The (not so) Big Gun Down: We Are Suzuki-Gun

Here is another very quick look at a unique New Japan World offering that appeared in the viewing library following close on the heels of the Best of the Super Juniors. And it's a curious one. While not an all around knock out of a show, I'm all for the inclusion of more than less. Give people lots of options and let them watch what they want. So I wouldn't consider 'We Are The Suzuki Gun' as essential viewing, it is interesting to make note of.

If you are new to the world of New Japan Pro Wrestling in the past few months, you might be asking who, or what, is a Suzuki Gun? Those rabid NJPW fans out there are familiar with the nasty heel group, led by Minoru Suzuki, as a group of wrestlers donned mostly in black, with little charm - far less than even the Bullet Club - and a tendency to use illegal objects to batter and choke their opponents outside of the ring, both during and after matches. There is a fairly large gaijin presence in the group, including Shelton X Benjamin and KES (Killer Elite Squad), the tag team of Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer. A few smaller Junior Heavyweight wrestlers are on the team: Taka Michinoku, TAICHI, and most recently Desperado, although in NJPW, I rarely see Michinoku or TAICHI in more than a periphery role. The surly group is rounded out by Iizuka Takashi, an older wrestler with a George 'The Animal' Steel-ish demeanor, who mainly stomps around and chokes people out with whatever pliable objects are in the vicinity.

The leader Suzuki himself has developed a bit of a charm about him. Maybe it's a combination of his cheesy but easy to sing along to 80's rock-like entrance theme, and his 'i just don't give a fuck' attitude.' Oh, and the fact that he is a legitimate threat of a grappler when it comes to in-ring action is important too.

After this year's Wrestle Kingdom, where Suzuki successfully defeated Sakuraba in an MMA shoot-style match, and the rest of Suzuki-Gun fared less successfully in a bout against a team of the strugglingNOAH promotion's wrestlers, the Gun up and split from NJPW, for an undetermined amount of time, to stage a takeover of NOAH. Of course, in the fake sport imitating life world of pro wrestling, NOAH itself was experiencing a takeover of sorts, or maybe more of a life preserver tossed their way, as NJPW took on a considerable amount of the company's expenses (I don't know the details nor do I know if any certifiable factual data is truly out there) and Jado, who with brother Gedo has been successfully booking NJPW of late, went to ply his trade behind the NOAH curtain.

While some fans speculated on a back and forth with NJPW, which would include the coming over of NOAH stars like Marufuji to NJPW events, Suzuki Gun has pretty much been all up in NOAH's business with no movement the other way. Suzuki Gun is not scheduled to be any part of the G1-Climax Tournament either so I would not hold my breath waiting for their return to an NJPW ring any time soon; maybe for some matches at the January, 2016 Tokyo Dome show.

I am tempted to go off on a strange tangent at this point, which will be shelved for maybe another time down the line, about how the NJPW brand could very well be undergoing conscious molding to gear it toward a female audience. An interesting, to say the least, move in an industry that has always attracted a predominantly male audience and has been leveled with many claims of chauvinism, probably more so in Japan than elsewhere. And, it would seem that having Suzuki-Gun elsewhere kind of sort of helps to achieve that end. In this group is a high concentration of talent that one would be hard pressed to describe as cuddly or cute or even 'hunky.' Meanwhile, we are left with a number of 'baby faces' both in the wrestling style and attractiveness sense. But again, going down this road and considering its implications is a trip best saved for another time.

So, with Suzuki Gun fully integrated into the NOAH shows, generating intrigue by shaking things up and claiming all of the company's championships for themselves, with Suzuki Minoru winning the Heavyweight Championship from Naomichi Marufuji, we get a show from what seems to be NOAH soil, shown on the NJPW World service, and seemingly put together or produced by Suzuki himself. It reminds me of those amazing All Tomorrow's Parties events where a band or artist headlines and curates the other acts on the show. Indeed it started out with Suzuki on the mic for a good 15 minutes in what could have been him doing a standup comedy routine. I certainly could not tell what the content was, but it generated plenty of laughter from among the audience.

The first match was the definite highlight for me: former NOAH champ Marufuji VS the anti aging superstar Yuji Nagata. This match really made it clear who is in control of the landscape, as the top NOAH star was unable to defeat the fading but still very capable NJPW representative. The two had a very physical, very technically sound fight to a draw due to time expiring.

A strange tag team match featuring all NOAH talent found two foreigners, John Webb and Jack Gamble, more or less battling among themselves, which their opponents, Genba Hirayangi and Hitoshi Kumano capitalized on to take the win.

