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It's short sighted thinking on their part in multiple ways, I've seen this sentiment from you and a few others too. They need to make changes to their network for their own fans sake as well as their wrestlers who need more exposure as well.

I 100% agree with you about how they've mismanaged Korakuen. I don't have any great answers because it used to be the lifeblood of NJPW and a major venue for Stardom. Give these fans something to get hype about instead of just lame buildup tags! I of course also agree about Inamura. What they did and how they've used him is embarrassing for someone who should be one of, if not the top star of the company and he's gotten one singles win over a non-rookie in his career. For God's sake. NOAH also seems to book to amuse the one booking more than doing right by the company and especially not doing what's right by the fans. I made a mention of this on a recent episode, they need to be more open about letting people train and become rookies. They just need bodies to fill out this roster. There are also rumors (well, said publicly by Jake Lee at least) that CyberAgent isn't putting as much money into NOAH anymore which may make them hesitate. They just need to get rid of anyone involved with booking over the last 5 years and have a complete fresh start. AJPW has been doing a good job for sure but they also lack roster depth as much as NOAH. Their cards are increasingly top heavy and leaning into comedic stuff too much for my tastes. I think I miss Anzai as champion too much as we speak to be fair. Mad Blankey lost their unit disband match to the Jimmyz almost a decade ago. The only heel one I can think of.

@@EasternLariat Kai Fujimura is an other exemple that show Noah is a mess. I mean why this guy is still treated as a young boy?. Why?. Ok, he comes from Wrestle1 but he s wrestling for 5 years now. Can t they do something with him?. I thought he was teaming with his brother under Cristobal s mask but no he s still wearing his black trunk...... This is very weird. Maybe, he s terrible person backstage or something..... And i m ready for Hazuki s single push. I don t know if she will join H.A.T.E but i do hope her current story will led her to the white belt.

At the very least for Fujimura he will now get to team with his brother again. If they're ever gonna do anything with him, the time is now. I also would like Hazuki to get something but she's not apart of Cosmic Angels therefore a singles push is out of the question in Okada's Stardom. 😆 No lie though I'd be more than happy with FWC getting another goddesses run, they're one of the best teams. Hazuki herself is wonderful and one of their great talents, but I think they don't see as much in her as quite a few others. I think a change could be good but I really don't want her to join HATE.

The only thing I can think is it's some misguided tribute to Chono's Team 2000. Why they're doing that in 2024 is mine boggling. As is having Yoshitatsu in this position more or less being the top representative to the fans. Am not surprised that they see something in him but at this age I don't know what they're expecting to gain from it all. At least Japanese fans totally rejected it as much as we did.

@@EasternLariat Hopefully Yoshitatsu can turn it around and end his career on a high note (maybe using the rejection by the fans finally spark something in him). It seems like different companies have seen something in him, but for whatever reason none have been able to turn that potential into something of value for the company. I wonder if he did not get hurt when came back to NJPW from WWE, would they have been able to make something out of his bullet club hunter gimmick.

Yoshitatsu was one of the best and most popular young lions NJPW ever had, AND he was very close to Tanahashi. He would have for sure gotten a chance and probably did pretty good. The injury was sad for him in that sense but that was a decade ago and his promo specifically mentioned he was more of a manager than a wrestler for T2000X. I just don't know what's left but it would be cool if he could make something out of this. His matches with Kento were actively good in AJPW too.

@@EasternLariat I want Yoshitatsu to become IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Is it weird?

Only due to not wanting him to be GHC Heavyweight Champion as your first instinct.

They have tried in the past, even at their height they were partnered with NJPW directly and then later on they worked directly with Wrestle-1 which led to SANADA wrestling in TNA for years and even having a Bound for Glory in Japan! Then in (2018-ish) they had a direct partnership with NOAH that led to Eddie Edwards being the GHC Champ. Obviously all 3 of those wells dried up for various reasons. Now it will also depend on the Japanese companies. NOAH could be an option since both companies have worked with WWE currently and maybe they could set up some 3 way supershow. I think directly working with AJPW or DG would be great except I don't think they are interested in international fans very much, DG is a currently better option due to so many of their talents having US bookings. Long story short, I think they want to work with a Japanese company again! But circumstances make it a bit hard. But if they were going to do that I think DG would be the most logical option other than GLEAT who are incredibly unpredictable.

@EasternLariat That's a very good point, actually. As you pointed out, TNA has had some very ugly split-ups with past partnerships, and that might be the thing that holds TNA back from developing another long-term Puroresu partnership down the road. I think the stigma of the Okada ninja thing from the Hogan era is gonna be TNA's biggest roadblock in that regard. And what I mean by that is, TNA may have new management and NJPW may have forgiven them enough to work with them in the pandemic, but that doesn't mean other Japanese companies have forgotten it.

