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AJ announced the
main matches for their '00 Excite Series
2/12 Tokyo Korakuen Hall-Vader & Steve Williams vs. No Fear for
the right to challenge for the world tag titles on 2/20
2/17 Sapporo Hokkaido-ken Sogo Taiiku Center-first ever Toshiaki Kawada
vs. Vader-a non title bout but Kawada gets a title shot on 2/27 if he
wins, Kenta Kobashi vs. Steve Williams-the winner faces Vader for the
title on 2/27 providing he defeats Dangerous K, Mitsuharu Misawa vs.
Akira Taue, & Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Daisuke Ikeda for the junior title
2/19 Aichi Kasugai Shi Sogo Taiikukan-Kawada & Taue & Stan Hansen
vs. Vader & Williams & Johnny Ace, Misawa vs. Takao Omori, &
Kobashi vs. Yoshihiro Takayama
2/20 Hyogo Kobe World Kinen Hall-Kobashi & Jun Akiyama defend against
the Vader & Williams vs. No Fear winner from 2/12
2/25 Kanagawa Yokosuka Shi Sogo Taiikukaikan-Tamon Honda & Masao
Inoue vs. Johnny Smith & Giant Kimala for the Asia tag titles
2/27 Tokyo Nippon Budokan-Vader defends the Sankan Heavykyu Senshuken
against either Kawada, Kobashi or Williams depending on what happens
on 2/17, & Misawa vs. Akiyama
This is just a waste of the first Kawada vs. Vader match. Kawada did
two big jobs on the last tour, so he's coming in cold off an extended
injury layoff. Meanwhile, Vader has been running over everyone. At this
time, Kawada is not a strong challenger. If they waited until the Tokyo
Dome, having Kawada win the Carny to show he was back from his injury
at 100% and erase the stench of jobbing to Omori at the last big show,
the outcome would definitely be in doubt. Vader would have run over
everyone else at that time so he would be ripe, and Kawada having a
chance to top his biggest win ever (while, perhaps not, but you could
easily make that the story given how Vader has been treating Kawada's
peers like rag dolls) would be a good story. The main thing is it would
actually be a special match because it's the only new match in the really
stale company. Instead, it's really obvious that Kawada will put Vader
and face Kobashi on 2/27 because running two Kawada vs. Vader matches
in 10 days would be suicidal.
The two main reasons the promotion does worse business every year are
1) inability to properly set up any match beyond the TC defenses, and
their ability to set those up is no better than questionable and 2)
staleness because their dojo went to hell so they have no one under
30 that means anything. Having the Carnival be for the right to challenge
Vader for the title at the Dome and then having Kawada win it would
be 1) properly set up and 2) the only new match they could headline
with. For these reasons, you have the best chance to make the most money
off your biggest show of the year.
The difference in ticket prices is a key reason why running the first
Vader vs. Kawada on 2/17 is not a good idea. It's not going to knock
15,000 off the attendance of the Dome show if they choose to run the
first Vader vs. Kawada title match there, but whatever dropoff there
is will not be made up for by the increase in attendance at the Sapporo
show. The reason is that Sapporo is not scaled like a Dome show. The
top tickets are about $100, which is less than a third of what they'll
charge for the dome. The ticket prices are comparable to Budokan, but
Budokan is slightly higher overall due to the cheap seats and also holds
6,300 more. A second Budokan would be an incredible plus for the company,
but they don't have the depth to pull it off, especially with their
predictability and inability to utilize their secondary wrestlers. What
this Sapporo show is showing, above anything else, is just how incredibly
shortsighted they are. I understand their eagerness to pop a big house
since aside from an occassional Yokohama Bunka show, they don't draw
outside of Tokyo, but look at all they are giving away in effort do
so. I agree that you have to set the precident, but this precident is
much too high. I don't see how they can come close to topping this card
the next time or any time in the near future. They are running way more
big matches these days, but it's the same guys and same results over
and over so they aren't drawing as well as they used to with much less.
Their options are limited to begin with since they don't have any young
wrestlers that they are willing to put in a big match, but they further
limit themselves by not giving guys like Taue (he beats everyone below
him, but it doesn't lead anywhere and nobody expects him to win the
title when he gets his shot once a year), Hase, or Omori (granted he's
not any good, but they are supposedly putting him in at least one "big"
singles match per tour). a major win now and then so their future "big"
singles matches would mean more. Even though the 2/17 show is essentially
setting up Budokan, a few more of these lineups and Budokan attendance
will begin tapering because off the same old matches will be occurring
at least twice as often (probably more given how singles happy Misawa
is). Even though they are in different areas of the country, the TV
show will be airing the major matches from both cards and I'm sure they'll
be on the commercial tape as well, so the fans will be able to see them
one way or another (as opposed to the Carnival matches which are not
put on the commercial tapes in complete form and certain matches we'd
surely drool over are not televised each year, Kobashi's two biggest
first wins being recent examples).
