This Saturday in Osaka, Japan NJPW presents arguably their 2nd biggest show in the calendar year as the highly anticipated Dominion takes place. I will be predicting and previewing two matches that easily could be in the running for match of the year at the end of 2018. The first bout I will write about is for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship between the champion Tetsuya Naito and Chris Jericho.
Tetsuya Naito vs Chris Jericho – IWGP Intercontinental Championship
The Wrestling Brain: This feud began the night following Jericho’s excellent match against Kenny Omega and Naito’s defeat to Kazuchika Okada. After the main event of the New Year’s Dash show, Jericho attacked and brutalised Naito seemingly setting up an impending match up between the two. However, months followed and we hadn’t heard anything from Jericho and in typical Y2J fashion, he even went to the length in saying that he and NJPW were finished.
Until a few weeks ago in Fukuoka the now IWGP Intercontinental Champion Naito was attacked by a fan who was wearing a mask and a hoodie, the fan proceeded to beat up Naito and brought him into the ring, the fan then slowly removed his mask and revealed himself as Chris Jericho. Jericho then beat the snot of Naito, even hitting him with the ring bell which caused Naito to bleed, so finally after 5 months we’ll see this match, between one of the biggest names in NJPW right now vs one of the greatest of all time, who will come out on top? My answer is…. Chris Jericho.
On paper, it doesn’t make sense for a part-timer to win the 2nd biggest title in NJPW, but when you have a huge name in Jericho you can sell tickets and in particular sell tickets in America. Coming up in July is the Long Beach, California show, where ticket sales haven’t been great, but if a worldwide star in Chris Jericho is on the card, competing in what will be his first non-WWE match in the USA for almost 20 years.
I think all of a sudden fans whether they follow NJPW or not will buy tickets, as they want to see Jericho wrestle with a different company, and also Jericho can put Naito over, which will make him a bigger worldwide star to the same level as an Okada or an Omega. Brain’s Prediction: Chris Jericho
Shoot With Smith: Chris Jericho was a tornado that ran amuck in NJPW when he first burst back onto the Asian continent for his first appearances since 1996. He was a wrecking ball of old-school pro wrestling heat; crashing press conferences, unleashing hell during run-ins and generally despising the Japanese culture in a less than subtle fashion. What followed was an amazing exhibition of sports entertainment, Jericho looked youthful, refreshed and highly enjoying his stint in NJPW. The phrase “it’s a hockey fight, it’s a hockey fight” after the bell from Don Callis on commentary will always give me goose-bumps and I feel we’re in for another straight up fight between two Alphas.
Jericho has followed in the same vein on his return to face Naito -hanging out of limo’s treating the fans and Naito himself was a particular highlight- this is a match we all felt would never happen. Naito has quietly built up a reputation as one of the best wrestlers worldwide and it will be highly interesting to see him take on one of North Americas greatest ever stars and how he flourishes working with someone with such global recognition.
Despite the amazingly fresh resurgence of Jericho in NJPW as the American Psycho invading Japan – I can see Naito taking this one. In an extremely close fought battle, adding more substance to the claim Naito is highly underrated. Smith’s Prediction: Tetsuya Naito
Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega – IWGP Heavyweight Championship (2 out of 3 Falls Match)
The Wrestling Brain: These two wrestlers made me an NJPW fan, I remember watching their match at WrestleKingdom 11 and being in awe at how unbelievable the standard of wrestling and drama there was. It was the first NJPW match I’d watched and I was instantly invested in it.
At WK11 Okada retained his championship, then at Dominion last year, both men fought to an hour-long draw and at the G1 Climax Omega finally defeated his great rival but it wasn’t for the title. Now finally almost a year after their last bout, Okada vs Omega part 4, what will happen will Kenny finally achieve his dream and end the incredible reign of Okada or will the champion once again successfully defend his title.
Being an Omega fan my heart is telling me that Kenny will win on Saturday, but my head is saying that the Golden Boy of NJPW will once again retain, so after having to think about it for a pretty long time, I am going to say that on Saturday we will have a new IWGP Heavyweight Champion as Kenny Omega will defeat Kazuchika Okada in one of the best matches in wrestling and it’ll be a match and a feud that’ll go down in history. Brain’s Prediction: Kenny Omega
Shoot With Smith: In the past 3 years we have seen these two men step into the squared circle and redefine what the gold standard for a Professional Wrestling match should be. To say these two men are world-class athletes is nothing short of an obvious fact and we, the fans, are lucky enough to witness them square off once again with the latest instalment of the greatest feud of the 21st Century. With 1 win to each man and an hour-long timeout draw, this match is near impossible to call. This is the perfect way to end a slow burning feud between two of the best, there HAS to be a winner and we will see three amazing matches rolled into one.
Okada the supreme, reigning champion could celebrate his 2 year anniversary of holding the prestigious IWGP Heavyweight Championship. For Omega, this presents the opportunity to be the first non-Japanese (Gaijin) holder of the belt since A.J Styles in 2015.
This match presents yet another fork in the road for NJPW – keep the belt on the best world champion the wrestling industry has seen in the past decade or put the strap on Omega as the next step in the worldwide expansion.
Okada will retain the title, the strength of the champions and belts are not something NJPW want to throw away and they have spent years building Okada. Both men will get a fall; the last fall will be as epic as the final battle in Lord of the Rings. I also predict this match will clock in over an hour and a half – I feel there is a great chance of the pair even taking the record length set by Inoki and Saito in 1987 (125mins 42seconds) One thing is certain: this will be the greatest Professional Wrestling match of all time. You heard it here first. Smith’s Prediction: Kazuchika Okada
As you can see The Wrestling Brain predicted two new Champions, and Shoot with Smith predicted two retaining Champions this Saturday at Dominion. But both agree this will be an unbelievable show, and not to be missed by any wrestling fan.
NJPW has added Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega – DOMINION 6.11 (June 11,2017 ) you their YouTube for FREE, check it out below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=vZIGbS1GRTE
You can watch live or on demand on NJPW World for around £8. The show starts at 8am BST/3am EST
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