Thread 18591870

Live on NJPW World:

8/24 AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door @ O2 Arena London (PPV @ 6:00pm BST)
>Lights Out Steel Cage Match: Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi), Darby Allin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, & Will Ospreay vs Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley), The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson), & Gabe Kidd
>AEW World Title: Adam Page (c) vs MJF
>IWGP World Heavyweight Title: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs Nigel McGuinness
>AEW Women’s World Title: Toni Storm (c) vs Athena
>AEW Unified Title: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Swerve Strickland
>AEW World Tag Team Title: The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin) (c) vs winner of FTR vs Bandido & Brody King on 8/20
>AEW TBS Title: Mercedes Mone (c) vs Alex Windsor vs Persephone (CMLL) vs ??? (Stardom)
>AEW TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher (c) vs Hiromu Takahashi
>Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs The Matriarchy (Kip Sabian & Nick Wayne)

9/7 Blue Justice XVI @ Togane Arena (4:00pm)
>Hiroshi Tanahashi Final Road ~Kinship~: Yuji Nagata vs Hiroshi Tanahashi

>Road to DESTRUCTION
9/9 Fujisanmesse (6:30pm)
9/10 Mainichi Kogyo Arena Kuki (6:30pm)

9/12 Shinnichi-Champion presents @ Korakuen Hall (6:30pm)
>Generation Crash: Ryusuke Taguchi, Taichi, Tomohiro Ishii, & Zack Sabre Jr. vs Kosei Fujita, Ryohei Oiwa, Yuya Uemura, & Shota Umino

9/13 Korakuen Hall (6:30pm)
>NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship: Master Wato, YOH, & Toru Yano (c) vs Ryusuke Taguchi, El Desperado, & Hiroshi Tanahashi [31st champions, 1st defense]

Previous >>18579016

>>18591870 (OP)
GRIM

>>18591870 (OP)
>Battle Line Hokkaido
9/15 Nippon Engineering College Hokkaido College Gymnasium Arena (4:00pm)
>Hiroshi Tanahashi Final Road ~Kinship~ 2/3 Falls Trio/Tag/Singles Match: Ryusuke Taguchi, El Desperado, & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Tomoaki Honma, Togi Makabe, & Toru Yano

9/17 Recruit Staffing RICK&SUE Asahikawa Gymnasium (6:30pm)
9/18 Kitami-city Sport Center (6:30pm)
9/20 Yakumo-city General Gymnasium (3:00pm)
9/21 Kuriyama Town Sports Center (4:00pm)
9/22 Yotsuba Arena Tokachi (6:30pm)

9/24 Kitagas Arena Sapporo 46 (6:30pm)
>IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado (c) vs YOH [98th champion, 8th defense]
>IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship: DOUKI & SHO (c) vs Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles [79th champions, 2nd defense]
>Hiroshi Tanahashi Final Road ~Connection~: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Master Wato

9/28 Destruction in Kobe @ Kobe World Memorial Hall (4:00pm)
>IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: Gabe Kidd (c) vs Shingo Takagi [5th champion, 2nd defense]
>IWGP Tag Team Championship: Taichi & Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs OSKAR & Yuto-Ice [110th champions, 1st defense]
>Yota Tsuji vs David Finlay
>Hiromu Takahashi vs Taiji Ishimori
>Hiroshi Tanahashi Final Road ~Connection~: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Great-O-Khan

shota umino fucking sucks

Save NJPW, Yuto-Ice.

Ice types are weak. They need a buff.

>>18591870 (OP)
as bad as debut WATO

>>18591870 (OP)
promo's good
https://youtu.be/XhGECGnIGCY

>>18592307
Shin Nihon is saved

>>18592307
based new chono

>>18592307
I just know he's gonna be dogshit

Oskar before he was a Knockout Nigga

>>18592380
more like new cholo

>>18592416
Cholo Chono is over with me

>>18591870 (OP)
I can't think
Bad TV and other people's lives
On the Instagram and Facebook feeds
Got me
Fatigued
Another night holed up inside
So we hit the streets
And walked around
Routes we've run in
To the ground
A THOUSAND TIMES BEFORE

>>18592389
ugly

>>18592195
I've been kinda a shit fan and barely watched NJPW in 2025.
How's Wato these days? When I was watching last it was nice to see him move more comfortable and finally getting some reactions.

>>18592195
Not even close to as bad

>>18592389
He and Takeshita are some ugly ass niggas without long hair

>>18592307
SHEEEEEEEEEEEEESH this nigga got some AMBITIOUS drip

>>18592295
This team is either gonna be absolute yen or complete dogshit.
Gedo should just book them like Enzo and Big Cass if there's any hope for these two.

>>18592931
Actually the plan is to book them exactly like what the tag team of Gabe Kidd and Alex Coughlin was supposed to be. Yuto is the equivalent of Kidd and will do all the shit talking. Oskar is the equivalent of Coughlin and will be the silent monster who stares into the camera. Insider here.

Kevin Kelly from the top rope. Kinda explains why naito doesn't have an aew contract
https://x.com/realkevinkelly/status/1957576311242735657

>>18593191
So TK got worked by Naito's gimmick? kek what the fuck

>>18593191
Actually, it was when Tony saw the internet posts and memes that Naito wrestles in T-shirts on American shows and he took offense to that. Kevin Kelly is right but he is omitting the reason why Tony thinks Naito is lazy. He should know this too, I don't know why he is leaving that part out.

>>18593218
Are you the insider anon again? So Tony hates Naito and EVIL solely because of what Reddit and Twitter marks say about them? Really?

>doesn't like Naito
>doesn't like EVIL
TK is literally allergic to money, it's absurd

>>18593213
Kinda explains why he also hates evil. Since he is a good heel

>>18593218
Thanks for the update rocky

>>18593226
>Are you the insider anon again?
Yes.
>So Tony hates Naito and EVIL solely because of what Reddit and Twitter marks say about them? Really?
I honestly don't understand why you folks continue to be surprised by this. He changed Mina Shirakawa's music and the fans of Twitter hated it. Tony saw all the twitter posts while the match was still going on and he changed the music back to the what it was because of it. That's how much he is glued to the Internet discourse. This is public information. You don't need an insider or any dirtsheets to tell you this stuff.

>>18593237
Damn, what the fuck. The western smarks and their groupthink echo chamber actually ruined Naito's career prospects. Lmao.

