Boss Rock Posted August 18, 2024 Report Share Posted August 18, 2024 If the plan is indeed for Tsuji to ultimately win at WK then I'm fine with that. And maybe it is time to move on from the G1 automatically leading to a shot at WK. But if they have to delay Tsuji any longer than that, I honestly think it will be a huge mistake. They desperately need a new ace and he's looked like the biggest star for a year and-a-half now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Migs Posted August 20, 2024 Report Share Posted August 20, 2024 I think the Dome plan is the champ (hoping ZSJ, although I guess it could be Naito) against a big name outsider. I don't think Tsuji has the juice to main event the Dome yet. (I do think they should put him over for it early next year.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted November 4, 2024 Report Share Posted November 4, 2024 So Yota Tsuji is challenging for the Global Heavyweight Championship. Honestly, what are they waiting for with this guy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmare007 Posted November 6, 2024 Report Share Posted November 6, 2024 3.7k in Osaka for Sabre vs Shingo. And the WK card is looking depressing as shit. I hope TK lends a hand and at least lets Omega work a high profile tag match but it's gonna end up being an AEW showcase match as whatever is left of NJ's top roster already booked. I'm also assuming that Okada doesn't work WK but probably works Wrestle Dynasty the next day. Â NJPW "WRESTLE KINGDOM 19 IN TOKYO DOME", 04.01.2025 (WPW/TV Asahi Ch. 2/NJPW World) Tokyo Dome - IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title, 4 Way Match: KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight (c) vs. Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita vs. TJP & Francesco Akira vs. Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney - NJPW World TV Title, 3 Way Match: Jeff Cobb (c) vs. Ren Narita vs. Ryohei Oiwa - IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: DOUKI (c) vs. El Desperado - IWGP Global Heavyweight Title: David Finlay (c) vs. Yota Tsuji - Hiroshi Tanahashi Final Road Special Singles Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. "King of Darkness" EVIL - IWGP World Heavyweight Title: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Shota Umino Also interesting that Sabre vs Ricochet has been immediately labeled as a special attraction match and not a "title match if ZSJ retains". NJPW/AEW "WRESTLE DYNASTY", 05.01.2025 Tokyo Dome - Special Singles Match: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ricochet http://www.purolove.com/images/logos/small/aew.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted November 18, 2024 Report Share Posted November 18, 2024 Is there something I'm missing with Shota? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donsem43 Posted November 18, 2024 Report Share Posted November 18, 2024 So, is Mayu Iwatani vs. AZM for the IWGP Women's title a show stealing match or a show saving match? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingedEagle Posted November 19, 2024 Report Share Posted November 19, 2024 21 hours ago, donsem43 said: So, is Mayu Iwatani vs. AZM for the IWGP Women's title a show stealing match or a show saving match? With Takeshita vs. Shingo its likely neither, but rather much needed depth. I'm sure the main event will deliver but Shingo and this are the two I'm most looking forward to thus far. Naito/Hiromu won't change that if its the direction they go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbo Slice Posted November 19, 2024 Report Share Posted November 19, 2024 Kenny said this is essentially a way for him to pay back NJPW for the AEW departure, which I get, but he also talked about how he didn’t want to get in the way of AEW’s current direction, which is odd to say the least with the Bucks on the shelf and Okada on paternity leave. Either the diverticulitis did a true number on him and he’s gotta be a part timer going forward or there’s something underneath the hood in his relationship with TK going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted November 20, 2024 Report Share Posted November 20, 2024 I think the diverticulitis did a number on him, imo. Brock coming back from it barely missing a step is not the usual recovery, especially since it's been reported that this was an especially rough episode for him. Besides, the main story is the Death Riders doing "what if the nWo was done by people who aren't selfish assholes" since by all accounts Moxley is big on making sure the young talent isn't just spinning their wheels. If anything, Kenny should be the final boss between them fully taking over so he doesn't need to be around right now. Also New Japan announced an International Women's Cup four way match where the spots will be filled by AEW/ROH/CMLL/Stardom each having their own four way match. The winner gets to challenge for "the title of their choosing" which is interesting phrasing, seemingly indicating it could be in any of the promotions involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted November 27, 2024 Report Share Posted November 27, 2024 Actually, both Dome shows are shaping up to be pretty fun. Business wise, dunno and don't care. But pretty fun and fresh, at the very least (well, apart from anything House of Torture related, of course). I was thinking about going to Tokyo for that first week and go to some shows. Then I checked the plane tickets prices. Oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbo Slice Posted November 27, 2024 Report Share Posted November 27, 2024 I’m very interested in how Okada is going to position himself for Wrestle Dynasty now that the rest of The Elite is confirmed (sans Perry, for now). There’s some political stuff under the surface here with how AEW is moving forward and The Elite are operating outside of it for the time being, but not much is being said even though some of it seems pretty damn overt.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted November 28, 2024 Report Share Posted November 28, 2024 11 hours ago, Timbo Slice said: I’m very interested in how Okada is going to position himself for Wrestle Dynasty now that the rest of The Elite is confirmed (sans Perry, for now). Actually, Jack Perry is facing Yota Tsuji. Athena better fucking be there. She's been working in front of empty ROH tapings for two years while *never* showing up on Dynamite or Collision or the PPV's while being easily a top 10 worker all around in the company (I would *love* to get the reasoning behind this, because it's ridiculous). If anyone deserves anything, that's Athena going to the Tokyo Dome. Gotta have Mistico somewhere too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted December 18, 2024 Report Share Posted December 18, 2024 On 11/27/2024 at 11:55 PM, Timbo Slice said: I’m very interested in how Okada is going to position himself for Wrestle Dynasty now that the rest of The Elite is confirmed Yeah, I dunno. At this point it seems neither Okada nor Ospreay will end up being on the show, which is kinda ridiculous. A NJPW x AEW cross promotion show without these two seems like missed opportunity on every level. And really, as much as some of the card is fun on a vacuum, at this point I can't help to feel it's underwhelming in term of booking. Takeshita vs Ishii is cool and all, but in a AEW context, it's a Collision match where the result is 100% known. Following WrestleKingdom, it's even worse because it makes WK more obvious (they aren't gonna do a NJPW vs NJPW match at Dynasty) and the second day match is obviously lesser (not to mention Ishii has been announced against Gabe Kidd on the next US show, so he's challenging for the NJPW ROH championship basically). Tsuji vs Perry seems like a complete style clash. Umino vs Claudio would be weak as hell as an IWGP match (sorry Claudio, love ya, but you're not being pushed at that level), so again, same issue. Brody King vs Dave Finlay is probably gonna be terrific, but again, this is not exactly what comes to mind when you think Tokyo Dome interpromotional show. Naito & Hiromu won the Tag League, but the Young Bucks are facing O'Khan and Templario ? What ? The CMLL participation is gonna be a random lucha gauntlet ? No mach for Mistico ? Honestly the card is probably gonna be a fun watch, even a great show maybe, but on paper, I'm not looking forward to it like I probably should or like I did a few weeks ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted December 18, 2024 Report Share Posted December 18, 2024 That being said, the Long Beach show was tons of fun top to bottom (almost). Tsuji and Perry actually displayed excellent chemistry, so there's that, and Perry gets insane heat on these NJPW cards. Seeing the Young Bucks back on the NJPW ring also brings back a long gone feeling and a sense of nostalgia. Oh, and Mercedes... She's so back into her groove, being the ultra-wrestling machine nerd she's always been at heart and that's a thing of beauty. The 1-2 punch of the Statlander and Hazuki matches is something else. Her getting Mina at the Dome is really cool too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbo Slice Posted December 19, 2024 Report Share Posted December 19, 2024 I was actually five minutes away from the Pyramid in Long Beach that day but left town hours before the show started. Knew a few people on the show from my time at the local indie I used to do commentary for. Alas, the stars couldn't align. Wish the house could have been a bit better. The lack of Ospreay/Okada has to be due to NJPW wanting to control their returns being of a truly worthwhile event. Okada coming back especially. Again, I do find it funny that Kenny is coming back on this show at this time, the Bucks have been off TV and are coming back at this show...just odd choices. And yes, the planning around this show seems haphazard at best and ill-conceived at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted December 19, 2024 Report Share Posted December 19, 2024 4 hours ago, Timbo Slice said: The lack of Ospreay/Okada has to be due to NJPW wanting to control their returns being of a truly worthwhile event. I mean, there was the opportunity of doing Umino vs Okada right there. Or Tsuji. The "asshole veteran megastar that abandoned the company" vs the nex generation star, in a true interpromotional war no less. Okada putting over one of those two at the Dome would have been huge. I guess that doesn't work for brutha TK. Also, Dave Finlay vs Jay White was right there too. Huge match considering their history, if anything else. And Ospreay could have any match with any of either the young generation or the higher ups. Yeah. Missed opportunity all over in term of booking big stuff. Interpromotion is always tricky, but still. 4 hours ago, Timbo Slice said: Again, I do find it funny that Kenny is coming back on this show at this time, the Bucks have been off TV and are coming back at this show...just odd choices. The fact The Elite OG are coming back on NJPW shows is certainly a choice, and one I actually enjoy a lot, for reasons explained above. It gives that kinda nostalgia, bittersweet feel about it. It's obvious the three of them are contemplating their last ride (although you never know, but Matt and Omega certainly do, and I doubt Nick is gonna pursue without his brother), so them showing up first on NJPW has this "end the loop" kinda foreshadowing thing about it. Of course who knows how this will end up being booked, but a last big time babyface stint in AEW seems the most logical. Ibushi ? who the hell knows. Seems like the guy is toasted, sadly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donsem43 Posted December 22, 2024 Report Share Posted December 22, 2024 If you haven't watched Mercedes vs. Hazuki, or just wanted to rewatched it with an old hand-held vibe, someone recorded it with their phone and uploaded it to YouTube. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autistic Dragon Posted December 23, 2024 Report Share Posted December 23, 2024 One thing that stands out to me going over the Wrestle Dynasty card is all the matches they could be having for a title but aren't. Both ZSJ and Shota are competing against Ricochet and Castignoli respectively- but there's no talk of the World title being on the line. Same with the Global title, Finlay will be taking on Brody King while Tsuji faces Jack Perry but no talk of either of them getting a shot. I get that Kenny v Kidd doesn't need a title to generate hype but Kidd is still the Strong Openweight champion. If nothing else they could bill it as the "biggest Strong Openweight championship match in history". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alucard Posted December 25, 2024 Report Share Posted December 25, 2024 ZSJ/Ricochet, Shota/Claudio, Finlay/Brody, and Tsuji/Perry are all dependent on the WrestleKingdom results, but on the NJPW site, they do label each one as "Should (whichever champion) win at WrestleKingdom, this will be a title match" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dav'oh Posted Saturday at 10:23 AM Report Share Posted Saturday at 10:23 AM Been watching WrestleKingdom for two hours and twenty minutes and I don't remember a fucking thing. I think I saw a nice moonsault but none of it matters. The whole thing feels like I'm watching in fast-forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHawk Posted Saturday at 11:10 AM Report Share Posted Saturday at 11:10 AM The only thing that remotely kept my attention was Takagi-Takeshita and even that was disappointing for those two Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strobogo Posted 23 hours ago Report Share Posted 23 hours ago WK thoughts as someone so checked out of NJ I didn't watch a single second of G1 last year: Rumbo: Lmao Goto getting yet another title shot to lose Ladder match: Almost every big spot was botched, but god damn how much must it suck to do bumps off those giant ass ladders on those late 80s/mid 90s WWF stiff mats? Also lol that Kushida been forcing all of his partners into BTFF cosplay shit for nearly 15 years now. IWGP Women's: AZM rules, this match was many many levels better on every possible front than the two matches before it. TV title match: Fine I guess. Really seems like Jeff Cobb should be much higher up on the card like 3+ years ago. Tana