#g1 climax 2022

[fang-revives]

Syb's 2023 MOTY List!

I had a lot of fun doing this roundup last year! Though it feels like a patchier year than 2022 for great wrestling, there were still a few real standouts that blew my socks clean off. Here's my top 5 recs!

Jay White NJPW Departure Series (Wrestle Kingdom 17 IWGP Heavyweight Belt 04.01.20203, Loser Leaves Japan Match vs. Hikuleo 11.02.2023, Loser Leaves NJPW Match vs. Eddie Kingston 18.02.2023) 

It was so hard to pick a single match from this series so I chose not to. The sequence of these really tells a complete story I was fully glued to in real-time. The IWGP WK match I slept on a little bit because everyone was buzzing over Omega vs. Ospreay, but  I have to say when I finally watched it, it has wormed its way into my brain and has not stopped chewing. The Hikuleo match broke me a little for the last offered too-sweet. And if you forced me to pick a match of the three to recommend, it would be Eddie vs. Jay. There’s something special about Eddie being the man with so much integrity, so much love for puroresu, that he almost made me believe Jay would fight for New Japan and win. I’ll close this by saying it felt really graceful that Jay got to put an endpoint on his time in New Japan, and tell a little story with it. I’m not sure most wrestlers get the chance for whatever reason when their contract ends, but this felt like a beautiful Shakespearean tragedy, and a great way to end a killer run in NJPW.

Yota Tsuji vs. Ren Narita (G1 Climax 33, 18.07.2023) 

The most memorable G1 Climax match for me by a long shot. Physical, deranged, so many gorgeous spots (that I will miss dearly from Narita specifically as he heads off to do…whatever it is that you can call House of Torture spots). I rewatched this three times. I loved the tie booking for the Reiwa Three Muskateers, it made A-block super fun. I was really hopeful after Tsuji’s backstage comments that they’d make a story out of Narita shedding Shibata’s shadow…alas for the booking that wasn’t. 

Saki Akai Retirement Match (Tag match with Yukio Sakaguchi & Hideki Okatani, vs. Kazusada Higuchi & Naomichi Marufuji & Miyu Yamashita, 12.11.2023) 

There is so much to miss about Saki Akai. Although I honestly and sincerely wish more wrestlers would retire younger and let their bodies rest (or at least do a soft retirement and then come back to do bullshit) – god, I’m going to miss her. She’s been a mainstay on the DDT roster for as long as I’ve been watching and before, and carries the intergender work with unparalleled grace. This match was booked as a unique treat for me; who had an Eruption moment back when Sakaguchi and Higuchi had their singles match, and who loves both Marufuji and Yamashita. 

Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page Texas Deathmatch (AEW Full Gear 18.11.2023) 

TOXIC!!! YAOI!!! DEATHMATCH!! INSANE!!! This match probably would have made it on the list for the “stapling my son’s drawing and then drinking the blood from the wound” spot alone, good god. If people didn’t believe Swerve was a mega-star before this match, they surely do now. Match that made me dissolve into monkey noises, and easily my favourite AEW match this year. 

Mask vs. Mask 5-Way Cage Survival (Dragon Kid vs Shun Skywalker vs Strong Machine J vs Ultimo Dragon vs Diamante, 02.07.2023)

Dragongate is honestly a promotion I’d love to have the time and attention span to carve out some more space for. Luckily I do have puro friends who are willing to catch me up on the dynamics so I can swing by for banger matches like these. And wow, holy shit, this was a cagematch for the age. Pulling on the drama of Dragon Kid who promised the survival of his older mentor Ultimo Dragon – leading into the personal beef of Strong Machine J and Diamante, and crystallizing to another horrible moment from one of wrestling’s best working heels right now, Shun Skywalker. This match had it all!

Honorable Mentions

Eddie Kingston vs. Claudio Castagnoli (AEW Grand Slam 2023, 20.09.2023) 

Jun Kasai & El Desperado vs. Masashi Takeda & Rina Yamashita Thumbtack Board & Razor Cross Board Alpha Death (Pro Wrestling FREEDOMS, 11.08.2023) 

Hiromu Takahashi vs. Kazuki Hirata"Let's Have Fun!!" What Will Happen!? Fun Death Match (DDT Ultimate Party 2023, 12.11.2023)

[hangmox]

HangMox: An Audience of One

Warning: This is a very erratic essay about a feud that means a lot to me, personally. Posting to a sideblog because I’m trying to keep it clean and separate.

Word Count: 8.6k. A doozy. Please understand that I speak on Hangman and Moxley from their first moments in AEW, and I even provide a bit of background from before. Their feud did not start, for me, at the end of September 2022. This is a story that starts from the very first PPV.

Writer’s Note: This has not been revised. If you are a newer fan of AEW, this will help you to understand both mens’ journeys up until this point, and it also helps to express and tie in some ideas and concepts I have for them about blood, beer, and speaking their truths. I hope it makes sense!

After five years of watching weekly WWE television and Pay-Per-Views, my husband and I could not take it any longer. We were looking for an alternative. On May 25th, 2019, we found it, in the form of All Elite Wrestling: Double or Nothing.

It wasn’t the flashiest show we’d ever seen - there were a couple lulls in the show where it felt like the timing was off, the crowd wasn’t as energetic - but we knew why. This was a brand new product, the start of something new for a set of independent wrestlers that we’d heard about very rarely, but enough to maybe know some of their names. In the summer of 2018, I had took it upon myself in the wee hours of the morning, after my grueling 10-hr night shifts at the local chicken plant, to experience life outside of WWE for the first time in the form of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s G1 Climax. This is where I learned that wrestling could be quick, energetic, and still somehow feel like every fist, every high spot, could hurt viscerally. And it is here where I saw Hangman Adam Page on my screen for the very first time.

I was deep into my Red Dead Redemption era in 2018, and this guy hit all the boxes. He was handsome, he was funny, he could actually fucking wrestle, he was a cowboy, and most importantly, he was telling me a story. The known muscle of the Bullet Club and member of the Elite, this was the guy who was looking to prove he was more than just the guy who took the pins so his comrades wouldn’t. He was looking to win the damn thing. But that wasn’t all it was about - no, he had found a way to weave another thread into this tournament: he was going to pull the REAL Kazuchika Okada out of whatever hole he’d been hiding in. He was going to pull the Rainmaker out.

You see, Okada had just lost his IWGP world heavyweight title to Hangman’s friend and Bullet Club leader, Kenny Omega, and his life had taken somewhat of a comically downward spiral. He dyed his hair clown red, he walked out to his entrance music with shapeable balloons. At the time, we took to calling him the “Balloonmaker.” He walked out with a smile on his face, to hide the sorrow of his failure. But this wasn’t the guy Hangman was expecting to wrestle in his block of the round-robin tournament. No, he was going to make sure that if he beat Okada, one of the most legendary wrestlers in the history of the company, he was going to beat the BEST version of him. And if he lost? Well, at least he gave it his all against the best. The problem with New Japan, however, was the unbelievable amount of hours we would have to dedicate to the product. I think I ended up watching five full days of the G1 Climax, out of a possible 20 or so.

Around the time that Hangman took on the grueling month-long tournament against some of New Japan’s finest, another wrestler was making his re-debut on WWE television. After an elbow injury and a terrifying staph infection that nearly killed him, Dean Ambrose was back on Monday Night Raw, alongside his friend and enemy, Seth freakin’ Rollins. But this wasn’t the same Dean Ambrose we had witnessed for the past couple years, the hyperactive little shit that wouldn’t stay down, no, this was prison-break Ambrose. He came back swole and with a mean mugging look that would make a bulldog cry. This was it, everyone thought, we’re gonna get the heel turn of a lifetime.

Only, it wasn’t exactly what we expected. First off, it was late, and at the heels of an announcement that turned WWE on its head - Roman Reigns was taking time off for his 2nd battle with leukemia, and Ambrose chose now to turn on Seth Rollins. Maybe if the motive had made a little more sense, it would’ve been enough. After all, Rollins and Ambrose had a long, storied history together - if Ambrose could just explain why now, maybe I could be on his side. I wanted to be on his side. The WWE put out one of those documentaries for Dean that followed him for months, throughout his time out on injury, and then his subsequent return. We got backstage moments with him where he divulged his feelings, seemingly telling us what was going on in his head. And yet - nothing. It never truly felt like he had told us WHY. Now, years later, I’ve read Mox’s book, and I know how he felt about the whole thing, so I know he was just as frustrated as I was, if not more (definitely more, actually).

So Ambrose left the company, and my husband and I dropped the WWE. I don’t know if it was coincidence or fate, but there’s going to be a lot of that comin’ around in this story. Ambrose wasn’t even my favorite - Sami Zayn is my WWE favorite. But something about the way it all went down with Ambrose, and also largely in part the way that WWE treated Sami Zayn, is what finally made us break our ties.

Almost immediately after Dean Ambrose left WWE and cashed in his chips, a video dropped on his largely unused twitter account: a video of Jon Moxley breaking out of jail, with a shot of the numbers 5 & 25 found in the video - which just so happened to be the month and day of the first Double or Nothing AEW Pay-Per-View.

I would love to say that I was anticipating that day, but to be honest, I completely forgot about it until the day of, when my husband dragged me downstairs to the living room to figure out how to buy our very first pay-per-view on cable television, about five minutes before the buy-in aired.

But once I saw that precious cowboy come out as the Joker in the first ever Casino Battle Royal, I was hooked. I turned to my husband, pointing at Hangman on my screen. “That’s the guy we saw in the G1 last year! He’s in the Bullet Club!”

He smiled at the screen, knowing it was too late. I had found my favorite.

Hangman won the battle royal, earning him the first shot at the inugural AEW world championship at the next Pay-Per-View. Who he was slated to go up against, though, depended on the outcome of the Double or Nothing main event: the Alpha, Chris Jericho, versus Kenny Omega.

“Do you think Mox will show up?” I asked my partner, my entire body tense with anticipation.

He shook his head. “I wouldn’t get your hopes up. If he doesn’t show up, it’ll ruin it for you.”

“He’s showing up,” I insisted, “I’m like 99% certain he will.” I’ve never been one to make guarantees, but this was as close to one as I could manage. I could feel it in my soul, and I was dying to see Mox live up to his potential.

I was bouncing off the couch when I saw Mox stalking through the crowd and into the ring. My adrenaline was pumping and I thought it was the best way to end their first PPV. My husband and I turned to look at each other - yep, this was enough. This was definitely enough to intrigue us.

I would spend the summer of 2019 watching everything I could about AEW - I finally got into Being the Elite, I watched the summer events, and I searched Hangman’s name on youtube as much as I could to get more of a semblance of his character. He was now important to me, and I was determined to understand him as best as I could. Through this, I met and connected with brand new friends, as well as dragged my WWE friends into it as much as I could.

One friend in particular was an EXTREMELY avid Mox fan. Even in his Ambrose days, they spoke about the old CZW Moxley often, and so I had an idea of what this new and improved version would probably be like. I also found myself a friend that had been following Hangman Page for the past few years and knew substantially more about him than I ever could. With them and a couple other new friends I found that also adored Hangman, we became a tiny little stable of our own.

And so, the brainstorming began.

Before All Out 2019 even happened, I had posed the question to my friends: “What do we think about Hangman and Mox? Wouldn’t that be a badass combination?”

