I don’t understand people who are saying wrestling isn’t fun anymore. Let’s see, this week only we’ve had a rather enjoyable ROH 13th anniversary event, with as icing on the cake a Samoa Joe appearance. Then we had the possibility of Jon Stewart being inserted in the only WM match wrestling fan actually were enthusiastic (somewhat) about (and I find that freaking hilarious). After that the first round of the New Japan Cup happened, with some interesting developments. And finally Alex Riley proposed to commit suicide in a wrestling ring by challenging Owens. If that isn’t a fun week, I don’t know what you guys need.
Anyway, as promised last week, I will look over the results of the first round of the New Japan Cup 2015, so you guys can laugh at how many I got wrong, and then I’ll have a little fin with exploring the dark and tortuous paths of trying to figure out what could go on in a certain wrestler’s mind. But before we get to that, let’s see what happened on Thursday the 5th of march in NJPW.
Part 1: Strange Universes
Before I start let me point out I haven’t yet been able to actually watch the event, hope that will happen soon, so I will just be briefing you on the results and look forward to the quarter finals and beyond. Hopefully, by the time the Final rolls around, I’ll be able to give you more details on match quality and where you can actually watch this stuff. Also, for clarity’s sake I will be keeping the order of matches as I presented them last week, and not as they happened. Easier for you (perhaps) but above all, easier for me and since I’m the one writing here, I decide because I’m the dictator of my own columns. That being said, let’s start with:
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toru Yano:
Sometimes you say things, and you’re pretty sure about them while saying them, only for the same things to come back and bite you in the ass the very next week. Yano will never beat Tanahashi, I said. Not in this universe, not in any universe, I said. Well apparently there must be somewhere a small universe I forgot because, guess what, Yano beat Tanahashi in what might be one of the biggest upsets ever. I really should stop making predictions, it’s gonna end badly one of these days.
Winner: Toru Yano
Kota Ibushi vs. Doc Gallows:
Luckily that one went as expected, Ibushi pinned Gallows after being thrown around for some time, so I’m 1-1.
Winner: Ibushi
Tetsuya Naito vs. Karl Anderson:
Also went as expected, Naito bumped all over the place, giving Anderson his best match in ages, and still went over in the end. Golden Stardust tag team is well on track and with dual victories over the champs, a challenge is soon to follow. 2-1 for me!
Winner: Naito
Kazuchika Okada vs. Bad Luck Fale:
Like I said last week (and I’m not seeking excuses here, no really, I’m not) this could have gone a lot of ways. I choose the way of the top star going over clean, just to be robbed of victory in the next round by the same Fale, setting up their grudge match for Invasion Attack. So, of course, they went another way. Fale went over clean, making you wonder if they will even bother with a rematch. 2-2.
Winner : Fale
Togi Makabe vs. Tomoaki Honma:
So sad, my dark horse stumbled and fell over the very first obstacle in what I read was a very fun match. Seemed like such a good story, the eternal heroic loser finally managing to win a few in a row. Ah well… 2-3.
Winner: Makabe
YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yujiro Takahashi:
I’m almost as sad at getting this one right as I was sad at getting the previous one wrong. But Takahashi needed this win or his heel character would have been a joke. 3-3.
Yuji Nagata vs. Hirooki Goto:
This one I’m glad at getting right because many observers went with Nagata. So, yeay me! But yes, the battle of the team mates in the QF’s was just too good to pass over so that means:
Winner: Goto
Satoshi Kojima vs. Katsuyori Shibata:
And that also means, that Shibata conquers Kojima in what was another quality battle, or so I’ve been reading.
So my record for this one stands at 5-3, I won’t be getting any medals for that one but at least I’m not looking like a complete idiot like I did for the Rumble. That’s something anyway.
Before I comment on this some more, let’s look at how the quarter finals, to be held on March the 8th, will look like:
QF1: Toru Yano vs. Kota Ibushi
QF2: Tetsuya Naito vs. Bad Luck Fale
QF3: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Togi Makabe
QF4: Hirooki Goto vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Not really what most expected but there it is. The fact that both Okada and Tanahashi, two of Japan’s top stars, were eliminated in the first round means that they will not be chasing AJ Styles Heavyweight title anytime soon. Nakamura’s Intercontinental title is still a possibility I guess, but Nakamura himself stated he wanted something different for his next feud and a war of words with NWA’s Rob Conway, via the latter’s spokesman Bruce Tharpe has reportedly erupted over twitter. Whether that means anything remains to be seen, but as things stands now, it seems both Tanahashi and, especially, Okada will be taking a step back from both titles chase for the time being and concentrate on other things, leaving the place for some new faces, presumably, and that’s not a bad thing.
