Wrestle Kingdom 1 Match by Match Series: 3rd Match By Jim Rohan on Feb 8, 2021, 1:55am EST +
In November 2006, NJPW President Simon Inoki and AJPW President Keiji Mutoh conducted a press conference in the centre of the Tokyo Dome to announce the first Wrestle Kingdom event. It was promoted as a celebration of the upcoming 35th anniversary for both companies with a unique opportunity for cross-over matches, wherein both the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the Triple Crown Championship would be defended. Riki Choshu has taken the reigns as head booker and is tasked with leading NJPW out of the dark ages , as they are so often referred to.
The Rivalry That Launched Inoki-ism (Part One) By Jim Rohan on Jan 15, 2021, 7:32pm EST 3
There is one feud in particular that leads us into the Inoki-ism era and that is the rivalry between Shinya Hashimoto and Naoya Ogawa. Hashimoto, alongside Masahiro Chono and Keiji Muto, formed The Three Musketeers whilst on excursion in 1988. The trio returned to New Japan shortly thereafter and quickly began to climb up the rankings in their home promotion. With an amateur background in judo and karate, Hashimoto introduced a martial artist gimmick wherein he utilised shoot striking techniques in his pro-wrestling matches. This lead to Hashimoto taking part in worked mixed martial arts-like bouts in New Japan called ‘Different Style Fights’ – shoot-style pro-wrestling being popular in Japan at the time with rival promotion Union of Wrestling Forces International (more on UWFI here). His style led to success – he first won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 1993 and by
Running (Late) Commentary on the first night of New Japan s Wrestle Kingdom 15 By Jim Rohan on Jan 9, 2021, 9:31pm EST +
Welcome to my running commentary on how the night went down inside the Tokyo Dome on the 4th January 2021. Apart from these opening sentences – and an edit here and there – this was written as I watched the event unfold. If you would prefer to listen to my comments (and some of the same jokes) you can do so here:
Preamble: The show finally begins! It appears to only be floor seating in the stadium but there are still a lot of people there and it is bound to fill out a little more. Only Kevin Kelly and Chris Charlton on commentary at first, I wonder if that means Rocky is in the opener.