The Natural Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 46 minutes ago, Evil Otto said: New Japan's first three cards this year have all been tremendous, and yes, Okada was obviously an important part of that, but he wasn't the only reason. They also had a pretty solid (and underrated) 2023 with a reloaded roster of fresh new faces. I felt the same way about CMLL a couple of years back; unsure but lots of promise on the horizon, and now they (CMLL) are delivering consistently with a couple big stars on top but mainly with a younger roster all hitting their stride seemingly at the same time. I see a similar situation developing with New Japan. Honestly, I've felt New Japan's main event scene has been incredibly stale for a long time. Sure, Sanada was an experiment of sorts (just not for me, but no need to argue that now), but Naito winning at the dome was an inevitability, and then what? As some have suggested, Okada vs. Naito at next year's WK? Groan. Okada is unquestionably an all-timer, but he's done literally everything he could do in New Japan. I think for all parties concerned, a change of pace and scenery is long overdue. Good for him, actually. I wish him well. Jay White never fully clicked for me in New Japan, he's far more engaging in AEW. Ospreay had 8 years for New Japan, and him leaving is actually a bigger blow to them than Okada, in my honest opinion. Change is good. Finally give the belt to ZSJ. Shingo is right fucking there. Tsuji is already 30, Uemura 29. Shota and Ren already have a significant rivalry. ELP, War Dogs, relationship with CMLL stronger than ever. Let's fucking go. 28 minutes ago, Horangi said: This! Part of my argument that Okada leaving is not necessarily a total negative was that it opens a spot for the apparent "undervalued" such as Shingo Takagi or Hirooki Goto. And unlike the mid 00s they have so much more younger talent with a world of potential just waiting to break through. Zack benefits most from Ospreay leaving as, if he stays, would clearly positioned as the top gaijin. Based on their twitter reactions it looks like War Dogs are sticking around which is a huge bonus if correct. Be interesting to see how the main event scene plays out. Kazuchika Okada is gone, Hiroshi Tanahashi is down the card, feels like this could be Tetsuya Naito's last run on top. No Will Ospreay, Kota Ibushi or Jay White. I'd push Shingo Takagi and Zack Sabre Jr as main eventers. I like Shota Umino and Yota Tsuji. Can see Hiromu Takahashi transitioning to heavyweight division. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horangi Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 24 minutes ago, The Natural said: Be interesting to see how the main event scene plays out. Kazuchika Okada is gone, Hiroshi Tanahashi is down the card, feels like this could be Tetsuya Naito's last run on top. No Will Ospreay, Kota Ibushi or Jay White. I'd push Shingo Takagi and Zack Sabre Jr as main eventers. I like Shota Umino and Yota Tsuji. Can see Hiromu Takahashi transitioning to heavyweight division. Pushing Hiromu up would him losing the Jr Title without breaking the record make sense. I was so sure he'd break Tanaka's record. He'd surely be in their top 5 draw options at the moment. Problem is that it over-stacks LiJ again... This kind of speculation on who benefits and what will happen is really pumping me up haha! I might be the odd one out in that I'm really excited about the prospect of what could happen and the implications 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 22 minutes ago, Horangi said: Pushing Hiromu up would him losing the Jr Title without breaking the record make sense. I was so sure he'd break Tanaka's record. He'd surely be in their top 5 draw options at the moment. Problem is that it over-stacks LiJ again... This kind of speculation on who benefits and what will happen is really pumping me up haha! I might be the odd one out in that I'm really excited about the prospect of what could happen and the implications Yeah, I thought Hiromu Takahashi was going to break the record for most IWGP Jr Heavyweight Championship defences in a reign then move up but he lost to El Desperado at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonzombie Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 I guess Shota and Ren could be pushed faster. I wonder what will happen to the Chaos unit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 (edited) 31 minutes ago, Kang said: I guess Shota and Ren could be pushed faster. I wonder what will happen to the Chaos unit? I think Chaos will keep going like Bullet Club has. I'd choose Tomohiro Ishii as new leader. Edited January 19 by The Natural 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Control Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 NJPW should just snatch Kento and put him in Okada’s role. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 The Natural's top ten Kazuchika Okada matches: 10. Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito. NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14. *****. 9. Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi. NJPW Dominion 2012. *****. 8. Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi. NJPW Invasion Attack 2013. *****. 7. Kazuchika Okada vs. Katsuyori Shibata. NJPW Sakura Genesis 2017. *****. 6. Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito. NJPW 40th Anniversary Show 2012. *****. 5. Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi. NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling 2013. *****. 4. Kazuchika Okada vs. Bryan Danielson. NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18. *****. 3. Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega. NJPW Dominion 2018. *****. 2. Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi. NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10. *****. 1. Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega. NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11. *****. --- I haven't seen any Kazuchika Okada vs. AJ Styles matches. Need to fix that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 (edited) 5 hours ago, Evil Otto said: Change is good. Finally give the belt to ZSJ. Shingo is right fucking there. Tsuji is already 30, Uemura 29. Shota and Ren already have a significant rivalry. ELP, War Dogs, relationship with CMLL stronger than ever. Let's fucking go. Wrote it better than I could. Okada has done everything (so has Naito along with being all busted up), Tana finally moved into the position he should have, Nakamura ain't coming back, Shibata is continental. As NJ themselves might put it, "NEW GENERATION LET'S GO!" EDIT: I swear I didn't notice you already wrote "let's go" at the end haha Edited January 19 by Curt McGirt 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teflon Turtle Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 (edited) I like the idea of seeing whether Kento would want to work with New Japan. Also, I don’t know if he’s “the guy” as much as Kento may be, but Kaito Kiyomiya has been working in NJPW an awful lot and the company has - at least to my eyes - gone out of their way to give him storylines with multiple wrestlers on the New Japan roster. I’ve enjoyed his New Japan stuff quite a bit, and the live crowds seem to react well to him. I say try to make it official. Snap up Kaito, get him in the mix with War Dogs and the Musketeers for real, long-term. Treat him like a big deal and see where it goes. That said, the rest of you had some great thoughts. I’m all for ZSJ or Shingo finally getting a G1 win. (Speaking of…a G1 without Okada is gonna feel really weird, yet it’s exciting. For the first time in a long time, there will be a real air of unpredictability.) All that said…the skeptic in me says New Japan might not pursue any other talent on a committed basis yet. Without needing to pay Okada any longer, they may need to still save the money in the post-COVID environment as business (hopefully…) recovers. Edited January 19 by Teflon Turtle 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 This will be the first G1 Climax without Kazuchika Okada since 2011 if I'm right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 They've always got outsiders; he could be in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinube Posted January 19 Author Share Posted January 19 Not if he signs with the WWE. Echoing what others have said: there was nothing left for Okada to do. He would just be looming over whoever is the IWGP champion yet was already on the trajectory to be a New Japan Dad and maybe didn't want that: NJPW: "OK, so for 2024, have you heard about Limit Bre.." Okada: "I quit." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teflon Turtle Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 Yeah, in all probability out of the question if he goes to WWE, unless he gets an absolute landmark deal with them. AEW, maybe he could come back for one down the line? But I'd assume they'd want him regularly in the mix Stateside as soon as they could get him. So now that the workday is done, I have a smattering of other thoughts. And actually, part of it verges on a confession. We'll lead with that. So when Jay White first turned up in AEW full-time, a big part of me thought all of the "expelled from Japan and NJPW shows" thing going on at the time was an angle, due to the fact that he was able to keep the Switchblade name, his New Japan entrance music, and Bullet Club gear. It took me an embarrassing amount of time to reach the conclusion that the NJPW/AEW relationship was friendly enough that TK must have agreed to pay New Japan for use of the Switchblade name/entrance music, along with NJPW getting a cut of whatever BC Gold merchandise gets sold. Esp. since the main BC Gold shirt also has the Lion Mark logo on it. Ever since, I've always wondered what the terms of that deal are, since I don't think that has ever come out. Which leads me to the following: with that precedent set, if Okada signs with AEW, he still gets to be Okada. The final boss. If he goes to WWE, the stuff