The noted Mox fan and the seasoned Hangman vet were the first ones to perk up. The Mox fan agreed immediately, and the Hangman vet said they had already started working on an idea to bring them together a couple days after Double or Nothing, when Mox had done his interview with Chris Jericho on his Talk is Jericho podcast.

“Hold on a minute - a podcast?” I asked, curious.

Enthusiastically, they told me that Jericho had asked Mox who he’d like to get in the ring with now that he was in a new promotion. Hangman’s name had been the first out of his mouth, said nonchalantly, very much like it wasn’t a big deal and Mox was just naming names to name them. But it was too late - this was now my obsession.

Three episodes into AEW Dynamite, we got our very first chance to see them in action together. The two loners, Pac and Moxley, were taking on the team of Hangman and Kenny. This team was brand new at the time, both having suffered major losses at All Out - Kenny had submitted to Pac, and Hangman had lost his shot at the inaugural title to Chris Jericho in the main event. The tag match made sense - for the most part.  Mox had gone for the biggest fish in AEW at the end of Double or Nothing, giving Kenny Omega a Paradigm Shift that got the entire wrestling world talking. Pac and Hangman had beef that started in the early days of the promotion, the story told almost entirely through Being the Elite at the time. Kenny had just lost to Pac. And yet…there was no motivation here for Hangman and Mox to be across the ring from each other. The lack of a story between them was louder than all the other storytelling here combined. Perhaps, I told myself, this was a story in itself.

No worries, though. We were about to see just how much chemistry these two had. This would be the first step in gauging what a potential feud or even partnership could be like. We were absolutely shivering with anticipation.

Hangman spent most of his own time in the match trying to get the drop on Pac. The first moment he was in the ring with Mox, he practically paid him no mind until he had Pac dead on the floor. Before the match was done, they’d interacted maybe twice as legal men in the ring, and once when everyone was on the outside. At one point, Mox had Hangman in a gorgeous Texas cloverleaf submission, which was quickly stopped by Kenny. Another point in the match, Hangman tried to give Mox a buckshot lariat that Mox ducked. Almost immediately, Mox ate a clothesline from Hangman akin to an Okada Rainmaker finisher, and it was fucking beautiful.

It was clear to me, from the grand total of about two and a half minutes that they spent in the ring together, that they were an elegant match.

Four months passed by.

Hangman went on a downward spiral, leaving the Elite but choosing still to tag with Kenny. He started to drink, courtesy of those silly little guys, Private Party. This ain’t water, indeed. By the time Revolution 2020 came around, Hangman was on a trajectory to meet his former best friends, the Young Bucks, in a tag team championship match, and Jon Moxley was slated as contender to Chris Jericho’s AEW world championship in the main event.

And well, let’s just say, the better story won the night, even if Jon Moxley closed the show.

Hangman walked out of his match a winner, his tag title still in one hand and a beer in the other, with Kenny Omega at his side.

Jon Moxley, newly won championship belt on his shoulder, excitement still pumping blood in his ears, would go on to say it felt like it was “beer o’clock.”

An awkward pause.

What? I thought.

The camera panned to the crowd.

Mox was smiling, tongue sticking out like a panting dog, looking somewhat towards the go-position.

No, could he be…? There was no way. I couldn’t believe it. Was Hangman Page about to show up right now?

Whoever was in production scrambled to put a stop to this. Mox’s music hit.

“Hey, what the fuck?” said the newly crowned world heavyweight champion.

Hold on. Were they…Oscaring him off the stage? Is that what was happening in this moment? Say ‘sike’ right now.

My hands were on my mouth.

Let’s just say that for the rest of the five hours that I stayed awake after this show, unable to sleep due to the sheer adrenaline running through my veins, me and the gang were viciously wondering what the fuck that was about. Maybe Hangman was supposed to come out? But how does that make sense when he and Kenny just retained their titles? Why would he go for the championship again so soon? But it makes sense for him to want it. That’s the title that he promised he would win on day one of the company.

But we didn’t get an answer.

Whether that was because of the pandemic that shut down the entire world for the foreseeable future a week and half later, or because that was just genuinely something that meant absolutely nothing, we’ll never know. Truly, we will NEVER know. Unless one of us ever has the guts to ask Mox about it. Until then, “beer o’clock” + awkward pause + staring at the go-position + Mox theme + “hey what the fuck” will likely haunt me for the rest of my life. Thanks, Jonathan.

Lots of things changed during this time. Hangman’s rocky relationship with the Bucks came back to a head again before All Out 2020, during a tag gauntlet match that would reveal the first contenders for Hangman and Kenny’s championships at the Pay-Per-View. It was down to the Young Bucks and FTR. See, FTR had come in at the beginning of the summer, and they ended up making friends with Hangman. Hangman was there when they signed their contracts, with a brand new bottle of whiskey in hand. They bonded over drinks. But they weren’t so friendly with the Bucks and Kenny, which obviously caused a lot of problems. By the time that gauntlet came around, FTR had Hangman convinced that if the Bucks won the gauntlet, Hangman would regret it. They worked him with his own insecurities. They just wanted a friendly bout with him, they said. He’d already had one with the Bucks, so wouldn’t it be fun to have a match with FTR this time?

So Hangman cheated, costing the Bucks the match. A few moments later, Hangman brooding over what he’d done in the Daily’s Place bar, the Bucks kicked him officially out of the Elite, throwing a drink in his face.

He and Kenny would go on to lose the tag titles at All Out to FTR. He would lose his tag partner in the process. He would fight him at the next PPV in singles competition for contendership of Moxley’s heavyweight championship. He would drop to the ground, land flat on his face, losing this first opportunity to fight Moxley to his own partner.

A microphone blast to the head. Blood gushing from the middle of Jon’s forehead (a sight well known to the AEW fans). V-Trigger. V-Trigger. V-Trigger. V-Trigger. Pull him in. One Winged Angel.

One. Two. Three.

That was how Jon Moxley lost his AEW world heavyweight championship to Kenny Omega. An absolute steal. A few weeks prior, at Full Gear, the Young Bucks beat FTR for the tag team championships.

Months and months go by. Hangman finds solace in the Dark Order, and the Dark Order finds solace in him in return. They bring each other back up, from sorrows greater than we could even imagine. The loss of their leader, their friend, their Exalted One. Our Brodie Lee. Though Hangman would deny them on separate occasions, eventually he would understand that friends don’t let friends do battle alone. And whether he joined them as a group or not, it wouldn’t matter. They would keep Brodie Lee’s offer and promise that he made to Hangman the year before, when he left the Elite. They would never leave him alone.

Mox would continue his quest to retrieve the title, challenging Kenny at Revolution 2021 in an exploding barbed wire deathmatch that would end…not precisely as intended. However, much like Hangman, he would find that he was not alone. He would find someone to watch his back, in the form of an old friend and foe, Eddie Kingston. They would challenge the Bucks - now firmly planted once again at Kenny’s side -  for the tag team championships at Double or Nothing 2021. This, much like his shot at the world title, would be for naught.

In the summer of 2021, the Dark Order would prove worthy allies in the ring to Hangman, when they challenged Kenny and the Young Bucks to a multi-man tag, with the stipulation that if they were able to eliminate each member of the Elite, Hangman would get his shot at Kenny’s title, and they would receive a shot at the Young Bucks.

Now, I’ll be honest - I don’t remember what Mox was doing at the time, so I had to look this up. Uhh, he spent a lot of time on AEW Dark. But the match that stood out the most to me during this time was a Texas Deathmatch with Lance Archer…which he lost. And with it, his IWGP US championship.

So Hangman and the Dark Order are unsuccessful. They beg him to keep trying, but at around this time, Hangman decides that he needs some space. He comes up to the ring at Daily’s Place, the first Homecoming show since AEW’s two month long tour away (when the entire world decided that the pandemic was finally over). Tony Schiavone is with him, and it seems like maybe Hangman is going to tell the crowd that he’s gonna take some time to himself or let some things off his chest, when the Elite show up. At one point he tells Hangman that perhaps maybe he would consider allowing Hangman to come back to the Elite - upon which a young woman in the crowd in a cowboy hat and a teal bandana yells, “Never!” (me). Yes, I got to watch live as the Elite beat Hangman down and the Dark Order could only stand back and watch.

…This would be the last time we see Hangman for two months.

While he’s gone, though, Jon Moxley brings up his name, in a backstage promo where he calls out the newcomers. At this time, AEW was seeing a surge of new talent entering its ranks - people like Daniel Garcia, Malakai Black, CM Punk. Mox questions whether this talent thinks that it’s easy to be at the top here - Kenny has an entire entourage surrounding him at all times just to keep the title around his waist, and Hangman can’t “get over his high school drama, BTE emo bullcrap long enough to get the job done.” He says that Hangman “ain’t no cowboy,” and he could “drink his ass under the table.”

Oh, I think. You mean like beer o’clock?

Mox was pulling wins around this time every week, and it was clear he was due for a push. This was the man who put the world title and the company on his back during an unprecedented time not just for the promotion, but for the world as a whole. And it was clear that he was due his flowers.

But very odd, to me, that he would bring up Hangman. Especially when they had nothing to do with each other.

Fast forward to October 6th, 2021. A fucked up time in my life. Probably the worst I’ve ever felt.

It was only fitting, then, that my favorite cowboy would show up and give me a small glimmer of hope. The roar of the crowd that night touched my soul more than I can ever say.

The last time he was the Joker of a casino match, he won. This time would be no different.

Except that Mox was in this match. And Mox was the one in the ring waiting for him. The moment they collided with each other, I was screaming. I was crying. My heart was thumping out of my chest. After two years, they were finally back in a ring together. Almost two years to the day.

One of the funniest moments in this casino ladder match is seeing Hangman drop Pac from the top of a ladder with a deadeye, pull himself up onto the ropes to celebrate with the crowd, only to turn around and get spiked on his head with a Paradigm Shift from Jon Moxley, receiving the double birds.

But it didn’t matter. The path was clear - Hangman was going to win this ladder match, setting up his final encounter with his old friend, Kenny Omega, for the AEW world heavyweight championship. And there wasn’t a damn thing Mox, Pac, Andrade, or Lance Archer could do to stop him.

Hangman, at the top of a ladder, guzzling a beer, closed out the show. The casino chip lay ominously on the mat, forgotten.

The next couple of weeks would see Hangman in the most confident state he’d ever been in, relaxed and sure of himself, breathing deeply and opening his heart to the fans. He was - in a word - beautiful.

Mox, however, was absolutely despicable. Ten days later, he would have his first bout with Wheeler Yuta, dropping him in less than two minutes and storming back out of the ring. He would continue his rampage all the way into the eliminator tournament, which would come to a head at Full Gear. All the booking made it clear: this man was aiming for the world title…and Hangman Page was going to be the one wearing it.

That would all change, however, when Jon Moxley decided to put his health first. His fight with alcoholism had finally resonated enough within him that he said enough was enough, and he pulled himself out of the tournament. In an odd way, his real life story and Hangman’s story on the screen were more similar than we could have expected.

And once again, like ships in the night…they would pass each other by, never knowing how close they had come.

I won’t go on a long tangent about how much Hangman winning the title meant to me, so I’ll just say this: Hangman Page winning the world title meant a lot to me.

