WWE Hall Of Famer Criticizes Japanese Strong Style Wrestling

A big-name WWE Hall of Famer has done his best to explain why he’s not a big fan of Japanese strong style wrestling.

When it comes to pro wrestling, there are a lot of different styles because it is such a unique business. Go watch a match from the 1970s and they probably put on headlocks a lot more than a match taking place 50 years later in 2023. That’s just the nature of the business evolving.

Jake “The Snake” Roberts is a WWE Hall of Famer that made his name pro wrestling as WWE superstar in the 1980s while also having a run in WCW in the 1990s. Jake’s famous for his classic DDT finisher, which has become a very popular move in today’s wrestling business.

However, Jake doesn’t like Japanese Strong Style wrestling, which is something that has become popular in the last 20 years. Shinsuke Nakamura of WWE is known as the “King of Strong Style” thanks to his diverse offense that includes a variety of kicks and other strikes.

It’s a style that some wrestlers in the US do as well, especially in AEW where there are often spots in matches where guys exhchange forearm shots to the head repeatedly. If you watch Jon Moxley in AEW, you’ll see it in nearly every match.

On The Snake Pit podcast, Jake Roberts claimed there was no need to do Japanese Strong Style wrestling.

“For those who like it, go ahead. Beat the s*** out of each other. You know, there’s no need for it. The fans already know it’s a work, so why are you beating the f*** out of each other? Because you can? You want to show somebody how tough you are?”

“If you want to show somebody how tough you are, go out on the street corner somewhere and pick a fight. You’ll be alright. Don’t put me through it.”

As he continued, Jake made the point that he prefers a match where the performers do their best to make it exciting.

“I’d much rather have a match where two guys are trying to perform and give me their very best, you know what I’m saying? Make it exciting.”

H/T WrestlingInc.com