16 Ups & 9 Downs For NJPW In 2018
Downs...
9. The US Announce Team
A cherished wrestling institution Jim Ross may be, but his time in the NJPW on AXS announce booth yielded some of the worst work of his career.
Age has slowed the greatest play-by-play announcer of all-time. It's harder for him to get amped-up like he used to, and he's no longer able to keep up with faster sequences. Such things can be forgiven, but his lack of knowledge on the New Japan product despite working with the promotion since 2015, propensity to get wrestlers' names wrong, and constant whining on things like stylistic differences and angle/match length cannot.
Broadcast partner Josh Barnett wasn't perfect, but at least brought a sense of real-sport credibility to proceedings. That fell apart at the G1 Special in San Francisco in July. A Jay White suplex sent Juice Robinson into the barricade which, in turn, knocked JR off his chair. Barnett, a former UFC Champion, threw down his headset, told White he'd 'done f*cked up now,' then went into business for himself, marching into the ring to confront the 'Switchblade.' Unscripted and unprofessional, Barnett looked a fool.
The good news is that neither will be on commentary going forward, with a Kevin Kelly-led NJPW World team taking the reins instead. This was essential. Good commentary is a must if New Japan are to keep progressing in English-speaking countries, and Kelly, Don Callis, Rocky Romero & co. comprise the best team in the business.
Barnett and Ross, sadly, do not.