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Teflon Turtle

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Posts posted by Teflon Turtle

  1. Tony Bennett is - as far as I know, anyway - my dad's favorite singer. I sent him a text yesterday morning to ask if he'd heard the news. He replied that he had, and also wrote back "there is sadness in the kingdom." 

    One of my favorite radio stations led off their morning show with this yesterday. 

     

     

    • Like 1
  2. So a few days after he gets dropped on his head, HENARE goes out and has what I feel to be the best match of the tournament so far with Shingo, and by a pretty comfortable margin at that. 

    I have yet to hit the point of diminishing returns with Eddie Kingston going up against Japanese wrestlers. I've seen some criticism here and around the rest of the internet about it, but I'm not in that camp. Eddie's in his element, doing something he's wanted to do his entire career and probably thought at many points he'd never get a chance to. He fits right in. The fans are getting behind him even if they're unfamiliar with him. Dude went out there against EVIL, sold like crazy. Kevin Kelly on commentary invokes Terry Funk as an inspiration to Eddie Kingston, then a few minutes later Eddie's selling like the Funker. Hard to beat it. 

    • Like 4
  3. So between the increased number of participants, the shorter match lengths, and the addition of the knockout stage like this year's BOSJ had, the G1 has been generating a lot of talk. Wrestlers discussing who should be in, and who should be out. Outside of kayfabe, I think it's really being done to hurry up and get the next generation some big match singles experience and exposure. It kind of seems like NJPW needs or wants to have guys like Narita, Tsuji, and Umino get to the point where they can start drawing and carry cards very much sooner rather than later.

    I think they got themselves on the path tonight. I'll co-sign all of the above as matches of the night. There were a few spots in Umino/Narita that looked like they didn't quite go as planned, but I think Umino especially was able to adapt on the fly remarkably quickly and salvage things. There are still some rough edges and questions I have about how both of them are presented (at least from my perspective, I feel like a lot of the issues that wrestlers like Tsuji have brought up with respect to their characters are valid), but as far as kicking off an Umino/Narita rivalry goes, they did a good job.

    Y'know what, I liked Gabe Kidd vs. Chase Owens, too. Not a classic, but it got off to a hot start, which I think was necessary (might just be my crappy old laptop speakers, but the crowd sounded really tepid to kick off the show). Nice brawl, a story was told, and it got me interested in what Gabe Kidd will get up to for the rest of the tournament. Plus, it set the stage for some prior-era BC vs. new-era BC stuff, which I know many are tired of...but, it seems like NJPW needs to do something with the old guard + House of Torture. Guess we'll see.

    • Like 3
  4. Yeah...even if that Sanada shirt is a play on the Cena "The Champ is Here" shirts with the belt design, that's bad. I feel like I've become one of the board's bigger NJPW apologists, but it seems to me a lot of their merch design has taken a nosedive in the last few years. It's weird...it's almost like they play a joke on people where the higher up the card you go, the worse your merch design gets. Yano and (at least in my opinion) Taguchi always get fun shirt designs, with the occasional miss. On the other hand, Okada has practically never had any good merch put out. 

    35 minutes ago, Nineteen said:

    Somewhat related, someone really does have to explain the "37" thing he's doing now too because I can only think of Clerks.

    I don't fully understand it, but the "37" is apparently a numerical play on Sanada's name. "San" = 3, and one way to say 7 = "nana." Some wrestlers get closer than others, I think? This is the same reason why Tomohiro Ishii has "141" on a lot of his merchandise over the years, for example. Take ichi (1) + shi (4) +another ichi and smash it together..."Ishii," 141.

    • Like 3
  5. 59 minutes ago, Dolphman 3000 said:

     

    To add to my previous comment about Shingo being one of the guys not getting the Forbidden Door spotlight: he's clearly in character here, but in reality he'd have every right to feel this way. He put on great matches all through the pandemic, was at the top of his company as their world champion. That can't have been easy given the restrictions he was operating under. His reward for that was to be shuffled down the card, seemingly to try and bring some interest and value to the KOPW belt. But now, nobody's predicting him as a G1 winner, and he's not on the Forbidden Door PPV even though he's one of the best pro wrestlers on both the NJPW and AEW roster. 

