|
Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Apr 5, 2021 6:29:21 GMT -5
Okay, can anyone tell me the appeal of Will? I mean he's talented but even without the whole dumb/horrible shit he's been apart of, he just screams "comeplete jackass" to me, not World Heavyweight Champion. He's basically like Riddle Very good damn talent but he's a shit head. Dudes that get in their own way and dig their graves NJPW don't care what the West thinks on him. He gets busted with weed tho his ass is grass
|
|
MrElijah
Crow T. Robot
Posts: 42,815
Member is Online
|
Post by MrElijah on Apr 5, 2021 6:32:35 GMT -5
Notes from Will Ospreay’s press conference: Wants to establish a joshi branch of the United Empire in Stardom. Wants to change the RevPro British Heavyweight Championship to the IWGP British Heavyweight Championship Wants to defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against CM Punk and Drew McIntyre I mean Drew as IWGP Champion sounds awesome!
|
|
|
Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Apr 5, 2021 6:38:41 GMT -5
On another note tho, it seems like Gedo isn't allowing long title reigns for the IWGP title anymore
We are in the late 2000's and early 2010's era of WWE where we are looking at 4 month championship reigns. That's not a bad thing since Okada had a damn near 3 year championship reign but some dudes are going to get the short end of the stick. Naito title reign was basically cut in half thanks to the Pandemic and Ibushi title reign was cut a few months short imo as well
It should lead to more title changes which bodes well for guys like SANADA, Shingo, KENTA etc.. Tho until SANADA signs that deal like Ibushi he will just continue to be a challenger
The chances of Hiromu becoming champ sky rocketed too I believe.
|
|
|
Post by Duke Cameron on Apr 5, 2021 6:42:59 GMT -5
SANADA has to be signed by this point.
As much as I like SANADA and want him to be world champion, NJPW doesn’t seem to see him in that light.
|
|
Mozenrath
FANatic
Foppery and Whim
Speedy Speed Boy
Posts: 121,016
|
Post by Mozenrath on Apr 5, 2021 6:48:25 GMT -5
SANADA's something of an enigma to me. He'll go periods where he seems on the edge of a breakout, and then he just is cold again. When I think maybe his chances have passed him by, he'll then get a big win or a 50/50 match with one of the top stars. I can't quite seem to rule him out.
|
|
chrom
Backup Wench
Master of the rare undecuple post
Posts: 84,516
Member is Online
|
Post by chrom on Apr 5, 2021 6:49:58 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Apr 5, 2021 6:50:19 GMT -5
SANADA has to be signed by this point. As much as I like SANADA and want him to be world champion, NJPW doesn’t seem to see him in that light. I mean he is probably like Suzuki and is still technically freelance Tho his contract was rumored to be running out in 2019 so he might have signed a new one And the fans want SANADA to be champ. He's got a ton of fan support and just has that cool factor you can't teach. I think the only thing holding him back may just be wrestling wise. He needs to tweak that. To describe him he's a very good wrestler but with a bad arsenal. Things come too easy to him so it looks like he is coasting compared to people who always look like they are on point like Shingo. He needs to find that sweet spot like Okada. Okada clearly drags his ass because he knows his shit but knows how to turn it on. Same with Naito. SANADA is still only 33 so he has time to win it but they can't keep putting him in the Goto challenger spot
|
|
chrom
Backup Wench
Master of the rare undecuple post
Posts: 84,516
Member is Online
|
Post by chrom on Apr 5, 2021 7:22:11 GMT -5
Okada is not on this tour as he's taking time off to heal it looks like
|
|
|
Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Apr 5, 2021 7:23:53 GMT -5
Okada is not on this tour as he's taking time off to heal it looks like He has gotten nearly 2 months to rest up and rehab before the Dome show at the end of May
|
|
|
Post by Clash, Never a Meter Maid on Apr 5, 2021 7:25:00 GMT -5
On another note tho, it seems like Gedo isn't allowing long title reigns for the IWGP title anymore We are in the late 2000's and early 2010's era of WWE where we are looking at 4 month championship reigns. That's not a bad thing since Okada had a damn near 3 year championship reign but some dudes are going to get the short end of the stick. Naito title reign was basically cut in half thanks to the Pandemic and Ibushi title reign was cut a few months short imo as well It should lead to more title changes which bodes well for guys like SANADA, Shingo, KENTA etc.. Tho until SANADA signs that deal like Ibushi he will just continue to be a challenger The chances of Hiromu becoming champ sky rocketed too I believe. I wouldn’t mind seeing another seven or eight month plus reign for someone is over enough. It could be Shingo, Hiromu or SANADA, anyone’s ideally possible, but it could serve as a good “re-establishing” reign to prevent the championship from ping-ponging a bit too much. I suggest someone fresh because it’d be like what some of Okada’s reigns served as, only this time NJPW isn’t constantly going back to him too often and wearing him out.
|
|
|
Post by Some Baritone guy IS REDEEMED! on Apr 5, 2021 7:40:39 GMT -5
See, I can't deny that Will Ospreay is talented, but the problem is that just about everything he does, Kota Ibushi does just as well if not better. The only thing Ospreay's got that Ibushi doesn't is heel work.
