NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 7 in Tokyo Dome Review (1/4/2013).

29 May, 2024

After several weeks of putting it off, I'm finally getting around to doing some complete show reviews for the blog!

Starting off this series is Wrestle Kingdom 7, the all important Tokyo Dome show from 2013 that helped set New Japan on a path of monumental success throughout the year. This is right around the time when talk of them being the world's best wrestling promotion was starting to pick up steam. Let's see what they were up to on this night.

(Preshow): Captain New Japan, Tama Tonga & Wataru Inoue vs. Jado, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI. How far YOSHI-HASHI has fallen. A year ago, he was the one many expected big things of. Now, he's on the preshow. Tama Tonga is doing his best Jimmy Snuka impression, which in hindsight is extremely unfortunate.

Inoue and Jado lock up first, and there's a clean break in the ropes. Jado gets a rib strike in, then a chop to the chest. Inoue hangs Jado upside down in the corner and hits a running dropkick. Hashi is in, and he gets tossed to the outside immediately. He comes back in to attack Inoue and Ishii knocks the rest of the opposing team off the apron.

Ishii strikes Inoue hard in the corner. He eggs Captain and Tama on while doing so. Tama flies in and drops Hashi and Jado. He at least looks impressive in this match so far. Ishii's team triple teams Tama in the corner. Jado klicks Tama in the face, and Captain and Inoue come in to slow him down.

Tama hits a Double Arm DDT for the win. This was relatively inoffensive. It was mostly cool to see people like Tama, Ishii and Hashi from a decade ago.

(Preshow) Bushi, KUSHIDA & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Hiromu Takahashi, Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask. This is a wild lineup to look at in 2024. Bushi, pre LIJ. KUSHIDA, still young in his career. Taguchi, still apart of Apollo 55. Liger and Tiger Mask still going strong. And Hiromu as a young lion, before he was the undisputed Junior Ace.

In a bit of foreshadowing, future rivals KUSHIDA and Hiromu start things off. There's some good work to the arm to get things going. Liger tags in, and that gets a nice pop from the audience. Bushi with a hurricanrana sends Liger to the outside. Taguchi and Tiger go at it, with Taguchi controlling the arm.

Liger powerbombs Taguchi, then locks in a surfboard submission. Hiromu and Tiger double team Taguchi. Tiger gets the Boston Crab locked in. Future teammates Hiromu and Bushi square off! Tiger Driver to Bushi, and a Fisherman Suplex from Hiromu gets broken up.

It's chaos now, as all 6 men go at it. Taguchi gets a crossbody on Liger on the outside. Bushi connects with a 450 splash for the win. Another inoffensive match. If you've seen one New Japan preshow match, you've basically seen them all.

1. Manabu Nakanishi, Akebono, MVP & Strong Man vs. Bob Sapp, Takashi Iizuka, Toru Yano & Yujiro Takahashi. This is quite the random assortment of wrestlers, isn't it? All 8 men brawl on the ramp to start things out. Iizuka and Nakanishi are fighting by the barricade. Yano and Yujiro double team Strong Man, but he lays them on top of each other in response. MVP is in and does an elbow to both of them.

Sapp is in and he attacks MVP and Strong Man. Now he and Akebono have a face off, which excites the crowd because MEAT. Big exchange of shoulder tackles, with neither man budging. MVP and Strong Man knock the opposing team off the apron. They all take turns squashing Sapp in the corner.

Yano comes in with a chair and attacks Nakanishi. Iizuka is in and he sends Nakanishi to the floor. He grabs a chair and hits him in the back. Yujiro chops Nakanishi, who tries to fight back and gets his eyes raked in the process. Both Yano and Iizuka choke him with two chair handles.

Big clothesline by Nakanishi. He flips Yano and Yujiro over his back at the same time. Everybody is in now, and the highlight is Akebono and Sapp throwing bombs at one another in the corner. Iizuka, Yujiro, Yano, and Sapp are all tossed into one corner. The opposing team takes turns squashing them all.

Big German Suplex to Iizuka by Nakanishi, then the torture rack submission that gets the win. It definitely happened! Another inoffensive opening match.

2. NEVER Openweight Championship: Masato Tanaka vs. Shelton Benjamin This is the first defense of this championship in the Tokyo Dome, as the title was created in November of 2012. The legendary Tiger Hattori is the referee for this one. Nice!

Shelton gets a takedown in first. Shoulder tackle gets a 2 count, followed by a Northern Lights suplex. Tanaka pops off a monkey flip, and Shelton counters into a German Suplex. Shelton hits a nice senton to the outside onto Tanaka. Tanaka blocks the Stinger Splash and hits a running forearm in the corner.

Tanaka comes out with chops in the corner, followed by a chinlock. Tanaka finally gets a suplex off after multiple failed attempts. Big slap exchange between the two, followed by running clotheslines in the corner. Shelton hits the Dragon Whip kick after avoiding a sliding forearm.

Stinger Splash finally connects, and a diving neckbreaker connects as well. Huge superkick drops Tanaka. Yujiro Takahashi is out here, and he trips Shelton. Tanaka ends up running into him on the apron, knocking him down. Shelton blocks a top rope DDT and goes into the Ankle Lock.

Shelton springs to the top rope in one jump and brings Yujiro to the mat below. This distraction is enough for Tanaka to connect with the sliding forearm to get the win. On paper, this sounded fucking awesome, and the match just ended up being okay. It was way too short for my liking. It had action, though.

3. IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Davey Boy Smith, Jr. & Lance Archer vs. Karl Anderson & Hirooki Goto. The pairing of Anderson and Goto is wild to me, especially because just a few months after this, Anderson is right there as one of the founding four members of Bullet Club.

DBS and Archer strike first. DBS attacks Goto, while Archer tosses Anderson out of the ring. Archer does the Undertaker's Old School rope walk to Goto, and that gets a nearfall. Goto avoids a splash. DBS pops off a legdrop. Goto suplexes DBS to a great pop. Anderson is in now and he chops and uppercuts DBS.

He misses a senton, and DBS connects with a Tiger Suplex. Archer tags in, and knocks Goto off the apron immediately. He pops a huge chokeslam to Anderson for 2. Anderson counters the Old School and gives the Stun Gun to DBS. He hits a spinning neckbreaker to Archer off the top rope.

DBS walks into a clothesline from Goto. He hits another and then hits Archer. They double team DBS, and then Anderson kicks Archer off the apron. Archer is back in and he hits a pump handle slam to Anderson. Archer hits the Blackout to Anderson, then Goto gives him a suplex. DBS is in and gives Goto a powerbomb. Stun Gun by Anderson.

DBS and Archer double team Goto with a powerbomb, and Anderson breaks up the pin attempt. They do the same powerbomb to Anderson now, and they headbutt Goto. Another double team powerbomb to Goto, and the Killer Elite Squad retain the titles. This was a nice little surprise. Plenty of action, the crowd popped, and everyone worked hard.

4. Minoru Suzuki vs. Yuji Nagata Ayumi Nakamura does a fucking banger live performance of Kaze Ni Nare to lead Suzuki to the ring.

Both men have a hard lock up that quickly descends into forearms and knees. Suzuki gives a stiff kick to Nagata's back. Another big forearm exchange. Big boots to the face by both. Nagata finally knocks Suzuki on his ass. Nagata gets an arm breaker in while in the ropes. Body kicks on the outside by Nagata next.

Suzuki pops off a nice running boot, and follows with a knee to the gut. Taichi - who has the dumbest looking haircut ever in 2013 - attacks Nagata with a chair while the ref is distracted. Suzuki drives the edge of the chair into Nagata's neck. Suzuki then chokes him with the chair. Nagata fights back with forearms, but Suzuki hits him with a headbutt.

