The NJPW Invasion Attack mondo preshow

So the wrestling world is still abuzz about the biggest show of the Western Hemisphere, and very possibly the world, Wrestlemania, especially since this year’s was a remarkably strong one. I sorted through the aftermath with my own reflection on the good, bad, and weird moments of the show here. And just 1 week later, emanating from the East, comes another big wrestling show right on its heels. Not a huge show, but certainly a very good one, and with a main event that could very well blow the roof off, it is well worth getting in on.

This is the New Japan Pro Wrestling INVASION ATTACK special, scheduled for Sunday April 5, which means it will reach screens that Sunday morning around 4 AM EST via the NJPW WORLD streaming service.

A look back through previous entries on the Mondo Blog will give a rough account of what’s happened in the acclaimed promotion since the January 4 Wrestle Kingdom show up through the present.

Herein lies a look at the INVASION ATTACK card and what one might expect and want to consider going into the matches on tap.

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NJPW Invasion Attack on Thailand!

Yuji Nagata, Captain New Japan, Alex Shelley and KUSHIDA (Time Splitters), and Ryohei Komatsu VS Ryuske Taguchi, Tiger Mask, Jushin Thunder Liger, Manabu Nakanishi, and Sho Tanaka

This is the mandatory clusterfudge, with bodies flying everywhere, that NJPW usually has at least 1 or 2 of on the typical show. It is the only 10 man tag team match on the card, though, with the other matches all mercifully consisting of teams of 3 or less. And there is some order about things here to make keeping track of who is hitting who a bit less tedious. On one side you have the Time Splitters while on the other side, you have two masked veteran junior heavyweight competitors in Liger and Tiger Mask.  The two rookies, Sho Tanaka and Ryohei Komatsu are on opposing teams. Noteworthy confrontations to look out for are Nagata and Nakanishi coming to blows since they used to be a very successful tag team. This is the first time I can recall them being on opposing teams in recent days and would expect some shows of competitive bravado between them, despite Nakanishi’s current lack of in ring prowess. There will also no doubt be a focus on the continued progression of Tanaka and Komatsu, who will get plenty of time in the ring trying out new types of offense on one another and taking bumps from their more experienced peers. This could very well be the match where one of them moves from a crab submission finisher to something more unique. I would look out for KUSHIDA and Shelley to pull off a lot of double team maneuvers and possibly take the victory for their team. They could use momentum to help credibly put them into the junior heavyweight tag team race with The Young Bucks and Roppongi Vice, especially after KUSHIDA was pinned by Vice’s Barreta in their match on the ‘Road to…’ show. The new kids on the block Tanaka and Komatsu are the most likely candidates to take a fall in service of their sempai (seniors), but if need be, say if one of them were to get a push and pick up a victory, Liger has been known to take one for the team in recent days.

Hey yo!

Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Tomoaki Honma VS Toma Tonga, Yujiro Takahashi and Cody Hall

This puts a nice joining together of crowd pleasers in Kojima and Tenzan, another long time favorite tag team whose recent tensions have apparently been shelved, along with Honma who has been head butting his way into people’s hearts since he replaced an injured Ibushi in last year’s G1 Climax tournament. His bombastic throw-caution-to-the-wind style should mesh very well with TenKoji, who will be sure to incorporate some of their lively double team tactics into the match. Their opponents are the Bullet Club’s supporting players. Honma and Kojima’s increasing age could make them vulnerable to the younger Bullet Club members, but they have a wild card in Honma and a much more impressive repertoire than these less impressive members of the popular heel group. The big story here is essentially Cody Hall’s development from ‘young boy’ to pro, like Tanaka and Komatsu in the preceding match. While he will probably try on some new offensive maneuvers, he is still in ‘paying dues’ mode and likely to get pinned so team NJPW can take the win. Honma could certainly use the momentum, as his wins garner huge reactions from the crowd, but I could also see Hall practicing his bumps by taking one of Kojima’s monstrous lariats.

