Eastern Lariat: Recent Episodes
MLW Radio Network
Crave a podcast that goes in-depth on the hotbed that is the Japanese pro wrestling scene? If so, the Eastern Lariat podcast from the MLW Radio Network is for you! Hosted by STRIGGA of Purolove.com and Cagematch.net and Dylan Harris of MLW's Lucha Talk, this bi-weekly podcast series explores the Japanese pro wrestling landscape with analysis, reviews and news on New Japan Pro Wrestling and beyond. Be introduced to new companies and their style of wrestling, insight on their business, wrestlers, rivalries, tours, big shows and much, much more.
The Eastern Lariat returns with the big annual Half Year Awards show! For the 8th time now, we discuss YOUR and OUR choices in 12 different categories to track down the very best in japanese pro-wrestling in the fist half of 2026! Across all categories, STRIGGA and Dylan make arguments for and against wrestlers, create cases and while doing so also look at the grand scheme of the japanese pro-wrestling scene right now. With your ballots as guidelines, this show once again offers a comprehensive look at the state of puroresu.
Episode 326: DRAGONGATE Kobe World 2026 Review (w/Special Guest Amy Hay)
The biggest show of the year for DG is in the books and for it I decided to bring along one of my favorite people and also one of my favorite people to see/listen to opinions on wrestling about, the Writer of her world famous Gear of the Year list for 5 years running, Amy! We talk about DG's Kobe Pro Wrestling Festival and go over the climactic final climbing of the mountain for one of DG's most beloved stars, with the ultimate Kzy Time achievement! In addition we talk about the card and how things are looking at headed into the future for the company, along with more fun to be had with our typical shenanigans and at times mental booking ideas. Amy for the first time, but not the last. Just like this may not be the last time we see Shun in DG! But after going through the whole show we give a final grade to Kobe World as it is put in the books.
(The audio has some rocky parts at times, but I worked really hard to get it up to listenable status which I believe I did! Next time will be better. It's her first time recording in over a year after all!)
Please follow Amy on both her accounts and keep your eyes out for Gear of the Year, not just her writing but to offer your own picks and suggestions if you want to be a fashionista (but said fancy) like her!
www.x.com/amyhay___
www.x.com/altamy___
amyhayx.bluesky.social
For more coverage of Japanese wrestling, and wrestling past and present please check out our Patreon for literally 1000s of hours of audio and written content as well, including the brand new EL Weekly Newsletter: https://www.patreon.com/easternlariat
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Who's gonna be nihon ichi kakkoii, the coolest guy in Japan, this summer? STRIGGA & Dylan first discuss New Japan Pro Wrestling's recent set of events going back to Dominion and the G1 Qualifier show in Korakuen Hall and then transition to early G1 predictions after going through both blocks. They rate the blocks, participants and the composition of the tournament itself as some of the entrants raise questions regarding the internal logic of some choices. Another big talking point addresses the future top guy and where guys like Aaron Wolf, Yuya Uemura and Yuto-Ice fit in.
While The Eastern Lariat voices some clear criticisms about New Japan, All Japan Pro Wrestling is met with much more content as the direction of the company seemingly has changed significantly within the last few months. STRIGGA & Dylan praise the junior division, the way matches and rivalries are set up and how most wrestlers on the roster have a clearly defined role.
Join in for a detailed look at the two legacy promotions in Japan!
After a Best of the Super Juniors final that left STRIGGA & Dylan with plenty to say, the two review the tournament's conclusion that left a lot to be desired for their liking. They rate all the participants, discuss noteworthy matches and moments and from there on discuss the upcoming Dominion card that – much like the BOSJ – leaves a lot to be desired.More interesting than the in-ring itself is the biggest business story of the year as Bushiroad sold its shares to TV Asahi and CyberAgent. What does this mean for New Japan's future? What does that mean for its relationship with other companies, and the balance of power within the industry?The second promotion discussed is DRAGONGATE and the latest developments over there causing headaches and worries about the future, including Shun Skywalker's exit. What does it mean for DRAGONGATE's identity going forward, and is the company entering a period of major transition?
STRIGGA & Dylan return for episode 323 of The Eastern Lariat to discuss the conclusion of AJPW's Champion Carnival, where Hideki Suzuki emerged victorious while Go Shiozaki suffered a heartbreaking defeat after coming so far. The show also covers the two opening nights of NJPW's Best of the Super Junior, as well as the latest developments in DDT and GLEAT and their King of DDT and G-CLASS tournaments set up the semi finals.
STRIGGA & Dylan celebrate Dylan's 10th Anniversary show the only way they know and could: With a jam-packed episode covering current and upcoming events, stories and matches from seven japanese promotions. They kick things off with the joshi block on the show with Sendai Girls in Korakuen from 4/12, Stardom's All Star Grand Queendom card for 4/26, and Marvelous heading to Yokohama Buntai on May 5. Turning to the men's side, Pro Wrestling NOAH enters the conversation with Apex Conquest 2026 in Nagoya, a card that brought its own share of intrigue with the return of Shane Haste, while Dragon Gate's Golden Colosseum lineup continues to build momentum leading to a big Six Way Cage Match. Finally, New Japan's big matches on the Road to Wrestling Dontaku and on Dontaku itself are part of the discussion as well as Callum Newman as IWGP Heavyweight Champion and the upcoming Best of the Super Junior.
Returning from a hiatus, The Eastern Lariat jumps right back into the mix of japanese pro wrestling starting with TJPW's Texas Tour and Grand Princess, where Yuki Arai stood tall above all. Then they shift to Sendai Girls with Chihiro Hashimoto continuing to be the measuring stick of joshi wrestling. Since the world of professional wrestling is ever evolving, STRIGGA & Dylan also discuss the departures of Chi Chi & ZONES from Evolution and Dragon Dia aka. DIA from DRAGONGATE. This leads right away to NJPW and the preview of Sakura Genesis plus the roster for the Best of the Super Junior 33 (so far). The final topic of the show is another preview with All Japan's Champion Carnival coming up in mid April.
Halfway through the show STRIGGA had an unexpected and unfortunate situation where is X (formerly known as Twitter) account @STRIGGA was hacked. Therefore Dylan went solo for the last half or so after the 42 minute mark. We apologize for the inconvenience and will make it up one day!
On the return effort with Strig back from WxW we talk a bit about the state of the scene as well as an unexpected foray into the US and even Australian indies, but it leads us to Dylan's pick for a promotion to watch: Osaka Pro! We talked about the recent Tag Festival and the great storyline with VerteX and Rogue Nation, with great vibes of the promotion in particular. We then talk about the significance of Shinjuku FACE and how it will effect multiple companies going forward when it closes, along with the history of the building itself and Strig's past visits there.
After Dylan takes over solo he does a mini-run through of multiple big stories right now including:
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NJPW New Japan Cup
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Stardom Cinderella Tournament
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AJPW Champion Carnival Blocks
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NOAH's 3.8 show featuring 2 great matches and a lot of rookies!
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DG in Disarray and KAI vs. Kikuta being the next Dream Gate match
For more coverage of Japanese wrestling, and wrestling past and present please check out our Patreon for literally 1000s of hours of audio and written content as well, including the brand new EL Weekly Newsletter: https://www.patreon.com/easternlariat
Follow us on Twitter/X:
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If you would like more info check out Ruth (@ruthisanotter) and her great coverage of the company and it's Units, check her out on Twitter/X as well as their fantastic article on the subject: https://sixtyminutedraw.com/guide-to-osaka-pro-factions
This week, the Eastern Lariat dives into a possibly defining show for New Japan Pro Wrestling on 2/11: Tsuji remains champ, Jake Lee looked goofy and Tsuji called out Bushiroad – a lot to unwind for STRIGGA & Dylan! They also discuss the big question: where exactly do you go with Olympic gold medalist Aaron Wolf from here? Who's stepping up after Finlay and Hiromu being added to the list of departures? Maybe Callum Newman? The New Japan Cup may provide some answers. Dylan also plugs his obituary for Tadao Yasuda and STRIGGA is hyped for Katsuya Murashima moving to Europe.
After 90 minutes of NJPW, the Lariat goes rapid fire with the Champion Carnival line up, NOAH's latest Korakuen, GLEAT, TJPW and of course Saya Kamitanis's tremendous performance on February 7!
Welcome to the 2026 edition of the New Year Potpourri! After Wrestle Kingdom and the Year End Awards, this show looks back how the first month of the year went for some of the top companies in Japan. Of course STRIGGA & Dylan start off by breaking down EVIL leaving NJPW and reflecting his legacy with the company. Was he a true top guy? From there on, the Eastern Lariat talks about the identity of Hayabusa and his match on Monday Magic including some more developments in the new season of the show. Then, the show takes a closer look at DDT's busy January including the D GENERATIONS Cup and weird WCW vibes. The show adds in a stop for All Japan Pro Wrestling in Chiba, featuring Kento Miyahara vs. Talos and Atsuki Aoyagi vs. Seigo Tachibana before wrapping up with DRAGONGATE, spotlighting BIGBOSS Shimizu vs. Natural Vibes and possible directions for Yuki Yoshioka and Ryoya Tanaka heading towards Kobe World in the summer.
It's this time of the year again! This episode is all about celebrating the very best of the year 2025 in japanese Pro-Wrestling as STRIGGA & Dylan unveil the Eastern Lariat Year End Awards that you, the listeners, voted for! Across 12 categories, both hosts break down the winners, debate cases and tight races, spotlight moments, matches, and performers that defined the year. From MVP, Best Wrestler, Best Jr. Heavyweight over Best Bout, Most Improved and Best Foreigner, this show offers a synoptic look at a crucial year for puroresu!
Intro song: 「ANTI-FORMALISM」 by OBSESS HEDERA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIC0uRHmms0
The beginning of the new year is the endpoint of a career at the same time. It's not the endpoint of a regular career, but the endpoint of Hiroshi Tanahashi's career that shaped japanese pro wrestling over the past 26 years and helped change the balance of power in the business. So it's no exaggeration to say that fans witnessed the closing of the book of one of the most important careers not just in New Japan Pro Wrestling, but in modern professional wrestling as a whole. Besides the Tanahashi festivities and his tremendous final match against longtime rival Kazuchika Okada, STRIGGA & Dylan review the full card, talk about what worked, what didn't, and how New Japan presented its biggest show of the year. Above all though, the Eastern Lariat reflects on Tanahashi's legacy as the Ace, what his farewell meant in the context of the event, and where NJPW goes from here without the man who carried the company on his back and broke his own body doing so.
It's the yearly tradition back again. 2025 is in the books and now we go over the predictions from the fans. We got a ton and Dylan goes through every single one, determining if things are more likely or unlikely to happen and my thoughts on the possibility of them happening. Finally he throws out a few predictions of his own that he foresees for 2026. It's a new year! What will the future hold for us? The Eastern Lariat Family comes together to try to determine one aspect!
For more coverage of Japanese wrestling, and wrestling past and present please check out our Patreon for literally 1000s of hours of audio and written content as well: https://www.patreon.com/easternlariat
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For the final show of the year 2025, STRIGGA & Dylan Fox dive into their 25 under 25 list of the very best Japanese pro wrestling talent under the age of 25. From already main eventing standouts to promising prospects with seemingly limitless ceilings, they talk strengths, trajectories, and who's in line to define the next coming years of their respective promotion or maybe the entire scene. Join in, come up with your own list or learn about new talent that's about to put their stamp on the next decade.
Merry Christmas from the Eastern Lariat! As a special gift to you, STRIGGA & Dylan go 25 years back in time and present their review of the Super J-Cup 3rd Stage hosted by Michinoku Pro Wrestling on the 1st & 9th of April 2000! This tournament featured a colorful cast of characters from New Japan's Jushin Thunder Liger over Michinoki Pro's Great Sasuke and WCW's Kaz Hayashi to Big Japan's MEN's Teioh and BattlArts representative Katsumi Usuda. Join in as the Eastern Lariat travel back to a different world of professional wrestling!
This week on the Eastern Lariat, STRIGGA & Dylan kick things off by talking about one of their japanese pro-wrestling soft spots in ZERO1. As the company is "reborn", they took it to Korakuen Hall where the "reborn" Hayabusa faced Kaito Kiyomiya. Kiyomiya also recently faced "Mr. Smack Daddy" Yoshiki Inamura in the main event, so Pro Wrestling NOAH and their upcoming Budokan card is the next topic. From there, STRIGGA & Dylan take it to New Japan's Wrestle Kingdom 20 card that is shaping up nicely. While ZERO1 always seems to be on its last legs, All Japan continues to have boom and bust cycles as currently, they're struggle both in-ring and behind the scenes, while over in DRAGONGATE, the King of Gate Final delivered huge with the most unlikely final. And finally, STRIGGA runs down Michinoku Pro's Great Space War Match and the lore behind this year's iteration.
With the smoke clearing on the 2025 WON Hall of Fame ballots, we have a whopping 8 new inductees to discuss. With all 7 voted in being candidates voted on by returning guest from the Emerald Flowshow, Gerard di Trolio. We go over the inductees, near misses, surprising totals and the future of the ballots with new and returning candidates being announced, finally with picks suggested by us to big Dave himself that we feel should be on the ballot, belong and deserve a look in the future. It was a fun ride covering it once again in 2025 and for the first time we wrap it up with the results!
If you wanna hear more of Gerard and talking about modern NOAH, AJPW, occasionally GLEAT & BJW, check out the Emerald Flowshow!
twitter.com/emeraldflowshow
https://open.spotify.com/show/1sjbd84fZN0VC46hCnyc3V
For more coverage of Japanese wrestling, and wrestling past and present please check out our Patreon for literally 1000s of hours of audio and written content as well: https://www.patreon.com/easternlariat
Follow us on Twitter/X:
https://www.twitter.com/easternlariat
https://www.twitter.com/strigga
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For the firs time in a long time STRIGGA & Dylan invest a lot of time into DRAGONGATE and analyze the current stable landscape of the promotion guiding you through the different camps and what their aspirations and goals are. In doing so, they also discuss the most recent Gate of Destiny and King of Gate events. From there, they take it to New Japan Pro Wrestling in November and on their road to the Tokyo Dome. This episode was taped before Tanahashi's opponent was announces, so part of this speculation is redundant – it's fun nonetheless! Finally, the Eastern Lariat reviews DDT's Ultimate Party from November 3rd – a very long, yet fun show.
It's time for the Hall of Fame! Dylan is joined by the Emerald Flowshow and WON Hall of Fame voter Gerard di Trolio to discuss this year's ballot, with particular spotlight on the new candidates on this year. Every single region is covered as he reveals his ballot, with perhaps one Dylan swaying him on somewhat? Buckle up and check out our look at a wrestling history perspective for over 3 hours, with a couple of tangents on the Blue Jays, Gerard showing up to Sweet Daddy Siki's karaoke nights, and who could be next on the pipeline to be placed on the ballot in the future. It was another edition at the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame for the year 2025. Below is the full ballot and list of candidates:
I FOLLOWED THE HISTORICAL PERFORMERS ERA CANDIDATES (Six maximum)
Ole Anderson
Afa & Sika Anoa'i
Bob Armstrong
Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson w/J.J. Dillon
British Bulldogs (Dynamite Kid & Davey Boy Smith)
June Byers
Wild Bull Curry
Junkyard Dog
Cowboy Bob Ellis
Pampero Firpo
Black Gordman & Great Goliath
Archie "Mongolian Stomper" Gouldie
Hart Foundation (Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart)
Sputnik Monroe
Dusty Rhodes & Dick Murdoch
Iron Sheik
Sweet Daddy Siki
Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood
Mad Dog & Butcher Vachon
Kevin & Kerry & David Von Erich
I FOLLOWED THE MODERN PERFORMERS IN U.S/CANADA CANDIDATES (Six maximum)
Mark & Jay Briscoe
Edge/Adam Copeland
Bill Dundee
FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheleer)
Bill Goldberg
Samoa Joe
Matt & Jeff Hardy
Becky Lynch
Drew McIntyre
Mercedes Mone/Sasha Banks
Jon Moxley
Kevin Nash & Scott Hall
Randy Orton
C.M. Punk
Cody Rhodes
Seth Rollins
Sabu
Trish Stratus
Rick & Scott Steiner
I FOLLOWED WRESTLING IN JAPAN CANDIDATES (Three maximum)
Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Yoshiaki Fujiwara
Hayabusa
Masaaki Mochizuki
Antonio Inoki & Seiji Sakaguchi
Zack Sabre Jr.
Meiko Satomura
Io Shirai/Iyo Sky
Tiger Jeet Singh
Yoshihiro Takayama
Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada
I FOLLOWED WRESTLING IN MEXICO CANDIDATES (Three maximum)
Angel Blanco & Dr.Wagner
Sangre Chicana
El Dandy
Dorrell Dixon
Gran Hamada
Los Infernales (El Satanico & Pirata Morgan & MS 1)
El Hijo del Santo & Octagon
La Parka AAA
Mascarita Sagrada
Volador Jr.
I FOLLOWED WRESTLING IN EUROPE/AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND/PACIFIC ISLANDS/AFRICA (four maximum)
Spyros Arion
Dominic DeNucci
George Gordienko
Steve Grey
Billy Joyce
Les Kellett
Killer Karl Kox
Gilbert Leduc
Ted Boy Marino
The Royal Brothers (Bert Royal & Vic Faulkner)
Adrian Street
Jose Tarres
Otto Wanz
NON-WRESTLERS (Seven maximum)
Dave Brown (U.S. & Canada modern)
Zane Bresoff (U.S.& Canada modern)
Bobby Bruns (Japan)
Bob Caudle (U.S. & Canada historical)
Joe Higuchi (Japan)
Jim Johnston (U.S. & Canada modern)
Larry Matysik (U.S.& Canada historical)
James Melby (U.S. & Canada historical)
Bill Mercer (U.S. & Canada historical)
Gorilla Monsoon (U.S. & Canada historical)
Rossy Ogawa (Japan)
Reggie Parks (U.S. & Canada modern)
Morris Sigel (U.S. & Canada historical)
Tony Schiavone (U.S. & Canada modern)
George Scott (U.S. & Canada historical)
Kevin Sullivan (U.S. & Canada historical)
Mike Tenay (U.S. & Canada modern)
Ted Turner (U.S. & Canada modern)
Jesse Ventura (U.S. & Canada historical)
Roy Welch (U.S. & Canada historical)
Stanley Weston (U.S. & Canada historical)
Grand Wizard (U.S & Canada historical)
Koichi Yoshizawa (Japan)
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If you wanna hear more of Gerard and talking about modern NOAH, AJPW, occasionally GLEAT & BJW, check out the Emerald Flowshow!
twitter.com/emeraldflowshow
https://open.spotify.com/show/1sjbd84fZN0VC46hCnyc3V
For more coverage of Japanese wrestling, and wrestling past and present please check out our Patreon for literally 1000s of hours of audio and written content as well: https://www.patreon.com/easternlariat
Follow us on Twitter/X:
https://www.twitter.com/easternlariat
https://www.twitter.com/strigga
https://www.twitter.com/viva_zero
Follow us on BlueSky:
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The guys kick things off with a look at the bad blood between Go Shiozaki and Pro Wrestling NOAH over the ZERO1 Title – a messy situation that All Japan Pro Wrestling could benefit from a lot. From there, it's over to All Japan, where STRIGGA brings up the point of production values in contrast to NOAH or NJPW. They'll also talk about HAVOC being over with the crowd and how Shiozaki fits into the group and the promotion. From there, they take it to NOAH's Wrestle Odyssey from Sumo Hall that featured some strong junior matches but plenty of disjointed storytelling.
Another question raised and tackled is where New Japan goes next with Konosuke Takeshita as new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Is Okada going to be his Wrestle Kingdom opponent? Is It Tsuji? This could also interfere with possible Tanahashi retirement opponents. Other topics on NJPW include the hit Tag Team Title match, thoughts on the IWGP Women's Championship, a ridiculous Super Jr. Tag League lineup. The final topic includes early speculations about DRAGONGATE's King of Gate winner.
Ten years in, the Eastern Lariat remains your go-to source for all things puroresu – insightful, opinionated, and always unscripted!
Eastern Lariat Special: GAEA Girls
25 years after it's release, Dylan is joined by his Wrestle Update co-host and film major, game designer, director Nello de Angelis to give his insights from a directorial standpoint. Hear the two break down the film as well as the content of it as well which focuses on the GAEA Dojo led by legendary Joshi wrestler Chigusa Nagayo which at times devolves into psychological analysis as well as a look at possibly separating the kayfabe from the real
The Kim Longinotto & Jana Williams film documents the life of multiple trainees of GAEA over the course of the summer of 1999 eventually centering around rookie wrestler Saika Takeuchi and her October debut and her quest to "become someone" and her intense training with (a 19 year old) Meiko Satomura as well as Chigusa Nagayo and others including cameo appearances from Sakura Hirota, Toshie Uematsu, Sonoko Kato and even a young Thanomsak Toba!? Among others. It is a journey that sees many fall off and quit, but we discuss the capabilities of the bread truck and if Satomura could have become a J-Pop star so...it's not all bad I guess. Except for Wakabayashi. It was pretty much all bad. But we respect her and her University of Marquette shirt.
Hopefully you enjoy this unique edition of the Eastern Lariat going beyond the dropkick everyone knows and examining the contents of this very well done documentary about a legendary Joshi promotion and the undercurrent at the turn of the century.
In addition if you would like to watch Saika Takeuchi's debut match from the movie against Satomura in full check that out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qjEKUa5Zx4
If you would like to watch Saika's last match available on YT, check out her match tagging with Uematsu vs. POLICE & Sakura Hirota on Dylan's birthday! In 2001, her retirement year (and also with way better gear than that atupid singlet): https://youtu.be/OymmbVMzohQ?si=R-SZnYXLRmX0LjBb
If you would like to check out Nello and his work with me talking US based wrestling, listen to Wrestle Update, available weekly on cagematch.net and Spotify and our YT page!
https://www.cagematch.net/?id=128&series=Wrestle+Update
https://open.spotify.com/show/1rM5efgHIaHnNbv1AjO1zA?si=9gBQCkJyQtShJNhaX-7XLQ
https://youtube.com/@wrestleupdatepod?si=_zer8HZ9yhwRdpjh
If you would like to reach Nello specifically send him a message on BlueSky:
@aniellooo.bsky.social
And check out his VR horror based video game Deep Cuts: https://www.meta.com/en-gb/experiences/deep-cuts/6888594277865616/
For more coverage of Japanese wrestling, and wrestling past and present please check out our Patreon for literally 1000s of hours of audio and written content as well: https://www.patreon.com/easternlariat
Follow us on Twitter/X:
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STRIGGA & Dyaln are back and cover a lot of ground from late August to mid September! First off, they dive deep into All Japan’s Oudou Tournament and Pro Wrestling NOAH’s N-1 Victory, both of which are shaping the fall landscape in a big way. Over in Marigold, the Dream Star GP ended with two wrestlers gaining a lot from it alongside the surprising news of MIRAI's departure. Might she go back to Stardom? The duo also checks in on Tokyo Joshi Pro's Wrestle Princess VI, Ganbare Pro, Dragon Gate, and DDT to round out another tour across the Japanese scene.
On today's Eastern Lariat, it's an extremely special episode as Dylan is joined by the esteemed Pro Wrestling Author Dr. Jonathan Foye. The Ganbaru Author and regular Japanese wrestling live show attendee joins Fox in giving looks at all the competitors in the tournament, their histories, who they are as wrestlers and also we come through at the end with predictions for the finals of the tournament as well as the winner. It was great to have the good doctor on once again and to talk about the company he loves, with insight and info abound!
For more coverage of Japanese wrestling, and wrestling past and present please check out our Patreon for literally 1000s of hours of audio and written content as well: https://www.patreon.com/easternlariat
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Check out Jonathan's books on AJPW/NOAH at the turn of the century!
https://www.amazon.com/Ganbaru-Japan-Wrestling-Survived-Roster/dp/B09RWJ56KR
https://www.amazon.com/Muto-Years-Jonathan-Foye/dp/B0BHKGL3Y3/
Special Edition: 5 Star Grand Prix Full Review and Recap
We talked about it on the EL but it just wasn't enough for Dylan as he brings in the Dramatic Dream Dragons' Sondre Bjørn into the fold and we go over the entire tournament, with talk about not just the final, but EVERY SINGLE WRESTLER and rank them on a 1/10 scale. We talk about the future and where things could go with Momo as the winner as well as an overall view of the whole tournament. It's A LOT and we get through it together and hope you enjoy!
For more coverage of Japanese wrestling, and wrestling past and present please check out our Patreon for literally 1000s of hours of audio and written content as well: https://www.patreon.com/easternlariat
Follow us on Twitter/X:
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Check out the Dramatic Dream Dragons and enjoy Dylan in a more silly setting, focused on Dragon Gate and DDT!: https://open.spotify.com/show/0lmhqND9EcIB8jFIGvScoT?si=SEVXXpcpSZK8Vqtfpw_Wvg
Welcome to episode 308 of the Eastern Lariat! STRIGGA & Dylan are back to dish out another potpourri of the Japanese wrestling landscape. This week they dive into New Japan’s freshly updated cards for the Destruction tour before they look back at Stardom’s highly successful 5★Star Grand Prix that elevated numerous wrestlers to greater heights. Another joshi tournament is in the focus following that as Tokyo Joshi Pro’s Princess Cup also finished up with talent elevated as well. The Eastern Lariat also covers the latest in All Japan with the Oudou Tournament, quickly break down Pro Wrestling NOAH’s N-1 Victory lineup, and round it all out with a stop in DRAGONGATE discussing the upcoming Korakuen Hall card and the upcoming Z-Brats rebranding.
STRIGGA & Dylan return with their coverage the final days of NJPW's G1 Climax 35 – the biggest tournament of the Summer. With the final and the road leading to it being pretty controversial, did the tournament hold up the high G1 standards? What does the crowd reactions during Konosuke Takeshita vs. EVIL tell us about the individual performers and the state of the company? From booking choices and patterns to match quality and overall presentation, The Eastern Lariat breaks down what worked, what didn’t, and where New Japan Pro Wrestling stands after the conclusion of the tournament.
In the spirit of the season, The Eastern Lariat returns with deep dive into the big summer gatherings of pro wrestling in japan – the major tournaments. The show starts out with Dylan's rundown of Stardom’s 5Star Grand Prix up until Day 4 and then turns to New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Climax 35 that crossed the half way point this past weekend. The big question here is: What's in the cards for which performer? The show of course also offers a series of recommended matches, highlights performers and performances and also questions unwritten rules of pro wrestling in Japan. Deservedly so so, All Japan Pro Wrestling is in the main event spot of this show for their excellent, dramatic and energizing Summer Action Wars from Ota Ward that saw two high-class matches in the World Tag Team Title Match and the Final of the Zennichi Junior Festival and that could steer AJPW in the right direction.
On this episode of the Eastern Lariat podcast, STRIGGA & Dylan dive into a packed puroresu lineup. They kick things off with Pro Wrestling NOAH, where KENTA has taken center stage in a major way for the first time since 2014. Then it’s over to All Japan Pro Wrestling for a deep look at the Zennichi Junior Tournament and what it means for the promotion's junior division – is this the best its ever been? From there, STRIGGA & Dylan turn their attention to NJPW's G1 Climax 35. They give a synopsis of the first 7 days of the tournament analyzing each competitor's performance so far, comment on booking decisions, and who might make it to the playoffs with Block B being in complete disarray after Gabe Kidd's injury. Finally, things are wrapped up with high speed review of Stardom’s 5STAR Grand Prix opening night. Join in for a full tour of the Japanese wrestling landscape!
The Eastern Lariat is back with the much-anticipated Half Year Awards show for 2025! Join in as STRIGGA & Dylan break down YOUR votes and THEIR picks across 12 categories, celebrating the very best of Japanese pro-wrestling in the first six months. From clear-cut winners in some categories, the discussions intensifies on who truly deserves other trophies such like wrestler of the half year, best foreigner, most improved or tag team. STRIGGA & Dylan comment on the obvious choices and also name hidden gems from NJPW to ChocoPro while always keeping business impact in mind. This episode is packed with insight, passion, and plenty of spirited debate. Guided by the listener ballots, the show once again paints a rich picture of an ever-evolving pro wrestling scene in Japan.
STRIGGA & Dylan return with a deep dive into New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Dominion, breaking down the key moments from NJPW's annual big summer event in Osaka. The main focus in this show is on questionable booking decisions, but also on character development and how very little of this development ever matters. With the results of the show and the actual good match quality in mind, they analyze what it says about New Japan's current direction. The conversation heats up with a look at the growing influence of the House of Torture and ongoing shifts in faction dynamics. How are these developments shaping the landscape heading into the summer? This leads straight to an early speculation about who might be the favorites going into the G1 Climax and how this could shape the second half of 2025 and the road to the Tokyo Dome. Disclaimer: The final 15 minutes of the show see Dylan mourn the death of his grandpa Ken.
Wrestle Universe takes center stage in this episode of The Eastern Lariat as STRIGGA & Dylan go though all eight promotions that are on the most comprehensive streaming service for japanese pro wrestling. There's a digest on the current situation and upcoming cards for these promotions as well as viewing recommendations from DDT and NOAH over Sendai Girls to Michinoku Pro. From there, the focus shifts onto the finals of the 2025 Champion Carnival that saw Rei Saito come out on top of a tournament that overall left a lot to be desired, while the Junior Title match delivered on every level. With Kikuta in the Champion Carnival and Dragon Dia in the BOSJ, STRIGGA & Dylan also discuss the news about BIGBOSS Shmizu before finally looking at the Best of the Super Junior so far.
This week, STRIGGA & Dylan start the show talking about the new Hayabusa and from there discuss mask gimmicks in modern japanese pro wrestling including Tiger Mask and Mentai Kid. The biggest point of discussion on the show follows with Wrestling Dontaku, Resurgence and Best Of The Super Junior leaving their marks on New Japan Pro Wrestling in May leading up to Dominion in June. Hirooki Goto still carries the World Title, Yota Tsuji and Gabe Kidd battle for prime positioning and what about Callum Newman? More questions are asked with All Japan Pro Wrestling and their Champion Carnival. Who came out stronger? What about the Saitos and where is it all leading? This brings DRAGONGATE into the conversation as well with Madoka Kikuta turning to Z-Brats, U-T winning the Brave Gate and GOLD CLASS winning the services of Hyo. Finally, the Eastern Lariat team brings up OZAWA vs. Kaito Kiyomiya in Pro Wrestling NOAH that may or may not have an extra stipulation.
The big 300! Strig and Dylan start the show off reminiscing over where we've come as a Japanese wrestling fan society in the time of these 300 episodes and talk about some of our favorite episodes and moments. From there Strigga bounces back to give his take on the Tetsuya Naito situation in NJPW and where they can go from here. After that we move over to talking about Stardom's All Star Grand Queendom show, the #1 rated non-tribute show of all time on Cagematch currently! We break it down all the way through, match by match, story by story, and even talk about the future of the company and many participants including the two departing ladies of the hour, Mayu Iwatani and Tam Nakano, and the lead Phoenix of STARDOM, Saya Kamitani. After that we wrap up talking about Meiko Satomura's retirement show and the end of the career of the legendary Joshi Star, her impact as a trainer and her matches all over the world. It was a Joshi focused show, and it was a big one! Sit back, enjoy, let us know what you think of episode 300 of the Eastern Lariat!
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Just a day after our last show it was announced Jeff Cobb was leaving the company and the tag titles were vacated. Then one of the biggest stunners of the year was announced: Tetsuya Naito (and BUSHI) are out of NJPW. After an alleged mutual agreement Dylan rides solo to go through the history of the 3 men, what they meant to NJPW (including a spicy take or two about Naito's usage through the years) and what the future could hold. What's it gonna be? What led to this? Where is it all going? For Cobb, we pretty much know where he's going. Naito...there are a world of infinite possibilities.
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Two continents, two shows and the search for uthentic top guys continues for New Japan Pro Wrestling. The Eastern Lariat looks back at Sakura Genesis and Windy City Riot including an incredible Tanahashi vs. Takeshita match, more discussions regarding Shota Umino and the question who could be headlining Dominion and who the G1 winner might be. After that, STRIGGA & Dylan turn to All Japan Pro Wrestling's Champion Carnival and the first two shows they had so far that saw some great matches – including Hideki Suzuki and Kento Miyahara. Other topics are Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura's Kakuto Tanteidan show, HEAT UP on YouTube, more build to Stardom's big show in Yokohama and finally DRAGONGATE's Korakuen from April 7 plus their build to Dead Or Alive on May 5.
With Cherry Blossom japanese pro-wrestling usually gets into second gear after more moderate months. So STRIGGA & Dylan fully dive into the scene, covering everything from New Japan over Marigold to Michinoku Pro. This episode begins with AJPW's latest big show and the upcoming Champion Carnival and then turns to DRAGONGATE’s Rey de Parejas final and their road to Dead or Alive. This is followed by a big chunk of joshi wrestling including Marigold’s latest Korakuen, Stardom’s build to 4/27, and the latest from TJPW and Sendai Girls. While Pro Wrestling NOAH set up a huge title match at Sumo Hall with OZAWA vs. KENTA in May, New Japan Pro Wrestling's Sakura Genesis with Hirooki Goto vs. David Finlay is very close by. Buckle up as the Eastern Lariat boils up another potpourri!
The Eastern Lariat returns right before the final stage of the 2025 New Japan Cup with a look back at the tournaments' early rounds, an assessment of the overall tournament quality and where the roads might lead for some of the main players such as David Finlay and Shota Umino and for some up and coming talent like Drilla Moloney and Callum Newman. Besides the New Japan Cup, STRIGGA & Dylan also cover DRAGONGATE's Rey de Parejas tournament trying to figure out how the tournamen could lead to a new challenger for YAMATO. The third big chunk of the show is All Japan Pro Wrestling and their March series including the World Tag Team Title match between the Saitos and Business Tag and a great Junior Title match. The shhow concludes with a brief look at this past weekend's Cinderella Tournament final.
The Eastern Lariat presents the second class of The Eastern Larait Hall of Fame, a pantheon that doesn't celebrate the most successful or necessarily the best wrestlers in japan, but those who matter most to this specific podcast and STRIGGA & Dylan. Some of them might be both the best and those who matter the most – a lot seems possible with this Hall of Fame. In the second half of the show STRIGGA & Dylan return from their trip down memory lane to discuss current events and developments in DDT, TJPW, Marigold and Pro Wrestling NOAH. Join in for some historic and modern japanese pro wrestling talk!
Join the Eastern Lariat in celebrating the impropable coronation of one of New Japan's most loyal and hardest working wrestlers as Hirooki Goto, despite all the setbacks, despite all the losses and despite all the nay sayers finally won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on a very good show with lots of developments up and down the card. STRIGGA & Dylan discuss how long Goto's reign might be and who might be the next guys to step up until the G1. After this big thunks, the attention is on a quick digest of Stardom & TJPW before STRIGGA & Dylan discuss All Japan's recent events and the Champion Carnival line up including early favorites. Then the attention lies on DRAGONGATE, their Rey de Parejas tournament and once more their disappointing streaming schedule of a major tournament. Finally, let us know who you'd consider for the Eastern Lariat Hall of Fame as STRIGGA & Dylan prepare their induction speeches for the next episode!
After returning from Japan, STRIGGA share some of the stories he's expierenced during his vaction that fell into one of the most busiest times in japanese pro-wrestling. Given that, Dylan not only asks him about all the venues he went to, which food and drinks were on the menu, but they also discuss most of the events from late December until early January which includes DDT & Stardom in Sumo Hall, AJPW in Yoyogi, NOAH in Budokan and of course NJPW & AEW in the Tokyo Dome. Join in and listen to this first hand experience of a wrestling trip to Tokyo!
The end of the year upon us means time for looking back, and time for looking ahead. This episode we do both! First Dylan gives a preview of the year end awards and talks about last year's winners and how things may play out this year. Then after that we get to predictions dropped on us by YOU. We got a lot from the fans and it's time to talk about all of them, before ending the show with STRIGGA reappearing as if by magic! Dylan and STRIGGA bring up their predictions and set the stage for what 2025 could bring us all, in the beautiful world of Japanese pro wrestling. Happy new year!
0:00-31:00 - Awards Preview
31-1:25:00 - Listeners Predictions
1:25:00-End - Dylan/STRIGGA Predictions
For more coverage of Japanese wrestling, and wrestling past and present please check out our Patreon for literally 1000s of hours of audio and written content as well: https://www.patreon.com/easternlariat
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Special thanks to Souichi Sakagami & Mikado Miyabi for the OFFICIAL Eastern Lariat theme song: "Rainy Day" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3yWeS1ILdE
A first in Eastern Lariat history, Dylan welcomes on Yannik from the Dramatic Dream Dragons for a fantasy booking special. An idea from the Swiss Icon that takes our draft concepts to a new level, introducing a full fantasy booking exercise. The first half of the show is the draft portion of the show where they select from every Japanese company as well as gain a couple of wild card wrestlers from outside of Japan at various points. The second half shows the creative minds in action for the utterly bizarre companies these two ended up running with, after a shocking trade shakes things up immediately after the draft. Names, matches, titles, factions, stories, it all comes out to play as we put it all on the line to end the year and bring Christmas cheer through the art of Japanese pro wrestling.
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STRIGGA & Dylan are back in the ZONE and dive into the latest action from Japan including DRAGONGATE's King of Gate tournament that saw Dragon Dia come out on top which offers an interesting main event for Final Gate. Less interesting and somewhat head-scratching is the build for NOAH's big show on January 1st with Kiyomiya vs. OZAWA for the GHC Title. Since the end of the year is always all about tag team wrestling, the Eastern Lariat of course also takes a look at the Tag Leagues in NJPW and AJPW – with diverging interest. In both cases, the discussion turns towards both promotions' big shows on December 31 for All Japan and on January 4 & 5 for New Japan – PLUS Suwama resigning as managing director in AJPW.
It took a while for the Eastern Lariat crew to catch up with the events that took place on Bunka no Hi, the Day of Culture in Japan this past Monday – and it was a lot. STRIGGA & Dylan first discuss New Japan's Power Struggle including the big title matches, SANADA's turn, Umino's challenge and the reaction to it and the Tokyo Dome double shot in January taking shape. Moving on, All Japan's Hokkaido tour was less eventful than the NJPW show, but the sudden title switch to Davey Boy Smith Jr. Caught many spectators off guard and raises the question where former champion Aoyagi goes and for how long Smith holds the championship. The third big topic is last weekend's Gate of Destiny from DRAGONGATE that left many questions unanswered that fans expected to be answered. Finally, STRIGGA quickly goes over the DDT show from Sumida before the team discusses the Kota Ibushi/DDT situation and Yoshiki Inamura leaving for „unsual“ WWE training.
Join STRIGGA & Dylan Fox for episode 289 of the Eastern Lariat podcast as they dive into the latest developments in japanese pro wrestling. First, they discuss NJPW’s recent Royal Quest and the difference between the live experience and watching on stream. From there on, they touch on the ongoing Super Junior Tag League, Power Struggle and specifically Shota Umino's role in the lead up to Wrestle Kingdom. The Eastern Lariat crew then turns to AJPW, covering the star-making battle between Yuma Aoyagi and Ren Ayabe and the contrast between ELPIDA and Zennichi Hontai. In Marigold, the standout match was Sareee vs. Bozilla, with the rest of the card leaving more to be desired. The episode also covers the opening of Stardom's Goddesses of Stardom Tag League and finally it preview DRAGONGATE’s Gate of Destiny, where a Unit Disbands Match may shake up the promotion's entire landscape.
Against all odds (it was definitely happening all along) The Emerald FlowShow's own esteemed Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame voter Gerard di Trolio (@EmeraldFlowShow on SocMed) returns once again to argue with Dylan about who should be voted in to the Hall of Fame. We discuss every region and every candidate eligible for voting with Japan of course getting the main focus as we break down each candidate individually in the region which includes:
CIMA
TenCozy
Yoshiaki Fujiwara
Hayabusa
Antonio Inoki & Seiji Sakaguchi
Kento Miyahara
Zack Sabre Jr.
Meiko Satomura
Tiger Jeet Singh
Shingo Takagi
Yoshihiro Takayama
Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada
Followed by segments breaking down every other region and revealing Gerard's ballot in depth with wrestlers from every region discussed as listed below:
Ballots were sent out to us over the weekend:
This is our ballot for the 2024 Hall of Fame.
This ballot is being sent out to major wrestling stars, past and present, major management figures in the industry, writers and historians.
If you are getting this, you are being asked your opinion on who should be inducted into this year's Hall of Fame class. The criteria for the Hall of Fame is a combination of drawing power, being a great in-ring performer or excelling in ones field in pro wrestling, as well as having historical significance in a positive manner. A candidate should either have something to offer in all three categories, or be someone so outstanding in one or two of those categories that they deserve inclusion.
The names listed below are those under consideration for this year. To be eligible, a performer must have reached their 35th birthday and completed ten years since their debut as a full-time performer, or be someone who has been a full-time pro wrestler for at least 15 years.
Longevity should be a prime consideration rather than a hot two or three year run, unless someone is so significant as a trend-setter or a historical figure in the business, or valuable to the industry, that they need to be included. However, just longevity without being either a long-term main eventer, a top draw and/or a top caliber in-ring performer should be seen as relatively meaningless.
There are more changes in the rules this year largely because the modern U.S. & Canada category is so full of viable candidates. Each category is separate and the number of votes in a category allowed will be one in every three people on the ballot, so each category will have a different number. The idea is categories with fewer balloters won't be easier to get in, and categories with a lot of balloters won't be so difficult that it causes a logjam.
The election is broken down into a number of categories. You should check each category for wrestlers that you feel you are familiar enough with based on geography that you've either traveled or are familiar with, and based on the time you have followed pro wrestling. You do not have to vote for a wrestler in every category you've checked. The ballot is also broken down to wrestlers and those who are not pro wrestlers but have been valuable parts of the industry.
You can pick as few as zero in categories if you don't believe anyone on this list deserves inclusion or you can skip voting in categories that you don't believe you are familiar enough with to vote in.
All responses are confidential. There is nothing to worry about politically about any involvement in this process. Your selections will not be revealed unless you choose to do so yourself.
Anyone who receives mention on 60% of the ballots from the geographical region and time frame (broken down as Continental United States & Canada; Mexico; Japan; and the rest of the world) will be added to the Hall of Fame in the class of 2023.
If you are unfamiliar with any of the candidates due to geography or having never seen them, that is fine. Ballots are sent to many people from all over the world and from different wrestling cultures so that everyone has as fair a shot as possible.
The breakdown for modern and historical performers is 30 years ago, or 1994. So if the last year the person was a headliner, or was a key figure in the industry, was prior to 1994, they would be in the historical class.
All performers who receive mention on 10% to 59.9% of the ballots from their geographical region or era will remain on the ballot for consideration next year. All those who receive less than 10% of the vote will be dropped from next year's ballot. They can return in two years based on if there is significant feedback from voters who say they will vote for them. This is mostly for wrestlers who are still active who may improve their career legacy, but can be for retired wrestlers if voters believe they should be put on or returned to the ballot.
In addition, in following the lead of the baseball Hall of Fame, which is the model here, we have a 15-year-rule. The following candidates have been on the ballot since 2008. In baseball, this would be their last year of eligibility. Here, if they don't get at least 50% of the votes in this year's election they will be removed from the ballot. If they are modern candidates, they can be brought back in the historical performers era in two years if it is more than 30 years since their career as a Hall Fame level performer is up:
The following candidates will be dropped from next year's ballot unless they are elected in or garner 50% of the vote:
Johnny Saint
Huracan Ramirez
HISTORICAL PERFORMERS ERA (Seven maximum)
Ole Anderson
Afa & Sika Anoa'i
Bob Armstrong
Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson w/J.J. Dillon
British Bulldogs (Dynamite Kid & Davey Boy Smith)
June Byers
Wild Bull Curry
Junkyard Dog
Cowboy Bob Ellis
Pampero Firpo
Black Gordman & Great Goliath
Archie "Mongolian Stomper" Gouldie
Hart Foundation (Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart)
Sputnik Monroe
Dusty Rhodes & Dick Murdoch
Johnny Rougeau
Iron Sheik
Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood
Mad Dog & Butcher Vachon
Kevin & Kerry & David Von Erich
MODERN PERFORMERS IN U.S/CANADA (Seven max)
Asuka/Kana
Mark & Jay Briscoe
Young Bucks
Edge
Bill Goldberg
Samoa Joe
Matt & Jeff Hardy
Becky Lynch
Jon Moxley
Kevin Nash & Scott Hall
Paul Orndorff
Randy Orton
Kevin Owens
C.M. Punk
Roman Reigns
Cody Rhodes
Trish Stratus
Rick & Scott Steiner
Jimmy & Jey Uso
Sid Vicious
Bray Wyatt
Sami Zayn
MEXICO (Four max)
Angel Blanco & Dr.Wagner
Sangre Chicana
Psycho Clown
El Dandy
Los Hermanos Dinamita (Cien Caras & Mascara Ano 2000 & Universo 2000)
Dorrell Dixon
Gran Hamada
El Hijo del Santo & Octagon
La Parka AAA
Huracan Ramirez
Mascarita Sagrada
Volador Jr.
EUROPE/AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND/PACIFIC ISLANDS/AFRICA (Three max)
Spyros Arion
Dominic DeNucci
George Gordienko
Billy Joyce
Killer Karl Kox
The Royal Brothers (Bert Royal & Vic Faulkner)
Johnny Saint
Adrian Street
Jose Tarres
Otto Wanz
NON-WRESTLERS (Seven max)
Dave Brown (U.S. & Canada modern)
Zane resoff (U.S.& Canada modern)
Bobby Bruns (Japan)
Bob Caudle (U.S. & Canada historical)
Bobby Davis (U.S. & Canada historical)
Joe Higuchi (Japan)
Jim Johnston (U.S. & Canada modern)
Larry Matysik (U.S.& Canada historical)
James Melby (U.S. & Canada historical)
Rossy Ogawa (Japan)
Reggie Parks (U.S. & Canada modern)
Morris Sigel (U.S. & Canada historical)
Tony Schiavone (U.S. & Canada modern)
George Scott (U.S. & Canada historical)
Kevin Sullivan (U.S. & Canada historical)
Mike Tenay (U.S. & Canada modern)
Ted Turner (U.S. & Canada modern)
Roy Welch (U.S. & Canada historical)
Stanley Weston (U.S. & Canada historical)
Grand Wizard (U.S & Canada historical)
Koichi Yoshizawa (Japan)
For more coverage of Japanese wrestling, and wrestling past and present please check out our Patreon for literally 1000s of hours of audio and written content as well: https://www.patreon.com/easternlariat
Follow us on Twitter/X:
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Special thanks to Futakuchi Mana & Jun Mitsui for the official 2024 EL HOF Theme Song: "Find Your Flame" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UnGESNUmRI
The Eastern Lariat is back bring you the latest from the world of japanese pro-wrestling. STRIGGA & Dylan kick things off by diving into NJPW's King of Pro-Wrestling that saw the coronation of Zack Sabre Jr. and many more developments! While New Japan has more and more positves to discuss, NOAH's big news of the week was the reveal of TEAM2000X. The Eastern Lariat crew breaks down this key moments of the show plus Kaito Kiyomiya's run as champion and Shinsuke Nakamura coming in yet again! Finally the talk of the town has been the lackluster streaming schedule of DRAGONGATE's upcoming King of Gate so STRIGGA & Dylan also dive into the promotion's developments in recent weeks!
On this episode STRIGGA & Dylan take a deep dive into most recent events in All Japan Pro Wrestling, first and foremost the Oudou Tournament, by analyzing standout matches, the booking of the tournament and its impact on AJPW’s future. The discussion then shifts to a spotlight on the best wrestlers in Japan under 30 in Japan and which company has the edge in this category. Lastly, Eastern Lariat crew covers Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling's Wrestle Princes V and also offers a look at Marigold Dream Star Grand Prix and where the company stands four months into its existence.
After a very poorly received final of Pro Wrestling NOAH's N-1 Victory The Eastern Lariat looks at what went wrong during the tournament and what bright spots are visible on the horizon for NOAH's Ark. More well received, but not in any way spectacular was All Japan's Summer Action Wars event from Fukuoka. That doesn't stop STRIGGA & Dylan from being excited for the immediate future of the entire roster and its unique characters as well as for the upcoming Oudou tournament. A former Triple Crown Champion was called out by the new KO-D Openweight Champion Shinya Aoki and the Lariat crew wonders if Katsuhiko Nakajima is really gonna wind up in DDT. Another former Triple Crown Champion wound up in NJPW in Jake Lee, which is the final talking point of a show that looks across the scene to find positives during a down time in japanese pro-wrestling,
The Eastern Lariat returns to action after almost one month for its annual post-tournament edition, as STRIGGA and Dylan Fox dive deep into the just concluded G1 Climax 34. Recorded on the very day the tournament wrapped up, this episode provides the teams' unfiltered reactions and speculations to one of the most grueling and prestigious tours japanese pro-wrestling has to offer. STRIGGA and Dylan break down the tournament structure, standout matches, surprising upsets and key moments that defined this year's G1, while also giving you an in-depth analysis of each wrestlers' performance throughout the group stage not being shy of pointing out disappointments. The discussion leads to the final between Zack Sabre Jr. and Yota Tsuji and what the results mean for the future of New Japan Pro Wrestling heading towards Wrestle Kingdom. The final talking point about the G1 is an attempt to rank this tournament in comparison to the tournaments in the last 5 years. The end of the show gives a quick spotlight to Anzai vs. Aoyagi from AJPW, NOAH's N-1 Victory and Yoshinari Ogawa retiring.
Another big weekend of action in japanese pro wrestling is in the rear view mirror which brought STRIGGA & Dylan back together to discuss five different companies on the newest Eastern Lariat! First, they dive into the opening days of the G1 Climax 34 with the question in mind of who's starting strong and who's already facing an uphill battle. Korakuen Hall saw a double header of TJPW and AJPW with strong title matches on top so STRIGGA & Dylan also break down these two events. Sunday then saw DDT's Sumo Hall spectacle and Dragon Gate's biggest event of the year in Kobe – it was a lot to unpack and unwind, so join in for a potpourri of different takes on japanese pro wrestling!
The Eastern Lariat returns with the big annual Half Year Awards show! Join in for a detailed discussion about YOUR and OUR choices in 12 different categories to explore the very best in japanese pro-wrestling in the fist half of 2024! STRIGGA & Dylan dive into compelling arguments about the MVP winners, what an MVP should bring to the table and what impact business had on these awards. Futhermore, the show offers debates about best wrestlers, outstanding matches, hidden gems, talent in development and much, much more. Guidelined by your ballots, this episode once again offers a comprehensive look at a fascinating wrestling landscape.
Join STRIGGA & Dylan for another episode as they dive into the vibrant world of japanese pro wrestling. First of all, The Eastern Lariat breaks down the G1 Climax blocks and dissects participants as well as potential outcomes. Next, the show shifts gears to discuss Bloodsport Bushido, an unique event blending the worlds of pro-wrestling and martial arts. Stardom's "The Conversion" had the promotion's fans worried what might be conversed, so STRIGGA & Dylan take a look at how the promotion continues to evolve amidst Marigold getting much more attention after their launch. Pro Wrestling NOAH and All Japan Pro Wrestling both have young champions on top, but one is not like the other as the buzz both promotions create from within couldn't be any different.
In this episode of the Eastern Lariat STRIGGA & Dylan look at the grand scheme of things in DRAGONGATE and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Between DG's double shot in Korakuen Hall in early June and Kobe World in July, there are a lot of moving parts that the Eastern Lariat analyses. Who walks out of Kobe World with the belts? Who turns on whom? Which stable is going the way of the dodo? As for NJPW, STRIGGA & Dylan look back at Dominion and the frenetically celebrated Despe Invitacional with STRIGGA presenting a hot take on EL Desperado. Final talking point is the upcoming G1 Climax. The big tournament of the summer has a new format and with that there need cuts to be made from 32 participants last year to 20 while at the same time there could be newcomers pushing into the field. Other topics include Iyo Sky being announced for Marigold and Katsuhiko Nakajima's appearance at GLEAT.
Hanami season is officially over in Japan, but the flowers bloom nonetheless with Marigold's debut Show Marigold Fields Forever and the yearly Hana Kimura Memorial show. The Eastern Lariat takes a detailed look at Rossy Ogawa's new project with a match-by-match analysis and a projection for some of the roster members' prospects within the new company. A few days later, also in Korakuen Hall, Kyoko Kimura presented the 2024 Memorial Show for her late daughter Hana. For this one, STRIGGA & Dylan discuss how far you can go with yearly memorial shows of this kind. The men's side of puroresu is represented by Pro Wrestling NOAH's One Night Dream 2 that featured Kenoh vs. Minoru Suzuki and Masa Kitamiya vs. Tomohiro Ishii as well as with a half tiem check on New Japan Pro Wrestling's Best of the Super Junior 31. With the final headlining Dominion, the die seems to be cast – or is it?
In a BIG recap of Golden Week, the Eastern Lariat returns after a month-long hiatus. STRIGGA & Dylan are back to discuss recommendations between April 27 and May 6 including Stardom, Ryukyu Dragon Pro, DDT, Wrestling Dontaku and BJW. The next big chunck of the show revolves around Pro Wrestling NOAH's Wrestle Magic with Kaito Kiyomiya regaining the GHC Heavyweight Championship, DRAGONGATE's Dead or Alive with the highly emotional Cage Match and an unsuccessful All Together. The final two topics fist give you an impression of the situation NJPW in May 2024 between Dontaku, Resurgence and the Best of the Super Junior and secondly deliver a recap of All Japan's 2024 edition of the Champion Carnival.
Special guest longtime AJPW expert and podcaster formerly of Talking Triple Crown, Jess joins Dylan to talk about the Champion Carnival, go through every single match of the first 3 shows as well as lay out what she thinks will be the final of the tournament. After that Dylan brings it home solo with some breaking news updates and gives his thoughts on the news of the BUSHIROAD corporate reshuffling ending up with Stardom being a subsidiary of NJPW, followed by the news of Jake Lee's shocking attack on Naito, where it could go and the online response to it.