Suzuki puts Nagata in a leglock next, followed by a guillotine. Nagata fights back with an Exploder and a boot to the face. Roundhouse kicks to the chest of Suzuki. A knee to the gut, followed by a belly to belly. Penalty Kick from Suzuki, and Nagata just sits up. Another one connects, followed by a big boot that gets a nearfall.

Forearms from Nagata, and a dropkick from Suzuki. Suzuki slaps Nagata repeatedly. Sleeper Hold is locked in, but Nagata counters out of it. Suzuki simply puts the hold in again. Nagata almost passes out. Suzuki goes for the Gotch Style Piledriver, and Nagata escapes. Knee to the gut in the corner, and another armbreaker.

Nagata kicks Taichi down, and gets slapped. He gives it right back! Big slap exchange. Nagata kicks the bad arm several times. He puts Suzuki in an armbar, and as he pulls back, his eyes go to the back of his head, Undertaker style! Nagata escapes the sleeper with a slap, then hits a Blue Justice Suplex for the win. These two grumpy old men never miss. I'll always enjoy watching them beat the hell out of each other.

5. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship 3 Way: Prince Devitt vs. Kota Ibushi vs. Low Ki. Ah, yes, the rumors are true - Low Ki did indeed wrestle this entire match in a fucking suit. I dig the Hitman cosplay, but wrestling the entire match in a suit? Do you know how fucking hot it is in Japan?

Ki punches Ibushi, and tackles Devitt. Then, Ibushi tackles Ki. Fast pace action to start things out. Drop toe hold by Devitt, and a chest kick by Ibushi to Ki. Devitt sends Ibushi to the outside, and Ki attacks him. Hurricanrana by Ibushi to Devitt. Moonsault to Ki on the outside.

Devitt unleashes a kick and a chop to Ibushi. Ki knocks Devitt off the apron. A headbutt to Ibushi and a snap mare and snap elbow follow. Ki kicks Devitt away from the corner. Devitt puts the abdominal stretch on Ki next. Ibushi with a springboard dropkick sends Ki to the outside.

Devitt hits a senton to the outside onto Ibushi and Ki. Dueling clotheslines in the corner by Devitt. He hits the Double Stomp to Ibushi for a 2 count. He hits a Pele Kick to Ibushi, and Ki comes in to kick Devitt down. Ibushi dropkicks Ki to the outside, then hits a corkscrew moonsault to both he and Devitt.

Ki escapes a Last Ride from Ibushi, then gets kicked in the face by Ibushi. Ibushi misses a moonsault, but goes into another on Devitt for a 2 count. Roundhouse kick and a half nelson suplex connect for another nearfall. Ibushi goes for the Last Ride, but Ki breaks it up. Ki punches Ibushi in the chest, and a German Suplex drops Ki right on his head.

Ki pops off a suplex to Ibushi and makes the cover, and Devitt just barely breaks it up with a double stomp from the top rope. Ki goes to stomp Devitt, and Ibushi hits a hurricanrana from the top rope instead. Ki avoids a 450 splash. Devitt hits a stomp to Ibushi, and Ki gives Devitt a shotgun dropkick into the corner.

Ibushi kicks Ki to ringside, and Devitt catches Ibushi in Bloody Sunday off the top rope for the win to retain. That was a super fun spot fest. With guys of this caliber involved, that simply isn't a surprise.

6. Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Keiji Mutoh & Shinjiro Otani. Daichi Hashimoto, son of the legendary Shinya Hashimoto, was supposed to be in this match as a symbolic passing of the torch moment, but he broke his arm on Christmas Eve. Otani is his replacement.

Mutoh and Kojima start things off, and the fans love that already. Mutoh takes control of the back. Tenzan and Otani are in, and Otani gets Tenzan against the ropes and slaps him. Slap exchange next. Kojima knocks Mutoh off the apron. Tenzan and Kojima double team Otani.

