The Best And Worst Of NJPW: Fighting Spirit Unleashed, Sept. 28, 2019

Previously on NJPW: Almost exactly one year ago, another show called Fighting Spirit Unleashed took place at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach. Almost exactly one-third of the wrestlers on the broadcast of that show no longer work for NJPW or an NJPW-affiliated company.

You can watch New Japan Pro Wrestling shows on their streaming service, NJPW World, which costs 999 yen (about 9 USD.) You can also watch certain NJPW matches on Saturdays on AXS TV.

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And now, the best and worst of the Fighting Spirit Unleashed event from September 28, 2019, at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

Although Fighting Spirit Unleashed in New York ended pretty strong and seemed to send the crowd home happy, it started by pissing everyone off. The show was supposed to start at seven o’clock and it ended up starting closer to eight-thirty. The NJPW World stream cut from the venue to the holding screen to the Japanese announce team (bizarrely, there was no live English commentary for this show) of Milano A.T., Shigeki Kyono, and Toru Yano, who at one point answered questions from fans on Twitter.

In the Hammerstein Ballroom, the audience became increasingly, audibly upset. Kaname Tezuka, who runs Bushiroad USA, entered the ring, bowed prostrate on the mat, and apologized profusely, which I think shocked everyone out of booing. Rocky Romero came out and apologized in English and threw people t-shirts, which people understood a lot more easily. (NJPW also issued an apology online later. )

Word went around that the show was starting late because the on-site ambulance required for a company to run a pro wrestling show in New York was stuck in traffic. Then PWInsider reported that the actual reason there was no ambulance was that someone had called the ambulance company and told them the show had been canceled, so there was no need to send the vehicle. New Japan didn’t come out and say this publicly, but people in the wrestling business including Gran Akuma, EVOLVE’s Gabe Sapolsky, possibly GCW’s Brett Lauderdale, and more seem to believe that’s what happened.

It’s a plausible explanation to my non-expert self just because so often when I talk to someone in or connected to the wrestling business I hear about similarly insane, underhanded stuff. I hope I’m not coming off like, “Aw, New Japan, poor baby,” here because they’re a big company full of experienced professionals, but the wrestling business is crazy a lot of the time and it sucks that there are people in it willing to do this type of behind-the-scenes carnie nonsense, no matter who they work for. Of course, it’s also possible NJPW just forgot to call an ambulance or something and someone put a fake story out there to try and cover it up because the wrestling business is crazy that way too, but PWInsider is pretty reliable.