Wrestling Chatter

Hi guys, This weekend has been huge because it was the biggest weekend in the New Japan calendar: Wrestle Kingdom 14! This year was even bigger and better because it spanned over 2 amazing nights meaning even more amazing matches and chances for the wrestlers to shine, not to mention Jyushin Thunder Liger's retirement matches. So, after watching a cumulative 14 hours of wrestling over three days and not sleeping, here are my top 5 matches from the weekend. With even more matches to choose from, it seemed near impossible to pick so here's a round of applause for me for actually doing it! Tetsuya Naito v Kazuchika Okada - Night 2 With all that was on the line with this match, is it any surprise that it was so amazing and quite possibly the match of the entire weekend! It was THE match everyone had been waiting for and it was the match that was going to make history by crowning the first ever IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental champion. In traditional Red Shoes...

Hi guys, Around a month ago, I had a look at the teams announced for the Power Struggle Super Jr Tag League. This tour all came to an end on Sunday in Osaka and, even though for some reason the tag final was not the main or semi or even semi semi main event of the final date, the entire tour was a great showcase of the calibre of Jr talent not only within NJPW but also CMLL.  So, here are my top 5 matches in the Power Struggle Jr Tag League, but in no specific order because they were all so amazing - Enjoy! Roppongi 3k v Mega Coaches When the line up for the Super Jr Tag League was announced, this was the match that I was most looking forward too in so many ways. With Sho and Yoh going up against their mentor Rocky Romero and fellow coach Taguchi, there was a lot of conflicted fans watching (including myself). From the very start, you knew it was going to be a great match because everyone was already laughing after Sho and Yoh spotted a stain on Taguchi's pants. Howe...

Hi guys, Another month, another New Japan tournament which is always exciting. This time, we've got Power Struggle aka the Jr Tag League which is my favourite of the two tag league's because #JrPride. Over the past few months, we've seen the Jr tag division thin out slightly, but that doesn't stop the talent from being out of this world. As always, the league is bringing together some of the best Jr tag teams from NJPW, ROH and CMLL. As always, I'm here with a preview of the upcoming tour and specifically looking at all the teams involved this year. TJP and Clark Connors After teasing his appearance for the Jr tag league, it's nice to see TJP back in NJPW and the Jr heavyweight division. I know there's always grumblings, but TJP is home. For any of you who don't know, he was part of the original LA Dojo under Inoki with the likes of Rocky Romero and Bryan Danielson. You're putting the old with the new as he teams with LA Dojo Captain Cla...

Hi guys, The biggest BOSJ tournament has finally come to an end after a spectacular finale at Ryōgoku for one of the biggest crowds in around 20 years. Unlike my usual review, I think it's best if you can go and watch the tournament. But, if you're busy and don't have the time to re-watch 15 days of action, then I'm going to point out my favourite matches of the tournament that you should definitely go and watch if you have the chance. Sho v  Shingo Takagi This was the match that most people were looking forward to going into the tournament and NJPW blessed us with it on the first night! Shingo Takagi came into the tournament unpinned/ unsubmitted and Sho wasn't going to take that. Both guys rivalry has stemmed from Takagi's debut in October and the ongoing Roppongi 3k/ LIJ competition for the Jr tag belts. It makes even more sense considering the similarities between the two: both extremely strong and fast and the more aggressive of their respective...

Hi guys, After posting my Block A post yesterday ( https://wrestling-chatter.blogspot.com/2019/05/bosj-26-preview-block-a.html ), I was surprised to see some changes regarding Block B with El Desperado being injured (which means my pick to win is out) and Flip Gordon having Visa issues. However, Block B is still so strong and there's a crazy amount of talent to rival that of Block A. Ryusuke Taguchi After Taguchi's dreams of being the 69th IWGP Heavyweight champ alluded him, the Coach is back in the BOSJ. Taking part in his 16th tournament, could this be the year that Taguchi gets his second BOSJ win? A lot of people count Taguchi out as a joke or someone just to get the pin but, after his amazing match with Taiji Ishimori earlier this year, you can't count out the Funky Weapon. However, although Taguchi will take it seriously, all of his matches are going to be tons of fun with some hip attacks and maybe even a few ankle locks here and there. In terms of match u...