On June 19, 2016 at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Dominion 6.19 event in Osaka-jo Hall Kazuchika Okada defeated Tetsuya Naito to capture his fourth IWGP Heavyweight Championship. What followed was a reign that cemented Okada’s position at the top of the company, one of the greatest title reigns of the modern era, both for longevity and match quality. Star ratings […]
With the recent news that AEW and DDT/CyberFight have signed a deal to work together (something we’ll discuss more on an upcoming podcast) – I thought this week we’d take a look at one of the key players in this deal. The name Sanshiro Takagi may not mean much to many American fans, as when they think of DDT they […]
For those that wonder how I make the choice of which song to use for the week, don’t. There’s very little rhyme or reason to it other than not wanting to stick on one topic/genre for too long. Sometimes something news worthy happens (Kairi Hojo), or I tie it in to something currently happening (KENTA). Sometimes it’s birthdays (Maki Itoh) […]
“間も無く水道橋駅 到着します”, the announcement comes over the speakers. You think you understood, but you’re uncertain. You heard some other stuff but that stood out. “The next station is Suidobashi”, the voice repeats in a more familiar language. You prepare yourself and eye a waypoint to the door through the packed train. You’re concerned about being able to make it to […]
Born: March 20, 1959 | Birthplace: Omaha, NebraskaBilled Hometown: Venice Beach, California | Billed Weight: 250 lbsOther Aliases: Flash Born in Nebraska but raised in Southern California, Steve Borden played football and basketball in high school, before embarking on a bodybuilding career. Not initially a fan of professional wrestling, he was inspired to enter the business after attending a live […]
We join the WWF on their trip to the Tokyo Dome for a joint show with the intriguing puroresu promotion Super World of Sports. Hogan, Savage, the Road Warriors and more mix it up with Tenryu, The Great Kabuki, George Takano and more!
Note: This article was written in 2017 2007: Minoru Suzuki © vs Yuji Nagata – Triple Crown titleWrestle Kingdom (attendance: 28,000 / 18,000)http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00168_1_7 It’s the first appearance of the Wrestle Kingdom name. New Japan celebrate their 35th anniversary by inviting All Japan to compete in a joint celebration (AJPW was founded in the same year) with the intention to recapture […]
Note: This article was written in 2017. 2006: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Katsuyori ShibataToukon Shidou Chapter 1 (attendance: 31,000)http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00167_1_8 We took a look at Shinsuke Nakamura for the 2004 event and in 2006 we meet the other two ‘New Musketeers’. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Katsuyori Shibata. Both graduates of the NJPW Dojo (alongside Nakamura), New Japan planned to build the future around […]
Note: This article was written in 2017 2005: Heat © vs Tiger Mask – IWGP Junior Heavyweight titleToukon Festival: Wrestling World 2005 (attendance: 46,000 / 36,000)http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00165_1_3 It’s been six articles since we looked at the junior heavyweights, and you may be wondering why that is. In 2000 the role of booker in New Japan was taken over by Riki Choshu, […]
Note: This article was written in 2017 2004: Shinsuke Nakamura © vs Yoshihiro Takayama © – IWGP Heavyweight and NWF Heavyweight title unification matchWrestling World 2004 (attendance: 40,000)http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00164_1_15 After re-establishing the NWF Heavyweight title a year ago, here we are back in the Tokyo Dome to unify it with the IWGP Heavyweight title. After defeating Tsuyoshi Kohsaka last year, Yoshihiro […]
