I'd love to see it end, because they've screwed themselves over by taking the number of main events they can do and dividing them in half, but at this point, they're so far in that they can't really go back without losing a ton of money.

 

Anyone who is tired of HHH should be thankful for the roster split, because without it, his reign of terror would have been even worse.

The Lockdown video packages and promos have really been great this year. I like how they're trying to restore the danger to the gimmick.

Are the people who want the split to end really that hot to see HHH all over their TV for 4 hours a week? Cause you know that's what would happen.

 

If it wasn't for the split, half the mid/undercard guys probably wouldn't have jobs.

Are the people who want the split to end really that hot to see HHH all over their TV for 4 hours a week? Cause you know that's what would happen.

 

...are you asking me because I'm a Triple H mark. I want to see Angle, Mysterio & The Undertaker again. I want to see MNM. Hell, my cable provider doesn't even carry UPN, I have to download Smackdown to watch it and I don't like doing that. Besides, I think the undercard would be better if the split ended. There's a lot of midcarders on Smackdown (Burchill, Finlay, etc.) that I'd like to see mix up with the Raw midcarders (RVD, Carlito).

 

If it wasn't for the split, half the mid/undercard guys probably wouldn't have jobs.

...and I'd be OK with that because half of them shouldn't have jobs.

Well, at least you admit you're selfish.

So I'm watching Kobashi vs Steve Williams from Sept. 3, 1993 on Youtube with

, and I noticed the ref seemed to be making calls in English ("watch the hair!" and that kinda stuff) and I wondered - do they only do this when there's a foreign wrestler in the ring? Cuz he seemed to be speaking English to Kobashi too, which struck me as weird. I know that's a silly question, but I haven't watched much Japanese wrestling.

 

Further, how do guys communicate spots mid-match if one's not from Japan? Are they expected to learn enough of the language to call spots, or what?

So I'm watching Kobashi vs Steve Williams from Sept. 3, 1993 on Youtube with

, and I noticed the ref seemed to be making calls in English ("watch the hair!" and that kinda stuff) and I wondered - do they only do this when there's a foreign wrestler in the ring? Cuz he seemed to be speaking English to Kobashi too, which struck me as weird. I know that's a silly question, but I haven't watched much Japanese wrestling.

 

Further, how do guys communicate spots mid-match if one's not from Japan? Are they expected to learn enough of the language to call spots, or what?

They do use English some in Japan. In wrestling it's very common to hear the reff use English. THe fans will alway count "One, two ... ahhh" in English as well.

 

I can't speak for everyone but I know Benoit did a lot of his matches on the go. It's a talent you have to acquire. DK mentioned he was never quite sure what was going to happen in his matches with Sayama -- For example if he would dive out and hit him wih a crossbody block or do the fakeout (619 where you don't hit your opponent and you land on your feet back in the ring)

 

On the other side of the coin I've heard Dan Kroffat called the finishes to his matches in All Japan which were often complicated/complex wrestling sequences.

 

The language barrier can lead to miscommunication even between wrestlers that are familiar with each other and that can be a handicap but it's also a positive to be able to improvise stuff on the go.

 

The other negative that I see is that it'd be impossible to do certain things in the ring. For example if you wanted to have a match completley out of the ordinary I could see someone having a really tough time because your opponent wouldn't know what you're up to or trying to do. See Benoit vs Angle for example. A terrific match that was structured well but it was full of complex wrestling sequences and counters that you never saw before. Benoit or Angle couldn't go into another wrestling league and try to do the same thing even if they had better wrestling opponents.

 

Familiarity is a plus even if you can't communicate. For example Hase and Owen Hart wrestled each other a lot in Stampede wrestling so by the time Owen wrestled Hase in Japan they could get away with doing some things that they couldn't have if they had never faced each other before.

If you watch Liger matches he'll usually yell "ask him" during submissions.

Not to open old wounds, but man did the promo at the end of Smackdown tonight reaffirm my belief that WWE won't book Rey the way he needs to as champ.

 

Just him standing next to JBL looked so ridiculous, and having JBL cut a promo on him that only served to point out the obvious (like saying the belt is almost as big as him) only served to make it even more so.

Thought size didn't matter?

 

This is exactly the reason I said he shouldn't be champ in the first place. Hell, you could stand him next to sodding Todd Grisham who nobody would ever be scared of, and he'd look small.

 

Did anyone think for a moment that they'd know how to book him as champ once they gave him the belt?

