No Moxley in Dallas Photo Credit: WWE.com |
However, if this landscape was in place for anything longer than a month, and again, according to Martin, the laying of the groundwork was attempted in January, it makes New Japan's decision to put the US Championship on Moxley curious. He can't work with the company in America, which is fine if he's going to be doing cool shit like working the G1 or having a marquee match at WrestleKingdom with Kazuchika Okada or some other heavy hitter. However, the US Title has been at the centerpiece of the promotion's current jaunt east across the Pacific. On their last attempt to build a base in the States (partnered with Jersey All-Pro Wrestling), New Japan created the Intercontinental Championship. It made sense to continue using that title if they decided not to venture across again. But the US Title is literally named after the goddamn country where they're trying to expand.
To wit, every New Japan show in America has either had a US Championship defense or hosted the tournament to decide the inaugural Champion. Leaving Moxley off the show, though unfortunate for American interests, makes sense if he wants to be a true independent contractor and work for both companies under an agreement that suits both. Putting a title that is at the heart of New Japan's expansion into North America on a guy who can't wrestle in North America though is, for lack of a better term, a fuck-up. No doubt this situation is all on New Japan, because they knew since before Moxley announced he was leaving WWE that they weren't going to work with AEW.
And if I can interject an opinion about that relationship here, well, it's that it stinks. ROH right now offers absolutely nothing to New Japan Pro Wrestling except a chance to be the unquestioned alpha in the relationship. Even before ROH fell off, you could argue that ROH was nothing without New Japan, given that the former's biggest stars were The Elite. Remove Cody Rhodes, the Young Bucks, and Kenny Omega, and what does ROH have left in terms of someone who can draw for them? Dalton Castle and Jay Lethal are fan favorites, but they were not equipped to carry the company in the immediate wake of The Elite leaving, and it shows. Tickets go unsold, and fans who do come to the shows observe under fear of interrogation and torture if they boo the wrong person.
Either way, it's New Japan that fucked up here, and basically, the fans are the ones who are going to suffer. Regardless, at least Moxley, along with guys like KENTA, Okada, Tetsuya Naito, Kota Ibushi, Tomohiro Ishii, and Hiroshi Tanahashi among others will make the G1 an attractive watch for anyone, whether live in the wastes of the early morning in America or on replay at a more reasonable hour for Yanks like me for whom live watching of New Japan is not intended.