The Goto Revolution was good for business.

 

At the time of writing, Zack Sabre Jr. has become a two-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. He reclaimed the title from the very man who took it from him, ending his first reign, Hirooki Goto. When I watched it happen, I was perplexed by the booking decision. I shall explain why in this blog post.

I really enjoy Zack Sabre Jr's work in-ring. He's a technical wizard and one of the very best workers in the world with such a style. Coming from me, it might be a bit more meaningful than those who were always fans of him because I always felt that he was too undersized to make a believable champion at heavyweight. He managed to put on just enough size to make it up, even though I still feel like he has room to bulk up more. Anyways, it was shocking enough when he defeated Tetsuya Naito at King of Pro-Wrestling to win the title the first time. 

In a prior post, I laid out my concerns about having Zack as champion. This included the important question of whether or not he'd be a draw. NJPW have struggled in recent history with drawing power, especially after losing Okada to AEW and with Naito now having left the company as well. Hiroshi Tanahashi being close to retirement also raises concern in this matter. What did Zack's first reign of 120 days do to answer this question? Unfortunately, it confirmed that having Zack as champion has not led to improved numbers as he is not a major draw at the top of the card for the promotion. I feel bad for him because he always gives it his all and has put in some wonderful performances and his match quality is consistently solid. 

Enter the Goto Revolution. In a surprising, yet wonderful move, Wrestle Kingdom 19 saw fan-favourite best bout machine Hirooki Goto win the annual New Japan Ranbo. Following the win, he challenged Zack to an IWGP Heavyweight Title match at The New Beginning in Osaka. The story leading into this one was tremendous with Goto being the ultimate underdog, having failed in all of his previous 8 attempts to win the big one. 9 if you want to include NOAH's GHC Heavyweight title as well. At The New Beginning in Osaka, with the crowd roaring his name, the unthinkable finally happened. Hirooki Goto won the big one. As the newly crowned IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Goto declared that the G in IWGP stands or Goto and that the Goto Revolution has begun. 

Having Goto finally win the biggest prize in the company turned out to be a very smart booking decision for the company. Ticket sales increased as fans were on a high after witnessing the underdog finally achieve the dream that had eluded him for years. As the World Heavyweight Champion, he was very much a draw. He would go on to break the record for most title defences with seven victories over Hiroshi Tanahashi, Yuji Nagata, NJ Cup winner David Finlay, Shota Umino, Callum Newman and finally, Shingo Takagi. 

Then suddenly, the Goto Revolution, as successful as it had been, was stopped dead in it's tracks. At Tanahashi Jam on the 29th of June, Zack Sabre Jr. won the title back, ending Hirooki's reign at 138 days. Why did it end so soon? Well, there are conflicting reports as to whether an alleged elbow injury is real or just a work. Why would the apparent elbow injury be a work? Hirooki Goto had been cast as the sumo fighter, E. Honda in the latest attempt at a Street Fighter movie with a cast that screams that it'll be a cringe-fest. 

Now, NJPW is in a poor place. As good as he is, Zack has proven to not be a draw at the top of the card and now, Konosuke Takeshita, an outsider and AEW talent, is his major challenger after the latter had won the G1. If Takeshita were to win the IWGP Heavyweight title, it could be disastrous for the company. That is, unless he were to show up regularly on tours and defend it on the major events. If NJPW's bookers such as Gedo were smart, Takeshita could be built as the dominant outsider, a major obstacle made for one of the Reiwa Musketeers to overcome at Wrestle Kingdom. Either that or the returning Goto restores the honour of NJPW.