So we arrive at the 2nd New Beginning show, this time in Niigata. We’ve got a card that consists of a first time singles meeting between newly crowned leader of the Bullet Club, Kenny Omega, and freshly dethroned former “Ace of the universe” Hiroshi Tanahashi. This marks Omega’s first featured bout at heavyweight in New Japan and should be all kinds of interesting. Elsewhere, we’ve got a Wrestle Kingdom rematch between GBH and Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows for the IWGP Tag Team Championships and we’ve got a Junior Heavyweight Title match featuring Kushida defending his crown as king of juniors against El Ingobernable, BUSHI. I’m excited and, an argument could be made that Niigata may have actually gotten a stronger card than Osaka.

Here are @EvilJason27 and @specficluchador to run through the card.

Bullet Club (Cody Hall, Matt & Nick Jackson) vs Captain NJPW, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask

Elspecifico: Pretty standard opener here. Cody Hall has been slightly improving as of late: this will be a good showcase for him in a match that Bullet Club will undoubtedly win. Really nothing significant here, just a match to fill out the card.

Prediction: Bullet Club

EvilJason: I like the chemistry Cody Hall has with the Young Bucks, he’s a nice foil for their more flamboyant personalities and the trio do deliver some very funny moments. In terms of development I’m not sure how much Hall has come on in the ring as we’ve not seen him given as much time as he had been when he was initially brought in. There’s nothing much too this match really, it should be a fun 6 man opener, I wont be holding out much hope for the team of Liger and Tiger Mask to be heated up for a run at the IWGP Junior Tag belts. The only real mystery here is who eats the pin; Cody Hall or Captain New Japan? Prediction: Bullet Club CHAOS (Gedo & Sakuraba) vs reDRagon

Elspecifico: More standard stuff here to fill out the card. Sakuraba’s interactions with reDRagon will be fun but outside of that there is really nothing noteworthy. Whether those interactions will be enough to carry this match is another question. Prediction: reDRagon

EvilJason: The potential of seeing some Kyle O’Reilly/Kazushi Sakuraba exchanges here has made me unashamedly sweaty. As far as random tag matches go, this one takes some beating. I mean there’s no other reason for this to be on the card other than here’s four guys that are on the tour anyway so just throw them out there and see what happens. Thing is, as far random undercard tag matches in New Japan go, this could be pretty good! Prediction: reDRagon David Findlay, Manabu Nakanishi, Rysuke Taguhi & Yuji Nagata vs TenCozy, Matt Sydal & Ricochet Elspecifico: Oh boy, I hope that we see a lengthy Ricochet/Nakanishi interaction here. This is more standard stuff that presents a number of potentially interesting interactions outside the aforementioned. This should be a fun match that pits the grumpy old men against some of the fastest workers in the business. This could be fun in the strangest way. Prediction: TenCozy, Ricochet & Matt Sydal EvilJason: For the sheer spectacle of seeing the two extremes on the spectrum that is wrestlers mobility this will be worth it. This match must be a rib, there’s no other reason to put Manabu Nakanishi in a match opposite Matt Sydal and Ricochet. If we get some exchanges between Ricochet and Nakanishi then really there’s no point in continuing with this show because there is NOTHING that will top that. Prediction: TenCozy and High Flying Stars Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL & Tetsuya Naito) vs Michael Elgin & Jay White

Elspecifico: Naito and EVIL’s antics make for great viewing regardless of their opponents but this should be a good match. Elgin and EVIL’s interactions will be incredibly stiff: I feel like one of the two will enter the NEVER Openweight Championship picture in the near future. I think this match will be about showcasing EVIL as much as it is Naito. Prediction: Los Ingobernables de Japon EvilJason: With Naito being paired against Michael Elgin on these two New Beginning shows you’d have to believe that there is a programme incoming between those two and that is something that I wouldn’t be opposed to. I am hoping that we get to see a bit more from EVIL in these two New Beginning shows. Right now his role is simply as Naito’s heater but these tag matches should be used as a showcase for him because reactions to him have been lukewarm since he’s returned from his excursion. In White and Elgin he has two very able opponents against which he can showcase his skills and really begin the process of earning the fans acceptance. Prediction: Los Ingobernables de Japon Bullet Club (Fale, Tonga & Yurijo) vs Toru Yano, Jay & Mark Briscoe Elspecifico: This will be the third time that we have seen this match in a short period of time. I don’t really want to talk about it anymore but I will make a few comments: Bullet Club will win the titles in Osaka and The Briscoes and Yano will receive their rematch for the titles here. Prediction: Bullet Club CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi Hashi) vs Hirooki Goto, Katsuyori Shibata & Juice Robinson Elspecifico: As I have previously mentioned, matches like this are consistently good but inherently constrained by their format. Okada/Goto and Shibata/Ishii will provide some fun interactions whilst YOSHI-HASHI and Juice will just be there. This is another match that gets everyone on the card and nothing should be read from the fact Ishii/Shibata and Okada/Goto are still facing off. Prediction: CHAOS EvilJason: I’ll just say in favour of these 6 man tag matches, it’s an easy way of getting guys on the card, it keeps combinations fresh and it’s less physically taxing on the performers than having to kill themselves working singles each night. This is basically the two top combinations from the Osaka card with Yoshi-Hashi and Juice Robinson thrown in there to eat the pinfall. While Okada will be paired with Goto, I eagerly await any exchanges that may occur between Shibata and Okada. Prediction: CHAOS

KUSHIDA vs BUSHI

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match

Elspecfico: KUSHIDA makes his first defence as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion following a huge victory at the Tokyo Dome against Kenny Omega. For a while now, NJPW have been looking for a Japanese native to be the face of the Junior Division. KUSHIDA, undoubtedly, is that man. 2016, as with several other members of the roster, will be a big year for KUSHIDA, who must establish himself as the man to restore the Junior Division to its former glory. KUSHIDA’s first defence will be against the ungovernable BUSHI.

Based on their previous interactions, I have high expectations for this match. When BUSHI first joined Los Ingobernables, he appeared to be deceiving himself into being ungovernable to fit in with the cool kids. However, over the proceeding months, BUSHI has really honed his tranquillo style. I can’t see NJPW failing a second time with KUSHIDA. He will win here.

Prediction: KUSHIDA

EvilJason: Having halted Kushida’s reign as ace of the junior heavyweight division the first time around, don’t expect a similar mistake to be made here. BUSHI has proven himself a very natural fit for the Los Ingobernables de Japon stable since returning from a long term injury. He’s altered his character and his ring style to fit with this new direction that his career has taken and his ring work shows no signs of rust from his long layoff. Kushida is coming off a very good showing at Wrestle Kingdom in a match with Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom that went somewhat under the radar as a consequence of the incredible quality of the final three matches on that show. Both Juniors will be looking to leave a lasting impression here because, and whisper it quietly, the junior heavyweight division in New Japan right now seems to be undergoing something of a renaissance. The news that Kayfabe Today favourite, Will Ospreay, has signed a contract with New Japan only strengths the belief that this is a division on the rise again and a strong showing in this match will continue that momentum which the division is picking up. Prediction: Kushida

GBH (Tomoaki Honma & Togi Makabe) vs Bullet Club (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson)

IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match

Elspecfico: At the Tokyo Dome, Tamoaki Honma, the perennial underdog, finally won the big one. After years of coming close but not close enough, Honma finally won gold on the biggest stage in Japanese wrestling. Regardless of the allegations that surrounded Honma heading into Wrestle Kingdom, the victory was an emphatic repudiation by NJPW. Entering this match, this very may well be the final match of Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson’s NJPW career as they receive their rematch for the Heavyweight Tag Titles they lost at Wrestle Kingdom. Although Anderson and Gallows will leave a big hole in the division, their departure offers NJPW the opportunity to focus on other teams. Ain’t no way GBH lose here.

