NJPW: The Story So Far This Year Part 1

Since entering the NJPW World, the streaming service that gives viewers access to the most current live events as well as a storehouse of archival footage from throughout the promotion's 43 year history, I've been meaning to find a way to catch up with recent activity, and hopefully continue to document the course that the premiere wrestling company is chartering into the future.

The January 4 Wrestle Kingdom show is a good jumping off point, as many non-World subscribers are likely to have seen that show broadcast on PPV in the US, or  in other parts of the world on an APP called Flipz. though the operation of the latter was severely hindered by an unprecedented number of customers streaming the event. Others may have watched the event by way of illegal torrenting, another avenue by which the event generated a historic volume of traffic.

When Wrestle Kingdom 9 ended, most of the company's standings remained the same as it had been going into the event. ReDRagon successfully defended their IGWP (International Wrestling Grand Prix) tag team titles in a 4-way match against The Young Bucks, Time Splitters, and Forever Hooligans (the team of Rocky Romero and Alex Koslov, which due to a need for Koslov to take time away, went inactive soon after). Shinsuke Nakamura retained the IWGP intercontinental championship against the hard driving upstart Kota Ibushi, a former IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion with a lot of momentum going for him, in what has been widely considered a very early contender for match of the year. Hiroshi Tanahashi successfully defended the IWGP Heavyweight championship against Kazuchika Okada, a result that surprised many as a win for Okada would help cement him as the top star of the company since Tanahashi is a veteran closer to the end of his reign than the beginning.

Then there were changes. Hiroki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata, a team with a storied past of close alliances and feuds, won the IGWP Heavyweight tag team titles from Bullet Club mainstays Karl Anderson and 'Doc' Gallows after the members of the popular heel faction held onto the belts through a lengthy title run. Fellow Bullet Club member Kenny Omega, flaunting his newly minted "Cleaner" persona, snatched the IWGP Junior heavyweight championship from Ryusuke Taguchi. The Never Openweight title, a championship created by NJPW to showcase new talent unsigned to long term contracts, changed hands as Togi Makabe defeated Tomohiro Ishii, currently a member of the faction CHAOS whose successful run in the company is nearly synonymous with his possession of the Never title.

THE DAY AFTER

The action in Japan did not end there for those with access to NJPW World, as a next day followup show, NEW YEAR DASH, quickly appeared on on the site's live show menu. In a much smaller venue, the event mostly consisted of 6 and 8-man tag team matches, the company's default mode of incorporating its range of talent in in-ring activity to tease and promote major matches on the horizon.

The Junior tag team championship program split in two, with ReDRagon defeating Koslov and Romero, and the combined team of Time Splitters and Taguchi defeating the three cruiserweights of the Bullet Club, The Young Bucks and Kenny "The Cleaner Omega." Justin Thunder Liger, arguably the most recognizable icon of NJPW, defended the NWA World Junior Heavyweight title against Suzuki Gun stable member El Desperado.

In an upset victory, Bullet Club members Bad Luck Fale (Fa-leh) defeated Okada and CHAOS stablemate Toru Yano, with Okada being pinned by the physically imposing Fale in what seemed like a move to send Okada on a downward spiral since his loss in the Wrestle Kingdom main event. The main event combined several of the match-ups from the previous night in an eight man tag team contest with Bullet Club members Aj Styles, Anderson, Gallows and Yujiro Takahashi on one side, and Tanahashi, new heavyweight tag team champions Goto and Shibata, and Tetsuya Naito on the other. AJ Styles, who had won the night before in an impressive match against Naito, scored the pin setting up for him to issue a challenge to Tanahashi for the Heavyweight title. Another notable aspect of the match found the Bullet Club announcing Cody Hall, son of NWO charter member Scott Hall, as the group's new official 'young boy,' a term for the rookies who are in service to a particular group of wrestlers. At first, it would seem an amusing degradation angle might ensue, as Hall appeared in ring gear replicating that of his father in somewhat mocking fashion. But later outings would find the second generation newcomer held in high regard by his sempai peers.

In the most dynamic match and the one with the most interesting fallout, Makabe, Ibushi, and winner of a gauntlet style match that kicked off the NJPW World broadcast of Wrestle Kingdown, Yuji Nagata, faced CHAOS members Ishii, Nakamura, and YOSHI-HASHI. During the match, Ibushi and Nakamura rekindled a generous amount of the heat between them in their title match the night before, and included an unforgettable double jumping stomp by Ibushi onto Nakamura's forehead. The match ended with veteran Nagata defeating the youngest participant in the match and CHAOS' weakest link, YOSHI-HASHI. He would then step up and challenge 'The King of Strongstyle' to a match for his Intercontinental title.

