New Japan Rising

Neocha
Neocha
Jul 25, 2017 · 7 min read

Hulk Hogan. Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Rock. John Cena. These are the names that most people associate with professional wrestling, but that’s all about to change. Soon, there’s a good chance that names like Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega, and Tetsuya Naito will be first on everyone’s lips. Over the past decade, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) has risen from its lowest point like a phoenix from the ashes. Having re-conquered Japan, after a disastrous spell of mismanagement, NJPW dared to venture where no Japanese wrestling promotion ever has — the American market, long dominated by the multibillion-dollar monopoly World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

Last year, Takaaki Kidani, who bought NJPW in 2012, made a statement of intent: “We are entering a phase where you are either with WWE or against them. WWE has a lot of weaknesses and time is not on their side.” Even if this assertion was slightly premature, New Japan’s G1 Special in USA this month was long overdue. The occasion marked the company’s first-ever independent tour of the US and the launch of its new United States Heavyweight Championship. Tickets sold out within hours, and the show boasted a rare champion versus champion bout, with the Ring of Honor World Champion, Cody Rhodes, taking on New Japan’s IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kazuchika Okada. Rhodes believes the event, televised live on the American AXS TV network, will have “massive ramifications” for the entire industry. He says a “boom” is underway, but unlike the booms of the 80s and 90s, driven by the WWE and now-defunct WCW. “It’s happening elsewhere — it’s happened in these independents.”

In recent years, struggling to produce its own home-grown superstars, WWE has used its unparalleled revenue and exposure to poach talent from smaller promotions. While it succeeded in luring two of NJPW’s biggest stars, Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles, there was one it could not seduce: the newly crowned United States Heavyweight Champion, Kenny Omega. Over the past two years, the Canadian has transformed himself from goofy anime character to international superstar, becoming the first foreigner to win the company’s annual month-long G1 Climax tournament, earning himself a shot at the prodigal Kazuchika Okada’s IWGP Heavyweight Championship. In January, he presented Okada’s greatest threat yet, on NJPW’s largest stage — the annual Wrestle Kingdom show — at the auspicious Tokyo Dome. The pair produced a 47-minute master class of technical wrestling and storytelling, seemingly beating each other half to death. Dave Meltzer, author of the weekly Wrestling Observer Newsletter, rated the match six out of five stars, adding: “Omega and Okada may have put on the greatest match in wrestling history.”

What’s unique about NJPW is its “strong style” philosophy. Inoki, who founded the company in 1972, identified “strong style” as a combination of hard-hitting attacks, athletic prowess, and grappling. He declared the NJPW to be the “king of sports” and contended against athletes from different disciplines — even taking on Muhammad Ali, in a sensational, though farcical, MMA bout. In the ensuing decades, he was the chief architect of both NJPW’s success and its demise. As MMA was popularized in Japan, Inoki became obsessed with it, hiring cage fighters like Bas Rutten to compete in NJPW, and forcing New Japan talents to compete in MMA bouts. Wrestlers like Yuji Nagata, who won the 2001 G1 Climax tournament, were knocked out in seconds, humiliating and undermining not just them, but pro wrestling as a whole.

By 2004, Meltzer had branded NJPW the worst promotion in the world. Live attendances had halved, stars had deserted and the company was haemorrhaging money. In 2005, Japanese game developer Yuke’s bought up Inoki’s controlling interest and pushed him out of the company. The mantle then fell to wrestler Hiroshi Tanahashi, who, together with the company’s new bookers Gedo and Jado, threw MMA out the window and began developing stronger characters and stories, complete with compelling wrestling. In 2012, a cocky, 24-year-old Okada emerged from nowhere and challenged the now-legendary Tanahashi. The two battled for four years, before Okada emerged the new, beloved “Ace” — the number one. While today Okada embodies the ideal “strong style” wrestler, New Japan boasts a variety of other strong performers — from technical wizard Zack Sabre Jr. to high-flyers like Will Ospreay and Ricochet.

Despite their stylistic differences, many talented wrestlers have found a home in New Japan, where the craft is king. There are no gimmicks, no screwy finishes, no reality TV melodrama — just pure wrestling. Where WWE is blockbuster, NJPW is arthouse. NJPW’s promos feel more like boxing promos than soap opera segments, with few cuts to backstage or interference in matches. Japanese fans don’t respond well to the unfair finishes popular in WWE. They like to see which warrior is stronger, and, more importantly, who has the greatest “fighting spirit,” a nod to historic Samurai values. It’s a sentiment echoed by Omega, who calls the IWGP Heavyweight Championship “the most prestigious wrestling prize in all of professional wrestling.” On the contrary, he says WWE’s belt means nothing to him. “They pass around that belt like a hot potato. I probably have a neighbor on my block who held that belt at one point. There is no prestige to that belt whatsoever.”

In the past six years, only four people have held the IWGP Heavyweight title. Rhodes, who failed in his attempt to take the belt from Okada, says it has the aura of “a Stanley Cup”. The title is only as strong as its holder, and Okada has held it for over a year, defeating all the company’s top talents, in varied and brilliant matches. While New Japan’s belts become more prestigious by the day, WWE CEO Vince McMahon seems to have gone the way of Inoki and lost touch with his audience. Belts and storylines are dropped on a whim with little regard for narrative. One such example is Jinder Mahal, who was considered a “jobber”’ — someone who loses all their matches — before he unexpectedly nabbed the WWE Championship. Widely seen as an attempt to appeal to the Indian market, the storyline left most viewers alienated. Meanwhile, WWE’s Brock Lesnar has yet to defend the Universal Championship title he secured in April. Okada, on the other hand, has fought to defend his title four times since then. In May, WWE’s flagship show, Raw, had its second-lowest rating ever and its biggest stars are starting to speak out. Veteran wrestler Big Show recently stated: “You sit around all day for some frickin’ idea that absolutely sucks.”

New Japan may still have some way to go before reaching the 60,000-plus attendance and sold-out shows of its early-90s heyday, but its popularity is rising and its commercial appeal is broadening. This year, Wrestle Kingdom drew 26,000 people, a steady improvement on the 2007 low point of 18,000. Since 2012, revenue has quadrupled, and it is once again Japan’s largest promotion. Few would have imagined that New Japan’s first independent foray into the US, which sold more than 4,500 tickets, would become a social media sensation, trending first in both the US and UK. With New Japan expecting to pull in $40 million next year, it seems that by rebuilding from the bottom up, the company has found itself in its most stable position ever. With increased income and exposure, the company will be better able to retain its talent going forward — especially if, like Rhodes, they prosper far more outside the WWE — financially or artistically. Though it would be best to avoid a head-on collision, NJPW may soon find itself the go-to promotion not just for talent who are fed up with WWE, but fans too. It might not win over everybody, but with the most prestigious belt, a gritty edge, and the best matches in the world, it won’t be long before hardcore wrestling fans flock over. Strong style is back, and it’s here to stay.

Website: njpw1972.com
Facebook: ~/newjapaneng
Instagram: @njpw1972

Contributor: Hareth Al Bustani
Images Courtesy of New Japan Pro-Wrestling

Neocha

Written by

Neocha

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade