NJPW World

[iPumaPants]

We all know what to expect from an Ospreay match though, don't we? If he doesn't entertain you, why do you love him? His matches with Scurll, Ricochet and KUSHIDA have been fantastic. I'll go into my own issues with them in a moment, but they have been brilliant. 

His match with KUSHIDA seemed to lack various psychology elements, and that's Ospreay all over, really. However, this being one of very few times I'd seen KUSHIDA, I was left a little annoyed at the lack of selling for injuries caused in such a great way. Oh, my shoulders fucked, and my leg is fucked, but a springboard move? Yup. That's the game plan. I was left with my jaw on the floor when Ospreay hit the Cheeky Nandos kick (Shit name, omg moment). Couple of moments were very, very good. Loved the match. Hated the selling.

Also, does Ospreay swear allllllll the time? I'm almost certain he called KUSHIDA a cunt, which was a bit unexpected, but the screams of "FUCKING HELL" whilst selling were a cool moment when I first heard it (like, he's hurting, he's swearing, that must hurt), but now I notice it all the time and it's a bit annoying.

[SBD]

28 minutes ago, iPumaPants said:

Also, does Ospreay swear allllllll the time? I'm almost certain he called KUSHIDA a cunt, which was a bit unexpected, but the screams of "FUCKING HELL" whilst selling were a cool moment when I first heard it (like, he's hurting, he's swearing, that must hurt), but now I notice it all the time and it's a bit annoying.

I was thinking the same the other day im no prude but its a bit excessive cant say i have heard him doing it outside of NJPW 

[air_raid]

6 hours ago, Marshmallo said:

Worst ever? Love Ospreay but stuff like this isn't entertaining. 

That was nothing compared to he and Ricochet bullshit stereo springboard backflip pose for no reason exchange.

[westlondonmist]

7 hours ago, SBD said:

I was thinking the same the other day im no prude but its a bit excessive cant say i have heard him doing it outside of NJPW 

He was doing it against Bodom at rpw epic encounter. I found it too over the top overselling and almost cringe worthy. What was worse was that 5 minutes later he was not selling at all.

Meltzer probably loved that little spot above in the final. I hate that stuff and wish new japan would stop it. 

[TheBurningRed]

7 hours ago, SBD said:

I was thinking the same the other day im no prude but its a bit excessive cant say i have heard him doing it outside of NJPW 

He's done it a couple of times in PWG too. And against Ricochet at last years BOSJ. It's cringey really because it's so OTT and unnecessary. 

[BigJag]

It's very Dragon Ball Z and Anime influenced. The pop it got in that clip would suggest that it won't be going away anytime soon.

[WyattSheepMask]

He'd have been a Smarks wet dream if he'd have been around in 2003 wouldn't he?

That crouching pose thing though, or the "superhero landing" if you will. 

[pitseleh]

So, is the BOSJ final as awful as that Ospreay vs Ricochet match last year? Thinking about giving it a watch. 

I enjoy Ospreay in doses. He can be a great babyface and some of the athletic stuff he does is insane when used correctly. He just needs someone to tell him to tone it down. A few years in NXT will do him well imo. 

[iPumaPants]

The usual Ospreay forgetting to sell stuff aside, it's a great match. Some huge shows of athleticism, and some really cool spots. It's not your classic mat technician special, but it's worth watching.

 

You're absolutely right about needing someone to show him the way forward, tone it down etc. He needs to not be the 'get all my stuff in' guy, because as you say, used properly, what he can do is insane. But will he learn? I doubt it. 

 

Ricochet is the same, at times. As Prince Puma in Lucha Underground, he's almost perfect in his role. Then he has matches with Ospreay that are just flipping about and whilst that's a great spectacle, it's not what he can do. He should show what he can do. I assume he's had better, more fulfilling matches in NJPW, but as a new-ish fan, I'm yet to see them.

[air_raid]

3 hours ago, pitseleh said:

So, is the BOSJ final as awful as that Ospreay vs Ricochet match last year? Thinking about giving it a watch.

In general I thought Ospreay v KUSHIDA was an enjoyable match for drama. There's an annoying three move sequence that I was dismayed was kicked out of (but not surprised, since it didn't end with the recognized finish of the wrestler) and then one move used for a near fall which is on my "you shouldn't fucking kick out of that" list. But its a decent match especially compared to the aforementioned match which reached new levels of "nothing means anything."

Edited June 4, 2017 by air_raid

[Herne's Son]

So having not watched any Japanese wrestling since the late 90's I decided to check out the BOSJ out of boredom with WWE. First time to see most of these guys I have read so much about in action as well as some old favorites like Take Michinoku and Jushin Liger. Fuck me I am totally hooked on NJPW now (and so is my girlfriend, which is a bonus). I think a combination of colorful characters and incredible physical ability is what has made me fall in love with this company.

Some thoughts/questions

 

- Bullet Club are awesome but they seem to have a lot of dead weight, I was also confused if they were supposed to be heels or faces as they play to the crowd a lot.

- There is a faction which appear to have a mexican name and a halloween style appearance. Their leader Naito kicks his title belt to the ring, What's going on here?

- Ricochet and Will Ospreay are incredible athletes and I have no problem with their matches but Ricochet lacks character and Ospreay comes across as a bit of an unlikable cock.

- Masahiro Chono, Koji Kanemoto, El Samurai, The Great Muta are just some of the names I remember who aren't around anymore.

- Kazuchika Okada the IWGP heavyweight champion seems devoid of charisma and any kind of star quality, or am I missing something?

 

I think I need to check out more shows from the last couple of years and would love some recommendations.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Herne's Son said:

There is a faction which appear to have a mexican name and a halloween style appearance. Their leader Naito kicks his title belt to the ring, What's going on here?

Someone else (air_raid) could likely explain better than I can, but Naito used to be a white meat babyface type, he won the G1 Climax tournament to, supposedly, main event Wrestle Kingdom, New Japan's biggest show of the year, but wasn't taken to. The fans at large rejected the push as he wasn't considered ready as a character. He ended up going second from last in a losing effort for the Heavyweight belt, while Tanahashi and Nakamura main evented the show with the IC title. 

At some point, Naito went on an excursion to CMLL in Mexico and once he came back he was a changed man. Vicious, spiteful, arrogant and against everything New Japan stands for. He regularly harasses the ring crew/trainees and insists on the referee opening the ring ropes before he'll enter. He treats the second most prestigious belt in the company like dirt out of disrespect while goody-two-shoes up and comers like Juice Robinson frown in disapproval at him but can't beat him for the title

Basically it's what WWE probably should've done with Reigns about 6-9 months ago 

I think they're by a distance the coolest faction in wrestling. Every member is cool as fuck in their own unique way, no dead weight and Naito, Takahashi and SANADA in particular are incredible wrestlers. Los Ingobernables merch seems almost as popular as Bullet Club at the shows I've been to, and I think they're much more relevant. 

 

On Okada, if you're watching the super juniors, I'm assuming he was just in some throwaway tag match. He's not to everyone's taste - I think he's got a quiet charisma that often only reveals itself in the biggest of matches, he looks like a million quid though - but many would say he's the best wrestler in the world at the moment. Watch his Wrestle Kingdom matches with Tanahashi, as well as the Kenny Omega match from this year's (Meltzer gave this match six stars... I'm saying nothing...) and the recent match with Katsuyori Shibata to get to know him better. 

Generally I'd recommend every recent Wrestle Kingdom from about 7 onwards to help get up to speed. They all generally have at least 5 or 6 superb/basically perfect matches and are nearly always the best cards of the year. 

Edited June 7, 2017 by sj5522

[TheBurningRed]

Naito is just awesome. He's the coolest guy in New Japan atm. The way he disrespects the belt is hilarious at times. A few weeks back he launched it into a ring post and the young lions had to fix it afterwards. He also chucked the IWGP Heavyweight title around when he was champ last year. He got great heat at Rev Pro a couple years back when he slowly walked to the ring and slowly took off his suit. He was annoying the fuck out of everyone and it was great. 

3 hours ago, Herne's Son said:

Ospreay comes across as a bit of an unlikable cock.

Yeah. He's a great wrestler, but knob head IRL

[mim731]

I re-watched Wrestle Kingdom 11 in prep for Dominion. I'm not sure if that main event deserved six stars, but it's hard to argue it's not a very strong five star match. Okada and Omega both absolutely give everything and there is so much drama. Equally that Dragon suplex from the top rope is still one of the scariest spots I've ever seen.

Great match.  

[air_raid]

On 2017-6-7 at 11:26 PM, sj5522 said:

Someone else (air_raid) could likely explain better than I can

Nah, you done a good job of illustrating who Naito is and where his character comes from. The Reigns analogy is a good one as like Reigns there was a time to pull the trigger on him as a hot new babyface on top and it passed. Some might have been ready for him in 2011 but that G1 simply was Nakamuras turn (AT LAST) and "plucky loser" was a great spot for Naito then. We'll never know if 2012 would have been good for him as his injury would have got in the way anyway although its hard to believe Okada wasnt always pencilled in to win that one. By 2013, as over as he was in Ryogoku that night, I think he'd lost the faith of a lot of the hardcore.

Of course, they nailed his repackaging, the "testing the waters" first reign was a success, he draws a gate and LIJ merch makes serious bank, so clamour for him to be champ again is pretty feverish out there. With Shibata seemingly finished I don't see another candidate for Okada's opponent at Kingdom.

18 hours ago, mim731 said:

I re-watched Wrestle Kingdom 11 in prep for Dominion. I'm not sure if that main event deserved six stars, but it's hard to argue it's not a very strong five star match.

Can, worms. Everyone looks for something different and rates things differently. "Five stars" basically means perfect or one of the best matches you ever saw and plenty of people will not have been able to get past, for instance, Kennys terrible cartoon facials, or suspended their disbelief he could win, so they'll have marked it down.

PERSONALLY I went into that match having barely had any emotional investment in a Kenny Omega match since Apollo 55 v The Golden Lovers, got ridiculously caught up in it and had my heart pounding by the end. So I decided it must have been one of the best matches I'd ever watched unspoiled. I haven't, however, watched it back once. It killed me for not knowing who was going to win and for being invested in who was going to win, but I've not been compelled to watch it again since.