NJPW - TPWW ***OFFICIAL*** Discussion Thread -- New Japan of America announced

[Emperor Smeat]

Rumor going around the net is that Ibushi's new contract with NJPW is 2 years in length.

[Volare]

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[Vastardikai]

Oddly enough, that first fall is an accurate reenactment of that time Suzuki stared into the Abyss.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I don’t love White, but I understand the decision. Not everything is a sprint. White’s someone they want to bear fruit with, so they’re watering that garden. I kind of like that New Japan has the balls to dictate their own story too, and Jay White is the champ whether we like it or not.

[Mr. Nerfect]

The brackets for the New Japan Cup look pretty swish. Ibushi vs. Naito in the first round is a shocker. A lot of people are picking Ibushi to win the whole thing. Eliminating Naito in the first round could cause a huge stir. It looks like there could be some interesting matches later in the tournament, and some interesting pushes for some gaijin. Mikey Nichols and Davey Boy Smith, Jr. could have a decent run in. I’m hoping for a Suzuki vs. DBS II match. It looks like the semis could be Okada vs. Ishii and Ibushi vs. Suzuki, with an Ibushi vs. Okada final.

[Ultra Mantis]

There are usually a bunch of upsets in the New Japan Cup so they don't blow through all the marquee matches on one tour, Ishii was a smart pick last time due to Jay White's shit stirring but he lost in round 1 to Michael Elgin of all people. Naito went out in the first round last year too, good chance it happens again.

Davey Boy Jr usually shits the bed in his singles matches, he faced Yano last year too (and lost) but his legit disdain of Yano matches made him perform even worse. Yano would actually get a better match out of Suzuki. DBS / Cabana would be an equally horrible match, DBS / Makabe would not be pretty either.

[slik]

NJPW being very unrealistic for pricing for their Dallas show (outside of ringside seats). Jay White as champ isn't getting $50 for nosebleeds.


https://i.imgur.com/YCvEMZH.png

[mike adamle]

New Japan just sent out a memo letting the fans know that the wrestlers have obtained their working visas for April. Hell yeah.

[ClockShot]

NJPW being very unrealistic for pricing for their Dallas show (outside of ringside seats). Jay White as champ isn't getting $50 for nosebleeds.


https://i.imgur.com/YCvEMZH.png

That's if Jay White loses the belt at the Supercard. Here's hoping.

[Innovator]

Jushin Liger announced he's retiring at the Dome in January

[Emperor Smeat]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/suzuki_D_minoru?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@suzuki_D_minoru</a> scares <a href="https://twitter.com/CyrusOverHuge?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CyrusOverHuge</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NJCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NJCup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NJPW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NJPW</a> <a href="https://t.co/d63mH2znnl">https://t.co/d63mH2znnl</a> <a href="https://t.co/z673bbND9A">pic.twitter.com/z673bbND9A</a></p>&mdash; Italo Santana ���� (@BulletClubIta) <a href="https://twitter.com/BulletClubIta/status/1103958757996933121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2019</a></blockquote>
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[Jordan]

Can we please get some good stuff announced for MSG god fn damn.

[Evil Vito]

Can we please get some good stuff announced for MSG god fn damn.

They already have. Bandido/Dragon Lee/Ishimori should be fire.

[ClockShot]

Can we please get some good stuff announced for MSG god fn damn.

Briscoes vs. G.O.D. Titles for Titles match should be great.

[Fignuts]

I mean are the briscoes still any good? Haven’t really impressed me in their more recent njpw appearances.

[Vastardikai]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/suzuki_D_minoru?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@suzuki_D_minoru</a> scares <a href="https://twitter.com/CyrusOverHuge?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CyrusOverHuge</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NJCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NJCup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NJPW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NJPW</a> <a href="https://t.co/d63mH2znnl">https://t.co/d63mH2znnl</a> <a href="https://t.co/z673bbND9A">pic.twitter.com/z673bbND9A</a></p>&mdash; Italo Santana ���� (@BulletClubIta) <a href="https://twitter.com/BulletClubIta/status/1103958757996933121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2019</a></blockquote>
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This is a reenactment of the time Minoru Suzuki met Cthulhu. Suzuki is playing himself.

[Jordan]

I mean are the briscoes still any good? Haven’t really impressed me in their more recent njpw appearances.

Yeah they are. I don't watch ROH regularly at all but I check in a few times a year and watch an episode of TV or a PPV. Briscoes are the best. Probably one of those teams we take for granted because they've been in the same spot forever, kind of like The Uso's.

[Evil Vito]

The Briscoes are horrendous people and that kinda makes it hard from me to enjoy them as much as I otherwise would.

[Jordan]

The Briscoes are horrendous people and that kinda makes it hard from me to enjoy them as much as I otherwise would.

Why do you say that? Because of the way they talk?

[Evil Vito]

If by "way they talk" you mean spewing racist and homophobic bullshit, yeah.

Jay's said New York has "too many fags" and that he feels like shooting people who support gay marriage, and these were things he said while he was the ROH Champion and a face.

[Jordan]

If by "way they talk" you mean spewing racist and homophobic bullshit, yeah.

Jay's said New York has "too many fags" and that he feels like shooting people who support gay marriage, and these were things he said while he was the ROH Champion and a face.

Yikes, I forgot about that controversy with Jay.

[Jordan]

They already have. Bandido/Dragon Lee/Ishimori should be fire.

Yeah you're right about that.

[Jordan]

https://www.rohwrestling.com/sites/default/files/preshow-article.jpg

The stars of Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling will compete in an Honor Rumble over-the-top rope battle royal as part of the G1 Supercard pre-show on Saturday, April 6 at sold-out Madison Square Garden.

The pre-show begins at a special start time of 6:30 p.m. ET, an hour before the start of the G1 Supercard pay-per-view. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. If you have a ticket, make sure to come early to get exclusive, commemorative G1 Supercard merchandise.

There have been seven Honor Rumble matches (a battle royal in which the competitors enter the match at time intervals), a staple of ROH since 2008. With the NJPW stars in the mix, this will undoubtedly be the biggest, most star-studded Honor Rumble yet.

More action for the preshow will be announced soon. Keep it locked onto ROHWrestling.com for information on how to watch the G1 Supercard Pre-Show. ROHrasslin.com

[Jordan]

Well the Honor Rumble will pretty much be exactly what the New Japan Rumble would've been this year minus a few Japanese old timers with a few ROH YUNG BOYS in their place. And probably Bubba Ray.

[Jordan]

The bottom line for me buying either SLIK's MSG Ticket or any MSG ticket at this point is do I get to see some form of PCO vs Goto or PCO vs Ishii or PCO vs Suzuki. If they fail to deliver this gift I will steal the show online and you can bank on that sucka.

[ClockShot]

I'll be there live with the folks.

Gonna be sad some of the AEW guys won't be there for the now obvious reasons. But, if ROH and NJPW send in their best guys, have some great matches, we'll be happy.

[Droford]

I was looking at tickets, I can get upper 200 level for like $50

https://aviewfrommyseat.com/wallpaper/WrastlinJohnny-20131227205101.jpg

I could deal with that view for 50 considering Im gonna be squinting at WM to see anything but I only paid $100 for that lol

I just have to wait it out a bit, but Im starting to turn to the price being right enough to enjoy a non wwe show at MSG even though Ive seen a NJPW/ROH show before at the old ecw arena. I just hope the NJcup winner makes the title match watchable since I hate jay white

[Droford]

Well the Honor Rumble will pretty much be exactly what the New Japan Rumble would've been this year minus a few Japanese old timers with a few ROH YUNG BOYS in their place. And probably Bubba Ray.

Bully will be in ny for busted open 10th anniversary show..i hope he can do both

[slik]

I'm going to sell my ticket for definitely less than I spent on it just because that's the market right now. I spent $80 but will prob sell it for around $40 because that seems to fit w/ the going rate.

[Droford]

eBay has a 15% off sale today only that works on sports tickets supposedly so I could get 2 to ticket in the 200 level for like 80 bucks. I could always sell the extra ticket BUT if anyone wants to go for free and will actually show up and not Xero me I'd be willing to give someone the extra ticket. I'm probably going to buy regardless cause I could sell the extra ticket for 20 and get in cheaper than the cost of 1 ticket elsewhere lol

[Emperor Smeat]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A little tease of me and <a href="https://twitter.com/YTR_CHAOS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YTR_CHAOS</a> in round 2 of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/njcup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#njcup</a> <a href="https://t.co/cFWnFcR1KH">https://t.co/cFWnFcR1KH</a></p>&mdash; Colt Cabana (@ColtCabana) <a href="https://twitter.com/ColtCabana/status/1105809668096454658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
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[Droford]

Im down for Scurll vs Lethal for the ROH title as like the co-main to Jay white vs ??

have to buy a Villain Enterprises shirt though even though my Villain Club shirt is one of the few wrestling shirts I wear around in public

[Emperor Smeat]

According to the Observer, first day sales for Night 1 of this year's G1 Climax tournament in Dallas were not good compared to their other high profile shows held in the US.

