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Post by Tea & Crumpets on Feb 23, 2018 13:28:12 GMT -5
I think that line puts to bed any lingering doubts some people might have had over what the Golden Lovers are. Cody is going to get freaking murdered tomorrow. "Bullet Club is mine." and yet he ends sat on his own in the ring and even Page is unhappy with him. God it's gonna be so satisfying if tomorrow he attempts the full mutiny and the entire Club empties out just to say "Nah f*** that" Tomorrow is going to be very interesting. That match put away any doubts that Marty is invested in the mutiny, much to Cody's annoyance. The OG's seem as annoyed with the dirty laundry being aired in public as anything else, so it would be a big mistake for Cody to try something on their turf. Kota's fire and emotion from entrance to exit was a big highlight for me, too! Great to see. I like what they're doing with Marty. You'd expect The Villain to be the most antisocial bastard of the lot, but I like how even when his villainous instincts kick in he's got too much humanity towards Kenny and Chase to go through with it, while at the same time not giving a shit about Ibushi. Makes him a much more rounded and complex figure. The tag tomorrow will be interesting when he has less opportunity to get out of the way, but also only Cody egging him on. And speaking of, I've said it a lot lately but my god is Cody firing on all cylinders lately. Can't ever remember a dye job transforming someone's career like this except maybe Ziggler. Honestly I've always thought Kota was talented as all hell, but questioned if he just had that extra something to really click and potentially be the top guy for a big company. He showed some of it in his classic with Nakamura, but for me, today was when it really all came together. That extra passion and fire mixed with glimpses of cocky swagger, he just carried himself like The Guy. In an ideal world Okada would spend 2-3 years in the midcard either going for the tag or IC belt (just book it as he's done everything else and wants to get the NJPW Grand Slam, if you're worried about him feeling less important) and the top 3 guys for the next few years would be Naito, Omega and Ibushi, with maybe SANADA and EVIL slotting in on occasion too. But at the same time, if you want to really build the tag belts there's no better candidates than the Golden Lovers. I really don't know how NJPW does it, but even with my colossal frustration over all things Naito since Jan 4th, I'm still more excited as a wrestling fan atm than I have been since probably the ECW relaunch, if not earlier.
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Post by YAKMAN is ICHIBAN on Feb 23, 2018 13:38:31 GMT -5
Is anyone buying into Bruiser...anyone? Him rubbing Goto's face in the cigar followed by "I'M JUST CLEANING THE RING" was pretty great
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Post by corndog on Feb 23, 2018 18:37:36 GMT -5
This will probably be the match to refer any Chase Owens doubters to from now on. Marty Scurll was great too; loved his sequence with Kenny. That crowd reactions to the Golden Lovers were seriously some of the loudest I've heard from Korakuen. The Golden Lovers are over, no doubt. As far as Chase Owens, it's pretty obvious he was doing the heavy lifting in that match with the Golden Lovers getting the glory and big spots. Been a fan of Owens for a while and I think a lot of the hate he gets is completely unwarranted. He's not going to be a big star like Kenny or Marty, but he's there for a reason and he's pretty good. Also, I did enjoy Marty's work in the match with being torn on Kenny.
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Post by corndog on Feb 23, 2018 18:39:19 GMT -5
Is anyone buying into Bruiser...anyone? I actually thought he was pretty good, but he needs to work on his cardio. His match against Goto was surprisingly better than I expected and actually he made sense facing Goto considering his old school style.
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chrom
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Post by chrom on Feb 23, 2018 20:16:41 GMT -5
Chase is ready for a shot to prove himself. He's improved leap and bounds and working with what he's been given
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Post by HMARK Center on Feb 23, 2018 22:13:58 GMT -5
Chase is a real professional, there's a reason why they've had him around for awhile and he's basically the lone remnant of the short-lived crossovers with the NWA. From what I've read the guys also really like him, plus he's one of the gaijin who's willing to fly over at a moment's notice when the need arises. Glad to see they're giving him his own theme music and probably inching closer to at least a mini-push.
Cody is a super-villain, it's like his time in WWE looking like Dr. Doom/the Phantom of the Opera now being personified.
