Hey ,

 

So lots of confusion is going around regarding what Strong Style is? I want to ask everybody , what is your interpretation of Strong Style Wrestling? How would you describe it as a wrestling fan? Is it possible for other promotions and other performers outside of new Japan to use that style or adapt it into the style they create for themselves? What is Strong Style and what does it mean for everybody? Have at it boys and please educate me!

 

I'll be seeing you.

Even though it originated as terminology referring to shootstyle, I personally see it as a marketing term for New Japan and nothing more. It's their "sports entertainment."

Even though it originated as terminology referring to shootstyle, I personally see it as a marketing term for New Japan and nothing more. It's their "sports entertainment."

Ok , I understand that , but do you feel that it has evolved outside of New Japan , regardless of how you feel about it? Can it be used by other promotions as a style? Could a wrestler use it ? Could a promotion use it to describe the style of wrestling it presents? Is it possible this has evolved into another entity? Would not every term ever created in professional wrestling be described as a marketing tool? Why subjected to New Japan only? This is all totally subjective? No. Why say Strong Style is used as a "sports entertainment" marking gimmick , but then not say the same about another style employed and pushed on its audience. Is a bias going on here against "stongstyle" ? Just serious questions here , no intentions on my part at all.

Even though it originated as terminology referring to shootstyle, I personally see it as a marketing term for New Japan and nothing more. It's their "sports entertainment."

Bingo. It's a marketing term. Especially when used by an American indie wrestling promoter. In that scenario it pretty much means "Hey let me call this tournament/match/wrestler Strong Style so the Japanophiles will get hype about it."

 

It's the new version of calling someone a "technical" wrestler (even if they do not wrestle a technical style ala Ted DiBiase) as a code word for "good workrate"

 

Even though it originated as terminology referring to shootstyle, I personally see it as a marketing term for New Japan and nothing more. It's their "sports entertainment."

 

Bingo. It's a marketing term. Especially when used by an American indie wrestling promoter. In that scenario it pretty much means "Hey let me call this tournament/match/wrestler Strong Style so the Japanophiles will get hype about it."

 

It's the new version of calling someone a "technical" wrestler (even if they do not wrestle a technical style ala Ted DiBiase) as a code word for "good workrate"

So it has not evolved at all? American indie promoter? What promoter was that?

Ok sure play a semantics game because I said American indie when you made this topic about a match that happened in the UK. The same point stands for ANY indie wrestling promoter.

Ok sure play a semantics game because I said American indie when you made this topic about a match that happened in the UK. The same point stands for ANY indie wrestling promoter.

I am understanding that. What is the difference between a company creating the Term "strong style" and another company who created a term to describe the wrestling it presents to its audience? Why can those terms be used to describe something apart from itself but yet the term "strong style " is not except able? Is this a bias? I am genuinely curious to if I have discover a bias towards Strong Style in the wrestling communites online? I think that i have. I would very much like to hear your response to my questions?

I had never heard "Strong Style" used as a description of anything other than the wrestling style used by the heavyweights in New Japan Pro Wrestling, "invented" by Inoki. Just like people referred to the guys in All Japan wrestling "King's Road Style."

 

I always assumed it was a marketing term exclusive to New Japan. I figured it was getting traction in North America now because of Nakamura calling himself the King of Strong Style.

https://twitter.com/StrongStyleWres

 

That is the twitter page for an American independent group using the term. Their image features Rikishi, Teddy Long, Little Guido & Tracey Smothers, Joey Ryan, Brian Christopher and Mascarita Sagrada. I think if you can lump all of those performers under one banner and call it "strong style" then the term pretty much can mean anything you want it to mean.

 

Hiroshi Tanahashi made the case for why NJPW had to do away with the concept in his book.

https://twitter.com/StrongStyleWresThat is the twitter page for an American independent group using the term. Their image features Rikishi, Teddy Long, Little Guido & Tracey Smothers, Joey Ryan, Brian Christopher and Mascarita Sagrada. I think if you can lump all of those performers under one banner and call it "strong style" then the term pretty much can mean anything you want it to mean. Hiroshi Tanahashi made the case for why NJPW had to do away with the concept in his book.

I was not even aware of this company , that helps a lot actually! Thanks for that. So now we have Progress wrestling using Strong Style to promote its events and wrestlers which is based out of England , and then also this company in USA. So "strong style" is becoming a legit style? No? It's a style of wrestling that is used by wrestlers. It can be used to describe a wrestler , promoter and As a Strong style match? If not , could someone tell me why?

Indie promoters have been using it for awhile. Ian ran a few "Revolution Strong Style" tourneys in IWA-MS as I recall, and Gabe's announcers have tossed it around at various points. I do think it's evolved from an NJ-specific term to a more generic (meaningless?) term for hard-hitting, Japanese-influenced wrestling.

I had never heard "Strong Style" used as a description of anything other than the wrestling style used by the heavyweights in New Japan Pro Wrestling, "invented" by Inoki. Just like people referred to the guys in All Japan wrestling "King's Road Style."

 

I always assumed it was a marketing term exclusive to New Japan. I figured it was getting traction in North America now because of Nakamura calling himself the King of Strong Style.[/quote/]

 

Yes. Would you consider it an actual Style? Is it evolving into a REAL wrestling style , to the point when companies can base the promotions off it , or use it to describe its wrestlers and the matches? Is this right?

There is nothing Strong Style can evolve into. If anything it is devolving, to the point it doesn't mean anything because it means everything. Everything from Japan is strong style, to the point everything influenced from Japan becomes strong style, and Chris Hero and Tommy End, two very white men having a match in England is deemed "strong style". And then you get to the point everyone influenced by them is working strong style.

 

It reminds me of the issue cubsfan had in there being lucha-inspired promotions in US and Japan that described themselves as lucha libre. Seeing as he'd have to create an entry for pretty much every US and Japan indy wrestler ever his reaction was to simply not create entries for wrestlers who didn't actually work in Mexico. This probably changed now with Lucha Underground, which has financial backing and is heavily tied to AAA, a lucha promotion that is actually from Mexico, and where most of the guys Lucha Underground books probably also worked as well, if nothing else at least as one-offs.

Indie promoters have been using it for awhile. Ian ran a few "Revolution Strong Style" tourneys in IWA-MS as I recall, and Gabe's announcers have tossed it around at various points. I do think it's evolved from an NJ-specific term to a more generic (meaningless?) term for hard-hitting, Japanese-influenced wrestling.

Ok. Instead of using hard hitting to describe a match , would Strong Style be except able? It's a term to describe hard hitting wrestling in another manor , something different then just hard hitting. I am thinking that a very negative cognitive to strong style exits? I am feeling this a lot which is confusing because it's such a over term in Europe and Japan , even Canada actually. Is this an ongoing thing that has always existed? Or I am wrong? Could someone tell me what they think of that?

There is nothing Strong Style can evolve into. If anything it is devolving, to the point it doesn't mean anything because it means everything. Everything from Japan is strong style, to the point everything influenced from Japan becomes strong style, and Chris Hero and Tommy End, two very white men having a match in England is deemed "strong style". And then you get to the point everyone influenced by them is working strong style.

 

It reminds me of the issue cubsfan had in there being lucha-inspired promotions in US and Japan that described themselves as lucha libre. Seeing as he'd have to create an entry for pretty much every US and Japan indy wrestler ever his reaction was to simply not create entries for wrestlers who didn't actually work in Mexico. This probably changed now with Lucha Underground, which has financial backing and is heavily tied to AAA, a lucha promotion that is actually from Mexico, and where most of the guys Lucha Underground books probably also worked as well, if nothing else at least as one-offs.

I basically agree with this. It carried the most meaning when it was used to contrast the New Japan style from the All Japan style at a time when those really were different things. But that's been lost, even in New Japan. So it isn't a term that means a lot to me at this point.

It's just a phrase that sounds cool and is easy to market. "King's Road"? Difficult to market.

Hardly anyone in Japan wrestles "strong style" anymore. It's more or less dead as the general trend in Japan seems to be moving more and more toward "sports entertainment".

Hiroshi Tanahashi made the case for why NJPW had to do away with the concept in his book.

I'm not sure if people missed it because this board can be not very good at showing links as actual links but this IS a link to where Tanahashi talked about why New Japan needed to move away from Strong Style and I thought it was really interesting.

 

There is nothing Strong Style can evolve into. If anything it is devolving, to the point it doesn't mean anything because it means everything. Everything from Japan is strong style, to the point everything influenced from Japan becomes strong style, and Chris Hero and Tommy End, two very white men having a match in England is deemed "strong style". And then you get to the point everyone influenced by them is working strong style.

 

It reminds me of the issue cubsfan had in there being lucha-inspired promotions in US and Japan that described themselves as lucha libre. Seeing as he'd have to create an entry for pretty much every US and Japan indy wrestler ever his reaction was to simply not create entries for wrestlers who didn't actually work in Mexico. This probably changed now with Lucha Underground, which has financial backing and is heavily tied to AAA, a lucha promotion that is actually from Mexico, and where most of the guys Lucha Underground books probably also worked as well, if nothing else at least as one-offs.

 

 

I basically agree with this. It carried the most meaning when it was used to contrast the New Japan style from the All Japan style at a time when those really were different things. But that's been lost, even in New Japan. So it isn't a term that means a lot to me at this point.

I agree with alot of that myself , however I can't deny the ever rising use of the term and how it's growing and evolving into something that is impacting the buisness as a whole. I can't deny this is happening. Companies are being created and becoming very successful companies and are Growing massively and they are using this as a legit Style. So my question is. Does a bias exist regarding Strong Style within the Internet wrestling community? Thousands are excepting these terms , but the IWC is not? So now I ask , Has its meaning been lost? Or is it stronger then ever? It's evolved into something that hardcore fans might not like but you can't just dismiss that meaning of the term is trying to come back. Can this be revived? Can it come back for most hardcore fans , or is it dead to them? If it's dead to them , I feel bad because I don't see it as dead to me. I can't just can't do that , I see it growing. I see it flourishing within fans and in venues in Europe and Japan. I can't just dismiss it.

Hardly anyone in Japan wrestles "strong style" anymore. It's more or less dead as the general trend in Japan seems to be moving more and more toward "sports entertainment".

 

I dont see this with my watching at all. So many guys wrestle strong style in Japan. Loads. A trend lasts 2-5 years. Strong style has lasted over 30. It's not a trend. It's growing in Japan. It's growing in Europe. Why do you think it's dead in Japan? What have you watched in Japan to give you that impression? Just curious , no intentions here.

It's not something that matters a lot to me one way or another. If promoters want to use the term and fans respond to it, that's fine. But it doesn't connote anything very specific about a promotion's style, at least not to me. I can look at the Progress roster and have a pretty good idea what I'll get from their shows. But them throwing the descriptor "Strong Style" onto their tournament doesn't distinguish the product from other indie tourneys featuring a lot of the same wrestlers. And that's not a knock on the Progress shows, which I enjoyed overall.

 

Hardly anyone in Japan wrestles "strong style" anymore. It's more or less dead as the general trend in Japan seems to be moving more and more toward "sports entertainment".

I dont see this with my watching at all. So many guys wrestle strong style in Japan. Loads. A trend lasts 2-5 years. Strong style has lasted over 30. It's not a trend. It's growing in Japan. It's growing in Europe. Why do you think it's dead in Japan? What have you watched in Japan to give you that impression? Just curious , no intentions here.

 

 

It's definitely not growing in Japan. I'd say Shibata is like the only active major player who still wrestles "strong style".

"Strong Style" now is much more about branding than an actual style of professional wrestling.

 

I would even go and say that nowadays, NJPW and WWE are as close in terms of style as they have ever been. Is WWE Strong Style too?

 

 

Hardly anyone in Japan wrestles "strong style" anymore. It's more or less dead as the general trend in Japan seems to be moving more and more toward "sports entertainment".

 

I dont see this with my watching at all. So many guys wrestle strong style in Japan. Loads. A trend lasts 2-5 years. Strong style has lasted over 30. It's not a trend. It's growing in Japan. It's growing in Europe. Why do you think it's dead in Japan? What have you watched in Japan to give you that impression? Just curious , no intentions here.

It's definitely not growing in Japan. I'd say Shibata is like the only active major player who still wrestles "strong style".

Umm. I am just curious to what you been watching? Have been watching anything in the tag league this year? or the way Evil , Ishii , Kyle o Riley , Nagata , Kojima are working this style in a lot of the matches , juice robinsons work is becoming very much in this mold , the Never Open title Has been positioned around and the matches have been worked in this style for about two years now. Its dead in Japan? To the fans? The fans don't like it? Explain how they go nuts for the Shibata worked strong style match?

That's the problem. I don't even know what "Strong Style" really is.

 

If you say "ECW style" I expect broken tables and fire and crowd brawls.

 

If you say "Lucha style" then I expect a lot of intricate, complex, multi-man spots and dives through the ropes.

 

If you said "Worked shoot style" I expect a lot of grappling and submission attempts, and not so much (or any) high flying.

 

If you say "King's Road" I (unfortunately) expect hard elbow strikes, hard chops, and people getting suplexed onto the top of their heads.

 

Because I didn't watch a lot of NJPW Heavyweights (except for Hashimoto) I never really understood what Strong Style was supposed to mean anyhow, which is why I assumed it was a NJPW marketing thing.