20) Review

On the 3rd of January 2020, I equalled the number of wrestling shows that I went to in 2019. That’s primarily because I was saving money to come here, but still, it’s a step up. It was my third trip to Korakuen since I’d arrived in Japan that smashed in the equaliser and it was to see DDT all on their lonesome without the help of those scary boys in Big Japan. I was looking for laughs and good wrestling, did they deliver? Let’s find out.

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07/01/2020 0

Stardom New Years Stars (2/1/20) Review

January the second was Stardom time! Wrestle Kingdom may have been the initial inspiration for this trip, but let’s not beat around the bush, I was just as excited about watching Stardom. I’ve fallen in love with this company over the last year and having reviewed every show (I think, I certainly didn’t miss many) of 2019, being at their first of 2020 was a no-brainer. I was sober and fully with it, so I’ll be returning to the traditional structure. However, don’t expect any great analysis of the matches themselves because I was not taking notes.

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06/01/2020 0

DDT D-Oh Grand Prix Final (28/12/19) Review

I intended to review this entire show, but it was already a week ago, and I’ve been to see DDT since then, so I can’t see myself getting a chance to do so before it becomes completely obsolete. However, I wanted to finish off my run through of the D-Oh, so here are my thoughts on Masato Tanaka vs Tetsuya Endo. It will be the last match I talk about from 2018, and while it’s a few days late, I would like to thank everyone that read the site in the last year. It was significantly more people than have ever read it before, and that means a lot to me.

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05/01/2020 0

Gatoh Move (1/1/20) Ramble

Credit: Gatoh Move

Down a nondescript alley in Ichigaya is a Chocolate Square. Nope, this isn’t the start to some weird Charlie and the Chocolate Factory rip-off, but it might be something just as magical.

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04/01/2020 0

Stardom Year End Climax (24/12/19) Review

Stardom’s final show of the year has taken on all kinds of meaning. In many ways, it is setting up a new era for the company as they move forward under the stewardship of Bushiroad. However, it is a new era tinged by sadness as they said goodbye to Hazuki and had another wrestler announce their retirement (more on that later). Change is coming one way or another.

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03/01/2020 2

Ramblings About’s Top Twenty Matches of 2019

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but this is a wrestling website. So, while I’m sure you were all desperate for my takes on music and film, this is the biggy: my twenty favourite matches of the year. I’ll be keeping it short because I’ve written about all of these before, but there is no harm in dishing out a reminder.

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02/01/2020 0

DDT/BJW New Year’s Shuffle Tag Tournament (31/12/19) Ramble

My biggest worry about making this Japan trip solo was how I was going to spend my Hogmanay. The idea of being on the other side of the world, all on my lonesome and sat in some random bar while the bells rang felt, well, a bit depressing. Thankfully, Big Japan and DDT came to the rescue, with their Tag Team Shuffle tournament, a show that went through midnight and gave me an excuse to see in the New Year in Korakuen Hall. Like yesterday, this won’t be a traditional review, but instead a ramble about the experience.

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01/01/2020 0

BJW World Is Not Enough (30/12/19) Ramble

Image result for big japan wrestling world is not enough

I’m in Tokyo! A fact that still seems unbelievable despite being very much the truth. That means all the usual reviews will be delayed (I’m going to try and get some stuff up, including my match of the year list, over the next few days), but that I have other stuff to ramble about. To kick that off, I went to Korakuen Hall yesterday for my first live Japanese wrestling show and damn, did I have a good time. This won’t be a standard review. I wasn’t taking notes and had a few drinks, but will instead be a rumination of what it was like to go to Korakuen and watch Big Japan.

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31/12/2019 0

Ramblings About’s Top Twenty Films of 2019

Round two of my end of year round-up is my twenty favourite films of the year. Cinema is a weird one. If you are to believe certain corners of the internet then it’s a dead artform, overrun by superheroes and the flogging of shite franchises. However, there is an incredible array of films being released every year, and with just a bit of effort, you can see them all! Here’s the twenty that blew me away in 2019.

Quick note to say that this list is based off films that got a wide release (be that on streaming services or in cinemas) in the UK in 2019.

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27/12/2019 1

Ramblings About’s Top Twenty Albums Of 2019

It’s that time of year where I decide that what the world needs is for me to put together lists of the shit I like because, you know, I don’t ramble on about that stuff enough. We’re kicking things off with my twenty favourite albums of 2019 and, if I do say so myself, it is quite a list. Personally, I think I have exceptional taste in music, so I can only congratulate me on how well I’m doing.

Quick note to tell you all to support musicians. If you click on the bands’ names throughout this list, it should take you to their Bandcamp (or in some cases website) where you can give them money (usually in exchange for something). Why not treat yourself to a post-Christmas gift? You might love it as much as I do.

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26/12/2019 0