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Dr Gregory House's Guide to...NJPW New Beginning in Sapporo 2017

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Post by Dr Gregory House MD Fri 03 Feb 2017, 4:25 am

Hello All,

Welcome to what I hope will become a regular feature as I preview the big shows of New Japan. This is an idea I had been batting around for a while but I decided that with the buzz New Japan received coming out of Wrestle Kingdom 11 and that people on this board seemed genuinely interested in getting into the product I decided now would be an ideal time to push ahead, I had origionally intended to preview both New Beginning shows in one go, but time pressures and my fear the sheer wordage of both shows might put people off, means that I will just do the Sapporo show today and I should hopefully have the Osaka show up, if not later today, at least by the weekend

DISCLAIMER: I do not hold myself to be any sort of New Japan expert, I’m merely someone who is passionate about the product and has been following them for a few years, I am just trying to give rough guide to newer watchers with my opinions on matches I am excited for (or not) and what I think might happen, if you have any questions, or want to put forward contrary opinions, both are welcomed

What is The New Beginning?

The New Beginning is the first major set of shows held by New Japan following Wrestle Kingdom, it is the first set of what New Japan fans have come to know as split shows, that is one card, split in half with the drawing matches and multi man tags making up the rest, Hinokuni/Dontaku and the Destruction shows later in the year both follow a similar pattern, the reason for this is simple, in Japan unlike the US, live gate is still the lifeblood of a wrestling promotion financially, so why draw one house with a stacked card, when you can spread the money matches and fill two buildings

Normally one of these shows is in a noticablly smaller building than the other, usually the IC champ works the smaller show with less pressure to draw big, but given Tetsuya Naito’s unusual relationship with Osaka, they’ve chosen to run two big buildings this year and early indications are that it has paid off

Setting the scene

The main story going into the Sapporo show is the return of Suzuki-gun, the night after Wrestle Kingdom, Minoru Suzuki returned from Pro Wrestling NOAH, where he had been ‘invading’ for the past 2 years, out of Kayfabe New Japan had been part owners of NOAH until recently where the company was sold from under them, Minoru returned with his Suzuki-gun faction in tow and they immediately targeted Kazuchika Okada’s Chaos faction, conveniently putting them in line for the 3 titles held by Chaos, elsewhere on the post Wrestle Kingdom show, Jucie Robinson scored an upset in over new NEVER champion Hirooki Goto, setting him up as the 1st challenger for the new champ

Since that time New Japan has held it’s co promoted Fantasticamania shows with CMLL from Mexico, not much of consequence happened on these shows

Where can I watch these shows?

The easiest place to watch all of New Japan’s shows is on www.njpwworld.com, the site is in Japanese but with google translate and/or using one of the guides that exist on line, it’s easy enough to sign up, last I checked the monthly payment was around £7-8 so it’s good value if you’re interested in checking it out
The shows will be available live and one demand with English commentary if you are so inclined, with Steve Corino off to Florida, Kevin Kelly will have a new partner in the form of Don Calis, formerly Cyrus the Virus in ECW, I haven’t heard any of the man’s commentary so I can’t pass comment as of yet

The New Beginning in Sapporo

Hokkadio Prefectural Sports Centre, Sapporo

Start Time- 5th February 2017 @ 15.00 (6.00 GMT)

Match 1

Hiari Kawato & KUSHIDA vs Suzuki-gun (El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

An interesting spot for KUSHIDA in this match, over the past couple of years the man has established himself as the ace of the Junior division and this set of shows marks the first time in over a year he hasn’t been involved in the Junior title picture, as either champion or challenger, his partner in this match is Young Boy Hiari Kawato, only 19 and still very much learning the ropes, expect him to take the beatings and eat the pinfall in this match, on the other side Kanemaru is a guy to watch out for, a contender for backstage politic-er of the year, the guy was jumped from the failing All Japan promotion to NOAH in the middle of last year, attached himself to Suzuki-gun and somehow managed to ride on their coattails back into New Japan, a star in the mid 00’s NOAH Jr division with the likes of KENTA & Marufuji, the guy is very talented but has clearly not been motivated to perform in his previous surroundings, I expect the bright lights of New Japan and the prospect of a programme with KUSHIDA to bring out the best in him, time will tell

Prediction- Suzuki-gun

Anticipation Rating- 3/10

Match 2

Henare, Tomoyuki Oka & Yoshitatsu vs Tencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima) & Yuji Nagata

Yes that Yoshi (Baw Gawd) Tatsu….

