Raziel Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Well, this show, outside of a couple bad things (Tam/Kairi only getting 5, Sasha's whole mess, Anderson mailing his match in from RAW last monday), this was still every NJPW show ever and didn't really impress, outside of Omega/Ospreay, which was OK, although I could've done with 5 less minutes. Okada/White was every Okada/White match ever and this promotion needs a massive shakeup in the worst way, as it's pretty much Japan's version of late Vince WWE with how safe and sterilized it is. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVA Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 (edited) Edit: So am I the only idiot just now realizing that her hair dye is supposed to be fire around her face? It’s just looked like some weird Lisa Frank cheetah print to me earlier. Edited January 4, 2023 by EVA 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Adam Bay Bay Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 41 minutes ago, EVA said: Edit: So am I the only idiot just now realizing that her hair dye is supposed to be fire around her face? It’s just looked like some weird Lisa Frank cheetah print to me earlier. I thought it was a weird cheetah print too, so no you’re not the only idiot. I feel less dumb now though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Cincinnati Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Kenny's just better in this setting. He should stay. Sasha sounded quite congested. Hope she kicks whatever's ailing her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belgian_Waffle Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Very stale card that didn't interest me through I did watch the Omega/Ospreay match and will say it was good (I was expecting to hate it, or at least convince myself I hated it because Ospreay was in it). That said, this was 100% Kenny/Bret carrying clown show Ospreay/Shawn, right up to the crowd getting tricked into popping for Osprey's dumb cartoon facials and acting. Jake Lee made the right move. If he had gone with this dump instead of NOAH he'd be getting pushed about as hard as Dragon Lee would have in AEW these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt925 Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Did Bret do the whole kissing the belt thing all the time? Don’t recall that. When I saw ftr due that I just thought it was super disrespectful but maybe I’m tripping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raziel Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Yes, that's absolutely a Bret thing he always did. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig H Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Finished the show. Thought a lot of it was rushed, but then again, about half of these matches I didn't have much interest in. Kinda bummed Kairi only got about the amount of time a Divas match would get. That said, Omega vs Ospreay was fucking insane, if at least a little too dangerous to me. I felt they started approaching Okada/Shibata levels of brutality and started to really worry about the wellbeing for each guy. Omega and Ospreay's faces were both a total mess. Raz is right. Okada vs White was every Okada vs White match ever. Pretty good, but nothing spectacular especially since going in they should have had the same amount of heat Omega and Ospreay had. I did enjoy this more than the last two WKs and one night is definitely better than two nights. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVA Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 (edited) Yeah, I don’t think Okada and Jay have ever had particularly strong chemistry. Honestly, to me, the only guy who’s ever been able to unlock Jay’s potential as a main event guy is Ibushi. Against Okada, Naito, or Tanahashi, it’s always just…fine. Jay either needs to turn face or move on to WWE or AEW, because I think his top heel run in NJPW has about exhausted itself. (Which is remarkable because he missed so much time over there during the pandemic.) Edited January 4, 2023 by EVA 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Log Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 52 minutes ago, matt925 said: Did Bret do the whole kissing the belt thing all the time? Don’t recall that. When I saw ftr due that I just thought it was super disrespectful but maybe I’m tripping. I may be wrong, but I believe FTR have done that for a while before title defenses. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt925 Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 10 minutes ago, Log said: I may be wrong, but I believe FTR have done that for a while before title defenses. It’s me who’s tripping. I just assumed they were losing from the start, then I saw that and was like wtf that’s disrespectful. I wasn’t paying attention enough previously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 (edited) Whoever said this was live on AXS was wrong btw, it indeed is getting parceled out by the week. Edited January 4, 2023 by Curt McGirt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonzombie Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Lotta short matches, doesn't bother me. I liked the Muto tag. Spoiler Mercedes Mon'e arrived. Zack Push. Kongoh for setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphman 3000 Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Omega-Ospreay had a lot of problems in the first 10 minutes, but they pulled it together and it got great