NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9 Review (1/4/2015).

19 Mar, 2025

In hindsight, who could’ve ever predicted that New Japan’s popularity in the United States would be started thanks to Jeff Jarrett and Global Force Wrestling?

In August of 2014, NJPW announced a partnership with Jarrett’s new promotion, which led to the announcement that Wrestle Kingdom 9 – New Japan’s biggest show of the year – would be broadcast on American PPV for the first time ever. Adding to the occasion would be the announcement that Jim Ross, legendary commentator for WWE, would be doing English commentary for the event. Oh, and Matt Striker was there too, but no one gives a fuck about him.

This was a momentous event for New Japan. After spending the 2000s struggling to stay afloat, the company turned a new leaf into the 2010s, and were frequently producing some of the best wrestling on the planet. Much of this renewed interest in the promotion can be blamed on the critically acclaimed rivalry between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada, who were battling for supremacy, the title of “Ace,” and of course, the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

Their matches over the previous three years set a new standard for quality in the entire wrestling world, and was already considered one of the greatest rivalrives in pro wrestling history. Naturally, it was the main event of this major event, which drew 36,000 fans to the hallowed halls of the Tokyo Dome. Of course, that’s not the only thing going on here. What else happened on this incredible night of Puroresu action? Let’s take a look at Wrestle Kingdom 9, an event frequently referred to as “Japan’s WrestleMania X-Seven.”

Fun fact: I actually pirated this show back in 2015, due to people talking about it on Tumblr. That was a place where I first really learned about New Japan, as it was popular on there. For reasons I don’t remember, I never got around to watching it.

We get the usual hype video in the beginning, running down the matches on the card, and then we go right into the main show.

1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: reDRagon © vs. Young Bucks vs. Time Splitters vs. Forever Hooligans.

We kick things off with some Junior action, which is exactly how Wrestle Kingdom 8 kicked off a year before this. Also, is the female ring announcer for this the same one who used to do intros in PRIDE?

KUSHIDA and Bobby Fish start the match off, with everyone else on the aprons. KUSHIDA takes control of the back, until Fish grabs the arm. KUSHIDA reverses and trips Fish to the mat. He spins around the back, and lands a side headlock takedown. Fish with one of his own, and they both land dropkicks that miss. Kyle O’Reilly tags in, and attacks KUSHIDA, until Shelley makes the tag, and Time Splitters double team him.

The Bucks come in, and give the Suck It to them, before eating dueling back body drops. Time Splitters continue to double team Fish, until he drives a knee into KUSHIDA’s midsection. Alex Kozlov makes the tag, and takes Fish out with a head scissors. He puts on his Russian hat, then does a dance/kick combination. He finishes with a double stomp, and the pin gets broken up. Fish drives him into the corner, and O’Reilly makes the tag. He chokes Kozlov, and now reDRagon double team him.

Snap mare by O’Reilly, followed by a hard kick to the spine. Fish tags back in, and takes Kozlov out with a back elbow. Kozlov with a right hand to Fish, which sends him into the Bucks corner, and now they come in to take everyone out. They look for a double back suplex to Kozlov, but he fights back and sends Matt Jackson to the floor. Nick Jackson accidentally kicks his brother in the face. Kozlov ducks a kick, but can’t duck a back elbow.

Kozlov with a kick to the head of Nick. Rocky Romero tags in, and goes to work on Matt. Nice stiff kick to the face. Clothesline to O’Reilly, Nick and Fish, before nailing a double clothesline to the Bucks. The Hooligans double team Matt in the corner, until he drives both knees into their head out of a suplex attempt. KUSHIDA comes in with a flurry of offense on everyone, ending with a handspring double kick to reDRagon.

He sends Romero to the outside, and Shelley hits a diving knee from the apron. Nick springboards in, and Time Splitters kick his chest and spine. O’Reilly runs the apron, and lands into a superkick by Shelley. Romero trips KUSHIDA, then hits a Tope to the floor onto everyone. Kozlov with a Senton to follow up, then some aerial offense from the Young Bucks. KUSHIDA goes to the top rope, and lands a senton onto everyone!

Shelley with a clothesline in the corner to Matt, and KUSHIDA hits a moonsault from the top for a pin that’s broken up by Kozlov. Good double team by the Splitters. KUSHIDA lifts Matt up in the air, and here’s Kozlov to knock Shelley off the top rope. Superkick by Matt, and here’s O’Reilly with some crisp strikes. Nick superkicks him, and then Fish off the apron. Running knee in the corner is blocked by Kozlov. Shelley and Kozlov lift both Bucks up, and Romero goes for a Double Doomsday Device, but the Bucks slip out and unleash a Superkick Party.

They go for the Indie Taker on Kozlov, and connect, but everyone comes in to break up the pin. ReDRagon double team KUSHIDA, who responds with a handspring elbow off the ropes. The Bucks then superkick his head off. More Bang for Your Buck to Kozlov, and here come the champions to slow them down. They hit some double team offense on Shelley, before executing a wheel barrel on one of the Bucks.

Fish with a Falcon Arrow off the top rope. Nice kicks to Kozlov from O’Reilly, and an Exploder from Fish. Head kick/Brainbuster combo from the champions to Kozlov, and that’s enough for them to retain. Fun opening match. Chaotic action throughout. Everyone got a chance to get their shit in, with Kozlov being the MVP for me. That’s how you kick off a major event!

2. Six Man Tag Team Match: Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Jeff Jarrett) vs. Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Tomoaki Honma.

