CM Crunk
Man of a Thousand Holds  
Posts 1695
Registered 7-20-2011 Member Is Offline Mood: Unpresidented
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| posted on 7-1-2017 at 10:08 PM |
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UnOOfficial Discussion Thread: NJPW G1 Special Night 1 Live from Long Beach, CA
So, I found out earlier today that the G1 Special would be airing on AXS TV--a channel that I only just recently found out I had buried in the late
700's of my Charter cable setup--and that it'd be airing the G1 Special live from Long Beach today at 5pm pacific. What better time to
give the product a spin? To my delight they're actually running an NJPW marathon leading into the show tonight.
To my knowledge I think AXS TV isn't even as widely available as whatever channel it is Impact is airing on these days, but I've read that
you can sign up for a free 7-day trial subscription to SlingTV. Of course there's also the NJPWWorld streaming service.
As someone who doesn't know squat about the intricacies of NJPW outside of the broad strokes, I don't really have much to add to the
lineup for
Roppongi Vice / The Briscoes / Will Ospreay VS. The Young Bucks / Marty Scurll / Bad Luck Fale / Yujiro Takahashi
Big mark for Trent? dating back to the Dudebusters days and was a huge fan of Rocky Romero's work back when he was a part of the Havana Pitbulls
back when I was going to So-Cal indy shows in the early aughts. The Briscoes are always gold (or they were years ago when I was following ROH more
closely) and Ospreay is fun to watch do his flippy shit. The Bucks are the muhfucking BUCKS, and I'm really enjoying what I've seen of
Scurll so far. This should be a fun one.
Dragon Lee / Titan / Volador Jr. / Jushin Thunder Liger VS. Hiromu Takahashi / BUSHI / EVIL / SANADA
Liger is the only familiar name here. I've heard good things about Dragon Lee, but can't say that I've actually seen any of his
work.
Jay Lethal VS. Hangman Page (IWGP U.S. Championship Quarterfinal)
Sadly, I haven't been following ROH, which means I've been missing out on Jay Lethal who was one of my favorites (along with MCMG) back
before TNA went off the cliff. No clue who Hangman Page is.
Zack Sabre Jr. VS. Juice Robinson (IWGP U.S. Championship Quarterfinal)
Watching Juice Robinson take on Naito as I type this. Kids come a long way from his days in NXT. Always happy to see someone thrive outside of the WWE
farm system. Not as familiar with Sabre Jr. as I should be to be a complainy internet wrasslin' cunt, but I do remember being seriously
underwhelmed by his appearances in the CWC last year. Not sure if that was more on him, or perhaps some limitations put in place by WWE brass.
David Finlay / Jay White / KUSHIDA / Hiroshi Tanahashi VS. Tempura Boyz / YOSHITATSU / Billy Gunn
Apparently YOSHITATSU is running some weird Triple H based gimmick and he's now associated with Billy Gunn?
Guerrillas of Destiny VS. War Machine (IWGP Tag Team Championship)
Only aware of Tama Tonga here. I've heard that War Machine is entertaining, but I haven't been able to figure out if the praise is steeped
in any irony or not.
Tomohiro Ishii VS. Tetsuya Naito (IWGP U.S. Championship Quarterfinal)
The neckbeards seem super excited for this match, that's really all that I know. Naito seems like fun.
Kenny Omega VS. Michael Elgin (IWGP U.S. Championship Quarterfinal)
Very psyched to see Omega performing in front of a US crowd. This should be a big night for him. While I'm not too familiar with Elgin, I did
catch these two in their ladder match from Dominion and enjoyed what I saw. Can't wait for this one.
Okada VS. Cody (IWGP Heavyweight Championship)
See what I said about Juice Robinson and apply it to Cody here. Haven't seen any of his work since leaving WWE, but from the sounds of things
he's enjoying himself and it's showing. Not super familiar with Okada, outside of the reputation and his two matches with Omega. Curious
to see how this match goes.
