#NJPW STRONG 2021 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

debbiechanclub · 6 months

Note

bestie…. i fear i need finlay match recommendations 😗

Bestie. I have loaded you up with 20 matches. I told you if you give me an inch where Finlay is concerned, I will take a mile.

Now, first things first. All but three of my recs are on NJPW World (and two are free to watch without an account). If you don't have an account, I'm more than willing to share my login with you in the name of spreading the gospel of Debbie Chan.

That being said, if you think you might want to sign up for an account, now is a GREAT time to do it because they're actually launching a brand new website this Thursday (11/9), complete with apps for Android and iOS, which they didn't previously have. It's only $9 USD/month, so I think it's well worth it. However, you won't be able to sign up until Friday, after the new site is live. Additionally, as part of the overhaul, they're upgrading a massive portion of the archive footage, and, unfortunately, nothing from prior to 2021 will be available to watch until they put it back up. (All my recs except for one on YouTube are from 2021 on.)

Again though, I will absolutely share my login with you (and you'd be able to log in right away and watch as mine is an existing account). Just let me know!

Okay, now that that's out of the way, onto the recs! And my apologies because this... is long.

FYI: I've listed these in chronological order, and they're best viewed in that order as it really helps to tell the story of how Finlay became who he is today :)

FinJuice vs. G.o.D (YouTube) - YouTube comes in clutch for a pre-2021 match! This is good viewing because 1) FinJuice was a well established and fairly successful tag team, and don't even get me started on all the messiness of Juice running around with Jay in Bullet Club Gold while Finlay is literally leading real Bullet Club now; and 2) Since overtaking Bullet Club in March, Finlay has almost exclusively feuded with G.o.D. (he finally put an end to it this past weekend at Power Struggle). And it's crazy seeing Finlay's evolution from then to now.

2021 New Japan Cup Quarter Final vs. Jay White (3/18 show) - This was a HUGE win for our boy because, going into this match, Finlay was on an 0-12 losing streak against Jay. And he and Jay will be forever intertwined because they came up in the NJPW dojo together and were roommates and best friends and everyone constantly compared Finlay to Jay (they still do now), and that created a MASSIVE chip on his shoulder that lead to him clocking Jay over the head and subsequently taking control of Bullet Club. So yeah. V. important match in the lore of Finlay.

2021 New Japan Cup Semi-Final vs. Will Ospreay (3/20 show) - I hope you're ready for a lot of Ospreay, because he and Finlay have history. Back in 2021, Ospreay defeated Finlay in the semi-final of the NJ Cup and then went on to win the tournament and the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. This plays into why Finlay is gunning for Ospreay now.

Resurgence 2021 vs. Jay White - This match was for the NEVER Openweight Title. Jay retained... but Finlay eventually went on to win that title after taking over Bullet Club, which also used to be Jay's.

G1 Climax 32 vs. Juice Robinson (7/26), Will Ospreay (8/2), and El Phantasmo (8/10) - Finlay returned to Japan for the first time in over a year for the G1 Climax 32, and he had a really strong showing. This was when I first started to get the brainrot for him. I really recommend watching all his matches from that tournament... but these three are the most important to Finlay's character because of his history with Juice and Will and what would come later with ELP and Bullet Club.

Burning Spirit 2022 vs. Will Ospreay (9/25 show) - This match was for the IWGP United States Championship, the very one and same that Ospreay currently holds and that Finlay destroyed with a giant mallet at Power Struggle this weekend. Ospreay retained back then. But I have a feeling (and sincerely fucking hope) that there's a new title in Finlay's future.

NJPW World TV Championship Tournament vs. ZSJ (YouTube) - After coming up short in the G1 Climax 32 and against Ospreay (again), Finlay still had a chance to win the newly created NJPW World TV Title; and then ZSJ eliminated him in the second round. I really think this loss was the straw that broke the camel's back and really set the stage for Finlay's frustration and his comeback as the leader of Bullet Club.

2023 New Japan Cup vs. Tomohiro Ishii (3/6 Anniversary Event, free to watch without an account!), Tama Tonga (3/19), and Sanada (3/21) - And we've reached Bullet Club Finlay! Finlay's match against Ishii was the first match of the tournament, and no one―absolutely no one―expected him to come out in Bullet Club gear with Gedo, of all people, in his corner. And not only that, but he handily disposed of Ishii. He made it all the way to the final where he lost against Sanada, but he sent a loud and clear message during the entire tournament that this was a new David Finlay (and I was a goner).

Capital Collision 2023 vs. AR Fox (YouTube) - I think you've seen this one? But including it because it's a good match and also the night Finlay recruited Clark Connors, the first member of what would become Bullet Club War Dogs (and I was there!).

Wrestling Dontaku 2023 vs. Tama Tonga (5/3 show) - Remember how I said that Finlay eventually won the NEVER Openweight Title after taking over Bullet Club? This was when he did it.

Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-Jo Hall vs. El Phantasmo - This. This is the match and night that ruined me forever. After kicking ELP out of Bullet Club (basically because he was and is close with Jay and didn't respect Finlay), Finlay defended the NEVER Openweight Title against him and proved that he could back up all the shit he was talking. But besides that, this was the night the War Dogs were formed. I highly recommend also checking out the end of the IWGP Junior Tag Title match just so you can see Drilla Moloney turn on United Empire and join Bullet Club. It quite honestly altered me forever.

G1 Climax 33 vs. Tama Tonga (7/26), Eddie Kingston (8/8), and Will Ospreay (8/10) - Did I mention that Finlay has spent most of this year feuding with Tama/G.o.D? They tried to kill each other in this year's G1, and it was fantastic. He and Eddie also tried to kill each other. But Ospreay beat him in the quarter-finals. Just more fuel for why he's going after Ospreay now.

12-Man Elimination Match: Bullet Club vs. G.o.D. and Intergalactic Jetsetters (10/1 show, free to watch without an account) - Because I would be remiss not to rec a match with all the War Dogs (and Chase is there, too). This is a fun one, if not a bit of a clusterfuck. (And shout-out to Kevin Knight, who I also adore.)

Destruction in Ryogoku 2023 vs. Tama Tonga (10/9 show) - This is the last of Finlay's singles matches against Tama, and unfortunately he lost the NEVER Openweight Title back to him (which I don't think anyone expected). But it's a good match and Finlay looked strong despite his loss. And now that I know he likely (hopefully?) has a new belt coming to him after the start of the year, I'm honestly okay that he lost. (Because Tama doesn't even have the title anymore, believe it or not).

So there are my Finlay match recs. I'm well aware this is overkill lmao, but I really am excited that you want to know more about him, and I want to do him justice. Because he really is my favorite guy, and he deserves to be recognized as his own wrestler and person not just in relation to Jay or Juice or anyone else.

But I won't blame you if you don't watch all of these, because I know I went insane 😂

#david finlay #bullet club #match recs #i... really do have the brainrot huh #this is my magnum opus #this and hit me like bang #asks

9 notes · View notes

pwrestlingxpress · 11 months

Text

G1 Climax 33 Participants Revealed

youtube

Back in 2014, we had the biggest G1 field at the time with 22 entrants. Last year, we had 28. This year, 32.

32 Entrants in 4 blocks of 8. Here are the following participants in this year's G1 Climax in English Alphabetical Order.

Jeff Cobb (NJPW/United Empire) - 5th straight appearance

Alex Coughlin (NJPW/Bullet Club) - First time entrant

EVIL (NJPW/House of Torture) - 8th straight appearance

David Finlay (NJPW/Bullet Club) - 2nd straight appearance

Hirooki Goto (NJPW/Bishamon) - 16th straight appearance; 2008 G1 Climax winner

Shane Haste (NJPW/TMDK) - First time entrant

Aaron Henare (NJPW/United Empire) - 2nd straight appearance

Hikuleo (NJPW/Guerillas of Destiny) - First time entrant

Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW/Chaos) - 11th straight appearance

KENTA (NJPW/Bullet Club) - 5th straight appearance

Gabriel Kidd (NJPW/Bullet Club) - First time entrant

Eddie Kingston (AEW) - First time entrant

Kaito Kiyomiya (Pro Wrestling NOAH) - First time entrant; 2018 Global League winner and 2022 N1 Victory winner

Tonga Loa (NJPW/Guerillas of Destiny) - 2nd appearance; first since 2021

Tetsuya Naito (NJPW/Los Ingobernables de Japon) - 14th straight appearance; 2013 and 2017 G1 Climax Winner

Ren Narita (NJPW/Strong Style) - First time entrant

Mikey Nicholls (NJPW/TMDK) - First time entrant

Kazuchika Okada (NJPW/Chaos) - 12 straight appearance; 2012/2014/2021/2022 G1 Climax Winner

Great O-Khan (NJPW/United Empire) - 3rd straight appearance

Will Ospreay (NJPW/United Empire) - 2nd straight appearance; 4th overall (G1 Debut in 2019)

Chase Owens (NJPW/Bullet Club) - 3rd straight appearance

El Phantasmo (NJPW) - 2nd straight appearance

Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW/TMDK) - 7th straight appearance

SANADA (NJPW/Just 5 Guys) - 8th straight appearance

Shingo Takagi (NJPW/Los Ingobernables de Japon) - 5th straight appearance

Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW) - 22nd straight appearance; 2007/2015/2018 G1 Climax Winner

Taichi (NJPW/Just 5 Guys) - 5th straight appearance

Tama Tonga (NJPW/Guerillas of Destiny) - 3rd straight appearance; 6th overall (G1 Debut in 2016)

Yota Tsuji (NJPW/Los Ingobernables de Japon) - First time entrant

Shota Umino (NJPW/Blackpool Combat Club) - First time entrant

Toru Yano (NJPW/Chaos) - 17th straight appearance; 18th overall (G1 Debut in 2005)

YOSHI-HASHI (NJPW/Bishamon) - 4th straight appearance; 7th overall (G1 Debut in 2016)

So based on this we've got a representative from AEW and Pro Wrestling NOAH competing in this year's tournament. More than that, we got 4 Pro Wrestling NOAH alumni (KENTA, Zack Sabre Jr., Shane Haste, and Mikey Nicholls) meaning NOAH past and present will be represented in this year's G1 Climax Tournament.

Not returning from last year's G1 Climax Tournament are (in English ABC Order):

Lance Archer (AEW)

Bad Luck Fale (Bullet Club)

Jonah (now known as Bronson Reed in WWE)

Tom Lawlor (Team Filthy)

Juice Robinson (AEW/Bullet Club Gold)

Yujiro Takahashi (NJPW/House of Torture)

Jay White (AEW/Bullet Club Gold)

And a note about Kaito Kiyomiya appearing in the G1. His appearance in the G1 Climax Tournament most likely means NOAH is guaranteed a new N-1 Victory winner for 2023. N-1 Victory starts on August 6th in Yokohama while G1 Climax 33 will be in Osaka on the same day. N-1 Victory will be off August 12-18 meaning they'll most likely appear in the Final 4 and overall finals of the G1 Climax Tournament.

Entrants for the N-1 Victory are expected to be announced most likely on July 15th.

Stay tuned for Block announcements coming up next weekend (most likely). G1 Climax 33 starts on July 15th in Sapporo.

#G1 Climax 33 #G1 Participants #NJPW #AEW #Pro Wrestling NOAH #Eddie Kingston #Kaito Kiyomiya #Youtube

8 notes · View notes

celestial-thoughts · 11 months

Text

june 5, 2023 - weekly women's pro wrestling news roundup: week of may 29-june 4, 2023

this week's news roundup includes:

News & results from last week's editions of Monday Night Raw, NXT, and Friday Night SmackDown.

News & results from last week's editions of AEW Dynamite and AEW Rampage.

Other updates and news from last week.

Dave Meltzer's star ratings for women's matches during May 2023.

Things to look forward to in women's wrestling this week!

Summer wrestling preview: pay-per-views to look forward to in June, July, and August 2023.

spoilers below the cut for shows/events listed above!

Notable news & results from TV last week:

Monday Night Raw (5/29):

Trish Stratus cut a promo, claiming that she doesn't care what the fans think of her. She then introduced Zoey Stark, who thanked Trish. Becky Lynch came out and was attacked by both Trish and Zoey.

A couple of video packages aired on Raw. One featured recent NXT call-ups and former NXT Women's Tag Team Champions Katana Chance and Kayden Carter. The second featured Candice LeRae.

Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler defeated Bayley & Iyo Sky, Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville, and Raquel Rodriguez & Shotzi to become the new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions. This win marks Ronda & Shayna's first tag team championship reign as a team. It's Shayna's third WWE women's tag team title reign (previously holding the championship twice with Nia Jax), tying the record most individual reigns. For Ronda, this is her first tag team title win in her wrestling career, and her fourth championship total. With this win, Ronda becomes the 8th woman in WWE to complete the triple crown, having previously held both the Raw and SmackDown Women's championships. match length-11:40.

NXT (5/30):

Gigi Dolin defeated Jacy Jayne in a weaponized steel cage match. Gigi pinned Jacy after putting her through a table. match length-12:34.

New NXT Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton came out to the ring to celebrate her victory. She announced that next week there would be a battle royal to determine the number one contender for the NXT Women's Championship. The celebration ended when Roxanne Perez, Lyra Valkyria, Thea Hail, and Fallon Henley attacked Tiffany and sent her fleeing out of the ring.

The mystery attacker was revealed to be Blair Davenport, who hit a Falcon Arrow on Dani Palmer before revealing herself to the crowd.

Cora Jade defeated Ivy Nile. Ava Raine attempted to attack Ivy, but got caught in a Dragon Sleeper. However, this distraction allowed Cora to hit a Rising Knee Strike into a Death Rider to win the match. match length-4:09.

AEW Dynamite (5/31):

TBS Champion Kris Statlander defeated Nyla Rose to retain the TBS Championship. After the match, Taya Valkyrie was shown watching the match backstage. match length-8:05.

Britt Baker & Adam Cole defeated Chris Jericho & Saraya. match length-13:13.

Friday Night SmackDown (6/2):

New Raw Women's Champion Asuka was a special guest on the Grayson Waller Effect. The segment was interrupted by Iyo Sky (who was once a member of the same stable as Asuka in Japan). They argued in the ring, before Bayley came out and said that a member of Damage CTRL would be winning Money in the Bank. Shotzi joined them in the ring, also stating that she would win the briefcase. Lacey Evans also joined them, followed by Zelina Vega. Asuka began to leave up the ramp, before being attacked by Bianca Belair, who began to brawl with Asuka.

Zelina Vega defeated Lacey Evans to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match. Zelina will be appearing in her second Money in the Bank ladder match, previously competing at the 2021 event. match length-2:49.

AEW Rampage (6/2):

NJPW Strong Women's Champion Willow Nightingale defeated Emi Sakura to retain the Strong Women's Championship. match length-8:00.

Other news & updates from last week:

While this has yet to be confirmed, it has been rumored that WWE had originally planned for Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox to reunite, likely as a part of the Damage CTRL split currently playing out on TV. However, Dakota's injury has almost certainly changed those plans.

Alexa Bliss announced on Tuesday, May 30 that she and her husband Ryan Cabrera are expecting their first child together.

And in another piece of exciting news, WWE superstars Emma and Riddick Moss (fka Madcap Moss) announced their engagement.

PWInsider reported on Tuesday, May 30 that Trish Stratus will still be regularly appearing on Raw going forward.

A report from Fightful Select on Tuesday confirmed the rumor that Mercedes Mone was originally slated to win the NJPW Strong Women's Championship at NJPW Resurgence on Sunday, May 21. It was noted that Mercedes herself actually called for the end of the match as well as the change in finish, once she realized that something was physically wrong.

In the same report, Fightful Select stated that NJPW is under the impression that the injury Mercedes sustained was a severe sprain without a break. However, those close to Mercedes have expressed concern that there may be a break, and that there was too much swelling to know for sure. They're hoping to have a clearer idea of what the injury is once the swelling goes down.

Alexa Bliss said in a recent interview that WWE has extended her contract. However, it is unknown exactly when Alexa's contract will be up. She stated during an interview in November of 2020 that she still had another three to three and a half years left in her contract, which would have put her at least through the end of 2023. However, it is unknown when her deal will be up now that WWE has extended her contract.

On the June 1 episode of Impact Wrestling, Trinity (fka Naomi) defeated Savannah Evans. Following her victory, Trinity called out the reigning Impact Knockouts World Champion Deonna Purrazzo, and issued a challenge for the title. The match was made official for Impact Slammiversary on July 15, 2023.

New WWE Women's Tag Team champion Ronda Rousey spoke with the New York Post after she and Shayna Baszler won the vacant titles on the Monday, May 29 episode of Raw. Ronda said that she and Shayna want to be fighting champions, noting that the lack of competition is the biggest problem. She said that they need to get WWE to care and to invest in the women's tag team division.

In the same interview, Ronda also talked about how she and Shayna had been pushing for WWE to let them wrestle together for years, even before the Women's Tag Team Titles existed.

Newly crowned WWE Women's Tag Team champion Shayna Baszler spoke to Peter Rosenberg on the Cheap Heat podcast. Shayna talked about how she and her fellow tag team champion Ronda Rousey had both previously asked to work as a tag team, and after WWE had repeatedly delayed those requests, Ronda finally put her foot down. According to Shayna, Ronda told WWE that she wanted this tag team run with Shayna, because Shayna is the reason that she started wrestling.

In the same interview, Shayna also mentioned that it's cool that Ronda pushed to work with her as a friend, because it shows that Ronda isn't just out for herself, something that Shayna noted is rare in show business.

It's also worth mentioning that Fightful Select reported in late March 2023 that the original WrestleMania creative plans for Ronda Rousey changed significantly. The original plan for Rousey's second run as SmackDown Women's Champion would have seen her hold the title until WrestleMania, where she would have faced 2023 women's Royal Rumble winner Rhea Ripley. However, Ronda pushed for a tag team run with Shayna, choosing that path over defending a world title at WrestleMania.

Liv Morgan has officially confirmed that the injury she sustained during the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match on the May 12 episode of SmackDown is a torn shoulder. Wishing her all the best in her recovery.

News broke this morning (Monday, June 5) that I felt was too exciting to save until next week's news roundup: WWE have announced a multi-year partnership with Twitch! This will see the return of the official WWE Twitch channel and popular WWE Superstar channels, showcasing exclusive live content with a rotation of various hosts. Starting with tonight's Monday Night Raw (6/5), WWE will have a companion broadcast that will take you behind the scenes.

Dave Meltzer's star ratings for women's matches - May 2023

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Please note that Dave Meltzer doesn't always rate every match from each show. Meltzer did not give a rating for: Rhea Ripley vs. Natalya at Night of Champions, Jade Cargill vs Kris Statlander at Double or Nothing, the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship fatal four way on the May 29 episode of Raw, or Kris Statlander vs. Nyla Rose on the May 31 episode of AEW Dynamite.

WWE main roster women's match ratings:

Raw Women's Championship - Bianca Belair (c) vs. Iyo Sky: 4.25 stars (WWE Backlash, May 6, 2023)

SmackDown Women's Championship - Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Zelina Vega: 2 stars (WWE Backlash, May 6, 2023)

Trish Stratus vs. Becky Lynch: 3.25 stars (WWE Night of Champions, May 27, 2023)

Raw Women's Championship - Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka: 3.25 stars (WWE Night of Champions, May 27, 2023)

WWE NXT women's match ratings:

NXT Women's Championship tournament finals - Tiffany Stratton vs. Lyra Valkyria: 3.5 stars (NXT Battleground, May 28, 2023)

AEW women's match ratings:

AEW Women's World Championship - Jamie Hayter (c) vs. Toni Storm: 1.25 stars (AEW Double or Nothing, May 28, 2023)

TBS Championship - Jade Cargill (c) vs. Taya Valkyrie: 2.75 stars (AEW Double or Nothing, May 28, 2023)

Adam Cole & Britt Baker vs. Chris Jericho & Saraya: 3.75 stars (AEW Dynamite, May 31, 2023)

NJPW women's match ratings:

NJPW Strong Women's Championship tournament- Mercedes Mone vs. Stephanie Vaquer: 4 stars (NJPW Resurgence, May 21, 2023)

NJPW Strong Women's Championship tournament- Willow Nightingale vs. Momo Kogho: 4 stars (NJPW Resurgence, May 21, 2023)

NJPW Strong Women's Championship tournament finals- Mercedes Mone vs. Willow Nightingale: 3.5 stars (NJPW Resurgence, May 21, 2023)

Things to look forward to this week:

Tonight, June 5 on Monday Night Raw, it's the first Money in the Bank qualifiers for the Raw women's division. Zoey Stark and Natalya go one on one, with a spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match on the line.

