The 2017 NJPW Scouting Report: The Big Four

An in-depth report on perhaps the best talent roster ever assembled.

I've been a passionate supporter of New Japan Pro-wrestling since the beginning of this decade and with each passing year, the buzz just continues to grow. What New Japan has accomplished in the last five years specifically is something truly remarkable. Head booker Gedo is an absolute genius and one could say it's because he has an endless supply of inspiration with his varied, but overall spectacular list of stars. It's arguable that most of the best wrestlers in the world are currently in the same locker room. What follows next is part one in a weekly six part scouting report of the top stars of NJPW and even sweeter, it's just in time for Wrestle Kingdom! Read along after the jump and be amazed:

The ESSENTIALS: Reviewing John Cena's 380 Day WWE Championship Reign

John Cena is without question, one of the greatest WWE Champions ever.

Welcome to another "Great Champions" edition of the ESSENTIALS. Last time, we took a look at why CM Punk's legendary 434 day WWE title reign is easily, the best of the 2010s thus far. Today, we breakdown Punk's greatest rival, John Cena's 380 day run to see why it's widely considered the best title reign of the decade prior. 

The Shield: Presence, Unpredictability & Intimidation

Taking a deeper look into one of the best stables in recent memory.

Nearly a year ago, I posted this Great Debate article detailing my three step program to create the next great heel stable in the WWE.  I had noted that for me, it was the missing element in the WWE product at the time.  It's amazing how quickly things can change.  Come November of 2012, The Shield would make their impactful debut, costing Ryback his WWE Championship match at the Survivor Series PPV.  Since then, the group has taken apart every major WWE superstar or legend that has crossed their paths.  And taking a look at their rise to prominence and current status in the WWE, it's hard to picture anyone being able to take them down.

The ESSENTIALS: The Professional Wrestling Viewing Guide

Hey, didya know that the WWE wasn't the only promotion out there?  Imagine that.

Welcome fans to perhaps the most essential edition of the ESSENTIALS.  Lately, there has been somewhat of an ongoing debate in the pro wrestling world with a wide variety of opinions on just which promotion has the absolute finest product out there.  Ironically, even though the WWE stands alone as the largest and most successful promotion in the world, amongst purists here on the Internet, it's arguably the most critically panned.  Over on the G9Z Wrestling twitter, I always see the usual smart fan argue that "WWE sucks and that this or that indie promotion is the best in the world".  And there are also the loyalists who praise the company under any circumstances.

And then there are those fans who're just total marks for everything.  If you're wondering, yes, that is an expression of joy and yes, if you frequent live events you're going to have to sit next to these guys once in a while.  Don't let the crazed pug face freak you out though.  Generally, they're great guys.

Now that the five minutes you've spent chuckling at that screencap have passed, we're going to have to get back to the task at hand.  We've got to figure out just how we are to determine what we should give our hard earned money to.  Shouldn't there be some kind of way to decide just which company rules the wrestling landscape?  Well what I've done here is make the damnedest attempt at helping you find the company that best suits your tastes.  We're going to be taking a look at some of the biggest promotions around (WWE, TNA, ROH, NJPW, SHIMMER, CHIKARA & PWG) and after a brief overview, I will be spotlighting the target audience of each company in hopes to help you find out what you want your eyes on right now.  Upon finding the right promotion, hopefully, you will then live happily ever after.  Sound good?  Well then, take a leap of faith after the jump.  Just remember, this is sort of a way for you to "speed date" each promotion.  Whether or not you get your feelings hurt is just a part of the game my friends.

The ESSENTIALS: My Top 10 Favorite Mic Workers Part One

CM Punk is today's gold standard, but where does he rank amongst my all time favorites?

Welcome to part one of a very unique edition of the ESSENTIALS.  Talking trash has become one of the most underrated art forms in the world of sport, but to us wrestling fans, it's damn near the most essential tool to getting over.  There is absolutely NO better way to connect with fans and build hype for a match than on the microphone.  That being said, only a select few men were so good on the stick, they made every other talent nervous anytime they were caught in the crosshairs.  What follows is part one in a recollection of such great talent based on the consistency, timing, quotables and ability to cut memorable and believable promos without batting an eyelash.  In part two, I will post a video of one of each wrestler's most famous promos.  Now I know that after the WWE posted their top 25, seemingly everyone has done a "best of the best" list.  However, these are the top ten talented talkers who captivate me personally.  When these men pick up a mic, I always listen.  And whether or not you agree, I promise you, this will be the most unique list of mic men you'll find around the net.  Enjoy.

The ESSENTIALS: The Top 12 WWE Nigel McGuinness Feuds That Could Have Been

Could you imagine all this bravado with a bit more shine?

Welcome to this very unique edition of the ESSENTIALS.  Having recently watched Nigel McGuinness' self-released doc "The Last Of McGuinness", I had originally planned to write up a full review.  As I started typing however, my mind began to wonder just how the fiery Brit's career would have gone had he landed his dream job in the WWE.  Being that Nigel is one of my top 20 favorite wrestlers ever, I couldn't help but dream of the truly legendary rivalries he would've had in the big leagues.  You see where I'm going with this now?  Good.  My guess is you're as excited as I am then?  You're not even reading this intro anymore are you?  Not cool!  I had planned on overhyping the hell out of this thing.  Fine then Captain Impatient, enjoy.

