Alright, I'm kinda bad at thread introductions, so I'll just jump into some frequently asked questions because why not:
Why an OT for New Japan? Isn't there already WrassleERA?
Yeah, there is. And don't get me wrong, WrassleERA is fine, but if you're like me and no longer watch WWE, it can be hard to discuss NJPW in there without feeling like you're getting a bit drowned-out. Again, no disrespect, but I just figured it'd be nice to have a place to discuss NJPW on its own. I mean there's a Manga OT and also OTs for individual manga, so why not a wrestling OT and a NJPW OT? Plus I just kinda miss how much fun the G1 Climax thread was back in the old place and thought it'd be nice to try to re-create something like that.
So this thread is JUST for NJPW?
Not really. I figure it'd be cool to discuss NJPW's affiliated promotions in here as well (ROH, CMLL, and RPW), since New Japan talent frequently work those promotions.
I'm new to all this, what is NJPW, anyway?
EDIT: Gonna add this quote from Pikma because it's pretty important and I'm dumb and bad at OTs:
Instead of writing out a whole spiel that's probably been done better a million other places, I'll just post a couple of really good resources for newcomers:
1. New Japan Pro-Wrestling for Beginners: What to Know (via r/NJPW)
(A really good overall guide to NJPW, the events, the factions, and the titles.)
2. Real Neat Puro
(A great channel with really in-depth videos that explain various aspects of NJPW wrestlers, factions, and events in great detail.)
3. Showbuckle
(Another Youtube channel similar to Real Neat Puro. Most of his videos focus more on individual wrestlers and their stories/histories.)
You can also visit NJPW's English-language website, which is good for basic stuff like news and schedules.
And if you're looking for recommendations for some great matches to watch, both recent and historical, then MrLARIATO/BritishMonsoon on ERA has you covered with an amazing list of recommended matches, complete with links to watch them on NJPWWorld (more on that below)!
http://tinyurl.com/NJPW-WORLD
How do I watch New Japan?
New Japan has a streaming service called NJPWWorld. Similar to WWE Network, it costs 999 yen per month (which is a bit over $9 USD) and accepts Paypal and international customers. I've been signed up for just shy of a year now and it's been great. They stream all of NJPW's big shows and several house shows as well per month. And the bigger shows also feature an English commentary option, which is a plus for those who prefer it. Just a word of warning, though. If you're going to sign up, do it at the beginning of the month. World does this weird thing where they bill you on the first of the month regardless of when you signed up. So if you sign up on the 25th, you'll still get charged again on the 1st of the next month. Annoying, yeah, but what're ya gonna do?
(Also, if you're looking for a streaming schedule, use the one on World. The one on the English-language site lists all of their upcoming events, whether they're being streamed or not. The one on World only lists the ones that are streaming. The main site's schedule is more useful for seeing match lineups.)
Besides World, there's also NJPW on AXS:
http://www.axs.tv/programs/new-japan-pro-wrestling/
If you don't want to pay for World and you get AXS, this is definitely an option. Just be aware that the AXS show is usually anywhere from several weeks to a couple months behind, so you won't be up to date. Also the AXS show features different English commentators from World's English broadcasts (Kevin Kelly and Don Callis on World, Jim Ross and Josh Barnett on AXS).
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I think that covers most of the important stuff, and if there's anything missing I'm open to suggestions. As I said, no disrespect to WrassleERA or anything, and if it turns out this thread is unnecessary or people prefer to stick to WrassleERA, that's fine too. Either way, welcome to the NJPW OT, have fun and remember to always stay tranquilo!
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