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, 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, 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, So I first wrote this post almost 5 months ago and because of a certain worldwide pandemic, I couldn't really do anything with it after New Japan cancelled all of their events.  However, I'm over the moon after NJPW announced that they were going to start putting on shows again and returning with the New Japan Cup next week. What's even more exciting is that they've changed it up a bit and sort of combined the New Japan Cup with the BOSJ giving us a mix of matches between Jrs and Heavyweights. Normally, you might see the odd Jr, but this is a distinct split between the divisions. Because of the times we're in, the brackets also have a distinct lack of Gaijins due to travel restrictions but the bracket is still amazing and all I've had to do is make some adjustments to matches.   So, with all that said and done, here' s a look at the New Japan Cup first-round matches. Like last year, because the field is so huge, I'm going to look at ...

Hi guys, Well, hasn't it been a crazy few weeks for wrestling. The Coronavirus stopped a lot of Japanese shows, Goldberg became the WWE Universal Champion and then was challenged by Roman Reigns, Chris Brookes wants to make Antonio Honda bleed and DDT's MAO wore shorts for the first time in what seemed like forever. I also had my first attempt at ring announcing and didn't completely make a fool of myself. Yet, in the midst of all that, I thought it was about time to get another list out. If any of you listened to my podcast last week then this will make sense, if you didn't then make sure to go and listen to it now (or after you've read this post). Basically, I spoke about the whole concept of being a heel and whether it's plausible or not in this day and age. My conclusion was pretty inconclusive but I think that wrestling isn't black or white. However, despite that, heels are a must in wrestling and I thought I'd have a look and see who my to...