Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Japanese Wrestlers Don't Need Translation

The new Women's Tag Champs don't need a translator
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Madusa/Alundra Blayze has logged onto Twitter again to give an opinion to the world. Thankfully, it's not to gather everyone onto the Trump Train again or to cast aspersions at trans people. This time, she made a public suggestion that would also land her a job back on television with WWE:

It's not a new idea to put Japanese wrestlers in America with English-speaking managers or stablemates. It's a practice as old as the business itself, the most notable example being The Great Muta paired with Gary Hart. Promos, after all, are just as important as matches, right? It's good to have someone who can get a message across to the crowd watching, whether at home or in the arena. That being said, grasp of the language doesn't mean you're going to get a good promo. For example, Kenny Omega speaks fluent English, and I wouldn't trust him with a microphone in his hand if I wrote the script for whatever he was going to say myself. However, he's still incredibly popular because of his appeal to gamers, his aura, and not least importantly, his wrestling.

Asuka and Kairi Sane didn't get noticed by WWE because they could spin yarns in English. They're both phenomenal wrestlers who were among the best in Japan and due to how weird joshi can be with the ages of their wrestlers, saw better opportunity in America. All Asuka had to say in NXT was "NOBODY IS READY FOR" her, and she got over fine. Sane had to say less, but because she comes out in nautical gear and a looking glass, the crowd knows what she's about. Both of them are incredible wrestlers. Asuka has the best roundhouse kick I've ever seen, and Sane drops the best elbow since Randy Savage, albeit in an entirely different way. If crowds aren't getting them, it's due to presentation, not because they "can't speak English," which is a lie anyway.

What Madusa is putting forth, especially given what is known about her political leanings, is in incredible bad faith at best. It's also incredibly dishonest because I don't think Japanese wrestlers ever needed to have someone speaking for them to get over. They certainly don't need them now. Japanese promotions are mainstream. You don't need to meet Dave Meltzer in a dark alley with VHS tapes in a brown paper bag in order to watch promotions like STARDOM or Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling anymore. People like joshi because they beat the hell out of each other (some people who like it are also perverts, but I mean), just like people like New Japan Pro Wrestling and Dramatic Dream Team because they like the wrestling they provide. They don't need to talk to get over in America, especially now that ring-work feels more important than it was years ago, and if they do talk in their thick accents, people can still get it. I mean, they let people like Nattie Neidhart and [REDACTED] speak despite having the command of diction of someone directly afflicted with CTE (probably because they are/were). What's a Japanese accent to them?

Asuka and Sane were already behind an eight-ball because WWE hasn't seen a minority group it doesn't like lumping together for a stable ever. I think letting them do what they do and speak with their body language, entrance gear, and wrestling is a good way to show that you're changing your stripes regarding Japanese wrestlers in your company. I doubt WWE will go for Madusa's proposal, but that doesn't make what she put forth in that tweet any less galling, especially coming from her.
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