After a quieter September, I’ve gone all out for October. We’ve got a host of exciting matches to talk about here, including two dives into uncharted territory and a somewhat accidental Meiko Satomura month as I continue my journey through the GAEAISM YouTube channel. It was getting so unruly that there were a couple of things I didn’t have time to write about. If you ever see me in the street, feel free to ask, and I’ll bore you about them.
It’s a quieter roundup this month, not because of a lack of good wrestling, but because I haven’t had a chance to watch a lot of it. There’s no big, dramatic reason for that, I’ve just been a bit busy. Fingers crossed, I’ll be able to check out a bit more in October. However, I have decided to add a permanent ‘Past Rambles’ section, which gives me a chance to focus on matches that I’ve watched from, well, the past. It makes its debut here with a WCW Women’s Cruiserweight Title match from 1997. So hopefully you enjoy that!
Oka always succeeds at being weird. Credit: Sendai Girls
Not many wrestlers can claim to be unbeaten against Meiko Satomura one-on-one, but Chihiro Hashimoto has the honour. With Satomura’s retirement on the horizon, they butted heads one last time. Would Meiko end her career by finally getting one over her prized pupil? Well, this show happened several days ago, so I imagine you already know, but hey, let’s keep the non-existent tension going.
Fuck knows how, but 2024 is drawing to an end, which means it’s time for me to wang on about my favourite things in wrestling from the last twelve months. Up first, the best of the rest. These are the matches that, on a different day, could have easily been my favourite of the year. I’ve seen a few people suggest it’s been a weaker period for wrestling, but I didn’t feel that way as I struggled to whittle this down to ten. A handful of bouts I assumed would be on here were pipped at the post and replaced by something that excited me that little bit more. So, if your favourite is missing, imagine it’s number 11.
As usual, it’s a list that reflects my tastes, which means there are some glaring holes. I intended to make this the year I dived into lucha, but I failed, so it has no representation here, not because it’s shite, but because I don’t watch enough of it. There are only so many hours in the day, and I like to spend a few of them on non-wrestling-related activities.
The year is slipping away, but Miu’s still smiling. Credit: TJPW
September’s matches of the month is one of the more diverse selections I’ve put together recently. We’ve got everything from rookies doing their pro-test to mask matches in Arena Mexico. There is even one match that happened in August! I never claim these things are definitive, but I would like to imagine this one has something for everyone, and hopefully, you’ll discover at least one match you haven’t seen. Enjoy!
Between music festivals, weddings, trips to lochs and catching COVID for the first time, July was a busy month for me, so I can’t promise I saw all the good wrestling that was available (not that I ever do). However, I can promise I managed to find time to watch some (mainly during the COVID part of the month), so there will be plenty for you to get your teeth into. We’ve got Baka Gaijin, Sendai Girls and more! Enjoy.
June is over and done with, and like every month, it’s been busy for the old wrestling. I can’t pretend this month’s roundup is particularly eclectic, as I’m staying fairly close to my usual haunts, but there is still plenty to enjoy in there. Give it a read, and let me know if there is anything you think I need to see.
Another month is over and done with, as 2024 seems to be roaring past at an alarming speed. May saw the introduction of a new Rossy Ogawa venture into the wrestling scene alongside all the usual shenanigans, so it’s a fun time to be following along. However, if you can’t watch everything, why not let Ramblings About point you towards the exciting stuff? You’ll probably not regret it.
Sendai Girls’ first Korakuen Hall of the year came after the news that they will now be appearing on WrestleUniverse. So far, we’ve only had one show (this one went out on PPV, and I’m not sure if it will be going up later), but making Sendai easier to watch can only be a good thing. In the here and now, Korakuen saw Iwata finally defend her title, Unagi taking a trip to DASH’s world, and Yurika Oka trying to take down the Sun God. Let’s see what went down.
Marvelous’s final Korakuen of the year had two biggies at the top of the card. First, Mio Momono and Tomoko Watanabe battled to decide who would get the first shot at reclaiming the AAAW Title from the villainous Mayumi Ozaki. Then, Magenta challenged for the AAAW Tag Titles for the second time, as they hoped to wrest the belts from the seemingly unbeatable pairing of Takumi Iroha and Chikayo Nagashima. It was all exciting on paper, so let’s see how reality lived up to it.
Ramblings About Wrestling 