Current New Japan

[Boss Rock]

A great lesser-known one is the WK 10 match with KUSHIDA. Has some comedy but strays from his big match formula and has some awesome selling.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

I love the Trent match from Power Struggle as my under-the-radar pick.

[zep81]

Put this list together: Think i have the essentials:

 

Kenny Omega vs Ryusuke Taguchi (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9)

Kenny Omega vs Mascara Dorada (NJPW Invasion Attack 05/04/2015)

Kenny Omega vs KUSHIDA (NJPW Dominion 07/05/2015)

Kenny Omega vs KUSHIDA (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10)

Kenny Omega vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW The New Beginning In Niigata 02/14/2016)

Kenny Omega vs Michael Elgin (NJPW Dominion 06/19/2016)

Kenny Omega vs Michael Elgin (NJPW G1 Climax 26 - Day 8 07/30/2015)

Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito (NJPW G1 Climax 26 - Day 18 08/13/2016)

Kenny Omega vs Hirooki Goto (NJPW G1 Climax 26 - Day 19 08/14/2016)

Kenny Omega vs YOSHI-HASHI (NJPW Destruction In Hiroshima 2016 09/22/2016)

Kenny Omega vs Hirooki Goto (NJPW King Of Pro-Wrestling 10/10/2016)

Kenny Omega/Adam Cole/Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson vs Gedo/Hirooki Goto/Kazuchika Okada/Will Ospreay

Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11)

Kenny Omega/Cody & Young Bucks vs Kazuchika Okada/Will Ospreay/Briscoes (NJPW Honor Rising 03/27/2017)

Kenny Omega vs Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW New Japan Cup 03/12/2017)

Kenny Omega vs Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 05/03/2017)

Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada (NJPW Dominion 06/11/2017)

Kenny Omega vs Michael Elgin (NJPW G1 USA Special 07/01/2017)

Kenny Omega vs Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW G1 USA Special 07/02/2017)

Kenny Omega vs Minoru Suzuki (NJPW G1 Climax 27 Day 2 07/20/2017)

Kenny Omega vs Toru Yano (NJPW NJPW G1 Climax 27 Day 6 07/25/2017)

Kenny Omega vs Michael Elgin (NJPW G1 Climax 27 Day 8 07/27/2017)

Kenny Omega vs Satoshi Kojima (NJPW G1 Climax 27 Day 10 07/30/2017)

Kenny Omega vs EVIL (NJPW G1 Climax 27 Day 12 08/02/2017)

Kenny Omega vs Juice Robinson (NJPW G1 Climax 27 Day 14 08/05/2017)

Kenny Omega vs SANADA (NJPW G1 Climax 2017 Day 16 08/08/2017)

Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada (NJPW G1 Climax 2017 Day 18 08/12/2017)

Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito (NJPW G1 Climax 2017 Day 19 08/13/2017)

Kenny Omega vs Juice Robinson (NJPW NJPW Destruction In Kobe 2017 09/24/2017)

Kenny Omega vs Beretta (NJPW Power Struggle 2017 11/05/2017)

Kenny Omega vs Chris Jericho (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12)

Kenny Omega vs Jay White (NJPW The New Beginning In Sapporo 2018 Day 2 01/28/2018)

[Jmare007]

NJPW LA dojo holding two camps from March 19-23 and 26-30 for 500 Dollars.

 

 

Also, Rey vs Liger has been booked for the Long Beach show

[El-P]

To the question : what is wrong with today's pro-wrestling, the answer is : Will Ospreay vs Hiromu Takahashi. And really, Will Ospreay. This guy is a perfect synthesis of everything wrong about "Millenials Wrestling". He's an unbelievable athlete. He's also a godawful pro-wrestler.

 

I have no doubt Meltz will praise this ridiculous match to the highest of hights, which means you'll have to take a shower hearing him talk about it. Either this, or pro-wrestling has definitely passed me by. But really, I have loved tons of current pro-wrestling, so I don't think it's the case. This match was painfull to match. Made no fucking sense. Had every worst indiefest spot imaginable. Selling was dogshit in a cosplay way (because Ospreay pretends he's selling, but it comes off as absolutely fake). Death spots were not sold as such. And there were even some sloppy spots (mostly on Ospreay's part), because what they did was so difficult to do that it's impossible to pull everything off totally clean, despite the fact it is supposed to. Ospreay's game is all about "look at me doing incredible moves", as his constant mugging at the camera betrays (don't give me "character work" shit here). It's Instagram Pro-wrestling. If the guy could take selfies of himself while working, he'd do it. It's pro-wrestling-for-GIFs. It's Snapchat pro-wrestling. It's terrible.