Also tonight on Raw, Becky Lynch takes on Sonya Deville in a Money in the Bank qualifying match.

On NXT tomorrow night, June 6, the superstars of the NXT women's division will compete in a battle royal to determine the number one contender to Tiffany Stratton's NXT Women's Championship.

This Friday, June 9 on SmackDown, more Money in the Bank qualifiers for the SmackDown women's division. "Michin" Mia Yim takes on Damage CTRL leader Bayley, with both women looking to claim a spot in the ladder match.

Also this Friday on SmackDown, Damage CTRL's Iyo Sky takes on Shotzi in another Money in the Bank qualifying match.

Summer wrestling preview:

AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door - Sunday, June 25 @ 7 pm ET/4 pm PT

WWE Money in the Bank 2023 - Saturday, July 1 @ 3 pm ET/noon PT

Impact Slammiversary 2023 - Saturday, July 15 @ 8 pm ET/5 pm PT

Death Before Dishonor (Ring of Honor) - Friday, July 21 @ 7 pm

NXT: The Great American Bash - Sunday, July 30 @ 8 pm ET/5 pm PT

WWE SummerSlam 2023 - Saturday, August 5 @ 8 pm ET/5 pm PT

Impact x NJPW Multiverse United 2: For Whom The Bell Tolls - Sunday, August 20 (start time TBA)

AEW All In - Sunday, August 27 (start time TBA)

Please note: dates and times listed for these shows are as of Friday, June 2. As always, all information is subject to change.

#weekly women's wrestling news roundup #celestial talks wrestling news #spoilers #monday night raw #wwe nxt #friday night smackdown #aew dynamite #aew rampage #wwe #aew

3 notes · View notes

ijustthinkevilunoisneat · 1 year

Text

#evil uno #bryan danielson #young bucks #alec price #alan angels #kyle fletcher #mark davis #orange cassidy #aew #all elite wrestling #ring of honor #njpw #njpw strong #pwg #pro wrestling guerrilla #polls #i have polls now

5 notes · View notes

heartsoulrocknroll · 1 year

Text

NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam 9/5/2021

Skipping the first two matches, because I just don’t have time.

Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo (c) vs. El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship -- This was fun. The focus of Desperado and Kanemaru is Phantasmo’s leg in an attempt to take away his base for Sudden Death. This plan succeeds, as Phantasmo ultimately cannot stand to hit the kick, instead taking the boot off and attempting to hit Desperado with it. Desperado avoids and gets hold of the boot, sticking it on his hand and landing a huge knock out blow to Phantasmo, followed by Pinche Loco for the three count. New champs!!! Winners: El Desperado and Kanemaru

Desperado sells pain in his hand from using the boot for that strike to Phantasmo. Backstage, he shows his hand to the camera, and there is a significant bruise.

Dangerous Tekkers (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito and Sanada vs. Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship -- This starts off with a little bit of nonsense, but they quickly get down to business. Zack goes nuts as soon as he tags in. Uppercuts and neck cranks galore!! Zack catches Goto out of a spinning heel kick attempt into an STF! That Naito and Sanada double team offense is what I live for. Elbow to Zack in the corner by Sanada! Sanada throws Zack into an elbow from Naito! Sanada dropkicks Zack in the back! Naito catches Zack with an inverted atomic drop! Sanada with a back drop suplex! Naito with that bEaUtIfuL jacknife roll up! Taichi sneaks a tag on Sanada's foot while Sanada goes to the top rope to land a moonsault on Yoshi-Hashi!!! Back suplex/chokeslam combo on Sanada by Zack and Taichi! Goto is in the ring to try to save, but Taichi takes him out with a huge forearm!! Naito is in the ring, but Zack grabs him in a Cobra Twist, while Taichi lands a superkick followed by Black Mephisto on Yoshi-Hashi!! 1, 2, 3!!! Winners: Dangerous Tekkers

Robbie Eagles (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship -- Pumped for this!!! Overhead belly-to-belly in the corner by Hiromu. Hiromu drives Eagles into the other corner with a Death Valley Driver. Eagles ducks Hiromu's forearms. Low 619 to the leg, dropkick to the leg, then Ron Miller Special by Eagles! Hiromu hits a sunset flip powerbomb over the ropes and onto the floor!! Huge lariat and nasty reverse DDT by Hiromu!! Eagles hits a strong thrust kick and goes for the top rope, but Hiromu quickly scrambles across the canvas to grab Eagles' leg and prevent his climb. But Eagles puts him down with another thrust kick. 450 from the top to the leg by Eagles! Ron Miller Special by Eagles. Hiromu gets close to the ropes, but Eagles pulls him back into the center and locks it in even tighter. Hiromu taps! I didn't expect this, but I am not mad at it. Let Eagles have a good reign. Let Hiromu win the title back at Wrestle Kingdom or something. Winner: Robbie Eagles

After the match, Desperado challenges Eagles to a rematch for the Junior Heavyweight title, and offers Eagles and a partner of his choice a shot at the Junior Heavyweight tag titles in exchange.

Backstage, Hiromu is on the floor, devastated at his loss and saying that he sucks. Poor guy. He then repeatedly tells himself that he is awesome and that he will show everyone what junior heavyweight wrestling is all about.

Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Evil for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship -- This is everything you would expect it to be. A lot of nonsense with some good shit from Shingo mixed in. The first 15 minutes are purely Bullet Club nonsense. Evil shoves Shingo into the guard rail in front of the timekeeper's table twice, knocking the table and Abe over twice. Shingo eventually gets revenge, sitting Evil and Togo at the timekeeper's table and shoving Sho and Yujiro into the guard rail and into the table, laying all four of them out. Red Shoes eventually threatens to call for a DQ to get Bullet Club to leave ringside. After this, there is finally some wrestling. Noshigami and a huge wheelbarrow suplex from Shingo!!! Shingo counters Everything is Evil into Made in Japan and goes for the pin, but Togo returns and pulls Red Shoes out of the ring. Togo chokes Shingo with a wire. Yujiro hits his shitty DDT on Shingo. Shingo kicks out!!!! But Evil lands on Red Shoes. Togo goes back to choking Shingo with the wire. Bushi runs out for the save!! Sho lands a chair shot to Shingo's head and a Shock Arrow. Naito and Sanada come to Shingo’s aid now! Evil threatens to hit Shingo with the belt, but Shingo wrestles it away from him. Beautiful strikes and a Pumping Bomber put Evil down before Shingo hits Last of the Dragon for the win!! Nice moment with LIJ all together in the ring for Shingo’s post-match comments, one guy in each corner of the ring surrounding the champ. Good stuff. Winner: Shingo Takagi

Backstage, Shingo references Ospreay parading around the US, making claims of being the real champ. Can't wait to see Shingo kick his ass.

3 notes · View notes

darkesttimelinejeffparker · 2 years

Note

hi i was wondering if you were going to continue writing about jay white? i loved your one shot!! have you ever thought of turning him and presley’s story into like a small series?

Hey Anon. I do plan on writing more Jay White stories. I have at least another one-shot for him that takes place in 2020-2021 around the start of Strong through Resurgence with a different OFC, plus he's part of an AU series I'm planning, though I know that won't be for everyone's tastes.

Right now the stories above are all I really have planned, but it could change -- inspiration hits me like a freight train sometimes. I keep a running list of all my in-process stories (ranging from ideas to WIPs) here.

I however don't have plans to revisit Jay and Presley in the future. I am really proud of that story but very much feel like their story is pretty much done. There's a chance if I ever revisit that vague reiteration of time for NJPW they'll appear -- like if I wrote a one-shot for Tanga/Shay or Hikuleo and an OFC, Jay and Presley might appear in the background with mentions of how they're doing and what they've been up to, but I'd say the chances of that are really low and that the other NJPW stories planned are all pure one-shots that stand on their own. But thank you so much for your kind words about Jetlagged and Lovesick. It's one of my favorite one-shots I've written. I hope when I do get around to writing more Jay that you enjoy those, too.

#asks: answered

4 notes · View notes

buttdawg · 8 months

Text

Bullet Club '23

I was complaining before about how little change has happened in NJPW since 2019, but I will admit that the Bullet Club roster has been completely shaken up since I stopped watching in 2021. There was a ten-man tag on the G1 Finals show that I didn't watch, but the lineup was G.o.D., Jado, and El Phantasmo vs. a a bunch of BC guys, and I was confused for a moment because it looked like Bullet Club fighting itself. Then I remembered that one side is made up of guys who got booted out of the group last year.

On the other hand, I still think Bullet Club itself has stagnated. Maybe it's been stagnant all along, but it seemed like it lost a step until KENTA joined, then it seemed like things were going to get really different when EVIL joined and he was the de facto leader while the important guys were stuck outside of Japan. Then all the gaijin members came back and... nothing happened. Now there's been a lot of turnover in the group, but it really doesn't feel all that different to me, except that they kicked out G.o.D., who were the coolest members.

I kind of want to analyze the state of the group right now, except I have trouble keeping track, so I'm going to list all of the active members, according to the ever-accurate Wikipedia page.

I. Bullet Club War Dogs

David Finlay (NEVER Openweight Champion)

Gedo

Alex Coughlin (NJPW Strong Tag Team Champion)

Gabriel Kidd (NJPW Strong Tag Team Champion)

Clark Conners (IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champion)

Drilla Moloney (IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champion)

So this is basically the most important part of the group these days, as Finlay is acknowledged as the new leader of the entire stable, and the "War Dogs" moniker represents his hyper-aggressive vision for what Bullet Club should be. The best example of this is how Coughlin and Kidd always ambush their opponents before the bell, and they constantly threaten and antagonize the live crowds, using middle fingers and F-bombs with reckless abandon.

I honestly enjoy Coughlin and Kidd's heel act, and while I haven't seen much of Conners and Moloney, I got the impression that they kind of do the same stuff, just in a lighter weight class. It's effective because they're really mean and evil, and their tactics can be a strength or a weakness depending on the situation. Sometimes they overwhelm their opponents with shock and awe, and sometimes they get so fixated on hurting people that they forget that they need to win the match.

I guess Gedo has cemented himself as the Guy Who Manages the Leader now, since he jumped from Jay White to Finlay, so no real change there.

I'm on the fence with Finlay himself, though. His biggest claim to fame seems to be that he ran off Jay White, except he didn't. Jay lost matches with loser-leaves-NJPW stipulations, and Finlay had nothing to do with that. The commentary team keeps insisting that he's totally not "Jay White Junior" like everyone said at the beginning of his tenure, and that feels like a mixed message to me. No one had to explain to me that Scott Steiner ran the nWo differently from Hollywood Hogan.

It would help if Finlay actually, you know, made himself distinct from Jay White. He could cut his hair short, wear different ring gear, stop using the creepy entrance theme, etc. I guess he deserves credit for the other War Dogs' attitudes, but he doesn't seem to embody the same style. Why isn't he flipping off fans and constantly shouting "fuck you!"?

I guess what I'm trying to say is that Gabe Kidd should take over the whole group and rename it Bullet Club Fuck You. His shirt would have middle fingers instead of crossbones.

II. House of Torture

EVIL

Sho

Yujiro Takahashi

Dick Togo

These guys are the drizzling shits. Back in 2020, this was the entire Bullet Club in Japan, along with Jado and Gedo, because everyone else was locked out of the country during the pandemic. Their whole routine is to egregiously, blatantly cheat during all their matches, which would be fine except they take it to such an absurd degree that it ruins the suspension of disbelief.

Dick Togo will just jump in the ring and strangle babyfaces with a garrote. That's just a straight up weapon. The whole reason wrestlers use folding chairs and trash cans on each other is because those are easy to find in sports arenas, where weapons usually aren't allowed. Dick Togo just shows up to work every day with a fucking garrote and his employers are like "go on in, Dick, there's donuts in the break room."

In normal (read: good) wrestling matches, the heel might pull the referee in front of him, causing the ref to take an offensive move from the face. Then the referee will lie on the mat insensate for a while, during which time the heels can cheat as much as they want. In EVIL matches, EVIL will just hit the referee, or Dick Togo will simply manhandle the referee so he can't see the cheating. Those ought to be automatic disqualifications, but in New Japan that never happens for some reason. Usually, the worst thing a referee will do to punish EVIL is to allow him to cheat, but then refuse to count when he pins his opponent. This is incredibly stupid, and it implies that the referee is secretly in the tank for EVIL, which is also incredibly stupid, since EVIL beats up the referees all the time, and his win-loss record is pretty lousy.

House of Torture does a lot of low blows, often in full view of the referees. They don't care who sees it. The problem with an all-ballshot offensive style is that it kind of exposes the ballshots as ineffective. I think the recent EVIL/SANADA match in the G1 semifinals only had one low-blow at the very end, and I was genuinely impressed. Maybe they finally figured out how to do it right, and not overuse the same move. But then EVIL used two or three low blows against Okada, so never mind. The thing is, if EVIL has to hit a guy in the balls twice in the same match, you have to ask yourself if his low blows even hurt that much. Okada won that match. Did the low blows from EVIL somehow make him stronger?

The Japanese fans seem to really respond to EVIL's heel heat, so at least someone enjoys this crap, but I'm getting the impression that the Japanese fans have a different view of heel heat. To them, kicking a puppy isn't what a bad wrestler does. Naito could kick a puppy and they'd probably go wild for it. What they seem to hate is when wrestlers defy the conventions of wrestling, like not trying to get back in the ring during a count, or too much shenanigans that interferes with the illusion of a legitimate sports contest. I'm pretty sure EVIL could get even more heat just by forfeiting all his matches, or performing a one-man show instead of wrestling.

III. Other members who seem to be unaligned with any subgroups

KENTA

Chase Owens

Taiji Ishimori aka Bone Soldier #2

I like KENTA, but boy these guys are going nowhere. Ishimori's Wikipedia page kind of stops around 2021, so I'm not sure what his status is these days. Chase Owens has been in Bullet Club forever, but now he looks incredibly irrelevant, like a New Generation WWF guy who refuses to get a new gimmick for the Attitude Era.

IV. Bullet Club Gold (AEW/NJPWoA)

Jay White

Juice Robinson

Austin Gunn

Colton Gun

This group kind of makes sense to me, except I don't understand their connection to the main Bullet Club group. Everyone in Japan acts like Jay White got kicked out of Bullet Club once and for all. So is Gold supposed to be an opposition faction like nWo Wolfpac? Or is it another sub-group like House of Torture? Or is this Jay White moving on to a post-Bullet Club phase of his career, like the Elite or the OC? He keeps referring to them as "The Bang-Bang Gang", like that's his alternate name for the stable if he gets a cease-and-desist letter from NJPW.

What irritates me is that no one will just come out and say it. There's this weird thing between War Dogs and House of Torture, and no one will just explain what's going on there. And there was a weird thing between Jay White's Bullet Club and House of Torture. But they never like, talk shit about each other or accuse them of being imposters.

V. The Rouge Army (Tamashii)

Bad Luck Fale (co-founder)

Jack Bonza

Lyrebird Luchi

Caveman Ugg

Stevie Filip

Tome Filip

VI. ABC (Impact Wrestling/NJPWoA)

Ace Austin

Chris Bey

I don't know anything about these groups. Fale is the only founding member of Bullet Club still on the active roster, but apparently he's been spending his time in these other promotions in Australia. He always seemed to have a hands-off style with managing Bullet Club anyway, so I guess that fits. I'm pretty sure Austin and Bey just bought some Bullet Club merch at a show once and they managed to trick Impact into thinking that they were big stars "on-loan" from Japan. I won't tell if they don't...

In summary, there's like a dozen Bullet Clubbers active in Japan, plus a dozen more in the rest of the world. That seems like way too many guys for a stable, but I think a lot of these lower-tier guys are more about selling shirts than furthering any sort of agenda. House of Torture wouldn't mean a damn thing without a Bullet Club logo on it. Without the Bullet Club branding, Jay White's gold team would just be him and three idiots in yellow gear.

In a lot of ways, it feels more like a farm system than a genuine stable. You join Bullet Club to get some instant heel heat, build a reputation, then you score some sympathy when you get kicked out, or you start another dastardly heel stable when you jump to another promotion. There's not really a plot to Bullet Club in and of itself, no ultimate goal or agenda that they're trying to reach. I guess that's why all the major leaders in the group never stuck around too long. I thought it was kind of wild that they kicked out Tama Tonga, but let's be honest, it's not like the kayfabe was that Tonga and Fale were backstage plotting the future of the group. He's moving on to a new phase of his career, and guys like Gabe Kidd have moved into take his old spot.

I'm not sure I care for this. The individual members will change and grow, but the group itself remains static. Bullet Club basically does all the same stuff even though it's a whole other roster than it was in 2017. But I guess that suits a promotion that keeps doing Okada vs. Naito when it needs a major main event match.

#njpw #bullet club

0 notes

wcbelts · 1 year

Photo

DM for Price or Shop At: Wrestling Champion Belt

In professional wrestling, on April 2, 2021, the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion owned and endorsed the Strong Openweight Championship. The title is exclusively featured on NJPW's American television program NJPW Strong.

#NJPWBELTS #WRESTLINGBELTS #NJPW #belts #championship #wrestlingbeltscustom #championshiptitle #Bestwrestlingchampionship #HeavyweightWrestlingChampionBelt

0 notes

princedevitt · 5 days

Text

NJPW Strong - Sept. 3, 2021

#Daniel Garcia #NJPW Strong #my gifs #wrestlingedit #aewedit #2021 #njpwedit #flashing tw

23 notes · View notes

wrestlingisfake · 1 year

Text

The New Beginning in Osaka preview

Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi - After Okada won the IWGP world title on January 4, Takagi stepped up to be the first challenger. Shingo is the KOPW provisional champion so there was talk of putting that belt on the line or giving this match a wacky KOPW stipulation, but Okada decided he wasn't interested. Whoever wins this match is scheduled to defend the world title on February 18.

This will be the fifth time these two have met one-on-one. Okada won their first encounter in October 2020, but Shingo avenged that loss in March 2021. Takagi won the vacant world title in June 2021 by defeating Okada, but then dropped the belt to Okada in January 2022. So the series is tied at 2-2 overall, and 1-1 in title bouts.

The match should be good to great, but there's a pretty decent chance it will be overshadowed by the elephant in the room. On January 17, Okada did a big interpromotional angle with NOAH's top champion, Kaito Kiyomiya, where they beat the fu-u-uck out of each other. NOAH later announced an Okada-Kiyomiya grudge match for February 21, but Okada said he would refuse to participate. So clearly something needs to happen to change his mind, and I'm not saying it has to be on this show, but it would make a lot of sense. If Kiyomiya even breathes on Okada after this match, that's the top story of the night.

I dig Shingo, so I'd be fine with a title change here. But it's hard to imagine New Japan cutting an Okada title reign so short, unless they absolutely need to. If he's going to lose to Kiyomiya, they might want to take the world title off of him first, but that's very speculative. My personal preference would be for the Okada-Kiyomiya match to be champion versus champion, so I'm picking Okada to retain here.

Tama Tonga vs. El Phantasmo - This is Tonga's first defense of the NEVER title since regaining it on January 4. Phantasmo clocked Tama with the belt on January 5, which set up this feud. Seems weird for New Japan to have a guy earn a title shot by getting disqualified, but whatever.

Ordinarily I wouldn't be very interested in this match, and I'd just assume Tonga was a heavy favorite to retain against ELP. However, WWE is reportedly very interested in signing Tama, which has raised a lot of speculation about his future, which puts a lot of attention on if/when he'll drop the title. Moreover, this match is set to follow the "loser leaves Japan" match, which could potentially send Jay White into exile and thereby create a power vacuum in Bullet Club. That might make it a good idea to give ELP a big championship push. Basically this is one of those matches where everybody will be trying to read the tea leaves for future plans.

That being said, my gut feeling is that when New Japan could do something big, they usually won't. So the safe bet is that Phantasmo is just a midcard guy being fed to Tama for a longer title run.

