NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 33 Block Finals & Semifinal Brackets | Speaking of Strong Style

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[SPEAKER_00]: Block matches are complete in the best of the Super Junior Tournament for 2026.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And after a very sluggish spring, this tournament's cheered me up, had good energy and an exciting finish in block action.

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[SPEAKER_00]: We're gonna look at the semi-finals that are coming up, starting tomorrow, and talk about how we got here.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Plus, more on the career of Tiger Mask is his retirement approaches.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And some of the things around pro wrestling too.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Which area we find stone?

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[SPEAKER_00]: I'm Stephen Conway, this is Speaking of Strong Style.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome, everyone, to Speaking of Strongstyler.

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[SPEAKER_00]: We discussed the news issues in events surrounding New Japan pro wrestling.

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[SPEAKER_00]: No ownership changes this week.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So we just got to focus on the matches, Jeremy, and

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[SPEAKER_00]: There were some good, some really good stuff that we're going to talk about from Coric and Hall, especially the last two days, especially the final day, and the action leading up to it was intriguing.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Overall, this tournament, like I mentioned in the intro, has cheered me up a little bit.

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[SPEAKER_00]: I'm just feeling better about watching New Japan when you see matches of this galber with this energy.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you know, it was good.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It was good to come in and, uh,

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[SPEAKER_01]: the the single block days on the weekend like the a block and the bleep people are fine, you know, like there were kind of a kind of a start to feel like the don't drum because of the tournament, near the end of last week or it's like, all right, I wouldn't mind the end of this wrapping up, and then we got to the the both block action days on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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[SPEAKER_01]: You know what, ended with a bang, surprised me, had some good finishes.

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[SPEAKER_01]: If I recall correctly, you were tracking this pretty well with what direction it will go and I tip my cap to you.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, let's attach this out, man.

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[SPEAKER_01]: This was quite the, uh, quite the final few days of block action.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, we're going to we'll we'll talk about that for sure.

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[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to look at the semifinals that we have.

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[SPEAKER_00]: We have two teams facing each other in the semifinals with a nice little twist there and I did want to mention one of the thing this past week.

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[SPEAKER_00]: I've been watching a lot.

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[SPEAKER_00]: I watched a startup over the weekend from Kyoto and there was another show and blanking on exactly where those matches were were real good and remind me again just how.

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[SPEAKER_00]: much effort goes into the stardom cards like that there's just the work up and down the card.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Everybody works so hard and those were terrific.

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[SPEAKER_00]: But Jeremy, there was a special event that happened and it was a, look at a special event or a grondate event.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, so now Chase, stay look around it.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Triple A wrestling.

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[SPEAKER_00]: It's on YouTube.

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[SPEAKER_00]: You can see it anywhere, doesn't cost you anything, might have to watch a couple of ads.

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[SPEAKER_00]: the mask versus match, mask versus mask match of El Grande Americano, the original versus El Grande Americano, the current.

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[SPEAKER_00]: This was special Jeremy, it was the best match I have seen all year by a country mile, the presentation of the match, the emotion of the match, the execution of the match.

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[SPEAKER_00]: We thought it would be good.

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[SPEAKER_00]: We know who these two guys are, Chad Gable and Ludwig Kaiser.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And we know how talented those two men are.

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[SPEAKER_00]: We also know how underrated and underutilized they have been on the main roster.

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[SPEAKER_00]: They took a joke of a gimmick, but that was

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[SPEAKER_00]: set up to be a light-hearted laugh in and otherwise busy show, they have turned it into the hottest feud in all of pro wrestling right now, I think.

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[SPEAKER_00]: It is Red Hot and Mexico, and watch this presentation from the entrances all the way through this match to the post match with the unmasking.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And I think you will see the culmination of a feud that is probably as good as anything that has culminated, perhaps since Cody Rhodes finishing his store as far as something going through a beginning, a middle,

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[SPEAKER_00]: and a satisfying ending.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Jeremy, this was special work.

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[SPEAKER_00]: All congratulations to the people involved.

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[SPEAKER_00]: You don't get this very often, but as I was talking to my girl, what we were watching it together,

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[SPEAKER_00]: When wrestling hits like this, there's nothing else quite like it.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And this was something special to go out of your way and see.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So at some point, folks, if you haven't yet, go on to YouTube, find that show.

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[SPEAKER_00]: The mass versus mass match is one of the best things you will see.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So this idea was born from a joke, right?

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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, we're watching, we're watching raw.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if you're watching raw last year or anything like that, but I remember Chad Gable is going for the title, the intercontinental title over and over and over again.

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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, they're going to angle with him and Sammy and all this stuff going on and he cannot be loot your doors, but he just cannot get back for an exterior, can't get dragged away all of these guys.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And so if you watch his match, he comes with promo about how he came in because he needed to learn how to be loot your doors because he hated them so much and, you know, he turned the corner on them and all that stuff and baby faced himself at the very end, but like we watch that and

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[SPEAKER_01]: When he first came out of El Grondame, Americano, it was treated as a laugh.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And there were things about it that actually offended people where the Gulf of Mexico and his AI background was labeled the Gulf of America.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So they're very incendiary things to heal him up and then he gets a shoulder injury.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So like all this stuff goes up and slow and they couldn't just bury him.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, right?

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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, yeah.

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[SPEAKER_01]: You could have just, you know, what whatever, it was a joke, we're going to do anything with it anyway.

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[SPEAKER_01]: No, they give, they give, they give to Ludwig Kaiser, right?

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[SPEAKER_01]: And the whole dichotomy of short due to the brown hair is all the sun, this very tall dude, with a German accent with peakish blonde hair like coming out of the mask.

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[SPEAKER_01]: You're just like, no, come on, no.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But something happened in which he fully adopted the gimmick, he fully adopted into the culture, and then for whatever reason the culture adopted him.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And one of the, one of the touchstones of the whole angle is that like, there's been this reaction of the Hispanic culture,

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[SPEAKER_01]: Then basically, you're saying, you don't have to be meant to be meant to be meant to get.

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[SPEAKER_01]: We know when you're meant to get.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And they're like, Ludwig, you're meant to get.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And he, he's like, yes, I am.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And from that point on, it's just like, you're part of the cookout for, but you know, like, that version of the cookout.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And he is, he is there.

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[SPEAKER_01]: He has been adopted.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And the ground swell that I saw going into the match.

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[SPEAKER_01]: at a restaurant was put out for him in Florida for what is arguably a racist incident.

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[SPEAKER_01]: There are things that are questioned.

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[SPEAKER_01]: There's a whole lot of things.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But you know what came out of it?

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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.

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[SPEAKER_01]: That dude became an even bigger hero to his constituents in AAA.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Like it just, it just made him an even bigger star.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It's like, he punched out a racist that was going to call ice.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Hero.

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[SPEAKER_01]: El Santos man.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Let's go.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, well, whether it's sure not, you know, it's a nice thing.

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[SPEAKER_00]: It's a cool story.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Well, again, uh, like we don't know what happened.

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[SPEAKER_00]: We don't know.

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[SPEAKER_00]: We don't know.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Like you rushed Geary coming out there and feeding the line.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But if just one of those things that it just they manipulated the whole thing, you know, like they they had to head it all ready to go.

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[SPEAKER_00]: and none of this works if the match isn't good.

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[SPEAKER_00]: However, if the feud isn't good, you know, the thing is every confrontation they had was exciting and it was done with passion and we talked about it on the show here a couple of weeks ago, there was a around the ring brawl that broke out that looked fantastic.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So many polar parts look like crap on AEW and on WWE and their polar part look like two guys who wanted to fight and wanted to hurt each other.

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[SPEAKER_00]: uh they incorporated various people into including uh Kaiser's uh El Grande Americano's girlfriend who is the announcer for AAA wrestling and worked her into it.

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[SPEAKER_00]: I would imagine they'll be bringing her back or the work the storyline there.

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[SPEAKER_00]: She was never actually gone from the company that was storyline thing.

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[SPEAKER_00]: But just over and over again

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[SPEAKER_00]: everything they did hit.

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[SPEAKER_00]: It just all worked.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And that crowd in Monterey, and it was a big crowd in a nice looking building.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And they were into every single thing, every move, every blow, every plot twist.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And I can't say enough about it.

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[SPEAKER_00]: It's been the best thing in wrestling over the last few weeks.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm almost sorry, it's over with, but when it has that satisfactory and ending, you just sit back and just applaud, just well done, gentlemen, well done, everyone, that was involved in that feud, and planning it, and executing it, no notes, that's as good as it gets.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think it was a pretty special match.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Before we got came on here, I asked you,

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[SPEAKER_01]: is it's now like a two match race for match of the year with the the Grand Damard Coneau versus Tana Hashino Coneau.

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[SPEAKER_01]: You just looked at me as like now.

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[SPEAKER_01]: No, we're on a match.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It's my number one.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't know if that's going to be the general contentist, but you know what?

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[SPEAKER_01]: I can't argue it.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It's not what you think.

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[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, Tana Hashie probably thinks this match was better than that, but that would be about the only person I think.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, he figures that it's better.

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[SPEAKER_00]: But it was good.

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[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I like, you know, I like the rest of the kingdom match, but no, this was, this was far better right there.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And U.S. V.A.

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[SPEAKER_00]: guys here.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Hey, he asked about good to see it.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And he says everything associated with that match was phenomenal.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, they got it right.

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[SPEAKER_00]: They got every single note of that right.

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[SPEAKER_00]: It was.

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[SPEAKER_00]: one of the best things I've seen in a very long time, just pure start to finish and the executed perfectly.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So congratulations to them, terrific stuff.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And in the midst of all that, we are going through a series of

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[SPEAKER_00]: pretty darn good, New Japan shows, especially when anything involving block A is on the table because my goodness, the level of the block A matches, Jeremy, really impressive again.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And so, got to see some pretty darn good wrestling over the course this past week.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I, like I said, in the opening that we can show, we're fine, you know, like I wasn't particularly impressed by anything or I got the the one that to quote up the the block play.

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[SPEAKER_01]: The one thing I'll give credit to New Japan is that they didn't do what they normally do with their booking, like they did they did differently in the last couple nights.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And it wasn't too very clear winner at the very end.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It was more like a photo finish with the announcement of who made it.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And I think it played better.

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[SPEAKER_00]: They have done tie breakers before, but they have never done tie breakers like this.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And we're going to get into just how they booked this thing so that I think what was it at the end something like 13 or 14 people were eligible by the end of this thing on the last night of the turn of the 75% of the field was still in play.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, and.

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[SPEAKER_00]: the way they booked each individual block was even interesting, but when we left last week, we said that a lot of this weekend will be about evening up the records.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So if somebody is one match ahead of their opponent, look for the guy that's behind to get the win and tighten everything up.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, they over achieved on that big tie.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And we had one show that was all A block matches and previews, B block matches and previews before we got to Corrican, which like you mentioned, each night in Corrican Hall was a 10 match alternate show.

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[SPEAKER_00]: By the time we got to Corkin Hall and through the first show on Tuesday when the show ended seven wrestlers in Block A were tied for the lead with 10 points and in Block B that was five wrestlers with 10 points and everyone in Block B was either five and three or three and five.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So with that in mind,

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[SPEAKER_00]: It was, yeah, let's see, that would make 13 people that were on 10 points, basically leading no one on 12, just one poor guy on zero-diking a guy, but we cut third to the field, not 75% I guess.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Well, still, it was impressive.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And then in the end, we had to go through a multitude of crazy tie breakers to figure out who won this thing and who finished second.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And when it all shook out,

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[SPEAKER_00]: There was a story line for each semi-final match that's interesting.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Every person that made the post-match, the post-block play has an interesting story.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So in the end, we have been complaining a lot for very good reason about New Japan's booking before this tournament.

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[SPEAKER_00]: This was fun, this was well done, it had suspense.

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[SPEAKER_00]: And now these two semi-final matches in the final that will come after it, I'm into it.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So this has been a nice run.

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[SPEAKER_00]: As much as we have criticized the booking of New Japan over the last 12 months or so, it's only fair that we mentioned that this was a really nicely booked and well done tournament.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I agree with you.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It wasn't like,

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[SPEAKER_01]: It wasn't great throughout the entire term it, but it was never bad, you know, it was just their point where it was just average and they were happening during weed, in which there was extraordinary wrestling going on elsewhere.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So it tended to not stand out, but if you were watching the tournament,

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[SPEAKER_01]: as you were going through.

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[SPEAKER_01]: For the most part, you were not disappointed.

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[SPEAKER_01]: For the most part, there were a match or two every night where you could point and say, you know what?

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[SPEAKER_01]: That was a real good match.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Are you right?

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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it was.

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[SPEAKER_00]: It was a tough run for New Japan to stand out.

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[SPEAKER_00]: We mentioned the triple A thing, but

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[SPEAKER_00]: the week and before that, you know, you had one of its best pay-per-views in this history, right?

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[SPEAKER_01]: And you know, so there were a lot of people that Robbie and Confucian was a really great match.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And I think you had a number of five star matches and people arguing that like, this should be the first show with like more than two five star matches ever.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Like that's what it was going up against.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So when you're trying to tell me, hey, man, like,

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[SPEAKER_01]: Roddy X is having a great campaign.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Hey, you know, like Fuji is really shining out.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, you wouldn't believe like Junkeside working so well with all of these guys.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It just, it bounces off the wall.

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[SPEAKER_00]: All right.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So let's talk about how we got there.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Now, we mentioned that there were some good matches over the weekend that the shows that only had one block at a time.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So that was Ni Gata and Toyama.

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[SPEAKER_00]: They were fine.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Nothing crazy good on that.

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[SPEAKER_00]: There were some decent wrestling and things, but it was mostly about clogging up the field toward the top of the table, so that there were as many people in contention as possible.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So let's take a look at how we went to the final day, mentioned the final day.

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[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to go over the final day matched by match because it deserves

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[SPEAKER_00]: Valiente Junior was on only four couple of wins to Gucci on six, and he was still alive with a technically.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, technically.

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[SPEAKER_01]: We would be doing it.

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[SPEAKER_01]: You have the threshold of who would still live on the final night on the final two days.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So to Gucci was on six, everybody was on 10.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So at the final day he was up.

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[SPEAKER_00]: But Teton was the hot starter.

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[SPEAKER_00]: He was five and

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[SPEAKER_00]: Master Watto, opposite story, lost his first two, red, and left five in a row before he lost to June, Kassai.

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[SPEAKER_00]: So he had to do that job right there where they busted the poor guy open, busted him open.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Again, they zoomed in on a blade job.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Guys, come on.

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[SPEAKER_00]: He's killing me with that stuff.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Don't care.

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[SPEAKER_00]: June does not care.

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[SPEAKER_00]: No, definitely not.

17:13.520 --> 17:15.921
[SPEAKER_00]: And it does crack me up, Jeremy, a little bit.

17:16.041 --> 17:16.462
[SPEAKER_00]: It how,

17:17.855 --> 17:20.957
[SPEAKER_00]: Nervous the New Japan wrestler seemed to be about belating themselves.

17:20.977 --> 17:22.878
[SPEAKER_00]: It shows you how very little they have to do it.

17:22.938 --> 17:23.798
[SPEAKER_01]: Everybody drifted to it.

17:23.878 --> 17:25.759
[SPEAKER_00]: I still don't understand that.

17:25.779 --> 17:36.985
[SPEAKER_01]: I would never let anybody do that, but if you hear the guy that seem to be getting up after every time you cut yourself open, you kind of want to be like, okay, guy, you seem to be okay after you do it.

