24) Review

You would have been forgiven for glancing at the schedule and dismissing this as a routine TJPW visit to Shinjuku, but with Sumo Hall drawing closer and a host of new rookies onboard, this show took on a bit more weight than usual. Two of those kids debuted here, the newly named Kira Summer and Uta Takami. Meanwhile, Chika Nanase was wrestling only her second match after starting her career against Moka Miyamoto on the previous show. Throw in some more build for the big one, and TJPW had a lot going on, so let’s see what went down.

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06/03/2024 0

Ramblings About’s Matches of the Month for February 2024

Celebrate the end of another month with Ram. Credit: Ram

I’m pleasantly surprised to report that the diversity of content in my matches of the month has at least made it to February. This roundup has more lucha, a touch of FREEDOMS and even some AEW. Sure, it’s a bit front-heavy, as I’ve been busy enough the last two weeks to put wrestling watching on the back burner, but there should still be more than enough here to satisfy you. However, if you do have a match you think I should have seen, throw it in the comments. I’m always happy to get recommendations.

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01/03/2024 1

Marvelous (27/2/24) Review

The AAAW Tag League continues, as the second night of the tournament took place in Shinkiba on a show that doubled as a celebration of Tomoko Watanabe’s birthday. Perhaps as a treat to mark the day, Watanabe was spared Tag League duty, instead being set free to piss about in the opener. Although with how that went, it perhaps wasn’t as thoughtful a present as it appeared. More on that below!

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28/02/2024 0

Marvelous Mio Momono’s 8th Anniversary (13/2/24) Review

Marvelous’s latest trip to Shinkiba had the potential for much excitement. Not only were they celebrating Mio’s 8th anniversary, but it was time to kick off the AAAW Tag League and find out who Ai’s mysterious partner would be. Did they deliver on that promise? Let’s find out.

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16/02/2024 0

TJPW Max Heart Tournament Final (10/2/24) Review

Pictures that make you smile. Credit: TJPW

TJPW returned to Korakuen Hall to decide the winner of the 2024 Max Heart Tournament. On one side of the ring, we had the former champions, Daydream, who, in winning, would have been setting Miu Watanabe up to wrestle twice at Sumo Hall. Attempting to stop that from happening was Daisy Monkey, the young pretenders, who were desperate to break through. Last year, this final produced one of my matches of the year. Would it do so again? Let’s find out.

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14/02/2024 1

Marvelous (2/2/24) Review

It’s been one of those weeks where my rambling about a random Shinkiba show feels utterly pointless. The death of Asahi is unfair and horrible and something that I still don’t think I’ve entirely processed. Hopefully, somewhere down the line, I’ll feel up to writing about her short but brilliant career. That’s not today, though. However, it would have felt weird to publish this (which I wrote before we learnt about it) without at least mentioning it and sending all my love to those who knew her better than me. Considering the impact she had on those who only knew her through a screen or from a quick chat at a show, I can only imagine the one she had on those who knew her well was something special.

After spending January on the road, Marvelous kicked off February with their first trip of 2024 to Shinkiba. There will, of course, be many more in the months ahead, but it’s always good to get things started right. Let’s see what went down.

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06/02/2024 0

Ramblings About’s Matches of the Month for January 2024

January is a good month for wrestling. Not only do you have Ittenyon and companies setting out their stall for the year ahead, but I have a habit of wiping the backlog clean and starting fresh, leaving me motivated to check out as much new wrestling as possible. As a result of that, my matches of the month are significantly more eclectic than usual. There is all the regular stuff, but we’ve also a BJW tag, a lucha brawl and even an AEW rookie match. It’s as far out of the bubble as I am likely to venture, so fingers crossed you all enjoy it. As usual, if you’ve got any cool recommendations, let me know below or on Twitter.

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01/02/2024 1

TJPW Max Heart Tournament (27/1/24) Review

It’s Max Heart semi-final time, as TJPW filed into KFC Hall to find out who will be battling for a big trophy and a shot at the tag-team titles. Of the four teams left, only Daydream have held gold before, and even with Miu already booked to challenge Miyu for the shiniest belt of them all, you’ve got to look at them as the favourites. Will they make it to the final? Let’s find out!

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29/01/2024 0

Sareee-ISM Chapter III (16/1/24) Review

Old rivals clash once more. Credit: Here

As one big Japanese star makes their way to America, another somewhat smaller one continues to forge a new path on their return to their homeland. Since leaving WWE, Sareee has been brilliant, and these semi-regular Sareee-ISM shows have been a particular highlight of her run so far. Not only do they position her in high-profile matches, but they’re packed with some of the best wrestlers in the scene, with this one looking no different. Let’s see what went down.

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24/01/2024 1

Marvelous Nagoya (20/1/24) Review

Tomoko and Takumi discovered a fun new game. Credit: Here

Marvelous’s second show of the year saw them make the trip to Nagoya. They were down a couple of members of the extended Marvelous family – as Titus Alexander and Alpha Zo headed home. However, after missing the first show of the year with illness, Takumi Iroha is back. As much as I enjoyed Zo and Titus, that probably goes down as a net positive because, well, Takumi is Takumi. Anyway, on with the show.

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23/01/2024 2