strobogo Posted January 11 Report Share Posted January 11 At least Naito's first defense isn't against EVIL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autistic Dragon Posted January 11 Report Share Posted January 11 1 hour ago, El-P said: They actually did an angle where EVIL "forced" NJPW internet crew to delete Tama Tonga from the database, so he would not appear on the NJPW sites anymore. Everything about EVIL is so fucking dumb. Personally I like when heels do these kind of petty, dick moves. If nothing else it's a creative angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Control21 Posted January 11 Report Share Posted January 11 Personally I found the EVIL thing hilarious and I'm not even a big House of Torture fan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted January 11 Report Share Posted January 11 Is there such a thing as a House of Torture fan ? Such a unthinkable concept that even HP Lovecraft would not have been able to even approach its infinite horror. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autistic Dragon Posted January 11 Report Share Posted January 11 6 minutes ago, El-P said: Is there such a thing as a House of Torture fan ? You can find them on the NJPW subreddit. You might be surprised at how many people find their schtick entertaining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted January 11 Report Share Posted January 11 subreddits don't count. It's an automatic DQ. It's cancelled. Jeez, I just looked at it. MY EYES MY EYES ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffey Posted January 12 Report Share Posted January 12 22 hours ago, strobogo said: At least Naito's first defense isn't against EVIL True! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dav'oh Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 Jack Perry turned up with a "Scapegoat" armband, challenged Shota, tore up his AEW contract, and grew a beard (not in that order). He may or may not resemble Sami Zayn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 He looks like an emaciated Dan Haggerty who was left in the dryer too long. Sami looks like a grown human man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stiva Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 That angle may have had more effect if NJPW and AEW weren’t sending each other talent back and forth all year and co-promoting a PPV together in June. I assume this is building to something there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeCampbell Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 1 hour ago, Stiva said: That angle may have had more effect if NJPW and AEW weren’t sending each other talent back and forth all year and co-promoting a PPV together in June. I assume this is building to something there I'm thinking the same thing. And it's actually for the best, IMO. Perry has been gone for so long that any return outside of him being the Devil comes off like a retread. Let him spend a few months in NJPW and then do something to build up to Forbidden Door and cut a scathing promo on how the company did him wrong, and hopefully create a buzz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmare007 Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 I hope this excursion helps Perry become a better wrestler so at least someone gains something out of all of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tetsujin Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 Fuck Jack Perry, everyone go watch Mox vs Shingo. That shit rocked hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 That Jack Perry thingy is actually pretty intriguing. That's a nice little twist and hopefully making the best off that NJPW/AEW relationship. Gimme Jack Perry vs Takagi, Ishii and Taichi already too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KawadaSmile Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 Get ready to learn Imperium, buddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmare007 Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 They really are having money problems. Gotta start actually pushing the younger generation. It's been 12 year since they last did it and they have a good crop of guys that can revitalize a division that's been stale for half a decade. I wonder if Okada comes back for a mega push in 5 more years or so or if he goes the Nakamura route and decides to stay in the U.S with his family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Control21 Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 I hope Okada goes to the WWE. I think that outcome is infinitely more interesting than Okada in AEW. We all know what Okada will do in AEW. Okada in post-Vince WWE is a bigger mystery and probably one that should be explored more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 NJPW is so fucked. They lose Ospreay and Okada at the same time. Hope people enjoy those SANADA and Dave Finlay bangers. The good thing is that Gedo has no choice at all now, it's a kick in the ass. So maybe in the long haul, it'll end up being a positive (like, say, Tenryu leaving All Japan, although not comparable of course, very different context). Tanahashi has one hell of a plate in front of him. I agree Okada in WWE is more intriguing at this point (yup, I of all people am saying this), plus he really has not touched that at all, whereas pretty much all the top people in AEW are guys he already had his best stuff with anyway (Omega, Ospreay, White, Danielson). Of course, selfishly, I'd rather have Okada in AEW, but in the grand scheme of things, him going to WWE would be quite the mind-blow, and under Lesveque, who know. 7 hours ago, Jmare007 said: They really are having money problems. Between this and Giuilia most probably leaving Stardom, that's quite the terrible beginning of the year for Bushiroad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 Okada has literally nothing else he can do in NJPW, since they've done such a piss poor job building up anyone new there's no major matches he can do there that hasn't been done a million times Also as much as him in WWE would be intriguing, I'm not totally sold that their presentation of Japanese wrestlers is really that much different. Kairi came back and was immediately put back with Asuka as the Kabuki Warriors, Tozawa is still the childlike Asian stereotype, and Nak suddenly started the Asian Mist gimmick out of nowhere. If anything they just sanded down the edges and made it slightly less overt, but they are treating Japanese talent essentially the same as they always has. I'm not sure they're doing the amazing sell job to Okada they think they are. Hopefully I'm wrong, I'd like to see them dropping Rainmaker bucks from the big screens at Jerryworld in a big Mania match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 23 minutes ago, sek69 said: Okada has literally nothing else he can do in NJPW, since they've done such a piss poor job building up anyone new there's no major matches he can do there that hasn't been done a million times He could have had the Jumbo role for a while, working against the new generations. But apparently Gedo thought Tsuji had to lose every major match this year and Ren Narita was a House of Torture scrub, so there was quite a time before they were Okada-ready. 