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Vince McMahon might have been the man credited with bringing wrestling to mainstream media. A series of scripted performances on stage and television to woo the audience followed by beautifully written storylines. Vince McMahon still rules the Wrestling Entertainment with the kind of revenue and sales that WWE manages to profit. The merchandise sales and those who have grown up with the names of John Cena and The Rock are still glued to their television every Monday and Tuesday. No wonder, that WWE Network hasn't done that bad either.
The history of WWE dates back to 1950s. Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt, credited for the foundation of Capitol Wrestling Corporation, (CWC) which later went a series of changes in the name to now being called, World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE, has had so many issues during it's run. But it always found a way to get out of everything an pave its way into the audience's heart. But not lately.
WWE, in recent times, hasn't had the same interest that it used to have half a decade ago. While today's wrestling cannot be compared to the Attitude Era where blood was common and chair and tables were not limited to pay-per-views alone, WWE's step to jump into PG era has been the worst decision for the company. And as WWE suffers to bring back the momentum again, other Wrestling Kingdoms are taking their chances, and some of them are excelling at it.
A company which has come out as a great adversary to WWE is a small wrestling entertainment company which has over the years transformed to become, one of the best in the wrestling industry, NJPW.
New Japan Pro Wrestling is a wrestling corporation headed under the name NJPW with its headquarters based in Nakano, Tokyo. The largest professional wrestling promotion in Japan and second largest in the world is on its way to much greater heights. NJPW has over the years gained a massive fan following to its name owing to its hardcore wrestling and intense action sequences.
Here we look at top 5 reasons why NJPW might just overcome WWE in coming years.
The Cruiserweight Division
WWE has always struggled with its cruiserweight division in recent times. The WWE 205 Live has hardly had any followers and the disdain lies in the poor booking of cruiserweight wrestlers by the WWE. They are never really backed with a good storyline and the creative team of WWE has hardly paid any attention to the high-flyers. While the start of WWE 205 Live was seen as a turning point for the cruiserweight division of WWE, it has hardly had any impact on the weight division. Matter of fact, it has only made it worse. The poor bookings and the time slot adjusted for the show are both but a work of lousy creator head, in this case, Triple H himself.
NJPW, on the other hand, has done justice to their high-flyers. It's no wonder, Will Osprey vs Ricochet is still one of the most talked about fight in the wrestling arena. With wrestlers like Finn Bálor (currently signed to WWE), Jushin Thunder Liger, Kota Ibushi, Will Osprey, Ricochet, NJPW has given a meaningful position to its cruiserweight division. Something WWE has failed miserably.
Main Event Rivalries
WWE has had another problem in recent times and that is the fight that happens during the main events. Remember Matt Hardy going personal with Edge and taking it to his last breath, or the Shaun Michaels and The Undertaker rivalry which lasted Shaun Michael's days. The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin's verbal spat that ultimately led to a breathtaking fight or the Triple H and Brock Lesner feud which lasted more than 6 months.
Those days are gone for WWE. There is so less happening with rivalries that opponents keep changing and it has become all about putting two contemporaries opposite each other. The recent feud between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura might be holding on for a while, but poor finishes have made fan's weep in hopelessness.
NJPW, on the other hand, has always proved with their main events that rivalries last more than two or three events. The NJPW rivalry between Okada and Tanahashi has lasted almost a year now and people still aren't bored of it, courtesy, great fighting sequences between the two, in-ring. How long did the John Cena and Roman Reigns feud last after the personal war which created vintage of emotions in the fans? That is just one example of how blatant WWE rivalries have become.
Faction
The Legacy, D- Generation X, The Nexus, Straight Edge Society, Evolution are all examples of some of the best factions that WWE had during its course of the run. It's not about Attitude Era and blaming that Attitude Era has well-surpassed anything that WWE can ever achieve today is but a baseless excuse.
The Shield was a very good attempt at a faction which fought for justice and has done well to each of its members. Preferably more to Roman Reigns but it's okay. The Shield never leaves a chance to come to help its teammates and that is what is best about them. But that was 5 years ago, though it still makes sense, WWE has struggled to come up with another faction as good as this. The Wyatt Family disappeared into something very lousy, and while it did manage to stir some emotions, it never lived up to its expectations. And in later years, only got boring.
Ever heard of Bullet Club, Chaos, The Roads Warrior, Suzuki Gun - That's what NJPW does best. They make that extra effort to think different and do differently. Probably every wrestler in NJPW belongs to some faction, and this is not about crafting a mimic and being bonded by blood and family, but just like-minded people coming together. It works for them, and in so many ways has garnered more following than WWE. Remember AJ Styles and Finn Balor doing the "Too Sweet."
Finisher
WWE has always relied on one finisher, and while that has given its formidable standard to the last move, in the recent times, it has not worked with WWE. John Cena has to do AA twice, maybe thrice or from over the top to get a pinfall while Randy Orton has to either rely on RKO's out of the very grim situations or from over the ropes in reversal to some other move.
Time and again, WWE has negated the idea of having more than one finisher or the pure class the NJPW brings with multiple moves to make the next wrestler exhausted so that pinfall becomes easy. It is more realistic and adds intense action in the match.
Look at Dominion 2018 and compare it with the last few pay-per-views of WWE. NJPW's finishes to fights are more thrilling, and the anticipation in fall counts for the fan's shock and amusement. Something, which was last seen years ago. Something which AJ Styles and John Cena clash attained and nobody has ever since.
Wrestling at it's best
NJPW does justice with the word wrestling and it's not all about dialogues and personal banter shared. While that does play an important role, NJPW has gone way beyond the guideline that WWE has followed since it's inception. There should not be blood always to showcase a thrilling portrayal of bodies clashing in and outside the ring. And NJPW does just that. It's less drama and more fighting. Less verbal exchanges and more moves. The storyline is always in order and the intriguing faction adds to the liveability of the match.
Dominion 2018 was able to do just that, while WWE's pay-per-views of the last six months have been nothing but boring. The low blow of Shinsuke Nakamura is outrageously foolish, Great Khali appearing to save the match is anything but senseless. There are only a few wrestlers in the WWE today who can sell the move to the best of its impact. Dolph Ziggler, AJ Styles have proved how a clothesline from the opponent can look very devastating. Till the time WWE actually starts building stories and leave the action to the ring, NJPW will always be one step ahead of them.
NJPW is still growing and is set for much greater heights in future. The declining ratings of WWE are of grave concern.
