5 things that need to happen at Wrestle Kingdom 12
With Vince McMahon and WWE busy planning for the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania, a good portion of the wrestling community will be turning their attention towards New Japan Pro Wrestling tomorrow night, and their twelfth annual Wrestle Kingdom event.
With some mouth-watering matches on the card, including Hiroshi Tanahashi and Jay White, Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito and Cody vs. Ibushi, it might not have taken much for the western audience to fork out for a New Japan World subscription.
But with the huge announcement that WCW and WWE legend Chris Jericho will be making his return to Japan to face Kenny Omega, New Japan pretty much guaranteed themselves an army of first time viewers.
What will be going through the minds of Vince McMahon and Triple H come Thursday night, and just how much of an impact will this show have on the wrestling landscape? All remains to be seen, but for our money, here are 5 things that need to happen at Wrestle Kingdom 12...
5. Minoru Suzuki needs to have his head shaved
With all the hype surrounding the three signature matches on the card at Wrestle Kingdom 12, one meeting that has gone somewhat unnoticed is the Hair vs. Hair match for the Never Openweight Championship between Hirooki Goto and Minoru Suzuki.
For anyone who hasn't had the pleasure of seeing Minoru or Goto perform before now, let me tell you, this bout has the potential to be the proverbial show-stealer come Thursday night.
In order to convey the appropriate image of these men to first time American/British viewers, the temptation would be to draw some parallel between pair and a similar duo over in WWE. But it is to the credit of the men that, at least at present, the McMahon led promotion does not possess equivalents.
Minoru Suzuki, in particular, is one of the most fascinating characters in the entire industry. He evokes the same level of non-kayfabe dread and fear into you as Brock Lesnar, but with twice the likability factor.
The two will come to a head tomorrow night and one person will be losing their hair. While it would be both amusing and terrifying to witness Suzuki with a pair of electric clippers in his possession, the scene will be so much more satisfying and entertaining with him as the victim.
Apart from anything else, who wouldn't want to see where Minoru Suzuki goes after his dignity and title are ripped from him?