Follow Jess and all her coverage of AJPW and consistent updates on her account: https://www.twitter.com/RoyalRoad72
As well as her personal account: https://www.twitter.com/SisterJessiee
And if you wanna hear more of us then check us out on our Patreon, she'll be joining me for more show reviews of the CC in the next couple of weeks so you'll always be updated with the tournament + more coverage of Japanese wrestling, and wrestling past and present please check out our Patreon for literally 1000s of hours of audio and written content as well: https://www.patreon.com/easternlariat
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Special thanks to Souichi Sakagami & Mikado Miyabi for the OFFICIAL Eastern Lariat theme song: "Rainy Day" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3yWeS1ILdE
The second episode of the Sakura Potourri features an extensive look at the joshi scene in Japan as STRIGGA & Dylan not only discuss the Marigold press conference and its future outlook, but they also take a ride through almost the entire scene with a focus on Ice Ribbon, WAVE, Sendai Girls & TJPW before turning to NOAH's most recent Korakuen Hall show and DRAGONGATE's Rey de Parejas Final & Dead or Alive card. Final topic of the show is New Japan with their Windy City Riot featuring Jon Moxley's title win and many more matches to discuss as well as the upcoming cards for Wrestling Dontaku.
Join STRIGGA & Dylan for another episode as they dive into the ever evolving world of japanese pro wrestling! In another potpourri episode the Eastern Lariat covers a lot of ground covering no less than 8 different promotions. The discussion begins with DDT, TJPW & DRAGONGATE on WrestleMania weekend and quickly moves to a more general discussion about the DG roster and the missing game changing high flyer for all of japanese pro wrestling. This also brings the Eastern Lariat crew to NJPW and the line up for the Best of the Super Junior as well as a discussion about a very mediocre Sakura Genesis show including that Gabe Kidd promo, Tetsuya Naito vs. Yota Tsuji and the possibilities for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title at Windy City Riot. Following that, they take a deep dive into the latest events in AJPW, including some harsh words on Anzai vs. Nakajima, speculations about Nakajima's exit and a the post-title change ramifications for the Champion Carnival.
Welcome back to the Eastern Lariat! STRIGGA & Dylan dive right back into the hottest topics in the world of japanese pro wrestling! As Stardom sees the departure of five wrestlers who are very likely heading to Rossy Ogawa's new project, STRIGGA & Dylan explore the implications for both sides and what impact it could have on the scene as a whole. In NJPW, Yota Tsuji's New Japan Cup victory is the talk of the town right now, while at the same time the quality of the tournament and of the roster as a whole raises questions and concerns about the future. Towards the end of the show, AJPW's Champion Carnival lineup and Katsuhiko Nakajima's Triple Crown run take center stage.
Another Eastern Lariat awaits you with almost two hours full of news, discussions and opinionated takes on the world of japanese pro wrestling. After a brief talk about Jun Akiyama vs. Bryan Danielson, STRIGGA & Dylan present Wrestle Universe's latest upgrades and price modeling before they go to the much-anticipated and very well received debut of Kasei Takechi. Following some quick notes on Pro Wrestling NOAH & REALZERO1 the next big talking point is All Japan and the Excite series with some questions looming above the promotion and it's direction towards the Champion Carnival. Last and maybe least(?) STRIGGA & Dylan take about an hour to break down the atrocious week in Sapporo with some head scratching title changes and decisions that washed away lots of excitement they had built just two weeks before. While doing so, the Eastern Lariat crew also breaks down the roster in an attempt to figure out who could be trusted with the World Title right now.
The Eastern Lariat returns with an analysis of the most recent developments across various promotions in Japan. From El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr.'s GHC Heavyweight Championship win in Pro Wrestling NOAH to Rei Saito's unfortunate injury keeping him out of the Triple Crown match with Nakajima, we discuss championship changing hands, the reasoning behind Kenoh losing YET AGAIN and also look at upcoming All Japan cards. Additionally, we address Bushiroad firing Stardom founder and long time booker Rossy Ogawa amidst accusations of poaching and allegedly being far advanced in setting up a new promotion. This sent shock waves through the wrestling world much like the highly acclaimed Danielson vs. Zack Sabre match and the Dog Pound Cage Match from Osaka. We provide in-depth analysis of the the New Beginning in Osaka including Kazuchika Okada's weird retirement road, so join us for a 2 hour discussion the major stories in japanese pro-wrestling!
After addressing the impact of the Vince McMahon lawsuit on the media and (japanaese)wrestling, STRIGGA and Dylan relax and sit back to give their thoughts on three big shows from this past weekend. First of all, Dragon Gate's Gate of Bayside is in the focus with discussions about Luis Mante as Dream Gate Champion, the Dream Gate & Brave booking as well as Kiyomiya & Alejandro excelling in DG. Championships are also the topic of debate with AJPW's event in Hachioji featuring Nakajima vs. Ashino and Tamura vs. Iwamoto and what possible title matches could be ahead. Shuji Ishikawa leaving is of course another topic that also is connected to DDT, so Dramatic Dream Team's Sweet Dream! 2024 is the final talking point with another look at the champions and the direction of the company at the start of the year.
This special episode of the Eastern Lariat is all about Kazuchika Okada leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling. Join us as we analyse the immediate ramifications of Okada's unprecedented departure, where he could go and what it means or should mean for management and Gedo. While the first ever full time departure of a true ace guy to America caused shock waves through japanese pro wrestling and for its fans overseas, this is also the time to discuss the exciting potential for new talent to rise to the top and change NJPW as we know it.
Welcome to the Eastern Lariat Year End Awards 2023 – your ultimate celebration of excellence in the world of japanese pro wrestling! On this show it's time to honor the best of the best with awards that YOU, the listeners voted for. From heart stopping moments over stunning rookies to MVPs, we looked at every corner of japanese wrestling to crown outstanding achievements. For the first time, we present this show at the beginning of the following year to also potentially include matches and developments in late December. On top of the awards, we introduce the Eastern Lariat Hall of Fame on this show with the first two inductees. Join us in our celebration of japanese pro wrestling in 2023!
With the "Big 3" of japanese pro-wrestling running big shows around New Year's Eve, the Eastern Lariat starts off the new year in proper fashion and very much in the tradition of the show's history. Of course one major talking point is Wrestle Kingdom 18 with Tetsuya Naito's roll call and Championship win, Okda vs. Danielson and all the fallout after New Year Dash, but that's not all. STRIGGA & Dylan go into depth with Pro Wrestling NOAH's New Year show in Ariake that featured the already infamous Kota Ibushi vs. Naomichi Marufuji match, but that also saw some great action. A very emotional point of discussion is AJPW and all the developments since mid December until now with a focus on Katsuhiko Nakajima's title run and his defense against WWE's Charlie Dempsey.
With the final episode of the year we introduce a new concept never heard before on the Eastern Lariat: A prediction show! STRIGGA & Dylan go through all relevant promotions in Japan to run down and rate YOUR and each other's predictions on the newly invented state of the art Predict-O-Meter! Join the fun ride for a look into the crystal pro wrestling ball!
STRIGGA & Dylan return with an impromptu episode after news and cards dropped on a rapid speed at the beginning of the week. Not only did New Japan announce a new Championship, Stardom, NOAH, DRAGONGATE and GLEAT also announced their cards for the upcoming big shows at the end of the year. The Eastern Lariat digests these developments, previews the big matches and while the recording happened, the Tokyo Sports Awards were announced. So this is a jam packed episode putting companies' situations into perspective.
A trifecta of topics marks the return of the Eastern Lariat after a month and STRIGGA & Dylan are jumping right into the final tournament season of the year in Japan. However, at the beginning of the show, they focus their attention on AEW's Continental Classic and compare it to tournaments in Japan. From there this Eastern Lariat episode covers New Japan's World Tag League, All Japan's REAL World Tag League and DDT's D-Ou Grand Prix while there's also a rant about Pro Wrestling NOAH's card for January 2nd sandwiched into the NJPW part of the show. A fun time was had!
This year we see the return of our coverage of the Hall of Fame, said by many experts to be among the most "legit" hall of fames among wrestlers themselves as well as historians and journalists. But more importantly than the inner workings of the Hall of Fame, we're here to discuss the candidates up and down and top to bottom and talk about these historical legends in wrestling. (And sometimes not legends)
Joining Dylan once again is the Emerald FlowShow's Gerard Di Trolio, an active voter in the HOF itself. We end up running down every candidate as well as who he ultimately voted for with some back and forths on a number of people in these regions, which feature the following candidates up for induction:
HISTORICAL PERFORMERS ERA (eight maximum)
Ole Anderson
Bob Armstrong
Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson w/J.J. Dillon
Jack & Jerry Brisco
British Bulldogs (Dynamite Kid & Davey Boy Smith)
June Byers
Wild Bull Curry
Junkyard Dog
Cowboy Bob Ellis
Pampero Firpo
Black Gordman & Great Goliath
Archie "Mongolian Stomper" Gouldie
Hart Foundation (Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart)
Sputnik Monroe
Dusty Rhodes & Dick Murdoch
Argentina Rocca & Miguel Perez
Johnny Rougeau
Iron Sheik
Tiger Jeet Singh
Sgt. Slaughter
Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood
Mad Dog & Butcher Vachon
Von Brauners & Saul Weingeroff
Kevin & Kerry & David Von Erich
MODERN PERFORMERS IN U.S/CANADA (five maximum)
Mark & Jay Briscoe
Young Bucks
Edge
Bill Goldberg
Matt & Jeff Hardy
Becky Lynch
Jon Moxley
Kevin Nash & Scott Hall
Paul Orndorff
Randy Orton
Seth Rollins
C.M. Punk
Roman Reigns
Trish Stratus
Rick & Scott Steiner
JAPAN (three maximum)
The Beauty Pair (Jackie Sato & Maki Ueda)
Cima
Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Yoshiaki Fujiwara
Hayabusa
Antonio Inoki & Seiji Sakaguchi
Tomohiro Ishii
Meiko Satomura
Shingo Takagi
Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada
MEXICO (three maximum)
Angel Blanco & Dr.Wagner
Sangre Chicana
Los Hermanos Dinamita (Cien Caras & Mascara Ano 2000 & Universo 2000)
Dorrell Dixon
Pirata Morgan
Blue Panther
El Hijo del Santo & Octagon
La Parka AAA
Huracan Ramirez
EUROPE/AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND/PACIFIC ISLANDS/AFRICA (four maximum)
Spyros Arion
Big Daddy
Dominic DeNucci
Billy Joyce
George Kidd
Killer Karl Kox
Mike Marino
Kendo Nagasaki
Jackie Pallo
The Royal Brothers (Bert Royal & Vic Faulkner)
Johnny Saint
Adrian Street
Jose Tarres
Otto Wanz
NON-WRESTLERS (six maximum)
Dave Brown (U.S. & Canada modern)
Bobby Bruns (Japan)
Bob Caudle (U.S. & Canada historical)
Bobby Davis (U.S. & Canada historical)
Joe Higuchi (Japan)
Jim Johnston (U.S. & Canada modern)
Larry Matysik (U.S.& Canada historical)
Rossy Ogawa (Japan)
Reggie Parks (U.S. & Canada modern)
Morris Sigel (U.S. & Canada historical)
Tony Schiavone (U.S. & Canada modern)
George Scott (U.S. & Canada historical)
Sanshiro Takagi (Japan)
Mike Tenay (U.S. & Canada modern)
Ted Turner (U.S. & Canada modern)
Roy Welch (U.S. & Canada historical)
Stanley Weston (U.S. & Canada historical)
Grand Wizard (U.S & Canada historical)
James Melby (U.S & Canada historical)
And we finish off by going over the people that have been talked about and we suggested ourselves to be put on the ballot on 2024!
For more coverage of Japanese wrestling, and wrestling past and present please check out our Patreon for literally 1000s of hours of audio and written content as well: patreon.com/easternlariat
Follow us on Twitter/X:
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Special thanks to Souichi Sakagami & Mikado Miyabi for the OFFICIAL Eastern Lariat theme song: "Rainy Day" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3yWeS1ILdE
After a huge weekend of Pro Wrestling in Japan there were a lot of talking points to get to so the Eastern Lariat returns with a look at New Japan Pro Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestlig NOAH and DRAGONGATE. NJPW's Power Struggle on one hand is somewhat of a lame duck show in the calendar year of New Japan, but on the other hand it produced great and unique matches. Unique was Katsuhiko Nakajima's landing in All Japan, winning the Triple Crown as he walked in. STRIGGA & Dylan discuss the way the match came about, the action itself and of course the future implications for Nakajima, former champion Aoyagi and the first challenger Kento Miyahara. As Aoyagi's reign ended, Madoka Kikuta's reign as Open The Dream Gate Champion in DRAGONGATE surprisingly continued so the final topic of the show involves discussions about BIGBOSS Shimizu losing yet again and in which way stables could be shaken up in the world of DG.
After a brief hiatus the Eastern Lariat returns to catch up on the big japanese promotions and their most recent as well as coming up events. First, STRIGGA & Dylan tackle New Japan's Destruction in Ryogoku and Royal Quest III as well as their road to Wrestle Kingdom and if the show will be able to draw a bigger crowd than Muto's retirement. Someone who draws a lot of attention these days is Katushiko Nakajima so the following topics include his final Korakuen match for NOAH as well his appearance on AJPW's Korakuen show the day thereafter. Amidst all the dicussions about NOAH & All Japan, STRIGGA & Dylan also discuss the sensitive topic of Kinya Okada & Yasutaka Yano's exit from Pro Wrestling NOAH, the allegations against them and pro-wrestling's terrible reaction to it. The shows ends with a look at DDT's Korakuen, a brief preview of their Sumo Hall show and a look at DRAGONGATE's upcoming show in Osaka.
With a japanese bank holiday upon us, the Eastern Lariat returns this time for a rare preview episode as STRIGG A & Dylan take a look at some of the cards scheduled for this coming Monday, October 9 known as Sports Day in Japan. The focused promotions this time are NOAH, GLEAT, AJPW, TJPW and NJPW. Before going into any cards though, the first big chunk of discussion revolves around Katsuhiko Nakajima's departure from Pro Wrestling NOAH and the speculation where he might end up. From there, the Eastern Lariat duo looks at the title matches T-Hawk vs. Shuji Ishikawa, Yuma Aoyagi vs. Kento Miyahra and EVIL vs. SANADA while also discussion the current state of each company.
The Eastern Lariat tackles the Final of the 5 Star Grand Prix from STARDOM. And boy do we go in depth on this tournament. We go through the final night, breaking down every single participant's tournaments, the blunders that haunted this tournament in terms of scheduling, a disappointing ending after a really strong match, a defense of Suzu Suzuki and average ratings for the tournament rounded up on average courtesy of the inmates of Cagematch.net and we found out what the people think, as well as where they're going as a company heading into the big year end show, with the winners of our own awards. Finally...we get GLEAT into STARDOM as we head towards Halloween and try to figure out what the heck is going on around here. "Where is my STARDOM!?"
For more coverage of Japanese wrestling, and wrestling past and present please check out our Patreon for literally 1000s of hours of audio and written content as well PLUS same day reviews of G1 Climax Shows + STARDOM 5 Star GP Reviews: https://www.patreon.com/easternlariat
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In this episode of the Eastern Lariat, STRIGGA & Dylan mostly focus on the young and more up and coming talent that AJPW, DDT and DRAGONGATE have to offer as they discuss guys like Ryuki Honda, Yuki Ueno or the recent debut of T.N.Revolucion in DG. The show also offers a look at Pro Wrestling NOAH using and wasting potential, recommended matches from All Japan this month and a full review of DDT's Big Bang event from this past Saturday.
Dylan is joined by regular EL NOAH contributor Dean to talk about NOAH's N1 Victory Final which saw Go Shiozaki emerge victorious for his first ever NOAH tournament win. We talk about the whole show, the developments with Psycho Clown coming in to face Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. for the National Title, the developments of the Jr. Division and a get well soon to Chris Ridgeway. We talk about Kaito Kiyomiya's return to the promotion and the potential of him bringing back Oiwa from NJPW. Finally we go over the entire tournament and break down all 16 competitors. Who shined, who stood out, who disappointed, and who was the MVP? Finally, we talk about the near future of the company and Dean throws out some great predictions and ideas for the big Ariake show on January 2nd.
For more coverage of Japanese wrestling, and wrestling past and present please check out our Patreon for literally 1000s of hours of audio and written content as well PLUS same day reviews of G1 Climax Shows + STARDOM 5 Star GP Reviews: https://www.patreon.com/easternlariat
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In an impromptu show, STRIGGA called Dylan to look back at a weekend in japanese pro wrestling that had ups and downs, was hot and cold and something in between. After first going over the next big show line ups for New Japan Pro Wrestling, they discuss DRAGONGATE's Dangerous Gate from Ota City as well as their immediate future with some ideas for turns. The next big chunk of the show is devoted to NOAH's N-1 Victory, which is on its home stretch now. You can't claim that about Stardom's 5 Star Grand Prix, but it's another hot tournament on the menu for this episode. At the end of the show, STRIGGA & Dylan get into some All Japan with a main focus on Ryuki Honda's rise within the company and them trying to figure out what AJPW will do in Yoyogi.
New Japan's big traditional summer tournament has come to a climatic finish with Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada as the last match of the G1 Climax 33. The Eastern Lariat takes a look back at the penultimate show featuring the semi finals of Okada vs. EVIL and Naito vs. Ospreay as well as the final show including all storyline developments on all shows and ultimately, STRIGGA & Dylan rate the tournament as a whole. Before that, the first half hour of the show is dedicated to TJPW's Princess Cup and Pro Wrestling NOAH's N-1 Victory while at the end of the show, there's a brief discussion about the upcoming Royal Road tournament for All Japan Pro Wrestling.
The G1 Climax semi finals are set so STRIGGA & Dylan take a look back at the D & D Block finals that created very different emotional reactions and a very controversial match with EVIL and Shingo Takagi that STRIGGA compares to the likewise very controversial Mio Momono vs. Mayumi Ozaki match from Marvelous. The jury is out for The Eastern Lariat on SANADA as champion after the quarterfinals and another match with EVIL. After discussing the three G1 shows and knowing the semi finals, STRIGGA & Dylan lay out their scenarios for the G1 final, the tournament victory and who's going to walk into Wrestle Kingdom as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Things looked obvious before the tournament, then seemed obvious in the quarterfinals and now the obvious choices might not been those they go with.
On the previous episode, STRIGGA had beaten Dylan to the punch on the first night of the N1. So as a make good the first episode of the Patreon N1 coverage is airing for free for everyone and Dylan has recruited his friend Squill, the one behind Wrestling with the Narrative YouTube channel and noted Timothy Thatcher respector to cover the show where the Thatch man main events against the GHC Heavyweight Champion, Jake Lee!
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@heeldumile
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And check out for the other nights of the N1 Victory Dylan bringing in multiple special guests to talk Pro Wrestling NOAH's top tier tournament on our Patreon which also supports the show and the thousands of hours put into this wonderful world of Japanese wrestling:
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Also listen to our preview and predictions episode for EVERY SINGLE MATCH: https://www.cagematch.net/?id=128&nr=953
On Super Sunday in japanese pro wrestling all major companies ran major events that varied in success depending on how you looked at them. The Eastern Lariat of course takes an extensive look at New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Climax and the finals of Block A & B. Given the results, they discuss the outlook for Hikuleo, the performance of the Reiwa 3 and # Kaito Kiyomiya's future. Block B leads straight to the discussions about the knockout stages and who will be winning. Before the G1 talk, STRIGGA & Dylan looked back at DRAGONGATE's King of Gate Final, the crazy GLEAT show from Sumo Hall as well as AJPW & NOAH from Super Sunday!
This time the Eastern Lariat starts with a look at the two joshi tournaments running at the moment with Stardom's 5 Star Grand Prix and Tokyo Joshi Pro's Princess Cup. Since the Princess Cup is coming to an and, STRIGG A& Dylan discuss possible outcomes of that before turning their attention to the G1 Climax 33 that also is nearing towards its end – at least when it comes to the group stage. Here, the Eastern Lariat discusses the 3 shows from Nagoya, Takamatsu and Hiroshima and then it's G1 MATH with intense discussions about Kaito Kiyomiya, Jeff Cobb and yes, of course Tanga Loa. Join in, get a coffee and a flip chart!
Dylan engages in a full preview of Pro Wrestling NOAH's N1 Victory tournament with predictions for every single match up to the final, and he's joined by Dean and Dr. Jonathan Foye who also give their predictions and as it turned all 3 had different winners of the tournament! It's long, but we talk about everyone and go over a ton of scenarios, and somehow come out with everything being alright by the end.
Look forward to more coverage on the Patreon where EVERY SINGLE MATCH will be covered with both Dean and Jonathan factoring in along with others! And of course keep your eyes peeled to watch the N1 itself on Wrestle Universe where you will see who if any looks like genius and/or idiots.
Get coverage of the N1, same day reviews of the G1, same day reviews of STARDOM's 5 Star Grand Prix, an archive featuring thousands of hours of historical audio, all for only $5 a month. Also reviews of major Manami Toyota matches in her career for free! All on patreon.com/easternlariat
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The G1 Climax has reached its half way point and also delivered three shows in Tokyo so this is the perfect moment to not only look back on two Korakuen Hall shows and an event from Ota Ward that delivered some of the best matches of the tournament, but it's also an opportunity to highlight each block's best performers, which Dylan takes care of with his scientifically certified ratings system – unlike NJPW this can't be rigged. Before the G1 talk starts, the Eastern Lariat looks at Saya Kamitani being out of the 5 Star GP, Stardom's card for August 13 and ZERO1 losing their long time ring announcer as well as Fuminori Abe due to injury.
This past weekend New Japan presented two G1 Climax shows that could not have been more different. While the one from Nagaoka received almost unanimous praise, the one two days later in Nagano was rated the lowest of all G1 shows this year so far. STRIGGA & Dylan discuss all the matches and go into some wrestler's quest so far and in some cases – once again – question their role in the biggest tournament of the year. The G1 talk is sandwiched between some notes on DRAGONGATE's King of Gate and their upcoming Korakuen as well as DDT's Peter Pan with the emotional highlight of Chris Brookes winning the KO-D Title at the beginning and a quick review of Stardom's 5 Star Grand Prix opening night at the end of the show.
The summer of tournaments rolls on and so does the Eastern Lariat. In this episode STRIGGA & Dylan look back at Days 3 & 4 of the G1 Climax 33 from Yamagata and Sendai, which leads to a discussion about the format of the tournament. What improvements could there be to provide more interesting undercards and an more intriguing field of competitors? While some matches are lacking excitement, others over delivered so far – the G1 has truly started. At the end of the show the Eastern Lariat duo also discusses DRAGONGATE's King of Gate as well as the N-1 Rumble leading up to NOAH's N-1 Victory and the Sumo Hall Cards for DDT & GLEAT.
The first weekend of the 33rd G1 Climax is in the books, so Dylan & STRIGGA sat down to look back at the best matches of the first set of shows – was there a signature G1 match that takes the tournament out of the gates? Besides the matches, the two talk about the start of the Reiwa Toukon Three Musketeers and their individual prospects of positioning within the company. STRIGGA & Dylan also lay out their picks for block winners, runner ups and for the winner of the G1 Climax 33. With that in mind, the two discuss some booking ideas for Wrestle Kingdom 18 that revolves around the question if SANADA remains champion until January 4. At the end of the show the focus transitions to Pro Wrestling NOAH's One Night Dream show, a unique spectacle of a show that featured one of the best matches of the year in Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Kento Miyahara.
Out with the old, in with the new! The Eastern Lariat got new any shiny awards waiting for winners in 13 different categories that saw almost every japanese promotion represented in some form or fashion. Led by the ballots sent in by the listeners, STRIGGA and Dylan make their own picks starting with Best Foreigner, going over most improved, best promotion, best wrestler and much more until the final two awards: The Manami Toyota Joshi MVP and the Kenta Kobashi (overall) MVP. Join the Eastern Lariat on a journey through the first six months of japanese pro-wrestling in 2023!
With STRIGGA back after an hiatus of 5 weeks, him and Dylan open the show with a preview of the newly named categories for the Half Year Awards. From there, the two discuss Forbidden Door, STRIGGA's take on the G1 Climax as well as the N-1 Victory Blocks for Pro Wrestling NOAH. Dylan gives his take on the highly acclaimed 12 Women Cage Match from Stardom's Sunshine show and the duo talk about DRAGONGATE's upcoming biggest show of the year: Kobe World! Who's gonna lose their mask?The show closes with a quick discussion about Yuji Okabayashi, who's taking an indefinite hiatus.
Come for the All Together Again, stay for an hour on each company involved with it! No stone gets left unturned with everything going on in NJPW and AJPW and NOAH. Dylan is joined by Dean again and talk about the full card of All Together and then go over the G1 Climax Blocks, where AJPW, NJPW & NOAH go from here and a breakdown of all sorts of stories and wrestlers going on in each company with talk and even disagreements about different wrestlers like Kaito Kiyomiya, Kento Miyahara, Yuma Aoyagi, Ishii, Shingo & much unhappiness thanks to STINGER!
For more coverage of Japanese wrestling, and wrestling past and present please check out our Patreon for over 1000s of hours of audio:
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Special thanks to Souichi Sakagami & Mikado Miyabi for the OFFICIAL Eastern Lariat theme song: "Rainy Day" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3yWeS1ILdE
With STRIGGA on vacation and a big STARDOM show to talk about Dylan brings back Sondre Bjørn for a ride through, as they go through the spectacular finals of NJPW's Best of the Super Jr. Run down best matches, what they think of Wato and his big win, as well as where the Jrs. and the company as a whole is headed towards in the future. The second half of the show is dedicated to STARDOM, as we talk about the entire Flashing Champions show, the direction of the company and then run down the participants announced for the Five Star Grand Prix with a spirited conversation about things in Joshi's most popular company.
For more coverage of Japanese pro wrestling, modern and classic, check out our Patreon patreon.com/easternlariat for just $5 a month to gain access to thousands of hours of shows talking wrestling.
Follow the Eastern Lariat and Sondre on Twitter and let us know your thoughts on Japanese wrestling!
@EasternLariat @Viva_Zero @SondreBjorn @STRIGGA
and listen to Sondre and Dylan's show the Dramatic Dream Dragons about DDT, Dragon Gate & GLEAT. https://open.spotify.com/show/0lmhqND9EcIB8jFIGvScoT
Hopefully you enjoyed the show and have a great week!
This week, (almost) the entire focus of the show lies on the 30th Best of the Super Junior, New Japan's annual Junior Heavyweight Tournament that has produced some of the best and most talked about matches of the year as well as some unforgettable moments in its past iteration. This year, some new competitors enter the field to mix it up with the top of the junior division in New Japan, which already provided some great pro-wrestling. STRIGGA & Dylan look back at the first half of the tournament and rate each wrestler, their matches, their stories and their chances of advancing to the semi finals. Before that, the show opens with All Japan Pro Wrestling and Shotaro Ashino's tragic injury, his replacement and a look at the first matches for All Together.
Golden Week traditionally is the week of the year that delivers the most concentration of big shows apart from the first week of January. This year was no different as every major company ran shows during the holidays so the Eastern Lariat's plate was full of matches, developments and surprises to talk about. STRIGGA & Dylan of course focus on the traditional big three, but also dive into Big Japan and DRAGONGATE deeper than they usually do and overall about a dozen companies are mentioned on this year's Golden Week Extravaganza~!
With the announcement of All Together Again on June 9, the Eastern Lariat returns to discuss a possible card for the show and to take a look back in history when STRIGGA & Dylan first fantasy booked All Together shows in 2020. After that the attention is on two of the three companies represented on All Together: Pro Wrestling NOAH presented a loaded show from Sendai that saw Jake Lee vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima, Go Shiozaki returning and much more. In All Japan, the Champion Carnival continues and has some good matches and upsets to offer. Finally the Eastern Lariat presents a run down of the shows Big Japan and DRAGONGATE have to offer during golden week. A packed episode as always!
