are they still active titles?
Who are the champs?
What are the plans for the titles?
if no plan why not just unify them with the World tag belts or jsut drop them.
With the relative small roster and All Japan's current reluctence to push anyone, the All-Asian belts are'nt too valued right now. Which in itself is a shame as they've got great history, whether AJPW will start to use the belts to push the midcarders more is as perplexing as their attempt to create an interesting Junior division
Although I'm not to keen on multiple 'levels' of titles (I like having one, definate champion for each division, this springs fro the fact that I hate the way the WWE over saturated their product with far too many titles), I think it's sad that the All Asia tag team titles are in such bad shape. Kakihara and Nagai were such a good mid-card team, and after them the belts just got used as props for WAR by Tenryu.
A thread in another forum has got me thinking, what do you guy's think they should do with the All Asian belts. Is there a way to make them as important/entertaining as they once were?
Well, there are a number of options. You could either put them back on a strong mid-card team (like Nagai and Okumura, I don't like the idea of a non-Asian holding those belts), and push them a fair bit, or you could convert them into junior heavyweight tag team belts, give them to Hayashi and Yang and psuh them, having teams like Ka Shin/Hijikata (finally a way to elevate Hijikata), plus AAA and Toryumon teams compete for the belts.
Or, you do what Tenryu did to Rikidozan's Japanese heavyweight belt, making it the prize in an annual tournament. Or, you 'lease' them out to other promotions (perhaps WMF through Shinzaki), where they gain some prestige on the idependent circuit.
Originally posted by ElGringo Or, you do what Tenryu did to Rikidozan's Japanese heavyweight belt, making it the prize in an annual tournament.
It was in fact a regular title Tenryu had. He defended it against Hashimoto on a New Japan card once. He might have had more title defenses too, but I can't remember.
Or, you 'lease' them out to other promotions (perhaps WMF through Shinzaki), where they gain some prestige on the idependent circuit.
If they did decide to do that (lease the belts I mean), then they could end up being defended in WMF, Michinoku (where Shinzaki books) and Toryumon (Asai is good friends of both Sasuke and Ezaki), making them almost certainley a top independent title.
Well, it look's like the belts will be given to the junior divison now as the Real World Junior Tag league has just started with the winners getting a shot at the All Asian belts. Fantastic idea, I didn't like the idea of the belts being loaned out, I'd like All Japan to remain in-house as much as possible. Plus if they do want to build the Junior division up to rival New Japan's, an extra set of straps will provide extra incentive for juniors plying their trade elsewhere, specifically the foreign stars
Well, I wouldn't see a problem with them being loaned, since they've moved ptomotions before. They were JWA belts first, spent some time being defended in Korea, and then went to All Japan. Even whilst there they were held by a team of outsiders, Hayabusa and Shinzaki.
Just cos it's happened before doesn't mean I'd like to see it happen again. This "rebranding" of the belts into Junior titles should give the title more importance and bring it the excitemnt it had when Furnas and kroffat held them
In the past, for a very short time,All Japan actually had a tournement to crown International Jr Heavyweight Tag Team Champions,which was won by Gran Hamada and Mighty Inoue.This was back when the Jr Hvywt singels titles was still the NWA Int'l Jr title,...before the belt was referred to as the "World Jr Hvywt Title. But does anybody know how long this title was in existance,or even if it was just a tournement and not an ongoing title?
Personally,I feel(and YES,I've said this a million times before,and you're all sick of hearing it) that All Japan should reinstate the All Asia Hvywt Title as well.These "secondary" titles are the only way guys like Okamura,Honma,Nagai and few others who deserve pushes will ever get any type of respect they deserve.Kronik can walk in without ever having worked a match in All Japan and in their very first appearance get a title shot,...AND WIN.And they can't even work a good match,...well Brian Clark is not too bad,but Brian Adams justs stinks up the ring.And what happens to the guys I mentioned above,who have payed their dues,in All Japan and are a million times better workers? ** HA!** Okamura can't even WIN half of the All Asia Tag Team titles! But a fat bum(sorry,don't mean to sound disrespectful,but its just the truth) like Arashi can hold it twice?
I guess my point is this;some guys will NEVER hold either the World Tag Team Title or the Triple Crown,thats a fact.But some guys do deserve the opportuninty to be a champion.If we know a wrestler is never going to be a champion,who will care about them or have any reason to? Especally since New Japan was ALWAYS much better at developing up and comers.Misawa and Co only got their opportunity AFTER Choshu and his crew returned to New Japan.
These titles can also show a wrestlers progress and growth in a meaningful way,and can leave the fans wondering if they will ever reach that "upper plateau" at the top of the card.This may also help All Japan learn how to develop newer talent.
Yes ,too many titles is NOT a good thing,...if the the titles are meaningless.And yes it was a good idea to unifiy the Triple Crown and Double Tag Titles.But I can see the All Asian Titles (both singles and tag team)being "stepping stone" titles,much like the NWA U.S. titles were.It can at least make the holders *APPEAR* to be on the virge of stardom or even a threat.Keeping the fans guessing,or at least not KNOWING the out comecome is a good thing.
I even think All Japan SHOULD create a Jr Hvywt Tag Team title as well.Why should the Jrs just be fodder for the heavyweights?Seperate the two divisions as mcuh as possible.I don't mind them losing to Tenryu,Mutoh or Kawada,but to ARASHI?Just because he is bigger? Like I said earlier,he stinks,and should consider himself lucky to have ANY type of job with All Japan because he is buddys with Tenryu.
The All-Asia tag belts mean nothing right now, so its a good idea to give them a fresh start as junior belts; it means they can regain some of thier prestige. I don't think I'd like to see an All-Asa heavyweight belt, because it would just end up like the AJPW Jr. title; stuck permanently on the protege and project of the booker, or used as an excuse not to elevate guys ('Kojima shouldn't beat Mutoh because he all ready has the All-Asia belt', for example). I'm really not keen on secondary titles at all, if a company has one belt in each division then the champion is the best in his division (in a kayfabe way, no one is suggesting that Yasuda was the best heavyweight in New Japan).
I don't know what it is that makes me not like secondary belts. The only case in which I find multiple belts acceptable are in indie promotions lie MPro where belts are all equal, so that there are a number of equally credible champions; so Indpendent Junior Heavyweight champion Ikuto Hidaka was on equal foooting with Sasuke, the NWA Middleweight champion.
Originally posted by Tradition Rules
In the past, for a very short time,All Japan actually had a tournement to crown International Jr Heavyweight Tag Team Champions,which was won by Gran Hamada and Mighty Inoue.This was back when the Jr Hvywt singels titles was still the NWA Int'l Jr title,...before the belt was referred to as the "World Jr Hvywt Title. But does anybody know how long this title was in existance,or even if it was just a tournement and not an ongoing title?
After the tournament was over, Hamada chose to leave to go back to Mexico's UWA. Inoue remained behind. With no champions and no interest, Baba forgot about the titles.
I guess my point is this;some guys will NEVER hold either the World Tag Team Title or the Triple Crown,thats a fact.But some guys do deserve the opportuninty to be a champion.If we know a wrestler is never going to be a champion,who will care about them or have any reason to? Especally since New Japan was ALWAYS much better at developing up and comers.Misawa and Co only got their opportunity AFTER Choshu and his crew returned to New Japan.
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