Essential Japanese Wrestling Discussion/News

[The Rainmaker]

I want to kick Bruce Tharpe right in the face.

 

[Beautiful Bobby Eatin]

Don't know much about "Sterness" besides the fact that it's his entrance music and he named his stable like that to fight Kobashi's "Burning"

That's what I was thought, but I was thinking that I was missing something

So the Dome show is looking like:

Spoiler

Okada vs Tana (definite)
Styles vs Naito?
Nakamura vs Shibata (almost definite)
Suzuki vs Sakuraba (almost definite)

And Jarrett will probably be involved somewhere Looks decent enough

There's another biggish show before that though so I'm wondering what headlines that. Maybe some tag mixture. Also interested where they go with Ishii.

We probably are missing something tbh

Spoiler

Naito not taking off can really start hurting New Japan in the coming years. He needs to be a bigger player than Goto to stop repetitiveness of important cards. I for one don't care at all about another big Tana/Okada match.

Nakamura/Shibata though...

And for fukks sakes, give Ishii that Nakanishi-title run this year. Stir the pot a litle bit

That simple huh?

 

[JohnB]

With the potential Tana vs Okada match it's starting to be like Cena vs Orton, shyt is tiring. With a stacked roster like that it's lazy booking.

 

[TrueEpic08]

So the Dome show is looking like:

Spoiler

Okada vs Tana (definite)
Styles vs Naito?
Nakamura vs Shibata (almost definite)
Suzuki vs Sakuraba (almost definite)

And Jarrett will probably be involved somewhere Looks decent enough

There's another biggish show before that though so I'm wondering what headlines that. Maybe some tag mixture. Also interested where they go with Ishii.

Spoiler

Naito not taking off can really start hurting New Japan in the coming years. He needs to be a bigger player than Goto to stop repetitiveness of important cards. I for one don't care at all about another big Tana/Okada match.

Nakamura/Shibata though...

And for fukks sakes, give Ishii that Nakanishi-title run this year. Stir the pot a litle bit

Let me put it like this: Even though I know for a fact that a Tanahashi/Okada match probably isn't going to be any worse than "pretty great," I remember doing my best impression when I read the results. They've beaten this match to death over the last 3 years, and this one seems to come for no really good reason at that. Is there any clearly defined reason why Nakamura hasn't had a title shot in like 4 years? They could've saved Okada/Nakamura for the Dome, which would have both been a fresh matchup and a matchup worthy of headlining WrestleKingdom. Kinda wanted to see Styles/Okada at the Dome, but they probably don't see that drawing like a Tana/Okada match would. And Shibata's strictly upper mid-card it seems...

You guys are right, though. Part of the reason why I haven't watched as much NJPW as I did over the last three years (in addition to being insanely busy with work and research) is because the cards were starting to feel repetitive. The matches were still largely fantastic, but the same people seemed to stay in the same spots, with no hope for things being shaken up (case in point: Shibata challenging Okada, only to lose to Shelton Benjamin, of all people, in the NJ Cup. Naturally, his challenge was never followed up on). The Japanese fanbase doesn't care at this point, but within the next 2-3 years, they're going to need to make another guy that can stand with Tanahashi and Okada. They have people they can do that with in Shibata, Nakamura (who, despite having been there forever, would bring a bit of freshness to the IWGP Title matches), Naito (if he can ever figure himself out as a complete wrestler) and even Styles if they want to retain him, but they need to start planning for it now, and not merely bank on Tanahashi and Okada carrying them for the next half-decade. They can't do it by themselves, they need help.

(Oh, and I'm not sure what the hell they think they're doing with Jeff Jarrett, but it looks absolutely awful.)

 

[Beautiful Bobby Eatin]

Let me put it like this: Even though I know for a fact that a Tanahashi/Okada match probably isn't going to be any worse than "pretty great," I remember doing my best impression when I read the results. They've beaten this match to death over the last 3 years, and this one seems to come for no really good reason at that. Is there any clearly defined reason why Nakamura hasn't had a title shot in like 4 years? They could've saved Okada/Nakamura for the Dome, which would have both been a fresh matchup and a matchup worthy of headlining WrestleKingdom. Kinda wanted to see Styles/Okada at the Dome, but they probably don't see that drawing like a Tana/Okada match would. And Shibata's strictly upper mid-card it seems...

You guys are right, though. Part of the reason why I haven't watched as much NJPW as I did over the last three years (in addition to being insanely busy with work and research) is because the cards were starting to feel repetitive. The matches were still largely fantastic, but the same people seemed to stay in the same spots, with no hope for things being shaken up (case in point: Shibata challenging Okada, only to lose to Shelton Benjamin, of all people, in the NJ Cup. Naturally, his challenge was never followed up on). The Japanese fanbase doesn't care at this point, but within the next 2-3 years, they're going to need to make another guy that can stand with Tanahashi and Okada. They have people they can do that with in Shibata, Nakamura (who, despite having been there forever, would bring a bit of freshness to the IWGP Title matches), Naito (if he can ever figure himself out as a complete wrestler) and even Styles if they want to retain him, but they need to start planning for it now, and not merely bank on Tanahashi and Okada carrying them for the next half-decade. They can't do it by themselves, they need help.

(Oh, and I'm not sure what the hell they think they're doing with Jeff Jarrett, but it looks absolutely awful.)

