Opinion: NJPW Could Benefit From A (Real) Weekly Show

As news reports have surfaced regarding FOX Network aiming to get WWE to present Smackdown Live! in a more sports-friendly light when the show moves to its new home next year, many in social media's internet wrestling community have echoed the same response: Maybe FOX should have signed NJPW?

Well-known for its emphasis on presenting professional wrestling with a realistic, combat sports feel, New Japan Pro Wrestling has a distinct identity far removed from Vince McMahon's core philosophy of treating WWE as an entertainment product where matches, in-ring talent, wins/losses and even championship titles are all secondary to talent's looks, charisma, character and all-important "mic skills": the ability to cut entertaining promos.

The company's talent are usually not even called "wrestlers" but WWE Superstars and announcers are rarely allowed to use terms like "wrestling", "belt", "title shot" etc. with "sports entertainment", "title" and "championship opportunity" used instead.

The problem, however, is that many fans today bemoan McMahon's entertainment-centered philosophy as antiquated and want a more serious product.

The focus on sports-style competitive match quality combined with well-crafted storylines and characters seems to be the prevailing formula for creating a respectable, modern product with adoring fans (see - NXT). Enter New Japan.

NJPW trains its athletes to work an in-ring style that is brutal, captivating and easy to suspend disbelief therein. Kenny Omega nailing a hard-hitting V-Trigger or Minoru Suzuki sadistically wrenching his opponent's head in a sleeper hold appear to be "real" to the untrained eye.

It's this sense of realism that creates respect and admiration for the product that could easily transcend to American/Western television and perhaps chip away at the stigma of "fakeness" that has hung over wrestling's head since the beginning of time.

Whilst FOX and FS1 may end up having to guide WWE in shifting away from goofy dancing segments and 20-minute promos littered with contrived corporate-speak, NJPW is already presenting an organic, Fight Night product to the world where WWE's Hollywood-style camera cuts are eschewed for long, steady shots and prestigious tournaments are held instead of gimmicky ladder/cage matches.

Is it probable then that NJPW will soon enjoy robust, mainstream viewership in millions of western homes? Not exactly.

NJPW currently has a show on Mark Cuban's Axs TV which apparently boasts about 200,000 viewers every week, but the matches are months old/non-canon to the updated product, and its main feuds/storylines and the network itself is relatively obscure.

Part of WWE's appeal to the much larger FOX and NBCU is its live, made-for-TV presentation (live shows can't be seen as they're happening on OTT competitors like Netflix) but unfortunately the nature of New Japan's tour schedule and time zone difference means they could never be live every week on primetime US or UK television.

The relative lack of brand recognition beyond a niche cult fanbase could also be a hindrance, and the language and cultural barriers of a Japanese promotion where half the roster can't cut an English promo trying to appeal to an American or global audience that largely speaks at least some English could be the final nail in the coffin for any potential casual audience.

Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata epitomize NJPW's realistic "Strong Style" approach to wrestling

Still, it's nice to wonder what a more focused NJPW weekly program could be like. An edgy name, like the recent Fighting Spirit Unleashed could be used. Matches could be filmed during a monthly taping at Korakuen Hall (just as NXT films monthly at Full Sail University) or taken from recent PPVs and tours, then edited to fit a 1 or 2 hour format with clips from backstage press conferences, VTRs and YouTube series like NJPW On The Road interspersed between.

A low seven-figure advertising campaign and multi-year agreement with a major network like TNT or ESPN could seal the deal and put New Japan on the path to mainstream growth, language confusion be darned.

While we're not likely to be graced with high-speed Jr. Heavyweight matches or strong-style NEVER Openweight brawls on traditional TV anytime soon, FOX's interest in presenting pro-wrestling as a serious, respectable sport gives credence to the notion that the McMahon monopoly's emphasis on entertainment isn't the only formula in demand, and neckbeard smarks aren't the only ones who want more athleticism and less crash TV variety show segments.