    It's been said multiple times by multiple people, but he and El Desperado were probably the two wrestlers most responsible for carrying NJPW during the pandemic. And they were both on the preshow. (Though I think Despe tried to make the  most of it. I watched Zero Hour yesterday and his mannerisms walking out with Rocky/Best Friends were hilarious, so was his place in their usual hug spot.)

     

    • Like 1
  6. Yeah...I had this whole big post typed out last night about Forbidden Door viewers not understanding the guys coming over from NJPW or getting the 2016-2019 hype, then the board ate it.

    Anyway - age and injuries do play a huge part. But, with the exception of a few guys, New Japan's house style has de-escalated quite a bit in the last few years. Things were getting to the point where you were seeing apron spots in seemingly every other match on a big card, numerous big in-ring bumps right after, and so on. A few reasons have been cited for that (The Elite leaving, NJPW's then-president also leaving or being ousted). Regardless - though it was fun to watch at the time, it was never sustainable. It's not that the wrestlers suck - they aren't wrestling much in that style any longer.

    Also...for Forbidden Door, AEW or NJPW have chosen to not spotlight many of the guys  who still wrestle a fast pace or who still have a more high-impact style (EDIT: except Ospreay, obviously. Also, I have no idea how Kenny is still pulling out these huge matches at all, after what he got up to in NJPW). Shingo hasn't had a high-profile singles match in AEW. Neither has Hiromu. Pretty much the entirety of the jr. heavyweight division is left off of matches where they can show what they are really capable of. 

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1
  7. I'm a bit pressed for time and will probably have more to say later, but there's one thing about Omega/Ospreay that I wanted to get out there now.

    I don't know if the commentary team was not supposed to mention Kota Ibushi at all, but the entire commentary desk missed the call on the Kamigoye. Excalibur referred to it as a V-Trigger. To me it fouled up a story moment in the match that should've been called out: Kenny once again growing enraged at someone invoking Ibushi, just like how he kicked out at 1 after the Young Bucks hit him with a Golden Trigger in the tag match with Hangman. And really, this led directly in to him kicking out of the OWA at 1 that many of you mentioned as a big moment. 

     

    • Like 5
  8. 2 hours ago, Kevin Wilson said:

    The thing is, and I say this as someone that loves Tanahashi, I don't think he is fixable (in that regard). He's just a 46 year old wrestler with 2500+ matches and he's just kinda broken. New Japan is pretty good on their tours of protecting wrestlers in his physical state (lots of six man tags, etc.) but between his physical limitations and wrestling someone he isn't familiar with, it just didn't work. He's one of the best wrestlers of the last 20 years and deserves respect, but he shouldn't be in these situations anymore.

    Agreed. I think he's in a really rough spot. He's still very popular in Japan, and probably is still putting pressure on himself to help draw crowds, but the years have taken their toll.

    It's extra sad to me because he demonstrably did very well in leaning out during the pandemic and had a fantastic match with Shingo, really not all that long ago. But...whether his knees won't allow him to do cardio now or whatever the case, the weight seemingly came back and he's now visibly slower.

    And honestly, I would think he's not really being set up for success having to sit on a long flight with the state his body appears in. Most normal folks are stiff after having to sit on planes for hours at a time and spending the remainder of a long travel day navigating through airports. For people in pro-wrestling...their knees, hips, and back are probably killing them after these trips, and they still have to wrestle. And in someone like Tanahashi's case, he has to live up to an impossibly high standard.

    • Like 2
  9. 13 hours ago, Elsalvajeloco said:

    This begs the question of whether or not Japanese wrestling had/has a universal symbol like the X in WWE for the termination of a match once a combatant is seriously injured? If they do, at what point did they start using it? 

