During the build-up to WrestleMania 39, there was little of note happening in the women’s division outside the rise of Rhea Ripley. Fast forward to over a year later, and Triple H’s star promotion has been quite effective at the top of the card. Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky — who look likely to hold…
While it’s been anything but quiet outside the ring, this week has been 2024’s first exhale inside the ropes. To be clear, that still didn’t prevent a couple must-see bouts from emerging, it just allowed for a detour or three along the way. I wasn’t able to cover the latest war between Chihiro Hashimoto and…
STARDOM STARDOM continued their start to 2024 with two shows in Takadanobaba on the road to the Supreme Fight show on February 4th in Osaka EDION #1. The first show was the newsworthy one with two title matches and multiple faction developments. Waka Tsukiyama made her return in a Tag Team Match together with Mina…
It was an especially eventful weekend in pro wrestling, as NJPW and TNA accompanied AEW’s usual Collision offering. Beyond anything else though, Shingo Takagi is the story of this edition, producing two of the week’s top matches, starting in Dragongate and then battling Jon Moxley at Battle in the Valley. Elsewhere, Kenoh makes another notable…
Every year in pro wrestling, there are matches that should smash through the glass ceiling of most wrestling fans and be watched — no matter what. That glass ceiling, more often than not, are the wildly known promotions of WWE, AEW, and NJPW. Getting to wrestling fans’ eyes beyond those promotions is a task unless…
STARDOM STARDOM continued the start of the year with two shows in EDION #2 in Osaka on the road to the 13th Anniversary show this past weekend, which built up the big Osaka EDION #1 show on February 4th. The first show set up two future Championship matches, when Fukigen Death pinned Mei Seira and…
In stories, sometimes it goes beyond a singular protagonist and antagonist. Sometimes, there’s an additional hero or villain or even an antihero. Characters may go through arcs that change who they are or remain static, where their actions inform who they are at their core. Either way, if told well, with the right precision, these…
Well, you made it! Somehow, you’ve all fought through two excruciating weeks without Hulbert’s Weekly Match Guide but at last, it’s back! What a week to return to also, as NJPW produces their biggest show of the year: Wrestle Kingdom 18, LIVE from Tokyo Dome. Before that though, both TJPW and Stardom produce major hits…
2023 has come to an end, and it definitely feels like it went by in a flash. This past year was a significant one for me, as far as my life goes, where I experienced some major changes. One thing that didn’t change is my love for Japanese professional wrestling. Safe to say it was…
The dream match of all dream matches. Something that none of us could’ve thought would be possible at the start of the decade. But it happened, and it was kind of disappointing last year, to be honest. However, Bryan and Okada would get another go at the most iconic venue in the history of NJPW….