Kitarzu Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 <p>Who's gonna win the New Japan Cup this year?</p><p> </p><p> Togi Makabe </p><p> Bad Luck Fale</p><p> </p><p> Tetsuya Naito </p><p> Tomohiro Ishii</p><p> </p><p> Katsuyori Shibata</p><p> Karl Anderson </p><p> </p><p> Yujiro Takahashi</p><p> Shelton X Benjamin</p><p> </p><p> Hirooki Goto</p><p> Doc Gallows</p><p> </p><p> Toru Yano</p><p> Minoru Suzuki</p><p> </p><p> Shinsuke Nakamura</p><p> Davey Boy Smith Jr.</p><p> </p><p> Prince Devitt</p><p> Lance Archer</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitarzu Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 <p>My picks</p><p> </p><p> Makabe</p><p> Ishii</p><p> Shibata</p><p> Takahashi</p><p> Goto</p><p> Suzuki</p><p> Nakamura</p><p> Devitt</p><p> </p><p> Ishii</p><p> Shibata</p><p> Goto</p><p> Nakamura</p><p> </p><p> Shibata</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerkinney Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Togi Makabe Bad Luck Fale I expect there to be at least one upset in the first round, and Fale has been built up pretty strongly as a monster heel. Tetsuya Naito Tomohiro Ishii Ishii has been pretty much owning Naito in this feud, so Naito really wins the more here, unless it starts turning from a mere de-push since Wrestle Kingdom to a flat out burial. Katsuyori Shibata Karl Anderson Okada rejecting Shibata's challenge and saying that he has to earn it through winning the New Japan Cup, pretty much fore-shadows that he is going to go deep in this tournament. Yujiro Takahashi Shelton X Benjamin Who cares, whoever wins this match is just going to get killed by Shibata in the next round. On preference I'll take Yujiro, in the hope we get to see him accompanied to the ring by ladies, twice.... Hirooki Goto Doc Gallows This would be a major upset because Goto is a firmly established upper carder (despite always coming up short when challenging for the IWGP Heavyweight belt), whilst Gallows is a gaijin tag guy. I know DBS Jr pulled out an upset over Nakamura last year, but he had a few more years NJPW experience behind him. Toru Yano Minoru Suzuki Does near enough every first round match, have to be based around a current feud?! These two must have faced each other about 1,758 times (or something like that) over the past year. I'll pick Suzuki to win, because he's someone you can buy into as a possible dark horse to go all the way. Shinsuke Nakamura Davey Boy Smith Jr. DBS picked up an upset win over Nakamura in last years tournament. I don't see it happening again, especially as Nakamura needs some rebuilding after two straight losses to Tanahashi. Prince Devitt Lance Archer I wouldn't rule Devitt out winning, but two things go against him... Junior guys don't tend to beat the true 'monster' heavyweights in New Japan and there is still the on going situation on whether or not he is going to be lured to jump to the WWE, and NJPW do appear to have cooled his jets a little on pushing him, placing him in a wheel spinning midcard feud with Taguchi and friends. 2nd Round Bad Luck Fale Tetsuya Naito Naito continues to regain some traction during the NJ Cup, by taking down Bullet Club's monster. Katsuyori Shibata Yujiro Takahashi As I said whoever Shibata faces, will be wishing that they lost in the first round. Hirooki Goto Minoru Suzuki If this happens to be the match-up, then this would be the hardest to call of the 2nd round, because both Goto and Suzuki have the pedigree to be credible NJ Cup winners. I'll edge towards Goto over the fact that it teases a possible Shibata vs Goto final Shinsuke Nakamura Lance Archer Easiest match to call in the 2nd round, Nakamura should make the semi's at the very least. Semi Finals Katsuyori Shibata Tetsuya Naito Everyone is expecting Shibata to make the final and I'm not going to argue against it. It will be predictable but logical booking. Hirooki Goto Shinsuke Nakamura Now this would be the harder semi to pick. A lot of people won't see beyond a Shibata-Nakamura final. I think if Nakamura wins, he then has to win the final and then challenge Okada for the Heavyweight belt, because I don't think it would make much sense for him to challenge Tanahashi again. So I'm going for the mild upset here. Finals Katsuyori Shibata Hirooki Goto As soon as Shibata had his challenge rejected by Okada at the New Beginning and told to earn it by winning the cup, he has looked like the most logical winner and would be a fresh challenger. Meanwhile Goto as the runner up gets to go after Tanahashi for the IC belt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teh_Showtime Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 I would have picked Shibata to win the cup but it looks like him and Goto will be challenging Bullet Club, they both face them in the cup and own a tag match over them already. I think Nakamura uses the cup to get him back on track after back to back main event losses to Tanahashi so he's my pick to win and the eventual showdown with Okada whether it comes from the cup or elsewhere should be a big deal. First Round Togi Makabe Tetsuya Naito Katsuyori Shibata Yujiro Takahashi Hirooki Goto Minoru Suzuki Shinsuke Nakamura Prince Devitt 2nd Round Togi Makabe d. Naito Katsuyori Shibata d. Takahashi Hirooki Goto d. Suzuki Shinsuke Nakamura d. Devitt Semi Finals Katsuyori Shibata d. Makabe Shinsuke Nakamura d. Goto Finals Shinsuke Nakamura d. Shibata Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alphadraighon Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 <p>I was watching some old NJPW matches/events and came across something I hadn't seen before: The Konami Cage match. The cage is set up outside the ring so that the ringside area is still accessible.