Peria

Almost at Wrestle Kingdom 1999. Nothing really major to report, except Hiroshi Hase, at age 37 is now in decline. I'm so sad. I wanted him to finally win the big one in 2000, in a thank you moment as he'd be about 39-40. Again, nothing major to report, things change... I'm just sad. To add on to this. I've lost Shiro Koshinaka, Bobby Eaton, Tatsumi Fujinami to time decline this year as well. I'm now seeing the reality that NJPW faced (of course not counting the awful management by Inoki), Kojima and Tenzan, as great as they are in real life, aren't actually over enough to replace guys like Fujinami and even Hiroshi Hase. Hell, Nakanishi and Nagata can't even get to 80 pop. TenKoji seem capped at 82 popularity. Even my regens, can't get over 82. Jun Akiyama just hit 85 popularity and seems stuck. A huge far cry from Tenryu, Fujinami, and even Choshu who all were at 90+ at one point. Chono, Mutoh, and Hashimoto all hit over 90+ popularity as well, with Hashimoto teasing 100 at times. Sasaki seems mostly stuck at 88. But I think I've seen him hit 91 before, so that's okay. It's just funny to see how doomed my main event scene will be in about 5 years if I don't do anything to fix it.

Could have them lose to bullshit, Tully? Maybe? Then have them earn a rematch January 12th. Have the rematch on the 19th? Otherwise I'd just have them debut on the special.

I struggle booking anyone who either is really old with "bad" skills. Say.. Pablo Rodriguez, sure he isn't "bad" but he is 44. If he was an elite talent at 44, sure. But he isn't. So I just don't know what to do with him creatively. Every feud becomes "can Pablo survive the youthful uprising" and he doesn't. So... then what? He just loses. Loses. Loses. TCW's roster is so bad in 2020.

G1 8 is over and done with! August 1998's finale will see A Block Winner Kensuke Sasaki, who watched his tag team partner Hiroshi Hase fall to Misawa last year, take on B Block Winner Shinya Hashimoto, the last of the 3 Musketeers to never win a G1. Both men look to outdo their peers in every way possible, but only one will succeed this year. Let's look at the blocks. A Block: Kensuke Sasaki: 12 Points - Sasaki was in a tightly contested block, winning with only 12 points via tie breaker with Kane who also placed at 12. Dropping 3 matches to Kazuo Yamazaki in a shock, Keiji Mutoh after a 28 minute war, and Akira Taue who out muscled the stocky Sasaki, his major wins come by defeating IWGP Champion Fujinami, Kane, and Stone Cold. With Hiroshi Hase injured and reportedly meant to be in A Block, few must wonder if Hase would have been the one to repeat, and knock his tag partner off. Tatsumi Fujinami: 9 Points - A solid showing for the near 45 year old champion, Fujinami isn't what he used to be, but even then he shows he is more than enough for most. A 30 minute draw with Mutoh the day after Mutoh wrestled a 28 minute affair with Sasaki shook up Fujinami's confidence, causing him to drop back to back matches with Minoru Suzuki and Kazuo Yamazaki, opponents Fujinami should have dispatched with relative ease. Stone Cold Steve Austin: 8 Points - In G1 7, Stone Cold was second place in his block. Astonishingly racking up 12 points. This year? Something must have been wrong. Just coming off a crushing defeat to Fujinami for the IWGP Heavyweight title, really rocked the Rattlesnake. Stone Cold can at least enjoy an NWA World Heavyweight title shot, as he prevented Kane from going to the finals on the final day of block action. Perhaps that will jumpstart his momentum into 1999, and perhaps see him in the main event. Dave Finlay: 8 Points - His last G1 in 1996 had him finish at 6 points, granted the field was only 8 instead of 10. Meaning he went 50/50. Finlay came back with authority. His biggest win was against the aforementioned Stone Cold, but nearing 40, many have to wonder if this is his last G1? He needed a starmaking performance to really earn another spot. Time will tell. Minoru Suzuki: 10 Points - It's hard to doubt Suzuki's rise. Last year? 6 points, and the crowds respect. This year? 10 points and the crowds adulation. He continues to surge in popularity and with a victory over Fujinami, perhaps if the champion can fend off the G1 winner, Suzuki might be finding himself in his first major main event in NJPW. Hiroyoshi Tenzan: 8 Points - Tenzan still struggles a bit in singles action. With Kojima? He is a top-tier talent. But still, 8 points is respectable, it just happens to be the same score as last years. Is Tenzan stuck? Or will he always be a tag team star? Kazuo Yamazaki: 6 Points - A stand-in for Hiroshi Hase, Yamazaki only garnered a meagre 6 points, the lowest of the tournament. Except... you must look further at who he managed to beat. Yamazaki's 3 wins came against Kensuke Sasaki, Tatsumi Fujinami, and Keiji Muoth. Nobody else in the tournament can say they've beaten those 3 in their campaign. While this doesn't matter much in concrete accolades, it is something Yamazaki can proudly take away. Keiji Mutoh: 9 Points - Perhaps the man who suffered the most via matchmaking. Grueling match after grueling match, with most of his easier matches in the very beginning, one he actually dropped to Yamazaki. Mutoh's G1 campaign slowly became a fruitless endeavor in real time as fans watched him struggle from the middle portion of the tournament. Hard to fault the man, facing Kane, Sasaki, Fujinami, and Stone Cold, back to back would be a nigh impossible task for anyone. Akira Taue: 8 Points - Last year, Taue struggled to adapt to the G1 format. Abysmally finishing at 4 points. This year? Doubled. Taue had a quiet G1, losing 3 straight. His 4th match? A decisive victory over Kensuke Sasaki. After that? He seemed a different man. Perhaps 1999 will see Akira Taue become the 2nd AJPW alumni to make it to the finals of a G1. Kane: 12 Points - Ever since donning the red mask, killing the name Glenn Jacobs, Kane has been a feared member of NJPW. Last year? Kane had an impressive 12 points. Tying with Stone Cold. This year? No different. 12 points. A nearly perfect campaign with a major upset thrown in. Kane had no problems dispatching Mutoh. And everyone else before him. It was his rival Stone Cold, who had bested him two G1s now, and Sasaki that made sure Kane was not meant to be G1 winner. Perhaps it was Fujinami's willpower that allowed him to power through all of Kane's monstrous offense. Kane had never gone over 25 minutes before, and Fujinami pushed him to the 29 minute mark before Kane finally succumbed. A welcoming thing for NJPWs roster, knowing that this monster has a weakness. B Block Shinya Hashimoto: 14 Points - Perhaps the man who embodies NJPW, with Fujinami and Tenryu nearing retirement, and Choshu gone. Hashimoto has become the true "ace" of NJPW. Racking up 14 points in this G1 and earning his shot to finally become a G1 winner will cement his status as "Ace" Masahiro Chono: 9 Points - Mr. August's worst G1 performance is actually at a great 9 points. Falling to Hashimoto, his arch-rival. Losing to the ever-crafty and disrespectful Dude Love, a 30 minute draw with Bret Hart, losing to Kawada, all understandable. What shocked everyone? Losing to Dan Severn in just under 15 minutes. Mr. August never one to give excuses, was visibly livid with his performance. Hard to fault him. Dude Love: 10 Points - It's almost funny to see Dude Love in the G1. The newer opponents? Too focused and hungry. In fact, everyone under 30 defeated Dude Love in this G1. With the exception of Dan Severn who just defeated Chono. The older guys? Perhaps they believe their straight-edged wrestling approach will defeat Dude Love. The newer guys? More adaptable. Either way, 10 points is respectable for the man who is becoming known as a spoiler. Bret Hart: 9 Points - Bret Hart is a strange case in the G1. Last year he had a rather disappointing performance. This year? He turned one loss into a draw. Losing to opponents he shouldn't be losing to. His legendary tag run with Owen Hart currently might be affecting him in singles performance. Or perhaps in his 40s, the Hitman is no longer the best? Bret Hart promises a better performance next year, time will show if he keeps his word. Satoshi Kojima: 10 Points - A fantastic performance for one of the up and comers of NJPW. Kojima managed to surpass all expectations and defeat many big opponents, like Bret Hart for example. Still, 10 points is not enough. And Kojima still showed he is very young, as he fell to his peers and his superiors with equality. Still. This might be a sign that Kojima is here to play in the main event. Dan Severn: 6 Points - Severn had a lackluster G1. His first G1 actually. Much like his tag partner in A Block, Kazuo Yamazaki, Severn can still hold his head up high, as he spoiled both Masahiro Chono and Dude Love this G1. If he competes next year, perhaps now he is used to the schedule, he will fare better. Highashikuni Fuwa (regen): 6 Points - His first G1 since returning from excursion. And in the same block as fellow Young Lion Sukejuro Kuroki (also regen) saw the pressure amplified. 6 points for his first G1 is a good sign that Fuwa might have more upside in the future however. For now, he was an easy victory for many veterans. Sukejuro Kuroki (regen): 8 Points - Kuroki saw his popularity go up this year, and his score. 2 points to be exact. Kuroki managed to defeat best friend and training partner, Fuwa. With both men in different factions though, their reunion was only slightly bittersweet. However, Kuroki must focus as he is now without a direct plan to Wrestle Kingdom. Chono's protege however, has always been tipped for great things. So maybe he shouldn't worry as much as some others. Toshiaki Kawada: 12 Points - Since coming to NJPW, Kawada had about 2-3 singles matches. Mostly teaming with Misawa or Taue, or both. This was a bad thing for NJPWs roster. Nobody had any answers for Kawada. Just a brutal onslaught after onslaught with no signs of slowing down saw many people outright overwhelmed. Masahiro Chono fought Kawada to a 28 minute match, but that was it. Everyone else was swiftly handled. Dude Love managed to infuriate Kawada, Bret Hart simply kept up. Lastly, to say Hashimoto defeated Kawada... if you count a count-out victory after barely surviving as a win, perhaps Hashimoto did defeat Kawada. One thing for sure is, Kawada is going to be a mainstay fixture in the G1 for years to come. Steve Williams - 6 Points: Dr. Death has his problems. A major reason why Williams is often absent in G1s is because he still wrestles for both PWFG and AJPW. For him to even be in this tournament should tell you just how amazing he is, as lesser men would simply fail due to fatigue. Williams can at least rejoice knowing one of his three victories came from a battered Shinya Hashimoto, who had just survived Kawada, in just 13 minutes. Perhaps Williams won't be in the next G1, but if he is, the match quality is always can't miss. G1 8 Finals Match: Shinya Hashimoto vs Kensuke Sasaki! Thanks for reading! Missed writing these up as I do/did put a lot of effort into them.

What others have said: I always thought CZCW was PGW. Just the "whose who" that were slightly in a decline because every "top star" was raided by bigger promotions.

<p>Been really busy. Finally finished the finals of the BOSJ 8. Ultimo Dragon and Jushin "Thunder" Liger both managed to win their respective blocks. Liger going for a record 3 wins while Ultimo Dragon for his first. A 100 rated match saw Ultimo Dragon become the winner. He now faces sporadic tag team partner Hayabusa for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title at Dontaku.</p><p> </p><p> Meanwhile, at Dontaku: Tatsumi Fujinami vs "Stone Cold" Steve Austin with Fujinami defending the IWGP Heavyweight title. This is Austin's first real shot at the title. His other shot came at a rare triple threat match which he lost. Of course, to have earned that shot Austin had to step over fellow NWO Japan member & leader Masahiro Chono, which has earned a bit of ire from the Japanese members of this NWO branch. </p><p> </p><p> Chris Jericho & Dean Malenko were set to defend the IWGP Junior Tag titles against Gedo & Jado but Malenko's injury saw Sabu step in, Sabu was ultimately outsmarted by the duo and now Gedo & Jado go into Dontaku with even more momentum against the inaugural tag team champs.</p><p> </p><p> Mitsuharu Misawa will take on Shinya Hashimoto in a special match. Misawa is leaving for another movie, and they are currently 1-1. This will be a decidedly predictable outcome here but Hashimoto vs Misawa has been a fun mini-rivalry to book since last year.</p><p> </p><p> The Hart Family (Bret & Owen) will defend against Gannosuke and Minoru Suzuki for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team titles. Since joining NJPW, Bret Hart has proven he hasn't lost a step. Competing in the G1 and doing uncharacteristically average, Bret instantly began teaming with Owen and winning World Tag League and the tag titles. Since then? An iron grip on those titles, but with Suzuki & Gannosuke holding NWA Six Man Gold with Funaki, and Suzuki's recent popularity surge, perhaps the crowds energy will sway the outcome in their favor.</p><p> </p><p> Speaking of Masakatsu Funaki, the U-30 Champion has been very dominant. Breaking the defense record for the U-30 at 4 if he retains at Dontaku, Funaki must defeat his toughest opponent yet in Jun Akiyama, a former U-30 champion himself. With Jun Akiyama languishes in the midcard, can this be his moment to step out of the shadows? </p><p> </p><p> Full Card Below:</p><p> </p><p> <strong>IWGP Heavyweight Title Match:</strong></p><p> "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. Tatsumi Fujinami ©</p><p> </p><p> <strong>IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match:</strong></p><p> Ultimo Dragon vs. Hayabusa © </p><p> </p><p> <strong>IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Title Match:</strong></p><p> Gannosuke & Minoru Suzuki vs. The Hart Family ©</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Special Singles Match:</strong></p><p> Shinya Hashimoto vs. Mitsuharu Misawa </p><p> </p><p> <strong>IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Title Match:</strong></p><p> Gedo & Jado vs. Dean Malenko & Chris Jericho ©</p><p> </p><p> <strong>IWGP U-30 Title Match:</strong></p><p> Jun Akiyama vs. Masakatsu Funaki ©</p><p> </p><p> (And Various Young Lion multi-man matches that aren't important)</p>