Agreed that the pop for the Lovers was amazing; they do draw a bit of a more distinctive, "Western sounding" Japanese audience to Korakuen for the ROH shows, so that likely contributed to things, but it really made things pop.
I want an Abbot and Costello-style film called "Greg and Dustin Meet the Knife Pervert".
Fun triple threat despite the botch, still want to see Juice and Finlay grow into a legitimate team (giving them and Henare a shock 6-man title win would be a lot of fun and a great moment), nice brawl with Goto and Bruiser, and all in a nice, tidy 2 1/2 hour package, good stuff.
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Post by Mayonnaise on Feb 23, 2018 22:50:59 GMT -5
So did Cody and Page get into an argument at the post match press conference? Saw a bit on Facebook that looked like they were but no video and the translation was crap.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2018 23:02:56 GMT -5
So did Cody and Page get into an argument at the post match press conference? Saw a bit on Facebook that looked like they were but no video and the translation was crap. They did; nothing too serious though. Hangman was upset because he got the pin to win the match, but Cody started brawling with Kenny immediately after. Hangman felt like his moment had been stolen once again, and blamed Cody as well as Kenny. Cody apologized to Page and told the press that Hangman had won them the match, and they should ask him their questions before walking off. Hangman looked frustrated, but shook his head and walked off as well without saying anything.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2018 23:36:04 GMT -5
That match definitely put Chase Owens on my radar. He's been "just a guy" to me up to now for sure. Maybe it's just because this angle is making everyone look great, but I hope they find some way to keep Owens a face because I think that suits him a whole lot more.
Cody's completely found himself in NJPW, he's doing everything right. That was a great main event.
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Post by This Player Hating Mothman on Feb 24, 2018 0:38:47 GMT -5
The storytelling of this Bullet Club story is the most compelling thing going on in wrestling right now and for like a year and a half now I never thought I'd say that but this is being told excellently beat-by-beat, both in-ring and on BTE. So excited to see what night two brings to it.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2018 4:28:24 GMT -5
I'm hoping the Bucks do move up to the heavyweight division. They've done it all with the Jr Tag I want them to do whatever they have to do to stop feuding with Rocky Romero.
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Zone Was Wrong
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Post by Zone Was Wrong on Feb 24, 2018 4:36:10 GMT -5
Like what other Jr Tag Teams are there besides the Bucks and R3K? I am drawing a blank on teams that aren't just thrown together. Thin ass division.
As for the Golden Lovers, wow what an ovation. So happy Kota stayed away from the WWE.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2018 4:55:05 GMT -5
Watching live at the moment. God Finlay's look is just terrible. Which is a shame as he's quite good, but I can't get into him.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2018 5:05:43 GMT -5
Like what other Jr Tag Teams are there besides the Bucks and R3K? I am drawing a blank on teams that aren't just thrown together. Thin ass division. As for the Golden Lovers, wow what an ovation. So happy Kota stayed away from the WWE. It's definitely a very thin division. Suzuki-gun needs to make two of their juniors established tag guys, and Taguchi needs a long-term tag partner. The Hiromu/Bushi super team will be fun, but can only do so much.
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chrom
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Post by chrom on Feb 24, 2018 5:57:59 GMT -5
Page has snapped
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chrom
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Post by chrom on Feb 24, 2018 6:15:11 GMT -5
Castle retains in a impromptu triple threat.
Beretta appears to be dealing with injuries
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chrom
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Post by chrom on Feb 24, 2018 6:16:43 GMT -5
Now for the main event
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Post by chrom on Feb 24, 2018 6:26:33 GMT -5
Until these shows, Omega/Ibushi hadn't teamed since Omega's departure from DDT
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chrom
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Post by chrom on Feb 24, 2018 6:46:39 GMT -5
Golden Lovers get the win.
Overslept and caught the second half of the show. Have to go back and watch Hiromu/Bushi vs Flip/Taguchi
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2018 6:53:01 GMT -5
Great main event. Preferred yesterday's, but today's helped advance things a bit. I'm really surprised that New Japan was willing to air Cody forcing that kiss on Ibushi, but I'm glad they did. Cody's predatory behavior towards Ibushi the past couple months adds another great layer to this feud.
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