NJPW The New Beginning In Osaka 2024 Preview and Predictions
February 11th, 2024 will be a night that NJPW fans will never forget as New Japan Pro Wrestling presents ‘The New Beginning In Osaka.’ In other years, this event would simply act as the second major event of the year for NJPW, but this year’s installment has a lot of extra elements added to it.
From technical dream matches to rivalries that need to be confined inside a steel cage, this event is one of the most anticipated of the year so far for wrestling fans across the world, and it’s my attempt to improve my 21-10 prediction record for New Japan events this year.
My name is Sam Palmer from Vendetta Sports Media, and here are my predictions for NJPW’s ‘The New Beginning in Osaka.’
CHAOS (Toru Yano & YOH) vs. Ryusuke Taguchi & Oleg Boltin
Kicking off proceedings will be the standard tag team match featuring a New Japan ‘Young Lion.’ However, this young lion has big paws as Oleg Boltin is a freestyle wrestler from Kazakhstan who won a gold medal at the 2021 Asian Wrestling Championships at the 125kg weight. However, when it comes to professional wrestling, he still has a lot to learn.
With Taguchi in his corner, it looks as if Boltin will be taking the pin in this one, despite the fact that Yano has literally nothing to do in NJPW these days, and YOH has become more of a comedy character since Lio Rush hasn’t been around. CHAOS will win, but don’t expect this one to go too long.
PREDICTION: CHAOS
Bishamon vs. United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Callum Newman)
It’s also been a while since we have seen Bishamon in a New Japan ring. The former IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions have been fairly quiet since Wrestle Kingdom and will be looking to get themselves back in the title picture with a victory.
However, they will have to take on the KOPW 2024 Champion Great-O-Khan, who defeated Alex Coughlin in the lead-up to this show, and Callum Newman, who put in a solid performance last week against David Finlay. Again, much like Boltin, Newman is the least experienced and the win will most likely go to Bishamon. However, expect Newman to prove why he is The Prince of Pace in this one.
PREDICTION: Bishamon
Shota Umino, El Desperado, Tiger Mask & Tomoaki Honma vs. House of Torture
Building up to their big singles matches in two weeks, the focus of this eight-man tag will be on El Desperado, Shota Umino, SHO, and EVIL. Umino promised Tama Tonga that he would dethrone EVIL following his big win over Ren Narita, while Despy has had it out for SHO since his mask was stolen.
This is going to be the worst match on the show, it’s the House of Torture for crying out loud. But given what might happen in Sapporo in two weeks time, I can see the house winning this one as I can sense big things might happen a little later on in the month for February.
PREDICTION: House of Torture
Los Ingobrenables de Japon vs. Just 5 Guys
If I’m being honest; I am getting a bit sick of LIJ and J5G feuding. Naito beat SANADA at Wrestle Kingdom and that should have really been the end of it. However, given that everyone else is still wrapped up in their own battles, the two factions are still feuding, with this tag team match being the latest installment.
The meat and potatoes of this feud will also be settled in Sapporo in a few weeks time, so this will be a preview of what to expect (even though we have seen dozens of previews already). I will have more details in my predictions for the two Sapporo events, so for right now, I’m going to go with Just 5 Guys picking up the win, but it can go either way.
PREDICTION: Just 5 Guys
Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
HERE. WE. GO. Get ready with the tissues and anything you need to wipe those tears, this is what people are going to be tuning in to this show for, the second half. With all the tag team preview matches out the way, let’s kickstart the second half of the show with a bout 12 years in the making.
Kazuchika Okada will be entering Osaka as a free agent as his NJPW contract has already expired. However, he wanted to go out in style by having one more match with his biggest and best rival; Hiroshi Tanahashi. It won’t be the five-star classic that people are used to from these two, maybe more of a ‘house show’ type bout. However, Okada is going to cry after his victory, I’m going to cry after his victory, you’re going to cry after his victory.
PREDICTION: Kazuchika Okada
Guerrillas of Destiny {c} vs. Bullet Club (Chase Owens/KENTA) [IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship]
For such an anticipated show, it’s actually quite incredible that this is the only championship match, and it’s one that we’ve already seen. G.o.D. successfully defended the NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Titles against Chase Owens and KENTA in Nagoya a few weeks ago, so why should we expect anything different just because the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Titles are at stake?
Honestly…I don’t really know. I’ve personally been a bit let down by this feud so far as it’s been mainly comedy matches and the two teams just seem to be spinning their wheels. Owens doesn’t seem to be cut out to be a champion anymore, and KENTA’s body is so beaten up that Taiji Ishimori should have really been put in his spot. El Phantasmo and Hikuleo will retain, but let’s hope that the New Japan tag team division heats up a little bit as we head into the spring.
PREDICTION: Guerrillas of Destiny
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Bryan Danielson
Back at AEW WrestleDream in October 2023, Bryan Danielson and Zack Sabre Jr. were finally able to have the technical dream match that everyone had been begging for since Bryan left the WWE in 2021. It lived up to its billing as a dream match and was one of my top two AEW matches of last year. However, something didn’t sit right with ZSJ. Danielson won, but not with a technical hold, he won it with a strike.
Because of this, Zack has claimed that the title of ‘best technical wrestler’ is still on the line,’ leading to this rematch in Osaka. Due to Danielson’s commitments in AEW, he hasn’t been able to give Zack or New Japan a second thought. However, Zack has been trashing Bryan nonstop and is going to come into this match with an extreme level of focus. This is my pick for not just match of the night, but a potential match of the year contender, and it will end with Zack Sabre Jr….forcing the American Dragon to tap out clean.
PREDICTION: Zack Sabre Jr.
Bullet Club War Dogs vs. United Empire [Ten Man Tag Team Steel Cage Match]
For the first time in 20 years (it’s a little less time than that but I’ll let them off), NJPW will host a steel cage match. However, it’s safe to say that this one will probably go down as the most violent in company history. The two factions have been at each other’s throats for weeks, and with David Finlay incorporating ‘WarGames’ rules by calling them ‘War Dogs Rules’ (it’s WarGames with more violence), who knows what will happen?
This match will also have the added element of it being Will Ospreay’s final match in New Japan Pro Wrestling before he joins AEW on a full-time basis, which for me is key. As much as it would benefit a team like the War Dogs to go over Ospreay in his last match, I don’t think he’s getting pinned…but I don’t think he’s winning either. The weak link of the United Empire is Francesco Akira. He just wants to wrestle and has been mentally scarred by the War Dogs stabbing him in the head with a fork. It’s this element that will lead to the Bullet Club War Dogs winning, but expect an emotional, bloodstained speech from Ospreay to close out the show.
PREDICTION: Bullet Club War Dogs
AND THAT IS THAT! What do you think will happen at The New Beginning in Osaka? Let us know in the comments section below! Don’t forget to follow myself and Vendetta Sports Media on all your favorite social media platforms.
