For twenty years I have been watching wrestling, following promotions such as WCW, WWE and TNA, through good times and bad. I remember some of the truly hideous wrestling angles that us, devout fans have had to sit through: Kaite Vick anyone? If you don't know what I'm talking about then you really didn't miss anything. And what you did miss, then thank god for it.
I was always aware of other promotions that stretched further than America. Mexico, Japan, even right here on the British shores. Never though, in twenty years, did I ever make the effort to watch one of them. After having shit like John Cena pushed down my throat for nine years, I decided that it was finally time as a fan, I saw what everyone else was talking about. And let me tell you, I was missing out. And if you've never seen any New Japan Pro Wrestling, then you muxt grab yourself a copy - any event will do - they're all as good I'm told as each other.
When I was young, the only wrestling that was broadcast over in the U.K was American Wrestling. WWE and on occasion WCW, which to my certain knowledge was broadcast on ITV. When you're a kid who doesn't know much then another wrestling world outside the one you've been brought upon seems impossible. Even as an adult it takes a big step to go from one promotion you've followed all your life to another. You start thinking "What if it's better?", "What if I can see a difference and don't turn back?". I've learned over the years that actually maybe it's not always a good thing to turn back. After you've seen something fantastic, do you ever really want to go back to the ordinary? WWE can offer us something no other promotion can - most of the time it's dissapointment. TNA in my opinion is hardly worth viewing until they do something about the product in and out of the ring.
I kept reading in Power Slam magazine (the best wrestling magazine in England), how great NJPW was: I had dipped my toes in NOAH waters for a while but it seemed very repetative, just chest slapping for the majority and Dragin Gate which is awesome (check it out if you haven't seen any). Recently I watch Ring of Honor which is decent but not really my cup of tea. So I ventured to ebay to pick up three NJPW events. Dominion 2011, WrestleKingdom 6 and All Together Now. As of yet I have only watched Dominion 2011 - and I was blown away. They truly put WWE and TNA to shame. I entered with minimum expectations and left with a new look on wrestling.
If you haven't seen NJPW then get yourself a copy of Dominion 2011. Not every match is top class: the IWGP and GHC combined Tag Team Championship Match pitting Giant Bernard and Karl Anderson vs Yoshihiro Takayama and Takuma Sano drags thanks to Takayama who seems old beyond his years and injured to a degree where he can no longer get around the ring comfortably: and the Tag Team Match pitting Satoshi Kojima and Togi Makabe vs Lance Archer and Minoru Suzuki could have come straight from a TNA show - for some reason Archer looks like Bradshaw from his APA years. The rest of the card though, was top class and possibly the most solid PPV I've seen in ten years.
Kohji Kanemoto vs Hiromu Takahashi was a solid opener even if very brief - given ten more minutes they could have put on quite a show. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV and Kushida vs Brian Kendrick, Jedo and Gedo was a decent effort considering Liger's age. The CMLL World Welterweight Championship Match between Ryusuke Taguchi vs Mascara Dorada was breathtaking and brillaint (certainly got me wanting to watch CMLL), and there is a cringe worthy mistiming in which Dorada nearly breaks his leg diving over the ropes, as he trips over the rope and his leg smashes the ring apron. Yuji Nagata, Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Wataru Inoue vs Takashi Lizuka, Masato Tanaka and Tomohiro Ishii plods in places but really picks up speed towards the cilmax of the match. Tetsuya Naito vs Yujiro Takahashi is special in every way possible and just a great outing which will keep you on the edge of your seats. The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match between Prince Devitt vs Kota Ibushi is stunning and one I could and will watch over and over again. The IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match which sees MVP vs Toru Yano is nothing special but does show how good MVP is when not constrained by WWE bigwigs. But the best match of the night - and it's not very often you can say this about a Main Event these days was the Main Event of Dominion 2011 and was for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship fought between Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Hirooki Goto. This match was a beautiful piece of work between two masters of the mat. I found myself out of my seat several times in the match. It was that good. Near falls a plenty and wrestling that I guarentee you will never have seen before. Goto casts memories back to the early nineties of the Great Muta in his prime - he's that good. And casts the aura of the old indestructable heel that has faded away in recent years and was portrayed so well from heels such as Ivan Koloff in the late 80's. The standout performer of the night was the IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi. The kid is phenominal and the match told a great story. It was dramatic, electric and a great advert for NJPW.
When I get around to watching the others then I'll let you know what they're like. But in the meantime get yourself a copy of Dominion 2011 to see how great NJPW is. I'm converted, now all that leaves is for WWE and TNA to follow in NJPW's footsteps. Take a step out onto the ledge of change and try something new. We won't keep paying for the same old bullshit time after time Vince, and that goes for you too Dixie. One day the wrestling public is going to see how repetative and truly awful at least half of the WWE and most of the TNA product is and begin wondering what's on the other side. Let's face it, the whole business is a gamble - and you might as well fail trying, than trying the same stuff and failing. Your audiences are dwindling by the year so what have you got to lose really people? Let me tell you this my good people. If WWE and Tna doesn't step out onto that ledge and try something new for fear of falling and failing. Then they might just find themslves falling anyway. And we'd all rather go down fighting.
