Maybe NJPW Isn’t That Into You or A Minimally Educated Analysis on NJPW in America
In the wake of AEW’s successful Double of Nothing, it has been fun to imagine what an AEW centric (or at least non-WWE centric) wrestling world might look like. But while some people are already fantasy booking how the boys in Jacksonville may topple the goliath in Stamford, I can’t help but wonder if the greater threat to both lies in the Far East.
For what it is worth, I am not a NJPW diehard or fanboy, if anyone on this site deserved such a distinction, it would be Mickey the Mark. That being said, the G1 SuperShow was a better show than Double or Nothing and was representative of a far bigger threat to WWE. The fact of the matter is that the G1 SuperShow sold more tickets than Double or Nothing in an Arena that was synonymous with WWE for the better part of the last century. Despite these facts, AEW has emerged as the wrestling fan’s white knight, but why? In this man’s opinion, I think its because NJPW just isn’t that into America.
Before I go any further, I feel compelled to address some of the straw men in the room and their concerns about my prior comments. Some may argue that NJPW’s accomplishment was lessened because the card was co-promoted with ROH or that it had a built in audience due to Wrestlemania, but I don’t think either pass muster. To those that would argument that the MSG show was not a true NJPW show because of the involvement of Ring of Honor is like saying that Destiny’s Child equally starred Kelly Rowland and Beyonce. We all know that Destiny’s Child only had one queen bee and at MSG, ROH was playing the Kelly to NJPW’s Beyonce. The biggest matches of the night either starred exclusively NJPW talent or were carried by NJPW star power. As to the argument that the MSG show was a product of Wrestlemania weekend, all you need to do is look at ROH’s previous ‘Mania weekend shows to see the impact of NJPW. In 2017 and 2018, ROH’s ‘Mania shows drew 3,500 and 6,100 fans respectively. The show at MSG more than doubled the attendance of the 2018 show that featured Cody, Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks.
So why hasn’t this success generated the same “Monday Night Wars” comparison that AEW’s recent success has? As a man who scored a 5 of the AP Economics Exam, it just doesn’t seem to economic sense. NJPW doesn’t need to compete with AEW or WWE to be successful in Japan or America. The product itself has been consistently great in a way that WWE has sporadically approached in the recent years and that has translated into record revenues for the company. Given their success with minimal US live shows, one is left to wonder whether additional US forays really interest NJPW at this juncture. These shows must create logistical nightmares for a company, one only has to look at the Visa issues that burdened the California shows last year to illustrate that fact. When you combine these logistical headaches with the fact that NJPW can very well draw just as well in Japan and be compensated well for it, it does not provide much incentive to pursue the US fan. Additionally, the lack of US shows have not dampened US enthusiasm for the product. THEY SOLD OUT MSG. Plus, despite a limited live schedule and a tape delayed TV show on a 2nd tier cable network, NJPW has continued to grow in the US as the NJPW app has more users than the WWE Network in Japan.
In breaking down the relationship between the US wrestling fan and NJPW, all these facts point to an audience that is thirsty for the product and a company that doesn’t appear all that interested in domination state side. But as with any relationship, things can change quickly and if the signings of Jon Moxley and the continued push of Chris Jericho are indicative of NJPW efforts to court the US fan, maybe this relatively one sided love affair will still develop into a mutual attraction.
Big Show, Esq.