    I don't know when it started, but you can get an idea of what the current procedure is (at least in NJPW) during the Hiromu Takahashi/Taiji Ishimori match from this year's BOSJ when Ishimori got hurt.

    Ishimori goes down, and Red Shoes kneels down to talk to him. All Red Shoes does is signal for the bell to be rung. But: after he does that you can clearly see the timekeeper put up the "X" signal on camera as the two of them make eye contact. The bell gets rung once Red Shoes nods "yes" at the "X" the timekeeper gave.

    The only other recent major injury stoppage I could think of was the Kota Ibushi vs. Okada G1 final from a couple of years ago. But on that one, most everything happens off-camera. All we see there is the referee again calling for the bell, with no "X" put up in the ring. Maybe there's another angle out there I'm not aware of?

    • Thanks 1
  10.  

    To paraphrase the great Dave Grohl, I've got another confession to make: I've seen one single ZSJ match ever, against Kurt Angle around 7 or 8 years ago (it was fine). Anything must-watch I should get in before the PPV?

    It got talked about on the board a little at the time, but ZSJ's 2022 New Japan Cup run is pretty legendary. If you go by WON ratings, 4 matches at 4.5-stars or higher over the course about three weeks, with two five-star matches happening within a week of each other.

    - ZSJ vs. Ospreay, 3/21/22

    - ZSJ vs. Shingo Takagi, 3/26/22

    - ZSJ vs. Tetsuya Naito (their rivalry is really fun, watch any singles match they have), 3/27/22

    - ZSJ vs. Okada, 4/9/22 (technically not part of the tournament, but the match happened as a consequence of it)

    After or instead, just watch all of his NJPW TV title defenses. 

    • Like 3
    • Thanks 1
  11. 1 hour ago, EVA said:

    Those blocks are legit awful. One the many downsides of the diluted 32-man field is that the 4 blocks cordon off so many of the most interesting matches.

    Gonna need some outsiders making the semis to really make this interesting.

    Yeah, some of the block assignments have me scratching my head, but I think it's a pretty safe bet some of the outside wrestlers are getting through the block stage.

    It has been pointed out that the only way Kiyomiya can meet up with Okada in this tournament is in the semifinals. I feel like that one is pretty much a lock, and it'll be weird if it turns out not to be. Also...it has been twenty years since NOAH representative Jun Akiyama made the finals of the G1. I'd be surprised if that doesn't get brought up, and I could see the story leading to Kiyomiya getting there too. I even find it pretty interesting that NJPW didn't wall off SANADA, in the sense that someone from NOAH is guaranteed a match with the current NJPW champ.

    EDIT: The 20 minute time limit has me excited, honestly. Looks like NJPW has learned their lesson about match times and saw how well overall this year's BOSJ wound up going. 

  12. There is some history there already. Moxley and El Desperado wrestled on one of the NJPW shows in the U.S. 07/30/2022 - No DQ.

    I watched it a while ago and remember liking it. The match is still up on NJPWWorld. Sort of deathmatch-lite, I guess? The fact that a match like that happened under an NJPW banner is a pretty rare thing, anyway.

    • Like 1
  13. This was a very good show. For me, the time flew by. The only match that kinda dragged for me was ELP vs. Finlay. Overall, though, it was still effective. I thought ELP looked kind of awkward trying to work as a full-fledged face, but on the whole I think I was supposed to think that as ELP slipped in to some of his old shenanigans at some points. He's now a man without a country and doesn't know what else to fall back on.

    The rest I will spoiler:

    Spoiler

    Man, Tsuji. There are a lot of interesting places that they could go from here with him. For starters, he and SANADA aren't done, I don't think. Next, he's got to contend with LIJ leaving him out there all by his lonesome after he may have gotten too big for his britches. Beyond that, though...I think there are also some stories to tell with his fellow former young lions in Narita and Umino. He arguably just lapped them in terms of crowd reaction/support, big match presentation, and match quality in only his first match back. They're the ones trying to create the paradigm shift, when Tsuji himself seemingly now is that shift. But, whose support will he really have? Could be pretty intriguing.