@@PuroresuFan Okada did come back to TNA to wrestle before signing with AEW, so there is a possibility that relationships can be repaired or not create a problem establishing new relationships. I think the biggest problem for TNA is being able to show that they can get a Japanese wrestler over with their crowd and add value to the wrestler in order to make them bigger in their home promotion in Japan.

@@EyeOfTheWatcher That's also true, but I also think that everybody processes certain events differently. For example, the people involved in that incident may have forgiven TNA (like Okada did), but not everybody shares the same sentiment and will see certain promotional tactics as irredeemable

Interestingly with this subject being brought up it was reported TNA is looking at cutting costs. Losing D'Amore is another thing that likely would effect any efforts in Japan negatively and Anthem's plans for the company as a whole appear to be ambiguous. I also suppose worst case scenario maybe Ace Austin can come back in NJPW?

Incredible talent. Love everything about his wrestling.

Mio is a fantastic wrestler, definitely among the best in the world.

@@EasternLariat 100% shes fantastic.

Even though she's young, look at how much teaming with her has helped Oka grow this year. Who do you think the best male under 30 is?

@@EasternLariat At a guess cause im not sure what age he is, Ueno from ddt.

He is in fact 29 and also was my pick for all around MVP in the half year awards!

I love the idea, I remember when WWE started Nexus it seemed like an industry game changer with a group of guys that meant very little on their own to the audience and it gave everything life. (Obviously they screwed it up horribly like they usually do but the initial concept and execution was great) If NJPW were to do something like that I think it would be an absolutely huge angle that everyone would freak out over as well as make the young lions stand out. But there would have to be some veteran egos set aside to put over these young guys, they would need to be an Anzai level prospect I feel like for the rest of the company to get on board even if it were best for business. Also the hockey guy is an AJPW trainee, not a NJPW one, but hopefully they also can have one where they train as well.

@@EasternLariat I agree with everything you said, as this can only be done once in order to make it special, and has a huge upside if done correctly. I don't know if Gedo can pull something like this off in NJPW and keeping himself from being attached to it on camera.

It's funny because in a lot of ways that was the idea behind the Rainmaker shock, a new guy fresh off excursion is on the level of the top star and is wildly successful but they've never tried to do something similar with these young guys after, and none of them have really been able to be true superstars for the company yet. I kinda think Gedo's an old dog beyond changing his spots at this point though, it bleeds through in the product and it's struggles but they are putting the best foot forward HE can with O-Khan and Tsuji, we'll see how Oiwa goes. But I just don't think he has any kind of gamechanging angle like that in him anymore.

Kaito vs. Go would be a great match, probably the best they can make at the moment and your storyline of the Champion vs. Champion makes sense, even if the Z1 title means so little now. I also think Kikuta would be a very good representative and a strong heavyweight. Shun would be my pick to do some storyline stuff and have a character but Kikuta would probably have better matches.

If he ends all of Bullet Club then he unfortunately will be my favorite wrestler and I don't know if I'm ready for that. 🤣

​@@EasternLariat- the Zainichi Everyman will bring about peace.

He isn't the hero we wanted, but the one we needed most.

It would be perfect for your scenario to play out, Robert. He was so linked to the NJC for much of his career and for it to finally pay off in an epic win would be the perfect bow on a legendary career of he FINALLY got the belt after getting passed over many times before. And right now is the perfect setup. By going with Zack they've found an effective way to kick the can down the road on these young guys as well so it would perfectly fit, regardless of who the current options as champion are or would be by March. I really hope it happens.

@@EasternLariat fingers crossed with so many of the big hitters gone or past there peak I've come to enjoy Goto more and more.

​@@robertflintoft5614I love him. The entrance music, his look, his moves, his style. Goto is the man.

@@EasternLariat why has Goto been pass over for the IWGP title so many times? I never understood how John Moxley could win the title twice and Goto not having at least one reign.

@EyeOfTheWatcher He didn't have the look that Gedo loves most for his champion when he was at his peak. By the time Moxley won the belt Goto was in his 40s and slotted as a tag team guy. It definitely isn't because of his skills or popularity. He should have been the champion as far back as 2008, could have made a case for '07. I think when he joined Okada & CHAOS was the true end of any legitimate hope for a title reign as "The Guy" but hopefully he can at least get a veteran run with the belt. The fans (and me!) would love it.

Oleg is great, a ton of potential and I give them credit for putting them over right away on night 1. Newman leaves a lot to be desired but I actually agree with you about him being different stylistically. I'm all about bringing in different styles when it comes to tournaments and the Prince of Pace does bring that. I really feel Ishii is already and will only be more missed as the tournament moves along. I also would have had YH in the tournament but I understand they're trying to do a story with ELP and it's not vital, they up match quality but not having a chance to win. There's more to gain from putting in Newman & Oleg and giving them spotlight and a chance to develop. Through 2 nights I've dug it so far. Also! Me & Strig are planning a new episode in a day or 2 that should release so we'll get into it more in depth, plus all the other big shows. 🙏

I love it, listen to it regularly and will never change it as the regular theme song to the show. Mika is an amazingly talented singer.

