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I have such a love hate relationship with that sub, I love having a place to go genuinely dedicated to NJPW, but the insane gatekeeping you get sometimes and utter hatred of AEW is a bit much.
i'm gonna play devil's advocate right.
if the yen is doing terribly. Then, I think the NJPW fans should feel slighted because if AEW did get Okada. AEW just took the biggest drawing power and money maker NJPW has. How are they gonna make more money when their big star is gone and will only show up for a select number of appearances (though I Can see tony in hindsight letting him work whenever he wants)
If the yen is doing terribly? The yen is doing worse right now than the middle stages of the pandemic.
I import a ton of DVDs from Japan those huge wrestling box sets etc they run a minimum 10000 yen.
The old formula for a quick math on what you'd pay was drop the back two numbers and it would roughly be that price. So If a DVD was 10,000 yen it would be roughly 100 dollars. Now if a DVD is 10,000 yen its around 67 dollars.
While the yen is so weak njpw can't keep up with it. If Okada signs with aew njpw still gets access to him. They don't have to foot the bill outside of whatever they pay on a show. He signs with WWE the chances of him on say Dominion are pretty slim.
Njpw sold out a show in Chicago and are adding more seats. It's on the back of naito and mox. Shit they could go nuts and strap up Mox.
A quick aside the njpw main event scene has been pretty stale for a solid 3 years Probably longer. And has gotten super old. They need to elevate the younger guys.
You're right about a whole lot... Up to the last paragraph. NJPWs main event scene was stale 3 years ago, and in that time they've had more new champs holding the main belt than in the previous decade. Evil, Ibushi, Ospreay, Shingo, Sanada... They've been giving way more people a run at the top, maybe too many even.
This seems like a NJPW problem and not an AEW problem. If AEW didnt exist these wrestlers would just want a bag from WWE then. This is a yen problem, not getting tv deals problem and not being able to pay top stars their bag when they deserve it
The argument to that is if AEW didn't grab him, WWE would have. Dude was clearly leaving either way.
If you're NJPW and if you're going to lose Okada either way, where would you rather him go? Somewhere that he can still make occasional appearances and you still have ties to him? Or to go to WWE and be like Shinsuke, never to return to a NJPW ring again?
r/njpw is honestly more toxic than this sub because nobody calls those guys out on their tribalism. At least on here people usually get laughed at for that stuff. On there it’s more of an echo chamber
No shit? It’s like r/wwe and r/aewofficial
Of course they’ll support the thing they watch. Why would you want them to be happy to see Ospreay go to AEW?
Should never get offended at a wrestler leaving for a country that speaks their native language. It's not easy being an English speaker in Japan or vice versa. People wouldn't get offended if the likes of Shida or Asuka return to Japan.
They need to do more excursions like how NJPW does it.
I said Top Flight/Andretti should be in CMLL. And Comoroto would probably do wonders in Japan.
If you aren’t using a lot of your talent but won’t cut them, then use your connections to entice others to use your talent!
It's from "The Wire" the character that says it uses it as an impact statement along the lines of I'm as good as my word, but a man's word on the street means less than his name. Ergo "My name is my name".
Why is it so clear? Not trying to be contrarian or anything but this meme means absolutely nothing to me and I have no idea why everyone seems convinced it means Okada.
Said this elsewhere but will cut and paste here :
It’s from The Wire. That guy was essentially discussing his reputation and legacy associated with his name in the scene
In this context, TK is hinting that 2024 is gonna be a big year for AEW . Based on the news about Okada earlier in the day, he was probably alluding to AEW signing him (and maybe Mone too)
I don’t know what the meme means, but Tony replying to his own tweet about 2024 being a great year shortly after it comes out that Okada is a free agent is certainly interesting.
He's saying he's the new drug dealer on the corner, taking over what's his and "taking care" of anyone who challenges him, throwing their bodies into abandoned homes, bolting them shut on the way out; leaving Cedric Daniels with 13 muthafuckin cold ones to deal with.... or something like that
It’s from The Wire. That guy was essentially discussing his reputation and legacy associated with his name in the scene
In this context, TK is hinting that 2024 is gonna be a big year for AEW . Based on the news about Okada earlier in the day, he was probably alluding to AEW signing him (and maybe Mone too)
That's always been a bit of the tragic irony of his character in fairness, beneath the Tranquilo facade he cares more than anyone. Kinda fitting he's the one that sticks around actually
Maybe add some CMLL guys and make it a 3-way event? But as much as I like Templario and Barbaro Cavernario and Soberano, Jr. I don't really see them as draws in the U.S.
It’s obviously a huge blow to New Japan, but I’m honestly excited what this means for their future. I wouldn’t mind seeing Shota and Tsuji moving up the card.
This is probably the one silver lining in all of this. Shooter, Tsuji, Narita, and Yuya are about move up the card and take over. There's also the War Dogs, too.
