Current New Japan

[Loss]

Jericho has really carved out a space in the wrestling landscape that's all his. Good for him.

[Mad Dog]

It's really interesting to see Jericho basically becoming a Japanese style freelancer in America.

[sek69]

Not really looking forward to the "everyone predicting New Japan's doom" phase of it once being the internet's favorite fed, but here we are.

 

US shows not really selling fast, can't be that they didn't really announce any card or person appearing, has to be a sign Gedo lost it and/or Okada's done as a draw.

 

Okada/Kenny 4 is going to be a no time limit match, can't be another chapter to one of the best feuds of the last decade, it has to be bad because Dave likes both guys because.....reasons? I don't know. Somehow Dave liking a match makes it overrated now so *shrug*

 

 

It reminds me of how people want Nintendo to close shop and become a software only publisher every time they hit a bump in the road. Then they come out with something like the Switch that gets over huge and all those people look silly.

[Mad Dog]

I haven't enjoyed the product as much or liked some of the choices they've made this year. But New Japan has always kind of been that way for me and sometimes I'm just wrong. I highly disliked the first time they put the belt on Okada and I was dead wrong there. I also find that New Japan just has some dead patches even in the hot times. September to December was filler until a couple of years ago. The good times have to end sometime. It's not like it's 2002-2005 again.

[shodate]

the line of argumentation I never understood is Dave has a bias to match that 1 if one takes place in Japan 2 take place at Big egg but in the whole nigh on 39 years of big egg matches very few of them have high marks from dave. hell, the all Japan show and the dome has no five-star matches and the zenjo a card with over 20 matches has only 1 ***** match if that dave has no bias from what I have seen or no bias that some people say he has.

everyone has biases Be Ted Dibiase Or Volk Han or Lucha brawls or so on but people who attach dave for biases to New Japan are wrong based on what I have seen and read of him.

[SomethingSavage]

The List stuff was fun enough, but I haven't enjoyed Jericho this much since the 2008/09 run. To each their own, I know - but watching Jericho go into dangerous invading gaijin mode is incredibly entertaining to me.

 

I don't get all the preconceived hate for Okada/Omega either. Like, I'm not nearly as high on their series as Meltzer or anything - but do people realize they aren't obligated to watch every match from every promotion that's ever put out in the history of ever?

 

If it goes 120 minutes, then yeah. Bash it. But hating it BEFORE it actually happens is just... Bizarre.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing what they do. If it goes long, then I'll watch the finishing stretch and that's it. If it's kept in moderation, then I may watch the whole thing. Either way, I'm not getting genuinely upset about any of it. Nobody's forcing anyone to watch stuff.

 

If you don't like it, don't watch it. But the world will not end if you fast forward through 20 minutes of filler in a wrestling match, I assure you.

[Jmare007]

Not really looking forward to the "everyone predicting New Japan's doom" phase of it once being the internet's favorite fed, but here we are.

 

US shows not really selling fast, can't be that they didn't really announce any card or person appearing, has to be a sign Gedo lost it and/or Okada's done as a draw.

 

Okada/Kenny 4 is going to be a no time limit match, can't be another chapter to one of the best feuds of the last decade, it has to be bad because Dave likes both guys because.....reasons? I don't know. Somehow Dave liking a match makes it overrated now so *shrug*

 

The thing with New Japan fandom is that there's so much hyperbole around it that is very hard to have serious discussions. People predicting doom and gloom about New Japan right now are as silly as the ones talking about a legit "boom" in Japan in the last 2 years.

 

I've been bitching about Gedo's booking for more than 3 years not because it's bad for business - though there's been a couple that I've critiqued it because of that - but because it's been lazy and boring as fuck. To the point that I barely watch anymore, it's just easier to follow results and check stuff that sounds interesting.

 

The Omega/Okada part is just being disingenuous, there's a lot of people that don't rate that rivalry as an all timer and has nothing to do with Meltzer. I'm not sure who has been hating on their next match before it even happens though, but that happens with almost every big match in any promotion too, no?

