New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Dr. Zoidberg
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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Cornette would love that.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Scott Norton will come out of retirement to join Bullet Club in a 12 man tag match at the New Japan Chicago show in a few weeks.


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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Scott won't leave his feet. His back and knees are in horrible shape.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Dr. Zoidberg
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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Ocelot wrote: Thu Apr 07, 2022 12:55 am Scott won't leave his feet. His back and knees are in horrible shape.
You lied to us!


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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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WHOA!

I LIES!!!!

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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((Seriously, for a man with a back and knees as bad as his are, to work like he did that match is just insane.))

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Ibushi is saying on Twitter he's found out about sexual harassment in Japanese wrestling and wants to expose it. Is this involving New Japan owning STARDOM? It could be interesting. Although he only tweets in Japanese so it's kind of hard to follow.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Now this could be interesting. Obviously you say AEW should sign him immediately. But New Japan would be angry. This could be a wild story if true.

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Dr. Zoidberg
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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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If you click on the tweets there's a translate button.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Yeah, but the translation is confusing.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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It is. You can also translate the replies which also come out a bit weird.

You changed your post, so my one makes less sense. :olol:

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Some Japanese Twitter accounts are saying he was released but that is not confirmed by anybody with credibility.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Hide contents
This all started with Kota's first published this tweet. (Further translations from @golden_kuma)

Ibushi: "I'll expose all about the former cheaters-gun (already returned) and the sexually harrasing bosses, from the company president's lies to his unreasonable power harrasments this time 🤗 Get prepared for this❗ ToSpo and TV Asahi too. I don't care~"

-- Kota's Second Tweet translated.

Context: Ibushi's LINE chat with Kikuchi-san (presumably a member of NJPW officials)

Kikuchi: "Maybe we should end your contract with NJPW."

Ibushi: "If I'm told so from the NJPW side, I can't complain. I'll get things settled. It's fine if you just fire me."

Kikuchi: "I don't want to do that. What happened to you?"

Ibushi: "There's no reason whatsoever. I have no excuse either and don't know why but I can't align with the company's rules. If this atmosphere is too weird, then it can be quick, so you can cut me with no remorse."

--

Kota's third tweet translated.

Ibushi: "As we discussed, it turned out that what's black is still black. I'm not a robot. Kikuchi stinked since he wanted me to return before Wrestle Kingdom if I was healed up. I endured it tho."

//

NOTE: A "black" company (ブラック企業, burakku kigyō) is a Japanese term for an exploitative sweatshop-type employment system. (Thanks /u/dcosborne)

--

Kota's fourth tweet translated.

Ibushi: "You know what is going on behind the scenes if you've been in the business for no less than 18 years. I don't think it is a negative thing, I take it rather positively. I'm very very calm. Thanks for your concern."

--

Kota's fifth tweet translated.

Kikuchi: "Don't you think it's wrong to make an appearance (without permission)? Maybe we should talk in the office."

Ibushi: "You came at me to end the contract so I thought that was it. I'd accept it. I don't think it changes if we talked."

Kikuchi: "It looks like you can't open a conversation by yourself so that you caused problems and make it other guys' fault to leave the company. I mean, you have extra reasons or issues other than that, don't you?"

Ibushi: "Nothing at all!"

Kikuchi: "Because if you think you've done nothing wrong, and if suddenly a LINE message about ending your contract comes, wouldn't you ask "did I do anything wrong?"

Ibushi: "I didn't. I didn't think it was a problem so sorry about that. I'll talk to the higher-ups." (fin.)

Source: Reddit

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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So it seems Ibushi has been having problems with New Japan for a while and says they're screwing him on merchandise money and he's angry they made him come back before he was fully healed from the shoulder injury. So Ibushi is saying NJPW executive Kikuchi sexually harassed women and cheats on his wife all the time hoping he got fired for it. So Ibushi did a Doug Gilbert.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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VoW’s notes on the Kota Ibushi and NJPW conflict including details about “Kikuchi-san” and who “Cheaters-gun” are
https://www.patreon.com/posts/breaking-news-on-66267965

“Cheaters-gun” refers to Kikuchi, TAKA, and Taichi, all of whom Ibushi has heat with.

The first instance of Ibushi and Kikuchi having heat goes all the way back to 2018 when the former felt the latter wasn’t paying him fair merch royalties

Kikuchi’s contract was not renewed in 2019 due to above and also included “marital affairs” involving Kikuchi’s wife.

Kikuchi was eventually brought back in 2020 after Dick Togo gained more power in the booking committee. At this point in time, Kikuchi is in charge of talent relations.

In regards to booking, Kikuchi has been involved in creative ideas, but as in a similar position to Togo, all ideas need finalization through Gedo.

Kikuchi has “old school” beliefs in how New Japan wrestlers are meant to act including maintaining kayfabe outside of shows and keeping relationships secret.

It has been said Kikuchi is “selective” with these ideas, and Ibushi is just one notable example who has had to deal with them.

In fact it was Kikuchi who made the call to keep Ibushi from having his match against Shingo Takagi at Dominion in 2021 even though Ibushi protested against this decision.

Kikuchi also asked Ibushi to Ibushi to be prepared to wrestle at the Tokyo Dome in a manner in which Ibushi felt offended and didn’t feel he was ready.

Ibushi then felt he was ready to come back in the New Japan Cup, which he was booked to win, but it was once again Kikuchi who pulled him on the basis of a “minor concern” from his doctor.

Ibushi then cut all communication with New Japan until Kikuchi contacted and reprimanded the former about attending a JTO show without permission.

Ibushi has thus been given the ultimatum to return to in ring action by Dominion, or be fired.

source: reddit

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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Kota Ibushi, the New Japan star who is among the most physically talented wrestlers who has ever lived, may not be long for the promotion after a Twitter tirade that included claims of everything from Yakuza involvement to sexual harassment.

It should be noted that he is not claiming any of that happened to him, but he has his own very deep issues with the company right now. But he is talking about going public to the press in Japan to expose nasty details of the company and wants his release.

His issues are publicly with Kikuchi, who he posted a private twitter back-and-forth where he talked wanting to quit the promotion, as well as company President Takami Ohbari, who he never mentioned in his tweets but is upset with, feeling that the company has taken advantage of him.

Booker Gedo has been trying to play peacemaker and get both sides back on the same page. Ibushi was saying that based on what he’s said publicly that he doesn’t think he can go back.

Ibushi, who turns 40 later this month, was the first IWGP world heavyweight champion, when the new title was created after unifying both the old IWGP title and the old IC title.

But after losing the title to Will Ospreay, Ibushi got very ill with aspiration pneumonia and was out of action. According to those close to the situation, he felt he was pressured to return for the 2021 G-1 Climax tournament in the fall, since the booked tournament was for he go lose to Kazuchika Okada in the finals, and be in the mix for major championship bouts.

Ibushi was not close to healthy in G-1. A 60 to 70 percent Ibushi may not have been able to be in he running for G-1 MVP as he has been almost every year, but he’s still better than all but a few wrestlers in the world. Then, during the championship match with Okada, he went for a Phoenix splash and landed badly on his shoulder. The injury was such that he couldn’t continue and the match had to be stopped before the two even started building to the planned match climax.

There are those close to the situation that felt the injury came because he was wrestling hard matches ever night before he was near 100 percent.

Ibushi opted not to have surgery on the injured shoulder, which he had a previous surgery on. Ibushi claimed he was pressured to return for the WrestleKingdom shows, but he wasn’t ready. In March, he was advertised for the New Japan Cup where he was going to have a major story. But he told the company he was nowhere near ready. He was pulled from the tournament just before it started.

Even now, he said that his shoulder is so bad that he can only bench press about 90 pounds, down from about 310 prior to the injury, and doesn’t want to return until his shoulder is at normal strength which it is far away from.

But the issue is that he released private messages with Kikuchi, who is part of the live event staff of New Japan, but not a member of management. He called Kikuchi the matchmaker. In reality, he is a guy who was an assistant to Gedo, basically doing detail work but Gedo is the idea man.

The Yakuza was a major part of Japanese wrestling from the days of Rikidozan, and for decades after. It was one of those things that everyone knew, people talked about, but the public was never told about. It did come out publicly in 1963 and 1964 after the death of Rikidozan, and many buildings then refused to allow wrestling and wrestling was in bad shape. It was really the rise of Giant Baba as a superstar in the mid-1960s that rebuilt the business, particularly during the late 60s with his tag team with Antonio Inoki and pro wrestling being on network prime time three nights a week.

Pride actually died when the Yakuza involvement went public, losing its television and they were forced to sell, with UFC buying all the rights, but then shutting it down when they were unable to get television due to it being foreign owned and the connotation that Pride was built by the Yakuza. Mob business involvement with pro wrestling hasn’t been the case in recent years when the business was backed by publicly traded companies, like Bushiroad, that would get destroyed if such a thing went public. The entire society in Japan as far as Yakuza being part of it but something people pretended wasn’t is from a different era because of the size and nature of companies that own the biggest companies.

Ibushi never mentioned Ohbari in any of his tweets. He called Kikuchi a little fat man with permed hair who can often be seen around the corner of the ring. At another point in replying to a fan, he said that this was power harassment toward wrestlers who didn’t come up through the New Japan system. Ibushi first became a star in DDT and was so talented that both he and Kenny Omega as a tag team were used on big shows by All Japan, and then New Japan. The Golden Lovers were legit best friends who in storyline were split apart for years when Omega joined Bullet Club. Eventually they were reunited but the team fell apart when Omega left New Japan for AEW.

One person with years in the industry behind the scene noted to u that if he was just criticizing management of New Japan, they could reconcile. But Ibushi broke trust and kayfabe, and revealed things that are considered firing offenses in the current industry.

At press time he was not released from his contract.

He believes at this point that he can’t go back. His feeling was that he would have been a loyal soldier to the company if he didn’t feel like he had been taken advantage of and this is the strategy he is using to get his release.

“I’ll expose all about the former cheaters-gun (already returned) and the sexually harassing bosses, from the company president’s lies to his unreasonable power harassment this time,” Ibushi tweeted. “Get prepared for this! ToSpo (Tokyo Sports, the leading sports newspaper in Japan although the power of a newspaper is nothing compared to yeas ago) and TV Asahi too. I don’t care.”

In private posts with Kikuchi that he revealed, he told Kikuchi it was fine if you fire me.

“I don’t want to do that,” Kikuchi replied. “What happened to you?”

“There’s no reason whatsoever,” said Ibushi. “I have no excuse either and don’t know why but I can’t align with the company’s rules. If this atmosphere is too weird, then it can be quick, so you can cut me with no remorse.”

Kikuchi had told Ibushi that he shouldn’t have made a public appearance at a non-New Japan show without asking for permission.

It appears this stems from Ibushi appearing at the 3/5 Just Tap Out show, a promotion that New Japan allows its wrestlers to work and is run by New Japan star Taka Michinoku.. Ibushi also made a tweet on 4/2 after going to a kickboxing show, saying that pro wresting needs to have the kind of excitement he felt at that event.

While many would expect that if he is released, he would go to AEW, in the past he’s made it clear he’s not fond of traveling regularly to the U.S. and doesn’t want to live there. He turned down WWE years ago, and given with hindsight how his career went until last year, it was definitely for the best.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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It's Mei's 4th anniversary show.

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Re: New Japan/Puroresu Thread

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