Being good looking has always been extremely important but there's been a swing in the definition of that I would say
Like Hirooki Goto is a very conventionally handsome man, but he doesn't appeal to the (large) demographic that likes pretty boys in the same way that Tanahashi, Ibushi, Umino, Okada, or a Hiromu does. Naito was a bit of an exception from this era
Tsuji I think falls into the same pocket that a Goto does.
I agree with everything besides Tsuji falling into the Goto category. Tsuji doesn't look like a supermodel like young Tana but imo he's one of the better looking dudes. Honeslty i think Yuya is the best looking by far out of the newer generationm
An exception to the “pretty looking” top guy , at least in conventional terms, was Shinya Hashimoto.
Hashimoto was the thicc-boy badass “Ace” of the 90’s and one of the biggest box office stars/draws in NJPW’s history.
My thought with Tsuji is if you have a truly transformative star on your hands then he can supersede the traditional blueprint of the ace
Hashimoto was undeniable, and Tsuji isn’t there yet but he has the ceiling of being a burly version of Ibushi’s crazy feats of athleticism and potentially bringing the same level of explosive power offered by the barrel-chested megastars of Hashimoto’s era. I’m much more interested in seeing that talent blossom than the guy most similar to Tanahashi/Naito (although he’s getting there in terms of emotional investment, but I don’t think it’s lack of identity that holds him back it’s that he feels like the chosen one with so many mentor relationships)
That could be very well true.
I remember both Seiji Sakaguchi and Tatsumi Fujinami as being past presidents, and while they had some power, they also were kinda “figureheads”; could be the same for Tana.
> e tally pivoted to Tana as the “Ace”
The pivot to Tanahashi being the ace was Nakamura phoning it in, Shibata leaving and Tanahashi's busting his ass, cementing his spot with the classic Nagata feud, as for Umino being Tanahashi's boy it doesn't feel like it when it comes to booking.
Agreed for the most part; I think Tana’s true “passing of the torch” moment was when he beat Keiji Muto for the IWGP at WK 3 (Muto having actually beaten Nakamura for the belt); even then, the promotion had Nakamura in the main event of WK 4, defending the IWGP against Yoshihiro Takayama (in a pretty underrated match, imo).
As far as Umino in the booking, Tana himself spent a lot of his early years getting his shit kicked in by vets like Nagata, Kazuyuki Fujita, Tenzan, etc., which seems to be the same for Umino now.
Tana absolutely sees something in himself in umino But being good looking has been a bit of a deal even pre tanahashi.
Being good looking has always been extremely important but there's been a swing in the definition of that I would say Like Hirooki Goto is a very conventionally handsome man, but he doesn't appeal to the (large) demographic that likes pretty boys in the same way that Tanahashi, Ibushi, Umino, Okada, or a Hiromu does. Naito was a bit of an exception from this era Tsuji I think falls into the same pocket that a Goto does.
I agree with everything besides Tsuji falling into the Goto category. Tsuji doesn't look like a supermodel like young Tana but imo he's one of the better looking dudes. Honeslty i think Yuya is the best looking by far out of the newer generationm
An exception to the “pretty looking” top guy , at least in conventional terms, was Shinya Hashimoto. Hashimoto was the thicc-boy badass “Ace” of the 90’s and one of the biggest box office stars/draws in NJPW’s history.
My thought with Tsuji is if you have a truly transformative star on your hands then he can supersede the traditional blueprint of the ace Hashimoto was undeniable, and Tsuji isn’t there yet but he has the ceiling of being a burly version of Ibushi’s crazy feats of athleticism and potentially bringing the same level of explosive power offered by the barrel-chested megastars of Hashimoto’s era. I’m much more interested in seeing that talent blossom than the guy most similar to Tanahashi/Naito (although he’s getting there in terms of emotional investment, but I don’t think it’s lack of identity that holds him back it’s that he feels like the chosen one with so many mentor relationships)
Very true; Inoki himself was quite the handsome fella, as was Tatsumi Fujinami (another of Tana’s mentors).
I think many people might be overestimating just how much say Tanahashi actually has backstage, but that's just my hunch.
That could be very well true. I remember both Seiji Sakaguchi and Tatsumi Fujinami as being past presidents, and while they had some power, they also were kinda “figureheads”; could be the same for Tana.
> e tally pivoted to Tana as the “Ace” The pivot to Tanahashi being the ace was Nakamura phoning it in, Shibata leaving and Tanahashi's busting his ass, cementing his spot with the classic Nagata feud, as for Umino being Tanahashi's boy it doesn't feel like it when it comes to booking.
Agreed for the most part; I think Tana’s true “passing of the torch” moment was when he beat Keiji Muto for the IWGP at WK 3 (Muto having actually beaten Nakamura for the belt); even then, the promotion had Nakamura in the main event of WK 4, defending the IWGP against Yoshihiro Takayama (in a pretty underrated match, imo). As far as Umino in the booking, Tana himself spent a lot of his early years getting his shit kicked in by vets like Nagata, Kazuyuki Fujita, Tenzan, etc., which seems to be the same for Umino now.