Wrestling Chatter

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, Hasn't the world of professional wrestling been crazy over the last few days. A few months ago, I wrote an article about the resurgence of British wrestling ( http://www.mancunianmatters.co.uk/content/040778118-analysis-resurgence-british-wrestling ) but nowadays it seems as if I can't wake up without seeing a 'British wrestling is dead' tweet somewhere - crazy right? It's all stemmed from some rumours centring WWE UK and the sudden closure of Defiant Wrestling. In my opinion, the only thing that's dead is Tuesday Night Graps but that's being sorted now so it's fine with SCHADENFREUDE. I've voiced my concerns when the promotion started in terms of what it could do to the independent scene and we saw from the word go that WWE started monopolising on the industry in a pretty devious and toxic way. We've had so many wrestlers from BSS, Grizzled Young Vets, Viper and Kay Lee Ray being signed to exclusive contracts, Jim Smallman ...

Hi guys, We're just over halfway through the hottest tournament of the Summer and, by looking at some of the matches so far, it's crazy to think we're only this far in.  Normally I wait until the end of a NJPW tournament to write my favourite matches. However, with the calibre so high and so many amazing matches already, it would be rude of me not to do one already! (This will be all matches from the start to 24 July). Lance Archer v Hiroshi Tanahashi After the tournament, I'll do my usual MVPs of the G1 but this match will probably show one of the names on that list. After dropping matches to Kenta and Okada, Tanahashi had a lot to prove in the G1, especially as the reigning tournament winner. However, Lance Archer wasn't going to make this easy for the Ace of the Universe. Although Tanahashi picked up the win, I don't think that's the main thing to take away from this match - it's Lance Archer. His first G1 in 5 years, Archer has come b...

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, 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, 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, I spent my Tuesday night in a small comedy club in the centre of Manchester surrounded by a lot of bodies and dealing with a lack of sleep. I wouldn't have changed any of it for the world.  On Tuesday evening, I went to the Frog and Bucket with my friend to watch Tuesday Night Graps (sub-promotion from IPW). What was exciting was the fact that it was my friends first ever live wrestling show. He's obviously watched it but this was his first live experience and I don't know whether to be proud or sorry that this was what I took him too. It was my first time at a Tuesday Night Graps, but I sort of knew what to expect and it met all expectations! It was the perfect mix of wrestling, story telling, comedy and times where I was like WTF. This was even considering the fact that the card was put together by Dunkzilla very last minute and he didn't even know if everyone would make it (as seen by the lack of Martin Kirby and O.J.M.O) hey @TheOJMO @Chuck...