>>18593218
holy fuck this makes too much sense

>>18593218
>>18593237
dunno why this makes me so mad
maybe it is because i cant stand the idea of this clown running his entire company based around what meltzer and his smarks on reddit and twitter say
njpw died for this

>Yuto-ICE
>OSKAR

So they are doubling down on their current path

>>18593218
Naito always wrestles in a t-shirt in tags though, always has.

>>18593380
The comments he saw made it sound like he doesn't put in any effort when he wrestles on US shows to the point where he doesn't even take off his shirt.

Naito only really cares about CMLL, we are already being there a million times

>>18593406
Also, just to add to this. Tony didn't want to book Naito on the Forbidden Door card in 2023. It was actually Chris Jericho who convinced Tony.

>>18593425
then why doesnt he go there?

>>18593852
because he obviously can't

What exactly explains why the money mark won't book Despy?

Nujamals...we gonna lose Oiwa next...

>>18592307
based af

>>18594590
This one is weird because the twitter smarks love him

https://www.njpw.co.jp/595219
>The main participants for the September series of "Road to DESTRUCTION," "NJPW BATTLE LINE HOKKAIDO ~Road to DESTRUCTION~," and "DESTRUCTION in KOBE," which will begin on Tuesday, September 9th, have been decided.

>The main team includes
Hiroshi Tanahashi , Toru Yano , Togi Makabe , Tomoaki Honma, Tomohiro Ishii , Taichi , Shota Unno , Yuya Uemura , Volchin , Oleg, El Desperado , YOH , Master Wato , Ryusuke Taguchi , Tiger Mask , and TAKA Michinoku.

>Unaffiliated
Yota Tsuji and Shingo Takagi

>HOUSE OF TORTURE
EVIL
Ren Narita
SANADA
Don Fale
Yujiro Takahashi
SHO
DOUKI
Dick Togo

>TMDK
Zack Sabre Jr.
Ryohei Oiwa
Robbie Eagles
Kosei Fujita
Hartley Jackson

>BC WAR DOGS
David Finlay
Gabe Kidd
Yuto-Ice
OSKAR
Taiji Ishimori
Gedo

*All participating wrestlers and match cards will be announced at a later date.

>>18594973
G1 winner doko?

>>18595079
back in AEW

>>18595079
it says EVIL right there though?

>>18594615
I miss G1 gamethreads only for the horny Oiwa fuckers.

Anyway, Yuji Nagata and Daiki Nagai were at Sanshiro Takagi's Super Japan Pro Wrestling inaugural show.

>>18593290
Same. What a joke.

>>18595079
Back to Tony toybox

>>18594973
>Gabe Kidd shows up for work
>Takeshita absent
Kek

>been around for 5 years now
>already 34
>has done nothing of note besides getting big leagued by Okada

>current year
>Enzo and Cass gimmick

Master Wato all over again

>>18593290
It makes you mad because you aren't him, because you can't be him. You would love to own a wrestling company and do with it whatever you want but instead you can't even pay rent properly.

>>18595517
You're the only one thinking like this btw

>>18595509
Not everyone can be a main eventer

>>18595523
That's not what you fags were saying in 2020

>>18595509
he's having fun maggle

>>18595517
Enzo and Cass were based tho

>>18595539
Jesus, those are some hags

>>18595625
well he's more of a 2D guy anyway

>>18595625
https://x.com/Great_O_Khan/status/1438468046641778690
He's trying to hide his lolicon tendencies

goto (save us)

>Tenryu Project has announced that on **Tuesday, November 4**, at Korakuen Hall,
>“Genichiro Tenryu 10th Anniversary Retirement Memorial Show ~Revolution Flight~” will feature the participation of **Shingo Takagi** from New Japan Pro Wrestling.

>This will be Takagi’s very first appearance on the Tenryu Project ring.
>As the “Rampage Dragon,” he will unleash his fiery spirit on this commemorative stage.

>One more powerful fighter joins this special event celebrating Genichiro Tenryu’s retirement anniversary.
>Like Tenryu himself—once known as the “Rising Dragon”—Takagi has earned his own dragon epithet through overwhelming power and passionate fighting.
>A generational clash of dragons raises expectations for a spectacular showdown.

>With this announcement, the lineup now totals **21 participants**.
>Already confirmed are major names such as **Zack Sabre Jr. (IWGP World Heavyweight Champion)**, **Minoru Suzuki**, **Suwama**, and **Shiro Koshinaka**.

>In addition, wrestlers from promotions connected to Tenryu, or carrying on his legacy, have been announced, creating a richly diverse card befitting the man’s career.

>“Revolution Flight” promises to turn Korakuen Hall into a cauldron of heat on November 4.

https://x.com/ProresuToday/status/1957714157458874695

>>18593191
>>18593218
LMAO!

>>18595563
10 years ago

I have a plan to save New Japan.

>>18596212
>10 years ago
Fuck. I hoped i would have given up this embarrassing hobby by now

JEONG MOSQUE LI

>>18596240
Tell us. Please.

>>18594973
>UE absent even though OKhan is facing Tana next month but TAKA's here
>no Takeshita
>no Hiromu
>no Connors
What are we doing here?

mmm...

>>18596608
Well sell to Tony Khan, fire Gedo, and put Rocky Romero in charge.

[spoiler]GRIM

>>18597110
Are you fucking kidding me?

>>18597110
what if Rock...i mean Gedo puts the belt on McGuinness

“They (NJPW) did 6,800 people for the G1 final. It's never happened, you know, except for like when people were afraid to go out. So it's like, you know, this House of Torture thing and it's like, people groan. I mean, everyone does.

I hate the defense of it like, ‘Oh, it works in Japan.’ It doesn't work in Japan. If it worked in Japan, we would know it. It would get the right kind of heat. It doesn't get the right kind of heat.”

- Dave Meltzer
(WOR)

>>18597421
Same guy who said that the Death RIders booking in AEW was genius booking btw

>>18596681
I like this tradition of throwing all the Japanese with Okumura

>>18597421
Lmao running defense for one his favorite toys

>>18597421
The finals didn't get the right kind of heat, he's right but not in the way he think he is lol

>>18597421
This would mean a lot more if this FAGGOT did dick ride Jon Moxley for years.

>>18597421
5ch comments on this

>I wonder what the dedicated fans who go to the venues think about HOT?
>On Yahoo! Comments, I see a lot of angry comments like "I'm sick of them constantly interrupting," but
on 5ch, they seem to just accept it with a grin, and judging by Meltzer's writing, it seems like there are a lot of fans who are the latter type.

>I think it's a pretty astounding fact that EVIL isn't able to bring out the heat properly. He gets booed with a grin, then cheered on as a revenge against Takeshita, so he's surprisingly not very proactive.

