• Josh Barnett Comments On Ronda Rousey’s WWE Signing
During a recent interview with ESPN, NJPW Announcer & former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett talked about Ronda Rousey going to WWE and her future in wrestling, importance of telling a story in wrestling and his first match with NJPW.
Below are the highlights:
On Ronda Rousey’s future in wrestling:
“If she’s passionate about it, and serious, her judo background gives her a great starting point. She already knows how to fall, how to throw other people, and move and throw.
She’s already an incredible athlete. If she loves wrestling, really wants to be a student of it and make a go of it, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least that she could be a great wrestler.”
On storytelling in wrestling:
“Wrestling is difficult – it is not just about doing moves and running around, and creating high spots. It’s so much more subtle than that. I think that you can get by doing stuff to make the monkey toy clap [the cymbals], so to speak. But that’s not going to hold attention forever. To learn how to tell that story is difficult.”
On his first match with NJPW:
“It was the first match I ever had, and it was obviously a big one. Walking out there in front of 40,000 people… it didn’t really cause me any anxiety or anything, but man, it was some kind of a rush.”
• Rey Mysterio Appears At NJPW New Beginning in Osaka Via Video, Set To Make His NJPW Debut
Former WWE Champion Rey Mysterio appeared at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s New Beginning in Osaka show via video earlier today and challenged the legendary Jushin “Thunder” Liger to a match at NJPW’s Strong Style Evolved show in Long Beach, California on March 25.
Liger was on commentary and immediately accepted the challenge.
.@reymysterio throws down the challenge to Jushin Thunder Liger for Strong Style Evolved! #njnbg #njsse
➡️ https://t.co/8n90d75Nfk pic.twitter.com/xvFtoNvrU2
— TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) February 10, 2018
This will be Mysterio’s NJPW debut. Liger & Mysterio have faced each other only once before, which was at WCW Starrcade 1996 and Liger ended up defeating Mysterio.
