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[Mizerman]

I actually do miss Daniel Bryan, but I didn't like the smiling guy Daniel Bryan, I liked when he was a little more serious. Not trying to crack jokes all the time.

Yeah, that's what happens when WWE wants most of their faces to operate under the default "happy guy do right" thing.

 

[klonere]

Looks like Kana's gimmick is she beats people up very very very badly.

 

[Man God]

Looks like Kana's gimmick is she beats people up very very very badly.

She's a female Japanese wrassler, so that's a given.

 

[Jimmy King]

STRO ISN'T HERE GODDAMNIT

THE MAN DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE, AND YET HE STILL TEARS US APART

you mean he brings the community together with gifs, recaps, and discussion

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

Daniel Bryan was best as a heel, but he was also good in the buildup to Summerslam 2013 and in the summer before that, as this great wrestler with a Napoleon complex and something to prove. The problem with having him hit SO high at WM 30 is that, even had he not been hurt, he never really had anything to prove after that, which sort of takes the wind out of his sails. If he returns - and if there's anything that'll make WWE change its mind, it's the current shit ratings - he needs to have a little edge back on him, and he needs to move away from the hipster look just a bit. He's never going to be a main eventer again, but he could at least be a solid upper mid-carder for a long time if he figured his shit out.

 

[Bronx-Man]

I was thinking: do you think we could convert more millenials into wrestling by introducing them to shows like NJPW and Lucha Underground? Pop culture is dominated by niche culture these days: animu, indie games, vinyl records, etc. WWE has refused to embrace it's niche appeal while other feds have stepped up to the plate. If we can get modern nerds hooked onto wrestling, we could be on the verge of a new boom period.

 

[RBH]

As the home to NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING, AXS TV has acquired the promotion’s action-filled 2015 pay-per-view event “Wrestle Kingdom 9.” This special edition will feature all 10 matches from the celebrated annual event, including an entire episode dedicated to the headlining rematch between IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi and rival Kazuchika Okada. The 10 matches will be broadcast over five consecutive weeks starting Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with commentary from Mauro Ranallo and Josh Barnett.

NJPW’s biggest annual event, “Wrestle Kingdom” takes place every Jan. 4 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Last year’s “Wrestle Kingdom 9” counted over 36,000 fans in attendance and featured a number of high-stakes clashes, including battles for IWGP Heavyweight, Intercontinental, Junior and NEVER Openweight Championships.

AXS TV’s presentation of “Wrestle Kingdom 9” kicks off with two junior heavyweight matches Oct. 9 starting with a four-way match for the IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship followed by Ryusuke Taguchi defending his IWGP Junior Heavyweight title against Kenny Omega. Then, on Oct. 16, Tetsuya Naito and A.J. Styles face off in a singles match before Tomohiro Ishii defends the NEVER Openweight title against Togi Makabe.

NJPW’s “Wrestle Kingdom 9” continues on AXS TV Oct. 23 with three full matches: first the Bullet Club squares off against Tomaoki Honma and veteran tag team Tencozy in a six-man tag team match; then MMA legends Kazushi Sakuraba and Minoru Suzuki face off in a special single match; and Bullet Club members Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows put their IWGP Tag Team Championship belt on the line against Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata.

NJPW airs an hour early Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT featuring an epic eight-man tag team match before Kota Ibushi challenges Shinsuke Nakamura for his IWGP Intercontinental Championship title. AXS TV wraps up “Wrestle Kingdom 9” with the anticipated main event between IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi and his rival Kazuchika Okada Nov. 6.

AXS TV’s NJPW episodes are produced by and acquired from TV ASAHI CORPORATION.



