Now that I’ve set it up, let’s get into the mechanics of
writing an amazing Wrestlemania, mine at least (and yours). Even as the last
RAW before Wrestlemania its airwaves. It’s OK. There’s really not much WWE has
to do tonight. Bookers and writers fishing for ideas need only do 1 thing
tonight and if that’s not enough notice, do it within the next few days:
Somehow the match between Sting and Triple H gets an added
stipulation that if Sting wins, the Authority cannot exercise any direct
influence on wrestlers on the show, with no way of reversing the decision. Nobody
can bring back The Authority. Not Cena, not Randy Orton, Not Sting himself. The
counter stipulation is that Sting be banished from the WWE with no chance of
returning.
NOW, let’s fast forward to Wrestlemania:
During the intercontinental championship multi-person match,
which would presumably be first on the card, the match boils down to a
confrontation between Wade Barrett and one other opponent: It could be Daniel
Bryan or Dean Ambrose, or even Dolph Ziggler. In some ways, Ambrose would be
ideal, but considering his fall from prominence, one of the other two would
also be ok. Whichever WWE would want to go with, he is ready to take out Barret
when suddenly, Sheamus makes a surprise entrance. He teases attacking Barrett,
but then turns and hits Ambrose or Bryan or Ziggler with the Brogue Kick. Wade Barrett
makes the pin and leaves with the IC title retained as Sheamus inscrutably
makes his own way to the back.
Now, throughout the show, there would be several vignettes
with Triple H freaking out about the need to eliminate Sting from the match. He
is going ballistic sending Authority members to scour the building for Sting.
They can be shown finding decoy Sting’s, laying them out and then realizing
they’ve been mislead as the real Sting lurks in the shadows.
Meanwhile, Seth Rollins is losing his cool over his own
upcoming match with Randy Orton, which should occur some time in the middle of
the show. He is counting on The Authority’s support and wants to get on the
same page but they are busy chasing Sting.
The match comes and Rollins shows up to face Orton on his
own. Orton and Rollins have a very competitive match that ends with Orton
getting the victory. Rollins leaves, beaten up pretty bad, but visibly
expressing disgust with the lack of support from J & J Security and the
like.
Fast forward: Sting defeats Triple H, signaling an apparent
end to Hunter and Stephanie’s reign of influence by way of The Shield.
At some point before the main event, Rollins is shown
storming around backstage, stopping a few people and demanding to know where
Dean Ambrose. And a bit later, he finds Ambrose, follows him shouting after him
to wait. Ambrose stops and turns to yell at Rollins. The two begin brawling and
shouting at each other in a confrontation that spills off behind a closed door.
The audience is left to wonder what is happening.
Although not necessary, it would help make some of the ideas
I have about the aftermath go down if Cena beats Rusev in their confrontation
and Cena leaves Wrestlemania as the US Champion.
And now for the main event: Reigns and Lesnar begin their
match with Reigns mostly dominant throughout. As the match goes on, Reigns seems to be badly
hurt and having trouble getting to his feet. Suddenly Rollins appears at
ringside with the Money In the Bank briefcase. Brock jumps up on the ropes
threatening Rollins and telling him to leave. Rollins teases a cash in, then prowls
around ringside giving Reigns a chance to regain some momentum. After a bit,
Ambrose appears and at first engages Rollins in an argument. Lesnar is
distracted and heads over to rid both of them from the ring. Essentially, chaos
ensues, Heyman has a fit as the match unravels and Lesnar ends up on the
receiving end of offense from all three Shield members. In the ring, Reigns
hits a spear and captures the Heavyweight Championship belt. All three members
of the Shield face off in the middle of the ring, then slowly raise their fists
toward one another in the center of the ring. The Shield stands united as
Wrestlemania draws to a close…to cheers? Boos? A mix of both? No matter, the
title belongs to Reigns and there is a HUGE buzz of intrigue as Wrestlemania
goes off the air.
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…
Regardless of how prominence, which is very very little, I
maintain the course of not running a strictly review what have you by whatever
company no matter what sort of site. So when it comes to WWE, if things are not
compelling in a good way or bad way, I’d just as soon forego mentioning it at
all. Therefore, I don’t plan on running through all the matches at Wrestlemania
and giving my take on them when the build is so lackluster. No need to dwell on
it. Let’s hope next year there is a better planned out more exciting lead up to
what is widely regarded as the biggest pro wrestling event of the year.
I will get a bit more into the scenario around the ever-frustrating
main event, though, which continues to maintain a hint of intrigue but for the
most part has led many fans who’d been holding on to hopes of a shake up to
shrug in indifference.