Remember when Jeff Jarrett joined Bullet Club? This guy is incapable of finding work.

I imagine that Jarrett getting to compete in the Tokyo Dome was part of the deal GFW made with New Japan for this, and that’s what this is, as Bullet Club takes on the New Japan Dads.

Bullet Club attack first, including Karen Jarrett attacking Honma. Big brawl to start things out. Double suplex to Fale by Tenzan and Kojima, while Jarrett and Honma brawl on the floor. Powerslam by Kojima to Yujiro, and a diving headbutt by Tenzan. Machine gun chops by Kojima, Kobashi style, to Yujiro. Running forearm by Kojima, and then Fale comes in and absolutely squashes him. Jarrett makes the tag, and goes to work on Kojima.

He hits a clothesline, and gets a nearfall off of it. Fale tags back in, and hits Kojima right in the midsection. He forearms him to the mat, and tags Yujiro back in, who lays in light kicks to the head. Kojima tries to come back with an elbow to the head, and Yujiro rakes the eyes. Honma makes the tag, and goes crazy on Yujiro. Big chops in the corner, followed by a running forearm. He goes for the Kokeshi, and misses, if you can even believe that!

Yujiro with a suplex, and Honma kicks out. Honma with a running headbutt to Yujiro, and both men are down. Jarrett is in with the guitar, and Honma blocks it. Yujiro grabs him, and Jarrett swings, hitting Yujiro right in the skull. Tenzan and Kojima with a double back suplex to Jarrett, and some double team action to Fale, ending with Kojima clotheslining him to the outside. They take Yujiro down, and Honma goes to the top rope.

He connects with the top rope Kokeshi, and that gets the Dads the win. This was inoffensive, and the crowd really loved it. Kojima is a fucking beast, and Yujiro remains one of the worst wrestlers I’ve ever seen in New Japan. Jarrett barely got anything in here, so I guess the partnership works out fine?

3. Eight Man Tag Team Match: Suzuki-gun (Davey Boy Smith, Jr., Lance Archer, Shelton X Benjamin & Takashi Iizuka) vs. Naomichi Marufuji, Toru Yano & TMDK.

We get some Pro Wrestling NOAH representation here, as Marufuji – reigning GHC Heavyweight Champion – and the team of Mikey Nichols and Shane Haste arrive to team with CHAOS’ Toru Yano to face off with Suzuki-gun.

Big brawl between both sides to start things out, as Yano and Iizuka fight in the ring, and everyone else goes at it on the floor. Yano has him by the beard, and he rips it. Yano takes the turnbuckle pad off, but Iizuka grabs it and drills him in the head. Benjamin tags in, and unloads with forearms to Yano, and then the Dragon Kick to the head. Archer makes the tag, and knocks the NOAH opposition off the apron. Archer and Davey Boy double team Yano.

Yano pulls on Archer’s hair and drops him momentarily, but Archer is back up quickly. He runs into the exposed turnbuckle, and tags in Haste, who hits a dropkick on Archer. TMDK and the Killer Elite Squad go at it in the ring. Running powerslam, and a cannonball splash take them out. They press slam Archer for a moment, until Davey Boy comes in to make the save. He powerbombs Nichols, and eats a dropkick from Haste.

Archer gives Haste a very high chokeslam. Iizuka tags in, and here comes Marufuji. NOAH’s ace unloads with a kick combination to drop Iizuka for a nearfall. He goes for Sliced Bread, and Iizuka blocks it. Marufuji is on the top rope, but here comes Benjamin with a top rope belly to belly suplex. Everyone is fighting now, as Iizuka pulls out the dreaded Iron Glove. He eats a superkick by Marufuji, but he starts to strangle him with something. Marufuji fires back with a knee to the face.

TMDK press slam Iizuka down, and Marufuji with a running knee to the face to get the win. Another inoffensive undercard tag. The highlight for me was the brief interaction between Marufuji and Benjamin. Did they ever wrestle each other in a singles match? After 10 seconds of research, they’ve had one singles match. Adding that to the list!

4. UWFi Rules Match: Minoru Suzuki vs. Kazushi Sakuraba.

Hell yeah, time for some Shoot Style!

Suzuki is clad in all white for this one, which means he ain’t fucking around tonight! He gets a nuclear pop from the Dome faithful.

The bell sounds, and this MMA-esque battle is under way. Sakuraba takes the back first, and Suzuki looks for the Kimura as a counter. They go to the ground, and Suzuki scrambles back to his feet. Sakuraba attempts a takedown, and Suzuki grabs the arm in response. They’re back to the mat, and Suzuki barely avoids a stomp from “the Gracie Killer.” Sakuraba locks in a Sharpshooter of sorts, and Suzuki locks in one of his own on the mat. The ref calls for a break.

Suzuki goes to the apron, and he and Sakuraba throw hard strikes at each other. Suzuki catches him in his patented arm bar in the ropes submission. He goes to the floor, and pulls Sakuraba out to the floor with him. They go up the entrance ramp, and Suzuki executes a snap mare. Sakuraba is back up, and they’re having an MMA fight on the ramp. He goes for a Kimura Lock, and the referee breaks it up. He implores both men to return to the ring.

Sakuraba returns to the ring, while Suzuki is selling his injured arm on the ramp. Both are back in the ring now, and Sakuraba unloads with some roundhouse kicks to the chest. He asks the ref to check on Suzuki, and the ref does so. He counts, and Suzuki is able to return to his feet. More kicks by Sakuraba, but Suzuki fires back with some stiff slaps to the face. Sakuraba is on the mat! They’re back up, and Sakuraba lands more kicks to the chest, then goes for the Kimura Lock again.

Suzuki gets to the ropes to break the hold, but Sakuraba is staying on him with kicks and stomps. Suzuki returns to his feet, and they continue to engage in a war of strikes. Suzuki with a series of hard slaps to the face, followed by a running boot to the head of the downed Sakuraba! He locks in the Sleeper Hold, and Sakuraba goes to sleep! Suzuki takes it. That wasn’t a bad faux MMA bout between two legends of the sport. They each had some good strikes leathered in, and the crowd absolutely adored Suzuki.

5. NEVER Openweight Championship: Tomohiro Ishii © vs. Togi Makabe.

Time for some good old fashioned MEAT! I love Ishii, but I’ve never been super big on Makabe. Let’ s see if this changes my perception.

The bell sounds, and both men rush each other! Forearm exchange to start things out, and then a battle of shoulder tackles. Ishii with a nice scoop slam, and then one from Makabe. They each clothesline each other, and fall back into the ropes. Makabe wants more, and here’s Ishii with a chop. Makabe with a chop of his own, and now we have a chop battle! Ishii’s chops bring Makabe to the mat. Ishii follows up with a series of headbutts.

Makabe fires back with some punches, as he forces Ishii into the turnbuckle. Irish whip, followed by a clothesline in the opposing corner, and another. Makabe connects with the 10 punches, and Ishii responds with a hard slap to the face. Another slap off ensues, until Ishii turns it into clubbing blows with his forearms. Makabe does the same, and then hits a Northern Lights Suplex for 2. Makabe connects with a series of elbows to Ishii in the corner, but the Stone Pitbull quickly returns to his feet to eat all the shots like they’re breakfast.

Ishii takes the shots and clotheslines Makabe into the turnbuckle. He places him on the top rope, and joins him there. Ishii lifts him up for a delayed middle rope suplex that shakes the ring. Stacked Powerbomb by Ishii, Kawada style, and Makabe is able to get his shoulders up. Ishii runs the ropes and misses a lariat. Makabe with some elbows, and a clothesline of his own. He connects with a powerbomb, which Ishii kicks out of.

Big German Suplex into a bridge gets Makabe another nearfall. He sends Ishii into the corner, and gives the back of his head a clothesline. Makabe places Ishii on the top rope, and attempts a German Suplex, the mad fucker. Ishii elbows his way free, and turns to face his challenger. Headbutt, and a clothesline connect, but Makabe won’t go down. He lifts Ishii up, and hits a middle rope Death Valley Driver! He covers, and Ishii kicks out.

Makabe with a clothesline, and another, but Ishii won’t go down. Ishii tries the step up enziguri, but Makabe blocks it with a forearm. Another clothesline connects, and Ishii kicks out at 1. Ishii blocks a clothesline to hit a German Suplex, followed by a lariat, and Makabe also kicks out at 1. They each throw a lariat at the other, and neither will go down. Big chops to the head by Makabe, and Ishii responds with a headbutt that drops the challenger.

Sliding lariat by Ishii, and Makabe kicks out at 2! Another step up enziguri by Ishii, and Makabe kicks out again. Lariat to the back of the head, and one to the front by Ishii. Makabe blocks another, and hits a Dragon Suplex for a 2 count. Both men go hell for leather with elbow strikes, but Makabe has the upper hand with a headbutt, followed by a double fisted strike to the chest. Huge lariat by Makabe, and Ishii kicks out.

Makabe goes to the top rope, and connects with the King Kong Knee to the back of Ishii’s head, and that’s enough for the win. Makabe is the new NEVER Openweight Champion. Hell of a fight! That’s the best I’ve ever seen Togi Makabe. That was a smash mouth fight start to finish. Both men threw wreckless strikes at one another, and they fit a lot of action into such a small frame of time. Easily the best match on the show so far.

6. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Ryusuke Taguchi © vs. Kenny Omega.

Taguchi is coming off of a pretty good 2014, where he exiled his former tag team partner Prince Devitt from New Japan – and thus sent him on his way to WWE as Finn Balor – and he won the Junior Championship from KUSHIDA in September. Omega, a long time foreign mainstay all across Japan, recently joined Bullet Club as their new Junior Ace, and he’s looking to bring championship gold back to the group.

They lock up, and Omega forces Taguchi into the ropes. He gives him a clean break, followed by a light slap to the face. They lock up again, and now Taguchi has Omega against the ropes. He gives a clean break, and emotes for Omega, who responds by spitting in his face. Taguchi takes the side headlock, before both men run the international. Taguchi ends the sequence by bumping Omega in the face with his legendary ass.

He sends Omega face first into the turnbuckle. Omega explodes out with a hurricanrana, which Taguchi counters into an ankle lock. Omega escapes, and Taguchi gives him an arm drag and a clothesline to the outside. The Young Bucks, Omega’s seconds for this match, distract the referee, while Omega uses some kind of spray to blind Taguchi. I assume it’s body spray, since Omega sprayed it on his crotch. In the ring, Omega stomps on Taguchi’s chest, and pounds on his spine.

Big chop by The Cleaner, followed by an irish whip. He hits a diving back elbow to the head, and gets a nearfall off of that. Omega rakes the eyes, and panders to the crowd. He kicks Taguchi hard, sending him back first into the turnbuckle. He tries for a suplex, but Taguchi is fighting it off. Omega is able to get him in the air, and finally hits it. He mimics starting a chainsaw, and rakes his forearm across Taguchi’s face.

