Dave Meltzer stuff

[jushin muta liger]

That site showed in 2005 the Dome had 8,500. Kinda shows had bad the Inoki/Yukes leadership was. NOAH drew a lot more than NJPW in 05 but they had a stacked card. New Japan's growth is either looked at as great or overrated but it looks like they are heading in the right direction. They have came a long way from claiming Dome shows had 46K when they only had 8K.

[W2BTD]

I'll just paste what I said in the podcast forum here...

 

The word now is that 36k was a sellout for the setup they had in the building. I don't see that there's any reason to believe that Dave got worked on the advance ticket sales. I do think you can argue that his enthusiasm for the product caused him to make more positive extrapolations from the available information than he otherwise would have, and maybe in that sense the NJPW front office managed to work him by withholding the one crucial detail about the max capacity of their setup. That said, to play devil's advocate, is it really so hard to imagine the same thing happening with a non-guaranteed-sellout Wrestlemania?

 

Nobody is claiming 36,000 is a sellout, even adjusting for setup, not even New Japan. They self reported 36,000 a full day after other Japanese outlets had the same number, and are not claiming it to be a sellout. Promoters are promoters, I don't trust any of them, but one thing Kidani has been insistent on is reporting legit attendance. He hasn't been caught with his pants down yet.

 

I don't believe dave got worked, but I do think dave got wrapped up in the same hysteria everybody else did and assumed sellout meant 50k or more. Where dave may have been irresponsible was not investigating exactly what a sellout entailed in this case, which as we have all learned now is a number way closer to 45,000 (max) rather than the mythical numbers we all thought were possible but in reality probably are not.

 

Matt Farmer was pretty insistent in his Twitter feed all week leading up to the show that there is no way you are getting more than 42, 43k in that place without extreme standing room only or eliminating the stage. A lot of people gave him a hard time, but it turns out he was right. The seating charts showed roughly 6,000 nosebleeds available before the show, and 36 + 6 = 42k, or roughly what Farmer feels they can fit. There were a couple of corner upper deck sections tarped off near the stage area. It seems like under the current setup 44 or 45k max is 100% capacity before STO.

[W2BTD]

 

Interested to see how the Dome show attendance is covered

On VOW too, they were going on and on about it blowing away last year's and being a potential sell out on the preview show.

 

 

We were going off of the same exact assumptions that the rest of the planet was. Everybody thought "sellout" meant something different than it actually did. Even if they had sold the remaining seats, the total would have been 42 or 43k, which would have still been deflating based on what everybody took from dave's initial report (which to be fair, had no numbers attached, but i'm not letting him off the hook, I believe he got wrapped up in the massive assumed number like the rest of us did, and that;s what his report implied).

[ohtani's jacket]

The moral of the story is to check which seats are on sale. That info was on both the NJPW site and the official Wrestle Kingdom site.

 

The Tokyo Dome website has a cool interactive seating guide that gives you panoramic views of the dome -- https://www.tokyo-dome.co.jp/dome/seat/#

 

NJPW's goal is basically to fill the first and second floors. They don't sell tickets for the bleachers or the terraces. This will give you a better idea of the seating areas -- http://www.livehis.com/seat/seat2_tokyodome.html

 

What's abundantly clear is that they're not filling the stands to the point where I doubt they put all the 1st and 2nd floor tickets on sale. You can see entire sections of the first and second floors empty in just about any picture of Wrestle Kingdom.

[Grimmas]

I understand it wasn't a sell out.

 

What I don't get is, if NJPW is so hot, why did they only sell a 1000 more tickets than last year?

[ohtani's jacket]

It's not hot. It has a product that drew back some of the lapsed hardcores while drawing new fans for whom it may or may not be a fad. Those people bring casuals to the big shows (like my wife whose co-worker took her to a couple of Sumo Hall shows) and you get a boost in crowd numbers but not a hot product.

The trouble is that online fans often have no context for how wrestling fits in to the million other entertainment options in Japan (and specifically Tokyo.) They perceive it as a bigger deal than it really is because it's a big deal to them. There are musical acts in Japan that are so hot you have to enter a lottery just to get to the chance to buy a ticket to their shows. Wrestling is very niche, but as a hobby it exists in a bubble in the area around Tokyo Dome and for people who make the pilgrimage it seems like a bit of a Mecca.

What I don't put much stock in is jumping to conclusion over whether it's the main event's fault that they didn't draw more. I don't think the company is in a position to draw anymore than it does. Where are they supposed to conjure these fans up from? Wrestle Kingdom is their maxed out audience. Whatever success they've had has essentially been based on word of mouth. So I think their ceiling has to be taken into account.

[Childs]

The "hot" perception is also a relativity thing, right? New Japan is at least a company that's expanding and making aggressive business decisions, just a few years after people were deeply worried about the future of wrestling in Japan.

 

But I agree with OJ about our poor grip of the context. As much Japanese wrestling as I've watched, I don't have a great sense of where it fits in the country's pop culture and how that place compares to 1995 or 1985 or 1965 (less popular obviously, but it's hard to grasp the nuances from the outside). I'm also not sure how NJPW's place in Japan compares to WWE's place here.

[W2BTD]

What I don't put much stock in is jumping to conclusion over whether it's the main event's fault that they didn't draw more.

 

That entire talking point exist only to those who are being dragged kicking & screaming into accepting that NJPW is doing well.

 

The main event drew the biggest paid house in the company in 14 years, and the show grew for the fourth year straight. In 2011 there were 18,000 people in the building. I'd say they're picking the right main events, but then again I also have a feel for context and I don't compare what's happening today to what happened 20+ years ago.

 

I understand it wasn't a sell out.

 

What I don't get is, if NJPW is so hot, why did they only sell a 1000 more tickets than last year?

 

I don't know what "so hot" means.

 

They just hit a 14 year high in attendance, and the complaint is that it only grew 1000 tickets. In August, they drew the fourth biggest house in the world, a house that would have qualified as the biggest house WWE drew all year with the exception of WrestleMania, and there are people (you among them) who considered that a failure.

 

I don't think anybody is comparing this run to the glory days of Japan or to the Attitude Era...except for the people who are constantly holding it to those standards as the comparison point and downplaying how well they're doing. They are "hot" when you look at where they were four years ago. To deny that seems strange.

 

The fact that the in ring has been so widely praised contributes to this, too. On a much, much smaller scale, a promotion like PWS would be getting incredible amounts of hype if the shows weren't terrible. They're arguably the most successful indie in the U.S., and get very little credit for it because the shows stink. Hot shows help perception.

[pantherwagner]

It's not hot. It has a product that drew back some of the lapsed hardcores while drawing new fans for whom it may or may not be a fad. Those people bring casuals to the big shows (like my wife whose co-worker took her to a couple of Sumo Hall shows) and you get a boost in crowd numbers but not a hot product.

