Kang Posted July 27, 2020 Share Posted July 27, 2020 (edited) One unified business operation. Marufuji also has power in all brands now along with the appointed DDT guys. The booking and wrestling styles won't change for any of the brands. Edited July 27, 2020 by D.Z 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belgian_Waffle Posted July 27, 2020 Share Posted July 27, 2020 For fun: what are hypothetically the biggest potential Dome main events they could still run in terms of hype and 'once in a lifetime big show' kind of interest? I would think if they did an AJPW invasion angle Okada vs Kento would be a pretty huge spectacle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beech27 Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 (edited) I can’t see New Japan helping any other company with a dome show, even granting significant post-COVID goodwill. But yeah, Okada or Tanahashi would be a huge help, assuming LIJ/BC is going to be New Japan’s main event focus for a bit. Otherwise... it’s hard to see. Available former dome main eventers to NOAH/DDT would be Akiyama, Mutoh, and Kenny. Mutoh can’t really do a big singles now; Akiyama seems not to want to. Kenny is wrestling Endo already, so that’s one big match down. And then it’s easy to get into fantasy land really quickly. Kawada never retired, right? Kensuke still looks real jacked, and he and Miyahara had a real falling out—so that’s something. Edited July 28, 2020 by Beech27 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Death From Above Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 Terry Funk is still available. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archibald Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 15 hours ago, D.Z said: Multiple brands that work like WWE 's own multiple brands and using the brands power to do big shows. Are they really? Brand split has always been more of a gimmick to make it look like Smackdown, and now NXT, matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kang Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 There is always gonna be one brand bigger than the others, so that's to be expected. Also Smackdown is WWE's main brand nowadays...the demos, more Vince involvement, better channel and less of a b show these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copperhead Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 Just wondering DDT's streaming service offer a trial period at all? Been interested in checking them out for awhile and I figured now's as good as a time as ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kang Posted August 1, 2020 Share Posted August 1, 2020 Kaito Kiyomiya vs Konosuke Takeshita could happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Control Posted August 1, 2020 Author Share Posted August 1, 2020 Gotta keep this brands distinct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Control Posted August 1, 2020 Author Share Posted August 1, 2020 Akira Francesco is a mainstay in AJ cards. Does that mean he lives in Japan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted August 1, 2020 Share Posted August 1, 2020 He may be on a long visa and has been there since before the massive breakouts so gets to stay? I have no answer beyond that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kang Posted August 1, 2020 Share Posted August 1, 2020 Fujinami will participate in BJW for their last Yokohama Bunka show. Kobashi had his 8th surgery on his knee's, hopefully he can walk better again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kang Posted August 2, 2020 Share Posted August 2, 2020 If Marufuji wins the GHC HW...he wants to face Muto. Kaito Kiyomiya is doing moonsaults in the NOAH gym. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Control Posted August 3, 2020 Author Share Posted August 3, 2020 Concerned about what the second wave of COVID is going to do to wrestling: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-31/japan-acted-like-the-virus-had-gone-now-it-s-spread-everywhere 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted August 3, 2020 Share Posted August 3, 2020 I know I've been lucky to live in British Columbia for a lot of reasons, including low cases but we had some issues with nightclubs too recently as we've continued to open up. Hopefully promotions can manage, but really hope the core ones in particular are able to outlast the virus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Control Posted August 3, 2020 Author Share Posted August 3, 2020 (It probably goes without saying, but wrestling is not my #1 concern when it comes to COVID—it’s just the most relevant concern to this forum) Somewhat related: it seems like 2AW actually got a boost from lockdown—I think their attendance numbers are actually up from pre-quarantine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kang Posted August 3, 2020 Share Posted August 3, 2020 Maybe BJW shutting down. Deathmatch guys can go to Freedoms, Z1, DDT and Strong guys to NOAH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Control Posted August 3, 2020 Author Share Posted August 3, 2020 On 7/19/2020 at 11:31 AM, Control said: With all the other weirdness in the world, I haven’t really had time to process the weirdness of Jun Akiyama being scheduled into the second or third match of every DDT card. One thing that hadn’t previously occurred to me: with DDT and NOAH belonging to the same parent company, Jun now (effectively) works for NOAH again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinube Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 I'm surprised that NJPW hasn't been connected to any of the Covid cases in Osaka. Anyway, so far they aren't really doing anything different in terms of shutting things down aside from people in other prefectures not really loving the idea of Tokyoites spending their summer vacations outside of Tokyo. But in some areas school is on (a much shorter) summer break and Obon is coming up so who knows what is going to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 If I was able to give out IWGP Heavyweight Championship reigns, Minoru Suzuki's my first choice then Tomohiro Ishii. You? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiji Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 6 hours ago, The Natural said: If I was able to give out IWGP Heavyweight Championship reigns, Minoru Suzuki's my first choice then Tomohiro Ishii. You? Okada. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teflon Turtle Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 (edited) I know the concept of wrestlers "deserving" title reigns in pro wrestling gets sideways glances sometimes...but I will second Minoru Suzuki. Dude has done more than enough in the puroresu/combat sports world to earn an IWGP reign, and thus a place in the pantheon of competitors who've held the Triple Crown, GHC Heavyweight, and IWGP Heavyweight titles. He'd never deviate from character enough to go through with it, but I'd dig a story of Suzuki wanting to complete the trifecta like his friend Yoshihiro Takayama. If we're sticking within the realm of current possibility, I'll throw out Hirooki Goto. I started following puroresu (NJPW specifically) around 1999/2000 or so, stopped during Inokiism, and came back after...probably most of Goto's failed title challenges. I missed it; had no context for why a guy who I thought was an excellent wrestler when I started following NJPW more closely again never got an IWGP reign until I researched it after the fact. If we were to play "name a wrestler whose in-ring skills are better than their booking," I think Goto would also probably be my #1 answer. If you're gonna give either man a run, now's the time. If you're going to roll the dice on Evil now because there can't/won't be full live gates for a while, the same logic applies to the wrestlers above. Edited August 4, 2020 by Teflon Turtle 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 On 8/4/2020 at 3:58 AM, Control said: Concerned about what the second wave of COVID is going to do to wrestling: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-31/japan-acted-like-the-virus-had-gone-now-it-s-spread-everywhere This article gives too much credit to Japan having a strategy in the first place. Japan's approach to coronavirus has been the same as it's approach to Fukushima. I'm sure Koike is frustrated, but there's so much bureaucracy in the Japanese political system and so much time wasted in "discussions." It seems they won't risk adversely affecting the economy unless the death toll begins to spike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belgian_Waffle Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 Ishii will always be my perennial answer to the IWGP title question, although Suzuki and Goto would both be welcome surprises this late in the game. If he hadn't retired last year I would still be saying Lyger should have an IWGP win via small package or flash pin following a Shotei. Not to kick Z1 when theyre down but I was kind of disheartened to see the winner of their Jr. tournament this year said that he wanted his prize to be "a match against Naomichi Marufuji". Like how devalued is your company's junior title when the winner of your annual jr. tourney gets the honour of jobbing to a star for one match instead of a shot at the jr. champ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beech27 Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 A miraculously cured Shibata would be my answer. Somewhat more realistically, I’d have chosen Kawada to win the IWGP title when he beat Kensuke, rather than just having the latter man vacate it for losing a non-title match—and then win the rematch with the belt on the line. Even if Kawada had been a zero defense holder of the title, it’d be something neither Misawa or Kobashi ever did. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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