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 […]
Happy new year! As the clock rolls over there are many ways to celebrate. You could for instance, stay up late and watch the pyro display. Or you could wake up early and catch the first sunrise of the year (a Japanese custom known as hatsu hinode, something that I’ve found is a lot easier in the northern hemisphere during […]
Well after last week’s brush with the mainstream – I needed to keep to form with some obscure Japanese indy stuff. I don’t know the name of the song. I don’t know the artist. But what I do know is that this theme slaps! I also know a little about the guy who uses it so while we’re here… Ayato […]
Well the Roadtrip Music series is back and for the comeback edition, I’d like to highlight someone who has just recently made an incredible comeback. Jungle Kyona! A Fuka-era Stardom trainee, Kyona began her career in World Wonder Ring Stardom in 2015. Her name “Jungle” Kyona draws on time she spent in the African nation of Senegal prior to becoming […]
Born: February 20, 1943 (Kanji Inoki) | Birthplace: Yokohama, JapanDied: October 1, 2022 (Systemic transthyretin amyloidosis)Billed Weight: 224 lbs Other Aliases: Tokyo Tom, Little Tokyo, Mr. Kazimoto Antonio (Kanji) Inoki was born on February 20, 1943 in Yokohama, Japan. From a young age, he excelled at sports and athletics. In the sixth grade, he was taught karate by an older […]
‘Tis the season! G1 season, that is. This past weekend New Japan Pro Wrestling kicked off the 32nd annual G1 Climax tournament. In recent years NJPW has used licensed music as the main theme for the tournament. We’ve covered the 2018 theme in this series. But throughout the event the promotion has used a bumper theme that over time has […]
We’re back on the road after a bit of a tech-induced break and this week we’re taking a look behind the forbidden door and the AEWxNJPW crossover show. As mentioned in the cast – check out “Dazzler Dunlop: Inside My Squared Circle” by Australian wrestler Ken Dunlop. Available from the publisher or other places you’d buy a book. Email us […]
As of writing Chris Jericho and Eddie Kingston have been feuding in AEW. Genichiro Tenryu’s name has been thrown around a few times as Jericho once worked for him in the WAR promotion in Japan, and Eddie Kingston takes inspiration from him. The link is tenuous, but bear with me – we’re talking Tenryu today. To some, Genichiro Tenryu (pronounced […]
Violent brawler? West Texas University alumni? Beloved in Japan? One could be forgiven for thinking I’m talking about last week’s edition with Terry Funk – but this man ticks many of the same boxes. It’s Stan “The Lariat” Hansen. Stan Hansen started his career in the territories but it wasn’t long before he hit upward momentum. He debuted 1973 and […]
This week on the roadtrip we take a look at one of the themes of AEW’s latest acquisition – Toni Storm! The Roadshow is an Australian-based website and podcast and we’re no strangers to the career of Toni Storm here. In fact – we remember when she was just Storm! So you can imagine my shock when she turned up […]
