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Post by Fake Jesus on May 10, 2022 11:22:04 GMT -5
I'm just going to link the squaredcircle sticky because the mods there will presumably be actively updating each development: old.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/umkd8r/kota_ibushi_tweets_about_njpw_megathread/TL;DR: Ibushi had made nonspecific allegations of harassment, abuse of power, and other good stuff by NJPW which he has called a 'black business' (A Japanese term for an exploitative work environment) as well as posting screenshots of messages between himself and some dude called 'Kikuchi', who is (apparently?) the real main booker or booking committee primus-inter-pares in New Japan according to the Super J-Cast. The only dude with that name I know of is Tsuyoshi Kikuchi, but I don't think he's in NJPW unless something changed. Is this legit? Most people think so, but Ibushi is also a fundamentally strange guy so maybe New Japan has finally been infected by meta-booking. I don't really know what to think.
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Convoy
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Post by Convoy on May 10, 2022 12:00:51 GMT -5
I've been following this, and it's pretty nuts to see. A lot of previously unknown stuff has been hinted at, between the expansion of NJPW's booking committee to the complicated relationship between Ibushi and TAKA. There's a general line about exploitative business practices, which are unfortunately pretty damn common in Japan.
Other wrestlers are now commenting on the situation, including DDT talent noting how this is the Ibushi they had to deal with towards the end of his run there. Which may finally make sense of why his exit from DDT was so sudden and uneventful. O-Khan has also parodied Ibushi's tone on Twitter, in what (to me) feels like a mocking of what Ibushi says publicly to what Ibushi actually acts like.
Overall it's super weird to look behind the curtain of a promotion like New Japan. The Elite have always thrown negative comments out there, and Jay/ELP have occasionally noted their frustrations on IG, but this is a whole different ballgame.
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Mochi Lone Wolf
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Post by Mochi Lone Wolf on May 10, 2022 13:02:12 GMT -5
The problem here for us is that a lot of things are clearly lost in translation from Japanese to English. It’s hard to tell what the specifics of this even are.
And yeah, I’m confused about there being someone on the booking committee above Gedo. We’ve all operated under the impression that he has the final say there.
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Mochi Lone Wolf
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Post by Mochi Lone Wolf on May 10, 2022 13:05:07 GMT -5
I've been following this, and it's pretty nuts to see. A lot of previously unknown stuff has been hinted at, between the expansion of NJPW's booking committee to the complicated relationship between Ibushi and TAKA. There's a general line about exploitative business practices, which are unfortunately pretty damn common in Japan. Other wrestlers are now commenting on the situation, including DDT talent noting how this is the Ibushi they had to deal with towards the end of his run there. Which may finally make sense of why his exit from DDT was so sudden and uneventful. O-Khan has also parodied Ibushi's tone on Twitter, in what (to me) feels like a mocking of what Ibushi says publicly to what Ibushi actually acts like. Overall it's super weird to look behind the curtain of a promotion like New Japan. The Elite have always thrown negative comments out there, and Jay/ELP have occasionally noted their frustrations on IG, but this is a whole different ballgame. So the “already returning” line was about TAKA?
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Mochi Lone Wolf
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Post by Mochi Lone Wolf on May 10, 2022 13:16:27 GMT -5
According to Super J Cast, Ibushi seems to be saying that New Japan had an issue with him seconding TAKA at a JUST TAP OUT show.
Which is weird for a few reasons:
1. TAKA is on the New Japan roster. So Ibushi seconding him Shouldn’t even be an issue.
2. In that case, why the hell is Ibushi throwing TAKA under the bus? He also seems to be throwing shade Taichi for some reason, as well.
Something isn’t right here.
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Convoy
El Dandy
Rusev admits to being a sex addict to large applause.
Posts: 7,518
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Post by Convoy on May 10, 2022 13:21:50 GMT -5
I've been following this, and it's pretty nuts to see. A lot of previously unknown stuff has been hinted at, between the expansion of NJPW's booking committee to the complicated relationship between Ibushi and TAKA. There's a general line about exploitative business practices, which are unfortunately pretty damn common in Japan. Other wrestlers are now commenting on the situation, including DDT talent noting how this is the Ibushi they had to deal with towards the end of his run there. Which may finally make sense of why his exit from DDT was so sudden and uneventful. O-Khan has also parodied Ibushi's tone on Twitter, in what (to me) feels like a mocking of what Ibushi says publicly to what Ibushi actually acts like. Overall it's super weird to look behind the curtain of a promotion like New Japan. The Elite have always thrown negative comments out there, and Jay/ELP have occasionally noted their frustrations on IG, but this is a whole different ballgame. So the “already returning” line was about TAKA? I'll preface this with noting that my Japanese reading comprehension is not as good as my verbal comprehension, and there's a lot of missing context overall, but it does seem weird to bring up TAKA indirectly on a few items. The "cheaters-gun" comment almost seems tongue-in-cheek, but the timing of noting the harassment of potential executives is awkward against the TAKA throw-in, which is also awkward against the mention of Ibushi making an unapproved appearance in JTO. To my knowledge, Ibushi and TAKA are friends (and both are close with Taichi), but that appearance seems to be a sore point Kikuchi-san is mentioning in the final exchange. He found it to be unprofessional as Ibushi is contracted to New Japan and did not mention it to management. Ibushi, as best I can tell, doesn't give a damn about any of this and probably didn't even concern himself with asking permission at a time where he feels rushed to return to the ring at less than 100% health.