 

The trouble is that online fans often have no context for how wrestling fits in to the million other entertainment options in Japan (and specifically Tokyo.) They perceive it as a bigger deal than it really is because it's a big deal to them. There are musical acts in Japan that are so hot you have to enter a lottery just to get to the chance to buy a ticket to their shows. Wrestling is very niche, but as a hobby it exists in a bubble in the area around Tokyo Dome and for people who make the pilgrimage it seems like a bit of a Mecca.

 

What I don't put much stock in is jumping to conclusion over whether it's the main event's fault that they didn't draw more. I don't think the company is in a position to draw anymore than it does. Where are they supposed to conjure these fans up from? Wrestle Kingdom is their maxed out audience. Whatever success they've had has essentially been based on word of mouth. So I think their ceiling has to be taken into account.

 

The only place they can get fans from is a decent TV slot. Now even my friends who liked wrestling don't even know it's on TV or are not willing to stay late to watch it (Japan, as technologically advanced as it is for some things, is way behind the US when it comes to everyday usage of recording devices).

 

But 100% agreeing with this. Interest is definitely higher but it's not "hot" and there's no "buzz". I was in Japan (not Tokyo) the days right before WK9 and I purposedly checked the sports newspapers and I didn't see any coverage other than a little side blurb. Decades ago Takada would fart and unless there was something major in baseball it would make front cover and/or get a big colour picture. That's a hot product.

 

I don't know who told Dave that Nakamura, Okada, Makabe and Tanahashi have "mainstream name recognition" but that also seems a bit of a stretch.

[ohtani's jacket]

"Doing well" is a much better description than being "hot." I think they're doing well to draw 36k on the strength of word of mouth. The problem with its TV is that it airs in the dead of the night. Like tonight if I want to watch highlights of Naito vs. Styles and Ishii vs. Makabe it's on TV Asahi from 3:20 to 3:50 a.m. That's the worst that New Japan's TV situation has been in the history of the company. Not only that, but the time changes each Saturday. On 12/20 it was 3:15 to 3:45 while on 12/27 it was 3:30 to 4:00 a.m. Hardcores will subscribe to NJPW World or cable channels, but there's actually a fair chunk of hardcores that aren't interested in watching wrestling on TV and only go to the shows. I do think they should be commended for drawing stronger live gates. I just wanted to point out that continuous growth is a bigger hurdle than Okada and Tanahashi simply drawing more people.

[Grimmas]

 

I understand it wasn't a sell out.

 

What I don't get is, if NJPW is so hot, why did they only sell a 1000 more tickets than last year?

 

I don't know what "so hot" means.

 

They just hit a 14 year high in attendance, and the complaint is that it only grew 1000 tickets. In August, they drew the fourth biggest house in the world, a house that would have qualified as the biggest house WWE drew all year with the exception of WrestleMania, and there are people (you among them) who considered that a failure.

 

I don't think anybody is comparing this run to the glory days of Japan or to the Attitude Era...except for the people who are constantly holding it to those standards as the comparison point and downplaying how well they're doing. They are "hot" when you look at where they were four years ago. To deny that seems strange.

 

The fact that the in ring has been so widely praised contributes to this, too. On a much, much smaller scale, a promotion like PWS would be getting incredible amounts of hype if the shows weren't terrible. They're arguably the most successful indie in the U.S., and get very little credit for it because the shows stink. Hot shows help perception.

 

So hot is when you make an argument that a weird booking decision (like Tanahashi beating Styles for the title) is justified because they may sell out the Tokyo Dome.

 

Look, NJPW is doing better. It's a solid #2 promotion in the world. It's not a promotion that is so hot that their top star is a slam dunk hall of famer.

 

I know you like to bring up the August house as proof of their awesomeness, but they still only filled half of the building. No matter how you want to spin it (18k is a lot of people), it is still only half the building filled. If WrestleMania 30 drew 38k, that would be a big house. However, it would be a failure because they only filled half the building and they would be mocked for it.

[WingedEagle]

 

 

I understand it wasn't a sell out.

 

What I don't get is, if NJPW is so hot, why did they only sell a 1000 more tickets than last year?

 

I don't know what "so hot" means.

 

They just hit a 14 year high in attendance, and the complaint is that it only grew 1000 tickets. In August, they drew the fourth biggest house in the world, a house that would have qualified as the biggest house WWE drew all year with the exception of WrestleMania, and there are people (you among them) who considered that a failure.

 

I don't think anybody is comparing this run to the glory days of Japan or to the Attitude Era...except for the people who are constantly holding it to those standards as the comparison point and downplaying how well they're doing. They are "hot" when you look at where they were four years ago. To deny that seems strange.

 

The fact that the in ring has been so widely praised contributes to this, too. On a much, much smaller scale, a promotion like PWS would be getting incredible amounts of hype if the shows weren't terrible. They're arguably the most successful indie in the U.S., and get very little credit for it because the shows stink. Hot shows help perception.

 

So hot is when you make an argument that a weird booking decision (like Tanahashi beating Styles for the title) is justified because they may sell out the Tokyo Dome.

 

Look, NJPW is doing better. It's a solid #2 promotion in the world. It's not a promotion that is so hot that their top star is a slam dunk hall of famer.

 

I know you like to bring up the August house as proof of their awesomeness, but they still only filled half of the building. No matter how you want to spin it (18k is a lot of people), it is still only half the building filled. If WrestleMania 30 drew 38k, that would be a big house. However, it would be a failure because they only filled half the building and they would be mocked for it.

 

 

Half house or full house, what kind of profit did running the show turn? If they netted out a nice chunk of change I'd be hard pressed to call it a failure just because they took it home in a bigger bag than was necessary.

[ohtani's jacket]

New Japan know they can't sell out Seibu Dome or Tokyo Dome. To them 20k to the Seibu Dome and 35k to Tokyo Dome is a success. A straight comparison with WWE is pointless. It's like comparing American Major League Soccer with the Premier League.

[rzombie1988]

You guys need to consider also that the Dome show was on a weekend this year, as opposed to some years past where it was on weekdays, which are going to cause less people to come.

[pol]

I mean, you only have to look at the decision to return the G-1 finals to Sumo Hall this year to see that they saw the Seibu Dome number as a failure. It's actually confusing to me, because doing 18,000 for a main event announced two days prior and with a massive rain storm that killed any chance of walkup business (to the point that even people with tickets stayed home) seems pretty impressive to me.

[NintendoLogic]

Direct comparisons to WWE are absurd because they have all sorts of structural advantages New Japan doesn't. How well would WWE be drawing if Raw aired at 3 in the morning? A better comparison would be like if ROH drew 10000+ to MSG.

[Dylan Waco]

 

What I don't put much stock in is jumping to conclusion over whether it's the main event's fault that they didn't draw more.

 

That entire talking point exist only to those who are being dragged kicking & screaming into accepting that NJPW is doing well.

 

The main event drew the biggest paid house in the company in 14 years, and the show grew for the fourth year straight. In 2011 there were 18,000 people in the building. I'd say they're picking the right main events, but then again I also have a feel for context and I don't compare what's happening today to what happened 20+ years ago.

 

I understand it wasn't a sell out.

 

What I don't get is, if NJPW is so hot, why did they only sell a 1000 more tickets than last year?

 

I don't know what "so hot" means.

 

They just hit a 14 year high in attendance, and the complaint is that it only grew 1000 tickets. In August, they drew the fourth biggest house in the world, a house that would have qualified as the biggest house WWE drew all year with the exception of WrestleMania, and there are people (you among them) who considered that a failure.

 

I don't think anybody is comparing this run to the glory days of Japan or to the Attitude Era...except for the people who are constantly holding it to those standards as the comparison point and downplaying how well they're doing. They are "hot" when you look at where they were four years ago. To deny that seems strange.

 

The fact that the in ring has been so widely praised contributes to this, too. On a much, much smaller scale, a promotion like PWS would be getting incredible amounts of hype if the shows weren't terrible. They're arguably the most successful indie in the U.S., and get very little credit for it because the shows stink. Hot shows help perception.

 

 

 

Everytime I try to break up quotes on the new board it screws up my posts, so I'll address some of the points here individually, I just wanted to make it clear who I was responding too.

 

1. I don't think anyone is "blaming" the Okada v. Tanahashi match for doing 36k paid. I know I'm not. However the narrative being pushed by certain people - most notably W2BTD - is that that main event, which some fans were initially iffy on from a booking perspective was obviously a logical and even genius booking decision by Gedo and Jado because the advance numbers were huge and the expectation from most people was that they were going to do well above what they did last year. Instead at best they did a thousand more people (I say at best because I have heard reports - I believe from VOW - that last years paid number was 35750 which means the houses for both years could be nearly identical when all is said and done). 36k is a good number, very good really, and you could even argue great. But when the story being sold is "this was a great decision, the critics were wrong and the growth will prove it!"...and then there is no growth. There you go. It's not Okada and Tanahashi's fault the reporting from Meltzer sucked and that expectations from NJPW hardcores were inflated, and no one should be "blamed" for a house that large, but let's get real about who is spinning when it comes to New Japan.

 

Also please note the counter argument of "Well AJ v. Okada wasn't going to draw that" is a bit of a strawman, because most of the people questioning the logic of the Okada v. Tanahashi main, were people who believed this years Dome main event should have been Okada v. Nakamura, with AJ v. Tanahashi in the two slot. If someone wants to argue that wouldn't have done as well they are free do so, but Nakamura was the most consistent draw in the promotion last year, and that was the most protected top level match in the promotion this year prior to the G1 Final (and arguably even after it).

 

2. The context argument coming from W2BTD is comical. On Twitter he tweeted the other day that Tanahashi had headlined eight Domes shows and seven of them showed growth. Now that may mean something, and shouldn't be dismissed, but independent of context that might lead you to believe all sorts of things that are false. It's arguments like that "contextual" one which lead to people assuming Tanahashi had sold out the Tokyo Dome multiple times and voting for him for the WON HoF on those grounds. The truth is that if you expand the context you will notice that Dome show attendance plummeting coincides very closely with the rise of Nakamura and Tanahashi to the top of the cards - consistent upward trajectory doesn't start to emerge until Okada shows up (note that I"m not arguing Okada is a bigger star than either of them, but I do think he was a needed catalyst for growth). You will also notice that of the five worst drawing Dome shows in history Tanahashi was in the main event of three of them, and was in the semi-main IWGP championship match of a fourth. Going off a quick glance, and acknowledging that I may be off (also I"m only looking at the 1/4 shows) Tanahashi was in the main event of seven of the ten worst drawing Dome shows in history. Now let me be clear - those facts in and of themselves are deceptive too. If you isolate one from the other you can arrive at all sorts of conclusions that are faulty. But a contextual argument is not one that pretends history doesn't matter, anymore than it is one that inflates histories importance. Especially when one of the issues being discussed is the relative "hottness" of a promotions.

 

3. Speaking of hot, the reaction to New Japan and it's successes by many people is largely a contextual one itself. I don't want to speak for all others but the "so hot" narrative is one that's out there and it leads to people being duped into believing NJPW could do 50k or more to the Dome this year, or people thinking they'd do 25k at Seibu, or people buying certain lines from the promotion and/or the wrestling media that would be viewed with a massive amount of skepticism if they were coming from any other promotion. People think I'm hard on New Japan, but I merely hold them to the same standards I would hold any other promotion. Someone can acknowledge a promotion is doing better than it was and is growing in meaningful ways, while also criticizing certain mistakes/lingering issues/et.

 

4. On the G1 Final as a failure, I think it's going to far to use that term, but I also think pointing to the size of the house is deceptive and not just because the building was only a bit over half full. This is a company that has talked about running Dome tours. I think that's nuts but they've done it. While I'm sure Seibu was profitable the fact that they pulled back this year, combined with the air conditioning issue and the costs associated with it last year tell me that NJPW didn't see running that show again as something that was worth their time. It's a nice number to point to in the sense that it shows they can draw more than 15k once a year - something that was not at all clear after Yokohoma Arena shit the bed - but it's hard to call it a success. I do think Meltzer saying that 17 or 18k would be seen as a success a couple of days before and that turning out to be the actual number tells you a lot about Dave's sourcing and reporting on NJPW though (to keep this relevant to the bigger topic at hand).

 

5. The "hotness" of the in ring product is a good point, but it's attached to a bigger point - New Japan gets a lot of coverage from Dave Meltzer. Before I get lambasted by people accusing me of accusing them of parroting Dave's opinions, that's not even my point. My point is that New Japan is a Meltzer favorite which has dramatically increased it's visibility and appeal to hardcore fans. New Japan is "hot" because Dave Meltzer reports on it, and the proof of this hotness is..that Dave Meltzer reports on it. The fact that NJPW gets the coverage it does and has the visibility it has (which I don't think it would have without that coverage) has fueled a lot of the perception of NJPW's business hotness which is ahistorical. I'm not talking about the issue of growth that we all agree is there. I'm talking about the people I know who read the "scoop" sites or even subscribe to the Observer who think NJPW is doing bigger business than any promotion in the world, argue that Tanahashi is a star/draw on the level of Hashimoto or Takada, et. because the coverage is such a big part of the hardcore wrestling fan universe at this point. Even critics of this are often guilty of being influenced by the coverage - for example the sort of de facto assertion that NJPW is the clear number two promotion in the world is something I often fall into myself (for the record I'd still take NJPW, but I could at least see a case for CMLL for example). The point here is not that Dave is wrong to cover NJPW, but rather that by covering it as an in ring product that is "hot," it does bleed over to other things.

