New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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New Japan has been signing TV deals all over Europe and a UK TV deal will be announced next week.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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They need to sign one in Australia as well.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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New Era making New Japan baseball caps

Image

The black NJPW logo on the right looks the best in my opinion.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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I like the one that's bottom left.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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From WON:
Let’s just say that the next few months are going to be very interesting. Some early contract offers made have raised some concern to go along with the issues mentioned in last week’s issue. While there is a lot of pride here for the quality of the matches stemming from the Kobe and Long Beach shows during what is usually the post-G-1 down period, and the great reaction to G-1 and its business success, but the new regime (Harold Meij and new General Manager Michael Craven) is very different and not experienced in dealing with wrestlers. There may be economics that we’re not aware of, but there was a lot about the U.S. expansion with enthusiasm, between the new dojo and running a regular California and West Coast second circuit (which I don’t think would have been a good idea) and the pull back from there, and other changes.

But it feels like a lot has changed in the last 30 days. Craven, who is believed to be the head of talent relations as well as international expansion, may be the most unpopular guy among the wrestlers with the new regime. Craven I believe was the Tech Business Director at Hays Japan, managing technology recruitment for a company and had worked in IT recruitment for 20 years. He has lived in Japan since 1998, coming from the U.K. and has been involved in developing many of the top senior level technology executives in Asia. The initial reaction was that the feeling was that he talks down to the wrestlers and made strange comments and they know he has no background in wrestling, which is a very unique industry. Morale with the company was very high as you could tell by any interviews with the talent, particularly during G-1 where the level of work had led to high pride across the board with the feeling they were doing the best matches in the world and producing the best overall product.

Now the morale is more weird than anything, with more uncertainty about what will happen next and less confidence than with the old administration. Another person noted that the new team has gotten off to a rough start and that all the wrestlers, both Japanese and American, are talking about how they feel like they are seen as workers in a factory assembly line as opposed to high level athletes or entertainers. The excitement so many had for working here has taken a hit. It’s really a bad time for that with the goal of international expansion and that fun vs. WWE money was a key to a lot of people, but if you lower the fun aspect, that changes the equation, and basically we’re coming in on the single most interesting and important contract season since New Japan started garnering some international growth. There are people who in the past had never even considered WWE who are thinking about it, and others who were completely committed to staying who are probably still leaning that way, but are considering the WWE option.

New Japan in many ways reminds me of 1986 Jim Crockett Promotions with a collection of Hall of Fame level guys putting on the best product, but still second to WWE. But while Crockett had the strong 85-86, NJPW has had the growth from really 2011 to 2017, so it’s a longer run. It didn’t fall like 87 Crockett, but the similarities to 89 under Jim Herd with the great big show main events but the bad behind-the-scenes decisions and frustration by the top stars is very similar.
They've also apparently cut ties with Don Callis because the new regime doesn't like that he missed shows to do another wrestling promotion.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Yea doesn't sound good. If they want to move forward you need the right people in charge. For international expansion you need someone versed in getting international TV dealols for example. Before I saw the Jim Herd reference this definitely was reminiscent of that. Plus if the boys are pissed off all that hard work they've put in will be a waste of time because they'll jump ship.

Or you could even have them jump ship en masse like what happened with Misawa, Kobashi and co leaving All Japan and starting up NOAH. The Bullet Club guys are coming off All In so in theory they could just run their own show and they'll be a success if Cody, the Bucks, Kenny Omega and co are part of them. So they could easily play hardball with New Japan and WWE would be offering mega money to sign them up. Imagine if they booked it correctly a Bullet Club invasion of WWE. Get Styles to do the Hogan style heel turn and get the Good Brothers and Finn involved and you could do an Invasion style angle that could do huge business, if again, it's booked right. But WWE will probably sign them up and put them all on 205 Live.

Losing Don Callis who was helping with their US presence is a mistake too. Again you need enthusiastic people on board pushing for success and you put people in position were they are lowering morale, disrespectful and have no vision for the future its very detrimental to the overall product. Its a shame too since New Japan are arguably the #2 promotion in the world and are offering a real alternative to WWE.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Imagine if they booked it correctly a Bullet Club invasion of WWE.
That's as likely as the Bellas having a good match. The Radicalz were bigger stars when they came in and they were doing jobs immediately. WWE just wants them to have them.

