Eastern Lariat

With the announcement of All Together Again on June 9, the Eastern Lariat returns to discuss a possible card for the show and to take a look back in history when STRIGGA & Dylan first fantasy booked All Together shows in 2020. After that the attention is on two of the three companies represented on All Together: Pro Wrestling NOAH presented a loaded show from Sendai that saw Jake Lee vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima, Go Shiozaki returning and much more. In All Japan, the Champion Carnival continues and has some good matches and upsets to offer. Finally the Eastern Lariat presents a run down of the shows Big Japan and DRAGONGATE have to offer during golden week. A packed episode as always! 

Tokyo once more was the center of japanese pro-wrestling this past Saturday with both New Japan Pro Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling running important shows. While New Japan's Sakura Genesis in Sumo Hall produced amazing matches and stunning title changes in front of an ecstatic crowd, the opening day of the Champion Carnival 2023 left a lot to be desired and there were clear reasons for this lackluster tournament opening. STRIGGA & Dylan discuss these two shows and their implications for future developments. Join us a we discuss JUST...TWO...SHOWS!

At the beginning of 2023, japanese pro-wrestling has some great champions and challengers alike to offer. STRIGGA & Dylan discuss the champions of the traditional “big three” as well as those holding the gold in six other companies. With the general rule of thumb of the champion reflecting the state of a company, the Eastern Lariat crew not only discusses potential challengers, but also look at rookies in development and the general state of some of the rosters.

Eastern Lariat is back with a very special episode focused all on Pro Wrestling NOAH and Dylan is joined by his regular NOAH Patreon guest Dean (dnmt) The first part of the show is all about Daisuke Harada's retirement and we talk about his career, Dylan talks about some of his favorite memories and matches of Harada coming in from Osaka Pro to being the NOAH Jr. Ace. After that we talk about their Great Voyage in Yokohama, Dylan has to deal with STINGER once again and Dylan & Dean get into a lively debate on Kaito Kiyomiya and his status.   Check out more of Dean talking NOAH as well as Dylan's coverage of every Japanese and US promotion at patreon.com/easternlariat   Follow us on Twitter @EasternLariat   Follow Dylan @Viva_Zero Follow Dean @dnmt67 Follow STRIGGA @STRIGGA   STRIGGA returns next time talking everything going on in the busy world of Japanese Pro Wrestling!

What a spectacle it was. Keiji Muto retired on unquestionably the biggest show in japanese pro-wrestling in decades. The Eastern Lariat looks back at the entire show with discussions about Keiji Muto vs. Tetsuya Naito and Kazuchika Okada vs. Kaito Kiyomiya and their implications for the future taking center stage. With Muto presenting this huge event, two questions seem crucial: Can japanese pro-wrestling present something bigger or anything close to this? Who gained the most from this event? Besides that, STRIGGA & Dylan also put every match on the card into perspective and highlight current developments in the respective companies. 

Dylan is joined by a shocking return in WH Park from POST Wrestling! And on top of it it's to talk about a full length NOAH show! We go over NOAH's Osaka offering and then use that to talk about the Muto Dome show just one more time before it happens as the show is so prominent, even on the NOAH show with yet another memorable Kaito & Okada main event angle. We transition to NJPW and a little bit on their big show as well, the most notable thing being Jay White losing the loser leaves Japan match vs. Hikuleo. Mostly NOAH but a bit of Muto stuff and also NJPW too, it was great to talk to WH again! And keep your eyes peeled for STRIGGA to return next week talking about the Dome show and all of the other stuff falling out from it! Follow the Eastern Lariat at the aptly named @EasternLariat Follow Dylan @Viva_Zero Follow WH @whpark9 & his own forays into wrestling & the MCU @POSTWrestling Follow @STRIGGA for his takes on stuff Check out the Patreon for all kinds of Japanese wrestling coverage includin

More than ever in the past three years it feels like pro-wrestling in Japan is once again gaining momentum. Therefore, STRIGGA & Dylan first discuss Kota Ibushi's freelance status as well as Keiji Muto's big retirement show on the horizon. With a lot of promotions represented on that show, the Eastern Lariat also looks at the individual shows that DRAGONGATE, AJPW and NJPW put on plus Dylan gives his rundown of the big Osaka show Stardom ran this weekend. Exciting times in japanese pro-wrestling may be ahead, which also leaves the Eastern Lariat crew feel that same excitement!

