Thoughts on AEW's Blood & Guts show from the opening match to the final blood soaked screenshot. I'm going over what worked for me, what didn't, and where I think things might go from here. Plus some thoughts on people who can't seem to get past Jungle Boy's size, the finish of the Blood & Guts match, and the use of weapons in the cage. All that and some quick bites on AJPW Champion Carnival, NJPW Takagi vs. Ospreay, and more!

King of Pro Wrestling Podcast

Blood & Guts & More!

In this episode we pick up pretty much where we left off in Chapter I. Genichiro Tenryu is the new AJPW Triple Crown Champion, but his feud with Jumbo Tsuruta continues. How does it end and where do we go from there are the big questions we answer in this outing. The Four Pillars of Wrestling also make their first appearances in our story and we chart Mitsuharu Misawa’s life up until May of 1990. What elements of his upbringing drove him to wrestling greatness? What obstacles did he overcome? And who helped him along the way? All of these things and much more are covered in Chapter 2 of King’s Road: A 90s All Japan Retrospective. In addition to the context and background information discussed, we also take a look at the following four matches: * Tenryu vs Tsuruta 10/11/89 - Triple Crown III * Tenryu vs Tsuruta 4/19/90 - Final Outing * Tiger Mask II & Toshiaki Kawada vs Fuyuki & Yatsu 5/14/90 - The Mask Comes Off * Misawa, Kobashi, & Taue vs. Jumbo, Kabuki, & Fuchi 5/26/90 - New Generation Emerges Missing Pieces - Genichiro Tenryu left AJPW after his defeat in April of 1990 at the hands of Jumbo Tsuruta to be the spokesmodel for Megane Super - an eyeglass maker in Japan. However, the company seemed to have a dual motive in hiring Tenryu as they would launch a wrestling company shortly thereafter - Super World of Sports. The SWS was founded with the motto “Straight and Strong”. Megane threw a ton of money around to recruit wrestlers - mostly from All Japan - in an attempt to form a legitimate threat to the other big two - NJPW & AJPW. They even had a short-lived partnership with the WWF and promoted 3 shows at the Tokyo Dome with Vince McMahon’s company. SWS would not last and became a victim of both the economic downturn in Japan and perhaps their own overreach. Tenryu would go on to found another company - Wrestling and Romance, better known as WAR. Eventually he found his way back to All Japan and enjoyed quite a bit of success in his late 40s and early 50s capturing both the IWGP Heavyweight title and then the AJPW Triple Crown twice more. Horst Hoffman was a journeyman wrestler in the truest sense of the word. Born in Germany, he spent most of his early career wrestling in his homeland and honing his considerable technical skills. Hoffman caught the notice of fellow European Billy Robinson and found his way to the AWA for a time where he competed in upper mid-card and main event matches. Hoffman has been described as a shooter and his eventual exposure to a wider audience provided all the evidence one needed to apply that appellation. When he made his Japan debut in 1972 for International Wrestling Enterprises, it’s possible that an 11 year old Misawa first became acquainted with him, though he would go to even wider exposure in Japan when he began wrestling for AJPW in 1975. He competed at the highest level for the promotion notching victories over the Destroyer and Pat O’Connor and engaging in main event contests with Jumbo Tsuruta and Giant Baba. His final recorded All Japan tour came in 1977 when he teamed with Billy Robinson in the precursor to the Real World Tag League. They finished in the middle of the pack with 7 points. A minor figure in pro wrestling history by today’s standards, he was no less incredible in the ring and is highly esteemed by his peers and fans alike. If nothing else, he provided inspiration to a young Misawa when he needed it most and an older Misawa would pay a suitable tribute by adopting his ring colors and tights. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:10:00 Tenryu as champ 00:11:00 10/11/89 Tenryu v Tsuruta Triple Crown 00:17:00 Where next for Tenryu? 00:17:42 4/19/90 Tsuruta v Tenryu Triple Crown 00:24:00 Sayonara Tenryu 00:24:26 Where do we go from here? Tiger Mask 00:26:18 Mitsuharu Misawa 00:34:43 5/14/90 Tiger Mask II & Toshiaki Kawada vs Fuyuki & Yatsu - The Unmasking 00:36:21 What do I say? 00:36:54 5/26/90 Misawa, Kobashi, & Taue vs. Jumbo, Kabuki, & Fuchi - The

King's Road Chapter II - The New Generation Emerges

Night 2 of WrestleMania is in the books and I have some thoughts. What worked? What didn't? I'm feeling good and ready to share my opinions on the matches, angles, production values, and everything in between.

