http://www.cheap-heat.com WWE, TNA, ROH, NJPW - Blogs, Reviews, Top Lists, Indy News & Results Sat, 17 Oct 2015 18:42:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.3.1

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-pro-wrestling-noah-the-first-navigation-2015-day-5-12415-osaka-japan/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-pro-wrestling-noah-the-first-navigation-2015-day-5-12415-osaka-japan/#comments Sat, 24 Jan 2015 19:21:52 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Akitoshi Saito BRAVE Buffalo Cho Kibou-gun Davey Boy Smith Jr. El Desperado Genba Hirayanagi Hajime Ohara Hitoshi Kumano Jonah Rock Katsuhiko Nakajima Kenou Lance Archer Maybach Taniguchi Mikey Nicholls Minoru Suzuki Mitsuhiro Kitamiya Mohammed Yone Naomichi Marufuji No Mercy NOAH Pro Wrestling NOAH Quiet Storm Shane Haste Shelton Benjamin Suzuki-gun Taichi Taiji Ishimori TAKA Michinoku Takashi Iizuka Takashi Sugiura Takeshi Morishima The First Navigation The Mighty Don't Kneel TMDK Yoshinari Ogawa Zack Sabre Jr. http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9235 The following results are from a recent Pro Wrestling NOAH live event. The event took place on January 24th, 2015 from the Osaka Bodymaker Colosseum #2, Osaka, Japan:   Singles Match Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Time Limit Draw (15:00) Tag Team Match Cho Kibou-Gun (Hajime Ohara & Kenou) defeat Hitoshi Kumano & […]

The following results are from a recent Pro Wrestling NOAH live event. The event took place on January 24th, 2015 from the Osaka Bodymaker Colosseum #2, Osaka, Japan:

Singles Match
Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Time Limit Draw (15:00)

Tag Team Match
Cho Kibou-Gun (Hajime Ohara & Kenou) defeat Hitoshi Kumano & Yoshinari Ogawa (10:38)

Six Man Tag Team Match
Buffalo, Jonah Rock & Quiet Storm defeat Cho Kibou-Gun (Maybach Taniguchi, Mitsuhiro Kitamiya & Takeshi Morishima) (9:14)

Six Man Tag Team Match
No Mercy (Akitoshi Saito, Genba Hirayanagi & Takashi Sugiura) defeat Suzuki-gun (El Desperado, TAKA Michinoku & Takashi Iizuka) (10:16)

10 Man Elimination Tag Team Match
Suzuki-gun (Davey Boy Smith Jr., Lance Archer, Minoru Suzuki, Shelton Benjamin & Taichi) defeat BRAVE (Mohammed Yone, Naomichi Marufuji & Taiji Ishimori) & TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) (21:57)
– Minoru Suzuki eliminatedВ Mohammed Yone (6:24)
– Shelton Benjamin eliminatedВ Taiji Ishimori (7:41)
– Shelton Benjamin wasВ eliminatedВ В (12:33)
– Naomichi Marufuji eliminatedВ Taichi (13:42)
– Naomichi Marufuji was eliminatedВ (19:05)
– Davey Boy Smith Jr. eliminatedВ Shane Haste (20:18)
– Lance Archer eliminatedВ Mikey Nicholls (21:57)

GHC Junior Heavyweight Title Match
Atsushi Kotoge (c) defeats Daisuke Harada (21:20)

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-pro-wrestling-noah-the-first-navigation-2015-day-4-12315-hiroshima-japan/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-pro-wrestling-noah-the-first-navigation-2015-day-4-12315-hiroshima-japan/#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2015 20:21:11 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Akitoshi Saito Atsushi Kotoge BRAVE Daisuke Harada Davey Boy Smith Jr. El Desperado Genba Hirayanagi Hajime Ohara Hitoshi Kumano Jonah Rock Junji Tanaka Katsuhiko Nakajima Ken-o Lance Archer Maybach Taniguchi Mikey Nicholls Minoru Suzuki Mitsuhiro Kitamiya Mohammed Yone Naomichi Marufuji No Mercy NOAH Pro Wrestling NOAH Quiet Storm Sakigake Shane Haste Shelton Benjamin Suzuki-gun Taichi Taiji Ishimori TAKA Michinoku Takashi Iizuka Takashi Sugiura Takeshi Morishima The Mighty Don't Kneel TMDK Yoshinari Ogawa Zack Sabre Jr. http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9191 The following results are from a recent Pro Wrestling NOAH live event. The event took place on January 23rd, 2015 from the Prefectural Industrial Center Western Hall in Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan:   Singles Match Hajime Ohara defeated Junji Tanaka (8:21 minutes) Singles Match Ken-o defeated Sakigake (6:32 minutes) 3-Way Match Taichi defeated Genba Hirayanagi and […]

The following results are from a recent Pro Wrestling NOAH live event. The event took place on January 23rd, 2015 from the Prefectural Industrial Center Western Hall in Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan:

Singles Match
Hajime Ohara defeated Junji Tanaka (8:21 minutes)

Singles Match
Ken-o defeated Sakigake (6:32 minutes)

3-Way Match
Taichi defeated Genba Hirayanagi and Zack Sabre Jr. (7:01 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Akitoshi Saito, Yoshinari Ogawa and Quiet Storm defeated Takeshi Morishima, MAYBACH Taniguchi and Mitsuhiro Kitamiya (7:35 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
TMDK (Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste and Jonah Rock) defeated Suzuki-gun (Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Takashi Iizuka) by disqualification (10:34 minutes)

Tag Team Match
No Mercy (Takashi Sugiura and Daisuke Harada) defeated Atsushi Kotoge and Hitoshi Kumano (15:11 minutes)

4 on 4 – Eight-Man Tag Team Match
Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Shelton Benjamin, TAKA Michinoku and El Desperado) defeated Brave (Naomichi Marufuji, Mohammed Yone, Katsuhiko Nakajima and Taiji Ishimori) (14:57 minutes)

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-pro-wrestling-noah-the-first-navigation-2015-day-3-12115-kitakyushu-japan/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-pro-wrestling-noah-the-first-navigation-2015-day-3-12115-kitakyushu-japan/#comments Wed, 21 Jan 2015 20:01:58 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Akitoshi Saito Atsushi Kotoge BRAVE Cho Kibou-gun Daisuke Harada Davey Boy Smith Jr. El Desperado Genba Hirayanagi Hajime Ohara Hitoshi Kumano Jonah Rock Junji Tanaka Katsuhiko Nakajima Ken-o Lance Archer Maybach Taniguchi Mikey Nicholls Minoru Suzuki Mitsuhiro Kitamiya Mohammed Yone Naomichi Marufuji No Mercy NOAH Pro Wrestling NOAH Punch-kun Quiet Storm Shane Haste Shelton Benjamin Suzuki-gun Taichi Taiji Ishimori TAKA Michinoku Takashi Iizuka Takashi Sugiura Takeshi Morishima The First Navigation The Mighty Don't Kneel TMDK Yoshinari Ogawa Zack Saber Jr. http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9137 The following results are from a recent Pro Wrestling NOAH live event. The event took place on January 21st, 2015 from the Kitakyushu Palace in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan:   Singles Match Daisuke Harada defeated Junji Tanaka (6:39 minutes) 2 on 1 Handicap Match Quiet Storm defeated Genba Hirayanagi and Punch-kun (4:38 minutes) Six-Man Tag Team […]

The following results are from a recent Pro Wrestling NOAH live event. The event took place on January 21st, 2015 from the Kitakyushu Palace in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan:

Singles Match
Daisuke Harada defeated Junji Tanaka (6:39 minutes)

2 on 1 Handicap Match
Quiet Storm defeated Genba Hirayanagi and Punch-kun (4:38 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Suzuki-gun (TAKA Michinoku, Taichi and El Desperado) defeated Yoshinari Ogawa, Zack Sabre Jr. and Hitoshi Kumano (10:58 minutes)

Singles Match
Atsushi Kotoge vs. Takashi Iizuka ended without a winner by disqualification (8:02 minutes)