ARRIBA FANTASTICA!

The next event to be streamed on World was an interesting detour that teamed NJPW up with well established Mexican wrestling organization CMLL. In its annual hosting of a series of dates called FANTASTICA MANIA that highlight its lucha libre counterpart, the events featured both inter-promotion matches and bouts that advanced programs between some of the Mexican pro wrestlers. Upon singing up for World, I was enthusiastic about the prospect of catching up on Japanese pro wrestling and not thinking beyond that, yet along comes this great opportunity to get a glimpse into the world of Mexican lucha libre, one that I've rarely looked in upon. Consisting of a tour spanning several days, the offering on World included two dates, January 18 and 19.

The first Fantastic Mania card was of the more modest variety, and among the more interesting matches, the tag team of Kushida of Time Splitters and CMLL luchador Triton faced CMLL heels Okumura and Barbaro Cavernario (rocking a full on stone age neanderthal gimmick). The aftermath of the match found Cavernario antagonizing a CMLL wrestler at ringside, Rey Cometa, setting up for a singles match to occur between the two on night 2.

The Bullet Club took a breather for the most part, but Yujiro Takahashi came out to introduce Mephisto and name him an honorary member. It seemed to be a counterintuitive move, as Mephisto in his full body Batman-esque bodysuit did not come off as cool, or a heel for that matter, considering  how over he was with the crowd. No matter, it didn't seem to have much bearing long term. He would take the victory in a match with fellow CMLL star Stuka, Jr.

Taguchi and Naito would play defacto heels, teaming with CMLL villain La Sombra to defeat Captain New Japan, Mascara Don, and Mascara Dorada (who would appear against La Sombra in a far more impressive singles match outing the next day). Taguchi would play up his goofier comedic side, donning a clunky sphinx mask/headpiece through a good portion of the match and striking a mystifying zen-like pose, forming a circle between thumb and 1 finger on each hand. It was also entertaining to see top stars Tanahashi and CHAOS representatives Okada and Nakamura mix it up on either side of trios teams along with the latest incarnation of Mistico (the former going on to be the former Sin Cara of WWE, before heading back to Mexico to work for AAA as Myzteziz), Stigma, and Polvora. Tanahashi and his masked partners won the match. This night was headlined by a bout between CMLL mainstays Ultimo Guerrero and Atlantis, which Guerrero with much support from the Japanese crowd, won.

Day 2 contained a few highlights for me. First was the singles match between Barbaro Cavernaria and Rey Cometa. Barbara won after a hard-hitting match in which a grudge between the two competitors was convincingly carried out, both in and out of the ring. Another large eight-man tag team match found Tanahashi and Ibushi defeating Nakamura, Okada along with Gran and Ultimo Guerrero. The Guerrero's had a lot of support from the fans here, a true attraction for the lucha fans in attendance.

Last of all, a match that combined the best of the high flying lucha style and compelling storytelling was a bout between La Sombra and Mascara Dorada. La Sombra got the victory after both competitors put on an amazing display of technical skill and unthinkable feats of agility. It's a match well worth seeking out clocking in at just under 20 minutes and it is worth noting that Mascara Dorada has since been signed to NJPW, and is already gunning for a title match against Junior heavyweight champion Kenny Omega.

End part 1. Part 2 will continue with a look at New Japan Road and the beginning of the New Japan Cup.

Week in Mondo: March 1 - March 9 Ring Of Honor 13 Overshadows Wrestlemania Build

One week ago was Ring of Honor’s first Pay Per view event of 2015, their 13^th Anniversary special. It was excellent, featuring a range of match situations: face vs face with emphasis on technical prowess, more heated grudge matches, multi-wrestler matches that often broke down into chaos. Throughout there was a strong emphasis on athletic ability and in-ring storytelling. Whether finishes occurred by straightforward means or by way of cheating, there was a decisive victor to every match. No roll ups off of distractions. Ring of Honor is pretty much the only company with high profile that special need to be ordered via Pay Per View. WWE and New Japan both have streaming services that include access to their major events, and TNA and Lucha Underground do not hold special events. Actually TNA does, it seems, but with hardly any promotion and little bearing on storylines, while all of the significant happenings take place on their regularly scheduled Impact tv show, so what’s the point? It’s a bit of a risky gambit, asking for quite a bit more than fans are growing accustomed to having to pay for an event, but the quality of the wrestling made this show worthwhile. I still maintain, to make the PPV a more desirable expenditure for more fans, they should focus on getting more eyeballs on their product, and that means making the weekly tv shows available to people for free on a timely basis, not one week behind schedule for those who don’t have access to their cable outlet (this includes people living in major cities, such as New York).

