Celebrating 50 Years Of New Japan Pro Wrestling

In this edition of The Wrestling Estate roundtable, we look back on the history of New Japan Pro Wrestling.

How did you discover Japanese wrestling?

Steven Jackson: I was fortunate enough to discover Japanese wrestling when I was quite young. During WCW I saw The Great Muta and Jyushin Liger who just amazed me (and still do today). Then in the UK, we got access to The Wrestling Channel, which aired tons of Puroresu promotions. I got to see AJPW, NOAH and even small promotions like Zero 1 and classic FMW tapes.

Chad Gelfand: MVP going to NJPW after WWE and winning the Intercontinental Championship was when I first started really paying attention to Japanese wrestling.

Jack Goodwillie: Through Global Force Wrestling. I was always aware of Japanese wrestling, of course, I just never really took the plunge with it because I was such a fanatic for WWE and TNA and thought I had everything I needed. When Jeff Jarrett announced Global Force Wrestling, the entire world of wrestling met the news with intrigue, and the company’s first move was to provide American coverage for WrestleKingdom 9. The Global Force Wrestling broadcast had Jim Ross and Matt Striker on the call, and I thought they did a hell of a job that night in putting New Japan’s stars and storylines into a context American fans who weren’t as familiar with the product (like me) could easily understand. It was also surreal to hear Jim Ross’ voice behind Japanese wrestling, but it somehow worked beautifully, at least at the time. From WrestleKingdom 9 on, I have always loosely followed the New Japan product.

For someone wanting to get into NJPW, or Japanese wrestling in general, how do you recommend they do that?

Jackson: The internet is such a wonderful resource, full of free wrestling matches online. I wouldn’t sign up to a streaming service right away. But check out some NOAH matches on its YouTube channel or AJPW matches. NJPW has a free weekly match online so check out that, too. Also, don’t be persuaded by other people’s opinions, just go in with an open mind.

Gelfand: I would recommend any of the Wrestle Kingdom shows so you can get an idea of how grand an NJPW show can feel and look at the Tokyo Dome, as well being almost guaranteed to see three or four excellent matches take place.

Goodwillie: YouTube and Dailymotion are your friends. If you like what you see, subscribe to NJPW World. As far as matches go, I’d recommend any Shinsuke Nakamura match over his final five years in New Japan. As someone who was very late to the party, Shinsuke’s matches blend a North American sense of charisma and in-your-face character work with the high work rate style of Japanese wrestling, so the transition might not be as jarring. I always had Shinsuke pegged as someone who could crossover with North American fans. I just didn’t realize that crossover would happen with WWE.

Who’s the greatest gaijin in NJPW history?

Jackson: Kenny Omega. Growing up through the company, he revolutionized the style for a lot of Western fans, which is a credit to his catalogue of incredible matches

Gelfand: Kenny Omega. He’s a guy that came in and fully immersed himself in Japan and carried the NJPW flag as a gaijin for years, helping introduce a lot of people to that style of wrestling.

Goodwillie: People will look back on guys like Bruiser Brody and Stan Hansen, but both really had more prominent runs in All Japan, which for a time reigned over New Japan. New Japan, historically, seemed to be more invested in its homegrown talent, hence the NJPW dojo. The dojo produced talents back in the day like the Ultimo Dragon, but in Dragon’s case he was never actually picked up by New Japan, instead having to wrestle elsewhere. As time passed, however, New Japan began to make the Gaijin more of a focal point of the show, and the resumes of Prince Devitt, AJ Styles and Kenny Omega kind of speak for themselves. Personally, I have to go with Omega. He really embraced everything that came with being a full-time wrestler in Japan, and that, after all, was always his goal. AEW was never the means to the end, becoming a full-fledged wrestler in Japan was. For that reason, in addition to his insane resume, Kenny seems like a logical choice.

What’s the greatest match in NJPW history?

Jackson: At one point, New Japan was putting on more amazing matches in quick succession than I’ve ever known. If I had to choose one, though, I’d go with Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship from Wrestle Kingdom 9. That match truly was a spectacle on so many levels, and you can see both men at the apex of their careers. I’m open to any other choices, though, as NJPW has had too many sensational matches that any could be the right answer.

Gelfand: AJ Styles vs. Nakamura at Wrestle Kingdom 10.

Goodwillie: Nakamura vs. Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom 9. I knew little of Nakamura following an appearance he made on Ring of Honor, and I had never heard of Ibushi until the build-up to this event, but I truly believe they had the match of the night on the same night as an Okada vs. Tanahashi match. And really, I don’t believe I had known anything or anyone resembling either guy coming into the match. My previous exposure to Japanese wrestlers had been WWE’s version of them: the Funaki’s and Kenzo Suzuki’s of the world, plus Yoshi Tatsu, so to see Nakamura, this guy that anybody from any culture could easily understand in seconds was a megastar, come to together with Ibushi, this insane athlete made for a tremendous match. Nakamura’s match with AJ Styles at Wrestle Kingdom 10 has to be up there too. While I like the Okada-Omega matches enough too, they’re kind of rough to show anyone thinking about dipping their toe into Japanese wrestling because they’re so overwhelming. To me, 30 minutes is a good length for a big-money match. Anything more than that runs the risk of being overkill.

Who is the greatest wrestler in NJPW history?

Jackson: “The Ace of the Universe” Hiroshi Tanahashi. I can’t do justice to just how good Hiroshi Tanahashi. His emotions, his crispness, his storytelling, his innovative style, his charisma. He is legitimately one of the greatest wrestlers of all time

Gelfand: Tanahashi. The John Cena of New Japan who carried the company through a dark time and back to prosperity.

Goodwillie: There are five logical options: Omega, Okada, Tanahashi, Liger and Fujinami. I think Okada and Tanahashi get the nod over Fujinami and Liger just because they had each other to wrestle and make one another even better than they otherwise would have been, and while Omega is the greatest Gaijin, he falls short when compared directly to his two contemporaries. If Okada hasn’t edged Tanahashi by this point, I’m not sure what he would need to do in order to pass his former rival. He has the most IWGP title defenses of all time with 30, and he figures to be in the prime of his career at 34 while Tanahashi is winding down. Both are elite talents in every sense of the word, but if I had to pick one, I’d say that Okada’s currentness atop the card having headlined seven of the previous nine Wrestle Kingdom shows gives him a slight edge.

What’s the legacy of New Japan Pro Wrestling?

Jackson: NJPW’s legacy is built around one thing. Quality. Quality wrestling. Quality productions. Quality rosters and young lions. New Japan is a staple of Japanese wrestling, same as WWE is to the USA. From the early vision of Antonio Inoki 50 years ago, NJPW is a wonderful experience to take part in as both a wrestler and a fan. In closing, its slogan couldn’t be more apt: King of Sports.

Gelfand: The legacy of NJPW is that it has produced some of the greatest wrestlers the industry has ever seen and its style and influence is felt in nearly every other wrestling promotion.

Goodwillie: Once something of an underdog in Japan that embraced junior-heavyweight wrestling more than others, history proved them right when guys like Benoit and Guerrero began to step out from the Dynamite Kid’s shadow, and as the power shifted following the death of AJPW founder Giant Baba, New Japan became the destination for Japanese wrestling and has built such a lead for itself that similar to WWE, I don’t think it’ll be going anywhere anytime soon. It survived the reign of Harold Meij after all, and its influence on the current style and stars from AEW, in particular, cannot be ignored.