Week in, week out, Paul Heyman has been the shining light of
excitement on RAW giving a burst of illumination to an otherwise dim feud going
into Wrestlemania and Raw itself. This is not a controversial statement. But
the why is interesting to consider. Of course it helps that his words are made
all the more credible by the legitimate bad ass in Brock Lesnar that he
represents each time he goes out to the ring. And Heyman is naturally gifted in
his way with words. But there is also an edge of reality in the sermon-like
promos he has been delivering, on Brock’s uncertain future in the WWE, on
tension with figures in the company with positions of authority because of it,
sprinkled with references to Rhonda Rousey and you have material that engages
your intelligence rather than insult it. While reality from outside shouldn’t
necessarily be more compelling than the kayfabe storytelling on a consistent
basis, it is a great way to engage fans’ imagination. The quality of these presentations
has got many feeling thatBrock and
Heyman are making for some very antiheroic babyfaces despite the fact that this
does not seem to be WWE’s agenda.
Roman Reigns, meanwhile, inexperience aside, seems to have a
lot of potential as a heel. More so than as the WWE’s next big top tier
babyface. They way in which he is being presented as a rugged individual, who
will strive for excellence with or without the crowd’s support is not ringing
true.This is how Batista was presented
when he returned to ‘boo’s and look at how that turned out. In fact, Reigns
does seem to be getting a fair amount of cheers so when he calls attention to
this, it seems petty, sulky even. Cena gets away with it because he plays it
cool, plus he’s been around so long it’s just not going to make a difference
anymore. With Reigns, it feels closer to being a little bit of a crybaby; great
if a heel turn is coming, not so good if the babyface is route is being adhered
to. The flak jackethe has continued
wearing since the beginning of his arrival as part of the Shield (which they
may have finally traded in for, at least a t-shirt) adds an air of anonymity,
still just part of a group.
The latest interaction he had with Mark Henry on SmackDown
last week is very representative of the heel overtones: Mark taunts Reigns with
an even keel. Reigns returns the favor with a spear through the barricade. Did
it look impressive? Yes. Is that really what a babyface does just because his
ability is questioned? Sounds like the rage of a bully to me. Reigns stands on
the announcers’ desk and raises his arms hollering into the crowd. One against
all. Does this look like an impressive act of defiance? From a small guy maybe.
But here you have a big guy in Reigns exuding anger and insecurity instead of
confidence. It again had the air of being kind of like throwing a tantrum.
Great for a burgeoning heel. For a babyface, not so much.
Why the concern that these clear markers of an interesting
path are being ignored is in the very calculated-looking motions WWE writing
and booking are going through to tell a different story. That went something
like this: The weathered veteran Henry took it upon himself to help his fellow
man out and let him know that he didn’t stand a chance against Brock Lesnar. He
pushed a bit too far, and so he ended up on the receiving end of a Spear, which
under different circumstances, could’ve been presented as career threatening
and the cause of a wrestler to be hospitalized. A bit later, Henry is in the
back with some ice to soothe the pain and a good natured grin on his face. It’s
all good. Turns out he wanted to invoke Reigns’ wrath and test his mettle. Now
he knows, Reigns is the real deal for hitting one of his moves on a guy he
wasn’t even in a wrestling match in. So doubted challenger now has the official
Mark Henry stamp of approval. If we didn’t believe yet, there’s no reason not
to now. Reigns is legit.
Running such a transparent agenda takes the edge off of
these guys, making you lose any ability to suspend belief that the top dog just
might be the top dog of his own merit. Then, there are the sudden t-shirt
appearances. Does it make sense to promote and profit from merchandise? Sure.
But I’d argue it would be a worthwhile exercise in restraint to hold off on the
new design til Wrestlemania itself, to lend something of an air of uncertainty
over where this program is heading.
I’ll get into the intercontinental title match, not exactly,
but I will share some words on potential matches that are not happening because
of it. It occurs to me that one of the biggest dropping of balls how far WWE
has gotten away from the simple and effective formula of two opponents squaring
off because they have an intense dislike for one another. A quick and easy
alternative is that said to opponents have a program based around athletic
prowess and want to see who is the better of the two. Combine both and, if done
well, you have a solid confrontation to rally around.
