Post: #76

Man, Okada vs Suzuki was a straight up SlobberKnocker! I could watch Suzuki slapping the shit out of people forever. Probably the hardest hitting & best booked match of the G1 so far.

Can't wait for the finals this weekend, I'd think Naito edges Tanahashi after Tanahashi has been so beaten down and injured lately. ACE probably needs to drop the belt and get his arm fixed and take a few months off til January anyway.

And Omega has to get a win over Okada now that Okada is at his most beaten down point in the last year right? Would Okada really lose (or draw) 3 matches in a row like this? Or does Okada do enough to hold on for the draw? If Okada does manage to draw he's got to lose to Naito in the finals, that would be a good setup for the Dome match. Or does Kenny win it all and challenge Okada for the belt ONE MORE TIME?!

It looks like Naito vs Omega finals to me, can Kenny be a 2-Time, 2-Time G1 Champion and fulfill his destiny? Or is Naito gonna cruise to the Dome and fulfill his DESTINO? SO many fun possibilities!

Post: #77

(05-22-2017 08:29 PM)Chowder Head Wrote:  Jinder Mahal is the new champ? What the H!!!!

Definitely the biggest surprise of 2017. I remember when he was a jobber/rolling in the 3MB stable back in 2013. I'd like to see Nakamura take the title at SummerSlam.

Post: #78

(08-09-2017 03:22 PM)DamienCasanova Wrote:  Can't wait for the finals this weekend, I'd think Naito edges Tanahashi after Tanahashi has been so beaten down and injured lately. ACE probably needs to drop the belt and get his arm fixed and take a few months off til January anyway.

It looks like Naito vs Omega finals to me, can Kenny be a 2-Time, 2-Time G1 Champion and fulfill his destiny? Or is Naito gonna cruise to the Dome and fulfill his DESTINO? SO many fun possibilities!

Okada vs. Naito in the finals, can't say that I'm surprised. This entire tournament was unpredictably predictable, but NJPW excels in that sort of booking.

Omega and Okada are tied in terms of pinfall victories over one another, which means a Rubber Match comes at some point down the line. If it comes at Wrestle Kingdom XII, everything will come full circle, with Omega's popularity being thrice-fold what is was in 2017. However I don't see Omega becoming a double champion when the purpose of him holding the US Title is to expand into the West. Therefore, I'd say, boldly so, that Naito gets his revenge pinfall on Omega. Naito technically put a lid on his feud with Tanahashi yesterday and can only stand to gain more traction. He first won the belt at Invasion Attack 2016, and was the hottest act in wrestling for a minute.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Testuya Natio:
Ryōgoku Sumo Hall
Invasion Attack 2016
IWGP Heavyweight Championship




I foresee Bullet Club becoming more prominent in the states, while Naito and the Los Ingobernables run shit in the East.

Post: #79

G1 Climax 27 is the Greatest Pro-Wrestling tournament I've ever seen. This sheer talent that went into this G1 reflected in venue attendance, industry acclaim and match ratings. NJPW is showcasing what the industry should shift towards if it means to survive or flourish in a time with more enticing alternatives. Wrestling has the advantage of controlling outcome, obviously an absent factor in combat sports. Another key difference being: wrestlers(in Puroesu) have free reign to do what they please from bell to bell. It's become clear that mainstream WWE actively stifles the style/creativity of their performers to fit a desired mold.

This tournament had huge implications, and must've tickled many a pickle on the other side of the world. The generation of WWE talent from the FCW and WWECW era are being noticeably overlooked. After all, each and every talent that steps into the Performance Center is there to "take a spot". TNA defectors and Indy Darlings are doing that quite well. What few remain of that era will likely find prosperity on the independents and/or NJPW I predict. The most important being Daniel Bryan, who I'm sure is wishing for his contract to have expired, yesterday.


G1 GIFs for to skeet to:

Post: #80

Wow, the semis and final for the G1 were incredible, this has to be one of the best runs of any wrestling company ever. There was just about a 5-star match on every show of the tournament, so many great ones it's hard to even make a top 10 or 20. Naito vs Ibushi, Ibushi vs Tanahashi, Tana vs Nagata, Tana vs Ishii, Elgin vs Omega, Omega vs EVIL, Okada vs EVIL, Okada vs Suzuki...I could go on

All 3 of the semis delivered HUGE, Tanahashi vs Naito was an excellent end to their series of matches this year, Okada vs Omega was damn near 6-stars again. The final was just fuckin bonkers, with the crazy shit they hit each other with it's a miracle no one was paralyzed after that match. I've definitely got to go back and watch a few of these classics again. What a great time to be a puro fan.

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Post: #82

KENTA & Taiji Ishimori vs. Kota Ibushi & Naomichi Marufuji
Summer Navigation '07 7/15/07
Nippon TV Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League 2007





Rating:





Review: GIFs aren't from the match, but you get that shit with every KENTA fight. This tag match was the first match of KENTA's that I ever saw. Right during NOAH's glory days when Mitsuhara Misawa still lived. Much like other Puroesu Tag Leagues, the tournament throws together two independent wrestlers into pairs along with standard Tag Teams. These two teams were both makeshift pairs; at some points its as if two matches are occurring simultaneously.

Overall the match reflects the standard of quality that came out of NOAH shows in the 2000's. Unrivaled, stiffened wrestling that would do great numbers in Japan's arenas. These years were the pinnacle of NOAH's popularity, shows just two years prior outselling what even NJPW is doing in the Tokyo Dome today.

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Post: #85

Juice is growing on me just for his crazy bumps

And that Cesaro/Sheamus vs Ambrose/Rollins tag match was wild too, Cesaro is a badass for finishing that shit.

