Wrestling Chatter

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, If I thought that the world was going to shit and the fact that I've been an anxious mess, trust New Japan to make me feel slightly better about myself. Last week, NJPW announced the line-up for their G1 Climax 30 and it was something that just put a massive smile on my face. I was worried about what ti would look like because nobody knew about who was going to be allowed into Japan and restrictions on travel. Luckily, everything seems to be slightly back to normal and there are some huge names across the board. I've also done a quick video overview:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx_SFxoBZYM&t=52s  so make sure to give that a watch too! So, here is a look at the participants in this years A Block!  Kota Ibushi After failing to capitalise on his G1 victory last year, you can bet that the Golden Star is going to try and go for two consecutive wins. I mean if anyone can do it, why shouldn't it be Kota Ibushi? It's been an odd year for Ibushi from his loss a...

Hi guys, Welcome to another preview post from Wrestling Chatter aka Sonal aka yours truly... When EVIL betrayed Los Ingobernables de Japon and decided to join Bullet Club, a big question being thrown around was what was going to happen to the NEVER 6-man titles. EVIL said he didn't care about defending them and even Shingo Takagi had no idea. Earlier this week, New Japan announced an 8-team tournament for the NEVER 6-Man Openweight Tag Championship to deal with that! The tournament will take place at Korakuen Hall over three days and here is my preview of the first round matches and my predictions!  6th August Okada/ Yano/ SHO (CHAOS) v Yujiro/ Gedo/ Jado What I like about this first-round matchup is that there is some storyline consistency. After Okada and Yujiro's single match at Sengoku Lord, the Tokyo Pimp has made it clear that their feud is far from over and this is a nice continuation. There is also the fact that Jado and Gedo were OG Chaos members before they betrayed t...

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 whethe...

Hi guys, It's only been a few days since my last post, but I didn't want you waiting too long for the second part of my NJPW World Tag League Preview. If you missed the last one, you can read about the first set of teams here https://wrestling-chatter.blogspot.com/2019/11/njpw-wtl-preview-one.html . So, without further a do, here's part two and the rest of the amazing set of teams set for this year's league! Togi Makabe/ Tomoaki Honma Isn't it a nice surprise to see Tomoaki Honma back in tag league with his GBH partner Makabe. After being on the injured list for a long time, he wasn't in the right shape last year to compete so was replaced with Toa Henare as Makabe's partner. However, the teams back together and Honma is getting back to his old self. His kokeshi rate has improved amazingly and he's really put on some strong showings in tag matches, even if he mostly gets pinned. Yet, with Makabe by his side, there is no way that the unchained go...

Hi guys, We're almost half way through the 2019 and with Summer approaching, that can only mean one thing: NJPW G1. For those of you who don't know what the G1 tournament is, let me try and explain it in a nutshell: There are 20 men in two blocks of ten who fight against each other over a series of matches. The winners of the block (the one with the most wins) will battle each other on the final night. Whoever wins, gets a briefcase entitling them to a main event title match at the Tokyo Dome for Wrestle Kingdom the next year. Unlike other briefcases, the winner of this tournament can lose his opportunity before the title match takes place. Block A Kazuchika Okada v Hiroshi Tanahashi I don't think crowds in NJPW will ever get tired of seeing the Rainmaker and the Ace going at it in a single's match. This is probably one of the best rivalries in the history of the company and, even as new friends..., the match is going to be throttle and no one is going to...

Hi guys, With one of the biggest fields in NJ Cup history, another NJPW tournament has come and gone and what a few weeks it was! This year's New Japan Cup had a massive 32 competitors all fighting for the chance to challenge Jay White for the IWGP Heavyweight title at Madison Square Garden. The tournament started with some amazing matches on both sides of the bracket and it was only the first round. We had the amazing upset in Chase Owens beating Juice Robinson giving Owens a shot at the US title set for the final night of the Cup. Then another match with championship implications as Kota Ibushi v Tetsuya Naito stopped Naito's dream of being the first guy to hold two of the top belts in NJPW. The second round  had some of the best matches of the tournament. Taichi having a surprisingly clean match against Ishii and the giant killer Ospreay defeated Archer. However, one a stand out match but won't be for all the wrestling purist was Yano v Cabana. There wer...