El Phantasmo has been announced as "coming soon" to New Japan and will be working with the Bullet Club. If you've never seen his work, this Canadian has been working for major companies like PROGRESS, Revolution Pro, Defiant, OTT, ECCW, and more. This is a great move and I encourage you to check him out.
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Match from NJPW New Japan Cup Day One 1.Ishii vs Nagata ***3/4 Thoughts: We've already arrived at the New Japan Cup. This year is going kind of fast, isn't it? While the winner seems pretty obvious, the trip should have some great matches and moments. Night one proved this already, with Ishii taking on Nagata. Both did what they do best; beating the shit out of each other for our amusement. The right guy won, and the action was entertaining. Check this one out if you like hard hitters. Meanwhile, I'll just be in the corner dreaming about the impossible...Tomohiro winning the IWGP Heavyweight belt.
Ronda Rousey has caused a bit of an uproar with the statements said in the above video. These words have further pushed the rumors that she will be departing following Wrestlemania. Several wrestlers have chimed in and multiple media outlets are covering the clip. Fox is apparently looking for WWE to start getting edgier again, which might also be responsible for this.
Match from wXw Road to 16 Carat Gold in Bielefeld 1.Ilja vs Thatcher ***3/4 Thoughts: I hope this sets the tone for the 16 Carat Gold tournament, because Ilja and Thatcher gave us a great match here. In fact, this is the second great battle between the two this year, with a recent PROGRESS clash getting the same rating. They also worked a great five man in wXw recently. Ilja going over once more is noteworthy of course, especially with him signing on with WWE. Keep a closer eye on him that usual during the tournament and consider checking this one out, too.
Match from New Japan 47th Anniversary 1.IWGP Jr Tag Titles: LIJ(c) vs RPG3K ***1/2 2.IWGP Jr Heavyweight Title: Ishimori(c) vs Liger ***3/4 3.Will Ospreay vs Jay White **** Thoughts: New Japan's Anniversary event this year featured three highlight matches. The first saw LIJ drop even more gold, falling to RPG3K in a pretty good tag match. Shingo, the heavyweight who plays a junior on tv, looked fantastic in defeat once more. I wish the reigns were longer in the tag divisions, but this is common for New Japan. Hopefully Shingo gets a shot at singles gold soon. Our second of the night saw Bullet Club's Bone Soldier defending against the legendary Liger. I am still saddened to hear that he is hanging up his boots, but he has given us years of high quality work and I respect his choice. This match was great and really felt like an important defense. Ishimori's reign so far has been very enjoyable. No surprises there. We close with the IWGP Heavyweight Champ and the
PWInsider is reporting that Anderson and Gallows have turned down high offer contract renewals and look to be leaving the WWE this fall. Note that reports claim the Styles has yet to renew, too. Likely landing spots for the Good Brothers include New Japan and AEW.
Match from EVOLVE 120 1.Gargano vs Theory ***1/2 Thoughts: I'll eventually get to watching the EVOLVE stuff I have left over from 2018....right? Anyway, I really do enjoy this company even if I don't watch as often as I do other stuff. I gave Gabe a hard time recently, too, but that's because he's been coming off as fake lately. I get his position, but it doesn't mean I agree completely. As long as the content remains good and the workers are being taken care of, though, I don't really care. So, anyway, building off of the main event from 119 , we have the heart of NXT taking on the rising star of EVOLVE. Really, this was pretty good and I appreciated the level of intensity they showcased. Theory looked hungry to prove his worth once more, stepping up nicely against Gargano. Sadly, the circus show finish lessened the overall match, but I appreciate what they were going for here. Moderately recommended.
Matches from PROGRESS Ch.84 1.PROGRESS Tag Titles: Swords of Essex(c) vs Aussie Open **** 2.PROGRESS Atlas Title: Seven(c) vs Thatcher ***1/2 3.PROGRESS World Title: WALTER(c) vs Ridgeway ***1/4 Thoughts: PROGRESS might have lost some of the aura it once had, but they still pump out some great content. Like EVOLVE, think what you want about them getting into bed with The Empire, but at least they still give talent a place to work and good exposure. Let's start this chapter with tag team action. The Swords of Essex are pretty solid heels here, pushing Aussie Open even further over than usual. The finish was a bit weak, but helps give the champs even more heat. The match was fantastic outside of the closing minute, and was well worth watching. Fletcher was the MVP here. Up next, the Atlas belt was defended against Thatcher who played the calculating challenger well. I wish they would have kept the big lads theme with the strap instead of broadening it so much that now
Match from EVOLVE 119 1.Gargano,Fox vs Theory,Briggs ***1/2 Thoughts: Gabe claims that without their partnership with WWE EVOLVE would be dead. NXT-VOLVE, basically? Regardless of your stance on the friendliness between the two, at least we still get to watch EVOLVE. Right? So, I still have a little bit to watch from 2018. Basically just the second half of Lucha Underground and some EVOLVE stuff. I'm putting off LU because I always hate the idea of being finished with the show, especially knowing now that it might be done for good. EVOLVE is simply because I got behind on the product and haven't had the time. The reviews I am mentioning will likely be posted on in the PWD group but that's just because I am strange. Anyway, this time around Gabe brought in Gargano and teamed him up with AR Fox to take on two names that I am pretty sure will be in NXT sooner than later. WWN Icons versus the New Generation. The outcome was a pretty good match. While a bit
Everyone knows the NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS, and NHL. These are the 5 major US sports leagues after all. But, just like the wrestling indie scene, there are several fun alternatives out there for diehards. Perhaps you hate one of the major league's politics or you just love hockey so much that you want more. Well, this is for you. Included here are five leagues from five different sports and some basic info on each. You could easily consider them the equivalence to an indie fed, and I encourage you to give them a try. -Football: CFL I have been covering the Alliance since they happened to debut around the same time that I started this blog but, when it comes to alternatives to the NFL, you can't beat the CFL. They've existed for over 60 years, and feature a 21 week regular season that starts in June and ends in November. There are some differences from the American version of football, but you'll catch on quickly enough. Watch them stateside on ESPN networks. -Baseball: