10 Things Japanese Wrestling Does Better Than WWE

WWE has a nasty record of producing storylines that are either too convoluted, not planned on a long-term basis, or are not wrestling-related whatsoever. Everything produced in WWE is so basic, and nothing wacky ever occurs anymore.

While part of this can be attributed to changing fan perceptions, this trend ignores the inherent outlandishness of pro wrestling that is still on full display in Japan. Even though most Japanese promotions follow a simple, athleticism-oriented approach void of gimmicks, there are a few promotions that do things ‘the WWE way’; and when they do, they out-do the master.

Small promotions like HUSTLE and Dramatic Dream Team are known for presenting storylines so over-the-top that they’d make Vince Russo blush. For example, in HUSTLE, the Great Muta once sprayed his green mist into a woman’s nether regions, which somehow got her pregnant. She then laid a giant egg, and out came Akebono, who then teamed with his ‘father’ and accidentally squashed and ‘killed’ his mother.

Then there's D2T, which has its own version of the Hardcore championship called the ‘Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship’. Since that belt was created, it has been the source of ridiculously funny comedy, including one match where a ladder wrestled a table for the championship, and another where a woman’s pet dog won the belt.

If that doesn’t define ‘the wacky world of pro wrestling' then I don’t know what does.