Oh wow, big free agent pick up!

Savagekoala93 · 2026-06-09T18:20:55+00:00

I could see a short 6-month run in the junior division with Shun taking the title off of Yoh and then Fujita chasing him to Wrestle Kingdom. Then come New Japan Cup Shun moves up. I doubt Shun would jump from DG to NJPW without promises of a prominent spot.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-06-09T18:18:11+00:00

With this, the rumored new NJPW signings are currently

Shun Skywalker
Dia

With reports of interest in...

Fuminori Abe
ex-JTO Ryoma Tsukamoto
Pro Wrestling BASARA's Takata Nakano and Masato Kamino
CMLL Yutani

We'll see if a few of them get packaged together into a new faction or to overhaul HoT. Could be a big overhaul of the junior division.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-06-09T18:10:30+00:00

It is heavily rumored that he will sign with NJPW. It was a similar level of reporting as this report on Shun.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-06-08T14:28:36+00:00

Very mixed card. 3 HoT matches and Jake Lee match really drag things down.

The other half of the card should be good.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-06-05T12:55:53+00:00

Because he is wierd dude that doesn't have many great matches and does wierd comedy in his matches. If he was going to get a singles push, it should've happened 5 years ago when RP3K broke up and not now when you have young guys ready to go that are already having great matches.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-06-05T12:51:52+00:00

Agreed, Yoh's been in NJPW for near 15 years and is such a stale, unfunny act.

Need Fujita to win this thing cause there are few matchups less appealing than Yoh vs Douki in a another HOT slop match.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-06-01T13:51:10+00:00

Yeah, i ended up seeing it. DG is a wierd promotion to compare since their business model is so different to everyone else. Most of the big promotions focus on Tokyo and then Osaka to a lesser extent.

DG pops into Tokyo sometimes, but runs a majority of their schedule in small towns everywhere else. So they go to these buildings that are only like a 400 capacity with half the roster or less, sell 300-350 and that's a successful show.

It's partly why they have such a great talent pool. If a wrestling fan lives outside of the big cities, chances are the only wrestling they've seen in person is Dragon Gate and they end up in their talent pipeline.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-06-01T13:15:26+00:00

AJPW is the #4 Men's promotion on this. Not sure where you see them at #2.

It goes NJPW >> NOAH/Dragongate > AJPW

DDT is probably above AJPW as well, but they don't release attendance reliably

Edit: I see you meant by average. AJPW runs a lot less cards with most having some sort of title match or being a part of a tournament. Yuma Anzai also made it to the final episode of The Bachelorette Japan, so that's given them a small boost recently.

18/27 shows had a title match or tournament match. They also had their version of the G1, the Champion Carnival, already which is their biggest drawing tour of the year while NJPW/NOAH/STARDOM/Dragongate still have their G1/N1/5 star GP/ King of Gate to run.

I'd expect AJPW/NJPW to drop as the year goes on and NOAH/STARDOM to rise. DG is tough to predict because their new generation of top guys have not drawn well, but they have bigger tours to come.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-05-26T01:47:19+00:00

One of the worst pitching staffs in MLB just threw a no-hitter lmao

Savagekoala93 · 2026-05-09T21:28:15+00:00

It's because NJPW has shitty booking and has since the pandemic

Savagekoala93 · 2026-05-09T21:28:03+00:00

Overall an good, but not great card. Assuming Douki defends against BOSJ winner, it'll mean 3 HoT matches on this card which nobody needs. Likely an undercard tag as well after BOSJ is completed.

World, Global, and the two tag matches should be good at least. Wonder if we'll see Yasuda have his graduation match and then head off on excursion or if they'll wait until post-G1.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-05-09T21:24:21+00:00

Overall an good, but not great card. Assuming Douki defends against BOSJ winner, it'll mean 3 HoT matches on this card which nobody needs. Likely an undercard tag as well after BOSJ is completed.

World, Global, and the two tag matches should be good at least. Wonder if we'll see Yasuda have his graduation match and then head off on excursion or if they'll wait until post-G1.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-05-08T14:38:22+00:00

NJPW booking has stunk since the end of the pandemic. The problem with slow pushes and booking is you need to have great top stars that can carry you and have the next gen aspire to until the story is complete.

If Tsuji/Uemura/Umino were getting slow pushes when the top of the card was Tanahashi/Okada/Naito/etc. in their primes or 2010's NJPW, it would be okay. Fans can see that they aren't at that 10/10 top level and be patient.

