MLW and New Japan seem to be teasing some sort of working relationship. Tom Lawlor will be "representing MLW" on their Lion's Break: Collision show.

Would be cool to see Jacob Fatu in NJPW

Jesus Christ, that would be absolutely insane. It'd also be pretty amazing to see an Okada vs. Tanahashi match on US soil.

Happened last year in Dallas on the first night of the G1.

Oh yessss! /Paul Bearer

Interview NJPW did with Bad Luck Fale:

Pieter missing from that list.

:shifty:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">You too can also be a golden star with these Kota Ibushi boxer pants!��<br><br>(Ability to do a Phoenix Splash not guaranteed)<br><br>Gold:<a href="https://t.co/9RfVP7NLuh">https://t.co/9RfVP7NLuh</a><br>Silver:<a href="https://t.co/Cm2d14IKgb">https://t.co/Cm2d14IKgb</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/njpwshop?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#njpwshop</a> <a href="https://t.co/4Zdxge9hha">pic.twitter.com/4Zdxge9hha</a></p>&mdash; NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) <a href="https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/1276470264679677952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I always thought the WWE missed the boat by not customizing John Cena's shorts and selling them as boxers/board shorts for kids. He had everything else imaginable marketed but the most obvious thing about him while wrestling.

Orton has been so anti-pants his entire career they really should have marketed RKO briefs a long time ago.


"The viper stripes for a limited time on WWEShop.com, only $9.99"

Surely that’s an untapped goldmine? Are Pro Wrestling Tees not all over this?

Imagine briefs/boxer-briefs in some of the most iconic wrestling attire designs; Macho Man/King with the 3 stars, Punk’s MITB/Chicago, The Rock, Orton, Warrior, Austin (:shifty:).

I would very comfortable sleep in Kazuchika Okada designs. Or Shawn Michaels inspired motifs.

*entrance chaps not included

Karl Fredericks got promoted from Young Lions status. First to do so from the LA Dojo I think.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Young Lion no longer! <br><br>Karl Fredericks takes on a new look and a new attitude starting Friday night on Lion's Break Collision! <br><br>Check out his interview with <a href="https://twitter.com/realkevinkelly?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realkevinkelly</a>!<a href="https://t.co/LmceYqWJvU">https://t.co/LmceYqWJvU</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NJoA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NJoA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/njcollision?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#njcollision</a> <a href="https://t.co/ugYI8xkmju">pic.twitter.com/ugYI8xkmju</a></p>&mdash; NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) <a href="https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/1277783915890081794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Everyone is afraid of Haku. Everyone. Except maybe Harley Race, but everyone was afraid of him, too.

Karl Fredericks has a lot of potential,I look forward to seeing what he will do

The GrandMaster videos are interesting. I'm wondering who NJPW signed during the layoff or who's coming back that's getting all the hype.

Current rumor going around the net for who is going to be the Grand Master:

I've heard good things about the next wave of New Japan talent.

They've all impressed me when I watched Lion's gate stuff. Shame about Kitamura though.

Ugh Kitamura. Very unfortunate circumstances. I think they were going to skip the excursion period for him given his advanced age as a Young Lion, and he was gonna be pushed as a big deal fairly quickly.

Yeah him doing a "Best Of" Challenge series prior to his accident felt like that was meant to be his excursion phase without having to leave NJPW due to his age.

Identity of the Grand Master character got revealed at today's New Japan Cup Semi-finals event.

Maybe its just the arena setup or camera placements used but the ring for the first Lion's Break Collision show looks tiny.

Like training ring or lower indies running in Bingo halls tier in terms of smallness.

Debut episode was pretty enjoyable overall.

Nothing that was really "must watch" status if you missed it but if the debut is any indication, the series is going to be a nice and enjoyable sub-hour show for some late night wrestling and getting rid of the taste of a bad Smackdown episode for weeks where that happens.

