BWOTW Special: New Japan's US Expansion

Hey there readers! Why don't you make yourselves comfortable and settle in snugly as we have a talk about New Japan Pro Wrestling's US expansion in this 'BWOTW Special'

The Build

First, lets discuss what we know. It was at this past year's WrestleKingdom we got the announcement that New Japan would be running two shows in Long Beach, California, titled the 'G1 Special'. These shows are slated to act as a prelude to this summer's G1 Climax tournament, taking place on July 1st and 2nd. Tickets went up the day before WrestleMania, quickly selling out - as did the additional seats added in May.

Then, at this past weekend's War of the Worlds show with Ring of Honour, it was announced that not only would we get defences of the IWGP Intercontinental and Heavyweight Championships, but we would see a tournament take place over the two dates to crown the inaugural IWGP United States Championship.

So, those are the Stone Cold Steve Austin facts. These are far from comprehensive in what New Japan is planning for the future, but from that, there's a few talking points I've queued up. I do not claim to be an expert on New Japan, but I feel I am competent enough to address such things. Nevertheless, if it does sound like I'm chatting shit at any point, let me know and we can settle this like men over the internet. Here goes...

The Possible WWE Conflict

I didn't know how else to represent this

On an international scale, it is safe to say that the US is WWE's territory, touring all over the nation year round. Domestically, the closest competition WWE has are TNA and ROH, which are quite far from being able to run head-to-head with the 'E. Could New Japan's venture into the US give Vince McMahon something to worry about?

Whilst NJPW's presence in the US would certainly be felt, in regards to having them compete with each other, they are two different beasts in how they produce their product with some stark contrasts. WWE produces upwards of 7 hours of content a week, branching across their television deals and the WWE Network. They also tour constantly throughout the year, all over the world, without much a break. New Japan also has quite a dense touring schedule, but with times of rest here and there. As far as I'm aware, their television shows tend to be highlights and such, rather than a live broadcast. Currently in North America, New Japan has an hour slot on AXS TV. They also have their own streaming network, New Japan World, priced at 999 Yen, more or less the equivalent to WWE Network's $9.99 cost.

I highly doubt that New Japan are going to change their product to compete with WWE a la the Monday Night Wars. Their current state of business has made them as successful as they already are, so why change things up? Don't fix what isn't broken and all that jazz. It would alter with New Japan's style of storytelling, with press conferences and 'Road to...' shows building up to future matches. However, I wouldn't be surprised if they cut a deal with another network or AXS TV to produce a similar show to what they already have for this US expansion.

We also have no idea what they are thinking for house shows, wheher they will be similar to that of their Japanese schedule. WWE's house shows continue to pull in a more casual audience, which helps boost numbers, keeping them more or less profitable at this point in time. New Japan do have an established fanbase in the USA, though I would doubt it being the size of WWE's following. Yes, more devoted and hardcore wrestling fans will be knowing and keep up with New Japan and be willing to attend their shows, evidently as their G1 Special shows are sold out already. But, a fanbase the size of WWE would have to be cultivated, possibly making early touring a difficulty. 

Whilst that side of things is up in the air with a fair bit of speculation, there is one aspect that I feel might be a predictable outcome; talent. There are two ways to look at this; wrestlers signing with NJPW over WWE, and wrestlers jumping from WWE to New Japan. We have seen such occurrences already, with the likes of Juice Robinson (FKA CJ Parker) and Cody Rhodes moving across and finding success, as well as reports of wrestlers having received offers from both and heading to Japan.

New Japan opening up more opportunities is sure to attract those on the US indies away from WWE, and even appeal to those in WWE who feel they could do much better elsewhere or want a change. In a recent interview with Daniel Bryan, he expressed the possibility of returning to wrestling away from WWE once his contract expires. Could New Japan US be in the cards?

Although we may not be seeing any direct clashes of competition, we may well be seeing a sort of wrestling cold war. There are signs of a battle already, with the tickets for the G1 Special going up the day before 'Mania, likely resentment from WWE's acquisitions of early 2016 (AJ, Nakamura, Gallows & Anderson), WWE's tours of Japan and expansion into the Asian market, and I'm sure I remember some not so subtle comments by NJPW officials about being better than the 'E.

It would be foolish to assume WWE isn't taking notes on this, with their ever watchful eye on the wrestling world more open and all-seeing than ever. If the rumours are that WWE pushed for a UK division in reaction of World of Sport of all things, then surely they must be talking about New Japan's arrival on their turf. 

I'm not expecting another RAW/Nitro clash going on, but I expect some sort of proxy war on the indies, with WWE-aligned wrestlers being pitted against New Japan signed stars (already seen with The Elite versus British Strong Style). But, never say never.