I've been slowly getting through 1998 as NJPW. In my 1992-Beyond game. BOSJ is now officially over! Finally. Been super busy, but always try and book a show or two before bed. Lets go over the blocks and the stories going in! Possibly one of my favorite things to update everyone on haha. (Also, small note: The Sheik died.) A Block: Hayabusa: 8 Points - The IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion did not win his block. Though he came very close, his final night saw him fall to the A Block Winner (spoilers) Jushin Thunder Liger. Hayabusa only has himself to blame though, as his arrogance saw him drop a victory to Jinsei Shinzaki, and get outsmarted via countout by a crafty Chris Jericho. Shinjiro Otani: 8 Points - Otani showed up in a major way this BOSJ. Even though last year he also ended at a simple 8 points. Otani defeated Liger. Something he should always be proud of, as he now closes the gap at 2 wins 4 losses vs the Legendary Junior Heavyweight. Not bad either way, but maybe next year he can reach the finals? He can't stay at 8 points forever. Jinsei Shinzaki: 6 Points - 2 points up from last year, Shinzaki had some struggles. Largely due to fatigue. Shinzaki wasn't prepared for this tournament, but yet he managed to do a little better. A great sign for the older rookie talent. Especially considering he beat both Hayabusa and Otani. Gedo: 4 points - 2 points down from last year. A strange circumstance, as he has been better than ever in tag action with good friend Jado. Gedo suffered many defeats he clearly had won, and Gedo fans can only hope this has humbled him. However, Gedo's crowning victory was ensuring that Chris Jericho could not win the block. As the two have been rivals for the better part of the year. Chris Jericho: 8 Points - A great showing by Y2J (as he isn't known as in NJPW) who managed to defeat the current champ. Still, Jericho must be moderately perplexed as he remains +0 overall gain from last year. But he shouldn't fret too much, as if he had only defeated Gedo, perhaps he'd be in the running for block winner. Giichi Kajitani (regen): 6 Points - 6! A debutant at 6 points, who has everything to prove and impressed many. His biggest win coming over a massive upset versus Otani. Kajitani is one to watch, after his lengthy 3 year excursion in CMLL. Ryushi Kai (regen): 6 points - If people are praising Kajitani, who just debuted and scored 6. Fans might bite their lip when seeing Kai, who did even better in his debut at 8. -2 overall from last year. Kai is always impressive, but he was too reckless early in the tournament and found himself exhausted by the end. A Block Winner: Jushin Thunder Liger. B Block: Eddie Guerrero - 10 Points: Fans can be elated to know Latino Heat is back after another unfortunate relapse. And he is back with a vengeance. 10 points! His matches were some of the best but some might feel, with Guerrero dropping matches to both Ultimo Dragon and Koji Kanemoto, two elite Juniors.. is Guerrero a step below? Koji Kanemoto - 10 Points: Perhaps the winner of B Block had he not dropped to a subbed in Chavo Guerrero Jr. (Dean Malenko was injured after the second match of the tournament) Kanemoto can be proud however, as he was injured in '97 and missed last years BOSJ. Perhaps next year he can convert 10 points into a win. Jado: - 4 Points: An upsetting reality for both Gedo & Jado is they both lucked out at just 4. Jado struggled throughout and some have to think if both members stick more to tag actions than singles after this. Chavo Guerrero Jr.- 4 points (Malenko acquired 2 of these): A stand-in who performed admriably. Clearly unready for the sudden call up, Chavo managed only beat the winless Isao Kwakami, but was swiftly dispatched by other veterans of the ring. Gennai Kajiyama (regen) - 10 Points: Liger's protege, and a great athlete, Kajiyama is another double digit member who could not win the tournament. Regardless, Kajiyama has one of the biggest growths from year to year, earning +4 over his 1997 attempt which ended at 6. Kajiyama has much to be proud of, and in 1999, it might be safe to say one of these men will win their block next year. Sabu - 6 Points: Sabu was a last minute entrant into BOSJ who many had not heard of. Now? They know. Sabu has been wrestling in FMW for about 5 years now, honing his craft. His ridiculously reckless moves earned him some respect. He holds a victory for Kajiyama. Isao Kwakami (regen) - 0 Points: A absolutely horrific campaign for debutant Kwakami. He Unable to win a singular match, Kwakami returned from CMLL after 3 years. It has been rumored Kwakami might return to Mexico and find more experience under his belt before he re-tackles NJPW. (Note: Nobody in B Block wanted to lose to him, except Sabu. He faced Malenko 1st round so Chavo couldn't even give him 2 points. It sucked.) Ultimo Dragon: 12 Points - The Winner. Ultimo Dragon. Decimating everybody, and only losing to one man, in the final day. Gennai Kajiama, in an absolute war. Ultimo Dragon looks as unstoppable as he did in 1994 (I J-Crowned him in 94) and perhaps it is his time again to reign supreme on top of the mountain. ] B Block Winner: Ultimo Dragon

