Note: For all the other reviews in this series looking at Wrestle Kingdom 9, click on these links:
Focus: NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9
AJ Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito
Kenny Omega vs. Ryusuke Taguchi (c)- IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
Kota Ibushi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (c)- IWGP Intercontinental Championship
It's a matter of fact that in life, someone new will step up to take the place of an older leader. In the jungle, a young lion will eventually overtake the older lion as leader in the pack. In football, the younger quarterback will eventually take the place of the older veteran (yes, even you Tom Brady). Age catches up with all of us. And for the youthful, the older generation just seem to be standing in their way.
Enter Kazuchika Okada, also known as "The Rainmaker." Okada up to this point had scratched and clawed his way out of a hole dug for him by mismanagement in TNA (Imagine that.). He returned to New Japan and adopted the moniker "The Rainmaker." Immediately, his impact was felt in New Japan when he upset then-reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi to become the new champion. This began a series of matches between the two stars with the legendary standard bearer Tanahashi trying to assert his dominance over the younger upstart Okada. Okada had defeated Tanahashi to end the feud seemingly and Tanahashi declared that he would never challenge for the championship again. But enter AJ Styles. Styles took the championship from Okada within weeks of coming to New Japan. Styles would eventually drop the belt to Hiroshi Tanahashi when Tanahashi decided to get back in the title picture. Thus, the previous year's G1 Climax winner Kazuchika Okada was destined to face his longtime rival Hiroshi Tanahashi once again for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the Tokyo Dome.
Let's do this!
Wrestle Kingdom 9
1/4/15
Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Kazuchika Okada (w/Gedo) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (c)
For those of you wanting to watch the match and follow along, check this link out: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5tn0fp
The bell rings. Tie-up. Both men looking to gain advantage as Tanahashi and Okada trade wristlocks and waistlocks. Now, both trade headlocks. These guys do such a great job of making even a headlock look like the most dramatic thing in the entire world. Okada shoulder tackles Tanahashi down. Drop Toe Hold by Tanahashi followed by another headlock. Tanahashi knocks down Okada. They trade counters and decide to take a break. Okada and Tanahashi fight around the corner and around the ropes trying to get the advantage on the other. Okada gives the clean break taunt but smacks Tanahashi in the head. Tanahashi responds in kind. Forearms by The Ace and Okada in the corner as they trade them back and forth. Slam by Tanahashi, but he gets sent to the floor by a big European Uppercut by Okada.
Okada comes out after Tanahashi and whips him into the guard rail. He boots him over the rail. He then puts Tanahashi on the rail and hits a Draping DDT on a piece of plywood on the concrete floor. Okada now takes Tanahashi to the runway. They both mock tease getting Tombstones on it. Jawbreaker by The Ace. He plays Air Guitar going up the runway. But he runs right into Heavy Rain (Death Valley Driver) by Okada on the runway! Ouch! Okada picks up Tanahashi and throws him in the ring.
Sliding dropkick by Okada to Tanahashi in the ring. Back elbows in the corner by The Rainmaker. Stinger Splash misses. No success on the Senton Splash for The Rainmaker either. Flying Forearm by Tanahashi. Slam by Tanahashi. Somersault Senton from the corner by Tanahashi gets a 2 only. Flapjack by Okada. Tanahashi goes for the backward Crossbody off the corner, but he hits only the mat. Deep in Debt (Deep Facelock) by Okada in the center of the ring. Tanahashi fights to get to the bottom rope, which he does. Okada hits a Slingshot Senton over the ropes on Tanahashi for a 2 count. Paintbrush kicks on Tanahashi's head by Okada. Tanahashi responds back with forearms. Trash Talking by Okada just angers The Ace. They trade forearms and uppercuts back and forth. Tanahashi elbows the knee of Okada. Power Dropkick by Okada sends Tanahashi back into the corner. Heavy Rain is countered into a SLING BLADE! 2 count. Tanahashi is put on the corner. Okada climbs up eventually. Tanahashi blocks Heavy Rain off the corner. Headbutts by Tanahashi and a uppercut sends Okada crashing to the mat. HIGH FLY FLOW MISSES!!!! Okada flies at Tanahashi with a flying uppercut.