[Sean Liska]

Dave said on Twitter that 1/4 was easily the best US PPV of all-time. If it weren't for this place I would feel like I've lost all touch with modern wrestling. I mean, really fun show, but the reactions are something else.

[pol]

I don't begrudge people enjoying something, even if I think the praise borders on the hyperbolic, so long as they're not obnoxious about differing opinions. I've really enjoyed seeing all the people who weren't familiar with the New Japan product check it out and be wowed by it over the past week. I think the positive buzz is good for wrestling as a whole.

[Childs]

Factual question for those who might know: Why has wrestling been relegated to such awful time slots in Japan? I know that problem originated long before the live product declined in popularity. Is it due to a relative lack of channels? Is there simply no equivalent in Japan to a broad-platform cable network such as USA? Was wrestling initially shoved aside by more popular programming?

 

I'm asking because the time slot problem is always treated as irrevocable. And I'm curious why that's the case.

[pol]

I seem to remember Meltzer saying that New Japan's ratings tanked with the change in style initiated by the UWFi invasion, which led to them getting moved to a crappy timeslot. They doubled down because they were doing such great business at the gate anyway. I have no idea if that's accurate, nor any clue why they haven't been moved back since then, though.

[KrisZ]

What's funny about Dave and NJPW is that 10 years ago there were NJPW fans who basically begged him to watch it but he barely did and always put the promotion down while praising NOAH funny how the tide has turned in that regard.

 

New Japan's hotness has to be taken into relative terms as they are definitely hot among the internet circles but in Japan they are still behind where they were even 10 years ago. It also has helped NJPW that their competition has shit the bed completely all the way around and Dragon Gate is the #2 defacto promotion in a lot of people's eyes in Japan right now.

 

NJPW should run an old style G1 schedule to see just how hot they are because the fact that you are having G1 shows at Korakuen Hall would've made the 2004 version of me die in laughter. Compare the schedules and yes the 2004 numbers are claimed

 

 

NJPW, 8/15/04 (WPW/NJ+IWTV Internet) (Look!)
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
11,500 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House

1. G1 Climax - Block A 3rd Place Match: Shinsuke Nakamura beat Masahiro Chono (4:39) by DQ.
2. Tiger Mask & Katsuhiko Nakajima beat El Samurai & Masahito Kakihara (8:15) when Tiger used a Tiger suplex hold on Samurai.
3. G1 Climax - Round 2: Genichiro Tenryu beat Kensuke Sasaki (8:11) with the 53-years-old.
4. G1 Climax - Round 2: Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Shinsuke Nakamura (13:06) with the Anaconda Vice.
5. Jushin Thunder Liger, Jado, Gedo & Katsushi Takemura beat Masayuki Naruse, Wataru Inoue, Ryusuke Taguchi & Hirooki Goto (8:41) when Gedo used a Superfly splash on Goto.
6. G1 Climax - Semi Final: Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Genichiro Tenryu (6:34) with an inside cradle.
7. G1 Climax - Semi Final: Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Katsuyori Shibata (7:11) by TKO.
8. Yuji Nagata & Koji Kanemoto beat Manabu Nakanishi & Ultimo Dragon (11:33) when Nagata used the Nagata Lock II on Dragon.
9. G1 Climax - Final: Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Hiroshi Tanahashi (21:01) with the Anaconda Vice.

 

NJPW, 8/14/04 (WPW/NJ+IWTV Internet) (Look!)
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
10,000 Fans - Super No Vacancy

1. Makai #1 beat Hiro Saito (7:34) with a cradle.
2. Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Ryushi Yanagisawa (8:05) with the TTD.
3. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [11] beat Yoshihiro Takayama [2] by forfeit.
4. G1 Climax - Block B: Togi Makabe [4] beat Osamu Nishimura [6] (12:51) with an inside cradle.
5. G1 Climax - Block A: Genichiro Tenryu [8] beat Blue Wolf [4] (6:09) with an inside cradle.
6. G1 Climax - Block A: Katsuyori Shibata [8] beat Yutaka Yoshie [2] (10:22) by KO.
7. G1 Climax - Block B: Koji Kanemoto [6] beat Manabu Nakanishi [6] (9:54) with a horizontal cradle.
8. G1 Climax - Block A: Shinsuke Nakamura [8] vs. Masahiro Chono [8] went to a double countout (14:36).
9. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi [12] beat Kensuke Sasaki [9] (12:00) with a Dragon suplex hold.
10. G1 Climax - Block A: Minoru Suzuki [8] beat Yuji Nagata [8] (17:39) with a cross armbreaker.

 

NJPW, 8/13/04 (SXW) (Look!)
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
9,000 Fans - No Vacancy

1. Hirooki Goto & Katsuhiko Nakajima beat Ryusuke Taguchi & Hiroshi Nagao (10:04) when Nakajima used a German suplex hold on Nagao.
2. Togi Makabe & Toru Yano beat Makai #1 & Mitsuya Nagai (8:51) when Makabe used a lariat on Makai #1.
3. G1 Climax - Block B: Togi Makabe [2] beat Yoshihiro Takayama [2] by forfeit.
4. G1 Climax - Block A: Blue Wolf [4] beat Yutaka Yoshie [2] (14:04) with the Mongol Hammer.
5. G1 Climax - Block B: Osamu Nishimura [6] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [9] (20:02) with an Anaconda Vice cutback cradle.
6. G1 Climax - Block A: Katsuyori Shibata [6] beat Genichiro Tenryu [6] (7:15) by DQ.
7. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi [10] beat Koji Kanemoto [4] (15:45) with an inside cradle.
8. G1 Climax - Block A: Shinsuke Nakamura [8] beat Yuji Nagata [8] (13:08) with a flying kneedrop.
9. G1 Climax - Block B: Kensuke Sasaki [9] beat Manabu Nakanishi [6] (17:57) with a German suplex hold.
10. G1 Climax - Block A: Masahiro Chono [8] beat Minoru Suzuki [6] (17:32) with a Shining Yakuza kick.

