The IWGP Champion addresses the AEW roster.

30 comments

1. SANADA is going to turn Jungle Boy into a guy.

2. SANADA looks so cool here. And that belt looks great in this light.

3. My guy looks like the head of the Yakuza. I’m so proud of SANADA 🥹

4. He looks like an absolute superstar

5. I’ll say this. He’s so much improved from his days with Impact when they tried to sell him as a Muta clone.

6. I experienced whiplash from seeing someone with this much star power & presence followed by the AEW roster.

7. You already die

8. …Like a boss.

9. I’m a naysayer in this belt, but this video opened my eyes a bit. Looks damn good.

10. SANADA addresses his enemies.

11. That belt looks amazing!

12. I dont get what was the point of the open challenge just for jungle boy in the next 5 seconds to accept it.

13. Urgh, God, it’s going to be Moxley isn’t it

14. I don’t have a problem with Jungle Boy being the challenger. He recently had a world title match on a PPV so he’s got legitimacy. He can eat the loss and not suffer. And Sanada, despite being the champ, is not as over with the US crowd as an Okada or a Tanahashi. They won’t give him a top of the card, marquee match. That’ll be either Kenny/Ospreay or Okada/Danielson. And as many have said, his G1 block is filled with a bunch of youngsters. He took out Tsuji, he’s gonna take out Jungle Boy, and he’s gonna take out his whole block (probably).

15. Sanada looks great but this is a really terrible way to showcase your top champion, I was hoping for something with a higher production quality such as when Omega challenged Ospreay.

    Sanada is next to a dinged up wall with no music, editing or anything really not helping this seem important at all.

16. We’re on the bad start on the forbidden door

17. This belt was made for SANADA. I hated the new design ever since it debuted but it suits so well on him.

18. Of all people fucking jungle boy, I don’t watch aew but surely they have someone that doesn’t look like a jobber

19. SANADA looks and feels like a classic Japanese wrestling star from the 70s and 80s at the moment. He looks great in the video. Never expected the Jungle Boy match but I’m sure it’ll be great. Gotta think something happens with Hook and Jungle Boy. Wil be good to see SANADA in front of a western audience, the last time I saw that was when he had his TNA run.

20. SANADA vs Ricky Starks is the match that this should be

21. You see? That is how a CHAMPION is supposed to look. A CHAMPION, who represents his company holding high standards. Unlike some try-hard with a fake tan, has daddy and marital issues, changes his narrative, and wears a dish cloth around his neck, that he stole from Applebee’s.
    >!….and NO. I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT THE AEW WORLD CHAMPION, MJF. That man is a hero to all.!<

22. “c u next time”

    did sanada call me a cunt

23. Being in the sub a long time–man, people are blinded with gatekeeping don’t see the tea leaves on how this benefits both NJPW and AEW.

    SANADA is the new champ and a huge star right now. He took out a former young lion in his **debut** match in a championship match at the second biggest NJPW event of the year. No one was complaining about shot-gunning Tsuji to that spot.

    Suddenly, SANADA issues a challenge to AEW. In comes former AEW tag champ and coming off a losing effort in an AEW championship match: Jack Perry. But somehow that is not the same thing? It’s an actual problem?

    I’m sure Jack Perry is much more established kayfabe-wise regardless of your feeling about his gimmick, lack of promo skills, friendships to the Elite, his size, or his wrestling style.

    His taking shot to a title *again* makes sense. And there’s a deeper, kayfabe reason:

    Jack Perry is slowly turning into Christian. If you can’t foresee him turning on HOOK, I can’t help you. Watch. He’s going to try things his way and keep failing because he’s a failed singles star right now. *(Remember Kyle O’Reilly beat Jack Perry clean in last year’s Owen Hart tourney.)*

    He’ll turn on HOOK and crawl back to Christian, “you were right. I should have done things your way.” I am game to see a heel Jurassic Express go through the tag division. And then eventually, Jack Perry will turn on Christian.

    As for SANADA? Homie is being fed another young star. He’s gonna beat this shit out of Jack Perry, who will blame HOOK for his failure. And then goes into the G1 as champ to beat the shit out of FIVE young stars, plus Kaito. (Chase Owens is just there.)

24. This will be a great match for Sanada to reintroduce himself to America but I hope it leads to a Jungle, I mean, Jack Perry heel turn. Maybe link back up with Luchasaurus as a new heel tag team. AEWs tag division needs it

25. I hope all 5 Guys show up with him.

26. He looks so bloody good.

27. I bet Okada is jealous that he won’t be the one to beat up a child.

28. TK really is a scrub for wasting this dude with No Charisma Perry over there. At least have him against Ricky Starks or anyone else

29. And they get Jungle boy…

30. Agree with the consensus that SANADA v. Jungle Boy Jack is a creative way to feed into the A block “former young lions” story (as well as, on the AEW booking side, Perry’s inevitable haircut-and-heel-turn).

    One piece that i keep coming back to is *”why the hell is SANADA’s last block match with Chase Owens?”* The FD match being what it is makes me more confident that SANADA is going to crush the block and go into the last night guaranteed the top spot. Chase simply **cannot** go over ANY of Tsuji/Narita/Shota, i don’t care how much BC nonsense you want to interject. I do think, though, that there’s a story to be had from “can Owens finally get a win, when SANADA doesn’t need any result.”

    My first thought was, yeah, I would have loved Ricky Starks here. (kid at heart, i also would have been happy with a match built around Orange Cassidy learning the power of the Paradise Lock.) Whoever AEW put in the match, though, needs to lose clean, has to be elevated enough to be credible, and should further some story that isn’t related to SANADA or NJPW going forward. I think that’s how you arrive at JBJP, and it’s a fine call.