Current (#2) Japanese promotions

[Dylan Waco]

As a general rule of thumb that is the best Japanese Wrestling source on the web.

[DGinnetty]

How much of the 2014 AJPW Carnival is available on video?

Does AJPW even have TV?

AJ airs 1 show per month on GAORA,

and 1 show per month on Samurai TV. Niconico

airs a AJ show once every couple months.

[jpchicago23]

Appreciate it Dylan. I'll have to check it out

[Smack2k]

 

How much of the 2014 AJPW Carnival is available on video?

Does AJPW even have TV?

AJ airs 1 show per month on GAORA,

and 1 show per month on Samurai TV. Niconico

airs a AJ show once every couple months.

 

Thanks Dan….

 

Anyone do write-ups on the matches / shows or in-depth coverage in English?

[Fantastic]

I seem to recall a few years back there was rumors that Johnny Ace had brokered some kind of deal with AJPW for WWE to have a talent exchange with the promotion - which was being run by Keiji Mutoh at the time. I think the story went that AJPW were interested in having Big Show (of all people) wrestle a couple of shows, and in return, Mutoh would make an appearance or two as "The Great Muta" for WWE. Also, part of the deal was that AJPW would serve as a kind of Japanese developmental territory for WWE.

 

I believe it ended up being nothing more than Johnny Ace having dinner with some old friends...

 

One of the biggest missed opportunities in my opinion for WWE with the Japanese market was them deciding not to go ahead with Shane McMahon's "Global Warning" idea. Global Warning was this idea that WWE would open developmental territories in major countries around the world and they would run WWE styled events with native talent.

[Strand Peanut]

that made me chuckle!

 

There is a nice point to be made that the AJPW shows do come across as a bit.. nostalgic? The good quality matches on top only seems to help.

 

But it only seems to re-inforce who these wrestlers are not. Faded memories, or proteges with no identity of their own.

 

So is NOAH just a shell promotion for NJPW ? Curious if anyone knows more of the hard biznitch on that.

[jushin muta liger]

 

 

 

How much of the 2014 AJPW Carnival is available on video?

Does AJPW even have TV?

AJ airs 1 show per month on GAORA,

and 1 show per month on Samurai TV. Niconico

airs a AJ show once every couple months.

Thanks Dan.

 

Anyone do write-ups on the matches / shows or in-depth coverage in English?

The only site I can think of is the Keeping the Spirit Alive Tumblr and that's mostly results.

 

http://keepingthespiritalive.tumblr.com/

 

Stu Max just closed up all of his sites including his New Japan one so the information side is drying up since the footage is more available.

[Fantastic]

So is NOAH just a shell promotion for NJPW ? Curious if anyone knows more of the hard biznitch on that.

 

It seems that way at the moment, doesn't it? It's probably a good thing for NOAH, given the recent financial troubles, accusations of Yakuza involvement, and the departure of names like KENTA, Shiozaki, Akiyama, Aoki, etc.

 

I wonder if Hokuto and Sasaki's promotion ("Kensuke Office", is it not?) is still affiliated with NOAH. Certainly, one of their roster - Nakajima - is wrestling for NOAH. I'd be curious to know if they are, since Sasaki left NJPW on pretty bad terms in 2002, and I can't imagine him wanting to work with them.

[GOTNW]

Kensuke Office doesn't even exist really. Their promotion (Diamond Ring) is dead, Kensuke and Satoshi Kajiwara retired, Miyahara moved to All Japan, Kitamiya to NOAH and Nakajima works for NOAH while tehnically being a freelancer.

[Superstar Sleeze]

That tease of the burning hammer was eye roll inducing. And Doering tries to be Hansen-esque. Will say he has a beautiful stache. Hope the roster gets a wee bit deeper. Too many damn promotions.

 

Also, if of any interest to anyone here, there is a rumor making the rounds that AJPW will be invaded by IGF. Something about Baba versus Inoki. I know ZERO about IGF as a product. So, if anyone wanted to shed the light on what IGF would bring to the table, that'd be great.

