7 Things WWE Can Learn From NJPW

4. Stick To Your Guns When It Comes To Pushes

Kazuchika Okada
NJPW

For reasons I will never truly understand, WWE is frustratingly inconsistent when it comes to pushes. How many times over the years has it seemed like Dolph Ziggler was finally getting the faith the WWE Universe has clamoured for him, only for it to come to nought? The worrying trend in WWE is for a superstar to get a big push, only for it to be followed by a year or so spent in purgatory (see Rusev, Barrett, Sheamus, Neville et al).

NJPW however seems to have the confidence to back itself when it decides to put a rocket behind an individual. When Kazuchika Okada returned from his stint in TNA, his stock and confidence could not have been particularly high. After a year spent regaining his self-belief, he shocked the world by defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

The title change came out of nowhere, and many called it a 'suicidal' move by the booking team. Rather than give in to these calls they stood by Okada, and he now finds himself as the biggest star in the company.

In many ways the same applies for AJ Styles and his recent run in the company. The audience reacted with disinterest when he defeated Okada for the same title, only for him to win them over completely less than six months later. If you decide to give someone a push, trust yourself and the talent.

Contributor
Contributor

Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.