| QUOTE |
| A double-whammy if you support New Japan or support the Japanese wrestling business in general. According to an industry source in Japan, a lot of MMA & pro-wrestling businessmen are convinced that something is going to take place shortly inside of TV-Asahi regarding the future of pro-wrestling & MMA coverage. Whether this means the elimination of pro-wrestling and the expansion of MMA programming is yet to be determined. For the sake of stability in the pro-wrestling business, New Japan needs TV-Asahi to renew their deal. New Japan is the promotion that moves the needle for media coverage in Japan, and for Asahi to give up on them would be something that I would personally feel terrible about. I wouldn't feel bad about specific people in New Japan, but if Asahi withdraws support from the company, it will really damage the Japanese pro-wrestling industry. The other half of the double-whammy involves a stagnant advance for the 1/4 Tokyo Dome show. With two weeks to go, the promotion faces a major struggle selling tickets. It may not be as bad as the 11/13 Osaka Dome show, but it's not significantly better. We already had ground reports about comp. tickets being distributed, but the bigger issue is whether or not the company can get paid customers through the gates. Right now, there are a ton of tickets available and you can get whatever kind of seat you want. |