Shelton X Benjamin and Taka Michinoku fought with a heavyweight and junior heavyweight alike, Takashi Sugiura and Daisuke Harada. There was some good back and forth action, with Benjamin getting into some heated exchanges with both opponents on the other team. In one pretty intimidating looking expression, an attempt was made to knock Shelton off the apron, to which e responded by extending his arms and pulling himself right back to the ropes with a dead-eyed stare. He and Taka were sent packing though as the other team picked up the win.

There was more tag team awkwardness as Gedo and gainjin wrestler Zack Sabre Jr. took on Captains New Japan and NOAH, who is in fact Jado. Attention was drawn to this, as Jado turned midway through the match to trip up Captain New Japan, leading to Gedo and his partner to be the winners...and in effect Captain NOAH too? Or not really. While it was amusing, it kinda made me feel sorry for Captain New Japan, the big galoot. Not my idea of prime entertainment.

After a presumed intermission, can't be sure since the event was delivered as individual segments, a J-pop girl group came out, all dressed in red, to sing along, or maybe they were lip-synching (doesn't seem to matter) and perform a choreographed dance to some music blaring over the PA. As fans clapped along, it reminded me of my earlier sidetrack, and if NJPW is skewing toward pleasing its female audience, then this NOAH brand was definitely remaining a true to a stronghold of male fans. I could go off further on the weird lolita-complex attributed to adulr males that seems to be treated as completely acceptable running through Japanese pop entertainment, but here's probably not the time. In what I felt was the most true heel move of the show, the girls were joined by TAICHI and El Desperado, who posed and made a gesture of singing along with the group. They took on Jushin 'Thunder' Liger and Yoshinari Ogawa. The baby face heroes took the win, but were beaten viciously afterwards by Suzuki-Gun's TAICHI and Desperado. This is a trope that has been increasingly getting on my nerves: one team or single wrestler wins, but the other attacks afterwards. Then, who cares who won? I understand how it's a nice card to play ONCE IN A WHILE, to show how dastardly someone can be. When Owens attacked Cena after their rematch at the WWE Money in the Bank special, that was a good example of using this story telling convention to good effect. With Suzuki-Gun, it happens far too often, and in the case of the guys of lesser importance, it gets to be a bore.

A high point of the show ended up being a tried and true confrontation: KES (Smith Junior and Archer), who are in possession of the NOAH Heayweight Tagteam belts, against Tencozy (Tenzan and Kojima). It was a good match, nothing shocking or out of the ordinary, with KES picking up the win.

The main event was a strange one: Mr. Minoru Suzuki himself, teamed with Iizuka against the masked Maybach Taniguchi and Yoshihiro Takayama, the long blonde haired veteran, who I should now say is the "featured in the Sono Sion movie TOKYO TRIBE" Yoshihiro Takayama. This movie has been released in Japan some time ago, and for New Yorkers, it will be playing at the annual New York Asian Film Festival, and is a crazy feast of hip hop storytelling, crazy neon set pieces, and violence galore. That aside, this is far from a main event that can be said to be compelling. Heel/Face dynamics are out the window. I admire Suzuki-Gun for sticking to their heel identities, but they are clearly over with fans, so it was kinda like they needed to find wrestlers who have a similar shtick and are not as cool or likable, and could therefore get the fans cheering for the Gun. It is very hard for me to rally behind a guy who does a 'crazy man' gimmick and just runs around the ring and brawls. So Iizuka's inclusion in this main event at all brought the sudden realization that this show was not a very big deal; setting up for other thins down the line, I guess, but I'm not even sure how big a deal that could be.

Suzuki-Gun cheated blatantly. Minoru ripped Maybach's mask off, which basically pissed the fellow old and grizzled old Japanese wrestler off, after which he started gnawing away at Minoru Suzuki's head. At one point the masked wrestler had used a staff with a curved end to drive Iizuka into the corner before he could strike Takayama with his chain, or some other illegal object. Takayama and Maybach won. Did fans ]get excited for their victory? Was any sympathy generated over Suzuki-Gun's loss?? I couldn't say.

Again, I am glad for the variety and want more material on my NJPW World than less, but I do hope the powers that be realize that Suzuki-Gun's takeover will only be as compelling as long as there are dynamic a baby faces to have a rivalry with them. It will make these brand offshoots that much more enjoyable.

twitter: @mondocurrymark

Best of the Soup Junes

Going into The War Of The Worlds night 2 taping, I was aware that my pro wrestling viewing was going to take a drastic decline going into the summer, from the very next day even. But I've been finding ways to sneak it in. Not ideal viewing conditions and definitely not conducive to detailed reports, but enough to throw together some thoughts on recent New Japan Pro Wrestling programs. First, it is super cool that the New Japan World online streaming service has provided access to all of the Best Of The Super Juniors bouts, with big shows broadcast live and smaller road shows being chopped up so that only each match in the tournament itself are made available.

