Board 8 > All-Purpose Wrestling Topic 427: If Sarah Logan wins, we Riott [rusev day]

(+) Yeah! (+)

Theres no reason why not

I dunno if the backstage resentment she was getting still matters
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the brass ring just needs cursing

saying bitch and kick your ass is all you need to get involved
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Also, all this women's rumbles stuff remember eaed TEW did it first lol
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Oh.... that was a thing ...

lemme guess, Twin Magic?
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Um, so this fued between Shane and KO/Zayn feels like it is building to a match between Shane and DB. ... Could WWE be trying to clear DB as a seasonal act so that he doesn't sign else where? Not that he would accept that. (All fan fiction but I was curious what others thought. )
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I was wondering why this title match felt so short...BAIT AND SWITCH!
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eaedwards6400 posted...

Um, so this fued between Shane and KO/Zayn feels like it is building to a match between Shane and DB. ... Could WWE be trying to clear DB as a seasonal act so that he doesn't sign else where? Not that he would accept that. (All fan fiction but I was curious what others thought. )

It's pretty clear that the SummerSlam plan is DB vs. Shane-O, and if DB can't be cleared they will likely have him manage Shane's opponent before DB goes off to NJPW.
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scarletspeed7 posted...

eaedwards6400 posted...

Um, so this fued between Shane and KO/Zayn feels like it is building to a match between Shane and DB. ... Could WWE be trying to clear DB as a seasonal act so that he doesn't sign else where? Not that he would accept that. (All fan fiction but I was curious what others thought. )

It's pretty clear that the SummerSlam plan is DB vs. Shane-O, and if DB can't be cleared they will likely have him manage Shane's opponent before DB goes off to NJPW.

Mania?
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eaedwards6400 posted...

scarletspeed7 posted...

eaedwards6400 posted...

Um, so this fued between Shane and KO/Zayn feels like it is building to a match between Shane and DB. ... Could WWE be trying to clear DB as a seasonal act so that he doesn't sign else where? Not that he would accept that. (All fan fiction but I was curious what others thought. )

It's pretty clear that the SummerSlam plan is DB vs. Shane-O, and if DB can't be cleared they will likely have him manage Shane's opponent before DB goes off to NJPW.

Mania?

I think Mania is going to be some form of taggery, and the storyline after Mania is all-out war between Bryan and McMahon.
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I have to hand it to Smackdown for letting Aiden English somehow become something after the Vaudevillans fizzled out. Now if only we could hear his theme more often-that was creepy orchestral goodness.
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Miz wins rumble

declares himself free agent and challenges AJ Styles instead of Brock

Delays title shot until Backlash so we can have AJ vs. Nak on the condition he gets DBD at Wrestlemania

whoops sorry my dreams will never happen
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Former WCW superstar Karl Malone
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Liv Morgan needs less tight pants. Her waist is weird.
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Whiskey_Nick posted...

Liv Morgan needs less tight pants. Her waist is weird.

Less...tight...pants? What?
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I love this Bryan/Shane storyline. It seems obvious where it's going, but I'm enjoying the ride.
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her pants, they like ... her body goes from a natural shape to suddenly 90 degree cut in at her pants like an inch. It's like the fittest muffin top ever?
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Whiskey_Nick posted...

her pants, they like ... her body goes from a natural shape to suddenly 90 degree cut in at her pants like an inch. It's like the fittest muffin top ever?

https://orig00.deviantart.net/042e/f/2016/282/1/6/liv_morgan_png_by_wwe_womens02-dakhlhe.png

I think I see it...now I can't unsee it, like Baron or Bo's non-existent abs.
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Alexa and Braun are a team in the mixed match challenge. Awesome pairing!
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Do they have the other pairs
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Charlotte and Bobby Roode also got announced.
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eaedwards6400 posted...

Do they have the other pairs

Team Robe aka Bobby Roode and Charlotte Flair.
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TheRock1525 posted...

eaedwards6400 posted...

Do they have the other pairs

Team Robe aka Bobby Roode and Charlotte Flair.

Great name.
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No the names are the monster and the mouse and glorious flair
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Team Robe could also be called Team People Triple H Secretly Wishes He Was
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So Jericho/Omega

Roughly how many hours from now?
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8
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Jericho apparently indirectly dedicating his match to Chris Benoit.

Whoops.
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scarletspeed7 posted...

8

8?! That's not what I expected

Damn. I'm at work for it...although it's right at the end of work, so that should be ok
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Might even be closer to 9 from when you asked. Show doesn't even start for another 5 from now and it's the second to last match on the card.
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http://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-news/95645-first-teams-wwe-mixed-match-challenge/

Really loving the Braun and Alexa pairing.
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So I don't know how many folks in here are planning on watching WK, and who among them care about anything beyond Omega/Jericho anyhow, but I figure I might as well do a preview post for anyone who's interested and knows little to nothing about NJPW.

First of all, here's a step-by-step guide to signing up for NJPW World.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/7nqds6/with_wrestle_kingdom_12_less_than_32_hours_away/

And here's a match-by-match breakdown:
Pre-Show Match: The New Japan Rumble
Think Royal Rumble except that superstars can also be eliminated by pinfall or submission. It's for the leftover guys that don't have a match on the show proper. It probably won't be good and there's not much reason to watch it.

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Titles: Roppongi 3K (c) vs The Young Bucks
The simplified version of New Japan's method of developing young wrestlers is to essentially make them jobbers in mostly meaningless matches for a year or two so they can learn from the experienced wrestlers on the card, and then, when they're ready, they're sent on "excursion" somewhere else in the wrestling world. Yohei Komatsu and Sho Tanaka were two very highly regarded young boys who spent an inordinate amount of time at the bottom of New Japan's cards before their excursion to Mexico, and when they returned as Roppongi 3K, they made an immediate impact. They won these titles in their first match back and, shortly thereafter, steamrolled through the Super Jr. Tag Tournament.

Here, though, they'll face their toughest task yet in the Young Bucks, who have held the titles a record six times. If you've seen the Bucks elsewhere, you may or may not be rolling your eyes already, but don't worry. They tend to tone down the goofiness and wrestle much more seriously in NJPW, especially on big shows like Wrestle Kingdom. This will be very good at minimum with the potential to be great if it gets time.

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Titles Gauntlet: Bullet Club (c) vs Taguchi Japan vs CHAOS vs Suzuki-Gun vs War Machine and Michael Elgin
I'm not gonna waste my time or yours trying to break this down. It will have bright spots when certain wrestlers are in the ring (namely Tomohiro Ishii of CHAOS, Zack Sabre Jr. of Suzuki-Gun, and Juice Robinson of Taguchi Japan), but for the most part, this is a get-everyone-on-the-card match that probably will drag.

Cody vs Kota Ibushi
Along with the previous match, this is the other that doesn't have much of a story behind it, but there's a little more than there was before since Cody lost the ROH Title. See, originally, this was an ROH title match, and now that it's a regular singles match, Kota has publicly questioned a couple of times why they're even bothering. This, obviously, has rubbed Cody the wrong way, and it's become something of a grudge match now.

I'd much rather see Ibushi doing something else, but if anyone besides Okada can pull a good match out of Cody, it's probably the Golden Star. I expect Ibushi to win this, so if Cody's in a bad mood and doesn't bring his A-game, this could get ugly, but if he has his working boots on, it also could end up being very good. The biggest obstacle to overcome will probably be the crowd, because no one in Japan gives a damn about Cody, but he's standing across the ring from one of the absolute best in the world so I'm not writing it off.
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IWGP Heavyweight Tag Titles: Killer Elite Squad (c) vs Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL and SANADA)
EVIL and SANADA won the World Tag League to earn this match. They're both excellent singles wrestlers, but they haven't quite found their groove as a tag team yet. This is as good a spot as any for it to happen. The two guys that make up KES both spent time in WWE as David Hart Smith and Vance Archer, respectively. They're a high-floor, low-ceiling kind of team, which is probably perfect for this spot on the card. I don't have much to say here, but there's no reason this can't be a very good match.

NEVER Openweight Title, Hair vs Hair Match: Minoru Suzuki (c) vs Hirooki Goto
We're in the meat of the card now. These two actually feuded for a few months in 2017 already, where Suzuki won the title from Goto through various methods of underhanded chicanery, mostly involving interference from his Suzuki-Gun stable. Goto has been angling for a rematch for the last month or so, and Suzuki finally agreed with the condition that Goto puts his hair on the line. For whatever reason, he put his up as well, so there's no small amount of pride and personal beef here.

A lot of fans expect this to be a crappy match, and I get why. Goto's gimmick of being a guy who never quite reaches expectations has people kind of writing him off as a loser sometimes, and Suzuki's reign has been marred by really, really bad gimmick matches. Really, though, Goto is a fantastic wrestler, especially in big spots, and Suzuki has vowed that no interference will take place in this match. I expect this to surprise people and to be the first truly great match of the night. Suzuki proved in two matches with Okada last year that he can still bring it when he tries, and I believe he'll definitely be trying here. It will be violent and intense, because that's pretty much the name of the game for these two.

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Marty Scurll (c) vs Will Ospreay vs Hiromu Takahashi vs KUSHIDA
This is gonna be wild. Ospreay and Takahashi have absolutely no regard for their bodies, KUSHIDA can get crazy with the best of them, and Scurll is a very smart wrestler who will know exactly how to fit in.

To set up this match to a satisfactory degree, I need to go back to 2016, because that's the year when KUSHIDA established himself as the "ace" of this division. He had a reign that lasted almost all year, elevating the title as much as himself in the process by having great matches and actually main eventing a smaller show or two. Two of his defenses were against Ospreay, which I'll come back to later.

Last year at Wrestle Kingdom 11, he was defeated by Takahashi, who was returning from excursion. Takahashi more or less dominated the match, and further cemented his spot as the new top dog when he again beat KUSHIDA in the rematch a few months later, this time in about two minutes. KUSHIDA would redeem himself, though. He won the Best of the Super Juniors by again defeating Ospreay (in a match I gave five stars) and finally overcame Takahashi at Dominion.

Which brings me to Ospreay. His story, not just in NJPW, but all over the world, is that he's an amazing wrestler who can just never win the big one. That is, until he finally beat KUSHIDA at King of Pro-Wrestling to capture the title. He was finally on top of his mountain. Unfortunately, his reign lasted less than a month, as Scurll took the title in controversial fashion with a roll-up. This is part of another ongoing worldwide story where Scurll always manages to find a way to outsmart Will.

Ospreay immediately demanded a rematch, claiming his shoulders were actually up. KUSHIDA stormed out and made the same claim, due to his never getting a rematch with Ospreay. Takahashi, after having been denied challenges in hilarious fashion for months, angrily did the same. Scurll, cocky to a fault, stated he'd be glad to beat all three at once. And so, here we are.
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IWGP Intercontinental Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Jay White
I'm gonna take an Austin Aries-style victory lap here. Back in July, at the G1 Special shows in Long Beach, Jay White was booked in multi-man tags for both nights. He scored the pin in each of them. I said that was significant and signaled that the company had big plans for him. A couple of people in this topic argued with me, saying it didn't mean anything and that he was probably going to be a Jr. Heavyweight. Well, I was right, and y'all were wrong. This company doesn't do anything by accident.

First things first. Tanahashi claims he's got an injured leg. I don't doubt that's true to an extent, but he has a habit of exaggerating his bumps and bruises around this time every year to add a nice, built-in story to his matches. Expect Jay White to almost immediately go after the leg.

This is White's first match back after his excursion, and it's a sink-or-swim moment. He's facing the man who almost single-handedly saved NJPW from death, and he's doing it in front of a crowd that's several orders of magnitude bigger than the biggest crowd he's worked previously. He also doesn't look absolutely comfortable in his new gimmick yet, which I could best describe as "guy who may or may not shoot up a school one day."

Luckily, he's a great wrestler, and there aren't enough superlatives in the world to describe Tanahashi's ring prowess. This has all the makings of an absolutely awesome match, especially as it's gotten more personal. Tana doesn't seem to be taking the youngster that seriously, even though he's "injured" and has been laid out by White twice. This has turned White from an angry psychopath to an angry psychopath with something to prove.

I wouldn't be absolutely shocked if New Japan pulls the rug out from under us, though, in favor of making a star overnight. I could see White winning this match in about five minutes after relentlessly attacking the injured leg. That would be pretty much unprecedented, but it would potentially set up a fantastic story for the rest of the year.

