7 Ups & 3 Downs From NJPW Royal Quest

Somewhere In-Between...

1. MAYBE This Was Good?

Roppongi 3K vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, Shota Umino, and Ren Narita opened Royal Quest and, backed by a fired-up London crowd, it looked like a decent, fast-paced match and an ideal way to get people warmed up for the rest of the show.

We say "looked" because NJPW/FITE.tv's technical issues literally made it unwatchable at times. A "WAITING FOR INCOMING SIGNAL" error message interrupted the feed constantly, there were multiple buffering issues, and occasions where the feed just froze. Unfortunately, these problems weren't restricted to WhatCulture HQ either, and Twitter was ablaze with people reporting similar complaints.

What we saw was decent, but that was only 40-50% of the match. Thus, as we've already covered the technical issues under Downs, it's impossible for us to fairly rate this bout - hence "Somewhere In-Between." Your writer didn't even get to see the finish, though it seems SHO secured it with a pinfall on Narita.

Sigh.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

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.