Tickets for the 7/6 NJPW G-1 opening day in Dallas, TX went on sale on 3/13. They didn’t do a presale and first day sales were just over 1,600 tickets, which is a real momentum killer in this country. Since it’s a new market rather than a fourth time in the Los Angeles market, basically it is a sign that the American/Canadian talent losses have hurt the company’s marketability in this country.

Wouldn't be surprised if its also due to their recent US shows being duds in terms of star power and fans growing tired of getting watered down shows with ROH guys instead of having the full NJPW experience.

[slik]

They need to drop their prices. They have a lot of great talent but it was nuts to think you could charge more than WWE for most seats (not ringside, which are much cheaper than WWE) when your champ is Jay White, a non-entity in the U.S.

[Droford]

ROH spoiled the NJ Cup by announcing Osprey vs Jeff Cobb with Osprey still in the NJCup (vs Okada next week)..good job ROH

Okada will def be in the finals of the Cup at least

[Droford]

The bottom line for me buying either SLIK's MSG Ticket or any MSG ticket at this point is do I get to see some form of PCO vs Goto or PCO vs Ishii or PCO vs Suzuki. If they fail to deliver this gift I will steal the show online and you can bank on that sucka.

PCO/Brody King vs GOD now tag titles on the line

match takes a hit to me with Briscoes not in it

[Droford]

Woncer what odds of PCO/BK AND Scurll winning are. Changing the tag match after Scurll made the challenge is a bit fishy

[Jordan]

Man the Dallas ticket sell went badly, only about 1,800 sold according to Meltz.

[Droford]

I dont think theres a lot of interest in NJPW without Cody and the gang.

[Ultra Mantis]

ROH just pissing all over the Supershow card with their terrible booking. New Japan not helping matters booking a singles match for Chase Owens of all people.

Meanwhile, sales for the London show are going strong.

[Jordan]

I dont think theres a lot of interest in NJPW without Kenny and the gang.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Man the Dallas ticket sell went badly, only about 1,800 sold according to Meltz.

Jesus, that’s going to look horrible. Compounding issues with ROH suddenly getting negative reviews and these poor ticket sales might suggest they should consider picking up the phone to get some AEW involvement — especially Jericho, Omega and anyone they pick up from WWE in April, should that happen. You can’t run that show with only a few rows filled.

[Mr. Nerfect]

The Young Bucks were jalepenos on a sub. Take them or leave them. Omega and Jericho were the dudes that mattered. Jay White is no replacement for Omega. He’s getting traction domestically for them, but he doesn’t mean anything to North American audiences. ZSJ and Will Ospreay, despite me not being a big fan of either, are better choices. Even Elgin. Cobb would mean more in a different position.

[Vastardikai]

Promoting Western Stars in a Japanese promotion to get to American fans would be like Americans going to Japan so they can eat at McDonald's.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Really, they should market it like sushi, which is a small social phenomenon.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

I'm going to sell my ticket for definitely less than I spent on it just because that's the market right now. I spent $80 but will prob sell it for around $40 because that seems to fit w/ the going rate.

why sell? don't want to go?

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

They should only be going to places with large Asian audiences. Nobody in Texas gives a shit.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Japanese culture doesn’t only appeal to Japanese audiences.

[Emperor Smeat]

Seems TJP might be in talks with NJPW for a possible deal if a recent tweet of him hanging out in their L.A. dojo is any indication.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dojo family ������ <a href="https://t.co/I1E9NudoId">pic.twitter.com/I1E9NudoId</a></p>&mdash; ���� TEDDY PLAYER ONE ���� (@MegaTJP) <a href="https://twitter.com/MegaTJP/status/1107099122966790145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
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[ClockShot]

Yikes. That's a lot of ink TJP got done.

[Droford]

RoH title match at msg is now a Triple threat ladder match between Lethal/Scurll/Taven

[mike adamle]

Not quite the same star power as Shawn Michaels/Razor Ramon or Triple H/The Rock but very interested to see how this ladder match stacks up against those two ladder matches at the garden. Excited to know I'll be sitting 2nd row for it.

[Ultra Mantis]

If Beretta and Chuck Taylor hadn't left they would have been in Mikey Nicholls and Colt Cabana's spots in the New Japan Cup, meaning Beretta missed out on getting an Okada match and Chuck would have finally got his singles with Yano. Feels bad.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Nah, fuck them,

[mike adamle]

Agreed. Happy they left so I didn't waste my time watching those only to be disappointed in it like everything else those guys do.

[Emperor Smeat]

Finally got around to watching the last set of 2nd Rd matches for the New Japan Cup and Yano vs Cabana was one of the best comedy matches I've ever seen.

7-8 minutes of barely any wrestling and the most devastating move being an atomic drop but those two delivered a masterpiece in terms of entertainment.

[slik]

why sell? don't want to go?

I decided not to do WM this year and went to the RR instead (which was a fantastic experience btw, sort of 'more fun' than WM)

So I won't be in NYC/NJ when it's happening.

[slik]

Just got a notice someone bought my ticket on stubhub...I hadn't changed the price yet so I'll actually get back what I paid for it, minus like 5 cents.

:)

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Hope you got a good price. I know the market is flooded after AEW talent left NJPW/ROH leaving them high and dry.

[Droford]

Okada vs Sanada most likely nj cup final so Jay White vs Okada..bleh
The ROH component of the show is going to be good tho

[Jordan]

Just got a ticket for 100 bucks. Great view section 100, 16 rows up. Just don’t want to regret missing NJPW. And it will be cool to see ROH make it into MSG.

[Droford]

in looking at g1 tix i snuck a look at wm tix, my "limited view" ticket behind the stage that cost $120 on the presale is selling for $300 5 rows behind me. LOL but I cant buy I ticket for less than like $180 now

anyways, I saw some $20 tickets to G1 but it was 2 tix and they werent that great. id assume whoever is selling is taking a hit though.

[Droford]

Just got a ticket for 100 bucks. Great view section 100, 16 rows up. Just don’t want to regret missing NJPW. And it will be cool to see ROH make it into MSG.



uhh..theres no section 100 at MSG starts at 101

[Mr. Nerfect]

Apparently the plan was to put Okada over Omega in MSG, so White might just be occupying that spot, which is fine with me. I think New Japan will want Okada and Tanahashi winning in MSG.

I think Naito is getting the G1 and will finally beat Okada at Wrestle Kingdom for the belt.

[Droford]

I found a chase bridge seat in the top of msg for $80 lol, theres only 2 rows

https://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/intelligencer/2013/10/24/madison-square-garden-tour/24-madison-square-garden-tour-15.w710.h473.2x.jpg

the rest of the chase bridge seats are $200+ still. the viewing angle supposedly makes them better than the back rows in the 200 level

[Ultra Mantis]

Okada vs Sanada most likely nj cup final so Jay White vs Okada..bleh
The ROH component of the show is going to be good tho

Getting to see an Okada main event live really shouldn't incite that reaction. The problem is no matter who wins the cup you still have Jay White there.

A SANADA or Ishii win are more interesting overall choices since Okada and Tana have JUST lost to Jay already but I can see why they would go for Okada in the main event of MSG. You're going to get a fantastic match out of any of the four though.

[Droford]

I do not like Jay White and I dont see him losing in his first title defense.

Ive seen Okada wrestle live before (back in 2015 Okada/Nakamura vs Briscoes in the old ecw arena in philly)

If it werent for wanting to rep Marty Id probably wear my Tshirt from that show to G1

[Droford]

also find it amusing the number of people at that ROH/NJPW show in 2015 that are in WWE now
Maria and Mike Bennett, all of the Undisputed Era, Nakamura, AJ Styles

[slik]

@ Droford


You might have bought my ticket if you bought it on stubhub, that's where my seat was

[Jordan]

uhh..theres no section 100 at MSG starts at 101

Section 105, Row 16 seat 6! Must've typoed.

[Simple Fan]

also find it amusing the number of people at that ROH/NJPW show in 2015 that are in WWE now
Maria and Mike Bennett, all of the Undisputed Era, Nakamura, AJ Styles

Bound For Glory 2015 is pretty much the same. They've got Bobby Roode, Eric Young, EC3, Lashley, Kurt Angle, The Hardy's and Drew Galloway. Plus some X division guys that have signed recently.

[Simple Fan]

Might buy this show, hoping for some more New Japan stars to be announced though. ROH side isn't bad and the ladder match should be good but other than White vs the New Japan Cup winner not alot of big names from New Japan have anything yet and I think 8 matches have been announced. Jr heaveyweight 3 way should be good though.

[Evil Vito]

Maybe the Honor Rumble's gonna be a full-blown thing and they're gonna load it up with Tanahashi, Naito, Suzuki, etc.

[Jordan]

I would be annoyed if PCO and King lose the titles to Briscoes before MSG. Unless that led to PCO vs Ishii, Suzuki or Goto... or Sanada.

[Droford]

@ Droford


You might have bought my ticket if you bought it on stubhub, that's where my seat was

seatgeek

had a $20 off code

[Droford]

Might buy this show, hoping for some more New Japan stars to be announced though. ROH side isn't bad and the ladder match should be good but other than White vs the New Japan Cup winner not alot of big names from New Japan have anything yet and I think 8 matches have been announced. Jr heaveyweight 3 way should be good though.

someone has to accept bullys ny streetfight

I think it might be a NJ guy

[Emperor Smeat]

Semifinals of the New Japan Cup were great overall.

[ClockShot]

Looking like Okada/White 2 at the Garden unless they think SANADA is ready.

[slik]

slik is tpww's #1 Sanada fan

so I would be fine w/ this

[Mr. Nerfect]

I’d be fine with Sanada getting the belt to drop it to Okada later in the year.

[Emperor Smeat]

US title match at New Japan Cup Finals was decent.

Juice retained the belt

Very slow paced and full of shenanigans but both guys did a pretty good job with their injury storytelling.

[Emperor Smeat]

:lol: at the initial part of the Observer's match recap

They started off having an okay match. It was kind of slow, but it was kind of good. It told a nice story, as both guys worked over each other's ribs.

Then, the spirit of Vince Russo entered the building. I haven't seen anything this overbooked in years.

[Emperor Smeat]

SANADA vs. Okada was amazing. Very worthy contender for MOTY.

Okada won.

Okada vs White official for G1 Supercard

[Mr. Nerfect]

A fine choice.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Feel compelled to say “Vince Russo sucks” just because I saw him mentioned.

[Jordan]

Okay so now I'm feeling very positive. Potentially we are in store for one of the best championship win pop's ever because nobody in the Garden wants White to hold IWGP at the end of that match.

[Droford]

White wont lose in his first defense especially in the US even if it is MSG

[Evil Vito]

Yeah White probably retains by shenanigans. Could see it turn into a Bullet Club vs CHAOS clusterfuck brawl.

[Volare]

<iframe width="873" height="491" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H-mf8NNmDWs" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Volare]

<iframe width="873" height="491" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KaikioOkpr4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Mr. Nerfect]

When it comes to the MSG title match:

I’m pretty sure the safer money is on Okada.

* It’s a chance to put the new ace over in MSG.

* Okada walking out champ was the original plan.

* White seems to be following a similar trajectory to Okada; I don’t think he’s guaranteed a long reign.

* White already has two wins over Okada.

A White win wouldn’t shock me to the core, but Kazu getting the belt back seems to make a lot of sense.

Yours sincerely,

About the only person on here who predicted Okada to successfully retain at Wrestle Kingdom 12

[Evil Vito]

I was very impressed by Colt Cabana in the NJ Cup. He got over in a hurry.

[Jordan]

Pre-Show: Honor Rumble
Dalton Castle vs. Rush
IWGP Tag Team Championship vs. ROH World Tag Team Championship Winner Takes All – Guerrillas Of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (IWGP) vs. Villain Enterprises (Brody King & PCO) (ROH)
NEVER Openweight Championship vs. ROH World Television Championship Winner Takes All – Will Ospreay (NEVER) vs. Jeff Cobb (ROH)
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Three-Way match – Dragon Lee vs. Bandido vs. Taiji Ishimori (c)
New York Street Fight – Bully Ray vs. TBA
ROH World Championship Three-Way Ladder match – Matt Taven vs. Marty Scurll vs Jay Lethal (c)
WoH World Championship – TBA vs. Mayu Iwatani (c)
IWGP Heavyweight Championship – Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White (c)

[Jordan]

I doubt they will add any more matches and something tells me that Tanahashi, Suzuki, Naito and Sanada won't be booked for the pre-show. Perhaps we will get an NJPW talent to challenge Bully Ray, Suzuki would be the best call right? But I'm preparing for Flip or Cheeseburger or something very ROHy.

I'm not upset I bought a ticket for the show it will be fun no doubt but back when this was announced I didn't expect they would pull so many punches for this show. Not the knockout it should've been on paper that's for sure.

And yeah it's the booking. Is it bad? I don't know. I think it's still to early to say. I'm talking about the Jay White reign. Obviously they are attempting to replace Omega in a certain way. Not that White is attempting to be Omega, but he seems to have the spot because he's a good looking white guy who can wrestle fast. I do believe "in Jay White", he's just in a rough spot. He's in a spot similar to The Rock just before he started getting the fans behind him. So with that I hope he does pull it off and make it work. But the other part of me wants to see Okada win the belt at MSG for the magical moment. But wouldn't the longer story be stronger if Okada has to win G-1 to once again challenge for the IWGP against white at Tokyo Dome?

[Jordan]

One thing that is clear is that Harold or Gedo think the US audience wants to see white guys, and that is like 100% not of concern to anyone who REALLY wants to watch NJPW.

[Vastardikai]

One thing that is clear is that Harold or Gedo think the US audience wants to see white guys, and that is like 100% not of concern to anyone who REALLY wants to watch NJPW.

I feel like this is more Harold than Gedo. I believe that Harold is a moron.

[Evil Vito]

Yeah it’ll be a good show but they went wayyyyyy lighter on the NJPW side of things than most people assumed they would.

[Evil Vito]

I do think Suzuki might turn up either to face Bully or in the Rumble. He’s working Bloodsport that weekend so he’ll actually be in the area.

Doubt Tana or LIJ are flying in, unfortunately.

[Evil Vito]

One thing that is clear is that Harold or Gedo think the US audience wants to see white guys, and that is like 100% not of concern to anyone who REALLY wants to watch NJPW.

Yeah...if White drops the belt already it’s pretty clear they just wanted a gaijin headlining. Even though Tana/Okada, while done to death, would’ve been a guaranteed master class.

[mike adamle]

I do think Suzuki might turn up either to face Bully or in the Rumble. He’s working Bloodsport that weekend so he’ll actually be in the area.

Doubt Tana or LIJ are flying in, unfortunately.

All of LIJ is announced for the Festival of Honor before, as is Hirooki Goto, Juice Robinson, Jushin Liger, Kota Ibushi, and Zack Sabre Jr. Tanahashi is working the Rev Pro show on Friday and more than likely working Wrestlecon so he'll be in town. Ishii is also working Rev pro. There's quite a bit still to be announced from the New Japan side of things. Plus the Briscoes still need a match.

Would be very surprised if we didn't get Naito-Ibushi for the IC Title.

[Evil Vito]

Meltzer thinks Naito/Ibushi’s being saved for the next big show in Japan

[mike adamle]

Idc what Meltzer thinks. It'd make sense to throw it on MSG considering both have nothing going on for it and will be in town for the show.

[Emperor Smeat]

I feel like this is more Harold than Gedo. I believe that Harold is a moron.

Supposedly its neither and instead due to NJPW's owner Bushiroad.

According to Meltzer, Harold mainly handles their UK and international stuff while Bushiroad has been handling all the US based stuff.

Bushiroad pretty much misjudged the entire North American market. They assumed since Omega, Elite, and Bullet Club were their top merch sellers, US crowds wanted shows leaning more towards non-Japanese and ROH stars than the full NJPW experience. They learned the hard way that only Omega and the Bucks were top stars and crowds don't want watered down NJPW shows.

[Evil Vito]

Idc what Meltzer thinks. It'd make sense to throw it on MSG considering both have nothing going on for it and will be in town for the show.

I don't think they can run an endlessly long show like WWE can on their own network. They probably can't exceed a 3 hour show.

[mike adamle]

They can go 4, plus the pre show, so they really have 5 hours.

[Tom Guycott]

<iframe width="873" height="491" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KaikioOkpr4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Watched this a couple days ago. One, I wonder what the other songs (plural, not just the unused singles theme, but the rest of whatever went unused). Two, I like shit like this. I watched a set of videos before where some DJ remade Nas's Represent/Nas Is Like and Mobb Deep's Shook Ones Pt. II by finding the sampled material and re-compiling the beat. And three, I think I may just purchase this if it shows up in Google Music.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Anybody checking out Markout at the Meadowlands before Mania on Sunday? 15 bucks to enter and a lot of great former talent doing signings including Jim Ross, Tullehhh Blanchard etc.

[mike adamle]

Anybody checking out Markout at the Meadowlands before Mania on Sunday? 15 bucks to enter and a lot of great former talent doing signings including Jim Ross, Tullehhh Blanchard etc.

Hell no.

I'm getting into Jersey City where my Airbnb is on Wednesday evening.

Going to Josh Barnett's Bloodsport and iMPACT! Wrestling on Thursday

Going to NXT and Blackcraft Wrestling on Friday

Going to Orange Cassidy is Doing Something, or Whatever, Who Knows??, G1 Supercard, and hopefully Joey Janela's Spring Break 3 Part 2 on Saturday (don't have tickets to the latter but I'm literally staying 5 minutes walking distance from White Eagle Hall so I'll see if I can get in.)

Going to Mania Sunday then driving straight from there to the jobsite in Utica so I'm there on time.

[Evil Vito]

I soooooo wish Spring Break was somewhere else in NYC instead of Jersey.

I'm still not sure if I'm staying in a hotel in the city or not or if I'm gonna just take the train in from CT every day but either way heading out to Jersey after G1 and then having to come back late at night (well actually early morning) would be a bit of a ball ache.

[Jordan]

Holy shit! They just blew the roof off MSG! I was never so wrong!

[Jordan]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="tl" dir="ltr">Zack Sabre Junior versus Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya Naito versus Kota Ibushi, Jay White versus Kazuchika Okada all official title matches at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/g1supercard?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#g1supercard</a> !</p>&mdash; NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) <a href="https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/1110059768989794304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Will Ospreay vs Jeff Cobb is official for the NEVER Championship! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/g1supercard?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#g1supercard</a> ! The IWGP/ROH Tag title match is now a four way, with GoD, the Briscoes, PCO and Brody King and EVIL and SANADA! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/g1supercard?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#g1supercard</a></p>&mdash; NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) <a href="https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/1110059506145390592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Some announcements for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/g1supercard?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#g1supercard</a><br>The full card is announced.<br>Honor Rumble will have thirty participants, including Jyushin Thunder Liger!</p>&mdash; NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) <a href="https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/1110059144864768000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Jordan]

OMG Wow I am now glad I won't be going to Mania because holy shit MSG is gonna wipe me out. I guess they are gonna go like 6 hours or something.

[Jordan]

Now I am feeling some kind of rasslin buzz for Mania weekend good brothers. Gonna see some fun MLW show's and then this MSG Epic. Gonna get everything I would've wanted in a wrestling show at MSG. The glory of Ibushi vs Naito & Sabre vs Tanahashi, the insanity of the Winner Takes All tag team match & The ROH World Championship Ladder Match & The 3 Way Junior Championship match as well as a 30 man Rumble topped somehow by Okada and Jay White. It could happen. It will be a long night that's for sure. I'm pumped.

[Droford]

I'm pretty convinced the match of the week will happen at MSG. Outright if nothing fucks up has a good shot at being one of the best wrestling cards top to bottom that I remember at least.

[Jordan]

Wow I'm doing two Rumble's back to back with Battle Riot and then Honor Rumble. I guess that will be cool.

[Jordan]

With all the stuff happening at this years Mania week, it's got to go down as the biggest of all time by far. Mania, MSG, Barclays (4 shows?) plus all the other pop up shows around the area.

[Droford]

Wow I'm doing two Rumble's back to back with Battle Riot and then Honor Rumble. I guess that will be cool.

Are you going to mania..might have 4 if they do the Andre and a wonens

[Droford]

https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/44155?showCards=1

Full G1 card

[Jordan]

Are you going to mania..might have 4 if they do the Andre and a wonens

Oh man lol. No I'm not going to Mania. That would be crazy though, someone out there is going to see 2 Rumbles and 2 Battles Royals in a weekend haha.

I'm actually checking out other shows right now. I'm thinking of seeing WXW before going to Rise of the Renegades. Seems like a show that you won't see often.

[Droford]

Just had a thought. Wonder how many NJPW fans from Japan will come to NY for the show

[Jordan]

I would say that they'd be WWE crossover fans double dipping but who knows.

[Droford]

Justin Thunder Liger wrestled for Chikara at Wrestlecon 6 years ago WM weekend in NJ. Now he's at MSG.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/2013-04-06-WRESTLCON-Chikara/i-KKRVX89/1/b7d7dd65/O/DPP_1010.jpg

Thunder Quakenbush

[Mr. Nerfect]

Good card. I’m not so sure White only won the belt because they wanted a gaijin. I think they want Okada and Tanahashi both getting wins in MSG. Therefore, they couldn’t face each other. But they didn’t want Omega beating Tanahashi at the Tokyo Dome since he was leaving.

They’ve clearly been invested in White for over a year. This has been a long time coming. I just don’t think he connects well with US audiences. I think he plays better to New Japan’s domestic crowd. I fully expect White to do well on the G1 and be in one of the top four matches on at least one of the shows in the Tokyo Dome next year.

Good card. The Ladder Match feels a bit underwhelming on paper, but I’ve never been into Matt Taven. Curious to see what happens in the matches for both belts. I’m curious to see Mayu Iwatani too. I hope they gave her an opponent she can have a great match with.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I think I want PCO and Brody King to walk out Tag Champs.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I fully wanted them to do an Honor Rumble for this show and it start with Demolition as a lark. I kind of want them to play into the wrestling history of MSG and kind of feel like a spiritual continuation of that.

[Droford]

I think I want PCO and Brody King to walk out Tag Champs.

And Marty wins the ROH title Villain Enterprises night!

[Droford]

Wouldn't mind Briscoes winning though since they grew up 20 minutes from me

[Droford]

I fully wanted them to do an Honor Rumble for this show and it start with Demolition as a lark. I kind of want them to play into the wrestling history of MSG and kind of feel like a spiritual continuation of that.

Shame Jay Lethal is in the ROH title match

https://cdn3.whatculture.com/images/2018/09/890476dac91b46c6-600x400.png

[Jordan]

NJPW/ROH gonna steal WM week from WWE.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I do think Marty has a good shot at winning the belt.

[Jordan]

I could see Juice winning the Rumble and going against new Champ Marty. Also I think PCO and King will win the tag belts. I think it would make ROH look strong considering they are overshadowed on the card. I gotta watch some ROH to catch up with what they are up to. Last time I watched it I liked it. It's just a lot of weekly wrestling to keep up with.

[Droford]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">◆Are Oedo Tai and Hana Kimura going to MSG on April 6?!<br>Stay tuned to <a href="https://twitter.com/ringofhonor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ringofhonor</a> for more details soon!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G1Supercard?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#G1Supercard</a> <a href="https://t.co/uFOrzRzZGU">pic.twitter.com/uFOrzRzZGU</a></p>&mdash; We Are Stardom (@we_are_stardom) <a href="https://twitter.com/we_are_stardom/status/1109284834990419968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Uhh..I have no clue what's happening but why not

[Evil Vito]

Woooooo happy to eat crow. This card rules now

[Droford]

I never really thought it wouldnt. I just waited out ticket prices to drop

[Volare]

I'm hyped for Briscos vs G.O.D. Kinda hoping Guerrillas pull it out.

[Simple Fan]

Woooooo happy to eat crow. This card rules now

Yeah I'm going to get it now. Figured they'd announce the rest of the NJPW stars.

[Droford]

I'm hyped for Briscos vs G.O.D. Kinda hoping Guerrillas pull it out.

It's a 4way now with PCO/Brody King and SANADA/EVIL

[mike adamle]

Happy to have 2nd row seats for this. Gonna be one of the best shows ive ever been to

[Droford]

Someone on reddit seems to think Jericho is going to show up at some point during the main event but..I doubt it.

[mike adamle]

Yeah I don't think Jericho's gonna be there

[Emperor Smeat]

According to the Observer, G1 Supercard is going to start 15 minutes earlier than previously announced due to the addition of a tag team match repping Stardom for the card.

For the NJPW/ROH Madison Square Garden show, the show is now starting at 6:15 p.m. with a Stardom tag team match, followed by the Rumble at 6:30 and Jeff Cobb vs. Will Ospreay starts the ten match main card at 7:30 p.m. The women's match will not be streamed or on PPV.

[Droford]

I guess that answers that weird tweet, they are..lol

[Volare]

It's a 4way now with PCO/Brody King and SANADA/EVIL

Jesus god damn shit fuck hell......

Ain't nobody realer than Guerrillas.

[Droford]

AXS is airing the show in 2 parts on the 12th and the 19th, so I'll probably skip trying to find a way to order it if its free within 2 weeks.

[Simple Fan]

AXS is airing the show in 2 parts on the 12th and the 19th, so I'll probably skip trying to find a way to order it if its free within 2 weeks.

That sucks but I think I'll still get the show. It's great that AXS is carrying more recent NJPW stuff but I don't think should carry the PPVs. Pretty much the reason I haven't got New Japan World yet.

[Droford]

the amusing thing is ROH used to be on AXS when it was HDnet

[Droford]

ROH has announced the first set of participants for the Honor Rumble, which takes place on the G1 Supercard pre-show. They are: Kenny King, PJ Black, The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser and Brian Milonas) and Cheeseburger. New Japan Pro-Wrestling previously announced that the legendary Jushin “Thunder” Liger will be in the Rumble.

I’m told there will be several surprises in the Rumble, including one competitor who has had numerous matches at Madison Square Garden and even defended a world title there.



Wonder who the world title defender is

Del Rio (survivor series 11)

[Mr. Nerfect]

Is this World Title in a World Title sense, or World Title in a "Former WORLD Tag Team Champion Bob Holly is in the Impact Zone!"

[Droford]

Del Rio worked with ROH and lost to Punk at Survivor Series in 2011. RoH announced the surprise so it almost has to be "El Patron."

[Jordan]

That would be a good get for ROH if he can keep his shit together.

[Evil Vito]

I haven't cared about Del Rio/El Patron for half a decade so that doesn't move the needle for me in the slightest.

[mike adamle]

I went back to 1985 and looked up all the wrestlers involved in WWE, WWE Universal, WWE World Heavyweight, NXT, ECW, and WCW World Heavyweight title matches in the garden between now and then. These are the names that are possibilities for the MSG surprise world champion honor rumble entrant:

Dean Ambrose, Adrian Neville, CM Punk, Alberto Del Rio, The Undertaker, Jack Swagger, Tommy Dreamer, Chris Jericho, Sabu, Goldberg, Rob Van Dam, The Brooklyn Brawler, Sycho Sid, Goldust, Diesel, Bob Backlund, Tatanka.

I know Rob Van Dam, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, and Diesel will be in the NYC area for the weekend. Not sure when Ambrose's contract expires so I included him because that'd be crazy awesome for it to be him. Would love to see Bob Backlund. But fucking imagine if it ends up being CM Punk

[Evil Vito]

Punk is not returning to wrestling and if he did, it wouldn’t be to come back to be in a pre-show match.

[Droford]

I went back to 1985 and looked up all the wrestlers involved in WWE, WWE Universal, WWE World Heavyweight, NXT, ECW, and WCW World Heavyweight title matches in the garden between now and then. These are the names that are possibilities for the MSG surprise world champion honor rumble entrant:

Dean Ambrose, Adrian Neville, CM Punk, Alberto Del Rio, The Undertaker, Jack Swagger, Tommy Dreamer, Chris Jericho, Sabu, Goldberg, Rob Van Dam, The Brooklyn Brawler, Sycho Sid, Goldust, Diesel, Bob Backlund, Tatanka.

I know Rob Van Dam, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, and Diesel will be in the NYC area for the weekend. Not sure when Ambrose's contract expires so I included him because that'd be crazy awesome for it to be him. Would love to see Bob Backlund. But fucking imagine if it ends up being CM Punk

The key wording to the rumor is "defended". Half those guys were involved in a title match but not as the champion. Del Rio lost the belt to Punk.

[Droford]

70 year old Bob backlund coming in the rumble andvthen interfere in the ROH title match putting Scurll in a CFCW..lol

https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/pub/media/catalog/product/cache/image/500x500/e9c3970ab036de70892d86c6d221abfe/m/a/martyscurrl1004.png

[mike adamle]

The key wording to the rumor is "defended". Half those guys were involved in a title match but not as the champion. Del Rio lost the belt to Punk.

That would leave Dean Ambrose, CM Punk, Alberto Del Rio, The Undertaker, Jack Swagger, Tommy Dreamer, Chris Jericho, Goldberg, Sycho Sid, Diesel, and Bob Backlund.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Del Rio seems like the safest bet. I feel nothing.

[Emperor Smeat]

Wouldn't be surprised at all if the mystery person ends up being Dreamer.

[Simple Fan]

Swagger is a stretch either.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Could be all of the above.

[mike adamle]

Out of that list the only ones I know are in town that weekend are Dreamer and Nash. Would love if they had Nash in the rumble for a nostalgia spot.

[Droford]

Wanna see Scurll vs Backlund for the Chicken wing, even though Backlund signed over the Chicken wing to him

[Tom Guycott]

Del Rio worked with ROH and lost to Punk at Survivor Series in 2011. RoH announced the surprise so it almost has to be "El Patron."

Of The River. Alberto Of The River.

He should legit take that shitty bootleg flyer name and rebrand himself if he is indeed demon-free and this happens.

Or pull a Rey Rey and put his mask back on.

[Droford]

bully vs Juice Robinson apparently

kinda..meh

[Tom Guycott]

Was that the surprise?

I mean, I saw a promo that kinda spoiled that from Buh Buh on RoH last week.

Then again, I don't understand how the syndicated RoH tapings air that I try to catch. One week, they show shit that happened almost a month ago, then the following week, they show something that "hasn't happened yet".

[Droford]

Was that the surprise?

I mean, I saw a promo that kinda spoiled that from Buh Buh on RoH last week.

Then again, I don't understand how the syndicated RoH tapings air that I try to catch. One week, they show shit that happened almost a month ago, then the following week, they show something that "hasn't happened yet".

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/TK7t4IuHzx">https://t.co/TK7t4IuHzx</a> journalist <a href="https://twitter.com/TheKevinEck?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheKevinEck</a> tries to get a word with <a href="https://twitter.com/bullyray5150?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bullyray5150</a> about Juice Robinson answering his open challenge at <a href="https://twitter.com/TheGarden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheGarden</a>... <a href="https://t.co/kBNzdzK7GG">pic.twitter.com/kBNzdzK7GG</a></p>&mdash; ROH Wrestling (@ringofhonor) <a href="https://twitter.com/ringofhonor/status/1112495535338983424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Mr. Nerfect]

Better to announce Bully Ray vs. Juice Robinson ahead of time than have people be disappointed.

[Droford]

too late

[Ultra Mantis]

With no Suzuki or Ishii (and to a lesser extent, Goto) on the card that's a real shitty spot to put Juice in. Nobody wants to see Bully Ray vs Juice.

Still, Ray has apparently been saying Suzuki is too scared to face him on twitter and Suzuki responded that he will be at MSG, so I guess there could still be a bait and switch.

[Evil Vito]

Bully/Suzuki >>>>>>> Bully/Juice

Still, knowing he'll be at MSG that means he'll at least be in the Rumble. I just wanna see him.

[Innovator]

I just want a MSG sized Kaze Ni Nare

[Jordan]

With no Suzuki or Ishii (and to a lesser extent, Goto) on the card that's a real shitty spot to put Juice in. Nobody wants to see Bully Ray vs Juice.

Still, Ray has apparently been saying Suzuki is too scared to face him on twitter and Suzuki responded that he will be at MSG, so I guess there could still be a bait and switch.

Juice isn't a bad choice but at this point any choice other than Suzuki is a bad choice. I don't know why but as a collective IWC we seem to have expected Suzuki, with that tweet and fear of disappointment I still feel it's a possibility somehow.

[Emperor Smeat]

Michael Elgin has left NJPW.

One of NJPW's young lions also is leaving the company although his departure is related to lingering health issues.

New Japan Pro Wrestling issued a statement on Monday night that Michael Elgin is leaving the company after his contract expired on March 31st. The company also announced that young lion Teruaki Kanemitsu is leaving the company.

Elgin started with New Japan in 2015 in the G1 Climax and made an immediate impact as a foreigner ...

He had missed a considerable amount of time in 2018 due to a knee injury and recently returned and participated in the New Japan Cup where he lost to Kazuchika Okada in the opening round.

Teruaki Kanemitsu came out of the New Japan Dojo and began wrestling for the company in January 2016. He suffered a cervical spine injury in his rookie year and was out of action for two years. He returned last December and had a match teaming with Ren Narita against Ayato Yoshida and Shota Umino at Korakuen Hall that went to a 15:00 draw. That was his last match with the company.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Suzuki should eat Bully Ray alive.

[Jordan]

I wonder if Elgin is AEW bound or back to ROH or NXT.

[Droford]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">‘Mention my name, as soon as it looks like I might answer, a whole different match gets booked. You figured if you didn’t say my name nobody would give a shit about your match so just put it out there huh? What a way to treat the fans. Don’t play me for a fool, A.mer.i.can..’ <a href="https://t.co/Iy6vxSrRKF">https://t.co/Iy6vxSrRKF</a></p>&mdash; chris charlton (@reasonjp) <a href="https://twitter.com/reasonjp/status/1112926435662979072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Mr. Nerfect]

I wonder if Elgin is AEW bound or back to ROH or NXT.

