DDT God Bless DDT

Dramatic Dream Team (DDT)
God Bless DDT
30th November 2014
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo

As we slope toward the end of 2014 we can begin to reflect on the kind of year that individual promotions have had in terms of business, art, the flow of talent, the health of talent and prospect for the future (amongst other criteria, I suppose). DDT, who often resist comparison to traditional promotions in a lot of respects, can't escape this particular microscope.

Business seems pretty healthy in DDT. Their Sumo Hall show did well and they're having a gallant crack at selling the Saitama Super Arena out in February when New Japan are out of town with a headline match of Kota Ibushi vs. whoever the KO-D Champion is, presumably HARASHIMA. They're not catching NJPW any time soon and their junior guys are still working in restaurants to pay the bills, but morale appears to be pretty much up.

Matches of note vol. 2

FUJIWARA ARMBAR'S MATCHES OF NOTE VOL. 2

Continuing to cherry pick the recent in-ring highlights and noteworthy events around the Japanese scene. Not reviews, rather these are spoiler-free recommendations and overviews from events I haven't reviewed in full. These selections pick up in early October with a couple of slightly earlier picks.

NOAH Global League Day 12

Pro-Wrestling NOAH
Global League: Day Twelve
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
8th November 2014 

The absolute selfish bastards in the Pro-Wrestling NOAH organisation opted to have their annual round-robin tournament more-or-less right in the middle of my annual break. Ever since landing back in the country I've been struggling to play catch-up and get the lowdown on the subplots and lead exchanges in the tournament, or even just to catch a general sensation of which wrestlers are impressing and which are just padding through the tour. 

(Back row l-r): Hero, Sekimoto, Taniguchi, Saito, Cabana Kojima (Middle row l-r): Yone, Haste, Tanaka, Nicholls, Storm, Nakajima (Front row l-r): Nagata, Marufuji, Morishima, Sugiura

Let's therefore assume that I'm coming at this show with fresh eyes, that I haven't seen any of the tournament (I have, but just odd matches here and there) and all I know about the permutations moving forward are what are explained during the broadcast in Japanese.

AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki reappraised

This entry is a little bit different than my standard 'review of an event' fare. The August 1st 2014 match between Minoru Suzuki and AJ Styles as part of the annual G1 Climax tournament has been living inside my head for a few months now and I think that it's time to write it all down. 

There's a few paragraphs before I start to talk about the match itself. Feel free to jump them, though I think it's discursive self-critique at its very best! 

NJPW Power Struggle

New Japan Pro Wrestling
Power Struggle
8th November 2014, BODYMAKER Colosseum, Osaka

The final real supercard of the year indicates much intrigue with Bullet Club touting a new member, the next stage in the Shibata revival story and a raft of title matches with some big hitters. Let's dive straight in.

featuring translations from Yottsume of puroresushop.com
and lots of images from the excellent Sports Navi

Interview: JACK GALLAGHER

FUJIWARA INTERVIEWS #01: JACK GALLAGHER

My friend Olly, though a deliberately frustrating man, knows his wrestling and can spot a good wrestler a mile off. I dragged him along to a Grand Pro Wrestling (GPW) event in Wigan. On the way home he raved about Jack Gallagher. Though Olly and I occasionally disagree, he had hit the nail on the head. A gritty, sinewy wrestler with a supreme scientific base and a believably belligerent (in-ring) personality, Gallagher is a perfect fit on paper for the range of styles on offer in Japan (or indeed, anywhere else).

During 2013, Gallagher (under the name Jack Anthony) travelled to Japan to work for Zero1, Big Japan, NOAH and Diana and hone his skills. I'd had the idea to interview him at the outset of this blog, and when I finally asked he was only too receptive to share his experiences of Japan, training, the domestic scene and various asides along the route. I haven't edited his answers in the slightest. It was too good from beginning to end, packed with insight, humour, self-deprecation and honesty.

NJPW Road to Power Struggle: Day One

New Japan Pro Wrestling

Road to Power Struggle: Day One

25th October 2014, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo

Once again featuring translations by Yottsume! Be sure to check out his website as it's pretty much the only way you can get the proper New Japan merch with the Lion Mark.  

Don't worry, it's the 2010 design. No one needs to be fired.

