Mar 9, 2024 13:22:15 GMT c said:

Salaries are said to be way lower than in the US which is why so many top guys jump here as they get older to cash out. NJPW does not have the cash to give people US style deals in the millions.

Guess that's why White and Ospreay jumped ship.

Mar 9, 2024 16:26:47 GMT Lony said:

RT , and even more so Emperor , I just want to say thanks. Thanks to you two, I'm able to keep up with New Japan as much as I do. As someone who has only watched three shows this year from New Japan, I definitely wouldn't be able to keep up as much as I do, without you guys posting updates, I appreciate it. I like the company and what they do, but there's so much to watch and not enough time to watch everything, so unfortunately New Japan tends to sit at the bottom of my wrestling priority list.

No problemo man.

For what it's worth, Meltzer reported that the number Okada is making is much less than what was reported. It is still substantial, but 4.5 is way too high. Probably around the 3.5 mil mark like the other top guys.

NJPW salaries are decent but still not a lot compared to what top wrestlers in WWE and AEW make. But factor in that they don't have nearly as much expenses as the guys in North America do. NJPW wrestlers don't pay for their travel expenses from what I have read. And in some cases they don't pay for housing, although that is more Young Lions or people that are paid per appearance. That is factored in to their salary, if they even get one.

We don't have a lot of reference points to go by, but we know a few things that are likely true due to some people talking after leaving NJPW:

-Okada was making 7 figures back when Omega was still there, and it was believed that Okada, Omega & Tanahashi were the highest paid in the company at the time. If we assume they were all making over $1 million/year, you can estimate what people were making on a sliding scale.

-Gallows & Anderson talked about their salaries after they left, and said they were making $5,000 in 2007 and got a raise to $55,000 the following year. They also said by the time they left they were making "serious bank," whatever that means. Assuming NJPW has a sliding scale in pay like every other company, and they were one of the top tag teams for the last few years they were there, they were probably making a mid-tier salary in the $250-$500k range.

-Chase Owens signed a new contract in 2022 and it was reported to be between $150k-$200k per year. He's a jobber that randomly ends up in mid card title feuds that has been with the company a long time. So that is a good comparable to what the journeymen over there make.

Keep in mind that NJPW wrestlers agreed to take a pay cut during the pandemic too. It's entirely possible they were all making more money in the 2010's than they are now, considering most businesses are still in a recovery phase.

So yeah, everyone leaving with their contracts being up are definitely being paid a lot more, but have other things like expenses to factor in, and the fact that Bushiroad may have just not been able to pay them enough to stay.

First round of the New Japan Cup concluded today. The second round bracket is in the spoiler.

SPOILER: Click to show

The only match worth checking out is Yota Tsuji vs Jeff Cobb - an awesome battle between two athletic powerhouses.

A new champion has been crowned...

SPOILER: Click to show

Stephanie Vaquer has become the new NJPW Strong Women’s Champion, ending Giulia’s 249-day reign as champion.

The quarter finals started today, so let's review the second round.

SANADA def. YOSHI-HASHI
David Finlay def. Tanga Loa
Hirooki Goto def. Chase Owens

Nothing to say about those matches.

Toru Yano vs Jack Perry was fun for the first few minutes, watching Perry react to some vintage troll wrestling. Then it became a regular match, HoT interfered and Perry won.

Hikuleo vs EVIL exceeded expectations by being a decent match. EVIL's victory was as close to clean as a HoT match gets. There was interference but EVIL did most of the work and finished the match without needing a low blow or anything of that sort.

Takagi defeated Kidd in a wild brawl that is characteristic of the latter's matches.

Yota Tsuji continues to impress, after being Jeff Cobb he overcame another veteran in El Phantasmo. The match was excellent and showcased both men's strengths. Tsuji got to fly more than he did against Cobb and he even kicked out of ELP's CR2 finish.