23 minutes ago, sek69 said: Also as much as him in WWE would be intriguing, I'm not totally sold that their presentation of Japanese wrestlers is really that much different. Kairi came back and was immediately put back with Asuka as the Kabuki Warriors, Tozawa is still the childlike Asian stereotype, and Nak suddenly started the Asian Mist gimmick out of nowhere. If anything they just sanded down the edges and made it slightly less overt, but they are treating Japanese talent essentially the same as they always has. I'm not sure they're doing the amazing sell job to Okada they think they are. Well, you certainly sold me on the idea that well, PLEASE GO TO AEW OKADA-SAN, WWE IS A BAD FUCKING IDEA ! And I mean, the guy went through TNA, so he probably is very aware of everything. Also, there's the point about moving to the US. It's not something everyone wants to do, no matter the money. Especially when you have a family, a wife with a very successful career in Japan too. It's more than just "Mania Moments, playing golf with Nak, booking", basically wrestling bubble stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 Another thing to consider, WWE likes to lock down people to 5 year deals nowadays and don't let anyone work outside the company (unless it's a special occasion like Muta's retirement show). AEW allows their talent to work other places, and would let him go to Japan whenever he wanted. He could try to negotiate a shorter deal, but WWE's biggest fear is setting a precedent where the talent has any bargaining power. It would seem unless he wants to go all-in (no pun intended) on living in the US, AEW would be the more logical place to go. 40 minutes ago, El-P said: And I mean, the guy went through TNA, so he probably is very aware of everything Just saying WWE is making a big deal about their presentation of Nak now as a way to show Okada that it wouldn't be another TNA type experience if he signed, yet all they're really doing is putting their usual treatment of Japanese wrestlers in front of a cool anime looking background. There's also the whole issue of no matter how well he's being presented, at the end of the day he's there to be cannon fodder for the American babyface hero who's annoyed he has to deal with this on the way to what he really wants to be doing ("finishing his story"). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Thread Killer Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 2 hours ago, sek69 said: Nak suddenly started the Asian Mist gimmick out of nowhere. If anything they just sanded down the edges and made it slightly less overt, but they are treating Japanese talent essentially the same as they always has. True, but on the other hand they have finally figured out how to use Nakamura properly and are making him intriguing. I would argue that the promos and vignettes he has done during this latest heel turn have been by far the best work he has done since he came to WWE. For once he actually seems motivated. I really don’t think the timing of that is a coincidence. I think he figured out early on that Vince McMahon did not know how to use him, so he just decided to sit back and collect a paycheck. Now they are actually giving him the ball a bit more. But after back to back losses in big feuds, first, with Rollins now with Rhodes, they do need to give him some big wins if he is to be taken seriously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tetsujin Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 My guess is that Okada is retiring at mid term and wants to do a free agent last tour anywhere doing whatever the hell he wants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 A few things: -The money issues aren't so much with Bushiroad as with the entirety of Japan relative to the US. Even if the yen wasn't in freefall, the rights fee explosion means the pay scale for major US promotions has skyrocketed well past what any Japanese promotion can realistically offer. The only way Bushiroad could compete would be if they're content with their wrestling division being a loss leader, which they clearly aren't. -Nakamura didn't just start using the mist out of nowhere. He stole it from Muta before finishing him off, which transferred the power to him. As far as kayfabe justifications for mist go, that's as good as any. WWE's isolationism and AEW's open-mindedness are both overstated. In addition to the aforementioned Nakamura, WWE allowed KENTA HIdeo Itami to work Marufuji's anniversary show and just had Charlie Dempsey wrestle for the Triple Crown. They also offered Daniel Bryan a deal that would have allowed him to work the G1. I'm sure they'd offer Okada something similar if that was a necessary condition. As for AEW, they do allow talent to work more with outside promotions, but they retain veto power and priority on dates. I doubt they'd sign Okada and then let him spend half the year in Japan. I mean, that's pretty much what HIkaru Shida does now, but that's more a reflection of the state of the AEW women's division. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 I have no idea how Nakamura looks right now in WWE. But I watched that Great Muta in NOAH match last year. Entrances were awesome. But as soon as the match started, holly fuck. Nakamura looked washed up behind beliefs. I guess that's me not haven't seen him since about 2017 (hose underwhelming matches with AJ Styles, of all people, is the last thing I saw of him apart from the Rumble matches), but still. It was one of the biggest match of his career, so the guy clearly was not unmotivated. But damn, he looked thrashed. And that's standing next to Mutoh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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