It didn't take much or many changes for the complexion of NJPW to alter as we hurtle toward 2015. Kenny Omega signs. Katsuyori Shibata signs full-time. Kota Ibushi extends his deal and goes heavyweight. Jushin Liger indicates the winding down phase of his career. And new alliances are formalised to help Seikigun (New Japan Army) fight back against the menace of the three major factions: CHAOS, Suzuki-gun and Bullet Club.

DDT Special 2014

Dramatic Dream Team (DDT)
DDT Special 2014
26th October 2014, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo

Today DDT says goodbye to Kenny Omega.

Let's jump straight in.

NOAH Great Voyage in Yokohama

Pro-Wrestling NOAH
Great Voyage in Yokohama
12th October 2014, Cultural Gymnasium, Yokohama

After the relative stinker in Niigata, NOAH played their cards immediately correctly by announcing a hip and relevant main-event and a slew of major title bouts for the Yokohama supercard (here) and a very attractive line-up for the Global League (coming soon).

Your main event

These larger NOAH events seem to do quite well at the gate too, attracting a reported 3500 for this particular show. Admittedly New Japan dragged an extra 2000 bodies into the same building but let's not be churlish - NOAH still has some sex appeal remaining, even if it seems to have a kind of funereal tone in parts.

Matches of note vol. 1

FUJIWARA ARMBAR'S MATCHES OF NOTE VOL. 1

I can't review everything I watch. I can't even watch all of everything that gets put out there. I am but a man. However, Fujiwara Armbar Enterprises is all about spreading the word about the sport* we love. This is a new feature that will recap any interesting matches going on in various Japanese promotions with a general focus on recent activity, though I can't promise not to jump back in time now and again.

These aren't reviews as such, just little spoiler-free guides to maybe help you navigate through some chaff. This round-up covers everything from mid-September to early-October, with a couple just outside.
 

NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling 2014

New Japan Pro-Wrestling

King of Pro-Wrestling 2014
13th October 2014, Ryōgoku Kokugikan, Tokyo

Some supercards require me to witter away for 500 words before getting to the first match, but this is King of Pro-Wrestling, cast in stone as a big deal and the last real throw of the dice ahead of the Dome Show on January 4th. Sumo Hall is sold out and a whole heap of titles and briefcases are up for grabs.

Main event: AJ Styles (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship

Furthermore I come armed with translations from Yottsume, the ingenious entrepreneur slash fansubber extraordinaire, meaning that there's actually some grounding to my drivel this time.

fujiwara armbar investigates: Dragon Gate

An occasional series in which, in a bid to further my spotty knowledge of Japanese wrestling promotions, I watch a recent event and assess whether or not I'd watch regularly given the time, money and ability to access.

Promotion: Dragon Gate
Event watched: Summer Adventure Tag League 2014 Day 13, 23rd September 2014, Bodymaker Colosseum #2, Osaka (broadcast as Infinity #349)

What did I know about the promotion going in?: I have seen about half a dozen events and basically remember: names but not always faces, faces but not always names, sometimes both and sometimes neither. There aren't really any metrics that make such proclamations official but it seems like Dragon Gate are the #2 promotion of Japan right now, growing and increasing perception of their outfit by the year. 

DDT Dramatic General Election 2014

Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) 
Dramatic General Election 2014: Final Voting Day Last Hope Special
28th September 2014, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo

A lot has happened in DDT since I last took a look into them and the lack of reporting on this blog at least is possibly my fault. You see, I had every intention of reviewing the big Sumo Hall show (Ryōgoku Peter Pan ~ Maybe Summer Will Change My Life), not least because it featured a couple of New Japan regulars. I'd prepared (stolen) some images and done some research on characters and factions. For example:

credit: Dramatic DDT

NOAH Great Voyage in Niigata

Pro-Wrestling NOAH
Great Voyage in Niigata: Great Voyage x Big Fireworks
23rd September 2014, City Gymnasium, Niigata

One of the Japanese workers with the most tenuous grasp on the status of 'legend' in the jaded and weary eyes of this blog is Atsushi Onita. Never really that good when he was allegedly good as part of All Japan's not-as-good-as-their-rival junior heavyweight division, he is known for his role in importing the deathmatch style into Japanese wrestling - as well as being a populist conservative member of the National Diet (parliament). Why do I bring this up? Well, he's here tonight, under the banner of a handful of cross-promoted matches with the near-dead ZERO1 promotion. 

But more on that later. Now for some housekeeping. Not a great deal has happened since this blog covered NOAH, and July's Great Voyage in Tokyo Pt. 2 event, but let me recap anyway. 

Company vice-president (SHOOT) Naomichi Marufuji, as you may recall, won the GHC Heavyweight Championship from Yuji Nagata in a bout that had a lot of hype leading in that met expectations both in ring and out of it. Stablemate Katsuhiko Nakajima challenged for the title immediately. It was a popular move and on the back of it I declared the company's soft reboot to be in full swing.

NJPW Destruction in Okayama

New Japan Pro Wrestling
Destruction in Okayama
23rd September 2014, Convex, Okayama

Okayama is just an hour and a quarter west of Kobe by the train that leaves Shinkobe station every fifteen minutes, which means if you really wanted to pull a live double-header for this PPV then it would be pretty easy. New Japan haven't run a big show here in the Bushiroad era, often granting the city smaller shows on the Tag League tour, giving this show the quality of a step into the unknown (unlike say, Osaka or Korakuen Hall).

On initial announcement my reaction was one of hesitation, feeling that there was more 'angle' than 'spectacle'. Drilling down deeper I must admit that all of the title matches and the contendership bouts offer something noteworthy. Match of the night seems genuinely up for grabs rather than nailed-on. As a critical word, I don't think that I can recall a main event where the result has been so completely expected ahead of time.

NJPW Destruction in Kobe

New Japan Pro Wrestling
Destruction in Kobe
21st September 2014, World Hall, Kobe.

Hello and welcome to the first New Japan Pro Wrestling supercard in the post #G124 universe of professional wrestling, a world of raised standards and KENTA not being called that anymore. It's a strange place but I think if we navigate it together then we'll have a good old time. Tonight is the first of two Destruction events, mirroring an experiment trialled in February with the New Beginning shows from Osaka and Hiroshima. Whilst those cards did a good house, it was harsh on the wallet for we PPV purchasers and there was a lot more filler to deal with. However, Tuesday's card from Okayama is not on Ustream or Japanese provider NicoNico, so many are touting this as the last stand of NJPW on internet pay-per-view for the time being.

NJPW Road to Destruction: Day 8

New Japan Pro Wrestling
Road to Destruction: Day Eight
15th September 2014, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo

Before we get into the meat of this review it would be remiss of this site to not mention this: between the televised show from the Korakuen on the 5th, NJPW have televised two events from the Destruction tour. Neither show had any particular bearing on storyline but are at least worthy of a recap.

NJPW Road to Destruction: Day 1

New Japan Pro Wrestling
Road to Destruction: Day One
5th September 2014, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo

As a fan of the game known interchangeably as 'football' and 'soccer' I must say that I value the end of season break. Just last year my particular team of choice had something of a rollercoaster ride of a year, resulting in a glum day in North-West London in the realisation that further success had been curtailed for that season. One six hour coach ride of complete gloom later I was home and I began to wind down.

ZERO1 Fire Festival Finals

Pro-Wrestling ZERO1
Fire Festival Day 8
3rd August 2014, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo

Despite not being completely knocked out by the Zero1 event that I reviewed early in July, there were sufficient positives to offer the impression that a good day for Zero1 might be a good day for wrestling. I was also giddily high on the thrills and spills of tournament wrestling offered by New Japan's wildly successful G1 Climax, so reaching down the ladder to a smaller promotion offering the same experience seemed like both a nice thing to do in terms of exposure and personally beneficial to me w/r/t entertainment.

G1 CLIMAX 24: Finals

G1 CLIMAX 24: FINALS
Seibu Dome, Saitama
10th August 2014

int. New Japan headquarters

GEDO: So we need to do something big to sell the tickets for the G1 Final, it's our chance to earn the second and third biggest draws for any wrestling show worldwide in 2014.
  
JADO: I'm on it. You go back to your bandana collection. Anyway, isn't Inoki-san doing a big show in North Korea? 

GEDO: No, that stuff is 100% legit.

both look at camera

Promotion: DONE

So, in spite of them spacing it out and giving us more matches and indeed a separate event for the final match to headline, the G1 Climax 24 Final has rolled around really quickly. Critics all over the place are calling this the best edition of the tournament, the best tournament and the best thing that happened this year in wrestling. I cannot comment to that too heavily having not seen all the G1 Climaxes, all the tournaments nor all the things that have happened this year in wrestling. It is the best that I've seen though.

G1 CLIMAX 24: Day 11

G1 CLIMAX 24: DAY ELEVEN
Bunka Gymnasium, Yokohama
8th August 2014

It's the last day of regular competition at this year's overwhelmingly successful G1 Climax and the names of the finalists are yet to be decided (shocking, I know!). Usually the finals take place right after the final Block matches, meaning that the final night has more people in contention than we have tonight. The downside of that is that more of these matches are 'meaningless', but the upside is that people know that the final is guaranteed to be star-studded and the last run on Seibu Dome tickets can commence.

Here are the brief permutations: in Block A, if Hiroshi Tanahashi wins, he wins the Block. If he loses, the winner of Bad Luck Fale and Shinsuke Nakamura wins. Should Tanahashi lose and Katsuyori Shibata win, Shibata would take the runners-up slot. In Block B, if Okada wins, he wins. If Styles wins and Okada loses, Styles wins. If both lose, Okada wins. Here, courtesy of the amazing @matsu_bomaYe is the potential finalist club having a break.

G1 CLIMAX 24: Day 10

G1 CLIMAX 24: DAY TEN
City Gymnasium, Takamatsu
6th August 2014 

NJPW leaves Honshu for Shikoku, the smallest of the four major islands - and in particular, the city of Takamatsu, reachable by ferry from Kobe. On the boat ride over I daresay many of the workers will look to this blog for spirit and courage and to remind them of of who they're really trying to please here.

RRRRAAAAARRRRGGGHH!

Tonight's card has one marquee match based on their Meltzer-approved tear-up from last year as Katsuyori Shibata takes on Tomohiro Ishii. Their bout in Osaka was utterly heartstopping and is probably one of my favourite matches of all time. I'm not going to pressurise this rubber match (as you'll see later) as Ishii is reportedly hurt but it should be interesting at worst and bloodcurdling at best.

fujiwara armbar investigates: All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW)

An occasional series in which, in a bid to further my spotty knowledge of Japanese wrestling promotions, I watch a recent event and assess whether or not I'd watch regularly given the time, money and ability to access.

Promotion: All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW, sometimes AJP)

Event watched: Summer Action Series Day 8, 27th July 2014, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo.

What did I know about the promotion going in?: A lot. Too much. The extracurricular problems of AJPW in 2014 ensures they're as much a walking soap opera as TNA are in the US.  Much of what I write here will cover the official history too.

G1 CLIMAX 24: Day 9

G1 CLIMAX 24: DAY NINE
Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, Nagoya
4th August 2014

After a barnstorming weekend of two shows that would knock the block off almost anything I've ever seen, the NJPW charabanc rattles into Nagoya, between Tokyo and Osaka and a little farther north of Hamamatsu (Day Six). As well as being an important port city, Nagoya calls itself home to the founder of Toyota, the 1989 World Figure Skating Champion Midori Ito and one of the greatest cruiserweight wrestlers of all: Ultimo Dragon. Dragon-san also helped train current Block B co-leader Kazuchika Okada, who hails from just down the road in Anjo.

Clear leaders at the top of each Block have emerged, though the eventual victors are far from cut and dried. Five men, all at 5-2, will comprise the second half of this show, going out to bat one after the other. The first half of the show contains few who could feasibly enter the winner's circle, but plenty who could yet spoil the party. CHAOS foot soldiers Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii have the night off, which is quite timely for the latter man, who is reported to have seriously duffed up his shoulder.

G1 CLIMAX 24: Day 8

G1 CLIMAX 24: DAY EIGHT
BODYMAKER Colosseum, Osaka
3rd August 2014

It's quite possible that I'm not fully ready for Day 8 after such an excellent show at the Korakuen on the 1st. Reports I've seen online suggested that after cheering themselves into a frenzy for Tenzan-Goto, Styles-Suzuki and Nagata-Shibata, the crowd was pretty much blown out for the main event. I wasn't but I can understand if someone else was: it was insane. People aren't even really talking about Naito-Makabe and it was brilliant.

