Welcome to Sir Hurley's guide to New Japan Pro Wrestling! If you clicked here, chances are that you've heard the name 'NJPW' whispered in hushed tones around wrestling circles, all of them singing the praises of Japan's largest wrestling promotion. Perhaps you're interested in checking it out, but feel confronted by the sheer magnitude of effort it takes to familiarize yourself with a completely new wrestling company, with its own distinct style, structure, and wrestlers. What if I told you that perhaps it isn't so hard at all, and that with a minimal amount of effort, you too could baste in the glory of puro? Interested? Then read on...

Contents:

PPV Structure Championships Key Differences with WWE The Wrestlers Getting Started

Firstly, let's begin with a small overview of the structure of New Japan, or Shin Nihon, as it's called in Japanese. NJPW follows a monthly PPV structure, like WWE. It's major shows are as follows:

Wrestle Kingdom - held every January in the Tokyo Dome, this is New Japan's biggest show, their version of Wrestlemania, if you will.

G1 Climax Tournament - held every August, this tournament is held in a round robin style, where wrestlers are separated into two groups and wrestle everyone in their group over the span of 2 weeks. Overall winners of each group wrestle each other for a IWGP title shot at Wrestle Kingdom. The second biggest show of the year.

King of Pro Wrestling - held in October, is the third biggest show of the year. This PPV is notorious for producing amazing matches in its main event.

Let's not move on to an overview of the Championships in NJPW. (side note: IWGP stands for International Wrestling Grand Prix)

IWGP Heavyweight Championship - THE top belt in New Japan. Whoever holds this belt is the man, no questions asked. In the words of the great Ric Flair: to be the man, you gotta beat the man - and the man in NJPW is the Heavyweight Champion. The current champion is AJ Styles (yes, the same AJ Styles of TNA fame), who won the title from Kazuchika Okada.

in NJPW is the Heavyweight Champion. The current champion is AJ Styles (yes, the same AJ Styles of TNA fame), who won the title from Kazuchika Okada. IWGP Intercontinental Championship - don't be mistaken here, NJPW's Intercontinental Title is nothing like the WWE's - it's definitely not a secondary title. In fact, it headlined this year's Wrestle Kingdom! Think of it as the 1(b) title, like the Big Gold Belt was a few years ago. The current champion is Shinsuke Nakamura, who is almost solely responsible for the prestige that this title carries.

IWGP Tag Championship - the Tag Titles have somewhat less prestige than the other major titles, due to their being defended much lower on the average card. The current champions are the Bullet Club.

There are other titles active in New Japan, such as the Junior Heavyweight Championship, and the NEVER Openweight Title, but these are usually are not particularly important, so for the sake of simplicity, we'll move on for now.

Notable Differences Between NJPW and WWE (or American wrestling in general):

A greater focus on the wrestling aspect of pro-wrestling

The style - NJPW is known for it's 'Strong Style', which incorporates very stiff, almost shoot style strikes and kicks; unprotected head drops are a common occurrence

The rules of a match are largely the same, although disqualification finishes are extremely rare. Wrestlers can do all sorts of illegal things (such as chair shots, for example) in full view of the referee and not get DQ'ed

Count-outs are called at the count of twenty , not ten

, not ten Small terminology differences - a vertical suplex is called a brainbuster; a clothesline is called a lariat.

The prevalence of stables - most wrestlers belong to a stable, but they don't work like their counterparts in the WWE. Stables are more like loose affiliations rather than tight-knit groups like the Shield, for example. Stablemates will rarely accompany each other to the ring, or intervene in matches. They will, however, avoid wrestling each other, or challenge for each other's titles.

The Wrestlers

The most important part of any wrestling company also happens to be the greatest source of mystery and misunderstanding to new fans. What are their moves? What's their reputation? Are they a heel, or a face? No fear, I'll answer all your questions here! As the NJPW roster is very large, I'll only overview the twenty wrestlers that were in this year's G1. For the most part, this will cover all the major players and most of the minor players as well.