Taguchi is light on his feet, and he’s swinging at air. Omega chops him, and irish whips him. Taguchi kicks his way out of the corner, but the Bucks end up grabbing his boot. Taguchi sends Omega to the outside, landing right on his Bullet Club buddies. Taguchi hits a diving senton onto all three men, and then he emotes on the ramp. Back in the ring, Taguchi hits a springboard dropkick on Omega for a 2 count. Taguchi grabs Omega and hits the Three Amigos...well, two of them, as Omega escapes the final one and slaps Taguchi on the head.

They exchange control of the back, with Omega dropkicking Taguchi’s knee. He hits a high end Famouser to Taguchi, which gets a nearfall. Hey, a young SHO is watching at ringside! Taguchi blocks a Snap Dragon attempt, but Omega ends up stomping on the back of his head. Taguchi with a head scissors that sends Omega head first into the turnbuckle. Blue Thunder Bomb by Taguchi, and Omega kicks out.

He goes to the top rope, but Omega is quick to cut him off. He joins him, and tries for a suplex. Taguchi punches him back to the mat, and Omega is right back up. He won’t go away. Again, Taguchi sends him to the mat. He goes for a dive, and Omega counters with a mid air dropkick to the midsection. Omega connects with a gut wrench sit out powerbomb, which gets a nearfall. He goes for the One Winged Angel, but Taguchi escapes and tries for a Tiger Suplex. Omega slips out and gets a roll up for 2.

Face Buster by Taguchi, and Omega kicks out again. Taguchi goes right into the Ankle Lock submission. He has to break the hold to knock the Bucks off the apron. Omega accidentally hits Matt Jackson with the V Trigger, and Taguchi takes advantage by hitting the Bloody Cross. He covers, and Omega kicks out again. The Cleaner connects with some elbows to the side of the head, and then catches Taguchi mid air and hits the Snap Dragon Suplex.

V Trigger into the ropes connects, and Omega follows up with the One Winged Angel. He covers, and that’s it. Omega is the new IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion. That was okay. Honestly, I can see how a lot of people were worried when Omega was going to challenge Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 11. He was very animated here, very emote like, and very cartoon character-ish. If this version of Omega challenged Okada, I think it would’ve bombed.

Thankfully, he got better, because this was just okay. A big victory on a big stage for Omega, though, but it came after what was a pretty mid match.

7. IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows © vs. Katsuyori Shibata & Hirooki Goto.

This has a pretty awesome story coming in. Shibata, who returned to New Japan in 2012 to little warmth from everyone, ended up feuding with Goto, a long time friend and rival from school. Their matches were very similar – two guys beating the hell out of each other. Eventually, they found common ground, and respect for one another, and that brought them the 2014 World Tag League Tournament victory, and a shot at the tag team titles, currently in possession of Bullet Club.

Present day, I wonder how dominate these two would be. Goto is the current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, while Shibata is in AEW & ROH, speaking only through talk-to-text on his phone, which is fucking hilarious for someone as serious as he is.

The bell sounds, and we start things out with Anderson and Goto, two men who are former tag team partners themselves. They exchange side headlock takedowns, and we have a quick stalemate. Anderson kicks low, and lands some nice uppercuts. Goto responds with some hard elbows to the face. Shibata grabs Anderson on the ropes, and Goto accidentally sends Shibata to the floor. Gallows comes in and boots Goto. Anderson connects with a powerslam, and a senton. Gallows hits a big splash. Anderson gets a 2 count off of that.

Machine Gun Karl rakes at Goto’s head, and then applies a chin lock. Gallows makes the tag, and lands a nice body shot to Goto. After a slap from the woman at ringside – I think Gallows’ wife – he lands more body shots to Goto’s ribs. He sends him into the ropes, but Goto gives him a clothesline. Goto tags in Shibata, and the crowd explodes. Shibata knocks Anderson off the apron, and walks into a forearm from Gallows.

Shibata is quickly back up, and elbows Gallows to the mat in the corner. Gallows cuts off his corner dropkick with a standing splash. Shibata with a dropkick to the mush, and an abdominal stretch to Anderson. Gallows breaks it up, and Goto sends him into the corner. Elbows to Gallows by Goto, and he and Shibata hit dueling dropkicks to both men. They hit a double back suplex to Gallows, and he kicks out.

Pump kick by Anderson to Goto, and Gallows hits an uppercut to Shibata. Anderson follows that with a running single leg dropkick. Anderson gives Shibata a back breaker, and Gallows connects with an elbow drop. Goto breaks up the pin. The champs hit a back suplex/neckbreaker combo to Shibata, who somehow kicks out. They go for Magic Killer, but Goto breaks it up. He gives Gallows a big clothesline, sending him to the floor.

He blocks the Stun Gun, and hits the GTR, and Shibata hits the PK right after. Here’s Gallows to slow their momentum with a double clothesline. Gallows with a chokeslam to Shibata, who kicks out again. He gives Shibata a powerslam, then goes to the top. Goto cuts him off with elbows. He and Shibata drop Gallows across their knees from the top rope. Goto hits a clothesline to Gallows, sending him into Shibata’s sleeper hold.

Goto tosses Gallows into a midsection kick from Shibata. He follows up with another PK, and they take the win to a big pop! Shibata and Goto are the new IWGP Heavyweight Tag Champs! That was a fun match helped by the feel good story of the long time friends becoming champions together. The fans were into it, Bullet Club played great heels, and the team of Shibata and Goto made for a great babyface team to root for. It didn’t overstay its welcome, either. Good match.