Tag Team Match
No Mercy (Takashi Sugiura and Akitoshi Saito) defeated Cho Kibou-Gun (Ken-o and Hajime Ohara) (9:55 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Brave (Mohammed Yone, Katsuhiko Nakajima and Taiji Ishimori) defeated Takeshi Morishima, MAYBACH Taniguchi and Mitsuhiro Kitamiya (11:49 minutes)

4 on 4 – Eight-Man Tag Team Match
Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Shelton Benjamin) defeated Naomichi Marufuji, Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste and Jonah Rock (12:58 minutes)

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-pro-wrestling-noah-the-first-navigation-2015-day-2-12015-sendai-japan/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-pro-wrestling-noah-the-first-navigation-2015-day-2-12015-sendai-japan/#comments Tue, 20 Jan 2015 21:49:03 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Akitoshi Saito Atsushi Kotoge BRAVE Cho Kibou-gun Daisuke Harada Davey Boy Smith Jr. El Desperado Genba Hirayanagi Hajime Ohara Hitoshi Kumano Jonah Rock Junji Tanaka Katsuhiko Nakajima Ken-o Lance Archer Maybach Taniguchi Mikey Nicholls Minoru Suzuki Mitsuhiro Kitamiya Mohammed Yone Naomichi Marufuji No Mercy NOAH Pro Wrestling NOAH Quiet Storm Shane Haste Shelton Benjamin Suzuki-gun Taichi Taiji Ishimori TAKA Michinoku Takashi Iizuka Takashi Sugiura Takeshi Morishima The First Navigation The Mighty Don't Kneel TMDK Yoshinari Ogawa Zack Sabre Jr. http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9089 The following results are from a recent Pro Wrestling NOAH live event. В The event took place on January 20th, 2015 from the Sendai Sun Arena in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan:   Tag Team Match Cho Kibou-Gun (Ken-o and Hajime Ohara) defeated Yoshinari Ogawa and Junji Tanaka (9:36 minutes) Singles Match Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Taichi by […]

The following results are from a recent Pro Wrestling NOAH live event. В The event took place on January 20th, 2015 from the Sendai Sun Arena in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan:

Tag Team Match
Cho Kibou-Gun (Ken-o and Hajime Ohara) defeated Yoshinari Ogawa and Junji Tanaka (9:36 minutes)

Singles Match
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Taichi by disqualification (8:42 minutes)

Tag Team Match
No Mercy (Daisuke Harada and Genba Hirayanagi) defeated Atsushi Kotoge and Hitoshi Kumano (13:52 minutes)

Singles Match
MAYBACH Taniguchi defeated Jonah Rock (6:31 minutes)

Tag Team Match
TMDK (Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste) defeated Takeshi Morishima and Mitsuhiro Kitamiya (10:28 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Shelton Benjamin and TAKA Michinoku) defeated Takashi Sugiura, Akitoshi Saito and Quiet Storm (10:22 minutes)

4 on 4 – Eight-Man Tag Team Match
Brave (Naomichi Marufuji, Mohammed Yone, Katsuhiko Nakajima and Taiji Ishimori) defeated Suzuki-gun (Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Takashi Iizuka and El Desperado) (7:43 minutes)

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-pro-wrestling-noah-the-first-navigation-2015-day-1-11815-fukuoka-japan/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-pro-wrestling-noah-the-first-navigation-2015-day-1-11815-fukuoka-japan/#comments Sun, 18 Jan 2015 22:09:31 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Akitoshi Saito Atsushi Kotoge BRAVE Cho Kibou-gun Daisuke Harada Davey Boy Smith Jr. El Desperaro Genba Hirayanagi Hajime Ohara Hitoshi Kumano Jonah Rock Junji Tanaka Katsuhiko Nakajima Ken-o Lance Archer Maybach Taniguchi Mikey Nicholls Minoru Suzuki Mitsuhiro Kitamiya Mohammed Yone Naomichi Marufuji New Japan Pro Wrestling NJPW No Mercy NOAH Nozomi Kubo NWA Pro Wrestling NOAH Quiet Storm Shane Haste Shelton Benjamin Suzuki-gun Taichi Taiji Ishimori TAKA Michinoku Takashi Iizuka Takashi Sugiura Takeshi Morishima Yoshinari Ogawa Zack Sabre Jr. http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8994 The following results are from a recent Pro Wrestling NOAH live event. The event took place on January 18th, 2015 at the Hakata Star Lane in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan:   Tag Team Match 1 Brave (Taiji Ishimori and Atsushi Kotoge) defeated Junji Tanaka and Nozomi Kubo (8:39 minutes) 3-Way Match Katsuhiko Nakajima defeated Jonah Rock […]

