NJPW G1 Climax 2015 Final Thoughts and Where They Go From Here

With the dust settled and many words spilled, it is time for one last consideration of this year’s G1 Climax tournament. An introduction to the concept and the happenings throughout have been well documented throughout these pages.

Here is a quick rundown of some takeaways:

Different from last year: The biggest difference for the G1 since its last incarnation was the format of having more shows, an undercard of non-tournament matches with the wrestlers in tournament matches on the following show, and less wrestlers in the tournament. I’ll speak a bit about each of these features.

The larger amount of shows did get to be a bit overwhelming, but with it was entirely possible to follow the entire tournament without watching the undercard matches. So, 5 matches per show is a pretty manageable amount of action to follow. There was plenty of good stuff within the undercard matches, though, so they are welcome for those with time to catch them. Their main purpose was to foreshadow who would be fighting on the next night’s show, and often featured some heated interactions between those wrestlers. The Junior Heavyweight talent and up and comers like Sho Tanaka and Ryohei Komatsu also had a chance to hone their skills. Watching their development is fun, if one has the time.

Especially on the last few shows, the undercard matches featured some great interactions between the members of CHAOS and the Bullet Club, and KUSHIDA being in action is always a good thing.

The reduced number of competitors would be due largely to the Suzuki-Gun faction being off working in the smaller promotion NOAH. I find the absence of the faction, in general, to not be a detractor. While certain talents would have been welcome, something I’ll discuss further in a bit, The removal of one of the factions made things feel more focus. You have CHAOS, the cool and somewhat lawless faction, the ruthless Bullet Club, and the NJPW wrestlers who represent the company itself. Another ruthless group like Suzuki-Gun in the mix would be redundant. With less people in the tournament, and a mere 5 tournament matches per show, it was easier to follow the smaller stories of each participant.

Another major change was the arrival of the NJPW World streaming platform, well in time for all of the G1 to be broadcast. While on one hand this is a total win – no scrambling to catch up on video upload sites like Daily Motion, which may or may not be updated on time by those saintly figures who took up the cause of getting the shows on there; and no paying the exorbitant price of buying each show on a legitimate provider. Plus with World in effect, the company’s efforts just seem to be at another level, production aiming to impress the international audience. Most of the time. Perhaps it’s inevitable, I can’t say I understand the logistics, but a good number of shows were broadcast with only a single wide shot camera angle in use and the absence of commentary. Sometimes, the camera work was top notch but commentary was not there. In the case of commentary, it truly heightens the emotional story being told in the ring but its absence didn’t hurt too much. The one camera angle really takes me out of the matches, though. The same goes for house shows leading up to a major event; I’m getting to a point of wanting to just skip those. They force you to miss so many important details like the wrestlers’ expressions. And if you find yourself watching on a small screen like say a mobile device, you cam barely make out who is wrestling or what is happening in the ring. NJPW seemed to mitigate the situation by reserving these shows for less important matches. But that’s the thing, even though some matches will be bigger than others by nature, attention shouldn’t be drawn to it. Every match should have potential to be a surprise blow out epic proportions. I hope then that the means can be found to present each G1 show with a variety of cameras in place.

As far as who was involved in this year’s tournament, a lot felt the same as last year but that is a nice feature of NJPW: getting to know this fairly consistently booked talent roster. Ibushi being in this year gave great exposure to his unique dynamic wrestling style. Michael Elgin’s well-documented success story was also fantastic. For someone with a lot of baggage attached due to whatever has happened along the way of his Ring of Honor career, he successfully jettisoned it and did an amazing job playing small but tough, relentless powerhouse. He showed respect to a lot of the talent he wrestled against, shaking hands with Yuji Nagata and Hiroki Goto, who he will wrestle again at ROH’s Field of Honor event in Brooklyn. Tomoaki Honma returning and getting that fantastic win against Tomohiro Ishii was an amazing moment to witness. Still he did not achieve that momentum level as last year; it is time for him to get more wins and serious singles programs with others on the card.

What I did not miss about Suzuki-Gun being included is how their matches became a routine of having outside interference from TAICHI or Taka Michinoku, and also having the sense that there are just more guys whose stories did not matter much. I thought Davey Boy Smith did an excellent job last year but his being in a tag team made his matches seem a lot less important. Shelton Benjamin is a fast working wrestler who also grabbed my attention in last year’s tournament, but did not seem like a big deal. If it was just Minoru Suzuki coming in, I guess that would be welcome. His career carries the weight of wrestlers like Hiroki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata and even if he was not expected to win, one could suspend disbelief while watching his matches.

