Connect with us

Opinion

Val: Minoru Suzuki HAS to Become IWGP US Champion in Osaka

Should the leader of Suzuki-Gun defeat Jon Moxley at New Beginning in Osaka ?

Published

on

At Wrestle Kingdom 14, on the second night, Minoru Suzuki made a quite shocking appearance after Jon Moxley retained the IWGP US Heavyweight championship against Juice Robinson, challenging the two-time champion in the process.

In this article, I will be discussing why Suzuki should leave Osaka-Jo Hall with the US title. Ready ? Let’s take our towel off, give our meanest look to the camera, and dive into this !

To start it all off, I want to bring some eyes back to a previous article I wrote about New Japan. It was about the company’s expansion in the United States, and how they could use the US title to help the expansion process. In that piece, I tackled two main points : The first one was the creation of a “Gaijin Quartet” featuring the likes of Jay White, Zack Sabre Jr, Juice Robinson and Will Ospreay, all gravitating around what is still so far, the “Gaijin belt” within New Japan. The other point was far more simple : Let Japanese wrestlers challenge for the title, and possibly even hold it for quite some time. At Wrestle Kingdom 14, the first part of that second point became a reality, as Minoru Suzuki stepped up to Jon Moxley, delivering the Gotch-Style Piledriver, making his intentions clear.

As the match has been made official for the New Beginning in Osaka event, we are closer than ever to witness the second part of my point coming to fruition, and it is now time to explain why Gedo should absolutely make it happen.

The first thing to consider, of course, is that Jon Moxley could very well retain his championship in Osaka. However, and this is where I will start, having Moxley retain against Suzuki may cause some issues in the long run. For instance, Moxley is, as far as we know, unable to perform for New Japan in the US, which is quite problematic if he is bound to hold the US title for more than a month. After all, New Japan has set up a variety of events in Florida, Georgia and even Tennessee for their New Beginning in USA tour, but at none of these events will American fans get to see the US champion, because he is simply not allowed to appear.

Am I the only one to find this odd, as well as counterproductive regarding New Japan’s expansion in the country ?

I could even bring up AEW, and the fact that Moxley may very well end up as the new world champion there in a short while, which would limit his possibilities regarding New Japan bookings even more, as much as he wants to keep working in Japan. But, let’s not dive into that too much and keep the focus on New Japan affairs. As I just said, Moxley wants to keep wrestling for New Japan, but the real question to ask is whether or not he needs the US title to do that.

This is exactly where his Osaka opponent slides in. Minoru Suzuki is no ordinary opponent in more ways than one, and here we are not going to talk about his Murder Grandpa nickname given by the wrestling community. Suzuki is a star, a big international star. He has as beloved in Japan as he is in the USA, Australia or anywhere in Europe. The man has and brings more value than very few people within the New Japan roster, even at the age of 51. I am not going to list you his resume, you know how legendary the man is, just keep the value and popularity aspects in mind. Suzuki has not held any IWGP gold since Wrestling Hi-No-Kuni in 2018, where Tetsuya Naito reclaimed the IWGP Intercontinental championship, after Suzuki had destroyed Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the title in Sapporo… At New Beginning.

Approximately two years later, Suzuki gets the chance to once again win one of New Japan’s championships, one of the two singles championships he has yet to win. Suzuki adding his name to the list of US champions would bring instant value and prestige to the title, and you know Suzuki will treat the title as a prize deserving of his own worth, otherwise he would have never made the challenge, and would have taken a personal revenge on Moxley without caring for the title. Adding to that, in contrary to Moxley, Suzuki can appear wherever he wants, whenever he wants. New Japan could actually use their US champion in future tours around the USA, as well as having the US title show up more in Japan, just like when Jay White and Juice Robinson were champions.

Lastly, speaking of White and Robinson, let’s dive back into the “Gaijin quartet” idea I brought up a long while ago, especially one of its members in Zack Sabre Jr. In another piece I wrote which was dubbed “The twilight of Suzuki-Gun”, I brought up the idea of ZSJ taking leadership of the faction. The way to do it remains unclear, and who knows if it will ever happen, but let’s say it eventually does. Suzuki vs Zack is a match New Japan has never delivered so far, this is one of the matches the company is heavily protecting (we have seen members of the same faction colliding in the G1 for years, yet Suzuki and Zack never did), and there must be a reason for it. With Suzuki as US champion, a door opens for this match to happen. So far, Zack has been used as the standard regarding the British Heavyweight championship, which is essentially his title, but there’s going to be a time where Zack will HAVE to hold a different type of gold, IWGP gold, if New Japan indeed sees him as one of their top foreigners, which seems quite clear they do.

The point here being that, with Suzuki becoming IWGP US champion, you open the door to the possibility of skyrocketing ZSJ in another dimension in the long run, while giving one (last ?) well earned championship run to one of the most popular veterans in all of wrestling, after nearly two years of championship drought.

On that note, this is where this article comes to a close ! Do you think Minoru Suzuki should leave Osaka-Jo Hall as IWGP US champion ? If so, what would you expect to happen in the long run with an eventual championship reign ?

Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

THURSDAY - Nefarious Means

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

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)


Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand


Powered by RedCircle


Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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.

Published

on

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!

Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

THURSDAY - Nefarious Means

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

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)


Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand


Powered by RedCircle


Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Continue Reading

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 

Published

on

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!

Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

THURSDAY - Nefarious Means

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

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)


Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand


Powered by RedCircle


Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Continue Reading

Sports

Entertainment

Sports Entertainment

Today In Pro Wrestling History43 minutes ago

Today In Pro Wrestling History: April 29th

A legendary retirement, a collision in North Korea and quite a bit of Backlash shows up strong today!

News10 hours ago

TNA Impact on AMC Drops to 175,000 Viewers, 0.03 18-49 Rating Amid Heavy Sports Competition

TNA Thursday Night Impact averaged 175,000 viewers on AMC last week, a 17.5% decline from the previous week’s 212,000 and...

News10 hours ago

Nick Hogan Open to Pursuing In-Ring Career After Viewing Hulk Hogan: Real American

Nick Hogan told the Bonus Edition of the 83 Weeks podcast that after watching the final version of Hulk Hogan:...

News10 hours ago

AJ Lee Thanks WWE Peers After Triumphant Return, Reflects Post–WrestleMania 42

AJ Lee’s surprise return to WWE in September after more than a decade away reignited excitement among fans and fellow...

News10 hours ago

Family of Marc Izard Launches GoFundMe to Bring Fan Home After WrestleMania Weekend Death

The family of Marc Izard has set up a GoFundMe page to bring his body back from Las Vegas to...

News10 hours ago

CM Punk Explains Why He Uses His Platform to Speak Out on Social Issues

CM Punk candidly addressed why he chooses to speak on social issues, explaining that his visibility as a high-profile wrestler...

News10 hours ago

JD McDonagh Eyes Producer Role, Mentorship and an Irish Wrestling Academy After In-Ring Career

In a recent interview with German Suplex Talk, JD McDonagh said he can’t picture life away from wrestling and hopes...

News10 hours ago

Natalya Offers Condolences Following Marc Izard’s Passing

WWE star Natalya took to social media to express her heartbreak and offer condolences to the family of Marc Izard...

News10 hours ago

Jeff Jarrett: WWE “Pulled the Rung Out From Under” Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 42

Veteran promoter and wrestler Jeff Jarrett criticized WWE’s handling of the WrestleMania 42 main event, saying the company “pulled the...

News10 hours ago

Jordynne Grace Says She Wants to Work With Paul Heyman

During an appearance on “Aussie Heat,” Jordynne Grace revealed she would like the opportunity to work with Paul Heyman. Grace...

Advertisement

Buy A Chairshot T-Shirt!

Chairshot Radio Network

Trending

WP Twitter Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com