I don't think WWE will touch him. ROH and/or Impact Wrestling seem to have the lower standards. Could see him going to MLW too.

[mike adamle]

ROH cut all ties with him after his scandal last year

[Droford]

https://i.ibb.co/BZ8hQj7/MVIMG-20190406-180715.jpg[/url]

[Evil Vito]

https://scontent.fbed1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/56352679_10216395478654562_2471637770565582848_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_ht=scontent.fbed1-2.fna&oh=c042fa21a7ac90ed9eaa966058d50f19&oe=5D4D7BE1

What a show this was.

[Evil Vito]

Okada's first title defense confirmed to be vs. SANADA May 4th at Wrestling Dontaku

[ClockShot]

https://scontent.fbed1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/56352679_10216395478654562_2471637770565582848_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_ht=scontent.fbed1-2.fna&oh=c042fa21a7ac90ed9eaa966058d50f19&oe=5D4D7BE1

What a show this was.

Damn Vito. Looks like you were a few sections over from where I was. Nice seats

[Evil Vito]

Yeah it was a great view, grabbed a seat on StubHub week of the show and paid only barely more than what people paid for the Skybridge.

Hotel was only about 7 blocks away too which was nice seeing as the show didn't end til midnight.

[Droford]

Im interested in seeing this on axs friday but it looks like all the roh stuff is cut out as much as possible

[Mr. Nerfect]

I'm actually kind of intrigued by that. I mean, given that I assume they could probably air the whole show, it makes me wonder if there is some "heat" over ROH kind of stinking the joint up. Gives me more hope for Okada competing at an AEW show at some point.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I've been predicting Okada vs. Naito at Wrestle Kingdom for a long time now. Does anyone else feel this is the way they're going? My second guess is Okada vs. Ibushi, just because I can see them not wanting Okada to lose twice at the Dome. Unless they plan on Naito going three strikes against Okada, which seems...odd.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I guess Okada could win the IWGP Tag Team Titles with Tanahashi on Night One, or something, and then lose to Naito on night two?

[Mr. Nerfect]

Tanahashi/Jericho is another of my predictions for WK14. They were teasing that right away. I thought Jericho would get a bye on signing with AEW, but given that Omega has written it into his contract that he could work the shows, I could see him and Ibushi having a match, maybe over the IC Title?

Got a weird feeling that Nakamura is going back to New Japan too. They've done NOTHING with him in the period his contract is said to be expiring. That's got to be...depressing. He can't be feeling special. But he is...present. It makes me wonder if he let Vince know that he just can't do this schedule or be away from his mother in Japan for that much longer or something, and this is a "we'll let you work your dates and then you can go back" thing. Nakamura/Ibushi for the IC Title given Ibushi's been using the Boma Ye's would be cool too. But they can maybe get over that by Wrestle Kingdom and maybe put Nakamura against Sanada or something?

Jay White will be featured, and I kind of had him against Ibushi in my head if no one else comes in, but I can see him doing something "important," but maybe not the highest profile he's ever had next year. Maybe something with a Hirooki Goto or Tomohiro Ishii? Can see Minoru Suzuki and Zack Sabre, Jr. having a match at the show too.

* Okada vs. Naito
* Tanahashi vs. Jericho
* Ibushi vs. Omega
* Nakamura vs. Sanada
* White vs. Goto
* Ospreay vs. Ishii
* Suzuki vs. ZSJ

If that were the heavyweight singles portion of the card(s), it would be pretty fucking sweet. If a deal with AEW opens, you can possibly having Cody and The Bucks going after the six-man belts on a show. Oh, and Juice Robinson will probably be there.

I can't see New Japan breaking their CMLL deal, but I can see them working with AEW and just making sure none of their guys interact with AAA guys in AEW, or that they don't use the AAA guys in New Japan. Kind of like still being friends with your ex's friend.

Although, Cain Velasquez at a Wrestle Kingdom at a Wrestle Kingdom would be pretty fucking cool, provided he picks up the work.

[Ultra Mantis]

Pretty much the entire fanbase is predicting a Naito G1 victory so he can finally get his WK coronation. It's Gedo booking so there could be some twists but that's the expectation for next year.

Ibushi has been doing the Boma Ye for years so I wouldn't read anything into that. Taguchi also does a hip attack version, complete with Nak's taunts. I'd be very surprised if Kota still has the IC belt going into WK, especially if Okada still has the Heavy. Nakamura is apparently happy living in Florida, seems more likely he would jump to AEW rather than go back to Japan at this stage of his career.

If an AEW deal means The Elite coming back just to get more heatless title matches at the Tokyo Dome they can fuck off.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I dunno, I think something is up with Nakamura. I think WWE might know he’s leaving but not for AEW. They’re featuring him without featuring him. There is more to a family man’s life than whether he is happy living in the US.

I was calling Okada/Naito way before the fan-base was then, because I got blank stares the last time I suggested it somewhere. Also predicted Okada winning when everyone had Naito and said I just don’t understand Japanese wrestling. I don’t claim to, but there was a pretty clear story.

I agree that Ibushi won’t have that long a run. I can see him winning it back. But I could see something like Ibushi/Omega being without a belt.

I agree with you about The Elite.

[Mr. Nerfect]

It wouldn’t be too far-fetched for Nakamura to go to New Japan, but work WWE shows when they are in Japan or make the odd US appearance for them. Might even make him feel more special.

I just think that if he signed back with Vince, or they were waiting on it, he wouldn’t be so...nothing right now. They’re not showing him to be valued, if that were the intention.

Did he get his own entrance at Mania, or did he come out with Rusev?

[Ultra Mantis]

I only know what he's up to through reading reports so I have no idea about his on screen presentation. From what I gather he seems to be treated as just another undercard guy.

Nakamura is a strange case though, he reportedly left Japan because he got moved down the card out of the main event and didn't want to end up like the previous generation who are now working the undercard and can still have great matches but only beat each other or the young lions. He's obviously not in a great position where he is currently, but going back to Japan it's unlikely they are going to push him ahead of Okada, Naito, Ibushi, White or even guys like SANADA, Zack Sabre Jr or Ospreay. He would likely have a more prominent role in AEW since they need more top of the card guys there, but who really knows, he might just not care anymore. On the surface he seems more interested in surfing than wrestling,

[Evil Vito]

New Japan going back to Australia. June 29th in Melbourne.

There you go, Noid.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I only know what he's up to through reading reports so I have no idea about his on screen presentation. From what I gather he seems to be treated as just another undercard guy.

Nakamura is a strange case though, he reportedly left Japan because he got moved down the card out of the main event and didn't want to end up like the previous generation who are now working the undercard and can still have great matches but only beat each other or the young lions. He's obviously not in a great position where he is currently, but going back to Japan it's unlikely they are going to push him ahead of Okada, Naito, Ibushi, White or even guys like SANADA, Zack Sabre Jr or Ospreay. He would likely have a more prominent role in AEW since they need more top of the card guys there, but who really knows, he might just not care anymore. On the surface he seems more interested in surfing than wrestling,

Surfer Shin vs. Biker Shin only.

It was the time to make a go of it a few years ago. It's a few years on though, so I don't think him returning to the IC Title scene, for example, in New Japan is exactly a knock down. He can be treated as the living legend he is and be in that top mix with Tanahashi, Okada, Naito and Ibushi. I don't see why he'd need to be pushed more than them at this stage of his career, you know?

I wouldn't complain if Nakamura ended up in AEW either, don't get me wrong. If he is Cody's opponent at Double or Nothing, I will mark out. But I just get this weird vibe that WWE would be doing more with him if he either a) re-signed, or b) they had hopes he would. And I think if he were going to AEW, we'd see him wearing cheese on his head or something, or maybe even taken off the road.

Either way, if he leaves WWE, I'd be shocked if he didn't work dates in New Japan at some point.

[Emperor Smeat]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NJPW just sent me an advertisement for a bus tour around Sendai hosted by Ryusuke Taguchi and featuring Jushin Liger, Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura.<br><br>Activities planned include strawberry picking, creating traditional art, and 30 minutes of souvenir shopping at a roadside store</p>&mdash; andrew (@abraingenius) <a href="https://twitter.com/abraingenius/status/1116589266828578817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[erickman]

I was watching this weeks taped ep of roh Dashwood was there, she said she has great news she is cleared to wrestle. I was thinking roh gets rid of her when she is all healed how dumb of them.