The ROH Partnership

Since 2014, New Japan Pro Wrestling has had a partnership with Ring of Honour. In this, the two companies have hosted each other in their respective countries with the annual War of the Worlds tours, Honour Rising shows in Karouken Hall and the ROH World Championship being defended at WrestleKingdom the past couple years. Talent exchanges and sharing is also a part of this, notably with The Bullet Club branching between the two organisations, the participation of ROH stars in New Japan tournaments (Best of Super Juniors and World Tag League), and the occasional NJPW wrestler popping up on ROH TV. 

So, what will happen with this partnership in the future? At present, things seem like they will continue to be healthy and amicable. As said, the announcements on the IWGP US Title were made at Ring of Honour's last pay-per-view. Jay Lethal, coined as the franchise of ROH, is taking part in the tournament, and it appears Hangman Page will be as well. The G1 Special takes place in California, whilst ROH primarily operates in the east, Las Vegas being their only western frequent locale. 

I can see there being some possible tension arising on the possibility of wrestlers having to decide between signing with ROH or New Japan. Though, due to the partnerships, there is always the possibility of appearing for both. With Lethal already confirmed, I'd imagine that more ROH wrestlers will be taking part in the tournament, and appearing on any future shows that may be booked. 

I've seen comments online saying that NJPW could potentially end their ROH connection in their pursuits in the American market. I don't think this will happen. I can see why some might think that as the partnership is already favouring of the NJPW side; their guys being booked strong on ROH shows and more talent being sent to NJPW than to ROH outside of joint shows. However, 'The New IWGP Conception' has brought increased New Japan's global influence, aligning them with CMLL, Global Force Wrestling (or whatever's left), RevPro, wXw, the NWA as well as ROH. Looking at the NWA and GFW, those partnerships are surely less valuable than their ROH ties, so if anything, they would be cut instead. It's not like ROH would inhibit their progress into the US market, so I don't see any reason to end the partnership. Plus, as far as I'm aware, Japanese culture is pretty big on loyalty, so there's another factor that would play into a continued alliance.

What would they have to gain from ending the ROH deal? The talent trade, joint shows and advertisement is plenty enough incentive to keep it going I would have thought. But, I'm not a business man, so what do I know?

The Championship

Initially, I didn't think this title looked good. All the stars and stripes, the red leather, the mix of silver and gold on the face plate, it did put me off. But, as I look at more pictures of this title, I am beginning to warm up to it. This discussion point is a less political than the previous two, rather, a look at the logistics of the belt and talking about what would be more beneficial. 

We've got another month and a half before the G1 Special, and in that time I would imagine that we will be seeing the tournament brackets be filled. It will be interesting to see the composition of competitors, with the possible make up featuring currently active roster members, ROH talent and new signees. 

One thing I am curious about is whether the title will only be open to American wrestlers, akin to WWE's United Kingdom Championship, or whether it is just people who will be featured in the probable US division (such as Canadians, British and even some Japanese wrestlers). I think the former would be a better option, with there being a talent pool on the independents that would thrive if signed. Plus, it gives the belt a bit of a niche and a special feel to it in relation to the rest of New Japan's collection of gold.

Another thing that I find interesting to consider is whether it will be an openweight championship, with both heavyweights and juniors being eligible to contend for it. The belt's name doesn't have a weight class assigned to it. The only other belt in New Japan to share this trait is the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, though this has only ever been held once by a junior (La Sombra AKA Andrade 'Cien' Almas which I'm not sure I believe because that dude is built!). Even the NEVER Openweight Championship has only had one junior champion in Yujro Takahashi. This can be explained by NJPW's tendency to regard juniors as lesser than their heavier counterparts, with heavyweights tending to be regarded as the biggest stars of the company. I think it's going to be an open belt, though if not, could we be seeing a belt for American juniors in the future?

Also, there has been some talking about whether this belt will only be defended on American soil, or perhaps being fought for all over the place. Again, comparing it to WWE's United Kingdom Championship, that has been defended in the US despite it's British requirement for contenders on NXT, PROGRESS's Orlando show, and the upcoming TakeOver: Chicago. Though I would imagine that title defences will mainly be staged in the US, it is plausible that the belt will be seen on the line in Japan at WrestleKingdom, and possibly one or two of the other big pay-per-views. 



That just about does it from me on the matter, but what do you think? Let me know on what you think is in store for New Japan's venture into America, and what will happen with the IWGP US Championship. Thank you for joining me in this 'BWOTW Special', if you think there's something else that warrants such a thoughtpiece, do tell. Until the next one, be good to each other and take care!