NXT Japan

Uncle Dave's put out a few tidbits regarding WWE setting up a brand in Japan. According to the report, WWE has talked to a number of countries abut setting up some sort of deal. Meltzer states WWE has gone so far as to attempt to buy a company to use as the foundation for NXT Japan though he says there's no word on whether or not any of the deals have gone through. Allegedly, one of the companies approached was Pro Wrestling Noah but a deal couldn't be reached.

Another rumor is that WWE is trying to hire top Japanese talents to work as trainers for the new brand, or a potential WWE Performance Center in Japan, going so far as to allege that WWE MIGHT be signing or has already signed two top names for the brand but, believe it or not, won't name names until he has confirmation from his sources.

An NXT brand in Japan is something WWE has allegedly been talking about for a while and going the route of buying an already established promotion is a smart way to go about it. I think WWE would also be wise to try to utilize some sort of working relationship with some of the companies over there as they've done with the UK brand. A big problem, however, is that there are some significant cultural differences and I think WWE management will have to accept that they're going to have to embrace those differences rather than trying to twist/force those differences into becoming more western. In other words, if WWE wants a Japanese brand, then it needs to be run like a Japanese brand rather than an American promotion with a Japanese label. Another problem is that WWE simply isn't going to be able to just take over the Japan market as there are simply too many well established companies in operation with too many loyal fans who aren't going to just desert said companies just because it's WWE. Like Americans, many Japanese fans enjoy bright lights, flashy pyro, etc. but don't try to change the overall essence of the sport for the fans or it's just not going to work out the way WWE wants it to. I think Triple H, William Regal and others will and do understand that, but I'm not so sure about Vince as he very much has this master of creation kind of mentality about him. It's not just enough to own something, it's to control every single shred of it down to the very last atom and make it completely about what you want it to be rather than what the tastes of the fans might be.