7 Ups & 3 Downs From NJPW Royal Quest

2. P*ss-Poor Production

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Here's how not to start your first ever solo United Kingdom pay-per-view: by muting your announcers' microphones as you hit the airwaves.

Royal Quest cut in from the opening video package to the sight of Gino Gambino and Kevin Kelly addressing the viewers. They were talking, but not a word of it was audible. The producers c*cked it up and we were made to watch much of the opening bout without announcing, which is... not good.

Mistakes like this are why critics throw "second-rate" at promotions like New Japan. They can't happen, particularly as WWE's production is so immaculate, and that it took the technicians 25 minutes to fix it (with multiple FITE.tv error messages popping up throughout) isn't good enough from a company this big.

The early stream sucked, too. Low-quality and rife with cutouts, it was a mess reminiscent of AEW Fight for the Fallen's Buy In pre-show. These eventually stopped, though Royal Quest never once looked like a big-budget New Japan production...

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.