Something that didn’t sit that well was standout talent who seem poised at the next wave of big stars in the promotion, Kota Ibushi, Katsuyori Shibata, and Tetsuya Naito had some amazing key wins but later in the tournament started taking losses to wrestlers of either lesser importance, like Doc Gallows, or veterans who are clearly less capable than they used to be, like Hiroyoshi Tenzan. I would consider, though, that perhaps there is a conscious effort in effect to make everyone in the tournament look a bit more on the same level as one another, and in a positive way. Certainly there are big discrepancies of point totals, like when you compare Honma and Okada. Or even if you compare Nagata and Kojima’s points with current main eventers Shinsuke Nakamura and Goto. I guess this occurred more in the A Block where a lot of guys taken less seriously, such as Toru Yano and Gallows, competed. This is not necessarily bad. Those wit remarkable performances will be remembered for being remarkable. Shibata, Naito, and Ibushi still have the potential to break out between now and Wrestle Kingdom in January. Meanwhile, where WWE has a tendency to make its wrestlers look bad, here NJPW seems to be making an effort to ensure everyone in this picture poses some level of threat. Yano has his sneakiness, Takashi  Yujiro has his cheating, Gallows got a bit more stock as a domineering monster (particularly in his match against Shibata), and Tenzan, Kojima, and Nagata have their experience and determination.

The story told overall was an elegant one that, if you listen to some more insightful heads in and around the wrestling business, was a no brainer booking job. Hiroshi Tanahashi climbed to the top of the A Block, closely rivaled by former IWGP Heavyweight champion AJ Styles. In the B Block, current champion Okada Kazuchika dominated his section of the tournament, with former Intercontinental champion and CHAOS cohort Shinsuke Nakamura rising from the pack of other contestants to challenge him. Nakamura won in a reversal of their match in last year’s G1 Finals. Tanahashi and Nakamura, long time rivals, would battle in the finals for the right to challenge for the title at the landmark show Wrestle Kingdom 10. In an extremely long, hard fought battle, Tanahashi emerged victorious. Now Tanahashi can challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight title, a belt he lost to AJ Styles earlier this year. But the man he will challenge is Kazuchika Okada. His opponent, whom he triumphed over at last year’s Wrestle Kingdom. Many called for AJ and/or Nakamura to be in the finals, many of whom expected Nakamura to win. I think Tanahashi is being seen as the old guard, John Cena-type figure that some have grown tired with. Don’t look for any indication of that in the arenas where they have been performing, though, as fans have been visibly thrilled by each Tanahashi win. Nakamura represents the future to them, or they just think he is cooler. But the way things went down tells the simplest and strongest story. Tanahashi challenges for the title and to prove he is not finished being at the top quite yet. While Okada holds the title, he could not get the job done defeating Tanahashi on the grandest scale of Wrestle Kingdom last year. The end of that emotional match saw him looking up at his senior. This match is a chance for him to correct that and truly stand as the top wrestler in the company. There is time for Nakamura yet.

This vision became clear when some magazine cover was making the rounds online, showing Tanahashi, Okada, and Nakamura standing as what looked clearly like the top 3 wrestlers in the promotion. Add to that AJ Styles, the newcomer and someone from outside of Japan, which might give him slightly less public standing outside of pro wrestling. With Tanahashi and Okada’s story ready to go another round, that might leave a match between Styles and Nakamura as a natural number two. There has been no conflict between the two yet and no clear direction has been marked for them yet, or the rest of the Bullet Club for that matter. This could easily be their next chapter. If Styles got his hands on the Intercontinental Championship from Hiroki Goto, and some upcoming special shows leave the opportunity for that to happen, that may add easy stakes to a battle between Styles and Nakamura.

Despite a few reservations, the G1 Climax was an awesome month long spectacle with many improvements from the last year, which served to set up the next gigantic Wrestle Kingdom show.

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

Let's discuss! Leave your comments, questions, disagreements, threats in the box below
 
  

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.

twitter: @mondocurrymark

NXT Toki エネクスチ時 1: April 8, 2015

Thinking about what to do and came to the conclusion: why not recap and comment on episodes of NXT? I wanted to keep things more open and free from structure, to just riff on what got my attention in the wrestling world from week to week. But a couple things have removed other wrestling promotions from the conversation, in a sense.