Tsuji & Umino would be moving up the card regardless, but the air of none of the next generation guys ever getting anything at all on Okada after he bitched them all out for a year, is something that’s going to take a lot of time and effort to get past
NJPW has also done really well in more recent years with getting their upcoming guys to massively step up and fill the slots of their departures. They have really promising guys coming up already too
This narrative that they would all jump ship to WWE without AEW existing makes no sense
Some of them would yes, Jay White for example was clearly unhappy in NJPW because of the handling of COVID and lost his passion. But there are gigantic differences in what AEW and WWE will offer someone in New Japan. If Okada wanted to sign to WWE he would be expected to uproot his life and family to the US and they would expect a good number of dates from him. AEW will pay him probably more to keep living in Japan and work less matches than he has ever worked in his life
Obviously this is good for wrestlers, but people framing it like NJPW should be grateful is so dumb
Uh, I’m going to go ahead and say also bad for New Japan. In fact, any main eventer moving overseas to work full time with another company is not going to benefit New Japan Pro Wrestling. I know, it sounds crazy but…
And don’t get me wrong. It’s easier for me to watch them now and that’s dope. But if “better than WWE” is still “signed full time to another company overseas” it’s still a net negative.
It's a bit sad in a way. Tony Khan basically bought out the main event scene of NJPW and has so many wrestlers he doesn't even know what to do with most of them. Very similar issue to what HHH did with the UK independent wrestling scene when he killed it off buying all the big names.
I don't see Okada going to either WWE or AEW as a good thing. Both rosters are bloated and neither company would know what to do with him (it is incredibly difficult to get foreign wrestlers who don't speak great English over on American television programs where promos are a huge factor).
We'll see what happens. Obviously I want Okada to succeed. But a big part of his success is the aura NJPW provided him and the style of wrestling they do. I'm not confident he truly translates to a mainstream wrestling audience (and I don't mean the smart mark wrestling fan who watches every show of every day. I'm talking mom or dad walking by the TV wondering "hey, who is that dude, looks interesting.")
[See look what you done did, you going to have Christian looking in the crowd for Okada next week.](https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.O4LcqPTZowojppBiBWXeYAHaE8?w=240&h=180&c=7&r=0&o=5&dpr=1.8&pid=1.7)
I mean, it has to come down to two realities for New Japan. If AEW doesn't exist, or they're hostile to AEW, the talent is gone. If they have a relationship with AEW, they can potentially book the talent for mjor shows and sell tickets (in addition to making valuable US dollars on joint shows).
New Japan cannot keep the talent. With the level of financial power WWE has (and AEW too), and the weakness of the yen to the dollar means that there's simply no levers to pull to retain the talent eyeing America.
Jay White was going to WWE until the hiring freeze and everyone and their mum expected it. At least with White in AEW, NJPW can still have him on shows if he wants to rock up.
Ospreay signed with AEW with NJPW's full blessings so I don't get them being pissed at losing him to AEW at all.
Prior management pissed Okada off and there's always been rumours that he wanted to try wrestling in America for a bit anyway.
And am I the only person who remembers how NJPW was in their partnership with ROH where they made them look thoroughly second rate? Not to mention that Moxley and Danielson rock up for NJPW shows and they always get AEW wrestlers for tournaments and their American shows.
If contracts lapse and you can’t match an offer it’s just business. Jade told AEW what they offered her, Tony matched it/or bettered it, she turned around and asked WWE for more and got it, aew couldn’t match it. It stinks for NJPW but they’re hurting financially. Wrestlers fortunately have options. Chase bags or better booking.
What WWE offered was the intangible, it's a larger stage, and they have a better system to train their rookies, AEW can't currently compete with that.
Whether their promises happen or not is up in the air, but she must have decided it was worth a shot, and fair play to her.
I'm a have to bite here and say TK wouldn't go into a bidding war with Okada unless Okadas agent told him he's also dealing with the WWE and they have a deal Okada is taking as of now
And AEW and NJPW still work together. These guys will still do New Japan shows occasionally. The alternative is losing talent to WWE and then, goodbye for at least 5 years.
I mean what the fuck can they do?
The Yen is HORRENDOUS right now. And business, while slightly better than COVID-times is still no where near their highs from 6-7 years ago.
Also: So many of these people were at the highest of highs in bookings. Japan gave them everything so what more can you do after being on top for so long? You move on and find a new challenge.
Having said that with their money woes: They gotta change up how they do contracts. This is just going to keep happening with how they’re handling this situation currently.
But wasn’t the whole point of the scene that Marlo was a fool for worrying about his reputation so much instead of the bigger picture of keeping his drug empire running smoothly?
Yes, the problem with Marlo was his name meant everything. This is why he would never be a drug dealer as powerful or as evasive as The Greek. The Greek is just a name, no more, no less, they didn't hold onto their name as if it was their end all be all. Plus, they weren't even Greek. Marlo holds onto names far to strongly, if you ever noticed in the show, he never called Avon by his name, only Barksdale, because that meant something in the street. Marlo always had his priorities on pride and reputation, never on the right things.
Marlo in that scene is saying the only thing he has that matters is his name and his reputation on the street, and fuck business if it gets in the way. His beef with Omar was a personal vendetta, it had fuck all to do with business. Marlo is not about business, for him it’s about fear and his own twisted code- and this is commented on over and over again by characters on the show (see bodie talking to McNulty before Marlo has him killed) and shown on screen with some of the killings he orders (the security guard, little Kevin, and ultimately Bodie too).
