AJ Styles. Shinsuke Nakamura. Doc Gallows. Karl Anderson.
Those 4 names have been the talk of the wrestling world in 2016. Ever since word got out that they were leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling, the rumor mill caught fire speculating where they’d end up. Now all 4 are firmly settled under the WWE umbrella (with Nakamura hanging out in NXT) and making quite the impact since their respective arrivals. That’s all well and good for WWE, but the question, of course, is where does this leave New Japan? A quick analysis of the talent:
– Nakamura is a former three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and five-time IWGP Intercontinental champion, a title which he helped popularize. Along with Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada, he was one of the three cornerstones of New Japan.
– Styles, after departing TNA Wrestling in 2014, made a colossal impact in his two years in Japan. He captured the IWGP Heavyweight Chapionship on two occasions and was one of the most successful foreign talents in their storied history.
– Gallows and Anderson began teaming together in 2013 and won three IWGP Tag Team Championships in their time together. Along with Styles, they were key members of New Japan’s wildly popular stable, The Bullet Club.
Those are some big guns to lose for any promotion. And all four gave notice shortly before New Japan’s biggest annual event, Wrestle Kingdom 10. That show featured all four wrestlers prominently, including a match of the year candidate between Styles and Nakamura. So for that big of a hole to appear in their talent roster so soon after their marquee show could have been catastrophic.
To New Japan’s credit, they’ve handled it masterfully.
For starters, though the aforementioned talent were prominently showcased at Wrestle Kingdom, they weren’t the main event. That was reserved for Tanahashi and Okada in the latest chapter of what has become a legendary rivalry between the two. And on this night, after previously failing at Wrestle Kingdom 7 and 9, Okada was finally able to defeat Tanahashi on New Japan’s biggest stage and claim his third IWGP Heavyweight Championship. It was a long awaited coronation and passing of the torch from the long standing ace to the chosen heir and the man who is seen by many as the face of New Japan for the foreseeable future. So at the very least, at the top of the card they are set. And given the talent exodus, it would’ve been understandable for New Japan to ride Okada’s ascension for a good long while and give him a nice long title reign to cement him as their new ace. Sure, that’s what they could have done. Instead, they decided to throw a curve ball.
Enter Tetsuya Naito.
On April 10th, just three months into Okada’s title reign, Naito shocked the world by defeating him for the IWGP Title, his first. It wasn’t shocking in that Naito wasn’t qualified, he absolutely is. What’s shocking is that they would cut Okada’s reign so short. They’ve built him up for so long, few figured his monumental title win would produce such a short output. Some may even think New Japan is crazy for doing so.
But in this instance, New Japan is crazy like a fox. They seem to understand what even WWE fails to when faced with a sudden shortage of main event players: they seriously shake things up to create more.
Naito has been building momentum for quite a while and, with so many spots opening up, it makes a ton of sense to pull the trigger on him and shoot him to the top. A title win over someone with Okada’s pedigree, especially at such an unexpected time, gives him instant credibility and generates buzz. New Japan deserves serious credit for taking a chance and shifting direction so radically. Now Naito is at the top of the card and can help bring his stable, Los Ingobernables (who have been growing in popularity themselves), with him.
Speaking of stables, there’s that other main event entity New Japan can continue to build upon: The Bullet Club. It’s no secret how successful and popular this group has been for the company. Since it’s inception in 2013, Bullet Club has been a license to print money not just in Japan, but here in the states as well. Go to any wrestling show for any promotion and you’re likely to see a few Bullet Club shirts in the crowd.
In fact, their popularity is such that they’ve remained a top draw despite losing founding member Prince Devitt (now Finn Balor, NXT’s resident demon) and now Styles, Anderson and Gallows. And New Japan has taken additional measures to make sure it stays that way. With the IWGP Intercontinental Title vacated due to Nakamura’s departure, they elevated rising star and Bullet Club member Kenny Omega by having him defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi in a match to decide the new champion. Where they could have played it safe and put the belt on an established legend like Tanahashi, they instead decided to take Omega to the next level. Similar to what they did with Naito, it was an intelligent move that shows a great deal of foresight on their part. It helps assure the Bullet Club does not falter.
Yeah, New Japan will be fine. They’ve been in much worse positions than this (see just about anything between ’04-’05) and have come out ahead. These last few years have been some of the best in the company’s long and storied history. And now, once again faced with a degree of uncertainty, they have responded beautifully. WWE may have lured away some of their finest, but New Japan remains one of the top wrestling organizations in the world. And thankfully, for them and for us, 2016 is just another opportunity to prove it.