Booking a WWE vs NJPW Show


The way things currently stand in the wrestling world means that New Japan are currently as close to WWE in terms of size and appeal as they have ever been. There have also been a few rumblings that both companies wouldn't be completely opposed to working with each other to some extent. With that in mind I take a look at what I think would make the best show, in the very unlikely event that these two wrestling behemoths put their talent together. As New Japan doesn't have a women's division there will be no women's matches. I may do a WWE vs Stardom version of this at some point. I tried to cut the list down but it is still 13 matches and I still left out a bunch of wrestlers that I really like, Rusev and Juice Robinson being the main ones. I also didn't use any wrestlers that are NXT based. Lastly, I realise that this show would need to be roughly 8 hours long but that is only a problem if this was a real thing.


The Revival vs Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr)

We will kick off the show with this, because it will be a great wrestling match. The best technical wrestler on the planet teaming with the world's scariest human being to take on a fucking superb old school tag team.


Braun Strowman vs Tomohiro Ishii

This match came about from not having anyone else to put these two against, only to realise that this match was the one all along. Ishii is legitimately one of the best wrestlers in the world and even though he is a foot shorter than Braun his style would make for a great match. Give them 10 minutes and let them go at it.

New Day vs Chaos (Toru Yano, Best Friends)

I had originally put Jay White in the Chaos team but he will have to sit this one out as Yano is a better idea. There are a ton of excellent wrestling matches on this list so a match that can infuse a touch, or a ton, of comedy into things wouldn't go a miss. The thought of this one has me smiling.

Cedric Alexander vs Roderick Strong vs Will Ospreay vs Hiromu Takahashi (Ladder Match)

New Japan doesn't really do gimmick matches, but WWE does so I'm putting this in there. I am also classing Strong as a 205 Live talent. This match is here to highlight the athleticism and talent of the six wrestlers, and because of that it would be a hell of a spectacle. The things that Takahashi would do in a ladder match would be mind blowing.

The Usos vs Young Bucks

Superkicks, superkicks for days. There is literally no chance that this isn't fun. Two of the best teams in the world, both of which can wrestle at a breakneck pace, would surely put together a fantastic tag team match. 


Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kota Ibushi

These two had a fucking outstanding match at Wrestle Kingdom 9, and I imagine this would be very much in that vein. Watching two of the most unique performers on the planet execute a well put together match will always be great. 

Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs Cody & Marty Scurll

This match would be outstanding for the character work alone. Cody may not have the greatest collection of matches but his heel work is brilliant and he can definitely pull his weight when in there with top notch wrestlers. This would be great.

Finn Balor vs KUSHIDA

I had originally put KUSHIDA in the ladder match but then I realised I had forgotten to give Balor a match, and I should probably do that. While these two did face off in New Japan, they never had that one blow away match. Both men are exceptional wrestlers and given the time they could put on something truly special. 

The Bar vs Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA & EVIL)

The Bar may well be the most well rounded tag team in the world right now, and the LIJ pairing aren't too far behind. The teams actually mirror each other quite well and I believe that they could put on a hell of a match. Cesaro and SANADA are both special athletes.

John Cena vs Hiroshi Tanahashi

At this stage of the card any of the remaining matches could be considered as the main event. Both men are around the same age, both are at roughly the same stage in their career, and both are the most decorated champions in their respective companies. They would absolutely deliver in the ring too. Michael Cole may like to call Cena 'Big Match John' but Tanahashi may have him beat in that department as he always comes up big on the most important stage.

Seth Rollins vs Kenny Omega

I pondered for a while about who Omega should face on this show but in the end I went with Rollins as his recent performances have reminded me how fucking good he is. In an ideal world this would be about 30-40 minutes long and be reminiscent of both men's best matches. I can only imagine what they could come up with in an unrestrained environment. This would be guaranteed excellence. 

AJ Styles vs Tetsuya Naito

I would like to say that a lot of thought went into this but the truth is that I made that picture at the top of the page and thought 'Yeah, that's good'. These two had a pair of matches in New Japan and, while both were great, neither was the all time classic that they are capable of. Third time would be the charm here as both men are in the top 5 in the world when it comes to all round wrestling ability. 

Roman Reigns vs Kazuchika Okada

Yeah. I'm booking this as the main event. In a month's time Reigns will once again be the most important champion in WWE, and in New Japan that honour is solidly on the shoulders of Kazuchika Okada. Okada has held the title for the last 21 months and it has been one of the best title runs in modern wrestling. During that run Okada has shown time and time again that he can have great matches with pretty much anyone and Reigns has proven numerous times that against the right opponent he puts on excellent matches. I have no doubt whatsoever that this would be fantastic.

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