Hopefully some of you out there will join me in watching this live if you have the means to do so. Because I'll probably have a LOT of
questions.
[Edited on 7/1/2017 by CM Crunk]
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GodEatGod
Man of a Thousand Holds 
Posts 1289
Registered 1-14-2004 Location Monroe, LA Member Is Offline Mood: Weird
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| posted on 7-1-2017 at 10:37 PM |
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I feel like Omega should be a shoo-in for U.S. Champion, but we'll see.
Sabre Jr. is very much an acquired taste. I enjoy him with the right opponent, but his quirky physique and eccentric style can be off-putting,
especially if he's not having good chemistry on a given night.
I know a lot of people are picking Cody to win here just to really make an impact on the US Market, but I don't see Okada going down yet. If he
did, though, that would make Cody both RoH and IWGP champ, which is kind of amazing given where he was just a couple of years ago.
"It is an impressively arrogant move to conclude that just because you don't like something, it is empirically not good. I don't like
Chinese food, but I don't write articles trying to prove it doesn't exist." - Tina Fey
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CM Crunk
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1695
Registered 7-20-2011 Member Is Offline Mood: Unpresidented
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| posted on 7-2-2017 at 02:02 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by GodEatGod
Sabre Jr. is very much an acquired taste. I enjoy him with the right opponent, but his quirky physique and eccentric style can be off-putting,
especially if he's not having good chemistry on a given night.
Definitely got that vibe watching him in the CWC. Not knowing much about him beyond his reputation as a technician's technician I was just not
sure what I was supposed to think of the guy. Does he normally work heel? Face? I feel like I could hate the guy for the right reasons.
Surprised with the brevity of the first two multi-man tag matches. Especially the show opener. Definitely wanted to see more out of The Bucks,
Rappongi, and The Briscos.
Los Ingobernables are fun, even if I can't tell what exactly they're about. Or if I even have to.
EDIT: Got a better feel for Sabre Jr. in that matchup with Juice Robinson. Much better impression this time. And speaking of Juice, here comes Billy
Gunn!
[Edited on 7/2/2017 by CM Crunk]
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First 9
The Rowdy One
Posts 2421
Registered 1-22-2013 Member Is Offline Mood: Doing the Emma Dance
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| posted on 7-2-2017 at 02:06 AM |
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"The American Nightmare, Cody. Poor Bastard doesn't have a last name."
JR is still the best.
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CM Crunk
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1695
Registered 7-20-2011 Member Is Offline Mood: Unpresidented
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| posted on 7-2-2017 at 02:23 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by First 9
"The American Nightmare, Cody. Poor Bastard doesn't have a last name."
JR is still the best.
My favorite exchange between JR and Barnett thus far: "Is that Bushi? It's Bushi right?" "That's EVIL." "Well how the hell am I
supposed to know? They're all wearing masks!" I seriously miss good ol' JR.
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cardscott5
Man of a Thousand Holds 
Posts 1210
Registered 6-28-2007 Location wherever god takes me Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 7-2-2017 at 02:31 AM |
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JR has been so unbelievably awful with names. It's a surprise when he gets one right at this point. Especially in any kind of tag team match.
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CM Crunk
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1695
Registered 7-20-2011 Member Is Offline Mood: Unpresidented
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| posted on 7-2-2017 at 02:47 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by cardscott5
JR has been so unbelievably awful with names. It's a surprise when he gets one right at this point. Especially in any kind of tag team match.
I can honestly give the guy a pass on the name mixups. If this isn't his first time calling an NJPW show live, I'm sure it certainly
doesn't happen often enough to have everyone memorized. Plus with the frantic pacing of those multi-man matches, who can blame him? I'd be
hard pressed not to stumble over myself with a Tanahashi or a Takahashi, an Ishii or a Bushi. Significant learning curve.
