18) Review

It might surprise you to know that New Japan ran a show in America recently. Has anyone made that joke yet? Yes, it’s true, New Japan’s latest trip to the US didn’t quite have the hype their previous journeys did. I’m not necessarily sure that’s a disaster, though. The more they come, the less exciting it will be, that’s only natural. They did recently sell out Maddison Square Gardens (let’s not pretend ROH had anything to do with that), so it can’t be going that badly. Anyway, I’m not actually that bothered by how big New Japan’s crowds are. I’m more interested in good wrestling. Time to find out if they delivered.

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02/10/2018 0

Mae Young Classic 2018 Episode 4 Review

WWE Photo — She’s smiling and I’m still terrified. Credit: WWE

The Mae Young Classic has been a wee slice of wrestling delight. The in-ring action has been solid rather than incredible, but every episode has been easy to watch. More importantly, the winners have set us up for a rather exciting second round. Let’s find out if they can keep it going.

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28/09/2018 0

wXw Fans Appreciation Night 2018: Oberhausen Review

Night two of wXw appreciating their fans once again sees Your Da defending his belt in the main event. This time, he’s up against the man he took it from, Ilja Dragunov. Will he hold on to it? Or is Ma going to have to start shopping around again because the bonuses have dried up? I guess we should go find out. (Apologies for how late this review is, I wrote half and then got distracted…)

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26/09/2018 0

NJPW Destruction in Kobe (23/9/18) Review

The timing on this was sublime. Credit: NJPW

After an underwhelming Destruction tour (the G1 hangover is significant in New Japan), NJPW returns to the feud that built the modern day direction of the company. Okada vs Tanahashi. It doesn’t matter how many times these two do it, it never fails to get the blood pumping. Will Tana keep his spot in the Tokyo Dome? Or will Okada finally extinguish those post-title blues and get back to where he belongs? Time to find out!

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24/09/2018 1

Mae Young Classic 2018 Episode 3 Review

Episode three of the Mae Young Classic has quite the line-up. You’ve got the return of Kaitlyn, plus the likes of Toni Storm, Jinny, Mia Yim and Allysin Kay (who is perhaps better known as Impact’s Sienna). With that group involved it’s probably a safe bet that we’re going to continue the theme of these being delightful slices of TV.

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21/09/2018 0

NJPW Destruction in Beppu (17/9/18) Review

Destruction rolls into Beppu with, at least on paper, the weakest main event of the tour. The last time Suzuki and Naito faced off, it wasn’t great, but two guys that talented can’t muck it up again, can they?

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18/09/2018 0

NJPW Destruction in Hiroshima (15/9/18) Review

Destruction in Hiroshima, an event name that will always make me cringe. I assume NJPW know what they’re doing with it, but from the outside looking in? Yea, I might change that one. Anyway, that’s not the important part. The important part is that it’s headlined by Kenny Omega vs Tomohiro Ishii. That is never going to be a bad thing. Go murder him, Wide Tom!

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17/09/2018 0

Mae Young Classic 2018 Episode 2 Review

After an enjoyable first episode topped off by a great main event from Meiko Satomura and Killer Kelly, I went into the second week of the Mae Young Classic with elevated expectations. I am quietly confident that this is going to be a fun tournament, so let’s see if they can prove me right.

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15/09/2018 0

Tale Of The Feud: Bryan Danielson vs KENTA

Image result for bryan danielson kenta — Chills. Credit: ROH

Welcome to the debut of Tale Of the Feud. I’ve enjoyed my dive back into old five-star matches (and will be continuing to do them), but I often feel like I’m getting a tiny nibble of a bigger tale. The truth is that while you can tell one-off stories in the world of wrestling, it’s even better when you tell extended ones. For each Tale Of The Feud, I will pick a classic rivalry and follow it from start to finish. A process that I’ve decided to start with KENTA vs Bryan Danielson

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14/09/2018 0

Mae Young Classic 2018 Episode 1 Review

The Mae Young Classic returns for its second year with a line-up that looks likely to lap last year’s attempt. They’ve brought back the likes of Toni Storm and Mercedes Martinez, then added genuine superstars like Meiko Satomura and Io Shirai to the conversation. Plus, JR isn’t on commentary! Praise the Gods. If WWE gives this tournament time to shine, it could be special. (Quick note, I’m not going to be dishing out star ratings in the first round, they don’t get much time while a lot of these wrestlers are still young in their career. I’m going to stick to thumbs up or thumbs down).

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07/09/2018 0