Kevin Kelly not only had a front row seat at the June 8 New Japan Pro-Wrestling Dominion event, he also had the distinction of calling the historic match that saw Kenny Omega unseat Kazuchika Okada as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
“I knew I was seeing something amazing, especially right at the end,” said Kelly, who handles play-by-play for the New Japan English broadcasts on the NJPW World streaming service. “It feels good to be a part of that, to have your voice on it.”
The expectations for the match were through the roof considering the three previous contests between Okada and Omega in 2017 with each of them raising the bar for drama and storytelling inside the ring.
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The bar was raised even higher with the stipulation of it being a no time limit, two-out-of-three falls match. However, Okada and Omega were up to the task as they delivered what some argue is the greatest match in wrestling history. After nearly 65 minutes of heart-pounding, hard-hitting action, Omega finally scored the win and ending Okada’s record 720 day reign as champion.
“To be in that moment and to realize we're witnessing history but, in that match, right at the end, if you go to the last minute of the match and the two men are completely spent and each of them is laying with their head on the bottom rope side-by-side, that was where I knew we are seeing one of the greatest matches of all time,” explained Kelly.
“And I knew, in that moment, the end was near. This was just the beginning of the final scene. Sure enough, it was. Omega gets up, hits the ropes, V-Trigger, One-Winged Angel, and we've got a new champ. I wanted to jump up and scream. I wanted to applaud.”
Unlike WWE where the outcomes of matches are given to the broadcast team in advance of the show, Kelly and his broadcast partner Don Callis are just like fans watching the show and wondering will win and who will lose.
“None of us know what's going to happen,” said Kelly. “Let's see how it unfolds. I do my best to weave in history and if there's any opportunity to say this happened in a previous match and here was the outcome as a result.
“Those moments are made so much better because, it's like, I know what I'm doing. I know how to call a wrestling match. Let's see what's going on.”
Kelly handles play-by-play of New Japan action like any other sport, calling the action and telling the story as it unfolds in front of him. Sometimes, it will be almost too close as was the case at Dominion when Chris Jericho attacked IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito before their match.
.@IAmJericho crushes Naito through the table! #njdominion
— TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) June 9, 2018
➡️ https://t.co/8n90d75Nfk pic.twitter.com/a2qxkDrTNe
“Jericho blindsides Naito right in front of us,” explained Kelly. “I did not see Jericho coming. I guess he got out of the ring from behind Naito and he looped clockwise and he clocked Naito, hit him as hard as he could in the back of the head. I literally almost jumped out of my skin because it completely caught me off guard.”
“And for Jericho to win, that just takes the Intercontinental Title and completely puts it on ice. Jericho's not going to come back. Where are we going to see the belt again? But when we do see the belt again, it's going to be mighty important, isn't it?
The 51-year-old Kelly has been calling wrestling action around the world dating back to 1991. Since then, he has worked for WWE, Ring of Honor, and various independent groups including more recently UK-based Revolution Pro Wrestling.
His broadcast career with New Japan began in late 2015. That turned out to be great timing considering the amazing talents and fantastic matches he has called since then. That includes Okada’s record 720-day championship reign with Kelly calling all 12 of the Japanese star’s title defenses, the most in NJPW history.
“I didn't imagine that it was going to go this long,” said Kelly. “I thought a turning point bringing about an end to the reign was the February 2017 match against Minoru Suzuki. By the end of that tour, Okada was black and blue from his hip to his ankle from all the kicks and all of the pulling on the leg and chair shots and everything else. I didn't think that his body was going to hold up much further beyond that.”
Then there were plenty of people who believed Naito would defeat Okada this past January at Wrestle Kingdom 12. Instead, it was the “Rainmaker” scoring another win on his way to making history.
“At that point, I thought, well, all bets are off,” said Kelly. “I don't know when this is going to end. I did preview shows for several other events and I was like I can never pick against Okada because he's overcome the circumstances so many times.
“It's amazing when you think about what it is and how history will treat it. Obviously, 11 title reigns for Tanahashi is a footnote in history now. With 12 (defenses) and the days as champ, I think it's the best streak of all-time in New Japan history.”
New Japan is now focused on worldwide expansion under new President Harold Meij. That includes more shows in the United States like the recent G1 Special at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. The company has already announced it will return to the U.S. later this year with the Fighting Spirit Unleashed event on Sept. 30 at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif.
Next up for New Japan is the G1 Climax 28, — a grueling, 20-man tournament beginning on July 14 with 19 events over 27 days. For the first time, all 19 shows will air live with English commentary on New Japan World.
The greatest tournament in wrestling is here! These are your G1 CLIMAX 28 entrants!! All 19 shows, LIVE with ENGLISH COMMENTARY!! Stay tuned to https://t.co/Tj7UBJ4PjP
— njpwworld (@njpwworld) June 17, 2018
『G1 CLIMAX28』出場選手発表！#NJPWWorld では全19大会LIVE配信！登録＆視聴▷https://t.co/Tj7UBJ4PjP#G128 #NJPW pic.twitter.com/TjYc9J9xtj
“It's the culmination of two years of effort on my part to get New Japan World to broadcast all of the G1 in English,” said Kelly. “I knew that the audience would be there. I knew the anticipation would be extremely high once the announcement was made because this is what fans want.
“We have to broadcast that whole tournament and, eventually, every show in English. And eventually every show live in English. Whatever broadcast New Japan has live in Japanese, they are also going to have to have it live in English.”
Once again, there are high expectations for the G1 Climax following last year’s tournament, which many consider the greatest in New Japan history with incredible matches every night. All of the participants want to raise their game and showcase their best. But with that brings a danger level with wrestlers trying to do too much and putting themselves at risk.
“It's a fear, it's concern,” admitted Kelly. “It's something to keep an eye on. From the fans' perspective, is there an opportunity for a let down? Is there an opportunity for disappointment? I think we're prisoners of the moment and I think the snap reaction was that last year's G1 was the greatest of all-time. People would say that after each night. How could tomorrow top it? It just does.
“Hopefully, that comes from not how high we can jump off of something. What story can we tell that's unique, that hasn't been told before, and will never be told again.”
The 20 participants in this year’s G1 Climax is nearly identical to last year’s with Adam “Hangman” Page and Jay White as the only first-time competitors. The tournament includes a star-studded cast including the likes of Omega, Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Kota Ibushi.
But Kelly believes that you cannot discount others such as Tomohiro Ishii or Hirooki Goto as well as rising stars such Zack Sabre Jr. and Juice Robinson with the field being wide open.
“That's why, to me, it's the greatest tournament,” said Kelly. “It's just wonderful. There were two things going in that I worry about. There's so many guys that could have been in this tournament. Are they going to expand the field? And I'm thankful they didn't. I think 20 is the perfect number and nine singles matches at 19 events over 27 days just works. Yes, it's awful. It's the longest period of guy's lives and yes, it's going to shorten careers but if it was any more, it would shorten those careers faster.
“The other thought was how many newcomers are going to be in this tournament and how hard is it to get in. It doesn't mean we have to do it this year but it does mean that eventually it is going to happen and the competition throughout the year realizing that you have to perform well and you have to be at your best all the time means something. It can't just be ‘well, it's G1 time, time to go to work’. No, you have to have your big boy pants on 12 months a year and every match counts.”
Kelly knows he is in for a busy month broadcasting the entire G1 Climax but he can’t wait to get started.
“This is going to work and everyone is going to be along for the ride. I can't wait for the journey to start.”
Brian Fritz can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrianFritz and listen to his Between The Ropes podcast on iTunes.
