NEVER Forever
By Ross W Berman IV
It’s a low-down, dirty shame that Michael Elgin is challenging for the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Championship. In fact his entire team of the handsy Ryusuke Taguchi and Togi Makabe, who’s partnership with Tomoaki Honma leads one to assume he’s turned a blind-eye to some less-than-reputable behavior, is a pretty problematic trio. It’s a shame, because the NEVER belts, both the 6-man tag and the Openweight Championship have been a showcase of underrated talent. The division has been telling stories that are as heartwarming as the matches are brutal.
Take for instance the current NEVER Openweight Champion Hirooki Goto. Goto has long wrestled in the shadows of the Tanahashis, Naitos, and Okadas of the New Japan roster. Known for choking on the big stage, his January Wrestle Kingdom match against Minoru Suzuki saw Goto take a beating that would fell men twice his size. He battled back and won the NEVER Title, blood dripping from his mouth, in one of the more joyous moments of the Tokyo Dome marathon.
The 6-man tag belts have been an equal spotlight for underserved talent on the roster. Current 6-Man Tag Champion Bad Luck Fale is one of the bigger giants to rarely hold a title. Outside of a lone Intercontinental Title run, Fale shares Goto’s tendency to choke on the big stage. It is with the equally impressive, if more decorated, Guerrillas Of Destiny by his side that the Big Tongan is finally able to look like a dominant champion.
Taguchi Japan is the kind of goofy-yet-popular trio that might be able to conquer the Bullet Club threesome. It would be a shame to see such a problematic team take the spotlight from The Sons of Haku and The Underboss. While Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa can reenter the Heavyweight Tag Division seamlessly, Fale would not be as well served, should the trio take a sabbatical.
With so many championship belts in NJPW, it can be easy to overlook the NEVER division when skipping to the much-hyped main events. This can be a mistake. A division that’s allowed perennial-bridesmaids Hirooki Goto, Minoru Suzuki, Katsuyori Shibata and even LIJ’s EVIL to shine brightly, NEVER is quite possibly New Japan’s best kept secret during this historic era.
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