>>16649644NJPW pulled themselves back from the brink of bankruptcy on the back of homegrown talent like Tanahashi and Nakamura. They rose to new heights with more Japanese like Okada and captured the attention of smarks with guys like Suzuki, Shibata, Naito, Honma, Nagata, Kojima, Makabe, Goto and Ishii.
The product was unique and refreshing compared to the sanitized "Rated G" era WWE and the beyond tired and worn out TNA at the time.
They were still riding that wave of popularity when they pushed Styles and later Omega but the shine was off when Omega got a hold of the belt and... did nothing with it. The foreign talent had invaded every level of the card, infested the juniors, tag, midcard, etc. They brought a dull, monotonous indyriffic style from the gyms and VFW halls. Honed from years of hot dogs and hand shakes they dragged NJPW into the gutter. Then the yen collapsed and COVID disrupted their momentum. Then money marks from America took talent from them as they pleased.
Now NJPW is a husk. Raped of the very talent that was supposed to put over the next generation. Pillaged of foreign talent that had been building their resume, and forced to rush a whole crop of Young Lions that still hadn't earned their spot. The continued attempt to win over the west by copying the worst aspects of western wrestling when they should be featuring their unique talent is baffling.