The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) VS Roppongi Vice (Rocky Romero and Trent Barreta) 

(IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship, Young Bucks defend)

The Young Bucks have had and will likely continue to have a ton of momentum as a pure tag team with an incredible array of double team maneuvers and a high flying offense, with a huge amount of popularity in NJPW and in Ring of Honor in the US. This is their first major defense of the junior tag team belts after winning them from rival team reDRagon at THE NEW BEGINNING In Osaka. Roppongi Vice is just getting started, allying Rocky Romero with new partner Barreta after former Forever Hooligan Alex Koslov took a leave. Expect both teams to put on a dynamic performance filled with high spots and humorous twists. I don’t think the Vice squad is ready for the win, though, and expect the Young Jackson brothers to walk away with the win.

Kenny ‘The Cleaner’ Omega VS Mascara Dorada

(IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, Kenny Omega defends)

This will be an interesting first time confrontation between these two highly athletic junior heavyweights. Omega has spoken on the fact that he has never faced Dorada and has not worked many lucha libre style matches in his career, and how that could lead to an awkward exhibition, in an interview with Japanese Audio Wrestling host Chris Charlton for LAW Radio. Both perform some incredible feats, though. It’s hard to say which way this will go. Dorada, with his incredible rope walking skills, has been on a real roll. I have seen him pick up win after win whenever he is featured in a match. Yet, I can’t see Omega ready to lose the strap just yet, still finding his way with his new heel persona after leaving the extreme wrestling-friendly DDT promotion to work a regular NJPW schedule.  I expect the current champion to retain the title with a serious dose of hijinks at play, maybe in the form of outside interference. Omega for the victory, albeit not necessarily a clean one.

Karl Anderson and Luke ‘Doc’ Gallows VS The Kingdom (Michael Bennett and Matt Taven) w/ Maria Kanelis

(IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, Anderson and Gallows defend)

Here is a promising match with heels on either side. The different styles of these two teams, The Kingdom incorporating a lot more an agility-based arsenal, should make things entertaining. I’d expect a lot of storytelling to revolve around Maria Kanelis: Anderson and Gallows will likely put some ‘creepy stalker’ advances on her, as she herself will probably provide interference to help The Kingdom get an advantage. I don’t think the Bullet Club is going to take any serious hit here, or elsewhere in the undercard, so I would put my money on Anderson and Gallows keeping their belts after an impressive show. The fallout of this match could easily continue into the NJPW/Ring of Honor shows in Philadelphia and Toronto this May.

Hiroki Goto, Togi Makabe, and Tetsuya Naito VS YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii, and Shinsuke Nakamura

This is a battle to see if a cohesive unit, CHAOS, will prevail, or will one of the members of the other more disparately joined together team use this match to make a statement worthy of being propelled into a higher spot. Within the match is the already heated story between Makabe and Ishii, who have been feuding back and forth around Ishii’s Never title. Nothing between them need be settled here, so neither is likely to pick up the win for their team, but there will definitely be serious physicality between the pair that has been head butting and lariating one another into oblivion. A big question mark of late has been the story that lies next for Shinsuke Nakamura, who has been without a significant challenge since his match of the year candidate with Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom, and his title defense against Yuji Nagata at THE NEW BEGINNING In Sendai. In Makabe’s two partners, Goto and Naito, there is a potential challenger ready to step up to try and usurp the King of Strong style’s throne. Goto is formidable, but with his tag team with Shibata still intact and ready to pursue another win against Anderson and Gallows, and his impressive stint in the New Japan Cup tournament, it seems that Naito needs the win more. In fact, for Naito to not get a push of this kind, he really runs the risk of fading into mid-card obscurity and becoming so much milquetoast. I could see either Goto or Naito, but more likely the aerodynamic Naito, picking up a pin fall victory on YOSHI-HASHI, who has the least stock among the participants in the match. A surprise pin on Nakamura himself can’t be ruled out completely, and would go even further in establishing one of these two as a challenger to his intercontinental title. 

