Welcome to the 5th annual WWE vs. NJPW Supercard here at Enuffa.com, where I take the best and brightest talent from the two biggest wrestling companies in the world and pit them head-to-head. And the results, more often than not, are EXPLOSIVE!!!
This year I was worried I might have trouble putting together a compelling lineup because of the AEW departures, but in assembling this card I was reminded that New Japan's talent depth is going to be just fine with or without The Elite. And of course WWE has no shortage of talent on their roster, regardless of Creative's perpetual incompetence in booking them. I daresay this is one of the strongest lineups of the five I've put together.
Note: One regret I have about this series is that I'm not able to include female wrestlers on the card. New Japan seriously needs to add a women's division or start up a "sister" promotion (no pun intended) like ROH has. They're way behind the curve on this one.
You can check out the first four editions here:
2015 2016 2017 2018
Braun Strowman vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Braun is consistently one of WWE's most misused talents over the past couple years, red-hot one month, left with no one to feud with the next. A year ago he was so over many suggested he, and not Roman Reigns, should be the company's chosen one. But somehow every WrestleMania season he ends up left out in the cold, more or less. This year he at least got to win the Andre Battle Royal, joining such luminaries as Cesaro, Big Show, Baron Corbin, Mojo Rawley, and Matt Hardy. Yeesh, that trophy does nothing for anyone, does it? Regardless, Strowman can always be plugged into a major feud and have credibility as a superhuman monster.
Ishii is similarly almost never presented as a top contender despite being hugely over in his own right, and one of the best in-ring talents in the entire world. The Stone Pitbull can always be counted on to deliver insanely good, rugged fights that often steal the show. Why Ishii isn't given more big singles matches throughout the year is beyond me; the man is an artist.
This would be an unusual battle of bulls with a significant size mismatch. Strowman would have a huge power advantage but Ishii would hit and run, recalling his numerous battles with Bad Luck Fale. Ishii would have to set aside his usual machismo about hitting his signature brainbuster, as lifting the 380-pound Strowman for that move would be nothing short of miraculous. Ishii would spend much of the bout trying to chop down his much larger opponent, but in the end Strowman's monstrous size would prove too much. Strowman counters an ill-advised brainbuster attempt with his powerslam for the win at 9 minutes.
Winner: Braun Strowman
Kevin Owens vs. Jeff Cobb
Owens' recent return to action has been fairly bizarre to say the least. Originally slated to face Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania, Owens was shown in vignettes as an average Joe and family man, no doubt to contrast with Bryan's holier-than-thou environmentalist persona. But when that feud was more or less nixed, Owens was left with nothing to do at 'Mania and has lately been hanging out with The New Day in Big E's absence. Owens as a babyface feels like a sarcastic gimmick and I'm wondering if he'll pull a Sami Zayn-type heel turn soon.
Jeff Cobb is fresh off defeating Will Ospreay to become a double champion; the ROH TV/NEVER Openweight champ has all the momentum in the world heading into this match. I'm curious how often we'll see him on NJPW shows and how long he'll keep the title. He certainly fits the NEVER Openweight style to a tee. For a man his size Cobb has scary agility.
This would be a stiff, rugged fight with two big heavyweights pulling out spectacular moves that defy their size. We'd see a great mix of strong style brawling and unexpected aerial moves. 12 minutes in Owens hits a swanton and sets up Cobb for a Stunner, but Cobb holds on, reverse-suplexes Owens, and hits Tour of the Islands for the win.
Winner: Jeff Cobb
Finn Balor vs. Minoru Suzuki
After two-plus frustrating years following his one-day Universal Title run, Finn finally captured the Intercontinental Title at Elimination Chamber and again at WrestleMania. Balor continues to be one of the company's best and most underutilized talents, whose stop-start pushes are vexing to say the least. Hopefully a change of scenery following his move to Smackdown will give him more chances to steal the show, leading to a long, successful I-C title run.
Minoru Suzuki, at 50 years old, still shows no signs of slowing down. He's one of the few wrestlers who can lose a match and still come off as one of the most dangerous men in the world. Suzuki has held the IWGP, Intercontinental, and NEVER Titles in New Japan and is a credible challenger to everyone of them whenever he's given a shot. Sadism is the name of the game for Minoru.
Finn would try to keep this match fast-paced and create lots of space between him and Suzuki. Minoru would want to keep it deliberate and get in close. The outcome would depend on whose strategy was more successful. After 12 minutes Finn falls victim to a rear naked choke, but counters a Gotch piledriver with an X-Factor, followed by a corner dropkick/Coup de Grace combo for the win.
Winner: Finn Balor
Rey Mysterio vs. Will Ospreay
Mysterio returned to WWE for good late last year and while he hasn't been used to his full potential (the guy is 46 years old and moves like he's 30), Rey has had some strong moments in that time. His feud with Andrade yielded some excellent matches and he's been a consistent US Title contender. His move to RAW will hopefully give him some new opponents to tear it up with - Ricochet I'm looking in your general direction....
Will Ospreay is coming off a NEVER Openweight Title loss, but is still one of the company's most prominent rising stars. He's already established himself well against heavyweights with a strong showing in the New Japan Cup tournament, and I anticipate him throwing his hat in for this year's G1 Climax to fully transition to the heavyweight division. Ospreay is only 25 but has already demonstrated incredible natural talent well beyond his years. As long as he stays healthy he should become one of NJPW's top stars over the next five years or so.
This match would be a spectacular showcase of aerial tactics, with Ospreay uncharacteristically attempting to slow the match down and use his size advantage. Rey would do his usual stick-and-move stuff, frustrating Ospreay early on. But eventually Ospreay would employ his newly perfected ground game to turn the tide. After 14 minutes Ospreay dodges a top-rope splash and hits an OsCutter followed by the Stormbreaker for the pinfall.
Winner: Will Ospreay