@@slurm316 I loved your ballot! Am gonna work on shoehorning in a Futurama reference of some sort on the audio now. 😆

SANADA winning would also at least be a story. My gut is saying Shota with him following up Tsuji's NJC win, but there's no direct reason for him and Naito to fight besides the title. SANADA/Naito had an amazing angle that elevated SANADA more than his whole title run and that could go a lot better as a match than this year. I said it on the latest episode he's been wrestling like a guy with a weight off his shoulders. I would say don't count out Takeshita making it, the final this year takes place on Takeshita's 10 year anniversary of his debut and I think would get the fans to rally behind his match regardless of A Block opponent. The rest seems pretty logical, EVIL v. SANADA to fight Naito makes perfect sense unfortunately.

@@EasternLariat NJPW has made me a skeptic of reform in G1. It's not a breakout star type of tournament, it's more of a Royal Rumble in that it sets up their main event for the biggest show of the year. I know that they've set forth a lot of lofty promises of reform (10 to be exact), but I think they're going to take their time with the R3M. Shota is still in the process of shedding his influences and becoming his own man. Even if Gedo is expediting that evolution more than he usually would, I don't think Umino's going to be at that final stage in his development by G1 or Wrestle Kingdom. I'm also always leery of outsiders chances in G1, especially when there are stakes. This could be shell shock from Kaito Kiyomiya's treatment in G1, but I somehow doubt NJPW cares all that much about Takeshita's 10th year anniversary. I know they treat AEW well, and I get that there are 6 spots to fill in the quarterfinals, but it's either going to be Konosuke or Lee, but I doubt it'll be both. Lee seems more likely just based around the rumors swirling of him jumping ship to NJPW when his contract runs out with Noah. Again, I'd love to be proven wrong and actually see change enacted, but New Japan's going to New Japan.

They're attempting to gain more traction in America by any means possible, having a title change at FD will make potential changes in the future more likely at that show rather than having lame duck title defenses like last year. It's also not impossible AEW themselves asked to have the title change on "their" show particularly with what we know about how AEW wrestlers have been used traditionally outside of AEW, letalone a main player like Mox. I could see that being a part of it too. But to me it's just really hard to believe they'll run a G1 without Naito, their top star involved in it even though from a narrative perspective it makes more sense for Umino to beat Mox.

@@EasternLariat that's really fair, I don't really understand NJPWs obsession with winning over American fans when business at homes isn't going great, but I guess extra US dollars wouldn't hurt. TK might well have leant on them for the big title change at FD I guess NJPW probably wouldn't say no especially with as you say if it didn't they wouldn't have a champion present at G1. selfishly I do hope TK puts some pressure on them to book Takeshtia really well in G1 the guy is amazing and really deserves to do well, I'd love him to win it but I know I'm asking to much haha

@robertflintoff5614 When Mox first beat Naito for the belt I was TOTALLY against it, but it's hard to argue they haven't accomplished everything they've wanted so far with him as champion with the shows they did in the US and if Naito beats him that's a major win for NJPW over one of AEW's top stars. I'm not saying it's for sure an AEW call that it had to happen on FD but it makes sense that they're more comfortable getting it on their own show than a NJPW one with hopeful dividends for the future. Also worth mentioning this all happened during BOSJ season where heavyweights aren't featured as much. Going with the Juniors to main event Dominion was a risk that also turned out not to be a problem or fail. I just hope they have a good plan for the Dome this year. I'm sorry, but Naito saying his catchphrase as the main hook of the main event was such a lame hook and you can see why they weren't able to make a significant jump last year. (One of many reasons, but still I hope there's more depth to the main)

@@EasternLariat I hadn't put enough thought into his run mainly covering BOSJ and your right that gamble did pay off at Dominion. I'm glad Mox got his run with the belt as well. Id like to see Niatos story when he gets the belt back be the slightly bitter veteran realising time is running out and refusing to go quietly into that good night. So do their own version of Tsuruta-gun Vs the Super Generation Army, have Niato rebuild LIJ into this veterans faction of his holding back the tide of new stars as a way of getting those younger guys over, hopefully include Oiwa in a big way into that on his return.

Tsuji would be one of 2 favorites along with Umino. The only reason I think it'll be Shota is that Tsuji won the NJC already and I feel Shota needs it more at least right now. Takeshita would be a dark horse more than someone I think has a strong chance, but I wouldn't put it at 0%.

Tsuji can only win the G1 unless Naito wins at Forbidden Door. If Moxley retains at Forbidden Door, Umino has to win the G1.

