Could it happen?
KENTA is due to sign for WWE in early July (if not already a done deal), its due to be announced in Osaka, Japan on 12th July, WWE Battleground happens on 20th July.Do you think WWE will put KENTA into the Intercontinental Championship Battle Royal as a special surprise entrant, and he'll win the whole damn thing?
Way to make a star?
I think you misspelled "spend the next year or so in NXT".
For what it's worth, I did not send in this email,but agree wholeheartedly with the idea. In fact look for KENTA to hold all the titles by years end.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Vince's reaction will be more "Who the fuck signed this jap?" And then he'll be given Stereotypical Japanese Theme, a kimono, and come out with a sushi platter in his hand.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, who is the last person they've signed with a press conference like this -- Mistico/Sin Cara?
ReplyDeleteIt's not the worst idea in the world, and they probably would have done just that twenty years ago. But Scott's probably right, and it might be better off (in the long run) for KENTA to integrate slowly into the WWE System.
ReplyDeleteThat's adorable.
ReplyDeleteand he'll be coming out to
ReplyDeletedo do dododo do do do
I love that idea myself. Honestly it's surreal to me to even be anticipating that guy being in WWE. Who was the last Japanese star imported by WWE, discounting guys who they grabbed from WCW and ECW? No, I don't count Kenzo Suzuki or Yoshi Tatsu. Does it go back to Kaientai?
ReplyDeleteThe real question should be "What Ultra-Asian stereotypical name will Vince give him?"
ReplyDeleteYoko Toyota Honda
ReplyDeleteI always feel like his name is shouting at me.
ReplyDeleteHmm... his last name is Kobayashi, Vince loves silly gimmicks, Vince loves things that were in the cultural zeitgeist several years ago... Who wants to lay odds on a competitive eating gimmick?
ReplyDeleteUltimo Dragon was in WWE for a brief period in the 00s but he did not last long when he failed to get over as a mask selling high flyer ala Rey Mysterio.
ReplyDeleteSome of the things people think will happen amaze me.
ReplyDelete"Tokyo Drift" Kenta Tanaka, Extreme Asian Race Car Driver!
ReplyDeleteSushi Hirohoto Subaru Fuji.
ReplyDeleteI thought about him but he was already pretty established on North American national TV from WCW, even if there was a gap between his stints in the two companies. KENTA is basically an unknown to North American wrestling fans who don't follow indies or Japan. I guess that's a more succinct way to phrase what I was asking.
ReplyDeleteI don't follow modern puroresu, but they work a pretty stiff style, right? So I wonder how beat up he is and/or how much is left in the tank?
ReplyDeleteI know KENTA is super popular in Japan, but the majority of WWE fans don't know who he is. They have to build him up and introduce to the audience before they hot-shot a title onto him.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like it would be a better idea to debut KENTA on a RAW in Japan where the crowd would at least know who he is. Debuting a foreign wrestler, in America, like that is a recipe for disaster.
ReplyDeleteAh, remember the good old days when a wrestler would jump to WWF from another organization, would be immediately thrust into a major angle, and then Vince would decide that he wasn't ready for "WWF style" and then promptly bury him?
ReplyDeleteBecause that's what would totally happen in this scenario.
For what it's worth, I did not send in this email,but agree wholeheartedly with the idea. In fact look for KENTA to hold all the titles by years end. Credit: PWInsider.com
ReplyDeleteEspecially since Tokyo Drift is about 8 years old, thus putting it right in Vince's cultural wheelhouse.
ReplyDeleteBest thing they can do for the IC belt is give it to Ambrose and let him do his best Bret Hart/Savage/Santana type run with the belt. Make him a real fighting champ who values the belt and treats it like it is prestigious. Don't job in any non-title matches and don't job him in tag matches either. Since Reigns is the golden boy, this would give Ambrose a showcase and, when his run is done (minimum 6 months, preferably lose it in dastardly fashion at WM) you have a belt that really means something. It has been sad watching Barrett. I believe the guy has jobbed 4 different times in non-title matches/tag matches since he got the IC belt. Hardly the way to build up your champion.