Also, hey, maybe he's thrown off not having Vince screaming obscenities in his ear nonstop? 
EDIT: Goddamn Omega is fun to watch. He and Elgin just killed it. Main event up next.
[Edited on 7/2/2017 by CM Crunk]
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cardscott5
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1210
Registered 6-28-2007 Location wherever god takes me Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 7-2-2017 at 04:12 AM |
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JR calls all the NJPW on AXS, so there's not really an excuse. Plus, they both mixed up the god damn Briscoes. Jay Briscoe has the worst hair in
the entire world and they mixed him up with a man who has no front teeth.
Omega-Elgin was pretty damn great. A little heavy on the What will it taaaakkkkkkkeeeeeeeee scale at the end, but a ton of fun. Omega is one of the
most electric performers in the world right now
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cardscott5
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1210
Registered 6-28-2007 Location wherever god takes me Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 7-2-2017 at 05:00 AM |
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Okada got 4 stars out of Cody in my book, which makes him a fucking miracle worker. I love Naito and AJ and Sabre and Omega, but there isn't
anyone better in the world than Okada. His stamina is insane. The last half of his matches turn into all out sprints that are off the charts. His
matches this year are almost all elite level. The 6 star Meltzer shit may turn some people off on him, and Omega, by principal, but he's been
unreal this year.
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Count Zero
The Rowdy One 
Posts 2204
Registered 1-29-2013 Location Canada East Member Is Offline Mood: Weeneedoo
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| posted on 7-2-2017 at 05:30 AM |
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Completely unrelated to this card specifically, but sorta related?
Los Ingobernables are so goddamn awesome. EVIL and Naito are currently in my Top 5 favorite guys to watch, and the other half of LIJ is growing on me
by leaps & bounds. In other words, I will probably try to watch their match from this card on the youtubes, if nothing else. 
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cardscott5
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1210
Registered 6-28-2007 Location wherever god takes me Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 7-2-2017 at 06:21 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Count Zero
Completely unrelated to this card specifically, but sorta related?
Los Ingobernables are so goddamn awesome. EVIL and Naito are currently in my Top 5 favorite guys to watch, and the other half of LIJ is growing on me
by leaps & bounds. In other words, I will probably try to watch their match from this card on the youtubes, if nothing else.
There was a stretch of some meh matches tonight and unfortunately that was one of them. It was alright, but not what you'd expect with them and
Takahashi and Dragon Lee involved.
If I were to do a worth watching:
10 man tag
Sabre/Robinson
War Machine/GOD
Naito/Ishii
Elgin/Omega
Okada/Cody
and you could probably skip Sabre/Juice if you were short on time. The tags and the Lethal match didn't do much for me. Lethal needs to ditch
the Lethal Injection as a finish. It's too convoluted
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PB-13
Showstopper
Posts 862
Registered 7-27-2002 Location Belleville, IL(near St. Louis) Member Is Offline Mood: No Mood.
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| posted on 7-2-2017 at 07:05 AM |
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LIJ about to drop the hottest album of 2017.
(For the uninitiated: Hiromu is mourning the loss of Belt-San and got the cat plushie as a replacement. Its name is Daryl.)
[Edited on 7-2-2017 by PB-13]
-PB
RIP My Friend Mark, 1991-2016
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Count Zero
The Rowdy One
Posts 2204
Registered 1-29-2013 Location Canada East Member Is Offline Mood: Weeneedoo
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| posted on 7-2-2017 at 07:53 PM |
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That is an amazing picture. 
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anglefan85
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1310
Registered 12-6-2005 Location Long Island, New York Member Is Offline Mood: Relaxed
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| posted on 7-3-2017 at 12:11 AM |
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Hell of a show last night, can't wait to see how they follow it up tonight.
This is the lineup for tonight:
Jushin Thunder Liger, David Finlay and Kushida vs Yoshi Tatsu, Sho Tanaka and Yohei Komatsu
Semi Final: Jay Lethal vs Kenny Omega
Semi Final: Tomohiro Ishii vs Zack Sabre Jr.
