Shows
Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #242: 2021 Year End Awards w/ 7 Guests!This week on Wrestling Omakase it's our fifth annual year end awards spectacular, as we break down the best and worst of 2021 in all of professional wrestling!John is joined by an all-star panel of 2021 guests: VOW contributors Sean Sedor (@SASedor2994), Suit Williams (@SuitWilliams), Gerard di Trolio (@GerarddiTrolio) and Paul Volsch (@Darth_Dragon), plus Devin (@MoreThanMeatJoy), Mongo (@mongo_ebooks) and Liam McCann (@liam_d_mccann). They all talk a little about what they liked and didn't like about 2021, and what they thought of wrestling as a whole, before getting into their individual award picks...2022-01-022h 42Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #239: Survivor Series Retro Roulette w/ LiamThis week on Wrestling Omakase we take a completely randomized look back at WWE's late November/Thanksgiving tradition, Survivor Series!John is joined by first time guest & VOW contributor Liam Byrne (@tvtimelimit), who as we discuss probably sets some kind of record for "most Omakase guests with the same first name". Liam goes into his history as a fan and why he maybe hasn't appeared on an episode until now, and John makes a quick little detour to talk about their trip to the new UBS Arena this past Wednesday at Belmont (an arena...2021-11-271h 46Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #238: AEW Full Gear & NJPW Battle in the Valley w/ ChrisThis week on Wrestling Omakase we review two big shows from the past weekend- AEW's Full Gear and NJPW's Battle in the Valley!John is joined by returning guest Chris Samsa (@TheChrisSamsa) as they start out with some quick updates on their lives and then talk for quite a bit on the dual possibilities of reopening borders and crowd cheering in Japan. They then get into a full review of AEW's Full Gear PPV from Minneapolis, talking about the good, the bad and the ugly from the latest show. The good: an awesome main...2021-11-162h 31Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #237: WCW Halloween Havoc Retro Roulette Vol. 2 w/ MattThis week on Wrestling Omakase we take our second completely randomized look back at WCW's annual spooktacular, Halloween Havoc!John is joined by returning guest Matt Francis (@archivingmatt), as they start out with a bit of a longer off-topic discussion than usual. John & Matt discuss weird trick or treat times before John gets into the recent announcement that the Wrestling Omakase Patreon will be going on hiatus (although you can still check out the rather extensive archives at any time for only $5, as John goes over on the episode- http://patreon.com/wrestlingomakase), and that then evolves...2021-10-291h 45Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #235: NJPW G1 Climax Nights 15 & 16 w/ JonThis week on Wrestling Omakase we review the penultimate nights of the NJPW G1 Climax for each block, plus give our top 10 G1 matches so far and more!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. The vast majority of our coverage of the G1 Climax lives exclusively on the Patreon- every previous night of both tournaments that wasn't covered on a free episode, and all three nights that remain, are covered exclusively on the Patreon! Don't miss out on our coverage of the final...2021-10-151h 54Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #233: NJPW G1 Climax Night 9 & NOAH N-1 Victory Finals w/ LiamThis week on Wrestling Omakase we break down Night 9 of the NJPW G1 Climax from Nagoya and the finals of NOAH's N-1 Victory from Korakuen Hall!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. The vast majority of our coverage of both the G1 Climax & NOAH N-1 Victory lives exclusively on the Patreon- every previous night of both tournaments that wasn't covered on a free episode, and every single night of the G1 going forward until the next one, is covered exclusively on the Patreon...2021-10-041h 40Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #231: NJPW G1 Climax Nights 1 & 2, NOAH N-1 Victory Night 2 w/ HarleyThis week on Wrestling Omakase we kick off the NJPW G1 Climax with the opening two nights, along with some bonus coverage of the NOAH N-1 Victory!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. The vast majority of our coverage of both the G1 Climax & NOAH N-1 Victory will live exclusively on the Patreon- every single night of both tournaments from now until our next free episode in two weeks will be covered on the Patreon in detail! Don't miss out on our daily...2021-09-201h 53Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #229: AEW All Out & NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam w/ ChrisThis week on Wrestling Omakase we review the greatest pay-per-view in AEW history, discuss two good shows from NJPW, and talk about a LOT of very stupid takes!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. Our series covering every Tokyo Dome main event in order is about to finish the 1990s, and you can listen to all of the past episodes right now covering it all! We discuss the main events of each show in detail but also talk about everything else going on...2021-09-073h 06Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #227: WWE Summerslam & DDT Wrestle Peter Pan w/ JamieThis week on Wrestling Omakase we reviewed the alleged and the actual biggest party of the summer- WWE Summerslam and DDT Wrestle Peter Pan!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. Our series covering every Tokyo Dome main event in order is pulling up on the end of the 1990s, and we've just recently put up all sorts of great episodes- Misawa vs. Kawada! Antonio Inoki's retirement! Riki Choshu's retirement! And much more! We discuss the main events of each show in detail but...2021-08-232h 14Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #225: SummerSlam Retro Roulette w/ Neil & JeriThis week on Wrestling Omakase we take a completely randomized look back at the biggest party of the summer, SummerSlam!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. Patrons get so much bonus audio that never hits the free feed, most notably two full length exclusive episodes per month. Right now we're in the middle of our series looking back at every Tokyo Dome main event in order- we just got through 1997, as we discussed the very memorable circumstances behind the start of the famous...2021-08-021h 54Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #223: Tokyo Dome Retro Roulette Vol. 2 w/ QuinlanThis week on Wrestling Omakase we once again take a completely randomized look at events from the Tokyo Dome!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. Patrons get so much bonus audio that never hits the free feed, most notably two full length exclusive episodes per month. Right now we're in the middle of our series looking back at every Tokyo Dome main event in order- we're in 1995, in the midst of the memorable NJPW vs. UWFi trilogy. We break down the main events...2021-07-171h 23Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #221: King of DDT Finals & GLEAT Ver. 1 w/ DevinThis week on Wrestling Omakase we wrap up our King of DDT coverage with a full review of the finals from Korakuen Hall, and take a look at new promotion GLEAT's official launch show from Tokyo Dome City Hall!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. We just completed our series watching all ten of the Naito/Tanahashi singles matches that were available online, and you can relive their entire decade-spanning rivalry with us right now! With that now behind us we'll be resuming...2021-07-051h 34Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #219: King of DDT 2nd Round & TJPW Additional Attack w/ HayleyThis week on Wrestling Omakase we review two shows from Korakuen Hall: the 2nd Round of the King of DDT tournament and Tokyo Joshi's 6/17 show, Additional Attack.The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. We've hit the home stretch of our series covering every Naito vs. Tanahashi match in order, as we're right in the middle of their legendary 2017 trilogy! Listen now as we go over their epic match from Wrestle Kingdom 10, and coming this week we'll discuss the rematches from Dominion & the G1...2021-06-222h 17Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #217: NJPW Dominion & CyberFight Festival w/ LiamThis week on Wrestling Omakase we review two of the biggest shows from Japan in quite a while: NJPW Dominion and the CyberFight Festival!