    Speaking of shifts...at some point there has to be a Bullet Club/House of Torture reckoning, right? I know it has been discussed for a long time, but HOT is still a Bullet Club subgroup. When does Finlay and the new group of killers tell HOT to get with the program and stop goofing around? I sort of wish NJPW would address that, but I'm not sure where EVIL and Yujiro would go. Sho could probably slot in somewhere else more easily.

    The "Yes!" chant that got started when the Danielson video aired gave me goosebumps. Such a cool moment and video package. 

    I didn't go in to the Jr. singles title match thinking Wato would win it. It was sort of hard for me to get invested, but I bit on a few nearfalls in the match anyway - kudos to him and Hiromu pulling me in. Wato has improved, and his evolution hinging on an EVEREST STYLE GERMAN SUPLEX~! has been fun. I really hope we get to continue writing that phrase a lot, in tribute.

    Also, I'm pretty happy Catch 2/2 got the jr. tag titles back. I can only imagine that was a sort of reward to TJP and Akira for their BOSJ performance. I think Akira, especially with his showing against El Desperado, is really starting to emerge as a talent to watch.

      

     

     

     

  14. For those who haven't followed NJPW this year, Umino is indeed affiliated with BCC; a few members are teaming up with him in Japan for Dominion next week. Shooter's also in a bit of a feud with Okada right now, which is getting heated. Further, Omega teamed up with Okada at New Year Dash this past January, so there would be precedent for Omega being able to put the call on him/it would make sense for Okada to keep the fight with Umino going.

    Ibushi is the obvious choice, of course. I can't recall if Okada has ever bled in a match...I'm having a hard time imagining him doing something like Blood & Guts or anything similar to it, even as great at wrestling as he is. Plus, if you want to keep things going in to the summer, I'd bet a Golden Lovers match at Wembley would bring in even more ticket sales. 

    • Like 2
  15. supremebve wrote it best, I'm not gonna repeat any of that.

    But imagine being such an icon that over 180,000 people show up somewhere, just to see you be you in your element. This wasn't a festival; it was people coming just to see Tina Turner.

     

    • Like 4
  16. Full agreement. I think El Desperado/Francesco Akira moved up to the "best match of the tournament" slot for me as well. Has to be considered a MOTYC, too. Maybe my favorite puroresu match template is "younger, hungry wrestler oversteps against a veteran." Everybody involved served to further that story, and there are so many places that they could go from there. There has to be more matches between the two in the future, no doubt. But, Despe interacting with O'Khan a bit and talking to TJP during the match also plants some seeds. Akira felt far more over leaving than he did going in. Flawless, to my eyes.

    Overall - and it might just be novelty - but Mike Bailey still might be my tournament MVP so far. Every match he's had has been fantastic. But, as mentioned in my previous post, I love Big Match Taguch, too. They absolutely got me to bite on near-falls/tapouts in their match. 

    About TJP: I was really looking forward to his matches in this tournament after seeing the Jr. Heavy Tag Title match between Catch 2/2 and Knight/Kushida from 4/27/23. TJP and Kushida's matwork to start that match off was so, so cool. 

    Finally: I did not anticipate looking forward to YOH matches as the tournament went along, but here I am. I don't know exactly what has gotten in to him, but it has been interesting. 

    • Like 2
  17. On 5/16/2023 at 4:12 AM, Evil Otto said:

    The 5/14 card in Nagoya was another really solid show all the way through, but I would strongly recommend Fransesco Akira vs. Robbie Eagles, TJP vs. Mike Bailey, and the Hiromu vs. Lio Rush rematch in the main event.  Hmmm, there appears to be a pattern emerging...

