Ramblings of an Englishman

I seem to have stumbled into constantly fantasy booking and speculating on New Japan and its future recently. It’s no real surprise given the rebuilding that New Japan needs in terms of its talent and roster given retirements and talents leaving over the past few years it allows wide open debate about how is the next top guy or top guys. One of the things that likely also needs looking at is who is that top foreign star post Zack Sabre Jr (ZSJ). Arguably since the signing of AJ Styles 2014 New Japan has always looked to position at least one non Japanese wrestler from a western country at the top or around the top of its card normally with them in big featured matches and winning titles and at least the world title at some point. Starting with AJ Styles and then followed with the likes of Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay and then Zack Sabre Jr New Japan always wants one guy near the top of the card but isn’t afraid to also add depth with other talents from America and other countries. If it w...

With this current crop of Young Lions fresh from excursion we have had a large boost to the Heavyweight division. It does now seem our next group will all be juniors as they are all currently under 225 pounds. It has lead to me thking, with the rebuild of the heavyweight scene then the next junior division glut of talent is fast approaching.  With Kosei Fujita coming through, Francesco Akira continues to be great year on year and DOUKI stepping up to be a real champion of note who is the next ace? Today I want to pitch an idea to cement Master Wato as that guy. My hopes were dashed when KUSHIDA left that it would be SHO who then in turn ended up in House of Torture, never had a good match again and won the belt via countout. So out with that idea it's done lets go with former besto f the super juniors winner Master Wato. I do feel with Wato that he name and presentation allows for a very clear growth from where he is to what he could become. I think in his recent match with DOUKI a...

Another year, another Full Gear. It's weird that I really don't remember much of last years show outside of the Texas Death Match and people really hating the main event. Regardless I've quite liked the build to the show I know I feel like that isn't a common thought. The Mox title run I have enjoyed but I have to be honest I still see the main event as a filler for Darby to win the belt a Worlds End but we will see.  Again the pre-show seems thrown together last minute with just a good match for the sake of a good match (which I am fine with) so not real need to comment on it. I will speak on 'The Costco Guys' it is a thing I don't understand but if it leads to more people watching the show and buying tickets then it is a plus for AEW in the end. It might not be for me but I can't disagree on doing this considering the potential reach. Main Card: AEW World Tag Team Championship Match: Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen) (c) vs. The Outrunners (T...

Following on from my previous booking post on Shota Umino I've caught a bug for fantasy booking. One of the main issues I think is with pushing Gabe Kidd. Now this isn't a case of the person themselves I think Gabe Kidd is great and clearly so do New Japan I mean January 5th he is facing Kenny Omega in the Tokyo Dome it is more of the face I wonder if New Japan will go full force in gabe Kidd when he isn't the main guy in his stable? Sure we have had times when the non leader of a group has won the big one like Shingo as World Heavyweight Champion but it isn't a regular thing. So how do you have two big faces of a faction deal with each other. Well maybe finally we actually have a real Bullet Club Civil War for once.  Having always been teased with Kenny and Cody and then Kenny and Tama Tonga but never really happening I think it is time to do as such. Forget Rouge Army and House of Torture (if they still count) this is a story using simply the War Dogs and the Main Bul...

The road to the Tokyo Dome is long and winding and when it came out the main event would be Zack Sabre Jr vs. Shota Umino it felt like a lot of fans did not want Shota Umino in that role. For many a spot and role too soon, for others a corner New Japan booked into. Many see Shota Umino as the appointed next ace of New Japan following the end of Hiroshi Tanahashi's career on January 4th 2026. I think that New Japan have the chance to tell a great story with Shota Umino and personally I would like to outline how I would go about it. As the man with the main event of the Tokyo Dome and being rejected due to it, looking to cement his place at the tope of the card but not seen as that ace, Shota Umino isn't the next Hiroshi Tanahashi he is the next Tetsuya Naito. Right now Shota Umino is in that feeling as Naito did when he declared himself the Shuyaku (the main persona of New Japan) and met with fan rejection, a vote to remove his main event match from that position and then stumbl...

Earlier this year I made mention of various things I would like to see New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) to do and I felt with the end of G1 us being close to Wrestle Kindgom and Wrestle Dynasty I thought I'd give my thoughts about New Japan as a whole going into 2025 and honestly why I think this year can be entered with optimism but I think calls for caution should be understodd. Starting with a negative and man that World Tag League line up is not a positive. We have two old men juniors in Jado and Taka Michinoku on teams and another Junior Heavyweight in Taguchi in the tournament, Tsuji & Shingo as a team meaning no Zandokan Jr and the fact they are in major titles matches at Wrestle Kingdom already means they won't win and feels a wasted spot. Perhaps the main issue or point of contention is that Zack Sabre Jr (ZSJ) & Shota Umino are in it despite being the Wrestle Kingdom main event so you know their tag partners are taking the pins and while ZSJ took his G1 climax w...

