Tanahashi emerges victorious from WK 6 main event, but post match events hit history books
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December 2011 had seen Hiroshi Tanahashi on top of the world as he defeated Yuji Nagata to tie his record of 11 IWGP Heavyweight Championship defences. Starting his 2012 though, he had a tall task ahead of him. Minoru Suzuki had been dominant through the prior year, as after long periods competing in NOAH and All Japan, he settled in NJPW, and formed a terrifying army around him. Suzuki-Gun would be a feared group for years to come, and its King was eager for the gold on January 4 2012.
Angered at the frills and showmanship of Tanahashi, Suzuki brought a violent fight to the Ace, piling on punches on the entrance ramp. Knowing how dangerous the Gotch Style Piledriver would be, Tanahashi tried at all costs to avoid the move, but when he was on the receiving end, became one of a very few to kick out. The stunned Suzuki would only have a bemused grin on his face after Tanahashi caught him with a Slingblade, and then headed up for High Fly Flow.
The King did not reign after Wrestle Kingdom 6, but somebody else was about to. After Hiroshi Tanahashi logged his then record eleventh IWGP Heavyweight Championship reign, he would be greeted by one Kazuchika Okada.
Okada had wrestled earlier in the evening on his official return to NJPW action from US excursion. His opponent would be YOSHI-HASHI, himself returning from Mexico. Okada would be victorious in the double return match, but his confidence appeared to be exaggerated in the extreme when he headed to the ring to go face to face with the Ace. ‘Congratulations,’ he would state ‘and thank you for all you have done for NJPW. I’m taking over now’.
As boos rained down on Okada for ruining Tanahashi’s celebration, few in the Tokyo Dome believed that the Ace’s title was under threat, least of all the champion himself, who fired back ‘you’re a long way from IWGP worthy’. After New Beginning in Osaka the next month, everyone sat up and took notice of the Rainmaker.
Still, as will be the case eleven years later toward the end of his career, one could never take their eyes away from Keiji Muto. After coming achingly close to capturing his first G1 Climax trophy against Shinsuke Nakamura in the summer, the Stardust Genius Tetsuya Naito opted to target the Wrestling Genius Muto. Naito could not stop Muto’s effective knee work before the Shining Wizard and then a Moonsault Press gave victory to the veteran, and much to refocus on for the future El Ingobernable. It would be a long redemption process for Naito, eventually leading to he and M