kas Posted February 13, 2021 Report Share Posted February 13, 2021 Finally got around to watching Ibushi/SANADA and it was pretty good, about on par with their G1 finals match. Naito going for the IC title only was a welcome surprise and I fully welcome him winning it - a lot of New Japan's bad booking last year stems from the double title in my eyes. 10 minutes ago, NintendoLogic said: Speaking of Mutoh, he's the new GHC heavyweight champion.That makes him the third wrestler in history to have held all three major heavyweight titles in Japan along with Kensuke Sasaki and Yoshihiro Takayama. Now we just need Suzuki to win the IWGP championship and join that illustrious club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted February 13, 2021 Report Share Posted February 13, 2021 11 minutes ago, NintendoLogic said: Speaking of Mutoh, he's the new GHC heavyweight champion. DA FUCK ? I was thinking about watching that match just for the novelty of it, he's 58 and totally broken down. Puzzling decision to say the least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Migs Posted February 14, 2021 Report Share Posted February 14, 2021 10 hours ago, kas said: Finally got around to watching Ibushi/SANADA and it was pretty good, about on par with their G1 finals match. Naito going for the IC title only was a welcome surprise and I fully welcome him winning it - a lot of New Japan's bad booking last year stems from the double title in my eyes. Yeah, it's really felt like they have a ton of guys who could use an IC title run to solidify themselves - Sanada, Ospreay, Shingo, ZSJ, Taichi - but the belt was being held up in this double title thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted February 14, 2021 Report Share Posted February 14, 2021 On 2/13/2021 at 6:23 PM, NintendoLogic said: Speaking of Mutoh, he's the new GHC heavyweight champion. And I'm gonna eat my words on this one, and I'm so glad I am. Not only was the match good, but it was so good it had no business being this good. Mutoh looked like he could barely walk a few years ago at that Mania weekend, and here he is having some snappy moves, doing pretty much all of his classic "bald Mutoh" stuff, taking bumps like you take bumps in a Japanese main event at Budokan. With the structure being a classic Mutoh main event style match and not some old guy match with mainly fan service and the opponent being gentle, as Shiozaki, who was great, worked stiff and crisp. Of course, Mutoh being 58 shows at time, but the worst occurence actually could play into the fact he is 58 and selling a lot of punishement so it did not hurt the match to me. An awesome tease and some legit nearfalls, and a classic Mutoh finish. Fuck, I'd go so far to say this was a great match, all things considered. Rating on a curve ? Maybe, but not nearly so if I'm looking from the perspective of "Did this accomplished its goal of being a legit Budokan main event title match ?". I honestly can't remember anyone at 58 having such a good match, especially in this context of *having* to deliver a legit main event style match. That's another one for Mutoh I guess, that old bastard who everyone me included thought he was done years and years ago. Also, he came to the ring to his old 90's theme, so that was mark out city for me. (Mutoh was not the only old guy delivering the goods, as Funaki looked awesome, Akiyama is great as Grumpyama, Ogawa can still do his thing and was part of a terrific junior tag title match. The junior title match was great too BTW. It was also super refreshing to watch a japanese wrestling show without american style bullshit and NJPW kinda stale tropes) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Migs Posted February 17, 2021 Report Share Posted February 17, 2021 Naito appears to be out for a bit with a knee injury - unclear of the severity, or if he'll miss the Ibushi match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingedEagle Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 Anything worth checking out from this week's run at Korakuen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 On 2/17/2021 at 2:20 PM, Migs said: Naito appears to be out for a bit with a knee injury - unclear of the severity, or if he'll miss the Ibushi match. I think he's just been pulled from two shows so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted February 22, 2021 Report Share Posted February 22, 2021 Terrible news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RingoPlaysDrums Posted February 22, 2021 Report Share Posted February 22, 2021 That's awful. Hiromu was one of the few shining lights in New Japan in 2021 for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted February 25, 2021 Report Share Posted February 25, 2021 Marty Scurll, who even ROH couldn't wait to get rid of after #SpeakingOut, popped up on some kind of NJPW show in California. Quote Fightful reported today that Marty Scurll was “backstage at a recent set of New Japan Pro Wrestling Strong tapings” in California and that “We weren’t told if Scurll had any involvement in the content on the show but have been told that he has expressed interest in rejoining the company.” A source with knowledge of the tapings, who requested to remain anonymous, told Fanbyte that Scurll did, in fact, play an on-screen role at these tapings. The source said that Scurll worked at the NJPW Strong tapings on January 22, 2021, and was involved in “a post-match angle” with Rocky Romero. The source said that while everyone working on NJPW Strong signs an NDA about the content of the tapings, there was no extra secrecy about Scurll’s involvement: “They weren’t trying to hide him.” The source says they were surprised by Scurll’s involvement, saying “I thought we were going to be the company that wasn’t booking these guys to get some buzz. They’re going to get buzz alright, but probably not the kind they’re looking for. And it just reeks of letting things slide because these people are all friends or whatever.” They added that “I really just think fans should know his involvement beforehand, so they can choose to tune in or not.” Dumb move by NJPW, demonstrating yet another monumental lack of understanding of the U.S. market. https://www.fanbyte.com/wrestling/details-on-marty-scurll-at-recent-njpw-tapings/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kas Posted February 26, 2021 Report Share Posted February 26, 2021 Sad but not entirely unsurprising, I figured that's where his destination would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeg Posted February 26, 2021 Report Share Posted February 26, 2021 As much as I expected this, I still wonder how does Marty Scurll have a job? He admitted to sleeping with somebody half his age. Publicly. On tape. And he's been on Buddy Rose's diet plan lately. And he's not very good. And his gimmick is stupid. Are drunken one night stands with teenagers culturally acceptable in Japan? It's the only way this makes any sort of sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted February 26, 2021 Report Share Posted February 26, 2021 36 minutes ago, joeg said: Are drunken one night stands with teenagers culturally acceptable in Japan? It's the only way this makes any sort of sense. Not that exactly, but Japan's sexualization of kids is pretty well known. I believe it was covered somewhat in one of the episodes of the Damian Abraham series The Wrestlers on ViceTV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dav'oh Posted February 27, 2021 Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 Yoshi-hashi's snap German Suplex, where Tanga Loa lands completely on Yoshi-hashi's face, is a thing of beauty. I like hearing Gino on commentary. Not for his qualities, just that it's nice hearing an Aussie voice, and I was at a wrestling trivia night he was at and he seems like a good guy. Ishii v White next. I'm not as high on Ishii as most, but I certainly appreciate what he does well. Jay White is nearly always a joy to watch and I get to mock his accent (or muck hus uksunt, more accurately). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kas Posted February 27, 2021 Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 How was the show? Can't watch atm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dav'oh Posted February 27, 2021 Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 43 minutes ago, kas said: How was the show? Can't watch atm About what you'd expect from the announced line-up, really. My attention drifted during the main but it was Okada v EVIL by-the-numbers. Possible spoiler: no run-in after the main, so no need to stick around. Weak Bullet Club interference all night. Yoshi-Tanga not horrible, nothing positive to say about Yano-Stevens, Goto (who I like in a low-key way) did the best he could with what he was given, and Jay White is glorious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Migs Posted February 27, 2021 Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 This was definitely not the show to get New Japan out of a rut. Ishii-White was good but never really took off for me. I actually thought Yano-Owens was an interesting idea in trying to mix the violence and the comedy, but ultimately, the violence just sort of felt out of place with these two and the comedy didn't hit great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted February 27, 2021 Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 I only caught Okada-EVIL which was pretty good but not must-see. It was a step-up from their NJ Cup final but never reached the levels of their previous G1 or title matches. Also caught KENTA-Moxley which was very good. Best KENTA match in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kas Posted February 27, 2021 Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 KENTA vs Moxley was good. I thought KENTA in particular was great. White vs Ishii have some of the best chemistry in New Japan, and today's match was really good without really breaking too much new ground. Okada vs EVIL was ok, I liked it marginally better than their NJC match, but it still doesn't come close to touching their G1 stuff. I was willing to give heel EVIL a chance when he first started, but it's been long enough that I can say that he is not cut out for it. He has shown no improvement whatsoever since turning heel - in fact, it's fair to say he's regressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted February 27, 2021 Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 Oh yeah I'd say he's regressed big time. He wasn't always the most consistent guy but you could count on him to pull out the occasional banger. Outside of the Hiromu match which was a pretty monumental carry job, he's never gotten back to that level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kas Posted February 27, 2021 Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 I could always count on him to have a quietly great G1, but last year we didn't even get that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted February 27, 2021 Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 Ishii & White looked like two of the best wrestlers in the world. Which, they are, really. Great match. No idea how Ishii can still go like that, and White honestly looks like a prodigy now. Awesome pro-wrestling period. Okada vs EVIL was a good match, which for a Okada main event can only pass for a failure of sorts, but then again, EVIL is quite ok when he channels Choshu but otherwise, he's just not a main event guy at all. Enough of this. And the Bullet Club bullshit is beyond beyond BEYOND tired. Plus, two matches back to back with out of the ring bullshit, in exactly the same vein too, doesn't thats strike Gedo as a weee bit redondant ? I've gotta say though, Red Shoes is funny as hell when he makes all the effort in the world to turn his back to whats happening. Come on Uno, be more subtle than this ! Also, cut that Money Clip shit already Okada, even with the clapping restrictions, you can feel the crowd literally die inside everytime he puts it on. KENTA vs Mox was a terrific stiff match, they really beat the hell out of each others. KENTA really shined through this one (much better without any Bullet Club bullshit too). The result is surprising in a good way, because it means more is to come. Can we have that Mox vs Suzuki match now ? Please ? As far as the announcing goes, it's also striking how better it is when Kelly & Romero are working together. Chris Charlton, who makes me think of like Leisure Suit Larry every time I see him, is good for stats and the likes, but he can get pretty grating as a hype man. No idea who the fuck Gino Gambino is nor why he's got a mic, he's totally useless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted February 27, 2021 Report Share Posted February 27, 2021 I don't dislike Gino's announcing, and he seems like he's a great guy IRL, but he comes off like someone trying too hard to be Jesse Ventura at times which makes him look low rent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dav'oh Posted February 28, 2021 Report Share Posted February 28, 2021 4 hours ago, El-P said: No idea who the fuck Gino Gambino is nor why he's got a mic Local indie wrestler of mild renown, until he helped put together NJPW's Australian tours (I may be understating his role in bringing them Down Under, he may have been the prime mover, not sure). Somehow he's parlayed that working relationship into the occasional commentary gig. I just like seeing an Aussie on the big stage, even if it is as a wonky third or fourth wheel. I thought we should declare a national holiday when Robbie Eagles beat Jushin Liger.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kas Posted February 28, 2021 Report Share Posted February 28, 2021 Really enjoyed Ibushi Vs Naito. It seems they're going to unify the belts after all and make the NEVER title more important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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