Wrestle Kingdom 13 Review
**Thumbs Up**
✓ Omega vs Tanahashi - As expected, this was Match of the Night. Following the loss, could Omega be WWE bound?
✓ Will Ospreay vs Kota Ibushi - Arguably the best professional wrestling match to open a card in recent memory.
✓ Chris Jericho vs Tetsuya Naito - It turned out to be an absolute war while telling a very compelling story.
✓ Jay White w/ Gedo vs. Kazuchika Okada - The Rainmaker returned, but Jay White cemented himself as a future legend in New Japan.
✓ Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - ZSJ is the king of transitions and this was a well-told story that showcased Zack's technical prowess while Ishii still came off as strong in defeat.
✓The Commentary - The duo of Kevin Kelly and Don Callis is arguably the best in the industry today. My favourite line came when Don Callis rationalized Okada's loss: "Too many minutes. Too many matches. Too much abuse."
✓ KUSHIDA vs. Taiji Ishimori - Perhaps I'm of the minority here, but this match fell below my expectations, but that's because they were sky high. With that said, I still enjoyed the action. Props to KUSHIDA for the Back to the Future inspired entrance.
**Thumbs In The Middle**
☐ The Guerrillas of Destiny w/ Bad Luck Fale and Jado vs. EVIL and SANADA vs. The Young Bucks - While I fully support the title change, the psychology in the story told just failed to connect with me.
☐ El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. BUSHI & Shingo vs. Roppongi 3K w/ Rocky Romero - A quick match that was amusing, but ultimately lacked substance.
**Thumbs Down**
✘ Cody w/ Brandi Rhodes vs. Juice Robinson - Cody was nursing a knee injury, so that's likely why the match felt rushed. It was devoid of emotion and failed to connect with the live audience.
✘ Number One Contender’s Gauntlet - At just over 23 minutes, I was tempted on a few occasions to fast forward with little hesitation or regret.
Overall Grade: 8.5/10 (Highly recommended)