like the coin drop, The Rainmaker nickname, the Okada bucks, maybe even the zoom out with the Rainmaker pose all goes away. Unless, of course, a changing WWE makes an unheard of overture to NJPW for all of that, like AEW must have done for Jay. Also...what a strange feeling to combine all of that with him giving Ospreay an emotional sendoff when he could very well wind up in the same promotion with him by March. Oof. One more thing: there was an article posed on Tokyo Sports about this news (https://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/articles/-/289477?page=1) where Tanahashi had an all-timer of a line: "Okada's departure also marks the beginning of a new era. Tanahashi said, 'I think it's going to get interesting from now on. We have a lot of talent now, and there are a lot of young athletes in the dojo. When the rain stops, there will be a rainbow.'" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Campbell Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 Unless WWE is willing to offer him money and dates similar to what they're doing with Brock, then I just don't think it's in the cards. If anything, I think he'll just be something akin to a 2004-07 Kensuke Sasaki. Basically working for whatever groups can meet his price, and seem to offer him something interesting. This Nakajima thing, and now talking about NXT, certainly gave All Japan some buzz. Imagine if Okada went into NOAH and announced that he wanted to challenge Kenoh for the GHC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinube Posted January 20 Author Share Posted January 20 At his first NXT taping: Okada does the Rainmaker pose and instead of a simple zoom out, thirty camera cuts in 10 seconds. Unless he wants full control of his schedule, Okada could have challenged for any title without having to leave New Japan. Nagata was the Triple Crown champion in February of 2023. But by not becoming an NJ Dad right now, Okada is denying us a historic tour of the indies. Imagine how much of a boost it would be if people saw a Heat-Up or 2AW poster with Okada in the middle. Or Kyushu Pro doing their anniversary show without having to use all their money to grab their annual special guest (which might have happened with Honma this past year, actually.) He could do a tour on his own but it would probably cost the promotions way more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonzombie Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 The Saito brothers are staying with AJPW https://encount.press/archives/571969/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 Fitting we get a last Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi match, legendary chemistry and it was at the NJPW New Beginning 2012 when Okada shocked the world beating Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assfax Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 Okada to DDT! Skip the middleman. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RazorbladeKiss87 Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 It will be weird to see NJPW without Okada. I'm torn on where I want to see him. IF (and it's more likely now than anytime before) WWE lets him be the Rainmaker, I would love to see him there. Fresh matchups galore. It'd be cool to see the WrestleMania crowd lose their minds for him. AEW has less appeal but still, he'd have the best shot of being the Okada we know and love. I'd like to see him vs Orange Cassidy, Danhausen....hell, throw Double J at him. Finally, when the trigger is ready to be pulled for real, give HOOK a win over him. I don't know. I'd be a terrible booker haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonzombie Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 Goodbye Tama Tonga. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Octopus Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 @Kang and others is this a work or an attempt at a new exodus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonzombie Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 (edited) Bit of both. Men are apparently leaving AJPW for reasons related to the AJPW President, others because of money elsewhere. The young wrestlers are staying with AJPW. It's the older people (excluding Suwama) who left and are leaving. Edited January 21 by Kang 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoeCristyV.1.6 Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 I think Gedo had plans to put Okada into House of Torture. That would explain the fast exit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RazorbladeKiss87 Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 So where can I watch Osaka Pro? I used to enjoy the tapes I'd get and I'm hearing that the promotion is heating up. Also, does Occupation of the Indies still air? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ka-to Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 GAORA Sports has a regular 1 hour Osaka Pro program. Indie no oshigoto still airs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now