Good new gear for Karl Fredericks

Probably zip through the remaining Cup matches over the weekend then watch Dominion sometime next week.

G1 gonna be a fuckin mess this year if they can’t get the foreigners back. Bullet Club would basically be a non-factor with Jay White and KENTA being stuck in Florida.

Apparently there is a wrestler named The DKC and just like Gino Gambino mentioned when he first heard it, Donkey Kong Country was the first thing to come to my mind over those initials. Turns out that's not his name.

Also the ref during this match is sporting a pretty decent looking mustache.

Danny Limelight vs. TJP was pretty good.

So far 2 episodes in and NJPW's Lion's Break Collision show has been enjoyable overall. Nothing really worth going out of your way to watch but for a 40 minute or so show, it has some quality action and also flows well. The post-match promos could use a ton of work though.

Filthy Tom Lawlor vs. Rocky Romero on next week's show should be very good.

Minoru Suzuki got pulled from both of NJPW's big shows this weekend due to coronavirus concerns.

According to NJPW, he developed a fever earlier today and based on recent testing results, he might not have caught the coronavirus but they are taking no chances with him.

https://www.njpw1972.com/76934

Think DOUKI managed to get a bigger reaction for his entrance than Master Wato did.

Not sure if Wato's theme simply just drowned out whatever reaction he got or the crowd didn't really care that much for his entrance.

Crowd's been very receptive of him during this match though which is a good sign.

Not sure Yujiro biting SANADA's hand and SANADA doing the same to Yujiro counts as following NJPW's coronavirus health safety rules.

Either Nagata has some weird looking bruising on his back or he might have gone overboard with the hot cupping massage since his back looks like a Connect 4 board game.

Holy shit, it doesn't get much more embarrassing than making your big return in a goofy outfit and getting beaten up by Douki of all people.

Ouch at Okada's back crashing right through a pile of chairs.

Also ouch at his nuts moments earlier from EVIL's vicious attack in his quest for Okada to not have any kids in the future.

:eek: at that twist during the Okada vs EVIL match.

Poor Okada's nuts. Got pulverized again by EVIL.

:eek:



Okada vs. EVIL was amazing.

New Japan Cup 2020 Finals was very good overall. Only real weak point was the DOUKI vs. Master Wato match.

Welp

Wow @ shocking turn!

:lol: at Wato getting beaten up again after a match.

Sort of hope that becomes a running gag for him for a while.

Wow at the result for the Hirooki Goto & Kazuchika Okada vs. Taiji Ishimori & Yujiro Takahashi.

NEVER Openweight title match was amazingly and best match since NJPW came back from their coronavirus break.

Tag title match was great.

EVIL's new entrance theme and look is pretty cool.

Went from being a spooky horror guy to now being a rock/metal band guy.

:eek: at EVIL beating up his #1 fan Milano

Yikes at Naito's knee after that table spot.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">GODDAMN!! Kneecrusher through a table from EVIL <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NJPW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NJPW</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/njdominion?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#njdominion</a> <a href="https://t.co/KQXMsaKIPy">https://t.co/KQXMsaKIPy</a> <a href="https://t.co/0vQdHdJdhW">pic.twitter.com/0vQdHdJdhW</a></p>&mdash; SirLARIATO (@SirLARIATO) <a href="https://twitter.com/SirLARIATO/status/1282239731456249856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

HOLY SHIT!!!



Wait what ...


Also the next potential IWGP double title match sounds amazing if it actually happens.



Dominion was great overall. Last 3-4 matches were fantastic.

Considering how crazy 2020 has been so far, that IWGP Double title match might be the perfect representation of it.

poor Sanada

Wow, what the fuck. Not sure how I feel about this.

Sanada going to win the title at Wrestle Kingdom

Maybe. I can see them wrestling, but it doesn't even need to be for the belt.

My main guess as to why EVIL was chosen for this ahead of SANADA or Shingo is that A) EVIL is, well, evil, so it makes sense for him to turn....but moreover, B) EVIL is the only Dojo trueborn of those three. It's not a hard and fast rule that you have to be a trueborn to get a massive push but I do think there's a longstanding sense of loyalty there.

The company rarely ever releases trueborns, usually they either leave on their own or retire to injury. Captain New Japan/original Bone Solider being the one exception because of legendary awfulness.

Even guys like YOSHI-HASHI and Yujiro Takahashi have jobs for life even when they're not really doing anything, and Yujiro's now getting elevated out of necessity since Bullet Club has so many members out of the country.

If there's any real concern I have...it's that I've enjoyed EVIL the best when he's working shorter, smashmouth NEVER title style matches. When he has to work longer matches in the G1 and stuff his style seems kinda slow and ponderous. But in this role he's gonna be expected to work 25-30 minute NJPW main event style.

Would love to see them change the pace with him and let him work a NEVER-style match with Ishii as a main event title defense.

Yeah their loyalty to trueborns is my biggest gripe with NJPW. Like, it's understandable to a point, but they pass on too many oppurtunities imo.

Case in point: Sanada

I honestly don't really buy EVIL as champ. He's always been solid, but his really good singles matches are few and far between. IWGP champion to me, is someone who consistently puts on barn burners with everyone. I don't see EVIL as that guy.

Wonder if they are going to redo the Bullet Club Civil War storyline once their foreign wrestlers come back since with EVIL and Dick Togo now joining, they have enough Japanese BC guys to be their own separate stable.

Depending on which side you believe, the original storyline's demise was either due to NJPW being completely off guard by the Elite leaving or they knew well beforehand but were unwilling to speed up the storyline for the big payoff and just dropped it instead.

Holy shit I didn't realize that Evil won the double gold!

Holy fucking what. This is insanity.

Sanada and Shingo are obvious contenders to EVIL. You don’t need to quickly launch them. People are already talking about Sanada winning the G1. It may or may not happen, but that is more exciting than EVIL winning the G1 and going against Sanada. Or the predictable conveyor belt logic where Sanada wins and goes against Okada and loses.

This is the most interesting booking going on during the pandemic. Good for New Japan.

EVIL was consistently the least interesting member of LIJ for me (Other than BUSHI, but nobody expects great things from BUSHI) so it's really bizarre that he made it to the top of the card like this. Still liked his run as darkness boi but I never had him down as being the same level as Naito, Hiromu, Shingo or SANADA. And that's just the guys he was in a faction with.

That said, I'm really liking this angle and it has me very interested in what's going to happen in a title scene now that somebody unexpected has broke through. Hiromu following that main event was so good, sad that hes going to lose and get the Naito treatment but his work is stellar. Sucks to be Naito and SANADA though.

The mind fuck continues when you realize that this was likely to be KENTA and not EVIL. If you look at the back booking then this was likely the direction, and with KENTA not available (anyone know why btw?) they put EVIL in that big spot.

I could be wrong but seems like this is the case.

KENTA still lives in Florida from his NXT/WWE days.

One thing I do like is that LIJ are clearly now a proper babyface stable, no blurring the tweener lines anymore.

Moreover, they're a babyface stable that actually acts like a stable. Notice how the rest of the group ran out to try to save Naito. That's been a running joke of CHAOS for years, they rarely help each other during beatdowns. CHAOS is practically irrelevant now since they've been essentially merged with the NJPW Main Unit.

I doubt KENTA would have won the titles even if the coronavirus hadn't screwed up NJPW's plans for the year.

Supposedly EVIL had been planned for a big push and breakaway from LIJ this year. Assuming it was always planned to happen at this point, Gedo simply decided to not sidetrack from it when NJPW returned from their break, especially considering all of his other plans this year got messed up. It did come at a huge cost of Naito's title reign losing months worth of build and same for EVIL's big rise feeling rushed in the end.

