3. Wins And Losses Matter
A common criticism of WWE today is that the outcomes of actual matches aren't treated as particularly important. Whether it's John Cena smiling and joking after big losses, Daniel Bryan being told not to sell his shoulder after a hard-fought WrestleMania victory, or wrestlers losing matches and then getting title shots, it's clear that what happens in the ring is secondary to what happens outside of it. After all, it's not a sport it's storytelling. Outcomes in New Japan are no less predetermined than in WWE, but they're treated as more important as such, the booking makes more sense as a whole. Champions rarely drop falls, and when they do, it's usually cause for a title match. Titles are defended less frequently, and so the matches (and the championships) themselves seem more important. The aforementioned tournaments also hammer home how important winning and losing are. Everybody wants to win the G1 or the New Japan Cup and receive a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but a good showing also goes a long way. Additionally, in the round-robin tournaments, even wrestlers who ultimately fail can raise their stocks with victories over reigning champions or hated rivals. It is a sport, after all.