Coming up on Sunday, September 30th is another NJPW show from California, this time returning to Long Beach. There have been concerns about attendance for this show considering NJPW was just in the state two months ago for a show. And on top of that, a lot of the card was not announced until just this week.
But there are positives to this. First, Jim Ross will be calling the show with Kevin Kelly, who replaces Josh Barnett who will ironically be in Japan while this show is going on. I am really looking forward to this combination. JR has been criticized for being aloof when it comes to NJPW storylines and wrestlers. He couldn't have a better wingman to help guide him than Kevin Kelly who calls all the big shows on NJPW World. The only concern I have is having two play-by-play commentators working, but I see Kelly sliding into color comfortably to help provide context for the audience and Jim Ross about what's going on. And here's hoping the guardrails are latched together this time for the show.
Another positive is the show, as I believe we are in for a fun night of great wrestling. Here is the card for the show and my predictions:
Main Event
Tomohiro Ishii and Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega
This is going to be a war, and it's going to be glorious. All four men have excellent matches against each other, and there's no reason to believe we aren't going to get something great out of this. A couple interesting things here is how Ishii and Okada will interact given the CHAOS turmoil, and I wonder if there'll be any teases for Ibushi and Omega after the match for a match between them. I'm predicting a Golden Lovers win.
IWGP U.S. Championship
Juice Robinson (c) vs. Cody
This is a match in which, on paper, looks like Cody should win the championship. But here's the thing: Cody is already the NWA World Champion. On top of that, Cody is almost a free agent. Will New Japan want to put a championship on a guy who may be heading out the door in a few months? I see Juice retaining the championship either in some sort of "Dusty Finish" or getting a quick rollup on Cody. For all I know, Nick Aldis will show up and distract Cody for their upcoming 2/3 Falls Match.
IWGP Tag Team Championships
The Young Bucks (c) vs. Guerrillas of Destiny
This is interesting because of the Bullet Club Civil War happening (a lot of civil wars going on in NJPW). Here's the thing: The Guerrillas already have the Six-Man Tag Team Championship. I don't see them winning the Tag Team Championships quite yet. The Bucks will get the victory for now, but I won't be surprised to see them drop the belts before too long especially if they're about to head to Stamford, CT.
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Tournament Semi-Finals
Will Ospreay vs. Marty Scurll
This is going to be the showstealer. Ospreay and Scurll have had a lot of great matches against each other, and I don't expect this to be any different. I look for Ospreay to win a very solid back-and-forth match, perhaps being able to reverse the Chicken Wing somehow into a pinning combination.
Hiroshi Tanahashi and KUSHIDA vs. Jay White and Gedo
And here's another match that will be very interesting. White and Gedo recently turned on Okada, and there's the question of whether they've left CHAOS or ARE CHAOS now. White is Tanahashi's next challenger for the briefcase, and this is another setup for their match likely at King of Pro Wrestling. I see White and Gedo getting the victory after White hits KUSHIDA with a chair and hits the Blade Runner.
LIJ (Tetsuya Naito, EVIL and SANADA) vs. Suzuki-Gun (Zack Sabre Jr. and Killer Elite Squad)
This should be another fun match here as KES and EVIL/SANADA will bring the brawling and (SANADA) high-flying aspects to this match. As for Sabre Jr. and Naito, these guys have had a couple great matches this year. This seems to be building towards another match between the two sometime down the line. I'm going with LIJ here to get the win with EVIL pinning Archer.
Flip Gordon, Chris Sabin and Jeff Cobb vs. Best Friends and Hirooki Goto
Three of these guys are wrestling for Ring of Honor. Best Friends work for Ring of Honor and NJPW. One of these guys is an NJPW staple. I'm going with Best Friends and Hirooki Goto in this one. But this is again another great match on paper. Goto vs. Cobb will be a great exercise of strong style and brute strength colliding. Sabin/Gordon and the Best Friends will bring the aerial game, and this should be a fun match for the live audience and TV audience.
The Addiction vs. Chase Owens and Hangman Page
Chase Owens is in a match. Odds are he's going to be on his back for a 3 count. Meanwhile, this is another match I think should be very solid. You know Daniels and Kazarian will bring it, as will Owens and Page. I look for Owens to take a Best Meltzer Ever before this one ends.
ACH, Ryusuke Taguchi and Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Roppongi 3K
This is a match that should be a fun opener. Rocky and Taguchi will bring the comedy. ACH, SHO, and YOH will be aerial acrobats and sound wrestlers to boot. Meanwhile, Liger continues to be a true marvel at wrestling to do what he's doing at his age. This may be just my heart and being a wrestling mark, but I'm going with Liger's team. Besides, Liger and Tiger Mask have a Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title match coming up. I'd like to see Liger get a victory on NJPW TV to set that up.
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Again, I think this will be a very good, fun show to watch Sunday Night on NJPW World. I will be reviewing the show and posting my thoughts afterwards.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
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