Wrestling Omakase

John & John reunite for the first time in months, and unfortunately the first topic they have to discuss is something no one wanted to be talking about: the incredibly tragic and sudden news of PAC passing away. That's right at the start so wanted to make sure I noted it for anyone listening who isn't ready to hear that sort of thing- it does come up a few more times in the episode as well. RIP to an incredible professional wrestler and, by all accounts, an even more incredible man.

They then have to make an awkward transition over to discussing the imminent closing of an iconic Japanese wrestling venue, Shinjuku FACE, as John takes you through some of their own personal history with the venue and talks about how much they're going to miss banging their head on the bathroom ceiling, ahead of discussing a bunch of final FACE shows later in the episode. But first they head over to the thankfully not closing Korakuen Hall to discuss the finals of an eventful AJPW Oudou Tournament, discussing the first of two bonafide MOTYCs, a homegrown wrestler finally winning the big one, and more. They also look ahead to an upcoming AJPW tour that really spreads the wealth around a bunch of different shows, so to speak.

Then it's over to the King of Sports to discuss a somewhat underwhelming Destruction in Kobe show, at least until a fantastic main event saved it somewhat. There's lots of speculation about where things might be headed into Wrestle Kingdom season too, as they look ahead first to the upcoming King of Pro Wrestling show (and two Korakuen title matches as well).

And then they finally get to the whole load of final shows for each promotion at iconic venues, starting with DDT (maybe the promotion most synonymous with the venue of all!). They discuss a final title challenge, Daisuke Sasaki's incredibly high memorabilia valuation, and more! Afterward it's time to finally leave the men's wrestling behind and shift into joshi, first with Sareee-ism Chapter XII, a fantastic show with another bonafide MOTYC in the main event. Then they discuss the final Sendai Girls show from FACE which featured a big debut and John Bivins describing how much he loves Spike Nishimura.

John (Original) then goes it alone for two more show reviews, first the final TJPW show from FACE that also serves as their go home show for the big Wrestle Princess VII event next week (which they also dutifully preview). Finally, they wrap things up with another Ice Ribbon review, this time the second half of a doubleheader from Yokohama. A packed episode!!

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Wrestling Omakase is back on the airwaves and thankfully for John they're not solo this time, as Eric from Joshi'ing Around once again joins them! And boy do they joshi around to start this episode, with around 90 minutes (!) of Marigold talk! They break down a very exciting final two nights from Korakuen Hall for the Dream Star GP in detail, reviewing all the tournament matches, talking about who really stepped up from their younger generation, and a whole lot more. Plus, rankings of every block by their performances and favorite matches from each block!

Then it's over to Ice Ribbon to discuss a pair of shows from a little while back now, their 8/30 show from Yokohama and their 9/6 from SKIP City. There was a match that may have been one of the most surprising bangers of the year, so be sure to listen to find out which one!

Once the women's coverage is finally over it's time to talk some men's wrestling, beginning with All Japan, as our ongoing coverage of the Oudou Tournament continues! They discuss four second round/quarterfinal matches, all from Shin Kiba. Finally, they wrap things up by reviewing a DDT Korakuen for the first time in eons, as they break down a MAO title defense, some surprising cash-ins, and a very underrated wrestler getting some flowers!

Joshi-ing Around podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/1309343e-3781-4750-9209-4efbc9976ab6

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John is flying solo this week on Wrestling Omakase due to being at another anime convention, although this one came with an indoor waterpark! Wow! In theory they were doing this episode on the road, although in practice most of it ended up being recorded at home anyway. They start things out with STARDOM's latest PPV event from Yokohama Arena from this past Saturday (9/12), discussing a couple really good matches, some kinda meh booking, and an, uh, interesting debut for a new English announcer! Then it's over to Dragongate for their own major show from 9/12, which had all the meh booking of the STARDOM show but none of the high end match quality to make up for it. Of course the big booking decision everyone's talking about came in the Brave Gate match, and John breaks down both sides of that debate in detail!

Then it's back to the tournaments, starting out with the entire first round of AJPW's Oudou Tournament broken down over three nights! John discusses some really awesome stuff as AJPW continues having a big year. Then they head over to Marigold to discuss the middle nights of their own tournament (nights 5-8), a real mixed bag that had a bunch they could recommend and a bunch more they weren't that into.

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Omakase is back for another episode, as John is joined by returning guest Paul Volsch, co-host of the Emerald Flow Show on this very network! They start out a week of talking about mostly smaller shows building to bigger ones with STARDOM's 9/6 Korakuen Hall event, a show that featured some good build to their upcoming Yokohama Budokan show and also a truly horrendous High Speed Title match. They then give a full preview of said Yokohama Budokan show on 9/12 including how likely they think all the major titles are to change hands.

Then it's back to the world of Tokyo Joshi to cover their 9/5 Yokohama Radiant Hall event, featuring a great three-way tag match to determine the Princess Tag challengers on their major Ota show early next month. They also give a quick look ahead at what's coming up for TJPW, including an early look at said Ota card and how tickets are moving for it so far. They then continue their ongoing coverage of Marigold's Dream Star GP with a look at the day/night doubleheader from Osaka, including some stuff that really worked for them and a couple things that really, really didn't. (NOTE: This was recorded before Nao Ishikawa withdrew from the rest of her Dream Star GP matches- just noting this since at one point we speculate about whether or not she's out for the rest of the tournament, and now we obviously know she is!)

Finally, they wrap things up with a quite passionate review of Dragongate's 9/3 Korakuen show, a truly baffling event on multiple levels. Allegedly this was to build their own major show, also on 9/12 from Ota, but unless you count Jiro Shimbashi it's hard to figure out how exactly this show was supposed to even do that. They rant quite a bit about DG booking in 2026 in general as they also preview said Ota show with an absolutely absurd name (seriously, what was wrong with Dangerous Gate guys??). Also some other odds & ends including Paul attending All In in London, the Wrestle Kingdom 21 ticket prices & on sale dates finally being revealed, and more!

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Omakase is back for another fun filled week, as John is once again joined by Czechia's hardest working farmer Velkej Bracha! They're checking in on a whole bunch of promotions they haven't talked about in a while (due to the combined trio of the G1, 5 Star & Princess Cup eating up a great deal of our time of course!), and it begins with All Japan's big show from EBARA WAVE Arena Ota! They talk about an unexpected result in the Triple Crown title match, where things might be headed with the Oudou tournament approaching, and a whole lot more. Then it's over to Sendai Girls for their own big show from Yoyogi Gym #2, another edition of "lol Chihiro wins". But also we get to talk about yet another amazing joshi rookie, of which there is apparently just an endless supply.

Then it's over to Marigold for the opening two nights of the Dream Star GP tournament, which was actually a bit better than expected! John is very, very happy to have Victoria Yuzuki back at least! Finally, things wrap up with SEAdLINNNG's 11th anniversary show from Korakuen, featuring some really good action and also a pair of fake Mexicans winning their tag titles, for some reason. Yeah.

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It's a jam packed episode of Wrestling Omakase this week that features not one, not two, but THREE guests! Wow! Arametha is onboard for the entire thing, but meanwhile we're also joined again by Suit Williams to review the final night of the STARDOM 5 Star GP and then go over every wrestler in the tournament and how we thought they performed! The trio discusses the entire finals card from Ryogoku in great detail (along with some history of STARDOM in the venue and how their attendance here compares), including the semis and finals, the big Natsupoi vs. Saori Anou match as Poi's retirement road continues, and also discuss all the upcoming matches and possible directions heading into the fall! Plus, a review of every wrestler's overall tournament!

Then Suit says goodbye but John & Arametha are joined by first time guest Ed Kody! Ed is a big Tokyo Joshi fan so they were the perfect person to have on to help break down another awesome show out of this promotion from Korakuen Hall, on a great run of them! But first John discusses being inspired by Jeff Hawkins' goodbye podcast from this past week and how it made them think of 'ol TJPW (seriously!). Also I think there was some stuff in here about anime con raves getting shut down. I don't know, this segment was a little all over the place. But most importantly, it's PARTY TIME because Suzume won the Princess Cup, as they review the final night of the tournament and look ahead to what's coming next!

Finally, John & Arametha review the Sareee-ism Chapter XI show from Shinjuku FACE, breaking down what was another excellent show out of the sun god. It features another big Poi retirement road match, plus Chi Chi vs. Senka in a battle of young demons and a whole lot more! Somehow this episode went nearly four and a half hours despite ostensibly only being three individual show reviews. Who could possibly be surprised by now really.

Williams Watches Wrestling blog: https://suitwilliams.com/

Name a Dirtsheet podcast: https://youtu.be/pqtLG3f3KkQ?si=F0s0Ya4nRkVKOi2e

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Wrestling Omakase is back on the air with everyone's favorite Czech farmer Velkej Bracha joining us as the summer tournaments continue (and end, in one case!). They start things off with some of the usual topics (mostly- you'll never believe this- Japan travel) before heading over to NJPW for the final 4 nights of the G1 Climax! There is a TON to talk about here, including the, uh, very *interesting* reactions to the big Oiwa/Uemura final, but they don't shy away from any of it- full reviews of all four shows, plus thoughts on the individual performances of each and every wrestler and John gives their top 10 matches of the entire tournament!

Then it's over to STARDOM for the most recent 4 nights of the 5 Star GP, which is also very close to wrapping up but not quite over yet! John & Velkej talk yet more Julia Hart, Starlight Kid taking down the talls, who we want to see back next year (and who we don't), and a whole lot more!

Finally, John goes solo to wrap up the episode with Night 5 of TJPW's Princess Cup, featuring the semifinals! Bee vs. Hair! Hip vs. Lariat! Pom Harajuku pretends to be the creepy ghost girl from the Ring for some reason! This show really had it all!

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John is back home from a very crappy anime con and ready to talk a WHOLE lot of wrestling! Their good pal Arametha is back to hear them complain about how much Otakon sucked (again), how much their latest flight to Japan cost, and- especially- how bad The Zoomers™ are at taking turns at arcade games, but eventually they get around to talking some wrestling too! First, it's three nights of the STARDOM 5 Star GP (Nights 9-11- 8/3, 8/8 & 8/9), a mixed bag of shows from Korakuen and Sapporo, as the picture starts to get a lot clearer on who's moving on (especially in the Red Blocks!). Then it's the NJPW G1 Climax (Nights 12-15- 8/6, 8/8, 8/9 & 8/11) as they talk a legitimate MOTYC *and* a couple Worst Match of the Year contenders! Wow! And no, one of them wasn't *that* match.

The third and final ongoing tournament they check in on is the Tokyo Joshi Princess Cup, as they cover the quarterfinals from 8/8 at Ryogoku KFC Hall- featuring an amazing match between Suzume and Shoko Nakajima! They also speculate on who among the final four will ultimately take home the crown. Then it's over to NOAH for the first time in a while as John watched two (2) whole matches, but Arametha thankfully watched way more than that. One of the matches John did watch though was, swear to god, a ****1/2 Tetsuya Naito match. In 2026. Truly wild. They also discuss the revealed blocks for the 2026 N-1 Victory tournament.

Up next it's Marvelous' 8/8 Korakuen Hall show featuring two matches that John happens to think are a bit overhyped, and also a very funny wrestler-joining-a-unit angle. And then finally the episode wraps up with a check in on Marigold (another one we haven't talked about much in forever) to see how things are going over there for their big 8/9 Ota Ward Gym show. Spoiler: Not particularly well! And then they talk about the Dream Star GP blocks, aka Why The Fuck Is Megaton In This.

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It's another tournament season edition of Wrestling Omakase, and it's also time once again to take Omakase on the road to DC! John is recording this chronologically while attending two Blue Jays games and a VERY underwhelming Otakon convention in the capital of one of the shittiest nations on god's green Earth, but unlike last year they decided to arrange it by promotion still, so this one is REALLY all over the place. But there's some great stuff here too, as first John goes solo to discuss three more nights of the 5 Star GP in STARDOM including the long-awaited first tournament matches of TV's Julia Hart™! Oh, and also some much better matches featuring the likes of Saya Kamitani, Starlight Kid, Momo Watanabe and many more, but really mostly TV's Julia Hart™. Can you believe she had three matches and the *Ruaka match* was the best one by far? Me neither, but it happened!

Then John is joined by their good friend Quinlan for four more nights of the NJPW G1 Climax, and boy do they have some TAKES for you on this one! They cover Yota Tsuji's incredible tournament, a very divisive match with Yuto-Ice, whether some people are actually just too stupid to be watching Japanese professional wrestling, and a whole lot more!

Finally, the episode wraps up with John going solo again to break down night 3 of the Tokyo Joshi Princess Cup, featuring an outstanding power battle between Yuki Aino and Miu Watanabe, a couple shocking eliminations, and Pom Harajuku trying to catch Suzume in a bug net like she's a goddamn Bug Catcher from Pokemon. Screw those guys.

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It's time already for another super packed episode of Wrestling Omakase, as tournament season waits for no man, woman or enby! John is joined once again by Eric (FORMERLY KNOWN AS SNAZZY!) from the Joshi-ing Around podcast and Social Suplex newsletter, as they start out by discussing all sorts of topics, both wrestling and non-wrestling related. Then comes the first big topic of the episode: the announcement from last week (of course, the morning after the last episode of this podcast was recorded....) that Natsupoi will retire on January 3rd, 2027. John and Eric discuss the announcement, her career, her legacy, speculate on whether or not she might decide to come back one day (and how she gave a bit of conflicting answers on that subject during her press conference!) and a whole lot more!

Then we stick in STARDOM to discuss the next two nights of the 5 Star GP, nights 4 (7/25) and 5 (7/26), both all red block shows. They discuss what worked and didn't work, Azusa Inaba going a bit "red Azusa" on us in STARDOM (which leads to an interesting discussion on whether or not you should want wrestlers from smaller promotions to leave for bigger ones full time), and a whole lot more. After that it's over to NJPW for nights 6 (7/25) & 7 (7/26), one show each from the very different A & B blocks. They break down a match that sucked and three really awesome ones from the first night, a mixed bag on the second night, whether this Gabe Kidd character is working and a whole lot more.

Afterward it's over to Tokyo Joshi to review the first two nights of the Tokyo Princess Cup, featuring again a very mixed bag of some great stuff and a few things that didn't work nearly as well for the two of us. Then they give a brief preview of the big DDT Wrestle Peter Pan show from next month in Ryogoku now that we have the full card, before finally wrapping up with AJPW's 7/25 show from Kobe. Another packed show covering a ton of Japanese wrestling from all over the scene!

Joshi-ing Around podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/1309343e-3781-4750-9209-4efbc9976ab6

Social Suplex newsletter: https://www.socialsuplex.com/newsletter/

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