#and therefor the ii crew deserved death

[silversupremacy]

I feel like II neg is equivalent to SU critical tbh

[misaneeragoni]

I just finished putting together a playlist for #kidpiratesmonth2025 !

Just gonna link the names of the songs here + my thoughts for why I chose them for Kidd! Spoilers for the 1100s ^^

Songs used: 00:00 - 04:21 - Headliners - Eustass Kid + Trafalgar law

-> Ain't explainin' nutin'

04:22 - 08:37 - Eluveitie - The Call of The Mountain

-> I believe that this song is played on pipebags, and well, Kidd's a scot! + Rock music. I personally like the cover by Alina Gingertail best. She's a redhair, just like Kidd!

Plus, the lyrics add up perfectly.

"Against the waves, with our swords in our hands Against the sea, with our backs to the walls Against distress, in the presence of our enemies Against the storms, roaring at our faces"

08:38 - 12:15 - Katy Perry - Hot n Cold

-> This one's mostly just a joke on Kidd's tsundere tendencies.

12:16- 16:41 - Eluveitie - A Rose for Epona

-> I just really like Eluveitie's style for Kidd. Again I much prefer the Alina Gingertail cover, she's taken the original work and made something even more special out of it.

I also like the imagery of this:

"While hopes bog like condemned men"

Together with the idea of impending defeat, well, Kidd does have the unfortunate habit of having Yonkos beating his butt up.

16:42 - 20:14 - Avril Lavigne - Here's to never growing up

-> A less meaningful, positive party song for a party-heavy crew.

Avril is another favourite pick of mine for Kid. Cursing, getting drunk and having a good time are all things I associate with him!

In a way, I also like to think of it as a song for Kidd before life hardened him, he got betrayed, and stopped trusting folks altogether.

20:15 - 22:26 - Waterparks - I miss having sex but at least I don't wanna die anymore

-> Another one of the weak adds, if you go super experimental with this then you could directly interpret it as "he misses Victoria but he's over wanting to die now", but eh.

I just think it's a fun and crass song and therefore I'd like to stick it to him like a "kick me" post-it.

In a way it's also about not meeting expectations but it's definitely still one of the weaker songs out of these.

Also, I used the gif with water splashing on Kidd that everybody thirsts over in the playlist. Oh I can post gifs here! Lemme update everything.

22:27 - 25:43 - I don't know how but they found me - Choke

-> The Kidd pirates don't exactly hold back on violence, so I love some violent songs for them! Plus I found a gif of Kidd grabbing the camera + grabbing the head of a Beast Pirate so it's freaking perfect.

Lyrics:

"Now shut your dirty mouth If I could burn this town I wouldn't hesitate To smile while you suffocate and die And that would be just fine And what a lovely time, that it would surely be So bite your tongue And choke yourself to sleep"

25:44 - 28:42 - The Offspring - You're gonna go far, Kid(d)

-> I mean, do I have to explain a single thing?

God I love this song. Every single time it plays I get up and dance to it. So I didn't play it while making this playlist. That would have been counterproductive and a great workout.

Also, god I love how much love they gave to Kidd and Law during the Big Mom fight!! <333

28:43 - 32:17 - Mother Mother - Hayloft II

-> A weaker addition, but it's epic enough to deserve being in a Kidd playlist. Murder + rock = good time + Kidd pirates

32:18 - 34:46 - The Boys - You've got a license to drive (me crazy)

-> Ehhhh. Another weak add. Kinda romance Kid but also mostly because The Boys is such a brutal show.

34:47 - 38:10 - Panic! at the disco - Death of a bachelor

-> More romance Kid! I don't have any good reason, sorry. I put this in my Killer playlist (not made yet, only on spotify) too, but ehhhh. I really regret not finding a fitting AJJ song in hindsight haha.

Oh dammit you can't put more than 10 video links on these :'( So hard picking a top 10!

38:11 - 40:42 - Fish in a Birdcage - Rule #27 - Drunk on Pride

-> This one I really really like because it's got some lyric accuracy!

"Deep inside a trench, no light can reach You might find the skull of a ship that was breached [...] Captain of his ship has nothing but time To watch his dream die as he gets drunk on pride Long after they lost their names 'Cross the sea in a battle of waves Rushing through the rocks, they pass through the caves Remnants of ash drifting outside their vase Weapons that are used were buried away Flags that were torn get lost in a page Barely any scars left from the good old days"

I love the imagery of the sunk Victoria Punk (skull of a ship?? it's perfect! maybe this is standard ship terminology that I'm unfamiliar with, but still!)

A lot of people accuse Kidd of being too prideful and therefore being defeated by Shanks, and think of that what you will, but that means that this song fits perfectly!

40:43 - 43:48 - Dangerous

-> I really love this song for him! It's just oozing confidence and cockiness. Plus cursing and fucking around (literally). I don't know. Just hits the Kidd spot perfectly for me.

43:49 - 46:58 - George Barnett - Stone Cold Classic

-> Another one I really really like! It's hot stuff villain music if ya ask me. Cursing + oozing confidence. Plus rock-y something music. I don't know, I don't know the first thing about music.

"Fire up the flames I'll do you damage Instagram the blaze I'm Shere Khan savage

You don't have to ask You know I have it No, you don't have to ask I god damn have it

AKA's the name Got blind ambition Baddest in the game With Van Gogh vision

You don't have to ask You know I have it No, you don't have to ask I god damn have it"

46:59 - 50:27 - Muse - Supermassive Black Hole

-> This one I found on a different Kid playlist, so this ain't my idea at all! That was a great playlist. It's rock, it fulfills the Kid as a vampire fanfiction that I've never written, I mean what?, and I paired it with this gif of Kid eating because you know... black hole...

50:28 - 53:35 - Paramore - crushcrushcrush

-> Another find on a different Kid playlist! I added these two copycats because I'll be listening to these playlists a bunch too, so I don't want to miss out on these perfect fits for Kid. It's just perfect romance Kidd. Something my own romantic choices for him didn't manage at all. Heh.

53:36 - 57:18 - Evanescence - Bring me to Life

-> Now this is the absolute punk / emo whatever classic song, so... yeah. Belongs in here!

57:19 - 01:02:17 - Nirvana - Smells like teen spirit

-> I like this sort of vibe for the Kidd pirates - partying hard, banging their heads, with just a hint of self-hatred underneath!

01:02:18 - 01:06:22 - Avril Lavigne - Complicated

-> Another romance song for Kid. Mostly chosen for that idea of "don't pretend to be anyone else" that I think would be very present aboard the Kidd pirates. They're unapologetically themselves, so you should be too!

01:06:23 - 01:08:56 - Clarx, Catas, Le Malls - Numb the Pain

-> Another bout of fitting lyrics. I assume that even the most battle-hardened pirates might eventually succumb to the stress of the weather and practically every other human in the world wanting you dead, so I like these kind of reminiscent songs for the Kid Pirates. It's not like it's a major deal for them, but every now and then they just wanna fucking relax, ya know?

"I know we grew up a little too fast I miss the days that we'd chill and relax Where did the time go? It all passed Now I need to go back I had no worries but always have plans Only thing I did was take out the trash Now It's much harder to laugh Hard to get up and then work on my craft Feel like all of you hate me Everything's been so hard with all the situations lately Well maybe I'm done, maybe I've lost Still putting up a fight because [...]"

01:08:57 - 01:12:24 - Avril Lavigne - Smile

-> Some more happiness in between! Chosen for Kidd's wide smile and also ideally Killer eventually getting to be comfortable with his smile and laughter. Poor man.

01:12:24 - 01:15:56 - Tim McMorris - On Top of the World

-> I absolutely love this one! It's such a feel-good song and once more it's oozing confidence, fitting Kidd perfectly!

"I'm on top of the world, and now I'm livin' And the good just gets better, keeps on givin' Not even close to the end, it's just beginnin' Life is getting lighter While the days are getting brighter, yeah

And it's all good, I won't even worry anymore Took all my cares, took them, kicked them all, out the door Go on and try it, come on and tell me what you're waiting for Move and keep on going, till' your life is overflowing, yeah

I gotta celebrate life And get excited about Good times and good livin' Come on and shout it out, (hey!)