Prediction: GBH

EvilJason: I know….I know, they took the titles off Meiyu Tag last year and gave them back to Anderson and Gallows for absolutely no reason, forever ruining the memory of a pretty great Wrestle Kingdom moment. So with that in mind, surely it’s not beyond the realms of belief that they could do the same here with GBH? While nothing is impossible, this match is almost certainly a lock for GBH. Honma and Makabe are tasked with being the figureheads of a division that, currently, doesn’t really exist. If Gallows and Anderson fly the nest then it’s only TenCozy and Los Ingobernables de Japon who are the remaining challengers and you get the feeling that Naito has better things to be doing than chasing the Tag Team Titles anyway. New Japan tend to use their close ties with international companies to bring in guys to bolster their Junior Heavyweight division, I feel though that this is the ideal division to strengthen with international teams. Granted, they did try with The Kingdom in recent times but that’s not so much a failing of the idea as it is just a failing of the team to get over. In any case, for now GBH will have to finish this programme with Anderson and Gallows first.

Prediction: GBH

Kenny Omega vs Hiroshi Tanahashi

IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match

Elspecfico: There are two important factors to consider entering this match that have been dwelt on extensively so I will try and keep this relatively brief. The departures of Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles has left a gaping chasm in terms of NJPW main eventers: and secondly, Kenny Omega, after usurping AJ Stlyes as the de facto leader of the Bullet Club, is evidently being groomed for the position as top gaijin in the company. Both factors would suggest that Omega will surely win.

Well, it is not so simple. Despite Hiroshi Tanahashi’s shoulder injury that he sustained at FantasticaMania, Japanese tradition has seemingly dictated that Tanahashi works injured due to the necessity of a big opponent to assist in establishing Kenny Omega as a main event calibre talent. Heading into the match, until a couple of weeks ago, Kenny Omega’s opponent was penciled in as ‘X’. Perhaps due to poor ticket sales, Tanahashi stated that he was ‘X’ at Nakamura’s farewell show. One has to expect Omega to be validated as both a heavyweight and main eventer with a victory here over the biggest star in Japanese wrestling over the past ten years. There is a distinct possibility NJPW reverts to type and puts the title on Tanahashi through necessity rather than choice but you just have to trust the process here.

Prediction: Kenny Omega

EvilJason: Turns out Tanahashi was X, to the surprise of pretty much nobody but at least it gave Tana a chance to do that silly X symbol with his arms and maybe even add another nickname to his vast arsenal of pseudonyms. Tanahashi is coming off probably the biggest loss of his career (to Kazuchika Okada in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom). No longer the Ace of New Japan, Tanahashi must now adjust and find his place on the card. It is in the chase for the Intercontinental Title that he has shown up. It’s probably the correct place for him at this moment in time. He needs to be phased out of the IWGP Heavyweight Title picture to allow Okada to cement his place as the new ace, while at the same time NJPW dare now squander the remaining drawing power of Tanahashi at a time when established money-drawing stars in the company are scarce so chasing a strong secondary title seems a perfect fit. Tanahashi’s opponent in Niigata enters as a man on the verge of being a “made man” in New Japan. With AJ Styles seeking pastures new, it is Omega who looks set to benefit most from that open spot as the top gaijin in the company. This isn’t a decision brought about by panic or desperation, Kenny Omega has been groomed for stardom in New Japan from the moment he decided to leave DDT to go full time with NJPW. Omega has proven himself a draw in Japan during his time in DDT, he has paid his dues in New Japan as a member of the Junior Heavyweight division, and this is absolutely the right time to pull the trigger on Kenny Omega, AJ Styles or no AJ Styles. He leads The Bullet Club and he has an absolute raft of fresh, exciting match-ups waiting for him at heavyweight. In terms of how I think this match will go, I do believe that Kenny Omega will leave as Intercontinental Champion. If he is to be accepted as a true star at heavyweight then he must defeat an established heavyweight star and there is no star in New Japan more established than Hiroshi Tanahashi. While it may not be ideal for Tana to lose a second high profile singles bout so close to the first, I’d expect lots of outside shenanigans to soften the blow somewhat. The right result all day long in this case is Kenny Omega. Prediction: Kenny Omega