NJPW World

[Arch Stanton]

Yeah, the days of being able to say 'WWE will never sign...' are over now. Unless there's big time heat or some nightmare PR issues, which there isn't with the Bucks. Fatbody indie darling Kevin Owens is a champion there, whilst Mr TNA is the other champion. They now have a cruiserweight division where every finish is a head kick. Five years ago I remember watching Steen wrestling El Generico in RoH main events, thinking 'these guys are great, but WWE will never look at either of them'. Everything has changed in the years since so I'd definitely expect the Bucks to come in eventually, but they easily have a few years left on top of the indie scene if they want it.

[Yakashi]

Watched the main event based on all the hype and gushing over it. As is usually the case, was left disappointed. Sure , it was a good match with good moves but it started to border on parody with the kick out of the top rope dragon suplex and most other stuff from there. I've always thought that if you feel you have to hit each other hard for real and drop each other on your heads to to make a match seem special, then you're doing it wrong. I guess that's the Japanese style.

 

I do think these matches tend to get over rated though, mainly because people think they have to like it because that's what the Internet tells them to like and they want to be in the gang. Sure, it was good. Great even. But best match in wrestling history? Even top ten? No chance.

Edited January 7, 2017 by Yakashi

[Rosler28]

Fair point. It was a good match but i wouldnt say its the best match ever either.

 

I preferred Goldberg vs Lesnar match from Survivor Series than i did watching the main event at Wrestle Kingdom 11

[LEGIT]

As is usually the case, was left disappointed. 

 

...I guess that's the Japanese style.

I think it is. If I were you I'd stop watching Japanese wrestling, why waste your precious time to always end up disappointed.

 

I preferred Goldberg vs Lesnar match from Survivor Series

I find it impossible to compare 1 and a half minute squash match (intended for feud development) to a 45 minute Heavyweight Championship match main-eventing Japans version of Wrestlemania. But fair enough if you can.

Edited January 7, 2017 by LEGIT

[Yakashi]

 

As is usually the case, was left disappointed. 

 

...I guess that's the Japanese style.

 

I think it is. If I were you I'd stop watching Japanese wrestling, why waste your precious time to always end up disappointed.

 

I preferred Goldberg vs Lesnar match from Survivor Series

 

I find it impossible to compare 1 and a half minute squash match (intended for feud development) to a 45 minute Heavyweight Championship match main-eventing Japans version of Wrestlemania. But fair enough if you can.

I wasn't disappointed because it was a Japanese match. I was disappointed because I'd read how it was either THE, or one of the, best matches of all time. And it wasn't. Not even close. Nothing to do with it being Japanese. I'd enjoyed previous matches between tanahashi and okada and some of AJs stuff more than this match. It also doesn't come close to some of the all Japan and Noah stuff from the 90s/early 2000s. It was just overhyped.

[LEGIT]

 

 

As is usually the case, was left disappointed. 

 

...I guess that's the Japanese style.

I think it is. If I were you I'd stop watching Japanese wrestling, why waste your precious time to always end up disappointed.

 

I preferred Goldberg vs Lesnar match from Survivor Series

I find it impossible to compare 1 and a half minute squash match (intended for feud development) to a 45 minute Heavyweight Championship match main-eventing Japans version of Wrestlemania. But fair enough if you can.

I wasn't disappointed because it was a Japanese match. I was disappointed because I'd read how it was either THE, or one of the, best matches of all time. And it wasn't. Not even close. Nothing to do with it being Japanese. I'd enjoyed previous matches between tanahashi and okada and some of AJs stuff more than this match. It also doesn't come close to some of the all Japan and Noah stuff from the 90s/early 2000s. It was just overhyped.

 

You talk bollocks. You said you were disappointed (as usual). Then later said your reasons and that you "guess that's the Japanese style." If you were disappointed (as usual) and don't like the Japanese style don't waste time being disappointed with Japanese wrestling.

[Yakashi]

 

 

 

As is usually the case, was left disappointed. 

 

...I guess that's the Japanese style.

