Wrestle Kingdom 14: Night 1 Predictions
New Japan Pro-Wrestling's blockbuster two-day Wrestle Kingdom is only a few days away. A first for the company's iconic Tokyo Dome show, Wrestle Kingdom 14 will not just take place on the January 4th, but the 5th as well with some intriguing matches lined up for both nights. Of particular interest is how NJPW will incorporate their foreign superstars from AEW and the double gold rush quest into the main events.
On one end Tetsuya Naito seeks to fulfill a grand dream to win the main event at the dome, in a contest where he's on the lowest rung of the totem pole. At the same time the involvement of Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley in big matches across the two nights, places into question how AEW may or may not get involved with NJPW.
Among all of this is the grand culmination of Jyushin Thunder Liger's retirement tour. The legendary masked Junior Heavyweight will have special exhibition matches on both nights, highlighting his history in the company and the influence he will be leaving behind.
Apart from this, there is a stacked card awaiting on night one with a Tag Team Championship challenge, the return of Hiromu Takahashi, and some fascinating faction wars even though that means wasting some top tier talents. Regardless, on both occasions, Wrestle Kingdom 14 promises to be a barn burner of a show.
To celebrate the two nights of Wrestle Kingdom 14 and its historic moments, let's see what the show might look like.
Stardom in the Dark
Special Stardom Match: Mayu Iwatani and Arisa Hoshiki vs. Giulia and Hana Kimura
With Bushi Road buying out Stardom Wrestling, it was only a matter of time that the company integrated the Joshi promotion into the NJPW product. Unfortunately for the two promotions, their differing TV deals mean that this historic contest won't get televised during the event. There's no sign of it being showcased on New Japan World or Stardom World services either.
Even then one can't deny the big deal this is, despite it being absolutely necessary in tradition and traction to keep the Joshi's separate from the main world of New Japan. The exposure in their insulated environment will allow Stardom to gain a new breed of fans and even more visibility, if consistently showcased on big shows such as this.
As for the match, it's quite predictable despite being a showcase. On one end of this tag team contest, there is the World of Stardom Champion Mayu Iwatani and Wonder of Stardom Champion Arisa Hoshiki. With one stacked end, the champions side has to come out the winner especially allowing Stardom's ace Iwatani a big roar of approval at the Tokyo Dome. She is after all the best female pro-wrestler going today.
Result: Mayu Iwatani with Arisa Hoshiki picks up the win for her team in this Stardom Exhibition Special