[quote name='mykevermin']If y'all read the spoilers and are disappointed/angry by them, why in the world did y'all watch Smackdown?
(at least I had a hockey game to be let down by instead.)
What was the Flair match in the OP? It's marked as private now.[/QUOTE]Flair vs. Tenzan from 1995. Weird that it's gone private now when it has been up for well over a month.
[quote name='mykevermin']Oh, Tenzan. Most wrestlers get cauliflower ear. He got cauliflower face.[/QUOTE]LOL! You also missed him wearing these wicked-looking horns as part of his entrance attire.
[quote name='Mr. Beef']God damn you, Blueswim. [/QUOTE]I need to repent after that....and the new thread title.
[quote name='BlueSwim']LOL! You also missed him wearing these wicked-looking horns as part of his entrance attire.[/QUOTE]
Oh, he's been doing that almost his whole career. I most closely followed NJPW in 2000-2002, when Tenzan and Kojima were dominating the tag team scene. Stopped following puro about the time Keiji Mutoh left for All Japan.
EDIT: Current card for NJPW in Philly next Sunday:
SOUTH PHILADELPHIA STREET FIGHT
Togi Makabe -VS- Rhino
Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi -VS- Low Ki & Homicide
The card should fill out over the next few days. I think they have a 3-round tournament for the newly introduced IWGP Intercontinental Championship, so I'll be around to see whoever becomes the first champ. Huzzah.
Oddly enough, I kinda would like to see MVP on the card - even though this should be an opportunity to focus on NJPW talent, well...he is that now, isn't he?
Tanahashi vs Richards should like it could be ten kinds of amazing, not to mention the tag match above. Prince Devitt is a phenom.
Haven't seen this in a while - one of my favorite promo videos that they've ever done, aired on Raw during the whole WWF vs. WCW/ECW. IIRC, Flair had the rights to WWF, Shane to WCW, and Steph to ECW (Storyline wise).
[quote name='Scorch']Haven't seen this in a while - one of my favorite promo videos that they've ever done, aired on Raw during the whole WWF vs. WCW/ECW. IIRC, Flair had the rights to WWF, Shane to WCW, and Steph to ECW (Storyline wise).[/QUOTE]
[quote name='mykevermin']Yes. I'd love to see a US promotion that takes on strong style but removes some of the ganso bomb like shit that killed Misawa..[/QUOTE]
Definitely. Some of the strong style manuevers make me wince, but I do enjoy the stiffness of the strikes.
When I watch Japanese wrestling, I, for many reasons, forget that I'm watching something that's "fake". I feel like I'm watching a big time bout.
When I watch a Wrestlemania main event, I feel like I'm watching something written and produced by FOX Kids.
[quote name='Brak']I swear that booze and drugs are formaldehyde for some people.[/QUOTE]
In his case, that's about the only explanation as to why he's still alive.
The sad thing is you have someone like Eddie Guerrero who cleans himself up only to end up dying anyway then you've got Jake who has nothing but utter contempt for his own health and manages to keep on kicking somehow.
[quote name='Brak']Definitely. Some of the strong style manuevers make me wince, but I do enjoy the stiffness of the strikes.
When I watch Japanese wrestling, I, for many reasons, forget that I'm watching something that's "fake". I feel like I'm watching a big time bout.
When I watch a Wrestlemania main event, I feel like I'm watching something written and produced by FOX Kids.[/QUOTE]
I actually made a mistake. Apparently it was a back injury that caused a heart attack? I'm not a doctor so it makes no sense to me, but they never released the official cause of death by law.
I also like that watching NJPW especially, it feels like a big time event.
First time I saw Beyond the Mat and got through Jake's segment, it just seemed depressing. I used to love that guy, until I saw that I never knew how messed up he was. In the movie it seemed like he was trying to fix his relationship with his daughter, but that didn't work out either. The Wrestler definitely was inspired in some part by Jake's life.
[quote name='Brak']Definitely. Some of the strong style manuevers make me wince, but I do enjoy the stiffness of the strikes.
When I watch Japanese wrestling, I, for many reasons, forget that I'm watching something that's "fake". I feel like I'm watching a big time bout.