17:37.065 --> 17:38.366
[SPEAKER_01]: Why don't you, why don't you do it on.

17:38.927 --> 17:39.788
[SPEAKER_00]: Have you seen June?

17:39.848 --> 17:41.929
[SPEAKER_00]: No, I mean, is that what you, is that the guy?

17:41.969 --> 17:46.012
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, like, you know, keep looking more and more at death for out of the back.

17:46.052 --> 17:50.875
[SPEAKER_01]: And I just think, you know, the, the, the, the, there are receipts all over your back, buddy.

17:51.556 --> 17:56.099
[SPEAKER_00]: Asking June to, June to blade you is a little bit like going to a dentist that has awful teeth.

17:56.799 --> 18:00.021
[SPEAKER_00]: I just, I just like, I don't know, I don't know.

18:00.081 --> 18:01.022
[SPEAKER_00]: We didn't, all right, anyway.

18:02.262 --> 18:06.426
[SPEAKER_00]: We go into Cork at Hall on June 3rd and there's a whole mess of people that are still in this tournament.

18:06.466 --> 18:09.770
[SPEAKER_00]: So it starts off with the B-block, which was the correct decision.

18:09.970 --> 18:13.814
[SPEAKER_00]: That's not as good of a block as a, and we get this out of the way.

18:13.894 --> 18:18.779
[SPEAKER_00]: So show faces Jason Jacob, Austin Young in the opener.

18:18.819 --> 18:19.020
[SPEAKER_00]: Now,

18:20.465 --> 18:22.366
[SPEAKER_00]: This was idiotic, this was really bad.

18:22.426 --> 18:25.786
[SPEAKER_00]: Thankfully, it was the first match of a 10 match show when we could forget about it quickly.

18:27.307 --> 18:32.428
[SPEAKER_00]: Dictogo and Zane J. weren't involved early, even Jake Lee made an appearance.

18:32.488 --> 18:33.749
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, not really amusing to me.

18:34.849 --> 18:35.229
[SPEAKER_01]: It was.

18:35.589 --> 18:38.110
[SPEAKER_01]: Jake Lee in that scenario was somewhat hilarious.

18:38.670 --> 18:46.212
[SPEAKER_00]: Countering the House of Torture, but as the match was going on in the match, they fought around Corric and Hall for a while before they made it to the ring.

18:46.252 --> 18:49.733
[SPEAKER_00]: So the match was only three minutes and six seconds and the segment was longer.

18:51.522 --> 18:53.845
[SPEAKER_00]: show has young in a submission hold.

18:54.105 --> 19:00.131
[SPEAKER_00]: A guy in a green United Empire outfit and mask comes out.

19:00.151 --> 19:01.352
[SPEAKER_00]: Did you know who it was?

19:01.532 --> 19:03.474
[SPEAKER_01]: How else did you figure it out?

19:03.554 --> 19:04.876
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, three seconds.

19:05.176 --> 19:07.058
[SPEAKER_00]: Clearly, you drew a talk of Hashi.

19:07.238 --> 19:08.720
[SPEAKER_00]: No one else moves that slowly.

19:12.123 --> 19:21.013
[SPEAKER_00]: And he throws in the towel on young and the referee accepts it like he's throwing in the towel on behalf of the guy because he's wearing green and so

19:22.403 --> 19:25.284
[SPEAKER_00]: And thankfully, this was first and we could forget about it later.

19:25.344 --> 19:26.304
[SPEAKER_00]: This was poorly done.

19:26.484 --> 19:27.804
[SPEAKER_00]: It was an idiotic finish.

19:27.924 --> 19:30.685
[SPEAKER_00]: The referee looked like an absolute moron.

19:31.445 --> 19:37.507
[SPEAKER_00]: And the point is, it got showed a 12 points to tick Jake, a Boston young out of it, and we can just move on.

19:38.007 --> 19:38.887
[SPEAKER_00]: Never mind that one.

19:39.127 --> 19:41.087
[SPEAKER_00]: In fact, I recommend you skip this idea, move on.

19:41.107 --> 19:41.928
[SPEAKER_01]: You're doing credit.

19:42.028 --> 19:43.568
[SPEAKER_01]: What could they, what could it happen?

19:43.828 --> 19:50.570
[SPEAKER_01]: You could almost go past all of it until the very, very end, because this kind of wind does not figure into the type of record.

19:50.630 --> 19:50.990
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you.

19:52.790 --> 19:55.892
[SPEAKER_00]: The next match, Taijie Shimori and Kushita.

19:57.033 --> 19:59.615
[SPEAKER_00]: In Shimori comes in on 10 points, Kushita's on six.

19:59.835 --> 20:01.856
[SPEAKER_00]: This was quick, but it was good about six minutes.

20:01.896 --> 20:05.458
[SPEAKER_00]: Ishimori attacked Kushita's feet, Kushita attacked Ishimori's arm.

20:06.319 --> 20:09.241
[SPEAKER_00]: And Kushita hit the back to the future at one point, but couldn't cover.

20:09.281 --> 20:10.121
[SPEAKER_00]: He was too dazed.

20:10.221 --> 20:13.604
[SPEAKER_00]: Ishimori got the bloody cross, and he was able to get the cover.

20:14.084 --> 20:17.486
[SPEAKER_00]: He won that gave him 12 points also.

20:18.006 --> 20:20.308
[SPEAKER_00]: Weird tournament for Kushita, Jeremy.

20:20.328 --> 20:21.248
[SPEAKER_00]: It was just a weird word.

20:22.349 --> 20:33.180
[SPEAKER_00]: It's strange to see the former ace just kind of being a middle of the road guide, but we've seen that magician, LIGAR, we've seen it in past tournaments with Tiger Mass, that's not the weird thing.

20:34.095 --> 20:50.986
[SPEAKER_00]: But the whole I'm an MMA guy now, so I'm going to wrestle without boots and then sometimes it's a serious match and sometimes he's doing stuff with a sock and it was a weird tournament to me and that it was just so uneven message they were trying to send with what Kushida is.

20:51.106 --> 20:53.567
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes he was a wrestler, or sometimes he was a comedy guy.

20:53.908 --> 20:54.888
[SPEAKER_00]: I like him better as a wrestler.

20:55.629 --> 21:00.712
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I don't know how to put it other than,

21:01.777 --> 21:13.896
[SPEAKER_01]: He's going to a different stage of his career now, where he is the coach, he's the mentor, he's the guy like teaching all the younger guys in the dojo, both in LA and in Japan.

21:15.288 --> 21:17.709
[SPEAKER_01]: And he's not there to get the shine.

21:17.749 --> 21:20.829
[SPEAKER_01]: He's not there to look and get and have the good move.

21:20.889 --> 21:21.229
[SPEAKER_01]: And all that.

21:21.549 --> 21:31.031
[SPEAKER_01]: So he's electing to do the other almost approach directly so that he can kind of leave it to everybody else to do the stuff that he used to do.

21:32.032 --> 21:36.372
[SPEAKER_01]: And the MMA thing is whatever, but it's no different than black mirror or like,

21:39.764 --> 21:55.410
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, the, uh, yo cat, you know, it was just, it was the theme of that played throughout all of his matches because he wasn't, he was a supporting player in this tournament to get the other guys over and this is what he is.

22:09.912 --> 22:22.800
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't want to say he's he's locked confident for anything, but he's just he's been at peace that this is what his career is and now he is going to sustain his career effectively going forward.

22:23.160 --> 22:36.388
[SPEAKER_01]: He's not going to be the guy, he's like you said, he's done that, he's got that liar face is in the kind of the tiger mask that that over the hump is like competitively, he's going to get a match here there maybe for the IWGP junior hitability title.

22:40.130 --> 22:42.512
[SPEAKER_01]: Junior tag titles, what could fly here or there?

22:42.792 --> 22:46.155
[SPEAKER_01]: If not like these completely written off, but they're not building route.

22:46.595 --> 22:47.336
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's okay.

22:47.776 --> 22:49.298
[SPEAKER_00]: Just drop the goofiness with the suck.

22:49.478 --> 22:50.018
[SPEAKER_00]: That's all right.

22:50.038 --> 22:52.040
[SPEAKER_00]: Just try to handle the claw with rough.

22:52.600 --> 22:59.246
[SPEAKER_01]: Like we can, I was really trying to move on from the mandible claw, but really now.

22:59.866 --> 23:01.748
[SPEAKER_01]: Now that's a good few level of dumb.

23:02.184 --> 23:05.546
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, USVA guy says, I feel like her sheet it doesn't know who he wants to be.

23:05.566 --> 23:06.807
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's kind of what I was saying.

23:07.007 --> 23:14.271
[SPEAKER_00]: It seems like he didn't know if he was going to do comedy or try to do this MMA and sometimes when sometimes losers is fine.

23:14.651 --> 23:15.912
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's fine to do something else.

23:15.952 --> 23:17.493
[SPEAKER_00]: He's done just about everything in New Japan.

23:17.533 --> 23:18.734
[SPEAKER_00]: So that's okay.

23:18.774 --> 23:21.755
[SPEAKER_00]: But either be goofy or don't be goofy.

23:21.775 --> 23:24.637
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you try to do both in the same tournament it's incongruous.

23:25.017 --> 23:25.537
[SPEAKER_00]: It's all inside.

23:25.978 --> 23:26.718
[SPEAKER_01]: He can't root.

23:26.818 --> 23:27.339
[SPEAKER_01]: I like that.

23:27.679 --> 23:28.059
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you.

23:29.163 --> 23:36.589
[SPEAKER_00]: El Desparado was up next and he faced Yoshinobu kind of Maro Desparado was on 10 points and Yoshinobu kind of Maro was on six.

23:36.609 --> 23:37.370
[SPEAKER_00]: This is what I'm talking about.

23:37.450 --> 23:39.952
[SPEAKER_00]: One guy was on 10, one guy was on six in each match.

23:40.613 --> 23:53.264
[SPEAKER_00]: Their former partners, of course, back when there's Suzuki Goon days and Chris Charlton had some nice stories about how kind of Maro helped Desparado find his way in the junior heavyweight division as he struggled the first.

23:53.544 --> 23:55.766
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's funny to think that Desparado did

23:57.428 --> 24:01.233
[SPEAKER_00]: struggled to the point that he was kind of just a guy on the roster for a little while.

24:02.274 --> 24:09.824
[SPEAKER_00]: And when he teamed with Kanamaro, it was one of those things where I would watch Desperado wrestle and just think boy, this guy's really good.

24:10.504 --> 24:11.946
[SPEAKER_00]: And it just isn't quite.

24:12.647 --> 24:13.388
[SPEAKER_00]: clicking right.

24:13.528 --> 24:18.573
[SPEAKER_00]: And then as he teamed with kind of Maro, I believe he got his confidence going a little bit.

24:18.593 --> 24:22.136
[SPEAKER_00]: And by the time he left Zuki go and he was well on his way.

24:22.156 --> 24:26.120
[SPEAKER_00]: It was fun to watch that tag team meant a lot to this Browna's career.

24:26.540 --> 24:32.446
[SPEAKER_00]: And so seeing these two against each other here was good because you can kind of see him start to get it.

24:33.177 --> 24:34.718
[SPEAKER_00]: with a kind of Maro as a partner.

24:35.158 --> 24:40.699
[SPEAKER_00]: They did a little bit with the whiskey, but it was mostly wrestling, no interference, even though kind of Maro is in house of torture.

24:40.719 --> 24:42.760
[SPEAKER_00]: Despae hit the pinchier logo and won it.

24:42.920 --> 24:47.681
[SPEAKER_00]: Now that through the machinations, mathematically eliminated show.

24:48.181 --> 24:49.822
[SPEAKER_00]: So show was out of the tournament now.

24:50.702 --> 24:54.723
[SPEAKER_00]: And we were beginning to see the pattern coming here.

24:54.843 --> 25:01.385
[SPEAKER_00]: Three matches so far, three guys on 10 points, all winning, getting to 12, and more to come.

25:03.852 --> 25:06.955
[SPEAKER_00]: That really told me what was going to happen in the next match right there.

25:07.035 --> 25:09.818
[SPEAKER_00]: So, best of the Super Junior Block B match.

25:10.179 --> 25:14.243
[SPEAKER_00]: Yo on 10 points against dice case isaki on six.

25:15.004 --> 25:16.906
[SPEAKER_00]: This one went a bit longer when almost 10 minutes.

25:17.146 --> 25:18.768
[SPEAKER_00]: It didn't need to be, though.

25:19.488 --> 25:22.532
[SPEAKER_00]: Yo won with a roll-up after a decent enough match, nothing special.

25:23.697 --> 25:29.221
[SPEAKER_00]: and dice cases hockey, one his first three and then lost to the rest of the way home.

25:29.461 --> 25:35.565
[SPEAKER_00]: So they gave him that little bit of a push at the beginning and then he just job out the rest of the tournament.

25:35.685 --> 25:37.587
[SPEAKER_00]: And as matches were fine.

25:38.304 --> 25:39.465
[SPEAKER_00]: Nothing really wrong with them.

25:39.865 --> 25:41.326
[SPEAKER_00]: Nothing particularly memorable about them.

25:41.886 --> 25:43.907
[SPEAKER_00]: It's been 14 years.

25:43.947 --> 25:45.067
[SPEAKER_00]: He's over 40 years old.

25:45.107 --> 25:46.508
[SPEAKER_00]: Still rests pretty well for that age.

25:46.648 --> 25:50.710
[SPEAKER_00]: So, not knocking him, but not knocking on the door for him to come back either.

25:51.230 --> 25:57.353
[SPEAKER_00]: Yo, meanwhile, was in a whole mess of tiebreakers on 12 points that would come in to play later.

26:01.255 --> 26:02.036
[SPEAKER_01]: I thought.

26:04.245 --> 26:12.831
[SPEAKER_01]: Dice case and Soxy having the four points was kind of poetic, you know, given that he only ever got six points, the first between the first two years.

26:13.292 --> 26:13.692
[SPEAKER_01]: That's it.

26:13.752 --> 26:14.152
[SPEAKER_01]: You had.

26:14.572 --> 26:23.059
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you kind of like, oh, they're going a bit of validation here, you know, like you having you haven't proved young young boy.

26:24.260 --> 26:27.643
[SPEAKER_01]: to do something that can get more than three wins over two years.

26:27.983 --> 26:29.424
[SPEAKER_01]: You've got four wins in one year.

26:29.745 --> 26:30.665
[SPEAKER_01]: That is validation.

26:30.946 --> 26:31.586
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not for that.

26:31.606 --> 26:33.568
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm like politically that was a nice thing to give him.

26:33.588 --> 26:34.209
[SPEAKER_01]: You're not to give it.

26:34.249 --> 26:35.470
[SPEAKER_01]: You're not doing anything more than that.

26:35.490 --> 26:37.512
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's just kind of a little shine for him there.

26:37.552 --> 26:42.556
[SPEAKER_01]: And then, you know, Joe is a mystery to me.

26:43.177 --> 26:45.319
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, when he's not the star of the show,

26:47.501 --> 27:13.178
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, he's, he's so in eightly goofy and un-serious that I cannot take him serious when he gets into the position and good for him, you know, like he was, he was in the final last year, and if you're like, because it was in the final last year and the field of silk strong, you know, if you're kind of, you know, maybe not, but, you know, they really, they really

27:18.063 --> 27:19.124
[SPEAKER_01]: Good batch, ish.

27:20.466 --> 27:21.106
[SPEAKER_00]: I agree with you.

27:21.126 --> 27:35.742
[SPEAKER_00]: It's a strange thing with you because he is intentionally strange and obtuse with a lot of the stuff he does in the ring, the playboy theme to gimmick now, which is kind of funny, but doesn't make any sense.

27:36.403 --> 27:39.947
[SPEAKER_00]: He was coming out in a what was it a plastic outfit for a while.

27:40.327 --> 27:42.508
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, Steven, it too with incongrues.

27:43.348 --> 27:51.150
[SPEAKER_00]: And you're right, though, even though he is a good wrestler, even though he is in phenomenal shape, good Lord, but I wouldn't give to have that build.

27:53.011 --> 27:54.531
[SPEAKER_00]: You can't take the guy seriously.

27:55.392 --> 27:59.493
[SPEAKER_00]: And I don't, I don't think of him as a champion.

27:59.633 --> 28:03.314
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think of him as a great wrestler in this division, even though when he was with

28:07.587 --> 28:12.573
[SPEAKER_00]: And yet, this gimmick just makes him look silly.

28:12.853 --> 28:15.235
[SPEAKER_00]: And I just don't think of him as a top guy.

28:15.275 --> 28:16.337
[SPEAKER_00]: And then fans don't either.

28:16.897 --> 28:17.838
[SPEAKER_00]: The fans just don't either.

28:18.199 --> 28:21.262
[SPEAKER_00]: And they don't take him seriously in Japan.

28:21.322 --> 28:22.704
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not just an American thing.

28:22.724 --> 28:24.165
[SPEAKER_01]: You can talk about it.

28:24.185 --> 28:24.706
[SPEAKER_01]: You know what I mean?

28:25.296 --> 28:45.301
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, he's a DDT wrestler in New Japan and the issue is that that's not going to get you to the top and he's a guy and I think he always, I think he always is going to be, you know, there are a couple of people, you know, here we talk about him that I've come to terms with that it's just not going to be what we hoped at one point and I think he was one of them.

28:51.688 --> 29:11.775
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's

29:20.818 --> 29:23.999
[SPEAKER_00]: Thankfully the stuffed animal thing was not a part of this.

29:24.460 --> 29:29.722
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure it'll be part of the last next couple of nights as he's in these tags, but this match was really good.

29:29.802 --> 29:31.382
[SPEAKER_00]: Robbie was on 10 heel on six.

29:31.923 --> 29:34.464
[SPEAKER_00]: Avalanche turbo backpack was the highlight of this one.

29:34.524 --> 29:36.965
[SPEAKER_00]: Doing that move off the ropes look really, really impressive.

29:38.243 --> 29:40.404
[SPEAKER_00]: He owes athletic, Robbie is a great worker.

29:41.104 --> 29:42.505
[SPEAKER_00]: That came just before the submission.

29:42.525 --> 29:44.946
[SPEAKER_00]: And it was a pretty good eight and a half minute long match.

29:44.986 --> 29:47.127
[SPEAKER_00]: You can't have a classic in eight and a half minutes.

29:47.527 --> 29:51.969
[SPEAKER_00]: And none of these were classics, but Robbie works very well in these situations.

29:52.469 --> 29:57.652
[SPEAKER_00]: And it put Robbie into an excellent position and on 12 points.

29:57.692 --> 30:01.893
[SPEAKER_00]: So once that all shook out, they did the math.

30:01.953 --> 30:03.154
[SPEAKER_00]: They tabulated the results.

30:03.214 --> 30:05.255
[SPEAKER_00]: They looked at the various one-on-one matchups.

30:07.227 --> 30:31.941
[SPEAKER_00]: Robby Eagles and yo end up going through in Block A on an absolute mess of a tiebreaker system, even though show got a couple of wins there over these guys, but nevertheless, because of all the way, it works out, Robby and yo moving on, Robby was first and yo finished second in the B-block.

30:32.462 --> 30:34.543
[SPEAKER_01]: Filthy math, filthy tiebreaker to love it.

30:37.528 --> 30:39.370
[SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, and it was that was entertaining.

30:39.410 --> 30:40.551
[SPEAKER_00]: Now we're on to block eight.

30:40.591 --> 30:43.294
[SPEAKER_00]: Now this has been the standout block the whole time.

30:43.534 --> 30:45.135
[SPEAKER_00]: Nothing but good workers in this thing.

30:45.876 --> 30:48.198
[SPEAKER_00]: And we saw some really good stuff and it started off.

30:49.099 --> 30:51.942
[SPEAKER_00]: Jeremy, one of the best dog on matches of the whole tournament.

30:51.982 --> 30:54.244
[SPEAKER_00]: Cosa Fujida, Dayae Kina guy.

30:54.344 --> 30:55.906
[SPEAKER_00]: It goes about eight and a half minutes.

30:56.046 --> 30:57.567
[SPEAKER_00]: These two are awesome.

30:58.408 --> 30:58.849
[SPEAKER_00]: They fight.

30:59.965 --> 31:01.826
[SPEAKER_00]: Hard, quick, crisp.

31:02.546 --> 31:05.687
[SPEAKER_00]: There was a great rope break spot.

31:05.907 --> 31:13.070
[SPEAKER_00]: As Fujida had to aching a guy tied in absolute knots in the ring, but he barely managed to get to the rope.

31:13.110 --> 31:18.512
[SPEAKER_00]: And that got a huge pop and chance of a, a guy from the crowd.

31:19.673 --> 31:22.053
[SPEAKER_00]: Japanese crowd loaves a young lion underdog.

31:22.594 --> 31:25.735
[SPEAKER_00]: And Fujida has enough of a bit of a strut and a smirk

31:29.962 --> 31:33.083
[SPEAKER_00]: But you also don't mind if he gets it put in his face a little bit.

31:33.263 --> 31:38.864
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, if he gets a little bit of come up, it's for the arrogance and Fuji does brilliant at that.

31:38.964 --> 31:43.586
[SPEAKER_00]: So in a situation where he's in there with an underdog, a like-de-eating guy, worked perfectly.

31:43.926 --> 31:45.906
[SPEAKER_00]: And the guy's going to be a really good wrestler, by the way.

31:46.647 --> 31:49.807
[SPEAKER_00]: And he ends up putting Nagai in a lion tamer.

31:49.907 --> 31:50.628
[SPEAKER_00]: Fuji do that is.

31:51.488 --> 31:51.588
[SPEAKER_00]: And

31:52.588 --> 32:09.322
[SPEAKER_00]: It was probably the best match, one of the best matches of the Cork and Hall shows that happened this week and up there with the tournament these two were just terrific, so Fujita, 12 points, moves on into the clubhouse with 12, a lot of other guys that were sitting on 10 to join him.

32:09.882 --> 32:20.571
[SPEAKER_00]: And the guy still kind of a young lion, on zero, this is how it works, but the guy wonderful performance is throughout the whole tournament.

32:21.593 --> 32:28.417
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I thought a guy did a really great job being the hungry young up in summer who could not get a win to save his life.

32:28.778 --> 32:37.663
[SPEAKER_01]: Mainly because he had two aggressive and other people took advantage of the stakes that he made in his matches, which was a great little story, you know, for him.

32:37.763 --> 32:40.285
[SPEAKER_01]: And I know where he started, he gets that win next year.

32:40.767 --> 32:41.847
[SPEAKER_00]: It's exactly right, Jeremy.

32:41.867 --> 32:43.507
[SPEAKER_00]: That is exactly correct.

32:43.527 --> 32:44.148
[SPEAKER_00]: You're nailing it.

32:44.728 --> 32:55.990
[SPEAKER_00]: They gave him something for next year already, which is that whole thing of like, all right, can he calm down and put it together because he beat himself so much in this tournament in a lot of ways.

32:56.390 --> 32:56.850
[SPEAKER_00]: You nail it.

32:56.870 --> 33:03.451
[SPEAKER_01]: You don't even have a move of couple in the first time like to have a move of couple and then have them do really, really well.

33:03.491 --> 33:08.652
[SPEAKER_01]: Like going out to gate and then the year after and maybe make the post block as he puts it all together kind of thing.

33:10.513 --> 33:13.995
[SPEAKER_01]: and click a natural progression of his own growth.

33:14.255 --> 33:16.196
[SPEAKER_01]: And this is a good starting point.

33:16.256 --> 33:18.317
[SPEAKER_01]: You still, kind of, you still, you're lying.

33:18.817 --> 33:20.077
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, you shouldn't be winning.

33:20.918 --> 33:23.539
[SPEAKER_01]: And but now he's got the tools to know what he needs to do.

33:24.019 --> 33:28.181
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, he's been in the in the in the lion's tent.

33:28.481 --> 33:28.961
[SPEAKER_01]: You know what I mean?

33:29.622 --> 33:37.165
[SPEAKER_01]: And so now he knows what he needs to do and how hard and deep he needs to dig in order to win going forward.

33:38.284 --> 33:39.344
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and now that was well done.

33:39.444 --> 33:42.225
[SPEAKER_00]: And S once says USVA guys as I dored this match.

33:42.245 --> 33:44.386
[SPEAKER_00]: Then the guy flip off was amazing.

33:45.487 --> 33:49.708
[SPEAKER_00]: There was also I just want to mention, there was a shoot head, but in this match.

33:49.748 --> 34:00.192
[SPEAKER_00]: So once again, Jose Fujita appears to be a moron, but nevertheless, they did do it, but it was a he's still in any but really a young punk.

34:00.909 --> 34:03.791
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, knock it off, kid, knock it off.

34:04.412 --> 34:05.373
[SPEAKER_00]: It impresses no one.

34:06.013 --> 34:12.258
[SPEAKER_00]: But the shoot headbush, it doesn't trick anyone into thinking the match is suddenly real.

34:13.679 --> 34:18.143
[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't do anything to make you think that the match has gotten more intense.

34:18.844 --> 34:19.904
[SPEAKER_00]: It just looks like what it is.

34:19.984 --> 34:22.506
[SPEAKER_00]: Somebody doing something stupid.

34:23.127 --> 34:29.072
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, I just say, if you think you need that to look tough, if you make it through the dojo system, we believe you.

34:30.724 --> 34:31.304
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not easy.

34:31.624 --> 34:32.485
[SPEAKER_00]: No one thinks it's easy.

34:33.025 --> 34:37.547
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't have to prove that you're a tough guy by shoot headbutting somebody.

34:38.147 --> 34:39.468
[SPEAKER_00]: It's stupid.

34:39.748 --> 34:41.729
[SPEAKER_00]: It's an unintelligent thing to do.

34:42.009 --> 34:43.809
[SPEAKER_00]: And you're unintelligent if you continue to do it.

34:44.170 --> 34:44.550
[SPEAKER_00]: There you go.

34:47.591 --> 34:51.553
[SPEAKER_00]: Next, we had valianta and Robbie X.

34:57.497 --> 34:59.618
[SPEAKER_00]: Robbie has been brilliant the whole tournament as well.

35:00.198 --> 35:08.182
[SPEAKER_00]: This was a really good match, and it sent a message that Block A wouldn't be exactly like Block B, although mathematically it couldn't be in that.

35:08.243 --> 35:11.444
[SPEAKER_00]: Robbie X stuck on 10 did not make it to 12.

35:11.504 --> 35:15.386
[SPEAKER_00]: Everybody that was on 10 in the B block made it to 12.

35:15.826 --> 35:16.287
[SPEAKER_00]: They all won.

35:17.187 --> 35:26.232
[SPEAKER_00]: This time, this is a guy on 10 that stays stuck on 10 is valianta junior and gets hooks in a leg lock and forces Robbie to tap out, which takes Robbie out of contention.

35:26.692 --> 35:34.097
[SPEAKER_00]: So nothing is going to stop me from loving Robbie X in this journey, though, just a great performance valianta, young luchador.

35:34.717 --> 35:36.218
[SPEAKER_00]: his first best of the super junior.

35:36.238 --> 35:39.661
[SPEAKER_00]: So he gets six points and look good doing it.

35:40.202 --> 35:45.246
[SPEAKER_00]: I had that unfortunate incident with his knee and against a Gucci, but healed up just fine.

35:45.266 --> 35:46.567
[SPEAKER_00]: Got a drain and he's all right.

35:47.248 --> 35:48.669
[SPEAKER_00]: And you know, did fine.

35:48.789 --> 35:49.209
[SPEAKER_00]: Did fine.

35:49.249 --> 35:49.770
[SPEAKER_00]: First tournament.

35:49.970 --> 35:50.551
[SPEAKER_00]: Did all right, kid.

35:51.652 --> 35:56.075
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, Robbie, that's probably deserving of all the work in this tournament.

35:56.916 --> 35:57.917
[SPEAKER_01]: It hit a lot of feet.

35:57.977 --> 35:59.198
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll get to those at the end, aren't we?

35:59.238 --> 35:59.939
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to look at these.

36:02.840 --> 36:06.501
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I don't have enough great thing to say about Robbie Epson.

36:06.602 --> 36:07.702
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't know much about that.

36:07.742 --> 36:08.422
[SPEAKER_01]: And did you, Junior?

36:08.722 --> 36:09.203
[SPEAKER_01]: He's fine.

36:09.623 --> 36:11.483
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to enjoy seeing him more.

36:11.924 --> 36:15.345
[SPEAKER_01]: I felt like we really only got.

36:17.228 --> 36:42.670
[SPEAKER_01]: you know like showcase matches really for him there wasn't really any like character work or depth or creating any fumes or anything really just other than here's a guy in a mask and he's gonna do some flippy shit uh and that's fine like you just need exciting matches and he provided an extra little uh which a flavor that you know he can lose when Teton needed to win that kind of thing and

36:43.983 --> 36:44.663
[SPEAKER_01]: It was all good.

36:44.763 --> 36:45.984
[SPEAKER_01]: He was fine.

36:46.124 --> 36:55.848
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm glad he was okay from that weird scare that he had where he like quickly hyper extended his knee and decided that it was the best interest, you know, not to before.

36:55.868 --> 37:05.092
[SPEAKER_01]: And there was no harm, no foul, you know, in the past something like that would definitely give you a bad reputation and turn like that.

37:05.372 --> 37:08.813
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm glad that there isn't anything like that.

37:08.873 --> 37:10.074
[SPEAKER_01]: That really happened.

37:11.887 --> 37:14.049
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think it's all I have to say about that.

37:14.709 --> 37:21.815
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm curious to see what Valiente does over the next couple of years because this past year from last Super Junior's to this one.

37:22.656 --> 37:23.277
[SPEAKER_00]: He has

37:24.779 --> 37:32.341
[SPEAKER_00]: moved up to about the middle of the CMLL roster from being a young guy just starting out.

37:32.401 --> 37:35.022
[SPEAKER_00]: So there are a couple stages to your CMLL career.

37:35.062 --> 37:38.183
[SPEAKER_00]: They save the best of the best, usually for Friday nights, right?

37:38.763 --> 37:41.564
[SPEAKER_00]: We don't know if it's the big Friday night show, but they run all week long.

37:42.024 --> 37:48.886
[SPEAKER_00]: And Bellyante was getting steady work and working in Guadalajar and he was working in Arena Calesillo, the smaller Arena in Mexico City and Pueblo and things.

37:49.646 --> 37:53.227
[SPEAKER_00]: And then this past year, he started getting booked more regularly,

37:54.627 --> 37:57.269
[SPEAKER_00]: but more often on Friday nights.

37:58.190 --> 38:00.751
[SPEAKER_00]: And sometimes it's in the opener, sometimes.

