Wrestling Chatter

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, Recently, I've had a lot of spare time and that means I have a lot of free time to watch more wrestling and as always New Japan is a must. However, recently, I've noticed something that makes me sad during some of the shows. It's watching Taichi matches and hearing the sound of たいち わ かえれ (Taichi wa kaere) echo across the arena. I mean, I just don't get it.  Taichi isn't the Holy Emperor for nothing and I just think that he deserves more respect and adoration from the crowds. So, for this week's post, I am going to write a Taichi appreciation post because he is my Holy Emperor and he should be yours too! 1. He is a Great wrestler I mean you don't become a 2-time IWGP Jr Heavyweight tag champion and 2-time NEVER Openweight champion without talent. As a Junior Heavyweight, he was this perfect combination of agility, speed and a lot of high-risk moves that just made my jaw drop to the ground. Even now, although his move set is so differen...

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 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, In the crazy world of wrestling companies, there's always going to be a massive roster full of so many talented stars and nothing is more true for the likes of New Japan Pro Wrestling. With a roster full of such amazing wrestlers and hardly (if any) weak links within the company, it's unfortunately inevitable that wrestlers are either going to blend into the background, no matter how talented they are, or they're going to get overshadowed by other wrestlers. So, for this post, I'm going to look specifically at NJPW but there are so many promotions with underrated wrestlers that this could just be the start! 1. Rysuke Taguchi The leader of Taguchi Japan and the funky weapon himself, I don't think that anyone can say that Taguchi isn't crazy popular (with me particularly), however I don't think that people appreciate how amazing of an in-ring talent Taguchi is rather than just a bit of fun in the ring. Taguchi is probably one of the most accomp...

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...