The Puroresu (Japanese Wrestling) thread

LeeJM

Omackeral wrote: »

beakerjoe wrote: »

Im so over the Bullet Club. Its past its sell by date at this stage.

Bone Soldier is gonna have a negative 7 Star match by year's end.

FYP :D

beakerjoe

LeeJM wrote: »

FYP :D

Bone Solider is awesome but he's no Cheeseburger :P

LeeJM

Cheeseburger is over brother! Have you watched NY Dash yet?

Neil3030

Aside from the psychological implications of "it's so good we had to rethink our scoring system", giving that match 6 stars implies that it's 20% better than all of his 5-star matches. That's a huge jump, and I think when the hype train slows down, Meltzer may regret this decision.

Also, I don't think I'm overstating when I say that Omega needs to stay in NJPW for the good of the industry. Who else even comes close to his all-round game, and consequent global appeal, that could carry NJPW to some level of competition with WWE? If WWE snap him up, it's over.

beakerjoe

LeeJM wrote: »

Cheeseburger is over brother! Have you watched NY Dash yet?

Nope, Eastenders and work took precedent. Is it must see as Ive avoided spoilers

Omackeral

beakerjoe wrote: »

Nope, Eastenders and work took precedent. Is it must see as Ive avoided spoilers

Ah Joe!

beakerjoe

Omackeral wrote: »

Ah Joe!

Ill always be an Eastenders mark. Its been ingrained in me since a young age and I love watching with with the misses. Its a simple pleasure.

LeeJM

Yea you need at least one thing that yourself and the missus can watch together, for myself and herself its The Big Bang Theory. Anyway there is one really note worthy thing that you should watch Joe but other than that nothing that is must see. The big debut was a total let down to me but then again I dont watch lucha so it wouldnt appeal to me

Omackeral

beakerjoe wrote: »

Ill always be an Eastenders mark. Its been ingrained in me since a young age and I love watching with with the misses. Its a simple pleasure.

I'm not bemoaning that. It's Corrie 4 4 4 Life!!!! Invasion storyline imcoming...

Clegg

Neil3030 wrote: »

Aside from the psychological implications of "it's so good we had to rethink our scoring system", giving that match 6 stars implies that it's 20% better than all of his 5-star matches. That's a huge jump, and I think when the hype train slows down, Meltzer may regret this decision.

Also, I don't think I'm overstating when I say that Omega needs to stay in NJPW for the good of the industry. Who else even comes close to his all-round game, and consequent global appeal, that could carry NJPW to some level of competition with WWE? If WWE snap him up, it's over.

I agree with this. It was an incredible wrestling match, but not so much better than what came before. I think Tana/Okada from last year's WK was just as good a match as was AJ/Nakamura. An even more recent example would be Naito/Omega from the G1 Climax Final. Another incredible match. They're all on a similar level to each other. I do like the fact that Meltzer is still such a huge fan that he can get sucked into the hype.

beakerjoe

Omackeral wrote: »

I'm not bemoaning that. It's Corrie 4 4 4 Life!!!! Invasion storyline imcoming...

Corrie went down hill after the bus crash, haven't watched it since.

Lithium93_

Please, please DON'T GO TO WWE.

https://twitter.com/KennyOmegamanX/status/817323227886125056?lang=en

I will be stepping away from Japan to reassess my future. The path of my journey may change, but my goals will not.

and he added

https://twitter.com/KennyOmegamanX/status/817339042358378496?lang=en

there is no plan. My schedule is cleared and I'm weighing all options. I've a lot to consider. Thx for the patience/support

beakerjoe

While New Japan is where he belongs, I have faith that NJPW would be ok if he left. AJ and Nak left last year and they created more stars and there is enough top talent there to push on with Kenny, even if hes a big loss.

That said I expect him to stay. Its not the right time for him to leave.