Poor Yoshi hasn’t had much joy since returning from his Styles Clash induced broken neck, his performances have been under par and he’s plummeted down the card, though the Triple H impression he’s doing doesn’t help (yes seriously), in this match he finds himself teaming with two young lions, Henare is the more experienced of the two and the Kiwi is a decent little worker with real potential, Oka is probably the more interesting guy to keep an eye on though, this will be his 3rd or 4th pro bout but the guy has a legit Olympic prospect amateur background, he’s considered a blue chip prospect by New Japan and will be pushed to the moon if he’s even halfway competent in the ring, time will tell if that’s the case but if you want to get in on the ground floor of potentially the next big thing, now’s the time to start

On the opposite side we have a trio of what are affectionately known as the New Japan Dads, a bunch of guys in their 40’s who can still go to varying degrees, and love kicking the crap out of young boys which is always fun to watch, I expect Nagata to pick up the win for his team, probably pinning Henare for reasons that’ll become clear on the next show


Prediction- Tencozy & Nagata

Anticipation Rating- 3/10

Match 3


Chaos (Will Ospreay, Jado & Gedo) vs Katsuyori Shibata, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV

A build up to the Ospreay/Shibata match on the next show, a lot of crafty old men in this match who don’t take themselves too seriously so I expect this to be full of shenanigans, just to clarify the Tiger Mask wrestling in this match is No 4 not W who is the one played by Kota Ibushi, I expect Ospreay to win to put the pressure on Shibata in Osaka, expect lots of swearing for the Chaos team

Prediction- Chaos

Anticipation Rating- 5/10

Match 4

Takashi Izuka vs Yoshi-Hashi

Eugh… After a breakout year in 2016 where Yoshi-Hashi went from below average Chaos jobber to a mid carder who people actually look forward to seeing he’s been rewarded with a match against a man I hoped would never return to New Japan, Another returning Suzuki-gun memeber Izuka is the absolute pits, expect him to come down to the ring, attack one of the commentators and strip him of his clothes (yes really), wrestle badly for a few minutes, before pulling out his ridiculous Iron Claw (which is exactly what it sounds like) and getting himself DQ’d, I could be wrong but I’d wager I’m not

Prediction- Yoshi-Hashi (probably via DQ)

Anticipation Rating- 1/10

Match 5

Michael Elgin, Dragon Lee, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Manabanu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi vs Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi, Bushi, Evil & Sanada)

A match building not one but three! Title matches for the next show, as the Interconinental, Jr and 6 Man champions line up against their respective challangers, the Los Ingobernables are the red hot faction of New Japan right now and have fantastic chemistry in multi mans, I’d expect this match to be at minimum very good, and there’s every chance it could be even better, if you are new to New Japan and LIJ I’d recommend this as a good chance to familiarise yourself with them as they’ll undoubtedly be just as big a deal in 2017 as they were in 2016 if not more so, I expect Elgin to pick up the win for his team going into the match with Naito on the next show

Prediction- Team Elgin

Anticipation Rating- 6/10

Match 6

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match

Roppongi Vice ©️ (Beretta & Rocky Romero) vs Suzuki-Gun (Taichi & Taka Michinoku)

Yes that Taka Michinoku….

The first title defence for RPG Vice following their emotional win over the Young Bucks at the Dome, they are both very competent wrestlers and a very good team and I’d expect them to deliver a good match, the question is though will Taichi and Taka allow them to, expect constant cheating, stalling and if they bring anyone to ring side with them expect them to get involved…liberally, your mileage may vary on the Suzuki-gun boys shenanigans, there’s no denying it’s certainly effective at making you hate them, but at what point is the match just ruined, I think this match could go either way, it seems early for RPG Vice to lose them after such a dramatic victory but teams rarely hold the Junior titles very long so sadly I can see Taichi and Taka going over

