Control Posted January 28, 2024 Posted January 28, 2024 Ren Ayabe seems likely. Yuji Hino is a free agent. He could really spice things up. I’m still hopeful that Naoya Nomura can return by then. Wonder if they’ll book any gaijin. I could see them bringing back what’s his face, the American they’d been booking and had in the tag league. 1
Doragon Posted January 29, 2024 Posted January 29, 2024 AJPW attendances were up this month. Nakajima is clearly trying to inject more of old NJPW in current AJPW, right down to submission finishes working in the main event with the Triple Crown. Style clashes were the norm in Mutoh's AJPW, I see these recemt developments as returning to that. Fuchi is one of the last links to old Baba era AJPW, and he doesn't regularly wrestle much anymore. I expect him to retire in this decade. Still, they do have retired Dory Funk Jr as PWF chairman and few old staff members working in the back. 2
Doragon Posted January 29, 2024 Posted January 29, 2024 NOAH https://www.noah.co.jp/news/5366/ https://www.z-1.co.jp/topics/detail_1972.html Team NOAH members Go and Kotoge will work 1 date for REALZERO1 produce shows, Masato Tananka's booking agency and unit. Masato Tanaka and Takuya Sugawara vs. Go Shiozaki and Atsushi Kotoge Zero1 was shut down and restarted several times. If you know were to find the info and read it on their official site, the lastest iteration was established in 2020. REALZERO1 the unit started in 2023. 1
Doragon Posted January 30, 2024 Posted January 30, 2024 AJPW Seiki Yoshioka and “Brother” YASSHI Former NOAH player Seiki Yoshioka was supposed to take a break and come back to NOAH, but instead he is wrestling for AJPW again. http://www.all-japan.co.jp/wp-new/【特別参戦選手】「エキサイトシリーズ2024」に吉 1
Doragon Posted January 31, 2024 Posted January 31, 2024 Ganbare Pro is leaving Cyberfight after March 28th. Save costs for Cyberfight. After then it's just NOAH and its subbrands, DDT and its subbrands, and TJPW and the other non-wrestling brands.
Doragon Posted January 31, 2024 Posted January 31, 2024 Today is the last day Okada is contracted with NJPW. Next month is his last month with NJPW, he has 3 matches in Feb. I wonder if they book him to lose all or just one of his last matches? 1
The Natural Posted January 31, 2024 Posted January 31, 2024 1 hour ago, Kang said: Today is the last day Okada is contracted with NJPW. Next month is his last month with NJPW, he has 3 matches in Feb. I wonder if they book him to lose all or just one of his last matches? Loses to Tanahashi, wins one of the two matches we don't know about and loses the other.
The Natural Posted January 31, 2024 Posted January 31, 2024 Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi is one of the greatest rivalries in wrestling history. Fantastic chemistry. NJPW is doing a piece on each in the lead to their final match ever. It's here: https://www.njpw1972.com/169037 2
Doragon Posted January 31, 2024 Posted January 31, 2024 Tomorrow Shuji and Blackmensor'e should both be removed from the AJPW roster page. So the 14 remaing would be left on the AJPW contracted player list. They never fix the freelance/other part below on the AJPW roster page. The NOAH roster page sometimes has few errors or slow at updating.
Doragon Posted January 31, 2024 Posted January 31, 2024 (edited) Nakajima will defend his Triple Crown title on Inoki's birthday next month against Rei Saito. Also today is 25 years since Giant Baba's death. The AJPW Pres admitted in his own way Shuji was the booker (matchmaker) from the latest AJPW Encount article. I'm not sure who the new booker of AJPW is now, but the new booker has gone back to the booking style of making angles matter, outwardly. Could be Kento, he did replace Shuji as Players Chairman. But I'm just guessing. From the same Encount article, ActWres time is staying. Actwress girls won't wrestle with the men. Edited January 31, 2024 by Kang
Doragon Posted February 1, 2024 Posted February 1, 2024 Evolution Shuji Ishikawa is now the GM. Shuji and Blackmenso will work on one date for Evolution. They will face Kohei Sato and SUSHI in a tag team match SUNNY who retired will stay on as Referee.
Doragon Posted February 1, 2024 Posted February 1, 2024 AJPW added another date to the 2024 CC tour. So 11 shows. NOAH is going back to doing more shows a month, like the old days. I guess they want to pad up their attendance numbers and make more money from whoever they can. Could end up wearing out talent faster.
Doragon Posted February 2, 2024 Posted February 2, 2024 https://encount.press/archives/578027/ Interview with the AJPW pres. Gonna be more reorganization internally. The coup thing died out. The rest of the players left are staying. The Nakajima benefactor thing hasn't. AJPW has been profitable since last year. But most of the past 7 years it wasn't, most months in the red. Covid didnt help. I expect them to really do the final cost cuttings. Seniors leaving and their roles finished saves up money. I'm not sure what else they can do. I know AJPW guys get paid more than DragonGate guys, doubt they would take paycuts. It's the 2014 established iteration of AJPW. Really Baba's old company was shut down years ago, due to debit. The box office rights were transferred twice.