vs Evil: Dogshit. Tana is beyond old and busted. Shit has been a bummer to watch him the past 2-3 years where he's been well past the "can still bring a classic once a year" level. I'd argue a couple of the NJ dads from the previous gen work and move better than him (Kojima and Nagata, it is a crime they let Tenzan in the ring a couple times a year). Honestly hobbled ass Mutoh with 20 years on him was about the same level. Evil is trash, House of Torture and bullet club shit been trash for AGES. Shibata making the save was a nice moment, though. Shingo vs Takeshita: Best of the show so far but not sure it hit the level it should have on paper. But boy do I love it when Takeshita absolutely starches a motherfucker. Takeshita absolutely rules, both AEW and NJ should be fighting over who can push him harder. Jr title: Who knows what it could have been due to injury, but my feeling of Doukie for years was thought of as indie trash in all the worst ways for years, so I don't know what the expectations were for this. Finlay vs Tsuji: Tsuji was clearly the top out of the last class and probably should be the guy headlining now. Finlay Jr. is very bleh as both a junior to his dad, but also as the fill in for Omega/White/Ospreay. I will say I was pretty late to all three of them, but Finlay is nowhere near their level even when I didn't see their talent, and if his contract is up and he may go to the States, ZZZZZZZ. Hiromu/Naito: Not really sure the story going into this, match was whatever. Naito isn't Tana busted, but he's definitely well out of his prime, and the spamming of Destino is worse than any finisher spam in WWE or AEW. At least there was some genuine emotion in the post match stuff. ZSJ/Shota: This was okay. With as bad of a job NJ has done building up new stars to take over from Tana/Naito/Okada and Omega/White/Ospreay, I can not understand why the story for the new 3 Muskateers is that they can't reach their potential when the company needs them most. It's easy to see why NJ has been so cold. It almost feels like they're intentionally inducing a new dark age or something.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted 18 hours ago Report Share Posted 18 hours ago And when the dust settles, Kenny Omega is actually still the GOAT and the most unique pro-wrestler ever. Dynasty was better as far as in-ring than WK, but both show totally flew by, including the 43 minutes of ZSJ vs Umino, which I enjoyed a lot. NJPW is very clearly on a transitional period, and the Dynasty show was not very well thought-out (and really was NJPW & AEW with a little bit of CMLL and Stardom, not that massively fun inter-promotional show it was sold to be at first). Would be better off not doing the same mistake next year, two Dome shows in a row when you're not hot is not a great idea, but I enjoyed it a lot nonetheless for what it was. Takeshita getting a dual NJPW/AEW contract is an interesting news for sure. And yeah, AZM vs Mayu deserved WAY better than less than 10 minutes (they would probably have showed up everyone else too on that day of given 15 minutes). Then again, when Mercedes vs Mina (which was excellent, AGAIN) are early on the card the next day, that tells you everything you need to know about NJPW booking women matches on their shows in Japan. Of course, the irony is, Stardom did its biggest number in eons (ever ?) at Ryogoku last week, and it was also the best show of all the major shows I've watched during this period. After New Year Dash tomorrow where they launch the new programs of the new year, it's really the end of the most exciting period of the year wrestling wise for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strobogo Posted 17 hours ago Report Share Posted 17 hours ago Agreed that WD was better than WK, but neither were all that interesting or making me want to keep watching NJ. Takeshita was the MVP both nights imo. That dude should be THE dude. Was very :what at Chris Charlton repeatedly going extremely hard at AEW, anyone who left, and Tony Khan. It's not like the AEW/NJPW relationship is an invasion angle like UWFI vs NJ, or even just hateful interpromotional feud like NJ vs NOAH at different times over the years. It's a very cordial, friendly partnership, not a feud. Rocky and the other guy were both so "uhhh hey man" and it was so weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted 12 hours ago Report Share Posted 12 hours ago I agree the women should be higher up on these shows, but I'm still kind of shocked that women in NJ shows is actually happening. Not to give them a pass but they're pretty new to this whole women's wrestling thing it's going to take a minute to get the hang of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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