The only way I could christen a new section of the site is by finding a way to work an old series into the new section. This is the reason I looked for a match from New Japan this week and we could see how far the Juniors have come in the last decade. Looking at this match and how different Low-Ki is compared to other members of the current division it looks like things have drastically changed.
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Recently, I have really been giving a little bit more of the spotlight over to the Japanese wrestling world and it all started by writing about some of the most iconic legends of wrestling's yesteryear. From Inoki & Baba to Fujinami & Choshu to Muta & Misawa and the list goes on and on, but the one thing that is missing is the fact that most of these men don't get the attention they deserve. Wrestling fans especially American fans normally depend on the story that WWE tells about top Japanese stars which is one of the great things about NJPW expansion.
Now with the complete overhaul of the site we will be closing the door on a favorite section of the site with the monthly post closing. This just means that monthly posts series will be moving to the actual sections of the site rather than having their own section. With this in mind I will be bringing some new series into various sections of the site help boost the spotlight on lacking sections of the site. For once though history and legends that don't get attention they deserve will be given a stage even if it is a minor one. Though some fans might be among the idea that Jericho vs Omega not only should've been the main event, but would go as far to say that it was the main event. However, I am one of the members of the concept that the World Championship should always main event a card no matter how well other matches are hyped. For someone who has never seen New Japan or the "Rainmaker" himself Okada is a freaking machine in the ring & clearly the franchise of New Japan. With how freaking hard hitting this match was it is incredible how long both Okada & Naito were able to go in this match.
There is no doubt that both Naito & Okada had an incredible 2017 with both men moving to another level and helping New Japan expand into the United States. Now with Tanahashi taking a step down the card into the Intercontinental title picture it left a spot open for a new face & it is perfect timing for Naito who is finding his way up the card himself. Okada on the other is slowly becoming on par with legends of the past like Fujinami, Inoki, or Great Muta who helped carry the company. Though some fans believed that Naito should've came out the winner of the match as it was his time to become champion. However, at this point Okada is still chasing down the legacy of the previous "Ace" of New Japan which meant he had his own story. Which is just another why New Japan is so unique, because their are so many different stories & what if situations that it is very hard to keep track of them all. But I will say that this match was the only match that could've headlined the first major event of what promises to be an incredible year for New Japan. The wrestling world was shocked late last year when Chris Jericho showed up at a New Japan wrestling show. The reason Jericho was at the show was to attack Kenny Omega and start the feud between them leading to Wrestle Kingdom 12. From the start Jericho coined the nickname of Alpha to allow the marketing of the match to be the above title. This feud was unlike anything ever before as Jericho hasn't been a free agent since about 2007 and hasn't worked anywhere else since WCW. I don't think that anyone has had a better 2016 then Kenny Omega as he has made the move from up and comer to main event draw for the company. At this point and time Kenny would best to be known as the US ambassador for New Japan which is why he got the United States title back in July. But his matches with Okada for the World title has absolutely done the most for his career and morphed him into a major player in wrestling. After watching this match it is clear that these two had not only good chemistry but were able to construct a great match together. This match well passed my expectations and not just based on timing but also how they were able to make it so hard hitting for so long. This was in no way what I expected to see from either Jericho or Omega and it was incredible. Tomorrow another Wrestle Kingdom event will be in the books and we will be looking back at the action from the Tokyo Dome wondering how NJPW did it again. It is always funny how some shows leave us wondering how do they always deliver & I have no doubt that Wrestle Kingdom 12 will deliver. The reason I have not done predictions for the event is because I don't have enough knowledge of New Japan or the talent to feel right about giving educated guesses on the event. However, I can share with you more videos to get you as hyped as possible for the biggest event of the year from company outside WWE. Much like I did in the last hype post I will be posting two videos to maximize the talking points of tomorrow's event. One match that I think deserves attention is the a first time ever contest that some fans might not even know is on the card. Prior to the upcoming JR Heavyweight title match on January 4 the title currently held by Marty Scrull had never be defended in a four way match. With that being said this makes this match historical & even though fans are only aware of the historical significance of Jericho being on a Wrestle Kingdom card this match should also get attention.
That is correct with the New Year upon us now it was time to revel the newest section of the site and that is a place to cover the top Japanese wrestling promotion. After three years of running this site I felt it was time to expand into a new part of wrestling. Also with the expansion of New Japan it has become a lot easier to access the programming and stay updated on what is going on across the Pacific. However, but at this point we are within days of the biggest event on the calendar for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Even though I haven't covered the card pretty much as often as I do the WWE PPV's but that could just be my lack of knowledge on the New Japan product or also not really coming up with the idea before around a month ago. But the one thing that I feel needs to be known is that this section isn't being made for Wrestle Kingdom it will be here year round. Now let's get to some more hype for the big event on January 4, 2018 at the Tokyo Dome and for this I will be picking two videos. The reason for doubling is due to the date & just wanting to give perspective on two matches instead of just one. The matches that will be given the spotlight this time will be Tetsuya Naito vs Kazchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi's title defense against Jay White.
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July 2021
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