I was just going to say Fujita, but then I remembered they also have NAOYA FUCKIN OGAWA~! I have only watched three of his matches, but he is fucking gold in them. He knows how to translate his badass shooter vibe to pro wrestling. Cro Cop is the current champ, but Inoki just arbitrarily decided to switch the belt to MMA rules late in 2013. They also have Hashimoto's son appearing on their shows. I'd watch Akiyama vs Ogawa for sure and Shiozaki vs Fujita sounds like a fun match.

 

OH! And how could I forget! BOB SAPP~! ICHIBAN~!

[Strand Peanut]

 

 

So is NOAH just a shell promotion for NJPW ? Curious if anyone knows more of the hard biznitch on that.

It seems that way at the moment, doesn't it? It's probably a good thing for NOAH, given the recent financial troubles, accusations of Yakuza involvement, and the departure of names like KENTA, Shiozaki, Akiyama, Aoki, etc.

 

I wonder if Hokuto and Sasaki's promotion ("Kensuke Office", is it not?) is still affiliated with NOAH. Certainly, one of their roster - Nakajima - is wrestling for NOAH. I'd be curious to know if they are, since Sasaki left NJPW on pretty bad terms in 2002, and I can't imagine him wanting to work with them.

Their finacial problems go back to before Misawa's death, I'm fairly certain. It seems like a lot of people jumped ship around the same time. So (another?) management or ownership shake up seems likely.

 

KO has been closed for a while.

 

I havn't been following the NOAH/AJPW/Mutoh drama the last couple years.. so I am unsure of the timeline. Appears that NOAH seems like a holding pen promotion for people NJPW might, sorta, kinda be interested ? And a lot of filler.

 

I'll have to dig around SSS and see if I can't find more day to day info.

[pol]

One nice thing about AJPW is that the house style seems pretty distinct from the NJPW style, at least in the main events (I don't really bother with the undercards). You can't really say the same for NOAH.

[Superstar Sleeze]

I really, really want to like All Japan, but I think it is a stretch to put their best stuff up against New Japan. I think Akiyama is probably better than everyone in New Japan except maybe Styles at this point, which is scary. From the three matches, I watched he is by far the best offensive wrestler on the planet. Since he is the last of the Five Pillars, it stands out how deep his offensive arsenal is especially in this day and age of shrunken movesets. I think every single of his pimped 2014 matches had glimmers of excellent, excellent work, but they could not sustain. Omori is just one of the blandest, generic, create a puroresu star. His comeback in the Akiyama match is so flat. The Miyahara match is all over the place in part because Akiyama just has too much shit and because they work in too many momentum shifts. That finish though is HOLY SHIT AWESOME! Then Real World Tag League final match is again a ton of great action and there are moments where it looks like All Japan could be the best promotion on Earth shit like Akiyama pouncing on a Miyahara mistake and EXPLOSIVELY DDTing him all over the place. The problem is the same as late 2000s NOAH, too much offense and finish stretches that drag. I was hoping when all this love for All Japan that it was a return to the 90s, but it seems to just be a continuance of the NOAH of Akiyama, Misawa and Kobashi etc...

 

I still have Go/Suwama and Go/Doering to watch so maybe that will change my mind, but if Akiyama couldn't it seems bleak. These All Japan matches are great matches, but New Japan has put out enough excellent matches that the gulf is still there. I know Sasaki retired, but they could really use Sasaki to replace Omori. Or and I can't believe I am going to say this fucking Kojima. Omori is just a waste of space.

[Dylan Waco]

I think 2015 Omori laps 2015 Kojima

[Fantastic]

I've never liked Akiyama, but I don't deny that he's a great talent. Kawada, Misawa, Taue, and Jumbo were always leaps ahead of him as wrestlers, it kind of felt to me like he was a "hanger-on" in that exclusive club, and not really their equal at all. My favorite matches featuring Akiyama have all been tag matches that have also featured the other members of the "five pillars".

 

As for Kojima, great wrestler, but not really cut out for the ace position.

[Memphis Mark]

My understanding is that NJPW has purchased Pro Wrestling Noah . New Japan is still operating NOAH as a seperate promotion . I guess it is similar to when Jim Crockett bought the UWF and ran it for about a year before closing the old Watts promotion down for good.down for good. So in reality NJPW/ NOAH are one large promotion .

[Fantastic]

My understanding is that NJPW has purchased Pro Wrestling Noah . New Japan is still operating NOAH as a seperate promotion . I guess it is similar to when Jim Crockett bought the UWF and ran it for about a year before closing the old Watts promotion down for good.down for good. So in reality NJPW/ NOAH are one large promotion .

 

I saw this as well. Puroresu Spirit is saying:

 

 

 

[Rumor Discussion] Since a rumored report is spreading with a heavy-handed tagline. Something that needs to said right off the bat is that NJPW would not be the ones to acquire anything, Bushiroad the company that owns the 90%, or so, on NJPW stock are the ones with the money to acquire any stock which NOAH would have on the table. That is not to say any of this is true as nothing has been made known through Bushiroad or NOAH promoting Bushiroad, as of yet, as a sponsor of the promotion.

The tagline of "NJPW has bought NOAH" or whatever is being used is just no more than click-bait in a sense. News to me that buying any bit of stock actually meaning that one actually "bought" the thing in question. Which has lead to me having to make this post to try and show a different light on this subject before damage control needs to be made. Because this is still just a rumor that needs to be taken lightly.

 

Though what is getting people talking is how Suzuki-gun is competing in NOAH now and the recent appearance of NOAH in the Tokyo Dome. I have also come under the impression that people see NOAH working with NJPW as a new thing when if you go back in history they have worked together on many several instances. From more notably Marufuji being a former IWGP Jr. Champion and even Akiyama working with Nagata in 2002/2003. Of course we have the Bushiroad card game, but that also included wrestlers from All Japan and elsewhere, which Bushiroad does not have connections with elsewhere at this time.

 

I have been told by a couple Spanish speaking individuals that the original video has been falsely translated, but the original video has been removed from youtube. But it roughly translates that Super Crazy did mention that Jado has been on tour with NOAH as of late and the politics in NOAH have undergone a change in some form. Outside of that it is just leading to more and more rumors circulating.

 

Take from that what you will. I wouldn't be surprised if it's true though.

[Mad Dog]

I really like IVP's download service. You get the ISO so burning is easy and it's like a $1.39 per disc. He misses a show here or there and you might have to wait for some shows too.

[WingedEagle]

For anyone unfamiliar or looking for a second opinion, just wanted to add in another vouch for IVP Videos. Haven't had the need to order anything from him in a while as I've been staying current with NJPW PPVs and otherwise working through Yearbooks, Network content and Ditch's Best of 2000s Japan. But he is the man and great to deal with.

[Fantastic]

So yeah, Dave basically confirmed in the latest Observer that not only does NJPW have some kind of big financial stake in NOAH, but that Jado is booking them too...

 

They've been trying to keep it a secret apparently, but Super Crazy said too much during an interview. What does everybody think this means for NOAH, will it transition into NJPW's equivalent of NXT? Or will they keep it running as a separate promotion?

[stomperspc]

So yeah, Dave basically confirmed in the latest Observer that not only does NJPW have some kind of big financial stake in NOAH, but that Jado is booking them too...

 

They've been trying to keep it a secret apparently, but Super Crazy said too much during an interview. What does everybody think this means for NOAH, will it transition into NJPW's equivalent of NXT? Or will they keep it running as a separate promotion?

