New Japan’s big summer PPV (pay-per-view) is coming around again tomorrow, and I just wanted to put in my predictions for this year’s event.
Jon Moxley vs. Shota Umino
Who I think will win: John Moxley
This is Moxley’s first match in NJPW since winning the IWGP US Championship. He’s going up against Unimo, who is an up-and-coming young lion. I don’t think that theirs any way they would have their newly minted US champ getting beaten by a young lion.
Satoshi Kojima vs. Shingo Takagi
Who I think will win: Shingo Takagi
He has been on a bit of a roll lately, so I think they will have him continue on his hot streak.
Jushin Thunder Liger and YOSHI-HASHI vs. Minoru Suzuki and Zack Sabre, Jr.
Who I think will win: Jushin Thunder Liger and YOSHI-HASHI
Apparently, it looks as if the folks at New Japan are trying to push YOSHI-HASHI, and as this is Jushin Liger’s farewell tour, I think that they are going to give the win to his tag team in order to help further push YOSHI-HASHI towards wherever they are going to push them.
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, and Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Jay White, Chase Owens and Taiji Ishimori
Who I think will win: Bullet Club (White, Owens, and Ishimori)
This is basically Taguchi-JAPAN vs Bullet Club. True, Juice Robinson needs a win, after losing his belt to John Moxley, but it seems that New Japan are still trying to keep Jay White as a top foreigner (gaijin) within the company. Also with Tanahashi and Ryusuke being in the later years of their wrestling careers and heading towards “Legend” status, I don’t see the folks at New Japan having three younger wrestlers that they are trying to push losing this match.
IWGP Tag Team Championship: Guerillas of Destiny (Bullet Club) Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon EVIL and SANADA
Who I think will win: EVIL and SANADA
I just think it’s time. Guerillas of Destiny have held the belts on and off for many years, and I honestly think that New Japan got the belts back on them 1) so that they could get them off of the Young Bucks (as the Bucks were about to leave to form their own promotion), and 2) for some reason New Japan didn’t see the point of putting their belt on a tag team from Ring of Honor (RoH), so they just waited to prop up another tag team from their own promotion. EVIL and SANADA are amazing wrestlers, and I think they work well together, and give the titles justice.
Never Openweight Championship: Taichi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Who I think will win: Ishii
This is just my personal opinion, but here it is—I don’t like Taichi. I don’t know if that is intended, but I don’t. I feel of him the way I feel about Baron Corbin, they both have “X-Pac heat” with me. No matter what they’ve done so far, I just don’t like them and think that they are boring inside and outside of the ring. I’m really hoping that they give the title to Ishii, who is an amazing “Strong-style” brawler type of wrestler in the ring, and who gives off a menacing persona every time I see him. I love that about Ishii.
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Dragon Lee vs. Will Ospreay
Who I think will win: I don’t know
Both of these wrestlers are ridiculously amazing in the ring, and both are getting varying degrees of push within the New Japan ranks. I don’t know who is going to take the win here, but I know that this has the potential to be a match of the night contender. I can’t wait to see it.
IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Kota Ibushi vs Tetsuya Naito
Who I think will win: Naito
I love Kota Ibushi. I have ever since I first saw him wrestle in NXT’s Intercontinental Tournament. Ever since then, he has never failed to wow me when he’s in the ring. I will be rooting for him to win tomorrow. That being said, it feels like New Japan are trying to ramp Naito up for another run at the Heavyweight Championship, and in order to do that, the IC title is a stepping stone. Also, this match also has the potential to be a match of the night.
IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada vs Chris Jericho
Who I think will win: Okada
With John Moxley recently winning the IWGP US Championship, I just don’t think that they will have a repeat of two foreign wrestlers holding two of their top belts. True, the US belt isn’t as prominent as the heavyweight belt quite yet, I just don’t think they would. Having said that, you never know. The G1 Tournament is about to begin with their first event being in Dallas, TX. Having Jericho with the belt and maybe in the tourney would go a long way to giving New Japan Pro Wrestling inroads with the American and Western audiences.
Those are my picks for tomorrow Dominion PPV from New Japan. What do you think? Who do you pick to win during Dominion? Leave your pick in the comments, and again thank you are visiting my little corner of the interwebs.
