[2024-01-04-NJPW-Wrestle Kingdom 18] SANADA vs Tetsuya Naito

[Superstar Sleeze]

IWGP Heavyweight Champion SANADA vs Tetsuya Naito - NJPW 1/4/24 Wrestle Kingdom 18

The hunt for a halfway decent New Japan 2024 match continues. Granted, I am doing this with express purpose of watching wrestlers I will watch in Japan at Korakuen Hall on April 22nd so watching Danielson in New Japan does not do me much good. Plus I am super familiar with Danielson so I dont need to watch him to prep for him even if he was to wrestle on that night. Anyways, never have been a Naito guy and nothing has really changed for me. He does not have much in the way of charisma nor does he do anything unique. Destino may be the worst finish of all time. It is so clunky and ugly. SANADA is like the most almost athletic wrestler of all time. Watch him try to do Misawa Tiger Feint at the beginning or the Poisonrana at the end, he just barely accomplishes them and they are ugly as sin. There's enough wicked athletic wrestler in this day and age, it is a losing battle for him. He should focus on something else. 

Honestly, the finish run basically mindwiped me and I cant really remember what I wanted to say even though I finished this match about ten minutes ago. 

Opening: Weak chain wrestling. The feign some dives. The match opens up with Naito hitting some hard back elbows to the neck and a hiptoss where SANADA's neck lands on Naito's knee. SANADA sells this well, even going to one knee on some hope spot chops. He moves into position a little early on the Slop Drop into some Lucha submission. As I expected, this match had like 20 minutes left so SANADA clearly oversold here as what was to come. 

Second segment: SANADA all of sudden has a ton of energy and moves out of the way a charge. Dropkick to the knee. Does some leapfrogs, dropkick. Splash to the outside. This would have been a great shine. Or he could not sold so much at the beginning. SANADA drops down into a Dragon Sleeper. He goes for the Moonsault early. Lands on his feet. He scrambles for another move but Naito sweeps the leg, dropkicks him and then a Reverse Neckbreaker off the guardrail to the floor for an 18 count. That sequence from the missed Moonsault->Neckbreaker on the floor was TREMENDOUS! It was the best sequence of the match. It demonstrates they could wrestle a great match, but they could NOT put it together. 

Third Segment: Naito snaps off a Top Rope Frankensteiner. SANADA hits a dropkick and then they tussle and he hits a Magic Killer off the top rope. They pissed away a lot of good work in that sequence. I think this is where the Poisonrana comes in. Moonsault eats the knees. First Destino and we enter the Finish stretch 

Finish Stretch: This was dreadful. First it is JIP wrestling. You could just JIP right to the missed moonsault and you would have missed nothing. The first 15-18minutes of this match do NOT matter. It is just a bunch of my turn, your turn finishes. Oh they steal each other finishers! Naito hits a bajillion Destino's. SANADA has an inverted Sister Abigail he hits plus some Shining Wizards and Moonsaults. It is pretty much mindless shit. 

I think when I enter Korakuen Hall I will be so overwhelmed by emotion I wont care what is put on in front of me, but New Japan looks fucking washed from where I am sitting.