>I think the reason why HoT stands out is because the other units have a weak presence.
>The units that disappeared and the expanded HoT each created movement rather than passiveness.
>In the end, it's nonsense to complain only about HoT.

>Overseas customers are tired of seeing that kind of thing in American wrestling, so they're looking for something different and are watching Japanese wrestling, but they're annoyed because it's just a smaller version of the same thing.
>The heel corps are necessary, so they can ignore them, but I feel like they could be a little more brutal.
Is that a bad thing because it would attract kids?

>Honestly, I think EVIL has reached his limit as a heel. I've felt that the top heel in New Japan isn't worth rubbing shoulders with for years.

>Last June, the president said, "I will consider putting my body on the line to stop any intervention," but
he didn't stop it.

>>18597513
>Last June, the president said, "I will consider putting my body on the line to stop any intervention," but
>he didn't stop it.
Tana is a chronic liar

>>18594590
he booked him on the preshow for the first forbidden door vs swerve/keith lee and it was probably the best match on the entire card lol

speaking of matches that were way better than they had any right to be, this is still the best <10 minute match in njpw this year
robbie x of all people sold an arm better than almost anybody who isn't tana/yuya/oiwa did all year

yall aint do be ready 4 da shin ashe beatin dat takeshita nigga ass yall he be gunna grind n aint no one gun tell him shit yall fr on god

>>18592295
>>18592307
He's like some purely distilled Japanese wigger from the 2000's, it's kind of attention grabbing. I mean hey you need guys in roles and that's prime job guy material at the very least.

>>18597421
>HOT
No, Dave. You partly caused this. You and AEW taking NJPW's big names before they could help build the new ones.

It does feel like they're trying to force Takeshita as a face rather than let him naturally be heel which is even weirder since the tournament began with the Don Callis family angle and even Gabe getting injured

Seeing that snaking shitbag Romero following Takeshita makes my fucking blood boil.
He's a double agent.
Not one soul has ever said "I've just bought tickets to see Rocky Romero." But the dimeless geek is on every NJPW, AEW, and CMLL card.

>>18597421
What a cope

>>18598196
Okada was never going to put over anyone on the way out. Switchblade put over Hikuleo, but AEW stole him too, oh, wait...

>>18598688
Midcarders like Hikuleo don't really compare to main eventers like Okada, White, Ospreay, Ibushi, Shibata and so on.

>>18593406
naito was washed by the time he wrestled on AEW but his matches in America were always fun and he was the most over guy

>>18598723
This is what the booking office believes too, and therein lies the problem of why NJPW can't make any new main eventers.

>>18594590
didn't take off until after kenny and friends left so tony doesn't rate him?

And New Japan is like, you know, grim, and it's like, you know, I mean, Trannyhashi's fault, you know.

>>18595539
Wasn't doing something with Unagi from Stardom at one point? Should've brought her in after she left.

>>18598196
House of Torture started in 2020
It's been 5 years of this already, back when NJPW only lost Omega and The Bucks

>>18598740
The first 2 years were in front of clap crowds so they don't count thoughever

We miss you GOAT.

>>18593191
I knew Tony Khan was a moron but holy shit.

>>18598730
I'm sure they could make new main eventers, if AEW stopped poaching anyone who makes as much as a ripple online. Like Kidd.
>>18598740
It's one stable and one guy (EVIL).
This is like saying The Elite are the sole reason AEW's ratings are in the toilet when they're only a small part of the issue.

>>18598772
The AEW partnership has been shit, but come on now. They have so many young guys with potential languishing aimlessly for years and they don't do shit with them.

>>18598795
The old guard didn't do the job. They never passed the torch.
It isn't even a partnership, NJPW is AEW's developmental.
I genuinely don't understand why NJPW is willing to get fucked raw by a garbage company that needs Big Bang Theory reruns to break 550K viewers.

>>18598816
Tana wants the boys to get pay days.

>>18598816
A company with a billionaire who can throw money around with no consequence

>>18598822
>>18598824
At the cost of NJPW's legacy?

>>18598758
the G in GOAT stands for GOTO

>>18598758
How different would things be right now if he wasn't injured?

Yuto-Ice & Goto-Ice

Yota Tsuji fucking sucks.

Everyone not named Konosuke Takeshita fucking sucks.

shota umino fucking sucks

>>18598834
One theory is the pandemic was catastrophic to business and money is desperately needed even more than people realize

>>18598980
>pandemic
Then how did every other company and sport carry on while NJPW stumbled?

>>18598989
While it's true that NJPW make the most money and draw the most fans of any puro promotion, they also have the highest overhead and the most cost.

>>18598997
Not just talking about wrestling, I mean all sports in Japan.
Why was NJPW the ONE company that stumbled? Couldn't be because AEW. No.

https://youtu.be/t9qX0HyAtnM?si=jwBDH3aUADFssu10

Take me back

>>18599084
Nah, fuck Okada. Naito was the real Ace of that era. This charisma-free clownshow was the corporate choice.

>>18599098
Sure as fuck outdrew everyone in this era

>>18599101
I think Naito did that. He was the big star, draw, and top merchandise seller.
Okada never really had a connection with the audience.
Top tier wrestler, great look, but had all the charisma of a shoe.

>>18599098
I'm not talking about just Okada.
2013-2019 NJPW was something special man. Series finale was Naito winning the unified title at Wrestle Kingdom.
The soulless cash grab teaser was Kenta coming out.

>>18599109
shut up retard

>>18599132
Ah, yes. Okada was the sole draw, not the company, the roster, or the matches.
Okada.

So how would you guys fix NJPW? Obviously Gedo and the AEW alliance have to go, those are obvious. But what else? Personally I would institute a secret loyalty test for all NJPW dojo trainees. You simply have one of your people masquerade as a scout from AEW or WWE. The fake scout will then offer them huge money just to see if they will take it. Anyone who takes the money is banned. This way, they can train ONLY those who are loyal. In some old Japanese martial arts schools, the student must take Keppan, a blood oath to never reveal the secrets of the ryu. Maybe it's time for the NJPW dojo to start doing that.

>>18599143
Could also say the same about Naito, but he was the true Ace of NJPW back then.

>>18599143
>Ah, yes, Naito was the sole draw, not the company, the roster, or the matches. Naito.

>>18599188
I honestly don't think it can be fixed. It has never been in a state like this before. If the dark ages were dark, then this is the heat death of the NJPW universe age.

