Entrevista/Preguntas con Hip Hop Man (Versión en Español)

Como pueden ver por el título, tuve la oportunidad de hablar con Hip Hop Man. Es una leyenda del wrestling argentino y siento un inmenso respeto por todo lo que ha hecho en sus más de 20 años de carrera. Su trabajo fue sin duda mi introducción al wrestling argentino y sé que esta es otra entrevista breve, pero espero que alguien pueda aprender algo al leerla y tal vez se anime a buscar más información sobre él.

Me respondió muy rápido a esta idea y se mostró dispuesto a hacerlo tan pronto como yo quisiera, por lo que le estoy muy agradecido.

Mis palabras están en cursiva. Las palabras de Hip Hop Man están en negrita.

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Soy un gran admirador tuyo y estoy en Estados Unidos, pero no soy el único admirador que tienes aquí. Tienes muchos seguidores aquí y en todo el mundo. Hablando de eso, has estado luchando en Japón durante los últimos meses. Ya hiciste un viaje similar en 2023, pero ¿hay alguna diferencia con respecto a esta vez? ¿Cómo ha sido la experiencia y qué significa para ti luchar en Japón?

Si, bien fueron 70 días y la primera vez fueron 90 días, realicé más luchas esta vez, fueron 37, por momentos muy cansado pero feliz. 

Japón es mi lugar en el mundo, si bien aún me falta por luchar en Estados Unidos, por el momento viviría y lucharia sin problemas en Japón.

Es increíble ver lo bien que te has adaptado a un entorno de lucha libre completamente diferente al de México; de hecho, ¿dirías que hay mucha diferencia entre cómo luchas en México y cómo lo haces en Japón? ¿O incluso en comparación con Argentina?

El estilo argentino es más parecido al japonés, así que me adapte fácilmente, claro que los 12 años de luchar en los Rings mexicanos y la presión que te pone la gente acá, ayuda a qué en Japón todo sea más fácil. 

Hoy la gran diferencia es que en Japón soy feliz luchando, en México ya no, por eso lucho poco.

Además, se te atribuye el mérito de ser creativo para la IWRG y varios luchadores de la IWRG (Ajolotl, Luka, Luki) también han seguido tus pasos en Japón. Dado tu papel en la promoción, ¿participas en la decisión de qué luchadores viajan a Japón y cosas por el estilo?

Este año pude ayudar a Ajolotl, Luka, Yorvak, Radiactivo, Noisy boy, Spider Fly, Hijo de Dos Caras, anteriormente Alebrije, relámpago. Todo aquel que me pide ayuda, trato de ayudarlos a cumplir su sueño de luchar en Japón. 

Ya veo. Lamento que no te guste tanto la lucha libre en México como en Japón, pero me alegra que hayas encontrado un lugar en Japón donde puedas ser feliz con lo que haces. Y aún mejor es que estés ayudando a otros luchadores a alcanzar esa misma felicidad.

Esta es la última pregunta sobre tu estancia en Japón: ¿Hay alguien con quien te hubiera gustado enfrentarte en Japón?

No tengo un rival en Japón, si me gustaría en algún momento, poder luchar en New Japan Pro Wrestling.

También quería hablar contigo sobre tu carrera en general. Llevas más de 20 años dedicándote a la lucha libre y hay quien te considera el mejor luchador argentino de la historia. No sé qué opinas al respecto, pero ¿te sientes orgulloso de que te tengan en cuenta en ese debate? ¿Cómo te sientes al saber que la gente te considera un referente de la lucha libre argentina?

Yo hago mi carrera para ser feliz yo, si consideran que soy el mejor, siempre es bienvenido ese halago, pero no busco ser el mejor. Solo busco cumplir mis sueños y ser feliz con lo que hago.

Creo que es una forma estupenda de enfocar la lucha libre, y me alegro de que parezcas más feliz incluso después de 23 años de carrera.

Te he robado parte de tu tiempo, así que solo te haré unas cuantas preguntas más, si te parece bien.

Has luchado en más lugares que la mayoría de los luchadores: Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, México, Guatemala, Japón y Catar. Sé que ya hemos hablado un poco sobre Estados Unidos, pero ¿hay algún otro lugar en el que te gustaría luchar y aún no lo has hecho?

Sueño, solo Estados Unidos. Si se dan otros países sería más por un tema de viajar y conocer el país, pero que realmente sea un objetivo, Ee.uu

Tiene sentido, estoy seguro de que hay muchos fans aquí (incluido yo mismo) a los que también les encantaría verte en Estados Unidos.

Esta pregunta es un poco más divertida y desenfadada que las anteriores: te llaman «Hip Hop Man» y el hip hop siempre ha sido una parte importante de tu personalidad y tu imagen. ¿Tienes alguna canción o artista favorito en este momento? ¿El hip hop es realmente tu género musical favorito?

Eminem en su momento, y veo competencias de freestyle de Argentina. Pero solo fue un personaje que me dieron en un producto televisivo, en Argentina me hice muy famoso y entraba bailando. Ya cuando llegué a México en 2013 era difícil empezar enmascarado o con otro nombre, decidí seguir con el Hiphopman y hasta la fecha.

Es una historia muy interesante que probablemente la gente de aquí no conozca sobre ti y el personaje Hip Hop Man. Gracias por compartirla. Me alegra saber que hay artistas de hip hop que te gustan.

Por último, ¿hay algo más que quieras compartir sobre lo que estás haciendo? ¿Algún comentario final sobre el futuro de Hip Hop Man y lo que quieres que sepan tus fans?

Que me sigan en redes danyhiphopman en Instagram y TikTok, Hiphopman Wrestler en facebook y mi canal de Youtube "lucha libre argentina Hiphopman." (Nota del editor: su página de Twitter/X también es «@danyhiphopman», para quienes se lo pregunten.)

Espero visitar el próximo año estados unidos, sigo intentando el tema de la visa de trabajo, desde 2019 que lo intento pero no sé da, esperemos que pronto pueda ir y así comenzar ya mi retiro de la lucha libre.

Muchas gracias por tu tiempo, me lo he pasado muy bien. Espero que consigas el visado de trabajo y continúes con tu gran carrera durante todo el tiempo que desees. ¡Muchas gracias!

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¡Y eso es todo! Sé que ha sido bastante breve, pero me ha parecido increíble poder hablar con un luchador tan genial tanto dentro como fuera del ring como Hip Hop Man. 

¡Espero que hayas disfrutado leyendo esto! Si no es así, tampoco pasa nada. Si tienes alguna opinión, crítica, idea o lo que sea, déjame un comentario o ponte en contacto conmigo a través de mi página de Twitter/X.

Interview/Q&A with Hip Hop Man (English Version)

As you can see from the title, I got the chance to talk to Hip Hop Man. He's an Argentinian wrestling legend and I have an immense amount of respect for all that he's done in his 20+ years of wrestling. His work was definitely my introduction to Argentinian wrestling and I know this is another shorter one, but I hope someone can learn a thing or two from reading this and maybe consider seeking out more from him.

He was super quick to respond to me about this idea and was willing to do it as soon as I wanted, so I am very grateful for that.

My words are in italics. Hip Hop Man's words are in bold.

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I'm a huge fan of yours and I'm in America, but I'm not the only fan you have here. You have a bit of a following here and across the world. Speaking of which, you've been wrestling in Japan for the past few months. You took a similar trip back in 2023, but is there anything different about wrestling there this time? How has the experience been and what does wrestling in Japan mean to you?

