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Purotopia Catch-All Thread 2014


Graham Crackers

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Someone mentioned Funaki a few pages back...I met him at the San Antonio airport some years back. I went to say hi and get an autograph, and I was kinda surprised when he talked because he spoke perfect English with a Texas drawl. He was actually a champion in HBK's indy fed in 99, so the dude has been living over here for a long ass time.

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NOAH announced that Ryu Nakata passed away due to a coronary

 

EDIT - Meltzer's update

 

 

Former NOAH exec Nakata passes away

 
Ryu Nakata, who handled business affairs and worked on dealings with Americans for years with Pro Wrestling NOAH, passed away on 2/15 from a heart attack.
 
After the death of Mitsuharu Misawa, Nakata was the man running the company as General Manager, through 2012.
 
He had started as Shohei Baba's personal driver, and was also a ring announcer for All Japan Pro Wrestling, who in 2000 left the promotion with the formation of Pro Wresting NOAH.
 
Nakata was 51.
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SPILERS BELOW for the big AJPW show from this morning: 

So I don't think anybody really expectred it but Akebono retains. Miyahara beat Omori in the undercard (via referee stop with a crossarmbreaker) and is now challenging Bono for the belt. 

I smell a "New Hero" booking swerve. Akebono now looks invincible having gone over Suwama, Doering, Omori and now Go. The only other guy is Akiyama, who Bono already beat in the openweight tournament he won late last year. Miyahara debuts what I'm guessing will be his new finisher and surprise it's a move perfectly designed to take down a big guy (it's not like he's going to pin Akebono in that German suplex he uses). Sasaki just retired suddenly and Miyahara is one of his boys---could add some sentimentality to his win. Soya aka the Traitor just debuted for Mutoh's stupid promotion so it's not like he's ever coming back; that makes Miyahara the lone new guy for AJPW to push for the time being.

Anybody else think he's gonna win? and more importantly will anyone care (except me and the other diehard AJPW marks who refuse to stop caring)? 

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I've spent years looking forward to the likes of Nagata and Akiyama as wily old vets and if excursions to AJ/NOAH means Yuji can escape New Japan's prettyboy tyranny to fulfil that destiny then praise be. If Misawa's in any way displeased with Nagata as GHC champion he should spend some of that quality coffin time meditating on why NOAH don't have any of their own established veterans from that generation.

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You rate current Nagata *that* high in NJ right now?

Well let's see. Not counting gaijin.

1. Okada

2. Tanahashi

3. Nakamura

4. Shibata

5. Ishii

6. Goto

7. Naito

8. MinSu

So #9 could be Nagata, maybe Togi. NOAH guys, I'd put KENTA either before or after Ishii. Morishima, Sugi, and Marufuji all in the Nagata range.

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Akiyama ran away because of Ryu Nakata, Sasaki retired, Takayama is barely mobile. Couldn't do much about it being dead and all.

I wonder what the passing of Nakata is going to do to NOAH and the Puro scene in general. Could this maybe, just maybe lead to Akiyama bringing NOAH and AJPW back together? I can dream right.

If NOAH were to fold I wonder where KENTA would wind up...

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Are more events becoming available this year than the last couple years?  I didn't really follow puroresu last year, but I remember people kvetching about shows not being available to watch.  So far this year just for January, by my count roughly 18 events are available to download from somewhere or another.  Trying to review every event from this year is going to be a lot harder than I thought.

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