[Evil Vito]

There are a minimum of 3 spots to fill in the G1 this year (Kenny, Hangman, Elgin). My best guess to fill those spots would be Ospreay, Cobb, and Taichi.

If a 4th spot opens up somewhere - I could low key see Colt Cabana going in. The crowd went mental for him during his NJ Cup run. You put him and Yano in separate blocks to give everybody a breather during the tourney.

[Ultra Mantis]

I think Kojima will be back in this year for his final G1, he has said he wanted to have one more attempt last year but then he got injured and missed it.

Tama Tonga could realistically lose his spot since he's usually everyone's worst match and doesn't even give guys a "night off" like facing Yano (or potentially Cabana) does. There's even the storyline reasoning to take him out of it this year because of what he did last time.

[Evil Vito]

Good point, I could see Tama getting bumped. I know stablemates fighting each other is commonplace in the G1 but I feel like with the Bullet Club as it is now it's best to just put White and Fale in opposing blocks and have that be the end of it.

Conversely, Suzuki-gun only had two people in the last couple of years in opposing blocks but if Taichi is added there will be one guaranteed Suzuki-gun match. My personal hope would be Suzuki and ZSJ winding up in the same block and headlining a show.

[Evil Vito]

Best of Super Juniors is fucking STACKED this year:

Bandido
BUSHI
Dragon Lee
El Desperado
Flip Gordon
Jonathan Gresham
Marty Scurll
Robbie Eagles
Rocky Romero
Ryusuke Taguchi
Shingo Takagi
SHO
Taiji Ishimori
Taka Michinoku
Tiger Mask
Titan
Will Ospreay
X (El Phantasmo)
YOH
Yoshinobu Kanemaru

[Mr. Nerfect]

Shingo vs. Taiji Ishimori in the finals is my gut feeling.

[Evil Vito]

Shingo would definitely appear to be the odds-on favorite. Honestly once Hiromu is back he's probably either moving up to heavyweight or he'll float around in the NEVER scene like Ospreay did.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Yeah, I think so. Maybe a little bit of a courtesy run in the Juniors scene.

[Evil Vito]

Speaking of Ospreay, I thought he was gonna formally move up to heavyweight and be in the G1 this year but I can't see it now. With BOSJ now being the same length as the G1, doing both tourneys back to back is insane.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I'm sure that will still be the plan, but I think this will just be a "farewell" for him to put over some of the guys in that style.

[Mr. Nerfect]

It's a good way to get Will Ospreay against Bandido and Dragon Lee without him actually slumming in the division past this tourney.

[Ultra Mantis]

Looks like Tama Tonga is confirmed out of the G1.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Asked to get taken off the G1 tournament this year. Hope they grant it</p>&mdash; The 'Good Bad Guy' Tama Tonga (@Tama_Tonga) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tama_Tonga/status/1123902944762630147?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Good decision.

[Evil Vito]

Cobb loses the NEVER title to Taichi in his first defense

I like Taichi but good lord that title is a hot potato

[Ultra Mantis]

They seemed to be setting up Taichi / Ospreay before Cobb won it so I would not be at all surprised if it ends up back on Will at Dominion to give him a ticket to the G1. Seems like they just wanted it off Ospreay for Super Jrs, because obviously he's not winning the tournament and they don't want tiny guys like Boner Soldier or Marty Scurll pinning the current NEVER champ.

[Evil Vito]

Probably. But that just kinda makes me question why he's in Super Juniors to begin with. After beating Ibushi, being in the NJ Cup, and defending against Cobb he could've believably stepped up to heavyweights without needing to potentially kill himself in back to back tournaments.

[Emperor Smeat]

The big surprise at Wrestling Dontaku of who is "X" ended up being

El Phantasmo

[Emperor Smeat]

Either Tanahashi decided to make a surprise appearance in his underwear or those are some really short shorts for someone of his size.

[slik]

Sanada shaved his beard.

[slik]

TPWW's #1 Sanada fan slik rooting for him to defeat Okada.

[slik]

Perfect Suplex

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/seiyasanada?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@seiyasanada</a> connects with a Tiger Suplex. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/njdontaku?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#njdontaku</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NJPW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NJPW</a> <a href="https://t.co/d63mH2znnl">https://t.co/d63mH2znnl</a> <a href="https://t.co/pq26SL4DGn">pic.twitter.com/pq26SL4DGn</a></p>&mdash; Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) <a href="https://twitter.com/BulletClubIta/status/1124603499449331712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[slik]

Fuck Him Up Sanada


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">RAINMAKER FROM <a href="https://twitter.com/seiyasanada?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@seiyasanada</a>!!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/njdontaku?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#njdontaku</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NJPW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NJPW</a> <a href="https://t.co/d63mH2znnl">https://t.co/d63mH2znnl</a> <a href="https://t.co/80AQsWXHUT">pic.twitter.com/80AQsWXHUT</a></p>&mdash; Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) <a href="https://twitter.com/BulletClubIta/status/1124606304981528576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Emperor Smeat]

Latter half of Wrestling Dontaku was really great overall.

[slik]

U won this battle Okada...

[slik]

Jericho!

[slik]

Jericho vs Okada

:y::y::y:

[slik]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">May 25th - Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho <br><br>June 9th - Kazuchika Okada vs. Chris Jericho <br><br>It will be an interresting 16 days for Jericho. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/njdontaku?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#njdontaku</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NJPW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NJPW</a></p>&mdash; Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) <a href="https://twitter.com/BulletClubIta/status/1124609773851357185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Fignuts]

Okada vs Jericho makes me hard.

[Droford]

<iframe width="406" height="271" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XZ1R07I8INU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The Painmaker lol

[Droford]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">May 25th - Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho <br><br>June 9th - Kazuchika Okada vs. Chris Jericho <br><br>It will be an interresting 16 days for Jericho. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/njdontaku?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#njdontaku</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NJPW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NJPW</a></p>&mdash; Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) <a href="https://twitter.com/BulletClubIta/status/1124609773851357185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That's a neat birthday present for me

[Jordan]

Jericho is a legend. That was great. I'm gonna WIIIIIIIIIIN!

[Jordan]

I remember in his first book how he wrote of talking to Japanese people in a way that imitates the way that they speak English because it's easier for them to understand. Comes off so offensive but it's really not. I love this Jericho, he's very unpredictable. Like he may be drunk, or want to do something crazy stupid, you just never know.

[Ultra Mantis]

Probably. But that just kinda makes me question why he's in Super Juniors to begin with. After beating Ibushi, being in the NJ Cup, and defending against Cobb he could've believably stepped up to heavyweights without needing to potentially kill himself in back to back tournaments.

They are currently trying to make the Juniors come off as more of a big deal so it makes sense to not move Ospreay up just yet, hes a good selling point for this tournament, especially with Hiromu out.

Needlessly killing himself is Ospreay's favourite.

[Evil Vito]

That’s true. He’s practically acknowledged he’s gonna end up like Dynamite someday, which is quite sad.

[Evil Vito]

So I'd consider Ospreay, Taichi, and Kojima (G1 farewell run) to be good bets

But that 4th spot really depends. Cobb for the Elgin power wrestler spot or Colt for Yano-like comic relief are possible, but it's an exceptionally long tournament so it would require them to have a lot of open dates on their schedule.

If they're sticking with NJPW contracted guys I really have no idea. Henare? Chase Owens?

Liger's been in a couple back in the day, maybe he says fuck it and gives it a go for his farewell tour.

[Ultra Mantis]

Yeah I think those three are locks and the 4th is a wild card.

There's also the debuting Time Biker / Knife Pervert II to consider. Depending on who that turns out to be and how hard of a push he's getting they might go ahead and slot him straight into the G1.

Hopefully it's not Henare, Chase, Yujiro, Mikey Nicholls or Poor old Honma taking the last spot. I think all of them would struggle with a G1 in their present state. If they're going to fill that spot with somebody who's going to lose a lot, or all of the time, I'd go with Shota.

[Emperor Smeat]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jericho side deal. He and Omega both have contracts that allow them to work in New Japan on their own. <a href="https://t.co/A4TzIX4Erp">https://t.co/A4TzIX4Erp</a></p>&mdash; Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) <a href="https://twitter.com/davemeltzerWON/status/1124724955843686400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Mr. Nerfect]

Grease those wheels, Chris. I want Okada and Tanahashi on basic cable.

[Ultra Mantis]

As Meltz says, this isn't a sign of AEW and NJPW working together.

Jericho and Omega both said very clearly during their AEW announcements that they had a clause which allows them to still work for NJPW, but it only applies to them and New Japan have no obligation to use either guy.

Jericho even discussed that he was talking to Gedo about programs with Tanahashi, Okada and Suzuki. Smart money would be Jericho / Tana at Wrestle Kingdom. Suzuki maybe at KOPW.