Another similarity - both Hangman and Mox bled in the match where they won their world championship.

From here, we arrive in 2022.

“Nobody, no matter who you are, should be afraid to stand up in front of the whole world and bare it all, everything that makes you who you are, scars and all, and say ‘hey, this is me!’” - words Jon Moxley spoke when he made his return from rehabilitation.

I love these words. Because they’re very much in line with something that Hangman himself said in the post-Full Gear scrum two months before: “Fuck it, I’ll just say what I feel. I’ll just be me. And if it works, it works, and if it doesn’t, I came by it honest.”

As the champion Hangman Adam Page bled and bled and bled his way through his title matches, Jon Moxley found himself in the Blackpool Combat Club - a group consisting of himself, Bryan Danielson, and William Regal, as well as (eventually) Wheeler Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli. This was a group that prided itself in one thing - bloody violence.

The alcohol would be replaced, in both the champ and the former champ’s minds, by blood.

A sidenote: Hangman would have a Texas Deathmatch with the very same Lance Archer. Unlike Moxley, though, he would go on to win the match and retain his championship. And boy, was it a bloody scene. Two months later, Hangman would challenge Adam Cole to a Texas Deathmatch as well - and win.

We arrive at Double or Nothing.

A good friend of mine would meet Hangman Page at a meet and greet the day before the show. The limited edition print Hangman signed for her was a graphic of him, surrounded by a border that resembled a playing card. His sign - the Ace of Diamonds. Curious, I looked up the meaning of the card. Now, this could all be bullshit, but at the time, it meant something to me. It specified a message that was soon to come, or in a broader sense, a new perspective. I felt like this fit Hangman perfectly, and it solidified something in my own head about him - he was, in fact, an Ace in the company. At a time when I heard often that Jon Moxley was the top guy, when there were whispers that Jon might fight Tanahashi soon at Forbidden Door, I was dead set on maintaining Hangman as the One. And this, this was a sign. For me.

All those hopes and dreams would come crashing down though, obviously, when Hangman lost the title to CM Punk. After 198 days of being overshadowed by the explosive feud that was Maxwell versus Punk, Hangman’s reign would come to an end.

But as luck would have it, Punk would be injured about four days later, leaving the title picture up in the air.

“This is mine,” Hangman had declared, that night at Double or Nothing. “You will NEVER have it. This. Is. Mine!”

Those words, it seemed, rang nearly true enough.

The month of June would become a month so confusing, so convoluted, that even now I cannot remember what exactly the fuck happened. There was a battle royal to pick an opponent for the number one contender to the interim title, Jon Moxley, but the problem was that Hangman already had a match set for the night. I thought, surely he can pull a double. He’s the former world champ. Surely, they’ll let him do it. The only problem was, that double was actually pulling a triple, because the match between the winner of the battle royal would face Mox on Rampage, which was taped the same night.

I, and the rivalry I so desperately held to my chest, would have to wait once more. Another near-crossing. But I could feel it: the lines were drawing closer.

Mox would face Tanahashi and win the interim world title. Hangman would follow a confusing path to the IWGP heavyweight championship and lose against three other men. Hangman had another opportunity at a title shot in another battle royal, but he got dunked out of the ring before he could win it. By the middle of July, I was getting antsy. I wanted to know what the future held for my favorite guy in AEW, and by god, I was going to get some answers.

Comicpalooza - Houston, TX. July 16th and 17th, 2022. Hangman Page and Adam Cole were set to appear. They were going to have panels, autographs, and professional photos with fans.

And I, resident Hangman girlie, was going to be there.

Here’s where the shit gets interesting.

Cole ended up having to cancel, I’m assuming due to not being medically cleared after the concussion he suffered at Forbidden Door. Which meant that both days became wide open to meeting Hangman not once, not twice - but four times. Twice for photos and twice for autographs. And of course, the panel.

As a girl who’s never once met a celebrity that she actually cared about, this was a big fucking deal, and I was - hoo boy, was I nervous. The first chance I got was the first autograph signing, right before the photo and about twenty minutes before the panel. I could hardly look him in the eye. I was about as skittish as a horse, and super quiet. He tried to get light conversation out of me (complimenting my pearlsnap - which matched his own, mine was cream and his was brown - shirt, my belt, and my boots), and I ended up mentioning that I would see him again in a few minutes for the photo and then the panel. It was going to be a busy couple hours for him. After that was over, I saw him at the photo. I was the first in line.

“Hello again,” I said. He replied with a smile, and he seemed much more awake and excited than he had a few minutes prior. I noted that he must like taking photos with everyone. His cheery aura calmed me down significantly, and I was much more comfortable speaking with him. I asked for a hug, and he obliged me. He asked me what kind of pose I’d like to do, and I told him I wanted to do finger guns. In my head, I was imagining us back to back, like a movie poster, but he suggested we whirl into it, like we’re about to shoot at the camera. He asked if this was okay. I was so starry-eyed that I said yes immediately.

Once the camera flashed, he pulled me over to the photographer’s screen of the image. He said he wanted to make sure it looked good, and asked if I liked it. It was an amazing photo. I know it was amazing, because I actually thought I looked good in it.

Now, I debated on mentioning this part but I figure I may as well - at this point in time, I asked him if I handed him a letter, would he read it. He said, “yes, of course!” I handed it to him, and he quickly asked me if he should read it now, to which I yelled, “no! Nuh uh! Not right now!”

“You sure?” he asked playfully. I shook my head. It was too long a letter for him to read at the moment, and he had a line to get through and then a panel to get to. I was not about to hold him up. Plus, I had tapped out all my remaining courage for this particular moment. I was not about to watch his face as he read the feelings I bore on those pages. Knowing I was strong enough to put the letter in his hands was enough for me. He said okay. I thanked him as I left, saying I would see him at the panel.

The audience at the panel was small, way too small for the ballroom they had set up in. But it didn’t matter, because I was in the front row anyway. I brought a little sign that said “Hangman Gang,” which was the name of my group of wrestling friends. The mediator of the panel pointed it out to him when he sat down at the table in the front of the room.

I had never attended a panel before, but I knew the basics of what it was like from a couple of panels I had watched on youtube. At some point, there would be a Q&A where fans could go up to a microphone setup and ask him a question.

I had thought about what I would ask him for weeks. But by the time the day came around, none of the questions I’d thought about were sticking in my mind as The One. I had questions about the meaning behind some of his gear, questions about the Elite, questions about Adam Cole. But none of them felt…right. When I finally got out of my seat to take my spot in line for the microphone, I was in “fuck it” mode. I knew what I was going to ask, even if I wasn’t sure how I was going to ask it. Plus, I needed to tell him happy early birthday.

“Hi,” I said shyly. He responded with a quiet “hello.”

And so it began. I wished him a happy birthday, barely stopping to acknowledge his thanks before continuing on with what I was there for. I prefaced my question by saying that I knew him and Mox had only fought twice in the past two years, but never in singles. And I believe, if my memory is correct, that I said: “Is that on purpose? Or like, are you dodging Mox? Or is Mox dodgin’ you?”

A chuckle from the mediator. The absolute audacity of my asking my favorite wrestler in the world whether he was afraid of another wrestler must have really gotten to him.

Hangman replied, as I recall, very eloquently. He remembered that first match at the beginning of Dynamite’s run, and he remembered the casino ladder match. But as for why they hadn’t met again, he could only chalk it up to…”fate.” Fate was what kept them apart. Fate took Mox out of the tournament, fate took the belt off Hangman, fate kept him from these opportunities all summer long. It was out of his control, but he would love to fight Mox. He certainly wasn’t dodging him on purpose. He would love to do a match with him.

At this, the mediator prompted. “...Texas Deathmatch?”

Hangman’s eyes looked out into the ether, weighing those words. “Yeah. Yeah, Mox likes deathmatches, right?”

My entire body started vibrating at those words. I thanked him and sat back in my seat.

I would not stop thinking about those words until the end of September, when Hangman won the battle royal at Rampage Grand Slam. The newly crowned NOT-interim world heavyweight champion, Jon Moxley, was set to do battle against Hangman Adam Page.

This was an important match for Hangman, as it would be his first major shot at the world title since losing it a few months back. From the moment Hangman walked out to meet Mox face to face in the front of the ring, I was hooked on every expression, every set of their jaws, every word from their mouths.

“Three years of AEW Dynamite…three years of watching you, three years of studying you because I knew this was comin’...three years of us circlin’ each other…”

The camera cuts to a wide shot of the two in the ring, dancing around each other.

The image in my head is of Raymond Holt from Brooklyn Nine Nine shouting, “VINDICATION!!”

“You know, between the two of us, we’ve probably beaten everyone there is to beat…except each other…on October 18th, there will be one Last Man Standing here in AEW.”

The first pearl of foreshadowing dropped. Texas Deathmatches, at their core, were considered ‘last man standing.’ Mox goes on to say here that he was going to choke Hangman out, because Hangman was in the way. In the way of Mox being, once and for all, the Top Guy in AEW. Just like I had been told. He goes on to say that he respects Hangman as a competitor and as a person. At one point, after Hangman goes too far, he calls him a ‘sweet kid.’ But at the end of the day, he was going to put him down, no matter what.

The next week in the ring, Mox mentions that being world champion means having a target on your back. Many “crumble under the pressure…some faster than others.” This is, very clearly, a knock on Hangman and his reign. Though Hangman bled, and bled…and bled to keep his title, the story of his reign was a tough one. Having finally beaten the man whose shadow Hangman felt trapped under, there was nothing now to fight but the weight of being the champ. Keeping the gold that symbolized his worth had been, as Mox points out, too much to handle.

And now, he had to get his worth back.

When Hangman walks out to meet Mox here, he begins by telling Mox that whatever he has to say to Hangman, he can “say it to his face.” This would be the first, of many times, where he says this to Moxley in the months to come. He goes on to say, “but actually, you said it all last week.” He mentions how Mox said he respected him in the ring and as a person, and “[he] would be lying if [he didn’t say] coming from [Mox], that meant the world to [him].” He says that Mox was a damn good father, husband, champion, and that he looked up to Mox and wanted to be like him. But the moment that Mox called him a kid last week, all of those things vanished, in Hangman’s eyes.

“Is that what you think of me?” He demands. Mox takes the mic and says it’s exactly right. Because the Hangman standing before him now is not the same guy who knocked him off the top of a ladder a year ago to cash in his shot at the title. The Hangman of now, broken and aimless, won’t be able to pull the trigger if given the chance.

Mox’s observation here was sound - Hangman had many opportunities as champion to end someone in the most brutal way possible. During the Texas Deathmatch with Adam Cole, there’s a wonderful shot of Cole tied to the ropes while Hangman debates hitting him with a steel chair. A similar shot was shown the night he lost the title to CM Punk - where he holds the title in his hands while no one is looking, and debates whether he should use it to knock Punk out. He had a similar choice the day he won the title, but he chose not to and won.

In every instance, he has a shot at ending it. He refuses every time, out of some sense of nobility. It’s clear here that Mox disapproves.

Hangman agrees. He’s not the same person. Hesitation cost him the title. Hesitation cost him the trios titles, as well, in September. His old friends were gone and his new ones were dropping like flies. “I’m angry, I’m depressed! The medicine is not working but I am STILL HERE because I am a man!”

