Jul 12, 2018 18:57:12 GMT KJ said:

I wonder how much heat is on Juice and White for injuring JR with such a stupid, unplanned spot. JR is blasting them on his own podcast. If there isn't action from NJPW, I wouldn't be shocked to see Ross walk (or even sue).

At the time I thought it was a work. Jay White was teasing them and he reacted to Josh Barnett so convincingly. Barnett denied that he was working on Twitter, but of course he would. I didn't know JR got legit injured from the spot, though. How bad was the injury?

Jul 12, 2018 21:32:19 GMT Emperor said:

Jul 12, 2018 18:57:12 GMT KJ said:

I wonder how much heat is on Juice and White for injuring JR with such a stupid, unplanned spot. JR is blasting them on his own podcast. If there isn't action from NJPW, I wouldn't be shocked to see Ross walk (or even sue).

At the time I thought it was a work. Jay White was teasing them and he reacted to Josh Barnett so convincingly. Barnett denied that he was working on Twitter, but of course he would. I didn't know JR got legit injured from the spot, though. How bad was the injury?

Broken risk and worry of it causing an pneumonia last I heard.

Jul 12, 2018 17:12:07 GMT Emperor said:

There's also a relevant tweet from Sean Waltman: 

Ditto for Austin, Jason Knight and Sabu at least.  Hope he is able to return soon.  

Still not sure if JR is working or not because it would look the same either way.  I do hope he is working though as if not, he is trying to ruin two guys careers for an accident that was because the barricades were not secured right.

Hiromu Takahashi posted on Twitter "I’m fine, thank you."

Great to hear that looked worse than it was.

And Takahashi is reported as having a broken neck and is expected to miss 9 months. Being reported there is no nerve damage though so he is likely to make a full recovery.

Aug 2, 2018 12:30:02 GMT c said:

And Takahashi is reported as having a broken neck and is expected to miss 9 months. Being reported there is no nerve damage though so he is likely to make a full recovery.

God damn it that sucks so hard. Top of his game, BOSJ and Junior Heavyweight Champ, about to have a career year...then it's over.

I'm really glad to hear he'll make a full recovery, but 9 months...good lord. He'll be lucky if he can even compete in next year's Super Juniors.

As much as that sucks I'm just glad it's not as bad as it looked. The whole building reacted to that when it happened, even from my angle which was kind of blocked his head vanished for a second. I'm looking forward to his comeback though, that was my first exposure to him and it was probably my favorite match of the night.

I'm a huge Kenny Omega fan. Can you guys compile a list of 10 matches I should watch on New Japan World? besides the Jericho match and the Kazuchika Okada 2/3 falls match since I've already seen those matches.

Absolutely, Ed! I'll stick to his heavyweight run in NJPW. I only caught the tail end of his Junior Heavyweight run and know little of his work from before then. Matches are in chronological order. Bear in mind that Omega is heel for most of these matches, especially the early ones.

Kenny Omega vs Hiroshi Tanahashi - New Beginning 2016 njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00374_1_09
Omega's first singles match after becoming a Heavyweight and infamously usurping AJ Styles as the leader of Bullet Club. He challenges Tanahashi for the Intercontinenal Championship. The match is relevant today because it is the last (and only, I think) singles meeting between Omega and Tanahashi, which is very likely to be the main event of the next Tokyo Dome show.

Kenny Omega vs Michael Elgin - Ladder Match - Dominion 2016 njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00394_2_08
NJPW's first ever Ladder Match. His original opponent was Tanahashi, continuing their feud, but he got injured. He was replaced by Michael Elgin.

Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito - G1 Climax 2016 njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00396_19_09
Omega vs Okada is rightly heralded as the best currently rivalry, but in my opinion Omega vs Naito is only an inch behind. The difference is that Omega and Naito have wrestled exclusively in the G1, while Omega and Okada have had much more high profile singles matches. Anyway, this is one of my absolute favourite Omega matches

Kenny Omega vs Hirooki Goto - G1 Climax Finals 2016 njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00396_20_09

Kenny Omega vs Kazuchida Okada - Wrestle Kingdom 11 (2017) njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00412_2_10
The first meeting between Omega and Okada, for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. The first match to break the Meltzer scale. The match absolutely deserved that honour.

