Ok guys,if THIS can't start an interesting thread,almost nothing can!
Over at [url]www.puroresupower.com Zach Arnold reported that there are strong rumors in the media in Japan,that the 35th anniversary show will be All Japan Women's last show,...however he did make it very clear that it is NOT fact.He did also report that the AJW show at Korakuen Hall on 12/10/02 drew only 980 fans,so this may be the catalyst for this rumor,...that and the recent departure of Manami Toyota. It may have happened before,but I personally don't EVER remember seeing such a small crowd listed for AJW at Korakuen Hall.
May of 2003 is still along ways away,so it may be nothing but nonsense to try to drum up some heat and interest,but it did get me thinking,..."What would puroresu be like with out Zenjo?"
What do YOU think(and that includes you Hisa) and how would you feel about it?What would the aftermath be with the oldest active promotion in Japan folding?How would you view joshi without the name"Zenjo",....all the history,talent and great matches that were a part of it? Will we end up thinking of all the great moments we've seen on tapes in a "black and white flashback" in our heads like when we see old clips of other soprts from yesteryear?
Its hard to believe that it could even be only a rumor,considering up until 1997 they had more top talent on the entire card than All Japan,New Japan,WWF and WCW had on their entire rosters combined.
I'm not prepared to believe this rumor quite yet. Zenjo is in trouble but what about Arsion? Jd? Neo? Everybody is hurting now. GAEA looked very strong this summer but they still have trouble filling buildings sometimes. The older stars they have may burnout fan-interest sooner rather then later then where will they be. Anyway AJW does have problems they need to work on pretty quick but they have advantages the others don't. Their history is a big advantage. Trocar Slush Weasel pointed out in another thread what a killer workload they had. Cutting back on shows is a viable option for them more so then the other groups. I fully expect one or two feds to go down the drain in 2003 but I would be suprised if AJW did. If they can hold on to what they have now and pick up some talent next year they will be all right. What's worrying me is it seems everytime somebody goes under 2 or 3 groups take their place.
...it was more just something that got me thinking "what if" and also an inquirey as to if anyone else had heard anything.
Like you yourself said,even GAEA with all their "star power" has had trouble filling house shows.They ran a show in a 4,000 seat building on 12/10/02 I think,that drew only 890 fans.GAEA Japan's biggest mistake is not developing young talent(other than Nagashima & Satomura)properly.And you are right,the old stars will eventually fade,...they always do.And if the new stars(or those who should be new stars)are not given they opportunity,the fans will actually feel that the veterans are being forced down their throats,and this will make their stars fade even faster.So who knows,maybe in the end this will all just be to Zenjo's advantage.
And you're also right about when one company folds 2 or 3(as is the case with FMW,)seem to take its place.When there was the mass exodus from AJW,the first incarnation of NEO appeared as well as ARSION,and of couse,GAEA JAPAN had started a few years prior,and Jaguar Yokota started(with financial backers of course) J'd. JWP appears to exist in name only,and LLPW seems to have no long term goals or plans.Does LLPW have ANY young stars? Both the men's and women's divisions in Japan would be better off with a few less in existance and active.Does Japan really need or want 7(okay we'll say 6 as even though I love JWP from a few years ago,they can't compare to the others),joshi promotions? They don't need all the men's promotions thay have.
While id not like to see zenjo go bust I still think there are to many joshi feds around at the moment. Ok there were a few around in the glory years but zenjo was always looked on as the mayor fed to its big events/titles ment alot more than anything around today.
About GAEA its hard hard to tell how long the likes of Toyota are going to last. Most of them are still only in there early 30's but since zenjo forced people to retire at 26 for so long its hard to tell how long the average woman's career will last.
Toyota's not the problem. She can still work a great match and her arrival in GAEA has a lot to do with their resurgence. The problem is with senior citizens like Chigusa, Masami & Kansai. They can't work a match anymore and should all retire. You notice I didn't say Asuka. Give credit to her. She's in shape and can still work a match. GAEA will pay for their stupid old vs young booking. The house of cards will collapse and Chigusa won't even know what hit her.
...on both Toyota and Asuka.Toyota CAN still work a great match and Asuka,while a bit selfish and in denial about some young stars being worthy,is still a great worker.She can work many different styles well.Chigusa may have hit her peak before Asuka,but Asuka has deffinatly proven to be much more durable and have a better over all workrate.
And its not that GAEA Japan doesn't have any good young talent,its just that every time a veteran jumps to GAEA,the youngsters just get pushed down the rungs of the ladder even further.
I've been critical of GAEA Japan in the past,but what I can tell from what I have on tape,up until about mid '97,it was a much different league. The youngsters appeared to have a bit more of a role in the company,due to the lack of a great deal of vets.As time has passed,...well you know what I'm trying to say.
Is funny,I have a few OZ Acadamy shows on tape,and with most of the same talent that is used in GAEA,the OZ Acadamy shows appear to be booked so much smarter,entertaining and much less predictable.
T.R!
Last edited by Tradition Rules; 2002-12-14 at 01:46 AM.
I don't buy the idea that GAEA fans will start rebelling against their steady diet of victorious veterans. I'd be really surprised if the attendance problems are mainly down to that kind of reaction. Any japanese GAEA fans I've talked were more interested in what Chigusa is doing (even when that's Team Eccentric) or who Asuka and Devil are aligning with than in seeing Meiko, Sugar or Nagashima go over their elders. Who knows? Maybe I've just been unlucky with my GAEA fans
I don't agree with the blanket criticism of the vets in the ring, either. OK, KANSAI is physically wrecked and should retire, but I find that otherwise even Chigusa can pass herself. The real problem, i think, is that they should associate veterans and youngsters (like Toshie and Devil) instead of having these New Blood style angles, with the youngsters getting invariably getting beaten over the head with the raw end of the booking stick (and often, as a consequence, also with the public support stick).
To come back to the topic, I can't/won't believe these demise allegations until I see any financial evidence to back this up. Wouldn't put it past the Matsunagas to have invested all their money in a failing bank, though.
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Rumors of Zenjo's Demise?....
Reply With Quote
