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King of Sports: New Japan Pro-Wrestling Discussion Thread


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And? I don't follow New Japan that much but I do know a little bit about Bullet Club.

There are no heels and there are no faces in New Japan. There are simply characters.

No man is ever truly good and no man is ever truly evil.

 

Even the Bullet Club can be considered Anti-Villains, depending on the city they wrestle in.

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Kenny has literally said in a promo before 'What is a heel? What is a babyface?' :P

 

Well that makes sense. :XD:

 

No seriously, Kenny Omega came off as a defiant babyface when it was all set and done. It was great. That's what wrestling angles should be like in 2017. I'm more eager to see Jericho get his ass kicked than whatever plans they have for the Royal Rumble.

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Kenny Omega, speaking to Rolling Stone Magazine about his upcoming match with Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom match on January 4:

“The way things have been shaping up, it seems like I am the sympathetic character going into a big match for the first time in my career. That wasn’t intended. Chris and I wanted to go into this match with a “no clear good guy” angle. That’s not how things played out. NJPW is somewhat a family friendly promotion but I went to the higher ups and asked for some leeway with Jericho. Blood is not seen a lot in Japan, so when it’s used, it has to mean something. That’s what I set out to do and I think we accomplished it. There’s a lot of intrigue surrounding this match. I want to continue to build it up as much as possible and really pull out all the stops.”
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  • 2 weeks later...

Kenny Omega is ready to unveil a new way of presenting pro wrestling in his Wrestle Kingdom 12 match with Chris Jericho on Jan. 4 at the Tokyo Dome.

 

 

 

I really want this match to be a wake-up call to New Japan and WWE, said Omega. This match is going to open up a lot of eyes, and its going to invoke a feeling youve never felt when watching a wrestling match. Its a clash of unique worlds, and the match were going to show with aggression, violence, and disdain is going to evoke a new kind of emotion from people watching.

 

Omegas vision dates back to 2016 when he and the Young Bucks were engaging The New Day on social media, openly challenging the WWE trio to a dream match.

 

We knew there was a small chance of that ever happening, but what we wanted to do was engage the fans with something that could be really fun, said Omega. We wanted to show the idea of us working together and having this social media feud was fun for everyone, even if it was just a dream match. Now we almost have just that: a super-special guest from WWE in Chris Jericho, a disciple of Vince McMahon, coming into New Japan Pro Wrestling after saying hed never work for anyone else but Vince.

 

Its ascended to a new height. Its no longer, What would happen if Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega fought? At Wrestle Kingdom 12, this match will actually happen. There will be a pay-off, and the success of this match could lead to more cross-over for the sake of good business.

 

Omega has worked for New Japan since he signed in Oct. 2014, and he explained that the company remains the perfect place for him to call home.

 

As an artist, I really feel I need an outlet to exhibit all of my skills, said Omega. I still feel there is more to this Kenny Omega character and there are more stories I need to tell, and New Japan allows me that freedom. That is a freedom I earned through the hard work I put into the company. Now, I have the luxury of time to tell my stories, as well as the chance to work with the best guys on the roster, who I believe are also the best in the world.

 

The 34-year-old Omega is constantly dealing with a barrage of questions asking whether he will ever leave New Japan Pro Wrestling for the WWE. The answer is apparent only when delving deep into Omegas original love affair with New Japan, which began while he was wrestling for Japanese wrestling promotion DDT.

 

Its no secret that I love the country and Japan has always felt like a second home to me, said the Canadian-born Omega. As time went by and my accomplishments in DDT were piling up over a six-year period, and I accomplished everything I wanted to do, I had to make some choices. It was either re-challenge myself with what the U.S. had to offer, or step up to the major leagues in Japan, which is New Japan. I loved DDT for the freedom; I was able to tell the wackiest and wildest of stories, but also test myself as an athlete.

 

DDT is where I met one of the guys that I believe is the best in the world, and thats Kota Ibushi. Together, we showed something different. Through our passion for wrestling, and what wrestling can be, we gave a Japanese alternative to New Japan. Once I felt like I had done everything I could in DDTwon every title I could, developed new talent that could carry the companyall that was left was New Japan. I asked myself, Could I have that same success? Would I still be able to excel in an environment with the restrictions and limitations of a bigger promotion?

 

From 2015 onward, its been a steady growth period with New Japan. Even though it never started the way I thought it would, I was happy that I started pretty much at the bottom and worked my way up to where I am now, which has allowed for a re-introduction of who I am to a very unique New Japan fan base, a large portion of which only watches New Japan Pro Wrestling. Now Ive done a lot in New Japan, as well, but I still feel the work isnt done.

 

Omegas odyssey in New Japan was never designed to conquer the company. At first, he was simply content with wrestling for the company. Over time, however, his goals and aspirations evolved.

 

When I started in New Japan, I had humble dreams, and now I want to make the company a true force to be reckoned with, said Omega. Im not saying I want to directly compete head-to-head with WWE, but I want it to be an option available for everyone to watch. I really do think it boasts the best professional wrestling on the planet, and I selfishly want to be the person leading the ship. I truly believe in my ability and the style Ive created is something that wrestling fansand people who havent even watched me yetwill take a liking to.

 

Omegas failure to win the IWGP heavyweight championship still eats away at him.