I SIGNED KENTA RIGHT HERE IN OSAKA JAPAN BROTHA

The wrestlers, hopefully, will have no such problems tonight. They absolutely bloody love their wrestling in Osaka and people who consider such things consider the Osaka crowd for New Japan Pro Wrestling to be the gold standard in worldwide audiences. A little bit smarky, sure - they wrongly hate Naito - but vocal as hell and capable of pushing the in-ring work on to greater heights.

G1 CLIMAX 24: Day 7

G1 CLIMAX 24: DAY SEVEN
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
1st August 2014 

Everybody loves Korakuen Hall, right?

Gym-ski now an then one the coolest places on earth to Rassle Korakuen Hall Tokyo Japan @njpw1972 #G124
— Lance Hoyt/Archer (@LanceHoyt) August 1, 2014

On the site of Tokyo Dome Hall complex is arguably the spiritual home of Japanese wrestling, an approximately 2000 capacity cuboid on the fifth floor of an otherwise unremarkable-looking building. Smaller promotions build to shows at Korakuen to blow off their biggest angles and larger promotions at their most highly-scrutinised time of year still incorporate Korakuen in their schedules because, it seems, that there really isn't another place like it that just seems so perfectly constructed for ring-based sports and pseudo-sports (like boxing).

G1 CLIMAX 24: Day 6

G1 CLIMAX 24: DAY SIX
Act City, Hamamatsu
July 31st 2014

Approximately halfway between Tokyo and Osaka lies Hamamatsu, birthplace of the founder of Honda, they of the frequently product-recalled cars. New Japan had a great house in this very city earlier in the year for an Anniversary tour house show notable for nothing more than a singles victory for Captain New Japan. Last year's G1 also got under way in Hamamatsu, headlined by Prince Devitt cheating his way to victory against then-champion Kazuchika Okada.

Minoru Suzuki hits the saka otoshi on Yujiro Takakashi (credit: Yahoo!)

A couple of rumours have been doing the rounds, possibly a work, on the health of Hiroshi Tanahashi and Togi Makabe. It'll be interesting to see how either bears up, especially Tanahashi given his headline match this evening against the very physically-demanding (but safe!) Tomohiro Ishii. This said, Tanahashi does get the following night off.

G1 CLIMAX 24: Day 5

G1 CLIMAX 24: DAY FIVE
Sun Plaza Hall, Sendai
28th July 2014

Working their way south on Japan's main island in a gigantic NJPW-branded RV are 21 wrestlers all sat in a circle around Shelton X Benjamin wondering how the hell he got so kayfabe good. "What is your secret?", croaks Tomoaki Honma, flipping a casino chip between his knuckles. "Is it luck?" asks the luck anti-magnet Tetsuya Naito. "He'll never be as good as me!" scribbles Hiroshi Tanahashi into the manuscript of his new book. Benjamin gets off his orange crate, muttering something about it being no secret and sorry about your damn luck as he heads to get a Pot Noodle on the go.

Kazuchika Okada with Gedo after losing on Day 4 (credit: Yahoo!)

The last time New Japan passed through these parts was for Day 6 of the 2013 G1 Climax for a very solid night of wrestling (somewhat like Day 2 of this year's edition). Great crowds have greeted the company wherever they have roamed unlike last year's Day 5 disaster in Ishikawa. In addition, a day of rest between the excellent Day 4 and with two full days off until Day 6 offers hope of some matches stretching themselves that extra mile.

G1 CLIMAX 24: Day 4

G1 CLIMAX 24: DAY FOUR
Prefectural Gymnasium, Akita
26th July 2014

Akita, famed for the large breed of hairy mountain dogs whose roots were unearthed in this region, lies on the north-west coast of Honshu. The last major show to visit these parts was a show of the year contender on the 2013 Kizuna Road tour, taking place at the nearby Municipal Gymnasium, with Kazuchika Okada defeating Prince Devitt in front of a hot crowd in the main event. I miss Devitt in New Japan already.

Prince Devitt: don't be a stranger

Things are shaping up now, with Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shelton Benjamin, Hirooki Goto and Kazuchika Okada all undefeated. At the foot of their blocks are Tomoaki Honma and Karl Anderson, both of whom are yet to register a win in three matches apiece. There's still a long way to go and anything can happen and indeed it would be best to suggest that is the case to sell those Seibu Dome tickets!