Tokyo once more was the center of japanese pro-wrestling this past Saturday with both New Japan Pro Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling running important shows. While New Japan's Sakura Genesis in Sumo Hall produced amazing matches and stunning title changes in front of an ecstatic crowd, the opening day of the Champion Carnival 2023 left a lot to be desired and there were clear reasons for this lackluster tournament opening. STRIGGA & Dylan discuss these two shows and their implications for future developments. Join us a we discuss JUST...TWO...SHOWS!
At the beginning of 2023, japanese pro-wrestling has some great champions and challengers alike to offer. STRIGGA & Dylan discuss the champions of the traditional “big three” as well as those holding the gold in six other companies. With the general rule of thumb of the champion reflecting the state of a company, the Eastern Lariat crew not only discusses potential challengers, but also look at rookies in development and the general state of some of the rosters.
Eastern Lariat is back with a very special episode focused all on Pro Wrestling NOAH and Dylan is joined by his regular NOAH Patreon guest Dean (dnmt) The first part of the show is all about Daisuke Harada's retirement and we talk about his career, Dylan talks about some of his favorite memories and matches of Harada coming in from Osaka Pro to being the NOAH Jr. Ace. After that we talk about their Great Voyage in Yokohama, Dylan has to deal with STINGER once again and Dylan & Dean get into a lively debate on Kaito Kiyomiya and his status.
Check out more of Dean talking NOAH as well as Dylan's coverage of every Japanese and US promotion at patreon.com/easternlariat
Follow us on Twitter @EasternLariat
Follow Dylan @Viva_Zero
Follow Dean @dnmt67
Follow STRIGGA @STRIGGA
STRIGGA returns next time talking everything going on in the busy world of Japanese Pro Wrestling!
What a spectacle it was. Keiji Muto retired on unquestionably the biggest show in japanese pro-wrestling in decades. The Eastern Lariat looks back at the entire show with discussions about Keiji Muto vs. Tetsuya Naito and Kazuchika Okada vs. Kaito Kiyomiya and their implications for the future taking center stage. With Muto presenting this huge event, two questions seem crucial: Can japanese pro-wrestling present something bigger or anything close to this? Who gained the most from this event? Besides that, STRIGGA & Dylan also put every match on the card into perspective and highlight current developments in the respective companies.
Dylan is joined by a shocking return in WH Park from POST Wrestling! And on top of it it's to talk about a full length NOAH show! We go over NOAH's Osaka offering and then use that to talk about the Muto Dome show just one more time before it happens as the show is so prominent, even on the NOAH show with yet another memorable Kaito & Okada main event angle. We transition to NJPW and a little bit on their big show as well, the most notable thing being Jay White losing the loser leaves Japan match vs. Hikuleo. Mostly NOAH but a bit of Muto stuff and also NJPW too, it was great to talk to WH again! And keep your eyes peeled for STRIGGA to return next week talking about the Dome show and all of the other stuff falling out from it!
Follow the Eastern Lariat at the aptly named @EasternLariat
Follow Dylan @Viva_Zero
Follow WH @whpark9 & his own forays into wrestling & the MCU @POSTWrestling
Follow @STRIGGA for his takes on stuff
Check out the Patreon for all kinds of Japanese wrestling coverage including a 7 part episodic style documentary series and matches regarding Keiji Muto's pre-AJPW run Dylan did with Dr. Jonathan Foye: patreon.com/easternlariat
Just for fun check out Dr. J's book on Keiji Muto in AJPW, The Muto Years!: https://www.amazon.com/Muto-Years-Jonathan-Foye/dp/B0BHKGL3Y3
More than ever in the past three years it feels like pro-wrestling in Japan is once again gaining momentum. Therefore, STRIGGA & Dylan first discuss Kota Ibushi's freelance status as well as Keiji Muto's big retirement show on the horizon. With a lot of promotions represented on that show, the Eastern Lariat also looks at the individual shows that DRAGONGATE, AJPW and NJPW put on plus Dylan gives his rundown of the big Osaka show Stardom ran this weekend. Exciting times in japanese pro-wrestling may be ahead, which also leaves the Eastern Lariat crew feel that same excitement!
The great tradition of drafts on the Eastern Lariat continues once more, but in a completely different format! This time, Dylan & STRIGGA don't draft a roster for a fictional parallel reality. Instead the rosters based on 7 divisions and 5 bench slots will accompany both managers for a full year, so much like other fantasy sports work. Join in for the fun, maybe draft your own team and follow along as each month will see an updated points ranking as well as changes within the two teams!
After three years New Japan made the decision to go back to have Wrestle Kingdom only on “Ittenyon”, so they went back to January 4 as the one date for their biggest show of the calendar year. With Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay the show set the bar high for match of the year candidates, while in the actual main event of the show Kazuchika Okada stood tall over Jay White. STRIGGA & Dylan talk extensively about these two matches, give some insight on the ideas behind the structure of the matches and of course discuss all the title matches on the card. You'll also get takes on the young talent that was prominently placed on the card in Shota Umino, Master Wato and Ren Narita. At the same time the Eastern Lariat team also discusses the angles and directions from New Year Dash the day thereafter and previews the Yokohama Arena show on the 21st that also has the Wrestle Kingdom branding.
The new year always brings a LOT to discuss in japanese pro-wrestling and with Pro Wrestling NOAH choosing January 1st as the date of their big Budokan show there's more to discuss than ever: Muto vs. Nakamura, Kiyomiya vs. Kenoh, Jake Lee debuting, the puzzling placement of the tag title matches and what does the future hold for NOAH after Muto? But first, STRIGGA and Dylan address the big title change from Syuri to Giulia in Stardom as well as the DDT & GLEAT shows from Tokyo Dome City Hall and New Year's Eve Pro-Wrestling from Korakuen. The final topic of the show are the first two AJPW shows of the new year that saw Kento Miyahara and Takuya Nomura in prominent positions as well as many puzzling elements such as the All Asia Tag Team Title match and a Voodoo Murder breakup tease.
The Final Eastern Lariat episode of the year is one of the most important and the biggest episode at the same time. With the support of their listeners AND special guest Michelle (@puroresueikaiwa) STRIGGA and Dylan assembled a list and their picks for the Year End Awards 2022 that range from New Japan and Stardom to DRAGONGATE and DDT with the inclusion of promotions like Ganbare Pro, Tenryu Project, Michinoku Pro and various others. You'll hear unique takes in a lot of the 14 categories both from afar and directly from Japan through Michelle's viewpoint!
The band is back together in a new episode of the Eastern Lariat podcast! STRIGGA returns and tackles some talking points from the past weeks and days in Japanese pro wrestling mostly focusing on All Japan Pro Wrestling, their Real World Tag League, their Jr. Battle of Glory and of course on Jake Lee leaving the company to maybe join New Japan. After a brief discussion on the Super Jr. Tag League in NJPW the final topic of the show addresses Sasha Banks apparently being in Tokyo on January 4 and what it could lead to. The show however starts with the question whether or not an indie wrestler bias is in place when judging talent from the US.
Fumi Saito returns! The legendary Japamese wrestling journalist joins Dylan once again to sit down for a chat about Japanese wrestling and even questionable wrestling media and some rumors and the like we've heard about. We talk about NJPW and it's business, as well as STARDOM and what's going on there. We follow it up with a little bit of NOAH before we wrap up nice and tidy so Fumi can get back to his job. As always I appreciate the time given greatly! Hopefully you enjoy the show as well.
Follow the Eastern Lariat: @EasternLariat
Follow Dylan: @Viva_Zero
Follow Fumi: @fumihikodayo
Check out Fumi's other work including his shows like the Pacific Rim with Jim Valley on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter: https://www.f4wonline.com/podcasts/pacific-rim-pro-wrestling-podcast
As well as Write That Down! With Justin Knipper on the Fight Game Media Network: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/write-that-down-antonio-inoki-part-four-international/id1594255707?i=1000550724447
And as always if you want to support the Eastern Lariat heading into the holiday season, while also getting many many hours of show reviews and additional content, or just wanna read some free Toyota match reviews Dylan puts up check out our Patreon: patreon.com/easternlariat
And as always thank you for listening and your time. STRIGGA returns on the next episode!
For the first time ever, NJPW and STARDOM, the top men's and women's companies in Japan unite to come up with a co-promoted show. Dylan is joined by his usual Patreon guest Sondre Bjørn to talk both major shows for STARDOM, first Gold Rush which featured two great title matches and one of the craziest main events of the year, and then the Historic X-Over, featuring a long discussion on the return of Kenny Omega to NJPW with his announced match vs. Will Ospreay as well as the crowning of the first ever IWGP Women's Champion between KAIRI vs. Mayu Iwatani.
Follow @SondreBjorn - @Viva_Zero - @EasternLariat for more coverage of STARDOM, NJPW, & all the great pro wrestling companies in Japan, and if you want more podcasts featuring Dylan and a ton of other special guests give our Patreon, patreon.com/easternlariat a look!
Enjoy the show with tons of airtime on this special all Joshi edition of the show, STARDOM, and all of pro wrestling!
With the end of the year approaching step by step all promotions are bracing themselves for the big shows coming up at the end of the year or in very early 2023. NOAH presented a double shot in Korakuen Hall with all GHC Title matches plus their DRAGONGATE joint venture Global Dream, All Japan's & Stardom's tag leagues started while DDT is closing in on their D King Grand Prix. While there's tons of stuff going on – All Japan are even running two tournaments at the same time – most companies don't feel as hot as they would love to and there's a number of reasons why that is. STRIGGA & Dylan bring up some of them and of course also point out what's working.
The traditional “big three” get a look at in the newest Eastern Lariat episode. It seems like All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH have much more issues bubbling than New Japan Pro Wrestling right now so first STRIGGA & Dylan address All Japan's missed opportunities to pur over their younger talent to the degree where the crowd reactions are a clear indicator of wrong decisions made. Wrong decisions also is the focal point when it comes to GHC Heavyweight Champion Kaito Kiyomiya who doesn't come across like he should cosplaying Keiji Muto. Muto himself has his big match with Shinsuke Nakamura coming up so his retirement road is another big topic once again. In contrast to thee two promotiomns things seem to be on the upswing for NJPW after their well received Battle Autumn show from Osaka that saw Ren Narita & Shota Umino in prominent positions. Join in for some positivity on the “King of Sports”!
Dylan is back with part 2 of the Wrestling Observer newsletter Hall of Fame coverage with another voter! This time it's Gerard di Trolio from the Emerald Flowshow hops on to talk about the Non-Wrestler category which features Japanese promoters Sanshiro Takagi & Rossy Ogawa, legendary Japanese referee in JWA & AJPW and later NOAH's On-Air GHC Title Commissioner Joe Higuchi, AJPW's Triple Crown foreign liaison and chairman of the Pacific Wrestling Federation Lord James Blears, and the man who helped get Rikidozan into wrestling, Bobby Bruns, along with all the non-Japanese candidates which include commentators, promoters, legendary writers, managers, belt makers and music men:
Lord James Blears
Dave Brown
Bobby Bruns
Bob Caudle
Bobby Davis
Joe Higuchi
Jim Johnston
Larry Matysik
James Melby
Rossy Ogawa
Reggie Parks
Morris Sigel
Tony Schiavone
George Scott
Sanshiro Takagi
Mike Tenay
Ted Turner
Roy Welch
Stanley Weston
The Grand Wizard
We also go over the historical candidates in the North American region and finally circle back around to the Japanese region for another Round of Dylan trying to get a voter to vote for Yoshiaki Fujiwara and just Gerard's thought on this year's cast of characters, which ends with Gerard giving us his ballot, which differs a bit from Case Lowe, our last guest.
If you enjoy the Eastern Lariat and want more, including reviews of major live events, tournaments (right now STARDOM's Goddesses of Tag League, as well as DDT's D-Ou tournament), historical content like the 90's project covering the top 50 matches every year of the 90s and a top 10 and awards audio and currently running a daily written review feature on the career of Manami Toyota, check out our Patreon: patreon.com/easternlariat
Follow us on Twitter: @EasternLariat
Follow Dylan: @Viva_Zero
Follow Gerard and his show, the Emerald FlowShow for more fun stuff on Japanese Pro Wrestling: @EmeraldFlowshow
And most importantly, support Japanese pro wrestling in every company you enjoy!
All Japan and Dramatic Dream Team are the main focus of the newest edition of the Eastern Lariat as both companies came off a weekend with multiple title matches. While DDT is giving us one of the best championship runs in recent history with Kazusada Higuchi, many decisions in AJPW, specifically around the Voodoo Murders, are mind boggling and they led to in part atrocious matches. Besides these two companies STRIGGA & Dylan also briefly preview the big NOAH & DRAGONGATE shows on the coming weekends and the final of the IWGP Women's Championship and its impact on NJPW is up for discussion at the end of the show!
A special episode of the Eastern Lariat sees Dylan tackel a never before done subject on the show: The Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame. To do so he's joined by special guest Case Lowe from the Open the Voice Gate show, as well as a tried and true Hall of Fame voter for the first time! Case & Dylan discuss the candidates for the Japan region, which features 14 candidates we run through their candidacy in terms of drawing power, in-ring ability & influence including:
Riki Choshu & Animal Hamaguchi
CIMA
TenCozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima)
Yoshiaki Fujiwara
Hayabusa
Kota Ibushi
Antonio Inoki & Seiji Sakaguchi
Tomohiro Ishii
Naomichi Marufuji
Tetsuya Naito
Meiko Satomura
Shingo Takagi
1987 Gold Combo (Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada)
Holy Demon Army (Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue)
There's some differences in their ideas for who they think are strong candidates and not and they go through them all!
As a bonus we go over the US Region that Case will also be voting in which includes 17 candidates that we go through in rapid fire fashion:
Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson
Junkyard Dog
Jerry Lawler & Bill Dundee
Edge
Bill Goldberg
The Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy)
Becky Lynch
The Outsiders (Kevin Nash & Scott Hall)
Paul Orndorff
Randy Orton
The New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn & Road Dogg)
CM Punk
Roman Reigns
Sgt. Slaughter
Trish Stratus
The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner)
Kevin, Kerry & David Von Erich
Look forward to a new episode featuring STRIGGA's return in a few days, but hopefully enjoy this special episode and give your feedback to @Viva_Zero & @EasternLariat on Twitter, and if you would like to hear further coverage of the Hall of Fame check out patreon.com/easternlariat - Now with rollover pricing, sign up at any time period and you won't have to worry about being double charged for content on the HOF, A 7 match series with Dylan & STRIGGA covering Antonio Inoki's career and biggest matches, the 90s project which just wrapped up 1997 with the year end awards show, and reviews of many major Japanese wrestling shows and occasionally wrestling outside of Japan.
Also follow Case @_InYourCase & his show @openvoicegate which he hosts alongside Mike Spears if you're interested on extensive coverage on Dragon Gate and all the cool stuff going on there.
On a special edition of the Eastern Lariat podcast, Dylan welcomes Japanese wrestling translator & historian Cameren Lee on to discuss the life and career of Antonio Inoki. From an unbelievably harsh childhood and improbable upbringing in the wrestling industry we discuss his early days as Rikidozan's trainee and his ascent and attempts to ascend to leading the company which turns into the formation of New Japan Pro Wrestling. From there we go into the deep political waters Inoki was forced to wade through with other wrestlers and especially TV Networks, his rivalry with his former tag team partner Giant Baba as they engage in constant attempts to one up each other as AJPW & NJPW owners. We talk about some of his biggest triumphs and matches in the ring and how he was even more than his reputation hails him as, which leads to scandals as time goes along with questionable decisions being made personally and professionally. We also discuss the underrated hand Inoki's wife at the time, the actress Mitsuko Baisho played in keeping NJPW afloat and all the mayhem surrounding Inoki through the decade. Finally we (relatively) briefly cover his political career which involved more scandal, his 4 year long retirement tour and his post-in-ring career including some talk about the Inoki-ism era of NJPW and his fade into IGF, closing into our thoughts in the overall legacy of this one of a kind complex & influential figure in life, letalone wrestling.
Rest in Peace Antonio Inoki. February 20th, 1943 - October 1st, 2022.
Follow the Eastern Lariat on Twitter: @EasternLariat
Follow Cameren @KinchStalker & check out his blog centered around classic Japanese wrestling translation: frommilotomisawa.wordpress.com
Also very soon STRIGGA will return and join Dylan for a more in-ring focused look at Inoki and his career when we do a Week of: Antonio Inoki. The first episode will be free for all on this feed and the later matches will be on patreon.com/easternlariat so subscribe to hear that along with much great pro wrestling content. Also feel free to follow @STRIGGA for more into him and make sure to subscribe to the Eastern Lariat wherever podcasts are heard and any 5 star reviews are truly appreciated.
Most of all, thank you so much for listening! Thank you Antonio Inoki!
The Eastern Lariat returns with Big Match Sunday … on a Monday! This past weekend saw many big title matches including Higuchi vs. Takeshita and Kenoh vs. Kiyomiya so STRIGGA & Dylan's primary focus was on those matches as well as on some more bullet points from each promotion including the future of the GHC Heavyweight Title, GLEAT's identity, Naruki Doi's status as well as the upcoming D-King Grand Prix. The show however starts with an extensive look at All Japan Pro Wrestling's big 50th Anniversary from Budokan the weekend before plus their Korakuen Hall event the day thereafter.
The Eastern Lariat returns with Big Match Sunday … on a Monday! This past weekend saw many big title matches including Higuchi vs. Takeshita and Kenoh vs. Kiyomiya so STRIGGA & Dylan's primary focus was on those matches as well as on some more bullet points from each promotion including the future of the GHC Heavyweight Title, GLEAT's identity, Naruki Doi's status as well as the upcoming D-King Grand Prix. The show however starts with an extensive look at All Japan Pro Wrestling's big 50th Anniversary from Budokan the weekend before plus their Korakuen Hall event the day thereafter.
Next weekend is loaded with shows in Japan, because September 19 brings another public holiday with Keiro no Hi (Respect for the Aged Day) so STRIGGA & Dylan got together to discuss Jun Akiyama's 30th anniversary, All Japan's business ideas going into their 50th anniversary show in Nippon Budokan as well as the card itself and possible outcomes for the future. Who's leaving with the Triple Crown? Who's challenging one day later in Korakuen? Will Chris Daniels be there? While AJPW is full of questions, DRAGONGATE delivers some answers with the pushes of Mochizuki Jr., Ishin Iihashi and D'courage so their upcoming Dangerous Gate gets a preview as well. Other topics are Keiji Muto's retirement show in Tokyo Dome plus an update on Stardom's 5 Star Grand Prix!
Next weekend is loaded with shows in Japan, because September 19 brings another public holiday with Keiro no Hi (Respect for the Aged Day) so STRIGGA & Dylan got together to discuss Jun Akiyama's 30th anniversary, All Japan's business ideas going into their 50th anniversary show in Nippon Budokan as well as the card itself and possible outcomes for the future. Who's leaving with the Triple Crown? Who's challenging one day later in Korakuen? Will Chris Daniels be there? While AJPW is full of questions, DRAGONGATE delivers some answers with the pushes of Mochizuki Jr., Ishin Iihashi and D'courage so their upcoming Dangerous Gate gets a preview as well. Other topics are Keiji Muto's retirement show in Tokyo Dome plus an update on Stardom's 5 Star Grand Prix!
Tournament season and no end! On this episode STRIGGA & Dylan discuss NOAH's N-1 Victory in depth in its entirety: Kaito Kiyomiya winning and possibly reclaiming his spot as the ace, Hideki MVP, Great Muta's business for NOAH, Nakajima/Okada and of course all performers and best matches. On top of that the Eastern Lariat crew compares the N-1 with New Japan's G1 Climax. Stardom's tournament however is still going on so STRIGGA & Dylan make predictions on who's going to advance, name best matches and their top performers.
New Japan Pro Wrestling has crossed the finish line and after a little over one month the 32nd G1 Climax is over! Kazuchika Okada scored back to back tournament wins and called his shot, Will Ospreay rose to new hights and left Tetsuya Naito behind, which caught many fans by surprise. Tama Tonga got revenge on Jay White and much, much more happened in these 4 weeks. STRIGGA & Dylan put it all into perspective while bringing up both, the positive and negative aspects of the tournament itself and the surroundings of it. Some of the talking points include their lack of making new stars, their rigid booking patterns and the lack of fan interest, but also the great individual performances and the overall enjoyable tournament. There was a lot to get into, so hop on and enjoy the ride!
After being rather negative on the last episode, STRIGGA & Dylan bounce back with an episode covering two topics that let them enjoy japanese pro-wrestling more than last time while also pointing out what went wrong in their opinions. Part of that is Yuka Sakazaki winning the Princess Cup 2022 over Miu Watanabe about which The Eastern Lariat Crew has a clear opinion and also discusses the general possibility of upward movement within the Cyberfight groups. After that it's G1 time once again with days 16 & 17 of the tournament that delivered one match in particular that STRIGGA & Dylan had totally different takes on. To close out the show they go over the tournament standings and predict the semi finals for Wednesday. A fun time to be had!
This episode of the Eastern Lariat is a mixed bag in many ways. One, because of the usual range of topics from ZERO1 over NOAH to New Japan. Then, there's a lot of mixed feelings towards many of the matches that occurred in the Fire Festival, the N-1 Victory and especially the G1 Climax. STRIGGA & Dylan shout out some of the most outstanding tournamens matches in Tanahashi vs. Goto and Okada vs. Lawlor, while at the same time 2022 feels like a down period in japanese pro-wrestling across the board.
The Eastern Lariat rolls on through the summer with another look at a trifecta of G1 Climax shows form Ehime and Osaka that saw one of the most universally praised matches of the entire tournament with Ospreay vs. Takagi – but was it really that outstanding? Was the first day in Osaka a show of the year contender? Who's beating Jay? Where's the road taking Ishii? Those are some of the talking points being brought up during G1 talk. Besides that STRIGGA & Dylan also discuss All Japan's Oudou tournament and the general direction of the company bewildered once more. This episode though starts with the recent changes in NOAH's N-1 Victory due to Timothy Thatchers absence.
This time the Eastern Lariat has an appealing Sandwich of topics to offer. The show starts out with the first slice of topics as STRIGGA & Dylan discuss three tournaments with ZERO1's Fire Festival, TJPW's Princess Cup and Stardom's 5 Star Grand Prix. Then, the Kobe World double shot of DRAGONGATE is the center piece of attention and the base of an honest discussion about the current and future direction of the company, while the weekend also produced one of the best matches of the year. To complete the Sandwich, the half way point of another tournament is up for discussion, so STRIGGA & Dylan name their top performers in the G1 Climax so far and go over days 8 & 9 of the tournament that left some good and some bad tastes.
Two more down, a lot more to go! That's the motto for the G1 Climax after 7 days of block matches. The Eastern Lariat takes a look at the double shot from Korakuen Hall on July 26 & 27 that delivered an incredible grudge match between Juice Robinson and David Finlay, another strong performance by Henare, a hard hitting main event between Tama Tonga and Tomohiro Ishii and of course a continuation of the Yujiro/Pieter saga! Besides that STRIGGA & Dylan talk about Kaito Ishida leaving DRAGONGATE as well as the Kobe World Cards, GREAT's G-INFINITY tournament, TJPW's Princess Cup, the ZERO1 Fire Festival and Yuya Aoki returning!
With five G1 Climax shows down, The Eastern Lariat returns to look back at this trifecta of events from Sendai as well as the double shot from Ota Ward this past weekend. Dylan & STRIGGA have some clear favorites that stood out and some clear criticisms on some of the performers jumping to Takaaki Kidani's side as he criticized that NJPW matches often follow the same pattern. At the end of the show Dylan and STRIGGA briefly talk about Higuchi & Yoshimura winning the KO-D Tag Team Title and Dylan gives a run down of the Stardom double shot from the weekend.
Every year Umi no Hi, or the Day of the Ocean, marks the start of one of the busiest and most exciting weeks of the year for japanese pro-wrestling. Not only did the 32nd G1 Climax start with a big double header in Hokkaido, but Pro Wrestling NOAH also ran one of their biggest and most well received shows in recent history in Nippon Budokan. Besides a discussion about these shows, matches and developments, STRIGGA & Dylan also analyse All Japan's booking around Suwama winning the Triple Crown, the newest advent of the Voodoo Murders and Budokan on the horizon.
For the 4th consecutive year The Eastern Lariat once again proudly presents the Half Year Awards! On this show Dylan Fox and STRIGGA crown the very best in japanese pro-wrestling in the first six months of 2022 – in 14 categories! This also means the companies represented range from New Japan Pro Wrestling over Ice Ribbon to GLEAT and Ganbare Pro and include men's and women's wrestlers. On top of that Dylan & STRIGGA also discuss the choices that YOU, the listeners, made! This is your guide through the first 6 months of 2021!
This episode of the Eastern Lariat is all about inspiriting stories as STRIGGA & Dylan first talk and rave about the in-ring return of Fujita „Jr“ Hayato, who overcame spinal cord cancer to do what he loves again. Another inspiring, yet totally different story is the King of DDT victory and thus KO-D Title win for Kazusada Higuchi in an amazing tournament final. This topped of a great weekend for wrestling in Tokyo that started with GLEAT's Ver. 3 show in Tokyo Dome City Hall that once again looked amazing. Final topic of the show are Stardom's most recent Cage Matches as well as a brief preview of the upcoming 5 Star Grand Prix!
With this huge episode The Eastern Lariat first catches up with NJPW Dominion, the G1 line up, the card for Forbidden Door and the question what could've been and what we're getting now. Then STRIGGA & Dylan discuss the big Cyberfight Festival and from there on focus on the two big topics coming out of that show: Keji Muto announcing his retirement and Tetsuya Endo suffering a concussion which led to him having for forfeit the KO-D Openweigth Championship. From there the two transition to King of DDT, TJPW's Additional Attack plus the card for Summer Sun Princess as well as GLEAT's big card for July 1st. The final topic of the show is the most recent All Japan show from Ota Ward that saw Kento Miyahara vs. Jake Lee for the Triple Crown.
With the two biggest junior heavyweight tournaments in Japan each year being on the closing stretch, the Eastern Lariat reflects on both DRAGONGATE's King of Gate and NJPW's Best of the Super Junior. STRIGGA & Dylan especially go in depth on the BOSJ ranking each performer and naming each wrestler's best matches. The show though starts with a heartfelt look back at the Hana Kimura Memorial show and a roundup on All Japan's current stable swap as well as their Ota Ward card. At the end of the show there's a brief preview of the Cyberfight Fes and the Eastern Lariat's take on the Kota Ibushi situation.
Golden Week 2022 is over and once again it was one of the busiest weeks in japanese pro-wrestling. This goes to show as this is the second episode dedicated to events, matches and stories going on in this particular week. This time STRIGGA & Dylan focus on the important shows Big Japan, DRAGONGATE, All Japan and New Japan ran between 4/29 and 5/5 with some additional topics at the beginning, among them the electric announcement of Fujita “Jr” Hayato's return.
