# Sticky  Japanese Wrestling Discussion Thread



## NastyYaffa

Let's start this off with some SHINYA~!


































What a boss :mark:


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## ReekOfAwesomenesss

NastyYaffa said:


> What a boss :mark:


The Boss of bosses! THE MAN.


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## Flik

The NEW ACE OF JAPAN in her second successful title defense! :harper


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## T0M

Does NJPW have a women's division? I haven't seen any advertised for the upcoming shows at all.


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## just1988

*Ideal place for me to share this 






Highlights from my trip to Tokyo, including

*Going to NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling @ Sumo Hall
*Visiting the Tokyo Dome
*Puro merch stalls
*What kind of puro related stuff is stocked in local shops
*Visiting Korakuen Hall (including all the cool wrestling related graffiti)
*Plus much more *


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## Master Bate

Making sure Toru Yano is on the first page of this thread.

Because why not.


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## Rave Bunny

A new "Puroresu" thread? :ajhi Here are some New Japan matches from 2016 that I really enjoyed: :cozy opcorn


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## Zatiel

T0M said:


> Does NJPW have a women's division? I haven't seen any advertised for the upcoming shows at all.


They don't, and they haven't since I started watching regularly in 2011. It's unlikely to change given that their cards are already overpacked with tags fitting all their guys onto shows.

But if you're interested in some Joshi, STARDOM is freakin' rad.


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## HOJO

I'd rather state right now Joshi ranking in quality in order: Ice Ribbon(very good, closest in consistency, fun, good pairings) > SEAdLINNNG(good, lacks at times, but there's enough names to help where it lacks apart from the last show) > Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling(good fun, good wrestling, and bonus points for getting great matches into a tiny room with only some matting and a wall, would pay money for them to make tape more often) > OZ Academy(some quality here and there but can get really really boring) > Tokyo Joshi Pro(good fun, fun characters that make up for the wrestling but wrestling does lack a bit, still) > Stardom(Potential to be the top but basically does everything to stump that to infuriating levels, even today. Some good wrestling but rookies lack real drive and speed and the gaijin matches are horrible. not good) > Sendai(Meiko herself is rather consistent and one of the most consistent in the circuit but her promotion is the complete opposite. not good)

No WAVE in here because I don't have WAVE Network or WAVE Network rips


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## V-Trigger

T0M said:


> Does NJPW have a women's division? I haven't seen any advertised for the upcoming shows at all.


STARDOM is the shit. Check some matches.


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## Desecrated

Checked out a few more matches tagged as classic+;

Suzuki/Tanahashi KoPW 2012 - ****3/4 This is like a perfect match. But something intangible just stops me from putting it as one. Suzuki's mannerisms were incredible and their figure-four leglock section definitely stands out more than any submission stretch I've seen in quite a while. Fantastic.

Nakamura/Sakuraba WK7 - ****1/2

Okada/Tanahashi WK7 - ****1/4 

If anyone recommends a match that they love this period, I'd love to check it out. Looking for any input really as I don't want to go off "just" what the Lariato excel spreadsheet recommends.


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## TJQ

T0M said:


> Does NJPW have a women's division? I haven't seen any advertised for the upcoming shows at all.


Look into some STARDOM, brother.


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## Flik

HOJO said:


> I'd rather state right now Joshi ranking in quality in order: Ice Ribbon(very good, closest in consistency, fun, good pairings) > SEAdLINNNG(good, lacks at times, but there's enough names to help where it lacks apart from the last show) > Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling(good fun, good wrestling, and bonus points for getting great matches into a tiny room with only some matting and a wall, would pay money for them to make tape more often) > OZ Academy(some quality here and there but can get really really boring) > Tokyo Joshi Pro(good fun, fun characters that make up for the wrestling but wrestling does lack a bit, still) > Stardom(Potential to be the top but basically does everything to stump that to infuriating levels, even today. Some good wrestling but rookies lack real drive and speed and the gaijin matches are horrible. not good) > Sendai(Meiko herself is rather consistent and one of the most consistent in the circuit but her promotion is the complete opposite. not good)
> 
> No WAVE in here because I don't have WAVE Network or WAVE Network rips


Ice Ribbon is my favorite promotion, so I'm happy to see a post like this :clap

SEAdLINNNG doesn't do anything for me since I don't like nanae and her crew, but she has Arisa Nakajima and Sareee, so not everything is lost.

Gatoh Move always gives the impression of being an AU Ice Ribbon: Similliar yet different. Wish I had the will to watch it (and everything else, really)

OZ always made me roll my eyes with Ozaki-gun stuff, but the things I saw without their involvement has been fairly good. It also has my favorite set of Champions today.

Stardom also never did anything to me, so it's kinda annoying (though understandable) that it's the only thing people talk about. What I saw wasn't bad but hardly above and beyond everything else. They also probably have more belts than people on the roster.

Speaking of too many belts, Sendai Girls has 3 belts for 5 home wrestlers - two veterans, two rookies and a super rookie. That's 2 belts more than they need. And having outsiders holding the tag belts only leads to millions and millions of Shida/Syuri vs Chisako+someone else (because they NEED a home talent in a title match).

I can't comment on Tokyo Joshi Pro since all I know about it is how bad Saki Akai was years ago lol


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## -Sambo Italiano-

BrotherNero said:


> STARDOM is the shit. Check some matches.





TJQ said:


> Look into some STARDOM, brother.


I have to concur. I just got into it after seeing a clip of the Mayu Iwatani vs Io Shirai match and I've absolutely loved it. 

I don't know why they have matches with kids though.


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## CGS

Just gonna bless this thread with some NAITO quickly 










Carry on


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## MarkyWhipwreck

Hoping to see more Cole in Japan in 2017


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## darkclaudio

MarkyWhipwreck said:


> Hoping to see more Cole in Japan in 2017


No Please.


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## MarkyWhipwreck

darkclaudio said:


> No Please.


Yes, please.


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## TJQ

MarkyWhipwreck said:


> Hoping to see more Cole in Japan in 2017


That makes one of you :xavier


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## MarkyWhipwreck

TJQ said:


> That makes one of you :xavier


And you know i'm d*mn proud of it :brock4


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## Zatiel

Adam Cole does nothing for me in NJPW. Kind of a funny act in PWG with below average main events, but good stuff in tags. In NJPW, though, he had Kyle O'Reilly's least interesting match. He wrestles like he's nothing more than superkicks and a catch phrase. I don't watch ROH regularly, but never found him compelling in a way where I'd rather import him than Matt Riddle, Jeff Cobb, Elgin, Bryan Cage, the Bucks, Dalton Castle, Fenix, Pentagon Jr., or a bunch of other guys.


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## TJQ

Zatiel said:


> *Matt Riddle*.


Matt Riddle in G1 :homer



HOJO said:


> I'd rather state right now Joshi ranking in quality in order: Ice Ribbon(very good, closest in consistency, fun, good pairings)





Flik said:


> Ice Ribbon is my favorite promotion, so I'm happy to see a post like this :clap
> l


Got any big match/show recommendations from this year? I've seen the promotion mentioned a few times in the last few months since I've st arted getting more into Joshi stuff but I've never seen anything heavily recommended from there. Primarily been Stardom/Sendai Girls/Oz that I've been recommended, but I'm always looking to expand :cozy.


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## Mordecay

Some from one of the most underrated guys in wrestling today, a Stone Pitbull killing people


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## maxninepower

Free match monday! Juice is dead


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## TeflonDixie

Mordecay said:


> Some from one of the most underrated guys in wrestling today, a Stone Pitbull killing people


His NJ cup match with Omega was pretty special. He gives me big Taz vibes, which can only be a good thing

I'm with a few that Cole doesn't really fit NJPW, besides being another body in tag matches. He's a great talent, just his style looks so odd in the promotion.

So who would be your guys to watch/you want pushed in 2017, excluding the obvious. 

My Top Three:

Evil - Has a very marketable character and moves unbelievably well for a big guy. Tanahashi has done a great job making him a star. There's nobody on the roster like him, and with his age there's so much upside to him. If they move Naito up the card, Evil would be a good guy to take over. 

-------
Sanada - Has it all. A one of a kind athlete, who can move like a Jr but has the size to pull off some pretty fantastic power moves. He's suffered due to politics, but if they ever pull the trigger I think Sanada could be pretty big as a babyface. I think he has a lot of understated charisma, which gets masked with the restrictive character he plays.

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Tiger Mask W - Ibushi

What the hell, he's far too good to be in these low-card tag matches. He needs to be right at the top of the card. Its crazy he not had a run with the top belt yet. Probably Top 5 best worker in the company. Omega, Tanahashi, Naito, Okada and Ibushi. New Japan have some crazy talent even with the loss of Styles, Nakamura and possibly Shibata.


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## Pizzamorg

I'm so confused. 

We asked for a NJPW section. They said no, unstickied the Puro threads, made new identical threads with slightly different names, went back and locked the puro threads and then pinned these? 

What? 

Why?


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## Mordecay

TeflonDixie said:


> Tiger Mask W - Ibushi
> 
> What the hell, he's far too good to be in these low-card tag matches. He needs to be right at the top of the card. Its crazy he not had a run with the top belt yet. Probably Top 5 best worker in the company. Omega, Tanahashi, Naito, Okada and Ibushi. New Japan have some crazy talent even with the loss of Styles, Nakamura and possibly Shibata.


They won't push Ibushi until he signs a full time deal and he doesn't want one, with any company


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## Desecrated

TeflonDixie said:


> His NJ cup match with Omega was pretty special. He gives me big Taz vibes, which can only be a good thing
> 
> I'm with a few that Cole doesn't really fit NJPW, besides being another body in tag matches. He's a great talent, just his style looks so odd in the promotion.
> 
> So who would be your guys to watch/you want pushed in 2017, excluding the obvious.
> 
> My Top Three:
> 
> Evil - Has a very marketable character and moves unbelievably well for a big guy. Tanahashi has done a great job making him a star. There's nobody on the roster like him, and with his age there's so much upside to him. If they move Naito up the card, Evil would be a good guy to take over.
> 
> -------
> Sanada - Has it all. A one of a kind athlete, who can move like a Jr but has the size to pull off some pretty fantastic power moves. He's suffered due to politics, but if they ever pull the trigger I think Sanada could be pretty big as a babyface. I think he has a lot of understated charisma, which gets masked with the restrictive character he plays.
> 
> ----------
> Tiger Mask W - Ibushi
> 
> What the hell, he's far too good to be in these low-card tag matches. He needs to be right at the top of the card. Its crazy he not had a run with the top belt yet. Probably Top 5 best worker in the company. Omega, Tanahashi, Naito, Okada and Ibushi. New Japan have some crazy talent even with the loss of Styles, Nakamura and possibly Shibata.


Can Sanada and Evil aspire to much though under Naito? They had good showings at the New Japan Cup but I'd imagine they are fairly limited in challenging for the title unless they go after the Intercontinental IF Juice wins over Naito. I'm not too well versed in the Never Openweight so maybe they could go for that?


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## RKing85

my head hurts after reading the rules of the DG Dead or Alive cage match.


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## CGS

Pizzamorg said:


> I'm so confused.
> 
> We asked for a NJPW section. They said no, unstickied the Puro threads, made new identical threads with slightly different names, went back and locked the puro threads and then pinned these?
> 
> What?
> 
> Why?


Happens a lot when threads get to big. It's the exact same thread, just a fresh one. 

Sanada is one guy that really stood out to me during the NJ cup. It was the first time i got to see just how athletic the guy actually was and must say he impressed me. Those constant tag matches really do limit the guy in what they can do. Which is partly good I guess as it makes them look 10x better once they do get the chance to show what they can do. 

Once LIJ disbands or at least once him, Bushi and Evil begin to do their own things I can see him becoming a legit star.


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## Desecrated

CGS said:


> Happens a lot when threads get to big. It's the exact same thread, just a fresh one.
> 
> Sanada is one guy that really stood out to me during the NJ cup. It was the first time i got to see just how athletic the guy actually was and must say he impressed me. Those constant tag matches really do limit the guy in what they can do. Which is partly good I guess as it makes them look 10x better once they do get the chance to show what they can do.
> 
> Once LIJ disbands or at least once him, Bushi and Evil begin to do their own things I can see him becoming a legit star.


Both avenues for Sanada are held by his own team. He isn't better than either Hiromu or Naito. Plus I'd imagine they don't want to book a stable to hold more than 2 titles. Best case scenario is he goes against Juice or Richochet if either of them take the win in a few weeks.

Insanity how talented that faction is.


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## HOJO

Flik said:


> Gatoh Move always gives the impression of being an AU Ice Ribbon: Similliar yet different. Wish I had the will to watch it (and everything else, really)


It's a given since Emi Sakura founded both promotions, but Ice Ribbon looked a good amount like what Gatoh Move does now apart from a few things, including the wrestling in small room idea. Then she left the promotion, created Gatoh Move, and IR(or Neoplus who owns them) starts doing a lot more with it. It's late night and I feel I'm missing some pieces of information but that's the simple way to put it. Kyuri, Kurumi, Tsukushi, Riho, Kotori, Tsukasa, Hikaru Shida, and Miyako and more were trained by Sakura in that time in Ice Ribbon. Of course, Riho and Kotori and Sayaka Obihiro(I think was trained in Ice Ribbon) went with Sakura in Gatoh Move, and workers turned freelance that were in Sakura era IR like Shida, Makoto and Aoi Kizuki work there as well.



> OZ always made me roll my eyes with Ozaki-gun stuff, but the things I saw without their involvement has been fairly good. It also has my favorite set of Champions today.


I hated it forever but there's this weird toleration I have for it most times now. Not completely grown on me, don't think it ever will, but I stomach it down more than I used to.



> Stardom also never did anything to me, so it's kinda annoying (though understandable) that it's the only thing people talk about. What I saw wasn't bad but hardly above and beyond everything else. They also probably have more belts than people on the roster.


The weird trick with Stardom is something I realised earlier this year while watching a Shinkiba show or whatever: At its core, it's not an awful promotion. Like the smaller show can be ok or even kinda solid, but there's a lot of scattered shit laid out that ruins it. The repetition, bland cards, the shitty shitty plate of foreigners they bring in, too many belts, the weird way things are just hot shotted and rushed, and nothing there at all to try and even smoke and mirrors it up besides hoping Io or Kairi can carry the foreigners to something, no real angles or stories or character arcs or characters to make up for it. And while the smaller shows have those issues at least scattered or sometimes absent, the Korakuen Hall shows bring it all together and REALLY fucks with any liking that could be had with the promotion, to the point where they're honestly the worst part of Stardom. The only two half decent Korakuen show I've seen in full that I can think of was the Cinderella Tournament last year and the December show with Io/Mayu. The others just range from this strange imbalance of meh, average, or terrible(good lord that 5 Star GP show). This year is not as bad as last year which was horrendous, but I cant recommend a single full show to anybody and say "oh man, go through this shit here" from recent times except the 2 I've named. 

Its discussion frequency makes sense, though. They had a good amount of it before but the Act/Yoshiko incident sparked it for good. plus, all of their Korakuen shows air on Samurai, do 8-12 of those a year, everyone new starts out on puro with pro shot shows and matches(casual puro fans dont care about smaller shows shot in hardcam only), it gets out a lot more eyes since they're the only ones getting that frequency on TV except OZ, fill the promotion with western workers(this has been a Rossy move for years but it goes rampant in 2016 especially), start a streaming service directly aimed at western fans with English subs. It sucks since the promotion really isn't even a decent one on the grand scale but ehh, but life ain't fair so it's fine to just enjoy how much better your opinions are than their's :cozy
Also, fuck Io's title reign already, i can't help but repeat that



> Speaking of too many belts, Sendai Girls has 3 belts for 5 home wrestlers - two veterans, two rookies and a super rookie. That's 2 belts more than they need. And having outsiders holding the tag belts only leads to millions and millions of Shida/Syuri vs Chisako+someone else (because they NEED a home talent in a title match).


Well, it's 2 championships in the company not 3, but yeah. There was almost a whole 10 month period where the tag titles were vacated and never addressed after DASH's sister retired while they were holding the titles. That was basically the giveaway of how pointless it was to tag belts around. Having a main singles belt is fine, especially with some handicaps involved. 



> I can't comment on Tokyo Joshi Pro since all I know about it is how bad Saki Akai was years ago lol


She's gotten better over the years, you can tell there's more focus into improving in her than there was a few years ago. Her singles match with Yumi Ohka in Yokohama in November was good, and so was her match with Rika Tatsumi in Tokyo Joshi Pro recently.



-***** Italiano- said:


> I have to concur. I just got into it after seeing a clip of the Mayu Iwatani vs Io Shirai match and I've absolutely loved it.
> 
> I don't know why they have matches with kids though.


Girls as young as preteen being involved in joshi is essentially the pull that made it a very popular niche in the first place. AJW, the once sole joshi promotion, that also marketed the promotion to school girls, picked out young Japanese girls to be apart of the promotion and when they reached a certain age(25 iirc), they had to retire, and there was no alternative to go to until the late 80s came along. It was in hindsight a stupid rule for many reasons and things outside of AJW starting making their names which led to the rule being dropped(and the target audience would start shifting), and would sort of curse joshi's future with a lot of young workers retiring early(though they have their various reasons), but that was the time and that was their marketing to their audience. Nowadays it's just whatever. Stardom has always picked up preteens and single digit workers(HARUKA aka "that little girl Kenny Omega wrestling was from there) to train and Ice Ribbon is/was the same way. Girls like Riho and Kurumi would start out at 10 or so and rank up over time as 11 and 7 year pros respectively as of now.


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## Mordecay




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## volde

TeflonDixie said:


> Sanada - Has it all. A one of a kind athlete, who can move like a Jr but has the size to pull off some pretty fantastic power moves. *He's suffered due to politics*, but if they ever pull the trigger I think Sanada could be pretty big as a babyface. I think he has a lot of understated charisma, which gets masked with the restrictive character he plays.


Any details?



Desecrated said:


> Both avenues for Sanada are held by his own team. He isn't better than either Hiromu or Naito. *Plus I'd imagine they don't want to book a stable to hold more than 2 titles*. Best case scenario is he goes against Juice or Richochet if either of them take the win in a few weeks.
> 
> Insanity how talented that faction is.


Well they don't have to win it. I mean, lets be realistic here, both of them are good and still got lots of potential, but NJPW's top of the card is stacked so they ain't winning singles belt and if they do they'll drop it in a month or two. 

Also I don't think that it matters that Sanada is not as good as Hiromu or Naito. Goto and Ishii aren't as good as Okada either, but it doesn't stop them from being legit competitors.


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## V-Trigger

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/853696704658497538


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## Flik

TJQ said:


> Got any big match/show recommendations from this year? I've seen the promotion mentioned a few times in the last few months since I've st arted getting more into Joshi stuff but I've never seen anything heavily recommended from there. Primarily been Stardom/Sendai Girls/Oz that I've been recommended, but I'm always looking to expand :cozy.


Ribbonmania 2016 (the final show of last year) is a good place to start since it features the semis and the finals of the tournament for the vacated ICE×∞ Championship (Ice Ribbon's top title). The 3 tournament matches and the tag team Championship match were great, and the rookies battle royal and the Miyako match were fun.

The Official Youtube Channel has Digest versions of most of their shows (the weekly Dojo events, the various small events and the big ones held on Korakuen Hall). Unfortunately there's nothing in english so it's hard follow their angles (like Kyuuri declaring she's gonna surpass the seniors this year).

Other full shows and matches usually end up scattered all over Youtube after TheRealHero Archives uploads them on their google drive account.


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## seabs

Pizzamorg said:


> I'm so confused.
> 
> We asked for a NJPW section. They said no, unstickied the Puro threads, made new identical threads with slightly different names, went back and locked the puro threads and then pinned these?
> 
> What?
> 
> Why?


*Nothing to do with that. Once threads get over 5000 posts they start causing errors so we start new ones. *


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## Pizzamorg

seabs said:


> *Nothing to do with that. Once threads get over 5000 posts they start causing errors so we start new ones. *


An unlucky coincidence, then?


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## TeflonDixie

Mordecay said:


> They won't push Ibushi until he signs a full time deal and he doesn't want one, with any company


Ibushi is one crazy cat. Legit turned down the top Two companies in the world, only to return to one as a tiger.
:usangle

Guess that's one reason he's so great, even though he's so wasted in his current spot. 



Desecrated said:


> Can Sanada and Evil aspire to much though under Naito? They had good showings at the New Japan Cup but I'd imagine they are fairly limited in challenging for the title unless they go after the Intercontinental IF Juice wins over Naito. I'm not too well versed in the Never Openweight so maybe they could go for that?


After Evil has comprehensively gone over Tanahashi, Open would probably be a step down. Sanada going for the openweight kind of makes sense. They clearly see some value in him, as they're protecting his finisher.

I agree though its such a crazy talented group, it will be interesting to see who Naito gives the rub too when they eventually split. Right now they're making so much money that I agree, they're limited till New Japan decide to go full-throttle on a Naito push.

Hopefully he's next in line after Omega. 

I'm not on the Juice train, but I wouldn't be against Naito dropping it, with the seeds being sown for another heavy run. Juice is not the wrestler I like, but he's shown a lot of passion and the crowd love the shit out of him.

Check out his on the road videos on NJ world. Really dope interviews that makes him appealing as hell as a babyface. If they have Juice take it, it needs to be booked very carefully. Naito was selling his shoulder/collarbone I think, so maybe that injury plays into costing him the match.




volde said:


> Any details?
> 
> 
> 
> Well they don't have to win it. I mean, lets be realistic here, both of them are good and still got lots of potential, but NJPW's top of the card is stacked so they ain't winning singles belt and if they do they'll drop it in a month or two.
> 
> Also I don't think that it matters that Sanada is not as good as Hiromu or Naito. Goto and Ishii aren't as good as Okada either, but it doesn't stop them from being legit competitors.


Goes back to his Mutoh/Wrestle 1 association. He failed the NJPW dojo tryout and eventually joined another. In short, he's not a New Japan guy and as you've seen with the demolishing of Suzuki's aura, there's always a stigma to it. Notice how Sanada rarely gets much time in for his stuff during his matches, and the vets seem to fuck with him during his matches. I think its classic see if he can take it before we push him type thing going on with him. 

He's still young so no doubt he can get there eventually.

Still LIJ

You've got four guys in there that have major potential to carry the top part of the card. All money with unique looks, good charisma and can seriously work. The roster is so stacked its crazy.


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## Concrete

*Looks back longingly*

I remember when the puro discussions were split because people couldn't stop complaining about spoilers. We are in a post spoiler world. Bless us all. 

Also, what's the happenings of non-NJPW Japanese wrestling? You know, the GOOD stuff. Need to download all the AJPW & W1 as I have a soft spot for hard hitting graps.


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## SWITCHBLADE

Concrete said:


> You know, the GOOD stuff.


If it was actually good, people actually be talking about it then.


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## V-Trigger

:banderas


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## Vårmakos

Why is this not called _Official Puroresu Discussion Thread_?


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## Desecrated

Okada vs Suzuki New Beginning 2013 - ***3/4
Tanahashi vs Anderson New Beginning 2013 - ****1/4

Starting to love Suzuki's mannerisms and psychology. Near flawless application in his matches.


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## volde

Vårmakos said:


> Why is this not called _Official Puroresu Discussion Thread_?


Regular Joe who wanders in might not understand what Puroresu is while "Japanese Wrestling" is easier to get.


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## -Sambo Italiano-

TeflonDixie said:


> Ibushi is one crazy cat. Legit turned down the top Two companies in the world, only to return to one as a tiger.
> :usangle
> 
> Guess that's one reason he's so great, even though he's so wasted in his current spot.
> .


It's pretty awesome to see someone live on their own terms in wrestling these days. I've got a crazy amount of respect for him. 

I mean he looks like he just walked out of Japans biggest boy band he could be a mega star anywhere. I'd have definitely sold out by now.


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## Flik

HOJO said:


> *big quote*


So it is a "What if Emi Sakura never left Ice Ribbon" AU after all :cesaro
You're correct on Sakura's trainees except for Kyuuri who debuted in 2013 (Emi left in 2012, although I heard that she already didn't have much input since early 2011) and Kotori who, while trained by Sakura, made her debut in Gatoh Move.
Now that I think about, I think it's the first time I have seen the names Ice Ribbon and Neoplus in the same line. It's a good thing when the promoter (when it's not a wrestler at least) is never mentioned when people talk about a promotion, only the talent. You see people talking mentioning rossy ogawa but never Hajime Sato.

Now that you mentioned stardom lack of character arcs, I remember one from 2015 that got stuck in my head: kairi hojo losing the title to Satomura and promissing to get it back ( and I'm sure I heard a few ZETTAI from her). She wins the 5 Star GP to earn a title shot on the year end show, and then... io shirai beats Meiko Satomura on said show and hojo uses her title shot AFTER the event, losing to shirai and never getting her title back or beating Satomura 1 on 1. Unless I'm not seeing the real story, it always looked like a strange way to conclude an arc. It gets even weirder when 6 months later, Ice Ribbon starts a simillar angle with Risa Sera (loses title to Tsukasa Fujimoto, gets her momentum back on the Birthday Deathmatch show and wins back the title from Fujimoto on the year end show). As a result, Sera is in the middle of a much stronger title run than the first, while hojo is one step into wwe.

On Sendai Girls, by 3 belts I meant literally, they'd need 3 people to hold them all lol

Good to read that about Akai, I always wondered if the shit she got at the time was because she was bad, like really BAD, or just green with too much spotlight thanks to her looks.




Rainmaka! said:


> If it was actually good, people actually be talking about it then.


No offense but it sounds a lot like a smartass wwe fanboy downplaying anything non-wwe (NJPW included). I like New Japan but I would hate if it's the only puro thing people talked about.


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## volde

NJPW is growing faster in the west than other promotions so I think its natural that discussion about it will drown out smaller promotions. At some point, if their shows in the USA take off they'll probably need to create separate forum for NJPW. 

Also, I keep hearing here and there that AJPW is doing great stuff right now, but I don't see much information on what to watch from them and where to find their stuff. Any tips?


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## The Nuke

NJPW is the most accessible thing for Western fans to come out of Japan. It gets high praise and is perceived as being a big deal. Which makes it something newer fans will cling too. They're less likely to get behind AJPW who(until recently) couldn't sell out Korakuen Hall.

You hope over time they'll explore the other promotions like Noah and AJPW. Which they should. That being said NJPW is the starter, and thus gets the most attention.

And a lot of times that's the case for most things, whether it be film, comic books, music, etc. You get into the big successful thing first, and then you start exploring something different as time goes on. You're always looking for something that could be a little bit different or new, while still loving what you liked before.

Everyone should be into NJPW. Especially if you're a fan who's had to deal with WWE's shit for so long. And I think, at this moment, NJPW deserves the high praise it has gotten over the past 2 or 3 years. Their success is also lifting up the promotions around them.


----------



## Vårmakos

Flik said:


> Now that you mentioned stardom lack of character arcs, I remember one from 2015 that got stuck in my head: kairi hojo losing the title to Satomura and promissing to get it back ( and I'm sure I heard a few ZETTAI from her). She wins the 5 Star GP to earn a title shot on the year end show, and then... io shirai beats Meiko Satomura on said show and hojo uses her title shot AFTER the event, losing to shirai and never getting her title back or beating Satomura 1 on 1. Unless I'm not seeing the real story, it always looked like a strange way to conclude an arc. It gets even weirder when 6 months later, Ice Ribbon starts a simillar angle with Risa Sera (loses title to Tsukasa Fujimoto, gets her momentum back on the Birthday Deathmatch show and wins back the title from Fujimoto on the year end show). As a result, Sera is in the middle of a much stronger title run than the first, while hojo is one step into wwe.


This is speculation, but it is believed that Satomura didn't want to do the job to Hojo and that is what derailed the storyline.


----------



## Flik

Vårmakos said:


> This is speculation, but it is believed that Satomura didn't want to do the job to Hojo and that is what derailed the storyline.


Which is either a dick move by Satomura for starting something she wasn't going to finish anyway or/and stardom's foolishness on not making sure Meiko would agree with the ending or thinking a wrestler of her level would job to a "rookie". Or the more positive option "they thought they could build hojo up to a level where a victory over Satomura would be believable but couldn't". Or a mix of everything, we'll never know.

I firmly believe that rossy tried to bite off more than what he could chew, because that sounds like something he would do. The sad thing is that if he had shirai as the one to be defeated in the end instead of the begining he would get pretty much the same result without the risk of getting nope'd.


----------



## Vårmakos

Flik said:


> Which is either a dick move by Satomura for starting something she wasn't going to finish anyway or/and stardom's foolishness on not making sure Meiko would agree with the ending or thinking a wrestler of her level would job to a "rookie". Or the more positive option "they thought they could build hojo up to a level where a victory over Satomura would be believable but couldn't". Or a mix of everything, we'll never know.
> 
> I firmly believe that rossy tried to bite off more than what he could chew, because that sounds like something he would do. The sad thing is that if he had shirai as the one to be defeated in the end instead of the begining he would get pretty much the same result without the risk of getting nope'd.


Rossy probably figured since he gave Satomura the top belt, she'd be willing to drop it to whomever he wanted. It has made for an interesting 'meta' dynamic to the Hojo/Satomura feud where Hojo is on this eternal quest to prove herself.


----------



## TeflonDixie

The Nuke said:


> NJPW is the most accessible thing for Western fans to come out of Japan. It gets high praise and is perceived as being a big deal. Which makes it something newer fans will cling too. They're less likely to get behind AJPW who(until recently) couldn't sell out Korakuen Hall.
> 
> You hope over time they'll explore the other promotions like Noah and AJPW. Which they should. That being said NJPW is the starter, and thus gets the most attention.
> 
> And a lot of times that's the case for most things, whether it be film, comic books, music, etc. You get into the big successful thing first, and then you start exploring something different as time goes on. You're always looking for something that could be a little bit different or new, while still loving what you liked before.
> 
> Everyone should be into NJPW. Especially if you're a fan who's had to deal with WWE's shit for so long. And I think, at this moment, NJPW deserves the high praise it has gotten over the past 2 or 3 years. Their success is also lifting up the promotions around them.


It helps New Japan doesn't have the Vince mindset. They understand that you need competition for different areas of the market. When NOAH and AJPW were struggling, if it was Vince he would try to kill them. While it didn't work out, New Japan were open to sending talent to help the show out.

The Japanese scene does seem to be on the edge of a boom, which can only be a good thing for wrestling as a whole, especially wrestlers that want creative freedom away from the WWE, so instead stay independent and top up their earnings with the Japanese bookings.


----------



## Concrete

I mean, I'm not a big fan of most NJPW guys. The style is a bit of a turn off. So I'm going to get the ball rolling in a much different direction.

*Shinya Aoki vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara (NEW 4/5/17):*****
_I’m not going to even attempt to act like I didn’t know I was going to like it going in. Probably damaging to the critical process to have such an immense feeling of joy entering a contest but here I am getting ready to type words about one of the greatest Japanese wrestlers of all time facing one of the greatest Japanese MMA fighters ever. That’s the dream. The match is more or less a grappling exhibition. A real great one of those though. Fujiwara is the bigger, older, slower vet who relies on experience and zero cares about taking some shortcuts. Throwing shots to ribs on breaks and throwing headbutts when Aoki gets cute. The longer the match goes the more it feels Aoki will grind Fujiwara down for the win but even then Fujiwara has the FUJIWARA ARMBAR in his back pocket to attempt to even things up. The time winding down but not quite at the end made it perfectly timed. Aoki has some awkward moments in this as far as pro wrestling aspects are concerned. In a way I found that charming. He didn’t take moves the way you would expect in some cases, like headbutts, and seemed to try and feed Fujiwara in blatant ways that I’m going to justify as being meta. Like Aoki has watched wrestling and he thinks he can feed his way into a cool counter. Aoki also has spider monkey like limbs so that’s cool to see him bend himself in weird ways. Yeah, so both guys know how to roll around on the mat and make it look good. I will pop for it. That’s what a four star match looks like._​
It is on the RealHero Drive. Go check it.


----------



## The High King

Pizzamorg said:


> I'm so confused.
> 
> We asked for a NJPW section. They said no,



Because Japanese wrestling is undeserving.
Its not like its up there with the hugely successful impact wrestling who have their own section.
Forget that promotions like NJPW have a genuine world title, paying fans, sell out venues and put on the best cards in any promotion, they dont deserve their own section.
Moderators said so, they know what it best, its what they are paid for.


----------



## volde

Concrete said:


> It is on the RealHero Drive. Go check it.


Whats that?


----------



## Concrete

volde said:


> Whats that?


It is the place where you can find all the latest JPN wrestling that has aired. That's excluding NJPW & DDT since those two have services now. But AJPW, NOAH, and BJPW can all be found there. Feel free to google "RealHero Archive" for more. Don't necessarily want to link it in a post.


----------



## HOJO

TeflonDixie said:


> It helps New Japan doesn't have the Vince mindset. They understand that you need competition for different areas of the market. When NOAH and AJPW were struggling, if it was Vince he would try to kill them. While it didn't work out, New Japan were open to sending talent to help the show out.
> 
> The Japanese scene does seem to be on the edge of a boom, which can only be a good thing for wrestling as a whole, especially wrestlers that want creative freedom away from the WWE, so instead stay independent and top up their earnings with the Japanese bookings.


What the fuck?
Theyre not in a position to have a Vince mindset and the circuit not set up for promotions to be super competitive, never has been. New Japan could never kill any other promotion's business just by being around and neither can any other promotion to each other.
There's no "boom" but the male section of the scene except a NOAH or whatever's happening with DG(cant really tell when you never give the real numbers out) at least have some sort of upswing, but it's nothing that can be considered a "boom"




The High King said:


> Because Japanese wrestling is undeserving.
> Its not like its up there with the hugely successful impact wrestling who have their own section.
> Forget that promotions like NJPW have a genuine world title, paying fans, sell out venues and *put on the best cards in any promotion*, they dont deserve their own section.
> Moderators said so, they know what it best, its what they are paid for.


:mj4
TNA doesn't deserve its own section anymore just going off seeing 20 post in a weekly Impact thread i the first hour of the show, but any given buzz on TNA is stronger than regular New Japan buzz outside Wrestle Kingdom here, plus it runs weekly and news is not only more frequent but more accurate(Dave is awful as far as knowing the puro scene). Also shafting the rest of the puro scene is a terrible idea. 
And besides, this is a general. Doesn't mean doing a New Japan thread about a certain topic is off limits. 



volde said:


> Whats that?


https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0B5rK95X3mRiiSDNvTnQ0aUhWODg




Flik said:


> Which is either a dick move by Satomura for starting something she wasn't going to finish anyway or/and stardom's foolishness on not making sure Meiko would agree with the ending or thinking a wrestler of her level would job to a "rookie". Or the more positive option "they thought they could build hojo up to a level where a victory over Satomura would be believable but couldn't". Or a mix of everything, we'll never know.
> 
> I firmly believe that rossy tried to bite off more than what he could chew, because that sounds like something he would do. The sad thing is that if he had shirai as the one to be defeated in the end instead of the begining he would get pretty much the same result without the risk of getting nope'd.


The whole thing with Kairi and Meiko has been gone through a lot but their handling of Kairi afterwards, whether she was meant to win the title but was shafted or never at all, was fucking horrid.


----------



## The High King

Really dude, did you really not get my sarcasm?


----------



## Concrete

*Whispers*
Having NJPW in this thread will draw eyes to other Japanese wrestling that is posted in here. It is a win.


----------



## HOJO

I did get it, that's why I bolded it out from the rest of the post


----------



## T0M

So I was just taking a look at New Japan's upcoming schedule. They have Dontaku on May 3rd but also Toyonokuni on April 29th. This doesn't seem to be a 'road to' show so what is it?


----------



## Desecrated

T0M said:


> So I was just taking a look at New Japan's upcoming schedule. They have Dontaku on May 3rd but also Toyonokuni on April 29th. This doesn't seem to be a 'road to' show so what is it?


Rosters are stacked. I'd bet they are trying to create two big money shows to showcase all talent. One headlined by Naito/Juice and the other headlined by Omega/Ishii and Okada/Fale.


----------



## volde

Long term they probably want to build up to Heavyweight, IC, Never and Jr. Heavyweight titles headlining separate shows depending on their size.


----------



## HOJO

T0M said:


> So I was just taking a look at New Japan's upcoming schedule. They have Dontaku on May 3rd but also Toyonokuni on April 29th. This doesn't seem to be a 'road to' show so what is it?


Its stretching apart cards for extra profit, like WWE having a PPV every 2 weeks. This has been their idea for a couple of years. It's horrendous for anyone wanting a worthwhile card, but whatever.


----------



## TeflonDixie

volde said:


> Long term they probably want to build up to Heavyweight, IC, Never and Jr. Heavyweight titles headlining separate shows depending on their size.


Pretty much. Pretty smart. Gives other guys some shine. Right now the roster is stacked so it makes sense while the talent is there. 

I enjoyed Fale's NJ cup main event, so I'm interested to see what Okada can pull out of him. Fale can be ok when he wants to be. Could be his chance to prove he can go to that next level.


----------



## DaveTommo

What time is the NOAH Global Tag League on tomorrow?


----------



## Dr. Middy

This is great :lol


----------



## Little Miss Ingobernable

I don't know what happened to the other thread or why it took me 5ever to find this thread but glad I did!


----------



## maxninepower




----------



## NastyYaffa

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/855728504477949952:mj2


----------



## Master Bate

NastyYaffa said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/855728504477949952:mj2


I know he's always been a fan favorite, but it's insane and awesome to see the amount of appreciation Shibata is getting right now. 

Good stuff.


----------



## NastyYaffa

^ Here's a picture of that banner


----------



## TJQ

NastyYaffa said:


> ^ Here's a picture of that banner


:vincecry


----------



## T0M

:Cry

Lol at the 'Team Stardust' banner above it. Are they taking the piss out of Cody Rhodes?


----------



## Joshi Judas

Motherfucking NastyYaffa making me cry with almost every post of his on this thread :fuckthis :vincecry :mj2


----------



## ReekOfAwesomenesss

T0M said:


> Lol at the 'Team Stardust' banner above it. Are they taking the piss out of Cody Rhodes?


Nah thats for Stardust Genius.


----------



## T0M

Oh, fair enough.

I also found out today that Tiger Mask W is Kota Ibushi. I had absolutely no idea and I just Googled his name to see what he was up to these days. Amazing. 

I started watching the 4.22 Road To Dontaku show earlier so I'll finish that off later. I absolutely love this company.


----------



## Little Miss Ingobernable

T0M said:


> Oh, fair enough.
> 
> I also found out today that Tiger Mask W is Kota Ibushi. I had absolutely no idea and I just Googled his name to see what he was up to these days. Amazing.
> 
> I started watching the 4.22 Road To Dontaku show earlier so I'll finish that off later. I absolutely love this company.


It's his Human form. Tiger Mask W is the real form. :wink2:


----------



## Zatiel

The 4/22 NJPW show was okay. Totally skippable, as it just builds the people you'd expect.

Ishii had better chemistry with Fale than Okada did that night, which was interesting. But Ishii is a master of THE STRUGGLE.

I still don't *get* Yoshi-Hashi. His offense feels all over the place and as painful as that arm hold would be, he never makes it feel like he's doing it effectively.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE




----------



## T0M

This was my first real time noticing this Naito guy. He kicked the fucking IC title from the entrance way all the way to the ring :lmao

Incredible scenes.


----------



## Little Miss Ingobernable

T0M said:


> This was my first real time noticing this Naito guy. He kicked the fucking IC title from the entrance way all the way to the ring :lmao
> 
> Incredible scenes.


The best and coolest wrestler on the planet today.


----------



## V-Trigger

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/855740908268134400


----------



## The High King

just watched the lastest road to..
These four on four five on five etc can eventually bore you to death but when Minoru is involved they become so much more and credit to Goto he also added to a great bout.Credit to Trent Bareeta also, the guy is putting in some great work and performances lately, but still not sold on osprey as a serious contender for titles in Japan
Glad S Gun won against the shit Jado team but how it works out on a proper card is another story.

LIJ is always worth watching even if its against a bunch of rag bunch of wrestlers, as for tatsu, why bring him back to do what he did before he left.
Off to watch the main event but not expecting much with comedy omega and useless fale


----------



## Corey

Rainmaka! said:


>


If I didn't know otherwise, I would totally believe that that's SANADA.
Save​


----------



## Little Miss Ingobernable

Corey said:


> If I didn't know otherwise, I would totally believe that that's SANADA.
> Save​


Sanada has greater hair though. :x :mj


----------



## HOJO

These BJW cards rule so fucking hard



> *BJW, 4/28/2017 [Fri] 18:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*
> *(1)* Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Kazumi Kikuta vs. Kazuki Hashimoto & Yuya Aoki
> *(2)* Tsutomu Oosugi, Hercules Senga & Shinobu vs. Shu, Kei Brahman & Ryuichi Sekine
> *(3)* Hardcore 6 Man Tag Match: Great Kojika, Minoru Fujita & Kankuro Hoshino vs. Jaki Numazawa, Masashi Takeda & Takumi Tsukamoto
> *(4)* DeathMatch: Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka vs. Kenji Fukimoto & Toshiyuki Sakuda
> *(5)* Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi vs. Ryota Hama & Yasufumi Nakanoue
> *(6)* Hideki Suzuki, Yoshihisa Uto & Takuya Nomura vs. Ryuichi Kawakami, Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani
> *(7)* BJW DeathMatch Heavy Prelude: Abdullah Kobayashi & Ryuji Ito vs. Masaya Takahashi & Takayuki Ueki
> 
> *BJW “Endless Survivor”, 5/5/2017 [Fri] 15:00 @ Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium in Kanagawa*
> *(1)* Kazuki Hashimoto, Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Takuya Nomura vs. Shinobu (666), Kazumi Kikuta & Yuya Aoki
> *(2)* DeathMatch: Great Kojika & Minoru Fujita (FREE) vs. Kankuro Hoshino & Takayuki Ueki
> *(3)* DeathMatch: Yuko Miyamoto (666) & Isami Kodaka (BASARA) vs. Masashi Takeda (FREE) & Takumi Tsukamoto (BASARA)
> *(4)* DeathMatch: Ryuji Ito & Jaki Numazawa vs. Kenji Fukimoto (FREEDOMS) & Toshiyuki Sakuda
> *(5)* Kohei Sato (ZERO1), Shuji Ishikawa (FREE) & Yoshihisa Uto vs. Ryota Hama (FREE), Ryuichi Kawakami & Yasufumi Nakanoue (FREE)
> *(6)* Daisuke Sekimoto & Masato Tanaka (ZERO1) vs. Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani
> *(7)* *BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship Match*: [10th Champion] Hideki Suzuki (FREE) vs. [Challenger] Yuji Okabayashi
> ~ 1st title defense.
> *(8)* *BJW Deathmatch Heavyweight Championship Match*: [34th Champion] Abdullah Kobayashi vs. [Challenger] Masaya Takahashi (ASUKA PROJECT)
> ~ 1st title defense.


Also the card for DDT Korakuen which is live on DDTUniverse. Not a fan of Akito breaking off from HARSHIMA to lackey up for Takeshita but hopefully he turns on him soon


> *DDT “MAX BUMP 2017”, 29/04/2017 Tokyo Korakuen Hall*
> 
> *1. Hungry Black Bass Again Vs Crimson Nobelman*: Akito Vs Soma Takao
> *2. DDT Extreme Title Next Challenger Decision 5 Way Match:* Keisuke Ishii Vs Antonio Honda Vs Yasu Urano Vs Kouki Iwasaki Vs Royce Isaacs
> *3. Rocky Of Naniwa II And Blonde Beautiful Heidi First Time Encounter:* KUDO, Masahiro Taknashi & Saki Akai Vs Daisuke Sasaki, Mad Paulie & Heidi Katrina
> *4. Worldwide Special Tag Match:* HARASHIMA & Mike Bailey Vs Shigehiro Irie & Kazusada Higuchi
> *5. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles – Kazuki Hirata Only Loser Deportation Match:* Makoto Oishi, Shunma Katsumata & MAO (c) Vs Sanshiro Takagi, Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata
> *6. KO-D Tag Team Titles:* Masakatsu Funaki & Yukio Sakaguchi (c) Vs Yoshihiro Takayama & Danshoku Dino
> *7. KO-D Openweight Title:* Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo


----------



## Deadman's Hand

Spoiler: Dragon Gate



*So fuck May 9th, Masato Yoshino returned to the ring tonight at what may have been a DG Infinity taping & defeated Punch Tominaga.*





Rainmaka! said:


>


*Ben-K is so great. kada *


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

When it comes to Mochizuki, you either bring it of FUCK OFF.











Deadman's Hand said:


> *Ben-K is so great. kada *


He is the greatest!


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Deadman's Hand said:


> Spoiler: Dragon Gate
> 
> 
> 
> *So fuck May 9th, Masato Yoshino returned to the ring tonight at what may have been a DG Infinity taping & defyeated Punch Tominaga.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Ben-K is so great. kada *


I've missed sooo much Dragon Gate in the last couple of months but I'm still managing to dip in when I can.

I did see Yamamura vs T Hawk. The kids singles efforts are becoming must see stuff.


----------



## maxninepower

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/856101969911574528


----------



## T0M

What is the general consensus on Tama Tonga? From the three or four times I've seen him I've been fairly impressed by his ring work and I'd be interested to see how he does in a singles run. His face also seems to be a frightening combination of Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.

On the other hand, I know this is going to sound harsh, but I really dislike watching David Finlay. I'm not one to usually care about physiques but his belly makes me want to vomit unfortunately.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

T0M said:


> What is the general consensus on Tama Tonga? From the three or four times I've seen him I've been fairly impressed by his ring work and I'd be interested to see how he does in a singles run. His face also seems to be a frightening combination of Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.
> 
> On the other hand, I know this is going to sound harsh, but I really dislike watching David Finlay. I'm not one to usually care about physiques but his belly makes me want to vomit unfortunately.


Love Tama, he's gradually improving and has the best f*cking stinger splash in the business :lol

I dislike David Finlay as well, he's just one of those wrestlers that don't do it for me. He looks weird, doesn't impress me in the ring and seems to be void of any physical charisma.


----------



## Bland

Ive enjoyed Tama Tonga (& Juice) this year and wouldn't mind seeing Tama beat Goto for the NEVER title. I love his moveset and great comparison of Rollins & Reigns as he does have Rollins athleticism and Reigns strength. Wouldnt mind him getting an Anderson run in this years G1.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

-***** Italiano- said:


> I've missed sooo much Dragon Gate in the last couple of months but I'm still managing to dip in when I can.
> 
> I did see Yamamura vs T Hawk. The kids singles efforts are becoming must see stuff.


*Oh yeah. Yamamura is gonna be huge in DG in a few years.*



Spoiler: Dragon Gate



*He's also gonna face Jimmy Kagetora for the Brave Gate at DoA this year & I see that being a big star making match for him, win or lose.*


----------



## NastyYaffa

Spoiler: Naito rules


----------



## volde

T0M said:


> On the other hand, I know this is going to sound harsh, but I really dislike watching David Finlay. I'm not one to usually care about physiques but his belly makes me want to vomit unfortunately.


I don't really remember anyone saying that they like him. To me he looks all over the place and he is one of few people in NJPW whose gimmick I don't understand at all. 

Also, Okada really selling Fale as this big monster. In before Fale wins it. And was Ishii legit pissed at the end?

Edit: I really like Suzuki, but his entire stable can go fuck itself with their same shit every match.


----------



## The High King

23/4

Bullet club pushed hard again and Ishii bloodied added to the heat.
Sad that Archer is out, and Davey smith is missing as Suzuki gun are all jobbers with the exception of Minoru, and NJPW can take the blame for that with some of the booking.


----------



## Mordecay

I liked the tag match between Okada/Ishii vs Fale/Omega, especially the Omega/Ishii parts of the match. What I don't get is how Okada has taken beating after beating and comeback and here he gets pinned by a tombstone, which isn't even one of Fale's finishers. Maybe they are playing that all these matches are catching up with him, which would be an interesting story. I liked the Omega promo putting over Fale saying "Don't play my music, play Fale's music" and then saying Fale to splash Ishii. After this match I expect a lot from Ishii/Omega, I think it might be better than his last match and that's saying a lot because his last match is in my top10 MOTY list. I think Fale/Okada could be really good, but they didn't seem in the same page in the match, if they rely in storytelling that could help it though


----------



## maxninepower




----------



## The Nuke

Both Road Shows were pretty good. Tana/Juice vs Naito/Evil was great. I think Juice will hold his own just fine with Naito.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Shibata after his first match w/ his father. What an awesome picture.


----------



## HOJO

Essential joshi viewings from this year so far. haven't seen everything. I will, though

*(Ice Ribbon 1/29)* - Triangle Ribbon Championship : Manami Toyota vs Tsukasa Fujimoto vs Tsukushi - ****1/2*
*(Ice Ribbon 1/29)* - Hiragi Kurumi vs Kyuri - ****3/4*
*(Ice Ribbon 1/29)* - Tsukushi & Hiragi Kurumi vs Hiroyo Matsumoto & Hamuko Hoshi - ****3/4*
*(Stardom 2/23)* - Wonder of Stardom Title: Kairi Hojo vs Jungle Kyona - ****3/4*
*(Stardom 3/05)* - Goddesses Of Stardom Title : Kairi Hojo & Yoko Bito (c) vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto & Jungle Kyona - ******
*(SEAdLINNNG 3/16)* - Astronomical Battle : Nanae Takahashi & Arisa Nakajima vs Hiroyo Matsumoto & Ryo Mizunami - ****3/4*
*(SEAdLINNNG 3/16)* - Extreme Genesis : Yoshiko vs Sareee - ****3/4*
*(Ice Ribbon 3/26)* - Tsukasa Fujimoto vs Arisa Nakajima - ****3/4*
*(Ice Ribbon 3/26)* - International Ribbon Tag Team Championship : Avid Rival (Misaki Ohata & Ryo Mizunami) © vs This is Ice Ribbon/Heisei YTR (Tsukushi & Hiragi Kurumi) - ******

Also Ice Ribbon owner lost his fucking mind today for their Korakuen Hall show. Local mascots, 2 idol acts, the guy that did the shitty WK theme and fucking Naito cosplayer. The card itself looked maybe solid on paper but wasnt too hyped for it, though



Spoiler: .


----------



## BigCy

I think it kind of sucks that Dontaku got split up into 3 shows, they would actually have a really good card if they just stuck it all on May 3rd. Look how good this sounds on paper....

IWGP World Championship
Okada vs Fale

IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Naito vs Juice

NEVER Openweight Championship
Goto vs Suzuki

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
Takahashi vs Richochet

IWGP Hvy. World Tag Team Championship
War Machine vs Guerillas of Destiny vs TenCozy

IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship
Kanemaru/Taichi vs RPG Vice

Tanahashi vs EVIL

Ishii vs Omega

Cody vs Finlay

A couple random tag matches

I understand why they're doing it and if it makes NJPW some more money then I'm good with it. I really wonder what they're going to do when they expand. Will they have 2 different "brands" or will it be one brand? Whatever happens I'm glad NJPW is getting more exposure and I'm glad I found pro WRESTLING instead of all the Sports Entertainment borefest here just my opinion if you like sports entertainment better then more power to you.


----------



## HOJO

BigCy said:


> I think it kind of sucks that Dontaku got split up into 3 shows, they would actually have a really good card if they just stuck it all on May 3rd. Look how good this sounds on paper....
> 
> IWGP World Championship
> Okada vs Fale
> 
> IWGP Intercontinental Championship
> Naito vs Juice
> 
> NEVER Openweight Championship
> Goto vs Suzuki
> 
> IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
> Takahashi vs Richochet
> 
> IWGP Hvy. World Tag Team Championship
> War Machine vs Guerillas of Destiny vs TenCozy
> 
> IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship
> Kanemaru/Taichi vs RPG Vice
> 
> Tanahashi vs EVIL
> 
> Ishii vs Omega
> 
> Cody vs Finlay
> 
> A couple random tag matches
> 
> I understand why they're doing it and if it makes NJPW some more money then I'm good with it. I really wonder what they're going to do when they expand. Will they have 2 different "brands" or will it be one brand? Whatever happens I'm glad NJPW is getting more exposure and I'm glad I found pro WRESTLING instead of all the Sports Entertainment borefest here just my opinion if you like sports entertainment better then more power to you.


It would but modern New Japan isnt about really good cards


----------



## Flik

HOJO said:


> Also Ice Ribbon owner lost his fucking mind today for their Korakuen Hall show. Local mascots, 2 idol acts, the guy that did the shitty WK theme and fucking Naito cosplayer. The card itself looked maybe solid on paper but wasnt too hyped for it, though


Tsukasa Fujimoto said something about working with other industries to draw new fans, this is part of something they've been doing for a while. I don't like most of this stuff but I'm fine with it as long as it doesn't get in the way of the wrestling.


----------



## Corey

BigCy said:


> I think it kind of sucks that Dontaku got split up into 3 shows, they would actually have a really good card if they just stuck it all on May 3rd. Look how good this sounds on paper....
> 
> IWGP World Championship
> Okada vs Fale
> 
> IWGP Intercontinental Championship
> Naito vs Juice
> 
> NEVER Openweight Championship
> Goto vs Suzuki
> 
> IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
> Takahashi vs Richochet
> 
> IWGP Hvy. World Tag Team Championship
> War Machine vs Guerillas of Destiny vs TenCozy
> 
> IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship
> Kanemaru/Taichi vs RPG Vice
> 
> Tanahashi vs EVIL
> 
> Ishii vs Omega
> 
> Cody vs Finlay
> 
> A couple random tag matches
> 
> I understand why they're doing it and if it makes NJPW some more money then I'm good with it. I really wonder what they're going to do when they expand. Will they have 2 different "brands" or will it be one brand? Whatever happens I'm glad NJPW is getting more exposure and I'm glad I found pro WRESTLING instead of all the Sports Entertainment borefest here just my opinion if you like sports entertainment better then more power to you.


Fuck I could imagine that show going a good 6 or 7 hours. :lol


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

BigCy said:


> I think it kind of sucks that Dontaku got split up into 3 shows, they would actually have a really good card if they just stuck it all on May 3rd. Look how good this sounds on paper....
> 
> IWGP World Championship
> Okada vs Fale
> 
> IWGP Intercontinental Championship
> Naito vs Juice
> 
> NEVER Openweight Championship
> Goto vs Suzuki
> 
> IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
> Takahashi vs Richochet
> 
> IWGP Hvy. World Tag Team Championship
> War Machine vs Guerillas of Destiny vs TenCozy
> 
> IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship
> Kanemaru/Taichi vs RPG Vice
> 
> Tanahashi vs EVIL
> 
> Ishii vs Omega
> 
> Cody vs Finlay
> 
> A couple random tag matches


For an A-Show like Sakura Genesis or Dominion, yes. For a B-Show like Dontaku, no.


----------



## The Nuke

IT's better to do it in 2 show in this case. It's a smaller show, and a lot of the smaller shows are split anyway.

Plus I don't want to watch 6 hours of Pro-Wrestling in one sitting. Which I wouldn't have to anyway, but you're still looking at a 5 or 6 hour show if you do it all in one.

Another reason is possibly the TV. I think the shows are aired in Japan at some point, and they probably can't have a show over 4 hours.

I remember that being the worry for the Omega vs Okada match being long at WK.


----------



## Miguel De Juan

The tag matches exist in every Japanese promotion. They are there to further stories and protect guys. You get less repeat singles matches throughout the year. Dragon Gate, AJPW, NOAH, and BJW use tag matches in this way nothing new. They are also trying to give more time to major singles matches and if they were all on one show chances are many would be cut for time and not be given chances to great or very good. You get the singles match cards for major shows like Dominion, G1, and Wrestle Kingdom. There roster is pretty damn big now too.


----------



## HOJO

The Nuke said:


> Plus I don't want to watch 6 hours of Pro-Wrestling in one sitting. Which I wouldn't have to anyway, but you're still looking at a 5 or 6 hour show if you do it all in one.


Most big(ger) puro shows range from 3 to 5 hours which New Japan reaches anyway even with a bunch of skippable tags on a card(counting intermission obviously, but that is important), regardless of promotion. Though most promotions big shows are centric to Korakuen Hall, in whcih case the most would be 3 1/2 hours or shorter



> Another reason is possibly the TV. I think the shows are aired in Japan at some point, and they probably can't have a show over 4 hours.


It's not a real reason. It's a recap show with 2, sometimes just 1 big or semi big match from several months ago on there. Some editing, some interview clips of one of the guys in those matches, thats the show. Late night airing on TV Asahi. AXS show is just that but apparently they're gonna change that format up which is a very good idea at this point and for what they wanna accomplish. 



Miguel De Juan said:


> The tag matches exist in every Japanese promotion. They are there to further stories and protect guys. You get less repeat singles matches throughout the year. Dragon Gate, AJPW, NOAH, and BJW use tag matches in this way nothing new.


Well yeah this is true, but their tag matches are interesting compared to NJPW so its not exactly that way :mj 
well I guess not NOAH
The issue is honestly way more that the tags don't look interesting at all whatsoever and Gedoism means absolutely no singles to at least break off the boredom from seeing the 20th version of 3 different tag pairings even though a couple breakoff singles is what these lame ass cards need. Basically the 2 match show formula is an idea you should probably not do if you're never ever gonna make anything interesting with the format, and New Japan doesn't. Going on to the other guy I quoted, you'd be doing yourself a favor skipping the tags which would probably cut out maybe 3 hours from a new Japan show :mj



> They are also trying to give more time to major singles matches and if they were all on one show chances are many would be cut for time and not be given chances to great or very good. You get the singles match cards for major shows like Dominion, G1, and Wrestle Kingdom. There roster is pretty damn big now too.


New Japan matches are hilariously too long anyway and almost all of them would be better with 5-15 minutes sometimes taken off. Hell I'd wish the format was these matches on the same card, 15-25 minutes for them. That's all they need instead of trying super hard to make a SUPER EXCITING EPIC, which just turn out ""you could've shaved that match down and gotten the same or even a better outcome and payoff"


----------



## Miguel De Juan

Its you personal opinion about the NJPW main events. They are drawing money. Okada was voted as a top wrestler by 10,000 fans. It does not matter what any of our personal opinions of any of these businesses are doing if they are profitable. It's so ridiculous when people do this to any company which is successful.

I have seen plenty of nothing tag matches in those other companies with strong matches on top of the card. How man Brahman + other guys vs Speed of Sounds + other guys variations did we get in the past year? The first couple of Dragon Gate shows were just okay compared to the great showing they had last year. 

I do not knock them and I skip a ton of road to shows from of the promotions because I have not the time to keep up with everything. Most these promotions are doing well to good business except for NOAH which should have closed its doors.


----------



## HOJO

Miguel De Juan said:


> Its you personal opinion about the NJPW main events.


It's almost as if that's the discussion to be had. gee, who knows, maybe I'm getting that from a Replies facts book or something



> They are drawing money. Okada was voted as a top wrestler by 10,000 fans. It does not matter what any of our personal opinions of any of these businesses are doing if they are profitable. It's so ridiculous when people do this to any company which is successful.


Who fucking cares?
Isn't this what people get upset at WWE marks for everytime Roman Reigns or John Cena are critiqued? Never did I allude to the mentions of these numbers or that set of numbers. What do they have to do with personal critiques of something, they have nothing to do with it. There's no point in bringing this up



> I have seen plenty of nothing tag matches in those other companies with strong matches on top of the card. How man Brahman + other guys vs Speed of Sounds + other guys variations did we get in the past year? The first couple of Dragon Gate shows were just okay compared to the great showing they had last year.


This came before I edited my post i think so I'll just leave that there. But Brahman tags are rarely "nothing". they're not super important but they're rarely ever "nothing". And the mention of variations, which Big Japan offers plenty of for them(even though I admit mentioning them for comparison is kinda cheating in regards to the deathmatch stips specifically), that's what actually makes up for them being in the same place with their shtick every card. Just like, for example, Hirata from DDT. Can't speak on DG.


----------



## volde

It depends on the tags. I really don't like Suzuki Gun tags since they are mostly same shit regardless of who they are fighting against, but for example Taguchi Japan vs LIJ tags serve a purpose, like how Juice vs Naito was slowly built in them and they are also showcasing Ricochet for Hiromu match without him actually pinning anyone or getting pinned himself.


----------



## amhlilhaus

I like how new japan does things. All japan did the same thing in the 90s.

I submit if wwe did the same thing theyd be more successful. Having so many singles devalues wwe feuds


----------



## Corey

amhlilhaus said:


> I submit if wwe did the same thing theyd be more successful. Having so many singles devalues wwe feuds


More successful in what way? I don't really think they would tbh because of the amount of programming they have. New Japan can do it so much when they don't have 2 shows a week to put out and 80% of the tag matches are pretty much meaningless. I feel like a lot of people would lose interest.


----------



## T0M

I've just noticed that NJPW World has put up some of the matches from the RevPro Epic Encounter event from a few weeks ago. I was actually considering paying for that as well. Is this normal? What is going on?


----------



## volde

Looking at this big proposed card I only now realized that we'll get Finlay vs Cody match. Can't see Finlay winning, so whats up with Cody? Maybe they are building him up for IC belt match against Naito (or Tana if he gets it in Dominion) in G1 special?


----------



## Stinger Fan

T0M said:


> I've just noticed that NJPW World has put up some of the matches from the RevPro Epic Encounter event from a few weeks ago. I was actually considering paying for that as well. Is this normal? What is going on?


When I had NJPW World, they put up some of their cross promotion stuff with ROH as well, so I suppose they have the rights to matches that involve their wrestlers


----------



## maxninepower

volde said:


> Looking at this big proposed card I only now realized that we'll get Finlay vs Cody match. Can't see Finlay winning, so whats up with Cody? Maybe they are building him up for IC belt match against Naito (or Tana if he gets it in Dominion) in G1 special?


G1 climax tournament.


----------



## Desecrated

maxninepower said:


> G1 climax tournament.


I haven't seen much of Cody. Is it he really that worth putting in the G1 or is it expected to be just someone to eat pins?


----------



## NastyYaffa

Shibata update:

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/856902402154389505


----------



## Mordecay

Desecrated said:


> I haven't seen much of Cody. Is it he really that worth putting in the G1 or is it expected to be just someone to eat pins?


He probably end up at the lower half of his group. I mean, with Shibata and Honma injuries, Archer also out of action and no NOAH guys in this edition they need people to replace them


----------



## maxninepower

Desecrated said:


> I haven't seen much of Cody. Is it he really that worth putting in the G1 or is it expected to be just someone to eat pins?


i'm not fan of him but cody is The "E" guy and People know who he is. It's all about marketing


----------



## Bland

I can see Cody being near the top of his G1 group, if hes in G1. ROH seem to be booking him strong as hes in a 3 way ROH World title match at War of the Worlds show. Its unlikely he'll win the title but wouldn't mind him and Lethal replacing the 2 spots this year, that noah got last year.


----------



## volde

maxninepower said:


> G1 climax tournament.


Do you really need a build up for that?


----------



## HOJO

volde said:


> Do you really need a build up for that?


If he's not gonna be there regularly, yes, you do


----------



## maxninepower

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/856932546927616002

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/856935565920526337
something must have happened to him in mexico!


----------



## TJQ

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/856902676877017091


----------



## BigCy

I really hope the Shibata thing is a work. Although I'm not his biggest fan, I know a lot of you are, and his matches are exciting plus it always sucks when a worker gets hurt where they can't do their thing anymore. Get well Shibata!


----------



## Corey

Desecrated said:


> I haven't seen much of Cody. Is it he really that worth putting in the G1 or is it expected to be just someone to eat pins?


Seems they're building him into an upper midcarder and he's really over with the Japanese crowd now so he could be somewhat of a serious contender. It's more just a curiosity thing for me to see how he does against the top guys in the company. He may even be ROH Champ by that point too.


----------



## NOCONTESTU

>When Cody is more over in a handful of appearances than Adam Cole has been almost the whole year

:lol


----------



## Desecrated

Corey said:


> Seems they're building him into an upper midcarder and he's really over with the Japanese crowd now so he could be somewhat of a serious contender. It's more just a curiosity thing for me to see how he does against the top guys in the company. He may even be ROH Champ by that point too.


Do you think he'll add some fantastic matches to his resume/to the show and what role do you think he'll play out? Seen absolutely nothing of him except the average match against Juice at WK.


----------



## Lariatoh!

What's awesome is that NJPW thought AJ Styles was big time enough to make their champ straight away, but Cody isn't.


----------



## Joshi Judas

Lariatoh! said:


> What's awesome is that NJPW thought AJ Styles was big time enough to make their champ straight away, but Cody isn't.



I love it :lmao :lmao

And they're right too. Cody hasn't been that impressive since leaving WWE. Of course he is well recognized, and so they put him in the Bullet Club to sell more shirts. He'll likely become the next leader in 1-2 years after Omega too. I just think it'll be a big dip in quality after Devitt, Styles and Omega.


----------



## BornBad

Hyped


----------



## volde

Lariatoh! said:


> What's awesome is that NJPW thought AJ Styles was big time enough to make their champ straight away, but Cody isn't.


I think its more that AJ was top foreigner while Cody won't be that till Omega is around. Just like Omega was lower on the card while AJ was around.


----------



## Desecrated

Omega crafted out in the Juniors for a while, and AJ immediately impressed every heavyweight on the roster. I'd imagine if Cody hasn't done that or won't manage that at G1, they'll treat him like Elgin? Perhaps favour Juice over Cody too.


----------



## Joshi Judas

Yeah the G1 is probably the litmus test for Cody. When AJ Styles came in, he was pushed but the crowd wasn't responding to him all that well. Then, he turned in some great G1 matches and won the crowd over. I don't know if Cody will be able to do the same, let's see.


----------



## NastyYaffa

I can see Cody having a real solid run in the G1. I know it's not the most popular opinion, but I think he's been just fine in his post-WWE run. Great first weekend in EVOLVE w/ awesome matches vs. ZSJ & Hero - then super strong BOLA with really good matches vs. Callihan & Scurll (who is someone who usually doesn't have really good matches imo). Also thought that his WK match vs. Juice was super solid. Best match of the undercard. And most recently, a really damn good, borderline great bullrope match vs. Jay Lethal.

Cody will do just fine. He probably won't have AJ vs. MiSu quality matches, but he'll have some really good ones & I could even see him busting out a few GREAT ones.


----------



## Corey

Desecrated said:


> Do you think he'll add some fantastic matches to his resume/to the show and what role do you think he'll play out? Seen absolutely nothing of him except the average match against Juice at WK.


I haven't seen anything from him that makes me think he'll have a fantastic showing at the G1, but I'm confident he can at least put on a solid run with the right opponents. A fine enough fill in if we can't get Honma or Shibata but there's definitely a dropoff there. I don't honestly know if I've ever given a Cody Rhodes singles match ****+ though so that might be his ceiling.


----------



## The Nuke

So far Cody has just been a 3 star guy.


----------



## V-Trigger

On the recent Talk is Jericho: Samoa Joe talks a lot about Japanese Wrestling, being Trained by Hashimoto and comparassions between Kobashi and Misawa. Great listening.

https://www.ivoox.com/samoa-joe-returns-audios-mp3_rf_18346557_1.html


----------



## volde

That chair shot at the end :aries2


----------



## Zatiel

That was by far the weakest title match main event of NJPW's year. Dragged ass for the first half, and got absolutely moronic with ref abuse and interference at the end. Suzuki does less than nothing for me at this point in his career.


----------



## The Nuke

BrotherNero said:


> On the recent Talk is Jericho: Samoa Joe talks a lot about Japanese Wrestling, being Trained by Hashimoto and comparassions between Kobashi and Misawa. Great listening.
> 
> https://www.ivoox.com/samoa-joe-returns-audios-mp3_rf_18346557_1.html


You don't even have to know Joe was trained by Hashimoto to know that he was trained by Hashimoto.


----------



## Corey

Haven't seen the match yet but it looks like the atrocious booking of Suzuki Gun has continued. Happy to see MiSu win the title but have not read positive things about the match or how it went down.


----------



## NastyYaffa

I thought that the match was really good (***1/2), but yeah the Suzuki-gun overbooking interference shit is pretty annoying.


----------



## JafarMustDie

The ticking time bomb sends a message to Ricochet..


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/857640853434621952
GOAT.


----------



## The Nuke

JafarMustDie said:


> The ticking time bomb sends a message to Ricochet..
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/857640853434621952
> GOAT.


That sumbitch is definitely something special.


----------



## T0M

Wait, what show are you guys talking about here? The 4.27 in Hiroshima?


----------



## volde

NastyYaffa said:


> I thought that the match was really good (***1/2), but yeah the Suzuki-gun overbooking interference shit is pretty annoying.


It is weird, would anyone seriously have problems with Suzuki beating Goto clean? It feels like it is done due to some weird "Suzuki Gun match requires shit that drags down its quality" rule. I guess they really want people hating them.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Happy to see Misu finally get a meaningful win.


----------



## The High King

Skipped the stupid young lion and tiger mask rubbish intro and first up was another burial of Suzuki Gun, I think they are now so buried they are beyond jobbers now with the exception of KES and Minoru.
When long term genuine tag teams are losing to random pairings it devalues the whole of tag team wrestling as a whole and NJPW is not alone in this as WWE and Impact etc also do it.
Finlay and TenCozy against Bullet Club was shit and Kojima needs to fuck off with his fast chops on his opponent in the corner as they look pathetic.
A poor 6 minute match was not what I expected from guys that can do so much better.
R-Vice against Suzuki Gun Kanemura and Taichi was a good bout and had a great finish but Suzuki Gun were made to look like jobbers.
Why portray your champions as jobbers unless they are Suzuki gun of course.
What was the point of bringing them in at all.

I had no idea of the card when i started watching so when I saw the 5 group of Juice, Tatsu, Tanahashi, Ricochet & Taguchi I knew it was LIJ and worth watching as LIJ are the best group in all of pro wrestling.It was bad enough the had cj parker pinning Naito but now Sanada, Gedo needs to be put in a home.
BC v Chaos was what it was and I cannot wait for Omega to fuck off to WWE so I wont have to see his comedy rubbish anymore.
When Fale is higher up the card than omega it tells you where his comedy is going. A pity that Ishii is being fed to him as Ishii deserves better.
Yoshi Hashi with 'loose explosion' wrote on his ass still makes me laugh.
Gonna watch Minoru win the title next and hopefully a good match



Corey said:


> Haven't seen the match yet but it looks like the atrocious booking of Suzuki Gun has continued. Happy to see MiSu win the title but have not read positive things about the match or how it went down.



Every single member was booked weak and made to look a jobber.
Even Minoru had to depend on constant interference and a chair shot to get the win, and whilst i am happy to see him get a title he rightfully deserves it is not worth a damn when he and the whole stable are booked like that.


----------



## maxninepower

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Goto T_T



Spoiler: NJPW hype


----------



## BornBad

Don't understand why the Goto Suzuki match got some bad reviews. 

I liked the match and El Desperado being at the ringside and the chair shot was nothing really surprising tbh. That's how the stable won most of the big matches since years...


----------



## volde

Well yeah, and some people don't like how Suzuki Gun usually wins their matches. I think most of the negative reviews are due to that.


----------



## Zatiel

Interference isn't like a typical high spot. It gets old and stale really fast. It doesn't help that both AJ Styles and Kenny Omega have used interference in far more amusing ways in the last few years. Suzuki-Gun's whole shtick screams bush league.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Watched all the tag matches KENTA & Shibata had together, and oh man, if they would've had a legit few year run as a team, they would've gone down as one of the absolute best teams ever. The 3 matches they had are all fantastic.


----------



## Desecrated

NastyYaffa said:


> Watched all the tag matches KENTA & Shibata had together, and oh man, if they would've had a legit few year run as a team, they would've gone down as one of the absolute best teams ever. The 3 matches they had are all fantastic.


Got dates/opponents or a place to check 'em?


----------



## NastyYaffa

Desecrated said:


> Got dates/opponents or a place to check 'em?





Spoiler: matches


----------



## Asuka842

Hard to believe that this is Suzuki's first single's title in NJPW, at 48 years old.


----------



## The High King

Asuka842 said:


> Hard to believe that this is Suzuki's first single's title in NJPW, at 48 years old.



His only other title in NJPW was a tag belt 13 years ago.

On Suzuki Gun i think Desperado, Kanemaru and Taichi are fairly decent in the ring but are booked awful
Taka is getting on but can still put in a standard match, Liuzka is another old guy past his sell by date. They miss KES, but not sure it would have stopped Gedo burying them which seems to be more spite than business


----------



## HOJO

Holy shit that main event looks like it fucking rules. Can't wait to see it


----------



## Lariatoh!

Wasn't expecting the title match to be on a Road to show TBH. Match was pretty boring until Mizu's slap rage to finish the match. Not sure if Goto phoned it in because he was losing or The interference was sold hard. I still cringe at head chair shots. Especially after what just happened to Shibata. I prefer Mizu to Goto so I'm for the win, but Goto continues to be worth anything. Every time he gets a big win at a G1 or NJC I just roll my eyes because I know it's not going anywhere. And his Chaos stablemates couldn't give too shits to help him so why should the audience. Selling the B.C beat down not good enough, atleast one of them could have come out to help him protect the belt and keep it in the stable. Dissapointing booking for me.


----------



## Master Bate

Pretty funny this happened two days after my "Thoughts on Goto" thread and a few agree he was just really hitting his stride with his never title win.

Wonder where he goes from here, rematch maybe?


----------



## Little Miss Ingobernable

Count me in the camp that felt Goto vs. Suzuki was lame and very underwhelming.


----------



## Miguel De Juan

A lot of overreaction about the slaps and gimmicked chair shot. Sort of like when people called Rey Mysterio Jr a murderer two years and Joe a dangerous worker. People get hurt with simple moves. If you want to stop injuries, stop all moves. Just have them talk and play with their dicks like Joey Ryan.


----------



## T0M

I'm a little surprised the main event got negative reviews as I thought it was really good. Still being pretty new to New Japan, I haven't noticed Minoru Suzuki that much but he was pretty great here, I thought. I actually find him quite frightening as a human being the way he carries himself and his mannerisms. It looks like a fucking psycho.

I thought the ending was brilliant. The intereference chair shot was shit and unnecessary but they're a heel stable, so okay, but the slaps were absolutely brutal. And I haven't seen a piledriver executed in about 15 years so that was a nice surprise.

Looking forward to Toyonokuni tomorrow.


----------



## The High King

T0M said:


> I'm a little surprised the main event got negative reviews as I thought it was really good. Still being pretty new to New Japan, I haven't noticed Minoru Suzuki that much but he was pretty great here, I thought. I actually find him quite frightening as a human being the way he carries himself and his mannerisms. It looks like a fucking psycho.
> 
> I thought the ending was brilliant. The intereference chair shot was shit and unnecessary but they're a heel stable, so okay, but the slaps were absolutely brutal. And I haven't seen a piledriver executed in about 15 years so that was a nice surprise.
> 
> Looking forward to Toyonokuni tomorrow.


Playing the psycho is what brought Minoru to the dance.
The saddest part is go back to the start of the year when he and his stable made their return, they looked like serious contenders and look at the stable now.
Either Gedo is retarded and needs sacking or it was a deliberate stroke to bury them.Then you only need look how everytime Goto or Shibata seemed to take a step forward , Gedo would shove them back 2 steps.

The main event was great if you grew up only watching wwe shit and were indoctrinated into watching sports entertainment bullshit passing itself off for wrestling but for New Japan which always have top tier events it was standard, which equates to match of the year in the WWE.
I watch WWE but when it comes to hard hitting and strong style stiff matches the WWE just cannot compete in general.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

I thought Goto/Misu was a fine match (*** 1/4), on paper it underwhelmed but heck, I just love watching Minoru work. Happy to see him get the win here.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

I think Goto was doing a great job as NEVER champion but this is a good role for Suzuki. I wouldn't want Suzuki Gun any where near to the top nor would I want them to fade away.

Also I wanna see Ishii vs Suzuki for that title and that'll probably happen. So thats cool.


----------



## Pizzamorg

I don't actively follow NJPW I just try and tune in for their big matches so I had no idea they even had a show on today. 

Luckily I tuned in just in time to see Ricochet challenge for the Junior Heavyweight Title. This match was AWESOME, probably the best match I've seen from this month. It perfectly encapsulated what this division should be all about. 

I also love taking time away from NJPW because when you come back you realise just how little else there is like it. The stiffness, the bumps, I'd hate for the wrestlers to be in any kind of danger. Shibata breaks my heart. But I can't deny loving the results.

Robinson getting a match against Naito for the IC Title later on too? I need to see that.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

Tanahashi beat EVIL? :bjpenn

Naito vs. Juice about to start :mark:

Tanahashi beat EVIL so that means they have to be setting up the Tana/Naito rematch for Dominion.

Juice asked for his release from WWE just a few years ago and is wrestling Naito in the main event for the Intercontinental Championship.

Juice chops like a motherfucker. :rusev

Does anyone's back hurt after that Spinebuster? FUCK

Juice is really selling that knee.

Naito is Naito but Juice continues to impress. ***3/4 For that main event, would've been **** if it had been a 4-5 minutes longer.

Setting up the Naito/Tanahashi rematch :mark: :mark: :mark: :mark:


----------



## TeflonDixie

Still on the road-shows (Stupid Work hours), but fuck, The crowd was digging Tana and Juice. Juice is proving his doubters wrong. Really wouldn't believe it was the same guy, so credit to him.

Did anyone catch Omega's post show interviews for them. You forget how damn good he is on the stick. When he's not doing the comedy thing, you forget how he can cut some real money promos. One of the most complete talents today.


----------



## maxninepower

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/858069179219365888
Is that dragon lee?


----------



## V-Trigger

That Naito/Juice match was


----------



## Corey

Shuji Ishikawa vs. Joe Doering is the Champion Carnival final. That sounds pretty manly and awesome to me. :mark:

Guess it looks like Tanahashi is beating Naito for the IC at Dominion. No problem with that.



maxninepower said:


> Is that dragon lee?


Sure is.


----------



## V-Trigger

Hope that Tiger Mask W is in BOSJ.


----------



## Zatiel

At least four matches on this show were better than Goto Vs Suzuki. Really fun show, easy to watch, and flew by. Ricochet/Takahashi was MOTN for me, but I could see it changing based on what you like.

Fale bodyslammed Okada on the floor post-match. Okada freaking bounced off of the pads, which is essentially bouncing off of concrete. I was concerned with the high spots in his matches, and that move particularly scared me. I really don't want one of the best wrestlers of the generation to be crippled by 35.

Had a blast with Ricochet Vs. Takahashi. The Northern Lights/Vertical Suplex combo on the floor was nuts. Loved that they referenced how dangerous the Sunset Flip to the floor is, and that Ricochet had a counter ready for it.

I heard the Japanese commentators reference "Mistah Perfecto" when talking about Ricochet. Did anybody make out why?

EVIL Vs. Tanahashi was more fun than their previous outing, but of course it was going to be since this was the hero overcoming the odds. Less bullshit, and Tanahashi had a lot of verve to him tonight.

As someone who is not high on Naito, that Juice match was really fun! Good stuff from both sides.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Just watched the IC Title from today’s NJPW show. Does Naito have the worst haircut in pro wrestling today? 

The match itself was… eh. What is it with NJPW having legs worked in every single big match? Legs worked but only sold when outside of sequences? I know some people love main events like this but personally I just wish they would shorten them and quicken the pace. The match started well and I enjoyed the finish but there was a good 10 - 15 minutes in the middle there which could have quite easily been removed with no detriment to the match whatsoever. 

Also, while he didn’t win and maybe that is the right decision, I still love that Robinson has basically become the poster child for “It’s 2017 motherfucker, who needs WWE?”.


----------



## The High King

April 29th show

I skipped the opener which was a repeat of tiger mask and 2 young lions against Jushin and 2 young lions.
R-Vice up next against Kanemaru and Desperado. Should have been Taichi and Kanemaru getting a rematch for their titles.
Was a fairly good match in front of a dead crowd.
Tatsu is a jobber but I like him and Taguchi, both can perform well and their bout with Sanada and Bushi did its job.
TenCozy and Finlay dont really gel and was just a filler match against Bullet Club who were again booked strong. Yoshi Hashi, Osprey & Goto against Suzuki Gun showed how badly Suzuki gun need another member who is a quality heavyweight. Not surprised Goto and Hashi won as you just knew whoever partnered Minoru was eating the pin.
Bullet Club against Okada and team chaos was another bout that was just going through the motions and building for the singles events between the parties I presume as i skipped most as I have zero interest in comedy Omega and the useless Toru.
The Hiromu against Ricochet bout was great right from the bell.Even the dead crowd seemed to come alive for this 18 minute match and was glad Hiromu won which only made me think Naito might drop his title.
Tanahashi against Evil was a more slower methodical match than the previous bout and took a while for me to get interested in and only came really alive after the interference from other LIJ members.
WWE fans go on about the charisma of Nakamura, its nothing to that of Naito who comes across as a huge star and van back it up between the ropes. A great main event and glad Naito is not losing to Juice.

The down side of Naito winning is had he lost he could start to focus on the Heavyweight title and more worthy of it than Omega or the filler jobber Fale. Tanahashi up next for him should be good though.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Pizzamorg said:


> Just watched the IC Title from today’s NJPW show. Does Naito have the *best* haircut in pro wrestling today?


Fixed that for ya.










My personal favourite though is El Lindaman










Magnificent


----------



## Genking48

liked it better on T-Hawk


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

The hot pink version of El Lindaman was better any way










Who are we kidding though? Old school Shingo is hands down the champ of Puro Hair


----------



## Pizzamorg

Mother of God, what have I started?! 

(Seriously this is gold, please keep going). 

What is the story about bad hair in Japanese wrestling?


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Pizzamorg said:


> What is the story about *Fucking Amazing* hair in Japanese wrestling?


Anime + Boy Bands = amazing haircuts in Japan


----------



## Lariatoh!

NastyYaffa said:


> Watched all the tag matches KENTA & Shibata had together, and oh man, if they would've had a legit few year run as a team, they would've gone down as one of the absolute best teams ever. The 3 matches they had are all fantastic.


I remember watching the match they had against Misawa/Shiozaki and


Spoiler: Finish of the match



at the end when Shiozaki kicks out of the Penalty Kick, Shibata gets pissed and stiffs him in the jaw with a kick and then pins him. 

I remember Shibata had this look on his face, like "you fucker you kicked out of my finisher- here's a kick to the jaw to remind you it was my finisher..." :lol



I'll have to watch that match again, thanks for posting the other two as well.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Watched the top-3 matches from Toyonokuni.

Ricochet vs. Hiromu disappointed me greatly. I absolutely LOVED the beginning with Ricochet going straight for the kill & but after that, things went downhill big time. The energy & sense of urgency dropped by quite a bit. *1/2

EVIL vs. Tanahashi was my MOTN. There are times when I forget just how good Tanahashi is, but then he puts on a match like this & I remember why he truly is one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time. A simple, basic match but with a masterful performance by the man. ***3/4

Naito vs. Juice was really good. I think it's safe to say that Juice passed his first "main event test". Was very happily surprised that he sold the leg Naito worked on very well throughout the whole thing. ***3/4

Pretty excited for Okada/Fale @ Dontaku. I have loved all of their other matches against each other. Okada is great & Fale always delivers against the top New Japan guys. Should be lots of fun.


----------



## TD Stinger

Show was a heullva lot better than the last one. Ricochet vs. Takahashi was just so fun to watch and Tanahashi vs. Evil and Naito vs. Juice were good as well.


----------



## Switchblade Club

Quick question, where do you guys watch the shows?

Does everyone here have NJPW world?


----------



## The High King

HBKRollins said:


> Quick question, where do you guys watch the shows?
> 
> Does everyone here have NJPW world?


Careful now.
You will get accused of not being a fan because you do not have NJPW like what was said to myself since I also do not have NJPW world.
Then why pay when I can watch them all for free online or via a torrent.
Some idiots on here think by not paying you are less of a fan.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

HBKRollins said:


> Quick question, where do you guys watch the shows?
> 
> Does everyone here have NJPW world?


Only one person (The High King) doesn't. It's cheaper than the Network.


----------



## The High King

Quelle surprise you replying in seconds seeing as you live on here.

I do not not have NJPW or the Network since I can watch what ever I want for FREE. You cannot get cheaper than that. If the FREE option was not available then I would pay, but that is just stupid when its FREE
Alas I know in your tiny mind that means I must be less of a fan but if that helps make you feel better about yourself then allow me to help you try feel better.


----------



## T0M

So I'm about half way through this 4.29 show and I've got to say I'm just not impressed at all with Kenny Omega right now. Admittedly this is only my 5th or 6th time watching him but every time it's like he's a caricature of a wrestler. Everything is ridiculously over exaggerated and over the top. It's like he's not taking it seriously or something. I don't understand it at all and I don't like it.

The best Bullet Club member, for me, is Tama Tonga. Quite comfortably, actually.


----------



## The High King

Omega is great when he decides to once in a blue moon put in a performance but generally he is a comedy midcarder who had one great match mostly thanks to okada and suddenly he was a superstar who would join the WWE and be huge and other such nonsense


----------



## T0M

Ricochet, on the other hand, is an absolute star. The opening 30 seconds in this IWGP Jr title match were breathtaking.


----------



## TD Stinger

T0M said:


> So I'm about half way through this 4.29 show and I've got to say I'm just not impressed at all with Kenny Omega right now. Admittedly this is only my 5th or 6th time watching him but every time it's like he's a caricature of a wrestler. Everything is ridiculously over exaggerated and over the top. It's like he's not taking it seriously or something. I don't understand it at all and I don't like it.
> 
> The best Bullet Club member, for me, is Tama Tonga. Quite comfortably, actually.


I think he'll change your opinion just a bit when he wrestles Ishii on the next show. Now, I'm a relative newbie myself to NJPW, so I can't tell you all the intricacies of his character. But as you probably see, NJPW does a lot of tag matches. And in these tag matches, Omega usually tones himself down and shows more of his comedic side.

But then when he competes in a big singles match, he basically transforms into a different wrestler. He goes from his bring and colorful tights to all black and while still showing that "eccentric" side he becomes much more serious.


----------



## T0M

I really don't buy the excuse that it's okay to be a comedy character just because it's a tag match. You don't see Fale, Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi etc doing it, so why does he? It's like he's making fun of pro wrestling.

So does he think it's okay to turn on the seriousness when he feels like it, or something? So when he is in a 1 on 1 we are suddenly supposed to understand he is in serious-mode now? No, I'm not having that. Especially playing a heel character in a heel stable there is absoltely no place for comedy in his performance right now and it looks completely out of place. 

He's annoying me if I'm being honest because you can see in small snippets that he is very talented but his on-screen portrayal right now is fucking shit.


----------



## Corey

Rainmaka! said:


> Only one person (The High King) doesn't. It's cheaper than the Network.


Just wanted to chime and say that I also don't have New Japan World. I watch through torrents. I'm not awake to watch the shows live and that would really be the only reason I'd pay for it. And before you ask, yes I am a WWE network subscriber and have been since the first couple months it was available.


----------



## T0M

Just 4.29

Match of the night for me was Ricochet vs Takahashi. Thoroughly enjoyed that from the opening bell right through to the ending and wished it had gone longer.

Main event was also very good and thought Juice really held his own. I wasn't sure if he'd belong that high up the card but I thought he did okay against Naito but the right guy won.


----------



## TD Stinger

T0M said:


> I really don't buy the excuse that it's okay to be a comedy character just because it's a tag match. You don't see Fale, Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi etc doing it, so why does he? It's like he's making fun of pro wrestling.
> 
> So does he think it's okay to turn on the seriousness when he feels like it, or something? So when he is in a 1 on 1 we are suddenly supposed to understand he is in serious-mode now? No, I'm not having that. Especially playing a heel character in a heel stable there is absoltely no place for comedy in his performance right now and it looks completely out of place.
> 
> He's annoying me if I'm being honest because you can see in small snippets that he is very talented but his on-screen portrayal right now is fucking shit.


Well, that’s your opinion and that’s fine. I’m not going to stand here and tell you how you should think or feel.

But I will offer this. And again, I’ve really only seen the last year of Omega’s career. I’m sure there are plenty of other people who could argue his case better. But from what I’ve seen, Omega has always had an eccentric personality. Even in big one on one matches, he still keeps that.

And I personally don’t have much of a problem with this side of him because I find some of (again, some of it) entertaining and plus when you’re in there with Toru Yano, where comedy is par for the course. And I wouldn’t want to see him go all out all the time anyways. The only problem I have is how frequent we see these tag matches, which is more of a knock I have on NJPW than anything else.

.All I can say is that is who Omega is. Like his best friends in the Elite, the Young Bucks, he can very divisive. You’re either going to love his stuff or hate usually and I can see why you find it annoying as opposed to entertaining.


----------



## Zatiel

I have NJPW World. It's a great deal, the shows almost always impress me, and while I don't watch them live, they have them uploaded in HD by the time I wake up in the morning. Watching the G1 on the app was the highlight of my wrestling year for the last two years.


----------



## T0M

TD Stinger said:


> Well, that’s your opinion and that’s fine. I’m not going to stand here and tell you how you should think or feel.
> 
> But I will offer this. And again, I’ve really only seen the last year of Omega’s career. I’m sure there are plenty of other people who could argue his case better. But from what I’ve seen, Omega has always had an eccentric personality. Even in big one on one matches, he still keeps that.
> 
> And I personally don’t have much of a problem with this side of him because I find some of (again, some of it) entertaining and plus when you’re in there with Toru Yano, where comedy is par for the course. And I wouldn’t want to see him go all out all the time anyways. The only problem I have is how frequent we see these tag matches, which is more of a knock I have on NJPW than anything else.
> 
> .All I can say is that is who Omega is. Like his best friends in the Elite, the Young Bucks, he can very divisive. You’re either going to love his stuff or hate usually and I can see why you find it annoying as opposed to entertaining.


Oh, I wasn't having a go at you. Sorry if it came across like that.

I was actually thinking today (while I was weeding the bloody garden) that I wouldn't actually mind Omega moving away from the Bullet Club and turning face. With him being able to speak Japanese as well he'd be extremely valuable as a marketing tool, I'd think. Plus he could allow the comedy stuff to come out without it looking too out of place.

I don't know but right now it's not working for me at all. Maybe I expected more because I heard all the hype after Wrestle Kingdom but I've yet to see anything really special. I hope he proves me wrong.


----------



## Mordecay

I would pay for New Japan World if I had the money, so as for the WWE network, but I don't have it, what can I say?

I watched it the last 3 matches and, like Nasty Yaffa said, I was a bit dissapointed with the Hiromu/Ricochet match, they started great, but it was lacking something, I think it was the crowd who was quiet most of the match. I think this match in Reseda would have been awesome but here didn't work so much. Evil/tana was what you expect, Tana defying the odds to win the match, predictable but a fun match nonetheless. Juice/Naito was fun and probably MOTN, at least for me. I don't know how likely this is, but I think one of the reasons of Juice getting pushed (besides improoving and getting over by himself) is probably NJPW giving WWE the finger and saying "Our developmental system is better, we can make stars out of your jobbers". Decent match, Juice's spinebusters looked nasty as hell, his selling of knee was good, but sometimes he forgot to sell it. I think they may have a rematch down the line since Juice never hit the Pulp Friction, maybe an upset at the G1? Decent 3 matches, but now I want to see if Okada is capable of having another MOTYc with a lesser opponent


----------



## Lariatoh!

Enjoyed the 4.29 show. A few observations:

Okada wins but takes that shot at the end to really continue the theme of FALE being dominant is pretty cool from a kayfabe standpoint. I don't like that Omega is playing second fiddle to Fale, but it's a filler title defence so no one is too concerned.

The Time Bomb must be vicious because Ricochet was kicking out of a lot of stuff. So was Takahashi though so...

Man I think Tana worked me big time. They way he walked out, it looked like he was tired, didn't want to be there and that Gedo had told him Evil was going to squash him. Then he Stone Cold baby face attacks Evil before the bell still wearing his anime superhero jacket and he's fired up. Absolutely loved it! 

Juice sold really well, but he really should have called himself something else, and got new more serious tights. Naito is so captivating to watch. You know when someone's over when a baby girl in the crowd is doing his eye pose. Someone gif that! 

And I loved the confrontation at the end with Tana and Naito. chris Charlton's Twitter said Tana said he hates how Naito treats the belt and he's back from his Dome loss to challenge him again. Naito then just tells him he's tired and Tana should hit the bricks. 

Such a different character. You could see TNA tried to copy LIJ with the DCC, but as soon as a WWE or IW guy starts disrespecting a belt and kicking it around, you know they are a straight up rip off. Naito and Okada are definitely killing it right now.


----------



## Switchblade Club

Zatiel said:


> I have NJPW World. It's a great deal, the shows almost always impress me, and while I don't watch them live, they have them uploaded in HD by the time I wake up in the morning. Watching the G1 on the app was the highlight of my wrestling year for the last two years.


It's probably worth it eh?

Is it easy to navigate or does it take some time to get used to?


----------



## SolarKhan

I'll chime in and say this:

The 4.27 show was meh. The NEVER championship match was meh. The 4.29 show was better. Naito is as over as you can get.

And as far as people not paying for NJPW World...if you truly cannot afford the $8.56 to $9.87 (it fluctuates based on currency changes) that it costs view NJPW world, then hey..that's life, but if you can afford it, and choose to torrent it...fuck you and fuck off.

These are hard working professionals, and they deserve to get paid. Paying about the price of a McDonald's value meal for a stream service subscription is amazing. Especially since you can see the shows in HD, AND go back and see previous shows...immediately, without waiting to download, nor seeding the show while you download it, or any other bullshit.


----------



## Pizzamorg

I have NJPW World too, I actually probably don't need it as I really don't watch a lot of content on it (I know why they do it but endless tag matches with singles stars who put no real effort in just doesn't appeal to me. I tune in for the two or three title matches per card and usually tune back out again. I was watching through the recent history of NJPW but kinda lost my way with it) but I like to support the pro wrestling I love. I get that you can see stuff for free, but if you love something wouldn't you want it to succeed rather than stealing from them?


----------



## Bland

Ive had njpw world from WK10 and been loving it. Works excellent with the chromecast to cast in great quality on a tv in seconds, with no problems. Ppv air live starting between 6am and 10.30am (UK time) which is perfect for me as i work nights so i get to watch live which ive rarely ever done for done WWE.I watch every major show and the occasional road to.if im about ill watch a Road to show but they arent must see for me. Still yet to go back abd watch old stuff but will do eventually. 


As for yesterdays show, love last 3 matches. Skipped the undercard as was only on hospital wifi (family member is in so have to follow visiting times so got to watch midday during break.)


----------



## Joshi Judas

T0M said:


> I'm a little surprised the main event got negative reviews as I thought it was really good. Still being pretty new to New Japan, I haven't noticed Minoru Suzuki that much but he was pretty great here, I thought. I actually find him quite frightening as a human being the way he carries himself and his mannerisms. It looks like a fucking psycho.
> 
> I thought the ending was brilliant. The intereference chair shot was shit and unnecessary but they're a heel stable, so okay, but the slaps were absolutely brutal. And I haven't seen a piledriver executed in about 15 years so that was a nice surprise.
> 
> Looking forward to Toyonokuni tomorrow.



Minoru Suzuki vs Tanahashi from King of Pro Wrestling 2012 and Suzuki vs AJ Styles from the G1 are the matches you need to watch to see MiSu at his psycho, sadistic best. He's legit one of the most frightening men on the planet.


----------



## volde

My favourite was Jr. Heavyweight match. Loved how Ricochet had a counter for most of Hiromu's big moves, but Hiromu pushed thru anyway. At this point it looks like challenger needs to have a perfect match against him to have a chance.

And favourite moment was Evil's entrance when Tana went "i'm sick of this shit" and started beating him before he even finished his entrance.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Even if they trimmed say five minutes off the fatty Main Event and put those towards towards Takahashi/Ricochet to better work the finish that match would have been perfect and it would have helped the main event too.


----------



## Zatiel

HBKRollins said:


> It's probably worth it eh?
> 
> Is it easy to navigate or does it take some time to get used to?


I don't have a lot of disposable income, but this is one of the few entertainment things I spend on. It's been worth it all year for me. The only qualifier is that I love this company and a bunch of its wrestlers (Ishii, Okada, Omega, Elgin, KUSHIDA). If you similarly really enjoy it and have ~9 bucks of discretionary income, yeah, it's super worth it.

But it does take a little while to get used to navigating it. The search function is much better than the WWE Network's was back when I subscribed to that, but the site isn't English-friendly. If you're mostly watching recent shows, they're all going to show up as the newest releases at the bottom of the front page. If you want to watch certain wrestlers or events, the keyword system works fine. I'd say it took me a day to get the hang of it. It certainly could be better, but it's more than good enough for me.


----------



## The Nuke

4/29 was a fun who, but probably a little disappointing after Sakura Genesis, which was a blast. It was also a bigger event, and these events are traditionally smaller.

Undercard was okay, nothing special, but fun in spots. Lot of repeat stuff, and seemingly just coasting until the next set of big matches hit on May 3rd at Donaku. 

Ricochet vs Hiromu was great, but I find myself like a few others thinking it should have been a bit more. As car crashes go it was definitely a spectacle. Really don't know what the booking for Hiromu will be in the BOTSJ. Going by his booking you'd think he'd win the whole damn thing. My guess is that he'll be upset in the final with his first loss.

Tana vs Evil was solid in my book. Tana being the great Tana he is, but with some age on him now. Knee surgery's I fear are going to be taking him out sooner rather than later. He may need to think some shrinking a bit too. Still a very good match. Interference was lame.

Naito vs Juice was great. Juice worked hard as fuck, and Naito did everything in his power to make Juice look like be belonged. Success. Juice's push is the how you push someone correctly, compared to what WWE does to guys. Juice will never be a main eventer, but he looks like he can hold his own with them, and that matters.

So a solid, if unspectacular show. 

NJPW World is worth it I think if you are a big fan of Pro-Wresting. IT's the best pure Wrestling promotion in the world, at least in terms of one that has money behind it. All the shows, even the one's with just tags, are easy to get through and fun to watch. Plus it's a great time to jump on board now because you have the BOTSJ, the Big WK rematches happening at Dominion, and then the G1.


----------



## JafarMustDie

Holy shit Hiromu & Ricochet tore it down! Match was exciting from beginning to the end. Rico countered like everything which was kinda funny, but Hirumo ain't run outta TIME BOMBS! Amazing match.


----------



## TeflonDixie

Bland said:


> Ive had njpw world from WK10 and been loving it. Works excellent with the chromecast to cast in great quality on a tv in seconds, with no problems. Ppv air live starting between 6am and 10.30am (UK time) which is perfect for me as i work nights so i get to watch live which ive rarely ever done for done WWE.I watch every major show and the occasional road to.if im about ill watch a Road to show but they arent must see for me. Still yet to go back abd watch old stuff but will do eventually.
> 
> 
> As for yesterdays show, love last 3 matches. Skipped the undercard as was only on hospital wifi (family member is in so have to follow visiting times so got to watch midday during break.)





The Nuke said:


> 4/29 was a fun who, but probably a little disappointing after Sakura Genesis, which was a blast. It was also a bigger event, and these events are traditionally smaller.
> 
> Undercard was okay, nothing special, but fun in spots. Lot of repeat stuff, and seemingly just coasting until the next set of big matches hit on May 3rd at Donaku.
> 
> Ricochet vs Hiromu was great, but I find myself like a few others thinking it should have been a bit more. As car crashes go it was definitely a spectacle. Really don't know what the booking for Hiromu will be in the BOTSJ. Going by his booking you'd think he'd win the whole damn thing. My guess is that he'll be upset in the final with his first loss.
> 
> Tana vs Evil was solid in my book. Tana being the great Tana he is, but with some age on him now. Knee surgery's I fear are going to be taking him out sooner rather than later. He may need to think some shrinking a bit too. Still a very good match. Interference was lame.
> 
> Naito vs Juice was great. Juice worked hard as fuck, and Naito did everything in his power to make Juice look like be belonged. Success. Juice's push is the how you push someone correctly, compared to what WWE does to guys. Juice will never be a main eventer, but he looks like he can hold his own with them, and that matters.
> 
> So a solid, if unspectacular show.
> 
> NJPW World is worth it I think if you are a big fan of Pro-Wresting. IT's the best pure Wrestling promotion in the world, at least in terms of one that has money behind it. All the shows, even the one's with just tags, are easy to get through and fun to watch. Plus it's a great time to jump on board now because you have the BOTSJ, the Big WK rematches happening at Dominion, and then the G1.


Yea this was a much better then the Suzuki vs Goto main. Don't know what happened with these two but it felt very awkward and nothing felt organic about the movement from spot to spot. The right move because Suzuki is the best heel in the company. He'd be a perfect guy to turn a guy like Juice into a star. 

I agree the undercard wasn't anything worth viewing, felt like a lot were saving themselves. 

Ricochet vs Hiromu was fun for what it was. Both looked good and Hiromu is killing it at the moment and raising the level of that division. 

Tana vs Evil was a good redemption story. Tana is probably the best storyteller in the company. Glad he's getting back up the card, it was sad the last couple of months being reduced to low-card comedy. He's still got another few years of great matches, before filling the Tenzan/Nagata/Kojima vet roles.

Naito is so good at making his opponents look like a million bucks. I wonder if they're prepping him for another IWGP run with him dropping his belt to Tana. I'll never love Juice, but he's improved big and plays the classic babyface well. The two of them made me care for what was a filler feud. A testament to how good Naito is and how much Juice has developed under the dojo system.

On NJ world. Guys and girls, its cheap as hell has great wrestling and loads of English content, with more being added every day.

*Don't be a bum, just subscribe*. Don't complain how wrestling sucks and not invest in actual quality wrestling.


----------



## spacemtfan

Where does this leave Dominion 6.11 now? I figure Tanahashi-Naito is a given now, but I am curious to see if they will bite the bullet and give us Omega-Okada at the same show, which would make this a Wrestle Kingdom rematches card. I am still planning to attend and hopefully I will pick up an event shirt this time.


----------



## Sweggeh

Minoru Suzuki does absolutely nothing for me. I dont find his style appealing in the slightest.


----------



## NastyYaffa

spacemtfan said:


> Where does this leave Dominion 6.11 now? I figure Tanahashi-Naito is a given now, but I am curious to see if they will bite the bullet and give us Omega-Okada at the same show, which would make this a Wrestle Kingdom rematches card. I am still planning to attend and hopefully I will pick up an event shirt this time.


Okada vs. Omega
Naito vs. Tanahashi
Suzuki vs. Goto
Hiromu vs. ??? (Ospreay?)

Those matches seem to be the direction they're going for. I do wonder who Hiromu is gonna face, Ospreay would be a fresh challenger for sure. Would mark for Hiromu vs. Liger but that is most likely not gonna happen.


----------



## Mordecay

I like their Japanese VTR better lol, the announcer feels more animated


----------



## Corey

spacemtfan said:


> Where does this leave Dominion 6.11 now? I figure Tanahashi-Naito is a given now, but I am curious to see if they will bite the bullet and give us Omega-Okada at the same show, which would make this a Wrestle Kingdom rematches card. I am still planning to attend and hopefully I will pick up an event shirt this time.


It does seem like they're going the route of having the double rematch, which is alright in a sense that we kinda saw it going that way, but disappointing as well because I simply don't see how it's possible that they top the matches from WK. Outcomes seem predictable now too but I'm sure they're still gonna put on a great show.



NastyYaffa said:


> Okada vs. Omega
> Naito vs. Tanahashi
> Suzuki vs. Goto
> Hiromu vs. ??? (Ospreay?)
> 
> Those matches seem to be the direction they're going for. I do wonder who Hiromu is gonna face, Ospreay would be a fresh challenger for sure. Would mark for Hiromu vs. Liger but that is most likely not gonna happen.


Ospreay was the name that came to mind when I originally first started thinking about who Hiromu could drop the title to in the future, but I think that means Ospreay would have to win BOTSJ again right? We'd have all kinds of repetition goin on there.
Save​


----------



## volde

Supposedly this is last BOTSJ for Liger so maybe he should win and get to challenge Hiromu? 

And easy way to avoid repetition is to have Fale win


----------



## NastyYaffa

volde said:


> Supposedly this is last BOTSJ for Liger so maybe he should win and get to challenge Hiromu?


Yes please :mark: Hiromu vs. Liger would be so great.


----------



## The Nuke

I think the big rematches are part of the design leading into the US tour.

Do the big matches again at pretty much the last big Event that won't be a G1 of the Summer. Pretty smart if you think about it. Both rematches will sell out the event quick, and both will be rematches of great matches.


----------



## BornBad

Naito dropping the belt to Tana' just before entering the G1 sounds very sweet for me.


----------



## V-Trigger

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/858858425803042816:ha


----------



## spacemtfan

I made up my mind and I just bought a Floor seat for NJPW Dominion 6.11 in Osaka. Last year I was in the stands quite far away from the ring so this will be even better! I will also know better and not squeeze 76 things before the show, causing me to miss the dark match since I was in line for merchandise.


----------



## HOJO

BrotherNero said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/858858425803042816:ha


Cringe

At least it's not the real New Japan English account


----------



## YankBastard

I don't know much about NJPW. Can someone explain how the G1 Tournament works? Or is there a youtube video out there that explains it?


----------



## The Nuke

YankBastard said:


> I don't know much about NJPW. Can someone explain how the G1 Tournament works? Or is there a youtube video out there that explains it?


It's a round robin. 2 Blocks(A and B).

Each Wrestler fights everyone in his block once. Whoever has the most points at the end goes on to face the winner of the other block. Winner of that match wins G1, and gets contract to face IWGP champ at Wrestle Kingdom. The G1 winner usually has to defend his contract against those who beat him in the tournament. Not sure, but I think the champion usually has to as well(IWGP Champ is usually always in the tournament as well)

2 points for a win

1 point for a draw

0 for a loss


----------



## YankBastard

The Nuke said:


> It's a round robin. 2 Blocks(A and B).
> 
> Each Wrestler fights everyone in his block once. Whoever has the most points at the end goes on to face the winner of the other block. Winner of that match wins G1, and gets contract to face IWGP champ at Wrestle Kingdom. The G1 winner usually has to defend his contract against those who beat him in the tournament. Not sure, but I think the champion usually has to as well(IWGP Champ is usually always in the tournament as well)
> 
> 2 points for a win
> 
> 1 point for a draw
> 
> 0 for a loss


Ah ok. So it's like King of the Ring meets Champions League meet Royal Rumble. Cool. How long does the tournament last? Is it a PPV or does it go on for each week during regular broadcasting? I don't even know how many shows NPJW has per week.


----------



## spacemtfan

YankBastard said:


> Ah ok. So it's like King of the Ring meets Champions League meet Royal Rumble. Cool. How long does the tournament last? Is it a PPV or does it go on for each week during regular broadcasting? I don't even know how many shows NPJW has per week.


Its a month long tournament with a show every 1-2 days. When group A has tournament matches, B group has tag team matches and vice versa, usually to add heat on the next tournament matches. Here's an example: say Okada is fighting Omega the next show, they will be thrown in a tag team match against each others along with buddies from their faction to raise excitement for their match.

Also, if Okada is still champ and he lose a match to someone, he will usually defend his title against him after the G1. The current feud with Bad Luck Fale stems from a Fale win last year in the G1 over Okada.


----------



## YankBastard

spacemtfan said:


> Its a month long tournament with a show every 1-2 days. When group A has tournament matches, B group has tag team matches and vice versa, usually to add heat on the next tournament matches. Here's an example: say Okada is fighting Omega the next show, they will be thrown in a tag team match against each others along with buddies from their faction to raise excitement for their match.
> 
> Also, if Okada is still champ and he lose a match to someone, he will usually defend his title against him after the G1. The current feud with Bad Luck Fale stems from a Fale win last year in the G1 over Okada.


Is NPJW air anywhere in America? If so, how far out are the tapings from where they actually happened?


----------



## spacemtfan

YankBastard said:


> Is NPJW air anywhere in America? If so, how far out are the tapings from where they actually happened?


The recap shows on AXS are currently a few months late, so you can't rely on that for the current rivalries. I would strongly suggest registering on their official streaming site, http://njpwworld.com/ . NJPW World is quite cheap at 999 yens a month (8.91$ US) and you get all the major events along with the Korakuen Hall shows streamed live. They also have a great archive and if you can't watch live at night or in the morning, it doesn't take them long to upload the shows. Also, tournament and G1 matches are all shown even if they are held at house shows.

The major shows have Kevin Kelly and Don Callis (WWF the Jackyl/ECW Cyrus the Virus) providing english commentary.


----------



## Mordecay

I don't know if those VTRs purpose were, but if their goal was make me dislike Fale they failed, I actually like him more now. So hyped for the match


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

Should be a hell of a main event with Okada and Fale!

I've been watching the undercard matches in English for a while but this is the first time World has been buffering so I'll go with Japanese commentary for tonight. :jjones

Commentators in fear of being Maruoed every time Suzuki comes through.

If they do Suzuki vs. Yano at Dominion, that would be legit #BUYS.

Oooof Finlay landed kinda rough there.

Juice is getting over as hell. :mark:

NAITOOOOOOOOO TETSUYAAAAAAA


----------



## AngryConsumer

TRANQUILLO! 

F*ck that belt! :mark:


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

This is a 1999 brawl.

Juice will not be denied!

The bad blood between these two when it comes to that Jr. Championship is insane.

Kushida been taking all the Ls. :mj2

Bruh Takahashi looked so legit carrying both those belts on his shoulders!

MARTY SCURLL
VOLADOR
DRAGON LEE
ACH 

ALL IN THE BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS. :rusev


----------



## Little Miss Ingobernable

Rainmaka! said:


> MARTY SCURLL
> VOLADOR
> DRAGON LEE
> ACH
> 
> ALL IN THE BEST OF THE SUPER JUNIORS. :rusev


*Throws panties to the TV screen*

:sodone


----------



## Tanahashis_Hair

The Villain in the BOSJ :banderas


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

The A Block for BOSJ looks flames yo.


----------



## Bland

BOSJ will be insane, loving the line up and the surprise inclusions of Marty & ACH.


----------



## Tanahashis_Hair

To think we might get Ospreay v. Ricochet in NJPW part 2. :mark:


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

Bread Club :mark:


----------



## Tanahashis_Hair

I hope War Machine retain.


----------



## Tanahashis_Hair

Kojima is my spirit animal.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

WAR MACHINE ARE STRONK

It's crazy that New Japan has made War Machine seem more special here than anytime they were in ROH since 2014.


----------



## Tanahashis_Hair

War Machine are fucking beast!


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

War Machine retain! Annnnnnnd of course GOD had to get their no-heat back.


----------



## maxninepower

*Marty Scurl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

Can't believe the language I heard. SAD!


----------



## Tanahashis_Hair

Gooooooooo ACE! :mark: :mark:


----------



## NastyYaffa

Marty vs. Taichi is gonna be the MOTY


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

:lmao Taguchi telling the ref to watch for SANADA's hair.

Ishii/Omega II hype :mark: :mark: :mark:


----------



## Tanahashis_Hair

KENNY OMEGA VS. TOMOHIRO ISHII


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

Kenny really is a wonderful man.


----------



## Tanahashis_Hair

Ishii ain't fucking around tonight yo!


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

Kenny this is a bad idea. Ishii has gone to war with Shibata. He doesn't care about your slaps.


----------



## Tanahashis_Hair

Ishii's neck>


----------



## Insomnia

:kdamn


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

KENNY HIT THE ONE WINGED ANGEL AND WON!!!! :mark: :mark:


----------



## Insomnia

Good match.


----------



## MisTicO_

Omega Vs Ishii Fucking beautiful!


----------



## Tanahashis_Hair

:rusev Wow what a match!


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

Ever since Okada was able to dodge the OWA, he's been barely able to get by in every Championship defense. Will his (Bad) luck run out?


----------



## Tanahashis_Hair

The transition from Young Lion to The Under Boss is amazing.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

kada kada kada kada kada kada

Okada is a tall dude.


----------



## Joshi Judas

Hoping for GOATKada to turn in another superlative performance here kada


----------



## Tanahashis_Hair

Damn, how the hell is Okada going to beat Fale?


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

Not smart to try and lift Fale this early in the match, Okada.

Holy crap!


----------



## Tanahashis_Hair

Fale sweating like Goldberg after receiving one F5.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

Best damn Dropkick in the business! :bahgawd


----------



## Tanahashis_Hair

Took too long setting up the Bad Luck Fall!


----------



## Mordecay

Okada's worst singles match this year, still in the ***3/4-**** range lol


----------



## BornBad

pretty anticlimactic main event

"MATE OMEGA KENNY !"


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

Okada/Omega II tease!


----------



## Tanahashis_Hair

HERE WE GO :mark: :mark:


----------



## Mordecay

Okada challenging Kenny :mark::mark::mark::mark::mark::mark::mark::mark::mark::mark:


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

That said it all right.


----------



## spacemtfan

Good thing I booked my ticket for Dominion 6.11 a few days ago! That will be a sellout for sure with Okada/Omega and Naito/Tanahashi part two. Its a large arena where they can cram over 14000-15000 people, so I think they may even sell out the standing room spots.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

So who's gonna make the Dominion thread?


----------



## Tanahashis_Hair

Rainmaka! said:


> So who's gonna make the Dominion thread?


Yeah, no way that show is not getting its own thread.


----------



## TD Stinger

> - Above, NJPW revealed the participants for the upcoming Best of the Super Juniors tournament. The tournament is divided into two blocks, round-robin style, with the top scorers from each block facing off in the finals. Last year's winner was Will Ospreay. Wrestlers included this year are:
> 
> A Block
> Jushin Thunder Liger
> Ricochet
> Dragon Lee
> Will Ospreay
> Marty Scurll
> Taichi
> Taka Michinoku
> Hiromu Takahashi
> 
> B Block
> Tiger Mask
> Ryusuke Taguchi
> KUSHIDA
> Volador Jr
> ACH
> Kanemaru
> Desperado
> BUSHI


Stacked lineup for BOTSJ. Is this Scurll's NJPW debut?


----------



## NastyYaffa

Hyped for Liger vs. Hiromu & KUSHIDA vs. Taguchi :mark:


----------



## volde

Didn't have enough time to watch first part of the show so commenting only on what I saw:

Juice/Kushida vs Hiromu/Naito match - fun match and really continuing on to build Kushida/Hiromu feud. I wonder whats next for Juice? Taguchi Japan and challenging for those NEVER belts?
Tag teams - glad that War Machine retained and somewhat sad that BC team will probably continue challenging them. I think NJPW really needs to add new team since KES is not around and Honma is injured, I'd hope for Goto/Ishii or Evil/Sanada to get a run. 
Never belts - good match, but I'm not a fan of these titles being hot potatoed between these two teams. I guess reasoning is that Tana is going to win IC belt and they don't want him with two belts. But really, same as with tag teams, maybe its time to add some new team here? 
Omega/Ishii - MOTN for me and better than their NJCUP match which was already great. And it looked like Ishii got really good crowd reactions even after getting pinned? So rare case of someone getting elevating in defeat? Okada managed to do that with his title defences so I guess NJPW would want Omega doing something similar with his run too.
Okada/Fale - was what it was supposed to be. Personally I liked Fale/Shibata match better and it didn't help that they had to follow Omega/Ishii. I also liked those NJPW videos about Fale, gave some depth to Fale asides of generic "big bad monster heel" gimmick that he was running around for years.


----------



## Mordecay

I saw the BOSJ line up. Block A is stacked af, I can see Ricochet, Hiromu, Marty, Dragon Lee or Ospreay winning it. Block B is Kushida's block to lose tbh, maybe Taguchi or BUSHi can make an upset, but honestly I don't see it


----------



## TJQ

Scurll in BOSJ


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

The Villain vs The Ticking Time Bomb


----------



## volde

The Villain joins BC/Elite? They don't have dedicated Jr. Heavyweight competitor and he has been, if I'm not mistaken, popping up on The Elite Youtube channel for a while now.


----------



## TeflonDixie

So Omega and Ishii. Are you fucking kidding me.


----------



## V-Trigger

wens3


----------



## BornBad

TAKA and Taichi in the same block 







:grrr


----------



## Corey

Fucking hell that BOTSJ lineup looks nutty. :done

And wow, nothing on the show went over 25 minutes! :lol


----------



## V-Trigger

Rooting for Liger in this BOTSJ.


----------



## Genking48

BornBad said:


>












Really fucking rad


----------



## TeflonDixie

So omega vs Okada II...Life is good. Not at TDome, but Money well spent.


----------



## Omega Creed

Okada/Omega II..The Villain in NJPW...woooooow Loving it Kenny/Ishii stole it tonight though. Ishii with that reverserana was insane haha.


----------



## HOJO

Now this is amazing shit here


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/859655340572499968

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/859660150444969984


----------



## volde

Saw some tweets that this year Dotanku outdrew last year's by around 800 (6.1k versus 5.3k) tickets despite, on paper, having weaker card. Big Draw Fale.


----------



## Corey

volde said:


> Saw some tweets that this year Dotanku outdrew last year's by around 800 (6.1k versus 5.3k) tickets despite, on paper, having weaker card. Big Draw Fale.


That definitely surprises me considering how hot of an act Naito was at this time last year.

Styles & Okada set the Dominion record with their rematch 2 years ago (over 11k). Wonder what we'll see with this rematch.


----------



## BornBad

Corey said:


> Wonder what we'll see with this rematch.


Omega winning the belt before the G1 and the US tour is pretty obvious. 

I always said that after Okada and Okada are going for a trilogy this year and now with the US Tour coming in the summer the likely scenario is Omega is walking off Osaka with the belt. 


Yeah i guess with Naito/Tana rematch Dominion deserves his own topic


----------



## Switchblade Club

I really enjoyed Fale vs Okada and Omega vs Ishii.

Cody vs Finlay was also pretty good.


----------



## Zatiel

Pretty sure that Okada is retaining until Wrestle Kingdom, when Naito will end his epic reign and officially become A-Show guy for a while. Naito and Okada are their long term future, where Omega might not even be here in a year.

I am entirely unprepared for Omega fanboys reacting to him losing a second time. And I love the guy. But even if it somehow tops their first match, I just know people will throw fits.


----------



## The High King

Okada and Fale was better than expected but I expected shit so that was achieved easily.
Ishii as always was superb and like goto and formerly Shibata the 3 unsung heroes of NJPW
Tag match was good, the trios champs match was what it was , a usual non important thing that only served to make LIJ look good, but not sure why they took the belts of them only to put them back on.
Minoru looks to sticking in the midcard,

And seeing Jado and Yano in a ring is always an excuse to skip a match

BOtSJ's will seen the final nail in Suzuki gun as Gedo will make sure the 2 members of Gun in each block will make up the numbers.
At least it might stop the recent burying of Kushida


----------



## The Nuke

I think a possible alternate scenario for the rest of the year is.....

Omega beats Okada. Okada wins the G1. Naito beats Omega in the G1, setting up a rematch, that will have Naito beat Omega. Naito goes in to WK as champ.

Not likely, but a thought.

It's not guaranteed that Omega will beat Okada, but it seems like the most likely course. That being said if the match is an attempt to go as long as the first, then they might actually DRAW.


----------



## Lariatoh!

Business-wise, I think it makes the most sense to have Omega go to the U.S. tour as Champion. Gedo though very rarely (if at all) deviates from the plan, even when there's a huge reaction to someone (i.e.Omega in January). But then again, the plan all along could very well be Omega as Champ for the U.S. tour, so...

Okada going into the Dome as Champ again is same, same. So Gedo might want to have him chase this year and go in as challenger and win the belt for a big good feel moment.


----------



## Sweggeh

I think Omega wins the title at Dominion to carry it into the G1. Then NJPW tell him to decide to sign an extension now or he drops the title at KOPW back to Okada, to set up Okada - Naito. And Omega will face Ibushi at WK12.

Or Omega signs and takes it to WK12 to face Naito? Thats also a possibility. But I cant see Okada not being in the main event. If Omega vs Okada II garners as much attention and critical acclaim as the first one did I can see them finishing the trilogy at Wrestle Kingdom.


----------



## Corey

Willing to guess that none of us can correctly predict what's gonna happen because no one in their right mind had Omega winning the G1 last year. NO ONE



BornBad said:


> Omega winning the belt before the G1 and the US tour is pretty obvious.
> 
> I always said that after Okada and Okada are going for a trilogy this year and now with the US Tour coming in the summer the likely scenario is Omega is walking off Osaka with the belt.


I was really just referring to the attendance number for the show.


----------



## TJQ

Okada really out here having good matches with everybody under the sun.


----------



## volde

Corey said:


> That definitely surprises me considering how hot of an act Naito was at this time last year.


This is probably a result of product in general having a good couple of years so there are a bit more people interested in it regardless of who is headlining.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*So a ton of Dragon Gate news has come out over the weekend. First, Masato Yoshino is back full time, as he wrestled over the weekend. First, he teamed with Doi & Ben-K to defeat Jimmyz in Kyoto, & then he teamed with a returning Kotoka in a losing effort against Big R & Doi. After the match, Kotoka managed to convince Doi to let him in the new group.

Speaking of which the new unit officially has a name: MaxiMum. Here's a picture of the unit together:*










*And now there's no more DG shows until Dead or Alive. I'll admit that this show doesn't have the hype last years had (although last year was gonna be hard to top anyways), but I would be a liar to say that I'm not looking forward to this show at all. The Brave Gate match will be huge for Yamamura so I expect they'll give him & Kagetora a good amount of time. CIMA, Dragon Kid, T-Hawk & Lindaman will likely tear the house down & of course, the Dead or Alive match should be fun.*


----------



## Genking48

That's a pretty based unit.....how long before Doi turns on Yoshino?


----------



## Deadman's Hand

Genking48 said:


> That's a pretty based unit.....how long before Doi turns on Yoshino?


*Probably 2-3 years. They'll hate each other, then Doi will turn face, then they'll team up again & the cycle repeats itself. :lol*


----------



## Lariatoh!

So great to hear Yoshino is ok and capable of performing. I'll try and catch that show. He was the reason for me watching DG.

And....

What the fuck is the point of the NJPW English commentary if they aren't going to translate the promos at the end of the show? Okada spoke with passion at the end there and it sounded so much more than his usual catch cry. And from what I've read on this board, there are so many new people watching NJPW now, even if it was the same old stuff he says, they've got to grab the new watchers by telling them what They are saying. 

Pretty damn poor.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Oh apparently I missed another NJPW show? Random time for it to be on and so soon after the last event. Card looks kinda weak, anything I missed out on?


----------



## Sweggeh

The English commentators for NJPW are some of the worst commentators I have heard, ever. Which is dumb since the Japanese guys sound so great and really make matches better even without knowing wtf they are talking about.

Kevin Kelly seems like a good guy but he really can't carry a commentary team. He would be decent as a 3rd guy behind two better commentators.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Sweggeh said:


> The English commentators for NJPW are some of the worst commentators I have heard, ever. Which is dumb since the Japanese guys sound so great and really make matches better even without knowing wtf they are talking about.
> 
> Kevin Kelly seems like a good guy but he really can't carry a commentary team. He would be decent as a 3rd guy behind two better commentators.


Correct about Kelly and he gets the names of moves wrong so often. Don is the f*cking worst though, he's uninteresting, his voice is annoying and he can almost take you out of a match.


----------



## Lariatoh!

I would forgive their actual shitty-ness IF they would translate the damn promos. But because they don't I'm going back to the Japanese commentary.


----------



## The High King

MarkyWhipwreck said:


> Correct about Kelly and he gets the names of moves wrong so often. Don is the f*cking worst though, he's uninteresting, his voice is annoying and he can almost take you out of a match.


I never liked Kelly but its a case of gotten use to him but that Don dude it the pitz.
I prefer the Japanese language as it makes it feel more special.
Only reason to watch the English version is for Kelly to give a sort of synopsis of what is said in post match interviews


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

The High King said:


> I never liked Kelly but its a case of gotten use to him but that Don dude it the pitz.
> I prefer the Japanese language as it makes it feel more special.
> Only reason to watch the English version is for Kelly to give a sort of synopsis of what is said in post match interviews


My sentiments exactly, I've gotten use to Kevin Kelly since he's been with ROH for so long but Don is horrid.

And yeah, Japanese commentary just sounds so invested, the big moves hit with more impact because of the commentators etc.


----------



## Mordecay

NJPW Wrestle Doyonokumi Meltzer ratings

Liger/Oka/Kawato vs. Tiger Mask/Kitamura/Shota Umino **
RPG Vice vs. Kanemaru/Despy **
SANADA/BUSHI vs. Taguchi/Yoshitatsu *1/4
Bullet Club vs. Tencozy/Finlay *1/2
CHAOS vs. Suzuki-gun **3/4
CHAOS vs. Bullet Club ***
Takahashi vs. Ricochet ****1/2
Tanahashi vs. Evil ***3/4
Juice vs. Naito ****

Also rated:

RPG Vice vs. Taichi/Kanemaru **1/4
Suzuki vs. Goto ***3/4

No report on Dontaku yet, I guess he still hasn't watch it because he was inducted in some HOF

Only can comment on the last 3 matches of the Doyonokumi card. I think Meltzer is a bit of a mark of Hiromu, don't get me wrong, I like Hiromu, but he has qualified all of his singles matches ****+ with the exception of his 2nd match with Kushida and I honestly don't think they were that good. In fact, my favorite Hiromu match this year was against Big Match Taguchi and this match against Ricochet, while good, I think it was **** at best, I was slightly dissapointed when I watched it. I think the ratings for the next 2 matches were about right though, happy to see Juice getting the credit he deserves


----------



## The High King

Fuck meltzer
Fuck every self important cunt who rates them like he is some expert as in the end the only persons opinion that should matter to you is your own.

Over the years I have watched some great matches and then seen so called experts tell me what I saw was 2 star or whatever.
Another few times I put off matches in the past based on a rating only to be disappointed at the so called classic I was expecting to see, or I was impressed by a match that was previously deemed average.
Meltzer should stick to what he is good at, gossip based on rumor.


----------



## Lariatoh!

After Ishii vs. Omega, and you can disagree with me, but I think Omega has taken over Nakamura as the master of the knee strikes. Man he delivered some absolutely brutal/beautiful knees and then transitioned seamlessly into covers... 

I was sad when that match was over... Omega is getting better every match!



The High King said:


> Fuck meltzer
> Fuck every self important cunt who rates them like he is some expert as in the end the only persons opinion that should matter to you is your own.
> 
> Over the years I have watched some great matches and then seen so called experts tell me what I saw was 2 star or whatever.
> Another few times I put off matches in the past based on a rating only to be disappointed at the so called classic I was expecting to see, or I was impressed by a match that was previously deemed average.
> Meltzer should stick to what he is good at, gossip based on rumor.


I agree. I'm not going to call myself an expert, and I never say that match was this many stars... I just say that I loved the match. Everyone has different opinions and Meltzer obviously has his, where many of us have our own on what was fun to watch and what didn't suit our tastes.


----------



## The High King

At Wrestle Kingdom for example everyone went on about this so called 6 star match between comedy goon Omega and Okada and it was a great match but not 6 star.
In fact I came away thinking the Naito and Tanahashi was better., as that was my opinion and there will be plenty who have their opinion and entitled to it, but anyone that gives 6 stars when the max by their own scale is 5 is a fucking dickhead.


----------



## BulletClubFangirl

The High King said:


> Fuck meltzer
> Fuck every self important cunt who rates them like he is some expert as in the end the only persons opinion that should matter to you is your own.
> 
> Over the years I have watched some great matches and then seen so called experts tell me what I saw was 2 star or whatever.
> Another few times I put off matches in the past based on a rating only to be disappointed at the so called classic I was expecting to see, or I was impressed by a match that was previously deemed average.
> Meltzer should stick to what he is good at, gossip based on rumor.


What a retarded thing to get triggered by. He's said that his ratings are just his opinions and if anyone thinks a match is 5 stars then it's 5 stars because it's all subjective. He simply realises that some people might be interested in his opinions on a match since he's been watching wrestling for a long time. It makes a good reference point for matches to check out as well. A lot of wrestling fans refer to his ratings as proof of how good their faves are or how shit the wrestlers they don't like are but that's on those fans, not Meltzer.


----------



## The High King

BulletClubFangirl said:


> What a retarded thing to get triggered by. He's said that his ratings are just his opinions and if anyone thinks a match is 5 stars then it's 5 stars because it's all subjective. He simply realises that some people might be interested in his opinions on a match since he's been watching wrestling for a long time. It makes a good reference point for matches to check out as well. A lot of wrestling fans refer to his ratings as proof of how good their faves are or how shit the wrestlers they don't like are but that's on those fans, not Meltzer.


No retarded is when a gossip queen like meltzer devises his own scale of zero to five stars and then gives a 6 star rating.
The guy cannot even follow his own criteria.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

The High King said:


> Fuck meltzer
> Fuck every self important cunt who rates them like he is some expert as in the end the only persons opinion that should matter to you is your own.
> 
> Over the years I have watched some great matches and then seen so called experts tell me what I saw was 2 star or whatever.
> Another few times I put off matches in the past based on a rating only to be disappointed at the so called classic I was expecting to see, or I was impressed by a match that was previously deemed average.
> Meltzer should stick to what he is good at, gossip based on rumor.


:lmao You are so easily triggered by Big Money Meltz. The only person on the planet that doesn't care about Dave Meltzer's opinion is Dave Meltzer. And the majority of people who post in the MOTYC thread use MELTZER's system and rate matches they like or don't like so fuck us too? :hmmm


----------



## Genking48

Dead or Alive time soon! :mark:


----------



## Joshi Judas

I hate the English commentary at times because they can get too Matt Strikery by getting unnecessarily smarky.

For example, when Okada called out Omega, the announcers are saying "Many people thought Omega was the better performer and that's gotta eat at Okada" or something in those lines. Why would you acknowledge something like that in kayfabe? They should be saying Okada was the better man coz he won, but it was too close, or that people felt he got lucky so he wants to prove them wrong by beating Kenny.

Another time was in a Naito match, don't remember which one exactly. But these same people start saying how since he came back from Mexico with his new attitude, he got more "over". I hate when insider terms like those are used on a live broadcast.

Other than that, they're mostly fine. I watched Okada/Shibata with English commentary and it was pretty good. Just never let Yoshi Tatsu sit with them :lmao

I've always preferred Japanese commentary. The passion and intensity just makes the match that much better.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

I only watch NJPW shows with English commentary during the undercard and that's it. I think Kelly/Callis are serviceable. :draper2


----------



## Lariatoh!

I just love it when the Japanese commentators have brain anurisyms when they are calling a move two or three times in a row with squeals that pierce the ear drums!!! Glorious!


----------



## Genking48

It's time!!!


----------



## Joshi Judas

Lariatoh! said:


> I just love it when the Japanese commentators have brain anurisyms when they are calling a move two or three times in a row with squeals that pierce the ear drums!!! Glorious!



It's apparent from your username :lol

Damn I love Japanese commentators going nuts. LARIATOOOO!! HIGH FRY FRO!!! BOMA YEE!!


----------



## Genking48

Best call ever made by a commentator


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

According to Big Money Meltz on the newest WOR, Zack Sabre Jr. is being positioned as a Heavyweight in NJPW and is apparently going to take part in the G1 Climax this year.


----------



## Genking48

When a competitor in the G1 is smaller than the Jr. Heavyweight champ :aries2


----------



## volde

Suspected as much when he was absent from BOTSJ line-up, but it really makes no sense.


----------



## Genking48

Shingo is ready for the cage match!


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/860412733887455232


----------



## NastyYaffa

Genking48 said:


> Best call ever made by a commentator


Good 2nd:


----------



## Genking48

Main event time, posting the rules to be clear



> _credit: iheartdg.com_
> The rules for the Dead or Alive 2017 steel cage main event have been announced and are as follows.
> 
> *-*Flags will be place at the top of the cage at each corner. The Dream Gate title belt will be placed on the center pole.
> *-*The Takagi, Kong, Hulk, & Doi must first retrieve a flag. Once they have done so, they will gain Dream Gate challenger status.
> *-*The four challengers can be eliminated via pin or submission at any time during the match. This can occur before they are able to retrieve a challenger flag. An eliminated competitor must leave the cage.
> *-*YAMATO must compete during the entire match, but will not be able to retrieve the title belt until there is only 1 challenger remaining. He can not be eliminated via pin fall or submission at any point during the match.
> *-*The match will progress until YAMATO and 1 challenger remain. The match can then be won by retrieving the Dream Gate title belt to win.
> *-*The final competitor left in the cage will lose their hair or mask.


----------



## NastyYaffa

:mj2


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

That stuff about Shibata is fucking horrifying. It's the kind of stuff you hear about people who've been in motorcycle accidents

I was going to have a long whinge about how the set up Omega vs Okada sucked (it was backwards) but I don't much feel like it now.

Fuck


----------



## Omega Creed

Rainmaka! said:


> According to Big Money Meltz on the newest WOR, Zack Sabre Jr. is being positioned as a Heavyweight in NJPW and is apparently going to take part in the G1 Climax this year.


I get they're going with the Ultimo Dragon aspect with him getting belts from all over and while I don't ever see him winning the IWGP heavyweight title, I can see an IC title but the problem is he's not believable as a heavyweight. I don't see the logic behind positioning him as a heavyweight.


----------



## Fizanko

Anyone has a link to that "Shibata REAL TALK blog" ?
I wish to know if what's reported on that guy's twitter is actually real, because the twitter user source was this :
https://twitter.com/deathbearbrown/status/860488571882356737









I really hope Shibata is going to get better in case this report is actually true and not just some "tumblr" bullshit, i sure hope it's still one of the best njpw elaborated work though.
At least he didn't injured Okada with that stupid headbutt.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Just watched Omega/Ishii from Dontaku and I just want to say that I think this is the best match NJPW have done all year, yes even better than Omega/Okada. 

I know controversial opinion but I’m actually not a huge fan of NJ booking at least when it comes to main events or marquee matches, the whole fighting spirit stuff, the fact they basically do squash matches spread over 30+ minutes of bloated, baggy, nothing with the same predictable spots and finishes and shenans. Like I feel like every Okada/Naito match I’ve watched this year I’ve loved the first 40% of it, been pretty meh about it for the next 50% and then left so damn frustrated and pissed off by the last ten percent the whole experience leaves a sour taste in my mouth as I feel like I had my time wasted. 

I dunno whether Ishii and Omega being free of any concrete ramifications (in the sense that no title is on the line, there is no official stipulation in place) but still being a big match in all other sense freed them but it’s the first NJ marquee match of this kind of scale this year where after one watch I knew the booking was perfection. 

…I didn’t need to play it back three or four times, analyse it and study it, before I start to buy into the hype or at least trick myself the hype is there. I mean admittedly I love Okada/Omega now but my first gut reaction to the match was pretty negative, my second reaction was mostly kinda “eh, I guess it isn’t THAT bad” and then by the third I either started to appreciate the match or had just sold myself on the hype and rolled with it… 

…Getting back to Omega/Ishii, Both men left it all in the ring, both men looked like fucking warriors bell to bell as the intense, emotional, physical battle raged and never stopped until the One Winged Angel was unleashed. Yes it did come down to the “Bigger Star” using the more “Marketable Move” to end the match again but it was logically woven into the epic tale of the match and Omega had to work his damn arse off for that finish in a way I don’t feel like Naito or Okada are often tasked with earning. Maybe because they are Japanese. 

This match was, in short, wrestling nirvana and I’d be cool with hotshotting it straight to the top of my pile of “best matches of the year” if Havoc and Ospreay hadn’t worked the so important “Fans Bring The Weapons Match” at a PROGRESS show earlier in the year. 

I got Fale and Okada up next, I'll try and catch it over the weekend but regardless of how that turns out, at least we got this near perfect as things can be match.


----------



## The Nuke

I kinda felt that they saw Sabre more as a heavyweight than a junior. Which is why they worked him against Goto immediately. His style just fits the heavyweight scene even though he himself is only 100lbs.

I doubt he'll win the belt, ever, but matches against Okada, Tana, Naito, etc will be AWESOME. Big chance for him to become a big star.

Watched Donaku over 2 days. The undercard was actually pretty fun. You could skip it, but still fun. Even the Sozukigun match was fun, with Sozuki beating up people outside the ring and kicking stuff for most of the match.

Tag Title match was good, but I don't think there was any reason for GOD to be in the match. Especially since they're next in line anyway. NJPW really needs some tag teams. What they have are fine, and NJPW tag style is was energetic as opposed to WWE's same old hot tag style. 

Okada vs Ishii was great. So much better than the first. Perhaps the first was overhyped for me, but I just wasn't feeling that one. This was great from start to finish.

Fale vs Okada was everything it should have been, and as usual Fale had a good match with Okada.

the road to Dominion begins, and big rematches are afoot. First the BOTSJ, which has all the ingredients of being Awesome.


----------



## HOJO

Genking48 said:


> Main event time, posting the rules to be clear


I took one good look at the match before the show and knew who was losing. But how was it?


----------



## Miguel De Juan

The njpw mainevent are not squashes. The job guy gets no offense in during a squash and is killed in a minute. Almost all the guys in the njpw mainevents that lose are protected and I don't think any of them get their finishers kicked out of and most don't even hit it yet. Suzuki, Shibata, Tiger Mask W (Ibushi), Juice, and Evil have all been protected over the last few months. The same with Elgin. NJPW may not be your cup of tea but all the squash stuff is done with young lions and in rare cases Kushida setting up a long term story.

NXT and WWE are the only ones doing true squash matches that I have seen mostly with no names and development dudes.


----------



## TeflonDixie

The Villain said:


> I get they're going with the Ultimo Dragon aspect with him getting belts from all over and while I don't ever see him winning the IWGP heavyweight title, I can see an IC title but the problem is he's not believable as a heavyweight. I don't see the logic behind positioning him as a heavyweight.


ZSJ is all kinds of amazing but the guy needs to put on some muscle. He would look ridiculous in the heavys. Yes he makes it work because he's a great wrestler, but there's a shelf-life before it goes beyond the realms of realism.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

HOJO said:


> I took one good look at the match before the show and knew who was losing. But how was it?


*Very fun clusterfuck, with tons of shenanigans from all 5 stables. That being said, last years was better.*


----------



## The High King

Miguel De Juan said:


> The njpw mainevent are not squashes. The job guy gets no offense in during a squash and is killed in a minute. Almost all the guys in the njpw mainevents that lose are protected and I don't think any of them get their finishers kicked out of and most don't even hit it yet. Suzuki, Shibata, Tiger Mask W (Ibushi), Juice, and Evil have all been protected over the last few months. The same with Elgin. NJPW may not be your cup of tea but all the squash stuff is done with young lions and in rare cases Kushida setting up a long term story.
> 
> NXT and WWE are the only ones doing true squash matches that I have seen mostly with no names and development dudes.


Totally agree with this


----------



## HOJO

"protecting" "Suzuki"
yeah sure ok

But yeah, while the squash thing is quite false, the whole New Japan match structure is one of the weakest(or worst) in Japan that I've seen currently.


----------



## Corey

I hope we can at least all agree that KUSHIDA got squashed.


----------



## HOJO

I don't wanna keep doing late revisions to a post i already made so I'm gonna post separately

Speaking of Suzuki, he's back in DDT as well. First teaming with Rocky Kanemura vs Sanshiro Takagi and Super Sasadango Machine in SSM's return match since being out of action due to heart problems on the 28th in Korakuen Hall









The 2nd is a Street Wrestling Match that DDT usually does. Though technically an empty arena match, because it's Suzuki vs Takagi in and empty Tokyo Dome. Not kidding about that. 









Also I saw nothing from Dave but Yoshihiro Takayama got injured at a DDT show in Osaka


DramaticDDT.com said:


> Takayama injured himself after attempting a Sunset Flip on Yasu Urano, landing on his head. He could not move afterwards so the match was stopped and declared a TKO win for Urano’s team. Takayama was stretchered into an ambulance and taken to hospital afterwards. He was still conscious and able to speak in the meantime. As for Urano, he was awarded Takayama’s Right To Challenge Contract because of the match result.
> 
> DDT has provided an update on Yoshihiro Takayama after his injury during yesterday’s show. Takayama suffered a cervical spinal cord injury and was diagnosed with degenerative cervical spondylosis. However he is still going under examinations so the diagnosis could change. With that said, Takayama will be out of action for a while and there is no date yet for his return.


He was supposed to face Konosuke Takeshita on the 28th and he and Danshoku Dino were going to defend their Tag Titles vs Takeshita and Akito the week before. Speculation is Urano will go in his place, which is funny all this happened after Urano announce he was going to leave DDT and become a freelancer.

Best of luck to Takayama, though. His run in DDT has been really good


----------



## Miguel De Juan

HOJO said:


> "protecting" "Suzuki"
> yeah sure ok
> 
> But yeah, while the squash thing is quite false, the whole New Japan match structure is one of the weakest(or worst) in Japan that I've seen currently.


Suzuki never hit the gotch pile driver on Okada and tortured him the entire match. He is 48 and while great njpw needs to move on from Suzukigun.

Your opinion is your opinion. Don't like new japan don't watch it. There are tons of wrestling orgs out there so why waste time on stuff you don't like. I don't waste time on Ring of Honor, Chikara, Wrestle 1, AAA, and TNA.


----------



## Genking48

HOJO said:


> I took one good look at the match before the show and knew who was losing. But how was it?


It was great, these cage matches are always the highlight of the year for me, nothing in wrestling comes close in my opinion. They are usually 50 minutes long, an hour and a half with post match stuff, but I never feel that they are that long due to so much stuff happening. It isn't really a technical masterpiece but it's so entertaining to watch.

Anyways, results from iheartdg



> *Aichi, Aichi Prefectural Gym
> Dead or Alive 2017
> 6000 Attendance*
> *0. *Jimmy Kanda{W}, Shachihoko Boy (6:14 Ryu’s) Shun Skywalker, Hyou Watanabe{L}
> *1. *Kzy, Yosuke Santa Maria, Flamita{W} (8:01 Flam Fly) Gamma, Eita, Draztick Boy{L}
> *2. *Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fujii{W} (10:55 Super Choke Slam) “brother” YASSHI, Punch Tominaga{L}
> *3. *Open the Brave Gate Championship Match: Jimmy Kagetora (13:42 Kurumagakari) Takehiro Yamamura
> _*1st Defense_
> *4. *Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!!, Jimmy Susumu, Ryo “Jimmy” Saito{W}, Jimmy K-ness J.K.S. (13:47 Double Cross) Masato Yoshino, Big R Shimizu, Kotoka{L}, Ben-K
> *5. *Open the Twin Gate Championship Match: CIMA, Dragon Kid{W} (21:36 Bible) T-Hawk, El Lindaman{L}
> _*5th Defense_
> *6. *Open the Dream Gate Dead or Alive Mask vs. Hair 5 Way Steel Cage Match: YAMATO vs. Naruki Doi vs. BxB Hulk vs. Shingo Takagi vs. Cyber Kong
> YAMATO (44:29)
> _*5th Defense for YAMATO_
> 
> After match 2, the steel cage entrants had an interview segment. Cyber Kong said he was the only one on that stage to never be Dream Gate champion. That ends today. Takagi said it has been nearly 9 months since he lost the title to YAMATO. He’s bored. Nothing has changed in those 9 months. Where is this supposed Golden Age of Dragon Gate that YAMATO proclaimed to bring? He is a liar and a fraud. His time is up. Takagi has no choice but take the title back and steer the course his own way. Hulk apologized to YAMATO. He feels bad, but he wants to win, even if that means YAMATO ends up bald and beltless. Doi received a big reaction. He was back in Nagoya as Naruki Doi of MaxiMuM. He was going to stave off the interference from the others, and defeat YAMATO to secure a happy ending for everyone. YAMATO thanked the fans for filling the arena to capacity again this year. He survived last year, and will do so again this year. The Golden Age starts today.
> 
> Yamamura refused a handshake from Kagetora. Kage was really impressed with him. He was doing things 18 months in his career that Kagetora wasn’t even thinking about at the same experience level. He is looking forward to watching him grow into a fearsome opponent. He was planning on still being Brave Gate champion when that happens, so he is welcome to challenge again.
> 
> MaxiMuM and the Jimmyz argued after their match. Saito questioned Yoshinos’ choice in teammates. What did he think he could accomplish with partners like Kotoka and greenhorns like Ben-K? Yoshino took exception, but took more exception with his own teammates reaction. Why weren’t they more upset? Why weren’t they fighting back? Yoshino said he had his first target for the group. The Jimmyz. Horiguchi told them to bring it on. Their ragtag unit was no match for the Jimmyz and their 6 years together.
> 
> YAMATO survived extensive interference to retrieve the belt, leaving Cyber Kong as the loser. As per the rules, he had to remove his mask, reveal his real name and age. HE refused. The cage was built higher than he expected. Who could climb that thing? He offered up Tominagas’ hair as a substitute sacrifice. YAMATO was having none of that. Kong eventually relented. He went to remove it himself, but YAMATO stopped him. Several years ago, he was the loser of a cage match. He sat down in the chair like a man and let Cyber Kong cut his hair. Today, Kong should be a pro and do the same. Kong sat while YAMATO removed his mask. Kong also disputed the rules about his name and age. After further pressing he revealed himself as Takashi Yoshida, age 34 from Osaka Prefecture. This wasn’t the end. He’s lost everything now, so he has nothing left to fear. Verserk were going to continue to wreak havoc. Verserk left.
> YAMATO said that the wrestler known as Cyber Kong is now gone. He urged Yoshida to consider his new ringname.
> 
> YAMATO thanked the fans for giving him the power to survive. He was battered and bruised, but was still champion. He thanked them for coming all the way to Aichi or watching on TV. King of Gate starts on Tuesday. He plans on winning again. He also planned on being still being champion at Dead or Alive 2018. He thanked Maria, Kzy, Flamita, & Hulk for their assistance today. Today, as always, wasn’t he just the coolest?


----------



## Pizzamorg

A squash tacked onto a 30 minute solo introduction is probably what I should have said. 

Challenger unleashes hell on the Champion or bigger star or whatever for thirty plus minutes, Champion/Big Star soaks up the damage and will do some minor offence, usually reactionary spots or some brief signature flurries to keep the crowd hot, then they'll go back auto pilot as the Challenger goes back to working the match effectively by themselves. Then when they have about five minutes left, the Champ/Bigger Star looks at their watch, activates their fighting spirit and hits their signature/finisher and that is the end of the match. 

I know people will try and pick this apart with semantics but this is basically every Naito/Okada match all year. A squash match with a thirty minute solo introduction as the Challenger shows how damn good they are before they're buried into oblivion in the last couple of minutes maximising making the Champ/Bigger Star look as strong as physically possible in doing so. And it sucks in my books.


----------



## Sweggeh

Come on man. Squash? Really?

People are really getting salty over LOLOKADAWINS, Im beginning to see some real nonsensical arguments here.

Apart from Suzuki, Okada elevates everyone he faces in big matches. Omega and Shibata were both more over than they have ever been after losing to Okada. And they both looked strong in defeat, they were made to look like they pushed Okada to the absolute limit.

Like I said, the only person that looked worse after an Okada match was Suzuki. And that was more on him than Okada, since he doesnt really have the ability he used to. He just spammed submissions until the end, which made him look weak.


----------



## Pizzamorg

I didn't expect anyone to agree and that is fine, I know people are super hot for Naito/Okada and I'm not arguing against their ability they're both fantastic wrestlers just that for my own personal taste the booking isn't for me. Art is subjective and we all have our own opinions. But what was 100% for me was Ishii/Omega which was a HELL of a match.


----------



## Desecrated

Squash is a pretty dismissive term. It invalidates the storytelling of the match and makes it appear that only Okada gained anything. Kenny Omega was a bigger star in February, compared to December. The only thing that happened between those dates was he lost to Okada. Shibata is a bigger star today than he was when he won the New Japan Cup. The only thing that happened between the dates is he lost to Okada. Meanwhile, Okada's star shines just as bright. Nothing indicates squashing. HOJO's concern of New Japan having a weak match structure is legitimate because all it suggests was he didn't enjoy the matches as much. It doesn't invalidate what actually transpired as the phrase "squash" does.

As for Dominion, I actually look forward to Tanahashi vs Naito more than Okada vs Omega. Tanahashi is a world apart on a good day. Perhaps the greatest, most versatile wrestler I've watched.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Just finished the main event of Wrestling Dontaku. It was okay, it was again very much your usual Okada Main Event IWGP match with Okada being mostly reactionary, weathering the storm while Fale lead most of the best spots and dominated for much of the opening portions of the match before falling to the same sequence in the dying moments as so many others have done before him. 

Some people will probably love this and while I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it either because I’m not invested in Fale like I am say, Shibata, nor was this a long, well built, match where all the build was rendered worthless once the match began in the way it did with say, Suzuki. So it was easier to sit back and just enjoy the action for what it was and not find myself seething in frustration. 

I also watched the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Title Match which was a bit of an unknown quantity for me but I thought it was a fun match. Given the players involved there wasn’t anything particularly earth shattering here and the finish was a mess but it was still a solid outing. Taguchi remains my lowkey MVP of New Japan. You hear the crowd reactions for him? For the most part a Japanese crowd is respectable like a Tennis crowd which I kinda like as it gives NJPW a unique feel (and the smarky WWE crowds can be a real cancer at times) but even they couldn’t contain themselves here, it sounded like the laughter was gonna lift the roof. It is just a shame about the WWE like English commentary.


----------



## Sweggeh

I agree with you on the match with Fale, I wasnt too hot on that. But thats because 1. Fale is a pretty limited worker and 2. There was no chance in hell Fale could win.

At least the matches with Omega/Shibata/Suzuki there was a legitimate chance of Okada losing, but with Fale it was a foregone conclusion. Combine that with Fale's limited ability and I think Okada got as much out of that match as he could.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Thought that Okada/Fale was better than Okada/Kenny + Okada/Ibushi myself :side:


----------



## Corey

I don't think I can call any of the matches squashes (although Suzuki's bout comes close to it) but I don't think it's as simple as saying "well they didn't kick out of their finisher so they're protected" either. 

From my point of view the way the matches played out between Naito & Elgin and Okada & Suzuki/Tiger Mask left no room for a rematch. The wins seemed so decisive. Naito kicked out of a triple Elgin bomb variation, Okada kicked out of a super tiger bomb (is that not his finisher?), and Okada took 30 minutes of leg punishment and even fought off SuzukiGun members in the process.  The length of the matches to me also made it feel like there's no reason to revisit them. The challengers did everything they could.

Omega & Shibata are different stories. They left enough on the table there for them to be revisited (and hopefully the other one will be down the line) which may contradict what I said above but that's just the feeling I got, even with the length.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Corey said:


> I don't think I can call any of the matches squashes (although Suzuki's bout comes close to it) but I don't think it's as simple as saying "well they didn't kick out of their finisher so they're protected" either.
> 
> From my point of view the way the matches played out between Naito & Elgin and Okada & Suzuki/Tiger Mask left no room for a rematch. The wins seemed so decisive. Naito kicked out of a triple Elgin bomb variation, Okada kicked out of a super tiger bomb (is that not his finisher?), and Okada took 30 minutes of leg punishment and even fought off SuzukiGun members in the process.  The length of the matches to me also made it feel like there's no reason to revisit them. The challengers did everything they could.
> 
> Omega & Shibata are different stories. They left enough on the table there for them to be revisited (and hopefully the other one will be down the line) which may contradict what I said above but that's just the feeling I got, even with the length.


Not to mention the fact that Suzuki, Elgin, Tiger Mask W and even Juice have either rebounded off their loss by either vanishing into thin air or clattering down the card. While it may not always be for kayfabe reasons they've done nothing to repair this in kayfabe either, I'd be amazed to see what can be stretched to argue any of these people came out of their matches looking good in kayfabe.


----------



## Sweggeh

NastyYaffa said:


> Thought that Okada/Fale was better than Okada/Kenny + Okada/Ibushi myself :side:


Drugs are a wonderful thing.


----------



## The High King

I thought Naito and Tanahashi at WK was better than Okada Omega at the time and still do.
I also think the rematches at dominion will see Naito and Tanahashi be the better bout.


----------



## Eliko

I see only 2 options for the Wrestle Kingdom 12 Main event :

1. Kenny Omega (C) vs G-1 Winner Okada.

Or 

2. Okada (C) vs G-1 Winner Naito.


1. Kenny will win the title at DOMINION from Okada.
Okada will win the title back at October at King Of Pro Wrestling from Kenny and go on to defend vs. G-1 Winner Naito at WK12.

Or 

2. Kenny will win the title at DOMINION from Okada.
Okada will win the G-1.
Kenny retains at King Of Pro Wrestling vs Ibushi(Or Naito or Tanahashi) and go on to defend the IWGP title at WK12 vs. Okada.
Omega-Okada III at the tokyo dome.


----------



## Corey

I'm not gonna make any long term predictions because I don't wanna think about the future without Shibata being part of it. 

I will say though that if Omega is champion going into WK then I think the ONLY person he's defending against is Okada. Just don't see any other scenario there where they leave him out of the IWGP Title match. Naito is a very sensible winner for the G1 but who knows how it'll play out. 

This is one match I'd like to see though if they can leave the SuzukiGun interference to a minimum:

Tanahashi (c) vs. Suzuki for the IC Title


----------



## HOJO

All i want from New Japan is Omega/Kojima


----------



## The Nuke

HOJO said:


> All i want from New Japan is Omega/Kojima


Kojimi definitely deserves a big title match in the near future.


----------



## The High King

The Nuke said:


> Kojimi definitely deserves a big title match in the near future.


No thank you. An over the hill guy with the second most ridiculous move set with his fast chops.
Every time I see them i feel ashamed for watching it.


----------



## Corey

The High King said:


> No thank you. An over the hill guy with the second most ridiculous move set with his fast chops.
> Every time I see them i feel ashamed for watching it.


Completely disagree. Kojima is in the far best shape of all the older guys (Nagata, Tenzan, Nakanishi, etc.) and can definitely still work on a regular basis. Watch his NEVER Title match with Shibata from last year.

I'd be 100% behind him getting a title shot against Suzuki, Omega, or Naito somewhere down the line. Just depends on if they'd even wanna position him for that or not.


----------



## The High King

Corey said:


> Completely disagree. Kojima is in the far best shape of all the older guys (Nagata, Tenzan, Nakanishi, etc.) and can definitely still work on a regular basis. Watch his NEVER Title match with Shibata from last year.
> 
> I'd be 100% behind him getting a title shot against Suzuki, Omega, or Naito somewhere down the line. Just depends on if they'd even wanna position him for that or not.


He can still go like Nagata I will accept, he is no nakanishi for sure, but he is still over the hill as a wrestler in terms of age and someone who should not be getting a push.
He is grand where he is in the tag team picture.
I can just about understand a never title possibly, but IC or worlds should be well above him at his age.


----------



## maxninepower

Free match monday!


----------



## NastyYaffa

Spoiler: image















What the fuck :lol


----------



## Groovemachine

Watched the Dragon Gate Dead or Alive 2017 cage match this morning, and honestly I was pretty disappointed. Last year's match was my #3 MOTY so I had high hopes going into this one, but this didn't have the epic story we saw last time, and all the comedy weapon spots were massively overplayed. Shame. It's still a good laugh, but don't go in expecting anything memorable.


----------



## Corey

BOTSJ lineups were announced and they look incredible. Full listing is here: http://puroresuspirit.net/2017/04/njpw-event-cards-for-may-june-2017/

First night is headlined by Scurll vs. Ospreay and Takahashi vs. Dragon Lee! :woo Other headliners:

May 18th: Ricochet vs. Ospreay, Scurll vs. Dragon Lee, Liger vs. Takahashi
May 21st: Liger vs. Scurll, Takahashi vs. Ricochet
May 22nd: KUSHIDA vs. BUSHI
May 23rd: Ricochet vs. Dragon Lee
May 25th: KUSHIDA vs. ACH
May 26th: Liger vs. Ricochet, Ospreay vs. Dragon Lee
May 28th: Liger vs. Dragon Lee, Scurll vs. Takahashi
May 29th: KUSHIDA vs. Taguchi, ACH vs. Volador
May 31st: Ricochet vs. Scurll, Ospreay vs. Takahashi (holy fuck)
June 1st: ACH vs. Taguchi, KUSHIDA vs. Volador
June 3rd: Final

Basically don't miss any of the A Block shows. :lol I have no prediction on a winner. It's loaded.


----------



## Omega Creed

Corey said:


> BOTSJ lineups were announced and they look incredible. Full listing is here: http://puroresuspirit.net/2017/04/njpw-event-cards-for-may-june-2017/
> 
> First night is headlined by Scurll vs. Ospreay and Takahashi vs. Dragon Lee! :woo Other headliners:
> 
> May 18th: Ricochet vs. Ospreay, Scurll vs. Dragon Lee, Liger vs. Takahashi
> May 21st: Liger vs. Scurll, Takahashi vs. Ricochet
> May 22nd: KUSHIDA vs. BUSHI
> May 23rd: Ricochet vs. Dragon Lee
> May 25th: KUSHIDA vs. ACH
> May 26th: Liger vs. Ricochet, Ospreay vs. Dragon Lee
> May 28th: Liger vs. Dragon Lee, Scurll vs. Takahashi
> May 29th: KUSHIDA vs. Taguchi, ACH vs. Volador
> May 31st: Ricochet vs. Scurll, Ospreay vs. Takahashi (holy fuck)
> June 1st: ACH vs. Taguchi, KUSHIDA vs. Volador
> June 3rd: Final
> 
> Basically don't miss any of the A Block shows. :lol I have no prediction on a winner. It's loaded.



my gawd. this tournament is loaded! I think the 31st is the night I'm looking forward to the most.


----------



## The High King

I never liked the british style of wrestling and the sort of stuff ZSJ, Gallagher, Scurl and others do a lot of.
Its like that old world of sport shit that died years because it was shit then and its shit now.

Those named wrestlers are pretty decent but need to drop that boring british style or face being low level for good.


----------



## Eliko

Kushida will win the BOSJ and go on to beat Takahashi at Dominion avenging his 2 minutes loss at Sakura Genesis.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Well, what Ospreay & Scurll are doing is FAAAAAAR away from the "traditional" British and/or World of Sport style.


----------



## Switchblade Club

Eliko said:


> Kushida will win the BOSJ and go on to beat Takahashi at Dominion avenging his 2 minutes loss at Sakura Genesis.


Kushida was great last night at War of the Worlds!


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

> AXSTV has finalized their broadcast plans with NJPW for the July 1-2 weekend in Long Beach, California and the official announcement will be made on May 18. You're going to like what you hear.


https://www.jrsbarbq.com/blog/51673

:mark: :mark: :mark: :mark:


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

In terms of BOSJ I'd actually be okay with them doing a big redemption story with Kushida but I want Ospreay to win.

I think the Liger matches could be really special in terms of crowd atmosphere. I bet near fall, certainly every win,he gets comes with a big pop.


----------



## volde

Kushida getting more broadcasted main events than anyone else despite being in weaker block, Kushida/Bushi and Kushida/Taguchi. It makes sense, but I kinda wish for Kushida getting his title back a bit later than Dominion.


----------



## BornBad

Kushida havin' another shot at the Jr belt sounds a bit meh. I hope Ospreay or ACH win


----------



## The High King

I just watched yesterdays Lions Gate and want to know do the fans get these tickets for free?
I cannot imagine people paying to watch the young lions in jobber matches.


----------



## Flik

The High King said:


> I just watched yesterdays Lions Gate and want to know do the fans get these tickets for free?
> I cannot imagine people paying to watch the young lions in jobber matches.


I can't speak for other fans (especially of NJPW's Young Lions), but watching a rookie's rise through the ranks can be rewarding.


----------



## DaveTommo

Whats the deal with cody not fighting anyone Japanese? i see he is up against Elgin at Dominion


----------



## Corey

DaveTommo said:


> Whats the deal with cody not fighting anyone Japanese? i see he is up against Elgin at Dominion


Huh, didn't even notice it honestly. Don't know if it's on purpose or not but he has been matched up against some natives in tag matches if that changes anything.


----------



## The High King

Flik said:


> I can't speak for other fans (especially of NJPW's Young Lions), but watching a rookie's rise through the ranks can be rewarding.


I understand that but these lions are still a long way off attracting any real interest yet.

The steroid using guy who was an olympian has the look and got a bit of attention but even he is still raw and way off.


----------



## HOJO

Enjoying Champions Carnival right now. Money on Joe taking the title off Miyahara sooner than later


----------



## Mordecay

DaveTommo said:


> Whats the deal with cody not fighting anyone Japanese? i see he is up against Elgin at Dominion


Maybe they don't want to expose him against someone better. I can see him facing someone like Yoshi-Hashi in the near future though


----------



## maxninepower

Hope Michael "90s All Japan Gaijin Mode" Elgin win that match.


----------



## Corey

I'm kinda late on this, but Ishikawa won the Champion's Carnival! :mark: He gets his Triple Crown shot on May 21st! :mark:

Gotta keep an eye out for that match... even though he's not gonna win.


----------



## The High King

How many of the upcoming nights of the BotSJ will get shown?


----------



## Corey

The High King said:


> How many of the upcoming nights of the BotSJ will get shown?


May 17th, 18th, 22nd, and 29th will all be shown in full, which is all of the Korakuen Hall shows. The rest will just have the tournament matches uploaded individually and are usually filmed with a hard cam.


----------



## The High King

Corey said:


> May 17th, 18th, 22nd, and 29th will all be shown in full, which is all of the Korakuen Hall shows. The rest will just have the tournament matches uploaded individually and are usually filmed with a hard cam.


Thank You Corey


----------



## Lariatoh!

HOJO said:


> Enjoying Champions Carnival right now. Money on Joe taking the title off Miyahara sooner than later


Really? Interesting. Why do you think Joe will be the one? Honestly really interested on your take here.



maxninepower said:


> Hope Michael "90s All Japan Gaijin Mode" Elgin win that match.


Me too, I'm not a fan of Cody's work, and I'll admit I'm biased against ex-WWE guys thinking they deserve more because they came from there. Elgin has been a beast the last 12 months. I hope he goes over too. But I don't think he will. 



Corey said:


> I'm kinda late on this, but Ishikawa won the Champion's Carnival! :mark: He gets his Triple Crown shot on May 21st! :mark:
> 
> Gotta keep an eye out for that match... even though he's not gonna win.


I'm looking forward to this too. I would have thought he had more of a chance to take the belt than Joe does... But I could be very wrong.


----------



## The Nuke

They're making note that this defense will give Kento the most defenses or tie the most defenses(?), so I don't think he's losing. Plus it's probably best to keep the title on him as long as he's selling tickets.


----------



## Corey

I've thought for months that Zeus was gonna be the one to eventually take the title off of Miyahara unless their plans have changed lately.


----------



## TJQ

Just out of curiosity, how recently has anybody re watched Okada/Omega from WK? I've been doing a grand re watch spree of all my MOTYCs and it was one of a few matches that didn't live up to that hype I had for it at the beginning of the year


----------



## Deadman's Hand

> 05/09/2017
> Tokyo, Korakuen Hall
> 1850 Attendance
> 0. Yosuke Santa Maria (5:03 Neraiuchi) Hyou Watanabe
> 1. Takashi Yoshida{W}, El Lindaman, Punch Tominaga (12:24 Pineapple Bomber) Don Fujii{L}, BxB Hulk, Kzy
> 2. Dragon Kid{W}, Gamma (12:09 Pinned after countered Hikari no Wa) Jimmy Susumu, Jimmy K-ness J.K.S.{L}
> 3. B Block: T-Hawk (11:49 Night Ride) Ben-K
> 4. C Block: Takehiro Yamamura (6:04 Modified Achilles Heel Hold) CIMA
> 5. Ryo “Jimmy” Saito, Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!!, Jimmy Kagetora{W}, Jimmy Kanda (11:00 Kurumagakari) Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Big R. Shimizu, Kotoka{L}
> 6. A Block: YAMATO (18:19 Galleria) Eita
> 7. D Block: Masaaki Mochizuki (13:46 Crucifix Hold) Shingo Takagi
> 
> The former Cyber Kong introduced himself to the Korakuen Hall fans. He is Takashi Yoshida, 34, from Osaka. He has nothing left to lose, now. He was planning on attacking his next target sooner than later.
> 
> MaxiMuM also made their first appearance in Tokyo. Yoshino received a massive reaction for returning to Korakuen Hall after 4 months on the shelf. Kotoka, who was injured on the same day, is also back. The timing was right, and now MaxiMuM is together. Doi brought up how in Aichi, he was eliminated from the cage match after shenanigans from the Jimmyz. It was their fault he lost. They also considered themselves pros while Ben-K, Big, & Kotoka are still greenhorns. The Jimmyz are complacent and just trying to protect their spot. Nothing changes. The rubber band attack isn’t funny anymore. They will find this to be a serious fight, and it begins here tonight.
> 
> After the win, Saito said this was the inevitable result. What exactly is maximum about DoiYoshi and their little babies. What exactly did they expect to accomplish with this farce of a unit? As for the cage match stuff. Doi should be grateful the Jimmyz saved him from having his head shaved since even if he made it to the final two he would have blown it. Horiguchi said that while the Jimmyz have a soft image, they can be fearsome when they need to be. Doi & Yoshino were as popular and capable as ever, but the other 3 are trash and they are going to be taught a lesson about the realities of Dragon Gate.
> 
> Mochizuki asked Takagi what it felt like to lose to a nearly 50 year old bastard. As for Lindaman, they are also together in the same block. Hopefully he was watching closely today. He was going to suffer for trying to interfere today. He told Verserk to get out. They had no more business here. Masaaki Mochizuki, age 47 years and 4 months with no unit affiliation or recent championship matches defeated Shingo Takagi today. King of Gate starting has made him think about the current state of Dragon Gate. There are rookies making a huge impact and there are new units forming. Takagi, Hulk, Doi, Yoshino, YAMATO, Twin Gate champions, Triangle Gate champions. There is a lot going on. However in the middle of that there are still Mochizuki & Don Fujii. 47 years old. No units or titles. They may not have as many chances as they once did, but King of Gate is the season where all dreams can come true. He won’t ever stop aiming for the Dream Gate and the top spot.


*I can't say enough about how great Mochi is. I wouldn't complain one bit if we get YAMATO/Mochi at Kobe World this this year.*


----------



## The Nuke

TJQ said:


> Just out of curiosity, how recently has anybody re watched Okada/Omega from WK? I've been doing a grand re watch spree of all my MOTYCs and it was one of a few matches that didn't live up to that hype I had for it at the beginning of the year


I still love the match, but the match is the equivalent of a big Block Buster movie. One of the quality one's. Not something that will win an oscar like say a Tana vs Okada match.

It's the most accessible Wrestling match for any type of fan. It has great Wrestling, car crash spectacle, and a great last stretch. A great Wrestling match that is more or less better for those who don't like Pro-Wrestling as much as the big fan.

Elgin vs Naito is still my favorite of the year so far. And that match is also for a type of fan who leans more to the old school ALL JAPAN style.



Corey said:


> I've thought for months that Zeus was gonna be the one to eventually take the title off of Miyahara unless their plans have changed lately.


I think Doering beats Kento, and then Zeus beats Doering.

I'm very new to recent AJPW, what is the next big event for AJPW? Knowing that will help with trying to figure out the direction of things.


----------



## Sweggeh

I have watched Okada vs Omega multiple times since and it just gets better on every viewing to be honest. Astounding match, well worthy of every accolade. I remember thinking that this was the best match I had ever seen, and that was like 10 minutes before the end when it just went into overdrive. My heart rate was going insane during it, I have never felt anything like that before while watching a wrestling match. They got me invested in a big, big way. This match deserves all the praise it got and more.

Some people just dont get it though, which is fair. Its all subjective. Maybe you just weren't originally invested in the story to be taken in by every twist and turn. Or maybe you heard too much hype about the match before you saw it, which ruined the experience. But either way I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't get it. 

I think the majority of the professionals across the wrestling world (WWE locker room, NJPW locker room, legends like Stone Cold and JR, journalists like Meltzer) definitely felt the same way I did judging from their reactions.


----------



## Corey

The Nuke said:


> I think Doering beats Kento, and then Zeus beats Doering.
> 
> I'm very new to recent AJPW, what is the next big event for AJPW? Knowing that will help with trying to figure out the direction of things.


No idea, honestly. I don't think All Japan really has a regular schedule with big shows like NJPW and Dragon Gate do. I think they just pick dates on a month/2 month basis and run a big card at Korakuen Hall, which of course the next one is 5/21 for Ishikawa/Miyahara.


----------



## HOJO

The Nuke said:


> I think Doering beats Kento, and then Zeus beats Doering.
> 
> I'm very new to recent AJPW, what is the next big event for AJPW? Knowing that will help with trying to figure out the direction of things.


I don't have their Korakuen schedule besides knowing their next show is Miyahara/Ishikawa 5/21 but late August is gonna be their SUMMER EXPLOSION Sumo Hall show.



Lariatoh! said:


> Really? Interesting. Why do you think Joe will be the one? Honestly really interested on your take here.


It's mostly just having a strong hunch about it but I'm getting a little more confident on it the more I watch. Came back from cancer and returned at a really good time for him and the company, he's really over(especially on the opening Champions Carnival), I could see them giving the rub to him. It doesn't seem like it'd be a waste, either. He's a good pick for a leading gaijin in current All Japan



> I'm looking forward to this too. I would have thought he had more of a chance to take the belt than Joe does... But I could be very wrong.


I was a little shocked when he won Champions Carnival even though all he does is win everyone's tournaments but I'd be a quite surprised if it was him. He'd have a great run with it, for sure.



Corey said:


> I've thought for months that Zeus was gonna be the one to eventually take the title off of Miyahara unless their plans have changed lately.


He's actually my #2 choice to get the title. Hey, he maybe the one challenging for the belt at Sumo Hall but we'll see. Maybe Joe'll be a contender when Zeus wins


----------



## Corey

Watched a good amount of NOAH today and it looks like they've been doing relatively well and bringing in some TNA guys (specifically Edwards) has given them a a nice spark. Shame he got hurt because I think he was next in line for a GHC Title shot against Nakajima and now they're giving that to... Yone. 

But anyway, now they're bringing in BRIAN CAGE. :mark: Got some good looking matchups coming at the end of the month:

*Pro Wrestling NOAH “Navig. with Breeze 2017”, 5/27/2017 [Sat] 18:30 @ EDION Arena Osaka, 2nd Stadium*

() Takashi Sugiura vs. Rionne Fujiwara
() Muhammad Yone, Hi69, Yoshinari Ogawa & Hitoshi Kumano vs. Masa Kitamiya, Akitoshi Saito, Tadasuke & YO-HEY
() Atsushi Kotoge vs. Kaito Kiyomiya
() Kenoh vs. Taiji Ishimori
*() Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Daisuke Harada*
() Maybach Taniguchi vs. Randy Reign
() Naomichi Marufuji vs. Cody Hall
*() Go Shiozaki vs. Brain Cage*

(-) *GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship Match*: [33rd Champion] Hajime Ohara vs. [Challenger] HAYATA
~ 3rd title defense.

*Pro Wrestling NOAH “Navig. with Breeze 2017”, 6/4/2017 [Sun] 18:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*

() Taiji Ishimori, Hi69, Yoshinari Ogawa & Seiya Morohashi vs. Daisuke Harada, Tadasuke, HAYATA & YO-HEY
() Masa Kitamiya & Akitoshi Saito vs. Hajime Ohara & Hitoshi Kumano
() Go Shiozaki vs. Kaito Kiyomiya
*() Takashi Sugiura vs. Brian Cage*
() Kenoh vs. Atsushi Kotoge

() *GHC Tag Championship Match*: [39th Champions] Naomichi Marufuji & Maybach Taniguchi vs. [Challengers] Cody Hall & Randy Reign

() *GHC Heavyweight Championship Match*: [28th Champion] Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. [Challenger] Muhammad Yone
~ 5th title defense.Save​


----------



## BigCy

Does NOAH have a streaming service? How do some of you guys watch it? I started gaining some interest in them when I saw Go Shiozaki, Marifuji, and that other guy that was in NJPW G1 last year. Seems like they probably have a good product. Any other info about NOAH I should know please let me know. Thanks.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Sugiura/Cage does sound very intriguing. Gonna be BEEFY.



BigCy said:


> Does NOAH have a streaming service? How do some of you guys watch it? I started gaining some interest in them when I saw Go Shiozaki, Marifuji, and that other guy that was in NJPW G1 last year. Seems like they probably have a good product. Any other info about NOAH I should know please let me know. Thanks.


Nah they don't have a streaming service. Really all of their noteworthy shows get uploaded to the internet though. Here's a few YouTube channels to check out:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEv_dL0zNFtx_Ig-atjETqQ/videos
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWbl4loi-eC1CuK-jXAD3hg/videos


----------



## Joshi Judas

TJQ said:


> Just out of curiosity, how recently has anybody re watched Okada/Omega from WK? I've been doing a grand re watch spree of all my MOTYCs and it was one of a few matches that didn't live up to that hype I had for it at the beginning of the year



Wasn't as impressed the second time either, though it's still an excellent match.

Okada/Shibata though is something I've watched multiple times and it keeps getting better :banderas


----------



## Switchblade Club

So they just announced a US belt.

https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/863201857367408640

Ugly fucking belt though lol


----------



## TJQ

HBKRollins said:


> So they just announced a US belt.
> 
> https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/863201857367408640
> 
> Ugly fucking belt though lol


One of the ugliest title belts I've ever seen LOL, holy shit.


----------



## Corey

HBKRollins said:


> So they just announced a US belt.
> 
> https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/863201857367408640
> 
> Ugly fucking belt though lol


Holy shit big news! Yeah the belt is ugly as hell though... but big news! :lol


----------



## TD Stinger

Yes, because that's exactly what NJPW needs, more belts.


----------



## Corey

They just said on the ROH PPV that Jay Lethal will be part of the US Title tournament in Long Beach.


----------



## The High King

TJQ said:


> One of the ugliest title belts I've ever seen LOL, holy shit.


I disagree, I think its the ugliest not one of the ugliest.
Its hideous.

Watch Pro Noah final tag league night and a good show but with a limited roster they can only do so much before they start repeating feuds and storylines.
Yone getting a shot at Nakajima shows the problem with a bleak roster, and Yone's kick to get the pin over him to set up their match was weak and did no favors to Nakajima.
Yone should be nowhere near that title belt.


----------



## ReekOfAwesomenesss

So in two different events (Dontaku and WOTW) Kevin Kelly said that second place for most IWGP reigns in history is tie between Mutoh and Okada with 4 each. The fuck happened to Fujinami (6) and Kensuke Sasaki (5) ? I mean its not that hard to check the history of the company you get paid.


----------



## Corey

Hey did any of you guys in here watch the main event from the 4/23 Road to Dontaku show? It was Tanahashi & Juice vs. Naito & EVIL. Don't remember reading a single thing about it but fuck that was a _really_ good match. High energy, fast paced tag that got a lot more time than expected and had a red hot finishing stretch.

Would definitely recommend going back to it if you skipped over: https://rutube.ru/video/fc9765722cab87eb311b99ecfe02c597/


----------



## HOJO




----------



## Pizzamorg

Anything worth watching from the latest collection of ROH/New Japan crossover shows?


----------



## Flair Shot

Pizzamorg said:


> Anything worth watching from the latest collection of ROH/New Japan crossover shows?


Ospreay vs. White


----------



## maxninepower

*Block A *



Spoiler: .


----------



## DaveTommo

Block A for the BOSJ should be oustanding


----------



## Corey

Pizzamorg said:


> Anything worth watching from the latest collection of ROH/New Japan crossover shows?


Ospreay/White seconded big time. Young Bucks vs. Naito & BUSHI was really fun as well. Both from NYC. Haven't seen the Toronto and Dearborn shows yet.


----------



## Omega Creed

Corey said:


> Ospreay/White seconded big time. Young Bucks vs. Naito & BUSHI was really fun as well. Both from NYC. Haven't seen the Toronto and Dearborn shows yet.


agreed on both these matches. Ospreay/White was fantastic. And you can't go wrong with a lil bucks/LIJ action. Match was really good, and I loved when the Bucks tossed their belts.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Thanks again all!


----------



## The High King

Corey said:


> Ospreay/White seconded big time. Young Bucks vs. Naito & BUSHI was really fun as well. Both from NYC. Haven't seen the Toronto and Dearborn shows yet.


Ospreay and White was match of the night, white looked the more seasoned and the bigger star.
With his bigger frame I think he is the real star of the future.

LIJ are always a class act be it in NJPW, CMLL or ROH. Best stable in all of wrestling and possible the best this century in the way they work together.


----------



## Desecrated

Oh Shibata

Took opportunity with Squared Circle posting him at wrestler of the week to remind myself to watch some of his 2013 matches.

Shibata vs Goto Dominion ****1/2
Shibata vs Ishii G1 2013 *****
Shibata vs Tanahashi G1 2013 ****

Like 36 minutes total of match time and a combined 13 1/2 stars. Absolute gladiator in every sense of the word.


----------



## hgr423

Desecrated said:


> Oh Shibata
> 
> Took opportunity with Squared Circle posting him at wrestler of the week to remind myself to watch some of his 2013 matches.
> 
> Shibata vs Goto Dominion ****1/2
> Shibata vs Ishii G1 2013 *****
> Shibata vs Tanahashi G1 2013 ****
> 
> Like 36 minutes total of match time and a combined 13 1/2 stars. Absolute gladiator in every sense of the word.


I think Shibata started shoot head butting people about a year ago. He probably hurt himself every time he did the move until the match with Okada was the final straw. Why did his opponents let him do it and put them at risk?


----------



## Fizanko

It makes me wonder about these stupid headbutts considering he could have put his opponents into the same condition he's in now with not "working" those moves and doing them legit : 

Are the wrestlers in NJPW having any possibility to refuse certain moves to be used on themselves or are they unable to refuse (if they don't want to get fired of course) what the bookers decide ?
Out of obvious "creative control" possible contract stipulations if they ever exist in NJPW.


----------



## Corey

Regarding Jay White, when he comes back from his excursion I'd love to see him form a tag team with Juice Robinson. They'd be some high energy guys to spice up the heavyweight tag scene. That way they can both wear some gold.


----------



## The High King

I see bigger and better things for White than tagging with Juice who has reached his level.
Maybe tagging with Juice in the short term might be an option but barring injury White looks to have all the tools


----------



## Corey

The High King said:


> I see bigger and better things for White than tagging with Juice who has reached his level.
> Maybe tagging with Juice in the short term might be an option but barring injury White looks to have all the tools


I agree his has all the physical tools but I'm not sure if he has the charisma or the long term ability to connect with the Japanese audience on a bigger stage right now. Guess time will tell but there's been a lot of times where his reactions in ROH were kinda lukewarm and he's had to do something crazy in the ring to get their attention.


----------



## The High King

If Fale can get to main event an get a title shot any one can make it


----------



## HOJO

*Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling : High School Graduation in Shinkiba 1st RING(3/28/2017)*
*Yako Fujigasaki vs Emi Sakura W* - *3/4 Fun I guess
*Sayaka Obihiro & Rocky Kawamura vs Antonio Honda & Choun Shiryu* - **3/4 I love pretty much everyone in the match and excited to see Rocky in DDT in 2 weeks
*Hiroyo Matsumoto vs Aasa Maika* - *** Aasa showed some great babyface fire, only less than a year of experience too
*Asian Dream Tag Team Championship : “Kotori” & Riho© vs Emi Sakura & Masahiro Takanashi* - ****1/2 Best joshi match this year so far. Fucking crisp action

*Stardom 3/26 & 4/06/17*
*Alice Nanase & Konami vs Kaori Yoneyama & Hetzza* - * Hetzza is comically clunky
*Natsuko Tora vs Mayu Iwatani* - **3/4 Kinda like the Aasa Maika match but not as good, Mayu helped Tora out a lot
*Hana Kimura, Kris Wolf, & Rosa Negra vs Zoe Lucas, Deonna Purrazzo & Christi Jaynes* - 1/2* Avoid like it makes cancer contagious. Havent cringed so hard during a match in a while 
*Wonder of Stardom Title : Kairi Hojo (c) vs Konami* - ***3/4 Good singles, Konami looked relatively well
*Io Shirai, HZK & AZM vs Jungle Kyona, Hiroyo Matsumoto & Hiromi Mimura* - ***1/4 Not much to say but it was a good trios. Ignoring the other one I mentioned Stardom at least has a bit of consistency in trios tags
*Goddesses of Stardom Titles : Jungle Kyona & Hiroyo Matsumoto© vs Queens Quest(Io Shirai & HZK)* - ***1/4 Could've been much better but instead it was just fine. Something about HZK's moveset that's not clicking well

So the best joshi matches of 2017 log grows a bit


Best Joshi Matches of 2017 said:


> *(Ice Ribbon 1/29)Hiragi Kurumi vs Kyuri - ***3/4
> (Ice Ribbon 1/29)Tsukushi & Hiragi Kurumi vs Hiroyo Matsumoto & Hamuko Hoshi - ***3/4
> (Stardom 2/23)Wonder of Stardom Title: Kairi Hojo vs Jungle Kyona - ***3/4*
> *(Stardom 3/05)Goddesses Of Stardom Title : Kairi Hojo & Yoko Bito (c) vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto & Jungle Kyona - *****
> *(SEAdLINNNG 3/16)Astronomical Battle : Nanae Takahashi & Arisa Nakajima vs Hiroyo Matsumoto & Ryo Mizunami - ***3/4
> (SEAdLINNNG 3/16)Extreme Genesis : Yoshiko vs Sareee - ***3/4
> (Ice Ribbon 3/26)Tsukasa Fujimoto vs Arisa Nakajima - ***3/4*
> *(Ice Ribbon 3/26)International Ribbon Tag Team Championship : Avid Rival (Misaki Ohata & Ryo Mizunami) © vs This is Ice Ribbon (Tsukushi & Hiragi Kurumi) - *****
> *(Stardom 3/26)Wonder of Stardom Title : Kairi Hojo (c) vs Konami - ***3/4*
> *(Gatoh Move 3/28)Asian Dream Tag Team Championship : “Kotori” & Riho (c) vs Emi Sakura & Masahiro Takanashi - ****1/2*(best joshi match this year)


The gist of it is that joshi tags are better than most of the singles these days


----------



## Corey

*NJPW Wrestling Toyonokuni*​
*IWGP Jr. Title:* Takahashi (c) vs. Ricochet **** 1/4*

Thought this started off really well and the middle was all good but the longer it went the flatter it felt. Didn't help things when they botched the shit out of that toss up destroyer. A fine defense but doesn't hold a candle to the Dragon Lee match.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL - **** 1/4*

Another very solid match between these two but the pacing felt a lot slower here than their NJC match (which is the better of the two) and I didn't really care for the interference bit. Sometimes it doesn't bother me, sometimes it does. Just didn't really feel necessary here when nothing came in the main event (thank god it didn't).

*IWGP Intercontinental Championship:* Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Juice Robinson - ***** 1/2*

I have to admit that while Juice is my boy and has been for quite some time, I had some reservations on this match as to how they were gonna present him being on the same level as Naito. Well, I stand completely corrected because this was outstanding. If Naito just keeps working someone's leg in every major title match I'll have no problem with it because the selling has been top notch and I'm a sucker for it. Their timing was a bit off on the early exchanges but man oh man did I love this more and more the longer it went. Juice's selling of the leg was excellent with the way he kept pulling his kneepad down, rubbing it, stomping it out, etc. The segment where he was in a submission and tried to stand but then immediately fell down and had to get the ropes with literally every ounce of energy in his body was sooooooo damn good. 

Naito's attack never strayed far from the leg but when these two went outside midway through is when it hit the next level. The spine buster Naito took on the apron was fucking DISGUSTING and seeing everyone's reaction to it made it even better. All of the counters late in the match were thrilling, especially that surprise powerbomb off the top from Juice. All the versions of Destino were really cool to see too and the fact that Juice actually kicked out of was quite surprising. Honestly I just loved everything about this match and wanna once again give major props to Naito. His resume in title matches where he's coming in as champion is insane. I've loved the shit out of nearly all of them. :lol

This honest to god is going in my top 5 for the year. Such amazing performances from both guys. :clap


----------



## Desecrated

hgr423 said:


> I think Shibata started shoot head butting people about a year ago. He probably hurt himself every time he did the move until the match with Okada was the final straw. Why did his opponents let him do it and put them at risk?


He did the headbutts in all three of these matches. Hard to say why he did it but each time it just adds such spectacle to the match. Crunching sound and sold/presented more dangerous than many finishers. It is sad to reflect on but it's one of those things you'll say "Oh shit" every time it goes down. I don't think the wrestlers put themselves at risk, only Shibata. Not unless they plan to headbutt more people.
@Fizanko I don't think any of his opponents have shown any sign of discomfort with their skull since the match. Maybe Ishii is at risk but his own headbutts are very safe and collide with the chest and chin.

It's a very silly move since it puts yourself at risk of serious injury (which has already happened) but judging by Shibata's comments, it appears he would do the same every time, just this time make sure he's hydrated and perhaps try cut the match with Okada shorter. If you look at his determination to return, that might just be what he perceived caused the problems rather than the headbutts. I'm probably wrong, just speculating.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Got a little hyped when Hideo returned to NXT so I went & did a big watching project on his matches, here's everything that ended up being great (w/ my starz):



Spoiler: .






> KENTA vs. Bryan Danielson (ROH Glory By Honor V) - *****
> KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Mitsuharu Misawa & Yoshinari Ogawa (NOAH 04/25/04) - *****
> KENTA, Akihiko Ito, Atsushi Aoki & Kenta Kobashi vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kensuke Sasaki, Kento Miyahara & Takashi Okita (Kensuke Office 08/17/08) - *****
> KENTA vs. Bryan Danielson (NOAH 10/13/08) - ****3/4
> KENTA vs. Bryan Danielson (ROH Driven) - ****3/4
> KENTA vs. SUWA (NOAH 09/18/05) - ****3/4
> KENTA vs. Kenta Kobashi (NOAH 10/09/04) - ****3/4
> KENTA vs. Jun Akiyama (NOAH 05/17/09) - ****3/4
> KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Jushin Liger & Takehiro Murahama (NOAH 07/16/03) - ****3/4
> KENTA vs. Yoshihiro Takayama (NOAH 06/27/04) - ****3/4
> KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Bryan Danielson & Samoa Joe (ROH Best In The World) - ****3/4
> KENTA vs. Chris Hero (wXw/NOAH Genesis in Germany) - ****3/4
> KENTA & Kenta Kobashi vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Kensuke Sasaki (NOAH 06/14/08) - ****3/4
> KENTA vs. Genichiro Tenryu (NOAH 10/08/05) - ****3/4
> KENTA vs. Kotaro Suzuki (NOAH 01/25/09) - ****1/2
> KENTA vs. Ricky Marvin (NOAH 10/15/09) - ****1/2
> KENTA vs. Takashi Sugiura (NOAH 11/13/11) - ****1/2
> KENTA & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Akira Taue & Go Shiozaki (NOAH 09/09/06) - ****1/2
> KENTA & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Go Shiozaki & Mitsuharu Misawa (NOAH 12/04/05) - ****1/2
> KENTA vs. Low Ki (ROH Final Battle 2005) - ****1/2
> KENTA & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Mohammad Yone & Takeshi Morishima (NOAH 11/05/05) - ****1/2
> KENTA vs. Bryan Danielson (NOAH 12/02/06) - ****1/2
> KENTA & Takashi Sugiura vs. Naomichi Marufuji & Shinsuke Nakamura (NOAH 08/24/13) - ****1/2
> KENTA & Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson & Takeshi Morishima (ROH Respect Is Earned) - ****1/2
> KENTA vs. Austin Aries (ROH Chi-Town Struggle) - ****1/2
> KENTA vs. Roderick Strong (ROH Throwdown) - ****1/2
> KENTA vs. Kensuke Sasaki (NOAH 07/18/08) - ****1/2
> KENTA vs. Takashi Sugiura (NOAH 05/12/13) - ****1/2
> Hideo Itami vs. Roderick Strong (WWE NXT 05/10/17) - ****1/2
> KENTA vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Samoa Joe (ROH In Your Face) - ****1/2
> KENTA & Taiji Ishimori vs. Bryan Danielson & Eddie Edwards (NOAH 06/21/08) - ****1/2
> KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji vs. El Samurai & Wataru Inoue (NOAH 01/10/04) - ****1/2
> KENTA vs. Tatsuhito Takaiwa (ZERO-1 Truth Century Creation 2002) - ****1/2
> KENTA vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru (NOAH 07/18/05) - ****1/2
> KENTA vs. Takeshi Morishima (NOAH 03/04/07) - ****1/2
> KENTA & Masato Tanaka vs. Naomichi Marufuji & Tetsuya Naito (NOAH 03/08/14) - ****1/2
> KENTA, El Generico & Kevin Steen vs. Chris Hero, Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards (ROH on HDNet 05/30/09) - ****1/4
> KENTA vs. Naomichi Marufuji (NOAH 10/29/06) - ****1/4
> KENTA vs. Kenta Kobashi (NOAH 03/05/06) - ****
> KENTA vs. Yoshihiro Takayama (NOAH 01/15/11) - ****
> KENTA & Kenta Kobashi vs. Mitsuharu Misawa & Naomichi Marufuji (NOAH 01/26/03) - ****
> KENTA vs. Nigel McGuinness (ROH 7th Anniversary Show) - ****
> KENTA, Go Shiozaki, Maybach Taniguchi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Jun Akiyama, Keiji Muto, Kensuke Sasaki & Kenta Kobashi (NOAH 05/11/13) - ****
> KENTA vs. Naruki Doi (Dragon Gate Dead Or Alive 2008) - ****
> KENTA & Jun Akiyama vs. Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada (NOAH 10/03/09) - ****
> KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Takashi Sugiura & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (NOAH 06/05/05) - ****
> KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Takeshi Morishima & Takeshi Rikio (NOAH 07/16/06) - ****
> KENTA & Go Shiozaki vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Kensuke Sasaki (NOAH 06/22/09) - ****
> KENTA vs. Minoru Suzuki (NOAH 08/27/05) - ****






Dude has definitely had a shitload of great matches. I'll always have a softspot for him anyway because he was in the first Bryan Danielson match (my favorite wrestler of all-time) that I saw & he was the first real taste I got of puro. Rooting for him big time to take the title from Roode.


----------



## Corey

For the folks without World. Starts at 5:30 Eastern time Wednesday morning.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/864017200092508161


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Here we go the great summer graps start here. 

Might even be able to vaguely keep up with King Of Gate as well. Watching night 1 now.



Spoiler: Dead or Alive



Cyber Kong unk


Also..... oiled up Gamma in his speedos and helmet :maisielol


----------



## Master Bate

NastyYaffa said:


> Got a little hyped when Hideo returned to NXT so I went & did a big watching project on his matches, here's everything that ended up being great (w/ my starz):
> 
> 
> 
> Dude has definitely had a shitload of great matches. I'll always have a softspot for him anyway because he was in the first Bryan Danielson match (my favorite wrestler of all-time) that I saw & he was the first real taste I got of puro. Rooting for him big time to take the title from Roode.


I did this funny personal favorite wrestler comparison game, where i would have to vote between which wrestler I like and didn't like, and it would go through the whole roster (WWE)

And Hideo ended up at number 1. My personal favorite wrestler since I don't know how long. Shame he got injured, but the work he's done in NOAH, and also ROH, his style, just love it.

Hope he has a good one against Roode in Chicago, don't expect him to win though.


----------



## maxninepower

*Block B*



Spoiler: .


----------



## Corey

*Champion Carnival 2017 Block B:* Suwama vs. Kengo Mashimo _(AJPW Champion Carnival Day 5 4/22)_ **** 3/4*
https://rutube.ru/video/42203dd8e334887876ecc88b71bb3f5f/

This was like pro wrestling 101, I loved it. Suwama caught Mashimo in a sleeper hold and then hung onto it in the ropes, which sparked his long and methodical work over the head and neck throughout the match. Mashimo then catches him later in the ropes and gives him a taste of his own medicine by hitting a dragon screw while he's caught up. From there you you get the dueling work against the injured body parts to see who's gonna give in first. Excellent match that I think most wrestling fans should be able to appreciate. Really loved the change of pace because so many of these matches are sub-10 minute sprints and while I enjoy the variety, a lot of those matches just wash over me into one big blur. This stood out.

*Champion Carnival 2017 Block A:* Kento Miyahara vs. Joe Doering _(AJPW Champion Carnival Day 5 4/22)_ **** 1/2*
https://rutube.ru/video/94ad558980fd0f6c8fca20402258e005/

This was quite literally all Doering. He was too big and too strong for Miyaraha throughout the match. Lots of lower back work and TONS of Boston crabs.  The champ ended up looking resilient and gets a surprise win after a few knee blows to the head, which in some cases would annoy me because of hos out of nowhere it seemed, but it honestly makes sense when you think about getting a knee rammed to your skull at full speed 3 times in a row. :lol Don't think this is the last we see of this match though.


----------



## Switchblade Club

NJ World is much easier to navigate now with the english option at the top


----------



## Zatiel

Wow, I greatly prefer this layout, and being able to navigate everything with toggled Engrish. I hope they never correct the "Competitions" header. That just rules.


----------



## Sugnid

Not that I couldn't navigate the site before, but they haven't really done too much with this supposed "redesign" have they....

They're still using google translate, albeit baked into the site as opposed to creating a full fledged English speaking site.


----------



## TD Stinger

> Hiroshi Tanahashi was injured during the last night of New Japan’s War of the Worlds tour with Ring of Honor, per Wrestling Observer. Looks like a biceps issue, but the severity isn’t known.


Damn, I hope he doesn't miss his 2nd Dominion in a row.


Says it looks like a bicep tear. If it’s partial he can work through. If full he’s out probably for the remainder of the year with surgery.


----------



## jiraffejustin

*Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Akira Maeda (UWF 8/13/89)*

Fujiwara starts this match with a sense of urgency that Maeda doesn't need, because it's clear that Fujiwara is the underdog. Not only is he much shorter, but he's also of a frailer build. So Fujiwara does what any underdog should do, he attacks right away and throws some beautiful body shots. Maeda has none of it and shuts him down with some heavy kicks and headbutts, and speaking of headbutts, Fujiwara throws some nasty butts as well. Maeda plays the heavier more dangerous man very well in this match by grinding on Fujiwara's face when they get on the ground, forcing Fujiwara to come up with clever ways to either counter the hold or force a rope break. The best one comes when Fujiwara twists up Maeda's knee in a really nasty way by putting Maeda's foot underneath Fujiwara's knee and torquing it. Fujiwara also eats a nasty suplex. This is a great monster/underdog match that feels like the perfect amount of struggle between the two, and the finish, while somewhat abrupt, is the type of finish you would expect in a sporting event where a deeper team finally depletes the underdog who isn't as deep.


----------



## Groovemachine

So who's watching BOTSJ N1 live right now? I missed Taka/Liger but joined for Volador/Tiger, which was alright. That Spanish Fly was a bit rough, yikes!


----------



## ShadowSucks92

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/864495228656418818
Great news on Shibata's current condition


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

Marty is already over as hell. :banderas

Someone in the merch department needs to start making these umbrellas.

I prefer this Power Ranger look to Ospreay than his Okada Jr. look.


----------



## Ace

Ospreay used the RKO set up :lmao


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

The Viper Will Ospreay!


----------



## Ace

Really enjoyable match that. Had it at **** 1/4.

Hope Ospreay is okay, he landed on his head in one of the spots.

The commentator keeps whoop whooping :lmao


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

I expect the whole announce desk to be wearing Villain shirts tomorrow.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

One Winged Angel said:


> Really enjoyable match that. Had it at **** 1/4.
> 
> Hope Ospreay is okay, he landed on his head in one of the spots.


Bumped like crazy to get Scurll over, hope he calms it down though as he still has a long way to go.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

As usual, Taguchi fucks up my brackets smh.

TIME BOMB is such an excellent theme. Yonosuke Kitamura actually made a theme for Hiromu that tops his great CMLL theme.

These two are soulmates.

Did Dragon just shout "die" in Japanese?

That was a very creative version of the Lanza Double Stomp.

Red Shoes with the "PLEASE SOMEONE WIN" look on his face after that kickout. :mj2

Takahashi just lost his first singles match since his return. :rusev


----------



## Corey

KUSHIDA wins the ROH TV Title, then loses to El Desperado on the 1st day. :lol Fucking SuzukiGUN. Big wins for ACH and Dragon Lee. Whole thing should be pretty unpredictable.


----------



## maxninepower

Wow Marty over than Cody+Adam combination.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/864851031561076737
Respect!


----------



## ShadowSucks92

Further update on the health conditions of Tomoaki Honma and Katsuyori Shibata from NJPW medical trainer Takeshi Misawa



> Just prior to the business strategy announcements made yesterday on May 16, NJPW trainer Takeshi Misawa was joined by Chairman Sugayabashi and President Harada to give an update on the health conditions of Tomoaki Honma and Katsuyori Shibata. He also outlined New Japan’s health policy for its wrestlers.
> 
> Misawa firstly explained that Honma has been moved from a hospital specializing in cervical vertebrae to a rehabilitation hospital in Osaka. While his discharge date is currently unknown, he has begun muscle training at the gym with permission from doctors. His rehabilitation includes activities such as light running as well.
> 
> As for Shibata, his original condition was considered to be life threatening. However, after follow up operations he has now been moved to the general ward. While he currently has no trouble walking and talking, it is impossible to comment right now on any possible after-effects due to his condition. He is currently focused on being discharged from the hospital, so he asks for everyone to “send your shouts of support.”
> 
> Next, a description of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Medical Committee highlighted efforts to support the health and well-being of NJPW wrestlers. The Committee consists of a team including neurosurgeons, spinal specialists, orthopedic surgeons, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling trainers. Misawa elaborated, “The Medical Committee decides on the best course of action to deal with these circumstances,” referring to accidents during matches or training. The Medical Committee’s function in these scenarios is to quickly assess the best treatment and support the immediate follow through of that treatment through its network of professionals.
> 
> As of 6 years ago, all New Japan wrestlers undergo a yearly MRI and CT scan. This data is analyzed by the Medical Committee to assess each wrestler’s condition. Also, medical staff are on-hand at venues to monitor for health risks and help prevent injuries.
> 
> Finally, it was announced that the Medical Committee will limit the number of matches a wrestler may compete in during a series if there is any question over the wrestler’s health.


----------



## The High King

Enjoyed the first night of BotSJ's.

I half expected Dragon Leee to get the pin as I think it will be Hiromu winning the block and group and this win for Dragon Lee is his ticket later for the rematch.
I can only guess that Kushida lost in a great match as its part of this Kushida fall from grace before taking off again and win the block in a finale setting up another match with Hiromu.
If honest I always liked Desperado.

Volador looked good rook some crazy bump to the outside.
Ricochet and ACH won as expected and Ospaey against Scurll was nowhere near the levels of the hype given to this.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Liger vs Taka was an incredible match, I don't know if anyone appreciates it as much as I do because there were moments where I saw them rush shit and other times changing gears was 100% on point. The thing that blew my mind is that no matter how much we're taught or see in wrestling and my opinion on what was rushed, it still got a great reaction. That's something two guys with many years and matches under their belts can do. Some of those spots were even botched but it blew me away that it still was so over.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Japanese Puroresu said:


> Liger vs Taka was an incredible match, I don't know if anyone appreciates it as much as I do because there were moments where I saw them rush shit and other times changing gears was 100% on point. The thing that blew my mind is that no matter how much we're taught or see in wrestling and my opinion on what was rushed, it still got a great reaction. That's something two guys with many years and matches under their belts can do. Some of those spots were even botched but it blew me away that it still was so over.


Agreed 100%. Just finished watching it & goddamn what a fantastic match!


----------



## Flair Shot

Crazy first day.

- Liger and Taka had an excellent match
- El Desperado defeating KUSHIDA, talk about a major upset. 
- Marty already winning over the crowd with his weird chicken like moves and whoop whoop was a joy to see. Still surreal to see the Villain in NJPW.
- Eventhough Hiromu and Dragon Lee have wrestled eachother so many times already in the past they still find ways to keep the matches fresh and this was a perfect example of that. Way different from the one a few months ago but oh so good. 

Hiromu brought out the scrapbook to ringside. :lmao


----------



## V-Trigger

Crazy to think that Dragon Lee is only 22. Fuck.


----------



## Desecrated

Sounds like Taka vs Liger is a match to get on top of. Will check it out soon.
@BrotherNero that is impressive. Unfortunately his hatred for Takahashi (and vice versa) and their matches probably means he already walks like a 35 year old. Will be aging in dog years soon.


----------



## volde

Whats the deal with that RoH TV title? Will Kushida be doing some extensive trip to USA after BOTSJ ends?


----------



## Corey

volde said:


> Whats the deal with that RoH TV title? Will Kushida be doing some extensive trip to USA after BOTSJ ends?


Probably not. Likely have a defense or two in Japan and then stop in for PPVs/TV Tapings in the states. Ishii held the ROH TV Title for a bit last year. He got in two defense in the states (3 way vs. Roddy & Fish and singles vs. Cedric Alexander) as well as one in Japan against EVIL before dropping it to Bobby Fish on an ROH PPV.

People have been complaining for years that the match results between the ROH/NJPW joint shows were too predictable but they've been shaking things up lately. (Y)


----------



## TJQ

Corey said:


> KUSHIDA wins the ROH TV Title, then loses to El Desperado on the 1st day. :lol Fucking SuzukiGUN. Big wins for ACH and Dragon Lee. Whole thing should be pretty unpredictable.


Everybody mistreating my boy KUSHIDA :mj2


----------



## volde

Well they did protect him with ref taking a bump.


----------



## HOJO

NastyYaffa said:


> Agreed 100%. Just finished watching it & goddamn what a fantastic match!





Japanese Puroresu said:


> Liger vs Taka was an incredible match, I don't know if anyone appreciates it as much as I do because there were moments where I saw them rush shit and other times changing gears was 100% on point. The thing that blew my mind is that no matter how much we're taught or see in wrestling and my opinion on what was rushed, it still got a great reaction. That's something two guys with many years and matches under their belts can do. Some of those spots were even botched but it blew me away that it still was so over.


Before I watch this and seeing praise for Taka/Liger, I'll pull in and recommend the top 3 matches on K-Dojo's recent Korakuen show, though mostly Taka vs Ibushi. The bottom half of the show was ok but that shit ruled and the other 2 matches were really good


----------



## Corey

HOJO said:


> Before I watch this and seeing praise for Taka/Liger, I'll pull in and recommend the top 3 matches on K-Dojo's recent Korakuen show, though mostly Taka vs Ibushi. The bottom half of the show was ok but that shit ruled and the other 2 matches were really good


Added to the watch list. Never would've known these existed so appreciate the rec. (Y)


----------



## The High King

TJQ said:


> Everybody mistreating my boy KUSHIDA :mj2


I am a huge fan of him also, but I also like Suzuki Gun or at least some members.
I think Desperado is under rated.
I reckon NJPW is playing it in a way where Kushida will make a huge run after being down.


----------



## maxninepower

Press conference


----------



## NastyYaffa

TAKA & Taichi just stole the entire year. MOTY, baby.


----------



## volde

First Taichi's 5 star match?


----------



## BornBad

5 fucking stars


----------



## volde

Liger vs Hiromu :mark:


----------



## Corey

Nice little tidbit of info I saw from today's results. Looks like he should be able to go at Dominion then.



> ~ It was announced that Hiroshi Tanahashi has suffered a rupture to his right bicep tendon and will be out of action until the June 9 show at the Korakuen Hall. Satoshi Kojima will be replacing Tanahashi on the BOSJ tour shows.


----------



## Mordecay

Announced for the Long Beach shows


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/865344344563298304

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/865344914925772806

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/865345051953647616


----------



## Rave Bunny

Mordecay said:


> Announced for the Long Beach shows
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/865344344563298304
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/865344914925772806
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/865345051953647616


Wow! Liger, Tanahashi, Ospreay, Okada, Ishii, Naito & LIJ, ZSJ, Lee, Omega & BC, Cody, the Bucks, and Scurll! 









No MiSu huh? :sasha3 I can't wait to see Okada, Naito/LIJ, and Omega/BC (hopefully with the IWGP Title) _LIVE_!


----------



## HOJO

Corey said:


> Nice little tidbit of info I saw from today's results. Looks like he should be able to go at Dominion then.


Let Kojima replace him at Dominion, son. At least then he's ready for G1 kiiiiiiiiiiiinda


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Still holding out hope for Cole at the long beach shows :fingerscrossed


----------



## Corey

HOJO said:


> Let Kojima replace him at Dominion, son. At least then he's ready for G1 kiiiiiiiiiiiinda


I actually think that would be a fantastic match against Naito, but definitely not Dominion worthy. Who knows though.


----------



## The Nuke

Nice line up, but no SuzukiGun?

Missed opportunity in people not experiencing the shit that is Taichi and Suzuki's theme song. Taichi's entrance, stupid song, and Taichi just being Taichi would be perfect for an American crowd.

No Yano or Guchi. No comic relief at all save for Yoshitatsu.


----------



## Corey

*NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Day 1 - 5/17*​
*Block A:* Liger vs. Taka Michinoku - **** 1/2* (Very fun way to start. Liger came out on fire)

*Block B:* Volador Jr. vs. Tiger Mask IV - **** 1/4* (Somewhat bias because I'm a big Volador fan. But holy fuck though the 3 big spots in this looked extremely dangerous)

*Block B:* ACH vs. BUSHI - ***** (I was kinda disappointed by this. It was solid but I don't think it flowed very well and there a handful of awkward moments)

*Block B:* KUSHIDA vs. El Desperado - ****?* (This match definitely makes me wanna root for KUSHIDA a hell of a lot more, so maybe that's what they're going for? His booking has been real shitty the last 4 months)

*Block A:* Marty Scurll vs. Will Ospreay - **** 3/4* (I damn near gave this a YES but decided to cool off a bit. Hell of a fun match though. Loved seeing and hearing all the Japanese reactions with the woop woops and too sweets and Ospreay chants and all that. Will has came a long way. I loved him in 2015, annoyed the hell out of me in 2016, and now he's starting to put it all together I think. Scurll got over massively in one match and while I've seen like all these sequences before, I still loved em. Just some fun shit here)

*Block A:* Dragon Lee vs. Takahashi - ***** 1/4* (I mean, what else is there to say? These guys always go out there and kill it together, whether it be in Japan or Mexico. Awesome stuff as usual)


----------



## maxninepower




----------



## The Nuke

Small rumor that Cody's spot in the G1 may be in Jeopardy. Gedo isn't sold on his style compared to how they do it in Japan.

Gedo apparently loves Scurll though, and may be willing to give him full time status. Word is that Scurll took Omega and the Bucks advise, Cody did not.


----------



## Desecrated

The Nuke said:


> Small rumor that Cody's spot in the G1 may be in Jeopardy. Gedo isn't sold on his style compared to how they do it in Japan.
> 
> Gedo apparently loves Scurll though, and may be willing to give him full time status. Word is that Scurll took Omega and the Bucks advise, Cody did not.


What's the source for this? As Cody hasn't worked a tour for New Japan this was always fairly likely to happen (Gedo souring on it). But he might work the tours for Dominion and G1 Specials so I'm curious for the source.


----------



## V-Trigger

Hopefully Marty signs full time deal with NJPW.


----------



## TJQ




----------



## Corey

KUSHIDA lost to Tiger Mask today, falling to 0-2. BUSHI also fell to 0-2 while El Desperado is undefeated.


----------



## lagofala

Hi Guys, pretty new to japanese wrestling and just watched the opening match between Liger and Taka for the Super Junior Tourney. Could anyone explain to me why Liger wasn't DQed for the chairshot, why Taka poked Liger in the eyes and Liger reacting when he has that mask on and also why Taka bowed to Liger after the match when Taka's a heel and he just poked Liger in the eyes? Don't really get that psychology there.


----------



## Mordecay

Why it doesn't surprise me that Gedo is souring on "3 stars general" Cody?


----------



## NastyYaffa

lagofala said:


> why Taka bowed to Liger after the match when Taka's a heel and he just poked Liger in the eyes? Don't really get that psychology there.





maxninepower said:


>


^ I think that explains it pretty well.


----------



## Liger!Liger!

lagofala said:


> Hi Guys, pretty new to japanese wrestling and just watched the opening match between Liger and Taka for the Super Junior Tourney. Could anyone explain to me why Liger wasn't DQed for the chairshot



New Japan/Inoki used to book a lot of DQ/Count Out/non-pinfall or submission finishes. People eventually grew tired of it, because it was done ad infinitum. Nowadays, referees are more lenient with cheating so you won't see DQs even with clear cheating/breaking of rules. This only seems to apply when they are out of the ring, though.


----------



## TJQ

Mordecay said:


> Why it doesn't surprise me that Gedo is souring on "3 stars general" Cody?


It's **3/4, actually. Ask @NastyYaffa


----------



## The High King

took a look at Big Japans recent card what ridiculous shit.
Brain damaged guys doing ridiculous and dangerous moves, cutting themselves up to please a handful of people for pennies in japanese bingo halls and old warehouses
Turned it off.


----------



## lagofala

NastyYaffa said:


> ^ I think that explains it pretty well.


That's really cool eh!



Liger!Liger! said:


> New Japan/Inoki used to book a lot of DQ/Count Out/non-pinfall or submission finishes. People eventually grew tired of it, because it was done ad infinitum. Nowadays, referees are more lenient with cheating so you won't see DQs even with clear cheating/breaking of rules. This only seems to apply when they are out of the ring, though.


Thanks for clearing that up!


----------



## NastyYaffa

TJQ said:


> It's **3/4, actually. Ask @NastyYaffa


:Out
https://streamable.com/z5qo9


----------



## Mordecay

TJQ said:


> It's **3/4, actually. Ask @NastyYaffa


I like Nasty, but he has some of the weirdest opinions about wrestling and star ratings in Wrestling Forum :grin2:


----------



## NastyYaffa

Mordecay said:


> I like Nasty, but he has some of the weirdest opinions about wrestling and star ratings in Wrestling Forum :grin2:


... ***1/4 post :side:


----------



## TJQ

Mordecay said:


> I like Nasty, but he has some of the weirdest opinions about wrestling and star ratings in Wrestling Forum :grin2:


Yea, he's like if Cody was a member. Solid **3/4 poster.


----------



## Desecrated

NastyYaffa said:


> ... ***1/4 post :side:


If you had no sold it, he'd have lost a star for his post.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Desecrated said:


> If you had no sold it, he'd have lost a star for his post.


Gotta put people over, brother. :hogan


----------



## HOJO

The High King said:


> took a look at Big Japans recent card what ridiculous shit.
> Brain damaged guys doing ridiculous and dangerous moves, cutting themselves up to please a handful of people for pennies in japanese bingo halls and old warehouses
> Turned it off.


Waving through the cancer to help you grow a back bone my man :mj

Calling Korakuen Hall and Bunka Gymnasium bingo halls ok :mj


----------



## Pizzamorg

Sorry to be such a pest gang, but fuck me I feel like I'm drowning in Best of the Super Juniors shows. It's awesome to have so much content but why drop it midweek and on such a busy WWE weekend? I feel like at this rate I'll have finished the first show by the time the whole tournament is over, which I'd rather avoid because it's fun to watch along with others. So once again, I ask, are there specific matches that need to be watched and specific matches that can be skipped? So far I've only watched the one match, the opening match with Liger in it and it wasn't very good to be honest, which sucks but is good too as if there are more matches like that I can just skip those and focus on the important stuff in a race to catch up.


----------



## Flair Shot

The High King said:


> took a look at Big Japans recent card what ridiculous shit.
> Brain damaged guys doing ridiculous and dangerous moves, cutting themselves up to please a handful of people for pennies in japanese *bingo halls and old warehouses*
> Turned it off.


