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ALL JAPAN PRO WRESTLING NOTES
The best way to describe the current mood around All Japan Pro Wrestling is "a state of flux." The promotion has seen much better days and much of the blame has been hoisted on the shoulders of President Keiji Mutoh.
Over the last several months, All Japan has continued to move away from the traditional feel of the promotion, dropping imagery of the late Giant Baba from advertising, discontinuing its traditional big events in Budokan Hall, and the usage of former WWE talent such as Jamal, Justin Credible, and Bull Buchanan in recent months. There have been cutbacks in expenses, to the point that some gaijin talent, including Steve Williams, Mike Barton, and Jim Steele, bolted from the company.
All Japan promotion is considered to be drawing into two factions: the "Royal Road" side featuring those who want to see the company return to its old feel and style (featuring the likes of Toshiaki Kawada and Masa Fuchi, among others) and Mutoh's side, but even many on Mutoh's side are beginning to falter in their support of the current President.
Take into account Kendo Ka Shin, who is the current All Japan Junior Heavyweight champion. Ka Shin has all but disappeared from the company, to the point there are plans to crown a new champion on 2/22. Ka Shin, who jumped from New Japan in January 2002 to join Mutoh in All Japan, had a WWE tryout late last year and was hopeful of heading to WWE, but it didn't come together. Word I am getting is Ka Shin is sitting out with an "injury to his elbow", but is waiting for his contract to expire or things to get better before heading back to the ring. At this point, All Japan has talked of stripping him of the championship publicly, so they obviously don't expect him back anytime soon.
The political climate surrounding Mutoh his tenuous at best as well. Mutoh appeared at the New Japan Tokyo Dome in January out of respect for his friendship with Masahiro Chono and isn't interested in returning there.
At the same time, Mutoh has caused huge friction with ZERO-ONE, a promotion that was helping to prop up All Japan over the last year, by heading into the United States and running a joint event with Ring of Honor in late December.
The feeling from ZERO-ONE management was that All Japan had insulted the company, partially because ZERO-ONE had been planning on moving into the Northeastern United States with events for nearly a year (they finally did so with the birth of WORLD-1 just this past weekend). ZERO-ONE had previously stepped in to help All Japan financially and had sent talent to All Japan because of Shinya Hashimoto's friendship with Keiji Mutoh. Then, after All Japan had claimed money problems, ZERO-ONE then stood there dumbfounded as All Japan paid to fly their crew into the United States. According to several sources, it has been some time since Hashimoto and Mutoh have spoken.
The egg was also on ZERO-ONE's face because ROH footage on Japan's Samurai TV had been billed as "ZERO-ONE USA Presents Ring of Honor" to get around a WWE exclusive for American product on the Network, only for the opposition to work with what had been billed as a ZERO-ONE ally publicly.
There has been talk over the last several day that Mutoh's time as President of the company may be looking towards its final days. If that is truly the case though, where is Mutoh going to go and what will become of All Japan Pro Wrestling? Will it truly end up, as long rumored, usurped by ZERO-ONE or even New Japan Pro Wrestling? Will Toshiaki Kawada become the latest to take up the mantle and run the company? Possibly Genichiro Tenryu? Could Motoko Baba be forced out of her retirement to take back her husband's company? The next few months will be quite telling.
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