Here’s where he ties in to Mox’s words. How could he be a sweet kid if he was a man? An adult? Someone who has been through hell and back? He’s lowered family into the ground, he’s helped bring life into this world, he’s been choked until he turns blue but he keeps getting back up!

At this point, Hangman gets so worked up that he beats his fist into his eyebrow so badly that it breaks the skin. And here’s the part that I love the most - “I have my shot, and I have my word. Tuesday, I take my shot, and tonight I give you my word.” He palms at the blood staining his brow, wipes it on Mox’s white shirt. “...That is my word.”

The week before Hangman won the title off Kenny, there was a contract signing. At this contract signing, Kenny Omega and Don Callis conspired to rough Hangman up to give him a disadvantage going into the match that Sunday. Hangman broke wide open, over the same. Fucking. Eyebrow. And what did Kenny do? He signed his signature to the contract in Hangman’s blood. And then he lost.

I guess you could say Hangman’s blood holds a lot of promise.

“And unlike him,” Hangman said, pointing to a lurking Maxwell in the rafters of the arena, “I wanted to make sure to say this to you face-to-face…man-to-man.”

Of course, Hangman would go on to lose the first bout, as he suffered a very real, very scary concussion, but my god, was that match a work of art before the finish. It’d been a while since Hangman fans saw him pull an orihara moonsault from high up on a barricade, but he pulled it out for Mox.

At this point, I sat and wondered. Would I get to see him again? How soon? They were set to have three shows in Texas come December, and I wondered if we would finally get the Texas Deathmatch that seemed all but a promise. Because I didn’t think he would be cleared, I didn’t go to any of them. I just watched, anxious and a little bit heated, as Hangman showed up to answer Moxley’s call at the beginning of the first winter month.

Moxley’s first reaction to this was to make a tone-deaf joke about how Hangman probably didn’t remember what happened the last time they had met, instead of waiting to hear what Hangman might’ve had to say. He was met with a sock to the jaw.

This would go on for weeks, with Hangman saying that this wasn’t how he wanted it to go at all, but Mox just HAD to goad him. Say something stupid. Meanwhile, Mox held firm in his belief that he didn’t know what the fuck Hangman was talking about, and he could fight him any day of the week, no problem. Hangman would go into a brawl with him nearly every week, not being cleared to wrestle in the ring on account of his concussion. In a segment with Renee, he would reveal to her that the night of their first bout, when he got injured, he forgot his own son’s name. So Mox making light of his memory loss was, of course, not at all funny.

By January 2023, a date was set between the two in California. All three Texas shows went by and not one mention of a Texas Deathmatch, which had me very confused. But no matter, because there were two more Texas shows now slated for February, and I was going to one of them. I hoped, even if it wasn’t the match I was hoping for, that at the very least the feud would continue.

Before this rematch, though, they had one last face-to-face. Mox would tell Hangman that all this whining about get knocked out made him absolutely sick. And Hangman, of course, would have to point Mox in the right direction. “You think that I’m mad at you because you knocked me out? Is that really what you think?”

See, Hangman was well aware that being knocked out was part of the job. That was never the problem. Condescendingly, Hangman continues. “You don’t seem like a guy for nuance, so I’ll put it to you simple…”

The night of Hangman’s return, Mox didn’t let him get one word in before he made a joke. He believed in that moment that Mox saw him as a threat. But Hangman had not walked out to Mox that night for a fight, though it was what he was here for now.

That part was so interesting to me, because I wanted so badly to know why Hangman showed up that night to face Mox in the ring originally. This goes back to Hangman’s need to say things to Mox’s face and wanting the same in return.

Hangman won the second bout in a great match. Mox suffered what looked to be an injury, with the way he asked, “What happened?” repeatedly. Almost as if he had suffered a concussion of his own. Hangman would leave the ring, concerned and most of all, ashamed. Mox had been right in October. He was much softer than was expected to be of a champion.

So now they were tied, 1 to 1. At this point, Renee conducted a couple of interviews with Hangman, one of which was very interesting.

Renee started by asking how he was doing, and then she told him something that Mox told her. Apparently, Mox believed that Hangman made him better. That he both “despises” and “cherishes” him.

The HangMox girlie in me was bouncing off the walls. Knowing that even after two fights, Mox still had a nice word to say about Hangman was everything to me. It was beyond anything I could have ever expected, and he turned visibly awkward here. This would be one of three times in the interview where his body language changed.

He answers by saying that if Mox wanted to say something to his face, he could say it to him, and Hangman would gladly knock him out again if need be. Again, bringing up speaking to his face.

Three days before this segment, someone asked me what I thought was next for Hangman, and although I didn’t have a clear answer, I knew that it would have to do with something from the past. “The only way he can move forward is by looking back.”

Renee asked Hangman the same question, and he responded with, “the more I look forward, I can’t help but see back.”

I yelped. This was insane. There was no way we were this in tune. Basically, he wanted one final match. To prove that his win wasn’t a fluke, to prove that at the end of the day, he was the better of the two. To put this feud to bed. He also says that something Renee said earlier (calling him and Mox “elite” level performers) reminded him of some friendships that needed mending. This is another time he visibly changes his body language.

Once the interview is done, Hangman asks how Mox is, truly. Renee says that he’ll dust himself off again soon. Here is the final time where he seems to become visibly awkward - he begins to ask Renee, “could you tell him -” before stopping himself. “Never mind, it’s stupid.”

He holds himself here to the standard he holds Mox by. He wants Mox to say things to his face, so he knows that he shouldn’t relay anything back to him through Renee either.

Their third match, while just as fun as the first two, ends in an anti-climactic finish. After getting his ass handed to him by Hangman for about eight or so minutes, Mox pulls him in for a deep cover and gets the roll-up win. Hangman is, understandably, pissed. He ends up getting in Mox’s face, with Wheeler and Claudio having to keep them apart. They exchange flips of the bird. Mox lays down and makes a snow angel, much like Punk did to him in September. Hangman responds with a burpee.

They are absolutely little fucking kids about it. And it’s great.

It’s clear that the dick measuring contest isn’t over.

Still pissed off, Hangman comes back the next week in an interview with Renee and he is positively livid. He is so livid that he almost, almost tells Renee to relay a message to Moxley, but he’s interrupted by Kip Sabian before he can finish his thought.

The next week, Hangman wrestles Kip Sabian. I’m in the front row, cheering my ass off. He wins, as expected. He leans onto the ropes, frustration over another match crystal clear in his eyes. I raise my poster up so he can see. “Cowboy, you stole my yee-heart,” it reads. (It was the day after Valentine’s Day.)

He sends me a little kiss, keeps his eyebrows angry and his lips pouting. He does it like he’s mad about it, and it’s oh-so-fucking funny.

Behind him, Mox and his friends pull up into the ring. My heart is pounding out of my chest. I am seeing Hangman and Mox in the ring together with my own two eyes, and it’s amazing.

Mox tells Hangman that it’s over between them, he won fair and square. But Hangman refuses. He takes the mic, saying that there’s no way either of them could be happy with the finish of that match. That it’s not how their story should end. Their story ends at Revolution, when they go back in that cold, dark alley and only one man is left standing.

There it is, I thought. Those words again. Last man standing.

Mox seems glad of Hangman’s pushy nature at this point. He admits he’s kinda glad that Hangman has no friends to talk him into a smarter decision.

It’s at this point that the Dark Order makes itself known. Evil Uno, mic in hand, asks if he heard Mox correctly. “Did you say that this man has no friends?”

This moment was insane. Absolutely astonishing, to see Uno walk into the ring, square up to Mox and tell his own friend, Hangman, to get out of his face. Uno even goes so far as to pie-face Moxley to get his attention, something very few people have ever done and gotten away with, if ever.

Refusing to see Uno as a threat, Mox looks past him to the upset cowboy. “Cowboy…Texas Death.”

That girl in the front row went absolutely insane (me).

After missing four separate shows in Texas, I still managed to witness the announcement of the Texas Deathmatch between Hangman and Moxley. It was like the entire segment, the entire feud, up to this moment, was waiting on me to become a part of it once more. To be their lone partner, standing witness to the wonderful feud that was unfolding in front of my very eyes. Because not only were Hangman and Mox going head to head with the stipulation I’d been expecting since it came out of that mediation’s mouth, springing from my own completely odd and batshit question, but now the Dark Order was involved with the now merciless Blackpool Combat Club. Which means that this is likely far from truly over.

I left that show an elated woman. I was finally getting what I wanted.

And now, two and a half weeks later, the match is here. After watching the Countdown to Revolution, I can say without a doubt that they’ve satiated me well enough with this build. This idea that Mox is an animal without mercy that craves violence, completely and totally juxtaposing the man that needs to put down this rabid dog even if he doesn’t want to, but is going to have to by any means necessary. He said that Mox would never be the same, but I think the opposite is true. I think Hangman’s going to reach a point that he hasn’t been brought to yet in AEW. I think this time, despite all other evidence to the contrary, he’s finally going to snap. That heavy heart that Mox couldn’t take from him, that heart that Mox couldn’t carry, might turn to stone, if only for a moment.

A few weeks before Bryan and Mox had their bloody match at Revolution 2022, Mox uttered these words: “I don’t stand side by side with nobody…till I bleed with him first.”

It’s very clear that this Sunday, these men are going to bleed together. But I wonder…will they end up standing side by side? Will they share non-alcoholic beers together? Will Hangman ever tell Mox how he really feels, or will he keep it to himself, as he’s so often done before?

I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

[wrestlingisfake]

Power Struggle preview

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Shingo Takagi - Sabre is defending the IWGP world heavyweight title. Shingo is the NEVER champion, but his title is not at stake. This is presumably the final world title bout of the year, so whoever leaves with the belt tonight will likely go on to defend it in the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom 19 on January 4.

Right after Sabre won the title on October 14, Takagi, SANADA, and Shota Umino all challenged him for the gold. Sanada got the first title shot on October 20. New Japan also booked this match and Sanada vs. Umino for this show, with the idea that we wouldn't know which would be a title bout and which would be a consolation match until after the 20th.

In singles matches, the champion is 3-2 against the challenger. Takagi's most recent win over Sabre was in their block match in this year's G1 Climax, but Zack got his win back in the block final. Shingo's argument is that we need a rubber match, and I'm not complaining. But I find it interesting that Sabre's only unavenged loss in the G1 was against Shota Umino, and they've gone out of their way to avoid running it back.

I like Shingo and I think he didn't get enough out of his world title run. But let's face it, this match is a formality. Sabre is clearly headed to the Tokyo Dome, and it's just a question of who will be waiting for him when he gets there. I'm hoping that question is answered tonight. If it's a big surprise from out of left field, that'll be super cool and fun. If Umino steps up to challenge Zack, well...uh...

David Finlay vs. Taichi - Finlay's IWGP global title is at stake.

Coming out of the G1, Finlay was challenged by YOSHI-HASHI (age 42), and I figured that was okay as a placeholder until a more substantial contender emerged. Then they immediately went to Finlay vs. Hirooki Goto (45) and made the whole story about how he's an aging never-was. As soon as the match ended I was like "okay, let's get someone under 40 out here, please." So naturally Finlay calls out Yuya Uemura (29, sidelined with a torn triceps) to troll us, and then here comes Taichi (44) to remind me that New Japan has an endless supply of middle-aged men who don't stand a chance against Finlay. I mean, who's next, Tomoaki Honma?

