http://www.cheap-heat.com WWE, TNA, ROH, NJPW - Blogs, Reviews, Top Lists, Indy News & Results Tue, 30 Jun 2015 02:45:14 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.2

http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-62415/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-62415/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2015 19:21:11 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Blogs Reviews AJ Styles Destination America Gedo Kazuchika Okada Michael Elgin Ring of Honor Rocky Romero Roddy Strong Roderick Strong ROH Shinsuke Nakamura The Bullet Club The Young Bucks wrestling http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=12634 Welcome back everybody to the once-weekly recap of Ring of Honor wrestling, now available on Destination America! This was the first time I was afforded the chance to watch Ring of Honor in crystal clear HD, as I finally live somewhere in which Destination America is available! This was an absolutely incredible show, complete with […]

Welcome back everybody to the once-weekly recap of Ring of Honor wrestling, now available on Destination America! This was the first time I was afforded the chance to watch Ring of Honor in crystal clear HD, as I finally live somewhere in which Destination America is available! This was an absolutely incredible show, complete with darn-near five star matches from some of the best performers in the world. If you've been down on the debut of ROH on Destination America, then this is a must-see show.

The opening contest tonight features the number one contender to Jay Lethal's ROH World Title, Roderick Strong, as he goes into action against another STRONG— the "King of Strong Style" Shinsuke Nakamura. One of my absolute best friends in the world is a dude by the name of Matt Sloyan. For those of you that listen to my podcast, he's a dude you might better know as "PG" Matt S. This was the first time Matt ever had the chance to check out Ring of Honor, and this is his first match. Does it get any better? Roddy is the first to enter the arena, followed by the insanely flamboyant Nakamura. The fans chant for the former IWGP Intercontinental Champion and adorn him with colored streamers. This match kicks off with a stiff tie-up and Roddy Strong takes advantage from the early going. Roderick's ground game is on point, as he manipulates the Japanese star's arm, leading him around the ring. Nakamura is just about four inches taller than Strong, and outweighs him by just about fifteen pounds. Roddy continues to work his ground-game, keeping Shinsuke stranded on the canvas, and unable to achieve any offense. Things take a turn however as this bout is taken to the arena floor. Nakamura uses a litany of high knees and aggressive kicks to knock the former ROH champion off his balance. It's time for a quick commercial break and once we return, Shinsuke Nakamura is proving why he is the undisputed "King of Strong Style." Hard forearms and elbows drill into Strong's face, but the 15-year veteran Roddy won't give up without a fight. Strong hits him with a combination of running knees and clotheslines, and finishing the combination with a modified backstabber. Roderick tries for his patented "Strong Hold," but Nakamura counters with a sleeper hold. Roddy hits Shinsuke with a high knee on the top rope and Nakamura is crotched on the top rope. Roddy climbs to the second rope and hits his opponent with a sidewalk slam on the top turnbuckle. Back and forth, this match is absolutely bonkers with both individuals gaining the advantage, and then losing it moments later. Shinsuke hits a hard knee, but Roddy comes back with another double-knee attack of his own. Strong locks Nakamura in the "Strong Hold," but can only maintain it for a mere moment until Nakamura reached the ropes. They begin to exchange hard right hands in the center of the ring; both men are groggy and struggling to stand. Roddy ducks beneath Nakamura's attack and hits a vicious "Sick Kick," for a near fall. The fans at the Tedreeve Arena chant for both the former IWGP IC Champion and the ROH Triple Crown Winner. "This is awesome," rains down from the rooftop as Nakamura hits Roddy Strong with an incredibly stiff superkick that extended across Roddy's face. Your winner is the FUTURE IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, the "King of Strong Style" Shinsuke Nakamura!

Up next is another cross-promotional battle between NJPW's head booker, Gedo, and the former ROH champion, "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin. Elgin is wearing a very cool robe comprised of red, black and silver. This is a quick contest featuring two somewhat unknown entities to the mainstream wrestling audience. I revert to my buddy who saw ROH for the first time tonight, and his reaction to Michael Elgin was: "His music is boring." But it's hard to fault Elgin for his in-ring style. Elgin is giving up quite an experience edge to the wily Gedo, but it's not enough to silence the psychotic Elgin. He hits Gedo with a big brainbuster and maintains control for the majority of the bout from there. He sends Gedo spiraling into the corner with the "Buckle Bomb," and finishes the sequence with a sit-down powerbomb. Michael Elgin is your winner.

Tonight's main event is a trios contest between two warring factions. On one side is the boisterous Bullet Club, made up of The Young Bucks and the current IWGP World Champion AJ Styles. Their opponents are the former IWGP champion Kazuchika Okada, and the tag team tandem of Berretta and Rocky Romero. The numbers definitely favor the Bullet Club, as they enter the arena with the former IWGP tag team champions, and fellow "Bullet Brothers," Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. This is a fun match right out of the gate with an enormity of high spots, without sacrificing selling or psychology. I feel as though the word "polarizing" is used far too often in professional wrestling. Yes, we get it—not everybody likes John Cena. But the Young Bucks are one such team who can be called polarizing, without any additional hyperbole. Newcomers such as "PG" Matt S see the Bucks, and immediately think: "Wait—so are they just a Shawn Michaels rip off?" Well, short answer: "Yes with an if"; long answer: "No, with a but." I stole that line from Reverend Lovejoy on the Simpsons. The Bucks and other members of the Bullet Club most certainly use mannerisms otherwise associated with HBK and his Kliq, but more so as an homage than anything else. It's really hard to keep track of the action in this bout, as five of the six participants are among the most lightning quick performers in the world. Even Okada—the odd man out in terms of speed—is a rapid fire type individual who comes within a Frog's Hair of the "Rainmaker" within seconds of the bell. Rocky Romero is perhaps the most underrated wrestler in this match, but that's not to say he isn't a highly respected "Sports Entertainer." Rocky might not have the international name recognition as his contemporaries, but he has no issue in hanging with them throughout the match. Trent Beretta is also a very talented individual, who I remember loving as part of the "Dude Busters" during his WWE run. An absolutely incredible match from start to finish, ending with a series of amazing spots! The Young Bucks hit Trent Beretta with not one, but two Meltzer Drivers, followed by a Styles Clash con Superkick from the combined forces of The Young Bucks and AJ Styles. Following the match, AJ and the Bucks posed for the fans, while Okada stood by in defeat.

Until next time, please LIKE "The B+ Players Podcast" on Facebook , and FOLLOW me on Twitter for all the latest and greatest updates courtesy of Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News!

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-road-to-the-new-beginning-day-6-2715-akita-japan/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-road-to-the-new-beginning-day-6-2715-akita-japan/#comments Sat, 07 Feb 2015 17:30:31 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Alex Shelley Bad Luck Fale Bobby Fish Bullet Club Captain New Japan CHAOS Cody Hall Doc Gallows Gedo Hirooki Goto Hiroshi Tanahashi Hiroyoshi Tenzan Jushin Thunder Liger Karl Anderson Katsuyori Shibata Kazuchika Okada Kenny Omega KUSHIDA Kyle O'Reilly Manabu Nakanishi Mascara Dorada Matt Jackson New Japan Pro Wrestling Nick Jackson NJPW reDRagon Road to The New Beginning Ryusuke Taguchi Satoshi Kojima Shinsuke Nakamura Sho Tanaka Tama Tonga Tetsuya Naito Tiger Mask IV Togi Makabe Tomoaki Honma Tomohiro Ishii Toru Yano Yohei Komatsu YOSHI-HASHI Yuji Nagata Yujiro Takahashi http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9538 The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. В The event took place on February 7th, 2015 from the Akita Terrsa in Akita, Akita, Japan:   Tag Team Match reDRagon [2] (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish) defeated Sho Tanaka and Yohei Komatsu (10:48 minutes) Six-Man Tag Team Match Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi […]

The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. В The event took place on February 7th, 2015 from the Akita Terrsa in Akita, Akita, Japan:

Tag Team Match
reDRagon [2] (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish) defeated Sho Tanaka and Yohei Komatsu (10:48 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima and Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Manabu Nakanishi, Tiger Mask #4 and MГЎscara Dorada (11:57 minutes)

4 on 4 – Eight-Man Tag Team Match
Hirooki Goto, Katsuyori Shibata, Ryusuke Taguchi and Captain New Japan defeated Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Kenny Omega and Cody Hall (11:43 minutes)

4 on 4 – Eight-Man Tag Team Match
Yuji Nagata, Togi Makabe, Tetsuya Naito and Tomoaki Honma defeated CHAOS (Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano and YOSHI-HASHI) (14:57 minutes)

Tag Team Match
BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale and Yujiro Takahashi) defeated CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada and Gedo) (11:21 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA and Alex Shelley defeated BULLET CLUB (Tama Tonga, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (16:09 minutes)

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-road-to-the-new-beginning-day-5-2615-wakayanagi-japan/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-road-to-the-new-beginning-day-5-2615-wakayanagi-japan/#comments Sat, 07 Feb 2015 00:36:54 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Alex Shelley Bad Luck Fale Bobby Fish Bullet Club Captain New Japan CHAOS Doc Gallows Gedo Hirooki Goto Hiroshi Tanahashi Hiroyoshi Tenzan Jushin Thunder Liger Karl Anderson Katsuyori Shibata Kazuchika Okada Kenny Omega KUSHIDA Kyle O'Reilly Manabu Nakanishi Mascara Dorada Matt Jackson New Japan Pro Wrestling Nick Jackson NJPW reDRagon Road to The New Beginning Ryusuke Taguchi Satoshi Kojima Shinsuke Nakamura Sho Tanaka Tama Tonga TenKoji Tetsuya Naito Tiger Mask IV Time Splitters Togi Makabe Tomoaki Honma Tomohiro Ishii Toru Yano YOSHI-HASHI Yuji Nagata Yujiro Takahashi http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9518 The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. The event took place on February 6th, 2015 from the Wakayanagi City Gymnasium, in Wakayanagi, Miyagi, Japan:   Singles Match Yohei Komatsu defeats Jay White (8:40) Tag Team Match reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) defeat Jushin Thunder Liger & Sho Tanaka […]

