Official: GFW to present NJPW's January 4 Wrestle Kingdom show on PPV

[The Dragon Saga]

How is it smart? Taking other people's work and calling it your own? I understand that he's raising awareness and taking his time but eventually he's gonna need a roster of people and unless it's the people TNA has had to let go or the whole roster itself, he's gonna have to borrow from other companies. At which point, heads will collide. We're already seeing it with him and ROH. You asked "Name me one successful one" referring to the debuting companies. Well name one successful union that didn't end in conflict? NWA? Pro Wrestling USA? Just look at the TNA/Wrestle-1 union and how one-sided it is.


I'm not saying an actual new company is a bad idea. I'm saying Jarrett trying to bring promotions together is. It never works. The cracks are already showing and he hasn't aired his first show.

It's very smart. Hes put damn all money into this deal and he's bringing - again - the second biggest show in wrestling to US PPV. He's bringing NJPW, a company acclaimed for its great wrestlers and matches, to US PPV. How is it not a smart idea? It's freaking genius. And all he has to do is say, "Global Force Wrestling presents, New Japan Pro Wrestling Wrestle Kingdom". He doesn't have to book the shows, pay for talent, do any production, all he has to do is provide an English commentary team and a satellite feed from Japan to the States, all of it not costing that much and he gets most of the US PPV revenue.

You're crapping on it before its actually begun. Jarrett has had issues with ROH for years. He's the one who told the talent back in the day to pick between the two. Diehard ROH fans hate Jarrett as much as they hate TNA. But the dude is Jeff Jarrett, he's a carny, this is what he does and he knows what he's doing. Had he stayed with TNA the Wrestle-1 deal probably could have gone better, instead its gone down the drain because nobody cares about Wrestle-1. Japan doesn't, America doesn't, Muta's had to put their title on himself a month after creating it because he's all that promotion has.

Jarrett's doing things slowly. Instead of crapping on it, let it happen first. As I said above, nobody really knows what he's going to do, there are just rumors going around. He's supposedly going to have a roster, he's going to do shows, but right now he's going to bring one of the biggest and best wrestling shows in the world to the US. That's one hell of a fucking start.

 

[Alastor]

Wrestling promoters are carnies trying to rip off the next person. I don't see how any attempt to have one promotion to oversee multiple promotions is not going to fall flat in the face.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Ring of Honor issued the following press release to PWInsider.com:

November 13th, 2014 [ Baltimore, MD ] - Ring of Honor is proud to announce that Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish, the tag team known as reDRagon, will be defending their newly won IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship on January 4, 2015 at the Tokyo Dome.

The match will feature reDRagon vs. Time Splitters vs. Young Bucks vs. Alex Koslov and Rocky Romero.

“We are very proud of reDRagon’s accomplishments in winning the IWGP Titles,” said Ring of Honor Chief Operating Officer Joe Koff. “While they are signed to exclusive deals with ROH, it is a great honor to have them competing in New Japan Pro Wrestling, a most prestigious organization.”

Ring of Honor and New Japan enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship which allows for top talent from each organization to wrestle on major events with international interest. Later this month, Michael Bennett and Matt Taven with Maria Kanellis will take part in the legendary New Japan Pro Wrestling World Tag League tournament. Then on December 7th live on pay-per view at ROH's Final Battle 2014, ROH World Tag Team Champions reDRagon will defend against New Japan's own Alex Shelley and Kushida, The Time Splitters.

“We have the utmost respect for New Japan, “ explained Koff. “They are a truly classy organization. We look forward to a long standing relationship so that our talent can appear in Japan and their talent can wrestle at our events in America.”

Meltzer posted this on the Observer board a few hours ago too:

Joe Koff and I spoke on the phone today. He tried to reach me yesterday but missed me and when I rang back it went to voicemail. Koff told me that ROH talents will be featured on the Wrestle Kingdom US PPV. I asked him was the ROH World Championship match still going ahead and he told me that it still undecided. This could be to save time as Wrestle Kingdom now has 11 scheduled matches in a four hour show. They're leaving it very tight. Koff also mentioned that he and Jeff Jarrett have been speaking on and off for the last week. He said he was flattered by Jarrett's visit to ROH's offices and said that Jeff was very complimentary of ROH's growth over the years and its current state. When I asked if ROH and GFW would be working closely going forward he said nothing has been decided but that the two are in touch and that ROH are proud that their talents will be featured on the first ever US PPV for New Japan Pro Wrestling.

So that's the end to that then. Full steam ahead to Wrestle Kingdom.

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

So is my most anticipated match safe for English viewing and commentary?

 

[The Dragon Saga]

So is my most anticipated match safe for English viewing and commentary?

Yup. By the way, IDK if you're on Reddit, but reDRagon are doing an AMA (ask me anything) on November 18th and up until Final Battle as will more ROH talents to promote the PPV.

http://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCirc...a_announcement_redragon_will_be_here_tuesday/

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

Yup. By the way, IDK if you're on Reddit, but reDRagon are doing an AMA (ask me anything) on November 18th and up until Final Battle as will more ROH talents to promote the PPV.

http://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCirc...a_announcement_redragon_will_be_here_tuesday/

Fuck yeah, this PPV will rule.

I'm not big on Reddit but I am tempted to get in on this AMA.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

Didn't GFW announce some kind of TV deal?

JR calling New Japan. Wow.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Didn't GFW announce some kind of TV deal?

No. Jarrett is shopping around but can't find anything. He's hoping this will be his catapult into a TV deal.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Meltzer's note on the time issue with the show and the ROH talent.

ROH World Championship has been cut from the broadcast.

ROH signed off on Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly being allowed to be on the PPV portion of Wrestle Kingdom. That’s good in the sense they will probably have a great match. It’s bad in that it means the show will have to be rushed even worse.

More on the four hours. From talking with people involved with the show, the four hour limit can’t be changed and everyone on both sides are aware of it. Right now there are nine matches slotted and I don’t see how they can add any unless they do them as pre-show matches, even though that leaves nothing for some major stars like Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, Satoshi Kojima, Tiger Mask, Taichi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Jushin Liger past they can do an eight-man pre-show match.

The ROH title singles title match is a casualty of this and neither Adam Cole nor Jay Briscoe will be on the card. Cole was on the original card whether he was champion or not, and Briscoe was to defend if he was champion on the original card. NJPW will make it up to ROH in the future, whether that be through talent loans or through more presence on their shows they will compensate for this. The plan for 2015 I'm being told is that Gedo wants ROH more heavily featured in the NJPW product as he likes the company and they have a good working relationship.

I don’t know about the NWA title past it was going to be part of the show. Lance Archer & Davey Boy Smith Jr. are definitely booked, but they could be in a multiple person match before the PPV starts. Given they are looking at casual fans, guys like Liger, Kojima and Tenzan should have a spot on the show since they all have major history as longtime big stars.

The first half of the show, which would include both jr. title matches, is going to have to be rushed. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada are total pros in the sense that when they go in the ring, they will know they have a time cue that they can’t go. They are believed to be good enough to improvise at the last minute to make it work. New Japan gives everyone cues but the stress of ending the show perfectly like in WWE isn’t there, but on this show, it will be. Whether the main event can get 33 minutes like they got two years ago is unlikely, and as noted, Okada has publicly stated he was going to do a ****** match. That was so weird to me to have someone in the world title match in the main event promoting the show say “six-star match” as the goal.

The number everyone involved is looking at for the North American market is 10,000 as a solid success and maybe 7,000 to 8,000 as okay. Less than 5,000 would be disappointing. The first show will determine everything, because the mentality is that the value of Jim Ross being with them and it being the Tokyo Dome show is that whatever they are going to do numbers-wise, the first show will be the highest, unless they get television. Its yet to be seen but GFW did want ROH to promote the show, which they still might, starting at Final Battle. When the numbers are released, they will either come to the conclusion the idea isn’t viable, or that it is and then jump in with a battle plan for 2015.

I don’t sense they are looking at 12 PPV shows, but two (the second being the G-1 finals) or four would happen if the first show is a success. One of the reasons the number doesn’t have to be that high is all the cost of doing the show itself past the cost of beaming to the U.S., hiring the announcers and travel and pay for whoever else is involved on the technical side of making it work in the U.S., are costs the show already had and New Japan would take care of since they are already on PPV and iPPV in their home market. Even Jeff Jarrett’s expenses as far as travel are on the New Japan side since he’s wrestling on the show.

 

[Shadowmancer]

Yoshi Tatsu is out of this now after tucking his head against a Styles Clash

 

[Papa Pillman]

Anyone heard any rumors or official news regarding J.R.'s broadcast partner.

CM Punk is still my most wanted of the unrealistic choices, Tenay would work if he's not gonna be a part of TNA's new venture with Destination America because he clearly knows his Japanese wrestling history, but there's a new name now that seems to make a lot of sense too- UFC's Josh Barnett. Barnett is providing color for the new NJPW series that will air on AXS TV, he's wrestled with New Japan in the past, and his MMA background would be able to help lend that "real sport"-like feeling to the commentary that J.R. seems to want to shoot for.