I'll break this section down into two parts: wrestlers who aren't in a stable, and those who are. There are currently FOUR major stables: CHAOS, Suzuki-Gun, Bullet Club, and Great Bash Heel (GBH). For each wrestler, I'll give you a brief overview, as well as my thoughts and ramblings on his work. First, the currently un-stabled wrestlers:

Name: Hiroshi Tanahashi

Position: Main Event

Notable Accomplishments: IWGP Heavyweight Champion (x6); IWGP Intercontinental Champion (x1); IWGP Tag Championship (x2); G1 Climax Winner (2007); New Japan Cup Winner (2005, 2008)

Distinguishing Features: The most defined physique in NPJW; long, blond hair

Signature Moveset: High Fly Flow – frogsplash (finisher); Cloverleaf (submission finisher); Sling Blade – spinning sitout sleeper slam (Seth Rollins used this move during his Shield days); Dragon Suplex Hold; Dragonscrew Leg Whip

Video of top moves here

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: Hiroshi Tanahashi. The Ace of New Japan. The man who brought the company into a new renaissance. The Once in a Century Talent. Perhaps the most well-known Japanese wrestler of this generation. I have no praise to give this man that has not already been afforded to him, but I'll do my best to sum up his essence.

Tanahashi simply cannot have a bad match. That’s not a matter of opinion, that’s a fact. No matter who he wrestles, the results are excellent every time. His moniker is ‘Itsuzai’, which translates to: ‘extraordinary talent’ – and he is indeed an extraordinary talent. As a wrestler, he just gets pro wrestling. His grasp of ring psychology is unmatched anywhere in the world; a fact made evident in his series of matches with Okada. Not only is he an absolute ring general, he can as adapt his style to match absolutely anyone. Fighting against a highflyer? No matter, Tanahashi can fly with the best of them. A brawler? Not a problem! He’s got the physique and the brutality to believably engage in a hoss fight. A technical bout you say? With Minoru Suzuki you say? Been there, done that, got 5 stars from Meltzer, thank you very much. Tanahashi’s greatest strength is his flexibility, an ability to adapt his style to deliver the sort of match that the crowd desires, all the while bringing out the best in his opponent.

Tanahashi’s openly credited HBK as his favourite wrestler and inspiration – which is perhaps why he’s so good. His Sling Blade move (one of my favourite wrestling moves), was named by Nakamura after -get this- the blade of a hedge trimmer.

(Side note: I came across an absolutely brilliant, personal 5 star match against Bryan Danielson in the 00s on YouTube a while ago, but much to my chagrin, I did not download it at the time, and it has been taken down. If anyone comes across it, I strongly urge you to watch it – it has some of the best chain wrestling that I’ve ever seen)



Name: Yuji Nagata

Position: Upper-Midcard

Notable Accomplishments: IWGP Heavyweight Champion (x2); IWGP Tag Champion (x2); G1 Climax Winner (2001); New Japan Cup Winner (2007, 2011)

Distinguishing Features: Not many – an older looking man who mostly wears either green or blue trunks and boots

Signature Moveset: Backdrop Suplex Hold (finisher); Wristclutch Exploder (finisher); Killer Nagata-armbreaker (submission finisher); Nagata lock II – crippler crossface; Justice Knee – corner knee lift

Video of top moves here

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: Yuji Nagata, in my opinion, at this stage in his career can be likened to HBK in the few years before his retirement. A hell of a wrestler that’s had a hell of a career; an instantly recognisable, perennially over face that can have a great to awesome match with anyone. Nagata understands the pro-wrestling business like a veteran, able to change his style from brawler, to technician, or to anything else, to suit the current match environment. If my memory serves me correctly, in a recent podcast Daniel Bryan himself listed Nagata as his favourite Japanese wrestler – something that speaks for itself.

Adding to Nagata’s greatness is his status as an innovator – he innovated two very commonly used moves: the crippler crossface, and the corner knee lift that CM Punk used to use in every match. His current signature submission is the Killer Nagata, an armbreaker is applied while Nagata rolls his eyes to the back of his head (a-la Undertaker), for an awesome image. He’s the current master of the Exploder Suplex, which happens to be one of my all-time favourite wrestling moves. His signature taunt is a peculiar sort of open handed salute that always gets the crowd riled up.

Name: Satoshi Kojima

Position: Upper-midcard

Notable Accomplishments: IWGP Heavyweight Champion (x2); IWGP Tag Champion (x6); G1 Climax Winner (2010)

Distinguishing Features: Has orange hair; big pecs; wears coloured tape over his nose

Signature Moveset: Cozy Crush Dynamite – scoop reverse Piledriver (finisher); Cutter; many lariat variations

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: Kojima is one of the top wrestlers in New Japan, and a personal favourite of mine to watch. His achievements speak for themselves: two times IWGP Champ, six times Tag Champ. At age 44, he’s had a great career, but isn’t showing any signs of slowing down, at least, not yet.