G1 CLIMAX 24: Day 3

G1 CLIMAX 24: DAY THREE
Yamagata City Sports Center, Yamagata
July 25th 2014

Yamagata is the third stop for the 22 man caravan comprising pretty much everybody in New Japan Pro Wrestling's heavyweight division. It's a mountainous region, which is apt for a cliche about somebody attempting to become the KING of the mountain. Admittedly this particular mountain is an abstract mountain. Shut up Fujiwara.

They're in there, somewhere

On paper, Day Three is something of a curate's egg. Following the well-received first two days, it also has a lot to live up to. However, the three matches that top the card all look like seriously tasty dust-ups between the greats of the last generation and the greats of this one. Where that leaves the stars of tomorrow is anybody's guess. Perhaps Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles, who have the night off, can be tasked with providing coherent answers to that question.

G1 CLIMAX 24: Day 2

G1 CLIMAX 24: DAY TWO
Aomori Prefecture Budokan, Aomori
July 23rd 2014

Aomori, at the northernmost extent of Honshu and birthplace of famed New York Mets pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, plays host to Day Two. The last time NJPW visited the city itself (having been within the Prefecture a couple of times), Rocky Romero's tag partner was Davey Richards, Wataru Inoue wrestled and Yoshihiro Takayama was part of Suzuki-gun. How times change.

Wataru Inoue

With a stacked card and a good house ready for anything, Day One of the 24th G1 Climax delivered in spades. On paper, day two of the tournament appears to be the one with fewest obvious marquee matches, with star names and favourites mostly spread out. However, the momentum has been set and NJPW has delivered this year with an apparently weak card on more than one occasion. Minoru Suzuki and Katsuyori Shibata have been granted the night off to go fishing, have a beer and saka otoshi everyone in sight.

G1 CLIMAX 24: Day 1

G1 CLIMAX 24: DAY ONE
Hokkaido Sports Centre, Sapporo
July 21st 2014

It's time for the previewing and the fantasy booking and the oh-god-is-it-on-Ustream to officially stop. This is it. The commencement of the premier wrestling tournament on earth beyond the annual battle royal at Juggalo Championshit Wrestling contested at the annual Gathering of the Juggalos. 

The NJPW battle bus is at its northernmost destination for this tour, at Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido. The home of the 1972 Winter Olympics and an annual snow festival, the traditionally cool climate is about to get A MASSIVE CLICHE insert something about heat.

Top row (l-r): Smug Foreigner, Weird Sex Man, Burning Man, Crime Boss, Bizarro Sam Malone, RAINMAKER, Swaglord, BITW, Soon To Be X NJPW, Alan Whicker, Son of Anarchy, The Smallest Giant. Bottom row (l-r): Get A Suit!, Tenzan 007, Grumpy Dad, "FUCK OFF", Ferret, Guitar Asshole, Glaucoma Glasses, Salute Dork, Glad To Be Here, Not Glad To Be Here

THE 24TH G1 CLIMAX IN TEN POINTS

Ladies and gentleman and children and dogs be calm even though the greatest multi-day wrestling spectacle is nearly upon us for another year. Soon the world shall not require that 'multi-day' appendage to distinguish itself from Wrestlemania as all shall know of the magnificence of New Japan Pro Wrestling's annual chicken-scratch to discover which of their heavyweight stars will enter the tournament a fearful boy and emerge a broken-but-victorious man.

Actually deserving of lens flare and all those plug-ins

NOAH Great Voyage in Tokyo vol. 2

Pro-Wrestling NOAH
Great Voyage in Tokyo vol. 2
5th July 2014, Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo

Whilst NOAH events aren't exactly easy to get hold of in the present market, if Ustream get their way then they're not much more hard to get hold of than New Japan events will be. As it goes I found that I really enjoyed the event I considered for the "Investigates" piece and felt that it wouldn't be too difficult to add NOAH's bigger shows to a regular reviews cycle. 

Navigation With Breeze seemed like a decent primer if you ignore the whole 'the biggest star is leaving' deal they hit us with in the penultimate match. That said, if you find me routinely proclaiming ignorance then let me apologise in advance. It's the good will that counts, right?