38:00.811 --> 38:04.994
[SPEAKER_00]: So the opener is usually like a minis match, or somebody who's super new.

38:06.375 --> 38:08.117
[SPEAKER_00]: You start getting on second, third.

38:08.137 --> 38:11.059
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, sometimes there's only five matches on the show.

38:11.119 --> 38:15.102
[SPEAKER_00]: So third is right smack in the middle, and that seems to be where he is.

38:15.162 --> 38:17.043
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes he strays a little bit higher on the card.

38:17.083 --> 38:19.545
[SPEAKER_00]: That type of thing, but he's just kind of getting his sea legs under him.

38:19.585 --> 38:22.427
[SPEAKER_00]: I think this was given to him for some more experience.

38:23.682 --> 38:28.305
[SPEAKER_00]: but I also don't think they would have sent him over here if they didn't think there was true potential in him.

38:29.746 --> 38:31.507
[SPEAKER_00]: So you mentioned Teton.

38:31.847 --> 38:33.529
[SPEAKER_00]: He's much higher on the food chain.

38:33.569 --> 38:37.251
[SPEAKER_00]: Teton will main event a Friday and nobody looks at it sideways.

38:38.332 --> 38:46.197
[SPEAKER_00]: Valiente is the guy that can go over there with him and learn how Japanese tour works and what she did.

38:47.356 --> 38:48.396
[SPEAKER_00]: gain that experience.

38:48.716 --> 38:54.518
[SPEAKER_00]: And that to me, though, says that they, because Teton was that guy in the past.

38:55.118 --> 38:58.679
[SPEAKER_00]: So, to me, it just says that they have some sort of plans for him.

38:58.739 --> 39:00.140
[SPEAKER_00]: So, let's see where he is in a year, too.

39:00.720 --> 39:03.021
[SPEAKER_00]: If he isn't a little bit closer to the top and see him, I'll.

39:03.241 --> 39:05.822
[SPEAKER_00]: So, not right yet.

39:05.862 --> 39:06.622
[SPEAKER_01]: Not right yet.

39:07.822 --> 39:08.322
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, next.

39:09.363 --> 39:10.043
[SPEAKER_00]: Next we had.

39:11.090 --> 39:14.533
[SPEAKER_00]: at Junkesi on 10 points again against Ryusuke Taguchi.

39:15.134 --> 39:16.655
[SPEAKER_00]: I called this last week that night.

39:17.596 --> 39:18.416
[SPEAKER_00]: It was quick.

39:18.617 --> 39:20.698
[SPEAKER_00]: It was strange and it was just as I predicted.

39:21.019 --> 39:25.042
[SPEAKER_00]: Taguchi came out with a small step ladder, like one of the ones you used.

39:25.102 --> 39:29.206
[SPEAKER_01]: But on my favorite mode to the entire tournament, I'm not going to lie.

39:29.506 --> 39:31.748
[SPEAKER_01]: I was so, I was so pleased with this.

39:32.449 --> 39:45.187
[SPEAKER_00]: was your favorite part him putting on the goggles or was it like me your favorite part where he asked two of the young lions to hold the base steady like they do not are sent to young lions holding the base steady for him.

39:46.948 --> 39:56.432
[SPEAKER_00]: This a five-year-old could have fallen off this thing and not gotten hurt, but nevertheless he wrinkle, but there definitely a minimal amount of risk, not a zero percent risk.

39:56.872 --> 40:05.716
[SPEAKER_01]: I understand why he exhibited caution while lifting himself off of the floor of the rig.

40:05.896 --> 40:10.879
[SPEAKER_00]: And Chris and Walker were having fun with this saying, that's at least three feet off the ground, but

40:11.857 --> 40:39.614
[SPEAKER_00]: uh... he uh... did the dive so he parody june kissai's uh... dive uh... to go she took the skewers to the head which surprised me thankfully didn't do you know got to the agenda to the act to i'll go take it right to the butt if any at a light and yes he did yeah they didn't stick to it instead they fell off right away well and that's doctor up i mean and the iron bomb it's the iron bomb no wonder that uh... no wonder that hip attack works can't even get a needle through the things uh... at least we don't have to worry about him being on steroids

40:41.735 --> 40:44.477
[SPEAKER_00]: he he found a counter to the running Larry at spot.

40:44.517 --> 40:51.202
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, this is a really dumb thing the Kassai does where he runs back and forth over and over again.

40:51.222 --> 41:01.169
[SPEAKER_00]: Just runs the ropes for a while while his opponent has to kind of stand there and act like their days for a really long time until he finally throws the Larry it.

41:01.509 --> 41:03.510
[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't look particularly it's not one of the strongest

41:07.373 --> 41:21.932
[SPEAKER_00]: countered that with a hip attack in a way that made sense actually he's in sort of made it look like he rolled Kassai into a false sense of security and then hit the hip attack on ended up getting an inside cradle for the wind and you struggled for that inside cradle.

41:22.390 --> 41:30.156
[SPEAKER_01]: He did because because I, you know, he's fighting for an impact cradle and it actually made the impact cradle mean to something.

41:30.676 --> 41:31.056
[SPEAKER_01]: It did.

41:31.096 --> 41:31.297
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.

41:31.317 --> 41:31.637
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.

41:31.937 --> 41:37.121
[SPEAKER_00]: And also it's also funny because because I does move awkwardly, he's taking a pounding over the course of his career.

41:37.181 --> 41:38.762
[SPEAKER_00]: So it worked.

41:38.982 --> 41:39.302
[SPEAKER_00]: It worked.

41:39.322 --> 41:39.703
[SPEAKER_00]: The inside.

41:39.723 --> 41:43.145
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not criticizing the inside cradle for not being Chris, but kind of worked in the moment there.

41:43.906 --> 41:48.709
[SPEAKER_00]: And just like I said, if anyone is going to be able to counteract the death match guy,

41:49.770 --> 41:54.091
[SPEAKER_00]: to Gucci and his silver one and he got the win.

41:54.131 --> 42:03.975
[SPEAKER_00]: He stops June Kasi on 10 June Kasi does not move on and to Gucci breaks, Jewish and thunder laggers record for the most victories in best of the super juniors.

42:07.736 --> 42:12.297
[SPEAKER_01]: That is a nice guy to get over the hump on that one, you know, June Kasi.

42:12.577 --> 42:12.737
[SPEAKER_01]: That

42:18.702 --> 42:19.985
[SPEAKER_01]: Good for rees, good to Gucci.

42:20.326 --> 42:24.555
[SPEAKER_01]: This could be his last little tour even if it is.

42:24.635 --> 42:25.357
[SPEAKER_01]: It's last like

42:28.007 --> 42:33.510
[SPEAKER_01]: Minorly winning record like him winning what will eight four matches in there.

42:34.970 --> 42:38.031
[SPEAKER_01]: I did not have to get you winning four matches in the tournament.

42:38.272 --> 42:43.454
[SPEAKER_01]: I had a winning like two maybe three and they're still kind of a

42:48.925 --> 42:50.927
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think this is necessarily his last B.O.S.

42:50.947 --> 42:51.207
[SPEAKER_00]: J.

42:51.227 --> 42:51.928
[SPEAKER_00]: He's so mood-free.

42:51.948 --> 42:52.648
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, he's not heard.

42:52.688 --> 42:53.509
[SPEAKER_00]: He's not banged up.

42:53.549 --> 42:54.790
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think it'll be back next year.

42:55.030 --> 43:04.718
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not that, but they definitely, they definitely did a little bit of narrative going on where they're just, he's being very reflective and pensive about his time and best of super juniors.

43:04.778 --> 43:09.702
[SPEAKER_01]: And you don't do that if you're just big this is usual on the tour.

43:10.022 --> 43:10.683
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't know.

43:10.703 --> 43:13.085
[SPEAKER_00]: They were conscious of the record being broken and what that meant.

43:13.105 --> 43:16.308
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I mean, tension lagger is one of the all-time great senior heavyweights.

43:17.367 --> 43:28.706
[SPEAKER_01]: But you'll tend to run a long time and eventually if you're just around for a long time that longevity is going to net you so At the legs because you're just putting in the work.

43:29.165 --> 43:29.385
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.

43:29.826 --> 43:29.966
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.

43:29.986 --> 43:30.646
[SPEAKER_00]: That's well said.

43:30.666 --> 43:31.687
[SPEAKER_00]: He's not a decision-lager.

43:31.787 --> 43:37.633
[SPEAKER_00]: He's never going to be a decision-lager, but it is an honor and it shows his longevity.

43:38.133 --> 43:45.460
[SPEAKER_00]: It shows that he can be at a pretty high level for a long time when he needs to be, even if he doesn't always wrestle that way.

43:45.800 --> 43:46.340
[SPEAKER_01]: One more thing.

43:46.440 --> 43:46.681
[SPEAKER_01]: Real quick.

43:46.701 --> 43:47.061
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, please.

43:47.181 --> 43:49.803
[SPEAKER_01]: But let's talk about June Kusai here.

43:49.964 --> 43:53.607
[SPEAKER_01]: How do you think he fit in to the tournament?

43:54.865 --> 43:59.968
[SPEAKER_00]: I think there were a couple of things in his act that are better once in a while.

44:00.108 --> 44:14.577
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing about Kassai is I only watch him sometimes and there were a few things like that running Larry at thing and the skewers where the sixth time I was less enamored with them than I was the first two.

44:15.518 --> 44:21.502
[SPEAKER_01]: So at the time he got to the Gucci out of over the skewers, but I thought it could be worse.

44:21.998 --> 44:23.799
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, a little goes a long way.

44:24.079 --> 44:34.382
[SPEAKER_00]: But the other thing about Kassai that makes them different from every other death match wrestler I can think of is he knows how to work and he knows how to build two things.

44:34.762 --> 44:37.123
[SPEAKER_00]: It's my issue with death match wrestling.

44:37.803 --> 44:39.023
[SPEAKER_00]: There are many issues with them.

44:39.604 --> 44:43.265
[SPEAKER_00]: One of the biggest is that there's really no story.

44:43.465 --> 44:49.847
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just they kind of take turns doing horrible things to one another and hurting each other for real.

44:50.442 --> 44:53.583
[SPEAKER_01]: Every time that story of how far are you willing to go to win?

44:53.923 --> 44:57.244
[SPEAKER_01]: That every, that bit, like you don't have any other death that story.

44:57.765 --> 45:10.669
[SPEAKER_00]: But his death matches tend to have a better sense of timing and a better story to them in that he kind of knows when to do things instead of just, okay, it's my turn to fall on light tubes now.

45:11.069 --> 45:13.170
[SPEAKER_00]: Now it's your turn to fall on the thumbtacks.

45:13.530 --> 45:17.011
[SPEAKER_00]: Now it's my turn to go through the glass, which is how a lot of these seem to be.

45:17.391 --> 45:18.972
[SPEAKER_00]: Your turn by turn, your turn, my turn.

45:20.361 --> 45:40.890
[SPEAKER_00]: his tend to have a bit of a more mainstream wrestling structure to them of a shine and then a heat and then a comeback from almost being dead, you know, which happens in death matches I know, but because size is a little better at telling that story than the others.

45:41.110 --> 45:45.471
[SPEAKER_00]: And he can tell the story in a mainstream match too, but there's only a little bit of it.

45:45.511 --> 45:46.332
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe a fork to the

45:50.081 --> 45:57.747
[SPEAKER_00]: But in this tournament, most of the time I didn't feel like it degenerated into something that was, he doesn't know how to work a regular match.

45:58.487 --> 45:59.929
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not, he can't work a regular match.

45:59.969 --> 46:03.611
[SPEAKER_00]: It's going to go say Fushida or Robbie Eagles or even Dahi Keen a guy.

46:04.252 --> 46:09.476
[SPEAKER_00]: But what he does in there, you can't take your eyes off it either, and there's something to be said for that.

46:10.957 --> 46:13.059
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think that, I think that woke Boken.

46:19.785 --> 46:23.768
[SPEAKER_01]: You ever seen a, you ever seen a colleague Sonny and Philadelphia?

46:25.149 --> 46:48.227
[SPEAKER_01]: A couple of times, yes, there's a, there's a character in there called Charlie and there's a a flame of Charlie Day, you've seen him in, you know, in the number of things and there's one episode where they're in a van and they're trying to do like you get away and he's like, but I cut the breaks in the van and he just yelled wild card bitches and then

46:49.889 --> 46:51.791
[SPEAKER_01]: like the most insane sort of way.

46:51.872 --> 46:54.134
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's what I thought June to say was in this.

46:54.435 --> 47:02.885
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, he was just the guy that you see out, well, part of it is, and just messed up everybody's day in terms of like the people who might have danced and who might not.

47:03.846 --> 47:09.753
[SPEAKER_01]: And I thought his role is like a high level spoiler was really, really interesting.

47:10.248 --> 47:16.551
[SPEAKER_01]: Like you wasn't like a guy that was gonna lose a lot and like it's a stocky or anything like that.

47:16.771 --> 47:21.553
[SPEAKER_01]: Now this guy was gonna win a lot, but he still wasn't gonna advance and he was just gonna take a bunch of guys with him.

47:21.693 --> 47:23.474
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's like, alright, let me give you that.

47:25.260 --> 47:27.241
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, now we were down to the semi finals in the finals.

47:27.261 --> 47:30.763
[SPEAKER_00]: So we've got a few people that have a couple of guys that have been stuck on 10.

47:30.783 --> 47:33.024
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I stuck on 10, Robbie X, stuck on 10.

47:34.305 --> 47:36.026
[SPEAKER_00]: And Josef was John 12.

47:36.166 --> 47:37.327
[SPEAKER_00]: As we go into this one.

47:37.347 --> 47:41.009
[SPEAKER_00]: So Francesco LaCura and Titan both on 10 points.

47:41.069 --> 47:42.409
[SPEAKER_00]: Someone was going to get 12.

47:43.430 --> 47:45.191
[SPEAKER_00]: And this was very good, of course.

47:45.251 --> 47:50.514
[SPEAKER_00]: Zane J tried to interfere some, but Titan mostly stopped his interference and knocked him around a little bit.

47:51.838 --> 47:54.540
[SPEAKER_00]: It's one went 14 minutes so we're down to the last two matches.

47:54.580 --> 47:56.282
[SPEAKER_00]: They were given a little more time to stretch out.

47:56.362 --> 48:01.065
[SPEAKER_00]: Thankfully, we was a Kira and Teton in there because they are able to make a match like that work.

48:01.506 --> 48:03.808
[SPEAKER_00]: There was a strong Teton rally toward the end.

48:03.888 --> 48:05.049
[SPEAKER_00]: It was a good time to watch.

48:05.729 --> 48:08.672
[SPEAKER_00]: A Kira got a submission on though and Teton.

48:09.702 --> 48:28.588
[SPEAKER_00]: had to tap out and he ended it with four consecutive losses to crash out of contention after starting the tournament five and oh so Akira on 12 in the clubhouse with Fujita waiting to see what happened in the final match of the night which was also between two guys on ten points.

48:30.553 --> 48:37.176
[SPEAKER_00]: And at this point, I absolutely could have seen Francesco Akira moving on to the semifinals when this match was over.

48:37.456 --> 48:47.180
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought, but I also understood the map that was going on and I saw where it was going, but that Akira was going to be on the outside looking in, but this gives him some fuel.

48:47.220 --> 48:48.440
[SPEAKER_00]: He went 6 and 3.

48:49.421 --> 48:51.061
[SPEAKER_00]: He looked terrific in every match.

48:52.322 --> 48:54.543
[SPEAKER_00]: We know how good he is.

