Rambles about the wonderful world of wrestling.
Spit in my eye and call me Shirley because New Japan Pro Wrestling has done it again. This was one hell of an event, and I’d go as far as saying Dominion might be the best show I’ve seen from them yet. If you like wrestling and aren’t watching NJPW right now, you are doing it wrong. It’s like loving rock music but only listening to Shinedown. Sure, it has guitars, but you’re just punishing yourself. With that in mind, here are ten things we picked up on at Dominion.
I’m worried friends. On January 4th I decided this would be the year that I got into New Japan. Around six months later, they may well have ruined all other wrestling for me forever. Holy shit is this company good. This Best of the Super Juniors tournament was a joy from start to finish, and I don’t think I can put into words quite how much fun I’ve had watching it. Despite that, I’m going to try and take you through 10 observations I had from BOSJ as a whole.
Continue reading “10 Observations From Best Of The Super Juniors”
Jushin Thunder Liger has always been a mystery to me. Growing up I never watched WCW, and I’ve only got into Japanese wrestling in the last six months. Liger, therefore, was a distant God. Someone who I caught glimpses of but who was shrouded in mystery beneath his mask. I respected his obvious talent, and I was sure there was a reason he was as loved as he was, but on an emotional level he was locked away under that full body suit. Cold and untouchable. That is until the last few weeks.
Mitusharu Misawa vs. Jumbo Tsuruta is seen as a turning point for All Japan Pro Wrestling. It was the moment when the supremely talented Misawa stepped up to take his place at the top of the company. I’m by no means an All Japan historian, though, so rather than setting up this scenario myself, I’ll point you in the direction of this article which does the job wonderfully.
Continue reading “Meltzer’s Classics: Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Jumbo Tsuruta, 8/6/90”
You didn’t think we’d seen the last of Ric Flair, did you? Following his iconic series with Ricky Steamboat, it didn’t take the Nature Boy long to find his next opponent. Just minutes after their final match Terry Funk put his boot up Flair’s ass and all roads led to Clash of the Champions IX in an I Quit match.
Continue reading “Meltzer’s Classics: Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk, I Quit Match, 15/11/89”
There’s not much you can rely on with WWE. Their unreliability is the most reliable thing about them. Yet, over the last few years, NXT TakeOver shows have consistently stood up and been brilliant. From Nakamura vs. Zayn to the rise of the tag-team division; you are always guaranteed at least one classic match and if you’re lucky you’ll get a few more. With the TV product slowly heating up post-Mania, it’s no surprise to say that Chicago continued that streak. Here are eight things we noticed while watching NXT TakeOver Chicago.
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Following the disappointment of Payback – although some people liked that show more than me – it’s easy to drop into a wrestling related mood. Many a time a bad show can leave you feeling like you can’t be arsed anymore. Thankfully, that’s when New Japan tend to step up to the bat. While, as is the case with most New Japan shows, there were plenty of tag matches to get through before you hit the juicy stuff, Dontaku was a good to occasionally great few hours of pro wrestling and here’s what we thought while we enjoyed it.
Was anyone excited about Payback? The first big show after WrestleMania is always a bit of a slog, but this year a slog would have been an improvement. The Superstar ‘let’s move them all around a bit and not really explain it’ Shake-Up threw a spanner in the works, and we hit Payback with all the momentum of a wet hanky. But when have we ever let that stop us? Here’s a few thing we noticed during this horribly average show.
Ah, Mr Wyatt, you had so much potential. The cult leader with the golden tongue. The man who begged us to follow the buzzards to salvation. In you, we saw a new Phenom. A new figure of dread to reign supreme over the world, or should we say Universe?
I’m almost sad to be writing this article for it means we come to the end of Ric Flair vs. Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat. The final match in their iconic series (although not in their careers) takes place at NWA Wrestle War in 1989, a month after their two out of three falls match. That means Ricky is still the NWA Champion and Flair is desperate to get it back.
Continue reading “Meltzer’s Classics: Steamboat vs. Flair III”
Ramblings About Wrestling 