 

I cant lie, winning that belt was a goal of mine, admitted Omega. When I crossed over to the heavyweight division, I immediately set my sights on the Intercontinental title. I knew that was going to take some time away from pursuing the IWGP heavy, but generally speaking, the Intercontinental title had this reputation behind it as the workmans belt with the matches that would steal the show. I wanted to continue with that legacy, and I also wanted to enter my own name in history and do some original things with the belt, for example with the companys first-ever ladder match. For me, introducing that was a huge accomplishment, as well as executing the match in a way that the fans would want to see another one.

 

After Omega dropped the IC title, he competed in his first-ever G1 Climax tournament, and created headlines by becoming the first North American to capture the grueling round-robin tournament.

 

I thought the next stage was going to be the IWGP heavyweight title, said Omega. I had thought that, in January of this year, I would be entrusted with that title. Or that wed pull the trigger in a rematch.

 

Yet Omega never claimed the heavyweight title in 2017. He instead won a tournament for the newly-minted IWGP United States championship, which he will defend against Jericho in a no-DQ match at Wrestle Kingdom.

 

You can easily confuse not being the champion with your company not believing or trusting in you, said Omega. There is a right time and place for everything, and the New Japan office always has a plan well, well in advance. They really want to make the belt mean something, and now Okada has been the champion for a record number of days. That ups the prestige, and whoever takes the title from Okada is probably looking at a long reign. Ive got the U.S. title now, and I am going to make that as legitimate a title as Nakamura made the IC title. Chris Jericho is doing nothing but helping that, which feeds into my primary goal of making New Japan a more worldwide-recognized promotion.

 

There are always comparisons of Wrestle Kingdom to WrestleMania. Omega understands the parallels, but has a hard time fathoming that wrestling fans could compare one of WWEs main events at WrestleMania with what will be on display at Wrestle Kingdom with the double main event featuring Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito as well as the match between Omega and Jericho.

 

I dont feel that WWE has anyone on the main event level that can compete with us, said Omega. Both of our shows are for the spectacle, but our main events are going to be treated differently than what WWE puts on for WrestleMania. If were going to go match quality to match quality, then I can see our two main events really providing the full spectrum of what two storyline-driven main events can be with next-level athletics.

 

Omega can back up every one of his boasts in the ring, and he is also aware of the product that WWE is presenting on a weekly basis.

 

Strangely enough, lately Ive been keeping up with all of their programming, said Omega. I dont watch full episodes back-to-back, but Ill catch the highlights. If people are saying a lot of good things about a match, Ill make sure to sit down and watch it from start to finish.

 

Shinsuke Nakamura is a former New Japan star that left for WWE, but has yet to win a title or even deliver a memorable moment beyond one staredown with AJ Styles during the Money in the Bank pay per view in June. Omega shared that he has followed Nakamuras journey in WWE.

 

Im happy for the response that hes getting, of course, and all of us in New Japan knew when he left that he was going to get over with his charisma, said Omega. But when I see Nakamura in WWE, its hard for me to say hes done anything compelling in-ring since hes been there, which is a shame. It will just take the one right story and the one right moment and then people will be captivated by everything that he does. Right now, he hasnt had that.

 

The low point for Nakamura in WWE occurred before the Survivor Series, when the rosters from Raw and SmackDown were battling it out in the ring, and Nakamura was tossed out of the ring by Braun Strowman. Moments later, Shane McMahon delivered more offense on Strowman than Nakamura, which was a peculiar message to send to those watching.

 

Even to another degree, everything in WWE is super over-booked, explained Omega. Some people in WWE even need the steps and their footing in the ring choreographed. They have to pace their breathing before they even go through with a match in the ring. When youre used to dealing with people who need that match management, who need to have that much choreography in their matches before they go out there and perform, then when a guy like Nakamurawho is this new age strong style, and a lot of that is based off emotion and feeling and fighting spiritwrestles someone who needs marks on the ring so that he can get his footing right with a set of instructions, thats where Nakamuras style gets lost in translation. Everything starts to come across as soulless, if that makes any sense.

 

Omegas vision of what wrestling can be will come to life at the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom 12.

 

Were both out there to make this statement, said Omega. We both have a heavy belief that the way we envision pro wrestling is the right way. Now youll see these two opposite sides: the inspired artist vs. Vince McMahons giant megastar. How are their ideas of the business going to clash in this match? This is a different atmosphere, there is a special nature to this match, and its going to be an organic meshing of worlds.

 

https://www.si.com/wrestling/2017/12/27/wwe-news-kenny-omega-chris-jericho?utm_campaign=sinow&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&xid=socialflow_twitter_si

 

 

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I don't know if it's DLC or what but Fire Pro isn't out for the PS4 yet and the New Japan thing has a story mode, probably some other stuff too.

I didn't know about the story mode part. That is pretty cool

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Jericho/Naito gonna be dope.

 

So from Dash the matches we have set up are Jericho vs Naito, Tanahashi vs Suzuki, Okada vs SANADA, Hiromu vs Ospreay, Omega vs Jay White. Probably Bucks vs RPG3K again and Goto vs EVIL too and I'd like to see Tama Tonga vs Heavyweight Beretta.


Hmm, so at WK they announced that the last 3 days of the G1 will be at Nippon Budokan. Ibushi has been banned from wrestling there. Reckon NJPW can sort that out?

 

For those that don't know the story, when he wrestled Kenny there they told him not to jump off a balcony.

 

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