Tenzan chops Otani, who just walks through them like they're nothing. Mutoh pops off a snap elbow to Otani. STF by Mutoh, and Kojima breaks it up. Dragon Screw Legwhip by Mutoh. Otani knocks Kojima off the apron. Mutoh gets a Figure Four Leglock in on Tenzan. Kobashi style chops by Kojima in the corner to Mutoh.

The crowd is really hyped for this match. It's probably the loudest they've been all night. Big forearms drop Mutoh, who responds with a dropkick to Kojima. Otani kicks Tenzan off the apron, then does the face wash to Kojima. This pops the crowd huge. Brainbuster by Kojima stuns Otani. Spinning leg sweep by Otani, followed by a Shining Wizard from Mutoh. Dragon Screw to Tenzan.

Figure Four is in on Tenzan, and Otani puts the Cobra Clutch on Kojima. He fights out and gives Otani a Cutter. Tenzan shoulder tackles Otani and kicks Mutoh off the apron. Mongolian Chops in the ring by Tenzan. They double team Otani. There's a diving headbutt from Tenzan.

Otani chops Tenzan and then Kojima. Dragon Screw to Tenzan by Mutoh, who connects with two Shining Wizards - one of which was to the back of the head. Otani comes down with a dropkick from the top rope. Shining Wizard connects again. Sit out Powerbomb by Otani, and Kojima breaks up the pin.

Kojima drops Mutoh with a huge lariat. He and Tenzan connect with the 3D. Pumping Bomber by Kojima. Tenzan connects with a moonsault to Otani for the win. A very fun nostalgia driven match. Crowd ate up pretty much all of this.

7. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Togi Makabe They start by immediately throwing bombs before the bell sounds. Shibata takes Makabe down, takes top position, and headbutts. Makabe reverses and headbutts. On the outside, they exchange forearms. Captain New Japan’s presence in a match like this is lost on me.

Back in the ring, more forearm exchanges. Shibata with several knees to the ribs. Forearms in the corner, followed by the running dropkick by Shibata. Shibata continues to hit a downed Makabe, who is game for more. Makabe with a side suplex, and Shibata with one of his own. Makabe with a lariat, and Shibata boots him in the face.

Shibata gets the sleeper hold in next, then goes for the PK, but Makabe just falls over. He catches Shibata’s kick and lariats him down. On the apron, Shibata is knocked down by another lariat. One to the back of the head sends Shibata into the post. Makabe grabs a table and throws it at Shibata’s head.

He places the table on the ramp way, then powerbombs Shibata through it. Crowd loved that. Back in the ring, German Suplex pin and Shibata kicks out at 1. Shibata eats three clothesline, the 3rd finally dropping him to his knees. Shibata tries for the sleeper, but Makabe counters with a lariat. Makabe with the King Kong Knee and he wins. Brief but very fun brawl.

8. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kazushi Sakuraba. Stan Hansen is here to show off the belt during the prematch introductions. The IC Belt has been elevated heavily due to the efforts of Nakamura. Sakuraba is famous for his 90 minute MMA fight with Royce Gracie in PRIDE.

Slow feeling out process to get things started. Nakamura blocks some kicks. Sakuraba blocks a takedown attempt. Sakuraba takes side control and goes into the guard position. They get on the ropes, and Nakamura powders out of the ring. Sakuraba gets Nakamura in the corner, and he slaps him in retaliation. Sakuraba finally explodes with hard palm strikes. Nakamura returns them in kind.

Knees to the chest by Nakamura. Sakuraba trips him to the mat and kicks his legs. Sakuraba pops off a running double stomp to Nakamura's head! Nakamura gets in some knees to the gut, then he hits Good Vibrations in the corner. He places Sakuraba on the top turnbuckle, and goes to drive his knee into the gut, but Sakuraba slips out and puts a sleeper hold on.

German Suplex to Nakamura, and a huge knee connect flush. Sakuraba tries to take top position and lands some palm strikes to Nakamura's head. Triangle choke submission follows. Nakamura with the Boma Ye to the back of the head. Sakuraba blocks the next attempt and tries for a German Suplex, but transitions to an armbar.