This is part one of the Eastern Lariat's ride through Golden Week 2022! STRIGGA and Dylan start with a look at some of the bigger indies in Japan with Osaka Pro, HEAT UP, Kyushu Pro & Ganbare before turning their attention to a round up of Joshi companies running in Golden week such as Diana, SEAdLINNNG, Marvelous, Ice Ribbon, TJPW & Stardom. The two remaining topics on this episode are NOAH's Sumo Hall double shot including discussions about Nakajma and NOSAWA plus DDT's Mega Max Bump in Yokohama. What was the best match? What's next for Endo, MAO and Higuchi? Is Endo Burning?
Following the episode on the history of Sumo Palace earlier this week, The Eastern Lariat has a quick turnaround and stays on the topic at first with a preview of Pro Wrestling NOAH's double shot in that exact building. What's to be expected from these two shows? Who is X? What's with all the foreign talent coming in? From there, STRIGGA and Dylan take it to GLEAT and their three shows in April that saw Lindaman's first defense of the G-REX Championship. His stablemate T-Hawk is still in the running for the Champion Carnival, which is the 3rd topic on the show. Last, but not least, the Eastern Lariat team looks at New Japan Pro Wrestling following the announcement of the big AEW/NJPW supershow in June. Also Zeus. Zeus is always important.
Dylan hosts a very special historical episode of the Eastern Lariat, joined by his good friend Dr. Jonathan Foye, the author of Ganbaru, the story of how AJPW survived the 2000 NOAH split & his new friend, who happens to be a legendary journalist, who has experience in writing, podcasting, commentating, & working behind the scenes in Japanese wrestling for over 3 decades, Fumi Saito. We discuss many topics on this show centered around Sumo Palace (aka Sumo Hall). We start all the way from the original incarnation of the building nearly 200 years ago to the incarnations of the Kokugikan that followed, then the many big matches and events that took place there over the years and it's recent resurgence over the last month with STARDOM, Zero1, NJPW & NOAH all have or are about to run shows there in the span of a month. Historical content we touch on is too much to list but include:
Rikidozan's start in Sumo Palace and incident with Masahiko Kimura.
NJPW's success in the 80's and Inoki's ways & matches.
The IWGP Title inaugural tournaments.
Tiger Mask(s)!
The famous riots in 1984 & 1987 at the venue.
WWF running in Japan and their interactions with AJPW & NJPW in the early 90's.
Super J Cup and it's legacy among English speaking fans as well as Japanese.
The dark ages of wrestling in Japan in the 2000s and the many companies that ran it over the years.
Thank you for listening to our show and please follow Fumi @fumihikodayo , Dylan @Viva_Zero , Jonathan @JonthanFoye and of course the show @EasternLariat for updates on all things Japanese wrestling, and a new episode with Dylan re-joined by STRIGGA very soon!
Thank you!
The Eastern Lariat is back with another MEGA episode as STRIGGA & Dylan once again cover NINE promotions. At the beginning, they address the horrible injury Shinjiro Otani suffered on ZERO1's anniversary show. From there the Eastern Lariat takes it to all major groups in japanese pro-wrestling as the main focus this time are shows from this past weekend and upcoming cards of which many take place in Yokohama so get on board with the Yokohama Lariat!
After one month Dylan and STRIGGA got back together to discuss the latest in japanese pro-wrestling and as luck would have it, the recording took place on the first day of spring, which is a public holiday in Japan. In celebration of this, The Eastern Lariat crew once more included as many topics as they could to provide a colorful mix of different flavors of Puroresu from Joshi over NOAH and NJPW to DDT and TJPW. Winter is over, the hot season in Puroresu is about to start!
Dylan has a guest! With STRIGGA out doing his thing at wXw's 16 Carat, Dylan is left all alone and he's recruited a friend, and he's a doctor! Dr. Jonathan Foye has risen to prominence in wrestling through writing his book, Ganbaru: How All Japan Pro Wrestling Survived the Year 2000 Roster Split which just so happens to cover the AJPW Year 2000 roster split! And coincidentally we start with AJPW in Year 2022 as we offer speculation on the Champion Carnival and much like Captain Planet, our powers unite to come up with perhaps the worst Japanese wrestling idea ever. From there we go to NJPW and discuss both the 50th Anniversary Show and the New Japan Cup, talking about the day 1 matches and then predict a winner and discuss many things. Finally we briefly touch on Kazuyuki Fujita's GHC Title win to end the show. It's a different style of The Lariat and wherever STRIGGA is, WE DID IT ALL FOR YOU, BUDDY.
Follow the Eastern Lariat on Twitter @EasternLariat and vote on our March Madness polls to determine who had the best year in Japanese wrestling while playing off the more famous College basketball tournament!
Follow @JonathanFoye and let him know how nice him and his work was, tell him Dylan sent ya. And while you're at it, why don't you check out his book, which Dylan reviewed on Patreon and approves of wholeheartedly: https://www.amazon.com/Ganbaru-Japan-Wrestling-Survived-Roster-ebook/dp/B09PRN4NMG
Just for giggles, follow STRIGGA as well and check out his adventures doing cool stuff, occasionally making tasty and oddly healthy food in comparison to his Memphian tag partner, and his experiences at 16 Karat: @STRIGGA
Thank you for listening and supporting The Eastern Lariat and all of Japanese pro wrestling!
NINE PROMOTIONS are in the focus of this episode of the Eastern Lariat! The Eastern Lariat looks at matches, upcoming cards, stories and overall developments in Stardom, NJPW, NOAH, DDT, TJPW, DRAGONGATE, AJPW, BJW and GLEAT. On top of that for each promotion STRIGGA & Dylan give their excitement level. Join in on a comprehensive tour through japanese pro-wrestling!
STRIGGA & Dylan revive the great tradition of drafts on the Eastern Lariat with a special New Year Draft creating to new companies of 25 wrestlers in a very unique setting which in the end led to picks from 11 different companies from all over Japan. While discussing their draft picks, the combatants also talk about some recent shows and matches their picks have been featured in so you'll get both: A fantasy draft and a d look at current events placed in reality!
With Wrestle Kingdom 16 in the books the Eastern Lariat looks back at all the important developments on the first two nights of Wrestle Kingdom in terms of New Japan Pro Wrestling. STRIGGA & Dylan discuss the meaning of Wrestle Kingdom with multiple shows, the excitement level going in, the work on both shows as well as title programs and projections for the future. Another talking point in this context is the question if the first week of January already is too loaded with wrestling shows, because before talking about Wrestle Kingdom, STRIGGA & Dylan also look at TJPW, DDT and Pro Wrestling NOAH.
The beginning of the new year traditionally is one of the busiest times for japanese pro-wrestling, not only because of NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom, but because seemingly every promotion – from small indies to nationwide companies – are running on or around “Ittenyon” as well. This show is about the promotions beyond NJPW. While the second half of the show is completely dedicated to NOAH's new New Year's tradition of running Nippon Budokan, the first half of the show contains discussions about Toshikoshi (New Year's Eve) Pro-Wrestling, Big Japan, ZERO1, STARDOM, Ice Ribbon, All Japan and Kyushu Pro's first ever show in the japanese capital. Join is for this massive New Year Lariat!
Another year is in the books and while 2021 once again was a year of huge challenges, sacrifices, grief and for a lot of us searching a foothold and support, it also was a year that brought us joy, fun, excitement and hope. Pro-Wrestling as an art form is what brings us together and so The Eastern Lariat once more proudly presents the Year End Award 2021. In 14 categories Dylan, STRIGGA and their guest for this episode, Rob, look back at the year in japanese pro-wrestling and highlight their top performers, matches, moments and so much more. From MVP over Show of the Year to Most Underrated and Most Improved, the Eastern Lariat hopes to offer a digest of the best in Puroresu in 2021!
Join in with the Eastern Lariat celebrating their 200th episode! After reflecting on the history of the podcast with Dylan & STRIGGA telling the story of how they became a team, the dymanic duo focuses on their bread and butter: Japanese Pro-Wrestling! The anniversary episode sets the stage to discuss the incredible 60 minute time limit draw between Katsuhiko Nakajima and Kenou in Pro Wrestling NOAH. Of course, STRIGGA & Dylan also look at NOAH's Budokan card and make some predictions for various wrestlers in 2022. Other topics on this show include All Japan, their Real World Tag League, Jake Lee as champion and Naoya Nomura leaving. DDT is also featured once again with the D-Ou GP final between Konosuke Takeshita and Yuki Ueno that could've started a new main event rivalry. Last, but not least the turmoil in the Joshi scene with retirements and wrestlers leaving their promotions gets talked about. Another show that embodies the full Eastern Lariat spirit of covering as much ground as possible!
New Japan vs. NOAH – the announcement caught the pro-wrestling world by storm, which of course means the news of the interpromotional show in Yokohama on January 8 takes center stage on this Eastern Lariat episode. Is it a one time thing? What matches are to expect and will get politics get in the way of these? From there STRIGGA & Dylan take it to Dramatic Dream Team. After some interesting notes from an Jun Akiyama/Sanshiro Takagi interview about DDT's goals and scouting the focus is on the D-Ou Grand Prix 2021 and its top matches and top performers. Other topics include All Japan's Real World Tag League and NJPW recommendations from the World Tag League and the Best of the Super Junior.
A new Puroresu Potpourri has arrived and its ingredients are tasty, spicy, sweet and balanced! The Eastern Lariat crew goes back to last weekend and talks about Pro Wrestling NOAH & All Japan at the end of October before turning over the sheet. November 3rd saw big shows from DDT and DRAGONGATE with a tournament and title matches and of course New Japan's Power Struggle from Osaka is on the menu as well. Join us for a wholefood meal of five of the top promotions in Japan plus some other notes on the independents in Japan!
In this two parter The Eastern Lariat first covers the untimely passing of BADBOY Hido before turning the attention to some brighter topics with Osaka Pro Wrestling & All Japan's Champion Night 2. The second part of the episode is completely dedicated to New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Climax 31 that ended with a show that was a roller coaster of emotions with the big return of Katsuyori Shibata to pro-wrestling and Kota Ibushi being seriously injured. Amidst the shock about Ibushi arose the confusion about Okada's claim to be the IWGP Heavyweight Champion and thus unseating Shingo Takagi in his vision. STRIGGA & Dylan try to make sense of this all and after that name their top G1 matches & performers.
In this special episode STRIGGA is joined by Izzac of Puro in the Rough to discuss former Triple Crown Champion and Osaka Pro trainee Zeus buying Osaka Pro Wrestling. Izzac and STRIGGA talk about Osaka Pro's history, the current Osaka scene as well as other companies and the future of Osaka Pro Wrestling.
After a huge weekend of professional wrestling in Japan the Eastern Lariat returns with a wide range of topics and promotions! STRIGGA & Dylan discuss the current situation in the G1 Climax and shed a light of the good, the bad and stuff in between. From there they take it to Tokyo Joshi Pro and Stardom, two promotions that ran big shows on the second weekend of October. What's there to say about the title picture in TJPW? What's the outlook for Stardom's main event scene? The title picture is the main focus for Pro Wrestling NOAH as well after Katsuhiko Nakajima won the GHC Heavyweight Championship and declared himself “NOAH” - what's next for the company and its new champion?
Tournaments all over the place! STRIGGA & Dylan look back at the beginning of this year's G1 Climax where we saw highlights, but also lowlights and repetitive & tired tropes. The N-1 Victory and Stardom's 5 Star GP come across like fresher and more diverting tournaments – just because of their concepts? Besides these 3 tournaments The Eastern Lariat crew also looks at the most recent All Japan Korakuen Hall show, discusses Jake Lee as Champion and breaks down the Real World Tag League Line Up.
With Wrestle Grand Slam in the rear view mirror and the G1 Climax right around the corner STRIGGA & Dylan got back on track to discuss the two nights of New Japan Pro Wrestling in the MetLife Dome including big title matches, turns and a horrendous match between Yano and Owens. The Eastern Lariat crew gives their take on the G1 Climax line up and has a clear winner in mind. Other topics besides NJPW include the STARDOM 5 Star Grand Prix, GLEAT & ZERO1 in dispute over Hayato Tamura, Suwama challenging for the Triple Crown & DAMNATION disbanding.
With the resurgence of New Japan Pro Wrestling of America The Eastern Lariat for the first time in months presents an extensive look at the matches, stories and future events in NJPW. While this part of the show is mostly focused on the US side of things, STRIGGA & Dylan also discuss participants in this year's G1 Climax and whats up with White, Finlay & Robinson. The voyage over the big pond then leads the Eastern Lariat team to Pro Wrestling NOAH, their most recent Kawasaki Go event and the upcoming N-1 Victory. The show is then topped off by the “rapid fire tournament corner” as STRIGGA & Dylan discuss the Tokyo Princess Cup, Stardom's 5 Star Grand Prix being on hold and AJPW's Oudou Tournament 2021.
This episode of the Eastern Lariat revolves around Dragon Gate and their two day spectacle known as the Kobe Pro-Wrestling Festival 2021 that saw Masato Yoshino's final two matches and his emotional retirement while the question whether it was Kzy time was answered with a crushing no. Titles, masks and toilet wipes changed hands while the action was wild and unpredictable. Join us in our look back at some fond memories of Yoshino and the Dragon System itself while also looking into the future of Dragon Gate. Other topics on this show include TJPW's Princess Cup and the send-offs of Yuya Uemura & Yota Tsuji in NJPW.
A lot has happened in late July in the world of japanese pro-wrestling so the Eastern Lariat duo got back together to discuss a wide range of topics led by New Japan Pro Wrestling's Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome and its aftermath. The show though starts with a look back at All Japan's Summer Action Series and then moves to GLEAT's recent events (including the highly praised Takuya Nomura vs. Yu Iizuka bout) before STRIGGA & Dylan discuss current and future events in a trifecta of Joshi promotions in Stardom, Ice Ribbon and Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling.
The Eastern Lariat once again proudly presents the Half Year Awards! In staggering 14 categories Dylan Fox and STRIGGA welcome POST Wrestling's WH Park back to the show to discuss all their choices as well as the choices that YOU, the listeners made! It's an incredible ride from New Japan Pro Wrestling over Dramatic Dream Team to Marvelous, from FREEDOMS over Sendai Girls to Ganbare Pro to Keita in the House! Almost none of the bigger japanese wrestling promotion, men's or women's, gets forgotten. This is your guide through the first 6 months of 2021!
After a month long hiatus the Eastern Lariat returns with one of its classic formats: The Big Summer Potpourri! A lot has happened since STRIGGA & Dylan too a look at the Japanese landscape for the last time and now it's time to gain an overview again of what's going on in places like All Japan, NOAH, GLEAT, DDT and Stardom. Join in on a fun ride as The Eastern Lariat discusses the Triple Crown Tomoe Battle, NOAH's Cage War, GLEAT's official launch, Takeshita, Higuchi, Hino and the Stardom 5*Star Grand Prix Line Up!
It's a special episode of the Lariat! STRIGGA is out winning at life this week so Dylan is joined by friend of the show, Happy Wrestling Land's Rob McCauley. They're here talking two huge shows in wrestling. First it's all about CyberFight Festival and they go through every match on the event featuring stars from NOAH, DDT, TJPW, & Ganbare Pro, and of course the discussion of Naomichi Marufuji's title win. After that they run down a full preview of the King of DDT tournament coming up and talk about all the matches. Finally to close the show they talk about the biggest company in Japan, NJPW. It was time for Dominion and we saw what ended up being the biggest upset of the year in the main event with a new IWGP champion crowned! We talk about Shingo Takagi's new run as champion and have a time doing it. It's a big one, there's lot to talk about, lots to say, hopefully you enjoy!
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This week the Eastern Lariat offers a very tasty tournament heavy main menu composed of All Japan Pro Wrestling's Jr. BATTLE OF GLORY and Dragongate's King of Gate with both tournaments making a new star in Akira Francesco and Kota Minoura. On the side there's discussions about the next IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Corona in Japan and in BJW specifically as well as Dylan's rundown of the Mitsuharu Misawa Memorial show from Pro Wrestling NOAH.
The newest episode of The Eastern Lariat has a package of four very different topics to offer – be it from a storyline, an in ring or an emotional standpoint or even in regards of the overall state of the companies in discussion. First off STRIGGA & Dylan discuss the dysfunctional state of New Japan Pro Wrestling at the moment and discuss how to escape from this seemingly abysmal situation. Then they discuss the very promising GLEAT show from 5/26 as well as the highly emotional Memorial show for Hana Kimura from 5/23 that got the wrestling world together in a very wholesome way. Finally you get a big preview of the upcoming DDT/NOAH/TJP/Ganbare CyberFight Festibal on June 6 in Saitama Super Arena!
With Golden Week in the rear view mirror The Eastern Lariat crew got together to discuss major developments, matches and stories in some of the big japanes pro-wrestling companies. Following up Dylan's great Patreon series about the Champion Carnival he did with Rob (@BeMcCooley on Twitter) we once again got Rob onto the show to discuss the Carnival as well as other developments in NJPW, Kyushu Pro, TJPW, DDT and Dragon Gate in one of the busiest weeks of the year in Japan!
In this two parted episode the Eastern Lariat crew first looks at a bunch of different topics from last week including Samoa Joe being let go by WWE, TTT's new Indepenendent Championship, the 5/26 GLEAT card, DDT vs. NOAH and CyberFight, TJPW's amazing Still Incomplete show, Stardom's Cinderella Tournament and 2AW before STRIGGA & Dylan turn their attention to the first half of AJPW's Champion Carnival and put everything into perspective as they name their top five performers, top five matches and rate every performer's tournament so far.
This episode of the Eastern Lariat starts out with an hour long synopsis of the current state of New Japan Pro Wrestling after Sakura Genesis. This includes the new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, Kota Ibushi's fall from grace, Will Ospreay's rise to such as well as Okada, Tanahashi and much, much more. After that STRIGGA & Dylan make their picks for the 2021 Champion Carnival of All Japan Pro Wrestling thus mapping out their ideas for storylines within the tournament. Join in for a fun ride!
After a brief hiatus The Eastern Lariat returns with a mixed bag of topics starting out with our very own March Madness and shouting out the Bracketology podcasts. From there STRIGGA & Dylan first take it to the New Japan Cup before going into the championship situations in NJPW, DDT, NOAH and AJPW. The final topic of the show begins with Ryuichi Kawakami signing with GLEAT and ends with fantasy booking a whole GLEAT roster and championships. Join us for our discussion about a lot of gold!
Both Aaron & Taylor from Jumping Bomb Audio join Dylan! We run through the entire Bracket of the best of women's wrestling in Japan! Every performer and matchup is spotlighted until we all come down to our winners, as well as the predictions of the polls. It was a lot of fun and a lot of great discussion throughout. Please enjoy and support both the Eastern Lariat and Jumping Bomb Audio, as well as Joshi Puroresu and all women's wrestling in general!
Dylan is joined by WH Park of POST Wrestling to discuss the Heavyweight Bracket of March Madness as in a whirlwind of a show where WH drifts into fantasy booking overdrive taking things to levels Dylan, and perhaps nobody could have predicted. A lesson is learned for all of us though: Theae things, and wrestling in general...are just for fun.
5 years have passed since the untimely death of one of pro-wrestling's most beloved performers of all time: Hayabusa. On this show, originally released one day after Hayabusa's death on March 4, 2016, STRIGGA was joined by FMW expert Bret (@BAHUFMW on Twitter) to talk about the life and career of the man that started his career under his real name Eiji Ezaki and would rise to unparalleled heights until his accident in 2001 as Hayabusa.
This episode of the Eastern Lariat starts off with rather difficult topics as STRIGGA & Dylan discuss Marty Scurll potentially coming into New Japan, Hiromo Takahashi being out for a long time and Kota Ibushi's weird body language. But fear not! The guys have a lot of fun discussing All Japan's recent and upcoming events as well as the Champion Carnival line up plus CyberFight's announcement of a big joint show of all companies under their umbrella.
The Eastern Lariat once again delivers one of their Puroresu Potpourris with a look back at two companies and their most recent big shows in Tokyo Joshi Pro's Positive Chain and DDT's Kawasaki Strong 2021 that saw Jun Akiyama win the KO-D Openweight Title. STRIGGA & Dylan also look at Stardom's Budokan Hall card for March 3rd and discuss winners and losers.
How do you like your steak? Medium? Medium rare? With out without mashed potatoes? Did you maybe not even ask for the mashed potatoes? Answering these questions is important of course, but even more important are the topics on this edition of the Eastern Lariat! STRIGGA & Dylan once again look at New Japn Pro Wrestling and their New Beginning in Hiroshima events as well as at their business stateside. The second big topic of the show is Pro Wrestling NOAH's return to Budokan that saw Keiji Muto capture the GHC Heavyweight Title. Join us in our discussion of NOAH Destination 2021, the company's new logo, English commentary and much more!
...there was a lot to talk about. This is why the Eastern Lariat is already back with a new MAXIMUM sized edition of the acquainted Puroresu Potpourri! This episode heavily revolves around New Japan's business including Harold Meij, Roku TV and AEW, but of course also around the wrestling side of things itself. Tanahashi won the NEVER Title, Jay White returned, there's big shows coming up. This New Japan package is complemented by DDT's big card for 2/12, Dragon Gate's Truth Gate kicking off, THE BODYGAAAH's Colega Pro Wrestling and Dylan's MARCHMADNESS!
On this very special edition of the Eastern Lariat STRIGGA & Dylan welcome Mark Pickering, one half of the English commentary team, to the show to discuss Mark's background in judo & pro-wrestling as well as his travels that have led him to the dojos of legendary figures of the sport. The main topic of course is Pro Wrestling NOAH's return to Budokan after over a decade so Mark adds his perspective to every match on the card as the Eastern Lariat sets sail towards NOAH Destination ~ Back to Budokan!
This New Year's Potpourri of the Eastern Lariat comes to you with a variety of topics. First STRIGGA & Dylan talk about the state of emergency in Japan due to COVID-19 and what it means for pro-wrestling. Under the impression of the looming state of emergency New Japan, All Japan, DDT and TJP all ran shows in the first week of 2021. The Eastern Lariat looks back at all those events and shout out great matches, stories and developments in each promotion.
After two nights full of highlights, great matches, questionable decisions and also some underwhelming performances The Eastern Lariat presents Wrestle Kingdom 15 In Review! STRIGGA & Dylan tackle all the important matches, stories and developments surrounding New Japan Pro Wrestling's biggest and most important show of the year in a 2 hour show that praises where praise is due and that doesn't hold back when criticism is appropriate.
For the final show of the year The Eastern Lariat first offers you a wide range of news from all over Japan: rookies in AJPW, Iwasaki & SUGI leaving ZERO1, Murakami in NOAH, Dragon Gate & Ryukyu Dragon Pro and of course Yoshiko & Nanae Takahashi returning to Stardom. Then STRIGGA & Dylan focus on Dragon Gate's Final Gate and DDT's D-King Grand Prix Final and finally there's still plenty of room left for the 2021 PREDICTIONS~~! Another jam-packed show to end a crazy year – maybe with some crazy predictions?
The Eastern Lariat proudly presents the Year End Awards 2020! In this episode STRIGGA, Dylan and their guest WH Park present their picks for a long list of categories that produce a wide rage of winners from all kinds of promotions throughout the japanese pro-wrestling scene which include MVP, best promotion, best show, most underrated, best moment and more! Join us in diving into the unprecedented and challenging year 2020 in japanese pro-wrestling!
The Eastern Lariat returns with a close look at All Japan, DDT and Pro Wrestling NOAH. The focal point of AJPW right now is the change of the book and the departure of promising talent Yusuke Okada. Besides that STRIGGA & Dylan discuss the Real World Tag League, Yuma Aoyagi's upcoming challenge for the Triple Crown and the highlights of the D-King Grand Prix. NOAH once again is the main topic of the show with their return to Budokan in February, Shiozaki vs. Sugiura, the junior division and much more!
This time the Eastern Lariat focuses on two promotions: Big Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH. BJW recently ran EDION Arena Osaka with a loaded show coming off a 14 show tour in November so there's a lot to unpack. NOAH also had a big show to offer that was headlined by Shiozaki vs. Nakajima that got rave reviews. Was it THAT good? When looking towards the future for NOAH STRIGGA & Dylan also drop the name Yuji Hino who announced his departure from ZERO1.
In a new Eastern Lariat episode STRIGGA & Dylan first tackle the absolutely disappointing Power Struggle show an the baffling booking behind New Japan Pro Wrestling in recent months where multiple panic buttons seem to be pushed since the peak of popularity has not only been reached for the company as a whole, but also for their top stars. In brighter news Tokyo Joshi Pro had a very good show on the same day as Power Struggle so STRIGGA & Dylan also talk about that and discuss some of the leading as well as up and coming characters before turning their attention to Pro Wrestling NOAH and their upcoming big event in Yokohama Budokan headlined by Shiozaki vs. Nakajima.
Among the dozens of shows that were promoted all over the country on Bunka no Hi (Culture Day) on November 3rd, two clearly stuck out: Dramatic Dream Team's Ultimate Party in Ota Ward Gymnasium and The Gate of Destiny 2020 by Dragon Gate. So STRIGGA & Dylan got together to take a deep dive into DDT & DG to discuss all the matches, storylines, developments, characters and what's on the horizon for both companies. But behold! The show begins with STRIGGA's review of VKF Halloween Havoc 2020!
This week the Eastern Lariat has a potpourri of different topics to offer as STRIGGA & Dylan discuss a wide range of promotions from VKF over VAMOSTAR to ZERO1, Tenryu Project and the debut of GLEAT. Of course the fantastic NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Title match is a topic of interest just like BJW with their Saikyou Tag Tournament, title changes and upcoming cards as well as All Japan's events in Osaka & Tokyo as part of their anniversary tour. One main talking point for AJPW is the discussion about possible scenarios of Suwama losing the Triple Crown that don't involve Kento Miyahara.
It's all said, it's all done, Ibushi is on top again! The 30th G1 Climax is in the books and just like every year the Eastern Lariat looks back at the grand scheme of things on the Monday after the tournament ended. Joined by Rob, who did the Patreon reviews with Dylan, the trio rates each performer's tournament, mentions some of the best matches and goes in depth on the key storylines throughout the tournament and those that were set up for the upcoming months. Just a comprehensive look at the entire G1 Climax 30!
The Eastern Lariat once again revolves around all the tournaments in Japan and two of those have already come to a close which allows both a look back at the finals and a look forward to the immediate future of All Japan and Pro Wrestling NOAH. Still ongoing is the ZERO1 Fire Festival, but since none of it has made air yet STRIGGA & Dylan make quick work of that and focus on the main topic of the show: The G1 Climax and its final scenarios. With 4 days of block action left there are some possible finals left that would then create different roads to Wrestle Kingdom. Are they going with SANADA? Is it Okada's year? What about Jay White, EVIL and the BULLET CLUB? That and much more on a new Eastern Lariat episode!
In this episode the Eastern Lariat podcast opens up the tournament headquarters as STRIGGA & Dylan talk about all four ongoing heavyweight tournaments in japanese wrestling at the moment: ZERO1's Fire Festival, All Japan's Champion Carnival, NOAH's N-1 Victory and of course the 30th G1 Climax of New Japan Pro Wrestling. For AJPW & NOAH STRIGGA & Dylan shout out the best shows and best matches while they cover the G1 Climax in a comprehensive overview by debating every participant's performance and best matches so far.