Especially with Cody. Everyone who came back after success with a new gimmick elsewhere (Bubba Ray, Matt Hardy) gets their old gimmick back because Vince doesn't watch other promotions so always sees you the same way. I'm not saying he'd be Stardust again, but he'd be seen as a mid card heel still. And he'd never understand the Young Bucks.

But one thing NJ has that WCW didn't is a parent company who cares and understands the business a little. So if guys banded together and said fire the new regime or we will all walk out maybe they'd care. Turner didn't care when Flair and Midnight Express quit over Jim Herd because WCW meant nothing to them. But Bushiroad does care about New Japan.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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I think it was different with the Radicalz because they were WCW guys and although it was in disarray they most likely jobbed them out because of the WWF > WCW belief they had. The WWE products so stale they are relying on DX, Taker et al so something like a Bullet Club Invasion would be the talk of the internet wrestling community. Granted they'd be jobbed out and I said they'd likely end up on 205 Live or being job guys but you could run with that and it at least gives fans something fresh and new for a short time. Plus it opens the door for like Young Bucks vs Usos, Omega vs Styles etc. Any new influx of talent is better than what we're getting now.

Plus I think if the parent company of New Japan care they need to get rid of the new folks on charge asap. WCW did have Ted in their corner to a degree but as soon as the Time-Warner management happened his power was lessened. Had Ted Turner stayed in charge I highly doubt Jamie Kellner had cancelled WCW on TNT & TBS. Tes was very loyal to WCW because of the history of wrestling on TBS and I do think although WWF were beating them in the ratings he'd have kept things going. As soon as he was out of the picture they sold WCW at a fire sale price. Considering Ted owns the rights to movies for TCM surely he'd have known the value of the WCW tape library. How WCW imploded considering where they were a few years previously still makes no logical sense.

New Japan are onto something so I wouldn't like to see them go the same way. Why isn't like a wrestling guy or they put Don in a place to run things. He's helped turn Impact around, granted ratings aren't great but the product is much better. They are actually making stars instead of hiring ex WWE talent so I think you need wrestling people involved in upper management too. Yea you need people who specialise in certain areas like marketing & promotion folks for that department etc but for the actual wrestling side of things bring on someone respected to run the show. WCWs mismanagement started really under Jim Herd. He pissed off Naitch so he left so it's not too far fetched to think Kenny and co will jump to the WWE if they are pissed with management. I also don't know how their contracts work are they working on open agreements or directly signed to New Japan. Because in most cases it could be costly. The Bullet Club guys could work anywhere, draw and get paid. I think they've said they want to stick together and not go to WWE but if their morale at NJPW is low and WWE put offers on the table with reassurances (essentially they are the hottest free agents out there so their value is such they can dictate things) who's to say we won't see the Bullet Club in WWE.

If Vince wants to make a power play you go for the top guys out there and outside of the WWE realm it's the BC & Okada. They've got Styles, Finn, Good Brothers, Nakamura so he's already raided New Japan for talent. Plus among the hardcore fans seeing the BC on WWE programming would instantly bump the ratings.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Well of course his family is happy. They went from doing jobs for Davey Boy Smith Jr. to the main event immediately under the new management.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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NJ banning profanity and gestures from the product

https://uproxx.com/prowrestling/njpw-pr ... pansion/2/

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Couple more tweets from Tama too as The Bucks and co are going to stop promoting Bullet Club T-shirts soon.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Meltzer said on the show last night it's about the money since New Japan makes most of the money from the classic Bullet Club shirt design (that goes back to Prince Devitt) So they can make their Elite shirts and make all of the money. Not that this means they won't go to WWE because they haven't decided one way or another yet. But just that this isn't a sign they're going for sure.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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The main events for Wrestle Kingdom 13 have been announced

Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP title
Chris Jericho vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Intercontinental title
Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White
KUSHIDA vs. Taiji Ishimori for the IWGP Jr. title
El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Roppongi 3K vs. Shingo Takagi & BUSHI for the IWGP Jr. tag team titles

Looks like a good show.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Apparently Takahashi's doctor told him one more bad bump would paralyze him so he may have quietly retired.

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