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King of Sports: New Japan Pro-Wrestling Discussion Thread


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Guest Fight Me.

I mean, everyone pretty much as an allegiance to a stable in NJPW one way or another lol. Plus, I can see all of CHAOS turning heel again eventually if the boos for Okada continue like at New Year Dash.

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heel-ish Okada would be cool to see

 

 

also I love Omega's Codebreaker sell, better than the whiplash back bump everyone else does imo


https://www.instagram.com/p/Bdmab4sHJ7E/

 

Jay tells Okada that he’s coming for him and the title eventually and that he’s only looking out for himself. He’s CHAOS in name only.

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My post WK12 and post New Year Dash thoughts:

 

 

 

 

Dissension between the Bullet Club members needs to happen. Perhaps even as far as the brand disbanding entirely.

 

It was a good thing while it lasted...but, the shark has been jumped at this point. A team is only as good as the sum of its parts, and half of the parts that make up the modern BC are lackluster at best. Either kick out members like Chase Owens and Leo Tonga...or end the stable entirely. If even for just a while. Give it a rest, so to say. The BC is no longer the most interesting or relevant thing happening in NJPW, and I think that's where they should leave it. If they aren't accomplishing that much, then they've reached the appropriate time for a change.

 

Cody Rhodes is on track to being the biggest star in professional wrestling. Everything he does is great. His look is great. He might not be the best in ring, or on the mic...but his presence is that of a mega star. He's the total package, even when he's losing. I'd like to see either him or Jay White in line for the Intercontinental belt. I feel like that belt is largely wasted on Tanahashi.

 

Great to see Jericho sticking around. Jericho vs Naito has all the makings of a classic feud...especially the interactions with the other members of Los Ingobernables. I'm sure Jericho and Takahashi could pull off some classic comedy bits during this feud.

 

Final thought: Suzuki Gun are my favorite stable in NJPW, because they manage to stay consistently fresh and unpredictable. Davey Jr and Archer have really evolved as a team, Suzuki is always a spectacle...and I've even grown to like ZSJ...which I never thought possible. Sabre should never be a face...he has a natural aura of being an asshole about him. Only members of SG that I don't care for are Taichi and Takashi. That being said, they still don't detract from the group. Really solid group. No glaring weak spots.

 

 

 

 

 

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I don't see the logic in posts like that tbh Gen.

 

Their merch sells. Probably more than they ever have. They even sell track pants lol. Whether or not you see it as an accomplishment or not, them being popular enough to have merch in stores like Hot Topic is a major accomplishment. Now you can fire back by saying that their shit will still sell but that is all speculation and there is literally zero point in taking the risk....

 

Not to mention that I legitimately have met people at bars who wear the shirts yet don't even know they are wrestling shirts. Just "looked cool". So no, the shark has not been jumped. I'd go as far saying far from it.

 

Marty had the best entrance on the show. Any opposing views there?

To see the work he put into it makes it all the more special too.

 

https://twitter.com/CodyRhodes/status/948960944649994241

Whoa. *censored*ing awesome.

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"Their merch sells" really has nothing to do with them jumping the shark or not. Not to mention, if people buy the shirts "just because they look cool", then they'll continue to do so even if the stable no longer exists. Are we implying that people don't still walk around with nWo shirts? No one said that NJPW or Hot Topic need to stop selling all the merch. If anything, you've given a prime example of why it doesn't even matter.

 

But, back to jumping the shark...

 

They have, and they continue to.

 

The name 'Bullet Club' doesn't mean anything other than merch at this point, tbh. They've just made it a brand like anything else. And that's precisely why the stable itself is pointless at this time. You don't need a proper stable if the idea is just to wear the logo and sell as many rehashed t-shirts as possible. You can do that anyway.

 

A good example of how little value the BC name actually has (when it comes to the narrative itself), is what happened at New Year Rush...

 

 

Jay White just gained a ton more name value by turning down Omega and the BC than he would have if he joined. It might have been a bit of kayfabe storytelling...but it carries the same lesson. A stable is only as valuable as its weakest members...and the BC has too many weak members. The exclusivity has been lost. There was a time when an offer like a BC invitation would have been a career-making moment. But the opposite has become true. And the lesson is not exclusive to Jay White. Even Cody's star is growing too large for the BC brand. The only thing that a spot in the BC means to a wrestler these days is a spot behind Omega and the Young Bucks while they showcase their wacky antics and sell 15,000 different designs of t-shirts. It isn't now what it once was. It has no real meaning.

 

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Is it not becuase of how big Bullet Club are and Jay turning them down that has illicited this reaction - he's the first as such to do it in NJPW, if Bullet Club weren't "big" or "meaningless" at this stage then there would have been little to no reaction to him turning on Kenny, or the reaction when Kenny stopped the beat down on Ibushi.

 

It could be argued its the reaction becuase its Kenny, but his status in Bullet Club and the reaction in both situations still make them very very relevent.

 

And of course it would affect Merch sales, you telling me nWo shirts sell aswell as now as they did in the late 90's, they still sell but no where near the same numbers, a faction/wrestlers quickly fades in wrestling when theyre no longer booked/in the lime light!

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Not to mention the Bullet Club is pretty much the sole responsible for ROH doing it's best business ever last year, as well as giving the boys a ton of merch money, not just the company.

 

 

Cody is responsible for that...and he might have been a BC member at the time, but he did more under the American Nightmare gimmick on his own than the umbrella term of Bullet Club did for RoH. Saying BC pulled those numbers is a stretch. That was definitely Cody.

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I'll just repeat...merch sales and viewership do not make a good show. Doing well might be great for NJPW, and it might be great for RoH. Of course that's the goal of a company...to sell as much as possible, to make as much money as possible. But, that's also how you end up being exactly like WWE.

 

As a fan, I would prefer that they begin the process of wrapping up the Bullet Club...before they just turn into DX 2007, which is what they're well on their way to being. It's funny how people complain about NJPW being too much like WWE, but they refuse to acknowledge any of the contributing factors that create that comparison.

 

Also, claiming that a split of the BC would be a huge failure or a mistake without seeing how it goes down is just a classic case of people not wanting to step outside their comfort zone. Let's not act like a BC split wouldn't be the biggest angle in pro wrestling. They could drag that storyline out for months...make a huge event of it...sell more merch and tickets than ever before.

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