In Reverence of Recent NJPW Anniversary Shows
By Ross Berman
WWE treats WrestleMania as their birthday & their Christmas. They shoot off a 4th of July fireworks display while having their cake and eating it too. New Japan Pro Wrestling likes to space out their celebrations, and nowhere is this better reflected than in their Anniversary Shows.
Despite being a yearly tradition, there is no wikipedia for these shows. Much like WWE’s Madison Square Garden shows, they are essentially very important house shows. However, calling them a house show belies how the recent history of the Anniversary Shows has planted seeds for much of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s present.
The best starting place is this year’s event. It will see Kazuchika Okada take on Will Ospreay in a rare match up between the IWGP Heavyweight Champion & the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion. While a super clash in it’s own right, the match is also special because it marks Will Ospreay’s second year in CHAOS. The British Jr. Heavyweight joined CHAOS at the 44th Anniversary Show, before he went on to win Best of Super Juniors and also become the first British-born IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion.
Ospreay isn’t the only notable faction addition in the history of the Anniversary Shows. Last year’s event saw Zack Sabre Jr. join Suzuki-gun, after the faction helped him defeat Katsuyori Shibata for the RevPro British Heavyweight Championship. Sabre is set to make his New Japan Cup this year, just days after Tuesday’s event.
Kazuchika Okada has a history of beating Kota Ibushi at these events. He beat Ibushi at the 42nd Anniversary Show, and then got a win over Ibushi’s Tiger Mask W at last year’s event.
Another notable return from last year’s show is Yoshinobu Kanemaru. Last year, he teamed with Taichi to steal the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles from Roppongi Vice. This year, with Taichi graduating to the Heavyweight divison, Kanemaru will team with El Desperado to challenge Rocky Romero’s proteges Sho & Yoh for the titles. Taichi will face Tetsuya Naito.
Growth, change; these are major themes of NJPW’s 46th Anniversary Show. Despite New Japan’s at times glacial pace, subtle changes in the landscape can lead to dramatic, seismic events down the road. It is at the New Japan Anniversary Shows that these subtle changes, these tectonic shifts, usually occur.
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