NJPW 1992-1998. In April. Well, Misawa won G1 last year, and won the title at WK. Plan was to give him a nice length reign until he decided to Dwayne me and go make more movies. Fujinami, who is in decline, is now getting his historically accurate 6th title reign after all. Fujinami has always been "the guy" that manages to "save NJPW" in my storylines anyway. Bret Hart & Owen Hart continue to dominate the tag team landscape, effectively dethroning Sasaki & Hase from that mountain. Sasaki will always be a main event fixture, and I might create the IC title a little earlier because I have so many guys like Hase (Nagata, Nakanishi, Funaki, Suzuki, Finlay, Steve Williams, etc etc.) that are all so good but outside of Hase, Funaki, and Suzuki aren't realistically ever going to win the big one. Hayabusa defeated Shinjiro Otani for the Junior Heavyweight title. My Junior division is so freaking paper thin. Which I didn't even realize until I made a Junior Heavyweight Tag titles... oh my Lord. I was so focused saving my Heavyweight tag division I didn't realize I was killing another one. Hayabusa/Ultimo Dragon/Liger are the only guys over 80 pop. And might be the only guys who can get OVER 80 pop. I don't know. Every other junior except Otani (who admittedly is like 81 pop) is like 70-77 popularity, or wayyy worse (60-69) with BOSJ coming up, I definitely have a lot of work to do, but the tournament in general is a great way to get people over. The tournament last year made Chris Jericho super popular. Just wanted to share what has been happening. Thanks for reading.

Been busy sadly. Just picked my NJPW game up again though! Kawada's contract is up... and geez man he hasn't done a single thing since the game started in 1992 (7 years ago) I've passed on him before but now I feel like I should just take him and give him something to do.

Post Wrestle Kingdom 5 and now into 1998. 1992-1998 NJPW. Before I get into how WK 5 went. I'll do End of the Year Awards! Wrestler of the Year 1997: Bret Hart (NJPW) Dude leaves WWF and suddenly is WOTY again. Hmm! Dude competed in both G1 and Tag League and that alone was definitely going to help him. Masahiro Chono once again is at the #2 spot. Three years in a row. Company of the Year 1997: NJPW Obviously, right? I play it! I have the absolutely most stacked roster right now. I run the most events. It's pretty easy to cheese this one, but still cool nonetheless. Tag Team of the Year: Brian Pillman & Ultimate Warrior (WCW) I'm actually really upset this isn't Bret & Owen Hart. I feel a little cheated damn it! Match of the Year: G1 Climax Night 4 A Block - Bret Hart vs Masahiro Chono Ah yes. Both #1 and #2 guys in Power 500 having MOTY. Perfectly logical here. Show of the Year: Super Tag League 1997 (NJPW) Huh, I'm shocked. Until I checked. It is actually my best overall event at 97. And only one other event ties it which was WK3. Interesting. Main event was a 99 match between Bret & Owen Hart vs. Kensuke Sasaki & Hiroshi Hase. Young Wrestler of the Year: Gennai Kajiyama (Regen) (NJPW) Pretty interesting. He had the luxury of teaming with Liger throughout most of the year and he competed in BOSJ, which I'd imagine helped him win this one. Shocked it was him though. Veteran Wrestler of the Year: Ricky Steamboat (WCW) Love to see it! Female Wrestler of the Year: Manami Toyota I mean... yeah. I can believe this in any real world mod. Twice in a row for her, and she wrestles in AAA btw. Independent Wrestler of the Year: Tatsumi Fujinami I mean... lol, he ONLY wrestles for me. But he isn't exclusive so that qualifies him. Bit wonky but sure. Most Improved Company: Pro Wrestling America Don't care! Manager/Commentator/Announcer/Referee: Paul Heyman, Paul Heyman, Jim Ross, Tommy Young. Now onto Wrestle Kingdom 5! Some matches were filler, aka Young Lions. So I'll only be going over the major parts of the card! 1st Match: Chris Jericho & Dean Malenko def. Gedo & Jado to become the first ever IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions! I, really wanted Gedo & Jado to win but last year alone Jericho went from 45 popularity to 85. Malenko is at 83. Gedo is at 76 and Jado at 74. Gedo & Jado will be constantly featured in this division, so... for now. Masakatsu Funaki def. Sukejuro Kuroki (regen) for the IWGP U-30 Title Love Funaki! He is slowly being built up for a main event push, if he can just get a little better and more over. Kuroki held the title almost a year, so... time to move on. He seems popularity locked at 80 so... still no Main Event regens! Oh well. I enjoy booking real life characters anyway. The Hart Family def. Kazuo Yamazaki & Dan Severn for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Titles Of course I was giving the Wrestler of the Year his reward. Dude deserves it! Though I admit Yamazaki and Severn won the titles as a reward for just outright becoming so good. They'll be a fixture in this scene as Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki are done carrying it. Shinjiro Otani def. Rysuhi Kai and Jinsei Shinzaki to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title. A title retained! Otani was forced to defend this title against both men because the two had a singles match to determine the #1 contender and it ended a 20m no contest. Bit sports entertainment of me, but it is what it is. Otani will move on to better opponents as both Shinzaki and Kai aren't the elite that awaits him. Hiroshi Hase def. Tatsumi Fujinami A simple storyline. Both men struggled in singles matches at different times last year. Fujinami during G1, Hase before.. and after. Hase wanted to prove he can consistently get it done, and he challenged one of the greatest NJPW has ever seen. Fujinami's descent continues as he doubts himself more and more due to his age. Shinya Hashimoto def. Masahiro Chono Ah, such a classic feud for me. The record of singles matches is now around 11-9 for Chono, though this might be slightly inaccurate as there is no way of seeing singles matches alone in the match history. But nonetheless, this was months in the making, with Hashimoto and Chono drawing in G1 and eliminating themselves, and with Hashimoto taking the NWA Six Man titles off of NWO Japan alongside Yoshihiro Takayama and Shiro Koshinaka. Nonetheless, Hashimoto continues his ride back to the top of NJPW! Mitsuharu Misawa def. Keiji Mutoh for the IWGP Heavyweight title. Yes, Misawa was winning. I have no idea when he'll leave me for a movie, so I acted quickly. G1 winner converting. A rarity today! So its a big deal. Mutoh was beginning to turn heel, after betraying Liger (a feud we will revisit later) and beginning to use the mist to win matches illegally, including when he won the title against Kensuke Sasaki. Misawa challenged him honorably and Mutoh, desperate and hungry to stay on top did everything he could until the bitter end, which was unfortunately against the legendary Misawa. Great title reign by Mutoh. Match of the night was this one at 98. Overall, kind of an average WK match rating wise. Averages out to a 95/100 show. Which is good, but 1 point lower than both WK 4 and 3. Where both 1 & 2 were a 92/100. Oh well! This year will be fun, as stables and factions will begin to form and dominate the landscape.

Not going to post too much until I finish WK. But the 1997 Survivor Series main event for WWF was The Mountie defeating Virgil for the WWF Heavyweight title, which got a 97. Best on the card.

Certainly. I'm unsure how I'd break this down easily, but I can try. For starters, all of my initial stables actually bombed quite hard for various reasons beyond my control. So for starters, this is the failures. The Radicalz (I just called them The Rasicals in this game/save): They sort of just fell apart. Benoit and Perry Saturn got poached by WCW. Eddie was constantly in rehab. It just never panned out. Wanted to give them all a decent upper midcard push, very similar to an early Bullet Club. Had to throw Chris Jericho into the faction to bolster the ranks and then by 1996 it was just him and Malenko teaming up. UWFI: Is still around but isn't the invasive force I wanted it to be. Nobuhiko Takada, Kiyoshi Tamura, Kazuo Yamazaki, and Dan Severn were to invade NJPW, with Takada holding on to the IWGP Heavyweight title. Sadly, he refuses to prioritize me over his own company. So I can never have him long enough. Kiyoshi Tamura legitimately took so many fights he has wrestled like under 30 matches with me in the 4 years I had him, and Severn and Yamazaki are actually IWGP Tag Team champs so they did okay. TOWER: Consisted of Glenn Jacobs, Bam Bam Bigelow, Ken Shamrock, and Vader. This was before The Radicalz joined NJPW. 1992 type stuff. Sadly, like all gaijin, WCW came knocking for Bam Bam and Vader. Ken Shamrock wanted to do every MMA fight similar to UWFI's Kiyoshi Tamura, and Glenn Jacobs has now moved on. Soldados Calaveros: With El Canek, Blue Panther, Dos Caras, Mil Muertes, I mean this was the Lucha lineup. Had them all locked down to for me as well. What went wrong? El Canek broke his neck. Dos Caras and Mil Muertes were both in deep decline the same year I got them. Blue Panther broke his leg or something I forget, but basically the 5 guys that I brought in only El Hijo del Santo did anything. And as I was about to push him for the Junior Heavyweight title, CMLL took him and I wasn't about to fight for him. ...With that out of the way... other than UWFI which is barely a faction, NWO Japan is the only REAL stable right now. I plan on ushering in a stable-war centric NJPW within the next 2 years though. For now, the only real faction is... NWO Japan - Led by Masahiro Chono and is quite honestly an extremely stacked roster. Ten-Koji are the tag team. Eddie Guerrero betrayed a leaving Perry Saturn/Chris Jericho to join them. Stone Cold joined because WCW/WWF never wanted him idk why. Shinjiro Otani is becoming great. And Sukejuro Kuroki is a great regen that I picked up. Stone Cold is actually the #2 guy here but he isn't meant to really last, I plan on using him as a catalyst in breaking NWO Japan up and Chono going on to form Team 2000 or something or another... but for now, this is THE #1 faction by far. Note: I do plan on giving Misawa and Keiji Mutoh his own stable in the coming year, so... right now it's not the most interesting! With 1997 almost over, the power shift is changing more and more rapidly. Tenryu is now in deep decline at 47, and getting ready to join Riki Choshu in "NJPW grandpa" status. You know, fighting young lions and losing to up and comers. Fujinami is where Hiroshi Tanahashi is now. "The Ace" but clearly not anymore. Fantastic but lost a step. That vibe. Shinya Hashimoto, Keiji Mutoh (current IWGP Heavyweight champ) and Masahiro Chono are basically the top dogs. They don't lose often in singles matches and if they do it is a big deal. Below that is Kensuke Sasaki and Mitsuharu Misawa. Misawa was doing nothing with AJPW and kept making movies, finally have him long enough to push him to win the G1. I'd put Tatsumi Fujinami in this bracket alongside Sasaki and Misawa. Stone Cold probably as well. Below that is Hiroshi Hase, Akira Taue, Steve Williams, and Glenn Jacobs. Guys that could realistically win the title based on their skills and matches but just are very unlikely to do so. Satoshi Kojima and Tenzan would be here currently too, but they're not really doing much singles work outside of G1, so... not really going to put them anywhere. Though Kojima and Tenzan both will likely win the title when they're older. That is basically my main event scene. My junior division is stacked, and my heavyweight undercard is finally fixed from the games abysmal starting roster. I'd love to go into those as well but I'm afraid I'd just write way too much at this point so I will cut it short. I'll write more about it another time! Thanks for showing interest in my save, gives me motivation to keep it running further.