8. AJ Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito.

2014 was a good year for one of these men, and it was a bad one for the other. On one hand, Styles emerged as Bullet Club’s new leader in the absence of Prince Devitt, he claimed the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Kazuchika Okada in his first official match in the promotion, and he gradually earned the respect of the fans as the year went on. He was arguably the hottest wrestler in the world throughout the year. On the other hand, Naito began 2014 by challenging for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 8 in the SEMI-MAIN EVENT due to a fan vote where he unanimously lost. He also lost that challenge to Okada, and then soon dropped the NEVER Openweight Championship. He would spend the remainder of the year trying to bounce back – all while the fans continued to lose hope in him as a top babyface.

Styles, along with his deadly Styles Clash finisher that broke Yoshitatsu’s neck, looks to kick off the new year with a bang, while Naito looks to start his year off much better than 2014.

The match begins right away, as Styles rushes at Naito with an attack, and looks for the Styles Clash right away. Naito escapes it, and Styles looks for it again. Naito sends him to the apron, and unloads with several elbows to the head. He rushes Styles, who hits a back body drop to send Naito to the floor. He avoids a moonsault from Styles, and lands a running shotgun dropkick from the apron. Naito quickly recovers, despite bouncing off the floor like a basketball, and brings Styles back into the ring.

Naito goes to the top rope, and hits another shotgun dropkick. Combinacion is almost complete, until Styles grabs Naito’s leg and hyper extends it. Smart of Styles to work on the good leg of Naito, and not the bad one. Make him completely immobile. Styles drops Naito’s knee across his own, and Naito yells out in pain. Naito tries to fight back, and Styles quickly kicks his leg out from under him. He traps Naito’s legs in the Indian Death Lock, Triple H style, and Naito is able to get to the ropes to break the hold.

They exchange punches in the middle of the ring, until Naito lands his springboard DDT off the ropes. More elbows exchanged by both men, and then Naito sends Styles flying with a hip toss. He follows with a crisp dropkick to the head, and a running senton. Naito connects with a middle rope neckbreaker for a 2 count. He places Styles on the top rope, and punches at his head. Styles responds with a few headbutts, which send Naito to the mat.

Styles connects with the Phenomenal Forearm, before it became his WWE finisher. Styles hits his suplex/neckbreaker combination, a little sloppy, and gets a nearfall. He tries for a German Suplex, but Naito slips out. Styles takes control quickly and hits the German, and then gets reversed into a roll up for 2. Naito with a German Suplex of his own, and he gets a 2 count off of it. Styles with a flurry of strikes, and Naito with a step up enziguri, followed by a jumping elbow.

Naito lands the powerslam, and then goes to the top rope. Styles cuts him off before he can do anything. Styles hits a back suplex off the top, which Naito flips out of and lands on his feet. However, the damage to the knee slows him down, and Styles traps him in the Calf Crusher submission. Naito struggles, but he’s able to get to the ropes to get the break. Naito lands another enziguri, followed by a Urinage.

Naito with the Dragon Suplex, Tanahashi style, and Styles is able to kick out. Styles hits the Pele Kick out of nowhere, and then connects with the Bloody Sunday. Styles prepares for the Styles Clash, but then Naito lifts him up and just tosses him to the outside like he’s nothing. That was a rough landing. Naito immediately goes for his injured knee. Styles makes it back into the ring, and pulls Naito into the turnbuckle. Naito fires back with the Combinacion in the corner.

He places Styles on the top rope, and goes for the Frankensteiner, but Styles holds on, and lands the Styles Clash from the middle rope! That was fucking sick. He covers, and gets the win. The crowd shrieked at the thought of that move. That was a pretty good match, if not a tad disappointing. I feel like these two could do a lot better. I wish the knee work meant more for the end of the match, but alas, you can’t get everything. This is still a big win for Styles, who just pinned last year’s title challenger clean. As for Naito, it’ll just be a few more months before he takes a small vacation to Mexico to learn what it’s like to be...Ingobernable.

9. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura © vs. Kota Ibushi.

This is a big time match that you may have heard about. Nakamura, in his 4th reign as IC Champ, has become synonymous with the white belt. Due to his work ethic and character work, he’s elevated the title to equal status with the Heavyweight Title. It’s not a small statement to say that Nakamura may be the hottest wrestler in New Japan at this point. Standing across from him tonight is Ibushi, a Junior Heavyweight standout looking to break into the ranks of the Heavyweight division.

The champion enters to a monster pop, and he is dressed fittingly like a king. Adorned with a crown and a robe, this is arguably the most iconic entrance Nakamura has ever had in his career, and it’s one of the most popular in New Japan history. On English commentary, Jim Ross mentions how Nakamura loves Queen singer Freddie Mercury and Pop sensation Michael Jackson. That comes through every single time he comes out to the ring.

The bell rings, and the fans are already hot. This should be a great one. Both men put up MMA stances as they circle for an opening. They exchange leg kicks and strikes. Ibushi looks to land some palm strikes, and Nakamura avoids it like smoke. Nakamura goes for a takedown, and Ibushi catches his head in a guillotine. The champion pushes him against the ropes, and Ibushi hits him in the gut. Nakamura explodes with hard kicks and knees, startling the challenger.