On the latter tip, rumors were abound after the Royal Rumble
that we’d see Dolph Ziggler vs Daniel Bryan, a confrontation that would fit
perfectly as the energizing opening match at the start of the show. This would
hold the promise of two wrestlers facing off in a unique combination who are
both known for their athleticism, thus making for an unpredictable outcome
(almost uncannily, WWE seems to have been getting the goat of its savvier
online fans by teasing this match with the two of them facing each other at the
end of a gauntlet match on Smackdown).
This along with most any other combination from within the
pool of guys in the intercontinental ladder scramble whatever match would make
for more compelling viewing. Not just thrown out there, but with a proper build
making those involved look strong and taken seriously.
Some simple math: You have 7 guys. Take one of 2 of them
away for a heated one on one match. Keep the other 5 in the intercontinental
title tangle. Or take 2 more guys out, then you have two potentially good
singles matches and a triple threat match for the intercontinental title.
Basically, I’m calling for some elementary match building that a good solid
wrestling promotion ought to be able to build without all the bells and
whistles, which are great when used sparingly.
Let's talk about the notion of Faces and Heels. I don’t
think it’s an outdated premise. I think they should be the basis of angles and
feuds and such. However, I do think these terms could be used with much greater
flexibility. Heels fighting heels, faces fighting faces, and wrestlers that
ride the line between the two concepts are all ways to add some intrigue, and
right now this is sorely needed.
Look at Ring of Honor for a moment whose TV program (which
I’ll continue to bemoan is a week behind for me since I live in Podunk out of
the way New York City) featured a match between tag team champions ReDragon and
members of The Decade, B.J. Whitmer and Adam Page. Both teams were heels and
carried themselves in a heelish manner. This did not upset the applecart. The
emphasis was still on phenomenal wrestling so, even in the absence of heroes to
cheer for, the match went over quite well.
TNA, whose problems arguably run far deeper than those of
the WWE, might want to consider why their heels are never cheered, or rather if
this is really such a good thing. Sure, it would seem to suggest the fans
dutifully committing themselves to the role of an audience that plays along.
But, when heels are cheered in other promotions, isn’t that a sign of smart
fans acknowledging excellent characters performing in very well put together
matches? When Kevin Owens, Tyler Breeze, or Sasha Banks on NXT, or Adam Cole in
ROH, or AJ Styles repping the Bullet Club in NJPW get shout outs, it doesn’t
mean they are not playing their heel roles well enough; it just means their
work is praiseworthy and giving the audience a good time. The fact that this
doesn’t occur ever for MVP or James Storm on TNA Impact suggests a very
outdated product, plus the lack of opportunity for those two talents to ply
their trade to the best of their ability.
The slow, steady build of Pentagon Jr. is worth checking out
on Lucha Undergound whose latest television episodes, unlike those of ROH, can
be found rather easily and for free online. He has appeared in several
one-sided matches, or what was typically called ‘squash matches’ against
wrestlers booked to lose a lot, once known as ‘jobbers.’ Can there be an
overreliance on this mode of programming television shows in this day and age?
No, of course not. However, the technique is worth revisiting and used a tad
more. And it does not have to involve the total jobber; there are plenty of
rookies who can do great things and can be given a chance to show their talent
and develop if put in mostly one-sided matches against mid-card guys who need
wins and who can benefit from successfully firing off their signature moves.
This can even allow for the occasional story of the underdog coming close or
even winning the occasional match. Throw in rematches and you get a lot of time
that can be taken up meaningfully on RAW and Smackdown instead of filling it up
with silliness.
Questions, complaints, arguments, ridicule? All welcome,
leave it below.
Before the finals of the New Japan Cup arrived on the 15th,
a small house show was added to the NJPW World stream to tide things over,
barebones production, no commentary.
During the opening 8 man tag team match, Mascara Dorada
picked up the pin for his team by hitting a maneuver off the top rope on Yohei
Komatsu. After the match, the tension between Tenzan and Kojima would flare up
as Tenzan blasted longtime ally in the head with his NWA Heavyweight
championship belt. This would suggest a singles battle between the two of them
is in the works.
In 1 six man tag team match, Bullet Club members Anderson,
Gallows, and the rapidly gaining in prominence Cody Hall lost to Honma, Naito,
and Nakanishi when Naito hit his Star Dust Press splash from the top rope on
Hall for the win.
A CHAOS vs Bullet Club six-man tag team match ended with
Nakamura getting the pin on Toma Tonga.
--------------
Proceeding to the New Japan Cup Finals, this was a show
filled with great matches and an excellent story told around the conclusion of
the tournament, after which a challenge would be thrown down at one of the
company’s prestigious title holders.