>>18599112
>soulless cash grab teaser was Kenta coming out
That's always been the moment that stuck out in my mind too. After all that wait to see Naito win he didn't even get to do the roll call, just carried to the back by Bushi as the lights came on. It'd be like Wrestlemania 40 ended with Cody getting jumped by Nakamura to set up a match at Backlash. Total buzzkill.

>>18595532
I, for one, never rated GOK as anything more than midcarder. It's a shit gimmick, and his adherence to it has stalled his career. The fact that he's now comfortable in the opening multi-man matches has all but ensured he will never be a name.

Yuto-ICE is our savior.

>>18595509
Zesty peanut head they/them

>>18599188
Without Gedo and AEW, NJPW still has problems with their tour schedule, multi man purgatory and belt inflation.

>>18599241
>Doesn’t win at WK12 despite LIJ being white hot
>Next year is a match with Jericho who showed up like twice after a year of feuding with Taichi and Yoshi-Hashi when they were both shitters and memes
>Finally gets the title after defeating Bullet Club’s leader and Okada but the Kenta shit goes down
>NJPW decides to go all in on Ibushi who predictably schizo’s out instead of loyal Naito
>His last run before leaving the company, the last where he could have actually had a string of defenses, is ended by fucking Moxley
They fucked him over at every turn.

Would have been so amazing if Kenta won the GHC belt and Naito ambushed him

>>18599132
I already explained to you lil nigga that Okada and Jay was due to NJPW selling that WK on Inoki's death and that the most important thing to look at is the yellow bar anyway.

WWE Legends Zack Sabre Jr. and Kota Ibushi

>>18599188
I think there needs to be less time in the dojo and excursions. By the time any of these guys get back, they're already in their late 20s and what? Maybe have a shelf life of a decade, possibly 15 years? At the rate of the current crop are going, no one is gonna get properly pushed until they're 35 at this point.
Booking should shift to striking while the iron is hot rather than "NOOO MUH MULTI YEAR PLANS!". Someone is getting over? Push them and keep them hot.
Global title needs to be rehabbed until it's viewed like the old IC title in that it was just barely a notch below the IWGP title. Allows your upper midcarders or main eventers to do something whenever they're not THE GUY. Maybe have someone like SANADA or ZSJ hold it for a while to establish it a while. Also get rid of the weird TV title. NEVER goes back to the CHOPPA belt.
Tell Hiromu to get a fucking clue, go to the gym, and get ready for G1 2026
Never push any gaijin unless they sign a multi year contract where they can only appear at NJPW shows.
Bring back sexy ring girl managers.
Bring back the briefcase.
Either commit House of Torture as my top heel faction or keep them in their current goober form.

>>18599320
People talk about Takeshita
But man remember when fucking Dolph Ziggler, Matt Riddle and Jon Moxley all held titles in NJPW last year? Fucking christ.

I just cannot fathom why Gedo thinks anybody wants to watch 6-7 rando pointless 6-man tag matches on EVERY fucking show. At first I thought maybe the Japanese fans just really like those kinds of matches. But attendance keeps plunging to record lows so obviously they don't like it either.

>>18599457
It's cause they got too many people and not enough time.
Eventually they'll have to consider a roster split.

more like konosuke took a shit on NJPW

le big woofer

>>18599457
>I just cannot fathom why Gedo thinks anybody wants to watch 6-7 rando pointless 6-man tag matches on EVERY fucking show.
Are you new? They do that so the paying fans can see as many of their favorites as possible.
That's it.

>fell out of wrestling entirely after WK18 just due to some shit
>watching the G1 finale cause everyone is shitting their pants over it
>see this
Jesus christ SANADA

>>18599453
I hate Riddle and Deano but Ziggler would've worked if he actually stuck around in Japan for at least a year. Don't know why he didn't do a G1, seems like the kind of thing a guy like him would dream of and I'd guess TNA would've liked the buzz and let him do it.

>>18599620
Well clearly it's not working so why doesn't he book matches paying fans actually want to see?

>I love this trio, to put it mildly

>#本隊

https://x.com/Shooter_us/status/1957645926518124741

>>18599642
Don't know who this fag is but he has negative aura and is completely anti-dimes. He looked fucking bored coming out, unless his gimmick is a no energy having faggot.

>>18599642
You scared of a nigga wit' the drip fit?

>>18599793
cute

>>18599188
Drop Gedo, Rocky and the last vestiges of STRONG. The Western audience that gravitated to NJPW back in the 2010's didn't want a clone of WWE, and they won't sustain a permanent expansion into America ...now that AEW stole their potential niche. Speaking of AEW; the forbidden door needs to be closed again. Maybe a talent exchange will be allowed for big shows but no tournaments and no titles. If AEW or ROH want to host young lions on excusrion, it should be encouraged. CMLL and RevPro relationships are fine. Fale can keep his little island dojo.

That sorts out international affairs.
Now the domestic situation.

You MUST push your young talent, and you need to form factions behind your top guys. Speaking of factions, each faction needs to be strongly defined and their motives clear. Storylines for every level (main, junior, choppa, tag, etc) should flow naturally from these factional wars.

>Uemura Faction: lawful good
Babyface group naturally, taking over the banner of Tanahashi.

>Oiwa Faction: lawful evil
Heel group that are heels because they don't know when to stop beating down opponents, not cheaters... they just love to hurt people.

>Umino Faction: chaotic evil
Shota finally breaks down due to fan disinterest in him as a face, goes crazy and assembles a faction of rule breaking assholes.

>Tsuji Faction: chaotic good
Too cool to be bad, but don't rely on them for help. They won't play by the rules, but they're not interested in breaking bones and ending careers.

>Gaijin Faction: neutral
Just in it for themselves as always.

Position each faction with a tag team, enforcer, junior, weak link, comedian, grandpa, etc. Hate to be repetitive but it needs to be stressed that there are no unaffiliated guys just wandering around... EXCEPT Narita. Narita is unique in that he's the wild card.

Naturally, the factions goals and rivals will shift from time to time but their alignment should be steady for a few years.

>>18599807
What's the consensus on Shota these days? Last big exposure to him was that Ospreay match
Though I literally saw this dude hit a :l at the camera do I dunno anymore

>>18599861
He got humiliated, shaved his head, teased a heel-turn... and then just started doing the same lame babyface shit again to no reaction. Twitter trannies try to rehabilitate him, but he still sucks.

>>18599891
It would be better if he got boo'd or got no reactions but these days he just gets very middle-of-the-road reactions.

He basically gets like 2016 Goto midcarder reactions which is not what you want from a young guy you think has what it takes to carry the company one day.