The following results are from a recent Pro Wrestling NOAH live event. The event took place on January 18th, 2015 at the Hakata Star Lane in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan:

Tag Team Match
1 Brave (Taiji Ishimori and Atsushi Kotoge) defeated Junji Tanaka and Nozomi Kubo (8:39 minutes)

3-Way Match
Katsuhiko Nakajima defeated Jonah Rock and MAYBACH Taniguchi (7:48 minutes)

Tag Team Match
No Mercy (Takashi Sugiura and Akitoshi Saito) defeated Takeshi Morishima and Mitsuhiro Kitamiya (5:53 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Suzuki-gun (TAKA Michinoku, Taichi and El Desperado) defeated Yoshinari Ogawa, Zack Sabre Jr. and Hitoshi Kumano (10:23 minutes)

Singles Match
Shelton Benjamin defeated Quiet Storm (5:53 minutes)

GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles Match
Cho Kibou-Gun (Ken-o and Hajime Ohara) (c) defeated No Mercy (Daisuke Harada and Genba Hirayanagi) (17:45 minutes)

4 on 4 – Eight-Man Tag Team Match
Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Takashi Iizuka) defeated Naomichi Marufuji, Mohammed Yone, Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste (16:21 minutes)

http://www.cheap-heat.com/lucky-thirteen-2-top-13-years-of-the-past-2-decades/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/lucky-thirteen-2-top-13-years-of-the-past-2-decades/#comments Tue, 13 Jan 2015 02:16:40 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Blogs Other Blogs Top Lists 2 Cold Scorpio Adrian Neville AJ Styles Austin Aries Batista Bill Goldberg Bobby Lashley Booker T Bret Hart British Bulldog Bryan Danielson Chris Benoit Chris Jericho Christian Christian Cage Christopher Daniels CM Punk CZW Daniel Bryan Darren Young Dave Batista Davey Boy Smith Davey Richards David Arquette Dean Malenko Degeneration X Dwayne Johnson Eastern Championship Wrestling ECW Eddie Guerrero Edge Elimination Chamber Eric Bischoff Extreme Championship Wrestling Four Horsemen Goldberg Hell in a Cell HHH Hollywood Hogan Impact Jake Roberts Jeff Jarrett Jerry Lawler Kane Ken Shamrock Kevin Nash King Booker King of the Ring Kurt Angle Latino Heat Mankind Matt Sydal Mick Foley Money in the Bank Montreal Screwjob Mr. Perfect New World Order Nigel McGuinness Nitro NJPW NWA NXT One Night Stand Owen Hart Paul Bearer Paul Heyman Perry Saturn Phil Brooks Psycho Sid Radicalz RAW Razor Ramon Ready 2 Rumble Rey Mysterio RF Video Ric Flair Ring of Honor Rob Feinstein Rocky Maivia Roddy Piper ROH Royal Rumble Ryback Sami Zayn Samoa Joe Scott Steiner Sean Waltman Shane Douglas Shane McMahon Shawn Michaels Smackdown Starrcade Stephanie McMahon Steve Austin Stone Cold SummerSlam Survivor Series TAKA Michinoku Ted DiBiase The Alliance The Rock TNA Todd Gordon Total Nonstop Action Triple H UFC Ultimate Warrior Undertaker Vampiro Vince McMahon Vince Russo Wade Barrett WCW Wolfpac Wrestlemania Wrestling Society X WSX WWE WWF XFL http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8812 Lucky Thirteen #2 Top 13 Years of the Past 2 Decades Written by Mark Adam Haggerty I can’t remember back to a time before I was a wrestling fan. I can recall being six-years-old and thumbing through my parents modest little library of movies, suddenly stumbling upon a set of black Disney-like big boxes that […]

