12 Ups & 5 Downs From NJPW The New Beginning In Osaka 2019

4. Spreading It Thin

Yoshinobu Kanemaru BUSHI
NJPW

NJPW's decision to hold three major New Beginning shows as opposed to one mega-card is understandable. It's a money-driven move, and with it, the company draw three strong crowds as opposed to one. This means we can't criticise it from a business standpoint, but we absolutely can from a creative POV.

The New Beginning In Sapporo shows were thinner than your author's hairline. While Osaka was an improvement, this hefty Ups-to-Downs ratio belies the show's quality. This was a good show, but not a great one, and it's all because the tour's biggest matches were spread too thin.

Fans have come to expect top-loaded New Japan pay-per-views with skippable undercards, and while NJPW threw some important angles down early in the night, that's pretty much what this was. Take the Yoshinobu Kanemaru/El Desperado vs. Shingo Takagi/BUSHI and Zack Sabre Jr./Minoru Suzuki vs. EVIL/SANADA Sapporo tags onto this card and it'd be a different matter. Alas.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.