WWE and AJPW form an alliance

[DLVH84]

Tokyo Sport is reporting that WWE and AJPW have forged an alliance and will be working together. Johnny Ace reportedly helped put the deal together. Ace worked for AJPW from 1988 through 2000, before retiring from active in-ring competition during the Pro Wrestling NOAH exodus.

It'll be the first time in nearly 20 years that WWE form an alliance with a Japanese promotion, as they had previously co-promoted with NJPW, AJPW, SWS, and WAR.

Hopefully, a Great Muta vs. Undertaker match may be happening.

[Taker it Easy]

Awesome. I have been wanting something like this to happen for a long time. I hope they go full force with it. Trading wrestlers. A lot of mentions of AJPW. Big PPV matches with AJPW stars. Plus angles worked and a lot of takering it easy from the radiation capital of the world.

[CSL]

isn't Muto pretty much All Japan has left and even he hardly ever performs

[DLVH84]

isn't Muto pretty much All Japan has left and even he hardly ever performs

Well, besides Mutoh, there's quite a few AJPW veterans that are there, as well as some young, rising stars.

[Fignuts]

I dunno, feel like this is 10 years too late. None of the "rising stars" would get over well with american audiences, imo.

Should of went for New Japan instead.

[#1-norm-fan]

Hmm... Cruiserweight division? *crosses fingers*

[Cuse8]

Hmm... Cruiserweight division? *crosses fingers*

theyre saving that for the wwe channel................:n:

[#1-norm-fan]

theyre saving that for the wwe channel................:n:

So you're saying it's never gonna happen then. :-\

[RiX1024]

Would be a great idea sending people to Japan to wrestle, maybe it would do good for the ones who are surplus to requirements, plus I agree that The Undertaker vs Great Muta would be well awesome.

[DLVH84]

I dunno, feel like this is 10 years too late. None of the "rising stars" would get over well with american audiences, imo.

Should of went for New Japan instead.

I don't know about that. I say let's just wait and see what happens, Fignuts.

[CSL]

be very surprised if this leads to any of the "mixed" supercards we used to see like 20 years ago, guessing it's more of a "business" deal

[Cuse8]

So you're saying it's never gonna happen then. :-\

sad but true my friend

[Rammsteinmad]

Hopefully, a Great Muta vs. Undertaker match may be happening.

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rof l::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::r ofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl: :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rof l::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::r ofl:

[Rammsteinmad]

be very surprised if this leads to any of the "mixed" supercards we used to see like 20 years ago, guessing it's more of a "business" deal

Yeah, maybe they're after footage or something? They could probably try and get bonus footage of Brock Lesnar in Japan or something to throw onto his DVD or something.

[DLVH84]

Yeah, maybe they're after footage or something? They could probably try and get bonus footage of Brock Lesnar in Japan or something to throw onto his DVD or something.

No, Brock never wrestled in All Japan. He wrestled in New Japan and IGF. So it can't be that reason.

[Swiss Ultimate]

Should have done this with AAA

[Autobahn]

Or OCW.

[DLVH84]

Should have done this with AAA

WWE did cross-promote with AAA in the mid-to-late 1990s.

[Mr. Nerfect]

This is pretty cool. I've wanted the WWE to do something like this for a while. It'd be good experience for some of their younger workers to go over there and help boost the AJPW roster, and for some Japanese prospects to make it over to WWE soil. I envisioned it happening with whatever Taka Michinoku was involved with, to be honest -- and I imagined Jack Swagger going over there and being their biggest heel.

[Skippord]

a...DEADLY ALLIANCE?

[James Steele]

Isn't the Japanese wrestling business in horrible shape? Maybe crossover is one way of trying to help it?

[Tom Guycott]

This is pretty cool. I've wanted the WWE to do something like this for a while. It'd be good experience for some of their younger workers to go over there and help boost the AJPW roster, and for some Japanese prospects to make it over to WWE soil. I envisioned it happening with whatever Taka Michinoku was involved with, to be honest -- and I imagined Jack Swagger going over there and being their biggest heel.

A stable to help Yoshi Tatsu get on TV more, a revamped Cruiserweight division, and a boatload of antagonists for Giant Bernard. [/wishful thinking]

[Rammsteinmad]

No, Brock never wrestled in All Japan. He wrestled in New Japan and IGF. So it can't be that reason.

Thought that would be the case after I made my post, but since I'd already posted it, I was too lazy to check.

Could be anyone though, not just Brock Lesnar.

[Vastardikai]

Best of Stan Hansen DVD Narrated by JBL?

[Corporate CockSnogger]

It would be great to see more Japanese wrestlers like Lord Tensai on the roster.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Best of Stan Hansen DVD Narrated by JBL?

Hansen to the WWE Hall of Fame inducted by JBL?

[Joesgonnakillyou]

Thjis could just be AJPW letting them use some 10 sec footage for a DVD but maybe WWE will use them as a way of getting wrestlers some more experience?

It can't have escaped them that two of the most over guys in the company (and countless others in the past) have benefited from international experience.

[Fignuts]

Isn't the Japanese wrestling business in horrible shape? Maybe crossover is one way of trying to help it?

Most of them are, but New Japan has recovered signifigantly thanks to flat out awesome wrestling.

[Jordan]

Johnny Ace leads an AJPW stable to WWE I hope... Just looked at the AJPW roster though... it's very thin...

Hopefully WWE sends guys that suck to AJPW and they become magically better...

Zeke, Mason Ryan, Drew Mac, and Tyson Kidd come to mind.

Not that there is anything wrong with Tyson but I think he can only get better.

[CSL]

Kidd would probably do better professionally by getting his release and clearing off to Japan full time

[Schlomey]

Drop the ball on one Yoshi Tatsu......Join forces with an entire army of Japs. Great idea WWE.

[Hanso Amore]

If you tried to do a Crossover PPV in the US right now it would end up like those Legends PPVs with drunken jake Roberts. No one would watch it. No one would care. They would sell less than ROH cards.

[Hanso Amore]

Johnny Ace leads an AJPW stable to WWE I hope... Just looked at the AJPW roster though... it's very thin...

Hopefully WWE sends guys that suck to AJPW and they become magically better...

Zeke, Mason Ryan, Drew Mac, and Tyson Kidd come to mind.

Not that there is anything wrong with Tyson but I think he can only get better.

Sending guys over to get seasoning like a AAA between Main Roster and Developmental could be great.

Zeke and Mason Ryan could work on their powerhouse style. Would be a great idea to loan their midcarders out. They dont need to bring any Japs back, no one would care about them.

See Tensai, Lord

See Tatsu, Yoshi

[Hanso Amore]

About the only thing I could see working is bringing in a tag team for a short run, or a few matches like ECW did with Hayabusa and Hakushi

Could bring them in as "the best" team in the orient and maybe make it work. Otherwise singles pushes in the same fashion would fail to get over. But people might buy a cohesive team as a legit threat.

[James Steele]

Most of them are, but New Japan has recovered signifigantly thanks to flat out awesome wrestling.

Ah, "The Triple H Approach".

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Sending guys over to get seasoning like a AAA between Main Roster and Developmental could be great.

Zeke and Mason Ryan could work on their powerhouse style. Would be a great idea to loan their midcarders out. They dont need to bring any Japs back, no one would care about them.

See Tensai, Lord

See Tatsu, Yoshi

Zeke and Ryan should just stay over there. The American audience doesn't want huge roided up freaks anymore.

[Hanso Amore]

Zeke and Ryan should just stay over there. The American audience doesn't want huge roided up freaks anymore.

Accept the ones chanting feed me more.....

[#1-norm-fan]

Don't you dare compare Ryback to Zeke and Mason Ryan.

[Fignuts]

Mutoh was one of those few Japanese guys that I could see making it into the WWE hall of fame.

Now I'd bet it's a sealed deal, along with Stan Hansen and Giant Baba.

[CSL]

Stan would have gone in for his role in No Holds Barred alone, let alone any business deal

[Shisen Kopf]

Or OCW.

OCW 4-LIFE!

[Swiss Ultimate]

I can't wait for the new WWE storyline where the Japanese stable Deuces and Fours invades and starts attacking WWE Superstars.

[Vastardikai]

Stan would have gone in for his role in No Holds Barred alone, let alone any business deal

Stan Hansen invented one of, if not the, most widely used moves in wrestling today. He could go in solely on that.

[DLVH84]

Stan Hansen invented one of, if not the, most widely used moves in wrestling today. He could go in solely on that.

And if he does, I think JBL would induct him.

[CSL]

Stan Hansen invented one of, if not the, most widely used moves in wrestling today.

nah

[Fignuts]

Yeah, always thought it was stupid that people tried to find the subtlest of details to differentiate, and create new names for lariats.

A lariat is a lariat, and Hansen didn't invent it.

[Vastardikai]

upon looking it up, you are correct. Hansen is often erroneously credited with inventing the move. He was mainly the one credited from changing it from a transition move to being viewed as a legitimate finish.

Again, still worthy of Hall of Fame-ery due to his influence on the likes of Nikita Koloff, JBL, and to an extent even Ryback.

Then you go into his impact in Japan, perhaps the biggest Gaijin of all time out there.

[Gertner]

Lol this makes no snese whatsoever

Americans don't care about Jap wrestlers who can't speak our language.

[DLVH84]

Lol this makes no snese whatsoever

Americans don't care about Jap wrestlers who can't speak our language.

Do not be fooled by that notion, Gertner, because a lot of Japanese wrestlers that have came to the U.S., Canada, and Europe on excursions to train and/or wrestle, have learned some English along the way.

[James Diesel]

Would be nice to see Kota Ibushi

[Gertner]

How many have been successful outside of Muta, Liger and Ultimo Dragon? And that was 15-20 years ago. They won't get over at all.

[DLVH84]

How many have been successful outside of Muta, Liger and Ultimo Dragon? And that was 15-20 years ago. They won't get over at all.

There's always hope for a new breed of Japanese talent to break out. And from the WWE-AJPW deal, I think it can happen.

A couple of AJPW stars used to wrestle for Vince years ago (Takao Omori and KENSO) and a couple more had a past history with WCW (Muta and Kaz Hayashi). So, it makes sense that with WWE and AJPW working together, it would bring such a great mix of wrestling and bring WWE to the masses beyond what North America has to offer.

And I think the first AJPW talent that should give WWE a shot is Suwama. He's a heavyweight that has proven his worth. He's a modern-day complete wrestler. Great amateur background, real powerhouse, occassional aerialist, pretty much a big allrounder for a 6' 2", 265 lb. man.

[Swiss Ultimate]

How many have been successful outside of Muta, Liger and Ultimo Dragon? And that was 15-20 years ago. They won't get over at all.

Tajiri had a decent run.

[Swiss Ultimate]

Can't wait for Suwama VS. Tensai

[Gertner]

There's always hope for a new breed of Japanese talent to break out. And from the WWE-AJPW deal, I think it can happen.

A couple of AJPW stars used to wrestle for Vince years ago (Takao Omori and KENSO) and a couple more had a past history with WCW (Muta and Kaz Hayashi). So, it makes sense that with WWE and AJPW working together, it would bring such a great mix of wrestling and bring WWE to the masses beyond what North America has to offer.

And I think the first AJPW talent that should give WWE a shot is Suwama. He's a heavyweight that has proven his worth. He's a modern-day complete wrestler. Great amateur background, real powerhouse, occassional aerialist, pretty much a big allrounder for a 6' 2", 265 lb. man.

Takeshi Morishima tried out and didn't get picked up and he's fantastic. Suwama wouldn't stand a chance either.

[Fignuts]

Morishima probably didn't get picked up because he looks like a fat piece of shit.

Suwama at least has a good look.

[Fignuts]

He looks like a fat chick

http://superluchas.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/takeshi-morishima-en-mexico-3.jpg

[Swiss Ultimate]

He looks like a fat chick

http://superluchas.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/takeshi-morishima-en-mexico-3.jpg

You mean, sexy?

[ron the dial]

lol he looks just like my buddy's sister there

[DLVH84]

Morishima probably didn't get picked up because he looks like a fat piece of shit.

Suwama at least has a good look.

Yeah, and here he is...

http://pds23.egloos.com/pds/201205/22/62/d0072562_4fba9ea699f95.jpg

[Fignuts]

That's a man chin right there, folks.

[Skippord]

Morishima does look like a fat lesbian

this concludes my knowledge of Japanese wrestling