Does anyone here watch any non-NJPW Japanese stuff? If you were bothered by the relative lack of good matches at WM33 and are already up to date on NJPW or it’s just not your bag you can see tons of different Japanese stuff really easily nowadays.
DDT just had one of their big 3 events of the year and they have a subscription service that’s really easy to use and pretty cheap (900 yen a month). Judgement was really dope and the top 4 matches are all great and meaningful long term. The sheer variety of different kinds of matches cannot be understated either! Harashima might be the most smartly booked ace of the current generation and puts on great match after great match.
Dragon Gate have Dead or Alive coming up and that always has the craziest cagematch of the year. Don’t be fooled by the crazy fast work-rate and lack of selling, Dragon Gate has plenty to offer in awesome character work, rock solid booking and very exciting matches!
Sadly the only official way to watch their stuff is with a Nico Nico account which I cannot recommend, but their shows do get uploaded to the Real Hero Archive (Google it).
I also watch BJW, AJPW, Noah, Michinoku Pro and Sendai Girls. All are available of the aforementioned archive. Can supply more info on those looking to get into this stuff.
For the record I enjoyed WM33 but I do think it’s a bad sign when the most technical match was the first match of the pre-show and the next one was the opener involving Shane McMahon. I know it’s not meant to be about that but when the payoff for Orton vs Wyatt was what happened, it’s hard not to be mad. Thankfully there was Takeover the night before and that was solid. Nakamura seems so toned down though, which annoys me. If anyone has seen his feud with Hirooki Goto over the IC you’ll know he can put on a variety of good matches with strong storytelling.
Sakura Genesis on Sunday! I know everyone here is hype about Shibata vs Okada but Hiromu Takahashi vs Kushida has the potential to be match of the night, and it’s the second last match on the card so they will get time. The first time round was crazy so who knows what will happen this time!
I’ve checked out NOAH, Dragongate, and AAA in the past. Usually when they have good periods but lately it has just been NJPW, WWE stuff, and Lucha Underground mixed with old Memphis and Midwest shows I can find.
Haha, does it count when it’s unintentional? I was more meaning that a lot of his NXT matches have seemed quite similar in structure. I’ve still enjoyed them but he should have been having classic matches with Samoa Joe and it never quite reached that level.
Noah is on the up lately after their rebranding as Noah the Reborn, Nakajima is an awesome champion who carries himself really well. If you can, check out the championship match between him and Takashi Sugiura from January, it’s one of the stiffest matches I’ve ever seen.
Dragongate is great right now too. I’ve been watching solidly since Kobe World last year. All the Twin Gate title bouts have been amazing since with Jimmy Kagetora and Jimmy Susumu being my favourite tag team from last year. Jimmy Susumu has a title match lined up against Yamato that I can’t wait for!
Dragon Gate been fire since the build up to tozawa’s farewell
The saddest part of noah getting swooped was the death of noah vs njpw, specifically Nakajima/Shibata
Nakajima is an awesome ace, but i think he would be better served in new japan. Especially with how basically kensuke adopted him. NJPW loves legacy wrestlers.
I want Nakajima to sign with new japan and have a run there.
I actually like Nakamura’s first match with Roode better than his matches with Joe or even Zayn, because it was the kind of opponent Nakamura had never faced before. To me, that match showed that Nakamura was ready for the Sports Entertainment way of doing things which is ultimately what is going to make him do well in WWE. I feel the same way about Owens/Steen and Zayn/Generico: they were stellar workers on the Indies, but when they came to WWE they unveiled a side of themselves they hadn’t shown before (well, Generico way more so than Steen. “My name is Kevin Steen…AND FUCK RING OF HONOR!”). Generico was never known for his promos but Sami Zayn quickly established himself as one of the best promos in all of NXT during his stay there.
I’m torn on NJPW vs Noah not working out. The buildup was awesome and I really thought Shibata would be fighting Nakajima or Shiozaki at the dome. When Shibata turned up on Noah and just beat Shiozaki clean I was just confused at the booking but I guess it makes sense now. The NJPW/Noah relationship ending allowed Noah to finally eject Suzuki-Gun and leave the booking hell they were trapped in. Sugiura turning face was a tremendously popular decision, Nakajima is a great champion, Kotoge moving to Heavyweight was super hot and the TNA talent they’re borrowing are working well for them.
Nakajima and Marufuji should both jump ship, they would do really well in NJPW. Tbh, even though I said Noah is on the up they’d probs be better off in AJPW or DDT as well. Nakajima wouldn’t go to All Japan though, him and Kento Miyahara hate each other’s guts.
I also think the legacy wrestler with the most potential long term right now is Daichi Hashimoto. Great fire and very competent in-ring with lots of charisma. He’s currently paying his dues in Big Japan Wrestling atm but a few years down the line and he could be massive.
All Japan is bigger than Noah right now dude. Since crowning Kento as champ they’ve been doing really well for themselves. At this point he’s gone over a year as champ and looks set to be a top ace throughout Japan. Their Champion Carnival tournament is about to start and the lineup is ridiculously good. Sekimoto, Shuji Ishikawa, Suwama, Kento, Zeus etc will all put on great matches and every day of the tournament will make tape this year.
They also have a superior junior division to Noah with young lads and veterans having consistently great matches. The recent push Koji Iwamoto got was amazing and shows how much faith they have in the next generation.
BJW’s Strong Division is awesome. Love Sekimoto, Okabayashi, Ishikawa and Hideki Suzuki. Great rookies in the division too! I’m partial to the deathmatch stuff too as I’m a big fan of Isami Kodaka and Yuko Miyamoto.
If anyone likes deathmatch/hardcore stuff definitely check out the semi-final from DDT Judgement, Daisuke Sasaki challenging Jun Kasai for the Extreme Championship. One of the craziest spotfests I’ve ever seen. Kasai breaks his nose on a diving headbutt into a ladder halfway through the match and carries on like it’s nothing. Worth noting that Kasai is one of the most ruined wrestlers I’ve ever seen with hideous scars all over but still manages to be very popular with the ladies. He also had the best name for a finisher ever (Pearl Harbour Splash). Sasaki is probably the most versatile wrestler on their roster having learned from Dick Togo who I’ve become a big fan of over time. Very creative match.