>>18599891
>teased a heel-turn
>Twitter trannies try to rehabilitate him
things that didn't happen

>>18599891
>>18599910
I'd say he left a bigger impression on me during YET ANOTHER FUCKING MULTI MAN TAG MATCH. Needs to do something about that hair though. I get what you mean about his weird dynamic, in the ring he's this shouty "get in your face" dude, then on the way back up the ramp he was being all lovey dovey with the fans. Was weird.

I'm excited to see the new G1 Climax winner on the next tour.

>>18599996
I am gonna kill myself if I sit through yet another multiman tag
House of Torture theme rocks though, need to grab a shirt
Ren Narita is just a less cool Sho and that's sad lmao

big dave is right
house of torture needs to go

>>18599552
finner

>>18600279
Alright let's get this show on the road

Never would've thought EVIL would be in a G1 Finals ever in my life, let alone against some twink I watched on DDT wrestle in a gym about 6 years ago

Blaming HoT for the bad attendance is hilarious considering if EVIL lost to Tsuji then the entire group would've had ZERO (0) combined main events during the tournament between 3 members

>>18600630
ONE (1)* because of Narita at B block finals but who's countin

>>18600437
>>18600451
>>18600461
What are they going to call themselves?

>>18595272
>I miss G1 gamethreads only for the horny Oiwa fuckers.
they’re resilient, they’ll be back soon

>NOOOOOO TAKESHITA SUCKS
>LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID
>SHIN NIHON IS DYING BECAUSE OF TINY AND GAYEW
>THIS IS ALL TINY'S FAULT
No. No it isn't. It is dying because of House of Torture and EVIL. Get rid of them and watch New Japan heal. It is that fucking simple. Why can't you just try this out for once? Are you that afraid of it? Can you not try any other heels for a change?

Big Dave is absolutely right. He is always right. Don't come crying to me when you don't even have the balls to say "No" to Takaaki Watanabe for once in your life. It is not his fault? Well then, prove it. Get rid of him for a while and push your younger guys. See what happens. Then we will know if everything is AEW's fault or not. But don't blame AEW unless you get rid of House of Torture first.

>T-THEY SELL MERCH OKAY??!!! THEY SELL MERCH AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH
Of course they do. Because their merch looks cool as fuck. In WWE Rey Mysterio's masks and Alexa Bliss's dolls are some of the hottest selling merch. That does not mean they should be in the main event scene all the time. Stop being retarded. Why can't you just stop being retarded? It's easy. Trust me. You just have to stop it. That's all you have to do. Your problem is right there. It's House of Torture.

You know why Goto's reign was so kino? That's right. No House of Torture. See? It is so easy. You can fix this so easily. Will you fix it?

>>18601150
Promo's bad

>>18601150
no, fuck off
house of torture is based
we want more house of torture

>>18601150
More EVIL, less AEW

>>18601150
kek
i dont think house of torture is that bad but it is a symptom of another problem
they need to push younger guys
use evil to put over tsuji and uemura
evil is a very good heel but they have no good babyface right now
uemura just needs one more push to be the top babyface
they pushed takeshita instead lol
>>18601178
kek
everything is evil

Blaming House of Torture for anything is fucking retarded.
You're ignoring the systematic issue that is their failure to build any new stars, knew guys like Okada, Ospreay, and Jay White were leaving while having NONE of them put over anyone. Naito is gone. The two guys who've held your main title this year were fucking midcard 4 life two years ago. The booking revolves around everyone looking bad. SANADA is running a Seth Rollins gimmick as a two bit weeny in House of Torture. You pulled the trigger on Shota while making sure he was made to look like a fucking geek and went through a humiliation ritual. You have guys the crowd wants to like more but you fail to give them anything meaningful to do, and when you did it was "Hey Junior, you're main eventing Wrestle Kingdom for the IWGP title." Why is the fucking Global title on some nutcase who's gonna jump ship to AEW anyway. With all these divisions and belts they fail to use any of them to allow people to do anything other than "You hold the belt and then you lose". It's all around the IWGP title, which the booking for that has been absolutely retarded ever since Ibushi lost the briefcase but still got a title shot. NJPW is poisoned for more reasons than Takeshita's part timer bullshit and House of Torture. Now because they fucked themselves into a corner, they have no choice to put a G1 Climax win on a guy who won't be there often, just because he's a bigger star and gets more reaction than some jabroni like Ren Narita.

Watch Inoki vs Vader from 1/4/96 right NOW

>>18601276
Link
https://archive.org/details/njpw-shogeki-battle-rush-world-pro-wres-special-in-tokyo-dome

Honestly this is all Shota's fault for being such a dimeless geek. The company pulled the trigger on him and he dropped the ball. Actually now that I think about it, this is all Red Shoes' fault. His son is dimeless. Red Shoes killed NJPW.

Narita did nothing wrong. New Japan sacrificed his big push for Jungle Goy Jacku Perry and all you guys slurped up the SCAPEGOAT slop real good, didn't you? I saw the SCAPEGOAT memes. You thought it was funny pretending that SCAPEGOAT was great, right? Well, we are laughing at you now. And what did Tony do with SCAPEGOAT after his NJPW excursion? Nothing. Narita died for nothing.

>>18601346
Scapegoat general ya newbitch

>>18601346
its just one mentally ill guy who does this btw
everything is a joke to him including the company being on life support

>>18601346
Narita is fucking boring as shit

>>18601240
Uemura is fucking boring as shit

Takeshita is fucking incredible
Well deserved G1 champion
I hope he wins next year too

>Yuto-Ice (28) and Oskar (27), the "Knockout Brothers (K.O.B.)," who made their triumphant return to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, have revealed the true reason behind joining the "Bullet Club War Dogs (W.D.)."
>After spending about a year and seven months on overseas excursions, the two have undergone a transformation. It has been decided that at the September 28th Kobe event, they will challenge IWGP Tag Team Champions Taichi & Tomohiro Ishii. They spoke about the meaning behind their new ring names and their ambitions moving forward.
>Since January 2024, K.O.B. had been touring Europe—starting in the U.K.—and New Zealand, before making a shocking appearance at the Ariake Arena event on the 17th. They changed their tag team name from the former “Young Blood” to “Knockout Brothers,” because, as Oskar put it, “Even though we’re from different countries, we’re more than brothers, more than family.”
>Yuto, who changed his ring name from his real name Yuto Nakashima to “Ice,” explained: “‘ICE’ means diamonds and jewelry. They shine like ice with the way they reflect light.” Incidentally, his trademark necklace, engraved with “AMBITION” (the name of the underground fighting event in Gifu where he first competed), is said to be worth “about the price of a luxury car.”
>Upon returning to Japan, the duo chose to align themselves with the War Dogs, led by David Finlay. Ice explained: “Simply because they’re the most fun to fight with. That’s why I decided to roll with them. Bullet Club has had a lot of leaders over the years, but I thought Finlay was the right one. If it were someone else, I wouldn’t have followed.”
>Oskar echoed his partner’s sentiments: “Finlay is the best wrestler in the world, and the wrestlers around Gedo, such a great coach, keep leveling up. W.D. has no lies—it’s real fight, real energy. Other units can’t create that kind of strength.”