Calls Korakuen Hall a bingo hall. :lmao


----------



## maxninepower

Pizzamorg said:


> Sorry to be such a pest gang, but fuck me I feel like I'm drowning in Best of the Super Juniors shows. It's awesome to have so much content but why drop it midweek and on such a busy WWE weekend? I feel like at this rate I'll have finished the first show by the time the whole tournament is over, which I'd rather avoid because it's fun to watch along with others. So once again, I ask, are there specific matches that need to be watched and specific matches that can be skipped? So far I've only watched the one match, the opening match with Liger in it and it wasn't very good to be honest, which sucks but is good too as if there are more matches like that I can just skip those and focus on the important stuff in a race to catch up.


Day One

- ACH vs Bushi
- Scurl vs Osprey
- Dragon Lee	vs Hiromu Takahashi

Day two

- Taka vs Taichi (Don't miss this one! MOTY so far)
- Dragon Lee	vs	Marty Scurll 
- Hiromu Takahashi vs Jushin Thunder Liger 
- Will Ospreay vs Ricochet


----------



## Pizzamorg

maxninepower said:


> Day One
> 
> - ACH vs Bushi
> - Scurl vs Osprey
> - Dragon Lee	vs Hiromu Takahashi
> 
> Day two
> 
> - Taka vs Taichi (Don't miss this one! MOTY so far)
> - Dragon Lee	vs	Marty Scurll
> - Hiromu Takahashi vs Jushin Thunder Liger
> - Will Ospreay vs Ricochet



Thank you! Nothing worth it from day three?


----------



## TJQ

Pizzamorg said:


> Sorry to be such a pest gang, but fuck me I feel like I'm drowning in Best of the Super Juniors shows. It's awesome to have so much content but why drop it midweek and on such a busy WWE weekend? I feel like at this rate I'll have finished the first show by the time the whole tournament is over, which I'd rather avoid because it's fun to watch along with others. So once again, I ask, are there specific matches that need to be watched and specific matches that can be skipped? So far I've only watched the one match, the opening match with Liger in it and it wasn't very good to be honest, which sucks but is good too as if there are more matches like that I can just skip those and focus on the important stuff in a race to catch up.




I'm also going to throw in Volador Jr. vs Tiger Mask from Day 1 on top of @maxninepower's stuff , thoroughly enjoyed that.


----------



## The Nuke

lagofala said:


> Hi Guys, pretty new to japanese wrestling and just watched the opening match between Liger and Taka for the Super Junior Tourney. Could anyone explain to me why Liger wasn't DQed for the chairshot, why Taka poked Liger in the eyes and Liger reacting when he has that mask on and also why Taka bowed to Liger after the match when Taka's a heel and he just poked Liger in the eyes? Don't really get that psychology there.


In NJPW it's pretty much up to the ref if he will DQ someone or not regardless of the rules. The idea being that a ref doesn't want to DQ a big match like a Title Match or Tournament match. So they'll let things slide in order for people to get their money's worth.

Bowing at the end was just Taka showing Liger respect and appreciation since this will be Ligers last BOTSJ.


----------



## Corey

The High King said:


> took a look at Big Japans recent card what ridiculous shit.
> Brain damaged guys doing ridiculous and dangerous moves, cutting themselves up to please a handful of people for pennies in japanese bingo halls and old warehouses
> Turned it off.


Skip the deathmatches, watch the actual wrestling. The heavyweight title bouts are some of the most interesting and dynamic matches you'll see in wrasslin these days. Very well structured and executed.



Pizzamorg said:


> Sorry to be such a pest gang, but fuck me I feel like I'm drowning in Best of the Super Juniors shows. It's awesome to have so much content but why drop it midweek and on such a busy WWE weekend? I feel like at this rate I'll have finished the first show by the time the whole tournament is over, which I'd rather avoid because it's fun to watch along with others. So once again, I ask, are there specific matches that need to be watched and specific matches that can be skipped? So far I've only watched the one match, the opening match with Liger in it and it wasn't very good to be honest, which sucks but is good too as if there are more matches like that I can just skip those and focus on the important stuff in a race to catch up.


Post in this thread or follow it for the top notch stuff, easier to keep track of instead of wading through this one when Rainmaka comes in and posts to himself through a whole show. :lol http://www.wrestlingforum.com/other-wrestling/2097906-2017-motyc-thread.html

In terms of my opinion:

Liger/Taka - *** 1/2
Volador/Tiger Mask - *** 1/4
Scurll/Ospreay - *** 3/4
Dragon Lee/Takahashi - **** 1/4

Taka/Taichi - Pile of shit but I guess unique? 
Scurll/Lee - *** 1/2
Liger/Takahashi - *** 1/2
Ricochet/Ospreay - **** (DRAGONRANA)



Pizzamorg said:


> Thank you! Nothing worth it from day three?


The only shows that are going up on World are the Korakuen shows and the final, which is only 5 in total I believe. All the others may or may not be uploaded as single tournament matches somewhere down the line (it's what they did last year). So no, day 3 has not been seen by anyone yet.

Btw if you don't like this you're gonna absolutely HATE the G1. :lol


----------



## TJQ

Every time I watch a Volador Jr match, all I can think about is how much he looks like a Mexican Bret Hart.



Spoiler: .


----------



## Pizzamorg

Corey said:


> Btw if you don't like this you're gonna absolutely HATE the G1. :lol


Thank you! 

And I hope I don't come across like I'm complaining, it's cool to have so much content, it just seems to have dropped at the worst possible time. I went from having nothing to watch, to suddenly having a seventeen hour WWE week with five hours worth of NJPW shows in between (I guess closer to eight once day 3 drops).


----------



## TJQ

I had hoped that Dragon Lee would be able to carry The British DUD Machine to a passable match, but what I continue to forget is that no matter how good the other wrestler is, that doesn't make Marty any better or less annoying. Going to be skipping the rest of his matches through this tournament because I don't need this kind of shit in my life :lol


----------



## Desecrated

Corey said:


> Skip the deathmatches, watch the actual wrestling. The heavyweight title bouts are some of the most interesting and dynamic matches you'll see in wrasslin these days. Very well structured and executed.
> 
> 
> Post in this thread or follow it for the top notch stuff, easier to keep track of instead of wading through this one when Rainmaka comes in and posts to himself through a whole show. :lol http://www.wrestlingforum.com/other-wrestling/2097906-2017-motyc-thread.html
> 
> In terms of my opinion:
> 
> Liger/Taka - *** 1/2
> Volador/Tiger Mask - *** 1/4
> Scurll/Ospreay - *** 3/4
> Dragon Lee/Takahashi - **** 1/4
> 
> Taka/Taichi - Pile of shit but I guess unique?
> Scurll/Lee - *** 1/2
> Liger/Takahashi - *** 1/2
> Ricochet/Ospreay - **** (DRAGONRANA)
> 
> 
> The only shows that are going up on World are the Korakuen shows and the final, which is only 5 in total I believe. All the others may or may not be uploaded as single tournament matches somewhere down the line (it's what they did last year). So no, day 3 has not been seen by anyone yet.
> 
> Btw if you don't like this you're gonna absolutely HATE the G1. :lol


Taka that back about Taichi vs Taka. Was almost flawless imo for what it looked to achieve. Could've been compressed into a shorter match by 2-3 minutes, sure. The only complaint.


----------



## TJQ

Ospreay and Ricochet bringing us to the promised land, brothers. Holy fuck.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Just watched the first day of NJBOSJ 24. I took your guys advice and went against it in places too when it came to checking out wrestlers I was a fan of even if their matches weren’t recommended. Also, no English commentary for this? I find the new layout of World even harder to get around than the old one. 

Overall I thought out of what I watched, Day One was a pretty weak show. I didn’t think there was a lot to talk about outside of the Scurll/Ospreay match. I feel like the only real take aways outside of that were that I still love Taguchi and wish he got talked about more on this forum, Liger lost and looked so weak in defeat and in contrast Ricochet looked a million dollars in his match and I’d be hyped to see him go far, although I’m not sure I’d want him to win it.

But that Ospreay/Scurll match man, wow. Not gonna lie, I was a total mark going in, born in the midlands I feel immense amounts of jingoistic pride for the British Indies and even more so on stages like this. 

This is the stiffest I think I’ve ever seen either man work, the match was so stiff I couldn’t tell what was well worked and what was botched which is the magic of pro wrestling. I lost count of the amount of times it looked like Ospreay nearly died during a spot, which is ironic as the match was more comedic in tone than that might suggest, the action was just absolutely insane. Scurll got a massive win out of the gate and seems super over. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.


----------



## Lariatoh!

I've thought this for quite sometime now, but never actually stated it.

Red Shoes has the worst 2 and 1/2 count or almost 3 count, or falsely finish count... Whatever you wanna call it, ever.

Man I hate it when he's the ref because you know when the wrestler is going to kick out because he just hangs his arm in the air for ages when going for the three. 

Unfortunately he gets all the main events. 

I know he's popular because, well he's Red Shoes, but man, it's getting rediculous...


----------



## Pizzamorg

Just watched the day two of NJBOSJ 24. 

So what is the story between Taka/Taichi? I don’t know anything about either guy so this was completely lost on me. Taichi looks weirdly like Stephen Fry too. 

Dragon Lee/Scurll was a match I found myself going back and forth on a lot. Like, what happened? Where has that red hot crowd backing for Scurll gone? That was part of what made his match against Ospreay special. Plus, now I’ve watched these two Super Junior matches near back to back, I’m convinced Scurll is on bad form here. He never seemed particularly botchy or unsafe when I watched him in PROGRESS but he seems to be fucking up a lot here or either working really hard to make it look like he’s fucking up when he isn’t. Which wouldn’t really make any sense. New Japan seems like quite a dangerous working environment as it is, without someone not even being able to do a basic catch. But it’s weird because at the same time when spots came together, there was some absolutely incredible action here, Dragon Lee is an absolute BEAST. 

Speaking of Ospreay/Ricochet. I found the match exhausting, overlong and Ospreay’s acting terrible. Even despite all that, I feel like the match still needs to be praised as you really don’t get action quite like this from any other pairing. Now Jimmy Havoc and Ospreay is seemingly done, Ricochet is his new in ring soulmate and it is beautiful. The way they can take each other beyond their limits and leave their very souls in the ring is magic. That is reflected in the Japanese crowd which became unglued, a crowd which usually sits like they are watching Wimbledon. Take a bow, you gorgeous bastards.


----------



## Corey

Lariatoh! said:


> I've thought this for quite sometime now, but never actually stated it.
> 
> Red Shoes has the worst 2 and 1/2 count or almost 3 count, or falsely finish count... Whatever you wanna call it, ever.
> 
> Man I hate it when he's the ref because you know when the wrestler is going to kick out because he just hangs his arm in the air for ages when going for the three.
> 
> Unfortunately he gets all the main events.
> 
> I know he's popular because, well he's Red Shoes, but man, it's getting rediculous...


No way, imo Earl Hebner is WAY worse. He will literally flail his entire body on a nearfall, it's awful. :lol



Pizzamorg said:


> Just watched the day two of NJBOSJ 24.
> 
> So what is the story between Taka/Taichi? I don’t know anything about either guy so this was completely lost on me. Taichi looks weirdly like Stephen Fry too.
> 
> Dragon Lee/Scurll was a match I found myself going back and forth on a lot. Like, what happened? Where has that red hot crowd backing for Scurll gone? That was part of what made his match against Ospreay special. Plus, now I’ve watched these two Super Junior matches near back to back, I’m convinced Scurll is on bad form here. He never seemed particularly botchy or unsafe when I watched him in PROGRESS but he seems to be fucking up a lot here or either working really hard to make it look like he’s fucking up when he isn’t. Which wouldn’t really make any sense. New Japan seems like quite a dangerous working environment as it is, without someone not even being able to do a basic catch. But it’s weird because at the same time when spots came together, there was some absolutely incredible action here, Dragon Lee is an absolute BEAST.


Taka & Taichi are stablemates in SuzukiGUN. They didn't wanna fight each other.

In reference to Scurll's ovation going down, I think that just shows how MASSIVELY over Dragon Lee is becoming. He's gotta be one of the favorites going forward.

Scurll kinda sucks at times so there's that.


----------



## jiraffejustin

Kazushi Sakuraba is my favorite MMA fighter of all-time, but I am pretty noobish on his body of work as a pro wrestler. Can anybody give me some recs on Sakuraba matches?


----------



## TJQ

Corey said:


> Scurll kinda sucks at times so there's that.


He certainly does suck at times, those times just happen to be all of them :homer3



jiraffejustin said:


> Kazushi Sakuraba is my favorite MMA fighter of all-time, but I am pretty noobish on his body of work as a pro wrestler. Can anybody give me some recs on Sakuraba matches?


One of my favs.

https://rutube.ru/video/a96d6f41114aea4616654dd94d113783/


----------



## Corey

Day 3 matches are up on XWT. I only plan on watching KUSHIDA vs. Tiger Mask... so yeah.  Looks like a weak day.


----------



## HOJO

The deathmatch portions of BJW are still way more entertaining than the Strong stuff on the regular and deathmatches being drifted back for it honestly sucks


----------



## Corey

Liger is still winless, losing to Scurll today. Taichi beat Dragon Lee and Ricochet went over Takahashi!

But onto the big news, holy shit guys new champ!!! (Mashimo & KAI won the Tag Titles too)


----------



## maxninepower

> NJPW “BEST OF THE SUPER Jr. 24”, 5/21/2017 [Sun] 15:00 @ Kira Messe Yumatsu in Shizuoka
> 1,470 Spectators (crowded)
> (1) Volador Jr., Tomoyuki Oka & Shota Umino vs. ACH, Katsuya Kitamura & Tetsuhiro Yagi
> ♦Winner: Oka (6:57) with a Boston Crab on Yagi.
> (2) Tiger Mask IV & Hirai Kawato vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado
> ♦Winner: Desperado (8:49) with the Pinche Loco on Kawato.
> 
> (3) A BLOCK: Will Ospreay vs. TAKA Michinoku
> ♦Winner: Ospreay (8:46) following the OsCutter.
> ~ Ospreay [2 wins, 1 loss = 4 points]
> ~ TAKA [1 win, 2 losses = 2 points]
> (4) A BLOCK: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Marty Scurll
> ♦Winner: Scurll (12:16) with a Crossface Chicken Wing.
> ~ Scurll [2 wins, 1 loss = 4 points]
> ~ Liger [3 losses = 0 points]
> 
> (5) Raymond Rowe, Hanson & David Finlay vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Yujiro Takahashi
> ♦Winner: Yujiro (8:35) following the Pimp Juice on Finlay.
> 
> (6) A BLOCK: Dragon Lee vs. Taichi
> ♦Winner: Taichi (9:04) with the Taichi style Last Ride.
> ~ Taichi [2 wins, 1 loss = 4 points]
> ~ Lee [2 wins, 1 loss = 4 points]
> (7) A BLOCK: Ricochet vs. Hiromu Takahashi
> ♦Winner: Ricochet (12:15) with the Kings’ Landing.
> ~ Ricochet [2 wins, 1 loss = 4 points]
> ~ Hiromu [1 win, 2 losses = 2 points]
> 
> (8) Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi & KUSHIDA vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI
> ♦Winner: EVIL (13:24) following the EVIL on KUSHIDA.
> ~ After the match, Naito finally destroyed what the IC belt after threatening to do for much of his reign.


Naito you're son of the bitch!


----------



## NastyYaffa

Corey said:


> Day 3 matches are up on XWT. I only plan on watching KUSHIDA vs. Tiger Mask... so yeah.  Looks like a weak day.


I recommend checking Despy vs. BUSHI, too. Thought it was the best match on the show!


----------



## Flair Shot

The belt got completely wrecked.

:rusevyes


----------



## The High King

RKO361 said:


> Calls Korakuen Hall a bingo hall. :lmao


If you watched the card with the best of deathmatches dickhead you would see the places I was referring to.
Some had crowds of less than 100 in empty warehouses.
Maybe you should have checked out the show before running your mouth and now looking like an idiot.

Having a mere couple in K-hall does not alter the rest.



Corey said:


> Skip the deathmatches, watch the actual wrestling. The heavyweight title bouts are some of the most interesting and dynamic matches you'll see in wrasslin these days. Very well structured and executed.


The show was the best of death matches so the heavyweight matches were not on that, but take your point

Desperado having a bit of a run in this.What the hell are they doing with Kushida?


----------



## Desecrated

Corey said:


> Liger is still winless, losing to Scurll today. Taichi beat Dragon Lee and Ricochet went over Takahashi!
> 
> But onto the big news, holy shit guys new champ!!! (Mashimo & KAI won the Tag Titles too)





NastyYaffa said:


> I recommend checking Despy vs. BUSHI, too. Thought it was the best match on the show!


Yeah thought Desperado vs Bushi was the best, slightly. The median of quality of day 3 matches though was about 3*s. Nothing must watch.

Bushi vs Desperado ***1/4
Taguichi vs Volodor ***
Kushida vs Tiger Mask ***
ACH vs Kanemaru **3/4

Shall check out day 4 later. Get to see that glorious upset.


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> Liger is still winless, losing to Scurll today. Taichi beat Dragon Lee and Ricochet went over Takahashi!
> 
> But onto the big news, holy shit guys new champ!!! (Mashimo & KAI won the Tag Titles too)


Holy shit. Man that match has chances of creating some of that Korakuen magic, I hope REALHero uploads it soon. 


All Japan is really becoming Zero One.


----------



## Mr. Socko

Corey said:


> Liger is still winless, losing to Scurll today. Taichi beat Dragon Lee and Ricochet went over Takahashi!
> 
> But onto the big news, holy shit guys new champ!!! (Mashimo & KAI won the Tag Titles too)


All good things must come to an end.










I'm interested in seeing Ishikawa's reign but I still think they should've kept the Miyahara run going while business was improving.


----------



## volde

I really hate Suzuki Gun tag matches since all of them are pretty much identical and boring, but I have been positively surprised by them in BOTSJ. Loved Taichi/Taka match and both Desperado matches.

Marty is, I dunno. I have seen only one match of his before BOTSJ and he isn't really doing anything for me. On one hand I like his entrance and he is decent on technical side, but some of his spots (like that waving while trying to keep balance or finger breaking) are so ridiculous to me that even Young Bucks by comparison look like 100% serious team. 

And Liger going 0-3 breaks my heart


----------



## The High King

volde said:


> I really hate Suzuki Gun tag matches since all of them are pretty much identical and boring, but I have been positively surprised by them in BOTSJ. Loved Taichi/Taka match and both Desperado matches.
> 
> Marty is, I dunno. I have seen only one match of his before BOTSJ and he isn't really doing anything for me. On one hand I like his entrance and he is decent on technical side, but some of his spots (like that waving while trying to keep balance or finger breaking) are so ridiculous to me that even Young Bucks by comparison look like 100% serious team.
> 
> And Liger going 0-3 breaks my heart


Completely agree on Scurll, soes nothing for me. His chicken dance and finger stuff looks ridiculous.
Always thought desperado was pretty good, as is Taka even at his age but not sure on Taichi. Kanemaru is also decent.
Like Scurll I also dont get the fascination with the Young Bucks, they are more like WWE gimmick wrestlers and for me never really suited NJPW.


----------



## TJQ

volde said:


> Marty is, I dunno. I have seen only one match of his before BOTSJ and he isn't really doing anything for me.





The High King said:


> Completely agree on Scurll, soes nothing for me. His chicken dance and finger stuff looks ridiculous.
> .


http://i.imgur.com/u5dVAkZ.gif


----------



## TD Stinger

TJQ said:


> .


So, do you get off on Scurll hate then? Lol.


----------



## TJQ

TD Stinger said:


> So, do you get off on Scurll hate then? Lol.


It gets me through the week.


----------



## HOJO

The High King said:


> If you watched the card with the best of deathmatches dickhead you would see the places I was referring to.
> Some had crowds of less than 100 in empty warehouses.
> Maybe you should have checked out the show before running your mouth and now looking like an idiot.
> 
> Having a mere couple in K-hall does not alter the rest.


Why would they stop doing their style in the most fitting places to do it in? :mj4

Also 12 is more than a couple, or how many they do when theyre not doing Sumo hall or Bunka Gymnasium

*Ice Ribbon Yokohama Ribbon GW I in Yokohama Radiant Hall(5/04/17)*
*Tsukasa Fujimoto, Hana DATE & Nori DATE vs Hamuko Hoshi, Karen DATE & Nao DATE* - * They brought in an actual JMMA group and they train them to be just like everyone else. What was the point? The didn't even look good doing what everyone else was doing? What was wrong with them just being shooters? It's not even like they stopped fighting and they're all moving onto wrestling, what's the point
*Maya Yukihi & Rin Kadokura vs Miyako Matsumoto & Matsuya Uno* - *1/2 Not the funnest Miyako, therefore not worth much
*Risa Sera vs 235(that's really a wrestling name. It's Fumiko)* - **1/4 Meh. Sera's striking is almost bad enough to call trash and there was nothing else to this
*Akane Fujita & Minoru Fujita vs Takashi Sasaki & Mochi Miyagi* - **3/4 Akane Fujita commentates this show, so basically she's watching herself(eating and drink all show too) get murdered, which makes watching her fun because she doesn't give a shit at all. Fun, solid hardcore match w/o juice
*Rina Yamashita & Tequila Saya vs Maruko Nagasaki & Satsuki Totoro* - **3/4 Yamashita greatly helped Totoro here, which is help Totoro needed cuz it's been ROUGH since her debut. Also, Ice Ribbon naming the new tall but fat rookie Totoro is some cruel ass shit(unless that's her real name)
*Kyuri & Maika Ozaki vs Tsukushi & Mio Momono* - ***1/2 Very solid main event tag for this 2nd day of 3 straight Yokohama Radient Hall shows. Tsukushi and Mio were very very tiny in comparison and they worked real well, Mio being given some shine in the main event is nice. Kyuri and Maika tried to kill her, though.


*SEAdLINNNG ~Golden GO! GO!~ in Yokohama Radiant Hall(5/05/17)*
Kaori Yoneyama vs Rin Kadokura - ** It was okay. Basic rookie vs vet match, a tiny bit of comedy. Nice to see Marvelous workers making tape again
Maruko Nagasaki vs Mio Momono - *1/2 There was a good match hidden in here somewhere. Actually, wasn't
Hiroyo Matsumoto & Rina Yamashita vs Yoshiko & Hamuko Hoshi - ***3/4 This looked to be pretty solid and ended up really good. Hoshi is a good tag worker, Hiroyo's really good, Yamashita's very good, and Yoshiko fucking rules. Best match from either of these 2 shows. Strangely I wouldn't put this on my best of list, though. Yoshiko vs Yamashita in Korakuen Hall is gonna be so good though, it'll probably be there
Best Friends(Arisa Nakajima & Tsukasa Fujimoto) vs Nanae Takahashi & Sareee ***1/2 This would be great and at 4 stars but Nanae was just an fucking annoyance in this match up until the very very end.

My list don't change, yo


Best Joshi Matches of 2017 said:


> *(Ice Ribbon 1/29)Hiragi Kurumi vs Kyuri - ***3/4
> (Ice Ribbon 1/29)Tsukushi & Hiragi Kurumi vs Hiroyo Matsumoto & Hamuko Hoshi - ***3/4
> (Stardom 2/23)Wonder of Stardom Title: Kairi Hojo vs Jungle Kyona - ***3/4*
> *(Stardom 3/05)Goddesses Of Stardom Title : Kairi Hojo & Yoko Bito (c) vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto & Jungle Kyona - *****
> *(SEAdLINNNG 3/16)Astronomical Battle : Nanae Takahashi & Arisa Nakajima vs Hiroyo Matsumoto & Ryo Mizunami - ***3/4
> (SEAdLINNNG 3/16)Extreme Genesis : Yoshiko vs Sareee - ***3/4
> (Ice Ribbon 3/26)Tsukasa Fujimoto vs Arisa Nakajima - ***3/4*
> *(Ice Ribbon 3/26)International Ribbon Tag Team Championship : Avid Rival (Misaki Ohata & Ryo Mizunami) © vs This is Ice Ribbon (Tsukushi & Hiragi Kurumi) - *****
> *(Stardom 3/26)Wonder of Stardom Title : Kairi Hojo (c) vs Konami - ***3/4*
> *(Gatoh Move 3/28)Asian Dream Tag Team Championship : “Kotori” & Riho (c) vs Emi Sakura & Masahiro Takanashi - ****1/2*(best joshi match this year)


----------



## Pizzamorg

I still need to see his match against Liger but Scurll has been pretty shit in NJBOSJ so far. I loved his match against Ospreay but that wasn't because of Scurll.


----------



## Corey

Ricochet vs. Takahashi was really good today. Liked it better than their title match tbh. A breeze to watch and a ton of big moves. The 12-13 minutes just flew by. *** 1/2

Also check out Zeus vs. Miayahara from the 4/26 Champion Carnival show that just dropped today on the RealHero archive. Real stiff and physical match that just had a couple too many nearfalls. Felt like a big deal and if Ishikawa/Zeus happens it should be delightful. *** 3/4


----------



## Mordecay

Any recommendations for Days 3 and 4 of BOSJ? I have seen a lot of wrestling this weekend and I'm a little exhausted, so I just want to know if there was anything interesting


----------



## volde

Day 3: Desperado/Bushi and Taguchi/Volador
Day 4: Ricochet/Hiromu


----------



## NastyYaffa

This is fucking awesome:

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/866621309849128960


Mordecay said:


> Any recommendations for Days 3 and 4 of BOSJ? I have seen a lot of wrestling this weekend and I'm a little exhausted, so I just want to know if there was anything interesting


TAKA/Ospreay + Ricochet/Hiromu were both really good. I agree w/ @Corey That Hiromu/Ochet II was better than their Toyonokuni match.


----------



## Abood sama

Guys where can I watch the champion carnival ?


----------



## NastyYaffa

Abood sama said:


> Guys where can I watch the champion carnival ?


https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B5rK95X3mRiiSDNvTnQ0aUhWODg


----------



## Corey

No talk of today's BOTSJ show. It's getting some high praise online and KUSHIDA got his first win over BUSHI (who is still winless so I think any idea of a LIJ matchup in the Finals is gone). Tiger Mask beat ACH in a match that's also getting high praise. El Desperado is... still undefeated. 

Also, some matches made for All Japan's next big show. Jake Lee literally had one win through the whole Champion Carnival, so now he's getting a title shot. :lol

*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2017 Dynamite Series”, 6/11/2017 [Sun] 12:00 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*

(-) *Special Single Match:* Suwama vs. Kento Miyahara

(-) *Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship Match:* [56th Champion] Shuji Ishikawa vs. [Challenger] Jake Lee
_~ 1st title defense._


----------



## The High King

Kanemaru against Volador a good match and loved the part where Kanemaru caught the refs arm from stopping the count, and another win for Gun.
Little or no interest really in Tiger Mask and ACH, but the crowd loved it and was a decent bout but surprised Tiger Mask got the win.
What the fuck was Desperado sticking in the ass of Taiguchi [I cant believe I typed that] and the finish was just as bizarre. Good to see Gun pick up another win.
Taka ringide for both Kanemaru and Desperado's wins.

Kushida against Bushi was also a decent bout and Kushida ends the drought but Bushi's poor campaign continues


----------



## HOJO

Corey said:


> No talk of today's BOTSJ show. It's getting some high praise online and KUSHIDA got his first win over BUSHI (who is still winless so I think any idea of a LIJ matchup in the Finals is gone). Tiger Mask beat ACH in a match that's also getting high praise. El Desperado is... still undefeated.
> 
> Also, some matches made for All Japan's next big show. Jake Lee literally had one win through the whole Champion Carnival, so now he's getting a title shot. :lol
> 
> *All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2017 Dynamite Series”, 6/11/2017 [Sun] 12:00 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*
> 
> (-) *Special Single Match:* Suwama vs. Kento Miyahara
> 
> (-) *Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship Match:* [56th Champion] Shuji Ishikawa vs. [Challenger] Jake Lee
> _~ 1st title defense._


If Suwama beats Kento then main events Sumo Hall All Japan's taking a big L immediately


----------



## Desecrated

Day Four of the Super Juniors
Scurll vs Liger **1/2
Taichi vs Dragon Lee ***
Takahashi vs Ricochet ***3/4

Day 5
LIJ vs Kojima, Juice, Liger and Dragon Lee ***3/4
Kanemaru vs Volador ***1/2
ACH vs Tiger Mask ***
Taguichi vs Desperado ***3/4
Kushida vs Bushi ***1/4

Lots of good stuff, nothing too stand-out. Kanemaru vs Volador was great. Stiff, enjoyable and highlighted both performers well. Taguchi vs Desperado was even more enjoyable. The pencil though D;


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*So T-Hawk suffered a knee injury on Saturday. And said injury was aggravated on Sunday, so he's been pulled from tonights show. As for the current standings of the King of Gate tournament, here they are: *



> A Block: YAMATO is leading with 4 points, Eita, Don Fujii and Big R trail at 2 points apiece, Dragon Kid and K-Ness have yet to win a match
> 
> B-Block: Susumu leads with 5 points, T-Hawk has 4, Kzy has a single one as a result of a tie, and Yosuke Santa Maria, Gamma and Ben-K are all at 0
> 
> C-Block: Jimmy Kagetora leads with 4 points, Doi, CIMA and Yamamura all have 2 points, SaiRyo and Yoshida are at the bottom
> 
> D-Block: BxB Hulk leads with 4 points, Genki, Mochi, Kanda and Lindaman have 2 points, Shingo has 0


----------



## maxninepower

Hiromu: (?Get to the interview space and falls on to the floor and lie down on his back)
'Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic, pathetic?'

* At this point, Taichi enters the interview area.

Taichi:
'Oh, did you lose again? Yeah, you are one weak loser. You?re not a champion or anything. You?re just a little crying baby, a little dumbass kid. Got it, you?re nothing.'


Hiromu: (?Starts crying and covers his ears)
'Shut up, shut up, shut up?'

Taichi:
'You?re weak! You are one stupid new disciple. Feel the defeat, you crying baby.Hahaha'
(* Then leaves the interview space)


----------



## Joshi Judas

Haha Kushida's using the God's Last Gift now I see :lol


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Really enjoying BOSJ nothing has blown me away but everything has been solid.

Seems like everyone is bringing it Tiger Mask has been great same with Taguichi and the Suzuki Gun guys as well. Lord help me I'm even finding Taichi funny.


----------



## Desecrated

Probably not the place to ask this but where is, eh;

Why is Marty Scurll a heel? His antics would make him an alright babyface, right? Hasn't portrayed any villainy in his 4 New Japan matches aside from the finger-snapping spot. Confusing.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Deadman's Hand said:


> *So T-Hawk suffered a knee injury on Saturday. And said injury was aggravated on Sunday, so he's been pulled from tonights show. As for the current standings of the King of Gate tournament, here they are: *


Kagetora for Dream Gate please


----------



## Mordecay

-***** Italiano- said:


> Really enjoying BOSJ nothing has blown me away but everything has been solid.
> 
> Seems like everyone is bringing it Tiger Mask has been great same with Taguichi and the Suzuki Gun guys as well. Lord help me I'm even finding Taichi funny.


Taguchi is one of the most underrated guys in NJPW. I find his antics really entertaining when they are not overdone, even I like to call him "Big match Taguchi" because every time he is in an important match he brings it


----------



## HOJO

Orochimaru Sama said:


> Haha Kushida's using the God's Last Gift now I see :lol


He's calling it Back to the Future


----------



## JC00

Naito

‘You know, the last few days I've had a lot of Twitter matches objecting to my treatment of the Intercontinental belt. I'm surprised that so many of you love the Intercontinental Championship. I don't get it, not at all, but it's a good thing, good for you. But when it comes to other wrestlers pissing and complaining, I don't care. The only one who really stepped up in my face and cared was Jushin Thunder Liger, right? So apart from Liger, everyone else, really, is fine with what I do as champion. Even the next challenger is taking the whole tour off. I'm a champion and they don't give me the right to speak. They're about to make another belt (_US title?_) just like this one. The Intercontinental Championship is redundant now, right? Maybe it's time to consign it to history. Anyway, hasta manana! See you tomorrow. Adios!’


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Mordecay said:


> Taguchi is one of the most underrated guys in NJPW. I find his antics really entertaining when they are not overdone, even I like to call him "Big match Taguchi" because every time he is in an important match he brings it


You'll get no argument from me. I even love dicking around in tag matches Taguchi. 

I'm not really surprised by good performances these guys are all good wrestlers. It just warms my heart to see the everyone raise their game for the tournament. Makes it feel special. Theres a sense of occasion. You can see how honoured Taka was to be part of Ligers last BoSJ, you can see what that Tiger Mask match meant to ACH. All of that adds to the feels.


----------



## The High King

Day 6 was not the best.

Hiromu over Taichi
Dragon Lee over Ricochet
Scurll beat Taka
Ospraey beats Liger


----------



## Mordecay

The fact that Taichi has 4 points and Liger has none in his last BOSJ is an atrocity. I get that the old guys should put over the new guys, but Liger can still go, at least they should've played with the possibility that he had a chance of winning, not being the 1st person eliminated


----------



## Corey

Mordecay said:


> The fact that Taichi has 4 points and Liger has none in his last BOSJ is an atrocity. I get that the old guys should put over the new guys, but Liger can still go, at least they should've played with the possibility that he had a chance of winning, not being the 1st person eliminated


They're treating Liger in this BOTSJ as they would treat Honma in the G1. Whenever he gets his first win, it'll get a HUGE pop.


----------



## volde

And, if I'm not mistaken, his last match is against Taichi so twice as big pop.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Him losing to Ospreay means that he has no chance in winning the whole thing though, if I am not mistaken. Now that is shitty booking IMO. Should've let him have a couple of wins & then lose to Taichi if they didn't want him to be in the finals.

Still think he should've won the whole thing, though. Liger/Hiromu II @ Dominion would've been incredible.


----------



## Mordecay

Could someone explain me something? I've watched the Io Shirai-Toni Storm match from last week, it was my first time watching a Stardom match, pretty good match I must say, Io's selling was great. There was a point in the match were Toni applies a piledriver to Io and she apparently get knocked out, but it was just selling. The ref goes check on her and pushes her out of the ring and leaves her in the apron, and doesn't let Toni continue with her offense. Then he starts counting, Io apparently wasn't gonna break the 20 count (I don't know if title changes hands there via count out, I guess not) so Toni goes to get her and the ref gets in the way again, blocking her again to do more offense. This goes a couple of minutes until finally Toni applies a move. What I don't get is why the ref gets in the way. I mean, I understand that if Io is legit injured, but if she was injured the ref wouldn't have started to make the 20 count. I know Io is like the big star of Stardom, but is she really that protected? Because that moment kinda took a lot of momentum from the match imo


----------



## The High King

Liger only needs to win one match and could conceivably go out with a bang should his sole win come against the eventual comp winner.
He could spend the comp putting over young guys and then later after the comp is over ask the winner for a one on one since he beat him in the tournament. 
This sort of booking has been done before and would not surprise me to see Liger finish up his career with something like that.


----------



## HOJO

Mordecay said:


> Could someone explain me something? I've watched the Io Shirai-Toni Storm match from last week, it was my first time watching a Stardom match, pretty good match I must say, Io's selling was great. There was a point in the match were Toni applies a piledriver to Io and she apparently get knocked out, but it was just selling. The ref goes check on her and pushes her out of the ring and leaves her in the apron, and doesn't let Toni continue with her offense. Then he starts counting, Io apparently wasn't gonna break the 20 count (I don't know if title changes hands there via count out, I guess not) so Toni goes to get her and the ref gets in the way again, blocking her again to do more offense. This goes a couple of minutes until finally Toni applies a move. What I don't get is why the ref gets in the way. I mean, I understand that if Io is legit injured, but if she was injured the ref wouldn't have started to make the 20 count. I know Io is like the big star of Stardom, but is she really that protected? Because that moment kinda took a lot of momentum from the match imo


I will push to the end of my grave to avoid ever watching a Io/Toni Storm 30 minute match cuz both of them are insufferable right now, but something similar happened with another Io match

Shayna/Io from February centered around Io passing out to Shayna's sleeper. 14 or so minutes into the match, Shayna locks it in and Io starts fading. It's clear that she outright lost the match and she's clearly out but the ref, instead of signalling for the bell, kept yelling at Shayna to cover her over and over and over again, but would not end the match for any reason. Shayna did it, Io kicked out at 2, then didn't sell a thing afterwards, rendering the center of the match to be useless

Off topic a bit this trend of time limit draws for main event title matches happening needs to fuck off. Leave the unnecessary time limit draws to joshit undercard matches already


----------



## Mordecay

Meltzer ratings for BOSJ

May 18

Taichi vs. TAKA 1/4*
Dragon Lee vs. Marty ***3/4
Hiromu vs. Liger ***3/4
Ospreay vs. Ricochet ****3/4

May 20

kanemaru vs. ACH ***
Tiger Mask vs. KUSHIDA ***1/2
Despy vs. BUSHI ***1/4
Taguchi vs. Volador ***1/4

May 21

Ospreay vs. TAKA ***1/4
Scurll vs. Liger ***1/4
Taichi vs. Lee ***1/4
Ricochet vs. Hiromu ****1/4

May 22

Kanemaru vs. Volador ***
Tiger Mask vs. ACH ***1/2
Despy vs. Taguchi ***1/2
KUSHIDA vs. BUSHI ****1/2

May 23

Scurll vs. TAKA **1/2
Ospreay vs. Liger ***1/2
Hiromu vs. Taichi **3/4
Dragon vs. Ricochet ***1/2

I guess Ricochet/Ospreay is like Viagra for Big Dave, every time they wrestle he gets a boner. I guess it a matter of taste, but I had it at ****1/4 at best, too much flippy shit for me. Can't comment on the rest because I haven't seen it yet


----------



## The Imperfect

Man I used to be all over Japanese juniors bit as I've grown older its become less intriguing. There's something about a heavyweight match-up I find much more interesting. Must be the emphasis on hard hits as opposed to agile manuevers.


----------



## Joshi Judas

Same for me. I do like some junior matches now and then, for instance I LOVED Hiromu vs Kushida at Wrestle Kingdom this year. But for the most part, they don't overly impress me so I stick to the Heavyweights.


----------



## volde

Big Dave can fuck off with that *1/4 rating for Taichi/Taka match. 

As for BOTSJ matches, I think problem is that some of the juniors are really flipping too much. I saw Ospreay/Ricochet and I have little desire to see their other matches (once they are on I usually start multitasking) since they'll be doing same flips and spots, but since nobody else is as athletic as these two it is given that Ospreay/X or Ricochet/X will be worse match than Ospreay/Ricochet. On the other hand you take someone like Hiromu, Kushida, Taguchi, Liger or even Bushi and Desperado and you are not entirely sure what match you'll be getting.

It reminds me a bit of translated Tana quotes on strong style where he basically says that it is a dead end and eventually people will stop caring about anything else that doesn't involve some attempted murder/suicide, you know just like what Shibata did. So here it is something similar, more people flip randomly all over the ring less people care about matches that are slower and are trying to tell some kinda story.


----------



## Corey

May 22nd:

ACH vs. Tiger Mask - *** 3/4 (Great match. Excellent selling of the back from ACH and some strong work form both guys. Recommended)

Watch Desperado vs. Taguchi if you wanna see Taguchi getting a pen or tool repeatedly and violently shoved in his asshole. I'm not even joking.

KUSHIDA vs. BUSHI - *** 1/4 (Weird match. I felt like they were trying too hard to go out and have a classic when neither one of these two are very relevant in the world or New Japan right now and they were both trying new things and exploring new moves. KUSHIDA stealing people's moves is really odd to see. God's last git and he also did that front flip into a DDT that I think Ricochet or someone else has been doing for a while now. BUSHI even used a Canadian Destroyer that felt severely out of place and slow but whatevs. I can't really describe this. It was fine but the ****+ ratings I just don't see)

KUSHIDA lost again today to ACH. I'm fairly certain he doesn't have much of a chance to win the block at this point unless all hell breaks loose (which it probably will) and there's tiebreakers, but either way this booking for him has really sucked.

Kanemaru and Desperado are both tied at the top of B Block with 6 points each.
Scurll, Ospreay, and Dragon Lee all have 6 at the top of A Block as well.

3 days left for each block.


----------



## The High King

I have just watched the day 7 matches.
Kanemaru gets the win over Tiger Mask and Taichi and Taka ringside to cause interference.
When Desperado wrestles against Volodor, no other suzuki gun members come out with him and he loses, which is odd booking.
Bushi against Taguchi was standard fare as were most of the non main shows this last few days with Bushi picking up the win.
Kushida against ACH was last up and Kushida loses again


----------



## volde

The High King said:


> When Desperado wrestles against Volodor, no other suzuki gun members come out with him and he loses, which is odd booking.


I suspect they wanted to give Desperado an L (since going 4-0 might be a bit too crazy), but at the same time didn't want to give too much for Volodor who'd then have to overcome multiple Suzuki Gun members.

Some random thoughts:

Haven't seen anything with Volodor before this tournament, whats the deal with his mask? He comes in masked and then removes it.

Looked at the scheduled matches. Last day has Desperado/Kanemaru. Now, Kanemaru probably isn't winning this since he is free lancer if I'm not mistaken... so is Desperado winning this block?

Are they going to sign ACH? I feel like, from all the new guys, he is getting showcased rather well here and he also has a match with Taguchi on the last day... so maybe ACH goes to the finals? He is 2-2 if I'm not mistaken now.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Dream matches I never even thought of:



Spoiler: .























:trips8


----------



## Corey

volde said:


> Haven't seen anything with Volodor before this tournament, whats the deal with his mask? He comes in masked and then removes it.
> 
> Looked at the scheduled matches. Last day has Desperado/Kanemaru. Now, Kanemaru probably isn't winning this since he is free lancer if I'm not mistaken... so is Desperado winning this block?
> 
> Are they going to sign ACH? I feel like, from all the new guys, he is getting showcased rather well here and he also has a match with Taguchi on the last day... so maybe ACH goes to the finals? He is 2-2 if I'm not mistaken now.


Volador used to be a masked wrestler before losing it in Mexico. He usually wears the mask for a tad bit during the Fantasticamania tour and then removes it and the crowd always seems surprised or in aw of it, so he just continues to do it and they keep reacting.

ACH is freelance as well and has no link to ROH anymore or CMLL, so I don't see him winning the block and I don't think they plan on signing him but who knows. I expected him in the next batch of NXT signings along with O'Reily, Fish, Dijak, etc. Guys who are just floundering around.

If you recall last year, Kanemaru made it to the finals of the Super J Cup when he wasn't even part of the New Japan roster before losing to KUSHIDA. It's gonna be REALLY shitty though if his match with Desperado determines who wins the block...


----------



## antoniomare007

NastyYaffa said:


> Dream matches I never even thought of:
> 
> :trips8


Oh shit, are this pics new?


----------



## NastyYaffa

antoniomare007 said:


> Oh shit, are this pics new?


Yep. Regal was in Japan recently. He went to at least 1 AJPW show & I am pretty sure he went to one of the BOSJ shows, too. At least I saw some talk about it on twitter iirc.


----------



## antoniomare007

NastyYaffa said:


> Yep. Regal was in Japan recently. He went to at least 1 AJPW show & I am pretty sure he went to one of the BOSJ shows, too. At least I saw some talk about it on twitter iirc.


Man Regal sure knows where to look. He's always looking talent that start getting some buz, doesn't waste any time.


----------



## The High King

BOTJs Day Eight

Taichi beats Scurll, a bit of a surprise.
Ricochet beats Liger in a short match
Hiromu defeats Taka in the best match of the night so far.
Ospraey beats Dragon Lee in a typical Ospraey match


----------



## HOJO

NastyYaffa said:


> Yep. Regal was in Japan recently. He went to at least 1 AJPW show & I am pretty sure he went to one of the BOSJ shows, too. At least I saw some talk about it on twitter iirc.


He was at basically every Korakuen Hall show this week, which meant he was at AJPW, BJW, and SEAdLINNNG. Rumor that went around is that Regal was seen specifically talking to Arisa Nakajima and Sareee


----------



## Corey

Just finished watching the Champion Carnival Final (Ishikawa vs. Doering). It was pretty cool that the two biggest guys in each block ended up winning cause ya don't see that much. Match was good but it got extremely repetitive down the stretch with Ishikawa doing the same two moves repeatedly for nearfalls before he finally got the win after his 3rd fire driver or whatever you'd like to call it. *** 1/2 for it. Think there was probably 4 or 5 matches throughout the tournament that were better with Miyahara vs. Lee being my favorite (**** 1/4). Plenty of variety though.


----------



## volde

The High King said:


> BOTJs Day Eight
> 
> Taichi beats Scurll, a bit of a surprise.
> Ricochet beats Liger in a short match
> Hiromu defeats Taka in the best match of the night so far.
> Ospraey beats Dragon Lee in a typical Ospraey match


Is it just me or was Ricochet/Liger worst Liger's match in this tournament?


----------



## Miguel De Juan

Worst booked series of events Gedo has done. I can forgive the multiman matches because protect guys from injuries. Cool. But this Best of Super Juniors has been underwhelming since Day 3. They killed Liger's story. The finals better be good.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Miguel De Juan said:


> Worst booked series of events Gedo has done. I can forgive the multiman matches because protect guys from injuries. Cool. But this Best of Super Juniors has been underwhelming since Day 3. They killed Liger's story. The finals better be good.


Have to agree with this, I still haven't watched anything since Day 2. This is my first BOSJ that I've been involved in from the very start and so I had no idea that 90% of the shows weren't produced, they just set up a camera in the crowds so you can have the worst of both worlds in your experience. There have been some matches since Day 2 that have caught my eye but between that set up and the fact that almost no one has anything nicer to say than, "yeah it was an okay 2 or 3 star match", I just have no motivation for this at all which is a shame as I was really excited going in.

When does it go back to a proper show again, for the finals? I don't even really get how the whole round robin system even works really, does it go to an elimination style mini-tournament once the points are totalled? Will those be proper shows?


----------



## Corey

I don't have a problem with these hard cam shows because I basically look at them like bonuses. I'm as burnt out as anyone else so I just pick and choose what I wanna watch. Not like you're gonna miss the best match of the tournament on one of those shows anyway. I have no investment in the Liger story either so his bokking doesn't bother me. KUSHIDA's booking has bothered me though. I can't complain about the quality of the wrestling either because I've got all of this:

BOTSJ Block A: Jushin Liger vs. Taka Michinoku (5/17) *** 1/2
BOTSJ Block B: Volador Jr. vs. Tiger Mask IV (5/17) *** 1/4
BOTSJ Block A: Marty Scurll vs. Will Ospreay (5/17) *** 3/4
BOTSJ Block A: Hiromu Takahashi vs. Dragon Lee (5/17) **** 1/4
BOTSJ Block A: Marty Scurll vs. Dragon Lee (5/18) *** 1/2
BOTSJ Block A: Jushin Liger vs. Hiromu Takahashi (5/18) *** 1/2
BOTSJ Block A: Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay (5/18) ****
BOTSJ Block A: Ricochet vs. Hiromu Takahashi (5/21) *** 1/2
BOTSJ Block B: ACH vs. Tiger Mask IV (5/22) *** 3/4
BOTSJ Block B: KUSHIDA vs. BUSHI (5/22) *** 1/4
BOTSJ Block A: Dragon Lee vs. Will Ospreay (5/26) *** 1/2



Pizzamorg said:


> When does it go back to a proper show again, for the finals? I don't even really get how the whole round robin system even works really, does it go to an elimination style mini-tournament once the points are totalled? Will those be proper shows?


You really are new to this, huh? 

It's two blocks. Everyone in each block faces each other once. Win is 2 points, draw is 1. Loss is nothing. The guys at the top of each block by the end face off in the finals, which is June 3rd and yes that will be a produced show.

The only other proper show left is May 29th (all the Korakuen shows were the only ones that were going to be produced) which features ACH vs. Volador and KUSHIDA vs. Taguchi as the main event.

BTW, I thought you were me when looking at your post.


----------



## The High King

volde said:


> Is it just me or was Ricochet/Liger worst Liger's match in this tournament?


I thought so.
So glad it finished so quick

Off now to view day 9 matches


----------



## The Nuke

This is my also my first time watching the BOTSJ. The hard cam matches don't bother me, but it's clear that the guys are only going to put on their best for the main K Hall shows. Essentially you're watching house show matches for most of the tournament.

Which is just the reality of it.

I've only been watching a match here and there since Day 4 or so. With the finals coming, Road Shows, and Dominion it's just going to be way to easy to burn out.

Another thing to is that although I love most of these guys, I'm really wanting to see Omega, Okada, Ishii, and the rest of the roster now.

I'll know next time to watch the main shows, and then just stick to what people are talking about for the rest. Which is basically what I'm doing now.


----------



## The High King

Day 9 BotSJ

Taguchi against Tiger Mask was basic average that lasted about 10 minutes with Tiger Mask tapping out to Taguchi. The result was the only thing of note.

Next up was Kanemaru accompanied by Taka against Kushida, surely Kushida's run had to start at this point, and was a good match even if a lot took place outside the ring, and had one of the worst ever ref bumps I have seen before Taka and then Tiachi got involved and was a good match that had wwe levels of fuckery in it before Kushida got the win and celebrated in the ring with his ROH title. 

Bushi took on Volador in the third bout, and another that went roughly 10 minutes and also had some outside the ring stuff with Bushi getting in a chair shot and Volador getting in an over the top rope dive, before Bushi got the win.

Last up was Desperado who again came out on his own against ACH which told me ACH was winning. This was yet another in the standard fare ten minute match ups and Desperado looked good with some neat looking submission holds. Odd booking all round this year.
Was a quick finish and played out if ACH was really hurt after his win as he was carried to the back, do not know if it was real injury or not.


----------



## Lariatoh!

I was hoping for Dragon Lee to beat Ospreay 

And I'm still loving the ovation Liger gets at this stage of his career. Warms the soul.


----------



## spacemtfan

Great news for NJPW concerning Dominion 6.11: tickets on Ticketbo (english buying service) are sold out! I am sure tickets are still available over in Japan, but this is a great sign for attendance.


----------



## Corey

Really enjoyed BUSHI vs. Volador from today's show. Really felt like a lightning match I would've seen out of CMLL. Super fun stuff. *** 1/2

KUSHIDA vs. Kanemaru isn't too bad either but god almighty there's an annoying amount of interference that Red Shoes is pretty much looking right at and does nothing about. Luckily KUSHIDA fights it all off and the crowd responds really well to it. Felt like something I would've seen out of his long title run last year. (*** 1/4). There's a reason I skip literally almost every match involving any SuzukiGun juniors though. I HATE the interference. Please god don't let one of them make the final. Please.


----------



## volde

Desperado matches have way less interference so if you had to pick one Suzuki Gun member to follow it should be him. 

Also, anyone else found it funny that in Kushida/Kanemaru match some young lion stopped Taichi from interfering at the end? Was pretty funny and made me think that maybe more young lions should be doing such things?

Interesting thing, everyone from Block B is still in the game so I figure last day is going to have some serious fuckery since after next round 4-5 people will probably be still in the game. 

Also I saw this:

https://twitter.com/reasonjp/status/868596833383194624

Okay, looked at scheduled next round of Block B and if I'm not mistaken, if stars align, everyone might end up having 3-3 record going into final day.


----------



## The Nuke

Think it's pretty clear after today that Liger will Fuck Taichi out of the tournament, and this will clear Ospreay for the final.

then again this is Gedo, so you never know.


----------



## Corey

Jesus hell 4 way tie on top of A Block! My predictions for the last day (31st):

Liger over Taichi
Scurll over Ricochet
Lee over Taka
Takahashi over Ospreay

Dragon Lee advances to the final due to the tiebreaking win over Takahashi.



volde said:


> Desperado matches have way less interference so if you had to pick one Suzuki Gun member to follow it should be him.


Yeah but he still cheats like a son of a bitch. :lol I just think it feels so out of place and ridiculous at times.


----------



## Flik

More hardcore than thumbtacks, hard candy and lego :ambrose5


----------



## The Nuke

Corey said:


> Jesus hell 4 way tie on top of A Block! My predictions for the last day (31st):
> 
> Liger over Taichi
> Scurll over Ricochet
> Lee over Taka
> Takahashi over Ospreay
> 
> Dragon Lee advances to the final due to the tiebreaking win over Takahashi.


Think you're on to something. I have Ospreay as the wild card though.


----------



## Pizzamorg

What is there really a chance Ospreay could win this again?


----------



## Desecrated

I wouldn't mind Ospreay winning as it would give him vs Takahashi at Dominion. I wouldn't mind Dragon Lee winning as it gives him vs Takahashi at Dominion. The others, eh I don't mind. I don't care too much for Ricochet.

Moved into top 30 in the R/SQ pick'ems so I am mucho delighto. In before a big fall from grace in the coming 3 match-days. I don't fancy my picks for tomorrow as everything suggests all but Kushida would lose (and maybe Bushi to keep the necessary capitalised CLUSTERFUCK ending alive)


----------



## Corey

Pizzamorg said:


> What is there really a chance Ospreay could win this again?


Yes. Ospreay, Ricochet, Takahashi, and Dragon Lee are all tied with 8 points each.

If we reach some kind of a tie for A Block (because not all of them can win on the last day), then Ospreay holds the tiebreaker over both Ricochet and Dragon Lee, Ricochet holds the tiebreaker over Takahashi, and Dragon Lee also holds the tiebreaker over Takahashi. Takahashi holds no tiebreakers right now but can go over Ospreay on the last day. That's the main event and will likely decide it all.

I'm not factoring in Taichi because I refuse. He also has 8 points but if Liger doesn't beat him then it's bullshit. 

I didn't see it posted anywhere and it's HUGE FUCKING NEWS! :mark:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/867595408498802689


----------



## HearnyBayBay

I'm sure somebody has already done this but this is the kind of geeky shit I like working out....Taichi, Ricochet, Dragon Lee, Will Ospreay and Hiromu Takahashi can all still win the block.



Spoiler: .



For TAICHI to win :
-- He needs to beat Liger
-- He needs Scurll to beat Ricochet
-- He needs Ospreay to beat Takahashi

For RICOCHET to win : 
-- He needs to beat Scurll
-- He needs Taka to beat Dragon Lee
-- He needs Takahashi to beat Ospreay

For DRAGON LEE to win : 
-- He needs to beat TAKA 
-- He needs Liger to beat Taichi
-- He needs Takahashi to beat Ospreay

For OSPREAY to win :
-- He needs to beat Takahashi
-- He needs Liger to beat Taichi

For TAKAHASHI to win :
-- He needs to beat Ospreay
-- He needs Scurll to beat Ricochet
-- He needs TAKA to beat Dragon Lee

-------------------------------------------------
NJPW 1972 is listing Ospreay/Takahashi as the main event which makes sense as the best match up on paper. But also because the outcome is extremely important based on the above.

If Dragon Lee beats TAKA or Ricochet beats Scurll, then Takahashi can't win the block so I think you can rule out Ricochet or Lee winning it. If Taichi beats Liger then Ospreay can't win the block so I think that rules Taichi it. I assume Liger is going to win his last match and also.....it's Taichi.

It seems likely that Ospreay Vs Takahashi will be winner takes all. It's certainly possible that one of them could just be trying to play spoiler, but I'd be surprised. 

Yes I am very sad I know!

Just so I have closure here....and to make it a bit more exciting, I've looked at how the results of the first three matches would affect the main event. I think I've done this right. 

Taichi & Marty & Taka win = Taichi (with an Ospreay win) or Takahashi win the block.

Taichi & Marty & Lee win = Taichi (with an Ospreay win). No clear winner with a Takahashi win. 

Liger/Marty/Taka win = Winner of Ospreay/Takahashi wins the block. 

Liger/Marty/Lee win = Dragon Lee (with a Takahashi win) or Ospreay win the block.

Taichi/Ricochet/Taka = Richochet (with a Takahashi win). Taichi (with an Ospreay win) 

Taichi/Ricochet/Lee = No clear winner. 

Liger/Ricochet/Taka = Ricochet (with a Takahashi win) or Ospreay win the block.

Liger/Ricochet/Lee = Dragon Lee (with a Takahashi win) or Ospreay win the block.
------

I quite like the idea of potentially Ospreay or Takahashi not being able to win, but trying to play spoiler. Though as I said, probably unlikely.



Now finally off to get a life


----------



## Concrete

Going to hit everyone with them two month old HOT TAKES!

*Masakatsu Funaki & Yukio Sakaguchi vs. Shuji Ishikawa & Tetsuya Endo (DDT 3/20/17):***½*
_For the KO-D Tag Team Titles held by Funaki and Sakaguchi. Not a match that will end up on end of the year LISTS despite being a blast. Not enough dumb spots to be a hoot and not developed enough to be more than real good. Endo ends up being the weakest competitor and even then, his douchebag haircut goes a long way with Ishikawa as his partner. Don’t watch a lot of DDT so the tandem is new and fresh which helps. Ishikawa as the muscle and Endo as the flashy jerk. Marked out for Endo almost face planting. Funaki and Sakaguchi bring violence. The whole ending stretch with Sakaguchi and Ishikawa felt definitive with everything being hit FLUSH! _​[/SIZE]


----------



## BigCy

BOTSJ is turning out decent. I think KUSHIDA will clean up and win B Block after a rough start. And as far as A Block, I'm torn between Osprey and Takahashi, and I honestly think Taichi has a shot just because, Gedo gonna Gedo, he might even throw a DRAW in there somewhere to further complicate things. I wouldn't mind seeing someone fresh against Takahashi though. I can almost see Takahashi winning the Cup and picking his challenger, that would be cool too. Rooting for my boy Osprey to win it again though and beating Takahashi at Dominion but think it's a long shot. 

Also does anyone else roll their eyes when someone is "almost" counted out. I have NEVER seen an instance where someone actually gets counted out, if it actually did once in awhile it would actually create some excitement for me but it's too predictable they will get in at 18 or 19. Has anyone actually seen it happen?


----------



## Lmnopqrstallion

Corey said:


> This is worthy of a double post because I didn't see it posted anywhere and it's HUGE FUCKING NEWS! :mark:
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/867595408498802689


I was going to go but since its on tv at that time I'm gonna stay home. I am hoping this attracts a lot of people to NJPW.


----------



## Lariatoh!

BigCy said:


> BOTSJ is turning out decent. I think KUSHIDA will clean up and win B Block after a rough start. And as far as A Block, I'm torn between Osprey and Takahashi, and I honestly think Taichi has a shot just because, Gedo gonna Gedo, he might even throw a DRAW in there somewhere to further complicate things. I wouldn't mind seeing someone fresh against Takahashi though. I can almost see Takahashi winning the Cup and picking his challenger, that would be cool too. Rooting for my boy Osprey to win it again though and beating Takahashi at Dominion but think it's a long shot.
> 
> Also does anyone else roll their eyes when someone is "almost" counted out. I have NEVER seen an instance where someone actually gets counted out, if it actually did once in awhile it would actually create some excitement for me but it's too predictable they will get in at 18 or 19. Has anyone actually seen it happen?


I did like the count of 19 when Ospreay was 20 metres from the ring. That boy had to sprint....


----------



## Mordecay

2 weeks and counting


----------



## Corey

Two damn good match from today's show.

Liger vs. Dragon Lee was a fantastic little 8 minute sprint where they they did nothing but hit home runs. Loved the little touch of both guys nearly winning by countout and I'm quite thankful Dragon Lee didn't just win after his corner foot stomp because his version is weak as shit compared to Alberto. *** 1/2

Takahashi vs. Scurll shocked the shit out of me. I honestly thought it was the best house show style match they've had in the tournament thus far. You can really feel the desperation from both guys who _really_ needed a win in this stacked block and fucking Takahashi WOULD NOT DIE. There's a lot of superkicks in this and it may not be for everyone, but if you dig this I think you could REALLY dig it. Way better than their Rev Pro match from last month imo. They just fucking peppered each other with shots and didn't hold back at all. Actually wished it had gone a little longer, tbh. *** 3/4


----------



## volde

From today if you are short on time worth watching:

Bushi vs Kanemaru. 
Kushida vs Taguchi. This one probably was match of the tournament for me, atmosphere was insane and sure added to it.


----------



## Corey

Look at this fucking shit:

~ Tiger Mask IV [3 wins, 3 losses = 6 points]
~ El Desperado [3 wins, 3 losses = 6 points]
~ BUSHI [3 wins, 3 losses = 6 points]
~ Kanemaru [3 wins, 3 losses = 6 points]
~ Volador [3 wins, 3 losses = 6 points]
~ ACH [3 wins, 3 losses = 6 points]
~ KUSHIDA [3 wins, 3 losses = 6 points]
~ Taguchi [3 wins, 3 losses = 6 points]

:done An 8 way tie! Prediction time for the last day for B Block:

BUSHI over Tiger Mask
Taguchi over ACH
KUSHIDA over Volador (this should be a great match)
Kanemaru vs. Desperado is the main event, which is awful. Kanemaru wins that and thinks he's won the whole block... until *KUSHIDA* comes out and announces HE'S the real winner because he holds the tiebreaker over everyone else with 8 points because he defeated everyone that won their match today.

KUSHIDA vs. Dragon Lee in the Finals on June 3rd. My final guess. Two of Takahashi's biggest rivals go at it for the chance to get one more crack at him.


----------



## Desecrated

Corey said:


> Look at this fucking shit:
> 
> ~ Tiger Mask IV [3 wins, 3 losses = 6 points]
> ~ El Desperado [3 wins, 3 losses = 6 points]
> ~ BUSHI [3 wins, 3 losses = 6 points]
> ~ Kanemaru [3 wins, 3 losses = 6 points]
> ~ Volador [3 wins, 3 losses = 6 points]
> ~ ACH [3 wins, 3 losses = 6 points]
> ~ KUSHIDA [3 wins, 3 losses = 6 points]
> ~ Taguchi [3 wins, 3 losses = 6 points]
> 
> :done An 8 way tie! Prediction time for the last day for B Block:
> 
> BUSHI over Tiger Mask
> Taguchi over ACH
> KUSHIDA over Volador (this should be a great match)
> Kanemaru vs. Desperado is the main event, which is awful. Kanemaru wins that and thinks he's won the whole block... until *KUSHIDA* comes out and announces HE'S the real winner because he holds the tiebreaker over everyone else with 8 points because he defeated everyone that won their match today.
> 
> KUSHIDA vs. Dragon Lee in the Finals on June 3rd. My final guess. Two of Takahashi's biggest rivals go at it for the chance to get one more crack at him.


Yeah I saw the Kushida tiebreaker hypothesized when he was down on 0 points. Very strange to see this unfolding but they could afford to do it with this group rather than group A. Does make the final run exciting but to an extent. Reading long-time people select winners just makes this lean towards Kushida.

I wouldn't mind Ospreay vs Takahashi at Dominion. Their first match will be in 2 days. But they are leaning towards Kushida's redemption (and L.I.J losing their gold).


----------



## volde

My completely crazy theory for Block B:

BUSHI over Tiger Mask
Taguchi over ACH
Volador over Kushida (or draw)
Kanemaru vs. Desperado ends in draw or Kanemaru winning due to BUSHI getting involved. 

Yes, I know that this won't happen, but I suspect that something WILL happen because otherwise Kanemaru/Desperado main event is a bit underwhelming all things considered.


----------



## TD Stinger

I think we all need to talk about the elephant in the room......da fuck is Kenny doing with those hair extensions.


----------



## Omega Creed

TD Stinger said:


> I think we all need to talk about the elephant in the room......da fuck is Kenny doing with those hair extensions.


lmfao. I been noticing that too. He's had them in since the Long Beach Press Conference.


----------



## Bland

I love @Corey prediction of Kushida vs Dragon Lee final. In that case, i wouldn't mind either winning but would love to see Takahashi vs Kushida vs Dragon Lee. 3 way would be epic and could rival the classic encounters of Devitt vs Ibushi vs Low Ki.


----------



## volde

Dragon Lee winning sounds a bit pointless since he pinned Hiromu so we are bound to get another Hiromu/Dragon Lee match either way.


----------



## Sweggeh

Is Kenny actually rocking extensions for this look? I thought he just grew out his hair a bit and dyed it grey. Looks a lot like it did a couple of years ago.


----------



## HearnyBayBay

Tiger Mask Vs BUSHI
Ryusuke Taguchi Vs ACH
KUSHIDA Vs Volador Jr
Yoshinobu Kanemaru Vs El Desperado

Tiger Mask
— has to beat BUSHI
— ACH to beat Taguchi
— Volador to beat KUSHIDA
— Desperado to beat Kanemaru

BUSHI
— has to beat Tiger Mask
— Taguchi to beat ACH
— Volador to beat KUSHIDA
— Kanemaru to beat Desperado

Taguchi
— has to beat ACH
— Tiger Mask to beat BUSHI 
— Volador to beat KUSHIDA
— Kanemaru to beat Desperado

ACH
— has to beat Taguchi
— BUSHI to beat Tiger Mask
— KUSHIDA to beat Volador
— Desperado to beat Kanemaru

KUSHIDA
— has to beat Volador
— BUSHI to beat Tiger Mask
— Taguchi to beat ACH
— Kanemaru to beat Desperado

Volador Jr 
— has to beat KUSHIDA
— Tiger Mask to beat BUSHI
— ACH to beat Taguchi
— Desperado to beat Kanemaru

Desperado
— has to beat Kanemaru
— BUSHI to beat Tiger Mask
— Taguchi to beat ACH
— KUSHIDA to beat Volador 

Kanemaru
— has to beat Desperado 
— Tiger Mask to beat BUSHI
— ACH to beat Taguchi
— Volador to beat KUSHIDA

---------------------------------------

Based on those outcomes then I think that leaves KUSHIDA or Desperado as the favourites, with ACH also having a chance as well. 

It would be extremely safe to pick Takahashi to win Block A but I'm going to predict KUSHIDA beats Will Ospreay in the final.


----------



## The High King

I love NJPW for its style, the wrestlers give it their all but the booking has been a farce.

Take Desperado who was given 3 wins only then suddenly for no reason given starts to come out on his own for all 3 next matches and lose.
They for all 4 suzuki gun members gave them good starts to only finish them as jobbers, why not push one at least.

Now the other group has everyone on 6 points which can be explained away as some sort of tight level playing field but what about the other group
Liger winless, and Taka's only win against said Liger.
I am convinced Gedo and Jado have some vendetta against certain wrestlers.


----------



## volde

Only match that Desperado wasn't alone was against Taguchi. He won against Kushida and Bushi on his own. 
And how are they finishing all 4 members as jobbers when, asides of Taka, all of them are still in the running and Desperado/Kanemaru are main eventing last round? By same reasoning everyone is a jobber in this tournament.


----------



## The Nuke

The High King said:


> I love NJPW for its style, the wrestlers give it their all but the booking has been a farce.
> 
> Take Desperado who was given 3 wins only then suddenly for no reason given starts to come out on his own for all 3 next matches and lose.
> They for all 4 suzuki gun members gave them good starts to only finish them as jobbers, why not push one at least.
> 
> Now the other group has everyone on 6 points which can be explained away as some sort of tight level playing field but what about the other group
> Liger winless, and Taka's only win against said Liger.
> I am convinced Gedo and Jado have some vendetta against certain wrestlers.


Taichi has 8 points. Nuff said on Suzuki gun push. 

Now nothing's for certain until it happens, but Liger as the old legend losing against younger guys, only to win his last BOTSJ match against a despised heel is kinda cool to me.

and the 8 way tie is unique to me, and I think it's possible it leads to a Kushida win only because of tie breakers. Kushida isn't a dominante winner if he wins the whole thing, and a possible 3rd match with Hiromu will be less predictable even though it will still be predictable.


----------



## Corey

volde said:


> My completely crazy theory for Block B:
> 
> BUSHI over Tiger Mask
> Taguchi over ACH
> Volador over Kushida (or draw)
> Kanemaru vs. Desperado ends in draw or Kanemaru winning due to BUSHI getting involved.
> 
> Yes, I know that this won't happen, but I suspect that something WILL happen because otherwise Kanemaru/Desperado main event is a bit underwhelming all things considered.


So who actually wins the block in this scenario? BUSHI? I can't keep track.


----------



## The High King

The Nuke said:


> Taichi has 8 points. Nuff said on Suzuki gun push.
> 
> Now nothing's for certain until it happens, but Liger as the old legend losing against younger guys, only to win his last BOTSJ match against a despised heel is kinda cool to me.
> 
> and the 8 way tie is unique to me, and I think it's possible it leads to a Kushida win only because of tie breakers. Kushida isn't a dominante winner if he wins the whole thing, and a possible 3rd match with Hiromu will be less predictable even though it will still be predictable.


You missed the point completely.
I have no issue with desperado for example losing, its the way he wins 3 then loses 3 when he is on his own coming out you know the result, mix it up and not have it so predictable.
Fuck Liger, he is old and had his time, and now its someone else's time, unless they were going to give him a proper send off which you can argue he deserves it was pointless putting him in this to job from the start.
One win in his last match wont make up for it.

The only way for Liger to get anything out of this would be if his win had been against the outright winner so he could claim bragging rights.


----------



## Miguel De Juan

Hopefully Dominion and the USA shows are good if they fall sort or do that WWE booking they have been doing this Juniors tournement than they are going to squandered their good will in America. They need to be different but adding a new title, having Billy Gunn and Yoshitatsu on this tour instead of Nagata, Kojima, and Suzuki is backwards.


----------



## Corey

Completely echo the sentiments towards KUSHIDA vs. Taguchi. That was incredible and for my money, best match of the tournament to this point (**** 1/2). I've complained about KUSHIDA's booking so far but man oh man did it feel like he was back in this match. Fantastic stuff.

Volador vs. ACH was really good as well (*** 1/2).

I think we take these NJPW tournaments for granted. The amount of quality fucking wrestling they've pumped literally in a 2 week span is awesome.



volde said:


> Dragon Lee winning sounds a bit pointless since he pinned Hiromu so we are bound to get another Hiromu/Dragon Lee match either way.


You would think that, but it may not be the case. BUSHI is the only person that got a future title match with KUSHIDA after beating him in last year's BOTSJ. Romero and O'Reilly did not, despite beating him days before BUSHI did. Not to mention I'm still waiting for Ishii to get his shot at Okada.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

God help me I've actually been finding Suziki Guns antics funny. Obviously Stockholm syndrome.

My only regret from BOSJ is that it's always going to be that year that Taguchi got sodomised with a pencil.


----------



## Corey

Wow, Ospreay won the block outright:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/869885515759333376
And big news regarding B Block, which now seems to be setup for a KUSHIDA win:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/869921997043752960


----------



## Desecrated

Kushida vs Taguchi definitely match of the tournament (so far), just splitting hairs over Takahashi vs Dragon Lee for me. Both four and a half starz. Top stuff that match.


----------



## The High King

just finished watching this and Liger against Taichi was a great bout with Liger winning as expected.
Non stop interference from his fellow gun members who cut ligers hair, mask and clothing, before Kushida and Taguchi came to the rescue before Liger got the pin.Crowd went wild for this.

Taka beat Dragon Lee in a good second bout if all a bit anti climatic.

I do not see nor get the hype surrounding Scurll and his match against Ricochet who is more a gymnast than a wrestler was good for what it was with Scurll getting the win as expected that would mean fellow gymnast Ospraey would be almost certain to win the block.

And lastly was Ospraey against Hiromu.
No surprise Ospraey won as Hiromu already has his belt, and sets up the scenarios for further match ups.
Ospraey should never be allowed near a microphone again.


----------



## Fizanko

I only watched Liger vs Taichi as i hoped to be a good ending for Liger's BOSJ adventures and it did for me, i liked it a lot.

It was a classic Suzuki Gun setup with the ganging on Liger and rescue, with Taichi making a great job at gathering heat with the crowd .
And finally Liger prevailed to the joy of the crowd that had been behind him for the whole tournament.

Fantastic guy, the old legend putting over every of his opponents and still putting good match despite the limitations of age, he really deserved to get his last BOSJ match as a win after all that and leave the place with the fans really happy. Taichi was really a great choice for this classic hero vs villain setup as he did his part nicely for that storyline.

Great booking for this Liger's last BOSJ bout !


----------



## NastyYaffa

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/869987848593694720


----------



## TD Stinger

Have to think it will be Kushida vs. Ospreay in the Finals which I have no problem with considering I loved their match from Invasion Attack last year.

Also, side note, does anyone else laugh at Ospreay's constant, high pitch, almost girlish screams while selling?


----------



## The Nuke

Really loved the storytelling with Liger in his last BOTSJ. I know some disliked it, but I saw the possibility of where they were heading. The old guy, seemingly the underdog in a tournament of much younger talent, getting beat every match only to rise up and spoil the nasty heel.

Awesome I think.

and overall a pretty good tournament. My first in terms of trying to watch an entire one given I just got World in Jan. I'll know next time not to try to watch everything unless it gets some talking points. To easy to burn out, and for the most part you're getting house show performances on the hardcam shows. Which I understand and is just the reality of it.

And some nice booking by Gedo. The Liger story. The 8 man tie of block b, which makes it entirely unpredictable. Which it is. Kushida is likely to win, but I would not put money on it, just to be safe. Hell I think Valador has a shot.

Before this tournament started I thought Hiromu was going to breeze through everyone. 

Match wise, Hiromu vs Lee, Guchi vs Despy, Kushida vs Guchi, and Liger vs Taichi(for storytelling purposes) stood out. And even though I didn't think the matches were all the great the work of Scurll, Valador, and ACH was really good too. Despy showed a lot and Taguchi is really an underrated worker.

And I don't hate Ospreay or Ricochet, but I found some of their performances the worst. Ospreay vs Ricochet was fine, but to long. As others have said Ospreay has a formula that has become repetitive.


----------



## The High King

I know I may be partially biased as I am a fan of Suzuki Gun but all 4 junior weights are pretty decent.
Taka is old but can put on a decent match,as is Kanemaru but solid also.Taichi is under rated but Desperado is the star of the group in my opinion.
There lies the problem for Suzuki gun, with Archer and Smith basically gone Suzuki gun is a stable of small guys with only one decent heavyweight in Minoru.
ZSJ joining them is just another light weight and that old guy in the dog collar is total shit.

As for the BotSJs, I watched the entire thing and it can burn you out, but then to compensate I stopped watching ROH and the WWE shit only thought I would download WWE if iI read that something of note would happen , and nothing did.
Off to watch Lucha Underground now before NJPW starts later


----------



## Mordecay

Did anyone else find the Ospreay selling (or lack thereof) annoying? It reminded me a bit what that guy Alvarez said in the Monday's WOR about Rollins selling, in the sense that Rollins for months have been selling the knee yet he always uses all his high flying stuff and in the match with Roman he was selling the ribs yet he used different variations of splashes, basically saying "he needs to get all his shit in" in every match. I noticed that in this Ospreay match, Hiromu had been working the leg, yet here he comes Ospreay, after selling a while, doing all his high flying, Hiromu attacks the leg again, and he again counters with more high flying, it was quite annoying. Match of the Day was Ricochet/Scurll, but I expected better, Scurll, maybe because he is new to the New Japan audience, goofs more than in other places, doing that waving with his arms constantly. Still a good match, probably *** 1/2-3/4. Liger match was different, it was emotional, but as far as the match goes it wasn't anything special.


----------



## volde

Honestly it makes no sense to work Ospreay's leg since, talking in kayfabe, it should mean automatic win - he doesn't have (if I'm not mistaken) a single move that doesn't involve flipping. But we can't have that, can we? Partially I'd blame Hiromu for this, he is great wrestler and he should have understood that his opponent is probably most limited wrestler in BOTSJ (Ricochet has a bit more variety in his moves) and he isn't going to sell anything, not only because he is bad at selling, but because he couldn't do a match if he had to sell his leg. Or maybe that was Hiromu's plan all along? Ok, I'm getting an L against him so at least I'll showcase how limited he is? Either way their match was very disappointing.


----------



## Corey

Taichi/Liger was absurdly overbooked to a disgusting degree at points (I fucking hate Taichi). If you enjoyed it then all good, or if you hated it I totally understand that too. 

Didn't watch Taka/Lee because I'm petty and mad that Taka won. :lol

Scurll/Ricochet I thought was really really good and my MOTN. Just loved the sense of urgency, Scurll's relentless approach with the chickenwing from various positions, and Ricochet's neevr say die attitude. This is the type of match I wanna see when it's all at stake on the last day. *** 3/4

Takahashi/Ospreay was good stuff and I think an excellent precursor to a possible title match they may have down the line. I have to subtract points because obviously idk what the fuck kind of selling or attempt that was from Ospreay, but when you're in that much "pain" yet you continue to just kick and flip all over the place, I either want you to to alter your offense and find a different way to win or simply lose when the story unfolds with you getting your leg destroyed. Neither of those happened here BUT I can say I enjoyed Will damn near pulling out all the stops with the inverted 450 and the shooting star to the floor. Again, something you need to be doing when the whole block is at stake. Takahashi had a smart gameplan but he didn't want it as badly on this night. Erase any semblance of legwork so that Will can keep flying around without reserve and I'll like this match even more. Positives still outweigh the negatives here though. They looked to have great chemistry together. *** 1/2+


----------



## HOJO

This Tokyo Dome empty arena match looks insane


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/870182737671540736

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/870185308435992576

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/870183756132270081

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/870181048994242560


----------



## Corey

It's official:


----------



## HOJO

DDT uploaded some of the Tokyo Dome match on YT


----------



## TD Stinger

Corey said:


> Taichi/Liger was absurdly overbooked to a disgusting degree at points (*I fucking hate Taichi*). If you enjoyed it then all good, or if you hated it I totally understand that too.


At the end of the day, isn't that the point? Lol. Anyways, I thought it was the best match of the day. You can say overbooked but it was an emotional ride and one of the few times I actually felt anything about Suzuki Gun. And even as a newer NJPW fan who is not familiar with all of Liger's work, even I could see him as the true hero playing spoiler to the cheating bad guy.

As far as the rest of the day went, Taka/Lee was just there, Ricochet/Scurll had a typical Ricochet/Scurll match which is fine but nothing to gripping, and Ospreay/Takahashi was good but something off from being great.


----------



## Desecrated

Went to watch some stuff I haven't seen before and at the end, I now have tinnitus. The last match made me turn the audio up. Fucking hell it was hype.

Katsuyori Shibata vs Tetsuya Naito G1 26 - ****1/2
Katsuyori Shibata vs Michael Elgin G1 26 - ***3/4
Katsuyori Shibata vs Chris Hero RevPro - ****1/4 (Suppose it doesn't count as Japanese but SHIBATA)
Tomohiro Ishii vs Kazuchika Okada G1 26 - *****

I have developed a bit of a man-crush for Shibata. Pulls me in like I've never experienced before. It'll likely spread to Ishii once I get into some more of his stuff. At least, I hope so.


----------



## Zatiel

Nothing great on the final days of the two blocks, but both shows were full of good stuff. Just fun matches top-to-bottom. Taichi/Liger was kind of predictable and dull until the finish, but that was so heated and Liger looks like a BEAST with the mouth part of his mask ripped off and grimacing. Volador/KUSHIDA, Takahashi/Ospreay, and Ricochet/Scurll were all good stuff.


----------



## The High King

Kanemaru against Desperado was a great bout of infighting and Kanemaru picks up the win after desperado gets counted out over interference.
Possible Suzuki gun in feud to come.

ACH versus Taguchi followed next and ACH was out due to the earlier Kanemaru win. Taguchi on the other hand was still in as he needed the Kanemaru win earlier so a win for him put him in prime spot dependent on other results.
In typical wrestling storyline Taguchi wins, and puts himself in prime spot at that point and rules out Kanemaru.

Up next was Tiger Mask against Bushi. Tiger Mask was out of the running as he needed the previous 2 results to have been reversed, so Bushi was a certainty to win as he needed Kanemaru and Taguchi to win which they did so a Bushi win put him top of the block and knocked Taguchi out.
And sure enough Bushi picks up the win in a decent bout and finishes the comp strong.

All down to this last bout as usual in kayfabe with Kushida who needed Kanemaru to win earlier which he did.
He needed Taguchi to win, which he did, and needed Bushi to win and sure enough won. So a simple Kushida win a foregone conclusion against Volador who was already eliminated. The match itself was superb with some serious spots.
Kushida gets the expected win and outcomes the monotonous gymnast who should be never left near a microphone, that brit is depressingly boring.

This year also felt flat, and not because of just Ospraey, or Scurll which I don't get the hype over, but makes me look forward to the full proper cards.


----------



## Corey

Watched the last day and I think the problem I had with it was that unlike Block A's final day, there was zero sense of urgency. No one was coming out blazing trying to win with the block at stake, they were taking it slow and that's not what I was looking for. KUSHIDA/Volador was MOTN but they've had better matches. Some of the spots fell on deaf ears, likely because the crowd wasn't buying the fact that Volador was winning the block. *** 1/4

Here's the card for the finals tomorrow:

* Syota Umino, Tomoyuki Oka & Yuji Nagata vs. Tetsuhiro Yagi, Katsuya Kitamura & Manabu Nakanishi
* Hirai Kawato, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Togi Makabe vs. Jado, Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii
* Volador Jr., Tiger Mask IV & Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Taka Michinoku, El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
* War Machine, David Finlay & ACH vs. Guerrillas of Destiny, Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi
* Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Minoru Suzuki & Taichi
* Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, EVIL, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Satoshi Kojima, Juice Robinson, Ryusuke Taguchi, Ricochet & Dragon Lee
* Kazuchika Okada & Gedo vs. Kenny Omega & Marty Scurll
* *BOTSJ Finals:* Will Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA


----------



## volde

Only thing really worth mentioning is that they had count out win in Desperado/Kanemaru so now that spot got a bit of credibility back.

Edit: I also think that they booked themselves into the corner with Block B a bit, situation screamed for fuckery, but none was found. After Kanemaru's victory ACH, Tiger Mask and Volador were eliminated so next 3 matches were very predictable. Suzuki Gun had to either interfere in remaining matches to ensure that Kanemaru goes over or Bushi had to interfere in last match to ensure Volador's victory which would make him a winner. But none of that happened.


----------



## Genking48

By way of iheartdg


> *06/02/2017
> Tokyo, Hotel Gajoen Tokyo
> Mysterious Gate 2017 – Prime Zone Dinner Show Special in Gajoen Tokyo
> 330 Attendance*
> *1. *Eita, Jimmy Kagetora{W} (8:16 Kagenui) Dragon Kid, Jimmy Kanda{L}
> *2. *Shingo Takagi (7:32 Pumping Bomber) Takehiro Yamamura
> *3. *Open the Karaoke Gate Championship Match: Kzy def. Big R Shimizu; Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!!
> *4. *Masaaki Mochizuki, Susumu Mochizuki{W} (6:46 Yokosuka Cutter) T-Hawk, El Lindaman{L}
> *5. *YAMATO, Masato Yoshino{W}, BxB Hulk (11:48 Torbellino Crucifix) CIMA, Naruki Doi, Yosuke Santa Maria{L}
> 
> Guests who attended this show were also treated to dinner, complete with waiter service from the Jimmyz & Over Generation. There was a bridal show in conjunction with a local bridal service where BxB Hulk & Masato Yoshino appeared in tuxedos with models. YAMATO was paired with Yosuke Santa Maria, who was wearing a stunning green wedding gown. She decided she wanted to get married then and there to one of the men involved in the bridal show. It was decided that during the wrestling portion of the entertainment, whichever one she could score a kiss on would have to propose to her.
> 
> Maria scored the kiss on YAMATO. Even though she lost the match, it was OK because she was going to get married! YAMATO made a run for it, but was stopped. Maria actually called out her real parents for the wedding. YAMATO resigned himself to his fate, and asked Mr. Watanabe for his daughters’ hand in marriage. They asked him to take care of their precious daughter. YAMATO then asked Maria to marry him. Maria gave him an even deeper kiss to signal her acceptance. YAMATO promised to work hard and provide for her. They were going to have a lot of kids, and maybe one of them would grow up to join Dragon Gate. They left to the Bridal March to begin their life together as man and wife.
> 
> _(Events at this show may not be considered canon.)_
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: the happy couple


----------



## TJQ

Its amazing how frequently my opinion of Osprey flip flops back and forth, his performances are either really good or he ruins matches. Was not feeling his finals performance at all.


----------



## Sick Graps-V2

Wow, what a match. Just rewatched that NJPW Best Of Super Juniors final match, incredible stuff from both guys in my opinion. WWE, _that_ is how you do Cruiserweight competition; 205 live is nothing compared to NJPW's roster of Super Juniors.

Kushida vs Ospreay was a great match. Good move variety, a good story was told in the ring, good psychology; and that culmination was epic.

Really great stuff from the best professional wrestling promotion in the world.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

Genking48 said:


> By way of iheartdg


* That sounds absolutely amazing. I wish DG taped this show. Also, the recent KoG show was great. This MaxiMuM/Jimmyz feud has been phenomenal & that Captains Fall Naniwa Elimination match next month is gonna be great. The BxB Hulk/Shingo main event was really good too, & I just love how Shingo & Hulk just bring out the best in each other everytime they wrestle. Good stuff all around. *


----------



## TheLapsedFan

Genking48 said:


> By way of iheartdg


That card is why I'll never get into DG. They don't make new stars. The same guys in the cards as ten years ago.



> 5. YAMATO, Masato Yoshino{W}, BxB Hulk (11:48 Torbellino Crucifix) CIMA, Naruki Doi, Yosuke Santa Maria{L}


Come on. This was a main event ten years ago minus Santa Maria.


----------



## BigCy

Great finals match at BOTSJ. It was predictable though. Osprey is one of my favorite wrestlers but I agree that he needs to work on his selling more. The match could have been even better if he sold the legs and arm a little. Like someone mentioned, even limping would be SOMETHING. 

Looking forward to Dominion, should be a great card.


----------



## The High King

Sick Graps-V2 said:


> Wow, what a match. Just rewatched that NJPW Best Of Super Juniors final match, incredible stuff from both guys in my opinion. WWE, _that_ is how you do Cruiserweight competition; 205 live is nothing compared to NJPW's roster of Super Juniors.
> 
> Kushida vs Ospreay was a great match. Good move variety, a good story was told in the ring, good psychology; and that culmination was epic.
> 
> Really great stuff from the best professional wrestling promotion in the world.


Totally agree.
NJPW is without doubt the greatest promotion at present.It makes the WWE look pathetic


----------



## The Nuke

Yeah, at this moment in time I can't see how you can be a fan of Wrestling and not be a fan of NJPW. Especially for misguided WWE fans, who yes have been conditioned to believe what they do, but yet hate on the product constantly. You hate something when there is a clear better option that's only real negative is some will find it hard to get over the fact that it's a promotion from a foreign country where they speak an entirely different language.

Of course I'd love to think people would get over that quickly, I mean it's fucking 2017.

NJPW has always been inspired by American Wrestling. Sports Entertainment even. You think Wrestling needs storylines? NJPW has storylines. You think Wresling should have great characters? NJPW has a roster full. The only difference is that it's taken seriously and is sport based. Say what you will about the booking, but it's the best in the world at present, and you seldom if ever deal with the dumb shit you'll see in American Promotions that are either WWE or WWE Light. You actually get to follow journeys of guys that payoff in the end. Shows are always entertaining even if a lot of them are tag based.

Top of all that, it's the best Wrestling on the Planet.


----------



## Desecrated

I'd definitely encourage anyone who is reading these posts and hasn't checked out New Japan to do so. At first I always had skepticism towards trying new stuff (and I still do) because in regards to wrestling, you kind of need to be "hardcore" to assess the widespread of content available. There's like 400 hours of wrestling uploaded a month? Maybe less. Less as you selectively cut out what you want, and don't want to view. I'd recommend following something like New Japan, even ROH I suppose and then branching out as you follow certain performers.

New Japan is definitely the strongest all-round org. It doesn't attack your intelligence, it doesn't make you question why you watch and the booking has consequential effects for the performers and for the card structure. You are rewarded for learning the performers habits, traits and personality with nuanced and applied psychology that is their principle strength. Performers aren't made to go out there and work something that is their weakness. Every match does it best to cover the weakness of a performer.

Every thing above I labeled is something that WWE does not do, and I despise the product for lacking them. For like 4 years I have been dissatisfied with the product that I watched weeklies from JCP from 1984-88 and WCW beyond. Doesn't matter if a WWE has two good TV tapings, with any sense of intelligence, you should know it's back to square one next week. Doesn't matter if WWE has a good match, it's an exhibition rather than a story.

With that being said, I didn't intend to go through this post bashing WWE, and praising New Japan for the things it has over the WWE. I'm just trying to highlight what I perceive has grappled me into enjoying New Japan infinitely more than I have with the WWE. As I really doubt my distaste of the WWE is unique to myself, hopefully someone out there on the fence of watching New Japan can be inspired from this post to give it a go. With Dominion and the G1 coming up over the next 12 weeks, whatcha waiting for brother?


----------



## Deadman's Hand

TheLapsedFan said:


> That card is why I'll never get into DG. They don't make new stars. The same guys in the cards as ten years ago.
> 
> Come on. This was a main event ten years ago minus Santa Maria.


*DG has a very consistent roster, but it's not like they don't make new guys. They just spent the early part of this year establishing their future in Yamamura, Big R, T-Hawk, Ben-K & Eita. CIMA still main events a couple of shows but he's clearly not the ace anymore, Big R just absolutely murdered YAMATO in the recent Korakuen Hall show, Yamamura's been having great performances against the likes of Doi, Shingo & others (even made CIMA tap in 3 minutes last month). Yeah, YAMATO, Shingo, Yoshino, Hulk & Doi are still at the top of Dragon Gate, but it's not like they're not making new guys.

Speaking of which, T-Hawk just won his block in the King of Gate tournament after defeating Kzy, surpassing Jimmy Susumu. Shingo Takagi is now leading D Block, surpassing BxB Hulk & Mochizuki, although the two have one more match left. Eita is now tied with YAMATO for leader of Block A after reaching a 20 minute time limit draw with Big R Shimizu & if Eita defeats K-Ness, he'll win the Block. And Naruki Doi defeated Jimmy Kagetora & is now leading Block C, but if CIMA defeats Yoshida on the 8th, that could change.*


----------



## HOJO

But CWC pretty much buried both Super Juniors and J Cup(unholy fucking hell) last year

New Japan to WWE is like when people compare SD to RAW. The former is fantastic by comparison to the latter but my itself it isn't exactly "great". I wouldn't rank New Japan among the 5 best in the world or even in Japan(those boring ass cards are nothing) but whatever.


----------



## Miguel De Juan

HOJO said:


> But CWC pretty much buried both Super Juniors and J Cup(unholy fucking hell) last year
> 
> New Japan to WWE is like when people compare SD to RAW. The former is fantastic by comparison to the latter but my itself it isn't exactly "great". I wouldn't rank New Japan among the 5 best in the world or even in Japan(those boring ass cards are nothing) but whatever.


You need to chill out. Just don't watch NJPW. You are worse than people whinning about in indie midgets in the WWE section.

I hope NJPW makes more money in the next three years and act like they are like giant retards.


----------



## Desecrated

There are more productive ways to get eyes to other products than suggesting naivety with a Smackdown to RAW comment and actually saying nothing, while saying "not top 5 Japan".

I mean, I'd gladly read if you had a more constructive start than that. In-case you haven't realised in your time on the internet, the biggest disconnect between subsections in a fan-base is when people isolate others by looking down at them. You genuinely believe your statement? Show people where they could get started while not going all gung-ho "hipster". Quotations on hipster because I dislike the implications on the word but I'll wait to see if I should actually apply respect. Describe the difference on why another organisation does things you like better and in what way it engages you, or other people you know, better than NJPW does.


----------



## HOJO

Spoiler: reviews



*OZ Academy SAKURAHANASAKU in Korakuen Hall(4/12/2017)*
Ozaki-gun(Mayumi Ozaki, Maya Yukihi & Yumi Ohka) vs Aja Kong, Yoshiko & Tsubasa Kuragaki - ***1/4 This was unjustifiably clipped and that annoys me, but good tag match for what I saw. What we saw was mostly kept in the ring, Ozaki-gun looked a lot more into it than they usually are, and of course, Yoshiko, and Tsubasa kinda, fucking ruled here. 
*Manami Toyota Retirement Road : Manami Toyota vs Takako Inoue* - *1/2 Nothing to really say, bad match. Theyre old and stuff but Toyota was trying at least even though I don't know what Takako was doing, she seemed more focused on corpsing the entire time
*OZ Academy Openweight Championship : Hiroyo Matsumoto(c) vs Kagetsu* - ***3/4 This was Kagetsu's last month as a wrestler before she began her hiatus. And she went out with a real good match(for OZ, she kept going a little more) with Hiroyo. Applause to both.

*Pro Wrestling WAVE P-Tech Presents “CATCH THE WAVE 2017″ ~Opening Battle~(4/26/17)*
Basically, Catch The WAVE is a wacky Round Robin tournament that WAVE runs every year. I say wacky because of some decisions they've made around it. Last year, for example, the tournament was the biggest tournament to not have anyone care about of all time: 32 wrestlers with 4 in 8 different blocks spanning 3 full months. I've seen some of the matches, and they were awesome sprints and great matches for being under 10 minutes 8 months later, but it had nothing and WAVE Network is unpredictable which makes for an awful subscription service. This year, it's 8 workers in 2 blocks of 4(4 Zabun wrestlers, as in the company that owns WAVE and Daijo Osaka Joshi, and 4 "Other Than" meaning outsiders), but they all face each other anyway. this tournament also took 3 months, just ended with a winner. The wacky rule where in case of a draw of some sort, the youngest worker in the match is the only one that gets a point, sticks from last year's tournament
*Catch The WAVE(Zabun vs Other Than) : Sareee[Other Than] vs Moeka Haruhi[Zabun]* - ** 5 minutes, nothing to say
*Catch The WAVE(Zabun vs Other Than) : Mochi Miyagi[Other Than] vs Misaki Ohata[Zabun]* - *** Mochi Miyagi is the inferior half of a really good team in Ice Ribbon but Ohata helped her well here
Catch The WAVE(Zabun vs Other Than) : Saki[Other Than] vs Rina Yamashita[Zabun] - *3/4 Again, 5 minutes, but this time slightly weaker than the other 5 minute match
*Catch The WAVE(Zabun vs Other Than) : Hiroe Nagahama[Zabun] vs Rin Kadokura[Other Than]* - **3/4 
*Regina Di WAVE Championship : Ryo Mizunami(c) vs Takumi Iroha* - **** Takumi, how I've missed you making tape. First Mizunami title defense I've seen, and it was pretty great. I wish WAVE Network wasn't so apparently shit or else I'd give the free trial a go and try and see more. 

*Ice Ribbon Yokohama Ribbon GW II in Yokohama Radiant Hall(5/05/17)*
*4 vs 4 Elimination Match : TeamDATE (Hana DATE, Karen DATE, Nao DATE, & Nori DATE) vs Maruko Nagasaki, Tequila Saya, Satsuki Totoro, & Matsuya Uno* - **1/4 I''m not warmed up at all to this TeamDATE stuff at all but this was harmless(except for Totoro). Most of their bad, contrived kicks were hidden and the match was only 9 minutes or so. I did like the post match angle which came from a mishap 
*Eiger vs Hamuko Hoshi* - 3/4* Fuck this match fuck this match
*Akane Fujita, Mochi Miyagi & Rina Yamashita vs 235, Maya Yukihi & Risa Sera* - **3/4 This was solid I guess. Good finish, leading to the Fujita/Sera hardcore match.
*Yoshiko vs Miyako Matsumoto* - ***3/4 Probably one of these most entertaining matches I've seen all year. Awesome comedy match.
*Tsukasa Fujimoto vs Hiroyo Matsumoto* - ***1/2 This is one of those matches where you immediately know it's gonna be a time limit draw or something cheap like that because, ou know, it's joshi, booking high(for their level) profile singles and tag matches on random shows just to have a draw is what they do, it won't go anywhere, it's not building to anything, it's just there. Even though that's exactly what it was, it was still a good match. Theyve been around each other for a long time, so of course they knew how to work together, and the finish was good. I liked this for what it was, worth a watch.
*International Ribbon Tag Team Championship : Heisei YTR(Hiragi Kurumi & Tsukushi)(c) vs Kyuri & Maika Ozaki* - **** Besides one blown spot by the weakest worker in the match, another great Tsukushi/Kurumi tag match here. Kurumi/Kyuri may honestly be the best in ring feud of the year right now.

4 new faves added to the list


Best Joshi Matches of 2017 said:


> *(Ice Ribbon 1/29)Hiragi Kurumi vs Kyuri - ***3/4
> (Ice Ribbon 1/29)Tsukushi & Hiragi Kurumi vs Hiroyo Matsumoto & Hamuko Hoshi - ***3/4
> (Stardom 2/23)Wonder of Stardom Title: Kairi Hojo vs Jungle Kyona - ***3/4*
> *(Stardom 3/05)Goddesses Of Stardom Title : Kairi Hojo & Yoko Bito (c) vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto & Jungle Kyona - *****
> *(SEAdLINNNG 3/16)Astronomical Battle : Nanae Takahashi & Arisa Nakajima vs Hiroyo Matsumoto & Ryo Mizunami - ***3/4
> (SEAdLINNNG 3/16)Extreme Genesis : Yoshiko vs Sareee - ***3/4
> (Ice Ribbon 3/26)Tsukasa Fujimoto vs Arisa Nakajima - ***3/4*
> *(Ice Ribbon 3/26)International Ribbon Tag Team Championship : Avid Rival (Misaki Ohata & Ryo Mizunami) © vs This is Ice Ribbon (Tsukushi & Hiragi Kurumi) - *****
> *(Stardom 3/26)Wonder of Stardom Title : Kairi Hojo (c) vs Konami - ***3/4*
> *(Gatoh Move 3/28)Asian Dream Tag Team Championship : “Kotori” & Riho (c) vs Emi Sakura & Masahiro Takanashi - ****1/2*(best joshi match this year)
> *(OZ Academy 4/12)OZ Academy Openweight Championship : Hiroyo Matsumoto(c) vs Kagetsu - ***3/4*
> *(Pro Wrestling WAVE 4/26)Regina Di WAVE Championship : Ryo Mizunami(c) vs Takumi Iroha - *****
> *(Ice Ribbon 5/05)Yoshiko vs Miyako Matsumoto - ***3/4*
> *Ice Ribbon(5/05)International Ribbon Tag Team Championship : Heisei YTR(Hiragi Kurumi & Tsukushi)(c) vs Kyuri & Maika Ozaki - *****








Miguel De Juan said:


> You need to chill out. Just don't watch NJPW. You are worse than people whinning about in indie midgets in the WWE section.
> 
> I hope NJPW makes more money in the next three years and act like they are like giant retards.


Wait, chill out what? Calm down, it's criticism. 



Desecrated said:


> There are more productive ways to get eyes to other products than suggesting naivety with a Smackdown to RAW comment and actually saying nothing, while saying "not top 5 Japan".


But naivety and judging things just on comparison to something else does still play a role in a lot of people's standards and actually does happen, like it or not. People do it all the time, I admit to it myself. Ever watched that South Park "The Entity"? Have you never seen this board outside this thread? This is what a New Japan does bank on, and any other promotion does and good for them, their marketing bar the shit jabs on twitter at whatever WWE does(some of them not official accounts but still) is great. That's what I do see a lot of mostly, but it's not what I'm saying for all at all. Same thing with those really bad deathmatches when the whole "WWE's PG its for kids now REEEE" train was going.
And I wasn't even really trying to "get eyes to other products", or else there'd be mentions of so and so. You're reading too much into it


----------



## Sick Graps-V2

Desecrated said:


> I'd definitely encourage anyone who is reading these posts and hasn't checked out New Japan to do so. At first I always had skepticism towards trying new stuff (and I still do) because in regards to wrestling, you kind of need to be "hardcore" to assess the widespread of content available. There's like 400 hours of wrestling uploaded a month? Maybe less. Less as you selectively cut out what you want, and don't want to view. I'd recommend following something like New Japan, even ROH I suppose and then branching out as you follow certain performers.
> 
> New Japan is definitely the strongest all-round org. It doesn't attack your intelligence, it doesn't make you question why you watch and the booking has consequential effects for the performers and for the card structure. You are rewarded for learning the performers habits, traits and personality with nuanced and applied psychology that is their principle strength. Performers aren't made to go out there and work something that is their weakness. Every match does it best to cover the weakness of a performer.
> 
> Every thing above I labeled is something that WWE does not do, and I despise the product for lacking them. For like 4 years I have been dissatisfied with the product that I watched weeklies from JCP from 1984-88 and WCW beyond. Doesn't matter if a WWE has two good TV tapings, with any sense of intelligence, you should know it's back to square one next week. Doesn't matter if WWE has a good match, it's an exhibition rather than a story.
> 
> With that being said, I didn't intend to go through this post bashing WWE, and praising New Japan for the things it has over the WWE. I'm just trying to highlight what I perceive has grappled me into enjoying New Japan infinitely more than I have with the WWE. As I really doubt my distaste of the WWE is unique to myself, hopefully someone out there on the fence of watching New Japan can be inspired from this post to give it a go. With Dominion and the G1 coming up over the next 12 weeks, whatcha waiting for brother?





The Nuke said:


> Yeah, at this moment in time I can't see how you can be a fan of Wrestling and not be a fan of NJPW. Especially for misguided WWE fans, who yes have been conditioned to believe what they do, but yet hate on the product constantly. You hate something when there is a clear better option that's only real negative is some will find it hard to get over the fact that it's a promotion from a foreign country where they speak an entirely different language.
> 
> Of course I'd love to think people would get over that quickly, I mean it's fucking 2017.
> 
> NJPW has always been inspired by American Wrestling. Sports Entertainment even. You think Wrestling needs storylines? NJPW has storylines. You think Wresling should have great characters? NJPW has a roster full. The only difference is that it's taken seriously and is sport based. Say what you will about the booking, but it's the best in the world at present, and you seldom if ever deal with the dumb shit you'll see in American Promotions that are either WWE or WWE Light. You actually get to follow journeys of guys that payoff in the end. Shows are always entertaining even if a lot of them are tag based.
> 
> Top of all that, it's the best Wrestling on the Planet.


I hope they sign Matt Riddle soon. Riddle vs Ishii
Suzuki
Okada 
Ospreay
Ricochet (if he'd go full time).
Omega
Naito

Would all be great matches imo.


----------



## HOJO

Sick Graps-V2 said:


> I hope they sign Matt Riddle soon. Riddle vs Ishii
> Suzuki
> Okada
> Ospreay
> Ricochet (if he'd go full time).
> Omega
> Naito
> 
> Would all be great matches imo.


If Riddle can drop the blunts(or he gets planted like Sydal :mj) he'll get in. Probably not G1, probably G1USA though probably not, but depends on trust.

Cobb would be more preferable to me since Big Japan don't want/need gaijin it seems


----------



## Desecrated

HOJO said:


> But naivety and judging things just on comparison to something else does still play a role in a lot of people's standards and actually does happen, like it or not. People do it all the time, I admit to it myself. Ever watched that South Park "The Entity"? Have you never seen this board outside this thread? This is what a New Japan does bank on, and any other promotion does and good for them, their marketing bar the shit jabs on twitter at whatever WWE does(some of them not official accounts but still) is great. That's what I do see a lot of mostly, but it's not what I'm saying for all at all. Same thing with those really bad deathmatches when the whole "WWE's PG its for kids now REEEE" train was going.
> And I wasn't even really trying to "get eyes to other products", or else there'd be mentions of so and so. You're reading too much into it


I suppose but I don't think that's really a criticism on New Japan. Which is what I took from the first comment. I also think the wrong bit of my quote was highlighted or there was a communication misunderstanding here. By saying "suggesting naivety", I had meant that I thought you were naive for pulling a Smackdown and RAW comparison for telling the stark difference between NJ and WWE as to me, that came across like the saying "apples and oranges", except Smackdown/RAW is "yellow apple and rotten apple" while New Japan and WWE is more like an orange and a koala getting hit by a lorry respectively.


----------



## The Nuke

Riddle would be a great fit, but you have to wonder if NJPW may be a little nervous about bringing him in. Riddle has even questioned why he hasn't gotten a call. Riddle has recently double booked himself at least 3 or 4 times, and his love of the green leaf(which I have no issue with) may be keeping NJPW away at the moment. 

He'd get over quick though.

and that's another feather in the cap of NJPW. Half the roster is foreign pretty much. And pretty much everybody they've brought in has gotten over big with the Japanese crowd. Granted, Japan still loves Wrestling they way they used to love Wrestling here until about 20 years ago, and they love the classic notion of great characters and great Wrestling. It also helps that NJPW has gotten away from the historical practice of making all the foreign guys heels.

Just recently you've had Sabre, War Machine, Scurll, and Juice etc. Their own talents plus NJPW/Gedo knowing how to book people properly goes a long way. Riddle would be no different. He just has to do his part.


----------



## Sick Graps-V2

HOJO said:


> If Riddle can drop the blunts(or he gets planted like Sydal :mj) he'll get in. Probably not G1, probably G1USA though probably not, but depends on trust.
> 
> Cobb would be more preferable to me since Big Japan don't want/need gaijin it seems


Sure, Jeff Cobb could be a good fit; but I know Riddles MMA semi strong style would go down so well at New Japan if he can stop getting high. G1 USA debut would be too epic! He was made for NJPW!


----------



## HOJO

Sick Graps-V2 said:


> Sure, Jeff Cobb could be a good fit; but I know Riddles MMA semi strong style would go down so well at New Japan if he can stop getting high. G1 USA debut would be too epic! He was made for NJPW!


I'd agree with this if it was 2003 but then he'd probably already be champion there. Besides Suzuki nobody in New Japan actually works that style at all.

I'm slightly surprised IGF or their NEW extension fed haven't gotten Riddle yet. Theyre getting fucking Magnus and Tyrus booked, why not.


----------



## The High King

The Nuke said:


> Yeah, at this moment in time I can't see how you can be a fan of Wrestling and not be a fan of NJPW. Especially for misguided WWE fans, who yes have been conditioned to believe what they do, but yet hate on the product constantly. You hate something when there is a clear better option that's only real negative is some will find it hard to get over the fact that it's a promotion from a foreign country where they speak an entirely different language.
> 
> Of course I'd love to think people would get over that quickly, I mean it's fucking 2017.
> 
> NJPW has always been inspired by American Wrestling. Sports Entertainment even. You think Wrestling needs storylines? NJPW has storylines. You think Wresling should have great characters? NJPW has a roster full. The only difference is that it's taken seriously and is sport based. Say what you will about the booking, but it's the best in the world at present, and you seldom if ever deal with the dumb shit you'll see in American Promotions that are either WWE or WWE Light. You actually get to follow journeys of guys that payoff in the end. Shows are always entertaining even if a lot of them are tag based.
> 
> Top of all that, it's the best Wrestling on the Planet.



Totally agree. 
At first many years ago I thought the language barrier might make it difficult but that fear was quickly allayed where I am now at the point where I prefer the Japanese commentary over the English (when available) as the level of emotion is so great even if I dont know what is being said.
The in ring action more than tells me everything I need to know with the stories the wrestlers plays out between the ropes.
Add in the fact the wrestling is more stiffer, hard hitting and less chances of typical wwe type interference and DQ's you always get a more definitive result and build up to future match ups.

I watch wwe as something to keep me interested in between NJPW cards. 
I only watch WWE out of more curiosity or misplace nostalgia and even then I turn it off when it gets to the point it is now


----------



## The Nuke

The High King said:


> I watch wwe as something to keep me interested in between NJPW cards.
> I only watch WWE out of more curiosity or misplace nostalgia and even then I turn it off when it gets to the point it is now


I've stopped watching WWE all together. 

Which is kind of another thing I like about NJPW on a personal level. It's hassle free Wrestling. Couple shows a month, and a big event. Save for months like this with tournaments. I don't feel burnt out like when I felt I had to keep up with everything WWE was doing. Worse being burnt out and feeling everything you're watching is low quality.

By the time a NJPW tour is starting I'm hyped for it. 

Even when watching the BOTSJ I was getting to the point where I was wanting to see the rest of the main roster again. All the Junior guys were great, but I wanted to see Okada, Omega, Ishii, and the rest. Which tells you how deep the roster is when pretty much everyone is worth watching, and miss them when they aren't around. Even Taichi to an extent.

Which is why even though I complain about the all the tags I still end up enjoying the shows because everyone works so well together.


----------



## The High King

The Nuke said:


> I've stopped watching WWE all together.
> 
> Which is kind of another thing I like about NJPW on a personal level. It's hassle free Wrestling. Couple shows a month, and a big event. Save for months like this with tournaments. I don't feel burnt out like when I felt I had to keep up with everything WWE was doing. Worse being burnt out and feeling everything you're watching is low quality.
> 
> By the time a NJPW tour is starting I'm hyped for it.
> 
> Even when watching the BOTSJ I was getting to the point where I was wanting to see the rest of the main roster again. All the Junior guys were great, but I wanted to see Okada, Omega, Ishii, and the rest. Which tells you how deep the roster is when pretty much everyone is worth watching, and miss them when they aren't around. Even Taichi to an extent.
> 
> Which is why even though I complain about the all the tags I still end up enjoying the shows because everyone works so well together.


Completely agree.
This Dominion card coming up is better than and wrestlemania card this century on paper.


----------



## Desecrated

Whatever happened to NOAH in the last few months? In watching a few of their performers at the G1 26, I was curious to see other stuff from them. But an absence of content in the last few months? Or has it just been of no value in terms of MOTY quality content?


----------



## Corey

Desecrated said:


> Whatever happened to NOAH in the last few months? In watching a few of their performers at the G1 26, I was curious to see other stuff from them. But an absence of content in the last few months? Or has it just been of no value in terms of MOTY quality content?


Their shows take a little while to hit the internet and their attendance numbers are down, hence why they don't get much talk online. I got you covered though, breh:

GHC Jr. Title: Hajime Ohara vs. Taiji Ishimori (NOAH The First Navigation 1/7) ****
GHC Heavyweight Title: Katsuhiko Nakajima (c) vs. Takashi Sugiura (NOAH The First Navigation 1/7) *** 3/4

GHC Jr. Title: Hajime Ohara vs. Daisuke Harada (NOAH First Navigation in Osaka 1/21) ****

GHC Heavyweight Title: Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Go Shiozaki (NOAH 3/12) **** 1/4

Eddie Edwards vs. Go Shiozaki (NOAH 3/25) ****

I don't really care much for their tag division. It's basically just two wrestlers put together to make a team and the matches end up going 25-35 minutes just for the sake of it. I was a fan of Ohara immediately once I saw him wrestle.

Also let me knows if you need links to any of those.


----------



## Desecrated

Corey said:


> Their shows take a little while to hit the internet and their attendance numbers are down, hence why they don't get much talk online. I got you covered though, breh:
> 
> GHC Jr. Title: Hajime Ohara vs. Taiji Ishimori (NOAH The First Navigation 1/7) ****
> GHC Heavyweight Title: Katsuhiko Nakajima (c) vs. Takashi Sugiura (NOAH The First Navigation 1/7) *** 3/4
> 
> GHC Jr. Title: Hajime Ohara vs. Daisuke Harada (NOAH First Navigation in Osaka 1/21) ****
> 
> GHC Heavyweight Title: Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Go Shiozaki (NOAH 3/12) **** 1/4
> 
> Eddie Edwards vs. Go Shiozaki (NOAH 3/25) ****
> 
> I don't really care much for their tag division. It's basically just two wrestlers put together to make a team and the matches end up going 25-35 minutes just for the sake of it. I was a fan of Ohara immediately once I saw him wrestle.
> 
> Also let me knows if you need links to any of those.


Much love. I'd gladly take links for Nakajima/Shiozaki and Ohara/Harada. Get a taster of the top of both singles divisions.


----------



## Corey

Desecrated said:


> Much love. I'd gladly take links for Nakajima/Shiozaki and Ohara/Harada. Get a taster of the top of both singles divisions.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWSpIwZ6Gv4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3KvDH_UQTk

Nakajima/Shiozaki is a real underrated match in the puro world this year.


----------



## Mordecay

I wish NJPW hired Marufuji, he had some amazing matches in NJPW last year, but I think he is one of the Aces of NOAH (not sure, don't follow the promotions) and I don't think he will leave them


----------



## Lmnopqrstallion

Like many in this thread NJPW is why I love wrestling. I love AJ Styles but I can take or leave wwe. NJPW tho.... Bring it. Dominion is going to be amazing.


----------



## Corey

Mordecay said:


> I wish NJPW hired Marufuji, he had some amazing matches in NJPW last year, but I think he is one of the Aces of NOAH (not sure, don't follow the promotions) and I don't think he will leave them


Marufuji is actually part of ownership in NOAH I believe.


----------



## Mordecay

Corey said:


> Marufuji is actually part of ownership in NOAH I believe.


Well, there is no chance then


----------



## Abood sama

Guys I have a question and I hope that everyone give his opinion,with more eyes on the product ,if njpw hold an event in Madison square garden, will it be sold out ?if not what do you thing the attendance could be


----------



## CGS

Abood sama said:


> Guys I have a question and I hope that everyone give his opinion,with more eyes on the product ,if njpw hold an event in Madison square garden, will it be sold out ?if not what do you thing the attendance could be


Probably not at this stage as they are still trying to find their footing in the states . I reckon they would get a decent attendance (10-15,000 maybe) but not sure if it would sell out.


----------



## Zatiel

Abood sama said:


> Guys I have a question and I hope that everyone give his opinion,with more eyes on the product ,if njpw hold an event in Madison square garden, will it be sold out ?if not what do you thing the attendance could be


The capacity for a boxing event at MSG is something like 20,000, right? 

We know Raw or a WWE PPV can fill that up using their weekly promotion machine. NJPW doesn't have anything close to that. But we know they can sell about 2,000 tickets incredibly quickly just by announcing a thing. According to Meltzer, they get about 10,000 US subscribers on NJPWorld.

If they reached out to the Japanese community in New York, and had a buzz-worthy card with something as desirable to internet fans as Omega/Okada II, it's possible. But right now, if I ran the company, I wouldn't gamble on it.


----------



## Fizanko

How many tickets did NJPW really sold on the first day for the Long Beach event ?
I remember reading they claimed it went sold out on only a couple of hours.


----------



## Corey

Fizanko said:


> How many tickets did NJPW really sold on the first day for the Long Beach event ?
> I remember reading they claimed it went sold out on only a couple of hours.


Yeah, it sold out on the first day. They're running at the Terrace Theater in the Long Beach Convention Center, which has a capacity of a tad over 3,000. So yeah, 3,000 tickets in a few hours. 

They easily could've ran the Pacific Room which holds 4,800.


----------



## Fizanko

Thanks for the details, that sounds rather impressive.
And is an interesting hint to NJPW growing popularity.


----------



## The High King

saw this online



> English Added to NJPW Schedule
> 
> As Kevin Kelly and Don Callis remain in Japan between the Best of the Super Juniors Finals and the start of the Dominion tour, NJPW has added English commentary to the June 9th Road to Dominion go-home show that will feature the final build towards the promotion’s second biggest event of the year.
> 
> Road to Dominion will be broadcast live on New Japan World early Friday morning, starting at 5:30 a.m. EST. The show will feature a collection of multi-man tag team matches captained by those competing in singles matches on June 11th.
> 
> Cody Rhodes will be in action leading Bullet Club against Michael Elgin, David Finlay and War Machine. Suzuki-Gun and CHAOS will collide again as Minoru Suzuki and Hirooki Goto prepare for what will likely be a brutal Lumberjack Match. Plus Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks take on Kazuchika Okada and Roppongi Vice just two days before the rematch of the century. The show will also feature the return of Hiroshi Tanahashi from injury, as Taguchi Japan takes on Testuya Naito and Los Ingobernables de Japon in what will likely be another fantastic 10-man tag.


----------



## The Nuke

I've seen Taguchi Japan face LIJ 100 times.

but I usually always love the matches, so I can go for 101.

I think NJPW does to many tags, but I do think there is a justifiable reason for it. A good way to have guys in singles feuds interact with each other in a limited fashion, allowing the viewers to get a taste of what's to come at the event.

Each tag is usually filled with serious action and comedy, and even though I complain about them they are usually always fun to watch. For instance I really enjoyed the LIJ vs TJ and Okada/Gedo vs Omega/Scurll match from the BOTSJ final. And the way you see the guys interact with each other is something you don't see in WWE. WWE's style is very very bland in that regard. It looks like the guys in NJPW are having fun. They could throw in some singles every once in a while though. Best way to do it being having the actual tag team members have singles matches against feuding opponents.

Praising NJPW aside, I will say that Omega vs Okada 2 isn't very heated. Maybe it doesn't have to be. I mean nobody is going to care anyway, because the match is what everyone is clamoring for. It may get a boost with what ever they do for the Road Show Friday.


----------



## Eliko

*I am the only one that can't wait for the G1?*

I assume NJPW will annouce the praticpants & blocks by the end of the month.

Really hope Ibushi is in the G1 this year ... as Kota Ibushi and not as Tiger Mask W.
My dream matchup for the tournament is Ibushi vs Ishii :mark
Their 'back to yokohama' NEVER title match in 14' was one of the best matches i have ever seen. such an underrated match.

It sucks that Shibata & Honma will not be in the G1 but last year NJPW lost Nakamura, AJ & Anderson and they still had great tournament. 
They must put Ibushi in the G1!


I did some fantasy booking.

*Block A :*
Okada
Tanahashi
Ishii
Ibushi
Cody
Evil
Kojima
Bad Luck Fale
Yuji Nagata
Juice 


*Block B :*
Naito
Omega
Suzuki
Goto
Elgin
SANADA
Makabe
Zack Sabre Jr
Yoshi Hashi
Toro Yano

Some new matchups :

Omega-Suzuki
Omega-Sanada
Omega-Sabre 
Naito-Suzuki 
Naito-Sanada
Naito-Elgin
Okada-Cody
Tanahashi-Cody

Some rematches of great matches:
Okada-Tanahashi
Okada-Ishii
Okada-Ibushi
Tanahashi-Ishii
Tanahashi-Ibushi
Ibushi-Ishii
Omega-Naito
Omega-Elgin
Omega-Goto
Naito-Elgin
Naito-Goto


I think Naito or Okada are winning G1 this year. 
If Kenny wins the title then i see Okada wins the G1. 
If Okada retians i totally see Naito wins the G1.


----------



## Zatiel

I'm most excited for who the surprise outsiders will be. Sanada and Marufuji were great last year.

I'd be super, super happy if we got Riddle, Cobb, and/or Castle this year.


----------



## Corey

I want Mr. King of Puro Tournaments himself, Shuji Ishikawa to be in the G1.


----------



## TD Stinger

Zatiel said:


> I'm most excited for who the surprise outsiders will be. Sanada and Marufuji were great last year.
> 
> I'd be super, super happy if we got Riddle, Cobb, and/or Castle this year.


I would love to see Riddle in NJPW in any capacity really.


----------



## The High King

NJPW is strong enough and has a deep enough roster to not need bring any in but does seem likely ZSJ and Ibushi will be in


----------



## Zatiel

For what it's worth, I doubt Ibushi will participate. He hasn't worked a regular string of dates for anyone for a long time now. Even his Tiger Mask W stuff was on special occasions. 

But it'd be awesome if he did.


----------



## ExGrodzki

I was able to watch the Marufuji/Okada match from Kings of Pro Wrestling on AXS, and HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLY FUCK IT WAS SO GOOD. Currently contemplating between Okada/Shibata, Okada/Marufuji,Okada/Tanahashi as my favorite Japanese wrestling matches since Akiyama/Kobashi 2004


----------



## The Nuke

Even without Shibata, Honma, and possibly even Tanahashi I think the G1 will still be a good one. 

I foresee Sabre being added. He'll have some really great ones with the bigger guys, I think. Ibushi probably, but I think as Tiger Mask W. That doesnt' mean he'll be Tiger Mask W for the entire tournament. They could do a really dramatic story where he reveals himself some time mid-way.

Then you have Cody and Suzuki, who'll either be hit or miss.

I would like to see one surprise name, from other Japanese Promotion even, but I don't think they have to have one. They have talent enough to survive a year with loses like Tana(again possibly) and Shibata. 

Plus it just means Gedo will use this as an opportunity to make a new star. I'd like to see Elgin get a big push. I really really think he'll be a big player in 2018.


----------



## RuthlessAggrEvan

Corey said:


> Yeah, it sold out on the first day. They're running at the Terrace Theater in the Long Beach Convention Center, which has a capacity of a tad over 3,000. So yeah, 3,000 tickets in a few hours.
> 
> They easily could've ran the Pacific Room which holds 4,800.


They aren't using the Terrace Theater, it's being held in one of the Exhibition Halls with a configuration of about 2,300 seats so they sold about 4,600 in two hours.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/861776820827508737


----------



## Mordecay

ExGrodzki said:


> I was able to watch the Marufuji/Okada match from Kings of Pro Wrestling on AXS, and HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLY FUCK IT WAS SO GOOD. Currently contemplating between Okada/Shibata, Okada/Marufuji,Okada/Tanahashi as my favorite Japanese wrestling matches since Akiyama/Kobashi 2004


Marufuji/Okada at KOPW is one of the most underrated matches of last year, it was awesome, Marufuji kicked the living crap out of Okada in that match


----------



## Corey

^^ Good find. (Y) I wasn't 100% sure on what part of the Convention Center they were running and asked a while back but I don't think anyone knew at that time. Did some googling and came up with Terrace, but I guess not. Still a good number of seats but I think they can do more.


----------



## Desecrated

Mordecay said:


> Marufuji/Okada at KOPW is one of the most underrated matches of last year, it was awesome, Marufuji kicked the living crap out of Okada in that match


Aye. Made me search for some Marufuji matches bu the hasn't wrestled since December according to cagematch.


----------



## Corey

Desecrated said:


> Aye. Made me search for some Marufuji matches bu the hasn't wrestled since December according to cagematch.


Marufuji? He's one half of the GHC Tag Champs with Maybach Taniguchi right now. Wrestles all the time for NOAH, they just don't treat him as such a big deal anymore with this NOAH Reborn new generation thing they're doing.


----------



## Mordecay

Corey said:


> Marufuji? He's one half of the GHC Tag Champs with Maybach Taniguchi right now. Wrestles all the time for NOAH, they just don't treat him as such a big deal anymore with this NOAH Reborn new generation thing they're doing.


I think he meant in NJPW lol. NOAH stuff is harder to find


----------



## Desecrated

Corey said:


> Marufuji? He's one half of the GHC Tag Champs with Maybach Taniguchi right now. Wrestles all the time for NOAH, they just don't treat him as such a big deal anymore with this NOAH Reborn new generation thing they're doing.


Guess Cagematch isn't the best source when checking the wrestlers page. Marufuji had no matches on it as far back as December.


----------



## ExGrodzki

Mordecay said:


> Marufuji/Okada at KOPW is one of the most underrated matches of last year, it was awesome, Marufuji kicked the living crap out of Okada in that match


That Emerald Flowsion into Rainmaker literally made me lose my absolute shit.

kada


----------



## Lariatoh!

The Nuke said:


> Praising NJPW aside, I will say that Omega vs Okada 2 isn't very heated. Maybe it doesn't have to be. I mean nobody is going to care anyway, because the match is what everyone is clamoring for. It may get a boost with what ever they do for the Road Show Friday.


I think Okada challenging Omega instead of the other way around, although different, was a mistake. Omega took his body beyond its limits and came up short. Since he returned from his little hiatus, it should have been all about him getting the belt. Instead, in order to spread the rematch out, Omega played second fiddle to Fale's title defence which just didn't look good to me. It's a weird one, and the Japanese culture is different to us westerners so the subtleties in this program may have left us a bit. But Kenny was the most talked about guy on the wrestling planet. Cooling him off was a big mistake.

Also, I think Naito's mission of pissing all the honourable wrestlers off by throwing the IC title around is just so genius, it's overshadowing everything!


----------



## volde

I don't see it as mistake, everyone were talking about Okada vs Omega II so Okada thought, well, everyone wants it so might as well do it and move on. Its not like he is some chicken shit champion who'd run away from challenge.


----------



## HOJO

The Nuke said:


> Praising NJPW aside, I will say that Omega vs Okada 2 isn't very heated. Maybe it doesn't have to be. I mean nobody is going to care anyway, because the match is what everyone is clamoring for. It may get a boost with what ever they do for the Road Show Friday.


The exact same thing happened with Omega/Okada the first time around


----------



## The High King

volde said:


> I don't see it as mistake, everyone were talking about Okada vs Omega II so Okada thought, well, everyone wants it so might as well do it and move on. Its not like he is some chicken shit champion who'd run away from challenge.


How does a wrestler who is scripted to face other wrestlers where the result is predetermined and organized well in advance go about being a 'chicken shit' should he want to go about it?


----------



## maxninepower

New Japan Tekken 7 Tournament


----------



## volde

The High King said:


> How does a wrestler who is scripted to face other wrestlers where the result is predetermined and organized well in advance go about being a 'chicken shit' should he want to go about it?


Weird question, WWE does chicken shit heel every year.


----------



## The High King

volde said:


> Weird question, WWE does chicken shit heel every year.


except wwe does not have wrestlers

they have sports entertainers lol

And NJPW is superior


----------



## BornBad

Don't know if that was a new thread about Omega worthy so i just leave it here










Gotta love Omegaman. Great mind


----------



## Corey

Brian Cage vs. Go Shiozaki _(NOAH 5/27)_ **** 1/4*
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5rK95X3mRiiekV2ZHp4b1UwREE/view

Brian Cage vs. Takashi Sugiura _(NOAH 6/4)_ **** 1/2*
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5rK95X3mRiiYWJZUUhQaFN0Z2s/view

Neither match is structured to be ultra competitive as they're trying to get him over as an unstoppable monster, but both are easy to watch. The Sugiura one is better because he gets in more offense and the crowd is hotter. Both go under 15 minutes so there's that too. Much like Eddie Edwards' undefeated stint with the company, I hope this goes somewhere and he can get a GHC Title shot down the line. No doubt he could produce magic with Nakajima (as could Edwards).

Also highly recommend Nakajima vs. Yone from the 6/4 Show. Very pleasant surprise and an excellent match. ****


----------



## Deadman's Hand

Well Dragon Gate has finally wrapped up their King of Gate tournament. T-Hawk wins by defeating Naruki Doi in the finals & is now gonna face YAMATO for the Dream Gate at Kobe World. I can sorta understand Doi losing as he'll probably have a big match with MaxiMuM against Jimmyz at the show, & DG has a good track record when it comes to their storylines & I have hope this decision proves to be a good one.


----------



## Genking48

My boy T-Hawk! :rusevyes

This is gonna be his year, I can feel it.


----------



## V-Trigger

Is Okada reaching Ric Flair in terms of Goatness in a single year?.

Kudos to his opponents but holy fuck.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Deadman's Hand said:


> Well Dragon Gate has finally wrapped up their King of Gate tournament. T-Hawk wins by defeating Naruki Doi in the finals & is now gonna face YAMATO for the Dream Gate at Kobe World. I can sorta understand Doi losing as he'll probably have a big match with MaxiMuM against Jimmyz at the show, & DG has a good track record when it comes to their storylines & I have hope this decision proves to be a good one.


D'you reckon they'll have MaxiMuM finish with Jimmyz then start a feud with Verserk?


----------



## TJQ

Takahashi/KUSHIDA feels like it was perfectly crafted for me, what a damn war. Those two are probably my current favorites in the company with Shibata gone. Naito/Tanahashi was definitely enjoyable, but just not on the level I would have hoped. 

About to spend the next hour getting upset at this main event, pray for me :hogan


----------



## BornBad

The NEVER Openweight Championship was a sweat match too imo. :bjpenn


----------



## Miguel De Juan

No G1 Climax announcement was the only thing that pissed me off.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

-***** Italiano- said:


> D'you reckon they'll have MaxiMuM finish with Jimmyz then start a feud with Verserk?


Part of me feels like there's gonna be a Losing Unit Disbands match between MaxiMuM & Jimmyz at Kobe.


----------



## Flair Shot

Brian Cage in NOAH... How did that happen? :hmmm


----------



## Corey

In other puro news unrelated to Dominion, All Japan ran a big show at Korakuen today (terrible date to have that, right?). Zeus & The Bodyguard won back the Tag Titles so their loss was kinda pointless to begin with. Ishikawa retained over Jake Lee, and in the most surprising result, Suwama went over Miyahara to become the new number one contender. I assume that match will happen at the Ryogoku Kokugikan show on August 27th? 

Ishikawa & Suwama had an awesome match on the first night of Champion Carnival, but I definitely think the bigger story and bigger match would've been with the former champ. Kento has really taken a nose dive lately. Didn't win his CC block, lost his Triple Crown title, and then loses his shot to have another match. Damn... 

Strong BJ also retained their BJW Tag Titles over Daichi & Kamitani.


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> In other puro news unrelated to Dominion, All Japan ran a big show at Korakuen today (terrible date to have that, right?). Zeus & The Bodyguard won back the Tag Titles so their loss was kinda pointless to begin with. Ishikawa retained over Jake Lee, and in the most surprising result, Suwama went over Miyahara to become the new number one contender. I assume that match will happen at the Ryogoku Kokugikan show on August 27th?
> 
> Ishikawa & Suwama had an awesome match on the first night of Champion Carnival, but I definitely think the bigger story and bigger match would've been with the former champ. Kento has really taken a nose dive lately. Didn't win his CC block, lost his Triple Crown title, and then loses his shot to have another match. Damn...
> 
> Strong BJ also retained their BJW Tag Titles over Daichi & Kamitani.


There was no point in giving Kento the rematch at Sumo Hall when he was probably going to lose that match too. He had a long reign on top so a couple of jobs before getting back up again makes sense, specially considering he's still very young.

Can't wait to watch the Strong BJ tag. Kamitani and Yuji have tremendous chemistry, same for Daisuke and Daichi. 

I do wonder who the fuck is gonna challenge Hideki Suzuki at the Sumo Hall show next month. Strong BJ will face the winner of Miyamoto/Kodaka Abdullah Kobayashi/Ito unless they drop the belts before that, but I dont' think they will. I'd be very curious to see Strong BJ vs Abby Jr in 2017 but Miyamoto/Kodaka are the likely winners.

That just leaves a whole bunch of young guns to face Suzuki in the big show. My guess is Daichi steps up. A Hashimoto headlining Sumo Hall again would bring a tear to my eye to be honest. Still, as much as I love Daichi, he's still far from a real threat and hasn't gotten much better as he should've at this point of his career. 

If not Daichi, I have no clue how gets the title shot. This makes me miss Yoshito Sasaki more than I usually do :mj2



I also wonder who the fuck is gonna challenge Takeshita at DDT's Peter Pan show in August. Last year was the first time in a while that DDT didn't try to get a big name, and the show wasn't as successful as other years. Now they are faced with a similar scenario. 

After Saitama I hoped Ibushi would step up and give his beloved promotion a hand and put over Takeshita but at this point that seems like an impossible scenario. If they go in house for the KO-D match, I wonder if they still try to bring a big name and book him in the semi main...


----------



## Miguel De Juan

I predict that the USA NJPW shows will their worst. The owner thinks Americans are interested in Yoshitatsu, Billy Gunn, and Cody Rhodes.


----------



## V-Trigger

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/874100231587090432
WHY


----------



## Desecrated

Had a solid guess that they weren't doing effective market research when Cody vs Okada was penned. Ah that's a shame. 

:walphtf:walphtf:walphtf:walphtf:walphtf:walphtf:walphtf:walphtf:walphtf:walphtf:walphtf:walphtf

Worse than could be comprehended. 

:walphtf


----------



## Corey

antoniomare007 said:


> I do wonder who the fuck is gonna challenge Hideki Suzuki at the Sumo Hall show next month. Strong BJ will face the winner of Miyamoto/Kodaka Abdullah Kobayashi/Ito unless they drop the belts before that, but I dont' think they will. I'd be very curious to see Strong BJ vs Abby Jr in 2017 but Miyamoto/Kodaka are the likely winners.
> 
> That just leaves a whole bunch of young guns to face Suzuki in the big show. My guess is Daichi steps up. A Hashimoto headlining Sumo Hall again would bring a tear to my eye to be honest. Still, as much as I love Daichi, he's still far from a real threat and hasn't gotten much better as he should've at this point of his career.
> 
> If not Daichi, I have no clue how gets the title shot. This makes me miss Yoshito Sasaki more than I usually do :mj2


You follow BJW a hell of a lot more than I do so your guess is better than mine.  What are the chances they bring in an outside name? Manabu Soya? I feel like Suzuki would destroy Daichi.


----------



## Joshi Judas

Damn Cody must have really sold Gedo on how BIG a star he is back home to get that match :lmao :lmao :lmao


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> You follow BJW a hell of a lot more than I do so your guess is better than mine.  What are the chances they bring in an outside name? Manabu Soya? I feel like Suzuki would destroy Daichi.


Hideki should dispatch Daichi in similar fashion to Kamitani, kayfabe wise he's not a threat at all. It would be major, major upset if somehow Daichi gets the W. In kayfabe and the real world Daichi has stalled for the past year. He can be above average at best and honestly I was expecting more from him at this stage in his career. I keep waiting for him to take a leap performance wise. 

Kawakami is another choice but he's just not very good and didn't do shit after getting his big return at last year's Sumo Hall show. And I'd say he's even below Daichi in the totem pole.

They could bring in an outsider, it would be kind of weird having two outsiders headline their biggest show of the year though. This was a spot that normally a guy like Shuji Ishikawa could get. Not sure who else they could book, Kohei Sato is a veteran that has history with the promotion but he ain't drawing 1 more seat than a young guy to a show like this. 

Soya is a fun choice actually. He has some history with Big Japan and he fits perfectly in the Strong division. It wouldn't make any difference drawing wise though, just like Sato. 

Whoever they choose will be interesting though. Similar to DDT, they can go in-house and give someone a big opportunity to shine and breakthrough or a fresh matchup against an outsider.


Anyway, watch Strong BJ drop the tag belts so Yuji gets his rematch and everything I just posted end up meaning less than 20 minutes of an Okada/Omega match lol.


----------



## antoniomare007

Uchiha Sasuke said:


> Damn Cody must have really sold Gedo on how BIG a star he is back home to get that match :lmao :lmao :lmao


That's just how puro promotions work breh. For some reason anything US related is ALWAYS treated like a big deal and worthy of a push. If that's the case for people that barely worked in a big promotion, imagine how it is for someone that spent years in WWE being a recognizable face. 

Perception from the japanese about the US is really weird to be honest. Kobashi thought he had to act like a comedy heel when he worked for Ring Of Honor, Gabe had to convince him fans wanted to see him be his normal self. 

Same with Billy fucking Gunn getting an IC Title shot against Tana.


----------



## V-Trigger

Kenny and Naito are going to be in the IWGP U.S Championship tournament.


----------



## NastyYaffa

These 2 matches on paper destroy all the Wrestle Kingdom top 2 matches ever imo


----------



## Sweggeh

Hope the US title match main events the second show, over the Intercontinental title. Billy freakin Gunn main eventing a show in 2017? Good god that would be terrible.


----------



## NastyYaffa




----------



## ShadowSucks92

So I'm guessing the reason Okada & Billy Gunn have such low matches is that Gedo wants them both to have it easy before the G1 and let the US title be the main focus of the show.


----------



## Flair Shot

Okada and Tanahashi will have the 2 easiest matches of their entire year in LA. That's some weak stuff.


----------



## Corey

Meanwhile, some main events in Japan before they head to LA. The rest of the matches are just the same old tags. KUSHIDA could become a triple champion! :mark: The matches all look better because they're happening in Korakuen too.

*NJPW “KIZUNA ROAD 2017”, 6/20/2017 [Tue] 18:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*
(7) *NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Championship Match:* [13th Champions] SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI vs. [Challengers] Ryusuke Taguchi, Juice Robinson & KUSHIDA
~ 2nd title defense.

*NJPW “KIZUNA ROAD 2017”, 6/26/2017 [Mon] 18:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*
(7) *NEVER Openweight Championship Match:* [16th Champion] Minoru Suzuki (Pancrase MISSION) vs. [Challenger] YOSHI-HASHI
~ 2nd title defense.

*NJPW “KIZUNA ROAD 2017”, 6/27/2017 [Tue] 18:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*
(7) *IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match:* [77th Champion] KUSHIDA vs. [Challenger] BUSHI
~ 1st title defense.

---------------------------------

Also:

*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2017 SUMMER ACTION SERIES”, 7/17/2017 [Mon] 12:00 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*
(-)* Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship Match:* [56th Champion] Shuji Ishikawa vs. [Challenger] Suwama
~ 2nd title defense.


----------



## antoniomare007

Oh shit, so Kento might actually get the Sumo Hall title shot....


----------



## The High King

Seems if they are keeping the title on Okada and not have Omega drop, then the logical step would be have Okada face someone who he would beat whilst his opponent gets a rub along the way so can understand their thinking in having Cody, and he is also a yank.

There is no excuse whatsoever for Billy Gunn though


----------



## Corey

antoniomare007 said:


> Oh shit, so Kento might actually get the Sumo Hall title shot....


Yep. Thinking he makes the challenge and wins the belt back there now. The Big Guns winning the Tag Titles back makes me think Zeus won't be in the picture either. Kento or Doering, gotta be. (perfectly fine with either)


----------



## Ace

The High King said:


> Seems if they are keeping the title on Okada and not have Omega drop, then the logical step would be have Okada face someone who he would beat whilst his opponent gets a rub along the way so can understand their thinking in having Cody, and he is also a yank.
> 
> There is no excuse whatsoever for Billy Gunn though


 I think they're setting up for a huge match with Naito at WK 12. That's the money match and can set for a rematch at WK 13. Kenny isn't in their long term plans as they know he's not in it for the long haul and his eyes set on WWE.


----------



## The High King

Ace said:


> I think they're setting up for a huge match with Naito at WK 12. That's the money match and can set for a rematch at WK 13. Kenny isn't in their long term plans as they know he's not in it for the long haul and his eyes set on WWE.


I hope so as I prefer Naito to Omega and cannot see WK12 have both Omega and Naito and leave out Okada.

While I am not Omegas biggest fan as I hate his comedy routine he can put on some great matches, and thats the problem when he flips from main eventer to midcard comedy act its hard to take him serious, but him going to WWE would be a bad move he would regret in my opinion


----------



## JC00

_"NJPW wants to make a big impression in the States with the Long Beach shows"_

Gives us Okada/Cody and Tanahashi/Gunn .

Okada/Cody I guess I can buy.. Because Cody is probably gonna be the ROH champion going into it. But fecking Billy Gunn against Tanahashi? No. Just no.


----------



## Miguel De Juan

JC00 said:


> _"NJPW wants to make a big impression in the States with the Long Beach shows"_
> 
> Gives us Okada/Cody and Tanahashi/Gunn .
> 
> Okada/Cody I guess I can buy.. Because Cody is probably gonna be the ROH champion going into it. But fecking Billy Gunn against Tanahashi? No. Just no.


The Americans are gonna shit on Billy Gunn match.


----------



## Sweggeh

If the IC title match of Tanahashi vs Billy Gunn main events Night 2 over the US title then... oh boy. I cant see people actually shitting on it since its NJPW's first ever show in the US and I can't see the super fans there ever shitting on a match, but it would be a crappy way to end the 2 day tour.

They need a big time US title match of something like Omega vs Naito to close out the show and to close out the tour.


----------



## Miguel De Juan

Nagata or Kojima would have been better. Why not Davey Boy Smith Jr? He is waaay better.


----------



## Corey

Miguel De Juan said:


> Nagata or Kojima would have been better. Why not Davey Boy Smith Jr? He is waaay better.


None of them are on the shows, unfortunately. Sabre is actually the only guy on the tour representing SuzukiGUN.

Watch this be the best match of Billy Gunn's career though and we all have to eat our words. :lol


----------



## Miguel De Juan

Corey said:


> None of them are on the shows, unfortunately. Sabre is actually the only guy on the tour representing SuzukiGUN.
> 
> Watch this be the best match of Billy Gunn's career though and we all have to eat our words. :lol


Suzuki should be on the show. He is among the few heels left.


----------



## kovs27

I don't think too many members of Suzuki-Gun are under contract to NJPW. I know Suzuki and TAKA aren't. Sabre at least lives in the US now so it's easier to book him as the Suzuki-Gun representative. I would think Davey Jr. would be there if Lance Archer was healthy. Maybe Gedo only sees them as a tag team attraction. I'm so happy Cody is getting his match on Night 1. No way in hell was I going to pay for New Japan World to see Cody in a main event. Bad enough ROH is going to make me do that again.


----------



## BigCy

Looks like the US Title tournament is up. Looking at some of this I'm not so sure.

Quarter-final Michael Elgin vs Kenny Omega
Quarter-final Jay Lethal vs Hangman Page
Quarter-final Zack Sabre Jr. vs Juice Robinson
Quarter-final Tetsuya Naito vs Tomohiro Ishii

Semi-finals Winner of Elgin/Omega vs Winner of Lethal/Page
Semi-finals Winner of Sabre Jr/Juice vs Winner of Naito/Ishii

Could go several ways but here's my predictiions.....

Omega beats Elgin
Lethal beats Page
Sabre Jr. beats Juice
Ishii beats Naito

Omega beats Lethal
Ishii beats Saber Jr.

Omega beats Ishii

I would LOVE if Naito made it to the finals against Omega but I don't think it'll happen. Ishii/Naito and Elgin/Omega are too close to call but I see one of those 4 for sure winning it. Inb4 Juice Robinson wins the whole dang thing (please no.)

I would like to think Omega not winning the World Championship means he's FOR SURE getting this but who knows with how unpredicatble NJPW can be. 

Anyone else want to take a stab?

Here's the other title matches going on if anyone is curious...

World - Okada vs Cody (Okada)
IC - Tanahashi vs Billy Gunn (Tanahashi)
NEVER - Suzuki vs Yoshi-Hashi (Yoshi Hoshi, I know I know what the heck am I thinking, just a feeling)
Jr. Hvy. - KUSHIDA vs BUSHI (KUSHIDA)
World Tag - Gueriillas vs War Machine (Not sure but I think one of the tag matches will have Gedo Special and one team will regain)
Jr. Tag - Young Bucks vs RPG Vice (See above)
NEVER 6-Man - LIJ vs Taguchi/KUSHIDA/Juice (LIJ, hopefully)


----------



## Lariatoh!

BigCy said:


> Looks like the US Title tournament is up. Looking at some of this I'm not so sure.
> 
> Quarter-final Michael Elgin vs Kenny Omega
> Quarter-final Jay Lethal vs Hangman Page
> Quarter-final Zack Sabre Jr. vs Juice Robinson
> Quarter-final Tetsuya Naito vs Tomohiro Ishii
> 
> Semi-finals Winner of Elgin/Omega vs Winner of Lethal/Page
> Semi-finals Winner of Sabre Jr/Juice vs Winner of Naito/Ishii
> 
> Could go several ways but here's my predictiions.....
> 
> Omega beats Elgin
> Lethal beats Page
> Sabre Jr. beats Juice
> Ishii beats Naito
> 
> Omega beats Lethal
> Ishii beats Saber Jr.
> 
> Omega beats Ishii
> 
> I would LOVE if Naito made it to the finals against Omega but I don't think it'll happen. Ishii/Naito and Elgin/Omega are too close to call but I see one of those 4 for sure winning it. Inb4 Juice Robinson wins the whole dang thing (please no.)
> 
> I would like to think Omega not winning the World Championship means he's FOR SURE getting this but who knows with how unpredicatble NJPW can be.
> 
> Anyone else want to take a stab?


It would make $$$ sense for a Naito vs. Omega final. It would make booking logic sense for it to be both these two men in the final. They are part of NJPW's big 4 now. Ishii is the wildcard. He seems to be able to beat anyone (except when it counts) in NJPW, even the invincible Okada. So I hope it's at least either of these 3 men, because anyone else just doesn't really make sense to me.


----------



## Corey

@antoniomare007 the card is out. Who's this no name challenging Hideki?

*BJW ~RYOGOKUTAN~, 7/17/2017 [Mon] 15:00 @ Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo​*
() *Special 6 Man Tag Match:* Great Kojika, Tsutomu Oosugi & Hercules Senga vs. Kendo Kashin, Shu & Kei Brahman

() *First BJW Junior Heavyweight Championship Decision Match:* League #1 vs. League #2 

() *Yokohama Shopping Street 6 Tag Championship Match:* [10th Champions] Ryota Hama, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Shogun Okamoto vs. [Challengers] (to be announced)
~ 1st title defense.

() *BJW Tag Championship Match:* [43rd Champions] Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi vs. [Challengers] (winners of 6/28 match)

() *BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship Match:* [10th Champion] Hideki Suzuki vs. [Challenger] Ryuichi Kawakami
~ 3rd title defense.

() *BJW DeathMatch Heavyweight Championship Match:* [35th Champion] Masaya Takahashi vs. [Challenger] Takayuki Ueki
~ 2nd title defense.


----------



## maxninepower




----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> @antoniomare007 the card is out. Who's this no name challenging Hideki?
> 
> *BJW ~RYOGOKUTAN~, 7/17/2017 [Mon] 15:00 @ Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo​*
> () *Special 6 Man Tag Match:* Great Kojika, Tsutomu Oosugi & Hercules Senga vs. Kendo Kashin, Shu & Kei Brahman
> 
> () *First BJW Junior Heavyweight Championship Decision Match:* League #1 vs. League #2
> 
> () *Yokohama Shopping Street 6 Tag Championship Match:* [10th Champions] Ryota Hama, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Shogun Okamoto vs. [Challengers] (to be announced)
> ~ 1st title defense.
> 
> () *BJW Tag Championship Match:* [43rd Champions] Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi vs. [Challengers] (winners of 6/28 match)
> 
> () *BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship Match:* [10th Champion] Hideki Suzuki vs. [Challenger] Ryuichi Kawakami
> ~ 3rd title defense.
> 
> () *BJW DeathMatch Heavyweight Championship Match:* [35th Champion] Masaya Takahashi vs. [Challenger] Takayuki Ueki
> ~ 2nd title defense.


Ah, they went with Kawakami. Like I told you, it's another "young" guy that come from the dojo. He's from the same generation as Yuji but has never been able to break out. He came back from a big injury last year at Sumo Hall in a singles matches against Daisuke but hasn't done shit to write home about since (even the match against Sekimoto was "just good"). To me it's arguable he's below Daichi in the totem pole of Strong division but it's not a reach he got the shot. 

He has a chance to win because it's Sumo Hall and it would crown his "comeback" from last year but he doesn't have the momentum Kamitani had going last year so I'd say the chances Hideki losses are at 30-40%.


BTW, they'll be lucky if they can draw more than 3k for that kind of card.


----------



## CGS

BrotherNero said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/874100231587090432
> WHY


From Naito & Omega to Billy Gunn & Cody :mj4 :mj4 :mj4. What a weak "introduction to the US". Cody/Okada i can get past but Gunn/Tanahasi is just plan ugly. Surely if they had to give us an american they could have found someone much better.


----------



## Corey

Two star-studded tag matches on the Fortune Dream 4 show today. Figure at least a couple people will be interested in them:

(5) *Dangerous Dream:* Shuji Ishikawa & Hideki Suzuki (both FREE) vs. Joe Doering (AJPW) & James Raideen (ZERO1)
*♦Winner:* DRAW *(30:00)* Time Expired.

(6) *Fortune Dream:* Daisuke Sekimoto (BJW) & Suwama (AJPW) vs. Kohei Sato (ZERO1) & Shingo Takagi (DG)
*♦Winner:* Sekimoto *(20:42)* with a Deadlift German Suplex Hold on Kohei.


----------



## antoniomare007

Kobashi's shows always have great matchups, I had forgotten the new one was this month. Hopefully RealHero has it soon.


----------



## The Nuke

The US cards are very disappointing given that they are only really show casing American and UK talent. We are getting some big names, but this is not the big first impression I was hoping for.

Tana vs Gunn and Okada vs Cody are fine, but book the rest of the card like a Korakuen Hall show with tags so the fans can get to see most of the guys they love. Nobody is going to get to experince Kaze'N Nare. Taichi hate. Taguchi Japan. Most of LIJ. 


If I had to pic a US Title winner I'd put money on Sabre, Elgin, or Juice. Gedo is not going to book obvious choices. So Naito vs Omega ain't happening at a show that is more or less a US Korakuen Hall show. More than likely both Naito and Omega will be upset early.


----------



## BigCy

The Nuke said:


> The US cards are very disappointing given that they are only really show casing American and UK talent. We are getting some big names, but this is not the big first impression I was hoping for.
> 
> Tana vs Gunn and Okada vs Cody are fine, but book the rest of the card like a Korakuen Hall show with tags so the fans can get to see most of the guys they love. Nobody is going to get to experince Kaze'N Nare. Taichi hate. Taguchi Japan. Most of LIJ.
> 
> 
> If I had to pic a US Title winner I'd put money on Sabre, Elgin, or Juice. Gedo is not going to book obvious choices. So Naito vs Omega ain't happening at a show that is more or less a US Korakuen Hall show. More than likely both Naito and Omega will be upset early.


I agree they could have showcased more talent to give everyone a taste of everything NJPW has to offer. But I do like they are doing SOMETHING here in the States. I don't think NJPW needs more belts but maybe they're debuting this one to soften people up to the sister promotion that they're looking to set up here in 2018. Maybe it will be 2 "brands" and the US title(s) will only be defended in the States.

I do know that Gedo likes to be unpredictable but I still think Naito, Omega, Ishii, or Elgin will get the strap. I think they will want it to look strong and have a strong champion with it, and I'm "guessing" it will be an American (counting Canada) that gets it (which would favor Omega, Elgin) but you never know. I'm not putting it past Gedo to put it on Juice since he seems to be getting a good sized push or ZSJ just because it would fit well but I still think it will be one of the big 4. 

As usual it will be interesting to see what DOES happen.


----------



## Corey

The Nuke said:


> The US cards are very disappointing given that they are only really show casing American and UK talent. We are getting some big names, but this is not the big first impression I was hoping for.
> 
> Tana vs Gunn and Okada vs Cody are fine, but book the rest of the card like a Korakuen Hall show with tags so the fans can get to see most of the guys they love. Nobody is going to get to experince Kaze'N Nare. Taichi hate. Taguchi Japan. Most of LIJ.
> 
> If I had to pic a US Title winner I'd put money on Sabre, Elgin, or Juice. Gedo is not going to book obvious choices. So Naito vs Omega ain't happening at a show that is more or less a US Korakuen Hall show. More than likely both Naito and Omega will be upset early.


Tbh I think it's smart to do more singles matches and important ones at that on these US shows because that's what the American audience is accustomed to. I doubt people would do this considering they paid to go to the show knowing the New Japan product, but it wouldn't surprise me if some folks complained about the lack of bigger matches and too many tags though if that were to happen.

Still imo these first two tags on the Saturday show look NUTTY:

Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Marty Scurll, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson and Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Chaos (Beretta, Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe, Rocky Romero and Will Ospreay)

Dragon Lee, Jushin Thunder Liger, Titán and Volador Jr. vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Bushi, Evil, Hiromu Takahashi and Sanada)


----------



## kovs27

The two tag matches will get that crowd even hotter. The Young Bucks doing Young Bucks things Ospreay flipping around will get the crowd on their feet. I think the CMLL guys will win over the fans working with LIJ. Plus Liger. Who doesn't love Liger?


----------



## BulletClubFangirl

Ooops wrong thread.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/875451222488104960

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/875456230663348226


----------



## The Nuke

Guys at Voices of Wrestling say they were tipped off at what the final of the US title tournament will be. Claim everyone will be happy, but that it's not the match you'll expect. So, I'd guess Naito vs Omega is out.

However I expect one or the other to be there. I'm putting money on Sabre being the surprise finalist. NJPW is high on him, and I think they want him going into G1 with some hype. Zacky 4 belts has a ring to it.


----------



## BC Punk

I don't think Elgin or Ishii are even winning one match. If Elgin beats Omega and Ishii beats Naito then those two (Omega and Naito, arguably the two most popular NJPW stars) would have no part on the second show. Unless they throw together two more random six or eight man tags to the second but that seems underwhelming for those two.

I think that would make the semifinals on night two as Omega vs. Lethal (don't think they'd have Omega vs. Page Bullet Club match) and Sabre, Jr. vs. Naito (I don't think Juice Robinson beats the PWG Champ in his own backyard in a first round US title tournament match to an NJPW up and comer, let alone also RPW and Evolve Champ)

I think the finals would be Lethal vs. Naito. Didn't they have a feud in the US before? Isn't that when Naito gained his attitude or am I misremembering? I think it is and I think that would be a storyline US fans would remember and be invested in. I think either one could win the title but Lethal would be the favorite for me.

Those are some pretty great semis and makes night two: 
The Young Bucks/RPG Vice Jr. HW Tag Title match
Tanahashi/Gunn IC Title match
Omega/Lethal US Title semifinal 1
Naito/Sabre, Jr. US Title semifinal 2
Naito/Lethal US Title match

That's a pretty great card for the US and together with the first night is a good mix of NJPW Japanese stars and western stars and leaves a lot of time for all the matches.


----------



## Corey

Omega vs. Sabre honestly sounds like a really great final to me and I would hope ZSJ would get heat against Kenny if he goes in New Japan/PWG character. Ishii over Naito and then Sabre over Ishii. Opens up Naito for being a G1 favorite and continues the SuzukiGUN/Chaos feud.


----------



## Mordecay

Anyone but Sabre, he may be the best technical wrestler in the world, but I've never liked his selling and he is a bit of a charisma vacuum. Hopefully my boy Ishii can make it if we are talking about surprise winners.


----------



## Mifune Jackson

The Nuke said:


> Tana vs Gunn and Okada vs Cody are fine, but book the rest of the card like a Korakuen Hall show with tags so the fans can get to see most of the guys they love. Nobody is going to get to experince Kaze'N Nare. Taichi hate. Taguchi Japan. Most of LIJ.


I really wanted to see Toru Yano. He was the one I was most disappointed wouldn't be there.

I have a weird feeling Juice Robinson is winning, beating Omega in an upset. Him, Page, and Lethal are the only actual U.S. wrestlers in it, so I expect at least one of them to be in the finals as an underdog.


----------



## volde

BC Punk said:


> I think the finals would be Lethal vs. Naito. Didn't they have a feud in the US before? Isn't that when Naito gained his attitude or am I misremembering? I think it is and I think that would be a storyline US fans would remember and be invested in. I think either one could win the title but Lethal would be the favorite for me.


Yeah, more I think about it more likely it looks to me that Lethal is taking it considering that:

1. Lethal is one of few actual USA wrestlers in the tournament. Omega/Elgin are Canadians so it would work with them too, but it would be plain weird if NJPW makes US tournament and gives the belt to Ishii or Naito. Other two USA citizens are Page and Juice, but I can't see them getting a single win in this. 
2. Omega or Naito shouldn't win it since both men are potential WK12 main eventers, giving them this title would give a strong signal that one of them ain't making it. I doubt that NJPW wants to give that signal before G1 concludes.
3. At the same time one of them probably needs to be in the finals to make it feel legitimate and Lethal/Naito match up looks way better than Omega/Zack or Omega/Juice. Not to mention that Juice would probably get booed out of the building if he went over Omega.
4. Only question is how to book Omega/Lethal without fans going mental? Maybe if some shit happens in Okada/Cody match that causes split between Cody/Omega... Cody gets involved in Omega/Lethal match to get some extra heat?

My absolute favourite finals match would be Omega/Ishii III, but I really don't want any of them with this belt.


----------



## Corey

Just realized that KUSHIDA is gonna challenge for the NEVER 6-Man Titles on the 20th at the one of the Kizuna Road shows, then fly to America and defend the ROH TV Title against Scurll at the PPV (23rd), likely retain and then defend against Jay White at the TV Taping the next day (24th), then fly BACK to Japan and defend the IWGP Jr. Title against BUSHI on the 27th. God damn! That's (most likely) 4 different titles matches in a 7 day span in 2 countries. Amazing.

Also, interesting looking match on the Big Japan show today. Not familiar with hardly any of the guys on the opposing team but may give it a watch if the show gets uploaded online.

(7) *BJW vs Osaka 5 vs 5 Elimination Match:* Daisuke Sekimoto, Yuji Okabayashi, Daichi Hashimoto, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Yoshihisa Uto vs. Magnitude Kishiwada (FREE), The Bodyguard (FREE), ZERO (FREE), GAINA (FREE) & Kazuaki Mihara (Doutonbori)
~ Mihara eliminated Uto (12:34) following a Lariat.
~ GAINA eliminated Kamitani (15:07) following a Lariat.
~ Okabayashi eliminated GAINA (15:07) with the Golem Splash.
~ Okabayashi and Bodyguard both eliminated (19:10) over the top rope.
~ Sekimoto eliminated Mihara (20:16) with a German Suplex Hold.
~ Daichi eliminated Kishiwara (25:48) following a Shining Wizard.
~ ZERO eliminated Sekimoto (26:23) via over the top rope.
*♦Winner:* ZERO (*28:57*) with the Best Splash in the World on Daichi.

Who the fuck is ZERO? Big win to be pinning Sekimoto.


----------



## BornBad

G1 participants for this year to be announced tomorrow during Kuzina Road. 

The card: 

* Tomoyuki Oka vs. Tetsuhiro Yagi
* Shota Umino, Tiger Mask IV, & Jushin Liger vs. TAKA Michinoku, El Desperado, & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
* David Finlay & Yuji Nagata vs. Katsuya Kitamura & Manabu Nakanishi
* Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, & Togi Makabe vs. Jado, Toru Yano, & Tomohiro Ishii
* Hirai Kawato & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito
* YOSHI-HASHI, HirookiGoto, & Kazuchika Okada vs. Taichi, Davey Boy Smith Jr, & Minoru Suzuki
* NEVER Six-Man Title Match: Champions EVIL, BUSHI, & SANADA vs. KUSHIDA, Juice Robinson, & Ryusuke Taguchi


----------



## Corey

BornBad said:


> G1 participants for this year to be announced tomorrow during Kuzina Road.


Oh shit! :mark: Time to make some guesses.

Okada
Tanahashi
Naito
Omega
Suzuki
Fale
Cody
EVIL
SANADA
Goto

Kojima
YOSHI-HASHI
Juice
Elgin
Ishii
Makabe
Nagata
Yano? (no thanks)
Yujiro? (please no)
Sabre

Really the only realistic 20 they can come up with on the main roster (not trying to guess blocks, just naming people). The ROH schedule is opened up enough that they can afford to take guys like Lethal or Jay Briscoe off their hands if they need more guys too. Should definitely see G1 debuts for Sabre and Juice though.


----------



## BigCy

Corey said:


> Oh shit! :mark: Time to make some guesses.
> 
> Okada
> Tanahashi
> Naito
> Omega
> Suzuki
> Fale
> Cody
> EVIL
> SANADA
> Goto
> 
> Kojima
> YOSHI-HASHI
> Juice
> Elgin
> Ishii
> Makabe
> Nagata
> Yano? (no thanks)
> Yujiro? (please no)
> Sabre


Pretty good guesses actually. I could see all those honestly. I can see Lethal taking the place of Yujiro or Kojima and your lists are probably spot on with my guess list. I could see Tenzan in there too.

Stoked for this US Tournament. I'm a Lethal, Sabre, Omega, and Elgin fan so hopefully one of them takes it.


----------



## kovs27

BigCy said:


> Pretty good guesses actually. I could see all those honestly. I can see Lethal taking the place of Yujiro or Kojima and your lists are probably spot on with my guess list. I could see Tenzan in there too.
> 
> Stoked for this US Tournament. I'm a Lethal, Sabre, Omega, and Elgin fan so hopefully one of them takes it.


Wasn't last years G1 Tenzans last? I could see Lethal coming over for the G1. The Japanese fans have seen him enough to know who he is. Sabre has to be since he is considered a heaveyweight in New Japan.


----------



## The Nuke

Really interested to see if any AJPW guys ends up in it.

Hoping Elgin gets a push. Ever since his match with Naito this year, I've been hoping for big things. 

Have a feeling Sabre will get a big push. They already like him, and he has unique style that isn't very common in Japan. Plus they knew that he was more valuable as a heavy instead of a junior.


----------



## Concrete

The Nuke said:


> Really interested to see if any AJPW guys ends up in it.
> 
> Hoping Elgin gets a push. Ever since his match with Naito this year, I've been hoping for big things.
> 
> Have a feeling Sabre will get a big push. They already like him, and he has unique style that isn't very common in Japan. Plus they knew that he was more valuable as a heavy instead of a junior.


If AJPW has representation then I will be v v excited for this year's G1...unless it is Bodyguard.


----------



## HOJO

Don't fucking put Sabre's pretentious ass in there pls, for god sake. Let him work Jrs where he belongs


----------



## volde

I remember Dave speculating that if Cody becomes RoH champion then he probably won't be in G1 since RoH wouldn't want their champion getting pinned (or submitted) clean 3-4 times in one tournament. 

Kizuna Road shows have Davey Boy Smith back so I'd expect him to be in G1. Tama Tonga might also be in since he participated last year, better than Yujiro I guess.


----------



## Corey

HOJO said:


> Don't fucking put Sabre's pretentious ass in there pls, for god sake. Let him work Jrs where he belongs


I don't think you're gonna get your wish. 



volde said:


> I remember Dave speculating that if Cody becomes RoH champion then he probably won't be in G1 since RoH wouldn't want their champion getting pinned (or submitted) clean 3-4 times in one tournament.
> 
> Kizuna Road shows have *Davey Boy Smith back so I'd expect him to be in G1. Tama Tonga* might also be in since he participated last year, better than Yujiro I guess.


Good call with those two. Wish Archer was healthy...


----------



## Lariatoh!

I wonder who'll be lucky enough to be booked to pin Okada in this year's G1? Right now the guy is on God-tier level of unbeatable.


----------



## Corey

6/11 AJPW show

Miyahara/Suwama - *** 1/2
Ishikawa/Jake Lee - *** 1/2

Shuji looking good in the black trunks. 



Lariatoh! said:


> I wonder who'll be lucky enough to be booked to pin Okada in this year's G1? Right now the guy is on God-tier level of unbeatable.


Ah fuck, hadn't even thought of that. We're about to see an undefeated G1 win for the Rainmaker. :lol

When's the last team he's even been pinned in any realm? I can't even remember if he's taken the fall in a tag match this year...


----------



## Lariatoh!

If they book Ishii to pin Okada again and still don't give the guy a title match.... well, yeah.. hahaha....


----------



## volde

Corey said:


> When's the last team he's even been pinned in any realm? I can't even remember if he's taken the fall in a tag match this year...


Fale pinned him when they were doing Okada/Ishii vs Fale/Omega tags.


----------



## BornBad

> When's the last team he's even been pinned in any realm? I can't even remember if he's taken the fall in a tag match this year..


need to verify but i think BLF pinned him on The Road To Dontaku


----------



## BornBad

Tanahashi
Makabe
Elgin
Okada
Goto
Ishii
Yano
YOSHI-HASHI 
Omega
Fale
Tonga
Naito
SANADA
EVIL
Kojima
Nagata
Juice
Suzuki
Sabre
Ibushi :fuckyeah


----------



## volde

Okay, G1 participants are in, key things (I think):

No Davey Boy, Zack is in. 
No Cody, Tama Tonga is in. 
And... Ibushi is in as Ibushi.

Asides of Zack (and possibly Yano) I'm pleased with the line up. Ibushi's announcement got obviously biggest pop, but am I crazy or Juice Robinson got second biggest? Naito and Omega obviously also got big pops and maybe theirs were bigger and I was just surprised that Juice got big pop at all.


----------



## HOJO

Well at least I have 8 matches to skip with Sabre being garbage in there


----------



## ShadowSucks92

No 3 star Cody in the G1 :mj2


----------



## Abood sama

The list is offical : g1 climax 27 participants 
Tanahashi
Naito
Okada
Omega
Ishii
Makabe
Fale
Sanada
Evil
Kojima
Nagata
Sabre
Juice
Yano
Tama Tonga
Eligin
Goto
Yoshi hashi
Suzuki

And he is back Kota ibushi(not tiger mask w)

Am hyped am going there to the last three days yess


----------



## volde

HOJO said:


> Well at least I have 8 matches to skip with Sabre being garbage in there


Would be cool if Zack, Yano and Toma Tonga were placed in same block so that amount of garbage would be contained as much as possible.


----------



## NastyYaffa

:lmao no Cody even after his big announcement during that ROH Q&A thing :lmao

ZACK! :mark::mark: I fully expect him to be the MVP of the thing. 

+ Ibushi! :mark:


----------



## HOJO

Literally nothing wrong with Yano or Tonga, but Sabre can be part of this year's A for Ass Block after last year's Ass block


----------



## volde

I think that no Cody makes it 100% official that he is getting destroyed by Okada in G1 special? 

And lol at Hiromu coming out with cat doll.

Edit: Well I don't mind Tonga, but I think he is easily worst man from that lineup.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

volde said:


> I think that no Cody makes it 100% official that he is getting destroyed by Okada in G1 special?
> 
> And lol at Hiromu coming out with cat doll.
> 
> Edit: Well I don't mind Tonga, but I think he is easily worst man from that lineup.


I don't think he's gonna get destroyed by Okada I think its more to do with Cody winning the ROH title at BITW and ROH don't want him losing too much.


----------



## volde

ShadowSucks92 said:


> I don't think he's gonna get destroyed by Okada I think its more to do with Cody winning the ROH title at BITW and ROH don't want him losing too much.


Well yeah, but some people speculated that he might defeat Okada since it would make for a "good story" about how he stole a win from Omega or something like that. Him not being in G1 confirms 100%, I think, that that isn't happening.


----------



## Eliko

Give me Ibushi vs :

Ishii
Sanada
Naito
Elgin
Tanahashi

and Omega in WK12.

:mark :mark :mark :mark :mark


----------



## maxninepower

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/877111359535796224


----------



## Eliko

Everybody was sure last year we will get Ibushi vs Zack Sabre Jr in the CWC Finals but we will probably get it in the G1 a year later.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

volde said:


> Well yeah, but some people speculated that he might defeat Okada since it would make for a "good story" about how he stole a win from Omega or something like that. Him not being in G1 confirms 100%, I think, that that isn't happening.


Not sure why people would think that because I know Gedo is weird but even he wouldn't be stupid enough to put the belt on Cody when he has Omega, Naito & Okada. More of a chance of Billy Gunn winning the IC title at this point though.


----------



## Bland

Can see Cody winning the ROH World title so the G1 match would end up being Champion vs Champion and Cody just falling short of capturing both titles. 

I do remember reading a while back that this year G1 will be used to create a huge star so im hoping its going to be Kota Ibushi. Was so pleased that he's included and him vs Okada or Omega would be a great Tokyo Dome main event. 

Can see Tanahashi & Omega being in Block B whilst Okada & Naito go into Block A or visa versa, as surely they'll be kept apart. As for the others, i dont know but cant wait until the Blocks are announced.


----------



## Lariatoh!

Great line-up. I'm actually really excited to see what Sanada can do in a tournament that expects the talent to provide their very best performances. Sanada has been touted as being a special talent. I can't wait to see how he goes in the G1 with now having established his character over the last 12 months. I'm expecting him to be twice as good as he was last year.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

G1 looks awesome. I'm sure Nagata will have me crying like a baby at least once.

Juice being in it is richly deserved and Ibushi being in it is fantastic news.

Still want Naito to win but as long as he faces Okada at the Dome at some point then it's fine.

No Cody has made me quitr happy. It's not that I hate the guy but the thought of him being IWGP champ was traumatic. A few people have been convinced it was happening and now the chances seem much more remote. He's just not the guy to hold that title and I think that's putting it mildly.


----------



## Corey

So we have no block announcements yet right?

Gedo did the smart thing leaving Cody out. I don't think he could hang. Also thank god for no Yujiro. Ibushi being in is awesome for sure but I'll be curious to see who ends up in his block.


----------



## Mordecay

No Cody in the G1 :heston

ZSJ is in though :hmm

Ibushi is back :yay


----------



## V-Trigger

Ibushi to cost Kenny the tournament.

Calling it.


----------



## volde

BrotherNero said:


> Ibushi to cost Kenny the tournament.
> 
> Calling it.


Followed up by special singles grudge match at WK12?


----------



## Concrete

As someone who isn't a big New Japan fan the G1 lineup is still pretty tasty. The amount of wasted space compared to prior years seems to have gone down considerably. You have Makabe who will have bad matches throughout but that's about it. While Tonga or Fale aren't favorites of mine they tend to drop a hoot on you in the G1. That's all I want. dudes that will give hoots. Juice will do that. 

Ibushi being back is interesting and should certainly add I wrinkle this year. Though New Japan could always New Japan and stick with the same booking formula.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

BrotherNero said:


> Ibushi to cost Kenny the tournament.
> 
> Calling it.


Preferably while holding a roman candle and leaping off a suspiciously placed vending machine.


----------



## antoniomare007

Man I hope Ibushi and Omega are in the same block because if not they are probably going to the finals and once again Naito would have to be semi main event despite being the most over motherfucker on the roster for 14 months.


----------



## ExGrodzki

Ibushi is back!!!!!

Excited to see Tanahashi,Ibushi and Okada.

No Shibata-san has me sad af though


----------



## TD Stinger

I'm interested to see how they divide up the big 4 in Okada, Omega, Naito, and Tanahashi.

I've got Okada vs. Naito as the WK 12 main event and I just can't picture Okada and Omega being in the same bracket so soon after their rematch.

So, I would assume we see the same line up as last year with Omega/Naito and Okada/Tanahashi because I don't see another way around it.


----------



## Sweggeh

Aside from Ibushi who got that surprise pop, Omega got the loudest reactions when he was announced for the G1. Louder than Naito, Okada and Tanahashi.

This guy is really getting over as a top babyface in Japan, and he was already by far the most over NJPW star outside of Japan.

If Omega is leaving, then I hope he puts over Ibushi in the final and we get Ibushi vs Okada at WK12. Naito vs Okada can wait, we saw that twice already last year.

If Omega is staying, then he needs to face Okada again at WK12 and finally take the title.


----------



## V-Trigger

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/877198346900910080


----------



## The Nuke

Great line up, and one I mostly predicted.

So many great match up possibilities, just because of Ibushi alone. Sabre is going to rock out too.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

The pop Ibushi got when his name was called was RIDICULOUS. :fingerscrossed him and Omega are in the same Block!


----------



## volde

TD Stinger said:


> So, I would assume we see the same line up as last year with Omega/Naito and Okada/Tanahashi because I don't see another way around it.


Makes sense, but another Okada/Tana draw?


----------



## The High King

great line up 

Except for Yano.
I despise his matches.

Even Tenzan or Tanga Roa would have been better than him.
Or marifuji, nakajima or shiozaki from noah, now that would have been good


----------



## Corey

Where the hell are the blocks!?


----------



## TD Stinger

Corey said:


> Where the hell are the blocks!?





> NJPW has yet to reveal the blocks or the match schedule for the G1, but those announcements will come at the Kizuna Road shows on June 26th and 27th. When the blocks are announced on the 26th, we'll know if anticipated matches like Ibushi vs. Kenny Omega or Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada are scheduled if they're in the same block.


There ya go.


----------



## Lariatoh!

Why does everyone assume Omega is leaving?


----------



## Zatiel

Man, that Yano hate makes me sad. His comedy and cheating style adds variety to every card. It helps pace things out so cards have variety, and his matches tend to be easier, essentially giving a night off so dudes can rest up and not kill themselves constantly. I'd love to see him troll Suzuki again this year.

Anyway, the twenty guy list is stacked. Very happy to see Ibushi and ZSJ in there - wasn't sure either would be in and I'm sure both will do great work. There are few guys in there I'm not interested to watch. Expecting to squee over the whole tournament again.

Bring on the block reveal!


----------



## TD Stinger

Lariatoh! said:


> Why does everyone assume Omega is leaving?


I only speak for myself but I don't assume he's leaving. It's just now every time we get to January every year, it's now always a possibility. Omega has basically become the biggest name outside of WWE who could actually go to WWE.

We know WWE would want him and whether or not Omega was playing us being a "free agent" earlier this year, it's also clear that WWE on his radar.

And considering Okada s probably going to hold that title into 2018 and many people, including myself, have Naito being the guy to take it from him, it leaves you wondering that if Omega can leave next year, will he? And hell, that might be as big a reason as any as to why Omega isn't the champion right now.


----------



## antoniomare007

Just have Okada vs Naito for the IWGP title and Omega (as champ) vs Ibushi for the IC belt at Wrestle Kingdom. If they are afraid Kenny is leaving then he puts over Ibushi and he finally gets a big belt in New Japan by beating his long time frenemy.


----------



## Mordecay

:mark::mark::mark::mark::mark::mark::mark::mark:


----------



## Lmnopqrstallion

Hell yeah this year looks great. Hoping they put on a show for the USA


----------



## CGS

TD Stinger said:


> I only speak for myself but I don't assume he's leaving. It's just now every time we get to January every year, it's now always a possibility. Omega has basically become the biggest name outside of WWE who could actually go to WWE.
> 
> We know WWE would want him and whether or not Omega was playing us being a "free agent" earlier this year, it's also clear that WWE on his radar.
> 
> And considering Okada s probably going to hold that title into 2018 and many people, including myself, have Naito being the guy to take it from him, it leaves you wondering that if Omega can leave next year, will he? And hell, that might be as big a reason as any as to why Omega isn't the champion right now.


I haven't been watching New Japan for long but Omega seems like a guy who will only leave once he feels he's done everything he can in NJPW, meaning I don't see him leaving until he has won the IWGP heavyweight championship at least once in his career. He's turnt WWE down way to many times now for it to just be able money or competing on the big stage. He seems like a guy that just wants more. 

I could be wrong but yeah that's my take on it.

In any case KOTA FUCKING IBUSHI. Still hope Naito takes this though. Him v Okada at WK12 seems like the best way to go right now.


----------



## TD Stinger

CGS said:


> I haven't been watching New Japan for long but Omega seems like a guy who will only leave once he feels he's done everything he can in NJPW, meaning I don't see him leaving until he has won the IWGP heavyweight championship at least once in his career. He's turnt WWE down way to many times now for it to just be able money or competing on the big stage. He seems like a guy that just wants more.
> 
> I could be wrong but yeah that's my take on it.
> 
> In any case KOTA FUCKING IBUSHI. Still hope Naito takes this though. Him v Okada at WK12 seems like the best way to go right now.


I feel the exact same way about Omega. He's a guy who wants to have a complete career which includes doing it all in Japan, a place he has grown to love.

I'm just saying, if he feels like it's not going to happen, maybe he changes course. And I'm not saying I want it or don't want it to happen. I'll watch him anywhere he is.


----------



## Sweggeh

Omega wants to do everything in Japan, but if he feels it isn't going to happen, he will leave.

He already admitted that he was very close to accepting the offer to go to NXT before AJ left because he didn't see an opportunity for himself in the main event scene, since this was the time he was stuck as a Junior feuding with guys like Kushida and Taguchi. When AJ left he changed his mind and decided to stay because he saw an opportunity open up. He became the Ace of the Bullet Club, went straight into the main event scene and had a feud with Tanahashi and the rest is history.

So if he feels he is stuck in a similar situation now, where he will never able to get beyond where he is now (which is below Okada in the minds of the bookers), then I can easily see him going to WWE if they offer him big money and an immediate main event spot on RAW or Smackdown.


----------



## Zatiel

If the dude is unhappy main eventing the biggest two shows of the year, and going to a draw with Okada, then I'd be dubious about pushing him further. What's higher than that? Taking Okada's spot as the ace of the entire company? After a year of that, what's to say he won't get tired of it, say he's done everything you can in Japan, and leave?


----------



## wrestling_fan_03

Damn it, I posted this topic moments ago and didn't realize it was posted here already.

I hope the mods won't get upset.

On topic, I think the card looks great but why is Okada in the tournament?

Doesn't the winner get a title shot at the IWGP championship?

Then what will happen if Okada wins?


----------



## wrestling_fan_03

I think this tournament will be a replay of last year's. Omega wins and wrestles Okada for

the title at Wrestle Kingdom.


----------



## wrestling_fan_03

Zatiel said:


> If the dude is unhappy main eventing the biggest two shows of the year, and going to a draw with Okada, then I'd be dubious about pushing him further. What's higher than that? Taking Okada's spot as the ace of the entire company? After a year of that, what's to say he won't get tired of it, say he's done everything you can in Japan, and leave?


Isn't that what CM Punk wanted when he was in the WWE ?

He wanted to be on top of the WWE world, over Cena, The Rock, and others.

And comparing between the two, Omega still hasn't won the title while

Punk won it and went on a long reign.


----------



## volde

I think Young Bucks also play into this, I read somewhere few months ago that they are thinking about renegotiating the deal together, but can't find it now so maybe it was just a rumour. Anyway, is Omega a mark for himself? I mean, sure it is good to get that main title, but realistically speaking does it really matter when you are main eventing biggest shows either way?


----------



## Corey

wrestling_fan_03 said:


> On topic, I think the card looks great but why is Okada in the tournament?
> 
> Doesn't the winner get a title shot at the IWGP championship?
> 
> Then what will happen if Okada wins?


If Okada wins he can challenge whoever he wants for Wrestle Kingdom. We just wouldn't have anyone defending the briefcase for the months leading up to it.


----------



## The Nuke

wrestling_fan_03 said:


> On topic, I think the card looks great but why is Okada in the tournament?


because just like everyone else he wants to prove he's the best.


----------



## BC Punk

I think no matter how the brackets shake out, either Omega wins again or Okada wins (as a last hurrah to an epic, maybe the best ever, Heavyweight title run) and calls out Kenny for Wrestle Kingdom and in the meantime beats somebody from ROH or Noah or something a King of Pro-Wrestling. 

It makes no sense for them to go to a draw and then Okada go on to another major feud and lose the belt before finishing his business with Kenny. And I doubt they would want a 30 minute That sucks for Naito, who is super over and deserves a Wrestle Kingdom main event but they could possibly still be thinking long term and looking to get two more big main events in Omega/Okada III and Okada/Naito in back to back years. It makes sense to want both and doesn't make sense to do them the other way around as you would need to diminish the Omega and Okada series and force Naito's big IWGP Heavyweight Championship reign short and undercut him as THE guy.

There are possibilities for so many exciting matches, I'm excited to see how they handle so many mega stars in just two brackets.


----------



## Zatiel

I still strongly suspect that Naito is winning to dethrone Okada at Wrestle Kingdom. He's the other guy they have the most faith in, and they got the IC belt off of him so he can take a run on top of the company. He's the secret/not-so-secret top babyface in the company as it is.

I can totally see Naito dethroning Okada, and Omega finally getting his win over Okada afterwards, heating him up to challenge Naito.


----------



## Mordecay

Shibata cryvincecry:vincecry:vincecry


----------



## V-Trigger

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/877807928023044097


----------



## NastyYaffa

Shibata


----------



## Ham and Egger

Goddammit Shibata, I hope you get well soon!


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Crazy to think he's put out that many classic matches, while seeing double.


----------



## Groovemachine

Every Shibata update seems to get worse and worse. Hitting out at walls and other people? Heartbreaking.


----------



## Dr. Middy

I legit almost cried reading the Shibata thing. Watching him in the ring, I had no clue that his condition was already not great beforehand. 

I just hope now he can recover well and live a healthy life. Perhaps he could become a trainer for New Japan or something more lax in the future that allows him to remain in wrestling, should he want to still.


----------



## Corey

Don't skip over that NEVER 6-Man Tag Title match from the first Kizuna Road show if you haven't seen it yet. Awesome stuff that got me totally hyped for KUSHIDA/BUSHI in a few days and maybe a possible SANADA/Juice match in the G1. ****


----------



## TD Stinger

BrotherNero said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/877807928023044097


Hm, I wonder how this affects the WWE deal? Or, is this how they will explain her move to WWE?



Corey said:


> Don't skip over that NEVER 6-Man Tag Title match from the first Kizuna Road show if you haven't seen it yet. Awesome stuff that got me totally hyped for KUSHIDA/BUSHI in a few days and maybe a possible SANADA/Juice match in the G1. ****


Really? Maybe I'll check it out later. It's just we've seen LIJ vs. some combination of Taguchi Japan so often I've become numb to them.


----------



## HearnyBayBay

OH HELL YEAH! We finally get our CWC final match.

Also....

* Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Togi Makabe 
* Michael Elgin vs. Kazuchika Okada 
* Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii 
* Toru Yano vs. Yoshi-Hashi 
* Kenny Omega vs. Bad Luck Fale 
* Tama Tonga vs. Tetsuya Naito 
* Sanada vs. Evil
* Satoshi Kojima vs. Yuji Nagata 
* Juice Robinson vs. Minoru Suzuki 

Can't see any announcement of full blocks yet though.

EDIT - This was from the NJPWWorld Facebook account. Just realised it could just be pictures of the wrestlers involved as it does seem to be mostly in the order of announcement, plus there's BC Vs BC, LIJ Vs LIJ and two x CHAOS Vs CHAOS. I just find it strange that they announced a list of matches as well. Really hope I haven't blown my load too early on this potential match


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Elgin v. Okada sounds promising.


----------



## TD Stinger

HearnyBayBay said:


> OH HELL YEAH! We finally get our CWC final match.
> 
> Also....
> 
> * Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Togi Makabe
> * Michael Elgin vs. Kazuchika Okada
> * Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii
> * Toru Yano vs. Yoshi-Hashi
> * Kenny Omega vs. Bad Luck Fale
> * Tama Tonga vs. Tetsuya Naito
> * Sanada vs. Evil
> * Satoshi Kojima vs. Yuji Nagata
> * Juice Robinson vs. Minoru Suzuki
> 
> Can't see any announcement of full blocks yet though.
> 
> EDIT - This was from the NJPWWorld Facebook account. Just realised it could just be pictures of the wrestlers involved as it does seem to be mostly in the order of announcement, plus there's BC Vs BC, LIJ Vs LIJ and two x CHAOS Vs CHAOS. I just find it strange that they announced a list of matches as well. Really hope I haven't blown my load too early on this potential match


https://www.njpw1972.com/10517

Here is what I got off their website. I can't tell if those are match listings or if they are just listing the full roster.


----------



## HearnyBayBay

Bollocks! It was just the listing of matches on the Facebook which threw me off. 

Sorry peeps looks like I fucked up....


----------



## Corey

TD Stinger said:


> Really? Maybe I'll check it out later. It's just we've seen LIJ vs. some combination of Taguchi Japan so often I've become numb to them.


I'm the same way tbh but KUSHIDA being in there made things feel a bit different and the match was a lot of fun. Great finishing stretch that the crowd REALLY buys into as well.


----------



## MC

For the next year's Wrestle Kingdom this would be my card (roughly). 

Kazuchicka Okada (c) vs Tetsuya Naito IWGP Heavyweight title Winner: Tetsuya Naito 

Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs SANADA IWGP Intercontinental title Winner: SANADA 

Kenny Omega vs Kota Ibushi Winner: Kenny Omega 

Evil (c) vs Tomohiro Ishii Winner: Tomohiro Ishii 

Will Ospreay (c) vs Kushida Winner: Kushida 

Marty Scurll vs Himoru Takahashi (He is face now)


----------



## Corey

MC 16 said:


> For the next year's Wrestle Kingdom this would be my card (roughly).
> 
> Kazuchicka Okada (c) vs Tetsuya Naito IWGP Heavyweight title Winner: Tetsuya Naito
> 
> Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs SANADA IWGP Intercontinental title Winner: SANADA
> 
> Kenny Omega vs Kota Ibushi Winner: Kenny Omega
> 
> Evil (c) vs Tomohiro Ishii Winner: Tomohiro Ishii
> 
> Will Ospreay (c) vs Kushida Winner: Kushida
> 
> Marty Scurll vs Himoru Takahashi (He is face now)


Too soon for SANADA to get that kind of push imo, especially when you look at how long it took Naito to get that kind of win on a big stage. 

I think KUSHIDA/Ospreay is a strong possibility for the show but with the roles reversed from what you have. Ospreay finally gets his big win there. Don't think he would win the title and then drop it back so soon when there's a big story attached.


----------



## HOJO

Endo/HARASHIMA just ended and it was so fucking :trips8:trips8:trips8:trips8:trips8:trips8:trips8:trips8

Very good show in ring, but that main event was pretty stellar


----------



## Eliko

*This is how i would book the G1 blocks :*



*Block A :*

Okada
Omega
Suzuki
Goto
ZSJ
Evil
Nagata
Makabe
Fale
Yoshi Hashi



*Block B :*

Tanahashi
Naito
Ibushi
Ishii
SANADA
Elgin
Kojima
Tonga
Juice
Yano

Can't wait for tomorrow.


----------



## maxninepower

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/878608052663996416

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/878911296426565632

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/878927658838441985

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/878966326953295872


----------



## Eliko

Tanahashi The Real Cleaner.


----------



## Corey

maxninepower said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/878966326953295872


Fucking yes FINALLY! :clap


----------



## Pizzamorg

Just rewatched Shibata’s swan song, the AXS TV version with JR on commentary. This is how I fell in love with Okada/Omega the first time. 

I’ll be honest, I didn’t really care about this match the first time which I know rubbed people the wrong way. I felt that first time around that it was a five star performance from Shibata and a one star performance from Okada making for a weak match overall. I find often in Okada’s matches in 2017, outside of his matches with Omega at least, that Okada appears to just be coasting through the whole match until the finishing sequence where he gets to go Super Saiyan and win the day. 

I stand by what I said beforehand but maybe it’s the insight of repeat viewings, maybe it’s just because of JR or maybe it’s because this match has now become so infamous but I feel like Shibata demands respect from Okada in a way his other opponents, sans Omega of course, haven’t really done. This whole match is basically a giant FUCK YOU! from Shibata to Okada and as someone who really really dislikes Okada and his booking I really ended up loving this match for that.

I have no idea how much is by design and how much is just Shibata grabbing the brass ring but he makes sure this isn’t just another story which sees Okada soaking up someone’s best for forty minutes before hitting a Rainmaker and going home like it so often is elsewhere in Okada defences and I LOVE THAT. What, you’re going to no sell Okada? Shibata will no sell the fuck out of you too, then. Shibata bests Okada at every turn until the end, he frustrates Okada, he humiliates Okada, he sends him off balance and takes him out of his comfort zone. Just like with Omega, Shibata demands Okada fucking works, it doesn’t matter if the company sees Okada like Vince sees Cena, you’re here to do you job and they’ll make sure you do it. He forces Okada to be his best and asks for more. He punishes Okada for being an arrogant POS. 

Other than Omega, no one else has taken Okada closer to his limits this year than Shibata does here and with the way things are positioned, it feels like a much bigger deal for Shibata. And that crowd, packed to the fucking rafters and all here for Shibata. Japanese crowds are usually like Wimbledon crowds and they are when Okada is doing something but as soon as Shibata springs into action they fucking lose their shit. It’s just so fucking awesome, especially in hindsight. 

Shibata is known for a stiff, dangerous, no fucks given style but I think this match highlights just how much more than that he is. He has so much charisma, he can tell such a great story, he can make his matches feel so legit. He mixes up brutal strikes with such slick, graceful, polished feats of athleticism. I just love how he comes into this match clearly with a gameplan in mind, Shibata works an intelligent match, not allowing Okada to gain any momentum and working on damaging Okada’s primary weapons. It feels like a real contest with pro wrestling trappings. In that time Shibata shows his versatile range as a performer, masterfully dipping in to a mix of so many polarising styles. All done with such intent. 

I felt like bursting into tears though during the headbutt moment. It’s heartbreaking of course because of Shibata’s alleged condition (still dreaming of it being a work) but also heartbreaking because if it was done safely it would have been such an epic moment. Okada connects the Rainmaker, Shibata just soaks all the impact and refuses to go down and returns back with such a no nonsense move, the blood trickling down his face. 

If the ending was ad-libbed I don’t think they necessarily give it away although that submission and then rest hold Shibata locks in seem to go on for about nine years. Yeah the Rainmakers that win the match come out of nowhere but then that is how all of Okada’s matches end really. I wonder what the true ending was meant to be if they had changed it.

This has definitely become one of my new favourites of the year.


----------



## spacemtfan

Looks like Omega-Okada III will happen during G1 Climax! They just revealed the blocks and they are both on the B side.


----------



## BornBad

A block: Tanahashi, Ishii, Makabe, Goto, YOSHI-HASHI, Fale, Nagata, Zack, Ibushi, Naito 

B block: Okada, Yano, Kojima, Omega, Elgin, Juice, Tonga, SANADA, EVIL, Suzuki


----------



## NastyYaffa

ZSJ vs. Tanahashi
ZSJ vs. Ishii
ZSJ vs. Ibushi
wens3


----------



## BornBad

I think i'm safe to bet about a final Naito vs Omega


----------



## CGS

BornBad said:


> I think i'm safe to bet about a final Naito vs Omega


Depending on how deep back into NJPW Ibushi is I can see either Naito/Omega or Ibushi/Omega in the final


----------



## ShadowSucks92

Not a fan of Okada vs Omega 3 happening again so soon. My bet is the finals will be Omega vs Naito but knowing Gedo, who the hell knows where we'll end up.


----------



## TD Stinger

Wow, they actually put Okada and Omega in the same bracket. Line ups look great overall especially in the A Block. Combos of Tana, Naito, Ibushi, Sabre, Ishii, etc. sound awesome.

I'm also predicting an Omega vs. Naito final, with Naito winning this time around.

I'll have to post the brackets I had later but this is close to what I had predicted.


----------



## Eliko

*A Block :*














*B Block :*












Ibushi-Ishii the matchup i am most looking forward to. Without Ibushi in the G1 i wouldn't be so excited.
Glad we are getting rid of Okada-Omega now, After watching them wrestler for 106 minutes i had enough, Well It's clear we are getting another Meltzer 6 stars match gimmick.30 minutes DRAW.
Naito seems the favorite but they could suprise us like last year.
Evil/SANADA & Elgin will beat Okada to get a title shot down the line.
Could Omega-Suzuki be as good as AJ-Suzuki 3 years ago?
Pepole would get mad at Yano-Omega LOL
Nagata should get some wins it's his last G1.
Juice vs SANADA will be very good. In their last tag match we saw they had good chemistry.
Ibushi-Ishii :mark
Ibushi-Tanahashi :mark
Ibushi-Naito :mark
Omega-SANADA :mark


----------



## TD Stinger

ShadowSucks92 said:


> Not a fan of Okada vs Omega 3 happening again so soon. My bet is the finals will be Omega vs Naito but knowing Gedo, who the hell knows where we'll end up.


I get what you're saying, but this might be the only time Omega sneaks a win on Okada because I'm not confident the ultimate plan is for Omega to defeat Okada to win the title, especially now that there in the same block. I think he will beat Okada here to earn himself another rematch, but whenever that rematch takes place, he will lose.


----------



## maxninepower

Nagata vs ZSJ !!!


----------



## Pizzamorg

Looks like it's shaping up awesomely, I had a nightmare trying to follow Best of the Super Juniors so I might just wait for the key matches of the G1 which looking at those blocks, could be absolutely incredible.


----------



## BornBad

Omega pulling a Marafuji on Okada and having a 4th match before the end of the year sounds ok to me too.

If Gedo don't put Naito in the ME in WretsleKingdom next year he needs to get fired


----------



## Eliko

I wouldn't be surprised if Ibushi wins the G1 only to lose to Okada in WK. They want Okada to start his winning streak at the ME of WK just like Tanahashi had in his run.


Gedo is more obsessed with Okada than Vince with Roman.
Okada might hold that title 1000 days or something.


----------



## Sweggeh

This confirms for me that Omega is leaving.

Why else would they burn through Omega vs Okada matches so quickly like this.

Its clear they will give Omega the win over Okada this time, so their record can be 1-1-1. Omega will lose to Naito in the G1 finals. 

Then Omega faces Okada at KOPW for the tiebreaker and the feud ending final match, where Okada finally settles this once and for all. Okada goes on to face Naito at WK12, and Omega has some kind of farewell match against Ibushi or something.


----------



## BeOP1

Sweggeh said:


> This confirms for me that Omega is leaving.
> 
> Why else would they burn through Omega vs Okada matches so quickly like this.
> 
> Its clear they will give Omega the win over Okada this time, so their record can be 1-1-1. Omega will lose to Naito in the G1 finals.
> 
> Then Omega faces Okada at KOPW for the tiebreaker and the feud ending final match, where Okada finally settles this once and for all. Okada goes on to face Naito at WK12, and Omega has some kind of farewell match against Ibushi or something.


And all of that to be on the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at Wrestlemania.
He is not getting AJ at WM next year.

Ibushi vs Omega on WK is set long time ago. It will smoke Okada-Omega.


----------



## God Movement

God Movement said:


> So, where does he go from here? Not straight into another rematch, we know that much. But I can see a rematch happening in the future where he finally wins, the first match was a loss, the second was a draw, there will need to be a third or fourth at least to close the chapter.
> 
> - Meet in the finals of G1, win
> - Set-up last match at the Dome
> - Omega wins
> 
> If he LOSES, then he's never winning it. Or maybe he won't get the main event and he'll just win a G1 match and that'll be it.


This is what I expected to happen. But I also stated that it was possible they'd just blow it on a G1 block match and end it there.

So we'll get III as a non-title, Kenny gets a win at last but that's probably where it will end for him. I agree with Swaggeh, he's probably off.


----------



## Lariatoh!

I'm excited for all the matches we are going to get. I'm dissapointed Omega/Okada are in the same block. However, I can't wait to the G1 kicks off.... My only request is PLEASE no more Goto in the finals. Enough is enough. He's not going to ME WK, so don't try and have him in any sort of position taking up a final where we'll know the outcome is clear, the other guy he faces.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Reminder that NJPW having two guys face each other multiple times in the span of a few months-a year is nothing new. In 2013, Okada & Tanahashi had 4 matches in span of 10 months. Okada/Omega having 3 matches in a 6-7 month period does not mean it's confirmed that Omega's leaving, especially when he still has several months left on his deal.

Anyways, this G1 lineup looks pretty great & I'm really excited for the matches both blocks can produce.*


----------



## volde

Fantasy booking:

Omega/Okada another draw, I think it wouldn't make sense for one of them to win when they couldn't seal the deal in 60 minutes.
Okada getting couple of Ls in the last days to present it as him getting tired and someone like Suzuki/Evil/Sanada can cheat to get those wins.
Naito pins Ibushi, but comes short of winning his block.
Ibushi vs Omega finals, Ibushi wins.
Naito defeats Ibushi and gets the contract. 
Okada/Naito, Ibushi/Omega for WK12.


----------



## The Nuke

Been a fan of NJPW since WK9. Been a full time watcher since Jan 2017. I learned quickly never to assume anything, and to *LEAVE MY WWE THINKING AT THE DOOR*.

You assume Omega is leaving just because he'll face Okada in a tournament match. Just like Tana vs Okada at the G1 last year, after they had faced each other that Jan. My thinking is that this will be a breezy 30 minutes for Omega and Okada, and will just be another small chapter in their feud. A simple DRAW. Or....or....Omega may win. Get a shot at KOPW, and WIN. We assume it will be Naito vs Okada at WK12, but this is Gedo booking. Omega and Naito haven't touched each other in a year. Also remember that Naito vs Tanahashi is also happening again for the "SO SOON" crowd. This should also be something to think about for Ibushi fans. You assume he'll be getting a big push in the tournament, doesn't mean he will.

Don't assume Omega is leaving just because he may not get a belt. Don't assume he thinks like everyone else and believes he has to go to WWE. HE could very well go to WWE, but I assume nothing. 

Going by Gedo's booking it will probably be Elgin vs Naito in the final this year. Leave your WWE thinking at the door. 


Anyway, G1 looks great. Along with the 3rd match in the Okada vs Omega feud(which probably won't take place until near the end). Great Ibushi matches. Great Sabre Matches. For me Elgin vs Okada pops out. Watch Sabre beat Tanahashi, and make him submit because of the arm.

Great stuff. This will be my first time watching a full G1, so I'm excited. Well let me put it another way, this will be the first time keeping up with a G1...

For new fans like myself, this should be a warning that the G1 will most likely be burn out central. House Show quality matches for a good bit of it. So as I learned with the BOTSJ, keep up with the most talked about matches, and only watch the big shows.


----------



## The Nuke

BornBad said:


> I think i'm safe to bet about a final Naito vs Omega


safe? Not safe, just a possibility.

Assume nothing when it comes to Gedo. He doesn't book the obvious to often.


----------



## Desecrated

Excited for the match-ups. Not too fussed who is winning. Bring on a month of some quality wrestling pls.


----------



## Corey

I am EXTREMELY excited that Okada/Omega III is happening in the G1 because that means it can only go a maximum of 30 minutes! :woo

Absolutely love A Block. There's so many unique and interesting looking matchups.

B Block is solid but the amount of viable winners is a lot smaller (Okada or Omega). I hope to christ that Suzuki beats Okada though. He needs the revenge. Yano and Tonga kinda pull the match quality down.


----------



## Sephiroth

Oh boy, Yano about to become 2-0 against MiSu in the G1


----------



## V-Trigger

This probably means that Kenny is winning the U.S title in Long beach and putting it on the line against Ibushi at WK?.


----------



## Corey

NOAH news, we're getting Nakajima vs. Cage! :mark: And Eddie's back!

*Pro-Wrestling NOAH “Summer Navig. 2017 ~ 11th Annual Jr. Heavyweight Tag League”, 7/27/2017 [Thu] 19:00 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*

() *Junior Tag League Final Match:*

() Masa Kitamiya vs. Eddie Edwards
() Maybach Taniguchi vs. Go Shiozaki

() *GHC Heavyweight Championship Match:* [28th Champion] Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. [Challenger] Brian Cage
~ 7th title defense.


----------



## Bland

Both Blocks are sold this year so all shows with have a interesting main event, cant wait 

From Block A can see Naito, Ibushi or Goto whilst in Block B, Omega or Okada (Elgin will be 3rd). 

Wouldn't be suprised if Omega beats Okada but Okada gets to final and maybe even wins it. That way he can challenge Omega at WK for their 4th match. It would leave for a weaker KOPW WHC defense though against either Elgin, Suzuki or even Sanada (Perhaps an IC match of Tanahashi vs Ibushi would boast the card.)


----------



## Mordecay

Can't wait for the people who have shat on Okada/Omega I and II for being too long call the third MOTY because it can only last 30 minutes :lol.

Group A is stacked af. the match I want to see the most is Ishii vs Ibushi, that sounds like 5 stars before they touch.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Corey said:


> NOAH news, we're getting Nakajima vs. Cage! :mark: And Eddie's back!
> 
> *Pro-Wrestling NOAH “Summer Navig. 2017 ~ 11th Annual Jr. Heavyweight Tag League”, 7/27/2017 [Thu] 19:00 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*
> 
> () *Junior Tag League Final Match:*
> 
> () Masa Kitamiya vs. Eddie Edwards
> () Maybach Taniguchi vs. Go Shiozaki
> 
> () *GHC Heavyweight Championship Match:* [28th Champion] Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. [Challenger] Brian Cage
> ~ 7th title defense.


If Cage wrestles that match like a big man instead of PWG Cage, goddamn it should be a great one. Definitely gonna check it out once it's up.


----------



## antoniomare007

I hope Gedo gives Nagata a semi main event or even the main event of one of the "semi final" Sumo Hall shows against Tanahashi. Give the old fella a big good bye with a throwback match of the feud that pretty much saved the company.


To be honest I can still see lazy ass Gedo giving the G-1 to Kenny again, either beating Ibushi or Naito. But yeah, him finally beating Okada seems like a "good enough" price for him to lose to El Ingobernable and set up a big ass Wrestle Kingdom of Okada/Naito and Omega/Ibushi.


----------



## Groovemachine

Mordecay said:


> Group A is stacked af. the match I want to see the most is Ishii vs Ibushi, that sounds like 5 stars before they touch.


THIS!! :mark: Oh God I can't wait for that match. Ishii/ZSJ is going to rock my world too. 

And although A block is the more 'arousing' of the two, B Block is still looking pretty sweet. Omega/Suzuki should be all kinds of awesome, and I'm hoping for some good performances from SANADA.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

FUCK Okada/Omega III in the G1? Either it's gonna another draw (totally possible) or Okada wins the G1 and challenges Omega at Wrestle Kingdom. Remember, Okada is the one who challenged Omega at Dominion and wanted the rematch. He's just as a mad he didn't get to beat Omega as Omega is he didn't beat Okada. So much storyline potential here. This is going to be an amazing G1.


----------



## God Movement

BrotherNero said:


> This probably means that Kenny is winning the U.S title in Long beach and putting it on the line against Ibushi at WK?.


Guess, it's better than nothing. Still disappointed though if that is the case.


----------



## Rave Bunny

Omg... This will be an awesome G1 Climax! Both blocks look so orgasmic, in regards to possible “dream” matchups. Okada/Omega III already though? And, I really wanted to see Marufuji in the G1 this year, but the addition of ZSJ is more than enough! 

Personally, I’m mostly looking forward to:

*A Block*

- Tanahashi/Ibushi [YES]
- Tanahashi/Ishii
- Tanahashi/ZSJ [YES]
- Tanahashi/Naito
- Nagata/ZSJ
- Ibushi/Ishii [YES]
- Ibushi/ZSJ [YES]
- Ibushi/Naito
- Goto/ZSJ
- Ishii/ZSJ
- YOSHI-HASHI/ZSJ
- ZSJ/Naito [YES]

*B Block*

- Elgin/Okada
- Elgin/Omega
- Okada/Omega [YES]
- Okada/MiSu [YES]
- Okada/SANADA
- Okada/EVIL
- Omega/MiSu [YES]
- Omega/SANADA [YES]
- Omega/EVIL
- MiSu/SANADA
- MiSu/EVIL
- SANADA/EVIL [YES]
@Donnie @Dr. Middy @Flair Shot The wait is over, you guys! :wink


----------



## Mr. Socko

Outside of Omega, I wonder who plays spoiler to Okada in Block B?


----------



## The Nuke

Can't wait for the Omega Burial parade to throw a fit if Yano spoils him.


----------



## The Nuke

BrotherNero said:


> This probably means that Kenny is winning the U.S title in Long beach and putting it on the line against Ibushi at WK?.


Yeah, I wouldn't put to much money on that one if I were you.


----------



## BornBad

Kizuna Road show was a lot of fun today. Suzuki vs YOSHI HASHI was very fine to watch


----------



## Sweggeh

If Omega aint gonna win the IWGP heavyweight title from Okada, which I highly doubt he will, they should at least give him the honor of being the first ever NJPW US champion. It would be the least he deserves after carrying this company on his back (along with Okada) this last year.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Sweggeh said:


> It would be the least he deserves after carrying this company on his back (along with Okada) this last year.


He has had a great year, but come on, him & Okada haven't been carrying anything. It's been a group effort which also includes guys like Naito, Shibata, Ishii, Goto, Elgin etc.


----------



## Flair Shot

I wonder what kind of monkey wrench Gedo will throw at us in this years G1. You just know it's going to happen several times.


----------



## Lariatoh!

Flair Shot said:


> I wonder what kind of monkey wrench Gedo will throw at us in this years G1. You just know it's going to happen several times.


It could be Okada finally succumbs to his torturous title defences and loses several matches. With the title not being on the line, his fighting spirit is dimished and his body can't take any more and he starts getting pinned left, right and centre.


----------



## volde

Mr. Socko said:


> Outside of Omega, I wonder who plays spoiler to Okada in Block B?


My guess would be Omega draw and possibly Suzuki, Evil (or Sanada) getting wins by cheating and Elgin getting a win due to him getting worn out. 



BornBad said:


> Kizuna Road show was a lot of fun today. Suzuki vs YOSHI HASHI was very fine to watch


I wanted Suzuki to win before match started, but towards the end when crowd got really behind YOSHI HASHI I also started rooting for him. At one point it looked like Suzuki was going to tap and I would have marked out if that happened despite liking him way more than YOSHI. I think everyone involved in that match came out looking good, even Chaos came out to help for once.


----------



## TD Stinger

I don't mind a swerve here and there, but I don't want to see a swerve for the sake of a swerve. Yeah, I'm picking Omega vs. Naito in the Finals. Yeah, it's the easy conventional pick. 

But it's also the biggest match they can do (unless Okada makes it that far). And it's a match where you could buy both men as potential winners. I wasn't watching last year's Finals live, but if I was, it would be pretty obvious Omega was going over.

But Omega vs. Naito? I'm picking Naito to win, but between those two it could go either way. Naito is my guy from Block A, with the only darkhorse IMO being Ibushi. And with Block B, unless Okada is fighting for the right to pick his challenger, who would honestly look like they could believably win in the Finals besides Omega?


----------



## Miguel De Juan

This might be the most interesting G1 since 2012.


----------



## The High King

BornBad said:


> Kizuna Road show was a lot of fun today. Suzuki vs YOSHI HASHI was very fine to watch


Only watched the main event and was a good bout and well worth a watch.
While glad Suzuki was not losing to Yoshi Hashi, part of me wants and still hopes someday Suzuki can take the IWGP title.
Which is almost certain to never happen now.


----------



## The High King

Sweggeh said:


> If Omega aint gonna win the IWGP heavyweight title from Okada, which I highly doubt he will, they should at least give him the honor of being the first ever NJPW US champion. It would be the least he deserves after carrying this company on his back (along with Okada) this last year.


How has omega carried it on his own or even with Okada?
Omega had no belt but guys like Naito and others gave more credibility to their belts. People bought Meltzers stupid star rating and are thinking Omega is something special.
Omega is decent but Okada was as good if not better, Naito and shibata more over, Ishii a more solid worker
To think Omega carried them is beyond biased.


----------



## The Nuke

Sweggeh said:


> If Omega aint gonna win the IWGP heavyweight title from Okada, which I highly doubt he will, they should at least give him the honor of being the first ever NJPW US champion. It would be the least he deserves after carrying this company on his back (along with Okada) this last year.












OMG

For one you're selling Omega short by putting the US title on him. Given that he's much bigger than a new secondary title that may or may not even be defended anywhere but the US. 

Omega hasn't carried the company. Okada has. Omega is a very big star, but he's only part of the success. Not the reason. Naito is recognized as the most popular Wrestler in the promotion. Tanahashi is still there too.

I get it, you like Omega, I do too, but don't mark for him to the extent that you lose sight of reality.


----------



## Sweggeh

The High King said:


> How has omega carried it on his own or even with Okada?
> Omega had no belt but guys like Naito and others gave more credibility to their belts. People bought Meltzers stupid star rating and are thinking Omega is something special.
> Omega is decent but Okada was as good if not better, Naito and shibata more over, Ishii a more solid worker
> To think Omega carried them is beyond biased.


Omega is the only reason NJPW is relevant outside Japan. He is very special.

He is a much better wrestler than Shibata or Ishii.

Seems the company and some of the fans only realise what they have when its gone.


----------



## Corey

So do any of us think Omega/Ibushi is an actual possibility for a final? Or they save that til later?



Mr. Socko said:


> Outside of Omega, I wonder who plays spoiler to Okada in Block B?


Suzuki and/or SANADA seem like the other two possibilities imo. Suzuki gets his win back from the title match earlier in the year (and possibly earns another shot) while SANADA getting a win would be a nice upset and a good title match to fill time as well. Could also further the storyline if Naito wins the whole thing too.


----------



## TD Stinger

Corey said:


> So do any of us think Omega/Ibushi is an actual possibility for a final? Or they save that til later?
> 
> 
> Suzuki and/or SANADA seem like the other two possibilities imo. Suzuki gets his win back from the title match earlier in the year (and possibly earns another shot) while SANADA getting a win would be a nice upset and a good title match to fill time as well. Could also further the storyline if Naito wins the whole thing too.


I don't see any way Naito doesn't win his block, personally. And as far as Ibushi vs. Omega goes, that's the WK 12 match to me.

As far as who beats Okada in his block, if he's not making it to the finals, he probably has to lose at least 2-3 times. Omega is a lock. I like the Sanada idea as well. Not as certain about Suzuki. Maybe Elgin. I'd personally love it if Juice got a fluke roll up win on him.


----------



## Corey

Sweggeh said:


> Omega is the only reason NJPW is relevant outside Japan. He is very special.
> 
> He is a much better wrestler than Shibata or Ishii.


Fuck you smokin dude?


----------



## The High King

Sweggeh said:


> Omega is the only reason NJPW is relevant outside Japan. He is very special.
> 
> He is a much better wrestler than Shibata or Ishii.
> 
> Seems the company and some of the fans only realise what they have when its gone.


Maybe its just me, but I would love to see Omega fuck off.
Sick of omega fanboys kiss his ass, let him go to the wwe and flop and be like the rest of bullet club and NJPW can carry on without him doing what they do best providing the best wrestling on the planet.

Not everyone outside Japan is an American who cares about Omega.
If he is staying then come out and say it, if not then he should fuck off and his fans need to stop crying because NJPW are not stupid enough to put the strap on someone who has not committed long term.


----------



## antoniomare007

Mr. Socko said:


> Outside of Omega, I wonder who plays spoiler to Okada in Block B?


MiSu most likely. Elgin or Sanada could be the mandatory "Day 1 upset" if they are booked against Okada, or wrestle him to draw.


----------



## The Nuke

My Wrestler is a better worker then your Wrestler arguments should be left out of these debates. To subjective and never prove anything.


On a side note, i recommend everyone not overrate Ibushi's tournament numbers.


----------



## Miguel De Juan

The newer fans came into NJPW because of Okada, Nakamura, Tanhashi, and the Bullet Club in the last five years. I didn't start NJPW gifs floating around the internet until Okada, BC, and Nakamura as the King of Strong Style brought eyes from the West. AJPW, DG, and NOAH were the darlings of Western fans but never attracted as much attention as Bushi Road NJPW.


----------



## Mr. Socko

Sweggeh said:


> If Omega aint gonna win the IWGP heavyweight title from Okada, which I highly doubt he will, they should at least give him the honor of being the first ever NJPW US champion. It would be the least he deserves after* carrying this company on his back* (along with Okada) this last year.


:mj4 What?

Are you Ace/Straw Hat's second account?

Omega and Okada are arguably still behind Naito and Tanahashi despite their positioning.


----------



## Mordecay

Mr. Socko said:


> :mj4 What?
> 
> Are you Ace/Straw Hat's second account?
> 
> Omega and Okada are arguably still behind Naito and Tanahashi despite their positioning.


Omega is, I don't know about Okada. Sure, Naito is more popular, but I think he is on the same level of Tanahashi, the events with him in the top of the card sold just as well if not better than the ones with Tana on top, at least this last year.


----------



## Sweggeh

Google trends stats for people discussing NJPW worldwide. 

Double the amount of people discussed NJPW on the week of WK12 and Dominion than any week before. Exactly when Omega was put into the main event scene and was having his big matches. And if anyone thinks the amount of interest has anything to do with Meltzer ratings (lol), everyone was talking about New Japan in the first week of January (1st to 7th), which was before Meltzer released his ratings. The stats prove it.










Im not just saying this shit just to say it. This is the actual truth. If people seriously think anyone but Omega is bringing huge amounts of interest to NJPW outside Japan then you are just not living in the reality.



The High King said:


> Maybe its just me, but I would love to see Omega fuck off.
> Sick of omega fanboys kiss his ass, let him go to the wwe and flop and be like the rest of bullet club and NJPW can carry on without him doing what they do best providing the best wrestling on the planet.
> 
> Not everyone outside Japan is an American who cares about Omega.
> If he is staying then come out and say it, if not then he should fuck off and his fans need to stop crying because NJPW are not stupid enough to put the strap on someone who has not committed long term.


I hope he does leave. It will be nice to see haters like yourself have to watch Cody Rhodes main event Wrestle Kingdom because you disrespected the one potentially global star you had.


----------



## Corey

I don't think anyone's gonna dispute the fact the Omega is a big part of New Japan gaining more popularity overseas, but to say he's the _only_ reason? Not buying that. Is he a huge asset to the company? Absolutely. Could they move on without him? Absolutely. Do I think he's been spinning his wheels all year while they potentially waste him and he walks away? Yes I do.


----------



## volde

Watched Kushida/Bushi promo video, obviously understood nothing, but at one point they showed 4:4 numbers. Are they actually even in their singles matches?


----------



## Corey

@antoniomare007 I think the winner of this 'special singles match' will challenge Ishikawa and get the title shot at Sumo Hall. One of the two folks I predicted (probably Miyahara unless they wanna run a story of him losing everything).