LeeJM

Was just about to post them. Thats huge news. Also explains why Kenny didnt win at the Dome which was IMO the logical choice. All I will say is if the move to WWE happens he isnt coming in to feud with Big Cass, he will be a sure fire main eventer. Let the speculation begin

beakerjoe

LeeJM wrote: »

Was just about to post them. Thats huge news. Also explains why Kenny didnt win at the Dome which was IMO the logical choice. All I will say is if the move to WWE happens he isnt coming in to feud with Big Cass, he will be a sure fire main eventer. Let the speculation begin

AJ wasnt a sure fire main eventer when he moved and Id fear kenny wouldnt be either. Its the wrong time for him IMO, another year at least.

Lithium93_

I might be reading too much into it, but his 1st tweet, particularly the ending "The path of my journey may change, but my goals will not."

That's gonna get the rumour mill running wild.

beakerjoe

Lithium93_ wrote: »

I might be reading too much into it, but his 1st tweet, particularly the ending "The path of my journey may change, but my goals will not."

That's gonna get the rumour mill running wild.

Thats it. The rumour mill is running wild (and Im on board as usual). It may be nothing but a stir of the pot but it sure is fun to speculate.

LeeJM

beakerjoe wrote: »

AJ wasnt a sure fire main eventer when he moved and Id fear kenny wouldnt be either. Its the wrong time for him IMO, another year at least.

True but it was also well known that AJ wanted to move home and be based in America rather than spending 6 weeks at a time in Japan. Kenny loves Japan and has been based there for a decade or so. If Kenny leaves NJ I would assume he has been assured of big money and a certain level of push.

Also this could put a massive dent in NJ plans to run in America. Kenny has been pushed as their top gajin and is a quality talker and would be a great spokesman for the company in the US. They still have Big Mike but he doesnt possess the charisma that Kenny does.

Lithium93_

Same thing happened with AJ last year before the Rumble, will he or won't he, time will tell I guess.

But if I were a betting man, I'd say Royal Rumble next year.

beakerjoe

LeeJM wrote: »

True but it was also well known that AJ wanted to move home and be based in America rather than spending 6 weeks at a time in Japan. Kenny loves Japan and has been based there for a decade or so. If Kenny leaves NJ I would assume he has been assured of big money and a certain level of push.

Also this could put a massive dent in NJ plans to run in America. Kenny has been pushed as their top gajin and is a quality talker and would be a great spokesman for the company in the US. They still have Big Mike but he doesnt possess the charisma that Kenny does.

I like Big Mike, but I dont see him as the top guy material. Hes missing something but I wouldnt be surprised if NJPW brought out the best in him. He stepped up when he initially arrived to be fair.

I dread Cody could be pushed if Kenny left, hes another guy I like but he's not a top guy in my eyes either. Adam Cole or Kyle O'Reilly could be but rumours of NXT being next for both of them make me think they wont be there too soon.

LeeJM

beakerjoe wrote: »

LeeJM wrote: »

True but it was also well known that AJ wanted to move home and be based in America rather than spending 6 weeks at a time in Japan. Kenny loves Japan and has been based there for a decade or so. If Kenny leaves NJ I would assume he has been assured of big money and a certain level of push.

Also this could put a massive dent in NJ plans to run in America. Kenny has been pushed as their top gajin and is a quality talker and would be a great spokesman for the company in the US. They still have Big Mike but he doesnt possess the charisma that Kenny does.

I like Big Mike, but I dont see him as the top guy material. Hes missing something but I wouldnt be surprised if NJPW brought out the best in him. He stepped up when he initially arrived to be fair.

I dread Cody could be pushed if Kenny left, hes another guy I like but he's not a top guy in my eyes either. Adam Cole or Kyle O'Reilly could be but rumours of NXT being next for both of them make me think they wont be there too soon.

I doubt NJ will push Cody into that slot. KOR and Cole are from what I have seen pretty much nailed on for NXT. An outside the box choice for top gajin should Kenny leave would be Drew Galloway. His TNA contract is up in February and he doesnt have the WWE midcard stink that Cody has. He is also a damn good worker. 

Another thing to consider with Kenny Omega is that should he re-sign with NJPW it wont just be a 1 year deal, it will be 2-3 years and in 2 years he might not have the opportunity with WWE that he probably has now. I mean look how much the industry has changed since January 2015!

