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NJPW 51st Anniversary Show/New Japan Cup 2023.


The Natural

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So on my birthday, I'm getting AEW Revolution 2023, the 51st Anniversary of NJPW show, WWE RAW and either AEW Dark or Elevation. Get in! It'll likely be Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiromu Takahashi for the 51st Anniversary of NJPW.

I like the New Japan Cup as it's a knockout competition tournament unlike the others NJPW. Hoping for a smaller field to last year. I'd like Hiroshi Tanahashi to win as I never get tired of Okada vs. Tanahashi, unreal chemistry between them.

Edited by The Natural
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  • The Natural changed the title to NJPW 51st Anniversary Show/New Japan Cup 2023.
  • 1 month later...

In the main event of the 51at Anniversary Show, IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada teams with Hiroshi Tanahashi going for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Titles. Rooting for the dream team. Be an interesting story to see Okada wrestle twice on some shows and how that weakens Okada to would be challengers. Normally we get the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion vs. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion as the main event.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, it looks like David Finlay - sort of looking like a less wet Seth Rollins - is the new leader of the Bullet Club. He came out with Gedo and of course, has his own Bullet Club variation shirt, "Rebel Club."

Spoiler

I kind of question having him go against Ishii in his first match as the Rebel. Of course he looks credible in winning cleanly but a quick squash would have been better.

 

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Seen a lot of reviews calling the main event one of the best NJPW tag matches of all time. I don't think it was THAT great (compared to lets say Nagata & Iizuka vs Kawada & Fuchi), but certainly one of the best in the modern era where the tag division really hasn't been that heavily in the spotlight. 

YOSHI-HASHI's growth has been impressive, it wasn't long ago that the only real thing of note with him was slipping and KO'ing himself on a big save spot. 

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Henare picks up the win in Takagi's hometown as well!  Shingo did his absolute best to make it really special for Henare.  You couldn't help but feel happy for him.  

I also really enjoyed Fletcher vs. Yoshi-Hashi, maybe even more than the main.  I have to say, I think Kyle Fletcher is already pretty damn great, and I can only imagine what a full year of wrestling in New Japan will further bring out of him.  Massive long-term potential there.   

I was very pleased that ELP didn't just accept Finlay as the new leader because it actually makes a lot of sense for him to be skeptical, character-wise.  It keeps both of them important, neither lesser to the other, and is clearly moving towards some kind of breaking point.  It's a nice simmering storyline to watch unfold while the NJ Cup plays itself out.    

 

Edited by Evil Otto
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The Kyle Fletcher vs. Hirooki Goto match from last night in Shiga was outstanding, maybe even better than Fletcher vs. Yoshi-Hashi.  I think the only matches that equal Fletcher's two outings so far were the first night's matches (ELP-Naito, Taichi-Sanada) and Shingo vs. Henare.  

I'm pretty excited for Lio vs. Hiromu, and Bishamon vs. Aussie Open (whenever that may be).  The matches already feel important.  

The ELP-Finaly saga continues, and it's really pulling me in, mostly due to ELP's creativity.  The crowds are all way into it as well.  I have to admit, I'm kinda liking Finlay as a super-dickish heel.  Part of the reason I never really got fully invested into Jay White was that he's such a cool heel, whereas Finlay in this role comes across as a guy who doesn't deserve his spot, and he's actually leaning into it and being surly about it.  It's a work in progress, and I'm still not so sure if Finlay is a main event-level guy, but the interesting twist of this angle is certainly helping to establish this new character much better, with a huge assist on ELP's part.  

 

 

Edited by Evil Otto
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Agreed on Fletcher/Goto. There were one or two little missteps in the first portion of the match, but by the second half they'd hit their stride and were just going ham. 

I quite liked Ospreay/Davis from today's show, as well. I know there was some recent clamoring online about Aussie Open not having a contract anywhere, and it has felt like those two are taking the opportunity to make a statement here (as if somehow Aussie Open vs. FTR in an NJPW ring wasn't enough...). 

I may have missed some things here or there, but based on his interactions with the crowd and post-match comments, Ospreay seems to be heading in a full-blown face direction after starting off in UE as a heel. I know the whole faction was in tweener territory for a bit, but the shift seems to be happening.

Oh - I'm a few days late on this match, but I think the Tanahashi/Okada vs. Umino/Narita tag match from the 3/11 show is worth watching, too. It's interesting they went with something like that so quickly. Black shorts, "sick and tired of your shit" Okada has been super-fun to watch, and there was plenty of utter disdain for the next generation in this one.

