[bbvideo=200,100]https://youtu.be/r4tj31L_Bag?t=14s[/bbvideo]Miz was up and saddled Jericho, trying to keep him down, by sitting across his chest, knees in his shoulders. Miz repeatedly hit Jericho’s head on the back of the mat. Jericho reversed the awkward positioning, flopping Miz onto his stomach and locking on the Walls of Jericho, and locking it on tight! Miz almost made it to the ropes, but Jericho pulled him back. Miz finally made it to the ropes and Jericho was extremely frustrated. Miz, on the apron, kicked Jericho in the back of the head. He hurried back in, getting his hands on Jericho for the back body drop. Jericho popped up and hit the Code Breaker.
1…
Joey Styles: That could do it!
2…
Wes Ikeda: Look at the pretty lights, Mike!
3!
Corey Graves: Chris Jericho has retained! Chris Jericho is still the EBWF World Champion!
He was given his championship and Jericho held it above his head with one arm as the other was raised in victory. Jericho celebrated for a moment as the crowd cheered. The camera focused on the announce table, where Wes, still wearing his headset had stood to his feet to applaud. Jericho pointed to the Wrestlemania sign, then to himself. Then to Wes.
Chris Jericho: You and me.
He pointed to the Wrestlemania sign again.
Wes Ikeda: I look forward to it.
Jason Agnew: And just like that, the main event we knew was coming is finally put into writing. You’re listening to the LAW, and those were the final moments of EBWF’s Fallout event, and Mouth, we are officially getting Jericho/Ikeda at Wrestlemania, were you surprised?
Dan Lovranski: I really wasn’t, Jay, and I think everyone sort of knew going in that we were going to be going in that direction. But often the obvious direction is going to be the correct decision, and I thought it was still a great main event.
Jason Agnew: Well, the Miz gains a lot just from coming close to the belt in this situation, and you can easily slot him back in at any time, but there is just too much built up already between Jericho and Ikeda to pull back now. Unlike some other Wrestlemanias, everyone is perfectly happy with this main event. See, if you book things logically, the crowd will follow along. But now it’s all about the rest of the card. We did see some titles jump around, and we know that there are still some contenderships left to be cashed in. But even then, there are quite a few bigger names that need to placed somewhere at Mania, and deceptively few weeks to get it done.
Dan Lovranski: Which isn’t really surprising, you normally fill in much of that undercard over the final month. I am a little concerned with the IC title, they might be moving it onto Syxx soon but if not, it’s not going to get any focus at Mania.
Jason Agnew: Well it’s a secondary title. You’re lucky you can even remember who has it.
Dan Lovranski: I just think it could mean more, Jay. I always thought of the Intercontinental or the United States or the Television Title as being a crucial test before getting to the world title. That’s how it was used back in the day. Or treated as being the top of a whole other division. They’re doing something with the Breakout title now and it is getting to feel like a bigger deal.
Jason Agnew: So you mention the Breakout title, we were supposed to see a mini-tournament to decide the next contender for that title but ended up getting just two qualifiers on the pre-show. And in the actual, legitimate shock of the night, Shinsuke Nakamura lost to Carlito. Carlito, Mouth?
Dan Lovranski: I’m sort of digging this refreshed Carlitom, Jay. He finally has a bit of that fire in his belly, and that’s something he has always been criticized about.
Jason Agnew: But what are they doing with Nakamura? Here you have one of the biggest stars in Japan, arguably the one with the most crossover appeal to American audiences, and you bring him in to lose his first two matches? Granted, in the first week you were also needing to get Kevin Owens off to a hot start, and I can understand that, but he’s already at a disadvantage with the language barrier when it comes to getting over. He’s going to live or die by his in-ring, and using him to give a rub to Carlito is not going to boost your international buyrates. John, you’ve been our G1 Climax correspondent for three years running, is this how you foresaw the American career of Shinsuke Nakamura?
John Pollack: I think that fear was always there, that somehow the style just wouldn’t translate, and you’re seeing that play out. EBWF is a different beast than New Japan, and you hate to see the Sin Cara situation, where an international star doesn’t take the time to adjust properly to a new promotion, so they enter at a disadvantage. Nakamura is too talented and smart to have that big of a fall, and I think there is a certain segment of the American wrestling audience that has been proven to get behind performers simply based on their ability and their matches, but it’s the minority. A performer can get defined down in their first month so when you become known as a guy who has good to great matches every night but never grabs the big win, there is that danger that you will always be in that “mechanic” role that Steve Austin likes to talk about, and you’ll always be the one to make others look good.
Dan Lovranski: Well I’m fine with just getting to see great matches every night. Like I’m really excited to learn that Nakamura-Sheamus is going down this week. That could be a match of the year contender if it gets the time, because I don’t think anyone else in that company is as much of a straight-up brawler than Sheamus, and he never looks better than when he is just getting the crap kicked out of him. The bright red welts on that pale skin, it makes the match look so epic. And he will be throwing back just as hard, it is going to be an awesome match.
