This Week in Wrestling 2020 Week 10

Brian Damage

It’s Saturday and today we have ’This Week in Wrestling’, the 10th of 2020. Today Brian discusses Triple H’s interest in creating an NXT brand in Japan and shares all the best wrestling content from this week.

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Could NXT ‘Takeover’ Japan?

Over the last couple of years, there has been a few rumblings that WWE had some sort of interest in entering the Japanese wrestling market. While they have had the occasional tour there…nothing really came from those rumors. In recent months, however, those few rumblings have become a bit stronger. Except now, it isn’t so much Vince McMahon who wants to expand into Japan…it is his son in law Triple H.

As we all know, Triple H is the driving force behind the evolution of WWE’s developmental group NXT. What was once simply a place for future WWE superstars to go to get ready for the main roster….has turned into its own brand. Triple H focuses more an the wrestling aspect of the business, where as his father in law is more on the entertainment side of things.

As crazy as it sounds for NXT to expand to the Land of the Rising Sun….keep in mind that there were these same rumblings a few years ago concerning WWE and the United Kingdom. We all know how that turned out with the eventual formation of NXT UK. As NXT UK has grown into a strong individual brand…it wasn’t without consequences. It basically gutted the independent scene in that area with Triple H taking most of the top talent and refusing them to work any other promotions in the UK.

Getting back to Triple H’s interests in Japan, there were rumors that WWE was trying to purchase Pro Wrestling NOAH. A group founded by the late, great Mitsuharu Misawa. The promotion was ultimately sold to a company called CyberAgent. Now, Triple H has had meetings with former All Japan Pro Wrestling President and former wrestler Jun Akiyama. The two time Triple Crown champion was even invited down to WWE’s Performance Center in Florida to be a “guest trainer.” Could WWE and All Japan be in the midst of a merger? Better yet,, could All Japan soon become NXT Japan?

The WWE continues to sign Japanese talent…despite Vince McMahon’s lack of expertise in pushing said talent. They have KUSHIDA, Io Shirai and just recently signed top female Japanese Indy talent Sari Fujimura. It’s also no secret that Triple H has had his eye on New Japan superstars like Sanada and ‘The Rainmaker’ Kazuchika Okada. Getting those guys plucked away from New Japan is extremely unlikely…but interesting none the less.

Now if these rumors are true and NXT Japan does form….I expect it to be a much more difficult expansion than the United Kingdom. The WWE is a big fish in a small pond over in places like England, but in Japan….it is the complete opposite. New Japan Pro Wrestling is the big dog with a solid television deal and a ton of money. It won’t be as easy trying to raid the bigger named Japanese talents.

Either way, the next year or so should be very interesting for the NXT brand and what they will or won’t do. Could we eventually see an NXT Japan? As the old saying goes…”Where there is smoke, there is fire’ and there is currently a lot of smoke right now.

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Picture Gallery
Brian

The very first class of wrestlers signed when the WWE Performance Center opened in 2013.

How’s this for a bed?

Before there was AEW’s Jungle Boy, there was PAC with a very similar gimmick…

Bullet Club’s Bad Luck Fale slimmed down close to 40 pounds.

An advertisement for RAW at an AEW ‘Dynamite’show

Anyone who has seen the movie ‘My Girl’ will understand this….

Jake Roberts before he was a wrestler…he was a referee known as Fred Platt.

Erik Rowan and his family

Former WWE Diva Jillian Hall just gave birth to a baby girl…

Kurt Angle and The Fonz

Current AEW Women’s champion Nyla Rose before and after pictures.

Impact Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace

Future WWE Hall of Famer Brie Bella

Charly Caruso is ready to Smaaaashhhh

Salina De La Renta

Good morning Lana!

Paige is alright in my book

WWE’s Kayla Braxton

A Goldberg sighting….with porn star Kendra Lust

Bret ‘The Pittman’ Hart

These are epic!

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Video Gallery

The ladies of the original GLOW made a shampoo commercial in 1989

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