The ESSENTIALS: Making The Case For Hiroshi Tanahashi As The Best Main Event Performer Of All Time

The IWGP Champion is today's gold standard

 

Welcome to this very special edition of the ESSENTIALS.  With another brilliant title defense in the books at New Beginning (review to come soon), I think it's a safe bet to say that Hiroshi Tanahashi is the best wrestler alive.  No other performer has had a better string of main event performances and his two title reigns spanning the past three years place his name in the hat with greats like Steve Austin, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle as one of the truly great big match wrestlers to ever live.  Don't believe the hype?  Go back and watch any Tanahashi match from the 2010s thus far and find me a single one that he didn't deliver in.  It's a fool's errand.  Still, while the haters inevitably waste away searching for a non-existent flaw in his work, I have decided to present the argument for Tanahashi as possibly, the greatest main event performer of all time.  What follows is a breakdown of how such an opinion was formed:

The ESSENTIALS: The 15 Most Effective Finishers In Wrestling Today

Is Randy Orton's RKO the best of the best?

 

Welcome to this very special edition of the ESSENTIALS.  There are a great amount of amazing moves in pro wrestling, but only so few that always seem to get the job done.  Sure some of the more flashy moves (such as the Shooting Star Press) always get massive reactions, but only 15 are so feared that opponents base their whole match strategy around avoiding them.  The following is a ranking of the best of the best as of 2013:

 

The ESSENTIALS: Reviewing CM Punk's 434 Day WWE Championship Reign

Welcome to another very unique edition of the ESSENTIALS.  Last month, CM Punk lost the WWE Championship to The Rock and the WWE witnessed the end of an era.  CM Punk spent 434 days as WWE Champion and is now in the books as the 6th longest reigning WWE Champion of all time.  Now that his historic run is over, I realized that we may never again see a modern era superstar surpass the level of greatness Punk achieved during his tenure as champ and I have decided to honor his achievement with a full recap of his incredible rivalries, classic matches and unforgettable moments that made his reign arguably, the best ever. 

The ESSENTIALS: The Top Ten Wrestlers The WWE Should Steal In 2013

The Alpha Female's Got My Vote

Welcome to this very special annual edition of the ESSENTIALS.  Oh yeah peeps, it's that time of year again!  The time where we single out the greatest performers in the sport that have yet to have the chance to make a lasting impact in the WWE.  Last year, Bobby Roode took the top spot, but surprisingly, there is one wrestler that surpasses even Roode's potential.  A guy so built for television that I feel awful having not included him in our inaugural list.  There are reasons for this snub that I will explain later, but for now, here are the top ten hottest prospects outside of the WWE:

The ESSENTIALS: Crafting the Ultimate Top Ten Part Two

Here we are with part two of this very special edition of the ESSENTIALS.  It's hard to argue just who are the greatest sports entertainers to ever live, but we here at GN9NEZWWE have done our best to come up with a list of the Top Ten Wrestlers who are the true elite.

Controversially, Hulk Hogan made only one appearance in our staff's Top Ten Lists

In Part One, I posted everyone's list and while there were some variations, there were 10 performers who's names appeared the most.  In order to rank the wrestlers who's names appeared the same amount of times, I used some math to determine what order their names should be placed.  I have to say, while it may be controversial, I do believe we've come up with quite the unique list of the best wrestlers of all time. 


Find out which superstars rank amongst the Best of the Best after the jump!

The ESSENTIALS: Crafting the Ultimate Top Ten Part One

Everyone has their own opinion and reasoning behind where they rank their favorite superstars of all time.  So I came up with a creative idea of how we could work out a definitive list.  I've asked 10 superfans from various walks of life who've each become a fan in different eras to give me their list of favorite superstars that define their love for pro wrestling.  I asked each to list no less than 10 and no more than 20.  I also encouraged everyone to use wrestlers from any promotion.  Each time a wrestler's name appeared, I gave them a point.  Since not everyone gave me more than 10 names, I only gave points to the names in everyone's top ten.  Based on who had the most votes and how high they were ranked, I came up with a definitive list that I will post later on with full profiles on each superstar.  The results are in!  Find out who everyone voted in their list after the jump!