The highlight of the second round was ZSJ vs Ren Narita. Zack has HoT's number, with a 3-0 singles record against EVIL.

The first 30 minutes was pure 1v1. Zack tore Narita's HoT shirt in the opening minutes, a symbolic moment that dictated the rest of the match. After a few minutes of Narita pummelling Zack on the floor, he started to wrestle in his old "Shibata clone" style which led to some great technical sequences. Zack even showed some impressive striking, a snap forearm causing blood to spew from Narita's nose. The intense war ended with the obligatory HoT interference. Narita used the distraction to strike Zack with a foreign object and hit his finisher for a huge upset. Excellent match and revenge for House of Torture.

Bullet Club represents four of the remaining eight participants, three of those being HoT. With Zack out of the picture, I feel almost certain that Finlay wins.

Had a feeling ZSJ would fall in this.

Perry going deep like I suspected too. I still have him getting taken down by SANADA. Better matchup for Finley too if he is taking this all. Otherside of the bracket is chaos to me. Still so many ways that can play out.

I'm not surprised ZSJ lost. I actually think Perry will beat Sanada after lots of shenanigans. However the winner of that match will be facing Finlay which casts some doubt.

On the other side of the bracket it's time for Bullet Club to take their leave. Tsuji beats Kidd and then beats EVIL after EVIL defeats Shingo.

Ok Finley out.

"David Finley will be absent from today's 3.16 Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium Tournament due to poor health. NEW JAPAN CUP 2024 quarterfinal match was won by Hirooki Goto."

Wow. That's a shocker. I have no idea who's going to win then. EVIL is the safe option. Takagi, Narita or Tsuji are the bolder choices. They're not going to run SANADA vs Naito three title matches in a row.

I would say fuck it and run up Perry.  He is fresh and they can murder him in the title match.

Not a bad idea but it's not NJPW style to have a gaijin newcomer come in and win such an important tournament on their first attempt. Although Zack did it in 2018, I think that was his first Cup.

SANADA rolled up Jack Perry after HoT shenanigans.

Yota Tsuji rolled up Ren Narita after HoT shenanigans.

Immediately after that match LIJ and Hot were brawling so Shingo got the jump start on EVIL to kick off the last quarter final. Naturally this was the most shenanigan filled match which EVIL won.

Too much House of Torture.

Bracket still going how I imagined, but finley will not be beating SANADA on that side. Other side was utterly clueless on outside of assuming ZSJ got taken out early in an upset.

The rollup of DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.

Ugh. They’re gonna give EVIL the win and have him try to win the title back via shenanigans to stick it to his former partner.

Whatever.

Semi-finals!

Yota Tsuji and EVIL brawled for two minutes before the ref got bumped and the entire HoT came down. LIJ representatives Hiromu and BUSHI rallied to the defense but were easily outnumbered. The ref got up and seeing ten people in the ring ordered the bell rung and declared a no contest. Yota grabbed the mic and made a 1-vs-1 challenge. Everyone left. Ring the bell.

You know know the drill, watch some inconsequential wrestling until HoT appear again. And so they did. This time all of LIJ except Naito came to the save. EVIL got quadruple teamed and misted by BUSHI. Yota hit the Gene Blast and pinned EVIL. The referee, seeing black mist all over EVIL's face, DQ'd Yota. EVIL wins.

Nah, not really. Wouldn't that be something? Yota got the three count and advances to the finals. Whoopee. I used to enjoy those moments where HoT have a taste of their own medicine but now I just don't care. I care about Yota though. He's the most exciting wrestler on the roster.

-------------------------

Hirooki Goto beat SANADA to become the second finalist. Goto's story is that his dad died recently so he's fighting for him. Finish the story, Goto! If Goto wasn't the most boring NJPW wrestler by a country mile I might summon enough willpower to care, but I just can't.

-------------------------

For that reason I skipped the final of the New Japan Cup featuring the most exciting wrestler on the roster. Yep. I dislike Goto THAT much.

-------------------------

SPOILER: Click to show

Thankfully, Yota Tsuji won.

SPOILER: Click to show

Yota Tsuji getting a title shot now is the right move. He's going to be in the World Heavyweight title picture for years to come, and he can suffer a defeat to Naito now and only come back stronger.

Goto facing Naito would be the most predictable world title match of all-time, and you don't want to have Goto lose yet again in a world title match. If he ever does fight for the world title again, he should win it, but I think he's going to go the route of Tomohiro Ishii and Minoru Suzuki and never get his hands on the big one.

SPOILER: Click to show

I thought Goto would win, because when an unexpected injury happens NJPW tends to default to the reliable hand, i.e. Goto. I'm still convinced David Finlay was the original plan, and I'm delighted they chose Yota Tsuji as their Plan B. Yes he will lose to Naito but it's a fresh match and an extremely rare intra-stable championship match.

It's incredible how hard Yota is being pushed compared to his contemporaries. Shota Umino got the big push against Will Ospreay at the end of last year but now he's in a House of Torture holding pattern. However I do expect big things from Umino later this year. For now, him and Tsuji are leading the charge of the new generation.

The next big event is Sakura Genesis where the winner of the New Japan cup challenges IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito, EVIL defends his NEVER Openweight Championship, and Jon Moxley makes an appearance!

The main event sees Tetsuya Naito defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against New Japan Cup winner Yota Tsuji. Naito has had an eye out for Tsuji ever since his early Young Lion days, and Tsuji’s own admiration for Naito’s freedom of expression and ungovernable ways saw him to eventually face Naito one on one in his last match before going on excursion in 2021. Two years later, it’s that same connection that saw him return, joining LIJ, but not to be Naito’s underling, rather to surpass El Ingobernable in every way.

Before the New Japan Cup, Tsuji made a promise directly to Naito that he would be winning the tournament and soon enough taking the head of the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. While Naito has openly accepted the challenge, proud of LIj’s ability to better itself through competition, he has to be concerned with Tsuji’s incredible momentum, having gone through a demanding New Japan Cup bracket that ended with victory over a three time former winner in Hirooki Goto. On his victory at Wrestle Kingdom 18, Naito said that his next goal after achieving his roll call in the Tokyo Dome was to have many more all around the world, but Tsuji starts what might be one of the most demanding runs of his career.

The NEVER Openweight Championship is on the line when Shingo Takagi challenges EVIL. The New Japan Cup saw Takagi face the King of Darkness in the quarterfinals, but it was EVIL who prevailed, following a cavalcade of interference from HOUSE OF TORTURE. An infuriated Dragon would take out his frustrations the next night, ensuring that the same fate did not befall Yota Tsuji, who eliminated EVIL from the tournament and went on to win the trophy. Meanwhile, a tag encounter in Nagaoka at the Cup finals saw Shingo again embarrass EVIL before declaring that he would take the NEVER Openweight Championship from him to boot.

Through each of his NEVER reigns, Shingo has fought with pride and spirit, lending the ‘BMF’ credence to the gold. Yet EVIL has mistreated the title from jump, reducing the belt to tatters and spray painting it black. SHingo has declared that he will renovate the title entirely should he win, but will EVIL ensure that it’s still shrouded in darkness?

Ever since Ren Narita turned his back on former friend Shota Umino and joined HOUSE OF TORTURE, the group has been the bane of Umino’s existence. Just as he thought he could put the dark spectre of Narita’s betrayal aside with a win in Korakuen Hall, he would be defeated by EVIL at New Beginning, and then Jack Perry would surface, leveraging the most hated group in wrestling to knock him out of the New Japan Cup.