Take it up, take it over, take it out of control Today I'm freein' my soul, and now you got me singin'

I'm feelin' fine, smiling big, feelin' right like I should Life is better then good, yeah, you got me singin'

I'm standing up, on top of the world tonight And everything's working out, just right And while the world is spinning It's a brand new beginning I'm here finally winning (hey!) So, take it up, take it over, take it out of control Today I'm freeing my soul, and now you got me singin'

We gotta be the best, the best we can be And though sometimes we don't wanna Still we gotta chase our dreams Reach up, and reach high, because we're gonna pull on through And give it all we got, even though it can seem so hard to

Catch and make happen, but we can't start slackin', come on Do what ya gotta do to fight on So no matter what comes your way Nothin' can ruin your day or even wipe your smile away

By the time I'm up and outta my bed I got a hundred new ideas floatin' 'round in my head With a hope for tomorrow, a dream that I can see Of all the awesome things, the great people we could be"

I've copied most of it because... well. It's just coded perfectly for the future King of the Pirates!

01:15:57 - 01:20:04 - Fall Out Boy - The Phoenix

-> Kidd's about to raise like a Phoenix! From the supposed grave to heaven and above!

01:20:05 - 01:22:35 - Don't wanna be - The Score

-> More of a positive, laid back song about sticking to yourself!

"I don't ever wanna be someone who follows everybody else When everyone is busy out chasing I'll make another road myself Cause I know I was meant for something more There's gotta be something here worth fighting for"

01:22:36 - 01:25:59 - Fall Out Boy - Thnks Fr Th Mmrs

-> A nice wrap-up song for all the memories made along the way!

Thank you so much for reading this abysmally long post! I hope you could find some songs you enjoyed in here. None of the gifs are my own but stolen from the interwebs!

All art and animation credit to Toei Animation and Eiichiro Oda.

Just barely managed to cap it at 30 images and 10 links, phew!

[bi-mako]

the argo ii crew rated by how annoyed i would be with them

i’m putting percy and leo in the same category because be honest if you were about to die, you would 100% get annoyed by their sarcastic comments. even if they ended up saving the day, i would still tell them to shut up. (8/10)

buford the table. i don’t know why but this table bugs me so much like why is he even there? what’s the purpose? why is there so much attention on him? why does he have more development than the tlh trio? i’m glad he burns to death in BoO. he deserved it. (10/10)

jason grace also would annoy me due to his passing out all the time. however, he is slightly less annoying than leo and percy because he wouldn’t make stupid jokes while i’m dying and i appreciate that. also, if he didn’t have a head injury all the time, he would be pretty cool. (7/10)

piper annoys me because apparently she only learns sword fighting in the middle of HoH even though it’s already a regular class at camp half blood??? if i found out i was going on a huge quest across the world with a bunch of monsters, i would definitely learn how to defend myself other than talking my way out of it. on the other hand, she could just charmspeak me out of being annoyed with her so i wouldn’t really mind. (4/10)

festus the dragon would be useful but i would not understand what he is saying and therefore be very annoyed with him. (6/10)

annabeth wouldn’t really annoy me because she’s a pretty relatable character to me. the only thing i could really get mad at her about is how she would always think she’s right even when she’s definitely wrong. (3/10)

in literally every description of hazel and frank, they are genuinely the nicest people on earth. i would love them so much. (1/10)

[eng-hypnosismic]

DEATH RESPECT (JPN/ENG/ROMAJI)

「三人纏めてあんたの病院にぶち込んでやるよ」

“Let me send you three flying into your hospital” 「笑わすな。君如きでは私に届かない」 “Don’t make me laugh. I am out of league for somebody like you.” [Chorus]:

最終決戦！ Saishuu kessen Ultimate final battle!

お前はベストフレンズじゃない Omaewa BEST FRIEND janai You aren’t my best friends

Know your enemy

置き去りのリスペクト Okizari no RESPECT Abandoned respect

てっぺんから見下ろせ Teppen kara miorose Looking down from the very top

さぁ 堂々とこきおろせ Saa doudou to kokiorose Come now, dis like a boss

ラストバトル LAST BATTLE Last battle

ヒプノシス 痺れさすマイク HYPNOSIS  Shibiresasu MIC Hypnosis paralysing mic 

Mad Trigger Crew in the place to be ラストバトル  LAST BATTLE Last battle

ヒプノシス 痺れさすマイク HYPNOSIS  Shibiresasu MIC Hypnosis paralysing mic 

麻天狼 in the place to be Matenrou in the place to be

Juto:

職質以来のひさしぶりかな Shokushitsu irai no hisashiburi kana It’s been a while since our last questioning 

透けて見えるぞ そのチキンの鳥肌 Sukete mieruzo sono CHICKEN no torihada I can see it all, those goosebumps of a chicken 