On the other hand, Omega said he was supposed to still be champion going into MSG but he told them he was leaving and they removed him from all of their booking plans to put over Tanahashi and Jay White instead. I don't think New Japan are as keen to work with him as they are with Jericho, which is possibly down to Jericho's friendship with Gedo. Maybe he will show up to challenge Ibushi, maybe not.

Don't expect any native New Japan stars in AEW any time soon, they are fine where they are.

[Evil Vito]

Yeah, the contracts were just Jericho and Omega keeping their options open. AEW obligations still come first, it just gives them the option of turning up in NJPW if the interest was mutual.

And it was a smart clause to add because realistically, those two are the only ones I could see NJPW ever wanting to bring in because they could immediately be plugged into a main event level match that would generate buzz.

Like yeah I'm sure Cody and The Bucks could also go over if they wanted to since they run AEW, but there's no value for either side to do business unless it's to hammer out a proper working agreement.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Yeah, that’s always been the understanding, and what Meltzer alluded to in that tweet. It’s why I said “Come on, Jericho. Grease those wheels.” Because they’re not moving yet.

[Mr. Nerfect]

If Ibushi beats Naito yet again, I wouldn’t be against Sanada winning the IC Title from Ibushi, splitting him off from LIJ for a feud with Naito for WK. I’ve still got Jericho/Tanahashi, and would pipe-dream Omega/Ibushi. That would leave Jay White for Okada, which feels like a soft main event, but Okada could win the G1 and choose him for redemption. But maybe Ibushi wins the G1 and goes against Okada? Would be a great main event that Okada can win.

[Evil Vito]

I get the sense a lot of LIJ fans are still pretty pissed off at Naito not winning the IWGP title off of Okada when his iron was red hot and are just hoping Gedo is reallllllly stretching things out vs. just permanently relegating him to Nakamura IC-level status especially since Naito doesn't care about that belt.

[Evil Vito]

If they ARE going through with Naito - I think the G1 will end up with Ibushi going over Okada in one block (setting up a title defense in the process) and Naito going over Tana or ZSJ in the other.

Then Naito finally gets a win over Ibushi to set up the WK main.

[Mr. Nerfect]

That seems to be the hope, but the more I think about it, the more I just can’t see Okada losing two years in a row at the Dome. Next time Naito gets a Dome shot, he should probably win. I think his relationship with the IC Title leads to him oddly cherishing it, and it being carved out as his niche in the company, at least for a little while.

Is he really better than Nakamura? And Nakamura ended up in the Nakamura spot.

[Mr. Nerfect]

If they ARE going through with Naito - I think the G1 will end up with Ibushi going over Okada in one block (setting up a title defense in the process) and Naito going over Tana or ZSJ in the other.

Then Naito finally gets a win over Ibushi to set up the WK main.

That would be a good way to set up Okada/Naito, should they go that route.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Okada/Naito
Jericho/Tanahashi
Ibushi/Sanada

That’s also a pretty great card.

[Evil Vito]

It's not to say that the Nakamura spot is bad, mind. The IC title has more credibility than either of WWE's World Titles and they actually put the belt on stars.

But I can sorta see why it'd be frustrating to always be the bridesmaid but never the bride in terms of winning the whole shebang.

[Evil Vito]

El Desperado (broken jaw) and Flip Gordon (visa) are out of BOSJ :(

They'll be replaced by Ren Narita and Japanese luchador DOUKI. Both are in Block B.

DOUKI is being billed as a hired gun for Suzuki-gun

[Mr. Nerfect]

It's not to say that the Nakamura spot is bad, mind. The IC title has more credibility than either of WWE's World Titles and they actually put the belt on stars.

But I can sorta see why it'd be frustrating to always be the bridesmaid but never the bride in terms of winning the whole shebang.

No, it’s not. And I can understand the frustration. But still, it makes sense to protect your true aces. Hearing some talk about him, they seem to be pretty sure he is going to have neck issues soon anyway. Is he a guy you want to build around?

[Ultra Mantis]

Steve Austin already had serious neck issues (and knee issues) when he was on top. Naito bumps a lot on his head but then so does Ibushi, who it's almost a forgone conclusion will be a future world champion. If Naito is the hottest act on the show why shouldn't he get the WK redemption and one good run with the big belt?

[Ultra Mantis]

El Desperado (broken jaw) and Flip Gordon (visa) are out of BOSJ :(

They'll be replaced by Ren Narita and Japanese luchador DOUKI. Both are in Block B.

DOUKI is being billed as a hired gun for Suzuki-gun

Sucks about Despy, seemed like he was going to be one of the top contenders in that block.

Flip Gordon is a dork. I didn't watch any of his matches last year, heard they were "good", but his BTE character just made me immediately check out on him.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Steve Austin already had serious neck issues (and knee issues) when he was on top. Naito bumps a lot on his head but then so does Ibushi, who it's almost a forgone conclusion will be a future world champion. If Naito is the hottest act on the show why shouldn't he get the WK redemption and one good run with the big belt?

When Austin had serious neck issues he didn’t keep taking bumps directly onto his head though. Ibushi is probably a concern too. He might get a run with the belt, but do you really think they’re going to build around him? Isn’t he already talking about being done?

There are plenty of reasons certain acts shouldn’t get the the big belt. Where does Naito’s popularity come from? Is he the sort of act people want to see as champion? Does it change his gimmick too much to get the big one? Does it affect pay grade? Does he appeal to the domestic demographics in the same way as an Okada or Tanahashi? Is he even the most popular guy there? I thought he was #4 or 5 at the moment.

[Ultra Mantis]

Naito hasn't said anything about being done, nor has he ever come out and said he has a bad neck. Not sure where you're getting that from. Hiromu Takahashi is currently out with a broken neck and is in the same stable, but he's due back soon and knowing Hiromu will probably not stop bumping on his head.

I don't think theyre going to build around Naito, no. They already tried to push him as the ace and he got the Roman Reigns treatment so he went off to Mexico and they went with Okada instead. He's the Nakamura to Okada's Tanahashi, except Nakamura had a long time at the top before he got moved down. Okada is already a made man, and with Ibushi going full time they have referred to them as The New Three Musketeers, aka, the top 3 guys. It would make sense to let them all have a decent title run. Naito has already held the belt by the way, he had a very brief run before Okada went on his record breaking reign.

Naito is the most popular guy domestically, he outdraws Okada and Tanahashi in the Japanese market even though he hasn't challenged for the top title in a year and a half. His stable is incredibly popular and they usually close out the house shows to send the crowd home happy.

[Emperor Smeat]

El Desperado (broken jaw) and Flip Gordon (visa) are out of BOSJ :(

They'll be replaced by Ren Narita and Japanese luchador DOUKI. Both are in Block B.

DOUKI is being billed as a hired gun for Suzuki-gun

Apparently DOUKI has been the go-to guy for almost every Japanese wrestler that got sent to Mexico due to his history and connections there. He's been there since 2011 and has the rep of being willing to work for any Mexican promotion that needs him.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Douki helps pretty much every male Japanese wrestler who comes thru Mexico and the indies, and is part of the network behind the scenes that helps those guys. He was teaming/facing Michinoku Pro's Musashi earlier this year.</p>&mdash; luchablog (@luchablog) <a href="https://twitter.com/luchablog/status/1126846440385466368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Mr. Nerfect]

Naito hasn't said anything about being done, nor has he ever come out and said he has a bad neck. Not sure where you're getting that from. Hiromu Takahashi is currently out with a broken neck and is in the same stable, but he's due back soon and knowing Hiromu will probably not stop bumping on his head.

I don't think theyre going to build around Naito, no. They already tried to push him as the ace and he got the Roman Reigns treatment so he went off to Mexico and they went with Okada instead. He's the Nakamura to Okada's Tanahashi, except Nakamura had a long time at the top before he got moved down. Okada is already a made man, and with Ibushi going full time they have referred to them as The New Three Musketeers, aka, the top 3 guys. It would make sense to let them all have a decent title run. Naito has already held the belt by the way, he had a very brief run before Okada went on his record breaking reign.

Naito is the most popular guy domestically, he outdraws Okada and Tanahashi in the Japanese market even though he hasn't challenged for the top title in a year and a half. His stable is incredibly popular and they usually close out the house shows to send the crowd home happy.

I was talking about Ibushi with the being done thing. I'm sure he's come out and said that he might be done in two years when his contract is up.

I know all about the building around Naito and failing thing, and that he's been champion before. I read that he slipped down in popularity. Going through the house shows, it seems the shows he headlines are in giant tags with Okada and co. on the other side. Where did you get he outdraws Okada and Tanahashi?