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NJPW The New Beginning 2023.


The Natural

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C&P from f4wonline.com:

  • 11th February 2023.
  • IWGP World Heavyweight title: Kazuchika Okada defends against Shingo Takagi
  • NEVER Openweight title: Tama Tonga defends against El Phantasmo
  • Loser leaves Japan: Jay White vs. Hikuleo
  • Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, and Ren Narita vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, and SHO
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA
  • Master Wato vs. Taiji Ishimori
  • Tomoaki Honma, Shota Umino, Tiger Mask, and Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi, and BUSHI
  • Toru Yano and Oskar Leube vs. Great-O-Khan and Aaron Henare

Only want to see Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA and Jay White vs. Hikuleo.

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Before this show you have 1/22 in Nagoya headlined by a KOPW title match between Shingo and O-Khan in only their second singles match and first since 2021.

Double header in Sapporo with Catch 2/2 vs Kanemaru/Douki, Ospreay vs TAICHI and Umino vs Naito on night one and three titles on the line on night two with Bishamon vs TMDK, Zack vs Ishii and YOH vs Hiromu.

Surprisingly, TAICHI is 1 - 2 against Ospreay but the lone win came when they were both juniors. They last met in 2020.

YOH beat Hiromu in last year's BOSJ and Hiromu beat YOH in the finals of the 2021 BOSJ.

Umino and Naito have never met one-on-one but in tags, Umino is on a two-win streak against LIJ with Naito whereas prior to that LIJ won every tag match with Naito and Umino in opposing teams.

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The Sapporo double-header has me more interested than the Osaka show. Catch 22/Just4Guys team gel really well together, really enjoyed their Junior Tag League match. Ospreay and Taichi had a really good match in the 2020 G1, and I think Ospreay has improved a lot since then so this one will be interesting as an Ospreay loss could continue his further descent into madness/establish Taichi as a solid leader, and an Ospreay win could be the start of his road back to Omega. Also excited to see what Umino can produce against Naito, the Umino/Narita/Tsuji/Uemura (Oiwa too but he's obviously further down the line) I think will form the core of NJPW's main event scene over the next decade so its time to start injecting them into high profile spots. Hiromu and YOH had a good match in the Super Juniors, so I do expect much more of the same. I'm assuming winner of Ishimori/Wato in Osaka will challenge the winner (Hiromu I'd say). 

Still, I love Okada/Takagi matches, I would love another Takagi run with the World title this time with bigger & vocal crowds, he was one of the few bright sparks during the COVID era and deserves a real run. 

 

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On 1/10/2023 at 10:50 PM, Horangi said:

The Sapporo double-header has me more interested than the Osaka show. Catch 22/Just4Guys team gel really well together, really enjoyed their Junior Tag League match. Ospreay and Taichi had a really good match in the 2020 G1, and I think Ospreay has improved a lot since then so this one will be interesting as an Ospreay loss could continue his further descent into madness/establish Taichi as a solid leader, and an Ospreay win could be the start of his road back to Omega. Also excited to see what Umino can produce against Naito, the Umino/Narita/Tsuji/Uemura (Oiwa too but he's obviously further down the line) I think will form the core of NJPW's main event scene over the next decade so its time to start injecting them into high profile spots. Hiromu and YOH had a good match in the Super Juniors, so I do expect much more of the same. I'm assuming winner of Ishimori/Wato in Osaka will challenge the winner (Hiromu I'd say). 

Still, I love Okada/Takagi matches, I would love another Takagi run with the World title this time with bigger & vocal crowds, he was one of the few bright sparks during the COVID era and deserves a real run. 

 

I think Shingo Takagi will get another run as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, he deserves to as one of the few bright spots during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. No way is Kazuchika Okada dropping it so soon after winning it in his first defence. Still, I do think Takagi will hold it again at some point.

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  • 5 weeks later...
57 minutes ago, Ace said:

New Beginning spoilers:

  Reveal hidden contents

The Switchblade Era is over.  Hikuleo beat Jay clean. On his way out of the ring, Jay fist bumped Tana.

 

On that...

Spoiler

End of an era as Jay White's gone from NJPW having held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, IWGP Intercontinental Championship, IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship and NEVER Openweight Championship. In ring, I think Jay White's a mixed bag, his best opponent was Kota Ibushi and he had one of the worst Hiroshi Tanhashi matches I've ever seen at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12. I was bored with White vs. Okada at this year's Wrestle Kingdom 17.

 

2 minutes ago, lostinube said:
  Reveal hidden contents

Hell of a battle between Okada and Takagi. Crowd was mostly for Takagi until the finish.

And Battle in the Valley title match is set: Okada vs Tanahashi.

 

On that...

Spoiler

I'll never tire of Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi. One of the best in-ring feud ever. Given at least five of their matches *****. The best of the lot was at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10. Tanahashi deserves to hold the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship for all he's done/given to NJPW.

 

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Spoiler

Both Jay and Okada referenced beating Tanahashi for the belt in Osaka. Jay on his way to the ring for his match which came full circle with the fist bump. And part of Okada's reasoning for choosing Tanahashi as his challenger was the "Rainmaker Shock" of 2012 when he ended Tanahashi's year-long reign.

At least now Tanahashi going over KENTA makes more sense.

I thought Jay did a good job in the match with Hikuleo.

I was sort of expecting something to happen with the Bullet Club at the end of the show. Tama and El Phantasmo had a nice match where they were doing Bullet Club finishers towards the end - the Style Clash seems to get a big pop out of the crowd every time it's used.

 

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Spoiler

Only watched the main as i was at MCW tonight, hell of a battle! I was really pulling for Takagi like the crowd despite knowing it wasn't gonma happen. Was expecting a Kiyomiya attack post match but it didn't happen...

I wonder if this is Tanahashi's last world title shot. I loved the Okada/Tanahashi feud back in the day, it's what brought me back to Pro wrestling completely. Most say Invasion Attack was their best, but the Ryogoku King of Pro Wrestling one is my favourite. 

Lio Rush challenged Hiromu, Robbie Eagles got shitty at Lio on Twitter...Robbie needs to join TMDK ASAP.

Jay vs Hikuleo went over 20...wow. Anyone who sat through it, let me know how it was...

 

Edited by Horangi
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37 minutes ago, Horangi said:
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Only watched the main as i was at MCW tonight, hell of a battle! I was really pulling for Takagi like the crowd despite knowing it wasn't gonma happen. Was expecting a Kiyomiya attack post match but it didn't happen...

I wonder if this is Tanahashi's last world title shot. I loved the Okada/Tanahashi feud back in the day, it's what brought me back to Pro wrestling completely. Most say Invasion Attack was their best, but the Ryogoku King of Pro Wrestling one is my favourite. 

Lio Rush challenged Hiromu, Robbie Eagles got shitty at Lio on Twitter...Robbie needs to join TMDK ASAP.

Jay vs Hikuleo went over 20...wow. Anyone who sat through it, let me know how it was...

 

 

Spoiler

Jay vs Hikuleo wasn't that painful. It helps if you go in thinking that maybe the outcome was in doubt. Hikuleo generally doesn't have much of a personality other than "I am tall, what are you going to do about that?" but he showed a bit of fire during the end.

 

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Spoiler

I thought the final three matches were all really good, with the main being something else entirely.

Jay White went out of his way to make Hikuleo look great.  It's worth a watch alone just to see how masterful he was at doing it.  It also highlights the fact that Jay White is superb at wrestling larger (and slower) North American-style wrestlers, and if that's where he's ultimately going, he'll be fantastic in his role. It frankly suits him far better.  

I really enjoyed Tama and ELP.  They have great chemistry, and ELP's creativity was the glue for everything.  He really delivers consistently in bigger and bigger matches that he's been given, and I'm sure New Japan management can see that clearly.  There was quite a noticeable cheering section for him as well.  

I certainly would have been thrilled for Takagi to have taken the belt off Okada, but I guess I'll just have to settle for a fantastic match.  Oh well.  

Lio vs. Hiromu coming up soon sounds pretty damn great to me.  

 

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Spoiler

This was a good event. A few of you shared some of the thoughts I had already, to wit (I wish the "@" system was still working so I could give all of you proper credit):

- The Styles Clash getting a pop whenever someone from Bullet Club uses it. The fans' appreciation for that Bullet Club history is impressive. AJ has not wrestled in New Japan for a pretty long time now, measurable in years...but the fans always react instantly to the move and that it is part of the story in these matches. 

- I agree that Tama and ELP had a very enjoyable match, overall. Tama has either improved or is simply taking good advantage of having a bit more time in the spotlight now. Phantasmo has, to me, always been pretty fun in New Japan. He's making the most of his spot too. 

- Evil Otto's point that Jay went out of his way to make Hikuleo look good was something I thought as well. Maybe the best point made about this event so far. I've made it no secret that I think Jay White is excellent and I count myself as a fan of his. There were a few spots where he just bumped like crazy for Hikuleo here. I cringed where Jay just flung himself into the corner headfirst with reckless abandon to highlight the size and strength difference present in the match. Overall, it was a decently absorbing match considering how slow the pace was compared to some other stuff on the card. 

Some thoughts of my own:

I liked how Jay fist-bumped Tanahashi on his way out. Stylistically, I have in recent years seen a lot of similarities between the two in terms of ring IQ. To me, Jay is like a "darkside Tanahashi:" basically what Tana would be if he had no morals whatsoever. Beyond everything, it wouldn't shock me to hear that Tana was a huge influence on Jay. In-story, they are linked for all wrestling history whether the Switchblade likes it or not, so that moment was cool to see on a few levels.