I don't mean to be hard on Taichi. OK, I was pretty hard on Taichi for a long time, but I warmed up to him over the past few years. In 2022 I might have said he's a step up from fighting Yoshi and Goto. In 2024, though, he's hardly been around, except to fail to qualify for the G1. He's ice cold, and the idea that he's making a big challenge to prove he can hang with the top guys would work better if they hadn't just done the exact same thing with Yoshi and Goto. That might work if he could win the title, but that's just not gonna happen. Finlay retains, and I suppose he'll pick a fight with Tiger Mask.

DOUKI vs. Master Wato - Wato returned from a knee injury on October 14 and challenged Douki for the IWGP junior heavyweight title. When Wato returned from excursion in 2020, Douki was positioned as a major rival for him, mainly because at the time Douki was a total jobber and Wato struggled to get a win over anyone else. Now Douki is on top of the division, and Wato has a 3-1 singles record over the champion.

In the US a guy returning from injury almost always wins his first big singles match, but in New Japan they often do a loss, to make ring rust feel like a serious factor. I don't expect a title change, but I'll be happy if Wato doesn't look like an undercard geek.

Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita vs. TJP & Francesco Akira - This is the final match of the Super Jr. Tag League tournament. The team that wins the tournament typically issues a challenge to the IWGP junior tag team champions for Wrestle Kingdom.

Eagles and Fujita, the Ichiban Sweet Boys, won A Block with four wins and one loss. Catch 2/2 (TJP & Akira) finished 3-3 in B Block, breaking a three-way tie for first place with wins over Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X and the junior tag champions, Kevin Knight & KUSHIDA.

I could see either team going to the Tokyo Dome, so this is tough to pick. But I guess I'll give the nod to Eagles and Fujita, since they haven't spent near as much time in the junior tag title picture, and I'd like to see a fresh team chase the gold.

Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls vs. Great-O-Khan & HENARE - Haste & Nicholls are defending the IWGP heavyweight tag team title. The STRONG tag title is not at stake, since Haste and Nicholls are defending that on November 8. Henare is coming off of losing the NEVER singles title. The big story with O-Khan is that he'll be defending the KOPW belt in an intergender match against Suzu Suzuki on November 17.

Whoever wins this match will probably hold the IWGP tag belts going into the World Tag League tournament (Nov. 19-Dec. 8), which will decide the next challengers. My preference would be for Haste and Nicholls to hold the gold all the way to January 4, at least. But Khan and Henare aren't really going anywhere as singles, so giving them a run as a strong tag team wouldn't be a bad thing. Of course, I don't expect it to happen, so I pick the champs to retain.

SANADA vs. Shota Umino - If Sanada had won the world title on October 20, this match would have been his first defense. As it is, though, it's a consolation match between the two guys on the short end of last month's four-way situation. Of those four, Umino has singles wins over both Zack Sabre and Shingo Takagi, but he's 0-2 against Sanada, so you can argue he needs this win before he can challenge the winner of tonight's main event.

The big story of this match will be Umino's relationship with the crowd. He's always been booked as a white-meat babyface, and I hadn't noticed any problems with that until 10/14, when he asked for a title shot and Ryogoku mercilessly booed him. Things weren't much better on 10/20, although beating Callum Newman in London was naturally going to draw a heel reaction. But now Shota is heading into Osaka, a notorious heel town, and there's already momentum for rejecting a big push for him. This could be a tough night for the kid.

Honestly, if the domestic audience turns on Umino, a heel turn wouldn't be the worst thing for his character development, and New Japan should probably embrace the opportunity. The problem is that New Japan likes to plan things out far in advance, so if they've committed to "Shota Umino headlines the Tokyo Dome and is the top babyface throughout 2025," then it won't be easy for the crowd to change their minds. One way or another, I expect Shota to pick up the win here, and to call out the champion at the end of the show.

Hiroshi Tanahashi & Oleg Boltin vs. EVIL & Ren Narita - Tana was originally supposed to team with El Phantasmo, but he's been pulled out due to cancer treatment. That sounds pretty scary, but ELP seems pretty upbeat about it, so I'm hoping he knows some good news that I don't. Tana vs. Evil has already been signed for January 4, so this is a preview of that. I assumed this match would also set up Phantasmo to challenge Narita for the television title, but I guess that's off the table. Maybe Boltin can get a title shot instead? Maybe someone else will? Who knows. I'm kinda thinking Evil and Narita will win to get heel heat.

Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji & Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs. Toru Yano & Tomoaki Honma & Ryusuke Taguchi & Dragon Dia - This is just a filler match, mostly to get Naito's team on the card. Hiromu, Bushi, Taguchi, and Dia were all participants in Super Jr. Tag League. Yano and Honma are little more than enhancement talent these days. Naito was world champion up until three weeks ago, and Tsuji will probably be in that spot before too long. So this is kind of the "atom bomb vs. coughing baby" of New Japan filler tag matches. Honma will probably lose the fall.

Gabe Kidd & Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X vs. KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight & Paris de Silva & Jude London & Katsuya Murashima - More aftermath from Super Jr. Tag League, where Connors-Moloney, Ishimori-X, Kushida-Knigh, and de Silva-London saw action. The odd men out are Kidd, who is a heavyweight and the STRONG men's champion, and Mursahima, who is a Young Lion. So yeah, Murashima is definitely doing the job in this match.

YOH & Ninja Mack & The DKC vs. Tiger Mask & Capitan Suicida & Shoma Kato - This is a pre-show match and I never seem to find out of it will actually air on the live stream until it's already over. Tiger & Suicida were a team in Super Jr. Tag League, as was Mack & DKC. Yoh teamed with Rocky Romero, who I suppose is headed back to AEW. Kato is a Young Lion which means he's here to lose the match.

[scarskelly]

To be Expected - David Finlay Op-ed

I'm not too sure what to call this: a Op-ed, intelligent rant, infodump, sort of an Essay, retrospective?

I'm not going to make this intro too long but basically: I have written a thing on David Finlay inspired by rambles on a discord server and the recent developments with him and Jay and Bullet Club. I have liked David for a while now and I have a lot of thoughts on his character arc and possible reasoning as to why he did what he did.

If that sounds interesting but you don't have time to read 1400 words on that, here's a quick summary.

TL;DR: David Finlay's character arc in NJPW involved him trying to deal with the two chips on his shoulder: his heritage and his temper. He went from 'desperate to be different' to 'able to coexist healthily' before regressing into what we see now. I also talk about what led to this regression and all of the factors involved (continual failure, words hurt Ospreay). I discuss David's relationship with Jay and how his finale in Japan was the last straw for David, leading him to attack at Battle in the Valley.

Look under the cut for the whole thing!

First things first: David Finlay did not start out in NJPW as a Young Lion. He actually came into the promotion as an already fully trained wrestler, having been trained by his father Fit. He gave up all of that knowledge and started again after a match against Jushin Thunder Liger who Fit had wrestled in New Japan back in '91.

David's heritage is something that has bothered him for years. Especially during his young lion and early post-graduation days, it was the big chip on his shoulder. Of course there was the element of everyone already having pre-conceptions and expectations of you but that wasn't the problem for David. His main problem was that he couldn't just be 'David', commentary would always mention (both English and Japanese) his father, grandfather, great-grandfather before him. So, when David graduated he tried to make himself as distinct as possible.

How did he do this without dropping the Finlay name?

He didn't wrestle like Fit (specifically the brawler part which we'll get to) and aesthetically he kept himself separate through different gear, hair, facial hair and even the inclusion of eyeliner for a short period of time.

The other chip on his shoulder was related to his heritage: his temper. Finlay's are quick to anger and like to brawl, Fit's nickname was literally the Belfast Bruiser. However as a young lion and later a babyface hanging out with Taguchi, you cannot be a bruiser. So, David wasn't and that was another thing he had to tussle with.

Over the years, David did make progress in these areas.

When it came to his heritage there is of course the Shillelagh but an item that he introduced earlier was the spiked leather jacket. His first one from 2018 he has passed onto Brogan (his younger brother) and he's had versions of a spiked leather jacket since then. This style of jacket being a reference to something that Fit wore during his WCW run. Speaking of Brogan, you could see his increased interaction with his brother including on some NJoA shows as a acceptance of the Finlay dynasty (even if that included Brogan getting squished by Jonah, whoops).

So what about his temper? well for this I have 2 matches to compare.

Jay White vs David Finlay, Road to the New Beginning, 5th of Feb 2018, US Championship match.

We will focus on David's relationship with Jay later but for now I want to look at the end of this match. David snaps, Jay's treatment of him from reappearance as the Switchblade until now takes its toll. While Jay is downed David grabs a chair from under the ring, bringing it in even in the presence of Red Shoes. He very nearly almost hits Jay over the head with it but ends up stopping himself. This gives Jay the opportunity to win the match.

2. Juice Robinson vs David Finlay, G1 Climax 32, 26th of Jul 2022.

In this match David is certainly much more willing to be violent and less concerned about being a pure babyface but only because of Juice's provocation. Juice starts it by targeting David's shoulder and he's the one who tries to hit David with the US title first. David even breaks his pin on Juice after hitting him with the Shillelagh to actually hit a move before picking up the win.

I like this comparison because both of these matches are ones where David is facing someone who was once very close to him shortly after they turned heel. Both times Jay and Juice try to convince David not to follow through on his violence (Jay just looks at him, possibly saying something, Juice verbally begs him).

We can see how David has grown and progressed, accepting his heritage and his short fuse as just who he is and even managing to use them to his advantage. 2022 was a good year for David. He had a successful G1 debut and very nearly almost won in a US title match. But, after being around in NJPW since 2015, 'good' and 'very nearly' had become insufficient for David.

There are so many possibilities as to why David is like how he is now. I wouldn't be surprised if it is all of them coming together to finally break the guy. Maybe the things Ospreay said to him during that press conference weighed on his mind. His absent father, his championship wins being dictated by other people and in turn the absence in actual singles glory to his name. Maybe those big wins he experienced in the G1 started an addiction for David, and with his loss to Ospreay came a desperation to experience that big win feeling again. Maybe David came to the realisation after the Ospreay match that he needed to change. This David Finlay was a loser and that would never change, so why stick with it?

Enter Jay White.

Quick Jay and David history lesson: David, Jay and Juice were in the same young lion class. They were a close knit trio but Jay and David were in particular quite close which is obvious enough from the various pictures, gifs and twitter exchanges floating around on this site. When Jay returned from excursion, both David and Juice mentioned that Jay never told them anything about his debut and attack on Tanahashi. Jay found David and Juice beneath him now, having gone off on excursion and now getting to face Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom. David and Juice didn't even get excursions.

David has an unfortunate trend associated with him which is 'his best friend indirectly turns heel on him by attacking Tanahashi' as Juice also did the same as Jay last year. This certainly left David with a bad taste in his mouth, he was so insignificant to these two, two of the guys he was closest in NJPW with, that they won't even directly turn heel on him? What does that say about him? or the friendships he's tried to create with fellow members of Hontai and other face groups?

Whenever he saw fit, Jay would bully David. He would lord his sheer number of wins against David over him (even when most of them were from the young lion days). When David finally did get a win over Jay he made it sound like the world was ending ("I just lost to David Finlay? Is this real right now?"). Even in Impact, Jay busied himself with continuing to bully David. Jay was also very likely the one who convinced Juice to dump David and join the Bullet Club.

In short: Jay was an annoying dickhead who nobody outside of the Bullet Club liked.

Then after losing the IWGP Championship in a situation where all of the odds were against him, Jay finds a scapegoat in Hikuleo. He lashes out and seriously threatens the career of an up and coming star in New Japan basically because the guy embarrassed him. He in turn also sabotages his own career because he's stopped caring about wrestling in Japan as he's done everything there is to do. He doesn't care about the fans or his fellow wrestlers including his own faction mates who would be leaderless. He loses and...everyone forgets everything that Jay did up to that point? Hikuleo doesn't care, Tanahashi doesn't care, the crowd doesn't care, Gedo doesn't even care.

Imagine how David felt watching this go down. Hoping to see the man he once could call a best friend who became a dastardly person, made David's life a living hell for years and stole his best friend get his just deserts. But instead he's allowed to leave unscathed and everyone is all of a sudden going to miss him so much?

Whether David was contacted by Gedo beforehand or not, he witnesses the same thing happen at Battle in the Valley and does not let Jay get his moment in the sun.

Now we're at present day. David has regressed when it comes to the relationship with his heritage, having said that all of the generations before him were losers and now he will be the Finlay to make this dynasty something to be proud of. As mentioned after attacking Jay, David has never felt truly at home anywhere and I believe he partially blames his father for that one. He's accepted his short temper and penchant for violence completely and utterly. Now he's very quick to anger in many situations not yet seen before (lashing out at fans and their signs, young lion attacks and hostile tags).

As David begins to become a more important character in New Japan, I think it is important to look back on his arc in this promotion so far as to understand what is happening now and what may happen in the future. I hope this was helpful for someone out there, or at least was an interesting read!

Thank you coming to my TED Talk.

[debbiechanclub]

bestie…. i fear i need finlay match recommendations 😗

Bestie. I have loaded you up with 20 matches. I told you if you give me an inch where Finlay is concerned, I will take a mile.

Now, first things first. All but three of my recs are on NJPW World (and two are free to watch without an account). If you don't have an account, I'm more than willing to share my login with you in the name of spreading the gospel of Debbie Chan.

That being said, if you think you might want to sign up for an account, now is a GREAT time to do it because they're actually launching a brand new website this Thursday (11/9), complete with apps for Android and iOS, which they didn't previously have. It's only $9 USD/month, so I think it's well worth it. However, you won't be able to sign up until Friday, after the new site is live. Additionally, as part of the overhaul, they're upgrading a massive portion of the archive footage, and, unfortunately, nothing from prior to 2021 will be available to watch until they put it back up. (All my recs except for one on YouTube are from 2021 on.)

Again though, I will absolutely share my login with you (and you'd be able to log in right away and watch as mine is an existing account). Just let me know!

Okay, now that that's out of the way, onto the recs! And my apologies because this... is long.

FYI: I've listed these in chronological order, and they're best viewed in that order as it really helps to tell the story of how Finlay became who he is today :)

FinJuice vs. G.o.D (YouTube) - YouTube comes in clutch for a pre-2021 match! This is good viewing because 1) FinJuice was a well established and fairly successful tag team, and don't even get me started on all the messiness of Juice running around with Jay in Bullet Club Gold while Finlay is literally leading real Bullet Club now; and 2) Since overtaking Bullet Club in March, Finlay has almost exclusively feuded with G.o.D. (he finally put an end to it this past weekend at Power Struggle). And it's crazy seeing Finlay's evolution from then to now.

2021 New Japan Cup Quarter Final vs. Jay White (3/18 show) - This was a HUGE win for our boy because, going into this match, Finlay was on an 0-12 losing streak against Jay. And he and Jay will be forever intertwined because they came up in the NJPW dojo together and were roommates and best friends and everyone constantly compared Finlay to Jay (they still do now), and that created a MASSIVE chip on his shoulder that lead to him clocking Jay over the head and subsequently taking control of Bullet Club. So yeah. V. important match in the lore of Finlay.

2021 New Japan Cup Semi-Final vs. Will Ospreay (3/20 show) - I hope you're ready for a lot of Ospreay, because he and Finlay have history. Back in 2021, Ospreay defeated Finlay in the semi-final of the NJ Cup and then went on to win the tournament and the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. This plays into why Finlay is gunning for Ospreay now.

Resurgence 2021 vs. Jay White - This match was for the NEVER Openweight Title. Jay retained... but Finlay eventually went on to win that title after taking over Bullet Club, which also used to be Jay's.

G1 Climax 32 vs. Juice Robinson (7/26), Will Ospreay (8/2), and El Phantasmo (8/10) - Finlay returned to Japan for the first time in over a year for the G1 Climax 32, and he had a really strong showing. This was when I first started to get the brainrot for him. I really recommend watching all his matches from that tournament... but these three are the most important to Finlay's character because of his history with Juice and Will and what would come later with ELP and Bullet Club.

Burning Spirit 2022 vs. Will Ospreay (9/25 show) - This match was for the IWGP United States Championship, the very one and same that Ospreay currently holds and that Finlay destroyed with a giant mallet at Power Struggle this weekend. Ospreay retained back then. But I have a feeling (and sincerely fucking hope) that there's a new title in Finlay's future.

NJPW World TV Championship Tournament vs. ZSJ (YouTube) - After coming up short in the G1 Climax 32 and against Ospreay (again), Finlay still had a chance to win the newly created NJPW World TV Title; and then ZSJ eliminated him in the second round. I really think this loss was the straw that broke the camel's back and really set the stage for Finlay's frustration and his comeback as the leader of Bullet Club.

2023 New Japan Cup vs. Tomohiro Ishii (3/6 Anniversary Event, free to watch without an account!), Tama Tonga (3/19), and Sanada (3/21) - And we've reached Bullet Club Finlay! Finlay's match against Ishii was the first match of the tournament, and no one―absolutely no one―expected him to come out in Bullet Club gear with Gedo, of all people, in his corner. And not only that, but he handily disposed of Ishii. He made it all the way to the final where he lost against Sanada, but he sent a loud and clear message during the entire tournament that this was a new David Finlay (and I was a goner).

Capital Collision 2023 vs. AR Fox (YouTube) - I think you've seen this one? But including it because it's a good match and also the night Finlay recruited Clark Connors, the first member of what would become Bullet Club War Dogs (and I was there!).

Wrestling Dontaku 2023 vs. Tama Tonga (5/3 show) - Remember how I said that Finlay eventually won the NEVER Openweight Title after taking over Bullet Club? This was when he did it.

Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-Jo Hall vs. El Phantasmo - This. This is the match and night that ruined me forever. After kicking ELP out of Bullet Club (basically because he was and is close with Jay and didn't respect Finlay), Finlay defended the NEVER Openweight Title against him and proved that he could back up all the shit he was talking. But besides that, this was the night the War Dogs were formed. I highly recommend also checking out the end of the IWGP Junior Tag Title match just so you can see Drilla Moloney turn on United Empire and join Bullet Club. It quite honestly altered me forever.

G1 Climax 33 vs. Tama Tonga (7/26), Eddie Kingston (8/8), and Will Ospreay (8/10) - Did I mention that Finlay has spent most of this year feuding with Tama/G.o.D? They tried to kill each other in this year's G1, and it was fantastic. He and Eddie also tried to kill each other. But Ospreay beat him in the quarter-finals. Just more fuel for why he's going after Ospreay now.

12-Man Elimination Match: Bullet Club vs. G.o.D. and Intergalactic Jetsetters (10/1 show, free to watch without an account) - Because I would be remiss not to rec a match with all the War Dogs (and Chase is there, too). This is a fun one, if not a bit of a clusterfuck. (And shout-out to Kevin Knight, who I also adore.)

Destruction in Ryogoku 2023 vs. Tama Tonga (10/9 show) - This is the last of Finlay's singles matches against Tama, and unfortunately he lost the NEVER Openweight Title back to him (which I don't think anyone expected). But it's a good match and Finlay looked strong despite his loss. And now that I know he likely (hopefully?) has a new belt coming to him after the start of the year, I'm honestly okay that he lost. (Because Tama doesn't even have the title anymore, believe it or not).

So there are my Finlay match recs. I'm well aware this is overkill lmao, but I really am excited that you want to know more about him, and I want to do him justice. Because he really is my favorite guy, and he deserves to be recognized as his own wrestler and person not just in relation to Jay or Juice or anyone else.

But I won't blame you if you don't watch all of these, because I know I went insane 😂

[sybilius]

Syb’s 2022 MOTY List

Hellooooo tumblr! I thought I’d share a short list of the wrestling matches that really stuck with me this year. I’m not going to dig up links for these since this is basically a Syb Loved It list without any coherence necessarily, but if you any of these really speak to you feel free to shoot me a DM and I’ll try to find you a link!

1. Jun Kasai vs El Desperado (TAKATaichiDespeMania, 12.09.2022)

This is just a beautiful, beautiful death match whose core message is about celebrating being alive. It hit me in my core self. 15/10 would watch again anytime.

2. K-Ness Retirement match ( DG The Gate Of Passion 2022 ~ Final Burst Out! K-Ness Forever - Tag 4 - 07.04.2022 )

If there was ever a match to show you how beautiful it is that wrestling is a real-time story that can perform death as well as life-- it’s this one. Please enjoy that K-ness is tagging with his longtime tag partner (Yokosuka) against his forever rival (Dragon Kid) and his wrestling-son (Kzy). It’s a beautiful match and brought tears to my eyes.

3. Kazusada Higuchi vs. Yukio Sakaguchi (God Bless DDT 2022,  23.10.2022)

The lead-up to this match made me insane -- if I could recommend all the house shows leading up to this, I would. This is a story about Higuchi who was mentored by Sakaguchi coming into his own and having to face his mentor in the ring. It’s deeply beautiful and also romantic and intense. Pro wrestling is a love story for real.

4. KENTA vs Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW G1 Climax 32, 17.07.2022)

Two grown men arguing about who is Senpai. Need I say more?

5. Katsuyori Shibata vs Orange Cassidy (AEW Rampage #66, 04.11.2022)

Although Shibata wrestling Ren at WK was probably most special to longtime New Japan watchers, the fact that he came to AEW to specifically put the shine on “comedy” wrestler Orange Cassidy, did some awesome comedy spots and put on a killer match, and OC was his first loss since his in-ring return? Mwah mwah perfection.

Honorable Mentions:

BCC vs JAS ft. Suzuki (AEW Forbidden Door)

Jun Akiyama vs Eddie Kingston (AEW Full Gear 2022: Zero Hour)

Punk/MJF dog collar match (AEW Revolution 2022)

DDT "Drunk Three Way" match (DDT Non-Alcoholic Beer Garden 2022)

Ren Narita vs Juice Robinson (NJPW Strong)

[pwrestlingxpress]

G1 Climax 33 Participants Revealed

Back in 2014, we had the biggest G1 field at the time with 22 entrants. Last year, we had 28. This year, 32.

32 Entrants in 4 blocks of 8. Here are the following participants in this year's G1 Climax in English Alphabetical Order.

Jeff Cobb (NJPW/United Empire) - 5th straight appearance

Alex Coughlin (NJPW/Bullet Club) - First time entrant

EVIL (NJPW/House of Torture) - 8th straight appearance

David Finlay (NJPW/Bullet Club) - 2nd straight appearance

Hirooki Goto (NJPW/Bishamon) - 16th straight appearance; 2008 G1 Climax winner

Shane Haste (NJPW/TMDK) - First time entrant

Aaron Henare (NJPW/United Empire) - 2nd straight appearance

Hikuleo (NJPW/Guerillas of Destiny) - First time entrant

Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW/Chaos) - 11th straight appearance

KENTA (NJPW/Bullet Club) - 5th straight appearance

Gabriel Kidd (NJPW/Bullet Club) - First time entrant

Eddie Kingston (AEW) - First time entrant

Kaito Kiyomiya (Pro Wrestling NOAH) - First time entrant; 2018 Global League winner and 2022 N1 Victory winner

Tonga Loa (NJPW/Guerillas of Destiny) - 2nd appearance; first since 2021

Tetsuya Naito (NJPW/Los Ingobernables de Japon) - 14th straight appearance; 2013 and 2017 G1 Climax Winner

Ren Narita (NJPW/Strong Style) - First time entrant

Mikey Nicholls (NJPW/TMDK) - First time entrant

Kazuchika Okada (NJPW/Chaos) - 12 straight appearance; 2012/2014/2021/2022 G1 Climax Winner

Great O-Khan (NJPW/United Empire) - 3rd straight appearance

Will Ospreay (NJPW/United Empire) - 2nd straight appearance; 4th overall (G1 Debut in 2019)

Chase Owens (NJPW/Bullet Club) - 3rd straight appearance

El Phantasmo (NJPW) - 2nd straight appearance

Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW/TMDK) - 7th straight appearance

SANADA (NJPW/Just 5 Guys) - 8th straight appearance

Shingo Takagi (NJPW/Los Ingobernables de Japon) - 5th straight appearance

Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW) - 22nd straight appearance; 2007/2015/2018 G1 Climax Winner

Taichi (NJPW/Just 5 Guys) - 5th straight appearance

Tama Tonga (NJPW/Guerillas of Destiny) - 3rd straight appearance; 6th overall (G1 Debut in 2016)

Yota Tsuji (NJPW/Los Ingobernables de Japon) - First time entrant

Shota Umino (NJPW/Blackpool Combat Club) - First time entrant

Toru Yano (NJPW/Chaos) - 17th straight appearance; 18th overall (G1 Debut in 2005)

YOSHI-HASHI (NJPW/Bishamon) - 4th straight appearance; 7th overall (G1 Debut in 2016)

So based on this we've got a representative from AEW and Pro Wrestling NOAH competing in this year's tournament. More than that, we got 4 Pro Wrestling NOAH alumni (KENTA, Zack Sabre Jr., Shane Haste, and Mikey Nicholls) meaning NOAH past and present will be represented in this year's G1 Climax Tournament.

Not returning from last year's G1 Climax Tournament are (in English ABC Order):

Lance Archer (AEW)

Bad Luck Fale (Bullet Club)

Jonah (now known as Bronson Reed in WWE)

Tom Lawlor (Team Filthy)

Juice Robinson (AEW/Bullet Club Gold)

Yujiro Takahashi (NJPW/House of Torture)

Jay White (AEW/Bullet Club Gold)

And a note about Kaito Kiyomiya appearing in the G1. His appearance in the G1 Climax Tournament most likely means NOAH is guaranteed a new N-1 Victory winner for 2023. N-1 Victory starts on August 6th in Yokohama while G1 Climax 33 will be in Osaka on the same day. N-1 Victory will be off August 12-18 meaning they'll most likely appear in the Final 4 and overall finals of the G1 Climax Tournament.

Entrants for the N-1 Victory are expected to be announced most likely on July 15th.

Stay tuned for Block announcements coming up next weekend (most likely). G1 Climax 33 starts on July 15th in Sapporo.

[rhlgull1331]

PRO WRESTLING RATINGS 2023 (4 of 6)

29 professional wrestling matches out of 190 watched throughout July & August were rated 4 stars and higher.

AEW, unsurprisingly, had the most high-rated matches in this period with 8!

My favourite match of this block, and very likely to make my MOTY list, was Athena vs Willow Nightingale from Ring Of Honor's Death Before Dishonor! An exceptional match with loving tributes to pioneers of independent women's wrestling throughout the 2010's. I gave it 4.5 stars out of 5.

Here are 3 essential matches that I positively recommend you watch:

Eddie Kingston vs Tomohiro Ishii (G1 Climax 33 - Night 8, July 26th) Out of the 12-ish G1 Climax matches i've watched, none were as fun as these two trading Knife Edge Chops for a good 15 minutes.

Leon Slater vs Liam Slater (NCL.37 / Thunderstruck, July 30th) This was a suggestion from my friends Salem, Sarah and Gwen, who frequent North Wrestling a lot. It was my first time seeing Slater and Slater, and both men are fantastic at their respective styles.

Mayumi Ozaki vs Mio Momono (Marvelous Wrestling, August 7th) Possibly an unpopular choice, but this match was absolutely vicious! Mio Momono spends most of the time getting whipped with a metal chain! It is possibly the most emotionally taxing match i've seen all year and that includes all the bad ones.

The WRESTLER OF THE BLOCK is... Darby Allin!! He appears on this block three times, as did CM Punk* and Jon Moxley, but i felt like giving Darby the spotlight here as his work ethic has improved exponentially since his program with The Four Pillars of AEW (himself, MJF, Jungle Boy and Sammy Guevara) which i felt really undermined his worth as a wrestler at the expense of giving MJF another boastful talking point in his promos. But that's another discussion. Darby is fantastic in the ring and the lack of caution he shows is something that i can definitely get behind.

*CM Punk is actually on the block 4 times but i forgot how to count.

And finally, now that i've gotten to the latter stages of 2023 , i'm pleased to reveal that my current total matches watched is.....

719

For context , on my spreadsheet for 2022, i finished with just over 800 matches. I've come so much closer to my goal of 1000 matches in a single year!!!

See you again on Halloween!

[ringsidedishes]

Dishes got into wrestling in 2022 and has some faves

or my attempt at somehow squishing everything I watched down to one post for this beloved hellsite

~

Match of the year ❤️

Jun Kasai vs El Desperado, Takataichidespe mania, 2022

This match went right at the edge of my limits in hardcore/deathmatch spots without going over. Besides that, it’s just a wild ride that goes and goes for 30 minutes, with some gorgeous visuals, a crowd that’s super into it, and a post-match I still think about so much.

~

Wrestling matches wrapped 🔁 (some favorites that I rewatched a lot) (not all from this year)

Young Bucks vs reDRagon vs Jurassic Express, Revolution 2022

Young Bucks vs Swerve in our Glory vs Team Taz, Dynamite 2022

Orange Cassidy vs Will Ospreay, Forbidden Door 2022

Bryan Danielson vs Nick Jackson, Rampage 2021

Young Bucks vs Lucha Bros, cage match, All Out 2021

~

Some other memorable faves 💜 (of this year)

CM Punk vs MJF, dog collar match, Revolution

Jon Moxley vs Wheeler Yuta (where he joined BCC)

Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta vs Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta

Death Triangle vs House of Black, Double or Nothing

Blood & Guts, BCC vs JAS

Jon Moxley vs El Desperado, Music City Mayhem

The Elite vs United Empire

Hiromu Takahashi & Taiji Ishimori vs Master Wato & El Desperado, Battle Autumn

Shingo Takagi vs El Phantasmo, Rumble on 44th Street

Brandon Cutler vs Serpentico, Dark Elevation

Jamie Hayter vs Hikaru Shida

~

Matches to cry to 😭

El Desperado vs Jun Kasai, mostly that post-match, Takataichidespe mania

Eddie Kingston vs Jun Akiyama, All Out Zero Hour

KAIRI vs Miyu Iwatani, NJPWxSTARDOM

Suzuki-gun final match, Road to Tokyo Dome

~

Fav kiss 💋

Jon Moxley vs EFFY, GCW Homecoming I, 2022

Loved the match too, for vibes and story and visuals (Mox smoking while sitting on the top turnbuckle, while Effy’s squirming on the floor… good stuff).

~

Other favorite things 💙 (or how I got into wrestling)

HOOKhausen My gateway drug, I wouldn’t be watching wrestling if not for gifs of their tag team courtship. Even now, when I go back and watch their promos, I get all soft.

CM Punk vs MJF feud Yes, like 90% of tumblr I also saw the dog collar match gifs. After Hookhausen had caught my eye, I stumbled across Outside Interference’s video, which inspired me to go through all the shows to watch the full segments. I got to know lots of wrestlers along the way, very enjoyable way of exploring AEW for the first time, and very worth doing for the feud itself too.

G1 Climax 32 Although Forbidden Door introduced quite a few NJPW wrestlers, none of it really stuck (too many new faces and acronyms and mostly me laughing at and being impressed by Excalibur trying to power his way through it all). So G1 was me following El Phantasmo and getting to know the New Japan roster. Most of the matches weren’t as memorable as the ones I listed above, mostly on account of it all being very new to me. But I did get really into it as the tournament went on and had a blast.

~

And other assorted favorite things ✨ (most will be no surprise):

El Desperado :3

Penta’s little taunting walk, and his slingblade, too

Matt Jackson’s locomotion northernlight suplexes, and his hair, and also his gender

Kenta’s thighs

Tom Lawlor's whole vibe

Being the Elite

Trios Tag Team Tournament

ZSJ, Sanada, Taichi and Naito having their polycule moments, and Suzuki-gun vs LIJ nonsense in general

El Phantasmo’s antics and entrance

Binging free matches on YT, esp those with Orange Cassidy and the intergender ones

~

Also, yeah, there’s lots I didn’t watch (yet) if u wonder why xyz isn't on there.

Especially women’s wrestling is lacking on my list. I kept hoping for something in AEW to really drag me into it but unfortunately my fav got injured (I miss Kris!!) and I do need some narrative to hook me, but that didn’t happen 😔. I am enjoying Jamie Hayter having the belt, though, and there’s plenty of women on the roster I do like, so I’m keeping an eye out. NJPW and Stardom having their show introduced me to Stardom, so I might give that a go too.

I think that’s about it :3

Best wishes for this holiday season! 🎉

[princess00wifi]

After seeing this clip of El Phantasmo, I have been irreparably changed. Yes, he is and yes I would wear it on a shirt.

[fang-revives]

Sunday Six

Starting off with a VERY old WIP I started in 2022, after this very stupid segment in the G1 Climax... working title "deranged kenta & jay fic"...I hope I get to finishing it soon because it really is very funny.

Tagging @elphantasmo, @sarahcakes613, @nagdabbit, @shes-a-voodoo-child, @limbreaper, @eldesperadont, if you feel like posting a fic bit, go for it :D

-

I’ll admit that it’s not often I find myself stymied. Stuck, caught up in loops that can’t be cut with any kind of Switchblade. 

But this– every so often I run myself into a corner. That’s what Bullet Club is for, of course, the Club can help (when they can be trusted, which is most of the time, but I would know if not). And every so often the corner is in Bullet Club, which is how I end up cross legged on a hotel room bed, staring at last night’s backstage comments on rewind. 