The G1 field is okay but having Jake Lee and Takeshita is huge. Takeshita will always bring Banger Matches. Not Having Jon Moxley is a huge miss.

I hope I'm right about Umino & Takeshita being the front runners in their blocks. On top of it not only is the field boring they have so little logic to the play-in tournament people over the tournament people it's made everyone mad seemingly. 😅

I think Rossy has a lot of money for himself but I don't think it's all himself, whether it's sponsors, investors or just CyberFight's money there's no question they are using their money so well in terms of production values. Look at how much NOAH has benefitted production-wise since being on WU. Even Rossy in Stardom wasn't able to have English commentary even close to regularly and in Marigold they have it from the start. AJPW would benefit immensely from a parent company like you're saying but it feels like that day isn't going to come anytime soon. If anything with the recent news of the LEC President retiring it may get worse before it gets better. But there's no question wrestling wise they're doing a great job. If you just look at paying customers AJPW is almost always ahead of NOAH in terms of attendance recently outside of particularly special big shows NOAH runs a few times per year. If AJPW had all of those advantages they could do a lot with it.

Thank you so much! To explain a bit more about us and the role DG played in our love of Puroresu, STRIGGA is an esteemed Japanese wrestling fan of over 25 years, and has been a fan of DG for forever, when I first met him he has claimed El Dorado (a DG spinoff of the late 00s) is his favorite company ever. I've been watching Japanese wrestling since 2008 when I often wrestled in my very tiny local indie as a teenager and wanted to steal moves from more people, and one of my earliest gateways was DGUSA (in addition to K-Dojo and the Joshi company Ice Ribbon). I believe I mentioned this briefly on the show itself but BxB Hulk's Dream Gate reigns were one of my favorites of any company. In terms of GLEAT I like their shows but it does feel like they lost a lot of buzz since last year because a lot of people really enjoyed Lindaman and T-Hawk as champion (Strig favored Lindaman and I preferred T-Hawk's reign but we both like them both a lot) but like I said to me they're one of the easiest companies to watch, I just don't think they have many storylines that grab people. On an additional note for me I am personally a big fan of shoot style wrestling as well so I always appreciate when they do the UWF stuff and give them love. Although it isn't perfect or anything like the peak period of RINGS and UWF-i I always enjoy it when they do them so GLEAT is a secret favorite of mine. Hopefully with Nakajima coming in we can talk about it more since it's been out of the rotation on the free feed for a little while but I'd love to do more. Anyway thanks for checking us out, MC. Hope you enjoy the show and what you listen to, there's gonna be way more DG with Kobe World around the corner for sure!

@@EasternLariat DragonGate was indeed a game changer. I still don't understand how Toryumon went under, maybe Ultimo tried to do too much in Mexico but before I saw my first Toryumon/Dragon Gate match. CZW was my religion. Tape trading is how I found out about Toryumon/DG and they've always had a special place in my heart. In 2020, like most people my love for wrestling came back. I stopped watching for a while after Dixie Carter didn't resign AJ Styles. I would watch a show here and there but nothing close to my earlier days. I stumbled into GLEAT on RUclips, incredible that they give out their shows for free. I saw CIMA and I tuned in, then noticed Kaz Hayashi, Minoru and they captured me. Before I had signed up to Dragon Gate's Streaming Service but the promotion lacked passion. I saw the face expressions on Natural Vibes, like "we have to dance again" catchy as hell though. The good thing of the streaming service is whenever they load an old show. Although GLEAT is lacking at the moment with no forward progress, when I saw them a year ago, they had the passion I was looking for. They're streaming this for free when everyone is charging $10 at least. TNA just recently did this, they stopped their VIP service on YouTUBE now it's on their platform which is worth it because they show every show. I wish AJPW would follow suit because their 00's library is insane. I wish this era of wrestling existed back then, it would of kept me from a lot of trouble growing up. But $10 here, $10 there eventually it adds up and you don't have the time to watch it all. NJPW, AJPW, Wrestle Universe, FITE TV, TNA, DG, IWTV, Lucha+, Premier and so and so on, it's too much, that why I appreciate MLW and GLEAT, they're just putting their work out there. Again, thank you for your work. I'm glad you guys tell it like it is that NJPW isn't NJPW anymore. I get hyped for every show and there's only 1 match that stands out the rest is just work to watch. If you guys have the chance check out Ganbare Pro, time flies while watching them. You mentioned, you use to wrestle, what was your name? Me and my best friend tried to wrestle to, we were a rip off of the Backseat Boyz.