While I usually bang the koto drums for NJPW loud and hard over almost everything I take in, I was lukewarm about the tournament going into it and remained that way throughout most of it, until a fantastic final 2 shows, particularly the last day, which had incredible action from start to finish. I guess I associate Super Juniors, otherwise known as cruiserweights, with high levels of acrobatic ability. While not everyone needs to have an aerial based assault, it should be a prominent feature of the bulk of the matches. This distinguishes the division from the Heavyweights, in my view, rather than just putting them in one category for being 'smaller guys.'  KUSHIDA and Alex Shelley definitely count as two who can bring the high flying and grounded assault styles, but in an unfortunate turn, Shelley was injured in day 1, round 1 of the tournament, taking away a lot of the intrigue from the event on the whole.

Chase Owens represented NWA with his presence, and though lacking charisma, he did bring some interesting maneuvers. Though I can't say there was all that much variation throughout his matches. Ryusuke Taguchi seems a stalwart on the current NJPW 'Juniors scene. While he's had some impressive matches in the past, his recent comedy based oeuvre has failed to excite me all that much. David Finley and Yohei Komatsu represented rookies in the match who would not score any wins. In the case of Komatsu, it was a bit hard to perceive him as a Junior as he has been holding his own in the Heavyweight style of combat with young boy peer Sho Tanaka. Gedo was entered into the tournament after spending more time on the sidelines of Okada and behind the scenes of NJPW booking, perhaps feeling reinvigorated by his recent stint at the North American East Coast ROH shows, but his flexibility is limited, giving us spots involving sneaky tactics and punches and kicks, but few feats of agility. The Lucha style, probably the element I would consider most crucial to shaping a strong Super Junior competition, was represented by recent NJPW homestayer Mascara Dorada and visitor Barbaro Carvenario. Dorada's been solid throughout his stay but Cavernario's chemistry with others in the tournament was hit or miss.

Then there is the masked superhero veteran contingent - Liger and Tiger Mask, whose place in NJPW in general I am increasingly questioning. I am not sure what I see them adding to mix, as their abilities in the ring are diminishing and they really don't gel with stories being built around hip, modern characters in CHAOS or The Bullet Club. Liger is a legend and gets a pass to appear as long as he is able, but Tiger Mask...this being an incarnation of the original, and one who does not put much apparent effort into selling the staged combat between himself and who he is in the ring with, I don't see what he is adding to the promotion, and definitely did not see him bring any value to this tournament.  

Finally there were members of tag teams: RPG's Rocky Romero and Baretta, reDRagon's Fish and O'Reilly, and one Young Buck Nick Jackson. While all are very capable in the ring as a singles or tag team wrestler, being associated with a tag team would seem to automatically place one on a lower run than singles wrestlers. This in effect made the matches these guys were involved with feel as though they had far lesser stakes, even though these wrestlers were the one who, in many cases, led the way to entertaining matches. In the case of reDRagon, there was a break from this unwritten rule, as Kyle O'Reilly ended up being in the finals against shoe-in KUSHIDA. This came as a bit of a surprise, as many would've expected established singles wrestler Ryusuke Taguchi to be the other fighter in the finals. It was definitely the right move by many a fan's estimation, as O'Reilly is a lot more technically sound and can take the physicality of a match to the outer limits. Overall, reDRagon's involvement in the tournament was a huge boon. Fish also has a dynamic, versatile style that makes him a credible threat to anyone he is in the ring with. I very much hope the pair's performance in the 2015 BOSJ pushes them to bigger things.

As stated before, the final day of the tournament brought about the best in all of the combatants and seemed to be where the best potential matches were booked among the pack. Chase Owens generated some better than average heel heat by attacking Tiger Mask after their match. Cabernerio and Mascara Dorada seemed at complete ease with each other working a Lucha style match that had no lack in aggression whatsoever. Rocky Romero had a great match with Nick Jackson, which served to advance both an RPG-Young Bucks feud as well as a CHAOS-Bullet Club program. There is a spot where Romero hits Sliced Bread on Nick outside of the ring that needs to be witnessed.