Jay White vs. Hikuleo - White blames Hikuleo for his world title loss on January 4, so he challenged the big man to a "loser leaves Japan" match. Note that this doesn't mean the loser can't continue to wrestle for New Japan; they're just supposed to be barred from wrestling in the nation of Japan. In fact, we already know White is booked for the NJPW show on February 18 in San Jose, regardless of the outcome of this match.

It was reported recently that WWE has interest in both men in this match, so there's a lot of hype about the possibility that this match will write one of them out of New Japan to send them on their way. To be clear, we don't know that the loser will quit New Japan--he could stay on with the STRONG brand in the US, or the TAMASHII shows in Oceania. There's also no assurance that the winner won't quit New Japan. So this match might indicate the future plans for both men, or it might not.

The English announcers are playing up the idea that White will be the crowd favorite, because no matter how much the fans despise him, they don't want a star of his caliber to leave. We'll see about that. Personally, I'm rooting for him to go to WWE, because he's just what they want in a heel, and I don't watch WWE so I'd finally be rid of him. But even if he does ultimately go away, I get the feeling it won't be this simple. Something tells me Jay will win here.

EVIL & SHO & Yujiro Takahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki & Ren Narita & El Desperado - Evil's team (representing the House of Torture) is defending the NEVER trios title, over their protests. This issue started when the House of Torture beat up Narita on January 5. Improbably, Suzuki ran out to make the save. Then Desperado ran out to help Suzuki, despite the fact that their stable, Suzuki-gun, amicably disbanded in December. Suzuki quickly issued a challenge for the NEVER trios title, but Evil's team insisted they retired the championship. New Japan only forced the issue after Narita pinned Yujiro in an eight-man tag match on February 5.

I don't think Narita's team has to win the titles, but if they fail I don't know what would stop Evil's team from pulling this whole "we retired the title" stunt all over again. All the intrigue is on Suzuki's overtures to mentor Narita, and whether Narita will come to trust that old asshole. Giving them the trios belts would kind of force them to stick together long enough to see where that goes, so I'm expecting a title change.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA - I honestly can't remember why these two are having this match. I assume it got set up in the tag match on January 5, but I don't remember the specifics. These two are 4-3 in singles matches, and I can't say I was champing at the bit for match eight in the series.

Kenta is scheduled to challenge Fred Rosser for the STRONG title on February 18. It would be better for the image of that title if he went into that match coming off a big win. I mean, it's "just" the STRONG title, so it doesn't actually matter, but if you want your audience to believe the title is important you'd do better to cover details like this. I can't think of a good reason for Kenta to lose here unless they're really protecting Tana for something, and I have no idea what that could be.

Taiji Ishimori vs. Master Wato - Again, I don't remember what happened on January 5 to set this up. Ishimori lost the IWGP junior title on 1/4 when Hiromu Takahashi pinned Wato, so that's probably reason enough for Ishimori to hold a grudge. In the seven years I've watched NJPW, Wato is the only Young Lion I can think of who graduated, returned from excursion, and then got booked like a total chump. I don't get it and I keep thinking they're saving his push for later, but it never quite arrives. I'm picking Ishimori to win.

Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi & SANADA & BUSHI vs. Shota Umino & Ryusuke Taguchi & Tiger Mask & Tomoaki Honma - Naito and Umino had a big showdown on February 4, so they've been slotted against each other throughout the tour. Unfortunately for Umino, his team is a lot less impressive on paper than Naito's squad, so he's probably going to lose again here.

Great-O-Khan & Aaron Henare vs. Toru Yano & Oskar Leube - At the start of this tour, O-Khan challenged Takagi for the KOPW title and the right to face Okada in this show's main event. He lost, though, so that kind of left him as an afterthought on the rest of the tour. Yano is a match for O-Khan or Henare, but Leube is the new kid in town and the clear weak link in this match, so O-Khan and Henare should easily win.

#njpw #the new beginning in osaka #kazuchika okada #shingo takagi #jay white #hikuleo

0 notes

elbow-drop · 1 year

Text

Stardom — Next top stars destination ?

Since 2019 with the acquisition of Stardom by Bushiroad, the Joshi puroresu company seems to take ip up a notch. Also, with the come back of KAIRI (formerly known as Kairi Hojo in her first Stardom appearances and Kairi Sane at the WWE) and the creation of the IWGP Women’s Championship, it seems that the company want to continue to grow up and extends its fan base.

— -

While, in october 2019, Bushiroad announced the acquisition of Stardom, a lot of us hoped that the promotion will have a better worldwide visibility. Indeed, with Bushiroad which is already the owner of the NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling), we instantly hope for cross companies shows.

It’s finally in 2022 that all will really start (even if Stardom dark matches already happend in Wrestle Kingdom 14 & 15), with a match in the main card of Wrestle Kingdom 16. Where Tam Nakano & Saya Kamitani fought against Mayu Iwatani & Starlight Kid.

Then, finally, the collaboration between the two promotions materialize in august when two announces where made : - first, the creation of the IWGP Women’s Championship, a women’s title which will be defended on NJPW shows - second, the creation of a show Historic X-Over where the first champion will be crown and where we will see matches from both promotions (and even mixed tag matches)

It’s a huge milestone, that we hope, won’t be the last for Stardom.

— - With the creation of a women’s title at the NJPW, it shows that they want to include more womens in their shows. Knowing that NJPW Strong and NJPW Tamashii are here to expend the promotion in North America and Oceania (without talking about the special shows in North America or Europe), it would be a huge opportunity for Stardom.

Also, with the come back of KAIRI last february (who since won the IWGP title) will help to this worldwide exposition. KAIRI already have a notoriety in North America with her run at the WWE, especially in NXT.

So she will be a perfect ambassaor to elevate the whole promotion.

— - Knowing that Stardom was already reconized in the worldwide women’s wrestling world for the quality of their wrestlers (Kairi, Io Shirai & Mayu Iwatani for example) and with the increase of the quality of their matches (with their first 5 stars match in 2021–5.5), the in ring competition inside the promotion can be amazing. (especially if we have the same quality of matches than the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship)

Therefore, women wrestlers from all over the world can be interested for this more technical and physical challenge. So, a lot of people can appear during the NJPW or Stardom shows.

— - At the moment where I’m writing this (january 2nd 2023), a rumor can be heard for a while, and will go in the same direction mentioned earlier.

Since the departure of Sasha Banks from WWE (her real name is Mercedes Varnado), a lot presents her as the next IWGP challenger, especially since she posts herself a fake match promotion image on her social medias where she fights KAIRI for the title.

First, it was speculated that she will be at the tournament to crown the first champion, or after the final to be the first challenger (thing that revealed to be impossible due to a termination clause of her contract with WWE obliging her to not appear in another company before 2023), then it was speculated that she will appear at the Tokyo Dome during Wrestle Kingdom.