Unable to take any more, Umino embarked on a vendetta against jack Perry, eventually securing a singles match with the Scapegoat at Windy City Riot April 12. Before that though, Umino has promised the return of someone to ‘punish’ H.O.T, and nobody is better fit for purpose than Jon Moxley. Mox would like nothing better than a violent tune up before facing Naito in Chicago next week, and in so doing, he meets Jack Perry in ring for the very first time.

On April 12 NJPW returns to the USA for Windy City Riot and an exciting card.

Hiromu Takahashi vs Mustafa Ali
Tetsuya Naito vs Jon Moxley - For the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship if Naito retains against Yota Tsuji.
Eddie Kingston, TBA, TBA and TBA vs. Gabe Kidd, TBA, TBA and TBA - Eight-man Riot Rules tag team match
Shota Umino vs. Jack Perry
Nic Nemeth vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Guerrillas of Destiny (El Phantasmo and Hikuleo) (c) vs. TMDK (Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste) vs. Fred Rosser and Tom Lawlor vs. TBA and TBA - Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship

One of the funniest pictures ever

Some notes from Sakura Genesis...haven't watched any matches yet but I am going to today. Didn't care about spoilers so I read the results on wreddit.

SPOILER: Click to show

-SHO def. YOH in 90 seconds due to referee stoppage. YOH dislocated his shoulder and couldn't continue the match. Dude cannot catch a break.

-New IWGP Tag Champs. Goto pinned Chase Owens. Thank goodness that random team they slapped together lost. The tag titles are a mess right now.

-Speaking of, Yuya Uemura said he is coming for the tag titles, but did not say who his partner would be. If it is someone from Just 5 Guys then I don't know why it would be a secret, so maybe there is a little surprise coming? It'll probably be SANADA or some shit.

-Shingo Takagi is now a 4-time NEVER Openweight Champ. Fully expected him to win and I'm glad he did. NJPW really wants the NEVER title to be a thing and now it finally might get a chance to be.

-Apparently Gabe Kidd gave a really good promo after but I can't find it anywhere. Anyway he is facing Takagi for the title at Windy City Riot next week.

-After Naito defended the World Heavyweight title, Jon Moxley confronted him and it was confirmed that next week's match at Windy City Riot is now officially for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

-David Finlay then confronted Yota Tsuji and said he wasted his New Japan Cup victory. Finlay said that had he not suffered a minor injury, he would be World Heavyweight champ right now. Tsuji was then attacked by Bullet Club War Dogs and Takahashi, Takagi & BUSHI came down to make the save. War Dogs vs. LIJ incoming.

The members of the Best of Super Juniors tournament were also announced last night. 4 debuts, and one I am excited about especially after his match at Supercard last night. YOH is listed but depending on how severe his shoulder injury is he might be replaced:

SPOILER: Click to show

Ryusuke Taguchi

El Desperado

Kevin Knight

YOH

Hiromu Takahashi

BUSHI

Titán

TJP

Francesco Akira

DOUKI

Robbie Eagles

Taiji Ishimori

Yoshinobu Kanemaru

SHO

Clark Connors

Drilla Moloney

Kosei Fujita [BOSJ Debut]

Blake Christian (ROH) [BOSJ Debut]

Ninja Mack (NOAH) [BOSJ Debut]

HAYATA (NOAH) [BOSJ Debut]

Hmmmm something interesting I noticed. I watched the tag match between Mox/Shooter & Perry/Narita and for the entire match, Moxley & Perry were never the legal men in the ring together.

They didn't acknowledge each other once and aside from Moxley knocking Perry off the apron once, they didn't even fight each other. It was entirely Narita vs Mox and Shooter vs Perry. They always tagged out at the same time.

I really expected a confrontation between Moxley and Perry and the fact we didn't get it and they barely acknowledged each other is really interesting to me.

SPOILER: Click to show

SHO def. YOH

Feels like these aren't real wrestler names.

Apr 6, 2024 14:55:04 GMT @ness said:

SPOILER: Click to show

SHO def. YOH

Feels like these aren't real wrestler names.