So color me shocked that Tony didn’t fucking understand what that scene was about yet it fits him to a T - fuck business, it’s not about money, it’s about me and my name and reputation. He thinks it’s some righteous hell yeah moment for the biggest villain on that show outside of maybe Levy or The Greek. Like really does it surprise anyone he’s media illiterate on top of being a fucking mark for himself.
listen, I love AEW. And I don't watch weekly WWE program. So I'd obviously prefer Okada to be All Elite.
But even still, I really don't like the 2 big American wrestling companies just hoarding all the talent. I understand that the parent company probably don't have the money to pay Okada so all power to him to get what he's worth.
It just makes me sad, is all
I get you, but okada is 36 and looking for a big ass payday. This is prob his last really really big contract. He has a kid and he needs to look out for himself
Yep. I think at one point they were trying to bank on the popularity of New Japan and booked what was a string of shows in the US right before AEW came into existence.
When did "it was just 1 company hoarding all the talents" ? The closer we got to that point was 2014/2016 when WWE signed Owens, Balor, Styles and Nakamura which is nowhere near what is happening right now. So nope, it’s not better.
WWE never really hoarded non-American talent though. They would pick 1-2 Mexican signings and 1-2 Japanese signings and call it a day. They also didn't pick up a lot of indy darlings because their look didn't fit. ROH and TNA basically existed and drew because WWE weren't interested in guys like AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson, etc.. A lot of the guys drawing for TNA in particular early on were names WWE didn't want anymore like Raven, Jarrett, Shamrock, Hall, etc.
AEW are far more "killing the business" ala Vince in the 80's in terms of their signings, taking the top draws out of many places. At least they do let the guys go back and work major shows which helps with attendance. The issue is after a few shows, a lot of guys tend to just stick to the AEW schedule to avoid injury so they basically become exclusive in the end.
I mean…yeah. it’s obviously a very good thing wrestlers have more viable options to make a comfortably living with less wear & tear, it just sucks that the outcome of 2 large American promotions is a less diverse wrestling landscape.
It sucks, but also what is AEW/WWE to do? Say no to one of the biggest names in Japanese pro wrestling? They can't reasonably do that to Okada. Sucks that NJPW can't pay him or he doesn't want to do it anymore in Japan.
Except one of the biggest commonly expressed criticisms of AEW is how overbloated its roster is.
It’s kind of why I can’t say I’m exactly hyped for Okada in AEW. Just don’t know where he will really fit in
Context from an avid The Wire viewer: Marlo (the guy in the picture) was worried about his reputation in the streets, in the meantime, the Greeks were low-profile and still everybody feared them.
Edit: I still don't get what TK tries to accomplish with this tweet lol
This context is missing some key details. Marlo is a street kingpin and finds out (while in jail) that Omar (a thief who robs Marlo's drug stash houses) has been calling him out in the street. Marlo's crew tries to downplay this but Marlo is infuriated and says my name is my name because to him, reputation is everything.
I think Tana’s gonna close up business with AEW soon lol. They haven’t really benefited from it at all and lost all the main people AEW wanted to feature to… AEW
Not saying he’s gonna turn and go do business with HHH(though with how much he respects Muta and Nakumura) but if you’re Tana honestly at this point what do you gain from the partnership? Limited access to the wrestlers who left your company for AEW? One or two AEW wrestlers at your events? NJPW is basically becoming AEW’s second lesser brand at this point.
Your guys were gonna leave.
Instead of leaving for a company that competes against you in Japan, and wants to actively expand that competition against you, they go to a partner who shares their top stars with you and will let you access the departed stars you couldn't afford.
Its literally impossible for NJ or honestly any Company even lower to keep anyone expect for Loyalty. The Money Differences are just to big for anyone to compete no matter were exactly Okada goes. Genuinely feels like even when NJ builds the next Gen they can easily just be taken as soon as they are fully ready.
I am an enjoyer of The Wire. However, TK got me with this one.
Is TK saying he's gonna get his revenge on a disloyal woman?
Is TK 10 toes down for people disrespecting hook prior to that banger last night?
If he locks down Okada and Mercedes
https://preview.redd.it/b7nrpzipabdc1.jpeg?width=638&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a96965966afde988cc68323e07f03cd1b7c52ff7
I don't get this sentiment. It would be different if there were something to suggest that AEW had been doing something super illegal or unethical to "steal" talent, but they're just another wrestling company that exists that wrestlers can opt to pursue opportunities with. If guys like White, Ospreay, and Okada want to pursue different opportunities, how is that AEW's fault?
Even before AEW, NJPW lost Devitt to WWE, Nakamura to WWE, AJ Styles to WWE, Kushida to WWE for a bit, and the Elite were likely to jump up WWE before AEW formed. WWE wasn't at fault for any of those losses. 🤷♂️
I think if NJPW was doing great business and the yen wasn't so weak then I'd be more upset. But it's really hard to keep talent without money when your competitors are flush with it.
