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.