The ESSENTIALS: Five Models that would make for great WWE Divas

Welcome to another sexy edition of the ESSENTIALS.  This week, I posted an article on the 30 sexiest women of wrestling.  The article quickly went on to become one of the most popular on the blog.  Thus, inspiring me to do a bit of a companion piece.  Earlier in the year I made the argument that "sex sells" and that the WWE Divas division thrived in the Attitude Era partly due to the fact that the divas were steaming up TV screens week after week.  The current crop of divas have some very capable performers, but it's always going to seem as if there's a missing element.  That missing element is the model of diva who thrives in the role Torrie Wilson and Stacy Keibler once filled.  The days of the divas who had major mainstream crossover appeal and were primarily used as valets and occasional bikini contests and fulfilled our fantasies in DVD releases, are long gone.  Still, if the WWE were to do another "Diva Search", I'm going to throw a few names out there for them to start with.  These five women are smoking hot, but also possess that X-factor.  That intangible quality that I believe, can help bring back the sexy and win back some of the attention the division has been sorely lacking.  This list is purely for entertainment purposes and shouldn't be taken very seriously.  And even if you don't miss the "sexy era", at least you can appreciate the view.

The ESSENTIALS: The Top 20 Entrances of All Time!

Welcome to part two in this very special edition of the ESSENTIALS.  In the first half, we counted down some of the most memorable entrance themes of all time.  In this half, I'm going to list my top 20 favorite entrances ever.  I could do so by just ranking the superstars who I believe had the most awesome entrances by ring walk and pyrotechnics, but that would be lame.  So to make things a bit more interesting, for the top ten, I am going to include a video with each superstars best performance of their entrance.  At least, my personal favorite.  Each of these entrances are noteworthy, but the one's provided with video, are downright chill inducing.  So without further ado, I give you the 20 greatest ring entrances of all time:

The ESSENTIALS: The 20 Best Entrance Themes of All Time

Welcome to the first in a two-part special edition of the ESSENTIALS.  This time around, I'm going to rank my favorite themes of all time.  In the second list, I will rank the top 20 entrances alone.  This list is one that leans more towards personal preference and is really more opinion based, but I thought it would still be fun to do.  I rank each theme based on how well I believed it fit the character(s) of each superstar and on how pumped I get just hearing the first few chords alone.  A truly great theme should be legendary.  A theme that not just becomes synonymous with the superstar involved, but always paints a vivid picture of what's to come when said superstar arrives in the arena.  For the top ten, I chose themes that were not only good entrance themes, but just great songs in general.  Songs I actually listen to on my Ipod everyday and can't get enough of.  So without further ado, here are my picks for the top 20 themes of all time:

The ESSENTIALS: Brock Lesnar

Welcome to this very special edition of the ESSENTIALS.  Last week, Brock Lesnar made his triumphant return to the WWE.  It sent a shockwave through the wrestling world that can still be felt to this day by anyone who witnessed it.  It was such an important moment for the WWE as a whole, that I felt the need to celebrate.  In what may go down as one of the most unique ESSENTIALS of all time, I will highlight the five greatest matches from Brock's first run, while spotlighting a current superstar he could find similar magic with.


Enough talk, Brock wouldn't want it that way....LET'S GET ON WITH IT!


Ladies and Marks, I give you....



THE ESSENTIAL BROCK LESNAR

The ESSENTIALS: CM Punk: The Road to becoming the Best in the World

Welcome to a very unique edition of The ESSENTIALS. Pound for pound, CM Punk is the best professional wrestler in the WWE today. He may not be the technical mastermind that Daniel Bryan is, or the consummate performer that Chris Jericho is, or even the master psychologist that Triple H has become, but when it comes to a combination of all these traits, there is no one better.  So how did some punk kid from Chicago go on to become the most well rounded athlete in the sport today? Find out after the jump!

The ESSENTIALS: The 10 Greatest Superstars of Wrestlemania

 

Welcome to this very special edition of the ESSENTIALS.  With Wrestlemania just 7 days away, I can't think of any list more appropriate.  In the past couple of months, I've been watching tape after tape of classic Wrestlemania matches and moments to get myself pumped up for what could go down as the biggest Wrestlemania of all time. 

Wrestlemania is where dreams are made.  It's the event every professional wrestler wants to be a part of and hopefully, leave his/her mark at the grandest stage of them all.  However, only so few truly come to epitomize what Wrestlemania is all about.  So who are these icons of the sport? 

Find out after the jump!

The ESSENTIALS: The Elimination Chamber

Welcome to this very special edition of the ESSENTIALS.  With the 10 year anniversary of the Elimination Chamber PPV coming this Sunday, I find it fitting that we take a look back at the 10 most memorable moments in the history of the event.  The match is well known for it's brutality, high risk spots and shocking endings.  With so much to choose from, I narrowed it down to the biggest game changing moments from the last decade.


Find out which of your favorites made the cut after the jump!

*NOTE: All WWE related photos courtesy of WWE.com

The ESSENTIALS: The Royal Rumble

Welcome to this very special edition of the ESSENTIALS.  This Sunday marks the 25th Anniversary of the Royal Rumble.  Personally, after Mania, the rumble was always my favorite WWE PPV.  With so many classic moments and matches being held at the event, only so many are truly essential.  With that said, I find it only fitting that before the 25th event, we highlight the top 25 most memorable moments in the history of the PPV.  For those of you who are not familiar with the PPV, this article will provide an overview of the best and worst events and obscure facts that made the PPV what it is today.


Find out what makes this PPV so historic after the jump!