>>18601718
>At the Ariake event, they knocked out Taichi with a devastating double-team move, securing their IWGP Tag Team Championship challenge at the Kobe show. Ice declared with confidence: “Taichi and Ishii are strong, so I want to take the belts from them. If we take the belts, the strong ones will come after us. I want to fight the strong and make money from it. Of course, I love one-on-one fights, but for now it’s all about tag team.”
>Ice’s senior from Ogaki City Higashi Junior High School in Gifu, Hiroshi Tanahashi—whom he once served as a ringside attendant—is set to retire at the Tokyo Dome event on January 4 next year. Ice reflected: “I got to know New Japan because of Hiroshi Tanahashi, and it changed my life. I feel like I’ve got to face him, but I’ll climb to a position where I can go after anyone. If my very existence becomes money, then naturally it’ll happen. I’ll get there.”
>Right now, New Japan’s ring is a battlefield where the new generation of warriors fiercely compete for supremacy. The “Danger: Do Not Touch” K.O.B. are set to bring a storm to the tag team division.

haha
nu jamaal pooresu!

Wrestling fucking sucks
Njpw fucking sucks

>>18600337
Dave blaming the only fucking person getting cheered throughout the G1 final and not the blatantly obvious is hilariously on brand for a guy who seemingly goes to the ends of the fucking earth to defend AEW on the regular

>>18601276
holy shit inoki's entrance is kino

JEONG MOSQUE LI

>>18599836
A faction shake up needs to happen. At the moment, we have fake LIJ, the remnants of UE, HOT, TDMK, War Dogs and then everyone else in Hontai. It just makes the company feel like its trying to hang onto the wrestlers that have left. They need to move on

>>18599241
I think naito liked the kenta angle. More importantly, do you think they would've sold out OsakaJo without it? Because the money from that plus DGD saved the company

Perhaps Tsuji refused to job in the final so they went with EVIL

>>18602075
Takeshita got cheered too... by like 20% if the audience, and the other 80% were either indifferent or even booed him at some point, he was the one getting the "wrong kind of heat"

>>18602541
Naito was going to sell out Osaka Jo Hall anyway, at this point in his career he could have sold out Osaka Jo with fucking Chase Owens

>>18602541
I miss shitposter KENTA. He was fun and would occasionally have a great match too (I guess SANADA is in this role now)

>>18592503
YOUNG PUNKS
GROW OLD

>>18601718
they both look like yakuza game main story guys that kiryu beats up until theyre on his side against the real bad guy: koreans

>>18603335
Gotta love the Chasester. Lonestar Outlaw draws the house baby. The true Crown Jewel gaijin of NJPW

Fujita seen at DDT beer garden show in Ueno Park
>https://x.com/ParadiseTheRock/status/1958127165876343070

fuck rocky

>El Desperado posting about pain in his big toe
Is gout career-ending? That's gotta be a terrible thing for a wrestler to carry around

always heard it was one of the most painful things

must be nice to escape from Japan

https://x.com/CMLL_OFICIAL/status/1958177746623881315

GR1M

>>18604285
Issue with gout is that it's something that flares. You could go months and then suddenly you need to lay down with a elevated foot for like a day. Honestly I think dudes overrate how painful it is. No reason to try and get a doctor to prescribe oxycodone for gout. If anything dude needs to cut back on the booze or hop on medication to help treat it long term.

>>18605387
You're less at risk for addiction if you get pain meds for something like gout because they're going to give you a finite amount to use in rare emergencies, rather than something prescribed for daily use. Sure, you can be a retarded an just empty your entire prescription in two weeks but good luck getting them to keep refilling it if you do that.

My issue with House of Torture is besides maybe two dudes, the entire faction is full of geeks and lowcard old men. When the new additions to your faction is Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale, shit has gone wrong.
EVIL and SHO are the only guys who make this shitty faction work.

>>18605863
That's a problem with the nature of the faction itself, though. All HOT does is cheat to win and you don't need an ace wrestler to be able to distract the referee or hit a low blow.

So why would they have any desire to recruit good wrestlers who can win clean?
Of course they're all shitters

>>18605876
I just wish half of them were just slightly cooler. Despite it being a shitter faction, EVIL and SHO at least try to carry some presence or charisma. Then you have fucking SANADA running a zesty nothing gimmick, and Ren looking like fat SHO.

>>18604737
hope trannyhashi tears his ACL
noojapoo being unable to benefit from trannyhashi's retirement match at the next WK would be very funny

time to strap a rocket to Yuto Ice

>>18606128
he's ice cold like NJPW

seems like stardom had a better tournament unlike njpw

>>18606342
He's so cold that he doubles back around to being white hot, so cold he'll burn your ass

>>18606128
Heat Storm and Yuto Ice will take this company to new heights

Why are HOT being blamed for NJPW's decline?
It's just one faction and EVIL is just one guy.
It's like blaming The Elite for tanking AEW. They're just a small part of a much bigger issue.

>>18606658
>"Ice works fast. Heat makes it last."
- Shaquille "the Shaq" O'Neal

Yuto Ice and "The Frost Giant" Oskar Leube

>>18591870 (OP)
>another dimeless fucking foreigner
Why? Who wants this?
It'd be different if they could find just one who cared about Japan and wanted to stay, but why these generic cunts who'll jump to AEW in six months?

Takeshita vs Ishii being taped tonight for Collision

>>18606666
>It's like blaming The Elite for tanking AEW
They kinda did tho

Heat Storm in RevPro this weekend
https://x.com/RevProUK/status/1958275531168010684

>>18608657
Big Tone will be watching

>>18608657
Working Rev Pro right after the G1? Now that is NOT lazy! Big Tone will love Uemura.

>>18597421
Yeah bro put all the blame on EVIL. What size houses was Takeshita drawing in DDT again?

