Essential Japanese Wrestling Discussion/News

[SubZeroDegrees]

Generalissimo

 

[SubZeroDegrees]

Slim Jim Fale

 

[stro]

I feel like Fale has dropped a bunch of weight every other year for the past 6 years and immediately gains it back by the end of the first tour he's on.

 

[The Rainmaker]

Okada's idea: A champion without a belt - The "King of Pro Wrestling" championship

After teasing a ‘controversial idea’ backstage since Sengoku Lord in Nagoya, Kazuchika Okada held a special press conference today to announce the KOPW 2020 title. Unlike any other championship in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, this will not have a championship belt, and instead be reset at the end of each year. Here are the details:

The provisional KOPW 2020 will be decided across two nights, on August 26 in Korakuen Hall, and on August 29 at Summer Struggle in Jingu Stadium.

Eight wrestlers will wrestle in four singles matches on August 26.

Each wrestler will bring their own desired match rules to the first round. Okada suggested that ‘there are all kinds of rules. Two out of three falls, ladder, steel cage matches, it could be anything’.

Fans will vote on which wrestler’s rules the singles matches will be contested under.

The winners of those singles matches will advance to a four way match on August 29 under ‘regular’ four way rules. The winner of that match will be provisional KOPW2020.

The KOPW title can be defended until the end of the year, with stipulations to be voted on by fans. The winner of the last KOPW2020 title match of the year will be presented with the KOPW trophy, and the process begins anew in 2021!

Okada stated that this would provide action that is ‘completely different from what we’ve expected from IWGP titles, and from NJPW’ but represented a completely fresh approach. Don’t miss a second of KOPW2020 in NJPW!

 

[JerseyBoy23]

Okada's idea: A champion without a belt - The "King of Pro Wrestling" championship

In case anyone wants to watch the presser:

 

[Jmare007]

It reeks of Inoki's King Of Sports so I can't totally hate on it

It will probably die once Okada finds something else to do though

 

[Toe Jay Simpson]

I don’t really know how to feel about this

 

[Silkk]

They're presented with whatever it is at the end of the year, and then it's immediately vacated for a whole year?

 

[Jmare007]

They're presented with whatever it is at the end of the year, and then it's immediately vacated for a whole year?

I guess they are aiming for a sports championship type of deal?

Worst case scenario it'll be a random match on a card that will have "King of Pro Wrestling match" on it's name. Would be funny if Okada headlines shows with it though, that would REALLY be Inoki-like

Best case scenario they take it seriously and make it something that can be wrestled against people from other promotions and countries...but I've lost hope Gedo will ever do something interesting like that

 

[stro]

Okada vs random Russian sambo artists

 

[Jmare007]

 

[TheGodling]

Okada's idea: A champion without a belt - The "King of Pro Wrestling" championship

So that means no G5 Climax: Radiation from a pole match?

 

[DaylitoJames]

So Okada basically said "fukk a title! I'm gonna be called champ with a belt or not "

 

[Legal]

Gedo finding a way for Okada to main event even when he's not champ.

 

[Bryan Danielson]

I regret I wasn’t a purobreh in the era to see Prime Raw unfiltered Shinsuke