 

[Papa Pillman]

Wrestle Kingdom's Final PPV Card:

IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada

Intercontinental Championship
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi

AJ Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito

IWGP Tag Team Championship
Doc Gallows/Karl Anderson vs. Hirooki Goto/Katsuyori Shibata

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
Kenny Omega vs. Ryusuke Taguchi

Never Open-Weight Championship
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Togi Makabe

Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Minoru Suzuki

Takahashi, Bad Luck Fale & Jeff Jarrett vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Kojima & Honma

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
reDRagon vs. Time Splitters vs. Young Bucks vs. Forever Hooligans


This is pretty much what was expected, Yamamoto's injury was really the only thing causing any potential shake-ups, but still- it looks incredible to finally see it on paper. What a card Every title match on the show has a chance to be pure ridiculousness. Throw in Styles/Naito to boot and the show has unbelievable potential.

I'm gonna predict Nakamura and Ibushi put on the first match of the year candidate of 2015. I can't imagine what they're gonna do to try and top their 2013 match from Day 4 of the G-1.

 

[Shadowmancer]

Matt Striker has been announced as the other commentator. It is looking to be an even better event just due to the fact that the commentary will be good.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

I'm not too big on Striker. Still fondly remember him "marking out bro" when Booker T returned at the 2011 Royal Rumble.

 

[Thriller Ant]

I've been watching older stuff on the Network and forgot how awful he was. Although it was entertaining to listen to how much Cole and King hated him.

 

[Papa Pillman]

I know some people were somehow turned off by his penchant to, you know, actually call moves by their correct name when doing WWE commentary, and many found his use of more insider or "smarky" terms to be cringe-worthy, but I have actually always enjoyed Striker on commentary.

Its a nice change of pace to have an exuberant, and unashamed, mark at the announce table.

Striker also has a very good understanding of wrestling and how to convey thoughts beyond just a surface level for the more discerning viewers.

Considering that a NJPW audience in the States is going to be made up of less casuals and more diehards, Striker seems to be a sensible choice.

He was the number four option on my wishlist after Tenay(if he hadn't stayed on with TNA), CM Punk(I know that was a pipe dream), or Josh Barnett(a New Japan veteran who will be doing commentary for the television series that will air here in the U.S.).

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Still fondly remember him "marking out bro" when Booker T returned at the 2011 Royal Rumble.

Good god, let me go fucking kill myself. I would rather die than retain memory of that

 

[Thriller Ant]

Good god, let me go fucking kill myself. I would rather die than retain memory of that

I just rewatched that so it's front and center in my brain

 

[klunderbunker]

I know some people were somehow turned off by his penchant to, you know, actually call moves by their correct name when doing WWE commentary, and many found his use of more insider or "smarky" terms to be cringe-worthy, but I have actually always enjoyed Striker on commentary.

Its a nice change of pace to have an exuberant, and unashamed, mark at the announce table.

Striker also has a very good understanding of wrestling and how to convey thoughts beyond just a surface level for the more discerning viewers.

Considering that a NJPW audience in the States is going to be made up of less casuals and more diehards, Striker seems to be a sensible choice.

He was the number four option on my wishlist after Tenay(if he hadn't stayed on with TNA), CM Punk(I know that was a pipe dream), or Josh Barnett(a New Japan veteran who will be doing commentary for the television series that will air here in the U.S.).

Striker doesn't come off like a smart wrestling commentator. If you want that, go watch Mike Tenay in 1997 WCW. Instead Striker comes off like a pretentious douche who beats his ability to look up moves names on Wikipedia over your head until you admit that he's smarter than you are. I'm fine with having a big fan on commentary, but he needs to quit acting like he's so much better and smarter than the people he's talking to.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

Matt Stryker is a bit annoying, but he at least tries to be smart and gives the genuine point of view of a smart fan ( which he is somehow ), but sometimes he gives too much details. He'll fit in the New Japan genre, but him and JR will be an interesting duo, as I don't see their styles merging well.

 

[Shadowmancer]

The one on the right is Matt Striker.

The one on the left is Matt Stryker.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

Fuck 'em both.

Also, Toru Yano revealed his tag team partners for the show. Those are NOAH stars: Naomichi Marufuji, Mikey Nicholls, and Shane Haste. They will take on Suzuki-gun team (Shelton Benjamin, K.E.S and Iizuka). It's interesting to see New Japan bringing guys from NOAH again.

I dont know if you guys remember Marafuji, but he's a big star in NOAH and had a brief stint with KENTA in ROH as partners. The last time he fought in New Japan he was wrestling Nakamura for the IC title. I'm hyped for this, former filler match-up.

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

In surely what may be the best damn match on the card. Matt Striker does a hell of a job building interest in a tag team match that will put most companies to shame.

[YOUTUBE]awrwhBd8J1Q[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Shadowmancer]

Striker has done a good job on all of them except for mispronouncing Shinsuke Nakamura's name

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Striker has done a good job on all of them except for mispronouncing Shinsuke Nakamura's name

I can't pronounce his name for what it's worth.