Kojima has a great moveset, which focuses on his stiff, brawler style. His lariat is tied with Makabe’s as the stiffest in the company. He’s particularly charismatic in the ring, and absorbs the audience into his performances with his facial expressions and crowd interaction. Perhaps the most over catchphrase in NJPW is Kojima’s "Icchauzo Bakayaro!", which translates to "I’m coming for you, bastard!" - the crowd yells it along with him every time his attempts a diving elbow drop. All in all, Kojima’s a great wrestler, and fun to watch. He gets two thumbs up from me!

Name: Katsuyori Shibata

Position: Upper-midcard

Notable Accomplishments: No NJPW titles; MMA record of 4 wins -10 losses

Distinguishing Features: Wears plain, black trunks; notable for his lack of distinguishing features

Signature Moveset: Penalty Kick – kick to the chest of a seated opponent (finisher); Octopus Hold (submission finisher); GTS; Corner Dropkick

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: I’ll be the first to admit that Shibata is a very good at wrestling his personal style, which incorporates a lot of stiff, shoot strikes delivered with a no-nonsense demeanour. It’s the rest of his character which I have a severe dislike for. Unlike the top-tier talent of NJPW, in my opinion, Shibata is a very inflexible worker – he knows what he’s good at, and he’ll stick to that style, no matter who his opponent it. When his opponent is a fellow stiff-machine such as Ishii, or the adaptable ace Tanahashi, Shibata can have amazing matches. But the rest of the time, watching his matches tends to send me to sleep, and for more reasons than inflexibility.

Another key factor in my dislike of this man is his moveset. His finisher is a kick to the chest. Really? Sure, it’s stiff as all hell, but it’s to the chest, for crying out loud! If it were a kick to the head, I’d excuse it, but how am I to believe that brainbusters and Tombstones may not keep a guy down, but a kick to the chest should do the trick? Besides from that, his moveset seems to be a near carbon copy of KENTA’s, what, with the running corner dropkick, the stiff kicks and elbows, and of course, the GTS (which Shibata performs quite poorly, in my opinion).

On top of that, the guy looks like an absolute douche. I know his gimmick is a no-nonsense shootfighter, but the way he ‘methodically goes to work’ seems contrived and fake to me – especially since his professional MMA record is an utterly dismal 4 wins, 10 losses. Not to mention the silly scowl that he permanently wears – it’s about as intimidating as a John Cena scowl, by the way.

But this is all my personal opinion. Many people have nothing but good things to say about Shibata, so check him out, and decide for yourself.

Name: Tetsuya Naito

Position: Upper-Midcard

Notable Accomplishments: IWGP Tag Champion (x1); G1 Climax Winner (2013)

Distinguishing Features: Frizzled orange hair

Signature Moveset: Stardust Press – corkscrew moonsult (finisher); slingshot dropkick

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: A very decent wrestler. Known as the Stardust Genius, Naito wrestlers a very cruiserweight style, flying around the ring throwing in running sentons and missile dropkicks like confetti. He’s quite fun to watch, and plays the role of the sympathetic babyface quite well. His match with AJ at this year’s G1 is a prime example of this, which you should check out, if you haven’t seen it. Unfortunately, Naito is quite limited outside of this role; he lacks the size to engage in believable hoss fights, and does not have a particularly good technical wrestling side.

Naito’s signature eye taunt was picked up during his time wrestling in Mexico – the locals would mock him over his small eyes, so Naito responded by opening them wide. The taunt stuck, so he brought it back to Japan.

