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Puroresu General Discussion for 2020

Control

By Control
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Jiji

Jiji

Posted
Posted (edited)
57 minutes ago, Control said:

Just your standard fireball-using orthodox babyface.

White meat babyface with great fire. 

6 minutes ago, D.Z said:

NJPW is considering empty arena shows.

The one Japanese company for whom empty arena shows make sense because I imagine they actually make money from World and their TV deals.

Edited by Oyaji
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Beech27

Beech27

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It took place across the street from Wrestle Kingdom on 1/4, but did anyone seem to notice Shiozaki taking the GHC from Kiyomiya? 

I hadn’t watched it until now. It’s a big main event with the things you expect both guys to bring, and it’s NOAH, so there’s a completely unnecessary (very stiff looking) headbutt and some welts and heavy leather in general. 

I think it was a little more interesting than that might imply, though. Shiozaki comes out wearing ornate green gear, and this seems to me something of a prodigal son angle—he failed as the ace in his youth, left the company, had returned and found himself with Nakajima, and now at 37 is finally ready to (at least try to be) that guy.

Only now there’s a new kid in the way, so they have to fight. 

Kiyomiya, for his part, brings more than I’m used to seeing from him. He’s mechanically quite good, and athletic, and when he’s getting beat up the crowd yells his name—that’s all established. But he seems a little resentful that Go just wants to take his spot... and steal his pants color. So he tries to rip his arm off. 

That, and Go’s comeback from it, was really well done. Sell too much, and using it later looks silly; sell too little, and you build no tension. He got it right; it hurts, but he can—and does—fight through it.

Things escalate from there, of course, and there are some big moves and convincing enough near-falls. I was taken out briefly by one of the worst moves I’ve seen in ages: Shiozaki lifts Kiyomiya for a powerbomb... and then just lets him sit there. Like a delayed suplex, only not, because your opponent has their hands free and isn’t disoriented. They could hit you, or just look around like an idiot. Kiyomiya is obliged to do the latter.

That said, the real finishing run is quite good. I tend to prefer matches where I can say “this guy won because he did X, the other guy lost because he did Y” to those where one guy just kicks out of finishers, and other guy doesn’t. If I’m looking for something, I’ll say Shiozaki recovered enough right-arm utility to win the striking war, and had enough even to dig and hit the Misawa-fan with a massive rolling elbow while being the Kobashi guy. And, as strike-filled counter-exchanging bombing runs go, this was viscerally very satisfying.

Shiozaki won, and then got the belt from Kobashi, and declared that he is NOAH. So maybe the Kobashi pupil wearing green and doing a big elbow spot but also lariats and chops and a moonsault is not subtext, even, just text.

Anyway, I liked this a lot. It probably won’t turn you on either guy if you dislike them and NOAH remains problematically fixated on its golden era; but I think it’s as good as either guy has looked—either in years, or ever, depending. And frankly, Kiyomiya seemed far more over after the loss than before; he got more cheers for his effort than the winner. Ultimately, for NOAH, anything that gets that right has worked.

Edited by Beech27
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Ryan

Ryan

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On 5/6/2020 at 4:08 AM, gordi said:

@Beech27 it's an unimportant detail, but Rikio's ramen restaurant is located in Tenri, in Nara prefecture. I have made two attempts to go there but it was closed both times.

 

They knew you were coming, that's for sure. Had to shut the place down for fear of running out.

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Super Ape

Super Ape

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On 5/8/2020 at 10:33 AM, D.Z said:

DDT to inherit the Royal Road.

Jun Akiyama to guest coach at DDT. He will inject Kings Soul into DDT, Giant Baba and the 4 kings and everything else he knows or learned. 

Now he just needs to cut off his pinky in repentance for talking with the enemy.

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Eivion

Eivion

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Posted
7 hours ago, D.Z said:

Puroresufan/SSS to be shut down. 

Kind of surprised it took this long. Its been mostly dead for years a now. Last time I recall seeing activity was when some of us came there after hearing about the owner's crimes.

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Ryan

Ryan

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The child porn stuff was surprising, but his vindictiveness and some of the other stuff seemed in his nature from some things he said and did when he was younger and when I was still around there. Nothing that would make you think he'd go that far, but he had the personality for it.

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