Josh Barnett On WWE Bringing In Mauro Ranallo & NJPW Talent At The Same Time, “It’s No Coincidence”; Talks NJPW Success On AXS TV, More

WrestleZone Radio is proud to present this exclusive featuring Nick Hausman interviewing one half of the commentary team for NJPW on AXS TV and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett.

You can find more info about the interview as well as some transcribed quotes below.

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On why WWE seems to be “borrowing” so much from NJPW

JB: There is no way that you are going to tell me that it’s a complete coincidence. Mauro wasn’t a total unknown to professional wrestling. That’s how he got his start. People weren’t thinking of Mauro Ranallo going out there and calling wrestling action on a regular basis. Let alone myself. There’s no coincidence that when New Japan on AXS really took off. Really started to get out there. Mauro gets voted commentator of the year. I come in number three in the Wrestling Observer vote. All of a sudden he gets snatched by WWE? A handful of talent from New Japan gets snatched up by WWE? It’s no coincidence. At the same time, I don’t hate on that. It makes me very proud that by presenting the product in such a way. By taking such a realistic and legitimate stance with the product… it made people really entertained. It really enhanced it and people bought it. They liked it enough to try and bring some of that, what is working from New Japan, to WWE. 

Some of the topics of discussion include:

• Why Japanese pro wrestling is so popular in North America right now
• Josh’s own pro wrestling career in Japan over the last ten years
• How hard it is to be both a pro wrestler and an MMA competitor at the same time
• Why more wrestlers don’t do pro wrestling and MMA at the same time
• The potential of Harry Smith as an MMA competitor
• What it means to Josh to have over a decade worth of ties to NJPW
• The differences between doing commentary with Mauro Ranallo vs Jim Ross
• The lack of sports in sports entertainment
• The recent back and forth between Jim Cornette, The Young Bucks & Kenny Omega
• How Shinsuke Nakamura will do in WWE
• How to make pro wrestling feel real
• Why WWE is towing the line by teasing The Bullet Club
• AXS TV presenting the 2015 G1 Climax over ten episodes starting later this month
• Whether or not a long tournament like the G1 Climax could work in North America
• Why WWE has been “borrowing” from Japanese pro wrestling so much recently
• Josh’s upcoming movie Never Back Down 3
• More…