10 Things WWE Doesn't Want You To Know About NJPW
The Gold Standard of Professional Wrestling.
New Japan Pro Wrestling isn't the perfect wrestling organisation - but it's close.
To deflect accusations of bias - and to hopefully avoid any Dave Meltzer Tokyo Dome jokes, a meme as dead as Hooded Kermit - it should be noted that there are flaws to New Japan's product. There are too many titles, and they change hands too frequently. Even if you give the legend himself five minutes to, like, you know, it's like, catch up with his train of thought, the Meltz would probably struggle to name the last five NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions. The brutality of the in-ring action hovers on late '90s All Japan Pro Wrestling-level discomfort, and sadly, we know how that tragic story ended. The Tag Team division offers much entertainment, but the slew of title changes and ten minute matches renders everything a bit pointless.
All that said: New Japan Pro Wrestling, at its best and even at its most average, is an absolutely sensational pro wrestling experience, crammed with drama, prestige - even wonderful farce.
With the ****** classics and the G1 Special In USA shows held this year, wrestling's best-kept secret is now firmly in the open. Fortunately for WWE, the mere mention of New Japan Pro Wrestling causes conniption fits within many of their staunchly loyal supporters. It cannot be as good by virtue of it not being WWE.
Given that NJPW has evolved from Western cult concern to actual competition, that is a perception WWE needs to massage...
10. The Quality Of Matches Is Absolutely Insane
It's public domain at this point; Meltzer's new star rating galaxy has at various points broken the wrestling internet this year.
There is an argument that the NJPW schedule allows its stars to flat out go to a hilt far more ridiculous than WWE's. Lacking an episodic television show to build around, New Japan often promotes multi-man house show tag matches on the "Roads" to major events, thus minimising the need to wrestle for long stretches and allowing the big stars to either recover from - or hold something back in anticipation of - the big bouts.
Regardless of whether or not the comparative playing field is fair, the top New Japan guys have redefined the classic wrestling match in 2017. Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega sustained interest throughout a combined total of over two hours in their three matches because they posed a great strategic question - could Omega find a way to complete the convoluted set-up of the One Winged Angel? - and spent the entire match keeping their audience in glorious suspense.
Danger was often substituted for drama - the top rope dragon suplex spot at Wrestle Kingdom was overkill - but they mastered the space between moves, as much as the engineer-precise execution of the moves themselves. Okada's escapologist counters and Omega's accidental, exhausted Rainmaker counter at Dominion were as memorable - if not more so - than the lunatic table spots.
The idea that AJ Styles Vs. Finn Bálor wasn't a ***** match irritated many within the fandom this week. The reality is that it won't crack the top 25 best NJPW matches held this year.