The NJPW Discussion Thread

fullMETAL · January 10, 2017

Reading that sentence just now suddenly made that "6 stars" rating make a whole lot more sense to me!

While I agree that Okadamega was essentially a perfect match, I probably had the same nitpicks about the Dragon Superplex and the Back Body Drop table spots (the former in hindsight, the latter at about the same time it happened).

You could've either sold the 'plex stomach-first (instead of neck-first) and nobody would've complained, or done a different and safer move and still nobody would've complained. Meltzer and Alvarez are probably right when they say that Okada's going to point to that bump when he eventually goes in for more neck surgery in the future.

Meltzer pointed out something I missed in the table spot, about Omega almost being impaled by the SIDE of the table (and also the elevated ringside area not being conducive to spots like those), though my cringe was when he OBLITERATED the wooden part but his neck hit the FRAME, which you can see if you pause it during the instant replay.

Meanwhile, I like Yano (for his comedy factor, which belies a solid technical base that rarely gets to be seen), but holy christ on a cracker was he a dirty rotten cheatin'-'n'-thievin' son of a bitch last week!

I think my favorite non-Okadamega match of WK11 was actually a tie between Shibata/Goto and Takahashi/Kushida, for different reasons.

With Shibata/Goto, Kelly said that this was their SEVENTH match against each other, with a 2-2-2 split between them (and the 2 draws being double knockouts), which actually got me MORE pumped for it, after seeing their stellar match from back at WK8.

It was clear from the get that Shibata, while still fighting like he meant it, looked like he didn't give a shit about fighting to WIN but rather fighting to force Goto to wake the **** up, which actually made me mark out when he finally DID!

It wasn't a PPV headlining match by any stretch of the imagination, but as a visual story being told through wrestling, it was practically second-to-none.

I've mentioned elsewhere: "THAT is how you tell a dramatic story in a match and I think their total of 7 (WOW!) matches is must-see for any wrestling fan or wrestler to learn about proper continuity and in-ring storytelling."

And more succinctly with the Jr.Heavy match, I didn't know who Takahashi was before this match against Kushida, but WOW I will certainly pay attention whenever I see a match of his now!

This was the entirety of my post about WK11 elsewhere:

Watched WK11 last night (English commentary, because...winkwinknudgenudge) and HOLY SHIT what a fantastic show.

1 - I was a bit disappointed that the pre-show Rumble didn't have more people in it (seriously, there was like twice as many people in last year's or something). I DID legitimately mark out when Liger's ACTUAL theme played and NOT a dubbed theme like in last year's. Also, nWo Japan mini-reunion!

2 - I liked the Jr.Tag Title match, and I REALLY liked that instead of a 4-way cluster**** that it was a straight-up 2-on-2 match, though I wondered why it was the 3rd (4th?) year in a row that the Jr.Tag Title match to open the show had the Bucks AND Vice. Last year's 4-way had them, and the 4-way from the year before (and possibly the year before that? I don't quite remember).

3 - Brian Zane was right about the crowd not being too vocal for the Tiger Mask match, though they did kinda need a breather after the Tag match before it.

4 - Gauntlet Match for the Never Openweight 6-Man belts? MORE of that please. <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> (Disappointed that Kojima's theme got dubbed over though) Also, JEEZUS those chicks that came out with Bullet Club! <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/redface.png.900245280682ef18c5d82399a93c5827.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

5 - Cody/Juice was actually pretty good (and it made Juice look REALLY good, like the Tye Dillinger/Bobby Rude match from TakeOver a few months ago did for Tye), though I'll be honest, that Bullet Club thing came from left field for me--here's hoping Cody does more in it than Jeff Jarrett did (sheesh, smh on that one).

6 - I STILL don't care about Adam Cole (I don't think he's a bad wrestler, I just don't see the "why" behind him). Plus, his face reminds me of a cross between Tom Cruise and Ross from Game Grumps. On a related note, I think probably the easiest thing for a wrestler to do gear-wise is to join the Bullet Club, that way you don't have to wrack your brain trying to design your trunks/tights.

7 - Toru ****ING Yano is dirty liar, cheater, and thief! XD lol I will never stop chuckling whenever he shrugs.

http://www.pwponderings.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/yano.png

Also, WOW that was a lot of cursing. XD

8 - I didn't know who Takahashi was before his match against Kushida, but WOW I will certainly pay attention whenever I see a match of his now.