Kenny Omega vs Kazuchida Okada - Dominion 2017 njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00442_2_09
The second meeting between Omega and Okada, once again for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

Kenny Omega vs Kazuchida Okada - G1 Climax 2017 njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00447_24_10
The B Block final. The winner makes it to the final. Okada advances on a time limit draw, which is important because their previous two matches far exceede 30 minutes. Omega needs to be aggressive right from the start, and that's exactly what happens. Balls to the wall action.

Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito - G1 Climax Finals 2017 njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00447_26_09

Kenny Omega vs Jay White - The New Beginning 2018 njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00466_2_09
Fresh-from-excursion Jay White challenges Omega for his IWGP US Championship. White had a dud against Tanahashi the previous month, but this time he steps up to the plate and had a surprisingly good match with a top star. Not an all time great match like most of the others on this list, but I personally really enjoyed it and the match went in a surprising direction that is unlike any of other "big match epics" on the list.

Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito - G1 Climax 2018 njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00490_5_10
G1 rivals Omega and Naito met for the third G1 in a row, this time in the first round. My favourite match of the entire tournament.

Thank you very much Emperor, I can't wait to carve out some time to watch these matches.

Also if you haven't watched this year's G1 yet, Omega vs. Ishii and Omega vs. Ibushi are absolute musts.

I'm finding that finding specific shows pretty difficult. Are all the matches only watchable 1 at a time? I like to search for certain shows but from what I can tell things don't seem organized like WWE Network.

The search function on NJPW is notoriously bad. That's why I posted all the match links for you. I got most of them from reddit but had to find a few myself. I just did it by typing 'Kenny Omega' in the search bar and going through all his matches until I found the right time period. It actually didn't take that long.

Aug 18, 2018 23:17:21 GMT Emperor said:

The search function on NJPW is notoriously bad. That's why I posted all the match links for you. I got most of them from reddit but had to find a few myself. I just did it by typing 'Kenny Omega' in the search bar and going through all his matches until I found the right time period. It actually didn't take that long.

I took a breath and went through the proper section and so far it's manageable.

Hiromu Takahashi has vacated the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Mr. Belt was interviewed in the above video.

The new champion will be crowned at King of Pro Wrestling, which will host the final of a four man tournament. Participants: Will Ospreay, KUSHIDA, Marty Scurll, and BUSHI.

Figured it was coming but I'm still sad over it. I hope he bounces back and has a huge 2019.

I got done watching the GI, well most of it {my 1st NJPW show} and I loved it. I was really impressed by the play by play. As a new viewer to NJPW, the entire commentary team does a very of being informative for English speaking fans and also breaking down the past history in a way that's really passionate. I really like Yano and Juice. I loathe Jay White.  There's only 1 wrestler I've ever been legitimately terrified of and that's Nick Gage. I must now add Menorah Suzuki to that list.

NJPW had a long break after the G1. It's nearly time for the Destruction shows.

Destruction in Hiroshima - September 15th 2018

IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Kenny Omega (c) vs Tomohiro Ishii
Omega vs Ishii was one of the best matches of the G1 Climax, and Kenny Omega's first loss in the tournament after going 6-0. The Stone Pitbull didn't take long to issue the challenge. This is Omega's second defense and Ishii's first title shot in...a very long time.

Destruction in Beppu - September 17th 2018

Tetsuya Naito vs Minoru Suzuki
A rare NJPW non-tournament singles match with no title on the line. I'm not really sure why this match is happening, besides the fact that Los Ingobernables de Japón and Suzuki-gun have been feuding for a long time. With the secondary title being held by a part-timer, it's hard to fill the main event of three shows with compelling title matches.

Destruction in Kobe - September 23rd 2018

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship tournament semifinals
KUSHIDA vs BUSHI
It was recently announced that Hiromu Takahashi must vacate the Junior Heavyweight Championship because of the broken neck he suffered in a match against Dragon Lee. A 4-man tournament was announced to crown a new champion. This is the first of the semifinal matches. The other is Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll, which will happen at the LA show on September 30th.

Tokyo Dome Title Shot
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada
By far the most intriguing match of the Destruction series. Tanahashi defends the Tokyo Dome main event against arch nemesis Kazuchika Okada. Tanahashi did succeed in holding Okada to a draw in the G1, but he hasn't defeated Okada since 2015. Normally these matches are filler defenses, but Okada is the heavy favourite on paper. Booking-wise, it would be far more interesting for Tanahashi to win because Tanahashi vs Omega is a fresh main event for the Tokyo Dome.

I really don't want Tanahashi to drop the title defense because I'm really looking forward to him versus Omega. I think that's an amazing Tokyo Dome main event.

Also I don't think there's anything left for Omega and Okada to do. I would probably be wrong, but they had their tremendous series and it was perfect from start to finish. Having them face off again so soon would ruin it a bit, I think.

I watched Omega/Ishii finally and it was great. I think their G1 match was better but this was almost just as good. I really like Ishii and wouldn't even have been mad if he pulled off the upset and took the title. I thought the post-match stuff with Ibushi was kind of awkward though. For a second I thought Ibushi was about to turn on Omega but maybe that was the point? I don't know.

KUSHIDA vs. Ospreay for the JH title, please.

Also I can't stop laughing at the name "Destruction in Hiroshima" haha. 

Big things happening at the end of the Destruction in Kobe show.



That happened after the magnificent Tanahashi/Okada match. Not their best match together, but a great match nonetheless. Easily the best match of the Destruction series, and a fine addition to their feud.

Where is a good starting point to start watching NJPW to catch up with what’s going on? Or can someone give a quick summary of current fueds?

Last show I watched was Wrestle Kingdom but I’m familiar with most talent from Youtube.

I'd recommend checking out Dominion which was a better show than WrestleKingdom and some of NJPW AXS G-1 shows if possible. Otherwise, this Sunday they're running a show in California which should get you up to speed with everything headed to WrestleKingdom.

To add to that, there's a dude called Showbuckle who does some great condensed storyline videos. Nothing super recent there apart from the Golden Lovers video, but the videos give context on what's been happening in NJPW over the past few years and the development of the current top guys.

vimeo.com/showbuckle

Sept 28, 2018 13:46:21 GMT Emperor said:

To add to that, there's a dude called Showbuckle who does some great condensed storyline videos. Nothing super recent there apart from the Golden Lovers video, but the videos give context on what's been happening in NJPW over the past few years and the development of the current top guys.

vimeo.com/showbuckle

I watched his stuff on YouTube ages ago but couldn’t find it the other day. I’m guessing NJPW took them down?

That is correct.

How the fuck do you find a full show on NJPW World? It’s like a Where’s Wally/Waldo game?

I watched the G1 Final which I enjoyed, and the 2/3 falls match with Okada and Omega which I thought was fantastic.
I guess giving it 5 stars isn’t enough thanks to Dave Meltzer’s shennigans? 🤦🏻‍♀️

I love Street Fighter and have a Sephiroth tattoo, I imagine Omega and I would get along great 😂.

The search function on NJPW World is notoriously bad. Finding a whole show isn't so bad though. I just typed 'Dominion' into the search bar. The first page of results are the backstage comments, promo packages, and individual match videos. The second page has the full show videos.

I have a desire to recap the major storylines going on right now, which will help out System , and I'll do so while briefly reviewing last weekend's Fighting Spirit Unleashed show in California. I also want to illustrate the strength and depth of NJPW's booking

Zack Sabre Jr and Killer Elite Squad defeated Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, and SANADA
This is a continuation of the LIJ vs Suzuki-Gun feud that has occupied both stables for most of the year. For a long time these factions were kept apart, but now they are on seemingly never-ending collison course. Leaders Naito and Suzuki have fought on two occasions this year, with Naito decisively coming out on top in both matches. That feud has certainly run its course, but Suzuki-gun have arguably an even greater threat in Zack Sabre Jr., second in command.

ZSJ has had a phenomenal year. Most notably he won the New Japan Cup, submitting all four of his opponents. Two of those opponents were LIJ members: Naito and SANADA. ZSJ didn't have much interaction with LIJ until the G1 Climax tournament. He once again ruined a tournament of Naito's by defeating him in the final round, eliminating him from contention. However, earlier in the tournament, SANADA managed to avenge his own defeat with an important victory.