The great tradition of drafts on the Eastern Lariat continues once more, but in a completely different format! This time, Dylan & STRIGGA don't draft a roster for a fictional parallel reality. Instead the rosters based on 7 divisions and 5 bench slots will accompany both managers for a full year, so much like other fantasy sports work. Join in for the fun, maybe draft your own team and follow along as each month will see an updated points ranking as well as changes within the two teams!

After three years New Japan made the decision to go back to have Wrestle Kingdom only on “Ittenyon”, so they went back to January 4 as the one date for their biggest show of the calendar year. With Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay the show set the bar high for match of the year candidates, while in the actual main event of the show Kazuchika Okada stood tall over Jay White. STRIGGA & Dylan talk extensively about these two matches, give some insight on the ideas behind the structure of the matches and of course discuss all the title matches on the card. You'll also get takes on the young talent that was prominently placed on the card in Shota Umino, Master Wato and Ren Narita. At the same time the Eastern Lariat team also discusses the angles and directions from New Year Dash the day thereafter and previews the Yokohama Arena show on the 21st that also has the Wrestle Kingdom branding.

The new year always brings a LOT to discuss in japanese pro-wrestling and with Pro Wrestling NOAH choosing January 1st as the date of their big Budokan show there's more to discuss than ever: Muto vs. Nakamura, Kiyomiya vs. Kenoh, Jake Lee debuting, the puzzling placement of the tag title matches and what does the future hold for NOAH after Muto? But first, STRIGGA and Dylan address the big title change from Syuri to Giulia in Stardom as well as the DDT & GLEAT shows from Tokyo Dome City Hall and New Year's Eve Pro-Wrestling from Korakuen. The final topic of the show are the first two AJPW shows of the new year that saw Kento Miyahara and Takuya Nomura in prominent positions as well as many puzzling elements such as the All Asia Tag Team Title match and a Voodoo Murder breakup tease.

The Final Eastern Lariat episode of the year is one of the most important and the biggest episode at the same time. With the support of their listeners AND special guest Michelle (@puroresueikaiwa) STRIGGA and Dylan assembled a list and their picks for the Year End Awards 2022 that range from New Japan and Stardom to DRAGONGATE and DDT with the inclusion of promotions like Ganbare Pro, Tenryu Project, Michinoku Pro and various others. You'll hear unique takes in a lot of the 14 categories both from afar and directly from Japan through Michelle's viewpoint!

The band is back together in a new episode of the Eastern Lariat podcast! STRIGGA returns and tackles some talking points from the past weeks and days in Japanese pro wrestling mostly focusing on All Japan Pro Wrestling, their Real World Tag League, their Jr. Battle of Glory and of course on Jake Lee leaving the company to maybe join New Japan. After a brief discussion on the Super Jr. Tag League in NJPW the final topic of the show addresses Sasha Banks apparently being in Tokyo on January 4 and what it could lead to. The show however starts with the question whether or not an indie wrestler bias is in place when judging talent from the US.  

Fumi Saito returns! The legendary Japamese wrestling journalist joins Dylan once again to sit down for a chat about Japanese wrestling and even questionable wrestling media and some rumors and the like we've heard about. We talk about NJPW and it's business, as well as STARDOM and what's going on there. We follow it up with a little bit of NOAH before we wrap up nice and tidy so Fumi can get back to his job. As always I appreciate the time given greatly! Hopefully you enjoy the show as well.   Follow the Eastern Lariat: @EasternLariat   Follow Dylan: @Viva_Zero   Follow Fumi: @fumihikodayo   Check out Fumi's other work including his shows like the Pacific Rim with Jim Valley on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter: https://www.f4wonline.com/podcasts/pacific-rim-pro-wrestling-podcast   As well as Write That Down! With Justin Knipper on the Fight Game Media Network: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/write-that-down-antonio-inoki-part-four-international/id1594255707?i=1000550724447   And as always if you want t