Either way, this will be a spectacle.

IWGP US Heavyweight Championship: Kenny Omega (c) vs Chris Jericho, No Disqualification Match
This is what y'all came for. I don't imagine I have to say much more about it. You've seen the angles, presumably.

I'm interested to see how this match goes, though. Kenny's gimmick, for all intents and purposes, is that he's obsessed with having a MOTYC every time he wrestles. He claims, though, that this is going to be a straight fight, which means that we could see a very different Omega. Which would probably work to their favor anyway. I don't think Jericho could keep up with Omega's normal style of match at this point in his career, so going with a more story-based grudge is likely a good decision.

And make no mistake, Y2J can win this. I wouldn't bet on it, but it's a possibility.
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IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Tetsuya Naito
If you're at all familiar with me, you probably know that Okada is by far my favorite wrestler in the world. His ability to have incredible matches with every single wrestler he faces is unparalleled, and he also just led NJPW to their second-most profitable year in history.

That said, he shouldn't win this match. It's Naito's time.

Really, the best thing you can do to prepare yourself for this match is to watch these three videos. They're exceptionally well done and cover pretty much all the most important info.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y82ElzYuMaY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juuQJYWD8mI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZgZEgCkrs0
In case you don't want to, though, I'm gonna try to hit the cliffnotes. First, Okada's side.

- In 2012, Okada returned from excursion as a cocky young prick and won the title from Tanahashi in his second match back. This was a shocker, as Tana was on a legendary run at the time.
- Over the next few years, the two traded the title back and forth (only being interrupted a couple times by AJ Styles) in one of the greatest series of wrestling matches ever.
- At Wrestle Kingdom 9, in what looked to be Okada's crowning moment, he was instead reduced to his lowest. He left the ring actually sobbing as Tanahashi taunted him, saying he would never be the ace.
- During this period, Okada grew as a character, learning how to be a true champion, earning the respect of the crowd, and gaining a passion to lead New Japan into new prosperity.
- With his newfound attitude, he finally put his feud with Tana to rest at WK10, taking his deserved spot at the top of the company.
- Since then, except for a brief couple of months where he lost the belt to Naito, he's established himself as almost unbeatable. He bends but doesn't break. He always finds a way to win. His current reign sits at 563 days, and a not insignificant amount of people believe that, because of both the incredible match quality and the fact that he's sold out every big show he's headlined, it may be the greatest title run in wrestling history.

I could write pages and pages on Okada's character development, but that's enough for now. On to Naito.

- Naito spent several years as the NJPW equivalent of Roman Reigns. Pegged as a star but could never really get over the way the company wanted. Also, despite being ostensibly a babyface, he was kind of an asshole.
- The biggest disaster of this era of Naito was Wrestle Kingdom 8. He defeated Tanahashi in the G1 Climax to earn a title shot against Okada at WK8. However, the fans still didn't care. Tana was still the company ace at this point, and he was coming off what was to that point his best matches with Okada. Fans didn't like that Naito was getting in the way of that.
- Tana, in a last ditch effort to earn the main event spot at the Dome, challenged Shinsuke Nakamura to an IC title match and suggested that fans vote on which match they wanted to main event.
- The IC title match won the vote. As if that wasn't humiliating enough, Naito lost to Okada in a pretty forgettable match.
- After this, Naito floundered until he took a break and wrestled in Mexico for a while. While there, he aligned with a heel stable called Los Ingobernables. Upon returning to New Japan, he kept this heel attitude and became a massive dick, eventually forming his own Japan branch of Los Ingobernables.
- As the months wore on, something amazing happened. Naito got over. Fans identified with his "tranquilo," ungovernable attitude, relating to his feelings of being disrespected by the front office, his peers, and the collective public.
- In April 2016, Naito finally accomplished his dream of winning the IWGP HW championship, but he had to rely on a ton of LIJ interference to do so. However, he mistreated the physical belt, implying that he was bigger than the championship itself.
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- Okada won the title back a couple months later, after goading Naito into sending his stablemates backstage for the rematch. Without LIJ, Naito just wasn't good enough, though he did become just the second person to kick out of Okada's Rainmaker lariat.
- He then set his sights on the IC Title, not because he wants it, but because he hates it for stealing his WK main event years before. He does his best to destroy this physical belt as well, as a symbolic destruction of his old character that never accomplished anything.
- As the IC champ, Naito is challenged by Tanahashi, who angles for another fan vote. Naito rejects the idea in a petty fit of revenge, making sure Tana wouldn't headline this WK. And then, to complete his vengeance, he beats him.
- Now, one year later, Naito sits on the precipice of his career-defining moment. He's finally going to main event WK. He's beaten Tanahashi, who stole the last one from him. He beat Kenny Omega, the man who kept him from winning last year's G1, in this year's tournament. The only remaining obstacle is the nigh-unstoppable Kazuchika Okada. Naito won't have LIJ with him this time, either. He'll have to do it on his own. We'll see if he's truly grown enough.