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. We're in the middle of our series covering every Tanahashi vs. Naito match in order, but we'll be taking a pause this week to bring you exclusive tournament coverage of the 1st Round of the 2021 King of DDT! Plus: our latest Retro Roulette episode, NJPW Dominion Retro Roulette, coming next week exclusively to...2021-06-082h 35Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #215: 5 Matches with Jon HernaWrestling Omakase #215: 5 Matches with Jon HernandezndezThis week on Wrestling Omakase it's our first 5 Matches episode on the free feed in a very long time, as John & Jon discuss the ROH vs. CZW feud, Goto vs. Tanahashi from 2009, IRON HEAD FUJITA vs. Shibata from 2004 and more! If you haven't listened to a 5 Matches episode yet, each episode John and the guest each choose 2 matches to watch and talk about. Then we each choose a third match, which is put up to a vote right here on the Patreon, letting the patrons choose our fifth and final match to discuss. It's a fun retro format featuring...2021-05-172h 09Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #214: Tokyo Dome Retro Roulette w/ QuinlanThis week on Wrestling Omakase we take a completely randomized look at events from the Tokyo Dome!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. Patrons get so much bonus audio that never hits the free feed, most notably two full length exclusive episodes per month. Most recently we covered the finals of the AJPW Champion Carnival and both nights of NJPW Wrestling Dontaku, exclusively on the Patreon. Throughout the rest of May we'll also be presenting a new 1 Match series on a famous NJPW...2021-05-101h 24Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #212: NOAH the GLORY & NJPW Malaise Tour w/ JeriThis week on Wrestling Omakase we review a big show from NOAH in Nagoya and talk about the hot topic of New Japan Pro Wrestling malaise (while also discussing some of their recent bigger matches).The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. We covered each and every Champion Carnival tournament match in detail throughout the month of April, so if you want to listen back to the coverage of AJPW's flagship tournament (their equivalent of the G1) that's all available for you right now...2021-05-031h 56Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #210: NOAH & Tokyo Joshi 4/17 & 4/18 Korakuens & TALKIN' TITAN w/ KevinThis week on Wrestling Omakase we review the latest Korakuen shows from NOAH & Tokyo Joshi, plus we TALK SOME TITAN and a lot more on a real tangent-heavy episode!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. April is Champion Carnival month on the Patreon, as we're providing daily audio coverage of each and every event in All Japan's signature G1-style tournament! Our coverage of Nights 1, 2, 4 and 5, as well as every remaining night of the tournament, are exclusively hosted on the Patreon! As a...2021-04-202h 24Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #209: AJPW Champion Carnival Night 3 & DDT April Fool w/ PaulThis week on Wrestling Omakase we review Night 3 of AJPW's Champion Carnival and a very entertaining Korakuen show from DDT, April Fool! Plus, some quick Wrestlemania thoughts as well!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. April is Champion Carnival month on the Patreon, as we're providing daily audio coverage of each and every event in All Japan's signature G1-style tournament! Our coverage of Nights 1 & 2, as well as every remaining night of the tournament, are exclusively hosted on the Patreon! As a bonus...2021-04-131h 42Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #207: NJPW Sakura Genesis & DDT Judgement w/ NeilThis week on Wrestling Omakase we break down Sakura Genesis from NJPW and Judgement from DDT in detail, and talk a little bit about being burned out on clap crowd era wrestling.The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. April is Champion Carnival month on the Patreon, as we'll be providing daily audio coverage of each and every event in All Japan's signature G1-style tournament! As a bonus, we'll also be producing an exclusive full length Retro Roulette Omakase this week (before the...2021-04-051h 57Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #205: New Japan Cup Finals, NOAH 3/21 Korakuen & AJPW 3/21 Kyoto w/ JeriThis week on Wrestling Omakase we discuss a difficult topic and a whole lot of very average wrestling, save a couple bright spots here or there.The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. We just concluded our daily coverage of the New Japan Cup and it's still all there for you to listen to, if you'd like to go back and re-live each and every night of the tournament. Coming up next for our daily tournament coverage will be the AJPW Champion Carnival in...2021-03-221h 42Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #204: New Japan Cup Night 9, AJPW & DDT 3/14 Korakuens w/ TJThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk a trio of shows from New Japan, All Japan and DDT!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. Going on right now is our exclusive daily coverage of the New Japan Cup, as John is up on the Patreon each and every day breaking down all the tournament matches! Follow along with our in-depth match breakdowns and reviews, pick 'em updates on what people predicted beforehand versus what actually happened, plus notes from the undercards that you're...2021-03-161h 41Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #203: NJPW Anniversary Show & NJC Night 3, AEW Revolution w/ Chris SamsaThis week on Wrestling Omakase it's one promotion we discuss a lot and one promotion we haven't talked about in a long time, as we cover NJPW and AEW's recent big shows!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. Going on right now is our exclusive daily coverage of the New Japan Cup, as John is up on the Patreon each and every day breaking down all the tournament matches! Follow along with our in-depth match breakdowns and reviews, pick 'em updates on what...2021-03-092h 32Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #201: NJPW Castle Attack & AJPW Excite Series w/ PaulThis week on Wrestling Omakase we break down two very different New Japan shows and dive into AJPW's most recent and upcoming tours!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. Coming up in March will be extensive, exclusive coverage of the annual New Japan Cup, starting right away on March 3rd with our annual New Japan Cup Pick 'Em show! Patrons will also get to enjoy daily audio coverage of each and every New Japan Cup show & tournament match throughout the month. Plus, you...2021-03-011h 58Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #199: NOAH 2/12 Budokan, NJPW 2/10 & 2/11 Hiroshima & DDT 2/14 Kawasaki w/ GerardThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk four huge shows from NOAH, NJPW and DDT in an absolutely packed episode!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. Patrons get so much bonus audio that never hits the free feed, most notably including two full length Omakase episodes per month. Already in February we had our 5 Matches episode with WH Park from POST Wrestling, and coming up next week will be our first ever NJPW Retro Roulette episode covering past Anniversary Shows! Plus, our shorter...2021-02-152h 07Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #197: WCW SuperBrawl Retro Roulette w/ MattThis week on Wrestling Omakase we take a completely randomized look back at WCW's annual February extravaganza, SuperBrawl, on our second ever Retro Roulette episode!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. Patrons get so much bonus audio that never hits the free feed, most notably two full length exclusive episodes per month. Our next episode will feature our 5 Matches format with debuting guest WH Park from Post Wrestling, as he and I will cover some awesome stuff from Japan spanning 4 different decades. Plus...2021-02-072h 12Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #196: NJPW New Beginning in Nagoya & NOAH Higher Ground w/ PaulThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk an awesome Tanahashi vs. Shingo match in New Japan, the build to NOAH's long-awaited return to the Nippon Budokan and more!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. Patrons get so much bonus audio that never hits the free feed, including two extra full length Omakase episodes per month, our shorter and yet still jampacked 1 Match episodes that each cover a certain theme (we just finished up the first part of our series watching every Tokyo Dome...2021-02-012h 01Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #195: AJPW 1/24 Korakuen & NJPW 1/23 Ota Ward w/ Joey BayThis week on Wrestling Omakase we review two shows from All Japan and New Japan, and break down what could be next for both companies!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. Patrons get so much bonus audio that never hits the free feed, including two extra full length Omakase episodes per month (like a brand new 5 Matches Omakase that just dropped this past Monday!), our shorter and yet still jampacked 1 Match episodes that each cover a certain theme (right now talking all of...2021-01-252h 03Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #193: 00s Puro Draft w/ JoJo, Gerard & SmoldoinkThis week on Wrestling Omakase we head back to the world of drafting for our first ever 00s Puro Fantasy Draft!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. Patrons get so much bonus audio that never hits the free feed, including two extra full length Omakase episodes per month (like a brand new 5 Matches Omakase dropping on Monday January 18th!), our shorter and yet still jampacked 1 Match episodes that each cover a certain theme (right now talking all of the Tokyo Dome main events...2021-01-171h 21Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #192: NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 w/ Chris, Jeff, Jon & LiamThis week on Wrestling Omakase it's a compilation of our two live reaction shows after each night of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15, previously available exclusively for Patreon subscribers but now here on the free feed as well!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. Again, patrons were able to listen to our Wrestle Kingdom 15 coverage LIVE after the end of each show, and they got to hear the audio back on demand a full 5 and 6 days before this hit the free feed. You can also...2021-01-102h 47Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #191: 2020 Year End Awards w/ 5 Guests!This week on Wrestling Omakase we bring you our annual Year End Awards episode, as John and five guests break down the best and worst of wrestling from the cursed year that was 2020!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. We'll be bringing you LIVE COVERAGE via Youtube the moment that each night of Wrestle Kingdom 15 ends, exclusively for patrons! Even if you didn't see this in time to sign up for the live audio, you can still get access to it days ahead...2021-01-042h 25Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #188: NJPW Year in Review w/ Joe, Rich, Damon & JoelThis week on Wrestling Omakase we bring together the hosts of three different network podcasts, as John is joined by Rich & Joe from the VOW Flagship and Joel & Damon from the Super J-Cast for our 2020 NJPW Year in Review episode!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. Our 2020 Year in Review series will continue exclusively on the Patreon this coming week, as John will be joined by Jamie from DramaticDDT & JoJo for our DDT episode, and Taylor from Jumping Bomb Audio and Luke from...2020-12-262h 15Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #187: Puro Year in Review (NOAH, AJPW, BJW & More) w/ Gerard, Paul & JonThis week on Wrestling Omakase we kick off an abbreviated Year in Review series as we cover all the men's promotions in Japan other than NJPW or DDT- NOAH, AJPW, BJW, and more!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. You can sign up right now and listen to everything from daily audio coverage of EIGHT different tournaments this year across a wide variety of promotions (NJPW, AJPW, NOAH, DDT and TJPW), our 1 Match series looking back at every Tanahashi vs. Okada and Naito...2020-12-212h 35Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #186: NJPW Best of the Super Juniors & World Tag League Finals, DDT D-Ou GP Night 7 w/ JoJoThis week on Wrestling Omakase we wrap up our 2020 tournament coverage with the combined finals of the NJPW World Tag League & Best of the Super Juniors from Budokan Hall, and the last round robin night of the DDT D-Ou GP!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. You can sign up right now and listen to everything from daily audio coverage of EIGHT different tournaments this year across a wide variety of promotions (NJPW, AJPW, NOAH, DDT and TJPW), our 1 Match series looking back...2020-12-132h 13Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #185: NJPW BOSJ/World Tag League Night 9 & DDT D-Ou GP Night 6 w/ JeriThis week on Wrestling Omakase we look back at a great final night of tournament action in both the Best of the Super Juniors and World Tag League, recap both tournaments overall, and review Night 6 from the DDT D-Ou Grand Prix!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your best source for coverage of Japanese wrestling, from yesterday and today. You can sign up right now and listen to everything from daily audio coverage of EIGHT different tournaments this year across a wide variety of promotions (NJPW, AJPW, NOAH, DDT and TJPW), our 1 Match series looking...2020-12-072h 18Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #183: NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Night 6 & DDT D-Ou GP Night 4 w/ TJThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk an excellent show in the NJPW Best of the Super Juniors and a pretty good one from the DDT D-Ou GP, plus we take a dive through the recent history of the IWGP Tag Team Championship and more!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is covering three big tournaments well into December: NJPW's World Tag League and Best of the Super Juniors, and DDT's D-Ou! We're in the home stretch now but all of the shows this upcoming week will be covered on the Patreon, so don't miss a...2020-11-301h 35Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #181: NJPW World Tag League Night 4 & DDT D-Ou GP Night 1 w/ JeffThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk two shows of very divergent quality: a not-so-great night in the NJPW World Tag League and an awesome opening night in the DDT D-Ou Grand Prix.The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is covering three big tournaments in November & December: NJPW's World Tag League and Best of the Super Juniors, and DDT's D-ou! It kicked off this past week with three shows exclusive for patrons, and it really goes into overdrive this coming week with SIX more shows covered exclusively on the Patreon! Plus you can get access to...2020-11-231h 27Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #180: NJPW BOSJ 27 & World Tag League 2020 Night 1 w/ QuinlanThis week on Wrestling Omakase we break down the unique combined opening night of Best of the Super Juniors 27 and the 2020 World Tag League!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon will be covering three big tournaments in November & December: NJPW's World Tag League and Best of the Super Juniors, and DDT's D-ou Grand Prix! It all kicks off starting Monday 11/16, and you'll get four Patreon-exclusive show reviews this coming week alone! Plus you can get access to all of our previous coverage including daily audio from the recent G1 Climax, complete series covering every Okada-Tanahashi & Naito-Ishii...2020-11-161h 13Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #178: NJPW Power Struggle, DDT Ultimate Party & TJPW Wrestle Princess w/ HayleyThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk three big shows from this past week: NJPW Power Struggle, DDT Ultimate Party and Tokyo Joshi Wrestle Princess!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon will be covering three big tournaments in November & December: NJPW's World Tag League and Best of the Super Juniors, and DDT's D-ou! Plus get access to all of our previous coverage including daily audio from the recent G1 Climax, complete series covering every Okada-Tanahashi & Naito-Ishii match in chronological order, random match reviews submitted by patrons covering everything from late 80s UWF, early 90s WAR, early 00...2020-11-092h 20Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #177: WCW Halloween Havoc Retro Roulette w/ GerardThis week on Wrestling Omakase we introduce a brand new retro concept for us as we take a completely randomized look back at WCW Halloween Havoc through the years!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon brought you coverage of all three major tournaments this fall: the G1 Climax, the AJPW Champion Carnival and the NOAH N-1 Victory. We'll be right back at it again in November & December with three MORE tournaments: the NJPW Best of the Super Juniors & World Tag League, and the DDT D-ou. The only way to hear all of our daily coverage will...2020-11-011h 31Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #175: NJPW G1 Climax Finals, Night 18 & Wrap-Up w/ Todd MartinThis week on Wrestling Omakase we break down the last two nights of the G1 including the controversial B block finals and the divisive overall final, then give a full review of everyone's tournaments, breaking them down wrestler-by-wrestler!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon brought you coverage of all three major tournaments this fall: the G1 Climax, the AJPW Champion Carnival and the NOAH N-1 Victory. If you haven't been following along it's all archived up there for you right now if you sign up, including our A block final audio with a special guest! Plus...2020-10-192h 13Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #174: NJPW G1 Climax Nights 13 & 14, NOAH N-1 Victory Finals w/ JoJoThis week on Wrestling Omakase we discuss two great nights of the G1 (including the best night so far) and an incredible final in the NOAH N-1 Victory!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your only place to get our full coverage of all three tournaments from New Japan, All Japan and NOAH. Weekend shows will be covered here on the free feed, but John will bring even more daily coverage of the weekday shows exclusive to the Patreon, including with guests too! We'll be breaking down the stretch run all week on the Omakase...2020-10-121h 47Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #172: NJPW G1 Climax Night 8 & NOAH N-1 Victory Block Finals w/ SkylarThis week on Wrestling Omakase a couple of G1 Climax B Block Defenders™ report for duty, and we wrap up a great NOAH N-1 Victory as well.The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your only place to get our full coverage of all three tournaments from New Japan, All Japan and NOAH. Weekend shows will be covered here on the free feed, but John will bring even more daily coverage of the weekday shows exclusive to the Patreon, including with guests too! We'll have four more straight days of coverage on the Patreon, including a do...2020-10-051h 42Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #171: NJPW G1 Climax & AJPW Champion Carnival Night 5s w/ JonThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk a couple of Night 5s from two different tournaments- from a G1 Climax that's still in the early stages and a Champion Carnival that's going out with a whimper.The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is your only place to get our full coverage of all three tournaments from New Japan, All Japan and NOAH. Weekend shows will be covered here on the free feed, but John will bring even more daily coverage of the weekday shows exclusive to the Patreon, including with returning guests too! We dropped FOUR...2020-09-281h 53Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #169: NJPW G1 Climax Nights 1 & 2, NOAH N-1 Victory Night 2 w/ HarleyThis week on Wrestling Omakase the G1 Climax gets underway, and we talk some NOAH N-1 Victory too!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon will be your only place to get our full coverage of all three tournaments. Weekend shows will be covered here on the free feed, but John will bring even more daily coverage of the weekday shows exclusive to the Patreon, including with returning guests too! The Patreon right now has our coverage of AJPW Champion Carnival Night 3 from Tuesday 9/15 and the opening night of the NOAH N-1 Victory from Friday 9/19, and will...2020-09-212h 29Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #168: NJPW G1 Climax 30 & NOAH N-1 Victory Preview, AJPW Champion Carnival Nights 1 & 2 Review w/ GerardThis week on Wrestling Omakase we kick off tournament season with an extensive preview of the G1 Climax, a review of the first two nights of the AJPW Champion Carnival and a short preview of the NOAH N-1 Victory!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon will be your only place to get our full coverage of all three tournaments. Weekend shows will be covered here on the free feed, but John will bring even more daily coverage of the weekday shows exclusive to the Patreon, including with returning guests too! It will kick off this coming...2020-09-141h 57Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #167: G1 Climax Fantasy Draft w/ 5 Guests!This week on Wrestling Omakase we return to the world of fantasy drafts but with a big twist- our first ever make your own G1 draft! That's right, to prepare for the upcoming G1 Climax, John and FIVE GUESTS each draft 20 male wrestlers from the entire wrestling world and put together their own G1-style round robin tournament! It's a whole lot of fun!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is the best mix of modern puro & historical coverage your five dollars can buy. Head to http://patreon.com/wrestlingomakase where you can listen now to...2020-09-072h 21Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #165: NJPW Summer Struggle in Jingu, KOPW 2020 & Strong Week 4 w/ Quinlan"This week on Wrestling Omakase we review an awesome SUMMER STRUGGLE in JINGU show, the KOPW 2020 matches from Korakuen and Strong Week 4 on an all-NJPW episode.The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is the best mix of modern puro & historical coverage your five dollars can buy. Head to http://patreon.com/wrestlingomakase where you can listen now to six exclusive full 5 Matches episodes that you can’t find on the free feed (including our latest episode with Garrett Kidney from last week). Plus you’ll get access to five episodes of tournament coverage for the 2020 King of D...2020-08-301h 16Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #164: NJPW Strong Week 3 & Jingu Preview, King of DDT Finals w/ JeffThis week on Wrestling Omakase we review the third week of NJPW Strong and the King of DDT finals, plus look ahead to a big week for New Japan with the KOPW 2020 first round at Korakuen and a major show at Jingu.The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is the best mix of modern puro & historical coverage your five dollars can buy. Head to http://patreon.com/wrestlingomakase where you can listen now to six exclusive 5 Matches episodes that you can’t find on the free feed (including our latest episode with Garrett Kidney from just a...2020-08-241h 29Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #162: NJPW Strong Week 2, AJPW 8/15 & STARDOM 5STAR GP 8/8 & 8/9 w/ TJThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk the second week of NJPW Strong featuring the New Japan Cup USA semifinals, the Atsushi Aoki memorial Korakuen from AJPW and a truly awesome start to the STARDOM 5STAR GP.The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is the best mix of modern puro & historical coverage your five dollars can buy. Head to http://patreon.com/wrestlingomakase where you can listen now to five exclusive 5 Matches episodes that you can’t find on the free feed (including our latest episode with Todd Martin from last week, covering Tanahashi-Shibata from 2014, Kobashi vs...2020-08-171h 50Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #161: NJPW Strong & Summer Struggle, AJPW Champion Carnival Participants & NOAH Departure w/ GerardThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk a ton of different wrestling shows and news from NJPW, AJPW, and NOAH in a packed show!The Wrestling Omakase Patreon is the best mix of modern puro & historical coverage your five dollars can buy. Head to http://patreon.com/wrestlingomakase where you can listen now to five exclusive 5 Matches episodes that you can't find on the free feed (including our latest episode with Todd Martin from just a few days ago, covering Tanahashi-Shibata from 2014, Kobashi vs. Takayama from 2004, SUPER DRAGON VS. NECRO BUTCHER and much more...2020-08-101h 43Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #159: 5 Matches with Andrew RichThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk a crazy 14-man elimination tag from Dragon Gate, a coming out party for a super rookie in STARDOM, a WWE classic from 2004, a rare good match for Yujiro Takahashi and an infamous TNA tag sprint from 2008. If you haven't listened to a 5 Matches episode yet, every week John and the guest each choose 2 matches to watch and talk about on the episode. Then we each choose a third match, which is put up to a vote on the @wrestleomakase Twitter account (or on the Patreon!), letting the listeners choose our fifth and...2020-08-031h 28Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #158: NJPW 7/20, DDT & TJPW 7/23 Korakuens w/ HayleyThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk three different Korakuen Hall shows from three different promotions, more on EVIL as champion so far, we set the table for the Sengoku Lord main event and we discuss a possible return to Japan by......*thunderclap* The Gamer.Wrestling Omakase now has a Patreon. Head to http://patreon.com/wrestlingomakase where you can listen now to four exclusive 5 Matches episodes that you can't find on the free feed, plus our first episode in our new series covering every Naito-Ishii match in chronological order, all 14 episodes in our...2020-07-252h 00Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #157: 5 Matches with Joe Gagne (5 Star Match Game)This week on Wrestling Omakase we talk Dick Togo in Osaka Pro, Kobashi vs. Nagata from NOAH in 2003, a classic Blood Generation vs. DoFIXER 6-man from Dragon Gate in 2005, Honma in BJW and TAKA & Sasuke in the WWF. If you haven't listened to a 5 Matches episode yet, John and the guest each choose 2 matches to watch and talk about on the episode. Then we each choose a third match, which is put up to a vote on the @wrestleomakase Twitter account (or on the Patreon!), letting the listeners choose our fifth and final match of the week. It's a...2020-07-191h 19Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #155: NJPW Dominion & NJC 2020 Final w/ Sean SedorThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk New Japan's first two shows with fans since March, including one of the most shocking title changes in company history.Wrestling Omakase now has a Patreon. Head to http://patreon.com/wrestlingomakase where you can listen now to three exclusive 5 Matches episode with VOW flagship co-host Rich Kraetsch, Alan4L from the PWTorch and Nate from Everything Elite, plus 13 episodes in our ongoing (and soon to conclude) series covering every Okada-Tanahashi match in order, 3 episodes of Anime Omakase, and our New Japan Cup pick 'em. Coming up...2020-07-132h 04Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #154: 2020 Mid-Year Awards w/ 6 Guests!This week on Wrestling Omakase we present our mid-year awards for 2020, doing what we can to highlight the best (and drag the worst) of this very strange and terrible half-year!We're returning to mostly covering current wrestling here on the free feed, but if you miss our 5 Matches format featuring discussion of older matches you can still catch brand new episodes at our Patreon! Head to http://patreon.com/wrestlingomakase where you can listen now to a brand new exclusive 5 Matches episode with Nate from VOW network podcast Everything Elite, as John gives their...2020-07-072h 39Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #152: 5 Matches with Sylvi (All-NJPW Edition)This week on Wrestling Omakase we've got our first-ever all-NJPW 5 Matches edition, talking Naito-Omega II, Ishii-Shibata from the G1 and much more! If you haven't listened to a 5 Matches episode yet, every week John and the guest each choose 2 matches to watch and talk about on the episode. Then we each choose a third match, which is put up to a vote on the @wrestleomakase Twitter account (or on the Patreon!), letting the listeners choose our fifth and final match of the week. It's a fun retro format featuring all sorts of different wrestling!...2020-06-291h 43Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #151: 5 Matches with Case Lowe (Open the Voice Gate)(CONTENT WARNING: We very briefly discuss the events of this past week in professional wrestling at the very start of the episode. We do not go into any detail on specific allegations and it's easily skippable, about 3 minutes or so. We stand with and believes all victims.)This week on Wrestling Omakase we talk some interpromotional matches from the mid-to-late 00s, a classic from NOAH in 2004 and much more. If you haven't listened to a 5 Matches episode yet, every week John and the guest each choose 2 matches to watch and talk about on the...2020-06-221h 52Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #149: 5 Matches with Taylor (Jumping Bomb Audio)This week on Wrestling Omakase we talk three very different joshi matches, plus a 2004 NJPW blodobath and some UWFi! If you haven't listened to a 5 Matches episode yet, every week John and the guest each choose 2 matches to watch and talk about on the episode. Then we each choose a third match, which is put up to a vote on the @wrestleomakase Twitter account (or on the Patreon!), letting the listeners choose our fifth and final match of the week. It's a fun retro format featuring all sorts of different wrestling!Wrestling Omakase has...2020-06-151h 48Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #147: 5 Matches with Brandon Thurston (Wrestlenomics)Black Lives Matter. Find a charitable cause and donate: https://nymag.com/strategist/article/where-to-donate-for-black-lives-matter.htmlThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk some pretty incredible Japanese wrestling, including a triple dose of Toshiaki Kawada! If you haven't listened to a 5 Matches episode yet, every week John and the guest each choose 2 matches to watch and talk about on the episode. Then we each choose a third match, which is put up to a vote on the @wrestleomakase Twitter account, letting the listeners choose our fifth and final match of the week. It's a...2020-06-052h 25Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #146: 5 Matches with Chris (Bad Wrestling Podcast)This week on Wrestling Omakase we talk some really good matches and, uh, some really bad ones too! If you haven't listened to a 5 Matches episode yet, every week John and the guest each choose 2 matches to watch and talk about on the episode. Then we each choose a third match, which is put up to a vote on the @wrestleomakase Twitter account, letting the listeners choose our fifth and final match of the week. It's a fun retro format featuring all sorts of different wrestling!As we talk about on the show, Wrestling...2020-05-311h 57Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #145: 5 Matches with Liam (Wednesday War Games)This week on Wrestling Omakase we talk, honestly, a whole lot of mid-to-late 2010s NJPW. If you haven't listened to a 5 Matches episode yet, every week John and the guest each choose 2 matches to watch and talk about on the episode. Then we each choose a third match, which is put up to a vote on the @wrestleomakase Twitter account, letting the listeners choose our fifth and final match of the week. It's a fun retro format featuring all sorts of different wrestling!John is joined by first time guest Liam, co-host of fellow...2020-05-251h 57Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #144: 5 Matches with Bryan QuinbyThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk one of the greatest AND one of the worst matches of all time plus a whole hell of a lot more! If you haven't listened to a 5 Matches episode yet, every week John and the guest each choose 2 matches to watch and talk about on the episode. Then we each choose a third match, which is put up to a vote on the @wrestleomakase Twitter account, letting the listeners choose our fifth and final match of the week. It's a fun retro format featuring all sorts of different wrestling!2020-05-152h 13Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #143: 5 Matches with Joel Abraham (Super J-Cast)This week on Wrestling Omakase we talk two early 10s Shinsuke Nakamura matches, a 2016 DDT mat classic, an Aztec Warfare match and maybe the last good ladder match of all time. If you haven't listened to a 5 Matches episode yet, every week John and the guest each choose 2 matches to watch and talk about on the episode. Then we each choose a third match, which is put up to a vote on the @wrestleomakase Twitter account, letting the listeners choose our fifth and final match of the week. It's a fun retro format featuring all sorts of different wrestling!2020-05-101h 44Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #142: 5 Matches with Jake (Oatgan)This week on Wrestling Omakase we give you a double dose of BIG VAN VADER, more Sting, a DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight Battle Royale, some 2014 DG action featuring Akira Tozawa and early weekly PPV era TNA! If you haven't listened to a 5 Matches episode yet, every week John and the guest each choose 2 matches to watch and talk about on the episode. Then we each choose a third match, which is put up to a vote on the @wrestleomakase Twitter account, letting the listeners choose our fifth and final match of the week! It's a fun retro format featuring all...2020-05-031h 21Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #141: 5 Matches with JoJo RemyThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk two Kobashi-Akiyama bouts, some FMW and Toryumon and a WCW classic! If you haven't listened to a 5 Matches episode yet, every week John and the guest each choose 2 matches to watch and talk about on the episode. Then we each choose a third match, which is put up to a vote on the @wrestleomakase Twitter account, letting the listeners choose our fifth and final match of the week! It's a fun retro format featuring all sorts of different wrestling!John is joined by JoJo Remy (@jojo_runs...2020-04-261h 47Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #140: 5 Matches with Kevin Brown (Bad Wrestling Podcast)This week on Wrestling Omakase we talk some matches that are really all over the map! If you haven't listened to a 5 Matches episode yet, every week John and the guest each choose 2 matches to watch and talk about on the episode. Then we each choose a third match, which is put up to a vote on the @wrestleomakase Twitter account, letting the listeners choose our fifth and final match of the week! It's a fun retro format featuring all sorts of different wrestling!John is joined by returning guest Kevin Brown (@darukinoi) of...2020-04-191h 39Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #139: 5 Matches with Joe LanzaThis week on Wrestling Omakase we debut our new format that we'll be using to get us through this current pandemic hell! Each week, John and the guest will each choose 2 matches to watch and talk about on the episode. Then we'll each choose a third match, which we'll put up to a vote on the @wrestleomakase Twitter account, letting the listeners choose our fifth and final match of the week! It's a fun retro format featuring all sorts of different wrestling!Our first guest for the 5 Matches format is none other than the...2020-04-122h 09Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #138: Wrestle-1 Legacy, NOAH 3/29 & BJW 3/21 Korakuens w/ TJThis week on Wrestling Omakase we're back on the air and ready to talk some Japanese wrestling! John starts off with a quick update on their health, as they're thankfully feeling better after a long and exhausting battle with (probably) COVID-19, which caused the show to miss a week (sorry!). They're joined by returning guest TJ of the @onewrestlingpod and formerly @w1_eng, so we start things out with a bit of a look back at Wrestle-1 after they recently wrapped up their run with the April 1st Korakuen show. John and TJ discuss the history of the promotion...2020-04-061h 03Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #137: DDT Judgement & BJW 25th Anniversary Show w/ ThomasThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk DDT's return to running shows in front of audiences and Big Japan's 25th Anniversary Show! John is joined by returning guest Thomas (@rasslinratings) as the two talk a little about Coronavirus lockdowns (but not a lot, we promise....) and the controversial decision from virtually every promotion in Japan (save NJPW, which might be coming soon) to start running full shows in front of audiences again. We then turn our attention to two shows, one from one of the first companies to come back and one from a company that never actually stopped...2020-03-221h 18Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #136: BJW 3/3 & ZERO1 3/1 Korakuens w/ ThomasThis week on Wrestling Omakase we cope with unsettling world events the only way this podcast knows how: by talking about some damn good Japanese professional wrestling. John is joined by returning guest Thomas Fischbeck (@rasslinratings) as the two of them open things up talking about the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak, both in the US and Japan, and how it's affecting wrestling in both countries. They discuss some reason for cautious optimism that shuttered Japanese wrestling companies might slowly come back online soon, just as it looks like the US and other Western countries are getting ready to bunker down.2020-03-161h 21Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #135: NO PEOPLE CAST (STARDOM 3/8, DDT 3/1 & TJP 3/1 & 3/8) w/ CallumThis week on Wrestling Omakase we're not gonna let a stupid virus get us down, it's time for empty arena madness! John is joined by first time guest Callum (@IceAgeComingSA) to talk four shows with (almost) zero fans between them, as Japan is still in the midst of their Coronavirus outbreak. After a brief discussion of where we stand there (and what might be coming soon to the US in the very near future) we get into all of these shows, starting with STARDOM's first ever live show on Youtube. Hear our thoughts on some surprise battle royale entrants...2020-03-091h 44Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #134: 90s Puro Draft & Wrestle-1 Closure w/ Paul, Gerard & FlaeThis week on Wrestling Omakase it's time for our first fantasy draft of 2020 with our first historical draft ever, the 90s Puro Draft! With the Coronavirus unfortunately at least postponing the beginning of the New Japan Cup, we had to switch around this week's episode (and we still hope to bring you the originally planned NJC Pick 'Em down the line if things work out) but we've still got a really fun episode for you this week! John is joined by returning guests Gerard (@GerardDiTrolio) and Paul (@Darth_Dragon) and debuting guest Flae (@flaeblazer) for a great deal of...2020-03-021h 37Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #133: NJPW 2/19-2/22 & DDT 2/23 Korakuens w/ HayleyThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk FIVE big Korakuen shows from two different Japanese wrestling companies! John is joined by returning guest Hayley (@choerrycoloured) to discuss a very busy week of action, starting with four straight nights at Korakuen from New Japan. Hear their thoughts on the two very different retirements of Tiger Hattori and Manabu Nakanishi, four title matches, Hayley's opinion of the Tanahashi/Ibushi team in general from the perspective of a big Kota fan, the Naito-Hiromu feud and a possible burgeoning Naito-Ospreay rivalry, which unit they're very sick of, and much more! Once they're finished...2020-02-241h 51Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #132: AJPW 2/11 & STARDOM 2/8 Korakuens w/ Paul & GerardThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk a pair of Korakuen events from a men's and women's company, plus a whole lot more! First, John is joined by returning guests and VOW contributors Gerard Di Trolio (@GerardDiTrolio) and Paul Volsch (@Darth_Dragon) to break down All Japan Pro Wrestling's 2/11 Korakuen, featuring a somewhat controversial Kento Miyahara Triple Crown title match on top and a lot more. We take this chance to discuss the new Shuji Ishikawa booking regime more generally as well, as there's been a lot of changes already. The three also have a conversation on the Japanese...2020-02-172h 03Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #131: NJPW New Beginning in Osaka w/ QuinlanThis week on Wrestling Omakase it's time for our New Beginning in Osaka review! John is joined by longtime friend Bryan Quinlan (@IM_NOT_QUINLAN) to break down all the matches from New Japan's sellout Osaka Jo Hall event, as well as all the big news that broke during the show. They start at the very top of the card with what's sure to be a bit of a controversial Tetsuya Naito vs. KENTA main event, so tune in to hear their thoughts on it. They work their way down from there with thoughts on the wild Suzuki-Moxley brawl...2020-02-101h 03Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #130: NJPW New Beginning in Sapporo & NOAH Sale w/ Chris & ThomasThis week on Wrestling Omakase it's finally time to head back to New Japan land! John is joined by returning guests and VOW contributors Chris Samsa (TheChrisSamsa) and Thomas Fischbeck (@rasslinratings) to break down the two big New Beginning in Sapporo shows in detail, as they go match-by-match on both cards. Hear praise for a number of the undercard matches (except one in particular that gets ripped by pretty much everyone; you'll have to listen to find out which one) and then some strong opinions on the major matches of both shows: EVIL-Ishii, Shingo-Goto, ZSJ-Ospreay and Okada-Taichi. We then...2020-02-031h 49Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #129: WWE Royal Rumble & DDT Sweet Dreams w/ JackThis week's Wrestling Omakase sees us review two very different wrestling shows from the opposite ends of the world. John is joined by returning guest and VOW contributor Jack Beckmann (@packerman120) to talk the WWE Royal Rumble and DDT's 1/26 Korakuen, Sweet Dreams. First, the Royal Rumble review touches on the entire main card, from a terrible falls count anywhere match to some very mixed (but mostly bad) title matches and, thankfully, two very good Royal Rumble matches that basically save the show. What did we think of The Brock Thing? Who were the stars of each Rumble? How did...2020-01-271h 30Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #128: NOAH New Sunrise & Reboot w/ SkylarThis week on Wrestling Omakase it's time to talk some Pro Wrestling NOAH! John is joined by returning guest Skylar (@Twwitterdotcom) to break down NOAH's two big shows that opened the year, the January 4th New Sunrise show that went head-to-head with night 1 of Wrestle Kingdom 14 and the January 5th Reboot show that was their New Year Dash of sorts, both from Korakuen Hall. Hear John and Skylar break down every match from both shows including an instant classic for the GHC Heavyweight Title between Kaito Kiyomiya and Go Shiozaki, a much-praised junior title win for veteran Yoshinari Ogawa...2020-01-201h 50Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #127: 2019 Year End AwardsThis week it's time for Wrestling Omakase's third annual awards episode! The Omakase awards are open to each and every guest who appeared on the show during the calendar year, and for 2019 we received votes from 37 different people across the wrestling spectrum. Here to share their picks with John are six returning guests: Kelly Harrass, Thomas Fischbeck, TJ, Mongo, Jeff and Suit Williams! We all go through our picks and then give the overall winners in the following categories (in their order of discussion on the show): Worst Weekly TV Show, Worst Major Show, Worst Promotion, Worst Feud, Worst...2020-01-131h 53Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #126: NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 w/ Chris, Tyler, Paul & GerardWrestling Omakase kicks off 2020 with full coverage of both nights of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14! To celebrate this historic two-night event we went live on Youtube with instant reaction streams right after both nights went off the air, so this week's episode is a combination of both those streams. For the first night John is joined by VOW contributors Chris Samsa (@TheChrisSamsa), Tyler Forness (@CCSTheRealForno) and Paul Volsch (@Darth_Dragon) and for the second night John is joined by Chris and Tyler again as well as Gerard Di Trolio (@GerardDiTrolio). Hear their thoughts immediately after each night went off the...2020-01-062h 45Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #125: NJPW Year in Review 2019 w/ Joel & Damon & Joe LanzaThis week Wrestling Omakase's third annual Year in Review series reaches its conclusion! Each week we recapped the 2019 of a specific promotion, promotions, or type of wrestling, covering all their major shows and moments and giving our picks for the major award categories. It's a great way for you to catch up with wrestling you may have missed this year and identify matches you may want to watch or rewatch before doing your end of the year awards voting!We've reached the end of another Year in Review journey, and once again we've left...2019-12-283h 08Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #124: Misc. Puro (AJPW, NOAH, BJW & More!) Year in Review 2019 w/ Paul & ThomasThis week Wrestling Omakase's third annual Year in Review series continues! Each week from now until the end of the year we will recap the 2019 of a specific promotion, promotions, or type of wrestling, covering all their major shows and moments and giving our picks for the major award categories. It's a great way for you to catch up with wrestling you may have missed this year and identify matches you may want to watch or rewatch before doing your end of the year awards voting!We've almost reached the end of another Year...2019-12-232h 12Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #123: AEW & ROH Year in Review 2019 w/ Sean & NateThis week Wrestling Omakase's third annual Year in Review series continues! Each week from now until the end of the year we will recap the 2019 of a specific promotion, promotions, or type of wrestling, covering all their major shows and moments and giving our picks for the major award categories. It's a great way for you to catch up with wrestling you may have missed this year and identify matches you may want to watch or rewatch before doing your end of the year awards voting!AEW and ROH are two American wrestling companies...2019-12-162h 35Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #122: Joshi Year in Review 2019 w/ Luke & TaylorThis week Wrestling Omakase's third annual Year in Review series continues! Each week from now until the end of the year we will recap the 2019 of a specific promotion, promotions, or type of wrestling, covering all their major shows and moments and giving our picks for the major award categories. It's a great way for you to catch up with wrestling you may have missed this year and identify matches you may want to watch or rewatch before doing your end of the year awards voting!What an eventful year it was for joshi...2019-12-082h 54Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #121: WWE Year in Review 2019 w/ Garrett & KellyThis week Wrestling Omakase's third annual Year in Review series continues! Each week from now until the end of the year we will recap the 2019 of a specific promotion, promotions, or type of wrestling, covering all their major shows and moments and giving our picks for the major award categories. It's a great way for you to catch up with wrestling you may have missed this year and identify matches you may want to watch or rewatch before doing your end of the year awards voting!Oh boy folks. Strap in for this one...2019-12-022h 41Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #120: DDT Year in Review 2019 w/ JamieWelcome to Wrestling Omakase's third annual Year in Review series! Each week from now until the end of the year we will recap the 2019 of a specific promotion, promotions, or type of wrestling, covering all their major shows and moments and giving our picks for the major award categories. It's a great way for you to catch up with wrestling you may have missed this year and identify matches you may want to watch or rewatch before doing your end of the year awards voting!We kick things off this week with our DDT...2019-11-252h 02Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #119: AEW Full Gear, NOAH 11/2, SEAd 11/2 & STARDOM 11/4 w/ Aaron & TaylorThis week on Wrestling Omakase it's our final "normal" show of the year before our Year in Review series gets kicked off, and we go out with a bang talking four big shows! John is joined by returning guests Taylor (@tamaimbo) and Aaron Bentley (@aaronlikethecar) of Everything Elite (@EverythingAEW), here to plug his new Patreon to that VAST Omakase audience (http://patreon.com/everythingelite). We're here to talk four shows from four very different promotions, starting with the AEW Full Gear PPV from this past weekend. Hear some very different thoughts on AEW's third PPV event, as we cover...2019-11-132h 23Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #118: NJPW Power