The Puro Thread

[Warner2BruceTD]

Translated presser from last night's NJPW New Beginning. Some of this is gold.

http://yottsumepuroresu.blogspot.com/2014/02/njpw-new-beginning-29-results-and.html

Also, this:

- You’ve defeated Nakamura in such short time span. Where are you heading with your white belt?

Tanahashi “Nakamura talked about creating new values. Super no vacancy in both Hiroshima and Osaka. There are two brands to aim for this in company. Brand Extension. That’s what NJPW is going for this year.”

 

[Bigpapa42]

Enormous fan, one of the best in the world. Larry digs him too iirc.

I seemed to remember him getting some comments on here when they had him in All Japan 2 or 3 years. In a sense, its too bad that Japanese wrestlers are loyal, as he's never going to face other great workers in Big Japan. But a run in New Japan... could be awesome...

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

No one does entrances in wrestling quite like New Japan right now.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

No one does entrances in wrestling quite like New Japan right now.

I really, really love everything about New Japan right now. ROH really saved me in 2005 or so, and now New Japan is doing the same thing these days. I'm just past a point where I can really sink my teeth into WWE, I will always follow WWE closely but I need something else that aims for my demo that brings the passion out of me when I watch. New Japan is showing no signs of this run slowing down. They keep growing and getting better.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

New Beginning Hiroshima - Super No Vacancy 5,040
New Beginning Osaka - Super No Vacancy 6,400

Both sold out well in advance. Things are healthy. Wish we had access to iPPV numbers, curious which show drew more. Tanahashi had an advantage being on a Sunday as opposed to Tuesday.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

3/6 Anniversary show has these three on top, with a bunch of tag filler underneath:

-Kazuchika Okada vs Kota Ibushi (non title, Ibushi earns title shot if he wins...as if)
-Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows vs Katsuyori Shibata & Hirooki Goto (also hearing non title, not sure why but not confirmed)
-Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tetsuya Naito vs Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii

New Japan Cup first round 3/15 Korakuen has:

Nakamura/Davey Boy Smith Jr
Naito/Ishii
Makabe/Fale
Archer/Devitt
Goto/Gallows
Shibata/Anderson
Yano/Suzuki
Yujiro/SHELTON X BENJAMIN

Some awesome matchups in that tournament, althought I only expect the top two to get time as they are listed as the main & semi.

 

[FedEx227]

NJPW “42ND ANNIVERSARY SHOW”, 3/6/14 (TV Asahi ch2)

• 1. Anniversary Opening Match: Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu vs. Minoru Suzuki & Taichi
• 2. Manabu Nakanishi & KUSHIDA vs. Jado & Gedo
• 3. Anniversary Special 6 Man Tag Match: Super Strong Machine, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask vs. Captain New Japan, El Desperado & BUSHI
• 4. Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Prince Devitt, Tama Tonga & Bad Luck Fale
• 5. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata & Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Toru Yano, Takashi Iizuka, Yujiro Takahashi & YOSHI-HASHI
• 6. Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows
• 7. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tetsuya Naito vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii
• 8. Anniversary Special Singles Match: Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi

New Japan Cup First round 3/15 Korakuen Hall

• 1. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Shelton Benjamin
• 2. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Toru Yano vs. Minoru Suzuki
• 3. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Karl Anderson
• 4. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Hirooki Goto vs. Doc Gallows
• 5. Special 6 Man Tag Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & El Desperado vs. Kazuchika Okada, Jado & Gedo
• 6. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Lance Archer vs. Prince Devitt
• 7. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Togi Makabe vs. Bad Luck Fale
• 8. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii
• 9. New Japan Cup – Round 1: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Nak & YAMATO chillin' together in Tokyo, SWAG factor at 1000%

 

[BigBiss]

Nak & YAMATO chillin' together in Tokyo, SWAG factor at 1000%

god this match .... god this team !!!

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

If there are two guys in wrestling I want to have a beer with...one would be Steve Austin...the other would be Nakamura. I bet he has the best whore stories.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

This is fun. Worst records as challengers among men who have never won the IWGP Heavyweight Title:

Hirooki Goto: 0-7
Minoru Suzuki: 0-5
Tetsuya Naito: 0-3
Bam Bam Bigelow: 0-3
Don Frye: 0-3
Giant Bernard: 0-2
Karl Anderson: 0-2
Osamu Nishimura: 0-2
Shinjiro Otani: 0-2
Masato Tanaka: 0-2

Masa Chono was 0-7 when he finally broke through.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

During the Tanahashi-Nakamura bout from Hiroshima...they had me BEGGIN for the title change.

I don't know if it is Naito himself or whoever is booking the match structure of his last two big matches (Okada, Ishii)...but man are his matches constructed on another level. Really well done.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Also, TNA really needs to take a que from DragonGate.

They don't attempt to compete with New Japan. They offer something totally different. They stay in their lane and are a nice #2 promotion over in Japan.

Catching up on some DG and they are doing some good things over there.

Loved the Tozawa/SHINGO v. THawk/UT match.

Watching Yoshino-Mochizuki now.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

During the Tanahashi-Nakamura bout from Hiroshima...they had me BEGGIN for the title change.

I don't know if it is Naito himself or whoever is booking the match structure of his last two big matches (Okada, Ishii)...but man are his matches constructed on another level. Really well done.

Me too! I was pulling for Nak hard. Coming in I knew he had no shot, but man they sucked me in.

Naito was always considered a "wrestling genius" within the company, to the point it became a kayfabe nickname. "The next Muto". So there you go.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Also, TNA really needs to take a que from DragonGate.

They don't attempt to compete with New Japan. They offer something totally different. They stay in their lane and are a nice #2 promotion over in Japan.

Catching up on some DG and they are doing some good things over there.

Loved the Tozawa/SHINGO v. THawk/UT match.

Watching Yoshino-Mochizuki now.

Check out this description of current DG, I thought this was pretty brilliant:

I see it as a five-sided rivalry, rather than the simple face/heel dichotomy we are used to as US fans. It's easy to relate to high school-level cliches: Monster Express are the cool kids, Mad Blankey are the goth/punk/emo crowd, Jimmys are the geeks, Veterans are the seniors, and the Millenials are the freshmen. CIMA is the one who should have graduated already, but he's still trying to get over with the kids and buying beer for the Millenials.

So the Millenials are seen as brash, cocky, upstarts by Mochizuki and others, while Mochizuki is seen as a crotchety and disagreeable old man by the youngsters. I find this kind of storytelling more interesting and compelling than the simple good guy/bad guy stuff.

 

[FedEx227]

Me too! I was pulling for Nak hard. Coming in I knew he had no shot, but man they sucked me in.

Naito was always considered a "wrestling genius" within the company, to the point it became a kayfabe nickname. "The next Muto". So there you go.

I've been hard on Naito for a few months now but he's slowly winning me over with Okada/Ishii matches. I think he's actually starting to figure it out versus everyone just saying he knows what he's doing.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Check out this description of current DG, I thought this was pretty brilliant:

That is 100% on point.

Personally, I love what DG is doing right now.

Now, don't get me wrong, that style can take its toll over the long haul. It can be exhaustive and the match structure doesn't always tickle my pickle...but overall, what they do is unique. TNA should really take a look at what DG is doing and honestly...just copy it. It should be "X-Division"-style (which means nothing in 2014, honestly)...and everyone should be thrown into groups. Not FACTION WARZ style, but in a similar bubble that DG works in.

It works, its totally different from what New Japan is doing, even down to the in-ring product. And, they've elevated themselves to a nice #2 promotion in the company while staying in their lane.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Me too! I was pulling for Nak hard. Coming in I knew he had no shot, but man they sucked me in.

Naito was always considered a "wrestling genius" within the company, to the point it became a kayfabe nickname. "The next Muto". So there you go.

I really wanted to see Nakamura and Tanahashi flip flop the title a few times. One of the few instances where I'd be cool with that kind of booking.

/I want to walk into a room like Nakamura walks down the aisle.

As for Naito...his match structuring had always been good, but he has taken it up another level in the first two months of the year.

A nice breather away from the title picture and away from a monster push and in there in the upper mid-card is going to do him well. Just focus on kicking ass in the ring. It'll get him over to the point they want him over.