Rambles about the wonderful world of wrestling.
These Young Lion Cup matches feel like a throwback as NJPW didn’t show them live but has stuck the VOD up without commentary and with a stripped-back production. They used to do this for the G1 and BOSJ, but with the popularity of the brand increasing, they’ve been able to move away from that. Maybe if they get even bigger, the Young Lion Cup can graduate to every match receiving the works.
Continue reading “NJPW Young Lion Cup (10/9/19) Review”
It’s Young Lion Cup time and I have ran out of shite to blather up here. Let’s just get on with it.
Continue reading “NJPW Young Lion Cup (8/9/19) Review”
As New Japan continues to trundle down the Road To Destruction, we shall keep our focus on the important stuff, the opening two matches. It’s been so far so good for the cubs in front of the Korakuen crowd, so let’s see if they could keep that up.
Continue reading “NJPW Young Lion Cup (6/9/19) Review”
After impressive performances from the Young Lions on day one of the Cup, we’re back with another two matches and a new selection of rookies who will be looking to impress. Will they? Let’s find out.
Continue reading “NJPW Young Lion Cup (5/9/19) Review”
You might have noticed this says Young Lion Cup at the top rather than Road to Destruction. I am not going to write about/watch the Road to Destruction shows because life is far too fucking short. However, I do want to catch the Young Lion Cup, so I will be doing a series of quick reviews covering their matches before doing full coverage of the actual Destruction shows. Sound good? It better.
Continue reading “NJPW Young Lion Cup (4/9/19) 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”
Towards the end of 2014, Kota Ibushi announced that he was moving to New Japan’s Heavyweight Division. Kota was no stranger to Heavyweight competition, he’d competed in the 2013 G1, but he’d done so while still officially a Junior (much like Will Ospreay and Shingo Takagi did this year). Now, he was only wrestling the big boys, and for his first challenge? He went after Shinsuke Nakamura’s Intercontinental Title.
Continue reading “Meltzer’s Classics: Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kota Ibushi (4/1/15)”
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”
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”
We are getting very close to the end of this G1, aren’t we? There are two shows left, including this one, and it’s time to find out who will be going on to face Kota Ibushi for the right to main event Wrestle Kingdom. Goto, White, Naito and Moxley are all still in the mix, but we’ve all got our fingers crossed for the Naito Express, right? Come on, my son, bring it home.
My spoiler-free must-see recommendations are Tomohiro Ishii vs Taichi and Shingo Takagi vs Hirooki Goto.
Continue reading “NJPW G1 Climax 29 (11/8/19) Review”
Ramblings About Wrestling 