An MVP of the show that got my attention was Tommaso Ciampa, who competed in the 4-way main event for the ROH Heavyweight championship. He has a hard hitting style, throwing himself at opponents with high impact and seemingly little regard for his physical well being. Following him on the TV show, I’ve come to be a big fan of his entrance music, “They Are Lost” by Last Remaining Pinnacle. It’s a dark, brooding number that could be from a Spaghetti Western soundtrack or Giallo film, suggesting an approaching storm cloud. His entrance at the last special took presentation a step further, perhaps influenced by Prince Devitt/Finn Balor, as he entered donning a metal mask and hood. It had a bit of a comic book feel to it, but brought some intrigue to setting up the match. It even echoed the appearance of mysterious hip hop artist MF DOOM, who never appears in public without his own stylized Doctor Doom inspired headgear. Thus far, the ‘psycho’ part of the ‘Sicilian Psycho’s persona has been emphasized, with Ciampa flying off the handle and attacking referees and wrestlers to the point of disciplinary actions (in story). I’d like to see a more calculating mental game added to his character, to go with the entrance music and occasional grand entrance, to perhaps make him a big player on the promotion’s main event scene.

A major part of the Ring of Honor pay per view feeling special was the presence of the Bullet Club, which has been a dominant faction of growing popularity in NJPW.  This really feels like a move that is mutually beneficial to both companies, giving ROH an edge and a bit of a cool factor by featuring the BC on their shows, while also sending US wrestling fans to check out NJPW, either on their weekly wrestling program on AXS or y subscribing to their streaming service NJPW World. It also gives Ring of Honor a feel of legitimacy to be involved with talent that is known elsewhere. This is also true in the case of working with Alberto El Patron (formerly Del Rio), who is currently active in Triple A, and as a result, Lucha Underground. It creates a nice buzz of cross promotion for these budding companies, while making more traditional organizations like WWE and TNA seem insulated, less exciting in comparison.

My notes from RAW, perhaps owing to having to follow the excellent ROH show the night before, is that nothing of consequence really happened. John Stewart was there and was entertaining, but that really doesn’t do much for building intrigue about programs for Wrestlemania 31, which is drawing ever closer. What I liked about RAW boiled down to Paul Heyman’s promo. Someone talking. And that talking was even more electric than usual. It is the kind of promo that emphasizes competition over silly storylines and, dare I say, is better suited to a company like ROH or New Japan. But RAW has the gift of this very talented performer who understands the power of straightforward hype by saying ‘my guy is going to kick your guy’s ass’ in convincing fashion. They should try to capitalize by getting other performers to follow suit.

On the flip side there is a main event of Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns, which would be a great draw under other circumstances but was just flat here. That is a terrible waste. Circumstances really matter in making a match soar, not just the wrestlers involved, who quite frankly really did not put a very good match on in the ring. If these two were still a part of the Shield, or had kept apart from each other for a while, it might feel special. Instead, it is a transparent part of a build to Wrestlemania, with us knowing that whatever happens in the match, it really won’t affect what’s ahead for either one.

I find myself seething in rage over the stupidity of the intercontinental championship, where all of these wrestlers suddenly want it so badly they are taking it from each other without actually winning it. I can't get over, either, how some fans on social media seem to be buying into it and actually see it as a raise of the profile of the title. Let’s be real. It is nothing more than an excuse to put a bunch of wrestlers without anything going on in one match on the Wrestlemania Card. That might be a very good match afterall, but it’s no excuse for coming up with such a stupid concept: wrestlers running around and taking a belt from each other, which does not make them any more a champion by holding it. It makes all involved look like buffoons at best, or weaklings at worst (I cringe every time I see a once domineering force like Wade Barrett being directed in storyline to plead for his belt back instead of smashing people in the face with the once mighty Bullhammer finisher. Anyone stealing a belt that they did not win should be fined. The story doesn’t make the belt look any higher in profile, it makes it look like a joke.

