Author: Alex Podgorski

Most wrestling fans have heard the name Jushin Thunder Liger. He’s a certified legend and Hall of Famer known the world over. His wrestling career spanned over 35 years and well over 3,000 recorded matches. But what might not be known is the story of Jushin Liger’s alter ego, Kishin Liger. And today, we revisit the day that the monster debuted. Kishin Liger – A bit of background The wrestler Jushin Liger is based on a 1990s anime of the same name. The word ‘Jushin’ roughly translates as ‘Beast God’, and ‘Thunder’ is his final form. The wrestling character Jushin…

On October 5th, 1997, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker fought in WWE’s first-ever Hell in a Cell (HIAC) match. This match set the standard for all future HIAC. And now, after twenty-five years, it has yet to be surpassed in terms of quality or memorability. And that isn’t just because it was a great in-ring match; but also because of how awesome the story was. For this match also included the best wrestling debut in WWE history. It marked the debut of Kane, and started one of the best feuds in wrestling history. Today we look back at this legendary…

Many fans remember Samoa Joe’s famous ROH match with Kenta Kobashi, but they aren’t likely to remember Samoa Joe vs Mitsuharu Misawa. That match has long been considered arguably the best ‘indy’ wrestling match ever. But that match was the start of something bigger. It started a long working relationship between ROH and Pro Wrestling NOAH that would lead to many more famous inter-company matches. Most of them achieved fame because they took place stateside. Matches like Joe vs. Kobashi, Danielson vs. KENTA, and Danielson vs. Morishima, are all still talked about among hardcore wrestling enthusiasts. But what many people…

On this day, the thunder queen battle in Yokohama took place. July 31st, 1993, bore witness to one of the greatest and most unique wrestling matches of all time. First, imagine a traditional four-on-four Survivor Series tag match. Then add an ironman stipulation to it and make it go sixty minutes. Then add some special stipulations during the first act. And finally, add eight of the toughest and most talented women’s wrestlers of all time as its participants. This is the story of the Thunder Queen Battle in Yokohama. Writing out all of their names wouldn’t roll off the tongue…

‘On This Day’ is a commemorative article series dedicated to specific events, matches, and occurrences in wrestling history with Misawa and  Kobashi vs Kawada and Taue – the Battle of the Four Pillars of Heaven. Mitsuharu Misawa. Kenta Kobashi. Toshiaki Kawada. Akira Taue. These four men are collectively known in Japan as Shitennou. That roughly translates as ‘Four Heavenly Kings’ or ‘Four Pillars of Heaven’. There has never been a more apt name for a group of wrestlers than that. These four wrestlers have had some of the greatest wrestling matches of all time against each other. Their tag team…

David vs. Goliath, Kobashi and Takayama, the giant vs. the smaller underdog—it’s a time-tested trope in pro-wrestling. It has been done countless times across promotions around the world. Many wrestlers and wrestling promotions have tried to create the perfect version of this story only to come up short in one way or another. But today we look back at the one match that really did live up to that billing and set new standards for what it means. It took place on April 25th, 2004, in Pro Wrestling NOAH. And today we revisit that legendary encounter. Meet The Fighters David…

It was the head-butt heard around the world. While things have changed, but on April 9th, 2017, New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Katsuyori Shibata wrestled what many believed was his last match ever. He fought tooth and nail to try and claim the coveted IWGP Heavyweight Championship from the company’s new ace, Kazuchika Okada. But Shibata did something in that match that changed his career forever. And that’s because he did something that almost cost him his own life. The Head-butt Heard Around The World An Epic match-up Shibata had come a long way going into this match. He was once pegged…

The rivalry between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada has spanned fourteen singles matches over almost a full decade. But it is Tanahashi and Okada IV that may be their greatest match in NJPW History. For many years, their matches together were heralded as the peak of modern professional wrestling. Some observers have since gone on to hail other New Japan matches as being far better than those in the fabled Tanahashi-Okada series. There’s something about this match that makes it not only the best match in modern NJPW history but also the best match NJPW has ever produced. And now,…

The birth of the Ganso bomb. On January 22nd, 1999, the most dangerous wrestling move of all time was created. It happened completely by accident due to one wrestler suffering an injury early on in a match. That resulting injury led to the inadvertent creation of a move so horrifying that it was only ever used three times. It also became symbolic of how far All Japan Pro-Wrestling had gone to one extreme, and how it signaled the peak of that company’s legendary 1990s run. On this day, AJPW ace Mitsuharu Misawa defended his Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship against his…

On October 24th, 1998, the ultimate wrestling finisher was created, as it was the debut of the burning hammer. It was hyped up for weeks as a special secret weapon that was meant to be a last-ditch effort. And when it debuted, it became world-famous. Wrestling fans everywhere were shocked at the move’s sheer brutality and inherent danger. And many of those same fans used the move in each and every wrestling video game as their created wrestlers’ finishers. Today we look back at the creation of the super-finisher to end all super-finishers, Kenta Kobashi’s Burning Hammer. This is the…