Okada nails a White Noise type maneuver into his knee for a 2 count. Okada slams Tanahashi in the center of the ring and climbs the top rope. Diving Elbow Drop ala Macho Man! RAINMAKER POSE! Gedo is jumping like a kid who got a Nintendo Switch for Christmas! Rainmaker countered into a roll-up for a 2. DRAGON SCREW by The Ace. Tanahashi now goes after the leg of Okada. Dropkick to the bad knee of Okada. Okada rolls to the floor. Tanahashi follows him out to the floor to continue the assault on the leg. Okada misses a guard rail attack to Tanahashi sending him to the concrete floor. TANAHASHI CLIMBS UP THE TOP ROPE! HIGH FLY FLOW OFF THE TOP ROPE OVER THE GUARD RAIL TO OKADA ON THE FLOOR!!!! WOW! (Great match and story being told so far. Tanahashi has weathered the offense and youth of Okada. Now, he's taking Okada to school with a focus on the bad leg of Okada and a high risk maneuver to further amplify the pain of his opponent.)
Tanahashi takes Okada back into the ring. He climbs up the top rope immediately. Okada avoids High Fly Flow. Tanahashi avoids Rainmaker with a SLING BLADE! He climbs back up! HIGH FLY FLOW ROLLED THROUGH BY OKADA! TOMBSTONE, BUT TANAHASHI REVERSES IT INTO HIS OWN TOMBSTONE! He climbs back up! HIGH FLY FLOW TO THE BACK OF OKADA
Okada and Tanahashi are trading blows now as they attempt to get to their feet. They continue this as they get back to their feet, each refusing to fall down for their opponent. Okada gets an uppercut in. Tombstone reversed into a roll-up by Tanahashi. Dragon Screw to the leg of Okada. Slaps by Tanahashi to Okada over and over and over again. Okada has crumbled to his knees holding the leg of Tanahashi. Backslide by Okada gets 2. Capture German Suplex Bridge gets a 2 for The Ace. High Bridging German Suplex by Okada. 2 count! Dragon Suplex by Tanahashi. 2 count only again! Tanahashi bounces off the ropes into the dropkick of Okada! Okada is calling for it again! RAINMAKER DUCKED! DRAGON SCREW AGAIN TO OKADA'S LEG! Another one this time on the middle rope. Okada is in so much pain that he can't avoid... HIGH FLY FLOW!!!! TANAHASHI HITS ANOTHER LEG WRENCH TO OKADA! HE CLIMBS BACK UP! HIGH FLY FLOW! HE CLIMBS BACK UP AGAIN! HIGH FLY FLOW!!!! OKADA IS OUT! 1-2-3!
Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi (STILL IWGP Intercontinental Champion)
Match Grade: A+. Have these guys ever had a bad match? Seriously, I'm asking. This is one of the great rivalries of wrestling history, and this is another chapter in this long-running saga. The older lion found a way to attack the body part of Okada to a point where he was able to overcome his younger opponent. The amount of storytelling in these matches may be unparalleled. Tanahashi was having a hard time keeping up with Okada's speed and agility. So, he worked on a body part to help him get an advantage. Okada made just one too many mistakes and got caught. All of this happening while the older Tanahashi knows that he can't keep Okada down forever. Just great stuff here. Okada was still on the rise here, as crazy as that sounds given that he was already a multi-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion by this point. By this time next year, Okada had regained the championship and would FINALLY defeat Tanahashi in a successful title defense at the Tokyo Dome.
This would be Tanahashi's last victory against Okada until September 2018 as he would fall to Okada several times and tie him a couple others. And this would also be his last successful title defense as he would lose the title to AJ Styles. Tanahashi wouldn't regain the championship until Wrestle Kingdom 13 against Kenny Omega, marking his record-setting 8th Reign with the title.