Nakamura offers a hand shake, and successfully suckers in Ibushi, kicking him low and hitting a nice axe kick to the back of the head. He goes for the Boma Ye, but Ibushi ducks out of the way, and now he has the champion in the corner. He drops him to the ground, and hits his own version of Good Vibrations! What a heel. Now he’s asking Nakamura for more. The champion responds with a knee to the gut, and stiff shots to the face. Now he hits Good Vibrations, the right way.

He places Ibushi on the top rope, and slams his knee right in his midsection. Ibushi now hangs off the apron, and Nakamura runs at him with a knee to the head. He hops off the apron, and drops his knee to the back of Ibushi’s head. Both men are back in the ring, and Nakamura looks to stay on the offensive, locking in a Cravat to further injure the head of the challenger. He drops another knee to the head, and gets a nearfall.

Nakamura goes for a headlock on the ground, and quickly transitions to a submission hold, trapping Ibushi’s head and legs in a stretch. Ibushi is able to get to the bottom rope to break the submission. Ibushi is back up and he hits a hard forearm to Nakamura’s chest, which is literally brushes off. He responds with shots of his own, and now he’s slapping at the head of the challenger. Ibushi is back up though, and slaps the champion in the face. Nakamura hits a back stabber, and he goes for a back suplex, but Ibushi hits a nice hurricanrana, and then he dropkicks Nakamura off the ring apron.

The crowd wills Ibushi on, and he jumps right to the top turnbuckle and switches to a beautiful moonsault to the outside, taking the champion down. He throws Nakamura back into the ring, and springboards off the top rope into a Shotgun Dropkick to the champion. He unloads with laser quick slaps and kicks, followed by a standing Shooting Star Press for a nearfall. Nakamura looks to suplex him back into the ring from the apron, but Ibushi fights out of it. He springboards again, but Nakamura catches him with a swift kick to the face.

A spinning back kick to the head follows, and Nakamura flapjacks Ibushi to the mat. He now looks to unleash a barrage of knees to the side of his head. He looks for Boma Ye again, but Ibushi fights out of it. He gets Nakamura on the top turnbuckle. Ibushi jumps from the apron to the top rope, and nails a beautiful hurricanrana from the top to Nakamura! That only gets a 2 count from Red Shoes.

Ibushi hits a nice Snap Dragon Suplex to Nakamura, and quickly follows with a standing Corkscrew Moonsault for another 2 count. Ibushi goes for a Powerbomb attempt, but Nakamura is making him work for it. He hits a Sunset Flip pin attempt for a nearfall, and follows immediately with a roundhouse kick to the champion’s head! He gets him up again for a sit out powerbomb, and that also only gets 2! Ibushi is showing out tonight.

He heads to the top and attempts a Phoenix Splash, but Nakamura escapes and hits the Boma Ye to the back of the head! Nakamura follows with stiff stomps to Ibushi’s head and back. He’s clearly frustrated. Oh shit. Now Ibushi is in Murder Mode. This happens when he’s driven too far, so now he has a blank look on his face, and he’s ready to unleash hell. He hits a devastating slap to the face, and some close fist punches to the head of the champion. Nakamura follows up with one of his own!

Ibushi looks to hit another, but Nakamura catches his arm and locks in an armbar! Ibushi stands up and starts to stomp at Nakamura’s head, breaking the submission. Now he unleashes stiff kicks of his own. He brings the champion up and hits a Suplex that drops Nakamura on his chest. Now Ibushi is going for the Boma Ye!! He hits it perfect, but Nakamura kicks out at 1! Fucking insane.

Ibushi is back at it with the punches and kicks to the champion. Nakamura is up, and he kicks Ibushi into the corner, and goes to town with boots to the face. This is starting to resemble a street fight more than a wrestling match. Both men connect with vicious shots to the head, and Ibushi finally gains the upper hand with a standing double stomp to Nakamura’s chest. He’s on the apron now, and Ibushi stands on the top rope and dead lifts Nakamura back into the ring with a German Suplex! Are you fucking kidding me?

Ibushi goes for another powerbomb, but Nakamura somehow counters with stiff headbutts, and now he unloads with elbows and forearms on the ground. He scales the middle rope and hits the Boma Ye to the back of Ibushi’s head – but that sick son of a bitch just gets up and laughs it off! They both attempt it, and their knees collide into each other. Nakamura hits a Falcon Arrow, and gives himself more space to hit the Boma Ye proper right into Ibushi’s face, and that’s enough to end this! Nakamura celebrates with his championship, and offers his respect to Ibushi, who looks devastated by the loss. They bump knuckles, and Nakamura gives him a friendly push on the head.

That was a fucking blast. There’s a short list of matches that I would recommend as a starter kit for those looking to get into Pro Wrestling. This is without a doubt one of those matches. It’s very easy to watch for a newbie who doesn’t know what’s going on due to how insane the action gets, but for those in the know, it still tells an incredible story.

Ibushi was hellbent on making his mark as a newly minted Heavyweight, and I believe that he did. He may have lost the match, but as the saying goes “It’s not about who goes over, it’s about who gets over.” Shoutout to The Stardom Cast for that one. Ibushi, in defeat, came out of this looking so damn good. He stood toe to toe with one of the strongest strikers in New Japan and he not only stood his ground, but he was also in the dominant position for much of the match! Did Nakamura underestimate him, or was the Golden Star just that much of a barrage? Who’s to say. One thing’s for sure: Ibushi beat the shit out of Nakamura here, and a new Heavyweight sensation was born.

What about that Shinsuke fellow, though? Well, no worries. The King of Strong Style was at his New Japan peak here. From the entrance to how he wrestled, Nakamura came off like a megastar in this match, as he stiffed the shit out of Ibushi throughout. He proficiency for kicks and knees was at the forefront of his offense, as he battered and tossed his challenger around. The air of confidence that comes with his character was on display here as well. Shinsuke oozes charisma when he is on, and it’s a nice dichotomy to the viciousness in his strikes.

The fact that this match retained the status of Best Match of 2015 after taking place just days into the year is saying a lot about its impact. On the biggest stage possible for the company at the time, these two clearly understood the assignment: Give the audience an experience that will bring them back. If I wasn’t such a dumbass and actually tried to watch something other than WWE at the time, I would’ve been a New Japan fan a lot earlier because of this match.

10. IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi © vs. Kazuchika Okada.

I reviewed this particular match back in October when I covered a bunch of Okada/Tana singles matches, so I’ll just repost that here.

Following his victory over Tanahashi at King of Pro Wrestling in October of 2013, Okada moved away from his great rival to face Tetsuya Naito in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 8, while Tanahashi moved on to challenge Shinsuke Nakamura for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.

Along the way, fans universally turned against Naito, positioned as the next great babyface, ala Tanahashi. So, in an unprecedented move, New Japan held a fan vote to see which of the two matches would main event in the Tokyo Dome. Unanimously, the fans chose Tanahashi vs. Nakamura.

The audience wasn't ready to let go of Tanahashi as a top star. Naito was failing across the board as a top star. And Okada, despite proving his worth already, was still seen as second tier to other wrestlers. For Okada, it was made worse when he not only lost the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Bullet Club leader/foreign heel AJ Styles, but he also failed to regain it back. The top title in New Japan was in the hands of an evil gaijin.

Okada managed to win the G1 Climax 24 to earn another shot at Styles at Wrestle Kingdom 9. However, just a few months before that event, Styles would lose the championship to Tanahashi. Another hit for the supposed "new ace." Okada failed to keep the title away from Styles, he failed to get it back, and he sat and watched as the man he bested previously was the one to bring it back to New Japan.

So, destiny brought these two together again inside of the Tokyo Dome. Tanahashi was once again the man to beat, and Okada was looking to once again silence all doubt that he was truly the new leader of the new era.

The bell sounds, and there is a mixed reaction for both men. A lot for Tana, and a lot for Okada. They lock up, and they exchange control of the back. Okada twists the arm around, and brings Tana to his knees. The champion is back up, and Okada continues to target the arm. Tana with a drop toe hold, into a headlock. Okada transitions to one of his own, and he cranks on it hard. No wasted motion here! Tana tries to escape, but Okada simply applies it harder.

Okada comes off the ropes with a shoulder tackle, and runs into a drop toe hold from Tana, who goes right into the side headlock. Tana with a shoulder tackle of his own, and back to the side headlock. Okada with a head scissors, and both men are back to their feet. They lock up, with Okada forcing Tana into the turnbuckle. Tana turns Okada into the turnbuckle next, and now they exchange control against the ropes. Okada gets in front, and fakes a strike to Tana, patting his chest, then forearming him anyway.

Tana explodes out of the corner with forearms to the face, and Okada returns fire with some of his own. They forearm the other in the turnbuckle with fierce velocity. Tana with a big uppercut shuts that exchange down. Powerslam by Tana, and he goes for his middle rope senton, but Okada forearms him hard to the floor. Okada joins him on the outside, and irish whips him into the steel barricade. He follows that with a boot that sends Tana fumbling over. Okada grabs his head, and lifts him up on the barricade. He connects with a DDT to the floor below.

Okada drags him up the entrance ramp, then goes for the Tombstone, but Tana is fighting it off. They exchange forearms, until Tana hits a jawbreaker. Tana air guitars his way up the ramp some more, then rushes Okada, who catches him with a devastating Heavy Rain on the ramp! Okada brings the champion back to ringside, and throws him inside. Snap mare, and a crisp running kick to Tana’s head follows. Okada tries to pin with just his boot, but Red Shoes ain’t having that shit!

Okada with a few back elbows in the corner, then he irish whips Tana. A boot to the face, followed by a scoop slam and a senton attempt, which Tana is able to avoid. Nice combo of strikes by Tana, followed by a running forearm. A powerslam and a middle rope senton get Tana a 2 count. Tana rushes Okada, and runs into a flapjack from the Rainmaker. Tana with a back elbow out of the corner, and Okada blocks a crossbody into the Deep in Debt submission.

Tana fights with everything he has, and he’s able to get to the ropes. Okada with a scoop slam, followed by a senton from the apron. That gets him a 2 count. Okada gives Tana a light slap on the head, and Tana responds with some forearms. Okada fights back with one single forearm, and he’s egging Tana on for more. They exchange forearms now, and they grab each other by the hair! Neither man will back down. Okada goes to kick Tana, who catches his leg. Okada elbows Tana, then goes for Heavy Rain, which is blocked into a Sling Blade for a 2 count.

Tana rushes Okada, who catches him and places him on the top rope. Tana kicks him away, and Okada is right back up there. Okada is going for Heavy Rain again, but Tana fights it off with some elbows and headbutts, and finally an uppercut. Okada is down, but he’s able to avoid the High Fly Flow, and come back with a diving uppercut to the head. He goes from that to a neckbreaker across the knee, and that gets him another nearfall. Okada powerslams Tana, then goes to the top rope. Diving elbow connects, and then we get the Rainmaker pose!

