ALAN 4L’S TAKE: Celebration and Frustration – New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2025

This coming Sunday sees New Japan Pro Wrestling present “Destruction In Kobe,” a staple event on their calendar every year. To say that there is a lack of buzz for this show, and New Japan in general, would be a statement of the obvious that few would push back on. It would be intellectually dishonest to suggest a quiet period following the G1 Climax is an unusual occurrence, however, this year the drop off the radar felt starker than normal.

Following the disastrous final week of the G1 which could be best defined as booking malpractice, the general sentiment was at best one of frustration and at worst outright anger. That was clearly felt within the fanbase and if the scuttlebutt has credence then it was mirrored in the walls of the company itself (both office and locker room). In light of all that, a bit of quiet time and a step back probably offered some value.

The schedule since Konosuke Takeshita’s G1 victory on August 17th has been light. There was a standalone Yuji Nagata Produce show under his Blue Justice banner on September 7th, and two “Road To Destruction” tours between the 9th and 13th and then the 15th to 24th where they travelled to some of their smaller markets for some rather inconsequential shows. In the midst of this was a show on the 12th at Korakuen Hall (one of only two Tokyo stops in September) which was a tie-in to a Japanese entertainment show and not marketed towards English speaking fans. Most of this show could be best described as sketch comedy, and if you ever wanted to see Hiroyoshi Tenzan as “Dr. Tenzan” then you can pay an additional PPV price on top of a NJPWWorld subscription to see that.

Unsurprisingly, many fans in the West will have missed out on the one thing from that show that was actually quite notable. The one thing since the G1 ended that I would endorse as must-see. The one thing which offered a reminder of what New Japan Pro Wrestling can, and should be. The one thing that showed why so much of their decision making leads to such frustration.

That one thing was “Generation Crash” – an eight man tag pitting Zack Sabre Jr, Taichi, Tomohiro Ishii and Ryusuke Taguchi against Shota Umino, Yuya Uemura, Ryohei Oiwa and Kosei Fujita. With unit alliances out the window for one night, this match pitted one generation against another in front of a hot Korakuen Hall crowd who ate it up. You could tell from the entrances that this match was going to have a special energy about it. There was a buzz in the air, and a look in the eyes of all eight wrestlers which showed they were fired up. Yes, even Shota.

These eight wrestlers gave the fans effort, intensity, attitude and a feeling of everything that’s great about Japanese wrestling. Opponents (and sometimes partners) were trying to one up each other, hierarchies were challenged and guys were pushing each other to bring more. Holds and counters were traded at electric pace, strikes were laid in, and wrestlers were dropping each other to the mat in devastating fashion. After Oiwa and Uemura had their fantastic hold for hold match in the same building during the G1, both men (and fans) were in agreement that the style they displayed should be what NJPW is. I’d venture a guess that they felt the same about this match. Zack as IWGP champ has spoken a lot about his belief that New Japan has the best wrestling in the world, and this was a night where he could say that and not look foolish.

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Taichi and Ishii have made it clear through words and actions what they’re all about and they were crucial to the success of this match. Despite being a complete goof 95% of the time, Ryusuke Taguchi has proven throughout his career that when he needs to get serious he can be as good as anyone and he was on fire in this. Kosei Fujita, playing the role of a bit of an instigator, was in his element. That just leaves Umino, of whom there has been much litigation in recent years. To me, I feel this is the environment where he shines, and he shined in this one. We got the best version of Shota here.

I find it impossible to understand why a booker or decision maker in a pro wrestling company could stand backstage and watch the reception to a match like this, and for that matter the Uemura/Oiwa match in August, and not realise that the crowd is TELLING YOU what they want and what will work. Yet, I have zero confidence that Gedo and his team will take this on board in the way I feel they should.

On Sunday in Kobe World Hall, Zack will defend his title in the main event against heel scuzzer Ren Narita. I’m certain that match will feel like the antithesis of the Generation Crash match. It will feature done to death House Of Torture tropes, from the laziest of interference spots to hacky weapon usage and New Japan will once again choose to put it’s worst foot forward. Let there be no mistake, my choice of words there is very intentional. They are CHOOSING this when they do it. They don’t have to go the gimmick route because of a lack of talent.

This roster has significant depth of talent. Some critics of the product might scoff at that and I get why. NJPW has done a terrible job of turning guys into stars, they make their young babyfaces look foolish at every turn and they continually put guys into positions to not shine. But from the eight wrestlers in the September 13th main event to another dozen or so at least, they have more than enough guys ready to hit the ring and put on a killer professional wrestling show. And when they give their fans that, the fans react. Unfortunately they don’t listen, and it’s at the point now where we probably shouldn’t be holding out hope that they will.

There were years in the past where I’d be frothing at the mouth for the NJPW autumn schedule to get into full swing, but in 2025 I feel like I’m watching nervously just hoping for the occasional diamond in the rough that can be momentarily celebrated before reverting to the frustrating reality of where and what New Japan Pro Wrestling is in 2025.