_ _ _ _
I hope you all enjoyed this look at Wrestle Kingdom 9. Would anyone be interested in a similar review for Wrestle Kingdom 10? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @cdub1898.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
Focus: NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9
AJ Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito
Kenny Omega vs. Ryusuke Taguchi (c)- IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
Kota Ibushi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (c)- IWGP Intercontinental Championship
It's a matter of fact that in life, someone new will step up to take the place of an older leader. In the jungle, a young lion will eventually overtake the older lion as leader in the pack. In football, the younger quarterback will eventually take the place of the older veteran (yes, even you Tom Brady). Age catches up with all of us. And for the youthful, the older generation just seem to be standing in their way.
Enter Kazuchika Okada, also known as "The Rainmaker." Okada up to this point had scratched and clawed his way out of a hole dug for him by mismanagement in TNA (Imagine that.). He returned to New Japan and adopted the moniker "The Rainmaker." Immediately, his impact was felt in New Japan when he upset then-reigning IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi to become the new champion. This began a series of matches between the two stars with the legendary standard bearer Tanahashi trying to assert his dominance over the younger upstart Okada. Okada had defeated Tanahashi to end the feud seemingly and Tanahashi declared that he would never challenge for the championship again. But enter AJ Styles. Styles took the championship from Okada within weeks of coming to New Japan. Styles would eventually drop the belt to Hiroshi Tanahashi when Tanahashi decided to get back in the title picture. Thus, the previous year's G1 Climax winner Kazuchika Okada was destined to face his longtime rival Hiroshi Tanahashi once again for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the Tokyo Dome.
Let's do this!
Wrestle Kingdom 9
1/4/15
Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan
IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Kazuchika Okada (w/Gedo) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (c)
For those of you wanting to watch the match and follow along, check this link out: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5tn0fp
The bell rings. Tie-up. Both men looking to gain advantage as Tanahashi and Okada trade wristlocks and waistlocks. Now, both trade headlocks. These guys do such a great job of making even a headlock look like the most dramatic thing in the entire world. Okada shoulder tackles Tanahashi down. Drop Toe Hold by Tanahashi followed by another headlock. Tanahashi knocks down Okada. They trade counters and decide to take a break. Okada and Tanahashi fight around the corner and around the ropes trying to get the advantage on the other. Okada gives the clean break taunt but smacks Tanahashi in the head. Tanahashi responds in kind. Forearms by The Ace and Okada in the corner as they trade them back and forth. Slam by Tanahashi, but he gets sent to the floor by a big European Uppercut by Okada.
Okada comes out after Tanahashi and whips him into the guard rail. He boots him over the rail. He then puts Tanahashi on the rail and hits a Draping DDT on a piece of plywood on the concrete floor. Okada now takes Tanahashi to the runway. They both mock tease getting Tombstones on it. Jawbreaker by The Ace. He plays Air Guitar going up the runway. But he runs right into Heavy Rain (Death Valley Driver) by Okada on the runway! Ouch! Okada picks up Tanahashi and throws him in the ring.
Sliding dropkick by Okada to Tanahashi in the ring. Back elbows in the corner by The Rainmaker. Stinger Splash misses. No success on the Senton Splash for The Rainmaker either. Flying Forearm by Tanahashi. Slam by Tanahashi. Somersault Senton from the corner by Tanahashi gets a 2 only. Flapjack by Okada. Tanahashi goes for the backward Crossbody off the corner, but he hits only the mat. Deep in Debt (Deep Facelock) by Okada in the center of the ring. Tanahashi fights to get to the bottom rope, which he does. Okada hits a Slingshot Senton over the ropes on Tanahashi for a 2 count. Paintbrush kicks on Tanahashi's head by Okada. Tanahashi responds back with forearms. Trash Talking by Okada just angers The Ace. They trade forearms and uppercuts back and forth. Tanahashi elbows the knee of Okada. Power Dropkick by Okada sends Tanahashi back into the corner. Heavy Rain is countered into a SLING BLADE! 2 count. Tanahashi is put on the corner. Okada climbs up eventually. Tanahashi blocks Heavy Rain off the corner. Headbutts by Tanahashi and a uppercut sends Okada crashing to the mat. HIGH FLY FLOW MISSES!!!! Okada flies at Tanahashi with a flying uppercut.
Okada nails a White Noise type maneuver into his knee for a 2 count. Okada slams Tanahashi in the center of the ring and climbs the top rope. Diving Elbow Drop ala Macho Man! RAINMAKER POSE! Gedo is jumping like a kid who got a Nintendo Switch for Christmas! Rainmaker countered into a roll-up for a 2. DRAGON SCREW by The Ace. Tanahashi now goes after the leg of Okada. Dropkick to the bad knee of Okada. Okada rolls to the floor. Tanahashi follows him out to the floor to continue the assault on the leg. Okada misses a guard rail attack to Tanahashi sending him to the concrete floor. TANAHASHI CLIMBS UP THE TOP ROPE! HIGH FLY FLOW OFF THE TOP ROPE OVER THE GUARD RAIL TO OKADA ON THE FLOOR!!!! WOW! (Great match and story being told so far. Tanahashi has weathered the offense and youth of Okada. Now, he's taking Okada to school with a focus on the bad leg of Okada and a high risk maneuver to further amplify the pain of his opponent.)
Tanahashi takes Okada back into the ring. He climbs up the top rope immediately. Okada avoids High Fly Flow. Tanahashi avoids Rainmaker with a SLING BLADE! He climbs back up! HIGH FLY FLOW ROLLED THROUGH BY OKADA! TOMBSTONE, BUT TANAHASHI REVERSES IT INTO HIS OWN TOMBSTONE! He climbs back up! HIGH FLY FLOW TO THE BACK OF OKADA
Okada and Tanahashi are trading blows now as they attempt to get to their feet. They continue this as they get back to their feet, each refusing to fall down for their opponent. Okada gets an uppercut in. Tombstone reversed into a roll-up by Tanahashi. Dragon Screw to the leg of Okada. Slaps by Tanahashi to Okada over and over and over again. Okada has crumbled to his knees holding the leg of Tanahashi. Backslide by Okada gets 2. Capture German Suplex Bridge gets a 2 for The Ace. High Bridging German Suplex by Okada. 2 count! Dragon Suplex by Tanahashi. 2 count only again! Tanahashi bounces off the ropes into the dropkick of Okada! Okada is calling for it again! RAINMAKER DUCKED! DRAGON SCREW AGAIN TO OKADA'S LEG! Another one this time on the middle rope. Okada is in so much pain that he can't avoid... HIGH FLY FLOW!!!! TANAHASHI HITS ANOTHER LEG WRENCH TO OKADA! HE CLIMBS BACK UP! HIGH FLY FLOW! HE CLIMBS BACK UP AGAIN! HIGH FLY FLOW!!!! OKADA IS OUT! 1-2-3!
Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi (STILL IWGP Intercontinental Champion)
Match Grade: A+. Have these guys ever had a bad match? Seriously, I'm asking. This is one of the great rivalries of wrestling history, and this is another chapter in this long-running saga. The older lion found a way to attack the body part of Okada to a point where he was able to overcome his younger opponent. The amount of storytelling in these matches may be unparalleled. Tanahashi was having a hard time keeping up with Okada's speed and agility. So, he worked on a body part to help him get an advantage. Okada made just one too many mistakes and got caught. All of this happening while the older Tanahashi knows that he can't keep Okada down forever. Just great stuff here. Okada was still on the rise here, as crazy as that sounds given that he was already a multi-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion by this point. By this time next year, Okada had regained the championship and would FINALLY defeat Tanahashi in a successful title defense at the Tokyo Dome.
This would be Tanahashi's last victory against Okada until September 2018 as he would fall to Okada several times and tie him a couple others. And this would also be his last successful title defense as he would lose the title to AJ Styles. Tanahashi wouldn't regain the championship until Wrestle Kingdom 13 against Kenny Omega, marking his record-setting 8th Reign with the title.
_ _ _ _
I hope you all enjoyed this look at Wrestle Kingdom 9. Would anyone be interested in a similar review for Wrestle Kingdom 10? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @cdub1898.
Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
Comments
Post a Comment