 

I think it is. If I were you I'd stop watching Japanese wrestling, why waste your precious time to always end up disappointed.

 

I preferred Goldberg vs Lesnar match from Survivor Series

 

I find it impossible to compare 1 and a half minute squash match (intended for feud development) to a 45 minute Heavyweight Championship match main-eventing Japans version of Wrestlemania. But fair enough if you can.

I wasn't disappointed because it was a Japanese match. I was disappointed because I'd read how it was either THE, or one of the, best matches of all time. And it wasn't. Not even close. Nothing to do with it being Japanese. I'd enjoyed previous matches between tanahashi and okada and some of AJs stuff more than this match. It also doesn't come close to some of the all Japan and Noah stuff from the 90s/early 2000s. It was just overhyped.

You talk bollocks. You said you were disappointed (as usual). Then later said your reasons and that you "guess that's the Japanese style." If you were disappointed (as usual) and don't like the Japanese style don't waste time being disappointed with Japanese wrestling.

I think your hard on for Japanese wrestling is messing with your ability to read.

[LEGIT]

I think your hard on for Japanese wrestling is messing with your ability to read.

Try again son, I've probs seen about five Japanese matches in my life. I've not even seen the match that's in question. But I know you like the big moan, usually with shitty reasoning, to appear against the grain from everyone else. If you were disappointed with the match (as usual) and reasons for that being typical Japanese wrestling, then stop wasting your precious time.

[Yakashi]

 

I think your hard on for Japanese wrestling is messing with your ability to read.

Try again son, I've probs seen about five Japanese matches in my life. I've not even seen the match that's in question. But I know you like the big moan, usually with shitty reasoning, to appear against the grain from everyone else. If you were disappointed with the match (as usual) and reasons for that being typical Japanese wrestling, then stop wasting your precious time.

Again, you're reading something that isn't there to fit your agenda. And lol, "son".

[Rosler28]

Personally i think Aj Styles will top that main event at Wrestlemania. The bar has been set and currently AJ is the best in the world. If hes got a good opponent who can step up to his level then its a 7 star match in the making

[firstnameunknown]

I think if you watch a match (or movie, or anything) that has been praised to such an extent, it's very difficult NOT to be underwhelmed.

 

I managed to watch it spoiler free on Wednesday night, cringed at some of the crazy spots, ended up about as captivated by the near falls as I have been by any wrestling match (especially on a screen as opposed to in person) and, like others have said, was surprised when I heard how long it went because I was enthralled throughout. It's definitely up there in the tippiest toppiest of half-naked-men-pretending-to-hit-each-other-based-performance-art, but I find I'm less and less of a list guy as I get older... if I see a better match this year though, 2017'll be a pretty good one.

[Merzbow]

So who was bunny mask girl? She gets my 6 stars.

[JNLister]

Stories you do not expect to read in Pakistan newspapers: http://tribune.com.pk/story/1287405/pro-wrestling-world-frenzy-witnessing-best-match-ever/

[Guest]

My issue with New Japan has always been penciling the next PPV date and completely forgetting to tune in, so when are we going to get Okada v SUZUKI so I absolutely make sure not to miss it. I think this time last year Goto was the challenger and my New Japan viewing took a tumble as a result - not to mention the E had just snagged AJ & Naka and I was so interested in that I even missed the rise in status of Omega which I'm sure I would have really appreciated. Suzuki though? I'm a full-timer now.

 

just got done with the SCG round up of this year's show and may I say... I very much echo wanting Naito v Suzuki in a big time way

 

the Bucks took a stuffing on your show and I wanna stick up for them though. their act's very unique and you can't really call it symptomatic of anything bad in current wrestling. similar thing to the whole Ricochet and Ospreay stuff who were also touched on more briefly, but everyone seems to forget...that was a super-juniors match, take it or leave it and nothing else on that tournament had near the buzz those two had when they were doing those sorts of sequences - it's why I thought they should have had a couple minutes in the ring together in that big six-man.

the Bucks...the style of match they are having that will irk many, with the kick-outs from big flashy moves that should be finishers, I think if they were to ever to go to WWE that would get ironed out and some actual finishers would be established fairly quickly; The Shining Stars ain't kickin out of an Indietaker for example..

