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AXS TV ready to bring New Japan Pro Wrestling to United States

The WWE is undoubtedly the leading wrestling promotion in the world today and has held that distinction for quite some time.

But a discussion about the No. 2 wrestling company in the world begins with New Japan Pro Wrestling.

New Japan is by far the country's top wrestling promotion, boasting breathtaking matches, captivating performers and a business model that has made for consistent live attendance figures and a comfortable living for wrestlers around the world.

Having a stranglehold on the fanatical wrestling fan base in Japan isn't enough for those in charge at New Japan, however. That's because the promotion is beginning to expand its reach on a global scale, and one of the main parts of the world it's looking to penetrate is the United States.

The promotion has already launched a digital streaming service called New Japan World that is similar to what the WWE offers with the WWE Network, where fans from around the world can watch matches from the promotion's past and present.

New Japan, through Global Force Wrestling, had its biggest annual show live on pay-per-view in North America for the first time back on Jan. 4.

And on Friday, Jan. 16 (at 9 .m. ET), New Japan Pro Wrestling will debut on American television for the first time, with a weekly one-hour show on AXS TV that will showcase the very best matches the promotion has put out over the past few years.

A major part of the series, which is slated for 13 episodes, is that it will have English commentary, which will provide background and bring the American audience up to speed on what New Japan Pro Wrestling is all about.

This is no small task, which is why AXS enlisted the services of Mauro Ranallo and Josh Barnett to give their insight to wrestling fans in the United States that are new to the New Japan product.

When Americans see Shinsuke Nakamura, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada for the first time on their television screens, Ranallo and Barnett will fill them in on the competitors that the majority of Americans are seeing for the very first time.

"It really is a hybrid of mixed martial arts philosophy, where you do have the hard-hitting, legitimate contact action, but it also takes from the best of all styles around the world," Ranallo said during an interview with philly.com. "That's why it truly is a product for the professional wrestling connoisseur, and I think a lot of fans, millions, who are no longer watching professional wrestling as it is in today's marketplace in North America because of the interminable promos, the bad acting, the two-minute matches, the fact that real talented workers are unable to perform because they aren't put in a position to deliver and they aren't allowed to connect with the crowd."

"There are so many casuals that need to be brought up to speed and that's what this is," Barnett said. "This show is going to bring everybody up to speed, so that when we go in and shoot some more episodes and we get this stuff down, we're going to just be a little bit behind and eventually, I imagine, the shows are going to be quite close chronologically."

Fans of boxing, mixed martial arts and kickboxing are very familiar with Ranallo, as he's called fights for promotions in each sport all over the world. Ranallo is probably best known for his work with Pride Fighting Championships, where he traveled to Japan 31 times to call various events for the promotion.

But Ranallo started his broadcasting career in wrestling, working for the legendary Hart Family in his native Canada. He also worked for Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan.

Mixed martial arts fans are also familiar with Barnett, who is still among the best heavyweight fighters in the world and is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He expects to step back into the octagon at some point in 2015.

But he also has a wrestling background, as he wrestled for New Japan (and other Japanese wrestling promotions) from 2003-04.

"That's the reason why I think they hired the likes of Josh [Barnett] and I," Ranallo said. "It's definitely not my first rodeo. I've been doing this for 30 years. I started with professional wrestling and to me, it doesn't matter if the fight was 20 years ago, 30 years ago, I'm a fan first and foremost and I am putting myself in the mindset that this is live. We call it as it was taking place that moment — the title reigns, the storylines are up to that moment. We don't look ahead to what has already gone down."

Although Ranallo and Barnett are well versed in what New Japan has to offer, they called the matches under some unique circumstances.

Since the television shows will consist of matches that have already taken place, Ranallo and Barnett called the matches in a sound studio. The duo recorded their commentary for all 13 episodes over the course of four days in what Ranallo described as a bit of a grueling process.

Despite retroactive nature of the show, Ranallo and Barnett insisted on calling the matches as if they were happening right before them for the first time. Barnett made an emphasis to not watch any of the matches before sitting down next to Ranallo to call them.

"I think it came off well," Barnett recounted. "We'll have to just let it go out there into the public's consciousness and see what they think, but even if you can't stand me and Mauro, the matches will speak for themselves.

"I wanted to make sure that what I was watching was as fresh to me as absolutely possible, so that I could feel the matches going on," he added. "I think it'll show on commentary. We're all watching it together."

"These are matches that have taken place over the last couple of years, but having said that, they're also some of the greatest professional wrestling matches of the last quarter century," Ranallo said.

"Watching them perform and covering them and calling their matches, you are taken on an extremely entertaining ride of the peaks and valleys, the ebb and flows, the drama, and it's so refreshing," he added. "It really is the way I love my professional wrestling."

Regardless of whether Ranallo and Barnett are sitting in a studio or not, they both believe that the hard-hitting style of New Japan will keep the first-time viewer engaged in what's going on in the ring.

"It really is a different style than you are used to seeing in North America because what matters most is what happens when the bell goes and the story that is told between the ropes," Ranallo said. "It really is presented as an athletic competition. Sure, there is showmanship and ultra-charismatic individuals, but the style is incredible."

"For one, it's wrestling. It's not sports entertainment," Barnett said. "There's hardly any pulling of punches, it's very hard-hitting. It's quite tight. The moves that are being hit you're not going to see in the WWE."

Besides introducing the American audience to one of the best wrestling promotions going today, Ranallo also hopes the program can provide wrestling fans a true alternative to what they usually see.

"I follow this business daily and it was just an amazing feeling to be a part of something that I am a huge fan of, and something that I think wrestling fans, real pro wrestling fans, are going to appreciate as an alternative because frankly, at the highest level in North America, I feel the product, known as sports entertainment, is very stale," Ranallo said.