The finale between KUSHIDA and O'Reilly, which KUSHIDA emerged from victorious, is instant end of the year top 10 New Japan match material. They had a lengthy battle in which limbs were put through the wringer. KUSHIDA executed a top rope maneuver to damage O'Reilly's arm, which seemed impossible to walk away from unscathed. O'Reilly dished out an onslaught that made KUSHIDA's victory seem like a distant possibility til he returned fire toward the end of the match. Only toward the end did Fish make his presence a factor, yelling at the referee over numerous calls in support of his tag team partner. The stage is set for KUSHIDA to bring a lot of momentum into his bout with Kenny Omega for the Junior Heavyweight Championship at Dominion on July 5th.

Another component of the big shows along the Best Of circuit was the continued battle between the NJPW brigade and CHAOS. On this run, the matches had a pretty consistent roster of  Goto, Makabe, Shibata, Tanahashi and Captain New Japan on one side against Nakamura, Ishii, Sakuraba, Yano, and YOSHI-HASHI on the other. The one twist on these bouts since the last go around was the shift in titles, and in a sense power, to team NJPW with both Goto and Makabe holding the Intercontinental and Never titles respectively. Captain New Japan's inclusion in the matches added a bit of levity to the mix and also gave an easy out for a fall guy, leading to CHAOS dominating for the most part.

While the other takeaway from this is that this continual booking of the same basic match is wearing its welcome rather thin, it looks to be inching toward a conclusion with each of the feuds contained within getting its own singles match on the extremely impressive looking Dominion card.

More to come with a preview of Dominion and an outlook on how things may very well shape up coming out of that and heading all the way into next January's Tokyo Dome soon.

twitter: @mondocurrymark

Fight for the Future: Kevin Owens VS Finn Balor

At the beginning of 2015 I would've expressed some trepidation over NXT's course. A run of remarkably bland RAW episodes combined with an utter absence of acknowledgment of NXT's operation during that program had me believing that politics was going to get in the way of the exciting fledgling brand continuing to flourish. I had even at one point made note of NXT's place on the In Ring section of the WWE Network listings being shunted toward the end, almost out of sight. Fortunately, a reversal has taken place, NXT has been getting plenty of opportunities to shine with the party line touted around town being it is no longer a developmental program, but a full fledged brand unto itself. While the rapidly heating up show still squarely falls under the WWE flagship, it has made giant strides by way of developing its own unique identity, taking the show on the road for highly sought after tour dates, and in its most recent step forward, integrating its characters and storylines within the action on the WWE main roster. Not only does this mark a realization that WWE proper should be finding ways to put over its new, hip show, but has shown that with the right storytelling, the connection between the two rosters can generate buzz that affects the WWE's main product positively as well. Those that have been following this unfolding scene can easily connect the dots and form the burly outline of one Kevin Owens.

Owens has been like bottled lightning since debuting in NXT last year, bringing a quiet storm presentation to his few but impressionable confrontations. It helped that a ready made rivalry between him and Sami Zayn, hearkening back to their days in the indies and in Ring Of Honor, was lying in wait of his arrival. He does not only present himself as a compelling and unique heel during promos and interviews, he has an amazing move set. During his match with John Cena at the Elimination Chamber special, he pulled off acrobatic maneuvers that seem impossible for a man of his size and build, not to mention an offensive that looks devastating to anyone on the receiving end.

I wonder if original intentions were to just have Owens come out on Raw during Cena's US Championship open challenge, blindside him, and build some buzz around the then upcoming NXT special while teasing a confrontation between the champions down the line. No matter, the decision to move Owens into the picture on Raw was an excellent one. He presents a fresh and credible threat to others on the main WWE roster, and those savvy fans who have grown tired of WWE's repetitiveness but are tuned into NXT's competition-centric presentation will be more likely to check WWE's main programs to see Owens in action. Owens' increased presence on WWE proper can also do great things for NXT in return, and arguably already has. With the NXT title still in Owens' possession as he defeats top level stars like John Cena, the belt looks that much more valuable and will cause eyeballs to turn toward NXT, and possibly the WWE Network, for those not already subscribing, to see what happens to the championship. Anyone associated with Owens also stands to benefit from the increased exposure, and those names are numerous. Sami Zayn, whose feud with Owens is stll unresolved, would appear to have the potential to move up to the main roster any time to continue unfinished business with the now main roster-cized Owens. Finn Balor, current number one contender to the NXT championship can also get to be more well known, and that much closer to appearing on the WWE's bigger stage. Hideo Itami was last seen expressing his desire to fight Kevin Owens for the NXT championship, before he was sidelined by an injury, and was shown on screen as the victim of a storyline attack, with a suggestion of Owens' possible involvement. Then there is Samoa Joe, who also seems to have immediately gained from NXT's increased prominence, as well as stare-down confrontation with the current NXT champ that went down with an atmosphere slicing tension. His initial contract with pro wrestling's dominant company quickly received an upgrade to main roster status.