>>18610115
love /fa/nada. simple as

>>18599964
>goes stoic
>loses to Finlay
>Finlay says you need to be like me, Shota nods and leaves the ring
>Tana offers him a match and a handshake, Shota accepts but doesn't shake his hand
That's more than enough meat on the bone to think something might have happened up to Dominion

>>18597421
Insider here. Tony Khan was legitimately not happy that New Japan booked EVIL in the G1 finals against Takeshita and he let New Japan know about it. Don't expect to see the House of Torture or EVIL booked against Konosuke Takeshita ever again in the future.

JEONG MOSQUE LI

>>18610508
He immediately went back to being hontai retard Shota after winning, though. The crowd made sure to let New Japan know the job wasn't done yet by booing Shota when he challenged Goto later that show. To think the guy going through a crisis got to beat Tanahashi first try but Uemura had to get his win back in the G1 that he couldn't even advance in but Shota could.

>>18610866
EVIL really is the hero that NJPW needs

>>18610866
Thanks for the update. Seems like gedo booked evil in the finals as a way to bury money mark

>>18599891
Insider here, Gedo was gonna turn him and was about to but the coalition of Red Shoes and Tanahashi intervened. They want to give the kid one more shot. Shota v Takeshita is your WK semi (Main is a Tanahashi tag)

>>18612251
>Shota v Takeshita is your WK semi

>>18612251
Surprising that Tana decided to do that when he was angry with the Shota vs ZSJ match. Someone gotta have that pic

>>18612251
Why do you always do this? If you want to pretend to be an insider and spread nonsensical lies unlike me then go ahead. I don't lose anything. Only the people in this thread lose because of your stupidity.

>>18612303
sorry brother but he is legit mentally ill and he hates ya. he wants to be the booker of new japan. he dreams about it. he posts his fantasy booking here all the time.

Insider here, I'm bald and I never had sex. Tsuji will be Tanahashi's last opponent and he will lose again. They don't think Tsuji is the guy.

he bubblin coz of the insider now
kek

why is new japan not poaching all japan and noah ? we get poached by aew and we can't do anything about it but why not just poach ozawa, kaito and yuma anzai ?

>Tsujischizo is now trying to run a legit insider out of these threads
Kek, what the fuck is wrong with him.

>legit insider
literally only got one thing right after throwing a shit ton of random predictions
you got worked, retard

Why does Tonikan hate Finlay and EVIL?

>>18612540
Because they fucking suck? Only deranged NJPW only fans like them. Like Taichi and Yoshi-Hashi who they somehow pretend are good.

>>18612415
leave my ark alone please. Also they sent Nagata to All Japan specifically to poach Yuma Anzai, and it didn't work.

>>18612415
They poached Jake and look how he turned out

EVIL and the HOT antics would get over like crazy in America. Especially with EVIL's theme song, entrance and look. All they need is some goth schizo to talk for them.

>>18612760
The Smart Bastard is still winning the IWGP Heavyweight Title I'm afraid.

>>18612769
We don't want more fedslop in America. House of Torture fans really are cancer.

>>18612769
>Goth manager cuts a promo while EVIL does his big "HA HA HA" in the background
Unironic dimes

>>18612773
Have you ever watched any territory wrestling at all? HOT wouldn't be out of place anywhere at any time period in the US.

>>18612415
why would any guy with potential want to go to NJPW after how badly they treated Kaito? Even Take would not have gotten a belt and win the G1 without foreign influence

>>18612450
ya are the only one who got everything wrong in the G1 ya mindbroken seething faggot
your retarded ass said uemura would win and ya threw a melty when he didnt
you buttraped bubblin monkey

>>18612868
It's amazing Kaito still has any fans left at all given how bad he's been punked out. Then NOAH going backwards, and having him become a young boy again out of nowhere that one time. Just a total mess.

kek they didn't even mention the IWGP title match on Forbidden Door on Dynamite.

>>18612450
Insider-kun said Takeshita was winning the G1 before the tournament started. You are only one here who plays the fake insider gimmick. It's obvious. Attention whores like you just like to ruin the discussion for everyone else. Too bad you are also the only who is mentally ill enough to keep this general alive by making these threads.

Who will be Takeshita's first IWGP Heavyweight defence on AEW TV?

>>18612895
for the best

>>18612904
yeah. Konosuke Takeshita vs Mark Briscoe "live" on Collision in IncestHickville, Kentucky taped on Thursday for the IWGP HebbyQ

>>18612891
Kaito won in the end and is truly uniting wrestling

>>18612904
Garcia

When did anyone say that Uemura would win the G1? People said that he should but they knew that the booking team is too stupid to see it

>>18612904
A returning Eddie Kingston

>>18612993
sounds zesty

Glad to see Gabe follow up on his love for Tanahashi by getting the War Dogs to do House of Torture bullshit so he can interfere in Tana's match. Especially love the part how he did that and Tana won anyway so there was no impact. Great return/debut for MD4R arf arf

>>18613053
Stop thinking and enjoy the ride bro.

>>18613053
Who will join the War Dogs ro replace Clark, Gabe and Drilla?

>>18613053
>finally watch Dominion 2025
>"Surely Tana is gonna lose and put the young guy over."
>Tanahashi wins
I laughed

>>18613053
In kayfabe, what does Finlay think about Gabe helping the Death Riders and now getting the rest of the War Dogs to help him? Has he commented on it? Or are we supposed to pretend its not happened?

>>18613216
AEW is non canon

>>18612963
Nobody said Uemura would win, a few people said he should win but nobody was predicting it. I would never bet on any homegrown talent in this current environment... Gedo would sooner put the belt on Makabe than any of the Reiwa generation.

>>18613258
>Gedo would sooner put the belt on Makabe than any of the Reiwa generation.
And I just don't get why. How is this the same Gedo of the past? It feels like he books spitefully on purpose.

>>18613216
They literally act like it's not actively happening whenever Finlay is there. Nobody like commentary asks questions about it, they don't involve it in storylines, nothing. All it's done is bury Finlay further along with New Japan going start-stop with him like they do with every single other guy under 35

>>18613264
Gedo got lazy as fuck after Okada took off, which to be fair was absolutely risky as hell. It took vision and nerves of steel to book a returning young boy to beat The Ace... and to commit to their years' long feud. It paid off in spades. Not to mention the insane luck of a foreign heel faction somehow taking off in the smark world.

Gedo was heralded as a genius and he was happy to revel in the accolades. It was a victory lap... that lasted years. They resisted pulling the trigger on Naito because he had come up with his own gimmick. They feared putting somebody over at Olada's expense because any time they put Okada in the midcard tickets sank like a stone. The young lions were completely left to rot in the dojo and abroad. When AEW formed there was no guarantee anymore that talent would stay, WWE had always been a threat but they rarely took any interest in NJPW... but AEW was poaching whatever they could get their hands on.

