10 Reasons To Get Into NJPW In 2019

2. Now & Then

New Japan Pro Wrestling
Twitter, @reasonjp

The addition of esteemed Japanese wrestling author Chris Charlton to NJPW's English broadcast team in 2018 has been the latest shrewd move from the company in helping new fans get acclimated to a product that is - on the surface - entirely at odds with the wrestling they may have seen in the fast.

Charlton's insight now adds a splash of colour to Kevin Kelly's immaculate play-by-play, and both serve as regular reminders that it's really not that different after all. Kelly's involvement was a turning point for many, with the former WWE announcer by far the best at any wrestling commentary desk for the past several years now. His pressure is not one of putting over the product or talent - he has that absolutely mastered - but for constantly building new bridges for fans that may have only just tuned in for the first time thanks to NJPW's constant expansion.

Furthermore, New Japan's English language YouTube Channel and World streaming service are bolstering their back catalogues with useful primers and history packages, narrated by Kelly with all the key beats and filled-in blanks. NJPW is a product that wants your business and offers you a number of tantalising entry points so they can get it and keep it. The experience is only better for that shared equity.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett