Puroresu General Discussion - 2025

[Doragon]

I wish Naito ended up in AJPW. I don't think he would take a pay cut though. He probably may end up somewhere boring to me like AEW.

NOAH would be alright too for Naito, but they moved on from being the old man pro-wrestling project CyberFight wanted them to be, so I dunno. 

Edited July 14 by Doragon

[Doragon]

AJPW Excite Series 2011

Muto and Otani vs. AKIRA and Masa Funaki

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ixIHwym5rZA&pp=0gcJCc0JAYcqIYzv

4 dudes who came from the NJPW dojo. 

 

[Salads]

Tanahashi Jam is now up on NJPW World. I'm not a MOTYC list-maker, and I don't tend to gel with the same matches as everyone else, but I have to agree with one popular take from the show - Hirooki Goto knows how to sell.

[Doragon]

In Japan there's the thing called a wall or some wrestlers will be referred as a wall to go over. Their obstacle to overcome.

There is stuff on commentary to pick up, if you can understand what they're saying.

And in Japan names of the moves, but fans in Japan and old video games are more likely to know more about that over commentators.

 

 

[Doragon]

The new AJPW World Tags

https://x.com/Meh_ItsIrv/status/1945804540516635044

https://x.com/alljapan_pw/status/1945880683311943896

They made two new sets based on the old sets to replace the old two sets. They're not bad looking. The even kept the chains on the international tags

Wish they redid the Triple Crown and split them into 3 belts.

 

[Doragon]

Good news

Kenta won the GHC HW from Kenoh. Kenoh beated Ozawaetty before that on another show.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GwRmzEiX0AABS2A?format=jpg&name=900x900

Kenta is now 2 time GHC HW champ. Kenoh was 4 times.

[Mike Campbell]

I just finished the KENTA/Kenoh match, and I could see where some folks would like it, but it wasn't for me. Outside of both of them being willing to give and receive absurdly stiff slaps and kicks, and take diving stomps off the top, there just isn't much there. There are a few nice bits from KENTA, singling out Kenoh's neck with a few spots and then doing an STF, and another where hit a hanging DDT on the floor and waited for Kenoh to drag himself in and then pasted him with a running kick. But, those few nice things were negated by goofy shit like them taking turns sitting down and inviting the other to kick their back, and Kenoh taking the G2S for a really close near fall and then going right into a counter for the Game Over and doing his own crossface to take over the match.

[dorfus malorfus]

Finally caught up on the summer AJPW tour 

Spoiler

I am dumbfounded by the finish to the main event at the Matsumoto show. They completely rebuilt Yuma Aoyagi as "the guy" to finally dethrone Jun Saito then had him job to Saito clean in his hometown. Just bizarre booking, especially considering this Jun reign has been really cold since the Champion Carnival. At this point I wonder if he isn't losing the title until the Dec 31 show. They did almost 1600 fans in Matsumoto too, I can't imagine they'll draw that well if they come back after punking out the hometown hero. 

Other than that I still love All Japan and find it consistently to be (by far) the best in-ring product anywhere in the world, outside of the occasional Fighting Detectives card. 

[Doragon]

I would like to see NJPW sold to the Inoki family and co and reboot it as the strong style it should had been, skipping the last 25 plus years. It's fiction related anyway, we do not have to adhere to real world history and we do whatever.

 

I expect AJPW to put the Triple Crown title on future Ace Yuma Anzai or someone else. 

 

 

 

[dorfus malorfus]

If Nakajima can get out of his GLEAT contract and make peace with All Japan I think they would have an honest shot at becoming a hot promotion again. He has lots of unfinished business with Miyahara and Anzai and to a lesser extent Aoyagi. Those four guys could trade the Triple Crown between them for years without diminishing the main event quality. Keep pushing Honda and Ayabe as the next in line, move Atsuki Aoyagi, Dan Tamura, Ryo Inoue, Seigo Tachibana and Fuminori Abe up to heavyweight and suddenly you have a roster depth comparable to a big company like New Japan. But you need that one unstable element to set the main event scene on fire and Nakajima has proven already in the very recent past that he can fulfill that role. 

