New Japan Pro Wrestlings biggest show of the year delivered as always, as Wrestle Kingdom 12 lived up to and exceeded all expectations at the Tokyo Dome on Thursday.
The event drew more North American eyes than usual, thanks to an appearance by WWE legend Chris Jericho, who shocked the wrestling world by challenging Kenny Omega to a match on this card. As a result, the event received more mainstream coverage than in years past. In addition, NJPW has made its way into the global consciousness, thanks to the overwhelming popularity of Omega, The Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes, Marty Scurll and Los Ingobernables, all of whom rank among the top sellers at the international clothing store Hot Topic.Omega and Jericho put together a classic brawl, one that showed both that Jericho still had a mat masterpiece in him at 47 years of age, and that Omega could work a style closer to whats considered to be WWE style as well. Jericho played the dastardly heel, making lewd gestures at the crowd, abusing referees and employing a remorseless offense, while Omega relished the sympathetic babyface role hes blossomed into over the past year.In the end, Omega hit his finisher, the One Winged Angel, on a steel folding chair for the pin.But while the North American audience may have tuned in for Omega-Jericho, the actual main event of the show featured Kazuchika Okada defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Tetsuya Naito. The story here was that Naito was looking to finally redeem himself and get a victory over Okada, the longest reigning champion in NJPW history. Both men hit big move after big move, finisher after finisher, until Okada finally reversed Naitos Destino into a tombstone piledriver, followed by a Rainmaker for the pin.It was an electric card from top to bottom, one we encourage you to watch on NJPW World if you get the chance.
Here are the Top 15 craziest moments from Wrestle Kingdom 12:15) Tama Tonga Reverses A Trent Baretta moonsault into a Stun Gun:14) Will Ospreay Moonsaults Off A Lighting Rig:13) Minoru Suzuki Slaps The Hell Out Of Hirooki Goto:12) Kota Ibushi Hits A Phoenix Splash On Cody:11) Cody Hits A Cross Rhodes On Kota Ibushi Onto The Floor:10) Nick Jackson Hits A Nasty Swanton Bomb:9) Will Ospreay Goes On A Hurracarrana Spree:8) Hiromu Takahashi Goes Crazy With Two Sunset Flip Powerbombs To The Floor:7) Kenny Omega Crashes Through The English Announce Table:6) Chris Jericho Bumps Through A Table After V-Trigger From Kenny Omega:5) One Winged Angel Onto A Chair!4) Okada Circles The Ring To Boot Naito In The Face:3) Poison Rana From Naito On Okada:2) Naito Counters Okada With a Tornado Reverse Rana:1) Okada Nearly Kicks Through Naitos Chest:Image Source:
New Japan Pro Wrestling