It’s getting closer every day, ladies and gents. This is the lead-up to the most wonderful time of the year. No, not Christmas… I mean, Christmas is cool, but I’m talking about WRESTLE KINGDOM 9 IN TOKYO DOME. New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest annual show is coming on January 4th (or super-late on January 3rd, depending on how dedicated you are). And since it’s being presented on pay-per-view by Global Force Wrestling with English commentary by Jim Ross, you’ve really got no excuse not to check this out. Over on Global Force’s YouTube channel, they’ve sporadically been putting out some hype videos with Jim Ross, but now they’ve combined them all into one thirty-minute preshow. Check it out:
This is happening, you guys. New Japan is getting high-quality promotion from an American entity, and Jim Ross just said that the Hiroshi Tanahashi/Kazuchika Okada rivalry is on par with Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. I mean, I personally think it’s more of a 2009 Cena/Orton thing where they were getting dope-as-hell Civil Twilight video packages, but now I’m just splitting hairs. 2015 is going to be a huge year for the King of Sports, and I can’t wait to see what it brings.
Also on the Global Force Wrestling front, Jeff Jarrett did a Reddit AMA yesterday to promote Wrestle Kingdom. He gave some insight on GFW and New Japan… and he also said “Stay tuned” a lot. Here are some highlights.
Is GFW going to be its own company with cards and such or just a distributor for New Japan?
“In short, both… We will have our own productions/shows/promotions as well as partner with promotions from around the world…”
Who, in NJPW, do you think will make the biggest impression on a new western audience?
“Tanahashi”
Is GFW going to have its own championship title?
“Yes”
What are your thoughts on AJ’s Styles Clash? Freak injuries keep happening involving it.
“I’ve seen him do it for over 12 years… We all take risks every time we step into the ring… We all have to know how to protect ourselves…”
Just to be safe, I think Tetsuya Naito should be practicing throwing his head back every day from now until January 4th.