As I understand it the Toryumon/DG split was Ultimo Dragon getting out politicked by CIMA & the former president Okamura. When both Okamura & CIMA left at the end of 2018, Ultimo magically returning definitely gives credence to that theory although I don't think it's ever been specifically said. (Also Ultimo has made many questionable moves of his own so it is kind of complicated, but it led to a lot of people leaving, as usual people always take sides in promotional splits) It's important to remember that AJPW, like most Japanese promotions actually don't own their libraries from back then but actually the TV networks in Japan. Occasionally on GAORA's YT page they do put up matches from the past but it's very up and down. As for TNA it's unquestionably a great decision to put their stuff up, because they have no prayer of growing viewership on AXS at this point to a meaningful degree. They also need to explain if Alisha Edwards is dead or not after she came back at Against All Odds. 😆 I think Wrestle Universe realizes what you mean about the money adding up like that, that's why they're adding more stuff from different companies like Marigold, Osaka Pro, Sendai, etc. If they can get enough growth perhaps it would make BUSHIROAD more likely to merge NJPW & STARDOM World, but regardless GLEAT has a place and I enjoy their shows and especially their roster. I hope they can find a good vibe again for what they have going on as a promotion. Nakajima coming in May be a spark. He was successful (albeit weird) in AJPW. Thank you more for listening! I know it sounds cheesy to say but the people who listen and support us are like family to me personally. I was born and raised in North Memphis and wrestled for a company called ASW (which was called that to trick people into thinking it was the still small but bigger local indie also called ASW 😆). I trained with Wolfie D of PG-13 Fame and I owe so much to wrestling in general although I suffered a serious concussion that ended my dreams, but not before I wrestled for years. It should have been decades in my mind but through this show I still am not completely removed from my dreams and for that I'm blessed. My name wrestling is the same name today! Dylan Fox. I've spent countless hours trying to find my old stuff but our show was literally on public access and I've resigned to it all being lost forever to time. 🥲 But I totally support all levels of wrestling down to the smallest indie or even the backyard.

@@EasternLariat I didn't know CIMA was out there politicking. Ruins my image of him growing up. Knowing that, it gives me a different perspective on the history. All this time I thought it was Toryumon Mexico that failed Ultimo Dragon since at the the time there were all these new classes coming out Toryumon X, I think there was a 2000 in there and so on. Although it's nice of AJPW/GAORA to put out matches, other companies do the same, there's no feeling like ordering some food, getting some drinks and sitting back and watching a show from start to finish. To me that's how you know how the company is really doing. If you book 7 matches one of them is going to come out right and that's the one you publish, it's like music artist. You purchase the album and 1 or 2 songs are good the rest of the album sucks. Cough NJPW Cough. TNA has been putting in fun shows the past 3 months with interesting storylines. I was disappointed that they didn't resign the MCMG and then they were teasing an ABC breakup, I was not going to be able to handle all that in a week span. Luckily the ABC are still together with a new shirt. As for Alisha Edwards, If I was Eddie I would be concerned it seems like Alisha is always trying to touch Moose every opportunity she gets. Wrestle Universe, IWTV and FITE are the standard when it comes to wrestling programming. As you mentioned different promotions, different styles to cater to all fans. That's why I have to think twice about signing up for a single company. I do hope you're right and BUSHIROAD bundles Stardom and NJPW because that's $20/month. If bundled I can save a few bucks for my Lucha+ subscription. Dylan Fox is a cool name. Wolfie D. PG-13 rings a bell, bro. I had to look them up. I know who you are talking about. That's awesome. Nakajima in May is that confirmed? I know Nakajima is trying to get some attention and go to the highest bidder but I was thinking what if he came to the US and wrestled for XPW. The news in Japan would go insane. GCW wouldn't cause a lot of talk because it is expected but a company like XPW could be interesting. I'm glad Nakajima showed up at GLEAT and I had to go on the web to search if that was really him or if I was drunk and you guys popped up. Enjoyed the whole 2 hour show from start to finish. Looking forward to the next one. Are the shows every week, bi-weekly or monthly?

