Hello everyone I'm an older wrestling fan that grew up watching WWE/WCW/TNA and have recently begun watching New Japan. I also play fantasy booking games and I'm trying to emulate the booking principles of Japanese promotions (especially NJPW) in a game currently. I have some questions regarding some things :
- I understand how the roster is divided into Heavyweights, Junior Heavweights (+ NEVER and STRONG) but the concept is a little hazy. Are Junior Heavyweights supposed to be presented like main event stars seperate from the Heavyweight division ? Can a wrestler spend all his career in the Junior Heavyweight division and never progress to Heavweight ? Similarly can a wrestler skip the Jnr Heavyweight scene and start out as a Heavyweight ? Also is a junior heavyweight supposed to be weaker than a heavyweight (like in boxing or MMA) ? Is a heavyweight losing to a junior heavyweight always considered an upset ?
- The jump from the junior heavyweight to the heavyweight division is considered a big deal and often has a long running story accompanying it. Whats the basis behind it tho ? Is it as simple as the wrestler putting on weight and altering his style ? I've watched a few wrestlers in New Japan that seem like they're in the wrong divison. Does this always happen ? Perfect example is Will Osperay. He was fighting in both divisions at one time and spent most of his time (could be wrong here) in the Heavyweight divison. According to his physical stats he should have been in the Junior Heavyweight division. Has this always happened historically or is it a new thing ? Also what is the basis behind a worker moving from one division to another ? Do wrestlers ever move the other way i.e from heavyweight to junior heavyweight ?
- American wrestling products present wrestling bouts as contests between a clear 'good guy' vs clear 'bad guy' and the storyline and character tropes are built around this principle. In Japan, I've noticed that there are no concrete babyfaces and heel and the divide between the two is blurry. Also you see plenty of heel v heel or babyface v babyface matches which is a big no no in American wrestling. Also stables are not 100% babyface or 100% heels . They'll start out as babyfaces but overtime some wrestlers will become heels but they'll still be in the same group. Is this assessment correct ? How does it translate to the promotion is booked ?
Apologies for asking so many questions at once. Trying to watch and read as much as I can on NJPW and Japanese wrestling in general to get an understanding of the products and wrestling culture but some aspects are still confusing to me. Also if you have cool resources that pertain to NJPW booking please share them!
by [deleted]
