Essential Japanese Wrestling Discussion/News

[Silkk]

In just a few short weeks I went from thinking Kevin Knight was a white man to being HIGHLY impressed with him

 

[Jmare007]

What happened with EVIL after saying he was leaving? He was telling ?

A work that no one gave a fukk about because it's EVIL

 

[stro]

EVIL leaving would be a net benefit for NJ

 

[Cattle Mutilation]

In just a few short weeks I went from thinking Kevin Knight was a white man to being HIGHLY impressed with him

He’s got a special level of athleticism and he’s done an excellent job figuring out how to use it to uniquely stand out in a sea of high flyers.

WWE fumbled making him have to try out just to go to NXT.

 

[Silkk]

He’s got a special level of athleticism and he’s done an excellent job figuring out how to use it to uniquely stand out in a sea of high flyers.

WWE fumbled making him have to try out just to go to NXT.

We'll see, Let's just hope ADHD Tony can keep his booking consistent for longer than 3 months.

 

[stro]

What's the Japan economy looking like post covid? Is that the leading reason for NJ (and everything else) being so cold and being unable to retain people the past 5 years? Or is it just everyone is sick of Gedo?

 

[Jmare007]

What's the Japan economy looking like post covid? Is that the leading reason for NJ (and everything else) being so cold and being unable to retain people the past 5 years? Or is it just everyone is sick of Gedo?

Japan's economy did went to shyt -though I have no clue if it has been able to bounce back somewhat in the last 3 years-, plus they were also one of the slowest countries to open up, which made things worse for a company that depended on live attendance like New Japan. I have no idea if NJ loses all the talent they lost in a short amount of time if the pandemic doesn't happen tbh.

I mean, the run was bound to end sooner rather than later, and Gedo's lazyness as a booker was going to show its ugly head once that transition started. But my guess is that is not such a quick and huge falloff like what ended up happening if Covid doesn't hit.

 

[stro]

Japan's economy did went to shyt -though I have no clue if it has been able to bounce back somewhat in the last 3 years-, plus they were also one of the slowest countries to open up, which made things worse for a company that depended on live attendance like New Japan. I have no idea if NJ loses all the talent they lost in a short amount of time if the pandemic doesn't happen tbh.

I mean, the run was bound to end sooner rather than later, and Gedo's lazyness as a booker was going to show its ugly head once that transition started. But my guess is that is not such a quick and huge falloff like what ended up happening if Covid doesn't hit.

Well I'm sure things will turn around with getting Gallows and Anderson back

 

[Jmare007]

Well I'm sure things will turn around with getting Gallows and Anderson back

Doubling down in gaijins is such a Gedo thing

 

[Kidd Dibiase]

According to a source, "It seems that indie foreign wrestlers who want to make a name for themselves in New Japan are surprised at how low their pay is, even when they finally make it to New Japan." The dissatisfaction is not limited to the participating wrestlers, "I've heard that most wrestlers have been offered a pay cut this year due to the large number of wrestlers and declining attendance. There is a lot of dissatisfaction, including among the affiliated wrestlers, with the pay not being good and there being too many staff and therefore few opportunities. We're hearing stories like that." Dissatisfaction with treatment is spreading among the affiliated wrestlers, and it could be the main reason for them leaving the company.

It was a hot topic that the attendance at the January 4, 2025 Tokyo Dome event was 24,107 people (the lowest attendance ever recorded at a Tokyo Dome event, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and 2022). Of course, it was a two-game series at the Dome, but the weekend, including the January 5th event the following day, was supposed to be a boost. Incidentally, the attendance for January 5th was only in the 10,000 range, at 16,300 people.

Kazuchika Okada left the company in 2024, followed by Tanahashi in 2026. In between, Naito will also leave in 2025. With Okada, Naito, and Tanahashi no longer on the New Japan mat, the sense of loss for fans who have supported them for a certain period of time will be overwhelming.

 

[The Rainmaker]

I've always been intrigued by that, since puro shows often have small attendances.

One post I read somewhere else said most wrestlers in the big companies have jobs in the office too to compensate the small pay. Also they depend on "very generous fans" (Money marks). Some have external businesses (Toru Yano's Ebrietas bar is an example) and such.

Don't know how much of that is true, though.

 

[stro]

Funny because Wrestle Dream was a much better show than Wrestle Kingdom.

A list of guys NJ has lost in the past we'll say 5 years:

Okada
Jay White
Will Ospreay
Dragon Lee
Juice Robinson
Gallows and Anderson I think twice?
Naito next month
Bushi next month
Jeff Cobb
KENTA
Kushida
Fletcher and Davis
MiSu went full freelance
Ibushi
Kevin Knight after this year
Tanahashi after this year
Tama/Tonga/Hikuleo


And depending on what you consider Strong to be, a whole lot of talent that was all over those shows from AEW/TNA are now just not there or went to WWE. Not all of those are bad losses, but that's a lot of pretty big talent to lose in a 5 year span, especially the year before losing Kenny and the Bucks.

 

[Jmare007]

Losing the Bucks as an act didn't really mean anything for New Japan. Kenny was a huge blow because he was able to establish himself as THE gaijin in a way Japan hadn't seen since the early 00's. The Bucks were the condition to having Omega as a regular (kinda like the Nasty Boys with Hogan, lol).

Ibushi is the other key piece. They took 2 years too long to give him the belt and by the time they finally did it, the pandemic had already done damage and then he got injured to never be the same again.

A healthy Ibushi probably gives the company 12-18 months of relief once things opened up more in 2022.

But hey, it's not like people saw coming that delaying people's turn on top was going to bite the company in the ass

 

[Jmare007]

I've always been intrigued by that, since puro shows often have small attendances.

One post I read somewhere else said most wrestlers in the big companies have jobs in the office too to compensate the small pay. Also they depend on "very generous fans" (Money marks). Some have external businesses (Toru Yano's Ebrietas bar is an example) and such.

Don't know how much of that is true, though.

I gotta think pay was more than good enough between 2012 and 2019. But then again, foreign talent probably gets a bigger cut so they can appeal to them making the trip.

At this point they can't even afford foreign talent and Tana probably went "stop paying these nobodies " and indy dudes are like

 

[stro]

Puro always been built on gaijin talent to some degree, but boy Gedo really went overboard with it for what...15 years now and it has really bit him in the ass over and over. Bullet Club went from Balor to AJ to Omega to White to...David Finlay. Who is also probably going to be gone come January.