Tag League 1997 is finished. 16 teams entered. 2 blocks. Will give a quick rundown on the performances. Remember, unlike the G1, there is only 8 participants in each block, as opposed to 10! A Block: Kazuo Yamazaki & Dan Severn - 8 points: A good showing for the reigning champions. Well on their way to winning the block until a double count out in the finals to The Rascalz ruined both teams chances of winning. Steve Austin & Sukejuro Kuroki (regen) - 8 points: First representatives of NWO Japan. Would lose to Wild Justice (Nagata & Nakanishi) on the final day to find themselves short of winning their block. Wild Justice (Nagata & Nakanishi - 8 points: A very rough start saw them rapidly advance and improve with big wins over NWO Japan and former champions Bobby Eaton & Steve Williams saw them finish strongly. Koshi-Yama (Shiro Koshinaka & Yoshihiro Takayama)- 4 points: Since returning from a major injury, Shiro Koshinaka has struggled. A bit of a comedy wrestler now as he inches toward his 40s, Koshinaka let his protégé Takayama down this tournament. Though they did acquire a major upset victory against NWO Japan! The Rascalz (Dean Malenko & Chris Jericho) - 8 points: A shockingly strong showing by the two who both had fantastic BOSJ runs as well. A double countout on the last night of competition saw them come up short. Despite that, they proved they can contend with some of the best Heavyweight teams. Steve Williams & Bobby Eaton - 8 points: The former champions did well. With Eaton losing a step (time decline) it was up for debate whether Dr. Death can carry his team. Turns out, he can, and he did. Despite that, they entered the final day with just 6 points and were mathematically eliminated. The Takano Brothers (Shunji & George Takano) - 0 points: Okay, this was an experiment well before Tag League, I couldn't get them over. I was going to fire them but was short a team, they got the spot. Have no real plans for them. Don't even want to kayfabe it. Shunji Takano is at least decent and might salvage him. Sucks but sometimes you take gambles and they don't pay off. This was one of 'em. Stop injuring my young lions George!!! Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki - 10 points: A Block Winners! Fitting. Dominant throughout the 90s, Sasaki and Hase continue their rise to the top of the food chain in both singles and tag action. Defeating the easiest team on the final day securing them a ride to the finals. Do both men have another tag league victory left in them? Or are they too focused on their singles work? With 10 points, and only two losses - both to the champions and former champions, they look just as dominant as ever. B Block: Minoru Suzuki & Masashi Gannosuke - 4 points: Not the best of performances. But once again, similar to the G1, Minoru Suzuki continues to impress in the ring. Feeling ready for bigger things, many have to wonder if he will leave Gannosuke behind and pursue a singles career. But is he good enough to roll solo? Gannosuke held his own as well, perhaps it was just a bad tournament. Eddie Guerrero & Masahiro Chono - 7 points: The second NWO Japan team. 7 points. A final day draw with Misawa & Akira Taue (100 rated match!) saw both teams eliminate one another, thankfully the three way tie for B Block was VERY messy. (I made a mistake so had to force a draw here lmao) Losing to their stablemates Ten-Koji made a world of difference. As well as underestimating the unlikely team of Ron Simmons & Masakatsu Funaki. Misawa & Taue - 7 points: A great team that many expected to dominate. Ten-Koji proved to be outright better, picking them apart. Other than that, they destroyed most other teams, only dropping 2 other matches to the Hart Family, and Keiji Mutoh & Koji Kanemoto. The draw on the final day is what really obviously eliminated them. Gedo & Jado - 8 points: Jado had zero points in this years BOSJ. It goes to show a good tag team can beat many thrown together singles wrestlers. Both Junior Heavyweight teams (Jericho & Malenko being the other) came to play, and they proved they're elite. Gedo & Jado also have a huge win over Keiji Mutoh on the final day! Stopping his team from reaching the finals! Ten-Koji - 8 points: A team that many feel are the next Hase & Sasaki. But.. if that was the case, why haven't they advanced? They lost to Gedo & Jado, which isn't a match-up they've struggled with before. Suzuki & Gannosuke also defeated them. Lastly, they lost to Ron Simmons & Funaki. Despite defeating every main event level team in their block, they lost to every easy win. A team that could have gone undefeated, were eliminated before the final day. Mutoh & Kanemoto - 8 points: A solid team that has chemistry and worked together well in the past. They looked well on their way to the finals until Gedo & Jado ended their streak. Nothing to say here. Mutoh defeated G1 Climax Winner Misawa in tag action, which definitely felt great as Mutoh looks to battle Misawa at Wrestle Kingdom. Masakatsu Funaki & Ron Simmons - 4 points: I.. needed another team, and this was the best I had. Unlike the Takano Brothers, Simmons is a former IWGP Heavyweight champion, and Funaki rules (both Funaki's but I mean the MMA guy this time) They only got 4 points because they are a thrown together team that won't be competing next year. Just how it goes with so little good teams in Japan. The Hart Family - 10 points: B Block Winners! A scary final day for both blocks, but The Hart Family wins thanks to the draw between NWO Japan (Chono & Eddie) vs. Akira Taue and Misawa! Which is good because on the final day the Canadians actually lost! Ten-Koji managed to defeat them. Of course Ten-Koji entered the final day at 6 points, so while the Hart Family wasn't eliminated, they still had to watch the main event intently. Now they face off against Sasaki & Hase. Will family reign supreme? Or will the dominant streak continue? Things to Note: This wasn't as "big" as my BOSJ or G1, largely because I sort of always didn't care much for Tag League. Even during this tournament for myself to book, I put less thought/effort into making things smooth and easy for myself. I forgot I only had 7 days to book instead of 9 for one. Had to make a bunch of draws/weird stuff happen. But still I had fun booking it. I just wish I had better tag teams, as even Dan Severn & Kazuo Yamazaki were difficult for me to book because they only JUST became popular enough to even hold the tag titles. Sasaki & Hase winning A block was also an accident. Wanted the Tag champs to win A Block but since I forgot it was 8 team blocks, the tourney ended sooner. Lmao. Lots of oopsies basically. But ah well. Also, I forgot to set the draws = 1 point. As both The Rascalz and Severn & Yamazaki should be at 9 points. Hehe.

Well this is ****ing sick. Checked this thread on a whim and am so happy I did!

Would love a logo/faction for Keiji Mutoh. Mutoh-gun. Team MUTA. Anything really. Don't really mind! Just want it to be clear that Mutoh is the de facto leader. If you have any creative ideas, that'll be great too! Either way. Would love this done! Thanks a bunch regardless.

Actually, you nailed the Dude Love comment. Though in my eyes, he is more Juice Robinson + Toru Yano. He did enter NJPW as a serious Cactus Jack, but I already had signed Stone Cold, who was released from WCW and never re-signed, so.. I wasn't going to let him rot. Stone Cold hit like 93 popularity, and since he was a serious badass after changing gimmicks... Cactus Jack needed a change as well. A loving, semi-comedic, over-the-top Dude Love sounded perfect. Hiroshi Hase's character arc is definitely one of the more focused this year for sure. With Kensuke Sasaki (his tag partner) deciding to focus on singles action, and capturing the IWGP Heavyweight title, Hase felt left behind. Hase would find himself feuding with Atsushi Onita, who personally believed Hase was complacent, and happy with just riding Sasaki's success. Despite defeating Onita, Hase would challenge former 5x IWGP Heavyweight champion Tatsumi Fujinami to a match at the big show in April. He would come up short, and would actually fail to defeat Fujinami in the G1 as well. The G1 finals actually got a 100 rating! Hase and Misawa had great chemistry, but despite me actually rooting for Hase, I had to give Misawa the win. AJPW left Misawa in the midcard for some ungodly reason, and I want to give Misawa the recognition he deserves. Hase's single push is not a one-off, his story will come into contact with Fujinami, whom he is 0-2 against at the January 4th Tokyo Dome show. The battle will be the start of Hase's singles run vs. Fujinami preventing his downfall as he shifts lower down the card at 44. Yeah, NJPW is deeply rich in history and tradition. I chose Inoki as my UC but couldn't even bring myself to follow it into the dark ages and prioritizing shitty wannabe wrestlers over actually good ones. Though I still push great MMA and Wrestlers like Nobuhiko Takada, Funaki, and Kazuo Yamazaki is pretty good in my save. Dan Severn isn't bad at all either, tbh. It's okay to deviate, I even said in my last post I'm just doing what I want whilst sticking somewhat close to history. You best believe I'm giving Hirooki Goto an IWGP Heavyweight title reign, and Hiroshi Hase has legit been so fun to book in just 1997 alone (before he was sort of just Sasaki's tag partner) that I might even give him a title reign over, say, Fujinami's 6th reign (only beaten by Tanahashi at 8 right now, but Okada will likely beat that too, as he already has 5.)

G1 Climax 1997 is over. I definitely jumped ahead and had 10 men compete in 2 blocks. Definitely not one for 100% historical authenticity, but if I did it how it was the game would be boring. Decided to map out each performance for the ****s of it and relay it to you peoples. A Block: The Great Muta - 11 points. IWGP Heavyweight Champion. The first of two draws in the tournament, to a barely surviving Hiroshi Hase. Muta's only ego would get the better of him, losing to all, what would be classified as, inferior opponents in Kane, Minoru Suzuki, and William Regal. Tatsumi Fujinami - 8 points. A letdown this tournament. But with Tenryu working severely reduced scheduling, Riki Choshu basically done, Fujinami is the last bastion of a dying era. Could this mediocre showing be a sign for things to come? Kane - 12 points. A monstrous G1 debut showing as Kane ended up defeating the champion Muta, as well as Fujinami. Despite this, he would come up short against more experienced opponents who took him seriously. Jun Akiyama - 6 points. For a first G1, Akiyama was in a stacked block, but held his own defeating William Regal, Steve Williams, and Akira Taue. But it was no surprise Akiyama was fodder for others. Stone Cold Steve Austin - 12 points. Another great G1 showing for Stone Cold, and now a regular. Despite dropping matches to Muta, and Hiroshi Hase, the real stopping for his G1 was losing to Akira Taue. William Regal - 10 points. Regal joined NJPW 5 years ago and with substance abuse issues, and lack of creativity, and just overall average skills, seemed destined to be released. Not many people expected him to end up in the G1 with a winning record. Although he came up short, Regal has done exceptionally well for himself. Steve Williams - 8 points. Working both for AJPW and NJPW is tough, and maybe his lack of commitment has hurt him in this grueling new format. Going 0-3 at the very beginning did Dr. Death no favors. Akira Taue - 4 points. An unfortunate crime, perhaps suffering the same issues Steve Williams did. Akira Taue would get injured very early on and wrestling 9 matches injured is going to spell doom for anyone. He started out strong, even defeating Stone Cold and Minoru Suzuki, but he would not see a win again this tournament. Minoru Suzuki - 6 points. A G1 debut that would earn the respect of many fans, as Suzuki shot up in popularity despite losing more than winning. Beating both Fujinami and Muta definitely helped. As Suzuki acted as spoiler for his block. Hiroshi Hase - 13 points. A Block Winner. Hiroshi Hase is a constant state of confusion. Supremely talented, and popular. He rarely challenges for the IWGP Heavyweight title, and is more of a tag team specialist in NJPW, having held the Tag Titles 4x. Hase finds himself in an extremely valued spot, can he defeat the B Block winner? Can Hase finally begin his ascent to the top of the mountain? B Block: Hashimoto - 11 points. A great run, unfortunately not the winner. Losing to Dude Love was a shocking upset, but no where near detrimental to losing to a young Yuji Nagata on the final day. A draw against fellow musketeer Chono earlier on means Hashimoto narrowly is eliminated on the final day. Masahiro Chono - 13 points. Drew with Hashimoto, and lost to both gaijin Bret Hart and Dude Love means Chono is just one singular point shy of being the victor of the A block. Overall, Chono remains to be Mr. August. Dude Love - 10 points. A strong contender against any opponent, who managed to outperform top guys. Almost a wildcard, this was his best G1 performance with me so far. Beating some big names like Kensuke Sasaki (former champion) and Masahiro Chono. But losing to Yuji Nagata, Tenzan, and Kojima severely hurt him. Bret Hart - 8 points. When The Hitman joined NJPW, it was exciting. Seeing him go 4 and 5? Unexpected. Dropping many easy matches, including a young Tenzan and Kojima, may have been the most devastating. Though his first G1, perhaps he was just unprepared? Satoshi Kojima - 8 points. His first G1 resulted in 6. His second is just one better. Not terrible for the young future star. Nothing really to be said. Hiroyoshi Tenzan - 8 points. His first G1 resulted in just 4 points. A massive improvement, and one that many feel would be overshadowed by Kojima. So far he has proven he is just as good as his fellow tag team and stablemate. Sukejuro Kuroki (regen) - 6 points. A rough first G1, but regardless, he has a win over the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion - Kensuke Sasaki. He is also currently the U-30 Champion and a protege of the great Masahiro Chono. Kuroki might not have had an amazing performance but his future seems secured. Yuji Nagata - 4 points. His first G1 is a bit of a disaster. Defeating only Dude Love and scoring a great final day upset against Hashimoto. Nagata needs to figure it out. Kensuke Sasaki - 8 points. Next to Bret Hart, this is the most shocking. IWGP Heavyweight Champion just two months ago, and going 4-5 is a bit of a letdown. Perhaps him being defeated by Muta has shaken his confidence? Mitsuharu Misawa - 14 points. B Block Winner! Despite dropping matches to both of the Musketeers (Hashimoto/Chono) Misawa managed to win on his final day, while Hashimoto lost and Chono was out of reach at just 13 thanks to his draw earlier in the tournament. Will he defeat Hiroshi Hase?

