With Wrestle Kingdom approaching, it seems as though Western fans are down on New Japan Pro Wrestling. Some are blaming the booking, while others are citing the impact of the departure of The Elite and its long-term effects.
In my personal opinion, however, 2021 has been a great year in NJPW that has simply been marred by unavoidable issues:
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Silent or clapping crowds were fine to watch along with when all of wrestling had them. Now that both WWE and AEW have live and audible crowds again, however, it becomes increasingly more difficult to go back to watching shows during which the crowd cannot audibly react. Even a great match seems to be perceived as slightly less than because of this.
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COVID and injuries have disproportionately impacted New Japan Pro Wrestling. Just think about how severely momentum has been derailed by:
β’ Will Ospreay winning the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, only to all but immediately drop the title due to injury. New Japan goes seven months without one of its top stars. β’ Tetsuya Naito being injured in his first match at G1 Climax 31. How different is the perception of the tournament if we actually get to see Naito vs. Kota Ibushi, Shingo Takagi, Tomohiro Ishii, etcβ¦? β’ Jay White being effectively trapped on the outside looking in due to COVID. White, like Ospreay, hasnβt wrestled in Japan since May 3. Seven months without, arguably, the top heel in the company. How different is the G1 if perceived weak links are replaced by Ospreay and White? β’ Kota Ibushi being unable to catch a break. Ibushi missed time due to a case of pneumonia and then broke his wrist in the G1 Final. How different is 2021 if the star of Wrestle Kingdom is healthy, consistently competing, and fighting to get his title back? How different is the G1 if the Final actually ends however it was supposed to?
I know injuries (and travel restrictions) are a part of wrestling, but four World Champions in one year?
And that doesnβt even include Jon Moxley being unable to wrestle in Japan as the then reigning IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion.
Or Jay White being unable to defend the NEVER Openweight Championship in Japan almost directly after it was established as the No. 2 title in the company.
Throw in all AEW crossovers occurring on North American soil instead of there being a true talent exchange (COVID restrictions, not blaming AEW), and of course itβs been a weird year.
But itβs also been a year with some classics that show why NJPW is stil
... keep reading on reddit β‘I get it, whenever news like this breaks, some tend to get fed up. They feel that the WWE doesn't care about the talent, about the fans, whatever. And you know what? You're absolutely entitled to that opinion and I respect your right to he frustrated.
But, it's 2022, WWE and even AEW ain't the only games in town. We have access to so much wrestling, from all sides of the world. The streaming game has blown the doors off the hinges and you can watch almost everything of value without leaving your home. Often times live.
You just have to be willing to seek it out and keep an open mind. And yeah, I get it, getting into new stuff isn't easy. You have to be willing to accept that things aren't gonna have that polish and top notch, that some things won't feel like the wrestling you're used to, you have to learn new names and more. But thats what makes wrestling fun for me, always finding new stuff.
I'm just sick of thes passionate "I'm done with this company " speeches that feel so empty and never lead to people wanting to try new things and support wrestling. Remember, we can help elevate wrestling and make it stronger, making other companies viable as alternatives, but we have to be willing to support them.
I know I'm saying stuff everyone knows and this isn't any better than the anti WWE speeches, but for crying out loud, you like wrestling, you don't have to settle.
Hi guys was wondering if my comparison of the new japan and stardom factions are accurate. If you guys have better comparisons than I'd like to know because I've been trying to watch more stardom wrestling since I'm tired of seeing the wwe women's division and aew's porous women's division.
Taguchi Japan and STARS (Basically the baby face factions)
Suzuki Gun and Oedo Tai (The Yakuza of Japanese Wrestling)
Bullet Club and Tokyo Cyber Squad (Flashy and non traditional Factions)
CHAOS and Queen's Quest (Once Dominant factions with their founders leaving for the WWE- Shinsuke Nakamura and Io Shirai)
Los Ingobernables De Japon and Donna Del Mondo (The tweeners and individualistic factions).
What do you guys think?