ZSJ and EVIL are now on a collision course. They met three times in tag team matches on the Destruction tour. EVIL pinned Taka Michinoku, ZSJ's manager, twice. ZSJ pinned EVIL once. A singles match between the two has been scheduled for next Monday's King of Pro Wrestling.

Fighting Spirit Unleashed was not a good night for EVIL. His match was a fun midcard tag team bout that saw Suzuki-gun get tons of heat, starting when they jumped Los Ingobernables de Japón before the bell. LIJ were able to fight from underneath and get back in the match, but ZSJ caught EVIL with a rollup. EVIL was visibly distraught at the outcome, on his hands and knees in the ring, staring motionlessly for minutes. All the while, ZSJ was celebrating and taunting yet another LIJ victim.

What does the future hold for the Tetsuya Naito. My guess is that he has a rematch with Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom. Jericho shocked the world by defeating Naito at Dominion. He continued to attack Naito after the match, but EVIL chased him off before he could do serious damage. LIJ certainly have unfinished business with the barbarian Canadian, and their leader is going to be the guy to sort him out.

To conclude the subject of LIJ, Tetsuya Naito has an announcement for you all.

Jay White and Gedo defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi and KUSHIDA

Jay White's slow burn push since his return from excursion is my favourite storyline of the year. I'll recap the main points:

- Jay White returns at Wrestle Kingdom 12 with a new "Switchblade" persona. He loses to Tanahashi in a dud match.

- The day after WK12, New Year's Dash, White rejects an invitation to join Bullet Club by attacking Kenny Omega. He joined CHAOS the following day, with the promise that he will bide his time and then "come for Okada". Okada laughs him off.

- White scores a shocking upset over Omega to win the IWGP US Title at New Beginning in Sapporo.

- White has three successful defenses before losing to Juice Robinson at the G1 Special in San Francisco.

- White enters the G1 Climax, defeating Okada in the first round and Tanahashi in the second (Tanahashi's only loss). He ended on 12 points (6-3-0), an outstanding performance for a debutant.

- Near the end of the G1, Okada amicably parts with long time manager Gedo, in a backstage moment that received little attention. 

- White acts antagonstically towards his CHAOS stablemates in tag matches. He refuse tags, cheats, encourages his teammates to cheat and abandons when they refuse. He takes no responsibility for CHAOS' losses, and takes all the credit for CHAOS victories.

- Tanahashi defeats Okada at Destruction in Kobe to retain his Tokyo Dome main event contract. Jay White attacks Tanahashi after the match to challenge Tanahashi for the case. That is fairly normal. What isn't normal is Jay White viciously attacking Okada, the young boys, and YOSHI HASHI. Gedo runs down to stop Jay White, but instead turns on Okada with a chair shot! Gedo calls Tanahashi and Okada losers, endorsing Jay White as the next top star.

This is a masterpiece of long-term storytelling. The Gedo turn was probably worked out right from Jay White's debut, but probably not all the details. I didn't think White beating Okada and Tanahashi had much significance besides raising his stock for the future, but it had huge and fast ramifications. The integrity of CHAOS is also in question. Will other CHAOS members defect and join White and Gedo? Will this lead to the fracturing of CHAOS, as Jay White prophecised months ago?

To get back to Fighting Spirit Unleashed, this was a classic old school tag team match. White and Gedo cheated a ton throughout the match to the ire of the crowd. Tanahashi and KUSHIDA fought valiantly and had strong crowd support, but they couldn't overcome dirty tactics. White pinned Tanahashi with the Blade Runner after Gedo knocked him out with brass knuckles.

Marty Scurll defeated Will Ospreay

Since Kenny Omega advanced to the Heavyweight Division, three men have had a near monopoly on the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. KUSHIDA, Ospreay, and Hiromu Takahashi. Takahashi had a huge resurgence in 2018. He won the Best of Super Juniors, defeated Will Ospreay to regain the belt, and defended it several times. Unfortunately, he broke his neck in a title defense against Dragon Lee. He was somehow able to win the match, but the severity of the injury forced him to vacate the title. A new champion will be crowd at King of Pro Wrestling, which hosts the finals of a four man tournament. The match in question is one of the semifinals.