突然キレるタイプは危険 Totsuzen kireru TYPE wa kiken The type to rage suddenly is a hazard

対策本部(こっち)の基本は理詰め Kocchi no kihon wa ridzume For us *the crime control department* we are the type to reason 

Hey! ネゴシエーション Hey! Negotiation

投降しなさい Toukoushinasai Surrender

瞳孔が開いたラップは所詮マスターベージョン Doukou ga hiraita RAP wa shosen MASTURBATION With those dilated pupils your rap is but masturbation

威圧は通じません Iatsu wa tsujimasen Intimidation doesn’t work here

私にはつむじ風 軽くふるいにかける Watashi niwa tsumujikaze karuku furui ni kakeru To me it’s just a whirlwind lightly brushing across

Doppo:

ああそうかい アンタらしいな Aa, soukai atarashiina Yea right, it’s so you

後悔なんて気持ちはないんだろうな その脳内 Koukai nante kimochi wa naindarou sono nounai There’s no such thing as regret in that head of yours, is it?

権力の傘の中のバランサー？ Kenryoku no kasa no naka no BALANCER? The balancer in the midst of power?

玉乗りピエロにゃ解らんさ Tamanori piero nya wakaransa A clown on a ball won’t understand 

うまくやって利用し利用され Umaku yatte riyoushi riyousare [You’re] Totally fine with using others and being used

俺には確かにその器量はねぇ (アーイ) Ore niwa tashikani sono kiryou wa nee (aai) I honestly don’t have that big of a heart to do that (aiight)

わかるかい？ Wakarukai? Get it?

褒めてんじゃねぇんだ Hometen janenda It’s not a compliment

汚職野郎をおちょくってんだ こんにゃろー Oshoku yarou wo ochokuttenda konyarou I’m just messing with your corrupted ass, fucker Riou:

無理し��シャンパン    Murishite CHAMPAGNE You’re trying too hard, Champagne

ジャンクな頭 JUNK na atama Head full of junk

規律もなく流されてくカルマ Kiritsu mo naku nagasareteku KARUMA Without discipline, karma will flow out of you その止められないダウントレンドに Sono tomerarenai DOWNTREND ni In that unstoppable downtrend ヨコハマ圧倒の確かな感触 Yokohama attou no tashikana kanshoku I sense Yokohama will absolutely conquer

CrazyMの前に敵前逃亡するか CRAZY M no mae ni tekizen toubou suruka Run away from Crazy M or

ヤワな男に叩き込むリリック Yawana otoko ni tatakikomu ririkku Have lyrics drilled into you soft boy

小官はいつでも一つの人格 Shoukan wa itsudemo hitotsu no jinkaku I’ve always had only one single personality

貴様も保て品格 Kisama mo tamote hinkaku Spare me your grace Hifumi:

わっわーくさいね 男臭いね Waa waa kusai ne otoko kusai ne Wa, it smells, smells like men (1)

見た目の通りギャップなど無いね Mitame no doori GAP nado nai ne You’re just like what you appear to be, without surprise  

そうそうあなたはそれで良い Sou sou anata wa sore de ii Yea yea, be that way 

だが少し現実をしかと見てみ Daga sukoshi genjitsu wo shikato mitemi But just for a bit, look at reality

ビシッとスーツ着りゃクール Bishitto suutsu kirya COOL Wear a smart suit and be cool

Welcome 19からオバサマまで夢中にさせる新宿 WELCOME jyuukyuu kara obasama made muchuunisaseru Shinjuku Welcome to Shinjuku, enthralling(2) the nineteens to aunties

スキルは一流 Skill wa ichiryuu whose skills are top tier

勝手に言ってろお前の言い分 Katte ni ittero omae no iibun you think you could win, but that’s just you

[Chorus]* Samatoki:

Mr.ハーコー ヨコハマ BAD BOY Mr. HARDCORE Yokohama BAD BOY Mr. Hardcore Yokohama BAD BOY

貴様にロックオンしてるぜ  寂雷 Kisama ni LOCK ON shiteruze Jakurai I’ve locked on to you Jakurai

 俺のサグライフ要はダークサイド Ore no THUG LIFE you wa DARKSIDE My thug life is all about the darkside

 喰うか喰��れるか そう甘くない Kuu ka Kuwareruka sou amakunai To eat or to be eaten, it’s not rainbows and butterflies (3)

貴様は洗脳 俺様は行動 Kisama wa sennou Oresama wa koudou You play mind games, I’m all about action

 特に暴いてやる Secret code Tokuni abaiteru SECRET CODE Especially in exposing your secret code

 その呪文を封印 So no jyumon wo fuin Sealing that mantra

 牙のない狼に皆ブーイング Kiba no nai ookami ni minna BOOING Everyone boo at the fangless wolves

 Jakurai:

そうさ君はそんな男 Sousa kimi wa sonna otoko Right, you’re that type of guy

 だがすでに張り巡らされたクモの糸 Daga sude ni harimegurasareta kumo no ito But I’ve already lay out the spider webs

操る やり甲斐がある単細胞 Ayatsuru yarigai ga aru tansaibou Single-minded people (4) deserves to be controlled

 その深い井戸の闇まですくおう Sono fukai ido no yami made sukuro I’ll save (5) even the darkness in a deep well

 人を束ねさらに動いてご苦労 Hito wo tabane sarani ugoite gokuro Good job leading people while you’re also working

 私は石になり正解へ導こう Watashi wa ishi ni nari sekai e michibikou I'll be their anchor (6), leading them to the right answer

 リーダーの哲学で展開するストーリー LEADER no testugaku de tenkaisuru STORY With the philosophy of a leader, bring on the story

 麻天狼が手にするグローリー Matenrou ga tenisuru GLORY In the hands of Matenrou is glory

Samatoki:

哲学なら負けてねえぞ Tetsugaku nara maketeneezo If we’re talking about philosophy, I won’t lose

 偽善にゃ辟易さ Gizen nya hekiekisa I’m getting tired of hypocrites

 Riou:

我が軍のトリオが撃破 Waga gun no TRIO ga gekiha Our army’s trio will defeat you

Juto:

裏をめくりゃ胡散臭い Ura wo mekurya usankusai Look inside yourself, you’re shady

 お前らをルーペで拡大 Omaera wo ruupe de kakudai Zoom into yourself with a magnifier

Jakurai:

君等の闇とは質が違う Kimira no yama towa shitsu ga chigau Your darkness is light compared to ours

いや次元の違う理性を保つ Iya jigen ga chigau risei wo tamotsu But we maintain sanity on a level different from yours

Hifumi & Doppo:

両サイドに破天荒な暴れん坊 Ryou SIDE ni hatenkou na abarenbou On each side he got a crazy son of a gun (7)

 天まで伸びる俺らが麻天狼 Ten made nobiru orera ga matenrou Stretching into the sky, we are Matenrou (8)

 [Chorus]*

 MTC:

MAD TRIGGER CREWが勝ち上がる MAD TRIGGER CREW ga kachiagaru Mad Trigger Crew will keep advancing through victory

 ボコボコ麻天狼にクリティカル Bokoboko matenrou ni CRITICAL Critical hit to Matenrou one right after the other

そう場違いさこの場を去りな Sou bachigaisa kono ba wo sari na This place is not for you, begone  

 Sama:

「くたばれ」 “kutabare” “Die”

 Juto: 「しょっぴくぞ!」 “Shyoppikuzo!” “You’re under arrest!” 

Riou: 「眠っとけ」 “Nemuttoke” “Go home and sleep”

  MTR:

そうくれば後悔する 叩きのめす崩壊 Sou kureba koukaisuru tatakinomesu houkai If you do that you’ll regret, get the shit beaten out of you 

無鉄砲になってこの大海原を揺蕩(たゆた)え Muteppou ni natte kono oounabara wo tayuta e Mindlessly loitering in this vast ocean

  Hifumi: 「沈んどけ」 “Shizun doke” “Sink”

Jakurai: 「これで最後だ」 “Kore de saigo da” “This is the final”

  Doppo: 「終了ぉお」 “Shyuuryooooo” “Eeeeeeeeend”

[Chorus] [Chorus]* : the first line is slightly different from [Chorus], just “決戦/kessen” instead of “最終決戦”. So instead of “ultimate final battle”, it’s “final battle.”

TL Notes:

The og text is "男臭い", which also means "manly" or "masculine", therefore it could also be translated as "You're so manly...I can smell it." So instead of attacking Riou directly it could be bit more petty.

Here I used “enthralling” for simplicity; the og text is “夢中にさせる”, which literally means something like “make you feel as if you’re in dreams”. So this could translate to something like “Shinjuku is the dream/fantasy of 19-year-olds to aunties.” 

The og text is “そう甘くない”, meaning “it’s not easy/innocent/simple”, and to capture all that I used an idiom instead of a more literal translation. 

