If you thought yesterday’s Ice Ribbon review was a bit out of date, here’s a show from March. Normally, I wouldn’t bother with this over a month later, but SEAdLINNNG are unlikely to be running shows anytime soon, and they threw it up on YouTube so, why not? Plus, it’s nice to watch something relatively new where there are at least a handful of fans in attendance.
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Ice Ribbon #1037 (25/4/20) Review
I’ve been neglecting Ice Ribbon since the world went to shit. It’s not been an intentional move. They’ve continued shows behind closed doors and are putting them on YouTube, but to say the frame rate was low would be an offence to low frame rates everywhere. So, I decided to wait for the start of the month and sign up to their NicoNico channel to get better quality versions. It also meant that I am in time (roughly, this show did happen over a week ago) to cover their IW19 title tournament, which seems the perfect place to leap back in, no?
Continue readingDDT TV Show Episode 1 (2/5/20) Review
DDT is back! You can’t keep a bunch of goofs down for long, so it’s no surprise that they’re returning behind closed doors to give us what they’re promising will be a weekly television show. Is that smart? No, probably not. However, if they’re going to do it, I’m going to watch, and as I’ve said before, no-one is better suited for dealing with weird times than DDT.
Continue readingDDT April Fool (4/4/20) Review
With Japan moving into a lockdown, DDT is back behind closed doors, but not in the Dojo! Nope, this time they took to 2AW Square, a bigger venue for a bigger show, even if the fans were still forced to stay at home.
Continue readingSEAdLINNNG New Leaf! (10/3/20) Review
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.
Continue readingIce Ribbon #1030 In Skip City (20/3/20) Review
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.
Continue readingStardom Cinderella Tournament (24/3/20)
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.
Continue readingTJPW ~ HEART & BODY ~ (21/3/20) Review
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.
Continue readingIce Ribbon #1029 (14/3/20) Review
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.
Continue readingDDT Judgement (20/3/20) Review
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.
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