Liam O'Rourke Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 He doesn't have top guy charisma. Then again, neither does EVIL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CavemanLynn Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 I agree with the earlier poster that the faction system in NJPW needs shaking up. I'm all for casual alliances, but I think the only group that has a group personality right now is Suzuki-Gun. CHAOS and LIJ would be pretty much interchangeable if it were for the top guy's persona, and Bullet Club have been meaningless since NJPW adopted a more western-influenced style across the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingofSports Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 New Japan claiming a stacked card for Sengoku Lord on the 25th. Okada v Yujiro, Shingo v Despy & EVIL v Hiromu. Love Hiromu, but defending those Titles for the first time against a Jr. isn't a good look for the shitty, new Champ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 4 minutes ago, KingofSports said: New Japan claiming a stacked card for Sengoku Lord on the 25th. Okada v Yujiro, Shingo v Despy & EVIL v Hiromu. Love Hiromu, but defending those Titles for the first time against a Jr. isn't a good look for the shitty, new Champ. I dunno. I can't blame them with going for one of their most popular guys. Hiromu is one of the few that has actually kept my interest lately so I'm okay with it. Can't say I have many ideal EVIL matches I want to see.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TildeGuy~! Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 He’s beaten Sanada, Okada and Naito in the last week, there’s no other heavyweight that’s currently in Japan that he can face and before someone says Ishii, Hiromu beat him in the NJ Cup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westlondonmist Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 2 hours ago, The Cutting Edge said: Chase And Yujiro are like Zack Ryder type guys, just plodding along with no real purpose, groups need fall guys but c'mon. Bullet Club went exactly as nwo did, devide into Elite/Wolfpac face group, then a few members revamp it like nwo 2000 or black n silver whatever it was called. Firing Squad group with tama going single and going for the title would've been better, story wise he always seems to let AJ, Omega, Devitt take top spots while be messes in tags. Tama was given a go a few years back in the G1, wearing colourful tights n all. He didn't impress at all with a couple of decent matches at best. works far better as a tag wrestler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimboDangerous Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, The Cutting Edge said: Maybe not but worth a shot as a fresh-ish face in main events. I'm not as clued up on Japan as guys on here so I might get bits wrong or see it differently As entertaining as he *can* be on Twitter, he’s absolutely disastrous on the mic (search for the video where he introduces Taiji Ishimori to NJPW) and isn’t anything special without his brother with him in the ring. The freshest face they can put in a main event right now is Hiromu. It’s just a shame that it’s in front of a 50% crowd and he’s going up against the guy who was the sixth most intriguing member of LIJ. Edited July 13, 2020 by JimboDangerous Wording Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 Admittedly I haven't been able to follow it closely for the past 6 months or so but how exactly did EVIL get to this position? Has he kidnapped someone's family? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CavemanLynn Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 Like a lot of things in NJPW, because of its habit of longterm booking, the EVIL run seems a year or two late. It was a G1 either last year or the year before that he was having solid bangers with everyone, had the mad look and the crowd on his side. After a year now of treading water in tags, that momentum and spark isn't there. It almost feels like a deliberate swerve to hold off pushing the real star of that team, SANADA. Since his Mohawk days (he needs that back), he's clearly been tipped for a big run at some point, but it seems they wanted a big talking point as shows spun back up but didn't want to go with Cold Skull just yet. It makes sense - SANADA's stoic charisma was pretty similar to Naito, and one of his big "spots" involved getting a crowd cheering, which is pretty hard to do with half a crowd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cutting Edge Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 47 minutes ago, JimboDangerous said: As entertaining as he *can* be on Twitter, he’s absolutely disastrous on the mic (search for the video where he introduces Taiji Ishimori to NJPW) and isn’t anything special without his brother with him in the ring. The freshest face they can put in a main event right now is Hiromu. It’s just a shame that it’s in front of a 50% crowd and he’s going up against the guy who was the sixth most intriguing member of LIJ. Don't get me wrong I'm not really a fan of his, was more pointing out how the BC/FS break up probably should've lead where he "lets" those guys mentioned plus Jay White be the leader after each change in leadership. Off topic but wonder if any of the released guys other than Gallows and Anderson are headed over? Rusev is possible but other than them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danlewis Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 I don’t know, it just doesn’t feel like this big Evil push is particularly out of left field to me. Slightly rushed yes but not weird really. I also think people are overstating his mediocrity. He’s really good. He’s not Naito or Ibushi but it’s not like he’s Fale or Honma either. It might not work but it feels like a bit of a shot in the arm I reckon. And he’s shitloads more interesting than Sanada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love-Wilcox Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 9 hours ago, BomberPat said: That way, you're left with a stable of KENTA, EVIL, and Dick Togo, maybe you could keep El Phantasmo in their as their man in the Junior division, and keep Gedo involved as a powerbroker. That, to me, would be a group that would have far more oomph behind them if they had come together as a wholly new act rather than yet more Bullet Club shenanigans. Those guys along with Taiji Ishimori sounds like a banging stable if you ask me 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 4 hours ago, CavemanLynn said: Like a lot of things in NJPW, because of its habit of longterm booking, the EVIL run seems a year or two late. It was a G1 either last year or the year before that he was having solid bangers with everyone, had the mad look and the crowd on his side. After a year now of treading water in tags, that momentum and spark isn't there. It almost feels like a deliberate swerve to hold off pushing the real star of that team, SANADA. Since his Mohawk days (he needs that back), he's clearly been tipped for a big run at some point, but it seems they wanted a big talking point as shows spun back up but didn't want to go with Cold Skull just yet. It makes sense - SANADA's stoic charisma was pretty similar to Naito, and one of his big "spots" involved getting a crowd cheering, which is pretty hard to do with half a crowd. I agree with this, largely. From mid-2017 to mid-2018, EVIL felt like he could be a big deal. Win over Okada in G1 27, main eventing King of Pro Wrestling 2017 and then going into a successful team with SANADA where they won the tag league and then the titles. All of them were good match too. However, too many singles jobs outside the G1 (he was 1-6 since G1 27 in non-G1 singles matches until this New Japan Cup) and being the strong back of the tag division mean he's colder than cold asparagus soup. I know Gedo thinks he can reheat anybody but you can't reheat cold asparagus soup. In saying that, I would be a hypocrite if I criticised AEW for heating people up to just job them and not give credit to New Japan for putting EVIL over after trying to heat him up. I guess they think this Covid thing is going to affect them not just this year but next year too and taking EVIL out of LIJ, where he had a very definite ceiling of being Naito's little brother, and putting him in charge of his own faction is the way to have him ascend to the next tier. SANADA's issue is that he too is Naito's little brother and, realistically, SANADA should be heading to the Hontai to make the same ascent. I was saying last year on Twitter that the whole promotion has been built around Okada since 2012. Naito has largely felt like a bonus, Tanahashi holding on has been a bonus, Omega was a bonus, landing Ibushi was a bonus. However, Tana has slowed down, Naito's knees are clearly screwed, Ibushi isn't quite what he was and Omega has left. They basically lost almost a generation of young lions, Master Wato being the only guy who has graduated since Jay White, having lost Honjo, Kitamura, Yagi and Kanemitsu in the meantime. They're reluctant to go outside their dojo so they have to go back to the guys who should've been pushed years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 Seeing evil without the eye makeup, cut his hair short and get him in trunks and he’d look far more bad ass than he does the now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uklaw Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 One takeaway from these most recent shows is how differently the limited live crowd engage with the product. Gasps, cheers and most boos are now replaced with clapping, of various intensity. I suspect it was been advised/instruction in line with the use of masks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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