Lucky Thirteen #2
Top 13 Years of the Past 2 Decades
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

I can’t remember back to a time before I was a wrestling fan. I can recall being six-years-old and thumbing through my parents modest little library of movies, suddenly stumbling upon a set of black Disney-like big boxes that contained the first five Wrestlemanias. From that day I was hooked. I began tuning into WWF Superstars and WCW Saturday Night every single week, and by the spring of 1993 I was begging my parents to order Wrestlemania 9 on pay-per-view. Over the past 20 years I’ve had my share of favorite moments, but I often ask myself, what was the best year in professional wrestling? Maybe not best, but how about the most influential? Most impactful? Okay here it is: What was the Most Important Year since I Became a Fan? When other sites limit their lists to Top Ten, we take it a Step Further with the Lucky Thirteen—counting down the Top Years of the Past 2 Decades.

13. 2003
The list had to start somewhere and after cutting away seven years of nonsense I thought, what better place to begin than with 2003. Looking back I feel as though the year felt much bigger than it really was. Momentous occasions like Wrestlemania XIX and Stone Cold's retirement drew considerable attention but it's hard to isolate many other memorable moments. By this point Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Ring of Honor were both open and doing business, although nowhere near the level of success that they'd each see within a few short years. WCW had been closed since 2001, so WWE was slowly filtering out the Turner-holdovers and rebranding wrestlers like Booker T and Rey Mysterio as WWE Superstars. Twenty-oh-Three was the year Bill Goldberg made his long-awaited debut on Monday Night Raw where he famously told Dwayne Johnson, "You're next Rock!" In addition to a handful of interesting gimmicks and storylines scattered across the calendar, 2003 featured must-see-TV for anyone curious as to what lurked beneath the red and black mask of "The Devil's Favorite Demon" Kane. While it may appear dull in hindsight, 2003 was a fun time featuring the sex and violence of the Attitude Era, mixed with the incredible in-ring action so many of us value today.

12. 2010
Twenty-Ten proved to be an auspicious time for all wrestling organizations. Wrestlemania 26 featured the final match in the venerable career of "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels when he failed to defeat The Undertaker in Glendale. But as one man's career ended, eight more were just getting started; the initial NXT program was a far cry from the extraordinary show we see each week on the WWE Network, but it did introduce the WWE Universe to Superstars such as Ryback, Wade Barrett, Darren Young, and even the future WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan. Twenty-Ten was the year in which the unimaginable happened when Bret "The Hitman" Hart made his return to WWE television after a thirteen year hiatus. But 2010 was big for the competition as well. Not only were independent promotions the world-over hitting their stride due to the added exposure brought-on by social media, but TNA was enjoying one of its most visible years to date thanks to signing Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and a number of other established talents. In addition to inflating their roster, TNA made several changes to their product; they would begin to implement a traditional four-sided ring, and even attempted to compete live on Monday's with WWE Raw. The year 2010 was an exciting time for wrestling fans across the planet, and is the most modern year on my countdown.

11. 2007
It’s true that 2007 can hardly be considered a great year for professional wrestling, let alone the WWE. For a while it seemed that active wrestlers appeared on Nancy Grace more than they ever did on Raw or Smackdown. But if I'm here to countdown the most important years in wrestling, this certainly had its share of newsworthy events. In the summer of 2007, the WWE suspended more than half of its active roster in response to a litany of wellness violations for a variety of substances, most notably Human Growth Hormone. This year was historic for being the official end of "The Ruthless Aggression Era"—a period of time significant for exposing younger talent and transitioning the product out of the overtly controversial Attitude Era. In 2007 TNA expanded its flagship show IMPACT to two hours and embarked on what would be a defining age for the promotion. One of my favorite events in history happened in 2007, "The King of Europe Cup." The �Cup was a one-off event that took place over a two day period in the United Kingdom. A must-watch event that is readily available on YouTube and features well-known workers such as Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Matt Sydal, Davey Richards and a man who won the ROH World title in 2007—Nigel McGuinness. Sadly it's safe to say the most infamous moments of 2007 occurred between June 22nd and June 25th as the world became aware of the chilling circumstances surrounding Nancy, Daniel, and of course "The Crippler" Chris Benoit. Unfortunately for all of the positives, 2007 will forever be marred by the heinous actions of a troubled man that led to irreparable changes across the industry and what has been dubbed, "The PG Era."