Dragon Lee, Jay White, Juice Robinson Titan, and Volador vs Los Ingobernables de Japon
Guerillas of Destiny and Hangman Page vs War Machine and Michael Elgin
IWGP Jr Tag: The Young Bucks vs Roppongi Vice
Bad Luck Fale, Cody, Marty Scurll and Yujiro Takahashi vs Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay and The Briscoe Brothers
IWGP Intercontinental: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Billy Gunn
IWGP US Finals
[Edited on 7-2-2017 by anglefan85]
The WWE: Where no one wins, unless you like Cena, in which case you are a sad little fanboy who will never get laid, but we are happy to take your
money away-Moosehead Jack
"She is an estrogen molotov cocktail. It'd be in your best interest not to piss her off."- My thoughts on Firewoman
"Kurt Angle is like a living vortex of the surreal. On the off chance he's not doing, saying or thinking crazy things, people connected to him
act crazy by association, caught in the gravitational pull of his insanity."- Ringout from FAN Forums
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Paddlefoot
Rocco Rock of Jabroni 
Posts 7446
Registered 1-19-2008 Location Stupid Idiot Section Member Is Offline Mood: ChinceMcMahon
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| posted on 7-3-2017 at 12:17 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by PB-13
(For the uninitiated: Hiromu is mourning the loss of Belt-San and got the cat plushie as a replacement. Its name is Daryl.)
This could be one of the greatest things ever written about Our Sport in the entire history of Our Sport. 
You know, everyone says it's not supposed to make sense, like that's the whole point, dude. And I'm just saying, you know,
that's like an excuse for lazy storytelling. Just don't sell me shite and tell me it's gold, all right? I might be stoned, but
I'm not high. You know what I mean?
- Cassidy from Preacher, commenting on The Big Lebowski and/or professional wrestling
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anglefan85
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1310
Registered 12-6-2005 Location Long Island, New York Member Is Offline Mood: Relaxed
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| posted on 7-3-2017 at 12:21 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Paddlefoot
quote:
Originally posted by PB-13
(For the uninitiated: Hiromu is mourning the loss of Belt-San and got the cat plushie as a replacement. Its name is Daryl.)
This could be one of the greatest things ever written about Our Sport in the entire history of Our Sport.
Yeah, I have to second this. Its one of those things where I look at it and can't say anything other than "I love wrestling."
The WWE: Where no one wins, unless you like Cena, in which case you are a sad little fanboy who will never get laid, but we are happy to take your
money away-Moosehead Jack
"She is an estrogen molotov cocktail. It'd be in your best interest not to piss her off."- My thoughts on Firewoman
"Kurt Angle is like a living vortex of the surreal. On the off chance he's not doing, saying or thinking crazy things, people connected to him
act crazy by association, caught in the gravitational pull of his insanity."- Ringout from FAN Forums
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Paddlefoot
Rocco Rock of Jabroni
Posts 7446
Registered 1-19-2008 Location Stupid Idiot Section Member Is Offline Mood: ChinceMcMahon
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| posted on 7-3-2017 at 12:45 AM |
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Even more so if "Daryl" is some kind of fucked up Japanese kawaii pop-culture shit that's meant as a shout-out to Norman Reedus on Walking
Dead.
You know, everyone says it's not supposed to make sense, like that's the whole point, dude. And I'm just saying, you know,
that's like an excuse for lazy storytelling. Just don't sell me shite and tell me it's gold, all right? I might be stoned, but
I'm not high. You know what I mean?
- Cassidy from Preacher, commenting on The Big Lebowski and/or professional wrestling
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anglefan85
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1310
Registered 12-6-2005 Location Long Island, New York Member Is Offline Mood: Relaxed
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| posted on 7-3-2017 at 05:12 AM |
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Omega/Ishii may have just overtaken the position of Match of the Year. Just absolutely phenomenal work from both of them.
