Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii are two of my favourite wrestlers of all time, so it’s kind of a crime that I haven’t seen this match before. It also means that I am almost guaranteed to like it. As I write this Kazu is making his entrance and I’m smiling away well aware that I’m about to see something I’ll love. See you in twenty minutes.
Continue reading “Meltzer’s Classics: Tomohiro Ishii vs Kazuchika Okada (6/8/16)”NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed (28/9/19) Review
New Japan’s trip to the Hammerstein Ballroom led to an interesting old night for the Japanese company. Apparently, someone had called earlier in the day, cancelling the ambulance that is required to be on hand for wrestling shows. That led to a delay that stretched over an hour and whispers online about sabotage. Whether that was the case or not, New Japan needed to deliver a show worthy of the time the fans spent sitting around waiting for it to start.
Continue reading “NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed (28/9/19) Review”NJPW Destruction in Kobe (22/9/19) Review
Destruction is a long old tour that generally delivers a shitload of mediocrity elevated by the occasional great match, and that is exactly what we’ve received in 2019. The final night is in Kobe and let’s hope we finish up with more of the great than the mediocre.
Continue reading “NJPW Destruction in Kobe (22/9/19) Review”Ramblings About’s Top Ten Matches Of August 2019
Alright, even I will admit that this is taking the piss levels of late. I’d feel guilty, but I doubt anyone is sitting around waiting for it, so I’m not going to beat myself up too much. Plus, there has been a shitload of wrestling recently which combined with my life being a bit nuts has put this on the back burner. I do hope my one fan can forgive me.
Continue reading “Ramblings About’s Top Ten Matches Of August 2019”NJPW Destruction in Beppu (15/9/19) Review
New Japan took the scenic route to their first Destruction show, but they’ve finally rocked up in Beppu with a solid card. There are a lot of tags on here, but the Young Lion Cup and a brace of title matches make sure that proceedings shouldn’t be too dragged down by the splitting of this tour into multiple dates. Any show with Tanahashi vs Sabre is alright by me.
Continue reading “NJPW Destruction in Beppu (15/9/19) Review”NJPW Royal Quest (31/8/19) Review
Having put on two successful shows with RevPro’s assistance last year, New Japan came back to the UK to do it all by themselves. Royal Quest came from the Copper Box in London, and it’s worth pointing out that I was there live. That means this review is conducted purely by the memory of what I could see from my floor seats after the visual aid of many a pint of beer and while being overwhelmed with the excitement of my first New Japan show proper. That means that it will all be getting the famous live bump, making matches that might have appeared merely fine at home, a lot more exciting to witness in person. Understood? Great, on with the show.
Continue reading “NJPW Royal Quest (31/8/19) Review”Ramblings About’s Top Ten Matches Of July 2019
Wow, July is a busy month for wrestling, isn’t it? So is August when we get down to it, which is why this is late. Then again, it’s late every month, so at some point, it has probably stopped being late and turns up exactly when it’s expected. Anyway, this is quite G1 heavy because, well, it’s the motherfucking G1, but more than one match has rightly made its way in from elsewhere, so it’s not the New Japan wankfest you might expect.
Continue reading “Ramblings About’s Top Ten Matches Of July 2019”NJPW G1 Climax 29 Final (12/8/19) Review
Here we are then, the final of the 29th G1 Climax. It might not have been the match I wanted, but it’s the one we’ve got, and it’s time to find out who is heading to the Dome. Ibushi or White? The Golden Star or the Master Manipulator? The guy who thinks books can’t be trusted or The Knife Pervert? Time to find out.
Continue reading “NJPW G1 Climax 29 Final (12/8/19) Review”NJPW G1 Climax 29 (10/8/19) Review
Our final night in the A Block is one of those weird G1 shows with five singles matches, only one of which means anything. This has all come down to the main event of Ibushi vs Okada, and it’s a pretty simple scenario too. If Ibushi wins, he goes through while any other result sends Okada to the final.
My must-see spoiler-free recommendations are Zack Sabre Jr vs KENTA, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Will Ospreay and Kota Ibushi vs Kazuchika Okada.
Continue reading “NJPW G1 Climax 29 (10/8/19) Review”NJPW G1 Climax 29 (7/8/19) Review
We’re onto the penultimate block shows and you can smell the end of the G1. A Block is the simpler of the two, as the only people left alive are Okada, Ibushi, KENTA and EVIL. Of them, Okada’s route to the final is the easiest. If he keeps winning, he’s there. Ibushi has to match Okada’s result on this show before beating him in Budokan. KENTA requires Okada to lose both his matches while Ibushi loses to ZSJ and, finally, EVIL needs to win out while Okada loses out and KENTA loses to Ospreay. I think that’s all right, but I’m sure I’ve missed something. Either way, we all know it is coming down to Ibushi vs Okada on the final night, so quite frankly, that was a bit of a waste of time.
My spoiler-free must-see recommendations KENTA vs Will Ospreay, Kota Ibushi vs Zack Sabre Jr and Kazuchika Okada vs EVIL.
Continue reading “NJPW G1 Climax 29 (7/8/19) Review”
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