Name: Hirooki Goto

Position: Upper Midcard

Notable Accomplishments: IWGP Intercontinental Champion (x1); IWGP Tag Champion (x1); G1 Climax Winner (2008); New Japan Cup Winner (2009, 2010, 2012)

Distinguishing Features: Wears Samurai pants

Signature Moveset: Shouten – vertical suplex lift into a side slam (finisher); Ushi Goroshi – fireman’s carry takeover across the knee; Wristclutch Olympic Slam; Sunset Flip Powerbomb; Discus Lariatttooo

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: Hirooki Goto, the Samurai of New Japan is, in my humble opinion, the most underrated wrestler in the world. There is no real way that I can convey his in-ring greatness through words alone – yet I’ll endeavour to try, by beginning with his moveset. Goto’s moveset is simply a collection of wrestling’s most badass moves, and quite possibly my favourite collective moveset of any wrestler. What I love about Goto is that every single one of his signature moves could convincingly pass as a finisher. His Ushi Goroshi is perhaps the most brutal move in the business – a fireman’s carry takeover (AKA Attitude Adjustment) that drops the opponents head across Goto’s awaiting knee. Definitely could be a finisher. Wristclutch Olympic Slam? Are you kidding, that could kill someone! Finisher material for sure. Discus Lariat? That thing could take the head off a horse. Which brings us to his actual finisher, the Shouten. I can’t describe its beauty, its grace, its majesty. Watch it for yourself

It’s quite a travesty that this outstanding worker has never been IWGP Champ; in fact, I believe that he’s the most worthy on the current roster to have a lengthy run with the belt. He looks and carries himself like a champion – the only thing Goto needs now is a chance with the ball. Once he has it, the sky’s the limit for Goto.

Name: Hiroyoshi Tenzan

Position: Midcard

Notable Accomplishments: IWGP Heavyweight Champion (x4); IWGP Tag Champion (x11); G1 Climax (2003, 2004, 2006)

Distinguishing Features: Wears a straight mullet with blond highlights

Signature Moveset: Anaconda Vise (finisher)

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: I’ll be honest with you, I did not know that Tenzan was a former IWGP Champ before the writing of this article. So imagine my surprise when I find that not only is he a former champ, but a four time IGWP Champion and a three time G1 winner! The reason for my surprise is quite simple: any greatness he once had is sadly no longer with him now. Tenzan is decent in the ring on his best days, uninspiring on his worst. As with many other lower-midcard workers, I don’t recall any memorable matches involving Tenzan, or any remarkable moments either. Like much of the roster, he’s very stiff, but that seems to be the only real hallmark of his style. It’s interesting to note, though, that Tenzan was the innovator of the Anaconda Vise. (Vise from Tenzan, Corner Knee Lift from Nagata, GTS from KENTA – CM Punk may very well be secretly Japanese!)

CHAOS

Name: Shinsuke Nakamura (leader)

Position: Main Eventer

Notable Accomplishments: IWGP Heavyweight Champion (x3); IWGP Intercontinental Champion (x4, current); IWGP Tag Champion (x1); G1 Climax Winner (2011); New Japan Cup Winner (2014)

Distinguishing Features: Long, dishevelled hair, shaved on one side; wears tight leather pants and a Michael Jackson-esque Thriller jacket; expressions range from stoned to crazed

Signature Moveset: Boma Ye – knee smash to the face of a seated opponent (finisher); Shining Triangle Choke (occasional submission finisher); Reverse Powerslam; MMA-style knees, suplex variations

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: A wrestling god.

As far as I’m concerned, Nakamura is simply the best wrestler in Japan, and perhaps even the world right now. Where do I start? This man is the epitome of what wrestling should be. From the very start of his matches, he brings you on a journey. His face is a nation treasure; having mastered the art of storytelling using expression, Nakamura captivates the audience with vibrant and lucid mannerisms, enrapturing absolutely everyone in the audience. He hasn’t simply understood ring psychology, he’s mastered it; pacing matches and choosing spots at times where he knows it will elicit the biggest response. He brings a ‘big fight feel’ to every match, and damn well delivers every time.

Known as the ‘King of Strong Style’, Nakamura incorporates his legitimate MMA background into his wrestling style. His finisher is the Boma Ye, which is a running knee smash into a seated or kneeling opponent. It also happens to be the stiffest damn move in pro-wrestling, which can be hit from absolutely any angle, including from the top rope. He’ll often smash a poor sucker repeatedly with it, until the other party either loses or dies.

Nakamura’s gimmick is one of the central drawing attractions of NJPW; put simply, it’s as if one day, Nakamura decided to just be the coolest man in the room. He’s constantly pulling faces and making weird body contortions, strutting around the ring like he owns it (which he does). His signature taunt occurs shortly after locking up: he’ll push his opponents into the ropes; after the referee orders a break, he’ll comply, but rub his face into the opponent’s belly. Amazing. I can see similarities with Dean Ambrose’s current ‘lunatic fringe’ gimmick, a comparison which I hear many people make.

