New Japan Pro Wrestling always starts the year off with its major Tokyo Dome show Wrestle Kingdom and this year, it entered its 13th iteration. Even with the major time difference between Tokyo and the East Coast, I usually try to watch the last few matches as they air. This year, I made the bold move to watch the entire show from start to finish, which meant coming in from work at midnight, forcing myself to get a power nap and then wake up at 3AM to watch the show. Sorry pre show. I don't regret the decision but I will say this; I felt the show was lacking.
Before you exit this page and never read this blog again, hear me out. Every match, besides the main event, felt short. Even Tetsuya Naito VS Chris Jericho felt a bit short, compared to the Kenny Omega/Jericho match from Wrestle Kingdom 12. NJPW is known for their long main event matches, so tell me why such a heated and deep storytelling match like Jay White and Kazuchika Okaka only got 14 minutes on the biggest card of the year? 14 minutes. Is this WWE? While it was a good match and the ending finisher sequence was great, the length didn't live up to the feud. The Ibushi/Ospreay match was great as expected and hella violent but even still, it could have used 5-10 more minutes to have been an Tokyo Dome classic. Another issue was the involvement of The Elite and its affiliates. With All Elite Wrestling being announced by Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks and with them signing contracts, it was all but confirmed they would be losing their respective matches and of course, they all did. That killed suspense for those matches, which didn't help as they were already some of the weaker matches. Did anyone really want to see Juice Robinson VS Cody? At Wrestle Kingdom at that? For the 2nd time? It didn't have an effect on the quality of the main event pitting Hiroshi Tanahashi against Kenny Omega (which was the match of the night) but it did have a predictable outcome. And the finish was weak. One High Fly Flow? Even Okada had to do about four Rainmakers to put Omega down. It was a good show overall, thanks to many of the singles title matches (Ibushi/Ospreay, Sabre Jr/Ishii Kushida/Ishimori, Naito/Jericho and Tanahashi/Omega) but there was something off. Maybe it was because my expectations were so high after the last few Wrestle Kingdoms but I can't shake the feeling that something was off.
As usual, following Wrestle Kingdom, NJPW put on New Year Dash, a show where the card is only announced right when the show comes on. This event sets the pace for the whole year and usually jump starts storylines for the whole year. Last year, it started the ascension of Jay White and featured Jericho's brutal attack on Tetsuya Naito. This year? It was a let down. I never watch this show for match quality. It's all about set up. It's the Raw after Wrestlemania. NJPW just didn't do enough to get me excited for the future. Yes, Ishii and Nagata will be a violent affair in the coming months, Taichi taking out Naito was shocking and White's ascension to top heel in NJPW is fun to watch. It just didn't shock and awe as it has in the past years. Yujiro and Chase Owens going back to The Bullet Club was ok. It doesn't do anything for me unfortunately. Also, it didn't feature many stars. Ibushi suffered a concussion in his match with Ospreay so he was a no go. Cody and The Bucks didn't compete as again, AEW is now a thing. It didn't even feature Kenny freaking Omega. You know, the guy who defended his title in the main event? This will only fuel speculation that Omega is on his way out of the company. They really could have put Omega in the main event. Could you imagine the dream team of Okada, Omega and Tanahashi? Instead, we got a returning Yoshi-Hashi and he took the pinfall loss. White pinning Omega would have put White in elite (no pun intended) company, confirming his status as a major player in 2019. New Year Dash was fun and that six man tag of Ospreay/Goto/Ishii VS Kushida/Nagata/Cobb was the show stealer for sure but it's a missable event.
NJPW put on two entertaining days of pro wrestling. Did everything meet what my expectations? Of course not but it was still sleep I don't regret missing. If that was Omega's final match in NJPW, it was a barn burner of an exit. Omega's next step will be heavily talked about in the coming months. Let's talk about all his options, shall we?
Omega staying in Japan could lead to his redemption over Tanahashi in a future main event. It could also lead to another epic clash with Okada. Other than that, there's really nothing left for him. He's already been Junior Heavyweight, Intercontinental, United States and Heavyweight champion. He's only short the Never Openweight Title but is that really worth sticking around for? Omega, as proven in his two Wrestle Kingdom main events, will never be the guy of the company. NJPW is clearly sticking with their two aces in Tanahashi and Okada. He had his moment but with his reign being less interesting than his chase, it might be time for a change of scenery.
It's no secret that WWE wanted The Elite. Cody and The Young Bucks turned them down so they could open their own company but Kenny Omega hasn't signed with AEW just yet, meaning a WWE run isn't completely out of the question. Rumors are circulating that WWE offered Omega a 'fantastic' deal. Omega in WWE could lead to him finally feuding with former Bullet Club leaders in Finn Balor and AJ Styles. It could also lead to a major match with Shinsuke Nakamura and probably the biggest dream match of them all; against Seth Freaking Rollins. There are many positives with an Omega signing but there's plenty of negatives as well. Not everyone can turn out to be an AJ Styles, just remember that.
The obvious thing would be for Kenny Omega to sign with All Elite Wrestling and be with his brethren. Omega wants to change the world with his wrestling and it might be easier to change it by competing in this up and coming brand where he'll most likely have control over his character. Of all the offers, staying with The Elite would please everyone, but sometimes pleasing everyone is not the right answer.
Omega's decision will change the game in 2019. Staying with New Japan will please the wrestling purists, going with AEW with please the marks and going with WWE will give Omega far more exposure than he's every had in his life. It would also lead to working more dates, traveling and toning down his style. If it worked for AJ, I think it could work for Omega. He's 35 and could still go to AEW one day or even vice versa. This is a delicate situation. While I'm totally against Omega staying with NJPW, I'm torn between choosing loyalty with AEW or choosing a new venture with WWE. Competition is a good thing and with Omega as the face of AEW, it would force WWE to approach things differently.
It's not my job to stress though. I'm just looking forward to whatever is next for him. Just...don't choose NJPW. You've done all you could do there.
January should be very interesting....
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