Moving onto the third PPV in roughly 9 weeks I'm beginning to feel burned out on these reviews. I'd be honest combined with Grand Slam there has just been no time really to build to this show outside a few matches. A lot feels thrown together last minute but I expect this is a good card the talent on the card normally deliver but I won't be covering the build on TV just the matches. Zero Hour Much like All Out I won't be breaking down match by match. It is good to see Atlantis Jr enjoyed him in World Tag league the other year and hope to see more, I'd watch more CMLL but I ain't paying all that Youtube premium stuff. Anna Jay seems better but I still think she needs more of a Japan run, do STARDOM have a tag league? That would be also a benefit. I think it is time for The Acclaimed to be done again if they ain't turning or winning the belt then what is the point time for Bowens singles run. Speaking on tag teams I love The Outrunners give them a sustained ru...

As we head into September we find ourselves 2 weeks removed from All In ready for All Out. I really feel that these PPV's are too close together it's only been 2 weeks and I still yearn to go back to Wembley. I feel there's not enough time to fully build a card and it honestly relies on two or three key feuds that didn't get a blow off on All In. Lukcily I feel these are strong feuds with added matches that you can expect quaility. AEW is a company that works it's best bell to bell and with PPVs that is what you get so let's break down the card and see what I enjoyed.  Zero Hour Breaking from tradition I won't break the buy in show match for match. This is largely as these were thrown together last minute so I'll just say a few things about what I liked. Beginning with before any matches I want to start with how great Hologram and The Beast Mortos are, I guess we are getting a Hologram extended universe if The Clone/El Clone trademarks are anything to go...

  I started writing this on my way to work the Thursday after All In, I didn’t want my thoughts to be wrapped in hyperbole as for the second year in a row I attended the show. However, I find myself unable to shake that and truly believe this is one of AEW best shows they have done.  I won’t break the show down match by match I feel it’s different being their live to watching on TV. For example, pretty sure I missed half of last years Stadium Stampede because there’s just too much going on and too many places to look. But I will say for a PPV card it flowed so much better than last year. This could be because of the build to All In being more fleshed out this year headed by a main event where someone puts their career on the line over two friends fighting.  I do think as expected Ospreay vs. MJF and Swerve vs. Danielson were the stand out matches. I will honestly say that Swerve vs. Danielson was one of the best matches in AEW history and is for sure the best match I’ve e...

 New Japan Pro Wresting is in a transitional period. Gone is the peak of the 2010s and the Okada and Tanahashi feud, the rise of Los Ingobenarbles De Japon (L.I.J) and the various other peaks we are now in a state of flux. The old guard are even older, top stars have left in Okada, Will Ospreay and Jay White and with Naito looking closer and closer to retirement New Japan needs to change and evolve with its young roster to pick back up a bit of momentum.  I’d love to sit here today and say the way to change New Japan back to its peak to get rid of the likes of EVIL and David Finlay and replace them with the likes of Kaito Kiyomiya and Luke Jacobs but that is an unlikely thing to happen. I wanted to outline some key changes I’d like look at implementing with the current roster which I feel would help reestablish New Japan as a force in the pro wrestling world despite really being the third biggest company in the world right now.  House of Torture First things first probabl...

As we enter the summer month there's no bigger tournament in wrestling then New Japan Pro Wrestling and their G1 Climax. The premiere tournament which the winner main events Wrestle Kingdom on January 4th. Following a weird G1 last year of 4 blocks we are back to the normal 2. With this being a G1 without Okada, Ospreay, White, Tanahashi & Ishii this will provide New Japan with a sink or swin situation. With the G1 back to 2 blocks of 10 away from the clusterfuck of the last years 32 man tournament in 4 blocks this is the first traditional G1 for multiple wrestlers. The main one to look out for in this G1 is who does New Japan trust the most for their future. The following wrestlers are entering their first 2 block G1 (and some their first ever G1 Climax) Shota Umino Gabe Kidd Yota Tsuji Ren Narita Yuya Uemura Boltin Oleg Callum Newman That's over a quarter of the people invovled and with Umino & Tsuji you have two of the favourites. With New Japan wanting to usher in a...

Back again with the crossover wrestling event of the year. At a time when co-operation between companies seems at an all time high it shouldn't be forgotten in large part where we were a few years ago. Forbidden Door the term coined by now NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi was because the partnership simply didn't exist and now we have not just AEW & NJPW on this show but representatives from CMLL and STARDOM as well a true big corrover event (and if I'm RevPro I'd be begging to get invovled with this considering they have partnerships with NJPW & CMLL already).  Regardles on that I always feel this is an odd show to buidl towards. You have four companies working together and three not in the same country as the main company hosting the show. It hurts who you can book and when they can show up. Either way on the show on the day should be good fun. Zero Hour Kyle Fletcher vs. Serpentico A surprise addition to the card following on from Kyle Fletcher losing the ROH...

Five years ago the wrestling landscape changed with the formation of All Elite Wrestling and with their 2024 edition of Double or Nothing it was a chance to reflect and look back and celebrate the company and its achivements (and falls) in that time. While I feel the weekly TV has been hit and miss with dropped stories and a feel of lack of direction for many stars the PPV's for AEW normally deliver as they focus on the companies strength being the in ring action. It's no secret AEW ticket sales are down so hopefully they can boost things starting with this show. Failing that they can just manipulate the wrestling media like WWE and just lie about the show being good and have twitter lie and boost it as well. Anyway, forgetting that let's break down the action for Double or Nothing match by match.  The Buy In: Thunder Rosa vs. Deonna Purrazzo This has been a good feud being built up on the past of both women being unavble to beat Toni Storm. I feel that Deonna works best as...