Wrestling Chatter

Hi guys,  A few days ago, I published a look at the G1 Climax 30 A Block participants ( https://wrestling-chatter.blogspot.com/2020/09/g1-participants-preview-block.html ) and what a line-up it was. Well, I'm back with a comprehensive guide to the B Block which is as equally exciting and has some huge names.  Here is a look at your participants in this years B Block!  Tetsuya Naito After narrowly missing out on yet another G1 victory, current IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental champion Naito has more on his mind than just points. Going into a tournament with one title is bad enough, but going in with the top two is going to be a nightmare. As well as trying to win and pick his own WK opponent, he is going to need to beat everyone. The Ungovernable One has a massive target on his back and everyone will be putting their heart into trying to pin the champ. By pinning Naito, they don't even need to win the G1 for a title shot. However, Naito isn't going to let this stress ...

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, The G1 only ended yesterday and I'm already feeling it. I mean over a month of a jam packed schedule with matches coming out of my ears and I seriously couldn't believe the calibre of the matches from tag to singles. I did my favourite G1 matches for the first half of the tournament, so here's the second with even better matches. Jay White v Shingo Takagi Jay White has always been one of my favourite wrestlers and I’d seen him against pretty much any opponent. However, White v Shingo Takagi was something I didn’t really know what to expect because they’re so similar but so different. Jay White is a very smart wrestler using every tactic in the book to win whereas Takagi is a straight up brawler with the perfect mixture of speed and strength. With this force of Shingo, the match started extremely brutally for a White match and from then, Jay realised he needed to notch the heel up. He went for those blistering chops, tried to cahoot with Red Shoes by Two ...

Hi guys, With the 2019 G1 tournament starting in a mere few days, I was wondering what the best way would be to really get you ready for the busy Summer season of NJPW. Whilst strolling through the NJPW archives, I stumbled upon a match that inspired me to do this match. Last year, I watched my first ever G1 and it was one of the best experiences ever because every match was so different and unique. So, here are my top 5 matches from last years G1. Kenny Omega v Yano Toru ( Night 16 - 8/8/18) This was the match that inspired me to do this post, because it made me realise how diverse last year was. For anyone who hasn’t watched it, Tama and the BC attacked Kenny before the match and Yano came running down trying to capitalise and, after a second attack from the BC, picked up the win. However, it was the match itself that made it so memorable and one of the best. Obviously Yano took off all the turnbuckles, but we had best friend Chase Owens making sure that Kenny was prote...

Hi guys, This year's G1 has been so epic and it makes me wonder why it took me so long to find NJPW, but hey ho! I know I've touched upon how amazing the tournament matches were and how awesome the competitors were. But, throughout the 5 weeks, there have been a few of the wrestlers who really stood out for me and are my MVP's. Before I get into my list, there are some honourable mentions that I have to put in who, even though they weren't actually part of the G1, were out there every night and putting on great tag matches. Firstly, honourable mentions for Shota Umino and Roppongi 3k because Rocky has been immense on commentary and Shota, Sho and Yoh have competed at every event. I can't forget my boys David Finlay and Toa Henare who tried to bring the people the C Block (sighs of sadness) and Chase Owen's tagging with both Hangman and Kenny in some great matches - all three have to be part of next years G1! Now onto my main list: 1. Adam 'Hangman...

Hi guys, My last post basically summarised the last few weeks of G1 action and it all ended after a crazy 3 nights in Budokan! It's been an amazing G1 this year and the last three days didn't disappoint, so here's a look at the last 3 days of this years tournament and what the future holds for the company! The first two nights had the usual tag match/ block match setup! Night one started off well with some amazing tag matches, including LIJ v Suzuki Gun and Chaos v Taguchi Japan. The match most of us were looking forward to managed to be ruined by Tongan interference - the Bullet Club Elite v Bullet Club Elite in the lead up to Kenny v Kota. The match started off all fun and games but, before it could heat up, it ended in a no contest... it really just backs up my grievances with how they've done this BC OG v Elite storyline - I think I'm just done with it... Night two which was probably as crazy and mental as the first night, if not more! We started the ni...

Hi guys, It's been a crazy few weeks of this years NJPW G1 Climax and it's been so exciting for me because it's the first time watching this tournament when it happens! So, in the lead up to the final two block days and the final on the 12 Aug at Budokan Hall, here's my review of the last few weeks, including some of the highlights, the storytelling and what I expect from the last few days of matches! Even though I'll probably do another post with my top 5 matches of the ENTIRE G1, this tournament really has had some amazing matches in the first few weeks! We've had the pure beauty of matches like Okada v Naito, Ibushi v Ishii, Ishii v Kenny and Jay White v Tanahashi, which were all just pure brutal wrestling that made me want to hide behind my pillow. There's been matches that have surprised me at how invested I got into them like Sanada v Ibushi and Ibushi v Juice Robinson. I don't think there's been one match where I've been bored o...

Hi guys, After a solid few months of shows, including the amazing Dominion show and that Kenny/Okada match, we've got the NJPW G1 Climax starting on the 14th July. For people like me who haven't watched it before, the G1 Climax is basically a big tournament where competitors compete in two blocks in various matches. After the of the first set of matches, the winner from each block goes on to compete in one last match for a IWGP Heavyweight title defence - simple, right? I've watched odd matches from previous years, but after releasing more information, by god NJPW have knocked it out of the park with the competitors and matches they've booked choice. Here are all the competitors for this year's tournament in their blocks, and the first of the match ups! I mean can this get any more exciting - they literally have the best of the best from the roster and are putting them in matches we could have only dreamed about seeing. Obviously these are only the mat...