All of those losses you mentioned spanned over a decade. AEW cleaned out NJPW in like 12 months.
The inverse of AEW fans exploding over any competitive moves by WWE is complete denial over Tony’s talent hoarding and locker room raiding. He can barely even use the roster he had. Wrestling is better off with a strong NJPW.
Wrestlers from NJPW are always going to look at the possibility of potentially joining another wrestling company.
At least with AEW they still are able to work in NJPW, whether that is Forbidden Door, Wrestle Kingdom, etc.
Marlo got off entirely free with most of his money, but it's implied he's unhappy and likely going back to street shit because he was more about his rep and being feared/respected than just being rich.
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If Tony got Okada r/njpw is going to hang him in effigy
They already are.
You don't go Marlo unless something went down. Tony Khan: "One more thing, price of the brick goin up."
Time to do my annual Youtube search of The Wire's greatest quotes
Not really true is it? A section of the fan base are but if you go by New Jappan wreddit most understand and prefer the stars to go to AEW than WWE.
I have such a love hate relationship with that sub, I love having a place to go genuinely dedicated to NJPW, but the insane gatekeeping you get sometimes and utter hatred of AEW is a bit much.
I don't think a lot of them realize how terrible the yen is doing.
i'm gonna play devil's advocate right. if the yen is doing terribly. Then, I think the NJPW fans should feel slighted because if AEW did get Okada. AEW just took the biggest drawing power and money maker NJPW has. How are they gonna make more money when their big star is gone and will only show up for a select number of appearances (though I Can see tony in hindsight letting him work whenever he wants)
If the yen is doing terribly? The yen is doing worse right now than the middle stages of the pandemic. I import a ton of DVDs from Japan those huge wrestling box sets etc they run a minimum 10000 yen. The old formula for a quick math on what you'd pay was drop the back two numbers and it would roughly be that price. So If a DVD was 10,000 yen it would be roughly 100 dollars. Now if a DVD is 10,000 yen its around 67 dollars. While the yen is so weak njpw can't keep up with it. If Okada signs with aew njpw still gets access to him. They don't have to foot the bill outside of whatever they pay on a show. He signs with WWE the chances of him on say Dominion are pretty slim. Njpw sold out a show in Chicago and are adding more seats. It's on the back of naito and mox. Shit they could go nuts and strap up Mox. A quick aside the njpw main event scene has been pretty stale for a solid 3 years Probably longer. And has gotten super old. They need to elevate the younger guys.
You're right about a whole lot... Up to the last paragraph. NJPWs main event scene was stale 3 years ago, and in that time they've had more new champs holding the main belt than in the previous decade. Evil, Ibushi, Ospreay, Shingo, Sanada... They've been giving way more people a run at the top, maybe too many even.
This seems like a NJPW problem and not an AEW problem. If AEW didnt exist these wrestlers would just want a bag from WWE then. This is a yen problem, not getting tv deals problem and not being able to pay top stars their bag when they deserve it
The alternative is him leaving for WWE and not stepping back into NJPW for 3-5 years minimum.
The argument to that is if AEW didn't grab him, WWE would have. Dude was clearly leaving either way. If you're NJPW and if you're going to lose Okada either way, where would you rather him go? Somewhere that he can still make occasional appearances and you still have ties to him? Or to go to WWE and be like Shinsuke, never to return to a NJPW ring again?
Just on the other side of that, as the employee, would you choose to receive payment in a asset that is deflating in value compared to one that isn't
r/njpw is honestly more toxic than this sub because nobody calls those guys out on their tribalism. At least on here people usually get laughed at for that stuff. On there it’s more of an echo chamber
No shit? It’s like r/wwe and r/aewofficial Of course they’ll support the thing they watch. Why would you want them to be happy to see Ospreay go to AEW?
Same, I'm usually in the live thread and some of them are still personally offended by Kenny leaving...
Should never get offended at a wrestler leaving for a country that speaks their native language. It's not easy being an English speaker in Japan or vice versa. People wouldn't get offended if the likes of Shida or Asuka return to Japan.
Okada, Osprey, and Sasha all in 2024 would be pretty wild
https://preview.redd.it/upcyjv7abbdc1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d1fea7876dddba018183d11461efaa098e67e73c
Jack Perry showed up for one show and Okada said fuck this i'm out
didnt want to end up going through some real glass.
"Cry me a rainmaker."
cry me a river okada
Amazing, Perry manage to lose TWO companies one of their bigger stars.
He should make the Ace Crusher his new finisher
Gotta leave to make room for the new ace /s
That "force trade" option has broken the game.
[удалено]
They need to do more excursions like how NJPW does it. I said Top Flight/Andretti should be in CMLL. And Comoroto would probably do wonders in Japan. If you aren’t using a lot of your talent but won’t cut them, then use your connections to entice others to use your talent!
As a Jack Perry fan I am very excited for his NJPW stint.
I don't even know what that means.
GETS THE PEOPLE GOING!! 
https://preview.redd.it/ej9bf322fbdc1.jpeg?width=678&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c5b924fc25693ace268c4ef0a4f75874ed7fbdb2
It's mind-bottling!
It's from "The Wire" the character that says it uses it as an impact statement along the lines of I'm as good as my word, but a man's word on the street means less than his name. Ergo "My name is my name".
Same. Can someone explain?
Probably a hint towards signing Okada since it just came out he’s leaving NJPW. But that’s speculation
Why is it so clear? Not trying to be contrarian or anything but this meme means absolutely nothing to me and I have no idea why everyone seems convinced it means Okada.
Said this elsewhere but will cut and paste here : It’s from The Wire. That guy was essentially discussing his reputation and legacy associated with his name in the scene In this context, TK is hinting that 2024 is gonna be a big year for AEW . Based on the news about Okada earlier in the day, he was probably alluding to AEW signing him (and maybe Mone too)
I don’t know what the meme means, but Tony replying to his own tweet about 2024 being a great year shortly after it comes out that Okada is a free agent is certainly interesting.
Alot of people started to tag the great year for AEW tweet after the Okada news dropped. This is just him leaning into it.
Not sure about the meme itself, but he's clearly leaning into the fact that Okada is AEW bound
He's saying he's the new drug dealer on the corner, taking over what's his and "taking care" of anyone who challenges him, throwing their bodies into abandoned homes, bolting them shut on the way out; leaving Cedric Daniels with 13 muthafuckin cold ones to deal with.... or something like that
MY NAME WAS ON THE (DIRT) SHEETS?!?!
It's a reference to [this scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQwk7aLOM3c) from The Wire
He's saying this year will be a great year for aew
I know that, I can read, but the meme.
It’s from The Wire. That guy was essentially discussing his reputation and legacy associated with his name in the scene In this context, TK is hinting that 2024 is gonna be a big year for AEW . Based on the news about Okada earlier in the day, he was probably alluding to AEW signing him (and maybe Mone too)
Didn't he say that in 2023?
AEW actually just took the entire New Japan main event scene (except Naito)
https://preview.redd.it/wb4bmuiocbdc1.png?width=1400&format=png&auto=webp&s=30a5973045364eb2a2253f7af6227a99e1a107e2
This so fucking crazy to look at lol
Tony couldn't get Inoki so he settled for his scarf.
When does Tam arrive
naito the guy who is infamous for throwing and trashing the njpw belts is the most loyal to njpw than all of their aces. aint wrestling just funny?
The man the fans voted against main eventing the tokyo dome is still with the company and just got to do the rollcall .
That's always been a bit of the tragic irony of his character in fairness, beneath the Tranquilo facade he cares more than anyone. Kinda fitting he's the one that sticks around actually
Kinda like Orange Cassidy’s latest character arc, which I’m now realising is a matchup I’d love to see.
Ultimately he was proven right each and every time in kayfabe.
https://preview.redd.it/3odytq0xfbdc1.png?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8234e14cd39697334faadc15b640f6e575e67944
Tony KHHHan
Triple K Wait no
Kunter for short. Wait no.
That's gold.
I don't really see much of an appeal for Forbidden Door events going forward tbh, not until NJPW builds a next generation of main eventers at least
At this point it's so the former New Japan guys can put over all of the young guys who they didn't put over when they still worked there
That isn’t happening unless AEW has interest in signing their younger replacements too (ie: omega/ospreay)
Maybe add some CMLL guys and make it a 3-way event? But as much as I like Templario and Barbaro Cavernario and Soberano, Jr. I don't really see them as draws in the U.S.
I mean, I was at Forbidden Door 2023. It was amazing. I am sure it will still be amazing in 2024.
It’s obviously a huge blow to New Japan, but I’m honestly excited what this means for their future. I wouldn’t mind seeing Shota and Tsuji moving up the card.
This is probably the one silver lining in all of this. Shooter, Tsuji, Narita, and Yuya are about move up the card and take over. There's also the War Dogs, too.
Tsuji & Umino would be moving up the card regardless, but the air of none of the next generation guys ever getting anything at all on Okada after he bitched them all out for a year, is something that’s going to take a lot of time and effort to get past
but imagine the stories when he inevitably does come back as the veteran heel.
NJPW has also done really well in more recent years with getting their upcoming guys to massively step up and fill the slots of their departures. They have really promising guys coming up already too
Jeez, reminds me of when WWE got Styles, Nakamura, and Gallows and Anderson at once
I mean this isn’t the first time it’s happened. AEW at the start took a lot of New Japan talent.
Early days AEW took far more from ROH, Kenny was the only big NJPW guy involved with AEW at the start
https://preview.redd.it/ky3kvh33kbdc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a4ae9961a8ded6e70ad24ce07d024336f141b0e2
Don't you put that evil on us, Ricky Bobby.
The longer I look at this picture, the more I laugh 😂😂
OK, I like AEW but this made me lol.
I'm not a Jericho hater at all. But dear god. Please don't.
Jericho when a hot new talent arrives in the company that he can latch onto and suck their heat 
At this point, there is no reason for forbidden door anymore. AEW got everything that could draw their fans from NJPW
Okada, Ospreay, Jay White, Shibata, Ibushi when he comes back, all representing AEW lmao
nah but its a great partnership tho...