1)   TNA. I’m just done. I thought there was some excitement when Impact was still on SPIKE and the possibility of it closing its doors was looming. How would the company prove its relevance? And then, when it moved to far less widely known station, Destination America, but with a larger presence there, the question became ‘how would it reinvent itself?’ The answers soon became evident: Not really making much effort to do either. Same silly stories, same rushed pace, same, or perhaps more, investment in goofy promotional campaigns, like ‘superlatives’ that seem like it’s about some generic reality tv project, not pro wrestling. Furthermore,  very few compelling matches and misuse of talent, making the top guy someone who is was past his prime and should be giving the shine to up and coming talent. While I’d be glad to hear about any exciting developments that may happen in Dixieland, I don’t plan to watch or chronicle here for the time being.

2)   Ring Of Honor: Actually, this is a great wrestling promotion, despite whatever may be holding it back from growing. I’m sure I’ll be speaking about it here and there, especially considering its connection with New Japan Pro Wrestling, a relationship that gives both promotions a sense of worldliness and vitality. However, with the mystifying policy of making viewers that don’t have access to it on television pay to see the most up to date episodes of its tv show, which I’m not sure owes more to ROH or its parent company the Sinclair Broadcast Group, reviewing it from week to week seems pointless. Especially when you can live in New York City and its surroundings, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and many parts of California, have cable, and still not receive it.

3)  Lucha Underground has a unique program, but it may be going on hiatus. Besides that, while I enjoy a lot of the show, I can’t help but feel it is a product that exists in a bit of a bubble. There are familiar faces, though many of them are of the past or lacking relevance. Still, after several months I am not a big fan of the overproduced feel, and I liken it to watching a wrestling show within a fictional drama. It is very cool to watch the luchadores from Mexico, but I get a sense that what those stars are doing in heavily affiliated Mexican promotion AAA holds far more weight. I am sure I will give some mentions to some of the more remarkable talent and angles, but I cannot see myself devoting too much time to watching anymore or documenting, with NJPW proving to be so captivating.

4)   And finally, there is WWE. With a presence as major as that of WWE, I am not going to feign disinterest. In many ways, it is the trendsetter. And the path to Wrestlemania, as well as the event itself, held a LOT of intrigue. However, having come down from the huge party, some realizations came into focus. I am a HUGE fan of Brock Lesnar and was looking to his new contract with WWE to mean more involvement. He is still going to be a ghost most of the time. That could be fine, it means when he is in the picture it is more exciting and not played out. But it leaves you to face the rest of what WWE is offering up on its weekly RAW and SMACKDOWN programs, which isn’t much. Storylines and match outcomes are pretty much maintaining the status quo. A mark has been made in terms of new talent coming in from NXT. This improves match quality, so I feel I can keep an eye on RAW and SMACKDOWN for the occasional good match. Beyond that, I’ll probably report on the specials and give the following of RAW and SMACKDOWN a bit of a rest.

So here we are back with NXT, giving a solid hour of wrestling every week to those with the WWE Network, Hulu Plus, as well as those who know how to find their way around the internet. It finds itself in the unique position of being owned, without casting any illusions to the contrary, by WWE,  but growing in stature. Triple H and many of the wrestlers on the roster have made a point of saying, “it is a brand in itself.” So going with that notion, and considering it is home to two key figures in recent Japanese wrestling history in Finn Balor (former Bullet Club member and IWGP Junior heavyweight champion Prince Devitt, and Hideo Itami, who has achieved legendary status wrestling under his real name Kenta Kobayashi in the organizations NOAH and All Japan Pro Wrestling. So let’s start taking a close look at the week to week of NXT, with this especially apropos episode focusing on Itami’s path to his first Wrestlemania.

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The show begins with a look at the buzz of activity among fans and performers, and then the scheduled NXT tournament at AXXESS Wrestlemania, an annual event giving fans the chance to interact with WWE talent held days before Wrestlemania. We are reminded that the tournament winner would go on to participate in the Andre ‘The Giant’ Memorial Battle Royale taking place in the preshow right before Wrestlemania proper began. Highlights of first round matches are shown, in which Finn Balor defeated Baron Corbinn with a surprise rollup, Tyler Breeze beat Bull Dempsey with the Beauty Shoct, Hideo Itami won his match against Jason Jordan with his Shotgun Kick, and Adrian Neville defeated Kalisto with his Red Arrow splash from the top turnbuckle.