*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2017 SUMMER ACTION SERIES”, 7/17/2017 [Mon] 12:00 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*

() *Akiyamaz vs Axe Bombers:* Jun Akiyama, Isami Kodaka & Atsushi Maruyama vs. Takao Omori, Yuko Miyamoto & Kazuhiro Tamura

() *Special Single Match:* Kento Miyahara vs. Joe Doering

() *World Tag Championship Match:* [75th Champions] Zeus & The Bodyguard vs. [Challengers] Jake Lee & Naoya Nomura
~ 2nd title defense.

() *Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship Match:* [56th Champion] Shuji Ishikawa vs. [Challenger] Suwama
~ 2nd title defense.



volde said:


> Watched Kushida/Bushi promo video, obviously understood nothing, but at one point they showed 4:4 numbers. Are they actually even in their singles matches?


Nah to my knowledge they've had 4 matches prior to this. KUSHIDA is 3-1, with BUSHI only getting the win and the title last year just to drop it right back to him.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Tanahashi vs. ZSJ on Day 1!!! :mark:


----------



## Desecrated

There were quite a few cards with Sanada co-main eventing. That'll be a good sign for the Sanada is underappreciated crowd. Good time for him to deliver some breakout performances.

Also, just like Okada vs Omega, I am hopeful that restraints on the time limit will deliver a more "intelligent" match between Suzuki and Okada. Definitely thought their meeting earlier this year was let down by the time.

And Ibushi vs Naito first night. Let's fucking go.


----------



## TD Stinger

NastyYaffa said:


> Tanahashi vs. ZSJ on Day 1!!! :mark:


https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/6447?showCards=1

Forget that (joking), Ibushi vs. Naito on the same show!


----------



## Sweggeh

Ibushi vs Naito is gonna be great.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

Corey said:


> I don't think anyone's gonna dispute the fact the Omega is a big part of New Japan gaining more popularity overseas, but to say he's the _only_ reason? Not buying that. Is he a huge asset to the company? Absolutely. Could they move on without him? Absolutely. Do I think he's been spinning his wheels all year while they potentially waste him and he walks away? Yes I do.


Agree with this. WrestleKingdom, Dominion and the G1 Climax always sparks an interest because people go on about how great they are and the reason why there was so much interest after this years WrestleKingdom was because the Omega vs Okada gained so much buzz that people wanted to check it out. Omega is fantastic, but he isn't the only reason for NJPW's growth in popularity, but he is a huge part in it.


----------



## Corey

Some other dates to circle on the calendar:

7/21 - Sabre/Ibushi
7/23 - Ishii/Ibushi
7/25 - Okada/SANADA
7/27 - Elgin/Omega
7/29 - Naito/Ishii
8/1 - Tanahashi/Ibushi
8/4 - Naito/Sabre
8/6 - Tanahashi/Ishii
8/8 - Okada/Suzuki
8/11 - Tanahashi/Naito and Goto/Ibushi (last day for A Block)
8/12 - Okada/Omega III (last day for B Block)


----------



## volde

Anyone else felt that Kushida/Bushi match was a bit overbooked?

Either way looking forward to next Jr. title match. Doubt that Desperado is going to win, but it is about time he got some real spotlight.


----------



## Desecrated

volde said:


> Anyone else felt that Kushida/Bushi match was a bit overbooked?
> 
> Either way looking forward to next Jr. title match. Doubt that Desperado is going to win, but it is about time he got some real spotlight.


Very. It was strange. Hiromu's first interference had no impact, his second one had the powerbomb that in previous occasions, killed Kushida. Then Kushida fighting through the spray. Thought it made Bushi look poor and Hiromu's intentions look strange as instead, a new challenger came out instead of Hiromu wanting to try again.

I'd imagine they will have a round four at KoPW with Hiromu taking the belt back. Unless Gedo secretly lurks and has alternative theory.

Also Hiromu is BAE.


----------



## The Nuke

I'm bummed Elgin vs Okada isn't getting a big show match. Some are questioning if Elgin will stick around after his contract expires in 6 months. Hope he does. Missed opportunity not to take his 90's AJPW style for all it's worth in the main event scene in 2018.


----------



## V-Trigger

This fucking G1 wens3


----------



## Abood sama

Do you guys think that there a chance of a naito vs Sanada at the final?


----------



## volde

Going from memory I think he was in top 4 for getting most main/semi-main event matches announced for B block. So if Yano screws Suzuki and Okada/Omega draw again it is possible that Sanada sneaks in.


----------



## CGS

Abood sama said:


> Do you guys think that there a chance of a naito vs Sanada at the final?


I would imagine Okada & Elgin are more likely options if they decide not to go down the obvious route.


----------



## antoniomare007

Just realized Sabre has huge chance of being the mandatory "Day 1 upset" against Tanahashi.


----------



## The High King

enjoyed kushida and bushi a good match


----------



## Mordecay

antoniomare007 said:


> Just realized Sabre has huge chance of being the mandatory "Day 1 upset" against Tanahashi.


Sabre beating Tanahashi :eyeroll

Sabre in the g1 :hmm


----------



## TD Stinger

Mordecay said:


> Sabre beating Tanahashi :eyeroll
> 
> Sabre in the g1 :hmm


I'm not the biggest Sabre fan but his style works better in Japan than anywhere else. And with Tana's arm injury, Sabre is a guy in kayfabe who could beat him with his technical and submission skills.


----------



## Mordecay

TD Stinger said:


> I'm not the biggest Sabre fan but his style works better in Japan than anywhere else. And with Tana's arm injury, Sabre is a guy in kayfabe who could beat him with his technical and submission skills.


I know Sabre can beat Tana, he is a very good wrestler and like you say, his style fits Japan the best. That been said, I got a little dissapointed after seeing him in the CWC and I don't feel he has been as good as he was before that tournament, his performance there was underwhelming and he is such a charisma void.


----------



## TD Stinger

Mordecay said:


> I know Sabre can beat Tana, he is a very good wrestler and like you say, his style fits Japan the best. That been said, I got a little dissapointed after seeing him in the CWC and I don't feel he has been as good as he was before that tournament, his performance there was underwhelming and he is such a charisma void.


Maybe so, thought I don't feel the same way, but he's also delivered many high quality matches since then in various promotions and at the end of the day, we're just talking about him winning one match and in a block with guys like Tana, Naito, Ishii, Ibushi, Goto, etc. he'll fit right in.


----------



## Lariatoh!

Corey said:


> Some other dates to circle on the calendar:
> 
> 7/21 - Sabre/Ibushi
> 7/23 - Ishii/Ibushi
> 7/25 - Okada/SANADA
> 7/27 - Elgin/Omega
> 7/29 - Naito/Ishii
> 8/1 - Tanahashi/Ibushi
> 8/4 - Naito/Sabre
> *8/6 - Tanahashi/Ishii*
> 8/8 - Okada/Suzuki
> 8/11 - Tanahashi/Naito and Goto/Ibushi (last day for A Block)
> 8/12 - Okada/Omega III (last day for B Block)


:krillin3


----------



## antoniomare007

Mordecay said:


> Sabre beating Tanahashi :eyeroll
> 
> Sabre in the g1 :hmm


I'm not fan of Sabre, his shtick grew tired for me 2 years ago.

But Day 1 on any big tournament from most puro promotions have an upset to set things going and it's almost mandatory in the G1. Naito, Tanahashi and even Ibushi could lose in the opening day and Sabre has a pretty legit chance of being "that guy" this year. 


This made me go back and check how accurate the perception of "mandatory Day upsets" is. Turns out it's pretty spot on, I ended up laughing at how Choshu used the "IWGP champ jobs the 1st day" formula as a surprise during the 90's. 

2016: Maru beats Okada and Sanada beats Tanahashi
2015: No big upset though Anderson beats Nakamura in 1st day of block B.
2014: Nothing big. Slight upsets with Yujiro beating Naito and Shibata beating Nakamura.
2013: Devitt beats Okada
2012: Naito beats Nakamura
2011: Nagata beats Tanahashi, MVP beating Nakamura
2010: Naito beats Makabe and Anderson beating Tanahashi
2009: Omori beats Tanahashi
2008: Tenzan beats Kawada (slight upset, though it's Hiroyoshi's only win that year)
2007: Not sure, can't remember if Koshinaka's old ass beating Nakanishi or Millano Collection AT beating Yano could be considered upsets. 
2006: No upset, though there's no match that could've triggered one.
2005: Baby Yano (debuting) draws "king of the U-30" Tanahashi. 
2004: Shibata beats Chono. 
2003: Akiyama beats Tenzan and Yasuda beats Takayama.
2002: Baby Tanahashi (debut) beats Koshinaka. Kenzo Suzuki (debut) beats Yasuda en 37 seconds. 
2001: Murakami draws Nagata (eventual winner).
2000: No upset. Lineup for the tournament is fucking abysmal, lol.
1999: Fujinami beats Mutoh (IWGP champ at the time). Single elimination tourney.
1998: Yamazaki beats Fujinami (IWGP champ at the time). 
1997: No upset. I don't think Kojima beating Regal would be considered one.
1996: Choshu beats Hashimoto (IWGP champ) in his last G-1. The famous "CHOOOSHUUUUU~!" match and one of the GOAT tourney matches.
1995: Koshinaka beats Mutoh (IWGP champ and eventual winner).
1994: Fujiwara beats Mutoh, Hase beats Hashimoto (IWGP champ)
1993: Hase beats Mutoh, Super Strong Machine beats Koshinaka.
1992: No upset, mostly because it's co-promoted with WCW.
1991: Chono beats Choshu


----------



## The High King

anyone know what time the njpw shows from the states airs british time?


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

My guess now after observing the card of both the G1 matches and the G1 IWGP U.S. Championship participants is the winner of the Elgin/Omega match will be crowned Champion while the loser will win the B Block.


----------



## Sugnid

Has it been confirmed that the AXS commentary will be used for the NJPW World feed on Saturday night?


----------



## The Nuke

Sugnid said:


> Has it been confirmed that the AXS commentary will be used for the NJPW World feed on Saturday night?


Yep, both Barnett and JR will be there.


----------



## Sweggeh

Barnett sucks. He has serious hate for The Elite and shit talks them all the time. No idea why NJPW hired his bum ass.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Sweggeh said:


> Barnett sucks. He has serious hate for The Elite and shit talks them all the time. No idea why NJPW hired his bum ass.


I don't watch the AXS show so I don't listen to the WARMASTER on commentary, but goddamn it's refreshing to hear someone actually be anti-Elite on commentary & not dickride them hard w/ "6 starz!!11" mentions everywhere. Looking at you Kevin Kelly & Don Callis.


----------



## The Nuke

Sweggeh said:


> Barnett sucks. He has serious hate for The Elite and shit talks them all the time. No idea why NJPW hired his bum ass.


Because he's very good on commentary. Very knowledgeable.


----------



## Mordecay

NastyYaffa said:


> I don't watch the AXS show so I don't listen to the WARMASTER on commentary, but goddamn it's refreshing to hear someone actually be anti-Elite on commentary & not dickride them hard w/ "6 starz!!11" mentions everywhere. Looking at you Kevin Kelly & Don Callis.


We usually don't agree Nasty, but in this case I'm with you. I usually don't watch NJPW in english, but the very few times I did Callis had his so up Omega's ass you don't know where Omega's body ends and where Callis body starts, in the second Ishii/Omega match he was so annoying.


----------



## The High King

so what time does the NJPW LA show start British time?


----------



## Mordecay

The High King said:


> so what time does the NJPW LA show start British time?


8 pm Eastern, I think 1 am British time


----------



## Miguel De Juan

Barnett is a better commentator than those ROH geeks. I hate hearing them. They are boring and uninteresting.


----------



## The High King

Mordecay said:


> 8 pm Eastern, I think 1 am British time


Thanks Mordecay


----------



## The Nuke

Callis, for better or worse, is playing the classic heel commentator. Which is why he's a BC mark.

Personally I thought they he and Kelley were both great at Dominion.


----------



## TJQ

The Nuke said:


> Callis, for better or worse, is playing the classic heel commentator. Which is why he's a BC mark.
> 
> Personally I thought they he and Kelley were both great at Dominion.


I had the displeasure of watching the Dominion main event with English commentary, that dude was legitimately atrocious. If i'm ever in a position where i'm presented with him on commentary again I'm straight up muting it, I would rather have nothing than him.


----------



## Rah

Huge dump of NOAH shows (early years) and 88(!) RINGS shows onto the Real Hero Archive.

Great time to be a Japanese fan right now!


----------



## volde

Sweggeh said:


> Barnett sucks. He has serious hate for The Elite and shit talks them all the time. No idea why NJPW hired his bum ass.


Nothing wrong with people having different opinions.


----------



## BC Punk

Does anyone know if Night 1 of the G1 Special will be on NJPW World in the US at 12am on Sunday (the very beginning of the next day) or if we will have to wait until 5pm on Sunday (24 hours after the show starts) or 8pm on Sunday (24 hours after the show presumably ends).

I know it's not available on NJPW World in the US until the next day but when do they define next day?


----------



## Sweggeh

volde said:


> Nothing wrong with people having different opinions.


Nothing wrong with it, but for your announcer who is meant to be putting your guys over to inexplicably hate them for some reason is not a good situation.


----------



## volde

So he starts shit talking them during his commentary? I thought he just criticized them during various podcasts, never have really heard him on commentary.


----------



## Miguel De Juan

volde said:


> So he starts shit talking them during his commentary? I thought he just criticized them during various podcasts, never have really heard him on commentary.


He doesn't talk shit during commentary. He is very professional and discusses the cerebral side the matches (why of what the guys are doing the moves).


----------



## The High King

who cares about comms
half the time I prefer the Japanese comms for the sense of anticipation and overall ambience they project, and the atmosphere.
Comms is a small price to pay for great wrestling shows live.


----------



## Sick Graps-V2

I'm so ready for tonight's show! Should be good.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Just watched day one of the NJ USA Show. I have to say that for what is such a special show for New Japan, not only was it a really sloppy production but in terms of the actual content, I left this show feeling very whelmed. 

I skimmed through about two and a half hours of the show and feel like I could have skimmed even further than that, outside of the Omega/Elgin match I don’t feel like there are any matches here worth talking about. At least not for the right reasons, anyway. Even Omega/Elgin as good as I thought it was, when I think about the quality of New Japan matches this year this doesn’t really compare. 

I will say that I did like that Gedo took some risks and book some surprise eliminations on the first night, Gedo often seems to book for the novelty but I can’t really knock him as New Japan is one of the few promotions left with actual swerves in the booking that don’t involve James Ellsworth. 

Omega now looks a shoo-in but again part of what made Omega/Elgin the MOTN for me was because Gedo knew that booking elsewhere on the card would make this seem predictable so he gave Omega the fight of his life to advance in this tournament. Elgin got asked to step the fuck up and he stepped the fuck up. Omega may be one of the best in the world but man did Elgin come out of this looking fucking legit. Elgin is a badass motherfucker fridge that defies the law of psychics. Just a shame about that weird count out botch or whatever that was. 

I also thought, that while not necessarily a great match, Zack Sabre Jr gave a stand out performance here. He has always been a masterclass in a technical showcase but his in ring storytelling seems to come on leaps and bounds in each fresh match of his I watch. He also works so much better as a heel. I’m now rooting for a Zack Sabre Jr/Omega final. 

And that Main Event? The less said, the better. Cody never deserved this spot in the first place and as you guys know I really don’t like Okada and maybe it’s just my bias but I also felt these two guys had horrible in ring chemistry for an all round dull and sloppy match. 

I also can’t say I’m particularly interested in this battle for the dominance of the Bullet Club between Omega and Cody as teased in this match, although I did appreciate the continuity.


----------



## wrestling_fan_03

Pizzamorg said:


> Just watched day one of the NJ USA Show. I have to say that for what is such a special show for New Japan, not only was it a really sloppy production but in terms of the actual content, I left this show feeling very whelmed.
> 
> I skimmed through about two and a half hours of the show and feel like I could have skimmed even further than that, outside of the Omega/Elgin match I don’t feel like there are any matches here worth talking about. At least not for the right reasons, anyway. Even Omega/Elgin as good as I thought it was, when I think about the quality of New Japan matches this year this doesn’t really compare.
> 
> I will say that I did like that Gedo took some risks and book some surprise eliminations on the first night, Gedo often seems to book for the novelty but I can’t really knock him as New Japan is one of the few promotions left with actual swerves in the booking that don’t involve James Ellsworth.
> 
> Omega now looks a shoo-in but again part of what made Omega/Elgin the MOTN for me was because Gedo knew that booking elsewhere on the card would make this seem predictable so he gave Omega the fight of his life to advance in this tournament. Elgin got asked to step the fuck up and he stepped the fuck up. Omega may be one of the best in the world but man did Elgin come out of this looking fucking legit. Elgin is a badass motherfucker fridge that defies the law of psychics. Just a shame about that weird count out botch or whatever that was.
> 
> I also thought, that while not necessarily a great match, Zack Sabre Jr gave a stand out performance here. He has always been a masterclass in a technical showcase but his in ring storytelling seems to come on leaps and bounds in each fresh match of his I watch. He also works so much better as a heel. I’m now rooting for a Zack Sabre Jr/Omega final.
> 
> And that Main Event? The less said, the better. Cody never deserved this spot in the first place and as you guys know I really don’t like Okada and maybe it’s just my bias but I also felt these two guys had horrible in ring chemistry for an all round dull and sloppy match.
> 
> I also can’t say I’m particularly interested in this battle for the dominance of the Bullet Club between Omega and Cody as teased in this match, although I did appreciate the continuity.


Can you tell me more about the Omega and Cody rivalry that you saw ?

After the final match I turned off the TV, so I don't know what happened 

after that. Don't worry about spoilers, you can use a spoiler mark.


----------



## Pizzamorg

wrestling_fan_03 said:


> Can you tell me more about the Omega and Cody rivalry that you saw ?
> 
> After the final match I turned off the TV, so I don't know what happened
> 
> after that. Don't worry about spoilers, you can use a spoiler mark.


No real spoilers, the two of them just butted heads backstage while Okada and Gedo did their speeches. Cody flipped a table and Brandi led him away.


----------



## Sweggeh

Hope people see what I mean with Barnett now. The guy is terrible, couldnt even remember that Ishii beat Naito and made a whole bunch of other mistakes.

Although to be fair JR was somehow even worse. I'd say its because he is fucking over NJPW but he has been terrible even when on WWE shows in recent years. This guy just has zero passion for wrestling anymore.


----------



## Corey

Sweggeh said:


> Although to be fair JR was somehow even worse. I'd say its because he is fucking over NJPW but he has been terrible even when on WWE shows in recent years. This guy just has zero passion for wrestling anymore.


I honest to god agree with this. JR is obviously THE name when it comes to announcers and yeah it's cool to have him around and all, but his commentary has done all of nothing for me in recent memory. He seems so disconnected.


----------



## Srp5548

Pizzamorg said:


> No real spoilers, the two of them just butted heads backstage while Okada and Gedo did their speeches. Cody flipped a table and Brandi led him away.


Yea Cody went back and got in his face as Nick Jackson got in the middle...Cody asked what the hell was that about, said when he did it for Kenny that match had went almost 60 minutes and he thought Kenny was done so it wasn't the same....Kenny explained himself, something to effect of Cody's lack of experience....Cody got more angry and made a remark about it being because he was a WWE guy and flipped a table....Brandi led him off as the Bucks stayed with Omega

Sent from my SM-G928P using Tapatalk


----------



## Pizzamorg

Either way, Cody has been booked like a real dumbass. Does he really think people would betray Omega for him? He has only been in the Bullet Club for five minutes and now thinks he owns the joint? Those WWE guys...


----------



## wrestling_fan_03

Pizzamorg said:


> Either way, Cody has been booked like a real dumbass. Does he really think people would betray Omega for him? He has only been in the Bullet Club for five minutes and now thinks he owns the joint? Those WWE guys...


Why do I feel that the ROH world title is a curse among the Bullet Club ?

When Adam Cole won it he fought over the leadership of the Bullet Club and

now Cody won it and he's fighting with Omega for the same thing.

Hope this doesn't end up with Cody screwing Omega.


----------



## volde

I think it obviously leads to Cody screwing Omega in his match against Lethal.


----------



## Srp5548

volde said:


> I think it obviously leads to Cody screwing Omega in his match against Lethal.


Really dont like this storyline at all, Cody just joined the Bullet Club....unless Kenny has told them he is not resigning it just doesn't make sense....Cody isnt big enough to be the leader and it isn't believable for the Young Bucks or Marty to turn on Kenny right now....unless they just wanna right Cody out of the BC, but the merch is hot and they just got the Hot Topic deal

Sent from my SM-G928P using Tapatalk


----------



## volde

Cody becoming BC leader probably means that The Elite are splitting off and will be faces. This is probably long term storyline and Omega/Bucks have already been locked down for next couple of years.


----------



## Pizzamorg

volde said:


> I think it obviously leads to Cody screwing Omega in his match against Lethal.


To what end, though? To give Omega something to do until his next match against Okada? I suppose it will make the tournament feel really open if Omega goes out in the semis, as the three obvious choices to take the title will be gone then. I guess the most obvious choice after Omega is ZSJ but giving a Brit the first ever US Title reign seems weird, unless Gedo is only here for the shocks.


----------



## volde

Obvious pick is Lethal, he has entire injury angle to garner more sympathy and probably will face Zack in the finals. Lots of people predicted it before this show even started since this belt for Omega (or Naito) would be stupid, next best option is Lethal.


----------



## Sweggeh

Omega is in the final for sure. No way Lethal vs ZSJ/Ishii main events the second night. 

I agree that Cody costing him the title is a real possibility. But I think having ZSJ or Ishii as the first ever US champion would be pretty dumb.

Omega isn't going to win the world title any time soon since Naito vs Okada seems to be pencilled in for WK12 so might as well give him the US title for now.


----------



## Pizzamorg

volde said:


> Obvious pick is Lethal, he has entire injury angle to garner more sympathy and probably will face Zack in the finals. Lots of people predicted it before this show even started since this belt for Omega (or Naito) would be stupid, next best option is Lethal.


You really think Lethal is the most obvious guy to win this? I can't see that at all. Which means Gedo will probably do it...

Maybe they are setting up an internal struggle in the Bullet Club between Cody and Omega as the first feud for the US Title. It'd certainly put the title on the map.


----------



## volde

Sweggeh said:


> Omega isn't going to win the world title any time soon since Naito vs Okada seems to be pencilled in for WK12 so might as well give him the US title for now.


I feel like money is in the chase. If Omega gets US title then effectively you can say G1 doesn't matter for him, if he doesn't win the title then G1 semi-final and, likely, final is very important for him. 



Pizzamorg said:


> Maybe they are setting up an internal struggle in the Bullet Club between Cody and Omega as the first feud for the US Title. It'd certainly put the title on the map.


Why would RoH world champ care about NJPW US title? Makes no sense.

Edit: would basically say that RoH world title is about as relevant as random belt from NJPW, can't see RoH being interested in that.


----------



## McNugget

I honestly had mixed feelings about the show.

I really love NJPW, but their shows feel unnecessarily bloated a lot of the time. Did we really need two separate multi-team tag matches on an already-stacked show? Those matches felt like bathroom breaks to me.

The commentary was good at times (Kenny/Elgin match, they were dialed in and excited) but was overall pretty lacklustre. Jim isn't really dialed into what's happening in NJPW. This show would've been 10x better with Mauro calling it.

The matches... some were good. I actually really loved both the tag title match (despite it being pretty sloppy) and obviously the Kenny/Elgin match. I also thought Naito and Ishii had a great bout. The rest I could take or leave. Cody continues to underwhelm in main-event matches, which is especially jarring against an opponent of Okada's ability. He's almost there, but he never really seems to click it into a higher gear, and until he learns how to do that, he's going to find his popularity waning quickly, imo.

But again, my biggest gripe is that I had to sit through a four-hour show only to really have a handful of entertaining matches. It really could've been trimmed down a bit, but I could say the same for basically every NJPW show.


----------



## wrestling_fan_03

volde said:


> I think it obviously leads to Cody screwing Omega in his match against Lethal.


It's not his match with Lethal that I'm worried about, it's his match against 

Okada. Remember, he was there when Omega and Cody interfered, so he 

might get caught in the crossfire so Cody might interfere at the G1 Climax. 

And if this happens then it would be worse than Reigns winning the Rumble or the title. 



Sweggeh said:


> Omega is in the final for sure. No way Lethal vs ZSJ/Ishii main events the second night.
> 
> I agree that Cody costing him the title is a real possibility. But I think having ZSJ or Ishii as the first ever US champion would be pretty dumb.
> 
> Omega isn't going to win the world title any time soon since Naito vs Okada seems to be pencilled in for WK12 so might as well give him the US title for now.


I don't think so, evreything so far points out at a Omega VS Okada at WK12.

The G1 Climax, his draw at Dominion, the pieces are almost set. Having

Nato winning the tournament will be a good swerve, but not as much

as Omega wining the title.


----------



## Pizzamorg

volde said:


> Why would RoH world champ care about NJPW US title? Makes no sense.
> 
> Edit: would basically say that RoH world title is about as relevant as random belt from NJPW, can't see RoH being interested in that.


But Jay Lethal isn't even signed to New Japan as far as I'm aware, so what is his motivations for wanting this title in kayfabe? Just a second ago you said he was the most obvious winner? 



McNugget said:


> But again, my biggest gripe is that I had to sit through a four-hour show only to really have a handful of entertaining matches. It really could've been trimmed down a bit, but I could say the same for basically every NJPW show.


Amen to this all the way. I skipped through about two and a half hours worth of tag matches to get to the singles matches that actually matter on this card which seems like madness to me. Every PPV card of theirs is always at least 50% filler tag crap which you think they'd have enough of with their build up shows made up entirely of filler tag crap in between PPVs. 

The only saving grace here was at least the singles matches went normal lengths. I'm so fed up of New Japan singles matches on PPV running about twenty plus minutes longer than is welcome but as far as I'm aware nothing ran longer than half an hour here singles wise.


----------



## The Nuke

Well, the guys at Voices of Wrestling claimed to have found out the final some time ago. Said it wouldn't be the match people expect, but one that many will be excited for. The match people expected didn't happen. That being Naito vs Omega.

This leads me to believe that it will be Omega vs Sabre. I know some dislike Sabre, but for most it will be an exciting new match up. Lethal vs Sabre doesn't scream excitement. More so with Lethals performances lately. Omega is a big star with the American crowd, so he'll make the final. Sabre beating Omega, regardless of how, will give the new title a boost. I suspect Zacky will be going after Tanahashi eventually.

Sabre will have Omega in a hold at the end of the match, and Cody will throw in the towel.

Naito or Omega were never winning the US Title. They were in it just to make the tournament seem bigger. The Cody and Omega stuff add some drama to the the whole thing.


----------



## The Nuke

Funny at how many were taken by surprise that Ishii beat Naito. If Ishii is in a tournament against a top star, always, always, keep in mind that he'll probably beat that top star.

Beat Okada last year in the G1. Beat Omega in the NJC this year. Beat Naito last night. I fully expect him to beat Tanahashi in this years G1.

Where Yano is out in the open as a full on spoiler. Ishii hides in plain sight.

I wasn't surprised at all, and saw it coming.


----------



## Pizzamorg

I find the whole bracket to be really weird for the US Title. I get that the US Title is going to be just another mid card belt for New Japan moving forwards but couldn't they have at least tried to pretend this will be a special title for the inaugural tournament? The bracket screams to me that New Japan don't give a shit about the title. 

You've got weird choices like people from the UK in there, you've got Micheal Elgin who is this weird anomaly because he doesn't really have a central role in New Japan but yet seems to always turn up for big matches. You've got two Ring of Honor guys in there. The two Japanese guys you throw in are Ishii and Naito, Naito of course working this whole gimmick about hating New Japan. The only real obvious fits in the tournament are Juice and Omega and Juice is gone already. 

Admittedly though, I don't proactively follow New Japan, I just sorta dip in for their marquee matches so maybe this would make more sense if I did.


----------



## Sick Graps-V2

I'm so ready for night 2 you guys.


----------



## Mordecay

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/881367629989986310


----------



## Denny Crane

Could Sabre win the US title just to merge with Tanahashi and the NJPW intercontinental title down the line? Then you'll faced that as the main title for the American promotion and then promote the NEVER title as the secondary title in Japan? So you'll have the Jr, Heavyweight title, an Openweight title then the Heavyweight title. It would seem a logical progression for when the want to put a Jr. into the Heavyweight scene by them holding there own as NEVER champion first.


----------



## The High King

have this open in one window, the 8 man tag from slammaversary in the other one


----------



## The Nuke

The Nuke said:


> Well, the guys at Voices of Wrestling claimed to have found out the final some time ago. Said it wouldn't be the match people expect, but one that many will be excited for. The match people expected didn't happen. That being Naito vs Omega.
> 
> This leads me to believe that it will be Omega vs Sabre. I know some dislike Sabre, but for most it will be an exciting new match up. Lethal vs Sabre doesn't scream excitement. More so with Lethals performances lately. Omega is a big star with the American crowd, so he'll make the final. Sabre beating Omega, regardless of how, will give the new title a boost. I suspect Zacky will be going after Tanahashi eventually.
> 
> Sabre will have Omega in a hold at the end of the match, and Cody will throw in the towel.
> 
> Naito or Omega were never winning the US Title. They were in it just to make the tournament seem bigger. The Cody and Omega stuff add some drama to the the whole thing.


LOL. Completely wrong.

Great show. Nice to have Good Old fashioned Wrestling on American shores again after, what, 20 years maybe. If you don't count ROH's, AJPW inspired run.


----------



## wrestling_fan_03

With Omega winning the title and hugging Cody, where do things go from here ?

And what do you think will happen between him and Cody ?

And where does Omega stand in the G1 Climax ?

P.S: what's the next event for New Japan Pro Wrestling ?


----------



## volde

wrestling_fan_03 said:


> With Omega winning the title and hugging Cody, where do things go from here ?
> 
> And what do you think will happen between him and Cody ?


Probably slow burn till eventually Cody screws Omega. He wasn't present at the post-match conference and they made a point about that so probably it is not over.



> P.S: what's the next event for New Japan Pro Wrestling ?


G1 finals will probably have some title matches.


----------



## wrestling_fan_03

volde said:


> Probably slow burn till eventually Cody screws Omega. He wasn't present at the post-match conference and they made a point about that so probably it is not over.
> 
> G1 finals will probably have some title matches.


The probleom is when and how will he do it.

Is he gonna screw him over a US title match, or is he gonna touch the

G1 Climax and screw Omega during his match with Okada ?

P.S: I heard that there is an event called Lion's gate taken place tomorrow

is that true ?


----------



## Corey

wrestling_fan_03 said:


> P.S: I heard that there is an event called Lion's gate taken place tomorrow
> 
> is that true ?


Yes. They're just small events that showcase some young talent facing older guys and a couple dudes from different promotions. This card actually looks like the most interesting one since the 2nd or 3rd edition.

*LION’S GATE PROJECT 7, 7/4/2017 [Tue] 19:00 @ Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo*

(1) Ren Narita’s Debut Match: Shota Umino vs. Ren Narita
(2) Tetsuhiro Yagi vs. TAKA Michinoku (K-DOJO)
(3) Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Dinosaur Takuma (K-DOJO) vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Katsuya Kitamura
(4) Hirai Kawato vs. Dick Togo (FREE)
(5) Satoshi Kojima vs. Tomoyuki Oka
(6) YOSHI-HASHI vs. Koji Iwamoto (AJPW)
(7) Yuji Nagata vs. GO Asakawa (K-DOJO)


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

NJPW - "Adam Cole is no longer here, so lets replace him with Cody in his feud with Kenny Omega & hope no one notices" :lol


----------



## Corey

MarkyWhipwreck said:


> NJPW - "Adam Cole is no longer here, so lets replace him with Cody in his feud with Kenny Omega & hope no one notices" :lol


It's a damn shame. I can say for myself I'd have WAY more interest in this angle if it was Cole instead. Cody just can't hang in the ring with these dudes.


----------



## TJQ

Corey said:


> Cody just can't hang in the ring with these dudes.


And you think Cole w-

:aryha


----------



## Corey

TJQ said:


> And you think Cole w-
> 
> :aryha


I think he'd fare better tbh and at least he's been a BC member longer than Cody.

Either way I don't really care about the angle though. Omega would/will mow through Cody in the ring. It would be a big time money match for ROH though if they wanna go that route.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

TJQ said:


> And you think Cole w-
> 
> :aryha


He definitely can, just because you don't like his work doesn't mean he can't hang :lol 

unkout


----------



## volde

Cody is actually better in this role than Cole:

1. Cody is more polarizing than Cole so he is actually getting appropriate reactions in this storyline.
2. Cole was hanging around NJPW (and BC) far longer than Cody and they couldn't have really built same Okada/Cody match with Cole. I mean, Cole had a match with Yoshi-Hashi for RoH title. Cody having only three matches that he won in NJPW actually made it look legit world champ vs world champ match. Like it or not, but for NJPW, Cody winning RoH championship kinda rebooted it and elevated to being comparable to NJPW's world title, before that it was pretty much treated as midcard belt. 

If we look back, it looks like they had it planned since WK, did they knew by then that Cole was leaving?


----------



## TJQ

Corey said:


> I think he'd fare better tbh and at least he's been a BC member longer than Cody.
> 
> Either way I don't really care about the angle though. Omega would/will mow through Cody in the ring. It would be a big time money match for ROH though if they wanna go that route.


Cole could _probably_ have a higher high or a lower low, whereas Cody is just milk toast, middle of the road, textbook definition of meh. Like you said, Kenny would mow through either of them so whoever they had in this position wasn't going to be interesting to me. One is unspectacular and one would give me a match to rip on, so in the grand scheme of things maybe I should have wanted Cole as well :lol


----------



## Corey

volde said:


> 2. Cole was hanging around NJPW (and BC) far longer than Cody and they couldn't have really built same Okada/Cody match with Cole. I mean, Cole had a match with Yoshi-Hashi for RoH title. *Cody having only three matches that he won in NJPW actually made it look legit world champ vs world champ match. Like it or not, but for NJPW, Cody winning RoH championship kinda rebooted it and elevated to being comparable to NJPW's world title*, before that it was pretty much treated as midcard belt.


Absolutely not. Him winning the belt had no barrings on the match at all. I mean sure it looks good that he happened to win the title a week before, but it's not like it was ever billed or promoted as champion vs. champion. Cody has mainstream notoriety and that's about it. He's not setting the world on fire with his wrestling ability and no one knows how he's gonna draw as champion yet. It was just a belt that he happened to have with him. About the only people in the wrestling world who could elevate the ROH Title to IWGP levels right now may be Kenny Omega, Daniel Bryan, or CM Punk. Certainly no one currently on the ROH roster.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Just watched Day Two of the G1 USA Special. I didn’t have a lot of time to watch this so I only watched the three matches relating to the US Title and to be honest I wasn’t really interested in anything else anyway. 

I have to say, I wasn’t particularly blown away by either semi. Lethal/Omega had some good action but they centred so much of the match on Lethal’s “rib injury” which he only sold when it was the direct focus of a sequence and that soured the whole thing for me. I thought Ishii/ZSJ on the other hand, was awful. I might be biased as I wanted ZSJ in the final but I just felt they made him look like a real geek in defeat here and while Omega/Ishii from Wrestling Dontaku is one of my favourites of the year, that was what, two months ago? Why not do a fresh final for this US crowd? 

Pretty much all doubts about the Main Event however were cleared up by the time the three fall happened. This match was near perfect in so many ways, taken just on face value it was poetry in motion. The US Title is pretty ugly and pretty novel but I feel like they put their new title on the map immediately by having Omega and Ishii just absolutely go to war and leave it all in the ring in the name of becoming the first person to hold that title.

But then if you want to read too much into it, while never explicitly stated, this match was a pitch perfect sequel to Dontaku if you want to look at it that way too. Two months ago Omega stood in Ishii's way for a shot at Okada and the Heavyweight Title. Ishii gave it his all and fell short. Now Omega again stands in his way, this time in becoming the first US Champ. That took the match to a whole other level for me.

And then of course while this was sorta addressed in the match but still not plainly, Omega also has some deeper stakes in this match too. Despite all his arrogance and six star performances, in kayfabe he's someone who is really looking for validation at this point. Whether the two are related or not, Omega has now fallen short of Okada twice and now he's got Cody challenging his authority within the Bullet Club. The last thing he could afford is to lose here, to be identified as any weaker by Cody or any other detractors in his ranks. For the time being his seizing of this title is just the thing he needed. 

So yeah, I don’t know whether one masterpiece of a match validates how middle of the road to bad everything else was during this weekend but I’m still glad to have seen this match.
.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

volde said:


> Cody is actually better in this role than Cole:
> 
> 1. Cody is more polarizing than *Cole so he is actually getting appropriate reactions in this storyline.*
> 2. Cole was hanging around NJPW (and BC) far longer than Cody and they couldn't have really built same Okada/Cody match with Cole. I mean, Cole had a match with Yoshi-Hashi for RoH title. Cody having only three matches that he won in NJPW actually made it look legit world champ vs world champ match. Like it or not, but for NJPW, Cody winning RoH championship kinda rebooted it and elevated to being comparable to NJPW's world title, before that it was pretty much treated as midcard belt.
> 
> If we look back, it looks like they had it planned since WK, did they knew by then that Cole was leaving?


You must not have seen the first of the seeds planted for Cole/Omega at the first honor rising show this year, Cole's reaction to snatching the mic away from Omega was fantastic, people were shocked. They really cared, from that moment the hype was set for Cole/Omega.

And they absolutely could've built the same for Cole/Okada, in fact people probably would've been more pumped for that. Cole is undeafeated in NJPW singles action, he was extremely legit in NJPW. Bringing up he had a match w/ YOSHI-HASHI means nothing when Kenny literally have an equally as competitive match for the briefcase.

And NJPW was a strong contender to sign him after his departure from ROH.


----------



## Sweggeh

Cody is a little better than Cole on the mic but Cole is better in the ring. I honestly dont mind who between the two gets the Bullet Club leader feud with Kenny. 

I think Cole made a mistake going to WWE before having that feud though. Having a barn burner with Kenny could have given him a real boost and made him even more popular on his debut in NXT.


----------



## NastyYaffa

MarkyWhipwreck said:


> He definitely can, just because you don't like his work doesn't mean he can't hang :lol
> 
> unkout


Come on man, that is a super lame argument. You could say the exact same thing for Cody who's in ring ability people shit on.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

NastyYaffa said:


> Come on man, that is a super lame argument. You could say the exact same thing for Cody who's in ring ability people shit on.


Except for the fact that it's *a LOT* more that sh*t on Cody's ring work and it's not even close, but okay fam (Y)


----------



## NastyYaffa

MarkyWhipwreck said:


> Except for the fact that it's *a LOT* more that sh*t on Cody's ring work and it's not even close, but okay fam (Y)


That's not really the point, but whatever mate. The point was that the argument you put out is super lame because you could literally say it about any wrestler. Adam Cole, Great Khali, Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, whoever the fuck you want. The fact is that in the end, at core, every one of those wrestlers can go, but people are still allowed to say that they don't enjoy them & think they are bad.


----------



## hgr423

Was Jim Ross try to get himself fired this past weekend by doing such an awful job? If so that is a really unprofessional way to act at the end of his career. I haven't watched the regular access tv but i can't believe he is really as uninformed about the product as he let on the past 2 shows if he is regularly calling NJPW matches.


----------



## Miguel De Juan

hgr423 said:


> Was Jim Ross try to get himself fired this past weekend by doing such an awful job? If so that is a really unprofessional way to act at the end of his career. I haven't watched the regular access tv but i can't believe he is really as uninformed about the product as he let on the past 2 shows if he is regularly calling NJPW matches.


That would make him a Vince bitch boy but I don't think he would do that. He is just old.


----------



## Corey

Finally watched the last two main events of the Kizuna Road shows. *Suzuki vs. YOSHI-HASHI* was good but unnecessarily drawn out. MiSu was in that butterfly lock for way too long. Can see how people would love the match but also see how they could feel meh about it. I'm somewhere in the middle. Always nice to see HASHI get some time to shine and to get a clean finish in a SuzukiGUN match. Also a nice little Davey Boy Smith Jr. sighting. Sucks he was left out of the G1. If anything this made me REALLY wanna see one of those 10-man CHAOS vs. SuzukiGUN elimination matches at a Korakuen show down the line. That could be awesome. Got a feeling we'll get Ishii vs. Suzuki in a couple months and that could be amazing. *****

*KUSHIDA vs. BUSHI *was good stuff. Felt a little too one-sided for a while because KUSHIDA was seemingly always on offense, but man I loved that finishing stretch. Great use of the mist and the moments afterwards were thrilling. Also liked how the finish would make it seem like KUSHIDA really couldn't see much because he was just grabbing for him and then hit the back to the future. Really good defense. **** 1/2*

Will be watching the full G1 Special shows in the coming days.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Omega is now a serous challenger to Okadas wrestler of the year title. A week ago nobody seemed even remotely close. The matches with Elgin and Ishii were just fabulous a proper dose of Grade 1 graps.

I found myself a bit bored during Okada vs Cody but that might be more to do with watching it late at night and having poor attention skills. I've heard people saying it was pretty good but it seemed like another Cody match but with an added Rainmaker. More than happy to be told I'm off base on that as I was very tired. 

I did love Codys coat though, I'm all in on that coat.


----------



## BornBad

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/882058264678092800


----------



## Pizzamorg

-***** Italiano- said:


> Omega is now a serous challenger to Okadas wrestler of the year title. A week ago nobody seemed even remotely close. The matches with Elgin and Ishii were just fabulous a proper dose of Grade 1 graps.


It feels cliche but Omega lives his hype. I really can't think of many people better in the world right now, the consistency in his performances, his charisma and in ring storytelling, his athleticism and wrestling mind. Before 2017 I knew Omega by name but that was all, now seven months in he's a favourite wrestler of mine. His matches against Okada, his matches against Ishii, that Elgin match. The dude is like so few else right now.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Pizzamorg said:


> It feels cliche but Omega lives his hype. I really can't think of many people better in the world right now, the consistency in his performances, his charisma and in ring storytelling, his athleticism and wrestling mind. Before 2017 I knew Omega by name but that was all, now seven months in he's a favourite wrestler of mine. His matches against Okada, his matches against Ishii, that Elgin match. The dude is like so few else right now.


And he's about to give a G1 worth of study material to the boys watching in Orlando.


----------



## Desecrated

-***** Italiano- said:


> And he's about to give a G1 worth of study material to the boys watching in Orlando.


This post just gave me an idea.

Who do people think will be best performer over the G1 27, and why?

I'm going to go with Ishii. He stylistically matches up perfectly with everyone in his group except YOSHI-HASHI. When you run through matches like Goto, Ibushi, Naito, Hiroshi, Fale, Makabe, ZSJ and Nagata. All of them sound fantastic and must-watch.

And I'd favour Okada for better matches than Omega in the other block. I think he'll have great matches with EVIL, SANADA, Suzuki, Tonga, Elgin, Kojima, Juice and of course, Yano.

And Omega too.

But Yano. Basically Okada is likely to have great matches with everyone. Damn. Excited for them all too.

But I give it to Ishii.


----------



## DregSkorn

any thoughts on the future of RPG Vice now that Rocky gave his blessing to Trent to become a singles guy.

does Rocky disband RPG or does he bring in a new guy like Chucky T, for example


----------



## The High King

NastyYaffa said:


> That's not really the point, but whatever mate. The point was that the argument you put out is super lame because you could literally say it about any wrestler. Adam Cole, Great Khali, Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, whoever the fuck you want. The fact is that in the end, at core, every one of those wrestlers can go, but people are still allowed to say that they don't enjoy them & think they are bad.


wasting you time with him
He thinks any one that has a different opinion to him must be wrong, let alone you say anything deemed negative about his crush the bobbleheaded over hyped Cole.
I like Cody Rhoades, but he is midcard at best, not even Okada could drag a top quality match out of him


----------



## The High King

Desecrated said:


> This post just gave me an idea.
> 
> Who do people think will be best performer over the G1 27, and why?
> 
> I'm going to go with Ishii. He stylistically matches up perfectly with everyone in his group except YOSHI-HASHI. When you run through matches like Goto, Ibushi, Naito, Hiroshi, Fale, Makabe, ZSJ and Nagata. All of them sound fantastic and must-watch.
> 
> And I'd favour Okada for better matches than Omega in the other block. I think he'll have great matches with EVIL, SANADA, Suzuki, Tonga, Elgin, Kojima, Juice and of course, Yano.
> 
> And Omega too.
> 
> But Yano. Basically Okada is likely to have great matches with everyone. Damn. Excited for them all too.
> 
> But I give it to Ishii.


Yano will be crap as always and worth skipping
Ishii and Suzuki even at his age will always be consistent
Omega is great til he does his lame comedy shit
ZSJ is good but over rated at the moment.
Nagata is consistent but his time is past
Fale is a donkey


----------



## Pizzamorg

It was really weird that they gave ZSJ such a standout performance on Day One of the US Show which lead to loads of people wanting to see him in the final and then made him look like an absolute tool on Day Two. I wonder what that means for his future matches.


----------



## Srp5548

Pizzamorg said:


> It was really weird that they gave ZSJ such a standout performance on Day One of the US Show which lead to loads of people wanting to see him in the final and then made him look like an absolute tool on Day Two. I wonder what that means for his future matches.


Prob cuz he is in the G1 so they wanted to give him a showing, im sure his run in that will be similar

Sent from my SM-G928P using Tapatalk


----------



## The Nuke

Pizzamorg said:


> It was really weird that they gave ZSJ such a standout performance on Day One of the US Show which lead to loads of people wanting to see him in the final and then made him look like an absolute tool on Day Two. I wonder what that means for his future matches.


tool? Well yeah he had to take the fall, but he looked great in both showings. He'll also face Ishii again in the G1.

I'd almost bet he beats Tana in the G1.


----------



## Pizzamorg

The Nuke said:


> tool? Well yeah he had to take the fall, but he looked great in both showings. He'll also face Ishii again in the G1.
> 
> I'd almost bet he beats Tana in the G1.


I thought they made him look really bad in his loss against Ishii.


----------



## Miguel De Juan

Pizzamorg said:


> I thought they made him look really bad in his loss against Ishii.


Ishii humiliated both Naito and Okada in singles matches. He is the hitman of Chaos. He is bad ass. The story of that match is that Sabre lost because he tried to get in a striking match with Ishii instead of what was working which was submission and holds.


----------



## Corey

Desecrated said:


> This post just gave me an idea.
> 
> Who do people think will be best performer over the G1 27, and why?


My money is on someone from A Block. My gut says Naito because he's been fucking amazing this year and he might win it all, but I wouldn't be surprised if Ishii or Ibushi steal the shows with some of their matches. B Block just doesn't have that WOW factor but I'm sure Omega will tear it up. I feel bad for Elgin because the guys in A Block are way better suited to his style.



DregSkorn said:


> any thoughts on the future of RPG Vice now that Rocky gave his blessing to Trent to become a singles guy.
> 
> does Rocky disband RPG or does he bring in a new guy like Chucky T, for example


It'll be interesting to see Trent mix it up with the heavyweights. I think he's well suited for the NEVER division because his of his willingness to take insane bumps and spots.  Hearing that Rocky may be retiring.


----------



## The Nuke

Pizzamorg said:


> I thought they made him look really bad in his loss against Ishii.


I disagree. Sabre got a great deal of offense, even to the extent of dominating Ishii several times in submissions. I mean that big submission spot where he had Ishii all contorted was legit enough to make you believe Ishii was fucked, even though I had already been spoiled on the match.


----------



## BC Punk

Beretta joining the heavyweight division is an exciting prospect to spice things up. I feel like with Beretta and Sabre Jr joining the division and Omega still being pretty new to the heavyweight division and Ibushi coming back as himself there's a great chance for other mainstays like Okada, Naito, Suzuki, Tanahashi and Goto to have more fresh matches with worthy opponents. If only Shibata could still wrestle. Hopefully those Daniel Bryan returning to the indies next year rumors are true and he could get in the mix.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

Instead of seeing Trent getting killed by The Bucks, he's gonna get killed by the likes of Suzuki and Ishii. Don't regret this move Greg.


----------



## kovs27

The Nuke said:


> I disagree. Sabre got a great deal of offense, even to the extent of dominating Ishii several times in submissions. I mean that big submission spot where he had Ishii all contorted was legit enough to make you believe Ishii was fucked, even though I had already been spoiled on the match.


I legit thought ZSJ was being Ishii during that spot. It's like Zack had an answer to any escape Ishii had. Really liked the match. I'm not someone who has seen a lot of ZSJ matches. 

There is no way he isn't beating Tanahashi. An injured arm against a submission specialist. It's too easy.


----------



## wrestling_fan_03

Corey said:


> Yes. They're just small events that showcase some young talent facing older guys and a couple dudes from different promotions. This card actually looks like the most interesting one since the 2nd or 3rd edition.
> 
> *LION’S GATE PROJECT 7, 7/4/2017 [Tue] 19:00 @ Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo*
> 
> (1) Ren Narita’s Debut Match: Shota Umino vs. Ren Narita
> (2) Tetsuhiro Yagi vs. TAKA Michinoku (K-DOJO)
> (3) Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Dinosaur Takuma (K-DOJO) vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Katsuya Kitamura
> (4) Hirai Kawato vs. Dick Togo (FREE)
> (5) Satoshi Kojima vs. Tomoyuki Oka
> (6) YOSHI-HASHI vs. Koji Iwamoto (AJPW)
> (7) Yuji Nagata vs. GO Asakawa (K-DOJO)


Is this like a house show event or will it be broadcasted?


----------



## Corey

wrestling_fan_03 said:


> Is this like a house show event or will it be broadcasted?


It happened yesterday and was broadcast on New Japan World.


----------



## TJQ

Rainmaka! said:


> Instead of seeing Trent getting killed by The Bucks, he's gonna get killed by the likes of Suzuki and Ishii. Don't regret this move Greg.


Rising future Ace #Greg will be the one to bring NJPW into a true golden age.


----------



## Desecrated

I imagine they have plans for him to be CHAOS U.S Champion forerunner? Otherwise nothing has him standing out over Goto, Ishii and Okada.


----------



## volde

Sounds plausible. Maybe he'll get Cody treatment with picking up couple of wins here and there before challenging Omega in KoPW or one of Destruction shows?


----------



## The Nuke

I can see Baretta in a program with Suzuki. There was a moment in tag involving them where they got into it and I thought there could be something good there.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Finally some most likely positive news on Shibata!

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/882650671484370944


----------



## Little Miss Ingobernable

NastyYaffa said:


> Finally some most likely positive news on Shibata!
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/882650671484370944


----------



## Denny Crane

How about they book Omega VS Rhodes then Cole comes out and lays out both. Then they have a 3-way match where Cole swerves everybody and rejoins The Elite. He then goes on to win the ROH for a 3rd time and is even bigger when you do the final Omega/Cole breakup if Omega goes to the WWE or even if he doesn't bolt. 

I like Cole but he doesn't feel to be on the level of Omega or even Rhodes right now. I'd almost book him, Omega, the Bucks and Marty very similar to DX where Omega just goes away like HBK and Cole is the HHH role.


----------



## Corey

Denny Crane said:


> How about they book Omega VS Rhodes then Cole comes out and lays out both. Then they have a 3-way match where Cole swerves everybody and rejoins The Elite. *He then goes on to win the ROH for a 3rd time* and is even bigger when you do the final Omega/Cole breakup if Omega goes to the WWE or even if he doesn't bolt.
> 
> I like Cole but he doesn't feel to be on the level of Omega or even Rhodes right now. I'd almost book him, Omega, the Bucks and Marty very similar to DX where Omega just goes away like HBK and Cole is the HHH role.


*4th


----------



## HOJO

*NicoNico/NicoPro is now a pay channel on Youtube *


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/882692323968249857*Meaning the RealHero will stop adding NicoPro to their archives, which apparently was a pain in the ass to deal with

Link to the new channel, $5 US per month with a 14-day trial -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3cgwR-2SV01urGDAw61Bgw*


----------



## Sick Graps-V2

I'm just checking out Lion's Gate Project 7, quite a fun watch. Kawato, Kitamura, Umino and Oka all bring something different to the table; all four seem pretty skilled for the short time they've been wrestling.

I like Umino's aggression, Kawato's fluidity and movement in the ring; and Kitamuras beastliness! 

The four young boys have distinctly different but very real upsides, I get the feeling this will be a class we look back on in 4 years as something special.


----------



## volde

Is it really international? I'm from Europe and it shows as being unavailable in my country.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Welp, a shit ton of Dragon Gate news. For starters, Jimmy Kagetora will defend his Open The Brave Gate Championship against Flamita at Kobe World. The VerserK team of Shingo, Lindaman & Yoshida won the Triangle Gate titles from MaxiMuM's Doi, Ben-K & Big R. Following the match, Tribe Vanguard, Over Generation, Jimmyz, Kotoka, Big R & Ben-K all demanded a Triangle Gate match from VerserK at Kobe World. But instead of doing a 5-way Triangle Gate clusterfuck, there's gonna be a tournament at Kobe with the winning team getting a shot against VerserK later in the evening. The teams for this tournament will be:

MaxiMuM (Kotoka, Big R Shimizu & Ben-K)
Tribe Vanguard (Kzy, BxB Hulk & Yosuke Santa Maria)
Jimmyz (Genki Horiguchi H.A.GEE.MEE!!, Ryo "Jimmy" Saito & Jimmy Susumu)
Over Generation (Eita, Gamma & Takehiro Yamamura)

Following that announcement, Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino decided to challenge CIMA & Dragon Kid to a Twin Gate title match at Kobe, adding CK-1 vs. Speed Muscle to the match card for July 23rd.

And lastly, after this morning's Korakuen Hall show, it's been announced that from the start of August until September 17th (their Dangerous Gate event), they will be keeping track of wins & losses from every unit. The unit with the worst win-loss record will be forced to disband. So yeah, things are about to get real interesting for DG :lol*


----------



## The Nuke

What's interesting about the rest of the year's NJPW booking is that not only have Naito and Okada been kept away from each other, Omega and Naito have as well. I think this was one reason why Gedo decided on just having Okada vs Omega 3 at the G1. 

You have to know that Bullet Club vs LIJ is a feud that Gedo will not pass up on. A money feud that will sell lots of tickets and lots of merch. Can't see it being something for this year though given how busy things will soon become. Seems like a 2018 possibility. Naito wins the title at WK and the big feud will be Omega vs Naito at Dominion perhaps.


----------



## Switchblade Club

The Nuke said:


> What's interesting about the rest of the year's NJPW booking is that not only have Naito and Okada been kept away from each other, Omega and Naito have as well. I think this was one reason why Gedo decided on just having Okada vs Omega 3 at the G1.
> 
> You have to know that Bullet Club vs LIJ is a feud that Gedo will not pass up on. A money feud that will sell lots of tickets and lots of merch. Can't see it being something for this year though given how busy things will soon become. Seems like a 2018 possibility. Naito wins the title at WK and the big feud will be Omega vs Naito at Dominion perhaps.


Bullet Club vs LIJ

:sodone


----------



## El Dandy

Well, I'm relieved to see Omega got saddled with that US title which should hopefully remove him from G1 contention and also glad to see Ibushi back (even though he'll no sell all the leg work; still great to see him back in the mix)

Naito should be getting his W's back from Tana & Ishii.
If he doesn't win this G1 then I give up. What does a guy have to do?

EDIT: the annual tradition of most of us all getting our hopes up for a Shibata G1 win is no more. This year could've been the year, too, I swear

:cry


----------



## HOJO

Has anyone else talked about the BJW Ryogokutan card in here? Cuz I'm not into it at all besides the Deathmatch title, wondering if anyone else is

BJW "RYOGOKUTAN", 17.07.2017 (Samurai! TV) 
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 

1. Kota Sekifuda Return Match: Ryuichi Sekine & Tatsuhiko Yoshino vs. Kota Sekifuda & Yuya Aoki 
2. Special Six Man Tag Match: Great Kojika, Tsutomu Oosugi & Hercules Senga vs. Kendo Kashin, Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei 
3. Special Tag Match: Masakatsu Funaki & Kazumi Kikuta vs. Yoshihisa Uto & Takuya Nomura 
4. Death Match: Yuko Miymoto & Isami Kodaka vs. Takumi Tsukamoto & Toshiyuki Sakuda 
5. Concrete Block Overall Death Match: "Black Angel" Jaki Numazawa & Masashi Takeda vs. Minoru Fujita & Kankuro Hoshino 
6. BJW Jr. Heavyweight Title: Shinobu vs. Kazuki Hashimoto 
7. Yokohama Shopping Street Six Man Tag Team Title: Ryota Hama, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Shogun Okamoto (c) vs. Kohei Sato, Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani 
8. BJW Strong World Heavyweight Title: Hideki Suzuki (c) vs. Ryuichi Kawakami 
9. BJW Tag Team Title: Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi (c) vs. Abdullah Kobayashi & Ryuji Ito
10. BJW Death Match Heavyweight Title: Masaya Takahashi (c) vs. Takayuki Ueki


----------



## december_blue

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/883498889923493892


----------



## Mordecay

Tama Tonga is right, JR sucked in the G1 specials.


----------



## Corey

El Dandy said:


> EDIT: the annual tradition of most of us all getting our hopes up for a Shibata G1 win is no more. This year could've been the year, too, I swear
> 
> :cry


:hogan



HOJO said:


> Has anyone else talked about the BJW Ryogokutan card in here? Cuz I'm not into it at all besides the Deathmatch title, wondering if anyone else is
> 
> BJW "RYOGOKUTAN", 17.07.2017 (Samurai! TV)
> Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
> 
> 1. Kota Sekifuda Return Match: Ryuichi Sekine & Tatsuhiko Yoshino vs. Kota Sekifuda & Yuya Aoki
> 2. Special Six Man Tag Match: Great Kojika, Tsutomu Oosugi & Hercules Senga vs. Kendo Kashin, Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei
> 3. Special Tag Match: Masakatsu Funaki & Kazumi Kikuta vs. Yoshihisa Uto & Takuya Nomura
> 4. Death Match: Yuko Miymoto & Isami Kodaka vs. Takumi Tsukamoto & Toshiyuki Sakuda
> 5. Concrete Block Overall Death Match: "Black Angel" Jaki Numazawa & Masashi Takeda vs. Minoru Fujita & Kankuro Hoshino
> 6. BJW Jr. Heavyweight Title: Shinobu vs. Kazuki Hashimoto
> 7. Yokohama Shopping Street Six Man Tag Team Title: Ryota Hama, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Shogun Okamoto (c) vs. Kohei Sato, Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani
> 8. BJW Strong World Heavyweight Title: Hideki Suzuki (c) vs. Ryuichi Kawakami
> 9. BJW Tag Team Title: Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi (c) vs. Abdullah Kobayashi & Ryuji Ito
> 10. BJW Death Match Heavyweight Title: Masaya Takahashi (c) vs. Takayuki Ueki


Myself and @antoniomare007 have. Not much on the card really excites me either. Never heard of the guy that Suzuki is facing and the tag title match _could_ be fun but idk. Should be an interesting clash of styles at least.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

december_blue said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/883498889923493892


:lol


----------



## RatedR10

Tama Tonga isn't wrong. 

but thank god for NJPW, the only reason I'm still watching pro wrestling at the moment. So good. I don't want any of them to ever go to WWE. Pls.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Tried to predict G1 for the VoW pick'ems, here's what I got:



> A BLOCK
> *Tetsuya Naito - 16 points (winner of the whole thing)*
> Kota Ibushi - 14 points
> Bad Luck Fale - 12 points
> Hiroshi Tanahashi - 10 points
> Hirooki Goto - 8 points
> Yuji Nagata - 8 points
> Togi Makabe - 6 points
> Tomohiro Ishii - 6 points
> Zack Sabre Jr. - 6 points
> YOSHI-HASHI - 4 points
> 
> B BLOCK
> *Michael Elgin - 16 points*
> Kenny Omega - 14 points
> Kazuchika Okada - 13 points
> SANADA - 12 points
> Minoru Suzuki - 11 points
> EVIL - 6 points
> Satoshi Kojima - 6 points
> Toru Yano - 6 points
> Tama Tonga - 4 points
> Juice Robinson - 2 points


Goddamn it isn't easy to predict who wins what :lol


----------



## Corey

NastyYaffa said:


> Tried to predict G1 for the VoW pick'ems, here's what I got:
> 
> Goddamn it isn't easy to predict who wins what :lol


Damn 16 points each!? I think I'd be shocked to see that, especially from Elgin. Who's his only loss to, Okada?


----------



## NastyYaffa

Corey said:


> Damn 16 points each!? I think I'd be shocked to see that, especially from Elgin. Who's his only loss to, Okada?


Yep! And yeah, 16 points is quite a bit, but as I said, it's goddamn hard to predict this shit. :lol I just tried to make the most logical road to Naito vs. Elgin finals.


----------



## december_blue

So, JR might have legit been drunk while calling the Long Beach shows.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/883674019639291905


----------



## El Dandy

HOJO said:


> Has anyone else talked about the BJW Ryogokutan card in here? Cuz I'm not into it at all besides the Deathmatch title, wondering if anyone else is
> 
> BJW "RYOGOKUTAN", 17.07.2017 (Samurai! TV)
> Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
> 
> 1. Kota Sekifuda Return Match: Ryuichi Sekine & Tatsuhiko Yoshino vs. Kota Sekifuda & Yuya Aoki
> 2. Special Six Man Tag Match: Great Kojika, Tsutomu Oosugi & Hercules Senga vs. Kendo Kashin, Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei
> 3. Special Tag Match: Masakatsu Funaki & Kazumi Kikuta vs. Yoshihisa Uto & Takuya Nomura
> 4. Death Match: Yuko Miymoto & Isami Kodaka vs. Takumi Tsukamoto & Toshiyuki Sakuda
> 5. Concrete Block Overall Death Match: "Black Angel" Jaki Numazawa & Masashi Takeda vs. Minoru Fujita & Kankuro Hoshino
> 6. BJW Jr. Heavyweight Title: Shinobu vs. Kazuki Hashimoto
> 7. Yokohama Shopping Street Six Man Tag Team Title: Ryota Hama, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Shogun Okamoto (c) vs. Kohei Sato, Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani
> 8. BJW Strong World Heavyweight Title: Hideki Suzuki (c) vs. Ryuichi Kawakami
> 9. BJW Tag Team Title: Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi (c) vs. Abdullah Kobayashi & Ryuji Ito
> 10. BJW Death Match Heavyweight Title: Masaya Takahashi (c) vs. Takayuki Ueki


Looks ehhh; would look better if Suzuki had a better opponent and wasn't being wasted.

>Jr match should be good
>I'm not really into Kawakami, so the Strong title match does nothing much for me
>Strong BJ v Abdullah/Ito is whatever
>Looking forward to Okami + Sato v Hama/Nakanoue/Okamoto
>Main event should be fresh


----------



## antoniomare007

HOJO said:


> Has anyone else talked about the BJW Ryogokutan card in here? Cuz I'm not into it at all besides the Deathmatch title, wondering if anyone else is
> 
> BJW "RYOGOKUTAN", 17.07.2017 (Samurai! TV)
> Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
> 
> 1. Kota Sekifuda Return Match: Ryuichi Sekine & Tatsuhiko Yoshino vs. Kota Sekifuda & Yuya Aoki
> 2. Special Six Man Tag Match: Great Kojika, Tsutomu Oosugi & Hercules Senga vs. Kendo Kashin, Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei
> 3. Special Tag Match: Masakatsu Funaki & Kazumi Kikuta vs. Yoshihisa Uto & Takuya Nomura
> 4. Death Match: Yuko Miymoto & Isami Kodaka vs. Takumi Tsukamoto & Toshiyuki Sakuda
> 5. Concrete Block Overall Death Match: "Black Angel" Jaki Numazawa & Masashi Takeda vs. Minoru Fujita & Kankuro Hoshino
> 6. BJW Jr. Heavyweight Title: Shinobu vs. Kazuki Hashimoto
> 7. Yokohama Shopping Street Six Man Tag Team Title: Ryota Hama, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Shogun Okamoto (c) vs. Kohei Sato, Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani
> 8. BJW Strong World Heavyweight Title: Hideki Suzuki (c) vs. Ryuichi Kawakami
> 9. BJW Tag Team Title: Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi (c) vs. Abdullah Kobayashi & Ryuji Ito
> 10. BJW Death Match Heavyweight Title: Masaya Takahashi (c) vs. Takayuki Ueki


We have. It's an underwhelming card that will be lucky to draw the same as last year (3,800 and who knows how many comps).

Shinobu vs Kazuki should be really good, though my guess is that the Korakuen match (still waiting for it to show up online) will be better just because it's in Korakuen. 

The six man tag should be fun.

Tag title match I'm intrigued just because it's been years since I've seen Abby Jr in a meaningful "regular" match. If Strong BJ can take the best our of Hama, I hope they can do that with Abby Jr, I hope that fat fucker still has some of what made him awesome. 

Kawakami is so fucking underwhelming. Him getting the shot to go "full circle" on his return feels forced as fuck after he didn't do anything worth a damn after last year's Sumo Hall show. I hope he losses but I could see him getting the big W. If the match is short enough, I can see Suzuki carrying him to a good showing though.


----------



## El Dandy

NastyYaffa said:


> Tried to predict G1 for the VoW pick'ems, here's what I got:
> 
> Goddamn it isn't easy to predict who wins what :lol


Not sure how the math would work out for your B Block hmmmm. If Elgin has 16, Omega 14, and Okada 13, that p much means the Block will be decided before Omega/Okada happens. Unless, of course, you have Omega entering the last day with 14 and Okada beats him, in which case it makes sense. Other than that, looks fine by me (well, any table that has Naito winning will look great to me)!

If I were playing What Would Gedo Do, I could see it reversed when Okada comes into the Final needing the W to advance and Omega is already out, but Omega cock blocks Okada and eliminates him allowing someone else to back door in. Omega gets his W over Okada and Omega wouldn't advance to the next round thus preventing them from burning a big time Omega match on a G1 Final that will have already been paid for.

I know one of these years Gedo will not be able to help himself and will have HW Champion Okada win the G1 just cause. God help us if he does it this year right in the middle of this Okada reign of terror....


----------



## Miguel De Juan

El Dandy said:


> Not sure how the math would work out for your B Block hmmmm. If Elgin has 16, Omega 14, and Okada 13, that p much means the Block will be decided before Omega/Okada happens. Unless, of course, you have Omega entering the last day with 14 and Okada beats him, in which case it makes sense. Other than that, looks fine by me (well, any table that has Naito winning will look great to me)!
> 
> If I were playing What Would Gedo Do, I could see it reversed when Okada comes into the Final needing the W to advance and Omega is already out, but Omega cock blocks Okada and eliminates him allowing someone else to back door in. Omega gets his W over Okada and Omega wouldn't advance to the next round thus preventing them from burning a big time Omega match on a G1 Final that will have already been paid for.
> 
> I know one of these years Gedo will not be able to help himself and will have HW Champion Okada win the G1 just cause. God help us if he does it this year right in the middle of this Okada reign of terror....


Okada is making them money. How is it a reign of terror...lol


----------



## Corey

Miguel De Juan said:


> Okada is making them money. How is it a reign of terror...lol


Simply a matter of opinion. I wanted him to lose to Suzuki because he was hot at the time... then REALLY wanted him to lose to Shibata (even though that never stood a chance)... then thought it would make complete and absolute sense to put the belt on Kenny, but that hasn't happened yet.


----------



## Miguel De Juan

Corey said:


> Simply a matter of opinion. I wanted him to lose to Suzuki because he was hot at the time... then REALLY wanted him to lose to Shibata (even though that never stood a chance)... then thought it would make complete and absolute sense to put the belt on Kenny, but that hasn't happened yet.


Money is the chase. Omega is taking it at KoPW.


----------



## Corey

Miguel De Juan said:


> Money is the chase. Omega is taking it at KoPW.


I'd buy into that idea a lot more if I could believe for one second that Gedo would leave Okada out of the IWGP Title match at the Dome. I simply don't think that's happening.


----------



## El Dandy

Miguel De Juan said:


> Okada is making them money. How is it a reign of terror...lol


Yeah, about that money... Naito is making them just has much if not more money than Okada.
I'm talking from a creative standpoint it is absolutely a reign of terror IMO. It would not be a reign of terror if Okada was so far and away the biggest draw NJPW has. However, he's NJPW 3rd biggest native draw and he's lucky Ibushi will always freelance because he too has bigger drawing potential than Okada.

Okada and CHAOS have chewed up and spit out Naito & LOS, MiSu & SuzukiGun, NOAH & their Ace, and Omega & BC. Okada also took the last of Shibata and Goto got sacrificed to CHAOS/emasculated by Okada because reasons.

Agreed that NJPW should book towards where the money is... and you know what would make NJPW more money? If they got behind Naito like they forcefully do with Okada. Agree that the money is in the chase, but not Omega's chase (not right now at least) rather Naito's chase. What needs to happen is Naito needs to beat Okada at the Dome. It's the single biggest match they can promote and it's a match 4-years in the making. That being said, I am skeptical it even happens because Gedo doesn't want his golden boy to be shit on by 25k Naito fans, let alone Naito winning and being coronated as the people's Ace.


----------



## TD Stinger

Miguel De Juan said:


> Money is the chase. Omega is taking it at KoPW.





Corey said:


> I'd buy into that idea a lot more if I could believe for one second that Gedo would leave Okada out of the IWGP Title match at the Dome. I simply don't think that's happening.


Yeah, @Corey basically took the words out of my mouth. If Omega was going to to win the big one in 2017, he would have done it at Dominion and dropped it back to Okada at KOPW so Okada could still main event WK 12. And now that Omega has basically been given the consolation prize in form of the US title, he's not touching the IWGP title this year.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

TD Stinger said:


> Yeah, @Corey basically took the words out of my mouth. If Omega was going to to win the big one in 2017, he would have done it at Dominion and dropped it back to Okada at KOPW so Okada could still main event WK 12. And now that Omega has basically been given the consolation prize in form of the US title, he's not touching the IWGP title this year.


Which is good because I see Okada/Omega III ending in another draw, thus holding that rivalry off for the next year.


----------



## TD Stinger

Rainmaka! said:


> Which is good because I see Okada/Omega III ending in another draw, thus holding that rivalry off for the next year.


We'll see. I see Okada vs. Naito being the main plan going into 2018. And considering how long term NJPW books, it's unclear to see when and if they revisit Okada vs. Omega in 2018 especially if they allow Naito to have a good reign.

Edit: This all considering Omega stays next year, of course.


----------



## TD Stinger

Just got back from a week long vacation (went to the beach bitches!) and didn't watch any wrestling though I kept track of some news. I saw that Omega became champion and while I plan to watch both shows eventually I skipped right to the Finals of Omega vs. Ishii III since it was getting a lot of hype.

And as unpopular opinion, out of all 3 matches they've had this year, this would be the only one I would consider great, and just barely. And I know a lot of people would disagree with me. But in their first 2 matches, I thought they just packed way too much shit than they needed. There is such a thing as doing too much in a match and often times you do see a match go too long or have one to many kickouts before it jumps the shark. And that's what I thought both of their first 2 matches did.

Now this match, up until the ending, I thought it was awesome. I liked the pacing. That Dragon Suplex off the apron through the table was sick. And they were doing less and getting more out of the match. But that finish just felt so flat to me. And the #1 reason for that was that God damn V-Trigger.

Let me say this, Kenny's V-Trigger was great. It looks AND sounds devastating. And because this move looks so great, any time he overuses it, which has become damn near every match, I just lose interest. A move that looks and sounds that great should not need to be used 10 times in order to win a match. And sadly that's most of what that finishing sequence was just Omega Knee Strikes and it took me out of the match. And it sucks because it's the only portion of the match I didn't like but it's the ending so it's the most important part of the match.

And I'm not saying this just to pile on Omega. Omega is one of the bigger reasons I've gotten into NJPW and more indy wrestlng this year. But that's just the one thing about him that drags him down to me.


----------



## Mordecay

Calling Okada's title reign a reign of Terror :heston

I get it, he is not the most popular guy in the company, I can admitt that; but if your "chosen one" has had arguably the best title reign in the past 20 years, attendance has increased and they are getting more popular outside of Japan, why would you change? And it's not like Okada isn't over, Kenny and him were the most over guys in Long Beach last week. At some point Naito HAS to win the belt and keep it for a while, but let's not pretend Okada's reign is like Asuka's or Triple H in the early 2000's, when business and quality of matches went down during their reigns, besides of burying a lot of people.


----------



## El Dandy

Laugh it up all you want, all I know is this since his reign of terror started on July 5, 2015:
>Okada was fed #1 gaijin Styles & Bullet Club
>Okada was fed true Ace Tanahashi
>Okada was fed Goto and Goto has still not recovered
>Okada was fed Japan's #1 Act Naito & LOS
>Okada was fed NOAH's Ace Marufuji
>Okada was fed returning MiSu and SuzukiGun
>Okada was fed red hot Shibata
>Okada was fed #1 gaijin Omega and Bullet Club

Okada could win the G1 this year as Champion and some would probably lap it up and claim it not to be a reign of terror :lmao

Look at that timeline and look at the muscle put behind him; I sure as fuck hope Okada would be over in Long Beach in front of western fans who don't know any better. These western fans that love Okada probably hate Roman Reigns; they don't even know yet that they are figuratively the same guy.
During this timeline Naito and LOS have easily been NJPW's #1 merch seller at all times and it's not even close, Naito headlined shows have sold his tickets and then some... all while being presented as 1B & 1C.

I don't agree with Miguel often, but I would love nothing more than Omega to take the title off of Okada at KoPW and the Dome is headlined by Naito/Omega. If being 1B and stuck in the IC ranks is so awesome, then the golden boy should have no problem serving his time in that spot.


----------



## Zatiel

El Dandy said:


> >Okada was fed red hot Shibata


One of my difficulties taking your complaints seriously is use of the verb "fed." Okada wasn't fed shit that night. That was a career-making match for Shibata where Okada made him look incredible and step up to the world title level. Shibata kicked his ass for more than half the match, out-wrestled him on the mat and out-struck him both standing and sitting. This was Shibata's coming out party. He was more over after losing than the day before.

Roman Reigns was fed Finn Balor - he beat him clean and showed Balor wasn't in his league on a weekly TV episode. Matches against Reigns never elevate anyone.

Okada routinely makes his opponents get more over than they were before. That isn't feeding, and it isn't close to the same as Reigns.


----------



## Miguel De Juan

I don't get where you see Okada as not being over. He was over in Long Beach and after all his main events he won the crowd over. His appeal as champion is you want to see him beat and the question of who will beat him. 

The US title is meant for the United States expansion, though I rather not have seen another title created for obvious reasons.

Gedo's worst booking is the tag division since its the least over matches. Compared that to their 90s booking where the big tag titles were hot.

I doubt Gedo cares about Okada being booed because Shibata was clearly the face in the Sakura Genesis match.

Edit: Okada and Yoshi-Hashi imo should have long IWGP tag title reign to elevate those titles sometime next year. That is what NJPW used to do with guys like Mutoh and Chono.


----------



## volde

It is kinda ridiculous to claim that Okada was "fed" something when his every match this year was designed to showcase another guy, even Cody was competitive. Even then, idea that top guy gets to beat other top guys is like wrestling 101, thats probably how every super star everywhere was built since forever. 

As for G1, I'd imagine that maybe Okada/Omega ends with another draw, but this time it looks like Omega is about to win, basically a reverse of Dominion ending, to build towards Okada/Omega IV where Omega finally wins.


----------



## Desecrated

Reign of terror is definitely something that will split opinions. I can understand it though because the belt would be hotter on Naito and Omega. I'm also not sure it works because Okada's title defence in 2017 so far (while match quality has split some opinions) has generated foreign interest in New Japan. I'm sure larger portions of the audience in Japan would prefer Naito though? So it also does work.

I don't know. If it was me, I think Omega winning at WK, Shibata over Omega at Sakura Genesis and Naito over Shibata at Dominion would've been flawless and generated much more interest for all sectors of the fans than Okada winning through them all.


----------



## volde

So you would want top belt to be hotshoted between 4 people in 6 months..? Thats WWE booking.


----------



## Desecrated

volde said:


> So you would want top belt to be hotshoted between 4 people in 6 months..? Thats WWE booking.


Not that there is anything wrong with it. Sure, the use of the filler champion is bothersome at times. But is there anything wrong with what I suggested except filler champions? Putting the title onto Shibata in the middle keeps a feud between Bullet Club and LIJ fresh. Putting the title onto Omega at WK was the perfect time, as was putting the belt onto Naito (if he dropped the Intercontinental Championship sooner after destroying it) at Dominion would've been the perfect time.


----------



## The Nuke

"Reign of Terror"?

huh?

The issue here is just that people hate that Okada has hogged the title for so long, and instead want it on their favorite guys. Get over it.


----------



## volde

Desecrated said:


> But is there anything wrong with what I suggested except filler champions?


Filler champions are main reason why nobody cares about any title in WWE. That alone makes your "flawless booking" ridiculous. 

You also got this weird idea that this would somehow make various fans happy, fans of top guys believe that their favourite should be THE guy. Naito's fans weren't happy about his short reign last year, what makes you think that Omega's or Shiabata's fans would love them getting short 2 month reigns? With your ideas we also really don't get Okada/Omega feud that is probably their main international attraction. 

I mean, look at what WWE did this year. AJ drops title at Rumble, Cena drops it two weeks later to Bray, Bray drops it to Orton at WM and Orton drops two months later to Jinder. AJ, Cena, Bray and Orton fans didn't like that at all. And no, its not because Jinder eventually became the champ, people were bitching about this mess since before Jinder was even moved into title picture. 

By trying to please everyone you'll usually end up pissing off everyone.


----------



## Desecrated

volde said:


> Filler champions are main reason why nobody cares about any title in WWE. That alone makes your "flawless booking" ridiculous.
> 
> You also got this weird idea that this would somehow make various fans happy, fans of top guys believe that their favourite should be THE guy. Naito's fans weren't happy about his short reign last year, what makes you think that Omega's or Shiabata's fans would love them getting short 2 month reigns? With your ideas we also really don't get Okada/Omega feud that is probably their main international attraction.
> 
> I mean, look at what WWE did this year. AJ drops title at Rumble, Cena drops it two weeks later to Bray, Bray drops it to Orton at WM and Orton drops two months later to Jinder. AJ, Cena, Bray and Orton fans didn't like that at all. And no, its not because Jinder eventually became the champ, people were bitching about this mess since before Jinder was even moved into title picture.
> 
> By trying to please everyone you'll usually end up pissing off everyone.


The scenario you posted is one of the scenarios I was trying to put under bothersome. You are right that the hot potato has led to people not caring about the WWE title in the past but this isn't the WWE. It didn't help Naito to lose to the title soon but Naito isn't Omega and Shibata? He's their biggest star. Naito's fans weren't happy because during last year, why wouldn't Naito get a longer run? He was extremely over. Every scenario is different.

I don't know. There isn't a one shoe fits all and there isn't this older shoe has fit in the past, therefore it should fit now. I have no problems with Okada's run, I just think that putting the belt back onto Naito in the way I hypothesized would've kept feuds hot and angles running longer. I'm not exactly seeing counter-suggestions except that what happened in other companies and happened in the past wasn't optimal. Just suggesting ideas. I'd rather see alternative theories than dismissal for the sake of discussion.


----------



## El Dandy

Miguel De Juan said:


> I don't get where you see Okada as not being over. He was over in Long Beach and after all his main events he won the crowd over. His appeal as champion is you want to see him beat and the question of who will beat him.
> 
> Edit: Okada and Yoshi-Hashi imo should have long IWGP tag title reign to elevate those titles sometime next year. That is what NJPW used to do with guys like Mutoh and Chono.


Never said Okada wasn't over tbf. He's over and he is obv main event over, but he's not "Ace" over. It is not a hot take at all to say Okada is the #3 native draw on the roster behind Naito & Tana. Naito got more over in 6 months coming back from CMLL than Okada has in 5-years with the literal booker being his corner man.
I think you're absolutely correct that it would serve better if Okada had a break from the HW scene; I've been screaming this for years now dating back to wanting Nakamura to get a run with his gimmick.... and that run never happened. Think a team of him and YOSHI-HASHI is a fine idea. Elevate that scene, elevate YOSHI-HASHI, keep Okada away from a title scene he has dominated for years now. Sign me up!

*Do you want to know how many HW, IC, TT. NEVER title matches Okada has been featured in over the last 5-years?
>HW: 31
>IC: 0
>TT: 1
>NEVER: 0*

but to some I'm the asshole here because I'm sick and tired Okada when there are 2 better choices sitting there like Tetsuya Naito & Kenny Omega who should get actual runs with the title?



The Nuke said:


> The issue here is just that people hate that Okada has hogged the title for so long, and instead want it on their favorite guys.


No shit Sherlock :lmao
Actually, no, fuck that noise

I'm advocating Omega winning the title because that has made the most sense since the Dome show, and I don't really give 2 shits about Kenny Omega. 
You ask anybody who has known me in this section since Omega signed with NJPW and I have been one of his biggest critics here.
What should have happened is Omega beats Okada at Dominion clean in the middle via OWA. Instead, a time limit draw where the last thing that happens before time expires are Omega getting hit with Rainmakers and about to be defeated yet again. Could not even do the common sense booking of Omega hitting OWA and time expiring as the ref's hand hits 2 in order to set up a visual pinfall and adding to that story. 

At this stage, I want the biggest draw in the company to be presented as the top guy because that's pro-wrestling. I'm not suggesting they dump Okada in favor of some midcard guy who could make it someday. *I'm talking about a guy who the people picked, rather than the guy who was picked for the people 5-years ago and they have been trying ever since.*
You don't like that Naito is the top draw in Japan and not Okada? Take it up with native fans and tell them to stop buying his merch in droves more than Okada's, buying tickets to for his matches at the same rate as Okada's, or shitting on Naito's babyface opponents while going crazy for Naito instead.


volde said:


> So you would want top belt to be hotshoted between 4 people in 6 months..? Thats WWE booking.


We're talking about a guy who has had the title 665/735 days. 
Like clockwork, some people immediately go to the "WWE/Vince Russo hotshot!" defense when those of us have had enough of this Okada overkill.

Not that I agree with the suggestion that the title goes from Okada -> Omega -> Shibata -> Naito. However, I see no problem that it couldn't have gone from Okada to Omega at Dominion, Omega to Okada at KoPW, and Okada to Naito at Tokyo Dome. Not every title run needs to be the 2003-2005 Kenta Kobashi run.


----------



## Corey

Rainmaka! said:


> Which is good because I see Okada/Omega III ending in another draw, thus holding that rivalry off for the next year.


Thank god it can only go 30 minutes this time. :lol



TD Stinger said:


> And as unpopular opinion, out of all 3 matches they've had this year, this would be the only one I would consider great, and just barely. And I know a lot of people would disagree with me. But in their first 2 matches, I thought they just packed way too much shit than they needed. There is such a thing as doing too much in a match and often times you do see a match go too long or have one to many kickouts before it jumps the shark. And that's what I thought both of their first 2 matches did.


Agreed. This match was the first one of theirs that I rated ****+


----------



## The Nuke

El Dandy said:


> No shit Sherlock :lmao
> Actually, no, fuck that noise
> 
> I'm advocating Omega winning the title because that has made the most sense since the Dome show, and I don't really give 2 shits about Kenny Omega.
> You ask anybody who has known me in this section since Omega signed with NJPW and I have been one of his biggest critics here.
> What should have happened is Omega beats Okada at Dominion clean in the middle via OWA. Instead, a time limit draw where the last thing that happens before time expires are Omega getting hit with Rainmakers and about to be defeated yet again. Could not even do the common sense booking of Omega hitting OWA and time expiring as the ref's hand hits 2 in order to set up a visual pinfall and adding to that story.
> 
> At this stage, I want the biggest draw in the company to be presented as the top guy because that's pro-wrestling. I'm not suggesting they dump Okada in favor of some midcard guy who could make it someday. *I'm talking about a guy who the people picked, rather than the guy who was picked for the people 5-years ago and they have been trying ever since.*
> You don't like that Naito is the top draw in Japan and not Okada? Take it up with native fans and tell them to stop buying his merch in droves more than Okada's, buying tickets to for his matches at the same rate as Okada's, or shitting on Naito's babyface opponents while going crazy for Naito instead.


LOL. Okada is the biggest draw in the company.

Naito is the most popular. Guess what, Nakamura was the most popular too. Tanahashi was still the biggest draw.

Yay, that LIJ sell merch. Okada's main events sell the tickets.


----------



## The Nuke

Desecrated said:


> The scenario you posted is one of the scenarios I was trying to put under bothersome. You are right that the hot potato has led to people not caring about the WWE title in the past but this isn't the WWE. It didn't help Naito to lose to the title soon but Naito isn't Omega and Shibata? He's their biggest star. Naito's fans weren't happy because during last year, why wouldn't Naito get a longer run? He was extremely over. Every scenario is different.
> 
> I don't know. There isn't a one shoe fits all and there isn't this older shoe has fit in the past, therefore it should fit now. I have no problems with Okada's run, I just think that putting the belt back onto Naito in the way I hypothesized would've kept feuds hot and angles running longer. I'm not exactly seeing counter-suggestions except that what happened in other companies and happened in the past wasn't optimal. Just suggesting ideas. I'd rather see alternative theories than dismissal for the sake of discussion.



Okay how about this.....I'll give you Gedo's alternative...which is to keep the title on the big draw of the company(not going to dispute this. if you don't think this is true, all I can do is laugh). The ace. Tell a story about a young dominant champion out to prove he's the best in these long matches against a variety of opponents. The champ defeats them all, but as a consequence of all these hard fought match ups, the champion is beginning to lose that grip on his opponents he holds so dear. Took him 45 minutes to beat Omega the first time. In the second match he couldn't beat him at all, even after 60 minutes. Even after 6 Rain Makers. The Rain maker being one of the most protected moves in the company.

Eventually he'll be beaten by Naito. Naito will begin a feud with Omega. The Bullet Club and LIJ will go to war. There's your fresh match ups. There's your fresh feud. That war will sell lots of tickets, and lots of merch. Naito vs Omega will be the most likely option to get the belt on Omega. Which means it will eventually come right back around to Okada. Omega is the champion and will have to fight the man he could never beat. Well unless he beats him in the G1 of course. Even then it's still a story of Omega going in as champion vs Okada. Hell there's your WK13 match. A match that could be Omega's last.

See in WWE they'd do that in a matter of months. Gedo is thinking in long term, And why not? What he is doing is working wonderfully. Which means he can hold off the big things for as long as possible, and then when the time is right pull the trigger on these big match ups and stories. Means business could be good longer, and longer is good. Gedo knows a BC vs LIJ war will sell big. He's kept Naito away from both Okada and Omega for almost a year, and over in Okada's case.

I think a lot of this is just the western fan not used to what old Wrestling used to do. WWE will blow through every big match on TV in weeks. With NJPW you'll have to wait. Perhaps even years.

Masawa beat Jumbo. They called it a passing of the torch. It still took Masawa 2 years to become champion.


Okada as champion is working. And with NJPW I'll just follow the soap opera. I'll be along for the journey. I'll leave marking for your favorites to be champion, to you fellows.


----------



## El Dandy

The Nuke said:


> LOL. Okada is the biggest draw in the company.
> 
> Naito is the most popular. Guess what, Nakamura was the most popular too. Tanahashi was still the biggest draw.
> 
> Yay, that LIJ sell merch. Okada's main events sell the tickets.


Sorry m8 I don't mean to disrupt your world view right now and redpill you, but it's Naito ≥ Tana > Okada.

Naito's main events sell tickets just as well as Okada's and that's with Naito being presented as 1B/1C at times. Get Naito in that 1A spot with half the machine that's behind Okada, and no doubt you're looking at going to over 30,000 at the Dome again.

Okada is such the biggest draw and Ace that they literally gave the Ace name back to Tanahashi last year 6 months after declaring Okada the new Ace lel
He can't even get into the top 3 of merch sales. that sure sounds like the biggest draw to me. Meanwhile, Naito runs roughshod over the merch rankings. wew lad right now LOS Jorts are the #2 seller that's how fucking over he is. Fans would rather buy literal Naito jean shorts over any gear from "the biggest draw in Japan."

As for Nakamura, Naito is already a bigger draw than Nakamura, so sayeth even the Meltzer (who, in the past, has looked for any reason to discount Naito). Dave was so slow on Naito that it took until Invasion Attack 16 and the crowd being 90-10 Naito for Dave to realize it, but most of us knew (shout out to @Corey cause in the 2015 G1 thread we were furiously fantasy booking ways for new Naito to win that G1 cause it was clear right away that LOS Naito was gonna be the shit; Tana/Okada be damned). Up until that point Dave was saying they wouldn't be able to replace Nakamura... but Naito did it with ease and within months cause that's what happens when a crowd picked organic draw appears.

Like I said, don't take it up with me, take it up with the natives who have picked Naito and have accepted him. Keep plugging your ears and listening to the people overwhelmingly react to him; keep covering your eyes hoping that the thousands of LOS shirts turn into Rainmaker shirts and that the seats sold by Naito mains don't match those of Okada.


----------



## The Nuke

Miguel De Juan said:


> Gedo's worst booking is the tag division since its the least over matches. Compared that to their 90s booking where the big tag titles were hot.


I do feel Gedo is missing some opportunities here. Maybe Memphis Wrestling wasn't a big tag territory( Gedo was big fan of Memphis Wrestling).

Putting tag belts on the top guys have always been the best way to get them over. Unless you had that big tag team, but we also forget that some territories were tag based to begin with.

Can't even remember how many tag titles Kobashi had or how many tag teams he formed with a younger guy, veteran, or Masawa for that matter.

Back in the day given that Hiromu and Naito wouldn't be doing much between big singles feuds, they'd be tag champs probably.


----------



## Corey

El Dandy said:


> but most of us knew (shout out to @Corey cause in the 2015 G1 thread we were furiously fantasy booking ways for new Naito to win that G1 cause it was clear right away that LOS Naito was gonna be the shit; Tana/Okada be damned)












The memories <3


----------



## Corey

Two title matches were announced for the G1 Final. Cody is challenging for another belt, although thank god he's Page's partner instead of Yujiro.  Still hope War Machine retains. Jr. Tag Title match should be great.

*NJPW “G1 CLIMAX 27”, 8/13/2017 [Sun] 15:00 @ Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo*

() *IWGP Junior Tag Championship Match:* [52nd Champions] Matt & Nick Jackson vs. [Challengers] Ryusuke Taguchi & Ricochet
~ 2nd title defense.

() *IWGP Tag Championship Match:* [77th Champions] Raymond Rowe & Hanson vs. [Challengers] Cody & Hangman Page
~ 1st title defense.


----------



## volde

Corey said:


> thank god he's Page's partner instead of Yujiro.


First time that I was genuinely happy for Cody getting a match in NJPW for same exact reason. 

And I don't see Cody getting a tag-team belt while being RoH champion so probably Page eats the pin. Maybe one of the guys from War Machine will challenge Cody for RoH world title after the match?


----------



## Corey

volde said:


> First time that I was genuinely happy for Cody getting a match in NJPW for same exact reason.
> 
> And I don't see Cody getting a tag-team belt while being RoH champion so probably Page eats the pin. Maybe one of the guys from War Machine will challenge Cody for RoH world title after the match?


Yeah that would be cool. Last I read, War Machine doesn't have a deal with ROH at all anymore though but who knows. They put over MCMG in their most recent match but I'd be down for a Cody/Hanson title match on a TV Taping or one of the UK shows or something.


----------



## volde

UK shows are supposed to be joint with NJPW right? Doing Cody/Hanson would probably make more sense there than some random RoH TV Taping. Or Hanson wouldn't be "big enough star" for UK show?


----------



## Corey

volde said:


> UK shows are supposed to be joint with NJPW right? Doing Cody/Hanson would probably make more sense there than some random RoH TV Taping. Or Hanson wouldn't be "big enough star" for UK show?


Yeah they're an ROH/NJPW/CMLL joint so it would work. Don't know if they would wait until like a week before the shows to announce the match though so we'll see.


----------



## HOJO

Zatiel said:


> One of my difficulties taking your complaints seriously is use of the verb "fed." Okada wasn't fed shit that night. That was a career-making match for Shibata where Okada made him look incredible and step up to the world title level. Shibata kicked his ass for more than half the match, out-wrestled him on the mat and out-struck him both standing and sitting. This was Shibata's coming out party. He was more over after losing than the day before.


Shibata made Shibata look incredible



> Roman Reigns was fed Finn Balor - he beat him clean and showed Balor wasn't in his league on a weekly TV episode. Matches against Reigns never elevate anyone


Reigns elevated AJ Styles for the WWE audience and the company itself as well as Braun Strowman to everyone.


----------



## Zatiel

You watched Okada let himself get one-upped over and over and think it was just "Shibata made Shibata." Okay, so you just don't know how wrestling works. That's fine. Not worth arguing with you.


----------



## HOJO

Zatiel said:


> You watched Okada let himself get one-upped over and over and think it was just "Shibata made Shibata." Okay, so you just don't know how wrestling works. That's fine. Not worth arguing with you.


Yes. Shibata made Shibata look incredible with Okada's help. Boo hoo


----------



## Corey

I mean, this is the Japanese wrestling thread but for discussion's sake I definitely think Reigns elevates people when he tries (not 300 superman punches and no selling of big moves). I'm not exactly a fan of the guy (I love to boo him), but they put him up against people so that the audience can take them as serious threats. Joe immediately beat him on arrival and the crowd knew he was gonna be a top guy. This feud with Strowman has been IMMENSE for Braun. Plus I thought that match with Balor was fantastic and showed Balor could hang with the bigger dudes and/or big names.

Also agreed that he elevated AJ. To the mainstream audience those matches put AJ on the map and showed he was a top dawg, not that he needed them but it was their short version of paying his dues and earning his stripes, etc etc.

IMO Okada did nothing whatsoever for Suzuki but the WK match with Omega and the Shibata defense rocked the wrestling world and definitely elevated the two even more than where they where they already were. Shibata


----------



## Miguel De Juan

HOJO said:


> Yes. Shibata made Shibata look incredible with Okada's help. Boo hoo


It takes two to tango, genius.


----------



## HOJO

Miguel De Juan said:


> It takes two to tango, genius.


I know, that's why I added the Okada part. Would say the same for any other pairing in a match like that. Roman looked incredible vs AJ with AJ's help, for example


----------



## NastyYaffa

12 years.


----------



## antoniomare007

Hash is the only dude that could arguably be considered a better Ace than Misawa. I miss that fat bastard so much :mj2


----------



## El Dandy

>big match feels









>big boy bumping

















>destruction


----------



## Mordecay

Update on the Shibata condition


----------



## ShadowSucks92

Despite all the shitty things that are going on, it really makes my day when I hear one of my favourite wrestlers is slowly but surely getting better. Shibata is not only one of the toughest in the ring, but also out the ring because what he must be going through I doubt many could so I have nothing but respect for him and as much I'll miss him, I hope he does stop wrestling because all I want for him right now, is to get better and to live a nice long life.


----------



## Lariatoh!

TD Stinger said:


> Just got back from a week long vacation (went to the beach bitches!) and didn't watch any wrestling though I kept track of some news. I saw that Omega became champion and while I plan to watch both shows eventually I skipped right to the Finals of Omega vs. Ishii III since it was getting a lot of hype.
> 
> And as unpopular opinion, out of all 3 matches they've had this year, this would be the only one I would consider great, and just barely. And I know a lot of people would disagree with me. But in their first 2 matches, I thought they just packed way too much shit than they needed. There is such a thing as doing too much in a match and often times you do see a match go too long or have one to many kickouts before it jumps the shark. And that's what I thought both of their first 2 matches did.
> 
> Now this match, up until the ending, I thought it was awesome. I liked the pacing. That Dragon Suplex off the apron through the table was sick. And they were doing less and getting more out of the match. But that finish just felt so flat to me. And the #1 reason for that was that God damn V-Trigger.
> 
> *Let me say this, Kenny's V-Trigger was great. It looks AND sounds devastating. And because this move looks so great, any time he overuses it, which has become damn near every match, I just lose interest. A move that looks and sounds that great should not need to be used 10 times in order to win a match.* And sadly that's most of what that finishing sequence was just Omega Knee Strikes and it took me out of the match. And it sucks because it's the only portion of the match I didn't like but it's the ending so it's the most important part of the match.
> 
> And I'm not saying this just to pile on Omega. Omega is one of the bigger reasons I've gotten into NJPW and more indy wrestlng this year. But that's just the one thing about him that drags him down to me.


I want to say that I really agree with you here. The V-Trigger looks devastating. It should be enough to put someone away in a lesser match and be the setup for the OWA against a top guy.

Now firstly Puro/strong style/NJPW match booking is different to what is presented in the US. A singles match is a big deal, and when it's two top guys going at it like Omega/Ishii these a slugfest drag out wars.

Secondly, going back to what I said about a V-Trigger and OWA combo, it could be seen as strong as even the Goldberg combo. Now please I'm not comparing Goldberg to omega. What I am comparing is that the Goldberg spear was sort of looked at as a finisher in itself, but it was Goldberg who made sure he got the win (kayfabe) by using the Jackhammer as well. 

The same could be used by Omega. If he uses the V-Trigger sparingly and in numerous tag matches NJPW run throughout the tours - if he puts guys away with the V-Trigger, with one  V-Trigger. It starts to really add drama and gravitas that the combo of the V-Trigger and the OWA will bring to a dominant Omega. 

His combo could be feared throughout wrestling if he would use the V-Tigger sparingly. 

Now as I said, strong style matches are booked differently, and I love a great back and forth strong style fight to the death/war. But sometimes less is more and the V-Trigger is a good example of it.


----------



## Little Miss Ingobernable

Rocky Romero just announced on Perioscope that he is leaving the Jr. Tag scene but isn't retiring.

He says he won't find a better partner than Beretta so he isn't going to try.

He says his contract is up in January and still trying to figure out his next move but he will ideally resign with NJPW and continue to help them grow.

He mentioned wanting another singles run in the Jr. division.

Wants to work more PWG.

Wants to wrestle for more independents and do more singles matches. Tried to think of opponents and Matt Riddle was the one he brought up off the top of his head.

He says he would "LOVE" a shot at the NEVER Openweight belt.

https://www.pscp.tv/azucarRoc/1DXxyOmAnNVGM


----------



## Corey

Haha Rocky would get destroyed by Suzuki, Ishii, or Goto. Trent is another story but I think Rock should stick to singles in the juniors division. Switching to a commentating role would be cool as well.


----------



## Little Miss Ingobernable

Corey said:


> Haha Rocky would get destroyed by Suzuki, Ishii, or Goto. Trent is another story but I think Rock should stick to singles in the juniors division. Switching to a commentating role would be cool as well.


I'm not against the idea of him on commentary even though I loathe 3-man booths. I liked him a lot during the Honor Rising shows.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

HerNotThem said:


> Rocky Romero just announced on Perioscope that he is leaving the Jr. Tag scene but isn't retiring.
> 
> He says he won't find a better partner than Beretta so he isn't going to try.
> 
> He says his contract is up in January and still trying to figure out his next move but he will ideally resign with NJPW and continue to help them grow.
> 
> He mentioned wanting another singles run in the Jr. division.
> 
> Wants to work more PWG.
> 
> Wants to wrestle for more independents and do more singles matches. Tried to think of opponents and Matt Riddle was the one he brought up off the top of his head.
> 
> He says he would "LOVE" a shot at the NEVER Openweight belt.
> 
> https://www.pscp.tv/azucarRoc/1DXxyOmAnNVGM


:hmmm I remember he was offered a trainee job at WWE a few years back and was considering it. Hope he resigns with NJPW tho.


----------



## volde

HerNotThem said:


> I'm not against the idea of him on commentary even though I loathe 3-man booths. I liked him a lot during the Honor Rising shows.


I have heard him few times on commentary and I don't feel like he is much, if at all, worse than regular commentators so might as well fire one of them if Rocky wants to do it.


----------



## Duck_Beak

Rainmaka! said:


> :hmmm I remember he was offered a trainee job at WWE a few years back and was considering it. Hope he resigns with NJPW tho.


Scuttlebutt on Twitter for a while now was Rocky was going to be the one running the United States NJPW Dojo in California and this new info only seems to back that rumor up.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

Duck_Beak said:


> Scuttlebutt on Twitter for a while now was Rocky was going to be the one running the United States NJPW Dojo in California and this new info only seems to back that rumor up.


Huh. Didn't even think about that til now and yes, that does make a lot of sense.


----------



## Mr. Socko

Rocky instead of Cyrus would be great for me at least. I just cant stand Cyrus at all.


----------



## kovs27

Corey said:


> Haha Rocky would get destroyed by Suzuki, Ishii, or Goto. Trent is another story but I think Rock should stick to singles in the juniors division. Switching to a commentating role would be cool as well.


Rocky being able to speak Japanese would also help the English feed with translating promos.


----------



## Corey

Interesting note from today's All Japan show:



> ~ Akiyama announced previously that a former Triple Crown champion will be competing for the promotion at the Ryogoku show on August 27.
> 
> ~ This has lead to Suwama stating that when he wins the Triple Crown belt that he wants to defend the belt against whoever is to be announced, which will be at the next Korakuen Hall show.


:hmmm Suzuki!? Shiozaki!?


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

Corey said:


> Interesting note from today's All Japan show:
> 
> 
> :hmmm Suzuki!? Shiozaki!?


I'm leaning toward Shiozaki, which would be tits. :mark:


----------



## HomokHarcos

Is anybody going to be watching the Korakuen Hall AJPW show tomorrow?


----------



## antoniomare007

So tomorrow we have Day 1 of the G-1, Big Japan at Sumo Hall and All Japan announcing their main event for Sumo Hall. Big day.


----------



## Corey

HomokHarcos said:


> Is anybody going to be watching the Korakuen Hall AJPW show tomorrow?


Doubtful with the G1. Will get to it when it pops up on the RealHero archive though. Looking forward to Miyahara/Doering and Ishikawa/Suwama. (Y)


----------



## Corey

Big time stuff happening today not related to the G1.

Kobayashi & Ito actually beat Strong BJ to win the BJW Tag Titles. Suzuki retained and Daichi is the next challenger. They drew 3,100 for the show at Sumo Hall.

Satoshi Kojima was announced as the former Triple Crown Champion that's working the big All Japan show next month. Ishikawa retained, Miyahara beat Doerinh and became the next challenger, and Jake Lee & Naoya Nomura won the tag straps.

They should be able to draw more than 3,100 (hopefully). News:



> ~ *Satoshi Kojima* was announced as the former Triple Crown champion to be competing for All Japan’s 45th anniversary show at the Ryogoku Kokugikan on August 27. *It was also announced that he will be taking on Suwama in a special singles match.*
> ~ Also announced for the Ryogoku show is a special 45th anniversary match, as Masanobu Fuchi teams with The Great Kabuki to take on Dory Funk Jr. and Hiro Saito.
> ~ Caristico will indeed be competing on the show as a he takes on El Diamante in a special lucha libre attraction match.
> 
> ~ The Oudou Tournament was announced to be taking place throughout the month of September, as the first round matches were announced to begin on September 12 at the Korakuen Hall.
> ~ Suwama vs. Naoya Nomura, Koji Iwamoto vs. Yuma Aoyagi, Jake Lee vs. Atsushi Aoki, Hikaru Sato vs. Joe Doering, Ryoji Sai vs. Zeus, Shuji Ishikawa vs. Bodyguard, Kento Miyahara vs. KAI, TAJIRI vs. Yoshitatsu.
> 
> ~ It was announced that Ishikawa will indeed be defending the Triple Crown against Miyahara on August 27 in Ryogoku.


Who the hell is El Diamante?


----------



## antoniomare007

Good news across the board.

Really interested in both tag title matches from Big Japan. Both have chances of being really fun or complete clusterfucks.

Now Yuji has a clear path at regaining the main belt. Can't wait for the eventual rematch with Hideki. Would love it to be at Korakuen but they'll probable book it for the "big" Death Vegas Yokohama show.

3,100 is sad as fuck but completely predictable given that card. I don't know why they bother to book Sumo Hall, they've never put on a card worthy of that building.

All Japan on the other hand tries to do whatever it can to put on a big show giving their resources. I hope they can get more than 5k at least.

DDT will also have a big test. After seemingly spending all the money they had for big bookings for the Saitama Super Arena show, they - so far at least - are going for a very "in house" show at Ryogoku for the Peter Pan show. Takeshita vs Endo is the future but it feels very small time compared to other years....and attendance has gone down since New Japan stopped lending them talent (when they still were courting Ibushi by any means necessary, lol).


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Kojima coming back to All Japan is awesome & he vs. Suwama should be pretty good (Y)

Also, in DG news, ex-Millenial member U-T will finally return to the ring at the 7/21 NEX show. He's been out for months due to injuring his arm in two place. And the full card for Kobe World has been posted: *



> 07/23/2017
> Hyogo, Kobe World Kinen Hall
> Kobe Pro Wrestling Festival 2017
> 0. Shachihoko Boy vs. Draztick Boy
> 1. Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fujii, Jimmy Kanda, Jimmy K-ness J.K.S. vs. Kaito Ishida, Yuki Yoshioka, Shun Skywalker, Hyo Watanabe
> 2. Open the Triangle Gate #1 Contender Tournament 1st Round
> 3. Open the Triangle Gate #1 Contender Tournament 1st Round
> 4. Open the Brave Gate Championship Match: Jimmy Kagetora vs. Flamita
> 5. Open the Triangle Gate #1 Contender Tournament Finals
> 6. Open the Triangle Gate Championship Match: Shingo Takagi, Takashi Yoshida, El Lindaman vs. Tournament Winners
> 7. Open the Twin Gate Championship Match: CIMA, Dragon Kid vs. Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino
> 8. Open the Dream Gate Championship Match: YAMATO vs. T-Hawk
> -Open the Triangle Gate #1 Contender Tournament Teams-
> Jimmyz: Jimmy Susumu, Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!!, Ryo “Jimmy” Saito
> Tribe Vanguard: BxB Hulk, Kzy, Yosuke♡Santa Maria
> Over Generation: Gamma, Eita, Takehiro Yamamura
> MaxiMuM: Kotoka, Big R Shimizu, Ben-K


----------



## HOJO

antoniomare007 said:


> Good news across the board.
> 
> Really interested in both tag title matches from Big Japan. Both have chances of being really fun or complete clusterfucks.
> 
> Now Yuji has a clear path at regaining the main belt. Can't wait for the eventual rematch with Hideki. Would love it to be at Korakuen but they'll probable bpok it for the "big" Death Vegas Yokohama show.
> 
> 3,100 is sad as fuck but completely predictable given that card. I don't know ehy the bother to book Sumo Hall, they've never put on a card worthy of that building.
> 
> All Japan on the other hand tries to do whatever it can to put on a big show giving their resources. I hope they can get more than 5k at least.
> 
> DDT will also have a big test. After seemingly spending all the money tgey had for big bookings for the Saitama Super Arena show, they - so far at least - are going for a very "in house" show at Ryogoku for the Peter Pan show. Takeshita vs Endo is the future but it feels very small time compared to other years....and attendance has gone down since New Japan stopped lending them talent (when they still were courting Ibushi by any means neccesary, lol).


Yeah I don't know about what'll happen with DDT. I think it may drop from last year thinking about it, even just a little bit. They build Endo strong on that final King of DDT show but it'll take a bit to see if it's really effective enough

Right now the card is just Takeshita/Endo, Dino/Takagi, Shouten Doji vs Honda, Togo, & Urano, 10 man tag belts, Marufuji's match and LiLiCo's return. I assume if Irie & Higuchi retain against Ishikawa & Paulie that Paulie will be in the Heavymetalweight title battle royal, Ishikawa will do...whatever... and HARASHIMA will face Marufuji. If the don't, then Irie/HARASHIMA would be a good thing to go for if they wanna pull the trigger on Irie beating HARASHIMA right now, or they can even do Irie vs Marufuji. Then there will be the joshi offer tag match with Meiko and Yamashita in it cuz theyre gonna have a match at Tokyo Joshi Pro's Korakuen show 6 days later, then they find some random mix of their own guys and freelancers to fill the 10 man tag belts since every other stable has guys in other matches and none of them have 5 members.

They seemed to realize how they have to set up and support a weak looking main event this year. Tag titles with Ishikawa who's a draw, the Joey/Daisuke feud, and most likely a big Endo match before Sumo Hall. Hopefully that intuition is there for Peter Pan. Maybe more NOAH guys could be there, maybe Suzuki or Kasai being on the card, who knows.


----------



## Corey

Two title matches in place before the big All Japan show on 8/27:

*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2017 SUMMER ACTION SERIES”, 7/28/2017 [Fri] 18:30 @ Nagoya City Tsuyuhashi Sports Center in Aichi*

() *All Japan Pro-Wrestling Founding 45th Anniversary Memorial Battle in Osaka ~ The Road to RYOGOKU :* Jun Akiyama, Suwama & Kento Miyahara vs. Shuji Ishikawa, Joe Doering & Yuji Okabayashi

() *World Tag Championship Match:* [76th Champions] Jake Lee & Naoya Nomura vs. [Challengers] Zeus & The Bodyguard
~ 1st title defense.

*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2017 SUMMER ACTION SERIES”, 7/30/2017 [Sun] 17:00 @ EDION Arena Osaka, 2nd Stadium*

() *World Junior Heavyweight Championship Match:* [43rd Champion] Hikaru Sato vs. [Challenger] TAJIRI
~ 5th title defense.

() *All Japan Pro-Wrestling Founding 45th Anniversary Memorial Battle in Osaka ~ The Road to RYOGOKU :* Suwama, Kento Miyahara & Zeus vs. Shuji Ishikawa, Joe Doering & The Bodyguard


----------



## HOJO

Corey said:


> Two title matches in place before the big All Japan show on 8/27:
> 
> *All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2017 SUMMER ACTION SERIES”, 7/28/2017 [Fri] 18:30 @ Nagoya City Tsuyuhashi Sports Center in Aichi*
> 
> () *All Japan Pro-Wrestling Founding 45th Anniversary Memorial Battle in Osaka ~ The Road to RYOGOKU :* Jun Akiyama, Suwama & Kento Miyahara vs. Shuji Ishikawa, Joe Doering & Yuji Okabayashi
> 
> () *World Tag Championship Match:* [76th Champions] Jake Lee & Naoya Nomura vs. [Challengers] Zeus & The Bodyguard
> ~ 1st title defense.
> 
> *All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2017 SUMMER ACTION SERIES”, 7/30/2017 [Sun] 17:00 @ EDION Arena Osaka, 2nd Stadium*
> 
> () *World Junior Heavyweight Championship Match:* [43rd Champion] Hikaru Sato vs. [Challenger] TAJIRI
> ~ 5th title defense.
> 
> () *All Japan Pro-Wrestling Founding 45th Anniversary Memorial Battle in Osaka ~ The Road to RYOGOKU :* Suwama, Kento Miyahara & Zeus vs. Shuji Ishikawa, Joe Doering & The Bodyguard


That AJPW vs BIG BOIS tag on 7/28 :trips8

Sato vs Tajiri :trips8:trips8


----------



## antoniomare007

RYOGOKUTAN is already on RealHero's archive







That man really is a hero


----------



## NastyYaffa

antoniomare007 said:


> RYOGOKUTAN is already on RealHero's archive
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That man really is a hero


Hideki's title defense ruled, no surprise there.

And he got Daichi next!


----------



## antoniomare007

*Kazuki Hashimoto vs Shinobu - Jr Tournament Final Ryogokutan 2017*

Better than their match at Korakuen in June. Really good work by Kazuki working the arm and nice comeback by Shinobu. Not sure the right man won. I want to see these two work against in each in heated tag matches, I think their chemistry would work best in that kind of setting.

*Ryota Hama, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Shogun Okamoto vs Kohei Sato & Okami - Ryogokutan 2017*

Fun little 6 man match. It kinda ended out of nowhere but it served the purpose of showing that getting caught by Hama's fat ass is an instant L, lol.


*Hideki Suzuki vs Ryuichi Kawakami - BJW Strong Heavyweight Title, Ryogokutan 2017*

Another good defense by Suzuki, though this is the lesser of the ones he's had this year. It still had plenty of good stuff though, don't get me wrong, it's a pretty good follow up to the 6/28 tag match at Korakuen. Kawakami is a punk ass "kid" that has a plan - as he showed in said tag match - and comes up top in a lot of the early exchanges, and follows them up with a cocky smirk and a couple of cheap shots :lolbron: Suzuki has to dig deeper than normal and has to pull off "new stuff" to try to put his challenger away. Post match is glorious and previews the defense we SHOULD have gotten on this show, can't wait!


*Strong BJ vs Abdullah Kobayashi & Ryuji Ito - BJW Tag Titles, Ryogokutan 2017*

I had a smile in my face the whole 21 minutes this match lasted. Fucking loved the first few minutes with Strong BJ trying to work their formula match and the deathmatch team - they look even worse than I remember, jeez - saying fuck no, and outsmarting the big fellas like they were a heel souther tag team. Eventually Okabayashi is too much of a beast and is able to get the bout back to what suits him and Daisuke better. Almost died laughing at Abby Jr. getting rid of his attire mid match and showing off his "Strong heavyweight" tights. This was a fucking blast, more aimed at people that have watched these four wrestle for years going at it in fucking 2017 in a "normal" tag match, but I think it has enough great stuff to have anyone compelled. I'm biased as fuck but this gets to MOTYC level for me, at the very least y'all will be really entertained by this fun clash of styles and personalities.


----------



## NastyYaffa

The lads!


----------



## TJQ

:lol


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/888089909441032192


----------



## Trifektah

Who else skips the meaningless tag matches before the G1 matches?

Ain't nobody got time for that shit.

Dave Finlay is such a fat scrub.


----------



## Corey

Haven't watched any DDT since about January since it's no longer on the RealHero archive, but this card (and also today's show) looks pretty darn good:

*DDT “Ryogoku Peter Pan”, 8/20/2017 [Sun] 15:00 @ Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo*

() *Special 3WAY Match:* Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto vs. Mike Bailey & MAO vs. Kotaro Suzuki & Soma Takao
() *Ikemen vs Idol:* Jiro “Ikemen” Kuroshio vs. Shunma Katsumata
() *DDT 20th Anniversary Special Single Match:* Sanshiro Takagi vs. Danshoku Dieno

() *KO-D 10 Person Tag Championship Decision Match:* Team Toru Owashi vs. Team Makoto Oishi

() *KO-D 6 Man Tag Championship Match:* [Champions] KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi vs. [Challengers] Dick Togo, Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda

() *DDT EXTREME Championship ~ Hair vs Hair Match:* [39th EXTREME Champion] Daisuke Sasaki vs. [Challenger] Akito
~ 5th title defense.

() *KO-D Tag Championship Match:* [61st Champions] Shigehiro Irie & Kazusada Higuchi vs. [Challengers] HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji
~ 4th title defense.

() *Main Event ~ KO-D Openweight Championship Match:* [61st Champion] Konosuke Takeshita vs. [Challenger/KING OF DDT 2017 Winner] Tetsuya Endo
~ 7th title defense.


----------



## antoniomare007

Meh, only interested in the main event.


I wonder if they can get 7k with a card as weak as that one though. At least they had a huge success in Saitama early in they year, I guess.

Dragon Gate selling out Kobe World Hall once again and going under the radar. I haven't watched a single match from them in years but it's fucked up how underappreciated they are. They've been the n°2 promotion for almost a decade now and they barely get any buzz.


----------



## Genking48

Spoilers for the Dragon Gate Kobe show.
As always thank you to iheartdg.com


Spoiler: Kobe Pro Wrestling Festival 2017













*07/23/2017
Hyogo, Kobe World Kinen Hall
Kobe Pro Wrestling Festival 2017*
*0. *Draztick Boy (3:16 Frog Splash) Shachihoko Boy
*1. *Masaaki Mochizuki{W}, Don Fujii, Jimmy Kanda, Jimmy K-ness J.K.S. (8:21 Shin Saikyo High Kick) Kaito Ishida{L}, Yuki Yoshioka, Shun Skywalker, Hyo Watanabe
*1b. *Masaaki Mochizuki (3:30 Pinned after failed German Suplex attempt) “Hollywood” Stalker Ichikawa
*2. *Open the Triangle Gate #1 Contender Tournament 1st Round: Kotoka{W}, Big R Shimizu, Ben-K (7:07 La Magistral Cradle) Gamma, Eita{L}, Takehiro Yamamura
*3. *Open the Triangle Gate #1 Contender Tournament 1st Round: Jimmy Susumu, Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!!{W}, Ryo “Jimmy” Saito (11:43 Backslide from Heaven) BxB Hulk{L}, Kzy, Yosuke♡Santa Maria
*4. *Open the Brave Gate Championship Match: Jimmy Kagetora (14:35 Gurumakakari) Flamita
_*2nd Defense_
*5. *Open the Triangle Gate #1 Contender Tournament Finals: Jimmy Susumu, Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!!{W}, Ryo “Jimmy” Saito (15:14 Backslide from Heaven) Kotoka, Big R Shimizu{L}, Ben-K
*6. *Open the Triangle Gate Championship Match: Shingo Takagi{W}, Takashi Yoshida, El Lindaman (20:16 Last Falconry) Jimmy Susumu{L}, Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!!, Ryo “Jimmy” Saito
_*1st Defense_
*7. *Open the Twin Gate Championship Match: CIMA, Dragon Kid{W} (21:37 Dragonrana) Naruki Doi,{L} Masato Yoshino
_*6th Defense_
*8. *Open the Dream Gate Championship Match: YAMATO (29:16 Galleria) T-Hawk
_*6th Defense_

Stalker Ichikawa appeared after the opener. Why did these young punks have a match but there was no spot for a legend like him? He demanded a match. Mochizuki wondered if Stalker knew what the word legend meant. If he wanted a match he could choose from one of the 8 in the ring. Ichikawa chose Yoshioka but the fans reacted poorly. Mochizuki warned him that he would probably lose to him. Did he really want to lose to Yoshioka in front of this many people. He picked Mochizuki for the impromptu match.

YAMATO & T-Hawk had a face-to-face. T-Hawk promised to bring an end to the YAMATO era and paint Dragon Gate with his own colors. YAMATO said that T-Hawk was a man of few words, as always. It’s been one year since he won the title. Now he is back in World Hall as champion and is in he best shape of his life. T-Hawk wants to start a new era and change the color scheme. Unfortunately for him, YAMATO still has the paintbrush. The difference will be clear once they are in the ring.

After winning the tournament, Horiguchi promised the Jimmyz would pull off another miracle.

President Okamura came out after intermission for his traditional address. This was the 19th Kobe World Hall show, and the 15th straight sellout. He thanked the fans who took time out of their busy schedules to come from near and far for making it possible. This year, Dragon Gate will have 201 shows. There have been shows in every prefecture in Japan. This year, a big show in Sendai has been added to the schedule. The show today will air on network television later this summer. There was on more announcement to make. It was time to take another step forward. It was time to advance from Asia into the rest of the world. This won’t be like in the past where there is an event then they come home. Asia will just be the launching pad into the rest of the world. Of course, the center of activity will be right here in Japan and in Kobe. He thanked the fans and asked them to enjoy the remaining three matches of the best pro wrestling in the world.

Before YAMATO could celebrate, he was attacked by Takagi. Takagi was disgusted at the idea of someone so pathetic as the so-called “top” of the company. What a joke. Belts are all that matter anyway. Tribe Vanguard only have one belt. Verserk has three. It is clear who the company should be built around.
YAMATO said Takagi was rotten as ever. All this right after his teammate was beaten. They might be Triangle Gate champions, but the center of DG is the Dream Gate. As long as he is champion, Tribe will be the centerpiece unit.
This brought out Over Generation. CIMA had some compliments for YAMATO for succeeding in the World main event for the second year in a row. He himself hasn’t been in the main event since losing to Takagi in 2013. The Twin Gate title match was a lot of fun, but the main event is a different level. A level he promises to rise to again and prove he wasn’t finished yet. For that purpose, it cant be Tribe or Verserk at the top. It has to be Over Generation. Eita said OG was the best unit. Containing both legends and important players for the future, it was vital they continue.
MaxiMuM was next. They lost both their matches today, but that is in the past. In the unit battlefield they will be the last ones standing.
The Jimmyz came out. Horiguchi was exhausted from having 3 matches in one day, so he would make this brief. These other units say a lot of things despite only being around for a year or two. The Jimmyz have been together for SIX YEARS. Six. They aren’t business partners. They are family. Their bonds are unbreakable.
Takagi told him that he and his bald head talk pretty big, but the reality is they lost today. They were just trash that won a tournament just to lose in the title match. Linda proclaimed that the Triangle Gate was proof of unit superiority and that would just be proven further in the upcoming league.
CIMA promised that OG would continue forever. Yoshino said that MaxiMuM was just two months old. Disbanding so soon was just out of the question. The other units are on notice. One of them would meet their demise soon. Horiguchi said the Jimmyz miracle story still had chapters to be written. A simple league series is nothing to them. They have survived much worse. He also promised they would take back the Triangle Gate and remove some of the stain that Verserk have left on them. Takagi warned YAMATO that even though he got past T-Hawk, he still had a strong enemy coming for him. Tribe Vanguard was left to close the show.

Kzy vowed that Tribe Vanguard would live up to the meaning of their name and remain at the vanguard of Dragon Gate. YAMATO admitted that as a unit they have accomplished much since they came together a year ago. It was time to make their mark. They will survive the coming league series and make a bigger impact. He thanked the fans for coming to see him stand tall at the end for the second year in a row. Last year he promised it was just the first step of many. The road has been hard and will only get more difficult from here but as long as he was champion Dragon Gate would prosper. He outlasted T-Hawk today, but he can feel the next generation gaining on his. Outside the ring are the newest crop of trainees. In a few years they may be the catalysts for a Dragon Gate golden age that no longer needs people like him. There was a two week rest coming now, but after that it was time to start the next series. He thanked the roster, staff, and fans. He parted with one last thing. Once again today, wasn’t he just the coolest?


Dragon gate ready to move out into the world gain! Get ready folks :mark

The Unit Survival League starts next month I believe. The least successful unit (I imagine that means the one with least wins) come September's "Dangerous Gate" will be disbanded.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

I miss Shibata. :mj2 :mj2 :mj2


----------



## kovs27

Rainmaka! said:


> I miss Shibata. :mj2 :mj2 :mj2


That's a fantastic video. I never noticed how they shoot camera angles differently tell help tell the story to the viewer. Pure genius.


----------



## Corey

Anyone know if Sasaki vs. Joey Ryan Last Man Standing or Sasaki vs. Dick Togo Ultimate Submission in DDT have surfaced online anywhere this year other than DDT Universe?


----------



## Corey

Nakajima retained over Cage today. Now we're getting this! :mark:


----------



## antoniomare007

We getting exited over a Eddie fucking Edwards match? in 2017? in NOAH? the hell :lmao

And they couldn't even get 1k at Korakuen AGAIN (it's like the 4th times this year). I hate that a promotion that at one point I loved, is in this state and refuses to close shop.


----------



## Corey

antoniomare007 said:


> We getting exited over a Eddie fucking Edwards match? in 2017? in NOAH? the hell :lmao


Hey, I don't know how much Eddie Edwards you've watched this year, but the guy has been fantastic.


----------



## The Nuke

It is sad to see Noah in this state after things were seemingly starting to turn around at the beginning of the year.


----------



## Jbardo

Trifektah said:


> Who else skips the meaningless tag matches before the G1 matches?
> 
> Ain't nobody got time for that shit.
> 
> Dave Finlay is such a fat scrub.


It's hard enough keeping up with the tournament matches, screw the tags.


----------



## Corey

@antoniomare007

(6) *World Tag Championship Match:* [76th Champions] Jake Lee & Naoya Nomura vs. [Challengers] Zeus & The Bodyguard
*◆Winner:* Nomura (15:36) following the Maximum on Zeus.
~ 1st successful title defense.
_~ BJW’s Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi came forward to make the challenge._

^^^ All Japan doing all they can to sell big for the Sumo Hall show.


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> @antoniomare007
> 
> (6) *World Tag Championship Match:* [76th Champions] Jake Lee & Naoya Nomura vs. [Challengers] Zeus & The Bodyguard
> *◆Winner:* Nomura (15:36) following the Maximum on Zeus.
> ~ 1st successful title defense.
> _~ BJW’s Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi came forward to make the challenge._
> 
> ^^^ All Japan doing all they can to sell big for the Sumo Hall show.


HOLY SHIT! YES!!


----------



## NastyYaffa

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/891520669107625984The Ace is back! :mark:


----------



## Corey

Tajiri won the AJPW Junior Heavyweight Title today. He'll be defending against Ultimo Dragon at the Sumo Hall show next month. I fucking love that card.


----------



## HOJO

Actually upset at Io for not leaving right away if she's leaving at all.

Nobody this good should be so fucking annoying but she did it.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Holy shit this is good:


----------



## Corey

The 7/17 All Japan show is finally up on the RealHero drive and it's damn good: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5rK95X3mRiiMm9IUnZpbmlYQ2s/view 

*Tag Team Titles:* Zeus & The Bodyguard (c) vs. Jake Lee & Naoya Nomura - **** 3/4*
*#1 Contender's Match:* Kento Miyahara vs. Joe Doering - **** 1/2*
*Triple Crown Title:* Shuji Ishikawa (c) vs. Suwama - ***** 1/4*

Loved the tag title match. The Big Guns looked really strong and basically forced Lee to wrestle with one leg, but damn those big bombs near the end were sold really well and got the new champs over. Awesome 11 minutes. Can't wait to see the rematch.

Miyahara/Doering literally went 8 and a half minutes. While they did a lot of good shit in that time frame, I think it should've went longer. The crowd seemed pretty stunned by the finish and a lot them were on Doering's side by the sounds of it.

Ishikawa/Suwama is good manly shit. I don't want Shuji's reign to end but I think he'll end up being a transitional champ to Kento. We'll see though. Fingers crossed if that happens then maybe he comes back to BJW and dethrones Suzuki down the line.


----------



## Lazlo

I see that Jake Lee has a knee injured, is it true?



Corey said:


> Ishikawa/Suwama is good manly shit. I don't want Shuji's reign to end but I think he'll end up being a transitional champ to Kento. We'll see though. Fingers crossed if that happens then maybe he comes back to BJW and dethrones Suzuki down the line.


I felt the same, I want Miyahara to break finally the title defense record in his next reign but in the other hand Ishikawa is very serious with this reign and would be a shame if he loss. Also , Zeus or Doering can defeat him and tell the story of they defeat the guy who beat Miyahara.


----------



## Corey

Lazlo said:


> I see that Jake Lee has a knee injured, is it true?


Just read about this and it's true unfortunately. Ruptured ACL. He and Nomura have to vacate the titles but Naoya just has to find a new partner for the tag title match against Strong BJ at Sumo Hall at the end of the month.


----------



## kovs27

So AJPW shows will be available on the FiteTV App. Right now my app shows 2017 New Years Wars and 2017 Excite Series - Junior Battle of Glory. Could anyone provide some information about what these shows are and recommendations on viewing?


----------



## Corey

kovs27 said:


> So AJPW shows will be available on the FiteTV App. Right now my app shows 2017 New Years Wars and 2017 Excite Series - Junior Battle of Glory. Could anyone provide some information about what these shows are and recommendations on viewing?


The New Year's Wars show is solid (January 3rd). The match listing is in the description of the show. Looking back at my ratings, I gave both Ishii/Aoyagi and the Tag Title match *** 1/4. Didn't watch the Miyahara & Jake Lee vs. Suwama & Joe Doering match but that sounds quite promising on paper.

The Junior Battle of Glory show (February 26th) has a main event title match between Miyahara & The Bodyguard that got some good praise, but I never watched it. Not a big fan of the Bodyguard on his own. Also has the junior tournament final as the semi main.


----------



## kovs27

Corey said:


> The New Year's Wars show is solid (January 3rd). The match listing is in the description of the show. Looking back at my ratings, I gave both Ishii/Aoyagi and the Tag Title match *** 1/4. Didn't watch the Miyahara & Jake Lee vs. Suwama & Joe Doering match but that sounds quite promising on paper.
> 
> The Junior Battle of Glory show (February 26th) has a main event title match between Miyahara & The Bodyguard that got some good praise, but I never watched it. Not a big fan of the Bodyguard on his own. Also has the junior tournament final as the semi main.


I've never watched AJPW before. The only reason I know any of these names is from this thread. I may give these shows a shot if they stay free.


----------



## El Dandy

extremely hyp for Suzuki v Daichi.


----------



## Corey

Lance Archer made his in-ring return a couple weeks ago for Wrestle Circus after a 5 month absence. Hope to see KES back in New Japan soon. Possibly as the next challengers for War Machine assuming they get past Cody & Page?


----------



## Little Miss Ingobernable

*Cries in autism*

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/894499393377714181
:vincecry :vincecry :vincecry HE LIVES


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

HerNotThem said:


> *Cries in autism*
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/894499393377714181
> :vincecry :vincecry :vincecry HE LIVES


YO FALE, DARYL'S GOT 8 MORE LIVES MOTHERFUCKER.


----------



## volde

Corey said:


> Lance Archer made his in-ring return a couple weeks ago for Wrestle Circus after a 5 month absence. Hope to see KES back in New Japan soon. Possibly as the next challengers for War Machine *assuming they get past Cody & Page?*


God, I hope they won't give Cody/Page the belts.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Man, I am so glad to see EVIL kill it in this G1. I really hope an IWGP title reign is in his future.

But anyways, Dragon Gate just wrapped up another Korakuen Hall event & while I sadly missed the show, the following did take place:

- Yosuke Santa Maria declaring herself the next challenger for Jimmy Kagetora's Brave Gate
- Don Fujii agreeing to take youngboys Shun Skywalker, Hyou Watanabe, Yuki Yoshioka & Katsumi Takashima under his wing, reforming Fujii Heya. Next month, Yuki & Takashima will debut new gimmicks & new names.
- A 3 way tag match featuring 3 members of Over Generation, 3 members of MaxiMuM & 3 members of VerserK being set for next months Korakuen
- And Tribe Vanguard defeating VerserK in a elimination match in the main event with a 4-0 clean sweep. However, while YAMATO was about to close the show, Masaaki Mochizuki interrupted & challenged YAMATO to a Dream Gate title match.
But before YAMATO accepted, Big R Shimizu interrupted & a Mochi/Big R #1 contenders match was set for the September Korakuen Hall show!*


----------



## MC

Just watched NOAH Summer Navigation 2017 ~ 11th Global Junior Heavyweight Tag League

and it was good the main event was the bets match, it was Brian Cage vs Katsuhiko Nakajima. It was a very good match that had Nakajima fighting to overcome the odds and beat cage. Told a great story but had a few botches, one was particularity noticeable. There was a spot that should not have been in there, where cage no sold a superpelx form the top rope. Other then the botches and the no sell it was good match, ****1/4. Oh and Eddie Edwards is facing Nakajima for the GHC Heavyweight title next. Can't wait


----------



## Corey

MC 16 said:


> Just watched NOAH Summer Navigation 2017 ~ 11th Global Junior Heavyweight Tag League
> 
> and it was good the main event was the bets match, it was Brian Cage vs Katsuhiko Nakajima. It was a very good match that had Nakajima fighting to overcome the odds and beat cage. Told a great story but had a few botches, one was particularity noticeable. There was a spot that should not have been in there, where cage no sold a superpelx form the top rope. Other then the botches and the no sell it was good match, ****1/4. Oh and Eddie Edwards is facing Nakajima for the GHC Heavyweight title next. Can't wait


Just finished watching this as well and loved it (same rating as yours). I didn't actually mind Cage no selling the middle rope brainbuster because ya know, he's a MACHINE!~ and whatnot plus they cleaned it up really nicely afterwards with that kick to the head damn near knocking him clean out. The botch you're referring to, was it when Cage didn't catch him clean in the suplex when Nakajima jumped off the rope? Cause I loved the shit out of that, seeing him have to muscle him up 2 or 3 times just to drop him down head first. :mark: Either way an awesome match. Can't wait for the Eddie defense. Sounds crazy but I think he has a real chance of upsetting him.


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Just finished watching this as well and loved it (same rating as yours). I didn't actually mind Cage no selling the middle rope brainbuster because ya know, he's a MACHINE!~ and whatnot plus they cleaned it up really nicely afterwards with that kick to the head damn near knocking him clean out. The botch you're referring to, was it when Cage didn't catch him clean in the suplex when Nakajima jumped off the rope? Cause I loved the shit out of that, seeing him have to muscle him up 2 or 3 times just to drop him down head first. :mark: Either way an awesome match. Can't wait for the Eddie defense. Sounds crazy but I think he has a real chance of upsetting him.


I was actually but I would have made it sound worse then it was so I decided not to say what it was.


----------



## Pizzamorg

When you cancel NJPW World, is it the left or the right button to cancel? I pressed the right button, it wouldn't go into english so I just winged it and then the page refreshed and I can now no longer access my account so I'm assuming that means it is cancelled but I haven't had an email notification or anything to say one way or the other. Bit of a shit show, really.


----------



## El Dandy

wrong thread


----------



## Pizzamorg

Well there is no New Japan thread anymore, so where am I meant to post it?


----------



## El Dandy

Pizzamorg said:


> Well there is no New Japan thread anymore, so where am I meant to post it?


oh shit nah I wasn't meaning wrong thread for your question. I simply just posted in the wrong thread because I had multiple tabs open at once

ops my bad


----------



## Pizzamorg

El Dandy said:


> oh shit nah I wasn't meaning wrong thread for your question. I simply just posted in the wrong thread because I had multiple tabs open at once
> 
> ops my bad


Oh haha, okay then!


----------



## Denny Crane

I don't know where to ask this question but with the G1 Climax thread getting about 3000 replies, the expansion to the U.S., the popularity of The Bullet Club, Naito and Okada and even their relationship with ROH, doesn't NJPW deserve their own section now. I would think anymore if TNA/GFW has theirs and even Lucha Underground has their own little section that New Japan deserves their own.


----------



## volde

Yeah, it would make sense. This thread now was a bit better due to G1 having its own thread, but before that any discussion about other Japan promotions would get quickly buried by NJPW talks.

Edit: Could probably do joint forum for NJPW and RoH considering that RoH is slowly turning into feeder promotion either way.


----------



## TD Stinger

> - Early on in this year's tournament, Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi teased a feud (Omega was unhappy that Ibushi left NJPW last year) with the potential of the two wrestlers meeting in the finals. While Omega made it, Ibushi came up short, but he was backstage to speak with Omega just after his loss. In the NJPW's photo below, Omega doesn't seem like he wants to talk, continuing the potential feud.


----------



## Corey

volde said:


> Edit: Could probably do joint forum for NJPW and RoH considering that RoH is slowly turning into feeder promotion either way.


Please no.


----------



## El Dandy

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/896760072390365188so Hideki takes light tube bumps now


----------



## cablegeddon

Question on chaos: In kayfabe, why is Okada hanging out with Yano and Ishii? In kayfabe they're short, ugly losers who don't amount to anything while Okada is the good looking snob and world champion. So why? How does it make sense?


----------



## lassemomme

cablegeddon said:


> Question on chaos: In kayfabe, why is Okada hanging out with Yano and Ishii? In kayfabe they're short, ugly losers who don't amount to anything while Okada is the good looking snob and world champion. So why? How does it make sense?


1: Yano is fucking hilarious and good court jester. Okada finds him entertaining so he keeps him around for fun and to make mountains of money off his CHAOS dvd's

2: Ishii is a legit badass and a good bodyguard. It's good to surround yourself with a bunch of badasses to legitimize your crew. Saying Ishii doesn't amount to anything is a bit weird as he regularly gets wins over top guys like Naito, Shibata and even Okada himself in last years G1.


----------



## Corey

The G1 is over with, so time to look forward to the next puro supercard, and that's AJPW SUMMER EXPLOSION!~ Really looking forward to this card and hopefully they can draw 7K+. Last year they got 6,500 and this show has way more big names on it.










*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2017 SUMMER EXPLOSION ~ AJPW 45th Anniversary Show”, 8/27/2017 [Sun] 15:00 @ Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo*​
(0) *Dark Match:* Keiichi Sato vs. Yusuke Okada

() *BANG!TV World Heavyweight Championship Battle Royal:* [3rd Champion] Osamu Nishimura vs. [Challengers] Naoshi Sano, Yutaka Yoshie, Abdullah Kobayashi, Rikya Fudo, and more…

() *LAND’S END vs. Multi-Nation Alliance:* Ryoji Sai, Masakado & Ishikiri vs. Massimo, Danny Jones & Sam Adonis

() Yohei Nakajima & Fuminori Abe (Sportiva) vs. Takuya Nomura & Yuya Aoki (both BJW)

() *All Japan 45th Anniversary Special Tag Match:* Jun Akiyama, Takao Omori, Minoru Tanaka (FREE) & Koji Iwamoto vs. Joe Doering, Zeus, The Bodyguard & Kotaro Suzuki (FREE)

() Yuma Aoyagi vs. Taichi (Suzuki-gun)

() Caristico vs. El Diamante

() *All Japan 45th Anniversary Tag Match:* Dory Funk Jr. & Hiro Saito vs. Masanobu fuchi & The Great Kabuki

() *Asia Tag Championship Match:* [101st Champions] Atsushi Aoki & Hikaru Sato vs. [Challengers] Black Tiger VII & TAKA Michinoku
_~ 3rd title defense._

() *World Tag Championship Decision Match:* Naoya Nomura & KAI vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi
_~ Winners become the 77th champions._

() *Special Single Match:* Suwama vs. Satoshi Kojima

() *World Junior Heavyweight Championship Match:* [44th Champion] TAJIRI vs. [Challenger] Ultimo Dragon
_~ 1st title defense._

() *Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship Match:* [56th Champion] Shuji Ishikawa vs. [Challenger] Kento Miyahara
_~ 3rd title defense._


----------



## Joshi Judas

Tanahashi cutting off his locks and wrestling with his shorter hair will take some getting used to :lol


----------



## Lariatoh!

cablegeddon said:


> Question on chaos: In kayfabe, why is Okada hanging out with Yano and Ishii? In kayfabe they're short, ugly losers who don't amount to anything while Okada is the good looking snob and world champion. So why? How does it make sense?


Chaos is Nakamura's crew and we know how whacky he can be. Okada became leader when Nak left. Ishii is a badass, there's no question there. They've had additions such as Yano, when betrayed GBH to join Chaos so there's a story there. And subtractions when Tokyo pimp Yujiro used to be Chaos but he betrayed them to be B.C. The history of Chaos is long. But it's a fun one with now Okada their flagship. I'm not even sure he's the leader. It could be Gedo. But Okada is their franchise player.


----------



## TD Stinger




----------



## HOJO

Don't know about you but I fuck with the new DAMNATION shirt coming

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/897626432825851904
Daisuke being shaved bald after losing is gonna be sad to see :mj2

Also the final card for Peter Pan. I wish everything wasn't this predictable. I don't want Takeshita to keep the title as he faces Endo again but I do wanna see a champion actually successfully defend on a big DDT show. It's been like 3 fucking years since the last one. Should still be good but damn.

*DDT “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2017 ~PETER PAN 20 YEARS OLD PETER PAN~”, 20/08/2017
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan*

0. *Dark Match – Street Pro Wrestling Extra Edition! Gota Ihashi Ryogoku 5 Game Series:* Gota Ihashi Vs Mad Paulie, Gorgeous Matsuno, Dai Suzuki, X & X
0. *Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title – Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Battle Royal:* Tetsuya Koda(TJP owner) (c) Cherry Vs Miyu Yamashita Vs Syoko Nakajima Vs Yuka Sakazaki Vs Nonoko Vs Rika Tatsumi Vs Azusa Takigawa Vs Yuu Vs Nodoka-oneesan Vs Maho Kurone Vs Marika Kobashi Vs Yuna Manase Vs Mizuki
0. *Dark Match*: Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Hoshitango, Nobuhiro Shimatani & Masato Kamino Vs Mizuki Watase, Rekka, Diego & Daiki Shimomura
1. *Yuki Ino Debut Match:* Kouki Iwasaki & Yuki Ino Vs Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ueno
2. *Ikemen Vs Idol! Handsome Humanity Battle:* Jiro Kuroshio Vs Shunma Katsumata
3.* KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles:* KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Dick Togo, Yasu Urano & Antonio Honda
4. *Special 4 Way Tag Match:* Kaz Hayashi & Keisuke Ishii Vs Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto Vs Mike Bailey & MAO Vs Kotaro Suzuki & Soma Takao
5. *KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles:* Toru Owashi, Kazuki Hirata, Joey Ryan, Saki Akai & Yoshihiko Vs Makoto Oishi, LiLiCo, Lady Beard, Super Sasadango Machine & Ken Ohka
6.* DDT 20th Anniversary Weapon Rumble – All Rights Contra Marriage:* Sanshiro Takagi Vs Danshoku Dino
*If Dino wins, he gets control of DDT. Dino’s mother wants him to settle down so if Takagi wins, Dino must get married.
*Weapons Rumble rules: At set times, a new weapon is brought into the match and often these weapons can be anything from objects to famous wrestlers. 
7. *DDT Extreme Title – Cabellera Contra Cabellera(Hair vs Hair):* Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Akito
8. *KO-D Tag Team Titles – Uchikomi! Presents:* Shigehiro Irie & Kazusada Higuchi (c) Vs HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji
9. *KO-D Openweight Title – Good Com Asset Presents:* Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Tetsuya Endo


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

Kenny Omega, the IWGP US Heavyweight Champion revealed his thoughts on recovering from his recent G1 loss.

Even though he lost the G1 final to Naito, his fighting spirit hasn’t haltered. He is looking forward to defending his IWGP US Heavyweight Championship.



> *On falling short to Naito in the G1 final:*
> 
> “I devoted everything to it. Naito has become stronger than ever. It’s not something that I should be ashamed of. It was a great match, so I’m not going to make any excuses."
> 
> *On his upcoming plans:*
> 
> “First, I want to strengthen the belt I have. My G1 result wasn’t perfect. I know there are people who want to take the belt.”
> 
> *On Juice as a challenger:*
> 
> “Does Juice really believe that he can get this belt? I’m the one who main evented Tokyo Dome, Osaka Castle, the G1 climax, all of this year’s big matches. Probably, the IWGP US Heavyweight title match is the big match for Juice. To me, it’s just another match. I may wrestle with a T-shirt on.”
> 
> *So you won’t back away?*
> 
> “It can’t be helped; I lost to him. After I avenge my G1 loss, I want to get back to the plan I have been talking about; which is his defending this title, including in other wrestling companies.”
> 
> *He plans to raise the status of the US Heavy-weight title for the next January 4th Tokyo Dome show.*
> 
> “The winner of the G1 4 years ago, he couldn’t main event the Tokyo Dome. Who was it? Of course, I think Naito should deserve the main event. However, if he is not careful, there may a possibility that the US Heavyweight championship will main event (laughs).”
> 
> *We saw the moment you and Ibushi had backstage…*
> 
> “He asked me if I got injured, and if I was okay, but it doesn’t matter to me. It’s not worth it to be told anything after the match that I devoted my life to. His worry for me? I don’t event want to hear it.”
> 
> *Your wish for a match against Ibushi didn’t happen. What about the future?*
> 
> “Since we both lost in the G1, the chance went back to zero. I’m a champion, so I have to defend from now on. I feel like we will be on different paths again.


http://thelionmarks.com/2017/08/17/kenny-opens-up-after-his-g1-final-loss/

Those paths are only gonna lead back to you two, Kenny. :mj


----------



## BC Punk

So, I don't know if it fits in the Japanese wrestling discussion but it has to do with a Japanese wrestler who used to wrestle in New Japan and still casts a large shadow in the promotion possibly making some Japanese wrestling history so I guess I'll put it here.

I haven't been paying attention to WWE for the last three or four months but I picked up this week for Summer Slam and Nakamura is fighting Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship. 

I was thinking Nakamura is going to become the first recognized Japanese WWE Champion and win the title from Mahal but he'll lose it like five minutes later, or possibly on Smackdown Tuesday, to a Baron Corbin cash in because WWE seemingly loves to tease things fans want and take them away very quickly. 

Since I haven't watched WWE beyond some clips and pieces of matches in months and I don't have a hold of the storyline, I was just wondering, am I off base thinking this?


----------



## TripleG

OK, prior to the next Wrestle Kingdom event, I want to watch the previous Wrestle Kingdoms I've never seen. 

I started with 9 and I have watched ever since, but I want to watch WK 1-8, just to say I've seen them all. I did see the TNA matches, and I have seen Okada Vs. Tanahashi from WK7, but that's it. 

And then maybe one day I'll go back and watch ALL of the Tokyo Dome shows, haha, but for right now, I'm sticking to Wrestle Kingdom. 

Anyways, my question is how good are the first 8 Wrestle Kingdoms? Will this be time well spent on my part?


----------



## Corey

BC Punk said:


> So, I don't know if it fits in the Japanese wrestling discussion but it has to do with a Japanese wrestler who used to wrestle in New Japan and still casts a large shadow in the promotion possibly making some Japanese wrestling history so I guess I'll put it here.
> 
> I haven't been paying attention to WWE for the last three or four months but I picked up this week for Summer Slam and Nakamura is fighting Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship.
> 
> I was thinking Nakamura is going to become the first recognized Japanese WWE Champion and win the title from Mahal but he'll lose it like five minutes later, or possibly on Smackdown Tuesday, to a Baron Corbin cash in because WWE seemingly loves to tease things fans want and take them away very quickly.
> 
> Since I haven't watched WWE beyond some clips and pieces of matches in months and I don't have a hold of the storyline, I was just wondering, am I off base thinking this?


You should try this thread: http://www.wrestlingforum.com/gener...tch-dvd-show-discussion-thread-stairs-77.html

But to answer your question, you must've missed the end of this past week's Smackdown. Corbin already attempted his cash in... and failed.  So I wouldn't be too awfully surprised if Nakamura wins the title title outright at Summerslam.


----------



## Lariatoh!

What's everyone's thoughts on Ricochet moving up to heavyweight and being a major player in NJPW? Kenny and Ibushi have been amazing ever since they made the move up. I think Ricochet could have the same type of success.


----------



## lassemomme

Lariatoh! said:


> What's everyone's thoughts on Ricochet moving up to heavyweight and being a major player in NJPW? Kenny and Ibushi have been amazing ever since they made the move up. I think Ricochet could have the same type of success.


I'm not too fond of the idea, honestly. Ricochet's frame is much smaller than Kenny and Kota and I think him putting on even more muscle than he already has would be a bad idea. One of the only reasons I wouldn't feel too bad about Rico joining WWE is the fact they don't really give a shit about weight classes and he would be able to get a main event push there. as NJPW, I just don't know that I see it honestly.


----------



## amhlilhaus

Lariatoh! said:


> What's everyone's thoughts on Ricochet moving up to heavyweight and being a major player in NJPW? Kenny and Ibushi have been amazing ever since they made the move up. I think Ricochet could have the same type of success.


Hes going to wwe asap, so its not gonna matter


----------



## Corey

lassemomme said:


> I'm not too fond of the idea, honestly. Ricochet's frame is much smaller than Kenny and Kota and I think him putting on even more muscle than he already has would be a bad idea. One of the only reasons I wouldn't feel too bad about Rico joining WWE is the fact they don't really give a shit about weight classes and he would be able to get a main event push there. as NJPW, I just don't know that I see it honestly.


Agree with this. Ricochet's in great shape but he doesn't seem as "solid" so to speak as Kenny & Kota. Doesn't strike as hard either I feel like.


----------



## TD Stinger

lassemomme said:


> I'm not too fond of the idea, honestly. Ricochet's frame is much smaller than Kenny and Kota and I think him putting on even more muscle than he already has would be a bad idea. One of the only reasons I wouldn't feel too bad about Rico joining WWE is the fact they don't really give a shit about weight classes and he would be able to get a main event push there. as NJPW, I just don't know that I see it honestly.


Eh, not so sure. Don’t get me wrong, when it comes to pure athletic ability, Ricochet is one of the best, if not the best, in the world. But honestly, unless it’s in LU where they have extreme, balls to the walls matches all the time. But when it comes to being a complete package, Ricochet lacks a little big in my eyes.

I’ve seen him in a lot great spotfests. But very few times have I seen him in a match that leaves an impact on me and that is memorable. He can trade blows and big moves with the best of them but that doesn’t always make for a great match.

Now, I will say in the last couple of months, he’s had some awesome matches. Go watch his match with Keith Lee in WCPW. If you don’t know Keith Lee, he’s a monster compared to Ricochet. And Ricochet to his credit, actually fought from underneath and created a story of being the underdog, and he was great at that. And the match he and Taguchi just had with the Bucks. He sold his leg very well in my opinion and got me invested in that match.

So, it does look like he has it in him to create not just spotfest matches, but also truly memorable matches that tell a story. If he can do that more often, then maybe he has a shot as a heavyweight. But honestly, I think he’ll be in NXT before that ever happens anyways.


----------



## Desecrated

I think the WWE rumours are why NJPW gave Ricochet the Junior Tag belt. An attempt to get him to sit with them in the near future when his LU stuff resolves. It's a pointless belt but it guarantees a few more appearances. It is obvious he intends to go to WWE someday and that'll destroy any chance of him getting a solid push as a Heavyweight. Heck, SANADA declared interest once and has been third fiddle as a result of it.


----------



## BC Punk

I don't think Ricochet's size is a problem. I mean, in NJPW both Devitt and Styles can't be too much bigger than him. And in WWE there's those two plus Bryan and Jericho to compare. I think he would have every chance to move up in time if he would stay but he seems WWE bound before that.

Has Ricochet ever won the Jr. Heavyweight singles belt? I don't remember him doing that so it would seem odd for him to make the jump before he does so.

If we're picking Junior Heavyweights to make the step up sooner, what would people think about Kushida? 

He has legit MMA bonafides, is pretty bulky, has dominated the Junior Heavy division before and had a good feud with Omega, a current star Heavyweight. I think he would be a good shout as a new babyface heavyweight.


----------



## HOJO

Juniors is where Ricochet 100% belongs


----------



## El Dandy

Hard pass on Ricochet becoming a heavy. 
No pls to any junior not named KUSHIDA making a jump to heavy.

Also put in another vote for hoping Endo finally wins it at Peter Pan. 
What are the odds we see Ibushi in the dark match? 70%? 90%?


----------



## antoniomare007

El Dandy said:


> Hard pass on Ricochet becoming a heavy.
> No pls to any junior not named KUSHIDA making a jump to heavy.
> 
> Also put in another vote for hoping Endo finally wins it at Peter Pan.
> What are the odds we see Ibushi in the dark match? 70%? 90%?


Ibushi should've been the one challenging Takeshita. I'd love to know why that couldn't happen.

It would be a major surprise if Endo doesn't win tbh.


----------



## HOJO

antoniomare007 said:


> Ibushi should've been the one challenging Takeshita. I'd love to know why that couldn't happen.
> 
> It would be a major surprise if Endo doesn't win tbh.


Probably cuz Ibushi knew he'd be too fucked up to work that kinda match up top, plus he wasn't in King of DDT  I expect him to at least work Osaka Octopus in December, honestly. Probably not for a title but I think he'll be there. More upset/lost to Ishikawa not being on the card. He was even on the poster for Peter Pan originally, too. Could've put them in the tag title match with him and Paulie tbh

Yeah, Endo's gotta win honestly. I would've also liked for the champ to retain at a major DDT show since it hasn't happened in 3 fucking years, but this isn't the time for that I guess. I just hope they don't try and go Broadway with another 30+ minute match.


----------



## BigDaveBatista

Wasn't sure were i should say this so ill say it in here, has anyone else seen this video going around of a male wrestler fingerblasting a female during what appears to be a Japanese indy show?


----------



## Mox Girl

They're selling NJPW official merch at this Indy show I'm at for some reason. Those Bullet Club shirts look sweet in person. Too bad they're 45 bucks cash only lol otherwise I might have bought one for the coolness factor :lol


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

The G1 kinda threw my schedule off. Anyone know when the next Big Japan show(s) are?


----------



## Little Miss Ingobernable

Has anyone seen this match between Nakajima and Cage?





I don't do match recommendations but if you haven't seen this match, watch it because it's pretty awesome!


----------



## HOJO

BigDaveBatista said:


> Wasn't sure were i should say this so ill say it in here, has anyone else seen this video going around of a male wrestler fingerblasting a female during what appears to be a Japanese indy show?


.......what video?


----------



## Groovemachine

BC Punk said:


> If we're picking Junior Heavyweights to make the step up sooner, what would people think about Kushida?
> 
> He has legit MMA bonafides, is pretty bulky, has dominated the Junior Heavy division before and had a good feud with Omega, a current star Heavyweight. I think he would be a good shout as a new babyface heavyweight.


THIS. Kushida has all the tools, could be a huge star, and there's so much potential for some really awesome matches with all the top guys.


----------



## TD Stinger

El Dandy said:


> Hard pass on Ricochet becoming a heavy.
> No pls to any junior not named KUSHIDA making a jump to heavy.


What about Hiromu? He’s got the charisma, his style with a few alterations can mesh with the heavyweights, and he wouldn’t have to get that much bigger to make that jump.


----------



## Mordecay

RIP Daryl (again)


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/898739316846989312


----------



## Desecrated

Replacing KUSHDA with someone like Kawato would be a great trade-off. Give Kawato the time to develop as a Junior and put KUSHIDA up. If Ibushi does not want to commit long term, KUSHIDA would be a nice option to try be the "#5 guy".

For Hiromu, he hasn't actually been a Junior for too long. He's an awesome personality but I don't think he has the x-factor to succeed above even EVIL and SANADA as a heavyweight. He'll be a legitimate world-beater in time if he continues his progress but he has to find a way to translate his synergy with KUSHIDA and Dragon Lee onto other performers. He didn't have a great BOSJ outside of those two.


----------



## Groovemachine

HOJO said:


> .......what video?


It's doing the rounds on Twitter. One of those vids I wish I could unsee haha. The wrestler wiping his hand on a fan's face did make me LOL though.


----------



## BigDaveBatista

HOJO said:


> .......what video?


I dont know how to add videos on this just type in round the bend on twitter and go through his tweets, its there


----------



## Corey

Ambrose Girl said:


> They're selling NJPW official merch at this Indy show I'm at for some reason. Those Bullet Club shirts look sweet in person. Too bad they're 45 bucks cash only lol otherwise I might have bought one for the coolness factor :lol


45 bucks!? That can't be USD right?



Rainmaka! said:


> The G1 kinda threw my schedule off. Anyone know when the next Big Japan show(s) are?


It was actually today.  Hideki Suzuki vs. Daichi Hashimoto for the BJW Title and Takahashi vs. Takeda for the Deathmatch Title. They also had a show on the 11th with a Junior and Tag Team Title match, but it's not online yet.



HerNotThem said:


> Has anyone seen this match between Nakajima and Cage?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't do match recommendations but if you haven't seen this match, watch it because it's pretty awesome!


Fantastic match. Loved the counters and Cage looking like a MACHINE in the final minutes. Nominated it in the MOTYC thread. Don't know if you're a Nakajima fan but you should definitely check out his other defenses this year against Sugiura, Shiozaki, and Yone if you haven't seen them.



BigDaveBatista said:


> I dont know how to add videos on this just type in round the bend on twitter and go through his tweets, its there


Shit, I just found that video. :lol Idk what that is. Looks like some kind of arena porn or something for a live crowd. She's uh... hell of a squirter though.


----------



## El Dandy

TD Stinger said:


> What about Hiromu? He’s got the charisma, his style with a few alterations can mesh with the heavyweights, and he wouldn’t have to get that much bigger to make that jump.


Still a hard pass for me. Maybe in a couple of years, but it hasn't even been a year since he came back and there is still much for him to do as a junior. Bumping KUSHIDA up allows Hiromu to be the junior Ace.
KUSHIDA has been ready and there is nothing left for him as junior Ace. He should take priority over every single one of Hiromu, Ricochet, Ospreay etc.



Rainmaka! said:


> The G1 kinda threw my schedule off. Anyone know when the next Big Japan show(s) are?


There was one this morning. May or may not have been a new champion crowned
:sundin2


----------



## El Dandy

HOJO said:


> More upset/lost to Ishikawa not being on the card. He was even on the poster for Peter Pan originally, too. Could've put them in the tag title match with him and Paulie tbh
> 
> Yeah, Endo's gotta win honestly. I would've also liked for the champ to retain at a major DDT show since it hasn't happened in 3 fucking years, but this isn't the time for that I guess. I just hope they don't try and go Broadway with another 30+ minute match.


Yeah Shuji really should be on the card.

At least he's got the Sumo Hall headline next week. 
Also hoping we see Shuji v Hideki for the Strong title in the Fall/Winter. That match has to/needs to happen.


----------



## TD Stinger

El Dandy said:


> Still a hard pass for me. Maybe in a couple of years, but it hasn't even been a year since he came back and there is still much for him to do as a junior. Bumping KUSHIDA up allows Hiromu to be the junior Ace.
> KUSHIDA has been ready and there is nothing left for him as junior Ace. He should take priority over every single one of Hiromu, Ricochet, Ospreay etc.


I’m not saying it has to be any time soon. But I do think he has the potential to be a heavyweight. But Kushida should be next in line if they want to go that route. His style could easily mix against guys in the Heavyweight Division. I don’t know how the Never Openweight division works or if he could work that but I’d love him against guys like Ishii, Suzuki, etc. one on one.


----------



## El Dandy

TD Stinger said:


> I’m not saying it has to be any time soon. But I do think he has the potential to be a heavyweight. But Kushida should be next in line if they want to go that route. His style could easily mix against guys in the Heavyweight Division. I don’t know how the Never Openweight division works or if he could work that but I’d love him against guys like Ishii, Suzuki, etc. one on one.


Oh I got ya.

Yeah they could absolutely use the NEVER as the vehicle to test run some juniors seeing as it's Openweight. 
However, they don't do it as much as they probably should. 
I know a few years ago we saw Ishii/KUSHIDA and Ishii/Ibushi for the NEVER and last year Shibata against Fish/O'Reilly, but they have more/less turned it into a poor man's Strong title.


----------



## MC

HerNotThem said:


> Has anyone seen this match between Nakajima and Cage?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't do match recommendations but if you haven't seen this match, watch it because it's pretty awesome!


Its a good match but there are a few botches that lowered it for me.






Ricochet as a heavyweight can work since he wrestles like that anywhere but remember he just won the junior tag team titles. So I see him holding the titles till WK 12 and then establishing himself by winning the New Japan cup but losing the titles shot.


----------



## volde

I'm not sure if Ricochet being tag champ is long term thing. It looks like we are moving into Taguchi Japan/Suzuki Gun feud and Taguchi/Ricochet got the belts so that they could feud with Taichi/Kanemaru. I think it is possible that they will drop the belts to Taichi/Kanemaru at some Destruction show and Ricochet will be shuffled somewhere else.


----------



## El Dandy

@HOJO
@antoniomare007
@ anybody else who watches DDT

Was listening to a Peter Pan preview today, and I have a question for you: How do you guys pronounce Takeshita?
I've always thought it was pronounced Tah-KESH-tah, but now I'm hearing it pronounced as Taka-SHE-tah. Which?


----------



## lassemomme

Not that big on KUSHIDA going to the heavyweights, personally. Like with Hiromu and even Ricochet I just don't know that his body has the frame to handle it compared to Ibushi and Kenny, who are both not only taller but have a much larger frame. We shouldn't take guys out of the Jr. division, just because they've done well there, if anything the division should benefit from having both Hiromu, Kushida, Ospreay and Ricochet there. Taking away guys from the division only to stuff them into an already stacked heavyweight division seems illogical to me.


----------



## El Dandy

There are plenty of words to describe NJPW's heavy scene, but stacked isn't one I would use; this isn't 2015 where it was legit 10 deep. 
You want to know how deep NJPW's heavy scene is? They have had to run the same 2 main events for all of their 3 biggest shows this year and may be about to do Okada/Omega again in October.
NJPW could always benefit from having a new quality native guy in the heavy mix. 

IMO KUSHIDA offers more upside than essentially any native not in the Big 4 (excluding Ibushi because obv reasons)
I know some will point to SANADA due to size and aesthetic, but, unlike SANADA, KUSHIDA isn't extremely average in-ring wise. KUSHIDA could be an upper mid guy and he offers a ton of fresh match-ups for everybody involved. He's not a one trick pony, either, like most of the other juniors.

Any concerns one has about body type in regards to being a heavy should be extinguished seeing as NJPW has let ZSJ be a heavy when he has the body of a 16-yeard old boy. His brand of wrestling allows for that not to matter, tho.
Do I wish KUSHIDA was an inch or 2 taller? No doubt. That being said, style wise NJPW heavy scene has never been more junior-ish, so he could slip right in there.


----------



## Mox Girl

Corey said:


> 45 bucks!? That can't be USD right?


NZ dollars. But it's still damn expensive, especially since they wanted cash only. Cool shirts, though.


----------



## HOJO

El Dandy said:


> @HOJO
> @antoniomare007
> @ anybody else who watches DDT
> 
> Was listening to a Peter Pan preview today, and I have a question for you: How do you guys pronounce Takeshita?
> I've always thought it was pronounced Tah-KESH-tah, but now I'm hearing it pronounced as Taka-SHE-tah. Which?


It's Tah-KESH-tah. I sometimes refer to him as Tah-Ke-She-Ta though


----------



## volde

El Dandy said:


> There are plenty of words to describe NJPW's heavy scene, but stacked isn't one I would use; this isn't 2015 where it was legit 10 deep.
> You want to know how deep NJPW's heavy scene is? They have had to run the same 2 main events for all of their 3 biggest shows this year and may be about to do Okada/Omega again in October.
> NJPW could always benefit from having a new quality native guy in the heavy mix.


I don't see Kushida (or Hiromu for that matter) being in main (or semi-main) events of WK, Dominion or G1 so I don't see why that matters. Clearly people wanted to see more of Okada/Omega and Tana/Naito as is evident by all three shows doing great numbers and NJPW would have run with it regardless if they had more guys in hw division or not.

On the other hand if Kushida (or Hiromu) would leave juniors then their entire division would be kinda pointless. After all NJPW wants them to main event few of their smaller shows and they got their own tournament. I mean, remove Kushida and juniors will draw less money. Meanwhile Kushida will be stuck somewhere in upper-midcard like Goto without ability to really draw anything considering that he'll get less singles matches and will be usually in the middle of the card just like he is now with Jr. title matches on big cards.


----------



## antoniomare007

All Gedo has to do is book Strong BJ for 1 year. They are perfect for building new stars, work with young lions AND have a couple of big title challenges to fresh things up. give people different shit to do AND elevate new guys without having to run the same matchups to the ground. They literally can be put in any position on a card and will contribute to a promotion. They've done it in All Japan and DDT twice already.

But hey, they are from a small deathmatch promotion so fuck them 



El Dandy said:


> @HOJO
> @antoniomare007
> @ anybody else who watches DDT
> 
> Was listening to a Peter Pan preview today, and I have a question for you: How do you guys pronounce Takeshita?
> I've always thought it was pronounced Tah-KESH-tah, but now I'm hearing it pronounced as Taka-SHE-tah. Which?


I don't know Japanese but I've always pronounced it Tahkeh-she-tah. The only vowel I know that it's never pronounced is the "u", not the "i". But I could be 100% wrong on this, just going by what I've always hard in puro and some anime, lol.


By the way, can anyone @ me when the Big Japan show is upped by the Real Hero crew? I'll try checking their Google Drive daily but I always forget.


----------



## BC Punk

The Jr. Heavyweight division would be fine if Kushida moved up. There is plenty of talent still left there. In fact, it might help babyface Jr guys like Ricochet and Ospreay who have never won a singles Jr. HW title to have Kushida out of the way.

What's kind of pointless is Kushida staying in the Jr. division where he's already done absolutely everything he could do multiple times over.

The Jr. Heavyweight is a midcard division, if he stays there then he always stays in the midcard. If he moves up he maybe still stays in the midcard but at least he has a shot at something more. He deserves that shot at a higher place on the card. He's earned it to see what he can do. Sink or swim. 

I'm not sure too many people thought Kenny could move up and win the G1 and main event Wrestle Kingdom in a MOTY in less than a year and main event Dominion the next year and establish himself as a Top 3 guy in New Japan so solidly so quickly. Give Kushida that same chance.

If he fails, he could always go back to the Jr. division and continue there at that point. He won't be hurt as a Jr. HW contender by attempting to make the jump.


----------



## Corey

DDT got 5,900 for the Peter Pan show today. Endo did NOT win the main event, but HARASHIMA & Marufuji won the tag straps.


----------



## PUNQ

But most important. Does Dino have to settle down and get married???!!!


----------



## antoniomare007

Shocked by the main event result.

Good attendance considering the build and card. It's still down compared to last year but they had 10k+ in Saitama and pretty much 6k today, I'd call that a very solid year.


I hope they book Ibushi next year to face Takeshita (probably not for the belt, it doesn't need it and it would be a long ass reign by then, lol), the young prodigy needs that kind of match to take the leap as a star.


----------



## El Dandy

volde said:


> I don't see Kushida (or Hiromu for that matter) being in main (or semi-main) events of WK, Dominion or G1 so I don't see why that matters. Clearly people wanted to see more of Okada/Omega and Tana/Naito as is evident by all three shows doing great numbers and NJPW would have run with it regardless if they had more guys in hw division or not.
> 
> On the other hand if Kushida (or Hiromu) would leave juniors then their entire division would be kinda pointless. After all NJPW wants them to main event few of their smaller shows and they got their own tournament. I mean, remove Kushida and juniors will draw less money. Meanwhile Kushida will be stuck somewhere in upper-midcard like Goto without ability to really draw anything considering that he'll get less singles matches and will be usually in the middle of the card just like he is now with Jr. title matches on big cards.


lel why that matters is I was using that to dispel the notion that NJPW is "stacked."
Don't misconstrue, what I'm not saying is that they ran stale matches that nobody wanted to see. Not saying that at all.

What I mean is NJPW _had_ to run the same 2 matches at their 3 biggest events this year because they really didn't have anything else. That's not to be used against NJPW, because they tried to make a new top guy this year and 30 minutes later he died.
All I'm saying is that NJPW "stacked" heavy scene isn't all that stacked as some try to pass it off to be. It's a work in progress, but as it stands right now it's 4 main guys, 2 upper mid, and the rest. Ideally they should have 6 legti upper mid guys IMO

- Okada
- Naito
- Omega
- Tana
------
- MiSu
- Ishii
------
the rest (Goto, Elgin, EVIL, SANADA, Fale, ZSJ etc)

Now consider that MiSu is freelance and nearly 50, Ishii is gonna be 42, and Goto is almost 40 and is damaged goods. You mean to tell me KUSHIDA couldn't be a featured upper mid guy who flirts with the Big 4 when they need him to?

For me, I would rather KUSHIDA be in the upper mid and get interesting match-ups than spinning wheels with the juniors. 
That's just me, tho. There is nothing for KUSHIDA to do in the division. We've seen him beat all the other juniors, he's won BOSJ multiple times, been champion multiple times, had long reigns, heck they even brought back Super J just for him. Meanwhile, there is a whole new world for everybody involved if he bumps up.
Give him a test run in the NJC or G1. If it doesn't work and the fans don't take to it for whatever reason, then don't commit to it.


----------



## Desecrated

Fukishima card allegedly -

Suzuki vs Elgin
Okada, Yano and Rocky vs LIJ - NEVER Openweight 6 man belt
GOD vs KES vs War Machine for the tag belts
Ishii and Ospreay vs Naito and Hiromu
Finlay and Juice vs Kenny and Fale

Hiroshima

Tanahashi vs ZSJ - Intercontinental 
KUSHIDA vs Desperado - Jr Heavyweight Belt
Okada, Ishii, Yano, Gedo, Ospreay vs LIJ
Taguchi & Ricochet vs Kanemaru and Taichi for Junior Tag Belts?
And War Machine vs KES vs GOD again? 
Makabe, Elgin and !IBUSHI! vs MiSu, TAKA and I forget his name, the crazy guy
Roppongi vs Yujiro and Chase

Kobe

Juice vs Kenny - US Belt
Okada and Ospreay vs Hiromu and EVIl
Ishii, Yano and Rocky vs Naito, BUSHI and SANADA
The triple threat tag again?

I'll update it if I see changes.

EVIL vs Okada and Naito vs Ishii is King of Pro Wrestling. Looks like we won't get Omega vs Okada IV for a year or more.


----------



## Lariatoh!

Just once, and it only has to be once, I would like to see a triple threat for the IWGP belt. I was hoping it could have been Okada/Tana/Nak, but now it could be Okada/Naito/Omega or anyone really. I just would like to see it just once. They did a ladder match last year. I know Kenny is all about trying to create history.. maybe he can do it for the US belt. But that's not the same as the IWGP Heavyweight. And hell, Okada not being involved in the pin protects their precious chosen one. (Don't @ me, I'm just being funny in regards to Okada).


----------



## Desecrated

Lariatoh! said:


> Just once, and it only has to be once, I would like to see a triple threat for the IWGP belt. I was hoping it could have been Okada/Tana/Nak, but now it could be Okada/Naito/Omega or anyone really. I just would like to see it just once. They did a ladder match last year. I know Kenny is all about trying to create history.. maybe he can do it for the US belt. But that's not the same as the IWGP Heavyweight. And hell, Okada not being involved in the pin protects their precious chosen one. (Don't @ me, I'm just being funny in regards to Okada).


May I ask how come? Typically, multi-man matches haven't done much for me (not considering 2v2, 3v3 etc multi-man, which I actually prefer over 1v1s) Would be something fresh and a change of pace when they need to break up the monotony of lack of fresh match-ups. But that aside, multi-men matches haven't typically been of a high quality. The worst offender is when they focus the action on two people, with the third coming in to break it up and take over. Hate that so much. Would I trust New Japan to get it right? I'm not sure. They'd probably revel in trying to find a way to get it right rather than their own thing.


----------



## volde

El Dandy said:


> lel why that matters is I was using that to dispel the notion that NJPW is "stacked."
> Don't misconstrue, what I'm not saying is that they ran stale matches that nobody wanted to see. Not saying that at all.
> 
> What I mean is NJPW _had_ to run the same 2 matches at their 3 biggest events this year because they really didn't have anything else. That's not to be used against NJPW, because they tried to make a new top guy this year and 30 minutes later he died.
> All I'm saying is that NJPW "stacked" heavy scene isn't all that stacked as some try to pass it off to be. It's a work in progress, but as it stands right now it's 4 main guys, 2 upper mid, and the rest. Ideally they should have 6 legti upper mid guys IMO
> 
> - Okada
> - Naito
> - Omega
> - Tana
> ------
> - MiSu
> - Ishii
> ------
> the rest (Goto, Elgin, EVIL, SANADA, Fale, ZSJ etc)
> 
> Now consider that MiSu is freelance and nearly 50, Ishii is gonna be 42, and Goto is almost 40 and is damaged goods. You mean to tell me KUSHIDA couldn't be a featured upper mid guy who flirts with the Big 4 when they need him to?
> 
> For me, I would rather KUSHIDA be in the upper mid and get interesting match-ups than spinning wheels with the juniors.
> That's just me, tho. There is nothing for KUSHIDA to do in the division. We've seen him beat all the other juniors, he's won BOSJ multiple times, been champion multiple times, had long reigns, heck they even brought back Super J just for him. Meanwhile, there is a whole new world for everybody involved if he bumps up.
> Give him a test run in the NJC or G1. If it doesn't work and the fans don't take to it for whatever reason, then don't commit to it.


Yeah, I get your point better now. I suppose they could try him out in NJC or NEVER title match to test waters, no harm in that. 

Anyway, a bit weak cards for Destruction shows, but on the flipside KoPW already looks great with Okada/Evil, Naito/Ishii and I guess Hiromu/Ospreay? 

I don't get why they are doing that three way with tag belts multiple times? Or is this placeholder announcement and they don't want to spoil that GoD will get blown the fuck out on first match and we will continue with War Machine/KES as we should?


----------



## El Dandy

Cards are being dropped:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/899518831084716032

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/899522370255192064

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/899516435877187584
Destruction in Fukushima:
-NEVER: MiSu v Elgin
-NEVER6: LOS v CHAOS (Okada/YTR/Rocky)
-TT: War Machine v GOD v KES
-Naito/Hiromu v Ishii/Ospreay
-Omega/Fale v Juice/Finlay
-Tanahashi/Ricochet/Taguchi/Makabe/KUSHIDA v SuzukiGun (Taichi/Kanemaru/Iizuka/Taka/Desperado)
-Jado/Trent v Yujiro/Owens
-Goto/YOSHI-HASHI v Young Boys
-Dad/Young Boy tag match

Destruction in Hiroshima:
-IC: Tanahashi v Sabre
-JR: KUSHIDA v Desperado
-TT: War Machine v GOD v KES
-JRTT: Ricochet/Taguchi v Tachi/Kanemaru
-CHAOS (Okada, Ishii, YTR, Ospreay, Gedo) v LOS (Naito, EVIL, SANADA, BUSHI, Hiromu)
-Elgin/Ibushi/Makabe v SuzukiGun (MiSu/Taka/Iizuk)
-Omega/Fale v Juice/Finlay
-RPG v Yujiro/Owens
-Goto/YOSHI-HASHI/Jado v Tenzan/Liger/Tiger

Destrcution in Kobe
-US: Omega v Juice
-TT: War Machine v GOD v KES
-Okada/Ospreay v EVIL/Hiromu
-LOS (Naito/SANADA/BUSHI) v CHAOS (Ishii/YTR/Rocky)
-Tanahashi/Taguchi/Ricochet v SuzukiGun (Kanemaru/Taichi/Iizuka)
-CHAOS (Goto/YOSHI-HASHI/Trent) v BC (Fale/Yujiro/Owens)
-Elgin/Kitamura v Makabe/Finlay
-Liger/Tiger v Taka/Taichi
-Dad/Young Boy tag match

Also looks like @Corey was right! EVIL IS GONNA MAIN EVENT KOPW :mark:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/899514026773757952
King of Pro Wrestling:
-HW: Okada v EVIL
-Tokyo Dome Title Shot: Naito v Ishii

EVIL main eventing KoPW is big time; they don't just let anybody be in that spot. Shows just how far ahead Gedo sees him over SANADA. 2-years ago EVIL made his debut at KoPW, and now he's headlining it 
:like


----------



## BC Punk

Did you really doubt it would shake out this way? They were never going to do Okada/Omega IV so soon for a host of reasons so Evil was literally the only other match.


----------



## volde

You never know, we had 3 Okada/Omega matches already in one year, whats one more?


----------



## Desecrated

The most perplexing one was the frequency of the heavyweight tag title matches. Just throw fucking CHAOS in there with Goto and YOSHI, and vary it up. I'm curious if certain guys are trying to avoid the tag-wrestler stigma.


----------



## Lariatoh!

Desecrated said:


> May I ask how come? Typically, multi-man matches haven't done much for me (not considering 2v2, 3v3 etc multi-man, which I actually prefer over 1v1s) Would be something fresh and a change of pace when they need to break up the monotony of lack of fresh match-ups. But that aside, multi-men matches haven't typically been of a high quality. The worst offender is when they focus the action on two people, with the third coming in to break it up and take over. Hate that so much. Would I trust New Japan to get it right? I'm not sure. They'd probably revel in trying to find a way to get it right rather than their own thing.


it's about the history between the competitors and the star power they can bring in such a match. Think about the attitude era where we had Austin, Rock and HHH. All three guys were at the top and wanted to show their dominance. Who was the best?? 

And... One of my most favourite matches of all time is Styles vs. Daniels vs. Joe Unbreakable for the X Divison Championship. The match is so good that people remember the match and not really who actually won. It was such a sensation. I think given the wrestlers we have in NJPW, a triple threat for the IWGP title would be something very special.


----------



## Groovemachine

Apart from all the obviously great stuff, I really like the sound of Naito/Hiromu vs Ishii/Ospreay. That sounds like a tremendous dynamic. Should be fun.


----------



## volde

I think there is a reason why you can probably count great TT matches on one hand while NJPW usually delivers couple of great 1vs1 matches every month (at thats ignoring outliers like G1 where we get something like 15 great matches in a month).

For me personally problem with TT matches is that it is usually done to protect someone so he wouldn't have to eat the pin. I want Naito beating the crap out of Okada, ideally ending it with Stardust press. I don't want nor need Kenny beating the crap out of Okada for half the match (or roles reversed) then in last minute having bunch of reversals where Naito ends up pinning Kenny after he probably gets hit by Rainmaker, but Okada is unable to make the cover in time. I want definitive endings to matches.


----------



## Lariatoh!

Yup, nothing beats a 1 on 1. There's no question. As my first post stated. Just the one off would be something different. Get some big star power, and have the fans really on the edge of their seat as it is so unpredictable, anyone could come out the winner.


----------



## Corey

Destruction cards aren't bad, but man that Kobe card (which theoretically should be the best and biggest one) looks pretty weak. Omega/Juice is all good but no big semi-main? Not sure how well that's gonna do in ticket sales but we'll see. Hiroshima is the best looking card as a whole imo.

The RPG Vice match on the 2nd show is being advertised as their "Final Match" btw.

inb4 the Tag Titles change hands on EVERY show. GoD win the first, War Machine wins them back, then KES walks out with them at the end.

Wonder what this means about Omega at the Chicago ROH show... You would think that if everyone retains singles title on these shows that Omega/Elgin would be the next logical match for KOPW? Guess we'll see.

Guess Ishii is the only guy that Naito will defend the WK shot against?


----------



## antoniomare007

Hey, those actually look like interesting cards and not lazy shit. Good on Gedo, it's a nice step forward and I'll give him props for it. I just hope he doesn't take three steps backwards once "down season" is over. 


They are putting HUGE hope on Kenny - and Juice for that matter - for the Kobe World Hall show. That's a big ass building they have to fill with a pretty weak card. But I like they are taking a chance with them. Hopefully the stable feuds pick up some steam and aren't filler tags too.

Really liked what he did with the Korakuen cards too.


----------



## Len Hughes Presents

I wonder why Sabre Jr. isn't in the 10-man in Fukushima.


----------



## BC Punk

Corey said:


> Destruction cards aren't bad, but man that Kobe card (which theoretically should be the best and biggest one) looks pretty weak. Omega/Juice is all good but no big semi-main? Not sure how well that's gonna do in ticket sales but we'll see. Hiroshima is the best looking card as a whole imo.
> 
> The RPG Vice match on the 2nd show is being advertised as their "Final Match" btw.
> 
> inb4 the Tag Titles change hands on EVERY show. GoD win the first, War Machine wins them back, then KES walks out with them at the end.
> 
> Wonder what this means about Omega at the Chicago ROH show... You would think that if everyone retains singles title on these shows that Omega/Elgin would be the next logical match for KOPW? Guess we'll see.
> 
> Guess Ishii is the only guy that Naito will defend the WK shot against?


Why do you think Suzuki is retaining against Elgin? Somebody has to work Tanahashi for the IC at WK and all the other big names seem to have dance partners already.

I assume Suzuki is dropping the NEVER belt to Elgin to allow him to move up to the IC belt. It would be the same scenario with Tanahashi and the IC that they did with Goto and the NEVER belt, defend against Sabre, Jr. to set up the bigger Suzuki feud. 

I think that allows them to skip another Omega/Elgin (and saves Elgin taking two more back to back high profile losses) and have Kenny defend against some ROH guy in Chicago.


----------



## Corey

BC Punk said:


> Why do you think Suzuki is retaining against Elgin? Somebody has to work Tanahashi for the IC at WK and all the other big names seem to have dance partners already.
> 
> I assume Suzuki is dropping the NEVER belt to Elgin to allow him to move up to the IC belt. It would be the same scenario with Tanahashi and the IC that they did with Goto and the NEVER belt, defend against Sabre, Jr. to set up the bigger Suzuki feud.
> 
> I think that allows them to skip another Omega/Elgin (and saves Elgin taking two more back to back high profile losses) and have Kenny defend against some ROH guy in Chicago.


Oh Elgin could very well win, I'm not discounting that. I just don't think he will tbh. Suzuki lost to him, then went to a draw with Okada, and then lost to Yano to end his G1 and threw one hell of temper tantrum. On quite the losing streak so I think he gets his win back. Fine with Elgin winning though if it happens. He was booked like complete ass for a bout a year straight so he's due for something positive.

I fantasy booked Tanahashi/MiSu for the dome pre-G1 (and it certainly could still happen) but after the way things shook out, I'm totally down for EVIL getting that semi-main spot and letting LIJ walk out with the two big belts at the end of the night. Or at least letting him have a big match with Tana.


----------



## Corey

Len Hughes Presents said:


> I wonder why Sabre Jr. isn't in the 10-man in Fukushima.


He doesn't actually join the tour until the 14th. Must be wrestling elsewhere the first couple weeks of the month.


----------



## BC Punk

Corey said:


> Oh Elgin could very well win, I'm not discounting that. I just don't think he will tbh. Suzuki lost to him, then went to a draw with Okada, and then lost to Yano to end his G1 and threw one hell of temper tantrum. On quite the losing streak so I think he gets his win back. Fine with Elgin winning though if it happens. He was booked like complete ass for a bout a year straight so he's due for something positive.
> 
> I fantasy booked Tanahashi/MiSu for the dome pre-G1 (and it certainly could still happen) but after the way things shook out, I'm totally down for EVIL getting that semi-main spot and letting LIJ walk out with the two big belts at the end of the night. Or at least letting him have a big match with Tana.


You know, I never thought about Evil in that spot but it's a pretty good shout. I can't imagine Tanahashi losing to him on that stage though. Especially being on a two match losing streak at WK. I wonder if Omega/Ibushi would get the second to last slot over that match, though. I was thinking they were building to this kind of WK12 card.

Okada/Naito *HW Champ
Tanahashi/Suzuki *IC Champ
Omega/Ibushi *US Champ
Elgin/Evil *NEVER Champ
Kushida/Hiromu *Jr HW Champ

Naito, Evil and Hiromu winning titles for LIJ (I could see them holding the HW and NEVER belts but I'm not sure they would give both the HW and IC to them)

Omega and Tanahashi holding the other belts.


----------



## Corey

BC Punk said:


> You know, I never thought about Evil in that spot but it's a pretty good shout. I can't imagine Tanahashi losing to him on that stage though. Especially being on a two match losing streak at WK. I wonder if Omega/Ibushi would get the second to last slot over that match, though. I was thinking they were building to this kind of WK12 card.
> 
> Okada/Naito *HW Champ
> Tanahashi/Suzuki *IC Champ
> Omega/Ibushi *US Champ
> *Elgin/Evil *NEVER Champ*
> Kushida/Hiromu *Jr HW Champ
> 
> Naito, Evil and Hiromu winning titles for LIJ (I could see them holding the HW and NEVER belts but I'm not sure they would give both the HW and IC to them)
> 
> Omega and Tanahashi holding the other belts.


That's actually quite the possibility. I like that.

Definitely thinking it'll be KUSHIDA vs. Ospreay for the Jr. Title though with Ospreay finally getting the win, but we'll see.


----------



## TD Stinger

In a perfect world Shibata would challenging Tanahashi for the IC title at WK. Can you imagine a Triple Main Event of Okada vs. Naito, Omega vs. Ibushi, and Tanahashi vs. Shibata? Holy hell. But sadly that’s not happening.

As far as Tana goes, I see him either facing Suzuki or Elgin. And if I had to pick, I would say Suzuki faces Tana for a heel vs. face match. And then Elgin can defend the Never Openweight title against Ishii.


----------



## Corey

antoniomare007 said:


> Really liked what he did with the Korakuen cards too.


Good shout, didn't even look at them. My 10-man elimination matches are back! :mark:

9/7
(7) *Elimination 10-man Tag Match:* Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, Will Ospreay & Rocky Romero vs Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi

9/9
(7) *Elimination 10-man Tag Match:* Michael Elgin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi & Ricochet vs Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi

I love it when they do these.


----------



## BC Punk

Corey said:


> That's actually quite the possibility. I like that.
> 
> Definitely thinking it'll be KUSHIDA vs. Ospreay for the Jr. Title though with Ospreay finally getting the win, but we'll see.


That might be a better call, considering Kushida and Hiromu already fought three times this year, I totally forgot Ospreay existed haha. I guess they could team Hiromu and Bushi in the Jr. Tag Title match in that scenario.


----------



## volde

Ospreay is probably eating a pin from Hiromu at KoPW and won't be on WK card at all, unless thrown in some NEVER gauntlet. Kushida had his redemption story, now it is time for Hiromu to get one.

Also, I'm probably only one who'd prefer Tana/Ibushi at WK instead of Omega/Ibushi.


----------



## Lariatoh!

Gedo loves a redemption arc. 

It's like Oprah - You get one, you get one... everyone gets a redemption angle!!!!


----------



## Desecrated

Corey said:


> Good shout, didn't even look at them. My 10-man elimination matches are back! :mark:
> 
> 9/7
> (7) *Elimination 10-man Tag Match:* Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, Will Ospreay & Rocky Romero vs Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi
> 
> 9/9
> (7) *Elimination 10-man Tag Match:* Michael Elgin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA, Ryusuke Taguchi & Ricochet vs Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi
> 
> I love it when they do these.


Got the full cards for these? Look tasty.

I also like the Ospreay vs KUSHIDA shout for WK. Seems obvious now that it's been suggested. Everyone gets their win back, and experimenting with KUSHIDA going Heavyweight between Jan and April before the BOSJ would be optimal.
@volde I'd worry it's Hiromu not being on the card. They may go for LIJ (BUSHI, Hiromu and SANADA) vs CHAOS (YOSHI, Jado and Gedo) or something like Hiromu and SANADA/BUSHI challenging for the HW/Jr tag belts.


----------



## Corey

volde said:


> Also, I'm probably only one who'd prefer Tana/Ibushi at WK instead of Omega/Ibushi.


You have gotta be the only one... hands down. 



Desecrated said:


> Got the full cards for these? Look tasty.


https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/10125?showCards=1
https://www.njpw1972.com/tornament/10126?showCards=1

The 10-man elimination matches are always a lot of fun because there's over the top rope elimination rules as well so it allows for essentially anyone to win and get a nice moment that they normally wouldn't. Back in February they did 3 in one show and the winners were Juice, Kanemaru, and Taguchi.


----------



## volde

Desecrated said:


> @volde I'd worry it's Hiromu not being on the card. They may go for LIJ (BUSHI, Hiromu and SANADA) vs CHAOS (YOSHI, Jado and Gedo) or something like Hiromu and SANADA/BUSHI challenging for the HW/Jr tag belts.


Well even if he is in tags then he is on the card. What I meant was that I wouldn't be surprised if Ospreay doesn't appear in WK at all.

To me it doesn't make sense to push Ospreay over Hiromu. One is native full time guy in the hottest stable, another one is foreigner, basically a part-timer that is wrestling in various promotions and wants to move to Australia for good. This is not difficult choice to make. 

Ospreay defeated Hiromu in BoTSJ semi-final so that Hiromu wouldn't have to be defeated twice in a row by Kushida. Now he is challenging Ospreay for a re-match claiming that he ruined his "fairytale": https://www.njpw1972.com/card_result/13600 

We see Hiromu and Ospreay in opposing tags on each Destruction show so to me it looks obvious that they are building towards singles match at KoPW where Hiromu gets his W back. Next logical thing after that is to challenge Kushida, or Desperado if by some miracle he manages to defeat Kushida. 

I don't see how Ospreay figures into WK card, what would be his claim after getting beaten by Kushida and Hiromu? To me it looks like fan fiction, omg Ospreay finally gets a win. Meanwhile nothing in NJPW booking is indicating that we are moving towards that while Hiromu/Kushida is still being kept warm with their interactions during Kushida/Bushi and post-match comments. 

After WK Naito will have hw belt and we will probably get LiJ/Suzuki-Gun feud that they have been teasing for some time now with Taichi/Desperado and Bushi. For that it will make perfect sense to have Jr. belt on Hiromu so that he'd have singles match with Desperado or, god forbid, Taichi.


----------



## Desecrated

volde said:


> Well even if he is in tags then he is on the card. What I meant was that I wouldn't be surprised if Ospreay doesn't appear in WK at all.
> 
> To me it doesn't make sense to push Ospreay over Hiromu. One is native full time guy in the hottest stable, another one is foreigner, basically a part-timer that is wrestling in various promotions and wants to move to Australia for good. This is not difficult choice to make.
> 
> Ospreay defeated Hiromu in BoTSJ semi-final so that Hiromu wouldn't have to be defeated twice in a row by Kushida. Now he is challenging Ospreay for a re-match claiming that he ruined his "fairytale": https://www.njpw1972.com/card_result/13600
> 
> We see Hiromu and Ospreay in opposing tags on each Destruction show so to me it looks obvious that they are building towards singles match at KoPW where Hiromu gets his W back. Next logical thing after that is to challenge Kushida, or Desperado if by some miracle he manages to defeat Kushida.
> 
> I don't see how Ospreay figures into WK card, what would be his claim after getting beaten by Kushida and Hiromu? To me it looks like fan fiction, omg Ospreay finally gets a win. Meanwhile nothing in NJPW booking is indicating that we are moving towards that while Hiromu/Kushida is still being kept warm with their interactions during Kushida/Bushi and post-match comments.
> 
> After WK Naito will have hw belt and we will probably get LiJ/Suzuki-Gun feud that they have been teasing for some time now with Taichi/Desperado and Bushi. For that it will make perfect sense to have Jr. belt on Hiromu so that he'd have singles match with Desperado or, god forbid, Taichi.


Ospreay also lacks the "fairytale" win over KUSHIDA. He has been beaten 3 times. A move to Australia for Ospreay would also enable him to work Japan more, actually. Same timezones (at least within 2-3 hours). It's a real possibility that Ospreay would feature more often. There's several paths they can go with Hiromu should he not get a match with KUSHIDA, which I actually don't think he even needs. He has the personality that'll likely always attract LIJ superfans (I mean, there's even a BUSHI superfan).If hypothetically Ospreay moves to Australia to feature more in New Japan, him going against KUSHIDA at WK is a fantastic match to go with.

For Hiromu, he could win the Jr Tag belt with BUSHI and face Taichi & (Taka/Desperado/Kanemaru). Of course if the Rocky Romero story is true with BUSHI talking shit about that belt, they might dismiss going with the tag-wrestler stigma.

Both options of Hiromu & Ospreay at WK are fantastic and I'd accept either. Just Ospreay moving to Australia doesn't dismiss his New Japan prospects but rather makes it a real possibility that he'll become a full-time wrestler.


----------



## Mordecay

Latest on Shibata's blog


----------



## MC

Holy god, how crazy is Iwatani to do this?


----------



## antoniomare007

Is there single link or online vid with Takeshita vs Endo from the Peter Pan show? Don't really feel like downloading the whole show from XWT and fuck up my already shitty ratio


----------



## HOJO

antoniomare007 said:


> Is there single link or online vid with Takeshita vs Endo from the Peter Pan show? Don't really feel like downloading the whole show from XWT and fuck up my already shitty ratio


Check your DMs

I guess I might as well go through the show. basically, the show fucking ruled until the main event. 
https://dramaticddt.wordpress.com/2...if-you-become-20-years-old-peter-pan-results/

Yuu was a fucking monster in the *Tokyo Joshi Battle Royal*'s last 3 minutes and it was fucking glorious. Other than that, ehh. Tokyo Joshi Pro is better than this, though. **3/4*

The actual show's opener was a very solid. Yuki Ino did a good job for his first match. He wasnt ridiculously impressive but he looked well out there. Yoshimura and his massive fucking legs were the star of course. ***3/4*

*The 10-man Tag Title match* was the time of my life. Hirata is a fucking idiot getting caught up in the crowd's reaction to him(thanks to Sasadango Machine), always nice to see LiLiCo, and the whole dance routine was a side killer. ***1/2*

*Shunma vs Ikemen* was good. Actually saw the Samurai version too just to experience Ikemen the proper way. They both looked good, however Shunma did have his moments of looking sloppy like nearly killing Ikemen with that 450 for example. It's unfortunate cuz he looked like that as well during that short match with Endo the month before. i mean it didnt hurt the match incredibly, but Shunma seems rough around the edges in singles lately. other than than, ikemen was a star as always. Here's hoping he wins the W-1 title(and then killed by Hino). ****1/4*

*Shouten-Doji vs Togo/Honda/Urano* was solid. Honda and Urano and Masa honestly still very much underrated, Togo is still the man with his massive fucking pecs, and Shouten Doji are still a great team. They teased some more Togo/Sakaguchi to come, i thought Togo died when he splatted on the floor, and the potential one on one match could be good. ****1/2*

There's no place to begin with *Takagi/Dino*. i was surprised they didnt go the easy route with a bunch of nostalgia run ins like Ibushi or Poison Sawada or MIKAMI or whatever, but it didn't hurt the match at all. It did amazingly without it. They build up to the insane with each entrant, though I wish it would've gone on longer than it did. Takagi's wife single-handedly going over the whole joshi scene with one perfect moonsault. ************1/4*

*Sasaki/Akito*. Sasaki coming out with some cheap Russian hookers was a great touch. After that, they had a great great great Hardcore Submission match. Aside from a few spots by Sasaki, everything they did centered around working body parts for their submissions(Sasaki's crossfaces and Akito's leg submissions). The Knee Smash onto a fucking table and on the ladder was great. Akito is 100% one of, if not, the best wrestler in the world when it comes to engaging and consistent limb work. If Sasaki's beautiful hair wasn't on the line, I would've been all in on Akito winning this. YAMATO-looking mother fucker when his hair started getting cut and fuzzed up.******

*HARASHIMA & Marufuji vs Irie & Higuchi*, 2nd best match of the show. Marufuji/Higuchi chop battle wasn't as extreme as I wanted or thought it would be, but still fun to watch. I'd like to see some Higuchi in NOAH honestly. Better him than a bunch of TNA guys amirite. Love Irie & HARASHIMA, Irie did his thing and he's still fun to watch, HARASHIMA is still the best and he got his regular dose of sweet Irie tears in the end, but Higuchi is a fucking star to me. That Ishikawa match last year was great, and he's been on a pretty strong roll since. I hope there's an Openweight title run coming in the next couple of years. ****3/4*

*Endo vs Takeshita*. Oh fucking boy. honestly the more I watch it and the more I think about it, the lower my thoughts on the match go. I really didn't understand the flow or direction of this. There were some decent reversals and a great Powerbomb, but that's about it. I dont know what happened but it was just a flat match. Takeshita kicking out of all of Endo's shit and then winslol was infuriating. ***1/2*

I don't fuck with Takeshita's push at all. He's literally Roman Reigns. Commentary apparently talking about his body and his muscles(while he's in the ring with Endo whose body honestly looks better than his apart from being tall), absolutely no character or attractable or likable trait whatsoever which is DEATH and despair for a guy working at the top in fucking DDT, but still ends up being a good worker in the ring while working leaps and bounds better as a tag wrestler. Being the ace and having this long reign to try and solidify him is not his place, especially when they're not doing anything to rectify the issues that keep him from fitting int his place they want him to fit in. If you're gonna work on him being the leader of the company fine, but don't give him a fucking dominant reign when he's not ready for that. It's not watchable. And then teasing him being a triple champion next month, over Ohka who's beloved and Sasaki who's had a much better reign in the same time span as Takeshita's, fuck that. It's so goddamn forced.


----------



## Corey

*IWGP Heavyweight Championship:* Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Minoru Suzuki
_NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 2012_
www.dailymotion.com/video/x5ex368​We have a... much heavier Minoru Suzuki than what I'm used to seeing these days. :lol Forgot he used to be this pudgy tbh. I'm really missing New Japan since the G1 ended so I decided to watch some older(ish) stuff that I haven't seen to keep me preoccupied. It's super ironic that Tanahashi comes in with a taped up arm here considering the shape he's in right now. Suzuki obviously goes after it and that's the story throughout. Tana retaliates by attacking the leg (ya know, the ush). Everything is going fine and dandy and then we reach a figure four segment and the match absolute takes a turn into amazing territory. That was honest to god one of the most compelling submission segments I think I've ever seen. They zoom in on both their faces and you can see the pain and anguish on both. Suzuki inches closer to the ropes and then Tana pulls him back to the center... TWICE! Insane. 

Once MiSu gets out of that his selling was awesome. He had to literally beat the shit out of his leg to regain feeling and then started throwing some weak ass kicks because either his leg felt like shit or he couldn't stand properly to deliver the full force. After slapping the piss out of Tana he's able to get him in the sleeper and then flip him over for the choke. Here we have another absolutely excellent submission segment. Tana is bleeding from the mouth and crawling towards the ropes, then basically collapses. With one last burst he rises from the mat with both hands and leaps to the ropes to force a break. Awesome.

The last like... 10 minutes(?) or so are just fantastic and a total struggle. Suzuki counters a dragon screw that he rolls into a sleeper and it's beautiful. His selling of the leg was super duper fucking good throughout and once the match is over Tana looks like he's been hit by a truck. :lol The amazing part is that these two have essentially avoided each other since this match, NEVER going one-on-one again. Can we see this finally happen again at WK (or KOPW maybe for a 5 year anniversary)? We'll see but this should be a pretty good indicator of how that match would go down (injured arm, leg work to retaliate, Tana coming in champ, etc.) except there'd be the obvious SuzukiGUN involvement. Totally watch this match if you haven't seen it though btw. It's incredible.

***** 3/4*​


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

hey guys, AJPW is having their big summer show tomorrow at Ryogoku, anyone know if there is a way to watch it? Even if I have to pay for it I'm down.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

Won't be able to watch AJPW's Summer Explosion live but I'm very excited for it!


----------



## Corey

By god we've got a new GHC Heavyweight Champion! The boyhood dream has come true! :mark:

(7) *GHC Heavyweight Championship Match:* [28th Champion] Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. [Challenger] Eddie Edwards
*♦Winner:* Edwards *(25:41)* following the Die Hard.

~ Champion falls on his 8th title defense. Edwards becomes the 29th champion and in the process the first Western/American based talent to ever hold the belt.
~ It has been Edwards’ long standing dream to achieve this very honor. After 12 years of competing, off and on, in the NOAH ring he finally laid claim to his first ever title victory. Edwards will now go on to represent NOAH in GFW/Impact.
~ Marufuji made the challenge against the new champion.










Japanese Puroresu said:


> hey guys, AJPW is having their big summer show tomorrow at Ryogoku, anyone know if there is a way to watch it? Even if I have to pay for it I'm down.


14 day free trial for nicopro. Subscribe for $4.99 a month. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAb0WagjOR4


----------



## Groovemachine

Congrats to Eddie Edwards. That's a huge deal for him. Will certainly look forward to Marufuji vs Edwards, whenever that may be.


----------



## PUNQ

Corey said:


> 14 day free trial for nicopro. Subscribe for $4.99 a month. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAb0WagjOR4


What sucks is that NicoPro Subscription is not available for my country (Norway), not even with their alleged international expansion, so with RealHero uploading much less because of NicoPro restrictions I'm losing out of a lot. 

As for Eddie Edwards winning the GHC Heavyweight belt.... meh. Never been much of a fan, works too light for my tastes, and with NOAH stumbling big-time re-formating their product (only seen up through their July 13th show), Edwards feels like a epic fail. They had a real heavyweight in Brian Cage challenging for the belt last month! They could have gone with someone who could have made in impact as a monster gaijin instead of a midcard lightweight foreigner that's been with the company a decade and people are tired of already. But who knows, this might surprise. Not like NOAH's attendances can get much worse. It all depends what they can do with him as champion.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Corey said:


> By god we've got a new GHC Heavyweight Champion! The boyhood dream has come true! :mark:
> 
> (7) *GHC Heavyweight Championship Match:* [28th Champion] Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. [Challenger] Eddie Edwards
> *♦Winner:* Edwards *(25:41)* following the Die Hard.
> 
> ~ Champion falls on his 8th title defense. Edwards becomes the 29th champion and in the process the first Western/American based talent to ever hold the belt.
> ~ It has been Edwards’ long standing dream to achieve this very honor. After 12 years of competing, off and on, in the NOAH ring he finally laid claim to his first ever title victory. Edwards will now go on to represent NOAH in GFW/Impact.
> ~ Marufuji made the challenge against the new champion.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 14 day free trial for nicopro. Subscribe for $4.99 a month. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAb0WagjOR4


Is it gonna be live on Nico though?


----------



## Lariatoh!

if they were going to give it to a gaijin, I would have preferred Brian Cage personally.


----------



## antoniomare007

Eddie Edwards









Still can't get 1k at Korakuen









Over/Under on how long before Go, Sugi, Maru or Nakajima leave the promotion and start their own?


HOJO said:


> Check your DMs


Thanks breh.

*Konosuke Takeshita vs Tetsuya Endo - Ryogoku Peter Pan 2017*

This was worked very similarly to Okada/Omega I and II, where they spend the first third of the match working a body part and making you think it's gonna be a focused match, but after a certain point they just shrug everything off and start doing a proper spotfest with some crazy shit and good near falls. Crowd was fucking DEAD for most of the first half though, so whatever they were going for didn't work at all. Once they went full on spotfest they woke everyone up and had them reacting at every bomb. An enjoyable match, I'm sure other people will find it very good-to-great, but it wasn't the "next generation showcase" I was hoping for. 

Takeshita has to have the best offense in wrestling right now imo, I keep waiting for a classic from him, I hope I get it soon.


----------



## HOJO

Tokyo Joshi Pro outdrawing NOAH :mj4:mj4:mj4:mj4:mj4


Japanese Puroresu said:


> Is it gonna be live on Nico though?


It's not gonna be on Nicopro. The scheduled airing is not gonna be the actual show


----------



## Corey

Japanese Puroresu said:


> Is it gonna be live on Nico though?





HOJO said:


> It's not gonna be on Nicopro. The scheduled airing is not gonna be the actual show


What's airing then? It says this:

All Japan Pro-Wrestling "45th Anniversary Bilateral Tournament - New Resolution -" 8.27 Bilateral Kokugikan Tournament Second Assembly / ALL JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING @ 8.27 Ryogoku Second party

Idk what else that could be? Like a press conference or something?


----------



## antoniomare007

Did the 7/5 All Japan show ever aired? I wanted to see Akiyama/Omori vs Kamitani/Oka.


----------



## Corey

Groovemachine said:


> Congrats to Eddie Edwards. That's a huge deal for him. Will certainly look forward to Marufuji vs Edwards, whenever that may be.


Believe it'll be set for “GREAT VOYAGE 2017 in YOKOHAMA vol.2” on October 1. They're booking Tatsumi Fujinami, Shiro Koshinaka, and Garza Jr. for that show as well.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

HOJO said:


> Tokyo Joshi Pro outdrawing NOAH :mj4:mj4:mj4:mj4:mj4
> 
> It's not gonna be on Nicopro. The scheduled airing is not gonna be the actual show


Well fuck my ass and call me Susan. I'm sad.


----------



## spacemtfan

Nice bonus for the people who got tickets to the Yujiro Takahashi signing on the 26th of August: Pieter, his bunny valet, also appeared! That was at the NJPW store and there is a nice photo of everyone taking a picture outside.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

AJPW show is live btw and there is a stream for anyone curious


----------



## El Dandy

new updated junior title looks fucking slick. That blue suede on leather look


















hopefully updating both tag belts is next. I still do kind of wish they had the old triple crown, tho. Maybe if they could've re-created the 3 OG belts idk


----------



## Lazlo

Their saying the attendance in for ajpw in sumo hall is 6550. If it true is the hightest non NJPW/WWE in this year.


----------



## Desecrated

Anyone able to provide a link whenever the show is uploaded anywhere? Sounds like the main event and the tag title match were excellent.


----------



## MC

Look at the career Eddie Edwards has had, the first every ring of honor triple crown champion, TNA/GFW Triple crown champion, the first gajin every to win the GHC Heavyweight title. Wow, glad for Edwards but it was the completely wrong choice for NOAH, why have Edwards as a clear transitional champion when they could have just did Marufuji and Nakajima, have the big match with the big stars. No offense to Edwards, he isn't going to increase business for NOAH or audieces.


----------



## BornBad




----------



## Corey

Strong BJ with the Tag Belt win! :mark:

Expected Kento to get the belt back. Hopefully it was another great match.



MC 16 said:


> Look at the career Eddie Edwards has had, the first every ring of honor triple crown champion, TNA/GFW Triple crown champion, the first gajin every to win the GHC Heavyweight title. Wow, glad for Edwards but it was the completely wrong choice for NOAH, why have Edwards as a clear transitional champion when they could have just did Marufuji and Nakajima, have the big match with the big stars. No offense to Edwards, *he isn't going to increase business for NOAH or audieces.*


At this point, who is? Don't mind the title change. They're fledgling as it is so why not.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

All the matches in the 2nd half were pretty good. Even Ultimo vs Tajiri wasn't too bad.


----------



## Omega Creed

Japanese Puroresu said:


> All the matches in the 2nd half were pretty good. Even Ultimo vs Tajiri wasn't too bad.


I'm happy for Ultimo. Glad to see him get the win.


----------



## Corey

@antoniomare007 and everyone else.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/901911233539870721

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/901886558566891520


----------



## antoniomare007

Everyone stop what you are doing and go watch the All Japan show. Tag title and TC are legit MOTYCs, I fucking loved the main event. 



Lazlo said:


> Their saying the attendance in for ajpw in sumo hall is 6550. If it true is the hightest non NJPW/WWE in this year.


No it's not. DDT had more than 10,000 at Saitama Super Arena for their Anniversary show.


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> @antoniomare007 and everyone else.
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/901911233539870721
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/901886558566891520


Fuck man, gotta watch GOT finale before Suzuki vs Daichi. Can't fucking wait though.


----------



## Corey

antoniomare007 said:


> No it's not. DDT had more than 10,000 at Saitama Super Arena for their Anniversary show.


Dragon Gate got 9,800 for their Kobe World show too.


----------



## volde

So watched Taka/Taichi Season II. First half of the show was nothing to write home about. Second half had Suzuki/Kanemaru and Taichi/Taka vs Hiromu/Bushi. 

Was this show aimed at hardcore Suzuki Gun fans? Because at times Taichi was getting cheers and not his usual "Taichi fuck off" chants 

Either way I loved main event and wouldn't mind if this turned into full NJPW program because at the moment it looks like they are just setting up stuff for some potential guest appearances in K-Dojo shows, didn't say outright but kinda hinted that Bushi/Naito vs Taka/Taichi might be next for October.


----------



## HOJO

volde said:


> So watched Taka/Taichi Season II. First half of the show was nothing to write home about. Second half had Suzuki/Kanemaru and Taichi/Taka vs Hiromu/Bushi.
> 
> Was this show aimed at hardcore Suzuki Gun fans? Because at times Taichi was getting cheers and not his usual "Taichi fuck off" chants
> 
> Either way I loved main event and wouldn't mind if this turned into full NJPW program because at the moment it looks like they are just setting up stuff for some potential guest appearances in K-Dojo shows, didn't say outright but kinda hinted that Bushi/Naito vs Taka/Taichi might be next for October.


Yes it was. All self-produced shows in Japan are for fans for whoever is producing the show and for some of the guys on the cards of these shows. Some of DDT's Beer Garden shows are exactly this with whoever is hosting any particular shows. Yuji Hino just had a Beer Garden produce show of his own for his return match yesterday.


----------



## Corey

Card updates for the next 4-5 weeks:

*Pro-Wrestling NOAH “GREAT VOYAGE 2017 in YOKOHAMA vol.2 ”, 10/1/2017 [Sun] 16:00 @ Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium in Kanagawa*​
(-) *GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship Match:* [35th Champion] Taiji Ishimori vs. [Challenger] Daisuke Harada
_~ 2nd title defense._

(-) *GHC Tag Championship Match:* [40th Champions] Go Shiozaki & Atsushi Kotoge vs. [Challengers] Muhammad Yone & Quiet Storm
_~ 1st title defense._

(-) *GHC Heavyweight Championship Match:* [29th Champion] Eddie Edwards vs. [Challenger] Naomichi Marufuji
_~ 1st title defense._

--------------------------

*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “Oudou Tournament”, 9/12/2017 [Tue] 18:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*​
() Yohei Nakajima, Minoru Tanaka, Atsushi Maruyama & Yusuke Okada vs. Ultimo Dragon, Kotaro Suzuki, Massimo & Danny Jones
() Jun Akiyama, Takao Omori, Masanobu Fuchi, Osamu Nishimura (FREE) vs. Naoya Nomura, Koji Iwamoto, Yuma Aoyagi & Fuminori Abe (Sportiva)
() Suwama & Atsushi Aoki vs. Joe Doering & Hikaru Sato
() *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 1st Round Match:* TAJIRI vs. Yoshitatsu (NJPW)
() *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 1st Round Match:* Shuji Ishikawa (FREE) vs. The Bodyguard (FREE)
() *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 1st Round Match:* Zeus vs. Ryoji Sai (LAND’S END)
() *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 1st Round Match:* Kento Miyahara vs. KAI (FREE)

*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “Oudou Tournament”, 9/16/2017 [Sat] 17:00 @ Kitamoto City Taiiku Center in Saitama*​
() Atsushi Maruyama & Yusuke Okada vs. Massimo & Danny Jones
() Shuji Ishikawa, Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori vs. Ryoji Sai, Rikiya Fudo & Manabu Soya
() Kento Miyahara, Ultimo Dragon & Yoshitatsu vs. TAJIRI, KAI & Yohei Nakajima
() *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 1st Round Match:* Joe Doering vs. Hikaru Sato
() *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 1st Round Match:* Atsushi Aoki vs. Kotaro Suzuki
() *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 1st Round Match:* Koji Iwamoto vs. Yuma Aoyagi
() *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 1st Round Match:* Suwama vs. Naoya Nomura

*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “Oudou Tournament”, 9/18/2017 [Mon] 17:00 @ EDION Arena Osaka, 2nd Stadium*​
() Jun Akiyama, Takao Omori, Hikaru Sato & Kotaro Suzuki vs. Suwama, Atsushi Aoki, Minoru Tanaka & Yusuke Okada
() Noaya Nomura, Koji Iwamoto & Yuma Aoyagi vs. Joe Doering, Massimo & Danny Jones

() *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 2nd Round Match:* (TAJIRI/Yoshitatsu) vs. (Miyahara vs. KAI)
() *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 2nd Round Match:* (Ishikawa/Bodyguard) vs. (Zeus/Sai)

*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “Oudou Tournament”, 9/19/2017 [Tue] 18:30 @ Nagoya City Biwajima Sports Center in Aichi*​
() *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 2nd Round Match:* (Suwama/Nomura) vs. (Iwamoto/Aoyagi)
() *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 2nd Round Match:* (Aoki/Kotaro) vs. (Doering/Hikaru)

*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “Oudou Tournament”, 9/23/2017 [Sat] 17:00 @ Yume Messe Miyagi, Nishidate Hall*​
() *5th Oudou Tournament ~ Semi-final Match:*
() *5th Oudou Tournament ~ Semi-final Match:*

() *5th Oudou Tournament ~ Final Match:*

------------------------​
Some nice looking 2nd round possibilities for that tournament in Miyahara/Tajiri and Ishikawa/Zeus.


----------



## Groovemachine

Ooooooh, a Harada/Ishimori rematch! That'll do nicely, they always bring the goods.


----------



## volde

Also, one thing that I forgot from Taka/Taichi show: https://twitter.com/MrLARIATO/status/902138884032745472

They also had matching masks and new entrance music, a lot of new stuff for basically a house show. Hiromu/Bushi tag team incoming and after all we will be getting Kushida/Ospreay and Hiromu/Bushi for jr. tag belts in WK?