 

NJPW, 8/11/04 (Samurai! TV) (Look!)
Ishikawa Industrial Exhibition Hall #4
3,800 Fans - Super No Vacancy

1. Ryusuke Taguchi & Akiya Anzawa beat Naofumi Yamamoto & Katsuhiko Nakajima (10:46) when Taguchi used a crab hold on Yamamoto.
2. Osamu Nishimura beat Hiro Saito (6:04) with a backslide.
3. G1 Climax - Block B: Osamu Nishimura [4] beat Yoshihiro Takayama [2] by forfeit.
4. G1 Climax - Block A: Shinsuke Nakamura [6] beat Blue Wolf [2] (8:15) with a reverse cross armbreaker.
5. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata [8] beat Yutaka Yoshie [2] (13:50) with the Nagata Lock III.
6. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi [8] beat Manabu Nakanishi [6] (9:12) with an inside cradle.
7. G1 Climax - Block A: Minoru Suzuki [6] beat Katsuyori Shibata [4] (7:20) by TKO.
8. G1 Climax - Block A: Genichiro Tenryu [6] beat Masahiro Chono [6] (0:38) with a powerbomb.
9. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [9] beat Togi Makabe [0] (11:33) with the Anaconda Vice.
10. G1 Climax - Block B: Kensuke Sasaki [7] beat Koji Kanemoto [4] (16:55) with a lariat.

 

NJPW, 8/10/04 (SXW) (Look!)
Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
8,500 Fans - Super No Vacancy

1. El Samurai & Hirooki Goto vs. Ultimo Dragon & Taiji Ishimori went to a draw (15:00) when the time limit expired.
2. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi [6] beat Yoshihiro Takayama [2] by forfeit.
3. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi [6] beat Osamu Nishimura [2] (14:36) with the Hercules Cutter.
4. G1 Climax - Block A: Masahiro Chono [6] beat Blue Wolf [2] (14:29) with a cross armbreaker cutback cradle.
5. G1 Climax - Block B: Koji Kanemoto [4] beat Togi Makabe [0] (13:50) with an ankle hold.
6. G1 Climax - Block A: Minoru Suzuki [4] beat Yutaka Yoshie [2] (9:12) with a Drill a Hole piledriver.
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuhiko Nakajima beat Tatsutoshi Goto & Toru Yano (7:45) when Tanahashi used an inside cradle on Goto.
8. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata [6] beat Katsuyori Shibata [4] (12:44) with a brainbuster.
9. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [7] vs. Kensuke Sasaki [5] went to a draw (30:00) when the time limit expired.
10. G1 Climax - Block A: Genichiro Tenryu [4] beat Shinsuke Nakamura [4] (14:43) with a lariat.

 

NJPW, 8/9/04 (Samurai! TV) (Look!)
Kobe World Hall
4,800 Fans

1. Mitsuya Nagai beat Toru Yano (8:16) by DQ.
2. G1 Climax - Block B: Koji Kanemoto [2] beat Yoshihiro Takayama [2] by forfeit.
3. G1 Climax - Block A: Blue Wolf [2] beat Katsuyori Shibata [4] (11:46) with a lariat.
4. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi [4] beat Togi Makabe [0] (11:35) with a grounded Dragon sleeper.
5. G1 Climax - Block B: Kensuke Sasaki [4] beat Osamu Nishimura [2] (14:00) with a front cradle.
6. G1 Climax - Block A: Yutaka Yoshie [2] beat Genichiro Tenryu [2] (4:07) with a diving body press.
7. Koji Kanemoto & Wataru Inoue beat Tiger Mask & Masayuki Naruse (11:59) when Kanemoto used a moonsault press on Naruse.
8. G1 Climax - Block A: Shinsuke Nakamura [4] beat Minoru Suzuki [2] (11:58) with a headscissors-style pinfall.
9. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6] beat Manabu Nakanishi [4] (12:47) with the Anaconda Vice.
10. G1 Climax - Block A: Masahiro Chono [4] beat Yuji Nagata [4] (16:26) with a Shining Yakuza kick.

 

NJPW, 8/8/04 (PPV/WPW/NJ+IWTV Internet) (Look!)
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium
6,400 Fans - Super No Vacancy

1. Jushin Thunder Liger, Jado, Gedo & Katsushi Takemura beat Tiger Mask, Masayuki Naruse, Wataru Inoue & Ryusuke Taguchi (11:38) when Takemura used the M9 on Inoue.
2. G1 Climax - Block A: Minoru Suzuki [2] beat Blue Wolf [0] (13:34) with an Octopus hold.
3. G1 Climax - Block B: Osamu Nishimura [2] beat Koji Kanemoto [0] (14:03) with an ankle hold cutback cradle.
4. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4] beat Hiroshi Tanahashi [2] (15:15) with the Anaconda Vice.
5. G1 Climax - Block A: Masahiro Chono [2] beat Yutaka Yoshie [0] (12:57) with a Yakuza kick.
6. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi [4] beat Togi Makabe [0] (7:40) with an Argentine backbreaker.
7. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata [4] beat Genichiro Tenryu [2] (11:28) with a backdrop hold.
8. G1 Climax - Block B: Yoshihiro Takayama [2] beat Kensuke Sasaki [2] (14:40) with a German suplex hold.
9. G1 Climax - Block A: Katsuyori Shibata [4] beat Shinsuke Nakamura [2] (12:00) with a PK.

 

NJPW, 8/7/04 (SXW LIVE) (Look!)
Sagamihara City Gymnasium
4,500 Fans - Super No Vacancy

1. G1 Climax Entrance Match: Togi Makabe (Shinya Makabe) beat Mitsuya Nagai (7:31) with a lariat.
2. G1 Climax - Block A: Shinsuke Nakamura [2] beat Yutaka Yoshie [0] (11:33) with a reverse cross armbreaker.
3. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata [2] beat Blue Wolf [0] (13:35) with a backdrop hold.
4. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi [2] beat Osamu Nishimura [0] (16:23) with a Dragon suplex hold.
5. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] beat Koji Kanemoto [0] (16:55) by TKO.
6. G1 Climax - Block A: Katsuyori Shibata [2] beat Masahiro Chono [0] (15:05) with a PK.
7. G1 Climax - Block B: Kensuke Sasaki [2] beat Togi Makabe [0] (6:34) with a Tiger suplex hold.
8. G1 Climax - Block A: Genichiro Tenryu [2] beat Minoru Suzuki [0] (13:01) with the 53-years-old.
9. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi [2] beat Yoshihiro Takayama [0] (15:48) with the Hercules Cutter.

 

 

NJPW, 8/10/14 (WPW/Sukachan/iPPV) (Look!)
Seibu Dome
18,000 Fans

1. Special 8 Man Tag Match: Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr., TAKA Michinoku & El Desperado (6:15) when Taguchi used the Dodon on TAKA.
2. Special 6 Man Tag Match: Bad Luck Fale, Doc Gallows & Yujiro Takahashi beat Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi & BUSHI (8:23) when Takahashi used the Miami Shine on BUSHI.
3. Special 8 Man Tag Match: Toru Yano, Kazushi Sakuraba & YOSHI-HASHI beat Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka & Shelton Benjamin (9:42) when Suzuki was DQ'd.
4. Special Tag Match: Adam Cole & Michael Bennett beat Jushin Thunder Liger & Captain New Japan (10:56) when Bennett used a piledriver on Captain.
5. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley © beat Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish (14:21) when KUSHIDA used the Hoverboard Lock on O'Reilly (1st defense).
6. G1 Climax Special Singles Match: Tetsuya Naito beat Tomoaki Honma (8:56) with a Stardust press.
7. G1 Climax Special Singles Match: Karl Anderson beat Tomohiro Ishii (9:39) with the Gun Stun.
8. G1 Climax Special Singles Match: Katsuyori Shibata beat Hirooki Goto (11:16) with a PK.
9. G1 Climax Special Singles Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi beat AJ Styles (16:24) with a cradle.
10. G1 Climax - Final: Kazuchika Okada beat Shinsuke Nakamura (23:18) with the Rainmaker.

 

NJPW, 8/8/14 (TV Asahi ch2/iPPV) (Look!)
Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium
5,500 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House

1. G1 Climax - Block A: Shelton Benjamin [10] beat Tomoaki Honma [0] (8:08) with the Paydirt.
2. G1 Climax - Block B: Yujiro Takahashi [8] beat Toru Yano [8] (2:56) by pinfall.
3. G1 Climax - Block B: Lance Archer [8] beat Hirooki Goto [8] (8:52) with the Blackout.
4. G1 Climax - Block B: Karl Anderson [10] beat Tetsuya Naito [10] (7:51) with the Gun Stun.
5. G1 Climax - Block A: Tomohiro Ishii [10] beat Yuji Nagata [8] (11:46) with a brainbuster.
6. G1 Climax - Block A: Doc Gallows [8] beat Katsuyori Shibata [10] (6:30) with the Hangman's Noose.
7. G1 Climax - Block A: Shinsuke Nakamura [16] beat Bad Luck Fale [12] (11:08) with the Boma Ye.
8. G1 Climax - Block B: AJ Styles [16] beat Togi Makabe [8] (11:33) with the Styles Clash.
9. G1 Climax - Block A: Davey Boy Smith Jr. [10] beat Hiroshi Tanahashi [14] (12:57) with the Bulldog bomb.
10. G1 Climax - Block B: Kazuchika Okada [16] beat Minoru Suzuki [10] (17:14) with the Rainmaker.

 

NJPW, 8/6/14 (Samurai! TV/iPPV) (Look!)
Takamatsu City Gymnasium
2,600 Fans

1. G1 Climax - Block A: Satoshi Kojima [10] beat Tomoaki Honma [0] (6:55) with a lariat.
2. G1 Climax - Block A: Bad Luck Fale [12] beat Davey Boy Smith Jr. [8] (7:10) with the Grenade.
3. G1 Climax - Block B: Tetsuya Naito [10] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [8] (10:23) with a Stardust press.
4. G1 Climax - Block B: Karl Anderson [8] beat Minoru Suzuki [10] (8:35) with the Gun Stun.
5. G1 Climax - Block B: Toru Yano [8] beat Togi Makabe [8] (2:48) by pinfall.
6. G1 Climax - Block B: AJ Styles [14] beat Yujiro Takahashi [6] (8:36) with the Styles Clash.
7. G1 Climax - Block B: Kazuchika Okada [14] beat Lance Archer [6] (11:05) with the Rainmaker.
8. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [14] beat Yuji Nagata [8] (12:34) with a cradle.
9. G1 Climax - Block A: Katsuyori Shibata [12] beat Tomohiro Ishii [8] (12:24) with a PK.
10. G1 Climax - Block A: Shinsuke Nakamura [14] beat Doc Gallows [6] (11:35) with the Boma Ye.

 

NJPW, 8/4/14 (Samurai! TV/iPPV) (Look!)
Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
7,000 Fans - Super No Vacancy

1. G1 Climax - Block A: Davey Boy Smith Jr. [8] beat Tomoaki Honma [0] (8:53) with the Bulldog bomb.
2. G1 Climax - Block B: Yujiro Takahashi [6] beat Lance Archer [6] (9:00) with a small package hold.
3. G1 Climax - Block A: Doc Gallows [6] beat Yuji Nagata [8] (7:53) with the Gallows Pole.
4. G1 Climax - Block B: Togi Makabe [8] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [8] (8:22) with a King Kong kneedrop.
5. G1 Climax - Block B: Minoru Suzuki [10] beat Tetsuya Naito [8] (12:16) with a sleeper hold.
6. G1 Climax - Block A: Bad Luck Fale [10] beat Katsuyori Shibata [10] (7:14) by countout.
7. G1 Climax - Block A: Shinsuke Nakamura [12] beat Satoshi Kojima [8] (12:51) with the Boma Ye.
8. G1 Climax - Block B: AJ Styles [12] beat Karl Anderson [6] (14:33) with the Styles Clash.
9. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [12] beat Shelton Benjamin [8] (12:32) with the High Fly Flow.
10. G1 Climax - Block B: Kazuchika Okada [12] beat Hirooki Goto [8] (15:34) with the Rainmaker.

 

NJPW, 8/3/14 (WPW/Sukachan/iPPV) (Look!)
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium
7,000 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House

1. G1 Climax - Block A: Tomohiro Ishii [8] beat Davey Boy Smith Jr. [6] (10:24) with a brainbuster.
2. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [8] beat Toru Yano [6] (4:33) with the Anaconda Max.
3. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata [8] beat Shelton Benjamin [8] (10:52) with the Nagata Lock IV.
4. G1 Climax - Block A: Satoshi Kojima [8] beat Doc Gallows [4] (7:11) with a lariat.
5. G1 Climax - Block B: Hirooki Goto [8] beat Tetsuya Naito [8] (12:21) with the Shouten Kai.
6. G1 Climax - Block B: AJ Styles [10] beat Lance Archer [6] (12:52) with the Calf Killer.
7. G1 Climax - Block B: Minoru Suzuki [8] beat Togi Makabe [6] (12:21) by referee stop.
8. G1 Climax - Block A: Katsuyori Shibata [10] beat Tomoaki Honma [0] (10:47) with a PK.
9. G1 Climax - Block B: Kazuchika Okada [10] beat Yujiro Takahashi [4] (12:49) with the Rainmaker.
10. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [10] beat Shinsuke Nakamura [10] (17:00) with a Japanese leg roll clutch hold.