ReplyDeleteThey'll turn him into a weird dancing japanese man or make him a samurai character
ReplyDeleteand they will. They will say he works too stiff, he needs to learn respect for the locker room, etc. They have done it with a number of guys since the 80s. It really a combo of Vince not liking things he didn't "create" (or atleast his machine) and liking to see how much guys "want it." Knock them down, see if they work hard and push to make it back to the top. Of course this is often counterproductive as he has lost major opportunities with both RVD and Jericho (twice) when they were hugely over and then got shunted back down, among many others over they years.
ReplyDeleteSeriously can we just stop this stupid shit already.
ReplyDeleteRemember when having different styles in the ring was actually seen as a good thing?
ReplyDeleteOff the top of my head:
ReplyDeleteName: Yo Joe Bulbasaur
Finisher: Rape of Nanking (clothesline)
Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoK8DaJRDaM
Released: in six months after John Cena decides his autograph penmanship is insufficiently respectful to... Oh let's say.... Mo.
Taz too, to a lesser degree.
ReplyDeleteI own two houses and a dog with a loose anus, son. What do you have?
ReplyDeleteSilly emailer, KENTA's skill and experience means nothing to the almighty Vince. He must be shunted down to NXT, where he'll be repackaged as a crazy Chinaman who thinks he's the reincarnation of Bruce Lee, and does all kinds of wacky karate movie stuff in backstage skits.
ReplyDeleteIf we're talking about Vince's "cultural wheelhouse", then he'll probably up being named Long Duc Dong.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't even matte how they try and debut him, the universe won't let them ruin this one! Just imagine the kids in the crowd once he comes out, "KENTA! KENTA! KENTA!" Get ready for the next BOOM period in North American pro wrestling.
ReplyDeleteNot trying to be a Negative Nancy here, but there is NO WAY Kenta gets over in the WWE, so why even hire the guy? He's Asian -- VKM respects them so much that the last time he hired an Asian it was a white guy playing an Asian.
ReplyDeleteI imagine this is sarcasm. If not, Jesus Christ....you could not be further off.
ReplyDeleteWho is KENTA?
ReplyDeleteI disagree. He could get over based on his in-ring work and with a mouth piece.
ReplyDeleteKENTA! KENTA! KENTA!
ReplyDeleteBetween this and the atomic bomb of charisma that is Dean Ambrose this may just be the biggest BOOM period in the history of this business! Just look at the comments on the blog. Business is picking up in a HUGE way and I can't help, but be wrapped up in the pandemonium. It's one of the most exciting times I can remember as a fan and I've been watching since 87.
Ok, gotcha.
ReplyDeleteTajiri was over. Not that his position in the company always reflected it.
ReplyDeleteHis skills have nothing to do with it. He's Asian and he got over elsewhere. You know the percentages aren't in his favor.
ReplyDeleteAmbrose is one of those guys, like Jake Roberts and Roddy Piper (excluding his short I-C Title run), who doesn't need and shouldn't be carrying a belt. Same with Bray. They're more about blood feuds and revenge. I can see a case for having those guys target the World Title, but neither should be burdened with a midcard belt.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they'll dust off the Hirohito gimmick they were going to give Kenzo Suzuki. Maybe bring back Heidenreich as the frozen Nazi. Throw in Santino and you've got an Axis of Evil stable
ReplyDeleteOk but the Ambrose charisma thing is true without sarcasm.
ReplyDeleteHe was massively over when he debuted with Regal because his offense was so different. They immediately ignored that and turned him into a comedy character. Not saying he would've been WWE's equivalent to Muta, but he could've had a decent midcard singles run.
ReplyDeleteSantino as a Napoleon-like little man ordering around and provoking bigger guys would be great.
ReplyDeleteThe question is, does he bring the ring gear color-coded to hide both piss and shit stains to WWE with him? There's a Vince gimmick for ya: "Ah me so solly!! Me make peepee!"
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Kicking the shit out of people is a universal language.
ReplyDeleteTAKA was also pretty over as well for a while.
ReplyDeleteVince: "I have an idea, nerds! We'll call him Bruce Leigh!"
ReplyDeleteIt could be worse. He could be Cody Rhodes, who got his ass handed to him by Randy Orton about 42 times, and not once did Orton deem Cody's IC title worthy enough to challenge him for it.
ReplyDeleteSure, I see what's you're saying, but WWE is different than it was before. The indy movement is proof of that.
ReplyDelete"Could have" is exactly right. Taka > over > turned into a joke. Tajiri >over>turned into a joke. It's just what happens and then Vince wants them to put peepee in your coke.
ReplyDeleteBut aren't most blood feuds, if you drill down to a low enough level, based on all the involved parties ultimately wanting to climb the ranks and win championships? Otherwise, why be wrestlers?
ReplyDeleteWasn't a lot of the modern WWE main event style stolen from KENTA any way? Only thing I don't know if he has in his arsenal is a SPINE-A BUSTERUUUUU
ReplyDeleteGo away
ReplyDeleteHis name will be "Kamikaze" or "Jimmy Chang Slang" and certainly not KENTA!
ReplyDeleteUp until two months ago, I had no idea that this Kenta existed. I just always assumed it was Kenta Kobashi.
ReplyDeleteHe's a great worker. A little to heavy on no-selling spots, but so was Tyler Black before he came to WWE. He had a classical match with Danielson in ROH that you should check out.
ReplyDeletePiston Honda
ReplyDeleteI imagine that his entrance music will be Gangnam Style, which fits Vince on so many levels...
ReplyDeleteLet's see if he can overcome the CM Punk chants he'll get when he does the GTS.
ReplyDeleteI'm not being a smart ass, I don't watch Japanese wrestling, so I have no clue who this guy is.
ReplyDeleteNah
ReplyDeleteNot so much a wrestler's comeback, as a group's comeback. I had long wanted DX with Shawn and Triple H to reform and was real excited when they started teasing it at WM 22. Then they came back as a group and were awful.
ReplyDelete"Hey! It's Tony Atlas!" Comes to mind.
ReplyDeleteSaba fucking Simba.
I'd say LL Cool J, but he told me not to call it that. *rimshot*
ReplyDelete....and he's not a wrestler, so this doesn't apply.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a toss up between Foley and Jericho for me. Two beloved superstars who returned to put people over (which isn’t a BAD thing per se) but it kind of sucks when even children know what the outcome of any feud involving them is going to be and the reasons why.
ReplyDeleteFun read.
ReplyDeleteThey were terrible.
ReplyDeleteThe nWo return in 2002 was pretty much a morbidly obese abortion.
ReplyDeleteThis would be great, but sadly I just Kenta see it happening.
ReplyDeleteAnything can happen, all you gotta do is bolieve.
ReplyDeleteBarry Windham was my overall favorite wrestler in 1993-1994 as the LoneWolf. I was very excited when he came back in 1996 as "The Stalker". Extremely disappointing.
ReplyDeleteGive him blinking lights for his entrance as well as streamers for when he arrives to the ring. Children from the ages 6-13 love blinking lights and flying, colored objects. How do you think Pokemon and Sailor Moon got so over with American kids?
ReplyDeleteWWE will never, ever push a Japanese wrestler. No connection to the average fan, no merch.
ReplyDeletenWo. I was hoping for a magical run of a few months. They started okay, but something was missing. Not just their age, but I guess when they came back, we knew what could happen and what could not. We know the limits of what it have been. It wasn't going to be this unscripted chaos from 1996 and 1997, but it still felt like "just another angle" instead of something special.
ReplyDeleteFully expected this to be a load of crap, but it was actually a good read and very well thought out. Props!
ReplyDelete