48:55.618 --> 48:58.662
[SPEAKER_00]: We know that he and TJP were an excellent tag team.

48:58.902 --> 49:03.027
[SPEAKER_00]: It's satisfying for me to see a care of gaining so much confidence as a single.

49:04.758 --> 49:25.805
[SPEAKER_01]: This was such an interesting match layout on the card, because you had the entire A block all set up with Fujita, who you presume was going to be one of the favorites to go forward in the opening match and in traditional kind of mentality, you're thinking like, well, you got the bottom of that card, maybe he doesn't, maybe,

49:26.708 --> 49:27.629
[SPEAKER_01]: the guys at the top.

49:27.669 --> 49:35.493
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm looking at it thinking like to taunt an Akira and the Watonic Wayne matches are the guys that are going forward.

49:35.993 --> 49:49.201
[SPEAKER_01]: So the fact that this match essentially just ended up being Akira played spoiler to T taunt going forward rather than Akira actually having a shot when all of that went all of the dust settled.

49:49.802 --> 49:53.484
[SPEAKER_01]: It's kind of interesting for Otole feud for them going forward.

49:54.184 --> 50:06.927
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, like that's that little heat on there, but you you cost because something there buddy, like he, he made it, you may have thought that that and we're here it's like I, I wanted to get to go forward.

50:07.028 --> 50:15.370
[SPEAKER_01]: It'll go look at the show meltdown on the other side where you're like, but I have 12 points to why am I not moving forward and we're at the camera.

50:16.875 --> 50:27.620
[SPEAKER_01]: You're probably going to see that moving on where you just get a real angry about not getting it, even though he ended his tournament on a win and got nothing out of it.

50:27.900 --> 50:29.541
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's an interesting little beat for him.

50:32.107 --> 50:35.849
[SPEAKER_00]: Moving on to the main event came down to two more guys like I mentioned on 10 points.

50:35.909 --> 50:41.812
[SPEAKER_00]: Nick Wayne was in there against Master Watto now Watto had been on the street, but June because I beat him.

50:42.413 --> 50:49.697
[SPEAKER_00]: So was he going to be able to recover from that when in your end for Watto though so it was a pretty tense situation.

50:51.347 --> 50:53.789
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, I really enjoyed this match.

50:53.829 --> 50:54.770
[SPEAKER_00]: It was very, very good.

50:55.030 --> 51:05.159
[SPEAKER_00]: I said when this tournament started, watch out for Master Wato because there is just some subtext going on with Ian Dokey that makes an awful lot of sense.

51:05.820 --> 51:10.064
[SPEAKER_00]: And especially when he lost the first couple, I thought, oh yeah, here he comes, you know, here he comes.

51:10.824 --> 51:13.507
[SPEAKER_00]: And when my boy got on the winning streak, I was excited about it.

51:14.147 --> 51:16.608
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought what to look confident in this match.

51:16.708 --> 51:21.650
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that Fuji Dimash and Osaka going so well gave him a little bit more confidence.

51:22.110 --> 51:30.493
[SPEAKER_00]: He wrestled with a little bit more intention, less hesitation, and he was in with a guy who of course is athletic as hell, but needs some guidance in there.

51:30.553 --> 51:32.774
[SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes Nick gets a little indie with his work.

51:33.867 --> 51:35.168
[SPEAKER_00]: and Wayne was still good.

51:35.509 --> 51:48.481
[SPEAKER_00]: That's not saying that he isn't a good wrestler just saying that sometimes he needs a little bit of polish right there and in 14 minutes, 10 seconds of really crisp action fans on Watto's side.

51:48.661 --> 51:53.866
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the other thing I like about this is that the people are starting to understand him and get behind him.

51:54.446 --> 52:03.291
[SPEAKER_00]: Sittencock, who's soup lex, which is still a beautiful move, got the victory, and Master Watto wins the block at the very end on tie breakers.

52:03.691 --> 52:16.278
[SPEAKER_00]: And the key is, though, Jeremy, Jose Fujita, with that win over the guy and a couple of key tie breakers earlier, finishes second, would have finished first, but Watto beat him in Osaka.

52:16.458 --> 52:19.339
[SPEAKER_00]: So that leads to some interesting matchups.

52:19.359 --> 52:22.101
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll get in the second after we talk about this match.

52:23.127 --> 52:26.149
[SPEAKER_00]: Nick Wayne, damn fine performance all the way through.

52:26.650 --> 52:32.414
[SPEAKER_00]: I think anyway, I mentioned sometimes the selling gets a little goofy, sometimes it's work it's a little indie right there, but he is really young.

52:33.155 --> 52:36.037
[SPEAKER_00]: And he is really athletic, talented.

52:36.618 --> 52:37.999
[SPEAKER_00]: I like watching the sky wrestle.

52:38.359 --> 52:39.720
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm glad he was in this tournament.

52:40.000 --> 52:41.522
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm glad he scored 10 points in it.

52:42.682 --> 52:49.168
[SPEAKER_00]: It just overall, there's just a world of potential with the guy that's, I hope we get to see realize someday.

52:51.741 --> 52:54.063
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, buddy Wayne, gotta be proud.

52:54.343 --> 52:55.204
[SPEAKER_01]: He didn't be fine.

52:55.264 --> 52:58.607
[SPEAKER_01]: He's good at, he is 19 and this is what he is doing.

52:58.647 --> 52:59.768
[SPEAKER_01]: He will put on masks.

53:00.429 --> 53:05.354
[SPEAKER_01]: He will get opportunities in AEW at one point.

53:05.434 --> 53:09.637
[SPEAKER_01]: Kyle Fletcher was where Nick Wayne was.

53:09.798 --> 53:15.483
[SPEAKER_01]: There are, there are progressions in your career where I feel like Nick Wayne,

53:17.491 --> 53:25.096
[SPEAKER_01]: and two or three years could be in the Kyle Fletcher role when he really started to go in AEW.

53:25.416 --> 53:26.637
[SPEAKER_01]: He's got a lot of potential.

53:26.677 --> 53:27.678
[SPEAKER_01]: He's got a lot of pedigree.

53:27.958 --> 53:30.560
[SPEAKER_01]: He's got a lot of people rooting for him.

53:30.880 --> 53:36.804
[SPEAKER_01]: He really, really impressed with him, really, really impressed with the way that he went about this tournament.

53:37.144 --> 53:39.606
[SPEAKER_01]: And you can see it in a faith literally.

53:40.606 --> 53:43.968
[SPEAKER_01]: He took to beat him because this tournament and he just kept on going.

53:44.368 --> 53:46.129
[SPEAKER_00]: So we had a bit of a shiner there in the second half.

53:46.229 --> 53:48.790
[SPEAKER_01]: And then it looked like both sides.

53:48.810 --> 53:50.991
[SPEAKER_01]: And then finally, like, what are the ice kind of cleared up?

53:51.011 --> 53:54.313
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, okay, all right, all right, you look like you're feeling older than better.

53:54.793 --> 54:00.956
[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, I, not 20 great things to say about him.

54:01.857 --> 54:06.679
[SPEAKER_01]: Master Wato, he's another guy like yo, like I just,

54:08.949 --> 54:29.904
[SPEAKER_01]: some days he's got it and some days he doesn't and it seems like he's got it right now with the way that the block went, you know, Fujuna needs a hill to conquer, you know, he's in second place and now he's he presumably has either

54:31.769 --> 54:54.970
[SPEAKER_01]: uh, yo or water if you get the path for Robbie Eagles, which I honestly have presumed he does, you know, and yo, so he faced last year and one, and water would be the guy that he could face this year, then he already walked to him in the block play, kind of setting him up to defeat that,

54:55.946 --> 54:57.547
[SPEAKER_01]: Ghost in the finals.

54:57.967 --> 55:07.551
[SPEAKER_01]: I could see all this going in that direction, but at any point, you could have yo water or eagles win and go on and face dokey.

55:07.571 --> 55:11.793
[SPEAKER_01]: It doesn't feel right.

55:12.473 --> 55:14.034
[SPEAKER_01]: Like it doesn't feel like water and dokey.

55:14.074 --> 55:16.255
[SPEAKER_01]: We already went through that earlier this year.

55:16.275 --> 55:16.575
[SPEAKER_01]: We didn't.

55:16.935 --> 55:17.556
[SPEAKER_01]: We already went through

55:21.485 --> 55:31.711
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm skeptical that they're going to run that back or and they're all three of the guys are basically being set up as the robes gallery for future.

55:32.391 --> 55:39.775
[SPEAKER_00]: I appreciate they I do appreciate the analysis Jeremy I promise, but after looking at the Dominion card, you're worried that they might run something back.

55:40.715 --> 55:41.936
[SPEAKER_00]: Half of that cards are run back.

55:42.316 --> 55:43.857
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't even think that much can be on to being in.

55:44.595 --> 55:44.996
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not.

55:45.056 --> 55:45.576
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm just saying.

55:45.736 --> 55:46.257
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.

55:46.537 --> 55:48.659
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not worried about Newspaper running stuff back.

55:48.679 --> 55:49.921
[SPEAKER_00]: They will recycle.

55:50.321 --> 55:52.023
[SPEAKER_00]: They will recycle a match in a heartbeat.

55:52.724 --> 55:55.506
[SPEAKER_01]: It's all just the 100th I WGP junior head of the way.

55:55.526 --> 55:55.727
[SPEAKER_01]: Again.

55:56.407 --> 55:56.628
[SPEAKER_01]: And.

55:58.170 --> 56:01.793
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't keep having that title almost a year, like we're getting there.

56:01.933 --> 56:03.634
[SPEAKER_01]: He can carry it until wrestling kingdom.

56:03.995 --> 56:12.481
[SPEAKER_01]: It does not matter, you know, they don't care about that title that much, but what they do care about is the growth of the division and creating stars.

56:12.781 --> 56:15.904
[SPEAKER_01]: And as we've seen, they put a real urgency on that.

56:16.204 --> 56:20.347
[SPEAKER_01]: So I'm talking myself out of food you know, winning the entire tournament as you can see.

56:21.688 --> 56:24.911
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, so let's take a look at what we do have coming up.

56:24.971 --> 56:26.132
[SPEAKER_00]: So with all that going on,

56:27.308 --> 56:34.510
[SPEAKER_00]: Robbie Eagles wins the block, so he faces the number two guy in a block, who is Jose Fugida, his team partner.

56:35.591 --> 56:44.857
[SPEAKER_00]: Masterwater winds block A, and with that, he will face the number two guy in block B, who happens to be his tag team partner, yo.

56:45.057 --> 57:01.968
[SPEAKER_00]: So that is taking place Friday, June 5th, tomorrow, just mere hours from now in Goonma, which is unfortunately in one of those sad airplane hanger buildings that's not pretty good, not good for sound or sight for fans, but Gunma's one of those big boxes.

57:03.149 --> 57:04.310
[SPEAKER_00]: But my thoughts on this.

57:06.698 --> 57:10.361
[SPEAKER_00]: I think what's going to be you, I think that's just more interesting.

57:11.802 --> 57:12.943
[SPEAKER_00]: That's just my thought on that.

57:12.983 --> 57:16.526
[SPEAKER_00]: I think what was a more interesting person in the finals in you.

57:19.357 --> 57:26.041
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm leaning toward Eagles beating Fujida because they have beat the drum so much that it's Robbie's time.

57:26.581 --> 57:32.944
[SPEAKER_00]: His eighth, Fujida won last year, and his eighth tournament, Robbie's putting it all together.

57:32.984 --> 57:35.265
[SPEAKER_00]: They've been hyping that up quite a bit going yet.

57:35.665 --> 57:36.006
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.

57:36.266 --> 57:40.208
[SPEAKER_00]: I would not be surprised if Fujida got his rematch in the finals.

57:40.648 --> 57:45.491
[SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of another reason I don't think it's happening because Fujida would probably need to win.

57:45.611 --> 57:47.972
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think Master Watto's won in this tournament.

57:49.157 --> 57:55.860
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, but I like the idea of Fujito winning and also have that would be the last two winners squaring off in the finals.

57:56.300 --> 58:05.403
[SPEAKER_00]: The only person I don't think should advance really is, yo, I don't have any problem if either member of TMDK goes to the finals, but I feel like it needs to be Wato in there.

58:06.424 --> 58:12.726
[SPEAKER_00]: And I have talked about how I think Wato has a very rich story to tell with Doki.

58:14.310 --> 58:19.053
[SPEAKER_00]: And he's kind of the catalyst for toky's entire new Japan character.

58:20.755 --> 58:24.257
[SPEAKER_00]: And because of that, that's why I think it's going to be him.

58:24.637 --> 58:26.939
[SPEAKER_00]: That's why I think he's going to be the 100th champion.

58:28.060 --> 58:28.980
[SPEAKER_00]: I would have no problem.

58:29.000 --> 58:34.384
[SPEAKER_00]: It's if it's Fujido, we all agree that he's the leader, the future ace of the junior heavyweight division.

58:35.145 --> 58:36.786
[SPEAKER_00]: And he might be the ace right now.

58:37.707 --> 58:37.927
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.

58:39.800 --> 58:48.085
[SPEAKER_00]: I can see them going with Watto and Eagles in the finals with Watto getting the win, because his story with Doki is just so rich.

58:48.406 --> 58:50.787
[SPEAKER_00]: It's the whole reason Doki kind of exists.

58:51.047 --> 58:59.773
[SPEAKER_00]: Doki came in to New Japan because Desperado broke his jaw, Jucca said it, and he substituted for him in the Super Junior tournament.

59:01.569 --> 59:16.063
[SPEAKER_00]: But he attacked Master Watso, the day Watso got back from excursion, the day he debuted as the way to the Grand Master, and Doki's the one that beat him up, and it was his first singles match coming back.

59:17.864 --> 59:18.345
[SPEAKER_00]: Watso,

59:19.825 --> 59:31.993
[SPEAKER_00]: was one of the things that he said, one of the reasons he joined House of Torture in Storyline said he couldn't stand the idea being in Hontai with Master Watson among the people that he just couldn't stand the idea being around.

59:32.473 --> 59:35.855
[SPEAKER_00]: Watson represents in character now, talking in character.

59:38.717 --> 59:40.798
[SPEAKER_00]: Everything that Doki wanted but couldn't have.

59:42.039 --> 59:44.861
[SPEAKER_00]: Doki wasn't accepted in the New Japan Dojo, Watson was.

59:45.852 --> 59:51.481
[SPEAKER_00]: Doki had to go to Mexico and famously wrestle on dirt floors and the kids birthday parties on the Mexican indie scene.

59:51.701 --> 59:53.304
[SPEAKER_00]: He couldn't get booked in CMLL.

59:53.985 --> 59:59.434
[SPEAKER_00]: New Japan books watch out right into arena Mexico for him.

01:00:01.543 --> 01:00:07.968
[SPEAKER_00]: Then he's brought back in this big key area after he after food, you know, you have you're doing an argument here, man.

01:00:08.108 --> 01:00:17.375
[SPEAKER_00]: But I got on the phone with Romu Takahashi when her Romu Takahashi was in CMLL and Heromo was trying to cheer him up saying stick with it, but you're going to get here.

01:00:17.395 --> 01:00:20.057
[SPEAKER_00]: You're going to get here and he never did until.

01:00:20.878 --> 01:00:36.212
[SPEAKER_00]: Just like this past year, when he went over as part of the New Japan exchange, but it took that long for Doki, meanwhile, for him, Wato gets into the Dojo, Wato booked right into CMLL, Wato put right back in a prominent spot they give him an introduction.

