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Wrestle Kingdom puts NJPW back on track, maybe on some new ones too
The biggest event for weirdos and insomniacs, other than maybe the Australian Open, got back to normal service last night. And that’s New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest event of the year, Wrestle Kingdom (bell time, 3 a.m. EST). Not only did it mark the return of actually cheering crowds for NJPW sho...
Antonio Inoki leaves behind a legacy that rivals any in combat sports
There’s not an athlete in combat-sports history with a bigger influence than Antonio Inoki. How many other professional wrestlers have a common opponent in Superman? Inoki is one degree of separation from Clark Kent because of his 1976 fight against Muhammad Ali, then the WBC and WBA heavyweight cha...
NJPW not only doesn't care about alleged abusers, it's actively pushing them
It wouldn’t be apt to compare wrestling or wrestling companies to major sports leagues in how they deal with those accused of domestic abuse or sexual assault, though the usual balloon-handed nature of it certainly looks similar. There are definite, top-level sports leagues that could enact any numb...
It’s <em>G1 Climax</em> time, baby! (Oh, were you not hip to that?)
Say you’re one of these people. You run with the popular crowd. The shiny crowd. But you’ve never felt like you quite fit in there. As you walk to yet another lounge or patio that you don’t really want to go to, filled with people you can easily come to revile, you stop in front of some dive bar or ...
The wall between AEW and NJPW has come down, maybe, but what’s next?
Ever since AEW formed, wrestling fans have been wondering, hoping, praying for some kind of relationship between AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Most of that was based on a swath of AEW stars who made their name in NJPW. Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks are first on the list, as they became global s...
One year in, don’t be fooled by AEW’s WWE alumni
AEW and TNT have both always said they’re in it for the long haul. But if you had told them before they started their weekly cable show a year ago that they’d have to hit pause on the promotion just six months in, they might have hedged their bets a bit. But, with some secret locations, a pretty ful...
AEW Has Run Out Of Excuses for Its Women’s Division
When AEW came onto the scene about a year ago, it promised a lot of things. It promised a lot of things that would be different than the other wrestling/TV company, WWE. It would feature a bigger variety of styles and performers, it would have an actual tag-team division, it wouldn’t be afraid to be...
![#MeToo Comes to Pro Wrestling [UPDATED]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/fwaw21ulolfyxayfs729.jpg)
#MeToo Comes to Pro Wrestling [UPDATED]
Considering where professional wrestling has come from, what it used to be, and what it still is much of the time, it’s no surprise that there is a wave of accusations of sexual assault and domestic abuse levied at wrestlers at all levels. And yet the sheer scope of what took place this past weekend...
Death of Japanese Wrestler Hana Kimura Returns Attention To The Reality Of Cyberbullying
Hana Kimura, a rising phenom in Japan’s World Wonder Ring Stardom (known simply as “Stardom”) died on Saturday at the age of 22. While no official cause of death has been released at this time, it has been widely reported that she took her own life....
WWE Is Banking On Crossover Athletes To Carry Its Next Creepy Saudi Show
When WWE signed a deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia last year, only the basics of the pact with the Gulf dictatorship were clear—biannual shows, in the kingdom, in exchange for a massive payday. Everything beyond that was difficult to imagine at the time, and became more and more difficult to ju...
Chris Jericho's Stolen Title Belt Saga Is The Perfect Capper To A Wild Week In Pro Wrestling
Leave it to Chris Jericho to make himself the biggest story in professional wrestling by virtue of partying too hard. The 48-year-old legend won the inaugural All Elite Wrestling world heavyweight championship at the company’s All Out pay-per-view on Saturday, defeating Hangman Adam Page in a solid-...
NJPW Let KENTA Finish A Match Despite Being Obviously Concussed
Months ago, fans had Saturday circled as one of the wildest pro wrestling days of the year: All Elite Wrestling’s All Out pay-per-view event would get the bulk of the American attention, but that day also featured dueling events from New Japan Pro Wrestling and WWE in the UK. There was so much going...
Let’s Remember Some Guys: When Paul Heyman Was Paul E. Dangerously
Paul Heyman is known today as the advocate for WWE wrestler Brock Lesnar, but about 30 years ago he was Paul E. Dangerously—named, as Heyman says in a WWE DVD, because he looked like Michael Keaton’s character in the 1984 film Johnny Dangerously....
Dean Ambrose Is Dead, But Jon Moxley Is Alive And Well
Dean Ambrose is dead. Long live Jon Moxley. ...
Does NJPW Understand Why American Fans Like NJPW?
New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Dallas show on Saturday was another step in its attempt at international expansion, but it carried a particular significance: It was the opening night of the promotion’s 29th annual G1 Climax round robin tournament, where some of the finest wrestlers in the world try to out...
A Guide To New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Climax, The Best Wrestling Event In The World
Every summer, the best wrestling on the planet happens half a world away from the sterile confines of WWE. Starting on Saturday, New Japan Pro Wrestling puts on its mammoth undertaking of a tournament, the G1 Climax. (Yes, Climax is part of the name, let’s all just try to be adults about this.) Over...
WWE Unearthed Some Legendary '80s Wrestling Gold In The Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup
Everybody knows that WWE is in a crowded and deeply boring creative trough at the moment, but not enough people know that the “Hidden Gems” section of WWE Network, updated every Thursday morning, serves as a weekly reminder of just how good and how fun WWE wrestling can be. The section works as an e...
The Real Legacy Of The Legendary Kurt Angle Vs. Shane McMahon Match Is WWE Doing Whatever It Wants
On Sunday, fans found that WWE Network’s streaming service had chosen to devote the sixth entry in the WWE Untold series to a match that’s legendary for none of the right reasons. It’s hard to know why the promotion chose to make a documentary about the infamously and gratuitously brutal and violent...
The Ultimate Warrior Is Not A Gay Pride Mascot
On Thursday afternoon, WWE ambassador and creative team member Dana Warrior, tweeted a pro-LGBTQ+ pride message, stressing that she “believe[s] in equality, education, awareness, and this simple fact: love wins... Always!!” In and of themselves, the words would be fine, but because Warrior is best k...