It's wrestling, politics are true of virtually any main eventer in any company. That said CIMA is particularly adept, he got a 7 figure deal with OWE which was a terrible decision on the backers of OWE's part but great for CIMA. And there's no question of CIMA's in-ring skill and eye for talent. He just wanted guys like Ultimo and Magnum Tokyo out of his way is all. 😆 Plus he has a ton of pull in GLEAT. There's good and bad with him I'd say. And for DG you had T2P, X, El Dorado, Dragondoor, numerous others that were Lucharesu influenced. The mid 2000s were like a boom period for small promotions like that popping up, running a few shows and disappearing. 😆 I agreed with you about watching the full shows for a long time. That's how I came up trying to find Megauploads of all these Japanese shows and getting them were like treasures to me, and the companies were so motivated to do their best to get out of the dark ages. But TBH the companies themselves have purposely moved away from booking like that. We're going to have our half year awards soon and I don't know if I can think of a truly great top to bottom show this whole year. It's a shame and I miss doing exactly what you said. Maybe even something with AEW cooking working with CMLL and Rocky Romero doing so much with all 3 countries maybe you could get something where NJPW/AEW/CMLL/STARDOM shows are all on the same network. It's wishful thinking but wrestling changes so fast. Just the idea of a Wrestle Universe existing I would have said was impossible just 10 years ago but here we are. I just hope they don't go too crazy with the Hardy stuff, they're trying to kill people and all this Lucha Underground stuff that doesn't appeal to me, but just as wrestlers TNA has a lot of people I like. I always check in to see people like ABC, Alexander, Ali, Slater, etc. Thank you, I am very grateful for a name that lends itself to easy move name puns. 😆 Wolfie was a really smart guy when it comes to Southern style wrestling and a hell of a lot more normal than Jamie Dundee! Am thankful for my time, I can't believe it's been years. But like I said I'm content to be doing this and apart of the scene as an Outsider now. Nakajima in XPW would be nuts on so many levels. Just imagining the reaction to it online has my head spinning. 😆 I don't think they announced any matches for him yet but I promise that was him! I think he was eating and drinking when he was there and the president teased he had a plan for a match with him. Stay tuned and we'll talk about it when it happens though no doubt. Good or bad there's no question he's one of the most interesting guys to follow. We're usually good for a new episode every once a week-10 days. It really depends on Strig, I would do an episode every day if I could but he's a teacher in life so occasionally it takes a little longer, but never too long! I'm hopeful to do a show either this weekend or a day or 2 later once the AJPW show happens.

1 GREAT match. They have a few ones that are good but I would argue there's a large gap between that final and every one of their matches after it.

Surely it’s Desperado this year

I could definitely see that. It's finally his time after years of coming up short. It also has a direct story of Despy vs. Hiromu in the final for him to overcome his rival. Logical winner.

Hell yeah, Mike! Love having you aboard and hope we can continue to do big things for Japanese wrestling all over the world.

Hobbs is really great! I saw the story of him talking to Luger about using the Torture Rack and I was like "this guy has everything you want". Great look, personality, physically carries himself strong, great offense. I actually think he's the kind of guy that would benefit NJPW more than Mox coming in once in a blue moon if they could get an AEW guy for like a year, similarly to how they have Oiwa in NOAH and they could book an AEW guy like that for a year he would have been one of my top picks as a guy AEW can't (or chooses not to) use to his full potential, good call. It's just a shame about his injury in the title match but he'll bounce back, he just needs consistent time and reps which he would get in NJPW.

@@EasternLariat he's really great AEW seem to be in the opposite position to NJPW in having to many guys that could have a top of the card push. I suppose the challenge to get them over to Japan for an extended period is the money side of it for the talent against the likes of moving and what not. If NJPW could even get a worker like a Hobbs for a Morishima in ROH type run it would do wonders for them. I always look at Takeshtia and while I love seeing him on TV I can't help but think 10 years ago this would and should be the kind of guy NJPW bring in. He's amazing but the state of Japanese wrestling in general means he skipped the biggest company entirely

I definitely agree with you on Takeshita, he would be the dream and him even potentially challenging for the IWGP Title is a step in the right direction, I feared there would be political stuff that would keep him from it. But yeah he is the type of guy that could easily be a Dome main eventer if they could agree on that. You're right about AEW having so many guys though, there's like 10-20 guys you could argue would help both them and NJPW as well. We've seen the guys they've sent over for tournaments: Early Yuta, Archer, Toa Liona. Bryan and Mox have had special guest appearances and hopefully we get more. But so far they've yet to give up anyone of importance for a long period of time except for Kingston last year and even he was slotted in ROH too.

@@EasternLariat what would be the Politics on Takeshtia? I might be out of the loop did NJPW have a bad break with DDT ? I just remember it being a pipeline for Kenny and Kota.

I'm always nervous about companies working together just because the power dynamics, NJPW is at a different level to DDT but it really doesn't matter at this point since NJPW isn't as high up as they were in years past which is a big part of why they're in this United Japan thing. The DDT/NJPW thing the first time kinda went south actually, after the Tana/HARASHIMA match they really didn't do much directly after that but I'm sure it's fine now, and I bet Takeshita would love it.

Hayata has been NOAH’s Jr ace for the last few years. He is arguably the best presented/protected wrestler in NOAH and it’s a total mystery because he is painfully below par. He has a cool look but doesn’t measure up to the likes of Harada, Ishimori, K.Suzuki, Kotoge, Marvin, Yoshioka - let alone JR Nakajima, Kenta, Marufuji or Suguira. If NOAH booked the likes of Kenoh, Kiyomia, Inamura, Kitamiya or Miyawaki as they have Hayata The conversation around NOAH would be totally different.