01:00:36.633 --> 01:00:40.336
[SPEAKER_00]: Doki just kind of wandered in as, oh yeah, we don't have Disparado, so we got this guy.

01:00:41.597 --> 01:00:45.861
[SPEAKER_00]: Wato in storyline was handed everything Doki was scratching and

01:00:47.743 --> 01:00:51.886
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's why he joined House torture because he could stand the idea of sitting next to the guy in a locker.

01:00:53.187 --> 01:00:54.088
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the whole story.

01:00:54.188 --> 01:01:03.695
[SPEAKER_00]: He's dokey's reason to be it's the reason that dokey is ducking and dodging and refusing in a quote unquote to be at rest of kingdom and all this.

01:01:03.735 --> 01:01:05.196
[SPEAKER_00]: It's why he's behaving like this.

01:01:06.417 --> 01:01:07.578
[SPEAKER_00]: It's got to be the guy to take it down.

01:01:08.808 --> 01:01:10.809
[SPEAKER_00]: It's got to be the guy to take him down to me anyway.

01:01:11.189 --> 01:01:14.891
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, the other side of that is Fujita, who is the next star of the division.

01:01:14.952 --> 01:01:29.200
[SPEAKER_00]: If you wanted to make him the 100 champion, so that you could just say, here is this new century of champions, and now Jose Fujita is the guy to take everything forward from there, know what you would, absolutely not.

01:01:30.248 --> 01:01:33.969
[SPEAKER_00]: I just think there's too much story with water and dokey to ignore that.

01:01:34.189 --> 01:01:36.750
[SPEAKER_00]: That's where my thought process is with Master Water winning.

01:01:37.390 --> 01:01:44.692
[SPEAKER_00]: He'll probably lose the yo and the semi-finals and I'll look like an Indian next week, but that's where I am in terms of the semi-finals and the finals, Jeremy.

01:01:46.953 --> 01:01:49.154
[SPEAKER_01]: I think I'm just gonna de-saturate your point.

01:01:49.194 --> 01:01:52.555
[SPEAKER_01]: If I add anything to that, so let's just go with that.

01:01:55.176 --> 01:01:59.206
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, it's not because the others aren't worthy of it, not at all.

01:01:59.287 --> 01:02:01.773
[SPEAKER_00]: I just think that story is just too tasty to pass up.

01:02:02.214 --> 01:02:03.958
[SPEAKER_01]: I am, I am in the mindset that

01:02:04.963 --> 01:02:07.484
[SPEAKER_01]: you know, I think food should be the guy.

01:02:08.025 --> 01:02:09.545
[SPEAKER_01]: But you make a really compelling argument.

01:02:10.906 --> 01:02:19.731
[SPEAKER_01]: And I can imagine myself sitting watching a show and verbatim having Charlton repeat all this back to me in the finals.

01:02:20.451 --> 01:02:30.516
[SPEAKER_01]: And why it and why it's important for, you know, the spirit of the, of the the civilian blue for water to, for water to prove that the

01:02:34.663 --> 01:02:35.484
[SPEAKER_01]: I would not promise it.

01:02:36.024 --> 01:02:59.377
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, there's a part of me that feels like they have lost the plot a little bit with this poetic way of approaching things when they're bleeding fans, you know, and you really just need to cut the bullshit and make stars and people that you can get behind and win.

01:03:01.073 --> 01:03:23.263
[SPEAKER_01]: But what you're suggesting and, you know, that level of engagement to the long-term people following the product, I also think is a rewarding direction and approach to take it's more just the scent of urgency that to me, I'm just I'm curious about which direction they need to take and why.

01:03:23.767 --> 01:03:28.374
[SPEAKER_00]: No, and we've been talking for months and months that they need to get behind somebody and make them stars.

01:03:28.434 --> 01:03:32.761
[SPEAKER_00]: But I'm just reading the new Japan TV leaves more than saying it's what needs to happen.

01:03:33.783 --> 01:03:35.405
[SPEAKER_00]: Kose Fuji to me is undeniable.

01:03:36.517 --> 01:03:41.781
[SPEAKER_00]: He is absolutely going to be the ace of that division and a big star for New York Pan going forward.

01:03:42.001 --> 01:03:43.262
[SPEAKER_00]: He's too talented, not to.

01:03:43.802 --> 01:03:46.524
[SPEAKER_00]: And I agree that you they need to get behind him.

01:03:46.824 --> 01:03:49.766
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm just looking at the way New York Pan tends to do things these days.

01:03:49.846 --> 01:03:50.607
[SPEAKER_00]: And I see that come up.

01:03:50.947 --> 01:03:52.929
[SPEAKER_00]: Heroma wanted back to back to back, right?

01:03:53.449 --> 01:03:57.812
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think they're trying to build food at least at the level of Heroma.

01:03:58.292 --> 01:04:03.256
[SPEAKER_01]: So they're called for that to keep in mind that he's going to want to match accolades with Heroma and not be in like,

01:04:04.162 --> 01:04:06.223
[SPEAKER_01]: Potentially going back to back to back to back as well.

01:04:06.423 --> 01:04:07.864
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know it.

01:04:08.784 --> 01:04:20.971
[SPEAKER_00]: It's all so the blunt fourth way that you're going to be strong runs with the IWGP junior heavyweight title would trump.

01:04:21.895 --> 01:04:23.997
[SPEAKER_00]: multiple best of the Super Junior titles.

01:04:24.017 --> 01:04:45.051
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that's the way to go with Fujida because that's a year-round thing just just have people that watch year-round see him as a champion and they should someday and I think that'll go more toward making him the next hero move than who was the next Kushita who was the next Liger or Tiger Masque was the next Liger and all that kind of stuff.

01:04:45.471 --> 01:04:46.692
[SPEAKER_00]: That's succession of aces.

01:04:47.812 --> 01:04:48.673
[SPEAKER_00]: That's how you do it.

01:04:48.693 --> 01:04:50.895
[SPEAKER_00]: I think just put the title on them and the letter

01:04:51.817 --> 01:04:54.359
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, now let's take a look at this, the rest of this card from Gunma.

01:04:54.379 --> 01:04:56.561
[SPEAKER_00]: We mentioned this semi-final and the final.

01:04:56.922 --> 01:05:01.346
[SPEAKER_00]: Eagles in Fujita are listed as a semi-final.

01:05:01.826 --> 01:05:05.930
[SPEAKER_00]: The main event is eighth matches, yellow versus Watto.

01:05:06.150 --> 01:05:08.372
[SPEAKER_00]: Another reason I think Watto's gonna win right there, but.

01:05:09.435 --> 01:05:11.057
[SPEAKER_01]: The rest of the card up here, I got you.

01:05:11.558 --> 01:05:14.082
[SPEAKER_00]: Rest of the card is mostly tags.

01:05:14.102 --> 01:05:16.045
[SPEAKER_00]: We have young lines involved.

01:05:16.365 --> 01:05:17.787
[SPEAKER_00]: We have a few heavy weights involved.

01:05:17.807 --> 01:05:19.550
[SPEAKER_00]: So Tai say knock a heart and tiger mask.

01:05:19.990 --> 01:05:22.274
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll be in there against Matsumoto and Valiente.

01:05:22.314 --> 01:05:24.677
[SPEAKER_00]: This is Tiger Mask, probably final match in Gunma.

01:05:25.755 --> 01:05:30.676
[SPEAKER_00]: Second match will be Matt's story, Yassida and you, you win morea against Hartley Jackson Rio.

01:05:30.716 --> 01:05:42.460
[SPEAKER_00]: Hey, OEWA again, this rivalry that's not a rivalry that has no heat between OEWA and OEWA for everybody saying how OEWA morea is the future, he's in a nothing tag match second on the card.

01:05:43.535 --> 01:05:45.916
[SPEAKER_00]: Nick Wayne, June, Kassai, teaming up.

01:05:46.416 --> 01:05:51.617
[SPEAKER_00]: Interesting, everything June Kassai does is interesting, whether it was a teaming with somebody or wrestling somebody.

01:05:51.978 --> 01:05:53.998
[SPEAKER_00]: But he's in there with ghetto and tea time.

01:05:54.658 --> 01:05:55.579
[SPEAKER_00]: OK, good luck boys.

01:05:56.779 --> 01:06:02.841
[SPEAKER_00]: After that, heo and Elvis Barado against Dictogo, Dice case, a sockie.

01:06:02.861 --> 01:06:03.061
[SPEAKER_00]: Sure.

01:06:04.521 --> 01:06:05.842
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, they were in the tournament.

01:06:06.002 --> 01:06:06.622
[SPEAKER_00]: We got a match.

01:06:07.002 --> 01:06:09.203
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, Togo wasn't, so you'll know who he'll be losing it.

01:06:10.160 --> 01:06:28.967
[SPEAKER_00]: and then we have the uh... at eight man tag koshita to Gucci yano and air and wolf against kind of our show usual and renderita so be still my beating heart we get renderita back in action thank god uh... leader of the house of torture resumed his throne

01:06:32.375 --> 01:06:34.196
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, boy, speaking of being on the throne, that's good.

01:06:34.216 --> 01:06:35.996
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, make you feel weird when I say that.

01:06:36.336 --> 01:06:39.877
[SPEAKER_00]: Speaking of being on the throne, there's your run to the bathroom in the concession stand.

01:06:39.897 --> 01:06:42.598
[SPEAKER_01]: Wow, that's a big waste, even.

01:06:42.998 --> 01:06:46.879
[SPEAKER_00]: Diking a guy, Robbie X, Taiji Ishimori and Yota Suji, now we're talking.

01:06:47.079 --> 01:06:48.699
[SPEAKER_00]: Those are four pretty good workers right there.

01:06:48.719 --> 01:06:52.880
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, Zane J, Jacob Austin, Young Francesco Akira, and Callum Newman.

01:06:53.060 --> 01:06:53.821
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't probably be good.

01:06:54.121 --> 01:06:54.621
[SPEAKER_00]: Good action.

01:06:55.341 --> 01:07:11.158
[SPEAKER_01]: and then the two simple by the way, they did a commentary on one of those matches for a kira it was that it was yeah, he's not he's not you commentary for an end of zio says the show sounds excellent so he's looking forward to it and glad to see for now no yeah

01:07:11.558 --> 01:07:13.119
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, they'll be some good stuff on it.

01:07:13.620 --> 01:07:24.069
[SPEAKER_00]: And then we know that the finals are going to be on Sunday at the, what is called the, well, you speed the older ward gymnasium, I guess it has a sponsor now.

01:07:24.169 --> 01:07:26.931
[SPEAKER_00]: It's, it's got a, it's named after a company, but we'll get to all that.

01:07:27.331 --> 01:07:28.132
[SPEAKER_00]: But that's Sunday.

01:07:28.292 --> 01:07:29.633
[SPEAKER_00]: There's no card for it yet.

01:07:29.794 --> 01:07:30.614
[SPEAKER_00]: K-favorizes.

01:07:30.634 --> 01:07:31.815
[SPEAKER_00]: We don't know what the finals are.

01:07:32.196 --> 01:07:36.799
[SPEAKER_00]: Once we know what the finals are, then the others will be slotted into tag matches and will figure all that out.

01:07:37.120 --> 01:07:38.681
[SPEAKER_00]: But they know what it is.

01:07:38.701 --> 01:07:39.642
[SPEAKER_00]: They're just not telling us yet.

01:07:41.853 --> 01:07:59.277
[SPEAKER_01]: I decided you want to, I suggested something to you before we did the show and it was New Japan had an award form for the best of the Super Junior 33 and before we get to our Tiger Math segment on the show, I thought maybe you and I could still out this loading form.

01:07:59.697 --> 01:08:00.337
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, let's do it.

01:08:00.918 --> 01:08:03.438
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, see if I can fit the works.

01:08:05.699 --> 01:08:07.079
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.

01:08:09.540 --> 01:08:10.100
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, there it is.

01:08:10.140 --> 01:08:10.460
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.

01:08:11.657 --> 01:08:12.943
[SPEAKER_00]: So there are three categories, right?

01:08:14.209 --> 01:08:15.395
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh yeah, so.

01:08:16.646 --> 01:08:18.507
[SPEAKER_01]: The best of the Super Junior form.

01:08:18.687 --> 01:08:22.409
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm actually gone the live screen right now and I'm sharing the screen with everybody here.

01:08:23.270 --> 01:08:30.754
[SPEAKER_01]: We have the outstanding performance of the fighting spirit award and the technical award determining by fan vote.

01:08:30.854 --> 01:08:43.701
[SPEAKER_01]: We need to fill out soon because it ends tonight midnight and the outstanding performance award as players who defeated strong opponents including past champion and significantly

01:08:47.176 --> 01:08:57.961
[SPEAKER_01]: The fighting spirit award is players who showed an unyielding attitude, even in the face of adversity and displayed fear of fighting spirit continuing to attack until the very end.

01:08:58.421 --> 01:08:59.701
[SPEAKER_00]: So they wanted a good choice for that one.

01:09:00.782 --> 01:09:02.322
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, I'm going to see what you have to say.

01:09:02.402 --> 01:09:11.026
[SPEAKER_01]: And then the skill award players when hands the quality of the tournament without standing technique and creative fighting the defied conventional wisdom.

01:09:11.527 --> 01:09:12.448
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, okay.

01:09:12.908 --> 01:09:13.469
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.

01:09:13.669 --> 01:09:19.475
[SPEAKER_01]: So let's head on down here and the outstanding achievement award.

01:09:20.436 --> 01:09:23.860
[SPEAKER_01]: Do you have do you have a suggestion Steven?

01:09:24.502 --> 01:09:28.745
[SPEAKER_00]: I suggest Robbie X. I think that everything he did in this tournament was exciting.

01:09:28.885 --> 01:09:36.150
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought he was my MVP and the person whose matches I enjoyed most, he did have an impact.

01:09:36.190 --> 01:09:47.878
[SPEAKER_00]: He was in it until the very end and I think Robbie X of all the people in a really good tournament had the best run of nine matches and he is the guy who I would like to watch.

01:09:48.638 --> 01:09:52.461
[SPEAKER_00]: Back to back to back to back to back, you know, his matches all watch all mine of them again.

01:09:52.581 --> 01:09:54.222
[SPEAKER_00]: I really, really enjoyed his work.

01:09:54.582 --> 01:10:00.447
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think he was the outstanding performer in a pretty darn good tournament top to bottom.

01:10:01.147 --> 01:10:04.590
[SPEAKER_01]: I would argue that you're reading it actually the fighting spirit award.

01:10:04.990 --> 01:10:06.631
[SPEAKER_00]: We're gonna get to that and we do fighting spirit.

01:10:06.651 --> 01:10:07.292
[SPEAKER_00]: I gotta go.

01:10:07.312 --> 01:10:10.194
[SPEAKER_01]: So you're gonna go with Robbie at for this one.

01:10:10.334 --> 01:10:11.334
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, I am.

01:10:12.055 --> 01:10:13.096
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, here.

01:10:15.898 --> 01:10:19.181
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll go down to the list and please have anyone else in here that really.

01:10:19.201 --> 01:10:27.808
[SPEAKER_01]: No, go, Robbie.

01:10:29.249 --> 01:10:32.452
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, so that's a route outstanding achievement award to Robbie X.

01:10:32.492 --> 01:10:33.233
[SPEAKER_00]: Good job, Robbie.

01:10:33.533 --> 01:10:34.814
[SPEAKER_00]: Seriously, great job, Robbie.

