{"id":43307,"date":"2019-04-04T21:16:42","date_gmt":"2019-04-05T01:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=43307"},"modified":"2019-04-04T21:16:42","modified_gmt":"2019-04-05T01:16:42","slug":"davey-boy-smith-jr-blasts-overseas-companies-for-absolute-crap-booking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2019\/04\/04\/davey-boy-smith-jr-blasts-overseas-companies-for-absolute-crap-booking\/","title":{"rendered":"Davey Boy Smith Jr. Blasts &#8220;Overseas Companies&#8221; For &#8220;Absolute Crap&#8221; Booking"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Following Thursday&#8217;s <strong>Game Changer Wrestling (GCW)<\/strong> event <em><strong>Josh Barnett&#8217;s Bloodsport<\/strong><\/em>, it was near unanimous\u00a0amongst fans that the Match of the Night was the hard-hitting, catch-style shoot fight between <strong>IMPACT Wrestling<\/strong>&#8216;s <strong>Killer Kross<\/strong> and <strong>New Japan\/Major League Wrestling<\/strong> star <strong>Davey Boy Smith Jr.<\/strong> While the entire card was a fun and diverse series of combat match-ups, the pairing of Kross and Davey Boy Jr. together was a hoss fight that went beyond two big men brawling &#8211; it involved a lot of shoot-style\u00a0wrestling and technical submission moves, showcasing both as the true stars they really are. And while Davey Boy Jr. was thankful for the praise post-match, he didn&#8217;t mince words when he took a moment on his Twitter to lash out at the recent booking practices of his Japanese home, NJPW (and possibly the UK&#8217;s <strong>World of Sport Wrestling<\/strong>).<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GCWrestling_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@GCWrestling_<\/a> for having me on Bloodsport tonight. I\u2019m glad I got to show the fans what I think is my true style \ud83e\udd1b and I\u2019m not going to bite my tongue on this one, a much better showing than the absolute crap I\u2019ve been put in by overseas companies lately \ud83e\udd4a\ud83e\udd4b\ud83e\udd3c\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\ud83e\udd1b\ud83d\ude09 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XNFxT2gv59\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/XNFxT2gv59<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Harry Smith, \u201cDavey Boy Smith JR\u201d (@DBSmithjr) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DBSmithjr\/status\/1113921932989227008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 4, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Since returning to North American television with MLW last year, as part of the dominating trio <strong>The Hart Foundation<\/strong> alongside his real-life cousin <strong>Teddy Hart<\/strong> and <strong>Brian Pillman Jr.<\/strong>, Smith has shown he is still a top tier performer. While Smith had previously been seen on North American TV with the WWE, during a six-year career that featured a run as WWE Tag Team Champions in <strong>The Hart Dynasty<\/strong> with <strong>Tyson Kidd<\/strong> and cousin <strong>Natalya<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_43311\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-43311\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-43311\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/04\/The_20Hart_20Dynasty-e1554426682480.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-43311\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But following his departure from the WWE in 2011, Smith headed to Europe to master more catch wrestling technique, training with the legendary <strong>Billy Robinson<\/strong>, and signing with New Japan Po Wrestling in 2012. Paired with TNA\/IMPACT cast off <strong>Lance Archer<\/strong> (who had a brief WWE run from 2009 to 2010), the duo became <strong>The Killer Elite<\/strong> and the principal tag team for <strong>Minoru Suzuki<\/strong>&#8216;s <strong>Suzuki-gun<\/strong> faction. Over the next five years, they were one of Japan&#8217;s most dominant pairings, winning the IWGP Tag Team titles three times, as well as capturing the GHC Tag Team titles twice during a two-year &#8220;exile&#8221; to <strong>Pro Wrestling NOAH<\/strong> with Suzuki-gun.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_43310\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-43310\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-43310 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/04\/348ce-1526344281-800-e1554426705101.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"337\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-43310\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: NOAH<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But since losing their IWGP Tag Team titles to <strong>Los Ingobernables de Japon<\/strong>&#8216;s <strong>EVIL &amp; SANADA<\/strong> at <em><strong>Wrestle Kingdom 12<\/strong><\/em> in January of 2018, the Killer Elite has moved further and further away from the title picture, becoming an afterthought in New Japan&#8217;s tag team division. No longer were they competing for the tag team titles, but instead working lower card tandems like <strong>Best Friends<\/strong> or other random <strong>CHAOS<\/strong> pairings. The NJPW tag team scene was now being directed by EVIL &amp; SANADA, <strong>Guerrillas of Destiny<\/strong> (Tama Tonga &amp; Tanga Loa) and even the recently promoted <strong>Young Bucks<\/strong>. Even within their own stable, they were being usurped by Suzuki and his protege, <strong>Zack Sabre Jr<\/strong>., who had won the <strong>Revolution Pro (RevPro)<\/strong> Undisputed British Tag Team Championship.