Edited August 15 by dorfus malorfus

[Doragon]

I can't see Nakajima back in AJPW this year. Even he is now allowed again to do his properly named "Toukon Style" gimmick again. "They" or the newer IGF and Inoki Family were mad at AJPW mainly for using those words by hiring him.

I rather have more taller guys signed next year to AJPW. Even if they're indy literally whos.

[Doragon]

Been few other changes to NOAH but I didn't bother to post them. 

Masa Kitamiya dropped the Masa Saito cosplay pants he wore for years. He and Sugiura are in Team 2000 X and are the GHC tag champs. 

Jack Morris was kicked out of Team 2000 X.

Go is pretty much in his twilight years of his career, at 43. He isn't in the N 1 this year, he lost to Harutoki n his N1 Qualifying match.

[Control]

https://twitter.com/Peps_Wrestling/status/1956689113978913175
 

 

Edited August 16 by Control

[Doragon]

NOAH N1 blocks

KENTA

Kaito Kiyomiya
Manabu Soya
 Ulka Sasaki
 Kazuyuki Fujita
Tetsuya Endo 
Masa Kitamiya
 Daga

Block B:
Galeno
 Naomichi Marufuji
 Kenoh
 Daiki Inaba
 Jack Morris
 Harutoki
 Ricky Knight Jr.
OZAWA

[Doragon]

Otani standing"up

https://x.com/otani_shinjiro/status/1956623478842638584

[Doragon]

Unlike NJPW, AJPW is more willing to slot in non-trueborns as Aces like Kento.

Most of NOAH's aces are all failed aces. They don't draw, not over enough, don't last, get shit booking that undermines their push, get depushed or failed to stay at the top for various of reasons. It can happen to Kaito as well.

[dorfus malorfus]

Watching the NOAH August 16 show. If Hiromu is disenchanted with New Japan now that Naito's gone he could have a Top Career Rival for Life in young Daiki Odashima. Absolutely explosive chemistry between them even if they only had a couple short sequences together.

Edited August 17 by dorfus malorfus

[Ace]

Interesting trivia note (TJPW, Stardom, and NJPW Spoilers)

Spoiler

3 companies had a Watanabe in the finals of their August tournament

NJPW: Evil (Takaaki Watanabe) - G1 Climax

Stardom: Momo Watanabe - Five Star Grand Prix

TJPW: Miu Watanabbe - Tokyo Princess Cup

 

[Doragon]

The Watanabe clan sure gets around.

[Doragon]

Naoya Nomura vs Yuma Aoyagi was said to be a very good match. 

[Doragon]

With Muto gone, it was decided by trillions of trillions in the multiverse that the best Puroresu wrestler nowadays is..

Rika Tatsumi! We love you Rika-san!

[Doragon]

There can be the Ace, the Strongest, the rival. There can be new made up roles for players like I am NOAH, the Leader, whatever Kota Ibushi God role was,which was planned to be above Okada and Tanahashi. True Heart can be used for Joshi.

There's the Absolute Champion role. Kobashi.

AJP tried to experiment with two aces for awhile, Kento and Jake Lee. But this century is more lax and experimental with roles. All just to say they are more important over others, or as important or near important.

Companies may not be universal with the roles and with using the terms or even their meanings (strongest has two meanings) for players and fighters. They're carnies anyways, they not nerdy about the rules.

[Ace]

18 hours ago, Doragon said:

With Muto gone, it was decided by trillions of trillions in the multiverse that the best Puroresu wrestler nowadays is..

Rika Tatsumi! We love you Rika-san!

You better, or she'll strangle you.

...She'll probably still strangle you.

[Control]

I always look at the results and wonder if Tenryu Project is lowkey great.

[Stefanie Sparkleface]

21 hours ago, Control said:

I always look at the results and wonder if Tenryu Project is lowkey great.

If it seems like it might be your kind of jam, it most certainly is. (Keita Yano is a genius.)