 

The signs have been there since the Rumble. They stick his Rumble win in the midcard so by the time the show's over everyone's forgotten it and all they can remember is that ghastly Undertaker David Copperfield impersonation.

 

Then at Mania they give the match about 9 minutes or however long it was, and again, it's not highlighting the show. I understand they were always going to go with Cena and HHH, but isn't part of the Rumble winner's package supposed to be "the chance to main event Wrestlemania"? They don't just say a title shot, it's "main eventing Wrestlemania", and Rey didn't do that either.

 

None of that helped the guy, when he's a midget who will always struggle for credibility anyway.

Pro wrestling in Japan started after Pro wrestling in the states, no?

 

Is it possible that they use English phrases during the matches because that's the way it was originally done? I know it makes them sound kinda markish, but if Lyger grew up watching Dynamite Kid yell "Ask him!" during submissions, I can see why he'd do it too.

 

Hell, now that I think of it, in Fire Pro D the ref always counts in English, and says "Give up?" when you've got the guy in a hold. Hell, he says "Break!" fer chrissakes.

 

Does no one in Japan speak English?

 

They don't just say a title shot, it's "main eventing Wrestlemania", and Rey didn't do that either.

 

That was absurd, if you ask me. The whole point of the RR (now, anway) is you get the MAIN EVENT title shot at WM, not just a title shot. I mean, knowing what the crowd was like, I can see why Cena/HHH was on last (think of how dead they would've been after that match), but really, if you're gonna book a match where the winner gets the main event at WM, GIVE THEM THE MAIN EVENT.

 

And yes, I know that the RR winner hasn't always got the main event spot in the past (like WM XI) but they have ever since the brand split, and they shoulda kept it up. Hell, I always thought they shoulda made an angle out of it, since it is the main event at the biggest show of the year. Both brands would want that honor, so you could have the GM's trying to get their 15 men to work together for at least long enough to eliminate the other brand.

I wouldn't be surprised if everything in puro is done in English. I don't know how many in Japan speak English but I believe most of them at least understand it. I think kids take English in school.

No, that's not true. The second night of Kobashi in ROH, the teams had to pretty much go against the booking of the company because Low Ki spoke Japanese and Homicide didn't. At least that's what I was told.

Are you sure about that? I had always thought it was more of a political issue and Low Ki was added because he was with NOAH.

Fairly certain Kobashi can speak English.

Hase can talk English too. I saw him do a promo in Stampede before.

You know, the WWF and name changing really annoys me. I'm sorry but "The Shooter" Brent Albright was a perfectly good name. Gunnar Scott is just dumb compared to it.

Christy Hemme in TNA makes my pants happy.

I've seen Hase cut a promo in English so it looks like he can speak it too.

Hase trained with the Harts and spent time in Stampede, so I'd agree he can speak English fairly well.

 

I would think most of the top Japanese guys know enough English to call a match with an American if they have to. I know Muta has a shoot interview out as well, which he speaks English in.

 

What might lead you to believe that some guys don't know English is the long standing allegation that guys like Misawa don't like Americans and refuse to speak English around them.

So, I looked it up just because I was curious for the most part. English is a required course in school for Japanese children. So every Japanese wrestler should at the very least comprehend someone speaking in English.

While it is true that English is a required class in Japanese school, their classes usually focus on written English rather than spoken. I think this is particularly true of schools in the country, where there is little chance to interact with English speakers. On the other hand, English language schools are everywhere here.

 

Anyway, it isn`t necessarily a given that any Japanese person will speak or be able to understand, though I am sure many wrestlers can.

 

(I teach English to little kids in Tokyo and most of their parents cannot understand a word I say.)

Gotcha. That makes sense.

I was thinking about a comment Jim Ross made 5 years ago (probably in the Ross Report) that was mentioned in Pro Wrestling Illustrated with regards to Prototype, aka John Cena.

 

"Prototype reminds me of a young Sting..."

 

With that in mind, and with 5 years past, where do you guys think John Cena stands right now in his career as a comparison to Sting? Is he equal to the success Sting was at roughly the same time? Will he have the longevity of Sting? Or will he burn out fast? Discuss.

Sting was much better in the ring and was probably more over with the audience. Only difference was that until WCW hit a peak period in the late 90s, he was over with a much smaller audience. Cena, even now, is nowhere Sting at the peak of his popularity in 1997-1998.