The episode listings are as follows:



Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship four-Way Match – Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish; KUSHIDA and Alex Shelley; Rocky Romero and Alex Koslov; and Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship – Ryusuke Taguchi versus Kenny Omega


Oct. 16 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

Tetsuya Naito versus A.J. Styles
NEVER Openweight Championship – Tomohiro Ishii versus Togi Makabe


Oct. 23 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima and Tomaoki Honma versus the Bullet Club (Jeff Jarrett, Back Luck Fale and Yujiro Takahashi)
Special Single Match – Kazushi Sakuraba versus Minoru Suzuki
IWGP Tag Championship – Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows versus Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata


Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT

Toru Yano, Naomichi Marufuji, Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste versus Takashi Iizuka, Shelton X Benjamin, Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr.
IWGP Intercontinental Championship – Shinsuke Nakamura versus Kota Ibushi


Nov. 6 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

IWGP Heavyweight Championship – Hiroshi Tanahashi versus Kazuchika Okada

http://www.axs.tv/press_articles/ax...an-pro-wrestlings-complete-wrestle-kingdom-9/

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

Nakamura/Ibushi is still my favorite match of the year, god damn.

 

[Carnby]

WrassleGAF table for 3

Stro, brisk tacos and Bronx-Man

Sensiblechuckle.gif

you mean he brings the community together with gifs, recaps, and discussion

And personal threats on wrasslegaf memebers through other message boards.

 

[Jimmy King]

Daniel Bryan was best as a heel, but he was also good in the buildup to Summerslam 2013 and in the summer before that, as this great wrestler with a Napoleon complex and something to prove. The problem with having him hit SO high at WM 30 is that, even had he not been hurt, he never really had anything to prove after that, which sort of takes the wind out of his sails. If he returns - and if there's anything that'll make WWE change its mind, it's the current shit ratings - he needs to have a little edge back on him, and he needs to move away from the hipster look just a bit. He's never going to be a main eventer again, but he could at least be a solid upper mid-carder for a long time if he figured his shit out.

You're probably right that Mania 30 was the absolute peak for him, but people were hoping he'd have a legit reign with competitive matches and usher in a new era of stars and all that fantasy shit. But it was never even the cards. He was getting a Kane feud and then squashed by Brock (apparently with no rematch in mind). He got an injury instead. Lose-lose. His career retrospective can best be summed up in that depressing piece Meltzer wrote earlier this year. If he comes back he'd probably be able to get away with a heel turn since there's no reason to keep the fans attached to someone who isn't going to be a big player anyway.

 

[Bronx-Man]

Nakamura/Ibushi is still my favorite match of the year, god damn.

It's a tie between that and Bayley vs Sasha imo

 

[imBask]

Nakamura Ibushi is the MOTY and it's not even close

 

[Jimmy King]

Nakamura Ibushi is the MOTY and it's not even close

put your bayley bias aside and consider it

 

[Anth0ny]

Nakamura Ibushi is the MOTY and it's not even close

yup. definitely down to watch it again with ranallo commentary.

 

[Heroman]

Nakamura/Ibushi is still my favorite match of the year, god damn.

Nakamura is the best in the world

So much swag.

 

[imBask]

put your bayley bias aside and consider it

even without my bayley bias, Nakamura-Ibushi was a straight 5.1 stars match

 

[bjork]

Sensiblechuckle.gif

And personal threats on wrasslegaf memebers through other message boards.

let it go

 

[somedevil]

Breeze with the unprettier. Is Christian going to be his manager.

 

[klonere]

Breeze with the unprettier. Is Christian going to be his manager.

That was a pretty great match. Apollo and Tyler should be a hyphy match

Tyler GOTTA win dirty imo

 

[The Shapesmith]

I have nothing against Dana Brooke but I would really like to see Asuka get over as the female Tajiri and stiff the hell out of people. Will be fun to see and this could be a huge opportunity for Dana Brooke to show how far she has come in her training.

 

[Entropia]

WrassleGAF table for 3

Stro, brisk tacos and Bronx-Man

Wrasslegaf Drunk History

Entropia

 

[BronsonLee]

let it go

Considering I was one of the ones he apparently threatened, nah

 

[Man God]

The last of the taped as actual episodes of TNA is starting in three minutes.

 

[Jimmy King]

when did stro threaten anyone? are you confusing him with sandman?

 

[somedevil]

Why doesn't Raw do video package builds like this?