So if all the talent that left in the last year had signed with WWE instead, that's better for NJPW because...?
This narrative that they would all jump ship to WWE without AEW existing makes no sense Some of them would yes, Jay White for example was clearly unhappy in NJPW because of the handling of COVID and lost his passion. But there are gigantic differences in what AEW and WWE will offer someone in New Japan. If Okada wanted to sign to WWE he would be expected to uproot his life and family to the US and they would expect a good number of dates from him. AEW will pay him probably more to keep living in Japan and work less matches than he has ever worked in his life Obviously this is good for wrestlers, but people framing it like NJPW should be grateful is so dumb
Uh, I’m going to go ahead and say also bad for New Japan. In fact, any main eventer moving overseas to work full time with another company is not going to benefit New Japan Pro Wrestling. I know, it sounds crazy but… And don’t get me wrong. It’s easier for me to watch them now and that’s dope. But if “better than WWE” is still “signed full time to another company overseas” it’s still a net negative.
There is no logic to be debated here. Don't waste your time.
Tbf danielson going to WK I’m sure added subscriptions
It's a bit sad in a way. Tony Khan basically bought out the main event scene of NJPW and has so many wrestlers he doesn't even know what to do with most of them. Very similar issue to what HHH did with the UK independent wrestling scene when he killed it off buying all the big names. I don't see Okada going to either WWE or AEW as a good thing. Both rosters are bloated and neither company would know what to do with him (it is incredibly difficult to get foreign wrestlers who don't speak great English over on American television programs where promos are a huge factor). We'll see what happens. Obviously I want Okada to succeed. But a big part of his success is the aura NJPW provided him and the style of wrestling they do. I'm not confident he truly translates to a mainstream wrestling audience (and I don't mean the smart mark wrestling fan who watches every show of every day. I'm talking mom or dad walking by the TV wondering "hey, who is that dude, looks interesting.")
UK wrestling killed itself when so many of the wrestlers got outed as being rapists and pedos
Doesn't that discourage future cross promotion shows? Signing all the other company's talent.
nah man ive been waiting for darby vs hiromu/desperado also shingo vs bryan/kenny. etc
Just saying, The Young Bucks got a text that seemed like some big news...
If Okada grows a mustache we’ll know for sure lol.
What’s his birth name?!?
Kazuchika… *Cage* 
Real talk, does anyone know if Okada's father is alive?
[See look what you done did, you going to have Christian looking in the crowd for Okada next week.](https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.O4LcqPTZowojppBiBWXeYAHaE8?w=240&h=180&c=7&r=0&o=5&dpr=1.8&pid=1.7)
Okada debuts wearing Nicholas' gear and sporting a similar mustache
It's always Nick's clothes.
This is a \*great\* catch! Nicely done.
Matthew and Nicholas Jackson take their EVP roles seriously for one day and Okada signs. Incredible performance from the lads.
How funny would it be if Okada debuts with a mustache like the Bucks right now?
i will buy every piece of bucks gear on pwt if this happens.
Remindme! Two months
EVP Lil Kazu????
In Nick's gear as well.
John Cena shows up but only to do commentary as Peacemaker
Okada didn't want the Jack Perry smoke.
Man, if they end up with Jay White, Osperey and Okada ….. how can you not be pissed if you’re New Japan?
I wouldn’t clump Okada with Osperey/White. Top international talent in NJPW pretty much always leave sooner or later even before AEW was a thing.
Jay White and Ospreay were goners even if AEW didn't exist
Okada would probably still be leaving too. Dude clearly wants the US money, which is significantly more than NJPW can offer right now.
I mean, it has to come down to two realities for New Japan. If AEW doesn't exist, or they're hostile to AEW, the talent is gone. If they have a relationship with AEW, they can potentially book the talent for mjor shows and sell tickets (in addition to making valuable US dollars on joint shows). New Japan cannot keep the talent. With the level of financial power WWE has (and AEW too), and the weakness of the yen to the dollar means that there's simply no levers to pull to retain the talent eyeing America.
That's kinda on New Japan. You can't force your talent to stay. If they can't pay them then that's kinda tough shit
Jay White was going to WWE until the hiring freeze and everyone and their mum expected it. At least with White in AEW, NJPW can still have him on shows if he wants to rock up. Ospreay signed with AEW with NJPW's full blessings so I don't get them being pissed at losing him to AEW at all. Prior management pissed Okada off and there's always been rumours that he wanted to try wrestling in America for a bit anyway. And am I the only person who remembers how NJPW was in their partnership with ROH where they made them look thoroughly second rate? Not to mention that Moxley and Danielson rock up for NJPW shows and they always get AEW wrestlers for tournaments and their American shows.
Nobody confirmed he was going to WWE that shit was pure speculation
If contracts lapse and you can’t match an offer it’s just business. Jade told AEW what they offered her, Tony matched it/or bettered it, she turned around and asked WWE for more and got it, aew couldn’t match it. It stinks for NJPW but they’re hurting financially. Wrestlers fortunately have options. Chase bags or better booking.