Scurll has had Ospreay's number for several years, even before they started wrestling for NJPW. Ospreay broke the curse at Sakura Genesis in April, beating Scurll for the first time. Six months later they meet again at Fighting Spirit Unleashed. Ospreay got off to a perfect start, hitting several big moves right out of the gate, but the resourceful Scurll was able to avoid a quick defeat and eventually took full control, working over Ospreay's neck. Ospreay fought back and soon the two longtime rivals were trading big moves and incredible reversals. Unfortunately for Ospreay, he couldn't repeat his previous feat, as he was caught with a tight rollup by the dastardly villain. Scurll will face KUSHIDA at King of Pro Wrestling for the vacant championship.

Cody defeated Juice Robinson (IWGP US Championship)

Juice Robinson has slowly but surely won the hearts of the NJPW fanbase with his lovable character and endless heart. However, competition is tough in NJPW, and Robinson struggled to rise up the card, failing in all of his singles title matches. That is, until he met Jay White in San Francisco, and scored a minor upset to a roaring ovation. Robinson's return to the States saw him defend the belt for the first time against a dangerous opponent. He hoped to put a disastrous G1 Climax behind him with a successful defense in his home country, but it was not to be.

Robinson looked well on his way to victory, overcoming repeated interference from Brandi Rhodes and successfully hitting Pulp Friction. Brandi saved the match for the challenger by pulling her husband out of the ring. Cody would go on to hit Cross Rhodes on the floor and a Vertebreaker in the ring, but Juice kicked out to the delight of the crowd. He got back into the match and looked to be approaching victory after hitting a superplex, but after both men hit the floor, Cody caught Robinson in a pin cover and scored a surprise three count, and delivering another crushing defeat to Juice.

Later in the evening, Cody challenged Omega and Ibushi to a triple threat match for Omega's IWGP Heavyweight Championship. The match was signed for King of Pro Wrestling.

Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi defeated Kazuchida Okada and Tomohiro Ishii

In the summer, after years of absence and internal conflict, Omega and Ibushi put their differences aside and reunited as the Golden Lovers. Since then both men have been on a tear, both in tag team action and in singles competition. Nothing can break their bond, and fans eagerly await the singles match that both men have promised. Ishii has recently been a thorn in both men's sides. In the G1 Climax Ishii and Ibushi bludgeoned each other in one of the stiffest matches in recent memory. Ishii handed Omega his first loss in the tournament, and consequently challenged for the IWGP Championship at Destruction, but failed to get the job done. Ishii, however, still has a bone to pick with both men. As for Okada, this is his first in-ring meeting with Kenny since Dominion. Although Okada has acted happy-go-lucky since his loss, it was clear from his demeanour that he hasn't forgotten about the man who ended the longest IWGP title reign in history.

Thus the seeds were sown for this hard-hitting match. All four men were in full gear, ready to fight and go all out for victory in the main event. The result was a typical Golden Lovers actionfest tag team match, almost non-stop action, complex double team sequences, and stiff strikes. Okada and Ishii's resilience kept them in the match for a long time, but they couldn't overcome the sublime chemistry of the Golden Lovers, who picked up the win after isolating Ishii and hitting him with the Golden Trigger.

Kenny Omega is set to defend the IWGP Championship at Wrestle Kingdom against the G1 Climax winner, Hiroshi Tanahashi. The match is not set in stone yet, as either man could lose title or contract respectively. However, the seeds are already being sown. Both men are trading insults on Twitter and verbally. The feud has taken a personal nature due to Tanahashi's efforts to mentor Ibushi. Tanahashi sees Ibushi as his successor, and dislikes Ibushi throwing away his talent due to his erratic personality. Both Ibushi and Omega take exception to his attitude. Omega seemingly has no respect for Tanahashi's resurgence, saying that he was great in the past, but that he should give up, promoting his "New Style" over the more traditional wrestling style embodied by Tanahashi. The proud Tanahashi will not stand for such claims, and promises to prove that he is the superior wrestler.

I can't believe Gedo turned heel. I HATE Jay White! :kane:

I forgot to mention, NJPW has an English YouTube channel where they release retrospectives and recaps of all their top stars and major angles.

www.youtube.com/channel/UC1lgJkpCx_0SMzsvrTCdxPw/videos

Well worth checking out if you're unfamiliar with the product or just want to keep abreast of what's going on.