Working in NJPW (Is WWE really the only place in town?)

[radiantsilvergun]

All this hype surrounding the Punk podcast has me thinking, do we have any interviews or info on how NJPW is run currently? Like what the pay is like, politics, and backstage environment and stuff? When people say that "WWE is the only place in town", are they referring to it not being in the States, or is it putting NJPW in a "little league" kinda light?

[Deleted]

They are the #2 pro wrestling company in the world, where the wrestlers can (and do) make a solid living.

[chrom]

Karl Anderson made 650,000 dollars in 2013. That's a pretty good living.

[The Scuba Guy]

Nov 27, 2014 10:49:17 GMT -5 chrom said:

Karl Anderson made 650,000 dollars in 2013. That's a pretty good living.

When you think about it, he also had time to come back to wrestle 2-3 matches in ROH in 2013. So that much money, and you're not used on every tour? That's really good.

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

Yeah, I remember it being reported that Tensai/Albert/Giant Bernard was making six figures in NJPW as one of their top ganjin before he went back to WWE.

[Deleted]

NJPW isn't viable to most WWE guys because NJPW only has so many full-time spots available for foreign talent. Compare that to the number of good spots that were available when WCW was around or back in the territory days. Very, very few guys have any leverage these days.

[________ has left the building]

Nov 27, 2014 20:52:35 GMT -5 @noggy said:

NJPW isn't viable to most WWE guys because NJPW only has so many full-time spots available for foreign talent. Compare that to the number of good spots that were available when WCW was around or back in the territory days. Very, very few guys have any leverage these days.

Yeah, NJPW doesn't hire every former WWE guy out there. Basically if Jado and Gedo likes you and think you fit into their plans, you get a call. There are a number of options out there for talent besides New Japan. Mexico is profitable to some folks like Jack Evans and Marco Corlone. You can work in Japan in the smaller companies and make a good living. Uhaa Nation and Ricochet basically were working mainly in Dragon Gate the last couple of years.

[Just call me D.j.m.]

Nov 27, 2014 10:49:17 GMT -5 chrom said:

Karl Anderson made 650,000 dollars in 2013. That's a pretty good living.

Source?

[chrom]

Nov 27, 2014 21:19:53 GMT -5 Just call me D.j.m. said:

Nov 27, 2014 10:49:17 GMT -5 chrom said:

Karl Anderson made 650,000 dollars in 2013. That's a pretty good living.

Source?

411mania.com/wrestling/karl-anderson-reveals-his-salary-from-njpw/

[HMARK Center]

WWE certainly isn't the only game in town, but it's the biggest option for North American/English speaking wrestlers, and the biggest "lottery ticket" out there; if you hit it big in WWE, you have the chance to be a millionaire almost overnight.

That said, as mentioned above, NJPW offers a lot, as does working with many puro or lucha companies. It'd be great if the US was more like that; TNA offers a solid income for guys who get full-time deals, but the options around here are a bit limited beyond that if you want to pull down a full time living.

[Deleted]

Nov 27, 2014 21:13:18 GMT -5 ________ has left the building said:

Nov 27, 2014 20:52:35 GMT -5 @noggy said:

NJPW isn't viable to most WWE guys because NJPW only has so many full-time spots available for foreign talent. Compare that to the number of good spots that were available when WCW was around or back in the territory days. Very, very few guys have any leverage these days.

Yeah, NJPW doesn't hire every former WWE guy out there. Basically if Jado and Gedo likes you and think you fit into their plans, you get a call. There are a number of options out there for talent besides New Japan. Mexico is profitable to some folks like Jack Evans and Marco Corlone. You can work in Japan in the smaller companies and make a good living. Uhaa Nation and Ricochet basically were working mainly in Dragon Gate the last couple of years.

The thing about the other Japanese promotions today is they aren't close to what NOAH and AJPW were. There are a decent amount of places a wrestler can go and scrape by, but not many slots that offer any where near the comfort and steady paycheck that WWE offers. I'm sure many WWE midcarders are unhappy that they're spinning their wheels, but there's not enough out there for most of them to consider jumping ship.

[________ has left the building]

Nov 27, 2014 22:20:34 GMT -5 @noggy said:

Nov 27, 2014 21:13:18 GMT -5 ________ has left the building said:

Yeah, NJPW doesn't hire every former WWE guy out there. Basically if Jado and Gedo likes you and think you fit into their plans, you get a call. There are a number of options out there for talent besides New Japan. Mexico is profitable to some folks like Jack Evans and Marco Corlone. You can work in Japan in the smaller companies and make a good living. Uhaa Nation and Ricochet basically were working mainly in Dragon Gate the last couple of years.

The thing about the other Japanese promotions today is they aren't close to what NOAH and AJPW were. There are a decent amount of places a wrestler can go and scrape by, but not many slots that offer any where near the comfort and steady paycheck that WWE offers. I'm sure many WWE midcarders are unhappy that they're spinning their wheels, but there's not enough out there for most of them to consider jumping ship.

It all depends on a wrestler's hustling skills and reputation. Someone like Colt Cabana made himself a brand name in pro wrestling. He basically call his own shots and make damn good money for someone not in the WWE system. Japan isn't the big money payday it used to be. With Japan going back into a full recession, I unfortunately seen Japanese wrestling companies cutting back on foreign talent. So look for New Japan and other puro companies cutting off flying in folks.

[Deleted]

Nov 27, 2014 22:30:21 GMT -5 ________ has left the building said:

Nov 27, 2014 22:20:34 GMT -5 @noggy said:

The thing about the other Japanese promotions today is they aren't close to what NOAH and AJPW were. There are a decent amount of places a wrestler can go and scrape by, but not many slots that offer any where near the comfort and steady paycheck that WWE offers. I'm sure many WWE midcarders are unhappy that they're spinning their wheels, but there's not enough out there for most of them to consider jumping ship.

It all depends on a wrestler's hustling skills and reputation. Someone like Colt Cabana made himself a brand name in pro wrestling. He basically call his own shots and make damn good money for someone not in the WWE system. Japan isn't the big money payday it used to be. With Japan going back into a full recession, I unfortunately seen Japanese wrestling companies cutting back on foreign talent. So look for New Japan and other puro companies cutting off flying in folks.

If the question is if WWE is the only game in town and we see VERY few guys willing leave WWE to wrestle elsewhere, then I feel the answer to the question is a resounding yes.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I think anything you're saying is wrong. Maybe I'm not interpreting the original question correctly. But with the question being inspired from the Punk podcast I'm trying look at it from the perspective of the wrestlers who are already in WWE and will put up with a lot of bullshit because of their limited options elsewhere.

[________ has left the building]

Nov 27, 2014 22:50:47 GMT -5 @noggy said:

Nov 27, 2014 22:30:21 GMT -5 ________ has left the building said:

It all depends on a wrestler's hustling skills and reputation. Someone like Colt Cabana made himself a brand name in pro wrestling. He basically call his own shots and make damn good money for someone not in the WWE system. Japan isn't the big money payday it used to be. With Japan going back into a full recession, I unfortunately seen Japanese wrestling companies cutting back on foreign talent. So look for New Japan and other puro companies cutting off flying in folks.

If the question is if WWE is the only game in town and we see VERY few guys willing leave WWE to wrestle elsewhere, then I feel the answer to the question is a resounding yes.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I think anything you're saying is wrong. Maybe I'm not interpreting the original question correctly. But with the question being inspired from the Punk podcast I'm trying look at it from the perspective of the wrestlers who are already in WWE and will put up with a lot of bullshit because of their limited options elsewhere.

WWE isn't a perfect place to work but it is the leader in its field. It's like why a college football player would rather set on a NFL practice squad than go to the CFL. They would probably make more money in the CFL but they like being able to say they work for the NFL. A number of midcarders want to leave to WWE to work elsewhere. But a number of them soon realize it's not greener on the other side and being WWE curtain jerker is more beneficial.     

[CATCH_US IS the Conversation]

^But is it really more beneficial to be barely booked at all? A lot of indy/international names or even performers in TNA are probably more accomplished or better known than a WWE curtain jerker.

I hate that WWE is the only game in town. You can't really make money on the indies unless you're one of the "elite" and a lot of these guys in WWE have been marginalized to hell so badly, that it's hard to believe that they'd even get by on "former WWE Superstar" status.

[Toates Madhackrviper]

Nov 28, 2014 2:31:00 GMT -5 CATCH_US IS the Conversation said:

^But is it really more beneficial to be barely booked at all? A lot of indy/international names or even performers in TNA are probably more accomplished or better known than a WWE curtain jerker.

I kind of wonder if this is true when it comes to being well known. I mean on a micro level of just wrestling fans yeah, sure, a Samoa Joe or AJ Styles might be better known than say... Hunico (best example I could think of of someone who was NEVER really in a notable/memorable position in WWE). But when it comes to a Macro level of recognition? With casual fans and the like? Like if you took a random sample of Americans from all different walks of life really made it a good sociological study sample and everything and showed each of them a pictures of Hunico, Justin Gabriel, Alex Riley, Darren Young, Xavier Woods. And then showed them pictures of like... AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Chris Daniels, and Robert Roode. Or even top indy names like Adam Cole and such. Who would actually have a higher percentage of recognition? I wouldn't be remotely surprised to hear that WWE curtain jerkers actually have better overall recognition than even AJ Styles, let alone Adam Cole. And I think that there is exactly why being a WWE curtain jerker is arguably more beneficial for many wrestlers than being a main eventer in TNA or ROH.

[________ has left the building]

Nov 28, 2014 2:31:00 GMT -5 CATCH_US IS the Conversation said:

^But is it really more beneficial to be barely booked at all? A lot of indy/international names or even performers in TNA are probably more accomplished or better known than a WWE curtain jerker.

I hate that WWE is the only game in town. You can't really make money on the indies unless you're one of the "elite" and a lot of these guys in WWE have been marginalized to hell so badly, that it's hard to believe that they'd even get by on "former WWE Superstar" status.

If you're still getting paid a good wage to set around, take that opportunity to heal up and save your money. If you want more, either try to show management why you deserve a shot or plan on your future outside the company. Doesn't matter how much a name you are, it's more important to be in demand and considered valuable when it comes to the indies and international. I guarantee more people know who Sid Vicious is than AJ Styles but not that many companies deem him valuable enough to bring in. And you can make money in the indies if you're willing to put in the work to do so. Johnathon Grisham is not talked about much in the IWC but he spends long tours in Europe and Japan. He also use social media to get jobs and sell merch. If a former WWE guy wants to spend the rest of his career complaining about not being used like he wanted in WWE, not upping their game to prove WWE wrong, and living off his past glories no matter how minor; they deserve how their career goes.     

[CATCH_US IS the Conversation]

Nov 28, 2014 18:10:49 GMT -5 ________ has left the building said:

Nov 28, 2014 2:31:00 GMT -5 CATCH_US IS the Conversation said:

^But is it really more beneficial to be barely booked at all? A lot of indy/international names or even performers in TNA are probably more accomplished or better known than a WWE curtain jerker.

I hate that WWE is the only game in town. You can't really make money on the indies unless you're one of the "elite" and a lot of these guys in WWE have been marginalized to hell so badly, that it's hard to believe that they'd even get by on "former WWE Superstar" status.

If you're still getting paid a good wage to set around, take that opportunity to heal up and save your money. If you want more, either try to show management why you deserve a shot or plan on your future outside the company. Doesn't matter how much a name you are, it's more important to be in demand and considered valuable when it comes to the indies and international. I guarantee more people know who Sid Vicious is than AJ Styles but not that many companies deem him valuable enough to bring in. And you can make money in the indies if you're willing to put in the work to do so. Johnathon Grisham is not talked about much in the IWC but he spends long tours in Europe and Japan. He also use social media to get jobs and sell merch. If a former WWE guy wants to spend the rest of his career complaining about not being used like he wanted in WWE, not upping their game to prove WWE wrong, and living off his past glories no matter how minor; they deserve how their career goes.     

