My name is Sonal and I love to talk, blog and watch a whole lot of wrestling so a wrestling blog was the only obvious thing to do! Obsessed with wrestling from across the world with a soft spot for Puroresu, cruiserweights and heels. I can probably be found watching more wrestling than actually sleeping and blogging about pretty much every week.
Twitter: @Wrestling_chat
Hi guys, How crazy has 2020 has been? With everything going on in the world, it seems as if 2021 couldn't come any sooner. However, even with all of this negativity, I think it's vital to try and find some positives. Despite conditions making it hard for the wrestling industry, many companies have thrived during the pandemic. In particular, some wrestlers have managed to make the best out of a bad situation and continue trying to put on shows for fans whether in person or through streaming sites. To mark the end of another year, I'm back with my annual wrestling MVP list of the wrestlers who have stood out this year. Just a quick note, most of the stuff I've watched this year is Japanese wrestling (NJPW, DDT and TJPW)! Yuka Sakazaki 2020 has been a great year for in the sense that I've had the time to fully get into Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling. For me, it's something I regret not doing earlier because it is full of some amazing wrestlers from Miu, Miyu Yamashita
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NJPW: LA Dojo Young Lions Profile
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Hi guys,
After my last post where I majorly fangirled about the Young Lion Cup, I thought that there might be some of them you don't know much about. If any of you missed it, I did one for the Japanese Young Lions (updated version) which you can read here https://wrestling-chatter.blogspot.com/2019/02/young-lions-njpw.html.
But, thought I'd do one for the LA Lions who have really been impressing me lately and that's hard for me to say as a loyal Noge Dojo fan! But, they are really amazing and I wanted to get to know the future of NJPW a bit more!
Credit: Alex Coughlin (somethingsomethingdeadlift) on IG
Clark Connors
Known as the LA Dojo Captain, Washington's Clark Connors started training under Lance Storm in Canada and was seen as one of the most 'promising prospects'. Debuting in 2017 for independent promotions across America like BWW, ASW and PCW, Connors cemented himself as a strong mat technician. Although smaller in size and stature compared to the other Young Lions, this really just works in Clark's favour. With his particular style of wrestling, a lot like Zack Sabre Jr, the smaller frame is better for not only his submission skills but getting out of tricky holds.
In his NJPW time, Clark has been given a lot of amazing opportunities from participating in the Young Lion Cup to being in the Super J Cup. Although not winning either, it showed crowds his potential and gave him some great experience. At only 25, he has years ahead of him and I'd really love to see Connors making a huge mark in the Jr Heavyweight division. To a lot of people. this isn't a goal and can be seen as a stepping stone, but Clark has the ability to join legends in a division that I am in love with! Sporting the nontraditional dark navy shorts instead of the black ones, Clark Connors is out to show why he's the best and is one of a kind.
Alex Coughlin
Born in New York, Alex Coughlin was one of the first trainees at the LA Dojo but we didn't really see a lot of Alex Coughlin after visa issues stopped him from coming to Japan for the first tour. Until Gabe joined the dojo, Coughlin was the youngest of the bunch and made it very clear on California Dreamin' that he was the least experienced of the bunch only having wrestled for NJPW. Making his debut at Fighting Spirit Unleashed, Coughlin initially started with a lot of losses against the likes of Clark Connors and the teams of FinJuice and Shinobi Shadow Squad.
However, since then, he's really made waves! He really came into his own during the Young Lion Cup. Even though he didn't win the entire thing, he picked up some great wins against Tsuji, Richards and even Clark Connors. My favourite had to be his win against Yuya Uemura and it was even possibly my favourite match of the tournament. It really showed off Coughlin's style which is of course the basic Lion fundamentals but also the blistering chops that I think will be Alex's weapon, chops that even rival the likes of Jay White! People seem to underestimate Coughlin in the YL rank, but I see a bright future ahead with a lot more wins on the card.
A post shared by Alex Coughlin (@somethingsomethingdeadlift) on
Karl Fredericks
Although Nevada born Karl Fredericks was the last of the initial bunch to move into t into the LA Dojo, he has definitely made his mark in NJPW already. Frederick's first debuted in 2015 on the US independent scene in promotions from APW, PWR and PCW literally working the circuit and paying his dues in a booming scene. This was until 2018 when Fredericks fought to join the Dojo and learn under Shibata! It seems like straight away, crowds connected to Frederick's from his heart and style that's a great mix of the fundamentals and his strength.
