We are just a few short days away from Wrestle Kingdom 17. The biggest show on the New Japan Pro Wrestling calender is coming, and it’s hard to deny it’s got one of the best cards fans have seen from NJPW in years. In particular, the match between Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega for the IWGP United States Championship has fans incredibly excited, with it marking the return of Kenny Omega to Japan… and originally he might have had The Young Bucks making the journey with him.
The Young Bucks Were Set To Make Their Return To Japan
In the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer would reveal the following information.
“I know The Young Bucks are not going to Japan. They were actually originally scheduled to be on the card, but plans changed. It’s just one of those things. Things changed. Yeah, they were originally on the card.”
With the card being booked so solid, there’s not much of an indication on just what The Young Bucks would have been planned to do at Wrestle Kingdom 17. There’s a chance they might have wrestled Aussie Open, who are also left off the card. Given the match of Omega vs. Ospreay, it would fit in with The Elite vs. United Empire set up.
We might have also been originally set to see that as a trios match, with NJPW changing their mind after AEW ran that match as part of the World Trios Championship tournament in the summer. Either way, it might be for the best that their match was cut – as at 12 matches counting the pre-show, Wrestle Kingdom 17 will be a tightly packed show as is.
The door for The Young Bucks to return to NJPW is wide open, with a good chance they find their way onto the card for Dominion later in the year, where they would be able to challenge for the IWGP Tag Team Championships. This is something not possible at Wrestle Kingdom due to the winners of World Tag League getting that chance instead.
What match would you have wanted to see from The Young Bucks at Wrestle Kingdom 17? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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