[tim]

I enjoyed the match for what it was, a loose collection of cool looking spots, but in order to enjoy it I basically had to tune out the part of my mind that screamed everything you just posted El-P. Ospreay does have the worst tendencies and I have to sort of actively work to not be annoyed by him in every match. I'd recommend checking out his match vs. Shibata from last year if you haven't to see his abilities actually being used competently in a real pro wrestling match.

 

I liked his match vs. KUSHIDA last year a lot; though it came just up to the line of being over the top obnoxious, but for me didn't cross it.

[Sean Liska]

To the question : what is wrong with today's pro-wrestling, the answer is : Will Ospreay vs Hiromu Takahashi. And really, Will Ospreay. This guy is a perfect synthesis of everything wrong about "Millenials Wrestling". He's an unbelievable athlete. He's also a godawful pro-wrestler.

 

I have no doubt Meltz will praise this ridiculous match to the highest of hights, which means you'll have to take a shower hearing him talk about it. Either this, or pro-wrestling has definitely passed me by. But really, I have loved tons of current pro-wrestling, so I don't think it's the case. This match was painfull to match. Made no fucking sense. Had every worst indiefest spot imaginable. Selling was dogshit in a cosplay way (because Ospreay pretends he's selling, but it comes off as absolutely fake). Death spots were not sold as such. And there were even some sloppy spots (mostly on Ospreay's part), because what they did was so difficult to do that it's impossible to pull everything off totally clean, despite the fact it is supposed to. Ospreay's game is all about "look at me doing incredible moves", as his constant mugging at the camera betrays (don't give me "character work" shit here). It's Instagram Pro-wrestling. If the guy could take selfies of himself while working, he'd do it. It's pro-wrestling-for-GIFs. It's Snapchat pro-wrestling. It's terrible.

 

I watched this match and then immediately after I watched Atlantis/Niebla-Cuatrero/Angel De Oro and I legit enjoyed this medicore CMLL match much more. I hate being an old man behind the curve or whatever but NJPW big matches don't do it for me. One big problem is if they're not in Korakuen or the last few nights of the G-1, I never hear people say this, but these crowds really don't make much noise until the finishing stretch. So we have these guys laying on the mat between each spot doing their Oscar-bait selling and the place is silent and I don't understand how everyone loves it so much. I don't mind selling big spots but every NJPW is the same with the big spots and long selling in between and I don't know, just doesn't work for me for some reason.

 

I far prefer NJPW Korakuen shows that are fast-paced and have the crowds into each spot of each match. Those shows are a bunch of fun. Even the undercard to this one I enjoyed. But the last three matches, I don't know, I just don't get it. Has jdw ever watched modern NJPW main events and given an opinion? I'm legit curious what he would think.

[El-P]

I'd recommend checking out his match vs. Shibata from last year if you haven't to see his abilities actually being used competently in a real pro wrestling match.

 

I liked his match vs. KUSHIDA last year a lot; though it came just up to the line of being over the top obnoxious, but for me didn't cross it.

 

Thanks for the recommandations, but I'm at this point where I'm just not interested in checking out a guy I can't stand just because he had better performances. Life's too short. Well, if that Okada match happens (yikes), I'll watch it because of Okada, but that's pretty much it.

 

Card was too long and the Ospreay match was a legit chore to get through, especially after the multi-match involving Henare, who looks like a WCW circa 93 Barbarian rip-off and Jay White, who really is a big nothing. Gedo vs BUSHI was "fun" I guess, if you like bullshit with mask and beards. Well, not that fun, really. Too much titles (in every damn match, please, is this Crockett in 88 ?). Too much gaijins. Too much sameness in the tropes. But that's modern NJ wrestling for you.