Mania Night 2 Reaction Show

Immediate reaction to Wrestlemania 37 Night 1! What do I think of the main event? What about Bad Bunny? Omos? Cesaro? It's all here. Plus, I talk a walk through the last few days of indie wrestling, especially that showcased on IWTV. It's good to be back and talk a little wrestling. Give it a listen and join the conversation on Twitter @kopw72

'Mania Night 1 Reaction & Mania Weekend Indies

Todd and Mike join me to preview the upcoming Filsinger Games Perennial 2021 virtual con. We go behind the scenes a bit, discuss the schedule, and even have a couple of exclusive reveals! We also present our top 5 game cards for 2020 from each game line (CotG, Legends, & Indies). Head to filsingergames.com to sign up for the Perennial - $10 for tournament play, $7 for non-tournament participation - and join us on Saturday, January 23rd, for a day filled with the fun of galactic proportions!

Filsinger Games Perennial Preview & 2020 Review

Happy New Year! KoPW Style... What does that mean? I'm not 100% sure but it probably involves vulnerability, humor, charm, and the search for perspective on life, love, & death. Oh, and wrestling! Lots of wrestling! Do I succeed? Who knows? What I do know is this past week has been a cathartic experience. I talk about Brodie Lee, AEW's tribute show, the past year, what's behind us, and what's ahead. Plus, what's on my bookshelf, who do I have to thank, and what are some of the people and things I'm grateful for. All that and a promise to you, listeners. Take my hand and come along for a ride...

Happy New Year KoPW Style

It's the best time of the year! December releases for Filsinger Games have hit. All three major product lines get something unique - from the fantastic Legends Expansion featuring Dynamite Kid, Adrian Adonis, and Gordon Solie - to name a few - to the Women of the Indies 2020 pack and the mammoth Battle Lines: Kronos set; I’ve got Todd Joerchel, Mike Melesky, and Battle Lines maestro, Rob Beaubien to chat about all the details of the latest and greatest. Rob gives a deep dive into the set’s creation, and we zero in on some of the newest and coolest characters to hit Kronos. Plus, there are some great teases for what's next, including the January virtual con - will you be the promoter to give us a name for what could be a new annual event?

Filsinger Games - December 2020 Releases

The fantastic Matt Charlton joins me for another round. This time we're talking about his latest book, J-Crowned: An Illustrated Guide to Champions of Japanese Wrestling, Vol. 2. When last we spoke, volume 1 was hot off the press, and the pandemic was just beginning. We dive into the past 8 months of living, a little bit of parenthood, and a whole lot of puroresu goodness. The names, the titles, the matches, and more are all a part of our conversation. We hope you enjoy and, as always, find the podcast on Twitter @kopw72 and Matt @ShiningWizardDs. Thanks for listening!

Matt Charlton & J-Crowned Vol. 2

Todd Joerchel and Mike Melesky are back reppin' Filsinger Games. We discuss the latest Black Friday game announcements including the huge name dropped for Legends of Wrestling's next expansion set. Then we turn back the clock to talk GWF Early Classics and the Classics era of Champions of the Galaxy. It's a deep dive as we go character by character and year by year, to cover the first 3 years of the Galaxian Wrestling Federation's history. We hope you enjoy and make sure to pre-order the latest sets at filsingergames.com and join in the conversation over at the message boards filsingergames.proboards.com

Filsinger Games - Black Friday & Early Classics

Back with an epic conversation between yours truly and the Filsinger Games Legends of Wrestling Team! Card gurus Chad and Cory Olson, Tim Dalton, and handbook writer, Stu Lowry, are all on board - albeit in various forms - to chat about their favorite territories, legends, and signings. Plus we go fairly in-depth about card creation - how do you craft a main eventer vs a mid-carder? What mechanics are important? How do you maintain a fidelity to the era while also creating exciting cards? I also get the chance to ask about the team's most desired signings, their favorite wrestling-related books, and their new podcast, Uncharted Territory! Buckle up, it's a long one but well, well worth it. (Editors Note: We had some technical difficulties during the recording process but decided to preserve the bulk of the recording as is. Special thanks to Chad Olson for joining me to record an intro and outro due to some unsalvageable material.)

Filsinger Games Legends of Wrestling Team

The Dark Menace himself joins us for this special Filsinger Games episode of KoPW! I loved getting the chance to interview Tom Filsinger, creator of Champions of the Galaxy, as we take a stroll down memory lane to chat about the "Best of" set released to celebrate 50 game editions of CotG! Todd Joerchel rides shotgun and we wrap the show up with coverage of the new George Tragos - Lou Thesz Hall of Fame set headlined by Jack Brisco. There's also some teasers, Best of the Indy's 2020: Tag Team edition, and an announcement for the future. NOTE: We suffered a couple of small technical difficulties during the recording of this episode. All efforts have been made to retain as much of the original conversation as possible while also providing the most seamless listening experience possible.