Prediction- Suzuki-gun

Anticipation Rating- 4/10

Match 7

NEVER Openweight Championship Match

Hirooki Goto ©️ vs Juice Robinson

When CJ Parker left NXT a few years ago and rocked up in New Japan, many were critical if he had what it took to make a real impression, particularly after his early performances were a little dry, but slowly but surely, the former hippie, now under the moniker of Juice Robinson, has transformed into an enjoyable part of the New Japan undercard that many look forward to, now he is being rewarded with his highest profile match yet, challenging Goto for the NEVER title, I have no doubt this will be a very good match but unfortunately I don’t think there’s any case for Juice walking out with the belt, Goto, who in many ways in New Japan’s answer to Dolph Ziggler, is in the midst of his most recent attempt to put his choker reputation to bed, and following such an empatic win over Shibata at the Dome, I can’t see them letting Juice beat him, still a match to look forward to

Predicition- Hirooki Goto

Anticipation Rating- 6/10

Match 8

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match

Chaos (Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) vs Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) vs Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr & Lance Archer)

New Japan used to have an irritating habit of only having multi man Junior tag matches on their big shows, while that seems to have stopped it inexplicably seems to have transferred to the heavyweight belts as the present their 2nd triple threat match in as many big shows, to make it even more baffling this match is happening both on the Sapporo and Osaka cards

All this means I have no idea what’s going on with the booking and can only look at the competitors in the ring, 5/6 I really like, Ishii may be my favourite wrestler in the world, while GBH and KES (also returning members of the Suzuki-gun faction), unfortunately Ishii is teaming with Toru Yano, New Japan’s resident clown, I can only hope he doesn’t overshadow the work of the other 5 but more than likely it’ll be ballshots, exposed turnbuckles and roll ups galore, I have a theory that Suzuki-gun will sweep the belts in Sapporo so I’m going with a KES win but honestly I don’t really know


Prediction- KES

Anticipation Rating- 5/10

Main Event

IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match

Kazuchika Okada ©️ vs Minoru Suzuki

Now this is the good stuff, if you got on board the New Japan train at Wrestle Kingdom, you will probably already know the brilliance that is ‘The Rainmaker’ Kazuchika Okada, at 29 he’s already the man in New Japan and is becoming a more accomplished performer every year, opposite him is Minoru Suzuki, for all the unflattering this I’ve had to say about his faction, there’s no denying that Minoru is the business, even at 48 the man is legitimately terrifying, a former MMA fighter and accomplished shoot wrestler, he also has a pedigree of outstanding matches, winning MOTY in the observer awards in 2012 and 2014, at times during his NOAH run he seemed disinterested and many wondered if age was catching up to him finally, but if a main event return match with the biggest star in Japan doesn’t get his dander up, I don’t know what will

Personally I expect Minoru to win the match as if he doesn’t it somewhat neuters the menace of his faction from the outset and leaves them nowhere to go but down, if he does, take note of a little bit of history as he becomes only the 3rd man in history after Kensuke Sasaki and Yoshihiro Takayama to hold the IWGP, GHC (NOAH) and Triple Crown (All Japan) titles in their career


Prediction- Minoru Suzuki

Anticipation Rating- 9/10

Thanks for reading, if this guide helps one person to become an NJPW fan or even to watch the show, I'll consider it a success, as I said I don't consider myself any sort of expert but if you have any questions, I'm happy to try an answer them, similarly if you're already familiar with the NJPW product, I'd welcome a chance to discuss the up coming shows with you

Thanks thumbsup

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Post by Dr Gregory House MD Fri 03 Feb 2017, 4:51 am

Also if anyone has any feedback on the functionality of this as a preview/guide I'd like to know, was informative? Could you follow it with a basic knowledge of the product? I'm aware the grammar isn't the best but it's late so I'm not going to edit it just now

Thanks

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Post by Ché Guerrero Fri 03 Feb 2017, 12:41 pm

Great stuff OK OK

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Post by Dr Gregory House MD Fri 03 Feb 2017, 2:56 pm

Ché Guerrero wrote:Great stuff OK OK

Cheers thumbsup

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Post by Ché Guerrero Fri 03 Feb 2017, 3:52 pm

Whats your prediction as to what Omega will do next? Can he get much higher in the industry in Japan?