Why are you still reading this and not falling in love the man known as Swagsuke Nakamura? I'll get you started: the coolest wrestling entrance of all time. YEAOH!

Name: Kazuchika Okada

Position: Main Eventer

Notable Accomplishments: IWGP Heavyweight Champion (x2), G1 Climax Winner (2012, 2014), New Japan Cup Winner (2013)

Distinguishing Features: Blond hair; wears a lavish robe to the ring; Rainmaker pose; money sometimes falls from the roof during his entrance

Signature Moveset: Rainmaker – wrist-clutch waistlock ripcorded into a short arm lariat (finisher); Red Ink – kneeling STF (submission finisher); DID – arm trap facelock; Heavy Rain –death valley driver; Tombstone Piledriver; Reverse Neckbreaker – over-the-shoulder Piledriver on the knee; Hanging DDT

Video of top moves here

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: The future of wrestling.

I can think of no higher praise to afford to a man who deserves no less than the utmost admiration, adoration, and respect. At 26 years of age, Okada has three Meltzer 5 star matches under his belt – an extraordinary achievement. His feud with Hiroshi Tanahashi in 2012-2013 represented a second renaissance in Japanese wrestling (the first being the Heavenly Kings era of AJPW in the 90s); which produced one of only two of my personal 6 star matches (the other being HBK v ‘Taker and WrestleMania 25). Never before have I seen a wrestler that’s become so good at such a young age.

What makes him so good, you may ask? Good question. Let me begin my answer by directing your attention to his finisher, the Rainmaker. Yep, that’s it. It’s a short arm lariat. Not impressed? What if I told you that it’s never (evaaaaaaaarrr) been cleanly kicked out of? In a world where finishers are never truly finishers, the Rainmaker is feared, because everyone in that locker room knows that once it hits, its game over, no question about it. But that’s just his finisher. Distilled into its essence, the reason why Okada is so damn good: it’s because he makes no wasted movement in the ring. I know it’s a clichéd statement (curse you, Maggle), but for Okada, it’s the golden truth. I invite you to peruse the list of his signature moves I’ve listed above. Notice a pattern? Every big move in Okada’s arsenal targets the head and neck area. Every submission too. Literally every move Okada performs, be it a hanging DDT, a Red Ink, or a Tombstone, advances his ultimate win condition: demolish the head and neck area, to the point where one final Rainmaker will annihilate his opponent.

But Hurley! Doesn’t that make every match the same? Silly reader. Of course it doesn’t, and I’ll tell you why: (in my humble opinion) Okada sells offence better than the ultimate salesman, Dolph Ziggler. Gasp! Better than Ziggler? Blasphemy! No, not quite; hear me out. Although no one is better than Ziggler at selling moves, no one is better than Okada at selling offence. When Okada gets hit with a big move, say for example, a brainbuster, at any point of the match, he’ll sell that move for the rest of the match, clutching his neck and occasionally looking stunned. Falling victim to just a single dragon screw leg whip will result in Okada limping around for the whole match, clearly showing the effects of that move through his body language and facial expressions, and thus making it clear to the audience why his opponent might target that leg for the rest of the match. It seems as if his philosophy is that every move devastates the body, and the effects of a big move don’t evaporate during the course of a match. Put simply, Okada’s selljob makes pro-wrestling look real.

There are quite literally a million and one things that I have to say about Okada, but in the end, the best way for you to understand my admiration is by watching this artist at work yourself.

Name: Tomohiro Ishii

Position: Midcard

Notable Accomplishments: NEVER Openweight Champion (x1)

Distinguishing Features: Bald, sort of short, potbellied

Signature Moveset: Sheerdrop Brainbuster (finisher); Lariatttooo

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: Ishii has never won a major championship in NJPW, and I can sort of imagine why. He’s just sort of…there. He’s not a bad wrestler by any means, and has had some good matches at this year’s G1; it’s just that there’s nothing that consistently stands out about his work. Admittedly, he does have a Meltzer 5 star match against Shibata at last year’s G1, which is worth checking out. At age 38, Ishii is nearing the end of his career – with not much time left to improve, there’s sadly not much chance that Ishii will ever get his chance with the top title.

Name: Toru Yano

Position: Bottom of the card

Notable Accomplishments: IWGP Tag Champion (x2)

Distinguishing Features: Blond, greasy hair, wears a colourful robe, resembles PSY (of Gangnam Style fame)

Signature Moveset: Scoop Brainbuster (finisher); many cradle/roll-up variations

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: This guy is to NJPW what Santino is to WWE. His matches consist of more cheating and tomfoolery than there are ants in an anthill. Most matches, he’ll go straight to untying the turnbuckle pad, and proceed to spend the rest of the match trying to smash his opponent into the exposed turnbuckle. He frequently (and often blatantly) uses chair shots and low blows on his opponent. His signature taunt the RVD-esque thumb taunt, as the crowd chants Y-T-R, instead of R-V-D. He’s good fun to watch if comedy’s your thing.

Great Bash Heel (GBH)

Name: Tomoaki Honma

Position: Bottom of the card

Notable Accomplishments: No NJPW titles

Distinguishing Features: Short blond hair, looks perpetually lost

Signature Moveset: Diving headbutt, diving headbutt, diving headbutt, diving headbutt, diving headbutt, diving headbutt, diving headbutt, diving headbutt, diving headbutt

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: Oh, Honma. The ultimate underdog. Forget Rey Mysterio, or Daniel Bryan. Honma’s been wrestling since 1997 and never won even a secondary title. It’s a damn shame too, because he’s good fun to watch. Every Honma match follows pretty much the same pattern: He gets his opponent down. He notices that he has a chance to drop a headbutt. The crowd notices too, and they start to cheer. He runs into the ropes, and does a diving headbutt. Sure enough, the opponent moves out of the way. Repeat this spot about a half dozen times. Sometimes, he’ll climb to the top rope to do his diving headbutt. Mind you, this is not some Benoit or Bryan style headbutt with arms spread wide and copious hangtime – a Honma diving headbutt can instead be likened to the trajectory of a falling oak tree.

His nickname is "Kokeshi", which is a traditional Japanese wooden doll with a heavy head – the name stuck because of the way the doll would fall over from the weight of its head, much like Honma does when he goes for the diving headbutt.

Name: Togi Makabe

Position: Upper Midcard

Notable Accomplishments: IWGP Heavyweight Champion (x1); IWGP Tag Champion (x1); G1 Climax Winner (2009)

Distinguishing Features: Hoss, short blond hair, wears a chain around his neck, swollen bottom lip

Signature Moveset: Lariatttooooo (finisher); King Kong Knee Drop – top rope diving knee drop; German Suplex

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: Makabe is a very good big man wrestler, who wrestles an extremely stiff shoot style. He’s a great hoss, with hard hitting offence that makes the audience cringe. His stiffness isn’t limited to his strikes, mind you, every scoop, every powerbomb is done emphatically and with authority. As a result, his matches are always entertaining to watch, with an amazing moveset for a big man, such the beautiful Northern Lights Suplex, and the jaw-dropping Spider Suplex. However, he is notably deficient in technical wrestling or selling (he no-sells most offense, just cause he can). Despite this, he has a very lovable personality, and is known for his avid love of sweets. He’s been IWGP Champ in the past, which is a massive achievement in and of itself. At 42 years old, Makabe’s career is far from finished, though it may be close to winding down.

SUZIKI-GUN

Name: Minoru Suzuki (Leader)

Position: Upper-midcard

Notable Accomplishments: IWGP Champion (x1)

Distinguishing Features: Enters wearing a hood; sports a rear Mohawk, with patterns carved into the sides of his shaven head

Signature move set: Gotch piledriver (finisher); sleeper hold/inverted sleeper hold takeover (submission finisher); cross arm-breaker; dropkick

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: When I first came across this man, several years ago, I misread his name. The result? For a few weeks, I went about thinking that his name was Minotaur Suzuki. Coupled with that one-of-a-kind Mohawk, it’s needless to say he rose to the top of my badass list pretty damn quick.

Known as the man with the worst personality in the world, besides being a legitimate MMA badass (the co-founder of Pancrase, Japanese national freestyle wrestling champion), Suzuki’s one of the very best NJPW can offer. His understanding of ring psychology is sublime; his sense of pacing between spots, the way he targets a body part and never relents – all of it mesmerises you in the beauty of his athletic display. Even at the somewhat lofty age of 46, Suzuki still manages to be extremely good by wrestling a very safe style, which involves a lot of submission wrestling and technical wizardry. Don’t be fooled though – Suzuki will smash your face in with his elbow if he feels like murdering a sucker.

