Wrestle Kingdom 9 Thoughts?

[Liam O'Rourke]

So for this weeks podcast, the panel will be reviewing Wrestle Kingdom 9, and I wanted to get some opinions from anybody here that saw the show and wanted to chime in with some responses to these questions:

 

1 - Favourite match and why?

 

2 - What did you think of the commentary, if you saw it in English?

 

3 - What were your thoughts on the show overall, and the outcomes?

 

As always we'll be reading as many as possible on the show and discussing what you think, am keen to get a feel for people's opinions on the event...

 

EDIT - Just found the discussion in the Jarrett GFW thread, apologies, feel free to close this....

[WyattSheepMask]

1- Okada v Tanahashi. Much better than their match from WK7

 

2- watched on NJPW World, so didn't hear the English commentary, or see JR at any point for that matter

 

3- Enjoyed the show mostly, the early tag matches were a bit rushed though. The Young Bucks tell people to suck them off an un-natural number of times and seem determined to make the super kick considerably less super.

Bullet Club, the group of young lads on the rise, has 47 year old Jeff Jarrett in it for reasons.

Iizuka teamed with Smackdown vs. Raw 2011.

Toru Yano is even less intimidating than Grado and seems to carry some DVD set around with him.

Everything afterwards that wasn't Kenny Omega's hair was top notch though

[ColinBollocks]

1 - Favourite match and why?

Nakamura v Ibushi - Wonderfully executed and told a great story. Plus, Nakamura dressed sort of like the Statue of Liberty. I thought JR really did a great job making both wrestlers seem like a big deal during it too.

 

2 - What did you think of the commentary, if you saw it in English?

Started out quite clunky, with JR struggling a bit with the fast paced opener. However, he started getting much better during the Suzuki/Sakuraba match and it continued to where he really did a great job with the final three matches.

 

Striker was generally good, although I'm never a fan of him using insider terms and that, as it sort of takes me out of the action a bit.

3 - What were your thoughts on the show overall, and the outcomes?

Felt like a big time show and the top matches more than delivered. Can't really ask for much more.

[air_raid]

1 - Favourite match and why?

 

Nakamura VS Ibushi. It was the match I most looked forward to AND had the memory of their first match from Osaka in the 2013 G1 to contend with, and it managed, somehow, to eclipse my expectations. Even though I predicted that Nakamura would retain, they suspended my disbelief to the point where I believed Ibushi could beat him - and at points that he WOULD beat him - and though Shins'kay looked the boss by winning such a tough match, Ibushi too looked stronger in defeat, and that's a tough balance at times. Nakamura is both a living example that someone truly can be a top guy for years without holding the top title, and an example that your secondary title can be made to look a big deal if the right people hold or compete for it.

 

It was almost tempting to say Bullet Club v Super Best Friends for favourite match because it was the match I was most emotionally invested in with over a year of story supporting it and I LOVED the demolition job they did on Gallows at the end. It was the only match where I had zero doubt as to who was winning, but I didn't care because the result made me so happy. But Nakamura v Ibushi II was something special.

 

 

2 - What did you think of the commentary, if you saw it in English?

 

 

n/a as I didn't watch the GFW version. Some of the JR soundbytes that got tweeted to me made me glad I didn't.

 

 

3 - What were your thoughts on the show overall, and the outcomes?

 

 

 

The show in general was outstanding and everything I hoped it would be. Ishii/Makabe, Nakamura/Ibushi and Naito/Styles were just as good as I thought they would be and Tanahashi v Okada was BETTER because I incorrectly assumed I'd seen everything the two could achieve against each other having wrestled so many times in the last three years. I predicted the outcomes before hand and only got 4/10 right including thinking Okada would win, but none of the results were illogical or hard to believe, unlike some feds where either the highly predictable result happens or it doesn't and it feels like "shock for the sake of shock." The pecking order is so less obvious in New Japan than other feds, so the biggest matches always seem evenly matched.

 

I was a little surprised that Tana won since putting on the same scenario as WKVII gave me the impression that while Okada has been champion twice and CLEARLY is on "that level," the perception is that he isn't THE MAN until he beats Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom. I just assumed this was his time. That they don't want to tell that particular story right now is not a bad thing necessarily, but they need to not let Tana and Okada wrestle each other again any time soon or else they run the risk of the rivalry losing its lustre. Tana/Nakamura revisited (they haven't fought for the big one since 2011) and then Nakamura v Okada grudge match can keep either occupied for at least a while, hopefully, and either wrestling Shibata again would be a hot ticket. It surprises me so often that even though most of the top guys have wrestled each other before, since they haven't been done to absolute death, I always can get excited when two top guys are going to wrestle each other. I can say that about other promotions.

[Undefeated Steak]

1 - Favourite match and why?

 

2 - What did you think of the commentary, if you saw it in English?

 

3 - What were your thoughts on the show overall, and the outcomes?