They used to be a tag team called Roppongi 3K with Rocky Romero as their manager. Before that they went by their full names (Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu) but shortened them when they returned from excursion and started challenging for the Junior Tag Titles.

I thought when they split they would start using their full names again but I guess it's whatever. Shortening your name and capitalizing it is a thing in Japan and I don't know why. Probably doesn't look weird to them.

...

Speaking of, I saw YOH's injury and it was such a nothing move. He did a sliding dropkick and slammed his arm into the mat to break his fall/make a loud noise and his shoulder popped from that. It was kinda rough to watch, you could see his shoulder bone sticking out. He tried to continue but eventually realized he couldn't. Swore really loud and fell over and the ref threw up the X.

Apr 6, 2024 19:23:25 GMT RT said:

SHO def. YOH in 90 seconds due to referee stoppage. YOH dislocated his shoulder and couldn't continue the match. Dude cannot catch a break.

I heard about that before seeing the match. It was such an innocuous move. I wouldn't have noticed anything if I wasn't looking out for it. Rough. I love how SHO reacted to the injury, total dickhead heel move.

Kosei Fujita and DOUKI came out to challenge SHO. SHO started dicking around, they both attacked him and DOUKI stole the belt. It's worth noting that a big part of the YOH-SHO build was that YOH stole SHO's belt.

Apr 6, 2024 19:23:25 GMT RT said:

Shingo Takagi is now a 4-time NEVER Openweight Champ. Fully expected him to win and I'm glad he did. NJPW really wants the NEVER title to be a thing and now it finally might get a chance to be.

Yep, I'm glad Shingo got the win. The match was a rare care of a HoT bullshit fest being entertaining. Dick Togo disguised himself as BUSHI, then the real BUSHI came out and pointed at him - Spiderman meme reference. We saw Kanemaru come out in a referee shirt and do a fast three which didn't count. Hiromu also came out in a referee shirt for no reason. BUSHI unintentionally misted the actual ref. Finally Red Shoes came out to count the final pin.

Apr 6, 2024 19:23:25 GMT RT said:

Apparently Gabe Kidd gave a really good promo after but I can't find it anywhere. Anyway he is facing Takagi for the title at Windy City Riot next week.

Yeah he blasted NJPW for allowing all this bullshit to happen, he used to be proud of NJPW for its ring product but has become disillusioned at all the House of Torture crap. It's a weird meta-angle from a guy who has made a career out of bullshit wrestling, always attacking before the bell and destroying venues with crowd brawling, and it's not like Kidd is stranger to using intereference to his advantage and low blowing. It was a well executed promo but the content didn't make a lot of sense.

Naito vs Tsuji was an excellent match.

Emperor was gonna also say how the NEVER title match was actually good. I feel like HOT's usual bullshit would be a lot better received if it was more like that in big matches, and not every. single. time.

Like EVIL is a fine wrestler. He doesn't need to be protected like that every match. You've made the point that they're dickheads, let him win a few matches on his own for once. Like he was your world champ for crying out loud. He should be able to win some matches without interference or punching people in the dick.

That's a wrestling booking tactic I never liked, the idea that only a few monster heels should be winning normally everyone else is coward. If he's a scrub why is he even here? I understand the logic because we as fans eventually like guys that are guud, but there must be a way to book them somewhere between streak ender and guy who can't even beat jobbers without the kitchen sink. Guess this is more of a pet peeve thread.

Yes that's a pet peeve of mine as well. Heels having to cheat all the time because heels.

Regarding Moxley and Perry, it was certainly unusual how they avoided contact with each other all match. In fact they did briefly fight on the floor. Perry clubbed Mox from behind, Mox turned around, paused, then grabbed Perry and threw him over the guardrail. End of contact. Moxley hit Death Rider on Narita to pick up the win.

OMFG the greatest return ever at NJPW tonight.

Daryl is back and in the best shape of his career!!!