📸:toma_prow on twitter
Now that the dust has settled and his reign is over, I think congratulations are in order for Sanada. He finally got his moment at the top and had a record setting reign with the World Championship. He did the best he could with a less than ideal reign, but still held it down to give us some great matches. His first dome main event might not have ended with him winning but he was finally able to win over the crowd. I’m incredibly happy for Sanada and I hope he gets some more spotlight going forward.
23 comments
That post match is exactly what he needed. Brilliant
SANADA and Taichi: brought together and bonded by the fact that nothing they ever do will be good enough for their mentors Mutoh and Kawada.
I just hope he is kept near the top. Hopefully this changes a lot of opinions regarding SANADA. Being a SANADA fan is like yelling from the mountaintops with no one listening.
I think throughout the year, we could get a brief Taichi/SANADA team, and maybe a SANADA G1 win. He can get fans behind him, and now can show a little personality now that he isn’t champion. Plus, Naito gets his roll call, his last hurrah, and for sure, his last World title.
The one thing SANADA lacked that other top guys had was that emotional arc.
Watching him break down after the match, then saving Naito so he can have his moment was it.
I hope they can keep him in that top guy discussion.
One of the most underappreciated wrestler s going. Was so happy to finally see him defeat his rival
Bruh stop… Seeing guys like SANADA in tears is too much. 🥹
I’ve always been a Sanada fan while his title reign wasn’t what i hoped it be i’m more than happy it happened & his performance in the Main event more than proves he belongs in the scene & should hold it again
SANADA has paid his dues.
I remember for the longest time, everyone in LIJ had a title except him. I thought that NJPW hated him. They even did an action figure release and they made one of every member except SANADA.
[https://i.pinimg.com/564x/14/d4/eb/14d4eb04681bc20a50d14f51ffbb00ad.jpg](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/14/d4/eb/14d4eb04681bc20a50d14f51ffbb00ad.jpg)
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[https://mastodonwrestlingblog.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/8/3/13839291/published/810138461.jpg?1590902869](https://mastodonwrestlingblog.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/8/3/13839291/published/810138461.jpg?1590902869)
Him winning the US title was a big deal and that’s when they finally gave him his respect. I’m glad he ditched the monkey king look and opted for a more clean cut appearance. It was almost like the final touches of him looking like a champion.
He’s got the looks and skill. On the mic and promos are lacking but he’s always seemed like the more reserved type. Very impressive run and hope that he sees gold in the near future
I think he’ll get another shot as champion in the next 2 years. Who knows, maybe he’ll win the G1 this year
He did what he could with what he had to work with. Him breaking down as he walked away could be the start of his emotional anime protagonist arc back to the top of the mountain
Wrestle Kingdom was his making.
He knew that he was losing the belt and he worked his ass off to ensure that if he’s not champion, he’s going to stay in this main event position
[Here’s](https://x.com/toma_prow/status/1742905727902257368) the direct link to the original posting of the image. I highly encourage people to please post direct links as credit instead of just names, since it is more likely that people will actually go give the photographer likes/interaction (which is a nice gesture because technically they don’t allow reposting of their images like this at all, even credited).
My hope is that he goes on to win the G1 this year and reclaims his championship at the next WK from whoever may be the champ at that time.
He got to the top and headlined the Tokyo Dome.
As a SANADA fan, I’m so happy for him.
I’m happy Gedo was able to solidify his position with what happened at the end of the match.
I did shed a tear watching him walk away. I was so happy for Sanada this whole reign. He has nothing to be ashamed of
Word. SANADA deserves his flowers. He’ll get more opportunities for sure. Hard to get a crowd behind you facing Naito, but he definitely has support. Great match with a fantastic epilogue that put him in an even greater light. Looking forward to his 2024 campaign. Dope post.
Win over the crowd? Sanada has been beloved in Japan all year. It’s the western fans that don’t care for him, and it was the western fans that were won over with this moment.
The post match kick started a new story for SANADA and tied up a 4 year one for Naito. Sensational pro wrestling. So much love for this.
The moment he took out Evil and Togo was a proper heart raising pop moment. The history between all three men and him making the save for Naito was hero stuff. The entire wrestling world should be grateful he made that save because that LIJ roll call might be the last one.
Fantastic match, Sanada proved himself even in this reign, I don’t care. He improved himself in the main event of the Dome show and the crowd loved him. The reaction as he walked back was exactly what he needed as well.
Great show, I just wish there was one fewer AEW involvement match. I don’t think we need Mox bleeding everywhere
I think that this match ultimately showed how similar Naito and SANADA are in some ways. Both almost pathologically cool – so much so sometimes that you can’t really tell whether they care or not. And for that reason, sometimes between when they are chasing than when they have won. And in the match itself, it was a story of frustration, but in different ways. You keep see it in SANADA’s face when he fucked up that flip early in the match – it was a microcosm of his title reign in general. And you could get a sense of Naito’s frustration – this moment would have meant more if he got it before his body was so broken down. Seeing the cracks show in the facade of both guys made for a great story (but maybe not a perfectly executed match).
he gave it everything he had