Although it was 70 days [this time] and the first time it was 90 days, I fought more this time, 37 matches in total. At times I was very tired, but happy.

Japan is my place in the world. Although I still have to fight in the United States, for now I would live and fight without any problems in Japan.

It's amazing to see how well you've adjusted yourself to a completely different wrestling environment than Mexico; in fact, would you say there's much of a difference between how you wrestle in Mexico compared to Japan. Or even compared to Argentina as well?

The Argentine style is more similar to the Japanese style, so I adapted easily. Of course, the 12 years of fighting in Mexican rings and the pressure that people put on you here help make everything easier in Japan.

Today, the big difference is that in Japan I am happy fighting, but in Mexico I'm not anymore, which is why I fight less.

Also, you are credited with creative for IWRG and several IWRG wrestlers have followed your trip in Japan as well. Given your role in the promotion, do you have a part in deciding which wrestlers travel to Japan and such?

This year, I was able to help Ajolotl, Luka, Yorvak, Radiactivo, Noisy Boy, Spider Fly, Hijo de Dos Caras, and previously Alebrije and Relámpago. I try to help everyone who asks me for help to fulfill their dream of fighting in Japan. 

I see. I'm sorry to hear about your love for wrestling in Mexico compared to Japan, but I'm glad you've found a place in Japan where you can be happy with what you're doing. It's even made better by the fact that you're helping these other wrestlers achieve that same happiness.

This is the last thing I'll ask about your time in Japan: Is there anyone you wish to have faced in Japan?

I don't have a rival in Japan, but I would like to fight in New Japan Pro Wrestling at some point.

I also wanted to talk to you about your career as a whole. You've been wrestling for more than 20 years now, and some people have called you the greatest Argentinian wrestler ever. I'm not sure how you feel about that debate, but do you pride yourself on even being considered in such a conversation? How does it make you feel that people consider you a representation of Argentinian wrestling?

I pursue my career to make myself happy. If people consider me the best, I always welcome that compliment, but I'm not looking to be the best. I just want to fulfill my dreams and be happy with what I do.

I think that sounds like a great way to go about wrestling, and I'm glad you seem to be happier even 23 years into your career.

I've taken up some of your time, so I'll only ask a few more questions if that's alright.

You've wrestled in more places than most wrestlers ever will: Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Mexico, Guatamala, Japan, and Qatar. I know we spoke a little about America earlier, but is there any other places you'd want to wrestle that you haven't yet?

I dream of the United States alone. If there were to be any other countries were mentioned, it would be more for the sake of traveling and getting to know the country, but for it to really be a goal [for wrestling], the U.S.

That makes sense, I'm sure there are many fans here (including myself) that would love to see you in America too.

This one is a bit more fun and lighthearted rather than serious: You are called "Hip Hop Man" and Hip Hop has always been a big part of your character and presentation. Do you have a favorite song or artist right now? Is Hip Hop truly your favorite music?

Eminem at the moment, and I watch freestyle competitions in Argentina. But it was just a character they gave me on a television show. In Argentina, I became very famous and would come on stage dancing. When I arrived in Mexico in 2013, it was difficult to start over with a mask or a different name, so I decided to continue with Hip Hop Man, and I still do to this day.

That's a pretty interesting story that I think people over here probably might not know about you and the Hip Hop Man character. Thank you for sharing that. Glad to know there are hip hop artists you do enjoy though.

Lastly, is there anything else you want to share about what you're doing? Any closing thoughts about Hip Hop Man's future and what you want fans to know?

Follow me on social media: danyhiphopman on Instagram and TikTok, Hiphopman Wrestler on Facebook, and my YouTube channel “lucha libre argentina Hiphopman.” (Editor's Note: His twitter/X page is also "@danyhiphopman" for those wondering.)

I hope to visit the United States next year. I'm still trying to get a work visa. I've been trying since 2019, but I don't know if it will happen. Hopefully, I'll be able to go soon and start my retirement from wrestling.

Thank you for your time, I had a lot of fun with this. Hope you get the work visa and continue your great career for as long as you choose to. Thank you so much!

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And that's all! I know it was pretty brief but I thought it was awesome to talk to a wrestler that is as cool both in-and-out of the ring as Hip Hop Man. 

Hope you enjoyed reading this! If not, that's alright too. Let me know if you have any thoughts, criticisms, ideas, or whatever in the comments or get in touch with me on my Twitter page.

Matches #9 (2025 Indie Lucha Edition)

 Hey y'all, back with more matches! All of these are gonna be ones from lucha indie shows.

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Tonalli vs. Aero Boy (Rompiendo Madres 9/7/2025) - FUN

Tonalli is easily one of the best (if not the best) rudos on the scene and he's only 27! He's got a great mind for an indie luchador on the younger side; feels like he just gets it. Knows exactly when to knock his opponents down and knows when it's his turn to get his ass beat.

Aero Boy doesn't let up and makes the most of every chance he gets at Tonalli. Haven't seen much of him before, but I like him here. Shows a ton of urgency and makes it feel more like a struggle to overcome Tonalli. In today's day and age, it's harder for me to care about/want to root against a rudo as cool and talented as Tonalli, but Aero Boy does well at making me believe in what he's got going and his offense doesn't get as annoying as I expected it to.

Yeah, he's got better matches for sure, but I would definitely show this to anyone who likes Tonalli or thinks he'd be up their alley. Love him. He does a good job at grounding things, literally and figuratively.

Erick Ortiz vs. Enigma Extremo (Panther Promotions Arena Coliseo Reynosa 8/17/2025) - GOOD

I've seen only like one other Enigma Extremo match before and it was him tagging with the indie GOD Erick Ortiz back in Feburary of this year and I thought he was awesome in that. The easiest way to win me over on first watch is to do sick shit that's dangerous and he did that and then some in the tag. What a delightful surprise to see that these two did a singles against each other last month.

Starts off with some cool llaveo between the two before heading into more bump-freak territory. What's surprising is that Erick Ortiz isn't the one doing said bump-freak stuff, it's Enigma Extremo. I remember him doing some nuts stuff in that February tag but holyyy; I shrieked at some of the moves he took here.

Also while I have my complaints with matches that start off with grappling to fill time and then dropping it as soon as the match leaves the opening minutes, I am more lenient when it comes to llaveo because it feels more exhibition-like in nature already. Also while I wish they did more of it, I still thought the grappling was enjoyable.

Erick Ortiz is great. Enigma Extremo is starting to climb up my list of guys I should be paying more attention to.

Avisman vs. Feroz (Lucha Memes Coacalco Patrio 9/14/2025) - GREAT

Speaking of good llaveo, AVISMAN~! My current pick for wrestler of the year, there's nothing I can think of that this dude can't do. He's matwork looks magical, he can do the blood-soaked brawls, also has done more "exciting" stuff with some of his matches that are more all-around. I don't know how this is the first time I'm talking about him on here.

I've never heard of Feroz before but figured I'd give him a watch after seeing him get a match announced against Xelhua. I love Avisman and it's hard to have a bad match with him, so why not give this a watch?

This leans more into that aforementioned all-around type of Avisman match, but both of these guys are so good at everything they go for. Feroz can hang in there with Avisman's grappling, and they beat the hell out of each other on the outside for a bit in this match. Avisman is of course the tecnico in Coliseo Coacalco and the crowd's completely behind him. Feroz is a strong force standing in the way and fills the role pretty well. It especially shows in the latter portion where he's just destroying Avisman with the big moves, and Avisman just keeps fighting on. Finish is satisfying too.

Loved this match. Everyone should watch more Avisman and I think I'll be watching more of this Feroz dude in the future (excited now to see how that Xelhua match goes).

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I love indie lucha libre.

Thank you for reading my thoughts on these matches today; I hope you enjoyed! If you didn't, that's alright too. Let me know if you have any thoughts, criticisms, ideas, or whatever in the comments or get in touch with me on my Twitter page.

Matches #8

Hey y'all! Back already with more matches to talk about.

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Matt Mako vs. Katsuyori Shibata (Ring of Honor 9/11/2025) - GOOD

This was under ROH's Pure Rules and aired on the 9/18/2025 episode of Honor Club.

Was a big fan of this matchup, I think it ended up being even better than the two Lee Moriarty/Xelhua matches that ROH just ran that I also liked a lot. I've never really connected with Pure Rules like longer-tenured Ring Of Honor fans seem to, so I don't think there's a lot of guys left in the U.S. that I'd want to see in the match type. But Mako is definitely one of them, more than Shibata even.

While they have been getting better at it as of late, AEW has always seemed to struggle with hierarchy in their match structure 90% of the time and I wish they could borrow more from ROH in that regard. This isn't a perfect example of that, but I feel it's really interesting to see how this match goes about showing it. Of course, it's easiest to see that Shibata is outplaying Mako when he forces him to use all 3 of his rope-breaks very early on in the match, before Shibata himself even uses one of his own. Shibata is gonna out-grapple Mako, sounds about right. Mako then has to resort to his striking instead, and Shibata beats him there too. He's just not going to be able to beat him by any traditional/"pure" means but he's gonna keep running into that brick wall, hoping it comes crashing down.

I also love seeing when someone that actually knows what they're doing goes out there and showcases some real jiu-jitsu discipline like Mako does. His transitions are incredible here and it's nice to see Shibata in his most grapple-focused match in years.

Felino, Místico & Volador Jr. vs. Averno, Mephisto & Olímpico (CMLL 6/18/2004) - SKIPPABLE

This was the debut of Místico under the gimmick and was re-released by CMLL last year to celebrate his 20th anniversary. Also, Fray Tormenta comes out to second Místico during his entrance, yes!!

Místico starting off with Olímpico just feels like the right decision. Místico doesn't feel like he's moving as mythically (if that doesn't make sense, just think about Hijo del Santo moves) yet at this point in his career, but Olímpico has always felt like a reliable hand to me. It also creates an opening for rudo trios offense on Felino and Volador Jr. while Místico chills on the outside in that first fall.

Second fall goes pretty similarly, in the sense that Felino and Volador are carrying the load after Místico gets a cool spot in. To be fair, they're sick as hell and I love the both of them. Rudos have some great stooging of course.

Místico/Mephisto and Volador Jr./Averno are great pairings in the third fall. There's a lot of points in the match that just feel like a regular two on two match between the Felino/Volador Jr. and Averno/Mephisto, while Olímpico and Místico do their own thing. They are the opening and closing of the match and while this a perfectly fine debut, there's still a bit of novelty behind seeing those two do their spots in a historically significant moment as the four other guys are having a much more interesting match (albeit, one that could've been better).

They should run this back in 2025 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara but move Felino to the rudo side to replace Olímpico and then put Rey Bucanero on the tecnico side.

Great Muta vs. The Great Kabuki (WAR 5/24/1993) - FUN

I don't really know how great this match could've been (or even ended up being), but I love blood in my wrestling. Yeah, yeah, yeah, call me insane or whatever, I see blood and I like the match. I don't even wish to spoil how gnarly the blood in this match is, but it's basically the one thing I wanted to talk about that I feel like I have to.

Kabuki has blood squirting out of his forehead after just a few minutes. It's one of the sickest visuals I've seen in a match and also one of the most concerning. I don't usually love a lot of Muta/Muto matches because a lot of them fall into a boring, control-heavy formula. This still has some of that but the blood does so much to keep me engaged and the match didn't go too long either. I can't hate this.

Jon Cortez vs. Steve Grey (World of Sport 7/27/1981) - GOOD

Usually am put off by a lot of the WoS stuff I've seen but this was the first time watching a match from there that was a recommendation, so I wanted to give it a fair chance. A lot of the other stuff I've seen has too much "wink-wink, nudge-nudge" grappling that's without much struggle and it makes it really hard for me to get into it, but I tried going into this with the mindset that not all wrestling is going to fall into the mold of a match that I love and that's alright!

Funny enough though, there was actually a lot of great struggling in this! The earlier rounds made me feel like I was watching a match from decades before this took place, which is great. I love when there's a focus on a hold as "simple" as a headlock. The suspense builds perfectly to when the first forearm strike gets thrown later on.

I even like the simplicity of the finish and didn't feel necessarily let down by it or anything. I liked both of these guys, but I think I'm gonna seek out more Steve Grey for sure.

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Thank you for reading my thoughts on these matches today; I hope you enjoyed! If you didn't, that's alright too. Let me know if you have any thoughts, criticisms, ideas, or whatever in the comments or get in touch with me on my Twitter page.

Matches #7

Hey again y'all! Been really enjoying the wrestling I have been watching as of late and it's felt like I've been spending a lot more time watching and less time writing, so let's fix that by talking about some of the stuff I've seen recently.

Before we get to that though, I really wanted to give a major thank you to everyone who was involved with anything relating to the Thanomsak Toba interview I posted earlier this month. Loads of people read it, reposted, had very nice things to say, and some friends even helped me put a number of those questions together. I think that whole process was one of the coolest things I've been a part of in regards to anything I've put out there for wrestling, so I am eternally grateful for how much people seemed to like that.

Now, on to some matches!

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Judas el Traidor vs. Heddi Karaoui (Lucha Memes/Coachelas Lucha Libre 10/22/2023) - FUN

This was my first time watching a Heddi Karaoui match, after it popped up in my recommended feed and I saw it was against Judas el Traidor (who is one of my favorite independent wrestlers in the world right now). I've heard many things about Karaoi and his grappling ability so I was excited to see how this matchup would go because Judas can do it all: Great grappler, brawler, can strike, knows how to work against all levels of experience.

Arena Coliseo Coacalco is basically Judas's domain and you can tell. The crowd is really behind him and generally I thought this crowd was nice, as this usually tends to be one of my go-to favorite venues for dream matches with a llave focus. Karaoui was good at playing into the dynamic by resorting to rolling outside and more power-based holds as opposed to stuff that's more technically sound and visually appealing.

I didn't understand why there was the strike-off near the end, even if the striking itself wasn't bad. Either way, this match is 16 minutes of mostly llave that I'd imagine fans of any of these wrestlers would enjoy. I wonder what this match would look like had Judas went for some brawling and Heddi would have to try adapting or relying even more on keeping his opponent neutralized by the holds.

Sasaki Complete Jr. vs. Kota Watanabe (CWP Overdrive 7/12/2025) - GOOD

This tournament final match was for the vacant/new CWP Middleweight Title. 

I can't say with 100% certainty that these two are student/amateur/hobbyist wrestlers but I'd like to think so, considering they both combine for less than 100 matches total despite the pooled 12ish years of experience between the two (and also the fact that they have primarily wrestled for CWP). 

To be honest though, you could've told me that Sasaki Complete Jr. was a Sportiva rookie or Big Japan young boy and I would've believed it, and I mean that as a compliment to the highest regard. His kicks are what I can describe only as "sharp", if that makes sense. That's not to say Watanabe is not any good either, he's got some promise too. He does a good job working from under in this, which is pretty important given the type of match they're working here.

I felt that Sasaki was great at being that boss for Watanabe to overcome and was very compelling when he was dominating. It also seemed like this was best for Watanabe as I was moved much more by his "passive" selling than his offense in the later portions.

I'd recommend this match if you're into more amaresu stuff.

Junkyard Dog vs. The Grappler (Mid-South Wrestling 6/9/1982) - FUN

This was a Mid-South Louisiana Title match that aired on the 6/19/1982 episode of television.

It's a short one but a goodie still. I don't like giving play-by-play on these (for various reasons), but I think the finish is the best display of what this match is about: The Grappler's laying on the outside and while Junkyard Dog is waiting for him to come back inside, The Assassin attacks JYD. JYD hits what is seemingly a metal plate in Assassin's forehead (he's wearing a mask so I don't know), realizes this, and then attacks the back of his head instead. More interferences happen and the match has to get thrown out, but the crowd goes wild as Ted DiBiase makes the save and he stands triumphant alongside Junkyard Dog in the ring.

Simple (I know that explanation may have seemed complicated but I promise it's an easy watch), rewarding pro wrestling.

Osamu Nishimura vs. Yuji Nagata (NJPW Toukon Spirito Guerriero 6/2/2005) - SKIPPABLE

This was from a 2005 NJPW tour in Italy and seemed to be lost for 15 years, until a fancam of the match was uploaded onto YouTube in 2019. Apparently the full tour is out there, but I couldn't find anything other than this match anywhere.

This is also "European Rounds", meaning there's five 3-minute rounds and also the ref can give yellow and red cards up to his discretion. I actually like how creative they get with the stipulation compared to how they usually would be wrestling each other. I feel they do a good job of working within the stipulation, but I do have some gripes with the match.

As opposed to something like the CWP or Mid-South matches, I really struggled with getting myself invested in the match. There wasn't enough struggle and little-to-no urgency from both sides. In his own review of this match on the Handwerk blog, Simon wrote, "Nagata gets more technical than usual, and Nishimura gets madder than usual". Unfortunately, that's all this match really was to me: Nagata and Nishimura wrestling each other's match and just that.

I'm going to say that no one should take the "SKIPPABLE" at face value though. I do appreciate Nishimura's selling performance and this match is generally a neat novelty. I'm sure others would enjoy this match more than me.

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Thank you for reading my thoughts on these matches today; I hope you enjoyed! If you didn't, that's alright too. Let me know if you have any thoughts, criticisms, ideas, or whatever in the comments or get in touch with me on my Twitter page.

Interview/Q&A with Thanomsak Toba

Hey again y'all! If you've read the title of this post or I've discussed this with you beforehand, you know what this is: I got the very fortunate oppourtunity to ask Thanomsak Toba some questions about his career and wrestling in general.

I have so much respect for Toba, he's one of my all-time favorites, so I was kinda marking out the whole time and kept things light-hearted/fun. If you're wondering why I didn't ask more "hard-hitting" questions or whatever, yeah what can I say? This is a mark interview.

Lastly, Toba chose to accommodate me as much as possible, going as far as wanting to provide his answers in English and even answering more questions near the end despite suffering a concussion around the time this interview took place (about a month ago). Because of his kindness and my adoration for him, I didn't want to take up too much of his time. So, some of his answers may seem short and I didn't end up asking too many questions, but hopefully that gives some context as to why it turned out that way.

My words are in italics. Toba's words are in bold.

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You got your start in pro wrestling when you debuted for DDT in 1998. At that point, the organization was less than a year old. How different do you think DDT is now from the DDT that you debuted in 27 years ago? In what ways have things changed and are there wrestlers that are currently there that you would like to face?

When I debuted, the focus was on intense martial arts-style matches. But gradually, traditional American professional wrestling-style matches became popular, and now they are well established.

It has gone from being an organization based on intense fights to being a fun organization. I also like fun matches.

There is no one in the current DDT wrestlers that I want to fight. I'm already an old-fashioned guy.

Yes, it is fascinating how much wrestling around the world has moved towards that American entertainment style, whereas there's much less mainstream martial arts-style promotions. But the ones that do exist nowadays are very good still!

Speaking of martial arts, when watching your matches, I can most easily associate your wrestling style with that of Muay Thai. It has even been said that your name is a reference to the Thai boxer, Thanomsak Sithbaobay! On your Instagram page, you post many photos from the time you've spent in Thailand. What have you learned from Thailand and is there something you love most about the area?

My martial arts career began with Muay Thai. My ring name was inspired by the Thai boxer Thanomsak Sisbovee (Note: I believe this is a mistranslation of Sithbaobay, as I do not believe there’s Thai boxer with the name Sisbovee), without his permission.

I've been to Thailand many times. When I was younger, I rented an apartment in Bangkok and studied Muay Thai. Right now, Pattaya is my favorite place.

Thailand must be beautiful. Fascinating to learn how much it has tied into your career and life!

Is it true that you were trained by Koki Kitahara? He led the CAPTURE International organization that has become legendary among some overseas fans that like more niche groups due to multiple factors, including the mentality of how wrestling should be, realistic and gritty style, and how good the promotion was considering how small the venues and production were for a wrestling show.

Also, is there anything specific that you learned from being trained by Koki Kitahara (if that is true) that you feel you still use today?

I participated in Capture, but I hardly received any coaching from Kitahara-san. I was with another organization.

What do you think of wrestling in smaller organizations such as this one, which you had a number of matches in? Do you have a certain mentality when it comes to wrestling for a crowd that isn't as large, or do you feel that you wrestle the same way no matter the size of the crowd?

Whether the venue is small or big, what you do is the same.

Interesting! I apologize for the confusion then regarding Koki Kitahara. (Note: Multiple online sources seem to have always credited Kitahara with mentoring Toba because of his time in CAPTURE, but this does not seem to be accurate)

I'm sure the fans appreciate you giving your all in every match, no matter the size of the crowd.

In the near 1000 matches that you have wrestled, you've stood in the ring across from around 500 different wrestlers. Do you have an all-time favorite opponent? What about a favorite opponent of yours that you have faced in the past 5 years?

My best opponent is Ibushi Kota. In the last five years, it would be Machida Hikaru and Brother Yasshi.

Your matches with Kota Ibushi are highly acclaimed among overseas fans! Hikaru Machida is excellent and it's great that he's been in the ring with you so many times for how little matches he's had, and "brother" YASSHI is one of my personal favorites! For someone who seems as serious as you, it is cool that you enjoy wrestling with someone as laid-back as him.

As I mentioned earlier, you have shared the ring with many different opponents. Is there anyone that you have never faced before that you would like to have a match with?

There's no one I want to fight anymore.

Do you think you could beat your 25 year-old self in a fight? What would you say you've learned about yourself and your abilities since then?

When I was 25, I was training hard as a kickboxer, so there's no way I could win! In terms of strength, I've lost everything and gained nothing.

I think that despite the difference in physical strength, you can give yourself credit for the mental strength that must go into something like wrestling for over 25 years.

I am so very grateful for the time you’ve given to answer my questions. I’ll only ask a few (one or two more) more questions if that’s alright.

You've wrestled so many times across the years. Is there one specific match or moment that you’re most proud of?

The matches I'm most proud of are probably all of my matches with Ibushi. I'm also proud of competing in DDT's Nippon Budokan tournament.

I am also proud of my singles match against DJ Nira at the DDT Nagoya tournament.

All of those are excellent choices. I’m sure many fans would agree with those being highlights of your career!