With the 30th anniversary of the biggest tournament in japanese professional wrestling right around the corner New Japan Pro Wrestling finally announced the full line up of the G1 Climax 30 stat's starting on September 19 in Osaka. Like every year STRIGGA & Dylan got together to discuss potential winners, dark horses, alternative candidates and of course who gets to beat the champion. This time the field of 20 also raises the question why there are no new entrants for the first time in the tournement's history and what that says about NJPW as a whole.
The Eastern Lariat returns with a huge episode covering all the events that occured last weekend in New Japan, Big Japan and All Japan. From New Japan's first outdoor show since 1999 over the last Yokohama Bunka show ever STRIGGA & Dylan go to All Japan's Korakuen Hall show. Other talking points are the AXIS split in Pro Wrestling NOAH, the new Joshi „Assemble“ as well as the first GLEAT card.
The tournament season continues on the Eastern Lariat podcast! This week STRIGGA & Dylam take a deeper dive into All Japan's Champion Carnival as well as Pro Wrestling NOAH's N-1 Victory. They rate the blocks, go over every wrestler and their chances and lay out some potential scenarios as well as dark horses in each tournament. Another big talking point this week is the formation of GLEAT, the new promotion under the banner of LIDET, the former owners of NOAH. What does Kiyoshi Tamura have in store for the wrestling world?
In a new edition of the Eastern Lariat STRIGGA & Dylan first discuss corona numbers in Japan rising and a possible correlation to crowds at wrestling shows. Dylan then goes over his reccomendations for the Stardom 5 Star Grand Prix so far while STRIGGA jumps in as the two debate Tokyo Joshi Pro's Tokyo Princess Cup and Dramatic Dream Team's King of DDT tournament. Another huge talking point is Pro Wrestling NOAH with their 3 big shows in early August to celebrate their 20th Anniversary. In the end the two go rapid fire on the Aoki Memorial and the N-1 & Champion Carnival line ups.
After an eventful weekend in the realm of japanese pro-wrestling and an unexpected eventful Monday with the announcement of CyberFight The Eastern Lariat returns yet again to discuss a bunch of different topics starting with smaller companies such as Ganbare Pro, ZERO1, DOVE, BASARA and from there going to Stardom, their recent shows and the upcoming 5 Star Grand Prix. STRIGG A & Dylan also talk about the big title matches in All Japan (Suwama vs. Ishikawa, Yokosuka vs. Iwamoto) and New Japan (EVIL vs. Hiromu, Takagi vs. Desperado) that happened over the weekend and also discuss about the directions both companies are going in.
In another super sized edition The Eastern Lariat looks back at possibly the most challenging and unusual six months in wrestling history from a japanese stand point. Like most other countries, Japan was affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 and still though wrestling found a way – mostly through empty arena shows. That's why this year for the first (and only?) time the Half Year Awards saw the awards for best empty arena wrestler and show besides the regular categories like MVP, most outstanding, best promotion, most underrated and so on and so forth. Join the Eastern Lariat for a fun ride through the entire japanese wrestling scene!
Calling the New Japan double shot eventful would probably be the understatement of the year. We saw turns, title changes, returns, ref bumps and shenanigans en masse. The Eastern Lariat tries to make sense of it all as STRIGGA & Dylan dicuss all of the important matches, EVIL joining the BULLET CLUB, the debut of his new “pareja” Dick Togo, Dangerous Tekkers and much, much more in a HUGE episode of the Eastern Lariat.
With the New Japan Cup hitting the home stretch STRIGGA & Dylan return to discuss all the tournament matches plus some of the key non-tournament developments in New Japan Pro Wrestling. There also is a lengthy discussion about Master Wato's debut, gimmicks in NJPW and elevating talent – something New Japan seems hesitant about.
The Eastern Lariat is back with a review of all the first round matches of the New Japan Cup. STRIGGA & Dylan highlight the best matches, surprises, upsets while also discussing the low light of the tournemant so far.
With pro-wrestling “returning” or more precisely getting back to normalcy step by step The Eastern Lariat debates which promotion made the most out of the unfavorable circumstances during the height of the Coronavirus pandemic. In doing so STRIGGA & Dylan talk about 2AW, AJPW, Dragon Gate, DDT and NOAH and name some of the best matches and moments while also pointing out what didn't work. From there on the duo turns their attention to NJPW and the upcoming New Japan Cup. They lay out scenarios for the possible winners and name some matches they'd love to see within the tournament.
The tragedy of Hana Kimura's death at the age of 22 has hit the wrestling word extremely hard. STRIGGA & Dylan try to find words about the circumstances of her death, but more importantly look back at her short career that made her popular within, but also beyond the joshi circles.
The Eastern Lariat comes to you with a bunch of different topics such as Hiromu Takahashi's idea of running the Best of the Super Junior and the G1 Climax simultaneously, Dragon Gate's King of Gate, All Japan's latest event featuring a great Junior Title match and DDT putting out more great content. The big talking point though is the junior division of Pro Wrestling NOAH that's full of turns, twists and treachery.
This time around STRIGGA & Dylan are joined by fellow podcaster (Puro In The Rough) and long time Twitter friend Izzac (@izzacwrestles) from Australia. They go over topics such as the final WRESTLE-1 show, the debut of Shotaro Ashino & Yusuke Kodama in All Japan, Big Japan's Strong Climb Final and 2AW running their own building besides all the other companies using it in the Corona crisis. The trio also tackles dark topics such as the recent scandal involving Hiroshi Hase and the financial crisis of Big Japan Pro Wrestling.
The Eastern Lariat returns with a two parted episode: First STRIGGA & Dylan talk about the call for help of the pro-wrestling community to the japanese government and its implications and they also debate the (likely) end to all NXT Japan plans in the current state of the COVID-19 crisis. Not only the crisis is the talk of the town, but also a possible Supershow organized by multiple japanese promotions when things get back to normal so the Eastern Lariat crew booked two All Together style shows following another FANTASY DRAFT~!
In this episode STRIGGA & Dylan talk about japanese pro wrestling under the influence of the Coronavirus. They first talk about Big Japan trying to hold onto their Hokkaido tour despite infections rising and what that could mean for them as a promotion. Then the Eastern Lariat crew talks about empty arena wrestling from Pro Wrestling NOAH and All Japan Pro Wrestling from late March and early April that featured some heavily debated matches including Shiozaki vs. Fujita and THAT Six Man Tag.
In this episode the Eastern Lariat crew first catches up on Big Japan Pro Wrestling from late February and early March where they put on one of the best shows of the year in Korakuen Hall to start their Strong Climb Tournament. From there STRIGGA & Dylan talk about saftey measures in the current Coronavirus crisis that are applied by most groups running Korakuen. Finally they discuss the set of DDT shows from their empty dojo as well as Street Pro-Wrestling in Saitama Super Arena before they turn their attention to the most recent event Judgment 2020.
The 150th episode of The Eastern Lariat Podcast starts with Dylan going over his March Madness Tournament that you can vote for on Twitter at @EasternLariat. In the second half of the show Dylan changes gears as he represents Pro Wrestling NOAH while STRIGGA is an executive of All Japan Pro Wrestling. With WRESTLE-1 closing down it looks like that a lot of wrestlers will need to find a new home base so Dylan & STRIGGA each draft 8 wrestlers from the current WRESTLE-1 roster who in this parallel universe will be additions to either NOAH or AJPW.
The main event of Puroresu March Madness! Dylan's covering the Heavyweights and this time he's joined by "The King of Banter" himself! Joe Lanza from Voices of Wrestling! We go through our entire brackets and face off for the first time ever over multiple competitors and try to figure out classic Cinderella stories in College Basketball such as George Mason, Loyola, and Florida Gulf Coast (sorry about Georgetown) and what seeds they were. We go through differences and similarities, who will be the first ever Eastern Lariat Puroresu Madness Champion!
Check out Dylan @DylanZeroSky & Joe @voiceswrestling and let us know what you thought, as well as check out our Patreons and support us both, both worth subscribing to at $1-$5 options apiece: patreon.com/easternlariat + patreon.com/voicesofwrestling + Check out all the other great podcasts on the Voices of Wrestling Podcast Network such as Everything Elite, Open the Voice Gate, Wrestlenomics, Wednesday War Games, Super J-Cast, Shake Them Ropes, Music of the Mat, and more fun and shenanigans.
Special thanks to Joe Lanza for coming on the show!
Joshi March Madness! Dylan's back with Eric from The Joshi Pod who graciously took the time before his trip to Japan to reclaim his spot as the Pure Heart specialist, breaking down the full Bracket for the Joshi March Madness. We go through the whole bracket and give our picks throughout. Thank you all who listen and support the show and continue to support it through patreon.com/easternlariat and make sure to check back @EasternLariat on Twitter to vote and make your voices heard! And also support The Joshi Pod and listen to great interviews with people throughout the Joshi scene like his latest episode with Kris Wolf, and in the future with his scheduled guests Akane Fujita and Bull Nakano! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-joshi-pod/id1486086093
To celebrate the first ever March Madness, Dylan is hosting a series of shows breaking down the entire Brackets of the 3 categorized tournaments. For this episode Dylan is joined by special guest Izzac Mackenroth of Puro in the Roth to deep dive the Jr. Heavyweight Puroresu March Madness bracket, filling out every match in all four regions and picking our own winners, as well as speculation on how the tournament itself will go when it's decided by YOU, the voters.
Follow Izzac @izzacwrestles and his show Puro in the Rough along with his co-hosts Lawrence @lob_3 & Jahmale @RealHero12089 & follow the Eastern Lariat as well as participate yourself in March Madness @EasternLariat - @DylanZeroSky - @STRIGGA & support the Eastern Lariat on Patreon - patreon.com/easternlariat
This week The Eastern Lariat tries to unravel the bundle of event cancellations in Japan due to the Coronavirus outbreak while explaining the reasons behind WRESTLE-1 closing down. Another major topic of course is Tokyo Sports breaking the story of meetings between All Japan Pro Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment and the involvement of Jun Akiyama. Closing out the show is a discussion about current independent talent to pay attention for.
It's time for a New Japan centric episode with STRIGGA & Dylan looking back at The New Beginning from Sapporo, Korakuen and Osaka by discussing some of the top names of the company both during this tour and what their future holds in 2020. Will Naito hold on to the double title? Where's KENTA gonna fit in after his title shot? Are SANADA, Shingo Takagi or Will Ospreay knocking at the main event door? What about Okada? The Eastern Lariat tries to predict where the pieces fall until G1 Climax!
In an effort to compile and to reflect on japanese pro-wrestling from 2010 to 2019 The Eastern Lariat presents the “Best of the Decade”. STRIGGA & Dylan go into depth when it comes to categories like MVP, best wrestler, best tag team, best promotion, best match and much more. Who qualifies? Who doesn't? The past 10 years have argubly been the most exciting years in japanese wrestling ever so join us in our attempt to recall the past.
It's Pure Heart X Joshi Pod! Dylan is joined by Eric Howard to run through the entire year in Joshi for 2019, covering everything from Joshi MVP to best in-ring performer, to most charismatic, and everything good about Japanese Women's Wrestling in 2019.
Enjoy the ride and follow us both on Twitter @DylanZeroSky - @EasternLariat & @TheJoshiPod - @ericsandiego for all the Joshi coverage in 2020 and beyond!
Wrestle Kingdom weekend is over and the end of Wrestle Kingdom always is the beginning of the new season for New Japan Pro Wrestling. So the Eastern Lariat takes a look back at New Year Dash which featured Jushin Thunder Liger's retirement and set the direction for some programs in months to come. Besides that STRIGGA & Dylan also discuss the mystery show Pro Wrestling NOAH had in Korakuen on 1/5 that had a great main event.
The second day of Wrestle Kingdom 14 is in the books and it was an historic event for many reasons. STRIGGA & Dylan got together to discuss their top 5 moments and matches from the show including the main event, Jushin Thunder Liger's retirement, Minoru Suzuki's entrance and the Jay White character. Other topics include a discussion about the general idea of running two Tokyo Dome shows, the post main event angle and – starting the show – a look at Joshi Wrestling in the year 2020.
It's Wrestle Kingdom weekend! This means that not only NJPW, but a lot of different promotions put on big shows for their fanbases so in the first 15 minutes of this show The Eastern Lariat duo talks about the beginning of the year for DDT and AJPW before turning their attention to the first day of Wrestle Kingdom 14! In a rundown STRIGGA & Dylan each present their top 5 moments and matches from the Tokyo Dome.
It's the Final Lariat of 2019! STRIGGA & Dylan first revisit the Year End Awards episode, name their Joshi MVP of 2019, debate about Hazuki, Kagetsu and Miyu Yamashita's plan to make TJP the #1 Joshi company before turning their attention to Dramatic Dream Team's D-King Grand Prix 2020 that also took place in 2019. From there on it's all about the future as the Eastern Lariat previews the AJPW double header on Januar 2nd & 3rd as well as the NOAH double header on January 4th & 5th. With NOAH's show on the 5th being a mystery show STRIGGA & Dylan go deep into fantasy booking bot mode. Last, but not least, Dylan brings up his thoughts on Tanahashi, AEW and The Elite which brings STRIGGA to an interesting business model between AEW and NJPW in the US.
Pure Heart, Pure Lariat returns! The #1 Joshi Podcast comes at you with a holiday gift and a special report of the last show of Stardom's 2019 and the first officially in the BUSHIROAD era, live from Korakuen Hall with WH Park. We talk about the difference between the Stardom live experience now compared to how it was before, some business talk on merchandising, followed by getting into the show and talking about one of the biggest Joshi shows of the year and how the matches came across, Hana Kimura on Terrace House, Hazuki's "retirement" and finishing up with talk on the announcement of STARDOM's offer match on NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom. Keep an eye out for part 2 of the show talking about the Stardom World version coming up soon on patreon.com/easternlariat - wait until the New Year to sign up so you don't get charged twice! And thank you for all the listeners and support of the first year of Pure Heart, Pure Lariat!
The Eastern Lariat proudly presents the Year End Awards 2019! Based on the Tokyo Sport Awards STRIGGA, Dylan and their guest WH Park present their picks for some of the Tokyo Sports categories and for some of their own which include best promotion, best show, most underrated and more! Dive into the year 2019 with us and join us in our look back at an exciting year in japanese pro-wrestling!
The newest edition of The Eastern Lariat comes to you with a complete coverage of the final day of New Japan's World Tag League as Dylan gives his opinion on every single of the 16 tag teams. In addition to that STRIGGA & Dylan go over All Japan's version of the World Tag League – the real one – and all the teams that fought for the big silver trophies. The third topic is Pro Wrestling NOAH's trifecta of YouTube airings from November that brought some good storyline development and an outstanding RATEL'S vs. Stinger match series. Experience Dylan being SHOOK by the idea of Go Shiozaki becoming GHC Heavyweight Champion!
In the latest Eastern Lariat episode STRIGGA & Dylan take a look back at the trifecta of Sumo Hall shows that Pro Wrestling NOAH, DDT and Big Japan put on in early November while also addressing the recent comments from Takaaki Kidani about Io Shirai, Kairi Hojo and an IWGP Women's Championship.
It is the year 1997. Scientists discovered a big curvature in the space-time-continuum which has led to the formation of a giant interstellar waiting room filled with professional wrestlers from allover Japan who are confused and are wondering why they're there and what's going to happen to them. At this point, STRIGGA, Dylan and their guest WH Park come into play as they each present a scenario that could've taken place in an alternate reality of 1997. From there on they each draft 25 wrestlers to create a new promotion to lead japanese pro-wrestling to the 2000s!
This week on Pure Heart, Pure Lariat, Dylan's Eastern Lariat co-host STRIGGA returns after sensing an all caps lock special, talking about STARDOM and their shocking purchase by BUSHIROAD, NJPW's parent company. We analyze it from multiple perspectives, have a rousing discussion for what it means for Stardom, potential crossover opportunity with NJPW, the ripple effect on Joshi and future plans already announced for Stardom and any potential changes. We follow it up with an update on Giulia's situation and especially from a promoter in Italy who has dealt with the fallout. Potential legal troubles for Giulia and Stardom, speculation about why this happened, and Tequila Saya being a treasure to this world. Finally we talk about Sendai Girls'tag tournament, as well as run down Chihiro Hashimoto's D-King tournament debut in DDT and her lineup of matches. Then Dylan makes a shocking discovery about a public holiday in the US he didn't even know about.
Follow us on Twitter @DylanZeroSky & @STRIGGA and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/easternlariat for Pure Heart early access and great historical and current content on Joshi, Japanese wrestling and wrestling all over the world.
A wild and crazy Taiiku no Hi (Health & Sports Day) lies behind us which in the very early hours brought us Giulia jumping from Ice Ribbon to Stardom which caused a lot of turmoil in the Joshi scene. STRIGGA & Dylan first address this topic and look at the possible motivations. In that context the two also debate a possible big breaking news story shaking up Japan. The main topic of the show however is New Japan Pro Wrestling's King of Pro Wrestling from Sumo Hall headlined by Kota Ibushi vs. EVIL and Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA. Since the show traditionally sets up Wrestle Kingdom the Eastern Lariat once more dares to look ahead to January 5 & 5, 2020.
A full wrap-up of Stardom's singles tournament, going break by break through the Finals show and contrasting opinions on various Stardom wrestlers in the successful financially, though not without controversy 5*GP. Dylan is joined by first time guest and longtime friend and Eastern Lariat co-host STRIGGA in his Pure Heart debut to discuss every participant's run through the tournament and have a hoot of a time at it. Hopefully you enjoy the show and let us know your thoughts on the tournament, your favorite matches and Stardom wrestlers!
Follow us on Twitter and discuss all things STARDOM, Joshi, and Japanese Wrestling: @DylanZeroSky & @STRIGGA
Don't forget to support us on Patreon and gain access to Pure Heart 2 days earlier plus entire single day recaps of the 5*GP, as well as content from every Puroresu company at patreon.com/easternlariat
The Eastern Lariat returns with a new episode highlighting the final of Pro Wrestling NOAH's N-1 Victory tournament from Osaka and the built towards their Sumo Hall show at the beginning of November. STRIGG A & Dylan discuss all the matches, the production of the show, potential feuds and stories. At the beginning of the show though the spotlight is on Dragon Lee and his firing from CMLL as well as New Japan announcing New Year Dash.
In their quest to find what sets their world on fire STRIGGA & Dylan Fox return with a new episode which focuses on WRESTLE-1, All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. At first the Eastern Lariat crew extensively debates the positives, the negatives and the business model of WRESTLE-1 while looking back at their big Yokohama show from early September. Then STRIGGA & Dylan take a look back at AJPW's Oudou Tournament and its future implications before talking about the main matches of NJPW's Destruction tour that – truth be told – didn't set their world on fire.
This is the culmination of the Patreon exclusive 1990 year of The 90's Project, a podcast series reflecting on the top 50 matches of every year of the 1990's until we culminate with an ultimate "All Decade" list for the entire decade. The 90's were widely considered to be the golden era of nearly every form of wrestling and wrestling company at one point or another. Out of the Patreon hatch and free for all, this episode chronicles and discusses Dylan's picks for the top 10 matches of the year in 1990, and he's not alone. Joining him is his good friend, Lucha Talk partner and owner of retrowrasslin.com, Alfredo Esparza (@therealfredo on Twitter). They have a lively conversation about the music scene in 1990 and then suddenly get to wrestling going over matches from CMLL, NWA, Hamada's UWF, AJW, & of course multiple matches from AJPW, and then also a surprise right before #1 which was Fredo's To listen to all 4 episodes leading up to the top 10 ranking and discussing #s 50-11 as well as the Observer Awards Show for 1990 finally wrapping up the year with Dylan's ballot for every award that year which will come next week, then every year of the 90's in addition to top of the line coverage of modern Japanese wrestling and Joshi, take a second to sign up to a tier ($1,3, or 5) at patreon.com/easternlariat to support Dylan and STRIGGA in their adventures in wrestling, especially Japan in the past and present.
There's a lot going on in japanese pro-wrestling so The Eastern Lariat crew took their time to discuss a bunch of different subjects including OWE troubles, DDT Beer Garden Shows, Summer Vacation Memories and Osaka Octopus, All Japan's recent Korakuen Hall show and the upcoming Oudou Tournament as well as a look back to the group stage of NOAH's N-1 Victory. Besides that STRIGGA & Dylan take a look at next Monday's big NOAH show in Osaka that features the final of the N-1 Victory.
The Eastern Lariat Potpourri returns! The big anchor of the Summer Potpourri is this past weekend's Big Japan show that was headlined by the big boy battle between Daisuke Sekimoto and Michael Elgin. STRIGGA & Dylan also discuss the new Strong World Heavyweight Champion and the chances for young guys within Big Japan. A preview of the Saikyou Tag League concludes the Big Japan topic before the Eastern Lariat crew talks about Dragon Gate's Dangerous Gate show, New Japan's Super J-Cup and the Young Lions Cup, WRESTLE-1's upcoming show in Yokohama and some other news and notes on Ice Ribbon, OZ Academy and HEAT UP … and what about the Zodiac?
This week on Pure Heart, Pure Lariat we've got a special edition of the show with another interview! I sit down with Pumi Boonyatud, the GM of Gatoh Move in both Thailand and Japan! We talk a bit about the wrestling scene in Thailand and the surprising longtime presence of Joshi wrestling before diving into Gatoh Move's beginnings with himself and the great Emi Sakura. After that we get a bit meta talking about the realities of running a wrestling company in an emerging country. The conversation steers towards Gatoh Move and it's current roster, what he feels running the show, the current roster, what he looks for and where Gatoh Move is going in the future with it Returning to #1 in it's numbering system at the end of the month. Also we talk about his commentary on Gatoh Move YT videos, the reasons for the lack of rings at times and the positives of the mat based wrestling, his favorite style to watch personally, and advice for foreigners in Thailand.
Special thanks to Pumi for making time for Pure Heart.
Check out Gatoh Move on Facebook and YouTube at Gatoh Move & follow Pumi on Twitter: @Pumi_gtmv!
On the eve of the 7th Super J-Cup The Eastern Lariat returns with a review of the 2nd Stage in 1995 that was won by Gedo. Travel back time with STRIGGA & Dylan to relive a magical time in japanese pro-wrestling and a tournament that had a questionable winner, but also many good to great matches and unique characters.
With Pro Wrestling NOAH's N-1 Victory tournament already underway the Eastern Lariat team got together to pick every single of the remaining matches in the tournament up until September 16 when the final takes place in the big EDION Arena Osaka. Following the Pick'Em STRIGGA & Dylan speculate more about the N-1 Final show as well as about Sumo Hall and what the attendance could look like. Other topics at the beginning of the episode include Stardom,All Japan's Atsushi Aoki Memorial show and the September 3rd card.
In this episode originally recorded in 2016 and published on the MLW VIP feed STRIGGA & Dylan reviewed the legendary 1994 SUPER J-CUP right before the 2016 version promoted by NJPW happened. Fast forward 3 years there's another J-CUP on the horizon and in honor of this occasion the Eastern Lariat presents a "Lariat from the Vault". The review starts around the 30 minute mark, but if you're into some news and notes from japanese Pro-Wrestling in 2016 the first 30 minutes are your zone!
Pure Heart, Pure Lariat is back again with Dylan riding solo, catching up on Sendai Girls who had 3 big shows in July, Stardom who had not only two big shows with 2 of the best matches of the year, but also saw the debut of Riho! On a non-wrestling note we also go over the 5*GP Block announcements including the removal of Kasey Owens and her replacement. Finally I talk about the Catch the WAVE final show, WAVE attendances, and the unique final match itself, finally a shoutout and brief thoughts on Pro Wrestling EVE in the UK teaming up with Equity and hope for the future if wrestlers themselves.
Talk Joshi? @DylanZeroSky
In the end there can only be one. There can only be one winner and there can only be one G1 Climax Megashow! STRIGGA & Dylan got together to talk about the two Block Final shows and the Final event from Tokyo Nippon Budokan. While going through this trifecta of shows the Eastern Lariat crew not only discusses all the G1 matches from Saturday until Monday, but they also rate every single performer's G1 tournament. You'll also get some fantasy booking revolving around the winner and some other outstanding performers plus the Eastern Lariat G1 Awards!
STRIGGA & Dylan return with their coverage of the Osaka doubleheader of this year's G1 Climax tunament. They not only talk about every single of the 10 tournament matches themselves, but also go in depth on Toru Yano and his appeal to casual wrestling fans. That's not all though! In more in depth discussions the Eastern Lariat team touch on the tournament so far for Will Ospreay and Shingo Takagi and they also break down the SANADA and Jay White characters and what clearly sets them apart. In the end STRIGGA & Dylan also name their top 5 matches of the G1 Climax 29 so far.
In a all new Eastern Lariat episode STRIGGA & Dylan discuss days 11 & 12 of the G1 Climax that saw some great and some not so great matches. They also dive deeper into Tomohiro Ishii's outstanding run, KENTA's position within New Japan and the idea of Okada going undefeated in the G1. Besides that the Eastern Lariat crew also talks about the N1 Victory lineup for Pro Wrestling NOAH, the updated card for TAKAYAMANIA as well as some WRESTLE-1.
This week on the Eastern Lariat, Dylan flies solo and guides you through nights 9 & 10 of the G1 with thoughts on both shows and his take on the whole tournament through it's halfway point. Then he covers the latest in Pro Wrestling NOAH, talking the announcement of the MLW partnership, the announcement of the first 2 N1 Victory competitors in Hije del Dr. Wagner Jr. & Alex Hammerstone, plus the situation involving Atsushi Kotoge. Finally it's AJPW talk as he covers the weekend's shows from Osaka, covering the Jr. Tag Battle of Glory last two nights and 3 different title matches capped off with a wonderful Triple Crown match between Kento Miyahara & Zeus.
Check us out & support on Patreon for cool bonus shows and content including everyday G1 Climax 29 reaction shows: patreon.com/easternlariat & follow us @STRIGGA & @DylanZeroSky
Dragon Gate ran their biggest show of the year and maybe their biggest in the company's history because it saw the return of Ultimo Dragon to the promotion after over 15 years. Because of that and for the main event between Ben-K and PAC for the Open the Dream Gate Championship this show was highly emotional and featured some outstanding matches and moments. STRIGGA & Dylan got together to talk about this show from Kobe and also some other news and notes regarding Fujita „Jr“ Hayato, Sareee and Pro-Wrestling NOAH.
The Eastern Lariat returns with a new show covering the G1 Climax triple header that saw some outstanding matches between Thursday and Saturday and after 7 events of the tour STRIGGA & Dylan name their top 5 matches of the tournament. Before going to the main topic of the show though STRIGGA runs down some news and notes on Guts World, 666, Big Japan, ZERO1, All Japan, Jiro “Ikemen” Kuroshio and Takayamania.
This week on Pure Heart, Pure Lariat Dylan Fox (@DylanZeroSky) is forming his super trio of Joshi focused podcasts with Justin from the Joshi Joshi podcast (@coffeeyay) & Derek Tillotson (@PrivateEyeball) of the Private Eyeball Show returning, with the three talking about the best of Joshi Puroresu so far in 2019. We have a plethora of fun categories we had nominations and picks for, controversy and debates, capped off the only way it reasonably could, an honorary shoutout to Ai Hara. Nearly every major promotion had at least one pick, check it out and get the perspectives from 3 of the biggest and best Joshi focused podcasts. Whether you're a dedicated follower or casual and wanna catch up, the 2019 Half Year Awards Show is where it's at, and it's right here on Pure Heart.