 

[Roland_Gunner]

put your bayley bias aside and consider it

Bayley - Sasha was a great match and quite possibly the best match in the US this year but watch it and then watch Nakamura - Ibushi again. Those two were just on another level that night.

 

[somedevil]

Some possible WWE signing news:

In what will surely add to the speculation that Johnny Gargano may be signing with WWE, he has issued a challenge on Facebook to Ethan Page for the October 17th EVOLVE 49 iPPV. Gargano proposed an "I Quit Match" and said if he quits, he will walk away from WWN Live. Gargano lost to Apollo Crews on tonight's NXT episode while partner Tommaso Ciampa lost to Tyler Breeze.

Seemed that way because Ciampa match seemed more of a tryout match then Gargano was.

 

[Jimmy King]

Bayley - Sasha was a great match and quite possibly the best match in the US this year but watch it and then watch Nakamura - Ibushi again. Those two were just on another level that night.

Probably, and I have to re-watch Nak/Ibushi again because it feels like forever ago. I didn't have any idea of the drama of that match though like I did Sasha/Bayley, which isn't a comment on their performance.

 

[Caderfix]

Ryback seems really uncomfortable in the table for three

 

[Hex]

LINK

 

[klonere]

Per someone who was at the NXT tapings about the Balor/Joe vs Enzo/Cass match

. They edited the absolute shit out of the Bálor/Joe vs Enzo and Cass match. The match itself was more than twice as long as they aired and everything edited out was Finn and Joe taking turns beating the hell out of Enzo Amore.
The actual match was disgustingly brutal and Joe and Finn both were very heelish.
An ambulance left Full Sail right after the show (this was the last match of the night) and the rumors were that it was Enzo inside. Enzo told me the day after it wasn't him, but after that match, it was believable.
Finn stayed after the show and gave high fives and took selfie around the ring and my son wouldn't even look at him. He was crying at the end of the match, not just because his favorite got beaten so horrifically but that it was his other favorite that did it.
Mason hasn't worn his Finn Bálor shirt since the taping and doesn't want to anymore.
I wasn't sure how they were going to show it tonight but the edit was probably the best thing they could've done.

Poor kid Heel Balor is definitely being hinted at....

 

[Jimmy King]

Welcome to wrestling, kid.

Also, I'm thinking I might make a sacrifice and buy WWE 2k16 to share in its awfulness just like Data did with THPS5 for all you ungrateful fucks.

 

[Hex]

Per someone who was at the NXT tapings about the Balor/Joe vs Enzo/Cass match



Poor kid Heel Balor is definitely being hinted at....

It bothers the hell out of me that an actual "tag team" will probably not win the Tag Team event.
Unless Joe and Finn finally go at it.
They hinted at Joe kind of taking over in last weeks NXT interview at the end of the show where Joe was kind of the dominant one.

 

[Plywood]

They're both me when I watch Gotham.

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

when did stro threaten anyone? are you confusing him with sandman?

After Sandman snitched on Mr. McFlower for posting near-pornography, stro went on that anti-NeoGAF hate subreddit and asked them to fuck with Sandman and Bronson (who had blocked stro on Twitter for one too many "being paid with hot dogs by Tommy Dreamer" jokes) for being "fuckboys". Not really accurate to say that he threatened anybody, so much as he tried and failed to organize trolling. Which is still bad, but let's keep perspective, here.

 

[bjork]

Welcome to wrestling, kid.

Also, I'm thinking I might make a sacrifice and buy WWE 2k16 to share in its awfulness just like Data did with THPS5 for all you ungrateful fucks.

Don't do it, man. Think about the kids.

After Sandman snitched on Mr. McFlower for posting near-pornography, stro went on that anti-NeoGAF hate subreddit and asked them to fuck with Sandman and Bronson (who had blocked stro on Twitter for one too many "being paid with hot dogs by Tommy Dreamer" jokes) for being "fuckboys". Not really accurate to say that he threatened anybody, so much as he tried and failed to organize trolling. Which is still bad, but let's keep perspective, here.

So THIS is the story. How long ago was this?