<p>NJPW 1992-1997. BOSJ is now concluded. Week 2 of June.</p><p> </p><p> IWGP Heavyweight: Kensuke Sasaki (1x) (4 defenses)</p><p> IWGP Junior Heavyweight: Ultimo Dragon (2x) (5 defenses)</p><p> IWGP World Tag: Bobby Eaton & Steve Williams (1x) (2 defenses)</p><p> IWGP U-30: Glenn Jacobs (1x) (4 defenses)</p><p> </p><p> Best of the Super Juniors 1997 Winner: Owen Hart (1x) Defeated Koji Kanemoto.</p><p> Young Lion Cup 1997 Winner: Shinya Makabe</p>

ECW: ECW is doing horribly if we're talking about true-to-life factor. Sandman won the Heavyweight title in 1994 for the second time. Eddie Gilbert is the current holder. But for some damn reason since then the title scene has been just Ian Rotten and Eddie. I'd give more details but I legitimately do not recognize half their roster anymore, and whilst I'm not a massive '90-'95 wrestling fan. All of their roster is mostly jobbers and lesser impactful guys. WCW: WCW Tag Team: The Fabulous Freebirds (Hayes/Taylor) They're 6x champions. They're smashing it lmao. They've been legit trading the title with the Enforcers since like '93. Since '93, only 2 teams that weren't The Enforcers or The Fabulous Freebirds have held the World Tag Team titles. WCW World Television: Richard Morton Only a first-timer here. Ricky Morton having a title reign is neat. He beat Bam Bam. Konan and Buff Bagwell, and El Gigante are (in)famously previous holders. WCW United States: Davey Boy Smith Davey Boy Smith is having a rampant run in WCW. Defeating the previous 5x champion Ricky Steamboat. Previous champions are Cactus Jack, Sid, Ultimate Warrior, and Barry Windham. WCW World Heavyweight: Rick Rude Won the vacant title for the 3rd time after Hogan suffered a badly herniated spinal disc. He is out for a year, and I think this ends the Hulkster's career actually. Title is prestigious is all hell though. Previous holders are Ted DiBiase, Vader, and Lex Luger. WCW Light Heavyweight: Dustin Rhodes I don't know man, they love giving this guy this title. He is in his fourth reign. Middleweight is a bit weird.. because my boy Jake Roberts has had a reign. DDP as well. WCW has been absolutely killing it, I blame the fact that they always poach my gaijin. A "soft" rule I have (I don't always follow it, but try my best) is that I only ever really sign 1 gaijin to an exclusive contract. So... I've lost Vader, Chris Benoit, Bam Bam, Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair to WCW. WWF: WWF World Tag: The Road Warriors (Animal & Hawk) Just won these titles right before I replied to you, actually. Their tag division has been weirdly spearheaded by Al Snow and Van Hammer, who held the titles twice. WWF Intercontinental: Buddy Rose 44 year old, one time champion, Buddy Rose. Defeated... One Man Gang to hold this glorious title. Other recent holders include: Papa Shango (3x champ!), Earthquake, and Marty Jannetty. WWF Heavyweight: Mr. Perfect Everything is perfect when Mr. Perfect is holding the big one. Love to see it. He managed to defeat former champion The Mountie. Other recent holders include: The Hitman, Tony Atlas, and Macho Man Randy Savage. Little fun fact, Mr. Perfect's last defense was against Marty Jannety in a 98 rated match. Lol. 1996 KOTR: Irwin R. Schyster 1997 Royal Rumbe: Shawn Michaels (this is his first freaking title win in WWF!) Extremely interested tidbit: I signed Kenta Kobashi, partly to save AJPW from collapsing, and because I figured why not? He has been in midcard purgatory, getting overpaid. Well... a scandal just engulfed literally as I was replying to you. So now I just lost Kobashi. Very disheartening. His popularity went from 93 to 70... my Gosh, this is terrible. I had so many plans for him this year!

Post January 4th show. 1992-1997. IWGP Heavyweight: Tatsumi Fujinami (5x) (3 defenses) Last Defense: Masahiro Chono (Jan 4th) IWGP Tag Team: Ten-Koji (1x) (0 defenses) Defeated: Kensuke Sasaki & Hiroshi Hase (Jan 4th) IWGP Jr. Heavyweight: Ultimo Dragon (2x) (0 defenses) Defeated: Koji Kanemoto (Jan 4th) IWGP U-30: Glenn Jacobs (1x) (0 defenses) Defeated: Jun Akiyama (Jan 4th) 1996 G1 Climax Winner: The Great Muta (2x) 1996 Super Grade Tag League Winners: Kensuke Sasaki & Hiroshi Hase (2x) 1996 BOSJ Winner: Hayabusa (1x) 1996 Young Lion Cup: Tetsuhiro Kuroda Lots of title changes this Tokyo Dome show. The U-30 was desperately needed as most of my roster are either not over enough, talented enough, or just... aren't ready to hold the IWGP Heavyweight title. All of my gaijin talent are on PPA deals, sort of to simulate the real world. Lost Chris Benoit earlier to WCW which specifically hurt me. Kensuke Sasaki is getting ready to dethrone Fujinami, whilst Sasaki is climbing up the card to main event status... Atsushi Onita's time decline continues to force him down. Shame, but he had a fun tag team run with Cactus Jack. Either way, loving this save.

Lots of ways, I'll list a few: "Next Best Thing" (Cheater) - A guy who claims he is better than anyone, but have him cheat to do it. Gradually beating guys up the card with "Keep Strong." Often having promos over matches beforehand. "Next Best Thing" (Legit) - Same as above, use keep strong, but just have him be extremely arrogant/douchey about it, whilst winning clean. "Legend Killer" - Familiar, yes. Have this guy run rampant through your time decline guys. I have a declining Riki Choshu who is pretty okay with losing to anyone nowadays, often use him as a first feud for some young lions I really care about. Until.. I can't, and the cycle continues. "Protege" - I use this one the most. I like having young guys join a faction/group. Or just team up with a super popular heel claiming that only this guy can be the one to replace/dethrone said main event heel. Let them team up, maybe win the tag belts, implode, one can turn face, the other heel. It's all easy. It's basically the same as building a face I just think you're stuck on your own conceptualization of it all in your head.

That and the titles if possible and not too many issues. That'd be swell! Thanks a huge amount.

Completely off-topic, slightly. I remember you had Belts and a Logo (for TANOSHI) in the Real World mod in like TEW2016. I think its not there anymore, whatever happened to it?

Think it was anywhere from 6 months to 2 years? Not 100% sure on that.

I typically play NJPW in Real World Mods (or created Japanese companies that follow that sort of style of AJPW/NOAH/NJPW) so my gimmick matches are kept at an absolute minimum. I do like to book Elimination Chamber type matches though, if I do end up using a yearly gimmick match. Everything else is "if the feud calls for it" kind of vibe, or "once every few years."