Matt D - SC

Choshu absolutely taking the fight to Vader, leaving him a mess on the outside.

Vader getting his revenge.

All the New Japan wars they hide from everyone as their history slowly gets erased.

Check out this great Hansen bulldog on Inoki from 1980.

My favorite Japanese pro wrestling trope is "Jerk attacks someone with flowers from the sponsors/TV station."

Jon Moxley vs Claudio Castagnoli

The places that pro wrestling can be taken.

They say that for some the view never changes, but what does that mean when it's death itself that's following at your heels.

Oh the stories they can tell.

segundacaida.blogspot.com/2025/12/aew-...

According to the YouTube translation it's "Bloody Ray Guns."

But it was Brad Rheingans.

Check out how the ring shakes for this Great Kokina (Yokozuna) corner splash from 1989.

Some of the Soviets who wrestled in NJPW in 1989 took to pro wrestling better than others.

But it's the ones that didn't that are really interesting. Look at Timur Zalasov scrap in some of the weirdest, least cooperative ways possible against Kengo Kimura.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

I've watched every NJPW match I could find between 86 and May 89. This (5/25/89) is it for Inoki as a regular wrestler. He still had such a connection with the crowd. There's another world where he was part of the Musketeers' rise so much more directly (if they could rise past him). He was magic.

The Golden Series continues with guest writer
@mattd-sc.bsky.social of Segunda Caida!

Issue 904-Tully vs Morton, Jive Tones, WWF feuds heat up, mayhem in Evansville, MORE!

In my chronological watch of 1989 NJPW, this move by Hase in May against Liger might be the coolest move I've seen so far (and that's saying a lot given all the Soviets and their suplexes).

Start of Kobayashi/Saito vs Koshinaka/Sano from May 1989.

Kobayashi and Koshinaka are always such jerks and I love them for it.

Clever finish to the 5/24/89 Choshu/Fujinami vs Vader/Bigelow that we have as a handheld.

Nature Boys doing nature boy things. The mirror spot is great.

Riki Choshu couldn't outwrestle the Soviets who came to NJPW in 1989, but he could kick the crap out of them and punch them in the face so as to leave a mark.

Some truly glorious bs between Norio Honaga and Naoki Sano in 1989 New Japan.

Iron sharpening iron. The harsh embrace of steel. A man testing himself against a locomotive that never stops.

Stevens. Strong. Deadlock.

segundacaida.blogspot.com/2025/11/iron...

Mansoor capturing the zeitgeist in order to get heel heat (and thankfully, immediate comeuppance for his transgressions).

A story in four parts. Doink comes to Memphis in February 1993 and completely tears apart the enhancement talent.

YouTube video by Neil McNerlan 2025 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame Ballot Thoughts

www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9DJ... Hello friends! I recorded my first ever piece of wrestling audio going over some of my thoughts on the 2025 WON HOF ballot. If anyone is interested and has the time to listen it would be greatly appreciated!🙂

Structurally, they mainstreamed the “everything breaks down midway through the match and 1/2 is just an extended finishing stretch” tag structure popular on the indies which is inherently worse, dumber, less patient and psychologically interesting wrestling. Candy. So I didn’t have high hopes.

Happy Halloween from the most theatrical of the Red Bull Army, Victor Zangiev (Honestly, this has nothing to do with Halloween except for that I bet Zangiev would have thrown a fun Halloween Party).

A few pages on matchmaking vs booking and the lost opportunity of not capitalizing on Statlander vs Shafir when the iron was hot.

I get a kick out of Shades-Wearing 1989 Pillman coming out with Flag-Carrying Vader in New Japan.

The greatest defensive wrestler of all time, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, with some great defense against Riki Choshu in June 1988 (and then even better offense).

Jon Moxley vs Kyle O'Reilly.

What happens when the hunter becomes the hunted? When you're no longer the wolf and the wolves are at your door? When you no longer ride death but are chased by it instead?

segundacaida.blogspot.com/2025/10/aew-...

Finish to a lost Super Strong Machine/George Takano vs Shiro Koshinaka/Tatsutoshi Goto tag match from April 1989. Takano was throwing those spin wheel kicks like a maniac after Maeda left the promotion but this was a particularly nasty one.

Jon Moxley vs Kyle O'Reilly.

What happens when the hunter becomes the hunted? When you're no longer the wolf and the wolves are at your door? When you no longer ride death but are chased by it instead?

segundacaida.blogspot.com/2025/10/aew-...

Bam Bam Bigelow and Riki Choshu were absolutely made for one another.

I know this is a blurry handheld but it's a really cool lost move by Kuniaki Kobayashi on Akira Nogami from 1989. I love the approach of this. Kobayashi was really dynamic and isn't remember enough these days.