So Who Beats Tanahashi Next?

[YiHammer]

Well it's safe to say he's beaten all viable challengers. I would've said Shibata or Sakuraba if both didn't lose. I've heard Togi Makabe thrown around but that seems like a huge downgrade. I'd love for Yujiro Takahashi to be champ only for Naito to get revenge

Maybe a Noah deserter like Go could come in?

Thoughts on who could take down Tanahashi this time? And did NJPW make a mistake by having Okada lose?

[Steveweiser]

I think they wait for Naito to come back.

[YiHammer]

Jan 9, 2013 2:55:35 GMT -5 Steveweiser said:

I think they wait for Naito to come back.

Somewhere Goto weeps

[Digital Witness]

If Karl Anderson's challenge wasn't in February, he'd be my main pick for the title. New Japan seems to want to push him into the main event scene and he's been putting on stellar matches recently.

Realistically I don't think its going to be Naito that dethrones Tanahashi this run. Does anyone know how long Naito is out for with his knee injury? I don't think we're getting another year long Tanahashi reign. I think he'll hold it till the spring, but he won't make it to summer.

I like the Yujiro Takahashi idea and I think its one of the better ideas. Since we're not sure if anything's happening between Okada and WWE, New Japan does need a back up plan, and I think Yujiro has the skills to pull it off. Naito coming back and feuding with Yujiro for about a year over the title makes sense to me.

[Djm Doesn't Find You Funny]

I've been asking for a Goto run for about 2 years, but I'm about ready to just let it go because it's not going to happen.

So, I'll say Takahashi, so Naito can come back and feud with him.

[Johnny B. Decent]

Jan 9, 2013 10:57:13 GMT -5 Djm Doesn't Find You Funny said:

I've been asking for a Goto run for about 2 years, but I'm about ready to just let it go because it's not going to happen.

See, with Goto, he has the image of the badass stoic samurai-like wrestler down, but he doesn't really act the part while wrestling, which has hurt him quite a bit.

That said, I do eventually see a Nakanishi-like "Thank You" run one day, but if Makabe could get the belt in his late 30's, Goto if he improves more could possibly do it.

[Kick Your Face]

I would have Akiyama or Shiozaki (probably the former) come in and win it as an evil freelancer, then have him hold the title up until when Naito returns, have him take back New Japan, and save the day. Would be an interesting story.

[YiHammer]

Jan 9, 2013 9:50:34 GMT -5 Digital Witness said:

If Karl Anderson's challenge wasn't in February, he'd be my main pick for the title. New Japan seems to want to push him into the main event scene and he's been putting on stellar matches recently.

Realistically I don't think its going to be Naito that dethrones Tanahashi this run. Does anyone know how long Naito is out for with his knee injury? I don't think we're getting another year long Tanahashi reign. I think he'll hold it till the spring, but he won't make it to summer.

I like the Yujiro Takahashi idea and I think its one of the better ideas. Since we're not sure if anything's happening between Okada and WWE, New Japan does need a back up plan, and I think Yujiro has the skills to pull it off. Naito coming back and feuding with Yujiro for about a year over the title makes sense to me.

Naito is supposedly out for 8 months.

Karl could be a good choice

[________ has left the building]

I'm sensing Go will be the one. The only way I see Machine Gun winning is if they decided to change course like they did last year with Okada.

[kidkamikaze10]

Yeah, Go would be a decent choice. Jun less so without some build up.

The only person I'm going to outright say no to is Goto. Not even for a "thanks for working for us" reign. Save that for another year.

[tenshi]

If things would have gone down differently, I would have given the title to Shibata since he was meant to be a big player in New Japan with Tanahashi and Nakamura. That way Shibata gets something he might have gotten if he didn't decided to pursue a career in MMA and it puts Tanahashi in the role of the challenger, putting in question his status as "Ace of the Universe".

[YiHammer]

New Japan is probably still better about Shibata leaving when they planned to make him a star

[mjolnir]

Jan 9, 2013 11:03:16 GMT -5 Johnny B. Decent said:

Jan 9, 2013 10:57:13 GMT -5 Djm Doesn't Find You Funny said:

I've been asking for a Goto run for about 2 years, but I'm about ready to just let it go because it's not going to happen.

See, with Goto, he has the image of the badass stoic samurai-like wrestler down, but he doesn't really act the part while wrestling, which has hurt him quite a bit.

That said, I do eventually see a Nakanishi-like "Thank You" run one day, but if Makabe could get the belt in his late 30's, Goto if he improves more could possibly do it.

While you have a point, I don't even care. I want him to have the belt, albeit much like djm, I've all but given up on that and labeled it a pipe dream.

I also would like to see Karl get it. But with him challenging next month, it seems like my preferred two choices won't be getting it.


So, with that said, I say bring on Go or Makabe.

[Digital Witness]

Jan 9, 2013 21:53:17 GMT -5 YiHammer said:

New Japan is probably still better about Shibata leaving when they planned to make him a star

This. I wouldn't completely rule out Shibata getting there eventually, but I think New Japan sees Shibata as somebody with some dues to pay and some jobs to do first.

Even though Laughter 7 did the job at Wrestle Kingdom, I do expect to see Shibata and to a lesser extent Sakuraba in New Japan for a while. I wonder if New Japan will go with a redemption sort of thing for Shibata where he starts back at the bottom and works his way up through the roster to an eventual IWGP heavyweight title shot.

As far as Go Shiozaki and Jun Akiyama are concerned, I'm not really going to speculate until we know what's going on with them. If Go shows up, I expect him to hold some championship gold of some kind. I think if Nakamura/Okada doesn't happen as I predict, and Go does show up, I'm pretty sure we'll get Shiozaki/Nakamura.

One thing I've noticed since talking about New Japan and Wrestle Kingdom lately, and with all this discussion about Tanahashi's next challengers and who might take the belt off of him, I find it funny that no one ever mentions Toru Yano. I know a lot of people don't see him as a credible challenger, but he's pinned just about everyone in New Japan at some point in time. I think a Yano title reign would be fun as all hell, and the eventual comeupance to whatever heel shenanigans he were to pull would be glorious.

[YiHammer]

Yano should've got a transitional run in Tanahashi's last reign. The G1 Climax and Titke match they had in 2011 were awesome. Both crowds were booing Tanahashi and cheering Yano. Yano needs a reign (way more than Makabe), ATM he has no momentum.

I threw out Yujiros name also because even though he lost to Tanahashi he's still been booked pretty solidly

[Steveweiser]

I fear Go may follow Akiyama to All Japan (though I'd still like him there), but he seems more a New Japan kind of wrestler.

[Deleted]

I really dont like the sound of Akiyama or Go winning so soon after jumping off the proverbial titanic, I would just go with Nakamura myself. Been a long time since he's even had a shot. But I might be biased in that opinion

[mjolnir]

Jan 10, 2013 20:12:33 GMT -5 @kingpatch said:

I really dont like the sound of Akiyama or Go winning so soon after jumping off the proverbial titanic, I would just go with Nakamura myself. Been a long time since he's even had a shot. But I might be biased in that opinion

I'd love for him to get it, but I think they're trying to bide their time with him for now.