Thank you once more for your time over these past conversations. I've gained a lot from your responses and I’m very excited to share them with others.

Lastly, is there anything you’d wish to say to fans overseas and across the world? Any updates on your career or just anything you’d like to share?

I had fun too, thank you. I'm so happy that overseas fans upload videos of matches I've never seen.

I'm not retiring yet, but I won't be active as much from now on. I'm looking forward to seeing videos of your past matches!

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And that's all! Again, I know this was a mark interview, but I had a lot fun with it and I'm glad Toba seemed to also enjoy answering these. It meant a lot to me lol.

Hope you enjoyed reading this! If not, that's alright too. Let me know if you have any thoughts, criticisms, ideas, or whatever in the comments or get in touch with me on my Twitter page.

Show Review #2 (TJPW Spring Tour Final 6/22/2025)

Hey y'all,

The world is going to shit right now (when is it not) and I decided to watch the Tokyo Joshi show to cheer me up. I was already planning to watch this one because it was going to be live at an earlier time for me, but I really felt like I needed it today, so I had to watch.

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This show was also sadly Sayuri Namba's final with the company. For the uninformed, she is one of the most iconic ring announcers in puroresu and has been with the promotion for what feels like forever. I know she is moving on to do better and bigger things, but I will certainly miss having her around as a great ring announcer as well as a wonderful character in the colorful world of TJPW.

Wakana Uehara vs Kira Summer - SKIPPABLE

WAAKAAANAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! This match was the first of two on the show for a spot in the Tokyo Princess Cup this year.

Wakana Uehara is of course a favorite of mine in the company but I have taken a liking to Kira Summer as well; she's one of the few foreigners in the current joshi world that I've been able to connect with.

This match felt pretty short, even for opener standards. Kira did good at controlling early on before Wakana got her offense in and the crowd was able to get behind her. Simple, but effective way of engaging the crowd for the rest of your show. I'm glad Wakana won as she deserves it 100%.

Toga vs Ivy Steele - SKIPPABLE

This was the second match on the show to be contested for a spot in the Princess Cup.

I do not think Ivy Steele is bad at all and I have thought that she's had fine performances in the undercard tags of bigger TJPW events, but I haven't been able to get behind what she's been doing and a large portion of her work has just been "there" for me. 

Oppositely, Toga is someone that I've thoroughly enjoyed watching matches of this year. She's really moved up my personal lists a lot recently with how she's developed and defined her in-ring style. She can be stiff, is cold and stoic, and has an undeniable fire to her. I think she's neat.

I thought the match was fine with nothing worth revisiting, though I was shocked at the outcome. I feel the Princess Cup could've greatly benefitted from having Toga in it and I wish she also did more in this match. It felt like she held back a lot and was just there as a training dummy for Ivy at points.

Yoshiko Hasegawa vs Uta Takami - FUN

This was originally schedule to be a three way match including Yuki Kamifuku, but plans changed for whatever reason.

Amidst the wave of incredible talent coming up in the joshi scene right now, Uta Takami is a name I wish more (including myself) would remember to bring up. THE future of Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling and she's already got multiple great matches in the past year.

Yoshiko Hasegawa does good at the "more experienced, stronger veteran" role that Uta excels against. Yoppy teaches Uta a lesson in getting roughed up (as usual) and it's fun to watch (as usual) Uta keep running into a brick wall.

Maki Itoh & Ren Konatsu vs Raku & Shino Suzuki - FUN

I think Maki Itoh can be really good sometimes but she didn't do much for me here. From the get go, she's the "serious" one in the match out of everyone, and she's capable of doing so with these three. I do like what she does with the dynamic, but nothing stands out.

I enjoyed Raku sleepy schtick and Shino Suzuki's tour guide stuff, I had fun with it. In hindsight, perhaps I'm being somewhat too harsh on Maki here.

Suzume & Arisu Endo vs Moka Miyamoto & Kaya Toribami - FUN

Daisy Monkey continues to be one of my favorite tag teams in the world. Suzume had a nice reign with the International Princess belt and Arisu Endo is amazing in tag settings. I also have enjoyed seeing Kaya's growth as a wrestler throughout her time in TJPW. Moka Miyamoto is one of the few roster members that I'm iffy on; She's never done anything for me but I also understand I've yet to give her a fair chance. Hopefully that'll change with Summer Sun Princess.

Shoko Nakajima & Chika Nanase vs Rika Tatsumi & Miu Watanabe - REALLY GOOD

This was the biggest Summer Sun Princess preview to me on the card and it was awesome. Rika and Miu is always gonna be a great team-up because they're two of the most skilled wrestlers in the entire world right now, and Shoko Nakajima is da beeg kaiju (this match also made me wonder how she'd fair in a lucha environment).

Chika Nanase is obviously here to take the fall, but at least there's not much of a focus on her during the match so you can kind of forget about that part. I think she's alright herself, but yeah there's not much too look forward to in her performance here.

Shoko takes a lot in this but also has the most exciting offense on the whole show. Maybe she's the best in the company, I don't know.

Match revolved around Rika and Miu finding new ways to torture Shoko and it's really fun, give it a watch.

Mizuki & Hyper Misao & Yuki Aino & Pom Harajuku vs Yuki Arai & Mahiro Kiryu & HIMAWARI & Haru Kazashiro - FUN

Star-studded main event that starts with Misao letting Namba do her intro, followed by Misao forcing her to use the trademark spray on the other team. Namba then excitedly gets the oppourtunity to ring the bell herself. Great start!

I don't necessarily enjoy Yuki Arai's work and am not excited for the PoP title match at Summer Sun Princess, but I thought the bits she did with Mizuki in this match were fine.

I'm sure I've said this elsewhere before, but Yuki Aino has some sick fashion sense.

A lot of the finishing stretch in this match goes to Haru and Pom and surprisingly, out of everyone in this match, Pom gets the win for her team!

This leads into a really emotional graduation ceremony for Namba. She cries, Pom cries, and so does the rest of the TJPW roster, who all come out to support Namba and show her love. If you don't know anything about Namba, watch the final minutes of the show and see how someone that's "just a ring announcer" can be so beloved by the whole roster and she will be dearly missed. I truly wish her the best in whatever's next for her in life.

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I know this was less focused than the last show review and my posts in general, but I hope you still enjoyed me getting an excuse to ramble about my favorite TJPW talent. If you didn't, that's alright too. Let me know if you have any thoughts, criticisms, ideas, or whatever in the comments or get in touch with me on my Twitter page.

Show Review! (W*ING The Name Of Wing - Take Off Again 4/22/2001)

I love writing and I want to talk about more stuff I've watched so here's another blog post already.

This one's a little different than the typical "random matches" post. I thought it'd more interesting to do a full show review! Now, the other posts are going to continue as normal, but it'd be nice to also have more concise/organized review posts like this as well.

W*ING (short for Wrestling International New Generations) was founded in 1991 and was one of the biggest deathmatch/hardcore promotions in Japan in the 90s, alongside FMW. Skip ahead some years, and the company stops regularly running shows in June of 1996. They run a show in September of that year and five in 1997, but the company is virtually dead after that.

By 2001, Mr. Pogo restarts the promotion with the show we're watching today. This show was took on the "Take Off Again" subtitle from the company's inaugural "Take Off" tours throughout their history. This particular show aired on Fighting TV Samurai! as "Battle Station" broadcast on 5/8/2001, about 2-3 weeks after the event took place.

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Broadcast starts off with some Press Conference footage containing higher-ups and guys like Matsunaga and Mr. Pogo (who's in his Ribera jacket of course) discussing the company reboot, before they cut to some of the roster members posing in front of the W*ING logo.