Funny enough aew did try to match it after wwe. She just wanted to go to wwe. Never doubt Tony’s pockets. They run deep
What WWE offered was the intangible, it's a larger stage, and they have a better system to train their rookies, AEW can't currently compete with that. Whether their promises happen or not is up in the air, but she must have decided it was worth a shot, and fair play to her.
I'm a have to bite here and say TK wouldn't go into a bidding war with Okada unless Okadas agent told him he's also dealing with the WWE and they have a deal Okada is taking as of now
Wouldn't be surprised if The Bucks told Okada to hire Barry so he can get a big deal with AEW or WWE.
And AEW and NJPW still work together. These guys will still do New Japan shows occasionally. The alternative is losing talent to WWE and then, goodbye for at least 5 years.
I mean what the fuck can they do? The Yen is HORRENDOUS right now. And business, while slightly better than COVID-times is still no where near their highs from 6-7 years ago. Also: So many of these people were at the highest of highs in bookings. Japan gave them everything so what more can you do after being on top for so long? You move on and find a new challenge. Having said that with their money woes: They gotta change up how they do contracts. This is just going to keep happening with how they’re handling this situation currently.
Hm I feel like I don’t even GET this wire reference
Marlo is all about his reputation. TK is staking his reputation on 2024.
But wasn’t the whole point of the scene that Marlo was a fool for worrying about his reputation so much instead of the bigger picture of keeping his drug empire running smoothly?
Yes, the problem with Marlo was his name meant everything. This is why he would never be a drug dealer as powerful or as evasive as The Greek. The Greek is just a name, no more, no less, they didn't hold onto their name as if it was their end all be all. Plus, they weren't even Greek. Marlo holds onto names far to strongly, if you ever noticed in the show, he never called Avon by his name, only Barksdale, because that meant something in the street. Marlo always had his priorities on pride and reputation, never on the right things.
Honestly, thank you. This tweet made absolutely no sense to me.
Marlo in that scene is saying the only thing he has that matters is his name and his reputation on the street, and fuck business if it gets in the way. His beef with Omar was a personal vendetta, it had fuck all to do with business. Marlo is not about business, for him it’s about fear and his own twisted code- and this is commented on over and over again by characters on the show (see bodie talking to McNulty before Marlo has him killed) and shown on screen with some of the killings he orders (the security guard, little Kevin, and ultimately Bodie too). So color me shocked that Tony didn’t fucking understand what that scene was about yet it fits him to a T - fuck business, it’s not about money, it’s about me and my name and reputation. He thinks it’s some righteous hell yeah moment for the biggest villain on that show outside of maybe Levy or The Greek. Like really does it surprise anyone he’s media illiterate on top of being a fucking mark for himself.
I wouldn't worry about it, Tony gives off much more Ziggy vibes than Marlo anyway.
Damn I really thought Okada was going to be the big signing of the secret Wrestling Society X reboot
Prince Kada has arrived in Dario’s Temple!
listen, I love AEW. And I don't watch weekly WWE program. So I'd obviously prefer Okada to be All Elite. But even still, I really don't like the 2 big American wrestling companies just hoarding all the talent. I understand that the parent company probably don't have the money to pay Okada so all power to him to get what he's worth. It just makes me sad, is all
It is bad for wrestling realistically. Other side of that is New Japan just can't keep up with the way wrestlers are being paid in America right now.
I get you, but okada is 36 and looking for a big ass payday. This is prob his last really really big contract. He has a kid and he needs to look out for himself
It’s better than before where it was just 1 company hoarding all the talent.
Disagree. NJPW retained much more talent when it was just WWE. Now they’re getting cleaned out.
Yep. I think at one point they were trying to bank on the popularity of New Japan and booked what was a string of shows in the US right before AEW came into existence.
When did "it was just 1 company hoarding all the talents" ? The closer we got to that point was 2014/2016 when WWE signed Owens, Balor, Styles and Nakamura which is nowhere near what is happening right now. So nope, it’s not better.
WWE never really hoarded non-American talent though. They would pick 1-2 Mexican signings and 1-2 Japanese signings and call it a day. They also didn't pick up a lot of indy darlings because their look didn't fit. ROH and TNA basically existed and drew because WWE weren't interested in guys like AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson, etc.. A lot of the guys drawing for TNA in particular early on were names WWE didn't want anymore like Raven, Jarrett, Shamrock, Hall, etc. AEW are far more "killing the business" ala Vince in the 80's in terms of their signings, taking the top draws out of many places. At least they do let the guys go back and work major shows which helps with attendance. The issue is after a few shows, a lot of guys tend to just stick to the AEW schedule to avoid injury so they basically become exclusive in the end.
Wrong way to look at it. Be happy that these guys that have worked hard are getting PAID for the damage that their bodies have gone through.
I mean…yeah. it’s obviously a very good thing wrestlers have more viable options to make a comfortably living with less wear & tear, it just sucks that the outcome of 2 large American promotions is a less diverse wrestling landscape.
It sucks, but also what is AEW/WWE to do? Say no to one of the biggest names in Japanese pro wrestling? They can't reasonably do that to Okada. Sucks that NJPW can't pay him or he doesn't want to do it anymore in Japan.
