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NJPW Dontaku tour 2019


Archibald

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Ishii is the basic example of a dude that love goofing off and having fun and gets into all the team building things, but he just flips the switch to complete badass in the ring.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Juice can probably be added to "Can drag Fale to a decent match" shortlist. While main event was probably best Ibushi/ZSJ match so far? And I liked their previous matches as well, so yeah, this was great.

Post match angle thou? Too soon? Out of nowhere? Out of character?

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Okay, here is the angle that I think nobody is really noticing/mentioning. At WK8 Naito was supposed to main event with Okada, but that didn't happen. So at WK12 Naito "fixed" that mistake. But during WK8 season Naito was NEVER champion as well. Had he won his WK8 match he would have became first double champion. So, is he now going to "fix" that mistake as well?

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Um, that's been the angle that commentary/Naito himself (see the MSG VTR) have been pushing, that Naito wants to be the first Double Singles Champion.  Dominion makes sense as the first crack to get the IC belt back before heading into trying to take the G1.

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Honestly I’d misremembered that whole thing totally. In my recollection he’d vacated the NEVER title, but of course you’re right that he didn’t. 

It’s pretty clear that Naito versus Okada, title versus title, is the biggest match New Japan could make, and might well sell out the dome. But of course they have a second night to consider, now. I wonder if there will be a clear hierarchy, with one show being bigger; and if not, I wonder what could close the other show.

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Since Liger announced his retirement at the dome I’ve figured that was going to be the main draw of one of the nights likely the 5th cause i don’t think NJPW wouldn’t have the big title match on the 4th

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This was long tour and it hasn't ended yet. Overall I think that I liked most of the important stuff that happened so far, but number of shows really did a number on me. Wonder how I'll fare during BotSJ and G1. I guess I'm getting old?

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2 hours ago, Archibald said:

This was long tour and it hasn't ended yet. Overall I think that I liked most of the important stuff that happened so far, but number of shows really did a number on me. Wonder how I'll fare during BotSJ and G1. I guess I'm getting old?

Post-wrestlemania wrestling hiatus while basketball and hockey playoffs go is really rejuvenating and allows me to get back right into it for Dominion and the G1.

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Switchblade's getting a Knife Friend (with even more pronounced synthwave aesthetics). Would this fit David Finlay's return time? (British flag, so maybe Chris Brookes?)

Edited by Beech27
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Finlay got hurt in March and was expected to be out six months. So that might be too early, at least to wrestle. Probably someone British though. Edit: People on the web are saying/hoping Chris Brookes. Or it could be a returning Oka.

Anyway, I was always a Taichi Kaere! kind of fan but damn it, he got me.

Nice main but it seemed like I was distracted because I was waiting for Hiromu to pop up.

Edited by lostinube
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Two hints in that video: UK Jack and you can see that beer bottle that he breaks is of Asahi brand - Japanese brand. Idea I think would be that someone was in UK longing for his native "culture" and is ready to return. Oka fits that perfectly. Obviously people are pointing out that only gaijins fight for that belt, but once upon a time Yoshi also challenged Omega for it (I don't blame anyone for forgetting it, match was dreadful) and it being gaijins-only is stupid in the first place.

I think it would be a bit weird if he joined Bullet Club considering that they are already getting El Phantasmo so they are at risk of bloating BC again. On the other hand it might be part of the revamp for BC aesthetics? Take Switchblade, El Phantasmo and now this video. At least to me all three of them have "I FUCKING LOVE 80s" vibe going. Heck, new GoD theme and gear for the entrance? Taiji Ishimori? We are going to 80s and since I love 80s I won't complain about that at all.

Next thing. They drew 50 less people than last year that had Omega/Page and Cody/Ibushi singles matches. If someone last year said that Cobb/Taichi and Lee/Ishimori would match them then they probably would have been called crazy. And crowd reactions? They barely gave a shit last year, while crowd was hot for both featured matches this year. Thou it was funny when they were poping for Taichi who was kicking Cobb in the balls. Taichi is kinda approaching Naito territory I think where he can be an asshole, but crowds will still want him to win.

Some people aren't happy that Cobb lost the belt, but I think that it all makes sense. NJPW wanted to push Ospreay and thats why he won the belt and did well in NJ Cup, but he had to lose it so that he could be in BotSJ. And RoH needed a win at MSG since GoD were winning their titles vs titles match. And well I doubt that Cobb can draw in Japan, while Taichi can probably sell out smaller buildings with right opponent. Maybe whole LU contract situation played into this as well, but I think it worked. On the other hand you kinda have to wonder whats next for Cobb in NJPW, entire tour Taichi was basically fat shaming him and ended up beating him. If this was WWE fans would be talking about how Cobb got buried.

And NJPW totally needs to sign Dragon Lee to similar contract that Rush got from RoH - CMLL controls Mexican bookings, everything else exclusively to RoH.

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With the extended Golden Week this year (April 27 to May 6) it would have been totally understandable if they ended up drawing less than last year. But the Dontaku event in itself draws two million people so I guess NJPW feels confident in what kind of numbers they can draw ever year. But Cobb/Taichi is a better hook than Omega/Page.

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I think they only drew less for their Hi No Whatever show that had Goto/White as main event. But last year they had there LiJ vs Suzuki Gun with Naito/Suzuki IC title match as main event so it would be kinda crazy if Goto/White managed to match that.

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I haven't watched the match yet because I don't normally stay up until 5 AM. I've gotten into watching wrestling at the gym to make the treadmill less tedious. I'm disappointed to read Cobb dropped the title in his first defense. I feel like Cobb will never get out of the Michael Elgin spot in New Japan. Losing after being called a fat pig makes Cobb look really bad. At least, he's booked like a monster in ROH. It's pretty bad when Delirious books somebody better than another booker, but that's the case with Cobb.

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So:

Naito and Ibushi are set for the IC title at Dominion.

Ishii beat EVIL in the semi-main that was like the old NEVER battles that Ishii had with Makabe. And then Ishii challenged Taichi backstage.

Okada beat a non-Cold Skull version of SANADA in 38 minutes and referred to him as his rival before...

...a damn Chris Jericho interrupts Okada's post-match speech and challenges him to a title match at Dominion on 6/9

Also, Tanahashi made a surprise appearance to say that he was returning on the last day of the Best of the Super Juniors. Jay White came out to shout (and bury Goto one last time) and then attacked Tanahashi. So maybe that's for 6/9 too?

And finally:

 

Edited by lostinube
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