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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My 5 New Japan Cup 2020 MVPs
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Hi guys,
So, I know this is technically an odd piece considering that the New Japan Cup hasn't ended yet. However, with the final set and the rest of the matches finished, I thought it would be the perfect time to look at the MVPs of this year's New Japan Cup. Like I said in my preview, this year's tournament was
shaken up by the pandemic making it more of a balanced mix of Young Lions,
Jrs, and Heavyweights.
With so much talent and so many amazing wrestlers, I decided to have a look at
those who didn't make the final of the New Japan Cup but really made their
mark regardless of the circumstances.
Sho Tanaka
It seems like, over the past two years, Roppongi 3k's Sho has really come into his own as both a tag and singles wrestler. Despite losing out in the second round, this was probably one of Sho's strongest showings as a singles wrestler since he returned from his excursion. There wasn't one match of his that I didn't enjoy whether it was a tournament or warm-up match!
The highlight of his tournament came in the very first round as he went face to face with his rival Shingo Takagi. Since Takagi made his debut for NJ in
October 2018, he has been a thorn in Sho's side whether it was Jr Tag League or last years Best of Super Jr. For some reason, he just couldn't beat him.
But, after an amazing match lasting just under 20 minutes, Sho managed to hit his Shock Arrow and finally slay the Dragon in a match combining speed,
strength and agility. It also gets him one step closer to being the NEVER
Openweight Champion! And then there was his match against Sanada. Although he lost this match, it was another one of my favourite matches of the tournament.
Despite their huge differences in styles, the two had great in-ring chemistry and, despite losing, really let Sho shine and also show how much he's improved over the last few years.
As a massive Roppongi 3k fan, this tournament was a stand out for the Gold
Standard and it's definitely going to be the start of something special
whether singles or with Yoh in the tag division... or both!
Tomohiro Ishii
Every year, no matter what tournament he is put in, the Stone Pitbull Tomohiro
Ishii never ceases to amaze fans and put on some 5* matches. This year's New
Japan Cup was no different. Despite failing to finally win his first tournament, this definitely made sure that everyone knew just what Ishii is all about.
In the first match, he went up against Suzuki Gun's El Desperado. Despite the teasing and attempts by Despy to break the rules, Ishii managed to bring it back to what he knew best which is a proper fight. Like he does with Taichi,
Ishii managed to bring out the true warrior in Desperado.
Nobody can then forget about the battle he had with Jr Heavyweight Champion Hiromu Takahashi.
With two completely different styles, this match was like a rollercoaster I
never wanted to get off. Even whilst losing, he put on one of the best matches of the tournaments. Although both bouts were against Jr Heavyweights, Ishii made sure that it didn't look like it. He treated both El Desperado and Hiromu
Takahashi with such respect and let them shine despite their weight class. For me, a great wrestler doesn't just put on good matches but also brings out the best in their opponents and, once again, Ishii managed to do that!
I do feel bad that the phrase 'Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride' seems to be fitting for Ishii. However, with all the work and amazing matches he
consistently puts on, I really hope New Japan can one day put their faith in
Ishii to be Heavyweight Champion.
Hiromu Takahashi
Out of all of the participants in the entire tournament, LIJ's Hiromu
Takahashi probably had one of the hardest times in terms of matches and opponents. Despite breaking the hearts of fans by not winning it all, Hiromu managed to put on some amazing matches throughout to cement himself as one of the stars, if not the star, of this year. From the very start of the bracket,
the Jr Heavyweight champion matches were all against Heavyweights.
However, despite the obvious size differences, the Ticking Time Bomb made his mark on all three matches in different ways. In his battle against Tomoaki Honma, we saw Hiromu's heart as two men with similar neck injuries collided in the ring. When fighting Tomohiro Ishii, strength and size didn't seem to matter as he flew across the ring pulling out moves that we have only come to expect from the unpredictable Hiromu. Even when he lost to Kazuchika Okada, who many believe is one of the best in the world, he put up one hell of a fight. Refusing to tap out, he went through so much just to show how good the Jr Division is.
For someone like me who fell in love with New Japan because of the Jr
Heavyweight division, I loved seeing the pride Hiromu had as well as his desire to prove his worth. Even though he didn't win, I think he might be the people's winner.
Toru Yano
Once again, the real King of Sneaky Style has made his way onto an MVP list. For some reason, there's just something about Chaos's Toru Yano that is just a recipe for an amazing match, especially in a tournament setting and luckily this year's New Japan Cup was the same.
Yano's tournament started against his former Chaos turned Bullet Club Jado aka Master Heater. This is where we got to see two sneaky wrestlers try to out-do each other. However, it was the iconic match he had with Hiromu which is one of my favourite matches of the entire tournament and why he's on the list. From the start, both wrestlers made sure that their history was known. If anyone doesn't know, back in 2011, Young Lion Hiromu lost a match to Yano which led to having his hair shaved off. This was made clear with Yano bringing out a shaver and even scissors to scare Hiromu who had come out in a hard hat helmet. It was the ending which was hilarious, I mean it looked like something off a DDT show. After being tied up with Tsuji, Hiromu managed to tape up Yano and push him into a lift to get the win by count-out!
Despite losing in the second round, Yano gave fans some amazing laughs whether it was during his bracket matches, in the warm-up matches, and even after he lost to Hiromu.
Sanada
Since the tournament started, I've seen mixed opinions of Sanada in the New
Japan Cup. Even as a hardcore Sanada fan, I understand why because his style is so unique that it won't be to everyone's tastes. However, although not as much as last year's tournament, LIJ's Cold Skull managed to shine amongst the field of competitors. His matches were tales of three different stories.
In his first match against Taguchi, we saw a more playful and less serious side to Sanada which was nice. It was a cat and mouse where each wrestler embraced their opponent. I mean I could actually see Sanada becoming a
member of Taguchi Japon... I mean Taguchi Japan.
His match against Sho, as
I've said, is possibly one of the best matches of the tournament taking two of my favourite wrestlers with different styles and letting them shine. And then there was his match with Evil. Despite losing and being basically taken to the Darkness World, it was a great match which showed just what happens when you put two people in the ring together who know each other so well!
Although not advancing as far as I would've liked (which basically meant winning the whole damn thing), each tournament shows just how good a
wrestler Sanada is. Also, after his bout with Evil, the potential for a
bigger storyline going forward is going to make things very interesting!
With the final set for this Friday between Kazuchika Okada and EVIL, all eyes will be on this match to see who gets to challenge Naito at Dominion on Saturday. Despite everything that has gone on, the New Japan Cup has been a nice break from everything and the wrestlers have really shone!
What do you guys all think? Who were the stand out's from this year's New Japan Cup and what are everyone's predictions for the final? Let me know in the comments or on my social media!
Hopefully, you guys enjoyed today's post. Make sure to keep an eye out for all my new posts by following me on on my social media:
Also, like I said in the last post, I started a YouTube channel so you should all subscribe because I'm not that bad and you'll finally get to actually see and hear me rather than just read what I write at SonalsLife96
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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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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