Last weekend, New Japan Pro Wrestling presented Wrestle Kingdom 13! This is the equivalent of Wrestlemania for Japanese wrestling fans. On this episode of The PVDcast, I am joined by two good friends, Will and Justin, who will assist me in breaking down and analyzing the show. What matches did we like? What surprised us? What repercussions emerged out of this huge wrestling event? Listen to this strong style edition of The PVDcast to find out!
Like you and your colleagues, I enjoy NJPW. Having the opportunity to follow Japanese wrestling in the early years with the likes of Antonio Inoki and Shohei Baba while in the land of the Rising Sun was one of my greatest thrills. What is really fascinating about the Japanese wrestling culture is the news media has always covered pro wrestling as a legitimate sport, competition with wins and losses.
Some of this phenomena may be attributed to shoot-wrestling (prior to Strong Style), Shooto (wrestling/martial art hybrid, combat sport) and promotions like Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling (FMW)
I would compare the Japanese wrestling fans to die-hard European soccer fans. They love all things related to their respective passion regardless of the level of competition.
In closing, you guys were spot-on with your analysis of Wrestle Kingdom. I look forward to being entertained by your future PVDcast