Post: #86

(09-29-2017 10:23 AM)DamienCasanova Wrote:  Juice is growing on me just for his crazy bumps

His bumps are what he was good for in NXT. He was essentially an enhancement guy and wasn't meant for anything else. Glad to see him making progress over in the East.

(09-29-2017 10:23 AM)DamienCasanova Wrote:  And that Cesaro/Sheamus vs Ambrose/Rollins tag match was wild too, Cesaro is a badass for finishing that shit.

Claudio is the shit:

Post: #87

Wow, that Ric Flair 30 for 30 "Nature Boy" was absolutely incredible. It was powerful & funny, then sad & heart-wrenching, especially after his son's death...went through all the emotions on that one. Sad to see his relationship with his parents caused him so much grief, especially since they were "theater people" and still couldn't find respect for Wrestling's form of violent theater, but it does explain his Natural acting ability. Sad to see how he was more of his son's friend then father, and he essentially let his son party himself to death and OD on heroin. Some of the shit Hogan, HBK, HHH, Taker were saying about him was just nuts too, incredible stories. He slept with over 10,000 women, drank everyday for decades, and influenced and inspired generations of men. Wrestling is his obsession, his love, his addiction, his entire life...he lived it all 100%. Flair is just the greatest ever, there will never be another like him.

They announced the Wrestle Kingdom card too, featuring Okada vs Naito for the belt, Tanahashi vs Jay White for the IC belt and the big surprise is Chris Jericho is facing Omega for the US Title, should be another killer show.

And AJ Styles won the WWE belt again, setting up him vs Lesnar at Survivor Series, can't wait for that!

Post: #88

(11-08-2017 01:39 PM)DamienCasanova Wrote:  Wow, that Ric Flair 30 for 30 "Nature Boy" was absolutely incredible. It was powerful & funny, then sad & heart-wrenching, especially after his son's death...went through all the emotions on that one.

ESPN laughed at wrestling for years: they were too respectable to cover a fake sport, etc. But now that ESPN is losing money, we see wrestling on their channel. Ha! Hypocrites to the very end. Yesterday they were a debutante with her nose in the air; today, they're a two-dollar whore in search of a John.

In memory of some classic wrestling...Dynamite Kid versus Tiger Mask:

Post: #89

I actually lost interest in pro wrestling back in 2005, when Cena got drafted to RAW, although the upcoming Kenny Omega vs Chris Jericho match did get me interested.

It's a good thing hockey is serious business all over Canada or this match would had caused Civil War in Winnipeg!

Post: #90

(11-13-2017 02:40 PM)MajorStyles Wrote:  

(11-08-2017 01:39 PM)DamienCasanova Wrote:  Wow, that Ric Flair 30 for 30 "Nature Boy" was absolutely incredible. It was powerful & funny, then sad & heart-wrenching, especially after his son's death...went through all the emotions on that one.

ESPN laughed at wrestling for years: they were too respectable to cover a fake sport, etc. But now that ESPN is losing money, we see wrestling on their channel. Ha! Hypocrites to the very end. Yesterday they were a debutante with her nose in the air; today, they're a two-dollar whore in search of a John.

In memory of some classic wrestling...Dynamite Kid versus Tiger Mask:

It's true, it's damn true. It's funny how WWF changing to WWE was so far ahead of it's time, they gave up the "sports" image and changed to Sports Entertainment over 2 decades ago, while ESPN always tried to be the serious CNN-style sports news show. And ironically much like CNN, ESPN has devolved into being mostly sensationalist emotional garbage like TMZ Sports. I can't find the quote but i'm pretty sure Vince has claimed TMZ is basically a logical extension of the news using WWE's formula.

Today ESPN the "Entertainment & Sports Programming Network" is more like a therapy session for emotional SJWs, as they have lessened their sports coverage in favor of more "emotional" shows and reporting of "human interest pieces".

I'd say WWE created the recipe for TV conflict that you see on all the big reality shows and news network talk show panels today, with their manufactured drama and panelists from both sides cutting promos on each other it's straight out of WWE's playbook. First they all laughed at him and stuck their noses in the air as you say, now all of cable TV emulates his work.

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Post: #93

AS a wrestling-mind and writer, Russo really has been exposed as a hack- but the video was entertaining.

Post: #94

Anyone watching Mania today?

Post: #95

Yes staying up to watch it in the UK

It's an annual tradition

Post: #96

Jeez I had no idea this footage existed. It is Jim Cornette yelling at a Dairy Queen employee because he had ordered a large order of food and the worker thought he was joking. Cornette loses it and gets out of the car to yell at her.





Its a 6 minute video but most of the good stuff is in the first 2 minutes.

Post: #97

(11-29-2018 08:49 PM)eradicator Wrote:  Jeez I had no idea this footage existed. It is Jim Cornette yelling at a Dairy Queen employee because he had ordered a large order of food and the worker thought he was joking. Cornette loses it and gets out of the car to yell at her.





Its a 6 minute video but most of the good stuff is in the first 2 minutes.

This clip is a classic. I also think a young Chris Jericho and Lance Storm are in the car.

Post: #98

Dynamite kid died earlier today, they aren't releasing the cause of death. He was abusing steroids, confined to a wheelchair, was a total psycho out of the ring when he was active. Died on his 60th birthday. Good work in the ring, weak promos, and was generally an asshole for taking ribs too far. Good riddance to a great wrestler.

For good measure, here is Raymond Rougeau's account of the offscreen feud between his brother and Dynamite Kid





I tend to believe Raymond's account of it. Though I do think it's pretty shitty to use a roll of quarters

Post: #99

Here is another 30 minute Jim Cornette rant on one of his workers in SMW. Oh my.