 

Given that they intended to keep it quiet, my guess would be the intent is to continue running the promotions separately and try to make NOAH as strong as possible. Meltzer has indicated in the past that New Japan views their roster as being too full and are having trouble making room for everyone. NOAH's roster is thin, as evidenced by just how fresh adding Suzuki-gun to the mix has made the promotion fill. I'd imagine most of the interaction between the two promotions would involve New Japan sending their guys who have nothing else going on over there for a little while. They can also use Marufuji, TMDK, ect. on New Japan shows from time to time. I'd be shocked if there wasn't a NOAH junior or two (hopefully Zack Sabre Jr. is one of them) in the BOSJ this year.

 

Of course, there is always a chance that keeping NOAH afloat turns into my trouble than it is worth and New Japan poaches the guys they want to keep. I do think their intent is probably to keep the promotions separate, however, based on what the Observer has reported so far.

[soup23]

Watched all NOAH from this year that has made tape except for 2/4/15. I think at this point in time, they will be the #2 Japanese promotion I invest in along with New Japan because I like some of their guys and the Suzuki-gun stuff gives some good crossover.

 

NOAH's juniors are really interchangeable to me. Kotoge, Harada, Ohara, Kenou all can be the same person as far as I am concerned and I have watched four shows recently. They just seem to have similar move-sets and their execution and putting together a coherent match is suspect. The Kotoge vs. Harade match that main evented 1/28 was especially painful.

 

I really think Morishima has kind of find his niche. He has had numerous ups and downs the past decade but after a fun match on 1/10 with Kitamiya, Kitamiya joined his ranks and they have been a consistently good duo together with a clear view of heirarchy within the team. Kitamiya is my favorite of the underneath NOAH guys and someone I am pegging for advancement and growth throughout 2015.

 

Suzuki-gun's multi-man matches have all been good up to this point and worked differently. To me the highlight was the ten man elimination tag which featured some good strategy and dramatic moments. So far Suzuki-gun has run through NOAH and I will be interested to see who wins the major singles and tag matches coming up. If I had to guess right now I would say Suzuki becomes the GHC and Nicholls/Haste retain against Archer and DBS Jr.

[Mad Dog]

DDT is my #2. Love DDT shows.

[pol]

The Akito vs. Makoto Oishi no rope escape match from the 01/25 DDT show that just surfaced is one of my top 10 matches of the year so far. They did a lot of fun stuff with the gimmick and it had a great finish.

[Superstar Sleeze]

Watched all NOAH from this year that has made tape except for 2/4/15. I think at this point in time, they will be the #2 Japanese promotion I invest in along with New Japan because I like some of their guys and the Suzuki-gun stuff gives some good crossover.

 

NOAH's juniors are really interchangeable to me. Kotoge, Harada, Ohara, Kenou all can be the same person as far as I am concerned and I have watched four shows recently. They just seem to have similar move-sets and their execution and putting together a coherent match is suspect. The Kotoge vs. Harade match that main evented 1/28 was especially painful.

 

I really think Morishima has kind of find his niche. He has had numerous ups and downs the past decade but after a fun match on 1/10 with Kitamiya, Kitamiya joined his ranks and they have been a consistently good duo together with a clear view of heirarchy within the team. Kitamiya is my favorite of the underneath NOAH guys and someone I am pegging for advancement and growth throughout 2015.

 

Suzuki-gun's multi-man matches have all been good up to this point and worked differently. To me the highlight was the ten man elimination tag which featured some good strategy and dramatic moments. So far Suzuki-gun has run through NOAH and I will be interested to see who wins the major singles and tag matches coming up. If I had to guess right now I would say Suzuki becomes the GHC and Nicholls/Haste retain against Archer and DBS Jr.

I am going to stick with AJPW, but I'll be on the lookout for any matches you pimp.

 

I think NJPW has a full roster but they need at least one more main event piece if not two. Especially an ass kicker baby face or heel. I am not sure if Morishima is the guy, but he has shown flashes of greatness as a monster. Have not seen any post-2008 work so don't know what he is like now. I think it is worth a shot to push him to the top. I think all the possible main event matches with him would intriguing. Tanahashi/Morishima at Fukokua Dome in early May would be one of the few dream matches left from 00s Puroresu.