01:10:35.034 --> 01:10:36.155
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, good job.

01:10:36.275 --> 01:10:38.437
[SPEAKER_01]: You were, you were pretty fantastic.

01:10:39.165 --> 01:10:48.615
[SPEAKER_01]: fighting spirit the wrestler best showcased and never give up attitude even facing an ethical battle overcoming the auger staying in the fight until the very end.

01:10:48.675 --> 01:10:49.476
[SPEAKER_00]: Diking a guy.

01:10:49.536 --> 01:10:50.838
[SPEAKER_00]: It's the only answer to this thing.

01:10:50.878 --> 01:10:54.161
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean he he didn't win a match but he showed heart in every single one.

01:10:54.442 --> 01:10:57.685
[SPEAKER_00]: He almost upset Jose Fujito on the very last day and he

01:10:59.594 --> 01:11:05.078
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, exhibited all that in his matches more importantly, though, he had nine strong singles matches.

01:11:05.118 --> 01:11:06.558
[SPEAKER_00]: He did the job and all nine of them.

01:11:07.339 --> 01:11:11.041
[SPEAKER_00]: That's really difficult to do for a young wrestler.

01:11:11.261 --> 01:11:16.745
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think he showed that he has a very, very bright future, which I suspected before this tournament.

01:11:17.305 --> 01:11:23.890
[SPEAKER_00]: But seeing the way he fought from the bottom, those people went nuts for him against Fujita when he made that rope break spot.

01:11:24.730 --> 01:11:34.014
[SPEAKER_00]: To me, he personifies everything the fighting spirit is about and that despite going oh and nine, he was a scrappy youngster almost taking down the champ.

01:11:37.856 --> 01:11:38.617
[SPEAKER_01]: Good answer Steven.

01:11:39.057 --> 01:11:39.377
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you.

01:11:40.978 --> 01:11:50.262
[SPEAKER_01]: So far, I feel like there's not much for me to do other than just point and click because the American telling answers in which I don't really have a whole lot

01:11:52.868 --> 01:11:55.429
[SPEAKER_01]: Truly, a fighting spirit never give up attitude.

01:11:55.749 --> 01:12:03.271
[SPEAKER_01]: When you've gone 0 and 8, and you still wrestle, if that last one does matter, good point you make, a very good point.

01:12:03.311 --> 01:12:04.832
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to go ahead and go with you, can you guys?

01:12:04.872 --> 01:12:09.473
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, OK. All right, skill award or technique.

01:12:09.613 --> 01:12:16.535
[SPEAKER_01]: The wrestler who most elevated the quality of the term is through technique, exceptional or a creative style that went outside of the norm.

01:12:17.947 --> 01:12:21.170
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I think I don't you know who this is set up to be.

01:12:21.270 --> 01:12:31.599
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll tell you who I'm voting for in this one, just as somebody who I thought showed outstanding technique in the sense that I just love the way this guy knows how to work a match.

01:12:31.839 --> 01:12:40.006
[SPEAKER_00]: Even if it's five minutes, if it's 15 minutes, he finds something interesting to do with it and all of his stuff is compelling.

01:12:40.046 --> 01:12:40.927
[SPEAKER_00]: And for me, this one,

01:12:44.810 --> 01:12:45.571
[SPEAKER_00]: No, no, no, there you go.

01:12:45.591 --> 01:12:46.271
[SPEAKER_00]: I guess we agree.

01:12:46.311 --> 01:12:58.399
[SPEAKER_00]: But yeah, I think Eagles was dynamite again all the way through and maybe Robbie X was a little bit more spectacular, but Eagles is the consummate professional worker.

01:12:59.740 --> 01:13:00.941
[SPEAKER_01]: Here's the way I'm going to put it.

01:13:01.341 --> 01:13:08.106
[SPEAKER_01]: I think Eagles got the first match in the tournament where I felt like part of my friend, he gave a shit, whether he went or lost.

01:13:08.891 --> 01:13:15.333
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, like he was the first one in a really convey like I need to win these matches and started winning these matches in the middle of the tournament.

01:13:16.333 --> 01:13:23.575
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't remember exactly what match it was, but there was a match of like the upper end of the card where him winning was like, he won.

01:13:23.635 --> 01:13:32.117
[SPEAKER_01]: And I might have been the TIEG, she morey were of like he needed to beat him and if you didn't beat him, his tournament was basically like up the throat.

01:13:32.697 --> 01:13:36.818
[SPEAKER_01]: So him doing that, I just, I felt like his

01:13:38.707 --> 01:13:45.113
[SPEAKER_01]: investment in winning this tournament conveyed a vibe that matched the rest of the tournament.

01:13:46.935 --> 01:13:47.336
[SPEAKER_00]: There you go.

01:13:47.716 --> 01:13:48.016
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.

01:13:48.036 --> 01:13:48.617
[SPEAKER_00]: So I agree.

01:13:48.637 --> 01:13:48.957
[SPEAKER_00]: All right.

01:13:49.017 --> 01:13:49.338
[SPEAKER_00]: It's up.

01:13:50.018 --> 01:13:55.323
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I'm going to fill out the the private information here and I'm going to take that part off.

01:13:57.595 --> 01:14:01.417
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, but all that is available on the NJPW 1972 website.

01:14:01.457 --> 01:14:04.839
[SPEAKER_00]: You can go and vote for your picks as well on there.

01:14:04.899 --> 01:14:07.100
[SPEAKER_00]: Until you said, it ends tonight, though, correct?

01:14:07.180 --> 01:14:10.022
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, yeah, you need to fill it out tonight.

01:14:10.382 --> 01:14:14.504
[SPEAKER_01]: Basically, if you haven't filled it out by the time you listen to the podcast, you're probably bound.

01:14:16.002 --> 01:14:20.185
[SPEAKER_00]: So there you have it, but it's a fun thing.

01:14:20.505 --> 01:14:21.666
[SPEAKER_00]: It's nice that they have this vote.

01:14:21.706 --> 01:14:23.227
[SPEAKER_00]: I hope they do this for the G1 also.

01:14:23.648 --> 01:14:25.869
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's smart, a little bit of fan engagement.

01:14:26.530 --> 01:14:43.582
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that the votes and the results should be part of perhaps the final night, part of the finals, maybe even I would say I give them a plaque or something like that, bring the fans into it because right now fan engagement goes, anything you can do to drive fan engagement, I'm in with it.

01:14:43.662 --> 01:14:44.443
[SPEAKER_00]: I think you should do it.

01:14:47.422 --> 01:14:53.484
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, the whole idea that they are portable websites that, hey, tell us what you think.

01:14:54.365 --> 01:14:58.146
[SPEAKER_01]: It's both good and bad, because they should have their finger on the pulse of this in the first place.

01:14:58.586 --> 01:15:03.788
[SPEAKER_01]: But in the second time, like, hey, I want them to know what I think, and maybe it all changed their mentality on how they do that.

01:15:04.160 --> 01:15:09.621
[SPEAKER_00]: and also in the classic pro wrestling sense, it's a wonderful way to build up your email list.

01:15:10.262 --> 01:15:14.183
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think as you have to put in your email address, so bring up your mailing list.

01:15:14.203 --> 01:15:23.585
[SPEAKER_00]: That's how old times during the chairatory's Jeremy, they would have a baby face get beat up and go to the hospital and they say send cards and letters

01:15:24.265 --> 01:15:30.311
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll make sure that they get to Tommy Rich to Jerry Lawler to whoever it is that's been hospitalized.

01:15:30.331 --> 01:15:31.392
[SPEAKER_00]: We'll make sure that they get it.

01:15:31.412 --> 01:15:39.860
[SPEAKER_00]: So send your cards and what they would do is they would just copy down all the return addresses and they had a poop mailing list nice and send them send them your catalog.

01:15:40.916 --> 01:15:46.457
[SPEAKER_00]: And any other, any other things you wanted to sell them, you had a nice, neat little mailing list from it.

01:15:46.577 --> 01:15:49.018
[SPEAKER_00]: So part of what New Japan's doing right now is be honest.

01:15:49.078 --> 01:15:51.679
[SPEAKER_00]: But nevertheless, anyway, I think they should make it a thing.

01:15:52.059 --> 01:15:57.980
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm a final night of the G1, bring the guys out there, the fighting spirit, the outstanding technique.

01:15:58.000 --> 01:15:59.561
[SPEAKER_00]: These are all sumo prizes, by the way.

01:15:59.581 --> 01:16:00.841
[SPEAKER_00]: They do this in sumo wrestling.

01:16:01.221 --> 01:16:04.423
[SPEAKER_00]: where you get a technique prize or you get a fighting spirit prize.

01:16:05.124 --> 01:16:06.405
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's the thing.

01:16:06.565 --> 01:16:07.205
[SPEAKER_00]: It's an important thing.

01:16:07.245 --> 01:16:09.587
[SPEAKER_00]: They keep track of how many each guy has.

01:16:10.147 --> 01:16:18.173
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that anything that you can do to add a little extra interest and stuff like that would be healthy for New Japan to do, I recommend it.

01:16:19.774 --> 01:16:20.435
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, all right.

01:16:20.475 --> 01:16:22.156
[SPEAKER_01]: Did it score for the for the G1?

01:16:22.236 --> 01:16:22.797
[SPEAKER_01]: It would be great.

01:16:23.017 --> 01:16:25.899
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you got your you got your retrospective, right?

01:16:26.606 --> 01:16:27.187
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, I do.

01:16:27.327 --> 01:16:29.871
[SPEAKER_00]: And we have Tiger Mask.

01:16:29.911 --> 01:16:33.216
[SPEAKER_00]: So when last we left our hero tiger mask, he was

01:16:34.242 --> 01:16:35.463
[SPEAKER_00]: toward the peak of his career.

01:16:35.563 --> 01:16:39.827
[SPEAKER_00]: And he had just become the first person to win the best of the Super Junior's twice in a row.

01:16:40.767 --> 01:16:44.711
[SPEAKER_00]: His second win came while he was the IWGP Junior heavyweight champion.

01:16:45.311 --> 01:16:47.093
[SPEAKER_00]: And he was basically acknowledges the top dog.

01:16:47.313 --> 01:16:50.576
[SPEAKER_00]: Even though a Duchenlaugher was still a big star in the division, there were other guys.

01:16:51.436 --> 01:16:53.418
[SPEAKER_00]: Like El Samurai, he didn't carry it all on his own.

01:16:53.738 --> 01:16:59.002
[SPEAKER_00]: But this was a period where he was a two-time best of the Super Junior winner of Belth Holder.

01:17:00.017 --> 01:17:13.935
[SPEAKER_00]: When the junior heavyweight division was kind of the best thing on these shows a lot of the time and the new Japan was struggling, it was also the year 2005 there where he began battling the fourth black tiger Rocky Romero.

01:17:15.482 --> 01:17:27.250
[SPEAKER_00]: Black Tiger was his final title defense before that second Super Junior victory, Tiger Mass beat him at the in the dome at the Nexus 4 event, Nexus 4 in May.

01:17:28.050 --> 01:17:30.712
[SPEAKER_00]: So that was when they were running the Tokyo dome multiple times a year.

01:17:31.232 --> 01:17:36.256
[SPEAKER_00]: Shinsuke Nakamura and Tanahashi defended their IWGP tag team titles in that show.

01:17:36.636 --> 01:17:52.889
[SPEAKER_00]: Against Manabura Nakanishi and Kendo Kashen, there was also a super dream match with Tetsumi Fujinami and Mitsuhara Masawa, facing Chono and Liger in the semi-final match show, Tenson won the heavyweight title from Kojima in the main event.

01:17:52.929 --> 01:17:54.210
[SPEAKER_00]: Tennis is listed at about 35,000.

01:17:54.230 --> 01:17:54.290
[SPEAKER_00]: So,

01:17:57.422 --> 01:18:02.665
[SPEAKER_00]: So while he didn't get a chance to face Black Tiger in that tournament, Rocky got hurt.

01:18:02.865 --> 01:18:05.726
[SPEAKER_00]: He had to forfeit a bunch of his matches, including his one against Tiger Mass.

01:18:06.746 --> 01:18:10.388
[SPEAKER_00]: So they slowly built Tiger Black Tiger back up for him again.

01:18:11.449 --> 01:18:17.031
[SPEAKER_00]: Tiger Mass went through 2005, defending against guys like Dictogo and a couple others.

01:18:18.692 --> 01:18:23.394
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, Black Tiger, one, I'm using quotes for that one.

01:18:28.455 --> 01:18:46.165
[SPEAKER_00]: At one point, the NAWA World Junior Heavyweight title was a major title, and the only other title besides the World Heavyweight title that was booked by the NAWA offices itself and they had to vote on who the champion was going to be, and the NAWA Junior Heavyweight Champion was a touring champion.

01:18:47.288 --> 01:18:56.093
[SPEAKER_00]: Some of the biggest names in the business have been the Junior Heavyweight Champion, like Danny Hodge was a main event star in a lot of places, Dori Funk senior.

01:18:56.633 --> 01:18:58.294
[SPEAKER_00]: Junior Heavyweight Champion at points.

01:18:58.855 --> 01:19:03.818
[SPEAKER_00]: If you go through the list, you will see all kinds of legends that were the Junior Heavyweight Champion.

01:19:04.618 --> 01:19:15.865
[SPEAKER_00]: The title had fallen on a little bit harder times once it got into the 70s and then into the 80s it had kind of become an underneath thing for Jim Crocker promotions and the belt was spading and it was enacted at times.

01:19:16.776 --> 01:19:18.097
[SPEAKER_00]: They brought it out of the moth balls.

01:19:18.738 --> 01:19:20.799
[SPEAKER_00]: It was work being worked on small shows.

01:19:21.880 --> 01:19:25.603
[SPEAKER_00]: They managed to get the title and bring it to New Japan.

01:19:25.683 --> 01:19:34.971
[SPEAKER_00]: We're not totally sure if Rocky ever won it in the ring, he may have, but it's also possible that they just procure the belt just set here as the new NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion.

01:19:35.611 --> 01:19:38.234
[SPEAKER_00]: So Rocky was defending this title on New Japan shows.

01:19:39.915 --> 01:19:42.177
[SPEAKER_00]: But there was a long history with this belt.

01:19:42.277 --> 01:19:44.399
[SPEAKER_00]: And the original Tiger Mask had held it at one point.

01:19:45.940 --> 01:19:49.824
[SPEAKER_00]: allegedly he had one thing Brocky had from Jason Rumble and Tennessee but who knows.

01:19:50.905 --> 01:20:01.336
[SPEAKER_00]: He brings a back to Japan and they build to a title versus title match and Black Tiger got the victory again at the Tokyo Dome, the third Tokyo Dome show that year October 8th.

01:20:02.337 --> 01:20:05.200
[SPEAKER_00]: This is in the middle of New Japan's period of turmoil.

01:20:06.138 --> 01:20:14.462
[SPEAKER_00]: There had been a new president put in place of New Japan Pro Wrestling, the former president, by the way, Jeremy, had heard that he was no longer the president.

01:20:14.942 --> 01:20:20.465
[SPEAKER_00]: When Tokyo sports magazine came up to him and asked him why he quit, that was the first he'd heard of it.

01:20:20.865 --> 01:20:21.705
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't know he quit.

01:20:22.546 --> 01:20:24.687
[SPEAKER_00]: But an Okie had told Tokyo sports, no, he quit.

01:20:25.207 --> 01:20:27.408
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, can you take a while, guess?

