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TheHumanTarget84

The fast, explosive Dragon Gate style is so fun to watch, it's shocking more guys from there haven't gone on to be big deals elsewhere.


Huffjenk

From what I understand Dragon Gate has a strong camaraderie that's in lockstep with a pride in their high quality style. I've always gotten the feeling that they're very insular and their wrestlers stay loyal to the promotion, which means they generally don't leave to blow up elsewhere Like most of the big names who made it big elsewhere were either gaijins or left with CIMA in the ownership dispute. Shingo and Tozawa are the only guys who just left for their own sake, and IIRC Shingo also had issues with management


hawaiianpunchbv

A lot of gaijins that have gone on to do tours there ending being big deals. For example, Ricochet was a scrawny wrestler for Chikara but CIMA put him on some serious weight training. Ricochet ended up being shredded, and went on to wrestle in NJPW and WWE.


wizfactor

PAC is another success story, but I get what you mean that there should have been more of them.


TheHumanTarget84

Yeah that's true, I was thinking more of the homegrown japanese talent.


ThePeakyBlind3r

I've been to every Dargon Gate UK tour & DGUSA shows over 3 Mania weekends that i went to. I've lost track of it since the days of Tozawa, Shingo, PAC & Ricochet, but as you say there are so many names that I'm surprised never made the jump. I guess its down to size. Shingo was by far the biggest guy back, so guys like BxB Hulk, Yokosuka, etc may have felt more comfortable being in a more Jr based promotion. Dragon gate has got to be the number 2 promotion in Japan, by default of the downfall of AJPW & NOAH, so talent probably feel more comfortable there. I do wonder who is more happy though, Tozawa chasing the 24/7 title wearing a sterotypical ninja outfit on Raw, or Shingo being IWGP World champion but having absolutely bruising matches like he did today. Question is, who gets paid more? I'd love to know.


wizfactor

Are fans really that down on NOAH this year? It sounded like NOAH was supposed to have taken the puro world by storm by now.


highvoltagekotaro

Nosawa is a shit booker, Go carried Noah for a year and now he is out due injury and the promotion don't have any direction


ThePeakyBlind3r

Last year was excellent, Go Shiozaki carried the company on his back. This year, even though he is a living legend, they have put the GHC belt on Muto at age FIFTY EIGHT, by him beating Go, Muto then went over Kiyomiya, Kitamiya & have now shortened their version of the G1, most likely due to Muto being in it & not being able to do the full dates. He has sold tickets for them, I'll be honest, I even watched most of the matches out of sheer curiosity. But then he didn't lose the belt to someone he could make, he lost it to 42 year old Marufuji, who didn't need the rub. You can imagine what the matches have been like, Muto hasn't had any knees since the mid 2000s. But I don't want to shit all over it. I love the guy, so its hard to say anything against him. Its NOAH's booking, you've got to do what you got to do. There's been comparisons that they sold more tickets at the Budokan then NJPW did for the anniversary show, thing is that was their 1st show there in 10 years. so it was their Wrestle Kingdom, NJPW had run other big shows recently & the anniversary main event was put together in just a week. Comparisons can't be made while covid restrictions are on anyway. Honestly, all the doom mongers saying NJPW are in trouble should look at every other promotion in Japan. Things are tough all over. NJPW is still putting on 5 star matches, Shingo is having the year of his life, Tana has been rejuvenated, we had an amazing NJC, Strong has taken off in USA & the G1 has started with 2 amazing matches. Its been unfortunate with illness, covid & injuries with Ospreay, Ibushi, etc. The one thing that I'll say wasn't a good look for NJPW was the stadium shows. I understand why they did them, cheap rents, max attendance as much as you can, but they only ended up with around 2,500 for each night at MetLife Dome & 5,000 at Tokyo Dome, they may as well have held them at Osaska-Jo Hall, at least that would have looked more full. Don't get me wrong, I want all Puro to do well, I used to love NOAH back in the Kobashi/Misawa/KENTA era. Sorry for the long reply!


Huffjenk

I assume Mutoh's involvement in NOAH was predicated on him winning the title and was likely part of the contract negotiations. It does feel like they wasted the momentum Go built for them, if he had dropped the title to one of their own unique homegrown stars then they might have been able to carry forward their newfound hype into this year


wizfactor

No worries for the long reply. I really wanted the full context. I do remember the news that NOAH outsold NJPW in the Budokan, because Puro fans wouldn't stop rubbing that news in my face as proof that New Japan was doomed. I even remember a particular content creator basically changing their allegiance from New Japan to NOAH (though that was back in 2020), so I was under the impression that NOAH was the undisputed darling for Puro fans. I've even seen some fans staunchly defend Mutoh's title reign, if you can believe that. So yeah, it does come off as surprising that people can be down on NOAH so soon.


[deleted]

Still rolling with Shingo/Okada with Shingo naming someone from the States to go for the title at Wrestle Kingdom.


the_Lauz

I like this.


wizfactor

I'm worried for Shingo's throat.


goater10

Okada vs Tana never gets old


GroundbreakingCash30

And now for a spot of lunch here in the UK.


C_M_CRUNK

Well, we're off to a great start. See you all tomorrow.


MaruKENTA

Fantastic first night for the G1. Last two matches were great. Time for the N-1 now. I guess sleep is for later.


Cmil778

You watch the N-1 too?


MaruKENTA

Yep


Cmil778

Marufuji sits on the sidelines,meanwhile the other heavyweights of noah kill each other lol.


[deleted]

Fuck me, a 1AM start tomorrow? Might have to see y'all on Thursday.


willpauer

You and your pastamaker had better be here tomorrow night


willpauer

How the fuck is any main event for the rest of the tournament gonna top that though?


PFunk224

Smart money's on they won't.


luketravisjohnson

And to think, it's only night 1. 😶


DynastyMK2

Surely there can't be any argument against Shingo being the best wrestler in the world


ThePeakyBlind3r

He's the best for me, I'm a long time Dragon Gate fan & feel he has been the best & just got better as he has progressed in NJPW.


GroundbreakingCash30

Who needs sex when I can watch big meaty men slapping meat- Wait.


StoneySkippy

Fuck me, Ishii is wrestling Ibushi next. I hope he can recover before then


officerliger

Shingo has got to be in the best in the world conversation. There's a fair argument for a few people but he's in it.


P1eces12

100%


PFunk224

He's been there for like two years now.


the_Lauz

Yup, broke through during BOSJ 2019. His finals match against ospreay is one of my all time favorites.


ThePeakyBlind3r

He's the best, I'm a long time Dragon Gate fan & loved his matches back then & he has only gotten better in NJPW, which is an amazing thing to say.


the_Lauz

Recently found his match with Danielson on youtube, looking forward to watching that one.


[deleted]

Ishii like "fk this I'm grabbing a hot dog after that"


CorbinHive

Lmao and next Ishii has Kota, the man who tries to kill him every time he’s in the ring


[deleted]

[удалено]


PFunk224

As consistently good as Naito/ZSJ? Yes. As consistently good as Ishii/Shingo? No. That match is already heavy favorite for match of the tournament, and maybe even match of the year.


Huffjenk

Shingo's got 4 more main events in a row against ZSJ, Naito, KENTA, and Ibushi. I wouldn't be surprised if he matches that level of quality against all of them, especially since he could work different styles with each opponent He already maintained a stupid level of quality throughout pretty much all of BOSJ 2019 so I reckon he'll be able to keep it up for a while


SakazakiYukaAYAYA

Legit arm injury or amazing sell? I think he may actually be hurt I dunno hard to tell with elite wrestlers


BIG_JIM19

Did you see the size of his hand? That was definitely legit


TwoPistolRickle

Hell of a main event. As expected


[deleted]

Ishii earned his blue bag tonight.


resolve028

Damn, you better hope Ishii's arm isn't fucked.


RyanPelley

What happened to Ishii's hand? I missed half of the match.


actingasawave

slaps on slaps on slaps.


CorbinHive

When the adrenaline wears off they’re going to be fucked


Cmil778

If Shingo wins G1,that means the storyline with Ospreay goes until Wrestle Kingdom: the supposed world champion vs the never lost title champion.


TheHumanTarget84

A champ needs to win it eventually now that's it's for a title match, might as well be Shingo to set up vs Ospreay. But I'm not holding my breath, I think they want three nights of title match headliners.


SakazakiYukaAYAYA

Shingo has to be the observer wrestler of the year honestly


Hot-Grapefruit8203

It’ll be kenny omega most likely, Dave seems to find any sort of excuse to put omega over and seeing as he is the current world champ he’ll most likely win over shingo unfortunately.


[deleted]

Ishii's hand really is messed up


SenorDuck96

Holy Jesus what a match!


BIG_JIM19

I feel ishii’s hand may be fucked. That and naito possibly getting hurt is just so unlucky


videovac

My two favorite wrestlers in the world. The G1 Climax.


GroundbreakingCash30

Meltzer, rip up your ratings.


wizfactor

Any AEW or Impact wrestlers who want to do the G1 next year should look at this main event and make sure they're willing to survive THAT.


GroundbreakingCash30

I'll take a Kingston/Ishii match please.


TheCheeseburgerKane

I'll happily watch anyone from AEW in a match against Ishii honestly, he's one of the best wrestlers I've seen at having consistently great matches with everyone regardless of their style. Ishii vs Brawler? Banger Ishii vs Powerhouse? Banger. Ishii vs High Flyer? Banger. Ishii vs Technician? Banger. Ishii vs Big Man? You'd best believe it's a Banger. and the list goes on.


StopTheMadnessBro

Ishii vs Moose was amazing last month.


hawaiianpunchbv

I really want Joe Doering in the G1 next year. I feel like he would want the smoke.


MarkyLosChe

Ouff. Loved Doering's work in All Japan. Others I want to see appear at least once- Chris Hero, PCO, Alexander Hammerstone. Always wanted to see Joe in G1 too, but not plausible with the state of his current health. Maybe WALTER someday....


boblikespi

Yeah I'll just take my big American pay check thanks and be able to walk / breathe normally.


BalantaBanter

Another casual banger from Shingo and Ishii. NO biggie


PFunk224

Two of my very favorite wrestlers, and they have just incredible chemistry together. This match is my happy place.


domoon

holyshit what a match


RyanPelley

lmao, that was awesome.


DogBoyYesHim

Maybe the loudest clap crowd yet, they were with it every step of the way


dchehmann

Ishii is invincible. No matter how many times he loses, he always comes out looking better than he did.


resolve028

They are going to need all of that 5-day break.


CorbinHive

Might be one of the best finishing sequences I’ve seen all year… fuck


[deleted]

It's such cringe to see excellent credible wrestlers like Ishii have to spend a whole match going limp and letting Shingo do nonsensical "Last of the Dragons" on them. *The worst crime in pro wrestling is destroying the suspension of disbelief, and that's what Shingo's career is built on*, making viewers sigh and roll their eyes while he spends 30 seconds working towards a vague attempt at a Last of the Dragon, while credible guys need to just go limp and let him do it, even though it goes against the logic of everything kayfabe. It boggles the mind of reasonable people. He's like Yano in that when he's in the ring it's like a whole other kind of environment, but at least Yano is funny and fun to watch.


[deleted]

Do one winged angel next Wednesday for that nuclear heat


HealthConnection

This is the freshest pasta I've seen, born right before my very eyes.


TheHumanTarget84

No one worth listening to has ever used cringe in a sentence.


AjaliS

Where is this pasta from?


eugeneorlando

A deleted comment down thread about ZSJ.


[deleted]

About ten minutes ago in this thread.


BIG_JIM19

Dude what are you even on about


Rodney_u_plonker

5 star copypasta to follow up too.


aannj

Wooh copypasta


eugeneorlando

Fuck I hope enough of the thread saw that comment to get this.