“単細胞/tansaibou” means a single-minded or simple-minded person, but literally it means “single cell”. It’s like how the person has only one brain cell, or that he’s a unicellular organism.  

Here on the lyrics sheet from the CD, it says “すくおう(sukuou)” which could be “救おう” or “巣食おう”. The two words in this line could mean either Jakurai would “save” or “nest/take root in” the darkness of a deep well. Depending on your impression of Jakurai... 

On the lyrics sheet it says “石”, which reads “ishi” and is the same pronunciation as “医師”, doctor. 

They’re referring to themselves; as in they’re the rogues standing by the sides of Jakurai. 

In case you don’t know already, Matenrou is also the pronunciation for “skyscraper” in Japanese, so it’s a wordplay that can also mean “we’re the skyscrapers that scrapes the sky.”

[gdwessel]

World Tag League 2021 & Best Of The Super Juniors 28 Night 21 - 12/11/2021: Finalists Determined; STARDOM Match Added To WK16 Night 2; NJPW Wrestlers At West Coast Pro, On Impact; Thoughts On Ring Of Honor’s Last Show (For Now?)

The final day of the group stage of Best Of The Super Juniors 28 took place earlier today, and you can see it now on NJPWWorld. With this, the Finalists for Ryogoku on Wednesday are set for this particular tournament.

- 12/11/2021, Hyogo Aqulier Himeji

Yuto Nakashima TLD Ryohei Oiwa (10:00)

Best Of The Super Juniors 28: DOUKI [SZKG] d. Master Wato (Suplex de la Luna, 11:50)

Best Of The Super Juniors 28: BUSHI [Los Ingobernables] d. Yoshinobu Kanemaru [SZKG] (MX, 9:10)

Best Of The Super Juniors 28: Ryusuke Taguchi d. Taiji Ishimori [Bullet Club] (Dodon, 12:45)

Best Of The Super Juniors 28: YOH [CHAOS] d. SHO [Bullet Club] (Direct Drive, 15:31)

Best Of The Super Juniors 28: El Phantasmo [Bullet Club] d. El Desperado [SZKG] (Sudden Death, 21:11)

Best Of The Super Juniors 28: Hiromu Takahashi [Los Ingobernables] d. Robbie Eagles [CHAOS] (Timebomb II, 27:07)

Hiromu leaves it late, but makes it to his third consecutive BOSJ28 Final (2018 and 2020 were the others, which he won; he was not in 2019′s as he was still out with his heinous neck injury. His very first BOSJ was in 2017, which he did not go to the Final, but he was also IWGP Juniorheavyweight Champion at the time, so small consolation I guess.). YOH on the other hand defeats his rival SHO whilst on a 7-match run after losing his first 4, whilst Despy falls to ELP. Therefore, the Final on Wednesday is Hiromu v. YOH. Hiromu and YOH have met each other three times in singles competition, twice in NJPW (the first way back on 12/9/2012, when both were Young Lions; the other on Night 1 of BOSJ28) and once during WhatCulture’s Pro Wrestling World Cup in the UK on 7/7/2017. Hiromu won all three of those. YOH winning BOSJ28 would be an interesting way to get him some needed heat, but also, Despy v. Hiromu could help draw one of the nights of the Tokyo Dome. Either way, it’s a good problem to have. (Also, both Hiromu and YOH got their wins back from Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome, in a nice bit of continuity.)

SHO falls after dominating the first 6 rounds, then losing all of the last 5. Always a curse to be undefeated in the early stages of any NJPW tournament. Master Wato is done as a gimmick, sadly. Kawato deserves better. DOUKI gets his highest-ever points total in BOSJ, but still finishes dead last. Alas.

Final BOSJ28 standings:

Hiromu - 15pts (7W 1D 3L) - ***ADVANCES TO FINAL*** YOH - 14pts (7W 0D 4L) - ***ADVANCES TO FINAL*** Despy - 13pts (6W 1D 4L) Ishimori - 12pts (6W 0D 5L) Eagles - 12pts (6W 0D 5L) ELP - 12pts (6W 0D 5L) SHO - 12pts (6W 0D 5L) BUSHI - 10pts (5W 0D 6L) Taguchi - 10pts (5W 0D 6L) Kanemaru - 8pts (4W 0D 7L) Wato - 8pts (4W 0D 7L) DOUKI - 6pts (3W 0D 8L)

NJPW has announced that once again, Bushiroad’s other pro wrestling entity, World Wonder Ring STARDOM, will feature at least one exhibition match at Night 2 of Wrestle Kingdom 16, on 1/5/2022 at the Tokyo Dome. This will be the third year running STARDOM has had a dark match at the Dome for Wrestle Kingdom. Whether or not this one(s) get aired on NJPWWorld is another story. The matches at WK14 and WK15 were not; the ones at Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome were. We’ll see! The match participants have not yet been announced.