01:20:27.468 --> 01:20:32.911
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not expecting you to guess this, but just to give you an idea of how well things were going in New Japan.

01:20:33.813 --> 01:20:46.261
[SPEAKER_00]: This guy was fired without being told he was fired, and they said he quit, and then they put Simon and Oki in Oki's son-in-law in his president, which went about as well as he would think.

01:20:48.682 --> 01:20:52.064
[SPEAKER_00]: So, that's all going on while they have this dome showing October 8th.

01:20:53.185 --> 01:21:02.451
[SPEAKER_00]: And the main event was Brock Lesnar winning the IWGP title in a three way over champion Kazuki Fujita and Masachono.

01:21:03.477 --> 01:21:12.947
[SPEAKER_00]: Three ways very clunky anyway, but the reason Chono was put in the match to do the job was to save the singles match between lessner and Fujita.

01:21:12.967 --> 01:21:20.134
[SPEAKER_00]: So the idea was, because the Yuki Fujita would lose the title, but not the match, Brock would be the champion.

01:21:20.435 --> 01:21:24.339
[SPEAKER_00]: That would set up the obvious one on one match, so the Chono could be the guy that would get pinned.

01:21:24.819 --> 01:21:25.100
[SPEAKER_00]: All right.

01:21:26.517 --> 01:21:27.838
[SPEAKER_00]: things were just nuts at this point.

01:21:27.858 --> 01:21:38.662
[SPEAKER_00]: We've talked about how the whole thing with Brock Lesnar is the IWGP champion didn't turn out because Brock wasn't particularly interested in going back and forth to Japan and just kind of stopped doing it after a while.

01:21:40.166 --> 01:21:48.268
[SPEAKER_00]: But to give you an idea where this was, black tiger, Rocky Romero, and Tiger Mask was third from the top at this Tokyo dome show.

01:21:48.328 --> 01:21:53.689
[SPEAKER_00]: So in a very strong position on the car, a lot stronger than you usually see Junior Heavyweight title matches these days.

01:21:53.929 --> 01:21:59.750
[SPEAKER_00]: Heromo got up into that rare air a couple of times, but it took that kind of guy, that type of thing.

01:21:59.770 --> 01:22:02.291
[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of times Junior Heavyweight matches a lower on the car, right?

01:22:02.311 --> 01:22:02.951
[SPEAKER_00]: We've seen it a bunch.

01:22:04.277 --> 01:22:14.100
[SPEAKER_00]: He stayed atop contender for Romero, though, and faced him again in a double title match at Acceleration Circuit, as that for a name, sounds like a electronics store.

01:22:14.740 --> 01:22:20.781
[SPEAKER_00]: But that was in Sumo Hall on February 19th of 2006, 8,000 people showed up.

01:22:20.901 --> 01:22:25.963
[SPEAKER_00]: The tag team match with Chono and Tenson on top, meeting Machinesci and Giant Bernard.

01:22:27.103 --> 01:22:39.015
[SPEAKER_00]: Lester, Jeremy, teamed with Shinsuke Nakamura to face Ricky Choshu and Akibono, a former sumo wrestling Yoko Zuna on the match.

01:22:39.055 --> 01:22:41.117
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's probably the match that drew the crap.

01:22:41.498 --> 01:22:47.484
[SPEAKER_00]: So you had Lester and Nakamura against Choshu and one of the biggest stars in sumo wrestling Akibono.

01:22:48.678 --> 01:22:55.163
[SPEAKER_00]: But that was the time when he faced Romero again, and won the titles back.

01:22:55.183 --> 01:23:03.390
[SPEAKER_00]: So now he is both the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.

01:23:04.552 --> 01:23:18.493
[SPEAKER_00]: uh... let's see uh... oh on the same show by the way reescape to Gucci won the junior tag tank junior tag team title with el samurai uh... beating menoru and heroic he goto imagine heroic he goto as the junior tag team champion but there he was

01:23:19.454 --> 01:23:22.577
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, that rain didn't last terribly long.

01:23:22.877 --> 01:23:24.299
[SPEAKER_00]: They were ready to split the titles up.

01:23:24.359 --> 01:23:28.843
[SPEAKER_00]: So he dropped the IWGP title, the Coach of Cannon Moto and May, and Focaloka.

01:23:29.503 --> 01:23:30.584
[SPEAKER_00]: That was the semi-final.

01:23:31.065 --> 01:23:33.827
[SPEAKER_00]: No, again, in a very prominent spot on the car.

01:23:34.608 --> 01:23:38.272
[SPEAKER_00]: The main event was Brock Lesnar, beating Giant Bernard in a heavyweight title match.

01:23:39.092 --> 01:23:42.556
[SPEAKER_00]: And then, in 2006, best of the super-geniors.

01:23:43.660 --> 01:23:47.663
[SPEAKER_00]: Tiger Mask finished second in the B-block to Wataro, Enoe.

01:23:48.384 --> 01:23:53.808
[SPEAKER_00]: Tiger Mask still had the NWA title, and Coach of County Motto had the IWGP.

01:23:54.089 --> 01:23:57.752
[SPEAKER_00]: He went all the way to the finals, and was win one match.

01:23:57.772 --> 01:24:03.296
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm winning his third consecutive best of the Super Junior, but Minoru did get the victory there.

01:24:05.992 --> 01:24:08.557
[SPEAKER_00]: In the air, but he did, well, he did, he loses the finals.

01:24:09.419 --> 01:24:13.206
[SPEAKER_00]: In a way, I mentioned he had finished above Tiger Mask in the block.

01:24:14.092 --> 01:24:24.836
[SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, B Tiger Mask, so he got a shot at the NWA title that Tiger Mask held, but Tiger Mask beat him, and would go on to hold that title for the rest of the year.

01:24:25.356 --> 01:24:30.278
[SPEAKER_00]: So there were two titles, two junior heavyweight titles being defended on New Japan cards.

01:24:30.358 --> 01:24:38.221
[SPEAKER_00]: Rocky is Black Tiger was defending the IWGP Junior title, and Tiger Mask was defending the NWA title.

01:24:38.581 --> 01:24:47.872
[SPEAKER_00]: Some of his defenses came against guys like Taguchi and our very own announcer, Milano collection, AT, got title shots at the NWA belt.

01:24:49.034 --> 01:24:51.516
[SPEAKER_00]: He even teamed with Okibono, Jeremy.

01:24:51.837 --> 01:24:59.343
[SPEAKER_00]: You imagine the junior heavyweight guy, Tiger Mask, teaming with one of the largest sumoes that's ever existed, Okibono.

01:24:59.884 --> 01:25:03.928
[SPEAKER_00]: And he got much, much larger after he was a sumo.

01:25:05.509 --> 01:25:07.431
[SPEAKER_00]: A lot of sumoes fight to keep their weight up.

01:25:08.232 --> 01:25:11.535
[SPEAKER_00]: It seems like Okibono might have been dieting in order to wrestle.

01:25:12.357 --> 01:25:27.282
[SPEAKER_00]: uh... because he uh... unfortunately it also killed him he blew up to well over five hundred pounds maybe even six hundred after his career was over and uh... just wasn't uh... too much for his heart Jeremy but uh... so ockey bono big boy he wrestled as bono tiger

01:25:28.686 --> 01:25:32.847
[SPEAKER_00]: I hope there was a mask to, they team twice.

01:25:32.867 --> 01:25:35.027
[SPEAKER_00]: They beat Jado and Ghetto in August.

01:25:35.087 --> 01:25:37.688
[SPEAKER_00]: And Jado and Ghetto were in the heel faction.

01:25:37.708 --> 01:25:39.768
[SPEAKER_00]: The Tiger Mass was up against fairly frequently.

01:25:40.328 --> 01:25:49.290
[SPEAKER_00]: And then again, those two, Bono Tiger and Tiger Mass team with El Samurai against Liger, Ghetto and Jado later in the year, those must have been weird matches.

01:25:49.470 --> 01:25:51.531
[SPEAKER_01]: I just can't imagine everything about it.

01:25:51.591 --> 01:25:53.911
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like, this is okay.

01:25:53.931 --> 01:25:56.312
[SPEAKER_01]: I'll just smile not, this is not weird at all.

01:25:57.563 --> 01:26:03.584
[SPEAKER_00]: He had another brush with the future when he competed in a tournament called the National Area Tag League in November.

01:26:04.024 --> 01:26:08.966
[SPEAKER_00]: Kunkie named, but he was teamed up with a plucky young wrestler named Tetsu Yenaito.

01:26:09.706 --> 01:26:13.227
[SPEAKER_00]: And they didn't win very many matches in their block, however.

01:26:13.567 --> 01:26:23.209
[SPEAKER_00]: That was when Naito was in his job doing days, working his way to were being a regular member of the roster, but yeah, he was teaming up with Tiger Mask at that point.

01:26:23.789 --> 01:26:26.130
[SPEAKER_00]: We move on to January of 2007.

01:26:26.551 --> 01:26:36.476
[SPEAKER_00]: He participated in the very first Wrestle Kingdom branded show, January 4th, 2007, and this is the first time the event happened called Kingdom.

01:26:37.016 --> 01:26:49.343
[SPEAKER_00]: He teamed up with Kojikana Motto, Otaro Inui, and Kaz Hayashi, and Takamichi Nokoz, Nate Mantag, to be the brother Yashi, Shujikando, Minoru, Liger, and Milano Collection AT.

01:26:49.463 --> 01:26:51.224
[SPEAKER_00]: So, in these two years,

01:26:53.325 --> 01:27:01.434
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, or excuse me, the rest of 0.5, 0.6 and 0.7, we left off last week where he had been two time tournament winner.

01:27:02.375 --> 01:27:04.097
[SPEAKER_00]: He goes to the finals of the tournament again.

01:27:05.229 --> 01:27:07.431
[SPEAKER_00]: He wins the junior title again.

01:27:08.172 --> 01:27:11.996
[SPEAKER_00]: He loses that, but holds on to the NWA Junior Heavyweight title.

01:27:12.056 --> 01:27:13.438
[SPEAKER_00]: He's feuding with Black Tiger.

01:27:13.498 --> 01:27:16.161
[SPEAKER_00]: We're really in the prime for Tiger Mass 4.

01:27:16.761 --> 01:27:21.206
[SPEAKER_00]: He is consistently toward the top of Major Cars, even at the dome, Sumo Hall.

01:27:21.827 --> 01:27:26.311
[SPEAKER_00]: He's either in semi-finals, third from the top, but these Major Major shows,

01:27:27.133 --> 01:27:47.524
[SPEAKER_00]: Granted, New Japan's not in the best position it's ever been in, but they're leaning on this junior heavyweight division to be a bit of a fresh air when they have guys like, you know, immobile sumo wrestlers on the card and Brock Lesnar kind of coming in and out and Tensana Kojima kind of holding the fort down a little bit at the top.

01:27:48.405 --> 01:28:04.332
[SPEAKER_00]: struggles, but he is part of what is holding the group together, and he is certainly at the very top of the Junior Heavyweight Division to the point that when they wanted to take the IWGP title off of them, they found another Belprim to carry around, and so he could keep making defenses.

01:28:04.832 --> 01:28:10.454
[SPEAKER_00]: He's a key part of the New Japan roster during a difficult time trying to shepherd them

01:28:15.530 --> 01:28:19.854
[SPEAKER_00]: With that in mind, he is now a multiple time champion, multiple time tournament winner.

01:28:20.234 --> 01:28:25.860
[SPEAKER_00]: And when we come back next time, we will take a look at how the rest of 2007 and 2008 went.

01:28:26.220 --> 01:28:28.442
[SPEAKER_00]: These are the years when Tiger Mask is on top.

01:28:29.223 --> 01:28:37.411
[SPEAKER_00]: We, if you've been watching New Japan, you're used for the last 10, 12 years of New Japan being that older guy on the show, the midcarger who loses.

01:28:38.071 --> 01:28:39.533
[SPEAKER_00]: This is when he's at his peak.

01:28:40.349 --> 01:28:44.634
[SPEAKER_00]: If you look at his win-loss record though, Jeremy, it's not great because of the tag matches, right?

01:28:44.914 --> 01:28:48.258
[SPEAKER_00]: He was often teaming up with younger wrestlers who were getting pinned.

01:28:49.639 --> 01:28:52.583
[SPEAKER_00]: They didn't beat Tiger Mask and singles matches very much at all.

01:28:53.484 --> 01:28:55.386
[SPEAKER_00]: And they were putting him in these big spots.

01:28:55.406 --> 01:28:59.110
[SPEAKER_00]: So this is the peak of his career, these years here.

01:28:59.350 --> 01:29:01.592
[SPEAKER_00]: And we're gonna continue to check that out before

01:29:03.034 --> 01:29:08.637
[SPEAKER_00]: age and a changing landscape would conspire to move Tiger Mass down the card.

01:29:08.897 --> 01:29:14.239
[SPEAKER_00]: But that's right now, Tiger Mass 4, the the salty old man is on top of his game.

01:29:16.060 --> 01:29:18.701
[SPEAKER_01]: And how old I can take it, Stephen, we'll find out soon.

01:29:20.242 --> 01:29:23.683
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, well with that in mind, Jeremy, is there anything else we want to cover before we go?

01:29:23.723 --> 01:29:25.124
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, two shows this week.

01:29:26.007 --> 01:29:27.308
[SPEAKER_00]: Friday, Sunday.

01:29:27.448 --> 01:29:33.871
[SPEAKER_01]: So if Saturday off, Friday and then Sunday for the show three quality questions matches, and then a dominion preview.

01:29:33.891 --> 01:29:41.715
[SPEAKER_00]: Steven, we'll have plenty to talk about next week and more about Tiger Mass, but yeah, we're we're getting into that the meat of that order right there, head to the miniature.

01:29:41.996 --> 01:29:46.378
[SPEAKER_01]: So our our life is about the Steven is going to be what we just talked about.

01:29:46.858 --> 01:29:50.180
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, then the week after is the dominion recap.

01:29:51.937 --> 01:29:54.798
[SPEAKER_01]: And then we're going into forbidden door, your favorite boy.

01:29:54.818 --> 01:29:58.279
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh yeah, oh yeah, full steam ahead, buddy.

01:29:59.260 --> 01:30:02.201
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to have a domain in preview.

01:30:03.321 --> 01:30:16.646
[SPEAKER_01]: And then, or our domain in recap, and then the forbidden door preview, and then the forbidden door recap, and then what the G1 preview, and then the G1, all the way through August, and then we'll have whatever happened after that.

01:30:16.886 --> 01:30:19.487
[SPEAKER_01]: So, 90 minute two hour shows,

01:30:22.056 --> 01:30:22.877
[SPEAKER_00]: No worries on that.

01:30:23.017 --> 01:30:23.397
[SPEAKER_00]: All right.

01:30:23.917 --> 01:30:24.938
[SPEAKER_00]: So let's wrap it up for this way.

01:30:24.958 --> 01:30:30.701
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to thank Fernando Zayas, that's about new SVA guy for joining us here alive and everybody who joined us live.

01:30:31.662 --> 01:30:38.446
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're listening to us later as a podcast or here on the YouTube channel, we are very, very grateful for your time and happy you could join us.

01:30:38.926 --> 01:30:44.410
[SPEAKER_00]: So with that in mind, we'll be back next week to talk about how super juniors ends for Jeremy Feisson.

01:30:44.530 --> 01:30:45.390
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm Stephen Conway.

01:30:45.410 --> 01:30:48.252
[SPEAKER_00]: This has been Speaking of Strongstyle and we'll talk to you again real soon.