Fucking least interesting member of the group gets the big push because TRUEBORN.

Sanada and Shingo are not the sort of acts you need to flash into the main event right now. They will get their time and they now have someone they want to chase. This sets up lots of crazy shit for the G1. I'm thinking that Naito ends up in the same block as EVIL and another member of LIJ -- either Sanada or Shingo. I think they do a rock, paper, scissors thing between them. Whoever is not featured in that block of the G1 -- Sanada or Shingo -- would likely be EVIL's Wrestle Kingdom opponent.

It's just a way of making all that more interesting.

Block A:

* EVIL
* Jay White
* Jeff Cobb
* Juice Robinson
* Kazuchika Okada
* Minoru Suzuki
* Sanada
* Sho
* Tetsuya Naito
* Will Ospreay

Block B:

* KENTA
* Kota Ibushi
* Hirooki Goto
* Hiromu Takahashi
* Hiroshi Tanahashi
* Shingo Takagi
* Taichi
* Tomohiro Ishii
* Toru Yano
* Zack Sabre, Jr.

A tournament set-up like that would be pretty fucking sick.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wrestling is a special art-form where a man called 'EVIL' can turn evil and nobody will have seen it coming</p>&mdash; Komm Süsser Todd Pettengill (@veidtlemania) <a href="https://twitter.com/veidtlemania/status/1283348605932376066?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">*EVIL betrays LIJ and merks Naito*<br><br>*Hiromu is having a mental breakdown*<br><br>*Shingo is being harassed by junior heavyweights*<br><br>*Dick Togo stole Bushi’s clothes*<br><br>SANADA: noodle machine go vrrrr <a href="https://t.co/ucTJ3CIYv8">pic.twitter.com/ucTJ3CIYv8</a></p>&mdash; professional hoe scarer (@bigcreamsoda) <a href="https://twitter.com/bigcreamsoda/status/1282668866171285507?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Filthy Tom Lawlor's choice of attire for his match on tonight's Lion's Break Collision episode opens up a bunch of questions.

Think he's legit wearing jeans-style hot pants as his gear. Also its gradually scrunching upwards as this match progresses.

Lawlor vs. Rocky Romero was pretty good overall. Wouldn't be surprised if Lawlor ended up signing a side deal with NJPW since that match was a nice showcase for him.

These Lion's Break Collision shows have been pretty enjoyable overall. Also have been a nice replacement for 205 Live on Fridays after I stopped watching that show months ago.

Still a couple of days to sign up for Survivor JAPAN. Would love to see you there.

Put Clark Connors on the list of people who can do a spear better than Edge.

After years of making this same joke, think like only 2-3 people have pulled off a spear just as bad or worse as Edge.

Fredericks vs. Cobb match was good.

Another enjoyable show overall from NJPW's weekly Young Lions series. An extra stuffed episode with 4 matches and three of them being entertaining to watch.

Guess this past month was just pilot episodes based on Kevin Kelly's show closing statement and the real weekly series doesn't actually debut until 2 weeks from now.

Seems NJPW and Championship Wrestling from Hollywood recently formed a partnership for NJPW's US branch.

CHFW revealed that they are helping NJPW on the production of NJPW's upcoming new NJPW Strong series and previously had helped with NJPW's Lion's Break Collision mini-series.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Coming soon and produced by the <a href="https://twitter.com/CWFHollywood?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CWFHollywood</a> TV crew with Logan Chegg and myself sharing directing duties. BE THERE! <a href="https://t.co/J0MEEwMnUw">https://t.co/J0MEEwMnUw</a></p>&mdash; David Marquez (@CWFHMarquez) <a href="https://twitter.com/CWFHMarquez/status/1287107707422404608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I heard someone talking about who the smartest guy in wrestling is, and they threw David Marquez out there as a name. Probably good to get him involved.

EVIL vs Hiromu wasn't great. Not terrible, but didn't do a damn thing to convince me that EVIL is IWGP title material.

Similarly, despite all the Gedo fuckery, at no point did I ever think Yujiro was actually going to beat Okada. Yujiro's done nothing for years on end, Bullet Club having most of its members unavailable doesn't mean Yujiro is suddenly a credible threat in a major singles match.

Even if it would have messed up plans later in the year, Gedo really should have let EVIL's big push simmer for a couple more months before the trigger got pulled.

Missing out on several months worth of shows has hurt NJPW a lot and EVIL isn't the type to do long drawn out style IWGP title matches, especially with BC shenanigans included.

During a press conference held earlier today, NJPW introduced a new championship title called the KOPW Championship which won't be a physical belt and instead will be something that is a lot more gimmicky and seasonal in nature than NJPW's other traditional belts.

That sounds TNA as fuck. Awful.

Because NJPW clearly needed more titles and tournaments.

This all seems like a big meta troll job from Okada because hes not champion, right down to whole fan vote aspect. He's going to keep asking for submissions matches and keep using his shitty cobra clutch. Preparing for Okada vs Taichi in a loser must wear pants match.

Also it's pretty frustrating how theres a limited roster, a huge faction betrayal angle and SANADA is still just there doing absolutely nothing. Even Gabriel Kidd has an angle going right now.

I did a better write-up on a better wrestling forum, but this could be one of the most brilliant concepts introduced into wrestling in some time. Gedo is a fucking genius and I trust him with this. It allows completely fresh takes for old rivalries and allows the psychology of the wrestlers to extend into the strategy for their matches -- provided they get to choose which matches get voted on in their defenses.

Ex. 1: Okada vs. Tanahashi could be Iron Man (Okada) or Submission (Tanahashi). Okada wants to beat Tanahashi as many falls as he can in one showing. Tanahashi wants to make Okada submit as well as get more submission training for his rivalry with ZSJ or whatever. Tanahashi can win and then Okada has a submission loss he desperately wants to avenge and the idea of an Iron Man Match has been introduced to the New Japan audience. At some point, their rivalry can come full circle to the point Okada wants a Submission Match with Tanahashi and Tanahashi wants to prove he can do the Iron Man with Okada.

Ex. 2: Tanahashi and Ibushi can have a match lined up for the title at WK. Tanahashi can choose Traditional Rules -- because it's WK and its sanctity is important. Ibushi chooses a Ladder Match, because he's the reckless younger guy who watched VHS tapes of Shawn Michaels growing up. You can either have a classic Ladder Match that has some sort of purpose behind it, or you can at least introduce it as a concept that is stirring around in people's brains.

Ex. 3: You can build up a wrestler's speciality match through this concept. Suzuki can constantly win matches where there are No Holds Barred, for example. This allows you to eventually knock him off in that stipulation.

It's potentially a fresh coat of paint for a lot of guys and a lot of programs that have been done to death. It also gives top guys something to do when they can't be the champion because you've got to see this Naito story through or whatever. Allows you to tell some pretty clear and dramatic stories, which would have this unique feel to them.

Look, I love gimmicks coming out of the feuds themselves. Suzuki beats the piss out of Tanahashi so you get a No DQ Match between the two. But in New Japan that leads to a regular match anyway. Which isn't a bad thing, but these guys exist in a world where all these ideas exist, but there is just not that justification to grabbing them and bringing them into the New Japan realm. This appropriates them in a way that it almost feels like a comic series or RPG game, where each wrestler comes equipped with a speciality match type that trumps another guy or his speciality match type.

Seriously, you could make a New Japan trading card game out of this stuff. You have the base wrestlers and their values or whatever, but then you have a King of Pro-Wrestling "power" you activate. Great for engaging kids and hardcore wrestling nerds.

This could actually be an "evolution" of pro-wrestling psychology. Not that fucking bullshit Orange Cassidy stuff where the whole genre of what wrestling is supposed to be is subverted. This takes existing ideas and places them in a context which is, at least potentially, somewhat innovative.