However, Karl has really come into his this last month with the Young Lion cup. Although losing his opener to Ren Narita, which was probably because of his injured arm from the G1 tour, Frederick's went on a huge winning streak beating all of his other opponents. With a three-way tie at the end, a lot of people had his final opponent Shota Umino winning, but with an amazing submission, Karl tapped out the Young Lion Golden Boy to win join the ranks of Masahiro Chono Satoshi Kojima, Rysusuke Taguchi and Hirooki Goto by winning the tournament. With a pretty damn nice trophy and a bright future ahead, this guy has champion written all over him.
Gabriel Kidd
Unlike all the other guys in this post who I didn't really know about until they became NJPW Young Lions, newest YL Gabriel Kidd is someone I know a lot about. One of the youngest veterans in British wrestling (starting training at just 11), he's already won titles in the UK and has become a big part of the British wrestling resurgence. He perfectly combines this old British strong style and seems influenced by the likes of Zack Sabre Jr, Fit Finlay, Arn Anderson and Stan Hanson. Despite his reputation in the UK, like others such as David Finlay, Jay White and Juice Robinson, he's chosen to go to the Dojo and learn from Shibata himself. This means that, although he's the youngest of the crop, he probably has the most experience!
So, with the future of the company in the hands of these Young Lions with bright futures, it helps me to sleep better at night knowing that NJPW is in safe hands. Also, I thought about putting Ren Narita in here after decided to join the Dojo for his excursion, but I went against it. Narita is Noge through and through and will stay that way in my eyes!
As always, talk to me, let me know what you think! You can do that, and up to date with all things wrestling and be first to know when I post something new on here, with my social media at:
(@Wrestling_Chat on Twitter and Wrestling Chatter on FB and WrestlingChatter96 on IG)!
Hi guys, How crazy has 2020 has been? With everything going on in the world, it seems as if 2021 couldn't come any sooner. However, even with all of this negativity, I think it's vital to try and find some positives. Despite conditions making it hard for the wrestling industry, many companies have thrived during the pandemic. In particular, some wrestlers have managed to make the best out of a bad situation and continue trying to put on shows for fans whether in person or through streaming sites. To mark the end of another year, I'm back with my annual wrestling MVP list of the wrestlers who have stood out this year. Just a quick note, most of the stuff I've watched this year is Japanese wrestling (NJPW, DDT and TJPW)! Yuka Sakazaki 2020 has been a great year for in the sense that I've had the time to fully get into Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling. For me, it's something I regret not doing earlier because it is full of some amazing wrestlers from Miu, Miyu Yamashita
Hi guys, For me, New Japan Pro Wrestling has to be one, if not, the best company in the world for giving us amazing wrestling content. With the introduction of their streaming site NJPW World, more worldwide shows and English commentary (from the AMAZING Kevin Kelly) on most of their shows, it’s becoming a massive rival for other massive companies. But, when I started watching it a while back, the whole format was really confusing because it was so different from what I was used too. So, in the lead up to Wrestle Kingdom (which is the biggest show/s of the NJ calendar year), here’s a beginner’s guide to New Japan Pro Wrestling (Shin Nihon Puroresu) for anyone who wants to watch NJPW but has no idea where to start. History New Japan Pro Wrestling was founded in 1972 by wrestling legend Antonio Inoki after he left the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance promotion. Inoki put himself as the star of the company and drew on the experiences of foreign wrestlers (Gaijin’s) like the Bri
Hi guys, I think I've already made it clear how excited I am for this year's Best of Super Jr tournament. However, in the midst of my excitement, I forgot all about the fact that it was a combined tour with World Tag League, probably because we didn't hear any announcements about the line-up - until now! Just like the BoSJ, this tournament is going to in a single block format and is full of some of your favourite tag teams in Japan. Without further ado, here is my preview of the 2020 World Tag League! FinJuice (Juice Robinson and David Finlay) Will New Japan fans be treated to another round of Happy Beers from last year's World Tag League winners? Well, I'm just happy to see them both teaming together again in Japan. David Finlay and Juice Robinson are the epitome of what a babyface is and just radiate this positive energy despite all the obstacles in front of them. Since they started teaming together, they've both had a career rejuvenation with their best frien
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