Andersonisgod

He's been teasing a move to WWE for a year. Only in the weeks leading up to WK 11 did he talk up NJPW. Ultimately he's a heel and one in the mould of the Young Bucks who know that the best way to get over is to keep people talking about you. It's very effective. Yes he might go to WWE, but I don't think he will. If he does NJPW will have to scramble to find a new Bullet Club leader. Personally I hope he stays, this has been his most rewarding year in wrestling in ring and creatively, he's just starting to put all of his tools together and it'd be a shame to give that up for a big contract. To go from that creative freedom to being just another WWE drone. Ultimately though wrestlers will almost always go where the money is, that's life.

By the way, the decision to have Okada go over was the logical one. He'd just defeated Tanahashi at WK10 to finally become the Ace of New Japan, if he'd lost a year later then that entire journey (4 years of storytelling) is for nothing. It makes even more sense given the Suzuki-Gun invasion at New Years Dash.

Clegg

DM_7 wrote: »

He wasn't so hot on Omega a year ago, wrestling can move fast!

Credit New Japans streak of picking the right guy, they pick guys and get behind them, build them well and allow them to prove themselves. They did it with Okada, Naito and now Omega. Finn and AJ could be in there only one left too soon and the other started hot.

Omega from DSW to crazy matches like DDT to star of show at WK11 is some story.

WWE messed up Reigns, it happens, even the Japanese rejected Nakamura first time round as he had not found the right style when he got his first big break.

Omega has always been a good wrestler but it's only since he moved to the heavyweight division that people are really beginning to take notice. The jr heavyweight division is nowhere near as prestigious as it was in the 90's which is a shame as there are some incredible talents around. Omega needed out of there if he wanted to establish himself as a top contender.

beakerjoe

Omega always had potential but its hard to see that in comedy mode. He stepped it up in all the right places in 2016 and hes proved he can hang with the best of them. What a transition.

Clegg

I don't think New Japan would have booked the WK match the way they did if Omega was on his way out. It was booked as a match between equals. And the fact that Kenny never hit the One Winged Angel means that they have plans in place for a future title match, I think. If he was leaving Okada would have kicked out of one.

Andersonisgod

Clegg wrote: »

Omega has always been a good wrestler but it's only since he moved to the heavyweight division that people are really beginning to take notice. The jr heavyweight division is nowhere near as prestigious as it was in the 90's which is a shame as there are some incredible talents around. Omega needed out of there if he wanted to establish himself as a top contender.

That is true, the jr division certainly isn't what is was in Liger's prime but thay being said I don't think Omega took it seriously at all. In fact I think it's pretty damming that during his time at the top of the jr's (2015 primarily) he probably wasn't even part of the best 2 jr matches to take place in that time period. It's not like his opponents were no-marks either. That's not to say that he was bad, just that he was firmly in 3rd gear (which, being fair about it, Kenny's 3rd gear is still probably better than a lot of wrestlers 5th gear.)

Speaking of the juniors, going into 2017 that division is absolutely stacked given the homegrown and international talent available to NJPW.

sky88

if omega leaves i think that would be a huge blow in there expansion hopes as im not sure that okada or anyone else has the same appeal as kenny. in Japan they will be fine as they already have the stars made there.

i cant see him going to wwe main roseter straight away as i dont think he has the same name recognition as AJ. id be very worried that the response he gets isnt what he deserves.

Neil3030

Clegg wrote: »

I don't think New Japan would have booked the WK match the way they did if Omega was on his way out. It was booked as a match between equals. And the fact that Kenny never hit the One Winged Angel means that they have plans in place for a future title match, I think. If he was leaving Okada would have kicked out of one.

Yeah, hadn't thought of that. Unless he has completely hit NJPW out of the blue with this decision to move, it's hard to imagine they'd protect his finisher and let him kick out of (I think) 3 rainmakers if they knew he was hitting the road.

Andersonisgod

Voices of Wrestling saying he's just taking a break. Well deserved too. If that's the case then the way he was booked at New Years Dash makes total sense. Hopefully he'll be back in time for the NJ Cup.

Angron

I hope Kenny stays there. He's doing fantastic work there, and doesn't need to give it up for the sake of a company that may just wind up booking him into obscurity.