#and unfortunately for my tastes that prob extends to mainstream American wrestling

[zedxspacess]

My stonks for Gabe Kidd have never been higher after WK. I absolutely love the return of Kenny, and it’s insane he’s still going like this after everything he’s been through, and just his presentation with his in ring skills is so undeniable. But I’m also really proud of Gabe Kidd here. In 2024, he just had a monster run as a brutal heel, but you can just tell his passion and dedication to njpw is real. Despite his rude, foreign heel character, he came from the dojo. His energy is so strong it burns everything around him, but the fans still recognize he fights for them and their promotion. I’ve lowkey been burnt out by “rah rah, restore the feeling/soul of the company” type stories and promos, but the way Gabe Kidd and the NJPW locker have been approaching it feels more real to me than when aew does it. The youth and vets of NJPW have been showing out, given these amazing performances and opportunities and running with it. One of the things I love about pro wrestling is watching story unfold in real time, seeing the growth and success of an athlete you can be proud of. And the njpw locker room has that in spades. Even from vets like Goto who didn’t have a chance before, getting a title shot after years. The repositioning of Evil and the HoT, what they represent and how to effectively use them; they’re given this role as interference menaces but they give it all in the character work and presentation.

There’s a send of pride and change and progression and focus here that I haven’t felt in aew in a bit. There’s a lot of stop and start, or other storylines/angles not living up to it or obscuring the good, consistent storylines of those who are progressing well. For every good thing they’re doing there’s something holding them back. A lot of talk and say that they are doing xyz but either not doing it or they do it but lose focus. No commitment. Big Takeshita, take more njpw dates, they treat you so much better and your presentation is much cooler there.