 

1 - Nakamura vs Ibushi.

 

Had I answered this last night I'd have said Ishii vs Makabe. I watched this match again tonight and it wasn't quite as good as I initially thought it was. Ibushi vs Nakamura was incredible on every level. From the timing, pacing and general structure to Nakamura's unmatched charisma and the making of Ibushi as a star, it was everything a wrestling match should be and then some.

 

2 - Hit and miss, but I enjoyed it overall

 

JR wasn't a fan of the opening bouts but but once the show kicked in and the matches got better, so did he. As I said in another thread, Striker didn't do well here. He's fine in small doses and on Lucha Underground but he sounded like a teenage fan straight from 2004. Screaming for Lariatos and saying that strong style proves that wrestling isn't fake. Not cool. I thought JR was everything he needed to be and he gave it that big time feel. If GFW do Triplemania then I'd like Ross to team with Vampiro. Or even better, Ross, Vampiro and Don West.

 

3 - Excellent.

 

I've really got my enthusiasm back for wrestling recently and events like this make you glad that you stick through the shite. One of Raw's biggest problems is that the entire show is so flat; there's nothing to look forward to during the show and the opening matches are indistinguishable from the main events. Wrestle Kingdom 9 was the complete opposite. The show and anticipation built throughout the night to culminate in the best match on the card, the main event. They also offered enough of a variety that if one match wasn't your cup of tea, then the next was something entirely different. NJPW have a new fan here.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

1 - Favourite match and why?

 

2 - What did you think of the commentary, if you saw it in English?

 

3 - What were your thoughts on the show overall, and the outcomes?

 

1 - Nakamura vs Ibushi was obviously the best match of the night, but I feel a million people are going to say that, so I'm going to say Scott D'Amore's Bullet Club dinner jacket was the best thing all night.

 

2 - Liked the commentary. Thought Jim Ross started off a bit lost and Striker started off his usually over the top willing to please self, with odd references to PWG and silly jokes that only listeners of MLW's Talk n Shop podcast would understand, but both got really relaxed and enjoyed themselves. And I think Striker toned down his usual madness later on because he didnt want another bollocking off JR like when he said "swerve". Ross you got a sense only came for the last three matches. He seemed to understand those were the three he'd be judged on and nobody was going to be talking about him calling the Young Bucks superkicks or Jarrett's guitar shot after the show was over. In fairness to JR, he also seemed to have done his homework on the Suzuki/Sakuraba. But it was by far the best Jim Ross commentary showing since around 2006. I dont know about anyone else, but I've been underwhelmed by JR's commentary for years now. I said this in a previous thread, but maybe he's actually calling a product he enjoys for the first time in years.

 

3 - In terms of what they wanted to achieve, I think they over delivered. There was so much buzz about the show all Saturday and Sunday, it seems amazing that this show was only promoted in the US and Europe through podcasts and youtube videos. If this is a success based only on online media, its going to be a real interesting time in pro wrestling in 2015. I could see Jarrett starting his GFW thing through a streaming service if this is a success (not like its a slam dunk it would work for GFW, but this is a bloke who based a company around weekly pay-per-views, so that isn't out of this world).

[Linus]

1 - Favourite match and why?

 

With zero emotional attachment to any of the matches, my favourite as a standalone contest was the IWGP Junior Heavyweight bout between Kenny Omega and Ryusuke Taguchi. The only Kenny Omega match I'd seen before this was against a 9yr old girl so he was pleasantly awesome in this. The two main events were good, and I could understand if you'd followed the stories they'd mean so much more, but this was the most fun for me.

2 - What did you think of the commentary, if you saw it in English?

 

I really enjoyed the commentary and couldn't imagine watching a 4 hour show without it. Jim Ross lapsed into a weird parody of himself at times, and Matt Stryker got a little over-excited, but together they made a good team - less authorative play-by-play announce team, more good pals who knew a bit more than I did.

3 - What were your thoughts on the show overall, and the outcomes?

 

The show was a mixed bag. When it was bad, it was terrible. When it was good, it was awesome. There was something for everyone but it did feel a bit rushed. That's good if you're into watching it as a bunch of matches, but as a coherent show it felt a bit disjointed. It could have benefited, for example, from some inserts in English explaining a few of the characters. I hope it's a success, because I'd like to see more of this kind of thing - Triplemania would be a dream.

[Liam O'Rourke]

Love the responses here, we did get to read a good few of them on the show which is now up - the SCG panel reviewing the whole show top to bottom, talking all the matches and outcomes, thoughts on JR & Striker, future directions and more. An interesting show, as the panel is a mix of New Japan regulars and newbies, and there are some differing opinions that were surprising with the show watched through different eyes. A really fun show to do, check it out and let me know what you think.

 

http://squaredcirclegazette.podbean.com/mf/play/e7pbtk/SCGRadio26-WrestleKingdom9Review.mp3