A good way to lead up to this match would be to have the numerous players involved fight each other one on one and in tag teams, have GOOD matches that make all involved look strong, not like a bunch of goofs as they are doing with R-Truth for cheap comedy.

This seems indicative of a negative trend in WWE programming at large: make heels look more bumbling than threatening. Looking back at very wrestlers who have had very successful heel runs (Edge, Jake “The Snake”, CM Punk to name a few), were they made to look like idiots on the wrong end of a joke? Maybe occasionally, but not so often. Did all of them have an offensive arsenal that seemed powerful? Yes.

Going back to ROH, the Reddragon vs Young Bucks rematch from last years amazing War of the Worlds show is a great example of heels being both conniving and displaying the prowess to be considered legitimate threats. In their match, they cheated, which good heels should do. But they didn’t win with a roll up and then run away leaving everyone dissatisfied with the match finish. They still had plenty of intense wrestling maneuvers that left fans without question of their ability.

WWE should try making their heel wrestlers both dastardly and impressive in the ring, and not just the wrestlers at the top of the card like Lesnar, Rusev, and Seth Rollins.

NXT had a few shining moments this past week, particularly in the women’s title rematch between Charlotte (Flair) and Sasha Banks. The submission maneuvers involved in this match were incredible, looking extremely painful as Sasha contorted Charlotte’s body in seemingly impossible ways. Both of the wrestlers sold the pain of being put through submission holds as well as anyone on the current main WWE roster, if not better. Lucha Underground, take note: If you really want to push female equality, which Vampyro keeps insisting on commentary that you do, try 1) hiring more female wrestlers, 2) put them in matches against each other of this level of quality, showing their championship is just as valid as the men’s.

It was nice to see Adam Rose’s gimmick going over better back on NXT. I for one thought the heel change would’ve gone well had WWE tried to make him look strong, beating up members of his entourage to display a mean streak. But seeing him do that…and continue to lose was just depressing. Far more entertaining to see him in a smaller setting, having his lively entrances get over with the hipper NXT crowd.

All for now. Do comment, disagreements and smack talk are welcome.

Twitter: @MondocurryMark

A week in wrestling 2.22 - 3.1 MMM (Make Matches Matter)

OK then, the dust has settled from Fastlane. For about a week. I think there was some disappointment about the straight up loss of Bryan and the move forward with Reigns vs Lesnar. But not as much. Perhaps WWE has been plotting a strategic course to get fans accustomed to disappointment and able to rebound more quickly. If so, job well done. As I have mentioned, I am not that opposed to a Reigns vs Lesnar match; it’s definitely a more credible physical competition.  To me, the outcome of the match is more important. Do they force Reigns through the door despite lack of experience and a need to further develop his charisma and in-ring arsenal? Or do they keep Lesnar, the more interesting and dynamic performer, dominant either as an unbeatable heel or a turning face? This would require a Reigns heel turn, which the WWE looks very unlikely to pull the trigger on because they seem to so desperately want to market him as the next big thing. This is ignoring some basic pro wrestling logic of the recent and not so recent past: Heels get over. Look at when Reigns was most over, as a member of the ruthless heel group, The Shield. Making him truly kick ass as a villain will make him ease into the baby face role down the line that much easier.

Of course the decision of who wins is probably largely dependent on Brock Lesnar’s future with WWE, one that is increasingly questionable considering his walk out of a scheduled appearance on the last episode of RAW and a reportedly heated argument with Vince McMahon. The card of Wrestlemania and the future course of the WWE wouldn’t be so frustratingly up in the air if they would get to doing one simple thing well: consistently make both faces and heels appear impressive. One of the key words there is consistently. Had WWE been doing this over the past few years, a Dolph Ziggler or Cesaro or even a Wade Barrett may have been able to step up to the main event plate by now.

RAW had some terribly confusing storytelling when it came to the Randy Orton/Authority story, resulting in an angle that could’ve potentially charged things up coming off as very lackluster. It went something like this…Randy Orton comes out mad as hell at Seth Rollins, telling Steph and Triple H they can take their plan for reconciliation and shove it, and then basically saying, ‘ok, sure, let’s talk.’ And then basically getting back together for a run of the mill tag team match, with tease of Orton going on crazy on Rollins when…We already KNOW he is going to go crazy on Rollins. It wasn’t even a plan on Orton’s part to infiltrate the group and then hit Rollins when his guard was down. It was an illogical way to drag a story out longer, making Orton look lame, when they could’ve easily carried a program between them to Wrestlemania out by having them cut menacing promos and win matches against up and coming talent.

