Rambles about the wonderful world of wrestling.
Episode three of AJW Classics has us finish up 1984 and move into January of 1985. It’s also a very Crush Gal focused hour of television, with three of the four matches featuring them. That shouldn’t be surprising as they were massive at this point, so if you’re going to focus on anyone, they’re probably a good choice.
Continue reading “AJW Throwback: AJW Classics Episode 3 Review”
Fourteen matches. FOURTEEN MATCHES! Ring of Honor does not make this shit easy, does it? What wrestling card, needs fourteen fucking matches? That’s an insane number, and while, thankfully, none of them is an hour-long Iron Man, it does speak to this period’s obsession with the idea that more is better. I’m here to tell you that it’s not, but sadly, that doesn’t change the fact that we’re watching this damn show. Fingers crossed it at least means they’re all short.
Continue reading “ROH Throwback: Honor Invades Boston (24/8/02) Review”
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”
We should kick this off by making it clear that shoot style and MMA are not my expertise. I can appreciate both in the right context, but ultimately, I know nothing about them, so any dip into that realm is coming purely from a pro-wrestling perspective. All of which means you must be desperate to hear what I think about Tamura vs Kohsaka, a RINGS match from 1998.
Continue reading “Meltzer’s Classics: Kyoshi Tamura vs Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (27/6/98)”
After their jaunt to Osaka, Stardom returned to the familiar ground of Shinkiba for their next show. This would be their sixth outing and it now feels like they’ve have found their feet, established their early roster and should be looking to push things to the next level. Can they do it? Time to find out.
Continue reading “Stardom Throwback: Grow Up Stars (10/4/11) Review”It’s impossible to point to one match that has influenced the way American indie wrestling has gone in the 21st century, but, if you had to, you could do a lot worse than wag that finger in the direction of this one. For a large percentage of the audience, this was the first time they’d been introduced to a Dragon Gate style tag as that blend of lucha and puro was brought to the USA. Christ, there is a reason Dragon Gate USA became a thing while the last Meltzer’s Classic I did happened ten years after this, and if you can’t see the links, you ain’t looking. It changed a lot of stuff, and yet, this is the first time I’ve ever seen it. So, the question is, does it hold up to modern eyes?
Continue reading “Meltzer’s Classics: Do FIXER vs Blood Generation (31/3/06)”
Unlike episode one of AJW Classics, episode two does not take place over a single show. Instead, it spans most of 1984 as we get matches from April right through to September. Sadly, it features our first retirements, but we also meet some legends that I’m sure you’re heard of and follow on from our previous main event. Are you looking forward to it?
Continue reading “AJW Throwback: AJW Classics Episode 2 Review”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”
For the first time in their history Stardom stepped away from Tokyo and Shinkiba to make their way to Osaka, a city that you could probably call their second home. With a small roster, the chance to go on the road and reach new territories was going to be a pretty essential part of their growth, so let’s see how they did in front of a new audience.
Continue reading “Stardom Throwback: Osaka 1st RING (3/4/11) Review”
Welcome to Tale of the Feud, a series in which I go back and cover iconic wrestling feuds. Previously, I’ve gone back and looked at the violent rivalry between Bryan Danielson and KENTA before covering the generational battles of Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada. Today’s entry, though, is about redemption. It’s the story of Katsuyori Shibata proving himself to the New Japan fans and the legends they revere. Enjoy this dive into Shibata vs The Third Generation.
Continue reading “Tale Of The Feud: Katsuyori Shibata vs The Third Generation”
Ramblings About Wrestling 