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01-11-2017, 02:01 PM | #1 |
BAY BAY
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New Japan Pro Wrestling: On-going Discussion
After a third straight amazing Wrestle Kingdom and some interesting angles coming out of New Years Dash, I thought it would be a good place to get people up to speed and then talk about their events going forward.
NJPW World is their equivalent of WWE Network: http://njpwworld.com and Fragile X posted a doc with the must watch matches from history: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...7pI/edit#gid=0 But onto the new shit: The next big events are New Beginning on Feb 5th and Feb 11th. The cards are STACKED February 5, 2017 on NJPWWorld.com (English & Japanese Commentary) Match Note(s) KUSHIDA & Hirai Kawato vs. Suzukigun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado) Tag Team Match Yuji Nagata, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima vs. Yoshitatsu, David Finlay & Henare Six Man Tag Team Match Katsuyori Shibata, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV vs. CHAOS (Will Ospreay, Gedo & Jado) Six Man Tag Team Match YOSHI-HASHI vs. Takashi Iizuka Singles Match Michael Elgin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Manabu Nakanishi, Ryusuke Taguchi & Dragon Lee vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi) Ten Man Tag Team Match Roppongi Vice (Rocky Romero & Beretta) (c) vs. Suzukigun (TAKA Michinoku & Taichi) IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match Hirooki Goto (c) vs. Juice Robinson NEVER Openweight Championship Match CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) (c) vs. GBH (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) vs. Killer Elite Squad (Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) IWGP Tag Team Championship 3-Way Match Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Minoru Suzuki IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match Match Note(s) Yoshitatsu & Hirai Kawato vs. David Finlay & Henare Tag Team Match Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & KUSHIDA vs. Suzukigun (Takashi Iizuka, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado) Six Man Tag Team Match Juice Robinson, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV vs. CHAOS (YOSHI-HASHI, Gedo & Jado) Six Man Tag Team Match CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Rocky Romero & Beretta) vs. Suzukigun (Minoru Suzuki, TAKA Michinoku & Taichi) Six Man Tag Team Match Hiroshi Tanahashi, Manabu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI) NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship Match Katsuyori Shibata vs. Will Ospreay Singles Match (RPW Heavyweight Championship Match if Shibata is still champion at this point) CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) vs. GBH (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) vs. Killer Elite Squad (Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) IWGP Tag Team Championship 3-Way Match Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs. Dragon Lee IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Michael Elgin IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match Shibata V Osprey should be goddamn glorious. Their brief interaction at New Years Dash was great Hopefully this makes it all easier to talk and watch this shit |
01-11-2017, 02:19 PM | #2 |
I am the cheese
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They need to get a PSN or Amazon Fire app. I'd get on bored today if they did.
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01-11-2017, 02:34 PM | #3 |
BAY BAY
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01-11-2017, 03:07 PM | #4 |
Da Gif/Pic Pimp
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Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs. Dragon Lee IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match
This should be damn good as well. |
01-11-2017, 03:23 PM | #5 |
Inno Knows.
Posts: 43,710
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I love that Shibata sees Ospraey doing his stupid pose and wants to PK his face off
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01-11-2017, 03:24 PM | #6 |
Inno Knows.
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IWGP Heavyweight Champion Minoru Suzuki
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01-11-2017, 03:33 PM | #7 |
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Excited to see these shows. Need to catch up on New Year's Dash.
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01-11-2017, 03:55 PM | #8 |
It's a blood match!
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Anyone have a gut feeling on G1 this year?
I think Omega could take it again. |
01-11-2017, 04:18 PM | #9 |
Inno Knows.
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01-11-2017, 04:59 PM | #10 |
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I think it'll be Omega, who finally wins the belt next year at WK.
I'd like to Shibata get a bigger push. |
01-11-2017, 05:42 PM | #11 |
BAY BAY
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I don't think Omega is going to win it twice, although it would make a good story. I could see it being Okada after losing the title to go on to face Omega though.
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01-11-2017, 07:13 PM | #12 |
It's a blood match!
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For sure a possibility. Okada could drop to Suzuki who could drop to Omega sometime in the fall.
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01-12-2017, 12:53 AM | #13 |
Da Gif/Pic Pimp
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01-12-2017, 01:19 AM | #14 |
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I think the main event of Wrestle Kingdom next year is going to be Okada vs. Naito. I don't know whether you have Okada drop the belt to Suzuki and then win it back himself or if Naito wins it from Suzuki somehow. Does Japan do heel vs. heel matches? I'd be fine with Suzuki dropping it to a babyface and then Naito winning it from them. But yeah, my guess is either Naito or Okada for the G1.