Overkill has been their whole gimmick in the indies with it's roots in the Cornette stuff etc. so it really does come off a bit backwards or meaningless to want them to reign it in now when they're making unprecedented indie money and everyone (at a US show they're at, anyway, much less so in New Japan) comes to see that - the superkick party.

In wrestling there's a time to go "hmm yes, excellent psychology" and there's times you just want to see a car crash and they're fulfilling that side of things excellently. one writer I didn't note the name of actually came off kind of sanctimonious when talking about "imagine the attention span of somebody who likes The Young Bucks" like you can't enjoy loads of different styles of wrestling

were they to come to the WWE, I think a hell of a lot of that would be reigned in and they can focus in on their charisma, which they clearly have a lot of. just think the complaints will be old hat soon enough, and it'd be backwards for them to take note of them and start reigning in now while being kings of the indie scene.

everybody's opinion is valid of course really, I just think the Bucks wave off that kinda criticism in their sleep by now. They know what it's all about

 

the little discussion you had about whether New Japan gets blind-love because of anti-WWE/anti-authority sentiment was interesting. I would say most even quite casual New Japan fans criticize a fair bit of the undercards and such, it's just they leave us with that proper I-love-wrestling glow after the big matches, whereas WWE often leaves us scratching their heads at what they had imagined for their biggest night of the year, or even the other big 3. 

but I do think there is a little bit of that ingrained in some. Just look at the Meltz (as tired as that is, but really), not to take star-ratings too serious but apparently, WWE have had 1 since 1997, in 2011, and yet this was "6 stars?". and he's the primary opinion-maker in wrestling. so I can see why someone just giving this Wrestle Kingdom stuff a passing glance would be skeptical. I don't want to come off like I'm criticizing the main event as it was incredible and that would be missing the point but what stops a match like Wyatts v Shield or Bayley v Sasha, Cena/AJ, Revival/DIY...Taker & HBK for-flip-sake, being 5-star/perfect for what it intended to do sort-of-material. Nothing really, they didn't need to go 45 minutes, get dragon suplexed on their neck and get backdropped from a great height on to a SATs exams table...like Karl says you don't actually wanna ever see a guy get Misawa'd out there, you can just do the 'basics' right with sublime storytelling and that's perfect too. Great wrestling matches can come from practically nothing, as we've seen in NXT guys like Dawson and Bayley and Jason Jordan...it's been a slow rise for them and a lot of that talent is still quite raw but we've seen them capture people's imagination and hearts with great, great storytelling. I dunno, my point is, get outta here with that 6 star bollox.

And also I don't wanna be in the first week of the year, like "yep, nothing's topping that" - I think only AJ or the next big act in NXT could manage it, unless they perhaps pulled the trigger on Joe v Lesnar or something (I'm being optimistic), then fuck knows, but yeah I hold out some hope that it could be pushed into merely-top-three territory

 

 

here's two criticisms of current New Japan anyway: Tanahashi's new music... Kevin Kelly put it best on the New Year's Dash show when questioned about it he simply replied "I liked his old one", also on that show they *spoiler* took the fucking 6-man belts off LIJ and on to the random assed team of Tanahashi, Nakanishi and fucking Taguchi.....whyyyyyyy

Edited January 8, 2017 by sj5522

[Liam O'Rourke]

Just to drop this in here - the latest Squared Circle Gazette Radio is now online, reviewing WrestleKingdom 11. Breaking down every match, we look at the finer aspects of a tremendous show, as well as dish out criticism where needed, and take your feedback on the big event. Talking six star ratings, the utter greatness of Hiroshi Tanahashi, the growth of Tetsuya Naito, underused talent, the impending rise of the Juniors, Okada Vs. Omega and much more. Check it out and let us know what you think!

 

https://squaredcirclegazette.podbean.com/mf/download/w3yyjm/SCG_Radio_108_-_NJPW_WrestleKingdom_11_Review.mp3