If you missed New Japan Pro Wrestling’s second show of 2016, New Year Dash, you missed what amounts to NJPW’s “Raw after WrestleMania.” An event happening the day after Wrestle Kingdom 10 would be big on its own, but with the recent news that a pack of the promotion’s top stars have given their notice and may be headed to WWE, things have gotten crazy. These are obviously spoilers for the event, if you missed the headline and have somehow gotten this far in undeterred.
A lot happened, but there were two major moments:
1. Former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega pinned Shinsuke Nakamura in a tag team match and announced that he’s coming for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.
2. Omega then turned on his partner, A.J. Styles, hitting him with a One-Winged Angel. That led to a pull-apart involving the Bullet Club, which culminated in Omega and the Young Bucks laying out Styles with a triple superkick. Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson — both rumored to be a part of the crew leaving for the states — stood up for Styles, but ended up “Too Sweeting” Omega and the Bucks, which is a legally binding contract of allegiance.
The times, they are a-changin’. Check it out, and be sure to stick around for the end of the video, with Styles saying what appears to be a solid “goodbye” to the New Japan crowd.
So. Royal Rumble, anyone?
