10. Awareness And Inclusion Of "Competition" Is Important
WWE performed with a shadow roster in Tokyo. This didn't necessarily need to be the case. With Finn Balor (and other WWE performers) having significant history with New Japan Pro Wrestling, the idea of including some New Japan performers on the show should've been considered. The Beast In The East could've very easily included John Cena wrestling a rising New Japan star like Kota Ibushi or a Japanese performer with significant American experience like Yuji Nagata for the WWE United States Championship. Cena and Ziggler versus Kane and King Barrett is some sort of bizarro world house show main event, and is intriguing only to the most die-hard WWE fan. For a show that should feature more special attractions, the inclusion of New Japan was important.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