The WWE: Where no one wins, unless you like Cena, in which case you are a sad little fanboy who will never get laid, but we are happy to take your
money away-Moosehead Jack
"She is an estrogen molotov cocktail. It'd be in your best interest not to piss her off."- My thoughts on Firewoman
"Kurt Angle is like a living vortex of the surreal. On the off chance he's not doing, saying or thinking crazy things, people connected to him
act crazy by association, caught in the gravitational pull of his insanity."- Ringout from FAN Forums
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PB-13
Showstopper
Posts 862
Registered 7-27-2002 Location Belleville, IL(near St. Louis) Member Is Offline Mood: No Mood.
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| posted on 7-3-2017 at 07:33 AM |
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-PB
RIP My Friend Mark, 1991-2016
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CamstunPWG187
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1607
Registered 5-2-2010 Location Harbin, China Member Is OnlineMood: Barbeque
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| posted on 7-3-2017 at 07:33 AM |
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JR definitely shoots on Elgin during the Omega match. It's easily his biggest detriment as a performer and it's when he doesn't go
for cover it or do things to give the sense that he really wants to win. I'm watching the beginning of it, and I'm sure thisnkatch
isnyold, but man, Elgin needs to just work on his psychology and he'd be an ace performer.
nevermind
[Edited on 7-3-2017 by CamstunPWG187]
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PB-13
Showstopper
Posts 862
Registered 7-27-2002 Location Belleville, IL(near St. Louis) Member Is Offline Mood: No Mood.
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| posted on 7-4-2017 at 03:21 AM |
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-PB
RIP My Friend Mark, 1991-2016
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cardscott5
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1210
Registered 6-28-2007 Location wherever god takes me Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 7-4-2017 at 04:20 AM |
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PB-13
Showstopper
Posts 862
Registered 7-27-2002 Location Belleville, IL(near St. Louis) Member Is Offline Mood: No Mood.
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| posted on 7-4-2017 at 05:52 AM |
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Dude's a legit fanboy. He's had a few themed entrances at Wrestle Kingdom, including himself and Alex Shelley(The Time Splitters)
entering in a DeLorean and Ryusuke Taguchi cosplaying as Doc Brown.
[Edited on 7-4-2017 by PB-13]
-PB
RIP My Friend Mark, 1991-2016
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CamstunPWG187
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1607
Registered 5-2-2010 Location Harbin, China Member Is OnlineMood: Barbeque
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| posted on 7-4-2017 at 01:23 PM |
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Man, I love New japan.
Great weekend of shows.
Ishii/Omega, Omega/Elgin, Sabre/Ishii, the opener of night 1, and Okada/Cody were all great and i still need to watch a few more matches
Gunn vs tana, though....ew
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CCharger
The Great One 
Posts 3557
Registered 7-21-2010 Member Is Offline Mood: Covfefe
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| posted on 7-5-2017 at 08:53 PM |
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You know, I was going to come on here and verbally masturbate over NJPW while simultaneously shitting all over WWE. However, someone somewhere
recently made the comment that comparing New Japan and WWE is like comparing apple pie and chocolate cake. They are both desserts, but very different
ones.
New Japan is pro wrestling. It's athletes pretending very hard to be a legit sport. The focus is on the performers and the performance inside
the ring within the context of "real competition".
WWE is sports entertainment. It's an athletic soap opera where the focus is less on the performance in the ring and more on the performers and
what happens to them outside the ring.
You can say apple pie is better than chocolate cake, but it's just a matter of opinion. Other people might like chocolate cake more.
That's their opinion.
The point is that I prefer New Japan's style over what the WWE offers. And that I am hungry.
"She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted."
"The powers of the president to protect our country are very substantial and will not be questioned."
--- Stephen Miller, Trump senior White House advisor, Feb. 12, 2017
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