8 WWE Secrets You Can Spot Early (If You Really Pay Attention)

7. NJPW Referees Forget How To Count

Bray Wyatt Fiend Secret
NJPW1972.com

AEW might be the shiny new kid on the block, but for many fans New Japan Pro-Wrestling still trumps it as the number one wrestling promotion on the planet. The roster is stacked from top to bottom, and New Japan’s best matches still blow everyone else out of the water. There are few things as guaranteed or as consistent as a major NJPW show.

This is still true when you take into account the frustrating tendency of their referees to telegraph every single near-finish. You can’t miss it really, the rhythmic cadence for the first two counts before the hand gets stuck in the air, suspended in animation for what feels like an eternity, before coming down at a speed that makes Akeem look sprightly.

Once you notice it for the first time, you can never stop noticing it, sort of like Matt Bellamy’s excessive breathing in every single Muse song. Red Shoes is the main culprit; now there’s a referee who coasts on perception and little else. Come on Uno, cut it out already.

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.