We also get to see the big names doing autograph signings/meet-and-greets with a pretty large crowd (I couldn't find the exact attendance number, but it's worth noting this show takes place at the Differ Ariake, which would become the home of Pro Wrestling NOAH around this time) of people as they show gets set up before the first match. And finally right before that, we get the whole roster in the ring to kick off the event. (Also holy shit, Leatherface and "Boogie Man" go crazy)

The first three matches are all VERY clipped so I'll be pretty brief with my thoughts on them.

Mongol Man vs Jet Jaguar

Can't say much about this one because we get like a minute (out of eight) of highlights of this match. Mongol Man does Mongolian Chops though so I like. I'm sure he's a lot of fun and while I've never heard of Jet Jaguar before, he has a sick look.

Hiroyoshi Kotsubo vs Hirofumi Miura

We get like three clips from this match; Miura seems like the kind of wrestler I like though: Karate guy that does a tornado DDT and moonsault.

Viking Taniguchi vs Hiroshi Shimada

Two beefy boys hit each other and then leave happily ever after.

Mitsunobu Kikuzawa vs Ryo Miyake - SKIPPABLE

This is the first full match that we get to see and I'm not sure where my expectations were at. I've seen maybe one Ryo Miyake match ever and Kikuzawa would later go on to become Kikutaro in his career.

This is also a Barbed Wire Bat match, meaning that both wrestlers must start outside the ring and then race to grab the barbed wire bat in the center of the ring after a countdown. The issue is, the bat BREAKS about 2 minutes into the match after Kikuzawa swings and misses on Miyake, instead hitting the mat.

To their credit though, the match somehow doesn't completely fall apart after this. Kikuzawa makes Miyake bleed by rubbing the cracked part of the bat (that doesn't have any barbed wire on it, mind you) into his forehead. Miyake gets some offense of his own by just bare-handing the barbed wire bat part and using it on Kikuzawa, before a backup referee throws in a completely new barbed wire bat eventually.

The brawling in the match isn't bad but isn't great, but they do a great job at pacing this around the bat break incident. Both guys do beat each other up to a lot of bleeding and the finish is nice, I can give them that.

Ichiro Yaguchi, Katsumi Hirano & Kazuhiko Matsuzaki vs Fukumen Taro, Masaru Toi & Masayoshi Motegi - FUN

This a Captain's Fall (what that seems to mean in this case that you can only win by pinning/submitting the opposing team's captain, but you cannot do so until you first eliminate their two non-captain members) match with the captains being Kazuhiko Matsuzaki and Masayoshi Motegi. Interesting on paper for a number of reasons: Ichiro Yaguchi's in this, and also it's pretty rare for me to come across a Captain's fall match outside of Mexico.

A lot of it is spent taking a beating early on, but Katsumi Hirano gets the most ring time by far in this match. To his credit, he takes some hard-hitting stuff pretty well, and then reciprocates that energy when it's his turn for offense. Maybe I'm dense, but he strikes me as a guy I'll probably seek out more from in the future, because I'm sure he probably has a match where he just beats up someone crazy-style.

I wish we got more Ichiro Yaguchi in this match but he does get some decent minutes in the final fall. He might be one of the best worst wrestlers ever and I love him for that. Sloppy, a bit too stiff, and his matches can be so scattered sometimes, yet he's still a beast. These don't end up being bugs in his game, they're features.

Yaguchi gets his team the win by pinning Motegi, who is another wrestler I've seen before this and really like.

Hideki Hosaka & Koichiro Kimura vs Boogie Man & Leatherface - FUN

Yeah, Leatherface and Boogie Man still crazy as shit. They start off just moving around the ring crazy before the bell even is rung (by Boogie Man himself), and then the match kind of splits into two. Kimura walk-and-brawls with Boogie Man in front of a crowd outside of the room while Leatherface tosses Hosaka around the chairs ringside. When the havoc cools down, everyone's back to the ring to have a "regular" match.

If there's a gripe I have with this, it's that they don't drag that opening portion out for longer. If things are getting chaotic, let the chaos ensue! If you're so easily able to reel things back in, I have a hard time believing that there was much danger in the first place. It's a bit of an unfortunate dissonance because they make Leatherface and Boogie Man seem like pretty credible threats throughout the rest of the match, of course.

Koichiro Kimura is the most technically sound wrestler in a match where no one else is, and I think I love that. He brings stoicism to an otherwise ridiculous matchup and is also just a good wrestler. He's featured the least, but that almost feels like it's for the best given everyone else that's in this.

Gedo & Jado vs Shoji Nakamaki & WING Kanemura - SKIPPABLE

This is an "Odawara Fire Revenge Bunkhouse Death Match" with no fire in it, nor does it feel like a death match. It is a fun-ish brawl for the most part, which I actually enjoyed much more than the typical Gedo & Jado match. Kanemura and Nakamaki take the crazier bumps (which there aren't many of), and then the match just feels like it goes on too long. Which is funny, considering how abrupt the ending feels.

I wouldn't call this bad, especially when I felt like the brawling stuff was good, but this is not a match I am ever going to revisit or think about again.

Hideki Hosaka, Mitsuhiro Matsunaga, Ryo Miyake & The Winger vs Freddie Krueger, Mitsunobu Kikuzawa, Mr. Pogo & WING Kanemura - FUN

Matsunaga comes out drenched in barbed wire as the king does. This would've been about 4 years before he goes on to the greatest run in wrestling history in ZERO-1, but he still feels like the biggest deal in the world even here. That's obvious because he's Matsunaga and all, but he still feels like a force that needs to be neutralized in order for Team W*ING to get stuff done.

To be honest, this is just what I imagine the embodiment of the "Car Crash" (literally) match aim in TEW to be. You get a crazy weapons-filled fighting throughout the arena that's at it's best when they lean into the "Light Out Moonlight Darkness" part of the "Incredible Tag Scramble Bunkhouse Light Out Moonlight Darkness Death Match" stipulation. Seriously, there are some sickass visuals that come from the lights out portion of the match, including Matsunaga getting the life choked out of him by Freddie Kruger.

In a way, this is the best way that they could've demonstrated what W*ING, or at least this show, was about. Ryo Miyake has the star performance easily because I popped at him bringing the broken bat gimmick back from earlier, and he also takes two cringe-inducing bumps onto a pile of weapons.

Once the match ends, with little interaction between Mr. Pogo and Matsunaga, there's some stuff teased between WING Kanemura and Matsunaga instead. As far as I could tell, this wouldn't come to fruition within W*ING as the two would never share the ring in the 3 other shows the company ran, but they did meet in a singles match later in 2001 (in the "Rainbow Promotion"?) in a "Carribean Barbed Wire Spider Net Board Barbed Wire Board Spike Nail Bat & Barbed Wire Bat Scramble Bunkhouse WING Extreme Falls Count Anywhere Lights Out Death Match" that I'm sure is awesome.

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Is this show worth watching for yourself? Outside of the main event, not necessarily. I think the fun matches are fun, but they're just that. The main isn't even particularly that great but it's a cool novelty watch.

Other than that though, thank you for reading my thoughts on this show today; I hope you enjoyed. If you didn't, that's alright too. Let me know if you have any thoughts, criticisms, ideas, or whatever in the comments or get in touch with me on my Twitter page.

Matches I Watched #6 (involving a Fujiwara-Gumi search)

Hey again y'all! Finally getting back into the swing of things with writing and there's been a lot more wrestling stuff interesting me lately, so here I am! 

I'm not really sure what the thought process was behind picking these specific matches, but they just so happened to be what I watched today so let's get to it, shall we?

Beastman & Mad Dog Connelly vs. Bam Sullivan & Matt Tremont (JCW 6/12/2025) - GOOD

I was at the show where these teams had their original matchup last month (at JCW May Flowers 5/11/2025) and loved every second of it. It was an awesome, brutal brawl that riled up a crowd that wasn't going too crazy before that. There, they had the co-main event spot and that was for the worst as it's pretty difficult to follow that up. This time, they got the main event spot and it was even better.

In comparison to their previous match, this one is upgraded in basically every way. More chaos, more violence, and more mayhem. While I loved being there for that first one, I was a bit soured by the no contest finish after a brawl like that. It just didn't make much sense given everything else that happened in the match. Here, the "Mayhem in the Mecca" stipulation definitely allowed for more leniency in that regard and I loved the touch of the music playing throughout the match. Made it feel like it was actually different.

The brawling was great here, even if somewhat simple. Sometimes, simpler is better and that's the case for most of this one. Something in particular that stood out to me was Mad Dog's punching. He's such a good puncher, man.

I understand the point of these tags has been to build up a Mad Dog/Tremont singles, but the matches 100% can stand on their own pretty well. With that being said though, I think that finish does a great job at pushing that rivalry further.

If I had one complaint about the match, it felt like it went a few minutes too long, but I also enjoyed everything in the match so maybe not? What do I know?

This match is awesome, go watch it now.

Keita Yano vs. Tsuyoshi Okada (Dove Pro Still Dove 2/9/2025) - FUN

Was very excited to see Dove Pro release this a few weeks ago as I continue my journey in watching all the Keita Yano matches in 2025 that make tape. I haven't seen much Tsuyoshi Okada before, I believe this is my first time watching him in singles action. Keita, as usual, will be impossible for me to root against.

This is a "KOK Rules" match, meaning that there are 3 rounds, 5 minutes each. With Keita's grappling and Okada's MMA gloves, I can imagine the logic behind this being the basis of this matchup.

I really love the character that Keita Yano portrays, even if it's not always a character per se. He's a scrawny little fella that is almost always physically lesser than his opponents, yet he can sometimes find a way to get past them. In this match, he looks like he's genuinely overwhelmed whenever Tsuyoshi Okada is able to outpower him, both on the ground and on the feet. I think the finish does a great job at showing how this affects his decision-making and aggressiveness.

Nice match, I liked it. God bless Keita Yano.

Daisuke Ikeda vs. Yuki Ishikawa (PWFG 8/12/1995) - GREAT

So I got a kind of interesting story about this one.

First of all, huge thank you/shoutout to Jom and his greatest, most ambitious project yet, Insect's Soul. He put in an incredible effort to shine a light on so much different amazing independent wrestling and I've learned about so many promotions and wrestlers as a result.

This was a notable inclusion on the list for multiple reasons. One, it's an Ikeda/Ishikawa match. Not just any Ikeda/Ishikawa match, but their 2nd ever. Two, it's PWFG and I was kind of shocked to see a promotion like this on the list. I get it wasn't like the biggest organization, but it's probably one of the most well-known, compared to the rest of the companies listed. And three, I could not find this match for the life of me.

You can very easily find almost all of the PWFG broadcasts on VK or Internet Archive, yet this show is weird. It doesn't seem to have been traditionally broadcast/released like the rest of the shows, and nobody had it anywhere I could find online. But, I knew it had to have been taped because Jom's listing for it had included a gif of the match that very much was from a broadcast camera, and also this was a Korakuen Hall show, I'd be shocked if it wasn't recorded anywhere.

Many hours spent searching later, I couldn't even find the show or the match on any of the pages of the tape traders I was aware of either. Losing a bit of hope of finding this (at least, finding it anytime soon), a friend had asked around about the footage in the GWE discord. A few people answered that it probably wasn't taped and that it had been on a lot of people's footage wishlists for a while. Damn.

And then, after like a day or two, somebody just sent a google drive link of the full show. Well then. That story ends there I guess.

Onto the match now.

Jom described this as Ikeda and Ishikawa's "most 'shoot-style' matchup to date" and I could see where he's coming from. Bati-Bati is fascinating because it's not shoot-style, but it's also not not shoot-style, y'know? In a way, a lot of the portrayal of struggle that shoot-style is praised for is demonstrated in a more aggressive, attacking way in Bati-Bati. I don't really understand any of this wrestling stuff much but I think there's a beauty to how that struggle is able to resonate with those who watch. Huh.

The stylistic difference between this and their other matchups make a lot more sense when you also factor in that this is taking place in Fujiwara's promotion. This feels a lot more grapple-heavy than their other encounters and the struggle is best shown through the "escape". When they roll out of the ring (multiple times), when Ikeda needs to push himself as close to the ropes as he can to get out of a submission, when Ishikawa has to counter Ikeda's counters. It's all meaningful and inspiring?

You do get some of the Ikeda/Ishikawa experience, like when they start slapping each other while Ikeda mounts Ishikawa or when Ishikawa roundhouses Ikeda for a knockdown, but even then it's different still.

Yes, this is an interesting watch for the novelty alone. It's the 2nd ever Ikeda and Ishikawa singles match and it's in PWFG. But you also get a really good wrestling match that displays another side of what these two can do to each other.

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Thank you for reading my thoughts on these matches today; I hope you enjoyed. If you didn't, that's alright too. Let me know if you have any thoughts, criticisms, ideas, or whatever in the comments or get in touch with me on my Twitter page.

More Matches? Yes. (Fujiwara, Sangre Chicana, and an Instant Classic)

Hey y'all! It's been a little bit longer since the last post, I know. Things have been slightly hectic lately and so some of the stuff I've been working on had to take some small delays. Fortunately though, I did want to get out a post today because I need to scratch that writing itch somehow.

The biggest reason I couldn't write much earlier in the week is because I haven't really been watching much lately. The past couple weeks have mostly been recent CMLL stuff that I've really loved, but didn't have anything to say about it other than "I recommend these matches." Two of these matches were watched only because they were suggestions from friends (as part of a mini wrestling "book club", if that makes sense).

Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Super Tiger (UWF 9/7/1984) - EPIC

In response to a Matt D tweet a few weeks back that was about how a spot from a Mike Bailey vs. Kazuchika Okada match felt sport-like as opposed to feeling "real", I asked if there was anything in wrestling that could do both: make things feel real but also feel like a competition. Most of the responses were answers of shoot-style and to be fair, it makes sense. 

I thought about that a lot throughout this matchup largely because of how I already perceive Fujiwara. He's not a wrestler that seems to care for the competitive nature of shoot-style, but does a hell of a job at making what he does feel real. Rather than it feel like he just wants to out-wrestle his opponent, I almost am horrified (in the best way) at how he would instead prefer to crush whoever stands across from him.

I know it's too easy to say this (especially when it comes to shoot-style stuff), but the match truly does feel like a fight instead of a wrestling match. And I love that. Fujiwara spends the early portions of the match trying to murder Sayama and I wince at how brutal that offense looks. When Sayama gets the upper hand, he does the same and it's even more disgusting. It goes beyond the "beat the hell out of each other" scale and enters the "are they shooting???" territory in my mind.

