19) Review

YOSHI-HASHI being brilliantly YOSHI-HASHI. Credit: NJPW

I have reviewed every match of every New Japan tournament this year, and because of that, I’m going to review every match of World Tag League. Why do I hate myself, you ask? That’s for my therapist and me to discuss. So, if you know a good one, get in touch. This tournament rarely, if ever, gets above average, so it’s going to be a long one, but you never know, maybe it will surprise me.

As is the norm, I won’t be reviewing non-tournament matches.

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18/11/2019 0

NJPW Power Struggle (3/11/19) Review

Is that a bump only a man cleared to wrestle would take? Credit: NJPW

Power Struggle is our last big stop before Wrestle Kingdom (no-one counts Tag League), and I expect to come out the back of this show with more of an idea of what to expect on January 4th and 5th. The big question? Is BUSHI challenging Will a sign that Hiromu is returning? Or is my heart going to be hurt once more?

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04/11/2019 0

NJPW King Of Pro-Wrestling (14/10/19) Review

It feels only right to start this review with a shout out to those in Japan who were affected by the typhoon over the weekend, and I hope everyone looks after themselves. It feels a bit cheap to go from that to talk of card changes, as in the grand scheme of things it’s not that big a deal, but it did leave Jon Moxley and Zack Sabre Jr unable to travel. Mox was the bigger loss of the two as his absence forced New Japan to strip the US Title from him and give the match to Lance Archer instead. Amazingly, that’s caused some conspiracy chat, which seems oblivious to the actual typhoon which makes cancelled flights seem perfectly reasonable. Anyway, that silliness aside, this was a hella stacked card, so let’s see what went down.

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15/10/2019 0

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.

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18/09/2019 0

NJPW G1 Climax 29 (11/8/19) Review

Things were better at this point. Credit: NJPW

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.

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12/08/2019 0

NJPW G1 Climax 29 (8/8/19) Review

I think I nailed my G1 maths for A Block yesterday, so let’s see if I can do the same for B. On the block’s penultimate night, Jon Moxley, Tetsuya Naito, Jay White, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, Juice Robinson, Hirooki Goto, Taichi and Jeff Cobb all still had a chance to reach the final. Now I’ve written all that down I’ve realised this would be the longest intro of all time if I tried to figure it out, so let’s leave it for the end.

My must-see spoiler-free recommendations are Tetsuya Naito vs Jeff Cobb and Shingo Takagi vs Tomohiro Ishii.

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09/08/2019 0

NJPW G1 Climax 29 (4/8/19) Review

I think Naito might have been in pain. Credit: NJPW

The Naito comeback express is picking up speed and with the B Block in Osaka he needed Moxley to lose to Jay White before he faced off against his stablemate, Shingo, in the main event. Just that alone sounds like a shitload of fun, so let’s not hang around – onto the wrestling!

My spoiler-free must-see recommendations are Tomohiro Ishii vs Toru Yano, Jay White vs Jon Moxley and Shingo Takagi vs Tetsuya Naito.

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05/08/2019 0

NJPW G1 Climax 29 (1/8/19) Review

Time for the hard bastards to do hard bastard things. Credit: NJPW

We are over the hump and the G1 is roaring towards it’s conclusion. Meanwhile, the booking has me in a place where I genuinely don’t have a clue what’s going on. I’m still optimistically clinging to my Naito pick, but who fucking knows at this point.

My spoiler-free must-see recommendations are Jeff Cobb vs Shingo Takagi and Hirooki Goto vs Tomohiro Ishii.

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02/08/2019 0

NJPW G1 Climax 29 (28/7/19) Review

After a underwhelming performance from the A Block the previous day, Aichi will have been looking at B to pick up the slack. It was certainly a card with potential as Naito got his shot at ending Moxley’s unbeaten streak, Ishii and Juice went head to head, and Shingo faced-off with the Switchblade. Was there enough there to make it a classic? Let’s find out.

My spoiler-free must-see recommendations are Tomohiro Ishii vs Juice Robinson, Shingo Takagi vs Jay White and Tetsuya Naito vs Jon Moxley.

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29/07/2019 0

NJPW G1 Climax 29 (24/7/19) Review

Normally the G1 is a time of burnout as you try to stuff as much wrestling into your face as possible before you’re sick. However, this year, New Japan seems to have nailed the scheduling, and after a few days off, I am craving some Grade One Climax action.

My spoiler-free must-see recommendations are Shingo Takagi vs Jon Moxley and Tetsuya Naito vs Tomohiro Ishii.

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25/07/2019 0