I watched my first NJPW match today

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>>3116216
>picking the Naito vs. Tana match as your first New Japan match

Tranquilo~~ o_O

>>3116216
I watched the two Omega Vs Naito G1 Matches(the first one I watched by mistake and didn't notice untill Kenny won)
Is Naito usually cheered or is it only against heels?

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AJ Styles vs Minoru Suzuki
https://vimeo.com/102825529

Shibata (RIP) vs Ishii
https://vimeo.com/81761258

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kota Ibushi
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x560s68

And ya boi Naito vs Ibushi from this year's G1 opening night; fucking awesome match
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5wyxte

>>3116278
Naito is the most over guy in the company, even though he leads a faction of heels

>>3116278
He gets cheered everywhere he goes except for Osaka who hate his guts.

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>>3116278
So, for years, Naito was a terrible bland whitemeat babyface, who was supposed to be one of the top faces of NJPW along with Tana and Okada.
The fans soundly rejected him because, well he sucked as a face. He won the G1 in 2013, which usually carries the prize of challenging for the IWGP WHC in the Main Event of WrestleKingdom. However this particular year, due to Naito not really getting over as expected, NJPW presented the fans with a poll to decide which match should main event WK that year; Okada v Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title, or Tanahashi vs Naito for the IWGP Intercontinetnal Title.
The fans voted Tana vs Nakamura into the main event slot over the IWGP World Title match (a huge slap in the face to the prestige of that belt btw) and Naito has never forgiven the fans for this.
So he left NJPW for a little excursion after that, went to CMLL & met up with Rush & La Sombra (now Andrade Cien Almas in NXT), where they presumably did all the cocaine they could find and then formed the Los Ingobernables faction. A rudo (heel) stable of renegade/outlaw types who assaulted babyfaces and won by cheating and generally disrespected lucha libre culture. Naito's eye taunt thing he does is something he used to do to fans in Mexico when they would mock him for being slant eyed, so he would do the round eye back at them.
Naito returned from his excursion a newly minted heel, still bitter about the Japanese fans rejecting him and taking his WK main event away. He started "shooting" on the company and the corporation who owns NJPW, in press interviews for favoring Okada and pushing him hard as the top guy, making sure he could never fail. He won the IWGP IC belt and proceeded to start smashing it to pieces, threatening to outright destroy it altogether.
He also brought Los Ingobernables back to Japan with him and started his own branch of the stable LIJ, who are technically meant to be heels but are super over as fuck and move tons of merch.

>>3116216
Check out Okada vs Shibata
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5qs3k2

>>3116288
>>3116292
Go back and watch his Stardust Genius matches, they're good, but the crowd is pretty neutral on him.

>>3116302
Ha someone else who types out wall of text! Thank you. I was typing yesterday story of Omega v Ishii trilogy.

>>3116216
Omega/Okada 3, G1 B Block finals
Okada/Shibata, Sakura Genesis
Ishii/Omega, G1 Special finals
Any Ishii/Shibata

There was a ROH/NJPW/CMLL/RPW War of the Worlds show recently in Scotland and Naito was definitely the most over the entire night. Massive pop when he hit the destino

Wait.. actual discussion? What is this madness senpai?

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>>3116310
I had to stop before I even got to the point of what I was saying cos character limit lol.
Which is this;
WHEN (not if) Naito beats Okada at WK 12 in the main event for the IWGP WHC, it will essentially be the culmination of a near 4 year character arc, which unfolded logically and rationally and was booked to perfection. See, after Naito got back from excursion, he was roundly booed at first, he did great job getting over as a heel. Unfortunately he did it a little too well and the crowds started coming around to him and began cheering him over the last year or more, it was noticeable first I think in Osaka Jo Hall last year, he faced Okada for the belt and Okada was BOOED the fuck out in favour of Naito. LIJ have gotten over huge with Naito leading the helm and have very much taken Bullet Club's spot of "cool heel merch machine" for western and native fans alike.
So now here we are in 2017, Naito has won the G1 once again and is back on the road to the promised land, the Main Event of WrestleKingdom, to challenge the chosen company golden boy Okada, for the IWGP Heavyweight title belt.
It goes without saying that he has to win in order for the story to be complete and actually make sense, other wise the past 3+years have effectively been a waste and Naito may never be taken seriously as a potential main eventer top guy again. It's very rare that Gedo makes mistakes like that, so I am assuming he will do the right thing come Jan.4
Naito has had a very interesting character arc since 2013 and to see it coming full circle now is really, really cool to see. He has progressed and changed as a character, his motivations and message have always been clear and now he is working towards his major goal that has been the motivation all throughout.
It's good stuff.

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>>3116307
signed up their streaming service and watching his old matches seem so unreal to me. He looks like he was supposed to be Tanahashi's successor?

>>3116307
No kidding, back in 2012/2013, Naito was so hated by Western smart marks, his nickname was "Stardust Retard" online. Because Stardust Genius was such a terrible name and just symptomatic of the many problems Naito had as a face back then.

>>3116384

Watch Naito's match against Jeff Hardy in Wrestle Kingdom V from 2011 and compare it to his current day matches. Dude has gotten so much better

>>3116307
>>3116384
Stardust Genius seems like the Japanese version of the godawful names you hear in WWE today.

>>3116375
Isn't being fan of NJPW fucking awesome? You get to see stories unfold for years.
Just another 2 examples are Okada's coronation as Ace and Shibata's redemption and being able to challenge Ace for the title.

>>3116394
oh God THAT match yeah!
How in the hell did Juff get into Japan tho?
He had those federal drug convictions which disqualified him from entering the UK, I thought Japan would be the same with their awful draconian drug laws.

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>>3116400
New Japan is fucking great when it comes to callback spots. WRESTLE KINGDOM 8 is a good example. Tanahashi finally beating generational rival, Shinsuke Nakamura. Tanahashi has never beaten Nakamura for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship (only beat Nakamura in title defenses) , and it was a feel good moment for him to beat Nakamura for the IC title which was basically Nakamura's vanity belt

>>3116378
Exactly. I remember watchint Naito/Mutoh genius vs. Genius match, and it's surreal to think he's the same guy he is now.

>>3116375
The best part of this is that Okada is smart enough to play heel in that match. He's gonna break Naito down and make him earn that title. It'll be some Japanese Rock and Stone Cold shit.

>>3116452
And I will be there in the crowd full of fans who just NEED Naito to win. It will be awesome. I am just waiting for tickets to go on sale and I will have everything ready.

>>3116307
They started booing him in late 2013/early 2014, especially his matches with Tanaka and Ishii.

>>3116394
tbf Juff was pilled outta his mind then

Naito was still a great wrestler in 2013-2015 but he really found himself once he became ~tranquilo~

>>3116561
Ishii & Tanaka are based

>>3116216
If you like that match I'd highly recommend Naito vs. Ibushi from this years G1 (my personal favorite of the tournament)
Then check out Ibushi's stuff from the rest of the tournament. He has a different match with everyone. Tanahashi has a decent arc over the course of the tournament too, but his ZSJ match sticks out.

I would also recommend:
>Ishii
based angry potato never has a bad match
>Goto
Basically Picolo in NJPW. I think his seris with Kenny is underrated.
>Mutoh/Great Muta
Classic stuff from him is almost always fun.
>Okada
GOAT. I know this gets memed a lot, but watch how he changes his work style and attitude with different opponents. In a series of 3 matches he'll work heel, face, heel and treat them all differently.
>EVIL
KENG OV DAHKNESS!

>>3116384
>stardust retard
kek
also blue dot jokes

>>3116682
I've actually been watching the old ass Jr. Heavyweight matches from the 90's on world. So much fun to watch!

>>3116809
>blue dot jokes
He's not a very handsome man, is he?