01-05-2018, 09:11 PM | #721 | ||
Former TPWW Royalty
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According to the Observer, Wrestle Kingdom 12 was the largest wrestling event in terms of crowd size in about 15 years for Japan. Number itself is still expected to rise once the walk-in tickets are included.
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Last edited by Emperor Smeat; 01-05-2018 at 09:27 PM. |
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01-05-2018, 09:34 PM | #722 |
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Good growth for New Japan. I hope they keep it up.
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01-06-2018, 12:25 PM | #723 |
BAY BAY
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New Japan released a few of the entrance videos from WK12. Crazy how much effort they put into these compared to those shitty Windows Movie Maker nameplates WWE has now.
Naito's is especially cool as after the intro pit, it goes over his entire story arc from the beginning. 0:32 "My life is not a coincidense...Everything is 'Destiny'" 0:48 "I thought I could secure my dream" 1:17 "(but) life isn't that easy" 1:38 "at last, I've achieved glory...but in reality, the progress was not as expected" 1:51 "but i neded to keep on fighting" 2:12 "at last i found my "place" and "family" 2:17 "now its my time" 2:42 "now I can say with certainty" 2:57 "the hero of the ring..." 3:06 "is me!" 4:27 "my way of life is in 'Destino'" |
01-06-2018, 06:14 PM | #724 |
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Funny that the guys in Japan have more entrenched characters than the guys in WWE.
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01-06-2018, 06:22 PM | #725 |
BAY BAY
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The Switchblade video makes me think Jay can still pull this off, but he's got to bring some of those facials and things to the ring. Showing up in a suit when joining CHAOS wasn't a good look for the character either, unless they go full American Psycho with him at some point.
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01-06-2018, 06:55 PM | #726 |
Posts: 60,941
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Is it worth driving this Switchblade thing over if Jay is much more comfortable being a cute little guy in a suit?
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01-06-2018, 07:09 PM | #727 |
Hey Mister!
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I have trouble taking the whole switchblade persona seriously with that babyface of his. Seems more suited to an underdog character.
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01-06-2018, 08:19 PM | #728 |
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Yeah, I'm thinking they may have already gotten cold feet with it.
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01-06-2018, 11:09 PM | #729 |
Taller than Adam Cole
Posts: 10,873
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Having just watched Omega-Jericho, it was a good match that isn't a classic. And I feel most of it was on Omega. Warning: Picking of Nits to come...
1. Seriously, You are going to have millions of eyes on you that have never been on you before. You are in the middle of a heated blood feud with this guy. Dude busted you open. You jumped him at a press conference. Why the fuck are you coming to the ring dressed like an Overwatch Character? Especially when the feud was heated and violent and parts of the match itself were heated and violent. I'm like "way to shoot yourself in the foot." 2. I felt there was another bit of incongruence (sp?) was how Omega really worked the match. V-Triggers en masse are fine and all, and they looked good. But I would have liked to see him get some revenge with chair shots of his own, beyond the one at the end. It was something I felt was by and large left on the table. 3. Spraying Jericho in the face to get out of the Walls of Jericho? Good Idea. Spraying your own balls afterward? Bad Idea. 4. The dumbest thing he would do, in my opinion, is washing the blood off of his face. A victorious. bloody Omega is a better visual than what we got. |
01-06-2018, 11:23 PM | #730 |
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Fair criticisms. My opinions on Omega are well known. I think he's still way too goofy to emotionally invest in. He seems to be working over there, so whatever. I'm glad they've given him his own title to sort of keep him away from the main one though. Semi-main is a good position for that top gaijin.
I hate the goofy shit, but even if you are pissed, doing a big entrance at WK makes sense. It's psyching yourself up -- showing that his attacks won't change you from being who you are. If I had to play devil's advocate, I mean. I don't like it on the best of days, but I imagine that "no selling" the heat, which sounds stupid, is where Omega was coming from. The wiping away of the blood? It would have been cool if Omega had struck a gusher and he wiped it off and then he came back. Him getting his own back on Jericho would have been good. Busting Jericho open would have been pretty sick. But maybe they're back-pocketing that for another match? That's all I've got there. Valid criticisms, as I said. I largely agree, but with a BUT, just because they might have been trying to conserve some stuff. I dunno. Good, but not a classic. Fun. Not quite Triple H vs. Cactus or anything like that, but it's a good Jericho match, which is a treat these days, and people will remember it and be like "Yeah, that was fun." Creating memories is the best way to really get noticed. Jericho is still getting noticed. He's still working. |
01-06-2018, 11:26 PM | #731 |
Posts: 60,941
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Kind of want Suzuki to come stateside and be a top heel for a little promotion that takes wrestling seriously. ROH is kind of out, I feel, although it is the most likely place. Suzuki beating up Dalton Castle's boys is "please take my money." I'm just low on Cody and The Bucks and how "all over" that show they are.