That also means the way seems clear for a Shibata victory, who should be able to have a stellar match with AJ Styles at Invasion Attack. But the way this tournament has been going, nothing is certain anymore.
Still, I predict the following. In the top bracket, Ibushi beats yano, I think, and then goes on to face Fale in the semi’s. Fale could very well win here, as bad a wrestler as he his, because he IS Bullet Club’s monster heel, and the story from now on could very well be that the remaining Bullet Club member will do everything they can to stop Shibata.
So Fale beats Naito and then Ibushi, in the bottom bracket, Takahashi beats Makabe (no I still don’t believe Makabe will win this thing, he simply doesn’t need it to challenge NEVER champion Ishii), Shibata beats Goto, crashes trough the first Bullet Club roadblock Takahashi in the semi’s, vanquishes the biggest roadblock, Fale, in the Final, and goes on to challenge AJ Styles.
Looks pretty logical, but… It’s me… Making predictions… You all know what that means by now.
I will continue to keep you guys posted on the various twist and turns NJPW undoubtedly still have in store for us. But it’s time to move on to the second part of my column which is:
Part 2: Different Universes
Before I start I would like to refer you all to the column of my colleague writer Brian Mitarotondo, since apparently we sort of had the same idea but with different viewpoints. A column you can find here (I hope this works because I really suck at this link business):
Falls Count Anywhere: When Getting Fired Could Be For The Best
Now in his article Brian took a look at some wrestlers that, in his opinion, might be better off working anywhere but in WWE. On top of his list was, of course, Daniel Bryan. Brian Mitarotondo’s concept is, in short, that Bryan would be better of being the top guy in, say, ROH, to prove to Vince and WWE that he could be the top guy and carry a promotion (the idea behind this being that WWE and Vince had no faith in Bryan as genuine, Cena-level main eventer. So my colleague proposition is based on the way WWE, again in his opinion, is looking at Bryan.
I propose to take a slightly different look based on the way Daniel Bryan, in my opinion, looks at wrestling. So before you start taking out the rotten tomatoes, hear me out, and remember, this is pure speculation, I’ll never pretend this to be anything else. It’s just me having some fun with a “what if” scenario.
Let me take you to what started this train of thoughts. At the start of this week, while making some random research about various promotions and wrestlers, in the hope of finding a good idea for this weeks column, I stumbled upon some lists detailing who was making how much money in the WWE and the duration of their contracts. In Daniel Bryan’s case the only information I was able to find, despite some heavy digging, was a contract signed in 2012, worth around 675.000 dollars per annum (by now augmented with all sorts of revenues of course) and for a duration of three years. Now I wasn’t able to find any information about a new, more recent contract, even some query’s I made here and there, on other wrestling forums, remained unanswered. So if this proves true (and if anyone has information to the contrary, please share it, I would be delighted to know about this), then, 2012 + 3 years of contract brings us to… 2015. Figure that. That would mean that at some point this year Daniel Bryan and Vince McMahon would have to sit at a table and discuss a new contract or at least a contract extension.
Before I continue I would like to stress that I actually disagree with those who think WWE would hesitate in offering Bryan a new contract because they would not. And here is where I disagree with my colleague Brian’s premise, I don’t believe WWE has doubts about Bryan, they know what they have in him and how they want to use him, it just happens to not coincide at all with our views. Let’s face it, Bryan faces little danger of being stuck in the mid-card in the future, he will have some other main-event runs, he will be Champion again, but, first and foremost, he will be used by the WWE in a way he can do what he does best. Make whoever is in the ring with him look like a million dollar. Forget about Reigns and the disappointment of having him and not Bryan in WM31’s Main Event for an instant. The Reigns push had little or nothing to do with Bryan to begin with. WWE decided to bank it all on Reigns and everyone, including Cena who is now in what is basically a mid-card feud with Rusev, had to move over to make that happen. People see in this a sign that WWE has no faith in Bryan, but I happen to disagree. Yes I would have liked to see Bryan in another role too, but let’s not confuse things here. WWE does with Reigns what they have done with a number of wrestlers in the past. They push them to the moon and then watch what happens. If it succeeds, great they have another viable main eventer and can move on to other things. If it fails, too bad, they throw in the towel and move on to other things anyway. Whatever happens here, other things will very likely involve Bryan. Now you can argue that the way it’s happening is wrong, that Reigns has no chance, that they undermined their own efforts by not giving Bryan a viable feud, or simply something to do, sooner. That may be all true, but none of these points actually mean that they have lost faith in Daniel Bryan. It simply means they have other priorities for now. Bryan’s turn will come again, I have no doubts about that, for the simple reason he can have the proverbial five star match with a broomstick and IS over with the crowds whatever he does. WWE knows that, they are not stupid. One other thing that is seldom mentioned in the discussions is that Bryan just came back from a potentially career-ending injury. This could also have played a role in WWE’s seemingly baffling booking decisions concerning Bryan. Simple question, someone comes back from such an injury, can he still go? And I’m not talking about a few matches, i mean long term. Again nothing to do with the fact it’s Daniel Bryan, just a promotion waiting it out to see what happens after a few months.