It’s a good thing Gedo isn’t here. I definitely couldn’t ask him about this.  

“Kenta. Kenta, Kenta, can you come over here. I need to ask you a question.”

“Jay.”

“Okay. So. I need you to explain something to me. Not… because I can’t ask Phantasmo, but, our friend El P is rarely ever serious. And I need to understand.”

His frown manages to look like a pout. “You want me to be serious. Serious lil’K.”

“Just give it to me straight, man,” I swallow. Spit it out, you’re the leader, King Switch. Just say it. “I’m, ah. Under the impression from Ishimori that you’re…experienced.”

See, I do catch his mask slipping for a moment there. And then it’s back to an offhand shrug. “Let’s sit then.”

[darkesttimelinejeffparker]

“The baddies doing what baddies do. But Ishii doing what he do.” Is Kevin Kelly okay?

[wrestlingisfake]

Resurgence preview

Jon Moxley vs. Shota Umino - This is Moxley's third defense of the IWGP world title.

On June 5, 2019, Jon Moxley debuted for New Japan Pro Wrestling, destroying Juice Robinson for the US championship. Days later, on June 9, he was scheduled for an improbable bout against a young Shota Umino, who was still a Young Lion in the promotion's dojo. It wasn't clear why the mismatch was booked until Mox clobbered Shota, declared himself for the G1 Climax, and unilaterally decided to take the kid under his wing.

For the rest of 2019, the running gag was that Moxley would rant and rave about how he was teaching "Shooter" to be a cool badass, and Shota would just stand there with this blank look, since he probably didn't understand a word his "mentor" was saying. When he returned from excursion in 2022, Umino had a cool leather jacket and entrance like Moxley, but other than that he was every bit the white-meat prettyboy babyface you would've expected him to be before he ever met Mox. So there's always been a dissonance between what Moxley is trying to teach Shota to be, and what Shota has actually become.

When Moxley won the world title last month, he immediately called out Umino to challenge him. The idea is that Mox knows his protege will start wondering if he can take the gold, so better to get it out of the way up front. It's effectively a "final exam" for Shota's "apprenticeship"--he'll need everything he's learned from Mox, because the champ is going to show no mercy once the bell rings. Personally I don't think Shota has demonstrated the grit that a guy like Mox uses to get through a tough fight. But that may simply be part of the story--if Mox is disappointed by Shota's offense, he might slap the kid around until he awakens the monster I've always wanted to see.

It would be hella cool if Umino scored a big upset on his mentor to win the world title and usher in a new era of New Japan. However, if that was really the plan, I think they'd book it in Osaka or Tokyo, not Los Angeles. Whatever the endgame is for Moxley's title reign, we're not there yet. The champ is bound to retain--the only question is what his relationship with the Shooter will be after the match.

Eddie Kingston vs. Gabe Kidd - Kingston defends the STRONG men's championship in a "no ropes last man standing match." So I guess they're going to take down the ropes around the ring, which seems like a pain in the ass, since they'll have to put them back up for the main event. I'm not sure how that really adds to the concept of a last man standing match, though, where the whole idea is to brawl in and out of the ring until one man is down and unable to answer the referee's standing ten-count.

Kidd has been a loudmouth hooligan since he joined Bullet Club's War Dogs group, but in the past few months he's really shown me something, and I'm rooting for him to move up in the world. But realistically, this feud isn't too different from him challenging Shingo Takagi for the NEVER title last week, or his upcoming GHC title bout next month. His role is to be the big mean bully who makes a lot of noise but ultimately gets shut down every time by the babyfaces. I'd like to see him beat Eddie, but in a brawl where anything goes he has to be considered an underdog. Champ retains.

Shingo Takagi vs. Yuya Uemura - Takagi's NEVER title is on the line, but Uemura's KOPW title is not. I'm not really feeling this one, probably because I don't buy that Uemura has any chance to win and become a double champion. Maybe if the match is really good that won't matter, but that remains to be seen. Shingo wins.

Jeff Cobb vs. Lance Archer - Cobb won the NJPW World television title last week; this is his first defense. Unlike other New Japan title bouts, the time limit for the TV belt is fifteen minutes. During the press conference Cobb brought up the talking point that AEW/ROH guys keep jumping ahead in line for big opportunities in New Japan. I assume that's his actual legit feelings about it, because in kayfabe I don't know why it would matter to him, as long as he beats whoever is put in front of him. Anyway, this should be a good "big meaty men slappin' meat" match, and hopefully the LA crowd will chant "MEAT" where appropriate. Cobb is bound to keep his belt.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - This is a rematch from January 4, when Tana won the television title from Sabre. Since then, Tana dropped the belt, and Sabre won it back and lost it again...but Zack still needs to avenge that loss in the Tokyo Dome. In one-on-one matches, Tana currently leads 7-5 over Sabre, and I don't see him improving to 8-5. Zack has been talking like he's ready to move up to chasing the world title, and I think winning here will get him on that path.

David Finlay & KENTA vs. Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji - Finlay's War Dogs have been feuding with Naito's Los Ingobernables de Japon for a while now. On the last tour, Finlay defeated Tsuji in a big match, and NOAH's Jake Lee crashed a few shows to help the War Dogs out by targeting Naito. Kenta is not a War Dog; he's just a regular Bullet Club guy that seems to be here because nobody more important could make the town. That makes me thing he's the one who will lose the fall.

Stephanie Vaquer vs. Alex Windsor - This is for the STRONG women's title, which Vaquer has held since March 10. Vaquer is also the CMLL women's world champion, and one of the CMLL women's world tag champions, but those belts aren't at stake. Windsor was in a prelim tag match last month, and I wrote that somebody in that match would probably be the next challenger, but I never even considered Windsor would be the one. I hope she does well, but I can't see Vaquer dropping the belt just yet.

Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls vs. El Phantasmo & Hikuleo - Last month, ELP and Hiku lost the STRONG tag team title to Haste and Nicholls in a four-team match, so now they're getting a straight two-on-two rematch. I don't see any reason why'd switch the belts just to switch them back so soon. Haste and Nicholls are kind of looking past the challengers to chase the IWGP heavyweight tag champions, and something tells me that will end up being another four-team clusterfuck, perhaps with both sets of belts on the line. I figure this is another match where the champs retain.

Tom Lawlor & Fred Rosser vs. Royce Isaacs & Jorel Nelson - These two teams were a part of that four-team STRONG tag title match I mentioned above. The West Coast Wrecking Crew (Isaacs and Nelson) used to be aligned with Lawlor, but Lawlor's decision to enter the match with his longtime rival Rosser tested their loyalties. In the end Isaacs and Nelson turned on Lawlor, cutting his hair, eating his hair, and shoving some of it into Rosser's mouth. So that was different. I can't believe this is going to be the blowoff match for the feud. I'm picking the West Coast Wrecking Crew to win with shenanigans to set up something bigger.

EVIL & Jack Perry & Ren Narita vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Rocky Romero & The DKC - I think everyone assumed Jack Perry had finished up with New Japan (and the House of Torture) when he returned to AEW and joined the Elite. Apparently not. Whereas Chicago was dangerous territory for him last month, Los Angeles is his backyard, so it'll be interesting to see if that plays into the crowd reaction. I think DKC is the only LA Dojo graduate who hasn't joined Bullet Club or signed with another promotion, so I'd like to see him step up, but I suspect he's just here to lose the fall.

Mustafa Ali vs. Lio Rush - This is a pre-show match. Ali is the TNA X division champion, but the title is not at stake here. This is Lio's first New Japan match since a medical issue forced him to withdraw from an IWGP junior title match on October 9. He's been wrestling since then, just not for New Japan, which seems odd to me. I'm not sure why it took so long to bring him back, or why you'd bring him back on a pre-show that most people won't watch. For that matter, I don't get why you'd follow up Ali's big win last month with a pre-show match. In any event, I think Ali has to win.

Matt Vandagriff vs. Adrian Quest - Another pre-show match. I think this is another one of those "strong survivor" matches, like the one they did in Chicago. But after I spent some time trying to figure out what the hell that means, I got to the building and found out the pre-show happened before the advertised bell time, so I missed the match altogether. It's like New Japan doesn't want me to see these pre-show matches, so I'm starting to wonder why I bother covering them. I guess Vandagriff wins all of these, so he'll probably win again.

[dreamsandflowers]

thinking Yoh should partner with Robbie Eagles for Super Junior Tag League this year and then winning the trophy🤔

also Bishamon winning the World Tag League for the second time 💀

[debbiechanclub]

Hello

I have a question that im really curious to ask

What would be Nellie like in the bullet club?

Like as her character and I’m also really curious if her and David did make public their relationship

TOO SWEET

MEG🌼

Hi, Meg! I LOVE that you're curious about this and I'm more than happy to answer!

So, the main thing that Bullet Club (and really, David) has done for Nellie is restore her confidence. She'd really been sort of beat down and burnt out by both her career and personal life until David came back to Japan for the G1 Climax 32 (2022). He really reminded her that she's a bad ass who deserves more than just the status quo, and so Bullet Club Nellie is a lot more assertive and aggressive. But she doesn't talk shit that she can't back up on her own; she's not chickenshit heel Bullet Club 😉

She's also actually really good friends with all the War Dogs and (surprise, surprise) I have a lot of thoughts about her dynamic with each of them.

After David, Nellie is the closest with Clark. She definitely looks at his antics like wtf is wrong with you (affectionate), because while he can be an absolute menace inside the ring and out, he's also a super genuine person who cares a lot about his friends. And idk, they just have fun together. But sometimes he def tries to flirt with her and David shuts that down real quick 😂

Then there's Gabe, and Nellie tries her best to be his voice of reason lmao. Like she wants to be the angel on his shoulder when all the guys are being devils 😂 She just cares about him and knows he's had kind of a rough go of it and wants to see him do well. I think part of her feels bad about the way Jay treated him when he was a Young Lion, too 😂

I definitely think that, in actuality, Alex is the kind of person who if he gives you a hard time it means he likes you, and that's def the vibe with him and Nellie. He talks a lot of shit to her just because he's from NYC and she's from Philly and there's that natural rivalry there. But she always laughs at his dumb dad jokes so she's cool in his book.

As for Dan, he's ride or die for his friends and family, and Nellie knows he has her back 100%. Also, I've talked about this with @aussiearrow - Dan (and also Gabe) has definitely fired back at rando dudes who say weird, creepy shit in the comments of Nellie and Torrance's socials 😂

Which brings me to David 😊 When I saw that you asked if he and Nellie had made their relationship public, at first I was like, "What do you mean? She went out there with him for Dominion, of course they made it public." But then I realized they didn't kiss or anything out there, so I guess that's not definitive 😂 But yes! They make it public (and neither of them gaf what Jay thinks about it 🤭). And sometimes Nellie is purposefully obnoxious about their relationship. Like you know how David has been leaning into the fact that he's a rich nepo baby? Well, Nellie has definitely made a post somewhere saying something like, "I don't have to wrestle anymore because daddy takes care of me, but I'm too good not to" 💀. But that's just her leaning into her heel stage persona 😂

So yeah, there's my essay of an answer (and I could have written more, trust). But seriously, it made my day seeing this in my inbox, and I hope I've answered your question! And feel free to ask any others you may have!

[sybilius]

Reaction memes for your G1 needs :)