to get out again, but slowly fades back down. His eyes roll back, not by choice this time. The ref calls it! Suzuki wins and retains! Absolutely magnificent. I might be biased because I'm a huge fan of both these guys but I don't care. ****3/4

 

IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) def Taiyo Kea in 17:09- The first Wrestle Kingdom, and the first time the Ace walks into the Tokyo Dome as Heavyweight champion. There's some great symmetry there. Tanahashi is in the first of his record eight reigns, winning the vacated title the previous July in a tournament following the Brock Lesnar controversy (which I went into detail on in the last 1/4 show review so I won't get into it here). Kea is actually Hawaiian and has spent pretty much his entire career in All Japan, which was successful but not quite as dominant as some of the other bigger names over there. Red Shoes tags back in for this one. Lockup! Clean break. Some feeling out grappling, extended headlock/headscissors exchanges and a simultaneous dropkick attempt follow. Tanahashi does not break clean on the next lockup, getting a slap in. Big shoulderblock. A Kea German attempt is blocked. Kea hits an armdrag and a kick combo rocks Tanahashi. Tanahashi gets a corner back elbow and springboard crossbody for 2. A dropkick sends Kea to the floor. Kea dodges a plancha! Chop/forearm exchange on the floor. Kea pulls the floor pad off. He falcon arrows Tanahashi onto the bare floor! Tanahashi barely beats the count back onto the apron at least, and Kea is all over him again. Apron suplex fight. Kea switches gears and gives Tanahashi a dragon screw in the ropes! Now he hits the suplex. Kea does a bit of work on Tanahashi's back. He dodges a dropkick and hits a basement lariato for 2. Setup slam and Kea goes for a Vader bomb. Tanahashi gets his knees up and goes up top. Kea meets him and hits a superplex for 2. Powerbomb for 2. Tanahashi fights out of a TKO attempt. Open hand slap. Flying forearm. Kea backdrops Tanahashi over the top rope. Tanahashi skins the cat back in! Slingblade! Missile dropkick. Rare sloppy enzuguri from Tanahashi. German for 2. He hooks up for the dragon suplex. Kea tries to counter into a Saito. Tanahashi blocks it. Kea nails him with a lariato. Russian leg sweep for 2. Kea corner elbow and huge lariato for 2. Brain buster for 2. Tanahashi dodges a kick, hits an elbow and senton. Kea DDT for 2. He goes for the TKO again. Tanahashi counters into a dragon sleeper that he turns into a reverse DDT. Kea blocks another slingblade attempt and hits a Saito. Half nelson suplex! Slugfest. Enziguri trade. Kea hits strikes, and the TKO hits for a LONG 2. Sit out powerbomb! Tanahashi kicks out! Kea hooks on a cobra clutch. Tanahashi powers out, traps Kea's arms, and hits a straitjacket German for 2. Dragon suplex! Tanahashi goes up top! For the first time ever in the Tokyo Dome.....HIGH FLY FLOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWW! That gets the pin! Good match but not on the same level as the previous two. Tanahashi continues to improve and impress but he's still not quite at Ace level yet, while I honestly wasn't overly impressed with Kea. One match, small sample size, but still. ***1/2

 

Keiji Mutoh and Masahiro Chono def Tencozy in 18:43- This is billed as Super Dream Tag Match, and as I mentioned in the open is a tribute to the late Shinya Hashimoto. On one side is Hashimoto's fellow original Three Musketeers, forever rivals Mutoh and Chono, putting their differences aside for one night and forming a team no one ever expected to see. A rough modern equivalent would be when Okada and Tanahashi teamed up, or Okada and Kenny Omega teaming at this past year's New Year Dash. On the other side is Tencozy, Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima, doing another "one night only" reunion as Kojima, like Mutoh, was now full time in All Japan. Adding more layers to this is the epic Chono/Tenzan frenemies story, which is long enough to write a novel on. At this stage they're adversaries again after Tenzan turned on Chono to form GBH. As I always like to note, Tenzan also won the '06 G1 Climax, his third tournament win in four years. Mutoh and Tenzan start. Mutoh jumps right in with basement dropkicks to the knee! Shining wizard! Shining wizard to Kojima! Tencozy go to the floor to recover. Reset lockup back in. Tenzan hits a shoulderblock and Mongolian chops. Ugly suplex from Tenzan and Mutoh rolls out. Both sides tag and Chono and Kojima trade shots. Chono takes a rope break out of an armbar. He ends up in the wrong corner and takes a Tencozy double team, but then escapes and tags out. Mutoh snap mare and classic elbow drop. Double shoulderblock on Tenzan. Chono hits a dragon screw! He puts on a figure four! Kojima comes in to break it up. Mutoh dragon screws him into an STF! Serious mutual respect here with Chono and Mutoh using each other's holds. Mutoh's STF is the second worst ever after Cena's, but it's the thought that counts. Tenzan's knee gets picked apart some more and figure four expert Mutoh locks it on. Tenzan gets to the ropes. Kind of dull beatdown on Tenzan after that until Tenzan hits some Mongolian chops on Mutoh and tags. Kojima gives Mutoh the machine gun chops. Elbow off the top for 2. Mutoh hits a dropkick to the knee. Kojima blocks a shining wizard and hits his own dragon screw. Hurricanrana off the top for 2. Mutoh rolls under a lariato, hits a dropkick and tags. Chono tackle off the top rope. Corner sort of shining wizard kick. Half shining wizard half Yakuza kick. Kojima wins a leverage fight for a brain buster. Full Yakuza kick! Kojima hits the Kojicutter! Tenzan comes in with Mongolian chops. Corner clothesline. Top rope kneedrop. Chono hits an inverted atomic drop. Tenzan follows with a spinning heel kick and a sort of chokeslam for 2. Everyone in the pool! Double team Kojicutter on Mutoh. Kojima lariato on Chono for 2. Now it's Tencozy's turn to lock in stereo submission holds. Chono gets a rope break. 3D style Kojicutter on Chono. Mutoh breaks up another double team with a shining wizard. Shining wizard on Tenzan. Kojima hits a lariato and everyone's down. Except the ref. Tenzan Samoan drops Chono and hits the headbutt off the top. Mutoh breaks the pin up. Kojima takes Mutoh out. Kojima's elbow pad is off! Lariato on Chono! He hits a plancha on Mutoh. Chono is out in the ring. Tenzan Driver! He pulls Chono up at 2! Man, did he not learn from earlier? Moonsault from Tenzan! Chono kicks out! Mutoh fights out of a double team and hits wicked overhand chops on Kojima. DDT! I think that was supposed to be a Hashimoto style leaping DDT but it didn't have nearly enough leap. Chono DDT on Tenzan. Double shining wizard! Chono gets the STF on Tenzan, while Mutoh locks Kojima up in the figure four. Tenzan taps out! Sometime after the bell (the video is clipped) Mutoh and Chono put on Hashimoto style headbands while the crowd chants for Hashimoto. Fine but at times sloppy match, and not Tokyo Dome main event or "super dream tag" worthy, especially following the great singles matches that came before it. It had kind of a house show feel with everyone hitting their, and each other's, spots and not worrying too much about a cohesive story. **3/4

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- All the undercard tag matches offer nothing much worth watching, but also don't have anything that will make you want to gouge your eyes out so we'll call that a wash. The main event is a bit of a letdown, but the three big singles matches delivered in spades and showed what Wrestle Kingdom could and eventually would be. On the strength of those I'll call this first show a moderate success. The slow rejuvination of the January 4th show, and with it all of New Japan, is on.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: B-