March 2020 might be the month the wrestling died, but there was still a remarkable amount of the stuff despite that sad state of affairs. There was certainly more than enough to make up my monthly top ten, and if you’re looking for something to pass the time, well, I guess you better read on because that might not be the case in April.
Look, this review probably should be of ROH’s Crowning a Champion. However, do you know what Stardom has that ROH doesn’t? A show not headlined by a four-way hour-long Iron Man match, that’s what. So, I’ve decided to dive back into the archive on Stardom World and watch their first-ever outing. I’m not sure if this will become a recurring series, but I had a lot of fun, so don’t be surprised if it does. Enjoy!
Coronavirus might be putting the world under lock and key, but even that can’t stop Emi Sakura. Over the weekend she debuted ChocoProLIVE!, a wrestling show broadcast live on YouTube from the famous Ichigaya Chocolate Square And boy, did they have a name to help them kick things off as they said hello to Murder Grandpa himself, Minoru Suzuki.
The best friends give you a kick when you’re down. Credit: SEAdLINNNG
Yes, Japanese wrestling has ground to a halt outside of a handful of empty arena shows, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still things for me to ramble on about! First up is SEAdLINNNG’s show from earlier this month, which took place in a time where crowds were still allowed. Quick reminder, this is only the second SEAdLINNNG review I’ve done, so if I make any mistakes/miss anything out, please let me know.
Suddenly, we’re getting all the Ice Ribbon shows nice and promptly. Then again, considering we’re about to enter a Japanese wrestling dry period, maybe we should ask them to slow it down? Hm, well, that’s not an option now, and we’ve got a fun show from Skip City to look at, so let’s get to it.
Hey Covid-19, fuck you. Stardom had a pretty dress on the line, and they were gonna run the Cinderella Tournament whether you liked it or not. Although judging by the fact Korakuen was near-empty, the Japanese public wasn’t quite ready to return, and with what’s happened since, it’s probably the last time we’ll see this for a while. Oh well, that’s all the more reason to enjoy it now.
I haven’t stopped feeling weird about Japanese companies going back to hosting live wrestling shows, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy having the Up Up Girls kick off a show. Tokyo Joshi was back in front of fans and, to celebrate, were giving us the next chapter in the feud of the year. Misgivings or not, it’s hard not to enjoy that.
Here’s a rarity, an Ice Ribbon review of a show that happened relatively recently. This went out on Samurai TV, giving me a chance to watch it before it gets too out of date and also providing us with more wrestling to beat away those Corona blues.
A wee reminder before I get started that this is only the third Ice Ribbon show I’ve watched, so don’t expect me to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the promotion. If I make mistakes/miss anything important or obvious, please let me know. I like learning about things.
What’s that in the stands? Is it… is it fans? Alright, so the last two shows I reviewed both had a live audience, but allow me my joke, please? DDT has returned to Korakuen Hall and opened up the doors to their adoring public. Is it perhaps too early for them to be doing this? Hm, maybe, but that’s not really for me to say. Instead, I’m going to sit back and enjoy some new wrestling from one of my favourite companies.
The world is fucking weird at the moment and, as of today, I don’t have a job, so if you like my rambles, get ready to see a lot more of them. With that weirdness, there are suddenly a lot of people with a hella lot of time on their hands. Now, I don’t normally do listicles on this website because, well, why would I? I spent some time in the trenches of making money by writing for WhatCulture, and it ain’t much fun. However, what better way to spend all that free time than by getting into everyone’s favourite pseudo-sport, wrassling! Usually, when people try to get you into wrestling, they’ll go straight to WWE. There is a decent chance they’ll show you Mick Foley being thrown off a cage because of the wrestling fan’s innate need to prove it’s not fake. However, that’s dumb, and WWE sucks. So, I’ve decided to put together a list of matches, all of which you can watch for free, that might tempt you to fall in love with this world that gives me so much joy.