Tag: Rivals
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“Don’t say rivals”: The match that marked the beginning and end of a rival story.
When Harada walked into the arena, he was facing an opponent who could barely acknowledge the ties between them, who repeatedly denied their connection as rivals or as partners. But by the end of this match, something important shifted.
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Clearing the Rainy Skies-I, The First Dance
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The date is 4th of January 2017. It is Wrestle Kingdom 11 and the match between IWGP Heavyweight champion Kazuchika Okada and challenger Kenny Omega is the main event of the night. The bout they have is widely praised by wrestling fans, industry veterans & wrestling journalists alike. The match was about control, not just…
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The life and burial of Super Hardcore Katsumata
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Super Hardcore Katsumata (SHK) was, for the man under the facepaint, Katsumata Shunma, an embodiment of Shunma’s specific talents. Talents that, over the 14 months of SHK’s existence, found recognition and helped establish ‘idol wrestler’ Shunma as a serious competitor whose creativity brings far more than just novelty value to his wrestling. In between the…
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Dawn of the Aoyagi Era
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When people think of modern day All Japan wrestlers it’s a pretty good bet that the first wrestler that comes to mind is Kento Miyahara. He is the ace after all, so it makes sense. Other wrestlers could be Suwama, Jake Lee and maybe even Shuji Ishikawa. But another name is emerging as a popular…
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The Perpetual Invention of Detail: Shiozaki and Nakajima
Nakajima Katsuhiko betrayed Shiozaki Go on the 30th August 2020 in front of a small and shocked crowd, ending their partnership as Axiz and seemingly aligning with Kongo. Between the moment of betrayal and meeting as opponents competing for Shiozaki’s GHC heavyweight belt in November, they faced each other seven times.