EL DANDY~! 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2002 As reported before, Misawa and Mutoh had been talking about a bunch of cross-promotional stuff, including a sharing of talents between AJ and NOAH and even having a lot of AJPW/NJPW 2000-like stuff on it. They had also talken to Hash, the Zero-One rep, and Chono, the NJ rep about this thing that could happen. Well, apparently, Hash might get into this mix of things...Akiyama and Saito are going to defend the GHC Titles against the Zero-One tag team of Ohtani and Masato Tanaka. That is, if they get past Shiga and Kobashi in their title defense. I think this is a positive, because this will bring a lot of the cool matches we'd like to see to the table. This can also take a lot of the pressure off the recently decreasing interest in some of the promotions. I think it's a big step towards being a good thing, what about you guys??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Black Tiger Report post Posted October 16, 2002 Its good from a perspective of match quality and for interpromotional storylines. But with the egos involved its a nightmare waiting to happen, each federation is not going to want to come out looking weak. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EL DANDY~! 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2002 Misawa and Mutoh said they would try to push away egos... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest PlatypusFool Report post Posted October 16, 2002 I believe that crosspromotion is the only way to draw a really huge crowd in Japan right now. People will pay through the nose for Kawada vs. Misawa if built correctly, the same goes for things like Chono vs. Kobashi, Misawa vs. Mutoh. Supporting matches like Nagata vs. Kojima, Akiyama vs. Nagata, Ohtani vs whoever will also help it draw big numbers. However, I just don't know if the full potential will be realised. All companies will want to look strong, therefore the matches may all end up as time limit draws or something. It'll be a big political faff, very interesting for us, but probly not translatable into good matches. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EL DANDY~! 0 Report post Posted October 16, 2002 Those matches would rock, but I don't know...I really hope it happens... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest RickyChosyu Report post Posted October 17, 2002 After a decade of Misawa/Kawada, I'd be willing to bet that there's a fair amount of people who would pay money to ensure that it doesn't happen again. Another one of those "time to move on" things in wrestling. Nagata/Kojima has happened before, and so has Nagata/Akiyama. I don't really see this making that much money. The problem with interpromotional stuff is that it usually happens when the companies are doing poorly, which is when it should be avoided. If the company's are strong, their fight against a rival promotion means something. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Black Tiger Report post Posted October 17, 2002 El Dandy, Look at Misawa's booking, how can he even try to push away an ego, who is the GHC champion again? I'd love to see some interpromotional stuff like Hashimoto vs. Kawada, Kobashi vs Chono, hell a Nishimura vs. Shiga rematch would do me fine. But when you cut to the chase its simple, each federtion wants to look great, so that right there means something will go wrong. Its not like the NJPW/BJPW deal in 1997 when NJ had all the power since BJ was just some indy scumbag federation. Its the top four promotions in Japan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EL DANDY~! 0 Report post Posted October 17, 2002 I would just like to see some good little matches that we haven't seen...Hash/Tenryu would be one I want to see. Hey, on the subject of people and their booking control...is Mutoh going to wrestle as Great Muta against Tenryu in their upcoming match>? I heard something like that... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest RickyChosyu Report post Posted October 17, 2002 Why does anyone want to see Hash/Tenryu again? I don't want to sound negative, but I would rather gouge my eyes out with a rusty nail then see those to "fight" again. Yuck. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EL DANDY~! 0 Report post Posted October 17, 2002 Well they DID have that one kick-ass match, and Geriatric Tenryu vs. Ass-kicking Elvis (sucky or not) would draw. Suffice to say, it probably would suck, but it would sell out arenas. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jubuki Report post Posted October 17, 2002 What, the 8/98 match? Please tell me you're referring to a different one. And the next person who says, "Asskicking Elvis" and isn't me is catching Hell. Fuggin' unoriginal bastiges... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest RickyChosyu Report post Posted October 17, 2002 Hash/Tenryu was a huge draw for New Japan in the mid-ninties, but not now. Hash is still recovering from the Ogawa debacle, and Tenryu may like to draw cartoons, but these days, he's not drawing fan interest. I did here about a Hash/Tenryu match around '94 being pretty good, but if "that one kick-ass match" is the G1 '98 finals, I'm going to be quite confused. I guess kick ass is a relative term. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Black Tiger Report post Posted October 24, 2002 According to Zach Arnold, on AJ TV Mutoh was shown having a meeting concerning his "special plan" and it was revealed that Inoki was in the room with him. Looks like the start of the big cross promotion, each of the big four has two feds that they are friendly with. Like I said before, some of the possible matches have huge potential, but something will go wrong. Lets hope that they don't mix up their titles, we don't need an encore of Muto's TC reign, where he wound up leaving New Japan and is now driving All Japan into the ground. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EL DANDY~! 0 Report post Posted October 24, 2002 Very very true. Suffice to say, Mutoh hasn't really been too great for AJPW... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest RickyChosyu Report post Posted October 25, 2002 Huge potential for what? Horrible quality or lack-luster attendence? Most of the AJ/NOAH potential matches have already happened, and just because the workers are split into two companies now doesn't make those matches new and exciting again. AJ/NJ has already happened, NOAH/Zero One has already happened, and since most of the big players in Zero One are former NJ guys, a feud between those two isn't going to make waves either. Add to that the current NJ/NOAH fued, and I'm starting to wonder what, exactly, is going to be so new and exciting about this entire idea. The only two companies that offer completely new matches are Zero One and All Japan. Plus, there really aren't that many potential matches, between all four companies, mind you, that I would go out of my way to see. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Evil Ash Report post Posted October 25, 2002 I dunno, the supposed Kea/Kojma vs Tanaka/Ohtani match they have in the works sounds pretty stellar. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest RickyChosyu Report post Posted October 25, 2002 It could be fun, but not something I'm particularly anxious to see. I like the Zero One team, but they're basically composed of a formerly-great wrestler and a limited worker with a pension for no-selling. As for the AJ guys, Kojima is a fun, fiery, young punk, but he's also rather formulatic and Kea I could care less about. Maybe they'll suprise me and make this a must-see, but I doubt it, though Zach Arnold will probably end up pimping it to hell one way or another. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest cynicalprofit Report post Posted October 25, 2002 Let us note how every america cross over has been really really bad. WWF/WCW, the AWA/Memphis, WCW/Japan. Im hoping it will be good in Japan, but egos are bound to destroy any good that could come fo it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest PlatypusFool Report post Posted October 25, 2002 There has been some good crossovers in Japan before, some have worked really well. Particularly, feuds like AJW vs. all other joshi promotions were wonderful in both drawing and match quality. I also enjoyed AJPW vs. NJPW from last year, Kawada really made that feud very good. Only problem is that NJPW is the only promotion without a huge ego at its helm right now, and only NOAH and NJPW have anything close to the talent base to make it work in terms of workrate. I'm hyped to see NOAH vs. NJPW when they eventually pull their fingers out and do it, but the others? I'm not too fussed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest J*ingus Report post Posted October 25, 2002 NJPW is the only promotion without a huge ego at its helm right now, What, did Inoki die? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Black Tiger Report post Posted October 25, 2002 AWA/Memphis/WCCW was three promotions that were all on the verge of death in the first place. WWF/WCW was one buying the other. The possible matches that could come out of it would be great. Chono vs. Kobashi, Kawada vs. Hashimoto, Misawa vs. Nagata, Lyger vs. Marafuji. With all the jumping that went on this year there is a chance to re-unite partners and settle old feuds, Mutoh vs. Chono, TenKoji. SOMETHING will happen to fuck it up though. Jingus, PF was refering to Chono when he said NJ didn't have a huge ego at the helm, I'll wait until he fights Nagata for the title to see if I agree with him or not. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Evil Ash Report post Posted October 25, 2002 Have you seen Tanaka lately? I think he's evolved quite a lot. Eh, I can only see the cross-over stuff being better than the current scene. Maybe that's not saying a whole lot, but at least it will be, you know, better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest PlatypusFool Report post Posted October 25, 2002 I actually completely forgot that Inoki owned NJPW, which is quite scary to be honest, that I can be that forgetful. Point is, if this does involve NJPW, it wont have much of a blessing from Inoki, and it will be Chono leading the charge. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest RickyChosyu Report post Posted October 25, 2002 I've heard good stuff about Tanaka recently, and that he's improved, but according to most he's more of a fun distraction than a really good worker, though you never can tell. BT, I don't understand how you can list Chono/Kobashi, 2002, as being a potentially great match. Try a decade ago, and you'd get no arguements from me, but these days you couldn't pay me to watch that match. Same goes for Hash vs. Tosh. Try that in '95, or '96, and I would watch it in an instant, but now? Both of them could retire from wrestling tomorrow and I would have absolutely no problem with it. Misawa and Nagata interacted fairly well in Kobashi's return match this year, but not enough to make me want a singles match between them. I'm genuinely interested in seeing Lyger/Marafuji, but they could easilly do that feud now, as part of the NJPW Juniors/NOAH Juniors feud, without getting Zero One or AJPW involved. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Tim Cooke Report post Posted October 25, 2002 If the companies would focus more on YOUNG talent for the future and not the next gate, they would be in better shape in a couple of years. With all the MMA stuff, I can't believe no one has tried to revive a UWF concept fed...well, actually not so surprised but it still would be a good to great draw. Tim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest RickyChosyu Report post Posted October 26, 2002 Yeah, there are enough stars who can do works these days that it could get off the ground rather easilly, I think. Unfortunately, the guys who could be the cornerstones are tied up in their own matters. Takayama is doing his thing in NOAH and Pride, Kohsaka is probably going to work with NJ for a while, and I remember reading something about Nagai trying to get Han for AJPW through his old RINGS connections. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Tim Cooke Report post Posted October 26, 2002 Cornerstones for *my* UWF style fed would be: Tamura Kohsaka Build the younger stars around them. I would be aiming for a "work" atmosphere but to pop gates up a little bit more, there is no reason not to bring in Takayama, Frye, Sapp, etc for some MMA involvement. Maybe hook up with Samaya and Takada to get some decent pub. As for Han in AJPW, that would be *interesting* to see at first, but I think would ultimately fail. Han v Kawada is a DREAM match. But I think we have a better chance of the WEEEEEEEEEE pushing Benoit to the top before we see some real thought put into wrestling in Japan. Tim (Nagai was one of my least favorite UWF style native workers. He needed Han to keep him on track) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest RickyChosyu Report post Posted October 26, 2002 I really don't get why no one has tried that yet. Through Fujita, Murakami, and maybe Murahama in there and I can't imagine it failing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest wolverine Report post Posted October 26, 2002 Ricky, you NEED to see Tamura vs. Kohsaka 6/27/98 if you haven't. After rewatching it numerous times, and viewing every little detail they put into it, I'm now of the belief that it's the best pro wrestling match I've ever seen - which is incredible, because I wasn't even that into it when I first saw it. But it was my fault for not paying close enough attention. This isn't a match for everyone, but if you understand what they're doing, it's the best thing you'll ever see. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest RickyChosyu Report post Posted October 26, 2002 I'm a little hesitant to tackle RINGS just yet, as I've seen very little shoot-style stuff. I'm thinking I'll check out the UWF and UWFi stuff with Takada before seeing Tamura/Han, and Tamura/Kohsaka. I'm suprised, though. You'd put it above Dream Rush? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
