1. he has the best look – Yota Tsuji looks like a grown ass man, plain and simple. Shota, Uemura and Narita look like kids with muscles. I know the bishonen thing is big in Japan, but I never looked at Tanahashi and thought “god I wanna pinch his cheeks.” He also looked like a man, the same way Tsuji does. Narita is about the same size muscle wise as Dirty Dom, only like 4 inches shorter and infinitely less interesting-looking, while Shota looks like a 3 Count castoff.
2. he’s the best promo – Shota has a stutter and is not a confident speaker whatsoever, whilst also suffering from the “I wanna be cute but also be tough simultaneously” syndrome. Narita.. bro speaks like 5 sentences max, two of which include BAKAAAA. Tsuji is professional, has some bass in his voice, witty, funny, and dominant whilst speaking.
3. his matches are the most exciting – cool and varied moveset, versatile finisher, good selling, awesome babyface fire, and solid ass storytelling. There’s a reason why Tsuji’s matches get the crowd REALLY going when they hit the apex – because they make sense, while also being fun to watch from a modern wrestling quality standpoint.
4. he has a concrete character – Shota is having an identity crisis which forces him to cosplay 3 people at once, while Narita is basically the Small Goth Kid from South Park come to life. Tsuji is very layered – he’s lackadaisical yet ambitious, flashy yet old-fashioned, calm and cool yet a hothead.
5. he learned from the Dave Batista school – every interview/press conference I’ve seen Tsuji do, he’s always in a suit. That’s a guy who realizes that looking like a star is integral in a cosmetic business. A bigger guy looking sharp is an incredible way to get attention, and Tsuji surpasses all of his contemporaries in this regard as well.
6. he’s clearly serious about revitalizing the company – Tsuji’s interviews come from a very real place seemingly, and it genuinely seems like he wants New Japan to go back to the glory days of 2016-19, with him at the helm. I don’t get that vibe from the other New Gen guys; either they say it but don’t mean it, or they don’t say it at all. If a guy is that ambitious, while already being great at what he does, that must be rewarded.
7. he can get all the demographics – Tsuji is the most over New Gen guy, bar none. Shota is not far behind, but he is behind Tsuji, and that’s telling, since Tsuji returned about 8(?) months after Shota. Shota has the HBK effect where young girls and their moms might like him, same goes for Uemura. Tsuji can have everyone – adults, kids, girls, grandmas, because…
8. he’s not a typical top babyface – …he can break the mold of what a good guy is, kind of like Stone Cold and The Rock did. Tanahashi was very virtuous and undoubtedly a boy scout, but he was kinda cocky with his rockstar vibe. Tsuji is far from a role model, but he’s too wholesome to be a heel, while also being too devilish to dance and kiss babies. If New Japan had a guy who’s like 70 percent face and 30 percent heel like Tsuji, it could create some miraculous stories for years to come.
9. he has the most mainstream potential – Tsuji doing press ? Check. Tsuji appearing on news and podcasts ? Check. Tsuji appearing in TV shows and movies ? Check. Tsuji being featured in a future LAD game ? Yes please. You get the point – this guy just oozes coolness, and he transcends wrestling, which brings me to the final point.
10. he’s the only one WWE would go after – yap, you read that correctly. Would Narita succeed in WWE with his size – no. Would Shota with his lack of confidence – no. Would Uemura with his outdated goodie two shoes schtick – no. Tsuji has absolutely everything WWE would want in an international talent, especially now that they’re going global. Age is also not an issue, since the new World Champion is 40. Tsuji might be New Japan for life.. for now, but if they don’t position him as THE guy, and if the right offer from WWE came, he could dip.
Therefore, give the keys to my boy Gene Blast, he is your next Ace.
by DawnOfLegion1
![[AJPW Spoilers] Finish to Hiromu Takahashi vs Rising HAYATO](https://www.lonelyjapan.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/m2mKyP9FBYr4IZT5hkeFLEf02LCJkY2LkYo_lTtjtg0-380x220.jpg)