Suzuki uses the Gotch Piledriver as his finisher, which is like an ordinary Piledriver, except that he lifts his opponents up like Cesaro would for the Neutralizer. His submission finish is the sleeper hold, which avoids containing even a sliver of boringness due to the crazed and unhinged expressions that he’ll make when its applied. Sometimes, Suzuki will use what is technically known as a Saka Otoshi, an inverted sleeper takeover, to end a match. One of my favourite moves in all of wrestling, in fact. Illegal shenanigans such as a cross armbreaker across the ropes or the ring post are not an uncommon part of Suzuki’s matches.

In what is one of my absolute favourite wrestling entrances in the world, Suzuki comes out to a Japanese power ballad, Kaze Ni Nare (that psyches everyone up) wearing a hood over his head that reads ‘Suzukigun’. When he makes his entrance, you know someone’s gonna get freakin’ demolished.

Name: Shelton X Benjamin

Position: Midcard

Distinguishing Features: I trust you all know what Shelton looks like. Hint: he’s the only black wrestler on the roster.

Notable Accomplishments: Never won a title with New Japan, sadly

Signature Moveset: Paydirt (finisher); Ankle lock (submission finisher); kick/superkick variations; (much of his moveset is the same as it was in WWE)

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: Quite an interesting man. He joined NJPW in 2012, and has been a solid worker ever since. He’s had some average to good matches here and there, but most of his performances (in my opinion) are nothing spectacular. He’s not won a title so far in his two years with the company. Cue the conspiracy theorists!

His moveset is pretty much unchanged from when he was in the WWE. Not that that’s a particularly bad thing, when you’ve got such a beautiful superkick. The grapevine Ankle Lock is nice to look at as well.

Name: Davy Boy Smith Junior

Position: Lower-midcard

Distinguishing Features: Clean shaven, short hair. Very tubby.

Notable Accomplishments: IWGP Tag Champion (2x)

Signature Moveset: Sitout Powerbomb (finisher); Sharpshooter (occasional submission finisher); running powerslam; all manner of suplex varieties

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: You know him as David Hart Smith, the name he was known by during his brief time in the WWE. Not much to say about him, other than that he’s a decent worker, that puts on average matches most of the time, and alright matches some of the time. He teams with Lance Archer to form the Elite Killer Squad. I wish I had more to say about him, but he’s one of those ‘meh’ wrestlers on the roster, so, moving on…

Name: Lance Archer

Position: Midcard

Notable Accomplishments: IWGP Tag Champion (2x)

Distinguishing Features: Very tall, very long har.

Signature Moveset: Inverted crucifix powerbomb (finisher)

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: Archer was apparently a part of WWE some number of years ago, from 2009-10. I was watching at that time, and I don’t remember him. Which tells you that either: (a) I was an ignorant fan, or (b) that he was a strictly unmemorable wrestler. You decide.

On a serious note though, I strongly recommend looking up his finisher. It’s hard to describe outside of the wrestling technical jargon that confuses a lot of people; regardless it looks great and a legit way to end a match.

BULLET CLUB

Name: AJ Styles (leader)

Position: Main eventer

Notable Accomplishments: IWGP Heavyweight Champion (current)

Distinguishing Features: I’m sure you can recognise AJ Styles. He literally has ‘AJ’ tattooed across the side of his abdomen. You can’t miss it.

Signature Moveset: Styles Clash (finisher); DDTs, hurricanranas, etc (most of his moveset is largely the same as his TNA work)

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: AJ Styles, the current IWGP Champ is a hell of a wrestler. Phenomenal in every way. I never really watched TNA, so I have no idea how he was back then, but I can sure as hell tell you he’s utterly amazing in New Japan. The man is an artiste in the ring. A fantastic high flyer, but also proficient on the technical side of things. The way he moves is mesmerising, as if he were riding on the breaths the wrestling gods themselves. I’ve watched quite a few of his matches, and I’ve never seen this man botch. He put on a slew of +4 star matches at this year’s G1, proving his worth as a champion to all.