For the first time ever, NJPW and STARDOM, the top men's and women's companies in Japan unite to come up with a co-promoted show. Dylan is joined by his usual Patreon guest Sondre Bjørn to talk both major shows for STARDOM, first Gold Rush which featured two great title matches and one of the craziest main events of the year, and then the Historic X-Over, featuring a long discussion on the return of Kenny Omega to NJPW with his announced match vs. Will Ospreay as well as the crowning of the first ever IWGP Women's Champion between KAIRI vs. Mayu Iwatani. Follow @SondreBjorn - @Viva_Zero - @EasternLariat for more coverage of STARDOM, NJPW, & all the great pro wrestling companies in Japan, and if you want more podcasts featuring Dylan and a ton of other special guests give our Patreon, patreon.com/easternlariat a look! Enjoy the show with tons of airtime on this special all Joshi edition of the show, STARDOM, and all of pro wrestling!

With the end of the year approaching step by step all promotions are bracing themselves for the big shows coming up at the end of the year or in very early 2023. NOAH presented a double shot in Korakuen Hall with all GHC Title matches plus their DRAGONGATE joint venture Global Dream, All Japan's & Stardom's tag leagues started while DDT is closing in on their D King Grand Prix. While there's tons of stuff going on – All Japan are even running two tournaments at the same time – most companies don't feel as hot as they would love to and there's a number of reasons why that is. STRIGGA & Dylan bring up some of them and of course also point out what's working.

The traditional “big three” get a look at in the newest Eastern Lariat episode. It seems like All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH have much more issues bubbling than New Japan Pro Wrestling right now so first STRIGGA & Dylan address All Japan's missed opportunities to pur over their younger talent to the degree where the crowd reactions are a clear indicator of wrong decisions made. Wrong decisions also is the focal point when it comes to GHC Heavyweight Champion Kaito Kiyomiya who doesn't come across like he should cosplaying Keiji Muto. Muto himself has his big match with Shinsuke Nakamura coming up so his retirement road is another big topic once again. In contrast to thee two promotiomns things seem to be on the upswing for NJPW after their well received Battle Autumn show from Osaka that saw Ren Narita & Shota Umino in prominent positions. Join in for some positivity on the “King of Sports”!

  Dylan is back with part 2 of the Wrestling Observer newsletter Hall of Fame coverage with another voter! This time it's Gerard di Trolio from the Emerald Flowshow hops on to talk about the Non-Wrestler category which features Japanese promoters Sanshiro Takagi & Rossy Ogawa, legendary Japanese referee in JWA & AJPW and later NOAH's On-Air GHC Title Commissioner Joe Higuchi, AJPW's Triple Crown foreign liaison and chairman of the Pacific Wrestling Federation Lord James Blears, and the man who helped get Rikidozan into wrestling, Bobby Bruns, along with all the non-Japanese candidates which include commentators, promoters, legendary writers, managers, belt makers and music men: Lord James Blears Dave Brown Bobby Bruns Bob Caudle Bobby Davis Joe Higuchi Jim Johnston Larry Matysik James Melby Rossy Ogawa Reggie Parks Morris Sigel Tony Schiavone George Scott Sanshiro Takagi Mike Tenay Ted Turner Roy Welch Stanley Weston The Grand Wizard We also go over the historical candidates in the North American regi

All Japan and Dramatic Dream Team are the main focus of the newest edition of the Eastern Lariat as both companies came off a weekend with multiple title matches. While DDT is giving us one of the best championship runs in recent history with Kazusada Higuchi, many decisions in AJPW, specifically around the Voodoo Murders, are mind boggling and they led to in part atrocious matches. Besides these two companies STRIGGA & Dylan also briefly preview the big NOAH & DRAGONGATE shows on the coming weekends and the final of the IWGP Women's Championship and its impact on NJPW is up for discussion at the end of the show!