July Shows

There were no PPVs in July, but there were a few bigger shows. Tanahashi defended the belt against Togi Makabe on July 1 and Masato Tanaka on July 22. Kota Ibushi won the IWGP Jr title from Low Ki on July 29 in a match that is not available on NJPW World. 

Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura started in New Japan in 2002 alongside talented rookies Hiroshi Tanahashi and Katsuyori Shibata (more on him later). In parallel with his pro wrestling career, Nakamura competed as a legit MMA fighter in 2002-2004 with a 3-1-1 record when pro wrestling-MMA crossovers were a major fad in Japan. Nakamura was marked for greatness from the start, and won the IWGP heavyweight title in 2003 at only 23 years of age. 

By 2012, Nakamura had been the IWGP heavyweight champ three times, most recently in 2009. Nakamura also won the G1 Climax tournament in 2011. In 2012, Nakamura was the leader of the large Chaos stable with Gedo, Jado, Okada, Masato Tanaka, Yujiro Takahashi and more.

Starting in 2011, Nakamura gradually began introducing flashy new elements into his gear and in-ring repertoire. By 2012, Nakamura enters the arena like a genuine rock star and struts down to the ring in an inimitable style. His exaggerated costumes and mannerisms belie his incredible wrestling skill. Aside from a variety of kicks and knees, Nakamura frequently turns to submissions on the ground. 

WIKIPEDIA

Hirooki Goto

Hirooki Goto is a perennial title contender, but has never held the IWGP Heavyweight belt. By 2012, Goto had already had great success in the heavyweight tournaments, winning the New Japan Cup 3 times and the G1 Climax once. 

Goto’s character is a stoic warrior who often uses traditional Japanese elements in his gear. His offensive is full of power moves like lariats, headbutts, and a variety of bodyslams.  

NJPW

WIKIPEDIA

On July 22, Shinsuke Nakamura challenged Hirooki Goto for the IWGP Intercontinental title. The Intercontinental title was a recent invention, introduced with a tournament during New Japan’s 2010 mini-tour of the U.S. east coast. For its first year, the title was strictly a midcard belt, with much less prestige than the IWGP Heavyweight strap. Nakamura’s match with Goto is a study in contrasts: speed vs. power, flashy style vs. a straight-faced scowl. After absorbing a flurry of punishing lariats and headbutts, Nakamura brought Goto to the ground with a jumping knee to the head and finished him at 16:50 with the Bomaye running knee smash.    

This was the start of a long run with the young championship for Nakamura, and he held the Intercontinental belt many times in the upcoming years. Nakamura’s association with the title eventually elevated it to a top-tier belt in New Japan. 

I don’t watch WWE, so this was literally the first time I saw Nakamura. He is electric! He moves like no one else, both when he walks down the ramp and when he covers the ring during a match. I could not take my eyes off of him.  

G1 Climax Tournament 

New Japan holds an annual G1 Climax heavyweight tournament, the most prestigious tournament of the year. The tournament is built around round robin matches between wrestlers in each of two blocks. The top point scorers from each block then compete in the final. 

The G1 is a big deal, and all of the top tier talent is included — usually even the heavyweight champ. Starting in 2012, winning the G1 Climax also officially gives the winner a certificate for title shot at the big January Wrestle Kingdom show. The certificate is carried in a briefcase, like a WWE Money in the Bank contract. The briefcase has to be defended by the winning wrestler on the way to the January title shot, adding more dimensions to potential storylines. 

2012’s G1 was booked with a remarkable amount of parity between all of the wrestlers. 12 of the 18 walked away with a 4-4 win-loss record. The 2012 tournament included Pro Wrestling Noah ace Noamichi Marufuji, who occasionally appeared in New Japan. 2012’s biggest two storylines were the strong performance of American Karl Anderson and the continued top-tier performance of Okada following his title loss. Note that only some of the tournament shows are available on NJPW World. 

Karl Anderson

In 2012, Karl Anderson was already a New Japan veteran at 32 years old. Anderson started in New Japan in 2008 after gaining experience in the U.S. indies. Early on in New Japan, Anderson teamed up with Giant Bernard, aka WWE’s Prince Albert/Tensai. Their tag team Bad Intentions was very successful in New Japan’s tag division, and they held the IWGP Tag titles for a record 564 straight days.     

Giant Bernard left New Japan in March 2012 to return to WWE. Anderson began a new chapter of his career, moving over to the New Japan singles division. 

Karl Anderson’s ring name was originally chosen to signify that he was part of the Anderson wrestling family, but he dropped the storyline over time. (He still uses the spinebuster.) Anderson is nicknamed Machine Gun, and he’s got an energetic style for a bigger guy.   

WIKIPEDIA

Yuji Nagata

Image:ゾーヒョー, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Yuji Nagata was one of New Japan’s biggest stars in the 2000s (a relatively down era for the company). Nagata grew up as an internationally competitive Greco-Roman wrestler, and adopted aspects of shoot wrestling when he joined New Japan in 1992. Nagata held the IWGP Heavyweight belt for a long reign in 2002 and again in 2007. 

By 2012, Nagata was 44 and had definitely lost a step, but he was still a very effective and expressive in-ring worker. 

NJPW

WIKIPEDIA

On the first night of August 1, Karl Anderson met Yuji Nagata. Anderson was an underdog in this match, since he was still establishing himself as a singles wrestler. The two put on a great show, with Anderson ruthlessly working over Nagatas knee. The Korakuen Hall crowd was hot for lots of dueling forearm strikes throughout the match and for the series of near falls. Anderson caught Nagata with the gun stun finisher at 11:28 to take the win. The two shook hands after the match and Anderson bowed to Nagata in respect. 