|
|
|
Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Apr 5, 2021 7:43:09 GMT -5
See, I can't deny that Will Ospreay is talented, but the problem is that just about everything he does, Kota Ibushi does just as well if not better. The only thing Ospreay's got that Ibushi doesn't is heel work. Idk, that death trance from Ibushi could be killer heel work
|
|
Mozenrath
FANatic
Foppery and Whim
Speedy Speed Boy
Posts: 121,016
|
Post by Mozenrath on Apr 5, 2021 7:56:03 GMT -5
See, I can't deny that Will Ospreay is talented, but the problem is that just about everything he does, Kota Ibushi does just as well if not better. The only thing Ospreay's got that Ibushi doesn't is heel work. Ospreay can also presumably find arenas easier. Ibushi's got a legendarily bad sense of direction.
|
|
|
Post by Magic knows Black Lives Matter on Apr 5, 2021 8:01:45 GMT -5
Okada is not on this tour as he's taking time off to heal it looks like He has gotten nearly 2 months to rest up and rehab before the Dome show at the end of May You know you got clout when you didn’t even come out for the post match but can still be like, “hey! I got next” for the world title
|
|
Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]
FANatic
Writer, Lover of all things Wrestling. Analytical, Critical, Lovable (hopefully). Lets all have fun!
Posts: 234,396
|
Post by Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] on Apr 5, 2021 8:32:55 GMT -5
Glad Mox is defending the US Belt, even if the competition's a bit slim pickins right now defending it still adds prestigue and meaning to the title so that's good he's being booked with it
As far as Osprey as champion goes? ...Like I GET why he is because when it comes to talent he's one of the best wrestlers in the world, but it's a shame that comes with like a negative 50 personality.
|
|
|
Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Apr 5, 2021 9:25:29 GMT -5
He has gotten nearly 2 months to rest up and rehab before the Dome show at the end of May You know you got clout when you didn’t even come out for the post match but can still be like, “hey! I got next” for the world title Okada: Daddy is home. What’s for breakfast
|
|
chrom
Backup Wench
Master of the rare undecuple post
Posts: 84,516
Member is Online
|
Post by chrom on Apr 5, 2021 9:32:41 GMT -5
First ladder match since Dominion 2016
|
|
|
Post by HMARK Center on Apr 5, 2021 10:47:58 GMT -5
Said this in the Sakura Genesis thread, but I think we need to start thinking through how we post about what Ospreay is and isn't accused of doing. I'm very much open to corrections if people have more information that I haven't seen as of yet, but the "he got Pollyanna blackballed" story seems like it really has nothing supporting it; him being an idiot at first on Twitter after she made accusations about sexual assault against a buddy of his did happen, but he then deleted his initial tweet and essentially said "I need to stop being an idiot on Twitter" and has seemingly held to that. For all I know he holds or has held very dumb views, which wouldn't be the most shocking thing to find out since Will seems like quite a dummy, but there are narratives that seem ingrained about him right now that might not have much backing them up, and it's going to sour just about any NJPW discourse we have here as long as he's champion. Again, I'm open to corrections if people have them.
As for the upcoming shows themselves, I like a lot of what I see. The marquee matches interest me, I love the idea of a Goto/Ishimori singles match and Mox vs. Nagata in the US, and after so many years of the top title being restricted to just a small handful of guys it appears we're in a new phase where there's less predictability on that front.
Granted, some of that is circumstance: it's entirely possible that Naito's first reign as double champ was cut short due to wanting a big angle to build to fresh out of the pandemic, and it might be argued that Ibushi lost here so he can step back a bit and let his foot heal up, since it's apparently been hurting him since January 5th, which goes along with Okada being de-emphasized while he rests his back injuries. Still, between Jay in 2019, EVIL in 2020, and now Ibushi and Ospreay in 2021, the doors of the main event scene and the top title hunt are opening in ways they haven't since...damn, I'd say since AJ won the belt, but even then the number of title holders was kept very small. I have to think Okada is going to make his way to the top before all's said and done, whether that's at the stadium show coming up or it's him coming out on top next Wrestle Kingdom, but things are definitely in a new place right now.
Speaking of those injuries, Meltzer was wondering aloud about that on his show the other day: wrestlers are getting to work less during the pandemic, which on the one hand is allowing greater time to rest up, but on the other is probably causing some guys to not get into that physical mode where they're able to more easily roll with a rough bump or two in a given match because they're in a rhythm or just kind of used to the feeling at a certain point. Didn't say there was scientific evidence of this or anything, but it's an interesting thought: could it be that the less busy overall work schedule combined with intermittent big matches for guys like Ibushi and Okada is leading to less long-term wear and tear, and thus hopefully longer careers for them, but also a greater risk of short-term injuries that might cause trouble while we're in this weird in-between world while the pandemic's still going on? No way to know now, I guess, but it's something to mull over.
|
|
|
Post by lockedontarget on Apr 5, 2021 11:05:07 GMT -5
The blackballing thing is kinda muddled. One company is confirmed to have done it, but they later said that Ospreay did not tell them to do it, the venue did. But the venue’s reason for doing so was to avoid Ospreay being upset. So that could mean Ospreay pressured the venue. That’s the worst case scenario, with the best case scenario being the situation was toxic enough that the venue made the assumption.
I think that while it’s maybe unfair to claim Ospreay definitively did something to her directly, it’s pretty likely that the bad blood between them is what led to things going down the way they did. From that, I think it would be reasonable to say that while Ospreay might be technically innocent, he still holds some measure of responsibility for what happened to Pollyanna and he should have made more of an effort to make things right.
I dunno, it’s complicated.
|
|
chrom
Backup Wench
Master of the rare undecuple post
Posts: 84,516
Member is Online
|
Post by chrom on Apr 5, 2021 11:17:28 GMT -5
Nagata maybe going stateside as he's not on this tour
|
|