Posts tagged okada
"But is it good?" The Only Worthwhile Debate In Modern Pro-Wrestling

Watch pro-wrestling long enough, and you begin to recognize the patterns of wrestling matches and the tropes of the medium: the heel cheats, the babyface "comes back", groups and teams inevitably betray each other, veterans "pass the torch", and on and on it goes in an endless merry-go-round of (hopefully) joy and wonder.

Eventually, you may even want to see some of these patterns and tropes at work because they provide a sense of comfort, a return to your once simplistic, romanticized view of right & wrong.

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EDITORIALSTim Kailis it good, kinder mahal, jinger mahal, jinder mahal, wwe champion, wwe championship, ring of honor, new japan pro wrestling, dario cueto, kenny omega, sami zayn, kevin owens, okada, kazuchika okada, roman reigns, the young bucks, charlotte, sasha banks, #WomensWrestling, tim kail, work of wrestling, podcast, work of wrestling podcast blog, blog, wrestling blog, wrestling is art, wwe, wwe network, the shield, seth rollins, dean ambrose
Am I A Pro-Wrestling Fan Or A Human Being

I stood with my hands in my pockets and my eyes on the floor, waiting for the next stall or urinal to open up. We were a pack of shifty men, unaccustomed to bathroom lines. A father and a son talked about Spiderman: Homecoming (the movie we'd all just finished watching) behind me. The father liked it. The son wasn't so sure. Both loved Michael Keaton. Most of us were quiet save a few customary post-pee man-grunts. 

A stall door opened, and a bearded young man exited. He wore a Bullet Club tee-shirt. I recognized the skull and crossed AKs immediately. Even though I knew nothing about the Bullet Club (other than the fact that they exist and are important in indy wrestling) I experienced the warmth of recognition. 

A fellow wrestling fan!

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EDITORIALSTim Kailnew japan pro wrestling, wwe, monday night raw, the raw review, sdlive, smackdown live, wcw, pro wrestling, art, pro wrestling is an art, pro wrestling is art, wwe network, nxt, kenny omega, okada, kazuchika okada
New Japan And Innovation In Pro-Wrestling
New Japan And Innovation In Pro-Wrestling

 

Kenny Omega drove his knee into the side of Okada's head.

There was an audible pop as boot met flesh, and Okada tumbled to the canvas, devastated. The crowd, enraptured by every strike, let out an awe-struck gasp (this knee was particularly vicious). That gasp spread out as a wave within the arena, and then fractured into light clapping and sporadic cries of "Kennnnnyyyyyy!"

My jaw was firmly on the floor. My eyes were stretched wide, straining to confirm what they had just seen.

Was this real? How could that have just happened?

Well...yes, it was real. It was New Japan Pro-Wrestling. And I was in love.

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EDITORIALSTim Kailnew japan pro wrestling, japan, wrestling, professional wrestling, pro wrestling art, pro wrestling podcasts, kenny omega, ishii, okada, tomohiro ishii, katsuyori shibata, kazuchika okada