[SmartMark15]

While I don't relish the No Time Limits stipulation, 2/3 Falls interests me as it's a structure I could see working for these guys. Not to mention this is the first time in months that I've considered Okada's title to be in jeopardy and this has the makings of something great, if they can hold off on some of their worst habits that is.

[Boss Rock]

Best of the Super Juniors lineup announced:

 

A Block

ACH

BUSHI

Flip Gordon

Taiji Ishimori

Tiger Mask IV

Will Ospreay

YOH

Yoshinobu Kanemaru

B Block

Chris Sabin

Dragon Lee

El Desperado

Hiromu Takahashi

KUSHIDA

Marty Scurll

Ryusuke Taguchi

SHO

Should hopefully be a better tournament then last year, especially with Taichi's move up. Taiji-Hiromu is probably the final with Taiji winning.

[Boss Rock]

In regards to Dominion, official matches so far are: Okada-Omega, Naito-Jericho, Bucks-LIJ, Elgin-Taichi-Goto, and a Mysterio match.

[Riderman Hongo]

II have never been a Jericho fan but he is a big name in the US thus needed for New Japan Thus is needed for New Japan to expand Further, The old saying about Lemons and Lemonade is prescient here. Naito is more charismatic than Jericho but they need another English voice that maybe the only reason why Gedo and Reached out to his old friend. You may call that and very cynical ideal to take, That being said it may still be a to Level match, that is also being said I was never that High on the Omega vs Jericho Match.

[Edwin]

For those of you on NJPW World -- are they still adding footage from the 70's - 90's? Do they plan on adding more footage? Do they announce when they add new footage from those years or does it just pop up randomly? Is there an index for what they have uploaded when?

Thanks!

[Boss Rock]

For those of you on NJPW World -- are they still adding footage from the 70's - 90's? Do they plan on adding more footage? Do they announce when they add new footage from those years or does it just pop up randomly? Is there an index for what they have uploaded when?

Thanks!

 

Lariato! on Twitter has an amazing match rec list going all the way back to the 70's: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZsZCBTpKjHzdbCpKZ1No1KAdpmOd2OcgSMfC1-oa7pI/edit#gid=0

 

As for more footage being added, I'm not sure. I think the biggest issue is that TV Asahi owns a lot of it.

[gordi]

Damn, man... I went to have a look at Dominion tickets today and they are already completely sold out! Good for NJPW... but disappointing for me.

[Boss Rock]

Odd booking decisions aside (having Taiji not go undefeated after such a strong debut), Best of the Super Juniors is already loads better than last year. Low bar to clear I know, but it helps they have less SZKG guys pulling shenanigans (although Kanemaru still bores me to tears). Volador was also a guy who sounded great on paper but had little to no chemistry with anyone other than KUSHIDA. The A Block is still rather sparse but Tiger Mask has been turning in some solid grumpy vet performances, ACH has stepped up in a big way, YOH is impressing, and Will is on a two-month hot streak.

[gordi]

I wasn't able to get tix to see Dominion live, but my good friend who gets the NJPW shows on TV has invited me over for a Dominion-watching get-together, which is the next-best thing.

 

I was at the first-ever Dominion show, live, in 2009. The one with Nakanishi vs Tanahashi on top. Had a blast.

 

Anybody else have plans to watch Dominion this year?

 

My feelings on the card: I absolutely despised the one Okada vs Omega match I watched last year. I think it was the WK11 one. On the other hand, I loved Jericho vs Omega and thought MiSu vs Goto was MOTN on Jan. 4th this year. Definitely enjoyed WK12 more than WrestleMania 34. As of today, I am not in any way a fan of either The Young Bucks or Will Ospreay. I am excited to see Rey in Japan.

 

My goal is to watch with an open mind and I really hope that Okada or the Young Bucks will convince me that I am wrong about them being everything that is wrong with pro wrestling today.

 

Even if they don't, I expect to have a good time watching this. Worst case scenario, I'll try to have fun complaining about it.

[Migs]

I have a two month old, so my thinking is I may just stay up and watch this live on the east coast. Interesting experiment for me and extra sleep for my wife.

