Board 8 > All-Purpose Wrestling Topic 447: Change The World

(+) Yeah! (+)

This is as hyped as I've been for a match since Punk at MiTB.
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Yeah I know, Punk vs Michael Jackson could win FOTN!
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Wait is that tomorrow night too?

I actually want Punk to lose so he gives up that whole UFC endeavor.
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Hype post. The hype is real.
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I support the title that is about wrestling
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ty Lopen your support means the world to me
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Tag
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Go Okada
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tag
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this topic gave me staph
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Great, short and sweet Twitter thread about Okada/Omega for anyone who cares even a little about the match.

https://twitter.com/MrLARIATO/status/1005229349879021568
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NBIceman posted...

Great, short and sweet Twitter thread about Okada/Omega for anyone who cares even a little about the match.

https://twitter.com/MrLARIATO/status/1005229349879021568

If Omega wins, Ibushi has to win G1
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Main eventing WK13 with Omega/Ibushi would be a super ballsy, un-NJPW move. It would be incredible but I don't know if I see it happening.
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What do you predict?
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I don't even know anymore - my New Japan predictions have been very, very off for the past year and there's a lot of mitigating factors. It's hard to imagine a main event without Okada for at least the next couple years and I really felt like he and Naito were destined for a rematch with Naito finally overcoming him, just like the Okada/Tanahashi story at WK9 and 10.

Problem is, NJPW has absolutely no good reason (from a business perspective) to make Naito the top guy right now. Okada is still selling out every show he heads, regardless of his opponent, no matter how many seats they open up or how much they jack up the prices. And Naito's still the most popular dude in the company no matter what he's doing or where on the card he is.

If you take Omega/Ibushi as the IWGP Title match, what do Naito and Okada do? They can't face each other - Okada beating Naito again does nobody any favors and a Naito win without the title on the line would be a hollow ending to the story.

What may be the most interesting story is Omega losing at Dominion with Ibushi winning the G1 and dethroning Okada at Kingdom. That really plays into the narrative LARIATO was talking about, as it could really break Kenny emotionally and set up a situation where he turns on Kota for a match at Dominion 2019. The problems with THAT are: The Golden Lovers are over as all hell, I don't think there's any reason for Kenny to go heel again, and the match is probably too big for even Dominion. And if it doesn't happen at WK13, what do THEY do? Do they somehow fall into a match against each other anyway? Does it mean as much in the semi-main slot without the title? Or do they tag with each other? Or do they have separate singles matches?

Gun to my head? I'd say we're getting Kenny/Okada (Kenny wins tomorrow, and either of them wins the G1) and Ibushi/Naito for the IC. I'd have to be getting pretty great odds to put money on it, though.
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Typing all that out makes me realize what a loss Shibata has been. If he's healthy he probably wins the IC belt from Tanahashi this past January and potentially goes into 13 as the Heavyweight challenger. That felt like the direction they were going, and as far in advance as Gedo likes to book I think that really threw a wrench into his plans. Even if not, having a guy like him around really opens up the top of the card - any of Okada, Omega, Ibushi, and Naito could've solved their "What do they do if not xxxx" by facing Shibata.
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If Omega is not Heavyweight Champ, I think you could probably get away with them winning Tag League and then the belts at WK
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Rematch with the Bucks for the belts was something I considered, but that doesn't seem like the direction they're going on BTE. And titles or not, that'd be the only pairing that would seem to be big enough for the Lovers as a team.

Wouldn't rule it out, though. But then, does that definitely send Naito to the ME? Where does the IC title land in that scenario. Suzuki/Tana rematch maybe, I suppose.
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Suzuki vs Danielson
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Well, yeah. If he leaves in September you can throw everything I've been saying out the window.
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Switchblade has to turn on Chaos at some point. To what extent I dont know.
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I don't think that happens this year, though. The company has enough going on with all the Bullet Club drama still. Tossing in another unit having problems would make things kinda crowded.
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is this english
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GTM posted...

is this english

Are you watching Fenixs CMLL debut? If so, no.
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Ha, just watched Caristico botch a spot something fierce and have to repeat it.

Some things never change
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https://twitter.com/narukiroy/status/1005290238804221953?s=21

LA Park still getting it done at 52!

Los Ingobernables vs La Familia Real might be my feud of the year at the moment
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Alright, so since I have nothing else to do and I hyped myself up earlier, I'll try to logically book out some partial potential WK13 cards, at least on the HW side since the Jr. stuff could literally go anywhere.

Okada, Omega, Ibushi, and Naito are likely not falling out of the top two matches under any circumstance. That leaves guys like Tanahashi, Suzuki, ZSJ, the Bucks, EVIL, and SANADA to fill out the next three or four matches, with an outside chance that Danielson or Jericho could hop in and turn everything on its head. So, just throwing shit at the wall....

Omega/Okada, HW
Naito/Ibushi, IC
Suzuki/Tanahashi
Bucks/Cody and Hangman, Tag (This just came to me but the more I think about it the more I like it)
Goto/EVIL, NEVER
Switchblade/Juice, US

I don't know, swap around those top two matches any way you like and that looks like a pretty plausible lineup.
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I thought you guys were watching something but there is no discord going?
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Or maybe we are getting Lovers/Bucks, in which case...

Okada/Naito, HW
Lovers/Bucks, Tag
Suzuki/Tanahashi, IC
Goto/Juice, NEVER
Switchblade/Cody, US
Err.... ZSJ/Danielson? I can't find room for Sabre on any of these. Maybe he faces Ishii for the British HW Title?
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I think the proof that Okada can draw against anyone in Japan, was him headlining against Zack.

It was a good safe match too!
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Nixon Newell's NXT name revealed as Tegan Nox, joining Kassius Ohno and Oney Lorcan as one of the top 3 worst changes they've done.

Couldn't it have just been Tegan Newell or something? Tegan Nox sounds like a porn name.
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But the one thing about Okada beating Tanahashi's defense record, is that now any match against a top tier main eventer, feels like a potential title loss.

Omega/Ibushi never made sense as a Tokyo Dome main event, but as a Budokan match, that's big.
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Actually going to watch this one live! First time in a while due to work.
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Crowd is showing some serious pop for certain spots.

Can imagine how it'll go for the big 3 matches.
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OH MY GOD

Jericho!!!!
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Omg the possibility of EVIL vs Jericho.
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What an ending!
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The world has been changed!
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Oh my god.
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that was the greatest wrestling show I've ever watched.

top to bottom what a fantastic card.

even the NEVER openweight title match which had NO RIGHT to be any good was fucking great.
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I really do need to watch more Lucha Libre.

For as much as I try to enjoy puro, I almost always more effortlessly enjoy AAA and CMLL
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Takahashi might legit be my favorite wrestler right now
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he's so great.
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https://streamable.com/pg5ch

here's Hiromu enraged about being questioned about his fried chicken preparation
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Hahah, that's fantastic
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That was absolutely incredible.

Show of the year for sure.
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The only complaint I have is that Michael Elgin won his match. But damn, I loved that show. There are so many bright spots that I can't even pick a favorite match (although the main event is objectively the best match on the show).
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I was kind of worried that Naito/Jericho would be a let down

Oh me of little faith
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Just finished.

Show of the year for sure and one of the top 3 or 5 best I've ever seen. Not a bad or average match on the whole card.

Those folks who were angry Omega didn't win last year sure look dumb now, don't they? No way would it have meant as much as it does now.
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