----------



## Corey

Watched Suzuki vs. Hashimoto. Solid match but Daichi never really had a chance. Hideki was on top from the beginning and just smothered him with the neck work and full nelsons. Nothing bad at all and Daichi got in some kicks when he could, but not a very memorable defense. ****ish*

Also, the last link for the AJPW show had audio that was out of sync. It's been fixed and here's the new one:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/902193821961695232


----------



## MC

volde said:


> So watched Taka/Taichi Season II. First half of the show was nothing to write home about. Second half had Suzuki/Kanemaru and Taichi/Taka vs Hiromu/Bushi.
> 
> Was this show aimed at hardcore Suzuki Gun fans? *Because at times Taichi was getting cheers and not his usual "Taichi fuck off" chants
> *
> Either way I loved main event and wouldn't mind if this turned into full NJPW program because at the moment it looks like they are just setting up stuff for some potential guest appearances in K-Dojo shows, didn't say outright but kinda hinted that Bushi/Naito vs Taka/Taichi might be next for October.


About time Taichi Got the respect that he deserves. Taichi is amazing.


----------



## MC

volde said:


> So watched Taka/Taichi Season II. First half of the show was nothing to write home about. Second half had Suzuki/Kanemaru and Taichi/Taka vs Hiromu/Bushi.
> 
> Was this show aimed at hardcore Suzuki Gun fans? *Because at times Taichi was getting cheers and not his usual "Taichi fuck off" chants
> *
> Either way I loved main event and wouldn't mind if this turned into full NJPW program because at the moment it looks like they are just setting up stuff for some potential guest appearances in K-Dojo shows, didn't say outright but kinda hinted that Bushi/Naito vs Taka/Taichi might be next for October.


About time Taichi Got the respect that he deserves. Taichi is amazing.


----------



## volde

Watched the 45th AJPW anniversary show. Some good stuff in the second part, but can anyone explain what the fuck happened in Suwama/Kojima match? Kojima (or NJPW) refused to put Suwama over so AJPW decided that Joe should run in and fuck up everything before the match even started? What the..?


----------



## Corey

volde said:


> Watched the 45th AJPW anniversary show. Some good stuff in the second part, but can anyone explain what the fuck happened in Suwama/Kojima match? Kojima (or NJPW) refused to put Suwama over so AJPW decided that Joe should run in and fuck up everything before the match even started? What the..?


Not sure tbh but they'll likely meet up in the semi's of the Oudou Tournament so maybe it was just leading up into that? idk


----------



## volde

Looked at the brackets in wikpedia, what happens if Kento wins? Picks his challenger? Or is it a mistake that he is participating?


----------



## MC

AJPW 45th Anniversary Show

Aoki & Nomura vs Yohei Nakajima & Abe: **3/4 , short but enjoyable.

Danny Jones, Massimo & Sam Adonis vs. Ishikiri, Masakado & Ryouji Sai: **, it was okay.

Dory Funk Jr. & Hiro Saito vs. Masanobu Fuchi & The Great Kabuki: *¾, it was better than expected until funk came in.

!BANG! TV World Heavyweight Title Battle Royal
Osamu Nishimura (c) vs. Abdullah Kobayashi, Aisawa NO. 1, Akira Shinose, Atsushi Maruyama, Carbell Ito, Dinosaur Takuma, Great Kojika, Kazuhiro Tamura, Kotaro Yoshino, Naoshi Sano, Rey Paloma, Rikiya Fudo, Shota Nakagawa, Taishi Takizawa & Yutaka Yoshie: **¾, fun battle royal, very entertaining.

Caristico vs. Diamante: ***, Good match with some nice spots, they showcased the CMLL guys brilliantly here.

Atsushi Aoki & Hikaru Sato (c) vs. Black Tiger & Taka Michinoku: ***, I liked this, good tag match.

Natsumi Maki & Saori Anou vs. Miyuki Takase & Tae Honma: **½

Taichi vs Yuma Aoyagi: ***½, Wow, this was a really good match, I like Taichi but not for his wrestling ability and he impressed me. Very heated match.

Jun Akiyama, Koji Iwamoto, Minoru Tanaka & Takao Omori vs. The Big Guns (The Bodyguard & Zeus), Joe Doering & Kotaro Suzuki: Didn’t watch.

AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Title Match
TAJIRI (c) vs. Ultimo Dragon: ***½, this was a match that had some good mat based wrestling.

AJPW World Tag Team Title Match 
KAI & Naoya Nomura vs. Strong BJ (Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi): ****¼, wow this match is just so amazing. Great tag team wrestling, great single exchanges, just great.

Satoshi Kojima vs. Suwama: ***¼, It was good but i was confused on the pre match antics.

Triple Crown Title Match 
Shuji Ishikawa (c) vs. Kento Miyahara:*****, this match though, just wow, definitely MOTYC. Tremendous match and great use of teasing the finish all match.


Overall a good show, the main event just made the entire show just that much better. The show gets an eight for me. The only criticism I could have of the main event is that Miyahara didn't really show that the neck and head area was worked on at all, even though there were 3 island drivers including one on the apron but I'll let it go as I have let similar thing go in other matches.


----------



## Fizanko

NJPW has done a lot of collaborative partnership in the last few years with ROH, CMLL, GFW etc... , promotions from all over the world.

This gives an interesting "world competition" feel to events that mix wrestlers from those companies, something that have always lacked from WWE that only featured their own guys in their shows.

But i wonder then if something could be done with WWE in a similar way to what NJPW did back in 1990 , partnering with AJPW and WWF to produce the Wrestling Summit event that happened in the Tokyo Dome.

I know that unfortunately modern WWE is trying to get away from pro wrestling as McMahon himself mentionned it enough that he wants his promotion to be all about "sport entertainment" instead, and that makes it very unlikely to ever mix with all those many pro wrestling focused promotions that work with NJPW, but who know could happen when he'll retire.

With NJPW having grown incredibly in popularity worldwide (and this impacting too their partners that have their wrestlers featured in NJPW events) , a "world cup" type of competition that would involve WWE too could have a rather huge impact on pro wrestling popularity in places where it is not big.


----------



## Flik

A little late but Ice Ribbon's latest show (Ice in Wonderland) manage to draw 1047 fans, the best number for a joshi promotion in Korakuen Hall this month - While missing both tag champions (one due to injury and the other due to jail time) and with a bunch of rookies. And to think that this same show got only 599 fans just two years ago...


----------



## antoniomare007

Big Japan 8/19:

*Hideki Suzuki vs Daichi Hashimoto* was interesting. It lacked the drama to get a high recommendation and it was worked more as veteran vs young guy bout than a real title match. They ended it right when it was picking up and I think that was kinda on purpose. But still, I was surprised at how well Daichi looked on the mat, the times he one upped Hideki felt legit and earned and made the first few minutes fun to watch even though it was pure mat wrestling and that doesn't always work. Suzuki keeps doing dope little things like refusing to do a stand off and going directly at Daichi because he was pissed he lost an exchange on the mat. I also liked how they've been protecting Hashimoto by not having him hit his ultimate finisher (modified DDT and brainbuster, like his daddy) in his big matches, kayfabe wise he still has ways to go before "figuring it all out" like he did that one time against Daisuke. All in all, as a Big Japan stan I thought it was good but I wouldn't recommend this match unless you care about at least one of these guys. There was nothing wrong with it, but it didn't have enough to reach a higher level. 


*Sekimoto/KENSO vs Okabayashi/Kamitani* had sparks of awesome, specially when the big fellas were in the ring and just clashed against other and did big man stuff. I think the idea they had for the match was the right one but the execution was lacking, mostly because KENSO is fucking useless unless he's stooging or throwing slaps, he does both but he's is too clumsy and just feels out of his element in a match like this. Daisuke winning with a modified Burning Hammer made me think he might try that one again if the faces Suzuki for the belt one more time


----------



## El Dandy

BJW tag league blocks are out

DEATH BLOCK
- Takeda & Tsukamoto
- Abdullah & Ito
- Numazawa & Fukimoto
- Yankee Two Kenju
- Fujita & Hoshino
- Takahashi & Ueki

STRONG BLOCK
- Hideki & Okamoto
- Sekimoto & Kohei Sato
- Shingo & Okabayashi
- Hama & Nakanoue
- Hashimoto & Kamitani
- Kawakami & Uto


----------



## antoniomare007

HOLY SHIT :mark:

Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori challenge Strong BJ for the tag belts. The grumpiness in that match is can't miss. 



El Dandy said:


> BJW tag league blocks are out
> 
> DEATH BLOCK
> - Takeda & Tsukamoto
> - Abdullah & Ito
> - Numazawa & Fukimoto
> - Yankee Two Kenju
> - Fujita & Hoshino
> - Takahashi & Ueki
> 
> STRONG BLOCK
> - Hideki & Okamoto
> - Sekimoto & Kohei Sato
> - Shingo & Okabayashi
> - Hama & Nakanoue
> - Hashimoto & Kamitani
> - Kawakami & Uto


Shingo??? That's dope! And we get Shingo/Yuji vs Daisuke/Sato AT KORAKUEN HALL :mark:

Strong block looks fun as fuck, can't wait.


----------



## volde

Random question, anyone knows what Tajiri's theme that he is using in AJPW (and maybe other places) is called?


----------



## volde

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a1Brf8fM6Y

Ishii, an angry dog guarding Okada's yard.


----------



## El Dandy

antoniomare007 said:


> Shingo??? That's dope! And we get Shingo/Yuji vs Daisuke/Sato AT KORAKUEN HALL :mark:
> 
> Strong block looks fun as fuck, can't wait.


Yeah the Blocks look p fun. 
Hoping for Daichi/Kamitani to have a good showing

wish Hideki was with Nomura, but I get it.


----------



## Mordecay

volde said:


> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a1Brf8fM6Y
> 
> Ishii, an angry dog guarding Okada's yard.


It is a pretty damn cool video talking about the importance of Ishii in NJPW and how curious is his case in professional wrestling in general. It really is fascinating how, despite most of the people who have seen him know how great he really is, he still is one of the most underrated guys in wrestling


----------



## Desecrated

At this point I don't think Ishii is underrated. Among the people here (and in otherr English speaking boards), he gets so much respect. It's hard to say whether he's undervalued or underappreciated by Gedo too, because while he hasn't received the honors that his equals have received, he did beat Okada clean. He has been given big matches with Naito, Kenny, Shibata. A mandatory asset for New Japan, because he can win and lose against anyone, and no one loses heat.


----------



## Corey

I really wanna see an IC Title run from Ishii next year. He's already Mr. NEVER Openweight Champion and clearly deserves a run with the next belt in the tier. Tanahashi-Suzuki-Ishii seems like a nice progression to me unless they wanna put the NEVER back on him. We'll see.


----------



## El Dandy

@Desecrated agreed. I don't think Ishii is underrated in the least. There was a time when he was, but not any more.



Corey said:


> I really wanna see an IC Title run from Ishii next year. He's already Mr. NEVER Openweight Champion and clearly deserves a run with the next belt in the tier. Tanahashi-Suzuki-Ishii seems like a nice progression to me unless they wanna put the NEVER back on him. We'll see.


I'd be down with an Ishii IC run.

Are you suggesting that MiSu win the IC or is it implying Tana moves on from MiSu then moves onto Ishii? If so, when does MiSu beat Tana? 
If the Dome, IDK if they would/should have Tana take an L in 3 straight Dome shows. Tana really needs to win at the Dome this year.
I could see Ishii take it away from Tana in February, Tana takes time off, the Tana takes it back when he returns.


----------



## BC Punk

No way does Ishii get an IC run. That's just sentimental foolishness. It may sound harsh but he's not at that level, he's nowhere near over enough for that kind of recognition. 

He does what he does well, he provides stiff competition and a good feud for the top stars so they look good going over him. This keeps things interesting between feuds with other top stars at bigger events.

The IC belt is New Japan's second world title and you keep world titles strong by keeping them on your top stars. That's not Ishii.

Presumably they slide the belt over from Tanahashi to Suzuki then probably over to Okada, or straight from Tanahashi to Okada, to continue promoting it like a main event, top tier prize and to give Okada something important/ main event level to do while keeping him out of Naito's way for the 8 months before the G1. 

No way are they ceding Chaos' higher spot on the card to Ishii over Okada.


----------



## El Dandy

tbh don't see the problem with an IC run for Ishii. I would understand it if people were putting out there that Ishii should get a HW run, win a G1, or even the NJC because then I'd agree they should pump the breaks.

I get that, to some, it's the IC title. However, at the same time... it's the IC title. If we had to sit through the Fale Movement then I don't see why Ishii can't get a little run with it where he eventually loses it back to Tanahashi.


----------



## Lariatoh!

BC Punk said:


> No way does Ishii get an IC run. That's just sentimental foolishness. It may sound harsh but he's not at that level, he's nowhere near over enough for that kind of recognition.
> 
> He does what he does well, he provides stiff competition and a good feud for the top stars so they look good going over him. This keeps things interesting between feuds with other top stars at bigger events.
> 
> The IC belt is New Japan's second world title and you keep world titles strong by keeping them on your top stars. That's not Ishii.
> 
> Presumably they slide the belt over from Tanahashi to Suzuki then probably over to Okada, or straight from Tanahashi to Okada, to continue promoting it like a main event, top tier prize and to give Okada something important/ main event level to do while keeping him out of Naito's way for the 8 months before the G1.
> 
> No way are they ceding Chaos' higher spot on the card to Ishii over Okada.


I think you are underselling Ishii's popularity there - he is certainly over. As an under dog, he often gets cheered over, or at the very least at 50/50 support, just about everyone he faces. This includes guys like super over guys like Tana, Omega and Naito. 

The problem is, IF he is forced to stay in his role as Chaos guy #2 or #3, then he won't do anything more than what he's doing right now for the rest of his career.

That's why I've been calling for some sort of heel turn on Okada and Chaos.

The guy can go, there's no question. If he turns into a jealous vicious rogue attack dog, that IC Belt has his name written all over it!


----------



## BC Punk

El Dandy said:


> tbh don't see the problem with an IC run for Ishii. I would understand it if people were putting out there that Ishii should get a HW run, win a G1, or even the NJC because then I'd agree they should pump the breaks.
> 
> I get that, to some, it's the IC title. However, at the same time... it's the IC title. If we had to sit through the Fale Movement then I don't see why Ishii can't get a little run with it where he eventually loses it back to Tanahashi.



So one mistake years ago means you can make bad booking decisions now? The IC title has main evented the biggest NJPW events over the HW title more than once in the last four years. It's been built up over years to be a very big deal, you don't throw that away to give a thank you card to someone. 

Ishii does nothing to raise the prominence of the belt and the belt wouldn't change Ishii's place on the card long term and doesn't take you in any direction you want to go moving forward or build someone for the long haul or draw you the most money or make the best use of the wrestling assets you have at your disposal.

What does Okada do for the whole time it would take to give Ishii a run? Thanks for having the best year ever for a Japanese wrestler, now here, enjoy the lower card. That doesn't really follow up such a phenomenal year or make the best use of the hype he's created.

You put the IC on Okada and let him continue to elevate it. You want as many of the best wrestlers as you can get in NJPW to grow the product worldwide and you do that by having multiple main event titles for them to reach for so they know they can come in and do important things on the card.


----------



## BC Punk

Lariatoh! said:


> I think you are underselling Ishii's popularity there - he is certainly over. As an under dog, he often gets cheered over, or at the very least at 50/50 support, just about everyone he faces. This includes guys like super over guys like Tana, Omega and Naito.
> 
> The problem is, IF he is forced to stay in his role as Chaos guy #2 or #3, then he won't do anything more than what he's doing right now for the rest of his career.
> 
> That's why I've been calling for some sort of heel turn on Okada and Chaos.
> 
> The guy can go, there's no question. If he turns into a jealous vicious rogue attack dog, that IC Belt has his name written all over it!



I don't think he's even close to as over as those top guys and a champion is more than just in ring ability. But my problem with it isn't Ishii himself necessarily, he's had a great year and is a beast in the ring, it's that there are just plain better options available for that title. At another time it may be different but New Japan at the moment is too deep at the top to entertain the idea.


----------



## Mordecay

BC Punk said:


> I don't think he's even close to as over as those top guys and a champion is more than just in ring ability. But my problem with it isn't Ishii himself necessarily, he's had a great year and is a beast in the ring, it's that there are just plain better options available for that title. At another time it may be different but New Japan at the moment is too deep at the top to entertain the idea.


Fale, Goto and Elgin have been IC champions in the past 2-3 years, I think Ishii qualifies since he is probably more over than any of them and he guarantees a great match against virtually anyone


----------



## El Dandy

@BC Punk

I guess we just have different views on what the IC title is. It can obv be a title used to draw depending on the time of year (2nd half of the year is more important cause they rely on it to draw in Sept and Nov), but it can also be a title you give different guys runs with. We have seen them do it with Fale, Sombra, Goto, Elgin (he backdoored in, tho, and was never really meant to be champion).

Okada can work other singles and get involved with some grudges. Do you not trust his character work to be able to pull off a grudge program? We saw Tana do it with Devitt when Okada and Nakamura had those titles on lock down.
I could see it like this when he *hopefully* takes his break from the HW:

Jan - lose to Naito
Feb - tag match
Mar - NJC
April - grudge match against whomever eliminates him
May - tag match or grudge match
June - grudge match
July/Aug - win G1
Sep/Oct/Nov - tag matches & title shot defenses
Jan - wins title and the Okada run starts all over again

Don't get me wrong, I would love for Okada to get a run as IC champion seeing as I've been told by Okada marks countless times over the last 4-years with guys like Naito and Nakamura that "it's really the 1B title! it's a great spot! why are you complaining?" 
My retort was always "well, if it's so great let's see Okada run with it." 5-years since his mega push started and he's never so much as even challenged for the IC one time.


----------



## antoniomare007

If Ishii could make a worthless piece of garbage like Wataru Inoue worth a damn when he was a nobody in New Japan, he could do an outstanding job putting someone over for the IC if given a decent run.


----------



## TD Stinger

I see no problem with Ishii getting an IC title shot sometime in the near future.

Unless you think it should always be on one of the Big 4 like Naito or Tanahashi, I don’t see it as a major step down. Because after those 4, Ishii is right up there in the next tier of top talent in NJPW along with Suzuki, Elgin, Ibushi (who is a freelancer anyways), etc.

I think he would do quite well with the belt.


----------



## Corey

Mordecay basically said the short version of what needs to be said to combat BC Punk's strange argument. I don't see their being any problem whatsoever in giving Ishii a run with the IC Title. He 100% deserves it and would not lessen the prestige in the slightest. This is a guy that's literally beaten all the top stars in recent memory aside from Tana.



El Dandy said:


> I'd be down with an Ishii IC run.
> 
> Are you suggesting that MiSu win the IC or is it implying Tana moves on from MiSu then moves onto Ishii? If so, when does MiSu beat Tana?
> If the Dome, IDK if they would/should have Tana take an L in 3 straight Dome shows. Tana really needs to win at the Dome this year.
> I could see Ishii take it away from Tana in February, Tana takes time off, the Tana takes it back when he returns.


Yeah I'm basically saying that _if_ Suzuki is the one that eventually wins it from Tana (whether that be at KOPW or WK or even New Beginning next year) then I'd love to see Ishii get the next run. Tana could probably use some extended time off so I really wouldn't mind another WK loss for him. MiSu could annihilate the arm and force the issue, so to speak. Make a nice little comeback story for him. 

Either way with whatever happens I'd like to see Ishii win the belt unless they just put the NEVER back on him.  We'll see what happens with Elgin/Suzuki first.


----------



## Mordecay

In the past 13 months Ishii has beaten Omega, Okada and Naito (2x), no one has done that in the past year, not even Tanahashi, if that doesn't qualifies him as a worthy IC champion I don't what will


----------



## BC Punk

Mordecay said:


> Fale, Goto and Elgin have been IC champions in the past 2-3 years, I think Ishii qualifies since he is probably more over than any of them and he guarantees a great match against virtually anyone


Fale was a bad mistake, but one numerous wrestling promotions fall into from time to time given a guy like Fale's size, just because you made one three years ago does not mean you make a different one now.

Elgin was a last minute sub because Tanahashi was injured and they needed someone who made storyline sense who didn't already have a Dominion feud and Kenny needed to drop the title because he was winning the G1 and then Elgin promptly dropped it at the earliest possible time to a Top 4 guy.

Goto has consistently been pushed higher on the card than Ishii. The guy has done everything in New Japan apart from the HW title, with like an 0-8, 0-9 record in those matches now. Whether the 20-30 or so people who are regulars on this board value Ishii over Goto, New Japan has always seen it differently. 

They've spent over a dozen years telling you Ishii is a midcard guy. He has wins over top guys to keep things going so they can go over him later, he's never left standing at the end of a feud with them.


----------



## BigCy

To me, I see the IC title as upper-midcard/main eventer. IMO you should have Okada, Omega, Naito, Tanahashi vying for the World Title and your next tier guys can go for the IC title and that could include several guys I see as UM/ME level. Suzuki, Ibushi, Ishii, Elgin, EVIL, Goto all fall in this category (You could make a case for a few others.) To me it seems having two-world titles between 4 people is overkill and there would be a lot of lost potential for others to carry it that could make the title look good. Look at some of the great matches the 6 I mentioned had and how they could easily main event a show and have a good draw.


----------



## El Dandy

BC Punk said:


> Goto has consistently been pushed higher on the card than Ishii. The guy has done everything in New Japan apart from the HW title, with like an 0-8, 0-9 record in those matches now. Whether the 20-30 or so people who are regulars on this board value Ishii over Goto, New Japan has always seen it differently.
> 
> They've spent over a dozen years telling you Ishii is a midcard guy. He has wins over top guys to keep things going so they can go over him later, he's never left standing at the end of a feud with them.


Well, when you put it that way, you're not wrong tbh.
Even though most of us like Ishii more than Goto, no denying that Goto has always been higher on the food chain (just like Goto was always higher than post return Shibata).

Should it surprise anybody if Goto was paired with Tana for the Dome or Goto was the one who got the IC title in 2018? No, it really shouldn't.

All that being said, I still don't agree that the IC is too high for Ishii. 
The title exists so you can let guys who aren't tip-top go for it and that's what Ishii is right now. Don't really feel that the fans would view it at all as a sentimental/thank you run (the only thank you run to be had in NJPW is when Goto gets his 1-month Nakanishi run).


----------



## BC Punk

El Dandy said:


> Well, when you put it that way, you're not wrong tbh.
> Even though most of us like Ishii more than Goto, no denying that Goto has always been higher on the food chain (just like Goto was always higher than post return Shibata).
> 
> Should it surprise anybody if Goto was paired with Tana for the Dome or Goto was the one who got the IC title in 2018? No, it really shouldn't.
> 
> All that being said, I still don't agree that the IC is too high for Ishii.
> The title exists so you can let guys who aren't tip-top go for it and that's what Ishii is right now. Don't really feel that the fans would view it at all as a sentimental/thank you run (the only thank you run to be had in NJPW is when Goto gets his 1-month Nakanishi run).


I view the HW and IC up there as the tip top and the other two titles as ones that are up for grabs by that next tier of guys.

I'm not anti-Ishii at all. I just think there are much better routes you could go for the IC title. I'm all for another NEVER run from Ishii or even going over Kenny for the US title sometime in the new year so Kenny could inevitably move up again but, considering where they've positioned him, I am firm in my belief the IC title should be above him.

I think they've done such a terrific job of making those two titles (HW and IC) seem almost equal that there's only a handful of guys who should be getting either of them. Okada, Naito, Omega, Tanahashi, Suzuki, Ibushi that's the list, in my view. If they sign guys like Danielson or Aries then they would slot in there too and possibly ZSJ or Cody with how they've been booked if either was willing to commit some serious time in Japan but I feel it should remain a very select club and Ishii's booking hasn't placed him anywhere near there.

Then there's the logistical hurdles. Ishii is the number 3 HW singles guy in Chaos, how do you justify him leapfrogging Okada and Goto on the card? Especially considering this would be the perfect time to give Okada his maiden IC run. (Similar to Reigns' inevitable Grand Slam status, NJPW most likely wants to give a similar accolade to Okada, rightly so.)

And is Suzuki going to eat pins from Omega, Elgin (twice, presumably), Yano and Cody just to get a WK win against Tanahashi only to turn around and drop the belt to Ishii, a guy he has been placed consistently above for years? I don't see any of that happening.


----------



## Kink_Brawn

Have any of you fuckers ever read Tanahashi's book??

If so, was it any good??


----------



## Lariatoh!

Kink_Brawn said:


> Have any of you fuckers ever read Tanahashi's book??
> 
> If so, was it any good??


The sections I've read are excellent. HBK is his fucking hero and thinks that Kink_Brawn fucker on the internet should read his fucking book fucker.


----------



## Lariatoh!

BC Punk said:


> I view the HW and IC up there as the tip top and the other two titles as ones that are up for grabs by that next tier of guys.
> 
> I'm not anti-Ishii at all. I just think there are much better routes you could go for the IC title. I'm all for another NEVER run from Ishii or even going over Kenny for the US title sometime in the new year so Kenny could inevitably move up again but, considering where they've positioned him, I am firm in my belief the IC title should be above him.
> 
> I think they've done such a terrific job of making those two titles (HW and IC) seem almost equal that there's only a handful of guys who should be getting either of them. Okada, Naito, Omega, Tanahashi, Suzuki, Ibushi that's the list, in my view. If they sign guys like Danielson or Aries then they would slot in there too and possibly ZSJ or Cody with how they've been booked if either was willing to commit some serious time in Japan but I feel it should remain a very select club and Ishii's booking hasn't placed him anywhere near there.
> 
> Then there's the logistical hurdles. Ishii is the number 3 HW singles guy in Chaos, how do you justify him leapfrogging Okada and Goto on the card? Especially considering this would be the perfect time to give Okada his maiden IC run. (Similar to Reigns' inevitable Grand Slam status, NJPW most likely wants to give a similar accolade to Okada, rightly so.)
> 
> And is Suzuki going to eat pins from Omega, Elgin (twice, presumably), Yano and Cody just to get a WK win against Tanahashi only to turn around and drop the belt to Ishii, a guy he has been placed consistently above for years? I don't see any of that happening.


Ishii is far superior to Goto. That is all and only my opin-yon


----------



## volde

Main problem with Ishii's IC reign is Goto and Okada. Sure we can figure out various theories, like Goto fucks off to AJPW because he hit a dead-end in NJPW, Okada spends half of the year in tags till G1, someone leaves Chaos faction, someone gets injured, someone gets poached by WWE, North Korea nukes Japan or any other crazy thing happens.

Point is that none of that will happen due to Ishii so at best he might backdoor his way into it like Elgin when Tana got hurt.


----------



## lassemomme

I'm just shocked that Ishii once actually had a full head of hair.


----------



## Desecrated

I can understand the guy's argument against Ishii, sort of (not that I agree with it). The belt has been synonymous with some sort of "quasi" main event calibre over the past 3 years. But Zack Sabre Jr is fighting for it in the coming month. Sure, he won't be winning it. Because then I could bring out the "Billy Gunn wrestled for it" argument and justify anyone getting a shot. But Ishii winning isn't out of the realm of possibilities. Make a show of it, him wanting to break the barriers and prove his worth. Look to someone like Ishikawa holding the Triple Crown. He elevated himself to prove to fans that he's worth the lineage and prestige of the belt because people were doubtful. Ishii can easily do the same with the Intercontinental championship. Tanahashi needs to drop it at some point and the company lacks someone who can hold the belt and "fend off all challengers" in the mould of Ishii.

I think the reality is he's going for the NEVER Openweight again. He's pretty much the highest guy on the card that could take the belt. I also don't think MiSu is facing Tanahashi. I think that will be EVIL.


----------



## lassemomme

I can see the argument for keeping Ishii in his current role in the company, simply because he is so unbelievably good in it. There is literally no better wrestler on the planet at having great matches and having all the shine land on his opponent, no one. I mean, fucking think about it, Ishii is the only wrestler in the world who can make someone a main event player without being an actual main eventer himself.

If he ever was to get the IC title I would have to imagine that it would be in service of putting over some young talented stud of a prospect in order to cement a new main event talent.


----------



## antoniomare007

Y'all better stop fantasy booking and go watch Miyahara vs Ishikawa and Strong BJ vs Nomura/KAI


----------



## volde

They had another match or are you talking about anniversary show? Because that one was briefly discussed some pages ago.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

antoniomare007 said:


> Y'all better stop fantasy booking and go watch Miyahara vs Ishikawa and Strong BJ vs Nomura/KAI


I'm finally getting the chance to watch All Japan tonight or tomorrow. Stupid work and friends getting in the way.


----------



## Corey

Anyone currently missing the New Japan guys, if you wanna spend $10 and watch a handful of them compete in a huge cibernetico that usually delivers cool and fun moments... tonight's the night! :lol Last year it came down to Volador vs. Tama Tonga and it was a lot better than I could've expected.

https://www.internetv.tv/index.php?route=itv2017/product&product_id=1345

Team Mexico: Diamante Azul, Dragón Lee, Euforia, Mephisto, Rush, Último Guerrero, Valiente, Volador Jr. 
vs 
Team Rest of the World: Johnny Idol, Juice Robinson, Kenny King, Kojima, Marco Corleone, Matt Taven, Michael Elgin, Sam Adonis












antoniomare007 said:


> Y'all better stop fantasy booking and go watch Miyahara vs Ishikawa and Strong BJ vs Nomura/KAI


I promise I'm gonna get to them... maybe today.  I watched the Caristico match along with Tajiri/Ultimo. Those two title matches will be watched soon!


----------



## Desecrated

Yeah I've been heavily slacking off on AJPW's supershow and the BJW show from that weekend (albeit reviews look tame for the latter).


----------



## TD Stinger

Pretty continent timing considering the discussion we were having yesterday.


----------



## AmWolves10

Ishii unfortunately has been in the role of a "good hand" for far too long to be a believable ic champion. Do I believe he said talented enough? Absolutely. But I also believe in logical kayfabe booking and not random hot shotting of titles. That kind of thing destroys the prestige of belts as we have seen in other companies. NJPW does a great job of protecting their belts and I'd like to see that continue.


----------



## Corey

Throw all this fantasy booking out the door that we've been doing. I just watched Elgin put on ANOTHER absolutely amazing performance (this time in the Grand Prix)... and lose again. This motherfucker needs to beat MiSu next week and take that NEVER Title. He seriously deserves some kind of reward and/or recognition for the work that he's done for New Japan this year.

- Drops the IC Title to Naito and then has an arguable ***** rematch with him
- Goes out in the 1st Round of the NJC to Fale, who makes a run to the finals
- Goes out in the 1st round of the US Title tournament to the eventual winner and has an amazing match with him
- Randomly puts over Cody so that he can look like a legit threat to Okada and the IWGP Title
- Takes the dumbest loss of the G1 by DQ against Yano and also puts over Juice en route to his big Kobe main event with Omega
- Gets sent to Mexico early to compete for CMLL, therefore missing out on the WCPW World Cup, a tournament that ends up being won by a different New Japan talent in KUSHIDA. Still being the company guy that he is, he goes in and DOMINATES in Mexico (eliminating the top two talents in the match by himself in Volador and Ultimo Guerrero) but ends up putting over a guy in top notch fashion that no one expected to win coming in.

Do the right thing, Gedo.


----------



## BC Punk

Corey said:


> Throw all this fantasy booking out the door that we've been doing. I just watched Elgin put on ANOTHER absolutely amazing performance (this time in the Grand Prix)... and lose again. This motherfucker needs to beat MiSu next week and take that NEVER Title. He seriously deserves some kind of reward and/or recognition for the work that he's done for New Japan this year.
> 
> - Drops the IC Title to Naito and then has an arguable ***** rematch with him
> - Goes out in the 1st Round of the NJC to Fale, who makes a run to the finals
> - Goes out in the 1st round of the US Title tournament to the eventual winner and has an amazing match with him
> - Randomly puts over Cody so that he can look like a legit threat to Okada and the IWGP Title
> - Takes the dumbest loss of the G1 by DQ against Yano and also puts over Juice en route to his big Kobe main event with Omega
> - Gets sent to Mexico early to compete for CMLL, therefore missing out on the WCPW World Cup, a tournament that ends up being won by a different New Japan talent in KUSHIDA. Still being the company guy that he is, he goes in and DOMINATES in Mexico (eliminating the top two talents in the match by himself in Volador and Ultimo Guerrero) but ends up putting over a guy in top notch fashion that no one expected to win coming in.
> 
> Do the right thing, Gedo.



It seemed super obvious to me too that Elgin should win the NEVER title. It just makes the most sense for all parties. Suzuki could possibly move up to a WK Tanahashi feud (to take the IC off Tanahashi and give the man some rest) and also for the reason you stated, Elgin's spent over a year losing every big match and if he loses to Suzuki here, he also has the US title shot, which he would presumably lose also. 

So the choice is either, Elgin wins the NEVER title from Suzuki or he loses both a NEVER and US title match from Suzuki and Omega. Losses piled on losses. It seems the obvious choice is he should go over Suzuki.

Although Suzuki himself would possibly need to be built up again if he were to face Tanahashi as he's won none of his big G1 matches and if he loses to Elgin and Cody, presumably, he would need to get on a roll before WK. 

But Suzuki might already have such legendary status that he doesn't need the wins to seem a credible IC opponent for Tanahashi at WK.

A bonus of Suzuki beating Tanahashi and becoming IC Champ at WK is that the G1 draw with Okada (his only impressive showing all tournament) would set up nicely for a Suzuki-Okada IC title match sometime early next year.

So, yeah, Elgin beating Suzuki here just makes so much more sense. If Elgin doesn't get the win, I would have to think backstage heat or something else would be at play at this point.


----------



## kovs27

Not to combine threads here but Elgin winning really opens up the chance for Suzuki to beat Cody for the ROH belt.


----------



## Corey

^^ Yeah but I don't think they'd do that. MiSu hasn't been in the states for like 25 years or something. Not sure if he'd come back that often to defend at this stage in his career.



BC Punk said:


> It seemed super obvious to me too that Elgin should win the NEVER title. It just makes the most sense for all parties. Suzuki could possibly move up to a WK Tanahashi feud (to take the IC off Tanahashi and give the man some rest) and also for the reason you stated, Elgin's spent over a year losing every big match and if he loses to Suzuki here, he also has the US title shot, which he would presumably lose also.
> 
> So the choice is either, Elgin wins the NEVER title from Suzuki or he loses both a NEVER and US title match from Suzuki and Omega. Losses piled on losses. It seems the obvious choice is he should go over Suzuki.
> 
> Although Suzuki himself would possibly need to be built up again if he were to face Tanahashi as he's won none of his big G1 matches and if he loses to Elgin and Cody, presumably, he would need to get on a roll before WK.
> 
> But Suzuki might already have such legendary status that he doesn't need the wins to seem a credible IC opponent for Tanahashi at WK.
> 
> A bonus of Suzuki beating Tanahashi and becoming IC Champ at WK is that the G1 draw with Okada (his only impressive showing all tournament) would set up nicely for a Suzuki-Okada IC title match sometime early next year.
> 
> So, yeah, Elgin beating Suzuki here just makes so much more sense. If Elgin doesn't get the win, I would have to think backstage heat or something else would be at play at this point.


Ah fuck I forgot about Cody. Him beating MiSu for the ROH Title could easily lead into a NEVER Title shot in Japan. Seems like an easy tradeoff and now idk if Elgin is winning... :hmmm


----------



## TD Stinger

I've got Elgin vs. Ishii as my Never Open Title match for WK 12 and the obvious Tanahashi vs. Suzuki.

In a perfect world it would be Tanahashi vs. Shibata but....sigh...we'll have to "settle" for this.


----------



## volde

Corey said:


> ^^ Yeah but I don't think they'd do that. MiSu hasn't been in the states for like 25 years or something. Not sure if he'd come back that often to defend at this stage in his career.


Would anyone really expect him to have long reign? I'd imagine that even if he won it he'd have couple of defences and would drop it back to Cody. 



> Ah fuck I forgot about Cody. Him beating MiSu for the ROH Title could easily lead into a NEVER Title shot in Japan. Seems like an easy tradeoff and now idk if Elgin is winning... :hmmm


Going against Never champion after he had competitive match with Okada in G1 Special wouldn't really make sense I think, in kayfabe obviously. At this point I don't think that Cody should fight someone who is not HW champ, Okada or Omega. Gotta keep Cody strong till Omega destroys him eventually.


----------



## BC Punk

Corey said:


> ^^ Yeah but I don't think they'd do that. MiSu hasn't been in the states for like 25 years or something. Not sure if he'd come back that often to defend at this stage in his career.
> 
> 
> Ah fuck I forgot about Cody. Him beating MiSu for the ROH Title could easily lead into a NEVER Title shot in Japan. Seems like an easy tradeoff and now idk if Elgin is winning... :hmmm



I think maybe Cody going over Suzuki is a trade-off from having Okada go over ROH Champ Cody clean. 

I don't think NJPW or ROH wants Cody competing for the NEVER so I believe they'll do the right thing and Suzuki won't have the belt anymore at the time of that match.


----------



## Corey

Check out this funky little card that happens in a couple days. Never heard of GO Asakawa. Is he any good?










*TAKA Michinoku 25th Anniversary Show ~ SIMPLE IS BEST ~, 9/4/2017 [Mon] 19:00 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*​
(1) K-DOJO First Class Special Tag Match: Daigoro Kashiwa & MIYAWAKI vs. Hi69 (NOAH) & Yasu Urano (FREE)
(2) Joshi Special Tag Match: Bambi & ERINA vs. Io Shirai & HZK
(3) Michinoku Legend Special 6 Man Tag Match: Ricky Fuji, Kotaro Yoshino & Dinosaur Takuma vs. The Great Sasuke (MichiPro), Super Delfin (Kaisen Pro) & Dick Togo (FREE)
(4) KAIENTAI DOJO The Best 8 Man Tag Match: Kaji Tomato, Taishi Takizawa, Shiori Asahi & Yuma vs. Tank Nagai, Ayumu Honda, Kunio Toshima & Kyu Mogami
(5) Special Single Match: GO Asakawa vs. Minoru Suzuki
(6) TAKA Michinoku 25th Anniversary Special Tag Match: TAKA Michinoku & Kota Ibushi (Ibushi Pro) vs. Kazuchika Okada & Gedo (both NJPW)


----------



## lassemomme

So, apparently NJPW have signed Matt Riddle and Jeff Cobb for the tag tournament this year.


----------



## BulletClubFangirl

AmWolves10 said:


> Ishii unfortunately has been in the role of a "good hand" for far too long to be a believable ic champion. Do I believe he said talented enough? Absolutely. But I also believe in logical kayfabe booking and not random hot shotting of titles. That kind of thing destroys the prestige of belts as we have seen in other companies. NJPW does a great job of protecting their belts and I'd like to see that continue.


You don't think they could build him up for a while before giving him a IC title run? He loses far too often for my liking but it's not like he's a jobber or anything. 

I kind of resent Gedo for his unwillingness to give Ishii a push.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Finally got round to watching AJPW. 

Still pretty new to AJPW and BJW so I'm still getting familiar with both companies. As a result I've only seen little bits of Strong BJ and Ishikawa but this was definitely the show that I became fans of these guys. Ishikawa especially, what a fucking bad ass.


----------



## Corey

lassemomme said:


> So, apparently NJPW have signed Matt Riddle and Jeff Cobb for the tag tournament this year.


:mark:

If only it was a time where I cared and/or followed the promotion. We'll see if I can make it that long once the NFL season starts.


----------



## antoniomare007

Riddle and Cobb would be a huge improvement over Billy fucking Gunn last year. Since the G-1 ended, Gedo is doing the little things I've wanted for 3+ years. I hope it's a legit trend and not just filler shit until WK and 2018 start.


----------



## MC

Oh yes, if that goes well Riddle might be in the G1 :done :done :done :done :done :done :done :done :done :done :done


----------



## TD Stinger

lassemomme said:


> So, apparently NJPW have signed Matt Riddle and Jeff Cobb for the tag tournament this year.


Yay!

I mean, I don’t really care about the tag tournament but if this is a gateway to get Riddle and Cobb in NJPW as a semi regular team or singles competitors, hell yes!


----------



## lassemomme

I'm still wary of Riddle's botanical proclivities, especially knowing how it ended for Matt Sydal.


----------



## NastyYaffa

CHOSEN BROS :mark:

Can't wait for Riddle to be the MVP of next year's G1!


----------



## Miguel De Juan

About time Riddle and Cobb are used. I just a Japanese tag team gets a long run with the IWGP tag team titles.


----------



## AmWolves10

BulletClubFangirl said:


> You don't think they could build him up for a while before giving him a IC title run? He loses far too often for my liking but it's not like he's a jobber or anything.
> 
> I kind of resent Gedo for his unwillingness to give Ishii a push.


I think they can. It sucks because you do need guys like Ishii who are upper midcard/lower main event guys to help establish the top guys like the Okadas, Omegas, Naitos, but it sucks seeing great performers like Ishii continually lose. I think he will eventually win some big titles, maybe the never open title, but I feel like that will only be done to strengthen him to give more of a rub in the future to the guys he loses to. Like if they were to decide to push Juice robinson, Berretta, Cody Rhodes, or Sanada, Ishii would be the first on the feeding course.


----------



## Desecrated

Since I put EVIL vs Tanahashi at WK12 in my mind, give me Ishii vs EVIl as a I.C program. Can also work as NEVER Openweight but I've talked myself into I.C. I felt like EVIL got Shibata's G1 victory over Okada so why not go further with giving EVIL Shibata's WK12 match.


----------



## V-Trigger

Oh shit, Riddle and Cobb in the tag league :mark


----------



## Corey

Speaking of teams, if these two at the top join up and faceoff against Strong BJ... we're in a fucking FIGHT! :mark:


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> Speaking of teams, if these two at the top join up and faceoff against Strong BJ... we're in a fucking FIGHT! :mark:


That is if Strong BJ gets past the grumpy duo of Akiyama & Omori first (they should). Man, I know they can't book all the matches in Korakuen but I hope they at least give us one of those matchups in that building.


----------



## Corey

Do you any of you guys have any blu rays from IVP Videos? Trying to figure out if they work on Xbox One or not. He told he he didn't think so but also heard they started working with a newer update. Any info on that?


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Welp, another Dragon Gate Korakuen Hall show wrapped up today & fucking hell, it was great. Ben-K lifting & delivering torture racks to Cyber Kong was a treat, the constant teasing of Jimmyz becoming more & more serious with the cracked facepaint is interesting, not to mention the main event being another awesome DG multi-man clusterfuck.

Also, everybody needs to see the Big R Shimizu vs Masaaki Mochizuki #1 contenders match. The match went almost 15 minutes & good god, it was one of the best matches I've seen all fucking year. The chops, the kicks, the slaps, everything about that match was just fantastic & both men came out of the match looking amazing. Big R putting on another classic against one of DG's top vets & Mochi once again showing that he's one of the all-time greats.

Oh yeah & here's the current standings in the Unit Survival League: *



> MaxiMuM 15-11
> Tribe Vanguard 14-12
> Jimmyz 14-14
> Over Generation 13-15
> VerserK 11-15


*I think we could be getting a Jimmyz/VerserK/OG three way losing unit disbands match at Dangerous Gate, which if Shingo Takagi gets his wish of a barbed wire match at the show, could mean T-Hawk, Kong & Lindaman will have to represent VerserK.*


----------



## Corey

Nakajima/Edwards is out and I've gotta say, it's really REALLY fucking good. Reminded me of the old days of NOAH where we saw apron bumps, head drops, and disturbing strikes in every title match. :mark: Awesome match!!!

https://rutube.ru/video/9cd62d7bdeb52d304b51ce3608883610/?pl_id=1067514&pl_type=user


----------



## HOJO

Isn't Great Sasuke just the best?

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/904625403410690048


----------



## TD Stinger

> ​
> Match Lineup Change: Due to injury, Kenny Omega will not appear in matches from 9/7 to 9/22. His next scheduled match is currently 9/24 in Kobe.
> 
> Due to an injury sustained to his left knee’s lateral meniscus, Kenny Omega will not appear in matches between 9/7 and 9/22. We apologize to all fans who were looking forward to those matches.
> Wrestling in his place will be Leo Tonga. The son of legendary pro-wrestler King Haku, Leo will join his brothers Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa in the ring. Please refer to the below list of events to view the updated match lineups.


Looks like he'll still be defending the US title which is promising.


----------



## spacemtfan

They just started the build to the "Roppongi Vice Final Match" during the first Korakuen Hall show today. It was Beretta, Yoshi-Hashi and Hirooki Goto versus the typical Bullet Club team of Chase Owens, Yujiro and Bad Luck Fale (who wore an interesting "Bosses Club" new shirt) and the japanese announcers kept talking about Beretta and Yujiro... In the end, Yujiro pinned Beretta and after, he took the mic and from what I could understand, insulted him about trying to be a heavyweight wrestler.

Nice job Gedo for giving those midcard guys a nice storyline and building some hype to the last Roppongi Vice match.


----------



## volde

On one hand I'm glad that Beretta is getting something and isn't just thrown into random tags, on the other hand really not looking forward to Yujiro in singles.


----------



## Desecrated

volde said:


> On one hand I'm glad that Beretta is getting something and isn't just thrown into random tags, on the other hand really not looking forward to Yujiro in singles.


It's great he's getting something but that's the thing really. The only thing they have going for him at the moment is Yujiro. He's just isolated in CHAOS behind four single wrestlers, three of whom are good answers for "Who is the next NEVER Champion?". Interested to see what he can do but skepticial. Maybe the split was for Beretta to do American indies stuff.

Elimination match from today was great fun. Nothing I'd write home about but was a good preview for the upcoming battles. EVIL is in great form. Hope he faces Tanahashi at WK12. Him vs Ishii hhnnggg.


----------



## famicommander

Yujiro isn't a terrible first feud. He's low in the Bullet Club pecking order but he has won 4 different titles in NJPW (NEVER singles, NEVER Six Man, Heavyweight Tag, Jr Tag).

As long as Trent goes over quickly and moves onto someone better it's fine. Maybe then they could feed him a vet like Kojima, Makabe, or Iizuka before he gets into a real feud with someone like Sanada, ZSJ, Juice, or Elgin.


----------



## spacemtfan

famicommander said:


> Yujiro isn't a terrible first feud. He's low in the Bullet Club pecking order but he has won 4 different titles in NJPW (NEVER singles, NEVER Six Man, Heavyweight Tag, Jr Tag).
> 
> As long as Trent goes over quickly and moves onto someone better it's fine. Maybe then they could feed him a vet like Kojima, Makabe, or Iizuka before he gets into a real feud with someone like Sanada, ZSJ, Juice, or Elgin.


Yujiro has turned into a great seller, so he can help Beretta go beyond the flippy stuff he was condemned to do in the Jr. Tag ranks. Plus, if Yujiro is motivated, they can pull together a nice little match. Look at the tag match tonight: the Dudebuster was countered into a nice back slide and transitioned into the Pimp Juice DDT.


----------



## spacemtfan

I showed my dad a Kenny the Cleaner t-shirt tonight and much to my surprise, he litterally grabbed it from my hands. My dad has been watching wrestling since the 1970's and did watch some indies stuff 15 years ago, but all he's really watched since is WWE. He does know who Bullet Club is from the Finn Balor connection, but the main reason he wanted the shirt? The logo upfront. He loved it and its no wonder Hot Topic has been selling things out of the Bullet Club shirts: its the first brand or character since DX, Steve Austin and the NWO to be mainstream and have non familiar fans happily wearing it.

After that, I showed him the EVIL Inverted cross shirt online and told him a bit about the wrestler. Seeing that his favorite wrestler is the Undertaker, I took a chance and used him to introduce dad to NJPW. I selected the right match: Okada vs EVIL from the last G1 and put it on the big TV... What followed was 25 minutes of him being utterly amazed and literally falling in love with the product and wrestlers as the match went. His stand out star was EVIL and I think he may have a new favorite wrestler. He was amazed at his stiff lariats and he was impressed by his STO at the end. We may say that Okaka is a bad seller sometimes, but within a few minutes of the match starting, he asked me why the champion was so fatigued? He followed that story and is now very interested in the title match between the two in October and want to watch it live in the morning! He also want to Japan sooner than later because he want to go to a NJPW event as the whole legit sport atmosphere reminded him of the good old days.


----------



## BC Punk

Beretta might need to leave Chaos if he's going to be more successful in his singles career. I can't see him getting above any of Okada, Goto or Ishii for quite a while if he's in the confines of the group and you don't want to be so low on the card for too long or that becomes your place in the audience's mind.

I think they maybe should pull together a few western guys for a new stable to help them get over more/ introduce them to the NJPW audience/ take that next step (Riddle/ Aries/ Ziggler/ Danielson, Juice/ Elgin, Beretta, Ricochet, maybe some tag team) but that probably won't happen.


----------



## Corey

New Japan is back! :mark:

To no surprise, today's elimination match was great fun. I love how Ishii has a taped knee despite not wrestling for nearly 4 weeks now. :lol Okada looks completely refreshed while Naito and others have been wrestling all over Europe. The look that Naito gave everyone right before he hit the neckbreaker on Ishii that would eliminate both of them was hilarious. He didn't give a fuck about the match.  EVIL & Rocky being the final two was unexpected but they made it interesting and did better than I expected. Smart booking as well by keeping EVIL looking strong on the road to KOPW and making him the focal point. **** 1/2*


----------



## volde

Corey said:


> Smart booking as well by keeping EVIL looking strong on the road to KOPW and making him the focal point. **** 1/2*


At this point I won't be surprised if he will actually pin Okada in their match for 3vs3 belts. They are going out of their way to set up Evil as legitimate threat and not just a filler challenger. 

What people thought about third Tonga brother? Obviously looks green, but I expected worse. Honestly really wouldn't mind if GoD went for 3vs3 belts after they get demolished by War Machine/KES.


----------



## volde

One extra thing: that sunset powerbomb thru the middle rope by Hiromu :mark:


----------



## BC Punk

volde said:


> At this point I won't be surprised if he will actually pin Okada in their match for 3vs3 belts. They are going out of their way to set up Evil as legitimate threat and not just a filler challenger.
> 
> What people thought about third Tonga brother? Obviously looks green, but I expected worse. Honestly really wouldn't mind if GoD went for 3vs3 belts after they get demolished by War Machine/KES.


I also thought Leo was pretty good for the little experience he has. He definitely is tall.

I agree I think it would be a good idea for the Tonga brothers to get a NEVER Six-man Title run. I actually thought the GoD vs. War Machine match at Dominion was very good and I think they could have something to do with the NEVER Six-man belt instead of just floundering in the Tag Title scene.


----------



## volde

An interview with Suzuki: https://www.njpw1972.com/14310

Nothing really important there, just a funny read.


----------



## Desecrated

Watched Taguchi vs Ospreay from last years BOSJ final last night. Good God it was fun. Having seen the criticisms that both men attract, that match was a fine way for them to break that mould. I feel that Taguchi just "gets" wrestling. He loves his comedy work but he integrates this perfectly into his more serious work. Ospreay's selling, better than usual but there were flaws. I don't think he's improved on that when he came up against KUSHIDA this year but regardless of his selling, he's a phenomenal athlete and has the base traits of thee next generation wrestler. Excited for his match against Hiromu, as any effort should be better than their BOSJ performance (can't actually remember what I rated that)

Edit: Think I may have put it at 4 stars. Give or take a quarter. For Taguchi vs Ospreay, about ****1/2.


----------



## volde

From what I remember problem with Ospreay/Hiromu was that Hiromu worked on the leg for a long time then at the end Ospreay just no-sold it and did all his usual moves anyway.


----------



## Desecrated

I remember something being off in regards to Hiromu and Ospreay. Same with Ricochet vs Hiromu at, what was it, Dontaku/Toroyuguyen and BOSJ? The Ricochet/Hiromu matches were souring when you consider what both men can do.


----------



## Mordecay

Mayu marking out for Okada :mark::mark::mark:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/906082207097274369


----------



## Corey

Meltzer is reporting that Sami Callihan will be showing up in New Japan before year's end. Maybe he's the guy in the knife vignette? Makes sense.


----------



## volde

Watching Road to show, Bushi/Hiromu entering to new theme/masks that we first saw at Taichi/Taka show. Looking forward to them winning jr. tag tournament 

Edit: And whole cat thing with Ospreay is going to the next level.


----------



## TD Stinger

Corey said:


> Meltzer is reporting that Sami Callihan will be showing up in New Japan before year's end. Maybe he's the guy in the knife vignette? Makes sense.


Sami Callihan in NJPW? Honestly, I can't really picture it. I don't see a spot for him as a singles, unless he was a junior (is he small enough to be a jr.). He really wouldn't fit into any of their factions, except maybe Suzuki Gun who has enough members already. So, can't say I'm sure hyped about it atm.


----------



## Corey

Akiyama & Omori will challenge Strong BJ for the AJPW Tag Titles October 21st in Yokohama.



TD Stinger said:


> Sami Callihan in NJPW? Honestly, I can't really picture it. I don't see a spot for him as a singles, unless he was a junior (is he small enough to be a jr.). He really wouldn't fit into any of their factions, except maybe Suzuki Gun who has enough members already. So, can't say I'm sure hyped about it atm.


Style wise I think he'll fit in just fine. Don't know where they plan on using him though. He's short enough to be a junior but also big enough weight-wise to work as a heavyweight. Definitely think he'd be a perfect fit for SuzukiGUN but who knows. We'll see what they do.


----------



## antoniomare007

I fucking hated Sami when he worked Big Japan, but that was long time ago and I've never been a fan so who knows how he's gonna do in New Japan.


----------



## Miguel De Juan

These independent guys could be US and NEVER Openweight contenders.


An NJPW US brand with Sami, Cobb, Riddle, Omega, and other US independent stars has more promise than GFW.


----------



## Corey

Alright I'm gonna need Tanahashi to be losing that IC Title immediately with a fucking haircut like that. :lol Jeeeeezus that's awful. Basically a mop on his head.

But anyway, today's elimination match I did not care for. Very sloppy and all over the place. Ricochet was working extra soft and it annoyed me. Elgin being the lone survivor is great, but he got the win here and the win at the G1 so I'm not sure how I like his chances tomorrow. Guess we'll see. *** 1/4*


----------



## The High King

the recent NJPW show was poor
Ospraey looks like a moron with his cat look.
Dont think much of the third brother of the haku clan.


----------



## The Nuke

First NJPW I've skipped this year. Though I may go back and watch the Ishii/Ospreay vs Naito/Hiromu

Spreading out destruction probably wasn't the best idea. I get it from a business perspective, but still.


----------



## Corey

Okada & Gedo vs. Taka & Ibushi is the main event here if anyone's interested. Fun tag match with a hot crowd.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/907313346457698304


----------



## Corey

AJPW results:



> ~ It was announced that TAKA Michinoku & Black Tiger VII will be defending the Asia Tag belts against Nomura & Aoyagi on September 30 in Yamada.
> ~ Then Taiyo Kea was announced to make his return to the All Japan ring on October 9 at the Korakuen Hall.
> 
> (4) *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 1st Round Match:* TAJIRI vs. Yoshitatsu (NJPW)
> *♦Winner:* Yoshitatsu *(9:28)* following a Backdrop.
> ~ The New Japan wrestler manages to make the jump to the next round, even using his own mist attack in the process.
> 
> (5) *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 1st Round Match:* Shuji Ishikawa (FREE) vs. The Bodyguard (FREE)
> *♦Winner:* Ishikawa *(6:51)* with the Splash Mountain.
> 
> (6) *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 1st Round Match:* Zeus vs. Ryoji Sai (LAND’S END)
> *♦Winner:* Zeus *(19:24)* with a Jackhammer.
> ~ Zeus managed to survive the battle, though he will have yet another one on 9/18 as he takes on the former TC champion in Ishikawa.
> 
> (7) *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 1st Round Match:* Kento Miyahara vs. KAI (FREE)
> *♦Winner:* Miyahara *(19:22)* with the Shutdown German Suplex Hold.
> ~ Miyahara breaksthrough the first round as he is a step closer to becoming the winner of the tournament as the reigning TC champion.
> ~ Miyahara will face off against Yoshitatsu on 9/18.
> 
> ~ The next set of 1st round matches will take place on the 9/16.


Ishikawa vs. Zeus should be awesome, but... Yoshitatsu? fpalm

No idea what to expect from Taiyo Kea. Not even sure if I've ever watched a match of his tbh. :lol


----------



## Desecrated

Miyahara vs Tatsu should be a straight up murder. Looks like AJPW is getting themselves the short end of the stick in this minor working partnership. Esp after the Suwama vs Kojima stuff.


----------



## volde

Imagine... Yoshitatsu rolls up Miyahara?


----------



## PUNQ

Corey said:


> AJPW results:
> 
> 
> Ishikawa vs. Zeus should be awesome, but... Yoshitatsu? fpalm
> 
> No idea what to expect from Taiyo Kea. Not even sure if I've ever watched a match of his tbh. :lol


Kea is alright, but he's never been the most spectacular wrestler around. And I'm not sure what his shape is today, so I'm not too hyped. Wish they'd focus on their current young generation and help them rise above the tired veterans. I was following All Japan when Kea got his biggest push (CC win followed by becoming the Triple Crown Champion in 2006) and he was good at that time, though not the best. Just a decent choice a the time and situation they found themselves at that moment. Looking back it was a unspectacular 2 month reign and that no one remembers very fondly.

As for the current tour, what's good for us All Japan fans is that every show will be available for those that want! Unfortunately the first show which was on September 12th won't air on GAORA before the 25th. The final show of the tour on the 23rd will air on Samurai TV, but I'm unsure of the air date or how fast they these shows turn up on Real Hero.

The 3 mid-tour shows will all be available on the NicoPro Youtube channel for those willing to pay for their subscription service. Since I finally was able to subscribe I'm fairly excited about that (had shown not available in my country until I found a link to the right page to get the 14-day trial).

*AJPW, 12.09.2017 (on GAORA Sep 25)
AJPW, 16.09.2017 (on nicopro Sep 17)
AJPW, 18.09.2017 (on nicopro Sep 21)
AJPW, 19.09.2017 (on nicopro Sep 22)
AJPW, 23.09.2017 on (Samurai! TV - date?)*


----------



## Desecrated

In an update to the Yoshitatsu facing Miyahara, Yoshitatsu has claimed that he's left NJPW (credit to r/sc's source). Not that it's of any relevance.


----------



## volde

Well if I'll never have to see him again in NJPW then thats a plus.


----------



## MC

Yoshitastu was terrible.


----------



## Lariatoh!

Tatsu apparently beat the shit out of Sheamus when they were all in FCW developmental for being a dickhead. He's a goof but possibly pretty legit.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Welp, VerserK vs. Jimmyz in a Losing Unit Disbands match has been confirmed for Dangerous Gate 2017.*


----------



## Corey

This year's KOPW card looks fantastic:

Okada vs. EVIL (IWGP Title)
Naito vs. Ishii (Tokyo Dome title shot)
Tanahashi vs. Ibushi (IC Title)
KUSHIDA vs. Ospreay (Junior Title)

And that's even before an Omega match! Even though they don't really need him and he could get some rest if he's not 100% healthy.

----------------------------

AJPW results: 



> (4) *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 1st Round Match:* Koji Iwamoto vs. Yuma Aoyagi
> *♦Winner:* Iwamoto *(10:52)* with a German Suplex Hold.
> ~ Iwamato with the breakthrough as he looks to take the next step in his career. His second round match may pose an even bigger challenge though.
> 
> (5) *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 1st Round Match:* Joe Doering vs. Hikaru Sato (Pancrase MISSION)
> *♦Winner:* Doering *(4:14)* following a Lariat.
> ~ Doering with a direct provocation to Suwma, as he hopes the two will meet during the tournament.
> 
> (6) *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 1st Round Match:* Suwama vs. Naoya Nomura
> *♦Winner:* Suwama *(13:33)* following the Last Ride.
> ~ Suwama indeed claims the win as he and Doering inch ever so closer together to meet in the semi-finals. He will have Iwamoto in the 2nd round on the 19th.
> 
> (7) *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 1st Round Match:* Atsushi Aoki vs. Kotaro Suzuki (FREE)
> *♦Winner:* Aoki *(20:48)* with the Object.
> ~ Aoki wins the grudge encounter against his former ally. Though Aoki stated that his sole purpose in the Oudou Tournament feels complete as he stands now. Though he will face a great challenge as he faces another former ally in the current wrecking ball Joe Doering on the 19th.


The eventual Suwama/Doering match is gonna be a doozy. I don't expect them to have much of a problem against their junior opponents.


----------



## Zatiel

How is Kotaro Suzuki at this point? I haven't watched a match of his in years.


----------



## V-Trigger

Huge match announced for Destruction in KOBE.

Baretta probably challenges Kenny afterwards.


----------



## Groovemachine

Zatiel said:


> How is Kotaro Suzuki at this point? I haven't watched a match of his in years.


He's on form right now. He's been coming across to one of my local promotions here in the UK, and consistently having fantastic matches with anyone and everyone.


----------



## PUNQ

*AJPW - "Royal Road Tournament 2017 - Day 2" - September 16, 2017, Kitamoto - (1 3/4 hrs)*
_September 16, 2017, Kitamoto City Sports Center (799 Fans)_
1. Danny Jones & Massimo -vs- Atsushi Maruyama & Yusuke Okada [*]
2. Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori & Shuji Ishikawa -vs- Ryouji Sai & Rikiya Fudo & Manabu Soya [* 1/2]
3. Kento Miyahara & Ultimo Dragon & Yoshitatsu -vs- KAI & Tajiri & Yohei Nakajima [* 3/4]
4. Koji Iwamoto -vs- Yuma Aoyagi - (Royal Road Tournament - Round 1) [**]
5. Joe Doering -vs- Hikaru Sato - (Royal Road Tournament - Round 1) [* 1/4]
6. Suwama -vs- Naoya Nomura - (Royal Road Tournament - Round 1) [** 1/4]
7. Atsushi Aoki -vs- Kotaro Suzuki - (Royal Road Tournament - Round 1) [** 1/2]



Just watched my first "live" stream on the Nico Pro youtube channel for yesterday's All Japan show. Featured the second day of 1st round matches of the Royal Road. Typical B-show atmosphere and workrate, but with focus on the main matches. And that's what All Japan has been good at this year. Even on minor shows they have matches which have a purpose. 

*Koji Iwamoto/Yuma Aoyagi* ended just as it was about to get interesting. Two fairly young guys, so their time and effort was going to be somewhat limited, but the wrestling was solid in it's basic way. 

*Joe Doering/Hikaru Sato* you sensed from the start Sato didn't have a chance and I wasn't surprised when it ended in just 4 minutes with a lariat.

*Suwama/Naoya Nomura* it was clear Nomura wasn't exactly looking like Suwama's equal, but put up a good fight. Toward the end it was all about how much punishment Nomura could take and he kicked out of some of Suwama's devastating moves before falling victim to the Last Ride.

*Atsushi Aoki/Kotaro Suzuki* suffered a little from having house show pace, but the wrestling was of quality even if it wasn't full-speed. Aoki had a nice little suplex off their railing, just as a example that the execution was good in this competitive affair. Aoki looked more up for this. As someone asked about Suzuki's form of late. It's where it'a always been. A guy with potential to bring something great, but too often doesn't bring the fire to his performance. That was how he was 10 years ago, and that's his way today.


----------



## NastyYaffa

V-Trigger said:


> *Baretta probably challenges Kenny afterwards.*


Yes please :mark: That would be incredible.


----------



## volde

Wouldn't it be a bit weird if his second singles match would be against Omega for US title?


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

If anyone had any doubts about the state of Dragon Gate in the current year, watch 5 Unit Survival Race Night 19. Safe to say Dragon Gate is BACK. Those last 2 matches :sodone


----------



## Corey

volde said:


> Wouldn't it be a bit weird if his second singles match would be against Omega for US title?


Yes. I was also a bit skeptical about the "huge" match announcement headline. :lol

Still hoping for Omega/Elgin either at KOPW to keep that card being :mark: worthy or at one of the ROH shows that Kenny is on.


----------



## Corey

Another Miyahara/Ishikawa match is coming!



> (4) *World Junior Heavyweight Championship Match:* [45th Champion] Ultimo Dragon vs. [Challenger] Billyken Kid (Answer)
> *♦Winner:* Dragon *(15:29)* with a La Magistral.
> ~ 1st successful title defense.
> ~ TAJIRI made it known that he wants a rematch for the belt.
> 
> (5) *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 2nd Round Match:* Shuji Ishikawa (FREE) vs. Zeus
> *♦Winner:* Ishikawa *()* with the Splash Mountain.
> ~ Ishikawa moves on to the semi-final match on the 23rd.
> 
> (6) *5th Oudou Tournament ~ 2nd Round Match:* Kento Miyahara vs. Yoshitatsu (NJPW)
> *♦Winner:* Miyahara *(19:13)* with the Shutdown German Suplex Hold.
> ~ Yoshitatsu puts up a fighting effort against the Triple Crown champion, but ultimately suffers defeat. Yoshitatsu stated that he accepts the loss, but want to aim for another match against Miyahara in the future.
> ~ The first semi-final match is now set as Miyahara will be taking on Ishikawa.


A 19 minute Yoshitatsu singles match though? Yikes


----------



## PUNQ

Don't worry. Miyahara will drag it out of him. Yoshitatsu was half-decent before he went to America, perhaps getting a chance to work singles matches in a new environment will motivate him more, instead of wasteland tag matches in New Japan.

I'll get the chance to see this show on Thursday, so we'll see if there will be a massive Yoshitatsu resurrection coming! :grin2:


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Rainmaka! said:


> If anyone had any doubts about the state of Dragon Gate in the current year, watch 5 Unit Survival Race Night 19. Safe to say Dragon Gate is BACK. Those last 2 matches :sodone


Mochi has gotten great matches out of every main event he's ever been in. I swear that man is magic.

That disbandment match was fire too.


----------



## Genking48

Credit to Jae of iheartdg.com as aslways


> *DANGEROUS GATE 2017*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *09/18/2017
> Ota City General Gymnasium
> Dangerous Gate 2017
> 4000 Attendance*
> 
> *1. *Shun Skywalker*⭕*, Hyo Watanabe (8:00 Skywalker Moonsault) Gamma, Shachihoko Boy❌
> *2. *BxB Hulk, Kzy*⭕* (10:09 Kzytime) Don Fujii, Jason Lee❌
> *3. *Open the Brave Gate Championship Match: Jimmy Kagetora (12:49 Gurumakakari) Yosuke♡Santa Maria
> _*3rd Defense_
> *4. *Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Ben-K*⭕* (13:16 Ben-K Bomb) Eita, Takehiro Yamamura, Kaito Ishida❌
> *5. *Open the Twin Gate Championship Match: CIMA*⭕*, Dragon Kid (22:32 Meteora to the Stomach) Big R Shimizu, Kotoka❌
> _*7th Defense_
> *6. *Losing Unit Disbands No DQ Elimination Match: Shingo Takagi, T-Hawk, Takashi Yoshida, El Lindaman, Punch Tominaga (5-4) Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!!, Ryo “Jimmy” Saito, Jimmy Susumu, Jimmy K-ness J.K.S., Jimmy Kanda
> K-ness (11:06 Hikari no Wa) Tominaga
> Lindaman (14:28 Barbed Wire Board Attack) K-ness
> Takagi (16:38 Spike Tombstone onto Barbed Wire Bat) Kanda
> Horiguchi (18:20 Backslide from Heaven) Yoshida
> Saito (20:090 SaiRyo Rocket with Barbed Wire Board) Lindaman
> T-Hawk (21:58 BT Bomb) Horiguchi
> T-Hawk (Night Ride) Saito
> Susumu (31:10 Jumbo no Kachi!) Takagi
> T-Hawk (34:11 Cerberus) Susumu
> _*Jimmyz must disband_
> *7. *Open the Dream Gate Championship Match: Masaaki Mochizuki (24:20 Sankakugeri to the Face) YAMATO
> _*YAMATO fails in his 7th defense, Mochizuki becomes the 26th Champion_
> 
> CIMA opened the show with a quick personal anecdote. A typhoon was in the area over the weekend. It brought a lot of rain to Tokyo. Dangerous Gate started a few hours early for CIMA because after his usual late night training session he began to walk home but his umbrella was blown inside out. He also brought up twice having to leave this very show in an ambulance. Thankfully, the last two years have been No Ambulance Gate and hopefully that trend continues.
> 
> YAMATO & Mochizuki had a confrontation after match two. Mochizuki promised to fight as long as there was even a flicker of fire left in him. He hoped that fans would cheer him until their voices were nearly burned out. YAMATO couldn’t contain his excitement. He felt like a grade school student right before a field trip. He is going to be in a lot of pain in a few hours but he is looking forward to it more than anything. He started to talk about how fighting with Mochizuki was different from everyone else, but it appeared Mochizuki had stopped listening so he got a little more serious. Their fight is one that has no need for barbed wire or other gimmicks. When they fight, it lives up to the name Dangerous Gate.
> 
> CIMA escalated the Young Generation/Young MaxiMuM feud. He implored Eita & Yamamura to aim for Doi & Yoshino. CIMA challenged Ben-K & Shimizu to come after the Twin Gate so they can finish their clean sweep of MaxiMuM. When you think of the Twin Gate, there are only 3 letters that come to mind. C-K-1.
> 
> Verserk celebrated. T-Hawk said a stale and directionless unit was put out of it’s misery today. This was only the beginning. Verserk were once again the center of Dragon Gate and nothing can stop their rampage. They left the Jimmyz to give some token parting words to whatever fans they had left. They ripped the Jimmyz t-shirt from Kagetora but struggled to actually tear it up.
> 
> Susumu apologized for losing. They would abide by the rules and split up. This all started nearly 6 years ago when himself & Kagetora had a match where if they lost they would have to change their names. It was cruel and unusual punishment and they hated it. But the fans were there for them. They were joined by Saito, Horiguchi, & Candy a few months later. Then, two years ago in this very same building under the same circumstances, K-ness betrayed Mad Blankey and joined them. That was the start of their second chapter. Someone as plain as him was able to have so much success and so many great memories over the last 5-6 years because of the fans that supported the Jimmyz. That Jimmy name that he once hated so much. Today he fought with all his might to keep it. He failed. The Jimmyz are finished. But not today. He wants one more chance to see some of the fans from all over the country as a Jimmy one last time. A few weeks. Just to say goodbye. Then they will come back to Tokyo for the October Korakuen Hall show and bring the train to its final stop.
> 
> Mochizuki was seconded by the former Team Veteran members. CIMA was the first to congratulate him. While he felt compelled to come out and be in his corner for the match, he honestly didn’t expect him to win. Mochizuki told him that after 20 years, CIMA was able to read what was in his heart without saying a word. He actually wasn’t sure of his chances either. Was he still strong enough to handle someone like YAMATO? Would the result today make him start to consider retirement? He wasn’t sure. But at 47 years and 8 months he was now Dream Gate champion for the third time. He mused about his early days in the Kitao Dojo and being sent out into the world. He brought up that this was the 20th anniversary year for CIMA & Fujii. CIMA told the story about meeting Mocchy 20 years ago in a freezing cold venue in Aomori before a Michinoku Pro Wrestling show. When they arrived for the show Mochizuki was already there, warming up next to a small heater by himself. Mochizuki recalled that he had been there for 2 hours by then. CIMA said that he is still like that. Himself & Gamma are always late in getting to the building but Mochizuki is usually the first one there and is the first one warming up. He’s seen this up close for 20 years. He shouldn’t have expected him to lose today. He should have expected it. He shouldn’t be surprised that at 47 years old, 20 years after meeting him, Mochizuki would once again bring him to tears.
> Mochizuki changed the subject. With the Jimmyz disbanded and an old bastard as champion there was probably going to be a lot of turmoil in the coming days. He told CIMA & Fujii that they should celebrate their 20th anniversary while they still had a chance. They decided to team together as a trio. Discussing opponents, they agreed that it would only be fitting that they face off with some opponents from the place where they first met. Mochizuki was tasked with contacting the Michinoku Pro Wrestling office and booking a trio to face them.
> 
> Mochizuki closed the show out. At 47 years and 8 months, he is once again champion. He will probably have to fight off challengers that are half his age. He’s not sure how long his stamina will hold out but he is ready to carry Dragon Gate again. He had a planned trip to Europe this weekend with CIMA and a few others. Now he is going as champion. He will proudly go and show the world what the champion of Dragon Gate is made of. He promised to deliver more thrilling and chest pounding excitement.


Some other news from the Dragon Gate english twitter

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/909932964481400833

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/909937559903526913
Farewell Jimmyz 2012-2017 :kurtcry

Mocchi Dream Gate champ again!!! :harper


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

RIP

May Mochi kick everyones ass for all time


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Oh yeah, Dangerous Gate was a real good show. Twin Gate was fun with a great finishing stretch (Big R & Ben-K vs. CK-1 should be awesome too) & Ben-K looked real good manhandling Ishida.

The Losing Unit Disbands match was pretty much everything I love about wrestling. It had phenomenal storytelling, great in ring action, great character work from both Jimmyz & VerserK (VerserK's street clothes & the War Jimmyz look was amazing) & an emotional post-match. The commentator breaking down trying to call everything, women in attendance crying, Susumu & Genki not even able to hold it together themselves. It was a fantastic way of ending Jimmyz & with the farewell tour, I think Dragon Gate is planning something huge to happen towards the end of it.

Mochi/YAMATO was a great main event & I am so glad Mochi is Dream Gate champ again! I don't know how long this reign is gonna last, but fuck, Mochi in the main event is always awesome to see. *


----------



## Groovemachine

Amazing news about my man Mochi! So well deserved, glad he's getting another run at the top this late in the game. Can't wait to check out the show, sounds fantastic.


----------



## Corey

Suwama & Joe Doering advanced in the Oudou Tournament today. That means:

*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “Oudou Tournament”, 9/23/2017 [Sat] 17:00 @ Yume Messe Miyagi, Nishidate Hall*​
() *5th Oudou Tournament ~ Semi-final Match:* Suwama vs. Joe Doering
() *5th Oudou Tournament ~ Semi-final Match:* Kento Miyahara vs. Shuji Ishikawa

() *5th Oudou Tournament ~ Final Match:*

Winner will likely get their Triple Crown Title match (assuming Kento doesn't win) on October 21st in Yokohama.


----------



## antoniomare007

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/910344255037673473
I don't think the Strong division will stop doing "dumb" shit like head dropping and very stiff strikes, but I'm glad they are at least trying to work around the taxing (and awesome) style they have. At least they've stopped doing the shoot headbutt spot, I don't think I've seen it this year and I'm sure the Shibata issue helped keeping it that way.


----------



## PUNQ

This one just aired at NicoPro:


*AJPW - "Royal Road Tournament 2017 - Day 3" - September 18, 2017, Osaka - (2 hrs)*
_September 18, 2017, Osaka Edion Arena #2 (612 Fans)
_1. Koji Iwamoto & Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi -vs- Joe Doering & Massimo & Danny Jones [1/2*]
2. Ryouji Sai & The Bodyguard & Atsushi Maruyama -vs- KAI & Tajiri & Yohei Nakajima [*]
3. Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori & Hikaru Sato & Kotaro Suzuki -vs- Suwama & Atsushi Aoki & Minoru Tanaka & Yusuke Okada [* 3/4]
4. Ultimo Dragon (c) -vs- Billy Ken Kid - (AJPW Junior Title) [**]
6. Shuji Ishikawa -vs- Zeus - (Royal Road Tournament - Round 2) [** 3/4]
5. Kento Miyahara -vs- Yoshitatsu - (Royal Road Tournament - Round 2) [** 1/4]



The tag matches didn't offer much. And *Ultimo Dragon/Billy Ken Kid* didn't deliver too much effort to bring the Osaka fans a dream match with Osaka’s own Billy Ken Kid challenging the legend for the AJPW Junior Heavyweight Title, with a lot of filler wrestling early on and a small dose of energy toward the end. Fun final minute of cradle action, but this was otherwise a slow and grounded affair.

*Shuji Ishikawa/Zeus*. Wasn’t sure what to make of it 10 minutes in. Sluggish, but not too interesting. But they had saved up for a strong house show spurt with impact and big moves, exactly what you would expect from two such power-houses. Not going to claim it’s the most essential of heavyweight clashes of the year, but it was damn solid nonetheless. Ishikawa rarely looked in much danger though.

Then to the moment EVERYBODY has been waiting for. Yoshitatsu main eventing in All Japan! Or perhaps not. Well, watching *Kento Miyahara/Yoshitatsu* it's pretty clear people who dislike Yoshitatsu are not going to have their opinions changed with his performance here. This match was Miyahara’s delivery with Yoshitatsu doing a good job at following and doing goofy selling to make Miyahara look like a serious top guy. The match was fairly slow at the start with a lot of lying around on the ground selling damage from some not so devastating blows. They did focus the game half-way and it gradually grew to acceptable levels, mostly with Miyahara on offense as Yoshitatsu doesn’t much that’s interesting in his arsenal. And once Miyahara started landing his main moves Yoshitatsu was unable to hold on much longer.

Tomorrow the show with the other two 2nd Round matches airs.


----------



## PUNQ

*AJPW - "Royal Road Tournament 2017 - Day 4" - September 19, 2017, Nagoya - (1 1/2 hrs)*
_September 19, 2017, Nagoya Biwajima Station Sports Center (401 Fans)
_1. KAI & Tajiri & Kotaro Suzuki & Yohei Nakajima -vs- Takao Omori & Ultimo Dragon & Atsushi Maruyama & Yusuke Okada [* 3/4]
2. Shuji Ishikawa & Ryouji Sai & Michio Kageyama & Ishikiri & Konaka = Pale One -vs- Zeus & The Bodyguard & Hikaru Sato & Revlon & Fuminori Abe [3/4*]
3. Kento Miyahara & Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi -vs- Yoshitatsu & Massimo & Danny Jones [* 1/4]
4. Jun Akiyama (c) -vs- Minoru Tanaka - (GAORA TV Title) [* 1/2]
5. Joe Doering -vs- Atsushi Aoki - (Royal Road Tournament - Round 2) [*]
6. Suwama -vs- Koji Iwamoto - (Royal Road Tournament - Round 2) [* 1/2]


This was a poor show from All Japan. A combination of house show mentality, poor assistance from outside workers and simple matches that wasn’t even good on paper. Let’s hope they can end the tour on a more positive note.

*Jun Akiyama/Minoru Tanaka* was the least interesting GAORA TV Title defense I’ve seen from Akiyama’s reign. Half-way sloppy and otherwise unmotivated with hints of exciting near falls to at least give it something to enjoy.

*Joe Doering/Atsushi Aoki*. Doering has had super short matches the entire tour, and against junior heavyweight Aoki it was no different. Over before it got interesting with Doering crashing Aoki down with a crossbody press.

*Suwama/Koji Iwamoto* was basically a glorified squash where Suwama tries to beat the man out of the passive Iwamoto, only to make him more into a boy during this process. Iwamoto’s big moments were delivering his judo takedown again and again with confidence clearly dropping by each throw. Then Suwama finished him off easy. Not exactly main event worthy.


----------



## HOJO

DranmaticDDT.com said:


> It was announced today that DDT Pro Wrestling has been acquired by CyberAgent, the company behind the AbemaTV online streaming service. DDT will continue to do business as a subsidiary of CyberAgent and there is no change to the company name or its organisational structure. Sanshiro Takagi will continue his role as president of DDT. In addition the director of CyberAgent Takahiro Yamauchi will now become the director of DDT.
> 
> The deal between DDT and CyberAgent was made on 1st September when DDT transferred 100% of its outstanding shares to CyberAgent. The amount of money it cost has not been made public. Sanshiro Takagi commented on the deal by saying he wants to increase awareness of DDT, make it more appealing and aim for further expansion of the business. CyberAgent’s statement on their website mentions “the professional wrestling boom in recent years” being a reason why they are adding DDT content to the AbemaTV service.
> 
> All of the DDT spin offs are included in the acquisition so BASARA, DNA, Tokyo Joshi Pro and Ganbare☆Wrestling will also have their content appearing on AbemaTV. The first live show on the service will be this Sunday’s “WHO’S GONNA TOP?” event in Korakuen Hall. It will be free to all site members and registration to the website is free too. A special announcement about DDT’s future will be revealed during the show. Takagi promises DDT will continue to provide more of the fun, intense and dramatic stories that they are known for.


----------



## Corey

AJPW results:



> (2) *5th Oudou Tournament ~ Semi-final Match:* Suwama vs. Joe Doering
> *♦Winner:* Suwama *(7:43)* with the Manriki Sleeper.
> ~ Suwama enacts some revenge over Doering’s recent assault as he now moves on to the final.
> (3) *5th Oudou Tournament ~ Semi-final Match:* Kento Miyahara vs. Shuji Ishikawa (FREE)
> *♦Winner:* Ishikawa *(13:41)* with the Splash Mountain.
> ~ Ishikawa with the win over the TC champion as he moves on the final match against Suwama.
> 
> (6) *5th Oudou Tournament ~ Final Match:* Suwama vs. Shuji Ishikawa
> *♦Winner:* Suwama *(16:54)* with a Backdrop Hold.
> ~ Suwama wins the Oudou Tournament for the second year in a row.
> ~ Respect was shown between the two following the match, as it even appeared that the two agreed to a potential team in the future as well.


Interesting scenario. Suwama is the one that likely gets the title shot 10/21 in Yokohama, but you have to think Ishikawa earned a rematch as well with the win over Kento. And here's to hoping those two do indeed form a tag team.


----------



## V-Trigger




----------



## AmWolves10

Happy to see Dragon Gate still kicking. Masato Yoshino is still one of my favorite wrestlers.


----------



## HoHo

Yeah like I said on Twitter happy to see Toni Storm win the title, but it's sad to see how she got it after the Mayu injury. I mean she lost the White Belt to Yoko Bito the night before, and this even sucks more for her because she is a hugely competitive and really want to put on a show with Toni tonight. I hope she is okay.

Oh and a little history here Toni Storm is only the second non-Asian Wrestler to win the Red Belt the other was Alpha Female before she dropped it to Io Shirai in 2013.


----------



## Mordecay

People is saying Mayu had a dislocated shoulder from a bad landing after a dropkick. Despite it sucks, hopefully it is just that and not something worse.


----------



## HoHo

I thought she blew out her knee, but a Dislocated Shoulder is mild to what I thought the injury could be for her. I'm hoping that is a case and she can take some time off from it and come back fresh.


----------



## HOJO

Between Toni as championa dn Mayu being hurt, shitty stuff for me to go to sleep to


Switching gears, KUDO vs HARASHIMA and Takeshita vs Sasaki vs Ohka was fun as hell


----------



## Asuka842

Congrats to Toni, she's had one hell of a year. But I hope that Mayu is ok and it sucks that Toni had to win under these circumstances.


----------



## V-Trigger




----------



## machomanjohncena

I hope Mayu gets better soon


----------



## V-Trigger

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/911850486382321665
Well... out for 6 months.


----------



## HoHo

Wow a Compound Fracture to her Elbow man that's going to be a intense scene to try to watch when I see the show in it's entirely. 6 Months means either Toni might hold the time for a good long time or Stardom goes with a proven champion and puts it on Io even a few months of Toni's reign.


----------



## V-Trigger

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/911860589768478720


----------



## HOJO

A stretcher job? For an arm injury?


----------



## PUNQ

*AJPW - "Royal Road Tournament 2017 - Day 5" - September 23, 2017, Sendai - (2 1/4 hrs)*
_September 23, 2017, Sendai - Dream Messe Miyagi West Building Hall (477 Fans)_
1. KAI & Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi -vs- Yusuke Okada & Massimo & Danny Jones [* 1/2]
2. Suwama -vs- Joe Doering - (Royal Road Tournament - Semi-Final) [**]
3. Shuji Ishikawa -vs- Kento Miyahara - (Royal Road Tournament - Semi-Final) [*** 1/4]
4. Atsushi Aoki & Koji Iwamoto & Aizawa No. 1 -vs- Kotaro Suzuki & Hikaru Sato & Yohei Nakajima [**]
5. Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori & Yoshitatsu & Ultimo Dragon & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi -vs- Zeus & The Bodyguard & Ryouji Sai & Tajiri & Atsushi Maruyama [* 3/4]
6. Suwama -vs- Shuji Ishikawa - (Royal Road Tournament - Final) [*** 1/4]


Final day of this 5-show tour and it was a good one! Relatively small out-of-Tokyo show, yet they put on a strong effort for the Samurai TV cameras. Thanks to the tournament we got two rematches between those that has brought the best singles matches in All Japan this year. While neither one was the best of their series, it was a very nice addition to their portfolio and well worth seeing for anyone exploring Japanese wrestling beyond New Japan.


----------



## MC

Hope Mayu can recover as quick as she can. One of the top women wrestlers today.

Happy for Storm though, shame it;s like this but hopefully she does the title justice.


----------



## V-Trigger




----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Alright, so Dragon Gate's announced the cards for the last Farewell Jimmyz Gate shows:*



> Farewell Jimmyz Gate Card Information
> 09/30/2017
> Okayama, Kurashiki Sanyo Heights
> Farewell Jimmyz Gate 2017
> 
> 1. Dragon Kid, Gamma, Eita vs. Masaaki Mochizuki, Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!! vs. Dragon Kid, Gamma, Eita
> 
> 2. T-Hawk vs. Hyo Watanabe
> 
> 3. YAMATO, BxB Hulk vs. Shingo Takagi, El Lindaman
> 
> 4. Kzy, Yosuke♡Santa Maria vs. Jimmy Kanda, Shachihoko Boy
> 
> 5. Farewell Jimmyz in Okayama
> Naruki Doi, Big R Shimizu, Ben-K vs. Jimmy Susumu, Ryo "Jimmy" Saito, Jimmy Kagetora
> -
> 
> 10/01/2017
> Fukuoka, Hakata Star Lanes
> Farewell Jimmyz Gate 2017
> 
> 0. Yosuke♡Santa Maria vs. U-T
> 
> 1. Farewell Jimmyz in Hakata
> Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!!, Ryo "Jimmy" Saito, Jimmy K-ness J.K.S. vs. Don Fujii, Kaito Ishida, Jason Lee
> 
> 2. Jimmy Kagetora vs. Shun Skywalker
> 
> 3. Kzy vs. Gamma
> 
> 4. YAMATO, BxB Hulk vs. El Lindaman, Punch Tominaga
> 
> 5. CIMA, Dragon Kid, Eita, Takehiro Yamamura vs. Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Big R Shimizu, Ben-K
> 
> 6. Masaaki Mochizuki, Jimmy Susumu, Jimmy Kanda vs. Shingo Takagi, T-Hawk, Takashi Yoshida
> 
> -
> 10/05/2017
> Tokyo, Korakuen Hall
> Farewell Jimmyz Gate 2017
> 
> 1. Takehiro Yamamura, Kaito Ishida, Shachihoko Boy vs. U-T, Shun Skywalker, Hyo Watanabe
> 
> 2. Gamma vs. Yosuke♡Santa Maria
> 
> 3. Big R Shimizu, Ben-K vs. Dragon Kid, Eita
> 
> 4. YAMATO, BxB Hulk, Kzy vs. Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Jason Lee
> 
> 5. CIMA & Don Fujii 20th Anniversary Special Match
> CIMA, Don Fujii, Masaaki Mochizuki vs. The Great Sasuke (Michinoku Pro Wrestling), Jinsei Shinzaki (Michinoku Pro Wrestling), TAKA Michinoku (Kaientai Dojo)
> 
> 6. Jimmyz - The Final Goodbye
> Jimmy Susumu, Jimmy Kagetora, Jimmy Kanda, Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!!, Ryo "Jimmy" Saito, Jimmy K-ness J.K.S. vs. Shingo Takagi, Takashi Yoshida, T-Hawk, El Lindaman, Punch Tominaga, "brother" YASSHI


----------



## Desecrated

Corey said:


> AJPW results:
> 
> 
> Interesting scenario. Suwama is the one that likely gets the title shot 10/21 in Yokohama, but you have to think Ishikawa earned a rematch as well with the win over Kento. And here's to hoping those two do indeed form a tag team.


All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2017 Raising an Army Series”, 10/9/2017 [Mon] 18:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo

() Koji Iwamoto vs. Kotaro Suzuki
() Masanobu Fuchi, Taiyo Kea & Manabu Soya vs. TAJIRI, Yohei Nakajima & Fuminori Abe
() Naoya Nomura, Yuma Aoyagi & KAI vs. Atsushi Aoki, Hikaru Sato & Yusuke Okada
() BANG! TV World Heavyweight Championship Match: [3rd Champion] Osamu Nishimura vs. [Challenger] Danny Jones
~ 4th title defense.
() Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori vs. Zeus & The Bodyguard
() Triple Crown Next Challenger: Joe Doering vs. Shuji Ishikawa

() Triple Crown Championship Match: [57th Champion] Kento Miyahara vs. [Challenger] Suwama
~ 1st title defense.

Same day as King of Pro Wrestling. Follows on the 21st with

All Japan Pro-Wrestling “Jun Akiyama and Takao Omori Debut 25th Anniversary Show”, 10/21/2017 [Sat] 17:00 @ Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium in Kanagawa

() Masannobu Fuchi & Osamu Nishimura vs. Masashi Takeda & Atsushi Maruyama
() Yohei Nakajima & Kotaro Suzuki vs. Koji Iwamoto & Yusuke Okada
() Ryoji Sai & Ishikiri vs. KAI & Fuminori Abe

() World Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: [45th Champion] Ultimo Dragon vs. [Challenger] TAJIRI
~ 2nd title defense.

() World Tag Championship Match: [77th Champions] Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi vs. [Challengers] Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori
~ 1st title defense.

() Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship Match: [Champion] to be announced vs. [Challenger] to be announced


Two neat cards.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Sucks to hear about Mayus injury. Hopefully shes back soon.

Really enjoyed Juice vs Omega there was a lot going on in that match and it was obviously the highlight of the tour.


----------



## MC

Holy fuck Keith Lee is taking on Ishii at Rev Pro/ New Japan global wars. Imagine if this leads to Lee getting signed by New Japan :mark: :mark:


----------



## Groovemachine

MC 16 said:


> Holy fuck Keith Lee is taking on Ishii at Rev Pro/ New Japan global wars. Imagine if this leads to Lee getting signed by New Japan :mark: :mark:


:sodone

November 9th. Bethnal Green. Suzuki on the card too? Count me in.


----------



## MC

Groovemachine said:


> :sodone
> 
> November 9th. Bethnal Green. Suzuki on the card too? Count me in.


Not noramly a fan of Rev pro but count me in too.


----------



## faisalaldoseri

hey guys

I am a wwe fan but just started to watch other promotions, I started with roh, tna, and njpw. but I wanted to watch promotions like noah and stardom and dragon gate, but couldn't find a way to jump in. so I have some questions

where can I watch them? and what shows should I watch because they have a lot of events and I don't know which is necessary and what are skippable
main wrestlers in these promotions?
where shall I start or I can just jump in and will be fine with time?


----------



## MC

faisalaldoseri said:


> hey guys
> 
> I am a wwe fan but just started to watch other promotions, I started with roh, tna, and njpw. but I wanted to watch promotions like noah and stardom and dragon gate, but couldn't find a way to jump in. so I have some questions
> 
> where can I watch them? and what shows should I watch because they have a lot of events and I don't know which is necessary and what are skippable
> main wrestlers in these promotions?
> where shall I start or I can just jump in and will be fine with time?


Noah and Dragon Gate are much harder to watch in my experience but Stardom, well just look up Stardom on Dailymotion. It's single matches so you can easily skip the less intresting stuff.


----------



## PUNQ

From my experience you can just jump in at any time when it comes the Japanese wrestling. That goes with NOAH, DG, Stardom and just about every other Japanese promotion too. It's not so heavily storyline based that you'll get lost. Most of the time it's generation related or which promotion/stable you represent, so it's easy to pick up as you familiarize with the wrestlers and who they hang out with.

As for which shows. If you don't have much time or only want to watch the high-end stuff, stick to the big shows and basically look for title matches or tournament finals. Japanese wrestling is very main event based and stick to giving that little extra for those kinds of matches. Otherwise they're usually in a "house show" mood, so don't expect too much from undercard matches or smaller shows. They're usually just simple performances out to entertain the crowd a little and doesn't deliver too much that's important to the big picture.

As for where you can watch them. RealHero is your distributor for most stuff, and you can find some stuff on these boards too. If you are the type to watch everything, like I do, subscribing to NicoPro's youtube channel is a good call. There you get some of the smaller All Japan, NOAH, other indys and female shows that doesn't air on TV.


----------



## HOJO

The DDT Dramatic General & Unit Election results came out the other day and here are the results!



Spoiler: DDT General Election Results



1. Danshoku Dino (587 Votes)
2. HARASHIMA (566 Votes)
3. Tetsuya Endo (501 Votes)
4. Daisuke Sasaki (470 Votes)
5. Masahiro Takanashi (330 Votes)
6. Soma Takao (285 Votes)
7. Konosuke Takeshita (261 Votes)
8. Akito (227 Votes)
9. Saki Akai (197 Votes)
10. Makoto Oishi (176 Votes)
11. KUDO (174 Votes)
12. Shunma Katsumata (173 Votes)
13. Keisuke Ishii (162 Votes)
14. MAO (158 Votes)
-. Toru Owashi (158 Votes)
16. Ken Ohka (152 Votes)
17. Cherry (150 Votes)
18. Antonio Honda (149 Votes)
19. Yukio Sakaguchi (147 Votes)
20. Kazuki Hirata (141 Votes)


21. Kazusada Higuchi (135 Votes)
22. Super Sasadango Machine (110 Votes)
23. Kouki Iwasaki (108 Votes)
24. Yuki Ueno (95 Votes)

Wrestlers who finished from #21 to #24 will compete in the dark match.

25. Yuni (84 Votes)
26. Rekka (74 Votes)
27. Diego (71 Votes)
-. Yoshihiko (71 Votes)
29. Nobuhiro Shimatani (50 Votes)
-. Gota Ihashi (50 Votes)

These unfortunate names miss out on getting spots in the show. It’s possible that Yuni will replace one of the dark match wrestlers if they happen to get sick, injured or bumped up to the main card as a replacement for someone else.

*Total Number Of Valid Votes*: 6,251 Votes





Spoiler: Unit Election Results



1. DAMNATION (1,149 Votes)
2. Ohka Empire Returns (1,065 Votes)
3. Shuten-dōji (929 Votes)
4. Smile Squash (786 Votes)
5. NωA (656 Votes)
6. YaroZ (512 Votes)
7. ALL OUT (465 Votes)
8. T2Hide (296 Votes)
9. Super DNA Revolution (213 Votes)
10. Pigging 2017 (116 Votes)

Total Number Of Valid Votes: 6,006 Votes

DAMNATION win the Unit Election for the second year in a row. Their prize is the rights to produce their own Korakuen Hall show on 30th December. Shuji Ishikawa was absent from the results show so Sasaki acted like the group only has three people in it. Endo wants to know how much of the money made by the show will be given to DAMNATION.

For the fourth year in a row, Pigging finishes in last place and must now split up. There’s always next year, boys.



The card for DDT's next Korakuen Hall show so far, post-general election. I really hope coming 7th and being up against Dino means the end for Takeshita's reign. This push has failed and it's not at all getting better by having him beat Dino. Dino deserves another reign anyway



> DDT “DDT SPECIAL 2017”, 22/10/2017
> Tokyo Korakuen Hall
> DDT Dramatic General Election Ranking In Parentheses
> 
> *1. Special Single Match*: Soma Takao (#6) Vs Masahiro Takanashi (#5)
> *2. Special Single Match*: Keisuke Ishii (#13) Vs Suwama
> *2. DDT Extreme Title*: Daisuke Sasaki (#4) (c) Vs HARASHIMA (#2)
> *3. KO-D Openweight Title*: Konosuke Takeshita (#7) (c) Vs Danshoku Dino (#1)
> Hideki Suzuki, Ultimo Dragon and Abdullah Kobayashi will all be wrestling on the show.


Danshoku Dino is this year’s winner! He receives 1,000,000 yen and also a KO-D Openweight Title shot on the 22nd October Korakuen Hall show. Dino Vs Konosuke Takeshita is a match eleven years in the making. Dino kissed a young Takeshita in the crowd during his entrance at a show in Osaka eleven years ago. It was the first DDT show Takeshita ever went to and he credits it as a big turning point in his life. As the runner up, HARASHIMA was given 300,000 yen and a title match for any of the other championships in DDT. HARASHIMA chose the DDT Extreme Title so he will face Daisuke Sasaki for the belt on 22/10. Tetsuya Endo is annoyed that there is no cash prize for 3rd place. He has no savings left after giving most of his King Of DDT prize money to Sasaki.
DAMNATION won the unit election for the 2nd year in a row, so they get the rights to run the 12/30 Korakuen Hall show. Piggings will be forced to disband for the 4th year in a row for coming last


----------



## RKing85

Let's hope Yamamura is okay. Looked like the simplest thing in the world that he got hurt on.


----------



## Flik

274 days as the ICE ×∞ Champion and 5 title defenses - with two of them main eventing two of the biggest shows in Ice Ribbon's history - and no sign of droping the title until the end of the year at least.

2017 has been a pretty good year for Risa Sera and Ice Ribbon :y2j


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Yamamura has been released from the hospital following his injury the other day. He suffered a spinal concussion after giving Ben-K a missile dropkick at the Hakata Starlanes show. The match was stopped almost immediately & he was taken out of the building in an ambulance. According to the DG twitter, he does have feeling in his arms & legs, so hopefully he'll be alright after this.*


----------



## Corey

NOAH drew 2,200 for the Yokohama show yesterday. Daisuke Harada won the Jr. Title and Edwards retained the GHC over Marufuji.

Masato Tanaka (ZERO1), Yuko Miyamoto (666), Yuji Okabayashi (BJW) & Mitsuya Nagai (DRADITION) will be participating in the Global League coming up.


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> NOAH drew 2,200 for the Yokohama show yesterday. Daisuke Harada won the Jr. Title and Edwards retained the GHC over Marufuji.
> 
> Masato Tanaka (ZERO1), Yuko Miyamoto (666), Yuji Okabayashi (BJW) & Mitsuya Nagai (DRADITION) will be participating in the Global League coming up.


I assumed Marufuji would get the win and have a Nakajima vs Marufuji match but looks like they are really investing in their first gajin champion. Gutsy move. I like it though.


----------



## machomanjohncena

Flik said:


> 274 days as the ICE ×∞ Champion and 5 title defenses - with two of them main eventing two of the biggest shows in Ice Ribbon's history - and no sign of droping the title until the end of the year at least.
> 
> 2017 has been a pretty good year for Risa Sera and Ice Ribbon :y2j


I watch Stardom but haven't seen Ice Ribbon. How does it compare?


----------



## Flik

machomanjohncena said:


> I watch Stardom but haven't seen Ice Ribbon. How does it compare?


It's been almost two years since the last time I watched stardom, so I can't really comment on them or make a fair comparison but, as I wrote in another thread, I see Ice Ribbon as "a bunch of girls having fun trying their best to elevate the promotion while fighting each other, creating rivalries and bonds". There's almost no face vs heel dynamic as everyone is likeable in their own way, yet it never stops the competitive aspect of Pro Wrestling even if they all hug in the end, shake hands with the public and shout all together "Happy in Pro Wrestling".

Wrestling-wise, it's probably not on par with the best of what I remember from stardom, but it's much more consistent overall. It's good for the most part with a great match or two on the upper half of the card. There's a lot of comedy but it never gets in the way of the competition and the rookies, while still learning, are full of charm (much like everyone else).


----------



## HOJO

machomanjohncena said:


> I watch Stardom but haven't seen Ice Ribbon. How does it compare?


Ice Ribbon destroyed Stardom in quality last year but fell off hard this year pushing a mediocre Sera with the title all year, the embarrassing, sad clunkiness of TeamDATE who they push hard too, that messy Korakuen Hall show in April(mostly cuz of that "rap battle" section you couldn't hear because NicoPro's audio quality is ass, and losing Tsukushi. The only real saving grace of the year has been the Miyako matches(at times) and the tag wrestling with Tsukushi & Kurumi, Misaki Ohata & Ryo Mizunami and Nakajima & Fujimoto among some other outsides like Yoshiko and Jun Kasai. I turn my head off for Sera matches these days, it's strong booking that'd be more effective to someone who has the actual quality to hold it up. It's a Takeshita problem. Same with the TeamDATE/rookies feud.

not to say stardom's much better but yeah. Watch SEAdLINNG and Gatoh Move, they're the strongest in ring. Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling is a sleeper deal to check out


----------



## MC

machomanjohncena said:


> I watch Stardom but haven't seen Ice Ribbon. How does it compare?


I hear the Ice Ribbon 27/8 show was amazing. I'll probably watch it tomorrow but from people I've spoken to, it's a must watch. Stardom has it problem booking wise but in ring is very good. 

Get well soon Mayu.


----------



## antoniomare007

Okami vs Okabayashi & Shingo from 9/24 was another fun tag in the Saikyou tournament, the Strong Block is living up to expectations.


By the way, Hideki Suzuki vs Kamitani II has been confirmed as the next title match. It will be in 11/1 at Korakuen. Even though I'd like Suzuki to keep the belt, I really like Kamitani's chances to win it.


----------



## AmWolves10

Is Chaos still considered a face stable? Okada being pretty cocky, and they've all been pretty heeling in their matches. Not to mention Yano is always cheating


----------



## Lariatoh!

AmWolves10 said:


> Is Chaos still considered a face stable? Okada being pretty cocky, and they've all been pretty heeling in their matches. Not to mention Yano is always cheating


Yes, except sort of when they face Taguchi Japan. 

B.C. and LIJ are always promoted as heel stables when Chaos face them, even though Naito and Kenny are getting pops.


----------



## MC

AmWolves10 said:


> Is Chaos still considered a face stable? Okada being pretty cocky, and they've all been pretty heeling in their matches. Not to mention Yano is always cheating


With Chaos it depends on who they face. Okada is cocky because he is the Ace, Tana was too. That's always been a thing. It's like half the group are heels and half are faces.


----------



## TripleG

I got caught up on the Destruction shows. 

As expected they were kind of unremarkable due to having so many tag matches on each card. 

However, I really enjoyed Tanahashi Vs. Sabre Jr. 

I gotta say, I like Sabre Jr the more I see him. He is masterful at making the smallest wrestling holds feel important. 

I've heard people criticize Randy Orton for using too many headlocks, as if headlocks automatically means boring, which isn't necessarily true. As Sabre Jr shows in this match, you can stay on the mat trading holds for the 1st 20 minutes and make it work if the holds mean something, unlike Orton's headlocks which feel like they are there just for the sake of doing them.


----------



## Corey

NOAH Global League brackets and notable dates.

“GLOBAL LEAGUE WAR 2017”

*A BLOCK*
Naomichi Marufuji
Go Shiozaki
Masa Kitamiya
Muhammad Yone
Cody Hall
Yuji Okabayashi (BJW)
Mitsuya Nagai (DRADITION)

*B BLOCK*
Katsuhiko Nakajima
Atsushi Kotoge
Kenoh
Quiet Storm
Akitoshi Saito
KAZMA SAKAMOTO
Masato Tanaka (ZERO1)
Yuko Miyamoto (666)

October 14th (opening date) - Marufuji vs. Shiozaki
October 24th - Nakajima vs. Miyamoto, Yone vs. Okabayashi
November 11th - Marufuji vs. Okabayashi
November 14th - Nakajima vs. Tanaka, Shiozaki vs. Okabayashi
November 19th - Finals


----------



## AmWolves10

Corey said:


> NOAH Global League brackets and notable dates.
> 
> “GLOBAL LEAGUE WAR 2017”
> 
> *A BLOCK*
> Naomichi Marufuji
> Go Shiozaki
> Masa Kitamiya
> Muhammad Yone
> Cody Hall
> Yuji Okabayashi (BJW)
> Mitsuya Nagai (DRADITION)
> 
> *B BLOCK*
> Katsuhiko Nakajima
> Atsushi Kotoge
> Kenoh
> Quiet Storm
> Akitoshi Saito
> KAZMA SAKAMOTO
> Masato Tanaka (ZERO1)
> Yuko Miyamoto (666)
> 
> October 14th (opening date) - Marufuji vs. Shiozaki
> October 24th - Nakajima vs. Miyamoto, Yone vs. Okabayashi
> November 11th - Marufuji vs. Okabayashi
> November 14th - Nakajima vs. Tanaka, Shiozaki vs. Okabayashi
> November 19th - Finals


Is this basically like a G1? Anyway that first match with Marufuji vs Shiozaki sounds amazing!!!


----------



## Corey

AmWolves10 said:


> Is this basically like a G1? Anyway that first match with Marufuji vs Shiozaki sounds amazing!!!


Yes and yes. (Y)


----------



## antoniomare007

Yuji da gawd gonna make me watch NOAH matches for the first time in forever


----------



## volde

Corey said:


> Yes and yes. (Y)


Is it normal for their champion (Eddie is still champ, right?) not to participate in it?


----------



## Corey

volde said:


> Is it normal for their champion (Eddie is still champ, right?) not to participate in it?


No, not normally. I just assume Eddie doesn't have the availability to make all those dates because of Impact taping or something. The tourney's being used to set up his next challenger but typically the champ takes part.

Nakajima or Shiozaki are my two guesses to win (neither has won the tournament before). Marufuji won in 2015.


----------



## HOJO

Masa vs Endo :trips8
Hideki and Akito as a tag team :trips8 
Dino ending Takeshita's reign :trips8


----------



## MC

Dino!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*So, the Dragon Gate show was real fun. CIMA, Mochi, Fujii had really entertaining tag match with TAKA, Jinsei & Sasuke and the idea of Fujii/Shinzaki happening soon is cool. The main event was really good & I am so fucking ready for Susumu/Mochi :mark: *



Spoiler



*Fuck you, Kanda :mj2 *


----------



## Genking48

Thanks to Jae from iheartdg.com for the fantastic recap of the show. 

*10/05 FAREWELL JIMMYZ GATE THE FINAL*


> *10/05/2017
> Tokyo, Korakuen Hall
> 1850 Attendance*
> 
> *1.* U-T*⭕*, Shun Skywalker, Hyo Watanabe (13:21 Pasion) Gamma, Kaito Ishida❌, Shachihoko Boy
> *2. *Yosuke♡Santa Maria*⭕* (5:51 Pompas) “Hollywood” Stalker Ichikawa❌
> *3. *Big R Shimizu, Ben-K*⭕*(11:39 Ben-K Bomb) Dragon Kid❌, Eita
> *4. *YAMATO*⭕*, BxB Hulk, Kzy (16:58 Galleria) Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Jason Lee❌
> *5. CIMA & Don Fujii 20th Anniversary Special Match*
> The Great Sasuke, Jinsei Shinzaki*⭕*, TAKA Michinoku (11:50 Gokurakugatame) CIMA, Don Fujii❌, Masaaki Mochizuki
> *6. Jimmyz – The Final Goodbye*
> Shingo Takagi, Takashi Yoshida, T-Hawk*⭕*, El Lindaman, Punch Tominaga, “brother” YASSHI (23:17 Night Ride) Jimmy Susumu❌, Jimmy Kagetora, Jimmy Kanda, Genki Horiguchi H.A.Gee.Mee!!, Ryo “Jimmy” Saito, Jimmy K-ness J.K.S.
> 
> CIMA & Over Generation opened the show with a monologue. He talked about being in Tokyo a lot in recent weeks and he doesn’t get lost in Shinjuku Station that much anymore. He talked about Yamamura’s injury. His neck is sore, but otherwise he is fine. He’s young and full of enthusiasm so he will be back in action soon. CIMA noted that Mondai Ryu has a hernia in his neck. Earlier this year, Ishida had a hernia in his neck. Of course CIMA himself has a history of neck problems. Seems that in addition the Old Generation & Young Generation there is one more team inside Over Generation. Generation Necks. He said his 20th anniversary match tonight will be unlike most things you see in DG these days. It will have a throwback feel, but you can’t turn back the clock. It will be a showcase of what they are like now, not how they were back then. As for Shachihoko Boy…This match could be the one where he finally gets to join OG. The best way to become one of them would be to suffer an awful neck injury today and join Generation Necks.
> Eita began his usual awkward promo. This time he was unusually focused on ticket sales so CIMA rushed him along to the Gong Kids section. 9 year old Mishka was a huge Horiguchi fan and recently had a birthday so CIMA ran a few laps around the hall until he found Horiguchi. The man himself didn’t come out, but he was able to procure a pair of his trademark entrance sunglasses as a birthday gift for her.
> 
> U-T gave a fiery speech after his win. Since the Millennials split up, he hasn’t done much. No unit, no big wins. Some of his younger peers have already far surpassed him. He won’t last much longer in Dragon Gate if he continues at the level he has been at. But he isn’t giving up. If there was no place for him to belong, he would make one for himself. Expect big things from him, because he is U-T.
> 
> After pinning Twin Gate champion Dragon Kid, Shimizu felt he & Ben deserved a Twin Gate title match. DK ignored the challenge and instead had some harsh words for Ben-K. Today he looked cautious and tentative. Not his usual self, that is for sure. Was he rattled seeing Yamamura get hurt? Sure. Seeing something like that happen right in front of you is a terrifying thing. As wrestlers they need to be ready for anything every time they step in the ring. Ben is one of the wrestlers that is expected to carry the company into the future. He needs to get his act together.
> Strangely, Eita said that the one who needed to get his act together was Dragon Kid himself. He was talking pretty big for someone who just got beaten. He’s Twin Gate champion but he is losing to the likes of Ben-K? They had an awkward argument where Kid asked him to use honorifics when talking to him. He apologized, but said Ben-K was so off today that he had to call him out for it. They settled things by the end. Eita said not to take your eyes off of him or Over Generation.
> 
> TAKA said that he has suffered at the hands of CIMA quite a bit over the last 20 years. He’s had his passport burned, his hair cut, his insurance card stolen. He had nothing but words of congratulations for him & Fujii for their anniversary and Mochizuki for his recent title win.
> 
> Shinzaki also congratulated them. He noted that he was in a DG ring tonight and failed to read the room properly. He shouldn’t have tried to win. Sorry!
> 
> Sasuke thanked them for coming to help out Michinoku Pro 20 years ago by joining him in SASUKE Gumi.
> 
> Mochizuki talked about that first tour of Michinoku Pro where they were all together. Every single night the semi-main was Shinzaki vs. Fujii or Mochizuki. They lost every single night, in the exact way Fujii lost tonight. 1997 or 2017, the result and the finisher remain the same.
> 
> Fujii thanked everyone in the ring and all of the fans. He reminisced about coming to Michinoku Pro as a member of Crazy Max. As for Shinzaki; it was just as Mochizuki said. Every single day for nearly 2 years he lost to that damn Gokuraku Gatame. That would change when the time comes for his 25th anniversary. He is challenging Shinzaki to a singles match for that day!
> 
> CIMA said it has been a long and winding road for the last 20 years. Mexico, Michinoku, Toryumon, and now Dragon Gate. He has a lot of little scars and he has had some big injuries. To be standing here still able to do this, he owes a lot of it to the fans. Thank you. He asked Shinzaki to please come back and see them again, especially as the young generation begins to take over. He went over his various wars with TAKA. Particularly, that time he burned his passport. TAKA was competing in America for a big organization at the time, but had come back to Japan for a short trip. CIMA figured the worst thing he could do to him would be to burn his passport so he couldn’t leave the country again. Honestly, he didn’t think it would burn so easily but it sure did burn up pretty fast. Who knew they would all end up where they did? Who knows where in the world they will find themselves in next? 25th and 30th anniversaries, he hopes he can cross paths with these 3 again. He thanked them for giving him the honor of facing them today.
> He wanted to close things out with a bit of nostalgia. 20 years ago he was a part of a group called Crazy Max and during that time he had a particular way to close out shows and long speeches. He has long since changed it to “I’m CIMA” but maybe today they could bring it back. He explained the Crazy Fucking pose. He would have all the fans stand up and make a certain gesture while he shouted Crazy Fucking Fucking Fuuuu–AAHH! Those types of things were in style back then, you see. Just thinking about it now is really really embarrassing! He asked the fans to stand up and join. Instead of finishing with a AHHHH he finished with a Thank You.
> 
> Kanda betrayed Susumu during the closing stretch of the main event, allowing T-Hawk to pick up the win. He was introduced as the newest member of Verserk – Yasushi Kanda. Kanda ran down the Jimmyz as a useless, trash team. He was happy it was finally over. Takagi welcomed him to the team. He told Susumu they he never had any intention of letting him join Verserk. The Jimmyz were worthless and they are finished. It was time for all of them to go away forever. Verserk continued to attack Susumu until Eita & Dragon Kid made the save. They asked Susumu if he would team up with them to go against Verserk. Susumu was in tears as he yelled at Kanda. Why today? This was the last step of their long journey together. If he wanted to join Verserk that was fine. Why did he have to do it today? Is it because of the two accidents in Hakata? No. This looks like it was the plan all along. He should have “accidentally” hit him harder. He’s unaffiliated now, so he asked Eita & DK to assist him to take out Verserk. 3 on 3.
> Takagi said he was awful confident for someone who has done nothing but lose. If he wants another fight he can have it but it won’t 3 on 3, it will be 4 on 4. He told them to find another partner. Saito stepped up but Takagi vetoed it. The Jimmyz were finished and there would be no more teaming between members for important matches. Looks like it would be a 4 on 3 handicap match!
> This brought out Mochizuki. He wasn’t an ex-Jimmy so surely there were no objections to him joining in. Takagi said his only objection was to a feeble old man coming out an continually making a fool of himself like this. He was almost 50! Did he forget his cane? No one wants to see the elderly get beat up. Mochizuki assured him that he was not ashamed of anything. The match was set for the November Korakuen. Lindaman proclaimed Verserk to be the strongest unit ever. They were going to squash them next month and send everyone home miserable and sad. He demanded the cameraman photograph them before they left. Mochizuki told Lindaman that he talks to damn much and if he is in the match next month he would be coming for his head. Mochizuki left the Jimmyz to close out the show, but Susumu stopped him. He had one more thing to ask.
> 
> The Jimmyz have come to an end and he is now independent. Starting tomorrow he would once again be Susumu Yokosuka. Susumu Yokosuka wanted a Dream Gate title shot. Mochizuki was pleased that the day has finally come. He is a 3 time champion and Susumu is a 2 time champion but they have never gone 1 on 1 for the title. Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Susumu Yokosuka, for the Dream Gate 1 time for maybe the last time. He accepted. In Ota, Mochizuki pulled off the unthinkable. He wouldn’t let Susumu do the same at his expense. Susumu said that during his first reign there was some talk that Mochizuki would be his next challenger following his scheduled defense. He ended up getting beat by Don Fujii in that match. Dream Gate champion Susumu Yokosuka will rise again and no matter how many times he gets kicked, he is not going to go down. Mochizuki will go down via his left arm. They agreed to the title match and the Jimmyz were left to close the show.
> 
> Susumu said it was fitting. The Jimmyz started with him losing and they ended with him losing. He really hated it when he became Jimmy Susumu. Introducing himself by that name was so embarrassing. Before he knew it, 6 years had passed with the best friends and teammates you could hope for. People were treating him like he was retiring during this little farewell tour. He’s not retiring. He is going to be Dream Gate champion soon, you know. The Jimmyz are over today. He will never forget a single step of the journey they went on together for the last 6 years.
> 
> Kagetora said he owes his growth as a wrestler to his time in the Jimmyz. He will continue wrestling and never forget his time time with them.
> 
> K-ness said that even though he was only with the Jimmyz for 2 years, his memories with them go back much further than that. They seem to always find themselves coming together and he knows that someday in the future they will all find themselves together again.
> 
> Saito was thankful for the farewell series allowing them to go out on their own terms. In the future, he was surely going to be across from the other former Jimmyz. He can’t help but look forward to getting to pulling on Horiguchi’s hair.
> 
> Horiguchi asked for one last H-A-Gee-Mee!! chant. He asked the fans to look forward to the Jimmyz restarting as the Dennys next month. Saito said that was a restaurant name and it wasn’t going to happen. If Susumu was going to be Susumu Yokosuka, he was going to be Horio Horiguchi! Saito also vetoed that. He praised Susumu for looking forward. They were all going their separate ways now. He fully expected them to not hold back when it comes time for them to fight. That is what the Jimmyz Spirit is about. Just one thing. Please don’t pull on his hair. Anyway. The time has come. The time for the train to come to it’s final stop.
> 
> The show, and the Jimmyz, came to a close with one final Jimmyz Train.


End of an era right there, farewell Jimmyz


----------



## AmWolves10

This makes me miss DGUSA. I went to their live event way back in 2010. Masato Yoshino, Naruki Doi, and BxB Hulk were amazing!


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Deadman's Hand said:


> *So, the Dragon Gate show was real fun. CIMA, Mochi, Fujii had really entertaining tag match with TAKA, Jinsei & Sasuke and the idea of Fujii/Shinzaki happening soon is cool. The main event was really good & I am so fucking ready for Susumu/Mochi :mark: *
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> *Fuck you, Kanda :mj2 *


Just watched it, really fun show. Susumu is looking like one of the biggest babyfaces in the world right now. If I was Mochizuki I'd be carrying that beautiful title everywhere.


----------



## Mr. Socko

-***** Italiano- said:


> Just watched it, really fun show. *Susumu is looking like one of the biggest babyfaces in the world right now.* If I was Mochizuki I'd be carrying that beautiful title everywhere.


And water is wet. 

Susumu da Gawd roud


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Mr. Socko said:


> And water is wet.
> 
> Susumu da Gawd roud


Still fairly new to Dragon Gate, been watching just about a year and a half. He didn't initially stand out to me but I've slowly learned how awesome he is. 

And Mochizuki only stood out to me when he kicked the shit out of the kids last winter.


----------



## Master Bate

My dad likes Japanese wrestling, and though he loves NJPW, he asked if there any actual heavyweights in Japan nowadays. 

Managed to find Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Yuji Okabayashi from 2015 on youtube, and boy did he love it. The match had botches, but my dad didn't give a shit and he was in heaven lol.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Destino said:


> My dad likes Japanese wrestling, and though he loves NJPW, he asked if there any actual heavyweights in Japan nowadays.
> 
> Managed to find Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Yuji Okabayashi from 2015 on youtube, and boy did he love it. The match had botches, but my dad didn't give a shit and he was in heaven lol.


He might like Shuji Ishikawa. I enjoyed his recent match with Kento Miyahara.


----------



## Corey

Well here's a surprise, we've got a new Triple Crown Champion.


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Well here's a surprise, we've got a new Triple Crown Champion.


Cant believe Kento lost so soon after he won it.


----------



## HOJO

Corey said:


> Well here's a surprise, we've got a new Triple Crown Champion.


Terrible

And why rush the Suwama/Doering match?


----------



## volde

Well thats weird. What happens after Suwama/Doering? Suwama/Ishikawa into Ishikawa/Kento again?


----------



## Lariatoh!

Corey said:


> Well here's a surprise, we've got a new Triple Crown Champion.


:fuckthis


----------



## Desecrated

Corey said:


> Well here's a surprise, we've got a new Triple Crown Champion.


Confusing. Guess he was owed favours after the match at the 45th anniversary show. Could've just went over Ishikawa though.

Any news on the match quality between Doering/Ishikawa and Suwama/Kento?


----------



## MC

Why are All Japan doing this to their Ace? It's crazy. Why have the title change if they are planning this.


----------



## Corey

God damn, so much backlash. :lol It's a bit confusing for me too. 

Suwama now holds the record or the Triple Crown title reigns btw with 6.



Desecrated said:


> Any news on the match quality between Doering/Ishikawa and Suwama/Kento?


Haven't seen any personally. I'll be sure to drop the link when the show turns up though.

For now, here's the show with Edwards/Marufuji if anyone's interested:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/917474268912353283


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> *God damn, so much backlash. :lol It's a bit confusing for me too. *
> 
> Suwama now holds the record or the Triple Crown title reigns btw with 6.
> 
> 
> Haven't seen any personally. I'll be sure to drop the link when the show turns up though.
> 
> For now, here's the show with Edwards/Marufuji if anyone's interested:
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/917474268912353283


It's terrible booking, that's why.


----------



## Mr. Socko

Suwama is fine, but seriously?


At least they ran with Kento properly first time around, I just hope he's not going to become another tale of 'X must suffer' booking.


----------



## BigCy

If anyone cares the following teams will be in the Jr. Tag Tournament for NJPW.

SHO & YOH
Kanemaru & Desperado
Jushin Liger & Tiger Mask
Taichi & TAKA
KUSHIDA & Hirai Kawato
Takahashi & BUSHI
Taguchi & ACH
Titan & Dragon Lee

I'm thinking Titan & Dragon Lee will win this for some reason.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Mr. Socko said:


> Suwama is fine, but seriously?
> 
> 
> At least they ran with Kento properly first time around, I just hope he's not going to become another tale of 'X must suffer' booking.


Suwama is the fucking man IMO


----------



## MC

Japanese Puroresu said:


> Suwama is the fucking man IMO


But the booking of his win sucked. No need for kento to win if he is just going to lose it


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

MC 16 said:


> But the booking of his win sucked. No need for kento to win if he is just going to lose it


Let it play out. AJPW has done a pretty good job booking these last couple years.


----------



## Desecrated

I'd get behind Suwama winning from Kento if it was to preserve a big match like Shuji vs Suwama but the match has been done twice this year and while was great, nothing too staggering. I don't think Doering vs Suwama needed the title either. Maybe if they are planning Daisuke vs Suwama at some point then I'd be enthralled. But then I'd be more excited for Daisuke vs Kento.

I dunno.


----------



## MC

Japanese Puroresu said:


> Let it play out. AJPW has done a pretty good job booking these last couple years.


Yeah true but it will be hard work


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Maybe the plan is for Miyahara to be the 15X Champ. Can he keep overcoming the odds?


----------



## MC

I hear the lions project today was pretty good. 


Does anyone else thing Kawato looks like Inoki when wrestling? He has the same messy hair during his matches.


----------



## AmWolves10

MC 16 said:


> I hear the lions project today was pretty good.
> 
> 
> Does anyone else thing Kawato looks like Inoki when wrestling? He has the same messy hair during his matches.


Tried to watch it earlier but the lack of commentary was weird and off putting


----------



## MC

AmWolves10 said:


> Tried to watch it earlier but the lack of commentary was weird and off putting


Yeah it was weird. You crowd was quiet as well so it made it very weird.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*So 4 matches confirmed for Dragon Gate's Gate of Destiny:

Kagetora will defend the Brave Gate Championship against fellow ex-Jimmy Genki Horiguchi
Shingo, Yoshida & Lindaman will defend the Triangle Gate against Tribe Vanguard's YAMATO, BxB Hulk & Kzy & MaxiMuM's Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino & a returning Kotoka
CIMA & Dragon Kid defending the Twin Gate against Big R & Ben-K

And Eita will face a mystery opponent. The only hints CIMA dropped is that he's a wrestler who's competed in DG before, is known very well & CIMA fell in love with him the moment he first saw him.

Oh, & Mondai Ryu has been cleared & will return to the ring on 10/29!*


----------



## Genking48

Deadman's Hand said:


> *So 4 matches confirmed for Dragon Gate's Gate of Destiny:
> 
> Kagetora will defend the Brave Gate Championship against fellow ex-Jimmy Genki Horiguchi
> Shingo, Yoshida & Lindaman will defend the Triangle Gate against Tribe Vanguard's YAMATO, BxB Hulk & Kzy & MaxiMuM's Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino & a returning Kotoka
> CIMA & Dragon Kid defending the Twin Gate against Big R & Ben-K
> 
> And Eita will face a mystery opponent. The only hints CIMA dropped is that he's a wrestler who's competed in DG before, is known very well & CIMA fell in love with him the moment he first saw him.
> 
> Oh, & Mondai Ryu has been cleared & will return to the ring on 10/29!*


It's gonna be Ricochet again isn't it wens2


----------



## Deadman's Hand

Genking48 said:


> It's gonna be Ricochet again isn't it wens2


*Probably. :lol

In all honesty, I wouldn't be too upset. Ricochet is likely heading to WWE soon & him coming back to Dragon Gate to put Eita over is fine by me. But hey, maybe it's someone else, like Liger or an old DG gaijin in Jack Evans? *


----------



## HOJO

So BJW is getting a streaming service it seems. Im in for the deathmatch stuff and a little bit of Strong and I already have DDTUniverse to go through, so Im hesitant on throwing money at it. There are a couple of free matches you can watch on there you can watch before it officially launches Novemebr 11th - *http://www.bjwcore.com/index.html*


----------



## MC

HOJO said:


> So BJW is getting a streaming service it seems. Im in for the deathmatch stuff and a little bit of Strong and I already have DDTUniverse to go through, so Im hesitant on throwing money at it. There are a couple of free matches you can watch on there you can watch before it officially launches Novemebr 11th - *http://www.bjwcore.com/index.html*


Very interesting that more Japanese companies are getting into the streaming service. I heard that streaming service done't really do well in Japan for some reason.


----------



## T Hawk

NJWorld is doing great business. much bigger hit in Japan than the failing WWE Network is in America


----------



## antoniomare007

BJW's streaming service made Real Hero give Big Japan the same treatment they did with DDT. No more uploads and the content will be deleted once the site launches in an effort to support the service. I like that they want to help but it still bums me out


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Just watched STARDOMS korakuen show from the other day. I enjoyed all the singles matches and Io Shirai was magnificent as ever.


----------



## Miguel De Juan

antoniomare007 said:


> BJW's streaming service made Real Hero give Big Japan the same treatment they did with DDT. No more uploads and the content will be deleted once the site launches in an effort to support the service. I like that they want to help but it still bums me out


I can't afford all these streaming services so I guess BJW drops out like Progress. They all need to be one platform because keep track of this stuff is getting tedious.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Miguel De Juan said:


> I can't afford all these streaming services so I guess BJW drops out like Progress. They all need to be one platform because keep track of this stuff is getting tedious.


Oddly enough BJW is the first streaming service I'll actually pay for.


----------



## Desecrated

Might link up to BJW's service for November or December if English speakers have an easy time accessing it. Would be great to look up through the history of their strong division.


----------



## volde

Miguel De Juan said:


> I can't afford all these streaming services so I guess BJW drops out like Progress. They all need to be one platform because keep track of this stuff is getting tedious.


To me it looks like streaming services are going to end up same as our regular TV with absurd amount of channels that nobody can really watch.


----------



## Mr. Socko

Uncle Jun must be trying to undo all his good work with some of this recent booking.


----------



## MC

Mr. Socko said:


> Uncle Jun must be trying to undo all his good work with some of this recent booking.


What happened with Zeus?


----------



## Desecrated

Mr. Socko said:


> Uncle Jun must be trying to undo all his good work with some of this recent booking.


Any updates since the 9th Oct show? Haven't paid much attention.


----------



## Desecrated

Ok found the results.

Fucking hell, what?
The fuck?


----------



## MC

So Inoki booked his own funeral at Sumo Hall today. Weird guy.


----------



## HOJO

Strong Style has been buried, man. 

RIP


----------



## Corey

Joe Doering vs. Yoshitatsu for the Triple Crown Title.

2 months ago you tell that's happening and you'd sound like a fucking moron. Oh my...


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Joe Doering vs. Yoshitatsu for the Triple Crown Title.
> 
> 2 months ago you tell that's happening and you'd sound like a fucking moron. Oh my...


All Japan booking has gone down the drain lately. I'm mean YoSHITatsu for the Triple Crown Title? Speaking of bad booking, got round to watching the Suwama vs Kento match, amazing match even if the result was not the correct one.


----------



## antoniomare007

DEAD at Ito not eating the pin on the tag match. Motherfucker was a last minute sub and still refuses to job :lmao


----------



## HOJO

Congrats to DDT seeing Yoshitatsu getting a Triple Crown shot and beating Zeus and raising it by giving Colt Cabana a fucking title shot at Korakuen Christmas Eve.

That CyberAgent money and the best they have in selection is that geek? They can do so much goddamn better, especially for a shot to announce 2 months in advance like it's a hot commodity they've brought in


----------



## Miguel De Juan

This is where Gedo's safe and predictable booking prevent this kind of weird stuff from happening in the upper level title matches. You never open weight six man, single, and tag belts can take these kind of hits but putting Yoshitatsu near your top belt and guys uhh dumb.


----------



## MC

Miguel De Juan said:


> This is where Gedo's safe and predictable booking prevent this kind of weird stuff from happening in the upper level title matches. You never open weight six man, single, and tag belts can take these *kind of hits but putting Yoshitatsu near your top belt and guys uhh dumb.*


Okada comes to mind when they worked the fans into believe that he was shite. Maybe YoSHITatsu is doing the same. Very optimistic though.


----------



## volde

Well Okada was like 26 years old at that point so you could at least rationalize that if he flops then at least he will get some valuable experience and will recover in time, but Yoshitatsu is 40 years old has-been who wasn't that good in the first place.

I don't know, USA promotions often get criticized (and NJPW to some extent I guess) for using WWE rejects to get some temporary attention and this looks similar to me. Yoshitatsu was in WWE ages ago and some time ago he was jobbing in NJPW so yeah, we will use him to boost our main event scene. I thought that Suwama winning the title was weird, but this thing went from weird to insane very fast.


----------



## MC

volde said:


> Well Okada was like 26 years old at that point so you could at least rationalize that if he flops then at least he will get some valuable experience and will recover in time, but* Yoshitatsu is 40 years old has-been who wasn't that good in the first place.
> *
> I don't know, USA promotions often get criticized (and NJPW to some extent I guess) for using WWE rejects to get some temporary attention and this looks similar to me. Yoshitatsu was in WWE ages ago and some time ago he was jobbing in NJPW so yeah, we will use him to boost our main event scene. I thought that Suwama winning the title was weird, but this thing went from weird to insane very fast.


Like I said, optimistic.


----------



## Desecrated

Doering is a warrior after the past year or so that he's had, and still in there delivering some really enjoyable matches. I have nothing against him being champion. He could've beaten Ishikawa for it though. Or Kento. He just beat Ishikawa for example. He's had some very good matches with Kento spread through the year.

There is something weird with AJPW atm, right? Maybe long-standing regulars could shine light there. They've appeared to make no gains from letting 3 NJPW guys go over at Sumo Hall, unless getting Yoshitatsu was what they asked for? They've been very unfortunate with the Okabayashi injury but the hot-potato of the Triple Crown appears strange for Japanese standards and that their ace couldn't make a successful defence? Maybe this has been appealing for Japanese audiences? I'll give Yoshi the benefit of the doubt until the Doering match. Let's see what they bring out for Doering's next challenge after. And if Yoshitatsu gets the win, well, I guess I can just try NOAH.


----------



## T Hawk

Why do people shit on Tatsu Yoshi? Guy breaks his neck and is in a terrible way, battles back and is an inspiration but people just kick him endlessly.


----------



## Miguel De Juan

Hirai Kawato is gonna be big after he goes on excursion. He has IT.


----------



## Corey

T Hawk said:


> Why do people shit on Tatsu Yoshi? Guy breaks his neck and is in a terrible way, battles back and is an inspiration but people just kick him endlessly.


The story is definitely an amazing one. Still doesn't take away from the fact that he's an awful wrestler though.


----------



## Master Bate

Using the MOTYC year thread I decided to watch my first Kento Miyahara match as well as Suwama, with their match from October 9th. I must say I really liked what I saw from Suwama, and found myself pulling for him as the match went on.

The match itself was really good, a lot of knee strikes from Kento, which I'm use too from watching Nakamura and Omega matches, so I was fine with.

Look forward to watching more AJPW in the future.


----------



## WorldClass

Destino said:


> Using the MOTYC year thread I decided to watch my first Kento Miyahara match as well as Suwama, with their match from October 9th. I must say I really liked what I saw from Suwama, and found myself pulling for him as the match went on.
> 
> The match itself was really good, a lot of knee strikes from Kento, which I'm use too from watching Nakamura and Omega matches, so I was fine with.
> 
> Look forward to watching more AJPW in the future.


How and where do you watch current AJPW just curious as I want to get back into it


----------



## Master Bate

WorldClass said:


> How and where do you watch current AJPW just curious as I want to get back into it


Found that one match on dailymotion, not the person to ask for this one though.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Miguel De Juan said:


> Hirai Kawato is gonna be big after he goes on excursion. He has IT.


He has so much charisma but it's all geared towards him being an enthusiastic underdog. I can see him ending up as a jobber to the stars that gets a few big career defining wins.

I hope not. I don't want to hear a decade of moaning about Kawato's booking.


----------



## Corey

WorldClass said:


> How and where do you watch current AJPW just curious as I want to get back into it


https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B5rK95X3mRiiSDNvTnQ0aUhWODg


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Corey said:


> https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B5rK95X3mRiiSDNvTnQ0aUhWODg


No excuses for not watching Dragon Gate now.


----------



## MC

WorldClass said:


> How and where do you watch current AJPW just curious as I want to get back into it


look for real hero drive.

before you go on the ajpw folder, there is a treat waiting for you in the joshi gureva folder. Thank me later


----------



## Miguel De Juan

-***** Italiano- said:


> He has so much charisma but it's all geared towards him being an enthusiastic underdog. I can see him ending up as a jobber to the stars that gets a few big career defining wins.
> 
> I hope not. I don't want to hear a decade of moaning about Kawato's booking.


I don't think so. He has talent unlike guys like Yujiro who is average and Yoshitatsu and Captain New Japan who are awful.


----------



## Master Bate

Corey said:


> https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B5rK95X3mRiiSDNvTnQ0aUhWODg


Holy shit.

:Tripslick

Beautiful.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Miguel De Juan said:


> I don't think so. He has talent unlike guys like Yujiro who is average and Yoshitatsu and Captain New Japan who are awful.


Oh he's immensely talented and I absolutely love the kid. I just think he's so good at being a sympathetic character that he's going to take a beating. Like Sami Zayn but with less wins.

By jobber to the stars I'm thinking more Ishii, Goto, Juice. Yujiro and Yoshitatsu are just jobbers. 

Oh wait Yoshitatsu is your next Triple Crown champ so scrub that.


----------



## Mr. Socko

Yujiro had potential at one time. He was a fun little suplex machine.


----------



## T Hawk

Corey said:


> The story is definitely an amazing one. Still doesn't take away from the fact that he's an awful wrestler though.


IDK so he gets a title shot. Big deal; what's the harm?

He was a p good wrestler at one time pre-neck injury. He had a great match against Christian once on ECW.

I just feel like a lot of new fans joined on NJPW and totally missed Tatsu's struggle and how much of an inspiration he should be. He broke his neck, tok a guitar shot after the injury, and even worked the start of the tag league. Forget Ishii, that's real toughness.


----------



## MC

T Hawk said:


> IDK so he gets a title shot. Big deal; what's the harm?
> 
> He was a p good wrestler at one time pre-neck injury. He had a great match against Christian once on ECW.
> 
> I just feel like a lot of new fans joined on NJPW and totally missed Tatsu's struggle and how much of an inspiration he should be. He broke his neck, tok a guitar shot after the injury, and even worked the start of the tag league. Forget Ishii, that's real toughness.


Yoshitatsu in new Japan was on the level of bone solider and you are asking what's the harm of him challenging for the title legends like Jumbo and Misawa have held?


----------



## T Hawk

MC 16 said:


> Yoshitatsu in new Japan was on the level of bone solider and you are asking what's the harm of him challenging for the title legends like Jumbo and Misawa have held?


Yes, the same title legends like fat fucks Akebono and Hama have held.
Don't be such a mark it's just a match. Big deal. Nobody is saying he should get a long run with it.

This is the same Tatsu who, before breaking his neck, NJPW was gonna get behind as an upper midcard guy. His return to NJPW was costing AJ Styles the HW title at KoPW in the main event, and then he broke his neck wrestling AJ at Power Struggle. Had that not happened, he was gonna face and beat Jarrett at Wrestling Kingdom that year. What a jobber.

I just guess Tatsu doesn't fit the inspiring story some of you want and people want to be picky and choosy with what good feel comeback stories they want to celebrate.
Joe Doering gets cancer and comes back? Rightfully an inspiration. 
Shibata Katsuyori headbutts himself into blindness? What an inspiration.
Tatsu breaks his neck and courageously comes back? Pls, go away Yoshi nobody likes you.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Honestly expectations are low and the match seems so out of left field that I'm fairly interested in Yoshitatsu going for the triple crown. All the weird booking from AJPW recently has at least been attention grabbing. I don't expect it to really bring in more fans but you never know. Hopefully it doesn't hurt them.

Yoshitatsu isn't a good wrestler and I don't think he has much of a love for it anymore. But I can respect that he did come back from a devastating injury and I'm glad he's getting work. A lot of Japanese wrestlers are crap but they get booked, I assume because they're part of the family. I suppose this just comes with the territory of watching Japanese wrestling.


----------



## MC

T Hawk said:


> Yes, the same title legends like fat fucks Akebono and Hama have held.
> Don't be such a mark it's just a match. Big deal. Nobody is saying he should get a long run with it.
> 
> This is the same Tatsu who, before breaking his neck, NJPW was gonna get behind as an upper midcard guy. His return to NJPW was costing AJ Styles the HW title at KoPW in the main event, and then he broke his neck wrestling AJ at Power Struggle. Had that not happened, he was gonna face and beat Jarrett at Wrestling Kingdom that year. What a jobber.
> 
> I just guess Tatsu doesn't fit the inspiring story some of you want and people want to be picky and choosy with what good feel comeback stories they want to celebrate.
> Joe Doering gets cancer and comes back? Rightfully an inspiration.
> Shibata Katsuyori headbutts himself into blindness? What an inspiration.
> Tatsu breaks his neck and courageously comes back? Pls, go away Yoshi nobody likes you.


No one is disputing the story at all, but bad booking and bad wrestling makes this undesirable to watch. It's not about Yoshitatsu (even though they just gave him a match with limited build), it's about the horrible booking mostly. Where was the build to him getting a shot, where was him, fighting and clawing through the roster? Shibata's first redemption was that, his 2nd comeback will be that too most likely. It's the story people get invested in, not the cover.


----------



## Ham and Egger

MC 16 said:


> No one is disputing the story at all, but bad booking and bad wrestling makes this undesirable to watch. It's not about Yoshitatsu (even though they just gave him a match with limited build), it's about the horrible booking mostly. Where was the build to him getting a shot, where was him, fighting and clawing through the roster? Shibata's first redemption was that, his 2nd comeback will be that too most likely. It's the story people get invested in, not the cover.


AJ walked into a title match in his first match for NJPW. Obviously there is a GIANT difference in talent between AJ and Yoshi but the same booking applies. And didn't Roppongi 3K debut to win their titles with no build? Yoshitatsu isn't most likely won't win the strap but it might help his stock in NJPW if he can have a good showing in a main even match.


----------



## T Hawk

MC 16 said:


> No one is disputing the story at all, but bad booking and bad wrestling makes this undesirable to watch. It's not about Yoshitatsu (even though they just gave him a match with limited build), it's about the horrible booking mostly. Where was the build to him getting a shot, where was him, fighting and clawing through the roster? Shibata's first redemption was that, his 2nd comeback will be that too most likely. It's the story people get invested in, not the cover.


what are you even talking about? Build? Not everything is NJPW where things are laid out 6-months in advance. Champions need challengers; that's all the build you need for one-off's like this. They're going with Doering for a bit until Miyahara Kento takes it off of him.

This is nothing more than a one-off match and good for Tatsu for being put in this spot is all I'm saying. Some are begrudging him being in a one-off title match for whatever reason. After everything he's gone through, him getting a title match in AJPW is a nice reward


----------



## MC

Ham and Egger said:


> AJ walked into a title match in his first match for NJPW. Obviously there is a GIANT difference in talent between AJ and Yoshi but the same booking applies. And didn't Roppongi 3K debut to win their titles with no build? Yoshitatsu isn't most likely won't win the strap but it might help his stock in NJPW if he can have a good showing in a main even match.




Roppongi 3k were a fairly popular team when they were young boys and got huge praise while on their excursions. While no build for them personally, the surprise was intriguing. 

Him having a good match is highly unlikely.


----------



## Desecrated

T Hawk said:


> what are you even talking about? Build? Not everything is NJPW where things are laid out 6-months in advance. Champions need challengers; that's all the build you need for one-off's like this. They're going with Doering for a bit until Miyahara Kento takes it off of him.
> 
> This is nothing more than a one off match and good for Tatsu for being put in this spot is all I'm saying. Some are begrudging him being in a one-off title match for whatever reason.


Aye I can give Tatsu the benefit of the doubt in this regard. Let's see how he does. Maybe there'd be less hostility towards Tatsu if the flow of the belt wasn't Ishikawa to Kento to Suwama to Doering in roughly 8 weeks.


----------



## T Hawk

Desecrated said:


> Aye I can give Tatsu the benefit of the doubt in this regard. Let's see how he does. Maybe there'd be less hostility towards Tatsu if the flow of the belt wasn't Ishikawa to Kento to Suwama to Doering in roughly 8 weeks.


That's fair, but I don't get some taking it out on Tatsu. People who are shitting on Tatsu getting a title match I have question: who do you want to challenge Doering that Doering can beat?

I see no problem with him getting a title match and getting put in a spot after everything he has overcome.

Now, if he wins? then fine.


----------



## volde

Yeah, part of it is probably that people didn't want Doering as the champ in the first place. So now we got champ that we didn't really want versus challenger that we didn't want either.


----------



## MC

T Hawk said:


> what are you even talking about? Build?Not everything is NJPW where things are laid out 6-months in advance.Champions need challengers; that's all the build you need for one-off's like this. They're going with Doering for a bit until Miyahara Kento takes it off of him.
> 
> This is nothing more than a one-off match and good for Tatsu for being put in this spot is all I'm saying. Some are begrudging him being in a one-off title match for whatever reason. After everything he's gone through, him getting a title match in AJPW is a nice reward


You clearly don't get why people hate this match. No one wanted Doring to be champion and no one wanted Tatsu to be a challenger. Having an injury doesn't mean that you should get a title shot because it's a nice reward. That's very lazy booking and just terrible excuse and wast of a title match.


----------



## T Hawk

"no one wanted it"

yes, I'm sure that's going to break Akiyama Jun or Aoki's heart that some people who didn't know AJPW was still running shows 3-months ago and don't live in Japan and don't have any impact on their business are upset.

I'm still waiting for an alternate opponent to be suggested who Doering can beat and so you can now pass time for when Doering/Miyahara happens. It gets harder once you get passed Suwama or Ishikawa Shuji.


----------



## Destino

I'm looking to get into modern _All Japan_, since I've heard there is a bit of a renaissance going on there at the moment. 

What's a good jumping on point? I already know some names like Zeus and Kento Miyahara.


----------



## MC

Destino said:


> I'm looking to get into modern _All Japan_, since I've heard there is a bit of a renaissance going on there at the moment.
> 
> What's a good jumping on point? I already know some names like Zeus and Kento Miyahara.


Maybe the start of Ishikawa's reign which is a Super power series show or the 45th anniversary show which is a great show even the Taichi match was good (skip the Suwama vs Kojima match though).


----------



## Destino

So what's the latest on the "switchblade" thing? Sami Callihan is in Impact now right, so it's not him, I'm assuming.


----------



## NastyYaffa

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/924593048243146753OMEGA VS HEAVYWEIGHT GREG FOR THE US TITLE, LETS GO BOYS.

Seriously could be an absolute showstealer if it happens at the Dome! :mark:


----------



## Bland

Destino said:


> So what's the latest on the "switchblade" thing? Sami Callihan is in Impact now right, so it's not him, I'm assuming.


Most likely Jay White back from ROH i reckon.



As for Omega vs Trent, can see it being in ROH or at World Tag League Finals. Doesn't scream WK worthy in my opinion.


----------



## Mr. Socko

Is Omega/Trent not on the Power Struggle card?


----------



## Corey

Yeah the challenge was issued for Power Struggle so I imagine that's where it's going down.

If Omega vs. Ibushi doesn't happen at WK then something is seriously wrong.


----------



## MC

What if we don't get the "Golden Lovers Explode!!!!!" match?


----------



## volde

Both tag matches were great at the last show. Both as usual had Suzuki Gun fuckery, but first one was very intense while second one went completely south the moment Taguchi walked in with his torn pants. I wonder if someone will make a .gif with Taichi tearing Taguchi's pants?


----------



## NastyYaffa

Dome or not, Trent vs. Omega should ROCK. Very excited for Trent's first truly big singles opportunity in Japan.


----------



## Master Bate

Trent as United States Champion and Chuck Taylor as PWG Champion would be awesome to me personally.

Though Kenny retaining and facing Ibushi at WK is great too.


----------



## volde

So as expected, given opportunity, Kenny went full retarded. I'm sure that Cornette will have a heart attack once someone links him video/gifs. 

We also got our finals for jr. tags. Ropongi 3K vs YB at WK12? Nothing else, I think, makes sense now. 

Also, I hope that 3-man tag belt title match gets added to PS and LiJ guys can drop it. It is good that they won in at WK11 and they had great feud with Taguchi Japan, but I think it is starting to hold them back.


----------



## Destino

Some people are going to be very disappointed. lol


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Just watched the STARDOM show from Taiwan. The crowd was super hot for the main event and Io was treated like the rock star she is. Taiwanese wrestling fans clearly know whats up.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Alright, so a pretty busy weekend for Dragon Gate. For starters, Mondai Ryu made his return to the ring teaming with Over Generation against VerserK, U-T will join either Tribe Vanguard or Over Generation as the two units will face off at the next Kobe ***** Hall show, with the winning team getting the ex-Millenial. Also, Eita's mystery opponent for Gate of Destiny has been named: It's Ricochet! Making his first Dragon Gate appearance since Kobe World 2015. He'll be back for 4 dates, with the last one being on the November 8th Korakuen Hall show, when he teams with CIMA to face YAMATO & Kzy.

And with that, here's the final card for Gate of Destiny:




0. Shun Skywalker vs. Hyo Watanabe
1. Gamma, Mondai Ryu, Kaito Ishida, Jason Lee vs. K-ness, Shachihoko Boy, Yosukeâ™¡Santa Maria, Misterioso
2. Don Fujii, Ryo Saito, U-T vs. T-Hawk, Yasushi Kanda, Punch Tominaga
3. Open the Brave Gate Championship Match: Kagetora (c) vs. Genki Horiguchi
4. Special Singles Match: Eita vs. Ricochet
5. Open the Twin Gate Championship Match: CIMA & Dragon Kid (c) vs. Big R Shimizu, Ben-K
6. Open the Triangle Gate 3 Way Championship Match: Shingo Takagi, Takashi Yoshida, El Lindaman (c) vs. YAMATO, BxB Hulk, Kzy vs. Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Kotoka
7. Open the Dream Gate Championship Match: Masaaki Mochizuki (c) vs. Susumu Yokosuka

Click to expand...

**And the card for November 8: 



11/08/2017
Tokyo, Korakuen Hall
The Gate of Evolution 2017
0. Kaito Ishida vs. Punch Tominaga
1. Ben-K, Kotoka, U-T vs. Don Fujii, Mondairyu, Misterioso
2. Kagetora, Big R Shimizu vs. K-ness., Gamma
3. Yasushi Kanda vs. Ryo Saito
4. Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Genki Horiguchi vs. BxB Hulk, Yosuke♡Santa Maria, Jason Lee
5. Special Tag Team Match: CIMA, Ricochet vs. YAMATO, Kzy
6. Masaaki Mochizuki, Susumu Yokosuka, Dragon Kid, Eita vs. Shingo Takagi, Takashi Yoshida, T-Hawk, El Lindaman

Click to expand...

*


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

I want to see SUSUMU win the Dream Gate but I want to see Mochizuki as champ for a bit longer. I sort of wish they'd saved this for final gate but I'll defer to their judgement.


----------



## MC

Real Neat Puro with another video regarding New Japan's booking of their titles.


----------



## kovs27

MC 16 said:


> Real Neat Puro with another video regarding New Japan's booking of their titles.


It's funny. When I watch NJPW or just catch the results none of this stuff dawned on me. It shows just how good a job Gedo does with long term planning. A whole new level of respect for him.


----------



## Master Bate

Missed The Evil Vs Okada match from King of Pro Wrestling this year, and Evil's entrance is unreal. 

Best Entrance I've seen in awhile.


----------



## T Hawk

Hope we get a double beatdown challenge at the end of Tanahashi Hiroshi vs. Ibushi Kota with Kenny Omega and Cody doing the damage and setting up those 2 dream matches.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

T Hawk said:


> Hope we get a double beatdown challenge at the end of Tanahashi Hiroshi vs. Ibushi Kota with Kenny Omega and Cody doing the damage and setting up those 2 dream matches.


I don't consider any Cody match to be a dream match so I'll admit I'm biased against it. Is there really a business justification for Cody having a big time match at Wrestle Kingdom? He's not particularly over there so they'd only be chasing more network subs in america. To me Tanahashi vs SANADA seems like a much better move in both the short and long term.


----------



## T Hawk

Sanada? ehhh I'd compromise with Tanahashi Hiroshi vs. Evil.

I don't get peoples Sanada obsession at all. He was supposed to be the break out star of the G1 and he was anything but. I don't see him as a guy who has top guy potential. Everywhere Sanada has gone the promotion thinks he can be a future star but then he under performs. AJPW, W1, TNA, sucked in his breif BJW run and has never been overly impressive really in NJPW.

He has a good look and that probbly why people like him is because he's sexy and appeals to both girls and guys, but he leaves a lot to be desired as a wrestler. He should be better than he is


----------



## MC

-***** Italiano- said:


> I don't consider any Cody match to be a dream match so I'll admit I'm biased against it. Is there really a business justification for Cody having a big time match at Wrestle Kingdom? He's not particularly over there so they'd only be chasing more network subs in america. To me Tanahashi vs SANADA seems like a much better move in both the short and long term.


A SANADA vs Tanahashi match?? kada I would love that. But I see them doing Tanahashi vs Ishii with Ishii winning at Wrestle Kingdom. Equally as good as a match.


----------



## T Hawk

Jado and Gedo aren't dumb enough to have Ishii Tomohiro beat Tanahashi Hiroshi at the Tokyo Dome of all places.

Beating Tanahashi Hiroshi at the Dome is a huge huge deal still and only people that matter long term should beat Tanahashi while he still has name cache. Guys like Omega or Cody.
There is literally no upside in having someone older than Tanahashi beat him. I like Ishii, but having him win devalues what it means to beat Tanahashi at the Dome and it would hurt Tanahashi more than it would benefit a 42-year old Ishii.

I like Ishii in a tag match with Goto Hiroki this year.


----------



## MC

T Hawk said:


> Jado and Gedo aren't dumb enough to have Ishii Tomohiro beat Tanahashi Hiroshi at the Tokyo Dome of all places.
> 
> Beating Tanahashi Hiroshi at the Dome is a huge huge deal still and only people that matter long term should beat Tanahashi while he still has name cache. Guys like Omega or Cody.
> There is literally no upside in having someone older than Tanahashi beat him. I like Ishii, but having him win devalues what it means to beat Tanahashi at the Dome and it would hurt Tanahashi more than it would benefit a 42-year old Ishii.
> 
> I like Ishii in a tag match with Goto Hiroki this year.


Sanada is long term and you seemed to hate it. Sanada is better then Cody and I defend Cody. 

Ishii and Goto are both underappreciated so I could get into them being a team.


----------



## Mr. Socko

Sanada's athleticism is pretty awesome to be fair. He has some pretty impressive spots in his arsenal. The Paradise lock though should be saved for lowercard shenanigans.

EVIL's match structure is a fair bit better but Sanada has more upside in my opinion. EVIL feels like he's as good as he is going to get whilst Sanada seems to have some room for improvement.


----------



## MC

Mr. Socko said:


> Sanada's athleticism is pretty awesome to be fair. He has some pretty impressive spots in his arsenal. The Paradise lock though should be saved for lowercard shenanigans.
> 
> EVIL's match structure is a fair bit better but Sanada has more upside in my opinion. EVIL feels like he's as good as he is going to get whilst Sanada seems to have some room for improvement.


And he can pull of the cold stare he has without it being construed as no personality which is a plus.


----------



## T Hawk

MC 16 said:


> Sanada is long term and you seemed to hate it. Sanada is better then Cody and I defend Cody.
> 
> Ishii and Goto are both underappreciated so I could get into them being a team.


nah I don't hate Sanada, I just don't get the sentiment that he is a can't miss future top guy. People who honestly claim that probably don't know that he's already a 2x failed "future Ace" of 2 japanese promotions.

Like I wrote everywhere he has been the promotion and fans got excited and thought they had a future top guy on their hands, only to watch it play out and realize Sanada isn't that guy. He has all the tools, but no toolbox. He should be better than he actually is.

He's fool's gold until he shows otherwise, which he hasn't. 

I don't think Evil is a future tip-top guy, either, but he has a much brighter future than Sanada and the fact that NJPW trust Evil over Sanada tells you how they see Sanada and how they see that being projected.

Sanada fans can try to will the idea that Sanada is a longterm top guy potential player, but I'm confident he will never come close to reaching that potential unless something drastically changes.


----------



## antoniomare007

So, anyone knows who's going to be uploading Big Japan shows now that Real Hero will no longer do it? I need my fix, wanna see Suzuki vs Kamitani II dammit


----------



## Mr. Socko

Sanada was never in the Ace position in either AJPW or Wrestle-1 so calling him a failed ace is rather disingenuous. He left before he got a proper push to the top of either promotion. Tranquilo, he's 29 and still developing.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

If I was doing SANADA vs Tanahashi i'd definitely have SANADA lose this time. Give him motivation for future matches. 

I doubt he's ever going to be _the_ ace. Not unless Okada retires early or SANADA gets super over like Naito did. But can he be a great number 2 to Okada? You bet he can. He's started wrestling as a babyface during the G1 and while he's been good at it the Cold Skull persona was much better IMO but it's great to see he can do both.


----------



## V-Trigger

Rumors about Jericho facing Kenny at the Dome. Sounds crazy and I don't see it happening but who knows. (I want my fucking Omega/Ibushi match).


----------



## MC

-***** Italiano- said:


> If I was doing SANADA vs Tanahashi i'd definitely have SANADA lose this time. Give him motivation for future matches.
> 
> I doubt he's ever going to be _the_ ace. Not unless Okada retires early or SANADA gets super over like Naito did. But can he be a great number 2 to Okada? You bet he can. He's started wrestling as a babyface during the G1 and while he's been good at it the Cold Skull persona was much better IMO but it's great to see he can do both.


He was never going to be the ace due to him being an All Japan graduate but he could be top 2-4 if booked right.



V-Trigger said:


> Rumors about Jericho facing Kenny at the Dome. Sounds crazy and I don't see it happening but who knows. (I want my fucking Omega/Ibushi match).


At the dome? I'm sure Jericho will never wrestle for another company besides WWE again but maybe they can have a match at that Fozzy cruise.


----------



## ReekOfAwesomenesss

SANADA is great you sweathogs.


----------



## The Nuke

I think this cruise is where they're planning Jericho vs Omega. Omega will no doubt be facing Ibushi at WK.


----------



## MC

*Noah Global League Day one​*
Cody Hall vs. Mitsuya Nagai: **½- Short match where nothing happened. Cody botched his version of the spring board cutter. 

Akitoshi Saito vs. Masato Tanaka: ***¼- Entertaining match. Missed Tanaka, haven't really seen much of his work for a few years but he was good here, as was Saito. 

Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Kenou: ****¼- This match was great, the strike exchanges was great, the selling of the leg by Kenou at times was excellent and it was just a well done match. The final few minutes were great and made both look like complete bad asses. 

Go Shiozaki vs. Naomichi Marufuji: ***3/4 - It was good I though but short, it felt too short for my liking. Maybe it was down to the previous match but still. I liked the chop battles a lot and the wrestling was good. But like I said short.


----------



## The Nuke

The Nuke said:


> I think this cruise is where they're planning Jericho vs Omega. Omega will no doubt be facing Ibushi at WK.




Boy was I off. LOL!!!


----------



## TD Stinger

They've announced the line up for the World Tag League, at least I think this is accurate: I saw this on Fightful.com, but not on NJPW's own site.



> The World Tag League participants for this year's tournament have been announced.
> 
> The teams competing this year are a mixture of new teams, old teams, new talent and returning stars. In the A Block, Sami Callihan will make his New Japan debut on the tour, teaming with Juice Robinson. B Block has the debuts of Jeff Cobb, who will team with Michael Elgin, and Chuck Taylor, who will team with his regular partner on the indie scene Baretta. Henare, who has been out for most of the year with an Achilles tendon injury, will return on the tour, teaming with Togi Makabe.
> 
> Full block lists are as follows:
> 
> A Block:
> 
> Juice Robinson and Sami Callihan
> 
> SANADA and EVIL
> 
> Yuji Nagata and Manabu Nakanishi
> 
> Yujiro Takahashi and Hangman Page
> 
> Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima
> 
> Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale
> 
> Minoru Suzuki and Takashi Iizuka
> 
> Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI
> 
> B Block:
> 
> Killer Elite Squad
> 
> War Machine
> 
> Jeff Cobb and Micheal Elgin
> 
> Baretta and Chuck Taylor
> 
> Henare and Togi Makabe
> 
> Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii
> 
> Guerrillas of Destiny
> 
> Katsuya Kitamura and David Finlay


Callihan, Cobb, and Taylor making their NJPW debuts.


----------



## volde

Isn't Callihan working for Impact? Or am I mixing something up here? Looking at the groups I get the feeling that Suzuki/Goto is happening at the dome.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

The important thing is that Kiyamura is in the Tag League :cudi


----------



## T Hawk

Chuck Taylor in Japan! I saw him in PWG a few times and he really stuck out to me :mark:

glad the top guys like Okada Kazuchika, Cody, and Kenny oMega are getting the Tag League off.
Much deserved break for them seeing as they've carried New Japan and ROH on their backs for so long!

kada kada kada


----------



## MC

Double Post


----------



## MC

-------------------
*World Tag League thoughts*


So no Goto and Ishii tag team then? :sadbecky 

Hope New Japan do something with Goto next year, put the Never Openweight title on him again.


Early predictions: Cobb and Elgin for winners.


----------



## Desecrated

Yoshitatsu wrestles Doering on the 7th. Not sure if that news has been posted. Still need to check out Doering vs Miyahara myself.


----------



## MC

Desecrated said:


> Yoshitatsu wrestles Doering on the 7th. Not sure if that news has been posted. Still need to check out Doering vs Miyahara myself.


Was hoping that would change but no it's still happening.


----------



## RKing85

so happy for Chuck Taylor getting a chance in New Japan


----------



## Mr. Socko

I hate to say it because I love the guy but Suzuki has fucking killed the NEVER belt's momentum. He's going to break the title defence record next time out as well I think. It's not like he can't have great matches anymore either.


----------



## volde

Do we know if it is Suzuki coming up with these gimmick title defences or is this Gedo's idea?


----------



## Zatiel

volde said:


> Do we know if it is Suzuki coming up with these gimmick title defences or is this Gedo's idea?


Given Suzuki's run in NOAH was also full of garbage wrestling with a ton of run-ins, ref bumps, and weapons, this just feels like what he wants to do at this stage in his career.


----------



## MC

Zatiel said:


> Given Suzuki's run in NOAH was also full of garbage wrestling with a ton of run-ins, ref bumps, and weapons, this just feels like what he wants to do at this stage in his career.


Yeah but Jado and Gedo were helping with Noah's booking.


----------



## T Hawk

Suzuki Minoru is the type of wrestler who wears out his welcome after about 9 months.


----------



## HearnyBayBay

Is anyone in London going to the Rev-Pro Global Wars shows? 

Here's the cards for anyone interested :-



Spoiler



Night 1:
Tetsuya Naito Vs Marty Scurll
Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr Vs Hirooki Goto & Will Ospreay
YOSHI-HASHI & Rocky Romero Vs CCK (Chris Brookes & Travis Banks)
Matt Riddle Vs El Desperado
Tomohiro Ishii Vs Keith Lee
*British Cruiserweight Championship:* Josh Bodom (c) Vs BUSHI Vs Ryan Smile
Yuji Nagata Vs Zack Gibson
Toru Yano & Gedo Vs Lord Gideon Grey & No Fun Dunne

Night 2:
*British Heavyweight Championship:* Zack Sabre Jr (c) Vs Will Ospreay
Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Gedo Vs CCK (Brookes, Banks & Kid Lykos)
Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI Vs Yuji Nagata & Keith Lee
Minoru Suzuki Vs Matt Riddle
El Desperado Vs Ryan Smile
Tomohiro Ishii Vs Dave Mastiff 
Toru Yano Vs Zack Gibson
Rocky Romero Vs Josh Bodom



I'm going to Night 1 which I think has marginally the better card. Naito/Scurll is a match I can't wait to see. They had some amazing interactions in the LIJ Vs LDRS match last year. Ishii/Lee is obviously going to be nuts. I definitely see this as a showcase for CCK. Could definitely see them being considered for a run at the NEVER six-man titles with a good showing.


----------



## MC

So who is ready for Yoshitatsu vs Doering for the Triple Crown Championship tomorrow? Yeah I know.


----------



## Genking48

Thanks to Jae of iheartdg.com


> *11/08/2017
> Tokyo, Korakuen Hall
> The Gate of Evolution 2017
> Attendance: 1850*
> 
> *0. *Punch Tominaga*⭕* (4:50 PT Kick) Kaito Ishida*❌*
> *1. *Don Fujii*⭕*, Mondairyu, Misterioso (7:39 Super Chokeslam) Kotoka, U-T, Shun Skywalker*❌*
> *2. *K-ness.*⭕*, Gamma (8:32 Hikari no Wa) Kagetora*❌*, Big R Shimizu
> *3. *Ryo Saito*⭕* (5:54 Disqualification) Yasushi Kanda*❌*
> *4. *Naruki Doi*⭕* Masato Yoshino, Genki Horiguchi (11:59 Bakatare Sliding Kick) BxB Hulk, Yosuke♡Santa Maria*❌*, Jason Lee
> *5. *Special Tag Team Match: CIMA, Ricochet*⭕* (17:59 Shooting Star Press) YAMATO, Kzy*❌*
> *6. *Shingo Takagi, Takashi Yoshida, T-Hawk*⭕* El Lindaman, Yasushi Kanda (16:51 Night Ride) Masaaki Mochizuki, Susumu Yokosuka, Dragon Kid*❌*, Eita, Ryo Saito
> 
> Ben-K was pulled from the show due to an illness.
> 
> Backstage, Kagetora challenged K-ness. to a Brave Gate title match. It was accepted and later set for 11/19 in Nobeoka.
> 
> Verserk ran wild on Saito until the main event team came to save him. Kanda’s betrayal of the Jimmyz is what led to the match being made in the first place. Why isn’t he in it? Takagi told that if he was so infatuated with Kanda, Kanda would gladly welcome the chance to kick some more ass. Takagi declared the match would now be 5 on 4. Mochizuki never said anything about 5 on 4. He rallied Saito to join up. Takagi called it unacceptable. He was just a comedy wrestler with no friends now. The likes of Saito no longer belonged in main events. Saito smashed him with a box. Someone with a haircut like Takagi has no right to call anyone else a laughingstock. He asked Mochizuki to let him join them. Takagi was furious at the sneak attack. Even though he vetoed Saito & Susumu teaming last month, he would allow it just so he can pay him back.
> 
> Doi & Yoshino invited Jason Lee to join MaxiMuM. They have teamed with him several times since he came in and they feel he has a very bright future. He accepted and is the newest member of the unit.
> 
> Eita betrayed Dragon Kid in the final stages of the main event, returning to Verserk. He forcibly removed his mask and taunted Over Generation with it. He was sick and tired of being nice and well behaved. Over Generation was nothing but old timers and cripples. CIMA was speechless. Eita mocked him. For someone who talks and talks and talks as much as CIMA he had nothing to say? CIMA is old and fat. So was Gamma. Ishida and Problem Dragon will never be the same after their neck injuries. What about Yamamura? The truth is he is never coming back. The reality is, his neck is beyond repair and he will never be back. CIMA was visibly shaken by this. Eita was welcome to say whatever he wanted about him, but he promised not to speak publicly about Yamamura. Eita didn’t care about any of that anymore. He was done with this team of old men, midgets, and cripples. He never thought of Dragon Kid as a teacher and he expects him to put some respect on his name the next time he addresses him. CIMA & DK struggled to recover from the betrayal, but Mochizuki was ready to interject.
> 
> He had no idea about the inner workings of Over Generation but he does have an idea of how to put punks like Eita in their place. He has a friend who is even better at it than him. He called out Don Fujii. This was a job for MochiFujii. Dragon Kid told Eita that he could do whatever he wanted, but he should understand that by taking his mask today he made a huge mistake. Kid asked to be a part of whatever Mochizuki & Fujii were planning. Eita had the perfect opponents for these 40 year old bastards. Young Verserk. Himself, T-Hawk, & El Lindaman. Mochizuki was more than happy to accept. He recalled some good times beating the hell out of them back in the Millennials days. The match was set for next month in Korakuen.
> 
> Verserk posed for photos and went to leave but Saito stopped them. Actually, just Takagi was enough. Today, Takagi had mocked him and made fun of his wrestling style. The other Jimmyz have been very active since their breakup so it was time for him to make a move. His move was to take out Shingo Takagi. Takagi blew it off. His neck was kinda sore and didn’t feel like talking. Saito has no unit, no titles. Why would the Great Shingo Takagi lower himself to wrestle a comedy wrestler? No. No chance. Saito called him a coward and challenged him to go 1 on 1. Takagi told him that if he wanted a match he would first have to go through Punch or Lindaman. Takagi eventually accepted, but only one one condition. If Saito loses, he will have to join Verserk. Not just as a member, but as the lowest ranked member. Yes, even lower than the likes of Lindaman and Punch. Even though Takagi thought he was dumb as hell to accept the terms, Saito did. The match was set for next month in Korakuen.
> 
> CIMA talked about Ricochet coming back. It was originally intended to only be for The Gate of Destiny, but things worked out and he was able to do a few more matches. Today was his final Dragon Gate match. It was time for his graduation ceremony.
> 
> Kzy was the first victim in Japan of the Double Rotation Moonsault. It’s a memory that still stings his chest and he is proud of it. He hoped that he was a little better in their match today than he was back then. Ricochet is truly great. Truly the king.
> 
> YAMATO said that Ricochets’ superstar aura has grown as much as his hair has fallen out. He recalled their battle for the Dream Gate several years ago and apologized if he did anything bad to him. He wished him good luck.
> 
> Horiguchi really didn’t have many in ring memories of him, but they actually ended up hanging out a lot. He was really a nice guy and good at everything. They went bowling together and he bowled over 200. His first time golfing and he hit the ball 300 yards. Himself, Ricochet, Rich Swann, & PAC once went to karaoke together. He could dance and he could sing better than him. He promised himself he wouldn’t cry, but when he saw how bald Ricochet had become he couldn’t help it. He asked him to become the greatest H-A-G-E in the world.
> 
> DK had many memories, including their battles over the Brave Gate. Even though he was twice his age, he learned a lot from Ricochet. DK speaks no English but they communicated through body language and feelings. He hoped Ricochet would continue to grow and become a bigger star. He would be watching.
> 
> Yoshino first met him in the United States. Seeing that there were wrestlers in America that could do the things Ricochet could do had a huge impact on him. They were stablemates in WORLD-1 International, at least until Doi betrayed them, and then again in Monster Express. He’s gotten to know him and become friends with him. Watching him compete again today, it has just become more evident he is a genius. With advances in technology, this isn’t the last time they will ever talk. They exchange messages all the time. He does hope that they can meet again face to face some time in the future.
> 
> Doi ran down from the commentator table in the balcony. Doi wanted to brighten up the mood a little bit, since everyone was so sad. This has become an annual thing. Who was it going to be next year? The Big R Shimizu Graduation Ceremony? Nah, probably not. He fought together with Ricochet in several units and countries. His ability exceeds words. But this isn’t their final goodbye. Ricochet isn’t retiring. He isn’t dying. They will both continue to grow and get better. One day, they will again meet in the ring. He thinks the Die Fly is the best finisher in wrestling.
> 
> CIMA talked about the first time he tried to get in touch with Ricochet. Ricochet was only 17 at the time and he totally ignored the e-mail that CIMA sent. A year passed. Matt Sydal was competing in Dragon Gate at the time and he asked Ricochet if he actually got the mail. He did, but didn’t think it was real. He was just a kid and didn’t expect to be asked to come to Japan. He was brought to Dragon Gate USA, and the rest was history. Speaking of history, while Kzy is right that he was the first one in Japan to go down to the Double Moonsault, it was Doi who was the first victim. He thanked him for coming back to see everyone one more time. He knows Ricochet has a bright future ahead of him. He is the highest flyer in the world and has the highest potential. He called President Okamura to the ring. Mr. Okamura rarely appears, outside of his annual speech at Kobe World. Mr. Okamura said that they arranged a hotel for Ricochet this time, but he asked to stay with everyone else at the dojo. He slept, trained, and rode the bus just like he had in the past. The one thing that surprised him, was the new tattoo on his arm. It was the Dragon Gate logo. He was incredibly moved and very happy that Ricochet chose to come back for his final matches. As with PAC & Uhaa in the past, it is natural to want him to stay with Dragon Gate forever. But he has to spread his wings and fly. It is the same feeling as it was with Akira Tozawa last year. He isn’t leaving. He is being sent out into the world. His skill is great but his heart is greater. Thank you, Ricochet.
> 
> CIMA mentioned in passing that Ricochet had suggested a few foreign talents to him. He promised to bring a foreigner than carry on Ricochets’ legacy.
> 
> Ricochet was 21 when he first came to Dragon Gate. He was skinny and untrained. Everything he knows now about training, dieting, and professionalism he learned while he was here. He has spent the last two years traveling the world. No matter where he goes, Dragon Gate is his family. Wrestlers, staff, fans, H-A-G-E. They are all family. This is his last night in Dragon Gate but it isn’t good bye. It’s “See you later”. No matter where he goes or what he does, this will be home.


Not much a fan of Eita but all for a potential T&E reunion in Verserk, they were a great team.


----------



## volde

NJPW started adding (well at least for PS) post-match video comments with English subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgqDyJZN9OYkNeQPP78lGzFvihJwI5b32 

Some interesting bits, Hiromu when you understand what he is saying sounds even more psychotic and Taichi had best comment with "shits and shits. I can't say anything else but shit. Because it's all shit".


----------



## T Hawk

Joe Doering retained in 11 minutes.

See? Was that so painful? Did the sky really fall?


----------



## RKing85

ivp starting their Black Friday sale on Monday


----------



## Flik

T Hawk said:


> Joe Doering retained in 11 minutes.
> 
> See? Was that so painful? Did the sky really fall?


Not as painful as going through a hour long gauntlet deathmatch against the likes of Abdullah Kobayashi, Jun Kasai, Isami Kodaka, Yuko Miyamoto, Takashi Sasaki...


----------



## TheGeneticFreak

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/930412534108102656
Makes me really happy seeing Shibata seemingly living a normal life and being friends with Tanahashi after their previous heat.


----------



## antoniomare007

I wanna go cry in a fucking corner 



> ~ Yuji Okabayashi was announced to be undergoing shoulder surgery in December and will be out of action for at least a year.


I'm legit







about this. Yuji is one of the most entertaining performers in the world right now and him losing a year AGAIN is devastating.



ps: Watched Suzuki vs Kamitani II, didn't think it was as good as their first match. Hideki is pretty great in it but they didn't do as good a job building drama and it was more similar to de Daichi defense than the other great matches Suzuki has had as the invader champion.

The Daichi/Kikuta/Kawakami vs Sekimoto/Sato/Nomura six man from the same show was fun as fuck though, one of those typical short six mans the Strong Division can give to you where there's a ton of stiffness, HATE~! and final sequence were the young kids get their shine.


----------



## MC

Highlights of NOAH Global League Day 14


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/930877988635332609Died laughing at this. Look at how proud he is at himself.


----------



## volde

So I take it that since NJPW got its own subforum this thread should be only about other Japanese promotions?


----------



## Deadman's Hand

volde said:


> So I take it that since NJPW got its own subforum this thread should be only about other Japanese promotions?


*Yeah, basically. Given NJPW's recent popularity it makes sense that it gets its own subforum, tbh. And as NJPW continues to rise, hopefully more & more people get into other puro promotions like All Japan, DDT, Dragon Gate, BJW, etc.*


----------



## T Hawk

if Takeshita Konosuke holds the title for another month, he'll be the longest Openweight champion title reign in history.
Truly a special talent

kada kada kada


----------



## Genking48

credit: iheartdg.com


> *11/19/2017
> Miyazaki, Nobeoka Civic Gymnasium
> The Gate of Evolution 2017
> President Takashi Okamura Homecoming
> Attendance: 1800*
> 
> 1. Naruki Doi*⭕*, Masato Yoshino, Jason Lee (12:25 Bakatare Sliding Kick) CIMA, Dragon Kid, U-T❌
> 2. Open the Owarai Gate Championship Match: CIMA*⭕* (0:10 Thrust Kick) “Hollywood” Stalker Ichikawa❌
> 2b. Open the Owarai Gate Championship Match: CIMA*⭕* (8:40 Susumu Miyao Style Knee Drop) “Hollywood” Stalker Ichikawa❌
> _*CIMA won the fan decision to win the championship_
> 3. Don Fujii, Susumu Yokosuka*⭕* (11:23 Yokosuka Cutter) Big R Shimizu, Hyo Watanabe❌
> 4. Yasushi Kanda*⭕* (9:59 Candy Magic) Ben-K❌
> 5. Ryo Saito*⭕*, Gamma (9:06 SaiRyo Rocket) Masaaki Mochizuki, Genki Horiguchi❌
> 6. Open the Brave Gate Championship Match: Kagetora*⭕* (13:47 Ikkitousen) K-ness.❌
> _*5th Defense_
> 7. Shingo Takagi, T-Hawk, Eita*⭕*, El Lindaman (15:56 Grande) YAMATO, BxB Hulk, Kzy, Yosuke♡Santa Maria❌
> 
> Stalker Ichikawa came out after the opener and demanded a match. Nobeoka only gets 1 show per year and to deprive them of a Stalker Ichikawa match is too cruel. CIMA said he would wrestle him if the Owarai Gate was on the line. Ichikawa accepted with the usual results.
> 
> Kagetora was given a Yokosuka Cutter and laid out by Metal Warrior after his match. Backstage, Kagetora was very quick to blame Susumu. The Yokosuka Cutter is his move, so it has to be him. Susumu had no idea. It was his move, but it wasn’t him. Kagetora was convinced it was him. Why would he wear a mask and attack him? If he wanted a Brave Gate title match all he has to do was come out and ask. Susumu had no intentions of going after the Brave Gate. It wasn’t even on his mind since he is still getting over his failed attempt on the Dream Gate. Kagetora refused to believe him. They fought side by side for long enough for him to know Susumu when he sees him.


----------



## HOJO

DDT put up a really tough spot of either keeping this dead failing to get over ace Takeshita as champion all the way to Judgement or until someone cashes in a contract when someone more over will take the belt or give the belt for Colt Cabana for whatever reason cuz I literally can't think of any other good reason cuz it's not like he's some super buzz-filled gaijin blockbuster talent they picked up *or Mike Bailey*. I guess watching the whole undercard which has to be fucking loaded(Shuji's on the poster so there you go) with that main event then not watch the main is a good idea. If they booked undercards like New Japan or Stardom in 2015-16 this would be pure death. 

Daisuke's still Extreme Champion and making a star out of Soma so there's light at that tunnel.


----------



## antoniomare007

I still like Takeshita, his reign has been underwhelming though.


In Big Japan news, Daichi Hashimoto won the n°1 contender match against Kamitani, as expected, so he's gonna be facing Suzuki at Death Vegas. If he loses I have no idea what Big Japan is gonna do unless Shuji Ishikawa returns and takes the belt. They've been building Daichi up a ton since he got destroyed by Suzuki in his first challenge though, so my guess is he gets the big W.

They had bad attendance in Korakuen again btw


----------



## T Hawk

Ishikawa Shuji should be the one to take it. Really thought that match would happen at Death Vegas.

I would have rather Hashimoto Daichi win the Stronk Climb next year and then win the title, but maybe that's too much.


----------



## Ted Scheckler

T Hawk said:


> *Ishikawa Shuji* should be the one to take it. Really thought that match would happen at Death Vegas.
> 
> I would have rather *Hashimoto Daichi* win the Stronk Climb next year and then win the title, but maybe that's too much.


Sorry if you've explained before but why do you do this? Just makes it harder to read who you mean when I have to read second name first and then the first.

Also, how does everyone feel about Nosawa Rongai (Or Rongai Nosawa?)


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Ted Scheckler said:


> Sorry if you've explained before but why do you do this? Just makes it harder to read who you mean when I have to read second name first and then the first.
> 
> Also, how does everyone feel about Nosawa Rongai (Or Rongai Nosawa?)


Nosawa is a G. He's like the Japanese version of American indy sleeze.


----------



## Corey

Ted Scheckler said:


> Sorry if you've explained before but why do you do this? Just makes it harder to read who you mean when I have to read second name first and then the first.


It's the proper way to say the names in Japan so I believe that's why he does it. You'll notice the announcers will say Tanahashi, Hiroshiiii


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*The DDT show last night was pretty fun. Poor Soma tried so hard to beat Daisuke & still came up short.

Oh yeah, Metal Warrior attacked Kagetora again at last night's Dragon Gate show. This time, he put him in the Cycling Yahoo.*


----------



## MC

Ted Scheckler said:


> Sorry if you've explained before but why do you do this? Just makes it harder to read who you mean when I have to read second name first and then the first.
> 
> Also, how does everyone feel about Nosawa Rongai (Or Rongai Nosawa?)


He says it's out of respect or something. I think it's unusual but harmless.


----------



## HOJO

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/933551605999374336Announced before intermission of God Bless DDT were the blocks for the D-King(pronounced as D-Ou or DIOOOOOOOOOOOOOO) Grand Prix. Missing from it is KUDO, Irie, Colt Cabana, & Dino
*A Block*:
Konosuke Takeshita
HARASHIMA
Tetsuya Endo
Keisuke Ishii
Masahiro Takanashi
Joey Ryan
Jiro "Ikemen" Kuroshio

*B Block *:
Daisuke Sasaki
Yukio Sakaguchi
Soma Takao
Akito
Kazusada Higuchi
Mike Bailey
Shuji Ishikawa

The dates for the tournament are 1/5 Shinjuku opening, 1/7 & 1/8 in Osaka Hirano Community Hall, 1/10 in Tokyo Nerima Coconeri Hall, 1/11 in Yokohama Radiant Hall, 1/13 in Shizuoka Shimizu Marine Bill, 1/14 in Shin-Kiba 1st RING, & the Final on 1/28 in Korakuen Hall.

I'll probably make a thread for it once the matches for each show are announced


----------



## Genking48

Memorial Gate results.

credit: iheartdg.com


> *11/26/2017
> Miyagi, Sendai Sun Festa
> Memorial Gate in Sendai 2017
> Attendance: 1600*
> 
> *1. *Kagetora*⭕*, Hyosuke♡Santa Maria, U-T (10:31 Ikkitousen) Genki Horiguchi, K-ness., Kaito Ishida❌
> *2.* Open the Owarai Gate Championship Match: Ryo Saito*⭕* (10:11 SaiRyo Rocket) “Hollywood” Stalker Ichikawa❌
> _*Saito becomes the new champion via fan approval_
> *3. *Susumu Yokosuka*⭕* (14:58 Jumbo no Kachi!gatame) Ben-K❌
> *4.* Masaaki Mochizuki*⭕*, Don Fujii (14:17 Shin Saikyo High Kick) T-Hawk, El Lindaman❌
> *5. *First Big Show in Tohoku Ceremonial Elimination Match: Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Big R Shimizu, Jason Lee (4-3) CIMA, Dragon Kid, Gamma, Problem Dragon
> -Jason*⭕* (11:32 La Magistral Cradle) Problem Dragon❌
> -Kid*⭕* (16:31 Over the Top Rope) Yoshino❌
> -CIMA*⭕* (17:08 Meteora) Jason❌
> -Shimizu*⭕* (18:55 Shot-put Slam) Gamma❌
> -Doi*⭕* (20:18 Over the Top Rope) CIMA❌
> -Kid*⭕* (20:44 Bible) Shimizu❌
> -Doi*⭕* (21:25 Bakatare Sliding Kick) Kid❌
> *6. *Open the Triangle Gate Championship Match: YAMATO*⭕*, BxB Hulk, Kzy (28:43 Galleria) Shingo Takagi, Yasushi Kanda❌, Eita
> 
> Metal Warrior once again attacked Kagetora. This time he gave him Susumu’s Mugen.
> 
> CIMA vacated the Owarai Gate, so Ichikawa demanded his match with Saito be made into match to decide the new champion. Saito told him that CIMA vacated the title because no one wants the title. It is an annoyance. He didn’t want it either so today would not be a title match. Ichikawa pleaded with him. This was the first major event in Tohoku so they should get to see a new champion crowned. Saito reminded him that his record against him was 100-0. Saito eventually agreed as long as Ichikawa promised to try harder than he normally does. In the fan result, Ichikawa received applause from around 22 fans. The rest cheered for Saito so he became the new champion.
> 
> Verserk attacked Saito afterwards. Takagi wondered why he was slacking off in a match like this when he has such an important fight coming up in Korakuen Hall on 12/5. The first event like this in Tohoku and he chooses to do some bullshit comedy match? What a joke. If this was all he could bring himself to do then they should just cancel their match and Saito can be forced to join Verserk without any beatings. Saito defended doing comedy matches. Putting smiles on faces and making the fans laugh was also an important part of the Dragon Gate style. Things would be different in Korakuen. There would be no laughing when he puts Takagi down on the mat for the 1-2-3. Verserk attacked him again. Tribe Vanguard came to make the save.
> They had a back and forth with Verserk about the main event. Eita and Verserk would never lose to a group of hicks like these three. The rest of the hicks in Sendai can look forward to the worst of endings to this so called big show.
> YAMATO gave a quick speech. First things first, Eita is from a backwoods ******* ass town in Nagano so he has a lot of nerve calling anyone a hick. Doing a big show in Tohoku has been his dream for a long time. He hopes that a lot of fans in Tohoku had the same dream. Today that dream came true. Losing in the main event just wasn’t an option. He promised to defeat Verserk and send everyone home happy.
> 
> Kagetora confronted Susumu after his match. In Nobeoka it was the Yokosuka Cutter. Today it was the Mugen. The evidence could not be any more clear. Metal Warrior is Susumu. Susumu denied the allegations. He mentioned that while Metal Warrior has used the Yokosuka Cutter & the Mugen, he also used the Cycling Yahoo. Maybe he should be interrogating Ryo Saito. Kagetora said that maybe it was a RyoSuka scheme, but Metal Warrior is absolutely Susumu. Kagetora said he is devastated by this turn of events. If he wanted a Brave Gate shot, all he had to do was ask. Kage is ready for it. Susumu said he is the one that isn’t ready for it. He isn’t interested. Kagetora asked him to do him one favor. Next time he attacks him, do it without the mask on. Susumu was totally lost at this point so he just asked the fans to enjoy the rest of the show.
> 
> YAMATO closed the show with a speech. Today wasn’t the goal. Today was just the first step off of the starting line. Sadly, he lost the Dream Gate title back in September and was unable to main event today as champion. The venue today was also a bit lacking. Fans in the back probably had a hard time seeing the ring. That won’t happen next year. On September 9th 2018, Dragon Gate will; for real this time; hold their first ever show in Sendai Sun Plaza. It is a large hall with 3 floors of seats. Everyone will be able to clearly see the ring. There was no Dream Gate match today. Next year, there will be. If he has to take the title back himself to fulfill this promise he will do so. Maybe. Tribe Vanguard shared some banter. YAMATO thanked the fans for coming out and making today a huge success.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*DG just finished up their Kobe ***** Hall event, with two pieces of news coming out of it:

The trend of Kagetora being attacked by the Metal Warrior with the ex-Jimmyz signature moves continued, this time with Kage being laid out with K-Ness' Darkness Buster & U-T is now a member of Tribe Vanguard, due to TV defeating Over Generation in the Battle For UT.*


----------



## HOJO

The key tournament matches have been announced for the D-King/D王/D-Ou/DIO Grand Prix.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/936565553145159681
*1/5 Shinjuku*
A Block: Konosuke Takeshita vs Jiro "Ikemen" Kuroshio
A Block: HARASHIMA vs Keisuke Ishii
B Block: Mike Bailey vs Shuji Ishikawa
B Block: Daisuke Sasaki vs Yukio Sakaguchi

*1/7 Osaka*
A Block: Jiro "Ikemen" Kuroshio vs Masahiro Takanashi
A Block: Konosuke Takeshita vs Tetsuya Endo

*1/8 Osaka*
A Block: HARASHIMA vs Jiro "Ikemen" Kuroshio
B Block: Soma Takao vs Mike Bailey
B Block: Daisuke Sasaki vs Kazusada Higuchi

*1/10 Nerima*
A Block: Konosuke Takeshita vs HARASHIMA
A Block: Tetsuya Endo vs Jiro "Ikemen" Kuroshio
B Block: Yukio Sakaguchi vs Shuji Ishikawa


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/936567244544282626*1/11 Yokohama*
A Block: Konosuke Takeshita vs Masahiro Takanashi
B Block: Yukio Sakaguchi vs Mike Bailey
B Block: Daisuke Sasaki vs Shuji Ishikawa

*1/13 Shimizu*
A Block: Jiro "Ikemen" Kuroshio vs Joey Ryan
A Block: HARASHIMA vs Masahiro Takanashi
B Block: Yukio Sakaguchi vs Akito

*1/14 Shinkiba*
A Block: Konosuke Takeshita vs Keisuke Ishii
A Block: HARASHIMA vs Tetsuya Endo
B Block: Kazusada Higuchi vs Shuji Ishikawa
B Block: Daisuke Sasaki vs Mike Bailey


----------



## MC

Okay, just watched the Real World Tag League day 4 main event. Daichi Hashimoto just pinned Kento Miyahara. Ummm, why? I mean isn't Hashimoto signed to Big Japan, not All Japan? If so, why are they pinning their ace to someone not from the company? Especially when you have Yoshitatsu in the same match. This isn't a knock on Hashimoto's abilities, since I'm not familari with him but the decision to have him pin Kento is an odd one. Baffling.


----------



## T Hawk

it's probably because they're setting up a return singles match, silly. It also helps BJW because Hashimoto Daichi is going for the Strong Heavyweight title in a short while so it adds cred to him.

Aoki and Akiyama are making good decisions here. BJW gets the benefit right now, but AJW will get the greater benefit when Miyahara Kento gets the all-important singles W back. It's okay to let an outsider beat your guy so long as you guy gets his W back. Think back to last year's G1 when Okada Kazuchika had to lose to that dullard from Pro-wrestling NOAH.

In other news, Takeshita Konosuke is now 2-weeks away from having the longest Openweight reign in history

kada kada kada


----------



## PUNQ

I'm more baffled by Miyahara losing to Manabu Soya the next day of the Real World Tag League, because Soya has basically had a "losing streak" gimmick in Wrestle-1 these past few months.

Anyway, it's been a rough couple of months for All Japan booking for my tastes. Some good stuff, and plenty of questionable stuff.... and Yoshitatsu, who's challenge for the Triple Crown was as pathetic as it sounded on paper. This is how the recent shows look my-ratings wise:


*AJPW - "RAISING AN ARMY MEMORIAL SERIES 2017" - October 9, 2017, Tokyo - (2 hrs)*
_October 9, 2017, Tokyo - Korakuen Hall (1,301 Fans)_
1. Kotaro Suzuki -vs- Koji Iwamoto [**]
2. Taiyo Kea & Manabu Soya & Masanobu Fuchi -vs- Tajiri & Yohei Nakajima & Fuminori Abe [* 3/4]
3. KAI & Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi -vs- Atsushi Aoki & Hikaru Sato & Yusuke Okada [** 1/4]
4. Osamu Nishimura (c) -vs- Danny Jones - (!BANG!TV Heavyweight Title) [1/2*]
5. Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori -vs- Zeus & The Bodyguard [* 1/2]
6. Joe Doering -vs- Shuji Ishikawa [** 3/4]
7. Kento Miyahara (c) -vs- Suwama - (Triple Crown Title) [****]


*AJPW - "LAUNCHING BUSINESS MEMORIAL SERIES 2017" - October 14, 2017, Hasuda - (2 hrs)*
_October 14, 2017, Hasuda City Municipal Gym (505 Fans)_
1. KAI & Takuya Nomura -vs- Hikaru Sato & Yusuke Okada [* 1/2]
2. Masanobu Fuchi & Koji Iwamoto -vs- Osamu Nishimura & Fuminori Abe [* 1/4]
3. Ryouji Sai & Atsushi Maruyama -vs- Tajiri & Ishikiri [*]
4. Manabu Soya & Black Tiger VII -vs- Takao Omori & Yohei Nakajima [* 1/2]
5. Jun Akiyama & Zeus -vs- Joe Doering & Danny Jones [* 1/4]
6. Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa & Atsushi Aoki -vs- Kento Miyahara & Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi [**]


*AJPW - "JUN AKIYAMA & TAKAO OMORI 25TH ANNIVERSARY" - October 21, 2017, Yokohama - (2 hrs)* 
_October 21, 2017, Yokohama Bunka Gym (1,870 Fans)_
1. Kotaro Suzuki & Yohei Nakajima -vs- Koji Iwamoto & Yusuke Okada [* 1/2]
2. Masashi Takeda & Atsushi Maruyama -vs- Osamu Nishimura & Masanobu Fuchi [* 1/4]
3. Saori Anno & Makiya Natsumi -vs- Saki & Haruka Kato [*]
4. Yutuka Yoshie & Fuminori Abe & Danny Jones -vs- Ryouji Sai & Rikiya Fudo & Ishikiri [* 1/4]
5. Kento Miyahara & Yoshitatsu & KAI -vs- Shuji Ishikawa & Zeus & The Bodyguard [** 1/4]
6. Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi (c) -vs- Atsushi Aoki & Hikaru Sato - (All Asia Tag Title) [** 1/2]
7. Ultimo Dragon (c) -vs- Tajiri - (AJPW Junior Title) [* 3/4]
8. Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori -vs- Daisuke Sekimoto & Ryuji Ito - (AJPW Tag Title Decision) [**]
9. Suwama (c) -vs- Joe Doering - (Triple Crown Title) [** 1/4]


*AJPW - "STARTING OVER 2017 ~ JR. TAG BATTLE OF GLORY" - November 9, 2017, Tokyo - (2 hrs)*
_November 9, 2017, Tokyo - Korakuen Hall (1,241 Fans)_
1. Masanobu Fuchi & Osamu Nishimura -vs- Kotaro Suzuki & Keiichi Sato [3/4*]
2. Koji Iwamoto & Yusuke Okada -vs- Black Tiger VII & Black Spider VII - (Jr. Tag Battle of Glory 2017) [*]
3. Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi & Yohei Nakajima & Fuminori Abe -vs- Jiro Kuroshio & Koji Doi & Andy Wu & Tugutaka Sato [* 1/2]
4. Masashi Takeda & Atsushi Maruyama -vs- Atsushi Aoki & Hikaru Sato - (Jr. Tag Battle of Glory 2017) [* 3/4]
5. Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani -vs- Daisuke Sekimoto & Takuya Nomura - (RWTL 2017 - BJW Qualifier) [** 1/4]
6. Jun Akiyama & Kento Miyahara & Takao Omori & Zeus & Ryouji Sai -vs- Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa & Manabu Soya & Tajiri & KAI [**]
7. Joe Doering (c) -vs- Yoshitatsu - (Triple Crown Title) [*]


*AJPW - "REAL WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2017 ~ 45TH ANNIVERSARY SERIES" - November 28, 2017, Yokohama - (2 hrs)*
_November 28, 2017, Yokohama Radiant Hall (320 Fans)_
1. Zeus & Koji Iwamoto -vs- Ryouji Sai & Yusuke Okada [*]
2. Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori -vs- Manabu Soya & Black Tiger VII - (RWTL 2017) [* 1/2]
3. Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa & Atsushi Aoki & Yutaka Yoshie -vs- Tajiri & KAI & Yohei Nakajima & Hikaru Sato [* 1/4]
4. Dory Funk Jr. & Great Kabuki & Osamu Nishimura & Dalton Derrick -vs- Masanobu Fuchi & Daisuke Sekimoto & Great Kojika & Atsushi Maruyama [*]
5. Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi -vs- Joe Doering & Taiyo Kea - (RWTL 2017) [**]
6. Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani -vs- Kento Miyahara & Yoshitatsu - (RWTL 2017) [** 1/2]


----------



## MC

T Hawk said:


> it's probably because they're setting up a return singles match, silly. It also helps BJW because Hashimoto Daichi is going for the Strong Heavyweight title in a short while so it adds cred to him.
> 
> Aoki and Akiyama are making good decisions here. BJW gets the benefit right now, but AJW will get the greater benefit when Miyahara Kento gets the all-important singles W back. It's okay to let an outsider beat your guy so long as you guy gets his W back. Think back to last year's G1 when Okada Kazuchika had to lose to that *dullard from Pro-wrestling NOAH.*
> 
> In other news, Takeshita Konosuke is now 2-weeks away from having the longest Openweight reign in history
> 
> kada kada kada


Wait. There was three guys from NOAH? All I can think of is Nakajima and Marufuji. Who else from NOAH was the dullard?


----------



## Corey

MC 16 said:


> Wait. There was there guys from NOAH? All I can think of is Nakajima and Marufuji. Who else from NOAH was the dullard?


I believe he's referring to Marufuji as the dullard.


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> I believe he's referring to Marufuji as the dullard.


Yeah I know. 

Marufuji has been great this year, calling him a dullard is rather harsh.


----------



## antoniomare007

I still remember Tanahashi treating Marufuji like he was a damn young lion finally graduating by being in the G-1 :lmao good times.


Daichi getting a singles match with Kento - maybe for the New Year's Eve show? - would be huge for him. Specially because he could be Strong Heavyweight champion by that point. I really hope he takes a leap performance wise next year as it seems he's gonna get a big ass push.


----------



## Desecrated

@PUNQ I've opted to give AJPW the benefit of the doubt. Gives Kento something to do. It'll be important for them to build up several challengers for the Champions Carnival and the coming months. It'll all come down to the results of the booking. Doering is great big man and he has had superb matches this year with Shuji and Kento, and a much better one with Suwama earlier this year. I'm excited for those rematches. AJPW's heavyweight scene is a bit bone-dry. I was just optimistic they'd make a temporary challenger out of Sekimoto.


----------



## Genking48

Credit: iheartdg.com


> *12/03/2017
> Hokkaido, Sapporo Susukino Mars
> BxB Hulk Homecoming
> Fantastic Gate 2017
> Attendance: 850*
> 
> *0. *Ben-K*⭕* (6:09 Ben-K Bomb) Kaito Ishida❌
> *1.* Naruki Doi*⭕*, Masato Yoshino (10:50 Bakatare Sliding Kick) Genki Horiguchi❌, Jason Lee
> *2. *Susumu Yokosuka*⭕* (12:30 Jumbo no Kachi!gatame) Shun Skywalker❌
> *3. U-T 3 Match Trial Series #3:* Masaaki Mochizuki*⭕* (10:35 Saikyo High Kick) U-T❌
> *4. *Ryo Saito*⭕*, Big R Shimizu (14:31 Messenger) Shingo Takagi❌, Yasushi Kanda
> *5. *YAMATO, Yosuke♡Santa Maria, Kagetora*⭕* (20:20 Pin) CIMA, Gamma, Don Fujii❌
> *6. Early Christmas Tag Tournament Finals:* T-Hawk*⭕*, Eita (19:18 Grande) BxB Hulk❌, Kzy
> 
> Mochizuki had some advice for U-T. Even though he is now a member of Tribe Vanguard, he still lost all three matches this weekend. That being said, there is something different about him. Perhaps he has finally found what kind of wrestler he wants to be. He advised him to listen and learn from his stablemates, particularly YAMATO. U-T vowed to become a valuable member of his new unit.
> 
> Takagi protested. Anyone with eyes could see he kicked out at 2. Saito called it “Time for excuses with Shingo Takagi”. It may as well have been a 10 count, because Takagi lost. Fair and square. The momentum was now firmly on his side going into their Korakuen match. Takagi blew off losing today. Saito is dumb as fuck. Something like this will only make it worse for him. He has no unit, no friends. Takagi will have the full power of Verserk at his disposal. After this annoyance today, Takagi is prepared to do whatever it takes to end him. Saito said that while he has a comedic side, he can be very serious. He will not let Takagi mock him for his style any longer. He will also now allow himself to become an underling to the likes of Shingo Takagi.
> 
> Metal Warrior attacked Kagetora with a Backslide….Kagetora was devastated. After he trusted Horiguchi and confided in him. Why would he do something like this?? He accused Saito and Susumu of being in on it. Why a backslide? It doesn’t hurt! Kagetora thought it was a huge conspiracy. Everyone was acting suspicious. Why were they out to get him like this?!? Today was certainly Horiguchi. Saito even pointed out that the mask had no hair. Kagetora had no one left to trust, so he ran off.
> 
> Eita demanded more applause for the tournament win, but didn’t receive any. He asked CIMA where his tag partner was. Dragon Kid? Just like Yamamura, he wasn’t coming back. His knee is destroyed. Over Generation couldn’t even find the manpower to get a team into this tournament. What a joke. He chastised the fans for not even being able to boo properly. T-Hawk berated Tribe Vanguard for being losers, then left them to try and send the fans home happy.
> 
> They lost today, but not next time. Tribe Vanguard have their engines at full throttle towards 2018.


T&E victory :hbk1


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/937598635163791360
Tomorrow :fuckyeah


----------



## Flik

antoniomare007 said:


> I still remember Tanahashi treating Marufuji like he was a damn young lion finally graduating by being in the G-1 :lmao good times.


"best babyface in this industry" :cornette


----------



## HOJO

They put out the FULL D-King GRAND PRIX card has been put out and holy shit night 1 :drose:drose:drose

*DDT “D-KING GRAND PRIX 2017 IN SHINJUKU”, 05/01/2018*
1. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* Konosuke Takeshita Vs Jiro Kuroshio
2. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* HARASHIMA Vs Keisuke Ishii
3. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* Tetsuya Endo Vs Masahiro Takanashi
4.* D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Daisuke Sasaki Vs Akito
5. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Kazusada Higuchi
6. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Mike Bailey Vs Shuji Ishikawa

*DDT “D-KING GRAND PRIX 2017 IN OSAKA 2 DAYS”, 07/01/2018*
1.* D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* Konosuke Takeshita Vs Tetsuya Endo
2. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* HARASHIMA Vs Joey Ryan
3. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* Masahiro Takanashi Vs Jiro Kuroshio
4. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Daisuke Sasaki Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
5. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Soma Takao Vs Kazusada Higuchi
6. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Akito Vs Mike Bailey

*DDT “D-KING GRAND PRIX 2017 IN OSAKA 2 DAYS”, 08/01/2018*
1. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* Konosuke Takeshita Vs Joey Ryan
2. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* HARASHIMA Vs Jiro Kuroshio
3. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* Keisuke Ishii Vs Masahiro Takanashi
4. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Daisuke Sasaki Vs Kazusada Higuchi
5. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Soma Takao Vs Mike Bailey
6. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Akito Vs Shuji Ishikawa

*DDT “D-KING GRAND PRIX 2017 IN NERIMA”, 10/01/2018*
1. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* Konosuke Takeshita Vs HARASHIMA
2. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* Keisuke Ishii Vs Joey Ryan
3. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* Tetsuya Endo Vs Jiro Kuroshio
4.* D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Daisuke Sasaki Vs Soma Takao
5. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Shuji Ishikawa
6. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Akito Vs Kazusada Higuchi

*DDT “D-KING GRAND PRIX 2017 IN YOKOHAMA”, 11/01/2018*
1. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* Konosuke Takeshita Vs Masahiro Takanashi
2. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* Keisuke Ishii Vs Jiro Kuroshio
3. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* Tetsuya Endo Vs Joey Ryan
4. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Daisuke Sasaki Vs Shuji Ishikawa
5. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Mike Bailey
6. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Soma Takao Vs Akito

*DDT “D-KING GRAND PRIX 2017 IN SHIMIZU”, 13/01/2018*
1. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* HARASHIMA Vs Masahiro Takanashi
2. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* Keisuke Ishii Vs Tetsuya Endo
3. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* Joey Ryan Vs Jiro Kuroshio
4. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Akito
5. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Kazusada Higuchi Vs Mike Bailey
6. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Soma Takao Vs Shuji Ishikawa

*DDT “D-KING GRAND PRIX 2017 IN SHINKIBA”, 14/01/2018*
1. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* Konosuke Takeshita Vs Keisuke Ishii
2. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* HARASHIMA Vs Tetsuya Endo
3. *D-King Grand Prix – A Block:* Masahiro Takanashi Vs Joey Ryan
4. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Daisuke Sasaki Vs Mike Bailey
5. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Yukio Sakaguchi Vs Soma Takao
6. *D-King Grand Prix – B Block:* Kazusada Higuchi Vs Shuji Ishikawa

*DDT “D-KING GRAND PRIX 2017 THE FINAL!!”, 28/01/2018*
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
1. D-King Grand Prix – Final: Winner Of A Block Vs Winner Of B Block


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*That Night 1 is looking damn good. Shuji/Bailey is gonna fucking rule. :mark:

And yeah, Dragon Kid tearing his MCL means his Twin Gate reign with CIMA is most likely over. With DK & Yamamura out, Over Generation is in pretty bad shape right now. But hey, Doi Darts tomorrow! :fuckyeah *


----------



## Genking48

Fantastic Gate was held yesterday, Doi Darts was held.

Credit to Jae from iheartdg.com and the official English Dragon Gate Facebook page for the results and pics.


> *12/05/2017
> Tokyo, Korakuen Hall
> Fantastic Gate 2017*
> 
> *0. *Shachihoko Boy*⭕* (4:21 M9) Punch Tominaga❌
> *1. *CIMA*⭕*, Gamma, Problem Dragon, Kaito Ishida (10:02 Zombie Catcher) Big R Shimizu, Ben-K, Jason Lee, Shun Skywalker❌
> *2. *Genki Horiguchi, Yosuke♡Santa Maria*⭕* (4:33 Neraiuchi) K-ness., Yuki Yoshioka❌
> *3. *Kzy*⭕*, U-T (7:06 Skayde Schoolboy) Yasushi Kanda, Takashi Yoshida❌
> *4. *YAMATO, BxB Hulk, Kagetora*⭕* (11:50 Kagenui) Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Susumu Yokosuka❌
> *5. *Ryo Saito*⭕* (16:10 Dragon Suplex Hold) Shingo Takagi❌
> *6.* T-Hawk, Eita*⭕*, El Lindaman (15:53 Cerberus by T-Hawk) Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fujii❌, CIMA
> 
> CIMA talked about the Dragon Kid injury. He was going to be out for several months, but he was ready to fight today. He had to be talked out of getting on the Shinkansen and coming to Tokyo. Replacing him wasn’t so simple. This was a job for an Over Generation member. There are currently only 4 OG members left standing. Problem Dragon & Ishida weren’t ready to do 2 matches in one day. Gamma was up for it but, as DK’s Twin Gate partner CIMA felt it was his duty to take his place. He asked Mochizuki & Fujii to come out and accept his offer to help them throw out some smelly trash but Verserk interrupted. They didn’t agree to this. If that idiot Dragon Kid wasn’t here then the main event will continue as a 3 on 2. Mochizuki & Fujii were ready and willing to do it that way. Verserk were the ones that should be worried. What if they lost? How embarrassing would that be? It would certainly put an end to any of their ambitions as main eventers. Lindaman was so confident he told T-Hawk & Eita to take the night off. He would face Mochizuki & Fujii by himself! Mochizuki quickly tried to make this official but Eita shut Lindaman up. Eita said that CIMA could be in the match, but on one condition. If Verserk wins, CK-1 will have to vacate the Open the Twin Gate. CIMA was willing to agree to anything. He would agree to lick Lindaman’s boots if they lost if it means he could get his hands on them. Lindaman pounced on that statement and added it as another stipulation.
> 
> Metal Warrior attacked Kagetora again, this time with a John Woo. He unmasked himself to reveal Yasushi Kanda. He continued his attack, using scissors to cut off a large chunk of hair. He called him an idiot. He was so quick to doubt the other ex-Jimmyz. He really never thought it could be him? He went to cut off the rest of his hair but referee Yagi tackled him. Why? Because hair is very very very important. Kanda clearly doesn’t understand this. If he wants to cut some hair he should cut his own. Why? Because fuck people who get to have long hair! Kagetora actually had to calm Yagi down. He was the one who had his hair cut, so he is the one that gets to be angry. He challenged Kanda to come after the Brave Gate so he could get his hands on him.
> 
> Takagi swore up and down that he kicked out at 2. TWO! Everyone saw it. He kicked out. Saito told him to give it up. He lost. 1, 2, 3, 5, 10. No matter the number, Takagi is the loser. Takagi blamed it all on Punch. Saito announced that it was once again time for Mr. Shingo Takagi to make excuses and pass the blame to someone else. Takagi blew it off. This match was a lot of nothing. Whatever. This wasn’t over. Takagi pulled out the Owarai Gate, which he had destroyed during the match. His precious little belt was done. He won’t be able to defend it in his bullshit comedy matches ever again! Saito said that the condition of the title belt wouldn’t alter his style. He will continue to make fans laugh. The other ex-Jimmyz have made moves. They have challenged for and defended championships. He was left behind, but that time has passed. It was time for him to make his move.
> 
> Eita demanded that CIMA live up to the stipulation and vacate the Twin Gate. They belong to Eita & T-Hawk now. Lindaman tried to enforce the other stipulation. The one that required a distinguished 20 year legend lick the boots of a rookie only 3 years into his career. Enjoy it. Be sure to lick the whole thing. Take it in. Susumu came in to make the save. No one is licking anything here. He turned to CIMA. It was unfortunate that he had to give up the Twin Gate, but there was nothing preventing him from just taking them right back. He offered to team with him to take out T-Hawk & Eita and win back the Twin Gate. CIMA talked about winning and defending the Twin Gate for over a year with Dragon Kid. They weren’t beaten in a match, they had to give them up in such an unpleasant manner. He accepted the offer from Susumu. They continued to go back and forth under Muscular Countdown played.
> 
> It was time for Doi Darts! He called the entire roster to the ring. As has become tradition, some kids were pulled from the crowd to help select the members of the main event for the final Korakuen Hall of the year. Last year, Yoshino made a little girl cry and the selected match was so precarious that Doi & YAMATO had to be added to it. This time around, El Lindaman had his spot hit 6 times, including 3 in a row by the same kid.
> 
> The main shows of December looks like this so far
> 12/20/2017
> Tokyo, Korakuen Hall
> Fantastic Gate 2017
> _Doi Darts Special 10 Man Tag Team Match:_ Yasushi Kanda, El Lindaman, Hyo Watanabe, Don Fujii, T-Hawk vs. Big R Shimizu, Eita, Naruki Doi, Kotoka, Susumu Yokosuka
> 
> 12/23/2017
> Fukuoka, Kokusai Center
> The Final Gate 2017
> _-Open the Brave Gate Championship Match:_ Kagetora vs. Yasushi Kanda
> _-41st Open the Twin Gate Champion Team Decision Match:_ CIMA, Susumu Yokosuka vs. T-Hawk, Eita





Spoiler: pics


----------



## PUNQ

Desecrated said:


> @PUNQ I've opted to give AJPW the benefit of the doubt. Gives Kento something to do. It'll be important for them to build up several challengers for the Champions Carnival and the coming months. It'll all come down to the results of the booking. Doering is great big man and he has had superb matches this year with Shuji and Kento, and a much better one with Suwama earlier this year. I'm excited for those rematches. AJPW's heavyweight scene is a bit bone-dry. I was just optimistic they'd make a temporary challenger out of Sekimoto.


Yeah, I agree All Japan's heavyweight scene is drying out now after fairly strong year for big matches. Saw the opening day of the Real World Tag League. While it was a good size crowd, this was for the most part a dead show. Lowest acceptable effort with only the last two matches having something to offer. Even that felt a little bit tired with so many veterans that’s been around forever. 



*AJPW - "REAL WORLD TAG LEAGUE 2017 ~ 45TH ANNIVERSARY SERIES" - November 19, 2017, Sapporo - (2 3/4 hrs)*
_November 19, 2017, Sapporo - Hokkaido Makomanai Sekisui Heim Ice Arena (2,130 Fans)_
1. Yohei Nakajima & Koji Iwamoto -vs- Tomoya & Ganseki Tanaka [3/4*]
2. Hikaru Sato & Keiichi Sato -vs- Atsushi Aoki & Yusuke Okada [* 1/2]
3. Osamu Nishimura (c) -vs- Atsushi Maruyama - (!BANG!TV Title & NKPWA Title) [* 1/4]
4. Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi -vs- Ryouji Sai & Masakado - (RWTL 2017) [* 3/4]
5. Keiji Muto & Dory Funk Jr. & Kento Miyahara & Ultimo Dragon -vs- Daisuke Sekimoto & Tajiri & Black Tiger VII & Dalton Drellich [* 1/2]
6. KAI -vs- Yoshitatsu [* 3/4]
7. Zeus & The Bodyguard -vs- Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori - (RWTL 2017) [** 1/2]
8. Joe Doering & Taiyo Kea -vs- Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa - (RWTL 2017) [** 1/4]



*4. Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi -vs- Ryouji Sai & Masakado – (RWTL 2017) [* 3/4]*
— The opening match of the 2017 edition of the Real World Tag League was not exactly an intense experience, but I guess it was possible as it let the All Asia Tag Champions look good against the Land’s End lads.

*5. Keiji Muto & Dory Funk Jr. & Kento Miyahara & Ultimo Dragon -vs- Daisuke Sekimoto & Tajiri & Black Tiger VII & Dalton Drellich [* 1/2]*
— You really feel scared for Dory Funk Jr. in there. Up against Sekimoto, no less! Legends match, not very good. Just happy wrestling stuff hoping Dory won’t die in the process.

*6. KAI -vs- Yoshitatsu [* 3/4]*
— This is such an odd singles match to present the Sapporo fans. KAI seems to be wasting his potential on doing random indies and Yoshitatsu pretty much ruined by his stay in the big E. The fans are not accepting him and few seemed to care about this singles match. Same goes for me apart from a strange curiosity how this would go. And it was pretty dull except for a solid minute ending it. But it’s clear both these guys needs to find a soul to be relevant.

*7. Zeus & The Bodyguard -vs- Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori – (RWTL 2017) [** 1/2]*
— This one woke the fans up. Still fairly standard by these guy’s level, but at least it was mostly motivated and it helped that Zeus got a cut on the top of his head turning his bleached hair red to create a little more drama to this hard-fought tag with the former- and current AJPW Tag Champions. And that’s why the result was so pleasing, as The Big Guns might get a shot at the belts regardless of how it goes in the Real World Tag League beating the champs here.

*8. Joe Doering & Taiyo Kea -vs- Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa – (RWTL 2017) [** 1/4]*
— Pure heavyweight fight. Everyone has been Triple Crown Champion, and while it was a tough war, the current Triple Crown Champion, Joe Doering, looked the worst of the bunch. Kea, in only his second match since taking over a year off, looked good. Not only for the lack of ring rust, but also in the booking beating Suwama with the trusted TKO34th.


----------



## BornBad

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/937551235116253184


----------



## MC

Felt this would be the best place to put it since it's not big enough for it's own thread,


----------



## MC

Sorry for the double post BUT................


[SPOILER=""Greatness]

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/939800554087202821[/SPOILER]


----------



## Genking48

credit: iheartdg.com



> *12/10/2017
> Kyoto, KBS Hall
> Fantastic Gate 2017
> Attendance: 850*
> 
> *1. *T-Hawk, Eita*⭕*, El Lindaman (13:43 Superkick & Cerberus Combo) Gamma, Problem Dragon, Kaito Ishida❌
> *2. *Ben-K*⭕* (9:24 Ground Full Nelson) U-T❌
> *3.* Big R*⭕* Shimizu (9:32 Shot-put Slam) Hyo Watanabe❌
> *4.* Shingo Takagi, Yasushi Kanda*⭕* (10:23 Candy Magix) Kagetora❌, Shachihoko Boy
> *5. *Ryo Saito*⭕*, Genki Horiguchi (14:11 Premium Bridge) Masaaki Mochizuki, K-ness.❌
> *6. *Naruki Doi*⭕*, Masato Yoshino, Jason Lee (17:33 Bakatare Sliding Kick) YAMATO, BxB Hulk❌, Kzy
> 
> Mochizuki wondered if Saito was ever going to speak up and challenge him to a title match. It looked like he was going to just leave again today. Saito said he was waiting for Mochizuki to challenge him. Mochizuki was taken aback slightly, but was more than willing to do it. The 47 year old Dream Gate champion was challenging Ryo Saito to a title match. Saito accepted.
> 
> The MaxiMuM main event team challenged Tribe Vanguard to a Triangle Gate title match. They accepted.