Covid then killed all momentum. Gedo booked idea after idea, and they all flopped. I think Gedo is now terrified to make any decisions, he knows his legacy is at stake and more failures will further chip away at the myth of his booking acumen.

>Tony Khan books Tanahashi
>makes him do a RUN-IN
>he's meant to dash down to the ring and stop his allies from getting beaten up
>literally looks like the dad from Malcolm in the Middle speedwalking as he tries to do his best, totally humiliating
Thanks, Tony!

>>18613371
That's what good booking is all about right there. You want to put your wrestler in a situation where everyone sees how visibly old and busted down he is. You know, really accentuate his weaknesses.

>>18613216
the war dogs were legit over, especially around here. and of course tony immediately wanted them.

>>18612919
excuse me, but this post is highly offensive to those of us who live in the lovely little town of incesthickville, KY. in this town, nobody is ever lonely. hell, why go across the street when you can go across the hall?

>>18613053
Gabes American booking has never made sense. Even in his Strong appearances he was presented completely inconsistently with his Japanese booking and the American fans seem to think he's a hardcore heel because of something about Eddie Kingston i think? I never really understood it

>>18612920
Funny, because reading the chat during that event, so was mostly NOAH fans and none of NJPW/DG/DDT since the cards were secret, most of the comments about Kaito were about him not having a path and how he should act more like Ueno on the ring (and mic)

>>18613806
Kiyomiya was THE babyface Ace of NOAH's future. It was self-evident, the fans knew it, bookers knew it, older wrestlers knew.

The only question was how to tell the story of his rise...

They pulled the trigger too soon, and against the wrong opponent. Kiyomiya was 22 when he captured his first GHC title... he wasnt ready. Worse still, he took it off Sugiura during his near year-long 4th reign. A reign that was really doing the heavy lifting of pulling NOAH up from the doldrums of Eddie Edward's bizarre run and Keno's disastrous first run.

To their credit, they committed to Kiyomiya giving him the title for over a year. Mostly decent matches with one or two gems but it didn't generate much buzz for some reason. He was immediately outshined by Shiozaki's 405-day reign, which was not only Shiozaki's best of his career but was the best covid reign period.

It seemed like Kiyomiya was poised to take it off Shiozaki but Muto showed up and jumped the line. He gave Kiyomiya the first challenge match. Kiyomiya jobbed in a lackluster match, putting him on ice for a while.

The next 5 GHC champions gave no matches to Kiyomiya, until finally his Kenoh offered him a shot... and, like always, Kenoh jobbed early in an aborted reign. They had always had chemistry but this match was the weakest of the bunch, and the crowd was exasperated to see Kenoh get his momentum shattered again. Kaito's 2nd reign was much shorter, and fewer highlights... an afterthought at Muto's retirement, despite some teases of Kaito being Muto's heir-apparent. Eventually dropped to Jake Lee, another poor match and an unwanted champion... but surely this invader would lose it back to the plucky, young Ace right? *spoiler: nope.

Kiyomiya's 3rd reign seemed to be the ACE maker. Strong opponents, invaders, returning monsters, international bouts, another chapter in the Kenoh rivalry... but OZAWA arrived like a bomb. All the wind was sucked out of Kiyomiya and his reign ended with a whimper.

>>18613535
how the fuck did such a charismaless faggot do it ? meanwhile Tsuji still can't have sex

>>18614030
Oh but clearly he's NOAH ace and face, no doubt about that but like you said I think he was pushed too early and reading from japanese (i'm not a NOAH fan mind you, so my knowledge is limited on what people say) he lost his way not knowing what he wants to be or how be something more than the babyface and prince-like boy.
I was genuinely surprised when I read that chat commenting "Kyopi should be more like Ueno-san" when their only connection is having a similar image but they express it differently (Ueno is a sweetheart but not a prince).
Anyway, this is /njpw/ we should move on /puro/ if you want to keep talking about this.

>>18614094
He's taking bitches to baseball games in Yokohama. That meme already died.

>>18614094
maybe AZM is a westaboo, a lot of japanese women like to watch western movies/tv shows and fawn over non-japanese celebs

>>18614094
hes tall, young and in good shape. this isnt rocket science

>>18614222
only asian women would fuck a british, just saying

>>18614030
People think it's cope or a joke when you say
>Mutoh hurt Kaito's career
or like
>Inoki held Fujinami back for 20 years straight
like they don't understand how it could possibly not be a good thing to work with such a big draw.

But it's momentum theft really. A young guy you're trying to make big is a growing star, you need to feed him. Put him with a bigger star and all of that growth is taken by the bigger name.
Inoki didn't put over Fujinami until 1989 for god's sake. 89! And then he left for politics and Choshu was already building Hashimoto and the next generation.

Japanese elder worship culture makes it hard for these old guys to get the fuck out of the way

>>18613535
Just like the man he's cosplaying used to do...

japanese wrestlers should react to this
they can't just let the white men fuck their women

>>18614352
It's always the way with wrestling in that era, Japan or America. The legend either refuses to put over the next generation or waits until they're too old to do a decent job.

Inoki killed Choshu's progress so hard he jumped ship to AJPW, and that was years before he stalled on putting Fujinami over. Inoki then tried to put over Muta when he was so over the hill that it ended up being little more than a novelty exhibition match. Hogan was the same, never letting the spotlight stray for too long. Bockwinkel held the title too long, snuffed out talent like Hogan... until eventually putting over Hennig and Martel but it was too late. That's why I always give massive credit to Baba and Jumbo, because Baba knew when it was time to end it and Jumbo did the job.

>>18614151
I'd take it to /puro/ but then /njpw/ would only be one lunatic talking about tge sex lives of wrestlers.

Forbidden Door media call:

>Tony Khan mentions having a heavy interest in bringing in Yota Tsuji at some point, and wanted him in the past. #AEW #NJPW

https://x.com/JonAlba/status/1958611827128246356

>>18615641
Maybe Tsuji will learn from Gabe's mistake and publicly reject Tony to get the support of the Japs

>>18615641
That's why he stopped trashtalking Gabe...

>>18615641
Khan also blames the G1 for why Forbidden Door is more like an AEW show than a true NJPW/AEW joint production
https://x.com/JonAlba/status/1958610795845337330

>>18615641
This man is the devil

>>18615641
Big Tone plaps again

next >>18615738

>>18615732
>Wrestledream rematch

>>18615673
>blaming the G1 which is at the same time every year instead of your own shitty scheduling