Juice Robinson & David Finlay Jr. returned to action on Impact Wrestling this week, with a win over the team of VSK & “The Outlandish” Zicky Dice, which may be the first and only time I ever get to write about Zicky Dice on this blog.

Meanwhile, last night at the State Room in San Francisco, several NJoA wrestlers took part in West Coast Pro’s Iceland show. Rocky Romero beat Titus Alexander in the second match on the show, whilst in the next one, Brody King & Karl Fredericks beat Team Filthy’s West Coast Wrecking Crew, Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs. Recent NJoA guest Daniel Garcia fell to Vinnie Massaro, whilst former NJPW wrestlers ACH and Alex Shelley both had matches on the show as well. You can watch it now on IWTV.

Later tonight is Ring Of Honor’s Final Battle 2021 PPV, from Baltimore, MD. Ostensibly, this is the last ROH event for all intents and purposes, before their “hiatus” which is supposed to go as long as April so they can run Supercard Of Honor at Wrestlemania Weekend in Dallas. I am somewhat dating myself here, but this is not the first time I’ve seen a working partner with NJPW cease operations. Allegedly, WCW was supposed to come back with a relaunch under new ownership (Vince McMahon), but that never happened. I am not so sure Sinclair Broadcast Group will be relaunching Ring Of Honor as such either.

This is already going very ROH for them -- Bandido, their last World Champion as things stand, has had to pull out of the card due to a positive COVID-19 test. (This also takes him out of tomorrow night’s Warrior Wrestling 17 show in Tinley Park, IL, a show headlined by Will Ospreay.) So either he is stripped of the title and we get a special match to crown the Final champion, or Bandido is the champion at the end, without a challenge. It stinks but this is the reality of wrestling now in what’s about to be Year 3 of COVID-19.

I’ve already written at length my thoughts on this, so I won’t rehash them here. But it is sad that a company that employs wrestlers and staff are shuttering, even if we did all see this coming from a mile away. Like WCW, you can see numerous points on the timeline where a different decision could have seen them prosper. The Elite leaving to form AEW didn’t help, sure. But there were numerous others, and despite G1 Supercard in 2019 being their “Fingerpoke of Doom” moment, like said Fingerpoke, it was the last straw of years of bad calls.

Now ROH wrestlers are seeking contracts elsewhere. Sadly, it’s the worst ones that are getting the jobs; Jay Lethal, someone named by numerous women as a sexual harasser, is now an AEW wrestler. The Briscoes (Jamin & Mark Pugh) have threatened murder over same-sex marriage and tweeted in support of White Nationalists at Charlottesville; they are the current GCW World Tag Team champions. Ian Riccaboni has made on-air claims that Jay Briscoe is a “changed man” but wrestling Effy does not a pro-LGBTQ person make. Hoping the likes of Bandido, Dragon Lee, and others find good jobs as well.

Either way, it’s a shame it has come to this, but hopefully lessons will be learned, and ROH can indeed come back stronger. Best of luck to them tonight, and we’ll see what the future holds. You can watch this show tonight either through ROH’s Honor Club or FITE TV.

The last group stage matches of World Tag League 2021 take place tomorrow, on a show that will be streamed live on NJPWWorld.

- 12/12/2021, Hiroshima Green Arena

Ryohei Oiwa v. Kosei Fujita

World Tag League 2021: Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima v. Minoru Suzuki [SZKG] & TAKA Michinoku [JTO]

World Tag League 2021: Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma v. Yuji Nagata & Tiger Mask IV

World Tag League 2021: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toru Yano [CHAOS] v. Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens [Bullet Club]

World Tag League 2021: Great O-Khan & Aaron Henare [United Empire]  v. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa [Bullet Club]

World Tag League 2021: Tetsuya Naito & SANADA [Los Ingobernables] v. EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi [Bullet Club]

World Tag League 2021: Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI [CHAOS] v. Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. [SZKG]