Edited by Teflon Turtle
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Fletcher has been having a really solid run of singles matches over the past few weeks with the Robbie Eagles match at Tamashii, then both the YOSHI-HASHI and Goto matches now. He's only 24, bulking up too, I'm sure if NJPW doesn't snap him up on a proper contract (Davis too, but part of me thinks they probably do have some kind of agreement with New Japan), someone else will very soon. UE has probably been leaning more face than heel ever since Bea left, they don't cheat & have each other's backs, the only heelish thing they really do is that they are cocky loudmouths. 

Still on the Empire, apparently at the WSW show in Sydney last night, after beating Robbie Eagles, TJP handed him a United Empire armband which Robbie kept. I guess this is something that may play over the next Tamashii shows in April. Hirooki Goto & Shingo Takagi will be making the trip to Aus for these, which I am so stoked for as I've been a huge Takagi fan since he debuted in Dragon Gate as a Crazy MAX member (have my meet & greet ticket!)

Most of the New Jacan Puc (thanks KENTA...) has been fun, no huge MOTYCs but some really solid, good wrestling. The aforementioned Fletcher/Goto, Davis/Ospreay and probably SANADA/Taichi are my top 3, but most has been pretty good outside of the HoT matches (who thought it was a good idea for another EVIL push?) and I really didn't dig SANADA/KENTA. Some of the undercard TMDK matches have been really fun, Fujita is really coming into his own with Zack, yesterday's one against Shota & Tama was a blast for an undercard 10 minute match.

 

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Ospreay is out of the cup, replaced by Dunkzilla. Ospreay vs EVIL was kind of intriguing as a styles clash (they did have a good G1 match a few years ago when it was pre-BC EVIL). Still no word on how long he'll be out for, apparently he did hear a pop in his shoulder when it happened.

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So...

Spoiler

First of all, Davis beat EVIL and possibly cemented the UE as a faces? It's hard to tell since it was against the House of Torture but the crowd popped big for the UE guys running to the ring (directed by Ospreay) when the usual House of Torture stuff started happening.

THEN...

JUST FIVE GUYS!

SANADA beats Naito and shakes the hands of TAICHI and the other JFGs and officially quits LIJ. Nothing new can come out of being in LIJ, SANADA says in a very un-Cold Skull way. He's taking the JFGs to the top.

 

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31 minutes ago, lostinube said:

So...

  Hide contents

First of all, Davis beat EVIL and possibly cemented the UE as a faces? It's hard to tell since it was against the House of Torture but the crowd popped big for the UE guys running to the ring (directed by Ospreay) when the usual House of Torture stuff started happening.

THEN...

JUST FIVE GUYS!

SANADA beats Naito and shakes the hands of TAICHI and the other JFGs and officially quits LIJ. Nothing new can come out of being in LIJ, SANADA says in a very un-Cold Skull way. He's taking the JFGs to the top.

That angle was interesting. I like that it wasn't a hokey betrayal angle.

Spoiler

Seems like a step down for Sanada, but this definitely elevates JFG. I also see a certain sponsor deal in the future if they play their cards right.

 

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2 minutes ago, Pete said:

That angle was interesting. I like that it wasn't a hokey betrayal angle.

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Seems like a step down for Sanada, but this definitely elevates JFG. I also see a certain sponsor deal in the future if they play their cards right.

 

Spoiler

New Finisher:  Too Many French Fries

 

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Spoiler

Sanada been talking about rebuilding himself up and changing his own ways.

Interesting to note that Sanada, Taichi, Kanemaru all started from different periods of AJPW.  Taka had a stint in AJPW before.

Spoiler

Post IWGP World HW, Evil basically been demoted as not powerful enough to win the IWGP World HW.

 

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14 hours ago, DEAN said:
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New Finisher:  Too Many French Fries

 

Well played.

10 hours ago, Red King said:
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Sanada been talking about rebuilding himself up and changing his own ways.

Interesting to note that Sanada, Taichi, Kanemaru all started from different periods of AJPW.  Taka had a stint in AJPW before.

  Hide contents

Post IWGP World HW, Evil basically been demoted as not powerful enough to win the IWGP World HW.

 

 

Spoiler

Good. EVIL never should have won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in the first place. EVIL and the House of Torture fucking suck.

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Turning someone heel by having them join Bullet Club and immediately rocket strapping them into the heavyweight title scene is The Most Gedo Thing that could happen, so I wouldn’t count Finlay out.

Edited by EVA
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