(Also...Tana's out here looking like a deathmatch wrestler. I had no idea he had lost 2-3 front teeth.)

To me, there is maybe more to the Jay White/NJPW story yet to come. He's booked for the San Jose show. If NJPW is looking for someone to anchor their U.S. shows around, they could do worse than building it around Jay; I am not sure he's leaving NJPW entirely yet. If his deal with NJPW is well and truly up after San Jose, then selfishly, I would prefer it if he'd stay out of WWE. I think there are better matchups for him in AEW, yet I get the feeling he'd maybe be lost in the shuffle there in terms of story. Some of my more self-indulgent fantasy booking: I kind of want him to show MJF who the real devil is and make a splash by taking the AEW championship, but there's practically no way a heel/heel story like that is what AEW winds up going for. 

Takagi/Okada match up so well together. It was, for sure, an NJPW "main event epic." But, those two do not miss a beat when they are wrestling one another. Like a few of the rest of you have written, I'm hoping NJPW heard that crowd reaction for Shingo and are open to having him have another run with the world championship. He has earned it. 

It seems to me that where the stories in NJPW are going would be Ospreay taking the championship from Okada either later this year or at the start of 2024 at the next Wrestle Kingdom. However, if Takagi maintains the frankly unbelievable standard of consistent quality that he's been on...he should really be next in line after that, and he has a history with Ospreay too. It would make sense to have the title then go back to him for a bit if Will really is up next.

 

 

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On 2/11/2023 at 9:26 PM, Teflon Turtle said:
  Hide contents

This was a good event. A few of you shared some of the thoughts I had already, to wit (I wish the "@" system was still working so I could give all of you proper credit):

- The Styles Clash getting a pop whenever someone from Bullet Club uses it. The fans' appreciation for that Bullet Club history is impressive. AJ has not wrestled in New Japan for a pretty long time now, measurable in years...but the fans always react instantly to the move and that it is part of the story in these matches. 

- I agree that Tama and ELP had a very enjoyable match, overall. Tama has either improved or is simply taking good advantage of having a bit more time in the spotlight now. Phantasmo has, to me, always been pretty fun in New Japan. He's making the most of his spot too. 

- Evil Otto's point that Jay went out of his way to make Hikuleo look good was something I thought as well. Maybe the best point made about this event so far. I've made it no secret that I think Jay White is excellent and I count myself as a fan of his. There were a few spots where he just bumped like crazy for Hikuleo here. I cringed where Jay just flung himself into the corner headfirst with reckless abandon to highlight the size and strength difference present in the match. Overall, it was a decently absorbing match considering how slow the pace was compared to some other stuff on the card. 

Some thoughts of my own:

I liked how Jay fist-bumped Tanahashi on his way out. Stylistically, I have in recent years seen a lot of similarities between the two in terms of ring IQ. To me, Jay is like a "darkside Tanahashi:" basically what Tana would be if he had no morals whatsoever. Beyond everything, it wouldn't shock me to hear that Tana was a huge influence on Jay. In-story, they are linked for all wrestling history whether the Switchblade likes it or not, so that moment was cool to see on a few levels.

(Also...Tana's out here looking like a deathmatch wrestler. I had no idea he had lost 2-3 front teeth.)

To me, there is maybe more to the Jay White/NJPW story yet to come. He's booked for the San Jose show. If NJPW is looking for someone to anchor their U.S. shows around, they could do worse than building it around Jay; I am not sure he's leaving NJPW entirely yet. If his deal with NJPW is well and truly up after San Jose, then selfishly, I would prefer it if he'd stay out of WWE. I think there are better matchups for him in AEW, yet I get the feeling he'd maybe be lost in the shuffle there in terms of story. Some of my more self-indulgent fantasy booking: I kind of want him to show MJF who the real devil is and make a splash by taking the AEW championship, but there's practically no way a heel/heel story like that is what AEW winds up going for. 

Takagi/Okada match up so well together. It was, for sure, an NJPW "main event epic." But, those two do not miss a beat when they are wrestling one another. Like a few of the rest of you have written, I'm hoping NJPW heard that crowd reaction for Shingo and are open to having him have another run with the world championship. He has earned it. 

It seems to me that where the stories in NJPW are going would be Ospreay taking the championship from Okada either later this year or at the start of 2024 at the next Wrestle Kingdom. However, if Takagi maintains the frankly unbelievable standard of consistent quality that he's been on...he should really be next in line after that, and he has a history with Ospreay too. It would make sense to have the title then go back to him for a bit if Will really is up next.

 

 

 

Jay was Tana's young lion and his big support before Shota filled that role.   The influence can really be seen, and the two of them are linked heavily.

As for AEW , who says Jay can't be a face there?  I think Jay would make an excellent face.  I'm not 100% convinced the NJPW story for Jay is over yet either.

 

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