He really needs to drop the damn jacket

17 comments

1. I think he needs more glow sticks, like tucked behind his ears, weaved into his hair, maybe a utility belt filled with them or something.

2. Western fans in one dumb post.

3. He doesn’t need to beat Mox. He just needs to stop carrying around the jacket. I’ve been saying this for a while. At first, it was fine, but now it’s getting tiresome.

4. Why doesn’t he just… Wear it?

5. Well, first of all, who is he?

6. He needs to drop his pants too.

   ..because they’re kinda ugly.

7. No he doesn’t.

8. Who are you talking about? We aren’t mind-readers.

9. Very slim chance of beating Mox dude. I agree that the presentation is off.

10. It does feel a bit like Linus and his blanket.

11. He needs to either wear the damn jacket or just get rid of it. Shota needs a upgrade on his gear. 

12. I’m just a bit confused with the disconnect between his gimmick, nickname, and tutelage under Moxley. Like, “Roughneck” is exactly something you’d expect from someone who considers Moxley a mentor. He even does the entrance from the crowd like Moxley. But what has me totally confused is his gimmick. It’s more akin to Tanahashi with this sympathetic babyface thing. Like, there’s nothing “rough” about him.

    Now, don’t get me wrong, I love me some Shota. And I love his gimmick as this next level Tanahashi star/babyface. That said, I think ditching the “roughneck” moniker in favor of one that fits his gimmick better would work. Shota just isn’t what appears in one’s mind when they think of a “roughneck.”

13. He comes off as a fan carrying around a gift that a wrestler gave him. And no, this isn’t leading to a storyline where Shota will be allowed to go over Moxley in any form. No one else from New Japan has been allowed to beat him, so I don’t see why Shota would be an exception.

    And u/CranberryAssassin, the user calling you dumb is a known asshat. I wouldn’t pay him any mind.

14. I agree. He still looks like a young boy carrying Moxley’s jacket around. Tsuji and Yuya carry themselves more like grown men.

    If Umino wants to honor Moxley, he should just sew or iron a “MOX” patch unto his pants. Umino already carries enough accessories to the ring as it is.

15. I don’t know, to each his own, but while I think he’s good in the ring, as a character I feel like he’s a massive geek.

    DDP told a story years ago about how Eric Bischoff told him he had too many gimmicks—the hat, sunglasses, cigar, jewelry, cane, etc. He said he had to cut most of that stuff out and just learn to be himself. He did that and got mega over.

    To me, this is where Shota is. He has the Moxley-inspired music, enters through the crowd, the glowsticks, the ring jacket plus the jacket he carries, plus calls himself the new ace without having earned the title. It reeks of try-hard. Meanwhile, Yota and Yuya going out there just smashing dudes.

    It’s not a western thing. My wife is Japanese and watches NJPW with me. When he comes out, she just groans and browses her IG feed. And she can actually sit through a HoT match no problem.

16. What is the big thing with this?

    I get it, like it is what it is but shota umino is very shonen anime imo

    Hero who loses big but has a heart made of gold. Has a legendary figure that he looks up to etc.

    I remember njpw being praised for long term storytelling but now it seems that fans want everything rushed.

17. Lol he needs to grow his hair out? He just had it cut !