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Focus: NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9- Styles vs. Naito (1/4/2015)

Before Tranquilo took over his life, Tetsuya Naito was a star that New Japan desperately wanted its fans to embrace. However, the babyface Naito was not well-recieved by the fans of New Japan Pro Wrestling. This fact was solidified when Naito's IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match was demoted to Semi-Main Event in 2014 at Wrestle Kingdom 8, a match in which he lost. 2015 would prove to be a transformative year for Naito into the current LIJ leader and antihero we see today.

On this night, however, he would end up facing a man many have considered to be the best wrestler in the world for a dozen years by this point. His name: "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles. Styles, at this point the leader of the Bullet Club, was in the middle of a 2 year stint with New Japan following his exit from TNA/Impact Wrestling. Now a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Styles would walk into the Tokyo Dome looking to steal the show with Naito on a loaded Wrestle Kingdom 9 card

Let's do this!



Wrestle Kingdom 9
1/4/15
Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan
AJ Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito

Watching this match in 2019, it is so weird to watch Naito make that entrance to "Stardust" without the classic "Tranquilo" entrance we've been used to for years. He's so... happy. Ugh!

AJ jumps Naito to start off the match. Naito fights him off. Styles is put on the apron, but Styles backdrops Naito to the floor. Naito fights off Styles and nails a running apron dropkick to Styles on the floor. Back in the ring, a top rope dropkick by Naito puts Styles down. Naito goes for the Slingshot Dropkick in the corner, but Styles catches and jams Naito's leg. Styles now goes after the left leg of Naito. Shinbuster by Styles. More leg work by Styles trying to ground Naito. Indian Deathlock by Styles. Naito gets a rope break. Naito fights out of trouble and hits a Tornado DDT.
Strikes delivered by both men. Hip toss and dropkick to the back of Styles' head by Naito. Running Somersault senton splash by Naito. Neckbreaker with Styles on the ropes by Naito. AJ fights off Naito from the corner and hits a Phenomenal Forearm. Naito gets a suplex/neckbreaker from Styles. German Suplex by Styles. Naito reverses a back suplex into a roll-up. Another German Suplex into a pinning attempt by Naito gets a 2 count. Enziguri by Naito followed by a Flying Forearm. Slam by Naito. But the Stardust Press off the corner is stopped by a chop block by Styles. A reverse suplex off the corner is blocked by Naito landing on his feet, but the Calf Killer is applied by Styles. Naito gets to the rope on the last second.
Another enziguri by Naito. Rock Bottom by Naito. Full Nelson Dragon Suplex by Naito. Gloria is blocked. Pele Kick by Styles. Bloody Sunday DDT by Styles. Styles Clash is countered by a backdrop to the floor by Naito. (Naito had to back up a few feet in order to get Styles the momentum to go over the top to the floor.) Styles has a hard time getting back into the ring but does so by 19. Naito and Styles are fighting in the corner. Naito gets the Slingshot Dropkick in on Styles. He puts Styles on the corner and goes for the Frankensteiner. BUT STYLES CATCHES HIM AND HITS THE STYLES CLASH OFF THE CORNER! 1-2-3!

Winner: AJ Styles
Match Grade: C+. This wasn't exactly a great match here. Naito didn't get nearly enough offense in on Styles to make it seem like he had any sort of chance against AJ. The athleticism was there, but Naito didn't exactly have a great look coming out of this match. Instead Styles just mows over Naito, more or less, and establishes himself as a future IWGP Heavyweight Champion in the process. Overall, I was very underwhelmed by this match. This is not the great match one would hope from these two. Rather, it is a shadow of what both men would accomplish in a 2019 encounter.  Cool finish though.
_ _ _ _  _
Continuing the Focus on Wrestle Kingdom 9, there are three other matches I will be reviewing from this show. Next will be the emergence in New Japan of a future IWGP Heavyweight Champion. On this show, he challenges Ryusuke Taguchi for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship. His name: "The Cleaner" Kenny Omega. 

Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.

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