While I love NXT, this week was one in which I found some serious missteps. Better said, there were some good ideas carried out with what I felt was some shoddy execution. It’s a good move bringing in familiar faces like Brian Kendrick (as well as Rhyno last week) to give the new faces some seasoned work style to bounce off of. But having Kendrick suddenly face Finn Balor was a rushed program, and ended up being a wasted match. NXT would’ve been wise to bring Kendrick in for at least 1 match a week earlier, maybe more, to reestablish who he is and what he does. For many younger fans, it would be the first time to meet this character. That would give the audience something to react to, as NXT’s raucous audience has come to be regarded as a huge bright spot on the show. Instead, they mostly sat on their hands, and meanwhile on tv, the match was distracted from by this confrontation being set up by Kevin Owens and Alex Reilly. It was so painfully obvious what was happening, Reilly is not a very natural actor, and at the end, you could see the commentators, who kept going unnaturally silent to make room for this thing to happen, moving to set up for the attack by Owens to happen. I feel that having these shows taped is a tool that NXT should use to its advantage and edit bumps like this out.

NXT is still winning first place for its treatment of female wrestling. Becky Lynch fought Bailey and looked extremely impressive. Meanwhile, Sasha Banks and Flair are set to have a match that is sure to be excellent. Instead of outing them in outlandish in-ring stories, like in Lucha Underground, here they face each other in matches that showcase their skills and tenacity.

Meanwhile, I want to take a few moments to mention how great New Japan Pro Wrestling’s English weekly tv program on AXS. With a retro feel that brings to mind grittier and less flashy days of Saturday afternoon wrestling watching, the show has been introducing a modest cast of characters with backgrounds free of complexity. Though watching old broadcasts of matches on a monitor, the energy brought to the commentary by Mauro Ranallo makes it seem like he is right there with Josh Barnett calling the match in person and seeing it for the first time. It makes a huge difference in selling the action in the ring, which is already very good. The decision to go back to 2013 and show pivotal matches and rivalries has potential to bring the show up to the current day. A nice situation ripe for cross promotion could occur, in which the tv show stays a few months behind the up to date NJPW program. Then, the events shown on  NJPW World or on PPV, which will reportedly be arranged to happen again later in the year, can be promoted even better.

What does NJPW do so well, allowing the company to garner so much praise and support in recent days? A few crucial elements stand in direct contrast to what WWE is doing. One is the way the talent makes the matter of winning or losing seem extremely consequential. Victories are always made to appear hard fought, as though an extreme amount of effort was expended in overcoming the opponent, even when the outcome was none too unpredictable. This speaks to another stark difference in NJPW and WWE booking: New Japan matches end and lose in decisive fashion. Even if there is cheating, and with heel factions like the Bullet Club and Suzuki Gun there almost always is, the matches still have a clear winner and loser. The winner is triumphant, the loser is despondent.

That leads me to a major disappointment with much of the WWE Fastlane special: there were so many matches with endings that were trivial. Roll ups, disqualifications, and basically a bunch of calculated maneuvers that set up rematches at Wrestlemania. Watching Fastlane was almost entirely like an infomercial for the conflicts that might happen at Wrestlemania 31.

Finally, Ring of Honor is sitting on a goldmine of potential greatness, with Alberto El Patron (fka Del Rio) joining their ranks, NJPW’s Bullet Club members AJ Styles and the Young Bucks appearing often, and most recently Samoa Joe signing with them. If Eric Bishoff were booking ROH, we might get Joe and Alberto throwing on Bullet Club t-shirts and joining with the popular team. But it seems more likely the company will realize the potential rivalries that could be developed between the Bullet Club and these recent acquisitions.

I feel that ROH has some serious momentum. But some of its distribution practices are counterintuitive. Its TV product, for example, is not available to me and let’s just say, my being located in a major metropolis, that is a lot of potential viewers not getting to see their show on TV. One can watch episodes on their website, and I often do, but the ones available to the public are from the week before. That means if I were to, say, mention the great match between ACH and Alberto El Patron, I would be talking about something that happened a week earlier. That also means the episode that is supposed to promote tonight’s PPV event will appear online after the event happens(!?).