Jason Agnew: An awesome match that won’t really affect Sheamus in any negative fashion, he could potentially be in a tag team title match at Mania. But this is what I am saying, what is there for Nakamura right now at the biggest show of the year? I will put it right out there, if Shinsuke Nakamura does not make it onto the Wrestlemania card, then he is already dead in this company.
Rich Kraetsch: Welcome once again the Voices of Wrestling podcast, I’m Rich Kraetsch joined as always by the King of Banter, Joe Lanza. How are you doing today, Joe?
Joe Lanza: I’m confused, aroused, and disappointed all at the same time, Rich. Look, I don’t want to get into a rant right off the bat here…
Rich Kraetsch: It wouldn’t be the first time.
Joe Lanza: But I wouldn’t be critically-acclaimed, universally-beloved broadcast personality Joe Lanza if I kept everything bottled inside me. I have a beast inside of me, Rich, and sometimes I have to let it out.
Rich Kraetsch: Well before you scare anyone away, let me just get in here that you can find us at voicesofwrestling.com, and subscribe on iTunes to get all of our weekly content, and we are of course on Twitter, @voicesofwrestling on Twitter. Okay Joe, let it out.
Joe Lanza: What the hell happened to your boy Nakamura? In the span of twelve months he has gone from main eventing in the Tokyo Dome to losing to Carlito. On a preshow. Look, I know that people usually have to start from the bottom when they come to a new company, but this is like when the NWA Champion comes to New York and gets put into polka dots. There is earning your keep and there is taking a beating, and right now Shinsuke Nakamura is taking a beating. If he doesn’t pull up soon, there may not be much left to save.
Rich Kraetsch: I’m not that gloomy about his chances.
Joe Lanza: It’s done, it’s over! Pack up your bags and head back to Japan, you can’t even win on the preshow against CARLITO of all people! They won’t even want you there anymore, you’ll have to wrestle Brian Myers in a VFW hall in Spokane or some crap like that, because he is dead on arrival.
Rich Kraetsch: I’ve been hearing this argument for the past few days, and I’m not really buying it. I think you’ve gotten the name out there, you’ve been talking up the New Japan history, and I know for a fact that we have been hearing from people who had no idea who Shinsuke Nakamura was, but they were impressed with his fire and his move set, and don’t forget that the preshow was free. You would have had to get past the paywall to see Nakamura on the proper show, but he was all over the free streams, where he fought hard, got built up by the announcers, and only lost because of dirty tactics. So you see this strange guy dancing down the ramp, and you start to look into this Japanese history, and end up here on the Voices of Wrestling, where Joe Lanza just told you that he is already finished.
Joe Lanza: I see what you are trying to suggest, but I just don’t think people get over that way. People get over by winning matches. The Honmas and Daniel Bryans of the world who get over through losing are few and far between. If you lose in your debut, you may as well have been clapping in the corner with a misspelled nameplate and have the announcers say your opponent is “in action.” Look, I will gladly, GLADLY, eat crow on this one if it turns around over the next few weeks, but you tell me anyone in that company with less momentum heading towards Wrestlemania.
Rich Kraetsch: I do think things are turning around, because they’ve already announced his next opponent, and it is the Celtic Warrior, Sheamus. That is a match that I didn’t know I wanted and know can’t understand how I ever lived without.
Joe Lanza: It is a shameful thing, Rich. And despite all that I said before, I admit this match does have me at full mast. You are going to see the types of hits that make your own bones hurt, that’s the type of match this is going to be. It is going to be painful to watch and I can’t wait. And I think you are going to see a Nakamura who realizes he has to make an impact, and you are also going to see a Sheamus who wants to prove he can hang with a Japanese star. They are going to be hitting each other so freakin’ hard.
Rich Kraetsch: Brogue Kick vs Boma Ye Knee. It is going to be quite the sight to behold.
Vince Russo: Bro, I have said it before, and I will say it a thousand more times, bro, if you can’t speak English, then you are not going to make it in an American company, bro.
Wade Keller: Our next caller is from the 630 area code, 630 state your name and city, you’re on the PWTorch Livecast.
Boris: This is Boris from Chicago.
Wade Keller: Boris, good to hear from you, how are you doing this evening?
Boris: I’m good, I’m good. How you doin’?
Wade Keller: Can’t complain. What’s on your mind tonight?
Boris: Yeah, I wanted to just get your thoughts on the Shinsuke Nakamura situation. I been listening around, and it really seems that people are already up for giving up on the guy, and I’m just thinking, you know, why would you not give him a chance? Some people bringin’ up Sin Cara, and I’m like, Sin Cara nearly killed himself during his first match with the company, you know, Sin Cara was a disaster in every way, but this guy, this guy is good, and I don’t know why people aren’t giving him a chance.