@@RarnieM understandable. I have to agree, he is not on the level of the previous jr aces but his matches are not as bad as most people think they are, at least imo.

I think Rarnie made a great point about how overpushed he is being a big problem and also I would add how stale he is as a character. If you look at HAYATA/YO-HEY when they were signed to NOAH years ago, HAYATA was the more technically proficient wrestler. But YO-HEY, while not being great IMO has constantly tried to do different things to be better and switch it up. HAYATA is literally the same wrestler he was 7 years ago without even an attempt to improve. I won't put all the blame on him but the constant STINGER stuff was so bad even the one who ran NOAH's English Twitter complained why they got so much spotlight because they were so boring. The Jack match wasn't necessarily his fault because the layout was inherently flawed regardless of participants but he once again essentially failed up while being one of NOAH's most protected overall wrestlers. The Jr. Division has been essentially gutted due to his neverending title reigns with no classic or even really great matches at all with years of chances others don't get. I'm willing to listen to matches you think are standout he's had and give him another chance if you think we are too hard on him but just in my mind watching him all these years the ones I would say are even good are few and far between.

I really agree with this whole point and it's a troubling sight seeing where the division was even 10 years ago which was still great but seen as lesser than the classic era of the late 00s compared to now. The Jr's. of NOAH were one of the absolute biggest draws to the company and why I preferred it over NJPW for so long and nowadays it is so so far removed and not even a positive. Someone like Kotoge who was wasting away basically immediately became one of their best and most popular acts upon becoming Heavy again when he was doing that as a Jr. back then.

I think this is a totally fair point and to be fair Strig definitely enjoyed the shows more than I did. I am not personally as big of a fan of DDT and TJPW (not that I dislike them, I think both Judgment and Grand Princess were very good show but the tone of the shows are not geared to the pure wrestling side at times) but they did do a great job bringing their full vibe to the US. I'm glad you enjoyed the shows though. Despite saying the vibe of those shows aren't my favorite, Wrestle Universe is an excellent chance to watch multiple companies and see which you like or even discover some new wrestlers you like. Although buyer beware on DDT undercards for obvious reasons. Most of all thank you for listening! The Eastern Lariat is my truest passion at this point and I always put my heart into it, but also have a lot of fun with a longtime friend. But the thing that means the most to me is that we added some fun and extra knowledge to your day and helped make it a little bit cooler to be a fan of this modern wrestling game.

@EasternLariat That is absolutely a fair point! Everybody has their acquired tastes in wrestling. For you, you've always leaned pretty heavily into the pure wrestling side of things, technical masterpieces and I enjoy that stuff too, but my interests have always been a little more narrowed than that, even. I've always pigeonholed myself into the more high-octane side of things. Hard-hitting 90s All Japan level stuff, the classic NEVER Openweight Championship matches of the late 2010s that felt like uncomfortably real fights, and my personal favorite, deathmatches. That's my palette with any kind of wrestling really, not just Puro. So it felt like a breath of fresh air to take a break from that and see what else is out there. Cause even when I was a Wrestle Universe subscriber throughout all of 2022, I still stayed in that bubble of NOAH for the most part. Venturing out of that during WM weekend this year felt like a genuine culture shock for me, and in the best possible way. One of those weird times where you take a break from wrestling, by watching other wrestling that you don't normally check out as a mindless spiritual detox sorta thing 🤘

This is gonna be a very western answer for me to say, but I'm gonna have to say Ninja Mack. A lot of his NOAH stuff during the summer of 2022 blew my mind, and I'm always impressed when I go back to watch him these days. He's been consistently at that level ever since, and I wish he'd have more exposure here in the US. It's a shame he hasn't at least appeared on a wrestling television program here in North America, at least not according to my admittedly limited recollection of such a thing.

@PuroresuFan When we were looking at him in the BOSJ I thought so too actually. I think he's got something to him that nobody else has which is what I was looking for when I brought it up. His background is obviously a big help to that but just look at how over he is in NOAH. He's legit. Am a bit surprised AEW never gave him a look but he seems really happy in Japan, and maybe one day he'll be one of the ones that gets a chance. I'm totally with you, he deserves it.

@EasternLariat He's one of those guys that I wish MLW took a look at when they were on REELZ last year. So many guys got exposure because of that show and I feel like he would've absolutely been one of them. Ninja Mack vs Myron Reed would've been an incredibly fun firefight to watch on a Tuesday night.

🙏 🙏 🙏 ​@@PuroresuFan

Love the work you're doing right now, Mack. @NinjaMack Hope you're enjoying your time in NOAH & Japan and know how the fans across the world have really taken notice. 🙏

I think it's safe to say when we were talking about the vibes being weird, Strig was totally right about that one and seemingly for good reason. Nakajima after that finish...nuts. 😭 I don't blame you tbh, just like when we went over the cards. It starts at the top. The people running these companies don't have the care or definitely not the understanding that people back then who were the leaders of the big 3 companies (Misawa/NOAH, Inoki/NJPW, Muto/AJPW) had in my opinion...