With a one night show, it’s difficult to know if she will replace Tam Nakano (the actual IWGP challenger), if she will be added to the match or if she will only appear after the match to be the next contender.

Even if the last option seems to be the best (because they can build a rivalry during the whole year, a way more sustainably to keep attention from new fans), only one appearance can give a huge visibility. Don’t forget it, Mercedes Varnado is also an actress which plays in “The Mandalorian”.

A good option can be to let her apprear regularly like they did with Chris Jericho, where he cames to the big shows between 2017 and 2019. (Where he won the IWGP intercontinental championship) It will let her win the IWGP championship and make it shine worldwide.

— -

If you are interested, you can read my fantasy booking on the Mercedes Varnado run in Stardom/NJPW.

And don’t hesitate to follow me on Twitter for more!

#wrestling #new japan pro wrestling #stardom #joshi puroresu #sasha banks

0 notes

debbiechanclub · 10 months

Note

What are your thoughts on bullet club war dogs as a whole and what are your thoughts on each of the members?

What a nice treat in my inbox, thank you for allowing me to subject you to my insanity about this group of people. My thoughts are that I love them, and let me tell you why.

Preemptively inserting a cut, because I'm sure this is gonna be long.

*Morgan Freeman voice*: It is.

I assume you know this, so I don't mean to mansplain, but it's crucial to my point to reiterate that the original intent of Bullet Club as founded by Prince Devitt was to be a stable of despicable gaijin (or foreign) wrestlers. Which makes total sense as a concept, especially in NJPW. Japan is not the cultural melting pot that North America or the UK is―if you're not Japanese, you stick out. So it makes perfect sense that the foreign wrestlers would gravitate toward each other and band together in that locker room as strangers in a strange land, so to speak.

However, to me, it hadn't felt like that's what Bullet Club was in a long time. Ever since The Elite left NJPW and during the bulk of Jay White's tenure as leader, basically (and he is the longest tenured leader!). At some point under Jay's leadership, BC became less about being a group of foreign menaces and more about just being a group of menaces. And a group of menaces who didn't really have each other's backs, to boot? There was so much in-fighting and it got so old.

But David Finlay and the War Dogs―in my admittedly completely biased opinion―have brought BC back to its original intent. They're a group of young, hungry, foreign guys who came almost entirely out of NJPW's American arm in Strong. And they're obsessed with each other. You can tell from social media and their backstage comments and in-ring promos that they're a cohesive unit who have each other's backs.

Outside of the War Dogs, though... BC is still a hot fucking mess. I'm highkey annoyed that Jay is just being allowed to get away with BC Gold in AEW, and I want nothing more than for Finlay to finally cut House of Torture loose (and hopefully there will be movement on that with him and EVIL being in the same G1 block). I do, however, think Ace and Bey should be brought into the War Dogs; they would fit right in (and I love Chris Bey). As for the BC subgroup in NJPW Tamashii, while I know absolutely nothing about them it does make sense that NJPW would want an iteration of their most-known faction in their Australian arm. And plus Bad Luck Fale is heading it up and he's an original member, so. Pass.

Okay, so now that I've told you my thoughts on the War Dogs as a group, lets get into each of them individually.

David Finlay

I mean, he's blorbo prime. My special (not really) little guy. He just scratches a very satisfying itch in my brain, and it actually started for me back when Kenny Omega took the AEW World Championship over to Impact to become the Belt Collector. Because when Kenny did that, I―like many others―tuned into Impact for the first time in actual decades, and when FinJuice started feuding with The Good Brothers for the Impact World Tag Titles, I just knew I'd vibe with Finlay, you know? Like I said, he scratched an itch. (Also, I should say here that I didn't start regularly watching NJPW until like... mid-2021, so my exposure to Finlay up until watching Impact was essentially that I knew he was a person who existed.) And then Finlay came back to Japan for the first time in over a year to compete in last year's G1 post-split from Juice, and he was a bit more aggressive with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, and the feeling of "yeah, that's my guy," only grew. And then he walked out with Gedo in Bullet Club gear for the New Japan Cup and I was just a goner. Plus his dad is Fit Finlay who I love simply for everything he's done to help elevate women's wrestling. Like, love and respect, Steph, but you didn't start the women's revolution―Fit did when he started treating WWE's women like wrestlers and not just eye candy 💅🏻

Oh, and I will die on this hill: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, will Tony Khan or someone in fucking AEW acknowledge all the history between Finlay and both Juice and Jay and give us the fucking War Dogs-BC Gold feud we deserve????

Okay, moving on.

Clark Connors

Okay, so. If Finlay scratches a satisfying itch in my brain, Clark scratches a hedonistic one, and that's just it. Seriously―when he first joined BC, he had me acting and thinking weird. He's despicable and cocky and he likes to drink and smoke and fight and I am simply helpless against his dirtbag rhinestone outlaw swag. Plus, he's just a good hard-hitting wrestler. There's a moment in his match against Kevin Knight from this year's BOSJ where he did this crazy sort of spear-spinebuster combo that lives absolutely rent free in my brain. OH. And his theme song is a fucking banger.

Dan "Drilla" Moloney

To be perfectly transparent, even though he was great in this year's BOSJ, I didn't pay much attention to Drilla until he joined BC and linked up with Clark, and I don't know that I like him so much as I just like him and Clark together? That's not to say I don't like Drilla on his own, because I do―he's mouthy and entertaining as fuck and just does not give a fuck. At all. But him and Clark together are just *chef's kiss* to me. Although, I am very much looking forward to Drilla's impending match and feud with Will Ospreay.

Alex Coughlin

This might come as a surprise, but... Alex is lowkey my second favorite after Finlay (sorry, Clark 🫣). And it’s for the same reason that I gravitated toward Finlay in the first place: I just know I'd vibe with him based off the things he posts on IG. I also like that he brings a completely different dynamic to the group in the sense that he's not loud or outwardly cocky and doesn't run his mouth like the rest of them do. He just stares into your soul and picks things up and throws them. And I just think he's neat. I hope he does well in the G1 and I will be sad if he doesn't.

Gabe Kidd

So as of right now, I have the least feel for Gabe out of all the War Dogs, and my thoughts on him are similar to Drilla in that it's not so much him as it is him and Alex together for me. The two of them are a completely different flavor of swag from Drilla and Clark, and I absolutely love that. I love that the War Dogs are a well-rounded unit with both a junior tag team and a heavyweight tag team who each bring something unique and dynamic to the table. That being said, Gabe is quickly growing on me, and I'm sure I'll have more to say about him during and after the G1.

And Jesus H. Christ, I just wrote you a novel. I hope it answers your question? 😂

Seriously though, thank you for asking me this, and now everyone who bothers to read this knows how extensive my brainrot for the War Dogs is. They're my special guys and I adore them.

#asks #it's a fucking NOVEL #thank you for asking and to anyone who bothers to read lmao

12 notes · View notes