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Val: Is New Japan Gatekeeper The Next Role For Hiroshi Tanahashi?

What’s next for the Ace of New Japan?

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Hiroshi Tanahashi New Japan

New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced that the Ace Of The Universe has suffered an injury to his left elbow, which will sideline him at least until Wrestling Dontaku, next month. Now that Hiroshi Tanahashi has managed to reach the top of New Japan once more, at 42 years old with a broken body, what is left for him?

Surely the Ace won’t be doing nothing for the rest of the year once his body heals up, so let’s try to sort things out!

This past January in the Tokyo Dome, Hiroshi Tanahashi completed his road to reclaim the IWGP Heavyweight championship, from the hands of Kenny Omega. From suffering crushing defeats against Minoru Suzuki for the Intercontinental championship, and against Zack Sabre Jr in the New Japan Cup finals, to, in the most pleasant of surprises in the eyes of some fans, winning the G1 Climax for the third time in his career. The fairy tale did not last long however, as soon as the New Beginning in Osaka event came around in February, the Ace would fall and lose the Heavyweight championship to Jay White.

After Zack Sabre Jr definitely closed this arc of Tanahashi’s career at G1 Supercard, avenging his loss to Tana in the New Japan Cup, we can now take a bit of time to discuss what’s to come. Right before doing that however, let’s discuss the Ace’s physical state real quick. The last few years, Tanahashi has suffered a good amount of injuries, to various muscles as well as his knees. Yet, he has never really been taking all the necessary time off to fully heal. While I think we’re a lot to know that Tanahashi is not the kind to take long breaks because he is so passionate, I will ask the following question:

Wouldn’t it be best for Hiroshi Tanahashi to stay out of action until the G1 Climax?

That would mean nearly three months without the Ace in a New Japan ring, and while at the moment we do not know for how long Tanahashi will remain sidelined, the G1 is the next big occurrence coming this year, after Dominion in June. Therefore, I think we can expect that Tanahashi will look to be ready to enter, as the defending winner, just like New Japan wants its biggest tournament to hold as many great names as possible.

With this idea in mind, let’s look at the perspectives for what I think should be quite the different year compared the previous Tanahashi had to go through in his career. While Tanahashi has always managed to claim championships the last few years and remain a highly prominent figure in New Japan (which he will, ultimately, forever be), the one aspect we can note is that Tanahashi has been going against wrestlers who needed to establish themselves in some way. Wrestlers which could benefit from going against and possibly claim a victory over the Ace. Since 2016, Kenny Omega, Tetsuya Naito, Kota Ibushi, Zack Sabre Jr, SANADA, and the Young Lion Shota Umino all faced Tanahashi, looking to make for themselves or gaining momentum at the Ace’s expense, resulting in the previously named wrestlers always gaining something from their encounter(s) with Tana.

For this year, the possibilities are large, and using the idea of Tanahashi only coming back for the G1, what better way to keep going on that trend than by using the tournament? Whether it is by lighting the fire back against foes he already has some history with, or by serving as a huge test for any possible first time entrant in New Japan’s biggest tournament, there is at least a few purposes the Ace can serve in the tournament, and we can’t forget about possibly facing champions for their respective titles after the G1, but as the rest of these ideas, we will see more about that in a few months.

The main thing to keep in mind, is that this year may be the continuity of Tanahashi’s transition into a different role in New Japan, since Kazuchika Okada took over as the man leading the company. As said earlier, this role isn’t really new, but following the immense comeback story of last year where Tanahashi accomplished the goals he had set up for himself, I believe the next step for him is to fully embrace that role.

Lastly, I suggest we think about Wrestle Kingdom next year. The illustrious event held in the Tokyo Dome, where Tanahashi isn’t really known to lose often. This next edition already shapes up to be one where the Ace might fall behind the likes of Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, Jay White or Kota Ibushi. As we start wondering about what the future holds for Tanahashi, we might as well wonder about what Tanahashi will do, one year after claiming the IWGP Heavyweight championship for the 8th time.

Does the Ace keeps on facing the future of New Japan to test them, or maybe New Japan blesses us with an iconic match in the Tokyo Dome ? After all, Jushin Thunder Liger will step away from Wrestling after Wrestle Kingdom in 2020, which would make for a great and symbolic way to go, as two of the most recognizable Ace figures in New Japan’s history share the same ring, one last time.

On that dreamy note, this is where this article concludes itself. Let me know what you think! What do you think could be in store for Tanahashi moving forward?

 

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Opinion

Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

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Wyatt Sicks WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions, 

The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight. 

This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail. 

The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions. 

After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama

gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania. 

It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company. 

We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!

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Opinion

Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns 

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WWE Jacob Fatu Roman Reigns Backlash

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call. 

Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story. 

The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line. 

 In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years? 

Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus. 

I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?

Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!

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SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


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