puroresuroad

[puroresuroad]

Thanks for reading!

Some of you might have noticed I’ve been super quiet on here recently. Long story short real life got in the way and I guess I’m left at a bit of a crossroads with what to do with puro road…

Truth is I’m probably going to let the domain expire next month. I’m still going to be doing wrestling related articles, and this site will still technically exist but I’m just not going to be publishing…

[puroresuroad]

NJPW Destruction Tour Preview

NJPW Destruction Tour Preview

New Japan’s Destruction tour will be taking place over the month of September and will feature three major shows in Kobe, Beppu and Hiroshima. It will also feature several smaller ‘Road to’ shows including a special event under the ‘Blue Justice’ banner, commemorating Yuji Nagata turning 50.

With New Japan also promoting, and saving big matches for, Fighting Spirit Unleashed at the end of the…

[puroresuroad]

AJPW Summer Explosion Tour Recap

AJPW Summer Explosion Tour Recap

Following on from a noteworthy Summer Action Series Tour, and on the road to this year’s Oudou tournament (Also known as the Odo or Royal Road tournament), the Summer Explosion tour featured several first title defences for new champions and the entirety of the Junior Tag Battle Of Glory. Here’s a look at the biggest talking points coming out of the tour.

Iwamoto has arrived

Perhaps the biggest…

[puroresuroad]

IWGP Junior Championship Tournament Preview

IWGP Junior Championship Tournament Preview

Hiromu Takahashi is officially no longer the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion. In what was hardly a shocking turn of events, New Japan president announced that since Takahashi, who suffered a broken neck during the G1 Climax Special in the US, would be unable to defend his championship within the next six months the title would have to be vacated. This is due to an apparent ruling that IWGP…

[puroresuroad]

Stardom’s 5 Star Grand Prix 2018 Preview

Stardom’s 5 Star Grand Prix 2018 Preview

Tournaments and women’s wrestling are both hot topics this summer, and they are combined in Stardom’s 5 Star Grand Prix, which begins on August 18th and runs until September 24th.  Currently the winner of the Grand Prix gets a title shot at Stardom’s top championship, the World of Stardom title.  The 5 Star Grand Prix was inaugurated in 2013 as a twelve woman tournament, and expanded to fourteen…

[puroresuroad]

NJPW G1 Climax Recap

NJPW G1 Climax Recap

So another G1 has come and gone and once again we were treated to some breathtaking matches throughout. Much like last year however, it wasn’t just great matches that made this tournament so incredible, but the multiple narratives and storylines that played out over the course of the tournament, from Juice Robinson’s injured hand, to Okada’s new attitude, to the Bullet club civil war and more.…

[puroresuroad]

Sami Callihan.. KO-D Openweight Champion

Sami Callihan.. KO-D Openweight Champion

On Wednesday 1st, Sami Callihan became the 63rd KO-D Openweight champion, defeating previous champion Shigehiro Irie in a triple threat. The title change, which came as a shock to many DDT fans, happened outside of DDT, at a Rockstar Pro show in Ohio. This was the first time the title had officially been defended outside of Japan, as well as the first time the title has changed hands outside of…

[puroresuroad]

The Tsuruta & Baba vs. The Funks Match Series

The Tsuruta & Baba vs. The Funks Match Series

Tag team wrestling has always been a major part of AJPW, and the Funks vs Jumbo Tsuruta and Giant Baba was one of the first great tag rivalries the promotion produced, starting in 1973 and culminating in a series of major tag league bouts at the end of the decade. Here we take a look back at their biggest matches from the 70s into the 80s, and see how each of the characters and the story of their…

[puroresuroad]

AJPW Summer Explosion Tour Preview

AJPW Summer Explosion Tour Preview

This year’s AJPW Summer Explosion Tour runs from 3rd to the 26th August, ending with a big show in Chiba’s Kikkoman Arena, with a Korakuen Hall show taking place on the 18th. Not only will all of AJPW’s titles will be defended during the tour, but the Junior Tag Battle Of Glory tournamentwill be taking place over the months events. With that in mind, lets take a look at the biggest matchups we’ll…

[puroresuroad]

AJPW Junior Tag Battle Of Glory Preview

AJPW Junior Tag Battle Of Glory Preview

The Annual Junior Tag Battle Of Glory (previously known simply as Junior tag league) will be taking place over the course of All Japan’s Summer Explosion tour this August, starting on the 3rd and concluding on the 25th. This year’s tournament will feature seven teams made up of not only All Japan Junior heavyweights, but wrestlers from Dragon Gate, Wrestle-1 , Big Japan Wrestling and K-Dojo. With…

[puroresuroad]

AJPW Summer Action Series: Tour Overview

AJPW Summer Action Series: Tour Overview

Taking place between the 15th to the 29th July, and ending with a big show in the EDION Arena Osaka, AJPW’s Summer action series proved to be one of the promotions most eventful tours this year. Each of the promotions six titles would be defended over the course of the tour, with all but two of these changing hands, leaving the All Japan landscape very much changed by the end of it. With that in…

[puroresuroad]

NJPW G1 Climax 28 - Block B Midpoint Assessment & Recommended Matches

NJPW G1 Climax 28 – Block B Midpoint Assessment & Recommended Matches

By all accounts, Block B has been the “superstar” block of G1 28. All current champions compete in Block B, so title matches for the foreseeable future are limited to this group. While Block A largely features newcomers at the starts of their NJPW careers, and legends nearing the ends of theirs, Block B is a feast of career prime excellence.

The non-tournament tag team matches for Block A that…

[puroresuroad]

G1 Climax 2018 Recommended A Block Matches So Far

G1 Climax 2018 Recommended A Block Matches So Far

Compared to what has been a truly incredible B block, the A block has perhaps been the weaker and less consistent of the two blocks during this G1 so far, with night 9 being particularly unmemorable in all truth. We’re talking G1 standards here though, so don’t think for a second that means the A block hasn’t produced a boatload of great matches for us to enjoy. The ascendancy of Jay White has…

[puroresuroad]

AJPW Digital Fanzine Out Now!

AJPW Digital Fanzine Out Now!

Created by @PuroReviews in co-operation with @TheIndyCorner, @Hi5ame and ourselves here at @PuroresuRoad, the AJPW fanzine features reviews, news and historical articles on the world of AJPW.

With the new AJPW on-demand service ajpw.tv, there’s never been a better time to get into All Japan Pro Wrestling, and whether your a new fan or just looking to find out more info on the product, this…

[puroresuroad]

G1 Climax 2017 Recommended Matches

G1 Climax 2017 Recommended Matches

The G1 Climax 2018 is just around the corner, but if you can’t wait that long for your G1 fix, take a look back over these classic matches from last year’s incredible tournament.

Night 1 Yuji Nagata vs. Yoshi-Hashi

Nagata enters the G1 for the last time, and this match serves as a mission statement of sorts, as he leads Yoshi-Hashi to a great showing. The question is: Will Nagata’s last G1 mirror…

[puroresuroad]

Rikidozan: The Farther Of Puroresu

Rikidozan: The Farther Of Puroresu

Throughout the history of wrestling there have been certain figures whose popularity rose them to such great heights, they became cult-icons and folk heroes. Others such as Toots Mondt or Vince McMahon have influenced the sport to such a degree that it was left changed forever. There’s a strong argument however that none have been quite as impactful as the Korean born Kim Sin-nak, later known as…

[puroresuroad]

Stardom Goddess Of Destiny 2018 (Io Shirai's Retirement) Live Report & Thoughts.

Stardom Goddess Of Destiny 2018 (Io Shirai’s Retirement) Live Report & Thoughts.

At 11:45am on Sunday June 17th the bell rang to signal the start of the Stardom Goddess of Destiny 2018 show at Korakuen Hall.  The show was headlined by the new Wonder of Stardom Champion, Momo Watanabe, making her first title defence against Jungle Kyona.  Momo represents new blood in Stardom – she is only 18 years old – and clearly the company has faith in her given that she won the title…