There's also a history of fan involvement being consequential in New Japan. Naito's whole run is based on the fans voting him out of a WK main event. This is a way to take that potential influence and weave it into the fabric of your storytelling. You can have the fans boost babyfaces, hinder heels, and even provide authentic reasons for turns and/or evolution of character. Over time you can develop patterns. The fan vote could skewer one way most of the time (preferably favorable, of course), which means that fans have got the power to basically "vote" on a champion, without completing blowing kayfabe. And it doesn't completely box you in anyway. But those losses where the fans can't help the babyface or whatever can really stand out this way.

I feel this could have a lot of appeal to western audiences too. The sheer potential and intricacy of this division has me kind of wanting to spend my money on New Japan World. I'm not saying that the idea is going to be a huge draw or anything, but New Japan's booking recently has been a huge appealing factor to me -- a hardcore fan but someone that wasn't really willing to plug myself into New Japan for whatever reason. This has got me feeling stories for years.

Okada talking about the first stipulation and it’s a 3 vs 1 handicap match. Which just confirms my thoughts of this title being a stupid idea. If Okada loses, he looks like a fucking idiot for picking it. If he wins, the other guys look like garbage, and Okada gets nothing out of it because he’s already seen as the top wrestler in all of Japan

That is a bad stipulation.

Yeah I think the whole thing is stupid.

I mean in fairness two of the participants will be Jado and Gedo and who gives a fuck if they look like shit, Gedo is always meant to get his ass kicked and Jado can barely move.

But it also reinforces Yujiro being a disappointment and unless they are confident they can get some of the missing Bullet Club members back fairly soon it seems kinda silly to remind everyone that he's been a huge bitch.

Not sure if Chase Owens managed to get fatter during his time off or its been that long since I last saw him in an actual match that I forgot how chunky he was.

Tama Tonga looks a bit weird as a clean shaven guy.

Debut episode of NJPW Strong was pretty decent. Just like with Impact, the lack of an audience and reactions for matches really hurts these weekly shows.

Semi-finals matchups for New Japan Cup USA tournament:

I like NJPW because it’s different. I enjoy that it’s more grounded in reality, as well as the sports style presentation. This whole KOPW is the complete antithesis of that. It’s modern gimmicky western wrestling schlock that doesn’t really have any place in a company with the style of NJPW.

The KOPW is potentially brilliant.

Well, Japan's still requiring a mandatory two-week quarantine for anyone coming into the country - so when you take that out it still gives them about a month to sort out who might be able to travel in for the G1. It's also very possible nobody will be allowed in, or if people are allowed in they'll be leery about doing it because they might not be able to go back after.

If they just have to roll with what they have, the G1 field looks something like:

EVIL
Hiromu Takahashi
Hirooki Goto
Hiroshi Tanahashi
Kazuchika Okada
Kota Ibushi
Minoru Suzuki
SANADA
Satoshi Kojima
Shingo Takagi
SHO
Taichi
Taiji Ishimori
Tetsuya Naito
Togi Makabe
Tomohiro Ishii
Toru Yano
YOSHI-HASHI
Yujiro Takahashi
Zack Sabre Jr

They'll invariably need to add some juniors into it again this year or else you're gonna be making someone like Honma work a brutal G1 schedule, or have Nagata walk back his previous retirement from G1 competition. Both points would apply to Tenzan as well. I don't think Kojima ever retired from G1, though throwing Desperardo into his spot is possible too.

I think Jay White should be able to get in. New Zealand has been very good with their virus protocols.

Unfortunately, Jay White moved to Florida sometime before this all happened so it would really depend on if Bushiroad can get some sort of exemption for international travelers.

The US has been a COVID-19 hell hole so I don't know if Japan would make an exemptions even though they could be immediately quarantined and tested, etc.