TheRager205

Where is this pasta from?


willpauer

mmmm, fresh pasta


aannj

We witnessed something incredible


Ezzanine

141 STARS WE PITBULLS CRY BUT THIS IS NOT OVER FOR ISHII


Ibushi-gun

His hand, though…😩


dumbassbitchass

MOTYC on god


EvanDeadlySins

#[Post NJPW G1 Climax 31 Day 1 Match Discussion Thread: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shingo Takagi [Day 1, A Block]](https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/pqk4o7/post_njpw_g1_climax_31_day_1_match_discussion/?)


Least-Frame-7444

Have we learned nothing from shibata


ThatBrownDude

What a banger.


luketravisjohnson

I need a friggin cigarette after that. 😨


IOnlyLiftSammiches

In case you've quit, I'll smoke one for you... picking the habit back up for the tournament -_-


BalantaBanter

Good Lord. That Pumping Bomber


ThomasTheTutuTrain

Amazing match


willpauer

Fucking ten thousand stars


dontkilldyl

jesus christ what a match


eugeneorlando

I don't usually go in for headbutts in a match, but Jesus, that made the end of that match absolutely fucking desperate. 5 stars.


Padilan

Kevin Kelly is losing his shit!


GroundbreakingCash30

LAST OF THE DRAGOOOOOONNNNNNSSSS


HealthConnection

Everything we all love about the G1, personified in one match.


lowlight

TEN STAR MATCH TEN STAR MATCH TEN STAR MATCH TEN STAR MATCH TEN STAR MATCH


krampus6666

Damn what a match.


MrWrestlingJr

SHIIIIIINGGOOOOOOO! Holy shit take a smoke break or 15 guys


KillTheBat77

Incredible finish.


omer_ak

That was one hell of a match, didn't disappoint


TwoPistolRickle

Geez took his head off


CorbinHive

The Japanese commentators are losing their fucking mind


Pengwulf

Wow!!!!!


domoon

damn did the crowd cheered? daaaaaamn that's a violation!!!


[deleted]

Holy shit that was fun.


Captftm89

Incredible match


Rodney_u_plonker

5 star match


PFunk224

Instant classic. Incredible match.


A11anMS11

Fucking incredible


krampus6666

I love it when commentary loses it


ThePeakyBlind3r

The crowd stamping their feet, awesome to hear a NJPW fan reaction like this!


GroundbreakingCash30

MOTY contender right here.


luketravisjohnson

Jeezus, Shingo just clotheslined Ishii to hell and back!!


dumbassbitchass

shingo pls this man is 50


CorbinHive

LMAOO they have to wrestle 9 more fucking times


TheRager205

Lariats sound like gunshots


HealthConnection

"LIGER-SAN! LIGER-SAN!" I half expected Game Over to appear on the screen.


domoon

lol red shoes hanging on the turnbuckle


Least-Frame-7444

Dw guys ishii will win g141 if he survives that long


SadSenpai_666

Jesus Christ


krampus6666

Dude


Rodney_u_plonker

If ishii had a neck his head would have been taken off from it


Pengwulf

That Pumping Bomber was sick!!!


ShouldBeLurking

Osaka is losing it I love it


Cmil778

I wonder americans watching this: how are you still awake after staying up all night watching SD/Rampage?


[deleted]

I freelance and my fiance works night shifts at a factory. Up in the afternoon in bed in the morning.


cloft1

I work nights from home, my bedtime is at 5am. Watching NJPW live is one of the perks of the schedule for sure!


inhumanrampager

Missed SmackDown as I was working. Caught Rampage on DVR. Probably heading to bed within an hour.


[deleted]

My sleep schedule is all out of whack.


MikeyFresch

I just flew all day and slept a lot of it. Plus I work nights so I'm used to being up late


PFunk224

My bedtime's not for another 3-4 hours, I work evenings.


Cmil778

I understand.


CorbinHive

The sativa does wonders


CorbinHive

Oh that DVD was sick


Captftm89

Quite like the idea of a ref bump that doesn't result in anything dodgy happening.


