Rebooking NJC 2023

2 comments

1. This tournament always bugged me irrationally because the 24-man format with random bye’s was just weird and kind of made it mean less when you had Naito and ELP fighting for the right to face Chase who got a bye for no reason. There were also huge omissions like Tanahashi and Suzuki who were both in the tags on that tour. Everyone I added was featured on that tour in the tags. I did run out of HW’s but I figured Despy and Hiromu had a place in the tournament being trios champion and junior champion respectively.

   Maybe a cop out booking around the match that injured Will but it’s all fantasy booking so whatever. I think the big change I would do is having Goto reach the finals over Finlay. It was Goto’s 20th anniversary year and NJC is his tournament if no one else’s so I was really bummed he only made it to the quarterfinals this year. Him and SANADA would’ve been a cool final thematically as well as they both fight for an opportunity to avenge their feud with Okada. I know Finlay making finals as the new Bullet Club leader feels like a given but beating Ishii, Tanahashi and Tama and then getting upset by Goto isn’t a bad run at all and it would’ve given him more future feuds to work off of rather than feuding with GoD for 6 months and counting now.

2. What format do you use?