Traditionally, the ace doesn't lose at Wrestle Kingdom. Tanahashi didn't lose until it was time for him to pass along the reigns to Okada. But Naito is peaking right now. He's the hottest he's ever been. If he wins, he could potentially become a draw at or beyond the level of even Okada. If he loses, he may never recover.

No matter what, though, the match is going to be amazing.
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That got longer than I meant for it to, but I wanted to make sure I covered it all. And if I missed something and anyone has a question, just ask.
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I have signed up for the NJPW World

probably can only watch the first 2 hours, I'll have to see the rest later
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You really sold me on that Iceman
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How much is NJPW World and will it be up to watch on their servers after the show is over
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999 yen a month and yeah the show will be up.
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It's been less than amazing so far but still hooked deep, big matches to come
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Given how good Suzuki/Goto was, if each match going forward is better than the last, we're in for a great show.
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Iceman is really making me wanna switch to NJPW but I can only afford one streaming service and Stardom already has that spot and ffff
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1. Natalya "fake boobs" Neidhart - http://www.boobpedia.com/boobs/Natalya_Neidhart
2. Tamina Snuka
3. Becky Lynch
4. Dana Brooke
5. Sarah Logan
6. Liv Morgan
7. Ruby Riot
8. Naomi
9. Paige
10. Mandy Rose
11. Bayley
12. Mickie James
13. Sasha Banks
14. Sonya Deville
15. Asuka
16. Alicia Fox
17. Nia Jax
18. Lana
19. Carmella
20. Ember Moon
21. Lacey Evans
22. Bianca BeLair
23. Vanessa Borne
24. Abbey Laith
25. Sage Beckett
26. Michelle "fake boobs" McCool - http://www.boobpedia.com/boobs/Michelle_McCool
27. Eve "fake boobs" Torres - http://www.boobpedia.com/boobs/Eve_Torres
28. Kelly Kelly
29. Jillian Hall - lasts 3 seconds
30. Ronda Rousey

That's 30. I don't expect many returns.

Real

Maria Kanellis
AJ Lee
Alicia Fox
Dawn Marie
Paige
Becky Lynch
Brie Bella
Stacy Keibler
Naomi
Jazz
Molly Holly
Awesome Kong
Sasha Banks

Fake

Michelle McCool
Eve Torres
Torrie Wilson
Ashley Massaro
Christy Hemme
Terri Runnels
Lita
Jackie Gayda
Ms. Jackie Moore
Mickie James
Candice Michelle
Sable
Jillian Hall
Melina
Maryse
Kaitlyn
Charlotte Flair
Tamina Snuka - I can show proof
Nikki Bella
Dana Brooke
Ivory
Gail Kim
Nidia
Angelina Love
Velvet Sky
Traci Brooks
Rosa Mendes - Her's is probably the worst
Beth Phoenix
Summer Rae

I just..... there are no words....

Oh shit. Who let Preston into our safe haven?
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I love the idea of a heel being petty enough to chose not to headline the biggest show of the year for the first time in their career just so that their opponent doesn't get to main event again.

Its like "yeah this sucks for me but I dont care because it will mean that you dont get what you want."

Its just such a great dick move.
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I am about to watch the last two matches on the card. Oh lord. Spent about $9 to see it. I hope it's great!
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so did it live up to the hype?
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