New Japan Pro Wrestling 1/4/2023 Wrestle Kingdom 17

New Japan Pro Wrestling 1/4/2023 Wrestle Kingdom 17

Here's what I saw: 

Pre-Show Exhibition Match - Ryohei Oiwa vs. Boltin Oleg

This was only 3 minutes. I really don't know why since that's not enough time to do anything. Oleg's a big and thick dude and he did good doing mostly amateur wrestling stuff. No winner here.

New Japan Ranbo 

I did not like this. I don't like battle royale's usually but this was worse as there was no winner. The last four who were left standing here qualified for a 4 way for the King of Pro Wrestling title. I thought it just being associated with this was a major burial for people like Shingo, Cobb and O'Khan. This also ended up going too long.

IWGP Tag Titles - FTR vs Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI

I've never seen a team get three sets of titles and somehow get under with them, but that happened with FTR. It was pretty obvious to me that FTR were losing their titles here and they did. A match like this really would have been better at a smaller venue or on a smaller show. Then they would have gotten 20+ minutes, could have done a lot of basics and really had a good one. This was what I worried it would be though - a shorter, rushed match that wasn't half of what it could have been. It's neither of the teams faults, but this was not what it could have been at all.

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Keiji Muto & Shota Umino vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito)

This was just a fun little throwaway match to get Mutoh out there. It was a waste of a lot of the guys in it as these guys should be in big matches here, but at least it was decent. I probably would have had Mutoh come in at the end and make a hot tag then clear off the heels leading to the finish, but I guess what they did here was okay enough. The faces won, everyone got their big happy moment here and it did what it was supposed to do.

IWGP US Title - Kenny Omega vs Will Osperay

To the surprise of no one, I didn't like this one. There wasn't a real story to it. They kicked out of a million different things including a 2nd rope german. Kenny got his eye hurt legit off a buckles spot and Will bled. None of that could stop them though of course and none of it really played that much of a role in the match. It just felt like another Okada/Omega match where people talk about how its the greatest thing ever but can't explain why or defend the idea.

IWGP Title - Kazuchika Okada vs Jay White

This was a good match. White heeled it up here for the most of the match then Okada started making a comeback. They did each others moves here. Okada showed some fire and anger and White showed some desperation before being put down. White may not always bring the best matches and he really does do almost the same thing every time out, but you can't really deny that he knows how to work heel and he was effective as one here.