 

NJPW, 8/1/14 (TV Asahi ch2/iPPV) (Look!)
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
2,015 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House

1. G1 Climax - Block A: Satoshi Kojima [6] beat Shelton Benjamin [8] (10:11) with a lariat.
2. G1 Climax - Block B: Lance Archer [6] beat Toru Yano [6] (4:38) with the Blackout.
3. G1 Climax - Block B: Karl Anderson [6] beat Yujiro Takahashi [4] (7:45) with the Gun Stun.
4. G1 Climax - Block A: Davey Boy Smith Jr. [6] beat Doc Gallows [4] (10:08) with a Sharpshooter.
5. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6] beat Hirooki Goto [6] (11:46) with the Anaconda Max.
6. G1 Climax - Block A: Bad Luck Fale [8] beat Tomoaki Honma [0] (6:40) with the Bad Luck Fall.
7. G1 Climax - Block B: Togi Makabe [6] beat Tetsuya Naito [8] (12:02) with a King Kong kneedrop.
8. G1 Climax - Block B: AJ Styles [8] beat Minoru Suzuki [6] (16:20) with the Styles Clash.
9. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata [6] beat Katsuyori Shibata [8] (13:31) with a backdrop hold.
10. G1 Climax - Block A: Shinsuke Nakamura [10] beat Tomohiro Ishii [6] (15:14) with the Boma Ye.

 

NJPW, 7/31/14 (Samurai! TV/iPPV) (Look!)
Act City Hamamatsu
3,100 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House

1. G1 Climax - Block A: Doc Gallows [4] beat Bad Luck Fale [6] (8:04) with a front high kick.
2. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata [4] beat Davey Boy Smith Jr. [4] (9:39) with the Exploder of Justice.
3. G1 Climax - Block B: Yujiro Takahashi [4] beat Togi Makabe [4] (8:16) with the Miami Shine.
4. G1 Climax - Block A: Katsuyori Shibata [8] beat Satoshi Kojima [4] (10:11) with a PK.
5. G1 Climax - Block B: Karl Anderson [4] beat Hirooki Goto [6] (11:36) with the Gun Stun.
6. G1 Climax - Block B: Minoru Suzuki [6] beat Lance Archer [4] (9:17) with a sleeper hold.
7. G1 Climax - Block A: Shinsuke Nakamura [8] beat Shelton Benjamin [8] (9:01) with the Boma Ye.
8. G1 Climax - Block B: AJ Styles [6] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4] (14:22) with a modified Styles Clash.
9. G1 Climax - Block B: Kazuchika Okada [8] beat Toru Yano [6] (9:01) with the Rainmaker.
10. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [8] beat Tomohiro Ishii [6] (15:02) with the High Fly Flow.

 

NJPW, 7/28/14 (TV Asahi ch2/iPPV) (Look!)
Sendai Sun Plaza Hall
2,850 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House

1. G1 Climax - Block A: Tomohiro Ishii [6] beat Doc Gallows [2] (8:11) with a brainbuster.
2. G1 Climax - Block B: Lance Archer [4] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4] (10:44) with the Blackout.
3. G1 Climax - Block A: Davey Boy Smith Jr. [4] beat Satoshi Kojima [4] (11:30) with the Bulldog bomb.
4. G1 Climax - Block B: Minoru Suzuki [4] beat Yujiro Takahashi [2] (8:39) with a sleeper hold.
5. G1 Climax - Block B: Toru Yano [6] beat Karl Anderson [2] (5:46) with the Uragasumi.
6. G1 Climax - Block A: Katsuyori Shibata [6] beat Shelton Benjamin [8] (14:01) with a PK.
7. G1 Climax - Block B: AJ Styles [4] beat Hirooki Goto [6] (14:58) with the Styles Clash.
8. G1 Climax - Block A: Bad Luck Fale [6] beat Hiroshi Tanahashi [6] (12:27) with the Bad Luck Fall.
9. G1 Climax - Block A: Shinsuke Nakamura [6] beat Tomoaki Honma [0] (10:19) with the Boma Ye.
10. G1 Climax - Block B: Tetsuya Naito [8] beat Kazuchika Okada [6] (13:54) with a Stardust press.

 

NJPW, 7/26/14 (WPW/iPPV) (Look!)
Akita Prefectural Gymnasium
2,800 Fans - No Vacancy

1. G1 Climax - Block A: Satoshi Kojima [4] beat Bad Luck Fale [4] (8:25) with a lariat.
2. G1 Climax - Block A: Shelton Benjamin [8] beat Davey Boy Smith Jr. [2] (8:44) with the Paydirt.
3. G1 Climax - Block B: Minoru Suzuki [2] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4] (11:04) with a sleeper hold.
4. G1 Climax - Block B: Toru Yano [4] beat Hirooki Goto [6] (1:21) with the Akakiri.
5. G1 Climax - Block A: Tomohiro Ishii [4] beat Tomoaki Honma [0] (12:06) with a brainbuster.
6. G1 Climax - Block B: Togi Makabe [4] beat Lance Archer [2] (10:35) with a King Kong kneedrop.
7. G1 Climax - Block A: Shinsuke Nakamura [4] beat Yuji Nagata [2] (11:16) with the Boma Ye.
8. G1 Climax - Block B: Tetsuya Naito [6] beat AJ Styles [2] (15:55) with a Stardust press.
9. G1 Climax - Block B: Karl Anderson [2] beat Kazuchika Okada [6] (12:34) with the Gun Stun.
10. G1 Climax - Block A: Katsuyori Shibata [4] beat Hiroshi Tanahashi [6] (16:16) with a PK.

 

NJPW, 7/25/14 (Samurai! TV/iPPV) (Look!)
Yamagata Sports Center
2,700 Fans - No Vacancy

1. G1 Climax - Block A: Doc Gallows [2] beat Tomoaki Honma [0] (7:37) with the Gallows Pole.
2. G1 Climax - Block B: Lance Archer [2] beat Karl Anderson [0] (7:35) with the Blackout.
3. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4] beat Yujiro Takahashi [2] (11:16) with the Anaconda Max.
4. G1 Climax - Block A: Shelton Benjamin [6] beat Tomohiro Ishii [2] (8:11) with the Paydirt.
5. G1 Climax - Block B: Tetsuya Naito [4] beat Toru Yano [2] (9:11) with a Stardust press.
6. G1 Climax - Block A: Davey Boy Smith Jr. [2] beat Katsuyori Shibata [2] (9:42) with the Bulldog bomb.
7. G1 Climax - Block A: Bad Luck Fale [4] beat Yuji Nagata [2] (10:57) with the Bad Luck Fall.
8. G1 Climax - Block B: Hirooki Goto [6] beat Minoru Suzuki [0] (7:03) with the Goto Shiki.
9. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [6] beat Satoshi Kojima [2] (13:01) with the High Fly Flow.
10. G1 Climax - Block B: Kazuchika Okada [6] beat Togi Makabe [2] (14:49) with the Rainmaker.

