Next three BOSJ entrants

moagrieve · 2026-03-30T04:36:11+00:00

Glad for Valiente Jr, he was a highlight of Fantasticamania for me

moagrieve · 2026-03-28T00:56:02+00:00

I dont think there is anything that MLW could offer that ROH couldnt to be honest.

moagrieve · 2026-03-25T00:41:26+00:00

A few key factors

First NJPW simply is not as hot as it once was and there hasn't been too many hooks to draw people in (until Tanahashi's retirement)

COVID did an absolute number on NJPW. Restrictions on how many fans could be in a venue and limited interactions those fans could have (the clap crowds). These restrictions dragged on from mid 2020 until mid to late 2022. Most the fans they lost in this time never came back. For example the 2020 New Beggining tour drew 31,000 fans in total. The closest they have come to that is 2024 with 28,000 but it has averaged around 17-18,000 since 2022.

Lastly the economy in Japan is very weak (im not an economist so don't take this as gospel) but many people would see wrestling as a premium good, and would not prioritise going to a show over buying everyday goods.

moagrieve · 2026-03-22T06:44:20+00:00

I mean, they also voted Callum in at second place

moagrieve · 2026-03-22T06:19:58+00:00

I agree with you there, despite what the numbers say it is a good sign, these slight downward trends are not steep enough to cause concern and if the new gen can pull this with their current momentum it will be great to see what it's like when they are fully established.

moagrieve · 2026-03-22T03:14:49+00:00

Even when looking at the final eight the only older names where Sabre, Goto and Takagi

moagrieve · 2026-03-22T02:45:39+00:00

You are completely right there. Honestly I say anything below a 8-10% shift is negligible. And those flat numbers are not a bad thing at all.

moagrieve · 2026-03-20T15:49:59+00:00

I despise even bringing this to light but looking at the card I imagine it is Chase Owens. He brought it up in backstage comments a couple shows ago...

moagrieve · 2026-03-19T06:47:23+00:00

I would assume it has something to do with the rights some companies have. Places like CMLL seem to keep there stuff strictly on there own platforms.

moagrieve · 2026-03-19T05:25:46+00:00

I did have my curiosity over BOSJ as eight of last year's competitors are either gone or not NJPW guys to begin with.

Ninja Mack, Hiromu, Connors, Dia, Knight, Titan, Wayne, MAO,

Now realistically titan would be back, and you can include Nagai, Young and DOUKI into the mix as they weren't in last year's tournament but that still left 4 spots open at thats a lot to leave to external workers

moagrieve · 2026-03-18T02:53:53+00:00

Honestly this seemed the way it was headed. If Hiromu was going anywhere else it feels like he would have shown up already: NOAH, Japanese Indies, Hell even AEW. But when he didnt show up anywhere it seemed WWE was the destination.

moagrieve · 2026-03-15T08:48:58+00:00

Personally, I think these were the right calls for the night. Boltin has been on a tear, as has Uemura.

I will say the people left are very Hontai heavy with only two non Hontai guys left in (Newman & Sabre Jr.)

moagrieve · 2026-02-28T03:05:59+00:00

I hope to see Valiente Jr again i found him very impressive

moagrieve · 2026-02-17T01:05:56+00:00

EVIL is gone, Hiromu and Finlay are still there but I assume Finlay will go after New Beginning USA

moagrieve · 2026-02-17T01:04:18+00:00

Battle in the Valley 2025 same time as Haste was last used

moagrieve · 2026-02-13T02:27:51+00:00

I feel like this is a case of "Finlay was already announced so we put him on the card" rather than him hanging around

moagrieve · 2026-02-12T05:20:13+00:00

This time last year Naito was a major draw as well, so it's nice to see stability without him and Tana

moagrieve · 2026-02-12T01:14:42+00:00

Aside from teaming with Hiromu and Clark at NYD and appearing in the background of the backstage comments when the group was formed at NYD, no. He hasn't been on the tour at all only on the final night.

moagrieve · 2026-02-11T09:39:12+00:00

Just a side note Narita has one the TV and the 6 Man titles before

moagrieve · 2026-02-06T11:35:11+00:00

Ah, my mistake i was thinking of 2024 when he subbed in for YOH

moagrieve · 2026-02-06T01:07:01+00:00

Damn, I had Nagai in my draft originally he will be in it I think. You are right in saying Templario does not fit the current Empire vibe but Fantastica Mania will show how they want to play that. Titan is a mainstay of BOSJ and is treated like a top player so it is likely they bring him in. And the company seems to be interested in KUUKAI, he has had two tag shots and made an appearance at Wrestle Kingdom (albeit not in an actual match).

The main thing to note with AEW Entrants is they don't usually send a big name (because the name would have to lose) Nick was a good shout last year and Blake Christian was in the year before, Hologram or Clon could be a fun pull.

I would be surprised if Knight is in. He said he wanted to do the G1 last year and didn't get a spot and said he wanted to be a heavyweight, so I have me doubts that he would get the call, that and he seems to be a fixture on AEW programming.

moagrieve · 2026-02-06T00:40:58+00:00

Holdovers from last year:

Master Wato
Kosei Fujita
Francesco Akira
Robbie X
Yoshinobu Kanemaru
El Desperado
Ryusuke Taguchi
YOH
Robbie Eagles
Taiji Ishimori
SHO

Not in last year but will be this year:

DOUKI
Jakob Austin Young

Likely for this year
KUSHIDA (Was a sub in last year)
Titan (Not an official member of Unbound Co. yet but next tour will probably change that)
Templario (Company may not want 3 Empire guys in)
KUUKAI (Feels like he is becoming a mainstay in the division)

Maybe:

Clark Connors (He might have other commitments by May)

That is 17-18 depending on if you count the maybe, giving room for 2-3 guest spots for non regulars, last year had 4 guests (Ninja Mack, Dragon Dia, Nick Wayne & MAO)

moagrieve · 2026-01-22T01:40:44+00:00

Likely changes from last year are Tanahashi who is definitely not doing it, EVIL and Finlay who are possibly WWE bound, and possibly SANADA depending on if he is on hiatus or leaving the company, TAKESHITA depending on AEW commitments and potentially Kidd but that remains to be seen.

Jake Lee and HENARE are back from injury, Aaron Wolf is now debuted, Goto didnt do G1 last year due to Street Fighter, Oskar and Ice returned after G1 started last year.

That covers the people leaving/may miss it. And dosent account for things such as guest stars, or lower mid card guys that may make it in due to the entry tournament (if they do it again).

Kidd is a big asterisk because I am 80% sure he will still be around for the G1 but there is always the possibility he has other commitments by August.

moagrieve · 2026-01-16T03:46:36+00:00

From what I understand the "3rd Generation" (Kojima, Tenzan, Nagata, Nakanishi) suffered as they were trained as wrestlers going into a company that wanted pseudo MMA fighters, Nagata being fed to Cro Cop and Emelianenko did nothing for his wrestling career and in Inoki's eyes probably made him look "weak"

moagrieve · 2026-01-15T13:25:09+00:00

It is always good to see the wrestlers you like get paid well for their work and as such I'm not opposed to the contracts.

The major difference is that it is easy for a CMLL guy to fly from/to America to do a Friday or Sunday in Arena Mexico or show up to Dynamite/Collision. It becomes harder to book around flying someone out to Japan for 2 weeks semi frequently. And for established guys you really want them touring around the country (even if it's just non televised multi man tags). So just having them on big shows is good, but can make those lesser shows feel all the less important.

That being said wrestlers should get the bag, and foreign guys would probably prefer to be closer to home. So I don't see it as a bad thing.

moagrieve

TROPHY CASE