The show picks up from here showing the remaining matches in the tournament.

Hideo Itami Vs Adrian Neville

The match: Itami attempted some roundhouse kick's which Neville backed away from. Neville grounded Itami forcing him into a wristlock Wich Itami was able to reverse a few moments later. Hideo hit a big roundhouse kick that sent Neville to the corner to regroup. Itami landed a stiff penalty kick to a seated Neville, and then clotheslined him to the outside. Neville regained control after not giving a clean break in the corner. He hit a snap suplex on Hideo. Hideothen hit an interesting tornado DDT that snapped Neville’s head onto the top row.

Hideo lifted Neville into a GTS position but he escaped to the corner and hit a huge super kick leading to a near fall on Itami. Hideo would pick up the win with his Shotgun Kick, a running dropkick off the ropes with one foot making impact, and the pin. Hideo showed off a much bigger variety of moves then he usually does on the weekly NXT program filmed in the WWE Performance Center. Perhaps being in front of a big crowd charged him up.

Finn Balor vs Tyler Breeze

Before the match: Balor is shown coming to the ring as Tyler breeze looks himself over on his cell phone cam, propped up on a turnbuckle.

The match: Balor mocks Tyler breeze by lying down across the top turnbuckle to pose. At one point, Breeze missed a splash in the corner and Balor kicked him in the chest, sending ‘Prince Pretty’ a few feet into the air. Balor reverses a sunset flip into a huge dropkick to Breeze’s chin.

Balor hits his massive running dropkick that sends Breeze into the corner and then finishes him off with the coup de grace, a double foot stomp off the top turnbuckle, for the win.

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A promo for Dana Brooke is shown, and she will be on an NXT the following week. With Charlotte’s move to the main WWE roster seeming closer and closer, Brooke looks to be ready to fill a top babyface position among the NXT women’s wrestlers. I can see her moving quickly through the ranks to set up as challenger to Sasha Banks at the next NXT special.

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Hideo Itami vs Finn Balor

Before the match: Itami comes in first. Balor is next, without facepaint, but is still making a more theatrical entrance than before his match with Breeze.

During the match: Both wrestlers engage in a quick series of armbar reversals until Hideo takes Balor down with a single leg takedown. Balor hits a big dropkick to Hideo as Itami runs off the ropes. Itami tries the same spinning tornado DDT as in his match with Neville, but Balor rotates Hideo back onto the turnbuckle and hits a big enzuguri.

Itami takes Balor down with a combination of strikes and kicks, but Balor and Itami then both manage to hit pele kicks to drop one another to the mat at the same time. Balor hits his big running dropkick knocking to Itami into a corner. He goes to the top rope but Hideo crotches him, sets up the GTS, but is countered with a roll up. Hideo comes out of the corner with the shotgun kick and pins Balor for the victory.

After the match: Hideo points toward the Wrestlemania sign above the bleachers. He and Balor shake hands and embrace in the ring, still no tease of a feud between these two. It should be noted that this is the second tournament in which the two friends have competed against one another. They now hold one victory each

With the winner of the tournament revealed, for anyone who had not already followed the course of events Wrestlemania weekend, the show shifted gears to focus on Hideo’s journey from signing a contract with the WWE til now. Clips are shown from the press conference in Japan where Hideo, then Kenta, signs the contract, followed by Kenta speaking in front of fans with Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart.

Clips are shown of Triple H and Daniel Bryan speaking about Itami. Bryan focuses on the strength of Itami’s kicks.

Itami is shown backstage after his Axxess win, taking pictures with Triple H, as well as Hall of Fame inductee Tatsumi Fujinami. 

We are then taken to the San Jose University arena where the Friday night live NXT event would be held. Itami is seen taking in the empty arena with his children. Clips from Itami’s match that night with Tyler Breeze are shown, including when he hits the GTS to a huge audience reaction. Clips of more superstars speaking about Itami are shown, including Hogan pointing out that Itami is the originator of the move.

Next, Itami’s limousine ride to Levi stadium on the way to Wrestlemania is shown. Itami is shown early in the day walking around the vast arena and taking photos. Next, cameras zoom in on Itami as the battle royale is in progress. He is shown delivering a series of kicks to Bo Dallas before eliminating him. We are then shown Itami’s elimination at the hands of The Big Show, who delivers a big knock out punch to Itami on the ring apron. Itami is shown walking to the back as fans audibly chant his name. In the backstage area he is congratulated for being in that event by numerous superstars on both the WWE and a next your roster.

