Eastern Lariat

📢New Year Potpourri!📢

Dylan & STRIGGA look back at January feat. these topics:

➡️EVIL leaves New Japan
➡️Hayabusa's identity, Monday Magic
➡️DDT in January
➡️AJPW in Chiba: Miyahara vs. Talos & more
➡️DRAGONGATE: Shimizu vs. Vibes & more

#WrestleSky #PuroSky

The dust has settled & the door has been fully shut on 2025. Special Thanks to every single voter who helped make the awards as great as they were as well as once more Obsess Hedera for the official theme song, "Anti-Formalism".

Congratulations to all the amazing winners!

Finally. The final and biggest award given in the ELAs. The overall MVP of Japanese wrestling for the year. History was made as the 1st ever Joshi wrestler took home the top prize, confirming Tokyo Sports' MVP as well.

Congratulations to the Kenta Kobashi MVP: Saya Kamitani! #WrestleSky #PuroSky

The MVPs are judged by not just in-ring work but their star/drawing power, character work, story importance & their overall importance. For the Joshi MVP, it was the biggest landslide win of any award.

Congratulations to Saya Kamitani for being the Toyota Trophy winner of 2025! #WrestleSky #PuroSky

A moment Dylan on the show called a "triumph of humanity". After 2 decades this man became the top champion of NJPW. A shining example for his children, his deceased dad, and anyone who was lucky enough to see it.

Congratulations to @510njpw for having the Best Moment of 2025! #WrestleSky #ELAs

Every year it's important, but on this year, fresh off of the Retirement of it's namesake. The Tanahashi Trophy is always awarded to the best pure in-ring wrestler. And '25 is the same as '24.

Congratulations to the back to back Best Wrestler of 2024 AND 2025: Sareee! #ELAs #WrestleSky #PuroSky

The best Jr. Heavyweight in the business was highly competitive this year but in the end, an old reliable face ended up taking the win after another acclaimed year.

Congratulations to NJPW's El Desperado for winning the Liger Award for the Best Jr. Heavyweight of 2025! #ELAs #WrestleSky #PuroSky

In just a few months, the Knockout Brothers have flipped NJPW's tag division as a whole on it's head so much so that the voters have spoken and made their choice known.

Congratulations to Yuto-Ice & OSKAR for winning the Kawada/Taue 2025 tag team of the year award! #ELAs ##WrestleSky #PuroSky

The Best Bout. This year it wasn't just the main event of the show of the year, but the end of the road for one of the most memorable wrestlers in an entire scene's era.

The 2025 Best Bout Winner is Tam Nakano vs. Saya Kamitani from Stardom's All Star Grand Queendom. #ELAs #WrestleSky #PuroSky

The show of the year award often looks at the most complete show and/or the most special. With this lineup:

Saya v. Tam
SLK v. AZM
Syuri v. Mayu
wing*gori v. FWC
C-Hash v. Meiko
Suzu v. Seira

The voters made the pick accordingly. Congrats to Stardom All Star Grand Queendom!

With how many other awards they won this year, is it really that surprising? Whether business gains or the product itself, it was a clear choice for our voters.

Congratulations to World Wonder Ring Stardlm for winning the promotion of the year for 2025. #ELAs

Our closest award of 2025 was so close it came down to the recording itself where the deciding vote was cast. And after such a strong year as Future of Stardom champion, it was earned in a big way.

Congratulations to the Most Improved Wrestler of 2025, Stardom's Hina!

#wrestlesky #purosky

History was made this year as the "Super Rookie" became the first ever wrestler to win the Akiyama Award in their first year wrestling rather than 2nd. After her top 10 finish in the 25 25 & Under List, she continues to dazzle!

Congratulations to Marigold's Seri Yamaoka!

He started the year as IWGP Champion & main eventing the Dome and ended it winning the World Tag League, the ELA voters had a clear choice for this 1.

The British born Front Man of TMDK, @njpw1972.bsky.social's @zacksabrejr.bsky.social takes home the Hansen Award for Best Foreign Wrestler of 2025.

A thread of winners for the 2025 ELAs!

YouTube video by OBSESS HEDERA 「ANTI-FORMALISM」OBSESS HEDERA 2nd Music Video Japanese metal and loud rock band

Also check out the opening theme, "Anti-Formalism" From the Nagoya based band, OBSESS HEDERA. They were awesome to work with and it's a great song. Look forward to the future for the girls & guys in it as J-Metal gets stronger and stronger.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIC0...

The Eastern Lariat Year End Awards 2025 are in the books!

STRIGGA & Dylan unveil the ELAs, voted on by the listeners across 12 categories. Join in to hear about the best of japanese pro wrestling in the last year! #ELAs #WrestleSky ##PuroSky #JoshiSky

www.cagematch.net?id=128&nr=1351

Finally, the Hansen. Named after Stan "The Lariat" Hansen, this award is given to those performers who jad the best year in Japan while representing a different country of origin. Who was the best foreigner in Japan in 2025? #ELAs #PuroSky #WrestleSky

The Akiyama Award is for the best rookie, someone who debuted in 2024 or 25 as dictated by the ELAs terms on Rookie categorization. There are A LOT of great young talents out there. Which one should take home the crown as the Rookie of the Year? #ELAs #WrestleSky #PuroSky #JoshiSky

Thank you. I loved your ballot!

Improvement & growth is arguably the entire meaning of life, no matter your path in it. The Most Improved award is to award who from Jan 1 to Dec 31 of 2025 took the biggest step forward from point A to point B. So, who was the one who was the Most Improved of 2025? #ELAs #WrestleSky #PuroSky

Best Promotion has many facets to be judgedby. There is in-ring quality, but also business growth and the usage of their roster through their booking & stories as well as their ideals as a company. With all that said, what was the best promotion in 2025 in Japanese Pro Wrestling? #ELAs #WrestleSky

Show of the year. Match quality, structure, it feeling special...so many qualities go into a great singular show and that's not even talking about the buildup to it. But with all that being said, which show held up and stood out as the best of the year? #ELAs #wrestlesky #purosky

Best Bout. Match of the Year. Whatever you call it, it speaks for itself.

What was the best match that took place in Japan in 2025? #ELAs

Tag Team wrestling comes in various shapes and sizes depending on the company and the heart for it within each team where two wrestlers work in tandem as a singular entity. Which one had the best year in 2025 and deserves the crown of winning the Kawada/Taue Award? #ELAs

The Liger award. The representation of the best Jr. Heavyweight of the year. There's a lot of options with the amount of wrestlers below 100kg & used in the Jr. Heavyweight divisions. Who was the best when it comes to purely the Jr. Heavyweights in Japan in 2025? #ELAs

In addition to the Tanahashi love and Dome coverage we had heading into his retirement...we already have a Tanahashi Trophy! This award is given to the best wrestler of the year PURELY from an in-ring standpoint. The pound for pound best wrestler.

Who was that person in 2025? #ELAs

I've always said that Best Moment is my personal favorite award. What was the greatest moment in Japanese wrestling in 2025 that stuck with you the most? #ELAs

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Aight here are my picks.

MVP: Sareee
Was everywhere, always in important positions and more often than not has gotten me to watch.

Joshi MVP: Marino Saihara
With Sareee getting her flowers elsewhere, Marino has carried AWG on her shoulders, has been double champ and arguably the best performer.