Right on the horizon is an intriguing viewing opportunity scheduled for July 4th on the WWE Network that I feel is the perfect moment for the company to shake things up on NXT. Finn Balor is scheduled to make good on his number one contender status and face Owens in a title match at a house show in Tokyo, Japan's Sumo Hall, and it will be broadcast via the Network. From this vantage point, it makes complete and utter sense for them to not only put on a fantastic match, but for the NXT championship to change hands and go from Kevin Owens to Finn Balor, with the man with the demon within picking up the win.

I'm sure whatever this pair does in the ring will make for excellent viewing, but the title change would work for so many reasons. First, Owens is becoming a bigger and bigger part of the main roster activity, and the more he achieves over there the less he needs the NXT title to bolster his image. In fact, midway through slogging through this post, he has just issued a challenge for Cena's US Title after the two have exchanged victories. Second, Finn Balor has amazing potential to be the focal point of NXT, with little more that can be done to help him reach the next plateau other than winning a championship. From there, his eventual elevation to WWE proper seems inevitable. This kind of newsworthy occurrence might seem better saved for a more high profile event and one that is not competing with a major holiday like Independence Day. However, it is the perfect sort of buzz generator to get more eyes and as a result sign-ups for WWE's much touted online streaming subscription service. With the time difference, an evening event in Tokyo would be taking place around 7:30 AM Eastern Standard Time, presuming the whole show will be broadcast, with the main event probably occurring a bit after that; that's not interfering as much with fireworks and other people's holiday plans, and once the diehard fans start tweeting about it, news will spread over a must-see match even more-so if it had some drastic consequences.

What's most poignant about the circumstance is how its location dovetails with Balor's history. It is well known to Japanese wrestling fans that before becoming Finn Balor, Prince Devitt made his bones as a dominant Super Junior Heavyweight and went on to become a core member of the widely known heel faction, The Bullet Club. If facts around Balor's wrestling career in Japan were mentoned, regardless of whether the company NJPW were acknowledged or not, it could make for a very plausible stage on which Balor was victorious. I think it's a near sure thing that fans in attendance of the show will all be rallying behind him, something akin to giving him a home field advantage. And, I am pleased to say that during the time this was being drafted, a video package did in fact bring up Balor's extensive career in Japan.

For a video presentation epitomizing brief, effective marketing of a star on the rise in this era, seek out an ad for the July 4 special - it has been shown on the Network during recent NXT episodes, showing Balor transforming into something otherworldly against a stark white background. A quick, cutting edge looking  thrill ride for the eyes.

With Kevin Owens changing the WWE landscape, and Balor not far behind in his own rise to prominence, I would keep a close on this rare opportunity to see an overseas event broadcast online only, between two wrestlers who, between them, hold some of the greatest potential influence in the industry.

twitter: MondoCurryMark

Wednesday

Two weeks ago, there was a flurry of excitement over Ring of Honor's television show being broadcast on Destination America, an outlet with far more reach than their already existing home of Sinclair, and already host to rival pro wrestling promotion TNA. Last week, the Ring of Honor did in fact precede TNA's Impact. People watched, tweeted, cheered, moaned, and now things are moving along like it's business as usual.

As someone with a lot of excitement over ROH's arrival on a television station I can actually view, I will make no bones about receiving last week's show with a bit of disappointment. This reaction is tempered, though, by factors that not all may be aware of, but should keep in mind, and overall optimistic for some very good things to come. That is, if the forces behind Ring of Honor gives some careful consideration to how they hope to be perceived and act on them in a hurry,

There was very solid wrestling on the program, kicking off with Kushida taking on Will Ferrara in a match from the final night of the Global Wars series. Once again, I can't resist taking the opportunity to point out how much Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling can benefit from continuing to highlight their connection. Case in point here, it should be made widely known that Kushida just emerged as the winner of NJPW's annual Best Of The Super Jr's tournament built around smaller and extremely agile wrestlers, thus adding a lot of prestige to having such a wrestler appear on their show. While we're at it, lets also note that ROH regular and one half of the tag team reDRagon was the other competitor in the finals against Kushida, an incredible match available to view via NJPW World. The transition sequences and opening credits seemed a bit more spiffed up from what I am used to seeing on ROH's website, made available 1 week after the Sinclair tv airing. There was a throw away match emphasizing Moose's rise in the ranks, which featured something that actually put the segment in the negative column (I'll get into that afterwards), and a tag team match essentially adding to the build to the next PPV main event match between Heavyweight champion Jay Briscoe and Television  champion Jay Lethal. The show was also marked by the inclusion of promos that were a bit more colorful than usual - getting outside the building indeed helps - also banging the drum for the upcoming champion vs champion match and effectively making it out to be a big deal.