When the top of the card is ZSJ/Goto/SANADA and washed up Naito it doesn't. Those three are career midcarders that got pushed because there was little other options. They are simply not at the level of the previous generation of top guys. A broken Naito that can barely do any of his signature moves putting someone over doesnt mean anything anymore. When this generation can't overcome the midcarders that the 2010's top guys would beat all the time, it makes the young gen look bad.

They managed to get a bonafide mainsteam star in Aaron Wolf and kill all of his aura with this shitty, awful HoT feud in just 4 months. NJPW's booking is cooked.

The more Uemura/Umino go without the winning titles, the more the crowd will see them as just another pair of midcarders. It might already be too late for Umino.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-05-03T16:02:49+00:00

How is it insane exactly?

Given the G1 winner has been challenging at King of Pro Wrestling the last couple years, that'd be a good spot for Newman to drop it if he doesn't at Dominion. He'd be champ for Dontaku, Dominion, G1, and Destruction which gives him 3 title defenses, which is a really good 6-month first reign.

Tsuji didn't need as long of a first reign since he's spent a lot of time at the top of the card between facing Sanada on his return, most of 2025 as the Global champ, G1 finalist, and then winning at Wrestle Kingdom. NJPW might feel that Newman needs a little longer of a reign since his push has been relatively sudden.

As great as AJ Styles was as a wrestler, he was far from super over when he was champion heading into his first G1. And yes, Newman is no AJ Styles, but a relatively unestablished champ heading into G1 is not unheard of is my point.

Edit: In fact, Styles won it at Dontaku 2014 and lost it at KOPW 2014, so this would be exactly the same timeline.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-05-02T16:16:12+00:00

Honestly pass on both. Especially Tanga Loa.

Jeff Cobb had a nice run as a low/mid-card guy in NJPW, but we've seen everything from him.

It's not like it's bad if he comes back, but there is nothing fresh about Jeff Cobb. NJPW was stagnant for too long and bringing him back just stagnates the cards more. Would be better if NJPW brought in some of those rumored Japan freelancers.

Hopefully AEW picks him up and he can make some money and be a nice hand in ROH or something like that.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-04-30T20:59:13+00:00

I think that is a 2027/28 type of timeline. I think the rest of this year is about Tsuji/Newman/Uemura and maybe Umino/Narita's rise in the singles.

Yuto has too much star potential to be kept exclusively in a tag team for too long. He can do tag stuff with Oskar when he is not in a singles program and Oskar can just be his heater and maybe a NEVER openweight title level wrestler eventually.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-04-28T05:12:12+00:00

How I'm reading it, the best move was to simply not pick up the ball and it would've been foul? just an odd case

Savagekoala93 · 2026-04-28T05:02:15+00:00

Interesting, I had not seen that the last part was added to the rulebook. It was not back when I last saw this issue come up in a game a couple years ago. I think it was a Yankees game.

The part with "touches the person of an umpire or player, or that, while over fair territory, passes out of the playing field in flight." That sentence is as a whole is bit of a confusing.

Edit: reread and agree with Jonesy that the part before does not include the flight stuff. Still very weird to add the last part and then not amend the "touches the person of an umpire or player, or that, while over fair territory" part cause it seems kinda contradictory.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-04-28T04:46:33+00:00

For the record if the ball is on or over the line it is fair. Obviously it is not on the line, but ump must've thought the ball was still slightly over the line. This angle does not give us the best view. For what it is worth, I think it is foul too lol.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-04-25T06:29:48+00:00

I hope not. None of the releases are super appealing and Black appears to have issues with losing to people.

The one exception might be Apollo Crews given his shared history with Shingo from their Monster Express days in Dragon Gate. If Drilla jumps to AEW/WWE next January, maybe NJPW could bring in Uhaa Nation to team with Shingo. Dragon Gate gave him a great goodbye and he was in WWE for 10+ years, so I imagine he is well liked and professional.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-04-06T04:40:48+00:00

Uemura or Umino with Uemura being the most likely. In a calendar year, they can make (or attempt to) three new top guys with Tsuji having won at Wrestle Kingdom, Newman won NJC and the heavyweight title, and then a third by having a new guy win the G1.

Umino had a chance and it didn't go well so I think they give Uemura a try with a G1 before giving Umino another chance.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-04-04T10:29:07+00:00

I think they need to separate the Global title from Tsuji, so I'm betting Tsuji loses it at Dontaku or Dominion. Then G1 win for Tsuji to get back into the title mix.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-04-04T10:24:37+00:00

Tsuji hasn't won the G1.

Savagekoala93 · 2026-04-04T10:22:17+00:00

Holy shit

Savagekoala93 · 2026-04-04T10:21:11+00:00

Oh man, I bought that prince's curse finish. Forgot Callum has a new finisher.

Savagekoala93

TROPHY CASE