 

Enjoyed the opener with the roided rookie Kitamura being schooled by veteran Nagata (who's sporting the cool old All Asia tag belt). The Junior tag-team match was very good with a super solid performance from Desperado & Kanemaru. Enjoyed the Fuyuki-Gun multi-match because they kept it moving and Suzuki vs Makabe is at least intriguing on a "can Suzuki carry Makabe to a fun match" level. Naito vs YOSHI-HASHI was very good/excellent, Goto vs EVIL was good (but by then I was annoyed and tired because of the series of mediocre matches). Okada vs SANADA was great and all about selling and psychology as opposed to do a bunch of big moves and no-selling them. Simple, slow paced but took the time to build, reminded me of a 90's match. Probably even MOTYC caliber for me.

 

So I can't complain, really, but you could scratch a good hour from the show. And I'm guessing the English broadcast made things worst, I'm only getting the Japanese version now, don't want to hear Kelly babble about star ratings.

[Mad Dog]

I love me some spot fests but Ospreay is the fucking worst. It's like he has to see how many flips he can add to the most basic of moves. His ability to drag good workers down to his level is only surpassed by Scurll.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

I love me some spot fests but Ospreay is the fucking worst. It's like he has to see how many flips he can add to the most basic of moves. His ability to drag good workers down to his level is only surpassed by Scurll.

I was reading the Voices of Wrestling Best Matches of 2017 list and was just shocked to see the Kushida/Ospreay BOSJ match wind up at like #8. Obviously it’s just my bias but there’s no way I could make a serious MOTY list and include an Ospreay match on it. I even liked that match (preferred the 1/4/17 one, actually) but it definitely made me realize that I am out of touch, as well (though I know VoW mainly is a NJPW-centric site).

[sek69]

 

I'd recommend checking out his match vs. Shibata from last year if you haven't to see his abilities actually being used competently in a real pro wrestling match.

 

I liked his match vs. KUSHIDA last year a lot; though it came just up to the line of being over the top obnoxious, but for me didn't cross it.

 

Thanks for the recommandations, but I'm at this point where I'm just not interested in checking out a guy I can't stand just because he had better performances. Life's too short. Well, if that Okada match happens (yikes), I'll watch it because of Okada, but that's pretty much it.

 

Card was too long and the Ospreay match was a legit chore to get through, especially after the multi-match involving Henare, who looks like a WCW circa 93 Barbarian rip-off and Jay White, who really is a big nothing. Gedo vs BUSHI was "fun" I guess, if you like bullshit with mask and beards. Well, not that fun, really. Too much titles (in every damn match, please, is this Crockett in 88 ?). Too much gaijins. Too much sameness in the tropes. But that's modern NJ wrestling for you.

 

Enjoyed the opener with the roided rookie Kitamura being schooled by veteran Nagata (who's sporting the cool old All Asia tag belt). The Junior tag-team match was very good with a super solid performance from Desperado & Kanemaru. Enjoyed the Fuyuki-Gun multi-match because they kept it moving and Suzuki vs Makabe is at least intriguing on a "can Suzuki carry Makabe to a fun match" level. Naito vs YOSHI-HASHI was very good/excellent, Goto vs EVIL was good (but by then I was annoyed and tired because of the series of mediocre matches). Okada vs SANADA was great and all about selling and psychology as opposed to do a bunch of big moves and no-selling them. Simple, slow paced but took the time to build, reminded me of a 90's match. Probably even MOTYC caliber for me.

 

So I can't complain, really, but you could scratch a good hour from the show. And I'm guessing the English broadcast made things worst, I'm only getting the Japanese version now, don't want to hear Kelly babble about star ratings.

 

 

 

Funny you should mention JCP, as Gedo is a big fan of that era.

[El-P]

I know. I remember when Gedo & Jado were cult favourites in some circles because they were overt US territory fans. Wasn't Gedo nicknamed "Superfly" in FMW in 2000 or so during the Complete Players (was that the name of the copycat stable with Kaori Nakayama ?) stuff ? Seems like a long time ago, now it's fashionable to bash Gedo for no other reason than NJ being Meltz favourite, despite the fact he's indeed a good booker. Trends come and go...