Spoiler: pics























So we got the card for Final Gate:
*12/23/2017
Fukuoka, Kokusai Center
The Final Gate 2017*
*0. *Shun Skywalker, Yuki Yoshioka vs. Hyo Watanabe, Oji Shiiba
*1. *Gamma, Problem Dragon, Kaito Ishida, Kotoka vs. K-ness., "Hollywood" Stalker Ichikawa, Yosuke♡Santa Maria, U-T
*2. *Don Fujii, Genki Horiguchi vs. El Lindaman, Punch Tominaga
*3. Open the Brave Gate Championship Match:* Kagetora vs. Yasushi Kanda
*4. *Big R Shimizu, Ben-K vs. Shingo Takagi, Takashi Yoshida
*5. Open the Triangle Gate Championship Match:* YAMATO, BxB Hulk, Kzy vs. Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Jason Lee
*6. Open the Twin Gate Championship Decision Match: *CIMA, Susumu Yokosuka vs. T-Hawk, Eita
*7. Open the Dream Gate Championship Match:* Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Ryo Saito


----------



## HOJO

The poster for DAMNATION: Illegal Gathering 2 is out now. the only match made official so far is *Shuji Ishikawa & Suwama vs Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei*


----------



## T Hawk

Takeshita Konosuke now has the second longest KOD reign! Longer than any of Haroshima's 9 reigns! 5 more days until he holds the record! 

In celebration here's his awesome theme that just got posted last week!






kada kada


----------



## BornBad

One hour of a very great interview with Tanahashi with subtiles


----------



## T Hawk

Ishikawa Shuji and Suwama won the Tag League with a win over Okami.

Not bad for Okami making both BJW and AJPW Tag League Finals in the span of 2 months.

Disappointed Miyahara Kento and Yoshitatsu didn't make it, but good showing nonetheless.


----------



## MC

BornBad said:


> One hour of a very great interview with Tanahashi with subtiles


Saw some of this the other day, yet to finsh.


----------



## Corey

Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa won All Japan's Tag League today, beating Daichi and Kamitani in the finals. They've earned a shot at Akiyama & Omori's tag titles and I certainly hope they beat the old geezers for them down the line.


----------



## T Hawk

This tag league did good things for Hashimoto Daichi.

He is going to be so ready to take the title off of Suzuki Hidkei now at Death Vegas.


----------



## antoniomare007

Daichi is the best shape of his life too. I think he's definitely winning at Death Vegas.

Show is already up on Real Hero, dropped reviews of the 2 best matches in the MOTYC thread.

The Final was fine, it was a fun enough sprint but the crowd was clearly spent and both teams had used their best ideas/stuff in their previous matchups


----------



## Ted Scheckler

Any of you guys like the micro indies of Japan just for how bizarre it all is? Found something called "Bundara Pro Wrestling" today by just clicking random links in Japanese on YouTube.

Some highlights:

- A guy who kind of looks like Keiji Mutoh without the paint coming out in a Mutoh T-Shirt and seems to be doing some kind of rip-off/tribute to him.

- A man who has to be aged at least 50 years old wrestling in a full business suit (Called The Great Salaryman, lol) and having a tag team partner who is his secretary and is a younger woman also in full business attire.

- Guys dressed up as animals (including tails) wrestling one another.

- Shows run from what looks to be a warehouse with wrestlers entering from the upstairs office area.

- They actually seem to book some decent "names" for what level they're at. Magnitude Kishiwada (Formerly of Dragon Gate) and Ultimate Spider Jr. have made appearances for them recently. 

- Matches without the ring and them wrestling on mats with the nylon rope barriers you'd see at a bank set up outside what seems to be some relatively high class building. It's weird that wrestling without the ring is accepted in Japan but pretty much anywhere else in the world it'd be considered low class backyard wrestling.

Not putting these guys down, seem to pull about 40-50 people a show and are doing tons of good stuff in their community if the facebook page is anything to go off (Lots of free shows at schools etc). This is literally an indy most would never have heard of but they're putting on good matches in a warehouse in some part of Japan.


----------



## Corey

All Japan gonna give us the first MOTYCs in 2018? These are lookin good

*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2018 New Year Wars”, 1/2/2017 [Tue] 12:00 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo​*
() *New Year Battle Royal:*
() *World Junior Heavyweight Championship Match:* [Champion] (Winner of 12/17 match) vs. [Challenger] Kotaro Suzuki

() *Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship Match:* [59th Champion] Joe Doering vs. [Challenger] Zeus
_~ 2nd title defense._

*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2018 New Year Wars”, 1/3/2017 [Wed] @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*​
() *World Tag Championship Match:* [77th Champions] Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori vs. [Challengers] Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa
_~ 1st title defense._


----------



## Bazinga

Omega needs Jericho to get over in Japan cuz the kid ain't movin' merch, buyrates are down and arenas are half full.

It's a panic move bringin' Naito back cuz Kenny just ain't got what it takes. Stick him with Hibashi to actually learn some in-ring psychology, instead of 73 spots a match.

Jericho couldn't even put Fandango over without b*tchin' about it on his podcast. Where the f*ck is Fandango now? Jericho killed all his damn heat.

Be careful what you wish for Omega; Jericho's buried a lot of talent and you're next.


----------



## T Hawk

Hashimoto Daichi won the title

Anybody else now hoping that Suzuki Hideki leaves BJW and can get his break and maybe go to NJPW as a young lion?


----------



## volde

Isn't he a bit too old to be Young Lion?


----------



## Corey

Haha yeah I think 37 might be a bit too old for that.


----------



## T Hawk

I know he's older but DDP started at like 40 too.

Suzuki Hideki looks like he could have potential if he got the right training and maybe a few years under Tenzan Hiriyoshi or Nakanishi Manabu could tap into that potential.


----------



## HOJO

He's been wrestling for 9 years and was trained by Billy Robinson, dude. jesus christ


How was Death Vegas? Only thing that had my interest when looking at the card was the main event


----------



## T Hawk

HOJO said:


> He's been wrestling for 9 years and was trained by Billy Robinson, dude. jesus christ


Billy Robinson? 
I am not familiar is he a backyarder like Ian Rotten and that's how Suzuki Hideki ended up in a deathmatch promotion? I'll YouTube him later tbh and see what comes up.

Regardless of who trained him, Suzuki Hideki still looks raw to me and he has a long way to go. Even at age 37, he could be a good young boy that pays off in 3-4 years after proper training and excursion to ROH.

Kitamura Katsuya 2-years older than Okada Kazuchika and that didn't stop him from being a young lion

Also, what are everybody's thoughts on Takeshita Konosuke now being the best ever KO-D Openweight Champion now with the longest reign of all time and the most successful defenses? What is your favourite match from this landmark title reign! I like his triple title match with Sasaki Daisuke and Ken Ohka!


----------



## antoniomare007

ohhh, I see, this dude is a troll. Good to know.


I was :lmao at a 9 year vet being a young lion. That's not how that shit works :lmao


----------



## T Hawk

@antoniomare007

why this is funny I'm not a Suzuki Hideki expert and never claimed to be?

It's not like NJPW only takes 25 or younger young lions. Like I wrote Kitamura Katsuya is gonna be 33 and he's already significantly older than Okada Kazuchika... but they are investing in him anyway. Yes, there is 4-years difference between Kitamura and Suzuki but you can wrestle well into 45+ at a high level in Japan age is nothing but a number.

How am I supposed to know the quality of this supposed "9-year vet" vet really?

Like Al Snow says, sometimes "9-year vet" can mean "well, I started training 9-years ago, wrestled the first 6-years on the weekends didn't really start doing it full-time until 3-years ago." So really, that guy has been doing it for 3-years.

and I'm not saying this as a knock to Suzuki Hideki I really like him and I want to see him go to NJPW. It was just an idea tbh. His head start in expierence would mean he wouldn't have to be a young boy for long.


----------



## antoniomare007

HOJO said:


> How was Death Vegas? Only thing that had my interest when looking at the card was the main event


Hideki vs Daichi was fine. Better than their first encounter but still wasn't anything to write home about. It had a couple of good moments but the crowd being typical Yokohama never helped. 

I did like how Daichi's finisher is treated like death, and how every big L he's taken is because he's been countered when trying to hit it. Also found pretty dope how Suzuki's finish was well avoided all match.


6 man tag title match was fun but too long in the middle. Finish came out of nowhere too. 

Honestly, nothing I would make any effort to see.


----------



## analgapetypebeat

Hawk T is great poster (srs); v 'wrestling forum' 

Suzuki vs. Hashimoto = 100% fucking garbage lol (tbh though if u went in expecting anything else...idk lol)
main event was sick...elite deathmatch level quality


----------



## Genking48

Last stop before Final Gate on the 23rd. Thanks to Jae of iheartdg.com 


> *12/20/2017
> Tokyo, Korakuen Hall
> Fantastic Gate 2017
> Attendance+ 1850*
> 
> *1. *K-ness, Shachihoko Boy, Shun Skywalker*⭕* (8:05 Skywalker Moonsault) Gamma, Problem Dragon, Kaito Ishida❌
> *2. *Takashi Yoshida⭕ (7:15 Power Bomb) U-T❌
> *3. *Ryo Saito, “Hollywood” Stalker Ichikawa⭕ (11:20 Ina Bauer German Suplex) Shingo Takagi, Punch Tominaga❌
> *4. *Tribe Vanguard Special Tag Match: BxB Hulk, Kzy⭕[/B] (13:11 Skayde Schoolboy) YAMATO❌, Yosuke♡Santa Maria
> *5. *Masaaki Mochizuki, Genki Horiguchi⭕, Kagetora (13:19 Backslide from Heaven) Masato Yoshino, Ben-K❌, Jason Lee
> *6. Doi Darts Special 10 Man Tag Team Match:* Yasushi Kanda, El Lindaman⭕, Hyo Watanabe, Don Fujii, T-Hawk (24:14 German Suplex Hold) Big R Shimizu, Eita, Naruki Doi, Kotoka❌, Susumu Yokosuka
> 
> The heavily depleted Over Generation held Gong Kids at the top of the show. Ishida had just turned 22 the previous day. The kid was 11 years old. Ishida noted it was just half of his age, prompting the 44 year old Gamma to say the same about Ishida. Problem Dragon is not 88, though.
> 
> Takagi had enough of Punch being useless and gave him a lariat. This set up the win for Ichikawa. Takagi then blamed the loss on Punch. He wondered why Saito was doing more comedy bullshit right before a Dream Gate title match. Was he planning on being a Dream & Owarai double champion? Dragon Gate would become the laughingstock of the industry. Takagi isn’t worried, though. He asked Saito to wrestle just like he did today and try not to die at the hands of Mochizuki. Saito told him they didn’t lose because of Punch. It was because of him! Being Dream & Owarai champion doesn’t sound like a bad idea to him. Takagi was put in various situations today and was actually entertaining for the first time in ages. The Owarai Gate is an important title. Maybe after he wins the Dream Gate to become a double champion, Takagi can come and challenge for both them. Their feud wasn’t over. They were going to meet again in 2018.
> 
> Kzy was tired of being overlooked. He was a part of the Triangle Gate champion team but when talking about the current generation all you ever hear about is YAMATO, Doi, Hulk, Takagi, or Yoshino. It was time to change that. He has come a long way in 2017 and he is planning on making 2018 even bigger.
> 
> Verserk ruled the ring after the main event. Lindaman and Young Verserk were going to run things next year. Eita focused on Susumu. Where was his beloved CIMA? Before a Twin Gate title match he wasn’t even in the country! He ran away to China. It doesn’t really matter though. Susumu was here and he was going to get a receipt from the last Korakuen where he attacked Eita. Susumu gave him a lariat. CIMA didn’t need to be here. His experience is beyond anything you punks could imagine. He will be ready in Fukuoka. Together, they are going to fuck you up.
> 
> Doi did some banter with Susumu and about Final Gate. He called out the roster to throw out signed balls to the fans and give a year-ending message.
> 
> Doi’s was, HE IS ABSOLUTELY UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DOING DOI DARTS NEXT YEAR.
> Yoshino started the year with a bad injury. He hopes to overcome more challenges next year.
> Shimizu gave a big thank you.
> Ben-K said that he was Ben-K.
> Jason spoke Chinese.
> Hyo was going to try his best to have a lot of matches in Korakuen Hall next year.
> Ichikawa also was going to reverse the trend of not wrestling in Tokyo very often.
> Horiguchi said that next year was his (and Ichikawas’) 20th anniversary. To celebrate he would finally be getting a hair transplant!
> Kagetora finally won the Brave Gate this year and intended on defending it through 2018.
> Saito looked forward to seeing all the fans again next year….as Dream & Owarai Gate double champion
> Susumu will also celebrate his 20th anniversary next year. Nothing is set in stone right now, but he was hoping to have a homecoming show in Yokosuka next year.
> K-ness. hoped to create more ring gear to show off his various form changes.
> Shachi is going to speak loudly again in 2018.
> Gamma lead a Gamma chant, but followed with the news that Kaito Ishida suffered a concussion during the opener. Over Generation was down to only 2 members. Sometime in 2018 they would be back at full power. Uuuuuuuuuuu!
> Problem Dragon had announced here in Tokyo that he was going to miss a long time due to his neck injury. Thanks to the fans here that supported him that day he was able to return and compete here. He hopes he can wrestle on every show here next year. For the sake of the fans and for his niece. See you next year~
> Yoshioka was aiming for new heights in 2018.
> Kotoka said Veeeeeeeh but Fujii cut him off and took the microphone. Fujii vowed to finally get over that nagging knee injury next year.
> Shun is going to continue Skywalking in 2018.
> Maria lead a 3-2-1 LOVELY~~~~ chant.
> U-T struggled to remember exactly when his injury happened, but it caused him to miss most of the year. His goal next year was to become a full timer and be on all shows. He reminded everyone that he is U-T.
> Hulk said the engines will still be at full throttle in 2018.
> YAMATO pondered the significance of of change. He is moving into his 12th year as a wrestler and evolution is very important. For that reason he was thinking about ……cutting his hair. Fans were initially horrified but politely applauded when he asked what they thought.
> Kzy said a lot of thank yous. He hopes to have fun with everyone again next year. What time is it? It’s K-Z-TIME.
> Mochizuki thanked the fans for making every show this year a sell out. He hopes to achieve the same next year. He asked the fans to find the time in their schedule to come and enjoy the shows. Thank you and see you next year.





Spoiler: pictures























































Next stop is Final Gate


> 12/23/2017
> Fukuoka, Kokusai Center
> The Final Gate 2017
> 
> 0. Shun Skywalker, Yuki Yoshioka vs. Hyo Watanabe, Oji Shiiba
> 1. Gamma, Problem Dragon, Kaito Ishida, Kotoka vs. K-ness., "Hollywood" Stalker Ichikawa, Yosuke♡Santa Maria, U-T
> 2. Don Fujii, Genki Horiguchi vs. El Lindaman, Punch Tominaga
> 3. Open the Brave Gate Championship Match: Kagetora vs. Yasushi Kanda
> 4. Big R Shimizu, Ben-K vs. Shingo Takagi, Takashi Yoshida
> 5. Open the Triangle Gate Championship Match: YAMATO, BxB Hulk, Kzy vs. Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Jason Lee
> 6. Open the Twin Gate Championship Decision Match: CIMA, Susumu Yokosuka vs. T-Hawk, Eita
> 7. Open the Dream Gate Championship Match: Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Ryo Saito


----------



## antoniomare007

TWIN TOWERS BACK







and what a match is gonna be.


*BJW, 1/2/2018 [Tue] 18:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*
(1) Takuya Nomura & Takuho Kato vs. Yuya Aoki & Yukihiro Mori
(2) Shinobu, Tsutomu Oosugi & Hercules Senga vs. Kazuki Hashimoto, Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Kota Sekifuda
(3) Yuko Miyamoto, Isami Kodaka, Minoru Fujita & Ryuichi Sekine vs. Shu Brahman, Kei Brahman, Kankuro Hoshino & TAJIRI
(4) Hideyoshi Kamitani, Yoshihisa Uto & Kazumi Kikuta vs. Ryota Hama, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Taishi Takizawa (K-DOJO)
(5) Death Match: Abdullah Kobayashi, Ryuji Ito & Jaki Numazawa vs. Masaya Takahashi, Takayuki Ueki & Toshiyuki Sakuda
*(6) Daisuke Sekimoto & Hideki Suzuki vs. Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato*
(7) BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship Match: [11th Champion] Daichi Hashimoto vs. [Challenger] Ryuichi Kawakami
~ 1st title defense.
(8) BJW Death Match Heavyweight Championship Match: [36th Champion] Masashi Takeda vs. [Challenger] Takumi Tsukamoto
~ 4th title defense.


Hopefully Shuji blesses Big Japan with a few more appearances in 2018, last year his only match was on the New Year's to give the belts back to Strong BJ.


----------



## Desecrated

If that Daisuke/Hideki vs Twin Towers match is even half as good as the Twin Towers match last year, I'm fucking down. Probably a top 5 favourite match last year from any company. So freaking awesome.


----------



## MC

Spoiler: AND NEWWWWWWWW!!!



Kenou has won the title!!!!! We have a new GHC Heavyweight Champion.


----------



## Corey

MC 16 said:


> Spoiler: AND NEWWWWWWWW!!!
> 
> 
> 
> Kenou has won the title!!!!! We have a new GHC Heavyweight Champion.


Big time meh on that one. That pretty much wipes away what little interest I had in the company going forward. Oh well

But on a positive note, they apparently got 1600 people at Korakuen for the show today so that's good news.


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Big time meh on that one. That pretty much wipes away what little interest I had in the company going forward. Oh well
> 
> But on a positive note, they apparently got 1600 people at Korakuen for the show today so that's good news.


How come? Aren't you a big fan of Kenou?


----------



## Corey

MC 16 said:


> How come? Aren't you a big fan of Kenou?


Nah not really. Always came across as a very bland guy who kicks hard. Have never really cared for him or Kotoge tbh.


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Nah not really. Always came across as a very bland guy who kicks hard. Have never really cared for him or Kotoge tbh.


Ah, I can see that but I think they are both good.


----------



## T Hawk

So with the GHC Heavyweight Championship essentially being a Junior Heavyweight Championship now... should they rename that belt to the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship and then just rename the actual GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship?

Maybe call the old junior title the GHC Jr. Junior Heavyweight title?


----------



## Corey

God damn the first week of the new year is gonna be STACKED with content. That Twin Towers tag, Tajiri/Suzuki, Doering/Zeus, Suwama & Ishikawa possibly winning the All Japan tag straps, and of course all of Wrestle Kingdom.

Can't fuckin wait! :mark:


----------



## MC

With Kaito Kiyomiya challenging Kenou, it could truly be a sign of change for Noah. I'm excited.


----------



## Genking48

For all who missed it, Final Gate was held yesterday. People won, people lost. New champions, others retained. Be sure to follow Iheartdg for more Dragon Gate content in 2018.



> *12/23/2017
> Fukuoka, Kokusai Center
> The Final Gate 2017
> Attendance: 6000*
> 
> *0. *Shun Skywalker*⭕*, Yuki Yoshioka (4:28 Skywalker Moonsault) Hyo Watanabe, Oji Shiiba❌
> *1.* K-ness., “Hollywood” Stalker Ichikawa, Yosuke♡Santa Maria*⭕*, U-T (8:14 Neraiuchi) Gamma, Problem Dragon, Kaito Ishida❌, Kotoka
> *2. *Don Fujii*⭕*, Genki Horiguchi (9:02 Super Chokeslam) El Lindaman, Punch Tominaga❌
> *3. Open the Brave Gate Championship Match:* Yasushi Kanda*⭕* (11:20 Ryu’s) Kagetora❌
> _*Kagetora fails in his 6th Defense, Kanda becomes the 32nd Champion_
> *4.* Shingo Takagi*⭕*, Takashi Yoshida (13:06 Pumping Bomber) Big R Shimizu❌, Ben-K
> *5. Open the Triangle Gate Championship Match:* Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino*⭕*, Jason Lee (17:50 Sol Naciente) YAMATO, BxB Hulk❌, Kzy
> _*Tribe Vanguard fail in their 2nd defense, MaxiMuM become the 62nd champion team_
> *6. Open the Twin Gate Championship Decision Match:* T-Hawk, Eita*⭕* (22:52 Grande) CIMA❌, Susumu Yokosuka
> _*Verserk become the 32nd champion team_
> *7. Open the Dream Gate Championship Match:* Masaaki Mochizuki*⭕* (21:36 Shin Saikyo High Kick) Ryo Saito❌
> 
> CIMA & Over Generation opened the show with Gong Kids and a speech. Last year on this show, CK-1 defeated Takagi & T-Hawk to defend the Twin Gate. Unfortunately, DK injured his knee and they couldn’t do the same this year. Susumu stepped in to join him in getting revenge on that traitor Eita and giving the Fukuoka fans a Christmas present.
> 
> Saito & Mochizuki had their pre-match confrontation. Saito said that no matter how many times Mochizuki kicks him he will not fall. Even if he is kicked right in the face, he will be the one standing tall as champion at the end. Mochizuki recalled the last time he was in the Final Gate main event. It was 6 years ago and he lost. That won’t happen this time. He promised to win.
> 
> Verserk interfered heavily to help Kanda win the Brave Gate. Kagetora lost the Jimmyz, now he has lost his title. He has nothing left. Kanda asked for hair clippers so he could also take what was left of his hair, but Referee Yagi tackled him. He clearly still doesn’t understand how important hair was. He won the title, that should be enough for today. Kanda was irritated at Yagi getting in his way again. Whatever. He is the new Brave Gate champion. His defense record will soon be as long as his hair is. Backstage, Kagetora questioned what kind of champion Kanda will be since he clearly can’t win without help. Their feud isn’t over. Kanda called the belt a piece of trash. He doesn’t particularly care about it but challenged anyone to come and try and take it from him.
> 
> Takagi claimed another easy win. Shimizu & Ben will never reach the top because they are utterly predictable. Everyone has them figured out. Get out of the ring. Verserk has cemented their spot as the top unit of 2017. Kanda won the Brave Gate fair and square. Takagi & Yoshida coasted to victory here. Later on, T-Hawk & Eita would win the Twin Gate. The fans should get used to it and learn to love it.
> 
> Takehiro Yamamura appeared after intermission to talk about his injury. Right here in Hakata back on October 1st, he took a bad bump on his back and was briefly paralyzed from the neck down. He was initially diagnosed with a spinal concussion. After re-examination it was revealed that he actually suffered a dislocation of the 1st cervical vertebrae. He still has numbness in his hands. The doctors have told him that a comeback is currently not possible and he should start to consider his options for life after wrestling. He refuses to give up. He is only 22 so he time is on his side. It may take a very long time but as long as there is even a tiny chance he can come back he will fight to make it happen. He hopes the fans will wait for him.
> 
> Backstage, MaxiMuM talked about finally bringing some success to the unit. Doi talked about being nervous before the match in a way he hasn’t been in a long time. Yoshino said he has never been so happy to be Triangle Gate champion. They planned on raising the value of the titles to new heights.
> 
> Verserk ruled the ring after the Twin Gate match. Eita was especially annoying. CIMA had the nerve to call them B class. That must make these old fucks D class. Their time is over. They are finished. Young Verserk are the ones that dictate the direction of Dragon Gate now. He turned his attention to Punch. He does nothing but mess up and hold the unit back. He doesn’t deserve to be a member anymore. They attacked him. Backstage, he was officially kicked out. T-Hawk announced that Verserk would be undergoing major changes. The Young Verserk trio were taking control. The veteran trio of Takagi, Kanda, & Yoshida will provide background support. To commemorate this, Verserk will undergo a name change in 2018.
> 
> Mochizuki praised and thanked Saito for the match. He recalled their first Dream Gate title match back in 2005, right here in Hakata. Saito has come so far since then. He got good enough to become champion himself. After that, he decided to pursue the less serious path. That isn’t a bad thing. Having fun is very important. Mochizuki knows better than anyone that Saito is still capable of bringing it in important matches. He expects Saito to one day stand as champion again. Mochizuki asked him to help close out the show. Together, they thanked the fans for their support in 2017. Saito said he will remember all of their faces and expects to see them in Hakata Star Lanes in February.
> 
> Backstage, Takagi & Saito had another confrontation. Takagi called him a loser and told him to vacate the Owarai Gate title. He also complained about Saito having the ex-Jimmyz at ringside. They were disbanded. They shouldn’t be allowed to associate with one another. Takagi said he was looking forward to 2018 so he could finally put an end to their war.





Spoiler: pics


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Damn shame to hear about Yamamura's injury. It's clear Dragon Gate wanted him to be a big deal & if this cuts his career short, it'll be a big shot to them. 

That being said, Final Gate was an awesome show. Fukuoka was lively, the matches delivered & I'm interested in seeing what's to come out of this new direction for VerserK. *


----------



## Corey

First NOAH card of the new year features an X Division Title match.

*Pro-Wrestling NOAH, 1/6/2018 [Sat] 18:00 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*

() Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Junta Miyawaki
() Muhammad Yone, Quiet Storm & Akitoshi Saito vs. Mitsuya Nagai (DRADITION), Yuko Miyamoto (666) & Cody Hall
() Daisuke Harada, Tadasuke, HAYATA, YO-HEY & LEONA (DRADITION) vs. Hi69, Hajime Ohara, Hitoshi Kumano, Minoru Tanaka (FREE) & Seiya Morohashi (FREE)
() Takashi Sugiura vs. Jay Bradley
() Go Shiozaki & Atsushi Kotoge vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya
() Naomichi Marufuji vs. Maybach Taniguchi

() *Impact Wrestling sanctioned X-Division Championship Match:* [84th Champion] Taiji Ishimori vs. [Challenger] Andrew Everett (Impact Wrestling)
_~ 3rd title defense._

() *GHC Heavyweight Championship Match:* [30th Champion] Kenoh vs. [Challenger] Kaito Kiyomiya
_~ 1st title defense._


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> First NOAH card of the new year features an X Division Title match.
> 
> *Pro-Wrestling NOAH, 1/6/2018 [Sat] 18:00 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*
> 
> () Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Junta Miyawaki
> () Muhammad Yone, Quiet Storm & Akitoshi Saito vs. Mitsuya Nagai (DRADITION), Yuko Miyamoto (666) & Cody Hall
> () Daisuke Harada, Tadasuke, HAYATA, YO-HEY & LEONA (DRADITION) vs. Hi69, Hajime Ohara, Hitoshi Kumano, Minoru Tanaka (FREE) & Seiya Morohashi (FREE)
> () Takashi Sugiura vs. Jay Bradley
> () Go Shiozaki & Atsushi Kotoge vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya
> () Naomichi Marufuji vs. Maybach Taniguchi
> 
> () *Impact Wrestling sanctioned X-Division Championship Match:* [84th Champion] Taiji Ishimori vs. [Challenger] Andrew Everett (Impact Wrestling)
> _~ 3rd title defense._
> 
> () *GHC Heavyweight Championship Match:* [30th Champion] Kenoh vs. [Challenger] Kaito Kiyomiya
> _~ 1st title defense._



Sounds pretty good. Kenou vs Kiyomiya should be good depending on Kiyomiya and how well he has progressed. Haven't seen much from him but I hear good things and a few NOAH fans are buzzed, so he must have some potential. I was never really huge fan of Everett but Ishimori could pull a good match out of him. Marufuji vs Maybach should be really intense, looking forward to that match. I expect wicked chops. Go Shiozaki & Atsushi Kotoge vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya again, should be good. Not sure about Jay Bradley though, I think that match may be missable. Then again, I thought that about the Moose match and that was pretty good. 

Overall Good card. Looking forward to it.


----------



## Genking48

Seems like Desmond Xavier & Zachery Wentz are the two gaijins that Ricochet recommended for Dragon Gate. The two of them will join the company from January.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/946056104483655680


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

DG will have a place for Yamamura even if he can't wrestle. The card itself was fun but Saito isn't the wrestler he once was. Still a good wrestler though. Dezmond and Wentz? I personally don't see them as DG guys but with that said DG is full of good wrestlers and guys who can work literally any style and Kagetora can turn anyone into a machine.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/946442455683084293

Great Stuff.


----------



## Corey

Two more title matches announced for NOAH. Harada & Ohara tore it up last year so I hope they do it again and I hope Ohara regains the belt.

*Pro-Wrestling NOAH, 1/27/2018 [Sat] 18:30 @ EDION Arena Osaka, 2nd Stadium​*
() Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Kanjyuro Matsuyama (Osaka Pro)

() *GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Championship Match:* [31st Champions] HAYATA & YO-HEY vs. [Challengers] Taiji Ishimori & Hi69
_~ 4th title defense._

() *GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship Match:* [36th Champion] Daisuke Harada vs. [Challenger] Hajime Ohara
_~ 3rd title defense._


----------



## MC

HAYATA & YO-HEY vs Taiji Ishimori & Hi69 sounds amazing.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Just rewatched the MaxiMuM/Tribe Vanguard match from Final Gate kada

My god, that match was phenomenal. All six guys absolutely killed it. YAMATO seemed more motivated in this match than he has in months, same for BxB Hulk, Kzy was on fire, Doi ruled, Jason Lee was fantastic, fitting into the Dragon Gate style like a glove & Yoshino was the fucking MVP. The fact that Yoshino went from a severe spinal injury that many thought was the end of his career, to running around the ring like he's never been hurt, absolutely kicking ass throughout the whole match is nothing short of incredible.

The Twin Gate match was awesome too & is my definite pick for MOTN, but this match was right up there with it. Would highly recommend it.*


----------



## MC

Fucking crazy that I just watched the first match of 2018, while still being in 2017. Time is a funny thing. 


Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi vs. Hideki Suzuki & Konosuke Takeshita was good.


----------



## T Hawk

MC 16 said:


> Fucking crazy that I just watched the first match of 2018, while still being in 2017. Time is a funny thing.
> 
> 
> Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi vs. Hideki Suzuki & Konosuke Takeshita was good.


see, I've been telling ya'll. NJPW needs to bring in Suzuki Hideki as a young lion he could be a great hand in a couple years with proper guidance.

Takeshita Konosuke will be a coup for whatever company signs him if he ever leaves DDT, too. He's better than Okada Kazuchika was at 22 and he's only gonna get better and his aesthetic/body is only gonna mature more.


----------



## antoniomare007

MC 16 said:


> Fucking crazy that I just watched the first match of 2018, while still being in 2017. Time is a funny thing.
> 
> 
> Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi vs. Hideki Suzuki & Konosuke Takeshita was good.


You just made my morning good sir. Any link?



T Hawk said:


> see, I've been telling ya'll. NJPW needs to bring in Suzuki Hideki as a young lion he could be a great hand in a couple years with proper guidance.


I don't think you understand what young lion means in the context of New Japan. Even if Suzuki were to be signed and start from the bottom and train in the dojo, he wouldn't be a "young lion".


----------



## MC

antoniomare007 said:


> You just made my morning good sir. Any link?


Not that I know of, it was a live stream of the show which is finished now. I'm sure they will be one later, I'll try and find it for you.


----------



## T Hawk

antoniomare007 said:


> I don't think you understand what young lion means in the context of New Japan. Even if Suzuki were to be signed and start from the bottom and train in the dojo, he wouldn't be a "young lion".


ehh don't take this wrong way, but it seems you're getting caught up on semantics.

fine, I won't say young lion. 
Is young boy better?

he's still too one-dimensional as a grapple fuck style guy and he really needs to learn other asspects of he game that he's not gonna learn in a deathmatch promotion. 
I mean Kitamura Katsuya is an Olympic level grappler, but he wasn't above being a young lion and he's older than most of the roster.


----------



## Flik

Today's Ice Ribbon show drew 1235 fans. If cagematch isn't f'n around, this is the highest number for a joshi promotion on the Korakuen Hall this year. I'm proud of my favorite promotion


----------



## MC

Yeah, congrats to Ice Ribbon, here it was a good show as well.


----------



## antoniomare007

Suzuki/Takeshita vs Sekimoto/Higuchi
https://rutube.ru/video/2b612e31c6d9170d66dcea7f5e7f79e2/?pl_id=1067514&pl_type=user


----------



## Corey

Doering retained the Triple Crown Title over Zeus today. Next challenger is KAI after he won the New Year's Rumble. I dig it.

Daichi also retained the BJW Title over Kawakami. Twin Towers got the win over Sekimoto & Suzuki in just 10 minutes.


----------



## volde

I was mad when they hot potatoed the belt from Ishikawa to Kento to Suwama to Doering, but I'm surprisingly okay with his run.


----------



## MC

Doering has done well as champion.


----------



## T Hawk

the re-introduced All-Asia Heavyweight Championship


----------



## MC

The belt looks nice.


----------



## Corey

Suwama & Ishikawa are the new All Japan Tag Champs! :mark: AJPW starting the year off right.


----------



## Desecrated

Interesting on who their first challengers are, though. Looks like Doering will be keeping the belt at least to the shows after Champions Carnival.


----------



## komatsu_na

Just realized Aoki is absent from the junior league. I hope this means he is winning the belt from TAJIRI.

Also, has anyone here been following DDT's recent (12/24~1/3) Korakuen shows? Holy shit. You'd think at least one of them would be good... DDT has gotten so lifeless in recent years. What went wrong?


----------



## PUNQ

The recent DDT shows might not have been anything out of the ordinary, but it's still DDT the way they've always been. And I'd call that Dino/Brahman 6-man tag from January 3rd anything but lifeless. Sick, puke-worthy, terrible, slippery, perverted, disgusting, egg-tastic.... but NOT lifeless. I'm still hyped for the D-King Grand Prix!


----------



## komatsu_na

Hm, I feel that they don't have any momentum right now, even NOAH has more exciting things happening.

I saw that 6-man, it was wild. I wanted nothing to do with that squid spot.


----------



## HOJO

The 6-man is probably the only thing I'd recommend for sure between yesterday's and Xmas Eve but the DAMNATION show which turned out better than most of the post-Peter Pan Korakuen shows, IMO. 

As it's all I know in life, I blame Takeshita


----------



## Pizzamorg

So I'm guessing there is no point in me catching up on the G1 Climax Final now since I already know the sour end for Naito, but is the match where Naito puts his number one contendership against Ishii worth watching? What about the Junior title match between Ospreay and Kushida from that PPV? Also on the PPV after, are the three IWGP singles Title matches worth watching? I think it is Scurll/Ospreay, Omega/Baretta and Tanahashi/Ibushi.


----------



## MC

sengen777 said:


> Hm, I feel that they don't have any momentum right now, *even NOAH has more exciting things happening.*
> 
> I saw that 6-man, it was wild. I wanted nothing to do with that squid spot.


NOAH getting some love :bjpenn


----------



## T Hawk

HOJO said:


> The 6-man is probably the only thing I'd recommend for sure between yesterday's and Xmas Eve but the DAMNATION show which turned out better than most of the post-Peter Pan Korakuen shows, IMO.
> 
> As it's all I know in life, I blame Takeshita


Do you ever think about this and realize how lucky you are: 

You were born too late to experience prime aces Inoki Antonio & Tsuruta Jumbo

You were born too early to watch as the new breed of super puro ace sell out the Neo Tokyo Dome on the Moon in the year 2675

You were born just in time to witness Okada Kazuchika and Takeshita Konosuke dominate Japan with the GOAT title reigns

kada kada kada


----------



## MC

This card look fucking awesome.


----------



## Desecrated

I'll have to use Ishikawa as my gateway into DDT, see if I like the guys he is going up against. I'll keep my eyes open for any solid matches coming from him.

Has anyone got any info from the other shows running in the past few days/next few days?


----------



## MC

Mike Bailey is pretty good to watch. He has an acquired taste though, a bit kicky kicky.


----------



## Bryan Jericho

Mike Bailey is always fun to watch. As you said he does love his kicks but I think he's very underrated


----------



## Corey

Pizzamorg said:


> So I'm guessing there is no point in me catching up on the G1 Climax Final now since I already know the sour end for Naito, but is the match where Naito puts his number one contendership against Ishii worth watching? What about the Junior title match between Ospreay and Kushida from that PPV? Also on the PPV after, are the three IWGP singles Title matches worth watching? I think it is Scurll/Ospreay, Omega/Baretta and Tanahashi/Ibushi.


I didn't watch any of those matches, but based on reviews I recall seeing, Naito/Ishii, KUSHIDA/Ospreay, Omega/Baretta , and Tana/Ibushi were pretty much universally praised.


----------



## komatsu_na

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/948918556837658625
Risa Sera was moved to tears by Wrestle Kingdom.

This is the power of the Rainmaker!


----------



## komatsu_na

I agree with the others. Mike Bailey is a joy to watch, his offense is very appealing.


----------



## Pizzamorg

So using the NJPW World Subscription I purchased to watch WrestleKingdom, I also went back to fill in the blanks from 2017. 

First up, I checked out upon recommendation a match from Dominion between the Young Bucks and RPG Vice. I can’t say I’ve watched much of the Young Buck’s stuff and the little I have, I haven’t particularly enjoyed, I’d hardly say they are killing the business but no sell comedy spotfests just aren’t my thing. However I did my best to go into this with an open mind and I still didn’t much care for this. 

The psychology in this match stunk, the two teams had little chemistry and when they weren’t no selling big spots, this just felt like a TV match complete with a flat finish. I will say I quite liked the dynamic of Beretta fighting alone for the majority of the match, refusing to eat a pin and let his partner down after the Bucks logically took out Romero earlier but otherwise... pretty bad. Romero’s eventual comeback was pretty bad as he seemed annoyed he had to sell an injury, to the point where even the commentary were pointing it out, before taking a bunch of massive moves and not selling them slightly before he submitted because I guess they ran out of time or something. Fuck knows. This was not good but I did like the Beretta showcase.

Next on my catch up was another Young Bucks recommendation, this time from the G1 Climax Final against Taguchi Japan. I liked this match more than the last Bucks match I watched, mostly due to a really incredible shift put in from Ricochet. I never knew Ricochet could sell so well, until the Young Bucks started targeting the leg I thought he hurt himself for real and his commitment to the work throughout the match isn’t usually seen in New Japan. 

But even outside of that, this match just had better action, pace and energy all round and I must say that up to the finish, I thoroughly enjoyed this. All that great selling from Ricochet, so many perfect finishes to this match and then Ricochet betrays that by winning the match with a Shooting Star Press out of nowhere. 

What happened to Ricochet in New Japan? Was he released? Or did he leave? Does that mean his intention is to debut for WWE this year? Can we expect him at the Rumble?


----------



## MC

Spoiler: DDT D-King Grand Prix Day 1 Spoilers



DDT Pro-Wrestling “D-KING GRAND PRIX 2018”, 1/5/2018 [Fri] 19:00 @ Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo
464 Spectators (crowded)
(1) 4WAY Tag Match: Joey Ryan & Veda Scott vs. Antonio Honda & Soma Takao vs. KUDO & Toru Owashi vs. Makoto Oishi & Shunma Katsumata
◆Winner: Ryan (8:44) following a Superkick on Honda.

(2) B BLOCK Match: Kazusada Higuchi vs. Yukio Sakaguchi
◆Winner: Sakaguchi (7:48) following the Kami no Migihiza.
~ Sakaguchi [1 win = 2 points]
~ Higuchi [1 loss = 0 points]
(3) A BLOCK Match: Tetsuya Endo vs. Masahiro Takanashi
◆Winner: Endo (6:01) with the Tetsuya in the Sky.
~ Endo [1 win = 2 points]
~ Takanashi [1 loss = 0 points]
(4) B BLOCK Match: Daisuke Sasaki vs. Akito
◆Winner: Akito (12:03) with a Udetori Sasorigatame.
~ Akito [1 win = 2 points]
~ Daisuke [1 loss = 0 points]
(5) A BLOCK Match: HARASHIMA vs. Keisuke Ishii
◆Winner: Keisuke (12:45) following a High Angle Double Arm DDT.
~ Keisuke [1 win = 2 points]
~ HARASHIMA [1 loss = 0 points]
(6) B BLOCK Match: Mike Bailey vs. Shuji Ishikawa
◆Winner: Ishikawa (15:15) with the Splash Mountain.
~ Ishikawa [1 win = 2 points]
~ Bailey [1 loss = 0 points]
(7) A BLOCK Match: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Jiro “Ikemen” Kuroshio
◆Winner: Kuroshio (23:23) with a Quesadora.
~ Kuroshio [1 win = 2 points]
~ Takeshita [1 loss = 0 points]

HARASHIMA lost


----------



## MC

Been listening to some AKB48 (Don't judge me) and I noticed KENNY OMEGA in the video.







Go to 3:30 and you see him and Kenta Kobashi dancing. It's pretty awesome.


----------



## komatsu_na

Pizzamorg said:


> Next on my catch up was another Young Bucks recommendation, this time from the G1 Climax Final against Taguchi Japan. I liked this match more than the last Bucks match I watched, mostly due to a really incredible shift put in from Ricochet. I never knew Ricochet could sell so well, until the Young Bucks started targeting the leg I thought he hurt himself for real and his commitment to the work throughout the match isn’t usually seen in New Japan.
> 
> But even outside of that, this match just had better action, pace and energy all round and I must say that up to the finish, I thoroughly enjoyed this. All that great selling from Ricochet, so many perfect finishes to this match and then Ricochet betrays that by winning the match with a Shooting Star Press out of nowhere.
> 
> What happened to Ricochet in New Japan? Was he released? Or did he leave? Does that mean his intention is to debut for WWE this year? Can we expect him at the Rumble?


Rico fought hard to get that shooting star -- it was his fighting spirit!

ACH & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. SHO & YOH is a junior tag match worth checking out if you're into great selling. It's similar in structure to that match.


----------



## Pizzamorg

sengen777 said:


> Rico fought hard to get that shooting star -- it was his fighting spirit!
> 
> ACH & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. SHO & YOH is a junior tag match worth checking out if you're into great selling. It's similar in structure to that match.


I find it funny that when selling is bad in New Japan, they just say it is "Fighting Spirit!!!". 

That match is from Power Struggle, right? I'll add it to the list.


----------



## komatsu_na

Pizzamorg said:


> I find it funny that when selling is bad in New Japan, they just say it is "Fighting Spirit!!!".
> 
> That match is from Power Struggle, right? I'll add it to the list.


Well, context is important and in puroresu fighting spirit has been an established trope for decades.

Edit: Doesn't excuse bad selling, though. I just don't think Rico's selling in that match was bad.


----------



## Pizzamorg

sengen777 said:


> Well, context is important and in puroresu fighting spirit has been an established trope for decades.
> 
> Edit: Doesn't excuse bad selling, though. I just don't think Rico's selling in that match was bad.


Oh no, I wasn't being sarcastic. Ricochet's selling in that match is legit some of the best I have ever seen, if the Bucks hadn't done so many crazy spots in a row against the leg I would have been convinced it was a real injury Ricochet was so committed. And that is why the finish annoyed me so much, to put that much effort into the sell and yet have that finish? Why didn't they do something else which didn't betray the whole match before it? I mean the Press wasn't even crucial to the story of the match, it just sorta came outta nowhere.


----------



## Genking48

MC 16 said:


> Been listening to some AKB48 (Don't judge me) and I noticed KENNY OMEGA in the video.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Go to 3:30 and you see him and Kenta Kobashi dancing. It's pretty awesome.


Fortune Cookie is a great song, so chill. Anyways the OG wrestling fan Kuramochi Asuka and Kobashi welcomes you to the dark side.


----------



## MC

Genking48 said:


> Fortune Cookie is a great song, so chill. Anyways the OG wrestling fan Kuramochi Asuka and Kobashi welcomes you to the dark side.


I guess this makes me WF's second AKB Fan.


----------



## Genking48

Now that' we're on this path. Cute idols, bewds and OG Stardom ace Yuzupon <3


----------



## MC

Genking48 said:


> Now that' we're on this path. Cute idols, bewds and OG Stardom ace Yuzupon <3


Best video ever.


----------



## Concrete

For some reason out of all the NOAH matches I watched I typed up this one (and it was far from my favorite)

*Kenou vs. Taiji Ishimori (Pro Wrestling NOAH 5/24/17):****
_Will always pop for a match based around trying to beat your opponent via countout. That wasn’t even the stipulation. Ishimori using his lean body to pin poor Kenou against the guardrail until the 19 count was lovely. The whole match moves along pretty well. Coming to terms that Kenou will never be my guy as much as I love when he lands a nasty kick. When he comes in just an inch off the effect gets ruined. The finish via countout is lovely as it is a kill shot, where the performer says a prayer before delivering the move, and the winner walks back to the ring without urgency. Gotta dig a walk-off win._​


----------



## Corey

Kenoh retained the GHC Heavyweight Title today. Next challenger is Yuko Miyamato, so that's something totally different. Match takes place on 2/2.


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Kenoh retained the GHC Heavyweight Title today. Next challenger is Yuko Miyamato, so that's something totally different. Match takes place on 2/2.


In a great match according to people that were there. The show will be broadcast on the 16th of January. 


In other news, Hana Kimura signs with Wrestle-1. 


http://www.w-1.co.jp/News/detail?id=5613


----------



## Sick Graps-V2

Have to say, I really enjoyed WK12 and New Years Dash; can’t wait to see Y2J v Naito.

Omega v Y2J was good, the Junior Heavyweight 4 way was fun; and I thought Naito v Okada tore the house down.

WK12 was exciting, well booked, well presented, engaging; and just so easy to watch from start to finish. Well done NJPW.


----------



## Genking48

We're going again my dudes


----------



## komatsu_na

1598 for NOAH's Korakuen yesterday. The fallout from WK is huge.


----------



## Flik

sengen777 said:


> 1598 for NOAH's Korakuen yesterday. The fallout from WK is huge.


Seems to be the best time to run big shows for (almost) everyone.

06/01 = Noah (1598)
04/01 = TJP (1201)
03/01 = AJPW (1438)
03/01 = DDT (1187)
02/01 = AJPW (1522)
02/01 = BJW (1568)
01/01 = Zero-1 (835)
31/12 = DDT/BJW (1411)
31/12 = Ice Ribbon (1235)
30/12 = BJW (1133)

Is the Golden Week as busy as the New Year week?


----------



## HOJO

Poor Takagi getting basically none of that boost except for TJPW. Even WAVE got a slightly bigger crowd in Shinjuku

I missed this morning's D-King Osaka show but hearing that Takeshita/Endo went to another draw, I'm glad I did. Poor excuse for a flagship rivalry for your ace. And I may lose my mind if they keep trying to have Takeshita in these long matches in the tournament. The semi main before the draw was 7 minutes for god sake


----------



## MC

NOAH President Uchida says that they are going to do a 20th Anniversary show for Naomichi Marufuji around August. Crazy to think it's been 20 years since he made his debut and still doing good things and having good matches, even if they are mostly in tags these days.


----------



## komatsu_na

Flik said:


> Seems to be the best time to run big shows for (almost) everyone.
> 
> 06/01 = Noah (1598)
> 04/01 = TJP (1201)
> 03/01 = AJPW (1438)
> 03/01 = DDT (1187)
> 02/01 = AJPW (1522)
> 02/01 = BJW (1568)
> 01/01 = Zero-1 (835)
> 31/12 = DDT/BJW (1411)
> 31/12 = Ice Ribbon (1235)
> 30/12 = BJW (1133)
> 
> Is the Golden Week as busy as the New Year week?


I don't think so, this is unlike anything I've seen before, there are droves of foreigners in Tokyo that came to see Wrestle Kingdom. I know a guy who went to TJPW who isn't familiar with the brand, people are just going to whatever shows they can. I've seen a couple of tweets from foreigners who have even gone to Gatoh Move shows.

Stardom crammed 445 into 1stRING (standing room only), they should consider running Korakuen around this time (that's if WK13 draws as many foreigners as this year).


----------



## Reil

It may have been posted already, but Hana Kimura signed a contract with Wrestle-1. She'll probably still work STARDOM dates, but still an unusual decision, considering WRESTLE-1's women's division is composed of...two women (that counts her as well).


----------



## komatsu_na

Reil said:


> It may have been posted already, but Hana Kimura signed a contract with Wrestle-1. She'll probably still work STARDOM dates, but still an unusual decision, considering WRESTLE-1's women's division is composed of...two women (that counts her as well).


If you've been following WRESTLE-1, it is not an unusual decision. Hana was trained in their training camp and had been signed to W-1's developmental brand Pro Wrestling ACE since 2016. They bring in freelancers or other outside wrestlers to wrestle her on their shows, while she still works Sendai Girls and Stardom.


----------



## Corey

*NJPW G1 Climax Final 2014*

*IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship*
Time Splitters (c) vs. reDRagon - ****

Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomoaki Honma - ***

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Karl Anderson - *** 1/2

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hirooki Goto - N/R?

AJ Styles vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - *** 3/4

*G1 Climax Final*
Kazuchika Okada vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - **** 1/4​
- Before I even get into the matches, holy fuck the Seibu Dome is massive. The attendance says 18,000 online for this show but god damn it looks like you could fit WAY more if you packed people in there. I was actually kind of mesmerized with the views in the early matches here because it was still light out and you could see people in every direction looking like ants in the distance. It was pretty cool tbh.  Also ADAM COLE was on this show and I had no idea. Nifty

- Anyways, the Jr. Tag Title match was awesome. All 4 guys just worked really hard and I totally forgot how much chemistry Shelley & KUSHIDA had as a team. Great action.

- Naito/Honma was fine. Short and sweet. Pretty weird going back to watch a Naito match where he gets very little reaction (even boos at times). Just one year after this he'd be debuting the new character. :mark:

- Absolutely fantastic performance from Ishii. His shoulder is heavily taped (per usual) and his nose gets busted literally on the first move. Idk whether he was legit hurt or not but jesus his selling was fantastic. He tries his middle rope brainbuster and actually ends up dropping Anderson over the top rope for him to flop to the mat. Again, whether that was just a mess up or selling we'll never know but it helps the story big time. Real good stuff here, even with the Yujiro interference.

- I really don't know how to explain my feelings on Shibata/Goto matches. I've seen them face each other 4 or 5 times and they rarely do anything for me. It just seems like the type of match they have needs an acquired taste to enjoy and I just don't have that taste.  First half was meh with the trading of suplexes and such, second half had some stuff I liked but everything just seems to wash over me and I forget it immediately. Oh well. Spinning backfist and Go 2 Sleep were pretty nasty here.

- Little surprised I didn't like Styles/Tanahashi more than I did. It's a really good match but that's what's expected given the participants. Finish was a huge shock. Rarely do you see those flash pins in New Japan and this one actually worked. Jeff fucking Jarrett joins Bullet Club postmatch. :lol Remember loving their title match from KOPW that year where Yoshi Tatsu returns.

- The main event was the only thing I've seen previously from this show. You know, it's really easy to forget the type of wrestler Nakamura can be when you see what he's doing in WWE these days (nothing). Man was he so fucking good in this. Just outworking Okada at every turn. Seemed to want it way more and those Rainmaker counters were AMAZING, some of the best I've seen tbh. Shame that Okada rarely did much outside of his comfort zone or showed much urgency until the final minute where he just took Nak's head off with three straight Rainmakers. Awesome match that could've been even better with more from Okada. This is probably still one of the best G1 Finals in recent memory not involving Omega though.


----------



## HOJO

Day 3 of the Grand Prix was pretty fucking good. Speedball vs Soma and Shuji vs Akito especially are must-watch matches from this :drose. Keisuke/Masa and Sasaki/Higuchi were also very good matches. Ikemen/HARASHIMA was solid but a little disappointing I must say. Skipped Joey Ryan's match because that's what I must do. Only problem is the god awful audio 3 shows in a row. I hope they fix that before the 10th.

Speedball and Shuji the MVPs of this so far


----------



## Pizzamorg

Next up on my catch up was Omega’s first US Title defence, I really wanted to like this match as Juice Robinson’s fairytale rise up the card in 2017 was one of the highlights in wrestling of that year for me but honestly I thought this match was just so… boring. It was your usual story of excess in a New Japan marquee, the two guys obviously struggled to fill the thirty five odd minutes they asked the two to go for and it just made the match a meandering slog because of it. The incredibly simplistic and basic booking of the match didn’t help anything and while Juice displayed some great psychology in this match, with nuanced selling often not seen in the business, him choosing to fight a little dirtier and Omega’s knee but both failed to add any real fire to this leaving me to, once again with a New Japan marquee match, wonder how immeasurably better this match would have been if they had cut the run time in half.


----------



## Genking48

So Dragon Gate's official English facebook account got a small interview with the new gaijins of the promotion, Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz.



> Known collectively as Scarlet and Graves, Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz will be making their Dragon Gate debut on the Open the New Year Gate 2018 tour. Coming in with an endorsement from Ricochet, there will be a lot of attention on the duo from Dayton, Ohio. They offered the following comments for fans who may be seeing them for the first time.
> 
> _Dezmond Xavier
> 175cm / 5'7
> 83kg / 183 lbs_
> *How would you describe your style?*
> "My style is hard to describe. But if I had to put a title on it, it'd be controlled chaos. My strikes are often unorthodox, connecting with calculated intentions. My high flying is seen as graceful and effortless but the end result is devastating."
> *What are your goals for your first tour?*
> "Dragon Gate introduced me to a completely different style of wrestling when I first saw it and it had definitely helped shape how I am in the ring. Now it's time to test myself against those that have inspired me."
> --
> _Zachary Wentz
> 178cm / 5'10
> 80kg / 176 lbs
> Dayton, Ohio
> _ *What can fans expect from Zachary Wentz?*
> "Fans can expect a hard hitting, fast paced high flier, with a very unorthodox style and a wild extraterrestrial personality."
> *What are your goals for your first tour?*
> "My goals for this tour is to wrestle the best talent Japan and the world has to offer and to grow as a wrestler by adapting to new styles and ways of wrestling. I want everyone to know that when they watch Me they will remember I am Too Sick For This World!"
> 
> Open the New Year Gate 2018 kicks off this Saturday in Kyoto.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Blue Eyed Soul









(shoutout to @TJQ for linking me this + a bunch of other awesome pics like this from tumblr )


----------



## Desecrated

Pizzamorg said:


> Next up on my catch up was Omega’s first US Title defence, I really wanted to like this match as Juice Robinson’s fairytale rise up the card in 2017 was one of the highlights in wrestling of that year for me but honestly I thought this match was just so… boring. It was your usual story of excess in a New Japan marquee, the two guys obviously struggled to fill the thirty five odd minutes they asked the two to go for and it just made the match a meandering slog because of it. The incredibly simplistic and basic booking of the match didn’t help anything and while Juice displayed some great psychology in this match, with nuanced selling often not seen in the business, him choosing to fight a little dirtier and Omega’s knee but both failed to add any real fire to this leaving me to, once again with a New Japan marquee match, wonder how immeasurably better this match would have been if they had cut the run time in half.


This match pissed me off re: Omega. Match screamed like he had full control over the lay-out and time, and went with this. I too also said it would've been a superb match in half the time when it happened. Had no business having a long match with Juice after some long matches against Okada and Naito. Juice wasn't going to be in the World Championship picture for a long time so he needed to put him away with a simple OWA rather than off the top rope. Fancied himself too much an artist rather than a pro-wrestler.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Desecrated said:


> This match pissed me off re: Omega. Match screamed like he had full control over the lay-out and time, and went with this. I too also said it would've been a superb match in half the time when it happened. Had no business having a long match with Juice after some long matches against Okada and Naito. Juice wasn't going to be in the World Championship picture for a long time so he needed to put him away with a simple OWA rather than off the top rope. Fancied himself too much an artist rather than a pro-wrestler.


In hindsight the finish is weird, too. They haven't done anything with Juice since really, yet they put Juice over BIG in defeat here going the distance with Omega and eventually taking an avalanche version of the OWA to be put away. What was this all for?


----------



## antoniomare007

I remember people being excited about "Gedo's plan" with Juice after the G-1 and that Omega match. Oh what a plan it was :lmao


----------



## volde

Pizzamorg said:


> What was this all for?


Most of Omega's matches have some very big spot for .gif makers that would spark discussion on twitter/reddit/whatever. I'm not sure if it is concious decision or is it just a lucky coincidence, but thats how it looks to me. 

They are slowly pushing Juice up the card, win against Omega in G1, getting main event in that Destruction show, got decent spot in WTL all things considered and I think this slow rise will continue in 2018. 

Avalanche OWA made Juice look bigger than he was. At the moment it was awesome, but now looking back, yeah, it looks stupid.


----------



## Pizzamorg

antoniomare007 said:


> I remember people being excited about "Gedo's plan" with Juice after the G-1 and that Omega match. Oh what a plan it was :lmao


Any reason his push just... stopped. Seemed like he was super over and what they were doing was working.


----------



## Desecrated

Juice will look really good in the NJC and at G1, same stuff Fale does. They'll probably have a bit of upcoming friction too. But Omega-Juice was very bad when it happened imo and it's neared a dud since. None of which has to do with Juice who's performance was actually fantastic.


----------



## MC

Pizzamorg said:


> Any reason his push just... stopped. Seemed like he was super over and what they were doing was working.


No room at WK. Such a shame.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Desecrated said:


> Juice will look really good in the NJC and at G1, same stuff Fale does. They'll probably have a bit of upcoming friction too. But Omega-Juice was very bad when it happened imo and it's neared a dud since. None of which has to do with Juice who's performance was actually fantastic.


Yeah it is a shame, Juice himself really was trying to make this match as special as it was for his character in the history books but it was just stretched far too thin. 



MC 16 said:


> No room at WK. Such a shame.


Which is weird really. Cody/Ibushi and School Shooter/Tanahashi could have both easily made room for Juice in the place of one of them or both of them for an entirely different and better match.


----------



## antoniomare007

Pizzamorg said:


> Any reason his push just... stopped. Seemed like he was super over and what they were doing was working.


Gedo's limitation of not knowing what to do with talent when they are not chasing or defending a belt makes people wander around the roster for a while without anything of note to do before getting another title push on one division. Same thing happened with Ishii when he was getting hot 4-5 years ago, he was even left out of WK 8 because they didn't have anything for him, and his push started 1 month later when they gave him the NEVER Title.


----------



## volde

I'm not entirely sure if thats Gedo not knowing what to do or is that simply what they are going for, after all NJPW is booked around titles and title matches.


----------



## antoniomare007

volde said:


> I'm not entirely sure if thats Gedo not knowing what to do or is that simply what they are going for,* after all NJPW is booked around titles and title matches*.


That's why some of us call him lazy. Him never going away from that when he has talent to do some very compelling shit is pretty frustrating. Specially because it wasn't always this way with him. His shit works though, but as a longtime fan is boring as fuck to watch the same formulas over and over and over again. But oh well.


----------



## komatsu_na

Hm, I struggle to think of a puroresu promotion that isn't booked that way... if you're not holding a title, you're usually floating around until its your turn to be pushed as a challenger. And non-title feuds that happen usually lead to the winner challenging for a belt. This is especially apparent in places like NOAH because they don't have a thousand singles belts.


----------



## MC

I would prefer the midcarders not being used be, challenge for tag titles.


----------



## antoniomare007

sengen777 said:


> Hm, I struggle to think of a puroresu promotion that isn't booked that way... if you're not holding a title, you're usually floating around until its your turn to be pushed as a challenger. And non-title feuds that happen usually lead to the winner challenging for a belt. This is especially apparent in places like NOAH because they don't have a thousand singles belts.


There's a bunch of stuff that can be done, including stable wars - than actually mean something - and interpromotional feuds. Gedo did that pretty damn well, specially the latter, the first 5 years of his stint.


----------



## kovs27

MC 16 said:


> I would prefer the midcarders not being used be, challenge for tag titles.


With how little the tag and 6 man titles mean this would be a very good use of those floating midcarders. Certain guys could form teams that can be established and then challenge for titles when the time is right. Then maybe I will finally give a damn about Yoshi-Hashi.


----------



## MC

Just thought I'd let people know. Ribbonmania is now on RH Drive, available for viewing.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Next up on my catch up was another tag match as we see Taguchi Japan defend their titles I believe for the second time since they won it off the Young Bucks at King of Pro Wrestling against the debuting Legion of Doom 2000... I mean Roppongi 3K. It is an important match for the history books (especially if 3K go on to be big stars and this does turn out to be Ricochet's final New Japan match) but while there were a few okay sequences, this was just a bit of a nothing match. Even after just finishing the some fifteen odd minutes of it, I had already forgotten most of the match, it was just that bland. It didn't help that the two teams lacked chemistry and while the NJPW Dojo/Excursion system helps build wrestlers with solid foundations and 3k are two good looking lads, nothing they did here really wow’d me so it was once again left mostly to Ricochet to get into that extra gear and drag everyone else up with him. It just didn't work nearly as well as when he did that against the Young Bucks, which is a shame really.


----------



## volde

antoniomare007 said:


> There's a bunch of stuff that can be done, including stable wars - than actually mean something - and interpromotional feuds. *Gedo did that pretty damn well, specially the latter, the first 5 years of his stint*.


Yeah, but that might be due to NJPW having worse relationships with other promotions than it did back then, no?


----------



## komatsu_na

volde said:


> Yeah, but that might be due to NJPW having worse relationships with other promotions than it did back then, no?


They were clearly building something with NOAH, but that ended up getting cut short.

NOAH's roster wants to go to Nippon Budokan, New Japan is working Budokan for G1... maybe they can start working together again.


----------



## MC

sengen777 said:


> They were clearly building something with NOAH, but that ended up getting cut short.
> 
> *NOAH's roster wants to go to Nippon Budokan, New Japan is working Budokan for G1... maybe they can start working together again.*


Maybe but I think the bridge is closed for the meanwhile. Maybe in a few years but I can't see it happening this year.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Spending my day off watching wrestling (yes my life is that cool) Got some DDT on the go and STARDOM lined up for later. 

Just watched Mike Bailey vs Shuji Ishikawa the power bomb at the end was sick. Also now I can't stop shouting BAILEY!


----------



## antoniomare007

sengen777 said:


> They were clearly building something with NOAH, but that ended up getting cut short.
> 
> NOAH's roster wants to go to Nippon Budokan, New Japan is working Budokan for G1... maybe they can start working together again.


New Japan owned a part of NOAH before the company was sold to Estbee in 2016, the whole Suzuki-Gun year long angle/invasion was New Japan backed and booked by Jado. So it's not like they burned that bridge. 

They are working Budokan this year? Finally! smart move by New Japan.



volde said:


> Yeah, but that might be due to NJPW having worse relationships with other promotions than it did back then, no?


Most promotions would love to work with New Japan, I highly doubt it would take much to fix any relationship. Hell, if NJPW would get off their hight horse and decided to work with Sekimoto and the Strong Big Japan guys they could take care of all of their young lions and midcard guys while giving them something interesting to do. And as Sekimoto has done in the past with every promotion he has worked with before, he would take care of putting at least a couple of new guys over and get them ready for a big push.

But hey, people are going to shows and more new westerners and getting into the product, so let's just be lazy about it and keep doing the same shit over and over again :lmao


----------



## Corey

Yuji Nagata working All Japan! 

*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2018 YOKOHAMA TWILIGHT BLUES SPECIAL”, 2/3/2018 [Sat] 17:00 @ Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium in Kanagawa*

(-) *Asia Tag Championship Match:* [103rd Champions] Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi vs. [Challengers] Jun Akiyama & Yuji Nagata
_~ 5th title defense._

(-) *World Junior Heavyweight Championship Match:* [46th Champion] TAJIRI vs. [Challenger] Atsushi Aoki
_~ 4th title defense._

(-) *World Tag Championship Match:* [78th Champions] Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa vs. [Challengers] Kento Miyahara & Yoshitatsu
_~ 1st title defense._

(-) *Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship Match:* [59th Champion] Joe Doering vs. [Challenger] KAI
_~ 3rd title defense._


----------



## MC

:wow


Good card from All Japan. Nice surprise seeing Nagata. If anything like their Real World Tag League match, Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa vs Kento Miyahara & Yoshitatsu should be good. Joe Doering vs KAI should be interesting to say the least.


----------



## T Hawk

world famous Yoshitatsu getting more big matches

based Akiyama Jun and Aoki giving him the respect he deserves and giving the fans what they want

kada kada kada


----------



## MC

Found A World Pro Wrestling Version of the Road To WK show. (December 23rd, 2017)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6c7oyg


Has Jurina at the start of the video, so that's a reason to watch.


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> Yuji Nagata working All Japan!
> 
> *All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2018 YOKOHAMA TWILIGHT BLUES SPECIAL”, 2/3/2018 [Sat] 17:00 @ Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium in Kanagawa*
> 
> (-) *Asia Tag Championship Match:* [103rd Champions] Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi vs. [Challengers] Jun Akiyama & Yuji Nagata
> _~ 5th title defense._
> 
> (-) *World Junior Heavyweight Championship Match:* [46th Champion] TAJIRI vs. [Challenger] Atsushi Aoki
> _~ 4th title defense._
> 
> (-) *World Tag Championship Match:* [78th Champions] Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa vs. [Challengers] Kento Miyahara & Yoshitatsu
> _~ 1st title defense._
> 
> (-) *Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship Match:* [59th Champion] Joe Doering vs. [Challenger] KAI
> _~ 3rd title defense._


Grumpy veterans vs young, hungry and talented people


----------



## Pizzamorg

Moving forward with my NJPW 2017 catch up but keeping with “King of Pro Wrestling” (just skipping ahead on the card) I watched Kushida drop his title to Ospreay in a dead good match, a match which was dead good mostly thanks to the combo of the big fight bite and Ospreay’s super human athleticism leading to some really special sequences. 

Admittedly, it wasn’t the smoothest match in the world and I’ve heard lots of praise around Kushida but Ospreay kinda eclipsed him in the match here for me. Plus while it shouldn’t be levied as a criticism against the match, the fact that I already know that Ospreay is going to drop the title to Scurll at the next show just so he can drop it back to Ospreay again as they hot potato lower card titles to justify the fact that Okada will never drop his title cheapened the otherwise stunning ending to the match with Ospreay’s palpable joy and badass stare down with Scurll.


----------



## komatsu_na

antoniomare007 said:


> Most promotions would love to work with New Japan, I highly doubt it would take much to fix any relationship. Hell, if NJPW would get off their hight horse and decided to work with Sekimoto and the Strong Big Japan guys they could take care of all of their young lions and midcard guys while giving them something interesting to do. And as Sekimoto has done in the past with every promotion he has worked with before, he would take care of putting at least a couple of new guys over and get them ready for a big push.
> 
> But hey, people are going to shows and more new westerners and getting into the product, so let's just be lazy about it and keep doing the same shit over and over again :lmao


I suppose Daisuke Sekimoto could be interesting in the NEVER division or BOTSJ, but I'm not going to get upset at a promotion because they aren't fulfilling my fantasy bookings. You have Fire Pro Wrestling World and TEW for that.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

antoniomare007 said:


> Most promotions would love to work with New Japan, I highly doubt it would take much to fix any relationship. Hell, if NJPW would get off their hight horse and decided to work with Sekimoto and the Strong Big Japan guys they could take care of all of their young lions and midcard guys while giving them something interesting to do. And as Sekimoto has done in the past with every promotion he has worked with before, he would take care of putting at least a couple of new guys over and get them ready for a big push.
> 
> But hey, people are going to shows and more new westerners and getting into the product, so let's just be lazy about it and keep doing the same shit over and over again :lmao


Seriously though, BJW has some ultra talented guys and offer a wide variety of styles to help improve guys. Even put their best death match guys vs them. BJW's top death match wrestlers are just flat out great wrestlers themselves. Have Masashi Takeda and Sekimoto do some work in G1.


----------



## komatsu_na

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/951288096607305728
YIKES


----------



## antoniomare007

sengen777 said:


> I suppose Daisuke Sekimoto could be interesting in the NEVER division or BOTSJ, but I'm not going to get upset at a promotion because they aren't fulfilling my fantasy bookings. You have Fire Pro Wrestling World and TEW for that.


The Strong BJ scenario is one of a dozen that could make shit more compelling in New Japan. I'm not mad that Gedo doesn't give me exactly what I want, I'm just frustrated he keeps doing the same old shit over and over. Specially because there was a time were he wasn't as complacent. 

But I don't fault Gedo for being lazy, I realized the product wasn't for me a while ago. I read results and watch whatever sounds interesting. I like calling his booking out because there's so many new fans that treat him like he could do no wrong and fail to realize how lazy he is.


ps: How the hell would the Sekimoto be in the BOSJ??


----------



## WOKELAND2

So ... what exactly do you want?


----------



## MC

Nanae Takahashi apparently took nasty bump of a ladder where she landed on here head. 



__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/949867068001693696


----------



## antoniomare007

WOKELAND2 said:


> So ... what exactly do you want?


I'm not picky, I don't need an exact scenario to happen. Besides, that would be me just wasting time by writing fantasy booking (which I kinda already did lol).

What I've been asking from Gedo for years now is doing compelling stuff with the talented people he has underneath the main event. That could be done in a number of ways, I've already mentioned a couple, I don't care which one is it.


----------



## MC

Quick AJPW New Year Wars 2018 Day 1 Review

1. Joe Doering vs Zeus ***¾. This match was great. JOE JOE. 
2. Burning Wild (Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori) & Koji Iwamoto vs. Violent Giants (Shuji Ishikawa & Suwama) & Atsushi Aoki ***¼ 
3. TAJIRI (c) vs. Kotaro Suzuki ***
4. NEXTREAM (Kento Miyahara, Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi) & Yoshitatsu vs. Hikaru Sato, KAI, Ryouji Sai & The Bodyguard **¾
5. Atsushi Maruyama, Dick Togo & Masanobu Fuchi vs. Osamu Nishimura, Ultimo Dragon & Yohei Nakajima **


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

MC 16 said:


> Nanae Takahashi apparently took nasty bump of a ladder where she landed on here head.
> 
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/949867068001693696


This is gonna sound bad, but I dont know how you fuck that up and land on your head or neck.

Maybe she froze because she wasn't ready, but that bump isn't too hard to do/take.

Hope she's okay though, really do.


----------



## Corey

Japanese Puroresu said:


> This is gonna sound bad, but I dont know how you fuck that up and land on your head or neck.
> 
> Maybe she froze because she wasn't ready, but that bump isn't too hard to do/take.
> 
> Hope she's okay though, really do.


I'd guess she went to jump off the ladder and the ladder then went backwards underneath of her, throwing her feet back and thrusting her forward.

EDIT: Wait actually if the woman was holding the ladder in place for her idk how it happened.


----------



## PUNQ

If you look at the second picture it's clear the ladder budged quite a lot, even with the help holding it, so it clearly did give away when she did the leap and therefore couldn't rotate enough before crashing. That kind of spots was never Nanae's thing anyway. Hope she'll be okay.


----------



## komatsu_na

It's a small venue, so she had to be extremely careful with the jump to avoid hitting the ceiling. It looks like she went to dive, but the ladder went backwards underneath her, like that other poster said.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/950172073543974912


Spoiler: Graphic image of the landing















She only got concussed, miraculously, so she's alright.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Moving forward with my NJPW 2017 catch up and one more match on the “King of Pro Wrestling” card, which sees Naito put his Main Event slot at WrestleKingdom on the line against Ishii. 

Personally, the fact I already know Naito goes on to lose to Okada and Ishii goes on to do nothing of merit would normally be enough for me to not bother even watching this but I think Ishii might be one of the most slept on wrestlers around (his trilogy against Omega was my favourite thing in New Japan last year) so I decided to just watch this anyway. Then when the match was over… I wish I hadn’t of. 

It was weird because this match was about 10 - 15 minutes shorter than your usual New Japan marquee bloatfest so you’d figure this would be a tight, intense, high energy affair but just like any New Japan marquee the majority of the match was dedicated to faffing about and meandering non-action with the odd high impact move or stiff kick dribbled in here and there to probably wake up the audience who had long drifted off. It didn’t even have your usual Dragon Ball Z ending sequence, it just sorta… ended and with a really shitty looking Destino to boot. This isn’t the first Ishii/Naito match which has let me down, maybe the two just don’t have chemistry.


----------



## Corey

I can't praise Doering & Zeus enough for the match they put together. Holy hell I was so invested in it and it was _so_ different than any other big match I've seen in a while from any company. Just incredible performances and selling from both. Doering was such a breath of fresh air with his approach to keep things simple but absolutely PERFECT them in every way with his show of exhaustion and pure desperation. Must see stuff and definitely a MOTYC imo. Cannot wait for the KAI defense next month. ***** 1/2*

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M9P8uJuDMLQ5gsGOQAoc54XcapCQasRD/view


----------



## Concrete

*Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa vs. Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani (AJPW 12/12/17):*****
https://rutube.ru/video/f47d0a38c492e40e51c238f350f7066d/?pl_type=user&pl_id=1067514
_When a match starts with two big boys like Ishikawa and Kamitani slamming shoulders into each other you know you are in for a good time. The opening stanza features the young lads trying to cut off Suwama and do their worst. The dude is simply too dang big though. They try to do the same to Ishikawa but the results are the same. Violent Giants, specifically Ishikawa, starts throwing down with Kamitani for the rest of the bout and dang if it ain’t a hoot. After Violent Giants hit a bangin’ double powerbomb it is essentially a singles match featuring Ishikawa and Kamitani with Hashimoto acting like a gnat. A gnat that Suwama is constantly trailing and is forced to swat into oblivion with a backdrop driver. Ishikawa and Kamitani work a bombfest sprint during the back nine of a short tag match and it is wonderful.
_​


----------



## MC

DDT D-King Grand Prix Day Three Review

HARASHIMA vs Jiro Kuroshio ***½ 
Shuji Ishikawa vs Akito ***½ 
Soma Takao vs Mike Bailey ***½ 
Daisuke Sasaki vs. Kazusada Higuchi ***¼ 
Konosuke Takeshita vs Joey Ryan **¾


----------



## WOKELAND2

antoniomare007 said:


> I'm not picky, I don't need an exact scenario to happen. Besides, that would be me just wasting time by writing fantasy booking (which I kinda already did lol).
> 
> What I've been asking from Gedo for years now is doing compelling stuff with the talented people he has underneath the main event. That could be done in a number of ways, I've already mentioned a couple, I don't care which one is it.


Basically you're telling me you want Uppers or Mid-cards in the ME ..... that's what they've always done temporarily.


----------



## WOKELAND2

Pizzamorg said:


> It was weird because this match was about 10 - 15 minutes shorter than your usual New Japan marquee bloatfest so you’d figure this would be a tight. This isn’t the first Ishii/Naito match which has let me down, maybe the two just don’t have chemistry.


Do not tell me ... you're one of those who complains about using the same Big-Match formula in every fight, right? You really have a lot to learn so you stop complaining about those stupid things ...

you also need to pay attention to certain details that you certainly do not bother to notice to try to understand the match.





Pizzamorg said:


> This isn’t the first Ishii/Naito match which has let me down, maybe the two just don’t have chemistry.


New Beginning 2014, New Japan Cup 2014-16, Invasion Attack 2014 or Wrestling Dontaku 2016 it does not sound like...


----------



## Corey

^ I think instead of telling people what they _need_ to do, you should probably just realize people have different opinions.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Corey said:


> ^ I think instead of telling people what they _need_ to do, you should probably just realize people have different opinions.


Always nice when someone joins this forum and uses their first posts to be _like that_. At least I could give them their first Neg, complete with a sarcastic comment.


----------



## T Hawk

the only Ishii Tomohiro vs. Naito Tetsuya match I liked was their New Japan Cup match from a few years ago.

I mostly don't like any Ishii Tomohiro match that is over 15-20 minutes.

It's why I'm not interested in another match with him facing Okada Kazuchika because it will be 30 mins at minimum. What made their G1 match great was that it was under 20 mins and it was an Ishii style match. Ishii is great at working that 15-20 minute Ishii-style match, but when he has to wrestle anyother style match and at a main event level pace, it leaves a lot to be desired.

I think Jado and Gedo see it that way too and that's why he is the #4 HW in Chaos and will always be midcard


----------



## Corey

Naito/Ishii from Dontakue (Naito's only defense as IWGP Champ) is still an underrated classic imo. Love the hell out of that match. Never watched their one from last year.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Probably unpopular opinion but I don't think many people can go the distance in New Japan right now, that is the problem. Their matches are just too damn long. If you aren't looking at the clock and are just putting together a match and it happens to run for thirty five minutes then cool but if the only goal of your match is the timestamp then that is a problem for me. Especially in a promotion like New Japan which likes their marquee matches to end like the final battle of a DBZ saga so it means a certain amount needs to be reserved in the tank while still wrestling potentially a thirty minute match before the Go Home. The vast majority of New Japan title matches usually have me enthralled during the book ends but there is usually a ten minute long overkill stretch in the middle where I'm just looking out the window.


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Naito/Ishii from Dontakue (Naito's only defense as IWGP Champ) is still an underrated classic imo. Love the hell out of that match. Never watched their one from last year.




The King of Pro Wrestling one? It was good but had way too many kick outs.


----------



## Garmonbozia

Naito vs. Ishii at New Beginning 2014 to me is their best match.


----------



## NastyYaffa

To add to the Naito/Ishii talk - their match from The New Beginning 2014 in Osaka is one of the best matches in New Japan history.


----------



## WOKELAND2

Corey said:


> ^ I think instead of telling people what they _need_ to do, you should probably just realize people have different opinions.


I do not complain that he has a different opinion, but I complain that he pretends to be objective when he has no idea what he is talking about, he does not analyze details of the match, he does not say anything about the selling, he has no idea what he is talking about.


----------



## antoniomare007

WOKELAND2 said:


> Basically you're telling me you want Uppers or Mid-cards in the ME ..... that's what they've always done temporarily.


Wow, no. That's not what I'm saying at all. I want people that are not in the main title match/feud of a tour doing interesting stuff.


----------



## WOKELAND2

Pizzamorg said:


> Their matches are just too damn long.


Oh fuck, here we go again ... This is a very common complaint from IWC, but before answering that, I will ask all of you and I want you to answer objectively, complain that a match of more than 30+ min be long just to be long or complain that a match is long because it lasted longer than it should?


----------



## antoniomare007

Pizzamorg said:


> Probably unpopular opinion *but I don't think many people can go the distance in New Japan right now, that is the problem. Their matches are just too damn long. If you aren't looking at the clock and are just putting together a match and it happens to run for thirty five minutes then cool but if the only goal of your match is the timestamp then that is a problem for me.* Especially in a promotion like New Japan which likes their marquee matches to end like the final battle of a DBZ saga so it means a certain amount needs to be reserved in the tank while still wrestling potentially a thirty minute match before the Go Home. The vast majority of New Japan title matches usually have me enthralled during the book ends but there is usually a ten minute long overkill stretch in the middle where I'm just looking out the window.


It's crazy how New Japan basically ended up having the same style problems NOAH had.


----------



## T Hawk

antoniomare007 said:


> It's crazy how New Japan basically ended up having the same style problems NOAH had.


NJPW pushed the old guard well passed their expiration date and, by the time it was too late, tried to present a bunch of small juniors as heavies that fans had a tough time accepting like Marufuji Naomichi and Kenta?

EDIT: oh I see you wrote _style_. That changes the context. oops


----------



## Desecrated

I think "Who are the performers in there?" is important regarding long matches. Not for their attributes but card placement and their characters. So when you have Kenny Omega attempting to be an artist over a pro-wrestler in a match against a perpetual mid-carder like Juice Robinson, the art of the long-match is lost there.

If it's Naito vs Okada or Okada vs Omega, three main eventers who they want to present as the best in the world, then I don't see the long-match problems provided they hit certain criteria. They should either be having the hard-hitting 25 minute match or the struggle/war up to an hour. However, it's important to lay out the match as a war rather than a endurance performance otherwise once again, the art of pro-wrestling isn't there. Ric Flair vs Wahoo McDaniel is a good example of a perfect near-hour match, and the Rock vs Triple H is a great example of another one. Instead, Omega and NJPW have gone the Michaels-Hart route that the performance is the story rather than any personal element (and abandoning urgency, which IMO is one of the most fundamental aspects of pro-wrestling). Wrestling without urgency can be a chore to watch unless you are attached to the wrestler.


----------



## Pizzamorg

WOKELAND2 said:


> I do not complain that he has a different opinion, but I complain that he pretends to be objective when he has no idea what he is talking about, he does not analyze details of the match, he does not say anything about the selling, he has no idea what he is talking about.


I don't wanna bait the troll but... bra. This is a forum, every single one of my posts is my opinion and my opinion alone, that shouldn't need to be even be stated. I never once claimed to be objective and I can assure you I have a full understanding of my own personal tastes. How about you use some common sense, instead? 

If your way of enjoying and appropriating a match is sitting and scrutinising the minute details then that is fine but don't expect everyone to filter a match the same way as you to always come to the same conclusion. We are allowed to like different things and you cant force someone to like something they don't like, just because you like for it reason X, Y or Z. 

Oh and for the most part the psychology and selling in New Japan is balls as far as I'm concerned. I know people class it as a style choice and sure whatever but the "style choice" in New Japan for the most apart appears to either be no selling, half heartedly selling or selling fantastically until that sell gets in the way of a spot and just forgetting about the sell completely.


----------



## antoniomare007

Desecrated said:


> Wrestling without urgency can be a chore to watch unless you are attached to the wrestler.


Amen.


----------



## MC




----------



## WOKELAND2

Pizzamorg said:


> I don't wanna bait the troll


Because I'm a troll? Ironically you tell me that I do not use common sense, but apparently you do not use it in this case, at least you know at least when one is troll? Because you really miss me very badly so.



Pizzamorg said:


> This is a forum, every single one of my posts is my opinion and my opinion alone, that shouldn't need to be even be stated.


You question your tastes or opinions, only your reasoning, which really is quite empty.



Pizzamorg said:


> I never once claimed to be objective and I can assure you I have a full understanding of my own personal tastes?


Do we need to say that we are being objective in order to say everything objectively? ... what slower thinking.

Also, even if you use that as an "argument" it is very fallacious because it looks very good in your analysis that you are pretending to be objective.



Pizzamorg said:


> If your way of enjoying and appropriating a match is sitting and scrutinising the minute details then that is fine but don't expect everyone to filter a match the same way as you to always come to the same conclusion.


Fuck ... I do not try to be all analysts and write an extensive (and unnecessarily long) review of such a fight, I just want them to be objective with what they say, and not based on subjectivity.



Pizzamorg said:


> We are allowed to like different things and you cant force someone to like something they don't like, just because you like for it reason X, Y or Z.


You really do not understand no shit ... I do not try to like everything that I like, I try to be objective and to understand something as simple as what we have discussed, that simple.



Pizzamorg said:


> Oh and for the most part the psychology and selling in New Japan is balls as far as I'm concerned. I know people class it as a style choice and sure whatever but the "style choice" in New Japan for the most apart appears to either be no selling, half heartedly selling or selling fantastically until that sell gets in the way of a spot and just forgetting about the sell completely.


Here you make it clear that you know absolutely nothing ...

Fallacious, fallacious and more fallacious can not become this argument. I would understand if you said that they do not sell fatigue, but ... Two words completely destroy this argument: King's Road.


----------



## komatsu_na

Pizzamorg seems too smarky and stubborn to allow himself to learn anything - it became clear to me after his first couple of reviews that he has little understanding of pro wrestling. 

Just leave him.



Desecrated said:


> I think "Who are the performers in there?" is important regarding long matches. Not for their attributes but card placement and their characters. So when you have Kenny Omega attempting to be an artist over a pro-wrestler in a match against a perpetual mid-carder like Juice Robinson, the art of the long-match is lost there.
> 
> If it's Naito vs Okada or Okada vs Omega, three main eventers who they want to present as the best in the world, then I don't see the long-match problems provided they hit certain criteria. They should either be having the hard-hitting 25 minute match or the struggle/war up to an hour. However, it's important to lay out the match as a war rather than a endurance performance otherwise once again, the art of pro-wrestling isn't there. Ric Flair vs Wahoo McDaniel is a good example of a perfect near-hour match, and the Rock vs Triple H is a great example of another one. Instead, Omega and NJPW have gone the Michaels-Hart route that the performance is the story rather than any personal element (and abandoning urgency, which IMO is one of the most fundamental aspects of pro-wrestling). Wrestling without urgency can be a chore to watch unless you are attached to the wrestler.


So long as the crowds are reacting and being drawn into the matches, what they are doing is working. Maybe watch something else if New Japan's style isn't your cup of tea. They're never going to change for you.


----------



## MC

I personally don't have a problem with title matches going 30-40 minutes, it gives a sense of importance to them. If they can keep you engaged then I don't see the problem with them. The crowds don't seem to mind either.


----------



## Desecrated

sengen777 said:


> So long as the crowds are reacting and being drawn into the matches, what they are doing is working. Maybe watch something else if New Japan's style isn't your cup of tea. They're never going to change for you.


I have no problems with long matches. The only one I really disliked was Omega/Juice. I just see why others have problems with the formula of long matches. I'd prefer it myself if they had purpose to the length but I've enjoyed matches like Dominion's time limit and Okada-Naito going 40? or so minutes. My own ratings back that sentiment up.


----------



## WOKELAND2

For my part ... always depends on the story they tell, if that storytelling and its structuring justifies the duration of such a fight, as well as its execution then it's fine.

There is one thing that must always be taken into account "time must be at the service of a combat and not vice versa". It is complex to try to understand it simply by explaining it, but with this last it is not so problematic to understand it.

I'll give an example of this: A fight between 2 tough guys or big guys should not last more than 20 min at the most because it's a story between showing who is the strongest or more than that, if you go over that time is where the storytelling Stagnation and completely ruins the match, there are exceptions if you give a justification to that.


----------



## komatsu_na

MC 16 said:


> I personally don't have a problem with title matches going 30-40 minutes, it gives a sense of importance to them. If they can keep you engaged then I don't see the problem with them. The crowds don't seem to mind either.


If there is one thing that I agree with Pizza on it's that New Japan main events are like DBZ fights. They are epic scale wars of attrition. The pacing gives the big moments importance, and the way the crowd gets pulled into the drama and tension, and the white-hot escalation of the finishing sequence, is incredible.



Desecrated said:


> I have no problems with long matches. The only one I really disliked was Omega/Juice. I just see why others have problems with the formula of long matches. I'd prefer it myself if they had purpose to the length but I've enjoyed matches like Dominion's time limit and Okada-Naito going 40? or so minutes. My own ratings back that sentiment up.


I thought Omega going overkill on unworthy challengers was in line with his character. They are Yoshihikos in his performance - no one came there to see them, they came to see the _Best Bout Machine_, pro wrestling auteur.


----------



## Pizzamorg

sengen777 said:


> Pizzamorg seems too smarky and stubborn to allow himself to learn anything - it became clear to me after his first couple of reviews that he has little understanding of pro wrestling.
> 
> Just leave him.


Really? You are going with that one? Wow...





WOKELAND2 said:


> Because I'm a troll? Ironically you tell me that I do not use common sense, but apparently you do not use it in this case, at least you know at least when one is troll? Because you really miss me very badly so.
> 
> 
> 
> You question your tastes or opinions, only your reasoning, which really is quite empty.
> 
> 
> 
> Do we need to say that we are being objective in order to say everything objectively? ... what slower thinking.
> 
> Also, even if you use that as an "argument" it is very fallacious because it looks very good in your analysis that you are pretending to be objective.
> 
> 
> 
> Fuck ... I do not try to be all analysts and write an extensive (and unnecessarily long) review of such a fight, I just want them to be objective with what they say, and not based on subjectivity.
> 
> 
> 
> You really do not understand no shit ... I do not try to like everything that I like, I try to be objective and to understand something as simple as what we have discussed, that simple.
> 
> 
> 
> Here you make it clear that you know absolutely nothing ...
> 
> Fallacious, fallacious and more fallacious can not become this argument. I would understand if you said that they do not sell fatigue, but ... Two words completely destroy this argument: King's Road.


Most of this post is completely unintelligible but what I took from this is that I don't post how you want me to post so that makes my opinions invalid but doesn't make you a troll?


----------



## WOKELAND2

Pizzamorg said:


> Most of this post is completely unintelligible but what I took from this is that I don't post how you want me to post so that makes my opinions invalid but doesn't make you a troll?


That extrepolation does not make sense, what your opinions already clarify, do not continue to excuse yourself with the same shit, and give a conclusion that's why I'm a troll ....... without words, really very stupid.

Also, a troll would not be able to give even an argument.


----------



## TJQ

MC 16 said:


> I personally don't have a problem with title matches going 30-40 minutes, *it gives a sense of importance to them.* If they can keep you engaged then I don't see the problem with them. The crowds don't seem to mind either.


And the thing that frustrates me is people have for some reason began to equate length with importance/quality. To be important is "to have significance or value", which is determined by the story and the performers, not the length. People are fine to *enjoy* long matches, but some of the justifications for why they're lengthy is comedic at times. As @Desecrated said, "Wrestling without urgency can be a chore to watch unless you are attached to the wrestler.", which speaks volumes given the hardcore fan bases of the people that ride or die for these matches. I never feel any sense of urgency until *at least* the half way point, and I refuse to believe that any of these stories couldn't have been told in a more urgent fashion. Unfortunately, it is what it is. I don't expect anything to change, and that's extremely frustrating when you look at how much good shit gets pumped out during the G1 (an example I'll always go back to because it's consistent proof that you don't need to go to a masturbatory length in order to have a good and meaningful match).


----------



## WOKELAND2

I will use the same argument as I said before: time must be at the service of a combat and not vice versa.

Things like the G1 work because they are under a formula in which they must create ingenious stories that they contribute within those 15-20 min and 30 min.


----------



## Pizzamorg

WOKELAND2 said:


> Also, a troll would not be able to give even an argument.


You are totally right, why am I feeding the troll? Off to my ignore list you go.


----------



## PrettyLush

I know it's kinda late but, Winter Navigation day 11 was fucking great.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Moving forward with my NJPW 2017 catch up I’ve moved onto my last PPV of the year, “Power Struggle” starting first with a BOSJ Tag Team Final (is that even right? I’ve never heard of this before). 

This match took a while to get going but when it got there, I was really enjoying it. 3k look like they’ve got a hell of a future, the contrast just in the two matches I’ve seen from them already just speaks volumes about how great the Young Lions system New Japan has for their future talent is. The only thing that’s letting them down a bit right now is their tag team finisher, which feels a bit weak. Obviously credit has to go to their opponents as well, especially in ACH who really made 3k look like rockstars. I don’t seem to come across ACH very often but when I do, I’m always left impressed.


----------



## volde

TJQ said:


> I don't expect anything to change, and that's extremely frustrating when you look at how much good shit gets pumped out during the G1 (an example I'll always go back to because it's consistent proof that you don't need to go to a masturbatory length in order to have a good and meaningful match).


I think that one kinda leads into another. We get many long epics during the year so when G1 happens it all feels fresh and fast, then we switch back to long epics that also feel fresh for a while before it gets stale again.

Basically I agree on principle that some main-events should be shorter and less epic (Omega/Juice is good example), but at the same time I don't see it as being some widespread problem that is hurting NJPW.

What I think needs to happen is some Hiromu/Kushida booking in main-event once or twice a year. It is good that Okada lets his opponents get their stuff in and shine before eventually pinning them (alternative would be something like Cena match where he would just take a giant shit on his opponent), but at the same time I feel that he could do more Okada/Kojima style matches where it is clearly shown that he is on different level and his opponent never had a chance. So when someone hangs with the champ it actually looks impressive and not "well, it is heavyweight title style match" that we now get. 

It is same case with Omega for me, his matches started blurring into one for me because he always tries to do this big epic match, but if your every match is epic then none of them stand out. At this point I basically remember only big spots: Dragon Suplex from WK, Dragon Suplex thru the table at G1 special, falling down to avoid Rainmaker at Dominion, avalanche OWA at Destruction show and the like. Matches themselves I can hardly remember.

By comparison I remember Tana/Naito trilogy pretty well despite seeing it less times and less gifs being made about it.


----------



## Genking48

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/952106318705311744
Goodbye Verserk. Hello ANTIAS.


----------



## TJQ

volde said:


> I think that one kinda leads into another. We get many long epics during the year so when G1 happens it all feels fresh and fast, then we switch back to long epics that also feel fresh for a while before it gets stale again.
> 
> Basically I agree on principle that some main-events should be shorter and less epic (Omega/Juice is good example), but at the same time I don't see it as being some widespread problem that is hurting NJPW.
> .


Which is an absolutely valid opinion to have, it's just not one that I entirely share. By shorter matches I don't inherently mean every main event should be 11 minute Shibata/Sakuraba style matches, but I feel like around 20-25 minutes is a golden threshold *if nothing calls for it to be longer*. The issue for me is that almost none of the stories that they're telling actually call for 40-60 minutes, and the first half of a lot of main events to me feel artificially padded and cliche at this point. It feels like them going through the motions before they decide "alright maybe I should try and win". Even though I didn't like it, within the context of their feud the Okada/Kenny draw made sense, but their WK match earlier in the year was 46 minutes long so part of the charm of them going long was lost on me because it was only slightly longer. 

Clearly they're seeing huge success in spite of the way I feel so they're under absolutely no obligation to change, but It's something I feel strongly about regardless. I'm a simple man with simple needs, GIVE ME URGENCY.


----------



## antoniomare007

Kento Miyahara is a prime example that you can have 15-25 minute matches and make them feel as epic as a 40 minute match. 

Of course New Japan doesn't have to follow what the minority of it's fans want, doesn't mean we can't vent our frustrations. Specially when you consider their style wasn't like this for the vast majority of it's history, and even during this revival period (since 07') the matches weren't as bloated as they are now. I realize the style is generally not for me anymore and that's why I barely watch, but I still can throw my fist to the clouds, dammit.

Another thing is that when a style goes to lengths NJPW's is getting to, there is a point of no return. Happened with King's Road and NOAH, so New Japan gotta be careful with it.


----------



## volde

TJQ said:


> but their WK match earlier in the year was 46 minutes long


Some people defended it by saying that matches need some cooldown so that crowd can recharge their batteries after previous match, but I'm not sure if that argument holds water considering that Jericho/Omega was pretty hot match, but once Naito's entrance started crowd went crazy again.


----------



## WOKELAND2

To demand that a combat ME be 30 min or less I do not think it works as before, they are already accustomed to using that formula and have a history that justifies that duration, do they really think they need to do that again?

Also, I think they're having that mentality of:

Short Matchs = Quality

No, if history does not justify that time it would not be quality, that's the point that also clarifies with long matchs.


----------



## TJQ

WOKELAND2 said:


> To demand that a combat ME be 30 min or less I do not think it works as before, they are already accustomed to using that formula and have a history that justifies that duration, do they really think they need to do that again?
> 
> Also, I think they're having that mentality of:
> 
> Short Matchs = Quality
> 
> No, if history does not justify that time it would not be quality, that's the point that also clarifies with long matchs.


Not short, _shorter_. Again, i'm not saying no match should ever go longer than 30 minutes, but I think the time should be a reflection of the in ring story they're telling which very rarely needs longer than that if you're working with a sense of purpose and urgency (saying that word a lot lately aren't I? :lol ). It's also not as if these same wrestlers aren't having less drawn out matches during the rest of the year, Kenny (who is one of the people I consider a big offender of this alongside Okada) had a fucking awesome match with Beretta that went 21minutes. Okada's banger vs Tiger Mask W (Ibushi) went 27.



antoniomare007 said:


> Of course New Japan doesn't have to follow what the minority of it's fans want, doesn't mean we can't vent our frustrations. Specially when you consider their style wasn't like this for the vast majority of it's history, and even during this revival period (since 07') the matches weren't as bloated as they are now. I realize the style is generally not for me anymore and that's why I barely watch, but I still can throw my fist to the clouds, dammit.


Which is the angle I'm coming at it from, I 110% understand that what they're doing is currently working so they would have no obligation to change what they're doing. Which is part of what makes it more frustrating to me, I think. With Shibata gone I'm just praying that bandanna midget does something with ZSJ (overall favorite atm) and gives #HeavyweightGreg a good push. They're the two I'm most interested in at this point apart from Hiromu and KUSHIDA.


----------



## MC

volde said:


> Some people defended it by saying that matches need some cooldown so that crowd can recharge their batteries after previous match, *but I'm not sure if that argument holds water considering that Jericho/Omega was pretty hot match, but once Naito's entrance started crowd went crazy again*.


It could, considering Naito vs Okada was much more anticipated then Omega vs Okada. But too late to change that in hindsight.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Maybe it is just my BritWres bias striking again but I just watched the Scurll Ospreay match from Power Struggle and I feel like I need to make it a late addition into my best matches of 2017 list. 

Outside of the Ishii/Omega Trilogy, this has to be the best storytelling in a New Japan ring all year with this match being a perfect blend of New Japan and BritWres styles as Scurll and Ospreay absolutely went to war. The intensity, the big fight feel and the chemistry between Ospreay and Scurll was just all perfectly aligned here, especially with the dynamic between the two as Scurll wrestles pretty uniquely in a Junior division where a lot of guys effectively work the same match. The English commentary even added to this one. 

Only questions remain thanks to hindsight. Knowing Scurll set up the four way and knowing it resulted in him getting pinned and losing the title on his first defence doesn’t do anything for him. Surely it would have been better to have another singles match with Ospreay, positioned as a “one last chance” sort of thing, culminating in Ospreay ‘finally’ beating Scurll and taking the title back?


----------



## MC

Spoiler: DDT D-King Grand Prix Spoilers



The D-King Grand Prix final on 28th January is HARASHIMA Vs Shuji Ishikawa. Can't wait for that match. HARASHIMA has had a recent run in terms of match quality but I expect big things in this match with Ishikawa


----------



## HOJO

MC 16 said:


> Spoiler: DDT D-King Grand Prix Spoilers
> 
> 
> 
> The D-King Grand Prix final on 28th January is HARASHIMA Vs Shuji Ishikawa. Can't wait for that match. HARASHIMA has had a recent run in terms of match quality but I expect big things in this match with Ishikawa


Their match in Osaka was disappointing as fuck so here's some redemption for them

Because Charisma is out there's only one result that's good



Spoiler: with a smile



Mainly because he can actually end his reign unlike Shuji who's just gonna hand the win back from Peter Pan


----------



## MC

HOJO said:


> Their match in Osaka was disappointing as fuck so here's some redemption for them
> 
> Because Charisma is out there's only one result that's good
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: with a smile
> 
> 
> 
> Mainly because he can actually end his reign unlike Snhuji who's just gonna hand the win back from Peter Pan



Charisma? You mean Takeshita? :lol Yeah, it's not working with him as champion. 

Also, Joey Ryan got streamers :CENA What's with that?


----------



## Pizzamorg

Next up on Power Struggle was another US Title defence from Omega. And honestly? I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed this one and that kinda seems the point. They knew you’d go into this with zero expectations meaning you were at your most malleable and they used that to their full advantage here. Cementing Barreta’s place in the Heavyweight Division and potentially setting up another match down the line since Barreta was inches away several times, losing clean in the end but protected by his inexperience when it comes to this pocket of the roster. 

I went into this cold as a corpse but I left the match so eager to see what else Barreta is going to do on this singles run with my full emotional investment in him moving forward. They could have just done a quick, throwaway, match since the payoff was always the Jericho appearance at the end but they bothered to make a new star before that and that is kinda awesome. Maybe slightly less so since they haven’t actually done anything with Barreta since then but early days in the schedule of New Japan yet. 

Speaking more specifically of the match itself, it was a masterclass in the simplicity of its booking and its psychology. Omega the cocky heel just waiting for his hubris to unravel him, forced into taking Barreta seriously, the all heart white meat underdog who will fight from under until his body gives up on him. I’ve never seen Barreta wrestle before (as far as I can remember, anyway) but he instantly won me over here, this was one of those “leave a piece of yourself behind in the ring” kind of performances. 

It is so odd, by contrast, when I think about just how boring the Juice match was considering Juice got very similar treatment by New Japan in position him in 2017 as a future star, Omega put Juice over big in being forced to use an Avalanche One Winged Angel to put him away in the end and Juice is a great wrestler but then again, this went about fifteen minutes shorter than the Juice match and that is probably the deal breaker. This is what the Juice match could have been if it hadn’t been unnecessarily dragged out and if they had done that they would have given more credence to the US Title before Jericho gunned for it.


----------



## Corey

Forget all of this talk about match length. Why the hell has no one else watched Doering vs. Zeus!? :lol


----------



## komatsu_na

I was scared that they would actually give Endo the belt. He isn't even close to ready.

I think Shuji wins so Takeshita can get his win back.


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Forget all of this talk about match length. Why the hell has no one else watched Doering vs. Zeus!? :lol


They have, it's getting some rave reviews online. But, you should've seen the shitstorm NastyYaffa caused on twitter. :lol Hilarious.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Doering vs. Zeus fits right into the talk about match length, because oh boy, that went 20 mins, but it felt like 50. :side:


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/952509818719424512

Watched the show, pretty decent show. The Naomichi Marufuji & Shingo Takagi vs Masato Tanaka & Masa Kitamiya match was really good. Had it at ****. Nakajima vs Okuda is worth a watch as well.



NastyYaffa said:


> Doering vs. Zeus fits right into the talk about match length, because oh boy, that went 20 mins, but it felt like 50. :side:


Bet you are a Cody Rhodes fan, aren't you?


----------



## Corey

NastyYaffa said:


> Doering vs. Zeus fits right into the talk about match length, because oh boy, that went 20 mins, but it felt like 50. :side:


How dare you... :thelist


----------



## TJQ

Corey said:


> How dare you... :thelist


I'm mostly in the same boat. The good bits of the match were hard hitting as fuck and great, but it felt like the material from a 10 minute match stretched into 20. I definitely get why people love it (because I LOVED bits of it) but i wish they would have hit their mark and gotten out :lol


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> Forget all of this talk about match length. Why the hell has no one else watched Doering vs. Zeus!? :lol


Too lazy to post on the MOTYC because even though I think it deserves a YES, it's not a high end match either.

One of those encounters that it's very good and Korakuen just makes it more special because it's Korakuen, so the fact they went longer than they should've didn't bother me as much as the crowd made it worth it. Loved the final 5 minutes too.


----------



## Genking48

Results from the past two Dragon Gate shows. thanks to iheartdg for the results.



> *01/13/2018
> Kyoto, KBS Hall
> Open the New Year Gate 2018
> Attendance: 850*
> *0. *Shun Skywalker*▲* (5:00 Time Limit Draw) U-T*▲*
> *1.* Shingo Takagi, Takashi Yoshida, Yasushi Kanda*O* (12:28 Candy Magic) Naruki Doi*X*, Masato Yoshino, Kagetora
> *2.* Jason Lee*O* (4:24 Pin) Gamma*X*
> *3. *Kzy*O* (11:50 Skayde Schoolboy) Ryo Saito*X*
> *4. *Susumu Yokosuka, Dezmond Xavier*O*, Zachary Wentz (13:55 Final Flash) Genki Horiguchi*X*, Flamita, Bandido
> *5. *Big R Shimizu, Ben-K*O* (14:48 Jackknife Cradle) Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fujii*X*
> *6.* T-Hawk, Eita*O*, El Lindaman (17:54 Pop-up Superkick) YAMATO, BxB Hulk, Yosuke♡Santa Maria*X*
> 
> The former Verserk revealed their new name is ANTIAS. Eita, T-Hawk, & El Lindaman will be the focus of the group. Takagi, Yoshida, & Kanda will provide support and experience for them.
> 
> Takagi ran down Doi for losing in the first match of the year. Was he still hungover from the holidays? He is a Triangle Gate champion. MaxiMuM should just hand over the titles now if this is the kind of performance he was going to put in. Doi admitted defeat today, but it was a non-title match. If they want the Triangle Gate titles they can fight for them. Antias already hold the Brave & Twin Gate title belts. They would be more than happy to add the Triangle Gate to their trophy case. He told Doi to shine the belts up real nice for them. Doi said their name was stupid and hard to remember. What was it again? Anti-aging? MaxiMuM is a much cooler name. He told the fans to look forward to big things from MaxiMuM in 2018.
> 
> Kzy said there was no stopping his momentum. Last year was one of transformation. This year will be about progression. Anyone who wants to try and stop him was welcome to try.
> 
> Ben-K said that the future of Dragon Gate is dependent on them, no, him charging straight to the top.
> 
> Eita ripped on Tribe Vanguard for starting the year in such a sluggish state. Well. Some of them. Not Kzy. He was still on fire. Maybe he would like a change of scenery. He would make a nice addition to Antias. The year was still new. He should carefully consider his options for the year. He ripped on the fans for their lack of reaction. Why did they even come to the show if they were going to sit quietly with such a happy ending going on in the ring. Lindaman said that even idiots like the Kyoto fans can see that Antias is the center of Dragon Gate now. Not just Kyoto, but the dumbass fans all over Japan. Get used to seeing Antias ruling the ring.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: pics





> *01/14/2018
> Osaka, Edion Arena Osaka #2
> Open the New Year Gate 2018
> Attendance: 1300*
> 
> *0. *Jason Lee*O*, Oji Shiiba (8:20 German Suplex Hold) Kaito Ishida*X*, Problem Dragon
> *1. *YAMATO, Kzy*O*, Yosuke Santa Maria (13:27 Skayde Schoolboy) Don Fujii, Susumu Yokosuka, Gamma*X*
> *2. *BxB Hulk*O* (12:01 South Road) Big R Shimizu*X*
> *3. *Ben-K*O* (2:00 Ground Full Nelson) Genki Horiguchi*X*
> *4. *CIMA, Dezmond Xavier*O*, Zachary Wentz (15:11 Final Flash) Ryo Saito*X*, Flamita, Bandido
> *5. *Masaaki Mochizuki*O*, Kagetora (13:08 Disqualification) Eita, El Lindaman*X*
> *6. *Naruki Doi*O*, Masato Yoshino, Kotoka (20:28 Bakatare Sliding Kick) T-Hawk, Takashi Yoshida, Yasushi Kanda*X*
> 
> Kzy continued his run of form. He’s 2-0 so far this year. If anyone wants to try and stop him, he’d love to see them try. Expect big things from him this year.
> 
> Ben-K also repeated his statement from yesterday. He has to push his way to the top for the sake of Dragon Gate and its future. He has a plan. Like Kzy. He asked the fans to expect big things.
> 
> Eita introduced Antias to Osaka. He once again noted that they were very interested in recruiting Kzy.
> 
> Lindaman used his bull rope on Mochizuki and attacked Mr. Nakagawa when he tried to stop it, leading to the dq. Lindaman said he had been beaten and mocked by Mochizuki at every turn in 2017. He was going to turn the tables this year. Mochizuki wasn’t impressed. If Lindaman was coming for him, that meant he was coming for the Dream Gate. He just isn’t up to par for that sort of thing. When YAMATO and his generation came for him they put up much more of a fight. More arguing lead to a huge brawl.
> 
> Doi once again made fun of the Antias name. Anti-aging? It’s a dumb name. Were they really serious about this? Do they really think that T-Hawk, Eita, & Lindaman were enough to carry a unit? Particularly Lindaman. Giving the unit a new name isn’t going to instantly make them a strong group. Especially when the name is so dumb. Not really a surprise from someone who named himself El Lindaman.
> The two sides had a back and forth about their upcoming match at Korakuen Hall. Lindaman pointed out Shimizu losing today. Shimizu & Ben-K were as stupid as they are big. In Korakuen, Doi & Yoshino will see the difference between Young MaxiMuM and Young Antias.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: pics


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

NastyYaffa said:


> Doering vs. Zeus fits right into the talk about match length, because oh boy, that went 20 mins, but it felt like 50. :side:


This is interesting to me because I found the match to be a breeze and was over before I knew it. Yet I just watched Endo vs Takeshita go 30 minutes and it felt like forever. 

Perception of time can be a funny thing.


----------



## Corey

TJQ said:


> I'm mostly in the same boat. The good bits of the match were hard hitting as fuck and great, but it felt like the material from a 10 minute match stretched into 20. I definitely get why people love it (because I LOVED bits of it) but i wish they would have hit their mark and gotten out :lol





antoniomare007 said:


> Too lazy to post on the MOTYC because even though I think it deserves a YES, it's not a high end match either.
> 
> One of those encounters that it's very good and Korakuen just makes it more special because it's Korakuen, so the fact they went longer than they should've didn't bother me as much as the crowd made it worth it. Loved the final 5 minutes too.


Well, at least more of you watched it and enjoyed parts of it at least.  It's probably my 2nd favorite match this year tbh. All Japan and Big Japan matches that go 15-20 honestly feel like a breeze to me compared to the amount of New Japan main events that go 30+. Length never once came to mind when watching this one.


----------



## TJQ

Corey said:


> Well, at least more of you watched it and enjoyed parts of it at least.  It's probably my 2nd favorite match this year tbh. *All Japan and Big Japan matches that go 15-20 honestly feel like a breeze to me compared to the amount of New Japan main events that go 30+.* Length never once came to mind when watching this one.


Which is generally how I feel whenever I watch the stuff that gets recommended in the MOTYC thread. Something just felt off to me with this one, but at the very least it was another clear indicator that I need to continue to try and invest more time into these other promotions because despite not liking it as much as you guys they have what I want to watch :lol


----------



## MC

"Fight Forever"


----------



## TJQ

Really damn good article.

A HUNK OF GOLD AND LEATHER: GOTO, SHIBATA, & CHAMPIONSHIP SYMBOLISM


----------



## volde

Interesting read, makes last year a bit more meaningful, but I wonder how much of it was actually planned and how much of it is just reading into things that aren't really there.


----------



## MC

Really great article. Showing the importance of the title and what it means. Why Goto vs Suzuki was one of the most important matches at WK despite most of us not wanting the match.


----------



## TJQ

volde said:


> Interesting read, makes last year a bit more meaningful, *but I wonder how much of it was actually planned and how much of it is just reading into things that aren't really there.*


Well that's the beautiful thing about art, is that it doesn't need to be intentional to take on a certain meaning. 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/950267116137144320


----------



## antoniomare007

By the way, has the Korakuen Big Japan show with Twin Towers vs Sekimoto/Suzuki hit the net yet? I've looked for it in some places but I'm not even sure if it has even aired yet...


----------



## komatsu_na

Genking48 said:


> Results from the past two Dragon Gate shows. thanks to iheartdg for the results.


>ANTIAS 

How do you pronounce this?


----------



## NastyYaffa

antoniomare007 said:


> By the way, has the Korakuen Big Japan show with Twin Towers vs Sekimoto/Suzuki hit the net yet? I've looked for it in some places but I'm not even sure if it has even aired yet...


https://rutube.ru/video/748699c83d47cd9c51d0d39e37a1cb81/?pl_id=1067514&pl_type=user
The match absolutely RULES.


----------



## Genking48

sengen777 said:


> >ANTIAS
> 
> How do you pronounce this?


I don't know, so far I've pronounced it as kind of like ALIAS but starting of with ''ant'' instead :shrug


----------



## Ham and Egger

I've read the past few pages about match length and I think that main events should be epic bouts. You only get singles matches on their big shows so it make sense that you get the main event should go 20-30 minutes. Plus these shows are spaced out month to month so I don't get why we're critiquing match length.


----------



## antoniomare007

NastyYaffa said:


> https://rutube.ru/video/748699c83d47cd9c51d0d39e37a1cb81/?pl_id=1067514&pl_type=user
> The match absolutely RULES.


RealHero always showing up in the clutch.

About to watch and most likely posting my thoughts on the MOTYC because those 4 could just stare at each other for 10 minutes and I'd still love the fucking match.


----------



## Genking48

credit to Iheartdg for the results



> _*01/16/2018
> Tokyo, Korakuen Hall
> Open the New Year Gate 2018*_
> 
> *0.* Kaito Ishida⭕ (5:31 1.sec) Yuki Yoshioka*❌*
> *1. *Genki Horiguchi, Jason Lee, Ben-K⭕, Kotoka (10:13 Sodegarami) Kagetora*❌*, K-ness., Problem Dragon, Shun Skywalker
> *2. *Yasushi Kanda, Takashi Yoshida⭕ (7:31 Power Bomb) BxB Hulk, U-T*❌*
> *3. *Shingo Takagi⭕ (4:46 Disqualification) Punch Tominaga*❌*
> *4.* *Special New Years Tag Match: *Yosuke♡Santa Maria⭕, Hyosuke♡Santa Maria⭕, Ryosuke♡Santa Maria*❌* (12:31 Kissing Pin) CIMA*❌*, Gamma*❌*, Don Fujii⭕
> _*The 3 Falls were simultaneous, but the Santa Marias scored 2 so they were given the decision_
> *5. Special International Tag Team Match:* Dezmond Xavier⭕, Zachary Wentz (9:08 Final Flash) Flamita, Bandido*❌*
> *6. *YAMATO, Kzy⭕ (12:31 Sliding European Uppercut) Masaaki Mochizuki*❌*, Susumu Yokosuka
> *7. *T-Hawk, Eita, El Lindaman⭕ (18:31 Tiger Suplex Hold) Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Big R Shimizu*❌*
> 
> MaxiMuM opened the show with a greeting. Doi congratulated himself for being a part of the Triangle Gate winning team in Fukuoka. Yoshino told him not to congratulate yourself. Doi said no one else had said it to him. Yoshino got the crowd to say it. Doi thanked them and joked that it was 100% a solo effort.
> 
> 
> 
> Ben-K picked up a another big win. This Ben-K was not the Ben-K we all saw in 2017. Age and career length are irrelevant. For the sake of Dragon Gate he has to force his way to the top. Antias came out for a confrontation. T-Hawk got into a shoving match with Ben-K. He introduced the new and improved unit to the fans. Verserk was no more, they are now Antias. Lindaman ripped on Shimizu for his losing streak. Were they serious about putting someone in such a state in the main event against a group as powerful as Antias? His stupid mohawk, his oversized body, and no brains. Doi had already forgotten their unit name. An-what? Anti-aging? Anchovy garlic? It’s a dumb name! Were they serious about letting T-Hawk, Eita, & Lindaman carry the group? Particularly Lindaman. He thinks changing to a different name will make them appear stronger? He should probably consider changing his own name. El Lindaman was something you call a kid or a pet. Doi fired up Shimizu who told Lindaman he would shut him up for good in the main event. MaxiMuM isn’t just DoiYoshi and he would prove it.
> Lindaman was flustered by what Doi said so he demanded Hulk & U-T come out and become the first Tokyo victims of the mighty Antias.
> 
> 
> 
> A chair got into the ring during Takagi vs. Tominaga. Tominaga used it repeatedly with little effect. He also attacked the referee, forcing the DQ. He doesn’t care about Verserk or Antias or anything else. Shingo Takagi was going to pay for his sins. He went after Takagi again, and they brawled backstage. Takagi was critical. He told the company that just putting Tominaga in matches will lower the reputation of the entire organization. He was going to repeat something he heard while competing on the Riki Choshu produced show on Sunday. Punch Tominaga, you fucking suck. You should give up wrestling before you get killed. If that doesn’t happen by the time they meet again, Takagi will be the one that does the honors.
> 
> 
> CIMA, Gamma, & Fujii dressed as perverted old men, calling their team the S&M Machine Guns. Gong Kids was held as usual. After the match, CIMA said he hoped it set a proper tone for what is to come in 2018. Maybe the S&M Machine Guns could even challenge for the Triangle Gate. He segued to the next match. It will be an America vs. Mexico International Tag Team match. Flamita, of course needs no introduction. His partner is called Bandido. CIMA first saw him about two years ago, this is his first time in Japan. On the other side is Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz. They are here via recommendation from Ricochet himself. CIMA wanted to give all four a chance to come out and show what they can do. He hopes the fans will enjoy it.
> 
> 
> Kzy celebrated yet another victory. This time it was different. Why? Because the man he pinned was Masaaki Mochizuki. The crowd got hot as soon as he said it, knowing what was next. He challenged Mochizuki to a Dream Gate title match. Mochizuki told him he has seen his winning streak and his momentum, but he had dismissed him as all talk with an over reliance on fluke flash pins. Today was neither of those things. He hit him right in the jaw and pinned him. The fans want it and he has earned it. His challenge was accepted. GM Yagi set the match for the 2/7 Korakuen. Mochizuki reminded him that while he might be feeling pretty good right now, this was just a tag match. YAMATO also contributed a very very small amount of damage. Next time, it will be 1 on 1. Kzy admitted that a lot of people probably felt about him the same as Mochizuki did. They weren’t wrong. It doesn’t matter how long it takes to arrive. Kzy has arrived. He was time for a change of scenery, and he was going to be the one to do it.
> 
> 
> Antias kept up the attack on MaxiMuM after the main event, while Lindaman berated Shimizu. Tribe Vanguard came out to run them off. They weren’t here to save MaxiMuM. They still have a bone to pick with them after they took the Triangle Gate titles in Fukuoka. They were here today for Antias. They wanted payback for the loss in Kyoto on opening day. Since Doi was out here already, this brings up a question. Who exactly gave them permission to so casually throw away the Verserk name that YAMATO & Doi created? They lost sleep thinking of that name. How dare they just kill it off like that! Doi was flustered by the sudden reminder of their past friendship so he demanded to know why Tribe came out to help. No one asked them. YAMATO reiterated that they weren’t here to help anyone. They were here to pick a fight, MaxiMuM getting rescued was just a side effect. They should act a little more grateful. Lindaman protested. Antias won the match, they should get the spotlight. YAMATO informed him that people had already forgotten and moved on from that.
> Things escalated until eventually all sides agreed to a 3 way 6 man tag match at the 2/7 Korakuen. YAMATO selected Hulk & Flamita as his partners. T-Hawk said the Verserk team wo….Wait, Verserk? YAMATO & Yoshino lead a loud Verserk chant. T-Hawk tried to recover from this fatal error, only managing to say “Our team will be T-Hawk, Eita, & Linda”. Ben-K tackled him to reveal himself as the third member of MaxiMuM with Doi & Yoshino.
> 
> 
> 
> Eita said that Antias would win no matter who their opponents were. He changed subjects to Kzy. Congratulations on the Dream Gate title shot. Maybe by then, he will have accepted the invitation to Antias. If that happens, he can be confident in knowing they he will have full backup for the match….
> MaxiMuM were left to close the show. They made fun of T-Hawk for his gaffe. They also wondered if the Antias t-shirts were printed backwards by mistake. They talked about the MaxiMuM expedition to Hong Kong, where Shimizu managed to gain 5kg in 2 days. They finished things out asking the fans to look forward to what is in store next month and ahead in 2018.
> 
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> 
> Spoiler: pics
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> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/953235405515538433
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/953227877956206592


The International Tag Team Match was not great. I mostly felt this was because of Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz. They just stuck out like a sore thumb to me. their look, their theme and their wrestling just felt off from what I expect when watching a Dragon Gate show. I could see them improving Dezmond Xavier into something more refined maybe. But Zachary Wentz gotta go back to where he came from.


----------



## MC

NastyYaffa said:


> https://rutube.ru/video/748699c83d47cd9c51d0d39e37a1cb81/?pl_id=1067514&pl_type=user
> The match absolutely RULES.


This match was great. So was Masashi Takeda vs Takumi Tsukamoto. Daichi Hashimoto vs Ryuichi Kawakami was pretty good as well.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Best big match wrestler in all of Japan & Kenny Omega


----------



## Pizzamorg

So I just watched my last match from Power Struggle and although I have Global Wars still to get to, finishing this match basically has me all caught up on the pure NJPW PPVs of 2017 that I missed out on. Quite proud of that given my internet has barely worked for the last week. 

I wish I could say it ended on a high note but the Intercontinental Title defence I closed on was... pretty bad, if I’m being honest. The English commentary were only half focused on the match due the Jericho reveal and while I held hopes that as Ibushi is one of the best wrestlers in the world he could get a good match out of this Tanahashi, it was just another bloated marquee snooze fest filled with inconsistent selling. 

It seems Tanahashi works effectively the same match every single time and I personally don’t think it is a particularly good one. Don’t get me wrong, I respect Tanahashi for what he did for New Japan, I’m not completely ignorant but I’m sorry, I just can’t get into his matches. Maybe if i go back a few years to watch some recent New Japan history I’ll find my first Tanahashi match I really enjoy, in fact there is a match from maybe five years ago at Dominion between him and Prince Devitt I wouldn’t mind seeing. But yeah, what a sour note to end on.


----------



## TJQ

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/953880842295762946


----------



## Pizzamorg

I figured as I still had my New Japan World subscription but had caught up with everything from last year, I’d go back and start pencilling in some recent history again.

On my first stop I went all the way back to 2012 to watch early Prince Devitt in action against Low-Ki and I wasn’t disappointed, this match was awesome. It was really unlike anything I’ve seen from New Japan, not even fifteen minutes long and basically a sprint from start to finish. This is like the Ospreay v Ricochet before that was a thing and with way more grit.

World’s presentation of this though was weird, why was everything around the match cut off?


----------



## MC

> *Pro-Wrestling NOAH “Navig. For The Future”, 1/20/2018 [Sat] 17:00 @ Yokohama Radiant Hall in Kanagawa*
> 
> 
> (1) Go Shiozaki vs. Jyunta Miyawaki
> (2) Akitoshi Saito & Seiya Morohashi vs. Cody Hall & LEONA
> (3) Maybach Taniguchi & Mitsuya Nagai vs. Andrew Everett & Jay Bradley
> (4) Daisuke Harada, HAYATA, YO-HEY & Tadasuke vs. Hajime Ohara, Taiji Ishimori, Hi69 & Hitoshi Kumano
> (5) Takashi Sugiura & Masao Inoue
> (6) Naomichi Marufuji & Atsushi Kotoge vs. Yuko Miyamoto & Minoru Tanaka
> (7) Muhammad Yone & Quiet Storm vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya
> *(8) Kenoh vs. Kaito Kiyomiya*
> 
> http://puroresuspirit.net/2017/12/noah-event-cards-for-january-february-2018/



A rematch between Kenoh and Kaito :mark Hope the show is taped, the entire card sounds really good. RATEL'S vs Hajime Ohara, Taiji Ishimori, Hi69 & Hitoshi Kumano sounds pretty good. Muhammad Yone & Quiet Storm vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya and Naomichi Marufuji & Atsushi Kotoge vs. Yuko Miyamoto & Minoru Tanaka sounds like really exciting matches.


----------



## WOKELAND2

Pizzamorg said:


> with inconsistent selling.


Inconsistent? Although it was not perfect, it was much better than what Ibushi has accustomed us when it's time to sell. Even the botch in the Super Frankensteiner can be justified from the kayfabe, because it is that leg that Kota fails to apply at the time.

What would you call this inconsistent?:
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-StPquuzj...arSORfeMOiiB9WwCLcBGAs/s1600/pierna+falla.gif



Pizzamorg said:


> I just can’t get into his matches.


The point is not so much that you connect with it, but that you understand what it does, that is called psychology in the ring.

And here he showed it by transmitting his experience, which gives him the advantage over Ibushi in the initial struggles and at the time of "firing first". Showed a very good heel performance throughout the match, like when he went out to ringside after receiving Kota's first hit, because it seemed an exaggerated response, but it was all a trap because Tanahashi knew that Ibushi would go for his Moonsault out of the ring, I was waiting for him to hurt Ibushi's leg. Fantastic, do not you think?


----------



## WOKELAND2

MC 16 said:


> A rematch between Kenoh and Kaito :mark Hope the show is taped, the entire card sounds really good. RATEL'S vs Hajime Ohara, Taiji Ishimori, Hi69 & Hitoshi Kumano sounds pretty good. Muhammad Yone & Quiet Storm vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya and Naomichi Marufuji & Atsushi Kotoge vs. Yuko Miyamoto & Minoru Tanaka sounds like really exciting matches.


Other Kenoh Vs Kaito? This is Awesome.


----------



## MC

WOKELAND2 said:


> Other Kenoh Vs Kaito? This is Awesome.


What do you mean?


----------



## WOKELAND2

MC 16 said:


> What do you mean?


Is not it obvious?


----------



## MC

WOKELAND2 said:


> Is not it obvious?


Not really. You used a question mark. Did you mean too (if so, why) or was it a mistake.


----------



## antoniomare007

Shuji and Suwama's tag title win was a little underwhelming, the last third of the match was really fun and had Korakuen pumped up, but the rest was nothing to write home. Kinda surprised they didn't put any depth to the match, it was just the 4 of them trading moves and taking turns on top.

Nomura vs Sai was better imo, a good "vet vs young guy" match with Sai kicking the living hell outta the young bull. Can't wait for Nomura's matches in this year's Champions Carnival.


----------



## MC

Spoiler: Mayu's return!!!





__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/954930744350064640




She has returned!!!


----------



## komatsu_na

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/955767706107625472


----------



## MC

sengen777 said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/955767706107625472


Now that's what I call being tranquillo.


----------



## Corey

Naito & Taichi got 24 minutes today. That'll be interesting to watch.


----------



## MC

Here is Battleman news. It shows highlights of the recent Stardom, New Japan, Noah, Pure-J, Tokyo Joshi and even Barasta shows.


----------



## volde

Corey said:


> Naito & Taichi got 24 minutes today. That'll be interesting to watch.


And supposedly they got 1500 people in the building. Might be a hot match.


----------



## MC

*Pro Wrestling Noah 27/01 (EDION Arena Osaka, 2nd Stadium) Match Card*




> () Jyunta Miyawaki vs. LEONA
> (1) Akitoshi Saito & Hitoshi Kumano vs. Cody Hall & Tadasuke
> (2) Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Kanjyuro Matsuyama (Osaka Pro)
> (3) Atsushi Kotoge vs. Minoru Tanaka
> (4) Muhammad Yone, Quiet Storm & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Maybach Taniguchi, Mitsuya Nagai & Masao Inoue
> (5) Takashi Sugiura vs. Kaito Kiyomiya
> (6) Kenoh vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Go Shiozaki vs. Masa Kitamiya
> 
> (7) GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Championship Match: [31st Champions] HAYATA & YO-HEY vs. [Challengers] Taiji Ishimori & Hi69
> ~ 4th title defense.
> 
> (8) GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: [36th Champion] Daisuke Harada vs. [Challenger] Hajime Ohara
> ~ 3rd title defense


*Pro Wrestling Noah 02/02 (Korakuen Hall) Match Card*


> (1) Jyunta Miyawaki vs. LEONA (DRADITION)
> (2) Yoshinari Ogawa & Masao Inoue vs. Minoru Tanaka & Seiya Morohashi
> (3) Daisuke Harada, HAYATA, YO-HEY & Tadasuke vs. Taiji Ishimori, Hi69, Hajime Ohara & Hitoshi Kumano
> (4) Go Shiozaki & Atsushi Kotoge vs. Cody Hall & Jay Bradley
> (5) Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya vs. Takashi Sugiura & Akitoshi Saito
> (6) Naomichi Marufuji vs. Kaito Kiyomiya
> 
> (7) GHC Tag Championship Match: [41st Champions] Muhammad Yone & Quiet Storm vs. [Challengers] Maybach Taniguchi & Mitsuya Nagai (DRADITION)
> ~ 2nd title defense.
> 
> (8) GHC Heavyweight Championship Match: [30th Champion] Kenoh vs. [Challenger] Yuko Miyamoto (666)
> ~ 2nd title defense.
> 
> Credit: http://puroresuspirit.net/2017/12/noah-event-cards-for-january-february-2018/



All the matches look awesome. Can't wait.


----------



## antoniomare007

So DDT is once again using their money for the Judgement/Anniversary show, I guess Peter Pan will become their 2nd priority from now on? 

*
DDT “Judgment 2018 ~ DDT 21st Anniversary Show”, 3/25/2018 [Sun] 15:00 @ Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo*

(-) Shinjuku Ni-Chome no Junin vs Makai no Junin Special 6 Man Tag Match: Great Muta, X & XX vs. Danshoku Dieno, X & XX
~ Also announced to be competing: Naomichi Marufuji, Daisuke Sekimoto, Jiro “Ikemen” Kuroshio, Shuji Ishikawa, Mike Bailey, Joey Ryan, Colt Cabana & LiLiCo


----------



## Corey

Masashi Takeda & Takumi Tsukamoto won the BJW Tag Titles yesterday, making Takeda a double champion. 

Also this:



> *[AJPW NEWS]* It was announced that Yuma Aoyagi has suffered a fracture to his right ankle on January 25 and that he will need surgery to treat the injury. At this time All Japan has not vacated the tag belts from Aoyagi and Naoya Nomura, but it was acknowledged to be a likely possibility.
> 
> Ryoji Sai, who defeated Aoyagi on the 1/25 show with an Achilles tendon hold, stated that he intends to challenge for the Asia Tag belts either one way or another. Sai just started a new reign as the All Asia Heavyweight Champion and stated that he intends to become the All Asia Tag Champion as well.


----------



## WOKELAND2

https://twitter.com/mortenvh/status/956638385355067392


----------



## antoniomare007

Work or not, I wouldn't trust Kasai's demented ass with a piece of paper, let alone a knife.


----------



## MC

A poster for Great Voyage 2018 in Yokohama. Looks pretty sick.


---------
-----

*Navigation For The Future 2018 - Day 6 Review
*
Go Shiozaki vs. Junta Miyawaki
- Decent opener. Shiozaki dominated from the get go and it was clear it wasn’t going to be anything other than a squash. (**)

Akitoshi Saito & Seiya Morohashi vs. Cody Hall & LEONA
- Boring tag match were nothing really happened. The best part of the match is where a fan constantly tried to get a Cody chant going only to fail several times. (*½ )



Andrew Everett & Jay Bradley vs. Maybach Taniguchi & Mitsuya Nagai
- Okay tag match. Again, nothing really worth note. (**)


Back Breakers (Hajime Ohara & Hitoshi Kumano) & XX (Hi69 & Taiji Ishimori) vs. RATEL'S (Daisuke Harada, HAYATA, Tadasuke & YO-HEY)
- Good match that was lot’s of fun but it overstayed its welcome by 5 or 10 minutes (***¼)

Masao Inoue vs. Takashi Sugiura
- Missed it.

Atsushi Kotoge & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Minoru Tanaka & Yuko Miyamoto
- Here we go!!! This was very entertaining to watch. I’m liking this new partnership Kotoge and Marufuji are forming, everytime they tag together, they have pretty good matches. (***½)


Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya vs. Mohammed Yone & Quiet Storm
- Another okay but not really noteworthy match. The crowd seemed into the match but it was just there for me. (**½) 

Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Kenoh
- Pretty good match. It ended in a pinfall this time which I liked. Kept things a bit fresh. Kenoh was very dominate here. Kaito showed some fire but it wasn’t enough. But we are only at the beginning of this feud. More will come and I’m waiting for the day when Kaito wins Kenoh. It wasn’t better than their first match but still good. MOTN by far. ***¾ 


Really average show. Nothing really interesting other then the main event and Kotoge and Marufuji teaming together.


----------



## WOKELAND2

https://twitter.com/DG_Jae/status/957215125949186048


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*During today's Dragon Gate show in Kobe ***** Hall, Kotoka announced that he will be retiring from in-ring competition with his final match taking place at the March 8th Korakuen Hall show.

The guy's career has been filled with setbacks, injuries & pure bad luck, but he's managed to become one of the more over young guys on DG roster with a great 2017 alongside MaxiMuM. Damn shame that he's hanging it up now, but I hope he takes care of himself in his retirement.  *


----------



## WOKELAND2

Kotoka is a really good wrestler. Maybe we can agree that he isn't the best on Dragon Gate, but he has heart and passion. A retirement at 28 sucks, but he has a life and it's better if he takes care of himself.


----------



## HOJO

antoniomare007 said:


> So DDT is once again using their money for the Judgement/Anniversary show, I guess Peter Pan will become their 2nd priority from now on?
> 
> *
> DDT “Judgment 2018 ~ DDT 21st Anniversary Show”, 3/25/2018 [Sun] 15:00 @ Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo*
> 
> (-) Shinjuku Ni-Chome no Junin vs Makai no Junin Special 6 Man Tag Match: Great Muta, X & XX vs. Danshoku Dieno, X & XX
> ~ Also announced to be competing: Naomichi Marufuji, Daisuke Sekimoto, Jiro “Ikemen” Kuroshio, Shuji Ishikawa, Mike Bailey, Joey Ryan, Colt Cabana & LiLiCo


It's now Dino, Keisuke Ishii & Ken Ohka vs Muta, Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo


----------



## komatsu_na

The other matches announced:
Jiro “Ikemen” Kuroshio vs. Super Sasadango Machine
Joey Ryan vs. Colt Cabana

A bunch of other outside talent is appearing, most notably Yoshiko.


----------



## Genking48

Sucks about Kotoka, but man, 4 surgeries in 2017 sounds rough as hell. I get why you'd consider retirement at that point as it most likely would only get worse as the years go by.

In other news.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/957522321677275137


----------



## Corey

FUCK YES :mark:

(7) GRAND PRIX Final Match: (ABLOCK #1) HARASHIMA vs. (B BLOCK #1) Shuji Ishikawa
*◆Winner: Ishikawa (19:12) following the Giant Slam.*
~ Ishikawa wins the GRAND PRIX 2018. Ishikawa will now move on to challenge Takeshita for the KO-D belt at Ryogoku on March 25.


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> FUCK YES :mark:
> 
> (7) GRAND PRIX Final Match: (ABLOCK #1) HARASHIMA vs. (B BLOCK #1) Shuji Ishikawa
> *◆Winner: Ishikawa (19:12) following the Giant Slam.*
> ~ Ishikawa wins the GRAND PRIX 2018. Ishikawa will now move on to challenge Takeshita for the KO-D belt at Ryogoku on March 25.


Wait? it went near 20 minutes? Felt like 5 watching it live. It was an awesome match btw. Time for Takeshita to get his win back.


----------



## HOJO

Maybe DDT will give me a reason to give a shit about seeing Takeshita forcefully get this win back. Or at all, fucking boring ass athletic dude

They drew 1214 for that show


----------



## komatsu_na

I mean, the two finalist in the D-King finals are in their 40s. They need young new stars badly.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Deadman's Hand said:


> *During today's Dragon Gate show in Kobe ***** Hall, Kotoka announced that he will be retiring from in-ring competition with his final match taking place at the March 8th Korakuen Hall show.
> 
> The guy's career has been filled with setbacks, injuries & pure bad luck, but he's managed to become one of the more over young guys on DG roster with a great 2017 alongside MaxiMuM. Damn shame that he's hanging it up now, but I hope he takes care of himself in his retirement.  *


Thats a real shame. I was really enjoying his character evolution and work with MaxiMuM. Gonna be an emotional send off.


----------



## antoniomare007

Nakamura winning the Rumble means he's truly made forever once he returns to Japan. Dude might comeback in 3 or 7 years and he's gonna be main event Dome shows and winning titles like crazy. He bet on himself and won, kudos to him.


----------



## Mr. Socko

antoniomare007 said:


> Nakamura winning the Rumble means he's truly made forever once he returns to Japan. Dude might comeback in 3 or 7 years and he's gonna be main event Dome shows and winning titles like crazy. He bet on himself and won, kudos to him.


I honestly don't see his WWE run making a _huge_ difference for him as a draw in Japan if he were to come back. NJPW is still a bigger deal in Japan than WWE.


----------



## volde

I suspect he is probably staying with WWE for a while since I doubt that they would have given him this win otherwise.


----------



## antoniomare007

Mr. Socko said:


> I honestly don't see his WWE run making a _huge_ difference for him as a draw in Japan if he were to come back. NJPW is still a bigger deal in Japan than WWE.


People that have had forgettable runs in the US or that are just treated like jobbers/jokes get a huge boost once they get back to Japan just because they worked in the States. That's been a puro staple for a long, long time. 

Nakamura just had the biggest win a japanese wrestler has had in the US probably ever, and will have a heavily featured match at Wrestlemania - which also has a big chance of stealing the show and be forever remembered - Shinsuke's stock will be so high that even if he's completely forgotten by June and never wins another match in 2 years, he'll be treated like god in Japan. 

Him returning will be treated like a huge deal once it happens, whenever that may be.


----------



## Genking48

Implying Nakamura's Rumble win is in any way bigger than guys like Inoki, Mutoh or Chono.

I'm sorry but the legacy any of those guys have has made them mainstream celebrities, not just to wrestling fans but to any Japanese person. Nakamura's Rumble win _"maybe" _ending up making him a bigger deal to wrestling fans, but imo that only happens if he wins the WWE title. If he is defeated at Wrestlemania it will mean jack. And the mainstream Japan is likely not going to care for this like they do legends like Inoki, Mutoh or Chono.


----------



## antoniomare007

Genking48 said:


> Implying Nakamura's Rumble win is in any way bigger than guys like Inoki, Mutoh or Chono.


Jesus Christ, I did not imply that - hell, Inoki is in another stratosphere than the other two - I said his Rumble win was the biggest W a japenese wrestler has ever had in the US, and it's true. Even Baba's, Inoki's and Jumbo's big US title wins were in Japan. When you take into consideration how big of a deal puro people make out of their wrestlers just working in the States, someone having legit success in the biggest company in the world will be treated like a huge fucking deal. 

Nakamura left Japan as a former Ace and a big star, his eventual return was going to be a big deal regardless just because he worked in WWE. You add him actually having success an he's gonna go back as a legit legend.


----------



## ReekOfAwesomenesss

Nakamura is the most successful Japanese ever in the west. Undeniable fact. He will only add more to his resume. RR winner, NXT Champion, soon to be WWE Champion and many more.


----------



## MC

*Stardom 7th Anniversary Show review
*

Okay, so I watched The 7th Anniversary show for Stardom. I thought it was a pretty enjoyable show. I skipped the first two matches and started watching at Mary Apache vs Kay Lee Ray. KLR vs Apache was a pretty decent match. Had some good moments in the match. Since I watched Battleman, I saw the highlights of the match and I think it took away from this match. But nevertheless, good match between the two. Mayu's return was really good. I may just be bias for the match because of the circumstances but I thought it was a top match. Mayu looked a bit rusty at times but other then that, great comeback. The 5 on 5 match was amazing. I really enjoyed this match. Everyone was good (except Sumire), everyone played their parts well. The timing was well done and I think the layout of the match was what the match needed. The right people got eliminated when they should've been. The parts with Tam Nakano and Momo Wantabe made this match. The urgency between the two, the emotion from the two was exactly what was needed. I really want to see these two face off in a match at a later date. In the match, Hana Kimura hit her head hard on the floor. Looked nasty, hope she is okay. Haven't heard anything bad so that's a good sign. Really good show 7/10


----------



## Corey

Any of you guys have a link to Ishikawa vs. HARASHIMA if there's one out there? My laptop took a shit on me so I don't really have access to XWT right now to download it.


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Any of you guys have a link to Ishikawa vs. HARASHIMA if there's one out there? My laptop took a shit on me so I don't really have access to XWT right now to download it.


Can only find a link to the entire show. 

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzM2MzI0MjQxMg==.html?spm=a2hzp.8244740.0.0

SPOILERS: The match is really good.


----------



## HOJO

The upcoming match cards for the next DDT show Nerima and Sumo Hall. These are only 2 cards from this link, though so see what else is coming - https://dramaticddt.wordpress.com/2...ins-to-shape-up-sasadangos-product-placement/



> *DDT “DRAMATIC NERIMA THE FIGHTER 2018”, 03/02/2018(3:30am EST/8:30am GMT)*
> Tokyo Nerima Coconeri Hall
> 
> 1. Ken Ohka Vs Gota Ihashi
> 2. Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Mizuki Watase
> 3. Joey Ryan & Samara Vs Antonio Honda & Kazuki Hirata
> 4. Yukio Sakaguchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Kota Umeda Vs Yuki Ueno, Koju Takeda & Nobuhiro Shimatani
> 5. HARASHIMA & Soma Takao Vs Kazusada Higuchi & MAO
> 6. Konosuke Takeshita, Akito & Shunma Katsumata Vs Toru Owashi, Keisuke Ishii & Makoto Oishi
> 7. *Hero Of Nerima! Triumph In Nerima! Nerima Specialty Special Single Match*: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Danshoku Dino
> 8. *DDT Extreme Title – Hardcore Match*: Yuko Miyamoto (c) Vs KUDO
> 
> A public press conference to promote *“JUDGEMENT 2018”* will be held during the show.
> 
> *Shunma Katsumata* is the newest member of *ALL OUT* but his first match as part of the group sees him battle his former *NωA* partner *Makoto Oishi*.


Makoto mentioned wanting to become a DDT Grand Slam Champion after NωA's last match so I guess this helps to set up Makoto as a challenge before Takeshita faces Shuji. I don't know if I'll be awake for this show but Im pretty excited for that Extreme Title match



DramaticDDT.com said:


> *DDT “JUDGEMENT 2018 ~DDT 21ST ANNIVERSARY~”, 25/03/2018*
> Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
> 
> 1. *World Crazy Wrestler No. 1 Decision Battle In DDT*: Joey Ryan Vs Colt Cabana
> 2. *Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title*: Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Jiro Kuroshio
> 3. *Dramatic Dream Match*: Danshoku Dino, Keisuke Ishii & Ken Ohka Vs Great Muta, Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo
> 4. *KO-D Openweight Title*: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Shuji Ishikawa
> 
> The *D-King Grand Prix* is done and dusted so now we move on to the next big event, DDT’s 21st Anniversary show. *Konosuke Takeshita* and *Shuji Ishikawa* headlines the event in a rematch from *“RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2016”*. The situation now is similar to back then. Takeshita is the defending *KO-D Openweight Champion* and Ishikawa is the unstoppable giant coming to reclaim the belt.
> 
> *Daisuke Sasaki* claims that *The Great Muta* agreed to become a *DAMNATION* pet. Probably not the best idea for Sasaki to put words in his mouth.
> 
> *Super Sasadango Machine *has been ordered to defend the *Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title* at least twice a week every week until *“JUDGEMENT 2018”* takes place. If he fails to do this then Producer *Danshoku Dino* will turn his match with *Jiro Kuroshio* into a non-title match. Sasadango has come up with an idea to rack up his title defences. He has openly invited local celebrities and other personalities to visit his office in Niigata to try and win the Iron Man Title from him. In return he will use his and DDT’s Twitter accounts to promote whatever it is the guests are currently working on. If Sasadango kicks out of their attack and escapes the room then it counts as a successful defence. The plan is off to a good start and he already achieved his minimum two defences for this week earlier today.
> 
> The list of booked wrestlers who are yet to have a confirmed match are *Naomichi Marufuji, Daisuke Sekimoto, Mike Bailey, Ethan Page, LiLiCo, Yoshiko, Keisuke Okuda, Reika Saiki* and *Lady Beard*.


I assume and very much hope the SSM/Ikemen match is gonna involve someone other than Muscle Sakai playing Sasadango Machine. Also, I thought every since second of breathing is a defense because of the 24/7 rule, maybe it's just some line to set up a few skits and that's all.


----------



## Corey

This is happening in a few days as well. Can't wait to see the next defense from JOE and both tag title matches should be really good.










[*AJPW NEWS*] It has been made official that Ryoji Sai will be teaming with Naoya Nomura to challenge Jun Akiyama and Yuji Nagata for the vacant Asia Tag belts.

*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2018 YOKOHAMA TWILIGHT BLUES SPECIAL”, 2/3/2018 [Sat] 17:00 @ Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium in Kanagawa*

() Zeus, The Bodyguard & Yutaka Yoshie vs. Osamu Nishimura, Black Tiger VII & Masakado (LAND’S END)
() Masanobu Fuchi & SUSHI (FREE) vs. Ultimo Dragon & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi (FREE)
() *The Road to Jr. BATTLE OF GLORY Special 8 Man Tag Match*: Koji Iwamoto, Kotaro Suzuki (FREE), Hikaru Sato & Yohei Nakajima vs. Atsushi Maruyama, Yusuke Okada, Shuji Kondo (WRESTLE-1) & Keiichi Sato (FREE)


() *Asia Tag Championship Decision Match*: Jun Akiyama & Yuji Nagata (NJPW) vs. Naoya Nomura & Ryoji Sai (LAND’S END)
~ Winners become the 104th champions


() *World Junior Heavyweight Championship Match*: [46th Champion] TAJIRI (FREE) vs. [Challenger] Atsushi Aoki
~ 4th title defense.


() *World Tag Championship Match*: [78th Champions] Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa (FREE) vs. [Challengers] Kento Miyahara & Yoshitatsu (FREE)
~ 1st title defense.


() *Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship Match*: [59th Champion] Joe Doering vs. [Challenger] KAI (FREE)
~ 3rd title defense.​


----------



## komatsu_na

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/958367344761307139
Taichi is training to graduate to heavyweight by March (which would be in time for the New Japan Cup).


----------



## Corey

*TakaTaichiMania: *https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M6OpY1UuC9tr2A9tBnUoyXi5eb7s9l6c/view

BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taka Michinoku & Kaji Tomato - **** 1/2 *(Ton of fun. Just great action and energy from bell to bell. This made me _really _wanna see BUSHI & Hiromu start regularly teaming in the jr. tag divison in New Japan because I know they could have some tremendous matches with the Bucks & Roppongi 3K. They were great here)

Tetsuya Naito vs. Taichi - **** 3/4 *(Color me pretty damn shocked by this because Taichi is definitely my least favorite wrestler on the NJPW roster, but he actually held his own very nicely here when things got going. There's your usual antics in the early minutes but at the halfway point or so Taichi jist completely stiffs the fuck out of Naito with multiple kicks and a chair shot and things get serious from there. It turns into a pretty excellent match tbh, although it's super weird seeing Taichi kick out of a fucking Destino.  He definitely gained some respect from me out of this match and by god @volde I'd say this was pretty hot and definitely worth a watch.)

:bjpenn


----------



## grassfinn

I need to catch up on All Japan, who's the next challenger for Joe Doering? Hopefully I get to see another Suwama and Kento match, they work so well together.


----------



## volde

Corey said:


> *TakaTaichiMania: *https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M6OpY1UuC9tr2A9tBnUoyXi5eb7s9l6c/view
> 
> BUSHI & Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taka Michinoku & Kaji Tomato - **** 1/2 *(Ton of fun. Just great action and energy from bell to bell. This made me _really _wanna see BUSHI & Hiromu start regularly teaming in the jr. tag divison in New Japan because I know they could have some tremendous matches with the Bucks & Roppongi 3K. They were great here)
> 
> Tetsuya Naito vs. Taichi - **** 3/4 *(Color me pretty damn shocked by this because Taichi is definitely my least favorite wrestler on the NJPW roster, but he actually held his own very nicely here when things got going. There's your usual antics in the early minutes but at the halfway point or so Taichi jist completely stiffs the fuck out of Naito with multiple kicks and a chair shot and things get serious from there. It turns into a pretty excellent match tbh, although it's super weird seeing Taichi kick out of a fucking Destino.  He definitely gained some respect from me out of this match and by god @volde I'd say this was pretty hot and definitely worth a watch.)
> 
> :bjpenn


Thanks for the link man, will watch it tomorrow probably. 

As for Taichi, at one point he also was one my least favourite wrestlers on the roster, but at some point I realized that it is impossible to be a bad wrestler and be so consistently bad at everything, but suddenly deliver when he actually has to deliver. And I'm glad that this looks to be another example of Taichi delivering when he has to.

To me he feels like genuine heel who will deliberately fuck up his own matches to get heat from smarks. And hey, it is working, who doesn't want to see Taichi's face smashed with a chair?


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

I can't wait to see that Taichi vs Toru Yano match in the G1. Taichi is clearly on course to dethrone Okada.


----------



## MC

Everyone joining the Taichi bandwagon. Finally someone other then me recognize the brilliance that is Taichi.


----------



## Corey

Oh no no, no Taichi bandwagon for me. Just giving the man his due for one match. :lol



grassfinn said:


> I need to catch up on All Japan, who's the next challenger for Joe Doering? Hopefully I get to see another Suwama and Kento match, they work so well together.


Peep the post a few above yours for their next big card in a few days. Doering's next challenger is KAI. If you missed the show from earlier this month with Doering vs. Zeus it's most certainly worth a watch.


----------



## volde

Managed to find time to watch the match today and best part about it was Taichi kicking the shit out of Naito like he was a young lion. As for Destino, I don't really even remember who was the last guy to go down after 1 Destino.

Since supposedly Taichi is moving to heavyweights maybe he can become new King of Strong Style and just stiff the fuck out of everyone?


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Oh no no, no Taichi bandwagon for me. Just giving the man his due for one match. :lol
> 
> 
> Peep the post a few above yours for their next big card in a few days. Doering's next challenger is KAI. If you missed the show from earlier this month with Doering vs. Zeus it's most certainly worth a watch.


That's how it starts. You like one match, you'll soon like all of them.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Anyone remember when Taichi had the best Jr. Heavyweight match of the decade last year vs. Liger? I certainly do


----------



## MC

NastyYaffa said:


> Anyone remember when Taichi had the best Jr. Heavyweight match of the decade last year vs. Liger? I certainly do


Liger? I think you are confusing Taichi vs Liger for Taichi vs Taka Michinoku.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

I watched the Kiyomiya vs Kenou match yesterday and really enjoyed it. Now I feel ashamed for sleeping on Kenou and will duly board the hype train.


----------



## komatsu_na

I really enjoyed Taichi-Naito. Naito wasn't giving it his best, but that only gave Taichi a chance to shine. (Also: Samurai TV was a mistake. Why does the show have a weird glowy filter?)


----------



## MC

-***** Italiano- said:


> I watched the Kiyomiya vs Kenou match yesterday and really enjoyed it. Now I feel ashamed for sleeping on Kenou and will duly board the hype train.


Welcome about the Fist King express. Next stop, Budokan Bastards.


----------



## MC

Over the past month, I've been tracking the attendance of for some of the big puro companies. NJPW, All Japan, Noah, the Joshi companies, DDT and Dragon Gate. Here is the the spreadsheet containing the information: 

UPDATED:
Puro Attendance Sheet. I added colour coding to them to make it easier to navigate. 

Not sure if I did it correctly in terms of actually sharing it. I may have missed a few shows, if so let me know. Most likely it will be the smaller shows that I'm missing, just to let you know. 


@NastyYaffa @Corey @volde @TJQ


----------



## Genking48

MC 16 said:


> Over the past month, I've been tracking the attendance of for some of the big puro companies. NJPW, All Japan, Noah, the Joshi companies, DDT and Dragon Gate. Here is the the spreadsheet containing the information:
> 
> Puro Attendance Sheet
> 
> Not sure if I did it correctly in terms of actually sharing it. I may have missed a few shows, if so let me know.
> 
> 
> @NastyYaffa @Corey @volde @TJQ


All their shows? Because I'm only seeing 2 Dragon Gate shows on the list, yet Cagematch shows that in the past month Dragon Gate has held 12 shows.


----------



## MC

Genking48 said:


> All their shows? Because I'm only seeing 2 Dragon Gate shows on the list, yet Cagematch shows that in the past month Dragon Gate has held 12 shows.


Oh yeah, I always forget about Dragon Gate. I'll add to it now


----------



## volde

Looks cool, where you are getting data from? Cagematch or some other sources?


----------



## MC

volde said:


> Looks cool, where you are getting data from? Cagematch or some other sources?


Cagematch and if it's not on there, I try and find other places to find it. Sometimes I can't find the figures and those are labeled currently unknown. 



Genking48 said:


> All their shows? Because I'm only seeing 2 Dragon Gate shows on the list, yet Cagematch shows that in the past month Dragon Gate has held 12 shows.



https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Mixb3Q2HBvc5WkFMxiMJHJ5EZDmbQqEGnNXiTcB3wuw/edit?usp=sharing

Here you go mate. Sometimes it doesn't show up until it's aired.


----------



## Corey

MC 16 said:


> Over the past month, I've been tracking the attendance of for some of the big puro companies. NJPW, All Japan, Noah, the Joshi companies, DDT and Dragon Gate. Here is the the spreadsheet containing the information:
> 
> UPDATED:
> Puro Attendance Sheet
> 
> Not sure if I did it correctly in terms of actually sharing it. I may have missed a few shows, if so let me know. Most likely it will be the smaller shows that I'm missing, just to let you know.
> 
> 
> @NastyYaffa @Corey @volde @TJQ


Shit that list is gonna get REALLY long as time goes on. :lol

I think the most interesting number there is how Omega/White outdrew Tana/MiSu by a few hundred people. Now I'm sure you can't chalk that up to _just _one match because Night 2 in Sapporo had another major title match... but still interesting to me.


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Shit that list is gonna get REALLY long as time goes on. :lol
> 
> I think the most interesting number there is how Omega/White outdrew Tana/MiSu by a few hundred people. Now I'm sure you can't chalk that up to _just _one match because Night 2 in Sapporo had another major title match... but still interesting to me.


Don't worry, I'll use different sheets for each month but event then, it'll be so long. G1 month especially. :lol And yeah, White vs Omega having a bigger attendance is very interesting. The majoirty of the ticket may have been sold before any big matches were made, not sure on that though.


----------



## volde

I don't have any data to prove this, but my impression has always been that multi-day events usually draw better on last day, because people assume that last show is going to be most important one?


----------



## MC

Spoiler: NOAH spoilers 11/3 matches announced

























Two really interesting title matches.


----------



## Corey

1,015 for today's NOAH show. Big drop over their last couple Korakuen shows but I remember plenty of times last year they couldn't even break 1k so at least that's an improvement.


----------



## MC

> AJPW "YOKOHAMA TWILIGHT BLUES SPECIAL 2018", 03.02.2018
> Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium
> 
> 1. The Road to Jr. Battle of Glory Special Eight Man Tag Match: Hikaru Sato, Kotaro Suzuki, Koji Iwamoto, Yohei Nakajima vs. Shuji Kondo WRESTLE-1, Keiichi Sato, Atsushi Maruyama & Yusuke Okada
> 2. Masanobu Fuchi & SUSHI vs. Ultimo Dragon & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi
> 3. Zeus, Yutaka Yoshie & The Bodyguard vs. Osamu Nishimura, Black Tiger VII & Masakado
> 4. All Asia Tag Team Title, Decision Match: Ryouji Sai & Naoya Nomura vs. Jun Akiyama & Yuji Nagata NJPW
> 5. AJPW World Jr. Heavyweight Title: TAJIRI (c) vs. Atsushi Aoki
> 6. AJPW World Tag Team Title: Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa (c) vs. Kento Miyahara & Yoshitatsu
> 7. Triple Crown: Joe Doering (c) vs. KAI



All Japan TV having a rare live viewing on Samurai Tv. Will be interesting to see it live. The last 4 matches all look very promising.


----------



## MC

A doube post is needed here. Too much news.


First of all,* All Japan*. 

All Japan have announced a streaming service costing 999 Yen. Same as New Japan World.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/959714072966127616
Not sure when it's planned to be released but I hope it's for The CC so we can watch it in LIVE.


And, the champions carnival lineup


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/959715793654239238
:mark Suwama vs Marufuji. I haven't watched most of the ALl Japan show since I woke up late but I hear the show was fantastic. 


*Noah *


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/959623432148152320

Hideki Suzki in NOAH :mark :mark Please tell me that he will be there a lot more often.


----------



## Corey

Suwama & Ishikawa lost the tag belts.  BUT, Doering vs. Kento is coming for the Triple Crown! :mark:

Oh my GOD A Block for Champion Carnival is stacked. Every combo of Shingo, Shuji, Kento, and Doering has drooling. B Block has some fun looking stuff with Suwama & Marufuji but jeeeezus that A Block is gonna be manly. CAN'T WAIT :mark:


----------



## komatsu_na

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/959750806152019968
Daisuke Sekimoto in a marquee match in 2008+10.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

I'd definitely sign up for live Champions Carnival. The line up looks great.


----------



## grassfinn

I'm really excited for Suwama and Marufuji, that's gonna be great.


----------



## Genking48

I don't know if it belongs here, but I found it fascinating reading the tweets from Jae


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/959809466421006336

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/960052348159639552

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/960064979465457665
Seems like a combination of this Shanghai group and SHN48 is extremely popular over there.


----------



## Genking48

Here we go again! @*MC 16*


----------



## MC

Genking48 said:


> Here we go again! @*MC 16*


Looks pretty good. The 23rd can't come sooner.




Genking48 said:


> I don't know if it belongs here, but I found it fascinating reading the tweets from Jae
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/959809466421006336
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/960052348159639552
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/960064979465457665
> Seems like a combination of this Shanghai group and SHN48 is extremely popular over there.


5 Million? :wow That's impressive. Debut show?


----------



## Genking48

MC 16 said:


> Looks pretty good. The 23rd can't come sooner.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 5 Million? :wow That's impressive. Debut show?


Can't wait for Shark Komiyama, Octopus Suda & Voice Yamada!!!

In regards to the Chinese show, as far as I can tell from Jae's twitter it was the debut show? But also seem like they stacked it with local talent, outsite talent, SHN48 performance.


----------



## antoniomare007

A Block for the CC looks INSANE. Can't wait for a bunch of matchups and Nomura will have plenty of tests, fucking love it.


Daisuke in a big tag match is always MONEY, can't fucking wait either.


----------



## HOJO

sengen777 said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/959750806152019968
> Daisuke Sekimoto in a marquee match in 2008+10.


The state of the Tag Belts at this point is upsetting. And Irie, loses his partner too, lovely

Makes me even more grateful for NEO Bishiiki-gun


----------



## Corey

Of course this is happening the same day as DDT Judgement.  They won't outdraw them but I at least hope they can get a few thousand people in the building.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/959857050967838720


----------



## MC

Azusa Christie & Saki-sama vs Miracle Apricots (Shoko Nakajima & Yuka Sakazaki) from the TJP show was decent. I enjoyed it. I would recommend it. 


And DDT Judgement and the All Japan show on the same day?


----------



## HOJO

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/959958068300627970


> Backstage Sawa told Takagi he will be there for him at Sumo Hall on 25th March. They will team together for a Falls Count Anywhere match against any team that wants to face them. The interviewer asked them if their reunion reminded them of the Golden ☆ Lovers reunion that happened last week. Takagi said what happened today is completely original. Sawa said he had never seen anything like this before. They called the interviewer rude for asking such a silly question.
> https://dramaticddt.wordpress.com/2018/02/04/ddt-dramatic-nerima-the-fighter-2018-results/


So fucking stupid :lmao


----------



## MC

With the CC participants announced, it looks like the finals will be either Shuji/Kento vs Suwama/Marufuji. All the potential matches look amazing. Will be great seeing it Live with the All Japan streaming service coming out.




Anyway, thoughts on the 03/02 All Japan show. I thought the show was good. Had some nice surprise, great returns. Good show overall. 

KAI vs Joe Doering was a good match. I liked it but maybe lacking that spark that you should have in the main event. Bit disappointing that it wasn't better then it should've been. ***1/4 

Tajiri vs Atsushi Aoki was good as well. This is Tajiri's level and he is great at maximizing the best of what he has down. Slower but still deadly. I didn't like that Aoki won after being hit with the mist, it just weakens the mist for me. But enjoyable ***¼

Ryouji Sai & Naoya Nomura vs. Jun Akiyama & Yuji Nagata really good. Loved Akiyama smiling at Nagata whilst he has armbar on. Great image ***½

Violent Giants (Shuji Ishikawa & Suwama) vs Kento Miyahara & Yoshitatsu was great. I missed the first few minutes so I don't know what happend there but the rest of the match was really good. Yoshitastus getting the life beaten about of him, The VG's constantly stopping Kento from making the save, Yoshitatsu selling was really good as well. But the last 5 minutes were the best part of the match. So much action and many big match spots. Loved it. Not sure that Kento and Yoshitatsu winning was the right call though ****


----------



## Reil

I was looking over the upcoming WOH matches being hosted in STARDOM, and while Mayu vs HZK will be really good, I cannot say the same for Kagetsu vs Jenny Rose. Anyone who has seen a Jenny Rose match should know what I'm talking about. She's worse than Mandy Leon.

For anyone who has not seen a Jenny Rose match, you are in for a treat (the bad kind). Kagetsu will have a tough time carrying her to an even remotely passable match. To put it into context, Jenny Rose has been wrestling for 8 years, and pretty much the entire STARDOM rookies division (which is made up of actual children) can outwrestle her. Easily.


----------



## MC

Reil said:


> I was looking over the upcoming WOH matches being hosted in STARDOM, and while Mayu vs HZK will be really good, I cannot say the same for Kagetsu vs Jenny Rose. Anyone who has seen a Jenny Rose match should know what I'm talking about. She's worse than Mandy Leon.
> 
> For anyone who has not seen a Jenny Rose match, you are in for a treat (the bad kind). Kagetsu will have a tough time carrying her to an even remotely passable match. To put it into context, Jenny Rose has been wrestling for 8 years, and pretty much the entire STARDOM rookies division (which is made up of actual children) can outwrestle her. Easily.


Haven't seen her wrestle, is she really that bad? A minute squash perhaps.


----------



## Reil

Yeah, she's pretty bad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kagdZqrhMk

Here is a match against Mandy Leon (who is also not good), but when Jenny manages to make Mandy look competent, something is horribly wrong.


----------



## JC00

I miss Tam


----------



## MC

Reil said:


> Yeah, she's pretty bad.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kagdZqrhMk
> 
> Here is a match against Mandy Leon (who is also not good), but when Jenny manages to make Mandy look competent, something is horribly wrong.


Got 5 minutes in and had to turn it off. Nothing was botched but it's hard to botch when you are going so slow.It awful to watch. Don't know what's worse, the pace or the comment section below it.


----------



## Reil

MC 16 said:


> Got 5 minutes in and had to turn it off. Nothing was botched but it's hard to botch when you are going so slow.It awful to watch. Don't know what's worse, the pace or the comment section below it.


I'll be honest with you. I don't really like the WOH/STARDOM partnership. WOH seems to send over their shittiest workers to go over actual decent talent, but never returns the favor. 

Also I remember hearing that Rossy _eventually_ wants to do a mini US tour with the STARDOM roster, so we'll see what happens there. He would have to work with a promotion to do so, but I just hope it isn't ROH/WOH, considering their women's division is seriously the worst in North America.


----------



## MC

Reil said:


> I'll be honest with you. I don't really like the WOH/STARDOM partnership. WOH seems to send over their shittiest workers to go over actual decent talent, but never returns the favor.
> 
> Also I remember hearing that Rossy _eventually_ wants to do a mini US tour with the STARDOM roster, so we'll see what happens there. He would have to work with a promotion to do so, but I just hope it isn't ROH/WOH, considering their women's division is seriously the worst in North America.



Does anyone like it? :lol The partnership is nothing more then a necessity for a potential US tour.


----------



## komatsu_na

I am confident that Kagetsu can carry Rose to a solid match. Rose is not booked as a strong wrestler (like Mandy Leon) so it could be worked as an extended squash match instead of 50-50.

When I watched Kelly Klein's run in Stardom, I thought she was green but had potential, and then I learned that she debuted in 2006! What kind of training are they giving those girls?


----------



## MC

REAL HERO ARCHIVE NOTICE:



__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/960630632333365251
Better start saving the stuff that you want.


----------



## Corey

So the way that sounds to me is that the Archive is coming down but he'll still upload new stuff to... Rutube? Seems like the google drive itself will be gone. That's all I'm worried about is new and current stuff.


----------



## Corey

Couple announcements:



> ~ Strong BJ will be leading this years Ikkitosen, as all 12 wrestlers were announced for the “Ikkitosen 2018 ~STRONG CLIMB~”. The league will see a split block systems and will begin on March 8 at the Shinkiba 1stRING, two semi-final matches on April 14, and the final match on April 15 at the Sasukino Mars Gym.
> 
> Announced to be competing…
> ★ Daichi Hashimoto (reigning World Strong Champion)
> ★ Daisuke Sekimoto
> ★ Hideki Suzuki (FREE)
> ★ Yasufumi Nakanoue
> ★ Ryota Hama
> ★ Ryuichi Kawakami
> ★ Hideyoshi Kamitani
> ★ Yoshihisa Uto
> ★ Kazuki Hashimoto
> ★ Kazumi Kikuta
> ★ Takuya Nomura
> ★ Yuya Aoki


No special names there and unfortunately Ishikawa won't be in the tourney since he's in Champion's Carnival. Would've been cool as hell to see him work all 3 non-G1 major tournaments.

The last 2 matches on this DDT card 2/25 in Korakuen look really good:

() *Dark Match*: Mad Paulie vs. Tomomitsu Matsunaga


() *Infomercial Match*: Danshoku Dieno, Saki Akai, Akito, Antonio Honda, Kouki Iwasaki & Mizuki Watase
() *Tag Rumble*: Sanshiro Takagi & Sasadango Machine vs. Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata vs. Soma Takao & MAO vs. Makoto Oishi & Kota Umeda vs. Yuki Ueno & Koju Takeda
() Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo vs. Keisuke Ishii & Ken Ohka


() *KO-D 6 Tag Championship Match*: [Champions] KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi vs. [Challengers] Ryuichi Sekine, Ryota Nakatsu & Fuminori Abe


() *DDT EXTREME Championship Match*: [40th Champion] Yuko Miyamoto vs. [Challenger] Shunma Katsumata
~ 2nd title defense.


() *Special Single Match*: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Kazusada Higuchi
() *Special Tag Match*: Konosuke Takeshita & HARASHIMA vs. Shuji Ishikawa & Daisuke Sekimoto


----------



## antoniomare007

Shame that they aren't holding the Strong Climb's Finals in Korakuen. I hope we get a couple of nice matchups when they ran that building at least. 

Kazuki working with the big boys again should be fun. Specially interested if he gets paired up with Daichi.


----------



## Corey

AJPW Yokohama show:

Akiyama & Nagata vs. Sai & Nomura - *** 3/4 (Loved how the grumpy old men controlled the pace, stuck to their gameplan, and ended up winning over the guy they isolated through the whole match after he put up a fight near the end. Sai barely even played a factor)

Didn't watch Tajiri/Aoki. Read it was slow and all they did was grab holds and that's not really what I'm tryna see out of junior heavyweight match.

Suwama & Ishikawa vs. Kento & Yoshitatsu - *** 3/4 (Another great tag match. Violent Giants lived up to their name and Suwama was AWESOME in this. May have went a little overboard with the nearfalls and in the last several minutes I was wondering where the hell Shuji was? Made sense for Tatsu to be out for a while considering the beating he took but Shuji wasn't heard from much here. Unfortunate)

Doering vs. KAI - *** 1/2 (Very good match with a solid story but the crowd just wasn't buying KAI as a contender it seemed like.)


----------



## JC00




----------



## MC

Regarding the Champions Carnival, I think Joe Doering is a great shout for the winner. Since he won the title, All Japan have positioned Joe as a strong champion, I think him winning this will fit into that. Joe winning isn't out of the realms of possibility, he is the Trip,e Crown Champion after all.


----------



## volde

Isn't his next challenger Kento? If so then it might be the end of his run.


----------



## Concrete

*Yusuke Kubo vs. Dick Togo (DDT 4/29/17):****
_Dick Togo is great at getting something out of wrestlers I know nothing about. A match devoid of highspots but a fun, short, slow burn grappling affair. “Slow burn” doesn’t seem appropriate. Methodical? Togo attempt to grind Kubo down with a headlocks and headscissors early. DDT is actually good at these matches where the outcome is never in doubt but the match is still compelling. Sure, Kubo gets some momentum and it feels like a little sequence you could see in classic M-Pro with lots of little leaps in and out of danger, using Togo as a base. The finish is neat SPOILER as Togo uses that veteran skill to chain three pin attempts together, two failing, for the win. Kubo was out of his depth but dang, Togo doing his thing is so good._​


----------



## JC00

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/961105724284833793


----------



## komatsu_na

Concrete said:


> *Yusuke Kubo vs. Dick Togo (DDT 4/29/17):****
> ​


BASARA*


----------



## Reil

The Women of Honor tournament bracket was revealed. Posting it here since it contains some STARDOM talent.

All I have to say is I feel really bad for the STARDOM talent here, because none of them are going to make it to the finals. Deonna is likely going to beat Mayu, Sumie will beat Hana and Kagetsu before losing to Brandi or ???.


----------



## Genking48

Results for Yesterdays Dragon Gate show at Korakuen Hall. Thanks to The official Dragon Gate Pro-Wrestling English facebook page for he results.


> _*02/07/2018
> Tokyo, Korakuen Hall
> Kotoka: Road to Final
> Attendance: 1850*_
> *0. *Problem Dragon, Kaito Ishida
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (7:13 1sec.) Hyo Watanabe, Yuki Yoshioka
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *1. International 6 Man Tag Team Match:* Susumu Yokosuka
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> , Genki Horiguchi, Jason Lee (9:36 Yokosuka Cutter) Kagetora, Zachary Wentz, Bandido
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *2. *Takashi Yoshida
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (4:11 Pineapple Bomber) Big R Shimizu
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *3. Kotoka Road to Final in Tokyo:* Don Fujii, Yosuke♡Santa Maria
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> , U-T (10:51 Neraiuchi) Gamma, K-ness., Kotoka
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *4.* Ryo Saito, Punch Tominaga
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (9:39 Punch Clutch) Shingo Takagi, Yasushi Kanda
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *5. 3 Way 6 Man Tag Team Match:* YAMATO, BxB Hulk,Flamita vs. Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Ben-K vs. T-Hawk, Eita, El Lindaman
> ★Ben-K
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (17:17 Spear) Hulk
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ★T-Hawk
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (20:18 Cerberus) Yoshino
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *6. Open the Dream Gate Championship Match:* Masaaki Mochizuki
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (21:27 Crucifix Hold) Kzy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _★3rd Defense_
> 
> Due to stipulations related to the Antias loss to Ryo Saito & Punch Tominaga yesterday, two championship matches have been set for March.
> 
> Tominaga pinning Yasushi Kanda was enough to earn him a Brave Gate title match for March 3rd at Champion Gate 2018 in Edion Arena Osaka.
> 
> Much to his own dismay, Shingo Takagi was nominated by Saito as the #1 contender to the Open the Owarai Gate. He will make his first ever challenge for the title on March 6th in Korakuen Hall
> 
> Kzy made a shocking departure from Tribe Vanguard after his Dream Gate title challenge ended in failure. To reach the top, he feels that he needs to fight against his own generation, not alongside them.
> After rejecting another invitation from Antias, he receives some surprising backup from Susumu Yokosuka & Genki Horiguchi.
> 
> The new trio will team up against T-Hawk, Eita,& El Lindaman on March 6th in Korakuen Hall.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: pictures


Looking forward to the Susumu,Horiguchi, Kzy team and see them in action. Also that Shingo comedy match for the Owarai Gate.


----------



## Concrete

sengen777 said:


> BASARA*


Who?


----------



## Concrete

*Akito vs. Soma Takao (DDT 4/29/17):****
_Little to no chance I am not going to be hyped for a short match that bangs. They don’t even shake hands to start. NO RESPECT!!! Takao has the super junior offense, running ropes and throwing dropkicks. Akito actually doesn’t do a lot, sure gains momentum occasionally but almost solely to feed a Takao counter. All he needs is one submission though. Akito’s strategy didn’t need him to dominate the match, just dominate across a three second period. _​


----------



## komatsu_na

Concrete said:


> Who?


That match is from DDT's sub-promotion BASARA.


----------



## Concrete

I'm skeptical of that fact.

*HARASHIMA & Mike Bailey vs. Shigehiro Irie & Kazusada Higuchi (DDT 4/29/17):****
_Bit of a hard one to wrap my head around. Given that each person in this match only seems capable of bangers, having this match end up as “just” a fun tag match is slightly disappointing. The pace isn’t slow but they never turn the dial to 11. Almost came off like having zero desire to steal the show. For card structure purposes that might make sense but make me personally happy it doesn’t really work out well. Higuchi and Irie brought the highlights. Somewhere halfway through the match irie hits a pounce that sends Bailey into a plancha on HARASHIMA that had me cackling. They also hit a standing Doomsday Chokeslam that I am not sure made too much sense but looked neat. Finish was rad. Yeah, breeze of a tag match. Just don’t go in expecting an undeniable hoot. Only a lil’ hoot._​


----------



## El Grappleador

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 8th Wonder of the World, Andre the Giaaaaaaant... Panda?






Note: Audio starts on 1:38


----------



## Flik

https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20180209-00000022-tospoweb-fight

First, Hideki Suzuki invades Ice Ribbon (and declares himself the head of the "men's division"), now he wants to invade NOAH. Can I have a colab show between my two favorite promotions, please?









Edit: Translation here
http://puroprogramtranslations.blogspot.com.br/2018/02/noah-hideki-suzuki-declares-attack-on.html


----------



## Reil

STARDOM has a bunch of changes coming up with regards to their roster.


Hiromi Mimura is retiring soon. Sometime in March. She was basically a low to midcarder, basically full of energy and seen as a comedy act. She is retiring at the age of 31, which isn't unusual for joshi.
Saki Kashima has returned to STARDOM. It's been 5 years since she was last there.
K Chan Gang Baby (musical group) is leaving STARDOM, as they performed with Fuka, who is leaving STARDOM due to pregnancy.
March will have the debut of three new people to the rookie class.
Natsumi Apache will debut, her biggest "claim to fame" is that she is the daughter of Mari Apache.
Aiko is also debuting. She is a high schooler, but has also been training with STARDOM the longest out of the three rookies.
And finally, we have Nao Yamaguchi. She is a gravure idol (for those who don't know, gravure idols basically pose in magazines/photoshoots in swimsuits/skimpy clothing, to emphasize sexuality.).

And just as a reminder, Fuka is retiring in March as well.


----------



## MC

*Stardom Kyoto Max 04/02 *

Miranda, Starlight Kid & Xia Brookside vs. Queen's Quest (AZM, HZK & Momo Watanabe): (***)- This was a legit good match. It was very fun to watch, had some good tag team wrestling. It told a decent story between AZM and Starlight Kid. A few parts were sloppy but the rest of the match was well done. 

Oedo Tai (Hana Kimura, Kagetsu & Natsu Sumire) vs. Team Jungle (Jungle Kyona, Kaori Yoneyama & Natsuko Tora): (**)- Nothing special.

Hiromi Mimura, Konami & Shiki Shibusawa vs. Mary Apache, Mayu Iwatani & Tam Nakano (**½)- Okay match. Had some decent moments.


Kay Lee Ray vs. Viper (***¼) pretty good match between these two. You could tell that there was a history between them and they worked well together. 

Wonder Of Stardom Title Match: Io Shirai (c) vs. Nicole Savoy: (***¾)- Really good match. Very technical. Savoy’s work on Io’s arm was great and Io sold is fairly well throughout the match. The match could’ve done with Io getting some more offence but other then that great match. 


Decent show overall. Had some decent matches, some very good matches. It’s an easy watch. Recommend the main event. Also, Mayu is now barefoot when wrestling and I don’t know what to make of it.


----------



## antoniomare007

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/962894461062627328
Everyone should watch that match at least once in their fandom


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

MC 16 said:


> Decent show overall. Had some decent matches, some very good matches. It’s an easy watch. Recommend the main event. Also, *Mayu is now barefoot *when wrestling and I don’t know what to make of it.


I was struck by that too, this is not someone that should wear less protective clothing. I don't know why anyone would wrestle barefoot. Every time I see someone do it I remember Rusev breaking his foot.

Id say I generally enjoyed Nicole Savoy on this tour and the match with Io was pretty good.

I do hope they book Toni Storm on their next tour.... apparently she's the champion.


----------



## MC

-***** Italiano- said:


> I was struck by that too, this is not someone that should wear less protective clothing. I don't know why anyone would wrestle barefoot. Every time I see someone do it I remember Rusev breaking his foot.
> 
> Id say I generally enjoyed Nicole Savoy on this tour and the match with Io was pretty good.
> 
> I do hope they book Toni Storm on their next tour.... apparently she's the champion.


Yeah, it's weird. I like it though. And, Toni Storm is booked for the next tour against Meiko Satomura. Hooray. And she still isn't defending the belt :lol It's kinda ridiculous at this point.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

MC 16 said:


> Yeah, it's weird. I like it though. And, Toni Storm is booked for the next tour against Meiko Satomura. Hooray. And she still isn't defending the belt :lol It's kinda ridiculous at this point.


She defended it at a RISE show and gave Bea Priestley a pity title shot so....... :Bayley

Seriously I adore Toni but can we get this thing on Kagetsu or Mayu and have them run through the locker room for two years. Hell even AZM would have more time to defend it, as long as she finishes her home work first.


----------



## MC

-***** Italiano- said:


> She defended it at a RISE show and gave Bea Priestley a pity title shot so....... :Bayley
> 
> Seriously I adore Toni but can we get this thing on Kagetsu or Mayu and have them run through the locker room for two years. Hell even AZM would have more time to defend it, as long as she finishes her home work first.


It looks like they will give the tag titles to Mayu and Tam so Kagetsu is free to win it. I would love that. First chance they get. Or have Jungle Kyona win it.


----------



## MC

All Japan Champion Carnival Cards



> *Day 1: Sendai Sun Plaza (4/7)*
> 
> - A: Kento Miyahara vs. Shingo Takagi
> - A: Shuji Ishikawa vs. Yuji Hino
> - B: Jun Akiyama vs. Dylan James
> - B: Suwama vs. Zeus





> *Day 2: Akita (4/8)*
> 
> - A: Joe Doering vs. Shuji Ishikawa
> - A: Kento Miyahara vs. Naoya Nomura
> - B: Suwama vs. KAI
> - B: Zeus vs. Yoshitatsu





> *Day 3: Niigata (4/10)*
> 
> - B: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Yoshitatsu
> - B: Jun Akiyama vs. KAI
> - A: Joe Doering vs. Bodyguard
> - B: Yutaka Yoshie vs. Dylan James





> *Day 4: Ishikawa (4/11)*
> 
> - A: Joe Doering vs. Yuji Hino
> - B: Yoshitatsu vs. KAI
> - B: Zeus vs. Dylan James
> - B: Suwama vs. Yutaka Yoshie





> *Day 5: Tooyoka (4/12)*
> 
> - B: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Dylan James
> - B: Jun Akiyama vs. Yutaka Yoshie
> - A: Naoya Nomura vs. Bodyguard





> *Day 6: Hiroshima (4/14)*
> 
> - A: Shingo Takagi vs. Bodyguard
> - A: Kento Miyahara vs. Ryoji Sai
> - A: Naoya Nomura vs. Yuji Hino
> - B: Zeus vs. Yutaka Yoshie





> *Day 7 Hakata Star Lane (4/15)
> *
> - A: Kento Miyahara vs. Shuji Ishikawa
> - B: Jun Akiyama vs. Suwama
> - A: Shingo Takagi vs. Yuji Hino
> - A: Joe Doering vs. Ryoji Sai





> *Day 8: Kagoshima (4/16)*
> 
> - A: Kento Miyahara vs. Bodyguard
> - A: Shuji Ishikawa vs. Naoya Nomura
> - B: Yoshitatsu vs. Dylan James
> - B: KAI vs. Yutaka Yoshie





> *Day 9: Matsuyama (4/18)
> *
> - B: Jun Akiyama vs. Yoshitatsu
> - B: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Yutaka Yoshie
> - B: KAI vs. Dylan James
> - A: Ryoji Sai vs. Yuji Hino





> *Day 10: Osaka Edion Arena #2 (4/20)*
> 
> - B: Zeus vs. Naomichi Marufuji
> - A: Joe Doering vs. Shingo Takagi
> - A: Yuji Hino vs. Bodyguard
> - A: Naoya Nomura vs. Ryoji Sai





> *Day 11: Osaka Edion Arena #2 (4/21)*
> 
> - B: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Suwama
> - A: Bodyguard vs. Shuji Ishikawa
> - A: Shingo Takagi vs. Ryoji Sai
> - B: Jun Akiyama vs. Zeus





> *Day 12: Aichi (4/22)
> *
> - A: Joe Doering vs. Kento Miyahara
> - A: Shuji Ishikawa vs. Ryoji Sai
> - B: Naomichi Marufuji vs. KAI
> - B: Suwama vs. Yoshitatsu





> *B Block Finals Day: Korakuen Hall (4/25)*
> 
> - B: Jun Akiyama vs. Naomichi Marufuji
> - B: Suwama vs. Dylan James
> - B: Zeus vs. KAI
> - B: Yoshitatsu vs. Yutaka Yoshie
> - A: Shingo Takagi vs. Naoya Nomura





> *A Block Finals Day: Korakuen Hall (4/30)*
> 
> - A: Shuji Ishikawa vs. Shingo Takagi
> - A: Kento Miyahara vs. Yuji Hino
> - A: Joe Doering vs. Naoya Nomura
> - A: Ryoji Sai vs. Bodyguard


----------



## Corey

All Japan doing the opposite of the G1 and putting weak matches on the final days. 

But seriously though there's something I wanna see on most of those cards. Can't wait.


----------



## antoniomare007

Man, I love pretty much all the combinations from Block A. Can't wait to see most of them matches.


----------



## MC

The matches that A Block has are amazing. Joe Doering vs Shuji Ishikawa. Shuji Ishikawa vs Kento Miyahara. The whole tournament looks pretty good.


----------



## komatsu_na

MC 16 said:


> Yeah, it's weird. I like it though. And, Toni Storm is booked for the next tour against Meiko Satomura. Hooray. And she still isn't defending the belt :lol It's kinda ridiculous at this point.


Toni will be on the March tour. I'm hoping she drops it to Kagetsu at DREAM SLAM in Osaka. It would be the perfect place.


----------



## MC

sengen777 said:


> Toni will be on the March tour. I'm hoping she drops it to Kagetsu at DREAM SLAM in Osaka. It would be the perfect place.


Kagetsu from Osaka, right? That's actually the perfect time and place. Who knows with Rossy though.


----------



## komatsu_na

MC 16 said:


> Kagetsu from Osaka, right? That's actually the perfect time and place. Who knows with Rossy though.


Yes. The poster is basically "Kagetsu ft. Stardom".


----------



## MC

sengen777 said:


> Yes. The poster is basically "Kagetsu ft. Stardom".


I haven't seen the poster myself but it could be something or nothing. Everything links together for a Kagetsu win. Hope that's the case.


----------



## Reil

If you can, go out of your way to check out the trios match that was recently uploaded to Stardom World. I don't think I've ever been so mad at a group of people before. Oedo Tai are jerks!!!

For reference, I'm referring to Mayu Iwatani, Tam Nakano, and Mari Apache vs Sumire Natsu, Hana Kimura, and Kagetsu (Oedo Tai).


----------



## MC

> *Pro-Wrestling NOAH “GREAT VOYAGE 2018 in YOKOHAMA”, 3/11/2018 [Sun] 16:00 @ Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium in Kanagawa*
> 
> () Maybach Taniguchi & Mitsuya Nagai vs. KENSO (FREE) & Jay Bradley
> () Naomichi Marufuji & Atsushi Kotoge vs. Shiro Koshinaka (FREE) & Akitoshi Saito
> 
> () GHC Jr. Heavy Tag Championship Match: [32nd Champions] Taiji Ishimori & Hi69 vs. [Challengers] Yoshinari Ogawa & Minoru Tanaka
> ~ 1st title defense.
> () GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: [36th Champion] Daisuke Harada vs. [Challenger] HAYATA
> ~ 4th title defense.
> () GHC Tag Championship Match: [41st Champions] Muhammad Yone & Quiet Storm vs. [Challengers] Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya
> ~ 3rd title defense.
> () GHC Heavyweight Championship Match: [30th Champion] Kenoh vs. [Challenger] Takashi Sugiura
> ~ 3rd title defense.
> 
> http://puroresuspirit.net/2018/02/noah-event-cards-for-march-april-2018/



The card for this show looks dope. You got Marufuji and Kotoge teaming together which I always love. XX vs Yoshinari Ogawa & Minoru Tanaka seems like a match that has huge potential. You got two RATEL'S members facing off against each other, Harada is fantastic btw. The Aggression vs 50 Funky Powers could be good. Nakajima is a must watch in everything he does. And you got the main event, Kenou shouting bastard at people vs Sugiura who will give you a death growl makes for a great match in my opinion. And Kenou has said if he beats Sugiura, he will challenge Marufuji which is still awesome to hear. 

NOAH in 2017/18 has been great and it's a must watch show.


----------



## Flik

http://www.tbs.co.jp/sasuke_rising/
Tsukasa Fujimoto from Ice Ribbon will appear on the next Sasuke aka Ninja Warrior (see entry nº4). I hope she does well.









There's also two New Japan guys, but I think it's more apropriated for the NJPW forum 0


----------



## MC

First off, the 12/02 OZ Academy Advance was really really bad. I mean the worst show of the year. It was an abhorrent show to watch. Bad matches from Tsukasa Fujimoto, Yoshiko & Hiroyo Matsumoto, I can’t believe it. The best match from the show was Maya Yukihi vs. Tequila Saya which I rated **¼. And to be honest, it’s only that high was Maya Yukihi’s mannerisms which were awesome. 


---

On to better things. *AJPW Excite Series Day Two 14/02/2018*

Atsushi Aoki & Yohei Nakajima vs. Keiichi Sato & Ultimo Dragon: Dud
It was a blink and you miss it match and I missed it. 

Minoru Fujita vs. TAJIRI: **
It was okay. Very ground based, slow. Very whatever match. Seen worse from Tajiri. 

Atsushi Maruyama vs. Soma Takao: **
Quicker than the previous match but equally forgettable.

Jun Akiyama & KAI vs. Shuji Ishikawa & Yusuke Okada: **¾ 
Decent Tag Team match. Nice story with Kai and Akiyama isolating Okada, the weaker of the two and just brutalizing him which included a nasty body slam on the outside floor. The finish was a bit commercial with Akiyama chasing Ishikawa on the outside which looked like a game of kiss chase. :lol And the pin was awkward and It looked like Okada kicked out when he shouldn’t.

Koji Iwamoto vs. Kotaro Suzuki: ***
It was good from an in-ring standpoint. It went way too long with it being 20 minutes but I understand the direction they are going with this and why they went this length. 

Hikaru Sato vs. Suwama: ***
Good match. It was a good underdog match where Sato was just beaten on by Suwama but he had a good amount of offence in. Sato looked very smooth and sold excellently

Joe Doering, The Bodyguard, Yutaka Yoshie & Zeus vs. Kento Miyahara, Naoya Nomura, Ryouji Sai & Yoshitatsu: ***¼ 
Was a good match. Typical multi-man match but it had some great storytelling development. Kento has history with all of the opposition and his interactions with them showcased that perfectly. Also, Yoshitatsu really needs to get rid of the Bullet Club Hunter Shirt, he is a different guy now. 

The show was filler but very enjoyable. I liked most of the matches. The main event I recommend.


----------



## Reil

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/965078831055888385

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/965079141111382016
I like the concept of this title. Gives the rookies something to go after.


----------



## MC

The concept of the title is good. But they need to get rid of some other titles first. 

Also,

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/965087229138776065
It doesn't say it's for the title but it should be. Mayu should win this.


----------



## Concrete

*Daisuke Sasaki, Shuji Ishikawa & Tetsuya Endo vs. Kazusada Higuchi, Kouki Iwasaki & Shigehiro Irie (DDT 5/28/17):***½*
_Can confirm that DDT gets how to work fun trios matches. Shouldn’t be a tough skill, CMLL does it weekly, but most wrestling promotions still haven’t figured it out. Every pairing here is fun to watch and they never let the action dip. Not sure how feel entirely on Iwasaki who seems inspired by Battlarts offense and STRONG BJ selling. The combo has interesting results. They establish roles for everyone here. Iwasaki is the low man on the totem pole, young guy with talent but not the experience. Ishikawa is your big bad boy. Irie is your meatball. Higuchi is the good dudes’ big man. Sasaki comes off as the guy who “leads” despite Endo being the wrestler who makes the team function.

Plenty of fun moments in the match. my favorite being the the faces’ large lad duo taking out Shuji early, Higuchi knocking him out of the ring and Irie hitting a meaty tope. Irie really brings the heat in the match as he also is integral in popping me in a sumo pounce, cannonball, and soccer kick combo from his team. Iwasaki does well in the finishing stretch as the odd man out on his team. Neat moment where Sasaki is getting pelted with kicks but snags an incoming one from Iwasaki so Endo could come off the screen with a handspring into a pele. Him going toe-to-toe with Shuji felt a little forced until Ishikawa went ham on the boy and reminded you that he was never in real danger. FUN MATCH!_

*Mikey Bailey vs. Kazusada Higuchi (DNA 5/10/17):*****
_Left this match thinking two things 1) Higuchi needs a new finisher and 2) Higuchi and Bailey are among the best in the world. 

Another great big man versus little man match graces us in 2017. Both wrestlers are great in their roles. Bailey’s offense gives a lot of flexibility in these types of matches. His kicks are equalizers in matches where the size differential is this enormous. In this match specifically his kicks may have been the most precise I have ever seen from him. In every match you are likely to get a few flubs from Bailey as he he wings his legs out there full force. Sometimes he clips his opponent and other times he overshoots and catches someone with his calf. Every time Bailey threw a kick in this match it hit exactly where he wanted it to. Every kick he threw was also thrown with the fury of a thousand suns which doesn’t hurt either.

The story is large person against not-so-large person, yes but Higuchi isn’t given the default advantage. If anything it is the opposite. Outside of those lethal kicks, Bailey also has incredible agility on his side. He come come from any angle to peg you with a kick or he can come right down the gut and attempt to brute force his way through the defense. Hard to fight against that. Higuchi does an awesome job at timing his counters though. These counters separate the match from your standard “great match formula” matches. There is a consistency to them. Every time Bailey takes too long setting up his next big move, Higuchi moves out of the way. The beauty is it doesn’t always lead to a change in momentum. At one point Bailey is rallying with these running kicks into the corner and at one point Higuchi gets out of the way but can’t get something going himself. Then other times Higuchi is crushing Bailey with powerbombs off springboards and devastating chokeslams on the apron. 

Maybe the match is a little back and forth but there is some nuance here that differentiates itself from the pack. This type of match needs a throughline for me to invest and I think they found it with Higuchi’s counters. If you are an execution fan, hard pressed to find many matches that much better. Together that puts together a super match. DNA, you have grown up so much. 
_​


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

MC 16 said:


> It doesn't say it's for the title but it should be. Mayu should win this.


April :lol 

It'll be 3 months since Toni last defended the title. 5 months since defending the title in STARDOM. 1st time defending it on Japanese soil. Won the title via injury. Pretty shitty reign for Toni. I know that booking isn't strong in STARDOM but seeing as I'm a massive belt mark I'm taking exception to it.


----------



## MC

-***** Italiano- said:


> April :lol
> 
> It'll be 3 months since Toni last defended the title. 5 months since defending the title in STARDOM. 1st time defending it on Japanese soil. Won the title via injury. Pretty shitty reign for Toni. I know that booking isn't strong in STARDOM but seeing as I'm a massive belt mark I'm taking exception to it.


Awful reign. They really should've stripped her of the title after Mayu's injury.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

MC 16 said:


> Awful reign. They really should've stripped her of the title after Mayu's injury.


There were chances to have her defend it. At least have her give Yoko Bito a shot on her way out. It's also a real missed oppertunity to send Toni round the world with that title. I'd have forced her to take it to every PROGRESS and wXw show she was on. Unfortunately these things don't seem important to Rossy.


----------



## MC

-***** Italiano- said:


> There were chances to have her defend it. At least have her give Yoko Bito a shot on her way out. It's also a real missed oppertunity to send Toni round the world with that title. I'd have forced her to take it to every PROGRESS and wXw show she was on. Unfortunately these things don't seem important to Rossy.


Yeah, the fault lies with Rossy. 



Also, 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/965252034394927105

Miyu Yamashita, Mizuku and Maki Ito will face Azusa Christie, Saki-Sama and a mystery opponent at DDT Judgment on the 25th of March!!!


Then card curretly looks lile:

DDT “JUDGEMENT 2018 ~DDT 21ST ANNIVERSARY~”, 25/03/2018
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. World Crazy Wrestler No. 1 Decision Battle In DDT: Joey Ryan Vs Colt Cabana
2. Iron Man Heavymetalweight Title: Super Sasadango Machine (c) Vs Jiro Kuroshio
3. Street Wrestling Using The Entire Ryogoku Building ~ Falls Count Anywhere: Sanshiro Takagi & Munenori Sawa Vs X & X
4. Dramatic Dream Match: Danshoku Dino, Keisuke Ishii & Ken Ohka Vs Great Muta, Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo
5. KO-D Tag Team Titles – Uchikomi! Presents: HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji (c) Vs Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi
6. Miyu Yamashita, Mizuku and Maki Ito Vs Azusa Christie, Saki-Sama and a mystery opponent
7. KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Shuji Ishikawa


----------



## Reil

I think the SWA title is supposed to be their (Stardom's) traveling title, but considering its only defended like twice a year, it doesn't feel like it. I think the high speed championship has also been defended a few times outside of the company, but not even close to as many times as the SWA title.

I also think the SWA title is seen as the foreigner/gaijin belt. You can probably do away with either the SWA or High Speed Belt (I'm leaning towards High Speed), and actually start featuring the other belt more often, especially if STARDOM wants to grow their fanbase. 

On that subject, I remember hearing Rossy eventually wants to run some shows in the US (and not just the West Coast). If STARDOM were do to that, would you go to them if they were in your area? I do think if they went that route, they would need to revise their pricing scheme for a US based tour. No one here is going to pay $100 for a ringside seat and then another $20 for the _possibility_ of autographs/pictures. From what I've heard (including from a friend who went to a show), STARDOM's setup for autographs/pictures with the talent is an absolute mess.


----------



## JC00

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/964252317175427080

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/964252529688219648

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/964256283347046400

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/964258484199002112

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/964260266576957441


----------



## HOJO

From the looks of Kobashi vs Saki-sama from this morning, it may be Kobashi joining Biishiki-gun soon, most likely during or after the Tag title match at Seijo Hall. To me this also leads into Ito Respect Army vs Biishiki-gun for the Tag Belts at the may Korakuen show

Speaking of DDT, they're pulling out a weekly TV show on AbemaTV


DramaticDDT.com/ said:


> *“DDT LIVE! Maji Manji” Announced For AbemaTV*
> February 17, 2018
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This week *DDT* and *AbemaTV* announced a new live weekly show called *“DDT LIVE! Maji Manji” (DDT LIVE！ マジ卍)* beginning on 10th April. The two hour broadcast will take place every Tuesday (except for weeks when DDT run *Korakuen Hall*) in Shin-Kiba 1st RING. Six shows are scheduled for April and May so far. The goal of the show is to attract a younger audience by airing live pro wrestling during the prime time schedule, something that hasn’t happened in Japan on traditional television outlets for many years. *Konosuke Takeshita* said that his generation never got to experience the chance to watch TV wrestling at “Golden Time”.
> 
> For the first few weeks the show will feature an 8-Man tournament to create the next generation pro wrestling star. DDT is looking for wrestlers from outside the company to compete in the tournament. The 1st Round and Semi Final matches will have 5 minute time limits and the final has a 10 minute time limit. For the matches that end in time limit draws, the winner will be determined by a judging system used by the AbemaTV viewers. *Danshoku Dino* said the plan will be to spin off stories from the tournament for later episodes. *Sanshiro Takagi* wants to tell the world about the charm of DDT as well as search for the next generation of ambitious pro wrestlers which is why DDT LIVE and the tournament are running parallel to each other.
> 
> Other ideas for the show are being thrown around. For example, *HARASHIMA* suggested getting comedians to train at the dojo and filming them in a reality TV format. Takeshita and Dino also thought about doing Mail Order Wrestling. I don’t know if they mean stuff gets sent to them to use in matches or they sell stuff used in matches but it’s an idea they like anyway.


​
https://dramaticddt.wordpress.com/2018/02/17/ddt-live-maji-manji-announced-for-abematv/


----------



## MC

A weekly tv show? Love the sound of that.


----------



## JC00

-***** Italiano- said:


> There were chances to have her defend it.


They could have had her at least defend once in these next few weeks before defending against Mayu in April.

These are her matches with Stardom in the next few weeks



Trios match

SWA Title match

Trios match

Tag match 


She'll have gone from before Halloween to April between title defenses at a Stardom show. Her only defense in that time was at a RISE show in December.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

JC00 said:


> They could have had her at least defend once in these next few weeks before defending against Mayu in April.
> 
> These are her matches with Stardom in the next few weeks
> 
> 
> 
> Trios match
> 
> SWA Title match
> 
> Trios match
> 
> Tag match
> 
> 
> She'll have gone from before Halloween to April between title defenses at a Stardom show. Her only defense in that time was at a RISE show in December.


It sucks. Its almost like this is idol promotion thing is all about selling that merch and quality wrestling booking is irrelevant. 

Honestly it's crazy that these girls go out and kill each other in the ring I'm really not sure they have to. Makes me respect them all the more.


----------



## MC

Hideki Suzuki in NOAH today :sodone And against Kotoge and Marufuji :mark


----------



## V-Trigger

Let's see what Nao brings to the table. I predict big things for her if she can go in the ring.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/960580371090944000

Awesome main event for Sunday. It's probably going to be the best match of the night.


Here is the rest of the card: 

1. Tag Rumble: Sanshiro Takagi & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Toru Owashi & Kazuki Hirata Vs Soma Takao & MAO Vs Makoto Oishi & Kota Umeda Vs Yuki Ueno & Koju Takeda

2. Infomercial Match – Net One Systems Co., Ltd.: Danshoku Dino Vs Saki Akai Vs Akito Vs Antonio Honda Vs Kouki Iwasaki Vs Mizuki Watase

3. Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo Vs Keisuke Ishii & Ken Ohka

4. KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles: KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi (c) Vs Ryuichi Sekine, Ryota Nakatsu & Fuminori Abe

5. DDT Extreme Title: Yuko Miyamoto (c) Vs Shunma Katsumata

6. Special Single Match: Naomichi Marufuji Vs Kazusada Higuchi

7. Special Tag Match: Konosuke Takeshita & HARASHIMA Vs Shuji Ishikawa & Daisuke Sekimoto

https://dramaticddt.wordpress.com/current-schedule/


----------



## faisalaldoseri

Hey Guys

If i want to follow Noah and dragon gate is there like a weekly show that is a must or just random shows and dates? For example cmll every friday


----------



## V-Trigger

The show just ended.
@MC 16 Sakura isn't on it this year btw.


----------



## Genking48

V-Trigger said:


> The show just ended.
> @MC 16 Sakura isn't on it this year btw.


Komiharu is there though :yay2


----------



## MC

faisalaldoseri said:


> Hey Guys
> 
> If i want to follow Noah and dragon gate is there like a weekly show that is a must or just random shows and dates? For example cmll every friday


It's a bit random. There a lot of shows throughout the month but it's unknown which shows are shown on TV and when. For example, the recent Dragon Gate show won't be shown on TV til March. You have to be very observant about a show and if it's available or not. Same with NOAH but most of their shows are shown, just a matter of when. I wouldn't say all shows are must watch but there is some entertaining stuff on every show that's worth a look. 



V-Trigger said:


> The show just ended.
> @MC16 Sakura isn't in it this year btw.



I know  Oh well.


----------



## Genking48

MC 16 said:


> It's a bit random. There a lot of shows throughout the month but it's unknown which shows are shown on TV and when. For example, the recent Dragon Gate show won't be shown on TV til March. You have to be very observant about a show and if it's available or not. Same with NOAH but most of their shows are shown, just a matter of when. I wouldn't say all shows are must watch but there is some entertaining stuff on every show that's worth a look.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I know  Oh well.


Komiharu though!


----------



## MC

Genking48 said:


> Komiharu though!


Oh yeah. Very good. She is Shark Komiyama, isn't she?


----------



## Genking48

MC 16 said:


> Oh yeah. Very good. She is Shark Komiyama, isn't she?


Yeah, she'd be a pretty good underdog babyface character if that is what they want her to be. Her and the 3 heel girls (Voice Yamada, Kuuichi Matsumura & Yumbo Shimada) are great as a heel unit with some comedy. And Ikemen Kinoshita is awesome.

It's too bad they started the show so late. The earlier members of AKB, like Akimoto Sayaka, Miyazawa Sae, Oshima Yuko, could be so great in this. Kuramochi Asuka because she's a huge wrestling fan.


----------



## MC

Genking48 said:


> Yeah, she'd be a pretty good underdog babyface character if that is what they want her to be. Her and the 3 heel girls (Voice Yamada, Kuuichi Matsumura & Yumbo Shimada) are great as a heel unit with some comedy. And Ikemen Kinoshita is awesome.
> 
> It's too bad they started the show so late. The earlier members of AKB, like Akimoto Sayaka, Miyazawa Sae, Oshima Yuko, could be so great in this. Kuramochi Asuka because she's a huge wrestling fan.


Yeah, I suppose wrestling is a bit bigger these days where there is a market that can be taken advantage of, opposed to 4 or 5 years ago where there wasn't. 

She definitely has the look for a underdog that can get people to really behind.


----------



## Corey

Results/announcements from yesterday's All Japan Show. They keep flipping the fucking tag belts like they're nothing. 



> ~ It was announced that Jun Akiyama & Yuji Nagata will be defending the Asia Tag belts against the team of Takao Omori & Manabu Nakanishi on March 25 in Saitama.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ~ Then on July 29 there will be a bigger show held at the EDION Arena Osaka, 1st Stadium. This will be the first time in over 4 years that All Japan has held a show in the main stadium.


4 old guys in that tag match and the opponents can barely even move.  Should be interesting.


> (7) *World Tag Championship Match:* [80th Champions] Kento Miyahara & Yoshitatsu (FREE) vs. [Challengers] Zeus & The Bodyguard (FREE)
> *◆Winner:* Zeus *(18:48)* with a Jackhammer on Yoshitatsu.
> ~ Champions fall on their 1st title defense. BIG GUNS become the 81st champions.
> ~ Ryoji Sai stepped forward to make the challenge as he announced his partner to be Dylan James (formerly James Raideen, who will be competing in this years Carnival).
> 
> (8) *Jr. BATTLE OF GLORY Final Match:* (A BLOCK #1) Shuji Kondo vs. (B BLOCK #1) Koji Iwamoto
> *◆Winner:* Kondo *(19:21)* following a King Kong Lariat.
> ~ Kondo wins the Jr. BATTLE OF GLORY 2018 and becomes the next rightful challenger for the World Junior belt. Which Kondo challenged Aoki after the match which proceeded to Aoki coming out to accept the defense. (Kondo also holds a win over the champion Aoki stemming from their match in the league on 2/13.)
> ~ Update: The title match will be taking place on March 25 in Saitama.


I'm pretty sure there's only been one successful tag title defense in the past like 8 months. Everyone just drops them immediately. Annoying!


----------



## MC

All Japan and tag teams fpalm One is a old man division (like the Junior Title was) and the other is a hot potato belt. I get that they needed to get the title from the Violent Giants to the Big Guns but why use Kento and Tatsu as the transitional holders? Just a bit odd. Though, it really doesn't matter all too much.


----------



## MC

Former RevPro British Cruiserweight Champion, Josh Bodom has joined All Japan for the 22/03 Saitama show!!!! Nice to see some British talent going over to Japan. I wonder if he will have a All Japan Junior title match or become a heavyweight for the show. 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/969145386375024641


----------



## Genking48

MC 16 said:


> Former RevPro British Cruiserweight Champion, Josh Bodom has joined All Japan for the 22/03 Saitama show!!!! Nice to see some British talent going over to Japan. I wonder if he will have a All Japan Junior title match or become a heavyweight for the show.
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/969145386375024641


Nice, I quite like Josh Bodom, he looks aesthetically pleasing. No ****.

Wasn't he banned from Progress at some point?


----------



## MC

Genking48 said:


> Nice, I quite like Josh Bodom, he looks aesthetically pleasing. No ****.
> 
> Wasn't he banned from Progress at some point?


Not sure if he was banned or not. I can't find anything to say he was.



As for what he will do, here is the rest of the card:



> purolove.com



It's the last show before the Champions Carnival and looks like an eventful one.


----------



## MC

*Champion Gate Cards 03/03 and 04/03*​



> *Champion Gate in Osaka 2018 Night 1 (03/03/2018)
> Osaka, Edion Arena Osaka #2*
> 
> 0. Shun Skywalker vs. Oji Shiiba
> 1. Dragon Kid, Kagetora vs. Bandido, Zachary Wentz
> 2. Don Fujii vs. Ryo Saito
> 3. Kotoka Road to Final in Osaka 1: Shingo Takagi, El Lindaman vs. CIMA, Kotoka
> 4. Masaaki Mochizuki, Gamma vs. Ben-K, Big R Shimizu
> 5. Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka, Genki Horiguchi vs. T-Hawk, Eita, Takashi Yoshida
> 6. Open the Brave Gate Championship Match: Yasushi Kanda vs. Punch Tominaga
> 7. Open the Triangle Gate Championship Match: Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Jason Lee vs. YAMATO, Flamita, Yosuke♡Santa Maria
> 
> Times: 4am EST / 1am PST / 9am GMT





> *Champion Gate in Osaka 2018 Night 2 (03/04/2018)*
> Osaka, Edion Arena Osaka #2
> 
> 0. U-T vs. Yuki Yoshioka
> 1. CIMA, Gamma vs. Don Fujii, K-ness.
> 2. Takashi Yoshida vs. Kaito Ishida
> 3. El Lindaman, Shingo Takagi, Yasushi Kanda vs. YAMATO, Ryo Saito, Punch Tominaga
> 4. Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Jason Lee, Big R Shimizu vs. Yosuke♡Santa Maria, Flamita, Bandido, Zachary Wentz
> 5. Kotoka Road to Final in Osaka 2: Kzy, Dragon Kid vs. Kotoka, Oji Shiiba
> 6. Open the Twin Gate Championship Match: T-Hawk, Eita vs. Susumu Yokosuka, Genki Horiguchi
> 7. Open the Dream Gate Championship Match: Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Ben-K
> 
> Times: 1am EST / 22pm PST / 6am GMT


From what I'm seeing, it looks like a great card. Look forward to Night Two's main event because Mochizuki is amazing.


----------



## Liger!Liger!

This next Twin Gate match should be amazing.


----------



## Genking48

Results from Champion Gate in Osaka Night 1 and 2, credit to iheartdg.



> *03/03/2018
> Osaka, Edion Arena Osaka #2
> Champion Gate in Osaka 2018 Night 1
> Attendance: 1350*
> 
> *0. *Shun Skywalker*O* (5:17 Boston Crab) Oji Shiiba*X*
> *1. *Dragon Kid*O*, Kagetora (9:15 Bible) Bandido*X*, Zachary Wentz
> *2. *Ryo Saito*O* (5:55 Pinfall) Don Fujii*X*
> *3. Kotoka Road to Final in Osaka 1:* Shingo Takagi, El Lindaman*O* (11:34 German Suplex Hold) CIMA, Kotoka*X*
> *4. *Ben-K, Big R Shimizu*O* (10:54 Shot-put Slam)Masaaki Mochizuki, Gamma*X*
> *5. *Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka, Genki Horiguchi*O* (12:10 Backslide from Heaven) T-Hawk, Eita, Takashi Yoshida*X*
> *6. Open the Brave Gate Championship Match:* Punch Tominaga (8:34 Punch Clutch) Yasushi Kanda
> _★Tominaga becomes the 33rd champion_
> *7. Open the Triangle Gate Championship Match:* Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Jason Lee*O* (23:14 German Suplex Hold) YAMATO, Flamita, Yosuke♡Santa Maria*X*
> _★2nd Defense_
> 
> Oji came to Kotoka’s aid after the third match, delivering a dropkick to Lindaman. Lindaman was appalled that a green boy would come after a superstar like him. He wasn’t on that level yet. Things will only get worse for him when his brother is no longer around to look after him.
> Kotoka gave a speech. He thanked his brother and the Osaka fans. He was inspired to become a wrestler by CIMA. He was so cool. He always aimed to be like him. Being able to team with him here in one of his final matches in Osaka is a dream come true. Tomorrow, he teams with his baby brother for the last time. They haven’t had many chance to team together, but teaming in Osaka tomorrow means both of them get to achieve a shared dream.
> 
> Ben-K told Mochizuki he looked worn out. Was he going to be ready for tomorrow? Mochizuki replied that while he was 48, he wasn’t a normal 48 year old. There won’t be a repeat of what happened in Hakata. Ben will learn the hard way what it is like to have a long and grueling Dream Gate title match.
> 
> Horiguchi and T-Hawk had a back and forth. Antias had no intention of letting the Twin Gate fall into the hands of two broken down pieces of trash. Horiguchi & Susumu created a poem using the Japanese A-I-U-E-O syllables that doesn’t translate well but said “Antias, Listen up. we are taking the belts and the glory.”
> 
> Takagi accidentally hit Kanda with a box attack, leading to the unthinkable result of Punch becoming champion. Kanda was furious. He demanded the result voided. This was all Takagi’s fault! Takagi told him that anyone that loses to someone like Punch only has himself to blame. Kanda demanded a rematch. Punch was now Brave Gate champion, and being brave means you have to accept all challenges. He accepted, and thanked Takagi for his help today. The match was set for 3/21 at Memorial Gate in Wakayama. Punch gave a speech. He has been in the business for 12 years, 6 of them as an active wrestler. This was his first title. He wants to become a brave and strong champion worthy of the belt. He looks forward to the day where he can stand in front of the fans as a legitimate champion.
> 
> Yoshino heaped praise on Maria. When this match was made, he didn’t expect to be saying the things he was about to say. Yoshino saw what Maria was really made of today. She said that she was inspired by Kzy and would carry Tribe Vanguard in his absence. Tribe lost today, but Maria shouldn’t be discouraged by that. From here, whether she returns to the old Yosuke Santa Maria or steps forward as the new Yosuke Santa Maria is up to her. Yoshino said he will always happily accept another challenge. Maria, Ben, Shimizu, even U-T. You can’t seize any opportunity you don’t go for.
> Losing today hurt. It hurt bad. But the fire inside Maria has only just been lit. Today, tomorrow, the day after that. Yosuke Santa Maria will be the one carrying Tribe Vanguard.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: pics


And now for Night 2



> *03/04/2018
> Osaka, Edion Arena Osaka #2
> Champion Gate in Osaka 2018 Night 2
> Attendance: 1500*
> 
> *0. *U-T*O*(5:29 Pinfall) Yuki Yoshioka*X*
> *1. *CIMA*O*, Gamma (11:26 Mad Splash) Don Fujii, K-ness.*X*
> *2. *Takashi Yoshida*O* (7:38 Fatality) Kaito Ishida*X*
> *3. *YAMATO*O*, Ryo Saito, Punch Tominaga (11:38 Frankensteiner of the Almighty) El Lindaman, Shingo Takagi, Yasushi Kanda*X*
> *4. *Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Jason Lee, Big R Shimizu*O* (12:07 Shot-put Slam) Yosuke♡Santa Maria, Flamita, Bandido, Zachary Wentz*X*
> *5. Kotoka Road to Final in Osaka 2:* Kzy*O*, Dragon Kid (13:15 Running Elbow Smash) Kotoka*X*, Oji Shiiba
> *6. Open the Twin Gate Championship Match:* T-Hawk, Eita*O* (15:09 Biblia) Susumu Yokosuka*X*, Genki Horiguchi
> _★1st Defense_
> *7. Open the Dream Gate Championship Match:* Masaaki Mochizuki (23:13 Triangle Choke → Referee Stop) Ben-K
> _★4th Defense_
> 
> The contract signing for the main event was held at the top of the show. Ben-K only had one thing to say. He was going to open the door for the next generation. Mochizuki enjoyed seeing the hopefulness of youth. He was going to show that youthful power was no match for veteran skills on his way to victory.
> 
> Kanda accidentally hit Takagi with a John Woo. Takagi accused him of doing it on purpose. Kanda told him if he had actually held YAMATO like he was supposed to then it wouldn’t have happened. Lindaman tried to play moderator. They have 170-180 matches every year. Mistakes will happen every now and then to even the best. He pleaded for cooler heads to prevail. He also chastised YAMATO for taking advantage of the situation to score a dirty win. YAMATO warned him that Kanda & Takagi were quickly becoming like oil and water. They just don’t go together. Saito stopped their bickering. People were forgetting the most important thing.
> On the eve of his Owarai Gate title match, Shingo Takagi still was not funny. He could tell that Takagi had it in him. To achieve his goal of sealing away the Owarai Gate forever, Takagi must surely have something gut-bustingly funny planned.
> Punch also gave a quick speech. He was going to prove that yesterday was no fluke. He once again thanked Takagi for the assist. He couldn’t have done it without him. He asked the fans for their support in Wakayama.
> 
> Kagetora showed up at ringside decked out in various pieces of MaxiMuM merchandise to second them. They confronted him afterwards. Doi assured the fans that he was not a member of the group. Kagetora said that he has always thought MaxiMuM gear looked really cool so he bought some and came down to watch the match. It was awesome. MaxiMuM rules! He left, leaving MaxiMuM in disbelief.
> 
> Kotoka had a message for his brother. He’s gotten so big already. The crowd was behind him today. The chants were for him. He’s going to be just fine. He will be someone like him, no, Oji will surpass him. No doubt about it. When Oji first told him he wanted to join Dragon Gate and become a pro wrestler, he didn’t like the idea. It is hard and it is painful. The thought of his brother being exposed to the things he had to go through was hard for him. From the time he joined all the way until today he has worried about his little brother. Today, their final time as a team, he was relieved and happy. Thank you. Today is his real starting point.
> Oji said he work as hard as he can to try and fill the hole that Kotoka will leave behind when he retires on Tuesday. He wasn’t just aiming for the same spot as his brother. He was aiming for no less than the Dream Gate. His brother was leaving in two days, but he has only just begun.
> 
> Linda interfered with a box attack to help Eita win. Kzy protested. Were they satisfied with such a win? Eita replied that a win was a win. Kzy said that they talk a big game, but when the time comes they rely on interference and weapons. He was going to personally teach them to respect the dignity of title matches. He asked Horiguchi to be his partner and challenge for the Twin Gate. Eita wondered why he picked the old bald guy but wasn’t going to argue. It’s an easy win and a good way to inflate their defense count.
> 
> Mochizuki heaped praise on Ben-K. All he was missing was experience. As he found out today, years and experience are not something to be taken lightly. The Dream Gate isn’t something that can be so readily opened by someone on their first try. YAMATO currently has the record for the quickest title win. If Ben-K puts in the effort, he still has time to topple that record. Mochizuki thinks he can do it.
> Shimizu interrupted. He had lost his way earlier this year and it left him in a long losing streak. Meanwhile, Ben-K was on a huge tear. It was a Heaven and Hell difference. His match with Ben-K back in Kobe and watching this match today, he has found his way now. He asked Mochizuki for a title match. Mochizuki admitted it would be a tough match. They have a pretty even record in 1 on 1 matches. He had no problem accepting the challenge. The match was set for 3/21 in Wakayama. Mochizuki complained about having to do another title match with just 3 weeks. He’s 48 years old, after all. He quickly changed his tone to fighting words. He doesn’t know if coming back to do another title defense so quickly is a mistake or not, but Shimizu will get an up close look at what kind of 48 year old Mochizuki is.
> Shimizu thanked Ben-K for inspiring him and praised him for his growth this year. Ben-K thanked the fans for their support today and thanked Mochizuki for giving him a shot. He really wanted to open a new door here in Osaka today. He couldn’t do it, but next time he will have revenge. Maybe right here in Osaka. It doesn’t matter what kind of kicks and punches come at him, he won’t give up.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: pics


All really great title matches. Mochizuki is a fucking beast. Best veteran in the business.