quickly. Problem is that the Japanese crowd, save for the 500 neckbeards who flew in from America, could not care less about a Heel vs. Heel gaijin match. They might as well have worked an empty arena match. Ospreay likes to push people to their limits (see his match with Rey Mysterio from a few years ago) regardless of whether or not they can still go. Kenny was rusty at first but got over it. I'm sure the rematch in America will be fantastic with a better crowd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonzombie Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 26,085 fans. Have to keep in mind there are still few covid restrictions for what fans can't do. Anyway this year is going to be better for attendances and business and crowds for NJPW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt925 Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, Dolphman 3000 said: Omega-Ospreay had a lot of problems in the first 10 minutes, but they pulled it together and it got great quickly. Problem is that the Japanese crowd, save for the 500 neckbeards who flew in from America, could not care less about a Heel vs. Heel gaijin match. They might as well have worked an empty arena match. Ospreay likes to push people to their limits (see his match with Rey Mysterio from a few years ago) regardless of whether or not they can still go. Kenny was rusty at first but got over it. I'm sure the rematch in America will be fantastic with a better crowd. Crowd sounds really hot to me. And this is a half empty stadium, if it was an 18k arena with 8k turned away I imagine it would be electrifying. Edited January 4, 2023 by matt925 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinube Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 9 hours ago, lostinube said: Reveal hidden contents Went back to listen where Charlton thinks Shingo said a date..and Shingo didn't say a date. He says "いい返事 待ってるぜ" "ii henji materuze" or I'm waiting for your positive response/answer (clunky, I know). I don't blame Charlton. It's hard to hear and translate things on the fly like that. Though I still think he said 待ってるぜ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinube Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 One more thing: After the women's match the English announcers are "Is it? It is!" while the Japanese team is like "masaka SASHA BANKS!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matwarz Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Acoustically the dome is never great. It can be a windy echo chamber. Based on that and the way Japanese fans react, that crowd was super into things. That match was a virtuoso two man performance, entrances to post-final bell. Streaming and US ticket sales may prove me wrong but Mercedes is a hell of a negotiator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krone Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 I love just how old school the show looks from a production standpoint. I don't know if that's because of the dome and the size of it, the lack of LED's, or just the lighting in general - it has a much more 90's feel for wrestling vs. current day and I very much appreciate that aspect of it. FTR/Bishamon was fantastic for the champs arriving so late in Japan and I also believe Dax was dealing with an injured ass. Ospreay/Omega was just *chefs kiss*. I was sad that Mercedes botched her finish and that Karl Anderson couldn't properly take the 2nd Gunstun - but we move on. Narita/ZSJ didn't have the time to be MOTN, but talk about a surprising match. Both guys brought it and I was impressed with Naritas fight. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niners Fan in CT Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 Wow... Omega vs. Ospreay was GREAT. Match was way different than i expected. it was more violent for sure. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niners Fan in CT Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 Mercedes gear was cool to me. Her hair goes much better with the black jacket. Also.. The "botch" was on kairi but who cares. They'll have a super match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niners Fan in CT Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 11 hours ago, lostinube said: I think people leaning towards botch but saying it was either due to rust or her heels. kairi fell. People need to open their eyes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVA Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 Kairi winning the belt in 6 minutes and immediately losing it to Mercedes in America doesn’t seem like a great way to get the local NJPW fans to care about the women’s title, even if it will play great in the West. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eivion Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 4 minutes ago, EVA said: Kairi winning the belt in 6 minutes and immediately losing it to Mercedes in America doesn’t seem like a great way to get the local NJPW fans to care about the women’s title, even if it will play great in the West. Defending. She won it back in late November against Mayu Iwatani in 25 minute match. I assume the Mercedes match goes longer, but it definitely won't help if Kairi loses. Honestly it would be pretty shitty on NJPW's part seeing that Stardom had been protecting her likely so her first loss back in Stardom would be a big deal. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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