Content is well protected, rarely if ever appearing on youtube or daily motion. Yet, when Lucha Underground becomes readily available on such sites on a regular basis, it allows many more eyes to be on the show, giving it a buzz and a bigger following than its home station’s limited cable carrier access allows. While Ring of Honor does allow and encourage fans to subscribe to a service that unlocks all episodes of the tv show, I and I’m sure others like me are not drawn in when the viewing platform is just an in-site player. This does not put the company up to speed with services like that of NJPW and WWE, who make PPV events available as well as a huge array of archives and live streaming content. I know ROH is restricted by a limited budget in comparison so I am not suggesting they go into the streaming service game. But lifting the curtain a little and allowing access to the product on a timely weekly basis would no doubt get more people interested in the program, willing to order the PPV’s and do other things to bolster their business.

Twitter: @mondocurrymark

A Few (Chair) Shots on the Current State of Pro Wrestling

Been tough for me to sustain focus on things, so as we roll into a fairly crucial WWE Special Event, that being Fastlane, I’ll throw out some quick (chair) shot reflections on the state of this and that.

The WWE made a quick save when they came up with the Bryan vs Reigns angle to add some question, let reactions to Reigns’ victory cool a bit, and reformulate the Wrestlemania plans. Unfortunately much of the intrigue seems to be unintentional. I cannot make out which behaviors are supposed to be heelish and which ones noble. They both seem kinda jerky in different respects. If I had to lean one way or other, I’d say it leans more toward Bryan being ‘the man’ and Reigns being the ‘bad man.’ Bryan has behaved rather petulantly in past angles; look back at how he spewed tantrum-like at Cena in their angle leading up to the eventual formation of the Authority, and its feud with Bryan. It kinda fits him, though it doesn’t make him feel like a top star. Meanwhile, when you have a wrestler with Roman Reigns’ size advantage, anything he does to antagonize Bryan is going to make him come off as a bit of a bully. When he plays ‘mind games’ (oh brother), for instance signing autographs during Bryans’ match, it makes him look like a lazy bully, and as a result, arrogant, because with his strength, he should take issues on directly. Still, I cringe as I come to the conclusion WWE’s intent is that we see these guys as rivals on equal footing doing clever things to outwit one another as they deliberate over how to put together a good wrestlemania.

Meanwhile, almost everything else on the program in general just feels boring, predictable, and very inconsequential. Wrestlers that felt special and intriguing to watch like Dean Ambrose, Wade Barret, Cesaro, Ziggler, or anyone associated with the Wyatt family are just kinda taking up time and space. Not for lack of talent, but due to an absence of feuds that give them any sense of being impressive or caring. A BIG overhaul is overdue.

Yet NXT shines. Up and coming talent are given a chance to practice and improve. On specials, like the most recent Arrival, those who are developing are near the beginning of the card, those while extremely suspenseful and amazing technically sound matches are put near the main event. The women wrestling on NXT are impassioned and put on wow-filled matches for their skills, and they have you believe they care about the championship they compete for. Sasha Banks carries her newly won belt as though it were a highly coveted prize. Her move set looks as devastating as that of the male wrestlers. Finn Balor and Adrian Neville had a match that balanced careful pacing and awesome high flying spots. The match between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens informed anyone that didn’t already know that these two have an amazing chemistry, and their feud will surely go to incredible places. Their were some obvious shades of the surprising Lesnar vs Cena match at Summerslam, with Owens dominating, but it wasn’t as simple as that. Zayn got in plenty of offense, more than it may have seemed afterwards. That is because of Owens’ expertly played villain routine, hitting one devastating move, the power bomb, over and over again, taking his time between each one, until the referee stopped the match. It was very dramatic and leaves us craving the rematch. But meanwhile, a match between Owens and Balor is another very exciting program to behold.

I really think there should be an NXT match at Wrestlemania. They have earned a big spot like that. It doesn’t have to be their best work or one with any crucial circumstances, but a chance for the champion of the moment, presumably Owens to go out there with another NXT wrestler and showcase their skills on that huge platform is well deserved and would be an exciting moment on the card.

NXT is right up there with New Japan Pro Wrestling, in my opinion, though it lacks the latter company’s history of course. That and New Japan blurs the lines between matches being predetermined and extremely competitive. They are so physically intense, suspense of disbelief is easy. The New Japan World service has been amazing in the opportunity it has created the possibility for immersing oneself in the buildup to the incredible rivalries happening now. I hope to spend more time here detailing this. There is so much incredible in ring work from up and coming talent, not to mention those who have arrived. You can watch Finn Balor go at it with other high flying technicians when he was Prince Devitt in the Bullet Club. You can see Prince Puma of Lucha Underground in matches as is usual persona, Ricochet. I have not left the general 2012-2014 time period left, still eagerly devouring whatever I can of current conflicts between Tanahashi, Shinsuke, Ishii, Shibata, Nagata to name a few.

I wonder if a guy like Kenny Omega, now in the Bullet Club doing a smarmy heel gimmick and currently holding the IWGP Junior Heavyweight championship, would follow in Devitt/Balor’s footsteps and join the ranks of NXT? He would certainly make a good addition, showing rather cartoonish personality and wild levels of agility.

Ring of Honor has been holding a pretty steady course. It was pretty shocking seeing the Bullet Club (AJ Styles and The Young Bucks) as the actual Bullet Club appearing in a six man tag team match, which appears on the tv episode streaming on their website now. This is very smart cross promotion. It will turn heads in the direction of New Japan World and make Bullet Club fans aware of Ring of Honor. My problems keeping up with them is availability and cost. Said tv broadcast is apparently a week old; it originally aired on actual tv, somewhere…not in New York, but…somewhere. Accessing the latest tv episodes for a fee seems unreasonable, when it’s not much in the production department. I’d be more up for the PPV events but to be honest, the value is not in keeping up with the curve with NJPW and WWE’s specials being available as part of their streaming services. If ROH made their tv shows more readily available, including the back catalogues, I and perhaps others would be more willing to shell out for the PPV’s. I think they’d gain in the long run. If they got their own streaming subscription going with PPV events and access to past shows, even better.

Lucha Underground is fun but is in need of specials to make big matches feel like something with a proper build that is set apart from the norm. It’s young though so maybe they are planning to work on this. The more classically lucha libre masked luchadors like King Cuerno, Pentagon Jr., and Mil Muertes are a joy to watch. The overly produced storylines take me out of the moment at times. The insistence on having women wrestling men isn’t having the desired effect on me. NXT has got the right idea: put women against women in highly competitive matches emphasizing their talent. What Lucha Underground has done so far, especially on the latest episode, has been more condescending than anything. It’s more like patting females on the head saying ‘hey, look you really can do anything by putting Sexy Star in a match with odds ridiculously against her and having her win in incredulous fashion. It is good on the other hand to see aspects of Triple A crossing over into Lucha Underground with Alberto El Patron, formerly Del Rio, and Texano taking their feud from the Mexican promotion into this show.

TNA still sucks and Samoa Joe will surely face a brighter future by leaving. It is exciting to think of where he may land, with my money being on ROH where a reunion with some of his peers could go down and there is plenty of opportunity for him to enter the New Japan scene by proxy.

Twitter: @mondocurry

A Delayed RAW Reaction

Last Monday's RAW left plenty to chew on; a big sinewy slab of spiced jerky loaded with questions about the future course of Wrestlemania season, the influence of the audience, and the stranger intertwining dance of Kayfabe and behind the scenes. Here are a few quick reaction shots, mostly positive, especially compared to the initial bummer of the Royal Rumble itself.

I felt that overall the gears set into motion in the opening talk segment was the best possible plan to set in motion outside of going back in time and redoing the Royal Rumble match with much better booking. Again I'll point out that this would not necessarily mean taking away Reigns' victory, but doing it in a way that made him and his peers look much stronger would've diminished quite a bit of the sourness afterwards. While the segment probably under delivered in terms of Triple H promising his announcement would be of earthshaking proportions, anyone expecting something other than a main event shakeup and a Fastlane match announcement had a serious case of unrealistic expectations. I love the idea that Reigns' spot is in question. Whether he is the man that headlines Wrestlemania against Brock Lesnar or not, the planting of a seed of doubt was a great move in my book for a number of reasons.

1 Even if the WWE has zero intentions of changing the Wrestlemania 31 main event, the fact that there is storyline questionability is a nice nod to realities that are all too present to anyone looking. Reigns is not 100% over with the fans and he does not have the experience to qualify him as the best competitor for the position. There have been some grumblings about the lack of consequence of the Royal Rumble event, since the results did not give what was promised. I feel that the excitement of the current story far outweighs this issue, especially in a kayfabe world of dishonest heel authority figures.

2 This story will do a much better job getting Reigns over...if the WWE decides to go that route...than just having him destroy one opponent after the next. One of the biggest causes of the Royal Rumble outrage was ongoing perception of him as someone unflaggingly chosen by WWE to be in the top spot.  His antiauthority image was completely shattered. Sure, Triple H and Stephanie could continue to cast shade on him as The Authority, but that would just fall under routine Heel/Babyface interaction. Making his spot seem vulnerable to being taken by Daniel Bryan puts his position far more into question and gives him a chance to come from underneath to get his shot back.