These guys have to get booked in order to prove WWE wrong. They aren't getting booked, and WWE won't even cut them just because they don't want TNA to scoop them up (despite the fact that TNA will never be a threat to them). They just want to hoard as many wrestlers as they can so no one else can have them even though they aren't going to use all of them. WWE should at the least, allow their talents to work Indy shows (at least for promotions run by guys they can trust) if they aren't going to be used. And if not, they should just release them. Don't waste their prime years paying them to sit at home and waiting until they're old and washed up to cut them. It would've saved a lot of guys a lot of heartache if they had been cuT in 2010, 2011 or 2012 when WWE made the decision that these guys weren't going to be stars for them rather than waiting until they were forced to cut them via the Network not living up to Vince's inflated expectations. These guys DO need to put in the work, but no one can actually earn anything if the opportunity isn't there. Hell, They have to actually have past glories to live off of past glories.

[2 time pro bowler Fred Dryer]

Something I haven't seen mentioned, but is probably one of the biggest concerns, is the obvious. How many guys are ready and willing to pack up their things, and move to the opposite side of the world? It's a completly different culture, a totally foreign language, the whole bit. Maybe for younger guys, or those without families, that's something that could be exciting. But, I'm guessing it's a non starter for quite a few people, right off the top.

[________ has left the building]

Nov 28, 2014 18:23:50 GMT -5 CATCH_US IS the Conversation said:

Nov 28, 2014 18:10:49 GMT -5 ________ has left the building said:

If you're still getting paid a good wage to set around, take that opportunity to heal up and save your money. If you want more, either try to show management why you deserve a shot or plan on your future outside the company. Doesn't matter how much a name you are, it's more important to be in demand and considered valuable when it comes to the indies and international. I guarantee more people know who Sid Vicious is than AJ Styles but not that many companies deem him valuable enough to bring in. And you can make money in the indies if you're willing to put in the work to do so. Johnathon Grisham is not talked about much in the IWC but he spends long tours in Europe and Japan. He also use social media to get jobs and sell merch. If a former WWE guy wants to spend the rest of his career complaining about not being used like he wanted in WWE, not upping their game to prove WWE wrong, and living off his past glories no matter how minor; they deserve how their career goes.     

These guys have to get booked in order to prove WWE wrong. They aren't getting booked, and WWE won't even cut them just because they don't want TNA to scoop them up (despite the fact that TNA will never be a threat to them). They just want to hoard as many wrestlers as they can so no one else can have them even though they aren't going to use all of them. WWE should at the least, allow their talents to work Indy shows (at least for promotions run by guys they can trust) if they aren't going to be used. And if not, they should just release them. Don't waste their prime years paying them to sit at home and waiting until they're old and washed up to cut them. It would've saved a lot of guys a lot of heartache if they had been cuT in 2010, 2011 or 2012 when WWE made the decision that these guys weren't going to be stars for them rather than waiting until they were forced to cut them via the Network not living up to Vince's inflated expectations. These guys DO need to put in the work, but no one can actually earn anything if the opportunity isn't there. Hell, They have to actually have past glories to live off of past glories.

WWE doesn't give a hot damn about not firing folks because TNA might sign them. If WWE wants to fire the entire undercard, they will do it and not think twice. WWE isn't going to allow their contracted wrestlers to work in the indies and international. Especially after the IWA Puerto Rico fiasco where Tiger Ali Singh suffered a career ending injury because the promotion decided to hold matches in pouring rain. WWE isn't going to send their guys elsewhere to take the chance to get hurt. TNA does because they don't pay enough to make talent exclusive to the company. Even ECW was very picky on who and where did their folks performed at. If Justin Gabriel  tears his ACL while wrestling in PWG, WWE isn't obligated to help him out because it didn't happen on their time. WWE isn't going to fire folks because the Net thinks they would do better elsewhere. If WWE listen to the Net, Dolph Ziggler would had been fired years ago. Kenny Omega quit WWE years ago and his career didn't suffer not one bit. He didn't set around and bitch about his time in WWE. He went out there and prove WWE wrong and became a success. Not everyone will get a chance to shine. Plenty NFL football players ride the bench most of their brief careers and probably only play 5 times a year. If that. They get hired because WWE sees something in them. Some get to show off their skills. Others head to the showers and the exit.