 Pre-Show: Ryohei Oiwa vs. Boltin Oleg in an Exhibition Ended in a Time-Limit DrawI'm not familiar with Oiwa or Oleg in the slightest, so there really isn't much I can say about this. It's important to note that it was an exhibition and not a formal match, so it was quite different than everything else on the show, and I assume it's what Oiwa and Oleg are known for. I don't know if this would have worked if it was any longer than it was, but so it was smart to keep it only three minutes long and to slot it on the pre-show. It was quick and harmless. Pre-Show: Shingo Takagi, Great-O-Khan, SHO and Toru Yano Were the Remaining Four Competitors in the New Japan Ranbo and Advanced to New Year Dash to Challenge for the Provisional KOPW 2023 ChampionshipThis was no different than most New Japan Ranbo matches from years past in that it played out like your average gauntlet Battle Royal. What made this one stand out was all of the star power involved, at least compared to other installments. That's likely due to how Wrestle Kingdom wasn't two consecutive nights this year, so most of said stars didn't have other matches to compete in. The final four were logical, though. Pre-Show: Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata and Satoshi Kojima def. Minoru Suzuki, Tiger Mask and Tatsumi Fujinami in an Antonio Inoki Memorial Six-Man Tag Team MatchAs the designated "nostalgia" match of the show paying tribute to the late Inoki, I thought this served its purpose and was perfectly serviceable given how old some of these guys are. Hell, even Fujinami was in there looking pretty damn good at the age of 69. It didn't last too long, so it didn't overstay its welcome. It was also cool seeing Nagata and Kojima in there as I remember them from the appearances they made in AEW last year. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions United Empire (TJP and Francesco Akira) def. Lio Rush and YOHIt was a wise choice to position this as the opener. These four guys went in there and put forth a fantastic effort, giving the action exciting throughout with the frantic pace they were working at. There was never a dull moment, let's just say that. Rush has seemingly retired from every major promotion at this point, but the guy is super talented. This was a blast. IWGP Women's Champion KAIRI def. Tam NakanoI was disappointed that this only received around five minutes. I understand that this crowd isn't used to seeing women's matches on the main Wrestle Kingdom card and it might take a bit for it to become the norm, but this definitely could have been better with more time. What we got was good albeit rushed it felt like. Of course, the focus was entirely on Mercedes Mone, formerly known as WWE's Sasha Banks, debuting afterward and laying out KAIRI with what was unfortunately a botched move. Her promo wasn't too great, either, but it was a memorable moment, nonetheless. I'm really looking forward to seeing what she'll do outside of WWE and where else she might pop up. Bishamon def. FTR to Win the IWGP Tag Team ChampionshipBishamon consist of YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto, which is more of a reminder to myself than anyone who watches New Japan regularly. I've seen them compete several times before, but I don't think I remember them going by that name. Regardless, this was quite the hard-hitting affair with top-notch tag team work. I expected nothing less from FTR, who I presume wanted to give it a great effort in what might only be their first and only appearance in the Tokyo Dome. Now that they've lost all of their titles, could free agency be on the horizon? Zack Sabre Jr. def. Ren Narita to Become the Inaugural NJPW World Television ChampionOn a side note, Sabre looks like much more of a star with the blond hair. I had no idea New Japan was creating a TV title and Sabre feels like the right person to be holding it out of the gate. Narita was as impressive here as he was when he took on Katsuyori Shibata at Wrestle Kingdom last year. This was very well wrestled. Post-match, TMDK reunited with Sabre since they recently lost JONAH (who returned to WWE last month). Tama Tonga def. Karl Anderson to Win the NEVER Openweight ChampionshipObviously, it's cool that WWE allowed Anderson to work this show despite returning to WWE a few months ago. Also props to New Japan for not stripping Anderson of the title at that point. This will probably be the last big match Anderson has for a while because, let's face it, he and Luke/Doc Gallows won't be doing much of note in WWE. This was a good match that also served as a reminder of how talented Anderson is on his own. Tonga winning was never in doubt, but I enjoyed their outing, nonetheless. Keiji Muto, Shota Umino and Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA, Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI)Muto is, of course, also known as The Great Muta. He just faced and lost to WWE's Shinsuke Nakamura at a Pro Wrestling NOAH event on New Year's Day. I believe he had a hand in training SANADA, so I was surprised SANADA's team didn't win. That said, Umino, who is on the rise, picking up the pinfall win for his team was the next best thing. Muto definitely held his own and worked well with Umino and Tanahashi. This was a solid six-man tag team affair where everyone had a chance to shine. Hiromu Takahashi def. Master Wato, El Desperado and Taiji Ishimori in a Four-Way Match to Win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipIt would have been virtually impossible for these four not to have an absolute banger, and sure enough, it was exactly that. It was perfectly paced, the action was exciting, and all of the nearfalls down the stretch were suspenseful. These guys went all out and it was super fun to follow. From what I understand, Ishimori was feuding with Kushida over the title before Kushida had to take time off for whatever reason (injury related possibly?), so I didn't expect the championship to change hands. However, Takahashi is awesome, so I'm not complaining. Kenny Omega def. Will Ospreay to Win the IWGP United States Heavyweight ChampionshipLike many people, I had high hopes for this and they still managed to exceed expectations. There aren't many "dream" matches that are left in wrestling, but this was one of them for me and it lived up to the hype. Not only was it an outstanding match because of how strong their chemistry was and how exceptionally well their respective styles meshed, they also told a tremendous story with Omega hitting Ospreay with everything he had and Ospreay kicking out of it all, only to fall to the One Winged Angel in the end. It didn't feel like it was over 30 minutes long, either. This was stellar stuff and the outcome surprised me, though it must mean we haven't seen the last of Omega in New Japan or at least defending that title at New Japan shows in the United States. A rematch has to be inevitable, right? Kazuchika Okada def. Jay White to Win the IWGP World Heavyweight ChampionshipOkada and White have had a handful of matches over the years (including that gem I was in attendance for at G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden four years ago), and this was equally excellent. Omega vs. Ospreay was still far and away the match of the night, but this was a wonderful main event, nonetheless. White's reign solely existed so Okada could be put back in chase mode for seven months, but oh well. Hopefully Ospreay is the one to eventually take the title from Okada. The time breezed by with this match much like Omega vs. Ospreay. Overall ShowConsidering Wrestle Kingdom this year featured talent from both WWE and AEW (in addition to all the rumor surrounding Mone's arrival), there was a ton of pressure for the show to deliver and it definitely did. Of course, that's nothing new for Wrestle Kingdom as I don't think I've seen a single installment in the last several years that was anything less than above-average. Definitely make time for Omega vs. Ospreay, Okada vs. White and Mone's debut, but the whole event is worth checking out, especially if you aren't overly familiar with the product. I'm in a similar boat as Wrestle Kingdom is the only New Japan show I watch in full every year and I'm never left underwhelmed.
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