Rambles about the wonderful world of wrestling.
While there were three New Beginning shows (and a few more if you include the Road To… events), it was clear right from the start that one reigned supreme over the others. The Osaka card was the chosen one. Christ, it has six singles matches on it, find me another New Japan show that has that? It was the show NJPW was building to, and it had the potential to be special. Let’s dish out some stars.
Continue reading “NJPW New Beginning in Osaka 10/2/18 Review”
When you get down to it, the final taped Road To show for New Beginning was a remix of the one from the day before. However, it’s topped off with a big main event as Goto and Okada go after the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Titles. This was what Sanada and Evil had to put up to get a shot at their belts, and it creates an exciting dynamic a few days before those matches. Let’s dish out some stars.
You can usually skip past Road To… events without worrying too much about it. However, New Japan has gone all out with this show and the one that followed. We’re getting singles matches and an English commentary team! Guess we better see if it’s worth tuning in. Let’s dish out some stars.
Continue reading “NJPW Road To The New Beginning 5/2/18 Review”
Having delivered with a solid undercard and a fantastic main event on the first night of New Beginning, NJPW returned to the same arena for round two. It’s a sign off how hot the company is that they went ahead with that, as neither card was packed with big matches. Let’s dish out some stars.
Continue reading “New Japan The New Beginning in Sapporo 28/1/18 Review”
The final night of Fantastica Mania madness. I’m sad to see it go. Sure it means we’re closer to The New Beginning tour which has loads of great matches booked but does it have a caveman? No, it does not!
If you’ve even glanced at my other Fantastica Mania reviews, then you’ll know I’m not exactly taking this seriously. Please don’t expect that to change here. Let’s dish out some stars.
“All of which leads us to January 4th and Okada vs Naito. The golden boy vs the rebel. There’s only one way this should go and it’s with the rebel getting the win.”
The words of, well, me. In the build-up to Wrestle Kingdom, I was so sure that Naito would beat Okada that I’d have bet your life on it. It seemed like a foregone conclusion. The pretty pink bow on Naito’s long story. Honestly, I still think it should have been, but the evils have popped out of Pandora’s box, and they ain’t going back in. So, we’re left with Okada and time to ponder whether this was the right story to tell.
It’s the night after Wrestle Kingdom and all through Korakeun Hall, new stories are stirring and I’ve got nothing more.
That will be my last Christmas themed intro I promise.
If you’re getting into New Japan for the first time, look at New Year Dash as being their Raw after WrestleMania. It’s when NJPW hit the reset button and set up the storylines that are going to take them into the New Year. Which makes it pretty damn exciting. Let’s dish out some stars.
It’s time. I’m not going to bother with a preamble. It’s January 4th and New Japan are in the Tokyo Dome. We all know what that means. Let’s dish out some stars.
Forget Christmas and New Year, it’s Wrestle Kingdom season, and that is the most wonderful time of the year. New Japan is all set for their biggest show of the year, and it looks likely to be their biggest version of their biggest show in quite a while.
Which means that a lot of people will be watching for the first time. A year ago, I did the same thing at Wrestle Kingdom 11. That decision kickstarted my love of New Japan. However, there’s no denying that a lack of context took a bit of sparkle off that show. Going back to it with what I know/have seen now, it is even better.
So, with that in mind, this is a beginner’s preview to Wrestle Kingdom. I’m not only going to focus on who I believe should win each match and why, but also how we got here. I hope it proves useful.
Continue reading “NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12 Preview: A Beginner’s Guide”
It couldn’t really be anyone else, could it?
Ramblings About Wrestling 