[Wahoos Leg]

Glad to know I am not the only one who thought Suzuki vs Goto was the jewel of that card

[Boss Rock]

I think most (myself included) thought it was the best match of the card.

 

Never able to watch NJPW shows live but I'm expecting Dominion to be a really good show.

[benjaminkicks]

The Best of the Super Juniors final match between Hiromu and Ishimori was tremendous, and probably my favorite junior heavyweight match since last year's KUSHIDA/Ospreay final.

 

Hiromu is so good. He's excellent at filling his matches with hate, intensity, and danger, along with his stellar repertoire of brilliantly executed moves. And even when his execution somewhat falters, like the botched reverse frankensteiner in this match, it just adds to that overall sense of danger that Hiromu embodies. Ishimori was great in his role, and pulled out some awsome stuff while showing off really impressive cardio (the pace was quite fast throughout for a 34 minute match), but Hiromu was the star.

 

That Korakuen Hall crowd was completely electric all throughout as well, and really added to the match. Hiromu is so incredibly over, and at one point during a really effective submission the female fans in the building were quite audibly shrieking in worry of his well-being. It was also cool to see the ovation that Ishimori got after the match too, showing that even though the fans were rooting for Hiromu, they still greatly appreciate Taiji's amazing performance and are happy to see him as part of the New Japan roster.

 

Between this classic of a final and his block matches with Scurll, Desparado, Dragon Lee, SHO, and KUSHIDA, I think Hiromu was far and away the MVP for this tournament.

[gordi]

Well, I missed the first two matches because I was working, buying snacks, getting to my friend's place... I arrived about half-way through Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre, Jr. vs Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano and got to see Ishii and MiSu brawl after the match. That was a pretty good start.

 

NEVER Openweight Title Match was pretty good. I wasn't paying super-close attention because my friend and I were catching up and I was showing him pictures of my daughters.

 

IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship was amazing. I am a huge Young Bucks nay-sayer but they were incredible here. A spunky underdog babyface performance with an actual story based around long-term body-part selling. Damn.

 

I enjoyed seeing Rey in New Japan, and I loved his mask. Cody continues to impress.

 

I also loved the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship. I am on record as not liking Osprey at all, but I loved his performance here with the subtle heel touches. He and Hiromu have GREAT ring chemistry. They pulled off a ton of stuff with a crazy high level of difficulty and combined that with some good character work and focus on a body part that played into the finish.

 

Jericho vs Naito was intense and violent with some hard-way blood. It provided a good contrast with the matches before and after it. Variety in booking and work on a big card is definitely a good thing. Jericho's heel performances in New Japan have been excellent so far. Again, big moments combined with actual character work.

 

The main event was a f'n masterpiece. I HATED their WK match last year. This had me hooked in for every moment of the entire 70 f'n minutes. They played it perfectly, reversing and countering everything because they know each other so well now, and then somehow pulling off big moves while selling utter exhaustion throughout the third fall.

 

The best pro wrestling show I have seen in years and years. A candidate for one of the best shows of all time.

 

 

Holy crap New Japan has a lot of Gaijin Champions right now. I think Hiromu is their only Japanese title-holder at the moment. I wonder if there isn't a bit of "Put the belt on Jinder before we go to India" type thinking bhind that.

 

[Tetsujin]

I'm a big fan of the Okada/Omega trilogy, but this... This was awful. Cliché after cliché and devaluated spot after devaluated spot, it's everything I hate about modern big matches. Second worst match I've ever seen in New Japan (Dynamite/Tiger), and it pains me to say it. Terrible pro wrestling.

 

I'm happy for Kenny, though.

[Ricky Jackson]

So the main was either one of the greatest matches ever or one of the worst. 2018

[Ricky Jackson]

Also, someone should create a June match folder so this card can be broken down properly.☺ I'm definitely going to check out the top matches

[Fando]

Not a match that's going to change anyone's minds, but when a clothesline is still getting enormous pops in the building after an hour, to the majority of their audience what they're doing is definitely not devaluing moves. Pretty great how they let the tension surrounding a certain spot hang in the air for the match.