The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. The event took place on February 6th, 2015 from the Wakayanagi City Gymnasium, in Wakayanagi, Miyagi, Japan:

Singles Match
Yohei Komatsu defeats Jay White (8:40)

Tag Team Match
reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) defeat Jushin Thunder Liger & Sho Tanaka (9:38)

Six Man Tag Team Match
Manabu Nakanishi, Mascara Dorada & Tomoaki Honma defeat TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima) & Tiger Mask (9:34)

Eight Man Tag Team Match
BULLET CLUB (Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) defeat Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA), Hirooki Goto & Katsuyori Shibata (11:12)

Tag Team Match
BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale & Yujiro Takahashi) defeat CHAOS (Gedo & Kazuchika Okada) (10:23)

Eight Man Tag Team Match
CHAOS (Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI) defeat Captain New Japan, Tetsuya Naito, Togi Makabe & Yuji Nagata (15:30)

Tag Team Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Ryusuke Taguchi defeat BULLET CLUB (Kenny Omega & Tama Tonga) (14:43)

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-road-to-the-new-beginning-day-4-2415-chiba-japan/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-road-to-the-new-beginning-day-4-2415-chiba-japan/#comments Wed, 04 Feb 2015 19:11:38 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Alex Shelley Bad Luck Fale Bobby Fish Bullet Club Captain New Japan CHAOS Cody Hall Doc Gallows Gedo Hirooki Goto Hiroshi Tanahashi Hiroyoshi Tenzan Jushin Thunder Liger Karl Anderson Katsuyori Shibata Kazuchika Okada Kenny Omega KUSHIDA Kyle O'Reilly Manabu Nakanishi Mascara Dorada Matt Jackson New Japan Pro Wrestling Nick Jackson NJPW reDRagon Road to The New Beginning Ryusuke Taguchi Satoshi Kojima Shinsuke Nakamura Sho Tanaka Tama Tonga Tetsuya Naito Tiger Mask IV Togi Makabe Tomoaki Honma Tomohiro Ishii Toru Yano Yohei YOSHI-HASHI Yuji Nagata Yujiro Takahashi http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9508 The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. The event took place on February 4th, 2015 at the Port Arena Sub Arena in Chiba, Japan. Tag Team Match reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly) defeated Yohei Komatsu & Sho Tanaka. 6 Man Tag Team Match Manabu Nakanishi, Tiger Mask IV […]

The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. The event took place on February 4th, 2015 at the Port Arena Sub Arena in Chiba, Japan.

Tag Team Match
reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly) defeated Yohei Komatsu & Sho Tanaka.

6 Man Tag Team Match
Manabu Nakanishi, Tiger Mask IV & MГЎscara Dorada defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima & Jushin Thunder Liger.

8 Man Tag Team Match
Hirooki Goto, Katsuyori Shibata, Ryusuke Taguchi & Captain New Japan defeated BULLET CLUB (Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Kenny Omega & Cody Hall).

8 Man Tag Team Match
Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata, Tetsuya Naito & Tomoaki Honma defeated CHAOS (Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Gedo).

Tag Team Match
CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga).

6 Man Tag Team Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi, KUSHIDA & Alex Shelley defeated BULLET CLUB (Yujiro Takahashi, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson).

http://www.cheap-heat.com/lucky-thirteen-4-nifty-looking-title-belts/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/lucky-thirteen-4-nifty-looking-title-belts/#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2015 19:43:42 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Blogs Other Blogs Top Lists AAA AJ Styles American Wrestling Association AR Fox AWA Big Vis Bob Backlund Bobby Lashley Bret Hart Brian Christopher Brock Lesnar Cheerleader Melissa Chessman Chris Hero CIMA DGUSA Diva's Title Dr. Wagner Jr. Dragon Gate Dragon Gate USA Drew Galloway Drew McIntyre ECW EVOLVE FTW Hiroshi Tanahashi Hulk Hogan Impact Wrestling Iron Sheik IWGP Jeff Hardy John Cena Kazuchika Okada King Mabel King of the Ring Kurt Angle Larry Zbyszko Latin American Championship Light Heavyweight Championship Mabel Matt Hardy Million Dollar Championship Monday Night RAW Monday Nitro National Wrestling Alliance New Japan Pro Wrestling NWA Paige Paul Heyman RCP Ric Flair Right Coast Pro Ring of Honor Sara Del Rey Saraya Knight Shawn Michaels SHIMMER Smoking Skull Belt TAKA Michinoku TNA Ultimate Warrior Vader Verne Gagne Vince McMahon Viscera WCW Willow Winged Eagle World Championship Wrestling WWE WWF WWWF http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9173 Lucky Thirteen #4 Nifty-Looking Title Belts Written by Mark Adam Haggerty You know a belt can do more than keep your trousers from falling down around your ankles. The right accessory around your waist might mean you're the best at what you do. Of course I'm only referring to one type of belt—those leather straps […]

Lucky Thirteen #4
Nifty-Looking Title Belts
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

You know a belt can do more than keep your trousers from falling down around your ankles. The right accessory around your waist might mean you're the best at what you do. Of course I'm only referring to one type of belt—those leather straps coated in gold made to distinguish super humans from every day citizens. Championship title belts come in many forms and represent a slew of action sports from mixed martial arts to boxing, but perhaps are most synonymous with the over-the-top world of professional wrestling. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, and this week I'm counting down "Nifty-Looking Title Belts"—the most aesthetically pleasing championships in professional wrestling history.

Honorable Mention
I don't always do an honorable mention, but I figured one was most certainly warranted given this week's subject matter. For the purpose of variety, I excluded Superstar-specific championship belts such as the spinners worn by John Cena and the ghastly Willow-inspired TNA belt created for Jeff Hardy. I also left out the Million Dollar Championship, the current Matt Hardy Title in Ring of Honor, the Smoking Skull Belt and anything else designed to fit one specific superstar. I wanted this list to focus on "real" titles, rather than gimmick belts—but who knows? Perhaps that's another list for another Lucky Thirteen?

13. Impact Wrestling – TNA Heavyweight Championship [Present Design]
Our countdown begins with a championship still in use today, the TNA World Heavyweight title belt. When Total Nonstop Action broke from the National Wrestling Alliance, they needed to establish their own world title apart from the NWA. The TNA Championship was introduced in 2007 and first held by the Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle. The current belt was unveiled in 2011 and closely resembles the IWGP Heavyweight title in New Japan in its magnificently decadent design. Sitting atop an already extravagant set of plates are the words, "TNA Heavyweight Champion," embroidered in cubic zirconias. The front plate extends higher than the average belt, making it almost impossible to ignore this glistening piece of hardware, especially around the waist of the current champion Bobby Lashley.

12. WWE – WWF Heavyweight Championship [Winged-Eagle Design]
I grew up in New Jersey during the 1990's, so in many ways this was the only world title I ever knew. Worn by the greatest champions in history, the "Winged Eagle" design features a deep-blue globe positioned in the center of, you guessed it—an eagle! The bird's massive wingspan encompasses the words "WWF World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion," with classic representations of modern professional wrestling along the edges and side plates. This was the championship belt passed down from Hulk Hogan to Bret Hart to Shawn Michaels, with names like Ric Flair, the Ultimate Warrior and Yokozuna each having their opportunity to carry the gold. Unfortunately the "Austin Era" signified the end of the "Winged Eagle" belt, and introduced the round-faced Attitude Era championship.

11. Right Coast Pro – RCP World Heavyweight Championship [Present Design]
The most indie of independent titles on our countdown, the Right Coast Pro Heavyweight belt debuted in 2013 after a lengthy design process involving RCP executives and the engineers at Top Rope Belts. This belt is the largest on our countdown, including massive side plates each depicting a certain set of skills required to win a chess match. Looking closely at the front, you can see that the plate is covered with nearly microscopic inscriptions. Don't try and read too closely unless you're familiar with Latin—the dead language of the Catholic Church extends across the entire faceplate, fading into the background behind the all-original RCP logo.

10. Shimmer – Shimmer Championship [Present Design]
Feeling the need to represent women in wrestling, I scoured the internet in search of the coolest looking lady's championship title in the world. While the pink WWF Women's belt and current Diva's title are unmistakably original, I decided to instead go with the most-sought after title in women's wrestling, the Shimmer Championship. Made from soft leather, the Shimmer belt includes a perfectly-rounded set of face and side plates, with the word Shimmer stretched across the front and extending over the sides. Shimmer is the premier league for women's wrestling, meaning the title has only been held by highly skilled competitors such as Cheerleader Melissa, Sara Del Rey, and mother of WWE Diva Paige, Saraya Knight.

9. AAA – AAA Latin American Championship [Present Design]
Let's venture across the southernmost border of the United States for number nine, the AAA Latin American Championship. The L.A. championship belt was first introduced in 2011 and originally worn by the second generation luchador Dr. Wagner Jr. As opposed to most belts, this AAA title doesn't feature a circular centerpiece, but a sharp angular shape with more than thirty separate sides. In the middle sits a globe focusing on Central and South America with the Mexican flag beneath. On the right and left of the map are ten more flags, each representing a different nation in Latin America. The current title holder is Chessman, a near 20-year veteran who's managed to retain the championship for over 300 days.

8. AWA – AWA World Heavyweight Championship [Last Redesign]
If the WCW title was referred to as the "Big Gold Belt," then the final belt representing the American Wrestling Association should surely be known as the "Big Silver Belt." When the sport of sports entertainment began to go global, Verne Gagne stuck to his all-American roots, outfitting his belt with the red white and blue of the United States. The face plate makes this among the most reflective championship titles in history, serving to mirror anyone who looked directly at it, but only belonging to one man at a time. The middle of the centerplate simply reads: "AWA World Heavyweight Champion," without any sort of star-studded bells and whistles aside from the standard red jewels and fake diamonds that any belt of the time was designed with. Sadly the title was retired nearly a year before the AWA closed when the final champion Larry Zbyszko signed with WCW.

7. WWE – WWF Light Heavyweight Championship [Original Design]
WCW's Monday Nitro on TNT maintained a solid lead over WWF's Monday Night Raw on the USA Network, partly because of the innovation on display each week from the cruiserweight division. High flying luchadors from every corner of the planet converged on World Championship Wrestling to practice their craft and it was only a matter of time before Vince McMahon sought to cash in on the junior weight division. In 1997 the WWF dusted off the Light Heavyweight Championship, a 1980s title that had since been retired. The new belt was red and featured the same sort of prestigious styling as the "Winged Eagle." The first champion to hold the crimson championship was Taka Michinoku who defeated Brian Christopher in the tournament finals. The belt was soon replaced with a classic black strap, and then once again retired in 2001 when Vince McMahon bought WCW and the cruiserweight championship.

6. WWE – WWF King of the Ring [1995 Prototype]
Alright so I cheated with this one. I promised I would keep the countdown focused on real titles worth wrestling for, and sadly this was a one-time only concept. But how cool is the WWF's King of the Ring title designed in 1995 for King Mabel? Whether the original idea was to have the late Big Vis defend his Kingly crown on a regular basis, or simply display his reign in classic championship form, we may never know. The faceplate is similar in shape to the classic WWF tag team titles of the 1990s, but features castle towers raising off the words "World Wrestliing" with "Federation beneath the "King of the Ring" logo. On either side the strap are the flags of several noteworthy wrestling nations such as Mexico, Japan, the UK, Australia and—South Korea? Unfortunately the only man to ever own this title has passed, leading me to wonder whether his widow is still in possession of this one of a kind piece of wrestling folklore?

5. EVOLVE – EVOLVE World Championship [Present Design]
The Evolve Championship title looks like it belongs to the Springfield Nuclear Powerplant with all of its atomic elements including the EVOLVE logo in the center. The entire faceplate has a symmetrically wavy style to it, representing both the unpredictability of nuclear energy and the action inside the EVOLVE squared circle. EVOLVE is an extension of Dragon Gate, and therefore adheres to a variety of the same principles as both DG and DGUSA. The first ever EVOLVE champion was AR Fox crowned in April of 2013, and since then there have been two additional title holders: Chris Hero and the current champion Drew Galloway AKA Drew McIntyre.

4. ECW – ECW World Tag Team Championship [Last Redesign]
It's about time for this countdown to get EXTREME. ECW was always relentless when it came to designing their championship titles in a way that reflected the sharp-edged style of Hardcore Wrestling. Their belts always seemed to have some barbed wire or broken glass—hell they even had an FTW championship that stood for "Fuck the World." But perhaps the most interesting-looking belts ever produced by Paul Heyman were the final tag title belts, redesigned for ECW on TNN. In addition to the barbed wire motif, the ECW world tag team championship featured an entire prison fence torn to shreds with a black and white globe crashing through the middle.

3. New Japan – IWGP Heavyweight Championship [Present Design]
The IWGP Heavyweight Championship might possibly be the most prestigious championship in all of professional wrestling. Currently held by the record-setting Hiroshi Tanahashi, the IWGP championship has been passed from men like Vader and Brock Lesnar to stars of today such as AJ Styles and Kazuchika Okada. The most recent title design makes for a near-30 pounds of brushed silver and gold plates, making it one of the more massive belts on our countdown—most certainly the heaviest. Although defended in the "Land of the Rising Sun," the IWGP heavyweight title features roman lettering and English phrases such as "Heavyweight Champion." The side plates lining the strap are used to display the names of all former champions, so that the current title holder never forgets the historic significance of his championship.

2. WWE – WWWF Heavyweight Championship [Big Green Belt Design]
Everyone's heard of the "Big Gold Belt," but somewhere lost in the shuffle of history is the championship belt that represented the era between Vincent J. and Vincent K. McMahon. Only ever held by three men including Bob Backlund, the Iron Sheik, and Hulk Hogan—the WWWF Heavyweight Championship consisted of several heavy gold-plated slabs affixed to a bright green leather strap. In the center was a perfectly circular plate depicting the earth underneath the words, "World Wide Wrestling." The length of the belt was covered in rectangular pieces of metal, each displaying the length of reign for all previous champions. The above photos display the original belt as it was in the early 1980s, as well as a fully restored replica created by Wild Cat Belts.

1. Dragon Gate – Open the Dream Gate [All Designs]
The number one title belt in the world is the Dream Gate championship title awarded to the best and brightest stars of Dragon Gate. The Dream Gate belt is considered the equivalent of the world title in Dragon Gate, and has been held a record number three times by the first ever champion Cima. Unlike virtually every other title belt in existence, the Dream Gate championship opens up to display a championship compartment where the current title holders name may rest. When a competitor is named number one contender to the Dream Gate championship, they're given a key which "Opens the Dream Gate." Should the challenger best the champion and take his title, he may use his key to remove the former champions name and replace it with his own. However, should the champion retain his title, the key is then added to a bar along the bottom of the belt; many keys hanging from the Dream Gate championship means a series of successful title defenses. Not only is the outside stylish, compete with black and bronze colored plates topped with silver accents, but the hidden compartment and "contender's key ritual" represents an entirely new level of innovation in championship belt design. That is why I've named the Dragon Gate Open the Dream Gate the number one championship on this countdown of "Nifty Looking Title Belts."

Whether their style be classic like the Winged Eagle, or radically adventurous such as the titles seen in Dragon Gate; some date back fifty years, while others were introduced in the past two. Regardless of who's gone before, each championship belt tells a story and it's up to the current title holder to keep that tale alive. Until next time, my name is Mark Adam Haggerty and this has been another installment of Lucky Thirteen, exclusively at Cheap-Heat.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-cmll-fantastica-mania-2015-day-6-11915-tokyo-japan/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-cmll-fantastica-mania-2015-day-6-11915-tokyo-japan/#comments Mon, 19 Jan 2015 20:18:33 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Angel de Oro Atlantis Captain New Japan CHAOS CMLL El Barbaro Cavernario El Mephisto Estigma Fantastica Mania Gedo Gran Guerrero Hiroshi Tanahashi Jushin Thunder Liger Kazuchika Okada Kota Ibushi KUSHIDA La Sombra Mascara Dorada Mephisto Mistico New Japan Pro Wrestling NJPW Okumura Polvora Rey Cometa Ryusuke Taguchi Shinsuke Nakamura Stigma Stuka Jr. Tetsuya Naito Tiger Mask 4 Tiger Mask IV Tomohiro Ishii Triton Ultimo Guerrero Volador Jr. YOSHI-HASHI Yujiro Takahashi http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9042 The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. The event took place on January 19th, 2015 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan:   Eight Man Tag Team Match Jushin Thunder Liger, KUSHIDA, Stuka Jr. & Tiger Mask defeat CHAOS (Gedo, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI) & OKUMURA (9:28) Tag Team […]

The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. The event took place on January 19th, 2015 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan:

Eight Man Tag Team Match
Jushin Thunder Liger, KUSHIDA, Stuka Jr. & Tiger Mask defeat CHAOS (Gedo, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI) & OKUMURA (9:28)

Tag Team Match
Ryusuke Taguchi & Tetsuya Naito defeat Captain New Japan & Triton (6:51)

Tag Team Match
Mephisto & Yujiro Takahashi defeat Angel de Oro & Stigma (10:22)

Singles Match
El Barbaro Cavernario defeats Rey Cometa (11:28)

Singles Match
Mistico defeats Polvora (11:47)

Eight Man Tag Team Match
Atlantis, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Volador Jr. defeat CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Shinsuke Nakamura), Gran Guerrero & Ultimo Guerrero (12:54)

Singles Match
La Sombra defeats Mascara Dorada (18:23)

http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-puroresu-perspective-new-japan-on-axs-1/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-puroresu-perspective-new-japan-on-axs-1/#comments Mon, 19 Jan 2015 03:43:07 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Blogs Other Blogs Other Reviews Reviews AXS Hiroshi Tanahashi Hulk Hogan Josh Barnett Kazuchika Okada Mauro Ranallo Mr. T New Japan Pro Wrestling NJPW puroresu TNA UFC Wrestle Kingdom 7 Wrestle Kingdom 9 WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9022 The Puroresu Perspective New Japan on AXS #1 By Mark Adam Haggerty Welcome to The Puroresu Perspective: The Geijin Guide to Japanese Wrestling here in America. My name Is Mark Adam Haggerty and in addition to my five regular once-weekly reviews, I've taken on the responsibility of introducing the Cheap-Heat community to NJPW and the […]

The Puroresu Perspective
New Japan on AXS #1
By Mark Adam Haggerty

Welcome to The Puroresu Perspective: The Geijin Guide to Japanese Wrestling here in America. My name Is Mark Adam Haggerty and in addition to my five regular once-weekly reviews, I've taken on the responsibility of introducing the Cheap-Heat community to NJPW and the wonderful world of puroresu. Wrestle Kingdom 9 was the first ever Japanese wrestling show broadcast to American pay-per-view providers and it was incredible, an amazing product from top to bottom that you can read about in my first installment of �Puroresu Perspective.' Coming off the heels of what might be the biggest international event in company history, NJPW is furthering its reach into Western Culture with the debut of New Japan Pro Wrestling on AXS TV. I heard a few rumblings in regard to what I might expect, but the finished product blew me away. Without getting too deep into the extraordinary in-ring action, let's quickly discuss some of what could make NJPW the best hour of wrestling on television.

The first face we see smiling back at us is that of the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi, who humbly introduces himself before presenting the first match in this landmark series. Tanahashi is a genuine individual who makes light of his own shortcomings and relies greatly on the support of his fans. Rather than relying on three to four ten minute house-show matches like every other wrestling show, NJPW has chosen its greatest bouts from the past two years to showcase for a brand new audience. Therefore the first match of the series is the 33-minute championship bout between Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada from Wrestle Kingdom 7 in 2013.

Immediately we're transported back to the Tokyo Dome just in time for "The Rainmaker" to make his appearance on the stage. The biggest drawback for English-speaking fans has always been the language barrier, leaving plenty to be desired as far as context. I know that my friends have trouble sitting through entire NJPW events because they don't find the stories as compelling as those told by "Stone Cold" and Mr. McMahon or Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes. But the story is most certainly there, it's just lost in translation. We're introduced to our play-by-play announcer Mauro Ranallo, a celebrated sports broadcaster with experience in football, hockey, boxing and mixed martial arts. His partner and color-analyst for this new venture is former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett, who uses his own professional wresting experience to help explain what's happening inside the ring.

The match is of course outstanding complete with everything you'd expect from Tanahashi and Okada, two years to the day of their most recent clash at Wrestle Kingdom 9. Although calling a match from 2013, Barnett and Ranallo worked as if it was live and they were sitting ringside. Barnett talked about his own experiences inside the Toyko Dome which gave a great sense of presence to both announcers as they got set to call one of the best matches of 2013. I really value having an English-speaking broadcast team, especially for some of the biggest matches in recent NJPW—matches that are already enchanting, but given the right context are downright uncanny. As he proceeded to describe the individual combatants, Ranallo made mention that Okada had a brief stint in TNA, even joking about how he was used while in America. On the occasion that Ranallo would speak of outside promotions such as TNA and WWE, he did so in a tactful and informative manner which is a welcome change from either pretending the other companies aren't there, or attacking them head-on.

Tanahashi of course won the confrontation and retained his title in 33 minutes, in front of a sell-out Tokyo crowd. Immediately following the match were subtitled interview excerpts from both Tanahashi and Okada, cut from the Wrestle Kingdom 7 post-show and arranged accordingly as an epilogue to the battle itself. Standing in the ring victorious, Tanahashi smiled and spoke between bated breaths, telling his adoring fans that his era was not yet over. The most appealing aspect of New Japan on AXS outside of the unparalleled ring-work has to be the broadcast duo of Mauro Ranallo and Josh Barnett, who within one episode might have already become the best commentators in the industry. Both individuals present themselves in a professional manner and treat wrestling like a sport. Mauro isn't selling an app, he's taking the viewer through the colorful history of the IWGP title in an easy to understand way by including household names such as Vader and Brock Lesnar. Barnett applies his hybrid expertise to the contest by explaining the significance of every maneuver and how it will effect each competitor going forward.

When the program had drawn to an end, I sat in front of my frozen DVR screen humbled by the chance to watch a professional wrestling show again. The pride that the Japanese wrestlers take in their work is unimaginable to the average American who hears "pro wrestling" and thinks of Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. The two biggest drawbacks to being a puroresu fan have always been the scarce availability and the stark contrast in communication. This show presents the biggest names on the current roster in some of the best wrestling contests on the planet, skillfully narrated by one of the leading names in all of sports casting. Ladies and gentlemen the hour-long wrestling market is getting hotly competitive, please take my advice and set your cable or satellite to AXS TV every Friday night at 9. Until next week, my name is Mark Adam Haggerty and this has been The Puroresu Perspective.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-cmll-fantastica-mania-2015-day-5-11815-tokyo-japan/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-cmll-fantastica-mania-2015-day-5-11815-tokyo-japan/#comments Sun, 18 Jan 2015 20:48:28 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Angel de Oro Atlantis Barbaro Cavernario Captain New Japan CHAOS CMLL El Mephisto Estigma Fantastica Mania Gedo Gran Guerrero Hiroshi Tanahashi Jushin Thunder Liger Kazuchika Okada KUSHIDA La Sombra Mascara Don Mascara Dorada Mistico New Japan Pro Wrestling NJPW NWA Okumura Polvora Ryusuke Taguchi Shinsuke Nakamura Stuka Jr. Tetsuya Naito Tiger Mask 4 Tiger Mask IV Tomohiro Ishii Triton Ultimo Guerrero Volador Jr. YOSHI-HASHI http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8985 The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. В The event took place on January 18th, 2015 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan:   Six-Man Tag Team Match ГЃngel de Oro, Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask #4 defeated CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI and Gedo) (10:40 minutes) Tag Team […]

The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. В The event took place on January 18th, 2015 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan:

Six-Man Tag Team Match
ГЃngel de Oro, Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask #4 defeated CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI and Gedo) (10:40 minutes)

