NJPW Thread

[supersonic]

No idea when I'll sit down to watch, but on the NJPW World bandwagon finally. I look forward to becoming an informed, grating elitist about the world's most consistently excellent pro wrestling federation.

[Mr. Mojo Risin]

I would hope you consider writing reviews for this as well.

[Big Red Machine]

I would hope you consider writing reviews for this as well.

This.
I'm always curious to hear which side of the line new viewers fall into with Tomohiro Ishii.

[supersonic]

Be patient, as I'll be watching key matches of the 2000s prior to this decade's ongoing golden age. I wanna see the rises of Devitt, Tanahashi, Nakamura, Goto, Ibushi, Shibata, etc.

[supersonic]

Observer:

An announcement was made at the Tokyo Game Show 2015 (Japan’s biggest video
game and card game convention) that New Japan has finally acquired the
merchandise rights to Jushin Liger. Jushin Liger was a Japanese comic book
character in the 80s, just like Tiger Mask was originally a comic book and children’s
cartoon character in the 70s. Go Nagai, who created the character, owned the
merchandise rights. New Japan after 25 years negotiated a deal where they now
own the Jushin Liger character

[Leo C]

Omega going over was a bad call.

[Leo C]

Well, so much for Goto

[Thelone]

David Finlay & Jay White vs. Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu - ***
Tetsuya Naito vs. Katsuyori Shibata - ****

The Timesplitters (Alex Shelley and KUSHIDA) vs. reDRagon (c) (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly) - **1/2
Yeah, this did nothing for me. The match was just four dudes doing moves forever to almost no reaction until the finish.

Bad Luck Fale vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - ****

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Hirooki Goto (c) - ****1/2
I'm not too shocked by the title change to be honest, but there is this weird trend of playing hot potato with every title lately.

[supersonic]

@enuhito_eng: Go Shiozaki got interviewed by the former chief editor of Tokyo Sports

and said he is interested in IWGP hvwt title. http://t.co/a13gmCNkYu

[ICHIFUJI]

@enuhito_eng: Go Shiozaki got interviewed by the former chief editor of Tokyo Sports

and said he is interested in IWGP hvwt title. http://t.co/a13gmCNkYu

And the main factor of that interview is Go Shiozaki looks like Danshoku Dino (Gay) so he must face Gay.

[Brada]

Omega going over was a bad call.

VERY bad call. Kushida has got to be the most screwed guy in NJPW in terms of booking. Gedo constantly gives this guy the shaft.

[Leo C]

Very fun show today. Kinda surprised they didn't put the belt on Sydal actually (was expecting him to win it to set up a three way at WK), just wondering now if Kushida is actually gonna get the belt back at the Dome or if Gedo forgot. REALLY happy Ishii won the NEVER title back, marked out. Don't really care he's been champ on and off for a long time, he's much better than Makabe and we're getting Ishii/Honma again, joy. Plus I enjoyed the match, although it was probably because I was rooting really hard for Ishii. Tana/Naito was fun, curious to see how Ingobernable Watanabe turns out. Main event was very good.

[Thelone]

David Finlay, Jay White, Juice Robinson, Sho Tanaka and Yohei Komatsu vs. Jushin Liger, KUSHIDA, Mascara Dorada, Ryusuke Tagushi and Tiger Mask - ***
YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tomoaki Honma - ***1/2
Captain New Japan, Hirooki Goto, Katsuyori Shibata and Kota Ibushi vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Manabu Nakanishi, Satoshi Kojima and Yuji Nagata - NR

Roppongi Vice (Beretta and Rocky Romero) vs. reDRagon (c) (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly) - DUD

Complete and utter garbage. The crowd doesn't give a fuck about their shitty indy-style match where they just trade moves forever until the finish. The finish itself was botched beyond belief, which was fitting for this suck-fest.

Matt Sydal vs. Kenny Omega (c) (w/ Cody Hall) - ****
Bad Luck Fale, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson vs. Kazushi Sakuraba, Shinsuke Nakamura and Toru Yano - NR
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Togi Makabe (c) - ****

Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - ***1/2
I had to wait for the Japanese commentary to say his name to realize that the other Ingobernables dude was Watanabe.

AJ Styles (w/ the Bullet Club) vs. Kazuchika Okada (c) (w/ Gedo) - ****
Pretty underwhelming.

So how terrible were Kelly and Striker ? Just seeing Kelly looking bored at ringside pissed me off to no end.

[TYFDK]

So 8 teams have been announced so far for the Super Jr. Tag tournament so far:

Tiger Mask IV & Jushing 'Thunder' Liger
reDRagon
RPG Vice
Chase Owens & Kenny Omega
Mascara Dorada & Ryusuke Taguchi
The Young Bucks
The Time Splitters
Matt Sydal & Ricochet

[DXvsNWO1994]

Also, most of the Power Struggle card has been announced:

- IWGP Intercontinental Title - Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Karl Anderson
- IWGP Heavyweight Champion "Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada & Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi
- NEVER Openweight Title - Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tomoaki Honma
- The Bullet Club ("The Phenomenal" AJ Styles & Bad Luck Fale) vs. CHAOS (Toru Yano & Yoshi-Hashi)
- Hirooki Goto vs. "EVIL" (I presume this is Takaaki Watanabe)
- Super Junior Tag Team Tournament Finals

[IchaelMelgin]

Aw man, Ishii-Honma should defo have waited for WK10 in my opinion. unless they're gonna chuck an Ibushi or somebody in there, that's quite a letdown

[Thelone]

So 8 teams have been announced so far for the Super Jr. Tag tournament so far:

Tiger Mask IV & Jushing 'Thunder' Liger
reDRagon
RPG Vice
Chase Owens & Kenny Omega
Mascara Dorada & Ryusuke Taguchi
The Young Bucks
The Time Splitters
Matt Sydal & Ricochet

Look at all those gaijins no one will care about. Can't wait to see all these dudes do a million moves to polite applause at best.

[Leo C]

Ishii/Honma not at the Dome? 0 buys.

[Big Red Machine]

Ishii/Honma not at the Dome? 0 buys.

Yeah... but the zero buys part has nothing to do with the fact that it's not at the Dome.

[Big Red Machine]

Anyone else feel like the product is REALLY stale right now. I'd been feeling this way for a while, but it really hit me now that they've switched the IC and NEVER belts rights back to the guys who always have them.