And yes I do realize I’ve spent a whole paragraph actually defending WWE, but, every now and then I do like to play the devil’s advocate, it’s fun.
Having said all that, some of you might be wondering why I’m still entertaining the though of a possible departure of one of WWE’s top stars. Well, until now, we’ve all tried to figure out how the WWE views things. Let’s try to find out how Bryan looks at things.
Having been in the indies for quite some time Bryan is well aware how difficult things can be there money-wise. WWE has proposed him a more than comfortable income and, from all accounts, Daniel being a sensible guy not really into the, let’s call it Ric Flair way of trowing money around, it’s safe to say that even if his career would end tomorrow, he could still make a comfortable living from his earnings already. So, while continuing taking those WWE checks will always be appreciated, this might not be his main concern anymore. Let us not forget either that, by his own admission, Bryan scored particularly low in WWE’s “ambition” test, which was apparently based on how much money you wanna make. As far as he is concerned, money-wise, he probably is exactly where he wants to be. His main ambition, again from his own admission, remains being the best wrestler he possibly can be.
So where does that leave us? In my opinion, when it comes to Daniel Bryan, we must ask ourselves to questions.
1. From a wrestling point of view, has Daniel Bryan achieved everything he wants to achieve in WWE?
2. Still from a wrestling point of view, if the answer to the first question is no, does he feel WWE will give him the opportunity to achieve those remaining goals?
If the answer to both questions is no, yes (no pun intended) then case closed, Bryan stays. If the answer is no, no, well that’s were the contract negotiations come in and if that doesn’t work, see below. If the answer to the first question is yes, than the second question becomes irrelevant and that’s were things just might get interesting.
I want to apologize to my colleague Brian at this point, but, frankly, forget about ROH. I get what you’re saying and I get the appeal, but the simple fact is, Bryan has already done it all there, he has already been champion, been there, done that, want something else. The argument that Vince and WWE might be impressed with Bryan being the top guy in ROH doesn’t really hold for meeither. They weren’t really impressed with Bryan’s achievements over there in 2209, why would they be now? Besides, ROH simply couldn’t afford him. So that’s that as far as I’m concerned.
But there is one universe yet to conquer and that’s NJPW. And I know, some of you will roll their eyes and think: “that damn Metalhead, always boring us with his Japanese wrestling.” but, again hear me out. Look at whom most Independent, neutral observers lists as their top 5 wrestlers in the world. With neutral I mean those who look at wrestling from every country and not only the States. Who are their top wrestlers at this point in time? OK there is Ricochet/Puma in Mexico. But beyond that we have AJ Syles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi. I’m not making this up, look for yourself, you’ll see. Guess where all four work? Right. In NJPW. Bryan has wrestled Styles before but it has already been a long time ago, the other three are blank pages as far as he is concerned. Imagine that, the very best in the world and Bryan has never faced them. Isn’t that interesting? On top of that, believe me, those four would be delighted to face a fresh challenger with Bryan’s renown, the neutral and Japanese wrestling observers and fans would have an orgasm just IMAGINING what those matches could be. NJPW has already made some effort in the past to sign Bryan. Right now they would give him literally anything he wants not only because they know he could have great matches with their top stars, matches who would draw hugely by NJPW standards, but also, as a promotion that has made efforts in recent times to attract a more “western” audience, because Bryan would be the ideal link between two worlds. Lastly, NJPW, contrary to ROH and others, actually is financially sound enough to be able to afford throwing huge amounts of money in Bryan’s direction.
Again this is all nothing more than speculation, and, I will candidly admit it, not a small amount of wishful thinking. But, if Bryan really is out there to have the best wrestling matches he can possibly have, than, perhaps, somewhere in the deepest reaches of his mind, a small part of him is looking in the direction of NJPW and their Four Aces and wondering: “What if…”.
This is all from me this week, thanks for reading, see you all later and, as always, have fun!
