NJPW/NOAH Wrestle Kingdom 16 In Yokohama Arena 1/8/2022

NJPW/NOAH Wrestle Kingdom 16 In Yokohama Arena 1/8/2022

This event would have been a big deal 15 years ago, but it really isn't now. NOAH's clearly the smaller promotion and half their roster is made up of guys who aren't even NOAH trueborns. The show also didn't have any big dream matches to it nor any title matches on this show to make it more intriguing. Maybe they will down the line, but I'm not holding my breath over it.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito) [New Japan] vs Kongo (Aleja, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kenou, Manabu Soya & Tadasuke) [NOAH]

Shingo won this one with a Last of the Dragon. The first half of this didn't have the big dogs interacting at all. Things got a little better in the second half, but Shingo vs Tadasuke is not really what I'm thinking of when I think of big NJPW vs NOAH dream matches, nor is Aleja getting his butt kicked for a large part of the match. Nakajima looked good here like he belonged but NOAH took the loss here when they shouldn't of and this could have been a lot better.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kaito Kiyomiya and Keiji Muto

Kaito hits an Okada dropkick early and kind of does his pose. Tana hits a jumping elbow on Kaito then gestures at Muto. Tana nad Muto go to the mat for a bit. Okada gets Muto tied up on the ropes and does Muto's pose then teases a dragon screw. Muto then hits Okada with the flashing elbow.

Tana dropkicks Kaito in the knee then puts him in a deep texas cloverleaf. Tana hit his flip senton for 2 off the 2nd rope. Mutoh gets in and puts Tana in the figure four. Mutoh dragon screwed Tana then took one back. Okada hit a top rope elbow on Mutoh, but Mutoh came back with a knee dropkick and a shining wizard.

Kaito started flurrying on Okada with forearms and euro uppercuts then did a twisting forearm off the 2nd buckle. Kaito then hit a top rope dropkick for 2. Kaito hit a big flying knee and took a slingbade from Okada, then Tana took a Muto shining wizard.

Okada spining tombstoned Kaito and then took a back dropkick, a shining wizard and a german suplex. Okada tried his big dropkick on Kaito and kind of missed it, but Kaito sold it anyway. Okada then hit a rainmaker for the win.

I wasn't impressed with this one. Kaito was treated as a joke from the beginning and did the job as expected and of course New Japan won. They had some logic going here with the NJPW boys doing Muto's moves but it's Mutoh and he'll always be an NJPW guy no matter what. Combined with the crowd not being allowed to cheer and this just wasn't that special.