He still uses the Styles Clash as his finisher, along with much of his TNA moveset. He has the very awesome taunt of overlapping his gloved hands, which combine to form the ‘Bullet Club’ logo. I’m sure most of you are at least somewhat familiar with AJ, so I’ll leave it at that for now.

Name: Bad Luck Fale

Position: Upper-midcard

Notable Accomplishments: IWGP Intercontinental Champion (x1)

Distinguishing Features: Wears sunglasses, and a singlet; is absolutely huge

Signature Moveset: Bad Luck Fall – throwing crucifix powerbomb (finisher); Samoan Drop; Samoan Spike

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: Despite his Samoan-themed moveset, Fale actually not Samoan, but Tongan. I had no idea before doing the research to write this article. You learn something new every day. His nickname is ‘The Underboss’, which, upon first exposure, struck me as a peculiar amalgamation of ‘The Undertaker’ and ‘Big Boss Man’.

Fale is quite a good wrestler. Many people online seem to think he lacks skills, but I’ve never seen the validity of such a statement; in fact, I reckon he plays his role as a big man wrestler quite well. His billed height of 6’4 doesn’t sound huge, but when you consider that wrestlers in NPJW are generally shorter than their counterparts in America, he towers over and outweighs pretty much everyone. His finisher, the Bad Luck Fall, is a tremendous move – he holds his opponent up in a crucifix position, and literally chucks the poor sucker, who falls completely unprotected, onto the mat. Sometimes he’ll use a top rope splash, which looks absolutely spectacular.

Name: Doc Gallows

Position: Lower-midcard

Notable Accomplishments: IWGP Tag Champion (current)

Distinguishing Features: Tall, bald.

Signature Moveset: Chokebomb (finisher)

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: The same Luke Gallows that was in the Straightedge Society. I’m afraid to say he was boring then, and he’s still boring now. His matches are range from dull to average, depending on who his dancing partner is. In the world of sheerdrop brainbusters and Bad Luck Falls, his finisher, the shockingly common chokebomb is severely unspectacular. Not much else to say about this man, so moving on…

Name: Karl Anderson

Position: Upper-midcard

Distinguishing Features: Bald-headed; has a machine gun taunt

Notable Accomplishments: IWGP Tag Team Champion (x2)

Signature Moveset: Gun stun – cutter (finisher); fireman’s carry into a cutter

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: A very decent wrestler. Anderson’s pretty good in the ring, but suffers from a chronic lack of personality. I know some people will disagree with me, but in my opinion, his mid-match gestures seem forced, as are his expressions and general showmanship abilities. He doesn’t appear to have a good grasp on ring psychology either, which may be what’s holding him back from entering the main event.

Anderson uses the Gun Stun (an RKO for those who struggle with wrestling jargon) as his finisher, which is, like the rest of his character, strictly ordinary. A solid worker, but without any truly distinguishing performances. He does seem to be improving though, so we may see Anderson charge into the main event in the next few years. Or maybe we won’t.

Name: Yujiro Takahashi

Position: Lower-midcard

Distinguishing Features: Wears sunglasses; looks like a douche

Notable Accomplishments: IWGP Junior Tag Champion (x1); IWGP Tag Champion (x1)

Signature Moveset: Sitout inverted front powerslam (finisher)

Sir Hurley’s Spiel: I do not like this man. There. Now that you’re aware of my bias, I hope you can forgive me for my possibly unfair assessment of him.

Why don’t you like him, Hurley? Good question. Where do I begin. Oh, I know. His gimmick is -get this- a male porn star. He comes out to porn music, dances around and twerks like a douche, and is just generally repulsive. He’s not very interesting in the ring either. Now, as I’d prefer not to waste any more time discussing this facepalm inducing man, let’s move on, shall we?

Getting Started

Woah. That's a lot to take in, isn't it? Indeed it is. But no that you know the basics of NJPW, it's time to start watching matches! The best way to start (in my opinion), is to begin with the very best that NJPW has to offer: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada. These two have had puro's best rivalry of the past decade and a half, and over the course of two years, have had five matches.

New Beginning

Dominion - (I'm very sorry, but I can't find a video of this brilliant match. I highly recommend it, if you can track it down)

Wrestle Kindgom 7

Invasion Attack

King of Pro Wrestling

Well, that's all folks. Welcome to the wonderful world of Shin Nihon Puroresu. I hope you had as much fun reading as I had fun writing! Thank you so much for reading!