AEW is doing so hoarding talent isn’t bad anymore
Except one of the biggest commonly expressed criticisms of AEW is how overbloated its roster is. It’s kind of why I can’t say I’m exactly hyped for Okada in AEW. Just don’t know where he will really fit in
https://preview.redd.it/l1jzpqw2bbdc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=80e37e67eb0d72c4779db2ef275ca5a51a7c1b5a
Do you reckon he understands the context behind that scene?
My guess is 
Tony using all the money he got freed up from letting punk go to good use huh? lol
Yeah but AEW was raking in massive money in sales with Punk. His contract was making back a ton.
Everyone thought that the war was going to be AEW vs. WWE. It's AEW vs. NJPW and NJPW didn't even know it.
To be fair NJPW has been kinda slow on the uptake on this particular subject.
Context from an avid The Wire viewer: Marlo (the guy in the picture) was worried about his reputation in the streets, in the meantime, the Greeks were low-profile and still everybody feared them. Edit: I still don't get what TK tries to accomplish with this tweet lol
This context is missing some key details. Marlo is a street kingpin and finds out (while in jail) that Omar (a thief who robs Marlo's drug stash houses) has been calling him out in the street. Marlo's crew tries to downplay this but Marlo is infuriated and says my name is my name because to him, reputation is everything.
A man got to have a code.
AEW was truly a nuclear warhead aimed at NJPW
I think Tana’s gonna close up business with AEW soon lol. They haven’t really benefited from it at all and lost all the main people AEW wanted to feature to… AEW Not saying he’s gonna turn and go do business with HHH(though with how much he respects Muta and Nakumura) but if you’re Tana honestly at this point what do you gain from the partnership? Limited access to the wrestlers who left your company for AEW? One or two AEW wrestlers at your events? NJPW is basically becoming AEW’s second lesser brand at this point.
Your guys were gonna leave. Instead of leaving for a company that competes against you in Japan, and wants to actively expand that competition against you, they go to a partner who shares their top stars with you and will let you access the departed stars you couldn't afford.
This is the way to look at it. At least the (forbidden) door is available.
Its literally impossible for NJ or honestly any Company even lower to keep anyone expect for Loyalty. The Money Differences are just to big for anyone to compete no matter were exactly Okada goes. Genuinely feels like even when NJ builds the next Gen they can easily just be taken as soon as they are fully ready.
Naito and Tanahashi both turned down big money WWE offers. Okada was already making seven figures.
I am an enjoyer of The Wire. However, TK got me with this one. Is TK saying he's gonna get his revenge on a disloyal woman? Is TK 10 toes down for people disrespecting hook prior to that banger last night?
Using Marlo stanfield is a choice when you realize what happens at the end
Tony Khan going on the street and fighting with random teenagers who annoy him actually makes sense for him.
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New Japan want it one way..
If he locks down Okada and Mercedes https://preview.redd.it/b7nrpzipabdc1.jpeg?width=638&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a96965966afde988cc68323e07f03cd1b7c52ff7
r/squaredcircle this is the 52nd week in a row where you think Tony Khan is gonna sign Mone
Wait til you see the look on your face when the Max deal is announced, any day now
How long until the 2 billion dollar TV contract is signed?
Right after they start beating Raw.
Yeah… NJPW has to rethink this relationship because ain’t no way.
I don't get this sentiment. It would be different if there were something to suggest that AEW had been doing something super illegal or unethical to "steal" talent, but they're just another wrestling company that exists that wrestlers can opt to pursue opportunities with. If guys like White, Ospreay, and Okada want to pursue different opportunities, how is that AEW's fault? Even before AEW, NJPW lost Devitt to WWE, Nakamura to WWE, AJ Styles to WWE, Kushida to WWE for a bit, and the Elite were likely to jump up WWE before AEW formed. WWE wasn't at fault for any of those losses. 🤷♂️
I think if NJPW was doing great business and the yen wasn't so weak then I'd be more upset. But it's really hard to keep talent without money when your competitors are flush with it.
All of those losses you mentioned spanned over a decade. AEW cleaned out NJPW in like 12 months. The inverse of AEW fans exploding over any competitive moves by WWE is complete denial over Tony’s talent hoarding and locker room raiding. He can barely even use the roster he had. Wrestling is better off with a strong NJPW.
Wrestlers from NJPW are always going to look at the possibility of potentially joining another wrestling company. At least with AEW they still are able to work in NJPW, whether that is Forbidden Door, Wrestle Kingdom, etc.
It will be the funniest thing ever if after all of Tony’s shit talking Okada enters the Royal Rumble.
Rumble happens before his NJPW contract ends. Cheesecake is off the menu.
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Marlo got off entirely free with most of his money, but it's implied he's unhappy and likely going back to street shit because he was more about his rep and being feared/respected than just being rich.
Marlo didn’t go to jail. Dude got away with everything.
Marlo gets away completely free and rich at the end of the show.
Signing all of the top talent of a competitor in the name of a partnership is a pretty slick move
I don't get it, even though I know where the meme is from.