Struggle, DDT Ultimate Party & BJW Ryogokutan w/ Taylor, Thomas & JackThis week on Wrestling Omakase it's time to talk three gigantic Japanese wrestling shows! John is joined by returning guests Taylor (@tamaimbo), Thomas (@rasslinratings) and Jack (@packerman120) to break down all the shows from this past weekend. We start with New Japan's Power Struggle show from Osaka, as we talk all the major matches and angles on the last major show before Wrestle Kingdom. We discuss a somewhat controversial final segment setting up the double title match, Hiromu Takahashi's incredible return, BUSHI and Will Ospreay putting on a banger, the finals of the Super Junior Tag League, another awesome...2019-11-072h 34Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #117: Mega Puro Weekend Preview (NJPW, NOAH, DDT & BJW) w/ Taylor & Kevin HareThis week on Wrestling Omakase it's our full preview of the upcoming Mega Puro Weekend! John is joined by returning guests Taylor (@tamaimbo) and ex-Burning Spirits co-host Kevin Hare (@stan__hansen) to preview four huge shows from Japan. Before they get into the shows there's a bit of Japanese travel chat as Kevin will actually be heading overseas for the first time to attend the three events at Sumo Hall, so we discuss his trip as well as give some thoughts and memories from John and Taylor's previous journeys as well. Before diving into the shows John also announces...2019-10-282h 49Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #116: 2019 Worldwide Fantasy Draft w/ 4 guests!This week on Wrestling Omakase it's our 2019 Worldwide Fantasy Draft! That's right, our fantasy draft is back but this year for one episode only, as we bring you our first-ever FIVE-WAY worldwide draft! Any wrestler in the world, for any promotion, who has wrestled since the start of September 2019 is eligible to be drafted, which gives all our participants a lot to work with! John is joined by two guests from Voices of Wrestling, Music of the Mat host Andrew Rich (@AndrewTRich) and contributor Jack Beckmann (@packerman120). In addition, for the first time we took volunteers from our two...2019-10-211h 07Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #115: NJPW King of Pro Wrestling & AEW Dynamite Weeks 1 & 2 w/ HayleyThis week on Wrestling Omakase it's time for King of Pro Wrestling! John is joined by first time guest Hayley (@choerrycoloured) to help break down NJPW's biggest show of the fall. But before we get into KOPW Hayley talks about how she got into wrestling in general and NJPW specifically (which coincidentally involves John and they had no idea) and there's also some more #animetalk on everything from Love Live to some recommendations for the new fall season and more. Once they get into the show they start right at the top of the card with lots of thoughts...2019-10-152h 04Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #114: 2019 Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame w/ Rich Kraetsch w/ Rich KraetschThis week on Wrestling Omakase it's once again time for Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame talk! John is joined by the CAPTAIN Rich Kraetsch of the Voices of Wrestling flagship (@voiceswrestling) to once again break down every candidate in the Modern US/Canada and Japan categories. It's quite the dichotomy, as first we try our best to make a case for any one of a historically weak batch of US candidates including Bill Goldberg, CM Punk, Edge, Randy Orton, Sgt. Slaughter and more. Then we dive into a ridiculously deep slate of candidates from Japan including the "NJPW Modern 4"...2019-10-052h 43Wrestling OmakaseWrestling Omakase #113: NJPW Fighting Spirit Unleashed (NYC & Philly) Live Reviews & DDT 9/29 KorakuenThis week on Wrestling Omakase we talk two New Japan US shows that we attended live, plus chat some DDT! First John is joined by returning guest Bryan Quinlan (@IM_NOT_QUINLAN) to talk NJPW's Fighting Spirit Unleashed shows from NYC & Philly. Hear us discuss 90 minute ambulance delays, unruly fans, much nicer fans, who was over and what the crowd reactions were like in general compared to past US shows (including the ROH/NJPW shows in some of the same buildings), and of course break down all the matches across both events. After those two reviews and a brief...2019-10-012h 25
Wrestling Omakase100: Wrestling Omakase #100: NJPW BOSJ Finals & More Live From Japan!This week on Wrestling Omakase we're live from Japan for our one hundredth episode! John is joined by an all star panel including many past guests: Taylor (https://twitter.com/tamaimbo) , Quinlan (https://twitter.com/IM_NOT_QUINLAN) , Paul (https://twitter.com/Darth_Dragon) , Kelly (https://twitter.com/comicgeekelly) and Albert (https://twitter.com/heyhorseneck) ! Just minutes after attending the BOSJ Finals live at Sumo Hall we all gather to break down the entire show, including many thoughts on the live crowd reactions and other things the cameras may have missed. We also discuss the reaction to the somewhat controversial...2019-06-051h 09
Wrestling Omakase93: Wrestling Omakase #93: NJPW/ROH G1 Supercard & Wrestlemania w/ Andrew RichThis week on Wrestling Omakase it's a special bonus episode breaking down the last two big shows of Mania weekend! John is joined by returning guest and Music of the Mat (https://twitter.com/musicofthemat) host Andrew Rich (https://twitter.com/AndrewTRich) as we start with a brief recap of Andrew's Mania weekend, including his full ranking of everything he attended and thoughts on the VOW podcast network karaoke crossover with the two of us and Super J Cast co-hosts Damon & Joel. Once that's out of the way we turn our attention to a full breakdown of the huge G1 S...2019-04-101h 52
Wrestling Omakase68: Wrestling Omakase #68: DDT Peter Pan w/ Jesse & TaylorThis week on Wrestling Omakase we dive into the Dramatic Dream Team for one of their biggest shows of the year! John is joined by our two most prolific Omakase guests, Jesse (@K0jiii) and Taylor (@tamaimbo), as we break down all twelve matches on this massive 6-hour show. Hear us talk the controversial Dieno-Sasaki main event, the CIMA-Takeshita semi-main, Irie's final appearance as a DDT roster member, GIANT PANDA BATTLES, and much more! We also get a little into the upcoming D-ou Grand Prix, mainly just going over the list of participants, and discuss some upcoming dates across both...2018-10-252h 07
Wrestling Omakase44: Wrestling Omakase #44: WWE Backlash & NJPW Wrestling Dontaku w/ KyleThis week on Wrestling Omakase, John is joined by first time guest Kyle (@ThroughMyKyes) of Sheet Sandwich to discuss WWE Backlash. The two of them break down each and every match on this truly wretched, no good, horrible show, from the very good opener to the very, very bad main event. Once they're done burying that awful piece of crap, they move on to a briefer discussion of the two NJPW Wrestling Dontaku shows, mainly based around the main events of each night and some other key angles as well. Finally they wrap things up with your questions, including: the 3...2018-05-092h 06
Wrestling Omakase28: Wrestling Omakase #28: 2017 Year End Awards Spectacular w/ 9 Guests!!It's time for the first-ever Wrestling Omakase Year End Awards! Our awards panel consisted of each and every guest we had on Omakase in 2017 (with everyone but one submitting a ballot), and we've tallied up the results and share them with you on this show! It's basically a mini-Observer awards with the same basic rules (5-3-2 balloting, the old December-November calendar, etc.) as our panel of guests picks winners in the following categories: Best Promotion, Feud of the Year, Most Outstanding Wrestler, Best Major Show, Best Tag Team, Match of the Year, and finally Wrestler of the Year/MVP...2018-01-102h 07
Wrestling Omakase17: Wrestling Omakase #17: The King of Banter, Joe LanzaThis week's episode of Wrestling Omakase sees us welcome a brand new guest, the King of Banter himself, Joe Lanza of the Voices of Wrestling flagship (@voiceswrestling)! It's tough for me to pin down an exact topic here: ostensibly the show was supposed to be about John & Joe's similar background in wrestling, mainly with ROH/DG/NOAH in the early-to-mid 2000s, but in practice we talked about all sorts of stuff in nearly two-and-a-half hours. Joe talks about growing up with the WWF & WCW and why he continues watching WWE now, how much WWE he'd actually watch if he wasn't...2017-10-252h 07