Doragon Posted February 4, 2024 Posted February 4, 2024 (edited) Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. defeated Kenoh, he is now the 44th GHC HW champion. He is the second foreigner to hold the title, Eddie Edwards was the first. GHC HW Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. (C) Vs Jake Lee is next. NOAH is starting up their own tag league, the Victory Challenge Tag League https://www.noah.co.jp/news/5393/ Participants: Masa Kitamiya Daiki Inaba Kaito Kiyomiya Ryohei Oiwa Go Shiozaki Atsushi Kotoge Takashi Sugiura Yuruka Sasaki Manabu Soya Shuji Kondo Saxon Huxley Timothy Thatcher Dragon Bane Alpha Wolf They had the old defunct Global Tag League, which the last edition was held in 2020. Sorta another revertion to old ways of matchmaking. This new tag league starts over from scratch though. Edited February 4, 2024 by Kang 1
Curt McGirt Posted February 4, 2024 Posted February 4, 2024 Well, since this isn't gonna get any traction in the monthly wrestling thread: Here is Kenoh heeling big time on New Japan. Spoiler
Doragon Posted February 4, 2024 Posted February 4, 2024 He was just shitposting irl. Anyway Kenoh is never the guy. Kaito is the guy even when he is not champ. It's soon time for the Kaito vs Yuma Anzai battle, the Ace of NOAH vs the future ace of AJPW. On Feb 9th.
Doragon Posted February 5, 2024 Posted February 5, 2024 Two new AJPW rookies will debut on April 1 2024 http://www.all-japan.co.jp/wp-new/2023年12月21日実施の公開入門テスト合格者発表 So AJPW's roster will go back up to 16 contracted players.
Doragon Posted February 5, 2024 Posted February 5, 2024 AJPW Pres has no desire to sell AJPW and rejected offers to sell AJPW. https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/58c0ea0b0b391253f131a102c2d76efd5344e8e5 AJPW won't be allowed to use the Toukon Style trademark https://www.osg-nandemonet.co.jp/to-inoki/i-20240205.html
Doragon Posted February 7, 2024 Posted February 7, 2024 DDT Yukio Sakaguchi (50) retired today. His father is pro-wrestler Seiji Sakaguchi, his brother is Kenji Sakaguchi the actor.
Doragon Posted February 9, 2024 Posted February 9, 2024 (edited) The NTV (AJP/NOAH show) 70 YEARS OF PRO-WRESTLING BROADCAST THE NTV PRO-WRESTLING https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GF5WdQfaYAAOqw0?format=jpg The retro looking AJP NOAH match card pamphlet from NTV https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GF56rmcbYAABdfq?format=jpg&name=large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GF56rmNacAAMRQY?format=jpg&name=large The ring they used was a combination of current NOAH (white mat, black ropes) and AJP (fight pad turnbuckles and poles). The canvas had AJPW and NOAH logos with the 70th years logo. AJPW and NOAH were tied. Kaito and so NOAH won in the main event. Mutoh suggested the 71st anniversary should be at the Tokyo Dome next year. Keep in mind not everything said goes somewhere. Edited February 9, 2024 by Kang 1
Doragon Posted February 11, 2024 Posted February 11, 2024 AJP They sorta fixed up the AJPW roster page part where the main non contacted men are. Nakajima will wrestle in 3 singles matches: Feb 23 Nakajima vs. Hokuto Omori Feb 24: Nakajima vs. Ryo Inoue Feb 25: Nakajima vs. Atsuki Aoyagi Few more men who fought in AJPW before are wrestling on the Excite Series March 10th date... so Ryoji Sai, Yutaka Yoshie, and MAZADA. FUMA who works for Pro Wrestling Basara also will work on that date.
Control Posted February 11, 2024 Posted February 11, 2024 1 hour ago, Kang said: AJP They sorta fixed up the AJPW roster page part where the main non contacted men are. Nakajima will wrestle in 3 singles matches: Feb 23 Nakajima vs. Hokuto Omori Feb 24: Nakajima vs. Ryo Inoue Feb 25: Nakajima vs. Atsuki Aoyagi Few more men who fought in AJPW before are wrestling on the Excite Series March 10th date... so Ryoji Sai, Yutaka Yoshie, and MAZADA. FUMA who works for Pro Wrestling Basara also will work on that date. Those freelancers range from terrible to mediocre.
Doragon Posted February 11, 2024 Posted February 11, 2024 Well ya gotta use what you can. Rei Saito is out with injury, so Jun Saito will replace his brother in the TC match. The World tags are vacated.
Doragon Posted February 14, 2024 Posted February 14, 2024 (edited) The fighting axis of Puroresu.. Nakajima can't do his new gimmick anymore, so his gimmick is himself for now. I think the new IGF isn't doing anything really anymore. Simon Inoki isn't with the new IGF. BloodSport is coming to Japan. You can read about what Josh and M.Suzuki said, if you can find it online. Edited February 14, 2024 by Kang
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