Tom Filsinger, GWF Best of, and More!

Another Filsinger Games edition of KoPW is here and what better time than GalactiCon season! It's a different con this year in light of the pandemic, but it might just be the best chance for lots of fans to attend in the virtual space. I'm joined by Todd and Mike to discuss the con, the newest game editions, and so much more! Plus stay tuned at the end for a brief update on the King's Road project.

Filsinger Games - GalactiCon 2020, Origins 2136, & More

It's finally here. Any longtime followers of KOPW are aware of my love of 90s AJPW and my desire to chart the decade in podcast form. I have finally taken the plunge and present to you the first part of a series diving deep into the King's Road. In this episode we journey through the beginnings of puroresu, the major players at the genesis of AJPW, and the lead up to the pivotal matches that set the table for the 1990s in All Japan. Names like Rikidozan, Lou Thesz, the Destroyer, Giant Baba, Stan Hansen, and, of course, Jumbo Tsuruta and Genichiro Tenryu. In addition to the prologue we also take a look at three matches: * Tsuruta v Hansen 4/18/89 “The Triple Crown” * Tsuruta v Tenryu 4/20/89 "First Defense" * Tsuruta v Tenryu 6/5/89 "The Blueprint" I hope you will join me for this ride through one of the finest decades in the history of professional wrestling. Missing Pieces - I want to take a moment to discuss some of the pieces left out of the episode. Toyonobori is a name that western audiences may not recognize as much as Rikidozan, but he was a star in the early days of puro - second only to Rikidozan. His team with the JWA founder and battles against him propelled him to the number 2 spot in Japan. After Rikidozan's death, he would lead the promotion as it's top star until a schism that saw him depart to form Tokyo Pro Wrestling. He took along with him one of the hottest young talents of the promotion and promised to make him a star - Antonio Inoki. Within a few years TPW failed and they left for IPW only for Inoki to find his way back to the JWA before forming NJPW. Jumbo Tsuruta was an amateur wrestling talent and even competed in the 1972 Olympics in Greco-Roman wrestling. He did not amass any wins during the Olympic Games. Genichiro Tenryu's sumo background included wrestling for the same stable that Rikidozan had belonged to. He reached the top division of sumo, similar again to Rikidozan, but after friction with his new stablemaster, he left the sport at the relatively young age of 26. Stan Hansen began wrestling in Japan for NJPW in 1977 and became a huge star immediately. His reputation from breaking Bruno's neck preceded him and he was an immediate threat to NJPWs top talent. He abruptly jumped ship to AJPW and it was a jump that had lasting effects on the power dynamics of puroresu. He is considered to be among the most, if not THE most, legendary gaijin of puroresu. Thank so much for taking the time to listen. I don't claim to be perfect or know everything and appreciate any and all comments, criticisms, and dialogue about this fantastic era of pro-wrestling. Thank you to Matt Charlton (@shiningwizardds) & Eddie Kingston (@madking1981) for their inspiration and support on this project - even if they don't know it. Hit me up on Twitter @kopw72 Chapters - 00:00 - Genesis 04:47 - What Is Past... 17:53 - ...Is Prologue 30:24 - The Belts 35:54 - The Triple Crown 43:37 - First Defense 52:46 - The Blueprint 1:01:46 - What's Next?

King's Road: A 90s AJPW Retrospective Part 1

My immediate thoughts on AEW's Double or Nothing pay-per-view! What's my reaction to Stadium Stampede? What were my favorite matches? Did the PPV provide much needed enjoyment in a time that had been marked by darkness and tragedy in the wrestling community? (Spoiler alert: YES!) Check it out and hit me up with your feedback over on the Twitter @kopw72 Thanks for listening!

AEW Double Or Nothing 2020 Reaction

No intro music, no flash, no script, ho hot takes - just some time spent thinking about Hana Kimura, fatherhood, loss, grief, love, compassion, and community. No anger or hate in here either. Take care and be well. Reach out for help if you need it. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255

Hana Kimura, Shad Gaspard, & Owen Hart

A weekly podcast from two fans of professional wrestling focusing on New Japan Pro Wrestling, but taking time talk about WWE, ROH, and Independent Wrestling as well.

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King of Pro Wrestling Podcast

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