When I watch a Wrestlemania main event, I feel like I'm watching something written and produced by FOX Kids.[/QUOTE]
Agreed - particularly on the presentation of japanese wrestling as sport. That's why I prefer NJPW/AJPW/Noah to, say, Hustle. Respect for the crowds, the wrestlers are presented as serious athletes, even if they get to wear masks, goofy outfits, have silly names, etc. They also tend to establish that every move is significant. The way they exchange blows is magnificent to watch - and there's not a wrestling program in the US that even comes close to matching the intensity and uncertainty of their match outcomes.
But the main problem is that WWE doesn't even try. The main event for their next PPV is
Cena vs Miz in an I Quit match.
Which they've done a few times in the past few months - none of the matches have been good or memorable, and the outcome of this match is, above all others involving Cena (come on, he's the champ, I'm not spoiling shit here), more obvious than it ever was before.
WWE makes a lot of money going the "variety show/action-drama-whattheever" route. But they've lost substantial ground to UFC, a promotion that builds up in' nobodies into somebodies, feeds jobbers to their titleholders to make them look good (come on, it's the truth), treats the crowd with respect as fans of competitive fighting, and treats its talent with respect (at least on TV).
UFC and Japanese strong style promotions have a lot more in common than with WWE. Which is why, when it comes time to watch PPVs anymore, I'm not interested in WWE and damn near every 2nd or 3rd UFC PPV I watch with my friends.
UFC = friends plus beer plus good food
WWE = "you watch that?"
Yeah but WWE and UFC cater to the same "unsophisticated" crowd though. Japanese wrestling caters to a different culture and as such you get something different which neither could ever pull off.
[quote name='davo1224']Yeah but WWE and UFC cater to the same "unsophisticated" crowd though. Japanese wrestling caters to a different culture and as such you get something different which neither could ever pull off.[/QUOTE]
disagree. your claims are ethnocentrically biased.
I agree that UFC and WWE's demos are similar, but WWE is largely lower class (income and education) white families - UFC is far more broad in terms of their fanbase.
I strongly disagree that Puro crowds are "sophisticated" in terms of knowledge, class, or education. They're Japanese, so as crowds they're more uniform anyway.
I've been back to this thread three times now to look at that picture, and I can't keep myself from laughing each time I open that spoiler tag. I know it's a bad situation, and I do hope he makes a full recovery. But that picture is just ing laughs.
[quote name='metaphysicalstyles']Can't decide if he's incredibly swollen, or just fat. Those neck rolls need some gravy.[/QUOTE]
I would venture to guess both in all honesty. With that many stitches in his face there is bound to be some swelling. However, it does look as if he has also been on the Matt Hardy/Braden Walker diet.
- Former TNA and WWE star Chris Harris Braden Walker returned to action at last night's TNA live event in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Harris Braden Walker teamed with Matt Hardy and lost to Tag Team Champions Beer Money. Hardy introduced Harris Braden Walker as his surprise partner before the match and Harris Braden Walker ended up taking the pin from Beer Money at the end of the match.
[quote name='mykevermin']disagree. your claims are ethnocentrically biased.[/quote]
By its very nature, Japanese wrestling is done for the Japanese, and as such, appeals to their culture. It's why that style of wrestling differs so much from its American counterpart. Emphasis is on it being more like a real athletic competition plus ballyhoo rather than vice versa.
MMA is no different. American MMA, and UFC in particular, is largely Dana White, Tapout shirts, and boobs. That's largely different in MMA that's done in Japan or that travels to Japan like PrideFC.
In terms of knowledge, money, class, etc. they aren't different. In terms of what they want to see? I'd make that distinction in "sophistication" but wouldn't even call it that. Japanese fans of both don't need the extra glitz to become invested, whereas it's necessary for those of us here.
At least Helms has a "look" now. Time to pair him up with Necro Butcher and have them shoot for the CZW tag titles. Hell, throw Drew Hankinson and Ray Gordy into the mix, and you'll have yourself the worst stable ever.
[/QUOTE]I need to repent after that....and the new thread title.
[/QUOTE]
ever" route. But they've lost substantial ground to UFC, a promotion that builds up 