Tag Team Match
BГЎrbaro Cavernario and Okumura defeated KUSHIDA and TritГіn (7:29 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Tetsuya Naito, La Sombra and Ryusuke Taguchi defeated MГЎscara Don, MГЎscara Dorada and Captain New Japan (10:24 minutes)

NWA Historic Welterweight Title Match
Volador Jr. (c) defeated Gran Guerrero (10:24 minutes)

Mexican National Light Heavyweight Title Match
El Mephisto (c) defeated Stuka Jr. (13:06 minutes)

Black Cat Memorial Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi, MГ­stico and Estigma defeated Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura and PГіlvora (11:56 minutes)

Special Match
Гљltimo Guerrero defeated Atlantis (18:05 minutes)

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-cmll-fantastica-mania-2015-day-3-11515-kyoto-japan/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-cmll-fantastica-mania-2015-day-3-11515-kyoto-japan/#comments Fri, 16 Jan 2015 04:31:17 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Angel de Oro Atlantis Barbaro Cavernario Captain New Japan CMLL El Mephisto Estigma Fantastica Mania Gedo Gran Guerrero Hiroshi Tanahashi Jushin Thunder Liger Kazuchika Okada KUSHIDA La Sombra Mascara Dorada Mistico Mr. Niebla New Japan Pro Wrestling NJPW Okumura Polvora Ryusuke Taguchi Shinsuke Nakamura Stuka Jr. Tetsuya Naito Tiger Mask IV Tiger Mastk #4 Triton Ultimo Guerrero Volador Jr. Yohei Komatsu YOSHI-HASHI http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8919 The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. В The event took place on January 15th, 2015 В at the KBS Hall in Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan:   Tag Team Match YOSHI-HASHI and BГЎrbaro Cavernario defeated KUSHIDA and Yohei Komatsu (9:16 minutes) Tag Team Match Okumura and Mr. Niebla defeated ГЃngel de Oro […]

The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. В The event took place on January 15th, 2015 В at the KBS Hall in Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan:

Tag Team Match
YOSHI-HASHI and BГЎrbaro Cavernario defeated KUSHIDA and Yohei Komatsu (9:16 minutes)

Tag Team Match
Okumura and Mr. Niebla defeated ГЃngel de Oro and Estigma (8:31 minutes)

Tag Team Match
Gedo and PГіlvora defeated Tiger Mask #4 and MГ­stico (9:40 minutes)

Tag Team Match
Kazuchika Okada and El Mephisto defeated Captain New Japan and Stuka Jr. (8:25 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Tetsuya Naito, Ryusuke Taguchi and La Sombra defeated Jushin Thunder Liger, MГЎscara Dorada and TritГіn (11:17 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Shinsuke Nakamura, Гљltimo Guerrero and Gran Guerrero defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Atlantis and Volador Jr. (11:46 minutes)

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-cmll-fantastica-mania-2015-day-1-11315-osaka-japan/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-cmll-fantastica-mania-2015-day-1-11315-osaka-japan/#comments Tue, 13 Jan 2015 18:27:57 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Angel de Oro Atlantis Barbaro Cavernario Captain New Japan CMLL El Mephisto Estigma Gedo Gran Guerrero Hiroshi Tanahashi Jushin Thunder Liger Kazuchika Okada KUSHIDA La Peste Negra La Sombra Mascara Dorada Mistico Mr. Niebla New Japan Pro Wrestling NJPW Okumura Polvora Rey Cometa Ryusuke Taguchi Shinsuke Nakamura Stuka Jr. Tetsuya Naito Tiger Mask 4 Tiger Mask IV Triton Ultimo Guerrero Volador Jr. YOSHI-HASHI http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8838 The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event in conjunction with CMLL. В The event took place on January 13th, 2015 at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium #2 in Osaka, Osaka, Japan:   Tag Team Match Rey Cometa and TritГіn defeated La Peste Negra (Mr. Niebla and BГЎrbaro Cavernario) (5:49 minutes) Singles […]

The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event in conjunction with CMLL. В The event took place on January 13th, 2015 at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium #2 in Osaka, Osaka, Japan:

Tag Team Match
Rey Cometa and TritГіn defeated La Peste Negra (Mr. Niebla and BГЎrbaro Cavernario) (5:49 minutes)

Singles Match
ГЃngel de Oro vs. Okumura ended without a winner as a time limit draw (10 minutes)

Tag Team Match
Gedo and PГіlvora defeated Jushin Thunder Liger and MГ­stico (10:09 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Tiger Mask #4, Estigma and Stuka Jr. defeated Shinsuke Nakamura, YOSHI-HASHI and El Mephisto (11:39 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Tetsuya Naito, Ryusuke Taguchi and La Sombra defeated KUSHIDA, Captain New Japan and MГЎscara Dorada (10:16 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Volador Jr. and Atlantis defeated Kazuchika Okada, Gran Guerrero and Гљltimo Guerrero (17:31 minutes)