Rainmaker attempt, but Tana counters into a roll up for 2. Okada goes for a boot, but Tana catches it and hits the Dragon Screw Legwhip! Okada manages to irish whip Tana to the turnbuckle, but the Ace fires out with a dropkick to the leg, sending Okada to the floor. Okada sends Tana to the barricade, and rushes him, but Tana sends him over into the space between the fans. Tana then goes to the top rope, and hits the High Fly Flow over the barricade, to a standing Okada! Amazing spot!

Back in the ring, Tana is back up on the top, but Okada is able to avoid it. He tries for the Rainmaker, but Tana turns it into the Sling Blade. He’s back on top, and hits the crossbody High Fly Flow – but Okada has caught him, and goes for the Tombstone! Tana counters it and hits one of his own! Tana goes back to the top rope, and hits the High Fly Flow to the back! Back up top, and Tana hits it proper this time! Red Shoes counts, but Okada is able to kick out!

Tana goes for the Texas Cloverleaf, but Okada is able to kick him away. Big uppercut to Tana, who looks like he was hit by a fly. Uppercut by Tana, followed by the Sling Blade. Now Tana does the Rainmaker pose! Tana tries for the Rainmaker, but Okada counters into the real Rainmaker! He makes the cover, and Tana kicks out! Tana is the first man to kick out of a proper Rainmaker! He did so at Invasion Attack too, but there was no wasted time here like there was in 2013. Okada looks stunned.

Okada and Tana go to work with forearms to the other on their knees. They slowly make their way back to their feet, and Okada hits a hard uppercut. He goes for the Tombstone, but Tana counters into a roll up for a 2 count. He dropkicks the injured leg again, and bitch slaps Okada a few times. The young challenger will not back down. A few more, and Okada finally drops to his knees. He sneaks in a back slide for a 2 count. He tries for a Rainmaker, and Tana counters into a Straitjacket Suplex for a nearfall!

Tana goes for the Dragon Suplex, and Okada counters into a high German Suplex for 2! Tana connects with the Dragon Suplex for a nearfall. Tana runs the ropes, and Okada connects with a dropkick! Rainmaker is blocked by Tana, who hits a reverse Dragon Screw Legwhip against the ropes. He pulls Okada’s leg into the ropes, and hits another. Tana goes to the top, and hits the High Fly Flow to Okada off the ropes! Tana grabs the leg, and hits it again! He’s back up top, and hits the High Fly Flow to a sitting Okada! One more time with a proper High Fly Flow, and that’s enough for Tana to get the win and retain!

Another sizzling chapter in the story, with a rather surprising result. Coming into this, Wrestle Kingdom 9 was tailor made for Okada to finish his story, and silence Tana once and for all. Perhaps, he was just a little too cocky this outing, as Tana was able to maintain his composure and beat the young Okada once again, and maintain his place atop the mountain. Okada came in with all the momentum in the world – he’d already proven himself to Tana, and he’d won the G1 – but when the lights were on, Okada’s efforts weren’t enough.

He didn’t focus enough on the neck like he had in the past, while Tana was a menace when focusing on the leg throughout the match. That simple difference of strategy was all the difference in the world. The counter sequences as the match wore on were incredible, and the hot Tokyo Dome crowd added a lot to this. These men know each other so well, and yet they’re able to see these moves coming a mile away. Tana kicking out of the Rainmaker may have been Okada’s undoing. His ace in the hole – to beat the Ace – wasn’t enough here. Unlike Invasion Attack, when he had to sell his injured arm, Okada was quick to make the cover here, and Tana was still able to kick out.

The veteran reserve of Tanahashi won the day here, as Okada was so close, and yet so far away. He’d done it before, but under the bright lights of the heavenly grounds of the Tokyo Dome, he simply wasn’t ready for that next step. Or, in Tanahashi’s own words during the post match comments, Okada wasn’t ready to be the Ace.

And with that, Wrestle Kingdom 9 is over! That was awesome four hour show, with very little filler. The only matches I didn’t care for was the Omega/Taguchi match, and the six man tag with Jeff Jarrett. Really, I just didn’t care for Omega’s match at all, but at least the Jeff Jarrett match had Satoshi Kojima. The rest of the card was never less than good. The opening match for the Junior Tag Titles was an exciting sprint. The TMDK/Suzuki-gun Tag had a brief glimpse of a Marufuji/Benjamin match, and that made it awesome for me. Minoru Suzuki and Sakuraba had a fun MMA inspired match with a hot crowd. Togi Makabe and Tomohiro Ishiii beat the piss out of each other. Goto and Shibata had the feel good moment of the night in winning the tag titles. And AJ Styles got a big win over Tetsuya Naito.

Really, though, what Wrestle Kingdom 9 will be remembered for is the final two matches, which were all time classics. Shinsuke Nakamura and Kota Ibushi set a standard for 2015 that was simply not beaten with their match, a stiff, action packed war that further elevated Nakamura to God status, while Ibushi opened a lot of eyes with his incredible performance. In the main event, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada changed the world once again with an amazing battle, with some great back and forth sequences, counter wrestling, shocking moments, and an ending sequence you have to see to believe.

Is Wrestle Kingdom 9 the “WrestleMania X-Seven of Japan?” It’s hard to argue. From top to bottom, the whole card is filled with quality stuff. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, it has a little bit of everything for everyone, and it ends the night with two of the best matches of all time. How can anyone not like that? Definitely a show worth going out of your way to see.