"The Unliving Legend" Mike Sweetser

Thoughts From Japan

[Note from the New Delhi Boy: last week we received this mysterious telegram ...]

Memo: Slymmfast, nWWWo
From: Unliving Legend
Location: Tokyo

Greetings from Japan!  I figure since I'm still stuck over here, recruiting for the nWWWo and getting sick as hell on sushi.  Oh for the days of Pepsi, Top Ramen, and hamburgers.  There's Pepsi, but it ain't the same.

Oh well.  You wanted this for news from over here, and well, you're not getting it.  You're getting rants.  To wit:

* I have a comparison here.  Somebody kisses up to the higher-ups - does what he's told and doesn't question it, no matter what - and is given a high-profile job.  That person is then booked to holding six different championships. Simultaneously.  A monster is running rampant in the promotion, and yet, he's the only one with a pinfall victory over him.

Sound like Hogan?  No.  It's All Japan's Mitsuharu Misawa.

Now, Misawa is All-Japan president.  And in that position, he is also the booker for All Japan.  In that position, just recently, he was able to hold every one of the belts in the Triple Crown, as well as the three tag team titles.  He's also the only one with a pinfall victory over Vader.

My question: Why is it wrong for Hogan or whomever to do something like this, but Misawa is not only not vilified for it, but applauded?

If the problem is, indeed, with Mrs. Baba's influence, then Misawa should take a stand against her.  I seriously doubt Baba would be so stupid as to release somebody as high-profile as Misawa - it would be the Japanese equivalent of Herd firing Flair.

I will not doubt that Misawa is a tremendous wrestler, one of the best in the world.  I have no doubt he would wrestle circles around Hogan.  But it's still wrong.  There are numerous wrestlers in All-Japan that would benefit more from the spot Misawa has put himself into - whether by Mrs. Baba's hand or not - but Misawa is still there.  Why?

The double-standard is there for many fans, especially on the Internet, that applaud anything done in Japan.  I'm sorry, people, but it isn't as neatokeenerific as everybody seems to think it is.  In a lot of cases, it's worse.

A big ol' thumbs down not only to Misawa and All-Japan, but to all the fans that turn blind eyes to this abuse of power.

* One more double-standard shot at All-Japan - why is it fine for Kawada to nearly break Misawa's neck with an unprotected piledriver?  The numbers of injuries in All-Japan is staggering, and for no reason whatsoever.  The number-one priority of a wrestler is to protect their opponent.  Nobody needs to be injured in these matches, no matter what, and if this is the direction the promotion has turned, it needs a serious turnaround and soon, before somebody's neck *does* get broken.

* Speaking of things going too far, what about Eiji Ezaki and Mr. Gannosuke? For those of you that are unaware, Ezaki, doing a Rock-like gimmick called H after he unmasked as Hayabusa, is feuding with Gannosuke, whom has donned the Hayabusa gimmick.  In a few weeks, they will meet in an "Anus Explosion" match.   The loser will have a piece of dynamite shoved up their ass and lit.

What the HELL?

To make things worse, this stunt has already happened - Gannosuke restrained Ezaki to the buckles during a recent match and used the dynamite on him. Ezaki actually vomitted during the explosion.

There is really not much to say to this.  But what the hell is going on here?  I can only imagine the outcry this type of thing would receive in the United States.

And Shawn Michaels is going to be refereeing on the same show.  If I were ol' HBK, I'd count the three and get the hell out of town before something happens...

* The rumors are that Jyushin Lyger is taking time off from New Japan to come to the US, hopefully to team with Chris Benoit.  While I have no doubt a Benoit/Lyger team could be one of the best teams around - and a Benoit/Lyger vs. Malenko/Saturn feud would steal any show it's on - does anybody actually believe that Lyger would be in good shape in WCW?  Russo's belief is that Mexican/Japanese wrestlers just cannot get over in the US, and even with Lyger's talent, if the bookers aren't there, he's screwed.

I'd love seeing Lyger in the United States, but if he's smart, he'll stay in Japan and keep defending the IWGP junior title.  Either that, or keep an eye out in his matches for Sid Vicious..

* Why is it that Bob Ryder will bend over backwards and jump through hoops to triumphantly announce that Terry Taylor, whom did basically nothing but sit in on booking meetings, left the WWF on amicable terms, but when Dusty Rhodes, whom has had as much, if not more, influence in the NWA and in WCW than anybody in the promotion's history, tries to pull a power play to get the head booking job and a raise, but is outright fired, Ryder is strangely silent?  Things that make you go hmmmm..

* Jim Ross will join D-Generation X.  Call it now.

Well, that's about it.  Guess I better get back...and Slymm, send me a ticket back home.  I have no intention of being here for two years like Rotundo!

Out,
UL

"The Unliving Legend" Mike Sweetser is proud to be back in the nWWWo.  Actually, he was just bored and looking for a place to vent again, but we'd like to think the former.  E-mail our lone defector at unlivinglegend@iname.com.

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