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_43313\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-43313\" style=\"width: 512px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-43313\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/04\/12a675e156968f2a2fc944d08ea8bb7d.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"342\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/04\/12a675e156968f2a2fc944d08ea8bb7d.jpg 512w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/04\/12a675e156968f2a2fc944d08ea8bb7d-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-43313\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: NJPW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While his star has exploded back in North America reunited within a familiar\u00a0familial faction, it seemed to be fading in Japan. For the bulk of 2019, KES has found themselves in meaningless tag matches against the likes of <strong>Great Bash Heel<\/strong> (Togi Makabe &amp; Tomoaki Honma) and <strong>Toa Henare<\/strong>. But in New Japan, this is hardly a new practice. Prior to jumping ship to the WWE, <strong>Luke Gallows &amp; Karl Anderson<\/strong> were also finding themselves out of place, not just in New Japan&#8217;s tag division, but within <strong>Bullet Club<\/strong> as well &#8211; they had been replaced by Guerrillas of Destiny as Bullet Club&#8217;s main heavyweight tag team candidates.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_43314\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-43314\" style=\"width: 469px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-43314\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/04\/745e907d25972dc4af162a73340f476c.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"469\" height=\"445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/04\/745e907d25972dc4af162a73340f476c.jpg 469w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/04\/745e907d25972dc4af162a73340f476c-300x285.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/04\/745e907d25972dc4af162a73340f476c-443x420.jpg 443w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 469px) 100vw, 469px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-43314\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: NJPW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With New Japan <a href=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/2019\/04\/02\/michael-elgin-and-young-lion-teruaki-kanemitsu-finish-with-njpw\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">recently cutting ties with <strong>Michael Elgin<\/strong> the past week<\/a> &#8211; his contract expired March 31 and both sides mutually agreed to negotiate a new deal &#8211; it may just be time for both sides in this case to part ways as well. There is plenty of &#8220;new blood&#8221;\u00a0<em>gaijin<\/em> that can freshen up the New Japan landscape, and there&#8217;s plenty of other opportunities for Davey Boy Smith Jr. in North America, now that <strong>IMPACT Wrestling<\/strong> and <strong>All Elite Wrestling (AEW)<\/strong> are on the upswing and agreeable to him remaining with MLW as well.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_43312\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-43312\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-43312\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/04\/DqseEZPWsAU84Nk-e1554426748926.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"400\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-43312\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: MLW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Following Thursday&#8217;s Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) event Josh Barnett&#8217;s Bloodsport, it was near unanimous\u00a0amongst fans that the Match of the Night was the hard-hitting, catch-style shoot fight between IMPACT Wrestling&#8216;s Killer Kross and New Japan\/Major League Wrestling star Davey Boy Smith Jr. While the entire card was a fun and diverse series of combat match-ups, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":649,"featured_media":43309,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[2427,699],"class_list":["post-43307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-north-america","tag-bloodsport","tag-davey-boy-smith-jr"],"modified_by":"Jamie Greer","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/649"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43307\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}