9 - It took FOREVER but I think Goto's finally going to get a real push. Did you see how Shibata just didn't give a shit most of the match (he was still punishing him, yeah, but there wasn't any emotion behind it) until he got Goto to finally wake up? THAT is how you tell a dramatic story in a match and I think their total of 7 (WOW!) matches is must-see for any wrestling fan or wrestler to learn about proper continuity and in-ring storytelling.

10 - I think this is going to be Naito's year for the IC division. And Corino FINALLY got the name right! (I think he was faking the whole show and waited until that moment to say it right...LOS INGOBERNAAAAABLEEESSSSSSS DE JAPON!!!!) It's pronounced "Des-TEE-noh" though, not "DES-tih-noh", but that's just a nitpick.

11 - While I agree that Okadamega was essentially a PERFECT match (5 stars, even!) and easily a frontrunner for Match Of The Year, I wouldn't go so far as to put it at 6 stars. XD

But goddamn, I was anticipating EVERY. SINGLE. ATTEMPT. at the One-Winged Angel. XD

I do wish I'd been able to watch it with the Japanese commentary though, especially at the end when Corino and Kelly signed off and the JP team were still talking about stuff with almost total silence on the audio.

dannydevia2 · January 11, 2017

Speaking of Meltzer did anybody in here, hear his interview on Stone Cold's podcast? When they talked about the financial difficulties of NJPW in the mid-2000s Stone Cold talked about guys leaving NJPW and forming their own promotions, I'm wondering if Stone Cold was confusing NJPW with AJPW or if there was a similar event in NJPW's history that I'm not aware of.

Poputt · January 11, 2017

He was confusing NJPW with AJPW. NJPW had a big problem in the 80s and 90s because of the exodus of talent to the UWF and later Pancrase (This is what the "Inspire Crisis" in the Cornellverse is probably based on), and they were losing the war with AJPW until the turn of the millennium.

fullMETAL · January 11, 2017

The only financial goings-on that I would assume did happen to NJPW would be the near-constant changing of official owners over the course of, what, 6 or 7 years?

(though I think that did also happen to AJPW, right?)

dannydevia2 · January 12, 2017

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Poputt" data-cite="Poputt" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="40971" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>He was confusing NJPW with AJPW. NJPW had a big problem in the 80s and 90s because of the exodus of talent to the UWF and later Pancrase (This is what the "Inspire Crisis" in the Cornellverse is probably based on), and they were losing the war with AJPW until the turn of the millennium.</div></blockquote> Yeah that's what I thought.

The Final Countdown · January 13, 2017

Apparently every "big" New Japan show from now through the end of the G1 in August will have English commentary on NJPW World, so if the Japanese commentary is a barrier for anyone, there you go.

fullMETAL · January 13, 2017

Still gonna be Kelly/Corino unless otherwise specified, I assume?

dannydevia2 · January 13, 2017

I heard that Steve Corino was going to the WWE as a trainer.

The Final Countdown · January 13, 2017

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="dannydevia2" data-cite="dannydevia2" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="40971" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I heard that Steve Corino was going to the WWE as a trainer.</div></blockquote> Yep. It sounds like Kelly's still involved, but I haven't heard anything about who he might work with. It's a shame because Corino had a basic understanding of Japanese and so was able to give rough interpretations of what the native guys said during promos. I doubt whoever they replace him with will be able to do that.

Poputt · January 13, 2017

I think they should just get a translator to pipe in pertinent information to their headsets.

fullMETAL · February 6, 2017

Saw NJPW New Year's Dash!! a couple nights ago, and I was glad I did.

It reminded me a lot (for some reason) of the April 1999 pilot episode of WWF SmackDown! in a good way.

Jaysin · July 21, 2017

My thoughts on G1 so far. Only talking about the matches that are part of the tournament, not the filler matches on the cards.

Yoshi-Hashi vs Yuji Nagata- Can't stand Yoshi and I want Yuji to win the whole thing, so this one irked me. Nagata still rules.

Bad Luck Fale vs Togi Makabe- I love Makabe and hate Fale. It's a shame Fale won.

Hirooki Goto vs Tomohiro Ishii- Gutted Ishii lost, but damn good match nonetheless. Ishii is my number two on who I want to win

Zack Sabre Jr vs Tanahashi- ZSJ defeating Tanahashi is a fun thing to watch. Really solid match. I love watching both guys work

Tetsuya Naito vs Kota Ibushi- Best match on the first night and going to be hard to top. They worked so well together, but Naito is my number four pick of who I want to pick. The false finish after the second rope piledriver pissed me off though.