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Burst
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Post by Burst on May 10, 2022 13:26:42 GMT -5
The big thing I can't quite make out from any of the translations or interpretations that've come out so far, is this Kikuchi-san character. So far it's coming off like a weird version of "McMahon the lowly powder-blue-suited commentator being outed as the big cheese owner of the company" thing if this person is indeed the actual big boss/head booker, albeit without said person being previously in a seemingly lower key role than their actual role.
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Post by 1 Free Moon-Down with Burger on May 10, 2022 13:45:33 GMT -5
Burn them down King Kota.
I’m fascinated by this story
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Mochi Lone Wolf
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Post by Mochi Lone Wolf on May 10, 2022 13:57:19 GMT -5
Lot of subtweeting by current and former members of the DDT roster.
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Post by Fade is a CodyCryBaby on May 10, 2022 14:02:43 GMT -5
Nobody puts Ibushi in a corner
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Post by This Player Hating Mothman on May 10, 2022 14:08:50 GMT -5
There's a lot going on here but the reveal of some totally unknown major power broker secretly booking the whole thing would be uh. A lot.
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Mochi Lone Wolf
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Post by Mochi Lone Wolf on May 10, 2022 14:09:52 GMT -5
For background, the “cheaters-gun” seems like a friendly banter comment from Ibushi about TAKA Michinoku and Taichi, who both have massive cheating scandals that made their names mud in Japanese Pro Wrestling.
It’s the reason Taichi was so lazy for so many years. He knew he wasn’t going to get any sustained push for shit. TAKA, on the other hand, does have harassment allegations to go with his cheating scandal.
Both guys took a ton of flack for what they did. Unlike Shibata who seemed to dodge a lot of that same scrutiny.
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Mochi Lone Wolf
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Development through Destruction.
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Post by Mochi Lone Wolf on May 10, 2022 14:12:17 GMT -5
There's a lot going on here but the reveal of some totally unknown major power broker secretly booking the whole thing would be uh. A lot. One that even long time fans and the closest insiders seem to know nothing about. I’ve been following New Japan for years. I’ve never heard of this Kikuchi person.
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Post by EZ: Brainy Bae on May 10, 2022 14:25:50 GMT -5
But Kikuchi died over 100 years ago!
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Post by This Player Hating Mothman on May 10, 2022 14:26:55 GMT -5
There's a lot going on here but the reveal of some totally unknown major power broker secretly booking the whole thing would be uh. A lot. One that even long time fans and the closest insiders seem to know nothing about. I’ve been following New Japan for years. I’ve never heard of this Kikuchi person. Yeah, for a while I was hardcore following New Japan as my main promotion and the name has never come up. Maybe he's new leadership from the post-Meij days but if not then that'd make them one of the most illusive figures in the wrestling industry. That's the kind of shadowy background figure you find out years later was pulling the strings and was a major Yakuza figure. PRIDE. I'm referring to the likes of the people behind PRIDE. New Japan having someone like that who isn't even criminally tied would be crazy.
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Mochi Lone Wolf
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Post by Mochi Lone Wolf on May 10, 2022 14:27:52 GMT -5
If it turns out that NJPW has secretly been booked by Tsuyoshi Kikuchi for years, my All Japan and NOAH loving heart will be filled with so much laughter it’ll put me into an early grave.
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Post by polarbearpete on May 10, 2022 14:44:33 GMT -5
Dave pretty much denied that Gedo isn’t the main booker there, on the Observer boards. There may be some translation issues making people think that.
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Convoy
El Dandy
Rusev admits to being a sex addict to large applause.
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Post by Convoy on May 10, 2022 14:48:49 GMT -5
It's not news that there is a booking committee, as everyone from Jado to Togo to Tana to Liger to Okada have all provided their two cents and helped to create the current product, but I've also never heard of this mystery Kikuchi-san.
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Mochi Lone Wolf
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Development through Destruction.
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Post by Mochi Lone Wolf on May 10, 2022 14:57:23 GMT -5
Dave pretty much denied that Gedo isn’t the main booker there, on the Observer boards. There may be some translation issues making people think that. Or maybe Meltzer doesn’t have the full story. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s been operating on bad NJPW info. Remember him reporting that Shibata’s surgery involved having his entire brain taken out and then put back in?
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Post by Fake Jesus on May 10, 2022 15:06:09 GMT -5
It's probably more likely Kikuchi is talent relations, to come at this logically, but it would still be kind of weird to have a complete mystery talent relations guy seemingly responsible for disciplining NJPW talent and asking them to come into work, right? Like - we know who does this for companies much smaller than NJPW, and it's not seeming like domestic fans have any more info than we do. Until then I'm going to imagine Kikuchi as the octopus from the f***ing SPECTRE logo.
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