</p><p> </p><p> I've done some searching, but haven't really found any information or background on these matches, which seemed to be pretty rare (I think I've found only two from NJPW and one or two from FMW.)</p><p> </p><p> Does anyone know the background on this? Why was it used, and why hasn't it been used again?</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infernalmiko Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 <p><span style="color:#4B0082;">I'm totally undecided on this. Nakamura is already a consistent world championship level wrestler, so I'm not sure he needs this win but the momentum would be nice. Goto is an eternal ozeki, so I'm not sure the win helps him much until they decide to push him past that. So we're back to Shibata who's brought a breath of fresh air with his return and the animosity that caused. Wrestling is all about creating new matchups and pushing Shibata here seems like a great way to do so. </span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"> Any word on Devitt and the WWE offer?</span></p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerkinney Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Infernalmiko" data-cite="Infernalmiko" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="30254" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><span style="color:#4B0082;">I'm totally undecided on this. Nakamura is already a consistent world championship level wrestler, so I'm not sure he needs this win but the momentum would be nice. Goto is an eternal ozeki, so I'm not sure the win helps him much until they decide to push him past that. So we're back to Shibata who's brought a breath of fresh air with his return and the animosity that caused. Wrestling is all about creating new matchups and pushing Shibata here seems like a great way to do so. </span><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"> Any word on Devitt and the WWE offer?</span></p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Not heard anything more on Devitt and the WWE offer, whole situation has been up in the air for a few months now- thing is Devitt hasn't come out and said that he has rejected WWE offer and that he is staying with NJPW, it's all been vague quotes along the lines of....</p><p> </p><p> <em>'I'm flattered by WWE's interest and would like to work there at some point, but right I'm happy with what I am doing in NJPW'. </em></p><p> </p><p> As for the New Japan Cup winner Shibata seems like the most logical choice, as he provides a fresh match up that the fans clearly want to see. If Nakamura wins, I would want him to go after Okada and the IWGP Heavyweight, rather than face off with Tanahashi for the 3rd time in four months. </p><p> </p><p> One thing NJPW does seem to be pretty good at over the past few years, is responding to the fans wishes- they responded well to Ishii becoming a cult hero, and they also recognised their mistake of over pushing Naito with the G1 Climax win. They've been reluctant to push Shibata towards a title shot, because of the way he originally left, but I think they can see that he is getting over and that the fans have forgiven him or simply don't care about the fact that he turned his back on NJPW about a decade ago and only returned because his attempt at an MMA career ended up in failure. </p><p> </p><p> I'll be posting up my usual post show thoughts on the first round of the NJPW cup later in the week.</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerkinney Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 <p><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><span style="font-size:12px;"><strong>Thoughts on NJPW New Japan Cup - 1st Round </strong></span></span></p><p> </p><p> <strong>1. Shelton X Benjamin vs Yujiro Takahashi </strong></p><p> No ladies accompanying Yujiro to the ring again <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/frown.png.e6b571745a30fe6a6f2e918994141a47.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> . His gimmick is the only great thing he has going for him, and with it being diluted of late, it's an indication that NJPW have given up on him being a singles star. From my viewpoint, Yujiro should find a new tag partner and go back in the tag ranks (which could do with some depth being added). </p><p> </p><p> As for the match itself, it was OK but utterly forgettable, just as anyone would expect a Yujiro vs Shelton match to be. Shelton advances to get the proverbial shit kicked out of him in the next round. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>2. Minoru Suzuki vs Toru Yano</strong></p><p> </p><p> The latest chapter in the never ending feud between these two, but like previous encounters these two manage to put together a fun comedic edged match, that continued to play on the story of these two trying to out-smart one another. This time it was Suzuki who got the better of Yano, which is the correct result here because Suzuki is someone you think might have a chance of winning the tournament. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>3. Katsuyori Shibata vs Karl Anderson </strong></p><p> </p><p> Anderson's strong recent history in the New Japan Cup, being a finalist last year and the prescence of Tonga at ringside, put a miniscule amount of doubt, that this would be a foregone conclusion for pre tournament favourite Shibata. As expected Shibata advanced after making The Machine Gun tap out to an Octopus Hold, after a good match that might have reached the next level if given about five more minutes. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>4. Hirooki Goto vs Doc Gallows </strong></p><p> </p><p> There were some commentators around the net actually tipping Gallows to pull off the upset here and have his break out moment, but even though he dominated much of the match, I never felt as though the predictable and safe option of having Mr New Japan Cup (Goto has won it 3 times) advance to the next round was never going to be in doubt.</p><p> </p><p> This was short and OK, Gallows isn't bad but isn't anywhere near ready to be pushed as a singles guy yet.....I wouldn't even say that about Archer and DBS Jr, who have been in NJPW for a lot longer. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>5. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & El Desperado vs Kazuchika Okada, Jado & Gedo </strong></p><p> </p><p> An enjoyable six man tag, that was pitched strong enough for the participants to shine yet not over shadow the tournament matches. Korakuen Hall became electrified with excitement (when after taking a double hot tag) Okada and Tanahashi had an exchange that predictably ended up in a stale mate but once again highlighted the incredible chemistry these two have with one another. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>6. Prince Devitt vs Lance Archer </strong></p><p> </p><p> Going in, this was probably one of the hardest matches to call. There is no doubt that Devitt is the bigger single star, but what played into Archer's favour was his considerable size difference over Devitt (traditionally Junior's don't beat the larger Heavyweights) and the continued rumours that Devitt may be WWE bound.</p><p> </p><p> Though the match wasn't long, they packed a lot of action into the match, which ended up being a combination of a wild brawl and a typical big man vs little man match. In the end Devitt picked up a decisive win (spiking Archer with the Bloody Sunday), despite some usual Bullet Club shenanigans. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>7. Togi Makabe vs Bad Luck Fale </strong></p><p> </p><p> If Jim Ross was commentating on this match he would be using words like hoss and slobberknocker. This was never going to be a technical masterpiece, but I thought this ended up being a decent brawl , that was more enjoyable than their Wrestle Kingdom match which dragged on for too long and did a better job of hiding Fale's flaws. </p><p> </p><p> Fale picked up the win here, in something of an upset (though one some commentators did predict might be one). Unlike Gallows, I did tip Fale to win here....the difference being that Fale despite being a gaijin is a New Japan product.... He came back repackaged after an excursion last year and they have gradually built him up with protective booking. Fale still has a long way to go, but with decent opponents (something NJPW is not in short supply of) he may just develop enough to be carried to passable, perhaps even good matches. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>8. Tetsuya Naito vs Tomohiro Ishii </strong></p><p> </p><p> Despite the fact that I said there match at the New Beginning started out a little awkward, these two have developed a really good chemistry against one another, and this ended up being another really good match between these two. More than anything this feud, has helped Naito regain some respect from the fans (there was clearly less of a defined dynamic in favour of Ishii winning and a bit more support for Naito this time round) , who felt he was overpushed following his G1 Climax victory.</p><p> </p><p> Naito picked up the win, to finally get one over on Ishii and halt his early 2014 slump. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>9. Shinsuke Nakamura vs Davey Boy Smith Jr. </strong></p><p> </p><p> This match was a call back to last year, where DBS Jr pulled off a big upset over Nakamura at the same stage last year. Davey Boy did get a lot of offence in, and probably was in control for longer periods than Nakamura, but it never felt like lightning was going to strike twice and it came as no surprise, that Nakamura would advance to the next round. </p><p> </p><p> This ended up being a solid but underwhelming main event. I understand why this was the main event, Nakamura is the biggest star involved in the tournament but for me Naito vs Ishii would have made for a better main event. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Overall Thoughts</strong>:The first round of the New Japan cup, passed by with few surprises, which could also be seen as NJPW following logical booking and not just throwing in swerves for the sake of swerves. </p><p> </p><p> Though there was nothing, that I thought stood out individually as a 'must see' match (you could argue the case for Naito vs Ishii) overall this was a very solid show from top to bottom. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>2nd Round matches on 3/22</strong>: </p><p> Bad Luck Fale vs Tetsuya Naito</p><p> Katsuyori Shibata vs Shelton X Benjamin</p><p> Hirooki Goto vs Minoru Suzuki</p><p> Prince Devitt vs Shinsuke Nakamura</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Any chance someone could spell out how to pronounce Kazuchika Okada's first name? Is it Kazoo Cheeka? I'm watching him and Styles and it sounded like the ring announcer said Kazitchka. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infernalmiko Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Any chance someone could spell out how to pronounce Kazuchika Okada's first name? Is it Kazoo Cheeka? I'm watching him and Styles and it sounded like the ring announcer said Kazitchka. Phonetically its Kah-Zoo-Chee-Kah but in actual speech the sounds get squished together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaysin Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Phonetically its Kah-Zoo-Chee-Kah but in actual speech the sounds get squished together. Thank you! AJ and Okada was the only match from the show I've watched so far, but I found it incredibly enjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teh_Showtime Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Thought the show was just ok by New Japan standards. Of course Okada and AJ delivered but it didn't help that Nakamura had to deal with the Gracies (he had a sweet Gi though) and Tanahashi was in an 8 man. Ishii vs Honma was good though I had better expectations for Taguchi and Ibushi. By the time I felt they started getting their groove it seemed to end right then. Nothing in the undercard was bad, but nothing to write home about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infernalmiko Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 <span style="color:#4B0082;">I thought the show was fine, but not awesome. They are still building the Gracie angle, but I'm not sure how much the crowd is really into it. Taguchi seemed a step slow, I'm not sure why. The match was fine but didn't break any new ground. NJPW is taking a chance with bringing in Styles and giving him the title right away, especially with making the interference such a big part of the title win. But they clearly want to shake up the title scene and this instantly creates several new matchups. </span> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mootinie Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Taguchi was out injured for 7 months last year, he only returned in February so it'll take some time for him to shake the ring rust. I thought the entire show was good but the tepid crowd did it absolutely no favours - they were hotter for Komatsu's offence than anybody else's! Homna vs Ishii was match of the night, they beat the heck out of each other and I wouldn't be surprised if Homna has a concussion after all those diving headbutts. Okada vs Styles was really hurt by it seeming like an ordinary Okada title defence until the finish. No great finisher sequence, no prolonged back and forth counters and I didn't like the finish. Yujiro in Bullet Club is just... odd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerkinney Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Infernalmiko" data-cite="Infernalmiko" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="30254" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><span style="color:#4B0082;">I thought the show was fine, but not awesome. They are still building the Gracie angle, but I'm not sure how much the crowd is really into it. Taguchi seemed a step slow, I'm not sure why. The match was fine but didn't break any new ground. NJPW is taking a chance with bringing in Styles and giving him the title right away, especially with making the interference such a big part of the title win. But they clearly want to shake up the title scene and this instantly creates several new matchups. </span></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> So as I was actually there at the show, I can give a live report. </p><p> </p><p> First off the Fukuoka Crowd, is not as bad as some reports make out, they're just not a Tokyo or Osaka crowd (who are like the equivalent of a Philadelphia or Chicago crowd in the U.S), they are more of a typical old fashioned puroresu crowd. Saying that I had a dweeb next to me, who sat on his hands all show and didn't even clap for stuff, I wanted to dig him in the ribs or something. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Pre- Show 8 Man Tag: </strong>Fun opening contest, crowd love Komatasu and are just willing him to get his first meaningful win (I'm pretty sure he must have had a win over fellow young lion Sho Tanaka at some point). </p><p> </p><p> <strong>IWGP Jr Tags:</strong> Decent match as always but the division does need freshening up beyond about 4 teams. Forever Hooligans (once in the heel champion role that The Young Bucks now occupy) are starting to get over as Babyfaces (Crowd were actually into some of the comedy spots)</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Yano/Suzuki vs Minoru/Shelton:</strong> At one point I would have defended the never ending Yano vs Suzuki feud as amusing midcard fodder, but it's been dragged on way too long now (they need to move on, like 3 months ago at least). Also what is the point of Shelton 'Phone It In' Benjamin. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>NWA Heavyweight Championship:</strong> Bruce Tharpe Desu is awesome! The man is absolute gold as the irritating dick heel manager. This wasn't as bad as I thought this would be, considering it had Wes Brisco in it. Kojima's doing his best to try and get something decent out of these matches, but it's difficult to polish turds like Brisco. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Goto/Shibata vs Nagata/Nakanishi: </strong>Decent enough, came off as something that should have been on a house show card. Why should the crowd get excited about matches like this? </p><p> </p><p> <strong>IWGP Jr Heavyweight:</strong> Good but not great match. I've seen a few reports, saying that the crowd kind of killed this, but actually being there here is how I see it.....Taguchi just isn't that over any more, he's a solid, loyal, reliable hand but he's not the man to build the Junior Division around anymore. Ibushi is very over with teenage girls, but I think a lot of people still see him as an outsider and didn't really want to cheer against the NJPW homegrown in Taguchi. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>NEVER Openweight:</strong> Good hard hitting match, between two guys that are over with the crowd. Ishii has managed to maintain his overness despite no longer being in that plucky underdog role, whilst Honma has now slotted into the role that Ishii has now vacated. Some dude in the row in front of me, was into both guys so much, he was doing duelling chants for both all match! </p><p> </p><p> * As for the post match angle, whilst Ibushi challenging Ishii for the NEVER belt, will no doubt create a great match, the IWGP Junior title continues to be </p><p> treated like crap. I'm starting to wonder if NJPW should just do away with the concept of a Junior Division, as it's coming off as an afterthought these days. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>NJPW Babyfaces vs Bullet Club Elimination Match:</strong> Decent match, a little bit rushed considering the elimination rules. </p><p> </p><p> * Thought the post match angle came off well, with Tanahashi/Makabe challenging for the belts, but then Goto/Shibata then coming out to challenge the two former Heavyweight champs to a match. If this is the IWGP Tag Division going forward for the forseeable future, then we should see some good matches for that belt. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>Nakamura/Sakuraba vs Gracies:</strong> This was the drizzling shits, Nakamura is awesome but it's impossible for anyone to polish the wrestling equivalent to diarrhoea. The Gracies suck worse than Wes Brisco and Sakuraba isn't all that great either. </p><p> </p><p> I can tell you now, that the crowd are not into this (only Nakamura got some chants, but even they died off after a while, because the crowd were bored to tears, by the faux MMA wank off.) Negative Billion stars, it it was positioned earlier in the show, I would have gone and visited the men's room, perhaps I should have done, because then I wouldn't have had to suffer the sight of this abomination of a 'wrestling' match. Hopefully this epic failure of an angle, ends at the up coming Yokohama Arena show. </p><p> </p><p> <strong>IWGP Heavyweight Title:</strong> Thought this was a really good match, just slightly tainted (not ruined, slightly tainted) by the outside interference and American style shenanigans. I wouldn't say that the crowd hated it, they just didn't know how to take it. </p><p> </p><p> I've got no problem with Styles winning the belt, he's still an excellent wrestler and NJPW have made an instant main eventer, plus there wasn't anywhere else they could have gone with the Okada title run (apart from facing off with Nakamura, but I get the feeling they're saving that from Wrestle Kingdom 9).</p><p> </p><p> I will give it that the Yujiro assist was genuinely surprising, I knew he was starting to turn on CHAOS but did not see it playing into him jumping ship to Bullet Club, especially as I though the latter was an exclusively gaijin stable.</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infernalmiko Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 <p><span style="color:#4B0082;">I generally don't mind the crowd much. I'm used to the old school crowd's quietly paying attention to the matches and only occasionally popping sort of vibe.</span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"> After a rewatch, my main concern right now is NJPW getting stale, something they seem to be aware of since they have started to shake some things up. NJPW has had feuds in the past that dragged on too long, so this is not new. But it really is time to end Suzuki-Taru and move on. </span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"> The Gracies just have no business being in puroresu. If they were willing to work harder as wrestlers to learn and if they were more willing to be dicks I think they could get over a little. But the Puroresu-MMA connection's time has come and gone years ago. </span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"> Ibuchi is over with more than teenage girls. He'd make an awesome boytoy.</span><img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"> The junior division used to have the best wrestling of the night but that's no longer true and it no longer has the depth of talent it used to have. The whole junior division is getting stale, they need to freshen it up. Not just the matchups. I've seen all the spots many times already. Surprise me with something new.</span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"> The IWGP match may not have been ruined by the interference, but it leading to the pin was NOT something I wanted to see. Yujiro's interference beat Okuda, not AJ Styles. Which is a shame because Styles winning is otherwise a breath of fresh air in the main event. </span></p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teh_Showtime Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Mootinie" data-cite="Mootinie" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="30254" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Taguchi was out injured for 7 months last year, he only returned in February so it'll take some time for him to shake the ring rust. I thought the entire show was good but the tepid crowd did it absolutely no favours - they were hotter for Komatsu's offence than anybody else's! Homna vs Ishii was match of the night, they beat the heck out of each other and I wouldn't be surprised if Homna has a concussion after all those diving headbutts. Okada vs Styles was really hurt by it seeming like an ordinary Okada title defence until the finish. No great finisher sequence, no prolonged back and forth counters and I didn't like the finish. Yujiro in Bullet Club is just... odd.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I personally thought he looked great in his matches with Devitt in the Feb shows and at the April PPV, he just didn't seem to click in this one</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hashasheen Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 Anyone else reckon NJPW needs to nick as many juniors from TNA/America as possible? Bad Influence, Sonjay Dutt, Chris Sabin, Kendrick & London, anyone they can pick up that ROH doesn't have on lock down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mootinie Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Teh_Showtime" data-cite="Teh_Showtime" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="30254" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I personally thought he looked great in his matches with Devitt in the Feb shows and at the April PPV, he just didn't seem to click in this one</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Yeah you're right, I'll re-watch the match today and see if it was just awkward chemistry or an off day.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Hashasheen" data-cite="Hashasheen" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="30254" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Anyone else reckon NJPW needs to nick as many juniors from TNA/America as possible? Bad Influence, Sonjay Dutt, Chris Sabin, Kendrick & London, anyone they can pick up that ROH doesn't have on lock down.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I agree and disagree. I agree that they need to freshen up their Junior division (Kendrick wrestled for New Japan last year) and if that means bringing the likes of Daniels & Kazarian then I'm all for it. I disagree because I think it's important that New Japan push homegrown talent and full-timers, I don't want to see a Junior division totally dominated by foreign imports.</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infernalmiko Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 <span style="color:#4B0082;">New Japan needs natives competing in the juniors for it to work. It may be time to start scouting the indies for more junior talent if the Dojo is not getting promising juniors.</span> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mootinie Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Teh_Showtime" data-cite="Teh_Showtime" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="30254" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I personally thought he looked great in his matches with Devitt in the Feb shows and at the April PPV, he just didn't seem to click in this one</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I just rewatched this match now, a few things to note.</p><p> </p><p> - Taguchi did seem a little slow in places, definitely nowhere near the pace of Ibushi.</p><p> - That spot where Ibushi kicked Taguchi then fell flat on his ass was really awkward, they just sat on the mat staring at each other for about 15 seconds before they got up. I'm not sure what happened there...</p><p> - Taguchi needs a new finisher IMO. Every time he goes for the Dodon, they counter it into a victory roll every single time. However, I did like the later spot where he blocked the roll-up attempt and slammed Ibushi down on his back, I hope he does that more often.</p><p> </p><p> In terms of the New Japan dojo, I read a quote from Meltzer that reported Tanahashi being unhappy with just how far behind New Japan are compared to WWE in terms of homegrown talent. They can learn a lot from the WWE Performance Center.</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitarzu Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 <p>One question.</p><p> </p><p> I know the translation for champion is ohja. Does anyone know the exact translation for challenger?</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mootinie Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Time Splitters are the new IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champions after beating The Young Bucks in an incredible opening match, and Bad Luck Fale pinned Nakamura clean for the IWGP Intercontinetal Championship. I was legitimate shock when he pinned Nakamura, I was sitting there and my brain was doing over time after the Bad Luck Fall, "Kick out Shinsuke... come on... he's gonna kick out any second now... come on.... this is gonna be a 2.9... oh." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infernalmiko Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Bad Luck is getting the big push right now, I just hope it works. I've not seen this match yet but past matches were pretty average. There are plenty of challengers for the IWGP title now. Time for people to start stepping up to Bullet Club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mootinie Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Bad Luck is getting the big push right now, I just hope it works. I've not seen this match yet but past matches were pretty average. There are plenty of challengers for the IWGP title now. Time for people to start stepping up to Bullet Club. For what it's worth, Shinsuke Nakamura vs Bad Luck Fale is scheduled for the penultimate day of the G1 Climax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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