Juice Robison vs Kojima- Such a good match. Exceeded expectations by a long shot.

Tama Tonga vs Michael Elgin- I'm an unabashed massive fanboys of Tama and Tang, so Tama picking up the win made me so happy.

Sanada vs Evil- I hate Evil, but Sanada was able to get a good match out of him. Sanada carries himself like a he's already a huge star. I love that quality.

Okada vs Toru Yano- Yano is my second to last favorite in this tournament, but they had a really fun match Thankfully Okada won.

Kenny Omega vs Suzuki- Watch this match. Seriously, watch it.

The Top Five I want to win

Yuji Nagata

Ishii

Sanada

Naito

Tama Tonga

The Final Countdown · July 21, 2017

I actually thought that wouldn't be a bad spot to have Okada drop one. You have to figure he loses at least two, probably three matches during the tournament, and a loss to Yano would protect him in the sense that it would obviously be a "banana peel" loss. I thought a good finish would've been Yano ducking the Rainmaker and catching him with a backslide.

Ibushi vs. Naito was fantastic. It'll be difficult for anything in the rest of the tournament to top it, but considering we still have stuff like Okada/Suzuki, Ibushi/Tanahashi and obviously Omega/Okada III to look forward to, I'm sure it'll have competition.

Lots of people seem to be expecting an Omega/Ibushi final, but I don't think so. I think this is Naito's year, and I think he'll beat a dark horse candidate from the B block. (Maybe Sanada, which would be a fun matchup.) I think we're getting Naito vs. Okada at the Tokyo Dome, and Omega vs. Ibushi will be saved for the semi main event there.

SanX · July 21, 2017

Wow. It's not even third day but G1 has been fantastic. Group A has been fantastic. Naito vs Ibushi, Ace Vs Zack Sabre Jr( they even planted seeds for IC title match), iishi Vs Goto and now, Ibushi Vs Sabre Jr.

Suzuki Vs Omega was also good.

I agree with you TFC. Barring any unfortunate injuries, Okada Vs Naito is going to be WK main event. With Omega vs Ibushi and Naito Vs Sanada as semifinals for G1.

Derek B · July 22, 2017

I'm just starting the event today now that I've got a little time, and will be doing some dynasty stuff tomorrow while I watch the rest of the nights so far too. Having seen the blocks, I'm going to guess that we Tetsuya Naito wins the whole thing, likely beating Okada and Omega after the groups are done... I also think Omega beats Okada in the group stage to get a win in their rivalry, but since he doesn't win the tournament he doesn't get another shot at the belt for a while yet so that we all get to enjoy their awesomeness a while longer.

This whole thing should be interesting though.... I didn't realise the groups were going to have so many people in them, some of the people that made it in surprised me a bit and some of them kinda look like they are there to make up the numbers a bit. Guess we'll see how things go, it's exciting to know that there are already some great matches.

Mootinie · July 22, 2017

There are no semifinals by the way guys, the winner of each block goes straight to the final.

I like how they line things up. We have Goto vs Ibushi on the last day. I wouldn't be surprised if they have Goto win that, putting him level on points with Naito who he beat, leaving Naito with a must-win match against Tanahashi, who he lost to at Dominion.

B block is relatively cut and dry. I think Omega is advancing to the final, although I'd like to see them test the waters with EVIL or Sanada in a 25-30 minute main event spot. If not that, one of those two should be beating Okada to set up a title match at Kings of Pro-Wrestling. I think Naito is winning the tournament, he missed out on the final last year when he lost to Omega so it's poetic that he should get his win back.

Kitarzu · July 22, 2017

Naito will likely advance to the final thanks to the head to head victories against Ibushi and Tanahashi in the block A while I see Okada and Omega get a draw in the last match of the block B. The Okada loss will likely be a future title defense for the IWGP heavyweight title.

While the matches range from average to Match Of The Year Award, G1 and NJPW booking of Jado and Gedo in general is a bit repetitive and quite easy to understand. Proof is in 4-5 they are basically saying the same things.

The Final Countdown · July 23, 2017

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Kitarzu" data-cite="Kitarzu" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="40971" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Naito will likely advance to the final thanks to the head to head victories against Ibushi and Tanahashi in the block A while I see Okada and Omega get a draw in the last match of the block B. The Okada loss will likely be a future title defense for the IWGP heavyweight title. While the matches range from average to Match Of The Year Award, G1 and NJPW booking of Jado and Gedo in general is a bit repetitive and quite easy to understand. Proof is in 4-5 mea re basically saying the same things.</div></blockquote> That's what I see happening as well, but while most of us here see Naito winning, I've seen lots of people elsewhere thinking it'll be someone else (Omega being the leading candidate.) Heading into last year's G1 I thought it was going to be an obvious win for Naito to set up a rubber match with Okada at the Dome. Show me someone who claims to have predicted a Goto/Omega final last year.

Jaysin · July 23, 2017

I was genuinely hoping Yuji Nagata would win the whole thing.

Naito and Omega are the two most likely though.

I'd love for Sanada to get a chance to main event with Okada.

SanX · July 23, 2017

Oh yes! I mixed it up between cricket tournament groups and G1 groups. silly me, I know G1/BOTSJ don't have semis:p

Jaysin, I also thought that NJPW would let Liger at least make it to the final and then lose, as it was his last BOTSJ. We all know how that went.

Kitarzu · July 23, 2017

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="The Final Countdown" data-cite="The Final Countdown" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="40971" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>That's what I see happening as well, but while most of us here see Naito winning, I've seen lots of people elsewhere thinking it'll be someone else (Omega being the leading candidate.) Heading into last year's G1 I thought it was going to be an obvious win for Naito to set up a rubber match with Okada at the Dome. Show me someone who claims to have predicted a Goto/Omega final last year.</div></blockquote> I'm for 47% Naito - 2% Takahashi - 1% Ibushi (Block A) - 46% Omega - 4% Okada (Block B) winning percentages of the G1. I didn't predict last year but for me keeping Bullet Club relevant, after the loss of AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, was a priority over Los Ingobernables Of Japon, hence the Omega move to heavyweight and G1 Climax victory last year. You have to remember that Naito won the title in April and lost it back to Okada in June. NJPW needed a legitimate, sorry Fale, contender for Bullet Club and Omega was Jado & Gedo's choice. I will have trouble finding someone that predicted Goto in the finals but it wasn't so shocking, because Aramusha took the Chaos place of the departing Shinsuke Nakamura. If you imagine The King Of Strong Style as the winner of Block A most of the people would have picked him and the idea of winner takes all, Chaos leadership and IWGP Heavyweight title, between Okada and Nakamura would have been a great main event for Wrestle Kingdom 11. That was my suggestion but didn't happen.

milamber · July 23, 2017

I don't watch enough New Japan sadly (too much WWE and LU to watch) but I'm trying to watch more G1 matches this year. I don't know much about the feuds and usually don't bother with English commentary but the wrestling is enough to keep my interest. Ibushi and Naito are my favorites right now. Also digging ZSJ who was awful in the CWC because it wasn't the right fit for him unlike New Japan. Also good to see Juice doing well even if I'm not a big fan.

http://i.imgur.com/p9X37KE.jpg

The Final Countdown · July 23, 2017

RIP Daryl. Fale is a monster.

Yeah, I hadn't seen much of Sabre until the CWC and wasn't all that impressed with him there, but I've really liked him in NJPW (minus the occasional Suzuki-gun nonsense.)

Seems like some people liked Okada vs. Elgin more than Ibushi vs. Naito. I thought it was great, but Ibushi and Naito is still at the top for me. Ibushi vs. Ishii from the most recent show was awesome too, probably my third favorite of the tournament so far. Ibushi is the star of the tournament to this point IMO.

Rone Rivendale · July 23, 2017

It's like NJPW wants Omega to win everything possible title and cup ever, except the Heavyweight Title.

Reminds me of Lance Storm in WCW when he won and renamed all the belts. Only Omega is a mega star and actually deserves to hold the top belt in the company.

I know random rant, but it was on my mind.

The Final Countdown · July 23, 2017

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Rone Rivendale" data-cite="Rone Rivendale" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="40971" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>It's like NJPW wants Omega to win everything possible title and cup ever, except the Heavyweight Title. Reminds me of Lance Storm in WCW when he won and renamed all the belts. Only Omega is a mega star and actually deserves to hold the top belt in the company. I know random rant, but it was on my mind.</div></blockquote> If he re-signs next year I have to think he'll win the title at some point, whether from Okada or Naito or whoever.

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