Cyrus is my favorite heel announcer of all time (yes, even more than Heenan & Ventura). He was just so sleazy, but also knowledgeable about what he was calling & could really put over the guys in the ring while also dumping on the babyfaces without hurting them.
Last Edit: Jan 17, 2017 13:21:50 GMT -5 by VyperJMc
Anybody else excited about the Fantastica Mania shows this weekend? They aren't the biggest part of the New Japan schedule or anything, but they're usually very fun shows. It's a different atmosphere for New Japan with all the lucha guys on the show.
Night 1 (which is happening in about 4 hours) has two potentially awesome matches on top with Takahashi vs Titan, and Dragon Lee vs Cavernario.
On night 2 I think the Soberano/KUSHIDA/Taguchi vs Cavernario/Okada/Ospreay match could turn out to be a real sleeper. Soberano is probably CMLL's most talented undercard guy. And he could be looking to make a name for himself in Japan. I could see him and Ospreay doing spectacular things together.
Night 3 has the Lee/Titan vs Takahashi/BUSHI match, which could be incredible if it turns out to be anything more than a glorified angle to set up the Lee/Takahashi title match. And the the two main events should be fun showcases for the high flying tecnicos.
On night 2 I think the Soberano/KUSHIDA/Taguchi vs Cavernario/Okada/Ospreay match could turn out to be a real sleeper. Soberano is probably CMLL's most talented undercard guy. And he could be looking to make a name for himself in Japan. I could see him and Ospreay doing spectacular things together.
Haven't seen the show yet, but it looks like I was right.
So, apparently Meltzer gave Naito vs Elgin from New Beginning 5 stars? I thought it was a really good match, but about 10 minutes too long, and overly reliant on repetitive and unconvincing false finishes. I don't take star ratings that seriously, but I don't think I've ever disagreed with Dave more than I do on this one. I'd like to get somebody else's opinion on the matter. Am I way off? Did anybody else think it was that great?
So, apparently Meltzer gave Naito vs Elgin from New Beginning 5 stars? I thought it was a really good match, but about 10 minutes too long, and overly reliant on repetitive and unconvincing false finishes. I don't take star ratings that seriously, but I don't think I've ever disagreed with Dave more than I do on this one. I'd like to get somebody else's opinion on the matter. Am I way off? Did anybody else think it was that great?
Here is the match in question. I haven't had time to check it out yet, but Dave really put it over huge on his review of the show. The 5 star rating didn't surprise me with all the praise he was giving, though I have no opinion of my own yet.
Side thought - has there been a year with this many highly rated matches in such a short span of time? One 6-star, one 5-star, a handful of 4 3/4 star matches...good time to be a wrasslin' fan.
Scary news. I've been a fan of Honma's work since his early days in BJW. And he's been one of the most entertaining wrestlers in the world the past few years in NJPW. Hope it's not a bad as it sounds.
Scary news. I've been a fan of Honma's work since his early days in BJW. And he's been one of the most entertaining wrestlers in the world the past few years in NJPW. Hope it's not a bad as it sounds.
That's some terrifying news. I hope he's okay. Losing Honma would be a blow to the wrestling world, as he's a consistently great performer - both in entertainment and work rate.
An update on the situation with Katsuyori Shibata. Unfortunately the news appears to be very bad and that the injuries are not storyline. This is not 100 percent because there are many situations historically where this could be just storyline or a cover for something else, but it appears this is the case and that a combination of dehydration and the trauma of the legitimately skull-on-skull head-butt hospitalized him and at this point it is believed he will never be cleared to wrestle. He is currently in the hospital and is awake, can carry on a conversation, has some memories of the match itself. He initially had some right side paralysis but that is getting better.
An update on the situation with Katsuyori Shibata. Unfortunately the news appears to be very bad and that the injuries are not storyline. This is not 100 percent because there are many situations historically where this could be just storyline or a cover for something else, but it appears this is the case and that a combination of dehydration and the trauma of the legitimately skull-on-skull head-butt hospitalized him and at this point it is believed he will never be cleared to wrestle. He is currently in the hospital and is awake, can carry on a conversation, has some memories of the match itself. He initially had some right side paralysis but that is getting better.
Well, shit. Kind of hard to enjoy that match now.
First Honma, now this. When I first heard about the subdural hematoma, it scared me. People die from that. The full-on headbutt, while incredible to see, should have been banned a long time ago. I know things work differently in Japan, but hopefully this opens some eyes.
A Block Jushin Thunder Liger Ricochet Dragon Lee Will Ospreay Marty Scurll Taichi Taka Michinoku Hiromu Takahashi
B Block Tiger Mask Ryusuke Taguchi KUSHIDA Volador Jr ACH Kanemaru Desperado BUSHI
A Block is stacked! Think about the matchups. Ricochet vs Dragon Lee. Scurll vs Takahashi. Ospreay vs Takahashi. Not to mention the Ricochet/Ospreay and Lee/Takahashi rematches.