August 8’s main event was the first 1-on-1 rematch of Hiroshi Tanahashi and Minoru Suzuki since Tanahashi retained the title at January’s Wrestle Kingdom. This is one of the few 2012 matches available with English commentary. Kevin Kelly recorded voice-overs for some older matches retroactively, and Kelly refers to the match as part of NJPW World’s “from the vault” series. This is a great spot to get additional context on the wrestlers and the company in English to fill in gaps as you work your way through 2012. 

Suzuki’s buddy Taichi interfered a few times, stomping Tanahashi outside the ring, smacking Tanahashi with his own title belt, and pegging Tanahashi with a chair as he climbed the ropes. Late in the match, Suzuki hit Tanahashi with a sickening headbutt as the two traded slaps from their knees. Suzuki got his knees up to defend against the high fly flow, and got Tanahashi in a long sleeper and a Gotch-style piledriver to win the match at 20:53. This Suzuki win is important context for the classic rematch between these two wrestlers in October.  

By the final night on August 12, Okada claimed one finalist spot by beating Togi Makabe and chalking up more wins than any other wrestler in Block B. Tanahashi looked like the favorite in Block A, starting the night with the most wins in his block. But Tanahashi lost to Karl Anderson in a surprise upset, and the head-to-head tiebreaker meant that Anderson and Okada met in the finals. (The Tanahashi/Anderson match isn’t too remarkable, since they had to save Anderson to return for the finals in that night’s very next match.) 

Anderson entered the final as a giant underdog, since no foreigner had ever won the G1 Climax. The final had a great big match feel, and the crowd was rooting for Anderson. Anderson looked like he had Okada after a top rope TKO and a piledriver, but Okada kicked out of both. Anderson dodged two rainmakers, but Okada caught him for a tombstone and a rainmaker for the pin at 23:19. 

Gedo took the ring to join Okada’s celebration and let the crowd know Okada was headed to the Tokyo Dome for his IWGP Heavyweight title shot in January. Tanahashi ended up with a 5-3 record in the tournament, and his 1-on-1 losses to Marufuji, Suzuki, and Anderson all set up rematches for the months to come.

I watched the 2012 G1 at the end of 2020, right before Kenny Omega won the AEW title and ran off to Impact. One week after I watched these matches, Omega was on Impact goading Karl Anderson to return to the form that took him to the 2012 finals. I never expected these matches to be so relevant to current storylines!

Meanwhile…

Outside of New Japan, Kota Ibushi won independent wrestling company DDT’s KO-D Openweight Championship in June. For Ibushi’s second title defense, Kenny Omega and Ibushi took a break from teaming together, and Omega challenged Ibushi for the KO-D title at DDT’s 15th Anniversary show. DDT matches are available for streaming from ddtpro.com for about $10/month.      

Omega and Ibushi both looked pissed at the beginning of the match, despite their reluctant handshake. This was not going to be a friendly exhibition between partners. They hit some very physical shoulder blocks and boots to the face and then reset with a handshake. Omega then spent 5 minutes trying to tear Ibushi’s arm out of its socket until Ibushi freed himself and kicked Omega in the face. Ibushi went for a dive from the top of the corner to outside, but Omega hauled him down and suplexed him on the ring apron. Omega got a weird armbar on Ibushi, where his feet were on Ibushi’s shoulder, and he used his legs to fling Ibushi back to the floor every time Ibushi tried to stand out of it. Every time Ibushi tried to build some momentum, Omega cut him off. Omega tried to give Ibushi a snap-dragon on the entrance ramp, but Ibushi countered and gave him one of his own. Ibushi and Omega were up in the corner, with Ibushi getting him ready for a huricanrana from the top rope, and Omega scooted out and dropped Ibushi’s face into the corner. Omega then powerbombed Ibushi across the ring and into the corner. They were 30 minutes into the match and not slowing down at all. Kenny got Ibushi sitting on his shoulders while Kenny stood on the second rope, and he popped Ibushi over his head, grabbed his hips and gave him a huge German suplex from the ropes. In the most insane spot, Kenny balanced his feet on the top rope and Ibushi springboarded up and gave him a rana to the tiny mats outside the ring. Kenny barely beat the countout, and Ibushi finally looked like he had gained an advantage. But Kenny caught him with a V-trigger followed by a one winged angel, and Ibushi KICKED OUT! Kenny tried to end it with an armbar, but Ibushi made it to the ropes. Ibushi finally got Kenny up into the corner, folded him up like a sandwich, and hurled him backwards into the ring on his head. Ibushi covered, his nose bleeding down his face, but Kenny KICKED OUT! Finally, Ibushi got to the top rope and hit his twisting 450 Phoenix Splash for the pin at 37:26. 

Kenny’s funny whoosh-whoosh arm gestures make so much more sense in this environment than in the AEW ring. This is also the first time I saw him try to throw a Street Fighter hadouken, which cracked me up but worked great in the match. This match is insane, especially the final series of spots. Many of the other matches I’ve been watching have incredible emotion, pacing, and crowd reactions. But this match had all of that plus incredible physical feats. It’s also fun and surprising to see an example from when the one winged angel was not a guaranteed match-ender. It is totally worth subscribing to DDT Pro, even if you just check out this single match. I tried to watch other matches on this DDT card and they included an invisible wrestler, an inflatable doll, and a match decided by penalty kicks (literally kicking soccer balls into nets). DDT is quite a mixed bag, and not for the faint of heart.