Hiroshi Tanahashi and Katsuyori Shibata VS Toru Yano & Kazushi Sakuraba

This is another match pitting the increasingly together forces of CHAOS against NJPW stars, and this matchup is interesting for the unique combinations it offers. Tanahashi and Shibata have had major feuds in recent past. Their most recent singles match culminated in what appeared to be a true mending of fences, but there is always potential for things to flare up, especially with Shibata in the mix. The loyal tag team partner of Goto has not had a great track record of consistently getting along with anyone else, most recently butting heads, almost literally, with Tomoaki Honma. On the surface, the story here is about Tanahashi trying to avenge his recent losses to the devilish trickster Yano. But I think the real intrigue is going to be the potential new matchup of Shibata and Sakuraba. Shibata’s notorious for his stiff offense emphasizing kicks, a sleeper hold, and the occasional GTS. Sakuraba makes a great counterpart with his MMA background, hitting opponents with his own volleys of kicks and specializing in takedown submissions. The two could have a match rivaling the intensity of Sakuraba’s bout with Suzuki at Wrestle Kingdom, albeit a quiet one. Could this match simultaneously end one conflict while igniting another one? I could also see Tanahashi and Yano’s business going unresolved ‘til a match in the G1, where I would expect Tanahashi to get his win back. I’m more excited for a match between Sakuraba and Shibata, perhaps at the upcoming Dontaku event, to be teased at here.

Kazuchika Okada VS ‘Bad Luck’ Fale

This would appear to be a match that Okada must win. Since Wrestle Kingdom,  where the breakout star entered the main event expected by many to win, the Rainmaker’s roll has been mostly downhill, with footing occasionally regained by way of a minor win here and there. Fale has been his biggest stumbling block, defeating Okada in both tag team matches, and more notably in their first round match of the New Japan Cup tournament. Fale has come to represent Okada’s inability to win the big match, in fact Fale’s biggest potential achievement at this moment would seem to be keeping Okada down. Were the Underboss to win, it could mean advancing to challenge for Nakamura’s IC title, but that program has been done before. He would also be tapped to challenge Ibushi for the Heavyweight title were the young upstart to win against AJ Styles. In either case, though, the idea of Fale carrying one of those prestigious titles and representing the highest level of the promotion is not a very convincing one. Okada brought Fale down in the big tag team match they were involved with at the ‘Road To…’ event, with a rather large amount of assistance from his partners. The next most logical chapter would have to be Okada chopping the tree that is the physically imposing Fale down by himself.

AJ Styles VS Kota Ibushi

(IWGP Heavyweight Championship, AJ Styles defends)  

The main event may very well far exceed all of the other matches on the card with its two stellar talents facing each other for the first time. Neither AJ nor Ibushi appear so often as to become overly familiar to the audience. They both feel like special attractions. AJ brings a well-rounded style, mixing power moves and feats of agility. Since being in NJPW, he has been able to put together engaging matches against a variety of opponents, coming out on top in a lot of them. Ibushi is best known for being a high flyer, still finishing off opponents with his amazing looking Phoenix Splash. A former junior heavyweight champion, he graduated to the heavyweight picture around the middle of last year and brought an incredible array of moves to his match against Nakamura at Wrestle Kingdom, including a devastating drop kick, a double stomp, and sudden bursts of closed fist punches. He also has a dangerous looking jumping power bomb to rival AJ’s Bloody Sunday, something of a quickly snapped brainbuster. It is hard to see AJ Styles dropping the belt so soon, but Ibushi has been on such a meteoric rise, one wonders if he’ll pull out a surprise victory.  I’m expecting Styles to win, though, with Ibushi remaining in hot pursuit.

Overall, the April 5 show has a fair amount of focus, with only one very big multi man tag team match, an not regrettable absence of the NWA contingent (though it’s always nice to see Bruce Tharpe shouting at ringside). There are some nice twists with the launch of the new team Roppongi Vice and the first appearance of The Kingdom’s Bennet and Taven together. Some new confrontations have potential to arise from the settling dust in the NJPW/CHAOS matches, and a standout main event mark the highlights of the event.

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There’s your show. Was I courteous? How would you rate my professionalism? Your feedback is appreciated!

Twitter: @mondocurrymark