The disappointment I had with the program was not over this being a bad show. Rather it was a 'just ok' show. This is fine, but not what you hope to see as a program makes what is in effect a 'debut.' Expectation levels for me and others were very high, though, and sitting back and watching the show broadcast on television, suddenly I found myself realizing the types of things that seem indispensable wrestling program in a prime time television slot: A clearly defined roster. As a casual viewer, I had no qualms about tuning in to see impressive matches between wrestlers from around the indies and ROH regulars. For a program to be followed routinely, I want to know who is an important focus of the show, who will be there from week to week, and what is their place in the scheme of things. Part timers are welcome, but a large degree of continuity is important, and for first time viewers, I would hope for a large number of characters to be established or even just partially introduced through quick vignettes, promo cutting, interviews as well as matches. The show was very thin in this department.

While we did see the Briscoes in actions, whose names have come to be synonymous with Ring of Honor, their opponents lacked character. They are up and comers, and their association with Lethal and the House of Truth roster makes them logical opponents for Jay and Mark. But, this being a debut show for many, vivid personalities on both sides of the main event would make for a stronger... errr, what's the word I'm looking for...im....pression, impression, yeah that's it.

In regard to these stumbling blocks, there are some reasonable defenses to keep in mind. Namely, numerous sources have reported that the deal between ROH and Destination America came together very quickly, and it was an impromptu scheduling of the premiere. Rather than plan a relaunch, Ring of Honor has probably simply taken a show that was already plotted in the course of its run on Sinclair, perhaps already produced even, and dressed it up a tad bit before putting it out on its new cable home. The move may have caught Ring Of Honor by surprise, but they now have a chance to gear up and if they do it quickly, they stand to impress and pull in a much wider audience.

I eluded to another issue I had, one that does not concern the fact that this was its debut. During a match that was supposed to be between the leader of The Decade, BJ Whitmere and Moose, Whitmere dodged his would be opponent and put young boy (wrestle speak for an apprentice who is treated like an indentured servant) Colby Corino, son of veteran wrestler and current commentator Steve Corino, into the unenviable position of facing off against the physically dominant Moose. During what could only be considered a match in the loosest sense of the word,the younger Corino was dismantled with extra physical abuse heaped on, including being repeatedly Power Bombed into the ring apron on the outside of the ring. Anyone seeing this would think TNA was not the only wrestling program on Wednesday night whose repercussions should have included an obituary.

It was peculiar not only in that CC was not collected on a stretcher, but that papa Steve, sitting right there on commentary, showed hardly a bit of concern. One would think at the least he would stand up, hold his head. I would've found it most appropriate if he came running to the scene of the crime to plead with Moose and his associates to call off the attack. How confusing it must've been for a new viewer, accustomed to serial pro wrestling where all or most characters on the scene participate in the story being told.

I feel like this does a huge disservice to the suspension of disbelief while watching pro wresting, and undercuts all of the stories told during match. It's important to keep in mind, although Colby is supposed to be portraying a wrestler in trainer, he does not have a wrestler's build in the slightest. He looks like a typical guy....no, a kid sitting in the audience, and a scrawny one at that. Before this show, I'd seen a similar scenario go down during the second War of the Worlds show in Philadelphia. After interference from Corino during a match between The Decade's Adam Page and Watanabe, the Japanese wrestler hit a German Suplex to the kid on the floor and after the match, floored him with a lariat. Even that seemed like it ought to have incapacitated him. What can come of this is that moves that are supposed to devastating will feel trivial down the line. In both cases, these were spots that were meant to elicit a pop from the audience, but they should be reserved for special occasions and the after-effects should keep with the perpetrator of the attack as well as its victim.    