[sek69]

Another reason out of a billon Russo was terrible for wrestling is that fans that grew up in his era expect booking to have tons of swerves and twists no matter if they make sense or not.

 

Gedo's booking is predictable, but it makes sense and leads to great matches. That used to be how all wrestling was booked (or at least everyone tried to do it that way) and now it's something he gets knocked for.

[WingedEagle]

 

I love me some spot fests but Ospreay is the fucking worst. It's like he has to see how many flips he can add to the most basic of moves. His ability to drag good workers down to his level is only surpassed by Scurll.

I was reading the Voices of Wrestling Best Matches of 2017 list and was just shocked to see the Kushida/Ospreay BOSJ match wind up at like #8. Obviously it’s just my bias but there’s no way I could make a serious MOTY list and include an Ospreay match on it. I even liked that match (preferred the 1/4/17 one, actually) but it definitely made me realize that I am out of touch, as well (though I know VoW mainly is a NJPW-centric site).

 

 

I'm generally with you on that point and haven't been a big fan of Ospreay since he began packing in the flips, screaming and cursing with little regard for anything else in his matches. But that Kushida match was legitimately excellent.

[Boss Rock]

Maybe it's because I'm not an older guy (ha) but I liked Hiromu-Ospreay. That being said, I do think they went a bit overboard, but that's Ospreay for you. At his best, he's a very exciting high-flier. At his worst, he's over-indulgent with no sense of pacing or psychology. I wouldn't exactly say this was the "worst" of Ospreay but the screaming and ease of comebacks after being hit with big moves is annoying (although the latter isn't exactly uncommon in NJPW). I thought the match would have worked much better had Hiromu won considering he had answer for basically every big move Ospreay hit him with, but it is what it is.

 

And while I wouldn't have had it in my top 10 for last year, I did love the Ospreay-KUSHIDA match from last year's BOSJ.

 

Goto-EVIL was a chore and the whole ref bump to use the prayer beads only for the ref to then see EVIL use the prayer beads without calling for a DQ was terrible. This isn't hard: keep normal DQ spots outside of the ring and skip the ref bumps in general. I like EVIL and have always been a bit of a Goto apologist because the whole "fails for most of the year and then overachieves a few times" is a pretty fun character. But he's pretty dang boring at his worst and EVIL needs a really good dance partner to rise above "good".

 

Main event would have been a MOTYC had the opening half not been so dang slow. SANADA had a career performance and Okada continues to be the master of selling peril even when the outcome isn't in any doubt. I legit though SANADA had him a few times even though I knew there was no chance he was winning.

[Boss Rock]

I know. I remember when Gedo & Jado were cult favourites in some circles because they were overt US territory fans. Wasn't Gedo nicknamed "Superfly" in FMW in 2000 or so during the Complete Players (was that the name of the copycat stable with Kaori Nakayama ?) stuff ? Seems like a long time ago, now it's fashionable to bash Gedo for no other reason than NJ being Meltz favourite, despite the fact he's indeed a good booker. Trends come and go...

 

Certainly explains his excellent punches and "less is more" approach. His match with Finn back in 2013 was legitimately Finn's best match until A.J. at TLC.

[Jmare007]

Another reason out of a billon Russo was terrible for wrestling is that fans that grew up in his era expect booking to have tons of swerves and twists no matter if they make sense or not.

 

Gedo's booking is predictable, but it makes sense and leads to great matches. That used to be how all wrestling was booked (or at least everyone tried to do it that way) and now it's something he gets knocked for.

 

I haven't read or heard 1 criticism of Gedo based on lack of swerves or twists. It's about his booking being uninspired for YEARS. I feel New Japan has been pretty much the same for 6 years now, it's mostly the same dynamics, angles and feuds over and over again. As someone who has followed the company since he took over, I burned out on their product and there hasn't been anything interesting to keep my attention for more than 1 show every 6 months or so.

 

I also think the people that knock him are fans that have grown tired of their current style - specially on main events/big matches - or never really thought it was that great to being with.

 

Now, the fact they are making good money means Gedo has no reason to change, and that's fine. But hey, WWE has been making great money for a long ass time and we all complain when shit is boring or uninspired.

[sek69]

I've seen lots of complaints at how predictable his booking is. Not that anyone was pining for Russo swerves in New Japan, but for some reason it annoys some people that things are planned 6 months to a year in advance.

[Boss Rock]

While I do appreciate the long-term booking as opposed to the seat of the pants booking WWE uses (although putting out as much content as they do has to be difficult), it becomes a problem when you don't capitalize on a crowd reaction. Sticking to the plan as opposed to going with the hot hand is one of the biggest issues I've seen in almost every wrestling promotion and it's extremely evident in NJPW. Okada was hot in 2014-2015, but they held off on him beating Tanahashi until the next year. Hiromu was looking to be NJPW's biggest breakout star in a while, but they kept him defined as just another Junior to continue the stories with KUSHIDA and Ospreay. And while Naito helped them draw their biggest Tokyo Dome crowd in years, they didn't pull the trigger because they want Okada to break all the records and presumably have him win at Dominion two years after he originally lost the title.

 

So while a lot of these stories are interesting in a vacuum, they don't capitalize on new opportunities when they present themselves.

[Jmare007]

I'm still baffled he might do the exact same story he did with Okada/Tanahashi in 15' for Naito/Okada this year. That might have 6 months or 1 year worth of planning but I have no interest in watching it, specially because it sucked when he first did it 2015 (shit, it even bombed at the box office for the payoff at the Dome).

[Boss Rock]

I'm actually not too sure how it did compared to WK 9 because I think they were still fudging the numbers at that point. But I do agree that going the same route with Naito is a bit odd, even if I can sort of get behind it in a vacuum (Naito going back to his old Stardust Genius ways at the Dome, realizes he needs to fully embrace the Ingobernable).

 

I sort of think Naito wins at Dominion once Okada breaks the title defense record, Okada wins the G-1, rematch at WK for all the marbles. The best story? Probably not.

[Sean Liska]

I think it's very fair to say that Gedo's booking style has been incredibly successful and logically he should keep doing the same thing until business stops booming, while also saying it's personally boring to us at times. Choshu's NJPW with all the unpredictability was more exciting for me personally.

[Jmare007]

But I do agree that going the same route with Naito is a bit odd, even if I can sort of get behind it in a vacuum (Naito going back to his old Stardust Genius ways at the Dome, realizes he needs to fully embrace the Ingobernable).

 

This is off topic, just curious at the bolded because I've read that point from other people too. I get that the story was that Naito wasn't ready and that for some reason, after almost 3 years with this gimmick, he just didn't evolve enough to get past Okada. But he went for the Stardust Press two times, neither of which cost him the match, what fucked him over was going for the Destino - the move that gave him the belt against Okada in the first place - twice in a row so he could finally get the pin, like in the G-1 Finals. When people said he lost his Tranquilo personality is it because he went for his finisher twice in a row, the same way Tanahashi and Okada have finished HUGE matches? Or because he tried to go for the SP? I just don't get that narrative, as going for the Stardust Press made sense as nothing else was working, and when he couldn't use it, he went for his "Tranquilo finisher" and it didn't work either.

 

So I'm kinda lost of why some people think the story was him "going back to the Stardust Genius" instead of him just not having enough to get past the Ace. Like, what would the "right" storytelling be - following the first scenario - for when he gets the belt? If two Destinos in a row isn't being Tranquilo enough, or going for the Stardust Press is going back to his old gimmick, then does he need to debut something new to fit the "stay Tranquilo and not go back to his old personality" storytelling scenario?

[Boss Rock]

You bring up a great point and I've seen the point made that going for the second Destino and getting lost in the moment is what cost him too. It's really tough to say when you break it down like that.

[Boss Rock]

If I had to guess, I think they were going for the story that Naito thought he was ready for the big Tokyo Dome main event four years after it was taken from him. However, the pressure was too much against a guy like Okada who's done this no big deal for three years. For the first time since going Ingobernable, his confidence was shaken and he just didn't have what it takes to get the job done. Which again, is a retread of the Okada-Tanahashi rivalry. So while I think it's kinda interesting that the role was reversed with Okada being the guy to mock his opponent who just wasn't ready yet, it's also a lazy retread. Okada losing his cool and failing at WK would have made for a much more interesting story.