Something that will occur throughout these matches today is my praise for the selling. Super Tiger does a great job at getting his ass beat and making you feel bad for him but the star of this show is Fujiwara by far. What sticks out is the selling of his exhaustion. For a feeling that is so common and one that the audience can relate to, I don't think there's many wrestlers ever that have sold it great. Fujiwara is on that very short list of those who can though. As I'm watching him lay there after getting destroyed by Tiger's kicks and knee drops, I start to feel like I just went through a war myself.

For someone like Fujiwara who has kind of always been an evil bastard wrestler in my eyes, I do feel sorry for him while Sayama is laying it in on him (even after Fujiwara was being just as evil to him earlier in the match!). If that's not a testament to how strong his selling is here, I don't know what is. To me, that's what selling is for.

MS-1 vs. Sangre Chicana (EMLL 50th Anniversario 9/23/1983) - EPIC

I've tried to deep-dive Sangre Chicana before but just have never gotten around to doing so, which makes me all the more glad I got to watch this recently. Both him and MS-1 are names that I've heard have some of the bloodiest brawls in all of lucha history and if there's anything I love most in wrestling, it's two awesome punchy guys making each other bleed throughout any venue.

It's a 2/3 falls hair vs hair match, and most of the first fall is spent with MS-1 keeping Chicana outside the ring after catching him off guard during his entrance. An interesting note-to-self is that throughout this ordeal, MS-1 looks scared. His body language makes him seem anxious. Almost as if he attacked Chicana before the bell because he knows he wouldn't stand a chance otherwise.

Once again, this is another match that serves as a masterclass in selling fatigue and exhaustion. Sangre Chicana showcases fantastic selling but also some of the best striking I've ever seen in wrestling. Every single punch is exaggerated just enough that all of them mean something without going too overboard that it would become cartoonish.

And they don't call him SANGRE Chicana for nothing; he bleeds buckets in this one. The visual of the bleeding itself looks awesome but what follows is even better. Throughout the course of the match, it feels like Chicana is getting stronger in real-time as soon as he starts to see his own blood. It's astoundingly easy to get behind him during this, really leaving me with wanting to watch more of his work. Only the best of the best can flip a switch and get everyone behind their big comeback solely through their bleeding (and punching).

Excellent match; maybe one of the greatest ever?

Sareee vs. Ranna Yagami (Stardom 6/8/2025) - GREAT

Let me be clear, I do love Ranna Yagami and she's someone that I do always want to cheer for. But I understand that Stardom is behind when it comes to their trainee quality compared to the rest of joshi promotions. Marvelous has Senka Akatsuki and Sora Ayame, Pro-Wrestling Evolution has ZONES and Chi Chi, Marigold has Seri Yamaoka and the recently debuting Shinno showed so much in her debut match against Mai Sakurai. While I don't think Stardom produces bad talent, their current, more lenient approach has certainly led to some of their rookies being lapped by those coming out of some of the more traditional dojos.

Sareee seems to agree too. In an interview with Tokyo Sports prior to this match, she was quoted as saying, "“Stardom wrestlers overwhelmingly lack the fighting spirit that is an important part of joshi puroresu. I have no choice but to train Ranna Yagami thoroughly in the 6/8 Korakuen show!" [credit to Shigeo on twitter for translating this quote]

Even though the interview is in-character, I think there's some truth to what she's saying. In fact, the part that sticks out the most is that she says she will "train Ranna Yagami" in their match. Sareee truly does care about the joshi scene and is not saying these things just to chastise the talent coming up in Stardom. She's trying to prove a point and push these rookies to be stronger and get further.

The best compliment I can give a match like this is that it was very reminiscent of an 80s AJPW match with the same dynamics: fiery young boy getting killed by much more experienced, grumpier old man. The match quite literally starts exactly how I'd want something like that to start, with Ranna instantly getting on the offense before Sareee could even finish making her entrance.

And going back to that point I said about Sareee wanting the best for these rookies and wanting to further them, my favorite part of this match comes pretty early on. After Ranna catches her off guard in the beginning, she continues to get some offense in on the outside. Right when she lands a couple of forearm strikes, you see the biggest smile grow on Sareee's face to the extent where she can't even hide it. She looks like a proud mom because she knows very well what she has done. She unlocked something in Ranna and pushed her. That might be my favorite wrestling moment this year.

While this match continues to be even better from there, that's the stuff I wanted to talk about for today. If you want a more in-depth look at this match, I highly suggest checking out my friend Zeph's blog when they publish their own thoughts about it!

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Thank you for listening to my thoughts on some random matches today; I hope you enjoyed reading! If you didn't, that's alright too. Let me know if you have any thoughts, criticisms, ideas, or whatever in the comments or get in touch with me on my Twitter page.

Art of the Apuestas: Bombero Infernal vs Cerebro Negro

There is nothing else in the world like a lucha de apuestas. Engrained in lucha libre culture, an apuestas match is typically gonna be one of the most important in a luchador's career. I read this tweet recently from mutual Chris and it got me thinking a little. What is it about an apuestas match that elevates it? Of course, the emotions will be higher just due to the nature of both participants having something on the line, but it's more than that.

In an apuestas, you're almost always putting something on the line that's bigger than any championship: your mask or hair. If you lose a championship match, you have the opportunity to win it back at some point, but you'll never get back your mask (most of the time) if you lose it. No rematch clause or championship win is going to remove the humiliation of getting your head shaved by an opponent you that makes your blood boil.

If you're facing the chance of reaching the lowest moment of your career, wouldn't you go all out to make sure that doesn't happen? Maybe you do realize that this is going to be it either way and you just want to do anything you can to make sure you make it a match to remember. The lucha de apuestas is the grandest match anyone could have the honor of being in.

Cerebro Negro, 51 years-old, is having a career renaissance in 2025. His work never really got "bad" at any point, but his output this year has been unfathomable for someone who has been going for that long and at his age. You would think that his body has taken such a beating over time that he's physically gotten worse, but no. The man is still wrestling like he's in his 30s.

Bombero Infernal is 52 years-old himself and while I haven't watched as many of his matches this year, what I have seen has been really good. Particularly, he had great performances in his bull terrier match against Cerebro Negro and then also in the preview tag match that took place 3 days before this hair vs hair matchup.

Tensions will always be increased when you have a (literal) blood feud culminating in two guys putting their hairs on the line. The match will have the vibes of a major "winner takes all, win or go home" game seven. There's nothing stopping these two from facing again, but it feels as if an unwritten agreement of "this is it" gets made when two wrestlers face off in a match like this. All the damage they've done to each other has led to this. Even if they do reignite things in the future, this will be the finale, for now.

All the blood these two have shed with each other is instantly multiplied by Bombero Infernal's blade job early in this match. I was instantly in awe of his crimson mask. It felt like he would usually be the primary bleeder in their matches against each other so far but he goes above and beyond here. The blood also ends up creating some insane visuals throughout the match.

Although Bombero Infernal seemed to be the crowd's favorite, I was definitely rooting for Cerebro Negro all the way. Again, this felt so much more meaningful than any other result of any other match, because it was! Sometimes it's nice to watch wrestling where I don't care about who wins and just see two guys go crazy, but I felt so invested in these two and this match. Nearing the closing stretch, I started pacing around the room after every kickout from Bombero Infernal, worried that he'd be able to make his comeback at any moment.

I want to talk deeper about this match at some point and maybe I will, but all else I really could say about this is please go watch it.

Anyways though, I hope you enjoyed reading this! If you didn't, that's alright too. I know this was more of a different post than usual, but I just wanted to speak a little about how I feel about apuestas matches and my experience with this one. Let me know if you have any thoughts, criticisms, ideas, or whatever in the comments or get in touch with me on my Twitter page!