@@EasternLariat I agree about the poor leadership. It's embarrassing to have storylines about how top pushed wrestlers aren't popular enough to draw fans. It's self fulfilling prophecy time and time again. It takes years of good talent and good booking to build an audience, especially in a time when wrestling is not a hot commodity. NOAH in particular has been a tragedy with how things have unfolded in the last couple years. Nakajima, KENOH, and Kiyomiya are all top tier wrestlers tainted by their primes being in a terrible era.

Good point. They lagged behind and got caught repeatedly. I think a vast majority of people agree with you about ZSJ, and I do too. I was shocked when Strig said ELP is actually older than him. I'm not fully sure what their thinking is. It's also possible that Zack doesn't care that much about the belt or being a main guy. He's in a spot as a valued mid-carder. Good faction with a lot of cool guys to travel with. Probably paid pretty well, has said many times Japan is where he wants to be. I don't know what they think he's missing, he's a great promo too.

@@EasternLariat maybe they don't see Zacks style as main eventer or perhaps his build. He was saying in an interview he thinks this year is when he will win the world title but I guess you have to say that when asked. He doesn't have a bad spot, for me though he's the only real star of his faction, now Osprey is gone a merger with the United Empire guys might just give them all a little more credibility

I hope it's Goto as he's my favorite. I would love to see him get an opportunity, although the ship has sailed probably on him to win the title. Maybe if they did bring in Nakajima that could be his spot? The only person left from the original version of CHAOS are Ishii & Yano, wow.

Absolutely agree. That was what I said was my red flag too. Is this about getting Okada to be the dude or is it about putting thar "Okada is All Elite" graphic up and he's gonna be lost afterwards like so many others.

@@EasternLariat More power to him if Okada can get more money and sit at home for most of the time like most of AEW roster after being on TV for a month or two. AEW has a very light schedule compared to the WWE, but the only thing in question for AEW is if their TV deal is going to be renewed or not. Tony Kahn has shown that he can't cut deals without having a friend on the other side and at some point the business people are going to look at the deal to see if they are really getting their money worth with AEW or would it be better to bring in the WWE (who comes with their own sponsors to some degree). If Okada does sign with AEW, i believe his agent will make sure that his money is guaranteed regardless if AEW goes out of business or not (from my understanding the agent Okada hired does have experience representing wrestlers).

​@@EyeOfTheWatcherBloom represents almost all the top AEW guys. Bucks, Omega, Ospreay. One/all of them were likely a connection between Bloom & Okada himself.

Great point. I don't want to speak for Strig, but I promise you I HATED that. I get it about traditional booking, but Kuroshio should have been the last one to do it.

​@EasternLariat I hate Jiro but he's Shotaro's senior and he's beaten Jiro in 4 out of 5 singles matches they've had. If this runs back into a singles in Carnival where Ashino wins then eh. Its also a pretty fresh match since they hadn't wrestled in tags or singles since 2020.

You needed Dempsey to pin Nakajima to establish him immediately as a threat for the tag match. Said this on Twitter but as a fellow Robinson lineage trainee he's not pinning Billy Robinson's last protégé in Hideki Suzuki, and Anzai pinning Nakajima can be put off for a while longer sooner they're clearly teasing it already. Dempsey being able to get a tag pin but not a singles match shows how far ahead Nakajima is as a complete fighter.

@nicolasawad4193 I don't think I could ever be sold on Jiro winning anything and also being in the CC significantly weakens the field just like it did when he was there years ago. I doubt it will mean much long term though, so hopefully you're right that Ashino just gets his win back and that's it.

@nicolasawad4193 Everything here makes perfect sense. Just like I said it's booking 101. I wasn't surprised at all it happened.

Thank you! 🙏

He's been in training for the 2024 Olympics this whole time. It's been said he will come to NOAH after that ends.

Thanks so much for checking us out and enjoying the show. ✊️

❤​@@EasternLariat

In NOAH he was not successful as a champion numerous times and has yet to have a sustained run as a credible top champion. Obviously right now this AJPW run is doing great and it's possible NOAH was the thing holding him back more than him, but at the time of this episode we didn't have evidence he was a drawing champion or overly popular with Japanese fans at all, and on the flipside even this AJPW run could also easily be because of the hype of Kento vs. Nakajima as well. We don't know if AJPW even have longterm plans for him after the title matches. Obviously purely as a talent he's one of the best and most interesting to watch in the ring for numerous reasons. That doesn't necessarily mean he should be the top champion and there's nothing wrong with that or him even if it turned out to be true. He'll still be great.