 

NJPW, 7/23/14 (Samurai! TV/iPPV)(Look!)
Aomori Prefectural Budokan
3,000 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House

1. G1 Climax - Block A: Tomohiro Ishii [2] beat Satoshi Kojima [2] (12:27) with a brainbuster.
2. G1 Climax - Block A: Shelton Benjamin [4] beat Bad Luck Fale [2] (5:55) with the Paydirt.
3. G1 Climax - Block B: Hirooki Goto [4] beat Yujiro Takahashi [2] (10:31) with the Shouten Kai.
4. G1 Climax - Block B: Tetsuya Naito [2] beat Lance Archer [0] (8:39) with an inside cradle.
5. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata [2] beat Tomoaki Honma [0] (15:11) with a backdrop hold.
6. G1 Climax - Block A: Shinsuke Nakamura [2] beat Davey Boy Smith Jr. [0] (13:37) with the Boma Ye.
7. G1 Climax - Block B: AJ Styles [2] beat Toru Yano [2] (9:53) with the Styles Clash.
8. G1 Climax - Block B: Kazuchika Okada [4] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] (12:51) with the Rainmaker.
9. G1 Climax - Block B: Togi Makabe [2] beat Karl Anderson [0] (8:44) with a King Kong kneedrop.
10. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [4] beat Doc Gallows [0] (11:14) with the High Fly Flow.

 

NJPW, 7/21/14 (WPW/Sukachan/iPPV) (Look!)
Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center
6,000 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House

1. G1 Climax - Block A: Bad Luck Fale [2] beat Tomohiro Ishii [0] (9:39) with the Bad Luck Fall.
2. G1 Climax - Block A: Shelton Benjamin [2] beat Doc Gallows [0] (8:54) with the Paydirt.
3. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] beat Karl Anderson [0] (10:11) with the Anaconda Max.
4. G1 Climax - Block A: Satoshi Kojima [2] beat Yuji Nagata [0] (11:27) with a lariat.
5. G1 Climax - Block B: Toru Yano [2] beat Minoru Suzuki [0] (2:15) with a side cradle.
6. G1 Climax - Block B: Yujiro Takahashi [2] beat Tetsuya Naito [0] (13:54) with the Miami Shine.
7. G1 Climax - Block B: Hirooki Goto [2] beat Togi Makabe [0] (11:37) with the Shouten Kai.
8. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [2] beat Tomoaki Honma [0] (11:01) with the High Fly Flow.
9. G1 Climax - Block A: Katsuyori Shibata [2] beat Shinsuke Nakamura [0] (15:27) with a PK.
10. G1 Climax - Block B: Kazuchika Okada [2] beat AJ Styles [0] (18:03) with the Rainmaker.

 

Yeah you get more shows in 2014 but the fact that they used to run Sumo Hall on 3 straight nights and either sell it out or almost sell it out and now they have to run Korakuen and other smaller buildings is smart for their business model but shows that they still have a ways to go before getting to 2004 levels which at that time was considered a failure.

[NintendoLogic]

Yeah, cable TV is basically nonexistent in Japan (I recall Dave saying that less than 10% of Japanese households have it). There's no way any wrestling show is going to have ratings good enough to justify a prime time slot on network TV, and having a show on cable in Japan is like having a show on Destination America.

[kjh]

I seem to remember Meltzer saying that New Japan's ratings tanked with the change in style initiated by the UWFi invasion, which led to them getting moved to a crappy timeslot. They doubled down because they were doing such great business at the gate anyway. I have no idea if that's accurate, nor any clue why they haven't been moved back since then, though.

 

I think Meltzer's coverage of the time demonstrates that to be the case. Regarding why they weren't moved back, I think it was a slippery slope. The next generation of stars didn't get the mainstream exposure that the previous generation did, so they weren't big names to the TV executives making the scheduling decisions and there was also a gradual erosion of fans, which didn't help matters either. The MMA boom also didn't help, as pro wrestling quickly became viewed as yesterday's news.

[kjh]

2. The context argument coming from W2BTD is comical. On Twitter he tweeted the other day that Tanahashi had headlined eight Domes shows and seven of them showed growth. Now that may mean something, and shouldn't be dismissed, but independent of context that might lead you to believe all sorts of things that are false. It's arguments like that "contextual" one which lead to people assuming Tanahashi had sold out the Tokyo Dome multiple times and voting for him for the WON HoF on those grounds. The truth is that if you expand the context you will notice that Dome show attendance plummeting coincides very closely with the rise of Nakamura and Tanahashi to the top of the cards - consistent upward trajectory doesn't start to emerge until Okada shows up (note that I"m not arguing Okada is a bigger star than either of them, but I do think he was a needed catalyst for growth).

 

The 2005 Dome show was a disaster, even though they announced an increased crowd of 46,000 fans. Meltzer wrote the following in the Observer a week after the event:

 

"This year’s Toukon Festival Wrestling World 2005 drew the company’s smallest-ever Dome crowd, a heavily papered 25,000 (announced at a ridiculous 46,000), and only 10,000 paid, for the 14th annual event on the day in the Dome for what was until recent years, that country’s version of Wrestlemania. The show was said to be lifeless, with mostly average matches, and it felt like nothing special except the main event really delivered. Long-time New Japan fans left the building really sad to see just how far things had fallen. When the show started, the building was empty, causing people to think this was going to be a disaster of a major magnitude. By the third match, the place was half full. The worse part about this is when they realized they couldn’t sell tickets, they began giving them away en masse. Tickets moved far slower than for any New Japan event ever in its flagship big show building, due to no major outsiders on the show and a horrible line-up for such a big building. They ended up giving away so many tickets that there were actually no tickets available at the ticket office at the Dome, and the major outlets reported only a few locations still available. What happened is that, like WCW at the end, most of the people given free tickets didn’t even bother coming. It wasn’t quite TNA giving away 10,000 ticket vouchers to get 1,000 people into Nashville, but it was an apathy level the likes of which nothing the company had ever experienced for a Dome show."

 

So Tanahashi is at best 6 for 8, without quibbling whether increases of 1,000-2,000 announced fans represents true growth, when we don't know the rounding and papering being done.

 

2009 was clearly drawn by outsiders (Misawa and Mutoh), rather than Tanahashi being hot as a draw. I actually think Sakuraba & Shibata as the undefeated invading shooters probably deserves more credit for the 2013 numbers than people give them today too.