The show opened with a six-man tag team match featuring
Junior Heavyweight competitors. Liger, KUSHIDA, and Jay White took on the team
of Tiger Mask, Taguchi, and Mascara Dorada. Mascara Dorada appeared with new
ring gear, trading in his singlet for red and gold tights, and his full mask
for a gold one that only covered his face. It was an impressive upgrade making
the luchador from Mexico look even more of a main eventer. At one point,
KUSHIDA hit an enormous flip off the turnbuckle onto the opposing team members
outside the ring. This left White open to land a drop kick from the top rope
onto Dorada. But Dorada later walked the ropes to land a moonsault from the
middle ropes onto White. This was followed by Dorada lifting White into a Death
Valley Driver position, turned into a Michinoku Driver for the pin. Afterwards,
although Mascara Dorada seemed to have all the momentum, Liger would issue a
challenge to Tiger Mask, suggesting they will have a rematch for the NWA Junion
Heavyweight title Liger now holds.
Next came a tagteam match pitting a veteran and one of the
rookies that have been battling it out on either side: Kojima and Komatsu
fought Nagata and Tanaka. Nagata really sold the onslaught of chops in the
corner that Kojima has become famous for. Komatsu showed off some agro-ambition
by knocking Nagata off the ring apron in the middle of an exchange with Tanaka.
Tanaka returned the favor by firing a shot at Kojima to send him from the apron
to the floor. Komatsu rebounded from some heavy shots by Nagata and hit the
veteran with a diving, rolling fist off the ropes in the middle of the match.
Tanaka hit an impressive jumping fist into the head of Komatsu in the corner,
followed by a gut-wrench suplex. The contest ended with Komatsu picking up a
submission victory when he forced Tanaka to tap out to a single leg crab.
The two semi final Cup matches would follow, thus giving the
winners a bit of time to rest before the finals in the main event. Goto
defeated Makabe in a somewhat reserved match, showing some savvy strategy on
the part of Goto, it being logical for him to want to conserve energy to go the
distance and win the tournament. From the beginning he worked on Makabe’s leg,
all the better to keep him from hitting his fearsome King Kong leg drop. Later,
Goto would take Makabe down by hooking his legs with his own and then twist it
into a pinning combination that the frustrated Makabe could not kick up from.
Naito and Ibushi fought a very dynamic battle that demands a
rematch. There were some incredible high spots, one stand out being a
huricanrana by Naito to the back of Ibushi, as seen performed Adrian
Neville/PAC, but from the top turnbuckle. Ibushi caught Naito coming off the
ropes by the legs as Naito tried to hook him up into a roll up pin, and then
dropped him onto his neck in a devastating driver-like move. This looked to
really affect Naito’s neck. Ibushi would then hit a jumping powerbomb and pick
up the pin to advance to the finals.
An intermission was followed by a HIGHLY ENTERTAINING tag
team match between Toma Tonga and Cody Hall representing the Bullet Club, and the
intriguing pairing of Tomoaki Honma and Kazuyori Shibata. As soon as the latter
team made their separate ring entrances, you got a sense of how different these
individuals are right down to their music. Honma blasting red hot heat; Shibata
displaying an ice cold veneer. This contrast would not be overlooked, and it
ended up being one of the stories told throughout the match. Honma walked
Shibata back to their corner, insisting that he would start the match off with
Shibata having none of it. Finally, when it looked like Honma would begin the
match against Hall, Shibata came up and tossed his partner out of the ring to
get things started with the son of Scott. Another story that would figure
prominently was Hall’s impressive size. He absorbed a lot of Shibata’s kicks
without being phased. Tonga entered the ring at a point, racking up heel heat
just by taking Hall out of the match as the fans were definitely curious to see
him in action. He did his freakish slide across the ring to scare Shibata back
toward his corner where Honma tagged himself into the match. Honma would trade
offense back and forth with the heels, with Shibata coming in to provide
occasional relief while at the same time, knocking Honma about with a slap or
kick as if to both motivate and taunt his reluctant partner. Eventually the
story shifted to both Honma and Shibata sharing a fixation on testing the
newcomer to the Bullet Club group and putting him through his paces. Hall would
escape from Shibata’s hold leading Honma knocking his partner to the ground
with a lariat. Shibata would launch a dazed Honma into Hall in the corner, head
first causing Honma to do damage with his patented diving kokeshi headbutt. Finally, Shibata would lock Hall in so that Honma
could try a clothesline that was blocked by Hall’s kick. This prompted Honma to
hit another flying headbutt. Shibata then locked in a sleeper hold to take Hall
down after which he nailed him with a penalty kick. This was followed by Honma
landing a headbutt off the top turnbuckle and a pin. These two really put Hall
through his paces in an excellent match worth checking out to get a sense of
how talented the NJPW roster is.