3 This angle has got people thinking different things. Ideally this would be the result of clever creative direction. In fact, some of it could be the fruit of fumbling the ball. Either way, a bit of confusion is better than everything being spoiled out in so much obviousness. Listening to Review-a-Raw on LAW Radio, John Pollock and Wai Ting saw hints of Bryan Daniel heel-like behavior by way of manipulating Reigns into putting his spot up for grabs. I didn't perceive Bryan as anything but a fighting contender facing any challenge that could put him in line for the WWE championship belt. Reigns, on the other hand felt like a renegade face at times, but at others, seemed a bit sulky, as though he was in the throes of an anger-induced heel change. Is that good booking or another sign of Reigns' ineptitude at conveying emotion properly? Such a question makes the question of his making it to the main event of Wrestlemania even more deserving of a question mark...?

4 In a wrestling program, the ideal of programming that is live from week to week is the chance for things to change suddenly. It's a much more accurate reflection of what a genuine athletic competition would be like, and is one of the major advantages that WWE has over its rivals (aside from money, name value, etc). You don't want to feel like a show is just blowing in the wind, changing every week at the whim of what audiences want, or what an insane writer a la Russo feels like doing. A balance between strong skeletal planning and a willingness to adjust to audience reactions is ideal. So this notion that WWE is listening and will alter its course in reaction to the voice of fans is refreshing, even though better anticipation of things beforehand is preferable.

5 Many interesting possibilities for what comes next popped into my mind, which I'll get into here.

First, Reigns may face Lesnar as the young up and coming baby face against the conquering heel champion Brock Lesnar.

OR Reigns could go up against Lesnar as a mega HEEL, and what better way to turn Reigns heel than have him pull some dastardly shit against fan favorite Daniel Bryan? He would seem like a humongous jerk doing something villainous when he already has a clear size advantage against Bryan. Plus, he would have a perfectly legit reason to turn his back on fans, as they have essentially put him in the compromised situation he is in now. Lashing out against fans whom he tried to please and as a result nearly lost his main event spot at Wrestlemania would have that perfect coloring of reality to it. Lesnar could be a successful baby face and this would allow it to happen with Heyman at his side. I've seen suggestions that Heyman betray Lesnar and that makes for an alliance between him and a heel Roman Reigns, but I'd rather see Heyman turn along with Lesnar. The two have great chemistry and Heyman turning on Lesnar reallt doesn't make as much sense to me.

OR have Bryan defeat Reigns and go on to face Lesnar. This is what the fans seem to want the most. You build an interesting story of Bryan beginning a NEW Mania streak: that of being in the main event (and winning??). It could easily be set up by having Rollins interfere at Fastlane, since it would be returning the favor against Reigns. While it would be FAR from ideal to send Bryan to Wrestlemania off a tainted win, it would make for a great addition to the undercard of Rollins vs Reigns.

A lot of this depends on other factors: Does Lesnar renew his contract with WWE, thus increasing his value as a baby face, or is he bound for UFC, in which case WWE might as well put him down? Is Rollins locked into a program with a returning Randy Orton? Does WWE have nearly enough confidence in having Bryan run with the ball again? I must admit that while a Lesnar vs Bryan match excited me most out of all possible combinations at first, seeing him face Rollins on RAW and reflecting on the Rumble has me questioning the ability to convincingly present the physicality of him taking on someone the size of Brock Lesnar.

Other notes...The Stone Cold podcast with Triple H afterwards was a great addition, presenting a seemingly valid perspective on just how much WWE values audience reaction, even if their moves seem contrary a lot of the time. Triple H had me convinced, though I know there is plenty of diplomatic slickness to his talk, that it is a company in the process of figuring out how to deal with a climate in which the audience knows a LOT about the machine behind the product.

Bray Wyatt's dominating win over Ziggler and his promo suggests a strong liklihood of a match with Undertaker at Wrestlemania. This is an exciting prospect. While the streak may be over, the Undertaker can still be compelling, and win or lose, Bray still stands a chance of a major push forward coming out of such a program.

Last, I pose a question to you:. Did you see Paul Heyman's quasi-real 'breaking news' style segment talking about the Brian Williams debacle? What did you think? Hit the comments section with your reply!

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