So, there was some good wrestling but room to improve and some aspects of telling a credible story, at least in terms of the pro wrestling realm, that should be considered as ROH pushes onward. Meanwhile, as far as the potential war between the two brands sharing a cramped home, no shots were fired. At least, not really. Matt Hardy took to his own forum to declare TNA the victor in the eye of public perception. I don't know about that. I think if you searched enough, you could find fans shouting out ROH and some continuing to wave the TNA flag. While I did not watch it, I did hear on the Review-An-Impact podcast hosted by Brothers Nate Milton and Brian Mann, on the LAW Network of combat sport related shows, an account of a largely disappointing show. While not your typical TNApologists, I feel they are fairly easygoing in their assessment of Impact. Hearing them in critical doesn't bode well for the show in my estimation. What they and plenty of others discussed is the once entertaining angle in which part time deranged cult leader James Storm has been cunningly making a play for Magnus' wife Mickey James, being abruptly fast forwarded by an off set depiction of Storm pushing James off a high up ledge onto train tracks...Talk about killing a story. If this kind of overkill is what's to be expected from the competing cable pro wrestling options on Wednesdays, I may be spending my evening with NXT.

Here's hoping Ring of Honor continues to ramp up the action in some areas while showing a bit of restraint, the kind that TNA never manages, in others.

Twitter: @Mondocurrymark

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The Destination Game

A while ago, I would take to this forum to riff, free form, with my takes on goings ons in a few different companies. This was not a sustainable path to follow, unweildy and almost impossible to stay on point. Things shifted to more conventional reviews of my favorite organizations' shows. That has had to go on the back burner as well. And while taking stock of the various promotions out there is no easier a task, events of this past week make it a good time to weigh in on a couple things.

One thing that my rants almost always included, which cannot continue to be, is a complaint about the scope of Ring of Honor's television show being limited to areas receiving Sinclair broadcasts with online viewing opportunities 1 week behind. I suppose I should pat myself on the back for my campaign of frustration paying off because last week, ROH and Destination America announced the unlikely alliance that has ROH's show, now syndicated, appearing on the more widely accessible cable channel Wednesday nights right before TNA Impact. While I may be exaggerating my role in this game changing turn of events, I'm celebrating all the same.

The most notable aspect of the announcement was how soon things would go into effect. Just 1 week from the announcement, tomorrow night! This is especially awesome timing coming from the point of view of a proponent of New Japan Pro Wrestling like myself, as the ROH/NJPW joint shows happened a scant few weeks ago - I am still shaking off the effects of a trip to Philadelphia to see War Of The Worlds night 2 (I hope to put together some kind of account of it soon) - and the final day, presented as Global Wars night 2, was a TV taping. In the near future, Destination America could very well be bringing us a dream match like Roderick Strong  (who had an extremely impressionable match against Hiroshi Tanahashi at War of the Worlds night 2) VS Shinsuke Nakamura, a one of a kind curiosity like Jushin 'Thunder' Liger VS buzz worthy Dalton Castle, and maybe even a match straight off of a typical Korakuen Hall card like Bullet Club members AJ Styles and the New Bucks taking on CHAOS' Kazuchika Okada and RPG Vice. It's a match that plays directly into the upcoming Dominion Show with a main event pitting Styles against Okada with the IWGP Heavyweight title on the line (available to overseas viewers via the NJWP World streaming service). ROH's continued connection to New Japan is, to me, a serious sign of the US upstart company's legitimacy. NJPW has come to be known as a symbol of wrestling excellence internationally, and the ROH talent keeps up, the exchanges going both ways. While this deal is great, it brings up questions over whether it will lead to wrestlers in the ROH camp that have already featured prominently in the Destination America campaign, like Styles, the Bucks, Rocky Romero, and reDRagon will be asked to spend more time stateside to double down on their Ring of Honor presence and diminish NJPW's star a bit. There is,  after all, have a program on another cable channel AXS, showing somewhat older recorded NJPW matches, and another cable network is kinda the competition....

On the other hand, they may let things play out naturally. The popularity of the Bullet Club has certainly flourished organically, and has been benefiting both ROH and NJPW by letting the talents involved in the name do their thing so to speak, not by trying to bottle it and shove it down people's throats. Letting that continue seems logical, and hey, if that generous spirit adds a little luster to Jeff Jarret's somewhat underwhelming Global Force Wrestling venture, by way its inclusion of Anderson and Gallows on some of the tapings they have scheduled, then what's the harm?

Having looked at the positive potential of Ring of Honor's relocation to Destination America, let's talk about the other side of the coin: the curious case of the other company who's been crashing on the Destination America floor, if not moving all the way into the master suite, TNA. It's a strange turn of events to say the least, if for nothing else, the way it went down with most if not all at TNA seemingly in the dark til the rest of us were. Even though some would like to look at as nothing but roses at their favorite hanger on of a promotion (TNA fans, I tell you, they seem to me as blindly devoted as the most toxic doomsday cult's followers). Here's a few things to keep in mind, though...

There is a reason we have rarely, if ever, seen two wrestling promotions share the same broadcast network as their primary outlet: such companies are competition. While some mutual gain can sometimes be achieved, as in the aforementioned case of ROH and NJPW, being on the widely received platform of television is where brands try to establish themselves, and when they do that, they are asking for your time and resources, and that is time and resources that other brands by their nature are asking for the same.

Sure, Destination America is trying to play the mutual gain card, let's all get along and make lots of money, and promoting Wednesday as pro wrestling night in their neck of the television woods. And while it makes a bit of sense that people who already check out one company would stick around to see a bit of the other, there are some things about the companies' past crossing of paths that may suggest a bit of a less sunny disposition on the part of all parties. For instance, and I should say my source for this were the excellent MLW and Bauer and Pollock podcasts, there was a time when TNA had decided to abandon all code of honor, and legal business conduct, and pursue business with contracted TNA talent. There is also the fact that these promotions would seem to be on polar opposite trajectories. Ring of Honor is clearly on the rise, while TNA is well... It stands to reason that ROH is going to approach the new move with a bit of swagger, while the Impact Zone is likely to be riddled with insecurities. Already the reactions among those on the TNA roster have ranged from criticizing their leadership and taking other bookings to welcoming the new addition to the 'family' and engaging the other company in in-character banter. Meanwhile, on the ROH side there has been a united front, a singular focus on acknowledging only themselves and their new opportunity.

Any manner of excuses could be made, but when it comes down to it, for team TNA to not know about this move beforehand is a pretty crappy way to treat a friend, if that's what you want to consider what they are to the network that welcomed them so heartily some months ago. A heads up could've easily been given. I suppose this could've left a liability of details getting out too early because well, when it comes to TNA, discretion and shrewd business moves haven't really been part of the vocabulary.   While people can cast aspersions on those who have a reputation for reporting professionally for years and years, or write things off as rumor, I don't think you can reasonably ignore the general lack of harmony between Destination America and TNA that's been hinted at throughout the bulk of them. Basically, it's a bit reactionary to think that the Discovery subsidiary made the move to bring in ROH purely as a 'suck it' gesture to Dixie Carter and her show, but their way of handling it certainly suggests a bit more than passive aggression. It does not seem all that implausible that TNA's days could be numbered.

I suppose it could sound as though there is some negativity being expressed here toward TNA. Maybe just a bit. Watching fumble after fumble from this company, I am a bit mystified by its ability to stumble forward. I find it difficult to look away completely, with its almost car crash like cringeworthy embodiment of disaster. The company has shown a lack of ability to properly promote events or talent, it's put together shoddy matches that fail to showcase its' talent roster's talent, and has dropped the ball on so many of its impact players...many of whom Ring of Honor or New Japan have gladly scooped up. The only thing I find more incredible is the way a dedicated segment of TNA viewers just continue to pump their support into the product, at least vocally, while in lockstep, bashing whatever comes on WWE programming. In fact these same wrestling fans seem to take to ROH, looking forward to some synergy on Wednesday nights. I suppose that's a plus, but I just don't get it and feel a need to challenge it. If anything TNA seems like WWE, or at least trying to be, with long drawn out stories and dissatisfying inconclusive match finishes. To me, TNA and ROH have nearly diametrically opposed philosophies on presenting pro wrestling. It is hard for me to imagine someone thrilling to the in ring storytelling presented by those ROH and NJPW stars mentioned above and then taking the 4-5 minute rush jobs on TNA seriously. Sure there are exceptions, but it seems like that is the wrestlers, whom i acknowledge in many cases are very good, getting themselves over in spite of the creative and booking agents' direction, not as a result of it.

Only a few things are certain in the realm of pro wrestling, and I'd assert that here too. One of them is it will be very interesting to tune into Destination America Wednesday nights to see how this rocky relationship starts off. The other is that there will be 'F-ck TNA' chants. I wasn't at the taping, but I almost 100 percent guarantee it. With shows that could on any given episode include excellent wrestlers like Franky Kazarian and Christpher Daniels (as The Addiction), AJ Styles, and Samoa Joe (though his recent signing with WWE may put the kybosh on his tv time), all of which TNA unceremoniously dropped the ball on or undervalued, fans in attendance  of the strong brand's shows will more than likely shout out their show of solidarity. It will be interesting to see if the chants grow louder and more frequent due to shared telivision stage.

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