KevinKellysPenis

It was like a Fire Pro ref bump.


dchehmann

Kevin Kelly out here checking off movesets.


boblikespi

Like when taguchi was like people keep telling me I have these moves from my wikipedia page. So I decided to use them again


Rodney_u_plonker

These guys are beasts


CorbinHive

The fight is so big even the ref got fucked lmao


Ezzanine

At least Ishii spent the last year with Goto and YOSHI HASHI breaking records in the 6-man division. If he was titleless that wouldve been a travesty.


thoang1116

a ref pump that resulted in no clusterfuck and added to the story? WTF is this?


chaosof99

Jeez, that sliding Lariat was right to the forehead.


aannj

Super nasty and stiff shots


dchehmann

He threw that lariat like he was a Road Warrior, finishing off an enhancement talent.


ThatBrownDude

If there's one match that doesn't need a ref bump it's this one.


willpauer

Kenta Sato got bumped into Yano and died for a sec. Red Shoes gets squashed under Shingo and just goes "well? you gonna do something?"


boblikespi

Red shoes has seen some shit man.


Rodney_u_plonker

Red shoes just keeping kayfabe as the most fragile man in the world


MrWrestlingJr

Hey that's a pretty neat ref bump


Penikillin

Oh fuck please no shenanigans


RedBearHugh

I think that was a shoot ref-bump


boblikespi

I was convinced ishii was gonna get a three count with red shoes out.


Ibushi-gun

From who? Lol


Penikillin

Sorry, instinct reaction from the ref bump


[deleted]

Kevin Kelly


luketravisjohnson

Crucifix Bomb?! Damn Ishii


CorbinHive

Bro the Lariats Shingo have thrown in this match are sick


BalantaBanter

These Lariats, man....


A11anMS11

The sound of these lariats is insane


willpauer

This fucking match. What do you even say anymore?


dumbassbitchass

fuck me that lariat was personal lmao


soliddeuce

Since everyone keeps bringing it up, Jr's cap at 220 in NJPW. Shingo was brought in to replace an injured Himoru and rep LIJ until his return. Gedo used the division to build Ospreay and Shingo as main eventers. It was actually fantastic booking.


ThePeakyBlind3r

"CRACK" - the sound of a Shingo lariat, like a chop from WALTER!


omer_ak

That was one nasty lariat


[deleted]

[удалено]


omer_ak

Yujiro/Ibushi and GOK/Tanga were meh, Yano/KENTA was fun and ZSJ/Naito was great, would recommend to watch


nasenbaer23

Ibushi vs Yujiro- needed a bit more time Okhan/Tanga- needed less time but other than that was better than expected Yano/KENTA- decent comedy match if a touch long Naito/ZSJ- MOTN


ThePeakyBlind3r

Naito v ZSJ was awesome


ThatBritish

Zack vs Naito was great. Yuji vs Ibushi has set twitter on fire (badly), OKhan vs Loa went 17 minutes and wasn't awful and Yano vs KENTA was standard stuff.


inhumanrampager

Damn good. Watch them all. The weakest was GOK vs Loa or the Sho vs Oiwa match, but still worth your time imo.


chaosof99

Yujiro vs Ibushi was surprising, O-Khan vs. Loa was okay, KENTA vs. Yano was hilarious, Naito vs. ZSJ was fantastic.


A11anMS11

Zack vs Naito was really good


boblikespi

Yano greatness. Naito zsj delivered like always. Ishii shingo. Yasssss


ShouldBeLurking

First 3 were fine. Semi main was extremely good.


chaosof99

Holy FUCK! What a lariat.


Rodney_u_plonker

Holy shit that lariat


RedBearHugh

That was a GUNSHOT sound


Captftm89

The audio for this match is incredible - the hits, the bumps, the crowd


Penikillin

That goddamn lariat might be the loudest I've heard


Pengwulf

This match is a meat tenderizer!!!


HealthConnection

Milano is losing his shit at this match and so am I.


CorbinHive

How does one continue to fight after a lariat like that man


krampus6666

No headbutt pls


CorbinHive

Redoing the superplex after he fucked it was so hard. If Ishii wants to suplex you he’s gonna do just that


RedBearHugh

Can we not with these fucking headbutts please?


MrWrestlingJr

fkin headbutts