Aside from it making it that much more obvious that Kawada will put
Vader over, I like the way they set it up so the Kobashi vs. Williams
winner gets a TC shot unless Kawada beats Vader (which we won't know
until after Kobashi vs. Williams takes place, although it's not like
Kawada or Williams could really win). It makes two matches on the 2/17
show really important even though neither are for the title. This scenario
where Kobashi beats Williams and then Vader really limits your options
for the Dome to another Kobashi vs. Vader or another Kobashi vs. Misawa
(granted neither have been done at the dome, but they've been done enough
that you shouldn't want them as your first option to headline the Dome
even though there is something new in that Kobashi has never tried to
defend against Vader and never successfully defended against Misawa).
Vader vs. Kobashi should not headline the Dome given their 2nd meeting
drew 4,100 to Osaka Furitsu Taiikukan and their third meeting, the Carnival
final, drew 13,400 at Budokan according to Observer even though it was
announced as a sellout, as always. I would not want Vader winning the
title at the Dome since he isn't a native, and Kobashi beating him twice
in a row is somewhat questionable since everyone else has been losing
to him over the past year. That would be really huge win for Kobashi,
but then you'd have to rebuild Vader by having him beat one or two of
the same guys he's already been dominating. They would be better off
with sticking with Vader until the Dome because he's a better draw than
Kobashi and his matches are still fresher even though there won't be
any new matches left except Kawada's first TC shot, which should still
headline the Dome even though it's value has been weakened, just as
the specialness of Kawada's first win over Misawa was weakened by it
not coming in a TC match (and coming after Misawa had wrestled a grueling
30 minute draw with Kobashi). Also, Vader losing the title at the Dome
would have a lot more impact than at Budokan.
Vader & Williams getting a shot at, and probably winning, the tag
titles is
another stupid thing. These two haven't even teamed, yet all they need
is one win to challenge for the top tag titles. We know what they can
do in singles, but No Fear should really beat them since they have no
experience as a team while No Fear functions "really well" as a unit
even though they are not good wrestlers and don't fair well in singles.
I don't mind Vader & Williams eventually holding the tag titles
(well, not until I have to watch the matches since neither of them will
be selling or bumping for the opposition, which is why Smith or Scorpio
are much better partners for Vader even though they don't have credibility),
but they should do a job or two while they are learning how to function
as a unit before beginning their domination. I get the idea that Vader
couldn't win with Smith, so now he's found a better gaijin, but there
should be a team concept to tag wrestling that can't really be there
with guys that haven't really teamed before. The thing is, Vader & Hansen
were formed for the 98 tag league (well, they had teamed on the dome
show) and immediately ran over everyone. Since Williams was above Hansen
before he left for WWF, and was pushed somewhat when he returned on
the last tour, this is basically a more powerful team than the one that
ran the table in the '98 Sekai Saikyo tag league. With that in mind,
No Fear is really no match for Vader & Williams, and a dominating
performance to establish the new team could certainly be justified.
These cards should produce strong matches, which is a definite plus,
but they are just giving away too much. Misawa vs. Akiyama should have
been on the 2/17 show along with the TC defense they had initially said
they were going to have. Even though it would likely have been a weaker
challenger like Omori or Taue, that should have been enough to sell
as many tickets as they are going to without going to extremes (like
they certainly did), and as far as they were willing to go. This 2/17
card is trying to set a really good impression in the new arena, and
should, but also is a better lineup than they have presented on their
Dome shows. Granted the title isn't on the line and they don't have
the outsiders to make the lineup special, but Kawada vs. Vader, Kobashi
vs. Williams, and Misawa vs. Taue are all matches that could headline
Budokan if they were for the title (of course, Williams would need a
singles win over someone better than Gunn first). The title is worth
a lot, but it's mainly the wrestlers themselves that make you want to
see the matches, with the title just adding some allure and prestige.
Having all these non-title matches ruins the specialness of the Champion
Carnival because previously that was one of the only times when the
top guys would meet in a match that wasn't for the title or to set up
someone to challenge. Of course, they are probably ruining the Carnival
this year anyway by making it a single elimination tournament that includes
basically their entire roster.
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