Spoiler: So..

What is there to gain by Okada beating Tanahashi again? Who wants to see that? Why havent they built Ishii into that role? Why is Nakamura (one of their most popular acts) getting mid card purgatory? What the fukk?

 

[Jmare007]

Yeah I understand that

Spoiler

Okada/Tana is their money match (until they run it into the ground more) but I'm not interested in it either. I guess for some fans of current NJPW another match between the two is like another Misawa/Kawada match for me, something I'd never get sick of seeing.

Misawa/Kawada didn't felt overdone because that was an ongoing storyline for 5 years and they only faced each other 1-2 times a year in singles. Tanahashi/Okada don't have much of a story besides being rivals at this point. They wrestled each other 3 times in 7 months last year and pretty much settled their feud. Also Tana/Okada don't have the classic tag matches that keep their rivalry fresh.

Another big thing is we are watching Tana/Okada live. We don't have the benefit of watching their rivalry in hindsight and with the time we had Kawada/Misawa. Having said that though, Misawa/Kobashi felt kinda overdone too and I think that's because there wasn't an amazing story behind it like with Kawada.

 

[Honga Ciganesta]

Here's the answer to that question about the big show before the Dome, Nakamura/Shibata headline:

11/8 NJPW Power Struggle at Osaka BODYMAKER Colosseum

IC Title: Shinsuke Nakamura vs Katsuyori Shibata
Tanahashi & Ibushi vs Okada & YOSHI-HASHI
AJ Styles vs. Yoshi Tatsu

Tatsu just wonders back into a pretty big program/angle. Honma will just have to chill in the opening 8 man tag.

Funaki vs Del Rio on for the Muto anniversary W-1 show

Could be a good match.

 

[JohnB]

Funaki vs Del Rio!

 

[Beautiful Bobby Eatin]

Funaki vs Del Rio!

 

[Jmare007]

Stumbled upon this match today.



Hadn't seen it in 6 years and still think it's just "meh". But it was better than I remembered. Watching early 00's Danielson matwork these last few weeks has been a nice reminder of why I became such a stan of his

 

[Apex]

Stumbled upon this match today.



Hadn't seen it in 6 years and still think it's just "meh". But it was better than I remembered. Watching early 00's Danielson matwork these last few weeks has been a nice reminder of why I became such a stan of his

You got some match suggestions? I'm talking like best in the world run, not early 2000s.

 

[Jmare007]

You got some match suggestions? I'm talking like best in the world run, not early 2000s.

Sure, you mean from his ROH title on? It's gonna be difficult finding links though.

 

[Apex]

Sure, you mean from his ROH title on? It's gonna be difficult finding links though.

Don't worry about links, just tell me some matches.

 

[Jmare007]

Don't worry about links, just tell me some matches.

Aight, this is a long ass list. Tried to make it as comprehensibly as possible. In bold the absolute can't miss.

ROH:

Spoiler

vs Roderick Strong - This Means War
vs Roderick Strong - Vendetta

vs Alex Shelley - Arena Warfare

vs Delirious - 100th Show
vs Delirious - Ring Of Homicide

vs Samoa Joe - Fight Of The Century

vs Colt Cabana - 100th Show
vs Colt Cabana - Gut Check

vs Nigel McGuinness - Weekend of Champions, Night 2
vs Nigel McGuinness - Unified
vs Nigel McGuinness - Driven 2007
vs Nigel McGuinness - Rising Above 08'

vs KENTA - Glory By Honor V
vs KENTA - Driven 2007

vs Homicide - Destiny
vs Homicide - Final Battle 06'

vs Takeshi Morishima - Watch the entire feud: http://www.thecoli.com/threads/the-...appreciation-thread-with-online-links.257928/

vs Claudio Castagnoli (Cesaro) - Northern Navigation 08'

vs Tyler Black (Seth Rollins) - New Horizons 08'

vs El Generico (Sami Zayn) - Proving Ground 09'

vs Austin Aries - Final Countdown Tour: Chicago

Other Indies/International

Spoiler

vs Naomichi Marufuji - wXw "16 Carat Gold Tournament 2008"
vs Mike Quackenbush - wXw "16 Carat Gold Tournament 2008"
vs Chris Hero - wXw "16 Carat Gold Tournament 2008"
vs Bad Bones - wXw "16 Carat Gold Tournament 2008"

vs Naruki Doi - DGUSA "Untouchable"
vs SHINGO - DGUSA "Enter The Dragon"

vs Necro Butcher - PWG "Giant Size Annual #4"
vs El Generico - PWG "Giant Size Annual #4"
vs Low Ki - PWG "All Star Weekend 7"
vs Kenny Omega - PWG "100"
vs Chris Hero - PWG "Guerre San Frontiere"

vs Go Shiozaki - ROH/NOAH "Live In Tokyo"
vs Atsushi Aoki - NOAH 5/15/08
vs Yoshinobu Kanemaru - ROH/NOAH 9/14/08
vs KENTA - NOAH 10/13/08

Didn't include tags to not make the list THAT fukking long

 

[TrueEpic08]

Funaki/Del Rio sounds like some nice and brutal shyt...might actually go out of my way to watch that one.

And if they're doing Nakamura/Shibata at Power Struggle, then what happens with the IC Belt at WrestleKingdom?