Rick Poehling

Ospreay – A post

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Hey all,

I get the feeling that this one may get me in trouble, but I had to say something. If I’m going to recap the G-1, I gotta get this out beforehand, although I’m not recapping the A Block so I won’t be subject to Will’s matches. But I felt like this was something that affected NJPW as a whole, so I wrote it.

I realize that a lot of folks will have opinions on this, and I accept that. But on the eve of the biggest thing I’ve ever done for this blog, I gotta put some stuff out on front street. I hope you all stick with me after this.

Read moreOspreay – A post

The Big Ol’ Super-Duper Wiz-Bang 2020 G-1 Climax Preview!

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Howdy!

Every year for 19 days, bleary-eyed wrestling nerds all over the world shake off sleep at ungodly hours of the morning to watch the biggest pro wrestling tournament of the year.  

Potential matches of the year are crafted. Tournament math that resembles the complications of algebraic theorems to be solved only by Will Hunting are bandied about. The exhausted fanbase that consumes copious amounts of caffeine are matched only by the exhausted wrestlers who give everything to their artform until they break.  

It can only mean one thing……it’s time for the G-1 Climax! 

I did a preview for the G-1 last year and it seemed popular enough, so I decided to run it back because this year, I’ll be part of the G-1 coverage here on the blog. I’m looking forward to it! Much coffee has been stocked up! Myself and last year’s excellent reviewer, Michael Fitzgerald, will be splitting the G-1 duties as Michael will be taking A Block and I’ll be taking B Block.  

Let’s get started:

Read moreThe Big Ol’ Super-Duper Wiz-Bang 2020 G-1 Climax Preview!

Ring of Honor TV – The Pure Tournament, Week 1!

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Howdy!

What a long, strange trip it’s been to end up back here where I started…..

Ring of Honor was my favorite promotion for years, back to the RF video days, and it was pretty much the first show I ever recapped on this here blog. I was the ROH recapper for a few years on the BOD, but the promotion changed with the departure of the Elite and went in a direction I didn’t want to continue following. With the advent of AEW and spending more time on New Japan, I periodically checked in with ROH but didn’t really spend a lot of time with it like I used to.

But one innocuous question on ROH’s twitter account changed everything for me, and that was “Should we bring back the Pure title?”

Oh. Hell. Yes.

Read moreRing of Honor TV – The Pure Tournament, Week 1!

NJPW Summer Struggle in Jingu – August 29th, 2020

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Howdy!

Well, we’re here! The end of the Summer Struggle tour is nigh, as we’re in Jingu Stadium in Tokyo. Tonight, title matches abound as EVIL defends the IWGP Heavyweight & IC titles against Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi defends the NEVER openweight title against Minoru Suzuki, Hiromu Takahashi defends the Junior Heavyweight title against Taiji Ishimori, and Suzuki-Gun defends the tag titles against the Golden Aces! It’s a stacked show, so it’s time to get to work!

Let’s watch some wrestling, shall we?

Read moreNJPW Summer Struggle in Jingu – August 29th, 2020

NJPW Summer Struggle – August 26th, 2020

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Howdy!

While I haven’t been really recapping the Summer Struggle events (there’s only so many ways to review multiple 6 or 8-man tags over and over again on the same show, you know?), this one seemed important enough to get down, because tonight, it’s the 4 qualifying matches for the King of Pro Wrestling match! Wacky stips abound, which is certainly a bit unusual for a New Japan show, and we might as well get ready for the big show at Jingu on Saturday by dipping our toes back into the New Japan water proper. 

So let’s watch some wrestling, shall we?

Read moreNJPW Summer Struggle – August 26th, 2020

NJPW Strong – August 21st, 2020

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Howdy!

So, I’ll come clean and admit that this recap is pretty late, because I watched my Blues get eliminated on Friday night and maturely decided to drink alcohol as a way to wash away the pain. I DID pop into the late night thread to watch some Joshi while still slightly intoxicated, so that was at least fun. 

Regardless, tonight; we settle the New Japan Cup USA, as David Finlay meets KENTA in the Finals!

Let’s watch some wrestling, shall we?

Read moreNJPW Strong – August 21st, 2020

NJPW Strong – August 7th, 2020

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Howdy!

While I didn’t review it, I did watch the Lion’s Break Collision shows on NJPWworld, and now they’re back with another Friday night show, NJPW Strong as part of their push into North America. Featuring some known names and LA Dojo members, this is the first week of an 8-man single elimination tournament called the New Japan Cup USA to decide a challenger for Jon Moxley’s NJPW US title. 

Let’s watch some wrestling, shall we?

Read moreNJPW Strong – August 7th, 2020

NJPW Sengoku Lord – July 25th, 2020

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Howdy!

Tonight, Hiromu Takahashi takes his shot at becoming Hiromu 3-belts, as he challenges EVIL for the big double gold! El Desperado meets Shingo Takagi to attempt to wrest away Shingo’s NEVER Openweight title! And, in a special singles match, Kazuchika Okada takes on Yujiro Takahashi!

2 out of 3 ain’t bad!

Let’s watch some wrestling, shall we?

Read moreNJPW Sengoku Lord – July 25th, 2020

The 2020 New Japan Cup – Day 7

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Howdy!

We’re down to eight! Tonight, we set up the semifinals with:

Tomohiro Ishii vs Hiromu Takahashi – left bracket
Kazuchika Okada vs Taiji Ishimori – left bracket
SANADA vs Taichi – right bracket
EVIL vs YOSHI-HASHI – right bracket

We draw ever closer to the Finals to see who will get the shot at Naito at Dominion!

Let’s watch some wrestling, shall we?

Read moreThe 2020 New Japan Cup – Day 7