Sakuraba takes top position again and palm strikes the head. Nakamura connects with a Death Valley Driver, while Sakuraba locks in a Kimura submission. Nakamura finally hits the Boma Ye again to take the win and retain. A fun MMA hybrid match that felt more legitimate due to Sakuraba's experience, as well as the fact that Nakamura has also done MMA. I wish it was a tad longer, though.

9. IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada. This is the 3rd singles meeting between these two since Okada's return from excursion exactly one year prior. A lot has changed since then. Okada is no longer a goof doing a bad impression of an American wrestler. He's legit. He beat Tanahashi at New Beginning in the Rainmaker Shock, and Tana took the championship back in June at Dominion. Okada earned this title shot by winning the G1 and declaring that the winner should get a Tokyo Dome title shot.

They lock up and go into the ropes. Okada gives a clean break. Tana gives a clean break of his own to follow. Side headlock and shoulder tackle from Okada. Tana responds with a tackle of his own. Tana ties up the legs on the mat. Okada reverses and keylocks the arm.

Tana with a side headlock takedown. Middle rope crossbody from Tana. tana slips on the top rope and eats a DDT from Okada. Okada wraps the head around the barricade on the outside. Back in the ring, Okada boots Tana with a running kick. Tana explodes with forearms and a bitch slap. Okada tosses him over, and he skins the cat. Tana walks right into a flapjack.

Okada traps the arm and torques the neck. Tana avoids a standing senton. Tana with a diving forearm. Then he low dropkicks the leg. Chop block follows. Nice forearm exchange, and they grab each other's hair, Joshi style. Okada connects with an uppercut, and his big boot is countered into a Dragon Screw Legwhip. On the outside, Okada is dropped by a High Fly Flow crossbody from the turnbuckle.

Tana goes for the Cloverleaf, and Okada is able to get to the ropes. Okada now hits his own Dragon Screw. Then, he locks Tana in Deep in Debt. Powerslam from Okada, and his elbow drop is blocked. Tana does his own Rainmaker pose in response. Then, he goes to the top. Okada hits him with an uppercut, and then dropkicks him to the outside.

On the ramp now, Okada makes the long run towards Tana, who catches him with the Sling Blade. Back in the ring, Tana hits the Stinger Splash. Okada goes for Heavy Rain, and Tana counters with the Sling Blade. Fisherman Buster from Tana. He goes to the top for the High Fly Flow, and it's blocked by Okada's knees.

Okada hits a neckbreaker across his knee for a nearfall. Heavy Rain follows, and that also gets a 2 count. Powerslam follows, then the elbow drop. Rainmaker pose proper. Tana counters the Rainmaker with a straitjacket suplex for 2. Dragon Suplex also gets 2. Sling Blade connects, and Tana hits the High Fly Flow. Somehow, Okada is still able to kick out.

Tana with a reverse Dragon Screw twice. He puts Okada in the Cloverleaf next. Tana goes to run the ropes and Okada catches him with a beautiful dropkick. Okada goes for the Rainmaker, and Tana slips out. He runs the ropes and avoids another dropkick. Tana misses the Sling Blade and Okada dropkicks his head. Tombstone Piledriver. The Rainmaker is countered by another Sling Blade.

Tana slips out of another Tombstone, and dropkicks the knee again. He hits his own Tombstone. He goes back to the top, and hits the High Fly Flow crossbody. Back up, he hits the proper High Fly Flow a second time, and that's the win to retain. Easily the best match of the show. Despite that being one of their weaker encounters, it's still damn excellent, with a scintillating finishing stretch. Their matches would only get better in quality from here.

All in all, Wrestle Kingdom 7 was a fun show! I wouldn't call it a great one. It was weird at times, with some bonkers match lineups. Some matches over delivered, and some disappointed. But the different combinations, surprising appearances, and the sight of certain people before they became bigger, made it worth the watch.