10 Things New Japan Does Better Than WWE

As evidenced by the upcoming Survivor Series main event, WWE love to roll out their past stars for their biggest occasions, be it a WrestleMania dream match or just to hype the release of their latest video game. Goldberg is just the latest addition on a list including Sting, The Undertaker, The Rock, and Triple H of household names who returned in the hopes of bringing back fans who have since become disillusioned. But does Goldberg returning really help rejuvenate the company beyond a spike in PPV buys?

New Japan could be considered more fortunate that their previous world champions, such as Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Yuji Nagata decided to stick around in the wrestling business. However, WWE stalwarts like Kane and Big Show don’t find themselves in meaningful roles or feuds (see Nagata vs Shibata) nearly as often as New Japan’s ‘Third Generation'. Mostly that is down to their honest portrayal as grizzled vets rather than clinging to notions like Kane still being an unstoppable monster. New Japan’s old guard are there on every tour to pop the crowd, put over youngsters, and perhaps most importantly, they don’t come swanning back on occasion for a big payday and the main event spotlight.