    On 5/16/2023 at 5:35 AM, Salads said:

    The G1 may have better matches, but this is more digestible. Despite being a tour it might be my sweet spot formula for TV wrestling viewing.

    Haven't had a chance to log in to the board in a few days, but I'm glad we're all watching the same tournament! I wanted to call out all of the matches Evil Otto mentioned and make this exact same point that Salads made first. Kudos to both of you.

    Anyway, to try and add some content of my own - this has been a pretty stellar first four shows so far. You have a really good chance of (for the uninitiated, and if you aren't watching the shows start to finish) just picking a match at random and seeing something great. 

    To expand on Salads' point a bit: all of the matches aren't overlong, have a ton of great, varied action from bell-to-bell, and match finishes are many times happening suddenly on things that aren't finishers. If I have a complaint about that last bit, it's as follows: when NJPW suddenly has shorter matches with finishes happening on moves that aren't exactly finishers, it sort of breaks their internal logic. Meaning: guys who usually tank through damage and regularly engage in 20-30+ minute matches that always end on a finishing move are suddenly dropping falls to stuff that wouldn't usually beat them, and in half the time. You can't use the "well, guys are worn down from all of these tournament matches" explanation when these things are happening right away. That said...these shorter matches with unpredictable finishes are probably way closer to most viewers' "pro wrestling ideal," mine included, than the usual house main event style. So, it's not much of a complaint if it's a change for the better.

    Other random points:

    I have never seen a Mike Bailey match before this tournament. I kind of regret that now. He has been fun to watch in every match he's had so far. I feel bad for typing this, but I can't be the only one who has ever made a "Strip Mall, not Speedball" joke about his martial arts striking and overall style, right...? I don't even mean that in a bad way, as I've been enjoying his work unironically. But, still...

    Ryusuke Taguchi - I have an unexplainable soft spot for Big Match Taguch, and BOSJ is pretty much the only chance we get to see that version of him now. His match with Ishimori was brief, but perfect. I have no idea if this is what they were actually going for, but their match was a perfect illustration of what happens when a wrestler tries to change their game up. The timing on defense is different, openings are left that aren't usually there - thus, the end came quickly. Taguchi's subsequent match lengths have been a bit longer as the timing comes back. I know NJPW has done "tournament veteran is getting too old to do this any longer" stories before, but this doesn't really feel quite like what's happening, and I like the distinction. 

    • Like 3
  18. I was debating about writing anything, then I saw these two statements:

    12 hours ago, Technico Support said:

    Dammit.  I think it was @Greggulator who said something like, “when Dean liked your post, you felt like you’d done something right.”  

    19 hours ago, Casey said:

    but I really would smile when I’d get a notification here that he liked or responded to something I had posted.

    DEAN RULES THE FUCKING WORLD.

    As someone who has lurked here for 20+ years now, but only really flitted around the edges of the forum when it came to posting, I cannot stress enough how true this is. I did not interact with DEAN in real life or have any conversations with him privately, but there was such an "I made it!" feeling to him acknowledging a post here. It's a testament to his standing on the board and wrestling fandom/criticism at large. I was surprised to see him like some of my posts in AEW threads since I post so sparingly, but it always encouraged me to post more. The same as you both above - "if DEAN of all people likes what I'm writing, I must be perceiving wrestling on something approaching the correct level."

    Like many of the rest of you, there were various points in my life where I mooched "~!" and "KING SIZED" for my own personal use. When I followed AEW more closely, I very much looked forward to DEAN reliably posting his block o' text about the show seemingly as soon as he could, then seeing his banter with more established forum members about their awful puns. An influential and irreplaceable wrestling fan, writer, and personality, for certain.

    My condolences to his family, and all of his friends here who've shared their thoughts. I hope we can all keep this community going as a positive and enthusiastic space in his honor, and equally, following his example that he shared with all of us for so long.