Then again, maybe that is just the finals of it? I just think there is money in the idea of the two men that have beaten Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom these past two years fighting each other. |
01-12-2017, 09:35 AM | #15 |
Inno Knows.
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Naito is already a tweener, I can see him taking it off of Suzuki to become a full fledged face
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01-12-2017, 06:38 PM | #16 |
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I could dig Naito v Okada.
I really do think Omega is getting the strap in the next year if he signs. And I think he will headline WK next year, whether he's defending or chasing the belt. |
01-12-2017, 06:38 PM | #17 |
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Sweet theme for Hiromu btw
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01-12-2017, 08:50 PM | #18 |
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Call me crazy, but I see them "making" Omega without putting the belt on him. He's already the first gaijin to win the G1 and he has had that match which has turned heads. I don't know what the exact plans for the expansion are, but Omega is likely to be a huge part of that. I'm not sure if they will create a new title or have him do it as the Intercontinental Champion or something, but I don't necessarily see him being "A1."
They can keep his title win in the back pocket for Wrestle Kingdom in two years time or even further down the track. |
01-13-2017, 12:53 AM | #19 |
Da Gif/Pic Pimp
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01-13-2017, 01:00 AM | #20 |
Former TPWW Royalty
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Rumor going around the net hint Omega might have signed or is in the process of signing a new 2 year deal with NJPW.
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01-13-2017, 01:14 AM | #21 |
Da Gif/Pic Pimp
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After everything Omega has done in his career so far, I just want him to succeed to the highest level possible.
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01-13-2017, 02:00 AM | #22 |
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That promo from Suzukigun is better than most of the WWE ones you see. It wouldn't surprise me to see Archer & Smith back in a WWE ring one day.
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01-13-2017, 02:24 AM | #23 |
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The lead guy came off great. A quiet intensity about him.
The two American guys were meh. Came off fake as fuck. Wish they'd just do an mma style promo like the other guys seem to do. Btw I'm digging heel Taka |
01-13-2017, 02:46 AM | #24 |
Da Gif/Pic Pimp
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The two americans.....one is British Bulldog's son and British-Canadian broski.
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01-13-2017, 03:25 AM | #25 |
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Oh excuse me. The two foreigners. Now I feel dumb lol.
Boy junior bulldog was unrecognizable. |
01-13-2017, 01:48 PM | #26 | |
It's a blood match!
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Quote:
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01-14-2017, 04:10 AM | #27 | |
BAY BAY
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Quote:
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01-14-2017, 05:03 AM | #28 |
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Can't see how he's not getting the belt at some point. His story as it stands is right there for him to eventually win it.
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01-14-2017, 01:08 PM | #29 |
It's a blood match!
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Yeah if I'm Omega, and NJPW doesn't want me in the main event this year, then I'd go to WWE. Fuck that shit.
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01-14-2017, 01:20 PM | #30 |
Let me talk to ya
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Yeah, the way Okada put him over after the match as well saying he's the strongest foreign wrestler in the history of NJPW that he wouldn't be in the title picture. Also he just had to hit the One Winged Angel on Okada to win the title. They teased it to much in the match and he never hit it.
I think the best thing they could do is have Kenny and a couple BC guys go on excursion to maybe PWG or ROH or some where on the west coast this summer to keep Kenny away from Okada and the title picture. With the opening rounds of the G1 in California Kenny can make it his goal to win the G1 again and is going to leave Japan until he feels good enough to be IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Kenny does win it again and Okada if feel might drop the title some time this year but gets it back to set up Okada/Omega 2 and I don't know if they top this year's match but by God Kenney hit the One Winged Angle, maybe 4. |
01-14-2017, 07:02 PM | #31 |
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There's more than just being in the main event. There is long-term business to think about and a way to create more stars by off-shooting from Omega. For example, it makes perfect sense for him to be in the G1 again. It also makes sense for him to lose in the finals, putting over another guy (my money is on Naito still) and then having to face the reality he won't be challenging for the IWGP Heavyweight Title. What's the next best thing? Personal pride? The IC Title? There are other ways to spread Omega out and essentially get two special attractions and create quite a few stars around him.
