Rambles about the wonderful world of wrestling.
There was a moment in the main event of Tokyo Joshi’s first show back in front of fans where Nodoka Tenma, having locked on a submission, shyly announced that Suzume’s hair smelled nice. In response, Yuka Sakazaki yelled hentai before storming the ring with Mizuki to kick Nodoka away. It might sound strange, but that silly little moment, sums up everything I love about TJPW.
Continue reading “Tokyo Joshi: Personality Trumps All”
Hana Kimura was extraordinary. I’ve thought a lot about how to describe her, but it’s the word I keep coming back to. She walked into a room, and she owned it, more charisma in one defiantly raised middle finger than most have in their entire bodies. I was lucky enough to see her live in Shinkiba 1st Ring and the Tokyo Dome, two buildings that couldn’t be more different, but she dominated both. At the age of 22, Hana looked like someone who could do whatever she wanted, whether that be a long career in wrestling or the joshi classic of an early retirement and another life. That’s what should have happened.
Continue reading “Hana Kimura”
I’ve decided I’m not quite done with saying goodbye to Arisa Hoshiki. Having already said my thanks, I now want one more chance to sit back and appreciate her, and if I’m going to do that, there is only one match that I’m going to watch. Tam vs Arisa might not be one of Meltzer’s Classics, but it is a Stuart Classic, and while that lacks the SEO benefits, it’s just as big an honour.
Continue reading “Tam Nakano vs Arisa Hoshiki: Communication Through Violence”
Yesterday it was announced that Arisa Hoshiki, the current Wonder of Stardom champion, has been forced to retire because of injuries. It was news that was both a surprise and not. She had been a notable absence from the last two Stardom shows while the lack of information about what was keeping her out suggested it wasn’t a mere knock. However, even if a part of me was scared this was coming, it didn’t stop it being gutting.
Continue reading “Thank You, Arisa”
It’s a question that every wrestling fan has heard: ‘you know it’s fake, right?’ What people rarely mention is that the replies have been heard a million times too. ‘Do you know Game of Thrones is fake?’ or perhaps ‘tell that to Mick Foley!’ (this is usually followed by showing people the iconic Hell in a Cell, which doesn’t take into account that it is an awful first wrestling match to show anyone). We fans have been questioned about our weird allegiance to this pseudo-sport so often that we’ve rehearsed the answers as well as they’ve rehearsed the questions and my only thought is, well, why?
Continue reading “Wrestling Is Fake”My feelings about WWE are no secret, and yet, even I was shocked by what happened there this week. Vince McMahon, having already decided to put his wrestlers at risk by running live TV, culled the roster, releasing name after name into a world where their chances of finding employment are severely reduced. People who a few days before were so essential they were asked to fly across the country during a pandemic, were now told they didn’t have a job. It was a callous and evil act that proved, once again, Vince does not give a flying fuck about the men and women who work for him.
Continue reading “Fuck WWE, Love Wrestling”It’s safe to say that there is not much going on in the world of wrestling at the moment. Unless you’re a WWE or AEW fan, your cravings are probably not being met. Thankfully, Emi Sakura and co are here to help because after I raved about the first episode of ChocoProLIVE!, they’ve only gone and got better.
Continue reading “ChocoProLIVE! Episode Three Ramble”
When you get past the discussion as to whether wrestling should be running empty arena shows, the biggest talking point for most fans at the moment is how to go about making those shows work. As I write this, the only WWE I’ve watched took place in a graveyard, but it’s safe to say their television efforts have been widely criticised and while AEW hasn’t been quite as badly received, no-one is screaming from the rooftops about them being shows of the year. Wrestling is struggling with how to present itself in a fan-less environment, and it’s quite interesting watching companies scramble for answers.
Continue reading “TJPW: Battling Without Fans”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.
Continue reading “ChocoProLIVE! And Doing It Yourself”
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.
Continue reading “Some Matches That Might Convince You To Watch Wrestling”