    ~!

    • Like 10
    • Thanks 4
  19. I think NJPW goes to the "champion gets attacked after the main event" well relatively often, but I agree that Tsuji looked really good here. For someone who hasn't been around in a while, the reaction to him doing the LIJ pose was impressive. Fun shout back to his history with Naito before excursion, too. 

    Also, unless my ears deceived me the crowd was really hot for that ZSJ/Cobb match. I'm definitely interested in seeing more from those two. Really cool style matchup/good story told through the match. Engaging in anything even resembling a legitimate grappling contest with Jeff Cobb looks like a nightmarish idea, so seeing ZSJ really have to work to find spots to capitalize on made for a fun watch.

    Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I'm excited for the rest of the year. With it seeming like Umino, Narita, and now Tsuji being likely candidates for spots in the G1, there should be a lot of fresh matchups. 

    (One last thing...I can't believe the insanity of Hiromu sometimes. My dude shotgun dropkicks over a barricade and lands flat on concrete when he has all of BOSJ to work, starting in nine days time.)

    • Like 5
  20. 2 hours ago, matwarz said:
    4 hours ago, notoriusvig said:

    In general, was this worth re-subbing to see? I want to see SANADA win and want to see the Mercedes match but is it worth $7 for a subscription?

    I’d find 5 four star or better matches in a row quite tempting personally

    This is a good lead-in to something I really wanted to say about this show, and I suppose wrestling in general. Versus implementing a rating system, I typically find I have more enjoyment with wrestling if I can address a match with a simple yes or no question: "did I have fun watching the match?" Rather than spend a bunch of time ranking one thing over the other and getting lost in minutiae, it's just "did I enjoy this thing that is one of my hobbies today?" However...if I were to use the infamous "five star" match rating system...honestly, I'd be comfortable giving Bishamon vs. Aussie Open from this show the full five. The match didn't overstay its welcome but had tons of great action, some unintended (but effective) dialing-up of the drama with an accidental cut to one of the participants, and a really hot crowd. Pro-wrestling perfection. I don't think I could've asked more of those wrestlers or that match. Just great stuff.

    I'll spoiler the rest of my thoughts:

    Spoiler

    - That opening tag was ridiculous fun. I like how Japanese audiences do not essentially do chants for themselves, but the cheer that went up after everyone was finally able to do the "Kaze Ni Nare" chant for Minoru Suzuki in a large setting felt joyful in a way that I can barely explain. Just..."we are so happy that we can do this again!" Beyond that, I am a sucker for tag matches where mismatched teams just paste each other to tag their partner in. El Desperado in particular is very entertaining in matches like this. Lots of amusing moments and a great start to the card.

    - The same "we will strike each other to tag out" thing happened in the Bullet Club tag, but it wasn't played for laughs. I know that usually we would criticize a show relying on the same storytelling beat for multiple matches close to each other on the card, but credit goes to the wrestlers in this match for making it feel different. Of course, the eventual outcome of El Phantasmo being booted out of BC in Japan eventually made it clear that the stakes over these aggressive tags were in fact quite different. I was a little disappointed in Ishimori sticking with Finlay's side. I can't help it, but I just don't find him all that interesting despite his obvious skill and athleticism. I thought a turn here would finally separate him from the pack a little, but I guess not. 

    - To go back to my "fun or not fun" rating system, the IWGP Women's Championship match gets "fun." So many cool pinning and submission attempt sequences with the third participant rushing to break things up or otherwise get themselves involved to try to steal the win. This was another one were it felt like the match was just the right length of time. My only criticism, such as it is, is that it still seems like nobody quite knows how to take Mercedes' new finisher on the first try. I'm not sure that's how the end of the match was really supposed to look...? Sure, bodies crashed in to one another but it didn't look like the move as it has been done previously. 

