How important is mic work in Japan?

[Crayo]

Mic work has slowly become one - if not THE - most important skill in top American wrestling (speaking of the likes of WWE and TNA here), and I'm curious whether it's as important in Japan, or whether it's even a factor at all.

 

[seabs]

For me? It's irrelevant as i dont speak Japanese. The crowds don't invest in it as much as American crowds either, they're very hard on ring work although the press conferences they hold require a lot of ability on the stick.

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

Japanese fans are marks who treat wrestling like a real sport. They would rather watch two guys slap each others chest than something entertaining.

 

[seabs]

Japanese fans are marks who treat wrestling like a real sport. They would rather watch two guys slap each others chest than something entertaining.

Exactly

 

[Stopspot]

It depends really. Japanese wrestling is more focused on telling a story in the ring. Wrestlers use characteristics and actions to showcase who is the bad guy and who is the good guy more than in American wrestling. Seabs pointed out the press conferences and in modern Japanese wrestling talking has become a bit more important. But the most important thing is personality and style. Guys like Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura sell their characters and big feel factor by how they act and behave.

Ring work and personality is definitely more important than talking in Japan since wrestling is treated more seriously over there. But talking is still a factor.

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

Japanese fans are marks who treat wrestling like a real sport. They would rather watch two guys slap each others chest than something entertaining.

To elaborate, they put wrestling match results in the fucking sports page of the paper. The entire country just plays along with kayfabe and treat it genuinely like sport. I guess that is their culture but I find it Blue.

 

[Stopspot]

To elaborate, they put wrestling match results in the fucking sports page of the paper. The entire country just plays along with kayfabe and treat it genuinely like sport. I guess that is their culture but I find it Blue.

It can go too far. The new owner of all Japan has decided that his wrestlers are the most bad ass of all time and are gonna take on MMA fighters and go "old School". Half the roster is walking out on him.

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

It can go too far. The new owner of all Japan has decided that his wrestlers are the most bad ass of all time and are gonna take on MMA fighters and go "old School". Half the roster is walking out on him.

I remember back when I watched Pride they always had scripted fights involving pro wrestlers on the undercard lmao. I find their insistence to put pro wrestling in the same category as MMA to be egregious.

 

[Stopspot]

I remember back when I watched Pride they always had scripted fights involving pro wrestlers on the undercard lmao. I find their insistence to put pro wrestling in the same category as MMA to be egregious.

That must have been around when Inoki (Who thinks he is the legit baddest man on the planet) was running New Japan. They did a invasion story with Inoki leading an army of MMA fighters to take over, then he booked it to hell. The MMA fighters won the wrestling matches and only one or two wrestlers manged to win their MMA matches, ending the feud with the result they tried to avoid (the NJPW roster looking like shit compared to some lower card MMA fighters).

 

[Farooq]

To be honest their in ring work makes up for not doing promos. Japanese matches are pretty intense, that saying I don't speak Japanese so I don't really go towards promos. I know they have press conferences, but again I don't know what they're saying so I don't watch them.

 

[TKK]

Prince Devitt, who is currently getting pushed to the moon in NJPW, can't speak a lick of Japanese and has about as much charisma in front of a microphone as a wet paper towel. Promos don't mean shit in Japan.