New Japan Pro Wrestling is back with their biggest show since the G1 Climax and the last big show before Wrestle Kingdom. This show will do a lot to give us an idea of what that card is going to look like.
The big match here will be Kota Ibushi defending his Wrestle Kingdom title shot briefcase against Jay White. White beat him in the G1 Climax, but Kota ended up winning the tournament. Kota is a big -400 favorite to retain and I think that is the right call. Kota lost twice at last year’s Wrestle Kingdom so this year should be all about his revenge. He beats White here and then wins both titles at Wrestle Kingdom. It’s beyond time for him. The star rating total is set at 4.0 stars and, barring too much Bullet Crap b.s., I am all over the over here.
Tetsuya Naito will defend his IWGP and Intercontinental titles against EVIL in a match that I don’t have much interest in. EVIL is boring and plays into the worst Bullet Club interference crap that brings the match quality down. EVIL winning would be an absolute mistake as Naito vs. Ibushi feels like a true Wrestle Kingdom main event. The books agree with Naito as a -400 favorite. The star rating total is set at just 3.0 stars here which is terrible for an IWGP Championship match.
Let’s take a look at the rest of the betting odds and then we’ll get into the rest of the matches on this card.
NJPW Power Struggle 2020 Betting Odds:
Odds from 888Sport.
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- Toru Yano (-139) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (-139)
- Star Rating: 2.5 Stars or Higher (-134) / Under 2.5 Stars (-106)
- Shingo Takagi (-190) vs. Minoru Suzuki (+134)
- Star Rating: 4.0 Stars or Higher (-190) / Under 4.0 Stars (+134)
- KENTA (-155) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (+110)
- Star Rating: 4.0 Stars or Higher (+134) / Under 4.0 Stars (-190)
- Kazuchika Okada (-139) vs. Great O-Khan (+100)
- Star Rating: 2.75 Stars or Higher (-177) / Under 2.75 Stars (+125)
- Tetsuya Naito (-400) vs. EVIL (+250)
- Star Rating: 3.0 Stars or Higher (-150) / Under 3.0 Stars (+108)
- Kota Ibushi (-400) vs. Jay White (+250)
- Star Rating: 4.0 Stars or Higher (-177) / Under 4.0 Stars (+125)
- Toru Yano (-139) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (-139)
Toru Yano against Zack Sabre Jr. for the Provisional KOPW Championship is definitely a match. This title is goofy and it’s hard to really pick. Zack probably should win so he has something interesting to do at Wrestle Kingdom, but who knows.
KENTA will put his US Title shot on the line against Tanahashi. This definitely feels like they think they are going to be able to get Jon Moxley in for Wrestle Kingdom as why else would they be doing this for the title shot? KENTA is a -155 favorite and he might be the better pick to win this one. He wins, Mox comes in at Wrestle Kingdom and loses, and then KENTA headlines the US NJPW shows. Tanahashi is an all-time great and him against Mox is a legit dream match, but I’m just not sure they are going that way at this time. The star rating is set at 4.0 stars.
The big news out of the G1 was Will Ospreay turning against Okada and starting his own The Empire stable with The Great O-Khan. This is a very interesting match is it is going to let you know where O-Khan stands in the grand scheme of things. Okada winning to set up the Wrestle Kingdom match with Ospreay makes a lot of sense, but that match can happen regardless of result here. The real interesting thing to me is the star rating spread with is set at just 2.75 stars. We’re talking about Okada, one of the greatest star rating wrestlers of all-time, here. The odds are -177 on that over, but pound that over. It’s Okada in a star making match.
The match I am most excited about is the NEVER Openweight Championship match between Minoru Suzuki and Shingo Takagi. This should be absolutely fantastic with the star rating total set at 4.0 or higher at -190 so the sportsbook agrees about the potential of this one. Shingo is a decent favorite at -190 and that seems like a good bet. Suzuki isn’t getting any younger while Shingo proved in the G1 that he can be one of the top stars in this company.
Upcoming Events:
Event: | Date: | Where to Bet: |
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WWE Royal Rumble 2022 | January 29 | BetOnline.Ag. |
AEW Revolution | March 6 | BetOnline.Ag. |
WWE WrestleMania | April 3 | BetOnline.Ag. |