Assume he will get another shot at the Heavyweight belt

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Post by Dr Gregory House MD Fri 03 Feb 2017, 4:15 pm

Ché Guerrero wrote:Whats your prediction as to what Omega will do next? Can he get much higher in the industry in Japan?

Assume he will get another shot at the Heavyweight belt

I'm certain if Omega does stay with New Japan, I can't see him not holding the IWGP strap over the next year, New Japan have already stated they want to expand into the US and Omega is ideally positioned to play a big role in that

Omega has also heavily hinted that he wants a match with Ibushi somewhere down the line, the two have history as best friends and tag partners in DDT, they also laid seeds for a match all the way back in April 2015, when Omega cost Ibushi in his title challenge against AJ Styles, this match would be massive if it comes together, their previous match in DDT did business in Sumo Hall that rivals anything New Japan or WWE have done in the building, and with the increased profile New Japan offers them it could easily be a Dome main event

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Post by Dr Gregory House MD Sun 05 Feb 2017, 10:55 am

The show is over, should be available on demand on NJPW World soon

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Post by Electric Demon Mon 06 Feb 2017, 12:25 pm

Thanks House. Wonderful preview. Whet my appetite to seek this out

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Post by Dr Gregory House MD Tue 07 Feb 2017, 10:29 am

Electric Demon wrote:Thanks House. Wonderful preview. Whet my appetite to seek this out

That's great man, let me know how you find it

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Post by Fernando Tue 07 Feb 2017, 10:40 am

Main Event Stuff:

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Post by Dr Gregory House MD Tue 07 Feb 2017, 12:29 pm

I haven't got as far as the main event yet, only up to the Juice/Goto match which was very good and worth seeking out, it's been a fine show so far with only Hashi/Izuka being truly offensive

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Post by Electric Demon Tue 28 Feb 2017, 12:23 am

Dr Gregory House MD wrote:
Electric Demon wrote:Thanks House. Wonderful preview. Whet my appetite to seek this out

That's great man, let me know how you find it

Decided to take the plunge and subscribe for a bit

Been watching this show tonight alongside your guide - really good stuff and this is so helpful.

I just watched the 10 man match. I'm really enjoying it so far.

I didn't mind the match you hated on Laugh

I liked the 1st, 3rd and 5th matches, with Kanemaru, Shibata, Ospreay, Elgin and Los Ingobernables entertaining me most.

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Post by Dr Gregory House MD Tue 28 Feb 2017, 9:43 am

Electric Demon wrote:
Dr Gregory House MD wrote:
Electric Demon wrote:Thanks House. Wonderful preview. Whet my appetite to seek this out

That's great man, let me know how you find it

Decided to take the plunge and subscribe for a bit

Been watching this show tonight alongside your guide - really good stuff and this is so helpful.

I just watched the 10 man match. I'm really enjoying it so far.

I didn't mind the match you hated on Laugh

I liked the 1st, 3rd and 5th matches, with Kanemaru, Shibata, Ospreay, Elgin and Los Ingobernables entertaining me most.

That's great mate, glad you're enjoying it

I never did the preview for the show as I ran out of time but the final 4 matches of the Osaka show that followed are outstanding and well worth a watch, well not the tag match but it's in the middle, it's too late to preview it now but the matches to check out are

Tanahashi, Nakanishi & Taguchi vs Los Ingobernables ****
Shibata vs Ospreay ****1/2
Hiromu vs Dragon Lee ****3/4
Naito vs Elgin ****3/4

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Post by Electric Demon Tue 28 Feb 2017, 9:51 am

I'm looking forward to it. Off out to get myself a chromecast today so I can watch it on telly instead if my tiny iPhone screen

Question : who are the heel and who are the face factions?

I get that Suzuki Gun are an invading force and are heels, but Chaos don't seem to be acting like faces in what I've seen so far. And then I'd always assumed Bullet Club were heels - but have I got that wrong? And Los Ingernobles were heels too.

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Post by Dr Gregory House MD Tue 28 Feb 2017, 2:26 pm

Electric Demon wrote:I'm looking forward to it. Off out to get myself a chromecast today so I can watch it on telly instead if my tiny iPhone screen

Question : who are the heel and who are the face factions?

I get that Suzuki Gun are an invading force and are heels, but Chaos don't seem to be acting like faces in what I've seen so far. And then I'd always assumed Bullet Club were heels - but have I got that wrong? And Los Ingernobles were heels too.

It's much more of a grey area than it is in the West, much like real sports some people can be slightly unpleasant without being out and out moustache twirling villains

Suzuki-Gun have returned as the out and out heel faction, translated interviews show them to be extremely unpleasant

Bullet Club are probably next on the heel spectrum, they've not so much turned as they've reduced in threat, Omega is getting over but the club is still pretty much heel

LIJ divide opinion, Naito is billing himself as the voice of the anti establishment and has become popular in the same way Punk was still technically a heel following the pipebomb

Chaos was originally a heel vehicle for Shinsuke Nakamura and latterly Okada but as the members of the group have babyfaced themselves with the fans so has the faction as a whole

New Japan Army are probably the most out and out home of babyfaces, it's technically anyone without a current group affiliation so things can vary a bit i.e. Shibata is more heelish at times than say Taguchi though both will team together at times when facing other factions

Like I said there's no easy answer Japanese promotions on the whole are very much more interested in who is over and who's making money than getting the 'right reaction'

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Post by Fernando Tue 28 Feb 2017, 5:02 pm

New Japan Cup Brackets - Been translated into English Dr Gregory House's Guide to...NJPW New Beginning in Sapporo 2017 3559488474

Dr Gregory House's Guide to...NJPW New Beginning in Sapporo 2017 C5uXU8oWAAAwy6s

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Post by Dr Gregory House MD Tue 28 Feb 2017, 6:58 pm

Fernando wrote:New Japan Cup Brackets - Been translated into English Dr Gregory House's Guide to...NJPW New Beginning in Sapporo 2017 3559488474

Dr Gregory House's Guide to...NJPW New Beginning in Sapporo 2017 C5uXU8oWAAAwy6s

I'm moist for Omega/Ishii & Sibata/Suzuki

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Post by Electric Demon Wed 01 Mar 2017, 11:42 pm

Superb main event of the Sapporo show. Can't tell you how much I enjoyed that.

Suzuki was immense. Thought he should have won given Suzuki Gun had a shocker of a night results-wise.

Maybe they make amends in Osaka? That's my next stop, tomorrow night. Top stuff - proper in-ring storytelling, right through the card.

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Post by Electric Demon Sun 05 Mar 2017, 10:13 am

You're not wrong. The second half of the second show was insane.

Ospreay vs Shibata was immense. Shibata was beating the crap out of him! That and Takahashi vs a Dragon Lee both gave a real sense that these guys hated each other.

Shibata vs Suzuki in the Japan Cup is mouth watering

I could see Michael Elgin as a top face in WWE

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Post by Ché Guerrero Mon 06 Mar 2017, 12:30 pm

That Bullet Club vs Chaos 4 on 4 was very good

Big fan of Okada. Not sure Ospreay is going to have the longest career though given his style

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Post by Fernando Mon 06 Mar 2017, 12:55 pm

Well the 45th anniversary shows looks good so far Dr Gregory House's Guide to...NJPW New Beginning in Sapporo 2017 3559488474

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Post by Fernando Mon 06 Mar 2017, 7:57 pm

45th Anniversary Show Results :

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Post by Electric Demon Sat 11 Mar 2017, 11:13 pm

Enjoyed first night of the New Japan Cup very much

Thought Tanahashi vs EVIL was superb
Chaos vs Suzuki Gun and Nagata vs Roa were both very good too.

Looking forward to tomorrow

What has taken me so long to watch this company?? Thanks to Omega, Okada, Meltzer and House for making me see sense.

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Post by Fernando Sun 12 Mar 2017, 12:57 pm

Rule no.1 of New Japan - Don't try predict anything Gedo ever books Laugh

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Post by Dr Gregory House MD Mon 13 Mar 2017, 1:56 pm

Ishii/Omega was incredible, If you've only watched NJPW since the Dome this is why people feel Ishii is wasted in that tag team with Yano, man is among the best wrestlers in the world

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Post by Electric Demon Mon 13 Mar 2017, 1:59 pm

Great match. Ishii did look terrific

I hate that Yano - I really do Laugh

Who's your call for the tourney, House?

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Post by Dr Gregory House MD Mon 13 Mar 2017, 2:53 pm

I'm unsure tbh, While upsets are common in the Cup I didn't expect to Tana, Omega and Elgin all to drop out so early

The winner will be expected to draw in Sumo Hall opposite probably Okada so it's got to be someone that Gedo believes has main event potential, based on that Id say Shibata is the clear choice as they're clearly grooming him, out of left field perhaps Sanada as they also seem to have big plans for him, it's very early by the standards of the pushes Gedo usually gives out

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Post by Fernando Mon 13 Mar 2017, 3:02 pm

Gedo does what he wants. Wouldn't surprise me if EVIL won it to be honest he likes a curveball Smile


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Post by Electric Demon Mon 13 Mar 2017, 3:13 pm

My predos based on about 3 weeks of knowledge were;

Nagata, Yano, Elgin, Evil, Juice, Yoshi-Hashi, Shibata, Omega.

And Shibata to beat Evil in the final was my shout. Based purely on being a big fan of both in my formative weeks of viewership Laugh

So Gedo is the booker? Does he have any stake in the company?

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Post by Dr Gregory House MD Mon 13 Mar 2017, 3:30 pm

Gedo & Jado were the booking team for all of the Bushi Road era (2011-12ish onwards), Jado left to book NOAH when Bushi Road put some financial stake in them, since NOAH has been sold Jado has returned to New Japan but I'm unsure if he's Gedo's official booking partner again, as far as I know they are just employees of the company, Bushi Road is the parent company and the President is a man by the name of Kidani (I forget his first name)

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Post by Fernando Mon 13 Mar 2017, 7:53 pm

Day 3 Result:

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Post by Electric Demon Mon 13 Mar 2017, 8:39 pm

Fernando wrote:
Day 3 Result:

Spoiler:

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Post by Fernando Tue 14 Mar 2017, 4:48 pm

Day 4 Result:

Fernando
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Post by Dr Gregory House MD Wed 15 Mar 2017, 12:02 pm

Fernando wrote:
Day 4 Result:

Fixed it for you Wink

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Post by Fernando Wed 15 Mar 2017, 3:30 pm

Laugh

Day 5 Result:

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Post by Ché Guerrero Thu 16 Mar 2017, 3:46 pm

House

Who would you list as the singles main event guys in NJPW? And maybe name a couple that are very close or knocking on the door of the ME scene

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Post by Dr Gregory House MD Thu 16 Mar 2017, 3:57 pm

Main eventers

Okada
Naito
Tanahashi
Omega
Ibushi *not full time

On way to main events

Shibata *probably this year
Sanada *long term project
Elgin *may settle in upper midcard

Upper midcard Occasional Main Event

Goto
Ishii
Makabe
Bad Luck Fale

Hope that helps

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Post by Fernando Thu 16 Mar 2017, 4:03 pm

Dr Gregory House MD wrote:Main eventers

Okada
Naito
Tanahashi
Omega
Ibushi *not full time
Tiger Mask W

On way to main events

Shibata *probably this year
Sanada *long term project
Elgin *may settle in upper midcard

Upper midcard Occasional Main Event

Goto
Ishii
Makabe
Bad Luck Fale

Hope that helps

Fixed that for you Whistle Wink

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Post by Dr Gregory House MD Thu 16 Mar 2017, 4:54 pm

Sorry my bad

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Post by Dr Gregory House MD Sat 18 Mar 2017, 10:21 am

Not planning to do a full preview but if you're undecided on whether to check out tomorrow's New Japan Cup semi finals Shibata vs Ishii receives my highest recommendation, those guys have awesome chemistry together

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Post by Fernando Sun 19 Mar 2017, 12:24 pm

Semi Final Results :

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Post by Fernando Mon 20 Mar 2017, 10:12 am

Final result :

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Post by Electric Demon Tue 21 Mar 2017, 8:56 am

Really enjoyed Shibata vs Fale. Really good "big man" match. LIJ were superb. I think they are the coolest thing in wrestling - when they go mad and take it in turns to hit moves it looks like an RPG combo on a games console - amazing spectacle. And the two young lions who opened the show put on a terrific match.

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