01-09-2018, 08:38 PM | #761 |
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I don't follow it much at all, so I'm probably the wrong person to ask. I know people who go to NXT and WWE shows, but there's barely any buzz about anything, and nothing about Australian indies has come up. Australia's got quite a low-density population. Even cities like Sydney and Melbourne aren't as packed as you might expect. Sydney has got twice the population of Manchester over about ten times the size, and we're not exactly the cultural hub of the world when it comes to live music, entertainment or the sorts. Most Australian performers want to get out of this place, haha.
I think they could get 1,000, honestly. When NXT came over here, Melbourne actually outdrew Sydney and got 5,000 to its 4,000. Perth drew 2,000. Gold Coast and Newcastle drew about 1,200 each (Newcastle is closer to Sydney and the Gold Coast is up near Brisbane). I'm not sure how much you want to attribute that to the WWE name, Network exposure, etc. Stars on the shows included Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, Gargano & Ciampa, The Revival and Asuka. This was our first taste of NXT. New Japan might have a similar novel effect, but would you consider NXT more well-known than New Japan? |
01-09-2018, 08:49 PM | #762 |
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When the AWF, whoever they are, do shows at Supanova, which is our largest comic convention (not sure if it goes international or not), then they average about 500 people. So that's like gathering nerds into one place. Not sure how many people went to the House of Hardcore show. I don't think it's that fertile to be honest, especially if you keep running.
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01-10-2018, 08:55 AM | #763 |
It's a blood match!
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I wish they'd have booked Kenny I think that people would show up for him, but The Buck's are a solid get for the tour. Jericho though could've made the tour a big success.
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01-10-2018, 05:36 PM | #764 |
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Jericho, probably. Honestly, at what point does Kenny Omega start being a big thing when New Japan and the top guys touring isn't? Do you know what I mean? Is Darren from Bendigo going to be sitting around thinking "You know what? I love me some of that real Japanese wrestling from Japan over there, and I love me that Kazoowooka Okada. But you know what? I ain't going into town to see anyone other than me Kenny Omega."
I think the fans that are aware of New Japan are probably going to go when they see Okada, Tanahashi, Suzuki and probably even The Young Bucks (geeks). Leaving Omega and Naito off probably saves them quite a bit of money. |
01-10-2018, 07:52 PM | #765 |
Taller than Adam Cole
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I had this comparison, maybe Noid can counter this argument:
If I were to show people who know little of Japanese wrestling the Wrestle Kingdom Entrances of Naito and Omega, who would they think is cooler? My money is on Naito. |
01-11-2018, 09:58 AM | #766 |
It's a blood match!
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Dave gave Jericho/Omega ***** and Okada/Naito **** 1/2
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01-11-2018, 09:59 AM | #767 | |
It's a blood match!
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Quote:
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01-11-2018, 10:03 AM | #768 |
It's a blood match!
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For me I'd have said....
Okada/Naito - 3 1/2 Stars Omega/Jericho - 5 Stars Tanahashi/White - 3 Stars Juniorheavyweight - 3 1/2 Stars Suzuki/Goto - 4 Stars IWGP Tag Team - 3 Stars Ibushi/Cody - 4 Stars Gauntlet - 3 Stars Bucks/Vice - 3 Stars Rumble - 1 Star |
01-11-2018, 04:47 PM | #769 |
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Whoa! 5 stars? That's awesome.
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01-12-2018, 04:02 PM | #770 |
Best Poster
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01-13-2018, 06:27 AM | #771 |
Hey Mister!
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I'm thinking Jericho beats Naito, and goes on to face Okada for the title at Dominion.
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01-13-2018, 02:48 PM | #772 |
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Naito is infinitely cooler than Omega. Omega is pretty lame, to be honest. Very talented, but such a fucking geek.
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01-13-2018, 02:49 PM | #773 |
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What is it with everyone whoring around five stars?
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01-13-2018, 04:05 PM | #774 |
It's a blood match!
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What specifically are you talking about?
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01-13-2018, 04:13 PM | #775 |
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Jericho/Omega. It was great, but it's not a perfect match.
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01-13-2018, 04:49 PM | #776 |
It's a blood match!
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If your rating scale is similar to that of a diving or figure skating competition then I would say you are right. There are flaws in the match, things that didn't go well, that are sloppy or not smooth. But if your scale is like Rotten Tomatoes or IMDB then I think those technical aspect are mute and the whole picture - lights, camera and sound are what make up a match.
I think Pro Wrestling matches are too subjective to be judged like a diving competition, but rating them the same way we rate movies to me makes the most sense. Citizen Kane is hailed as one of the great movies of all time but most people who love film, have the average millennial watch it and they will be asleep or swiping on their phone in minutes. For me, the whole tornado that swept up NJPW with Alpha/Omega turned out to be five stars because the match was non-stop fun, really hard hitting, and very gritty. The lack of perfection made it perfect. It reminds me of Cena/Punk at MITB, a modern classic. I'm not trying to sway your opinion though, I'm glad you enjoyed it too. |
01-13-2018, 05:19 PM | #777 |
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I hear what you're saying, but the movie analogy is exactly why I wouldn't call it five stars, haha. Citizen Kane is a classic movie, and it has all this cultural cache too. To then say that Omega/Jericho has equal cache is just...weird to me. I think the highest anyone rating matches should go is four, and I feel that should be kept more prestigious. Omega/Jericho was like ***1/2 to me. But yeah, it's all subjective, but that's why I hate star ratings. Not so much you, but so many people are like "that was a pretty good match -- ****1/2". Ugh.
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01-13-2018, 07:29 PM | #778 |
Taller than Adam Cole
Posts: 10,873
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Star ratings to me are worthless.
Then again, for me the Hierarchy goes like this, from most important to least: 1. Promotion 2. Character 3. Angle 4. Match |
01-13-2018, 07:32 PM | #779 | |
Taller than Adam Cole
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Quote:
Naito is the guy who commands attention just by walking into the room. |
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01-13-2018, 07:45 PM | #780 |
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I think matches are effective within the parameters of the story they are trying to tell. Kassius Ohno vs. Lars Sullivan from the most recent Takeover was so much more effective at ticking the boxes it needed to than a lot of the wank that gets a lot of internet fans drooling.
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01-14-2018, 01:48 AM | #781 |
Taller than Adam Cole
Posts: 10,873
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I'm actually in the camp that some matches NEED to be "bad."
A jobber squash doesn't need to be a 5* affair, because that isn't the point. It's to make the star look like a star. A gimmick match doesn't always have to be good. Martel vs. Jake "The Snake's" Blindfold match was atrocious, but it worked as a payoff for a feud revolving around blindness. |
01-14-2018, 02:03 AM | #782 |
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If every match is "good," pretty soon nothing is.
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01-14-2018, 07:57 AM | #783 |
It's a blood match!
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That's true, and why the booking at WK12 was so perfect. Everything got better and better until Jericho/Omega. And then Naito/Okada was supposed to be a cleaner classic, and it worked for most people. I didn't love it til the final 10 minutes though.
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01-14-2018, 10:16 AM | #784 | |
Do Unto Others...
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Quote:
https://squaredcirclegazette.podbean...Kingdom_12.mp3 |
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01-14-2018, 04:34 PM | #785 | |
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Quote:
That we can have this discussion about three very distinct matches is a very good thing. |
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