A lot of great matches, moments and rivalries of the first half of each year in japanese wrestling get forgotten by the end of the year due to the G1 Climax being so domineering which is why the Eastern Lariat team decided to introduce the Half Year Awards. Based on the Tokyo Sports Awards STRIGGA & Dylan go through each of these categories – and more! Besides the top three for each you will also get some honorable mentions and some ballots that you, the listeners sent in!
The holiday Umi no Hi traditionally is a very busy day in japanese pro wrestling so STRIGGA & Dylan at first focus on DDT's Wrestle Peter Pan show from Ota Ward Gymnasium before going over the G1 Climax show from Hokkaido that saw Jay White vs. Tomohiro Ishii and Tetsuya Naito vs. Taichi. In a rare preview the Eastern Lariat crew talks about the big Dragon Gate Kobe Pro-Wrestling Festival that will see the return of Ultimo Dragon and towards the end they debate Jun Akiyama stepping down as president of All Japan Pro Wrestling.
It's this time of the year! STRIGGA & Dylan return to action with their review of the Ota Ward double header of the G1 Climax that saw some great matches for the G1 Climax beginning on japanese soil after it started in the United States. The Eastern Lariat crew discusses all the matches, stories and possible routes for some of the wrestlers and they also look a little bit more behind some of the characters and their motivations like Jay White, Hiroshi Tanahashi or KENTA.
Dylan's join by first time guest and TJPW expert Matt (@mattsdl on Twitter) to talk about the entire Tokyo Princess Cup, the Final, and TJPW as a whole in 2019.
Dylan Fox rides solo to look back at the opening show to this year's G1 Climax tournament from the American Arilines Center in Dallas, Texas!
This week on Pure Heart, Pure Lariat Dylan (@DylanZeroSky) brings on his first repeat guest, going back to the original, WH Park (@whpark9) from POST Wrestling as we take a look at fellow POST Worker Damian Abraham (lead singer of Fucked Up) and his documentary show on Viceland TV, The Wrestlers, with this entire show dedicated to the episode focused on World Wonder Ring STARDOM. The episode itself revolves around Mayu Iwatani, Rossy Ogawa, Fuka, Kris Wolf, Jungle Kyona, AZM, with cameos by others. The conversation turns much longer than expected when we take a deep dive into Japanese culture as brought up on the documentary and WH gives his thoughts on Western takes on Japan and Japanese culture, along with both he and Dylan talking about Rossy Ogawa, a live perspective of Korakuen Hall, a deep dive on Shin-Kiba 1st ring's "locker rooms", and the native Japanese fans of STARDOM with some records getting set straight and pure talk about more than just wrestling.
The Eastern Lariat is setting sail for a voyage on the ark! Pro Wrestling NOAH and their Mitsuharu Misawa Memorial show plus their upcoming N1 Victory tournament are the two main topics of this new edition of the show. But before that, STRIGGA & Dylan also discuss ZERO1's Fire Festival and how to watch it and also take a look back at an at most times puzzling All Japan show from Korakuen Hall.
Next week on our Patreon we will drop the second season of "A Week of Lariat" and this time we will be talking about Shinya Hashimoto matches outside of New Japan Pro Wrestling. However in the first season we went through his career in NJPW an of course also came across the highly controversial match against Naoya Ogawa from April 7, 2000.
For more episodes of this series sign up to the 5$ tier at patreon.com/easternlariat !!
This week Dylan's joined by Derek Tillotson (@PrivateEyeball of the Private Eyeball Show & Marvelous expert) to discuss three shows with three widely discussed match of the year candidates. From Ice Ribbon we saw Osaka Ribbon headlined by Maya Yukihi vs. Giulia, SEAdLINNG's Stay Tune main evented by Takumi Iroha challenging Nanae Takahashi, and then Stardom's Shining Destiny main evented by Tam Nakano challenging Arisa Hoshiki. We close off by discussing Stardom's 5*GP and the 18 wrestlers announced for it.
With a crazy weekend of rumors surrounding Gedo STRIGGA & Dylan are back with a new episode discussing what led to STRIGGA tweeting about Gedo allegedly stepping down from the booking position of NJPW. Amidst all this turmoil the G1 Climax announcements can't be forgotten though and so the Eastern Lariat crew goes over both blocks, picks their favorites, runner ups, dark horses and the overall winner. How does the tournament compare to last year's? What about the drop outs and the newly added participants? Other topics include NOAH heavyweight & junior heavyweight tournaments as well as some bits about All Japan, 2AW and Dragon Gate.
Time for Dominion! STRIGGA & Dylan look back at one of the biggest and most important New Japan shows of the year since this is always kind of a midway point of New Japan's business year. The Eastern Lariat crew discusses all the matches from this show plus some from the final of the Best of the Super Junior. Another big talking point is of course KENTA's debut and the upcoming G1 Climax.
Dylan rides solo for V3: - Command Bolshoi Retirement Show - Catch the WAVE - Princess Cup - Gatoh Move - Ice Ribbon in May - Stardom in May
After the untimely passing of Atsushi Aoki STRIGGA & Dylan got together to talk about Aoki's death, but more importantly about his career and impact that he made in japanese pro-wrestling since he started his career in 2005. He would quickly become one of the closest friends and associates of Jun Akiyama and was part of some memorable matches and moments both in Pro Wrestling NOAH and in All Japan Pro Wrestling. This is „The Life and Death of Atsushi Aoki ~ Assault Point Forever!“
The 26th Best of the Super Junior is almost over, but with two days off before the Block B final the Eastern Lariat crew got back together to give their takes on 7 more events from the biggest Junior Heavyweight tournament in New Japan history after looking back at the first 6 days on the previous episode. Besides that STRIGG A & Dylan also make sure to debate the announcement of Jon Moxley being Juice Robinson's opponent and what that all has to do with comfort zones.
The Eastern Lariat returns with a show focusing on the first 6 days of the 26th Best of the Super Junior tournament by New Japan Pro Wrestling. STRIGGA & Dylan highlight the best performers, name their top three matches, talk about ongoing storylines and how the English commentary adds to the overall enjoyment of the product. This tournament is no different than others so where's light there's also the shadow realm. Oh, and there's a discussion whether Taichi is a Pokemon or a Digimon.
This week on Pure Heart, Pure Lariat, Dylan' (@DylanZeroSky)'s graciously joined by a trainee from his favorite promotion, Ice Ribbon, the Manila born YAPPY! (@Yapi on Twitter, @Yapitori on Instagram) After her debut teaming with Rina Yamashita we talked about her start and what got her into wrestling (it's pretty surprising) and what led her to Japan. Then after a personal touch we talk about her run in the dojo and the trials and tribulations involved in the Dojo system in a modern Joshi company, who helped train her and who she was most impressed with in her year and a half leading to her debut. Then we go into her debut itself, the unusual nature of how it occured and how fast it happened (not to mention being in a new tag team right off the bat), followed by a brief foray into where she and other Ice Ribbon wrestlers' goals are in the future. Then they talk about meat to end the show.
Check it out for a breezy conversation about all sorts of topics in regards to Ice Ribbon and wrestling training in general. Turn a Minus into a Plus & Be Happy with Pro Wrestling with the XL Shadows and enjoy this look into the Ice Ribbon dojo, P's Party and the life of a foreign Joshi rookie wrestler!
Was it a Golden Week for New Japan and Big Japan? In this new epiosde the Eastern Lariat crew debates about the pros and cons of a very long Wrestling Dontaku tour, outstanding performances and flaws in New Japan's booking, foreigners in New Japan and the promotion being between needing and having. When previewing the Best of the Super Junior STRIGGA & Dylan talk about Will Ospreay's weird 2019 and they also give a preview and predictions for the tournament as well as a short Dominion preview. When switching over to Big Japan the main talking point is the big success of Endless Survivor on one side and this success being built on sand on the other. There's Okabayashi, there's Sekimoto, but who else?
Check out STRIGGA & Dylan on Twitter at @STRIGGA and @DylanZeroSky
Check out the Eastern Lariat Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/easternlariat
In the debut episode of Pure Heart - Pure Lariat Dylan is joined by POST Wrestlings WH Park (@whpark9) to discuss the latest in Joshi Wrestling! You get WH's live experience going to Golden week shows including Stardom's Cinderella tournament and everything surrounding it. WH also runs down Actwres Girl'Z in Korakuen Hall and tells an extremely random and humorous story about meeting BJW wrestlers.
Future episodes of Pure Heart - Pure Lariat will premier on the Eastern Lariat's Patreon at https://patreon.com/EasternLariat!
STRIGGA & Dylan return to discuss the final stretch of this year's Champion Carnival that saw some of the best matches of the entire tournament that included the finals and an outstanding 30 minute time limit draw. The Eastern Lariat crew looks at all the participants and rates their performance within the tournament while also looking at the future for some of the main Carnival players. In the second half of the show you'll get introduced to a feature that will be on the Eastern Lariat Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/easternlariat: Kao Mise! STRIGGA & Dylan introduce the entire All Japan roster, talk about stables, tag teams and the history of some wrestlers within japanese pro-wrestling.
This episode marks the Hataage Kinenbi 3, the third anniversary celebration, of Dylan joining the Eastern Lariat so the Eastern Lariat crew has a very special announcement for all listeners at the end of the episode! Before that though STRIGGA & Dylan discuss the good and the bad of G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden before bouncing around WrestleMania weekend a bit more while expressing their love for Bloodsport, Orange Cassidy and some other shenanigans that went on two weeks ago. Back in Japan the Champion Carnival rolls on so STRIGGA & Dylan give their opinions on the tournament so far and highlight some of the best and worst matches the Carnival has seen so far.
No fancy name, just telling you what's inside! This episode of the Eastern Lariat starts with the unfortunate news of Takehiro Yamamura's injury and also talk about Teruaki Kanemitsu & Michael Elgin leaving New Japan, Jiro „Ikemen“ Kuroshio & Tsugutaka Sato leaving WRESTLE-1 and Hana Kimura going full time with Stardom. From there STRIGGA & Dylan give you a joshi roundup from February and March including Stardom, Sendai Girls and SEAdLINNNG including Momo Watanabe vs. Jungle Kyona, Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Sakura Hirota and Nanae Takahashi vs. Asuka. The third and final topic of the show is a preview for the already running Champion Carnival and a look at favorites, dark horses and the outside talent coming in.
In this episode of the Eastern Lariat STRIGGA & Dylan take a look back at the second half of the New Japan Cup highlihted by Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA in the finals. The duo shares their takes on why they weren't completley happy with the finals even though it was a great match. Besides that STRIGGA & Dylan highlight their favorite perfomers and perfomances throughout the tournament while complaining on a high level before previewing the G1 Supercard from Madison Square Garden.
As the second round of the New Japan Cup closes the Eastern Lariat crew looks back at the matches and developments from the first two rounds of the big 32 men tournament. STRIGGA & Dylan mention their favorite matches and stories and also point out the good, the bad and the questionable about New Japan's spring tournament.
The New Japan Cup has been a land of upsets for many, many years now, but this year it seems like the outcome is very predictable. In that regard STRIGGA & Dylan bring up some alternative ways besides the obvious pick and shed the light on some dark horses for the New Japan Cup victory and for the road to Madison Square Garden. Before they get to the New Japan Cup however, the Eastern Lariat cews reviews the Honor Rising shows and also talks about some news and notes including japanese talent in wXw's 16 Carat Gold, Atsushi Onita, WWE releases, the next Triple Crown defense for Kento Miyahara and Pro Wrestling NOAH's restart.
A Sumo Hall trifecta is the main topic of this week's Eastern Lariat Episode as STRIGGA & Dylan discuss the DDT double shot in Ryogoku as well as the whacky Giant Baba Memorial show from this past Tuesday. There are a lot of things to unwind and a lot of questions coming out of these three events, that's for sure! Since Kento Miyahara headlined the Baba show subsequently talk about his great title defense against Suwama, the rest of the All Japan show from Yokohama and the Champion Carnival announcements!
After Wrestle Kingdom it seemed like the ace was back on top of New Japan Pro Wrestling, but that wasn't to be for long. At The New Beginning in Osaka Jay White dethroned the IWGP Heavyweight Champion and began his new era. Will „Switchblade“ go on a terror reign on top or will his title reign be cut short in Madison Square Garden? STRIGGA & Dylan discuss this question, Kota Ibushi's return, Honor Rising, the New Japan Cup and much more from the final event of The New Beginning tour.
In a new Eastern Lariat episode STRIGGA & Dylan go over the most recent set of New Japan shows from Hokkaido plus KUSHIDA's final match and also discuss AEW's possible impact on Japan, KENTA leaving WWE and NOAH being sold...yet again. And there's more! The Eastern Lariat crew also previews the big Baba Memorial show with a huge interpromotional main event.
The time around the turn of the year for japanese pro-wrestling has almost become comparable to WrestleMania weekend in the United States because of the strahlkraft of Wrestle Kingdom. Beyond New Japan's biggest show of the year there's a lot more happening at this time of the year so STRIGGA& Dylan took an extensive look at ZERO1, WRESTLE-1 and Big Japan Pro Wrestling while also making sure to reminisce about indie wrestling 10 years ago. Besides these topics the Eastern Lariat crew also discusses the two big title matches that started the year for All Japan and NOAH. Is Kaito Kiyomiya the guy?
Wrestle Kingdom 13 and New Year Dash!! lie behind us and with Hiroshi Tanahashi the beloved ace is back on top – but for how long? In this episode STRIGGA & Dylan take an extrensive look at all the matches and developments of New Japan's anual Tokyo Dome show, praise New Japan for their booking decisions and criticise them for meaningless belts and the missing focus on for example the junior heavyweights. With the big dates of 2019 having been announced the Eastern Lariat crew also discusses the promotion's business plans for the year to come and wonders where this leaves the Elite guys.
STRIGGA & Dylan end 2018 with an exclamation point as they review Pro Wrestling NOAH's Great Voyage from Yokohama and WRESTLE-1's Autumn Bout from Korakuen Hall. Both companies tried to set the stage for the months to come – with varying success. The duo discusses Kaito Kiyomiya, Daisuke Harada, Shotaro Ashino and T-Hawk being key parts of the NOAH & W-1 storylines going forward. Other topics include the D King Grand Prix 2019 and Joshi with Stardom, WAVE & Tokyo Joshi Pro.
Special guest WH Park (@whpark9 on Twitter) from POST Wrestling joins the Eastern Lariat crew to discuss this year's "Pro Wrestling Grand Prix", better known as the Tokyo Sports awards. The trio goes through every categorie and extensively debates the winners, names their choices and sometimes even tries to get to the bottom of what the awards actutally stand for. On top of that STRIGGA, Dylan and WH also talk about their top company and some of the most improved wrestlers in 2018.
STRIGGA & Dylan set sail for a new voyage of the Eastern Lariat after the longest hiatus in the show's history. The crew is testing the waters to get into smooth sailing by giving a digest of the most important developments in japanese pro-wrestling from mid November until today. They talk about the New Japan World Tag League, NOAH's Global League, the AJPW Real World Tag League, Big Japan Death Vegas, Hideki Suzuki & Masashi Takeda as champions and the company working with ZERO1, DDT's D-Ou Grand Prix and for a special treat STRIGGA explains the build towards this year's GREAT SPACE WAR in Michinoku Pro Wrestling. It's a jam packed episode so join us and find out why a cape could be Pro Wrestling NOAH's cash cow.
It takes Understanding to accept NJPW as a whole, Knowledge to set the proper pace of watching an AJPW show, Courage to get through Danshoku Dieno's main event at DDT's Peter Pan, & Dedication to follow NOAH through their various ups & downs. All these skills are needed to finish off the MEGA SOLO PURO POTPOURRI! Dylan goes solo after a month away from the Eastern Lariat and cover all of the above, going in on NJPW, Power Struggle, & Naito's questionable booking, AJPW & Kento vs. Zeus, DDT & Peter Pan and one of the worst matches of the year (and a heartwarming personal favorite, as well as the Giant Baba/Tokyo Sports show and a daring main event idea. Check it out before STRIGGA's back next episode!
Follow Dylan on Twitter @DylanZeroSky & STRIGGA @STRIGGA - Cagematch.net & Purolove.com
Plans change, they say. Even in podcasting not everything goes as planned and as promised here are some of the bloopers or outtakes that - for different reasons - have been cut from the past 100 episodes. Enjoy!
Come on in and celebrate our 100th episode with us! Right off the bat STRIGGA talks about the japanese influx in this year's wXw World Tag Team League as well as Meiko Satomura in Femmes Fatales before him and Dylan toss it back to Japan to discuss King of Pro-Wrestling and everything surrounding it. You'll hear takes on the Jay White vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi match including the aftermath, on the three way main event and much more. Then Dylan takes over and reviews Stardom's 5 Star Grand Prix and finally the Eastern Lariat crew previews the big DDT Sumo Hall show that's coming up on October 21st. As for most of the 99 previous episodes it's a melange of everything in japanese pro-wrestling. Here's to a 100 more!
STRIGGA & Dylan are back with another XXLariat in which they cover the month of September in All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. All Japan saw the 6th Royal Road (or Oudou) Tournament thrat had some outstanding action featuring the names you're used to from AJPW, but that also had Kengo Mashimo in some stellar performances. Over in New Japan they had three Destruction shows and the Eastern Lariat crew takes a look at the big matches, storylines and further developments before switching over to Long Beach where New Japan presented Fighting Spirit Unleashed. STRIGG A & Dylan have a hot and yet not so hot take on the match of the night and also preview the upcoming King of Pro-Wrestling show.
In this episode of the Eastern Lariat STRIGGA & Dylan travel to a parallel universe in the year 2020 in which the powers that be in japanese pro-wrestling are about to shift as two new big players fight for talent both on and underneath the radar of the mainstream pro-wrestling fan. Follow the duo as they draft veterans, prospects, heavyweights, juniors and more for their promotions to be.
Two weeks after the G1 Climax ended the Eastern Lariat crew gets back together to shed a light on some of the promotions that fell short to the spectacle that the G1 was. STRIGGA & Dylan talk about some of the best matches that happened in Pro Wrestling NOAH in recent months while also discussion some of the storyline developments on the ark. From there the two move on to All Japan's Summer Explosion Series, the King of DDT tournament and all the turmoil surrounding the KO-D Openweight Title. After STRIGGA talks about Takayamania Empire and Dylan gets to hype the most recent Tokyo Joshi Pro show he leaves the scenary as STRIGGA interviews French wrestler André Cartier who took a chance and lived in Japan while (in the end successfully) trying to get into the Japanese independent scene. Get some unique insights into the japanese scene including training in the Big Japan dojo.
The 28th G1 Climax is over and not only does New Japan Pro Wrestling have a survivor, but we are survivors as well, because for 19 events this tournament has been an incredible ride. On this show STRIGGA & Dylan go in depth with everything (no C Block, sorry) surrounding the G1 Climax final shows from Tokyo Nippon Budokan which includes one more look at the Firing Squad storyline and possible go away heat, the setup of Budokan, the tournament matches form Friday until Sunday, each person's tournament, the best matches and MVPs. Witness yet another altercation about Hangman Page as STRIGGA & Dylan get in a heated argument about the G1 newcomer. With the post G1 press conference in the rear mirror the Eastern Lariat crew also view at what lies ahead in the months to come and even talk about some possible Wrestle Kingdom matches. It's an XXLariat for extra large topic!
Before addressing G1 Climax business from Osaka STRIGGA & Dylan shed the light on DDT's Beer Garden shows, All Japan's Junior Tag League and the WRESTLE-1 Grand Prix. The main subject however are the two G1 shows from Osaka this past weekend. The Eastern Lariat crew goes in depth with the much loved Kenny Omega vs. Tomohiro Ishii and Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito matches and also debates where the Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Michael Elgin and Kazuchika Okada vs. EVIL matches rank in the grand scheme of things. This and much more in a new Eastern Lariat episode!
Since the quest for fire is an ongoing theme on this episode of the Eastern Lariat STRIGGA & Dylan first take a look at ZERO1's Fire Festival and then about the King of DDT tournament that also started this week. Then the duo moves on to nights 11, 12 and 13 of the G1 Climax that again saw some great, but also some lackluster matches. The grind is there and midway through the G1 Climax some of the participants are clearly hurting, but the burning fighting spirit is undeniable.
In a new Eastern Lariat episode STRIGGA & Dylan first discuss All Japan's big show in Osaka from this Sunday that saw The Big Guns of Zeus & The Bodyguard going for singles gold while Yuma Aoyagi & Naoya Nomura challenged Jun Akiyama & Yuji Nagata for the All Asia Tag Team Title. The second and bigger point of discussion are nights 8, 9 & 10 of the G1 Climax that – once again – delivered outstanding action and maybe the match of the tournament half way through. STRIGGA & Dylan also once again discuss the Tongans & Jay White and also talk about the MVPs from each block
Two more G1 Climax shows in the books, another Eastern Lariat episode in the books! STRIGGA & Dylan are back yet again with their reviews of night 6 & 7 of the 28th G1 Climax from Korakuen Hall and Hajioji. In the center of attention are outstanding matches like Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. SANADA, but once again also the Tongans and their controversial actions within the tournament. Not less controversial were Okada's demeanors in recent weeks that leads to the question: Is the Rainmaker back? Another topic besides New Japan is Shigehiro Irie – his match against HARASHIMA and the overall impression of him since returning to Dramatic Dream Team.
STRIGGA & Dylan are back yet again with their review of nights 4 & 5 of this year's G1 Climax that saw more controversy unvail when it comes to the Tongans and their way of handling business within the tournament and that controversy also impacts the Eastern Lariat crew. Besides arguing about that topic STRIGGA & Dylan talk about the wholesome Sabre vs. Yano bout, the great Naito vs. Ishii, Omega vs. Goto and White vs. Elgin matches as well as part 2 of Hangman Page's coming out party in his first ever G1 quest.
Three events down, 16 still to go! STRIGGA & Dylan give their first opinions on participants, matches and stories after the third day of the G1 Climax. The two talk about every tournament bout, mention their favorite and least favorite matches and go beyond the in-ring action as they discuss Jay White's very successful start in the tournament and where his chaos theory might lead us and how it could change the landscape of New Japan Pro Wrestling.
On the eve of the 28th G1 Climax tournament the band is back together as STRIGGA & Dylan join forces again to talk about the most recent events in New Japan Pro Wrestling including Strong Style Evolved UK and the G1 Special in San Francisco and to preview the biggest tournament of the summer. The Eastern Lariat crew gives an insight on their dream scenarios, block winners, possible upsets and drop a few names they are keeping an eye out for. Oh yeah, there's still that damn briefcase!
It's G1 time! The most wonderful time of the Japanese wrestling year is upon us. Sadly, it's not all sunshine as STRIGGA is out for this week doing his civil duty, so Dylan is riding solo this week for the first time in almost 2 years! He breaks down all 20 participants in the G1, goes over statistics from last year and mentions some of their best work as well as theories on their 2018 booking and his opinion on each man's in-ring prospects, where he expects them to rank in his own rankings, and then gives a final prediction on the G1 Final and its winner, as well as where it could lead for Wrestle Kingdom, including a big hot take on who WON'T be getting big singles matches in January. The show closes with a preview of the G1 Special at the Cow Palace, Dylan proving he's never one to sell his own analysis short, and some match recommendations from all over the world of Puroresu for you to catch up on in between the G1 Special and the official G1 Climax.
Follow Sorairo Nekketsu Seinen on Twitter @DylanZeroSky and The Professor of Puroresu himself @STRIGGA , and check out his website cagematch.net in between letting us know your thoughts and predictions on the G1 Climax and anything else in the world of wrestling.
STRIGGA & Dylan return to discuss NJPW's Dominion from this past Saturday that was an eventful and trend setting show for many reasons. The Eastern Lariat crew goes in depth on everything on the show and surrounding it from the monumental Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega match and its aftermath over Chris Jericho making a huge impact to New Japan's ambitious program in the near future and the new president's visions. Besides that STRIGGA & Dylan also go back to the Best of the Super Junior and answer some questions regarding Okada's future and the upcoming G1 Climax.
Japan & China are the focus of the latest Eastern Lariat episode in which STRIGGA & Dylan first of all look back at All Japan's Korakuen Hall with the historic main event between Kento Miyahara and Naomichi Marufuji and also take a look at the upcoming All Japan cards in June. After that the duo sets sail for a voyage to China to discuss the new partnership between Pro Wrestling NOAH and Eastern Heroes as well as Oriental Wrestling Entertainment and their promising talent. In a show that was taped before the news of Io Shirai leaving for WWE the Eastern Lariat crew talks about Shirai & Stardom, Sendai Girls, PURE-J and Ice Ribbon in order to provide an overview of the current Joshi scene.
Halfway through the 25th edition of New Japan's big junior heavyweight tournament STRIGGA & Dylan got back together to take a special look at each of the 16 participants and what they contributed to the tournament so far. They highlight the best performers, matches and developments that the Best of the Super Junior has to offer. Plus: What can we expect from New Japan's new president? How do New Japan in Cow Palace and All In effect one another?
We're fired up about pro-wrestling! From the highs and lows, from the most compelling stories and matches to rather questionable decisions and confusion about titles STRIGGA & Dlyan discuss all the big matches and developments from the Wrestling Dontaku tour and also look at the upcoming Best of the Super Junior as well as Dominion. Other topics include the split of Dragon Gate business affairs, NOAH opening Pandora's box with their new discount, Big Japan's glass ceiling and The Great Sasuke going to war against the Brahman Brothers.
All Japan's Champion Carnival is over so STRIGGA & Dylan got together to discuss the entire tournament: What does Marufuji winning mean for All Japan? Where does the promotion go next? Who was the MVP? What were the best and worst matches? Besides that the duo discusses All Japan's rookie situation and what could change.
The Eastern Lariat returns with a special (tokushu) edition in which STRIGGA & Dylan approach WrestleMania weekend from a japanese perspective. They highlight some of the best performances of the weekend and discuss some events like BloodSport, Spring Break, WWN/EVOLVE and of course ROH Supercard of Honor. A heated discussion about Cody vs, Kenny Omega is followed by an analysis of NXT TakeOver New Orleans and the question in which aspects comparisons between NJPW and WWE can be drawn.
For this episode of the Eastern Lariat STRIGGA & Dylan are joined by Jay Bradley who recently finished a three month tour of Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan. Jay takes us behind the curtain, talks about his experiences inside and outside the ring, tells us who hits the hardest, why Hideki Suzuki and him have a connection with Antonio Inoki and … oh yeah, Strong Zero! Following that interview STRIGGA & Dylan discuss the start of this year's Champion Carnival as well as their favorite matches from Big Japan's Ikkitousen Strong Climb tournament so far.
In a new episode of the Eastern Lariat STRIGGA & Dylan go in depth on New Japan's Sakura Genesis show and discuss the top matches on this show before looking at the upcoming tour in April & May including the big IWGP Heavyweight Title match between Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestling Dontaku. Besides New Japan the dynamic duo also talks about DDT, BASARA, Stardom, Toshiaki Kawada's show in late April and answer some listener questions which includes some fantasy booking.
Friendship and love on the one hand and hatred on the other hand are emotions that are closer than one might think so this week's Eastern Lariat episode focuses on New Japan Pro Wrestling's Strong Style Evolved featuring the big tag match between The Golden Lovers and The Young Bucks, the BULLET CLUB and much more. While New Japan went to foreign shores, DDT presented their big Sumo Hall show and All Japan Pro Wrestling was live on their new streaming service AJPW TV for the very first time. Three reviews, one show, this is the Eastern Lariat!
