Pro-Wrestling On My Mind

Catching up on New Japan Cup action today as I was able to work from home. I am on the 3/11 show now and I had to step away from my laptop because the timer went off for my spaghetti cooking. Before I left, only Walker Stewart was on commentary. When I came back, I became extremely confused. I thought Walker was doing a pirate impression, or perhaps an actual pirate had, for some reason, joined him on commentary. Turns out, that's just what Drilla Moloney sounds like. Fun fact to learn. For real (these are my dogs)* though, if someone told me he was related to the guy who sings the SpongeBob, I'd be inclined to believe them. On the topic of the New Japan Cup, I've noticed Naito reaching out to little kids to do a fist touch when he's heading to the back recently. It's adorable, but when did that start? I didn't think Naito was child friendly, or even people friendly for that matter. Is this what happens when you tag team with an actual ray of sunshine? And bless...

I never got into Pinterest, but, if I had, I know who my inspo board would have been dedicated to. My favorite ring announcer and, as far as I am concerned, the queen of The Temple on "Lucha Underground," Melissa Santos. That was HER ring and everyone else was just lucky to be able to enter it. Of course I always tuned in to see the amazing wrestling, but, very quickly, seeing what fabulous look Melissa would be wearing on the latest episode also became an additional major motivation for watching "Lucha Underground." She could pull off anything. The woman's outfits never missed. She. Never. Missed! Of course, nice outfits alone don't make an amazing announcer. Melissa Santos always set the tone for each match with the passion in her voice, her gestures, and her facial expressions. And she was willing to get involved in storylines (I'm inching closer and closer to that on my rewatch and I'm super excited) to enhance the experience. Her relationship wi...

Another piece of fashion commentary gold from New Year Dash was TJP (again, put this man on red carpet commentary!) noting that the bottom of Sanada's shirt has been getting shorter and shorter since he joined the Bullet Club War Dogs. This kicked my curiosity into overdrive and, when that happens, there is only one solution: RESEARCH! Here's the results of rewatching multiple NJPW events dating back to Power Struggle - Super Junior Tag League 2024, terribly edited screencaps and all. Heel Turns and Hemlines: The Evolution of Fashion in Pro-Wrestling, a Case Study of New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Sanada* So is TJP correct? Is Sanada's shirt getting shorter and shorter as time passes? If so, what does this mean? Let's look at the evidence. Exhibit 1 Power Struggle - Super Junior Tag League (11/4/2024): The sad day when Sanada betrayed Taichi, but what really matters is the fit. The shadows threw me off at first, but the red line marks where the hemline of Sanada's s...

Watched New Year Dash. TJP should be on commentary more often. He should also be on the red carpet at major awards shows criticizing the fashion of attendees because his analysis is spot on. When Yota Tsuji came out, TJP gleefully exclaimed: "I just found Carmen Sandiego!" And by God, he was right!        This is the same person! NJPW, find a way to capitalize this with some weird new YouTube series! In the meantime, my inner child is going to give me giggle fits for at least the next week every time I think of this.