Tonight's main event: Uncle Yuji vs Sullen Goth Nephew (credit: Keeping The Spirit Alive)

fujiwara armbar investigates: Japanese Women Pro-Wrestling Project (JWP)

An occasional series in which, in a bid to further my spotty knowledge of Japanese wrestling promotions, I watch a recent event and assess whether or not I'd watch regularly given the time, money and ability to access.

Promotion: Japanese Women Pro-Wrestling Project (JWP)

Event: Tsubasa Kuragaki 15th Anniversary ~ WINGS!, Shinjuku FACE, Tokyo, 14th October 2013.

What did I know about the promotion going in?: Practically nothing. Whether through deliberate mass self-denial or the lack of quality information and media out there, joshi puroresu in 2014 is not the phenomenon of the late 1980s and early 1990s when legends such as Manami Toyota, Kyoko Inoue, Aja Kong and Bull Nakano routinely tore down houses and enthralled critics into the admission that women's wrestling was much more exciting and visceral than that colossal boob Hulk Hogan and his worn-out routine. 

fujiwara armbar investigates: Wrestle-1 (W-1)

An occasional series in which, in a bid to further my spotty knowledge of Japanese wrestling promotions, I watch a recent event and assess whether or not I'd watch regularly given the time, money and ability to access.

Promotion: Wrestle-1 (W-1)
Event watched: Wrestle-1 Tour "Cherry Blossom", Tokyo Dome City Hall, 4th April 2014.

What did I know about the promotion going in?: Not a significant amount. Head honcho of the promotion is the great Keiji Mutoh aka The Great Muta and many of the workers are taken from the AJPW exodus v2.0, with a sprinkling of talent from W-1's recent annexation of TAJIRI's WNC promotion and a variety of foreigners on excursion from other feds, most notably TNA.

NJPW Kizuna Road (Day 3)

NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING 
KIZUNA ROAD: DAY 3
4th July 2014, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo.

Six days ago we as one united earth family witnessed the passing of the torch in the NEVER division from the greatest wrestler of the last 12 months to one of the most annoying and ultimately insignificant. Many of us put dropping the tertiary title as a sign of a likely push for Tomohiro Ishii (which as time goes on I doubt and expect that the Stone Pitbull has risen as far up the card as can be allowed) but the pain still lingers inside.

fujiwara armbar investigates: Pro-Wrestling NOAH

An occasional series in which, in a bid to further my spotty knowledge of Japanese wrestling promotions, I watch a recent event and assess whether or not I'd watch regularly given the time, money and ability to access.

Promotion: Pro-Wrestling NOAH

Event watched: Navigation With Breeze, Korakuen Hall, May 22nd 2014

What did I know about the promotion going in?: Quite a lot, as it happens. Enough to probably cover the official versions of the history and a couple of things they would want to hide as best as possible. Formed by All Japan ace Mitsuharu Misawa in 2000 after a significant disagreement with its owner, with the assistance of his friends in the AJPW locker room (nearly everyone) and a major television network, the promotion put on some of the biggest shows of the 00s. 

fujiwara armbar investigates: Big Japan Pro-Wrestling (BJW)

An occasional series in which, in a bid to further my spotty knowledge of Japanese wrestling promotions, I watch a recent event and assess whether or not I'd watch regularly given the time, money and ability to access.

Promotion: Big Japan Pro-Wrestling (BJW)
Event watched: BJW 28/4/14 (TV)

What did I know about the promotion going in?: Not a great deal. I knew that BJW had a reputation for keen adherence to the seemingly-passe deathmatch style, the kind of beyond-hardcore matches that require a lot of weaponry and props such as barbed-wire, fluorescent light strips and thumb tacks and very little in the way of what somebody like Les Thatcher would call 'real wrestling'.

fujiwara armbar investigates: Pro-Wrestling ZERO1

An occasional series in which, in a bid to further my spotty knowledge of Japanese wrestling promotions, I watch a recent event and assess whether or not I'd watch regularly given the time, money and ability to access.

