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#5 The big time angle & new star NJPW needed
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Although excitement has been high with the return of NJPW, the one thing lacking over the past few weeks has been a buzz around the company. Most hardcore wrestling fans and New Japan diehards were looking forward to the quality wrestling that NJPW has been known for, but the casual wrestling fan really had nothing to grab on to as far as a story that engaged them...until now.
The shocking heel turn of EVIL on his mentor, Tetsuya Naito, grabbed the headlines on Saturday morning. This was a big change in the structure of NJPW as the Bullet Club had been left without a main event heel with Switchblade Jay White and KENTA unable to travel to Japan.
Check out which wrestler EC3 finds cute RIGHT HERE
The heel turn definitely made heads turn, but it was the next night's main event result, which is what will have people talking for weeks to come. Not only did EVIL defeat Kazuchika Okada to win the NJ Cup Finals, but he also went on the next night to defeat Tetsuya Naito to win both the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships.
EVIL has taken down the two men who battled in the main event of the Tokyo Dome this year to determine the first-ever IWGP dual champion at WrestleKingdom 14. He is also only the seventh man to hold the IWGP Heavyweight Championship since 2012 in NJPW. EVIL joins a list which includes the aforementioned Naito, Okada, and Jay White as well as Hiroshi Tanahashi, AEW's Kenny Omega, and WWE's AJ Styles.
The storyline developments from this will be felt in New Japan for months to come. What will happen next to Tetsuya Naito? Where does Okada go from here? Who is the leader of the Bullet Club now? What type of reign will EVIL have? How do the other members of LIJ respond?
We find out the answer to that final question when EVIL defends the IWGP dual gold against IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi at NJPW Sengoku Lord on July 25th, following Hiromu challenging to end Dominion.
