10 Antonio Inoki facts you will never believe are really true!
Antonio Inoki passed away in October 2022, ending the life of one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. In the ring, he transformed pro-wrestling in Japan, with his cross-promotional matches with the likes of Muhammad Ali and Don Frye transforming Mixed-Martial Arts. However, as a promoter, he also created the modern-day wrestling that Japan … Read more
Masahito Kakihara Inspired Japan As He Beat Cancer & Won At Wrestle Kingdom
At Wrestle Kingdom 12, Masahito Kakihara made a shock return to New Japan Pro Wrestling after beating cancer, winning a royal rumble to raise money for his friend and former wrestler, Yoshihiro Takayama, as he battled his new-found paralysis. It was a heartwarming moment for fans at the Tokyo Dome, and was a real feel-good … Read more
Wrestle Kingdom 5 Star Ratings (Dave Meltzer’s Star Ratings)
Wrestle Kingdom 5 was one of the most international-feeling events in the history of the show, with superstars from NJPW, TNA and CMLL in Mexico taking place at the event. The main event of the show saw Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Satoshi Kojima to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. A number of crossover matches took … Read more
Wrestle Kingdom 4 Star Ratings (Dave Meltzer’s Star Ratings)
Wrestle Kingdom 4 took place on January 4, 2010 in the Tokyo Dome. 41,500 fans attended the show, although NJPW only claimed 20,000 fans attended the show. This is one of the rare times that a company has intentionally downplayed their attendance (something WCW bizarrely did during their peak). This is also the only Wrestle … Read more
The Death of Hiromitsu Gompei Is Japan’s Darkest Secret
Hiromitsu Gompei was tragically killed in 1995 while training in the New Japan Dojo, in one of the most mysterious deaths in wrestling history. New Japan Pro Wrestling remain tight-lipped on the true reasons behind his death, and it remains one of the darkest secrets in Japanese wrestling today. Little is known about Hiromitsu Gompei. … Read more
The Dragon Gate Animal Abuse Scandal Turned The Company On Its Head
In 2009, Dragon Gate in Japan was rocked by the reveal of a horrendous animal abuse scandal in their dojo. Trainees from their training school had been abusing a monkey, which was owned by the legendary CIMA, and detailing the abuse in a blog run by HEY-YO. All the people involved in the abuse were … Read more
Don Frye Had To Flee Japan After Retiring Antonio Inoki
Antonio Inoki wrestled the last match of his retirement tour against Don Frye at the Tokyo Dome, in one of his famouse “worked shoot” matches that blurred the line between reality and fiction. This put an end to a near-40-year career for Inoki, that brought him to the very top of the professional wrestlign world … Read more
Antonio Inoki’s Last Match Was Against Either Renzo Gracie Or Tatsumi Fujinami
Antonio Inoki passed away in 2022, at the age of just 79. The Japanese legend was long retired, wrestling his last match in 2003 before taking up a full-time role as a wrestling promoter and a politician. He ran New Japan Pro Wrestling until 2005, before starting up the Inoki Genome Federation in 2007, although … Read more
Antonio Inoki Hated A Luke Gallows Match So Much He Stopped It In Its Tracks
Antonio Inoki is one of the most eccentric and innovative wrestlers in history. The Japanese legend founded New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1972, booked himself as the champion for decades before nearly killing the company in the 2000s with his obsession with “Inoki-ism“. An incredibly passionate man, he always expected the best from his wrestlers, … Read more
Every New Japan Cup Winner (2005–2024)
The New Japan Cup is an annual knockout tournament run by New Japan Pro Wrestling. It features between 16 and 48 wrestlers from NJPW, with the winner of each match advancing to the next round. This continues until there are only two wrestlers left, and the pair have a match together at the New Japan … Read more
Hayabusa vs Jushin Liger Is A Classic Match From Two Legends
The 1994 Super-J Cup featured two of the most legendary Junior Heavyweights clashing in a cross-promotional match that is considered one of the best matches of all time. It saw Jushin “Thunder” Liger (of NJPW) take on FMW’s Hayabusa in a terrific match, with one of the best openings in wrestling history. The match was … Read more
2024 Guide To NJPW For Beginners (New Japan Pro Wrestling)
For fans looking to get into New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2024, it may be difficult to know where to start. The Japanese style of wrestling is so different to that in the United States that the way to watch NJPW is completely different to companies like AEW or WWE. With the biggest show of … Read more
Wrestle Kingdom 3 Star Ratings (Dave Meltzer’s Star Ratings)
Wrestle Kingdom III was the third annual Wrestle Kingdom event put on by NJPW, in their traditional slot at the beginning of the year. Wrestle Kingdom II took place on January 4, 2009, and continued the companies intent on building the Wrestle Kingdom brand for their annual Tokyo Dome show. This show was the only … Read more
How Inokism Almost Killed New Japan Pro Wrestling
With the death of Japanese wrestling icon Antonio Inoki still fresh in everyone’s minds, it is time to explore the long-forgotten and disastrous idea of “Inokism” (or Inoki-ism). While some have compared it to the modern-day interpretation of “Strong-Style” that New Japan Pro Wrestling promote, it has some very key differences. In this article, we … Read more
Vince McMahon Appeared Outside WWE For Inoki Genome Federation In Long Lost Clip
In 2008, Vince McMahon made an appearance outside the WWE for one of the few times in his professional career, appearing in the Inoki Genome Federation to honor Antonio Inoki. Prior to this, the only time he had a sustained run in a promotion other than the WWE was in the years before the Montreal … Read more
Wrestle Kingdom (2007) Star Ratings (Dave Meltzer’s Match Ratings)
In 2007, New Japan Pro Wrestling presented the first ever edition of their equivalent to WWE’s WrestleMania, entitled Wrestle Kingdom. The event followed on from their annual January 4th show, but gave it a new name and look to help better sell the event to paying audiences, after a lull in success in the years … Read more
NJPW’s Best Matches Of 2023 Revealed (So Far)
NJPW have been one of the best promotions in the world this year, putting on some of the best matches in all of wrestling in 2023. Their year started with Wrestle Kingdom 17 in the beginning of January 2023. This was their “WrestleMania” equivalent, and saw the biggest matches of the year taking place. After … Read more
Will Ospreay vs Jay White Should Have Been Wrestle Kingdom’s Main Event
Will Ospreay vs Jay White could be the biggest missed opportunity in NJPW – keep reading to find out why. With Jay White seemingly out of New Japan after losing a “Loser Leaves Japan” match at New Beginnings in Osaka, the future of Switchblade is up in the air. The 31-year-old Kiwi recently moved to … Read more
Jushin Liger Could Return 4 Years After Last Match (AEW Debut?)
There have been rumors that Jushin Liger could have one last match in wrestling, four years after ending his career for good. The legendary Junior Heavyweight has wrestled all over the world, winning titles in major companies his entire career. Liger wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro Wrestling, but found fame as part of World … Read more
AJ Styles Debuted In NJPW After Prince Devitt’s Last Match
There is no doubt that AJ Styles in one of the greatest of all time. From his debut match in wrestling, fans knew that he was something special. From his work in TNA and WWE, he became known as one of the best wrestlers in North America. AJ Styles is one of the few men … Read more
Prince Devitt Only Wrestled AJ Styles Once In NJPW
The huge clash between Prince Devitt and AJ Styles is one of the biggest dream matches in NJPW history… although they did manage to wrestle twice! While the pair did wrestle in the WWE (where Devitt is known as Finn Balor) on numerous occasions, they never actually had a singles match in Japan. While having … Read more