I dunno, Suzuki is just really, really high in my good books right now. Dude is like 50 and still radiates bad-ass, takes himself seriously and isn't afraid of that glorious, glorious heat. Let Jericho be the scum-bag in Japan for a while, maybe have Suzuki take the IWGP IC Title from Tanahashi, send him overseas, give him a run with the ROH World Title at the same time, and then have him drop it back to Dalton Castle after a long feud where Suzuki eventually pays his respects. And keep Cody and The Bucks in New Japan for a while. OR, since they're open to working agreements with people, have Suzuki murder Tim Storm en route to an NWA World Title match with Nick Aldis, where he talks about sticking his own body parts into him. Have Aldis beat Davey Boy Smith, Jr. and Lance Archer to set up Suzuki vs. Aldis for the belt somewhere. Suzuki traveling with the NWA World Title over one shoulder and the IWGP IC Title over the other would be pretty bad-ass. |
01-06-2018, 11:35 PM | #732 |
Posts: 60,941
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Fuck, Suzuki is so good. I always have this little fantasy of Jerry Lawler starting up a promotion in Memphis again, with Dolph Ziggler leaving the WWE and heading there, because I believe that Lawler and Nick Nemeth could actually draw an old-school crowd a bit. Build it around the heart attack. Have Nemeth do an elbow off the top for heat. Have him waltz in with Stacy Carter, because he's always better with a woman, and that would just be "Ooh," and it fits his gimmick perfectly.
Anyway, I think Suzuki-gun would work tremendously in a Memphis-style promotion. Suzuki just beating up scrubs with Davey Boy Smith, Jr., Lance Archer and Taka Michinoku as his thugs. I'd sincerely go out of my way to watch that shit, even if just for the "Holy shit, Taka's still wrestling?" factor. New Japan could set it up as a place to send their young boys and to cultivate a bit of a developmental league stateside. I think Gedo's booking is largely influenced by Memphis. Have Nemeth go against Omega for the IWGP US Title, which you make the centerpiece of the promotion. You could probably get away with Jim Ross and Josh Barnett on commentary and set up a deal with AXS or whatever pretty easily. I'm just pipe-dreaming here. |
01-06-2018, 11:41 PM | #733 |
Former TPWW Royalty
Posts: 66,588
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Young Bucks could probably pull some string for Suzuki to appear for PWG but outside of ROH, think the only other notable company NJPW has working relations in North America is Mexico's CMLL.
NJPW doesn't really like the NWA anymore due to how bad their previous deal was between the two companies. They were giving Wrestle Kingdom spots and stars to NWA and got nothing equivalent in status for a return. Also spent a lot of money resulting in little to no gain in the North American market. |
01-06-2018, 11:56 PM | #734 |
Posts: 60,941
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Yeah, I remember that. Still, new management, and Corgan is looking to do stuff. I just think Suzuki being all serious in PWG while the other dudes are dancing and shit is just going to cut your nose off to spite your face.
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01-06-2018, 11:57 PM | #735 |
Posts: 60,941
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ROH is the only "likely" one, but Suzuki seems like he's embroiled over there, so I doubt they send him away.
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01-07-2018, 12:11 AM | #736 |
Former TPWW Royalty
Posts: 66,588
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Yeah its only been a year since he came back to NJPW after staying in NOAH for a while to help that company out with its struggles.
He'd probably be more useful sent to the UK since they just started having working relations with the UK wrestling scene. |
01-07-2018, 01:20 AM | #737 |
Posts: 60,941
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I'd send someone else to the UK. Someone like KUSHIDA or something. Takahashi.
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01-07-2018, 02:44 AM | #738 |
Hey Mister!
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01-07-2018, 04:01 AM | #739 |
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Asuka is amazing, I just find it hard to care about her on main roster WWE.
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01-07-2018, 06:51 AM | #740 |
Posts: 60,941
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Another thing to keep in mind about Okada's reign is that he is yet to successfully defend the belt as many times as Tanahashi. Assuming he defends the belt against Sanada, he'll still have a few to go before Wrestle Kingdom. Sakura Genesis will probably take him up to 24. Wrestling Dontaku to 25. Dominion to 26. Maybe Destruction? King of Pro-Wrestling to 28. Power Struggle to 29, which would break the record. Buuuut, they could do Okada in tags, which means you could save the 29th defense until Wrestle Kingdom, or you could get them over and done with and make him, definitively, the greatest IWGP Heavyweight Champion of all-time heading into the loss.
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01-07-2018, 06:53 AM | #741 |
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Yeah, we were talking about that on some previous page. 7 to go.
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01-07-2018, 06:54 AM | #742 |
Posts: 60,941
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And, of course, Okada will win the G1 and challenge freelancer, Brock Lesnar in the main event of the Tokyo Dome.
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01-07-2018, 06:55 AM | #743 |
Posts: 60,941
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My apologies, I didn't read the whole thread. I feel like there is still lots more to mine out of Okada as champion at this point, and that they can probably do even better business this year and next because of it.
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01-07-2018, 01:24 PM | #744 |
Grim Fandango
Posts: 5,192
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A bunch of NJPW guys work the UK scene frequently through their partnership with Rev Pro. Suzuki is actually one of the guys they are using this month and he worked a few shows last year, usually brings El Desperado with him to eat pins. KUSHIDA, Okada, Naito, Hiromu and Ishii are all popular guys to bring over too.
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01-07-2018, 05:53 PM | #745 |
Posts: 60,941
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Oh, so they are using Suzuki. Good for them, I guess.
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01-07-2018, 06:23 PM | #746 |
Grim Fandango
Posts: 5,192
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Just checked and it's Suzuki-Gun vs Moustache Mountain on the 20th. Suzuki and Sabre Jr representing. Poor Trent Seven is going to have a bad time.
Card also feat. SANADA and EVIL. |
01-08-2018, 12:35 AM | #747 |
MILF Eater
Posts: 963
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To those bitching about Omega coming out dressed as whatever it was...
Are you okay with Trips coming out dressed as whatever for his Mania matches? It’s pretty much the same thing. |
01-08-2018, 08:05 AM | #748 |
Taller than Adam Cole
Posts: 10,873
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I am pretty sure Triple H's outfits were routinely mocked when he came out wearing them, apart from the first Conan one.
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01-08-2018, 08:36 AM | #749 |
Posts: 60,941
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Yes. I'm against Triple H wrestling at Mania, to be honest. Unless it's against Shane McMahon for Vince's approval. That might actually draw some interest.
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01-08-2018, 08:56 AM | #750 | |
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I typically like a lot of the shit Omega gets ripped for, but even I have my limits. |
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01-08-2018, 10:06 AM | #751 |
boop/bop/beep
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01-08-2018, 05:00 PM | #752 | |
Celestia's Left Hand
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01-09-2018, 04:43 AM | #753 |
Do Unto Others...
Posts: 2,086
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You know what I love about New Japan? Well, many things, frankly. But here's a few that really feel like they need re-emphasizing after WK12:
- Everything matters. A big win, a big match, a subtle expression, it all adds to the story that is moving somewhere. In WWE we're used to so much chop and change, false starts and meaningless "moments". Roman Reigns being booed on Raw the night after Mania was awesome, but two weeks later it might has well have never happened. Never in New Japan. - Because the company looks so major league and is produced so well, it's way easier to invest in emotionally because it's not hard to believe that what happens is important. Even during whatever brief time I would consider to be "peak" TNA, you could only kid yourself so much that the stakes were high in that environment. Due to the environment and quality of the matches, you have no reservations that not only is this the best wrestling in the world, but its everything about it is major league. - It's pure pro wrestling. The booking doesn't do these 'too-clever-for-its-own-good" nudges to the insider crowd, and the weakness of the English commentary is almost always the allusion to that type of stuff because it doesn't mesh. As a result of New Japan booking like an actual wrestling company, the fans are more honest and pure in their emotional responses. Heels like Jericho and Suzuki are viewed the way they want to be. The heroes are beloved. It's organic, it's never trying to be something it isn't. Having said that, I'm against the Naito loss personally, but that match was so fucking great. For anybody who may not have liked the match, compare the heat for that main event, after a 6 hour show, to the heat for the main events of the last few WrestleManias at a similar point in the show. Roman Vs. Taker and Roman Vs. HHH had barely any heat, maybe they got a little bit for one brief section. This crowd at WK was ready to shit themselves when the bell rang. They slowed the pace, they built and built, and the crowd was going nuts. I love you, New Japan. Last edited by hb2k; 01-09-2018 at 01:26 PM. |
01-09-2018, 05:32 AM | #754 |
Posts: 60,941
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Very well expressed. I agree with everything except the Naito loss, haha. I hope you guys are planning a WK12 review podcast, and that you made Kieran and Karl watch it, haha. Not that I'm sure they would have needed too much twisting, since New Japan is a product that has got a lot of good buzz and has been delivering on its promises.
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01-09-2018, 09:09 AM | #755 |
President of Freedonia
Posts: 58,180
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ATTN Noid
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01-09-2018, 09:50 AM | #756 |
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01-09-2018, 10:26 AM | #757 |
It's a blood match!
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I wonder if they will break 1,000 at those shows.
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01-09-2018, 10:26 AM | #758 |
It's a blood match!
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In attendance
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01-09-2018, 11:52 AM | #759 |
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01-09-2018, 11:55 AM | #760 |
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Don't know if you follow the local scene much Noid, but judging by the amount of talent coming out of Australia these days, does Australia feel like a bit of an untapped market? I hear Tommy Dreamer talking about Aus being a great place for them to tour as well for quick sell outs. Seems like it might be in a position like the UK was before the indie fed boom here.
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