----------



## komatsu_na

Tbf, three of the recent All Japan World Tag Championship reigns were cut short due to injuries.

I don't see the problem if the matches are good.


----------



## MC

Genking48 said:


> Results from Champion Gate in Osaka Night 1 and 2, credit to iheartdg.
> 
> 
> 
> And now for Night 2
> 
> 
> 
> All really great title matches. Mochizuki is a fucking beast. Best veteran in the business.


Yeah Mochizuki is incredible.. So good for his age.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/970493866762579970


----------



## Ham and Egger

ShadowSucks92 said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/970493866762579970


How fucking cool would it be to be trained by Shibata!? :mark:


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Ham and Egger said:


> How fucking cool would it be to be trained by Shibata!? :mark:


As cool as the many ice packs you would need after Shibata beats the crap out of you during his "warm up"


----------



## MC

*Stardom Dream Slam Cards so far*



> *Day One in Korakuen Hall (28/03/2018):*
> Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima and Tam Nakano vs Kagetsu, Hana Kimura and Sumire Natsu
> 
> Toni Storm (SWA champion) vs Viper (ICW champion)- Title vs Title Match
> 
> Chibis (Hiromi Mimura and Konami) vs JKGREEEEN (Momo Watanabe and Jungle Kyona)- Hiromi's last match
> 
> Natsumi (Apache) vs Io Shirai- Non Title
> 
> Starlight Kid vs AZM or Shiki Shibusawa- Match to determine Future of Stardom Champion


Day one looks good. The main event should be fun. Storm vs Viper could be good but I see a time limit draw again (ughhh). Apparently this is Natsumi's debut match so to put her with Io Shirai, the best female wrestler today, is very odd. Oh well, let's see what's she has got. The Last Shout will be sad. I'm for the Future of Stardom concept, looking forward to it. AZM ftw.



> *Day Two in Osaka Edion Arena #2 (31/03/2018):*
> Oedo Tai(Kagetsu and Hana Kimura) (c) vs Mary and Fabi Apache - Goddess Of Stardom Title match
> 
> Io Shirai (c) vs Bea Priestley - Wonder of Stardom Title match
> 
> Mayu Iwatani and Tam Nakano vs Toni Storm and Xia Brookside
> 
> Saki Kashima vs Shiki Shibusawa vs Sumire Natsu


Io vs Bea sounds good. Apparently, Bea gave Io a lap dance last time she was there. So that's something. Probably the weakest show of the three but the main event should be good depending on Fabi Apache.



> *Day Three in Nagoya (01/04/2018:*
> Tam Nakano and Io Shirai vs Kagetsu and Sumire Natsu - Exploding Baseball Bat Death Match
> 
> Toni Storm (c) vs Mayu Iwatani - World of Stardom Title Match
> 
> Jungle Kyona vs Viper
> 
> HZK vs Hana Kimura
> 
> Xia Brookside(c) vs Konami - IWP: UK Women's Title match


The Exploding Baseball Bat Death Match is not being received well AT ALL. Still, Tam did worship Onita so expect their to be blood. If Mayu doesn't beat Toni Storm, I'm going to be pissed. Jungle Kyona vs Viper sounds awesome, two powerhouses colliding. HZK vs Hana Kimura should be interesting, the battle of the number two's. 


Decent set of shows for Stardom. I expect some great matches and some great spectacles,


----------



## Genking48

Last show for Kotoka. Credit for the results and summary goes to iheartdg.com.



> *03/06/2018
> Tokyo, Korakuen Hall
> Kotoka Road to Final – The Ending
> 1850 Attendance*
> 
> *1.* U-T, Shun Skywalker*X*, Hyo Watanabe, Yuki Yoshioka (4:55 Skywalker Moonsault) Gamma, Problem Dragon, Kaito Ishida, Shachihoko Boy*O*
> *2. **▲*K-ness. (4:16 No Contest) Punch Tominaga*▲*
> *3. *Big R Shimizu*X*, Ben-K (9:27 Shot-put Slam) Yasushi Kanda*O*, Takashi Yoshida
> *4. *Flamita*X*, Zachary Wentz (10:06 Flam Fly) Jason Lee, Bandido*O*
> *5. Open the Owarai Gate Championship Match:* Shingo Takagi*X* (8:01 Pumping Bomber) Ryo Saito*O*
> _★Takagi becomes the 41st champion via fan decision_
> *6.* T-Hawk, Eita*X*, El Lindaman (14:14 Biblia) Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka, Genki Horiguchi*O*
> *7. Kotoka Retirement Match:* Masaaki Mochizuki, YAMATO*X*, Yosuke♡Santa Maria, Don Fujii, Kagetora (25:00 Galleria) Kotoka*O*, Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, CIMA, Dragon Kid
> *8. *Kotoka*X* (2:40 Caldera) Oji Shiiba*O*
> 
> Kanda & Yoshida attacked both Punch & K-ness., causing the no contest. Kanda raged at Punch. That Brave Gate title belongs to him. It is all Takagi’s fault that Punch has it. The belt will be back where it belongs after Wakayama. Punch called it a gift from Takagi, because deep down he really loves him. He was going to protect the gift that Shingo Takagi gave to him in Wakayama. Kanda was furious and demanded Big Ben come out for the next match.
> 
> Takagi refused to cooperate in any of the Owarai Gate division antics, while Saito could barely contain his delight. Takagi wouldn’t budge from the corner to pose for the ceremonial photo, so Saito & Yagi came to him. Saito wondered why he had such a serious face on. He has been stalking Takagi on social media and found he is a fan of Yoshimoto Shinkigeki. He must have been watching it to learn how to be funny! Takagi told him to leave his private life and hobbies out of it. There will be no comedy and no cooperation in this farce. When it came time for the fans to decide, Referee Yagi & Saito encouraged the fans to cheer loudly for Takagi. The poll for Saito was cut short and the title was quickly awarded to Takagi. Takagi flew off the handle at the result and demanded a new poll. That ended with the same result. Winner and new Open the Owarai Gate champion, Shingo Takagi. He blamed it all on Kanda. Someone who couldn’t beat the likes of Punch Tominaga deserves this belt more then him. He tossed the belt at Kanda. Kanda told him the fans have spoken. Put the belt around your waist. The argument escalated until Lindaman mediated. Takagi vowed to never forgive or forget the indignity that Saito, Yagi, and the fans did to him today.
> Saito told him to treat the belt with respect, it is his now. He thanked the fans for playing along and putting the title around Takagi’s waist.
> 
> Antias kept up the attack in the post-match on Horiguchi & co. Punch came out to make the save. In the midst of the all the arguing, he stopped to congratulate Takagi on his newly won championship. Eita proposed a 4 on 4 match. Kanda demanded the 4th spot on the Antias side. Takagi said it was no spot for a FORMER Brave Gate champion. Kanda replied that it was no spot for the CURRENT Owarai Gate champion. He was going to deal with Punch himself. Kzy interrupted. Who agreed to a 4 on 4 match? Kanda & Takagi can both be in the match. Did they already forget his warning from last month? There are others out there with a bone to pick with Antias. One of them will be their partner, making it 5 on 5. He called out “brother” YASSHI. Last time we saw him, he was a member of Verserk. Seems they don’t exist anymore. No one bothered to even tell him. What the fuck? In Dragon Gate it doesn’t matter if you are good guys or bad guys. Your stablemates are your family. Those mother fuckers gave him the finger and betrayed him. Now those mother fuckers will have to answer to him. T-Hawk wasn’t impressed with his vulgarity. Dragon Gate only has room for real professionals. The pros would show him how things are done. Antias accepted the 5 on 5. GM Yagi was quick to make the match, but he added a stipulation. It would fought under Oedo Style Elimination rules. Lindaman said that it didn’t matter what the rules were. The results would be the same as today.
> 
> Oji Shiiba interrupted the first attempt at the retirement ceremony. He couldn’t let his big brother retire before they had a 1 on 1 match with each other. It was one of his dreams and if it didn’t happen here it never would. He pleaded for the match to happen now. Kotoka was deeply moved. He was pretty beat up, but how could he say no? He told his baby brother to bring all he had.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Long Kotoka retirement cerimory
> 
> 
> 
> The retirement ceremony began with various gifts from media outlets. Gaora prepared a special DVD of his famous matches for him. Each member of the roster was then given the opportunity to say goodbye.
> 
> He shares the same hometown as Horiguchi, so he is sad to see him go. At the same time, he is relieved that he won’t have to see him in constant pain from his injuries. Oji will carry on his legacy, Horiguchi is sure of it.
> 
> U-T is an only child. Seeing Kotoka and Oji just now, he wished he had a brother. His family is Dragon Gate. He is small, just like Kotoka. He will strive to carry on the spirit that Kotoka carried as someone who wouldn’t let his size get in his way.
> 
> Hulk asked him if he found what he was looking for these past 10 years. He has a new path to look on now. His own path.
> 
> Maria asked for a kiss. Kotoka complied with a very long and very deep one.
> 
> Flamita presented him with one of his masks and they posed for photos.
> 
> YAMATO said that seeing one of his juniors retire before him has made him stop to think. He recalled a time back from around Kotoka’s debut when Kotoka took him drinking at an adult establishment in Ikebukuro. Together they ran up an $800 bill. Between the two of them they didn’t have the cash so they ended up putting it on a card and paying it off in installments. Hopefully they can go drinking again sometime, but maybe not at that type of place…
> 
> Kotoka started as a trainee around the time Kagetora came to Dragon Gate. He had doubts that he would make it. He defied Kagetora’s expectations and became a wrestler that was very important to many people. He also hoped to see him again at a place with booze.
> 
> Bandido gave him a shout of encouragement.
> 
> FUjii was looking forward to getting together with him in Kita Shinchi in Osaka, eating delicious food and talking about the old days together.
> 
> Mochizuki talked about seeing younger stars retire many times during his long career. Surely himself & Fujii were next. Fujii first, of course. He extended an open invite to Kotoka to hang out.
> 
> Wentz wished him luck and talked about how moved he was by the relationship Kotoka & Oji share.
> 
> CIMA talked about the time they went to Russia together for some matches. There were various things related to visas and such that CIMA just had absolutely no idea. He pushed it off on Kotoka and made him do everything. Kotoka really came through there and CIMA is still grateful.
> 
> Kid pointed out that he was in his 20th year, while Kotoka was ending his at 10. He isn’t sure if Kotoka learned anything from him. Probably not. He has learned quite a bit from watching him, though. The Kotoka he knows will succeed at whatever new challenges he takes on in his new life.
> 
> Gamma was never in the same unit as him. Nevertheless, seeing one of his fellow Dragon Gate wrestlers retire is always sad. Kotoka is still in his 20s. He has a long life ahead of him. Seize that life with both hands, and don’t forget to come back and visit every now and then.
> 
> They were in Verserk together, but Problem Dragon had more memories of drinking together than of fighting together. Kotoka has been busy lately so he hasn’t been able to accept any invites lately. Now that he is free from wrestling, he can take it easy and savor his drinks.
> 
> Hyo thanked him for helping him out during their short time together. He is a part of the same generation as Oji, so he hopes that they can both work towards the top together. He wished him luck in his new life.
> 
> Shun wished he had more time to wrestle and talk with him. He will eat just about anything so he would love it if they could go out together sometime.
> 
> In the time between Punch joining the company 12 years ago and Kotoka joining, many trainees came and went. This left Kotoka as his closest junior. He’s done so much for him. He wished him luck in his new life and reminded him that even though he was no longer a wrestler, they would always be friends.
> 
> Yoshioka never wrestled him, but he has received a lot of advice from him and he really enjoyed their conversations. Hopefully they will have the chance to have more of them in the future.
> 
> Shachi recalled their very brief time together as a part of Windows. Kotoka had such a loud voice at ringside….
> 
> Saito will always remember today as the day Kotoka retired and he lost the Owarai Gate title.
> 
> Last year, Ishida was injured on the one of the first shows of the year. Kotoka also suffered a bad injury himself but he was always more concerned with how Ishida was doing.
> 
> K-ness told him that even though his time as a wrestler was coming to an end, he would always be a part of the Dragon Gate family. He would never be forgotten.
> 
> Kotoka’s career was exactly half the length of Susumu’s. Susumu is going to continue to the best he could as a wrestler and wished for Kotoka to do the same in his new path. He actually has a lot more to say but he would send it via LINE later.
> 
> Kzy was his first exhibition match opponent and he still remembers how serious his face was. They will still be friends working towards their goals.
> 
> Jason gave him a message in Chinese, which Shimizu translated. His translation was dubiously much much longer than the original message. Jason revised his message to a simple “Thank you”.
> 
> Shimizu recalled that time that they conspired to join Mad Blankey together, but were betrayed. He is happy they got to fight together in MaxiMuM at the end. He told him that if things ever get rough for him, to cheer himself up by watching Dragon Gate.
> 
> Ben-K couldn’t hold himself together. After crying a few days ago in Osaka he had vowed not to cry today. He fought the tears for a long time, fighting them so hard that he accidentally turned the microphone off. He eventually told him he would risk his life for him. They hugged.
> 
> Yoshino was amused by the scene. Which one was the senior and which one was the junior? The first unit Kotoka joined was WORLD-1, with Doi & Yoshino. His last unit was MaxiMuM, also with Doi & Yoshino. Their bonds will always be deep. Not as senior or junior anymore, just as friends.
> 
> Doi was annoyed at everyone acting so gloomy. This isn’t a funeral! You’re supposed to be cheerful at optimistic at retirements! Kotoka was small, but he excelled. Anyone watching today could see his bravery, his fighting spirit, and his will to succeed. He doesn’t know what Kotoka plans on doing in the future but as long as he keeps those traits he has nothing to fear or cry about. Even though he was retiring today and was no longer a wrestler, Doi ordered him to stay in the MaxiMuM group chat and leave messages every now and then. Maybe he can come do some guest commentary on a DVD or something. Something!
> 
> Oji went last. He thanked his brother for granting his wish and fighting him. He had been planning on seeing his big bro off with a happy face on, but the sadness was so strong. He won’t get to achieve his dream of holding the Twin Gate with him, but he did get to go 1 on 1 with him and will always cherish that. He will continue to cheer for and look up to him as little brothers do.
> 
> Kotoka admitted he was always bad at speeches, so he prepared this one ahead of time.
> 
> Thank you for everything over the last 10 years. When he first decided to retire he had no idea he would get to do it in the main event in Korakuen Hall like this. He owes it all to the fans and to Dragon Gate. Even though he wasn’t the biggest, by believing in himself he managed to achieve a 10 year career in wrestling. If there is anyone out there that is close to giving up or thinks they can’t realize their dreams, he asks them to not give up. Believe in yourself and try your best. You can do it. Even someone of his size was able to live their dreams by not giving up. If he can do it, so can they. It’s time to start on a new challenge. Together, they can walk with excitement and optimism towards the future.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: pics


Goodbye Kotoka my boy :flair Remember to always _BLEEEEEH_


----------



## Pizzamorg

So I figured we were far enough into New Japan's year now to make it worthwhile in taking out another month of World. I started with New Beginning in Sapporo, watching the Young Bucks/Roppongi 3k match. 

I went into this with zero investment, it appears this is a sequel to their WrestleKingdom match which I'm not sure if I ever watched or not, but I came out of this thinking I've seen my first 5* match so far this year. At points the action in this match was just so insane and so stiff I couldn't help but just throw my head back and laugh with childlike glee, this always happens with New Japan, I take a few months away and come back and just get blown away by how hard everyone hits one another. It helped as I don't often get to see the Young Bucks in action as they don't really show up in promotions I watch regularly. Maybe as a fan, this was just your regular Bucks match but for someone who only sees them in action once every few months... this match was just... wow. I thought I'd seen everything you could see in a wrestling ring but both teams pulled out sequences unlike anything I'd seen before and this match might have had some of the best storytelling and psychology I've ever seen in a modern match to boot, this was just an absolute masterclass of tag team wrestling. Even the finish, I'm not a big fan of roll-up finishes, but it was perfectly utilised here. 

Gonna try and watch the US Title match from this show tonight.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

Just incase people weren't aware, the NJPW Australia shows have been uploaded to NJPW World


----------



## Corey

Is their a non-GAORA version of Mochizuki vs. Ben-K out there? Like one that has commentary and isn't single cam? I found one for Mochizuki vs. Kzy and didn't know if one had aired for the Ben-K match or not.


----------



## Reil

Announced for the April 10th Sendai Girls show is Io Shirai vs Meiko Satomura. That will be fun to see. I guess it must be time for Io to get humbled by Meiko again.


----------



## Corey

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/972460801574436864


----------



## MC

*~ Here we go! ~*



__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/972750810487562241
Naomichi Marufuji's 20th anniversary event takes place at Sumo Hall on the 1st of September later this year.


----------



## Pizzamorg

[hide][/hide]


Corey said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/972460801574436864


Does this mean Borekada will drop the title now?


----------



## MC

*Pro Wrestling NOAH's Great Voyage in Yokohama 11/03/2018 *


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/972795454516813825


> *Results*
> 
> Takeshi Sugiura beat Kenoh to win the GHC Heavyweight Title
> 
> The Aggression beat 50 Funky Powers to win the GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Titles
> 
> Daisuke Harada beat HAYATA to retain the GHC Junior Heavyweight Title
> 
> Yoshinari Ogawa/Minoru Tanaka beat XX (Taiji Ishimori/Hi69) to win the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles
> 
> Go Shiozaki beat Kaito Kiyomiya
> 
> Naomichi Marufuji/Atsushi Kotoge beat Akitoshi Saito/Shiro Koshinaka
> 
> Maybach Taniguchi/Mitsuya Nagai beat KENSO/Jay Bradley
> 
> Cody Hall/KAZMA Sekimoto beat Masao Inoue/Ryota Nakatsu
> 
> Tadasuke/YO-HEY beat Hajime Ohara/Hitoshi Kumano
> 
> LEONA beat Junta Miyawaki


New champion. I'm totally fine with Kenoh losing here. Gives him more of a reason to be pissed off then just wanting to get away from Misawa. This way, Kaito will be able to continue his feud with Kenoh without winning the title. Kisama Budokan will have to wait for Kenoh.


----------



## Corey

Did Sugiura have like any momentum going into that title match? Feels like he just popped up and won. Meh, still doesn't help my interest in NOAH. He did just break the record for most GHC Title wins though. May check out the match down the line. 



Pizzamorg said:


> **** hidden content ****
> 
> Does this mean Borekada will drop the title now?


Nope, gonna break the defense record first so he can be the undisputed best champion ever in New Japan history... ugh.


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Did Sugiura have like any momentum going into that title match? Feels like he just popped up and won. Meh, still doesn't help my interest in NOAH. He did just break the record for most GHC Title wins though. May check out the match down the line.
> 
> 
> Nope, gonna break the defense record first so he can be the undisputed best champion ever in New Japan history... ugh.


Yes. Him and Kenoh being partners and now rivals has been a good feud for NOAH. In fact, he was probably the only one who could beat Kenoh for the title. They had a great 5 minute sprint after the Kaito triple threat which ended in a double KO. And Sugiura beat Kenoh in another triple threat after a Frankensteiner which Kenoh flipped out at in angry. Loads of momentum behind him. 


If you don't want to watch NOAH for Kenoh or Sugiura, then watch the Hideki Suzuki tag match which was awesome.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Corey said:


> Nope, gonna break the defense record first so he can be the undisputed best champion ever in New Japan history... ugh.


This makes me so sad. 

Also I just finished the US Title match from New Japan's New Beginning in Sapporo and... I don't know how to feel about it. 

With the finish in mind, looking back at the match leaves you questioning the structure. The portion of the match that sees Omega weathering the storm of White's initial out of the gate momentum with White losing steam and Omega striking at this moment of weakness was well told and well worked. I thought this was much better paced then the often flabby marque matches in New Japan, but then what was the point of it all if White was going to hit his Finisher from nowhere and win the match entirely against the run of play, anyway? Swerving for the sake of swerving is just stupid but especially if they are planning on building a new star in Switchblade. White won, but he didn't really come out of this looking any better than when he got beat clean by Tanahashi in that snoozefest from WrestleKingdom, especially given his title win was immediately forgotten in the name of the Bullet Club implosion. I'd still give it 4* as I was enjoying it thoroughly until the finish. 

So this whole implosion/Golden Lovers reunion pays off at those ROH crossover shows? Weird they would wait so long without doing that so they could pull the trigger at one of the big shows. Also not sure how they chucked Scurll in with Cody on those ROH crossover cards given Scurll was clearly trying to protect Omega here.


----------



## komatsu_na

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/973051990929362944Ishimori is leaving NOAH. 

Kenoh is rumored to be leaving as well (which may have been why he dropped the belt).

Also: lel @ this endless bitching about Okada. When did wrestling fans become such perpetual cry-babies?


----------



## volde

When we weren't cry-babies? In essence there is no difference between Cena, Reigns and Okada. Just because we like Okada better doesn't mean that what NJPW is doing is somehow different or above criticism.


----------



## Corey

I'll take Ishimori in New Japan. He'd really spice up the juniors division and give us some fresh matchups.


----------



## komatsu_na

*Re: Official Japanese Wrestling Discussion ThreadI*



volde said:


> When we weren't cry-babies? In essence there is no difference between Cena, Reigns and Okada. Just because we like Okada better doesn't mean that what NJPW is doing is somehow different or above criticism.


Puroresu isn't for you if you can't handle long title reigns and dominant aces. 

Go watch you enjoy or get used to it.


----------



## Corey

*Re: Official Japanese Wrestling Discussion ThreadI*



sengen777 said:


> Puroresu isn't for you if you can't handle long title reigns and dominant aces.
> 
> Go watch you enjoy or get used to it.


Or you could just be objective and form your own opinion based on the long title reign and dominant ace in question? Plenty of us haven't enjoyed Okada's reign of terror but we're gonna watch and complain about it just as much as any Okada fan will say it's been the greatest thing ever. It's a wrestling forum dude.


----------



## komatsu_na

I don't know what to say to this... I just don't see the appeal of watching something you don't enjoy for the purpose of crying about it. And if you think Okada is going anywhere when he loses the belt, you have another thing coming because he'll get it back in no time. You're setting yourself up for a miserable pro wrestling experience.


----------



## Pizzamorg

*Re: Official Japanese Wrestling Discussion ThreadI*



Corey said:


> Or you could just be objective and form your own opinion based on the long title reign and dominant ace in question? Plenty of us haven't enjoyed Okada's reign of terror but we're gonna watch and complain about it just as much as any Okada fan will say it's been the greatest thing ever. It's a wrestling forum dude.


Why can I never give you more rep? HAVE ALL MY REP.



sengen777 said:


> I don't know what to say to this... I just don't see the appeal of watching something you don't enjoy for the purpose of crying about it. And if you think Okada is going anywhere when he loses the belt, you have another thing coming because he'll get it back in no time. You're setting yourself up for a miserable pro wrestling experience.


So because I don't enjoy Okada's title reign, I should just stop watching New Japan all together, despite the fact that I literally just unloaded a heap of praise on two matches from the promotion, from the same show, back to back. What a load of utter nonsense. 

The problem isn't that we are cry babies, it is elitist fans who are cry babies like you. If we decide that things are beyond criticism, and just swallow whatever shit is shovelled into our mouths, then nothing is ever going to improve and I will complain every single time someone, in the same sentence, criticises Reigns yet praises Okada.


----------



## komatsu_na

LEL If you think Gedo will change his approach to booking because some dude on wrestlingforum is critical of it.

New Japan's native fan base enjoys it, and that's what matters most - the fans who are actually in the arenas.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

Pizzamorg said:


> Why can I never give you more rep? HAVE ALL MY REP.
> 
> 
> 
> So because I don't enjoy Okada's title reign, I should just stop watching New Japan all together, despite the fact that I literally just unloaded a heap of praise on two matches from the promotion, from the same show, back to back. What a load of utter nonsense.
> 
> The problem isn't that we are cry babies, it is elitist fans who are cry babies like you. If we decide that things are beyond criticism, and just swallow whatever shit is shovelled into our mouths, then nothing is ever going to improve and I will complain every single time someone, in the same sentence, criticises Reigns yet praises Okada.


*This. I've enjoyed most of Okada's reign, but the last few months have really done nothing for me, because he just feels stale now at the helm of NJPW.

I get it, he's The Ace & in puro, aces have long reigns on top. But that doesn't excuse Okada's reign since WK feeling like an absolute bore, especially when there's been guys who managed to have lengthy title reigns at the top that didn't feel like a fucking slog. Okada's a great wrestler, he's had great matches in the past, but no, I'm not gonna say that people are "crybabies" for pointing out how predictable & formulaic his matches have become & how boring his title reign has become.
*


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> I'll take Ishimori in New Japan. He'd really spice up the juniors division and give us some fresh matchups.


He had been spotted at a DG show recently, so that's his likely destination. 


But apparently, the rumor is that he will head for WWE. 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/973097186983645184


If he heads to WWE, he would have some great matches in 205 Live.


----------



## MC

Here is an article on the story (Warning, the translation may be off. I'll try and make it as clear as I can): 



> Only one day after the big show NOAH Yokohama show, former GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Taiji Ishimori and NOAH President Masayuki Uchida stepped in front of the Japanese press. Ishimori, who was beaten in his title match by Yoshinari Ogawa, said at the press conference that he would leave NOAH. On the one hand there are other things in Japan that he would like to do, on the other hand he is very interested in the international wrestling market , not least because of his appearances for impact wrestling . In addition, Ishimori said he would regret not taking this next step after 16 years as a pro-wrestler to enter a "new stage".
> 
> Where this new stage will be is not yet known at this time. What is striking is Ishimori's phrase "World stage", which Shinsuke Nakamura most recently chose when he left New Japan Pro Wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment. Commitment to WWE can not be ruled out given the opening up of wrestlers to lighter weight classes and the success of Japanese wrestlers, but Ishimori's desire to pursue other goals in Japan appears to be another opinion he could go for.
> 
> This is a hard blow for NOAH but however, a much harder blow could be followed. Immediately after his defeat against Takashi Sugiura,
> there were rumors that Kenou prepared his departure from the promotion. Already last summer, Kenou was wanting to leave when he was on lower positions of the cards. Apparently, Kenou is also looking for a bigger stage, because in recent months, Pro Wrestling NOAH has invested so much in the now 33-year-old that the title loss to Takashi Sugiura yesterday from Sunday's perspective is difficult to explain otherwise.
> 
> http://dx-web.gsj.bz



Basically, Ishimori could be heading to WWE but staying in Jpan and going to other promotions like All Japan, Dragon Gate and New Japan are options as well. 

The rumors of Kenou leaving are basically from him losing the title despite him being pushed hard by NOAH.


----------



## komatsu_na

Where would Kenoh go? ZERO1?


----------



## volde

sengen777 said:


> I don't know what to say to this... I just don't see the appeal of watching something you don't enjoy for the purpose of crying about it.


Who said that I don't enjoy it? I like most of the stuff that I see in NJPW and I can mention things that I find bad/boring.


----------



## MC

Retro New Japan review.
*
NJPW Resolution 05/04/2009*

*Koji Kanemoto vs Kazuchika Okada:* Really good veteran vs rookie match. I was not expected the level of match they had but they brought it big. Kanemoto was excellent as the dickish veteran and Okada was great as the determined babyface. Okada sold very well, went toe to toe with Kanemoto a few times and even pulled off his famous dropkick!!! Kanemoto of course the vertrean beat Okada senseless an won by a KO. Loved the match. Interesting seeing Okada before becoming amazing wrestler that he is today. ****½ *

*Great Bash Heel (Tomohiro Ishii, Jado, and Tomoaki Honma) vs. Wataru Inoue, Milano Collection AT, and Taichi Ishikari: *Decent tag team match. Weird seeing Honma being a heel in a a match. Nothing standout but it was great seeing GBH beating in poor Taichi. Leave him alone, he is the future ace. Thought Inoue looked great and cleared house every time that he was in there. Milano didn’t do much sadly but I suppose he was only a year from returning at this point so that’s expected. ***¾ *

Sadly New Japan World skipped the Motor City Machine Guns vs Apollo 55 which I was not happy about as I love both teams but what can you do? Couldn’t find it only either, only their other matches. 

*Legend (Masahiro Chono, Jushin Liger, and AKIRA) vs. Riki Choshu, Super Strong Machine, and El Samurai: * Okay tag match. Very nostalgic. Didn’t outstay its welcome.***¼* 

*Mask vs. Mask Match for IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship- Tiger Mask IV © vs. Black Tiger (Rocky Romero)*: Pretty good Junior match. Very heated as a mask vs mask match should be. Had some excellent mat based wrestling and they teased a double count out finish but they reserved the decision and restarted the match to the delight of the crowd. Loved that after Romeo unmasked and left a new black tiger came out and attacked Tiger Mask IV and took his mask. ****¼* 
*
Great Bash Heel (Karl Anderson and Giant Bernard) vs. Manabu Nakanishi and Takao Omori:* This match went on WAY TOO LONG. Omori and Anderson wasn’t in the match nowhere near the amount they should’ve been, they only was in their for the opening minutes then either Nakanishi or Giat Bernard was in. Boring tag match that dragged. **¾ *
*
Hirooki Goto vs Toru Yano*: Very good match. Yano surprisingly is a great heel and wrestles much better as one. Goto’s selling of the leg was fantastic, no surprise there, and he made Yano look like Zack Sabre Jr with his selling :lol Real good match. ****½ *

*Chain Death Match- Takashi Iizuka w/Great Bash Heel vs. Yuji Nagata: *I thought these two had an excellent brawling match. Both men beled which helped the stupilation a lot and gave the match a lot of drama. Nagata’s work on Iizuka’s arm was pretty good and he sold Iizuka’s offence really well. ****¾ *

*Shinsuke Nakamura vs Togi Makabe:* Thought it was a fine match. Very heated from the start with Makabe attacking Nakamura on the ramp. It went fast paced and had a good ending with Yano turning on Makabe, creating CHAOS with Nakamura in the process. *****

*IWGP Heavyweight Championship- Hiroshi Tanahashi © vs. Kurt Angle: *Real good match that was unfortunately not helped by the time length. It could’ve been great but they were only given 15 minutes and missed that extra spurt of time to kick it up a notch. Oh well, the match had some nice mat mixed wrestling and some cold spots. I think the styles difference may have been a problem as well but they still made it work.* ***½ *

Surprisingly, Nagata vs Iizuka was MOTN. The show I thought was decent, I probably missed the only match that was great but it was a good show without it and I would recommend the watch.


----------



## volde

Any particular reason why you decided to watch that old show?


----------



## BornBad

I can understand they take the belt away from Kenoh if he's leaving soon but Sugiura getting the belt back again is so fucking WOAT


----------



## MC

volde said:


> Any particular reason why you decided to watch that old show?


Wanted to see the formation of CHAOS originally, then I saw Okada was on the show then I saw the main event and then I just decided to watch it all to waste the time.


----------



## dele

*Re: Official Japanese Wrestling Discussion ThreadI*



Corey said:


> Or you could just be objective and form your own opinion based on the long title reign and dominant ace in question? Plenty of us haven't enjoyed Okada's reign of terror but we're gonna watch and complain about it just as much as any Okada fan will say it's been the greatest thing ever. It's a wrestling forum dude.


Hate to break it to you, but Japanese companies don't care what gaijin think. Fact of the matter is that shows are full and people are cheering for Okada. Watch Korakuen shows and tell me that the Japanese fans aren't cheering for Okada, I dare you.


Is Kenny a bigger draw than Okada? Maybe/probably. Are they going to put the title on a gaijin, especially one who's worked for DDT? No.

I've been speaking Japanese since 2000, so come at me bro.


----------



## Corey

*Re: Official Japanese Wrestling Discussion ThreadI*



dele said:


> Hate to break it to you, but Japanese companies don't care what gaijin think. Fact of the matter is that shows are full and people are cheering for Okada. Watch Korakuen shows and tell me that the Japanese fans aren't cheering for Okada, I dare you.
> 
> 
> Is Kenny a bigger draw than Okada? Maybe/probably. Are they going to put the title on a gaijin, especially one who's worked for DDT? No.
> 
> I've been speaking Japanese since 2000, so come at me bro.


... okay. 

I don't think that has anything to do with what I said but alright. I don't expect Gedo to see some random guys complaining on a wrestling forum and take the belt off of Okada. I sincerely hope that's not what you think this is about.

I don't speak Japanese ever, so yeah.


----------



## dele

*Re: Official Japanese Wrestling Discussion ThreadI*



Corey said:


> ... okay.
> 
> I don't think that has anything to do with what I said but alright. I don't expect Gedo to see some random guys complaining on a wrestling forum and take the belt off of Okada. I sincerely hope that's not what you think this is about.
> 
> I don't speak Japanese ever, so yeah.


I'm on a business trip and have been drinking duty free whiskey since about 7:00 pm. Don't take it personally


----------



## MC

March 25th is a big night for puroresu. Three BIG shows all happening at the same time near enough

New Japan STRONG STYLE EVOLVED, DDT Judgement and All Japan's Saitama Show. You got Ice Ribbon Korakuen Hall Show as well.



> *STRONG STYLE EVOLVED Card*
> 
> The Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi) vs The Young Bucks
> 
> US Title Match: Jay White vs Hangman Page
> 
> Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs Rey Mysterio
> 
> *9:00 AM JST, 1:00 AM BST, 17:00 PST, 20:00 PM EST*





> *All Japan Saitama Show*
> 
> Atsushi Maruyama, Yutaka Yoshie, Naoshi Sano, Keiichi Sato & CarBell Ito vs. Masakado, Ishikiri, Revlon, So Daimonji & FG Mask
> 
> Masanobu Fuchi, TAJIRI & Yohei Nakajima vs. Osamu Nishimura, Ultimo Dragon & Kotaro Suzuki
> 
> Koji Iwamoto vs. Josh Bodom
> 
> The Road to 2018 Champion Carnival Special Tag Match: Naoya Nomura & KAI vs. Yoshitatsu & Yuji Hino
> 
> Special 6 Man Tag Match: Suwama, Hikaru Sato & Yusuke Okada vs. Kazuyuki Fujita, Kendo Kashin & NOSAWA Rongai
> 
> Asia Tag Championship Match: Jun Akiyama & Yuji Nagata (c) vs. Takao Omori & Manabu Nakanishi .
> 
> AJPW World Junior Championship Match: Atsushi Aoki (c)vs. Shuji Kondo
> 
> AJPW World Tag Championship Match: Zeus & The Bodyguard (c) vs. Ryoji Sai & Dylan James
> 
> 
> Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship Match: Joe Doering (c) vs. Kento Miyahara
> 
> *15:00 PM JST, 6:00 AM BST, 23:00 PM PST, 2:00 EST AM*






> *DDT Judgement*
> 
> ALL OUT (Akito & Shunma Katsumata) vs. Antonio Honda & Ethan Page vs. LiLiCo & Makoto Oishi vs. Naomi Kingdom (Keisuke Okuda & Naomi Yoshimura) vs. Ladybeard & Reika Saiki
> 
> Maki Ito, Miyu Yamashita & Mizuki vs. Azusa Christie, Saki-sama & Yoshiko
> 
> Colt Cabana vs. Joey Ryan
> 
> Fuminori Abe & Isami Kodaka vs. Chinsuke Nakamura & Michael Nakazawa vs. MAO & Mike Bailey vs. Munenori Sawa & Sanshiro Takagi vs. Smile Squash (Soma Takao & Yuko Miyamoto)
> 
> KO-D Six Man Tag Team Title Match: Shuten Doji (KUDO, Masahiro Takanashi & Yukio Sakaguchi) (c) vs. Koju Takeda, Kota Umeda & Yuki Ueno
> 
> DDT Iron Man Heavy Metal Title Match: Super Sasadango Machine (c) vs. Jiro Kuroshio
> 
> DAMNATION (Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo) & Great Muta vs. Danshoku Dino, Keisuke Ishii & Ken Ohka
> 
> KO-D Tag Team Title Match: HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji (c) vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi
> 
> KO-D Openweight Title Match: Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Shuji Ishikawa
> 
> 
> *13:30 PM JST, 05:30 AM BST, 21:30 PM PST, 00:30 AM EST*





BOTH DDT JUDGEMENT AND THE ALL JAPAN SHOW ARE FREE LIVE. All Japan's service will be available by then for free for the march (which will include the rest of the shows that All Japan have that month) and DDT will only be free on the live viewing.


----------



## Reil

I don't know if it was brought up elsewhere, but Kris Wolf may be on her way out of STARDOM. Her work visa expired and her actual job (STARDOM isn't her main job) won't/can't renew her work visa. As a result she has to leave Japan. I think she'll end up finding work in the US or Europe, however.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Man, I always end up drowning in these New Japan Events, Luckily New Japan is still pretty niche, so I managed to avoid a lot of spoilers. So far the only matches from this year's New Japan Cup that I've managed to squeeze in were the sadly somewhat dull Elgin/Ishii match (interesting they had Elgin go over too given all the controversy surrounding him a few months ago) and the brilliant, Naito/ZSJ match. A match which perhaps ran a little longer than needed, but ain't that true of all New Japan matches? ZSJ knows how to make his matches feel like a shoot, everything he does looks like it hurts and he was only elevated further by Naito's out of this world charisma and the great chemistry they shared between themselves. One has to wonder though what this broader story of Naito's poor record in 2018 is building toward.. if anything, of course.


----------



## Pizzamorg

Carrying on with my race to catch up with the New Japan Cup, I jumped to Night Four and watched only "Chuckie T"/SANADA. The match was okay, inherently there was nothing wrong with it, I just for whatever reason was never able to find myself particularly caring about it. 

Jumping ahead even further to Night Six (yay we've got English commentary again!) I watched ZSJ/Ibushi. They gave us the CWC Final that never was at the G1 Climax Last Year, and now they meet again. These two love taking part in tournaments together, don't they? I honestly remember nothing from their match last year so taking this match just on its own merits. 

And... the match was pretty wow... once it got there, anyway. It started off slow, again New Japan matches feeling bloated, but by the end, the crowd was red hot and eating out of the palms of their hands, which always gets a smile from me. Again ZSJ gave this match a shoot feel, everything he does just looks so painful, and the commitment from two of the top guys in Japan to put him over is just excellent to see as a BritWres fan. 

That brings me up to yesterday's recent match between Juice and Tanahashi? Is it worth watching? I personally find this modern incarnation of Tanahashi really dull and Juice is very much a reactionary performer I find, so if the opponent isn't getting his best out of him, he can be really dull himself.


----------



## volde

Pizzamorg said:


> That brings me up to yesterday's recent match between Juice and Tanahashi? Is it worth watching? I personally find this modern incarnation of Tanahashi really dull and Juice is very much a reactionary performer I find, so if the opponent isn't getting his best out of him, he can be really dull himself.


It is main event so it has bunch of filler and start of the match is really slow. Last few minutes were very good, but I'm not sure if it is worth watching entire match for that. Especially if you don't like Tana much.

My list of Cup matches in order that I liked them:

Naito/Zack, Ibushi/Zack, Tanahashi/Taichi, Tanahashi/Fale, Sanada/Yano* and Ibushi/Yoshi-Hashi. Everything else was noticeably lower so I didn't bother listing it. 

* similar to their last year G1 match if you saw it, but it goes a bit more and I just like them wrestling each other due to obvious style and personality clashes.


----------



## Genking48

We back with more Dragon Gate results from iheartdg.com



> *03/18/2018
> Aichi, Nagoya Congress Center
> Glorious Gate 2018*
> 
> 1. Big R Shimizu*X*, Kagetora (12:24 Shot-put Slam) Yosuke♡Santa Maria, U-T*O*
> 2. Shun Skywalker*X*, Yuki Yoshioka (8:16 Skywalker Moonsault) Problem Dragon*O*, Kaito Ishida
> 3. Don Fujii*X* (9:37 HIMEI) Hyo Watanabe*O*
> 4. T-Hawk, Eita, Takashi Yoshida*X* (14:52 Pineapple Bomber) CIMA, Dragon Kid, Gamma*O*
> 5. Masato Yoshino, Naruki Doi, Ben-K*X*, Jason Lee (16:44 Spear) Kzy, Genki Horiguchi, Susumu Yokosuka*O*, Punch Tominaga
> 6. El Lindaman*X*, Shingo Takagi, Yasushi Kanda (14:16 German Suplex Hold) Masaaki Mochizuki, YAMATO*O*, Ryo Saito
> 
> Kagetora showed up in the full Kzy Time merchandise line and watched from ringside. Like the MaxiMuM and Tribe Vanguard previously, he just thought they looked cool and wanted to wear them. He thanked Kzy and his team for putting on a great show. He was incredibly satisfied.
> Doi was confused beyond belief but turned his attention to Kzy. When he left Tribe Vanguard, he brought up Doi & Yoshino. He is doing incredibly well for himself right now but to put himself next to them is easier said then done. He is going to have to keep up this momentum for to do it. Kzy told him he was right, but he already knew it. He wouldn’t have invoked their name if he wasn’t ready for what it meant. Even though his team lost today, they were just getting started. Kzy Time has just begun.
> 
> An errant kick from Mochizuki caused YAMATO to get pinned by Lindaman. He accused him of doing it on purpose. He looked him right in the eyes before causing him to lose to that piece of trash Lindaman. Why? Mochizuki took the blame for the accident, but he didn’t exactly hold YAMATO down. YAMATO said that his boot caused the most damage. Saito placed peacekeeper. Accidents happen. There were more important things to discuss. The reigning and defending Open the Owarai Gate Champion Shingo Takagi was once again not funny! Takagi told him if he was so concerned about the Owarai Gate he should go and rescue it from the garbage can. The only paper champion out there right now was Masaaki Mochizuki. First Saito, then Kzy and Ben-K. Now Shimizu. While he inflates his defense record with easy wins he is destroying the value of the title. Having such an old fuck as champion makes that the real Owarai Gate. That said, the worst of them all was Kanda. Why? Because the guy he lost to isn’t even a wrestler. He’s a part time staff member of the sound team. He accused Kanda of hitting him on purpose today. Kanda blamed the Brave Gate loss entirely on Takagi. If he didn’t get in his way, Kanda would have won. Lindaman tried to separate them but got pushed down. Punch came out. Did Kanda forget they have a title match on Wednesday? Why is he picking fights with Takagi? He also reminded Takagi that he is not a part timer staffer. He is the Open the Brave Gate champion. A brawl broke out.
> 
> GM Yagi took advantage of the situation and announced that he was putting all 7 of them into the annual Dead or Alive steel cage match on May 6, right here in Nagoya.
> 
> Mochizuki was concerned about his ability to climb at the age of 48. YAMATO told him already had an embarrassing hairstyle for someone his age. He should worry about his title match on Wednesday, anyway. Saito was concerned that Punch had very little hair to be cut.
> 
> Yagi announced the rules. As is the tradition, there will be 5 flags placed at the top of the cage. If you climb up and get one, you’re safe. However, despite the increase from 6 participants to 7, he wasn’t planning on adding another flag. This will leave two fighters. When the five flags have been retrieved, the final two with then compete in a regular singles match with one added stipulation. There will be a five minute time limit. If there is no winner in that five minutes, they will both lose their hair.
> 
> Takagi refused to participate. This is the 4th year in a row the company has stuck him in the cage. This year he isn’t doing it. Yagi was fine with that. Takagi is the reigning and defending Open the Owarai Gate champion, after all. He can defend the title on the show. Takagi refused. He wanted a regular match. Yagi gave him an ultimatum. The cage or comedy. If he refused, he wouldn’t be on the show at all. Takagi decided to do the cage match on one condition. He gets to retire the Owarai Gate title. Yagi vetoed that. The fans enjoy the title matches too much for the title to just go away. Takagi said he would settle for just being allowed to vacate it. Yagi accepted under the condition that Takagi escape the cage. If he loses his hair, he will wait for it to grow back as a fighting Owarai Gate champion. Yagi warned them that it was now a free for all. They should all be careful with who they trust and who they target over the next two months.
> 
> Takagi said he would rather die than do comedy matches as a bald man. He got very friendly with Kanda. He wished him luck in his title match on Wednesday. This was no time for them to fight. Kanda was just out to keep his hair. Lindaman, who somehow got caught up in all this, called out YAMATO. At the end of last year he had said he was thinking of cutting off his hair. Perfect timing! He hadn’t lost focus on Mochizuki either. He was going to see that stupid haircut shaved clean. Mochizuki told Lindaman that without his face paint he looks like an obese middle schooler. Worrying about YAMATO and his hair choices while keeping the peace between Takagi & Kanda and trying to take him out was way too much for Lindaman to handle. He hasn’t been in one of these in 17 years. Not since the first one in 2001. He isn’t sure what it will be like, but he knows at the end of it he will have kept his title in Wakayama and he will still have his hair.
> 
> Saito was troubled by Takagi’s eagerness to give up the Owarai Gate. He knows he is capable of great things as champion so he will take it upon himself to make sure Takagi loses his hair and remains champion.
> Punch promised to keep both what remained of his trademark hair and his Brave Gate title.
> 
> YAMATO was confused as to how he ended up involved. He wasn’t really that mad at anyone. Why is he the last one talking now? He’s also been in 4 straight cage matches now. 6 overall. He knows what it takes to win one. Do people really want to see him bald? You do? Shut up. While he was thinking about a haircut, he wanted it to be on his own terms. Therefore, he will escape the cage, protect his hair, and cut it the way he wants to!





Spoiler: pics


----------



## Pizzamorg

So I just watched the latest New Japan Cup match, if ZSJ goes to the Final to lose against Tanahashi I'll be pissed, ZSJ has been the MVP of this year's event, even if this match was a little boring due to the complete lack of chemistry between ZSJ and Sanada. I am worried he'll lose during the Final too given New Japan loves putting Tanahashi over far more logical choices. Bad Luck Fale was fucking terrible on commentary too, just as an aside.


----------



## The Nuke

Think Sabre is winning this one. He’ll face Okada in his 10th defense. 

Tanahashi will face Okada in his 11th at Dominion tying it up.


----------



## MC

The Nuke said:


> Think Sabre is winning this one. He’ll face Okada in his 10th defense.
> 
> Tanahashi will face Okada in his 11th at Dominion tying it up.


The champion normally defends the title at Wrestling Dontaku which is before Dominion. That's why Tanahashi is winning.


----------



## The Nuke

MC 16 said:


> The champion normally defends the title at Wrestling Dontaku which is before Dominion. That's why Tanahashi is winning.




Okay then Dontaku is the 11th defense. Tana has the record at 11.

Whoever Okada beats there means he ties it up.

What’s more likely to happen? 

1. Tana winning the cup to face him for the 10th at SG

2. Tana wanting to make sure Okada doesn’t beat his record at Dominion

Dominion is a big show with a big defense and Naito and Omega aren’t even in the same vicinity as the title picture.


----------



## BK Festivus

SG will be the 11th defense, not the 10th.


----------



## MC

The Nuke said:


> Okay then Dontaku is the 11th defense. Tana has the record at 11.
> 
> Whoever Okada beats there means he ties it up.
> 
> What’s more likely to happen?
> 
> 1. Tana winning the cup to face him for the 10th at SG
> 
> 2. Tana wanting to make sure Okada doesn’t beat his record at Dominion
> 
> Dominion is a big show with a big defense and Naito and Omega aren’t even in the same vicinity as the title picture.


He is already at the 10th title defence, Sakura Genesis would be his 11th.


----------



## The Nuke

MC 16 said:


> He is already at the 10th title defence, Sakura Genesis would be his 11th.




You’re right. I keep forgetting his defense against Fale at Donaku.

Still SG only ties up the defense records if Okada wins. I think they’d save a Match with Tana for Okada beating the record.


----------



## MC

The Nuke said:


> You’re right. I keep forgetting his defense against Fale at Donaku.
> 
> Still SG only ties up the defense records if Okada wins. I think they’d save a Match with Tana for Okada beating the record.


But that match is not happening at Wrestling Dontaku. They will have it at a big show, Sakura Genesis


----------



## MC

*NOAH Great Voyage in Yokohama 11/03/18 Show reviw*










*Atsushi Kotoge & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Akitoshi Saito & Shiro Koshinaka:*
Decent Tag Team match. It wasn’t a patch on the other tag matches that Kotoge/Marufuji have had this year, but it was solid enough. (***)


I’m looking forward to Marufuji 20th Anniversary. I really hope that Kenta vs Marufuji takes place. Not sure when his contract with WWE is up but I hope it’s before then. If not, I would love a third Okada vs Marufuji match. ~Here we go~ 

*Go Shiozaki vs. Kaito Kiyomiya:*
Really good veteran/trainer vs student. Shiozaki beat Kaito within an inch of his life but Kaito ever gave up and fought back, trying to go toe to toe with Go. Kaito showed some great potential in the match and wrestled his heart out. Another good match by Kaito. Shiozaki was really good, being very aggressive in the lariats and chops. Speaking of chops, I’m starting to think Kaito loves being chopped, he his chest bleeds after every match. (***½)

*GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Match - Hi69 & Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. Minoru Tanaka & Yoshinari Ogawa:*
Okay tag team match. TBH, my attention drifted in this match for some reason. Ishimori is leaving very soon and knowing what happens after this probably made me lose interest. (**¾) 
*
GHC Junior Heavyweight Title Match - Daisuke Harada (c) vs. HAYATA:* 
HARADA!!!!! Now, I have no probably in saying that Harada is the best junior wrestler in the world. Fight me. The match was excellent, great contrast in styles between the two. Harada being the ground bruiser with his suplexes and strikes, HAYATA being the highflyer. It worked so well and made for an excellent match. Don’t know what it is but Harada reminds me of Dean Malenko. Everything about his his very crispy and smooth. Loved the match and now RATEL’s is okay again. (****¼) 

*GHC Tag Team Title Match - Mohammed Yone & Quiet Storm (c) vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya: *
Nakajima masterclass once again. This match is why Nakajima is one of the best wrestlers today and yet he is so underrated. Nakajima showed so much aggression (heh) in this match, he went all out into making this match as heated and stuff as possible. The match had some good tag psychology. Great tag team wrestling. Some great selling from all men. Nakajima looked like a star in the match. Have to admit that I couldn't stop smiling after I saw how proud Kobashi was of Nakajima after the match. (****)

*GHC Heavyweight Title Match - Kenou (c) vs. Takashi Sugiura: *
I can see it now. “It went too long” “typical noah match” but all I saw was two men beating the piss out of each other for nearly 30 minutes and it was amazing to see. Excellent main event (***¾) 


I love Kotoge. Don’t think he has the potential to become the Ace of Noah, but he is very charismatic and an amazing wrestler, hope that he wins the GHC Heavyweight Title. 






__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/975356873959493632


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YAMATO's an interesting addition to DoA, but I am looking forward to that cage match. Dragon Gate usually does a superb job building to Dead or Alive & with most of the storylines heading into this being months old, I have high hopes for that match.*



PHP:







Pizzamorg said:


> So I just watched the latest New Japan Cup match, if ZSJ goes to the Final to lose against Tanahashi I'll be pissed, ZSJ has been the MVP of this year's event, even if this match was a little boring due to the complete lack of chemistry between ZSJ and Sanada. I am worried he'll lose during the Final too given New Japan loves putting Tanahashi over far more logical choices. Bad Luck Fale was fucking terrible on commentary too, just as an aside.


*Honestly, I see ZSJ winning & facing Okada at Sakura Genesis. Not only would he provide a fresh challenge for Okada, but they're probably saving Okada/Tana for Dominion.*


----------



## komatsu_na

All Japan's streaming service is live!

https://www.ajpw.tv/

Nothing before 2017, though.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/975683113257971712
An anal explosion :mark


----------



## komatsu_na

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/976343001956929536


----------



## Genking48

sengen777 said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/976343001956929536


Little bit more


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/976343554451582977

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/976350020181008385


----------



## MC

^^ Everyone is getting a service. Hope this allows a more western fan base for DG. 


Arisa Nakajima has been diagnosed with cerebral arrhythmia. Looks like she will be out for a while.


----------



## Zatiel

Fantastic news. I've been wanting to get back into Dragon Gate. I miss Shingo.


----------



## komatsu_na

MC 16 said:


> ^^ Everyone is getting a service. Hope this allows a more western fan base for DG.
> 
> 
> Arisa Nakajima has been diagnosed with cerebral arrhythmia. Looks like she will be out for a while.


She's actually scheduled to return on 4/18 for her produced show for SEAdLINNNG. She will face Mio Momono as part of Catch the WAVE.


----------



## MC

sengen777 said:


> She's actually scheduled to return on 4/18 for her produced show for SEAdLINNNG. She will face Mio Momono as part of Catch the WAVE.


Than god for that.


----------



## volde

MC 16 said:


> ^^ Everyone is getting a service.


Few more years and streaming services will be same mess as cable tv.


----------



## antoniomare007

Big Japan 2/27 Korakuen Hall show:
*
Daichi Hashimoto (c) vs. Yasufumi Nakanoue*

Not even sure how to explain why this match works besides "Korakuen magic", there's some stuff they do that doesn't make a lot of sense, and the selling was spotty. Nakanoue's performance varied from holy shit amazing to "not sure why he did that", but the crowd fucking buys in on everything he does. By the halfway mark they want a new champ and they BELIEVE Nakanoue can pull it off. The atmosphere minimizes the flaws this match has imo, it's not a MOTYC but I'd still recommend it just to see Korakuen elevate a match like only that place can.

*Sekimoto, Suzuki, Kikuta & Uto vs Hama, Kamitani, Kawami & Nomura *

Good ol' Strong BJ multi man tag that delivers the usual goodness: people get paired up, they develop hatred and beat the shit out of each other, rinse and repeat until the final sequence. Nomura was once again the stand out, that kid has IT, I need a match against Suzuki YESTERDAY, the hate was off the fucking charts with those two. Finish was pretty fucking smart and different, one of the things I love about this division is that there's a ton of moves that come out of nowhere and end matches, finishers are death but they are not the be all and end all. 11 minutes of fun puro, enjoy it.


Abe vs Shinobu was aight, the start was very promising but eventually it became your typical stiff Juniors match. I need little more to be engaged with those.


----------



## antoniomare007

Man, the Strong Climb tournament has been fun as fuck. A bunch of 8-12 minutes matches that are so enjoyable to watch. The 3/21 show had some good piff again

*Takuya Nomura vs. Yuya Aoki*

So far this year we've seen Nomura (24 years old) having a "leap year" of sorts in terms of performances and in ring presence by being a feisty young guy that does not give a fuck about anything and will take it to anyone that's put in front on him. Well, what happens then when he's paired up with a guy like Aoki, who is only 21 years old and he also has a chip on his shoulder and wants to show HE is the promising star of the promotion? We get a dope fucking match, that's what happens. Man, if you would've told me Nomura fucked Aoki's girlfriend and Yuya found out on social media 10 minutes before the ball rang I would've believed it because HOLY FUCK at some of the strikes and suplexes he hits in this, no regard whatsoever for Nomura's well being. A very, very basic match with another "out of nowhere" finish that I couldn't help but love because of the roles these two portrayed, the hate and the strikes. And of course, all in just 10 minutes

*Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Kazuki Hashimoto
*
Kazuki back were he belongs, being a disrespectful cunt to people that are twice his size :banderas: you don't have to be a genius to figure out what kind of story this two are gonna tell. As expected, they pull it off and give us a pretty fun David vs Goliath match. Very unique and proper finish too.


Suzuki vs Uto was way better than I expected. It too a while but things escalated to levels I did not see coming, and it had ANOTHER clever finish.

Nakanoue vs Hama had some really good moments too, Hama doing Mutoh's pose only to follow it by the WOAT Shinning Wizard had me dying though :lmao:


----------



## Corey

Predicting that both Doering and Takeshita retain their titles tomorrow. I would LOVE if Shuji won the DDT Title but I feel like everyone is predicting he loses. Wouldn't be too surprised if Kento won the Triple Crown back but he got a pin on Joe in a prelude tag match a few days ago so I feel like he won't get him twice. We'll see though! Big day for the puro graps.


----------



## The Nuke

I think Doering retains, only for Kento to win the Carnival and defeat him in the rematch.

Doering has been a great champ.


----------



## MC

I like Takeshita more then most but Shuji Ishikawa here in my opinion. It seems like he is prioritising DDT this year and he is just a better choice for champion, save Takeshita's win for Peter Pan later in the year, but that's unlikely. 



I have no doubt that Joe Doering is winning this, he has had a great run so far and I don't think anyone would complain about him beating Kento here.


----------



## antoniomare007

Only reason I think Kento might win is because Jun kinda rushed him as a challenger. Though that might've been due to the fact that All Japan had little to offer for a place as big as Saitama Superarena with Shuji choosing DDT so Kento was the only viable option as a draw for the title match.

Takeshita has more than established himself as the Ace so he could lose any match at this point. I agree that Shuji choosing DDT over All Japan for this match might mean he's taking the belt, BUT it's also true that Takeshita is "owed" his win back. 

I just hope All Japan does decent enough at Saitama, their card is very weak for such a big place. They had to book fucking Fujita to get some sort of "special attraction" ffs.


----------



## MC

*DDT Judgement 2018 ~ DDT 21st Anniversary Show ~ 25.03.2018 *

*ALL OUT (Akito & Shunma Katsumata) vs. Antonio Honda & Ethan Page vs. LiLiCo & Makoto Oishi vs. Naomi Kingdom (Keisuke Okuda & Naomi Yoshimura) vs. Ladybeard & Reika Saiki vs. T2Hide (Kazuki Hirata & Toru Owashi):* Pretty entertaining opener. (***½) *

*Colt Cabana vs. Joey Ryan:* No pina colada them for Joey Ryan. Booo, that’s one of is only appeals. Self penis-plex. I've seen it all now. Not a huge fan of Joey Ryan but Colt was pretty funny in this match. *(*¾)* 

*Maki Ito, Miyu Yamashita & Mizuki vs. Azusa Christie, Saki-sama & Yoshiko:* Solid 6 person tag. Yamashita was great as usual, Ito was awesome with screaming. Everyone played their role well. *(***)*

*DDT Iron Man Heavy Metal Title Match - Super Sasadango Machine (c) vs. Jiro Kuroshio:* Wasn’t much of a match but very enjoyable. *(*)*

*Shuten Doji (KUDO, Masahiro Takanashi & Yukio Sakaguchi) (c) vs. Koju Takeda, Kota Umeda & Yuki Ueno: *Really good 6 man tag. Shuten Doji played the veteran heels very well in the match, controlling the majority of it and putting the younger guys over really well. *(***¼) 

Tag Team Weapons Rumble Match - Fuminori Abe & Isami Kodaka vs. Chinsuke Nakamura & Michael Nakazawa vs. MAO & Mike Bailey vs. Munenori Sawa & Sanshiro Takagi vs. Smile Squash (Soma Takao & Yuko Miyamoto):* Mixed bag with this one. Some of the humour never connected and some did. It got pretty decent by the end when the weapons got involved but overall disappointing match. Exploding anus time. *(**)*


*DAMNATION (Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo) & Great Muta vs. Danshoku Dino, Keisuke Ishii & Ken Ohka:* Don't Know what to say, it was very awkward to watch. Don’t think DAMNATION could say the match, it was mostly designed for Muta who was very slow. I came around to the match eventually and witnessed Muta's last moonsault ever which I’m grateful for. As it’s possibly Muta’s last few matches, I’m going to be generous. (***)*


_*KO-D Tag Team Title Match - HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji (c) vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi:*_ Fantastic tag team match. Multiple storytelling done well. One, Higuchi finally beat HARASHIMA after failing many times before. he survived the same KO sequence that HARASHIMA used to knock him out previously, showing the progression on Higuchi since then. Higuchi earning the respect of Marufuji but there is still some problems with HARASHIMA. In the match, Higuchi vs Marufuji and HARASHIMA was way more heated and there was hatred whereas with the Sekimoto parts, it was more competitiveness and just wanting to one-up each other. Great storytelling from all and great match. *(****¼) *


*KO-D Openweight Title Match - Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Shuji Ishikawa:* Great match between these two. Takeshita turned up in this match and played his role really well, I thought. Shuji Ishikawa was the star of the match though, stiff as hell, going all out. *(****)*


Great show. Had some great comedy, some great wrestling. Everything you want in a show. It was 6 hours long if you count the preshow and it flew by.


----------



## Corey

They switched the damn AJPW Tag Titles AGAIN jesus stop it! Joe's reign is over. 

(Y) on Sekimoto & Higuchi winning the DDT tag straps.

DDT drew 5,800. AJPW? Only 2,200.


----------



## The Nuke

Awe...wanted Doering to retain. Not against kento getting it back though.

This could mean Zeus’s time is finally here.


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> DDT drew 5,800. AJPW? Only 2,200.


It surprised me DDT did so poorly, the show didn't have as many big names like last year (Takayama, Akiyama, Ibushi and Togo were missing) but I thought it was a stronger card than Peter Pan 17', which did basically the same number. I wonder if they'll spend more money in this year's Peter Pan show to get a bigger attendance or they'll keep it mostly in-house like last year.

All Japan's number makes sense, it was worse than I thought though, that card had little hope and it showed.


Oh well, I hope this stops some people from saying puro is on the rise just because there's a lot of promising young talent in different promotions and New Japan is doing well.


----------



## HOJO

Holy shit they actually gave Miyako the belt :lmao:lmao:lmao

Also that new DDT logo is horrible


----------



## The Nuke

antoniomare007 said:


> It surprised me DDT did so poorly, the show didn't have as many big names like last year (Takayama, Akiyama, Ibushi and Togo were missing) but I thought it was a stronger card than Peter Pan 17', which did basically the same number. I wonder if they'll spend more money in this year's Peter Pan show to get a bigger attendance or they'll keep it mostly in-house like last year.
> 
> All Japan's number makes sense, it was worse than I thought though, that card had little hope and it showed.
> 
> 
> Oh well, I hope this stops some people from saying puro is on the rise just because there's a lot of promising young talent in different promotions and New Japan is doing well.




DDT’s number is a super no vacancy. Means it was a sell out.

AJPW’s was also a sell out for the set up they decided.


----------



## antoniomare007

The Nuke said:


> DDT’s number is a super no vacancy. Means it was a sell out.
> 
> AJPW’s was also a sell out for the set up they decided.


The fact they made set ups that were half the capacity of Sumo Hall and like 10% of Saitama Superarena says it all. In All Japan's case it makes sense, though it makes you wonder why they booked that building in the first place, hopefully it wasn't very expensive to use it. 

DDT was used to getting bigger attendances for their big shows, doing a smaller set up shows they weren't expecting more people. They pretty much expected last year's Peter Pan show number with a card that had bigger names. That's fine in itself, but it still comes as surprising to me.


----------



## The Nuke

antoniomare007 said:


> The fact they made set ups that were half the capacity of Sumo Hall and like 10% of Saitama Superarena says it all. In All Japan's case it makes sense, though it makes you wonder why they booked that building in the first place, hopefully it wasn't very expensive to use it.
> 
> 
> 
> DDT was used to getting bigger attendances for their big shows, doing a smaller set up shows they weren't expecting more people. They pretty much expected last year's Peter Pan show number with a card that had bigger names. That's fine in itself, but it still comes as surprising to me.




Only AJPW had the set up for the required number of tickets sold. DDT sold out it’s building. Super no Vancancy means all seats sold.

Example being when you see a K-hall show that says SNV, standing room only.


----------



## antoniomare007

The Nuke said:


> Only AJPW had the set up for the required number of tickets sold. DDT sold out it’s building. Super no Vancancy means all seats sold.
> 
> Example being when you see a K-hall show that says SNV, standing room only.


Sumo Hall holds 11k-9k depending on how much tickets are available. DDT has done those numbers before. If they did a "Super No Vacancy" while only drawing 5,700 people in that place then it's because they had a smaller set up, put less tickets on sale or they are just being carnies and hyping up a mediocre number (I don't think the last thing is the case). Regardless of what actually happened, I'm just surprised the card they had drew that number.


----------



## komatsu_na

HOJO said:


> Holy shit they actually gave Miyako the belt :lmao:lmao:lmao


Yes, a popular and deserving 9-year veteran won the belt.

What's there to laugh about?


----------



## komatsu_na

antoniomare007 said:


> Sumo Hall holds 11k-9k depending on how much tickets are available. DDT has done those numbers before. If they did a "Super No Vacancy" while only drawing 5,700 people in that place then it's because they had a smaller set up, put less tickets on sale or they are just being carnies and hyping up a mediocre number (I don't think the last thing is the case). Regardless of what actually happened, I'm just surprised the card they had drew that number.


I don't think it's surprising. They have barely have any new stars, they have no momentum, they still haven't filled the void left by Omega and Ibushi, and the outsiders they used to bolster this card are a far cry from prime Marufuji, Sapp, Okada or Tanahashi.


----------



## antoniomare007

sengen777 said:


> I don't think it's surprising. They have barely have any new stars, they have no momentum, they still haven't filled the void left by Omega and Ibushi, and the outsiders they used to bolster this card are a far cry from prime Marufuji, Sapp, Okada or Tanahashi.


Yeah, that's true. I guess I was expecting more because it was a stronger card than last year's Peter Pan and it drew a little less. And last year at Saitama they did 10k with a lot of the same names they had for today. I wasn't expecting a sell out or anything though.


----------



## Corey

https://www.saitama-arena.co.jp/e/facility/

All Japan must have used the smallest version they could for that arena.


----------



## komatsu_na

There's an account that translates DDT stuff to English. Worth a follow.

https://twitter.com/ddtpro_eng


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/978258161680334848


----------



## Corey

Who's got a free link to the DDT show from yesterday? The file is way too big for me for me to wanna get it on XWT when I only wanna see the last two matches. @MC 16 maybe?


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Who's got a free link to the DDT show from yesterday? The file is way too big for me for me to wanna get it on XWT when I only wanna see the last two matches. @MC 16 maybe?


http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzQ5MDkwNTA0MA====.html?spm=a2h2a.8293802.0.



Just a warning Marufuji/HARASHIMA vs Higuchi/Sekimoto was the tits


----------



## antoniomare007

Any link for Kento vs Doering?:side:


----------



## komatsu_na

ajpw.tv is free until April 1st.


----------



## Corey

Just signed up for AJPW TV. Plan on paying for at least the first month because of Champion Carnival. So many stacked cards. Convenient that the final is on the 30th and I have absolutely no idea if I'll be able to watch everything I want before I could cancel by the 1st of May. :lol Impressed with the video quality for sure. $8.88 a month isn't bad at all. (Y)


----------



## Corey

Wow Miyahara/Doering was a massive disappointment. The work itself was decent but there was just no sense of urgency whatsoever until the last 5 minutes and the crowd was fucking DEAD for it. Like, you could hear a pin drop. They didn't even pop for the finish. Damn shame. *** 1/2*

The whole show from what I saw is honestly a skip. Crowd sucks ass.

EDIT: Man, saw the last two matches from the DDT show and even those didn't do a whole lot for me. Tag match was fine but just not enough there to get invested into. *** for that. Shuji/Takeshita didn't have much of a story. Pretty much just back and forth action. I started to really enjoy it with the middle portions and the table spot with Shuji in control but I fucking HATED Takeshita's kickout at 1 and fighting spirit shit. Like, hated it. From there I just wasn't that into it. Just nearfall trading and the crowd wasn't that hot for it either. I'm honestly not a fan of Takeshita. He's never really impressed me in the times I've seen him.


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Wow Miyahara/Doering was a massive disappointment. The work itself was decent but there was just no sense of urgency whatsoever until the last 5 minutes and the crowd was fucking DEAD for it. Like, you could hear a pin drop. They didn't even pop for the finish. Damn shame. *** 1/2*
> 
> The whole show from what I saw is honestly a skip. Crowd sucks ass.
> 
> EDIT: Man, saw the last two matches from the DDT show and even those didn't do a whole lot for me. Tag match was fine but just not enough there to get invested into. *** for that. Shuji/Takeshita didn't have much of a story. Pretty much just back and forth action. I started to really enjoy it with the middle portions and the table spot with Shuji in control but I fucking HATED Takeshita's kickout at 1 and fighting spirit shit. Like, hated it. From there I just wasn't that into it. Just nearfall trading and the crowd wasn't that hot for it either. I'm honestly not a fan of Takeshita. He's never really impressed me in the times I've seen him.


The main event was really disappointing. Kento was over after the match but in the match, he got nothing from the crowd.


----------



## Genking48

Some more Draggon Gate Network news


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/978630224769310720

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/978632951024910337
So if you get the tier that gives you live shows, Prime Zone and historical VODs, you get the 50 live shows a year as well as VODs going as far as the Toryumon (1997) days potentially.


----------



## GOD OF CUNT

antoniomare007 said:


> Any link for Kento vs Doering?:side:


What should I be watching from the BJW Strong Climb tournament? I've got Nomura/Aoki for sure, but I'm not sure beyond that.

(I do not have a link for the match you requested, but I can't seem to tag you on this daft website so quoting it is)


----------



## antoniomare007

GOD OF CUNT said:


> What should I be watching from the BJW Strong Climb tournament? I've got Nomura/Aoki for sure, but I'm not sure beyond that.
> 
> (I do not have a link for the match you requested, but I can't seem to tag you on this daft website so quoting it is)


Nomura vs Daichi for sure.

Sekimoto vs Kazuki Hashimoto was a really fun David vs Goliath match, it made me happy seeing Kazuki back to being an asshole to heavyweights. 

Sekimoto vs Suzuki I really, really liked, though I could see it as me just being alone on a island on this one. It's pretty much 12 minutes of them just wrestling and struggling to gain control - similar to the first 2/3 of their draw from last year - there's like 5 strikes total and 2 lariats during the whole match. 

Suzuki vs Uto was way better than I expected.



There's still two more days I haven't seen yet but I'll drop reviews of anything worth a watch when I can.


----------



## GOD OF CUNT

Watched Suzuki/Sekimoto, Suzuki/Uto and Nomura/Aoki. 

Thought Nomura/Aoki was the best of the three and a really fun scrap. I'd never seen Aoki before but he came out swinging and went right at Nomura. Super nasty forearms, slaps, mugging facial expressions, etc. You'd think Nomura had shut him down but then Aoki would do something awesome like kick him in the face out of his own rope break. It was basically young guy with a chip on his shoulder versus slightly older young guy with a chip on his shoulder and it made for a really cool ten minutes. 

Suzuki/Uto didn't have as strong grappling as Suzuki/Sekimoto, but I probably liked the former a little more. The short finishing run of the Uto match was pretty fun and I liked Suzuki just going for the count out after Uto dropkicked the chair into his chest. Suzuki's still one of my three favourite wrestlers in the world. 

I'll check out Nomura/Daichi. Nomura's noticeably improved from last year and he was already doing lots of cool things even then. He could be really awesome in a few years.


----------



## MC

@antoniomare007

If you are still looking for the Dream Power show, *here it is:*


----------



## antoniomare007

MC 16 said:


> @antoniomare007
> 
> If you are still looking for the Dream Power show, *here it is:*


Thanks man, I did see the main event and was as disappointed as the rest of you that had already seen it. Thankfully the Carnival is right around the corner.


----------



## antoniomare007

GOD OF CUNT said:


> Watched Suzuki/Sekimoto, Suzuki/Uto and Nomura/Aoki.
> 
> Thought Nomura/Aoki was the best of the three and a really fun scrap. I'd never seen Aoki before but he came out swinging and went right at Nomura. Super nasty forearms, slaps, mugging facial expressions, etc. You'd think Nomura had shut him down but then Aoki would do something awesome like kick him in the face out of his own rope break. It was basically young guy with a chip on his shoulder versus slightly older young guy with a chip on his shoulder and it made for a really cool ten minutes.
> 
> Suzuki/Uto didn't have as strong grappling as Suzuki/Sekimoto, but I probably liked the former a little more. The short finishing run of the Uto match was pretty fun and I liked Suzuki just going for the count out after Uto dropkicked the chair into his chest. Suzuki's still one of my three favourite wrestlers in the world.
> 
> I'll check out Nomura/Daichi. Nomura's noticeably improved from last year and he was already doing lots of cool things even then. He could be really awesome in a few years.


Awesome! I have a feeling you'll like Sekimoto vs Kazuki too. 

RE: Aoki, he pretty much had the same performance against Daichi, just like Nomura, he did not give a single fuck that Daichi is older and is the champ :lmao Just saw that match and it went along with the "fun little match" vibe the whole tournament has had so far. 

Another thing I love about the Strong division is that you get to see every wrestler play different roles depending on who they are matching up against, that's why we get different finishes all the time. In this case, Daichi is clearly the senior, acts like it and pulls it off imo.


----------



## Genking48

_May 6th_
*Cabellera contra Cabellera Steel Cage Survival 7 Way Match*
Masaaki Mochizuki vs. YAMATO vs. Ryo Saito vs. Punch Tominaga vs. El Lindaman vs. Shingo Takagi vs. Yasushi Kanda

There's bound to be drama, loads of fuckery and maybe a betrayal, but entertaining for sure. Someone is going to end up without their hair.


----------



## JC00

Hate that Stardom is doing a faction draft.... 

No one wants to see Hana in Stardom Army or Momo in Oedo Tai


----------



## MC

:lol That's just stupid. if they put Momo in Oedo Tai, I'm not going to be happy. Don't need her to get caught up in that comedy shit. Though, if this get Kagetsu out of that stable then I'm happy.


----------



## komatsu_na

Love it. It's wacky Dragon Gate shit.


----------



## JC00

MC 16 said:


> :lol That's just stupid. if they put Momo in Oedo Tai, I'm not going to be happy. Don't need her to get caught up in that comedy shit. Though, if this get Kagetsu out of that stable then I'm happy.


No clue what you are talking about. Oedo Tai is great. It's so great when they are always making Mayu look like an idiot or Kagetsu is hanging her from balconies. 



and no Kagetsu, Io and Mayu being the leaders are the ones picking. There is a 3 way elimination match between the 3 to determine the selection order.


----------



## MC

JC00 said:


> No clue what you are talking about. Oedo Tai is great. It's so great when they are always making Mayu look like an idiot or Kagetsu is hanging her from balconies.
> 
> 
> 
> and no Kagetsu, Io and Mayu being the leaders are the ones picking. There is a 3 way elimination match between the 3 to determine the selection order.


Great is a bit of a stretch. They are fine. Kagetsu is the only one in the group that I would find great. Hana can be good but in Stardom, it's hit and miss a lot of the time. Wolf is gone now. Sumire....no. They are alright.


----------



## Zatiel

The Stardom draft seems so capricious. But shake-ups would have the potential to be amazing. I specifically want Kagetsu to draft someone else first, and Hana Kimura to wind up in another faction just to see her abject meltdown. A bitter Hana trying to kill the faction that abandoned her would be great, especially with Io Shirai condescendingly backing her up.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/979305717944365056

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/979321099535069184

Kotoge vs Sugiura :sodone

I'm pulling for a Kotoge win but I wouldn't mind Sugiura retaining.


----------



## komatsu_na

Is this the appropriate thread to post match reviews?


----------



## antoniomare007

sengen777 said:


> Is this the appropriate thread to post match reviews?


Yeah, go for it man.


----------



## komatsu_na

*DDT - Judgement 2018 ~ DDT 21st Anniversary Box Office (3/23/2017)*

2. Joey Ryan vs. Colt Cabana

I was surprised that the crowd responded so well to this match, they even chanted for Cabana's bionic elbow. A solid semi-comedy match. I thought they did a good job building up to and around Joey's dick spots. Ryogoku's reaction to Joey having three lolipops in his trunks was pretty great.

*****

3. Miyu Yamashita & Ito Respect Army (Maki Ito & Mizuki) vs. NEO Biishiki-gun (Saki-sama, Yoshiko-sama & Azusa Christie)

This was good. Yoshiko-sama and Miyu really came across as stars in Ryogoku. The others not so much, but I thought they all still performed solidly. Plus I love Azusa. Highlight was easily the short exchange between Yoshiko and Miyu.

*****

5. *KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Titles:* Shuten-doji (KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi) (c) vs. Kota Umeda, Yuki Ueno & Koju Takeda

Good generational struggle. Always get a kick out of watching the Mad Dog Kota Umeda perform. Shuten-doji were great controlling the ring, KUDO was esp. working hard in the early portions. I thought all of the pairings were good, favorite being the finish between Umeda and Yukio.

****3/4*

8. *KO-D Tag Team Championship:* HARASHIMA & Naomichi Marufuji (c) vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Kazusada Higuchi

Solid stuff, not exactly Ryogoku semi main-tier, but a good tag match. Marufuji didn't really try to do anything special, which has become the norm in his DDT run, but the other three were good. Higuchi's bumping was tremendous.

****
*
9. *KO-D Openweight Championship:* Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Shuji Ishikawa

Spectacular main event, and one of Takeshita's best singles peformances yet. Ishikawa is one of those guys, for me, personally, that I feel relies on the same tropes too much, but in his big matches like this one he always busts out something fresh and interesting. The crowd reaction for this show wasn't great, especially for a Ryogoku event, but they were loud for this match.

*****1/4*​


----------



## MC

So Atsushi Kotoge kinda turned heel at today's noah show. Being a dick and saying that he doesn't really care about the fans who booed him after his headbutts to Sugiura.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/980049885843066881

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/980048747060015104


The attendance for the show is pretty good but not great. They still need to be getting over 1,000 in Korakuen Hall before it's considered great but it's better then last year's attendance. 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/980052157079654401

Not sure who will win between the two but they are certainly making it an interesting feud. Kotoge needs to stop with the dangerous headbutts, seriously.


----------



## komatsu_na

Kotoge's been doing shoot headbutts for over a decade. Please, let him be!


----------



## GOD OF CUNT

I mean, there've been enough examples of guys practically headbutting themselves (or taking shots to the head) into retirement or worse that I'd say it's a reasonably fair request at this point that people stop using their skull like that. 

As someone who's studied brain injuries in sport while being involved in enough sport that involves hitting something with your head or being hit in the head, I can say from a position of experience that shoot headbutting folk really hard is probably not smart.


----------



## Corey

Interesting result here. Even if he doesn't win the Carnival you would think he already has claim to a title shot.

(6) *The Road to 2018 Champion Carnival Special 10 Man Tag Match:* Kento Miyahara, Suwama, KAI (FREE), Ryoji Sai (LAND’S END) & Dylan James (New Zealand) vs. Naoya Nomura, Yoshitatsu (FREE), Shuji Ishikawa (FREE), Zeus & Jun Akiyama
*◆Winner:* Zeus (*19:39*) with a Jackhammer on Miyahara.
_~ Zeus claimed the direct win over the Triple Crown champion before the Champion Carnival begins next month. The two will be in different blocks come the league, but he stated that his intention is to win and challenge for the belt._


----------



## Genking48

W good to go!


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/980292961656127488

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/980315302834483200


----------



## JC00

Last time Stardom ran the Nagoya Congress Event Hall (Toni/Mayu, when Mayu dislocated her elbow) they drew 650.

Yesterday's show drew 1020. Apparently the biggest non-Tokyo show ever for Stardom

So as much flak as the death match got it packed the house


----------



## HOJO

Those shots are fucking tremendous

Unless you like seeing men die over and over in that Yuko/Bailey Ladder Match, April Fool has nothing on the show that's worth the time


----------



## MC

The exploding bat match looks like a lot of fun. It might be the only good part of the show which Toni Time-limit beating Mayu. ughhhhhh





> . Block A: Shuji Ishikawa vs Yuji Hino
> . Block A: *Kento Miyahara vs Shingo Takagi*
> . Block B: Jun Akiyama vs Dylan James
> . Block B: Suwa vs Zeus
> . Kikuchi 30th Anniversary: Tsuyoshi Kikuchi vs Ultimo Dragon


Hopefully Kento can redeemed himself after that borefest he had with Doering on the 25th. Looking forward to the CC :mark


----------



## komatsu_na

*DDT - April Fool 2018 (1/4/2018)*

6. *DDT Extreme Championship - Ladder Match:* Yuko Miyamoto (c) vs. Mike Bailey

This was a filler title defense with no heat or story connected to it, but that didn't stop Bailey from going the extra mile and trying to kill himself to leave an impression. He was covered in scars and bleeding from his arm and head (while the death match wrestler went unscathed!). Yuko wasn't at the top of his game here, but that didn't matter because Bailey was so good. Good stuff.

****1/2*

7. Akito vs. Shigehiro Irie

That was it?! He lost to that?! The crowd was not into the story being told here, only popping every now and then when someone would deliver a stiff hit. Akito lost fairly easily too, with barely any crowd support and looked like a total chump. This was not a good main event.

***​


----------



## MC

*Puro News and Cards*

*Produce Shows*​

Mr GOAT Seller of all time, Toshiaki Kawada has finally announced the card for his produce show which takes place on the 26th of April. 



> *Toshiaki Kawada Produce Show “HOLY WAR ~ prologue ~”, 4/26/2018 [Thu] 19:00 @ Shinkiba 1stRING in Tokyo*
> 
> (1) Ikuto Hidaka (ZERO1) vs. Junta Miyawaki (NOAH)
> (2) Masao Inoue & Gabai Jichan (both FREE) vs. Buffalo (Makai) & Kushinbo Kamen (Osaka)
> 
> (3) Ore no Talk Show: Toshiaki Kawada & Naomichi Marufuji
> 
> (4) Jun Kasai & Tomoya Hirata (both FREEDOMS) vs. Yuko Miyamoto (666) & Isami Kodaka (BASARA)
> (5) Mitsuya Nagai (DRADITION) & Minoru Tanaka (FREE) vs. Hideki Suzuki (FREE) & Takatoshi Matsumoto (ALPHA)
> (6) Shiro Koshinaka (FREE), Yoshiaki Fujiwara (Fujiwara-gumi) & Tamon Honda (FREE) vs. Go Shiozaki (NOAH), Kaito Kiyomiya (NOAH) & Kazusada Higuchi (DDT)
> 
> 
> Credit to http://keepingthespiritalive.tumblr...ada-produce-news-toshiaki-kawada-held-a-press


Going to be a relatively small show but there are some interesting matches on the card. Could be a lot of fun to watch. During the show, Kawada is going to reveal something to Marufuji (I think) so look out for that. 


Speaking of produce shows. Kenta Kobashi is holding another one on the 11th of June. 



> *Fortune Dream 5, 6/11/2018 [Mon] 17:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo
> *
> (-) Kotaro Suzuki (FREE) vs. Kazumi Kikuta (BJW)
> (-) Yuji Hino (FREE), Go Shiozaki (NOAH) & Zeus (AJPW) vs. Akitoshi Saito (NOAH), Katsuhiko Nakajima (NOAH) & Kohei Sato (ZERO1)
> 
> (-) Kaito Kiyomiya (NOAH) & Ayato Yoshida (K-DOJO) vs. Toru Sugiura (FREEDOMS) & Takuya Nomura (BJW)
> (-) Koki Kitahara 30th Anniversary & Retirement Match: Koki Kitahara (CAPTURE) & Mitsuya Nagai (DRADITION) vs. Naomichi Marufuji (NOAH) & Super Tiger (RJPW)
> 
> http://puroresuspirit.net/2018/04/news-listings-for-april-2-2019/



--------​

*DDT​*

And the DDT Max Bump Show card so far




> *DDT “MAX BUMP 2018”, 4/29/2018 [Sun] 12:00 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*
> 
> (-) Cherry DDT Last Match: Cherry, Françoise ☆ Takagi & Makoto Oishi vs. Danshoku Dieno, KUDO & Masahiro Takanashi
> 
> (-) DDT EXTREME Championship Match: [40th Champion] Yuko Miyamoto (666) vs. [Challenger] HARASHIMA
> ~ 3rd title defense.
> 
> (-) KO-D Openweight Championship Match: [61st Champion] Konosuke Takeshita vs. [Challenger] Shigehiro Irie
> ~ 12th title defense.


Not really that interested in the main event in all truth. Irie is okay from what little I've seen of him and Takeshita, I'm hit and miss with. But HARASHIMA vs Yuko Miyamoto looks really fun. 


---------​


*
Pro Wrestling NOAH​*And finally NOAH, the company that everyone should watch.


There will be a tournament to determine the new GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. The tournament consist of RATEL's members Daisuke Harada/Tadasuke teaming together, same with HAYATA/YO-HEY. Other participants are Hajime Ohara/Hitoshi Kumano and Hi69/Minoru Tanaka. The tournement will take place on the 14th of April and the finals will be on the 15th.




> *Pro-Wrestling NOAH “Navig. To The Northern Cross 2018”, 4/14/2018 [Sat] 18:30 @ Susukino Mars Gym in Hokkaido*
> 
> (-) Junta Miyawaki vs. Noriyuki Yoshida (FTO)
> (-) Takashi Sugiura & Kenoh vs. Naomichi Marufuji & Atsushi Kotoge
> 
> (-) 34th GHC Junior Tag Championship Decision Tournament 1st Round: Daisuke Harada & Tadasuke vs. Hi69 & Minoru Tanaka
> (-) 34th GHC Junior Tag Championship Decision Tournament 1st Round: HAYATA & YO-HEY vs. Hajime Ohara & Hitoshi Kumano
> 
> http://keepingthespiritalive.tumblr.../noah-news-the-matches-were-announced-for-the



This card is actually amazing and it leaves for a potential Daisuke Harada/Tadasuke vs HAYATA/YO-HEY finals which would be amazing. Not to mention Takashi Sugiura/Kenoh vs. Naomichi Marufuji/Atsushi Kotoge as well :mark


----------



## antoniomare007

*Strong Climb Tournament 3/26/18*

Didn't have a standout match like the other days but the "fun little match" dynamic continues to be norm for this tournament as shown in Kamitani vs Aoki. Uto once again a match that was better than I expected too.


----------



## Corey

Strong Climb semi-finals are set for 4/14. Assuming it's Suzuki vs. someone but give me another Sekimoto/Suzuki match and I'll be happy. Last one was just a tease.

() *Ikkitosen Semi-final Match:* (B BLOCK #1 ) Hideki Suzuki vs. (A BLOCK #2 ) Yasufumi Nakanoue
() *Ikkitosen Semi-final Match:* (A BLOCK #1 ) Daichi Hashimoto vs. (B BLOCK #2 ) Daisuke Sekimoto


----------



## MC

I would be happy for Sekimoto to get the win but with Hashimoto failing as a draw, he needs a boost and making it to the finals could do that. OR they could go with the more safer option. Either way, Suzuki vs Sekimoto/Hashimoto should be good.


----------



## MC

*Champion Carnival Day One Thoughts*

Shuji Ishikawa vs. Yuji Hino was an awesome sprint. Two big men colliding. Great match. Shocking result. Starting of the CC with a BANG! 

Jun Akiyama vs. Dylan James another fun little sprint. James trying for the Chokeslam and Jun’s reaction was pretty amusing. 

Kento Miyahara vs. Shingo Takagi was awesome. Great match. Kento’s suplex’s are a joy to behold. Takagi brought all he had in this match. Exactly what the CC needed. 

Suwama vs. Zeus was a really good match as well. Slower the the previous matches but it didn’t matter as the match was just as good. Zeus played the face in peril role really well. Selling the leg that Suwama seemed to want to destroy. Excellent main event 


Kento Miyahara vs. Shingo Takagi: ****¼
Suwama vs. Zeus: ****
Shuji Ishikawa vs. Yuji Hino: ***½ 
Jun Akiyama vs. Dylan James: ***



Spoiler: CC Table Tally


----------



## Corey

Champion Carnival Night One (4/7)

Shuji Ishikawa vs. Yuji Hino - **** 1/2* (Damn good hossfest. Does Hino have a hernia or something? His belly button is bulging in a weird way. If so that makes Shuji's work on the midsection way better. )

Jun Akiyama vs. Dylan James - *N/R*

Kento Miyahara vs. Shingo Takagi - ***** (Huge disappointment for me and almost all of that goes on Kento. Just a poor display of selling the leg. Doesn't even try to change his moveset, just continues to it knee after knee and then briefly holds it like he's in pain... but he isn't.  Shingo was awesome though. Had the right gameplan and was always on the attack. Just wished that leg work actually meant something)

Suwama vs. Zeus - **** 3/4* (Great slow build match. I loved the leg work and Zeus sold it pretty well. Suwama has to be one of the most consistent performers on the roster if you ask me. I always seem to enjoy his matches and he knows how to structure them to get the crowd to care)


----------



## volde

Are CC matches still uploaded somewhere or now they are available only on their streaming service?


----------



## Genking48

It's Dragon Gate time! Credit to iheartdg.com


> *04/06/2018
> Tokyo, Korakuen Hall
> The Gate of Passion 2018
> Attendance: 1800*
> 
> *1.* Shun Skywalker*O*, Hyo Watanabe, Yuki Yoshioka, Oji Shiiba (10:15 Skywalker Moonsault) Gamma, Problem Dragon*X*, Kaito Ishida, K-ness.
> *2. *Don Fujii*O*, Shachihoko Boy (10:23 Pinned after Failed German Suplex) Naruki Doi, “Hollywood” Stalker Ichikawa*X*
> *3. *Takashi Yoshida*O* (10:47 Pineapple Bomber) Ben-K*X*
> *4.* BxB Hulk, Yosuke♡Santa Maria*O*, U-T (13:11 Neraiuchi) Masato Yoshino, Big R Shimizu, Jason Lee*X*
> *5. Road to Dead or Alive 3 Way Match:* YAMATO*O* (10:41 Pin) Masaaki Mochizuki; Ryo Saito*X*
> *6. 34th Open the Brave Gate Champion Tournament Finals:* Dragon Kid*O* (12:15 Ultra Hurricanrana) Kagetora*X*
> _★Kid becomes the 34th Champion_
> *7. Oedo Rules Elimination Match:* Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka, Genki Horiguchi, “brother” YASSHI, Punch Tominaga (5-4) T-Hawk, Eita, El Lindaman, Shingo Takagi, Yasushi Kanda
> ①Tominaga*O* (17:31 Punch Clutch) Kanda*X*
> ②Takagi*O* (17:55 Pumping Bomber) Tominaga*X*
> ③Eita*O* (18:41 Superkick) YASSHI*X*
> ④Susumu*O* (19:49 Yokosuka Cutter) Lindaman*X*
> ⑤T-Hawk*O* (20:45 Night Ride) Horiguchi*X*
> ⑥Susumu*O* (21:52 Jumbo no Kachi!gatame) T-Hawk*X*
> ⑦Eita*O* (22:56 Numero Uno) Susumu*X*
> ⑧Kzy*O* (25:58 Elbow Smash) Eita*X*
> ⑨Kzy*O* (29:12 Skayde Schoolboy) Takagi*X*
> 
> Antias attacked after the opener. Kzy and his team made the save. Antias were always out to kill the mood. Kzy was here to heat things back up. His team were going to win the main event and send everyone home happy. Lindaman told him he was expecting to much out of his team of rejects. Why was Punch main eventing in Korakuen Hall? Never in a million years should that happen. The rules today were Oedo. When you think of Oedo you have to think of Tokyo native El Lindaman. An Antias victory is certain. Punch replied that as a native of Ikebukuro in Toshima-ku, Tokyo. Ikebukuro is much closer to Korakuen than Nakano where Lindaman is from. Oedo means a Punch victory! As for Takagi & Kanda, they cut off a large portion of his hair and now he has to walk around town looking like a fool. He will get payback in the cage at Dead or Alive. Kanda warned him that he won’t have his friends with him in the cage. It will be just him against Takagi & Kanda. He doesn’t stand a chance. Antias left the ring, seemingly on the same page.
> Kzy asked YASSHI to speak on things. YASSHI used to be with those guys, so he understands their intentions. Now he is with these guys and they are out for revenge. All of the fans should keep their eyes open and their legs spread in anticipation.
> 
> Doi said it has been a long time since he was put in a match like this. He was taken aback when he saw the match announced, but he isn’t disappointed or upset. He thinks it’s going to be a lot of fun. He gets to team Mr. Ichikawa. Maybe they have teamed together out on the house show circuit, but this is likely the first time they have properly tagged together in Korakuen Hall. As everyone knows, the second match on the card is usually the comedy match. Today will be different. The Owarai Gate division is ruled by Ryo Saito and the reigning, defending Owarai Gate champion Shingo Takagi. There was no place for Mr. Ichikawa anymore. So today wouldn’t be comedy. Today, he wanted to see Strong Ichikawa. After confirming this was the first appearance in Korakuen Hall of 2018 for Ichikawa, Doi gave him an extra incentive. If Ichikawa can pin Don Fujii for the 1-2-3 today, Doi will disband his team with Yoshino. DoiYoshi will be no more, and DoiIchi will make a Twin Gate run. Fans were into the idea, but he told them to temper their expectations. He pleased with Ichikawa to not get pinned immediately after the bell rings. Be serious today. Be Strong.
> 
> Maria is mad as hell and is reaching her limits. What that limit is, will be made clear soon. Very soon.
> 
> YAMATO went after Saito with hair clippers and took a huge patch of hair off the side of his head. YAMATO got caught up in this nonsense because of them. He had a huge chunk of his own hair cut off by Lindaman in Wakayama. Way more than Saito did today, so he has no room to complain. Look at it this way; if he is bald going into the cage then there is no risk if he loses! Saito asked him if this was payback for Lindaman cutting off his hair. If that is the case, why did he do this to him? He wasn’t involved in that. With that rat’s nest he has on his head you can’t even tell he had any cut off, anyway. Saito had planned on focusing on Takagi but maybe he has another target now. Maybe those Pasta Sauce of the Almighty boxes will sell more with a bald YAMATO on the front. Mochizuki told Saito that since they both are currently independent, they should work together to deal with Antias. They shook hands, but refused YAMATO. He should get ready to change the names of his products to Pasta Sauce & Curry of the Bald Man.
> 
> Maria immediately attacked DK with a kiss after his title win. WHY WASN’T SHE IN THIS TOURNAMENT!? EXPLAIN! DK had no idea what was going on. This was all his fault. She demanded a title match. DK said she could have just come out and challenged him. Why with the kissing and the yelling? Maria pressed him on whether he was accepting or not. He hesitated but eventually gave a vague acceptance that Maria pounced on. He accepted. The match was on. DK was still totally out of the loop on what Maria was up to, but he did know he was the new Open the Brave Gate champion! Kagetora is great, he hopes they can fight again soon. When he beats Maria, anyone else was welcome to come and try and take the belt from him.
> 
> The main event came down to Kzy vs. Takagi. Takagi held him for Lindaman to hit with the box. Kzy dodged, Lindaman paused, then hit Takagi anyway. Takagi flew into a rage. What was he doing? What the hell was his problem!? Lindaman made fun of him for losing. This wasn’t about any Oedo Elimination match. They are on the Road to Dead or Alive now. If he lets things like this happen to him inside the cage, Takagi will end up bald. There are many citizens of Japan that would love to see that. Takagi mocked his stupid face paint. Did their unit ties mean nothing to Lindaman? Kanda was right. Lindaman is a dumbass! Kanda sided with Lindaman. The fans want to see Takagi lose more than anyone. Punch got in on it. Losing matches, arguing with his friends. Things don’t look good for old Shingo Takagi. Takagi quickly flattened him with a lariat. Antias left, with Takagi bullying several ring boys.
> 
> Kzy and his team finally got to celebrate their win. There was another reason why Kzy was determined to win today. For the last two months he has received backup from Susumu & Horiguchi. He is now confident enough to take the next step. He was ready to make his own unit. Horiguchi & Susumu would join him, but on one condition. Kzy assumes the role of leader. Punch stood around looking hopeful. Kzy noted they were the same age. Even though that is the case, Punch is still a junior to him. He wants to help him rise up into a better position. He was welcome to join if he wanted. Punch accepted. Horiguchi announced that the unit concept would be punch perms and the team would be called the Punchyz. Kzy vetoed that. Horiguchi probably couldn’t even grow enough hair to get a perm. Horiguchi suggested they all shave their heads and fight as Team H-A-G-E. This was also declined. YASSHI was unusually silent after the match, staring a hole through Antias and continuing to glare towards their entrance after they left. Horiguchi wasn’t sure if he had been listening or not. What did he think? YASSHI said he was listening, but he wasn’t someone they should have join their team. Kzy said that he was unusually somber. Don’t they call him Mr. Happy? YASSHI may be an outsider, but as long as he was fighting the same fight as them he was welcome. He asked “brother” to be his brother. YASSHI warned them that he had a habit of turning on people. Not that he had any plans to do that here. He was feeling the vibes. He accepted.
> Now that they were an official team, there was only one thing to do. Take the Triangle Gate titles and prove they were the best team. He called out MaxiMuM. Yoshino was annoyed. It was already 9:30 PM. Why were they calling them out so late? Does Kzy know what time it is. Kzy knew. It was HIS time. It was Kzy Time. Yoshino had doubts. They have been together, what, 2 minutes? Maybe they should think of a name before they think of challenging for the Triangle Gate. Kzy assured them that the name would be coming very soon so he may as well reserve the next Triangle Gate title shot. In the end, MaxiMuM agreed to defends against Kzy & Susumu & Horiguchi at Dead or Alive. Yoshino brought up that he was the one that brought YASSHI back to Dragon Gate after 11 years and he was instantly betrayed. If that happens to them, he can’t help but laugh at them.
> 
> Kzy closed the show. He promised the unit would unveil their name before Aichi. Next month was King of Gate. His opponent for Korakuen was already announced. He was going to face YAMATO 1 on 1. He was excited and he hoped the fans were too. He is looking forward to showing YAMATO how far he has come.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: pics


Initially I'm loving this new unit, it feels fresh, somehow more fresh with Yasshi in it.


----------



## Corey

volde said:


> Are CC matches still uploaded somewhere or now they are available only on their streaming service?


I'm watching through AJPW TV but the first show can be found for free here: https://www.bilibili.com/video/av21807176/


----------



## MC

volde said:


> Are CC matches still uploaded somewhere or now they are available only on their streaming service?


Like @Corey I'm watching through the AJPW TV but I've seen the first show online for free.


----------



## komatsu_na

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/983903958988013568


----------



## Corey

^ Damn okay, looks like that's gonna be the first Lion's Gate Project I watch since the 2nd one. :lol

Champ Carnival Night 2 (4/8)

Zeus/Tatsu and Suwama/KAI were both on but they didn't do much to grab me and I wasn't all that interested.

Shuji Ishikawa vs. Joe Doering - ***** (Solid but forgettable)
Kento Miyahara vs. Naoya Nomura - ****** (BANGER)

Nothing on the 4/10 show really interests me although Akiyama/KAI in the top slot could be good. @MC 16 let me know if you watch that and if anything's worth seeing.


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> ^ Damn okay, looks like that's gonna be the first Lion's Gate Project I watch since the 2nd one. :lol
> 
> Champ Carnival Night 2 (4/8)
> 
> Zeus/Tatsu and Suwama/KAI were both on but they didn't do much to grab me and I wasn't all that interested.
> 
> Shuji Ishikawa vs. Joe Doering - ***** (Solid but forgettable)
> Kento Miyahara vs. Naoya Nomura - ****** (BANGER)
> 
> Nothing on the 4/10 show really interests me although Akiyama/KAI in the top slot could be good. @MC 16 let me know if you watch that and if anything's worth seeing.



Only the KAI/Akiyama match is worth seeing. 



-----------




Spoiler: CC Table as of Day Three















Block A is looking very tight this year, lots of contenders to win it. I still think Kento will win the block but with Shingo, Ishikawa and Doering in the mix, it could be very close.

Block B is similar. Zeus having a good run so far and looking at his upcoming fixtures, he could potentially go the finals. Hard to predict but I think it's between Zeus and Marufuji.





---------

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/984050952083857408

Noah only got around 830 in Korakuen Hall today _"Kuso"_. But I heard that it was a very good show with an excellent final to the Tag League, with some great development for Kaito Kiyomiya; looking forward to that. It airs on Samurai TV April 21st


----------



## komatsu_na

*DDT - Live! Maji Manji 卍 #1 (4/10/2018)*

Kazusada Higuchi vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Takeshita is just on another level. He does this leaping hurricanrana that was one of the most athletic things I've ever seen. All of his stuff looks so pristine. This was an absolute bombfest, an exhibition of stiffness and big bumps. The camera was obsessed with Moga-chan (ex-Dempagumi.inc) on commentary, and I could've done without the constant cuts to her reaction. Incredible match, still.

*****1/2*​


----------



## MC

*Upcoming Sendai Girls Event Card - Korakuen Hall - 19/04/2018*


Well, basically the only notable matches that are on the card. 




> Sendai Girls World Championship Match: Chihiro Hashimoto (c) vs Ayako Hamada
> 
> Meiko Satomura vs Io Shirai
> 
> Hana Kimura vs Mika Iwata



Great last three matches and it's looking like it's going to be a great show. You got the big title match, Io vs Meiko and the awesome undercard match between Iwata and Kimura, who had a really good match last time. Should be good. At this point, I'm just happy to see Io outside of Stardom. Kinda want her to go freelance but I doubt it'll happen.


----------



## komatsu_na

Io already went through the freelance stage of her career so she would be going backwards. Ludicrous idea, really.


----------



## MC

So apparently, CIMA has left Dragon Gate to join OWF, a company just starting out in China for around 7 figures in American Money. That's what I heard, sure some of bigger DG fans on here will shed more light on that.


----------



## antoniomare007

Daisuke being booked for a young lion's show is the best booking decision Gedo has made since 2015. I hope it's the start of a relationship with New Japan, Sekimoto and the crew having a little run in the NEVER division so they can put a couple of young guys over - like they've done for years in so many other promotions - would be fun as fuck to watch.


Yo, @seabs you should try checking out the Strong Climb tournament, it's the Strong BJ we all know and love and I'm sure you will become a stan of Takuya Nomura. And if you don't have any time, just take 20 minutes to watch Kazuki Hashimoto go back to his cunty self against heavyweights in his matches against Sekimoto and Hideki Suzuki. 

Speaking of the last match, they ran a little angle between Kazuki and Hideki - the match lasted like 6 minutes but it was fun as fuck :lmao - I'm REALLY interested in what they do next.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

MC 16 said:


> So apparently, CIMA has left Dragon Gate to join OWF, a company just starting out in China for around 7 figures in American Money. That's what I heard, sure some of bigger DG fans on here will shed more light on that.


*The rumor came from VoicesofWrestling, who source was "someone he believes to be an insider from DG, who told him in NOLA" about CIMA (& possibly Shingo Takagi) leaving Dragon Gate.

While yeah, OWE is a promotion owned by a guy with a lot of money, the promotion has so far held only one event. It also has (to my knowledge) a working relationship with Dragon Gate & CIMA is the head trainer to teach the students wrestling on these shows. 

Jae (who is basically the single best source for anything regarding Dragon Gate, as he's been following/covering since the beginning years in '99-00) only tweeted out "Calm down" after a bunch of people on Twitter freaked out over the rumors.

I'm taking a "wait & see what happens" approach with this. CIMA is for all intents & purposes the heart & soul of DG, has been around since the very beginning of the Dragon System with him & Magnum TOKYO being trained by Ultimo Dragon, has stuck with the promotion through thick & thin & is one of the most powerful behind-the-scenes people in the company. He's also had a big hand in training the talent there from Shingo Takagi when he was just starting out, to more recently Takehiro Yamamura (who's out with a neck injury) who CIMA has been very close with. Either something on the level of the Ultimo Dragon/DG split occurred, or the rumor is just bunk. We'll have to see, I guess. :draper2 *


----------



## Genking48

MC 16 said:


> So apparently, CIMA has left Dragon Gate to join OWF, a company just starting out in China for around 7 figures in American Money. That's what I heard, sure some of bigger DG fans on here will shed more light on that.





Deadman's Hand said:


> *The rumor came from VoicesofWrestling, who source was "someone he believes to be an insider from DG, who told him in NOLA" about CIMA (& possibly Shingo Takagi) leaving Dragon Gate.
> 
> While yeah, OWE is a promotion owned by a guy with a lot of money, the promotion has so far held only one event. It also has (to my knowledge) a working relationship with Dragon Gate & CIMA is the head trainer to teach the students wrestling on these shows.
> 
> Jae (who is basically the single best source for anything regarding Dragon Gate, as he's been following/covering since the beginning years in '99-00) only tweeted out "Calm down" after a bunch of people on Twitter freaked out over the rumors.
> 
> I'm taking a "wait & see what happens" approach with this. CIMA is for all intents & purposes the heart & soul of DG, has been around since the very beginning of the Dragon System with him & Magnum TOKYO being trained by Ultimo Dragon, has stuck with the promotion through thick & thin & is one of the most powerful behind-the-scenes people in the company. He's also had a big hand in training the talent there from Shingo Takagi when he was just starting out, to more recently Takehiro Yamamura (who's out with a neck injury) who CIMA has been very close with. Either something on the level of the Ultimo Dragon/DG split occurred, or the rumor is just bunk. We'll have to see, I guess. :draper2 *


Yeah, I don't know that much about the VoicesofWrestling people, but in regards to Dragon Gate the only person I really trust is Jae. I mean he's basically working for the company at this point.


----------



## Obfuscation

Champions Carnival loading up a Yuji Hino vs Shingo match via their working in the same block; good job, All Japan.

If only I could get that likable fattie Yutaka Yoshie vs both of them. Alas, I'll settle for who he has in his block. like vs Zeus & KAI.


----------



## Genking48

Here you go, from Jae


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/984750340179279872

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/984751230235754496

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/984752089870958593


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

If CIMA has been offered 7 figures at his age it would be wildly irresponsible to turn it down. Hopefully it not a "goodbye" and just a "see you later."

Still I fully expect the VOW Flagship to run out of time and not talk about Dragon Gate this week.


----------



## MC

I also heard that El Lindaman and T-Hawk also want to leave now. Something massive has obviously happened for this to happen. 


@-***** Italiano- Don't worry, The Open The Voice Gate Podcast will be record in the next day or two, and they will discuss what's happened.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

MC 16 said:


> I also heard that El Lindaman and T-Hawk also want to leave now. Something massive has obviously happened for this to happen.
> 
> 
> @-***** Italiano- Don't worry, The Open The Voice Gate Podcast will be record in the next day or two, and they will discuss what's happened.


Yeah but it'll be Milo just yelling "FUCK SHINGO" for two hours.

T Hawk means nothing to me but El Lindaman was my boy then he joined Verserk he's just gone downhill. Seriously what the fuck is up with that face paint? It feels like we're never going to see Yamamura again and 99.9% of wrestling fans will never know that we've lost a possible generational talent. The Dragon Gate heartbreak is real. If something happens to Big R I'll need therapy.

Also Kitamura might be done.


----------



## Obfuscation

While a huge deal, I'm a bit indifferent in some respect. Consider it a checked out of CIMA mentality. But if something massive went down, and they lose more talent and this becomes another big Japanese exodus, then oh man.

The Kitamura news is so awful. :lauren


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

If Dragon Gate finally lauch the network and then just collapse it's proof there is a God and he fucking despises wrestling fans.


----------



## Genking48

Sounds to me like CIMA is just over with OWE to train their guys, some of their guys will then probably show up at Dragon Gate for a tour to get some experience.

Haven't heard of any Lindaman/T-Hawk stuff. Can't imagine T-Hawk leaving as he's clearly destined to be the next top guy.

Screw Lindaman though :rollins


----------



## Obfuscation

The destined Ace for Dragon Gate possibly throwing a wrench in these plans. 

They scramble and just give BxB Hulk everything again. :mj4


----------



## Deadman's Hand

Genking48 said:


> Here you go, from Jae
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/984750340179279872
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/984751230235754496
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/984752089870958593


*Yeah, this basically tells me that CIMA is just focusing on OWE for now, since Dragon Gate is focusing on pushing younger talents & he's not needed on the undercard anymore. 

If CIMA were to leave DG, it'd be the biggest story they've had since Ultimo left, so I'd doubt they'd just never mention him again like when Tanizaki was released.

Also, one of the people from the OTVG podcast (who's basically filled with the people on VoicesofWrestling's website that covers DG) tweeted out this: *


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/984709130043576320
*Call me crazy, but I'm gonna take Jae's advice & wait for any official announcement, instead of giving much thought to this podcast. :lol*


----------



## Genking48

Deadman's Hand said:


> *Yeah, this basically tells me that CIMA is just focusing on OWE for now, since Dragon Gate is focusing on pushing younger talents & he's not needed on the undercard anymore.
> 
> If CIMA were to leave DG, it'd be the biggest story they've had since Ultimo left, so I'd doubt they'd just never mention him again like when Tanizaki was released.
> 
> Also, one of the people from the OTVG podcast (who's basically filled with the people on VoicesofWrestling's website that covers DG) tweeted out this: *
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/984709130043576320
> *Call me crazy, but I'm gonna take Jae's advice & wait for any official announcement, instead of giving much thought to this podcast. :lol*


Well the OTVG guys really disliked Jae don't they? I think I've heard something like that before.

Yeah, I looked over CIMA's twitter and it seems like he's over there to train some of the OWE guys. Asked Jae about if we should expect OWE talent to show up down the line and he answered that was the impression he was also under. That OWE talent moght show up for a tour at some point when CIMA has trained some of them.

Just seems like a deal that is benefiting CIMA, OWE and Dragon Gate.


----------



## volde

So basically they had partnership and are just building further upon it?


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Genking48 said:


> Well the OTVG guys really disliked Jae don't they? I think I've heard something like that before .


Never picked up on that. They had Jae on the show once and they seemed to have a great time complaining about all the factions and booking decisions they didn't like. But who knows wrestling fans sure are a contentious bunch.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

Genking48 said:


> Well the OTVG guys really disliked Jae don't they? I think I've heard something like that before.
> 
> Yeah, I looked over CIMA's twitter and it seems like he's over there to train some of the OWE guys. Asked Jae about if we should expect OWE talent to show up down the line and he answered that was the impression he was also under. That OWE talent moght show up for a tour at some point when CIMA has trained some of them.
> 
> Just seems like a deal that is benefiting CIMA, OWE and Dragon Gate.


*I'm not sure about the whole OTVG cast, but the person who's tweet I quoted did lash out at Jae around Kobe World last year. After CK-1 beat Speed Muscle for the Twin Gate, that person made a bunch of tweets shitting on CIMA, then told Jae to fuck off after he tweeted "hope it never ends #ck1."

As for DG/OWE, the two feds having a working relationship together would fit what Okamura stated last year at World, when he talked about expanding Dragon Gate worldwide again, going beyond just Japan. And it would also benefit OWE to have their wrestlers work with not just CIMA, but some of the other DG vets like Dragon Kid, Mochi, Fujii, etc.*


----------



## Genking48

-***** Italiano- said:


> Never picked up on that. They had Jae on the show once and they seemed to have a great time complaining about all the factions and booking decisions they didn't like. But who knows wrestling fans sure are a contentious bunch.





Deadman's Hand said:


> *I'm not sure about the whole OTVG cast, but the person who's tweet I quoted did lash out at Jae around Kobe World last year. After CK-1 beat Speed Muscle for the Twin Gate, that person made a bunch of tweets shitting on CIMA, then told Jae to fuck off after he tweeted "hope it never ends #ck1."
> *


I just remember a running joke on /wooo/ about spelling Jae's name like J*e. When asked it is always said that it's a parody of VoicesOfWrestling where he was really disliked at one point or something like that. Maybe something with his name being censored on the forum, don't really know about the truth of it, it's kinda funny though.

And yeah I think it's something to do with their intense dislike of CIMA.


----------



## Corey

Suzuki got him to belt on the line tomorrow, so this may be a little more predictable now...?

(7) *Ikkitosen Final ~ BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship Match:* [11th Champion] Daichi Hashimoto vs. [Challenger] Hideki Suzuki
_~ 3rd title defense._


----------



## Obfuscation

Suzuki does seem to be the master of dominating and winning a championship when you almost expect him not to. Could be another one. Either way, booking a high profile Daichi vs Suzuki match for all the marbles is a-ok w/me. Lot of potential right there.

Looking up results; Suzuki smashed K-Hash in 3 minutes. Damn. Still want to witness it. Know that has to be some kind of good.


----------



## MC

I have a bit of a soft spot for Daichi Hashimoto but I'm rooting for Hideki Suzuki to regain the title. The previous matches (the 17/12 and 19/08) were both really, really enjoyable matches and I don't think that this will be any different. Both work against each other really well. Looking forward to it. 


I can see Hideki winning the match as Daichi hasn't been too successful in the drawing department but who knows if they will go back to Hideki or not.


----------



## Obfuscation

Drawing for Daichi might not be enormous, but a win/win scenario from where I look at it. Another Suzuki run w/the Strong Championship? Always down. Get another Kohei Sato battle, to boot. Living in those 2014/2015 ZERO-1 days.


----------



## MC

So the Stardom Draft took place today. :lol 


Here are the stables after the draft:

*Queen’s Quest:* Io Shirai, AZM, Momo Watanabe, Bea Priestley, Chardonnay, Viper, Konami

*Oedo Tai: *Kagetsu, Hana Kimura, Natsu Sumire, HZK, Nao Yamaguchi, Session Moth Martina

*Stars (Formally Stardom Army):* Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Starlight Kid, Tam Nakano, Natsumi, Shiki Shibusawa


I couldn't be more happier that Momo didn't join Oedo Tai, look at the state of it.:lol Yamaguchi did gravure so she fits the so called "sexy" motif that Oedo Tai has, not a good wrestler at all though. Session Moth Martina _sigh_. HZK, I actually like joining the stable, would've preferred that she turn on Io or Momo but whatever. 

Konami joining QQ is good imo. Don't care much for Bea as she can be very reckless and haven't seen much of Chardonnay that I remember. 

The newly named Stars looks better. Poor Jungle not being drafted but hopefully this leads to them actually doing something with her. I'm excited by the prospect that Mayu and Starlight Kid will be more close together.


----------



## Corey

New champ:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/985481051697971200


----------



## MC

Had a feeling that Hideki would win the title back. Shame that Daichi didn't have a longer run and wasn't as successful as BJW wanted him to be. Hope that he gets another chance soon.


----------



## HOJO

I heard Daichi's reign was bombing so whatever I guess but another Hideki reign isn't exactly something I'd jump back onto BJW for. Watching from the outside this booking seems very strange


----------



## Ruth

What would be the best way to go about watching old episodes of AJWPW? (Assuming they were ever archived, that is.)


----------



## komatsu_na

MC 16 said:


> So the Stardom Draft took place today. :lol
> 
> 
> Here are the stables after the draft:
> 
> *Queen’s Quest:* Io Shirai, AZM, Momo Watanabe, Bea Priestley, Chardonnay, Viper, Konami
> 
> *Oedo Tai: *Kagetsu, Hana Kimura, Natsu Sumire, HZK, Nao Yamaguchi, Session Moth Martina
> 
> *Stars (Formally Stardom Army):* Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Starlight Kid, Tam Nakano, Natsumi, Shiki Shibusawa
> 
> 
> I couldn't be more happier that Momo didn't join Oedo Tai, look at the state of it.:lol Yamaguchi did gravure so she fits the so called "sexy" motif that Oedo Tai has, not a good wrestler at all though. Session Moth Martina _sigh_. HZK, I actually like joining the stable, would've preferred that she turn on Io or Momo but whatever.
> 
> Konami joining QQ is good imo. Don't care much for Bea as she can be very reckless and haven't seen much of Chardonnay that I remember.
> 
> The newly named Stars looks better. Poor Jungle not being drafted but hopefully this leads to them actually doing something with her. I'm excited by the prospect that Mayu and Starlight Kid will be more close together.


Can't help but feel puzzled every time I read one of your posts. Nao hasn't even wrestled 10 matches yet, maybe give her more time to develop before writing her off? She has confidence in the ring beyond her exp., her offense looks good, she has charisma. Your posting quality is what's not good at all.


----------



## komatsu_na

Hideki being positioned as the ace of Strong Beej instead of a rampaging outsider is a good move. He can make bring the best out of anyone, and him coming from such a prestigious background makes the entire division look good. He's also the current Triangle Ribbon Champion. Maybe they will give Kawakami a spin next.


----------



## antoniomare007

*Strong Climb semis...*

Hideki Suzuki vs Yasufumi Nakanoe - Big Japan 4/14/18
https://vk.com/video289484704_456244886

Having Suzuki's opponent work on top for once was refreshing, and Nakanoue did a good job punishing Hideki's neck - I loved how Nak baited Suzuki to gain control too - but idk, I felt something was missing in this and I can't put my finger on it. The early mat work was kinda boring, 5 minutes of very bland action to establish something we already knew (Hideki is good at that shit), once Nakanoue gains control it gets interesting but I thought it never picked up. Maybe someone else would like this more than me, I thought it was OK.

Daisuke Sekimoto vs Daichi Hashimoto - Big Japan 4/14/18
https://vk.com/videos289484704?z=video289484704_456244887/pl_289484704_-2

Basically "Daichi tries to survive Daisuke's bullying techniques". Fun match, some very good striking - it's been a while since I saw Sekimoto unleash his hard chops - and good selling by baby Hash, if this was in Korakuen, Shinkiba or even Shinjuku FACE it might've felt more dramatic, the crowd was fine but never gave this the atmosphere it needed. Still good though, just not MOTYC level. 



HOJO said:


> I heard Daichi's reign was bombing so whatever I guess but another Hideki reign isn't exactly something I'd jump back onto BJW for. Watching from the outside this booking seems very strange


Daichi was never put in a position to draw though, he never got a big title defense until this Suzuki match. They couldn't expect matches with Kawakami and Nakanoue (two times, as they main evented Korakuen for the Strong Climb tournament) to draw big. And to be honest, Hideki was doing poorly too when he stopped working "big" names last year. 

I'm fine with Daichi losing the strap but I wouldn't read much into it either.



Obfuscation said:


> Looking up results; Suzuki smashed K-Hash in 3 minutes. Damn. Still want to witness it. Know that has to be some kind of good.


Oh, it's very much worth the watch. And they ran an angle after the match is over too so I expect to be more fuckery between them and that's always a great thing. It was so great seeing Kazuki back to being a disrespectful asshole to heavyweights this tournament, I hope they drop the Jr. division eventually and let him go back to do what he does best.

Oh, by the way, Sekimoto is Suzuki's first challenger (he was the only one that beat Hideki during the tournament) at Endless Survivor. Wouldn't shock me if Daisuke actually wins it.


----------



## MC

sengen777 said:


> Can't help but feel puzzled every time I read one of your posts. Nao hasn't even wrestled 10 matches yet, maybe give her more time to develop before writing her off? She has confidence in the ring beyond her exp., her offense looks good, she has charisma. Your posting quality is what's not good at all.


:lauren 

Am I judging too harshly? Yes, I am. But I'm not wrong :shrug. At this moment in time, she isn't very good. Now that's not to say that she doesn't have potential or won't improve (which would actually be writing her off) but at this moment, this is why my current assessment of her. You can agree or not, but that's my opinion. Everyone has different opinions and views, that's something that you have just got to learn to deal with. 


---------------------


As for Big Japan, it's going to be interesting which direction they go with the Strong Division. Lot's of matches to catchup on regarding the Strong Climb.


----------



## Corey

When's Yuji Okabayashi supposed to be back? Anytime soon?


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> When's Yuji Okabayashi supposed to be back? Anytime soon?


When he got injured they were talking about 1 year off or something along those lines, so there's still a lot of time left. But then again, maybe there's been new and more hopeful reports about his recovery so I'm not exactly sure.


----------



## Obfuscation

Hana Kimura still in Oedo Tai is all I need. kada

Digging HZK in the fold, too. But yeah, a turn on the former Queen's Quest stablemates would have been something to see.



sengen777 said:


> Can't help but feel puzzled every time I read one of your posts. Nao hasn't even wrestled 10 matches yet, maybe give her more time to develop before writing her off? She has confidence in the ring beyond her exp., her offense looks good, she has charisma. Your posting quality is what's not good at all.


Ok, take it easy, now.



antoniomare007 said:


> Oh, it's very much worth the watch. And they ran an angle after the match is over too so I expect to be more fuckery between them and that's always a great thing. It was so great seeing Kazuki back to being a disrespectful asshole to heavyweights this tournament, I hope they drop the Jr. division eventually and let him go back to do what he does best.


All promising news. K-Hash as a standout foil in the Juniors division did kind of make some sense when they first formatted it, especially looking back on something like the match vs Kanemoto a few years ago, but his bread and butter was def dicking around w/the Heavys, and doing what he can to hang among the Strong division. Getting him back to form there is on the right track.



antoniomare007 said:


> Oh, by the way, Sekimoto is Suzuki's first challenger (he was the only one that beat Hideki during the tournament) at Endless Survivor. Wouldn't shock me if Daisuke actually wins it.


Same. Guess we're watching BJW in a state of flux w/this championship, but we'll see if they're willing to let Suzuki run w/it for a second (full) time. Match alone is enough to keep me interested.


----------



## antoniomare007

*Daichi Hashimoto vs Hideki Suzuki - Strong Climb Tournament Final 4/15/18*
https://vk.com/video289484704_456244903

80% of this is Hideki torturing Daichi by working the head/neck with vicious headlocks and holds, at some point it was looking like baby Hash was going to get squashed just like he did in his first title challenge last year (against Suzuki) but he was able to comeback a little bit - very nice STF spot tbh - this built VERY slowly, the first 5 minutes were a little bit more interesting than in Suzuki/Nakanoue and then Hideki took over and began to put in work. Final few minutes didn't have that much drama as the match ended right when it was getting interesting so to speak. I liked the match, but I might be too biased. The angle the end was very interesting, all of the Strong division gunning for the champ, and Nomura the young gawd even got to say a few words. 

The tournament was awesome, everyone that hasn't seen it is missing out. I hope they keep working with All Japan though, I need to see the young kids face uncle Jun's students more often.


----------



## Obfuscation

Awesome. Time to check this out.


----------



## T Hawk

I still maintain that Suzuki Hideki would be a good fit as a NJPW young lion.

Get someone like Nagata Yuji or Nakanishi Manabu to train him for 6-months and the difference would be huge. Could be a legit player if he got the right training and learned how to work.

Him having another run with BJW's title will be good for him. Hashimoto Daichi is basically entering Erik Watts/Greg Gagne territory. BJW thought he was going to be their Okada Kazuchika or Takeshita Konosuke, but the guy is washed already in his mid-20's. Nobody buys him.


----------



## Corey

Some recent Champion Carnival standouts:

Jun Akiyama vs. KAI (4/10) **** 1/2*
Kento Miyahara vs. Ryouji Sai (4/14) **** 3/4*
Shuji Ishikawa vs. Naoya Momura (4/16) **** 1/2*

Not really in the mood to type much for match analysis, but that Kento/Sai match was wonderful. I just wish All Japan could book some more creative finishes instead of move exchanges and nearfalls. It gets repetitive and sometimes diminishes the work done beforehand.

Also, Yuji Hino is fucking undefeated!? He's already beaten Shingo, Doering, and Shuji which is crazy. Haven't watched the 4/15 show yet but that looks to be good all around and a full production so I'm saving that for another night.


----------



## Obfuscation

Damn right he's undefeated. That's how you do it, All Japan. :cozy

REALLY hope this hot streak heads in some kind of top tier direction for Hino. Would be so on board to see him bruise his way to the top of All Japan in a swift span.


----------



## antoniomare007

*Misawa & Kawada vs Andre The Giant & Giant Baba - Real World's Tag League 1991*

I mean, 1 minute in and Kawada slaps the shit out of Baba to a big ass OOOHHHHH from the crowd...I think the best workd to describe this match is "wonderful". Andre can barely move and it's 91' Baba but there's so many cool moments in this that you can't help but smile and realize what you are watching. Kawada is as awesome as expected, not taking shit from anybody - him trying to slam Andre made me mark out - and being a disrespectful punk. Watching Misawa land that first elbow on Andre made me pop like a kid too. Action is of course clumsy at times but there's too much talent in the ring for you to not have at least some fun. And the final minutes were great. I loved how the crowd reacted almost exactly like me to every big moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcHHuv_qVD4


----------



## komatsu_na

I miss fat K-Hash.


----------



## Obfuscation

Hino in the Champions Carnival has been so good. Sticking w/the repetition and hoping he's given a chance to stay following. 

Ryouji Sai has grown on me more and more over the years. Been liking him a whole bunch during this, too. Got a style that helps separate w/the rest of the field. Some of the losses he's taken should/could lead to more defenses w/the new All Asia Heavyweight Championship. (well, maybe, Kento won't challenge, but possibly trying to defeat Doering can happen) Probably a way to try and get some challenges for the World Tag Championship. Although, I say The Big Guns should still be tag champions atm.


----------



## MC

Oh yeah, Yuji Hino has been really excellent in this year's CC. 


https://t.co/yR3JLY8ddj?amp=1 @antoniomare007 BJW released Daichi Hashimoto vs Takua Nomura from the 08/03 show on YT.


----------



## Obfuscation

Looked up when the Champion Carnival ends; not until April 30th. Still got 12 days of more matches to go. :trips5


----------



## Corey

And just like that, Hino loses his match to Ryouji Sai.  I'm cool with it. Sai deserved a win after a string of good performances.

Marufuji is now the only one left without a loss.


----------



## Obfuscation

There goes a chance at Hino vs Sai for the All Asia Heavyweight Championship. :mj2

Digging the prospects of this CC match on paper. Wondering if the crowd really takes to Sai stopping Hino's undefeated streak.


----------



## Corey

Go Shiozaki vs. Kota Umeda was made official for DDT Max Bump on 4/29. Also here's this full card:

*BJW “Endless Survivor”, 5/5/2018 [Sat] 15:00 @ Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium in Kanagawa​*
(1) Takuya Nomura & Yuki Morihiro vs. Takuho Kato & Akira Hyodo
(2) Shinobu, Kankuro Hoshino & Yuki Ishikawa vs. Tatsuhiko Yoshino, Kota Sekifuda & Fuminori Abe (BASARA)
(3) Ryuichi Kawakami, Kazuki Kikuta & Taishi Takizawa (K-DOJO) vs. Ryota Hama, Yasufumi Nakanoue & Yoshihisa Uto
(4) Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani vs. Kazuki Hashimoto & Yuya Aoki
(5) *Death Match:* Jaki Numazawa, Kenji Fukimoto & Takumi Tsukamoto vs. Masaya Takahashi, Takayuki Ueki & Toshiyuki Sakuda

(6)* BJW Tag Championship Death Match:* [46th Champions] Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka vs. [Challengers] Ryuji Ito & Ryuichi Sekine
_~ 1st title defense._

(7) *BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship Match:* [12th Champion] Hideki Suzuki vs. [Challenger] Daisuke Sekimoto
_~ 1st title defense._

(8) *BJW Death Match Heavyweight Championship ~ Fluorescent Light-tubes & Nail Board & Fork Board Death Match:* [36th Champion] Masashi Takeda (FREE) vs. [Challenger] Abdullah Kobayashi
_~ 6th title defense._


----------



## antoniomare007

Okami vs Kazuki & Aoki sounds great. Too bad it's in Yokohama were it takes an incredible match to get the crowd going.


----------



## Obfuscation

K-Hash tag sounds legit. Digging all the championship matches, too. Crowd should (hopefully) respond well to Kobayashi in the main.

Go in DDT. Curious to see how that plays out.


----------



## MC

Yeah, that Max Bump Car looks excellent.

-------

Every looks good for the BJW Show. Pretty hard to predict this show, could go any direction with all of the matches.


----------



## MC

Interview with the current Number 1 contender for the GHC Heavyweight Champion, Atsushi Kotoge. 



> April 29th will be "Kotoge Revolution Day" when Atsushi Kotoge challenges Takashi Sugiura in Niigata for the GHC Heavyweight Championship in response to a cry coming from his soul, has raised the probability of "Kotoge's Noah".
> 
> *Q: The "Kotoge Revolution" was raised in response to the fight with Sugiura?*
> 
> *Kotoge:* I want to release Noah. I love Noah, and I am grateful to Noah's fans, but saying that "Noah should only be like this", will mean it will never change. Katsuhiko Nakajima and Kenoh, they became GHC Champions and ushered in "Noah The Reborn", but in the end Takashi Sugiura has taken the belt, and the hands of the clock have gone right back to the way it was. It has gone ten years back. Sugiura and Marufuji are certainly wonderful. They are still in good condition and I respect them. However, the over 40 year old wrestlers* reign forever, forget it. They will retire before the rest of us, and Noah will end there too.
> *
> 
> Q: You have the desire to rise to the top. However, at the 11th March in Yokohama, you were booed when you challenged the new champion, Sugiura.*
> 
> *Kotoge:* It was a shock at first. "Oh, I am...", and it was depressing, but that was only for a moment. Then my blood was up, "this is Kotoge's Noah", and I didn't hear them anymore. For the fans of today it is "Sugiura or Marufuji's Noah". I will admit that. All of the fans go through that. There will be some people who will rebel against me, and I will accept being booed. However, from this time "Kotoge's Noah" has begun.
> 
> *Q: You will change boos into cheers?*
> 
> *Kotoge:* No, they can keep booing. I did not say "I will stop them booing by force". Every fan has their own Noah. That is fine. I have "Kotoge's Noah". If there are people who want to support me, I am happy, and those who don't can pursue their own.
> *
> Q: Before the title match on the 29th in Niigata, you implemented countermeasures? On the 14th and 15th April, in Sapporo, there was fierce fighting with Sugiura in the Tag League?*
> 
> *Kotoge:* I constantly think about measures to crush Sugiura. I also tried it in the two Sapporo matches. Head butting is part of that. His type is straight-up. It is a means of escape. There are several shortcuts to victory, and I will intentionally get in "Sugiura's ring". Naturally, I want to win and capture the belt. I will knock him down, and make him into minced meat. There is no meaning to anything I do if I cannot eradicate Sugiura's era.
> 
> *Q: You took the pinfall on Sugiura in Sapporo. He said you were the "weakest challenger" and the second match went only 118 seconds. You paid it back to Sugiura and declared the "Kotoge Revoluton".*
> 
> *Kotoge: *I am looking to the future. It is as simple as that. The last Heisei will be on April 30th and a new era will start. In Noah, a new era will start from the 29th April in Niigata.
> 
> *Q: In the Showa era* there was the "Meiji Army", in the Heisei era the "Heisei Ishingun" who where like a tornado in the mat, but now there is your army for the new era?*
> 
> *Kotoge:* It is "our era" now. Noah has had a taboo against generational struggles, don't you find that strange? It's like saying that Kenoh, Katsuhiko Nakajima and Kaito Kiyomiya are called the "Four Heavenly Kings", but where am I? Why am I missing? I'm angry about it. I'm angry that in Noah the wrestlers should not raise their voices in protest. Yes I have doubts, but I do believe that there some people who have these feelings but are too embarrassed to say anything. Why is that okay?
> *
> Q: Spoken from the soul. Before Niigata there is only the 28th April in Saitama.*
> 
> *Kotoge:* Fortunately, I am in condition. When I changed from junior to heavyweight a year and a half ago and increased 9 kilos, I could not keep up with my body, but now it is totally heavyweight. Should I be at 90, 92 or 93? I welcome Niigata.
> 
> *Q: What will happen on April 29th 2018 when "Kotoge's Revolution" starts?*
> 
> *Kotoge*: Please prepare Sugiura, you will be in the position of advisor to the new revolution. I am counting on you (laugh).
> 
> *
> * Marufuji is only 38 (although he will be 40 next year)
> * "Heisei" is the current era in Japan under Emperor Akihito. It will most likely end on April 30th 2019 when Emperor Akihito is expected to abdicate due to his age.
> * "Showa* is the era before the "Heisei" era*





> http://puroprogramtranslations.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/noah-noahs-revolution-atsushi-kotoge.html (translation source)
> 
> https://proresu-today.com/archives/52002 (Link to original interview)



This is going to be awesome. Sadly, I don't see Kotoge getting the win in this match but I'm sure that he will be a serious main event after this.


----------



## Obfuscation

Per usual w/NOAH, the Sugiura vs Kotoge match I could go either way on. Fingers crossed it works out.

Would be beneficial to see if a champion can maintain the top spot for a good spell, though. After the Nakajima run didn't work out like they hoped, they're still scrambling to find their new Ace. (which is a bit odd w/Marufuji still around) Even under the moniker of "NOAH the Reborn", perhaps Sugiura's return on top will have to do. I'm still holding out hope for Masa Kitamiya.


----------



## dele

Corey said:


> (8) *BJW Death Match Heavyweight Championship ~ Fluorescent Light-tubes & Nail Board & Fork Board Death Match:* [36th Champion] Masashi Takeda (FREE) vs. [Challenger] Abdullah Kobayashi
> _~ 6th title defense._


Wait... Wait... They actually put the belt on Takeda? Hold on, rushing to youtube now.


----------



## antoniomare007

*BJW "OSAKA SURPRISE 36 ~ TETSUJIN DENSHO*", 22.04.2018*
Osaka Asahi Kumin Center
321 Fans - Super No Vacancy

7. Tetsujin Densho ~ Special Singles Match: *DAISUKE SEKIMOTO VS DICK TOGO*

:mark:


----------



## Obfuscation

Holy shit. And this is today. Lets hope it doesn't take long to pop up online.


----------



## NastyYaffa

antoniomare007 said:


> *BJW "OSAKA SURPRISE 36 ~ TETSUJIN DENSHO*", 22.04.2018*
> Osaka Asahi Kumin Center
> 321 Fans - Super No Vacancy
> 
> 7. Tetsujin Densho ~ Special Singles Match: *DAISUKE SEKIMOTO VS DICK TOGO*
> 
> :mark:


Now that's a fucking MATCH :mark:


----------



## Corey

^ That match got a lot of time too and main evented. Could be a real good one.

Champion Carnival 4/20

Ryouji Sai vs. Naoya Nomura - **** 3/4*
Joe Doering vs. Shingo Takagi - **** 3/4*
Zeus vs. Naomichi Marufuji - **** 1/2*

Watched the show on my phone on a long ass car ride from Maine to Virginia. Thank god for AJPW TV.  Doering/Shingo is an awesome sprint and Sai/Nomura was great as well.


----------



## Obfuscation

Doering roughing up Shingo w/his epic hossness sounds awesome.

Zeus chopping the bejezus out of Marufuji when he tries is lame diagonal rope runs, imo. That needs to go down.


----------



## Corey

Champion Carnival 4/21. This show would've been SO much better with multi-cam and commentary. The crowd was hot!

Shingo Takagi vs. Ryouji Sai - **** 3/4* (Damn good match. Really good selling from Sai. I'm becoming a fan of his)

Suwama vs. Naomichi Marufuji - **** 1/2* (Mixed bag in the first half because of Marufuji. He delivered some of the worst Kawada kicks ever, then followed it up later in the match with a 2 minute headlock segment that made no sense, and down the line had one of the weirdest and dumbest transitions I've ever seen. It's too difficult to even explain. He kept grabbing a wristlock and flipping around Suwama like 3 times and then just completely let go and kneed him in the face. :lol Luckily the 2nd half was great. Chalk full of drama and nearfalls)

Zeus vs. Jun Akiyama - **** 1/4* (This one's gotten some high praise online but I wasn't feeling it as much as other people. Starts off real hot but eventually the offense becomes repetitive. Akiyama had to have delivered at least 15 knee strikes. Zeus looks even more badass in his new tights though but he was a little sloppier than usual in this)


----------



## MC

Awesome finale to the B Block. Two great matches with Akiyama/Maarfuji and Shingo/Nomura



Spoiler: CC's table standings as of 25/04/2018













*Joe has 8 points, not 10.


----------



## Corey

Marufuji winning B Block kinda blows. I was expecting Suwama or Zeus to win that to make the Final a little more unpredictable but oh well. Mean while if my calculations are correct Doering, Kento, Hino, and Shingo all have possible scenarios to win A Block. :mark:

My guess is Kento wins the block and then beats Marufuji to win it all because he surprisingly doesn't have a CC tourney win under his belt. Plus he's already taken enough losses to have plenty of challengers going forward and the match with Marufuji is probably the biggest draw they can put on paper.


----------



## MC

Yh, the finals is a bit more predictable now. However, I'm happy about it since Marufuji has been amazing this year (even if he hasn;t in the CC) and hopefully this leads to a potential Noah and All Japan friendship if there isn't one already. Given that Marufuji is the vice president of the company, it's very likely. 

I'd say Kento wins block A and beats Marufuji then maybe Kento has a match in Noah and loses to Marufuji there, giving his win back. Everyone wins. Maybe that's just wishful thinking.


----------



## komatsu_na

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/989264217458069504


----------



## Stinger Fan

Quick question, does anyone have AJPW TV streaming service? Is it any good? Quality okay? I only just heard about this and was wondering if it was worth getting


----------



## Corey

Stinger Fan said:


> Quick question, does anyone have AJPW TV streaming service? Is it any good? Quality okay? I only just heard about this and was wondering if it was worth getting


I'm a subscriber. Been very much worth it this month because of the Champion Carnival. Video quality is excellent. I've had very little problems with the streaming.


----------



## Stinger Fan

Corey said:


> I'm a subscriber. Been very much worth it this month because of the Champion Carnival. Video quality is excellent. I've had very little problems with the streaming.


Awesome, thanks for responding


----------



## Obfuscation

Not too keen on the Marufuji B Block win, too. Then again, it is Marufuji and yeah, had a lot of matches he wasn't going to lose. Zeus was the the better choice. They'll probably run the invader from a different promotion could win this tournament angle, and set him up against a home star like Kento or Doering. The scenario Corey pitched is spot on. Can easily see that happening.


----------



## HOJO

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/989503652040622081


----------



## MC

*Sendai Girls 19/04 Thoughts*  (Link included)

*Hana Kimura vs. Mika Iwata*
_This match was awesome. This is probably going to be slept on by a lot of people but it’s amazing. Some nice storytelling, tension filled, stiff, good call backs to their last match (which was just lower then this) and a bit emotional at the end. Personally, I love anyone who has great strikes and kicks and Iwata fits that. Her kicks were pinpoint lethal and dangerous. Great match. Great performance by both women. ******_

*Io Shirai vs Meiko Satomura*
_When you have two excellent wrestlers go one on one there can only be one result and they got it. What a match! Wow. I knew the result going in and I brought into every near fall, every big move, they suckered me in and that’s what I love most about wrestling matches. And the best part of the match is that they didn’t wrestle like they were going for a time limit draw, they brought it all and didn’t hold nothing back and it made for a exciting match. Pretty good start with Meiko Satomura schooling Io with her technical skilsls, trying to slow her down but through her drive, Io came back and made the match 50/50 throughout the rest of the match. Then after that the match just built and built and ending with an awesome finale that you can’t help but smile at. Crowd was great, the match was great and everything clicked. Awesome._ *****½ *

*Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Ayako Hamada*
_Another good match. Chihiro Hashimoto tried hard but Hamada overwhelmed her in the end. I was tired watching this so I don’t have much to say about the match other then it was a good match._ ****½ *


----------



## Obfuscation

Miyamoto doesn't have a chance in hell at retaining.

I learned to not bet against HARASHIMA long ago.


----------



## volde

Posted this in Okada thread, but this is relevant to this topic too I think:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/989451361573048320
A bit surprised that Wrestle-1 got decent showing here. And no AJPW guys 

Edit: another covering 11-20 places:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/989803796913061889


----------



## Obfuscation

Naito as number one by miles is as obvious as ever. Yet, somehow he's not their World Champion. Why is this an issue for companies circa 2018?

Jiro Kuroshio outranking Okada :banderas

Hana Kimura reking a non-listed Io Shirai, too. Excellent. She's actually only one vote away from tying Okada, too. ohhhh man.


----------



## MC

Not surprising at all. "Ikemen"!!!


----------



## volde

Added 11-20 to the previous post. Only LiJ dropping out of top 20 is Evil. A bit surprising I think that people like Bushi more than him.


----------



## MC

SANADA over Shibata :sodone


----------



## Obfuscation

EVIL right on the cusp. One entire faction nearly making a top 20 vote, nationwide. Says a lot.

Not too surprised about BUSHI. He's got tons of fans dressing like him in the crowds for each New Japan event.


----------



## volde

MC 16 said:


> SANADA over Shibata :sodone


To be honest I'm bit surprised that Shibata made the list in the first place. For all we know he is never coming back so might as well vote for Hashimoto or Misawa as your favourite wrestler.


----------



## Obfuscation

Or Liger. He's still around. :armfold


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Naito being #1 is only logical. Now if only he was IWGP champ. :armfold

Anyways, CIMA is returning to Dragon Gate on May 4th with 2 OWE students & 5 Dragon Gate wrestlers are gonna be competing in Hong Kong on July 31st. 

And Jae gave an interesting series of tweets the other day in regards to the upcoming King of Gate tournament & the amount of pressure on Kzy, Eita & Shun Skywalker: *


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/989373113925160960

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/989373517383680001

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/989373951338991617

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/989377105824641025


----------



## Corey

Couple Champion Carnival matches I never talked about:

Kento Miyahara vs. Joe Doering (2/22) - **** 3/4* (Joe was the fucking man in this. Way better than their title match and only went 13 minutes)

Jun Akiyama vs. Naomichi Marufuji (2/25) - **** 3/4* (Finally a show in Korakuen! :mark: Atmosphere and crowd were great. Akiyama completely obliterated him with offense and took him to school. Real good match with strong selling. Finish felt kinda weak though)

Doering/Nomura, Shingo/Shuji, and Kento/Hino tomorrow... then the Finals! :woo


----------



## Obfuscation

Kento vs HINO. :cozy

Hino wouldn't really think to target a limb w/his attack, so this should be exactly what it can be on paper. Whole lot of forces colliding.


----------



## Corey

Huge shows literally all across Japan today.

All Japan - Kento wins A Block and advances to the Finals against Marufuji tomorrow just as I expected

NOAH - Go Shiozaki & Kaito Kiyomiya won the GHC Tag Titles. Sugiura retained and Marufuji is his next challenger, signed for 5/29 in Korakuen. They drew 1,200 in Niigata.

DDT - Two new champions! HARASHIMA wins the Extreme Title (KUDO next challenger) and Irie actually beat Takeshita for the Openweight (Keisuke Ishii next challenger). Was anyone actually expecting that? They drew 1,200 in Korakuen while AJPW ran there as well.


----------



## MC

Heard today's All Japan Show was good, I'll have to watch it later. 


Anyway on to the better company, Pro Wrestling NOAH......Just me then :mj2


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/990557766761631744
Sugiura wins unsurprisingly against Kotoge. Hear that it was a bloody, stiff match which the crowds went crazy for. Sounds promising. 

Also, The Aggression lost the titles in, what I hear, another good match. Shame, loved their title reign but I also like what they are doing with GoKai. Aggression apparently turned heel afterwards as well which is interesting to hear. Nakajima as a vicious heel sounds amazing. :mark


----------



## Obfuscation

SHIGEHIRO IRIE 2x :mark: :mark:

lmao, called that HARASHIMA win.

Marufuji vs Kento. Eh, oh well. Hope for the best. 

NOAH crowds actually make noise? Color me shocked. Sugiura vs Marufuji....bleh. That'll probably be p. bad.

Irie getting it done, though. Cloud nine. It only took them FIVE YEARS to give it back, but we're there, and I'm gonna hope it lasts a good bit. Have to see the match vs Takeshita asap.


----------



## antoniomare007

The Carnival has been really fucking fun to watch. I can't help but compare it to the Strong Climb and both were dope tourneys to follow, CC had more strong matches but SC was easier to watch - way less matches - and was way more creative. It's been a good couple of months for the puro fan in me 


Kento getting to the Finals is meh, same with Maru. I mean, if Maru was getting to the last match I would've picked another winner for Block A and have the invader win to set up an interesting title match. Now even if Maru wins it's whatever imo, and I've never been a fan of the champ winning the annual singles tourney.

Good on Irie getting the strap on DDT. As much as I like Takeshita, he's been REALLY dissapointing as champion and he held for the belt way too fucking long to lackluster results. I hope he goes freelance for a while so he can continue to grow as a performer but it seems he's gonna be stuck in DDT and be a generic "go-go-go" type of wrestler. Hopefully I'm 100% wrong, I loved watching him in his first few years.

Big Boss Sugi being a draw for NOAH brings a tear to my eyes, I LOVED his first GHC Title reign but business went to the shitter with him headlining at the time.


----------



## HOJO

*DDT MAX BUMP 2018(April 29th, 2018)*

*Kota Umeda “Mad Dog” 7 Match Series – 1st Match: Kota Umeda Vs Go Shiozaki* **3/4 Good but not mind blowing, it was the opener afterall. Umeda's next challenge is Ryuji Ito in a Hardcore Match so Im fucking ready for that. I like the idea of him wrestling guys of different styles in this series, so I wonder who Umeda faces after he spills his blood for our respect. He will respect this Ito! Umeda's chest wasn't like YOH's after Hiromu tore it to shreds or even Takeshita after the Higuchi match but it looked like shit after this, and it's not arguably not even the worst bruising someone got on this show
*3 Way Tag Match: DAMNATION(Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo) Vs Jason Kincaid & Mizuki Watase Vs Tomomitsu Matsunaga & Shunma Katsumata* *3/4 Nothing really notable about it besides the gear on Irie's friends. I have no idea why Watase is in a suit and whatever the hell Kincaid is. Great sign of Irie and his friend he brought in to destroy DDT and whatever and he's almost begging for crowd support
*DDT Extreme Title – Regular Rules: Yuko Miyamoto (c) Vs HARASHIMA* ***1/2 A weaker match than I was anticipated but I still enjoyed what they did do. Speaking of bruising, that Somato by Yuko on HARASHIMA scared the shit out of me, I legit thought HARA was KO'd from that but his chin and neck was just bruised to fuck. Brutal. Also HARASHIMA has new long boyz and they're not really awful, so this match was a win. 
*KO-D Openweight Title: Konosuke Takeshita (c) Vs Shigehiro Irie* *


----------



## Obfuscation

Not even a comment. How expected. :lauren


----------



## HOJO

Basically it's a match where if you pretend the context doesn't exist or you don't know what it is it's not that bad but with it it sucks. If I did the former it wouldn't be that much better rated, HARASHIMA/Miyamoto was for sure a better match.

Mr. "I'm gonna destroy DDT" weeping after the match. It felt like any other guy just lining up to face Takeshita in the ring which is not what they(or I) thought they were booking


----------



## MC

https://www.reddit.com/r/ajpw/comments/8ftf2b/cc_spoilers_full_champion_carnival_final_card_has/

All Japan Super Power Series Cards (unfinished) included.




> Champion Carnival Day 15 - FINAL
> 
> Zeus, The Bodyguard, & Shingo Takagi vs. Jun Akiyama, Joe Doering, & Yuji Hino


:done SHOW....ME.....POWER


----------



## HOJO

That's a lot of power in there


----------



## Obfuscation

Shingo might be a powerhouse in the world of Dragon Gate, but now he's stacking up next to MONSTERS.

Joyous times ahead for the Hino vs Zeus interactions. If there is any. Oh, please let there be those two smashing into each other.


----------



## Flowsion

I don't know what they are doing with the K-OD title it's my first year of DDT, maybe it's just me, but like HOJO said in the Main Event i don't know who the crowd should've cheered, Irie is not a good heel but at the same time they are not even booking him as a heel anymore, despite he's saying he wants to destroy DDT. The match was meh, had a good last stretch, but before that they were just trading moves. I think I even liked Akito/Irie better as a pure wrestling match, and i love Takeshita. 

I liked a lot Miyamoto/HARASHIMA, I would say *** 3/4.


----------



## MC

Marufuji has won the Champion Carnival with the Emerald Flowsion


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/990922715405090816


----------



## CENAS HEEL TURN

AJPW Champion Carnival final was so damn good.


----------



## Corey

I made the mistake of unsubscribing to AJPW TV last night just to ensure I wouldn't get charged again on the 1st. Turns out they literally cancel your subscription on the spot. :lol Looks like I won't be watching the final immediately as I'd hoped.

Shingo vs. Shuji ishikawa - **** 3/4*
Kento Miyahara vs. Yuji Hino - **** 3/4*

Two totally different matches pacing but I really enjoyed both. Shingo/Shuji was really close to breaing that 4* mark.


MC 16 said:


> Marufuji has won the Champion Carnival with the Emerald Flowsion
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/990922715405090816


Well that's pretty damn disappointing. Also, what the hell was the point then?


----------



## antoniomare007

Now it's even weirder booking by Jun :lmao


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> I made the mistake of unsubscribing to AJPW TV last night just to ensure I wouldn't get charged again on the 1st. Turns out they literally cancel your subscription on the spot. :lol Looks like I won't be watching the final immediately as I'd hoped.
> 
> Shingo vs. Shuji ishikawa - **** 3/4*
> Kento Miyahara vs. Yuji Hino - **** 3/4*
> 
> Two totally different matches pacing but I really enjoyed both. Shingo/Shuji was really close to breaing that 4* mark.
> 
> Well that's pretty damn disappointing. Also, what the hell was the point then?


I agree but I think this is more about All Japan mending their relationship with NOAH then anything else. They will no doubt have a rematch but I can see it happening at NOAH's Sumo Hall Show around September with Kento beating him. But like you said, disappointing. They could've and should've done a finals with Kento winning. Pure speculation on my part but I do see others who think the same. Either way, they got great business at the moment and I don't think Marfuji winning will affect that negatively at all.


----------



## antoniomare007

I'm not even sure why All Japan would need to amend it's relationship with NOAH to the point of giving an invader the CC with no real payoff for AJPW. I'm sure there's other ways of working stuff up than making your biggest tournament - and likely the most successful in years, though I'm just going by perception - meaningless.


----------



## Obfuscation

Well, this is all deflating.

Mr. Diagonal rope runs wins and doesn't even opt for the payoff. (as it stands)

At least the road to the irrelevance was a lot of fun.


----------



## The Nuke

I thought it was great match, and a fine winner. I wanted Kento to win simply because I think it would have been cool for the champ to win.

That being said the AJPW and Noah story they told using Marufuji worked. You can’t bitch that an outsider won since an outsider won the past 3 Carnivals. 

Why see the rematch for the triple crown in a month when you can wait till The sumo hall show and get a possible sell out crowd and have all that built up history for a possible champ vs champ match where Kento will get the win back and both companies will be even.

Remember Kento still has possible Shingo and Doering defenses. 

Perhaps it’s just the perspective given that this probably means a lot more to the Japanese crowds than it does to us foreign watchers who aren’t going to be as emotionally involved In the story of two companies telling a story where they can finally be at peace with one another.

How fitting that this happens right when Baba’s wife dies.


----------



## Obfuscation

If none of us fans were as emotionally involved, none of us would bother to watch any of these promotions.


----------



## Flowsion

I get the points made here, but i'm not that negative about it, we will have Kento vs Shingo maybe Joe again or Zues, i could see Jake Lee too in the next couple of months, which is awesome, so you can stretch it until September and if Maru wins have the big TC vs GHC at Sumo Hall, that's not a bad payoff for all of this. Having said that i'm not in love with another outsider winning it all I preferred Mihayara too i just don't think it's all pointless now.


----------



## Corey

Zeus, Doering, and Shingo all have pinfall victories on Kento within the past month so I hope they do the defenses in the order of Shingo, Joe, and then maybe FINALLY have Zeus win the belt.

If Marufuji doesn't even want the title shot then this 100% seems pointless to me. An outsider won it for the 3rd year in a row now (Shuji at least became a regular). It would've made way more sense to have Kento win and then still have Marufuji say the same stuff he said. Kento could've came to NOAH down the line for a GHC Title shot if Marufuji won the belt or something. That way they return the business. It's whatevs though. Decision is made. There's been some real weird ones with All Japan lately.


----------



## Obfuscation

Pulling the trigger on Zeus would be a preferred move. Finally giving it to him after he's been a credible challenger who's gotten close on a couple of occasions +, and more importantly, got himself over big w/the fans. He could roll as champion on paper. Defeating Kento is an ideal situation, too.


----------



## Flowsion

Corey said:


> Zeus, Doering, and Shingo all have pinfall victories on Kento within the past month so I hope they do the defenses in the order of Shingo, Joe, and then maybe FINALLY have Zeus win the belt.
> 
> If Marufuji doesn't even want the title shot then this 100% seems pointless to me. An outsider won it for the 3rd year in a row now (Shuji at least became a regular). It would've made way more sense to have Kento win and then still have Marufuji say the same stuff he said. Kento could've came to NOAH down the line for a GHC Title shot if Marufuji won the belt or something. That way they return the business. It's whatevs though. Decision is made. There's been some real weird ones with All Japan lately.


Yeah i don't disagree, if it was for me Joe would still be champion and Kento would have won the CC, and let's not talk about the booking of the tag division, Gedo is a God of tag team booking compared to that 

I don't love Zeus like others, he's good but i don't get all the hype, but sure I think it's time too see if he sink or swim, a title win in Osaka would tore the roof off


----------



## Corey

Flowsion said:


> Yeah i don't disagree, if it was for me Joe would still be champion and Kento would have won the CC, and let's not talk about the booking of the tag division, Gedo is a God of tag team booking compared to that
> 
> I don't love Zeus like others, he's good but i don't get all the hype, but sure I think it's time too see if he sink or swim, a title win in Osaka would tore the roof off


I don't necessarily _love_ Zeus but I think he definitely deserves a run with the belt. He reminds me so much of Batista. Both in look, over-ness, and the fact that he's not the most polished worker in the world. 

Him finally beating Kento would make it all come full circle. Zeus is that one that Kento defeated to win the vacant title which started his record setting reign. I've been waiting for him to beat him ever since that day...


----------



## antoniomare007

Just to make it clear, I have no issue with an outsider winning the CC again. I'm not even against Maru winning it. But booking your newly crowned champion in the finals, to then lose it to the outsider with no real payoff in sight - there's more than 4 months left till the Sumo Hall show - is a weird ass decision. It would've made more sense to me if Naomichi won against anyone but Kento.

And we gotta stop pretending like NOAH is anything more than a glorified indy at this point. A GHC vs TC title match isn't that much bigger than a Z1 WHC vs TC match or even a Strong Heavyweight vs TC match. Like, Maru just challenging for All Japan's main title holds as much weight as him coming into the match as the GHC. And again, it's not like All Japan needs to do NOAH any favors. Good on them I guess but still, it feels weird. 

As Corey said though, "weird" is THE word to describe Jun's booking in the last 6 months or so.


----------



## volde

Okay, here is one weird thing going on with this thing. If indeed this leads to a champ vs champ rematch on big NOAH show... would it make sense to have a match for AJPW title on NOAH show? Wouldn't this thing be marketed as a... unification match? Because well, I don't see it being a big draw otherwise, all things considered.

Or maybe it doesn't lead to anything and this was a big waste of time.


----------



## Desecrated

Marufuji vs Kento for the TC on May 24th. Fears may have been premature.


----------



## CENAS HEEL TURN

Marufuji has said he wants to the second person to hold the quadruple crown (well, Kojima held both Triple Crown and IWGP title)


----------



## Corey

Desecrated said:


> Marufuji vs Kento for the TC on May 24th. Fears may have been premature.


What the hell. :lol WEIRD. Fingers crossed this odd booking doesn't continue and Marufuji doesn't actually win the title...

Ryoji Sai & Dylan James vs. TAJIRI & KAI for the Tag Titles on June 3rd as well.


----------



## antoniomare007

EDIT: missed this last page with the news.

So, at the end the day, no weirdness at all. Just typical outsider booking that makes sense.


----------



## MC

Thank god, that would've been a bad decision by All Japan. I'm fine with this. The finals was amazing, looking forward to the rematch


----------



## Obfuscation

And things get set to normal, just like that. Alrighty then. Kento _should_ win this to get his big victory and move onto the other in-house challengers. I hope.

Tajiri & KAI for tag champions, plz. :mark: Sai has a singles championship that he can focus on instead; lets fix the Tag Championship scenario and move forward.


----------



## Genking48

Dragon Gate is using Shingo's participation in the CC and twitter to set up his future program.

_From Jae:_


> Interesting thread going on Takagi’s Twitter.
> He’s usually all banter and complaining.
> 
> Today he thanked everyone for their support and praise during the CC.
> 
> He followed up by saying anyone who wants to see matches like that shouldn’t come to a DG show.
> 
> Of course, he got lit up with if you don’t like you should go somewhere else comments.
> 
> He replied that you shouldn’t be mad at him, but mad at the others. If they aren’t fighting with purpose, there can only be stagnation.
> 
> He also wondered if there was any promotion that would put up with his bullshit.
> 
> His complaint is, he doesn’t feel anything from the new generation. He wants a clash of ideals, to fight for whose ideology is the right one.
> 
> He also said he has grown to love DG in his 14 years of service and his goal is to reform it.
> 
> He’s been extra obnoxious since the fans rejected his barbed wire match.
> 
> _YAMATO with a reply now._
> Says when he has wrestled elsewhere it has just made him appreciate DG more.
> But, maybe Takagi has a complex and wrestling giants is therapeutic.
> They became wrestlers for a reason. Careers and life are short so you should do it without regret.


----------



## Adam Cool

I would like to know more about Jiro Kuroshio given that he was placed in 3rd place in a Japanese popularity Poll this year surpassing even Okada 

is he good?


----------



## HOJO

Adam Cool said:


> I would like to know more about Jiro Kuroshio given that he was placed in 3rd place in a Japanese popularity Poll this year surpassing even Okada
> 
> is he good?


He is good, but "good" the most praise I can throw at him.


----------



## CENAS HEEL TURN

Jiro Kuroshio


----------



## Obfuscation

Jiro weaves the jacket into the fabric of every one of his matches. It's something to behold.

Check out some of his stuff, see if you dig him. Same ol scenario to form the opinion needed.


----------



## Corey

Did that Mochizuki vs. Big R Shimizu Dream Gate Title match ever make tape? Happened back on March 21st.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

Corey said:


> Did that Mochizuki vs. Big R Shimizu Dream Gate Title match ever make tape? Happened back on March 21st.


*The match was taped, but because it was a Memorial Gate in Wakayama show, it's not gonna be released until June/July on DVD. With the Dragon Gate Network it may also pop up there, but either way, it's gonna be some time before it comes out.*


----------



## Obfuscation

As long as it does, and gets put online, I can play the waiting game. Two of the more worthwhile roster members from Dragon Gate.


----------



## MC

I hope it gets released, that sound amazing.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Introducing the newest Dragon Gate unit: *










*Natural Vibes. Obviously a Rasta-themed unit & their entrance includes rapping & a Do Fixer-esque dance number from all 5 guys. The crowd at KBS Hall fucking loved it.

This group also marks the first time (outside of a few matches where he hulked up) that Genki Horiguchi has gone shirtless.*


----------



## antoniomare007

Booked for the Big Japan's next Korakuen show

*BJW, 5/13/2018 [Sun] 11:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*
6) Hideki Suzuki & Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe

:mark:


----------



## Obfuscation

Natural Vibes :lmao

Not gaga about the identity of the unit on paper in it helping Kzy keep up w/his rise, but maybe that's the key, he'll just keep doing what he's always done and now it finally has clicked in the wake of Tozawa being gone and he's the one to step up to fill the void.

---------

If this Sekimoto & Suzuki duo keeps up, even w/the looming Strong Championship match upcoming, I'd love this to be the next natural equivalent to follow Twin Towers.


----------



## Genking48

The crowd fucking love dancing gimmicks. Hell, I loved their entrance, shit was dope.


----------



## Corey

NOAH was able to draw 1,050 people today in Korakuen for a show with no title matches. Good for them. (Y)


----------



## MC

^ Awesome news!!

Another NOAH show that is getting big praise. The Hardcore match with Hi69 and Daisuke Harada is receiving big plaudits. Also from the show, Katsuhiko Nakajima took on Kaito Kiyomiya. Poor Kaito. And the main event was Takashi Sugiura, Kenoh and Masa Kitamiya vs Naomichi Marufuji, Go Shiozaki and Atsushi Kotoge. Promising stuff. Can't wait for that Nakajima/Kaito match to be released online.


----------



## Obfuscation

NOAH drawing 1000+. Sounds good. Just hope they're vocal and give the matches some heat.


----------



## HOJO

*TJPW YES! WONDERLAND 2018~BREAK MYSELF~(5/3/18)*

*Maki Ito Vs Riho* ***
_A good, extended squash. Once again, the Somatou is there to crush all hopes and dreams. Turns out in ring experience means more than failing to get fired at an escort club afterall. Mizuki & ito reassuring their friendship after the match was great and I smiled from ear to ear. What a wonderful gift Ito is._

*Dead of Alive(Maho Kurone & Su Yung) Vs Miraclianz(Shoko Nakajima & Yuka Sakazaki)* *3/4
_Su sucks but I was at least thinking positive about the visual of these 2 but that ended up being pretty weak. She tries way too hard to try and look threatening which is what kills the persona for me, didn't help where she was. I can't believe she still does that turnbuckle spider thing though, the least she can do is speed it up._

*Falls Count Anywhere Match: Hyper Misao Vs Jun Kasai* ****1/4
_Between the blog, actually locking her hands when she does a goddamn Chickenwing and this match, Misao is one of my favorites in the promotion now. The Street Wrestling callbacks were great and Misao took a real beating. Great comedy and fun action throughout the entire thing. My Hero!_

*TOKYO Princess Tag Team Titles: NEO Biishiki-gun(Saki-sama & Azusa Christie) (c) Vs Reika Saiki & Marika Kobashi* **1/4
_This was a big disappointment. I can't really blame one specific party for what happened here but it was going fine then it started falling apart. The finish was legit out of nowhere which, while it fits the story and I totally understand, was done in very weak fashion. Not much new was seen here from Kobashi either but at least she stuck to what she needed to stick to unlike that bitch Irie._

*TOKYO Princess Of Princess Title: Miyu Yamashita (c) Vs Rika Tatsumi* ****1/4
_Being honest, I had great investment into this match going in. It's been a while since I felt what I felt after the finish :mj2. Rika's leg work was so damn good and Yamashita did a really good job selling all of it, their submissions looked great, and the drama was well done. _

Overall I say this was a great show. This show had the action, the humor, the drama and the emotion and it was blended so well despite some hiccups during it. Not even DDT shows are like this anymore. It's a better wrestling product, but TJPW has everything else that it feels like DDT is missing. With the Princess Cup Tournament coming up, I wonder what the next Korakuen show in August is gonna look like. What guests may appear, where the newer girls might be.


----------



## MC

^^^ The main event was really, really good. Normally the good matches are ***-***1/4 level but this was MOTYC worthy or just below it. 





Spoiler: BJW Spoilers





__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/992695116551938048%5BTWEET%5D[/TWEET]

Hideki and Sekimoto go to a draw :wow


----------



## Genking48

The highlight of every year is coming, Dragon Gate's Dead or Alive show is never one that you want to miss. Tomorrow at 4PM it goes down



> *Hair vs. Hair Steel Cage Survival Seven Way Match*
> Punch Tominaga vs. Ryo Saito vs. YAMATO vs. Masaaki Mochizuki vs. El Lindaman vs. Shingo Takagi vs. Yasushi Kanda
> 
> *Rules:*
> - The match will begin with all 7 fighters inside the cage and five flags placed at the top. After 10 minutes have elapsed, all participants may begin to attempt to escape by retrieving a flags. The match will proceed under until all 5 flags have been pulled.
> - The remaining two fighters will then compete in a singles match with a 5 minute time limit. The loser of the match will have their head shaved. If there is not a winner after the time limit expires, both competitors will have their head shaved.
> - Each respective unit will be given an opportunity to Assist & Impede during the match to their own liking, whether it be to prevent an escape or provide assistance to a fighter inside the cage.
> - After escaping the cage becomes possible at the 10 minute mark, units will begin to rotate through 5 minute intervals where they can disrupt the match. Each unit will only get one interval and the match can end before all of them have finished.
> - The Assist & Impede order is as follows:
> ①Antias (10-15)
> ②Independent (15-20)
> ③MaxiMuM (20-25)
> ④Natural Vibes (25-30)
> ⑤Over Generation (30-35)
> ⑥Tribe Vanguard (35-40)
> - Additionally, as a condition for participating in the match Shingo Takagi has demanded the right to be able to vacate the Open the Owarai Gate championship. He will be permitted to do so, provided he escapes from the cage.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Open The Triangle Gate Title Match*
> *MaxiMuM* (Jason Lee, Masato Yoshino & Naruki Doi) (c) vs.* Natural Vibes* (Kzy, Genki Horiguchi & Susumu Yokosuka)
> 
> Natural Vibes will look to take the symbol of unit dominance, the Open the Triangle Gate championship from MaxiMum.
> 
> Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, & Jason Lee will also be going for their 3 defense against Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka, & Genki Horiguchi
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Open The Brave Gate Title Match*
> Dragon Kid (c) vs. Yosuke Santa Maria
> 
> Dragon Kid makes his first defense of the Open the Brave Gate championship against Yosuke♡Santa Maria
> 
> Maria has promised that with just one kiss will take away both his breath and his title.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Open The Twin Gate Title Match*
> *ANTIAS* (Eita & T-Hawk) (c) vs. *MaxiMuM* (Big R Shimizu & Ben-K)
> 
> T-Hawk & Eita will attempt to make their 3rd defense of the Open the Twin Gate championship against the Big Ben duo of Big R Shimizu & Ben-K


Thanks to the English DG twitter at @DragonGateEN, you can catch the even on the Dragon Gate network at dragongate.live


----------



## Corey

Is BJW's booking going in reverse? Suzuki/Sekimoto went to a 30 minute draw last year.


----------



## antoniomare007

Another draw is weird, and it pretty much was a set up for the tag match at Korakuen in 2 weeks. At least Nomura is in the middle of it all.


----------



## Corey

I don't regularly follow Dragon Gate but that Dead or Alive card looks fucking phenomenal. Hope they draw a big house for it.


----------



## Desecrated

As I have a NJPWorld sub on the run, going to throw in a review in between procrastinating on uni work.

Tomohiro Ishii vs Hiroshi Tanahashi G1 Climax 23 - Day 2

Fucking hell was this lit. The arrogance of Tanahashi gets chewed on by the Stone Pitbull in a 'break-out' match for Ishii. A lightning tempo, the classic never-slow-down style that became the NEVER O/W staple, meets with the flair of Tanahashi & the bite of Ishii. Tanahashi can't keep down Ishii, and slowly realises he's in the ring with a tough dog. Throughout the match, Ishii breaks down Tanahashi's neck to set up for what might be one of the more vicious brainbuster finishes I've seen. Few better way to spend what was about 18 minutes.


----------



## MC

That Dead or Alive card :banderas El Lindaman is losing his hair, isn't he?


----------



## Obfuscation

Shingo is gonna have to endure getting a haircut. World's gonna change. Card is fine. Sure it'll provide what Dragon Gate usually supplies.

The steps are moving closer to this Suzuki & Sekimoto team. Latter can be the only guy Suzuki doesn't feel is trash from the roster and there we go. Tag match upcoming getting even better.


----------



## Flowsion

The DDT Maji Manji show on the 8th looks good, with Higuchi vs Yuki Ueno and especially Endo vs HARASHIMA. This little thing is becoming my favorite weekly show.


----------



## Genking48

Another Deead or Alive has been held, which means *RESULTS!* Thanks to the official Dragon Gate English twitter, Iheartdg.com, Jae for the results and translations of the promos.



Spoiler: since the show just finished today I will throw spoiler tags on this one for the people that might still want to watch and not be spoiled






> *05/06/2018
> Aichi, Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
> Dead or Alive 2018*
> 
> *1. *Gamma, Problem Dragon, Kaito Ishida, Shun Skywalker*O*(11:13 Skywalker Moonsault) BxB Hulk, U-T, Hyo Watanabe, Yuki Yoshioka*X*
> *2. *K-ness., Don Fujii*O* (7:34 Pinned after failed German Suplex Hold) “ Hollywood” Stalker Ichikawa*X*, Shachihoko Boy
> *3. *Takashi Yoshida*O* (7:34 Cyber Bomb) Kagetora*X*
> *4. Open the Brave Gate Championship Match:* Dragon Kid*O* (13:11 Bible) Yosuke♡Santa Maria*X*
> _★1st Defense_
> *5. Open the Twin Gate Championship Match:* Big R Shimizu, Ben-K*O* (18:31 Shot-put Spear) T-Hawk*X*, Eita
> _★Antias fail in their 3rd Defense, Big Ben become the 42nd Champion team_
> *6. Open the Triangle Gate Championship Match:* Kzy*O*, Genki Horiguchi, Susumu Yokosuka (17:31 Skayde Schoolboy) Naruki Doi*X*, Masato Yoshino, Jason Lee
> _★MaxiMuM fail in their 3rd defense, Natural Vibes become the 63rd champion team_
> *7. Cabellera contra Cabellera Steel Cage Survival 7 Way Match:* Masaaki Mochizuki vs. YAMATO vs. Ryo Saito vs. Punch Tominaga vs. El Lindaman vs. Shingo Takagi vs. Yasushi Kanda
> ①Lindaman
> ②Tominaga
> ③Mochizuki
> ④Kanda
> ⑤YAMATO
> ⑥Takagi (4:59 Last Falconry) Saito
> 
> Yoshida heaped some praise on Kagetora. What an exciting match they had. It helped him better understand him. He knows that he wants to join Antias. He took the barely conscious Kagetora backstage. He appeared with them during the Antias interval during the cage match and helped Lindaman escape. However, in the final stages he ripped off the Antias shirt to reveal a Tribe Vanguard shirt. He joined forces with them to assist YAMATO in his escape.
> 
> It came down to Takagi vs. Saito, and Takagi won with 1 second remaining.
> 
> Takagi took over the ring. Mochizuki, Punch, & YAMATO don’t deserve to participate in the haircut. Antias would take all of his hair for themselves. He demanded Saito sit and take his haircut like the loser he is. He destroyed the Owarai Gate title. This is the new reality. A perfect ending to the Golden Week holiday. At the beginning of the year, he ceded control of Antias to the young trio. Lindaman ran from the cage like a coward, while Eita & T-Hawk lost to a pig and gorilla. Takagi was taking that control back from them right here and now. If they don’t like it, there is the door. The only way to the top is his way so that is how things are going to be. Deal with it. As for Nagoya, their food sucks and their women are ugly so he was getting out of this miserable town. They should all go home too.
> 
> Fujii & K-ness. assisted Saito. He apologized. He wasn’t going to make excuses. He lost. He is the one that picked the fight with Takagi and he knew what he was getting into. He wasn’t going to let the fans end their Golden Week on a sour note so he wanted to lighten the mood up before they went home. He noticed the destroyed Owarai Gate. It’s ok. It only cost ¥3000. He was thankful for the help from K-ness., Fujii, and the other unaffiliated wrestlers that helped him out today. It reminded him of how much of an asset units can be. He’s been on his own since the Jimmyz ended. He’s team up with a few others here and there but he hasn’t really formed any bonds with anyone. Kzy has started Natural Vibes. They look like they have worked hard on their dance routine and there is no spot in the formation for him. He’s been loosely aligned with YAMATO for the sake of this match, but Kagetora swooped in and took the spot in Tribe Vanguard from under him. DoiYoshiJason have been a big hit for MaxiMuM. Maybe he can join and make BigBenRyo….nah. As for Over Generation. He just can’t get along with Dragon Kid. Antias isn’t even an option, of course. He called K-ness. & Fujii to the center. They tried out a pose and he liked how it felt. He asked them if they were up for making a team that ensures that fun and lighthearted wrestling remains a fixture in Dragon Gate. He lost his hair today, but King of Gate starts in two days and he isn’t out of chances. He asked the fans to have a safe trip home, a nice end to their GW vacation, and to come back and see DG again soon.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: pics


Man oh man what a show. The last four matches were great. But I thought match 2 was an alright comedy match. Digging Natural Vibes and their dance routine, though a Jae pointed out they might needs to have some girls dance with them, otherwise it's just a bunch of middle-aged dudes :lol

Keep your 1 hour matches, your 1:30 hour matches, 2 hour matches. I'll take those 5 minutes of Takagi/Saito any day of the week, shit was fucking hype.

The result of the main event did not make much sense to me when I watched it, but I guess that if you take what comes below into consideration it makes more sense I guess :shrug

T-Hawk and Lindaman are going to Australia this month, T-Hawk will then be following CIMA to China and work with the OWE guys, so don't expect to see them for some time.


----------



## MC

Shingo's promo :lmao

The main event was amazing, so was the show imo. Those last 5 minutes was something to behold.


----------



## Obfuscation

Spoiler: Dead or Alive



Everything looks to have gone as expected. Kzy scoring the fall in the Triangle Gate match says it all.

Almost called Shingo losing the hair, but beating Saito at the end proved to be the push towards that I was hoping would happen. Destroyed the Owarai Championship, awesome. Didn't quite expect him to take back ANTIAS, though. Figured he was gonna split and something else would spawn from that. Forgot about T-Hawk going w/CIMA to China, so taking back the reigns for Shingo makes all the sense in the world. He's "back" and that's what I'm into.

Saito, Fujii, & K-Ness unit tease, eh? I'm down for that.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Shingo with another amazing promo and another amazing finishing sequence. Truly one of if not the best wrestlers alive today. He has it all and the best mullet in the history of the sport to go along with it.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Well, this is big:*



> Fans, friends, and everyone
> 
> Today we would like to make several announcements.
> 
> Dragon Gate President Takashi Okamura is stepping down from his position due to illness.
> Domestic operations will continue under a new company+ Dragon Gate Entertainment, Inc. Dragon Gate Senior Management member Toru Kido will lead Dragon Gate Entertainment operations.
> 
> Nobuhiko Oshima (CIMA) will assume the role of president for Dragon Gate Inc. This branch will focus on Shanghai, China. T-Hawk, El Lindaman, & Takehiro Yamamura will be Dragon Gate Inc. roster members and will compete for the Shanghai based OWE promotion. While this will decrease their appearances in Japan, we hope fans will continue to support their efforts while they undertake this new challenge.
> 
> We would like to thank fans for their continued support and ask for their understanding during this transition.
> 
> Dragon Gate Inc.
> Dragon Gate Entertainment Inc.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/DragonGateEN/posts/1643258282456107


----------



## Genking48

That's crazy news. I'll miss seeing CIMA regularly, I'll miss T-Hawk (and people meme'ing about T-Hawk). Fuck Lindaman :smugcena


----------



## MC

No El Lindaman for a while?


----------



## Desecrated

I felt Kojima vs Okada 29/09/2013 (Destruction in Kobe) was a very similar match to Tanahashi vs Okada from Dontaku. IIRC, it was Kojima's final match for the IWGP Heavyweight belt, finishes with a single Rainmaker. Crowd unified behind Kojima, some great moments from Koji such as the Mongolian Chops and the wrestling was really great. ****1/4.

It also made me think that around this time, Kojima was around 42 years old. Same age as Tanahashi, same ending (single Rainmaker). Interesting to reflect on.


----------



## Genking48

MC 16 said:


> No El Lindaman for a while?


Jae says not to expect them back exept for the odd show, like CIMA. They are basically OWE wrestlers now.

They all got twitter accounts as well:
https://twitter.com/OWE_Yamamura_jp
https://twitter.com/LIndamanowe
https://twitter.com/owethawk


----------



## komatsu_na

The dream of seeing T-Hawku as the Okada of DG has been dashed.


----------



## Obfuscation

T-Hawk & Lindaman out is a bummer. I can do w/never seeing CIMA again.

I wasn't too gung ho about Okada vs Kojima from Destruction 2013. Their sprint on the final night of the Climax a month prior was always the better match, in my eyes. Wouldn't deny wanting to revisit and see what comes of the time away. Was glad Kojima was given the opportunity. On the whole though, Destruction 2013 was the Naito vs Tanaka show. Adore their trilogy that year.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/993685664565608448
*Fucking wonderful news.*


----------



## Obfuscation

Feeling the urge to run through Liger's Pro Wrestling NOAH excursions. w/the heavy temptation to go through his tear w/Tiger Mask as the surly Junior Tag Team Champion invaders first. Brilliant stuff, Liger as a total dick is the tops.


----------



## Flowsion

Spoiler: DDT Spoiler





__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/993818537906065408
Takao joined DAMNATION

Also Masato Tanaka vs Umeda announced for the 6/12 show


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/993721830027378688

Minrou Suzuki vs Kazuchika Okada for Suzuki's 30th Anniversary Show on the 23rd of June!!! :mark


----------



## Corey

MC 16 said:


> Minrou Suzuki vs Kazuchika Okada for Suzuki's 30th Anniversary Show on the 23rd of June!!! :mark


What company is hosting this? Or is it just a freelance event? God I would love to see Suzuki finally beat him. :lol


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> What company is hosting this? Or is it just a freelance event? God I would love to see Suzuki finally beat him. :lol


Freelance event, I assume. Which hopefully means loads of the other companies will be there as well.


----------



## volde

30 minutes, might be a draw?


----------



## Obfuscation

Well, if Okada isn't IWGP World Champion by then, that's the only way Suzuki has a chance at going over. If not, then nope. Can't see Gedo allowing that. Not like I see Okada losing in any way, shape, or form, tbf.



Flowsion said:


> Spoiler: DDT Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/993818537906065408
> Takao joined DAMNATION
> 
> Also Masato Tanaka vs Umeda announced for the 6/12 show





Spoiler: DDT



Team Dream Futures feeling like such a long time ago looking at things within DDT. 

Dunno if they'll pull the trigger in letting Takao defeat HARASHIMA for the Extreme Championship going forward. b/c, that has to be an instant match right off the bat.


----------



## Corey

Watched Suzuki/Sekimoto from Endless Survivor. I've loved every match I've seen between these two (including their 30 minute draw last year) but this one did absolutely nothing for me. I like how well BJW portrays the struggle but the first 20 minutes offered nothing significant and it took them until the last 5 to show any urgency whatsoever. Thought it was weird that Sekimoto never continued to work the leg after gaining the advantage with it. Had a couple good moments but overall a disappointing match for me. :$


----------



## TNAmarkFromIndia

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/994518957687123969


----------



## Obfuscation

I feel like there's a thin line between great PowerPoint presentations to explain a game-plan for a match & wrestling inside of an apartment complex to showering a Ladder w/streamers as it "retires". I dunno, but that's just me.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/994720813227143168
:lauren 

I don't even know what to say. On paper, it sounds like an awful idea. Hope it's not an impulse reaction to Go vs Nakajima bombing recently.


----------



## Obfuscation

I'd laugh, but I just kind of feel bad at this point.


----------



## Corey

Don't even see the point in paying for _anything_ if you're gonna show up 3 hours after the damn opening bell. 

But yeah that's an absolutely awful idea.


----------



## antoniomare007

I mean, people were celebrating them barely getting 1k at Korakuen. Desperate times...


----------



## volde

Really weird thing. NOAH on its last legs?


----------



## Obfuscation

Dunno about "last legs" per say, but they've been on the desperate end of business for a number of years. It's why New Japan was doing business w/them for a spell, then once that ended the way it did, NOAH was attempting a rebirth phase, but has struggled to make any significant steady growth come of it.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/995616353951404032
New Japan has a new president. :wow


----------



## antoniomare007

Baby Nomura is challenging Hideki for the Strong title, the match will most likely happen on 6/20 at Korakuen.


----------



## SWITCHBLADE

I'll be surprised if Dragon Gate's Dead or Alive doesn't end up being one of the Top 10 best shows of 2018. Top to bottom a fantastic show!


----------



## Desecrated

Kobashi & Tsuruta vs Tenryu and Hansen - July 15 89

What a great fun match. All Japan's match style can be a bit hard for me to break down (due to lack of familiarity) but I enjoyed everything in this. Tsuruta having the advantage over Tenryu, Tenryu needing to pick his battles with the young prodigy Kobashi in order to get himself into the fight. And then there's Hansen just throwing his meaty paws at everyone he can. Kobashi bumped really well for everyone, got the crowd digging into him. Great, great. Need to watch some more of this to get a feel for the style. May try Tenryu/Kawada vs Hansen/Gordy if I get some time tomorrow.


----------



## Obfuscation

Here's hoping a Gaijin Japanese resident now sitting atop New Japan as president doesn't go along w/the casual Western-izing of the promotion. That's all I could worry about.



antoniomare007 said:


> Baby Nomura is challenging Hideki for the Strong title, the match will most likely happen on 6/20 at Korakuen.


Damn, this is something. Suzuki pinned him in the tag and he STILL challenged him to a singles match for the championship. Already glad Suzuki is back on top.

Takeda is gonna defend the Deathmatch Championship vs Kodaka on the same 6/20 event. Big stuff all around.


----------



## Flowsion

SWITCHBLADE said:


> I'll be surprised if Dragon Gate's Dead or Alive doesn't end up being one of the Top 10 best shows of 2018. Top to bottom a fantastic show!


How good was that Triangle Gate match? I loved it, Kzy growth is a joy to see


----------



## antoniomare007

Obfuscation said:


> Damn, this is something. Suzuki pinned him in the tag and he STILL challenged him to a singles match for the championship. Already glad Suzuki is back on top.
> 
> Takeda is gonna defend the Deathmatch Championship vs Kodaka on the same 6/20 event. Big stuff all around.


Were you able to catch up on the Strong Climb tournament, what were your thoughts on it?


----------



## Genking48

Flowsion said:


> How good was that Triangle Gate match? I loved it, Kzy growth is a joy to see


Was pretty good. Their entrance is fucking awesome. Jason Lee keeps impressing me everytime I watch a match of his.


----------



## MC

Another Fortune Dream 5 Match announced


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/996005788891021312

Looks pretty good to me.


----------



## Obfuscation

Kobashi going ham again.

YUJI HINO. ZEUS. GO. All on one team. vs Kohei Sato, Nakajima, & chunky Saito. Sheeeeeesh. Violent Dream indeed.

Meiko Satomura vs Io Shirai vs Hiroyo Matsumoto three way match is here & Takuya Nomura & Kaito Kitamiya will be on opposite sides in a tag match, too.



antoniomare007 said:


> Were you able to catch up on the Strong Climb tournament, what were your thoughts on it?


I'm on the semi-finals/finals atm. Which _should_ be watched today. As for the rest of it, been enjoying it. Between K-Hash back in the fold, always loving Sekimoto/Hideki, and embracing new guns like Nomura rising up fast & Yasufumi fitting like a glove since joining Big Japan, it's been what I had hoped. Even if some feel the division may be spinning its wheels a tad; I like the bit of a "hard reset" in going back to Hideki, and seeing if there can be another time for Daichi down the line.


----------



## DELITE

*Zack Sabre Jr. matches in NOAH*

Hello guys, this isn't NJPW thing but I think it is best place for this question. Are there any ZSJ matches in NOAH that you recommended me to watch?


----------



## Reil

Ayako Hamada's career in pro wrestling may as well be done.

http://squaredcirclesirens.com/ayako-hamada-arrested-contract-with-wave-terminated/

This is just after she won the Sendai Girls title as well. Apparently she was caught with meth, and Japan has significantly harsher drug laws than the US.


----------



## MC

Jeez. Yeah, her career is practically over. No company is going to trust her or give her a chance after this.


----------



## Flik

*Re: Zack Sabre Jr. matches in NOAH*



DELITE said:


> Hello guys, this isn't NJPW thing but I think it is best place for this question. Are there any ZSJ matches in NOAH that you recommended me to watch?


I remember seeing a pretty good one against Daisuke Harada.


----------



## MC

*Re: Zack Sabre Jr. matches in NOAH*



DELITE said:


> Hello guys, this isn't NJPW thing but I think it is best place for this question. Are there any ZSJ matches in NOAH that you recommended me to watch?


There was a Zack Sabre Jr. & Yoshinari Ogawa vs Kenoh & Hajime Ohara that was pretty good (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pkShSkvlRc)

His Katsuhiko Nakajima match as well,(http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2g0tub)

And his Daisuke Harada matches (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2z9h8f)


----------



## HOJO

Not sure where the meth thing came from


----------



## T Hawk

so when do you guys think Takeshita Konosuke wins back the title, lads? 

Are we thinking he wins King of DDT and take it back at Peter Pan in front of a sell out crowd?

It is gonna be such a huge moment when he gets it back the fans are gonna go crazy.


----------



## HOJO

Hopefully never so DDT numbers actually have a chance of going up for a while


----------



## MC

He will probably get it back at Peter Pan. Honestly, I think he will be better if he doesn't have the title for a while. He is really young and the fans aren't exactly clamouring for him at the moment, so I would wait a bit longer and push others.


----------



## antoniomare007

He should go free lance for a year, comeback and win it back at next year's Peter Pan. Give him time to work with other people and keep improving. He became really bland and felt very forced as the Ace the last year and a half. I kept waiting for him to turn it around but he never did, he needs fresh opponents and regain some momentum elsewhere.


----------



## Obfuscation

He got his full run in, so I'm all for letting the picture differ w/Irie as champion atm. Takeshita coming back into the fold after some decent time away is more than fine w/me; mixing it up w/the Extreme Championship is a scenario I'd like a lot.

Hamada w/meth :walphtf


----------



## Desecrated

Genichiro Tenryu & Toshiaki Kawada vs Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy December 16 88

Fucking hell, this was incredible man. Tag wrestling rarely gets better than this. The brutality, tempo, selling and tactics. Tenryu and Kawada were up against it in the shape of two giant bastards, and their moments of hope squandered at every opportunity as Gordy or Hansen were always able to make the save while either Tenryu or Kawada were beaten down on the outside. The moments of fight for the babyfaces so close, yet too far from fruition. Awesome stuff. Rivals Twin Towers vs Strong BJ, Midnights vs Southern Boys, and one of the Midnights vs Rock n Roll I have forgotten (when Midnights won first NWA title I think?)

Good platform to dig into the legendary 90s tags, I hope


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

Bad news for Hamada.

Maybe she can flee to Hawaii and hang out with Matt Sydal


----------



## Desecrated

Tsuruta & Yatsu vs Tenryu & Hansen December 06 89

This match...
was fucking magic.

All the stars must be thrown at it. All of 'em. The final 15 minutes was just a grin on my face growing and the final five was incredible.

The beatdown by the heels on Yatsu to kick off was brutal beyond words. The fightback Yatsu had after getting bandaged up was even better and even more brutal, sacrificing himself to kill Hansen at any measure. Tenryu and Jumbo pick up from their heated battles with some fiery moments, but the stars IMO were Hansen for his offense, bumping and ragdolling for the comeback and Yatsu for both sides of an incredible tag performance. Might very well be top of my favourite matches ever.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/997051554728431621

Go Ace! :naito


----------



## Obfuscation

You mean the battle between Tanahashi & Naito as the most popular wrestler in Japan continues? 

Color me not-surprised.

Guess all the Hana Kimura fans got all their votes in.


----------



## volde

It looks like Ikemen has also peaked. Either way, I talked shit about Okada not being that popular earlier, but I'm happy that he is gaining some votes and might end up at least third. 

But I'm most pumped about Hiromu breaking into top 10.


----------



## Desecrated

Tenryu & Tsuruta vs Choshu & Yatsu Jan 1986

A small step below the past two tags I've watched (Tenryu/Kawada vs Hansen/Gordy, and Hansen/Tenryu vs Yatsu/Jumbo) but still, a delightfully great match. Hot FIP, a fiery fightback dominating over Jumbo into a fantastic finish. Coupled with a pace that never dies out, a hot and energetic crowd. Awesome stuff when thrown all together. Circa ****1/2.

I really enjoy the finishes they do in these AJPW tag matches. It's a level of intelligence, urgency and awareness you don't often see in tag matches in other companies. They create a struggle and sell it with a passion and urgency to win. Taken in well by Tenryu as a wrestler, who just has this connivingness about him. Opportunistic, a bit of a weasel. Great fun to watch him in the tag element.


----------



## Obfuscation

If Kuroshio still finishes within the top ten when it is all said and done, that's still a heck of a feather in his cap. WRESTLE-1 talent hanging w/the likes of New Japan's big four, Nakamura, Ibushi, Time Bomb, & the two most popular names from STARDOM.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/997572908930289664

Cool, doubt it'll lead to any big matches but the mix of the two companies can only be a good thing.


----------



## Corey

Can't say there's a lot of high end matches I'm really looking for out of the partnership but mixing business certainly can't hurt either one atm. Really feel like Marufuji will be taking the title off of Sugiura for sure now. Timing feels right.


----------



## MC

But does Marufuji want it? From people I've spoke to, he doesn't want the title. That's the reason he didn't beat Eddie Edwards when he fought him. Then again, things can change and it would fit in with his friendly with Kotoge. Could go either way. 


Edit: More comments


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/997580233569169408


----------



## volde

I think that if he had won it from Eddie then it would have been just another reign by Marufuji which wouldn't have added much to NOAH nor to him. But depending on what they are actually planning to do with this partnership he might want to be champion for that period of time.


----------



## Desecrated

I need a wee bit of help. DVDVR's 1980s list is really great for many of the promotions, but there isn't really any sort of way to filter through the 1990s. A lot of the 90s for Japan appear to be more "This match was given 5 by Meltzer" or "A few good matches linked from Reddit". Any places with a comprehensive (about 15-20+ of the better matches per year from AJPW would be great) list/guide? Is the ditch list the best one to go for?


----------



## MC

Desecrated said:


> I need a wee bit of help. DVDVR's 1980s list is really great for many of the promotions, but there isn't really any sort of way to filter through the 1990s. A lot of the 90s for Japan appear to be more "This match was given 5 by Meltzer" or "A few good matches linked from Reddit". Any places with a comprehensive (about 15-20+ of the better matches per year from AJPW would be great) list/guide? Is the ditch list the best one to go for?


The best way for me if cagematch:

1990 

1991

1992

1993

1994 

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999


----------



## Desecrated

MC 16 said:


> The best way for me if cagematch:
> 
> 1990
> 
> 1991
> 
> 1992
> 
> 1993
> 
> 1994
> 
> 1995
> 
> 1996
> 
> 1997
> 
> 1998
> 
> 1999


That should work, cheers. Hopefully there isn't too many things missing on it. May cross-reference it with the Ditch list.


----------



## Obfuscation

NOAH forming out of the soured ashes of All Japan, now it is 2018 and a partnership is announced. 

This is some self-reflexive Ark new chapter stuff, right here. Marufuji leading the charge, maybe he'll go back to feeling like their Ace again.


----------



## Corey

Really enjoyed the first night of King of Gate.

*Block C:* Naruki Doi vs. Eita - **** 1/2*
*Block D:* Shingo vs. Yoshino - **** 3/4*
*Block A:* YAMATO vs. Kzy - **** 3/4*

To the folks that follow Dragon Gate, is there any clear cut favorite in this? Looking at the history, there's never been a 2 time winner and it looks like they've pretty much ran out of options and/or top guys if they wanna keep that trend going. Kzy would be a dark horse but I can't see him winning and getting another shot at Mochizuki after Natural Vibes just won the Triangle Gate.

Shingo to become the first 2 time winner and take the title off of Mochi maybe? Doi?


----------



## Obfuscation

Kzy is in a make it or break scenario, though. He has to step up in some capacity by this point, or else Natural Vibes faction or not, he'll never be at that level for the Open the Dream Gate Championship.


----------



## Corey

Obfuscation said:


> Kzy is in a make it or break scenario, though. He has to step up in some capacity by this point, or else Natural Vibes faction or not, he'll never be at that level for the Open the Dream Gate Championship.


That wouldn't surprise me if he's never at that level though in the company's eyes. Dragon Gate really hasn't produced any top new stars for the last decade tbh. They've been lucky enough to have a legit 6 or 7 guys who are Dream Gate title worthy but it's basically the same dudes for a good 8+ years now. It's actually remarkable how well they do business wise when on the surface you'd think it would get stale after all these years.


----------



## Obfuscation

Kzy is an odd story. Almost like maybe at one point there was gonna be a chance for it, then that fizzled out. And it's been a long road back up to the level he's currently at now. I'm still unsure if the trigger will be pulled myself, but he's managed to get over as a babyface and riding some steady momentum, so fingers crossed for him.

Well, I'm not too surprised by that w/Dragon Gate's fanbase. It's been documented before w/how a decent portion of those who attend the shows aren't necessarily there for *just* wrestling. They enjoy the good looking wrestlers working their patterned fast paced style. Forget how long ago it was, but iirc Rich Swann even confirmed on a shoot that DG fans are often women and gay men, looking to have a fun time w/the experience. So if those who remain on top are appealing to this core, then I think that can explain a little bit of their consistent successes. That and a lot of diehard fans of any type are committed to their in-house roster. Which is why when someone new enters the fold (PAC, Ricochet, recently Jake Lee) they're put on a different pedestal to see how well they can integrate w/the rest of the roster who's been around for years. Dragon Gate, it's quite idiosyncratic.


----------



## Genking48

I think it's nice that it's the home grown stars that are getting more of the focus, I'd be worried if Dragon Gate went the New Japan way and got around the problem of not producing stars by just having your top guys be foreign stars you bring in and not build some guy native to the home promotion up instead. 

I think guys T-Hawk, Eita, Flamita (when he's there), Lindaman, Ben K & Big R are all that new generation of stars that Dragon Gate have spent years building. Kzy doesn't really count as he is the same generation as YAMATO, Takashi Yoshida & Mondai Ryo. but Kzy seems to be taking the spot that Tozawa was meant to have before he decided he'd go the 205 route.

T-Hawk was clearly who they had their eyes on pushing to the top but the China stuff has happened, Takehiro Yamamura would have been big, but he got injured. So DG has had to change their plans. What they need to do is break up the dead Over Generation stable and give Kaito Ishida something else to do. They are on the right track with Shun Watanabe but, imo, he needs to ditch that laughable outfit he's got.


----------



## Obfuscation

Still hoping Big R is gonna rise up in a year or so. Liking the tag scenario for him atm, but gradually letting him rise more and more. Another over powerhouse in the vein of Shingo is very welcomed.

T-Hawk's scenario...*sigh*. No idea what happened there. Guess I'll have to wait out this China situation to see where he goes next.

I dug Kotoka. Shame his career was so brief.


----------



## Genking48

Yeah, Kotoka was sad. He'd basically only been with MaxiMuM for 7 months before he had to retire. It sounds like Takehiro Yamamura is able to come back, so my hope is that he's able to come back from the injury (and China) and rise to the occasion because I remember he was the rookie everyone had the highest hopes for.

Maybe get some of the Chinese dudes and help them out and by default getting some new blood in as well.

Speaking off, you can apparently watch the OWE stuff on twitch every Friday. 

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/997599355031842817


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Really enjoyed the first night of King of Gate.
> 
> *Block C:* Naruki Doi vs. Eita - **** 1/2*
> *Block D:* Shingo vs. Yoshino - **** 3/4*
> *Block A:* YAMATO vs. Kzy - **** 3/4*
> 
> To the folks that follow Dragon Gate, is there any clear cut favorite in this? Looking at the history, there's never been a 2 time winner and it looks like they've pretty much ran out of options and/or top guys if they wanna keep that trend going. Kzy would be a dark horse but I can't see him winning and getting another shot at Mochizuki after Natural Vibes just won the Triangle Gate.
> 
> Shingo to become the first 2 time winner and take the title off of Mochi maybe? Doi?


Personally I think Kzy should win but loads of people are predicting Masato Yoshino to win the King of Gate. So right now, he looks to be the favourite.


----------



## Genking48

That Susumu/Yoshino match :done that Kzy/Ben K match :sodone

Eita's English theme is kind of growing on me in a weird way, like the first 40 seconds are pretty good.


----------



## Desecrated

Kenta Kobashi, Akira Taue and Mitsuharu Misawa vs Kabuki, Masanobu Fuchi and Jumbo Tsuruta May 1990

A good tag match elevated by the drama of Misawa and Tsuruta bumping heads. Main take from this for me was that Tsuruta is the bloody man. The bodyslams, storytelling through expression, he put Misawa over massively. The other four try to have a young lions vs older guys match in the middle of these two. Good stuff made great by the ensuing chaos.

Jumbo Tsuruta vs Mitsuharu Misawa June 1990

The criticism I had was I faded out a bit during their struggle/feel out phase when they were grasping for holds. A few bits of clumsiness from both as that portion lacked some emotion and urgency. It just wandered away a bit. What they did in the middle didn't feel relevant. The opening was awesome, Misawa taking it to Jumbo early highlighting that he was Tiger Mask 2 and he'll still be Tiger Mask 2 in the ring. The ending was awesome, as Jumbo finally started to take the advantage over Misawa before a surprise finish.

If the match was food, it would be 2 burger patties sandwiching a slice of bread. ****1/4


----------



## Flowsion

DDT Card for tonight:



Spoiler: DDT Audience



4 Way Tag Match: Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie Vs Mike Bailey & MAO Vs Jason Kincaid & Mizuki Watase Vs Kouki Iwasaki & Yuki Ueno
KUDO, Yukio Sakaguchi, Masahiro Takanashi & Saki Akai Vs Takatimo Dragon, Hiratimo Dragon, Rihotimo Dragon & Toru Owashi
Now Variety Group Vs New Variety Group – Summer Night Fever In Korakuen: Danshoku Dino, Antonio Honda & Super Sasadango Machine Vs Makoto Oishi, Nobuhiro Shimatani & Daiki Shimomura (w/ Yuki Iino)
Kazusada Higuchi Vs Kota Umeda
Konosuke Takeshita Vs Shunma Katsumata
Special Single Match: HARASHIMA Vs Soma Takao
KO-D Openweight Title: Shigehiro Irie (c) Vs Keisuke Ishii



This should be good, especially the last 4 matches


----------



## MC

Genking48 said:


> That Susumu/Yoshino match :done that Kzy/Ben K match :sodone
> 
> Eita's English theme is kind of growing on me in a weird way, like the first 40 seconds are pretty good.


I liked it too. Been listening to it all day. No clue why, but it's very catchy :lol


----------



## Obfuscation

Former Team Dream Futures teammates dominating the main and semi-main events. :cozy

Dino, Antonio Honda, & Super Sasadango Machine trio forever.


----------



## -Sambo Italiano-

King of gate sounds good. Hopefully BOSJ doesn't burn me out so much that I can't watch any of it. Maybe I can squeeze some in tonight

I did manage to watch Dead or Alive but all I can remember is Eita's moustache


----------



## Genking48

-***** Italiano- said:


> King of gate sounds good. Hopefully BOSJ doesn't burn me out so much that I can't watch any of it. Maybe I can squeeze some in tonight
> 
> I did manage to watch Dead or Alive but all I can remember is Eita's moustache


I've been growing this my entire life


----------



## Obfuscation

Eita going out in memorable, sleazy style.


----------



## Desecrated

Stan Hansen vs Terry Gordy Triple Crown July 17 90

Gritty, tough and southern. For these things, a great match. But I'd say it came across as flat. It felt out of place in its time. Both men, I much prefer in the tag element than in singles and this match exemplified that. ***1/2

Jumbo Tsuruta vs Mitsuharu Misawa September 1 90

Better than their June 90 match, IMO. No meandering middle section, just Misawa trying the same bag of tricks to keep Jumbo down, who has none of it and is out to show it was a fluke. ****1/2


----------



## Obfuscation

Hansen in any capacity is top level wrestling, for me. But if I had my choice, despite adding 4 guys beating the daylights out of each other, I can't deny my love for Hansen's big singles match aura.


----------



## Desecrated

Obfuscation said:


> Hansen in any capacity is top level wrestling, for me. But if I had my choice, despite adding 4 guys beating the daylights out of each other, I can't deny my love for Hansen's big singles match aura.


I haven't seen his stuff with Kawada/Misawa/Kobashi in the 90s which impacts it as those three were his "best" opponents. Just a few of things with Funk, Tenryu, Gordy, Luger, Baba which I thought were ok/good at most. I think it's more a testament to how darned good he is at tag-wrestling too. The cliches like his energy, urgency and how he changes the tone of the match both active and on the outside. Top, top stuff.


----------



## Obfuscation

The Baba matches are more of that specific aura I alluded to than anything, but even the aura alone still made me into those. The rest I've all generally been big on. (vs Luger at Havoc '90 I really like, Starrcade rematch is more on the average side, for one up and down example) Couple of the Tenryu matches are running through my mind, but I'm almost certain there's no way I don't love the surly collision between two of my favorites. Hansen has a magnetic personality that co-mingles w/his bruising work. I love far too many hosses for me to say "more than other big guys in wrestling", but ranking wise, he's at the top of the order. Matching his near-equal in Vader. Japan or America, I'm always glued to what he's doing.

While not a lock in any way depending fan to fan, I'm almost certain once you get around to seeing the bulk of his infamous 90's singles matches, things could possibly kick into a different gear for you. Better or worse, there should be at least one that lands.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/998816485479940096

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/998819013395402752

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/998824313192099841
Sounds great. NOAH has a great Junior Divsion, hopefully this means that they will also be getting some more juniors.


----------



## Obfuscation

I'll be interested in Back Breakers & Minoru's work. That's about it. RATEL'S will probably dominate though and that's no good.


----------



## Flair Shot

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/998990034534653953
:mark


----------



## Desecrated

Toshiaki Kawada, Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs Masanobu Fuchi, Akira Taue & Jumbo Tsuruta October 19 1990

Jolly, what a joyful match. Jumbo and Fuchi with a mean-streak coming in, Taue showing the development he lacked before this with the fights with Kawada throughout the match, Kobashi had the moment that showed management he was the hot stuff. Combining the development with a top, top crowd and hot, hot action. Kawada just throwing "fuck you" kicks at Taue was full of laughs and the Fuchi/Jumbo train rolling over Kobashi were the highlights. All in all, top match, no boring moments and just a relentless brawl to the finish. ****3/4


----------



## Obfuscation

Ooooh, Super Generation Army six man. All w/so much to prove, and Taue on the other side of it all. Evoking that wrath. I can't be this tempted to want to slam through so much All Japan 90's now. It'll take full priority over everything. (not that I'd mind)


----------



## Reil

Spoiler: Stardom Spoilers and the potential fallout



Io dropped the title to Momo Watanabe a little bit ago. There is a LOT of speculation that Io is getting ready to sign with WWE. Casey and Dave have not been too subtle about how people should be paying close attention to Io over the next month or so, along with Rovert thinking its not unlikely she signs.


----------



## MC

Yeah, I wouldn't trust anything Dave says on anything none WWE, especially when it comes to Joshi. Only time will tell.


----------



## Reil

MC 16 said:


> Yeah, I wouldn't trust anything Dave says on anything none WWE, especially when it comes to Joshi. Only time will tell.


It's not just Dave reporting it either. Casey is strongly hinting at it as well.



Spoiler: Stardom Spoilers





__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/999266514166583296

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/999267092011548673

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/999268140721860608



Casey has a very strong track record when it comes to reporting talent being picked up by WWE. Rovert has also said that WWE is going to be going on a signing blitz b/w May and July.


----------



## MC

Like I said, we'll have to see. With the MYC 2 coming up, it's possible but I don't think strongly of either options right now.


----------



## Genking48

Update regarding the DG/oWe stuff from Jae



Spoiler: update



Big interview with the OWE Four in Weekly Pro this week. 
There’s a lot to unpack in there. 

They are building an arena to do the weekly shows in. Scheduled to be done in mid June. Won’t be the Shaolin Temple.

Priority is Shanghai, then Asia, but they want to accept any offers the schedule allows them to help promote the OWE name. 
That includes Japan and potential appearances for DGE.

There’s some talk about the philosophical differences CIMA and Mr. Okamura had in the past. It’s mentioned that DGUSA was ended (left inactive?) because he wanted to focus and solidify business in Japan.

CIMA was named successor last year but it wasn’t announced because he still had things to accomplish as a wrestler. 
Separating the companies became a topic after the first OWE show.

CIMA was going to go alone, but T & Lindaman asked if they could go. He tried to dissuade them because it’s a huge risk but in the end they decided to be crazy and go for it. Yamamura still has a ways to go, but once he is ready he will join the “band of dumbasses”

T-Hawk has no regrets towards Japan. It’s all or nothing to make this work so he has to be all in. Not that All In. 
He seems excited and really motivated/stimulated.

Lindaman had his first solo plane ride on that trip to Australia last week. He’s didn’t bring a blanket and was cold. ....

CIMA apologized and really regrets the way things got announced and how he left without saying anything. With Dead or Alive, they didn’t want to make an announcement that would take attention away from the show.

He & T had to leave immediately because they had the Shaolin Temple show on 5/7. (The one that will be on Twitch this weekend). With KoG starting and needing to be the new start for DGE, the timing just didn’t work out to do a full press conference.

He gave his neck, knees, and his shoulder for DG, he’s prepared to give everything else he has for OWE.



CIMA's merry band of dumbasses.


----------



## MC

Good luck to them. Was watching some of the first OWE show. Decent enough considering the experience of the wrestlers.


----------



## Desecrated

Genichiro Tenryu vs Riki Choshu June 22 1985

Great stuff. A wear out session ending out with Choshu attempting to murder Tenryu to the point of a disqualification. One of those moments a DQ doesn't weaken a match. A very well worked out match that teased a big, violent finish and it delivered. ****

Genichiro Tenryu vs Jumbo Tsuruta June 1989

Now this one, oh yes. Fuck the feel-out build, it's straight into Jumbo working the neck down and finishing Tenryu as soon as he can. Over the match, his relentlessness for targeting the neck turns the crowd in favour of Tenryu, who can barely muster a combination of moves together at this point to get momentum on his side. Jumbo put in one of the best performances I can remember from a wrestler, and Tenryu is just a grumpy man trying to get by in life. A series of hope moments gives him a fighting chance against Jumbo who was starting to lose his dominance. The stuff of epics in probably the best year in wrestling history. *****


----------



## Obfuscation

Tenryu was born grumpy. Bless his heart.

Well, Io was en route last year w/Hojo. It's not all that much of a stretch to believe a year later the same scenario can come into play.


----------



## antoniomare007

All Japan sold out Korakuen again for the Kento/Maru title match



Spoiler: result



Kento retained, thankfully.


----------



## Corey

Next challenger is... Dylan James for some reason. Alright then.  Match happens June 12th in Korakuen along with Akiyama & Nagata vs. Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi for the All Asia Tag Titles. (Y)


----------



## MC

Dylan James being the next pick is pretty odd considering his booking over the past month has basically been win/loss. It's no doubt just a filler defence until Joe or Zeus challenges him again.


----------



## Desecrated

Riki Choshu & Killer Khan vs Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu August 2nd 85

Usually check lengths of the video before I start. Saw 16 minutes and expected a chaotic war. They didn't let me, down. Fantastic. Jumbo being Jumbo to start if off, with headlocks and a conservative approach before he and Khan start going at it a bit. Descends into chaos, a bloody FIP and Tenryu comes in to deliver some of the most fine slaps (words won't recreate the visual, the sweat flies off Khan's face), but the hot-tag becomes derailed as Jumbo wants back in. Leads to him getting counted out as he is just a mess after another beatdown. Superb. ****1/4

The matches from the JPW invasion and the subsequent tag-matches that developed from it lead me to think that Riko Choshu laid some of the groundwork for these epics. He, along with Tenryu & Jumbo have been a revelation to watch. Think I'll stick out some more of the 80s before moving onto the 90s.

Edit: Also to give a shout-out to @God of Cunt (don't expect the @ to work but worth a try). Has a great list of Tenryu matches that helped me find stuff like this. Stumbled upon it while searching matches from the DVDVR lists.


----------



## antoniomare007

Akiyama/Nagata vs the young kids at Korakuen sounds dope as hell. There better be no more new injuries.


----------



## Obfuscation

Wonder if Akiyama is gonna put the kids over and give them another run w/the championships. Yuji being in the mix as a non-full time All Japan guy makes me kind of feel like it can happen, and I'm getting those memories of when Irie & Ishii beat Akiyama & Kanemaru back in 2014.



antoniomare007 said:


> All Japan sold out Korakuen again for the Kento/Maru title match
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: result
> 
> 
> 
> Kento retained, thankfully.


Awesome. On both fronts.


----------



## T Hawk

Nice to see we're finally getting Nagata Yuji in AJPW after that tease at the start of 2016 when it looked like 3rd Gen were gonna be loaned there.

I hope they give him a run with the Triple Crown.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1000022103868010503

It's happening, Nomura vs Hideki!!!!! :woo


----------



## antoniomare007

Kinda weird that it took so long for them to announce it. After what happened in the last tag match it was the only way to go as a title defense.


----------



## Obfuscation

Though this got announced already?

Well, there it is. So yay.


----------



## antoniomare007

*Daisuke Sekimoto & Hideki Suzuki vs. Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura - BJW 5/13/18*
https://rutube.ru/video/d9d717c9a99f145307370d9ab5ea8f60/?pl_type=user&pl_id=1067514

Really fun, short tag. Hideki worked most of it and you really come out of this wanting to see him face Abe - their mat exchanges were top notch - and Nomura in singles action, Sekimoto is mostly used as muscle and doesn't do much until the final sequence. The "hot tag" from Nomura was pretty dope, young kid was beating the shit out of Suzuki and the crowd was really behind him. It kinda lacked a third act but the match was clearly made to set up Suzuki vs Nomura for June and not a lot more. Still, the action was really fun to watch. A typical Strong BJ "worth a watch" short match.

It seems Kamitani will be next in line once Hideki beats Takuya next month. I'd love to know what they said in that segment though, specially what Suzuki was saying to Nomura.