I'd honestly have him penciled in to win the G1 Climax in 2018. Make it a story of redemption for Omega. He wins the G1 after failing a year before hand and then possibly heads into war against either Naito or Okada for redemption in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 13. If you did this, you'd probably have the IWGP Heavyweight Title move from Okada to Suzuki and then back to Okada. Naito probably fails at Wrestle Kingdom 12. He and Omega fight in the G1, Omega wins and then heads against Okada, where he finally wins the IWGP Heavyweight Title after over two years of chasing, provided that he signs another two year deal with New Japan. Honestly, if I'm New Japan, I'd probably try to lock him down for 5, but I'm not sure they do business that way. |
01-14-2017, 07:33 PM | #32 |
Let me talk to ya
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It's a good idea but I feel like waiting two years to give Omega his redemption is a little long. Kenny shouldn't be interested in anything other than the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and two years of him floating around the upper mid card would be regression. I like that he has decided to take time off after that match and his reasons. Thats why I think he needs to come back to North America and have matches with guys that can prepare him for becoming champion. Guys like Alberto El Patron in ROH, RVD in Noids favorite New promotion PCW, Kurt Angle assuming he doesn't go to WWE somewhere, Pentagon Jr in PWG all the while promoting himself for the G1 later this year in California.
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01-14-2017, 08:53 PM | #33 |
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I like Omega working all over, but I do think you can stretch this out. Omega vs. Tanahashi, Omega vs. Suzuki or Omega vs. Shibata in the #2 match at Wrestle Kingdom 12 works fine.
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01-14-2017, 09:07 PM | #34 |
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Okada is their A1 guy. Like with Tanahashi and Nakamura a few years ago, with there being no real space for Nakamura in the immediate IWGP Heavyweight Title scene, I'd be fine with the IWGP IC Title being the "A2" belt for Omega to hold and make his own. New Japan has treated the belt like it has importance. It doesn't need to be a secondary title.
They could even do the "vote on your main event" thing with it and it could even headline. |
01-14-2017, 09:16 PM | #35 |
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When you look at the championships in New Japan right now, I think the IWGP Heavyweight Championship should be based around Okada. He can probably drop it off to Minoru Suzuki to give him that run, but it should probably move back to Okada by the time of the next Wrestle Kingdom.
The IC Title can be the Kenny Omega scene. If they decide to move up Naito, then maybe Togi Makabe can complete his singles Triple Crown with an IC Title win in order to get the belt onto Omega and keep Naito/Omega free as a big match? The NEVER Openweight Title scene looks like it is the playground for Hirooki Goto for the foreseeable future. |
01-14-2017, 09:34 PM | #36 |
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On the topic of belts in New Japan, I do think that they could probably unify the IWGP Tag Team Championship and Junior Heavyweight Tag Titles. You can still do junior tags, but there isn't much drama left in holding either set of belts. Putting some junior teams against some of those heavyweight teams could really help out the overall health of New Japan's tag scene.
While I'm not a big fan of the Six-Man Titles, I was always intrigued by the idea of the U-30 Championship. They retired the belt fairly quickly, but when you look at the former champions -- Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura -- well, they didn't exactly flop in Japan. I'm not saying the U-30 Title is responsible for that, but maybe there is a place for it in New Japan? I dunno, it might seem unnecessary, but I've always been a mark for the idea of that belt. According to Wikipedia, here are the talent in New Japan that are under the age of 30: * Adam Cole * Hangman Page * Henare * Juice Robinson * Seiya Sanada (my pick for revived champion) * Chase Owens * David Finlay? (not sure of his age, but I'd guess he is under 30) * Hiromu Takahashi (current Junior Heavyweight Champion) * Jay White * Nick Jackson * Ricochet * Sho Tanaka * Will Ospreay * Yohei Kamatsu Even if the belt was mainly to earmark Sanada and Takahashi and maybe give Ricochet and Ospreay to fight over when they're not in the Junior Heavyweight scene, it would at least serve a purpose. |
01-16-2017, 05:06 PM | #37 |
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ROH is doing another War of the Worlds tour with NJPW in May with shows in Toronto Dearborn MI (?) and Philly at the old ECW arena. I went to the Philly show 2 years ago it was pretty awesome at the time seeing Nakamura Okada and AJ Styles wrestle..I might go back again. There was also an NXT Show a couple nights later..it was pretty fun.
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01-17-2017, 11:07 AM | #38 | |
It's a blood match!
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Quote:
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01-17-2017, 09:53 PM | #39 |
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Keep in mind when they did this the last time it sold so well that they expanded it to 2 nights AND WWE got involved and did 2 nights if NXT shows (which at the time NXT had just started touring so it was a big deal.
Gen public tix sales are Friday at 10 am |
01-16-2017, 06:35 PM | #40 |
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I might try to go to the G1 show in Long Beach this year.
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