This match from the ongoing Super Juniors tournament is well worth your time. Find a comfortable place to sit, and invest about a few minutes of your Vader time:
It's not really my style, but what they are doing is impressive and the match was a lot of fun. It got a lot of conversation from wrestlers current and former which is good. It got fans talking which is good and it got a lot of notice from mom wrestling fans which is important. I thought the whole thing was over hyped myself, but it was amazing.
I loved this. Some of the stuff they are doing is flat-out witchcraft, and it's all enhanced by the audio. No commentary. Clear in-ring dialogue. Loud kicks and chops. And that crowd!
They put on a show. Damn, they put on a show.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Based on the criticisms leveled against this match, I was fully expecting to see twenty minutes of nothing but spots with absolutely no selling or logic. I'm glad that I watched the whole thing (and not just a highlight reel). The really harsh critics are way off-base. This was an absolutely incredible wrestling match that happened to showcase some of the most innovative offense I've seen.
I only discovered Ospreay (and Zack Sabre Jr) this past Mania weekend, and I've been obsessed with them since.
This is definitely the most over inflated controversy I've seen in recent years. The flippy spot at the beginning was just them sparring and showing off what they were capable of, then the match unfolds and it's two guys trying to out-perform their opponent in a junior heavyweight tournament. Exactly the sort of place for this thing.
Anyway, I enjoyed it, and think it's great that people are talking about it. Hope it gets more eyes on New Japan.
So, Ospreay dug himself out a *huge* hole to win his block and advance to the tourney finals. The comeback started with this match. It stands to reason that NJPW planned it this way, booking a great come-from-behind story for their new signee, but I do wonder if the buzz from this match altered the plans. Either way, I hope he parlays this experience into huge success.
I just watched this match and the only really surprising thing to me was how much loud cussin' Ospreay did during the match. I guess NJPW doesn't care, especially since it's in English?
But yeah - a fun cruiserweight match with some awesome flippy offense.
Originally posted by Mr ShhSo, Ospreay dug himself out a *huge* hole to win his block and advance to the tourney finals. The comeback started with this match. It stands to reason that NJPW planned it this way, booking a great come-from-behind story for their new signee, but I do wonder if the buzz from this match altered the plans. Either way, I hope he parlays this experience into huge success.
I think they planned it this way. Ospreay was a big free agent this year and both WWE and New Japan wanted him for their Cruserweight/Jr. Heavyweight/Light Heavyweight/Flippy Dudez tournaments that they're doing.
He wound up going with New Japan and I'd imagine a push to some degree is in order. Ever since Kenny Omega got promoted and with Prince Devitt being gone for two years, I think they've wanted a new dominant gaijin in the Jr. Heavyweight division to get people interested again. They're also bringing back the Super J Cup this year, so even if he doesn't win the title, he could still win two big tournaments.
I had a spare 20 minutes so used it watching this match. Thoroughly enjoyable throughout and glad I watched it. Will be interesting to see how many spots get stolen and shown over the next few WWE shows. I can see why some people don't like it, but it was very easy to just sit down and enjoy it for what it was, and that was non stop entertainment.
Originally posted by Spiraling_ShapeI just watched this match and the only really surprising thing to me was how much loud cussin' Ospreay did during the match. I guess NJPW doesn't care, especially since it's in English?
But yeah - a fun cruiserweight match with some awesome flippy offense.
There's actually a ton of F-Bombs dropped by gaijin in NWJP. Watch any Bullet Club segment. I don't know if it's a translation thing, or just different TV standards. Does anyone know if similar pejoratives get dropped in Japanese?
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