----------



## komatsu_na

Takeshita and Honda went close to 30 mins in Osaka. Sounds like a classic.


----------



## Obfuscation

Serious Antonio Honda matches :mark:


----------



## MC

Kagetsu is taking on Toni Storm, June 9th. Finally, she is losing the belt. To Kagetsu as well :mark


Also Thunder Rock is reuniting on the 17th of June


----------



## Genking48

Thank fucking god.


----------



## MC

*King of Gate Block winners*:

A Block: YAMATO (6 Points) 

B Block: Takashi Yoshida (6 Points)

C Block: Naruki Doi (8 Points)

D Block: Masato Yoshino (5 Points)


----------



## Genking48

Let at Eita eliminating Kid from the tournament which resulted in Doi winning. Eita kayfabe the dumbest wrestler in Dragon Gate :lol


----------



## JC00

MC 16 said:


> Kagetsu is taking on Toni Storm, June 9th. Finally, she is losing the belt. To Kagetsu as well :mark
> 
> 
> Also Thunder Rock is reuniting on the 17th of June


Kagetsu going over Toni in her last Stardom match and Io in her last Stardom match.
Kagetsu is the new ACE.


----------



## Obfuscation

Toni Storm fucking off is tremendous news.

Shame Mayu wasn't the one to get the championship back, but I won't complain.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1002507091058180096
Bye bye Over Generation.


----------



## Corey

YAMATO vs. Yoshino in the King of Gate Finals tomorrow. Someone's gonna become the first ever 2x winner.

Also this was a a few days ago, but never mentioned. Sugiura retained over Marufuji. Kenoh vs. Kiyomiya in a number one contender's match is signed for 6/10. Was pulling for Marufuji but oh well.


----------



## MC

I said that Marufuji doesn't want the title, he is focused on other things and being champ hinders that. If he ever wins the title, it'll be by the sumo hall show for his 20th anniversary but other than that I can't see him winning it again. Kenoh or Kiyomiya will be the next champions.

Now it's Yamato vs Yoshino, I can see them going with Yamato. Even moreso now they can't fall back on CIMA anymore. And he has been leading all the promos in the KOG with a new look. He is winning the KOG and beating Mochizuki to redo his last title win.

And oh, the finals is next week's Saturday, not this week's.


----------



## Obfuscation

No way Kiyomiya is champion this soon. They'll run back w/Kenou after Sugiura cut his first reign so short. Not sure why this flip-flopping is even happening; the whole Sugiura is his superior associate/competitive rival idea can work, but it feels rushed.

I remember when Masa Kitamiya was looking primed for this spot. Guess having to be tag champion again will do. Now let that championship run sit for bit.


----------



## Corey

*GHC Heavyweight Championship:* Takashi Sugiura (c) vs. Naomichi Marufuji _(NOAH 5/29)_ **** 1/2*
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6l1x7n

The action was never quite as exciting as Marufuji's matches with Kento but the work was always very solid here. Sugiura was really good throughout with the early work on the midsection and the scouting of Marufuji's normal sequences as the match wore on. It never _really_ felt like Marufuji had a shot at winning though despite him busting out the one man spanish fly on the top and other moves. Good but nothing groundbreaking or must see.


----------



## Obfuscation

I wonder if the known perception that Marufuji isn't really gunning to be GHC Champion plays a part in that. Perhaps w/his body language or whatever, putting the work in, but just feeling that it's not his moment w/others around. 

Something new to watch tomorrow. I'm cool w/that.


----------



## MC

It was just announced on DDT Manji Maji that Ken Ohka as punishment for getting the punishment card in the Right To Challange Rumble last week, is to take a kick in the arse from undefeated Kickboxer, Tenshin Nasukawa!!!! The current RISE Bantamweight champion. Poor Ohka. :lol


----------



## Corey

Next 3 big cards from All Japan has some good looking stuff on them. I'm thinking new Tag Champs and if Miyahara/Lee is anything like their Champion Carnival match last year, it's gonna be awesome.

*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2018 Dynamite Series”, 6/12/2018 [Tue] 18:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*

() Atsushi Maruyama vs. Rionne Fujiwara (FREE)
() Masanobu Fuchi & Osamu Nishimura vs. Takao Omori & Keiichi Sato (FREE)
() Atsushi Aoki & Ishikiri (LAND’S END) vs. Yohei Nakajima & Ultimo Dragon
() Zeus & Black Tiger VII vs. TAJIRI & Yoshitatsu
() Suwama, Shuji Ishikawa & Hikaru Sato vs. Jake Lee, Ryoji Sai & Koji Iwamoto

() *Asia Tag Championship Match:* [104th Champions] Jun Akiyama & Yuji Nagata vs. [Challengers] Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi
_~ 2nd title defense._

() *Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship Match:* [60th Champion] Kento Miyahara vs. [Challenger] Dylan James
_~ 2nd title defense._

*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2018 Dynamite Series”, 6/30/2018 [Sat] 14:00 @ Hotel Emisia Sapporo in Hokkaido*

() Atsushi Maruyama vs. Ishikiri
() Atsushi Aoki, Hikaru Sato & Tomoya vs. Yohei Nakajima, Ultimo Dragon & TAJIRI
() Takao Omori & Mushuku no ‘Sekiko’ vs. Joe Doering & The Bodyguard
() Jun Akiyama vs. Yuma Aoyagi
() Kento Miyahara, Yoshitatsu & Naoya Nomura vs. Jake Lee, Koji Iwamoto & Keiichi Sato
() Zeus vs. KAI

() *World Tag Championship ~ World Tag 30th Anniversary Match:* [82nd Champions] Ryoji Sai & Dylan James vs. [Challengers] Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa
_~ 2nd title defense._

*AJPW “2018 Dynamite Series”, 7/1/2018 [Sun] 14:00 @ Hotel Emisia Sapporo in Hokkaido*

() Atsushi Maruyama vs. Naoya Nomura
() Ultimo Dragon & Ishikiri vs. Keiichi Sato & Tomoya
() Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori vs. Yoshitatsu & Yuma Aoyagi
() Joe Doering, Zeus & The Bodyguard vs. TAJIRI, KAI & Mushuku no ‘Sekiko’
() Suwama, Shuji Ishikawa & Hikaru Sato vs. Ryoji Sai, Dylan James & Koji Iwamoto

() *World Junior Heavyweight Championship Match:* [47th Champion] Atsushi Aoki vs. [Challenger] Yohei Nakajima
_~ 3rd title defense._

() *Special Single Match:* Kento Miyahara vs. Jake Lee


----------



## Obfuscation

Zeus vs KAI & Akiyama/Nagata vs Nomura/Aoyagi ftw. :cozy


----------



## JC00

Spoiler: Stardom


----------



## Corey

Yoshino is the first 2x King of Gate winner. He will challenge Mochi tomorrow for the Open the Dream Gate in Fukouka.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1005417194245709824


----------



## Genking48

The card for Kobe is starting to get set.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1005731888642719745
NEW CHAMP!


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1005752475964469248

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1005755046242353152


----------



## MC

Kobe world looking very interesting at the moment. Glad for Masato Yoshino, so happy that he won the dream gate title.


----------



## Obfuscation

Dragon Kid vs Eita; sign me up for that. (Y)


----------



## MC

Pro Wrestling NOAH has new stable called NOAH Super Generation Army, consisting of Katsuhiko Nakajima, Go Shiozaki, Kenoh, Kaito Kiyomiya, Masa Kitamiya and Astushi Kotoge. It's odd that Go is in this group because the idea behid it was to bring in a new era and get rid of the old guard. Even more when Go called out Marufuji, who is only two years older than Go. But whatever, NOAH needed a heavyweight stable and I like the purpose of wrestlers who all hate each other coming together for a purpose of the compay they love. It should lead to some great moments like this. 



> *Q: Kenoh, you are with wrestlers who you have been hostile to?
> 
> Kenoh:* Naturally it is a given that these guys are still (points to each other in turn): dumbass, dumbass, dumbass, dumbass. (Reaches Kotoge), YOU! You are out of question!


*If you want entire interview. *










:lol Kotoge's face. 


Really looking forward to seeing what this does for NOAH.


----------



## Obfuscation

I'm lukewarm towards this. Mostly because Marufuji & Sugiura are really the only "old guard" wrestlers on the roster who feel like a current threat. Saito to a lesser extent, tbf. Yone/Storm/Maybach will clearly be against 'em, but unless something changes, I just don't buy them as outstanding threats.

Kiyomiya being in the faction feels a bit out of left field, despite being the hot rookie, considering he's been pro keeping NOAH the way it was when Misawa was around. Go & Nakajima def should be with the established names, too. It almost feels like a faction that is too stacked in favor for them. Now we'll wonder who will split from the faction first and go rogue a la Holy Demon Army.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*So, this week alone:

It's been announced that Masaaki Mochizuki & Shun Skywalker will be competing in All Japan's Jr. Tag League.
CIMA, T-Hawk, El Lindaman & a couple of OWE wrestlers just showed up at WRESTLE-1, with CIMA confronting Shuji Kondo. Starting on 6/22, Strong Hearts will be in OWE, with Desmond Xavier & Zachery Wentz joining.

Jae tweeted this out:*


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1006865416155627520

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1006865977424822272


----------



## Corey

Only 1,053 in Korakuen for the Miyahara/James Triple Crown match. Kento obviously retained. Next challenger is... ZEUS! :mark:

Akiyama & Nagata also retained the Asia Tag Titles as well.


----------



## Genking48

Deadman's Hand said:


> *So, this week alone:
> 
> It's been announced that Masaaki Mochizuki & Shun Skywalker will be competing in All Japan's Jr. Tag League.
> CIMA, T-Hawk, El Lindaman & a couple of OWE wrestlers just showed up at WRESTLE-1, with CIMA confronting Shuji Kondo. Starting on 6/22, Strong Hearts will be in OWE, with Desmond Xavier & Zachery Wentz joining.
> 
> Jae tweeted this out:*
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1006865416155627520
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1006865977424822272




__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1006860383980670976
A T-Hawk chant :mark:


----------



## MC

Well, Wrestle-1 needs numbers, they ain't got a lot of depth or interest right now. This looks dope though.


----------



## Obfuscation

Mochizuki in All Japan. :cozy

WRESTLE-1 vs Dragon Gate/OWE bit is damn cool. Largely due to how exclusive Dragon Gate and their roster is as an entity. The co-mingling should be the right kind of shake up. Even if I'm just about a lone WRESTLE-1 fan, as it is. T-Hawk vs THE JACKET imo.



Corey said:


> Only 1,053 in Korakuen for the Miyahara/James Triple Crown match. Kento obviously retained. Next challenger is... ZEUS! :mark:
> 
> Akiyama & Nagata also retained the Asia Tag Titles as well.


ZEUS :mark:

A bit surprised by the Tag Championship booking, tbf. Nagata still going strong with a championship.


----------



## Genking48

I guess Shingo has taken notice of the Strong Hearts/WRESTLE-1 business. He's now talking of forming a group called Strong No Hearts.


----------



## Corey

Haven't seen this match yet, but what in christ fucking name is this shit? :lol


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1005988751204593665


----------



## volde

Killing the business


----------



## MC

Greatness.........This type of stuff comes with the in house style unfortunately.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Dragon Gate. Sometimes, they do something ridiculous like this. :lol*


----------



## Obfuscation

That's the side of Dragon Gate that is terrible.

BxB Hulk knows all about it.


----------



## Genking48

People say shits like that's ridiculous when you've got stuff like the Super Junior finale match and Omega/Okada being called some of the greatest shit ever :hmm:


----------



## Obfuscation

Unsure about this liberal use of shit, but that sequence unfortunately was for some. Hence the laughter.

Lets not take it, personally.


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> Haven't seen this match yet, but what in christ fucking name is this shit? :lol
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1005988751204593665


There's fun flippy shit and funny flippy shit, I'd say that gif is the latter :lol

If it happens in New Japan, it called "the evolution of wrestling" though.


----------



## Obfuscation

It sucks no matter where it happens.


----------



## antoniomare007

No doubt about it.


----------



## volde

antoniomare007 said:


> If it happens in New Japan, it called "the evolution of wrestling" though.


That sequences would look 10 better if Ospreay was screaming during all of that.


----------



## december_blue

*Re: Stardom*



> STARDOM revealed the gaijin talent for the company’s upcoming 5 STAR Grand Prix Tournament which is set to kick off the Summer on August 18th. The names are as followed:
> 
> Rachael Ellering, the daughter of Paul Ellering and a graduate of Lance Storm’s Storm Wrestling Academy. This will be her second tour of STARDOM, having competed for the company earlier in the year.
> 
> Viper, from Scotland who is no stranger to STARDOM, having done many tours with the company even winning the Artist Of Stardom Championship after joining the group Queens Quest. She also won the SWA Undisputed World Women’s Title and defended the ICW Women’s Title in the promotion.
> 
> Nicole Savoy, the current reigning SHIMMER Champion & PWR Women’s Champion will also be involved in the tournament, making her second tour of Japan. She made history being the first woman to defend the SHIMMER Championship in STARDOM, defeating Jungle Kyona
> 
> Jamie Hayter, who will be making her Japanese debut. Hayter, 23 has been gaining lots of traction as of late, defeating Jinny to become the new RevPro Women’s Champion. She also holds the BLW Women’s Championship. She has wrestled for promotions such as Pro Wrestling EVE, GWF, and BEW.
> 
> Kimber Lee, who has been on fire since being released from her developmental contract will also be making her debut in Japan during the tournament. While she had never wrestled in Japan she wrestled joshi legend Meiko Satomura over WrestleMania weekend.
> 
> Women of Honor star Kelly Klein will also be involved in the tournament. This will mark her return to the company after having a previous tour with STARDOM through the working relationship with Women of Honor. Last time she was in STARDOM she alongside Bea Priestley won the Goddesses Of STARDOM Tag League tournament. She defeated STARDOM’s Mayu Iwatani in the WOH title tournament before falling to Sumie Sakai in the finals.
> 
> The STARDOM 5 Star Grand Prix is a yearly round robin tournament and will kick off on August 18th. Last year’s tournament winner was Toni Storm.
> 
> http://squaredcirclesirens.com/several-names-to-compete-in-stardoms-5-star-grand-prix-tournament/




__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1007807801626800129


----------



## antoniomare007

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1009065974920818689
Now THAT'S some next level flippy shit.


----------



## Obfuscation

Seeing PAC do that for years. :monkey


----------



## Corey

RIP Leon White. Have been marathoning several of his matches on NJPW World all night.

Big Van Vader vs. Antonio Inoki _(Wrestling World in Tokyo Dome 1/4/1996)_ **** 3/4* (Fuckin great super-fight. Inoki takes a mauling but of course wins with an armbar. Still pretty damn good for the time it got. Vader bumps and sells like crazy for the old man)

*IWGP Tag Team Championship:* Big Van Vader & Bam Bam Bigelow (c) vs. The Steiner Brothers _(6/26/1992)_ **** 1/2* (The crowd goes absolutely batshit insane for everything that happens in this match and it's awesome. Bodies flying everywhere and people getting dumped on their head. Good shit)

*IWGP Heavyweight Championship:* Big Van Vader (c) vs. Riki Choshu (_8/19/1990)_ ****** (The best match I've watched tonight. Just an awesome story told with Choshu having to mount a huge comeback and going after Vader's eye that was popped out a couple months prior. Loved it)

*IWGP Heavyweight Championship - Tournament Final*: Shinya Hashimoto vs. Big Van Vader _(4/24/1989)_ **** 1/2* (Never seen this match btw. Great work on Vader's arm and even better selling from him. Match seems to end super abruptly though with a couple big strikes and Lou Thesz clearly not knowing to count 3. :lol)


----------



## Genking48

Observer:

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1009727957185810432


----------



## NastyYaffa

I also watched a few of Vader's matches in Japan last night:

*NJPW 04/24/89*: Big Van Vader vs. Shinya Hashimoto
First of all, Vader doing his smoke-from-the-armor pre-match ritual which lead to Hashimoto having a "really?" look on his face was amazing. Then the match starts w/ both guys looking to gain the first control of one another - Hash ends up on the winning side of things, but he doesn't keep Vader contained & eventually Vader goddamn BLASTS him with a big backhand. Hashimoto's selling of this was amazing & he really comes off as a wounded bear after he received that one. Vader does his thing, beats the crap out of Hash on top. That sets the tone for rest of the match - it's mostly Vader on top, giving Hashimoto a beating, but Hash refuses to go down easily & every time he manages to get some offense going, the Dome goes unglued. Absolutely loved how he targeted Vader's arm throughout, he was relentless & wasn't gonna leave the place without destroying that left arm of Vader's. Hashimoto's selling is absolutely incredible throughout, but so is Vader's - he sells all of Hash's arm targeting & offense in general perfectly for his role in the thing. One of my favorite Tokyo Dome & NJPW matches - just two all-time greats demonstrating why they are exactly that via delivering all-time great performances. The way they conveyed the drama, the struggle & the emotion is simply unreal. Actually not just one of my favorite Tokyo Dome & NJPW matches, but one of my favorite matches of all-time, period. *******

*NJPW 02/10/90*: Big Van Vader vs. Stan Hansen
There aren't many matches with a more genuine feel of chaos & danger than this one. Just two asskickers beating the crap out of each other. It's amazing. *****1/2*

*NJPW 08/10/91*: Big Van Vader vs. Keiji Muto
Vader is tremendous as always beating the taste out of his opponent & Mutoh is absolutely awesome with his punches and overall offense. Great fiery babyface performance by the man. ******

*UWFI 06/10/94*: Super Vader vs. Kiyoshi Tamura
This match - THIS MATCH! An absolutely outstanding 7 minute sprint David vs. Goliath sprint where Vader clobbers the shit out of Tamura & Tamura answers to it by kicking the shit out of Vader, in particular his leg. It's all super heated & just lovely, lovely stuff. 100% my jam. *****1/2*

R.I.P. Big man. One of the greatest of all time.


----------



## MC

Genking48 said:


> Observer:
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1009727957185810432


What?! I have heard rumors of NOAH wanting Hideo to return for Marufuji's 20th anniversary show. This could be a continuation of that. Interested in what develops here.


----------



## antoniomare007

Does that mean NOAH is done with Impact or is one of those things were Dave thinks this might mean something but it ends up being a one time deal?


I wonder if they'll let KENTA work the anniversary show at Sumo Hall three days later. Seems like a waste not being able to use him for a big building.

Ohh, Big Japan sold out Korakuen for Hideki vs Nomura 

They had been doing really bad at Korakuen for the past 9 months - excluding the always successful christmas and new year's shows - so this makes me happy.


----------



## FITZ

Smart play by WWE. They couldn’t go and just start from scratch in Japan. So they took a struggling NOAH that used to have a lot of prestige and they’re going to put money into and give them back someone that’s been a good draw for them in the past. 

Their quest for world domination continues.


----------



## NastyYaffa

KENTAFuji having one last match as a team would be very nice, because their last one sure was awful :cozy


----------



## antoniomare007

FITZ said:


> Smart play by WWE. They couldn’t go and just start from scratch in Japan. So they took a struggling NOAH that used to have a lot of prestige and *they’re going to put money into* and give them back someone that’s been a good draw for them in the past.
> 
> Their quest for world domination continues.


That's a lot to assume. All we know is that they are lending talent for 1 show, let's wait and see what they do next, if they do anything at all.


----------



## MC

Honestly, I doubt it's any more than one thing. WWE will probably ask for something in return (a name to show up in NXT perhaps) but this is as far as it will go.


----------



## Corey

No doubt, this is gonna be a really cool to see whenever it becomes available. 18,000 people!!!


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1010665448956780544


----------



## volde

I'm a bit confused on those attendance numbers. I think those numbers are on how many different people visited the event during the day and not how many of them at same time watched that match? Since if I'm not mistaken that place couldn't even hold 18k poeple.

Either way it should be very cool to see Okada in rain.


----------



## MC

Agreed. 18,000 sounds way too inflated. Maybe it was miscounted from 1,800. Either way sounds like a great match and surprisingly not a lot of slips or missteps in the match apart from one or two, from all accounts


----------



## Obfuscation

The draw was inevitable, but I'm all for the two still hanging out there with no winner over the course of their last few matches. The outdoor effect & the elements should give it a singular feel away from their matches of the past.

The KENTA return to NOAH is cool. I hope he'd have a good match, and generally for me that would imply avoiding working vs Marufuji. But I'd understand why they'd book it. Just to purely speculate, but what if WWE put money into NOAH to try and let that be their Japanese brand? That'll be insane. And I kind of would really be into it, just to see how things develop.


----------



## volde

NOAH is so deep in shit that I think simply doing NXT:Japan would be better move. NOAH might sing some feeder promotion deal, and thats that.


----------



## Obfuscation

A hop, skip, and a jump away from Takeover: Great Voyage and Takeover: Destiny. :monkey


----------



## MC

Should we expect Kenou to be in the crowd for the next TakeOver :mj


----------



## Obfuscation

When he gets a bigger pop than that nobody Keith Lee. :banderas


----------



## MC

It's official, KENTA/Hideo Itami will take on Naomichi Marufuji for his Flight Show (20th Anniversary) 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1011567895820697600

Here is the rest of the card: 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1011568142110380032

They are still going to use the Hideo Itami name as expected.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Even though I am not a fan of most of their matches against each other, it's pretty damn cool to see Maru & KENTA battle it out one more time. It's clear how much of an influence their matches from 2000's had on some of today's main eventers - I mean, any of the KENTA vs. Maru matches from the past could main event any NJPW show these days.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1011454263271145472*Wonderful news. Yamamura has an endless amount of potential & it's a shame he's missed the last year due to his injury.

Also, Jae gave a quick summary of the Dragon Gate/OWE situation on Twitter:*


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1011567459122307072


----------



## komatsu_na

volde said:


> NOAH is so deep in shit that I think simply doing NXT:Japan would be better move. NOAH might sing some feeder promotion deal, and thats that.


NOAH probably has the weakest roster in puro as far as talent goes.
Who would WWE possibly be interested in?


----------



## antoniomare007

As we said, it's better to just wait and see. Yahoo japan is saying it's a one time thing, though it may be referring to KENTA working NOAH for this one time only.

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1011600110596362249


----------



## Corey

How much do they really expect to draw in Sumo Hall with that card?


----------



## volde

sengen777 said:


> NOAH probably has the weakest roster in puro as far as talent goes.
> Who would WWE possibly be interested in?


I think idea would be that NOAH might become a bit more attractive for new talent if they saw it as a stepping stone before moving to WWE. 

But thats just baseless speculation on my part. For all we know this might indeed be one time thing that Kenta really wanted to do.


----------



## Obfuscation

Gonna be walking into that KENTA/Marufuji match with so much apprehension, but there's no way I'm not going to watch it out of the random novelty. Seems destined to be a draw. 

Still, Sumo Hall is cool and whatnot, but that's so much to expect the main to draw for NOAH circa 2018.

DDT names, some legends, Kaz/Kondo, & Kotaro Suzuki's first match with NOAH since the Burning exodus, eh? Omori has to team with Cody Hall. lmao, that's a bummer.


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> How much do they really expect to draw in Sumo Hall with that card?


The fact that is a "special occasion" show (20th anniversary) and that it's gonna get more than 3 months of promotion makes me think they MIGHT have a chance of getting a decent number. 

My guess is that current NOAH could get 4k at Sumo Hall for a big show, you add a WWE returning star and a couple of names and maybe it can get 6k? I honestly don't know, I'm very curious to see how much they can draw. To me, anything above 7k would be a HUGE deal./success. 

It's a very interesting test for KENTA and the "wrestler that worked on US TV will be seen as a big deal" motto that puro has had forever.


----------



## Obfuscation

Granted the big news with KENTA coming back for the Marufuji Anniversary show was the major takeaway, here are the full results/notes from the NOAH 6/26 event:



Spoiler: results



1) Maybach Taniguchi, Mitsuya Nagai (DRADITION), KAZMA SAKAMOTO (FREE) & Cody Hall vs. KENSO (FREE), Chang Jian Feng, Lin Dong Xuan & Sun Yilin
◆Winner: KAZMA (10:35) following a Running Knee on Yilin.
~ KAZMA was then invited to join the growing Maybach Army, which now stands at four members.

(2) Hajime Ohara & Junta Miyawaki vs. Seiya Morohashi & LEONA (DRADITION)
◆Winner: LEONA (8:55) with a Figure Four Leg Lock on Miyawaki.

(3) Hi69, Minoru Tanaka (FREE) & Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Tadasuke, HAYATA & YO-HEY
◆Winner: Minoru (9:37) with the Minoru Special on Tadasuke.

(4) Muhammad Yone & Quiet Storm vs. Atsushi Kotoge & Kaito Kiyomiya
◆Winner: Yone (10:22) following the Funky Buster Bomb on Kotoge.

(5) Naomichi Marufuji, Akitoshi Saito & Masato Tanaka (ZERO1) vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima, Masa Kitamiya & Go Shiozaki
◆Winner: Saito (11:17) following the Death Brand on Kitamiya.
~ Saito will yet another direct win over Kitamiya, as he called out a challenge for the GHC Tag belts. With his tag partner to be Marufuji.

(6) GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: [36th Champion] Daisuke Harada vs. [Challenger] Hitoshi Kumano
◆Winner: Harada (15:26) with the Katayama German Suplex Hold.
~ 6th successful title defense.
~ No next challenger was decided, but six out of the sevent teams came out as prelude to next month’s Junior Tag League.

(7) GHC Heavyweight Championship Match: [31st Champion] Takashi Sugiura vs. [Challenger] Kenou
◆Winner: Sugiura (26:23) following an Avalanche style Olympic Qualifying Slam.
~ 3rd successful title defense.
~ After the match, Shiozaki came forward to make the direct challenge to Sugiura.
~ Also of note, Kenou was helped out of the ring by Kotoge and Kiyomiya.



Really like Kumano, def want to check out the Junior Championship match.

Sugiura twice over on Kenou in the same year. Unsure if he'll be the guy to get the GHC Championship back now, at this rate. But if they're willing to pull the trigger on him with two Global Leagues in a row, that's how it's gonna be done. Sugiura vs Shiozaki up next. Another chapter in that rivalry.


----------



## komatsu_na

Shiozaki must win.


----------



## Genking48

Shingo is going wild on Twitter. Jae has been kind enough to provide translations



> Takagi has a plan for reform after he wins the title.
> He will firmly install himself as player ace, as well as take over as company president.
> 
> Broken down veterans will be released. Rookies that can’t keep up will be sent overseas with no assistance and will have to fend for themselves.
> 
> Anyone from other promotions that lives up to his standards will be brought in to replace those that don’t.
> 
> His promises:
> 
> Run Ryogoku
> Discounts for middle school and younger kids
> Open door policy for wrestlers from other promotions
> Reduced ring time for veterans
> Rookies that don’t progress stay on NEX
> Take steps to get away from the “pujoshi” fan base
> Ship Shimizu & Tominaga overseas.


----------



## Obfuscation

> Take steps to get away from the “pujoshi” fan base


Give Shingo ALL THE POWER.


----------



## MC

Gotta love Shingo.


Young Boy Saito heading off NEX


----------



## antoniomare007

I demand everyone to take 11 minutes of their lives and watch Hideki Suzuki vs Takuya Nomura. I need more people commenting on it besides me and MC, even if you don't like it.


----------



## Corey

antoniomare007 said:


> I demand everyone to take 11 minutes of their lives and watch Hideki Suzuki vs Takuya Nomura. I need more people commenting on it besides me and MC, even if you don't like it.


Based on your demand and the fact that it only goes 10 minutes, I gave it a watch.  Admittedly shoot style (or whatever you'd prefer to call it) really isn't my taste but I thought this nifty. Nomura had him on the ropes quite a few times so that was cool to see. Some of those armbars were nasty and that punch from Suzuki when he was on top of Nomura was GROSS. Ending was unexpected but kinda badass too. I can see why people that enjoy this style would like it so much but I just prefer a different style of the graps. **** 1/4*


----------



## Obfuscation

Saw your post in the MOTYC thread; as if I wasn't sold on the match on paper. Will def be checking it out immediately. (I _kind of_ promise this, because it sounds great and only ten minutes? Down.)


----------



## Flowsion

Nomura vs Hideki was a great match, but watch the Main Event. Masashi Takeda vs Isami Kodaka, even if you are not a Deathmatch fan, like myself, I enjoyed the hell out of it, the finish was basically molded after NJPW big matches finisher, but in glasses, lightubes and blood. Awesome.


----------



## Genking48

Dragon Gate have been interesting today.

Hiroshi Yamato has entered Dragon Gate (full time or just a visitor. I'm not sure).

OG no more.

Masato Tanaka new ANTIAS member!


----------



## Obfuscation

Yamato vs Yamato has to happen. Clearly.

Tanaka joining ANTIAS; good grief, swerve. Dude is coming back to us outside of Zero-1. Dragon Gate, NOAH, some work in DDT, & a champion atm in Wrestle-1. Loving this.



Flowsion said:


> Nomura vs Hideki was a great match, but watch the Main Event. Masashi Takeda vs Isami Kodaka, even if you are not a Deathmatch fan, like myself, I enjoyed the hell out of it, the finish was basically molded after NJPW big matches finisher, but in glasses, lightubes and blood. Awesome.


I'd watch it anyways being a fan of Deathmatches, but this is always great hype to read.


----------



## Genking48

Obfuscation said:


> Yamato vs Yamato has to happen. Clearly.


Gaora Super Fight 2011 :rivetingcena










Wouldn't mind it again. That match was pretty funny.


----------



## Obfuscation

Dragon Gate wise to the scenario & myself, oblivious to its status of occurring prior. But circa 2018 please.

Now to find it. :hmm:


----------



## MC

Evil Masato :CENA 

I missed the last match because I had other things to do but I'm sure it was great. The rest of the show was good.


----------



## Genking48

I thought the show was fine. But nothing really mattered except the last two matches. 

But to sum up what has happened today, and what will happen in the future.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1014827003403309056

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1014827552941064192

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1014844710546882560


----------



## komatsu_na

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1014791260991700992He's alive!


----------



## Obfuscation

That duo. :mark:


----------



## Corey

Okada/Suzuki has made its way online but it's severely clipped down to like 13 minutes or so.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1015733216647376896


----------



## grassfinn

Turns out learning from both Hiroshi Tanahashi and Dusty Rhodes produces the greatest pure babyface in forever, good on Juice.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1016525494336905216
It's going down :woo

Apparently he will announce it on today's Power Hall Show :mark


----------



## antoniomare007

Can't say I'm excited about Morishima coming back - let's be real, it took a lot for him to have legit great matches in Japan, even though he did have them from time to time - I just hope he's healthy and legit/fully cleared.


----------



## komatsu_na

https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20180710-00000015-tospoweb-fight
He's returning Oct. 15th.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Pretty cool how in 2015, just 3 days apart from each other, both of them had what many thought would end up being their last matches. And now in 2018, both Bryan & Morishima are back.


----------



## Master Bate

sengen777 said:


> https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20180710-00000015-tospoweb-fight
> He's returning Oct. 15th.


This, Daniel Bryan, and Honma all returning in the same year.

Thank you 2018.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1016634441794572288
Morishima will have his own produce show on the 15th of October this year called Genesis. He will be in a one on one match!


----------



## NastyYaffa

13 years without the King. R.I.P.


----------



## MC

Hashimoto  Without a doubt, one of the greats.


----------



## Corey

NJPW World put up the full match! :mark:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1016548035143163905


----------



## antoniomare007

NastyYaffa said:


> 13 years without the King. R.I.P.


I'll forever miss this fat bastard  New Japan's GOAT Ace and one of my favorite wrestlers ever.


----------



## MC

All Japan this Sunday!!



> *All Japan Pro-Wrestling “SUMMER ACTION SERIES”, 7/15/201[Sun] 12:00 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*
> 
> 
> () Atsushi Maruyama vs. Yuma Aoyagi
> () Takao Omori, Masanobu Fuchi & Yohei Nakajima vs. Osamu Nishimura, Ultimo Dragon & Hikaru Sato
> () Ryoji Sai & Dylan James vs. Gianni Valletta & Black Tiger VII
> () Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa vs. Jake Lee & Keiichi Sato
> () Kento Miyahara, Yoshitatsu & Naoya Nomura vs. Zeus, Joe Doering & KAI
> 
> () *GAORA TV Championship Match:* [15th Champion] Jun Akiyama vs. [Challenger] TAJIRI
> ~ 11th title defense.
> 
> () *World Junior Heavyweight Championship Match:* [47th Champion] Atsushi Aoki vs. [Challenger] Koji Iwamoto
> ~ 4th title defense.
> 
> http://puroresuspirit.net/2018/06/ajpw-event-cards-for-july-august-2018/


Main event sounds pretty good. Big fan of Iwamoto so I'll be cheering for him. Not a bad undercard either. Akiyama lathering into TAJIRI should be fun.


----------



## Obfuscation

Hoping the Morishima of old can find himself in no time now that he's returning. Was always a big fan, so this is something I'm gonna support no matter what. Too bad he's gonna be back with NOAH instead of getting to go to All Japan for a better landscape. But I understand the loyalty.


----------



## dele

Hey guys,

I'm trying to find the latest Big Japan stuff. Anyone know where I can find it? Youtube and dailymotion don't have shit.

Keep up the good work

:rodgers2


----------



## antoniomare007

dele said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I'm trying to find the latest Big Japan stuff. Anyone know where I can find it? Youtube and dailymotion don't have shit.
> 
> Keep up the good work
> 
> :rodgers2


RealHero on rutube 



Obfuscation said:


> Hoping the Morishima of old can find himself in no time now that he's returning. Was always a big fan, so this is something I'm gonna support no matter what. Too bad he's gonna be back with NOAH instead of getting to go to All Japan for a better landscape. But I understand the loyalty.


He actually said he wanted to freelance.


----------



## Obfuscation

Morishima is a good man. :cozy


----------



## Stopspot

The field for the 2018 Royal Road tournament was unveiled at All Japan's Korakuen show today. Yuji Hino and Kengo Mashimo return to compete and new foreigner Gianni Valetta will also take part.








1404 fans turned out at Korakuen today. TAJIRI killed Akiyama's TV title reign but SWEEPER's Koji Iwamoto was unable to unseat Aoki for the junior title.

Akiyama also secured another big money sponsor for the company that will start sponsoring them from January.


----------



## Corey

Might have to re-subscribe to AJPW TV for the month of September...


----------



## Stopspot

antoniomare007 said:


> He actually said he wanted to freelance.


Bit interesting that he had to be coerced to talk about NOAH in his interview.

Hopefully he takes his time as a freelancer before he finds a new home promotion. My guess is he will work a couple of shows for All Japan at least.

Lowkey sweating at the thought of a Morishima and Doering tag team.


----------



## Corey

Have any All Japan shows popped up online anywhere in the last two months? The last thing I've seen was Miyahara/Marufuji II and a lot has happened since then that I'd like to see.


----------



## Obfuscation

Tajiri beating Akiyama :banderas


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1018787466122326016
R.I.P Saito


----------



## Obfuscation

Saito was a beast. Island Death Match forever.


----------



## Stopspot

Just finished yesterday's Korakuen Hall show from AJPW. It was an easy watch. Nothing amazing in the undercard but nothing awful either and the top half of the show was a lot of fun, particularly the main event. The TAJIRI vs Akiyama match for the TV title was two veterans trying to out veteran each other but did not overstay its welcome. I could see people not being into Iwamoto vs Aoki if you are not into that style of junior wrestling as well. 

But that main event was straight fire. AJPW does six man tags with the best of them. 

Putting just over 1.4k in Korakuen without a big title match says a lot about how well the company is doing compared to just about 2 years ago.


----------



## Yeah1993

Got around to Omega/Okada III and thought it was really, really good. Far and away the best showing I've seen out of either guy, I can't remember a single moment in the match where the neck/shoulder wasn't affecting him doing something. I don't even NEED it to affect *everything* but I sure as fuck appreciate the extra effort from Okada to sell it. He even held it for like a half-second while running toward Omega in the corner of the ring and I'm like "who does that? That's awesome." I wasn't too optimistic when they started leaping at each after the bell rung but I really liked where they went with it and Omega getting the springboard crossbody totally paid off for him considering it was where the neck stuff started. Okada trying this and that but completely failing was great (like the senton that Omega put his knees up for). I thought Omega was pretty great on the offensive; even the chops came off as really deadly because he was swinging them at Okada's shoulders. Omega did get ahead of himself a few times which gave Okada leeway, but the reverse rana pretty much killed dead any chance they had of being on even ground (or so you'd think at the time). Omega hitting the snap dragon after the reverse rana could have easily been "ehh" but Okada looked near-unconscious while standing after it and his offense looked terrible. Okada's strikes being backyard-level totally works in the realm of a bum shoulder, is what I mean by that. Omega almost being humoured by the weak strikes was cool stuff and even gives Okada a little leg room to take him by surprise. The tombstone was a great move for Okada to begin trying to climb back, especially because sometimes that move is way overused in Japan. It's nice to see the move really mean something here. Omega gets ahead of himself again after that by trying the fisherman buster form the top rope but Okada's not having it and starts landing some dropkicks which of course Omega bumps for like nuts. Okada does a really good job here of being half-dead but building up a stable counter-offense at the same time. The uranagi bit was awesome. Okada landed pretty wonky and Omega wincing from his own neck being hurt by the all the dropkicks and Germans, and then the camera pans down to Okada who is so bug-eyed that doesn't look like he knows how to eat food without a tube. Omega trying to get a few of roll-ups because he's so desperate to end it now was great, and they all looked appropriately sloppy. I'm not exactly a super fan of popping up with giant moves, and multiple Rainmakers drives me nuts, but if they're going to do that then I'm least glad they're willing to mostly sell like death in between. Willing to look past the worst of it considering it's just a blip on an otherwise pretty excellent match. Not my idea of five stars and sure as fuck not my idea of 6 1/3 or whatever it got, but I'd probably give it four if asked and that's a high bloody rating from mah neck of the woods. HYUCK HYUCK.

---------------------------------

FUCK I didn't even see Masa Saito had passed away. He's one of those under-the-radar dudes that's been crazy enjoyable to watch every time I've seen him.


----------



## antoniomare007

Does anyone know if the Nomura/Aoyagi vs Nagata/Akiyama tag ever made it online? I've been waiting for it for a while now but I haven't been able to find that show anywhere. Was it only taped for their streaming network and nobody has upped it yet?


----------



## Corey

antoniomare007 said:


> Does anyone know if the Nomura/Aoyagi vs Nagata/Akiyama tag ever made it online? I've been waiting for it for a while now but I haven't been able to find that show anywhere. Was it only taped for their streaming network and nobody has upped it yet?


I haven't found anything online from them since late May. All their stuff is on AJPW TV and I'm seriously considering re-subbing to see it all on top the upcoming big show on 7/29 to get caught up. It's only $8 USD a month so totally affordable.


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> I haven't found anything online from them since late May. All their stuff is on AJPW TV and I'm seriously considering re-subbing to see it all on top the upcoming big show on 7/29 to get caught up. It's only $8 USD a month so totally affordable.


Something similar happened for the first couple of months of DDT Universe but eventually every show began getting upped too. 

I'll probably wait till their Sumo Hall show to get a sub if nothing finds it's way online by then.


----------



## Obfuscation

Yeah1993 said:


> Got around to Omega/Okada III and thought it was really, really good. Far and away the best showing I've seen out of either guy, I can't remember a single moment in the match where the neck/shoulder wasn't affecting him doing something. I don't even NEED it to affect *everything* but I sure as fuck appreciate the extra effort from Okada to sell it. He even held it for like a half-second while running toward Omega in the corner of the ring and I'm like "who does that? That's awesome." I wasn't too optimistic when they started leaping at each after the bell rung but I really liked where they went with it and Omega getting the springboard crossbody totally paid off for him considering it was where the neck stuff started. Okada trying this and that but completely failing was great (like the senton that Omega put his knees up for). I thought Omega was pretty great on the offensive; even the chops came off as really deadly because he was swinging them at Okada's shoulders. Omega did get ahead of himself a few times which gave Okada leeway, but the reverse rana pretty much killed dead any chance they had of being on even ground (or so you'd think at the time). Omega hitting the snap dragon after the reverse rana could have easily been "ehh" but Okada looked near-unconscious while standing after it and his offense looked terrible. Okada's strikes being backyard-level totally works in the realm of a bum shoulder, is what I mean by that. Omega almost being humoured by the weak strikes was cool stuff and even gives Okada a little leg room to take him by surprise. The tombstone was a great move for Okada to begin trying to climb back, especially because sometimes that move is way overused in Japan. It's nice to see the move really mean something here. Omega gets ahead of himself again after that by trying the fisherman buster form the top rope but Okada's not having it and starts landing some dropkicks which of course Omega bumps for like nuts. Okada does a really good job here of being half-dead but building up a stable counter-offense at the same time. The uranagi bit was awesome. Okada landed pretty wonky and Omega wincing from his own neck being hurt by the all the dropkicks and Germans, and then the camera pans down to Okada who is so bug-eyed that doesn't look like he knows how to eat food without a tube. Omega trying to get a few of roll-ups because he's so desperate to end it now was great, and they all looked appropriately sloppy. I'm not exactly a super fan of popping up with giant moves, and multiple Rainmakers drives me nuts, but if they're going to do that then I'm least glad they're willing to mostly sell like death in between. Willing to look past the worst of it considering it's just a blip on an otherwise pretty excellent match. Not my idea of five stars and sure as fuck not my idea of 6 1/3 or whatever it got, but I'd probably give it four if asked and that's a high bloody rating from mah neck of the woods. HYUCK HYUCK.
> 
> ---------------------------------
> 
> FUCK I didn't even see Masa Saito had passed away. He's one of those under-the-radar dudes that's been crazy enjoyable to watch every time I've seen him.


I'd probably read this elsewhere, but I just saw this now and :monkey

I actually don't even recall if you've seen the other three matches, but still one of those things that keeps our similar means afloat because while I hate to state it like I have no reason to think otherwise; I absolutely love the match. Snowflakes irrelevant; I give this high marks on the PEZ scale. It's hooked on PEZ. (I think the brand name has this all in caps? Either way, I know you'll catch this.)

The construction of the match managed to shatter my usual cliche of any match I love by "not feeling x long as it happens to be." That saying a 64 minute match flew on by and drained me emotionally is fully apt in both areas. All four matches have hit the mark, but this definitely felt like the right kind of culmination for what was accomplished & set out to achieve, in the grand scheme of the year and a half feud. Even without feeling necessarily crazy overboard, despite the deadly strikes used throughout.


----------



## Yeah1993

Obfuscation said:


> I'd probably read this elsewhere, but I just saw this now and :monkey
> 
> I actually don't even recall if you've seen the other three matches, but still one of those things that keeps our similar means afloat because while I hate to state it like I have no reason to think otherwise; I absolutely love the match. Snowflakes irrelevant; I give this high marks on the PEZ scale. It's hooked on PEZ. (I think the brand name has this all in caps? Either way, I know you'll catch this.)
> 
> The construction of the match managed to shatter my usual cliche of any match I love by "not feeling x long as it happens to be." That saying a 64 minute match flew on by and drained me emotionally is fully apt in both areas. All four matches have hit the mark, but this definitely felt like the right kind of culmination for what was accomplished & set out to achieve, in the grand scheme of the year and a half feud. Even without feeling necessarily crazy overboard, despite the deadly strikes used throughout.


I only watched it right before I posted it FWIW. I've seen the first three matches now, I actually specifically watched this one so I'd have full context for the fourth. I didn't like either of the first two matches so this one made me much, much more into the idea of seeing this year's. Though the length still terrifies me.


----------



## Stopspot

Can we just take a moment to bask in the fact that Riki Choshu is using his self produce shows to put over Gota Ihashi and allowing him to slowly move out of his comedy gimmick?

Who'da thunk that 12 months ago?


----------



## volde

Someone translated results of popularity vote that was going on some time ago:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1019088466963910656
Naito edged out Tana. Everyone else is so far behind it is not even funny. 

In other words, nobody cares about Naito anymore.


----------



## Obfuscation

Harold Meij should take a hard :mj over at Gedo and figure their shit out.


----------



## MC

Top 5 doesn't surprise me. 


SANADA in the top 20 :mark


----------



## ReekOfAwesomenesss

Shin keepin the pretenders at bay lol.


----------



## Stopspot

Ikemen clocking in as high as he did is surprising considering how small Wrestle 1 is in comparison.


----------



## Obfuscation

Waits for someone to complain that Keiji Mutoh & The Great Muta are listed on there and both made it within the top 30.


----------



## DELITE

After Tanahashi beat Suzuki in G1, are we going to see Tanahashi vs Jericho for the IC title at next NJPW big event?


----------



## Obfuscation

EVIL confronted Jericho after he won the championship at Dominion. He'll likely be Jericho's first challenger.


----------



## Stopspot

Shotaro Ashino won the 2018 Wrestle 1 Grand Prix and will be getting a rematch for the Wrestle 1 title against Soya on their big Yokohama show on September 2. Marufuji will also work this show. OWE's Strong Hearts faction will also make an appearance.


----------



## Obfuscation

Makes sense. Lets Enfants Terribles bounce back after dropping the tag championship to Kuroshio & Tanaka. Ashino will probably get the championship/win back vs Soya.


----------



## Stopspot

Obfuscation said:


> Makes sense. Lets Enfants Terribles bounce back after dropping the tag championship to Kuroshio & Tanaka. Ashino will probably get the championship/win back vs Soya.


W1 also lost a fair bit of steam and hype once Ashino dropped the belt so I guess they figure that they can regain it by putting it back on him.

Ashino and Kuroshio seem to be the two franchise players for W1 right now so I would not be surprised if those two hoard the belt for the forseeable future


----------



## Obfuscation

Aye, Mutoh should def keep it all about them atm. He messed things up with KAI (and subsequently Sanada) so much, that when he's got two more quality prospects on his roster, best to put them on top and ride that momentum.


----------



## Stopspot

Obfuscation said:


> Aye, Mutoh should def keep it all about them atm. He messed things up with KAI (and subsequently Sanada) so much, that when he's got two more quality prospects on his roster, best to put them on top and ride that momentum.


Fairly certain Mutoh is no longer involved in the actual running of the company anymore. He moved to being just chairman of the board in 2016 and Hayashi and Kondo are the guys actually in charge now.

But the same still applies obviously. W1 has been great at getting young wrestlers on the card since those two took over but establishing them as actual main players seems to be harder for them


----------



## PUNQ

Saw the Ashino title loss last week, and it was a great match, but it definitely wasn't the right move to put the belt on Soya after sticking him with a "losing streak" gimmick for most of last year, even as a "skinned head" career rebirth. Just being able to stand toe-to-toe with the champ would have been more than enough to make that match feel special, didn't need to hand him the title so soon after hitting rock bottom.


----------



## Stopspot

PUNQ said:


> Saw the Ashino title loss last week, and it was a great match, but it definitely wasn't the right move to put the belt on Soya after sticking him with a "losing streak" gimmick for most of last year, even as a "skinned head" career rebirth. Just being able to stand toe-to-toe with the champ would have been more than enough to make that match feel special, didn't need to hand him the title so soon after hitting rock bottom.


Soya's rebirth was definitely a story that they could have extended before he won the belt back.


----------



## Obfuscation

Stopspot said:


> Fairly certain Mutoh is no longer involved in the actual running of the company anymore. He moved to being just chairman of the board in 2016 and Hayashi and Kondo are the guys actually in charge now.
> 
> But the same still applies obviously. W1 has been great at getting young wrestlers on the card since those two took over but establishing them as actual main players seems to be harder for them


Ahh this bit of info was lost on me. Team 246 running things, alright.

The Soya angle for me is best described as he seems to have Ashino's number in their overall series of singles matches. Record is 3-1. While this gave Soya a charge back up to the top for the time being, it's all been in place to finally let Ashino get past him by having to win the championship, instead of defending it.


----------



## Stopspot

I'm currently watching the AJPW show from yesterday (the 20th) in Nagoya. Valetta (their new foreigner) is seemingly going for a wild brawler gimmick and seemingly being Tajiri's pet monster. Smart move IMO since it will cover up a fair bit for him being a step below the rest of the roster in experience and it will give him time to grow into the style. He's obviously not as good as the regulars (he's green), but as we saw with Jones and Massimo who did the tour last summer he will improve as it goes on.

Big lol however at his and Suwama's crowd brawl having to be aborted and moved to the other end of the arena because a fan in a Ultimo Dragon mask decided to punch both of them only for Suwama to fucking clock him right in the mouth


----------



## Obfuscation

Well, I HAVE to see this Suwama vs the fan incident now.


----------



## Genking48

Tomorrow it is going down in Dragon Gate. Kobe World Pro Wrestling Festival 2018

We had press conference earlier today. 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1020638497164615682
Card is shamed up like this:



> *0. Dark Match:* Yuki Yoshioka vs. Kota Minoura
> 
> *1: *Gamma, K-Ness, "brother" YASSHI, Mondai Ryu & Shachihoko BOY vs. U-T, Kaito Ishida, Shun Skywalker, Hyou Watanabe & Yuki Yoshioka
> 
> *2:* Ryo Saito vs. "Hollywood" Stalker Ichikawa
> 
> *3: Open The Triangle Gate Championship:* Natural Vibes (Kzy, Genki Horiguchi & Susumu Yokosuka) (c) vs. ANTIAS (Takashi Yoshida, Yasushi Kanda & Masato Tanaka)
> 
> *4: Open The Brave Gate Championship:* Dragon Kid (c) vs. Eita
> 
> *5: Special International 6-Man Tag Match:* Tribe Vanguard (Flamita, Kagetora & Yosuke♡Santa Maria) vs. MaxiMuM (Naruki Doi, Jason Lee) & Bandido
> 
> *6:* Hiro Saito, Masaaki Mochizuki & Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Don Fujii, Punch Tominaga & Yoshiaki Fujiwara
> 
> *7: Open The Twin Gate Championship:* Big Ben (Big R Shimizu & Ben-K) (c) vs. Tribe Vanguard (YAMATO & BxB Hulk)
> 
> *8: Open The Dream Gate Championship (if Shingo Takagi wins, he demands that Toru Kido hands him the Presidency of Dragon Gate):* Masato Yoshino (c) vs. Shingo Takagi


----------



## Obfuscation

Not gaga about the card, but lets hope Shingo wins it all.


----------



## Genking48

Match 6 is pretty shite. Mocchi and Fujii could have done a lot better. The Triangle Gate match is being wasted on the Yoshida/Kanda/Tanaka, this should be one of the highlight matches with loads of fuckery going on. But with the Antias team I just see it being a boring punchkick affair. Throw a Saito/Mochizuki/Fujii team in as the third team in the match and it would have been a much more interesting match imo :shrug

For all that going on about veterans that take up too much space that Shingo have been doing his Antias is filled with vets that are taking up space on the card.


----------



## Stopspot

So we have NJPW, DG, AJPW and DDT all running shows live tomorrow on their respective streaming services. 

Welcome to 2018 what a wild ride it is. Far gone are the days of tape trading


----------



## antoniomare007

Hideki Suzuki defended his belt against Uto yesterday in Osaka - last year they claimed a sellout with 600+ in attendance, this year they couldn't get 500 - and Kamitani will step up as his next challenger (8/19 in Nagoya). On Monday we'll get a great preview when Okami faces Suzuki & Sekimoto at Korakuen. 


PS: I'm bummed Big Japan booked Daisuke/Fujita (ugh) vs Okami for yesterday when they had Dick Togo working the show and it would've been cool seeing him working with Daichi and Kamitani.


----------



## Corey

Some rough attendance numbers today. Barely over 1,000 in Korakuen today for DDT, headlined by Irie vs. HARASHIMA. From what I've seen Irie's reign hasn't been a very good draw at all. And then this:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1021064383315824640


----------



## Stopspot

Quite a few title defenses today all over the landscape.

Irie defended the KO-D belt against Harashima and then against Sammy Guevara as well (Guevara cashed in a right to challenge contract that he won earlier in the show). Then over in All Japan Suwama and Ishikawa retained the tag belts against Tajiri and Valetta in a fun match. And finally Yoshino retained the Dream Gate against Shingo.

Eita also won the Brave Gate from Dragon Kid and Natural Vibes retained their triangle gate belts.


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> Some rough attendance numbers today. Barely over 1,000 in Korakuen today for DDT, headlined by Irie vs. HARASHIMA. From what I've seen Irie's reign hasn't been a very good draw at all. And then this:
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1021064383315824640


Yeah I was shocked when I read that attendance. I legit can't remember the last time Dragon Gate had a disappointing attendance. They didn't even try to be slick and inflate the number to make it look good (even if the 4.9k is a worked figure somehow, it's still very low for their standards).

What has Jae said about it? Does CIMA leaving had anything to do with it or was it a number a things?


----------



## Corey

antoniomare007 said:


> Yeah I was shocked when I read that attendance. I legit can't remember the last time Dragon Gate had a disappointing attendance. They didn't even try to be slick and inflate the number to make it look good (even if the 4.9k is a worked figure somehow, it's still very low for their standards).
> 
> What has Jae said about it? Does CIMA leaving had anything to do with it or was it a number a things?


I've read a couple things about people underestimating how much of an affect CIMA leaving had and this kind of brings it to light. Other than that idk.


----------



## Obfuscation

There's been some turbulence with Dragon Gate this year, so I'm not going to say this isn't surprising, but does kind of fit with the territory in some capacity. Still say the card could have been tighter all around, but of course that's more of a personal editorial than anything conclusive.

Boourns at BxB Hulk too. If either member of Big Ben doesn't start seeing singles success because of this, then boooourns.


----------



## Genking48

antoniomare007 said:


> Yeah I was shocked when I read that attendance. I legit can't remember the last time Dragon Gate had a disappointing attendance. They didn't even try to be slick and inflate the number to make it look good (even if the 4.9k is a worked figure somehow, it's still very low for their standards).
> 
> What has Jae said about it? Does CIMA leaving had anything to do with it or was it a number a things?


It's in general been some rough couple of years for Dragon Gate in various ways. CIMA and the boys leaving doesn't have that much of an impact as far as I understand of Jae's opinion. Maybe CIMA leaving, but he was winding down anyway. T-Hawk was looked at as a failure and needed to do other things. The only thing Jae is really sad about is that Yamamura doesn't seem to be coming back (he just moved to Shanhai.

I thought I saw a tweet from Jae earlier today that Dragon Gate reported that while it was the lowest attended Kobe ever it has also the most profitable year for Dragon Gate ever (probably due to the network).



> *Jae Tweets:*
> - Mr. Kido also tweeted about this year being the most profitable show to date. Adding that the company will conduct business with humility, without arrogance, and within their means.
> 
> - Obviously, there were fewer people there. Sections were curtained off, there were empty seats.
> I deleted a tweet series from earlier about this because this statement made me really think about it.
> 
> - It’s not as simple as higher ticket prices (they weren’t) or more merch sales, or just making a statement to cover for a bad number.
> 
> - The main thing is, this was a real number.
> Obviously there weren’t half the number of people there than last year.
> 
> - The other is, fewer comps. The former regime gave a lot of them to business partners and associates, in the hundreds. They weren’t here this year.
> 
> - The show itself was real good.
> There is work to be done to repair the damage from this split in the eyes of a section of fans. Some are gone. Some will be back but it will take a lot of work.
> 
> - Acting with humility, without arrogance, and within their means while keeping the DG standard in the ring is the best thing they can do to get back on track.


Here are my thoughts on Kobe:
- The opening was a good little match. Shun has a much better costume now it seems. And the rookies even got to win. Kaito Ishida and Shun Skywalker are the future.
- Saito vs Stalker was an alright comedy match. But I thought that Saito could have been used other places on the card (more on this next)
- 2nd worst match on the card was the triangle gate. As I feared the fact that we only had two teams and one of the teams consisting of Kanda, Yoshida and Tanaka (none who seemed to really give a fuck) really hurt the match and thought Natural Vibes is a really hype stable it couldn't bring enough excitement to the match. A third team should have been added. (Saito, K-Ness & Fujii would have made it a better mach in my opinion)
- Eita need to thank his lucky stars that Dragon Kid is as over as he is. Because that is the only factor that helped Eita gain a reaction. He takes the mask of Dragon Kid = huge reaction. Post match promo = no reaction. The match was good though but I don't even want to imagine the lack of reaction if the match had been Eita vs anyone else.
- The International six-man tag was great. Lots of action. Flamita looks huge, like the size of Doi or bigger. But his silly singles has got to go.
- Shitter match. Seems like when Mochizuki isn't fighting for a title at Kobe, he's contend to be in these shitter legends matches. Which is a shame because the card could have used Mocchi elsewhere.
- Best match on the card. Big R and Ben-K are also part of that future that Dragon Gate are building towards.
- Weird match. the match was good but the ending was abrupt and felt flat. I don't really mind the result.

Over all a really good show. Only two matches were bad (the triangle and the legends match) other than that every match was good and the future is slowly but surely being build towards. Big R and Ben-K are looking to be next in line, following them will likely be Kaito Ishida and Shun Skywalker. The Japanese main eventers always seem to last into their early to mid 40s. So I'd recon that Shingo, Yamato, Yoshino and Doi have got like a couple to 5 years left before the Ben-K, Big R, Eita generation really starts to take over.


----------



## Stopspot

Here's the full card for the big AJPW show in Osaka this Sunday:



> Takao Omori, Atsushi Maruyama, Shoichi Uchida & TORU vs. Yoshitatsu, Ultimo Dragon, Hiroaki Moriya & CarBell Ito
> 
> Joe Doering vs. Gianni Valletta
> 
> Suwama, Shuji Ishikawa & Billyken Kid vs. Jake Lee, Dylan James & Keiichi Sato
> 
> Road to Jr. TAG BATTLE OF GLORY: Atsushi Aoki, Hikaru Sato, Masaaki Mochizuki & Shun Skywalker vs. Koji Iwamoto, TAJIRI, Yohei Nakajima & Black Tiger VII
> 
> Asia Tag Championship Match: [104th Champions] Jun Akiyama & Yuji Nagata vs. [Challengers] Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi
> 
> 
> Asia Heavyweight Championship Match: [8th Champion] Ryoji Sai (LAND’S END) vs. [Challenger] The Bodyguard
> 
> 
> Triple Crown Championship Match: [60th Champion] Kento Miyahara vs. [Challenger] Zeus


Very much expect Zeus to finally win the big one here. Bit light on the title matches but the ones booked look nice.


----------



## Obfuscation

I like seeing the Dragon Gate guys pop up around other promotions as much as they are this year. Or if feels more prominent than years past. Either way, Mochizuki & Shun duo is good to see in All Japan. Mochizuki vs Tajiri battle plz.

Akiyama & Nagata vs Nomura & Aoyagi again? Not against this. Well, the championship win has to happen, now.

Sai vs Bodyguard; I like this on paper. The old hoss guy getting tangled up by Sai. I'd like Sai to win, but if they have Bodyguard win to further the thought that he and Zeus could leave with singles matches by night's end is a cool story.

Kento vs Zeus should be great. That said, I'm certainly pulling for Zeus here. Will he win, though? Kento has only been champion again for about four months. He's their Ace, so multiple reigns throughout his tenure is to be expected. Zeus IS from Osaka, though. Second attempt this year, wants to best Kento from defeating him originally to win the championship. Hmm. Well, it could go either way. That's exciting all in of itself. Now I don't want to wait a week for this.


----------



## MC

First, Kobe world was pretty good I thought. The Twin Gate title match was fantastic. Loved every second of that. Love Big R. LOVE HIM. The main event was good as well but flawed. Eita vs DK was dope. Can't wait for the mask match. The legends match was decent for what it was. Saito vs Stalker wasn't good from a comedic aspect at all. Got very few laughs from me. ANTIAS vs NV was awesome but MaxiMuM and Bandido vs Tribe Vanguard match was a little disappointing but still enjoyable. Overall 8/10 show.


----

The 29/07 card looks pretty good. Main event looks awesome. Zeus vs Kento is a match I'm really looking forward to. As already mention, this is in Osaka so a title change sounds likely. Love Zeus so I'll be cheering for him. Bodyguard vs Sai could be decent. Isn't Bodyguard from Osaka as well? Nagata/Akiyma vs Nomura/Aoyagi sounds like a good time. I'm predicting a title change here. The rest of the card looks good as well. Should be a good show.


----------



## Obfuscation

Yeah, Bodyguard is from Osaka, too. The possibility of both winning it all in their hometown is certainly on the table.


----------



## MC

*Saikyou Tag League 2018 Blocks *

*Death Match Block *
Masashi Takeda & Takumi Tsukamoto 
Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka 
Ryuji Ito & Ryuichi Sekine 
Masaya Takahashi & Kyu Mogami 
Takayuki Ueki & Toshiyuki Sakuda 
Kankuro Hoshino & Minoru Fujita 
Abdullah Kobayashi & Yoshihisa Uto 

*Strong Block *
Hideki Suzuki & Daisuke Sekimoto 
Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani 
Ryota Hama & Yasufumi Nakanoue 
Ryuichi Kawakami & Kazumi Kikuta 
Kazuki Hashimoto & Yuya Aoki 
Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Kota Sekifuda 
Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe 


Nomura and Abe together :mark Some strong matches in both blocks. Looking forward to it. The Saikyou Tag League begins with a Korakuen Hal show on August 12th.


----------



## Obfuscation

K-Hash making it into the Strong Tournaments at least. 

Hama & Yasu paired up like it's WRESTLE-1 all over again.


----------



## Corey

ZEUS to win the title so I can see another classic hoss battle against Doering, please.


----------



## Obfuscation

Zeus showing Joe THE POWER as he defends vs him this time around. :mark:

Seriously, if that got to happen twice this year, holy shit. Best thing circa 2018 as it stands.


----------



## komatsu_na

*DDT - SUMMER VACATION 2018 (7/22/2018)*

5. *KO-D Tag Team Championship:* DAMNATION (Tetsuya Endo & Mad Paulie) (c) vs. Mike Bailey & MAO

Thought Endo & Paulie were really on point together compared to the match where they won the belts. MAO & Bailey were great as well with their visually stunning high flying and double team maneuvers.

******

6. *KO-D Openweight Championship:* Shigehiro Irie (c) vs. HARASHIMA

Spectacular bout. The defending champion Irie is winless against HARASHIMA in singles so tensions were high during the wild finishing run. There were clever counters and spots throughout the match that makes this a standout in their series.

*****1/4*

*DDT - Live! Maji Manji 卍 #12 (7/24/2018)

KO-D Six Man Tag Team Championship:* ALL OUT (Akito, Konosuke Takeshita & Shunma Katsumata) (c) vs. Cassandra Miyagi, DASH Chisako & Meiko Satomura

This was an exciting trios with interesting pairings. It was packed with action and everyone had their moment to shine, especially DASH Chisako who put in an impressive performance and did a huge dive off of the entrance gate. There's good heat between Takeshita and Satomura as well.

****3/4*​


----------



## Zatiel

What happened to Kay Lee Ray in Stardom? It seemed like she had an important role, and then dropped off and now I see her in other joshi indies.


----------



## Stopspot

Zatiel said:


> What happened to Kay Lee Ray in Stardom? It seemed like she had an important role, and then dropped off and now I see her in other joshi indies.


Not wanting to do near nudie shoots with Rossie?


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> ZEUS to win the title so I can see another classic hoss battle against Doering, please.


Sounds great. Question, can you handle the beef?!


----------



## komatsu_na

Zatiel said:


> What happened to Kay Lee Ray in Stardom? It seemed like she had an important role, and then dropped off and now I see her in other joshi indies.


I think you're mistaken. She hasn't worked any other joshi promotions.


----------



## Obfuscation

Joe Doering's flying bear crossbody. :banderas



Stopspot said:


> Not wanting to do near nudie shoots with Rossie?


Being part of the Filthy Generation has their limits.


----------



## Stopspot

Akiyama and Choshu are teaming with a mystery partner on the 8/5 AJPW show in a six man tag. Akiyama has teased that it is a wrestler with connections to them both. So start speculating.

Also I really hope Morishima pops up in AJP, the potential for a Morishima and Joe Doering tag team sounds killer


----------



## MC

Round One Brackets for King Of DDT:



> *Round One: DDT “FIGHTING BEER GARDEN 2018 ~ KING OF DDT 2018 1ST ROUND”, 31/07/2018
> Shinjuku FACE*
> 
> 1. King Of DDT 2018 – Round 1: KUDO Vs Akito
> 2. King Of DDT 2018 – Round 1: Gota Ihashi Vs Keisuke Ishii
> 3. King Of DDT 2018 – Round 1: Mike Bailey Vs Nobuhiro Shimatani
> 4. King Of DDT 2018 – Round 1: Shunma Katsumata Vs Alex Ace
> 5. King Of DDT 2018 – Round 1: Hoshitango Vs Yukio Sakaguchi
> 6. King Of DDT 2018 – Round 1: Yuki Iino Vs Some Takao
> 7. King Of DDT 2018 – Round 1: Toru Owashi Vs Mizuki Watase
> 8. King Of DDT 2018 – Round 1: Mad Paulie Vs HARASHIMA
> 9. King Of DDT 2018 – Round 1: Sanshiro Takagi Vs MAO
> 10. King Of DDT 2018 – Round 1: Daiki Shimomura Vs Masahiro Takanashi
> 11. King Of DDT 2018 – Round 1: Tetsuya Endo Vs Gorgeous Matsuno
> 12. King Of DDT 2018 – Round 1: Tomomitsu Matsunaga Vs Kazusada Higuchi
> 13. King Of DDT 2018 – Round 1: Kouki Iwasaki Vs Antonio Honda
> 14. King Of DDT 2018 – Round 1: Daisuke Sasaki Vs Jason Kincaid
> 15. King Of DDT 2018 – Round 1: Yuki Ueno Vs Tanomusaku Toba
> 16. King Of DDT 2018 – Round 1: Naomi Yoshimura Vs Konosuke Takeshita
> 
> https://dramaticddt.wordpress.com/


That's a whole lot of matches.


----------



## Obfuscation

Well that doubled in size. Akito vs KUDO looks like the standout. But that's almost the one match where it is DDT vet vs established roster member. Rest are a lot of fresh match-ups with tenured and new alike. Endo vs Matsuno, though. Can't ignore that actually happening. Sasaki vs Kincaid might be wild.

Figure Takeshita to win and we get the rematch vs Irie at Peter Pan. Fact that Irie finally vanquished HARASHIMA only leaves one option left; to win while defending at Peter Pan.


----------



## MC

Konosuke Takeshita is out of King of DDT due to injury. Naomi Yoshimura advances with a bye. :wow

He was pick so I'm going with Tetsuya Endo to win it now. 

Also lots happened at NOAH today. 



Spoiler: NOAH events at Korakuen Hall (July 28, 2018)



- Unfortunately NOAH didn't sell out today but considering it's Typhoon Season in Japan, 935 is pretty good I guess. 

- Two of the Dojo trainees are making their debuts on August 5th. Their names are Kimiya Okada and Yoshiki Inamura. They are big lads from what I hear. 

- Mitsuya Nagai Maybach Taniguchi, KAZMA SAKAMOTO and Cody Hall have formed a stable called The Hooligans as well. About time NOAH start having a few more stables. 

- Apparently there was a great 8 man tag between The Veterans(Takashi Sugiura, Masato Tanaka, Mohammed Yone & Quiet Storm vs Super New Generational Army (Go Shiozaki, Kenoh, Atsushi Kotoge & Kaito Kiyomiya). So that's something to look out for when the show airs. In the match, the feud between Go and Sugiura turned more on the aggressive side with Go making Sugi's chest bleed with chops. Really looking forward to that match. 

- The generational war went up another level with new GHC Heavyweight champions being crowned. 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1023254222769410048
The Aggression (Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya) had a great series of runs with the belts so I'm sad that it's over but this opens up the opportunity for Nakajima to go on a mad singles run and hopefully win back the GHC Heavyweight title :mark I loved his last reign even if it didn't draw very well, he has more than earned another shot at the title at least. Kitamiya has been fab too. 

Happy for Saito and Marufuji also. They should have a good tag run as well. 

- The tag league matches sound pretty good as well.


----------



## Stopspot

That the new trainees have to work their day jobs while training for NOAH instead of living in the dojo as is the norm is.....Not good and a bit worrying. Did they not get a new building with room for dorms when they moved out of the Differ?


----------



## MC

They do? Can only think it's a money thing. They need to change that if they want get more trainees which is needed.


----------



## Stopspot

MC 16 said:


> They do? Can only think it's a money thing. They need to change that if they want get more trainees which is needed.


According to PuroresuSpirit who translated an interview/article about them yeah

And it is most likely a money issue yeah. NOAH's finances have not been good for several years and was a key factor in NJPW funding them for a couple of years and it doesn't seem to have improved much since.

Really makes you question them rushing out of the Differ well over a year before it had to close down and getting new office and dojo space in central Tokyo, which is very costly.

AJPW bit the bullet when Akiyama took over and moved to Yokohama because it is cheaper to be based out of there, and Zero1 just moved out to Kawasaki City for the same reasons. And other promotions like DDT, Wrestle-1 and Stardom share their dojo space (W1 share with a kickboxing/amateur wrestling gym for example). 

Maybe the new dojo for NOAH does not have room for a dorm at all


----------



## MC

Stopspot said:


> According to PuroresuSpirit who translated an interview/article about them yeah
> 
> And it is most likely a money issue yeah. NOAH's finances have not been good for several years and was a key factor in NJPW funding them for a couple of years and it doesn't seem to have improved much since.
> 
> Really makes you question them rushing out of the Differ well over a year before it had to close down and getting new office and dojo space in central Tokyo, which is very costly.
> 
> AJPW bit the bullet when Akiyama took over and moved to Yokohama because it is cheaper to be based out of there, and Zero1 just moved out to Kawasaki City for the same reasons. And other promotions like DDT, Wrestle-1 and Stardom share their dojo space (W1 share with a kickboxing/amateur wrestling gym for example).
> 
> Maybe the new dojo for NOAH does not have room for a dorm at all


Stubbornness perhaps? I hope it works out in the long run for them with them being Tokyo.


----------



## Stopspot

Stubbornness and pride are probably two big factors. NOAH has resisted downsizing and similar steps as much as possible. 

Akiyama and All Japan took a lot of hits when they moved to Yokohama and downsized once he took over (it was seen by some as admitting defeat), and Wrestle 1 did as well when they had to cut down on the amount of shows they did for a while. But both companies weathered the storm and have come out of it more stable (AJPW especially after the first half of the decade that they had). 

And Zero-1 is essentially run on Stubbornness and pride these days


----------



## Obfuscation

NOAH just keep the tag championship on The Aggression, good grief. Yone was champion last year, now Marufuji. No thanks. Good for Saito, at least.

Takeshita out with an injury. Holy crap, that's huge. Peter Pan main event could be up in the air now. :walphtf


----------



## Stopspot

The big AJPW show in Osaka just ended. 

It was a bit of a clunky show that ended on a strong note. It started with some tech issues which meant that the opener had virtually no video and the start of the second match was also lost but they got video back quick enough and it was flawless for the rest of the show.

The undercard was not that amazing to be honest but got the work done. Standard undercard fare. The best match was the Sweeper vs Violence Giant + Billy Ken Kid tag match. 

The Bodyguard and Sai had a good match for the Asia title with the big guy coming out on top. Collecting his second ever singles title at the age of 50. Bodyguard has evolved tremendously as a singles worker in just a few years. 

Aoyagi and Nomura unseated Akiyama and Nagata for the Asia tag belts as well. This was a fun but clunky match. It was obvious that there was a big experience gap between the two teams and if I were Jun I would have Aoyagi and Nomura stick to defending the belts on smaller shows because I honestly do not think they are ready to produce big show epics regularly.

And in the main event Zeus finally seized the gold and became Triple Crown champion. The match started a bit clunky with a stupidly long crowd brawl but once they went into the second half of it it was an epic. Miyahara is on that Tanahashi bullshit and is easily one of the best aces in wrestling.

The main event was a pretty good metaphor for the entire show in that it started clunky but finished on a high note. 

Now we wait and find out who Zeus' first challenger will be. My guess is Ishikawa.


----------



## MC

Stopspot said:


> The big AJPW show in Osaka just ended.
> 
> It was a bit of a clunky show that ended on a strong note. It started with some tech issues which meant that the opener had virtually no video and the start of the second match was also lost but they got video back quick enough and it was flawless for the rest of the show.
> 
> The undercard was not that amazing to be honest but got the work done. Standard undercard fare. The best match was the Sweeper vs Violence Giant + Billy Ken Kid tag match.
> 
> The Bodyguard and Sai had a good match for the Asia title with the big guy coming out on top. Collecting his second ever singles title at the age of 50. Bodyguard has evolved tremendously as a singles worker in just a few years.
> 
> Aoyagi and Nomura unseated Akiyama and Nagata for the Asia tag belts as well. This was a fun but clunky match. It was obvious that there was a big experience gap between the two teams and if I were Jun I would have Aoyagi and Nomura stick to defending the belts on smaller shows because I honestly do not think they are ready to produce big show epics regularly.
> 
> And in the main event Zeus finally seized the gold and became Triple Crown champion. The match started a bit clunky with a stupidly long crowd brawl but once they went into the second half of it it was an epic. Miyahara is on that Tanahashi bullshit and is easily one of the best aces in wrestling.
> 
> The main event was a pretty good metaphor for the entire show in that it started clunky but finished on a high note.
> 
> Now we wait and find out who Zeus' first challenger will be. My guess is Ishikawa.


Basically agree with all of this, although I liked the brawling in the main event. Zeus winning the Triple Crown was a great moment for him so glad he achieved it in Osaka. I was think Suwama would be the one to face Zeus next but Ishikawa is likely as well.


----------



## Corey

ZEUSSSSS!!!! Can't wait to watch the show tonight. Hope he has a long reign too and it draws well. 2,400 in Osaka tonight so we'll see where it goes.


----------



## Stopspot

Corey said:


> ZEUSSSSS!!!! Can't wait to watch the show tonight. Hope he has a long reign too and it draws well. 2,400 in Osaka tonight so we'll see where it goes.


I don't see him holding it further than January at the most, Jake is being primed for a run with it. But he's got his first one down now and they can always put the belt back on him at a later date.

A 4-6 month long run is still a good run all things considered.


----------



## antoniomare007

Stopspot said:


> A 4-6 month long run is still a good run all things considered.


Yeah, it would be longer than Shuji's reign and on par with Doering's and Kento's last runs. He just needs a couple of defenses and he's set. 

Was the All Asia tag title match better or worse than their first encounter?


----------



## Corey

Stopspot said:


> I don't see him holding it further than January at the most, Jake is being primed for a run with it. But he's got his first one down now and they can always put the belt back on him at a later date.
> 
> A 4-6 month long run is still a good run all things considered.


Yeah that time frame would be fine, I just hope he gets some quality defenses in against top names, really. Most of the runs since Miyahara's last big one have been short and had lesser names challenging for the hell of it. Gimme the big guns!


----------



## Noholdingrudges

Stopspot said:


> I don't see him holding it further than January at the most, Jake is being primed for a run with it. But he's got his first one down now and they can always put the belt back on him at a later date.
> 
> A 4-6 month long run is still a good run all things considered.


4-6 months is a good run. I think we've had to endure Okada's neverending title reigns that 6 months seems way too short for a title reign but it's a good length.


----------



## MC

I think 4 is a fine length. More than enough time to have a few title defenses before losing to someone. Probably the winner of the Royal Road tournament (Hopefully it's Jake Lee). Although, assuming they have 46th Anniversary show next month, they could switch the title then. Doubt it though.


----------



## Stopspot

Corey said:


> Yeah that time frame would be fine, I just hope he gets some quality defenses in against top names, really. Most of the runs since Miyahara's last big one have been short and had lesser names challenging for the hell of it. Gimme the big guns!


The company has not confirmed it yet but Yahoo Sports notes that Shuji Ishikawa will be his first challenger at the big Chiba show in August so it will start with a bang at least.


----------



## Corey

I'm gonna go ***** for Miyahara/Zeus. I really enjoyed the first half and thought things were going well but my god the last 15 minutes dragged sooooo fucking much. It was just so slow and it didn't allow the crowd to be as invested in the match as they should've been. 29 minutes in total and it most certainly felt like it. Unfortunate but I will say it was better than that flop from Miyahara & Doering earlier in the year. 

I wasn't too high on the other two title matches either. Both decent but nothing special and both once again feeling quite long. Maybe it's just me but All Japan just can't seem to get it right for an extended period of time. They do something REALLY fucking good and then kind of miss the bucket on the next go round. They've struck gold on a handful of occasions the last couple years but can never seem to put it all together on a big show imo. Fond memories of Yokohama Twilight Blues.


----------



## Obfuscation

ZEUS :mark:

Ecstatic All Japan pulled the trigger. Went with The Bodyguard too; full blown Osaka clean sweep celebration. Good for those two. Coming in a few years ago and look at the results. Really gave some definition to the roster when it was still needing to rebuild its depth. Now for that Zeus vs Doering rematch. Let Joe take the Royal Road Tournament to set this up.


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> I'm gonna go ***** for Miyahara/Zeus. I really enjoyed the first half and thought things were going well but my god the last 15 minutes dragged sooooo fucking much. It was just so slow and it didn't allow the crowd to be as invested in the match as they should've been. 29 minutes in total and it most certainly felt like it. Unfortunate but I will say it was better than that flop from Miyahara & Doering earlier in the year.
> 
> I wasn't too high on the other two title matches either. Both decent but nothing special and both once again feeling quite long. Maybe it's just me but All Japan just can't seem to get it right for an extended period of time. They do something REALLY fucking good and then kind of miss the bucket on the next go round. They've struck gold on a handful of occasions the last couple years but can never seem to put it all together on a big show imo. Fond memories of Yokohama Twilight Blues.


They need some Strong BJ


----------



## Obfuscation

I like to say that for any wrestling promotion.


----------



## Stopspot

The next set of title matches in All Japan are official: 

Atsushi Aoki defends the junior belt against Koji Iwamoto (again.....) on 8/26 in Chiba. Also on that show we will have Nomura and Aoyagi defend their Asia tag belts for the first time against Omori and Isami Kodaka, and we get Zeus vs Shuji Ishikawa for the triple crown.

As for the world tag belts they will be defended on 8/18 in Korakuen when Violence Giant take on Miyahara and Tatsu.


----------



## Obfuscation

The Ax Bombers pairing coming out of the blue. Always good to see Kodaka back.

Zeus vs Ishikawa is gonna be BEEF.


----------



## Stopspot

Looks like Yohei Nakajima has gone off the deep end and we now have DARK Menso-Re Oyaji.


----------



## MC

Iwamato better win the World Junior Championship this time :armfold and with Sweeper behind him, I can see him winning as well. 

Omori & Kodaka taking on Nomura and Aoyagi. That should be quite a battle. Tatsu/Miyahara vs The Violent Giants sounds dope as well.


----------



## komatsu_na

16 rounds of King of DDT on (1) goddamn show.


----------



## antoniomare007

Stopspot said:


> The next set of title matches in All Japan are official:
> 
> Atsushi Aoki defends the junior belt against Koji Iwamoto (again.....) on 8/26 in Chiba. Also on that show we will have Nomura and Aoyagi defend their Asia tag belts for the first time against Omori and Isami Kodaka, and we get Zeus vs Shuji Ishikawa for the triple crown.
> 
> As for the world tag belts they will be defended on 8/18 in Korakuen when Violence Giant take on Miyahara and Tatsu.


The Korakuen show will also have The Bodyguard defending his belt against Naoya Nomura









Speaking of Korakuen, Big Japan's tag league will have 4 shows there - including the opening and final night - and they saved the most interesting matches of the Strong Block for that magical place. Tourney will be very spread out and run through different tours (it's gonna last more than 2 months). They also switched things up for the semis, as the Death and Strong blocks will be paired against each other to decide the finalists. The winners get the tag titles.

Oh, and Death Vegas will be held much earlier than usual, I guess because the Sumo Hall show will take place in November. 



> *BJW “2018 Saikyo Tag League”, 8/12/2018 [Sun] 18:30 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*
> 
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Ryuichi Kawakami Kazumi Kikuta vs. Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Kota Sekifuda
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Ryota Hama & Yasufumi Nakanoue vs. Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Hideki Suzuki & Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Takayuki Ueki & Toshiyuki Sakuda vs. Minoru Fujita & Kankuro Hoshino
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka vs. Masaya Takahashi & Kyu Mogami
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Masashi Takeda & Takumi Tsukamoto vs. Abdullah Kobayashi & Yoshihisa Uto
> 
> (-) BJW Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: [1st Champion] Shinobu vs. [Challenger] Kazuki Hashimoto
> ~ 7th title defense.
> 
> *BJW “2018 Saikyo Tag League”, 8/13/2018 [Mon] 19:00 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*
> 
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe vs. Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Kota Sekifuda
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani vs. Kazuki Hashimoto & Yuya Aoki
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Hideki Suzuki & Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Ryuichi Kawakami & Kazumi Kikuta
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka vs. Minoru Fujita & Kankuro Hoshino
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Abdullah Kobayashi & Yoshihisa Uto vs. Ryuji Ito & Ryuichi Sekine
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Masashi Takeda & Takumi Tsukamoto vs. Masaya Takahashi & Kyu Mogami
> 
> *BJW “2018 Saikyo Tag League ~ BJ STYLE #19”, 8/18/2018 [Sat] 13:00 @ Osaka Tsurumi Green Factory Hanahiro Memorial Park, Exhibition Hall*
> 
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka vs. Takayuki Ueki & Toshiyuki Sakuda
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Masashi Takeda & Takumi Tsukamoto vs. Minoru Fujita & Kankuro Hoshino
> 
> *BJW “2018 Saikyo Tag League”, 9/4/2018 [Tue] 19:00 @ Aizu Wakamatsu City Bunka Center in Fukushima*
> 
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Hideki Suzuki & Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Ryota Hama & Yasufumi Nakanoue
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Ryuji Ito & Ryuichi Sekine vs. Minoru Fujita & Kankuro Hoshino
> 
> *BJW “2018 Saikyo Tag League”, 9/6/2018 [Thu] 19:00 @ Shinkiba 1stRING in Tokyo*
> 
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani vs. Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Ryota Hama & Yasufumi Nakanoue vs. Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Kota Sekifuda
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Ryuji Ito & Ryuichi Sekine vs. Masaya Takahashi & Kyu Mogami
> 
> *BJW “2018 Saikyo Tag League ~ BIG JAPAN FULL METAL”, 9/9/2018 [Sun] 17:30 @ Hakata StarLanes in Fukuoka*
> 
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Ryuichi Kawakami & Kazumi Kikuta vs. Kazuki Hashimoto & Yuya Aoki
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Hideki Suzuki & Daisuke Sekmoto vs. Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Abdullah Kobayashi & Yoshihisa Uto vs. Takayuki Ueki & Toshiyuki Sakuda
> 
> *BJW “2018 Saikyo Tag League ~ BIG JAPAN DEATH VEGAS”, 9/16/2018 [Sun] 15:00 @ Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium in Kanagawa*
> 
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe vs. Kazuki Hashimoto & Yuya Aoki
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Masaya Takahashi & Kyu Mogami vs. Takayuki Ueki & Toshiyuki Sakuda
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Abdullah Kobayashi & Yoshihisa Uto vs. Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka
> 
> *BJW “2018 Saikyo Tag League ~ BJ STYLE #20”, 9/17/2018 [Mon] 17:30 @ Osaka Ichiritsu Nishinari Kumin Center*
> 
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani vs. Ryuichi Kawakami & Kazumi Kikuta
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Ryota Hama & Yasufumi Nakanoue vs. Kazuki Hashimoto & Yuya Aoki
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Ryuji Ito & Ryuichi Sekine vs. Takayuki Ueki & Toshiyuki Sakuda
> 
> *BJW “2018 Saikyo Tag League”, 9/24/2018 [Mon] 19:00 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*
> 
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe vs. Ryuichi Kawakami & Kazumi Kikuta
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani vs. Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Kota Sekifuda
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Hideki Suzuki & Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Kazuki Hashimoto & Yuya Aoki
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Masaya Takahashi & Kyu Mogami vs. Minoru Fujita & Kankuro Hoshino
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka vs. Ryuji Ito & Ryuichi Sekine
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Masashi Takeda & Takumi Tsukamoto vs. Takayuki Ueki & Toshiyuki Sakuda
> 
> *BJW “2018 Saikyo Tag League ~ Death Market 46”, 9/30/2018 [Sun] 18:00 @ Nagoya Diamond Hall in Aichi
> *
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Ryota Hama & Yasufumi Nakanoue vs. Ryuichi Kawakami & Kazumi Kikuta
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Abdullah Kobayashi & Yoshihisa Uto vs. Minoru Fujita & Kankuro Hoshino
> 
> *BJW “2018 Saikyo Tag League ~ Death Market 46”, 10/7/2018 [Sun] 17:30 @ Susukino Mars Gym in Hokkaido*
> 
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Ryota Hama & Yasufumi Nakanoue vs. Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe
> () Saikyo Tag League Strong Block: Hideki Suzuki & Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Kota Sekifuda
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Masashi Takeda & Takumi Tsukamoto vs. Ryuji Ito & Ryuichi Sekine
> 
> *BJW “2018 Saikyo Tag League ~ Death Market 46”, 10/8/2018 [Mon] 17:30 @ Susukino Mars Gym in Hokkaido*
> 
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Masaya Takahashi & Kyu Mogami vs. Abdullah Kobayashi & Yoshihisa Uto
> () Saikyo Tag League Death Block: Masashi Takeda & Takumi Tsukamoto vs. Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka
> 
> *BJW “2018 Saikyo Tag League”, 10/16/2018 [Tue] 19:00 @ Shinkiba 1stRING in Tokyo
> *
> () Saikyo Tag League Semi-final Hardcore Match: (Death #1) vs. (Strong #2)
> () Saikyo Tag League Semi-final Hardcore Match: (Strong #1) vs. (Death #2)
> *
> BJW “2018 Saikyo Tag League”, 10/25/2018 [Thu] 19:00 @ Korakuen Hall in Tokyo*
> 
> () Saikyo Tag League Final Match:
> ~ The winning team become the new BJW Tag Champions


Can't fucking wait.


----------



## Corey

Most of those title matches sound very promising. I still don't really get why they take tag champs and just plug them into singles titles matches, but with Zeus/Shuji I sure as hell won't complain. :mark: I'm just crossing my fingers that Violent Giants get a real reign this time. No more of this hot shotting the tag belts.

Doubt Nomura will drag a good match out of Bodyguard, but I can hope.


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> Doubt Nomura will drag a good match out of Bodyguard, but I can hope.


They had a fun little sprint in the CC. If they follow that same formula (and don't go longer than 13 minutes) and Korakuen gets behind Nomura as I would guess they'll be, it should be at least very fun to watch. 

I'm way more excited about the tag matches the Strong Block gonna have at the Saikyo tag league though


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Most of those title matches sound very promising. I still don't really get why they take tag champs and just plug them into singles titles matches, but with Zeus/Shuji I sure as hell won't complain. :mark: I'm just crossing my fingers that Violent Giants get a real reign this time. No more of this hot shotting the tag belts.
> 
> *Doubt Nomura will drag a good match out of Bodyguard, but I can hope*.


Implying The Bodyguard isn't the greatest wrestler ever :armfold


----------



## Genking48

The card for Dragon Gate's next Korakuen show is out



> Natural Vibes (Susumu Yokosuka, “brother” YASSHI), Problem Dragon & Oji Shiiba vs. Gamma, Shachihoko Boy, U-T & Kota Minoura
> 
> Yasushi Kanda vs. Kaito Ishida
> 
> Tribe Vanguard (Kagetora & Yosuke♡Santa Maria) vs. KAI & Hiroshi Yamato (Freelance)
> 
> 3 on 1 Handicap Match: Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Shun Skywalker, Hyo Watanabe & Yuki Yoshioka
> 
> Natural Vibes (Kzy, Genki Horiguchi & Punch Tominaga) vs. Ryo Saito, Don Fujii & Willie Mack
> 
> MaxiMuM (Masato Yoshino, Ben-K) & Dragon Kid vs. ANTIAS (Shingo Takagi, Eita & Takashi Yoshida)
> 
> Open the Twin Gate Championship Match: Tribe Vanguard (YAMATO & BxB Hulk) (c) vs. MaxiMuM (Naruki Doi & Big R Shimizu)


Sorry, but one name really stand out...Willie Mack.


----------



## MC

KAI and Willie Mack? Odds choices, I must say. Especially KAI. 


That main event though. :banderas


----------



## Corey

Checked out this card and DAMN it looks good. :mark: Yuji Hino is back! :woo

*All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2018 SUMMER EXPLOSION”, 8/26/2018 [Sun] 15:00 @ Nagareyama Kikkoman Arena in Chiba*​
() Black Menso~re & Black Tiger VII vs. Kotaro Suzuki & Keiichi Sato
() Atsushi Maruyama, TAJIRI, KAI & Naoshi Sano vs. Masanobu Fuchi, Osamu Nishimura, Ultimo Dragon & Hikaru Sato
() *The Road to Royal Road:* Suwama & Dylan James vs. Joe Doering & Gianni Valletta
() *The Road to Royal Road:* Kento Miyahara vs. Yuji Hino

() *Asia Tag Championship Match:* [105th Champions] Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi vs. [Challengers] Takao Omori & Isami Kodaka
_~ 1st title defense._

() *World Junior Heavyweight Championship Match:* [47th Champion] Atsushi Aoki vs. [Challenger] Koji Iwamoto
_~ 5th title defense._

() *The Road to Royal Road:* Jun Akiyama & Yoshitatsu vs. Jake Lee & Ryoji Sai

() *Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship Match:* [61st Champion] Zeus vs. [Challenger] Shuji Ishikawa
_~ 1st title defense._


----------



## MC

antoniomare007 said:


> Speaking of Korakuen, Big Japan's tag league will have 4 shows there - including the opening and final night - and they saved the most interesting matches of the Strong Block for that magical place. Tourney will be very spread out and run through different tours (it's gonna last more than 2 months). They also switched things up for the semis, as the Death and Strong blocks will be paired against each other to decide the finalists. The winners get the tag titles.
> 
> Oh, and Death Vegas will be held much earlier than usual, I guess because the Sumo Hall show will take place in November.
> 
> 
> 
> Can't fucking wait.


Sumo Hall? That's epic, must have over looked that. And the Korakuen Hall shows look great.Masashi Takeda & Takumi Tsukamoto vs. Abdullah Kobayashi & Yoshihisa Uto and Hideki Suzuki & Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe on day one~! :mark


----------



## antoniomare007

MC 16 said:


> Sumo Hall? That's epic, must have over looked that. And the Korakuen Hall shows look great.Masashi Takeda & Takumi Tsukamoto vs. Abdullah Kobayashi & Yoshihisa Uto and Hideki Suzuki & Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe on day one~! :mark


Well, they've been running Sumo Hall for years now and called the event "Ryogokutan". Strigga speculated last year that moving the show to November was done so it wouldn't have to compete with so many big events happening in July and August.

I do hope they put stronger cards than the last couple of years though, even though I love what they do in the ring, the matchups they booked had no chance in hell of drawing and the shows tanked because of it. 

I'd love to see Okabayashi return in a tag match with Sekimoto, challenging for the AJPW Tag titles they never lost. Would lose my shit if Violent Giants still have the belts at that point. But who knows, Big Japan on and off relationship with All Japan is kinda weird.


----------



## MC

antoniomare007 said:


> Well, they've been running Sumo Hall for years now and called the event "Ryogokutan". Strigga speculated last year that moving the show to November was done so it wouldn't have to compete with so many big events happening in July and August.
> 
> I do hope they put stronger cards than the last couple of years though, even though I love what they do in the ring, the matchups they booked had no chance in hell of drawing and the shows tanked because of it.
> 
> I'd love to see Okabayashi return in a tag match with Sekimoto, challenging for the AJPW Tag titles they never lost. Would lose my shit if Violent Giants still have the belts at that point. But who knows, Big Japan on and off relationship with All Japan is kinda weird.


Oh that I explains it. Only been watching since December so I haven't watched it yet. 

Strong BJ vs Violent Giants would be epic and Big Japan do owe All Japan after Daichi pinned Kento last year so maybe that's a possibility but maybe that's a bit too much optimism.


----------



## Obfuscation

So much information. :monkey

Willie Mack, Don Fujii, & Ryo Saito as a trio. I love when wrestling gets weird out of nowhere.

Yuji Hino is back to crack some skulls and line up the Royal Road Tournament. Tossing out a singles match vs Kento like it's no big deal for his return. Into the frying pan, baby.

K-Hash meets Sekimoto/Suzuki in Korakuen. Omg.


----------



## MC

So Sami Callihan is the new KO-D Open weight champion :wtf2


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1024848574524350469


----------



## Obfuscation

Holy shit. First Generico, now Callihan Death Machine.

Irie goes back to America and screws up big time. No idea if this is going to be a transitional swing and Irie comes back to Japan with the Championship, but gosh I hope not. A random Callihan reign while in Japan would be something else. Peter Pan is on the horizon, so good grief what is happening.


----------



## Corey

If Callihan ends up with the championship and has a run in Japan, then my interest in DDT just went up significantly. But it should be noted Irie is in the states for a week straight so he'll probably win it back at some point. We'll see though.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1024278171267477505


----------



## MC

Huh, the reaction to this is not what I expected. Everyone on twitter is going crazy. I can't say I'm a fan of the idea either and if Irie wins it back before he returns to DDT, then isn't it pointless?


----------



## antoniomare007

I can't fucking stand Sami Callihan. I hope Irie wins it back soon. It's also weird as fuck that after all the work they did with Irie he loses it so quick in a random way like this, I guess they wanted a surprise?


----------



## Obfuscation

They probably want it to be a way that Irie can return to DDT showing "your beloved America almost took everything away from you" etc, and use it as a way just to put more heat on him and his nagging nature towards his home promotion not backing him up.

Unsure how many of those dates Callihan is working. He'll probably be on the Revolver card as it is in Ohio, and IWA-MS is a possibility. He works so many places these days, he might follow along with Irie? Gonna have to keep an eye on this.


----------



## volde

MC 16 said:


> I can't say I'm a fan of the idea either and if Irie wins it back before he returns to DDT, then isn't it pointless?


Well it got people talking.


----------



## MC

volde said:


> Well it got people talking.


Maybe that was their goal but getting people talking isn't necessarily a good thing. And are the native fans talking about it, that's key with a company like DDT.


----------



## Obfuscation

Transitional reigns like this aren't the most uncommon for wrestling promotions to try. It's about the buzz and the (seemingly) long-term on how it ties in with the champion who loses, then gains it back. That is, if Irie wins it back. If Callihan comes on over, then well, that's something new altogether.


----------



## Stopspot

Perplexed by the Callihan win. Irie pitched bringing him in to Japan and DDT gave him an outright no so not sure what to think here.


----------



## antoniomare007

RealHero upped the latests Big Japan shows.

Okami vs Sekimoto/Suzuki was fun but it got clipped to shit (only 7 of 12 minutes shown). 

Suzuki vs Uto was ok, never really got going, which kinda tends to happen when Hideki faces inferior competition. I liked how he destroyed Uto's arm and how it played into the finish, but Uto wasn't able to make his comeback anything worthwhile. 

Okami vs Sekimoto/Fujita was the best of the bunch I saw. Daichi has beef with Fujita since his horrible days in IGF and the young breh did not forget. Fujita is an asshole and hard to work with as always, so for every stiff as fuck shot Daichi throws at him, he no sells it and fires back with even more brutality. Kamitani shows great fire and holds the match together for a while. But eventually it all leads to young Hashimoto wanting to show Fujita he's no pushover anymore, and boy does he show him, landing a spin kick that busts Fujita open :lmao from then on the match kinda stumbles it's way to the end, but it had a lot of fun shit to make it worth your time.


----------



## MC

antoniomare007 said:


> RealHero upped the latests Big Japan shows.
> 
> Okami vs Sekimoto/Suzuki was fun but it got clipped to shit (only 7 of 12 minutes shown).
> 
> Suzuki vs Uto was ok, never really got going, which kinda tends to happen when Hideki faces inferior competition. I liked how he destroyed Uto's arm and how it played into the finish, but Uto wasn't able to make his comeback anything worthwhile.
> 
> Okami vs Sekimoto/Fujita was the best of the bunch I saw. Daichi has beef with Fujita since his horrible days in IGF and the young breh did not forget. Fujita is an asshole and hard to work with as always, so for every stiff as fuck shot Daichi throws at him, he no sells it and fires back with even more brutality. Kamitani shows great fire and holds the match together for a while. But eventually it all leads to young Hashimoto wanting to show Fujita he's no pushover anymore, and boy does he show him, landing a spin kick that busts Fujita open :lmao: from then on the match kinda stumbles it's way to the end, but it had a lot of fun shit to make it worth your time.


Daichi getting pissed off a splitting Fujita's cheek open was moment of the year for me. I don't mind Fujita but he deserved it. :mark


----------



## Obfuscation

I'm always interested in a Hideki squash (or match that morphs into a squash), mostly because it comes off as if he feels the opponent isn't up to snuff, he'll do away when them in no-time. Got no time for any mediocrity unless they bring the battle to him.


----------



## Corey

NOAH somehow drew 1,500 people in Korakuen today for the Jr. Tag League Final. That's almost double what they got for the Global Tag League Final. How the fu... :wtf2

Also, All Japan booked HIROSHI HASE today. :lol


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1026057011950018560


----------



## Stopspot

Corey said:


> NOAH somehow drew 1,500 people in Korakuen today for the Jr. Tag League Final. That's almost double what they got for the Global Tag League Final. How the fu... :wtf2
> 
> Also, All Japan booked HIROSHI HASE today. :lol
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1026057011950018560


AJPW drew 1.7k for that show with Hase and Choshu on it. I think it is Hase's hometown as well since he has always been involved with running shows in that area.

As for NOAH's numbers: They implemented a system earlier this year where you can buy tickets as the show goes on and the later you show up the cheaper the ticket. So you can basically show up only to watch the main event and pay almost nothing.


----------



## MC

I'm pretty sure that the new NOAH paying system doesn't apply on the weekend shows, only the week day shows. Gonna have to check that though. And you have to take in account that this is NOAH's anniversary show so that's always going to be a bigger show than most.


----------



## Stopspot

TAJIRI defended the TV title against Alexander Otsuka today in his Otoko Sakari gimmick.... Which is Otsuka in a thong basically.

......Aaand now TAJIRI made a little girl cry by having her look at Otsuka's thonged as. The mother of the child was just laughing at it all.


----------



## Corey

Some Dragon Gate news:



> (6) Masato Yoshino, Ben-K & Dragon Kid vs. Shingo Takagi, Eita & Takashi Yoshida
> *◆Winner:* Yoshida *(13:37)* with the Cyber Bomb on Yoshino
> ~ With the win over the Champion, Yoshida was chosen to be the next contender by Yoshida
> 
> (7) *Open The Twin Gate Championship Match:* YAMATO & BxB Hulk [43rd Champions] vs. Naruki Doi & Big R Shimizu [Challengers]
> *◆Winner:* No Contest *(22:33)* after Shimizu turned on Doi
> ~ Shimizu is now a member of ANTIAS
> ~ After the match ANTIAS said Doi won’t stand a chance against them. But a 5 vs. 5 match was made with Shimizu, Eita, Yoshida, Kanda & Shimizu vs. Doi, Yoshino, YAMATO, Hulk & Ben-K


----------



## Obfuscation

Unsure if this Big R. heel turn is gonna be a huge deal in no time like I hope it is. Well, alignment aside; I just want him to get up there.


----------



## antoniomare007

So Irie got the KO-D belt back. No clue who benefited from a 8 day reign but I guess it didn't do much damage either.


----------



## Obfuscation

One of those booking moves. Oh well. I'm still banking on it being done to instill the damage Irie almost did to himself by going back to America only to fumble, and risk not returning to DDT as champion.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1027853627745083393
NOAH about to show of their great junior division :bjpenn


----------



## WOKELAND2

Global League Jr? Interesting... 


Speaking of Jrs from NOAH.

Check this out:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1027712881369014272


----------



## Obfuscation

Imagining all the RATEL'S matches in that tournament, lmao.


----------



## antoniomare007

*Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe vs. Ryota Nakatsu & Ryuichi Sekine - BASARA 8/11/18*

This match could be simply summarized as "4 cunts trying to out strike each other"  best pairing was Nakatsu constantly wanting to prove a point by defying Takuya...and it never went well for him.










Fun match, can't wait to see Abe and Nomura bringing the heat and hate to the Saikyo Tag League :mark: the cunt off against Kazuki and Aoki is gonna be for the ages :lmao


----------



## Obfuscation

The Cunt Off League plz.

And more attempts at standing toe to toe in exchanges like that, which lead to assault.


----------



## Stopspot

Shuji Kondo and Koji Doi are the new Wrestle 1 tag champions. They will have their first defense at the big Yokohama show against T-Hawk and Lindaman. Kondo locking up with more ex DG dudes.

The other two title matches for the show will be Yoshioka vs Kodama for the cruiser belt and Ashino vs Soya for the Wrestle-1 title.

I'm currently working through AJP's show from Shin Kiba on the 9th. Gianni Valetta and Yoshitatsu had a fun match. Just a slightly sloppy brawl with the crowd being very into it. If you are a workrate person then you can very much skip it however. Valetta seems to be having the time of his life cosplaying Bruiser Brody


----------



## antoniomare007

Day 1 of the Saikyo Tag League drew poorly (barely over 800 at Korakuen), show will air on Saturday so links should be available on the weekend. Kazuki Hashimoto won the Jr. title as expected. 

I hope today's shows does better and is taped too (it should as it's in Korakuen too).


----------



## Obfuscation

Well, at least K-Hash is atop of the division if he's going to be sticking around in it. Better than not being the flagship of it, while missing out on the Strong Championship.

I don't know why WRESTLE-1 plays hot potato with their tag team championships so much. If a Kuroshio/Tanaka dream team can't have a solid reign, who can? I guess maybe Kondo and Doi now. But we'll see with the Strong Hearts invasion.


----------



## MC

K-Hash winning the Jr title :mark

Shame about the attendance but the show looks and sounds awesome from people who was there. 


Also, here is the Kakiride card for tomorrow:

Masahiko Kakihara vs Minoru Suzuki
Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Takaku Fuke
Tatsuya Nakano & Kenichi Yamamoto vs Rocky Kawamura & Hikaru Sato
Hideki Suzuki vs Daisuke Nakamura 
Takuya Nomura vs Takafumi Ito - This has a special "Kick" rule stipulation to it. Not entirely sure what this means though.


----------



## Stopspot

TAJIRI's next challenger for the TV belt is set and it will be an old contemporary of his from when they both broke in back in IWA Japan. Osaka Pro legend Buffalo


----------



## Corey

:shrug


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1029353326406553600


----------



## antoniomare007

Holy shit, I thought that was a joke. He really did win it :lmao




> *DDT “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI #14”, 14/08/2018
> Shin-Kiba 1st RING
> 240 Fans – Super No Vacancy*
> 
> 4. Road to King Of DDT 2018 3rd Round 4 Way Tag Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Tetsuya Endo defeated HARASHIMA & Mike Bailey, Yukio Sakaguchi & MAO and Keisuke Ishii & Kazuki Hirata when Endo pinned Hirata with a Swan Dive 450 Splash (10:20).
> 5. RENEGADES Vs DAMNATION!: Shigehiro Irie & Jason Kincaid defeated Shuji Ishikawa & Mad Paulie when Irie pinned Paulie with the Beast Bomber (19:20).
> 6. KO-D Openweight Title: Danshoku Dieno defeated Shigehiro Irie (c) with the Gaydo Clutch (1:37).
> *Super Sasadango Machine gives his Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Contract to Danshoku Dieno. Shigehiro Irie fails in V1. Danshoku Dieno cashes in his Right To Challenge Gauntlet. Danshoku Dieno becomes the 65th KO-D Openweight Champion!
> 
> A ton of stuff to go through here, enough to make my head spin. At the start of the show Meiko Satomura apologised to everyone for losing her red Right To Challenge Anytime, Anywhere Gauntlet during her recent expedition to America (you can guess where she lost it and yes it’s still active). However she regained a Gauntlet by winning the yellow one from Makoto Oishi. At the end of the show Satomura announced she will cash in the Gauntlet for a KO-D Openweight Title shot on the 28th August episode of “DDT LIVE! MAJI MANJI”. However Danshoku Dieno revealed that Super Sasadango Machine gave him his blue Gauntlet as a gift and it was being cashed in right now! Dieno then defeated a tired Shigehiro Irie to become the new KO-D Champion! Furthermore, Dieno ruled that there will be no more KO-D Title defences until Sumo Hall unless it is a Right To Challenge cash in. Satomura now has the remaining Gauntlet and she will use it for a title match on 28th August.


That's just some Colombian coke level of fuckery right there.



ps: Callihan's reign makes even less sense now.


----------



## Stopspot

Callihan winning the belt being unplanned doesn't seem that far-fetched now tbh


----------



## MC

I knew they would have a match but Dieno actually winning :lmao

I'd say one thing, I have no clue what they are doing for Peter Pan


----------



## Obfuscation

I wonder how much of this has to do with Takeshita being injured.

Because right now, DDT going hog wild with that championship for whatever reason.


----------



## komatsu_na

The Irie angle was a failure so they hit the kill switch on it, I think.


----------



## Obfuscation

I still see this bouncing back to Irie at the end of it. It's just...strange.


----------



## RKing85

ivpvideos with a 30% off anniversary sale on right now.


----------



## Stopspot

Ultimo Dragon is running the Lucha Fiesta Tour with the help of All Japan between November 3rd and 6th.

Get me LA Park in the AJP ring


----------



## Obfuscation

The match that'll never happen but should: LA Park vs Zeus for the Triple Crown.

Or bring Akebono back vs Park in a FATTY smashy bloody brawl. 

Ok, now I'm going full Fire Pro Wrestling on this.


----------



## komatsu_na

Shiozaki Go lost. I want to disappear.


----------



## Corey

Violent Giants retained today over Tatsu & Miyahara thank goodness. Bodyguard retained too. Attendance was almost identical for the 2 big shows.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1030757773171195905

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1030800272367468544


----------



## Obfuscation

Go didn't stand a chance. No matter how much I wished he did.


----------



## MC

Love Go, but it would've been the wrong choice to have Sugiura lose to imo. Kenou or Nakajima are the only two he should be losing the title to right now. Kiyomiya isn't ready and no one else is really on that level yet.


----------



## Obfuscation

It's got to be going back to Kenoh. Was a bit odd when he lost it in the first place, but given the way things have gone, and their past partnership, it's all about letting him defeat Sugiura in the process and officially earn the mantle of being a top name in NOAH.


----------



## Stopspot

Obfuscation said:


> The match that'll never happen but should: LA Park vs Zeus for the Triple Crown.
> 
> Or bring Akebono back vs Park in a FATTY smashy bloody brawl.
> 
> Ok, now I'm going full Fire Pro Wrestling on this.


Isn't Akebono still in the hospital? I think he's been there for over a year the poor bugger


----------



## Obfuscation

Stopspot said:


> Isn't Akebono still in the hospital? I think he's been there for over a year the poor bugger


To my knowledge, yeah. With all the struggles he's been through recently, it's even doubtful wrestling again could be a scenario. Although, that's certainly the least of his concerns atm.


----------



## Stopspot

Obfuscation said:


> To my knowledge, yeah. With all the struggles he's been through recently, it's even doubtful wrestling again could be a scenario. Although, that's certainly the least of his concerns atm.


I'm willing to say his career is over with 90% certainty.

Would happily be proven wrong.


In other news Masato Tanaka has announced his 25th anniversary match on 9/30: Dangan Yankees (Tanaka and Sugiura) take on the extremely beefy team of Yuji Hino and Daisuke Sekimoto!


----------



## adamclark52

Pro Wrestling NOAH “First Navigation 2006-Tag 10”
January 22, 2006
From Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan

*Haruka Eigen & Kishin Kawabata vs. Mitsuo Momota & Kentaro Shiga*
This match was okay. Haruka Eigen moved pretty slow but still held his own. This reeked of dark match though.
Winners: Mitsuo Momota & Kentaro Shiga

*Tsutomu Hirayanagi, Masao Inoue & Akitoshi Saito vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Dakota & Naoki Sano*
My interest waned at the beginning of this match but once I started paying attention it was really good. Each of the guys brought something different to the table and each did their respective styles well.
Winner: team two

*Daisuke Ikeda & Tamon Honda vs. Yoshinari Ogawa & Shiro Koshinaka*
This match started out hot out of the gate but lost its steam and never quite recovered.
Winners: Yoshinari Ogawa & Shiro Koshinaka

*Minoru Suzuki, SUWA & 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Tsuyoshi Kikuchi, Mohammed Yone & Takeshi Morishima*
This match was much better than the previous three but was over in less than ten minutes. The guys in this one looked to at least have backstory between them, unlike the other matches that all felt like they were all thrown together an hour before the show.
Winners: Minoru Suzuki, SUWA & 2 Cold Scorpio

*Mitsuharu Misawa, Takashi Sugiura & Mushiking Terry w/anime villain vs. Mushiking Joker, Katsuhiko Nakajima & Kensuke Sasaki*
This matches quality and excitement changed with whoever was in the ring at any time. When it was Kensuke Sasaki and Mitsuharu Misawa it was obviously very exciting. Mushiking Terry and Mushiking Joker were both really good Lucha-esc high flyers who mixed well together. Takashi Sugiura and Katsuhiko Nakajima were “the other two guys”. Overall though this was a good damn match even though it was a match at what may have been a house show rather than a big match at a big show.
Winners: Mitsuharu Misawa, Takashi Sugiura & Mushiking Terry

*Akebono & Takeshi Rikio vs. Jun Izumida & Kenta Kobashi*
Any time Kenta Kobashi is on my screen my focus is one hundred percent on the match. This wasn’t the best match because Akebono obviously can’t go for very long (thus Takeshi Rikio had to carry most of the workload) but it didn’t matter. Kobashi could be wrestling with trying to open a wrapper of a chocolate bar and I’m “all in”. Even still this match was damn lit.
Winners: Akebono & Takeshi Rikio

For the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Championship
*Naomichi Marufuji vs. KENTA (champion)*
These two beat the ever-loving piss out of one another. Their slaps and punches were fucking legit. I’ve ragged on KENTA a lot in the past but the NOAH matches I’ve seen him in have been so good. This one being the best. That’s selling it short...this match was FUCKING AWESOME. It was beautiful.
Winner: KENTA

[I don’t understand how that couldn’t have been the main event.]

For the GHC Heavyweight Championship 
*Jun Akiyama vs. Akira Taue (champion)*
This was really fucking good too. The only reason I wasn’t a billion percent in love with it is because I barely know the one guy and don’t know the other at all.
Winner: Jun (new GHC Heavyweight Championship)

Some words from Jun Akiyama.
___________________________________________________________________________________
This show started off slow but from the fourth match on it got better and better. That KENTA verses Marufuji match was SO FUCKNG GOOD. And I’ve heard they had even better matches together. The last half of this show was so good though that it made me forget about the first half. This show reminded me of why I love wrestling. That’s the highest praise I can give it. This show was fucking good and you should watch it. Fuck NXT. Fuck NJPW. Watch this.


----------



## Obfuscation

Stopspot said:


> I'm willing to say his career is over with 90% certainty.
> 
> Would happily be proven wrong.
> 
> 
> In other news Masato Tanaka has announced his 25th anniversary match on 9/30: Dangan Yankees (Tanaka and Sugiura) take on the extremely beefy team of Yuji Hino and Daisuke Sekimoto!


Aye. A definite bummer, but at least I'll have the matches from his career out there to watch again.

That tag match potential. :yoda


----------



## MC

Death Vegas is coming up soon. Good looking show as well



> *BJW "BIG JAPAN DEATH VEGAS", 16.09.2018 (Samurai! TV LIVE)
> Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium *
> 
> 1. The Young BJ: Masaki Morihiro & Akira Hyodo vs. Takuho Kato & Yuki Ishikawa
> 2. Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Kota Sekifuda vs. Kankuro Hoshino & Takumi Tsukamoto
> 3. The Strong BJ: Daisuke Sekimoto, Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani vs. Ryota Hama, Ryuichi Kawakami & Kazumi Kikuta
> 4. Saikyou Tag League - Strong Block: Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe vs. Kazuki Hashimoto & Yuya Aoki
> 5. Saikyou Tag League - Death Match Block: Masaya Takahashi & Kyu Mogami vs. Takayuki Ueki & Toshiyuki Sakuda
> 6. Saikyou Tag League - Death Match Block: Abdullah Kobayashi & Yoshihisa Uto vs. Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka
> 7. BJW Strong World Heavyweight Title: Hideki Suzuki (c) vs. Yasufumi Nakanoue
> 8. BJW Death Match Heavyweight Title: Masashi Takeda (c) vs. Ryuji Ito
> 
> http://purolove.com/



Suzuki vs Nakanoue should be fun. Takeda has been on fire so far so really looking forward to his match with Ito.


----------



## antoniomare007

The cuntoff :mark:

Dangan Yankees vs Hino & Daisuke at Korakuen should be fucking awesome. I hope we get a winner though, I'd like to see them beat the shit out of each other for 20 minutes instead of a 30 minute draw. 

Anyone has seen links for the first show of the Saikyou Tag League? I know SamuraiTV showed it on the weekend but RealHero hasn't uploaded anything yet, and neither has the VK guy


----------



## MC

Not that I can see at the moment. They are typically online within two days so either later tonight or tomorrow it should be up.


----------



## Stopspot

From this weekend's AJPW show: Suwama with probably the gnarliest dropkick in wrestling

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/%5Burl%5Dhttps%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FSMiLeY3219%2Fstatus%2F1031551411224502272%5B%2Furl%5D
EDIT: Stupid bed in doesn't work. Here's the direct link https://twitter.com/SMiLeY3219/status/1031551411224502272


----------



## Obfuscation

Any card that pits Sekimoto vs Hama in any capacity is good in my book.


----------



## Stopspot

Puroresuspirit are apparently shutting down. The guy running it cannot find the time for it anymore. 

Press F to pay respect


----------



## antoniomare007

Stopspot said:


> Puroresuspirit are apparently shutting down. The guy running it cannot find the time for it anymore.
> 
> Press F to pay respect


Damn, I loved that site because it had the most complete info. 

The guy said he's leaving the site open for anyone that can take care of it, hopefully someone can keep up his awesome work.


----------



## Obfuscation

Always like a wrestling results/news site to include what the finish was while looking it up. A little detail like that goes a long way, if by my own specific curiosity.

If someone takes over soon and keeps it on par like before, then all good. But either way, too bad he can't keep it up, but sometimes that's just how it goes.


----------



## MC

Big All Japan Show tomorrow (or Today depending on where you are) 




> All Japan Pro-Wrestling “2018 SUMMER EXPLOSION”, 8/26/2018 [Sun] 15:00 @ Nagareyama Kikkoman Arena in Chiba
> () Black Menso~re & Black Tiger VII vs. Kotaro Suzuki & Keiichi Sato
> () Atsushi Maruyama, TAJIRI, KAI & Naoshi Sano vs. Masanobu Fuchi, Osamu Nishimura, Ultimo Dragon & Hikaru Sato
> 
> () The Road to Royal Road: Suwama & Dylan James vs. Joe Doering & Gianni Valletta
> () The Road to Royal Road: Kento Miyahara vs. Yuji Hino
> 
> () Asia Tag Championship Match: [105th Champions] Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi vs. [Challengers] Takao Omori & Isami Kodaka
> ~ 1st title defense.
> 
> () World Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: [47th Champion] Atsushi Aoki vs. [Challenger] Koji Iwamoto
> ~ 5th title defense.
> 
> () The Road to Royal Road: Jun Akiyama & Yoshitatsu vs. Jake Lee & Ryoji Sai
> 
> () Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship Match: [61st Champion] Zeus vs. [Challenger] Shuji Ishikawa
> ~ 1st title defense.


Zeus taking on the Big Dawg sounds pretty awesome. Expect Zeus to retain, not the right pal to lose the title. Iwamoto needs to win the Junior title, the division has been so underwhelming under Aoki and it's time for Iwamoto to win the title. That Kento vs Hino match looks very promising. Few other matches that could be good too.


----------



## Stopspot

MC 16 said:


> Big All Japan Show tomorrow (or Today depending on where you are)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Zeus taking on the Big Dawg sounds pretty awesome. Expect Zeus to retain, not the right pal to lose the title. Iwamoto needs to win the Junior title, the division has been so underwhelming under Aoki and it's time for Iwamoto to win the title. That Kento vs Hino match looks very promising. Few other matches that could be good too.


Not the best attended big show so far which is a little bit of a bummer. But in the greater spectrum of things not every big show can be a sell out. Now they know that they need to put more work into the Chiba market if they want to run larger shows there.


----------



## Corey

Yeah, only 1,310 in Chiba today which is disappointing cause I thought the card was great, but at the same time like no one ever runs there so it's pretty much new territory.

Also, I miss Puroresu Spirit.


----------



## Stopspot

Corey said:


> Yeah, only 1,310 in Chiba today which is disappointing cause I thought the card was great, but at the same time like no one ever runs there so it's pretty much new territory.
> 
> Also, I miss Puroresu Spirit.


Yeah, not all of these big shows can be successes. They tried and now they know that if they want to run "bigger" shows in Chiba they should look at a smaller building.

Big lol at the feed dying just before the finish as well. I like to imagine they hit each other so hard they broke the internet.

Can't complain about the show quality overall but the crowd really brought it down for me.


----------



## antoniomare007

DDT barely got 1k at Korakuen for the King of DDT finals (Sasaki beat Endo to win the tourney). A bad couple of shows - attendance wise - to finish up the tour.


----------



## Obfuscation

Well, attendance gloom aside, that result is something else. Sasaki getting the main event in Ryogoku. My Endo guess to save face with the loss of Takeshita, close but no cigar. Was actually thinking the other day of the Golden Storm Riders feeling like the full push for Sasaki standing out as a major player within DDT (once Ibushi was gone, he did get the KO-D Championship, but it was mostly transitional), but it didn't quite take in the way I thought. Now maybe this is officially the time. Unsure how this will reflect DAMNATION either, but that's what having to see what's gonna happen next is for.


----------



## Miguel De Juan

Zeus won the belt? I am so behind thanks to work.


----------



## MC

It's a shame that DDT have been struggling to get some good attendance lately. Glad Daisuke Sasaki wins though. I thought they would go with HARASHIMA, with Takeshita injured and all but glad they are going this direction. With the KO-D title stakes up in the air, this will be an interesting built to Peter Pan. 

Only really caught the main event of the All Japan show, the match was very good but the lack of the finish - not to the fault of the wrestlers - hard to say it was a great match. Looks like Suwama will be challenging based on the pictures of Zeus holding up the title to Suwama. Royal Road will be an interesting tournament. 

Would highly recommend the NOAH Kawasaki Festival show. Most of the matches were really good. The last three matches were either great or bordering great matches. Especially the main event which was incredible (Go Shiozaki vs Takashi Sugiura). Garnered some well deserved buzz online. Well worth the look. Sugiura's GHC Heavyweight title reign has been excellent thus far. I'd say it's the best title reign within the calendar year.


----------



## Stopspot

Also all hail Koji Iwamoto. Our new AJPW jr heavyweight champion.

May his reign be a long and good one

Masa Kitamiya vs Sugiura should be a wild one. Is there a champion with a stronger reign going right now other than Sugiura?


----------



## Obfuscation

Give Zeus the time needed and he'll take that over real quick.


----------



## Flowsion

Stopspot said:


> Also all hail Koji Iwamoto. Our new AJPW jr heavyweight champion.
> 
> May his reign be a long and good one
> 
> Masa Kitamiya vs Sugiura should be a wild one. Is there a champion with a stronger reign going right now other than Sugiura?


Just Masashi Takeda to me. 
But for "normal" title reigns, Sugiura is having the best one hands down. 
Zeus started well his one today, great match with Shuji.

I saw a lot of criticism about it, but I enjoyed Hideki vs Kamitani, nothing too spectacular a solid ***1/4. I guess you have to like Hideki, it's his usual kind of match that rubs a lot of people in the wrong way.


----------



## MC

Thought the match was good and had some competitiveness to it but it lacked any heat from the crowd and was missing that spark to kick it the next level. Hideki's title reigns feels like it's just waiting for Nomura - or someone to take the title off him, not much excitement to the run unfortunately.


----------



## antoniomare007

Day 1 of the Tag League is on RealHero too. Only was able to watch Sekimoto/Suzuki vs Nomura/Abe (loved it, probably I'm alone on how much I loved it, but it's no doubt worth a watch). I can't wait to catch up on their stuff tomorrow or Thursday.


----------



## Obfuscation

Good call on the head's up. I'll try and see how much of that I check out tomorrow; that tag match alone is the must.


----------



## Stopspot

Iwamoto has named his first challenger for the junior belt and it will be Shuji Kondo. Date yet to be decided. 

Suwama looks to be next in line for the Triple Crown shot. No idea if he needs to win the Royal Road for that to happen or not.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1034016507955691521
Oh crap, Taue has stomach cancer. Wish him all the luck in the world.


----------



## antoniomare007

God dammit man 

As expected, Meiko beat Dino to become the first woman to win the KO-D belt. I hope the gamble works for them because they are in desperate need of SOMETHING to create some sort of spark going into Peter Pan.


----------



## Corey

Anyone have a link for Violent Giants vs. Kento & Yoshitatsu from 8/18?

Also, Yuji Hino beat Kento at the Chiba show!? Damn that's big. Hopefully he gets a title match sometime.


----------



## MC

Regarding the KO-D title, a triple threat match has been announced for the 23/09 show where Meiko defends the title against Irie and Dino. I'd say Irie is winning the title back but I honestly can't say for sure. 


Hopefully Hino getting the win isn't something like Daichi Hashimoto beating Kento with no follow up and goes far in The royal Road Tournament or faces Kento again.


----------



## Flowsion

Guys with puroreso spirit sadly gone do you know another site where I can find the cards for the upcoming events? Even in Japanese, google translate should do the work.


----------



## Corey

Stopspot said:


> Iwamoto has named his first challenger for the junior belt and it will be Shuji Kondo. Date yet to be decided.


9/22 for that one


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1034291776599678976


----------



## Ham and Egger

Flowsion said:


> Guys with puroreso spirit sadly gone do you know another site where I can find the cards for the upcoming events? Even in Japanese, google translate should do the work.


purolove.com

It's in German but, like you said, you can use google translate.


----------



## Obfuscation

This DDT KO-D Openweight stuff is the damnest thing of the year. Baffling.

Hino beating Kento, though. :mark:


----------



## Corey

Some positive news for NOAH.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1035841821279248384
And @MC 16; this has you written all over it:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1036206188558467072


----------



## MC

Sugiura's title defence against Masa Kitamiya got a decent attendance today as well. 1,026 people at Korakuen Hall today. Not their biggest this year but not bad.

As for Nakajima vs Sugiura, :mark The match will certainly be excellent. They produce magic every time they face each other. Looking forward to seeing it. Really want Nakajima to get the win but I can't help but think Kenoh should be the one to beat Sugiura. I'll be happy with either result


----------



## adamclark52

Pro Wrestling NOAH “Destiny 2005”
July 18th, 2005
From the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan



Spoiler: review



*Katsuhiko Nakajima, Mitsuo Momota & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi vs. Masashi Aoyagi, SUWA & Takashi Sugiura*
While this was no seven-star classic this was way better than the usual NOAH opening match. Both teams put up a good fight but SUWAs team was way more aggressive and impressive.
Winners: Masashi Aoyagi, SUWA & Takashi Sugiura

*Go Shiozaki & Tamon Honda vs. Takeshi Morishima & Mohammed Yone*
This match had some good physicality. 
Winners: Takeshi Morishima & Mohammed Yone

*Shiro Koshinaka, Masao Inoue, Kishin Kawabata & Akitoshi Saito vs. Haruka Eigen, Jun Izumida, Takuma Sano & Akira Taue*
This had moments of being really good and moments of being your typical mid-card multi-man match.
Winners: Shiro Koshinaka, Masao Inoue, Kishin Kawabata & Akitoshi Saito

Some crazy scientist guy cuts a promo and they keep showing the children in the audience. Then Mushiking Terry comes out and they go to the ring. An evil wizard cuts a promo then Black Mask comes out and they go to the ring. I have no idea what’s going on but it reeks of mid-1990’s WWF but mixed with Japanese video game culture.

*Mushiking Terry w/crazy scientist guy vs. Black Mask w/evil wizard*
Thankfully the match was a decent Lucha match. They weren’t given much time at all and I think both guys are capable of much better. Whatever this was was the end of something they were trying to do to appeal to children. The crowd didn’t seem very into it and there were lots of camera cuts to kids and bored parents.
Winner: Mushiking Terry

For the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship
*KENTA vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru (champion)*
Yoshinobu Kanemaru entered to _No Good_ by the Prodigy so I was in his corner. Anyone who enters to that song has my vote. KENTA took quite the beating in this one. The crowd was REALLY into this match but it wasn’t really that great. 
Winner: KENTA (new GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion)

For the GHC Tag Team Championships
*Makoto Hashi & Jun Akiyama vs. Naomichi Marufuji & Minoru Suzuki (champions)*
This match too had moments (the slapping sequence between Jun Akiyama and Minoru Suzuki) but was boring in spots too. The last half was good.
Winners: Naomichi Marufuji & Minoru Suzuki

Interpromotional match for the GHC Heavyweight Championship 
*Hiroshi Tanahashi (representing New Japan Pro-Wrestling) vs. Takeshi Rikio (champion)*
This was a pretty good match. Two completely different styles met here but they worked well together.
Winner: Takeshi Rikio

*Genichiro Tenryu vs. Yoshinari Ogawa*
There seemed to be a backstory to this match and a feud, which is something I haven’t really seen in the four Pro-Wrestling NOAH shows I’ve watched. It seemed to have potential too but the ending happened out of nowhere and I was disappointed.
Winner: Genichiro Tenryu

*Kensuke Sasaki vs. Kenta Kobashi*
This match was really fucking good but what makes it “epic” is the infamous five minute chop sequence in the middle. Witnessing that alone is worth watching this entire show for. The rest of the match was fucking awesome too though. 
Winner: Kenta Kobashi

*Toshiaki Kawada vs. Mitsuharu Misawa*
This match was a really, really good hard-hitting affair. But let’s be honest: Kensuke Sasaki verses Kenta Kobashi should have main evented the show. I get it though that this was Pro Wrestling NOAHs fifth anniversary show and Mitsuharu Misawa was the founder of the promotion, so it all makes sense.
Winner: Mitsuharu Misawa



This was a really good show. The undercard was way better than the undercards on the other Pro Wrestling NOAH shows I’ve seen because it seemed like all the guys involved were actually putting in their best effort rather than phoning it in in a meaningless multi-man tag team match. Which brings me to my next point: it was so nice to see a Pro Wrestling NOAH show that wasn’t entirely dominated by multi-man tag team matches. Now with this being their biggest show at the time it made sense to book more singles matches. 

The main event, the tag title match and the Junior Heavyweight title match were all really good. Genichiro Tenryu verses Yoshinari Ogawa would be up there too if it wasn’t so short and hadn’t ended so suddenly. Mushiking Terry verses Black Mask was really good too but I didn’t like the cartoon character backdrop of it all. If I wanted to see that shit I’d watch the WWE.

The big draw of the show though is Kensuke Sasaki verses Kenta Kobashi. Those two beat the enter-loving shit out of one another. The chopping sequence is insane. If anything just watch that match. I think it’s available on YouTube on its own. 

A young Eddie Edwards was part of the ring crew at this show.


----------



## Obfuscation

Still need to play catch up on the last few Sugiura defenses, but keep rolling them out NOAH. Sugiura vs Kitamiya though. :hmm:


----------



## Stopspot

In more Sugi news, Sugiura will take on Morishima at Morishima's return show later this year


----------



## Obfuscation

Well, then. That'll be the test to see if Morishima is gonna be the Morishima of old. 

Drop the old man on his head. :mark:


----------



## TD Stinger

Decided to watch the Marufuji vs. Itami match. Can't say it was too different than what I'm used to with Itami at this point but he was in his home setting and got all the time in the world to do his thing. And he and Marufuji had a really slick match.

Also:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1036639878874886144
As someone who has seen a bit of Marufuji's work, would be really cool to see him do a one off for NXT at a Takeover show. The only question would be against who.


----------



## MC

Here we go again :mark


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1036932480945643520
Not sure why it's called D-Oh GP 2019 when it's in 2018 though.


----------



## Obfuscation

DDT simply looking ahead to the future. :hmm:


----------



## Stopspot

The absolute boy, Yusuke Okada returns for AJP on October 10 at Korakuen Hall. He will face (murder) Keiichi Sato in his return match.

Also announced for the show is Aoyagi and Nomura defending the Asia Tag Belts against Omori and Black Menso-Re. So it looks like Omori is going for a last chance at glory style story by refusing to give up on the tag belts.


----------



## MC

More tournaments!!! This time is the W-1 Tag League


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1037692841991069696


----------



## Stopspot

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/%5Burl%5Dhttps%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fdragongate_pro%2Fstatus%2F1037735724894711808%5B%2Furl%5D
Shingo is going freelance on October 7. Looking forward to him popping back up in AJPW and running amok on the greater Japan indy scene.

Really is a new era for DG.

EDIT: F****ng twitter embed work already!


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Holy shit, what a huge day this has been for Dragon Gate.

Ben-K now in ANTIAS, the faction name undergoing another change at Dangerous Gate with a member from DG's past coming back (possibly from overseas) to join the unit & now, Shingo Takagi announcing that he's going freelance.

Given that he'll be a freelancer October 7th probably won't be the last time he'll ever wrestle in Dragon Gate, but this is still a pretty big blow to the in-ring quality of the promotion, as Takagi's been arguably their most consistent wrestler besides Mochizuki. Time for the younger generation to step up.*


----------



## MC

It was time for Shingo, he wanted completely different things opposed to DG. Freelance Shingo sounds promising.

Loads of hardcore DG fans say ANTIAS was one of the worst stables ever in DG history so a revamp sounds like it's needed. Ben-K and this returning star is a big step in that.


----------



## Genking48

tbh the only thing wrong with Antias was the members. It was basically Shingo and friends as they ended up with the current lineup of members, after Lindaman/T-Hawk fucked off and the young guns taking charge of the group story failed.

Eita is constantly getting crikets with his promos and seem to have taken the T-Hawk spot as the guy they are pushing but failing to get any tracktion with the fans. Yoshida and Kanda are shit  Maybe Big Ben in the stable can bring something. But Big R looks as silly as Yoshida does with his current look. And we still haven't seen if Ben-K will do something to make sure people know that he is a heel.

Hoping for a PAC return! maybe Shuji Kondo.


----------



## Corey

Bring Shingo back to All Japan so he can get that Triple Crown Title shot he deserves from beating Kento in the Carnival.


----------



## volde

Would be insane if PAC actually will return to DG. While there are many match-ups that I'd love to see with him in NJPW, I kinda think that it would be better for him and for wrestling industry if he went to DG.


----------



## antoniomare007

Shingo officially going freelance :mark:


----------



## Obfuscation

Freelance Shingo, good grief, yes.

ANTIAS did lose its way throughout this year, but that's not anything Dragon Gate can't fix to let them regain an aura back. When you start to miss VerserK this early, though. :hmm:

I've pondered the PAC return to Dragon Gate. Mostly because that's a promotion to reach out to him immediately given the history in the past. But you know, with his WWE tenure behind him, who's to say some other promotion wouldn't reach out to him.


----------



## Genking48

Obfuscation said:


> I've pondered the PAC return to Dragon Gate. Mostly because that's a promotion to reach out to him immediately given the history in the past. But you know, with his WWE tenure behind him, who's to say some other promotion wouldn't reach out to him.


I can definitely see him see him coming back to Dragon Gate, there seems to be a great deal of loyalty for the Dragon Gate wrestlers that leave the promotions in that they always try to help fill the vaccum they've left behind when they leave. Like when Ricochet left and he recommended other guys (we'll they were Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz but still) to fill in for him. Or when Flamita came in with Bandido. Maybe it's because Dragon Gate was the promotion to give these guys a shot when nobody else really did. Or maybe it's them being grateful that Dragon Gate basically helped them reach that next level. Without Dragon Gate Neville would have never blown up so that he could reach WWE. NJPW would probably never have booked Ricochet if Dragon Gate had not lent him for the BOSJ.

I know other promotions would probably love to reach out to him. But in NJPW for example I just don't know if I see him reaching that height he'd probably like to reach. I mean is he going to be in the junior division. I know the NJPW junior division is a step up from 205 Live. But it's still a junior division. And looked what happened to the last hyped up guy that jumped into the Junior division, Taiji Ishimori. Yeah, what wonders his career have gotten since coming to New Japan. 
Is he going to go heavyweight. He'd probably be IC champion at best. I don't see New Japan pushing him over guys like Omega, Okada, Ibushi, Naito or Jay White, so he'd be sixth guy down the ladder.

So much like I don't see Shingo going to New Japan, unless he'd want to take over Hirooki Goto's spot as the forever NEVER division guy, I could see PAC go to New Japan, but I just don't see any way that they would push him to the top of the promotion with all the talent they already have.

Anyways. From the Dragon Gate Pro-Wrestling Official English Facebook Page


> Shingo Takagi will graduate from Dragon Gate and begin competing as a freelancer when his contract expires on October 7, 2018.
> 
> Shingo Takagi
> “I’ve decided to depart from Dragon Gate to compete as a freelancer. I’ve yearned for the freedom to fight with other wrestlers outside both inside Japan and out. Several years ago I discussed this with the company, but under the old regime that was in place until April of this year I was unable to achieve that dream. I brought the subject up to the new regime after Kobe World Hall in July. With respect for my opinion, the decision was made for me to become a freelancer at the end of my contract term. I’d like to thank Mr. Kido and the Dragon Gate wrestlers who put up with my selfishness from the bottom of my heart.
> October 7th in Hakata Star Lanes will be my final day as a Dragon Gate wrestler. My debut match was also in Hakata in October. It feels like fate.
> Even as a freelancer, I still plan on returning to the Dragon Gate ring if the opportunity arises. There are a lot of promising rookies that I’m looking forward to battling with in the future.
> I will remain a member of Antias until their reformation on September 24th. I will compete unaffiliated for the remainder of my contract after that date. This will give the fans an opportunity to see some matches they have been eager and excited to see.
> I’m going to fight to the best of my ability to show my thanks to the fans in this last month as a Dragon Gate affiliated wrestler.
> Thank you and I look forward to your support for both myself and for Dragon Gate. “
> 
> President Toru Kido
> “As Mr. Takagi said, he has had the desire to go freelancer for several years now. Under the old regime, it was exceptionally difficult for him to achieve his goals. Dragon Gate Entertainment respects his determination. With regards to his accomplishments and contributions in the past, so we are encouraging him to pursue his wishes and achieve on whatever stage he chooses. Much like Akira Tozawa in the past, we are looking forward to seeing what Shingo Takagi accomplishes.
> We hope that fans and staff alike will continue to support Shingo Takagi in his new efforts. “


----------



## HOJO

MC 16 said:


> Here we go again :mark
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1036932480945643520
> Not sure why it's called D-Oh GP 2019 when it's in 2018 though.


I assume they're not doing their 1/3 Korakuen show if that's when they're doing the finals


----------



## Billy Riley

Thoughts on Jun Kasai?


----------



## Obfuscation

Crazy Monkey rules. Anyone taking a drop toe hole face first into some gusset plates and keeps on wrestling is worthwhile.

/one's minor analysis.


----------



## antoniomare007

Billy Riley said:


> Thoughts on Jun Kasai?


He's not human, he's an anime demon come to life to entertain all of us.


----------



## Stopspot

Morishima's big return show is apparently cancelled due to poor ticket sales.

Bummer


----------



## Flowsion

Who do you think is gonna win the Odo tournament? I would say Suwama or Kento


----------



## komatsu_na

https://proresu-today.com/archives/63202
An official statement on the cancellation of GENESIS.
Morishima was diagnosed with purulent arthritis and will need surgery.


----------



## Obfuscation

When we think he's back, appears, it was all an illusion.

Awful news all around.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Dammit. I love Morishima.



Billy Riley said:


> Thoughts on Jun Kasai?


Incredible wrestler, one of the best alive. Good death matches, good psychology. Underrated performer. Should win G1.


----------



## Flowsion

Check out Hawk and Lindaman vs Koji Doi and Shuji Kondo from the big Wrestle-1 show, since they left those DG boys are absolutely killing it


----------



## Stopspot

The top three matches from the 9/12 AJPW show are must watch IMO.

Tajiri vs Buffalo for the TV title is damn near the perfect blend of American style and Japanese style wrestling. Very entertaining match between the two veterans.

Jake Lee & Dylan James vs Akiyama and Zeus was STRAIGHT FIRE. Dylan James is a completely different level from his Zero1 days and it is obvious AJP are very high on him. And Jake and Akiyama have been trying to kill each other all tour to build their match in the first round of the royal road. Insane match.

The main event tag (Miyahara/Nomura vs Aoyagi/Tatsu) was nowhere near as intense, but it didn't have to be. AJP have the tag match formula down and this one delivered very well on it. Nomura has started to show more edge and fire to his work and while he is far off a TC shot, he should definitely get a TV title shot in January in my opinion. 

Tatsu works his midcard sidekick role well but could still do with tweaking his moveset a bit more. He needs to accept that he is about as mobile as Makabe and just go full on brawler. He's had a few good brawls with Suwama this year so he should focus on what he can do and not on what he cannot. He'll never be a main eventer but he has a place as a midcard sidekick.

Very open field for the Royal Road tournament this year. My bets are either Suwama or Joe takes it to main event Yokohama in October with Jake Lee going far but falling short.


----------



## Obfuscation

As someone who never stopped being a big fan of T-Hawk, the match is noted as a highlight all the same. :hmm:


----------



## antoniomare007

So the November 11th Big Japan show will not only see the return of Yuji Okabayashi (I'm not sure if it's official, but everyone says it's a given he'll be back for that event), but Jun fucking Kasai will be back to do some batshit insane stuff at Sumo Hall.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1040512926346616832


----------



## Stopspot

Ryoji Sai and Kento Miyahara are the first two to advance in the Royal Road tournament. Kento vs Tatsu was a good main event build around Tatsu taking a lot of punishment from Kento. Maybe we will get an Asia tag title match out of Sai beating Aoyagi aswell.

Tomorrow's show will have Suwama vs Valetta and Doering vs James in tournament action.

Doering vs James has mad potential to rock.


----------



## Obfuscation

If Doering advances he'll have a chance to go smashy smashy vs either Kento, Suwama, or Sai. (unsure of the bracketing) Hoping he goes over so one of those rematches can take place. That and, I'm always going to be wanting another Zeus vs Doering match. That's a given.

SUMO HALL JUN KASAI. Goodness, what will he think of doing.


----------



## MC

Things are getting crazy in the world of puro :woo

Wasn't able to watch the first show of Royal Road but I'll be sure to watch the 2nd show. Doering vs Dylan James could be good. Dylan James looked good against Kento so I'm looking forward to what he does here.


----------



## Sick Graps-V2

Watching Suzuki slap the shit out of someone improves my day.


----------



## Stopspot

Yesterday's AJPW show from Korakuen is must watch. Like, all of it. It's one of those shows were every match just gets better than the last one. 

Make some time to watch it. Jun vs Jake is a legit MOTY contender in my opinion.


----------



## antoniomare007

Is there anyone upping All Japan matches right now? Or are y'all just using their stream service? I really wanna watch Jun vs Jake and Zeus vs Nomura. 

----------------------

Nomura/Abe vs K.Hashimoto/Aoki - Death Vegas 2018
https://rutube.ru/video/6daec2737beb8fa332045b78619be6f1/?pl_id=1067514&pl_type=user

Man, Yokohama sucks so much as a crowd, every year they are given dope matches and they never help them reach another level  The cuntiness in this match wasn't all time high as I expected but there were a BUNCH of sequences that had me legit :lmao at how they were slapping and kicking each other, it's the kind of disrespect you can't help but love. The match never fully clicked and the crowd was mostly horrible - Kazuki trying to hype them up like 3 times felt almost uncomfortable - but as I said, there a lot of exchanges that make it worth a watch. The ending fell flat on it's face thanks to a little botch and the crowd being dead, but they had the right idea, I guess it kinda sums up the match: good ideas, good chemistry, but never fully clicked. 

I need Nomura vs Aoki II like, yesterday. 

Will check the rest of the show a little later.


EDIT:

--The Strong BJ six man tag was fine.

--The opener with the young kids was fine too.

--Hideki Suzuki vs Nakanoue for the Strong Heavyweight title suffered from a really slow first half that really didn't establish anything and was nothing to write home about. You add that to Yokohama taking a nap during that time, and it was hard to keep up. BUT, after the Nakanoue's dive to the outside, this turn a corner. Strikes were much stiffer, Hideki looked like he gave a fuck - him getting offended after Yasufumi used his finisher was awesome - and Nak did a much better job as a fiery challenger. It helped having the whole division at ringside pulling for their guy and the crowd actually came a little bit to life for a while. The first 10-13 minutes really hurt it though. 

I'm really curious to know what Suzuki said after the match. He called out Sekimoto but I have no clue if he was challenging him or were just fucking around because he's his tag partner and the only one he hasn't been able to beat this year. This is why I will miss Puroresuspirit so much 

Also, as much as I like Hideki, the silence he got when he made his entrance and after he won was sad as fuck.


----------



## Stopspot

Akiyama has fractured his left elbow and will be out for a while. Literally went out with a bang.

It will be interesting to see who AJP bring in during his absence. 

Also big fucking LMAO at them keeping KAI off shows for most of September just so they could run an angle with him and Mashimo.


----------



## Flowsion

antoniomare007 said:


> Is there anyone upping All Japan matches right now? Or are y'all just using their stream service? I really wanna watch Jun vs Jake and Zeus vs Nomura.



It seems no one rips AJPW anymore.. I mean I will gladly give them the money at the start of the next month, but now I'm not a subscriver I'm rotating with DG and can't watch the Korakuen show anywhere.


----------



## Corey

Zeus beat Suwama today to advance to the semi finals of the Oudou Tournament, which I imagine would eliminate any reason for Suwama to be the next Triple Crown challenger. He'll face the winner between Joe Doering and Kengo Mashimo. If another Zeus/Doering match happens... :mark:!!!

Yuji Hino also advanced to the semi's by beating Ryouji Sai. He'll face the winner between Kento & Jake Lee. I'm pretty much assuming Kento gets his win back and gets to the finals, but we'll see.

Btw Yuji Hino beat Bodyguard in the opening round, so maybe he'll get an All Asia Title shot out of this with all his other big wins? Feel like there has to be some kind of payoff with all the w's he's racked up for them this year.


----------



## Obfuscation

Ahhh at injuries for the still going hard vets. Kojima returns elsewhere then Akiyama takes a fall. Damn.

I doubt they'll pull the Zeus dominance of him winning it all, but what if he did? Like they'll just go all in on him being the guy currently. I wouldn't necessarily object, granted there has to be a challenger for him at some point. Zeus vs Doering, a given. But like I said, Zeus vs Hino. Like really, All Japan has had some of the most desirable matches/match possibilities of 2018. That's awesome for them.


----------



## komatsu_na

I haven't watched AJPW in forever, but I have learned that there is a dark side version of Menso-re Oyaji? How cool.


----------



## Stopspot

Miyahara and Mashimo move on to the semi finals from today's show. Miyahara's main event match with Lee was real good.

In other new, Iwamoto falls on his first defence and the new AJPW junior champion is Shuji Kondo. Bit of an odd decision but it is pretty clear that AJPW's junio division is not like the other promotions. And I guess Koji is young so he will have more runs with the belt. Kondo is now 2-0 over Koji so my ideal scenario is Koji winning the junior league in February and then winning the belt back.

Kondo's first challenger will be Hikaru Sato.


----------



## Corey

Damn Kengo Mashimo robbing me of another Zeus/Doering match... :no:

Are we gonna get a Miyahara/Zeus final? That doesn't feel that exciting to me tbh when you look at all the other possibilities they could've went with.


----------



## antoniomare007

A gif from the cuntoff at Death Vegas


----------



## Corey

Quite the eclectic group of wrestlers here. (Y)


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1043514945940455424


----------



## komatsu_na

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1043722445872480256Takeshita-CIMA & ALL OUT-STRONG HEARTS at Ryogoku.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*So: Strong Hearts have now arrived in DDT. CIMA vs. Takeshita & Strong Hearts vs. ALL OUT at Peter Pan.

What a time to be alive.*


----------



## antoniomare007

CIMA, Strong Hearts and Shingo going freelance will refresh the puro scene for a good while, it's pretty dope. Let's just hope they don't open up their own promotion (in Japan) and fuck everything up though, lol.


----------



## Obfuscation

Takeshita is gonna be back in time for Peter Pan? Interesting. Like that he's getting another big, different opponent for the show, though. He's had a varied and deep pool of opponents over the past six years. (outside of wrestling Endo twice) CIMA fits the bill, cool.

T-Hawk is part of this Strong Hearts match, right? Surely, he has to be. I was bummed about him leaving Dragon Gate earlier this year, but now that he's going all over, even having his first bit in America recently, I'm all supportive for it.



antoniomare007 said:


> A gif from the cuntoff at Death Vegas


My gosh. You can see how pissed he's getting when those evasions kept happening.



Corey said:


> Quite the eclectic group of wrestlers here. (Y)
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1043514945940455424


I love that the Suzuki-gun guys always reach out to their faction for bookings. More KES is always grand. Ibushi is a good standout get there, CIMA/Strong Hearts freelance reaping some more benefits.


----------



## MC

Takeshita v CIMA sounds awesome. Looks like STRONG HEARTS have really benefited from going freelance.


----------



## Lesnar Turtle

Been catching up on AJPWs Royal Road stuff. Its bittersweet really, four pillar calibre matches playing out in front of local indie promotion level crowds. Stuff like Miyahara vs Jake Lee genuinely deserves the same red hot 90s Budokan crowds that guys like Misawa and Kobashi got, not tiny halls of a few hundred people. I really wish some of the momentum New Japan has gotten in the last 5 years would rub off on All Japan and Japanese wrestling in general.


----------



## antoniomare007

Thanks god STRONGHEARTS was available for DDT because without them the Peter Pan card is looking weak as fuck drawing wise. Like, it will probably do similar to last year (which wasn't very good) but they might've struggled to get 4k without CIMA and his boys.



> *DDT “RYOGOKU PETER PAN 2018 ~FALL WRESTLING CULTURE FESTIVAL~”, 21/10/2018
> Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan*
> 
> 1.- Gorgeous Matsuno Battle Royale
> 
> 2.- Miyu Yamashita, Yuki Kamifuku, Mina Shirakawa (debut match) vs Yuka Sakazaki, Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki
> 
> 3.- Gauntlet Tag Match: KUDO, Masahiro Takanashi, ??? ??? ???
> 
> 4.- The World’s Crazy Couple Battle: Makoto Oishi & Misaki Ohata Vs Joey Ryan & Laura James
> 
> 5.- Will You Eat Or Be Eaten!? Giant Special Single Match: Super Sasadango Machine Vs Andre the Giant Panda
> 
> 6.- STRONGHEARTS vs ALLOUT Singles Match - Konosuke Takeshita vs CIMA
> 
> 7.- STRONGHEARTS vs ALLOUT Tag Match - Yuki Iino, Shunma Katsumata, Akito vs T-Hawk, El Lindaman, and Tian Huang (?)
> 
> 8.- The Difference In 27 Years Of Age! Representative Director And President (48 Years Old) And Belonging Wrestler (21 Years Old) Waste Blood Washing Conflict Play – Final Settlement Weapon Rumble!: Sanshiro Takagi Vs MAO
> 
> 9.- KO-D 6 Man Tag Title: Soma Takao, Tetsuya Endo, Mad Paulie (c) vs Kazuki Hirata, Toru Owashi, Yuki Ueno
> 
> 10.- KO-D Openweight Title: Danshoku Dino (c) Vs Daisuke Sasaki


----------



## Flowsion

DDT main title scene probably is the worst booked thing in Japan right now, I love the company but since Takeshita lost I don't know what the are doing


----------



## Obfuscation

Well, here's hoping Sasaki gets the championship and it sticks with him for a bit after all of this short-term reign confusion.

DDT banking on a Joey Ryan match to do well kind of sums up that it can use a bit of a shot in the arm atm. If only I was getting T-Hawk vs Akito in a singles match. Interactions in a six man will have to do.


----------



## antoniomare007

Current card for Big Japan RYOGOKUTAN 2018 show in Sumo Hall (11/11):

1.-Deathmatch Title: Masashi Takeda (c) vs Masaya Takahashi
2.-Strong Title: Hideki Suzuki (c) vs Daisuke Sekimoto
3.-045 Junkies Return: Jun Kasai & Jaki Numazawa vs Abdullah Kobayashi & Ryuji Ito
4.-Yuji Okabayashi Return Match

The tag titles were supposed to be on the line against the tag league winners, but Isami Takeda injured his jaw on a BASARA show and will be out for 2-3 months.


----------



## Corey

So we're getting Miyahara/Zeus again. Feels too soon if you ask me, but oh well.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1044181378068144130


----------



## Stopspot

Corey said:


> So we're getting Miyahara/Zeus again. Feels too soon if you ask me, but oh well.
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1044181378068144130


Looking at the October cards we will get Zeus vs Kento at Korakuen. And then it moves to Zeus vs Joe Doering heading into Yokohama. 

Speaking of Joe. He and Dylan James are now aligned as the new beefiest tag team around, and Dylan betrayed Sweeper to join up with Joe. 

Getting some serious heavy breathing imagining a Dylan/Joe vs Violence Giants tag league final.


----------



## MC

Daisuke Sasaki getting the belt seems like the right direction to go. The title scene has been a mess and they need stability. Then they can work on getting Sasaki vs Takeshita in a match against each other. Peter Pan should be a good show.


----------



## Corey

Stopspot said:


> Looking at the October cards we will get Zeus vs Kento at Korakuen. And then it moves to Zeus vs Joe Doering heading into Yokohama.
> 
> Speaking of Joe. He and Dylan James are now aligned as the new beefiest tag team around, and Dylan betrayed Sweeper to join up with Joe.
> 
> Getting some serious heavy breathing imagining a Dylan/Joe vs Violence Giants tag league final.


So you think they'll have Zeus go over Kento again? That's the result I'd prefer tbh but it still feels odd for them to go back to this so quickly if it's the same end result.

I feel like Kengo Mashimo should get a shot seeing how he beat Zeus already, but All Japan doesn't seem to put much stock into that compared to other companies.


----------



## MC

Spoiler: Stardom 5 STAR GP Spoilers





__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1044173960399663104




She done it!!!! roud


----------



## Corey

Dragon Gate had a big show today too:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1044253988592472064
1. Ryo Saito, Don Fujii, Willie Mack⭕ (9:55 The Big Thump) Kagetora, Yosuke♡Santa Maria❌, U-T
2. Jason Lee, Kaito Ishida⭕, Hyo Watanabe, Yuki Yoshioka (6:22 Tiger Suplex Hold) Gamma, Shachihoko Boy❌, Problem Dragon, Kota Minoura
3. KAI⭕ (12:16 Gannosuke Clutch) Shingo Takagi❌
4. *Natural Vibes vs. Antias All Out War Elimination Match:* Big R Shimizu, Ben-K, Yasushi Kanda, Takashi Yoshida, KAZMA SAKAMOTO (5-3) Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka, Genki Horiguchi, “brother” YASSHI, Punch Tominaga
-Ben-K⭕ (23:49 Ben-K Bomb) Kzy❌
5. *Open the Brave Gate Championship Match:* Dragon Kid⭕ (13:00 Ultra Hurricanrana) Eita❌
☆Dragon Kid becomes the 36th Champion
6. *Open the Twin Gate Championship Match:* YAMATO, BxB Hulk⭕ (21:32 First Flash) Masaaki Mochizuki, Shun Skywalker❌
☆2nd Defense by Tribe Vanguard
7. *Open the Dream Gate Championship Match:* Masato Yoshino⭕ (28:50 Sol Naciente Kai) Naruki Doi❌
☆3rd defense by Yoshino

Notes: 
- KAZMA SAKAMOTO was the mystery man for Antias who after the match renamed themselves to R.E.D. (Real Extreme Diffusion).


----------



## Stopspot

So far AJPW have announced these title matches for the big show in Yokohama on the 21st of October:

Zeus vs Kento for the Triple Crown (so much for Zeus being lined up against Joe into the show)
KAI & Mashimo vs Violence Giants for the tag belts.
And Tajiri has issued an open challenge for the GAORA belt on the show. Challengers from all companies are welcome. 

Also Kondo will defend the junior belt against Hikaru Sato and Nomura & Aoyagi will defend the Asia tags vs Omori & Black Menso-re in Korakuen on 10/10 so we might get matches for those belts after that date.


----------



## Corey

Happy to see Mashimo getting a title shot off of making all the way to the finals. Both matches should be good. The last big Yokohama show was a favorite of mine headlined by Doering/KAI and two damn good Tag Title matches. That drew 1,998 so I think they can get a little more with the big matches already announced.

Fingers crossed all champs retain. We've seen Kento as champ and in the big matches numerous times. Let's establish Zeus as the dominant force for a while, please.

Fight Club Pro is coming to Japan! :mark: Awesome news here. Loads of potential for dream matches, which is basically what FCP has been doing all year. CIMA/Dunne, Bate/Sekimoto, etc.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1046086428449558528


----------



## ufohedin

which matches fron Dragon Gate from this year would you recommend me to watch?


----------



## Corey

ufohedin said:


> which matches fron Dragon Gate from this year would you recommend me to watch?


This has been by far the best one I've seen:


----------



## Genking48

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1047088344822235138
WE BACK BOYS!


----------



## volde

Going to spoil it since you are probably going to get spoiled somewhere else anyway, but Neville is back in Dragon Gate.


----------



## Corey

Big get for DG since Shingo is gone. If he gets a singles run I'll immediately start paying more attention to them.


----------



## volde

Corey said:


> Big get for DG since Shingo is gone. If he gets a singles run I'll immediately start paying more attention to them.


Well I imagine that he probably wouldn't have returned if they hadn't agreed on a big push.


----------



## antoniomare007

He's home grown talent basically AND has long and successful run in the US, of course he's gonna get a huge push. Its puro booking 101.


----------



## Obfuscation

PAC :mark:

Oh yeah, he'll be pushed. The state of flux Dragon Gate is in, and now PAC is literally at a career peak, it's a given. And it should happen, honestly. PAC vs Big R. Shimizu down the line; oh gosh, please.

As per more with Dragon Gate, gonna have to seek out the Open the Twin Gate defense with Shun Skywalker involved. It's beginning for him, curious to see how it plays out.



ufohedin said:


> which matches fron Dragon Gate from this year would you recommend me to watch?


Big R. Shimizu & Ben-K vs YAMATO & BxB Hulk - Kobe World Festival

This Open the Twin Gate Championship match has been the instant stand-out for me on the year.


----------



## Genking48

I only really opened my eyes to Shun once he got rid of the ridiculous outfit. Seriously, what were they thinking? Him ditching that pajamas look was the best thing that could have happened to him.

In other Dragon Gate related news. Debuting on November 6th will be an apprentice of Dragon Kid named Dragon Dia. He will team with Dragon Kid vs. Eita & Yasushi Kanda in his debut match. 

Jae is also reporting that more English content is on the way. Don't expect anything this year, but 2019 (I don't know if this is in regard to iheartdg, the English Facebook/Twitter accounts or Dragon Gate Network)


----------



## MC

He is definitely getting a massive push. Straight away being put with the heel unit and being one of the big names of the unit means big thing. Good timing as well for both. Hope he brings some more eyes to Dragon Gate


----------



## Stopspot

In some not DG hype news:

Both members of the Violence Giants are injured. Shuji has injured his arm, and Suwama is going in for surgery on both his elbows. So the tag title match in Yokohama might be up in the air but both are scheduled to return on the 16th. No idea if it is a work or legit.

And TAJIRI has decided to defend his GAORA belt at Yokohama vs fucking Chikara Momota, grandson of Rikidozan


----------



## Even Flow

Is there a way of watching Dangerous Gate 2018 on the DG site?

I can't find it anywhere.


----------



## MC

Even Flow said:


> Is there a way of watching Dangerous Gate 2018 on the DG site?
> 
> I can't find it anywhere.


You'll have to wait until it airs on GAORA before they put it up, that's how DG runs its service unfortunately. So later this month likely.


----------



## Obfuscation

Stopspot said:


> In some not DG hype news:
> 
> Both members of the Violence Giants are injured. Shuji has injured his arm, and Suwama is going in for surgery on both his elbows. So the tag title match in Yokohama might be up in the air but both are scheduled to return on the 16th. No idea if it is a work or legit.
> 
> And TAJIRI has decided to defend his GAORA belt at Yokohama vs fucking Chikara Momota, grandson of Rikidozan


Is there a time-table for Shuji's injury?

I'm never wanting this Tajiri reign to end. Just let him keep defending against a wild host of challengers.


----------



## Corey

NOAH drew 1,314 in Korakuen for their big show today. Sugiura retained over Nakajima and Kotaro Suzuki won the Jr. League. Blocks were also announced for the Global League:

*Block A:*
- Naomichi Marufuji 
- Akitoshi Saito 
- Quiet Storm 
- Katsuhiko Nakajima 
- Kenou 
- Masa Kitamiya 
- Mitsuya Nagai 
- Kohei Sato 

*Block B:* 
- Takashi Sugiura 
- Mohammed Yone 
- Go Shiozaki 
- Atsushi Kotoge 
- Kaito Kiyomiya 
- Maybach Taniguchi 
- Cody Hall 
- Kazusada Higuchi


----------



## Stopspot

Obfuscation said:


> Is there a time-table for Shuji's injury?
> 
> I'm never wanting this Tajiri reign to end. Just let him keep defending against a wild host of challengers.


Apparently both Shuji and Suwama are supposed to be back on October 16th. So no idea on if Suwama is putting off surgery until after yokohama or if it is all a work to play into Kengo's limb work.

If Suwama has to take a time out they should put Shuji with Hino in the tag league.

Also the "Hate Speecher" Yusuke Okada returns from injury this weekend. Hell yeah.


----------



## Obfuscation

Hino as the third Violent Giant please.

NOAH getting KOHEI SATO and Higuchi as the interesting entries. Digging that. 

The brackets sort of open up the weak areas to be had on the roster. (Cody Hall vs Yone? Maybach vs Kotoge? Ahhhhh) Block A is far better than Block B. But Sugiura/Shiozaki/Kiyomiya/Higuchi should be enough to elevate the latter. 

Guaranteed another Sugi vs Shiozaki match, good grief yes. And Aggression vs Aggression is gonna be a FIGHT.

Kenou to repeat and win it all, en route to beating Sugiura to close out the year, is my guess. Chance if we'll get the same finals vs Shiozaki or if we'll get Kenou vs Kiyomiya again as a way to go full circle on how the year began.


----------



## Stopspot

Kohei is going to no sell and stiff the entire NOAH roster and it will be fantastic


----------



## Obfuscation

Marufuji to try his diagonal rope runs only for Kohei to grab mid run and obliterate him, please.


----------



## Genking48

Tomorrow it goes down. Shingo's last match as a Dragon Gate roster member and PAC's second match since coming back.

1. Natural Vibes (Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka & “brother” YASSHI) vs. Problem Dragon, Hyo Watanabe & Kota Minoura
2. Don Saito & Don Fujii vs. Gamma & Shachihoko BOY
3. Kagetora vs. Punch Tominaga
4. Tribe Vanguard (YAMATO, Yosuke♡Santa Maria & U-T) vs. Mochizuki Dojo (Masaaki Mochizuki, Shun Skywalker & Yuki Yoshioka)
5. MaxiMuM (Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Jason Lee) & Self-Proclaimed MaxiMuM (Dragon Kid & Kaito Ishida) vs. R.E.D. (PAC, Big R Shimizu, Ben-K, Takashi Yoshida & Yasushi Kanda)
6. Shingo Takagi in Dragon Gate Final: Shingo Takagi vs. BxB Hulk


----------



## MC

Kohei Sato in NOAH excites me. Can't wait for the battles he had. 


Been rewatching some of the old BxB Hulk vs Shingo Takagi matches (well the ones you can find online) they have great chemistry together and I'm really looking forward to seeing them face off one more time. :mark The whole card looks great actually. RED vs Maximum should be great, same for TV and Mochizuki Dojo. Have a soft spot for Punch too


----------



## Even Flow

Genking48 said:


> Tomorrow it goes down. Shingo's last match as a Dragon Gate roster member and PAC's second match since coming back.
> 
> 1. Natural Vibes (Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka & “brother” YASSHI) vs. Problem Dragon, Hyo Watanabe & Kota Minoura
> 2. Don Saito & Don Fujii vs. Gamma & Shachihoko BOY
> 3. Kagetora vs. Punch Tominaga
> 4. Tribe Vanguard (YAMATO, Yosuke♡Santa Maria & U-T) vs. Mochizuki Dojo (Masaaki Mochizuki, Shun Skywalker & Yuki Yoshioka)
> 5. MaxiMuM (Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Jason Lee) & Self-Proclaimed MaxiMuM (Dragon Kid & Kaito Ishida) vs. R.E.D. (PAC, Big R Shimizu, Ben-K, Takashi Yoshida & Yasushi Kanda)
> 6. Shingo Takagi in Dragon Gate Final: Shingo Takagi vs. BxB Hulk


He was on the Wednesday show, the day after his comeback, so technically it's his 3rd match back :draper2

But it'll be his 2nd televised match.


----------



## Genking48

Even Flow said:


> He was on the Wednesday show, the day after his comeback, so technically it's his 3rd match back :draper2
> 
> But it'll be his 2nd televised match.


:justsayin I meant televised match, of course.


----------



## Genking48

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1048856456441692160PAC's also going to be there for a November show :mark


----------



## Even Flow

Where is CIMA?

I see he's hardly around Dragon Gate anymore. Has he left?


----------



## Genking48

Even Flow said:


> Where is CIMA?
> 
> I see he's hardly around Dragon Gate anymore. Has he left?


CIMA (along with T-Hawk, El Lindaman, Takehiro Yamamura) left a couple of months ago (in May I think). Dragon Gate have gone through a regime change, the former president of Dragon Gate had to step down due to health reasons. CIMA was to take over Dragon Gate. Then the story was that CIMA was going to be in charge of Oriental Wrestling Entertainment in China and be Dragon Gate's gateway into the Chinese market. However as of right oWe have not held shows in quite a while.

Meanwhile CIMA, T-Hawk, Lindaman & Yamamura, and some of the oWe guys I guess have formed the stable #Strong Hearts and are touring promotions such as Wrestle-1, DDT, PWG.

So essentially yes. CIMA is out and he took a couple of guys with him as he left.


----------



## Stopspot

Shingo talking shit about junior wrestling for most of his last year in Dragon Gate, working some nice heavyweight bouts in companies like All Japan and Big Japan to prove that he can hang with heavies, only to jump to New Japan and be a junior is fantasticly lulz


----------



## Corey

Stopspot said:


> Shingo talking shit about junior wrestling for most of his last year in Dragon Gate, working some nice heavyweight bouts in companies like All Japan and Big Japan to prove that he can hang with heavies, only to jump to New Japan and be a junior is fantasticly lulz


Guess that $$$ and merch was too good to turn down.


----------



## TD Stinger

Genking48 said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1048856456441692160PAC's also going to be there for a November show :mark


I've seen a little bit of Flamita, so the idea of PAC vs. Flamita sounds good. Now if we can get PAC vs. Bandido, then I'd be really hyped.


----------



## Stopspot

AJPW announced the teams for this year's Real World Tag League today. And the field looks like this:
- Suwama & Ishikawa
- Nomura & Aoyagi
- Akiyama & Sekimoto
- Zeus & The Bodyguard
- Doering & James
- KAI & Mashimo
- Omori & Soya
- Miyahara & Yoshitatsu
- TAJIRI & Valletta
- Jake Lee & Ryoji Sai
- Odinson & Parrow

Odinson and Parrow are nice surprises. Two big dudes that can work so they should hopefully get over like rover.

They also announced that the 2019 Champion Carnival will run from April 4th-29th. With the opening show as well as the 3 final shows taking place at Korakuen. So 4 Korakuen shows all in all. Maybe we will see some nice surprise entrants?


----------



## antoniomare007

Uncle Jun and Daisuke! :mark 

Fuck it, I'm subbing to their streaming service as soon as I get paid, that lineup looks dope as fuck. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Came around this match this morning:

Okami vs Penta El Zero M & Rey Fenix - wXw WTL 10/5/18
https://vk.com/video289484704_456246684

It just goes 10 minutes and it's worked kinda like a good TV tag match, with a quick segments of shine, FIP, hot tag and finish. Kamitani is the one that gets to stand out a little bit for the Big Japan side, though Penta and Fenix are the real stars here. Would love to see the Lucha Brothers have more matches against the Strong Division. Penta having a scrap with Kazuki or Takuya Nomura would warm my heart.

*Daisuke Sekimoto & Hideki Suzuki vs Kazuki Hashimoto & Yuya Aoki - Big Japan Saikyou Tag League 9/24/18*
https://rutube.ru/video/d73f12dc421875792a803bdabc0b82b4/?pl_id=1067514&pl_type=user

Shockingly, this match has a proper start, no early jump on the big boys by Kazuki and his partner. First few minutes we get some interesting mat wrestling from all four participants, but the cuntiness can't be held for long. Aoki and K-Hash do what they do best and start smacking the shit out of their opponents, which of course leads to Sekimoto getting pissed off and firing back. Aoki's hot tag that led to the finishing sequence was pretty dope, sadly he was off the mark in a few exchanges and it came off like a botch or uncoordinated. Still, Korakuen didn't give a fuck and rallied behind him so he could get the upset. A typical 12 minute fun tag special from the best division in the world.

*Okami vs Party Boys - Big Japan Saikyou Tag League 9/24/18*
https://rutube.ru/video/91eee023102aa6bfa77041cab36479f8/?pl_id=1067514&pl_type=user

Once again Okami showing their versatility, this time they gotta play the bigger, powerhouse team and they pull it off nicely, specially because Party Boys do a good job as the fiery highflyer team. Really liked some of the little things Daichi did in this - like throwing a shitty kick to Yoshino when he was down and couldn't stop the tag to Sekifuda, or him blocking Yoshino's body punch after he had already tricked Kamitani with it - and Kamitani is getting better and better as a "hoss" type of wrestler, he's getting meaner each month and I like that. Another fun tag in Korakuen.

*Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe vs Ryuichi Kawakami & Kazumi Kikuta - Big Japan Saikyou Tag League 9/24/18*
https://rutube.ru/video/b2c7b6e564b6d29854a79244731704c7/?pl_id=1067514&pl_type=user

This is why I love the Strong division. If the first match I posted was "big guys vs fiery little/young guys" and the second one was "hight flyers vs hard hitters", this was "four motherfuckers beating the shit out of each other" :lmao it's the perfect setting for someone like Kawakami, who shines when his only job is to take punishment and dish on his own. The main story was him and Nomura trying to prove who could slap and hit the other the hardest, and man, Kawakami DOES NOT let the young kid get the best of him, he fucking destroyed dude, loved how even Kikuta was like "aye man, stop hitting the kid, let's do our next move next". Abe is as always on point with his flashy reversals, kicks and overall disrespectful attitude. The final sequence is Strong BJ at it's finest, with a finish that you can only get in this promotion. Not quite MOTYC level, but ANOTHER fun tag to watch, and it's only 11 minutes long


----------



## Stopspot

All Japan's next rookie to debut has been decided! Hokuto Omori (what a name combo) debuts on November 17 in Sapporo. He has a 4 year MMA background before going into wrestling.

Iwamoto also gets his rematch for the junior belt in late November (the 29th I think). 

In other news, AJPW will hold try outs in the United States in 2019 in cojunction with Pro Wrestling Revolution. Dates yet to be set.


----------



## Corey

This is one hell of a NOAH card coming up in a couple weeks. If this doesn't draw a damn near sellout in Korakuen then idk what will.

*NOAH "GLOBAL LEAGUE 2018", 30.10.2018 
Tokyo Korakuen Hall *

-. Global League 2018 - Block B: Maybach Taniguchi vs. Cody Hall 
-. Global League 2018 - Block B: Takashi Sugiura vs. Go Shiozaki 
-. Global League 2018 - Block A: Kohei Sato vs. Kenou 
-. Global League 2018 - Block A: Akitoshi Saito vs. Masa Kitamiya 
-. Global League 2018 - Block A: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima 
-. GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title: Daisuke Harada (c) vs. Kotaro Suzuki


----------



## antoniomare007

Well, they sold out for Sugiura vs Nakajima so they have a little momentum going for them, and that card certainly warrants at least 1,200 people. 

Does NOAH still have that weird deal were the tickets are cheaper the later you arrive to the building?


----------



## Stopspot

antoniomare007 said:


> Well, they sold out for Sugiura vs Nakajima so they have a little momentum going for them, and that card certainly warrants at least 1,200 people.
> 
> Does NOAH still have that weird deal were the tickets are cheaper the later you arrive to the building?


They do


----------



## Flowsion

I was watching old Korakuen Hall matches it's just me or the lights were a lot brighter back then (like 2000-2010 period) did they change something over the years?All the companies not just NJPW


----------



## Obfuscation

Nakajima vs Marufuji is either gonna be terrible or Nakajima can just stiff the hell out of Marufuji to 15 minutes and I'll be cool. But I fear some kind of trading knees spot that'll just make me shake my head and wonder why I'm not watching the Strong Division.

Sato murdering Kenou as Kenou tries to act tough and not get murdered is gonna be something to see. And Saito vs Kitamiya in a FATTY FIGHT. (Sugi vs Shiozaki speaks for itself; another war)

PAC vs Flamita. Sold.

All Japan is so awesome. That Real World Tag League line-up is stacked with beef & stiffness.


----------



## MC

A joint NJPW/AJPW/NOAH show has been announced for February 2019 in Sumo Hall. The show is to honour and remember Giant Baba's death.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1052074123902537728
If I don't get to see Miyahara and Nakajima stiffing the heck out of each other, I'm going to be disappointed.


----------



## Stopspot

BJW and W1 have joined the fray for the Super showdown.

This event is bankrolled/organized by Tokyo Sports it seems.


----------



## LARIATOOO

antoniomare007 said:


> Well, they sold out for Sugiura vs Nakajima so they have a little momentum going for them


Generally surprised how "good" they're still doing despite losing all their main eventers over the years (kind of), especially in the worst situations. Happy to see NOAH being around, still. What happened to Morishima's return actually? Will it happen?


----------



## antoniomare007

LARIATOOO said:


> Generally surprised how "good" they're still doing despite losing all their main eventers over the years (kind of), especially in the worst situations. Happy to see NOAH being around, still. What happened to Morishima's return actually? Will it happen?


They were doing pretty bad up until a couple of months ago. I'm not sure how much this new "cheaper tickets as long as you get to the building" deal has affected attendance - though their numbers have gotten a lot better since they started implementing it - and if they are actually making decent money of it. But still, puro promotions are almost impossible to kill no matter how bad they do and/or how small they become. 

Morishima got diagnosed with another disease and had to delay his return. No word on when he'll comeback (rumor is early next year) but he said he still plans on returning.


----------



## Stopspot

Morishima got injured so it is put on hold it seems.


----------



## Obfuscation

Well, that super show is gonna be something to anticipate come early 2019. Five promotions blending matches together. The possibilities. :CENA

I mostly want ZEUS to go head to head with a bunch of people, tbf.


----------



## ufohedin

What happened to Okabayashi? Is he injured?


----------



## antoniomare007

ufohedin said:


> What happened to Okabayashi? Is he injured?


He's been out for almost a year. He'll return on November 11th at Big Japan's Sumo Hall show against Ryuichi Kawakami.


----------



## Corey

Big day in puro today. Unfortunately, Zeus is no longer Triple Crown Champion. I don't like this revolving circle booking in All Japan. 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1053964804816363520

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1053978014088880128

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1053922172417335296


----------



## Genking48

The Triangle Gate match for Gate of Destiny has been updated.

Natural Vibes (Kzy, Genki Horiguchi & Susumu Yokosuka) will defend against MaxiMum (Naruki Doi, Jason Lee & Kaito Ishida) as well as Mochizuki Dojo (Masaaki Mochizuki, Shun Skywalker & Yuki Yoshioka)

In other news, per Eita, the mexican wrestler Daga is the newest member of R・Ｅ・Ｄ 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1053995268335489025


----------



## antoniomare007

I don't understand Akiyama's booking at all. The last 12-14 months have been puzzling regarding most of the belts in All Japan. 


It seems DDT is back to spending some money after doing below average business for like 8 months (before today), good.


----------



## The Nuke

Yeah AJPW’s booking with the triple crown has become tedious. Kento is awesome, a great ace, but he doesn’t need the belt every few months.

Ishikawa was a great champ

Joe Doering was a great champ

Zeus was on his way to being a great champ

Great title runs just ended to put it back on Kento. Well....I hope Kento keeps it until Jake Lee gets his big moment. Time for a long title reign.


----------



## Stopspot

The super show sealed Zeus' fate. No way were AJPW heading into that one without Kento holding the belt. 

What All Japan needs to do now is build someone up to dethrone Kento. Give Jake the first defense, have Kento beat him as dominantly as possible without burying him, and then let Jake spend the rest of 2019 rebuilding himself to take the belt in late 2019-early 2020.


----------



## MC

The booking is unfortunate (I always Jun was a bit overrated in that regard anyway, same as Gedo - perhaps not as predictable though). It's not an awful decision and I imagine they will want to start the next program with Jake Lee and they may want to give Kento a few months with the title before doing that. I dunno. Shame Zeus couldn't have a longer run.


----------



## antoniomare007

Stopspot said:


> The super show sealed Zeus' fate. No way were AJPW heading into that one without Kento holding the belt.


True, but they could've at least booked the title switch for the New Year's show at Korakuen. Book a draw or a double countout or something for today, give Zeus a couple more defenses to have a proper reign. There was no reason to rush it in October if All Star Battle was what prompted the switch.



MC 16 said:


> The booking is unfortunate (I always Jun was a bit overrated in that regard anyway, same as Gedo - perhaps not as predictable though). It's not an awful decision and I imagine they will want to start the next program with Jake Lee and they may want to give Kento a few months with the title before doing that. I dunno. Shame Zeus couldn't have a longer run.


His years as head booker in NOAH doesn't help him either, if you look back it seems like a complete different person booked those shows


----------



## Flowsion

Who's booking NOAH right now?


----------



## MC

Flowsion said:


> Who's booking NOAH right now?


Good question. There has been no mention of a specific booker. It could be Marufuji with him being the VP but I think its a committee most likely (don't hold me to that).

Edit: I've asked Hisame and she said that it is a committee that handles the booking of NOAH.


----------



## Obfuscation

On the upside, there's DDT coming back around on things; business wise + the KO-D Champion.

On the downside: Zeus. Ugh, sad face. Had a fear this would happen. Massive bummer. Even if Miyahara is great (which, he is) this is still deflating. Well, now to see how the match turned out.


----------



## Flowsion

MC 16 said:


> Good question. There has been no mention of a specific booker. It could be Marufuji with him being the VP but I think its a committee most likely (don't hold me to that).
> 
> Edit: I've asked Hisame and she said that it is a committee that handles the booking of NOAH.


Thanks. I asked because for all the love that Jun gets, NOAH booking has been quite good this year, especially for the the junior and heavyweight titles. Even Kenoh dropping the title which turned off a lot of people in insight it was a good move, Sugi reigns has been unbelievable.


----------



## Stopspot

MC 16 said:


> Good question. There has been no mention of a specific booker. It could be Marufuji with him being the VP but I think its a committee most likely (don't hold me to that).
> 
> Edit: I've asked Hisame and she said that it is a committee that handles the booking of NOAH.


Marufuji hasn't been VP since the current owners took over. That's why he has time to do freelance stuff/outside work.

And the head booker is apparently the ring announcer. At least he was for the start of the current run.

Kento has made it clear that he is having another swing at defense Kawada's record. So expect a longer reign this time around. Which is good because I feel that it is easier to build people up from underneath the champion if there is a dominant champion on top for the others to chase.


----------



## CHAMPIONSHIPS

I barely have time to follow WWE and NJPW but nonetheless I've been meaning to get into AJPW for awhile. 

So, what better time to start than on the build towards a big event where the Ace of the company has tragically cut short the much wanted title reign of another fan favorite?

I thought the match itself was really good, having no connection to either Zeus or Miyahara I could tell that these are two guys who really hated each other - or were learning to hate each other. They told a great story of two wrestlers struggling to maintain composure - wanting to engage in fair and balanced championship competition but exploding into fits of rage more and more as the match carries on. All this tied together with almost constant movement, a number of dazzling sequences and hard hits. Great introduction to AJPW for me, hope I can keep up


----------



## Obfuscation

I'm still gonna be momentarily bitter that Zeus isn't getting that dominate run while finally there, but I'm sure once this Miyahara reigns starts to get its legs, it'll all work itself out.


----------



## Reil

Take it with a grain of salt but Dave brought this up in the latest WON in regards to Hana Kimura:



> There are issues with Hana Kimura. It goes back to the ROH PPV show in Las Vegas, when Christopher Daniels was the agent for her match and as the story goes, she was not open to his suggestions and there were people who thought that was unprofessional given how much respect everyone has for Daniels’s knowledge of working and his status. Then in Mexico, the word was she didn’t feel she had to follow the usual guidelines and in Japan was showing up late for shows and acting like, with the talent in Stardom down because of the losses of Io Shirai and Kairi Sane, that they need her.


Hana living the gimmick.

I mean considering Dave has connections in ROH and Mexico, I can believe those stories at least. And to be fair, I wouldn't blame Hana for ignoring Christopher Daniels considering he's not exactly a legend and his biggest claim to fame was when he was in TNA and was taking martinis out of lockers.


----------



## antoniomare007

Hama and Nakanoue won the Saikyou Tag League and became the new champs, they beat Okami in Korakuen. The show barely did 1k but it's the best attendance since the June show with Takeda/Kodaka (and Nomura/Suzuki). 

It seems they ran an angle were Takeda dominated Suzuki. There was a special tag match putting the two champs against each other, apparently shit went out of hand which led to a no contest. Once it got re-started Takeda made Hideki tap in less than a minute. Really interested in watching how that whole thing played out.


----------



## Desecrated

Reil said:


> Take it with a grain of salt but Dave brought this up in the latest WON in regards to Hana Kimura:
> 
> 
> 
> Hana living the gimmick.
> 
> I mean considering Dave has connections in ROH and Mexico, I can believe those stories at least. And to be fair, I wouldn't blame Hana for ignoring Christopher Daniels considering he's not exactly a legend and his biggest claim to fame was when he was in TNA and was taking martinis out of lockers.


This "logic" is dysfunctional. If Hiroshi Tanahashi came into the WWE and started ignoring Terry Taylor, would that work with you? Taylor's biggest claim to fame is being the Red Rooster. The idea is you show you are a team player, build up that trust and respect and then you'll subsequently move up the card if you are the right talent in the right time & place. Never, ever attempt to big league people trying to pay you money that you want.


----------



## MC

antoniomare007 said:


> Hama and Nakanoue won the Saikyou Tag League and became the new champs, they beat Okami in Korakuen. The show barely did 1k but it's the best attendance since the June show with Takeda/Kodaka (and Nomura/Suzuki).
> 
> It seems they ran an angle were Takeda dominated Suzuki. There was a special tag match putting the two champs against each other, apparently shit went out of hand which led to a no contest. Once it got re-started Takeda made Hideki tap in less than a minute. Really interested in watching how that whole thing played out.


If this lead to a Takeda vs Suzuki match :banderas 

Takeda has the MMA history (And Tamura being his trainer) so he can certainly hang technical, perhaps be even better. The possibilities :mark


----------



## Obfuscation

Hama seeing that success with another tag team. :mark:


----------



## Genking48

Get ready for tomorrow boys


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1058708267419918336


> “Who? I have no idea who 'Flamita' is, but that is irrelevant. I can guarantee he cannot compare to me. I expect a short match. That is of course if I choose to have mercy on him. Maybe I'll take my time and bask in his suffering. Let's see how I feel come November 4th.”




__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1058709196638539776

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1058709978121261059

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1058710373900070912

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1058710749176942594


----------



## Obfuscation

Us girls are excited, too. Just saying.

Heel PAC & Dragon Lee vs Bandido :mark:


----------



## NotoriousOfek

have you guys heard about Hayabusa? he was a great Japanese legend, his career was cut short in 2001, but he had a great impact on Japanese Wrestling,


----------



## Genking48

It begins! Watch on the Dragon Gate Network (1500 Yen a month), or Taima for the poor.


----------



## Corey

Obfuscation said:


> Us girls are excited, too. Just saying.


:lenny2


----------



## Genking48

So the event is over. And it was awesome, every match delivered on what it needed to. Even the undercard matches did what they were supposed to. 

Well actually.

The one match that felt weird was actually PAC vs Flamita. For it being hyped as PAC's first singles match back, and it being fucking PAC vs Flamita it was really bland. But I understand why. PAC is working a slower style with this heel gimmick and it really felt like a WWE match which was disappointing when you came into it expecting a Dragon Gate match with loads of high flying fuckery. Crown was also quiet. I personally think they were a bit burned out after the triangle gate spotfest. But as people, and Jae, says the Dragon gate fans are kinda possessive of their roster, so they only really pop for their favorites and really hype shit, and this match didn't have that much shit to be hype about. But I still expected them to at least pop for Flamita. So kind of off putting but I get why the match worked the way it did, it wasn't bad really, just slow when you look at it being _PAC _and _Flamita _in _Dragon Gate._ 

Rest of the show. Really good. Basically give all the title matches a watch. Yoshino is a great face and the match have probably cemented Ben-K as a main event player (I hope).

With this show being over we are now building towards Final Gate, matches are being set up and the seeds are being planted, that potential main event :mark: In 2 days (November 6th) Dragon Gate hits Korakuen Hall where the main even is a 4 way six man tag between the four top units of Dragon Gate:

MaxiMuM (Doi/Lee/Yoshino) vs. Tribe Vanguard (YAMATO/Hulk/Flamita) vs. Natural Vibes (Kzy/Genki/Susumu) vs. R.E.D. (Big R/PAC/Ben-K)


----------



## komatsu_na

https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/news_society/articles/000140107.html


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1059376257484419073
What's going on with this guy?


----------



## volde

It looks like every time we hear something about him it is something bad/unfortunate.


----------



## Obfuscation

Oh dear.

It appears I'll always have to live in the past for Morishima at this rate.


----------



## Genking48

30 minutes and Dragon Gate hits Korakuen, here's the card:



> 1: Natural Vibes (Punch Tominaga, "brother" YASSHI), Bitman, Mondai Ryu & "Hollywood" Stalker Ichikawa vs. Don Fujii, Ryo Saito, Gamma, K-Ness & Kaito Ishida
> 2: Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Kota Minoura
> 3: Tribe Vanguard (Kagetora, Yosuke♡Santa Maria & U-T) vs. Mochizuki Dojo (Shun Skywalker, Hyou Watanabe & Yuki Yoshioka)
> 4: Dragon Dia Debut Match: Dragon Kid & Dragon Dia vs. R.E.D. (Eita & Yasushi Kanda)
> 5: R.E.D. (Takashi Yoshida, Daga & KAZMA SAKAMOTO) vs. Bandido, KAI & Hiroshi Yamato
> 6: 4-Way 6-Man Tag Team Match: R.E.D. (PAC, Big R Shimizu & Ben-K) vs. Natural Vibes (Kzy, Genki Horiguchi & Susumu Yokosuka) vs. MaxiMuM (Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino & Jason Lee) vs. Tribe Vanguard (YAMATO, BxB Hulk & Flamita)


----------



## Obfuscation

Bandido & KAI, the tag team I never knew would actually happen.

And holy crap that main event line-up. kada


----------



## Genking48

WE'RE DOING IT!


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1059779203845959680
And possibly just as hype!

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1059780204623589376


----------



## Even Flow

Wasn't sure whether to put this here, or create a new thread. Anyway:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1059935280944373761


----------



## Obfuscation

The week continues to grow.

But PAC vs Yoshino right off the bat. Why wait :mark:


----------



## NotoriousOfek

PAC is making big moves tho! 
Coming to Japan, after a long time, challenging the Dragon Gate Champ! holy smoke! MAH MAN IS BACK  
absolutely delightful


----------



## Even Flow

PAC is back on twitter. And look who's replied


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1060134608795242496


----------



## MC

I wouldn't look too much into it tbh. PAC in New Japan would be cool for a tour or two, like he used to but as a full time guy, I prefer he be in Dragon Gate. Gives them more exposure and he is more likely to be pushed to greater heights. 

I prefer it when wrestles are spread out with the companies too.


----------



## Genking48

Pls no. Delete Bullet Club :rivetingcena #RemoveGaijin


----------



## Obfuscation

Best of Super Juniors sure. That's been done before. But anything else? Nah. It's clear where PAC's loyalties are; it speaks for itself with how he's already booming upon return to Dragon Gate. Tama is a great internet troll, so here we go for another one. Shaking things up. :hmm:


----------



## antoniomare007

I agree with everything said in the last few posts/pages, but let's not act like there was any other path for PAC in Dragon Gate than going straight to the top belt as soon as possible. That was a given.


----------



## 2 Ton 21

From WON



> Takeshi Morishima, 40, who at one point was thought to be one of the biggest stars of the current generation, but never reached that status for a number of reasons having to do with health and injuries, was arrested this past week. Morishima, who retired due to both health issues and physical condition issues in 2015, was arrested for allegedly attacking a taxi driver at 11:30 p.m. on 11/4 in the Kabukicho section of Tokyo. The driver, whose name is not known, was reported as seriously injured with cheekbone injuries after Morishima refused to pay an 18,000 yen ($159) fare and allegedly punched him in the face. Morishima was originally to make a comeback on 10/15 after three years out, but due to battling sepsis and undergoing surgery, his return was delayed until early 2019. This story ended up making mainstream news, including being covered on the TV-Asahi evening newscast. The belief is because Japan is so much about honor, that this story will prevent him from coming back to wrestling any time soon.
> 
> Morishima at one point was being groomed to be the top star at NOAH, a 300 plus pounder who could move like a Terry Gordy (who he greatly resembled). To give him credibility, they sent him to ROH to become champion there and he had a tremendous series of matches with Bryan Danielson, including the 2007 Match of the Year award winner.
> 
> Tokyo Sports ran a piece on Morishima saying that he had been living a sad life since his retirement, with stories that he was working as a live-in employee at a restaurant and that some days he didn’t even change his clothes, and was drinking heavily. It was noted that he was not drinking on the night of his arrest. It said that in the Shinjuku and Yotsuya sections of Tokyo he was frequently seen bumming money off fans or wrestlers and many businesses in the area didn’t want him around their premises. He would act like a star, show up in bars in a taxi and try to get the patrons in the bar to pay the taxi charges, and claimed he once did the same thing at an independent show where he showed up with a 500 yen taxi charge (less than $6) and tried to get a younger wrestler on the show to pay it.


----------



## Obfuscation

The self-destruction of Takeshi Morishima :mj2


----------



## antoniomare007

3,800 at Sumo Hall for Big Japan, a little better than last year (3,100) but I still wonder why the bother with booking this place when every year the card isn't worth that big of a venue...unless they can book it cheaper than other promotions for some reason.

Anyway, Yuji is back


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1061668325112057857and we have a new champ.


----------



## Obfuscation

I say it is because they can draw a solid 3000+ year round for an event in that building. All fine by me.

New champs all around. One of which feels the ripples of a long time coming, though.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1062336283802910720
The D-Oh Grand Prix 2019 schedule has been released. 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1062343410474840064
Go vs Higuchi on the first day sounds like the tits.


----------



## Obfuscation

Go vs Sasaki :banderas

If that Go vs Bailey finals was possible, whew.


----------



## MC

Time for everyone's favourite promotion, Pro Wrestling NOAH!!!!........ Oh.. Just me then.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1065580511672848384
Marufuji got the win today so he advances to the Global League Finals. If Kaito Kiyomiya beats Taniguchi tomorrow, he, Taniguchi, Shiozaki and Sugiura will all be on 8 points BUT Kaito will have the tie breakers on all three men. If Go Shiozaki wins against Yone, he wins the Block even if Sugiura wins (Tie Breaker) and Kaito Kiyomiya loses. Sugiura wins if Kaito Kiyomiya and Go Shiozaki lose.


Gonna be a tight call tomorrow, no way Taniguchi is winning the Block IMO so he either draws with Kaito or Kaito is winning (I predict Kaito is getting the win). Should be an eventful show. I know Marufuji over Kenoh or Nakajima in the final is a bit meh but I like that it's a New SGA vs Veterans final, suits the story better.


----------



## Obfuscation

Finals sounds awesome just by the names alone. After Kiyomiya upset Sugiura, wasn't sure if he'd earn a championship match or not, but alas, it all resolves itself in the end. 

My pick for the winner wasn't correct, but I'm more pleased with who won.


----------



## antoniomare007

Riki Choshu Produce "POWER HALL 2018", 28.12.2018 (Samurai! TV)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. Akitoshi Saito [​IMG] & AKIRA vs. MAZADA & FUJITA
2. Yoshitatsu, Rocky Kawamura & Ayato Yoshida [​IMG] vs. Hikaru Sato, Tomohiko Hashimoto & KAZMA SAKAMOTO
3. Minoru Tanaka & Mitsuhiro Yoshida vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara & Gota Ihashi [​IMG]
4. Shiro Koshinaka, Yukio Sakaguchi [​IMG] & Dinosaur Takuma [​IMG] vs. Daisuke Sekimoto [​IMG], Kengo Mashimo [​IMG] & Kota Umeda [​IMG]
5. Shinjiro Otani [​IMG], Yutaka Yoshie, Takashi Sugiura [​IMG] & Takuya Nomura [​IMG] vs. Kendo Kashin, Kohei Sato [​IMG], Katsuhiko Nakajima [​IMG] & Tomoya Hirata [​IMG]
6. Riki Choshu, Tatsumi Fujinami [​IMG] & Masa Kitamiya [​IMG] vs. Kaito Kiyomiya [​IMG], Jun Kasai [​IMG] & NOSAWA Rongai


Nomura & Sugi vs Nakajima & Sato :mark:


----------



## MC

Decent looking card. A few good matches on paper, and the interactions within them should be fun too. Glad to see Kaito Kiyomiya getting top spots in these produce shows that Choshu, Kobashi, Kawada and others do.

Book Gota Ihashi vs Riki Choshu you coward :evil.


----------



## Corey

The era of PAC has begun.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1069984060460548096


----------



## Genking48

My guy PAC! 

Doi Darts was fun as always.

Other Dragon Gate news


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1069929712267358208

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1069930719848198144
Don't know if this is the announcement, but something happens.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1070071359475052544
So yeah, we are a cuople of days removed from Fantastic Gate. But we still got to post the results. Thanks to Jae of iheartdg.com for the results and translating the promos.



Spoiler: .






> *December 4, 2018
> Tokyo, Korakuen Hall
> Fantastic Gate 2018
> Attendance: 1858*
> 
> *0.* K-ness.*O* (4:26 Hikari no Wa) Problem Dragon*X*
> *1.* Ryo Saito*O*, Don Fujii, Gamma, Super Shisa (8:10 SaiRyo Rocket) YAMATO, BxB Hulk, Kagetora, Dragon Dia*X*
> *2.* Masaaki Mochizuki, Hyo Watanabe, Yuki Yoshioka*O*, Kota Minoura (12:19 Pinfall) Naruki Doi, Jason Lee, Kaito Ishida*X*, Hiroshi Yamato
> *3.* Shun Skywalker*△* (20:00 Time Limit Draw) U-T*△*
> *4.* Dragon Kid*O*, Flamita, Bandido (12:12 Bible) Ben-K, Eita*X*, Daga
> *5.* Big R Shimizu, Takashi Yoshida, Yasushi Kanda, Kazma Sakamoto*O* (8:39 Half Package Piledriver) Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka, Genki Horiguchi*X*, “brother” YASSHI
> *6. Open the Dream Gate Championship Match:* PAC*O* (20:33 Black Arrow) Masato Yoshino*X*
> _★Yoshino fails in his 5th defense, PAC becomes the 28th champi_on
> 
> Shisa made his first appearance in Korakuen Hall since 2015. Saito informed him of this fact and the always level headed Shisa simply replied “I guess so.”
> 
> After U-T vs. SSW, Mochizuki told Shun that while the fan reaction was incredibly positive, if there had been a decision after the draw he thinks SSW would have lost. How he decides to handle that is up to him. As for U-T, he isn’t the biggest fighter but he showed today how effort and sheer will can even the odds.
> Yoshioka interrupted. Last month, Mochizuki told SSW this was a match he couldn’t afford to lose. At the same time, SSW had said that he was ranked higher than him. Today, he got a win over Ishida. That wasn’t enough for him. He also wanted to see just who was the best amongst himself, U-T, and SSW. Mochizuki Dojo isn’t a unit, so SSW was more than happy to fight to figure it out. He was upset at the idea of someone thinking they were better than him just because they got a win over Kaito Ishida. This brought a very angry Ishida to the ring. Yoshioka was talking a lot of garbage after a fluke win. He didn’t want to hear any of this big talk from a bunch of guys who aren’t even unit members. He is a distinguished member of MaxiMuM. He has no respect for U-T, either. He hates people who always talk about how hard they are trying. You are a wrestler. It’s what you are supposed to do. U-T said that he hates anyone who can’t do anything but kick. He could easily catch any of his kicks, turn it into a llave and make him tap. Mochizuki wondered if U-T was also talking to him with that comment, but U-T confirmed it was directed at Ishida.
> Watanabe jumped in here. Yoshioka was below him in terms of career but he didn’t mention his name at all when he was issuing challenges. He wasn’t going to stand by and be considered the lowest. He tried to fire up Minoura and get him to respond the same way, but Minoura said he just debuted and wasn’t really worried about that sort of thing yet.
> A brawl broke out until GM Yagi broke things up. Using career to decide rank is pointless. He knows a much better way to settle things. He will prepare a league for them in the early part of 2019. He expects them to train hard over the New Year holidays.
> 
> Kid told Eita that today was just another example of the difference in skill between them. Eita agreed. It was abundantly clear he was better. No one is going to come to Fukuoka to see him lose his hair. They are coming to see Dragon Kid lose his mask. He has some secret measures in place that will make sure of it. DK told him he can do whatever he wants. The results would be the same as today. DK would keep his mask and Eita would lose his mop.
> 
> Kazma is only around once a month so he didn’t know their names, but it looks like those guys he just beat have some sort of trios titles. He was challenging them on behalf of himself, Kanda, & Yoshida. Kzy told him he should at least try to remember the names of his opponents. Whether he can take the titles to one of his other jobs is up to the company to decide, but whether he gets to fight for the titles is up to Kzy. His team is the most prolific Triangle Gate team in history and have made it a hobby to take out anyone that has the guts to step up. They accept.
> GM Yagi came in and made the match for The Final Gate on 12/23, but Kazma protested. He’s a very busy man and he doesn’t know if he has to work somewhere else that day. He can’t just agree like this. Yagi said that he understands and sympathizes with his situation so they can just cancel the whole thing. Kazma quickly remembered he was free that day. Taking the titles from Kzy will be easy. Kzy promised it would be nothing but good vibes in Fukuoka and that their defense record was going to continue.
> 
> PAC attacked Yoshino during the God Save the Queen, to the shock of the fans. After his win, he reminded everyone that he has been saying that R・E・D controls Dragon Gate. Now that he controls the Dream Gate, maybe people will start paying attention. Eita told Yoshino that he lost today for two very simple and clear reasons. 1 – PAC is unbeatable. 2 – Because he is in a unit with Dragon Kid! MaxiMuM is finished. The show is over. R・E・D was ready to leave so they could hit their music.
> 
> Doi was fine with playing their music so they could leave, but the show wasn’t over. There were two main events today and it was time for Doi Darts 2018!
> 
> The match that was selected to main event the 12/18 Korakuen Hall show is:
> 
> Dragon Kid, K-ness., Ben-K, Kazma Sakamoto, KAI vs. BxB Hulk, “brother” YASSHI, Yuki Yoshioka, Naruki Doi, Dragon Dia.
> 
> GM Yagi also revealed that there would be a major announcement made at the 12/18 Korakuen Hall show.


----------



## Adam Cool

Meltzer needs to fuck iff with his Anti Hana Agenda 

I don't care if she "big leagued" Daniels in RoH


----------



## Corey

1858 is one hell of attendance for basically a one match show. PAC is definitely a confirmed draw.


----------



## Genking48

Corey said:


> 1858 is one hell of attendance for basically a one match show. PAC is definitely a confirmed draw.


Two match show, Doi Darts was basically the _real _main event! (as it should be)


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1069880231974985729

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1069882249791717377

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1069882565975142401
The PAC thing is probably done for the international fans and will have no real impact on the local audience.


----------



## FROSTY

Just seen All Japan has their own streaming service as well. Does anyone here have it? If so, is it worth it?


----------



## Corey

FROSTED TARASENK O's said:


> Just seen All Japan has their own streaming service as well. Does anyone here have it? If so, is it worth it?


I've subscribed on a couple different occasions. The video quality is great but most of their shows don't feature commentary. It's pretty simple to navigate if you're looking to watch the most recent stuff but there's not really much of anything available to watch that's older than a couple years, unless they've added stuff recently. It's worth it for a month to see if you like it.


----------



## antoniomare007

All Japan sold out Korakuen for the RWTL final day.

Dylan James and Joe Doering won it after defeating Violent Giants.


----------



## MC

antoniomare007 said:


> All Japan sold out Korakuen for the RWTL final day.
> 
> Dylan James and Joe Doering won it after defeating Violent Giants.


In one of the biggest attendances Korakuen has had all year. Depending on if you believe DG's numbers or not, they are only second to a DG show (can't remember which so exactly though). More than any New Japan show too. Big news for All Japan. Good end to the a mixed year for them.

Tokyo Sports Awards are out!! 

*Tokyo Sports MVP:* Hiroshi Tanahashi (New Japan Pro Wrestling)

*Match Of The Year:* Okada vs Omega - Dominion 09/06/2018 (New Japan Pro Wrestling)

*Best Tag Team Award:* The Violent Giants (Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa)

*Fighting Spirit Award:* Kaito Kiyomiya (Pro Wrestling NOAH)

*Skill Award:* Tetsuya Naito (New Japan Pro Wrestling)

*Rookie Award:* Utami Hayashishita (STARDOM)

*Women's Wrestling Award:* Tsukasa Fujimoto (Ice Ribbon)

*Special Prize:* Naomichi Marufuji (Pro Wrestling NOAH)

I basically have to agree with most of these. Maybe not the match of the year but I see why this was the winner and it's a great match anyway. Glad to see Fujimoto getting the nod. She has been amazing all year. I probably have her as number one also. KAITO~!


----------



## volde

What exactly is skill award?


----------



## Obfuscation

I go dark for a little bit on results and PAC is on top of Dragon Gate.

I'm _all_ for this.

All Japan selling out Korakuen too. Awesome. Keep that momentum rolling for them.


----------



## Corey

DDT Grand Prix Finals is set:

*DDT "D KING GRAND PRIX 2019 THE FINAL", 30.12.2018 
Tokyo Korakuen Hall *

*- D King Grand Prix - Final:* Go Shiozaki vs. Konosuke Takeshita


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1074254154623827968
roud :vincecry The boy did it!!


----------



## Obfuscation

Shiozaki vs Takeshita? :yoda

Kiyamiya did it, beating Sugi again. Whew, I'm all for this instant rise. Just hoping they stick with it and it doesn't go hot potato again with another new Champion.


----------



## Violent By Design

MC said:


> In one of the biggest attendances Korakuen has had all year. Depending on if you believe DG's numbers or not, they are only second to a DG show (can't remember which so exactly though). More than any New Japan show too. Big news for All Japan. Good end to the a mixed year for them.
> 
> Tokyo Sports Awards are out!!
> 
> *Tokyo Sports MVP:* Hiroshi Tanahashi (New Japan Pro Wrestling)
> 
> *Match Of The Year:* Okada vs Omega - Dominion 09/06/2018 (New Japan Pro Wrestling)
> 
> *Best Tag Team Award:* The Violent Giants (Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa)
> 
> *Fighting Spirit Award:* Kaito Kiyomiya (Pro Wrestling NOAH)
> 
> *Skill Award:* Tetsuya Naito (New Japan Pro Wrestling)
> 
> *Rookie Award:* Utami Hayashishita (STARDOM)
> 
> *Women's Wrestling Award:* Tsukasa Fujimoto (Ice Ribbon)
> 
> *Special Prize:* Naomichi Marufuji (Pro Wrestling NOAH)
> 
> I basically have to agree with most of these. Maybe not the match of the year but I see why this was the winner and it's a great match anyway. Glad to see Fujimoto getting the nod. She has been amazing all year. I probably have her as number one also. KAITO~!


what match would you have picked?

Was Tanahashi really that good this year?


----------



## Corey

Tozawa returning to Japan for the Fight Club Pro show:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1074378649309274113


----------



## Genking48

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1074987188159361024

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1074985768194457601Kondo back in Dragon Gate for the first time since 2004!


----------



## Obfuscation

And Mochizuki is his opponent, boosh. Good show.

Well, WWE monopoly and all that, at least these international names can still do appearances every so often. Tozawa back in Japan, yay.


----------



## Genking48

BxB Hulk is out with a neck injury and will miss Final Gate.

The card is being updated, and the match for the Twin Gate titles is now: Yamato/Kagetora vs Big Ben (Big-R Shimizu/Ben-K) vs Speed Muscle (Masato Yoshino/Naruki Doi) vs Mexablood (Flamita/Bandido)


----------



## Obfuscation

I'm sure with the change, the match should still be on par to be something good. Look at all of who is involved. Bandido vs Shimizu ftw.


----------



## Genking48

The match will probably be better than the original match. The storyline aspect is pretty much fucked, but the in ring aspect has improved a ton with the change. Poor Hulk is clearly winding down due to his injuries and is either getting a smaller role or will retire within the near future.

There's also some news that the oWe boys are staring up again, but if it comes to it they will most likely prioritize DGE (Dragon Gate) bookings over oWe, and other, bookings.


----------



## MC

Sorry to hear about BxB Hulk. His tag team with Yamato was one of my favourite things this year. The match still sounds awesome though and I expect them to knock it out of the park.

Really looking forward to Dragon Kid vs Eita. The HATE. :banderas


----------



## volde

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1075692653767991296
Would be cool, but I don't see it happening?


----------



## antoniomare007

volde said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1075692653767991296
> Would be cool, but I don't see it happening?


A singles match seems too difficult to pull off given all the politics involved (even more if Tana gets the IWGP belt at WK).

But them facing off in a tag match would be awesome. Specially because it could open the door for a new All Japan vs New Japan interpromotional feud, which would be amazing. 

Since All Star Battle was announced I've been praying to Terry Funk that Uncle Jun is able to politic his way into a New Japan feud or collaboration.


----------



## Obfuscation

I know Nagata is Nagata, but his work with Akiyama prior struck me as something that could have been a decent gateway into this. Maybe if they keep plugging away with ideas like Kento is bringing, something can get going. All Japan on New Japan cards and vice-versa, yes please. Getting someone like EVIL in a Champion Carnival is me going TOO far, but I'll dream.

Obviously I'd like this Tana vs Kento match in any capacity. Those interactions in Korakuen; fire.


----------



## Corey

Strong BJ!


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1075831771198038016


----------



## Obfuscation

Fletcher will die. (always a winning scenario; kid is real good in a beat down) Davis probably will too, despite being a moderate hoss himself.


----------



## FROSTY

I tried watching NOAH Navigation for the Future (I believe it was) really didn't feel most of it. I'll try another show from later in the year, I'm still very new to Puro, but it doesn't seem to me the quality is there in NOAH that New Japan has.


----------



## MC

FROSTED TARASENK O's said:


> I tried watching NOAH Navigation for the Future (I believe it was) really didn't feel most of it. I'll try another show from later in the year, I'm still very new to Puro, but it doesn't seem to me the quality is there in NOAH that New Japan has.


Rookie mistake watching full shows when you're not familiar with the roster. The under cards for NOAH are very skippable until the fourth match or so. Are you watching the show from the 6th of January or 20th because I would recommend that skip everything except the main for the latter.


----------



## Obfuscation

Starting with NOAH begins & ends with Kobashi, tbf.


----------



## FROSTY

MC said:


> Rookie mistake watching full shows when you're not familiar with the roster. The under cards for NOAH are very skippable until the fourth match or so. Are you watching the show from the 6th of January or 20th because I would recommend that skip everything except the main for the latter.


It was the 6th of January, very meh.


----------



## MC

FROSTED TARASENK O's said:


> It was the 6th of January, very meh.


Just stick to the top of the cards for now. You might as well just watch the title matches because the year is over and A LOT has happened since January. Give me time and I'll get you a list of what to watch from the year. (Best matches, important matches to watch, etc)


----------



## volde

I'd appreciate that list as well since I'm familiar only with few of their guys.


----------



## Flowsion

AJPW and NOAH really have high end level matches, but their undercard is kinda trash due to the fact that their roster is thin, just watch the title match for time beign, then if you get sucked in by the product you can watch stuff from those who interest you. 
The only promotion I'd recommend you to watch from start to finish it's probably DDT it has the best mix of comedy and different style of wrestling. Maybe even Dragon Gate their young guys are fun to watch.


----------



## Reil

STARDOM will be running a show in New York a few hours before NXT Takeover. Just a heads up for those who are going to be in the area.


----------



## RealGrendel

@MC: I would also be interested in that NOAH list. Thanx in advance!


----------



## Adam Cool

Whats going on twitter? Why did Stardom address New Japan not having a women division? Who the fuck is bringing that up after its been explained a million times


----------



## volde

Adam Cool said:


> Whats going on twitter? Why did Stardom address New Japan not having a women division? Who the fuck is bringing that up after its been explained a million times


From what I understand same few people stirred up shit again by saying that NJPW has to book women because that is the right thing to do. And Stardom probably saw that as opportunity to do small self-promotion thing. 

Either way this shit is going to continue till NJPW starts booking women and destroys Joshi scene in the process.


----------



## Obfuscation

I don't really skip matches much myself, although the beauty of Puro/Joshi structuring is you tend to know what you're going to get by their placement. Despite the popularity, New Japan does have the bulk of tag midcard stuff nailed perfectly, where it isn't uncommon to have those as the stand outs on certain nights. All Japan is one I def like top to bottom, too. That's a fun roster.

NOAH's roster is the most hit or miss, though.


----------



## Corey

Dragon Gate results:

*Dragon Gate "FINAL GATE 2018", 23.12.2018 
Fukuoka Kokusai Center 
3,746 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House* 

1. Jason Lee, Kaito Ishida, Syachihoko defeat BOY & Dragon Dia Super Shisa, UT, "brother" YASSHI & Mondai Ryu (9 : 03) after a Tiger Suplex Hold by Ishida against Ryu. 
2. Shun Skywalker, Hyou Watanabe, Yuki Yoshioka & Kota Minoura beat Ryo Saito, Don Fuji, Gamma & K-ness (13:05) after Skywalker's Skywalker Moonsault beat Saito. 
3. Masaaki Mochizuki defeats DAGA (16:16) with a hurricanrana. 
4. Masaaki Mochizuki defeats "Hollywood" stalker Ichikawa (2:16) with a reverse figure-four leglock. 
5. *Open the Triangle Gate Title:* Yasushi Kanda, Takashi Yoshida & Kazma SAKAMOTO defeat KZY, Susumu Yokosuka & Genki Horiguchi (c) (16:57) after a package piledriver Half of SAKAMOTO against Horiguchi - the title changes. 
6. *Open The Twin Gate Title 4 Way Elimination Match, Decision Match:* Big R Shimizu & Ben-K defeat YAMATO & Kagetora, Masato Yoshino & Naruki Doi and Flamita & Bandido (26:21) - the title changes. *Order of departure:* 
- Kagetora eliminated Masato Yoshino with Kagenui (18:02). 
- Kagetora eliminated Bandido with Kagenui (21:35). 
- Big R Shimizu eliminated Kagetora with a Shot Put Slam (26:21). 
7. *Mascara versus Cabellera Match:* Dragon Kid beats Eita (26:13) with the Ultra Hurricanrana.


----------



## Even Flow

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1077728030016110592


----------



## wrestling_fan_03

Hi guys 

Just wondering when is the next AJPW event. 

Anyone has a clue?


----------



## Corey

wrestling_fan_03 said:


> Hi guys
> 
> Just wondering when is the next AJPW event.
> 
> Anyone has a clue?


*All Japan Pro-Wrestling - "NEW YEAR WARS 2019"

AJPW, 02.01.2019
Tokyo Korakuen Hall*

- Atsuki Aoyagi & Danji Tamura Debut Match: Atsushi Aoki & Hikaru Sato vs. Atsuki Aoyagi & Danji Tamura
- New Year Openweight Battle Royal: 
- Jake Lee & Hokuto Omori vs. Gianni Valletta & Black Tiger VII
- Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki & Atsushi Maruyama vs. Masanobu Fuchi, Osamu Nishimura & TAJIRI
- Triple Crown & All Asia Tag Team Title Double Skirmish: Kento Miyahara, Naoya Nomura, Yuma Aoyagi & Yoshitatsu vs. Zeus, KAI, Takao Omori & Black Menso~re
- *AJPW World Jr. Heavyweight Title:* Koji Iwamoto (c) vs. Yusuke Okada
- *AJPW World Tag Team Title:* Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa (c) vs. Joe Doering & Dylan James


*AJPW, 03.01.2019
Tokyo Korakuen Hall*

- Yusuke Okada & Atsuki Aoyagi vs. Hokuto Omori & Danji Tamura
- Masanobu Fuchi & Yoshitatsu vs. Osamu Nishimura & Hikaru Sato
- *GAORA TV Title:* TAJIRI (c) vs. Minoru Fujita
- Jun Akiyama, Zeus & Atsushi Maruyama vs. Jake Lee, Ryouji Sai & Koji Iwamoto
- *All Asia Tag Team Title:* Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi (c) vs. Takao Omori & Black Menso~re
- Suwama, Shuji Ishikawa & Atsushi Aoki vs. Joe Doering, Dylan James & Gianni Valletta
- *Triple Crown:* Kento Miyahara (c) vs. KAI


----------



## Obfuscation

SHOT PUT SLAM. Got what I wanted there. Big Ben back on top.

Poor Eita. If that match is finally overloaded with hate, then we're onto something. Surely it has to be.

Kento vs KAI; 2019 already starting interesting for All Japan.


----------



## Corey

The biggest week in Puro got kicked off today. I'll be keeping an eye out for this main event when it hits the net. Hope those 997 fans were into it. 

*ZERO1 "HAPPY NEW YEAR", 01.01.2019 (Samurai! TV) 
Tokyo Korakuen Hall 
997 fans *

1. Shoki Kitamura defeats Tomoya Hirata (7:51) with a Meteor clutch. 
2. Tatsuhito Takaiwa, Super Tiger and Yuko Miyamoto beat Hiroshi Yamato, Towa Iwasaki and Yuta Suzuki (11:03) after a Moonsault Press by Miyamoto against Suzuki. 
3. Shogun Okamoto & Yoshikazu Yokoyama beat Yasu Kubota & Hide Kubota (7:17) after a diving elbow drop from Okamoto against Yasu. 
4. Yuji Hino defeats Shinjiro Otani (12:07) with the Fucking BOMB. 
5. *NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Title:* Ikuto Hidaka & Fuminori Abe (c) beat SUGI & Hagane Shinno (16:39) after a Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex Hold by Hidaka against SUGI (2nd defense). 
6. *NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Title:* Masato Tanaka & Takuya Sugawara Defeat TARU & Chris Vice (16:30) after a Stardust Press from Sugawara vs. TARU - Title Change. 
7. *World Heavyweight Title*: Daisuke Sekimoto (c) defeated Kohei Sato (19:33) with a wristlock German Suplex Hold (1st defense).


