魔界5号
Hank Scorpio
No. 1 FAN Poster You Want To Hug
Posts: 6,327 
|
Post by 魔界5号 on Feb 19, 2023 17:30:45 GMT -5
So i’ve been watching some 2005 All Japan lately and man, almost every former WWE guy they had at this time was performing to a shockingly high standard. And not even the guys you might expect like Jamal (Umaga) or D'Lo. I shit you not when I say Bull Buchanan is actually passable and dare i say in a few instances pretty good on most of these shows I've watched, which got me thinking. We all know about Stan Hansen, AJ Styles and the like, but what were some gaijin runs that didn’t sound that exciting at first but winded up being pretty great?
I’ve got soft spots for Scott Hall in 2001 New Japan and Bas Rutten in 2002 New Japan which both seemed really random but actually ended up being awesome for different reasons. Scott was just on peak charismatic form and really fun to watch and Bas adapted really well and was just awesome at pro wrestling. But both of them were way better than I ever imagined they’d be.
Know of any more? A lot of the random americans they used regularly in the 2000s spring to mind. Mike Barton, Jim Steele, etc.
|
|
|
|
Post by ANuclearError on Feb 19, 2023 17:57:41 GMT -5
Lance Archer would be the most recent answer. Ever since getting to do the G1 match in Texas it was like he found a new level.
|
|
|
|
Post by Cyno on Feb 19, 2023 18:10:43 GMT -5
Lance Archer was a decent, athletic hoss in TNA and kind of a nothing guy in WWE. Then he went to New Japan, joined Suzuki-gun, and had some pretty excellent performances in the G1. Plus one of the best entrances in the entire promotion.
Albert/A-Train was also really good as Giant Bernard in Japan. Then he used that to get back into WWE as the (ruined) Lord Tensai gimmick. Though he has a pretty sweet gig as one of the senior trainers in NXT, so it wasn't all bad.
|
|
|
|
Post by Rudy Gobert Fadeaway on Feb 19, 2023 18:12:47 GMT -5
It's wild that the only time that Matt Bloom wasn't a filthy goofy dog was when he was literally a Giant Bernard
|
|
Fundertaker
El Dandy
Hideo Kojima should direct every ending ever!
Posts: 8,975
|
Post by Fundertaker on Feb 19, 2023 18:26:24 GMT -5
When El Phantasmo first came to New Japan, I thought he was gonna be just a flippy guy from the UK. His character work from the moment he formed his tag-team with Taiji Ishimori proved me otherwise, even if we did have to wait a while to get there.
Joe Doering and Bison Smith were also nobodies in the American scene and became two well respected big wrestlers in Japan for good reason.
|
|
Bo Rida
Fry's dog Seymour
Pulled one over on everyone.
Got away with it, this time.
Posts: 23,708
Member is Online
|
Post by Bo Rida on Feb 20, 2023 3:00:45 GMT -5
René Dupree's career is fascinating, might not have hit the same heights as some but exceeds expectations for longevity.
He has been in Japan for over a decade for multiple promotions, been the ring with many all-time greats and won several titles. He's still under 40 too so could keep going for many more years.
Dante Leon going from being the 4th most important person in a gcw scramble to GHC junior heavyweight champion certainly exceeded expectations.
|
|
El Pollo Guerrera
Grimlock
His name has chicken in it, and he is good at makin' .gifs, so that's cool.
Status: Runner
Posts: 14,770
|
Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Feb 20, 2023 13:46:01 GMT -5
Honestly, how big of a name was Kenny Omega BEFORE he went to Japan?
|
|
chrom
Backup Wench
Master of the rare undecuple post
Posts: 85,262
|
Post by chrom on Feb 20, 2023 14:10:42 GMT -5
Before he went to Japan, Juice Robinson was stuck as a hippy.
|
|
Fundertaker
El Dandy
Hideo Kojima should direct every ending ever!
Posts: 8,975
|
Post by Fundertaker on Feb 20, 2023 19:28:49 GMT -5
Honestly, how big of a name was Kenny Omega BEFORE he went to Japan? Not that big, but everyone who saw him in ROH knew the guy had a high ceilling. We just didn't knew how high  |
|
Mozenrath
FANatic
Foppery and Whim
Speedy Speed Boy
Posts: 121,224
Member is Online
|
Post by Mozenrath on Feb 20, 2023 21:37:06 GMT -5
Honestly, how big of a name was Kenny Omega BEFORE he went to Japan? I think he'd won the PWG title by then, right? So, he was definitely not a no-name, but he still stepped it up in Japan when he saw the joshi and decided to take inspiration from them, since he felt like he was plateauing in his skills. Something like that, in any case, he felt like they were putting in the best work so they'd be who he'd look to for inspiration. I guess the attention wasn't one-way, either, since I remember Nyla Rose saying that when she first came to Japan, it was really humid, making her hair frizz up, and that the joshi nicknamed her "Kenny Omega Hair". |
|
|
|
Post by Starshine on Feb 20, 2023 21:59:10 GMT -5
Karl Anderson has to be the flag bearer. Guy is one of the most mid wrestlers going, and his run in New Japan basically made his career to the point that today all he does is coast on his rep.
|
|
|
|
Post by TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out on Feb 20, 2023 22:44:35 GMT -5
John Laurenitis. It wasn't just because he was attractive, the dude could work a tag match. Honestly, how big of a name was Kenny Omega BEFORE he went to Japan? He was the King of the Falls Count Anywhere match, you watch your mouth. |
|
Mozenrath
FANatic
Foppery and Whim
Speedy Speed Boy
Posts: 121,224
Member is Online
|
Post by Mozenrath on Feb 20, 2023 22:52:06 GMT -5
John Laurenitis. It wasn't just because he was attractive, the dude could work a tag match. Honestly, how big of a name was Kenny Omega BEFORE he went to Japan? He was the King of the Falls Count Anywhere match, you watch your mouth. Yeah, Johnny Ace never really put it together in the US, but I get why AJPW liked him, even beyond Giant Baba's wife's blessing. He invented a game-changing finisher (Along with a ton of variations DDP got credit for later), so it's not hard to understand why he got over and got to team with guys like Kobashi. |
|
|
|
Post by Cyno on Feb 20, 2023 23:07:14 GMT -5
Honestly, how big of a name was Kenny Omega BEFORE he went to Japan? He was a promising young indy wrestler, but dude absolutely skyrocketed in Japan.
It's not like he was a nobody or flameout like some of the names on this list. But he took it to the next level in DDT and especially New Japan.
|
|
