Rambles about the wonderful world of wrestling.
I started watching New Japan regularly in January 2017, so the idea that Tomoaki Honma was having five-star matches only a couple of years before is rather baffling to me. Honma wasn’t awful when I first tuned in (his injury has since seen him drop down to that level), but if you’d asked me to rank the roster, he would have been near the bottom.
Continue reading “Meltzer’s Classics: Tomohiro Ishii vs Tomoaki Honma (14/2/15)”
After years in Korakuen Hall, New Japan rolled the dice and moved the Best Of The Super Junior final to Ryogoku. It was a massive statement of intent, and they backed it up by giving us the debut of Jon Moxley and Tanahashi’s return from injury underneath the tournament conclusion. Now, did they justify that move?
Continue reading “NJPW Best Of The Super Jr. 26 Final (5/6/19) Review”
Night two of Wrestling Dontaku finally brought this never-ending tour to an end. It wasn’t a horrible way to finish things off either. New Japan served up EVIL vs Ishii and a rematch of one of the best matches of the year so far, SANADA vs Okada. There was a real chance they were heading out on a high.
Continue reading “NJPW Wrestling Dontaku (4/5/19) Review”
They might have made their way around 90% of Japan and put on enough shows to challenge the most devoted of fans, but New Japan have finally made it. Wrestling Dontaku. Sure, it’s taking place over two nights, so we’re not actually done, but at least we’re in the vicinity of it.
Continue reading “NJPW Wrestling Dontaku (3/5/19) Review”
The Dontaku tour continues to wander on, dishing out good matches every now and then but surrounding them with a shitload of multiman tags. While this card has more points of interest than most, I’m not sure they’re necessarily points that entice. It had potential, but not always of the good variety. Sound like fun?
Continue reading “NJPW Wrestling Hi no Kuni (29/4/19) Review”
Having conquered Madison Square Garden, New Japan could return home feeling rather proud of themselves. After all, they didn’t hire and fire two twats within the space of a few weeks. Anyway, it’s now business as normal as they hit the road for the Dontaku tour, with a brief stop off at Sengoku Lord. It’s a show with a sneakily good card, so fingers crossed it translates to being even better in reality.
Continue reading “NJPW Sengoku Lord (20/4/19) Review”
It’s March, and New Japan are ready to serve up a good old-fashioned tournament. As usual, I shan’t be bothering with the undercard because life is too short, but I will mention that El Phantasmo was introduced (via a video) as a new member of Bullet Club during this show. That’s an incredible opportunity for him, and I have no doubt he’ll smash it.
Continue reading “NJPW New Japan Cup (8/3/19) Review”
New Japan’s Anniversary show is an underrated date on their calendar. The last two years have seen Kazuchika Okada take on Tiger Mask W (aka Kota Ibushi) and Will Ospreay while this year sees Will get his second main event in a row against Jay White. Gedo seems to view it as an opportunity to bend the rules a bit, and that’s always going to be fun.
Continue reading “NJPW Anniversary Event (6/3/19) Review”
Honor Rising is a weird tour. Much like Fantastica Mania, people treat it like a bit of a joke. Yet, much like Fantastica Mania, I nearly always enjoy it. You get some fun combinations as a couple of matches always deliver. Christ, last year Hirooki Goto had a good showing with Beer City Bruiser, where else are you going to see that? I think people need to stop overthinking it, and just enjoy it.
Continue reading “NJPW Honor Rising (22/2/19) Review”
Takashi Iizuka is hanging up his boot, and despite (at best) being ambivalent about him, I can’t help feeling a bit emotional. Sure, I’ve spent the last couple of years moaning about his bitey ways, but that doesn’t mean I hate the old cannibal. He’s alright really. Let’s see him out in style!
Continue reading “NJPW New Japan Road (21/2/19) Review”
Ramblings About Wrestling 