Mike Grindle @MikeGrindle
Some of you may remember from last week’s edition of ‘my week in wrestling’ I mentioned how Japanese promotion AJPW were having problems with their on demand service. Well this week they finally managed to fix the issue, which meant I was able to catch up to speed with their recent ‘Dynamite Series’ tour.
The tour was bookended by two big singles matches for Triple crown champion Kento Miyahara, a title defence against rising Gaijin Dylan James and a non title match against the recently returned Jake Lee. Dylan James hadn’t really been booked as a credible challenger to Miyahara leading up to his title shot, and the low Korakuen Hall attendance reflected this.
Still the former Zero1 champion Dylan had a good showing against the champ in a losing effort, and he continues to show that he has the potential to be AJPW’s next top monster Gaijin (a spot currently held by former triple crown champ Joe Doering).
Jake Lee on the other hand is seemingly being positioned as Miyahara’s top rival, recently forming his own faction and getting a fair share of hype. I really want to like Jake Lee and he has potential, but I often find myself underwhelmed by his performances. The problem with a Jake Lee match is often most apparent in the first 10 minutes; his almost goofy stance and posture, coupled with one dimensional selling and acting doesn’t exactly scream championship material. Once the match enters its second half and he’s settled down it’s clear he has the fundamentals to get the job done, and such was the case in his Miyahara match (which Miyahara also won), but the star quality just isn’t there right now. Thankfully All Japan’s glacier speed pushes means he does have time to improve before it’s sink or swim, and he’s much better than he was a few years back, so we’re see how things develop.
Outside of that the only other wrestling I caught this week was the opening night of the G1 Climax. While it wasn’t quite as good as last year’s opening night of action, it was a decent show all in all and laid the groundwork for several storylines and narratives that will no doubt unravel over the course of the tournament and beyond.
Laura Mauro @LauraNMauro
My week in wrestling has revolved almost exclusively around the first night of NJPW’S G1 Climax. I’m a big fan of Roppongi 3K as a team but have to admit that, based on their performance on Night One, a full-length Sho vs Yoh singles match has the potential to be pretty fantastic (and it’s fun to see Yano getting to actually wrestle for a change). The clash between Suzuki-Gun and Kota Ibushi/Yujiro Takahashi did a great job of building the anticipation for the upcoming Ibushi/ZSJ B-block match (and the Michinoku Driver is a welcome addition to ZSJ’s arsenal). As for the actual meat and bones of the tournament – YOSHI-HASHI surprised me by showing considerable fire against Makabe, and while I’m not a great lover of DQ finishes, Page/Fale at least laid the groundwork for the next chapter of the ongoing Bullet Club saga. (Though I must confess, I’m a little burned out on Bullet Club right now…) It was an interesting choice to have Suzuki fall to Tanahashi, but potentially an inspired one – Tanahashi does ‘fighting back against the odd’ so well it’s hard not to find it compelling, and Suzuki – wounded, angry, and on the back foot – is now more dangerous than ever. As for Jay White – he’s become such an effective heel that I find myself actively looking forward to his matches now.
Outside of NJPW, NXT continues to be consistently enjoyable – I particularly enjoy watching Candice LeRae’s transition from ‘Johnny Gargano’s Wife’ (a role I hated seeing her in) and the acknowledgement of this as part of the storyline is a clever touch. I’m not convinced by Vanessa Borne, but she looked better against Kairi Sane than she has previously, so there may be potential there yet. Meanwhile, Aleister Black’s interaction with Gargano was pitch-perfect, showcasing the best of Black’s character, and the Moustache Mountain/Undisputed Era main event was a suitably epic coda to their recent rivalry – showcasing both A grade wrestling from all four competitors, and an in-ring story so compelling I found myself shouting at the TV. A potential Match Of The Year in my book.
Ciaran James @TheCiaranJames
I again for the the second consecutive week decided to miss WWE programming. Which now feels like another blessing, to still keep track of what is going on I read up on reviews and listened to PWTorch’s analysis of the content. The only brand I actively watch is NXT, which again is far superior to WWE’s main roster offering. The match between Undisputed Era and Moustache Mountain has to be seen, without argument one of the best tag team matches in 2018.
I was immensely looking forward to this years NJPW G1 event, which kicked of yesterday morning UK time. It was more a day for individual performances, Michael Elgin, Jay White, Okada and Bad Luck Fale all stood out and had some great showings. Jay White in particular has stepped up in the last week, showing great confidence and ring skill he looks ready to take Okada’s throne…let’s wait and see how their relationship takes shape following G1.
I’ve yet to catch Day 2 but it’s on my agenda for this evening (Extreme Rules you say!) From the reviews so far I’m very much looking forward to Omega/Naito and Sabre/Ibushi.
This week Kamikaze Pro started to make announcements for their next show ‘Truth Or Consequences’ next Sunday in Birmingham. I have to say how impressed I am with the company, I started attending their events a year ago and I’ve yet to attend a bad one. From their own roster, guest wrestlers and academy graduates they can stake claim to being one for the best companies in the United Kingdom.
One more thing I want to mention is the continued demise of WWE’s on screen content, from what I read, listen to and catch glimpses of the product seems worse than ever. I really think it’s time that WWE’s hardcore fan base turn off from RAW & SDLive, in protest to the absolute abysmal booking and lack of direction WWE are currently on.
Liam Byrne @tvtimelimit
My week in wrestling has been all about projects. Whether they are projects I’m undertaking, projects that I plan to do in the future or projects that’ll find their way to PWJ in time, it has definitely been a week where I’m starting to take stock of where my next steps lay.
I’m currently working on Volume Four of Tracking the Territories, with the main show this week that I saw from Mid-South where Magnum TA lost the North American Heavyweight to Ernie Ladd. With a champion who – as Bill Watts mentioned at the start of the contest – is one year older than the retired owner of the company, you had to question that decision. You also had to question the decision of Ricky Morton to demonstrate the straitjacket match the Rock and Roll Express wanted Jim Cornette to wear in an upcoming gimmick match against the Midnight Express by putting it on Robert Gibson. Unsurprisingly, the Midnights attacked the moment it was on and gave the champions a good kicking.
As I plan to finish by Christmas, a project that has taken two years will leave a sizeable gap in terms of my watching and writing. Due to this, I have started to consider where I go next with my writing, especially as there are a) so many great eras of wrestling to talk about, and b) not a million great books about wrestling. Whilst these books are mainly reviews, the next book I plan to write will be more narrative in style as I look forward to the opportunity to do a deep dive into the footage and research from wrestling’s great history.
Another potential project, or at least content that will end up on the website, has begun to have the wheels set in motion as I’ve spent the week e-mailing some of the brightest stars of the UK and European scene for interviews. Hopefully, the first interview that I’ve sought will be out within the next few weeks.
I used to watch a lot of New Japan throughout the years, but having debated watching the G1 Climax in full – something I haven’t done in a long time – I realised that a big chunk of it falls during a holiday I had already booked. Unfortunately, it is also a holiday that falls across Riptide Wrestling’s PRIDE series of shows and wXw’s Shortcut To The Top event, so I’ll have a lot of wrestling to catch up on when I return to these shores.