Wade Keller: Good topic, Boris. Yeah, the Nakamura thing has been a big topic of debate this week. I think it is just a hard thing to debut someone in Wrestlemania season, so they are using him like they would any other wrestler at this time. Wrestlemania is different from other cards because it has to have a bit of finality to it, other shows build to each other, but in a lot of ways a good Wrestlemania card will close things off and prepare for something new. So if you introduce someone right before Mania, they don’t have anything to close off, and so they may have to take the back seat to those stories that have already been built. Anything else to add?
Boris: Well, I also know that there is going to be a title match on the next EBWF show and some other big important matches, but I really am most excited for that Nakamura and Sheamus match. Do you think we’ll see anything special or are they going to sort of downplay it to not overshadow the Mania building matches?
Wade Keller: Sheamus is just another one of those workers who have been really energized by switching to EBWF, and he is just an absolute beast when he gets to let loose, and I really think they are going to be given a long rope on this match. It may not get a ton of time, but it should definitely whet the appetite of anyone who loves physicality in wrestling. I could see this being the first win for Nakamura, but again, Sheamus does have a tag title opportunity so they may want to keep him strong. Either way, you’re right Boris, this is definitely the sleeper match of the night.
Boris: Alright, cool, that’s all I got, have a good show, Wade.
Jason Agnew: Welcome back to the LAW, we’re at the top of the second hour, still to come we have Title Belt Trivia and we will be taking some of your questions off the LAW message boards in the final segment, but right now you know what time it is. We chat with the editor of the Wresting Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer. Dave, we were chatting earlier about Shinsuke Nakamura’s first few weeks as an American pro-wrestler, have you heard anything that might point to why he just hasn’t been able to get out of the gate here in his early run?
Dave Meltzer: You know, I haven’t heard anything beyond probably the obvious. Being the only Japanese star on the roster, he doesn’t really have a huge support system. When it looked like he was going to NXT, they have Funaki acting as a liaison for these Asian wrestlers, helping them get acclimated. He’s basically starting from scratch in EBWF, all on his own. So you have the lifestyle adjustment at the same time as the workstyle adjustment, but in terms of his relationship with management everything is said to be fine, they are just waiting for him to really blossom.
Dan Lovranski: Is the language issue part of the problem, Dave?
Dave Meltzer: Obviously that was always going to play some part, but everyone I’ve talked to says he is actively working to improve his English, and he was already much more fluent than many other foreign stars who have come to America, so that is another thing that the office appreciates. Like I said, there shouldn’t be anything holding him back, which is why it is so strange that he hasn’t had a big moment yet. You can argue that they have been establishing how much it takes to keep him down, because that is sort of the American equivalent of fighting spirit, having the ability to take huge amounts of damage, and they may be trying to get him over through scrappiness.
Jason Agnew: But I was arguing that the real test is do they have anything for him at Mania?
Dave Meltzer: I haven’t heard much about the rest of the card aside from obviously the World Title in the main. I really can’t foresee him not being involved somehow, but you really want every match on the big show of the year to be meaningful, it’s not like the 80s when they just tried to put as many matches on the card as possible, so who knows? It will be very interesting to see how this card begins to fill out.
Steve Austin: And of course, I gotta put in a quick plug for all the boys, and girls, over there at EBWF, fighting hard to keep paying those gimmicks they send in the mail called bills. I don’t normally single out a match, but I want you all to keep an eye on Sheamus versus Shinsake Nakumara, I know I can’t pronounce that damn name but I’ll be damned if this isn’t going to be the most hard-hitting, knock-down-drag-out you’ve seen all year. The kind of stuff that got me into wrestling back in the Dallas Sportatorium, no high spots necessary. You are going to want to give these young men your attention and they will earn your respect. Now we’re gonna take a little pause for the cause, and I’ll be back with my conversation with my old running buddy, Savio Vega.
Joe Lanza: Sorry, I gotta come back to this. I cannot stop thinking about this Sheamus and Nakamura match. It seriously taken over a part of my brain. It’s the sort of match that makes me need to jump out of my chair and take a walk, or a cold shower. It is going to be so damn good, Rich. You have Sheamus, the big bruiser. He is going to just walk into every strike and throw so many bombs it isn’t even funny. And then Nakamura, with his MMA background, using the more precise strikes but hitting just as hard. He could try to grapple him, but I really hope it is just all stand up. I want bruises, cuts, weird indentions, I want this to be just a grimy man fight.
Rich Kraetsch: Joe Lanza, big fan of the grimy men.
Joe Lanza: I know it sounds bad but I don’t care. Bring on as many grimy men as you can find, and make them fight for my amusement.