Promotion: Pro-Wrestling ZERO1 (ZERO1)

Event watched: True Lies, Korakuen Hall, June 1st 2014

What did I know about the promotion going in?: little bits from here and there. In about 2002 I saw a VHS of their first ever show, which was probably the first full Japanese show I ever sat through. The opener featured Naomichi Marufuji, performing moves now made standard by international exposure but at the time were completely breathtaking. A lot of the card featured worked-shoot matches that seemed to be either a man kicking a man who was on the floor, or two men just rolling around on the floor for what seemed like an eternity. Misawa showed up in the main event and all was fine again.

fujiwara armbar investigates: Inoki Genome Federation (IGF)

An occasional series in which, in a bid to further my spotty knowledge of Japanese wrestling promotions, I watch a recent event and assess whether or not I'd watch regularly given the time, money and ability to access.

Promotion: Inoki Genome Federation (IGF)

Event watched: Inoki-Bom-Ba-Ye, 31st December 2013, Ryōgoku Kokugikan, Tokyo.

What did I know about the promotion going in/what impressions was I led to?: Not a great deal and that which I did know was subject to contradiction, confusion and obfuscation. I knew that IGF was owned by Antonio Inoki and that in his latter days in control of New Japan Pro Wrestling, Inoki-san was more and more overcome with affection for a style of in-ring action with greater degree of verisimilitude vis-a-vis real fighting. No whipping into the ropes and bouncing back; this is more punches, kicks and submissions.

NJPW Kizuna Road (Day 2)

Kizuna Road 

29^th June 2014, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo.

Kizuna (絆) is a kanji word that roughly translates as 'bonds', 'friendship' or 'connections'. Much like the Portguese word 'saudade', the Dutch 'gezellig' and the German term 'heimat', there are certain words that have specific meanings that also have regional connotations that go beyond simple translation; they have deeper meanings that attempt to hint at the deeper condition of the people in the mother language. Kizuna can exist between people separated by oceans and by people who do not know each other, it is the spirit of the people as much as simple friendship or nationhood. It's an oddly profound choice for a wrestling promotion to go with, but it beats the shit out of Payback. 

"I bring you peace" ~ C.Montgomery Burns

fujiwara armbar investigates: Dramatic Dream Team (DDT)

An occasional series in which, in a bid to further my spotty knowledge of Japanese wrestling promotions, I watch a recent event and assess whether or not I'd watch regularly given the time, money and ability to access.

Promotion: DRAMATIC DREAM TEAM (DDT)

Event watched: DDT Max Bump 2014, 29th April 2014, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo

What did I know about the promotion going in?: I knew a little bit. I knew that Kota Ibushi was one of the main players alongside his tag-team partner Kenny Omega. I knew that it was considered a 'comedy' promotion, or at least one with a stronger element of comedy as part of its regular presentation. I was passingly familiar with YOSHIHIKO, a puppet/sex doll treated with absolute reverence that wrestles in multi-person tag team matches.

I also knew a little about the DDT Ironman Heavy Metal Title, defended 24/7, similar enough to the WWE Hardcore Championship, but has been won by inanimate objects such as rice (which was 'pinned' by the roux ladled over it), ladders and posters, as well as by a trio of elementary school girls. Read this. Even if you never bother with the promotion, this is funny.

NJPW Dominion 6.21

Dominion 6.21

21^st June 2014, BODYMAKER Colosseum, Osaka.

The midsummer spectacular of New Japan Pro Wrestling has historically been an explosive affair. Just twelve months ago, Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata continued their boiling bloodfeud in an encounter many take to be the finest of their tear-ups. A flowering boy-prince named Kazuchika Okada was still our champion, defeating To(u)gi Makabe before being challenged by Prince Devitt, who had just downed Hiroshi Tanahashi in the semi-main.

Conversely, this would be the first defeat Tanahashi would suffer at Dominion, having defeated Okada in 2012, Goto in 2011, Yano in 2010 (in a hair vs. hair match that sounds fucking LOL) and the man who shall forever be prefixed with 'veteran' Manabu Nakanishi in 2009 in a 30+ minute encounter are you INSANE?

Don't call it a manifesto, anything but that

This blog will be used to review events put on by New Japan Pro Wrestling (and possibly other Japanese companies). I will not be reviewing classic events and shall aim to record impressions on events moving forward from Dominion 6.21 in 2014 in chronological order.

I will not be using too many images or play-by-play descriptors of the moves utilised by the workers for these can be found elsewhere. Instead, these reviews will be more experiential impressions of the event. There will be no rush to post reviews, as I'd rather be one of the most readable rather than the fastest to update.

No apologies will be made for bias or editorialisation. No effort will be made to cover US promotions.