10 Things You Learn Converting From WWE To New Japan Pro Wrestling
7. The Real Deal
Vince McMahon coined the phrase 'Sports Entertainment' in order to distance himself from the both long-held perceptions of his industry from outsiders, and the taxman. He used this label to avoid paying fees ordinarily allotted to major sporting events at arenas all around North America, patronisingly positioning his show alongside a broad spectrum of productions including "Days Of Our Lives, Jerry Springer, King Of The Hill and Seinfeld".
Unlike all of those shows he listed in his infamous 'Cure For The Common Show' Attitude Era-ushering address, his product exists far more in New Japan Pro Wrestling's universe than he'd ever like to admit. Especially with NJPW currently doing a far better job of presenting both the Entertainment and the Sport.
Bell-to-bell, the product is still a physical test above all else. Matches are dramatic athletic pursuits, but athletic pursuits all the same, with the levels of violence deeply embedded in the psychology of the matches.
Champions are almost always champions because they can be believably considered the best, and when it's not the case, they're booked as such until perception and reality gleefully meet. Contenders to titles are held to similar standards, forcing even bland performers to work beyond themselves to not get left behind by the superlative skills of their peers. The competitiveness is thus as legitimate as any 'real' sporting endeavour.