Tony Khan's latest big announcement didn't disappoint with a AEW and NJPW supershow announced for June 26 at the United Center and with tickets due to go on sale, we have have accumulated the best minds at Pro Wrestling Musings ( and me) to answer the big questions about the June spectacular. Q1- Let's play matchmaker. Give me 3 realistic matches for the Forbidden Door card. When I say realistic, Kenny Omega might not be ready for June 27 so Omega vs Okada probably isn't hap

This month fifty years ago NJPW held it's first ever event at the Ota Ward Gymnasium with Karl Gotch facing Antonio Inoki in the main event and in the 50 years since, some of the greatest have gone through one of Japan and the world's greatest wrestling promotions competing in some of wrestling's greatest ever matches. So in our first Historic Top Ten in a few months (darn you writer's block) we rank the Top 10 greatest New Japan wrestlers in it's long and wonderful histo

Wrestle Kingdom 16 has come and gone with mixed reviews this year. The split night format has always received backlash but for me, this year was when things really fell apart. Even in the midst of COVID pressures last year, they managed two really great cards. However this year, people are struggling to find the time for New Japan in the West. This card hasn't really done as much as it could to change that. Anyway... Let's have a look at some of the in-ring statistics from so

It's that time of the year. Well, not quite. For the second consecutive year the G1 Climax will take place in September thanks to the Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo which was supposed to take place in 2020 but was delayed a year to 2021 thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has seen many potential names that could have taken part end up be missing from the 31st edition of the G1 prompting many takes that this might be the weakest field in G1 history. So instead

In the midst of what has been an incredibly turbulent year for New Japan, they looked to hold their first Non-Wrestle Kingdom show at the legendary Tokyo Dome for the first time in 15 years. Power Rankings - Top 10 1. Shingo Takagi After winning the vacant IWGP world heavyweight title from Kazuchika Okada at Dominion, The Dragon looked set to defend the belt against Kota Ibushi in his first Dome main event but due to last minute changes, found a challenge in form of The Ace H

Today we are contrasting the greatest rivalry in North America with the greatest rivalry of all time. That being WCW's 1989 Steamboat/Flair trilogy with NJPW's 2017/18 Omega/Okada series. In the following graphics and charts you will find an embarrassment of riches in comparative data. The 3 match series from 1989 is almost 2 hours less in the ring than the late 2010s genre bending entry, that one benefiting from having an extra match. That being said, the average length o

Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada - Rivalry Statistical Analysis In this article, we are going to compare the four Okada/Omega matches to find out how each wrestler used in-ring metrics to tell their story. We are going to show how Omega and Okada's offence changed over the 4 matches as Omega caught up with and surpassed Okada. We will also spend some time talking about how the two wrestler's used in-ring offence to underscore wins or losses. Rivalry Overview To accurately

Greatest Matches of All Time Series - Okada/Omega 1 Written by Harry Walker Considered by many to be the greatest wrestling match of all time, the fourth instalment of the Omega and Okada rivalry is a match not only defined by exciting, compelling in ring action and a background rich and deliberate in subtle story beats, but also an epic saga which defined the years of professional wrestling surrounding it as a whole. Each encounter between these two men had huge ramification

Greatest Matches of All Time Series - Okada/Omega 4 Written by Huw Jones The ‘big fight feel’ moniker has been tossed around with reckless abandon for too long. Recently, it’s been used to describe affairs ranging from a dull and drab 0-0 bore draw between Manchester United and Leeds to the stupefyingly dismal clash of Godzilla and King Kong. It’s rarely justified, then, and it’s especially rare for these bouts to deliver on the misplaced pomp and bluster. There are, of cours

Greatest Matches of All Time Series - Okada/Omega 3 Written By Gareth Ford-Elliot Oftentimes the most overlooked of the four meetings between Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada, their third meeting on Day 18 of the G1 Climax 27 is arguably the most fascinating. But then I would say that as I’ve just spent 3 days mulling over all the little details. The context in which the match exists is simply fascinating with Okada only needing a draw to progress to the final and Kenny Omega

Greatest Matches of All Time Series - Omega/Okada 2 Written by Ryan Gorneault When Kazuchika Okada defended his IWGP Heavyweight Championship belt against G1 Climax Tournament winner Kenny Omega at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest event of the year, Wrestle Kingdom, there was no doubt that the two would put on a great match. Still, I’m not exactly sure anybody could have predicted that match would end up being considered one of the greatest of all time. The match ended up b

Greatest Matches of All Time Series - Okada/Omega 1 This review is written by Ryan Dilbert of Voices of Wrestling and Wrestle Inn. Damn was Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 11 marvellous. Whenever your love for the art of pro wrestling wanes thanks to head-scratching booking decisions or the deluge of controversy that regularly hits the industry, return to this match. Return to a backdrop out of the ring and through a table waiting below. Return to a g

Welcome to the AEW Dynamite Roundtable, where Pro Wrestling Musings' contributors share their thoughts on the biggest talking points arising from AEW Dynamite. Please note writer's views are their own. This week's contributors are: - Ryan Gorneault: @RyanGorneault [RG] - Daisy Foster @boutmachines [DF] - Craig William @CraigPWMusings [CW] - Anthony Bennett: @AnthonyDownUnda [AB] - Gareth Ford-Elliot: @RHWGareth [GFE] 1) Yuji Nagata appeared on Dynamite to challenge IWGP US

AEW Dynamite - 12.05.21 Match Stats This was a divisive episode of Dynamite, both in that it was a bit Jekyll and Hyde and that it has ignited fractious discourse online. The highs were mountainous but the lows were somewhat problematic or even TNA. Three tremendous wrestling matches that represented those highs are analysed below, and look out for the Dynamite Roundtable over the weekend that digs into those highs and lows. Jon Moxley vs Yuji Nagata - IWGP United States

With the announcement that Jon Moxley would face Yuji Nagata for the IWGP US Championship on the May 12 edition of Dynamite, I came to a realization. I have never seen a Yugi Nagata match. The man has a career that spans decades, he’s won major championships, yet I missed seeing any of it. Today I rectify that oversight with a look back at a match from 2008 as Nagata challenges Kurt Angle for the IWGP Heavyweight championship. Yuji Nagata is considered by some to be one of t

The first match in this series is one of my most vividly remembered wrestling-viewing experiences but this article comes with a lot of baggage. This is the tragedy of talent. I write this after spending much of the evening damning Will Ospreay's storyline involvement upon winning the New Japan Cup. This is the tip of the iceberg with Ospreay, there is a deluge of accusations of misconduct or worse against him. However, it's not really the time or place for me to exile Ospreay

Written by Deb (@codenamedeb) 2020 was understandably a weird year for wrestling. I don’t really need to elaborate much on that note (I hope I don’t). The last thing I want this this write-up to be is a recap. There is one match however, that sticks out to me as one I’ve needed to talk about but somehow managed to miss out on, even going so far as to make a 52-minute video essay and somehow still not touching on it. The most bizarre wrestling match of 2020 to me was not

New Japan Cups are always unpredictable as you are left with no idea whether this will be a reward for a deserving and underutilised wrestler like Zack Sabre Jr. in 2018. You don’t know if it’ll be there to establish a championship contender like it’s been for Hirooki Goto three times. Or maybe, just maybe, they’re crowning a new champion as they did with EVIL last year. This year leaves us with various different contenders such as Will Ospreay, Shingo Takagi, Kazuchika Okada

NJPW - Castle Attack - Match Stats Kota Ibushi vs Tetsuya Naito Tomohiro Ishii vs Jay White Hiroshi Tanahashi vs The Great O'Khan

Jon Moxley vs KENTA - NJPW Strong - New Beginning USA