What could have appeared like an insignificant appearance was framed as a triumphant success story. It makes it seem as though a lot is being invested in Itami, and he has a bright future ahead of him in the WWE. He has the move set of a crossover fighter with a martial arts and professional wrestling background, and the size to play the underdog that rises to the challenge of more physically intimidating opponents. Perhaps we are building to a Wrestlemania 32 match in 2016 pitting Hideo Itami against The Big Show in a singles match?

Comments and questions welcome in the box below.

Twitter: @mondocurryMARK

WrestleMania Rewrite: A Plan part 1

OK, let’s say you’re me. A week ago you are hit with a vision, an epiphany of how to rescue Wrestlemania from potential disappointment and audience uproar, or worse yet mediocrity. It occurs to you how to take the unknown variables, namely Lesnar’s future with the WWE, and nullify them and still have an exciting future ahead. The angles and segments just unspool on and on in your mind. What do you do, bearing in mind that you are less than nobody in the wrestling world.

One thought is to hit up one of a few figures in the wrestling world who have connections to people in the WWE past and present, whose voices you know from podcasts and twitter, and who seem…approachable enough. And then it occurs to you, they would listen to you or click on the link you send them because…?

Another thought is to throw the idea out there. If people look at it, great, if people don’t, whatever. But then you start wondering, what if it is a great idea, and what if having it out there disqualifies it from coming to fruition when just maybe WWE had similar plans in mind, or would’ve listened if you’d somehow gotten the idea to them on the sly…?

So the most logical thought ends up being suppress it, cast it aside, just enjoy the show, after all, they’re the professionals over at WWE headquarters in Stamford, who are you anyway? Except…you have a big ego…and you just know the idea makes sense…

So, with just a little time on the clock before we are live at Wrestlemania, here’s an idea. Make of it what you will. What I find incredible is, as each week goes by, including right now, minutes before the ‘go home show’ RAW, it is entirely possible to do without changing anything, at least anything that’s happened in public.

So without further ado…

This is where the idea occurred: Watching Ring of Honor tv, seeing a Bullet Club angle and noticing damn, in Japan and here, people love this. If only WWE had a thing going like this. Then realizing, hey they just did. It was called The Shield. Guys dressed in all black, with an edge, dominant. I do not think it’s too much of a stretch to suggest The Shield has led to some of the Bullet Club popularity. Nor do I think it much of a gamble that the buzz around the Bullet Club would make The Shield an entertaining and profitable presence in WWE’s current state.

But darnit, The Shield imploded! Went in different directions, made threats, had heated feuds. There’s no turning back now. We all know in wrestling, enemies don’t become friends, groups torn apart don’t reform right? NO!! Wrestling is legendary for reversals of just this sort. Why not do it now?

But doing things just for the sake of doing them? That doesn’t make sense. Except, here are a few situations that a return of The Shield standing triumphant at the end of Wrestlemania that stand to gain a lot:

Whether Lesnar resigns with the WWE or not, it would be possible to write him out of the picture for a little while, or a long while if contract agreements could not be reached, and work around an entirely new focus.

It would make it possible for Roman Reigns to maintain babyface status and a victory with more credibility, since a lot of WWE fans are vocal about not accepting him as the winner on his own. It would make sense if Reigns were able to get by with a little help from his friends, or business associates as it were. And even if fans didn’t want to cheer Reigns, they would more than likely be excited about the untarnished Shield brand. Then again, if fans were pissed off, you have the reformation of a once and potentially future heel faction at the top of the card.

Reigns isn't the only member of The Shield to not be in the midst of a stellar take off. Dean Ambrose is also hurting for direction. He was made to look strong, then something of an oaf who defeats himself with a flat screen television, then a bully who gives into macho male bullshit stereotypes and taunts a psychiatrist by accusing him of ‘peeing sitting down,’ gets disqualified in the middle of an intercontinental title match and then just steals the belt. And the latest is these antics have put him squarely in the middle of the shuffle of guys involved in this SEVEN man intercontinental title match, with Daniel Bryan and Dolph Zigglers way ahead of him in perceived importance among the match’s entrants.

So, here we go. Let’s get The Shield standing together at the climax of Wrestlemania. At least, in my mind…

Stay tuned for Part 2, THE PLAN.

Twitter: @MondoCurryMARK