After this, the stranger CHAOS team of Yano and Sakuraba
would enter the ring, with Sakuraba wearing one of his plastic face masks, this
one undeniably peculiar boasting an amalgamation of monstrous red eyes. With
the masks varying from one event to the next, I wonder again if it is a nod to
20th Century Boys antagonist ‘tomodachi’ (friend) on Sakuraba’s
part. They faced the team of Tanahashi and Captain New Japan. The action
between Tanahashi and Sakuraba was a very interesting meshing of different
styles in a fresh pairing with future match potential. But the story here was
Yano continuing his owning of Tanahashi, once again landing a stealthy roll up
that kept Tanahashi down for a three count.
The next match was a four on four throwdown pitting CHAOS
against Bullet Club with an impressive roster on each side: Nakamura, Ishii,
Okada, and YOSHI-HASHI vs Anderson, Gallows, Yujiro, and Fale. Notable was how
diminished a role Okada seemed to play. Nakamura was clearly the leader of the
team with the former heavyweight champion blending in with the team. Still, the
story of the ‘Rainmaker’s uphill battle to stand his ground against Fale played
out. The bottom line was a realistic one and has potential to develop further:
Okada escaped the fatal Samoan Spike with a last minute kick out and after Fale
beat Okada to the punch with his own lariat, Nakamura would catch the giant
with a bomaye kick from behind
allowing Okada to set up for the Rainmaker lariat and get the pin. He
triumphed, but with help from his friends. The next encounter between Okada and
Fale may result in Fale regaining his footing and winning in singles
competition.
In the main event Goto and Ibushi had a classic
confrontation. It appears to have been overshadowed for many by Ibushi’s match
with Naito earlier in the show, but I thought this was a fantastic battle
between wrestlers with contrasting styles. At one point the two traded
rapidfire forearms from a kneeling position on the mat. The restraint Goto
showed in his semifinal match was thrown out for him to land serious offense
including a lariat that knocked Ibushi off the ring apron. Ibushi would
eventually land his second jumping powerbomb of the night, not for the pin this
time, but allowing him to set up for his Phoenix Splash off the top turnbuckle
and pin Goto for the win.
Ibushi stood in the ring triumphant and the soft-spoken
warrior explained how he has challenged for each title and this time, would go
for the IWGP Heavyweight championship against AJ Styles. This came as a
surprise as the expected route would be for Ibushi to attain a rematch against
Nakamura for the Intercontinental championship after their excellent bout at
Wrestle Kingdom 9. Ibushi vs AJ is a very exciting prospect, though, with both
wrestlers wowing fans in Japan and the US for their unique offense. This will
make Invasion Attack an awesome event.
Some thoughts after the event:
Tanahashi and Yano’s program still unresolved, it would
appear Tanahashi will get a singles match against Yano where he will achieve
vindication. It does seem that NJPW is exploring the idea of of Tanahashi
taking a lesser role as other younger wrestlers ascend.
The turbulent chemistry between Shibata and Honma was such
that putting these guys together for more matches against the Bullet Club and
maybe even CHAOS is plausible. However, this could also lead to an excellent
tag team match between Shibata and steady partner Goto against Honma and
loosely affiliated brawler Makabe. This would play off the unresolved finish to
Goto and Makabe’s semifinals match. I could see this coming further down the
line, though, perhaps as a precursor to one of those teams challenging for the
heavyweight tag team titles. Honma and Shibata could also have an excellent singles
match, which is something that could be incorporated into the G1 Climax this
summer.
CHAOS is looking stronger and stronger as a unit with
Nakamura feeling like the figurehead, making me wonder if Okada is also going
to fade to the background or is in fact moving toward a major revitalization.
This could begin with a victory against Fale. In either case, a CHAOS that
actually seems like a team makes sense as a counter to the Bullet Club’s group
dynamic. If CHAOS gave the Bullet Club a serious run for its money with
Nakamura challenging AJ Styles were he to still have the heavyweight
championship.
At this point, I
wonder who would be next to challenge Nakamura for his title, and without a
clear candidate, if this would fall to someone outside the company, perhaps
bringing NOAH back into the picture as they now have the Suzuki-Gun faction
running through their ranks.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading and as a reward, here’s Makabe and several NJPW wrestlers enjoying delicious cream puff desserts:
