Boss Rock

I think it could be argued that the death of Dusty is when things first started to turn south. This is evident with 2016 having no real stories or feuds beyond #DIY-Revival and everything else being "dream matches". But when folks like Nakamura, Asuka, and Joe got called up they found their footing again with an emphasis on stories and characters (break-up of #DIY, formation of Undisputed Era, Andrade teaming up with Zelina, etc). So while Dusty's death definitely impacted the product, NXT was able to rebuild and regroup. I think the true beginning of the end was 2018 and the Gargano-Ciampa feud in particular. This correlates with Shawn's arrival as a trainer and an increased focus on epic, melodramatic matches. Call-ups also became more and more sparse meaning guys like Ciampa, Gargano, and Aleister were stuck way past their expiration dates. Not sure if that has to do with Vince's reluctance for call-ups, Triple H's insistence on NXT being its own brand, or both. For a brief period last year it looked like they had somewhat righted the ship with Gargano finally getting his moment at Takeover: New York. But a lack of call-ups meant that Gargano, Undisputed Era, and Ciampa were still stuck and Shawn's influence began to permeate the house style more and more.

Not surprising, but that's still pretty big news.

I remember thinking Kawato had all the potential in the world and sort of saw him as the next ace of the Junior division. Kinda disappointing how things are now. Fredericks is also pretty clearly poised for great things. Although I wonder if he gets a babyface run rather than be the next in line to lead Bullet Club.

The finish is probably the only reason I have the '97 Kobashi-Misawa match over the '98 one. '97 just has a much more definitive ending while the '98 match feels just a smidgen too abrupt. Both are in my top 3 though.

Yeah as much as I've enjoyed the tag division not being dominated by G.O.D. and as good as the Golden Aces and Dangerous Tekkers are, that's four capable singles wrestlers wrapped up in a tag program. Perfect time to give TenKoji a title shot!

I'm mostly in the same boat. It's the lack of talent and stretching the roster thin that's the issue. That being said, I'm intrigued by this KOPW 2020 tournament, even if I was expecting Okada to challenge Kiyomiya.

He had some kind of timer going on, but that didn't result in him appearing. Wonder if they're saving him for the Jingu Stadium show. It definitely looks like Naito is getting the belt or belts back at Jingu Stadium and it seems very likely Okada wins the G1 to set up a rematch if they do indeed put on a Dome show.

Near the end, yeah. It also didn't help that LIJ did nothing to stop it. Stables failing to stop Bullet Club is my biggest frustration and is such a massive logic gap. Anywho, the main event was really good and Hiromu looked like an absolute star. EVIL definitely has more presence than Jay as a top heel, but yeah he needs to be kept in shorter matches. Desperado-Shingo wasn't quite as good as the Shingo-SHO matches but still worth seeing. Okada-Yujiro, as Kas said, was a match that happened but probably the best you could do with Yujiro.

This was a blast. Very much a match in two stages. The first stage was more methodical but had some nasty floor bumps for Misawa, one being a double-team electric chair/Ore ga Taue and the other being a Kawada powerbomb. The second stage was when the flip was switched and it was balls-to-the-wall action and desperation. And even with such a sudden change of pace, it felt earned. Taue and Kawada had given Misawa their best shots and yet he still wouldn't go down. Not to mention Jun was always there to spoil things for them. Shame how overlooked this one is. ****1/2.

Forgot I already commented on this match, but I re-watched it about a year ago and it still holds up. Still much better than the June match which, while very good, is over-hyped by its historical significance. This is more of a straight-up fight with Misawa looking to beat Jumbo at his own game rather than win by any means necessary. Meanwhile, Jumbo turns in one of of his finest performances by just beating the shit out of this dang punk who won't get off his lawn. Misawa hadn't reached his prime yet but the potential is clearly there and Jumbo is still rather giving despite re-establishing his dominance. ****3/4

I liked this but it's definitely a bit too slow going in the early stages. Sorta feels like a lot of the modern NJPW matches you see these days with a padded beginning and a strong second half. It definitely helps Misawa and Williams always had good chemistry, but I would agree it's the weakest of their series.

Thanks! I actually did find it there earlier.

Does anyone know where I can find this one?

Yeah that too. Way too big to be Bushi.

Looks like Jay is on his way back.

It's certainly possible the crowd wasn't into it, but I believe fans have been told not to cheer as an extra precaution due to COVID. They were quiet both shows and would only clap. A couple stuff like EVIL turning on Naito did manage to get an audible reaction though.

I did think it was a bit weird Cage would be pacing while Taz would point behind himself only for Cage to not be there. Should've just stood there and mean mugged the camera. But yeah I really like the Taz-Cage duo.

Gedo actually does strike me more as a long-term booker and one who "sticks to the plan" to a fault. I think he's pretty good at building stars and at least seeing things through, he just doesn't always know when to strike when the iron is truly hot. Like when Hiromu was on fire in 2017, he had to drop the title to make sure Ospreay got his time. Or when Okada and Naito looked poised to win at WK 9 and 12 respectively, their crowning achievements were delayed for the sake of a story.

Awesome!

That's why I didn't expect Okada to win the Cup. No way they were going to run the WK main event in a limited capacity building.

https://www.njpw1972.com/77207

Taichi has had some genuinely good matches when they take out the overbooking and nonsense. He's still a step below the elite wrestlers, but I think he's proven he can be a solid midcard/tag guy.

I don't quite agree with this comp mainly because EVIL has had at least a few flirtations with ME status. He's challenged for the title before and challenged Ibushi for the briefcase last year. So it was somewhat of a possibility he would receive a push, just not quite this sudden. Not saying Shingo wouldn't have been a far better option though.

He's one who I've really watched a lot of over the past 7-8 months and become a really big fan. Really one of those guys who you can put in any match type against any opponent and get something at least "pretty good". So many matches of him on Youtube against random dudes in front of maybe 100 people and still be pretty entertaining. I also wouldn't be surprised if EVIL was a transitional champ like Jay was last year. Give him the big title win to pay off the push and solidify him as main eventer before transitioning back to Okada or Naito.

Dick Togo! Holy crap. And yeah, while I figured EVIL had a much better chance to win now that jumped ship, still was not expecting that result. I like that they're doing something different, but it's unfortunate Naito never got a proper reign. Not to mention 30+ minute EVIL matches are not something I'm particularly looking forward to.