STRIGGA & Dylan are back to discuss Zack Sabre Jr. winning the New Japan Cup and everything that comes along with the Brit being victorious in his very first outing in the tournament. The duo also discusses Tanahashi's role in the tournament and what it brought for the likes of SANADA and Juice Robinson. Besides that more focal points are Ibushi on the Chase, the IWGP Tag Title picture and Strong Style Evolved. Oh yeah, there's Hideki Suzuki too.
A new Eastern Lariat episode brings an extensive update on New Japan, All Japan, DDT and Joshi Wrestling. STRIGGA & Dylan discuss the return of the Golden Lovers and other news and notes from Honor Rising, the upcoming Strong Style Evolved and the New Japan Cup before switching gears and getting into the big 3/25 All Japan and DDT cards as well as Hideki Suzuki in Ice Ribbon, recommended matches from Stardom and more.
After a couple of weeks of being out of action STRIGGA & Dylan return with an episode focusing on recent events and upcoming cards for New Japan, All Japan and Pro Wrestling NOAH. While discussing some of the top matches in February the duo takes a look at the roster of all three groups to talk about what's next for the likes of Okada, Naito, Ospreay, Hiromu Takahashi,Taichi, Kento Miyahara, Kenou, Naomichi Marufuji and shooting star Kaito Kiyomiya.
Following another eventful weekend in japanese pro-wrestling the Eastern Lariat crew returns to discuss everything surrounding All Japan's Yokohama Twilight Blues Special from this past Saturday: The matches, the stories as well as news and notes including All Japan's announcement of their own streaming service and the Champion Carnival lineup. Plus: More on Hideki Suzuki in Ice Ribbon and...NOAH?, Munenori Sawa in DDT and the HUG that let the wrestling world stand still.
STRIGGA & Dylan are back with a new episode covering focusing on one of the best joshi promotions of the year 2017 in Ice Ribbon and their Ribbonmania Event from New Year's Day before also discussing Stardom's Year End Climax and what else to watch in Joshi lately. From there the duo breaks down what ZERO1 and Big Japan Pro Wrestling had to offer going into the new year. Along the way there's one name that leaves its mark on this episode: Hideki Suzuki!
In a new Eastern Lariat episode STRIGGA & Dylan explain the key differences between New Japan and All Japan while discussing their January Korakuen Hall shows. Other topics include the Net Pro Wrestling Awards 2017, Pro Wrestling NOAH's successful start to 2018 and the highly recommended D-King Grand Prix from Dramatic Dream Team.
Wrestle Kingdom and New Year Dash are behind us which means STRIGGA & Dylan present their full analysis of what happened in front of over 35,000 fans in the Tokyo Dome. Join the Eastern Lariat crew in their run down of the matches, their takes on winners and losers, on stories, individual performances and especially on the outcome of the main event between Kazuchika Okada and Tetsuya Naito. Since New Year Dash is in the books as well they also highlight the rivalries that began at New Year Dash as New Japan starts their new “season” - and Chris Jericho seems to be a part of it!
Just days before the biggest japanese pro-wrestling show in over a decade STRIGGA & Dylan sit down to preview New Japan Pro Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom 12 in Tokyo Dome. They discuss all the matches, their build and give their predictions whilst also weave in some listener questions. The Eastern Lariat crew also goes beyond Wrestle Kingdom as STRIGGA & Dylan talk about the future of Okada, Naito, Goto and Suzuki-gun. Plus: a look at some smaller companies like FREEDOMS, IGF, HEAT UP, Hard Hit and indies from the Osaka region
In a new Eastern Lariat episode the duo goes through this year's Tokyo Sports awards, the most important awards in japanese pro-wrestling. STRIGGA & Dylan highlight the winners, talk about how the voting process works and also give their own takes and nominees in order to review the year in japanese wrestling. In addition to the categories given by Tokyo Sports they also name their promotion of the year and not only look back, but also give some predictions for 2018.
Puroresu potpourri returns yet again! With a little delay STRIGGA & Dylan added even more talking points to their already stacked list for their delayed recording from last Sunday. The duo goes rapid fire on New Japan's World Tag League, All Japan, Big Japan and DDT before they slow down to get back on the bandwagon known as NOAH THE REBORN. Joshi wrestling also continues to be in the focus of the Eastern Lariat crew as they go over Manami Toyota's retirement show, OZ Academy's huge Yokohama show, Ice Ribbon & Stardom. There's something for everyone, folks!
After the retirements of both Manami Toyota and Atsushi Onita the Eastern Lariat crew looks back at some of the greatest matchs in Manami Toyota's career and explains what made her one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. In contrast to that STRIGGA & Dylan focus on the final years of Atsushi Onita's career leading up to his "Final" in Korakuen Hall. Besides that the duo gives an update on WRESTLE-1 and discusses All Japan's Yokohama show from late October.
Following the very eventful Power Struggle show from Osaka STRIGGA & Dylan give their thoughts on New Japan Pro Wrestling's final big stop before Wrestle Kingdom 12 in January. From the biggest surprise in Pro-Wrestling this year over the great finals of the Super Junior Tag Tournament to an amazing Tanahashi vs. Ibushi the Eastern Lariat crew gives their thoughts on matches, angles, returns and much more.
STRIGGA & Dylan go over a bunch of topics including an update on Katsuyori Shibata and Yuji Okabayashi, Pro Wrestling NOAH's Global League, Big Japan's Saikyou Tag League and Konosuke Takeshita at the top of DDT. They also discuss two highly praised Joshi matches in Yoko Bito vs. Takumi Iroha and Chihiro Hashimoto vs. Meiko Satomura.
In a new Eastern Lariat episode STRIGGA & Dylan discuss recent developments in New Japan and All Japan as they address problems in the overall very success full “King of Sports” such as the briefcase trope and the presentation of Hiromu Takahashi. In very similar fashion they discuss the glass ceiling created around the Triple Crown in All Japan as well as Yoshitatsu being named a challenger and blunders in booking. But behold, there could be good times ahead with a major name returning for the first time since 2013.
STRIGGA and Dylan start off this week's Eastern Lariat episode with news about injuries and retirements including Atsushi Onita and Manami Toyota. From Mayu Iwatani's elbow injury they talk about Stardom's next Korakuen Hall show on 10/17 before looking back at Ice Ribbon's show in the same arena back in August. The duo also discusses the All Japan Royal Road tournament and the overall state of the company as welll as NOAH's upcoming Global League.
The Eastern Lariat is back with another episode full of a variety of topics that include breaking news on MLW One Shot and an interview with independent wrestler Jimmy “Wheeler” Yuta who spent a month in Michinoku Pro Wrestling this July. Learn about japanese culture and wrestling from the perspective of Great Sasuke's company. Besides that STRIGGA & Dylan also discuss Stardom's 5 Star GP tournament, WRESTLE-1 Pro-Wrestling Love in Yokohama and current news & notes on Big Japan Pro Wrestling.
In a new Eastern Lariat episode STRIGGA & Dylan bring back the puroresu potpourri as they cover a wide range of promotions from the land of the rising sun. Besides New Japan Destruction in Fukushima and All Japan's Sumo Hall show the duo also dives into NOAH's crazy October card, Big Japan, Sendai Girls, OZ Academy and SEAdLINNNG.
Coming off an intensive couple of weeks full of G1 Climax action STRIGGA & Dylan turn to other japanese promotions that also have their biggest shows around this time of the year. The crew takes a look back at DDT's Ryogoku Peter Pan event and preview All Japan's 45th anniversary celebration in Sumo Hall this coming Sunday as well as WRESTLE-1's Pro-Wrestling Love in Yokohama that takes place in early September.
STRIGGA & Dylan round off their in depth coverage of New Japan's G1 Climax tournament with another show looking back at the final four shows from Yokohama and Sumo Hall. The duo not only discusses the individual G1 matches of each show, but also discuss their top performers and matches. Was the 27th edition of the G1 Climax the best one ever? This and much more in a jam packed Eastern Lariat episode!
STRIGGA & Dylan roll on with their detailed review of the G1 Climax as they look back on the most recent stretch of three shows that happened during the first weekend of August. With only 4 shows left the wheat is starting to separate from the chaff. Besides great matches and stories during G1 the duo also talks about All Japan being picked up by Fite.tv as well as the upcoming Stardom 5 Star Grand Prix tournament.
The Eastern Lariat is back with a new episode looking back at nights 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the 27th G1 Climax by New Japan Pro Wrestling. Besides opinions on matches and wrestlers STRIGGA & Dylan explain the meaning of Kota Ibushi's new finisher and Dylan goes onto a rant about Kazuchika Okada that was so powerful that it knocked out the power.
As the G1 Climax rolls on the Eastern Lariat crew shows no fatigue whatsoever and looks back at nights 6, 7 and 8 of New Japan's big summer tournament. In addition to that STRIGGA & Dylan also discuss the current group of Young Lions.
STRIGGA & Dylan return with their takes on nights 4 & 5 of the G1 Climax as the tournament rolled on over the weekend. They also take it beyond New Japan Pro Wrestling and talked about Dragon Gate's Kobe Pro-Wrestling Festival as well as DDT's Road to Ryogoku event and the Ryogoku card for August 20.
In an all new Eastern Lariat episode STRIGGA & Dylan go in depth on the 2nd & 3rd night of the G1 Climax from the world famous Korakuen Hall including contrary opinions on Kenny Omega vs. MInoru Suzuki.
One day after the public holiday Umi no Hi (Ocean/Sea Day) STRIGGA & Dylan take a look at two major shows that took place on this Japanese national holiday: The opening day of the 27th G1 Climax tournament as well as Big Japan Pro Wrestling's Ryogokutan event from Sumo Hall. After some controversial opinions on some of the matches and competitors on those shows they also talk about Satoshi Kojima's return to All Japan Pro Wrestling for at least one match and the near future for All Japan.
STRIGGA & Dylan return with 90 minutes full of news, notes, reviews and opinions on the world of japanese pro-wrestling starting with recent and future events in New Japan Pro Wrestling including the G1 in USA Specials and a quick look at the G1 Climax undercards. From here the two use Yuji Nagata's proposal of a new Young Lions Cup for a comparison of the rookie systems in New Japan and DDT while also looking at the summer in Dramatic Dream Team. After discussing Dragon Gate's King of Gate tournament and the Kobe World Hall card the dynamic duo also gives their opinion on Big Japan's Sumo Hall event.
Feedback and questions are always welcome: Send an e-mail to japan@mlw.com or interact directly via Twitter at @STRIGGA and @DylanZeroSky!
This week's Eastern Lariat starts with a major update on Katsuyori Shibata's condition. From there STRIGGA & Dylan first talk about the participants in the 27th G1 Cllimax by New Japan Pro Wrestling before they focus on NOAH & All Japan in May and June including some great matches. Other topics include Atonio Inoki vs. IGF, NEW's June Korakuen Hall show and Stardom.
STRIGGA & Dylan don't take a break this time because with Dominio in Osaka-jo Hall New Japan Pro Wrestling presented a stacked card full of incredible matches and many interesting developments so the Eastern Lariat crew sat down and discussed the stories that were told both inside and outside the ring. With Kizuna Road starting and New Japan's American expansion being imminent the two also talk about upcoming shows in June and July.
While celebrating their 50th episode STRIGGA & Dylan look back at the 24th Best of the Super Junior tournament that saw an outstanding final as well as some other great matches. The two name their favorite matches, rank their top 3 performers and discuss the best and not so good elements of New Japan's annual Junior heavyweight tournament that every year sets the stage for Dominion. Besides going through the card for the big show in Osaka STRIGGA & Dylan also answer some questions that YOU can also send in via japan@mlw.com. You can also interact directly with the Eastern Lariat crew via Twitter at @STRIGGA and @DylanZeroSky!
This episode of the Eastern Lariat revolves around the past, present and future of japanese pro-wrestling as STRIGGA & Dylan first answer a question about the American expansion of New Japan and how they would approach it. From there they go through K-DOJO, Guts World, Big Japan, All Japan and their most recent events including TAKA Michinoku vs. Kota Ibushi, Dick Togo vs. Yuko Miyamoto and Kento Miyahara losing the Triple Crown after 464 days. Another question makes the two look back and point out some of the best matches in Japan from this decade. This and much more awaits you in a jam packed episode!
The Eastern Lariat rolls on through Golden Week as STRIGGA & Dylan present a new episode in which they talk about the All Japan Champion Carnival finals and extensively cover Big Japan's Endless Survivor show that featured a fantastic match between Hideki Suzuki and Yuji Okabayashi. They also take a look at the 60 minute draw between Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo in DDT, cover other groups running in and around Golden Week like WRESTLE-1, Pro Wrestling NOAH, ZERO1, Michinoku Pro, Guts World and K-DOJO and discuss the possibility of a new Young Lions Cup in New Japan.
In a new episode of the Eastern Lariat podcast STRIGGA & Dylan take a look at New Japan Pro Wrestling's big shows on the road to Wrestling Dontaku with a fabulous Tetsuya Naito vs. Juice Robinson match and also discuss the top matches of Wresting Dontaku and the upcoming Best of the Super Junior. They also dive deep into All Japan's Champion Carnival tournament and briefly recap Stardom's Cinderella Tournament.
STRIGGA & Dylan open this week's episode of the Eastern Lariat podcast by talking about the medical conditions of Katsuyori Shibata, Akebono and OKUMURA and the reporting about these situations. From there the two transition to a wide potpourri of topics including Stardom, Sendai Girls, Ice Ribbion, Big Japan and other promotions running shows during Golden Week. The duo also dives into WRESTE-1 for the first time in months to check how Keiji Muto's company is doing.
STRIGGA & Dylan start the show by tackling the difficult topic of bullying in pro-wrestling and go on to a topic not much less difficult with Katsuyori Shibata undergoing surgery due to a subdural hematoma. From there the two try to switch gears to celebrate Dylan's one year anniversary on the podcast in style and fashion with the review of a great Sakura Genesis show put on by New Japan headlined by the match that is talked about for more than one reason now: Kazuchika Okada vs. Katsuyori Shibata. Other topics include Big Japan, All Japan, ZERO1, K-DOJO's 15th Anniversary, Sendai Girls and Next Exciting Wrestling.
STRIGGA & Dylan return with a new Eastern Lariat episode focusing on recent events and developments in Pro Wrestling NOAH and Dramatic Dream Team including DDT's extravaganza in Saitama Super Arena which saw the passing of the torch. Other topics include Big Japan Pro Wrestling, Ryouji Sai, Fumihiko Uwai and Lion's Gate.
STRIGGA & Dylan return with a new show discussing recent events in All Japan, Big Japan, New Japan and beyond. The two cover All Japan's Junior Battle of Glory, their road to Champion Carnival, they go over Big Japan's success in Korakuen Hall and then go over New Japan's 45th anniversary and the upcoming New Japan Cup. Other topics include the intergalactic aces of Atsushi Onita, Antonio Inoki, the Great Sasuke … and KAI. Feedback and questions are always welcome: japan@mlw.com or directly via Twitter at @strigga and @dylanzerops!
In an all new Eastern Lariat STRIGGA & Dylan talk about four great champions in Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, Daisuke Sekimoto and Kento Miyahara, their challengers as well as their respective companies – New Japan Pro Wrestling, Big Japan Pro Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling. They also go through the blocks of this year's stacked Champion Carnival tournament and take a quick look at who could benefit from the new NOAH/TNA relationship.
Feeling reborn? Yes? NOAH does too. Join STRIGGA & Dylan Harris as they not only discuss Pro Wrestling NOAH's start to the new year including highlights and difficulties, but also take a look at DDT and their new streaming service DDT Universe as well as ZERO1's Happy New Year event from January 1st. The segment that kicks off the show however has been heavily influenced by you, the listeners. You voted for it, STRIGGA & Dylan talk about it: The results of the fantasy WWE Japan Championship tournament!
The Eastern Lariat is back with a jam packed episode that starts with the joshi awards as voted by the users of puroresuspirit.net and a look at how the joshi companies in Japan closed out 2016. From there the two briefly discuss Takaaki Kidani's plans of opening up New Japan office in the United States. With New Japan and WWE seeking new business opportunities on foreign shores, STRIGGA & Dylan fantasy book a WWE Japan Championship tournament that includes both legends and rising stars of the world of japanese wrestling while closing the episode like it started: Going through another set of awards.
Wrestle Kingdom 11 and New Year Dash are in the books. Join STRIGGA & Dylan Harris as they review New Japan's biggest show of the year which featured phenomenal matches and produced fantastic moments like the biggest stage in japanese pro-wrestling does every year. When talking about the immediate future for New Japan the two get into a heated discussion about Kazuchika Okada and the events that occured on New Year Dash. Feedback and questions are always welcome: japan@mlw.com or directly via Twitter at @STRIGGA and @DylanZeroPS!
STRIGGA & Dylan Harris open up this weeks episode of the Eastern Lariat talking about the son of a gun Atsushi Onita and a look back at Kintaro Kanemura's career that in recent years was closely linked to Apache Pro Wrestling. The two also take a look at Pro Wrestling NOAH post Suzuki-gun as they ended 2016 on a high note while Dragon Gate's Final Gate doesn't get a thumbs up. Other topics include a quick chat about the 12/29 RIZIN MMA show, Ibushi and Dragonball plus predictions for 2017.
Wrestle Kingdom is right around the corner so STRIGGA & Dylan sat down to discuss the full card for the biggest pro-wrestling show in Japan every year. Besides the Tokyo Dome card December also brings the announcement of the anual Tokyo Sports awards. What are the Tokyo Sports awards? What are they not? What's a distinguished service award and who won what? Find out in a new episode of the Eastern Lariat!
Join STRIGGA & Dylan for a new episode of the Eastern Lariat as the two break down All Japan's return to Sumo Hall and DDT's Osaka Octopus show featuring Kota Ibushi riding a bicycle, a third grader and a pork bun being champion. The dynamic duo also takes a look at Big Japan's November Korakuen Hall show and introduce the talent Pro Wrestling NOAH uses on their current Winter Navigation tour. Within all these topics Dylan makes a shocking revelation that's going to change the game.
In a new episode of the Eastern Lariat STRIGGA & Dylan Harris mix it up a little bit as they start the show with previws for DDT's big Osaka Octopus show and Big Japan's final show of the year, Big Japan Death Vegas. The duo also discusses ZERO1 and their way of promoting which can be headscratching. The show gets heated up with a review of HEAT UP's biggest show ever in Kawasaki main evented by Minoru Suzuki and Kazuhiro Tamura before closing with a quick look at the NOAH Global League finals.
STRIGGA & Dylan Harris start this weekend's episode of the Eastern Lariat talking about a great Power Struggle show and the immediate future of New Japan Pro Wrestling. Other talking points include both the business and in-ring side of Pro Wrestling NOAH, an awesome Saiykou Tag League final show by Big Japan Pro Wrestling, a new era in Sendai Girls, Stardom's October show and AAA in Korakuen Hall.
STRIGGA & Dylan Harris discuss all the details that have emerged yet about the sale of Pro Wrestling NOAH to a japanese IT company and what it could mean for the immediate and long term future of the ark.
This week STRIGGA & Dylan Harris bring you the sleaze. After going over the most recent events in Pro Wrestling NOAH and Dragon Gate – including reviewing an event of the promotion through the eyes of a non wrestling fan – the two go deep into the japanese independent wrestling scene as they talk about Pro Wrestling BASARA and Dove Pro Wrestling. It's all about strippers, losing your trunks, Dragon Ball Z and Manami Toyota?! Other topics include DDT's new streaming service DDT Universe, the Black Tiger phenomeneon as well as upcoming shows for All Japan, FREEDOMS, ZERO1 and more.
Come and join STRIGGA & Dylan as they celebrate the 1st anniversary of the Eastern Lariat podcast with another Puroresu potpourri. Topics in this very special episode include Michinoku Pro's World Fukumen Leage, ZERO1's Tenka-Ichi Jr. Tournament, All Japan Pro Wrestling, WRESTLE-1, Big Japan and their standout players, DDT, K-DOJO, Stardom, SEAdLINNG, Fire Pro Wrestling's Halloween show and Tokyo Gurentai bringing in Mil Mascaras again. The duo closes the anniversary episode discussion the Tiger Mask documentary that recently aired in Japan.
STRIGGA & Dylan are back with a new Eastern Lariat episode as they look back at New Japans's King of Pro-Wrestling and preview the upcoming Road to Power Struggle as well as the Power Struggle event itself. They also take a look at the amazing year that Kenny Omega had, discuss the character Kazuchika Okada and talk about the unique role Hirooki Goto is in. Talking about New Japan these days means talking about Pro Wrestling NOAH too as the companies are feuding so the two also discuss NOAH's situation inside and outside the ring which leaves room for some speculation.
STRIGGA & Dylan Harris throw a new Eastern Lariat your way talking about New Japan's Destruction shows, the Michinoku Pro Fukumen League, Akira Tozawa leaving Dragon Gate, All Japan & WRESTLE-1 feuding, Land's End continuing to grow while ZERO1 is under new ownership. The show closes with a translated Jun Akiyama interview in which he touched on NOAH, Mitsuharu Misawa, his role in All Japan and his personal issues.
Be mad with attitude...and attack! STRIGGA & Dylan Harris go back in history and discuss Big Mouth Loud, a promotion that only ran shows for little over a year, but which has a cult following to this day. Find out what chaos occured between 2005 and 2006 featuring the likes of a young Katsuyori Shibata, Kazunari Murakami, Minoru Suzuki, Yoshiaki Fujiwara...plus AJ Styles and Petey Williams?! Following this retrospective view Katsuyori Shibata becomes the joint between then and now as the duo takes a look at New Japan's most recent big show with Shibata vs. Fish and KUSHIDA vs. BUSHI. Feedback and questions are always welcome: japan@mlw.com or directly via Twitter at @STRIGGA and @DylanZeroPS!
A purouresu potpourri is waiting for you as STRIGGA & Dylan Harris cover many different groups & promotions in a new episode of the Eastern Lariat podcast. From All Japan, DDT and ZERO1 the two go on to talk about Tokyo Guretai's August show featuring Chavo Guerrero Classic, JStage, Hard Hit, HEAT UP's big show in Kawasaki, Land's End and of course Hiroyo Matsumoto. Feedback and questions are always welcome: japan@mlw.com or directly via Twitter at @STRIGGA and @DylanZeroPS!
The Eastern Lariat is back with a loaded show! STRIGGA & Dylan talk in depth about the ZERO1 Fire Festival, the Michinoku Pro Fukumen World League and Big Japan Pro Wrestling. Other topics include Pro Wrestling NOAH, Onita's Fire Pro Wrestling, Tokyo Gurentai and Sendai Girls. Feedback and questions are always welcome: japan@mlw.com or directly via Twitter at @STRIGGA and @DylanZeroPS!
With Strigga fighting the perils of the German wilderness, Dylan flies solo and focuses solely on the G1 just hours after the tournament winner was finally crowned. Going through standout matches of the G1, the Final day completely and offering his takes on the best and worst performers, matches, and moments now that the G1's dust has settled. The great stuff get gushed over and no punches are pulled on the letdowns, it's a fitting end to Eastern Lariat's G1 coverage over the last few weeks. Things may even get a little emotional by the end.
Another weekend of G1 show is in the books so STRIGGA & Dylan Harris look back at days 13,14 and 15 of New Japan's 26th anual summer tourmamet. Since New Japan isn't the only company running wild this summer the focus is on WRESTLE-1, a new project called Diamond Stars Wrestling, All Japan and Dramatic Dream Team as well. It's a jam packed show as usual! Feedback and questions are always welcome: japan@mlw.com or directly via Twitter at @STRIGGA and @DylanZeroPS!
STRIGGA & Dylan Harris continue their coverage of the 26th G1 Climax as they discuss the matches from days 11 & 12 as well as the immediate future of some of the competitors including Los Ingobernables de Japon. Other topics include the NOAH Juniors, All Japan's great show from July 23rd, ZERO1, the one of a kind IGF card for September 3rd as well as the blocks for the Stardom 5 Star Grand Prix. Join the ride as STRIGGA struggles to find the HEAT UP card for August 31st. Feedback and questions are always welcome: japan@mlw.com or directly via Twitter at @STRIGGA and @DylanZeroPS!
As the G1 Climax rolls on STRIGGA & Dylan Harris return to discuss days 8, 9 and 10 of New Japan's big summer tournament and name their favorite matches so far as well as the standout players. Other topics include the Super J-Cup finals, Pro Wrestling NOAH's most recent Korakuen Hall show including a controversial title switch, Genba Hirayanagi retiring and an American in the japanese indy scene.
Dylan Harris checks in with a special solo effort covering the dog days of the G1 Climax, nights 6 & 7! Strigga's away on important Eastern Lariat business so he's talking to himself about the matches, updated standings, who's stood out and who's disappointed as well as his ongoing feud with a G1 performer based on heinous acts committed in a dream, and his call to arms among the people.
The Japanese pro wrestling summer is full of action so STRIGGA & Dylan Harris talk about these topics in a new Eastern Lariat episode: -The anniversary of Terry & Dory Funk Jr. in Japan -Pro Wrestling NOAH in a difficult situation -News: KAGEKI's Azteca in critical state, Onita & Io Shirai sidelined -National Pro-Wrestling Day: Dragon Gate & Big Japan -The series of G1 Climax shows from July 22 – 25
It's SUPER J-CUP TIME! STRIGGA & Dylan Harris travel back in time to review the legendary SUPER J-CUP 1994 before previewing the 6th SUPER J-CUP that will begin next week during the first days of the G1 Climax. Besides another brief look at the G1 topics include Atsushi Onita's new promotion, the ZERO1 Fire Festival, NOAH's Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team League and Akebono's All Star Royal Road show in August.
STRIGGA & Dylan Harris discuss the summer of tournaments in Japan as they get into the King of DDT tournament, Dragon Gate's King of Gate and ZERO1's Fire Festival. Another talking point is the most recent WRESTLE-1 exodus and the immediate future of the five wrestlers who left the company.
Join STRIGGA & Dylan Harris as they break down the 26th G1 Climax including all announced matches so far, opinions on the participants and predictions for the finals and the road to Wrestle Kingdom. Feedback and questions are always welcome: japan@mlw.com or directly via Twitter at @STRIGGA and @DylanZeroPS!
STRIGGA & Dylan Harris focus on New Japan Dominion and also talk about Fortune Dream, the japanese “national pro-wrestling day” in July, the new Stardom World and some news from the world of puroresu where you have a problem if you don't like chops. Feedback and questions are always welcome: japan@mlw.com or directly via Twitter at @STRIGGA and @DylanZeroPS!
STRIGGA & Dylan Harris return talking all kinds of topics from Japan – now and then: Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki, Kimbo Slice in Japan, Kota Ibushi, the finals of New Japan's Best of the Super Junior and Dominion, All Japan's most recent Korakuen Hall show featuring the manliest match in pro-wrestling history and also a little Guts!
NOAH and New Japan are the main focus of this week's Eastern Lariat on Strong Style Saturday. STRIGGA & Dylan Harris talk last weekend's Great Voyage in Osaka, recent developments and storylines in Pro Wrestling NOAH as well as the ongoing Best of the Super Junior of New Japan Pro Wrestling. Join the two as they name some outstanding performers of the tournament and make their pick for the finals. Feedback and questions are always welcome: japan@mlw.com or directly via Twitter at @STRIGGA and @DylanZeroPS!