----------



## Desecrated

Whatever happened to Kohei Sato? I haven't seen him about the scene outside of doing NOAH's Grand Prix since the bomber tag match w/ Ishikawa 2 years ago. Z1 primarily?


----------



## antoniomare007

I love this time of the year because every promotion has a show in front of a packed Korakuen Hall crowd.

Big Japan drew 1.1k last Wednesday for the build up of today's show, which drew a sellout of 1.5k. They even did better than All Japan which is probably going to be the only time this year they are able to pull that off lol. 

Can't wait for these shows to drop


----------



## Corey

^^ Same time 

More results and more matches to look out for:

*AJPW "NEW YEAR WARS 2019", 02.01.2019 (Samurai! TV / AJPW.TV) 
Tokyo Korakuen Hall 
1,440 Fans - Super No Vacancy *

1. Atsuki Aoyagi & Danji Tamura Debut Match : Atsushi Aoki & Hikaru Sato Defeat Atsuki Aoyagi & Danji Tamura (9:11) after a crab hold by Aoki against Aoyagi. 
2. Gianni Valletta & Black Tiger VII beat Jake Lee & Hokuto Omori (9:30) for a Crab Tiger by Aoki against Omori. 
3. Masanobu Fuchi, Osamu Nishimura & TAJIRI beat Jun Akiyama, Kotaro Suzuki & Atsushi Maruyama (9:06) in a horizontal cradle from TAJIRI against Maruyama. 
4. *15 Man New Year Openweight Battle Royal:* Jake Lee def . Yutaka Yoshie (8:06) . 
5. Triple Crown & All Asia Tag Team Title Double Skirmish : Kento Miyahara, Naoya Nomura, Yuma Aoyagi & Yoshitatsu beat Zeus, KAI, Takao Omori & Black Menso ~ re (17:06) after the maximum of Nomura against Omori. 
6. *AJPW World Jr. Heavyweight Title :* Koji Iwamoto (c) defeats Yusuke Okada (15:21) with Koko no Geijutsu (1st defense). 
7. *AJPW World Tag Team Title :* Suwama & Shuji Ishikawa (c) beat Joe Doering & Dylan James (18:33) after Ishikawa's Giant Slam vs. James (4th defense).

*BJW, 02.01.2019 (Samurai! TV) 
Tokyo Korakuen Hall 
1,513 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House *

1. Kazuki Hashimoto, Yuya Aoki, Brahman Shu & Brahman Kei Defeat Tsutomu Oosugi, Banana Senga, Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Kota Sekifuda (7:17 ) as Kei Sekifuda pinned. 
2. Shinobu, Kouju Takeda and Fuminori Abe beat Takuho Kato, Yuki Ishikawa and Akira Hyodo (10:08) after a German suplex hold by Takeda against Ishikawa. 
3. Yasufumi Nakanoue & Kohei Sato Defeat Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani (11:07) after a lariat from Nakanoue against Hashimoto. 
4. _Weapon Bringing Death Match:_ Masashi Takeda and Yuko Miyamoto beat Takayuki Ueki & Toshiyuki Sakuda (9:39) after a Takeda reverse U crash against Sakuda. 
5. *Barbed Wire Board Death Match:* Ryuji Ito, Ryuichi Sekine and Black Angel Jaki Numazawa beat Yuichi Taniguchi, Minoru Fujita and Kankuro Hoshino (8:50) after Ito's Dragon Splash against Taniguchi. 
6. Yuji Okabayashi, Ryuichi Kawakami and Kazumi Kikuta beat Hideki Suzuki, Yoshihisa Uto and Takuya Nomura * (13:05) after a Camel Clutch from Okabayashi against Nomura. 
7. BJW World Heavy Heavy Title : Daisuke Sekimoto (c) defeated Ryota Hama (15:04) with a lariat (1st defense). 
8. BJW Death Match Heavyweight Title, Fluorescent Lighttubes & Fluorescent Items + α Death Match : Masaya Takahashi (c) defeats Takumi Tsukamoto (18:24) with a jackhammer on Lighttubes (1st defense).*


----------



## antoniomare007

Does this mean we are getting Sekimoto/Akiyama vs Violent Giants II for the belts on 1/13 at Daisuke's anniversary show? I never figured out what Strigga was talking about in regards to that show.

Their first match at the RWTL was cool but you could tell they have a better one in them.


----------



## Desecrated

I thought it was Okabayashi rather than Akiyama who came out after the tag match? At least judging from the video I saw on reddit. The ears, belly and the patch of hair below his chin resembled him.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1080408502244397056
To stay on All Japan. :sodone He has the finally committed.


----------



## antoniomare007

Desecrated said:


> I thought it was Okabayashi rather than Akiyama who came out after the tag match? At least judging from the video I saw on reddit. The ears, belly and the patch of hair below his chin resembled him.


That would be even better. I'm only going by what I read on Twitter when the anniversary show for the 13th was announced so it's not the most trustworthy source.


----------



## Garmonbozia

MC said:


> To stay on All Japan. :sodone He has the finally committed.


No more DDT appearances?


----------



## antoniomare007

Garmonbozia said:


> No more DDT appearances?


I highly doubt All Japan is in any position to give exclusive contracts. He'll probably still show up for a couple of big shows if he gets paid well enough. "Worst" case scenario and DDT will have to form some sort of working relationship and talent exchange with AJPW and Shuji would be announced as an All Japan wrestler instead of a free lancer. Which is what basically every promotion does anyway


----------



## Obfuscation

Sekimoto vs Sato + Hino FUCKIN' bombing Otani? ZERO1 not holding anything back this early. I like it.



Desecrated said:


> Whatever happened to Kohei Sato? I haven't seen him about the scene outside of doing NOAH's Grand Prix since the bomber tag match w/ Ishikawa 2 years ago. Z1 primarily?


Mostly, yes. But, I say keep an eye out for him back in Big Japan; recently returned on 12/30 & already was on their first event for this year.


----------



## MC

^ That Zero-1 show will be airing on the 10th too (Samurai Production) so we will actually see it :woo.

This I doubt will be taped but it's worth mentioning:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1080097487430606849


----------



## antoniomare007

Obfuscation said:


> Mostly, yes. But, I say keep an eye out for him back in Big Japan; recently returned on 12/30 & already was on their first event for this year.


Sato always work for Big Japan during this time of the year though. I hope he gets more dates this year but who knows.


----------



## Obfuscation

Good ol first week of Puro. Most making air and being able to be seen. (Y)

Sekimoto vs Hama, too. kada



antoniomare007 said:


> Sato always work for Big Japan during this time of the year though. I hope he gets more dates this year but who knows.


Living in optimism perhaps, but going with the consistency of he's working there again for now. So fingers crossed it sticks.


----------



## Corey

Kento vs. KAI absolutely delivered today so be sure to check that out. The fucking charisma that Kento has man, it's wild. Tag Title match the night before was fine but a little disappointing.

No one came out to challenge Kento which was a little odd. Surely he's not moving on to Jake Lee this soon though right?

Also DDT and Fight Club Pro announced they're gonna be doing a talent exchange, which is definitely cool.


----------



## Obfuscation

Both main events were really disappointing. Violent Giants vs The Bomber was boring & Kento vs KAI was awful. Thankfully there was a really fun undercard for Night Two. That's where the goods were. Especially with Akiyama/Zeus/Maruyama vs Sweeper. :mark:


----------



## Corey

Obfuscation said:


> Both main events were really disappointing. Violent Giants vs The Bomber was boring & *Kento vs KAI was awful*. Thankfully there was a really fun undercard for Night Two. That's where the goods were. Especially with Akiyama/Zeus/Maruyama vs Sweeper. :mark:


It was all those damn knee strikes wasn't it?


----------



## Obfuscation

Have to say I lost faith in the match when Kento sold his knee briefly while standing, then two seconds later uses the bad leg to trap KAI for a Triangle choke like nothing happened. :walphtf

Just all a bit of a mess, for me.


----------



## Corey

@antoniomare007; !!!


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1081087269048643586


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> @antoniomare007; !!!
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1081087269048643586


AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH :mark:


----------



## komatsu_na

T-Hawk finally did it.


----------



## Genking48

sengen777 said:


> T-Hawk finally did it.


So happy!


----------



## antoniomare007

Big Japan and DDT's New Year's Eve Tag Team Tournament is fucking awesome! A great mix of fuckery and good/great tag wrestling. Go watch it. 



Spoiler: .











































(yes, that's Hideki Suzuki)



The final match is dope as hell. I hope we get to see more of this Takeshita in 2019.


----------



## sweepdaleg

So who are considered the top stars outside of NJPW? I am looking at tracking down some other decent overseas wrestlers. I loved old AJPW and Noah for obvious reasons. Who should I currently check out?


----------



## Desecrated

Kenta Kobashi vs Yoshihiro Takayama May 26 2000

Rolling through my hard-drive of things I downloaded a while back, I find this. And good gosh, it is superb. Wish I could write a bit up on it but I am tired. Takayama has one of the best kitchen sinks I've seen though, up there with Jumbo for that. And very little gets me pumped more than a fiery Kobashi. Towards the end of the match, the feeling of just forgetting you are watching wrestling just kicks in as these guys emote and sell. Fucking hell, superb. ****3/4.


----------



## Obfuscation

sweepdaleg said:


> So who are considered the top stars outside of NJPW? I am looking at tracking down some other decent overseas wrestlers. I loved old AJPW and Noah for obvious reasons. Who should I currently check out?


If nailing it bit by bit in various promotions, by their status rather than my own personal note:

AJPW: Kento Miyahara; Akiyama/Zeus/Suwama/Joe Doering

Dragon Gate: PAC (theoretically); after that with CIMA & Shingo gone it would probably fall on Masato Yoshino. With Mochizuki, YAMATO, Dragon Kid etc being in valued contention. This always feels like the most consistent roster as far as who's very popular.

DDT: Konosuke Takeshita; HARASHIMA, Danshoku Dino, Daisuke Sasaki.

Big Japan: Daisuke Sekimoto; Hideki Suzuki, Ryuji Ito, Abdullah Kobayashi, Masashi Takeda.

ZERO1: Kohei Sato; shout outs to Shinjiro Otani/Masato Tanaka for still staying strong in the promotion.

Stardom: Mayu Iwatani

That's a decent gist of it.


----------



## Desecrated

Jumbo Tsuruta, Akira Taue & Masanobu Fuchi vs Kenta Kobashi, Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada

Good grief, this was something. The drama and story put together created fantastic moments one after another after another. Crowd was absolutely electric. Kobashi, Fuchi and Kawada put in ridiculous performances and very well backed up by Jumbo and Taue. Misawa a bit absent, chilling. That plus Kobashi's leg not factoring in for the finish were the only negatives. Could watch them go 50 minutes every now and then without an issue.

Kenta Kobashi vs Yoshihiro Takayama 2004

I kind of liked their first match more, more of an action-pace to it. This was just as good however, if not outright better. An absurd match with no negatives. Takayama getting to work on Kobashi's arm was a fantastic win condition for him, but Kobashi brings out something entirely different in his arsenal to beat Takayama after surviving the best that Takayama had to give. Simple story done with the artistry that only these two can deliver. Perfect.

Any recommendeds for Takayama? Hopefully I haven't blown through his best two matches already.


----------



## Obfuscation

Takayama recs:

vs KENTA - NOAH 6/27/04

vs Kensuke Sasaki - NJPW 8/8/04

vs Osamu Nishimura - NJPW 8/10/02

vs Go Shiozaki - NOAH 9/23/11

vs Minoru Suzuki - NOAH 7/18/15

vs Shinsuke Nakamura NJPW 1/4/04 & NJPW 1/4/10

w/Takao Omori vs Hayabusa & Jinsei Shinzaki - AJPW 6/4/99

vs Mitsuharu Misawa - AJPW 9/4/99, NOAH 4/15/01, & NOAH 9/23/02

vs Katsuyori Shibata - NJPW 8/15/03

That should be enough. :hmm:

I'm big on Big Tak.


----------



## MC

> _*The Giant Baba Memorial Show Card*_
> 
> -. Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & TAKA Michinoku vs. Masanobu Fuchi, Yoshiaki Fujiwara & Yuma Aoyagi
> -. Special 3 Way Tag Match: SANADA & BUSHI vs. Jake Lee & Koji Iwamoto vs. Ayato Yoshida & Shota Umino
> -. Giant Baba Memorial Battle Royal: Mitsuo Momota, Kim Duk, MEN's Teioh, TARU, Ryuji Hijikata, Yuto Aijima, etc.
> -. Satoshi Kojima , Yuji Nagata & Osamu Nishimura vs. Jun Akiyama , Takao Omori & Taiyo Kea
> -. Mil Mascaras & Dos Caras vs. Kaz Hayashi & NOSAWA Rongai
> 
> Also announced: Hiroshi Tanahashi , Tomoaki Honma , Kento Miyahara , Great Kojika , Daisuke Sekimoto , Naomichi Marufuji , Kazushi Miyamoto, Tomohiko Hashimoto, Atsushi Onita & Kendo Kashin
> 
> *http://purolove.com/*


Tons of All Japan and New Japan interactions :mark


----------



## volde

Tana and Kento still don't have anything announced :mark:


----------



## Corey

If Tanahashi in 2019 has singles matches with KUSHIDA and Kento Miyahara... :done


----------



## Obfuscation

My first instinct was jumping to Tana vs Sekimoto instead. :yoda

Nishimura in the six man & that three way tag, too, yay. SANADA finding a counter out of Iwamoto's finish PLEASE.


----------



## antoniomare007

To be honest any combinations of New Japan guys vs Kento and/or Sekimoto would make me go :mark: 

I also think the Sanada/BUSHI vs Lee/Iwamoto vs Promising Young Lions should be really fun.


----------



## Corey

DDT Judgement card:

*DDT “JUDGEMENT 2019 ~DDT 22ND ANNIVERSARY~”, 17/02/2019
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan*

1.* Danshoku Dieno Produce OsuMAN Dankon Debut Match:* OsuMAN Dankon Vs X
2. Go Shiozaki, Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya Vs Daisuke Sekimoto, Toru Owashi & Yuki Iino
3. *Special Hardcore 6-Person Tag Match:* Sanshiro Takagi, Chigusa Nagayo & Ryuji Itoh Vs Soma Takao, Mad Paulie & Takumi Iroha
4. *Dramatic Dream Match:* Naomichi Marufuji Vs Tetsuya Endo
5. *KO-D Tag Team Titles – 3 Way Match:* Mike Bailey & MAO (c) Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi Vs CIMA & Seiki Yoshioka
6. *DDT Extreme Title – ??? Match:* Shinya Aoki (c) Vs HARASHIMA
7. *KO-D Openweight Title:* Daisuke Sasaki (c) Vs Konosuke Takeshita


----------



## Obfuscation

Looking good. Could go either way on Endo vs Marufuji, but Shiozaki/Sekimoto on opposite ends of a six man, the hardcore & three way tag + main event. DDT putting it together there.


----------



## Yeah1993

Desecrated said:


> Any recommendeds for Takayama? Hopefully I haven't blown through his best two matches already.


Adding to what Hayley put out just b/c chance to pimp one of my favourite wrestlers:


v. Akiyama, AJ 1/9/00

v. Ohtani, Zero-1 10/25/01 (I cannot find this anywhere, though, I watched on youtube in 2010 and now it's just gone I guess. worth a making a note of I suppose)

v. Nagata, NJ 5/2/02 (MOTYC imo)

v. Nakanishi, NJ 6/7/02 (purple chest imo)

w/ Tenzan v. Chono/Nishimura, NJ 7/20/02 (Tak having a personality imo. this is a tag that just puts together teams from people competing in the G1 so Tak & Tenzan esp don't get along. some of the dissent is genuinely funny.....imo)

v. Sasaki, NJ 8/3/02

v. Chono, NJ 8/11/02 (G1 final, some don't like and I haven't seen it in over 5 years but on my last watch I came out ultra-impressed w/ Tak)

v. Ogawa, Noah 9/7/02

v. Rikio, Noah 4/13/03

w/Kohei Sato v. Omori/Ohtani, Zero-1 2/18/07 (Tak gets very bloody and very grumpy because of it)

w/Sugiura v. Akiyama/Rikio, Noah 4/28/07

v. KENTA, Noah 1/15/11 (Tak is a little broken down here IIRC, but it's a good match to show how well he could still work around his limitations)


The best part of making this post was I was encouraged to watch/rewatch some stuff to see whether or not I'd still recommend it. WORTH.


----------



## antoniomare007

STRONG BJ WON THE ALL JAPAN TAG TITLES AGAIN :mark:!!!!


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1084424443533783040
You know what other match was on the Violent Giants vs Strong BJ card??

Motherfucking Nomura vs Abe II :mark:

@Yeah1993


----------



## Obfuscation

Things getting STRONG in All Japan.

Here's hoping that and the whole show can make the rounds real soon.


----------



## Yeah1993

Watching both of those for sure. NOMURA/ABE :banderas


----------



## antoniomare007

Obfuscation said:


> Things getting STRONG in All Japan.
> 
> Here's hoping that and the whole show can make the rounds real soon.


It will air on SamuraiTV next weekend.

This weekend was the 1/2 show, so it should be on RealHero and other places soon


----------



## Obfuscation

Early joyous time.

Always got good faith in Strong BJ, so here's hoping this is the beefy collision it should be.


----------



## MC

Not sure if this counts as a spoiler but just to make sure 



Spoiler: Potential Stardom SPOILER













UTAMI ALL BELTS!!



:sodone


----------



## Desecrated

Some recent watches I'll pop in with.

Kenta Kobashi vs Stan Hansen January 02 91 - What a start. After a quick tie-up, Kobashi releases with a slap that gets Hansen going to the outside. Before he can do anything, Kobashi squirms back into the ring leading to chairs being introduced in what was the highlight of this match. Exactly the shenanigans you want to see from an upstart rookie trying to get one on the established vet. Great 10 minute affair.

Toshiaki Kawada vs Akira Taue January 15 91 - Fantastic. The animosity they shared before becoming a tag-team was really fun to watch. A bit of a predecessor before their April 20 91 six-man tag that centered on their rivalry. Taue's control and moments playing under were phenomenal, a perfect make-weight for how Kawada was ignoring the selling of the leg at moments throughout the match. That being said, didn't think the selling was too bad because he could never gain momentum because of it. 

Mitsuharu Misawa vs Akira Taue January 26 91 - Another quick match-up here. Taue's disrespect on the rope breaks pushes Misawa into giving it back with receipts. Leads the way for the rest of the match to feature both men getting rough. Not as fun as Kobashi/Hansen but a solid short bout with a killer-end from Misawa utilising the Tiger Bomb and the Emerald Flowsion to kill a stubborn Taue off.

Let's see how long I can stick to scrolling through AJPW chronologically.


----------



## Corey

Strong BJ worked a tag against Masato Tanaka and Yuko Miyamoto today so there's another match to keep an eye out for.
@antoniomare007;


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1085048728426291200


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> Strong BJ worked a tag against Masato Tanaka and Yuko Miyamoto today so there's another match to keep an eye out for.
> 
> @antoniomare007;
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1085048728426291200


I wonder if Lee/Sai win immediately or they try to do what they did with Sanada/Soya and stretch their win for later in the year.


----------



## Flowsion

BJW started off the year great, the 1/2 show was very good, the last 3 match should be watched by everyone. Sekimoto and Okabayashi've already been killing it everywhere I've seen them so far, the strong division is about to be once again the best thing in Japan, without forgetting Isami Kodaka beign the next in line for the Deathmatch title. Exciting time in BJW usually booking problems aside.


----------



## Obfuscation

If they want Strong BJ vs Sweeper to be the next Strong BJ vs ES, I'm _alllll_ for that. Lee is the groomed one feeling to do big things down the line, but really glad Sai is reaping the benefits in All Japan, here.


----------



## Genking48

Soon time!


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1085318238471360514
Also some history cutesy of MrLARIATO



> Tomorrow, Shuji Kondo returns to #DragonGate for the first time in 15 years! He takes on Masaaki Mochizuki in a special match to commemorate both Mochizuki's 25th year in pro-wrestling, but also the 20th anniversary of Dragon Gate's inception.
> 
> Kondo and the rest of his Aagan Iisou stablemates were fired for (allegedly) drunken behaviour at the end of year party hosted by #DragonGate's corporate sponsors in 2004. Now, 15 years on, Kondo takes on Mochizuki, the man he originally feuded with for control of Aagan Iisou.
> 
> This makes Kondo the last prominent member of Aagan Iisou to mend fences with #DragonGate. Takuya Sugawara returned for a short stint in '09, while brother YASSHI came back to DG in '16 and is now a member Natural Vibes and Toru Owashi briefly returned for one match in '17.


----------



## Obfuscation

The rookie finals is possibly going to be top notch, too. Had some good matches thus far.

I'm waiting to see who's gonna get the next championship match vs PAC. KAI is here to stay now with Tribe Vanguard...hmm.


----------



## Genking48

result and translation credit goes to iheartdg.com


> *January 16th, 2019
> Tokyo, Korakuen Hall
> Open the New Year Gate 2019
> Attendance: 1615*
> 
> *1. *Ryo Saito, Super Shisa*O*, “Hollywood” Stalker Ichikawa, Shachihoko Boy, Hiroshi Yamato (6:47 Yoshitonic) Gamma, K-ness., “brother” YASSHI*X*, Problem Dragon, Misterioso
> *2. Rookie Ranking Tournament 3rd Place Decision Match:* Yuki Yoshioka*O* (11:47 Inside Cradle) U-T*X*
> *3.* Eita*O*, Takashi Yoshida, Yasushi Kanda (7:21 Imperial Uno) Don Fujii*X*, Hyo Watanabe, Kota Minoura
> *4. *PAC, Big R Shimizu*O*, Ben-K, KAZMA SAKAMOTO (16:19 Shot-put Slam) Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Dragon Kid, Jason Lee*X*
> *5. Rookie Ranking Tournament Finals:* Shun Skywalker*O* (18:59 Skywalker Moonsault) Kaito Ishida*X*
> *6. *Kzy*O*, Susumu Yokosuka, Genki Horiguchi (12:59 Kzy Time) YAMATO*X*, Kagetora, KAI
> *7. ☆Dragon Gate 20th Anniversary Commemoration Special Match Vol.1☆
> ★Masaaki Mochizuki 25th Anniversary Commemoration Special Singles Match★*
> Shuji Kondo*O* (16:22 King Kong Lariat) Masaaki Mochizuki*X*
> 
> The non-R・E・D members of the roster gathered in the ring for an opening greeting delivered by Kzy. He wished everyone a Happy New Year and said that the company and the wrestlers have come this far thanks to the fan support. They will work hard to entertain them in 2019 and hopes they will continue to come to shows and have a good time.
> 
> Backstage, U-T expressed regret over finishing in 4th place in a tournament that started from his strife with Shun. It was hard to swallow, but this wasn’t the end of him. 2019 has only just begun.
> 
> After Eita destroyed the Brave Gate title belt back at Final Gate, Dragon Kid had it sent for repair. He unveiled the newly restored belt, complete with white strap. He hopes the color change will also bring about a change in feeling towards the title. He was looking forward to wearing it for many exciting title defenses.
> 
> During the match, Shimizu accidentally hit Ben on two occassions which caused some tension between the Twin Gate champions. Even though his mistakes didn’t cost R・E・D the match like it did in Osaka, his partners left him to celebrate by himself.
> 
> Kid was quick to point out the uneasiness in R・E・D, but then proceeded to put MaxiMuM on blast for being winless in 2019. Yoshino, the former Dream Gate champion himself, lost on opening day. Wins and losses are a part of wrestling so just once isn’t a big deal. But then on Sunday, DoiDoi & Jason both lost. Now again today. What is going on with everyone? He’s not mad at anyone, but because he loves MaxiMuM so much he feels that it is his responsibility as leader to say something. Doi, Yoshino, & Jason quickly left the ringside area while Kid backtracked from the comment. He was just hoping to engage in some back and forth. He understands his mistake. Ishida wasn’t here to warn him like the other day and he got carried away. He asked the editing team to cut this entire segment from the tape and for everyone watching the live to show to forget it every happened.
> 
> Shun offered Ishida a handshake, but he kicked his hand away. Shun went into the tournament convinced that he absolutely had to win. For his own sake and for the future of Dragon Gate. He’s happy to know that this tournament comprised of his him and his peers has drawn so much attention. He isn’t satisfied, though. They have another peer out there. Someone who has blown so far past them that they aren’t even considered to be in his league. He has to beat that peer. He called out Ben-K. They’ve been playing catch up to him this whole time. No more. He wanted him 1 on 1 next month in Korakuen Hall. Ben gave no response, since he doesn’t talk. Shun gave him two options. If he accepted his challenge, he could simply stay quiet and walk away. If he was refusing, he wanted him to take the microphone and say “No”. Ben took the microphone, but quickly dropped it without saying a word. The match was set for the February Korakuen.
> 
> Backstage, Ishida admitted that he never expected to lose and 2nd place is just the first loser. He tried to remain upbeat. This tournament proved valuable in many ways and he will use this experience to get back on a track to the top.
> 
> With the win over YAMATO, Kzy now has wins over all of the active current generation leaders. Last year, he got as far as challenging for the Dream Gate but it wasn’t enough. In the year that has past since then he has made his presence felt and he is now confident enough to challenge again. Mr. PAC. Please come to the ring right now. PAC came out. Kzy told him that wants to fight him and challenge him. He will be the next Dream Gate challenger. PAC was surprised by the guy he just knew as m.c.KZ. Does he have any idea who he is? His name is PAC and he is a very dangerous man. Challenge accepted. Kzy was looking forward to proving that he was very different from the m.c.KZ that PAC remembers. He asked GM Yagi to set the date.
> 
> Yagi set the match for February 10th in Hakata Star Lanes for two reasons. First, Fukuoka was deprived of a Dream Gate title match at Final Gate. Second, Hakata Star Lanes will be closing for renovation at the end of March, making this the final Dragon Gate show to be held in the famous building. He wants to make sure the last match is one that fits the occassion. He hopes the two can deliver.
> 
> Kzy was promising to win when Doi’s music interrupted. Doi, Yoshino, & Jason came to the ring. Doi took offense with Kzy using his & Yoshino’s name to get his title match. Yoshino was busy next month in Korakuen, but Doi didn’t have anything scheduled yet. He wasn’t just going to sit back and let Kzy get away with this. YAMATO jumped in. Doi should mind his business. YAMATO was planning on challenging Kzy for next month. Doi can get to the back of the line. They argued back and forth. Doi said since he lost to Kzy first he should get the first match. Kzy told them if they were so upset about losing to him, he would be more than happy to give them another taste. He was all about doing things loudly, though. If they both wanted a match, why not make it a 3 way? All sides agreed, so Kzy vs. Doi vs. YAMATO was set for February.
> 
> At this point, it was pointed out that Yoshino was standing around with his ring gear in his hand. Why?
> 
> He explained. After intermission, the second match into the Dragon Gate 20th Anniversary Celebration Series was announced. It will be Toryumon Japan vs. T2P. Don Fujii, Genki Horiguchi, Susumu Yokosuka, & Ryo Saito will represent the Japan side, while Yoshino, “brother” YASSHI, Shachihoko Boy, and special guest Toru Owashi will represent T2P. If he was going to represent T2P, it shouldn’t be as Masato Yoshino. Back then, he was someone entirely. The crowd chanted “YOSSINO”. Yes. If hw was going to represent T2P it would have to be as YOSSINO, complete with Tarzan style ring gear.
> He asked YASSHI what he planned to do. If YOSSINO was coming back, then “brother” YASSINI would make the trip back from Genoa.
> Shachihoko Boy was next. After some deliberation he decided he would compete as Shachihoko Machine……#2! Adding in Owashi making his first appearance in a DG ring in 14 years, it would complete the 7th graduating Toryumon class reunion. Except for one. Mr. Yagi. He was also a part of that class. After careful examination of his stomach it was determined that he was absolutely in no condition to compete. But there would be no one better to officiate the match. He happily accepted and reconfirmed the match details.
> 
> Toryumon Japan vs. T2P
> Don Fujii, Genki Horiguchi, Susumu Yokosuka, & Ryo Saito vs. YOSSINO, “brother” YASSINI, Shachihoko Machine #2, & Toru Owashi
> 
> Yoshino had one more bit of news. Starting February 1st, Jason Lee will officially become a full time member of the Dragon Gate roster.
> 
> Kondo had a lot to say. Maybe too much to simply convey with words. He had one thing to say to Dragon Gate. For someone they fired, they sure have made him a lot of offers to come back! Jokes. Over time, many things happen, people come and go. One thing in all of this is a fact. Shuji Kondo got his start here and is a product of this organization. The wayward son has come home. He hoped that the fans would welcome him back. Even though they are old men now, he thanked Mochizuki for making this happen.
> 
> Mochizuki reminded him that while he was fired from Dragon Gate 14 years ago, 6 months before that it was Kondo that fired Mochizuki from Aaganiisou! But that was a long time ago. Kondo was young. The company itself was new. There were a lot of imcompatible parts. It took 14 years for it to happen, but it finally has. He thanked Kondo for finally coming home.
> 
> They exchanged pleasantries for awhile. Kondo brought up that next month, the secret weapon of Aaganiisou, Toru Owashi, would also be making his first appearance back in DG. Anyone that remembers Owashi from back then should prepare themselves because he is a totally different person now. Seriously. Entirely different. Kondo congratulated Mochizuki on his 25th and Dragon Gate on their 20th anniversaries. He would be satsified if it was just a one time homecoming for him, but if the stars align again then maybe this isn’t the last we see of Shuji Kondo in Dragon Gate.
> 
> 25 years ago, Mochizuki came to Korakuen Hall to do a karate fighter vs. pro wrestler match. He was totally untrained in anything but karate. These 25 years have gone by very fast. He owes a lot to the fans. Pro wrestling isn’t just about the fight. The fans have to want to come see you fight. It’s been their voices and their support that has helped him go from untrained karate fighter to the wrestler that stands before them now. He noted that he has had special matches for his 10th, 15th, 20th, and now 25th anniversary. He lost all of them. Nevertheless, he is still a 3 time Dream Gate champion. At his current age, it seems impossible. But he also thought he was too old at his 10th, 15th, and 20th anniversaries. He’s not sure how far he can push on, but as long as he feels there is even the smallest of chances and he believes in himself, he will keep aiming for it. He hopes he will keep hearing the voices and support from the fans. He pointed out that he has actually been wrestling for 5 years longer than Dragon Gate has existed. The company was still young. The rookies put on a great show earlier. He hopes the fans will provide them with the same support they gave him as his career advanced. He promised them an entertaining year and hoped they would come along for the ride.


Great show, the rookie finals was awesome, nice to see Kondo back in DG, looking forward to the Toryumon Japan vs. T2P match. Not really a fan of the white strap, but maybe it will grow on me, or I'll just stop caring about how it looks. Definitely a show that honors the past of Dragon Gate while building up the future. With the current crop of young guys (Big Ben, Shun, Ishida, U-T, Yuki, Dragon Dia, Hyo & Kota) they got a nice thing going when some of the older guys decide to step down.

Kzy has nice English skills, at least from the little conversation with PAC. His pronunciation was miles better than what I've heard from Nakamura, Asuka, Kairi or Itami) who basically lives in America now.

Have to admit, I kinda hope that Kzy lose his match with PAC and get to challenge him later on, because this feels rushed. Kzy starts of the new year by beating 3 of the most over wrestlers in the roster in the matter of weeks and then he's ready for a title match, maybe the AEW news changed things and they just want the title off PAC ASAP. But this is something that, in my mind, they could have spent a couple of months building him up to.

If PAC lose the match then he's pretty much a 0 defense champion, kind of a joke, and not the dominant force that he looked to be. So yeah, hoping that Kzy wins the belt from PAC. But let him lose this match and build him up proper while PAC gets some other challengers to go through, and make him look like a more dominant champion, then Kzy can challenge him again to make up for the first loss and be the one to put him away.


----------



## volde

I feel like PAC would have informed them about AEW earlier so maybe they wouldn't have put the title on him in the first place if that was the issue.


----------



## komatsu_na

NET PRO WRESTLING AWARDS 2018 (JAPANESE FAN POLL) BEST BOUT RESULTS - TOP 10

1 - Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi (8/12 - New Japan)
2 - Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega (6/9 - New Japan)
3 - Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho (1/4 - New Japan)
4 - Masashi Takeda vs. Isami Kodaka (6/20 - Big Japan)
5 - Hiroshi Tanahashi & Will Opsreay vs. Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi (12/15 - New Japan)
6 - SANADA vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (7/21 - New Japan)
7 - Kenny Omega vs. Tomohiro Ishii (8/4 - New Japan)
8 - Masashi Takeda vs. Violento Jack (5/2 - FREEDOMS)
9 - Shuji Ishikawa vs. Shingo Takagi (4/29 - All Japan)
10 - Masashi Takeda vs. Jun Kasai (8/28 - FREEDOMS)

https://twitter.com/black_eye2/status/1085871856249229312
https://twitter.com/black_eye2/status/1085872759777898496


----------



## Corey

Damn PAC vs. Kzy? That sounds great. Couldn't ask for a better opponent on his first defense and I too hope he doesn't lose this quickly. February 10th, gotta remember that date.


----------



## Obfuscation

Kzy :mark:

Suppose they'll save YAMATO down the line. Still wanting KAI, too.


----------



## antoniomare007

*Strong BJ & Ryuichi Kawakami vs Okami & Takuya Nomura - BJW 1/4/19*
https://rutube.ru/video/57b9ba1b3c1e4a8853d791df478104b8/?pl_type=user&pl_id=1067514

Nomura v Okabayashi 19' Part II







a pretty basic 6 man tag but the final couple of minutes with Takuya and Yuji were dope. I hope we get a singles match between them this year. Of course, Yuji finishes him off with a different move than last time. All hail Strong BJ

Sekimoto vs Hino is on Feb 2nd. And both the Z1 and Strong Heavyweight belt will be on the line. 

Would love to see Hino get the W there so he can work more Strong BJ matches, not sure it works politically though. Daisuke has no issue putting anyone over in a big match but losing 2 belts (and the one from his home promotion) on a small Z1 show seems a little tricky. Maybe they go to a 30 minute draw and have a rematch with just 1 belt on the line?

I fucking hope this shit makes tape though.


----------



## Genking48

Dragon Gate continues to do stuff this month. From the official English Facebook page.



> The first ***** Hall events of 2019 will feature the Ashiyanikki Cup 6 Man Tag Team Tournament. 6 teams will face off in lottery decided 1st round matches for Saturday. The winning teams advance to the 3 way finals on the Sunday afternoon show.
> 
> Both shows will air live on the Dragon Gate Network
> dragongate.live
> 
> Ashiyanikki Cup 6 Man Tag Team Tournament〉
> 
> 
> Masato Yoshino & Naruki Doi & Kaito Ishida
> YAMATO & KAI & U-T
> Kzy & Susumu Yokosuka & Genki Horiguchi
> PAC & Yasushi Kanda & Takashi Yoshida
> Eita & Ben-K & Big R Shimizu
> Shun Skywalker & Hyo Watanabe & Yuki Yoshioka
> 
> _January 26th, 2019
> Hyogo, Kobe ***** Hall
> Open the New Year Gate 2019
> Dragon Gate Network Live 17:45_
> 
> *0. *Kagetora vs. Misterioso
> *1. *Dragon Kid, Jason Lee vs. Ryo Saito, K-ness.
> *2. *Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Problem Dragon
> *3.* Don Fujii vs. Kota Minoura
> *4. *Ashiyanikki Cup 6 Man Tag Team Tournament First Round
> *5. *Ashiyanikki Cup 6 Man Tag Team Tournament First Round
> *6. *Ashiyanikki Cup 6 Man Tag Team Tournament First Round
> 
> _January 27th, 2019
> Hyogo, Kobe ***** Hall
> Open the New Year Gate 2019
> Dragon Gate Network Live 14:45_
> 
> Ashiyanikki Cup 6 Man Tag Team Tournament 3 Way Finals


----------



## Corey

Next big AJPW card taking shape:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1087223398118367232


----------



## antoniomare007

Hopefully Yokohama shows up for this. They tend to be a really tame crowd and All Japan keeps booking big matchups that can't draw as much as one would hope.


----------



## Corey

More All Japan news


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1087585979806990336


----------



## antoniomare007

Yuji better be in the CC...

NOAH vs All Japan feud might be in the works

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1087988177502117889
Sugi vs Shuji and Nakajima vs Shuji please.


----------



## Obfuscation

Bit lukewarm at the length for Strong BJ vs Violent Giants. We'll see how it goes.

Sekimoto vs Hino though. I need this. Don't necessarily have a preference, but I'd pop for the Hino win here.


----------



## antoniomare007

Obfuscation said:


> Bit lukewarm at the length for Strong BJ vs Violent Giants. We'll see how it goes.


Even people that didn't love the match don't have anything bad to say about it. Give it a shot.


----------



## Obfuscation

antoniomare007 said:


> Even people that didn't love the match don't have anything bad to say about it. Give it a shot.


Did yesterday. The length wasn't an issue in the slightest; loved it from start to finish. :cozy


----------



## antoniomare007

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1089079925368373248
The feud keeps on going. I guess Hino has no shot at winning on the 2nd though


----------



## Obfuscation

I still have faith in Hino. :mj2 (even though he's tag champion with Hooligans, but singles gold baby)

I'm saying this like I don't love the idea of 2019 being massive in monopoly for Sekimoto. This is the highlight right now.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1089794817683525632
:woo


----------



## Corey

Tanahashi and Miyahara still not booked! :mark:


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> Tanahashi and Miyahara still not booked! :mark:


If they don't get paired up against each other on a tag match it's gonna be really disappointing, specially because there's less and less spots available.


----------



## wrestling_fan_03

Hi guys 

A while ago I watched an AJPW match on Youtube, it was Triple Crown champion Miyahara Kento vs Kai. And in the video package, I thought I heard Kento mentioned Tetsuya Naito from NJPW. Do these two have a history together?

This is the video:

https://youtu.be/9ecsKpPyiAI


----------



## 304418

Not to my knowledge.

Btw, that match you posted, Miyahara vs KAI on 1/3/2019 was a great match and has really changed my mind on Kento Miyahara. I am beginning to understand why he was picked to be the ace of AJPW. Since then, I have watched Miyahara’s match with Zeus on 10/21/2018 and is Champion Carnival 2017 match with Jake Lee and enjoyed them both. I’m starting to get into current day AJPW a bit now because of that match.


----------



## Yeah1993

wrestling_fan_03 said:


> Hi guys
> 
> A while ago I watched an AJPW match on Youtube, it was Triple Crown champion Miyahara Kento vs Kai. And in the video package, I thought I heard Kento mentioned Tetsuya Naito from NJPW. Do these two have a history together?
> 
> This is the video:
> 
> https://youtu.be/9ecsKpPyiAI


Nobody mentioned Naito there, no. Time stamp of where you heard it?


----------



## wrestling_fan_03

Yeah1993 said:


> Nobody mentioned Naito there, no. Time stamp of where you heard it?


1.06


----------



## Yeah1993

wrestling_fan_03 said:


> 1.06


Ohhhh I can actually hear it. :lol He was saying "saiko desuka" at the end of the sentence. "saiko" meaning "best/top/etc" and "desuka" being the usual way to close a question sentence. Basically he said "am I the best in All Japan Pro Wrestling!?" & I think the crowd said "saiko" (so, "yes") in response. Might be a constant catchphrase for him, I dunno.


----------



## Obfuscation

Did I make the joke about Tana having to make Kento sell his leg if they had a match? Because yeah, that 100%.

Mochizuki to see if he can make a Marufuji match not suck. That's a challenge.


----------



## MC

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1090115358827167747
All I'm seeing from this news is positive things so I take it that this is a good thing. The booking will stay the same (which is basically a committee) so don't have to worry about that. Only the backstage executives will change.


----------



## volde

Maybe they'll finally have streaming service. 

I also find it interesting that they are behind Power Hall shows. Makes sense considering that some NOAH guy were showcased on those shows, but I wonder what this means for those shows? Will they end once the old man retires? Or will they get rolled into NOAH's touring schedule? Does it hint at possible partnerships considering who else were showcased on these shows? Am I over-thinking this? Most likely.


----------



## antoniomare007

Wow, Estbee bought them just 2 years ago. At the end of the Day NOAH needs a Sugabayashi, because I don't think any of these companies that have bought them are gonna put more money than others already have. 

They have done a lot better in the last year though, shit was looking worse than Zero1 not too long ago.


----------



## Obfuscation

A big deal, but we'll see how much this does start to affect NOAH in a few months, or if it'll just keep business going as usual. Which would still be fine. All I really want to be fixed is trying to secure a more stable tag team division.


----------



## volde

antoniomare007 said:


> Wow, Estbee bought them just 2 years ago. At the end of the Day NOAH needs a Sugabayashi, because I don't think any of these companies that have bought them are gonna put more money than others already have.


I doubt that Power Hall shows have been runaway commercial hit and they tried to bring Moroshima back. I think that company that doesn't want to put more money into NOAH wouldn't really do such things.


----------



## komatsu_na

antoniomare007 said:


> If they don't get paired up against each other on a tag match it's gonna be really disappointing, specially because there's less and less spots available.


It was announced last month via Tokyo Sports that they'll be facing each other.
The match format hasn't been confirmed, but it will prob. be a tag match.


----------



## Corey

Could be seeing a familiar face returning to Japan soon.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1090472681944875009


----------



## Even Flow

Is NOAH any good these days?

I haven't watched a show in years.


----------



## volde

Their main event scene is good and Kotaro Suzuki's return improved their Jr. scene as well. But Tag team stuff and undercard is kinda shit.


----------



## antoniomare007

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1090466147391041537
One of the things I always liked about NOAH was their look


----------



## volde

My initial reaction to that was "this has to be fake, right?". I don't really understand the reasoning here.


----------



## Obfuscation

I just wonder if KENTA's loyalty will bring him back to NOAH. And then THIS news about wanting to remove the Misawa emerald? Oh dear, oh dear.

The KENTA news is huge though. Hope WWE doesn't suck and just give him his release soon.


----------



## volde

Well they allowed him to face Marufuji for his anniversary event so I think they won't block him now either since he is unlikely to go to AEW anyway.


----------



## komatsu_na

The main event of Baba's memorial is Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yoshitatsu vs. Kento Miyahara & Daisuke Sekimoto.


----------



## antoniomare007

Holy shit at Daisuke getting that spot :mark:


Yoshi getting the KENSO role from the first All Together :lmao


----------



## MC

Totally get where the new owners are coming from. They want to establish their own identity and push NOAH away from the overlooming Misawa shadow. They've certainly made an impact already and putting their stamp on NOAH. However the green is synonymous with NOAH and if they were going to do this, I feel like they should've waited until they get some free will with the fans first. It ultimately won't matter because it's just the ring mat colour but it terms of sentimental value, it's a bummer.

As for Tanahashi/Yoshitatsu vs Sekimoto/Miyahara. Hell yeah! Gonna be a good one.


----------



## volde

Saw that Eddie Edwards will team up with Kotage for NOAH's tag titles match. Sounds interesting, I just hope that he leaves his garbage Impact character behind.


----------



## Aincrad

Holy shit, Kento and Tanahashi in the same ring at the same time


----------



## Obfuscation

On a team with Eddie and Kotoge in 2019, it's not Eddie that's the one I'd say has the garbage character, personally.

Sekimoto vs Tana happened :mark:


----------



## volde

Sure, argument could be made about Kotoge's gimmick, but I simply prefer old Eddie way more to what he turned into recently. With Kotoge I'm whatever so I don't care that much.


----------



## Obfuscation

Fair enough. The Kotoge bit these days leaves me very cold. I'm missing his Osaka Pro/occasional Chikara appearance level of work; maybe I just had a preference to him as a junior in a tag team.

It is a wonder if Impact want Eddie to retain the unhinged brawler gimmick or if he'll present himself a la how NOAH remembers. They're pretty solid with continuity, so I can see him showing up with the new look, possibly the weapon, but maybe working within the same NOAH style he did in the past.


----------



## antoniomare007

As expected Hino vs Sekimoto ended in a 30 minute time limit draw.


----------



## Corey

antoniomare007 said:


> As expected Hino vs Sekimoto ended in a 30 minute time limit draw.


And the next defense has already been set:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1091705004845600768


----------



## antoniomare007

I hope this leads to someone like Zeus (or Hino in a rematch) getting that belt. Then Yuji having to come to the rescue and get the belt back.


----------



## Obfuscation

Goodness, if this can transition into Zeus vs Sekimoto, I'll nearly be set for the rest of the year. Sekimoto vs Hino 30 minutes is another beast entirely. It keeps on coming.


----------



## Genking48

Todays Dragon Gate show was fun. throwbacks and building towards the future. 



Spoiler: highlights





__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1092732466203377664

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1092736873179557888

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1092748922055991297

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1092760655415906304



The Kzy push continues as expected, but now a Shun Skywalker push seems to be happening as well.

Dragon Kid has been dissapointed with the results from fellow MaxiMuM members and has taken it to referring to himself as the leader of the group. Naruki Doi hasn't taken this well. 

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1092766052289638401

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1092764711672676353


----------



## Corey

Strong BJ vs. Aussie Open _(FCP Tokyo Project)_ *****
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDA0OTc0NjA4OA==.html?spm=a2hzp.8244740.0.0

Good fun tag match. Aussie Open are portrayed a little too much as goofy heels so they can't really go toe-to-toe with the big boys like you'd hope but the match was plenty entertaining and the crowd was into it.

^ That link is the whole show btw. Has a pretty neat card for anyone interested:

1. Moonlight Express (MAO & Mike Bailey) vs. The Hunter Brothers (Jim Hunter & Lee Hunter)
2. *Sendai Girls Tag Team Title Match:* Beauty Bear (Chihiro Hashimoto & Mika Iwata) (c) vs. DASH Chisako & Millie McKenzie
3. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs. Strong BJ (Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi)
4. Strong Hearts (CIMA & Seiki Yoshioka) vs. Strong Hearts (El Lindaman & T-Hawk)
5. Akira Tozawa & Meiko Satomura vs. CCK (Chris Brookes & Kid Lykos)
6. *Death House Match:* Drew Parker vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Masashi Takeda vs. Rickey Shane Page


----------



## Obfuscation

Tozawa returns to team with Satomura to beat up CCK. Hell yes I'll be watching that.

More Millie McKenzie in Japan is a good thing, too.


----------



## antoniomare007

The great news keep on coming.

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1093941155056807936
The All Asia tag match was cool. It was the perfect setting for Kawakami - just be an asshole and beat the shit out of the babyface - and he stood out the most. It never really got into high gear but it was some pretty damn good moments in a lot of parts. 

This AJ/BJ feud better last all year long.


----------



## Genking48

Strong Hearts vs Strong Hearts

Sign me up


----------



## Corey

So what's Kota Ibushi's status right now, anyone know? Haven't seen him since WK and idk if he's gonna keep working for New Japan or... go to AEW?


----------



## antoniomare007

Kota is probably on his research institute wrestling a 100kg doll finding new ways to almost kill himself in different promotions around the world.


----------



## V-Trigger

Source: REDDIT / WOR Kenny interview

Kenny says Ibushi has committments with his wrestling school in Japan (I didn't know he had one?) but he expects him to show up in AEW at some point, but not at Double or Nothing.

Towards the end he says something really interesting. Says that for the G1 when he faced Ibushi at the Budokan, they sold 144% of the building, while Tana/Okada on a different night had only sold 65%.* Kenny says the New Japan office sent emails around saying that free tickets need to be given away for the Tana/Okada show because they can't have two guys from the indies (Kenny/Ibushi) outselling their home grown guys.*


----------



## MC

Genking48 said:


> Strong Hearts vs Strong Hearts
> 
> Sign me up


*Good Hearts vs Good Hearts


----------



## Genking48

MC said:


> *Good Hearts vs Good Hearts


Where's the spongebob Cody gif when you need it :lol


----------



## antoniomare007

V-Trigger said:


> Source: REDDIT / WOR Kenny interview
> 
> Kenny says Ibushi has committments with his wrestling school in Japan (I didn't know he had one?) but he expects him to show up in AEW at some point, but not at Double or Nothing.
> 
> Towards the end he says something really interesting. Says that for the G1 when he faced Ibushi at the Budokan, they sold 144% of the building, while Tana/Okada on a different night had only sold 65%.* Kenny says the New Japan office sent emails around saying that free tickets need to be given away for the Tana/Okada show because they can't have two guys from the indies (Kenny/Ibushi) outselling their home grown guys.*


That wasn't very surprising though. The 1st show of the triple header of the G1 always does poorly compared to the other 2. I think 2017 was the only exception, and it still was the show with the least amount of sold tickets. 

And Tana vs Okada was kinda wearing thin. They had 3 matches last year and all of them did 6k, granted the only big venue was Budokan but that G1 show didn't have any other selling point besides that matchup so it was bound to do "poorly".

Omega vs Ibushi was not only a big time matchup, but the first time they faced each other in 5 years, and with a big angle running. It will really blow my mind if they never actually book them to headline a Dome show, they can do some serious business with that one.


----------



## Corey

Fingers crossed this match delivers tomorrow. 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1085859761973673984


----------



## Genking48

Corey said:


> Fingers crossed this match delivers tomorrow.
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1085859761973673984


Hoping that it's a quality show and not just a hardcam show.


----------



## Corey

PAC retained. Looking forward to that when it pops up online. Don't think I've ever seen a Shun Skywalker match so this should be a nice introduction to him. 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1094536966165680128


----------



## Genking48

Corey said:


> PAC retained. Looking forward to that when it pops up online. Don't think I've ever seen a Shun Skywalker match so this should be a nice introduction to him.
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1094536966165680128


Whoooo, Always another oppotunity down the line for Kzy. No way he isn't winning the belt this year, the crowd were so into him during the entire match.

Shun's pretty good, definetely someone that Dragon Gate should handle carefully. He's going to be a star.


----------



## volde

antoniomare007 said:


> That wasn't very surprising though. The 1st show of the triple header of the G1 always does poorly compared to the other 2. I think 2017 was the only exception, and it still was the show with the least amount of sold tickets.
> 
> And Tana vs Okada was kinda wearing thin. They had 3 matches last year and all of them did 6k, granted the only big venue was Budokan but that G1 show didn't have any other selling point besides that matchup so it was bound to do "poorly".
> 
> Omega vs Ibushi was not only a big time matchup, but the first time they faced each other in 5 years, and with a big angle running. It will really blow my mind if they never actually book them to headline a Dome show, they can do some serious business with that one.


I have hard time believing Omega's story. A Block was much weaker than B block and had worse day of the week plus main event that happened few months ago during Dontaku. You could probably even argue that it was by design. And how does it work with Omega leaking before G1 that Gedo begged him to have this match? And then suddenly they were disappointed that it actually sold tickets? What?

And funny thing, Tana/Okada actually sold more tickets for Destruction in Kobe (I think was their first legit sell out there?) than for their Budokan G1 match. Before G1 it looked like a dead match, but due to what happened next they managed to revitalize their rivalry/friendship.

And glad that PAC retained, due to his involvement with AEW it started to look like he might be gone.


----------



## Obfuscation

Was actually pulling for Kzy here, if to secure the full circle growth of his career finally taking off and being a success. But indeed, there's still plenty of time and he'll get it eventually. That's the really cool part. He's _there_. 

PAC vs Skywalker; I'm digging this. Interesting all on its own. Dragon Gate looking good despite their departures of 2018. Made sure the instant bounce back came through.


----------



## MC

A Kzy win at Kobe World would be more special (and deserving for him) anyway, and it only makes the journey that that point that much more special so I don't mind PAC retaining here. At least it means that he is sticking around for a while longer. 

Shun Skywalker being a challenger is very exciting. Shun's time to show he can hang.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

PAC/Kzy was absolutely incredible. I'll admit to being a bit worried how the match would play out, but they exceeded my expectations & then some. Literally only below Tanahashi/Omega when it comes to my MOTY right now & even then, it's pretty close. Fucking amazing match :clap

Shun getting the next challenge is cool, too. The guy's hot right now & this would give him some much needed big match experience against a guy like PAC.


----------



## DomoDaDude

Is the AJPW streaming service worth it? Like, does it include matches from the 80s and 90s as well?


----------



## Lesnar Turtle

DomoDaDude said:


> Is the AJPW streaming service worth it? Like, does it include matches from the 80s and 90s as well?


Sadly not. The current owners dont have the rights to that stuff as far as i'm aware. The archive only goes back a few years.


----------



## antoniomare007

Sekimoto vs Hino's 30 minute draw will air on 2/22. Dope news.


Also, Daisuke faces Ashino on 3/21 on a W-1 show :mark:


----------



## Obfuscation

He's really doing it. The hits keep coming :mark:


----------



## Corey

The attendance numbers for these two shows make... such little sense to me. :lol

*DDT "MUSCLE MANIA 2019 IN RYOGOKU ~ WE'RE IN OUR SECOND CAREER", 16.02.1019 (DDT Universe)* 
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 
4,115 Fans - No Vacancy 



Spoiler: results



1. Pedro Takaishi Retirement Match: Great Kojika, Choun Shiry & Pedro Takaishi defeat Ken Ohka , Makoto Oishi & Yasu Urano (10:30) after a knockout by Kojika against Oishi. 
-. Pedro Takaishi Retirement Ceremony 
1a. Pedro Takaishi Retirement Match: Shinya Aoki def. Pedro Takaishi (8:44) with a sleeper hold. 
-. Pedro Takaishi Retirement Ceremony 
2. Junretsu New Member Audition 2019 Battle Royal:Andreza Giant Panda def. Kazuyoshi Sakai with Andre The Press (26:23). Order of departure: 
- Akito eliminated Gorgeous Matsuno with a Tawaragaeshi (4:07). 
- Kazusada Higuchi eliminated Yasu Urano with a Nodowa Otoshi (6:00). 
- Makoto Oishi threw Ken Ohka over the top rope (8:52). 
- Kazuyoshi Sakai threw Yukio Sakaguchi over the Top Rope (10:16). 
- Antonio Honda threw Konosuke Takeshita over the Top Rope (16:53). 
- Anreza Giant Panda threw Makoto Oishi over the top rope (19:19). 
- Anreza Giant Panda threw Saki Akai over the Top Rope (19:21). 
- Anreza Giant Panda threw Kazusada Higuchi over the Top Rope (19:25). 
- Anreza Giant Panda threw Antonio Honda over the Top Rope (19:32). 
- Tetsu Watanabe threw Akito over the Top Rope (23:17). 
- Kazuyoshi Sakai eliminated Tetsu Watanabe with a Cobra Twist (23:33). 
- Andreza Giant Panda threw Choun Shiryu over the Top Rope (23:57). 
3. Loser Captain Anal Blast Net Tag Team Death Match: Danshoku Dino & Ryota Yamazato Defeat Muscle Sakai & Kuro-chan (16:14) after the Danshoku Driver of Dino vs. Sakai. 
4. Antonio Honda vs. DJ Nira - Draw (23:50) via Double Towel Throw. 

Notes: 
- These are just the results of the wrestling matches that came alongside the comedy part of the show. There is much more going on, follow @ddtpro_eng on Twitter.



*DDT "JUDGEMENT 2019 ~ DDT 22ND ANNIVERSARY", 17.02.2019 (Samurai! TV) *
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan 
4,177 fans - No Vacancy 



Spoiler: results



0. BASARA Offer Match : Ryuichi Sekine & Daiki Shimomura Defeat Takato Nakano & Masato Kamino (6:14) after the Let's Combine by Sekine against Nakano. 
0. Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match : Yuna Manase, Nodoka Tenma and Yuki Aino defeat Natsumi Maki, Hikari Noa and Miu Watanabe after Tenma's kill switch over Noa. 
1. Shunma Katsumata Return Match : Shunma Katsumata, Space Monkey & Yuki Ueno Defeat Antonio Honda, Jason "The Gift" Kincaid & Naomi Yoshimura (12:55)after a Frankensteiner from Ueno against Yoshimura. 
2. Iron Man Heavy Metal Title, Time difference Battle Royal: Makoto Oishi eliminated Yuni with a Huracanrana cutback. Hoshitango eliminated Gota Ihashi & Tomimitsu Matsunaga with a body press. Makoto Oishi threw Super Sasadango Machine over the top rope. El Lindaman threw Hoshitango over the top rope. Everyone threw Scorpio X2 over the Top Rope. Makoto Oishi threw Keisuke Okuda over the top rope. Maku Donaruto eliminated Makoto Oishi with a powerbomb. Yasu Urano threw Maku Donaruto & Gorgeous Matsuno over the top rope. Yuka Sakazaki Mina Shirakawa by Ashitori-Style Pinfall. Chinsuke Nakamura threw El Lindaman over the top rope. Asuka (c) threw Yasu Urano over the top rope. Asuka (c) eliminated Chinsuke Nakamura with a Horizontal Cradle. Saki Akai threw Yuka Sakazaki over the top rope. Kazuki Hirata eliminated Asuka (c) with an Inside Cradle title change.(22:13) . 
3. Taiho Koki's Grandson Yukio Naya, The Ryogoku Kokugikan First Participation! : Go Shiozaki , Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Naya beat Daisuke Sekimoto , Toru Owashi & Yuki Ino (13:09) after a doctor bomb from Higuchi against Ino. 
4. Special Singles Match : T-Hawk defeats Akito (13:50) with the Night Ride. 
5. Danshoku Dino Produce Yuru Character's "Pokotan" Debut Match : Keisuke Ishii, Kota Umeda and Mizuki Watase Defeat Danshoku Dino, KUDO & Pokotan (11:28) after a high-angle double-arm DDT by Ishii v. Pokotan. 
6. Special Hardcore Six Person Tag MatchSanshiro Takagi, Ryuji Ito and Chigusa Nagayo (19:54) defeat Taka, Mada and Takumi Iroha after a diving footstomp by a Takao leader against Takagi. 
7th KO-D Tag Team Title, 3 Way Match : Mike Bailey & MAO (c) beat Yukio Sakaguchi & Masahiro Takanashi and CIMA & Seiki Yoshioka (13:06) after a Cannonball 450 by MAO against Takanashi (3rd defense). 
8th DDT Extreme Title, Pride of Each Other Rules Rule : HARASHIMA def. Shinya Aoki (c) (12:11) with the Somato title change. 
9. Dramatic Dream Match : Naomichi Marufuji def . Tetsuya Endo (18:08)with the pole shift. 
10th KO-D Openweight Title : Konosuke Takeshita defeated Daisuke Sasaki (c) (32:08) with a cross-arm German Suplex Hold title change.



On one hand jesus I can't believe they drew that many for a comedy show.  On the other hand they only drew 60 more people for the REAL show. :lol


----------



## CENAS HEEL TURN

Kento brought out the OG Triple Crown at the Giant Baba anniversary show today.


----------



## antoniomare007

Damn, just missed the show, how was the main event?


----------



## Corey

(Y)


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1097860464216809472


----------



## Genking48

Crazy fun show


----------



## Corey

Finalized card the next big All Japan show:

*AJPW "EXCITE SERIES 2019", 24.02.2019 (AJPW.tv / Samurai! TV) 
Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium *

-. Osamu Nishimura & Hokuto Omori vs. Gianni Valletta & Atsuki Aoyagi 
-.* Masanobu Fuchi Debut 45th Anniversary Memorial Match Vol. 2 Special Tag Match:* Takao Omori & Masanobu Fuchi vs. Jun Akiyama & Mitsuo Momota 
-. Shuji Ishikawa, Yuma Aoyagi & KAI vs. Zeus, Yoshitatsu & Yutaka Yoshie 
-. Naoya Nomura vs. Dylan James 
- *Jr. Battle of Glory - Final:* Koji Iwamoto vs. Seiki Yoshioka 
- *AJPW World Tag Team Title:* Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi (c) vs. Jake Lee & Ryouji Sai 
- *Triple Crown:* Kento Miyahara (c) vs. Suwama


----------



## antoniomare007

Full card for Sunday
*
AJPW "EXCITE SERIES 2019", 24.02.2019 (AJPW.tv / Samurai! TV)
Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium*

-. Osamu Nishimura & Hokuto Omori vs. Gianni Valletta & Atsuki Aoyagi
-. Masanobu Fuchi Debut 45th Anniversary Memorial Match Vol. 2 Special Tag Match: Takao Omori & Masanobu Fuchi vs. Jun Akiyama & Mitsuo Momota
-. Shuji Ishikawa, Yuma Aoyagi & KAI vs. Zeus, Yoshitatsu & Yutaka Yoshie
-. Naoya Nomura vs. Dylan James
- Jr. Battle of Glory - Final: Koji Iwamoto vs. Seiki Yoshioka
-. AJPW World Tag Team Title: Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi (c) vs. Jake Lee & Ryouji Sai
-. Triple Crown: Kento Miyahara (c) vs. Suwama


BTW, Suwama will be at the 3/31 Big Japan show.


----------



## DO FIXER

MIYAHARA RETAIN TANAHASHI NEW CHALLENGER. I WISH


----------



## Obfuscation

T-Hawk vs Akito in Sumo Hall :yoda

Kento vs Suwama doesn't sound crazy appealing to me, but I hope they can win me over. Strong BJ vs Sweeper is a big yes & digging that six man tag. ZEUS smashy smashy with Ishikawa & KAI. Yoshie to roll on opponents too, please.


----------



## MC

Yeah, I'm not feeling Kento vs Suwama either tbh. Should be a great match at the end of the day, but it's not exciting me at all right now. 

Koji Iwamoto vs. Seiki Yoshioka and Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi vs. Jake Lee & Ryouji Sai though :banderas.

Hopefully Iwamoto gets the win and wins the title back and keeps it. That goddamn Aoki is killing me right now :lol.


----------



## CENAS HEEL TURN

The full lineup for the 2019 Champion Carnival


----------



## antoniomare007

YUJIIII YEEEEEEEEEEESSSS :mark:

A Block is about to have a TON of fun/great matches :mark:

Cool to tee Daichi getting that spot in the B Block. I hope he makes the most out of it.


----------



## CENAS HEEL TURN

Been trying to get into NOAH recently. A wee friend has informed me the promotion is on its last leg, is it true? I'm familiar with the toxic partnership with NJPW and the suzuki invasion - has it never recovered?


----------



## Flowsion

CENAS HEEL TURN said:


> Been trying to get into NOAH recently. A wee friend has informed me the promotion is on its last leg, is it true? I'm familiar with the toxic partnership with NJPW and the suzuki invasion - has it never recovered?


Depends on what do you mean by that. Is it a company on its up business wise? Obviously no, is it about to die or something? Nah, they were just bought by a new company that has some money and interest in wrestling, probably they are getting KENTA back and that will not come cheap and they are even rebranding the classic NOAH logo and green mat. There's a plan.

The product is good, so they have recovered from that period, they had a great 2018 with the Sugiura's reign that I feel like was the best last year, the undercard at times are not worthy of your time but the big matches almost always deliver.
Sadly it's not even like a lot of shows make tape either, they don't have a streaming service, but who knows, maybe it will come with this new owner, so if you want it's pretty easy to keep up.


----------



## kovs27

Is Sam Adonis regularly in AJPW? I don't recall seeing his name come up often and that caught me by surprise he is in the Champion Carnival.


----------



## Corey

Thank god Champion Carnival starts in April cause I don't think I could do that and the New Japan Cup at the same time. 



kovs27 said:


> Is Sam Adonis regularly in AJPW? I don't recall seeing his name come up often and that caught me by surprise he is in the Champion Carnival.


Not at all as far as I can recall. I believe the crossover is that he works the Dragomania shows that they do in Mexico and that's probably how he got the connections.

EDIT: Where is this coming from?? @antoniomare007; I know this should excite you


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1100014021909065728


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Thank god Champion Carnival starts in April cause I don't think I could do that and the New Japan Cup at the same time.
> 
> 
> Not at all as far as I can recall. I believe the crossover is that he works the Dragomania shows that they do in Mexico and that's probably how he got the connections.
> 
> EDIT: Where is this coming from?? @antoniomare007; I know this should excite you
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1100014021909065728


Nomura said if he beats Dylan James at the last All Japan, he would challenge the winner of Kento/Suwama.


----------



## antoniomare007

Yeah, the Dylan James match was kind of a n°1 contender's match (for Nomura at least).


I love that the match is in Korakuen. I just hope Nomura doesn't work Kento's leg during the match :lmao it should be a banger. 


PS: Jake Lee gotta be the favorite to win the CC, no?


----------



## antoniomare007

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1100050453226762241
The BJW Team better be Nomura and Abe!


----------



## Flowsion

antoniomare007 said:


> Yeah, the Dylan James match was kind of a n°1 contender's match (for Nomura at least).
> 
> 
> I love that the match is in Korakuen. I just hope Nomura doesn't work Kento's leg during the match :lmao it should be a banger.
> 
> 
> PS: Jake Lee gotta be the favorite to win the CC, no?


I think so, but personally I feel like he misses something still, it's the right thing to do probably, they need young stars, and the CC can't be won again by an outsider, but Yuma and Nomura are clearly better than him. Then for a guy who works around kicks, he threw some shitty ones in the tag match the other day.


----------



## antoniomare007

Flowsion said:


> I think so, but personally I feel like he misses something still, it's the right thing to do probably, they need young stars, and the CC can't be won again by an outsider, but Yuma and Nomura are clearly better than him. Then for a guy who works around kicks, he threw some shitty ones in the tag match the other day.


The Akiyama match from last year showed good glimpses of what Lee could become with enough confidence. But I agree, I'm not sure he's there yet.

This CC will be a great test for him. And if he indeed wins it, then the following TC match will be his "make or break" test.


----------



## MC

Hopefully the Champions Carnival is Jake Lee's coming out party to show people that he can fit that top spot.

Going to be a fun tournament. Block A especially.


----------



## antoniomare007

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1099767068977700864
He's getting his Goku on


----------



## antoniomare007

Strong BJ's reign wont be long it seems. But hey, at least it's gonna be in another amazing match at Korakuen

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1101368070868738048
Card looks lit as fuck


----------



## Corey

Dragon Gate results from the last two days. Attendance was down a good portion from last year. No one stepped up to be the next challenger for PAC. Dragon Kid will defend the Brave Gate Championship against Susumu Yokosuka at the Memorial Gate show on 3/21.

*Dragon Gate "CHAMPION GATE IN OSAKA 2019", 02.03.2019 (Dragon Gate Network / GOARA TV) 
EDION Arena Osaka # 2 
877 Fans - No Vacancy *

0. Yuki Yoshioka defeated Mondai Ryu (5:38) with a reverse Samson. 
1. Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka & "brother" YASSHI defeat Masaaki Mochizuki, Kota Minoura & Dragon Dia (11:00) after a running Elbow smash from Kzy against Dia. 
2. Don Fujii & Gamma beat Genki Horiguchi & Ryo Saito (9:34) for a cradle of gamma against Saito. 
3. Shun Skywalker defeats Jason Lee (8:48) with the Ahura. 
4. PAC, Eita, Ben-K & Big R Shimizu defeat YAMATO, Kagetora, KAI & UT (12:36)after a shot put slam by Shimizu against Kagetora. 
5. *Open The Brave Gate Title:* Dragon Kid (c) defeats K-ness (18:56) with the Bible (2nd defense). 
6. *Open The Triangle Gate Title:* Yasushi Kanda, Takashi Yoshida and KAZMA SAKAMOTO (c) beat Masato Yoshino, Naruki Doi & Kaito Ishida (19:42) for a small package from Yoshida against Yoshino (1st defense).

*Dragon Gate "CHAMPION GATE IN OSAKA 2019", 03.03.2019 (GOARA TV / DG Network) 
Osaka Edion Arena # 2 
1,113 fans - Super No Vacancy* 

0. Problem Dragon defeats Kota Minoura (5:50) with a crab hold. 
1. Ryo Saito, Don Fujii & Gamma defeat Masaaki Mochizuki, K-ness & "brother" YASSHI (9:55) after a Gedo clutch from Fujii against YASSHI. 
2. YAMATO & Kagetora beat Masato Yoshino & Jason Lee (10:20) after YAMATO's Galleria against Lee. 
3. Kaito Ishida defeated Takashi Yoshida (8:38) with an inside cradle. 
4. Defeat Naruki Doi & Dragon Kid Yuki Yoshioka & Hyo Watanabe (9:31)after the bakatare sliding kick by Doi against Watanabe. 
5. Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka & Genki Horiguchi beat Eita, Yasushi Kanda & KAZMA SAKAMOTO (14:23) after a Skayde schoolboy from Kzy v Kanda. 
6. *Open the Twin Gate Title :* Big R Shimizu and Ben-K (c) beat KAI & UT (19:51) after Shimizu's shot put slam against UT (1st defense). 
7. *Open the Dream Gate Title :* PAC (c) defeats Shun Skywalker (18:30) with a Black Arrow (2nd defense).


----------



## antoniomare007

Korakuen Hall matches for the Champion Carnival:

Openining Night 4/4

Shuji Ishikawa vs. Yuji Okabayashi
Kento Miyahara vs. Kengo Mashimo
Suwama vs. Joe Doering
Naoya Nomura vs. Jake Lee
Daichi Hashimoto vs. Takashi Yoshida

A Block final night 4/25

Kento Miyahara vs. Yuji Okabayashi
Shuji Ishikawa vs. Zeus
Kengo Mashimo vs. Dylan James
Yuma Aoyagi vs. Ryouji Sai

B Block final night 4/26

Suwama vs. Naoya Nomura
Jake Lee vs. Joe Doering
Daichi Hashimoto vs. Sam Adonis
Yoshitatsu vs. Takashi Yoshida


:mark:

(final day is in Korakuen too, obviously)


----------



## Corey

NOAH's new logo... kinda meh.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1103110204395118593


----------



## volde

Liger announced that he is going to retire at next WK. 

End of an era


----------



## Genking48

From Dragon Gate's Facebook account:


> ‪GM Takayuki Yagi just dropped a bombshell on every unit with the announcement of the rules for this year’s edition of the Dead Or Alive Steel Cage Survival match.
> 
> This year it will not be hair or masks, but units bonds on the line. ‬
> 
> ‪R・E・D, MaxiMuM, Natural Vibes, Tribe Vanguard, & Dojo Mochizuki will each field one member as their representative. ‬In the weeks up to May 6th, each unit will hold an intra-unit tag match to decide their representative.
> 
> There will be the usual set of flags set at the top of the cage. The fighter that doesn’t capture a flag will be forced to choose a member of their unit to kick out.
> 
> That is not all. Each escaped representative will also gain the optional right to choose a member to kick out. Whether they use this privilege is entirely up to their discretion. Units are encouraged to strengthen their bonds to ensure their representative doesn’t exercise this option.
> 
> At Korakuen Hall on April 10th, the MaxiMuM & R・E・D will have their matches to decide their representative.
> 
> April 10th, 2019
> Tokyo, Korakuen Hall
> The Gate of Passion 2019
> 
> ☆ R・E・D Steel Cage Representative Decision Match☆
> Eita & Takashi Yoshida vs. Big R Shimizu & Ben-K
> 
> ☆MaxiMuM Steel Cage Representative Decision Match☆
> Naruki Doi & Dragon Kid vs. Masato Yoshino & Kaito Ishida


----------



## MC

Oh wow. Dead or Alive sounds like it's going to be even more emotional than usual :cry


----------



## Genking48

Shimizu winning and throwing out Eita? Or any R-E-D member winning and throwing out Shimizu? :hmmm


----------



## MC

I like the idea of Eita being turned on, or, depending on if he is in it, PAC being thrown out.


----------



## Genking48

MC said:


> I like the idea of Eita being turned on, or, depending on if he is in it, PAC being thrown out.


As far as I can remember currently we have two possibilities. Shimizu isn't that popular with the other R-E-D members currently, and argues a lot with Eita. 

I haven't seen the show today so I don't know how their match turned out but Doi & Dragon Kid also have their differences in MaxiMuM. So maybe one of them is thrown out?


----------



## Flowsion

Genking48 said:


> As far as I can remember currently we have two possibilities. Shimizu isn't that popular with the other R-E-D members currently, and argues a lot with Eita.
> 
> I haven't seen the show today so I don't know how their match turned out but Doi & Dragon Kid also have their differences in MaxiMuM. So maybe one of them is thrown out?



I was thinking Kid wins and Doi gets thrown out, when you'll see the show maybe you will think the same thing, Doi was very strange. 

Don't divide Big Ben please


----------



## Genking48

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1103907603455725571
Interesting.


----------



## Corey

@antoniomare007;


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1103893562339409921


----------



## volde

Genking48 said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1103907603455725571
> Interesting.


I would have expected him to join NJPW considering that they did farewall show to SSM. 

On the other hand maybe SSM doesn't want his son to start as Young Lion and going to NJPW couple of years later as already established act is in the cards?


----------



## Genking48

volde said:


> I would have expected him to join NJPW considering that they did farewall show to SSM.
> 
> On the other hand maybe SSM doesn't want his son to start as Young Lion and going to NJPW couple of years later as already established act is in the cards?


According to the nlkkan Sports article on the press conference. He chose Dragon Gate due to the Jr. Heavyweight style, similar to his size. It's possible that he'll join NJPW down the line though.

His debut will be on 4/10 teaming with Strong Machine F(uji?) & Strong Machine G(amma?) against Kzy, Genki Horiguchi & Susumu Yokosuka.

Might as well continue on with the news from the 7/3 show. Straight from iheartdg.com

Don Fuji & Gamma will be creating a new unit, debuting on 4/10. Gamma says that they will be new to Dragon Gate but are a unit with history.
Takuya Sugawara tried to get a match with Anthony W. Mori. Mori however wished to stay retired
Sugawara also announced that since he returned to Dragon Gate a this show, Touru Owashi returned in February, Shuji Kondo in January and the fact that Brother YASSHI is always here. Aagan Iisou will reunite in April for the Korakuen Hall show. the four of them will bring a 5th guy
For the Dead or Alive cagematch Mochizuki pointed out that Dojo Mochizuki wasn’t a unit at all. Membership was on a come and go as you please basis, so there really wasn’t any meaning to this. GM Yagi made a special rule for Dojo Mochizuki, If they were to lose, the banished member will never be allowed to return.


----------



## Corey

PAC vs. Shun Skywalker - **** 1/4*

Pretty decent Dream Gate Title match although I didn't get the sense that Shun was anywhere on PAC's level or should've been challenging at the time. Guy at Voices of Wrestling gave this **** 1/2 and it got my hopes up a bit but this was nowhere near the level of match with Kzy. It was my first time seeing Shun and he seems like a neat little high flyer but not much else tbh. Finishing stretch was my favorite part of the match definitely. Shun gets all his shit in and then tries one too many high risks and PAC makes him PAY for it by crushing him with his own move and ending it abruptly. That made me LOL for sure. :lol


----------



## MC

I'm kinda glad that Strong Machine J is going a different approach than his father did. It's fun following your dad's footsteps but it's better to carve out your own path too.

As fro the Skywalker vs PAC match. It was really good. Allowed Shun to show his potential and PAC looked strong as the challenger.


----------



## CENAS HEEL TURN

NOAH's new stage setup..


----------



## Corey

Something to keep an eye out for:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1104958119887753216


----------



## antoniomare007

2019 keeps getting better:

Takuya Nomura vs Funinori Abe III (3/22) will be a two 3 minute round match, there will be a third round if the still isn't a winner.

Takuya Nomura vs Masato Tanaka (4/24) for Zero1.

Yuya Aoki vs Shinjiro Ohtani (4/24) for Zero1.

Okami will be on All Japan's mini tournament for the new All Asia tag titles (3/21).


----------



## Obfuscation

That last Nomura vs Abe match - while clipped - really did nothing for me, so here's hoping these different rules can punch things back up.


----------



## Yeah1993

I wasn't into the last Abe/Nomura either. Nice matwork to open it but the rest felt way more generic than what I got from them in early 2018.


----------



## CENAS HEEL TURN

Tomorrow's NOAH show live on YouTube for free tomorrow (3am US Time)


----------



## antoniomare007

Obfuscation said:


> That last Nomura vs Abe match - while clipped - really did nothing for me, so here's hoping these different rules can punch things back up.





Yeah1993 said:


> I wasn't into the last Abe/Nomura either. Nice matwork to open it but the rest felt way more generic than what I got from them in early 2018.


SMH, come on guys. That match was clipped to death, half of it was edited out, so the chance of it being any sort of satisfying were very little. I liked what I saw but of course it lacked "something", that being the bulk of the match :lol


----------



## Yeah1993

antoniomare007 said:


> SMH, come on guys. That match was clipped to death, half of it was edited out, so the chance of it being any sort of satisfying were very little. *I liked what I saw* but of course it lacked "something", that being the bulk of the match :lol


I didn't like what I saw, was me's point. If all of the bits taken out were grappling like the opening then I'd be higher on it but I've little reason to assume it wasn't just the same striking stuff, considering where the splits were. Basically if we got the full match I wouldn't have much confidence in it based on what I watched. I mean technically we all apply this rule to matches with commercial breaks (which I'm obv not in favour of existing but yknow).


----------



## antoniomare007

Yeah1993 said:


> I didn't like what I saw, was me's point. If all of the bits taken out were grappling like the opening then I'd be higher on it but I've little reason to assume it wasn't just the same striking stuff, considering where the splits were. Basically if we got the full match I wouldn't have much confidence in it based on what I watched. I mean technically we all apply this rule to matches with commercial breaks (which I'm obv not in favour of existing but yknow).


You continue to break my heart man.


----------



## Yeah1993

I haven't even watched the Strong BJ/Violent Giants match from the same day yet :drose


----------



## antoniomare007

Yeah1993 said:


> I haven't even watched the Strong BJ/Violent Giants match from the same day yet :drose


You'll probably think it's "good but it lacked something" at this point :lol

More interested on your take on Sekimoto vs Hino to be honest.


----------



## Obfuscation

I watched & loved Violent Giants vs Strong BJ though. :CENA

If Sekimoto vs Hino is now out there, ooooh, I gots to find it. Fallen behind a touch, but just means more to watch and less to wait on.


----------



## antoniomare007

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1112622268084047872
:mark:


----------



## MC

Just a reminder that tomorrow is the first day of the Champion Carnival.

Here is the card:



> Daichi Hashimoto vs. Takashi Yoshida
> Joe Doering vs. Suwama
> Jake Lee vs. Naoya Nomura
> Shuji Ishikawa vs. Yuji Okabayashi
> Kento Miyahara vs. Atsushi Aoki
> 
> Time: 05:30AM EST, 02:30AM PST, 10:30AM BST, 06:30PM JST


I'm predicting an Jake Lee vs Yuji Okabayashi finals


----------



## Genking48

Takehiro Yamamura got seriously injured during tonights Wrestle-1 show


----------



## antoniomare007

MC said:


> Just a reminder that tomorrow is the first day of the Champion Carnival.
> 
> Here is the card:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm predicting an Jake Lee vs Yuji Okabayashi finals


Yup, either that or Lee vs Shuji.


----------



## MC

antoniomare007 said:


> Yup, either that or Lee vs Shuji.


Either way, my boy is winning the CC :mark


----------



## antoniomare007

CC Day 1


*Daichi Hashimoto vs Takashi Yoshida - Champions Carnival Day 1 4/4/19*

A nothing match. Aimless action up until the green mist finish by Yoshida, which woke the crowd up.

*Jake Lee vs Naoya Nomura - Champions Carnival Day 1 4/4/19*

This was a good back and forth match up until the ending when it kicked up a notch with some good strikes, fire and nearfalls. Not the best showcase by Lee, his strikes are good and it's kinda frustrating he only uses them to counter attack instead of putting pressure and/or just beat the fuck out of his opponent. He was working as the favorite/guy in control and there were a couple of glimpses of good, focused work, but it kinda fizzled out eventually. Once Nomura does his final comeback this gets into "really good" territory, Lee's selling was top notch at the end. Nice match. Still feels like Nomura got next and not Lee, which isn't good considering he's the one that will probably get the trophy. 

*Kento Miyahara vs Atushi Aoki - Champions Carnival Day 1 4/4/19*

A little Korakuen Magic to start the tourney. So Aoki knows he has NO shot against the Ace so his strategy is simple: brawl and get a count out win. Kento's resilience and Wada's fuckery don't work in Aoki's favor, but the crowd immediately feels the chance of an upset, so they get fully behind the underdog. This was worked kinda like a sprint, specially in the 2nd half. Fun match.
*
Suwama vs Joe Doering - Champions Carnival Day 1 4/4/19*

Nice, short hoss battle. Doering works on top and then Suwama makes his comeback. I liked the finish.

*Yuji Okabayashi vs Shuji Ishikawa - Champions Carnival Day 1 4/4/19*

Exactly what you want from these two. A simple story to start, Shuji suplexes Yuji on the apron fucking up his mid section, giving him a target to hit every cut off spot he needs to keep control, and it also puts a large mountain Okabayashi has to climb to turn things around. Strikes are vicious in this, specially when compared to the rest of the show, this really was on another level. This had 2 suplex no sells by Yuji that would normally take me out of the match, but the fact that he was groggy for like 2 minutes and Ishikawa was still on top - which lead to an awesome struggle for control/test of strength segment - made up for the kind of excess I'm not a fan of. A think the only fault this match had was that it was 3 minutes too long, the final sequence was a little clunky and the crowd felt it. They were able to bring them back for the actual finish though. Awesome main event


----------



## Corey

The KO-D Openweight Title changed hands not once, but TWICE in NYC last night. Tetsuya Endo walked out with the strap.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1113989403016400897


----------



## Obfuscation

Endo finally got there. I wouldn't imagine this would be another hot potato KO-D Openweight moment, and hope it isn't.


----------



## MC

I didn't expect one title change to happen, let alone two. Loved the way it was set up too, with Sasaki seeing the gauntlet and hitting it to the floor only to get walloped by Endo. Extremely well done. Everything on the show felt like an authentic DDT show. Honda telling the story of Gon, The Little Fox in English is something I'll always remember.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1115614613570240512
We've lost him to the Americans


----------



## Genking48

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1115905924022132736
Dragon Gate is live The card is:


Mochizuki Dojo (Shun Skywalker, Yuki Yoshioka, Kota Minoura), Jason Lee & Dragon Dia vs. Ryo Saito, K-Ness, Mondai Ryu, Shachihoko BOY & Hiroshi Yamato
Mochizuki Dojo (Masaaki Mochizuki & Hyo Watanabe) vs. R・E・D (Yasushi Kanda & KAZMA SAKAMOTO)
*Strong Machine J Debut Match* (Strong Machine Army) Strong Machine J, Strong Machine F & Strong Machine G vs. Natural Vibes (Kzy, Genki Horiguchi & Susumu Yokosuka)
*MaxiMuM Steel Cage Representative Decision Match* Naruki Doi & Dragon Kid vs. Masato Yoshino & Kaito Ishida 
*R・E・D Steel Cage Representative Decision Match* Eita & Takashi Yoshida vs. Big R Shimizu & Ben-K
*Dragon Gate 20th Anniversary Commemoration Match vol.4 & Yosuke ♡ Santa Maria Comeback Match* Aagan Iisou (Shuji Kondo, Toru Owashi, "brother" YASSHI, Takuya Sugawara & "the Secret Weapon") vs. Tribe Vanguard (YAMATO, KAI, Yosuke ♡ Santa Maria, Kagetora & U-T)


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1115949068373487616:vince6

I don't know if people realise how huge it would be if Ultimo fucking Dragon showed up in Dragon Gate. But if they manage to get Ultimo Dragon to show up, the door is open for anyone,


----------



## Deadman's Hand

Fucking Ultimo Dragon possibly showing up in Dragon Gate, what a world.
Also, the DoA card has been updated with U-T challenging Susumu for the Brave Gate, MochiDojo facing R.E.D for the Triangle Gate & now it seems like PAC's gonna defend the Dream Gate against Dragon Kid.


----------



## Corey

Can't complain with another PAC defense. Haven't seen too many Dragon Kid matches in recent years but if he keeps the pace up I think he and PAC should have some good chemistry.

Any favorite for King of Gate? Kzy wins and takes the title off of PAC in his 2nd try?

*Block A:* 
Naruku Doi 
Kzy 
Punch Tominaga 
U-T 
KAZMA SAKAMOTO 
Ryo Saito 

*Block B:* 
Masato Yoshino 
Susumu Yokosuka 
Yosuke ♡ Santa Maria 
Yuki Yoshioka 
Eita 
Yasushi Kanda 

*Block C:* 
YAMATO 
Kagetora 
Genki Horiguchi 
Kaito Ishida 
Ben-K 
Takashi Yoshida 

*Block D:* 
Dragon Kid 
Jason Lee 
Masaaki Mochizuki 
Shun Skywalker 
KAI 
Big R Shimizu

Strong BJ collides! :mark:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1117676718662344711


----------



## antoniomare007

Part V of their singles series :mark:

It's crazy how they still haven't had a legit MOTYC against each other. Their matches are always good but they never reach epic status.

I wouldn't bet they will this time either, in front of the always dead Yokohama crowd. But Yuji and Hideki were able to have a top 3 MOTY two years ago at that same show and venue so there's always a chance I guess.


----------



## Obfuscation

Plus K-Hash vs Tajiri on the same card. :banderas


----------



## Corey

@antoniomare007; something to add to your watch list when it pops up.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1118168592959328258


----------



## antoniomare007

I almost shed a tear with this exchange during Hashimoto vs Nomura from 4/11.



Spoiler: .
































Catching up a little bit with the CC, only watched stuff that looked interesting/good on paper from the first week, after the first day. 

*Yuji Okabayashi vs Yuma Aoyagi - AJPW Champion Carnival 4/6/19*

Nice little 5 minute match. Loved the start with Aoyagi wrestling a different match than usual and not letting Okabayashi do his routine shit, you could be urgency from the young kid. Once Yuji is able to establish control the match is basically over, because that's what should happen with this kind of discrepancy in status and physique :dame: @SubZeroDegrees
*
Jake Lee vs Daichi Hashimoto - AJPW Champion Carnival 4/7/19
*
Nope, Lee still doesn't have it. Very mild performance by him - his spotty no selling was Seth Rollins levels of bad -, Daichi is fine but isn't able to elevate this 10 minute match to anything better than "Ok".

*Kento Miyahara vs Zeus - AJPW Champion Carnival 4/9/19*

The majority of this match was worked like a fun house show encounter. Some comedy with Kento's and Wada's antics as Miyahara was in control and that's how he works those segments most of the time. Zeus wasn't fucking around though, every chop he threw was vicious. The last 5 minutes the match does a 180° and it's basically a super sprint with a bunch of moves and kickouts until the finish. It's a harmless, fun match. Crowd was really into it all the way through.

Will keep catching up with the rest of the days, hopefully next week. 


From today's show...


*Joe Doering vs Daichi Hashimoto - AJPW Champion Carnival 4/21/19*

Crowd makes this a lot more compelling than it could've been. The story is there and it's pretty damn simple, Joe is bigger and Daichi wants to prove a point. Fans REALLY want to see Hashimoto prove that point, but there wasn't enough for it to go beyond a fun little match. It was worked like a young lion's match, would've like a little more from the underdog. Really liked the finish though.

*Suwama vs Jake Lee - AJPW Champion Carnival 4/21/19*

Honestly this had a really hard job having to follow Yuji/Zeus (which I nominated on the MOTYC thread) so I can't honestly say if the firs half was good, too slow or just meh. This was pretty much Suwama's show, his control section was pretty good, and then he did an awesome job selling Jake's comeback, which lead to his own comeback, which was pretty dope. I would've cut like 5 minutes but as this was the main event, I guess they felt they needed a longer match.

So...Nomura vs Suwama face off in the final day of B Block on 4/24, both with 8 points, leading the group. Lee will probably enter the final day with 8 points too (he has 6, but has 1 more match before the Korakuen Hall show and it's against Sam Adonis) but he needs Nomura and Suwama to be a draw and to beat Doering to reach the Finals. 

Daichi or Yoshitatsu could also sneak in with mathematical chances for 4/24. But none of them have big matches for that final day, so they are out of contention really. And Daichi already had "big" Ws over Nomura and Lee so he's been protected enough.


For Block A, Yuji has to lose 1 of the two matches he has left before 4/23 (his block's final day) to leave the block wide open going into Korakuen. One has to think his match with Kento will be the de facto semifinal, though they could also work it as Miyahara playing spoiler and fucking Yuji's chances to give the final spot to Zeus/Ishikawa (or maybe even Dylan James, depending on how he does against Shuji on Tuesday).

If I had to guess: Zeus (8 pts) beats Shuji (9 pts, most likely) and then Yuji (9 pts, most likely) beats Kento (8 pts, most likely), so Okabayashi can reach the Finals and lose to whoever wins Block A.

Man, y'all really don't give a flying fuck about All Japan do you? :lol


Dylan James got a huge W over Ishikawa today and eliminated him from contention (Shuji loses every tie breaker) and he leads block A heading into Korakuen too.


Block A:
1. Dylan James [9]
2. Zeus [8]
3. Shuji Ishikawa [7]
-. Ryouji Sai [7]
-. Yuji Okabayashi [​IMG] [7]
6. Kento Miyahara [6]
-. Gianni Valletta [6]
-. Atsushi Aoki [6]
9. Yuma Aoyagi [4]


Block B:
1. Suwama [8]
-. Naoya Nomura [8]
-. Yoshitatsu [8]
-. Daichi Hashimoto [​IMG] [8]
5. Takashi Yoshida [​IMG] [6]
-. Jake Lee [6]
-. Joel Redman [6]
-. Joe Doering [6]
9. Sam Adonis [4]

Tomorrow is Kento/Sai & Yuji/Aoki for Block A. Lee/Adonis & Doering/Redman for B, which will probably have a 6-way tie heading into the it's final day :lmao


----------



## Corey

Your Champion Carnival winner and his next defense lined up:











__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1123092319916392448


----------



## ufohedin

What happened to Fujita Hayato? Remember him being hyped quite a bit. I looked at cagematch and it seems he hasn't wrestled for 2 years - did he finish his career?


----------



## Genking48

On the 6th it goes down. Dragon Gate is again holding their Dead or Alive show, and once again the main event will be the (hopefully) amazing Survival Cage match, unit bonds are the theme of this years match. The card for the event is:


> Natural Vibes (Genki Horiguchi, Punch Tominaga, “brother” YASSHI) & Problem Dragon vs Jason Lee, Yuki Yoshioka, Dragon Dia & Keisuke Okuda
> 
> Ryo Saito & K-ness vs “Hollywood” Stalker Ichikawa & Shachihoko Boy
> 
> MaxiMuM (Masato Yoshino & Kaito Ishida) vs R.E.D (Eita & Ben-K)
> 
> Strong Machine Army (Strong Machine J, Strong Machine F(uji) & Strong Machine G(amma) vs Tribe Vanguard (Kagetora, Yosuke Santa Maria & KAI)
> 
> _*Open the Brave Gate Championship Match -*_ Susumu Yokosuka (C) vs U-T
> 
> _*Open the Triangle Gate Championship Match -*_ R.E.D (Yasushi Kanda, Takashi Yoshida & Kazma Sakamoto) (C) vs Mochizuki Dojo (Masaaki Mochizuki, Hyo Watanabe & Kota Minoura)
> 
> _*Open the Dream Gate Championship Match -*_ PAC (C) vs Dragon Kid
> 
> _*"Bonds” Steel Cage Survival 5 Way Match - *_Kzy (Natural Vibes) vs YAMATO (Tribe Vanguard) vs Shun Skywalker (Mochizuki Dojo) vs Naruki Doi (MaxiMuM) vs Big R Shimizu (R.E.D)


Former DDT wrestler Keisuke Okuda has apparantly gone freelance or something and made his Dragon Gate debut yesterday, he's a good friend of Ben-K, so maybe we'll see more of him in the future.

I think this will be second time that Dragon Kid actually challenges for the Dream Gate title.

The rules for the cage match + stipulations:
There will be 4 flags set at the top of the cage. Climbing to the top and retrieving a flag earns you an escape. The representative that doesn’t retrieve a flag is the loser. The loser will be forced to kick a member out of their unit. Who that member is will be left totally up to the representative’s discretion, but the removal of one member will be mandatory.

However, there is one more stipulation. As a reward for escaping the cage, escaped representatives will gain an optional right to kick out a member of their unit. This is also purely left to their discretion and they can choose not to use it should they feel there are no problem members in their unit.

Doi & Shimizu will probably be the ones to have your eyes on as Doi has had some tension with his fellow MaxiMuM member Dragon Kid recently. Big R Shimizu and his partner Ben-K seem to have a downright antagonistic relationship with the rest of their R.E.D members.


----------



## ufohedin

Can Dragon Kid still go nowadays?


----------



## MC

^ Very much so. 

The entire card is pretty great. The opening two matches whilst just that, will be fun, at least. Ishida/Yoshino vs Eita/Ben-K will be very good. As will Susumu vs UT. Dragon Kid in a dream gate match is special enough. The main event should be a fantastic match as it always is. Really tough to call. There is one glaring option to me (RED loses with Eita being kicked out as leader), but I can easily buy other choices too.


----------



## Corey

Yuji won the battle of Strong BJ and took home the BJW Heavyweight Title today.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1125012976581398528


----------



## Genking48

Genking48 said:


> On the 6th it goes down. Dragon Gate is again holding their Dead or Alive show, and once again the main event will be the (hopefully) amazing Survival Cage match, unit bonds are the theme of this years match. The card for the event is:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Natural Vibes (Genki Horiguchi, Punch Tominaga, “brother” YASSHI) & Problem Dragon vs Jason Lee, Yuki Yoshioka, Dragon Dia & Keisuke Okuda
> 
> Ryo Saito & K-ness vs “Hollywood” Stalker Ichikawa & Shachihoko Boy
> 
> MaxiMuM (Masato Yoshino & Kaito Ishida) vs R.E.D (Eita & Ben-K)
> 
> Strong Machine Army (Strong Machine J, Strong Machine F(uji) & Strong Machine G(amma) vs Tribe Vanguard (Kagetora, Yosuke Santa Maria & KAI)
> 
> *Open the Brave Gate Championship Match -* Susumu Yokosuka (C) vs U-T
> 
> *Open the Triangle Gate Championship Match -* R.E.D (Yasushi Kanda, Takashi Yoshida & Kazma Sakamoto) (C) vs Mochizuki Dojo (Masaaki Mochizuki, Hyo Watanabe & Kota Minoura)
> 
> *Open the Dream Gate Championship Match -* PAC (C) vs Dragon Kid
> 
> *"Bonds” Steel Cage Survival 5 Way Match -* Kzy (Natural Vibes) vs YAMATO (Tribe Vanguard) vs Shun Skywalker (Mochizuki Dojo) vs Naruki Doi (MaxiMuM) vs Big R Shimizu (R.E.D)
Click to expand...

10 minutes away :mark


----------



## Deadman's Hand

So PAC is still champion, U-T had a starmaking performance against Susumu, Skywalker is out of the MochiDojo & Ben-K's gone babyface.
I am fucking stoked for Korakuen Hall now.


----------



## Obfuscation

No surprise the Strong BJ battle is a draw, but yay for their continued successes throughout Japan. When that match makes the rounds. :cozy


----------



## Genking48

Yeah, Dead or Alive is over. Amazing show. All matches did what they were supposed to and delivered in a way. Results and translations incoming thanks to Jae of iheartdg.


> *May 6th, 2019
> Aichi, Aichi Prefectural Gym
> Dead or Alive 2019
> Attendance: 4536*
> 
> *1. *Jason Lee, Yuki Yoshioka*O*, Dragon Dia, Keisuke Okuda (5:38 Frog Splash) Genki Horiguchi, Punch Tominaga, “brother” YASSHI, Problem Dragon*X*
> *2. *Ryo Saito*O*, K-ness.*O* (5:06 Pinned after Moonsault Press by Shachihoko Boy) “Hollywood” Stalker Ichikawa*X*, Shachihoko Boy*X*
> *3.* Masato Yoshino*O*, Kaito Ishida (9:22 Lightning Spiral) Eita*X*, Ben-K
> *4.* Strong Machine J*O*, Strong Machine F, Strong Machine G (10:22 Majin Fusha Gatame) Kagetora, Yosuke♡Santa Maria*X*, KAI
> *5. ☆Open the Brave Gate Championship Match☆*
> Susumu Yokosuka*O* (14:10 Mugen) U-T*X*
> _★1st defense by Susumu_
> *6. ☆Open the Triangle Gate Championship Match☆*
> Yasushi Kanda, Takashi Yoshida, Kazma Sakamoto*O* (9:47 Half Package Piledriver) Masaaki Mochizuki, Hyo Watanabe*X*, Kota Minoura
> _★3rd defense by R・E・D_
> *7. ☆Open the Dream Gate Championship Match☆*
> PAC*O* (21:58 Black Arrow) Dragon Kid*X*
> _★3rd Defense by PAC_
> *8. ☆”Bonds” Steel Cage Survival 5 Way Match☆*
> Kzy (Natural Vibes) vs. YAMATO (Tribe Vanguard) vs. Shun Skywalker (Dojo Mochizuki) vs. Naruki Doi (MaxiMuM) vs. Big R Shimizu (R・E・D)
> Kzy*O* (18:12)
> Shun*O* (23:16)
> YAMATO*O* (28:12)
> Doi *O*(35:20) Shimizu*X*
> 
> Ben-K refused to cooperate with Eita during their match. After some miscommunication, he gave him a spear and left him to be beaten by Yoshino.
> 
> Skywalker was assisted by Hyosuke♡Santa Maria during his escape, while YAMATO got help from Darkside Hulk.
> 
> Kzy said that him getting that first flag wasn’t just because of him. It was because of the combined efforts of Natural Vibes as a team. Just like he had been saying all along, Vibes has the strongest bonds. There would be no one kicked out. The 5 of them will continue to dance and fight together.
> 
> Skywalker announced he was going to use his rights.Dojo Mochizuki isn’t really a unit, but as soon as he became their representative he knew was he had to do. The person he was kicking out of Dojo Mochizuki was himself and abiding by the special rule stipulated for them, he will never be able to rejoin. It was time for him to strike out on his own and make his own path. On Thursday on the first day of King of Gate 2019, he will be facing his former Dojo Master. He told Mochizuki to be ready to bring it….and thanked him for everything he did for him.
> 
> Tribe Vanguard was also safe. YAMATO said the entire unit must stay together until the day that BxB Hulk is able to return. He also announced Flamita would be returning next month.
> 
> Next up was MaxiMuM. Coming into the match, the guy who was mostly like to be out of their unit by the end was almost certainly Dragon Kid. He also lost his Dream Gate challenge earlier. Still, Doi was moved by his & the other MaxiMuM members efforts to help him escape. There would be no one kicked out. He was still annoyed by all the trash Kid talked earlier in the year, but he now realizes that was just how he tries to motivate. He gave a hell of an effort vs. PAC today. After that, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to come out and be at ringside, but he eventually came when Doi needed him the most and it got Doi out. He also praised Ishida for his non-stop effort but told him not to get too carried away or he might find himself kicked out. Jokes. All jokes. MaxiMuM is 5 members and they are the best. They did the 1st Finger pose to end their portion.
> 
> As the loser of the match, Shimizu was required to select someone. He was tired and wanted to sit down. He asked Ben-K to bring him a chair. He called the Eita half of R・E・D, as they were not at ringside for the match. This was all their fault anyway. He lamented the state of his face. Covered in blood, powder, and residual mist. The rules are the rules, he has to do it, ya know? The time has come. For him to do the thing that must be done by him. He asked Takashi & Ben for advice. Would it be Eita? Or maybe PAC? What about Kanda or KAZMA? The person he was kicking out was…..Ben-K!
> He gave him a lariat and Eita followed with a chair to the head. Shimizu had done him a huge favor by rescuing him from that garbage unit MaxiMuM. He repaid him by being totally worthless. He can’t even talk. Why can’t he talk? There was no reason for him to be in R・E・D. Thanks to Eita, he was finally able to get rid of the Twin Gate titles. Just by teaming Ben, the value of the Twin Gate titles and Shimizu himself by association plummeted. He was never planning on kicking Eita out. They’ve been working together the whole time. R・E・D has one leader, and it’s Eita.
> Eita told him that R・E・D would be the same with or without him, he was that useless. He had the nerve to put hands on the R・E・D leader earlier in the night. This is what he deserves. He could go back to MaxiMuM, but given his ability he should just give up on wrestling now.
> PAC kept the Dream Gate & the others kept the Triangle Gate. As it has always been, R・E・D controls Dragon Gate.
> 
> Ben struggled to his feet. He picked up the microphone, but dropped it and started to leave. He returned and picked it up again. R・E・D & Shimizu were going to pay for what they did today. He won’t ask the fans to suddenly cheer for him. Just watch what he does to them. Listen to his heart and listen to his spirit. His name is Ben-K!
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: pics


----------



## antoniomare007

Obfuscation said:


> No surprise the Strong BJ battle is a draw, but yay for their continued successes throughout Japan. When that match makes the rounds. :cozy


The show has been in XWT for a while now. 

RealHero has it up 
https://rutube.ru/video/9c7b50d505f1f6683cc191a2de916a4e/?pl_type=user&pl_id=1067514

The match was solid but once again they failed to deliver the great match they have them.


----------



## Obfuscation

Big Ben was a great team, but seeing the two split and now be rivals totally has me intrigued. I'm more on Shimizu's side of who's the superior of the two, but lets see what the matches down the line can provide.

Kzy for King of Gate though. Still pushing for him to defeat PAC.



antoniomare007 said:


> The show has been in XWT for a while now.
> 
> RealHero has it up
> https://rutube.ru/video/9c7b50d505f1f6683cc191a2de916a4e/?pl_type=user&pl_id=1067514
> 
> The match was solid but once again they failed to deliver the great match they have them.


Splendid. I'll see how I take to it this time around. (Y)


----------



## Garmonbozia

DDT Live! Maji Manji Super Street Pro Wrestling In Abema Towers

Show of the year.

Thank you DDT. :done


----------



## Master Bate

I watch wrestling with my dad sometime, and got him hooked on NJPW. Wanted to show him Dragon Gate for the first time to introduce him to Shingo so I showed him Shingo Vs Masaaki Mochizuki. 

He didn't give a shit about Shingo, but freaking loved Mochizuki. Didn't expect that lol.


----------



## Genking48

#KofiMania said:


> I watch wrestling with my dad sometime, and got him hooked on NJPW. Wanted to show him Dragon Gate for the first time to introduce him to Shingo so I showed him Shingo Vs Masaaki Mochizuki.
> 
> He didn't give a shit about Shingo, but freaking loved Mochizuki. Didn't expect that lol.


Mochizuki is based. Any dad would gravitate towards the old ass kicking veteran that leads the young generation. Mocchi is the dad of Dragon Gate after all.


----------



## Obfuscation

Shingo's mullet might come off as too smug for some people.

It's a bold lifestyle.


----------



## antoniomare007

:mark:

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1132626553081401344
:mark: :mark:


----------



## MC

Haven't watched much BJW this year, but I'll be sure to tune into this match. Going to be a mauling by Yuji.

Also, the finals and semi finals of the King of DDT Tournament were all really good matches. Shinya Aoki vs Danshoku Dino has been announced for Peter Pan as well as Tetsuya Endo Vs Konosuke Takeshita. Should be a fun show (Y)


----------



## Obfuscation

Feeling solid about calling the Endo vs Takeshita Peter Pan match. Not that it didn't write itself, but I was wanting to see it again, so yay.

I still wish DDT would give me more non-comedy Antonio Honda classics. A girl can dream.


----------



## komatsu_na

http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/16563769/
Atsushi Aoki was killed in a motorcycle accident.
Very sad.


----------



## MC

Highly saddening news. 41 is way too young . Hearts out to family and friends.


----------



## antoniomare007

That's just terrible


----------



## RKing85

that sucks. Such a talent in the ring and yeah, obviously way to young.

RIP Aoki


----------



## Genking48

RIP :/


----------



## Master Bate

RIP Atsushi Aoki What a great talent


----------



## Genking48

Thursday June 6th, 2019, Dragon Gate will make their way to Tokyo, Korakuen Hall where the King of Gate semifinals will be held.

Draztik Boy and Flamita are returning for a tour starting June 6th.

We have 3 semifinalists so far in Eita, Ben-K & KAI. Kzy and Kazma Sakamoto is in a tie and will thus have a tiebreaker match to find out which man will move on to the semifinals.


> *1. *K-ness., Problem Dragon, Dragon Dia, Draztick Boy vs. “brother” YASSHI, Punch Tominaga, Hiroshi Yamato, Jimmy
> *2. King of Gate 2019 A Block Tiebreaker Match:* Kzy vs. Kazma Sakamoto
> *3.* Strong Machine J, Strong Machine F, Strong Machine G vs. Kaito Ishida, Hyo Watanabe, Kota Minoura
> *4. *Masaaki Mochizuki, Yuki Yoshioka vs. Shun Skywalker, Keisuke Okuda
> *5. *Masato Yoshino, Naruki Doi, Dragon Kid, Jason Lee vs. Kenichiro Arai, Susumu Yokosuka, Genki Horiguchi, Ryo Saito
> *6.* YAMATO, Kagetora, Yosuke♡Santa Maria, Flamita vs. PAC, Big R Shimizu, Yasushi Kanda, Takashi Yoshida
> *7.* King of Gate 2019 Semifinals
> *8.* King of Gate 2019 Semifinals
> 
> Semifinal Pairings will be decided via lottery.
> 
> A Block: Kzy or Kazma Sakamoto
> B Block: Eita
> C Block: Ben-K
> D Block: KAI


----------



## antoniomare007

STRONGHEARTS is finally coming to Big Japan :mark:

And they are facing two of the biggest cunts in Kazuki and Aoki :mark:

Osaka's show looks fucking amazing, I hope it gets a nice attendance.


----------



## Corey

Top matches for Kobe World next month. Don't see PAC losing the title yet but idk what kind of investment they've put into Ben-K.

*Dragon Gate "KOBE PRO-WRESTLING FESTIVAL 2019", 21.07.2019 
Kobe World Memorial Hall *

- *Open the Triangle Gate Title:* Yasushi Kanda, Takashi Yoshida & KAZMA SAKAMOTO (c) vs. Strong Machine J, Strong Machine F & Strong Machine G 
- *20th Anniversary Special Match The Premium:* Ultimo Dragon, Masato Yoshino & Dragon Kid vs. Masaaki Mochizuki, Shuji Kondo & Takuya Sugawara 
- *Open the Twin Gate Unified Tag Title, 3 Way Match:* YAMATO & KAI (c) vs. Eita & Big R Shimizu vs. Naruki Doi & Kaito Ishida 
- *Open the Dream Gate Title:* PAC (c) vs. Ben-K


----------



## Genking48

Fucking Ultimo Dragon :mark:

Hope they pull the trigger on Ishida and let him and Doi win the twin gate. Kick Boy is awesome.






Joe Lanza on the Voices of Wrestling Patreon is confirming that Dragon Gate will be introducing English commentary at the Kobe World show on July 21. The color commentator will be Larry Dallas. Who is play-by-play is not known yet.


----------



## Obfuscation

I hope it isn't Matt Striker. PAC vs Ben-K should be radical in the main event and I'm really digging the Twin Gate match on paper. That championship was the best match on last year's Kobe World card; gonna be hard to top.


----------



## Genking48

The rumors are that for play-by-play they are looking to get MLW announcer Rich Bocchini. And that the original plan was for them to use Lenny Leonard (as he's got some experience with Dragon Gate from the DGUSA days) but that he couldn’t make the date.

Updated card for Kobe

*Dragon Gate "KOBE PRO-WRESTLING FESTIVAL 2019", 21.07.2019 
Kobe World Memorial Hall *

*- Two-on-One Handicap match:* Choi Hong-man vs. Ryo Saito and "Hollywood" Stalker Ichikawa
*- Open The Brave Gate Championship:* Susumu Yokosuka (c) vs. Flamita
*- Open the Triangle Gate Title:* Yasushi Kanda, Takashi Yoshida & KAZMA SAKAMOTO (c) vs. Strong Machine J, Strong Machine F & Strong Machine G 
*- 20th Anniversary Special Match The Premium:* Ultimo Dragon, Masato Yoshino & Dragon Kid vs. Masaaki Mochizuki, Shuji Kondo & Takuya Sugawara 
*- Open the Twin Gate Unified Tag Title, 3 Way Match:* YAMATO & KAI (c) vs. Eita & Big R Shimizu vs. Naruki Doi & Kaito Ishida 
*- Open the Dream Gate Title:* PAC (c) vs. Ben-K

I hope that maybe Kzy, Genki Horiguchi & ''Brother'' YASSHI is added to the Triangle Gate match maybe. Outside of the Brave Gate title match Natural Vibes is seriously underrepresented at the event.


----------



## Obfuscation

I was actually banking on it being Lenny because of that. Too bad. Rich is decent, so it should be ok, but the novelty of English commentary is something.

This lack of Kzy is :mj2


----------



## Ham and Egger

Been I Japan for the past week and I'm heading to Korakeun Hall right now to see a Seadlinnng show. I wanted to see Dragon Gate but I got the dates mixed up and ended up missing it. I really wish I could see the G1 here but I will be heading back home right when it starts.


----------



## Genking48

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1148234551501524992Looks like it'll be Rich Bocchini & Larry Dallas providing commentary.


----------



## Obfuscation

Finding Peter Pan 2019 already out there. This is happening. :cozy


----------



## Deadman's Hand

Final card for Kobe World is out:



> 1. Super Shisa, K-ness., Shachihoko Machine, Mondai Ryu and Draztik Boy vs. Kenichiro Arai, Jason Lee, Keisuke Okuda, Dragon Dia and Jimmy
> 2. Choi Hong-man vs. Ryo Saito and "Hollywood" Stalker Ichikawa
> 3. Tribe Vanguard (BxB Hulk, Yosuke♥Santa Maria and Kagetora) vs. Natural Vibes (Genki Horiguchi, "brother" YASSHI and Punch Tominaga) vs. Mochizuki Dojo (Yuki Yoshioka, Hyou Watanabe and Kota Minoura): BxB Hulk's Return Match
> 4. Kzy vs. Shun Skywalker
> 5. Dragon Kid, Masato Yoshino and Último Dragón vs. Masaaki Mochizuki, Takuya Sugawara and Shuji Kondo
> 6. Susumu Yokosuka (c) vs. Flamita: Open The Brave Gate Championship
> 7. R.E.D (Kazma Sakamoto, Takashi Yoshida and Yasushi Kanda) (c) vs. Machine Army (Strong Machine J, Strong Machine F and Strong Machine G) (with Shogun KY Wakamatsu): Open The Triangle Gate Championship
> 8. Tribe Vanguard (YAMATO and KAI) (c) vs. MaxiMuM (Naruki Doi and Kaito Ishida) vs. R.E.D (Eita and Big R Shimizu): Open The Twin Gate Championship
> 9. PAC (c) vs. Ben-K: Open The Dream Gate Championship


Looking good (Y)


----------



## Corey

BIG MIKE debuts in BJW next month.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1154216355270287360


----------



## Obfuscation

Holy cow, so much BEEF. (and not because of the cows, either.)

Hmm. Elgin returning to Japan so soon is interesting. A note I can't deny.


----------



## antoniomare007

So, Hino won the Fire Festival. He'll face the winner of the Sekimoto/Iwasaki (that for some weird reason was the other finalist of the FF) title match in August. I pray to Terry Funk that we get Hino vs Daisuke again :mark:


In All Japan, Kento retained over Zeus. At this point they have to make Nomura be the one to take the belt from him, anyone else would feel deflating... 



Corey said:


> BIG MIKE debuts in BJW next month.
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1154216355270287360


Show's been sold out for weeks too, they had to put more tickets on sale. It's pretty huge for Big Japan considering their last Korakuen show did 600 fucking people :lol:


----------



## Corey

Lost a ton of interest with All Japan booking Kento as the big ace in Okada-like fashion. Winning the Champion Carnival as champ and now coming off his 6th title defense. They cut Zeus's run too short imo because I felt like that was a really big moment when he finally won.

For the record I like Kento but his matches are just too formulaic at times and don't seem to differ from one another. Also this recent defense against Zeus went 33 minutes so that's gonna be a pass.


----------



## antoniomare007

Zero1 announced a special tag match for the 8/12 show (that has Daisuke vs Iwasaki for the belt):

Shinjiro Ohtani & Kohei Sato vs Yuji Okabayashi & Hideyoshi Kamitani

:mark:


It's only July but both members of Strong BJ have STRONG cases already for wrestler of the year, by gawd.


----------



## Obfuscation

The anti-Okada Ace bandwagon stuff doesn't really work for me barring an exception. But Kento as the Ace of All Japan has gotten stale in my eyes. Just not that into him as I am a LOT of other people. Zeus is my favorite there too, so yeah, maybe I'm just bummed his reign wasn't as much as I had hoped. And he was always nipping at Kento's heels as who always cast a shadow over him. But Kento is hit or miss, even kind of always was for me when he was back in Xceed and I was like yeah, lets just stick with Shiozaki being the guy.

Yuji Hino push in any promotion though. I can always support this. :cozy


----------



## antoniomare007

Kohei Sato vs Yuji Okabayashi for the Strong Heavyweight title has been booked for 8/25










I just said it yesterday but Daisuke's and Yuji's 2019 has been INSANE.


----------



## volde

For me main problem with AJPW is that they don't really have strong secondary program or strong undercard. With NJPW when I get bored by Okada I still got something happening with IC or Jr. Heavyweight titles. Their tag team stuff is way better than NJPW's, but at the same time it is mostly dominated by same guys who are regular triple crown challengers/winners.


----------



## Obfuscation

The tag division in AJPW is kind of their defacto mid/upper midcard when we realize it. The would be other singles championships don't really hold the same kind of weight, even if I've been wanting the TV Championship (for years) to mean more than it actually does.


----------



## Genking48

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1159072718651740160
Legends match.

For some reason it kind of reminds me of a match I saw from 2011, where it was I guess aces vs champions from various promotions

CIMA, Jushin Thunder Liger & Keiji Muto vs. Masato Yoshino, Suwama & The Great Sasuke


----------



## Corey

^ I'll be keeping an eye out for this too


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1159081672228270083


----------



## ElectricAngel

been watching shit tons of W*ING and FMW... its one of a kind stuff. wish i coulda lived through that era


----------



## antoniomare007

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1160833423218544640
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES :mark:


----------



## Obfuscation

As if Sekimoto vs Hama wasn't the BEEFIEST fat muscle hoss clash I could get all year. Sekimoto vs Hino now coming down the pike. kada


----------



## antoniomare007

Obfuscation said:


> As if Sekimoto vs Hama wasn't the BEEFIEST fat muscle hoss clash I could get all year. Sekimoto vs Hino now coming down the pike. kada


Did you see their 30 minute draw from February? It was awesome.


----------



## Saritta

I leave some images of Marvelous in this month.

De la Rosa vs Kaoru



Spoiler: .


----------



## Obfuscation

antoniomare007 said:


> Did you see their 30 minute draw from February? It was awesome.


I actually *just* found it to watch atm. :monkey






It will be seen. :cozy


----------



## Corey

Something to check out:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1161684165831643141


----------



## Obfuscation

I'm wanting Kawato to return to New Japan and see where things take him, but the patience for his current success in CMLL is more than fine. Still thinking he could pull the Hiromu path and make his "first" return to Japan for FantasticaMania, keep on the excursion, and return at a later date.


----------



## Genking48

How long has he been on excursion?

Gate of Origin is shaping up to be a good card.

*September 1st, 2019
Miyagi, Sendai Sun Plaza Hall
The Gate of Origin 2019*

*☆Special Trios Match☆
〈Sendai Girls Pro Wrestling〉*
Meiko Satomura, Chisako DASH, Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Nanae Takahashi (SEEdLINNNG), Yosuke♡Santa Maria, “Hollywood” Stalker Ichikawa

*☆Special Tag Team Match☆*
Masato Yoshino, Naruki Doi vs. Ben-K, Shun Skywalker

*☆Dragon Gate 20th Anniversary Celebration Series Special☆*
Ultimo Dragon, The Great Sasuke (Michinoku Pro Wrestling), Jinsei Shinzaki (Michinoku Pro Wrestling), Dragon Kid vs. YAMATO, BxB Hulk, KAI, Kagetora


----------



## Corey

Kento will once again be defending the Triple Crown against Nomura on 9/3.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1163319872735961088


----------



## MC

I know Kento is one of their only draws but I really think they need to give Nomura a chance to succeed and be that other star that they need right now. Not been watching All Japan recently (since the CC Finals) because it's just not interesting me at the moment but I'll tune in and try and catch up with what's been going on. Come on, Nomura. 

Re: DG

YAMATO vs Ben-K is going to rule. Former Ace vs Ace~! Both are the two best in DG as far as single matches go so I expect big things. Gate Of Orgin looks a fun card overall. Ultimo Dragon isn't my favourite 90s Junior but I have enjoyed his DG run at the moment. 

Speed Muscle vs KAI/YAMATO :yoda


----------



## Obfuscation

Zeus & Sai going for the Tag Team Championships is on my radar with All Japan, tbf. They're my two favorites in the promotion, so naturally I'm hyped, but this is where I know I can really sink my teeth into with interest. Hope they win.

Nomura getting the rub and and the chance to be on top for a spell is something I'll back.

Plus: HELLBOY is going to debut soon.



Genking48 said:


> How long has he been on excursion?


Left New Japan for Mexico following last year's FantasticaMania, over a year and a half atm.


----------



## PresidentGasman

anyone have any recommendations for male promotions other than NJPW ? ive been watching NJPW for the better parts of 2 years and i love it, just wanna explore other promotions as well heard of AJPW im just unsure on how to watch it


----------



## Corey

Great news for BJW. This will be their biggest crowd in Korakuen of the entire year by a fair margin. Don't know if they expected anything like this but I would be SO down for Elgin winning and then getting a title shot, winning the belt and getting a run with it as an outsider.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1164172144613449728


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> Great news for BJW. This will be their biggest crowd in Korakuen of the entire year by a fair margin. Don't know if they expected anything like this but I would be SO down for Elgin winning and then getting a title shot, winning the belt and getting a run with it as an outsider.
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1164172144613449728


Strong BJ vs Violent Giants I sold out Korakuen for Big Japan too 


You might be right about Elgin getting a title shot. After Sato on Sunday, it seems we are gonna get Hideki vs Okabayashi and after that they'll probably have the tag league, were Elgin might get booked if his schedule allows it.

After Hideki (and assuming Yuji retains), they need a big title match for Ryogokutan at Sumo Hall. And by that point the only name available besides Sekimoto and maaaybe Nomura (as a "crowning moment" on the biggest show) are outsiders. Considering how massive Elgin has been as a draw for them, him vs Okabayashi - after beating Daisuke on Saturday, of course - seems like a real possibility.

By the way, I think it's hilarious how both Daisuke and Yuji are having legit Wrestler of the Year runs in 2019 and their most "bleh" match was against each other :lmao


edit: Don't get me wrong, I liked their match but it pales in comparison of everything else they've been doing this year.


----------



## Corey

antoniomare007 said:


> Strong BJ vs Violent Giants I sold out Korakuen for Big Japan too


That match drew 1,063 which I assumed was not a sellout unless they use some kind of totally different setup in Korakuen. 

Either way, GO BIG MIKE! :mark:


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> That match drew 1,063 which I assumed was not a sellout unless they use some kind of totally different setup in Korakuen.
> 
> Either way, GO BIG MIKE! :mark:


You are right, I was mixing it up with the rematch that did 1,600. 

Before today, they did sell out for Hama vs Sekimoto for the first show of the year, although that show is pretty much a lock for a sellout every year. The Elgin match was fucking massive, they drew 1,740, biggest number in 8 years (and I'm not even sure the one from 2011 is legit considering how common it was to kayfabe numbers not that long ago).


Anyway, Elgin did win today so he'll most likely challenge Okabayashi. Ryogokutan makes the most sense imo.


Tag League looks delicious as always:

BJW Saikyou Tag League 2019 (01.09.2019 - 26.11.2019)

Strong Block:

Daisuke Sekimoto & The Bodyguard
Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani
Ryota Hama & Yasufumi Nakanoue
Ryuichi Kawakami & Kikuta Kizumi
Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe
Takuho Kato & Akira Hyodo
T-Hawk & El Lindaman
Yuji Okabayashi & Shigehiro Irie 


Stronghearts :mark:

Nomura and Abe gonna warm my heart by once again disrespecting and beating the fuck out of everybody


----------



## Corey

Great attendance day for puro! Still looking for an actual number from the Dragon Gate show though.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1165258636106633216

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1165185332993609734


----------



## antoniomare007




----------



## Corey

Great number for Dragon Gate.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1165278340640587776


----------



## Obfuscation

Numbers mean nothing to me, but that packed house in Korakuen for Big Japan looks awesome.


----------



## MC

Its great to see more and more companies, other than NJ and Dragon Gate, beginning to sell out Korakuen Hall (they sold out pretty much straight away too, no walk ins required). Even more crazy considering BJW were barely getting a 1000 for their last few shows in the building. Elgin getting the matches he had dreamed about is great, too. Good for him!


----------



## antoniomare007

Holy shit. SATO BEAT OKABAYASHI. 


(show sold out in Nagoya too).


----------



## Corey

antoniomare007 said:


> Holy shit. SATO BEAT OKABAYASHI.
> 
> 
> (show sold out in Nagoya too).


I don't approve of this! 

Does this open the door for Yuji and Irie to win the Tag League or something? I wanted to see Yuji vs. Big Mike for the belt. :/


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> I don't approve of this!
> 
> Does this open the door for Yuji and Irie to win the Tag League or something? I wanted to see Yuji vs. Big Mike for the belt. :/


Tag league runs all through September and October, but the Finals are on November 27th at Korakuen.

I'm not even sure when Ryogokutan is, shit at this point I'm not sure if they are even running Sumo Hall this year :lol

Death Vegas is in Yokohama and the only strong block match for the tag league is Sekimoto/Bodyguard vs Nomura/Abe mark. So Yuji is free to have a match with Elgin there, though I have no clue if Elgin is free on that date (9/15).

Mike will be back, there's no question about it. He not only beat Sekimoto but he also pinned Nomura today so worst case scenario he's back for Sumo Hall or the big New Year's show. You'll probably get Big Mike going full retard with Yuji eventually, it's too big of a matchup to pass up considering the big business they did with the Daisuke match.


----------



## Corey

antoniomare007 said:


> I'm not even sure when Ryogokutan is, shit at this point I'm not sure if they are even running Sumo Hall this year :lol


They run Sumo Hall on November 4th.










Speaking of Sumo Hall, Kenny Omega is coming back to DDT for their show which is literally the day before. 

* DDT "ULTIMATE PARTY 2019 ~ DDT GROUP LARGE COLLECTION", 03.11.2019 
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan *

- *Special Tag Match:* Kenny Omega & Riho vs. Antonio Honda & Miyu Yamashita 
- *Special Singles Match:* Sanshiro Takagi vs. Isami Kodaka


----------



## volde

Might they give the belt to Elgin? So that it goes in full circle and eventually Sekimoto beats him for it?


----------



## antoniomare007

volde said:


> Might they give the belt to Elgin? So that it goes in full circle and eventually Sekimoto beats him for it?


If Sato wouldn't have won it I would lean in that direction. But I have a hard time picturing Elgin getting the belt from Sato, unless they want to use him as a transition so Mike doesn't beat anyone from Big Japan to win it? That would be weird since I'm sure Elgin would have a ton of succesful defenses anyway were he to get the Strong title.


----------



## Obfuscation

The Sato situation is unexpected. But I guess they're just trying to bank on a scenario where Sato drops it to one of Strong BJ as something to build towards for a lucrative payoff? Don't see anyone else getting it. Maybe Elgin, but he did just beat Sekimoto anyways. Unless they want that to be a lead in for a rematch. Doing that cross-scramble stuff now, I should just let it play out.

Also here's the clip. Goosebumps to a high degree:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1165591185697779713


----------



## Corey

Just realized that Sumo Hall is being ran 3 days in a row by 3 different companies in November.

November 2nd - NOAH
November 3rd - DDT
November 4th - BJW

That's a Saturday, Sunday, Monday. DDT already has a big leg up by announcing Omega for their show. You would assume BJW would bring back Elgin because why the hell wouldn't they? What in the world is NOAH gonna do though? They've got the Saturday show and I have no idea what they can book or who they can bring in.


----------



## antoniomare007

Wow, that's pretty terrible for both NOAH and BJW. At least NOAH has the first show, that might help them out a little bit. Big Japan rarely gets to even 4k in Sumo Hall anyway but that's a horrible schedule being the 3rd straight big show and on a Monday - unless it's a holiday, if that's the case then NOAH is completely fucked :lol - in fact last year they waited for everyone to get their big shows in and then did Ryogokutan, which meant a very small spike in attendance, but it was still a spike. 

DDT needed a bump in buzz and attendance and getting Kenny is the smartest thing they could've done, considering Ibushi no longer is an option.


----------



## MC

I'll be honest and say that I totally forgot that NOAH was having a Sumo Hall show, not really been watching since April. They could have Mutoh show up since he'll be at the Osaka show. They will have to do something big in the main event. Kiyomiya against someone. Maybe not him at all.

BJW could probably get Elgin and be fine. DDT will do bigger than their usual 5-6 K number


----------



## Obfuscation

NOAH being first is probably a benefit for them. All things considered with what is up in the air, I'm still interested in all three shows for Sumo Hall. Chucking New Japan in the mix, and it's four cards being ran in less than a month.


----------



## Raye

Was the Super J Cup not filmed? Wanted to watch it online but couldn't find anything on it at all :S


----------



## RelivingTheShadow

Raye said:


> Was the Super J Cup not filmed? Wanted to watch it online but couldn't find anything on it at all :S


It'll be on NJPW world next month. Yes, I know, how in 2019 could they not stream it live is beyond me.


----------



## Obfuscation

Raye said:


> Was the Super J Cup not filmed? Wanted to watch it online but couldn't find anything on it at all :S


There's a stickied thread for it in the New Japan section.


----------



## Corey

NOAH drew an abysmal 835 in Korakuen today, headlined by two N-1 Victory tournament matches. 3rd time this year they've drawn less than 1k at Korakuen but tbh none of those cards were particularly that strong.

BUT, if you wanna watch the show it streamed free on their Youtube channel. 

5. Kaito Kiyomiya & Alex Hammerstone vs. Naomichi Marufuji & Shuhei Taniguchi 
6. *N-1 VICTORY 2019 - Block B:* Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Kenoh
7. *N-1 VICTORY 2019 - Block A:* Go Shiozaki vs. Masa Kitamiya


----------



## MC

I would think the number is a mixture of it being a weekday, having both Masa Kitamiya and Go Shiozaki in the main event, neither who are particularly strong in the drawing department. Over saturation is key, too. Oh well, I hear the top two matches are quite good and the show itself is a hit which matters more to me.


----------



## volde

I don't really understand the logic of having 5 people in each block and then doing 1-2 tournament matches per show.


----------



## antoniomare007

9/14 is Z1 at Korakuen Hall. Sekimoto vs Hino will have no time limit

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1167721317329772545
I highly doubt the go past 25 minutes (and they shouldn't tbh) but this is Z1 basically selling the match as "there must be a winner". Hino should be taking the strap in a dope encounter, I hope they get a good attendance.


BJW's Death Vegas card is set:
*
BJW "BIG JAPAN DEATH VEGAS", 15.09.2019 (Samurai! TV)
Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium*

1. Takuho Kato & Akira Hyodo vs. Masaki Morihiro & Kosuke Sato
2. Abdullah Kobayashi, Hideki Suzuki, Orca Uto & X vs. Frank Atsushi, Kazuki Hashimoto, Tatsuhiko Yoshino, Kota Sekifuda & X
3. 4 Way Tag Death Match: Ryuji Ito & Yuko Miyamoto vs. Masashi Takeda & Takumi Tsukamoto [​IMG] vs. Masaya Takahashi & Takayuki Ueki vs. Kankuro Hoshino & Yuki Ishikawa
4. BJW Jr. Heavyweight Title: TAJIRI (c) vs. Yuya Aoki
5. Yuji Okabayashi, Ryota Hama & Yasufumi Nakanoue vs. Ryuichi Kawakami, Kazumi Kikuta & Daichi Hashimoto
6. Saikyou Tag League - Strong Block: Daisuke Sekimoto & The Bodyguard vs. Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe [​IMG]
7. BJW Strong World Heavyweight Title: Kohei Sato [​IMG] (c) vs. Hideyoshi Kamitani
8. BJW Death Match Heavyweight Title ~ Fluorescent Lighttubes Scaffold + α Death Match: Isami Kodaka [​IMG] (c) vs. Toshiyuki Sakuda


Aoki back :mark:

Kamitani got a random ass title shot and today he got the W on a tag match against Nomura/Sato (fucking Sato made Nomura take the fall though :lmao).

Yokohama always gets strong cards and matchups because they are (were?) Big Japan's home base but those crowds are always so damn bad, getting heat from them is a feat in itself  Reminds me of NOAH running fucking Differ Ariake and Ariake Colliseum, though no crowd is worse that those.


----------



## Corey

I'm still a little upset that Sato took the belt off of Yuji. :/ Sekimoto/Hino in Korakuen should be a fuckin doozy though.

But hey guys, RHINO is coming to NOAH! 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1167211836225118208


----------



## Obfuscation

"Four way tag Death match"

Praise be all of BJW.

Sekimoto vs Hino innnnnncoming. :mark:

Rhino in NOAH, why not. Between that and other news regarding BFG, the Impact/NOAH union seems fully back on. Wonder how this works with MLW being with NOAH too. Guess they just welcome all they can receive now.


----------



## Corey

Hey guys, Kento is still champ.  Kawada's defense record is 10 so is that what they're doing with this here?

Should be noted that attendance was down to 1,313. The last time Kento defended against Nomura in March they drew 1,615.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1168864557542072321


----------



## antoniomare007

Not even Hellboy could draw a No Vancancy


----------



## Obfuscation

Guess Akiyama decided he wanted to pull a Gedo move. You can give Miyahara that accolade all you want, but me scoffing it off next to Kawada is just something I'm gonna be doing.

Hellboy though. All about that debut.


----------



## volde

Business being stagnant, or maybe even in slight decline, should probably be a sign that you shouldn't go for record breaking runs with your guy at the moment.


----------



## MC

I mean, Akiyama got demoted from president because he wasn't trying to expand further. This is just further indication of it as a booker. Also it doesn't help that Miyahara is practically their only draw. I still think they need to go all in on someone. Jake Lee was hot for the Champion Carnival. They could go back to that for the Royal Road tournament.


----------



## antoniomare007

MC said:


> I mean, Akiyama got demoted from president because he wasn't trying to expand further. This is just further indication of it as a booker. Also it doesn't help that Miyahara is practically their only draw. I still think they need to go all in on someone. Jake Lee was hot for the Champion Carnival. They could go back to that for the Royal Road tournament.


Jake Lee wasn't hot for the CC. He basically killed his own push with his performance. Which wasn't bad by the way, but it was never the "I'm next in line" leap that it had to be. And the fans didn't take to him as the next star either, he was kinda over but not "kid's got next" over. If they really want to give Kento 3 or 4 more successful defenses, Lee still got time to turn things around I guess.

Nomura came out of the CC as a bigger star, which I think was why he got a more consistent push out of it. And why he should've won that title match as he was the only legit new option All Japan has at this point. 1.3k at Korakuen ain't bad either for AJ.

This also goes back to the bizarre booking the TC had in 17' and 18' with a bunch of short (crazy short in 17') title reigns that lead up to Zeus finally getting the strap...only to lose it in less than 90 days.


----------



## Flowsion

I’ve been finding AJPW kinda stale lately, whereas I think NOAH is on the upswing, I really enjoyed the N-1 Victory (check out Nakajima/Michizuki, Marufupji/Sugiura, Kenoh/Mochi) and we still have to see the two final shows with Kenoh/Nakajima, Sugiura/Go, Sugiura/Kenoh, on the Osaka show there are Sakuraba, Marufuji and Mutoh too which is cool.


----------



## Corey

I thought Ben-K's defense against YAMATO was as dull as dirt, so I hope this one's a lot better. Ultimo Dragon has now joined the DG roster full time as well.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1171820911160373253


----------



## Obfuscation

Ultimo signing is massive. It's all come back around to this. Losing the wrestlers Dragon Gate did over the last year, then by 2019, Ultimo Dragon comes home. Kind of hoping for him to make a faction and call it something with Toryumon in the name.


----------



## Genking48

Obfuscation said:


> Ultimo signing is massive. It's all come back around to this. Losing the wrestlers Dragon Gate did over the last year, then by 2019, Ultimo Dragon comes home. Kind of hoping for him to make a faction and call it something with Toryumon in the name.


Maybe he will. R.E.D has made him their new target and Ryo Saito, Super Shisa & K-Ness (as Darkness Dragon) ass came to his aid and will team with him against R.E.D at the October 8. show. So there could be a chance. 

Card for next Korakuen


> *October 8th, 2019
> Tokyo, Korakuen Hall*
> 
> *☆3 Way Match☆*
> Kaito Ishida vs. Keisuke Okuda vs. Hyo Watanabe
> 
> *☆Special 8 Man Tag Team Match☆*
> Ultimo Dragon, Ryo Saito, K-ness., Super Shisa vs. Eita, Big R Shimizu, Yasushi Kanda, Diamante
> 
> *☆Open the Dream Gate Championship Match☆*
> Ben-K vs. Masaaki Mochizuki


----------



## volde

So, 10 years later Cima returns to DG?


----------



## Corey

The Oudou Tournament started today for All Japan. Jake Lee and Naoya Nomura both advanced. Here's the bracket:










Also we have a new ZERO-1 Champion. The show drew 857 in Korakuen but Hino/Sekimoto didn't main event, which is an odd choice if you ask me


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1172875461233266691


----------



## Corey

Kaito Kiyomiya will face Kenoh in the main event of NOAH's Sumo Hall show. Kenoh beat Sugiura in the N-1 Final. They drew 2600 for that show which is awesome for them.

Here's what they have set up for BJW's show so far. This doesn't do anything for me whatsoever but we'll have to wait and see what they do with Strong BJ. Elgin is facing Marufuji at Bound For Glory so tbh I'm not sure if he'll be booked for this one or if NOAH gets to him first. Who knows.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1173911926616797184


----------



## antoniomare007

Those three matches scream another sub 4,000 attendance in Sumo Hall for Big Japan









Unless they get interesting outside talent and/or book compelling #1 contender matches for both titles, they'll be lucky to get 3,500.


----------



## Genking48

Dragon Gate comes back in November with their English commentary. Lenny Leonard is finally available and seems to be just as hyped as me.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1173974032674414592

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1173974035820142597

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1173974046226178049


----------



## MC

Genking48 said:


> Dragon Gate comes back in November with their English commentary. Lenny Leonard is finally available and seems to be just as hyped as me.
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1173974032674414592
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1173974035820142597
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1173974046226178049


That's awesome. Lenny Leonard is fantastic, easily one of the best, if not the best commentator today. November must be a big month for Dragon Gate to bring back the English commentary instead of Final Gate.

Also, Ben-K vs Mochizuki sounds tremendous. I thought their match at Champions Gate last year were a top match, so I want to see what they can do her with Ben-K improving even beyond then.


----------



## Corey

English commentary for Dragon Gate is GREAT news. Love it. (Y)



antoniomare007 said:


> Those three matches scream another sub 4,000 attendance in Sumo Hall for Big Japan
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Unless they get interesting outside talent and/or book compelling #1 contender matches for both titles, they'll be lucky to get 3,500.


You clearly follow BJW closer than I do, is there any kind of backstory whatsoever to Sato/Daichi? It feels completely thrown together to me and not exactly the spot Daichi should be put in right now.


----------



## Corey

NOAH breaking out the big guns for their Sumo Hall show and they're introducing a new GHC Title for the winner of the main event.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1174928093380694017

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1175004309672644608


----------



## Corey

Jake Lee FINALLY beat Kento in front a sold out Nagoya Hall of 1,005 people. Are they finally gonna take the belt off of him now?? 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1176107434450071552


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> English commentary for Dragon Gate is GREAT news. Love it. (Y)
> 
> 
> You clearly follow BJW closer than I do, is there any kind of backstory whatsoever to Sato/Daichi? It feels completely thrown together to me and not exactly the spot Daichi should be put in right now.


I mean, they have history since Daichi's first few years of his career in Zero1. They've faced each other a whole bunch of times over the years, and have had a couple of singles matches - were of course Sato won - but I do agree this title defense has been hastily thrown together.

Maybe there's more backstory between them that I'm unaware of, but as a rivalry worthy of a Sumo Hall title match? Nah. Specially in 2019 when him and Daichi are far from big rivals and the Big Japan vs Zero1 feud has had other participants.

Even if the point of the match is to put Daichi over, he has zero momentum, hasn't been booked as a strong challenger at all AND there's other people that should be getting that spot at this time. 

Bizarre booking no question about it.


----------



## antoniomare007

Kento vs Jake Lee for the TC will be on October 24th at Korakuen.


----------



## Bennu

Corey said:


> Also we have a new ZERO-1 Champion. The show drew 857 in Korakuen but Hino/Sekimoto didn't main event, which is an odd choice if you ask me
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1172875461233266691


Could somebody explain the whole AWA Championship being with Zero 1?


----------



## MC

> DDT “ULTIMATE PARTY 2019! DDT GROUP BIG SET!”, 03/11/2019
> Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
> 
> 0. Under Match – Tokyo Joshi Pro Offer Match: X Vs X
> 0. Under Match – Time Difference Battle Royal: X Vs X
> 0. Under Match: Tomomitsu Matsunaga, Mizuki Watase & Keigo Nakamura Vs Daichi Kazato, Masato Kamino & Shuhei Washida
> 1. Gauntlet Tag Match: Yuki Ueno & Naomi Yoshimura Vs Yukio Sakaguchi & Ryota Nakatsu Vs Shuichiro Katsumura & Kouki Iwasaki Vs Maki Itoh & Chris Brookes
> 2. KO-D 10-Man Tag Team Titles: Danshoku Dieno Army Vs Super Sasadango Machine Army
> 3. Princess Tag Team Titles: Sakisama & Misao (c) Vs X & X
> 4. KO-D Tag Team Titles – 4 Way Hardcore Match: Daisuke Sasaki & Soma Takao (c) Vs Akito & Shunma Katsumata Vs FUMA & Yusuke Kubo Vs Minoru Fujita & Daiki Shimomura
> 5. Independent World Jr. Heavyweight Title: Keisuke Ishii (c) Vs Fuminori Abe
> 6. Union MAX Title: Ryuichi Sekine (c) Vs Masahiro Takanashi
> 7. Princess Of Princess Title: Shoko Nakajima (c) Vs Yuka Sakazaki
> 8. Special Single Match: Sanshiro Takagi Vs Isami Kodaka
> 9. Dramatic Dream Match: Kenny Omega & Riho Vs Antonio Honda & Miyu Yamashita
> 10. KO-D Openweight Title & DDT Extreme Title: Konosuke Takeshita (K/c) Vs HARASHIMA (E/c)


Ultimate Party is looking to be an excellent show. I notice the lack of big comedy names on the card (they'll probably be in the 20 man tag). An interesting decision given how much they had at Peter Pan and Judgement. The card looks great and should be a big candidate for Supercard of the year should it deliver. That main event looks great. Takeshita has begun to make a fan out of me but come on, HARASHIMA!


----------



## Corey

NOAH is introducing a new belt and it looks fucking gorgeous. First champ will be decided in Sumo Hall and this indicates why Elgin didn't get booked for BJW's big show. 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1179717637225369600


----------



## komatsu_na

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1180759847878311936WALTER announced for Big Japan's Ryogoku in November.


----------



## antoniomare007

Yup:

- Daisuke Sekimoto 20th Anniversary Match, Special Tag Match: Daisuke Sekimoto & WALTER vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Yuji Hino


Should be a barn burner :mark:





Also, Daisuke Ikeda vs Yuki Ishikawa was announced for 16 Carat Gold Weekend. Holy shit.


----------



## dodona

Bennu said:


> Could somebody explain the whole AWA Championship being with Zero 1?


all programmers start counting with 0. Hence what's normal in computer sciences, is quite logical for anything else.


----------



## TD Stinger

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1184658305442037760
Well, this is interesting.


----------



## Corey

Kento Miyahara is STILL the god damn Triple Crown Champion. :lol


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1187354578087501824


----------



## Corey

Sumo Hall weekend started today. Elgin did not win the new belt. =/


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1190604955201224709


----------



## Darkest Lariat

I'm in desperate need to view Muta vs Marufuji if someone would be kind enough to point me in the right direction.


----------



## Corey

Darkest Lariat said:


> I'm in desperate need to view Muta vs Marufuji if someone would be kind enough to point me in the right direction.


The show doesn't air until next Sunday if what I read is correct.


----------



## Darkest Lariat

Corey said:


> The show doesn't air until next Sunday if what I read is correct.


Yea, I just read that somewhere else. Thing is, I don't even know where to watch NOAH anymore. Ever since KENTA left all my usual sources dried up.


----------



## Corey

Darkest Lariat said:


> Yea, I just read that somewhere else. Thing is, I don't even know where to watch NOAH anymore. Ever since KENTA left all my usual sources dried up.


AH ok. When it hits the web I'll make sure to look for a link for ya. (Y)


----------



## Corey

Two big shows today, two not so great attendances compared to this past weekend. @antoniomare007; Daichi won the BJW Strong Title. Meh...


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1191340000765530113

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1191382132490461186


----------



## volde

It feels like BJW are just doing random stuff.


----------



## antoniomare007

The title match made little sense, Daichi winning makes even less sense.


----------



## Corey

Darkest Lariat said:


> I'm in desperate need to view Muta vs Marufuji if someone would be kind enough to point me in the right direction.


Here ya go m8 https://www.bilibili.com/video/av75293934?from=search&seid=6179008806468249308


----------



## Darkest Lariat

Corey said:


> Here ya go m8 https://www.bilibili.com/video/av75293934?from=search&seid=6179008806468249308


MY MAN.
:cudi


----------



## antoniomare007

Yuji Hino vs Yuji Okabayashi for the Z1 Title confirmed (not sure on the date) :mark:


----------



## Darkest Lariat

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1198546529700573184
Retiring at 22, very strange.


----------



## Psychosocial

Darkest Lariat said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1198546529700573184
> Retiring at 22, very strange.


Just seen this, wow.

Any reasons revealed as to why? Really liked the work I saw from her early this year.


----------



## Corey

Dragon Gate revealed their new logo and it's pretty badass.


----------



## Darkest Lariat

Psychosocial said:


> Just seen this, wow.
> 
> Any reasons revealed as to why? Really liked the work I saw from her early this year.


Nope, none at all yet.


----------



## Corey

Here's some stuff to look forward to in the early new year that's not Wrestle Kingdom:

- Yuji Hino (c) vs. Yuji Okabayashi for the ZERO-1 Heavyweight Title on 1/1 @antoniomare007 


Kaito Kiyomiya (c) vs. Go Shiozaki for the GHC Heavyweight Title on 1/4
Michael Elgin vs. Katsuhiko Nakakima on the same show @MC


----------



## antoniomare007

So the 2020 Match of the Year will probably happen on the first day of the year, what a time...


----------



## MC

Hino isn't that good. But okay. 

Nakajima vs Elgin should be a fun spot fest like their New Japan match.


----------



## Corey

Oh look, this god damn match again...


----------



## antoniomare007

Look at the year these two have had, this is not even taking into account the "just fun" stuff they've always involved in. I don't think there's anyone else who's had a better 2019 when you take into account the excellence in both singles and tag matches, specially with different partners and opponents.

I tried not to repeat any matches were both of them were involved (just kept the ones that worked as build up to Okabayashi vs Nomura).


*Daisuke Sekimoto:*

vs Kohei Sato - Zero 1 1/1/19
vs Ryota Hama - Big Japan 1/2/19
w/Okabayashi vs Violent Giants - Big Japan 1/13/19
vs Yuji Hino - Zero 1 2/2/19
w/Kento Miyahara vs Hiroshi Tanahashi & Yoshitatsu - All Star Battle
w/Okabayashi vs Violent Giants - All Japan 3/19/19
w/ Hideyoshi Kamitani & Akira Hyodo vs Yuji Okabayashi, Daichi Hashimoto & Takuya Nomura - Big Japan 4/30/19
w/ Okabayashi & Akira Hyodo vs Takuya Nomura, Ryuichi Kawakami & Kazumi Kikuta - Big Japan 5/30/19
vs Shinjiro Ohtani - Zero1 6/22/19
vs Michael Elgin - Big Japan 8/24/19
w/ Takuya Nomura vs Michael Elgin and Masaaki Mochizuki - Big Japan 8/25/19
vs Chris Dickinson - Beyond Wrestling Americanrana 19 7/28/19 
vs Yuji Hino - Zero1 9/14/19
w/ The Bodyguard vs Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe (Astronauts) - Big Japan 9/15/19
w/WALTER vs Yuji Okabayashi & Yuji Hino - Big Japan 11/4/19
w/ The Bodyguard vs Kento Miyahara & Yuma Aoyagi - All Japan 11/21/19


*Yuji Okabayashi:*


w/ Ryuichi Kawakami & Kazumi Kikuta vs Hideki Suzuki, Takuya Nomura & Yoshihisa Uto - Big Japan 1/2/19
w/ Sekimoto vs Ryuji Sai & Jake Lee - All Japan 2/24/18
vs Shuji Ishikawa - All Japan 4/4/19
vs Daichi Hashimoto - Big Japan 4/14/19 
vs Dylan James - All Japan 4/20/19 
vs Zeus - All Japan 4/21/19 
vs Kento Miyahara - All Japan 4/25/19 
w/ Daichi Hashimoto & Takuya Nomura vs Daisuke Sekimoto, Hideyoshi Kamitani & Akira Hyodo - Big Japan 4/30/19
w/ Sekimoto & Akira Hyodo vs Takuya Nomura, Ryuichi Kawakami & Kazumi Kikuta - Big Japan 5/30/19
w/ Okami vs Takuya Nomura, Ryuichi Kawami & Kazumi Kikuta - Big Japan 6/23/19
w/ Kazumi Kikuta vs Daisuke Sekimoto & Takuya Nomura - Big Japan 6/30/19
w/ Okami vs Takuya Nomura, Kohei Sato & Fuminori Abe - Big Japan 7/16/19
vs Takuya Nomura - Big Japan 7/21/19 
w/ Okami (Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani) vs Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe & Kohei Sato - Big Japan 7/30/19
vs Kohei Sato - Big Japan 8/25/19
w/ Shigehiro Irie vs Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura - Big Japan 9/25/19


----------



## Corey

Naruki Doi beat Ben-K today to win the Open The Dream Gate Championship. It's surprisingly only the 2nd time he's won the title and his last win was 11 years ago at Final Gate '08.


----------



## Corey

Oh shit...


----------



## TripleG

Just ordered the Wrestle Kingdom package on FiteTV, which includes both Tokyo Dome events and New Year's Dash all in their entirety. 

I've never seen a full New Year's Dash before as I typically just watch the hot angle that inevitably comes from the event, so it'll be cool to see the whole thing.


----------



## D Z

Think I will start posting here.


----------



## Corey

Kento Miyahara beat Jake Lee... again. He is the Triple Crown Champion... still. Ridiculous.


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Kento Miyahara beat Jake Lee... again. He is the Triple Crown Champion... still. Ridiculous.


He was always winning. He's scheduled to beat Kawada's defence record. He'll lose to Nomura post CC.


----------



## Corey

MC said:


> He was always winning. He's scheduled to beat Kawada's defence record. He'll lose to Nomura post CC.


Are fans not getting restless? It just feels SO incredibly forced when he's beating the same guys over and over again...


----------



## MC

Corey said:


> Are fans not getting restless? It just feels SO incredibly forced when he's beating the same guys over and over again...


It doesn't seem like it. The crowds love Kento, still. I guess the bad effect it has is more the other guys don't feel like main eventers (that already aren't ME guys like Suwama and Ishikawa, etc) opposed to them getting sick of him.


----------



## Corey

While everyone was focused on Wrestle Kingdom today, Go Shiozaki actually won the GHC Title. Didn't see that coming.


----------



## antoniomare007

Takuya Nomura challenging Daichi for the Strong Heavyweight belt on February in Osaka. Don't think he wins it but it might be a build for Young Gawd to win the Strong Climb and win the belt in a rematch. At least that's what I'm hoping

















Abe is challenging Yuya Aoki for the Jr. belt in Korakuen in February too. That match could be a BANGER if Aoki shows up to fight


----------



## Corey

Katsuhiko Nakajima is the new WRESTLE-! Champion, so that should drum up some more interest there I'd imagine.


----------



## ReekOfAwesomenesss

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1217690097224757249


----------



## Corey

MLW & Dragon Gate have formed a partnership. More on that coming soon.

Kento Miyahara's next Triple Crown defense is set for 2/11 and the opponent is... Yuma Aoyagi.  This defense will tie Kawada's record.


----------



## antoniomare007

--Wrestle-1 is taking an indefinite hiatus after their April 1st show. Maybe it's NXT Japan related?
--Naoya Nomura will miss the Champion Carnival due to injury







no replacement been announced yet.This is the schedule


*AJPW, 06.04.2020 
Tokyo Korakuen Hall* 


*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Kento Miyahara vs. Shigehiro Irie
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Zeus vs. Takashi Sugiura 
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: KAI vs. Joel Redman
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Suwama vs. Ayato Yoshida 
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Jake Lee vs. Gianni Valletta
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Ryouji Sai vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.


*AJPW "HIKARU SATO DEBUT 20TH ANNIVERSARY", 11.04.2020 
Okayama Mirai Hall* 


*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Shuji Ishikawa vs. Yoshitatsu
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Yuma Aoyagi vs. Joel Redman
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Gianni Valletta vs. X
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Lucas Steel


*AJPW, 12.04.2020 
ACROS Fukuoka Event Hall* 


*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Kento Miyahara vs. Shuji Ishikawa
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Yuma Aoyagi vs. Shigehiro Irie
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Suwama vs. Gianni Valletta
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Lucas Steel vs. X


*AJPW, 13.04.2020 
Kumamoto Castle Hall Civic Hall* 


*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Yuma Aoyagi vs. KAI
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Yoshitatsu vs. Shigehiro Irie
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Jake Lee vs. X
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Suwama vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.


*AJPW, 14.04.2020 
Oro City Hall* 


*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Shuji Ishikawa vs. KAI
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Zeus vs. Joel Redman
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Suwama vs. Ryouji Sai
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Gianni Valletta vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.


*AJPW, 16.04.2020 
Hiroshima Marina Hop* 


*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Kento Miyahara vs. Yuma Aoyagi
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: KAI vs. Shigehiro Irie
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Hideyoshi Kamitani vs. X
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Ayato Yoshida vs. Gianni Valletta


*AJPW "ZEUS SPRING FESTIVAL", 17.04.2020 
Osaka Azalea Taisho* 


*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Zeus vs. Shigehiro Irie
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Yoshitatsu vs. Joel Redman
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Jake Lee vs. Hideyoshi Kamitani
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Ayato Yoshida vs. Lucas Steel


*AJPW, 18.04.2020 
Osaka Edion Arena #2* 


*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Zeus vs. Yuma Aoyagi
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Kento Miyahara vs. Yoshitatsu
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Shuji Ishikawa vs. Joel Redman
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Ryouji Sai vs. Hideyoshi Kamitani
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Ayato Yoshida vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.


*AJPW, 19.04.2020 
Nagoya International Conference Hall Event Hall* 


*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Kento Miyahara vs. Takashi Sugiura
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Yoshitatsu vs. Yuma Aoyagi
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Jake Lee vs. Lucas Steel
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Ryouji Sai vs. Gianni Valletta


*AJPW, 21.04.2020 
Aizuwakamatsu City Bunka Center* 


*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Takashi Sugiura vs. Shigehiro Irie
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Shuji Ishikawa vs. Yuma Aoyagi
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Jake Lee vs. Ayato Yoshida
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Hideyoshi Kamitani vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.


*AJPW, 22.04.2020 
Onagawa Town Lifelong Learning Center* 


*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Kento Miyahara vs. KAI
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Yoshitatsu vs. Takashi Sugiura
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Ayato Yoshida vs. X
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Hideyoshi Kamitani vs. Gianni Valletta


*AJPW, 23.04.2020 
Miyagino Ward Bunka Center* 


*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Shuji Ishikawa vs. Takashi Sugiura
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Zeus vs. KAI
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Suwama　vs　X
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Hideyoshi Kamitani vs. Lucas Steel
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Ryouji Sai vs. Ayato Yoshida


*AJPW, 25.04.2020 
Hotel Emisia Sapporo* 


*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Kento Miyahara vs. Joel Redman
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Shuji Ishikawa vs. Zeus
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. X
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Jake Lee vs. Ryouji Sai


*AJPW, 26.04.2020 
Hotel Emisia Sapporo* 


*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Zeus vs. Yoshitatsu
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Takashi Sugiura vs. Joel Redman
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Suwama vs. Jake Lee
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Ryouji Sai vs. Lucas Steel


*AJPW, 29.04.2020 
Kisarazu Citizen Hall* 


*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Takashi Sugiura vs. KAI
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Shigehiro Irie vs. Joel Redman
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Suwama vs. Hideyoshi Kamitani
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Gianni Valletta vs. Lucas Steel


*AJPW, 30.04.2020 
Tokyo Korakuen Hall* 


*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Kento Miyahara vs. Zeus
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Shuji Ishikawa vs. Shigehiro Irie
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Yoshitatsu vs. KAI
*Champion Carnival - Block A*: Yuma Aoyagi vs. Takashi Sugiura


*AJPW, 04.05.2020 
Tokyo Korakuen Hall* 


*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Suwama vs. Lucas Steel
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Jake Lee vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Ryouji Sai vs. X
*Champion Carnival - Block B*: Hideyoshi Kamitani 


 vs. Ayato Yoshida 


*AJPW, 05.05.2020 
Tokyo Korakuen Hall

Final: Block A winner vs Block B winner
*
Block B kinda has a defacto semifinal in Lee vs Davey Boy Jr. I liked they saved the young kids match for the end though, should be in front of hot Korakuen crowd. Block A is wide open. 

Almost every day has at least 1 match that sounds interesting. The loss of Nomura hurts Bock B a fuck ton though.


----------



## Dice Morgan

With Wrestle-1 shutting down next month, does a new federation form from the ashes or is it everyman for himself ?? If everyone is a free agent who is the most attractive to sign with New Japan or any of the bigger groups?


----------



## antoniomare007

Se after 18 months and people saying Kento kept winning because he had to surpass Kawada's record....he fukking lost the Triple Cown to SUWAMA on his 11th defense. He only tied Kawada and beat every young promising guy that could've gotten over


----------



## Corey

antoniomare007 said:


> Se after 18 months and people saying Kento kept winning because he had to surpass Kawada's record....he fukking lost the Triple Cown to SUWAMA on his 11th defense. He only tied Kawada and beat every young promising guy that could've gotten over


What a fucking JOKE. Couldn't believe it when I read it this morning. Makes no sense at all. I didn't even know they were having shows with fans as it is.


----------



## Corey

NOAH had a show at Korakuen today in front of no fans. The main event between Go Shiozaki & Kazuyuki Fujita went 57:47! Wild


----------



## Garmonbozia

Corey said:


> NOAH had a show at Korakuen today in front of no fans. The main event between Go Shiozaki & Kazuyuki Fujita went 57:47! Wild


And the first half of the match was exceptionally wild!


----------



## The Phantom

Jushin Thunder Liger better survive the apocalypse. 

Seriously, don't give him the plague, dinguses.


----------



## ReekOfAwesomenesss

The Phantom said:


> Jushin Thunder Liger better survive the apocalypse.
> 
> Seriously, don't give him the plague, dinguses.


The rest can die? 🤔


----------



## The Phantom

No. But I only have so much space in my plague shelter.

Once I have built my rocketship, we may all start anew on Mars. Cool?


----------



## 304418

Dice Morgan said:


> With Wrestle-1 shutting down next month, does a new federation form from the ashes or is it everyman for himself ?? If everyone is a free agent who is the most attractive to sign with New Japan or any of the bigger groups?


I think it’s less of who goes to New Japan and more who returns to AJPW and who goes to NOAH. As Wrestle-1 was the result of an exodus from AJPW like NOAH, although unlike NOAH it’s shutting its doors. And I don’t know if AJPW would welcome those stars back.

If NOAH accepted them, they would be known as the promotion for former AJPW stars, which is not a bad identity to have. It’s something fresh for them and moves them from beyond being known for Misawa, Kobashi, Marufuji and KENTA.


----------



## ReekOfAwesomenesss

Verbatim17 said:


> I think it’s less of who goes to New Japan and more who returns to AJPW and who goes to NOAH. As Wrestle-1 was the result of an exodus from AJPW like NOAH, although unlike NOAH it’s shutting its doors. And I don’t know if AJPW would welcome those stars back.
> 
> If NOAH accepted them, they would be known as the promotion for former AJPW stars, which is not a bad identity to have. It’s something fresh for them and moves them from beyond being known for Misawa, Kobashi, Marufuji and KENTA.


NOAH and being a promotion former AJPW stars. Hmmm. 🤔


----------



## 304418

ReekOfAwesomenesss said:


> NOAH and being a promotion former AJPW stars. Hmmm. 🤔


Yes. Obviously they were with Misawa, Kobashi, et al. But that era is mainly known for Misawa/Kobashi/Kawada and stellar junior heavyweight action (at least in the West), not as a promotion for former AJPW stars even though that’s what the roster was made up of when it first started.

What I’m suggesting is that NOAH would be more firmly establishing itself as a place for AJPW castoffs, as a kind of second AJPW wave, if they absorbed Wrestle-1.


----------



## ReekOfAwesomenesss

Verbatim17 said:


> Yes. Obviously they were with Misawa, Kobashi, et al. But that era is mainly known for Misawa/Kobashi/Kawada and stellar junior heavyweight action (at least in the West), not as a promotion for former AJPW stars even though that’s what the roster was made up of when it first started.
> 
> What I’m suggesting is that NOAH would be more firmly establishing itself as a place for AJPW castoffs, as a kind of second AJPW wave, if they absorbed Wrestle-1.


I am little bit confused by which era you are talking about. Also assume you are thinking some other company while talking about juniors in that light but I think we are way passed those times for that notion to be reality.


----------



## 304418

ReekOfAwesomenesss said:


> I am little bit confused by which era you are talking about. Also assume you are thinking some other company while talking about juniors in that light but I think we are way passed those times for that notion to be reality.


Era meaning when NOAH first started out – early to mid 00s.

The juniors were the other notable thing about NOAH mid-00s, with Marufuji, KENTA, etc.


----------



## ReekOfAwesomenesss

Verbatim17 said:


> Era meaning when NOAH first started out – early to mid 00s.
> 
> The juniors were the other notable thing about NOAH mid-00s, with Marufuji, KENTA, etc.


Alright. You mentioning Kawada with them confused me. 

I'd say any 'junior' effect post 2000 would be mainly stem from Dragon Gate but I get your point.


----------



## 304418

ReekOfAwesomenesss said:


> Alright. You mentioning Kawada with them confused me.
> 
> I'd say any 'junior' effect post 2000 would be mainly stem from Dragon Gate but I get your point.


I was thinking of the Misawa vs Kawada match in 2005. Hence why I brought up Kawada.


----------



## Corey

All Japan has cancelled the Champion Carnival.


----------



## Dice Morgan

Yesterday Shotaro Ashino announced All Japan will be his base going forward since Wrestle -1 is closed. Should be a fresh opponent for Miyahara.


----------



## Araragi

Arisa Hoshiki is retiring due to neck & head injuries. She was my favorite wrestler in Japan and I hate to see her go but health is wealth.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1263025311232319490


----------



## Oracle

STARDOM's Hana Kimura has died. 


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1264045951607386113


----------



## TJQ

My hearts been hurting a lot lately.


----------



## Oracle

TJQ said:


> My hearts been hurting a lot lately.


2020 the gift that keeps on giving.


----------



## 304418

I am shocked and saddened by her loss. RIP Hana Kimura.

Learning about her death, I understand that she was on a reality tv show in Japan called Terrace House. My understanding is that they adopted a more American approach with fighting and drama for the current season, because that’s not the way Japan reality shows are usually produced and they wanted to try something different. She received a lot of negativity from many watchers and it looks like the hate got to her. 

I`m not going to hate on that particular show or its viewers because reality tv is awful in general, as similar cases to Hana have happened in the UK. But there does not seem to be a strong mental health system in Japan either, so she didn`t get the support she needed. Ironically, I saw an article on Reddit hours before her death that suggested that suicide in Japan are declining because of the COVID-19 crisis. So, hearing about Hana's death is a gut punch to me, even though I was just getting to know her.

This is just sad and tragic. She had her whole life ahead of her.


----------



## december_blue

RIP Hana Kimura. Only 22. This is not ok.


----------



## BigDeadEvil

Damn this sucks This has really gotten me down hearing about Hana


----------



## Fizanko

Really shocked to learn Hana Kimura passed away , and in such horrible circumstances, she was only 22 !

She was such a promising wrestler from the matches i watched that involved her, and her promotion even had her featured in the 1st Wrestling Kingdom match with women wrestlers if it could tell how much they thought of her for the future.

I pray she is at peace in Heaven , my condolences to her family and loved ones.


----------



## kovs27

Absolutely horrible circumstances. My deepest sympathies to the people close to her.


----------



## Punkhead

Ice Ribbon is streaming a live show right now, if there's anyone here to see this in time.


----------



## DangerousR

The card of the last AJPW Broadcast is really good, can't wait to see Jake Lee vs Kuma Arashi and Suwama vs Shotaro Ashino.


----------



## wrestling_fan_03

A question for those who watch AJPW and Noah:
I have the fight network app on my apple TV, but I want to know if it's the best place to watch AJPW, Noah, and DDT wrestling.

Anyone knows?


----------



## Corey

wrestling_fan_03 said:


> A question for those who watch AJPW and Noah:
> I have the fight network app on my apple TV, but I want to know if it's the best place to watch AJPW, Noah, and DDT wrestling.
> 
> Anyone knows?


AJPW and DDT both have their own streaming sites if you wanted to support either company specifically:

www.ajpw.tv
www.ddtpro.com/universe

Can't comment on the fight network though because I don't think that's available in the US.


----------



## Corey

AJPW's return with fans next weekend is looking pretty dope. Their booking decisions never seem to make much sense to me so I'm rooting for BIG SHUJI 😤 

*AJPW, 07/25/2020* (GAORA TV)
*Tokyo Korakuen Hall*


*All Asia Tag Team Title Contendership, 3 Way Match* : Zeus & Izanagi vs. Yoshitatsu & Seigo Tachibana vs. TAJIRI & KAI
*AJPW World* Jr.Heavyweight *Title* : Susumu Yokosuka







(c) vs. Koji Iwamoto
*Triple Crown* : Suwama (c) vs. Shuji Ishikawa


----------



## Outlaw91

Good news for Zero1, they almost shut down because of the pandemic and now, at least on paper the future looks bright for them.









ZERO1 Under New Management - ProWrestlingPost.com


ZERO1 Under New Management In a recent report it appears as though ZERO1 is Under New Management after it appears as being on the brink of collapse.




prowrestlingpost.com


----------



## DangerousR

Kyushi Pro 12th Anniversary Show ~ Kinniku Yamakasa 2020:





Card: 
Tag Team Match
Asosan & Hitamaru Sasaki vs. Kodai Nozaki & Mentai Kid

Six Man Tag Team Match
Batten Blabla, Billy Ken Kid & Junji Tanaka vs. Amabie, Gabai Ji-chan & Ryota Chikuzen

Kyushu Pro Tag Team Titles Three Way Match
*Kazuaki Mihara & Naoki Sakurajima* vs. Kenichiro Arai & Minoru Fujita vs. Team Toryumon (Genki Horiguchi & Susumu Yokosuka)

Kyushu Pro Title Match
Genkai vs. *Yuji Hino*


----------



## DangerousR

The opener is pretty cool, I liked everyone's performances but Sasaki was my favourite in the match I think. This is a good start !


----------



## Outlaw91

Nice looking show in Korakuen Hall, world title and intercontinental tag title matches, plus the Tenkaichi Jr tournament final. The tag team matches also looking good.

I hope Hino wins the title. 









プロレスリング・ゼロワン【ZERO1】プロレス試合日程 東京大会イベント試合情報 2020/08/02(日) 東京後楽園ホール


プロレスリング・ゼロワン【ZERO1】東京大会のご案内。プロレス試合イベント日程。東京都後楽園ホール～2020年08月02日(日)　試合開始18時00分（開場17時15分）プロレスリングZERO1 後楽園大会 コロナに負けない!｢第17回 天下一ジュニアトーナメント2020｣決勝戦。対戦カード・会場へのアクセス・観戦チケットのご案内も




www.z-1.co.jp


----------



## Outlaw91

Zero1 20 year anniversary show set for Ryōgoku Kokugikan, this is a big step forward for them.


----------



## DangerousR

The Genkai vs Yuji Hino was not great but it was very solid, a good match with good chops. I liked that the match didn't put all the emphasis on the hard hits. Genkai gave his all to be at Yuji Hino's level, except that Hino will always overtake him in the match. It's just a bit stupid to make Genkai win, even if he takes him by surprise. ***1/2


----------



## Corey

There's a new Open The Dream Gate Champion:


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1289845452142075904


----------



## Outlaw91

2020 Champion Carnival announced, no gajin in:


----------



## DangerousR

The two blocks are great, there aren't many participants, but I don't mind.


----------



## Chip Chipperson

Any memorabilia fans in here? Just picked up this beautifully signed Jun Akiyama piece from the Toudoukan store in Japan


----------



## adamclark52

Japanese Hardcore Wrestling VIII
Originally aired on September 4th, 2005
Commentators: Buck Woodward and Eric Gargiulo

From “OZ Academy Mayumi Ozaki Produce ~ Going Up” on January 1st, 2005
Weapons Deathmatch
*Mayumi Ozaki & Takako Inoue vs. Kaoru Matsumoto & Eriko Tsuchiya*
This was just an absolute clusterfuck. Too many people were in the mix. It wasn’t just the four women advertised; there was a bunch of people from their respective entourages so it ended up being something like 4 on 3 or 5 on 4. Kaoru Matsumoto may be one of the worst wrestlers I’ve seen in my life, even for hardcore wrestling. She just stood in the corner and watched her partner get pummeled.
Winners: Mayumi Ozaki & Takako Inoue

From BIG JAPAN PRO WRESTLINGs “Big Japan Fighter Declaration 1998” on August 9th, 1998
Glassboard and Fire Barbedwire Deathmatch and Final match in the Big Japan Pro Wrestling Deathmatch Heavyweight Championship Tournament
*Mr. Pogo vs. Mitsuhiro Matsunaga*
There was so much smoke in the ring that the wrestlers had to bail out a few times so they could breath. It was pretty bad.
Winner: Mr. Pogo (new Big Japan Pro Wrestling Deathmatch Heavyweight Champion)

From DYNAMIC DREAM TEAMs “Day Dream Believer 2—4” om November 2nd, 2004
For the KO-D Tag Team Championships
*Hero & Kudo (champions) vs. Seiya Morohashi & Tanomusaku Toba*
This was an actual wrestling match and I didn’t sign up for that. But these guys were really good, especially Kudo and Tanomusaku Toba. 
Winners: Seiya Morohashi & Tanomusaku Toba (new KO-D Tag Team Champions)

BIG JAPAN PRO WRESTLING
100 Florescent Light Tubes Death Match
*Mad Man Pondo w/2 Tuff Tony vs. Daisuke Sekimoto*
This was a pretty one-sided mauling building off it being Daisuke Sekimotos first death match and Mad Man Pondos (probably) thousandth. It built up Sekimoto really well though.
Winner: Daisuke Sekimoto

JWP and M’s Style
Interpromotional Match
*Kayoko Haruyama (JWP) vs. Mika Akino (M’s Style)*
This was another actual wrestling match and these two ladies were pretty good.
Winner: Kayoko Haruyama

BIG JAPAN PRO WRESTLING
Super Hardcore Allstar Deathmatch 
*Ito, Abdullah the Kobayashi, Numasawa & Gosaku vs. Kanemura, Yamakawa, Shadow WX & Bad Boy Hido*
There was a lot going on in this match and at times it was too much to take in. Not all of it was that great but it had its moments. 
Winners: Kanemura, Yamakawa, Shadow WX & Bad Boy Hido
*___*
I found this video on YouTube for free and it was good enough for what I paid. The two actual matches were really good and the Mad Man Pondo match was a good deathmatch. Obviously if was just a compilation of matches that whoever the presenting company had probably got on the cheap. But I enjoyed it. It was nice to see Japanese wrestling that wasn’t surrounded by a bunch of neckbeards circle jerking over it or fuckface Meltzer. Or Okada.

Fuck Okada.


----------



## Bullet Parade

Yes, a fan of picking 


Chip Chipperson said:


> Any memorabilia fans in here? Just picked up this beautifully signed Jun Akiyama piece from the Toudoukan store in Japan


Yep, we ship a lot of stuff from Japan actually. We have customers purchase stuff the normal websites, but also from Yahoo auctions and other sites like Mercari.

As such I get to pick up / bid on things on Yahoo when I’m on there looking at other things for customers.

rare signed cards or programs are good or maybe the odd DVD that haven’t watched etc.


----------



## Outlaw91

Spoiler: Fire Festival 2020 Winner!



Congratulations to Hartley Jackson for winning Zero1's Fire Festival! It's well deserved but definitely didn't see it coming.


----------



## Outlaw91

For those interested, Gaora Sports are putting a lot of free great macthes from AJPW on youtube:



https://youtube.com/c/GAORATV


----------



## USAUSA1

Outlaw91 said:


> For those interested, Gaora Sports are putting a lot of free great macthes from AJPW on youtube:
> 
> 
> 
> https://youtube.com/c/GAORATV


Thanks I was about to ask where can I find AJPW. The only promotion where I can't find stuff on.


----------



## Outlaw91

Spoiler: Did you ever think this is possible in 2021?


----------



## Mr Charismatic

Just asking, is there a thread section for AJPW?


----------



## kovs27

Mr Charismatic said:


> Just asking, is there a thread section for AJPW?


No. All Japan conversation tends to happen in this thread.


----------



## Dab00g

Outlaw91 said:


> Spoiler: Did you ever think this is possible in 2021?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 97187


I mean noah pushing old guys is the norm






But i mean akiyama won the ko-d belt so sanshiro takagi be booking old dudes as champ


----------



## famicommander

NJPW: Will Ospreay









Dragon Gate: Shun Skywalker









DDT: Jun Akiyama









Pro Wrestling NOAH: The Great Muta









AJPW: Suwama









How did we end up with these five guys as the top five champs in Japan?

Skywalker is the only good pick and he's just a kid.


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

I'm glad Noah brought back the traditional green. I hated the white and red. Finally got around to watching the Budokan show...Loved the setup too.

Watched the main event to The Infinite too. lol I love watching Fujita beat people up no matter how old he is. He won the GHC National title


----------



## Cowabunga

How do you guys watch a lot of Japanese wrestling? NJPW is rather easily accessible for people all around the world nowadays both through normal means and... less normal means. But the other companies always seemed more difficult for someone who's not Japanese to accompany. Especially since they don't have a World/English commentary version like NJPW, which is the Japanese company with the biggest following outside of Japan.

...or did some Japanese companies also update their business models recently in order to reach international audiences like NJPW did?

Sorry for the rather off-topic question.


----------



## famicommander

Cowabunga said:


> How do you guys watch a lot of Japanese wrestling? NJPW is rather easily accessible for people all around the world nowadays both through normal means and... less normal means. But the other companies always seemed more difficult for someone who's not Japanese to accompany. Especially since they don't have a World/English commentary version like NJPW, which is the Japanese company with the biggest following outside of Japan.
> 
> ...or did some Japanese companies also update their business models recently in order to reach international audiences like NJPW did?
> 
> Sorry for the rather off-topic question.


NJPW is the only one with full-time English commentary but the other major promotions have their own streaming services too and they aren't too hard to subscribe to outside of Japan. And they will do the occasional show with English commentary, too.

DDT, Pro Wrestling NOAH, Ganbare Puroresu, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, and a few legacy promotions have their shows airing on Wrestle Universe:




__





DDT ProWrestling







www.ddtpro.com





Dragon Gate has Dragon Gate Network:








DRAGONGATE NETWORK [ドラゴンゲート・ネットワーク]


ドラゴンゲート・プロレス公式動画サイト。1,650円/月で主要大会を生中継＆見逃し配信！さらに過去の試合やオリジナル映像も見放題！




dragongate.live





AJPW has All Japan Wrestling TV:




__





非対応端末エラー






www.ajpw.tv





NJPW's sister promotion STARDOM has Stardom World:








トップページ | Stardom World







www.stardom-world.com





All the sites have English options.

There are a few smaller promotions with streaming options out there too but the big promotions are Bushiroad (NJPW + Stardom), CyberFight (DDT, NOAH, TJPW, + Ganbare), Dragon Gate, and AJPW.


----------



## Outlaw91

famicommander said:


> NJPW is the only one with full-time English commentary but the other major promotions have their own streaming services too and they aren't too hard to subscribe to outside of Japan. And they will do the occasional show with English commentary, too.
> 
> DDT, Pro Wrestling NOAH, Ganbare Puroresu, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, and a few legacy promotions have their shows airing on Wrestle Universe:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> DDT ProWrestling
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.ddtpro.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dragon Gate has Dragon Gate Network:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> DRAGONGATE NETWORK [ドラゴンゲート・ネットワーク]
> 
> 
> ドラゴンゲート・プロレス公式動画サイト。1,650円/月で主要大会を生中継＆見逃し配信！さらに過去の試合やオリジナル映像も見放題！
> 
> 
> 
> 
> dragongate.live
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> AJPW has All Japan Wrestling TV:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 非対応端末エラー
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.ajpw.tv
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> NJPW's sister promotion STARDOM has Stardom World:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> トップページ | Stardom World
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.stardom-world.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> All the sites have English options.
> 
> There are a few smaller promotions with streaming options out there too but the big promotions are Bushiroad (NJPW + Stardom), CyberFight (DDT, NOAH, TJPW, + Ganbare), Dragon Gate, and AJPW.


All those you mentioned plus BJW
トップページ | BJW CORE


----------



## Cowabunga

famicommander said:


> NJPW is the only one with full-time English commentary but the other major promotions have their own streaming services too and they aren't too hard to subscribe to outside of Japan. And they will do the occasional show with English commentary, too.
> 
> DDT, Pro Wrestling NOAH, Ganbare Puroresu, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, and a few legacy promotions have their shows airing on Wrestle Universe:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> DDT ProWrestling
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.ddtpro.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dragon Gate has Dragon Gate Network:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> DRAGONGATE NETWORK [ドラゴンゲート・ネットワーク]
> 
> 
> ドラゴンゲート・プロレス公式動画サイト。1,650円/月で主要大会を生中継＆見逃し配信！さらに過去の試合やオリジナル映像も見放題！
> 
> 
> 
> 
> dragongate.live
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> AJPW has All Japan Wrestling TV:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 非対応端末エラー
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.ajpw.tv
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> NJPW's sister promotion STARDOM has Stardom World:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> トップページ | Stardom World
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.stardom-world.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> All the sites have English options.
> 
> There are a few smaller promotions with streaming options out there too but the big promotions are Bushiroad (NJPW + Stardom), CyberFight (DDT, NOAH, TJPW, + Ganbare), Dragon Gate, and AJPW.


One thing I find curious is how NJPW has become so popular in the last several years. Whenever I search for classic puro matches on YouTube from the 80s, 90s and early 2000s it seems like they're all from AJPW and NOAH.


----------



## famicommander

Cowabunga said:


> One thing I find curious is how NJPW has become so popular in the last several years. Whenever I search for classic puro matches on YouTube from the 80s, 90s and early 2000s it seems like they're all from AJPW and NOAH.


NJPW blew up because of the dual combination of Bullet Club and massive exposure on ROH television. In 2014-2015 ROH was averaging almost 700,000 viewers in the US on local syndication+cable alone and that's right when the NJPW relationship and Bullet Club took off. Right after those two things happened we got NJPW World, the AXS Show, NJPW US shows, and then finally NJPW Strong.

NJPW went from off the radar in the West to several Bullet Club T-shirts in the front row of every wrestling card everywhere in the world. They were able to retain a lot of the eyeballs they got from that wide exposure because they consistently delivered on match quality. For a period of about five years nobody was touching NJPW in match qualty; not even ROH or NOAH or Dragon Gate.


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

Also you can follow this person on twitter for English Noah. They translate things and also relay the stories/promos: https://twitter.com/Hi5ame

All Japan has an official English account. So does New Japan. As for finding content it's not too hard.


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

If you're going to watch anything from the latest Noah show it should be Fujita vs Sugiura. They beat the absolute shit out of each other. It's amazing how hard Fujita can still hit people at 50 years old. I'd give the match **** snowflakes








2021-05-01 23-41-43


Watch "2021-05-01 23-41-43" on Streamable.




streamable.com





The winner was challenged by Sakuraba so I'm definitely looking forward to that!


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

Hello anyone there? I can't be the only one who's sick of the trend of long matches in Japan in recent years no? I was going to watch Kento Miyahara vs Jake Lee but, man, I need some variety in length here. Everything's so goddamn long now. Anyways in Noah news, Marufuji is challenging Mutoh for the GHC title next.

Decided to watch Tenryu vs Miyamoto from 2003 All Japan instead...gotta love Tenryu, man haha. He has the best facial expressions. No one grumpier and nastier









2021-05-06 01-49-10


Watch "2021-05-06 01-49-10" on Streamable.




streamable.com












2021-05-06 01-50-19


Watch "2021-05-06 01-50-19" on Streamable.




streamable.com


----------



## Mr Charismatic

Anybody here have links to some classic Katsuyori Shibata matches?


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

Mr Charismatic said:


> Anybody here have links to some classic Katsuyori Shibata matches?


Classic as in him in the early 2000s or his best matches?


----------



## Mr Charismatic

kennykiller12 said:


> Classic as in him in the early 2000s or his best matches?


How about both?


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

Mr Charismatic said:


> How about both?


I don't have any "modern" New Japan stuff but I do have 2000s stuff, so here. These links will die in 3 days so download them before then. I'm sure you will but still lol. They're pretty short:

vs Minoru Tanka (2001) - https://litter.catbox.moe/kkpx2y.avi
vs Takayama (2004) - https://litter.catbox.moe/jnck3k.avi
vs Nakamura (2004) I miss dickhead black tights Shinsuke - https://litter.catbox.moe/cj7zya.avi

None are particularly great but they're pretty cool to see I suppose lol. I do like the last match tho. You can probably find newer stuff on vimeo or dailymotion. There used to be this Russian site people uploaded stuff to but I forget the name. I used to use the RealHero Archive for new stuff but it got shut down a few years ago.


----------



## Mr Charismatic

@kennykiller12 its hilarious to see that Shibata who is known for his hard hitting offense used to get smoked by all these mofos
I watched his matches with Fujita and Kawada. Man he was fucked up!!


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

So one of the more bizarre Noah matches happened the other day. NOSAWA beat Kaito into a bloody pulp. Kaito also put his hands on the ref. Guess they're doing a fall from grace story. 

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1396145120861376522


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

Cyberfight was great, everyone check it out.


----------



## Mr Charismatic

Shinya Hashimoto and Masato Tanaka had this match in 2003. Tanaka started off nicely but not long in the match Hashimoto took over. For the next 10-12 it was a hard hitting bout. Hashimoto gets a submission win in the end


----------



## SevenStarSplash

Something for you all to enjoy!


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1425983991002406914Fuck. Rest in Peace, Jahmale. Thanks for all your work.


----------



## Outlaw91




----------



## Kenny's Ghost

One of the best themes in wrestling rn imo


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

Finally watched Nakajima/Marufuji in Osaka. What a match! They told a great story in the match.


----------



## rollinsnation91

After watching wrestling after a years of break i finally had the time to watch the G1 Climax for so many years. The respect the japanese crowd gives to wrestling and the style of NJPW is another level and boy do i miss it. Makes me question why some of these wrestlers move to WWE no offense. But hey look at AJ Styles, Devitt/Balor, Adam Cole, and Nakamura theyre meant to be worldwide stars.


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

Re-watched this. Definitely my favorite 5 minute match.


----------



## Kenny's Ghost




----------



## The Sheik

Heard Konami is sick with a stomach virus and is hospitalized. Hope it's nothing serious.


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1454397747411312644What a shot. Nakajima is on another level right now imo


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

Kazuchika Okada vs Naomichi Marufuji 4.75 King of Pro Wrestling 2016


4.75 STAR




www.tokyvideo.com




Remember when Marufuji and Okada wrestled each other? That whipped ass.


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1461925995137564672I'm going to be mad online if the NOAH guys just job out to New Japan


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1460565794211840001The rematch on November 28th, can't wait


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1462110693214273545


----------



## adamclark52

FMW 7th, Anniversary Show
May 5th, 1996
From Kawasaki Stadium in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
Commentators: John Watanabe and Eric Geller

*Nanjyo Mayato vs. Jason the Terrible*
Jason basically killed Nanjyo Mayato in a very quick squash.
Winner: Jason the Terrible

Street Fight
*Chigusa Nagayo vs. Shark Tsuchiya*
This was a “match” but it was fucking ugly. The referee stopped it for some reason? I think he’d seen enough too.
Winner: Chigusa Nagayo via referee stoppage

"Wrestling 101" with John Watanabe and FMW trainee Saki (in a bikini) demonstrating the Fujisawa Armbar.

Some of the best promos I’ve ever seen.

Street Fight for the inaugural FMW World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championships
*The Gladiator, Horace Boulder & Hisakatsu Oya vs. Super Leather & the Headhunters*
Another sloppy mess but a good sloppy mess. I honestly could have sat through ten more minutes.
Winner: Super Leather & the Headhunters

Caribbean Barbed Wire Barricade Spider Net Glass Deathmatch for the IWA King of the Death Match Championship
*W*ING Kanemura vs. Cactus Jack (champion)*
This was a fucking brutal match. While not as dangerous as the Hell in a Cell match it was probably the most violent match I’ve seen of Foleys. Mind you, I’ve never seen any of his work outside of North America. It was a great brutal showing. It’s hard to say who got the worst of it but I guess Foley at least got the “W”.
Winner: Cactus Jack

"Wrestling 101" with Ken Watanabe, Eric Geller and two hot girls demonstrating the Airplane Spin. I'm going out on a limb here but _I think_ this was just a set-up to give the loser hosts a chance to touch some bums.

No Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch for the FMW Independent and WWA World Women's Championship & Toyoda’s retirement match
*Megumi Kudo vs. Combat Toyoda (champion)*
WOW! The girls went as all-out as the guys here. I’d like to see some of those current Barbie doll Simp magnets in AEW or NXT go toe-to-toe with these girls. Sasha Banks wouldn’t last a minute with either of these warriors. Seriously this is one of the better hardcore matches I’ve seen in my life and the best womens match I’ve ever seen.
Winner: Megumi Kudo

Backstage Kudo and Toyoda share an emotional moment, neither can stand since their central nervous systems have been fried.

One Million Yen No Ropes Exploding Barbed Wire Double Hell Exploding Landmine Deathmatch (with bombs placed around the ring)
*Masato Tanaka & Hayabusa vs. Mr. Pogo & Terry Funk*
In 1996 One Million Yen was worth around $10,000 USD or $4,000,000 Canadian. This had the misfortune of following the previous match and it didn’t offer much more, aside from a few hacksaws. Any other show it would have probably blown my mind. Then some alarm started going off and the commentators mentioned the 16 bombs placed around the ring that were set to explode in five minutes. They’d forgotten to mention that. So then things went fucking insane. Remember when AEW had sparklers? Yeah this was just a bit better than that.
Winners: Mr. Pogo & Terry Funk

Backstage, Hayabusa is ashamed that he let everyone in FMW down.
*___*
I’ve never seen an FMW show before and I’m glad I did now. It started out pretty bad but picked up during the six-man match and then just accelerated from there. I loved how every match was the crazy stipulations from the previous match with one more bit of craziness added to it. The wrestling was mostly garbage but every once and a while you just want to see people get thrown into exploding barbed wire ropes.

There was a lot more to this card but it was cut out of the version I found on YouTube. The version I was watching, in fact, was released in 1999 and alluded to a lot of North American wrestling moments that hadn’t even happened at the time of this show. A lot of the matches that were shown were edited for time too. Only the last two matches were shown in their entirety.

Other matches from the show were:
Chaparita Asari and Yumi Fukawa verses Kaori Nakayama and Aki Kanbayashi
Kamikaze, Katsutoshi Niiyama and Wild Shooter verses Daisuke Ikeda, Shoichi Funaki and Tetsuhiro Kuroda
The Rock 'n' Roll Express and Ricky Fuji verses Crypt Keeper, Boogie Man and Freddy Krueger
Ryuma Go and Samurai Max verses Maijin and Silver X
Taka Michinoku verses Koji Nakagawa for the FMW Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship(the reviews I’ve read of the show all say this is an incredible match)
Hideki Hosaka, Hido and Mitsuhiro Matsunaga verses Miguel Perez, Shoji Nakamaki and Toryu

The commentary was pretty terrible. I thought the one guy was Dustin Diamond.


----------



## 3venflow

Anyone see the Nakajima vs. Kenou match from NOAH? It's one of the best matches of the year and Nakajima has to be in running for in-ring Wrestler of the Year with Shingo, Danielson, Omega and Syuri.


----------



## Groovemachine

3venflow said:


> Anyone see the Nakajima vs. Kenou match from NOAH? It's one of the best matches of the year and Nakajima has to be in running for in-ring Wrestler of the Year with Shingo, Danielson, Omega and Syuri.


Yeah man! I posted about it in the MOTYC thread. What a match! And I'd have no qualms with anyone saying Nak is up there for WOTY, he is just in his prime right now and firing on all cylinders.


----------



## adamclark52

FMW “9th Anniversary Show”
April 30th, 1998
From Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium in Yokohama, Japan

A rather lengthy advertisement for FMW home videos kicks off the show. Some cool looking stuff though.

Vignette for some guy who keeps showing his butt and package to try swoon (I think) Megumi Kudo. I think it was Hido.

*Hideki Hosaka vs. Hido*
I'm not sure if this was a "joke match" and I really question having that open your biggest show of the year.
Winner: Hido

ECW vignette.

*Chris Chetti vs. Hisakatsu Oya vs. Koji Nakagawa*
This was just quick highlights. Hisakatsu Oya really should have done something about his hair. Not pretty.
Winner: Hisakatsu Oya

*Ricky Fuji & John Kronos vs. Jado & Gedo*
This was just the end of the match, but we got full intros; which were longer than what they showed of the match. Jado & Gedo used a WCW version of Sharped Dressed Man as their intro music and Go Ito interfered.
Winner: Jado & Gedo

*Jinsei Shinzaki vs. Yukihiro Kanemura *
Okay so Jinsei Shinzakis entrance was awesome. His entrances in the WWF were pretty cool but this was way better, even if it kinda ripped off the Undertakers. Yukihiro Kanemura got a WCW version of Keep ‘Em Separated. This was a full match and the first match I’d recommend watching but damn was it ever sloppy.
Winner: Jinsei Shinzaki

*Super Leather & Horace Boulder vs. Tetsuhiro Kuroda & the Gladiator *
Again, just highlights of what should have been a much brutaller match.
Winners: Super Leather & Horace Boulder

*Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Masato Tanaka*
Most of this match was Bigelow just owning Tanaka and that got a little boring. Tanaka turned it around a little at the end, but unlike a SuperCena recovery it actually didn’t work.
Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow

Later backstage; Masato Tanaka is pretty beaten up but Bam Bam Bigelow comes in to see if he’s alright and gives him props. That was actually really cool to see. It wasn’t a wussy check-up. It was like “yo, you alright man? Yeah, right on! Future star right there”.

Lengthy vignette of Kodo Fuyuki and Atsushi Onita’s past. 

If Onita loses Team ZEN must disband
*Kodo Fuyuki w/a bunch of stablemates and some nurses vs. Atsushi Onita*
This was the first match where blood was shed. That was surprising to me and a stark contrast to the other FMW show I watched a few weeks ago (the 7th Anniversary show). It was a good match and if I had a clue as to what was going on story wise maybe I’d have cared more. (I did find out reading later the stipulation and who Onita was at the time so I wish I’d known that going into it)
Winner: Kodo Fuyuki

Vignette of Hayabusa and Mr. Gannosuke’s history.

For the FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship and the FMW Independent Heavyweight Championship
*Hayabusa vs. Mr. Gannosuke (champion)*
This match was pretty slow and submission heavy. It was definitely a good match but I was kinda out of the show by this point.
Winner: Hayabusa (new FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Champion and FMW Independent Heavyweight Champion)
*____*
I won’t lie: I was very disappointed by this show. I do like good *wrestling* but the one other FMW show I’ve seen (the 7th Anniversary show) was absolutely nuts and I wanted more of that tonight. What really killed it was there were way too many vignettes. It was good that FMW embraced the past between two wrestlers but it was a little much. Some of the videos topped ten minutes. Even before dudes made their entrances for their matches there was usually a video of them in action, then their actual entrance. My youngest son was watching this with me and even he was asking why they were showing so many videos. There were some good matches (Jinsei Shinzaki verses Yukihiro Kanemura, Kodo Fuyuki verses Atsushi Onita) that I would recommend fans of good wrestling check out.

There were factions at this show but the best I could figure out was there was “Zen” (Atsushi Onita, Hideki Hosaka, Tetsuhiro Kuroda, the Gladiator and Koji Makagawa), “No Respect” (Mr. Gannosuke, Kodo Fuyuki, Yukihiro Kanemura, Jado, Gedo, Hido, Super Leather, Horace Boulder and one other guy named Go Ito who seemed more like a lacky) and one other who’s name I never caught but seemed like they were way less important, plus guys who just wrestled to represent FMW and the ECW guys who were like freelancers.

A lot of similarities to American wrestling characters. The aforementioned factions, the Zen guys all wore tights very similar to Bret Harts of the time, Go Ito was basically Japanese Raven, Jinsei Shinzakis entrance basically being the Undertakers (it started with a gong rather than a bell), Atsushi Onita even entered through the crowd drinking (and spitting) beer and the WCW rip-off music.

I was going to watch the 8th Anniversary show tonight but the version I found had no commentary. I prefer watching Japanese shows with Japanese commentary which I don’t understand but it’s better than no commentary. I have a hard time watching matches with no commentary unless it’s REALLY GOOD or anything from WWE the last five or six years.

There were a lot of empty seats at this show, unlike the 7th Anniversary show I watch a few weeks ago where they filled a stadium. I think FMW went out of business less than three years after this. The 7th Anniversary show had 33,000+ people there. This one had 5,200 people and was in a gymnasium. That’s Ring of Honor levels of audience drop-off.


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

Haven't had time to watch this show yet but NOAH consistently has my favorite sets in wrestling

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1477169996510154756


----------



## Outlaw91

GNKenny said:


> Haven't had time to watch this show yet but NOAH consistently has my favorite sets in wrestling
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1477169996510154756


If that's the one from January 1st then you should definitely watch.


----------



## TD Stinger

GNKenny said:


> Haven't had time to watch this show yet but NOAH consistently has my favorite sets in wrestling
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1477169996510154756


The set up NOAH did in Budokan looks a lot better and big time than when NJPW runs it.

Caught some of the show. The 2 main events are something to look for.


----------



## NastyYaffa

GNKenny said:


> Kazuchika Okada vs Naomichi Marufuji 4.75 King of Pro Wrestling 2016
> 
> 
> 4.75 STAR
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.tokyvideo.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Remember when Marufuji and Okada wrestled each other? That whipped ass.


I actually just re-watched this for the first time since it happened in 2016. Back then, I didn't like it for whatever reasons, but now in 2022? I got goosebumps during the finishing stretch when I remembered that Okada is about to bust out the Emerald Flowsion. What a goddang match & a half.


----------



## rollinsnation91

Favorite WK16 matches from Okada? Personally i enjoyed his Day 2 match the most.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Another random re-watch: Tanahashi vs. Omega from the Dome, 2019. Helluva match. Always was into the story leading up to it, and I still am fascinated by it. A battle of two vastly different ideologies that is executed wonderfully inside the ropes.


----------



## yeahbaby!

rollinsnation91 said:


> Favorite WK16 matches from Okada? Personally i enjoyed his Day 2 match the most.
> View attachment 114864


Yeah probably with Ospreay but they were both fantastic of course. The guy really can't do much wrong, the epitome of a world champion.

The match I responded to the most upon memory though was Tanahashi v KENTA. Insane hardcore match.


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1505474634061426690Sugiura really rocks this belt.


----------



## Outlaw91

GNKenny said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1505474634061426690Sugiura really rocks this belt.


One of the best looking belts, too bad Zero1 is just a small indie these days.


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

Outlaw91 said:


> One of the best looking belts, too bad Zero1 is just a small indie these days.


Ive been trying to watch some stuff here and there despite a lack of time. Any matches worth seeking out?


----------



## Kenny's Ghost




----------



## Chip Chipperson

Australian Wrestler Slex has just signed a deal with NOAH. He's a gun.


----------



## Outlaw91

GNKenny said:


> Ive been trying to watch some stuff here and there despite a lack of time. Any matches worth seeking out?


I didn't watch Zero1 for some time but Hartley Jackson vs Hayato Tamura from the Fire Festival 2020 finals and then the title match were pretty good. Masato Tanaka vs Tamura and Tanaka vs Takashi Sugiura too.


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

forgot how much this fucks


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1511568015850020866


----------



## septurum

What happened to All Japan? I keep up with results on the IWD and every show is in front of 100-300 people. Used to be the best wrestling on the planet in the 90s, this fall from grace is hard to watch.


----------



## Outlaw91

septurum said:


> What happened to All Japan? I keep up with results on the IWD and every show is in front of 100-300 people. Used to be the best wrestling on the planet in the 90s, this fall from grace is hard to watch.


AJPW didn't do great numbers before but since Akiyama left it feels like an indy, it's basically the better version of Zero1. It is not anywhere near the level of Dragon Gate, DDT or Noah, comparing it with NJPW is blasphemy unfortunately.


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1513117803976474626Scary stuff.... let's hope for the best


----------



## Outlaw91

This is extremely sad news, I hope Otani will get better soon. A real legend of the game!


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1513239500817846275nothing new, but Zero1 released an official statement


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1514189620703027202


----------



## 5 Star Giulia ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

*@3venflow What do you know about Miyuki Takase? My Japanese timeline is excited for this match. I'm familiar with Yamashita. 

 https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1526306499177238528*


----------



## 3venflow

@The Legit Lioness I haven't seen a lot of her except one or two matches in Ice Ribbon because I mostly watch Stardom and occasional TJPW (major shows). From what I understand, she is one of the very best freelancers on the Japanese women's scene. I guess some women like the freelance life (Maya Yukihi and ASUKA/VENY being two other quality freelancers) because she seems good enough to wrestle in a top joshi promotion. Her finisher is the Jackhammer. On paper, Yamashita vs. Takase should be a great match, but it's whether they will go all out on an indy show.


----------



## 3venflow

This absolutely legendary match turned 30 years old today. This was one of the most famous tag matches amongst the late 90s tape traders and hopefully gets some fresh attention today.


----------



## adamclark52

Pro Wrestling NOAH “Great Voyage” 
September 23rd, 2002 
From Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan 

For the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships 
*Yoshinobu Manemaru & Tsoyoshi Kikuchi (champions) vs. El Samurai & Masayuki Maruse*
The show started with this match already in progress. It was a very good, high energy start to the show. I was very impressed by Yoshinobu Manemaru. 
Winners: Yoshinobu Manemaru & Tsoyoshi Kikuchi 

Harley Race comes out with a belt and cuts a promo in English. I’m a little surprised his Japanese wasn’t better. 

For the GHC Tag Team Championships 
*Akitoshi Saito & Jun Akiyama vs. Takeshi Morishima & Takeshi Rikio (champions)*
Wow, Morishima was a baby here. I mean he always looked like a giant baby but I don’t even know if he was out of highschool yet. Not to say Jun didn't have the babiest of baby-faces either. It was kinda fun. The match itself lacked spark and I think it should have been nearer the middle of the card when the crowd was a little more warmed up. 
Winners: Akitoshi Saito & Jun Akiyama (new GHC Tag Team Champions) 

For the GHC Heavyweight Championship 
*Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Yoshihiro Takayama (champion)*
This was a good, stiff match but just lacked that spark for me to give it 82 stars. 
Winner: Mitsuharu Misawa (new GHC World Heavyweight Champion) 

*Muhammad Yone vs. Kenta Kobashi*
When this match started I felt really bad for Muhammad Yone. He was probably 50lbs smaller than Kobashi and looked like an idiot. This lasted about as long as it should have and at 11:47 may be the shortest Puro match of all time. It must have been a warm-up match or something for Kobashi. 
Winner: Kenta Kobashi 

Then they showed the first match again except with the intros. 

The a bunch of TV commercials. 

Then they showed the title match again. 

Well that sucked. 

*____*
I’ve seen much better Pro Wrestling NOAH shows. The pacing of this one was way off BUT I will get to that in the next paragraph. The matches were good but it was just lacking. Nothing had that “must see”ness to it. If a Kobashi match feels like an afterthough filler then you know you got a problem. 

As I stated above the pacing was off. And that was because the copy I was watching was shown entirely out of sequence. 
The actual running order of matches was: 
Masashi Aoyagi and Mitsuo Momota verses Haruka Eigan and Kishin Kawabata 
KENTA verses Kotaro Suzuki 
Akira Taue, Jun Izumida and Takashi Sugiura verses Daisuke Ikeda, Kentaro Shiga and Makoto Hashi 
Kenta Kobashi verses Muhammad Yone 
Masao Inoue and Tamon Honda verses Takuma Sano and Yoshinari Ogawa
Tsuyoshi Kikuchi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru verses El Samurai and Masayuki Naruse
Akitoshi Saito and Jun Akiyama verses Takeshi Morishima and Takeshi Rikio 
Mitsuharu Misawa verses Yoshihiro Takayama 

So as you can see not only was this shown in a questionable order half the card was cut out and neither Mitsuharu Misawa verses Yoshihiro Takayama nor the IWGP Juniour Tag Team match happened twice.. I think the original broadcast would have been much better. 

I think this also doubled as some sort of “IWGP verses Pro Wrestling Noah” or cross promotion show. Gedo was at ringside for a lot of the undercard matches. 

So many guys walked out to Iron Maiden songs at this show. It was hard for me to make out which songs exactly but there was no denying that was Bruce’s voice.


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

I miss Takayama


----------



## CovidFan

We all miss Takayama. 

Should seek out his last great match (imo anyways) if you haven't seen it yet vs. Go Shiozaki I believe in September of 2011.


----------



## 3venflow

Nice to see Timothy Thatcher land in NOAH. Japan, where technique and skill is highly appreciated, suits him well.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1534329487844057088


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1535892526271430656Nakajima seems to be over it. Poor Endo.


----------



## 3venflow

RVD still got it at 51.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1535885409968074752
Beautiful entrance for Go at the CyberFight festival... then they had him drop the title to Kojima, who can't buy a big win in New Japan anymore. Pro Wrestling NOAH: one step forward, two steps back.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1536059419837943808
And in what is really big news, Keiji Muto announced he is retiring soon. His knees have been fucked since the mid-90s, so it's impressive he lasted this long.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1535904215801135105


----------



## Outlaw91

3venflow said:


> RVD still got it at 51.
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1535885409968074752
> Beautiful entrance for Go at the CyberFight festival... then they had him drop the title to Kojima, who can't buy a big win in New Japan anymore. Pro Wrestling NOAH: one step forward, two steps back.
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1536059419837943808
> And in what is really big news, Keiji Muto announced he is retiring soon. His knees have been fucked since the mid-90s, so it's impressive he lasted this long.
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1535904215801135105


Hey, man! Would you please recommend me some shows or matches from this year post WK day 3? Anything you think is good from the Wrestle Universe, I trust your judgment when it comes to good matches.
I am watching the Cyberfight Festival but other than that I don’t really know what to watch.
Thanks in advance!

Others are welcomed too, unfortunately this thread isn't too active.

Edit:









What kind of NWA title belt is that? Did Zero1 change the title belt design from classic AWA look to NWA look?


My opinion after watching some matches from Cyberfight Festival :

The 10 men tag team match, natives vs gajins, was nothing special but it's good to see Thatcher and Elgin finding success again, I think those two can be good contenders and even win any of the GHC Heavyweight or National titles in the near future. I was never a fan of Simon Gotch but he is a pretty solid in ring worker. I like the tag team of Dupree and Hijo de Dr Wagner Jr, I didn't know Hijo is so much bigger than his father. He seems a little sloppy but I like his style, he's the typical Mexican Heavyweight luchadore.

RVD looks old but he still can wrestle. It was cool to see him using "One of a kind" theme song, unfortunately there were no R V D chants because of the restrictions even if he tried to get some, Japanese people are way too disciplined.
I hope he will continue to tag with Yoshinari Ogawa, those two veterans can kill it in both tag divisions, I still can't believe Ogawa is almost 56. He's still living by his moniker.

I had great expectations from the 6 men tag team match, Noah vs DDT, since it was Nakajima and Kotoge on one side and Akiyama plus Endo on the other side but unfortunately the accident happened, I hope Endo is fine. I really want to see Akiyama vs Nakajima one on one in the future.

Kenoh vs Daisuke Sasaki didn't disappoint, I think Kenoh deserves much more from Noah than what he already got, he's a top player and also helped them in the past when the promotion didn't do too well. He should be the one who takes the GHC Heavyweight title back and this time he should have a real title reign, a very long one.

Shiozaki vs Kojima was a good match but I really feel sorry for Shiozaki for having to do another job to an old guy. If it was necessary for Go to drop the belt to a NJPW guy I think KENTA should have been the right choice considering his history with the promotion and the history between these two. I guess it was Mutoh's influence here, Koji is one of his students. Kojima can still go but I don't think him winning the top title does any favors to Noah.
As I said before he needs to drop the belt to Kenoh in a big way.

These are the matches I watched. I give it 6,5/10, the usual Noah shows are better but this one had other parties involved. They should continue the tradition of these anual joint shows though.


----------



## 3venflow

@Outlaw91

No problem!

I pick and choose when it comes to NOAH, DDT and TJPW simply due to time. Of the three, I've seen more NOAH. When it comes to NOAH, Shiozaki and Nakajima are the guys to watch.

*NOAH*


Go Shiozaki vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima (January 1st) (my current NOAH MOTY)
Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Kenoh (January 1st)
Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Masa Kitamiya (January 16th)
Go Shiozaki vs. Takashi Sugiura (January 27th)
Go Shiozaki vs. Naomichi Marufuji (February 2nd)
Go Shiozaki vs. Kenoh (February 11th)
Go Shiozaki vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima (March 23rd) (rematch from January)
Go Shiozaki vs. Kaito Kiyomiya (April 30th)
Alpha Wolf vs. Dragon Bane vs. Ninja Mack (April 29th) (if you like lucha type spotfests)
Hideki Suzuki vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima (April 8th) (this is slow, long and technical but I loved it)

*DDT*


Konosuke Takeshita vs. Tetsuya Endo (March 20th) (MUST-SEE 45+ minutes of greatness)
Tetsuya Endo vs. Yuki Ueno (May 1st)

* I haven't watched anything from the King of DDT tournament yet and a lot of DDT in general.

*TJPW*


Miyu Yamashita vs. Mizuki (January 4th)
Miyu Yamashita vs. Shoko Nakajima (March 19th)

* I don't watch much TJPW, only some bigger matches/shows and Yamashita matches.


----------



## ReekOfAwesomenesss

Outlaw91 said:


> What kind of NWA title belt is that? Did Zero1 change the title belt design from classic AWA look to NWA look?


Just a prop he uses


----------



## Outlaw91

ReekOfAwesomenesss said:


> Just a prop he uses


Thanks for the answer. So it's something similar to the Sugi/Saku tag team belts he and Sakuraba used to wear when teaming together. 

@3venflow Thanks a lot for the suggestions. I've already watched the ones from the New Year's show, when KENTA returned, they were great. That was the last Noah show I watched except for the WK night 3 show.


----------



## RainmakerV2

Outlaw91 said:


> Hey, man! Would you please recommend me some shows or matches from this year post WK day 3? Anything you think is good from the Wrestle Universe, I trust your judgment when it comes to good matches.
> I am watching the Cyberfight Festival but other than that I don’t really know what to watch.
> Thanks in advance!
> 
> Others are welcomed too, unfortunately this thread isn't too active.
> 
> Edit:
> 
> View attachment 127194
> 
> What kind of NWA title belt is that? Did Zero1 change the title belt design from classic AWA look to NWA look?
> 
> 
> My opinion after watching some matches from Cyberfight Festival :
> 
> The 10 men tag team match, natives vs gajins, was nothing special but it's good to see Thatcher and Elgin finding success again, I think those two can be good contenders and even win any of the GHC Heavyweight or National titles in the near future. I was never a fan of Simon Gotch but he is a pretty solid in ring worker. I like the tag team of Dupree and Hijo de Dr Wagner Jr, I didn't know Hijo is so much bigger than his father. He seems a little sloppy but I like his style, he's the typical Mexican Heavyweight luchadore.
> 
> RVD looks old but he still can wrestle. It was cool to see him using "One of a kind" theme song, unfortunately there were no R V D chants because of the restrictions even if he tried to get some, Japanese people are way too disciplined.
> I hope he will continue to tag with Yoshinari Ogawa, those two veterans can kill it in both tag divisions, I still can't believe Ogawa is almost 56. He's still living by his moniker.
> 
> I had great expectations from the 6 men tag team match, Noah vs DDT, since it was Nakajima and Kotoge on one side and Akiyama plus Endo on the other side but unfortunately the accident happened, I hope Endo is fine. I really want to see Akiyama vs Nakajima one on one in the future.
> 
> Kenoh vs Daisuke Sasaki didn't disappoint, I think Kenoh deserves much more from Noah than what he already got, he's a top player and also helped them in the past when the promotion didn't do too well. He should be the one who takes the GHC Heavyweight title back and this time he should have a real title reign, a very long one.
> 
> Shiozaki vs Kojima was a good match but I really feel sorry for Shiozaki for having to do another job to an old guy. If it was necessary for Go to drop the belt to a NJPW guy I think KENTA should have been the right choice considering his history with the promotion and the history between these two. I guess it was Mutoh's influence here, Koji is one of his students. Kojima can still go but I don't think him winning the top title does any favors to Noah.
> As I said before he needs to drop the belt to Kenoh in a big way.
> 
> These are the matches I watched. I give it 6,5/10, the usual Noah shows are better but this one had other parties involved. They should continue the tradition of these anual joint shows though.



Sorry if this is a dumb question but you seem pretty knowledgeable on the subject. Why would NOAH put their belt on a NJPW dad that hardly ever wins anymore?


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

The year is 2032. SUWAMA is still Triple Crown Champion. 

I do love the guy though!


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## Outlaw91

RainmakerV2 said:


> Sorry if this is a dumb question but you seem pretty knowledgeable on the subject. Why would NOAH put their belt on a NJPW dad that hardly ever wins anymore?


I guess Kojima is still a pretty big name in Japan and he fits well with some of the veterans they currently have but as I said before, I would have chosen KENTA to do this job. 
I don't know what Noah will exactly gain but it is obvious since WK day 3 that they are the inferior partner. 
I don't mind Kojima, the guy can still wrestle and doesn't look bad at all but he lost too many matches in the last years in NJPW. Honestly, I can't even remember the last time he won an one on one match.


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## RainmakerV2

Outlaw91 said:


> I guess Kojima is still a pretty big name in Japan and he fits well with some of the veterans they currently have but as I said before, I would have chosen KENTA to do this job.
> I don't know what Noah will exactly gain but it is obvious since WK day 3 that they are the inferior partner.
> I don't mind Kojima, the guy can still wrestle and doesn't look bad at all but he lost too many matches in the last years in NJPW. Honestly, I can't even remember the last time he won an one on one match.



Yeah KENTA seems like a much better choice.


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

still one of my fave matches ever


----------



## Outlaw91

I recommend AJPW's 50th Anniversary show from June 19th starting with the match for the World Jr Heavyweight title.
Another fun match from the June 12th show, Kento Miyahara/Minoru Suzuki/SUWAMA VS Jake Lee/Shuji Ishikawa/Yuma Aoyagi.

It's nice to see NJPW working with both Noah and AJPW, maybe they will do a super show somewhere in the future too.


----------



## Outlaw91

Since the G1 Climax will start in less than a week I decided to also give a chance to this year's Champion Carnival. I thought AJPW is bad nowadays but I have to admit that I was wrong. After watching the first day I can say that I am impressed with the mix of young and older talent they have. They also still honor Giant Baba by using his trick of doing multiple consecutive pin attempts after the kick out. By the way, Kenta Kobashi is also involved with the management and makes occasional appearances.


----------



## TD Stinger

Saw some of the TJPW Princess show. Favorite match was probably Maki Itoh vs. Alex Windsor. You wouldn't know it from most of her AEW run but from the matches I see of her's in Japan, Itoh is a pretty good wrestler. And I had never seen Windsor before this match, but she impressed me too. Yamashita vs. Rosa was good as well as I expected.

And honestly what made the show fun was just being able to hear the crowd cheer. When it comes to crowd reactions, there's nothing much better than a hot Japanese crowd.


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

GNKenny said:


> The year is 2032. SUWAMA is still Triple Crown Champion.
> 
> I do love the guy though!


The madlad did it again! SUWAMA beat Jake Lee for the Triple Crown Championship.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1547576674954657793
I also just found out the Voodoo Murders are back


----------



## Outlaw91

GNKenny said:


> The madlad did it again! SUWAMA beat Jake Lee for the Triple Crown Championship.
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1547576674954657793
> I also just found out the Voodoo Murders are back


I'll have to watch this, SUWAMA is still pretty good. 
About the Voodoo Murders, he recently teamed with the original leader TARU and there is also a masked guy but I don't know his name.


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

Outlaw91 said:


> I'll have to watch this, SUWAMA is still pretty good.
> About the Voodoo Murders, he recently teamed with the original leader TARU and there is also a masked guy but I don't know his name.


TARU? Oh dope, he rules. Even though he tried to kill that guy....


----------



## Kenny's Ghost

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1547615418214363136lmao I need to see this match


----------



## Outlaw91

Kenny's Ghost said:


> TARU? Oh dope, he rules. Even though he tried to kill that guy....


Minoru Tanaka and Toshizo also rejoined the Voodoo Murders, they even won the All Asia Tag Team titles.


----------



## 3venflow

Two of the GOAT juniors.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1557026385067184132


----------



## D Z

Please subscribe to Marika Kobashi's youtube



https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6AkIZ3PPI8nATj_Yy6rHPA


----------



## Dice Morgan

Outlaw91 said:


> Minoru Tanaka and Toshizo also rejoined the Voodoo Murders, they even won the All Asia Tag Team titles.


Can someone who is booking All Japan theses days ???


----------



## wrestling_fan_03

Hi guys 

With how they are doing in terms of sales and numbers, what are the odds of All Japan being up for sale in the near future, and who do you think will buy it if it does go for sale?


----------



## CovidFan

I missed it by 2 days but 10 years ago on October 8, Tanahashi beat Minoru Suzuki in a 5 star match that included no pin attempts until the decision pin. Very unique and fun match.

11 years ago today Tanahashi defended against Naito in a 4 and 3/4 match in what was sort of coming out match for Naito shortly after him and Goto split up as a tag team. 

Watch both matches if you haven't!


----------



## 3venflow

UWFI Vader was just another level beast. Vader vs. Takada may just be one of my favourite ever matches.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1589242525533048832


----------



## Outlaw91

Dice Morgan said:


> Can someone who is booking All Japan theses days ???


 Shuji Ishikawa and Jun Akiyama were booking together, I guess it is just Ishikawa now.


----------