 

[Ithil]

It bothers the hell out of me that an actual "tag team" will probably not win the Tag Team event.
Unless Joe and Finn finally go at it.
They hinted at Joe kind of taking over in last weeks NXT interview at the end of the show where Joe was kind of the dominant one.

I fully expect Gable and Jordan to win.

 

[Fox318]

table for 3

Ryback is fucking awesome

 

[Caderfix]

table for 3

Ryback is fucking awesome

Got to impress Brock

 

[Bronx-Man]

table for 3

Ryback is fucking awesome

Ryback fucking sucks

 

[Fox318]

Got to impress Brock

I've heard the panera story but the fucking

Spoiler

cialis

story is incredible

 

[Caderfix]

I've heard the panera story but the fucking

Spoiler

cialis

story is incredible

Man, it cracked me up. The three guys together are pretty great

 

[RBH]

Ryback fucking sucks

.

 

[Carnby]

let it go

Fuck. No.

 

[avengers23]

Barnett and Mauro providing commentary over Sakuraba vs. Suzuki could be a magical combination.

 

[avengers23]

Fave Five Matches of 2015 So Far:

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi (Wrestle Kingdom 9)
Sasha Banks vs. Bayley (TakeOver: Brooklyn)
Fenix vs. Mil Muertes (Lucha Underground, Grave Consequences)
Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii (Wrestle Kingdom 9)
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (Dominion 2015)

Honorable Mentions

Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch (TakeOver: Unstoppable)
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tomoaki Honma (The New Beginning in Sendai)
Kazuchika Okada vs. A.J. Styles (Dominion 2015)
Timothy Thatcher vs. Tommy End (EVOLVE 40)
Chris Hero vs. Timothy Thatcher (WWNLive - Mercury Rising 2015)
Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns (Fastlane)
John Cena vs. Kevin Owens (Elimination Chamber)
Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins vs. John Cena (Royal Rumble)
Go Shiozaki vs. Kento Miyahara (AJPW Dream Power Series)
Shuji Ishikawa vs. Daisuke Sekimoto (BJW Ikkitousen Death Match tournament)
KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O'Reilly (Best of the Super Juniors)
Mike Bailey vs. Chris Hero (EVOLVE 47)
Ethan Carter III vs. Rockstar Spud (Impact)

So yeah, it's been a pretty good year so far, and that's without getting into Dragon Gate, CMLL, AAA, W-1, NOAH, Stardom, or wXw.

 

[Bronx-Man]

Fave Five Matches of 2015 So Far:

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi (Wrestle Kingdom 9)
Sasha Banks vs. Bayley (TakeOver: Brooklyn)
Fenix vs. Mil Muertes (Lucha Underground, Grave Consequences)
Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii (Wrestle Kingdom 9)
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (Dominion 2015)

Honorable Mentions

Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch (TakeOver: Unstoppable)
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tomoaki Honma (The New Beginning in Sendai)
Kazuchika Okada vs. A.J. Styles (Dominion 2015)
Timothy Thatcher vs. Tommy End (EVOLVE 40)
Chris Hero vs. Timothy Thatcher (WWNLive - Mercury Rising 2015)
Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns (Fastlane)
John Cena vs. Kevin Owens (Elimination Chamber)
Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins vs. John Cena (Royal Rumble)
Go Shiozaki vs. Kento Miyahara (AJPW Dream Power Series)
Shuji Ishikawa vs. Daisuke Sekimoto (BJW Ikkitousen Death Match tournament)
KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O'Reilly (Best of the Super Juniors)
Mike Bailey vs. Chris Hero (EVOLVE 47)
Ethan Carter III vs. Rockstar Spud (Impact)

So yeah, it's been a pretty good year so far, and that's without getting into Dragon Gate, CMLL, AAA, W-1, NOAH, Stardom, or wXw.

This guy

I fuck with this guy.

 

[MG310]

Forgot Tomasso Ciampa made a TNA appearance during that taping marathon.

 

[Data West]

The knockoff JC Pennys in the BTTF level of Lego Dimensions is called CJ Perry

 

[bjork]

Fuck. No.

Okay. Don't, I guess.