    - I've always found SANADA to be much more watchable when he leaves the Paradise Lock at home and doesn't build his matches around multiple attempts at the Skull End. I could still do with a little less Skull End, but he did well here. Honestly, I have reservations about him being the guy to have unseated this version of Okada. I know most people don't want or need another endless Okada reign, or story where Okada wins the G1 again to regain the belt at WK. But, Okada in this incarnation is, in my opinion, more interesting than he has been since Kenny Omega left Japan. It felt to me a bit too soon to have a title change given how Okada has been built back up over the start of this year. That said, he doesn't necessarily have to change his attitude having lost the belt, like he's done in the past. Given that we have Forbidden Door 2 coming up, there are probably more interesting options on the table for him in the back half of the year now that he isn't the champ, in terms of inter-promotional matches. 

    However...unless Okada wins a rematch with SANADA before the year is out, this does derail where I thought things were headed - Ospreay/Okada for all the marbles in the Tokyo Dome, unless the twist is Ospreay winning the belt sometime this year and he has to finally beat Okada as the defending champ.

    Speaking of: I still have a hard time seeing SANADA main-event WK. It'll be interesting to see where all of this winds up, at least.

     

    • Like 1
  21. Agreed on Fletcher/Goto. There were one or two little missteps in the first portion of the match, but by the second half they'd hit their stride and were just going ham. 

    I quite liked Ospreay/Davis from today's show, as well. I know there was some recent clamoring online about Aussie Open not having a contract anywhere, and it has felt like those two are taking the opportunity to make a statement here (as if somehow Aussie Open vs. FTR in an NJPW ring wasn't enough...). 

    I may have missed some things here or there, but based on his interactions with the crowd and post-match comments, Ospreay seems to be heading in a full-blown face direction after starting off in UE as a heel. I know the whole faction was in tweener territory for a bit, but the shift seems to be happening.

    Oh - I'm a few days late on this match, but I think the Tanahashi/Okada vs. Umino/Narita tag match from the 3/11 show is worth watching, too. It's interesting they went with something like that so quickly. Black shorts, "sick and tired of your shit" Okada has been super-fun to watch, and there was plenty of utter disdain for the next generation in this one.

    • Like 1
  22. I'm going to put myself out here a bit to say that there is some fun to be had on the NJPW/CMLL Fantasticamania shows.

    I'll try to avoid getting too much in to "navel-gazing" territory, but I've got to admit that one of my more significant shames as a longtime wrestling fan is that I've had difficulty getting in to the rules and structure of lucha libre matches - even sometimes the overall style itself despite the fact that I recognize the immense talent and athleticism of many luchadors throughout wrestling history. The Fantasticamania tour gives me a window in to something I'm unfamiliar with and broaden my horizons a bit, as a result.

    The differences are apparent on these shows, as the contrasting styles make themselves known and it's clear that you're getting wrestlers who don't work with each other very often. However, it gives a chance for some wrestlers who don't always get a lot of love to show that they're pretty much unflappable in there - I'm thinking of people like Kanemaru.

    The shows themselves are about two hours, and are pretty light-hearted. I don't think anybody is concerned with putting on epics, and the NJPW guys get a chance to let their hair down a bit and do something different. Like BOSJ shows, there typically aren't ringside barriers between the crowd and the ring. The crowds themselves are really coming alive for these shows, which has been a pleasure to see after so much silence for the past three years. And, the fans have been able to interact with some of the wrestlers in ways they usually can't.

    All of this combined with the fact that some of the shows have taken place in venues that NJPW doesn't always run really makes it feel pretty fresh and unique. 

    • Like 3
  23. 14 hours ago, Gordlow said:

    Acrostics > Ariel Helwani. Or something.

    Tombstone Piledriver                                 Tiger Suplex 

    European Uppercut                                    Unprettier

    F5                                                                Rainmaker

    Leg drop                                                     Tope Suicida

    One-Winged Angel                                     Last Ride

    Neckbreaker                                               Everest-Style German Suplex

    • Like 1
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