Essential Japanese Wrestling Discussion/News

[Apex]

One tip. With a lot of things I guess but really especially AJ (and current NJ), would be to watch things in chronological order. And also watch the build-up tags snd 6-mans before the big showdowns.

AJ's King's Road style is really based upon building on what came before it. So basically any time two given dudes faced off might have a response or set-up in one of the big tentpole matches.

You also really get the story behind stuff to really sink into it instead of just bell to bell.

Things like Dr Death and then Hansen having Misawa's number and he trying to figure them out, or Kawada's increased frustration and desperation to beat Misawa, or Taue's ability to out bomb anyone, or the disintegration of Akiyama and Misawa's relationship really mean a lot to their matches and might get lost if you don't follow chronologically.

can u send me a list then?

 

[Jmare007]

Zeus is the next TC challenger, he'll face Kento in Osaka on the 28th. The Korakuen Hall show from yesterday did pretty bad

 

[Jmare007]

Daisuke Sekimoto & Takuya Nomura vs Yuji Okabayashi & Kazumi Kikuta - BJW 6/30/19
(match starts at the 54 minute mark aprox.)

Another worthy preview for the July 21st title match between Yuji and the young gawd. The matchups you think will be dope (Okabayashi vs Takuya & Daisuke) are dope, Kikuta is fine but everytime he's in the match comes down a notch or two, the good thing is that his participation is minimal for the 2nd half of the match. I think this can be more appreciated if you've seen the other preview tags between Yuji and Takuya - sadly, the Korakuen Hall show were Nomura finally beats Okabayashi in a tag after like 6 straight Ls hasn't surfaced yet - but the last 4 minutes are undeniably awesome, with an awesome young star doing everything to take down the monster champ. There's also a sequence were Yuji goes full beast mode that's he even treated Daisuke like he was nothing.

@Scottie Drippin I hope you've been following this build up for the title match because it has been pretty damn awesome

 

[Apex]

@Scottie Drippin

can i just watch cagematch recommended matches that are over a rating of 8.5 chronologically from the 80s onwards?

 

[Scottie Drippin]

@Scottie Drippin

can i just watch cagematch recommended matches that are over a rating of 8.5 chronologically from the 80s onwards?

Just took a look at their recommends. Honestly I'd say when it comes to AJ at least, just watch everything they have listed from '85 on. '85 is when Choshu arrives in AJ and the company begins to change into what we know it becomes. That really is kinda Chapter 1 of the modern AJPW story. Jumbo and Tenryu (the #2 and #3 guys in the company, but about to become #1 and #2) fighting this famous invader is what sets off the story that plays out through the 90's. Jumbo and Tenryu fall out in their battle to succeed Baba as #1 in AJ (and thus kayfabe #1 in Japan maybe).

The Olmypians (Jumbo's Group) v Revolution (Tenryu's Group) is a war that splits the company from '87-'90. Then when Tenryu leaves in '90, Kawada (who was in Revolution) teams with the newly unmasked Misawa (along with the other young guys) and it's Jumbo's Veterans against Misawa and Kawada's young generation until that war is done. And then in '93/'94 you get the dissolution of Kawada/Misawa's relationship and that defines the company until '98.

And then as all of this is going, you have the mighty foreign elements in Hansen, Gordy, and Dr. Death at separate times being indomitable forces no one can overcome.

There's of course a laundry list of great matches and so many interesting and compelling moments along the way it's really worth the whole ride.

 

[Apex]

Just took a look at their recommends. Honestly I'd say when it comes to AJ at least, just watch everything they have listed from '85 on. '85 is when Choshu arrives in AJ and the company begins to change into what we know it becomes. That really is kinda Chapter 1 of the modern AJPW story. Jumbo and Tenryu (the #2 and #3 guys in the company, but about to become #1 and #2) fighting this famous invader is what sets off the story that plays out through the 90's. Jumbo and Tenryu fall out in their battle to succeed Baba as #1 in AJ (and thus kayfabe #1 in Japan maybe).

The Olmypians (Jumbo's Group) v Revolution (Tenryu's Group) is a war that splits the company from '87-'90. Then when Tenryu leaves in '90, Kawada (who was in Revolution) teams with the newly unmasked Misawa (along with the other young guys) and it's Jumbo's Veterans against Misawa and Kawada's young generation until that war is done. And then in '93/'94 you get the dissolution of Kawada/Misawa's relationship and that defines the company until '98.

And then as all of this is going, you have the mighty foreign elements in Hansen, Gordy, and Dr. Death at separate times being indomitable forces no one can overcome.

There's of course a laundry list of great matches and so many interesting and compelling moments along the way it's really worth the whole ride.

u summarized the story really nicely. thank you.

is there a website that goes over the story of ajpw over the years or nah

 

[Scottie Drippin]

u summarized the story really nicely. thank you.

is there a website that goes over the story of ajpw over the years or nah

One of my boys does pretty exhaustive deep dives and reviews. Here's is AJPW 80s and 90s
Simon Watches AJPW - 1980s
Simon Watches All Japan - 1990s

 

[stro]

Watch every match with Jumbo and Kikuchi

 

[Jmare007]

I really think there should be an elite level documentary about what Maeda and Choshu did for puroresu in the mid 80's. The fukkery that lead to both of them leaving New Japan to start UWF and invade All Japan, the style shift they spearheaded - clean finishes, shorter matches, japanese vs japanese rivalries, more high impact stuff, shoot style and the early stages of MMA -, their comebacks to New Japan, how much they disliked each other ("the kick heard around the world") and how much shyt changed from 84' to 90' is such an interesting and juicy story that I hope someone talented gets the chance to put in video form.

 

[stro]

You'll get Chris Charlton doing a no budget youtube "doc" and you'll like it

 

[Jmare007]

Eh, Charlton knows his shyt and is now connected so he could actually get good interviews and good production so I think we could get a good quality doc out of him

 

[Scottie Drippin]

I really think there should be an elite level documentary about what Maeda and Choshu did for puroresu in the mid 80's. The fukkery that lead to both of them leaving New Japan to start UWF and invade All Japan, the style shift they spearheaded - clean finishes, shorter matches, japanese vs japanese rivalries, more high impact stuff, shoot style and the early stages of MMA -, their comebacks to New Japan, how much they disliked each other ("the kick heard around the world") and how much shyt changed from 84' to 90' is such an interesting and juicy story that I hope someone talented gets the chance to put in video form.

It's insane how much and how quickly AJ changes when Choshu shows up. Within like a year of him being there he's doing apron spots and shyt. Basically every big match until '85ish ends in a double count-out and is basically worked like an NWA match. By '87 damn near everyone is working different up and down the card and Jumbo v Tenryu has a clean finish

 

[The Rainmaker]

Speaking of no budget youtube docs, this appeared on my suggestions. Don't know who this Kim Justice person is, but the video makes a good summary of things we all already know, but it's a good entry point for the uninitiated

 

[Jmare007]

It's insane how much and how quickly AJ changes when Choshu shows up. Within like a year of him being there he's doing apron spots and shyt. Basically every big match until '85ish ends in a double count-out and is basically worked like an NWA match. By '87 damn near everyone is working different up and down the card and Jumbo v Tenryu has a clean finish

Yup, dude spent just 3 years there and made a historical shift that changed the promotion (and puro) forever I'd love to know how he was able to convince Baba to make such a radical change. It's one thing to show Jumbo - who was a contemporary and a fellow amateur and Olympian wrestler from 72' - a new style, but for a dude like Baba to go in such a short period of time...there's gotta be a dope fukking story to tell there.

 

[Scottie Drippin]

Yup, dude spent just 3 years there and made a historical shift that changed the promotion (and puro) forever I'd love to know how he was able to convince Baba to make such a radical change. It's one thing to show Jumbo - who was a contemporary and a fellow amateur and Olympian wrestler from 72' - a new style, but for a dude like Baba to go in such a short period of time...there's gotta be a dope fukking story to tell there.

I'm sure the money was talking first and foremost. His first year was AJ's biggest money year ever to date right?