10. 2006
It would appear as though 2006 was the last year representing any semblance of what was once regarded as a pop culture phenomenon. The ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view the previous year was such a success that WWE officials opted to resurrect Extreme Championship Wrestling complete with a one-hour timeslot on the Sci-Fi Channel. Edge and Rey Mysterio each made history in 2006 by becoming world champion; first Edge at New Years' Revolution and then Rey at Wrestlemania 22 in Chicago. Poised to be a contributing factor in the �New ECW', former champion Kurt Angle shocked the world in 2006 when he signed with TNA Wrestling. This year was famous for launching the career of current TNA Champion Bobby Lashley, as well as helping to define that of former Ring of Honor World Champion CM Punk. There were over a dozen debuts throughout the year due to ECW on Sci-Fi and Smackdown's "New Superstar Initiative." In Ring of Honor, the world title picture was dominated by Bryan Danielson who secured his spot atop the card from September 2005 until December 2006. In addition to WWE and TNA, MTV delivered an over the top unreal wrestling experience known as "Wrestling Society X." WSX only lasted one short season but familiarized fans with future names such as Matt Sydal and reintroduced established stars like Sean Waltman and Vampiro. Twenty-oh-Six was a great year for good storytelling that included Vince McMahon's rivalry with Shawn Michaels, Booker T becoming King Booker, and the continuing drama between Edge and John Cena. Rounding out the top ten, 2006 was an enjoyable year without much in the way of defining moments but never short on excitement.

9. 2000
When the new millennium dawned on the world of professional wrestling, so too did a number of landmark milestones and controversial occurrences. WCW released the unsuccessful "Ready 2 Rumble," starring a variety of World Championship Wrestling athletes and the man who would soon become WCW Champion—David Arquette. Not only was 2000 the year all WCW titles would be stripped and reassigned, it was also the year in which the World Championship was devalued and strapped to a B-list Hollywood celebrity. But not all was bad in the world of sports and entertainment as 2000 marked the first time Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson hosted Saturday Night Live, which he did to rave reviews. While Eric Bischoff returned to WCW, a new set of "Radicalz" debuted in the WWF; Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko all jumped ship and began appearing on WWF TV in the early months of the new millennium. The Year Two-Thousand was a defining era for the Undertaker who chose this year to swap his demonic demeanor for the apparel of the "American Badass." Hulk Hogan would say his final goodbye to his WCW fans thanks to a scenario gone wrong involving the Hulkster, Jeff Jarrett, and head-writer Vince Russo. An exciting year for wrestling of course with Kurt Angle capturing his first of many world titles, but perhaps the biggest thing to happen in 2000 was the debut of Vince McMahon's now defunct football league—The XFL. Whether you're a football fan or an admirer of the "Scream" film franchise, 2000 had something for everybody to get excited about.

8. 2005
If ever a year signaled things to come it was 2005. For fans of the WWE, 2005 was the year Monday Night Raw returned home to the USA Network after a five year run on Spike TV. Two first-time world champions were crowned at Wrestlemania—John Cena and Dave Batista. But TNA had its own share of successes in 2005: the company made its highly anticipated debut on Spike TV; Christopher Daniels, AJ Styles, and Samoa Joe had the only 5-Star Triple Threat Match in history; and Christian Cage signed a deal, opening the gates to a deluge of ex-WWE Superstars. ECW was in the midst of a resurrection that would culminate in 2006, but 2005 was the year the WWE hosted the first "ECW One Night Stand," in New York City. On the independent scene, a former backyard wrestler named Phil Brooks won the ROH World Heavyweight Championship from the highly decorated Austin Aries, thus placing CM Punk on WWE's radar. Later that year another future WWE Champion would capture the ROH World Title and hold it for over four hundred days—"The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson. Back in the WWE, six daring individuals were getting ready to introduce the world to "Money in the Bank," and later that year Shawn Michaels faced Hulk Hogan for the first time ever at Summerslam. Chris Jericho was fired by Eric Bischoff and then Bischoff himself was released resulting in Eric leaving the arena in the back of a garbage truck. But even in the silliest of times, sadness rears its ugly head and it was in 2005 that the world was forced to say goodbye to the former WWE Champion, "Latino Heat" Eddie Guerrero. From the highs to the lows, 2005 was an important year that no one will ever forget.

7. 1994
Not such an enormous year for the industry-leading WWF, but a landmark time period for much of the competition. Having survived his battle with the US Government, Vince McMahon was back in full control of his company; 1994 was the year of Wrestlemania X and the infamous bout between Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels that would set the bar for ladder matches to come. The Undertaker mysteriously disappeared at the Royal Rumble and come Summerslam, the WWF fans were privy to not one—but TWO Undertakers! Of course this was the year that the Hart Family rivalry between Bret and Owen kicked into high gear, including a match of the year contender at Wrestlemania and a championship cage match at Summerslam. But outside the confines of the WWF, events began to take place that would lay the foundation for the Attitude Era. The NWA was the longstanding governing body of professional wrestling in the United States and Japan for several decades. In 1994 the NWA title was to be decided in Philadelphia at Todd Gordon's Eastern Championship Wrestling, with Shane Douglas set to win the gold. Instead Douglas disregarded the title, disgracing the NWA in the process by claiming he would not represent a company that, "died, R.I.P. seven years ago!" ECW broke away from the NWA and declared themselves Extreme Championship Wrestling with "The Franchise" as their champion. Down in WCW, Eric Bischoff was moving ahead by leaps and bounds thanks to an array of positive changes in production, including the debut of WCW Saturday Night at Disney's MGM Studios in Orlando. But perhaps there was nothing in '94 as monumental as when WCW signed Hulk Hogan. Bischoff wasted no time in booking the dream contest WWF refused to feature at Wrestlemania VIII two years earlier. In his debut match alongside Mr. T and Shaquille O'Neil, Hulk Hogan defeated "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair for the WCW Title. Who's to say if things had gone differently in �94, the industry of today might be something else entirely.

6. 1998
The Attitude Era might have started in �97, but 1998 was the year in which the world was introduced to the brand new World Wrestling Federation. WCW turned up the heat on the competition by introducing a brand new Thursday night program on TBS titled, "Thunder." This was the year that saw The Four Horsemen reunite on Monday Nitro including Ric Flair who had since left the company. The NWO was continuing to grow and would eventually split into two entities: NWO Hollywood with Hulk Hogan, and NWO Wolfpac lead by Kevin Nash. WCW cornered the video game market in �98 with one of the most prolific wrestling games in history—WCW/NWO Revenge for the Nintendo 64. Over in the �Federation, Superstars were beginning to get "hardcore" and a new title with a 24/7 stipulation was introduced on TV. Not only were the �falls' taking place backstage and in the audience, but from on top of the Hell in a Cell as Mick Foley was launched from the structure, and then drilled through it at the 1998 King of the Ring. WCW continued to beat the WWF in the Monday Night War due to a consistent strategy based on booking their top matches on cable, rather than pay-per-view. Bill Goldberg, who had already made a name for himself by maintaining an unprecedented winning streak made history when he became the WCW World Heavyweight Champion. But Bill was far from the only bald-headed badass to win gold in 1998. Earlier that year, Stone Cold Steve Austin captured his first world title after defeating Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XIV in Boston. It was a profitable year for all wrestling companies including ECW, but 1998 would be the last year WCW would succeed in dominating the WWF in the ratings.

5. 1996
Maybe it's because Shawn Michaels' boyhood dream came true at Wrestlemania XII; or the initial formation of the NWO at Bash at the Beach; even the insane rivalry between "The Excellence of Execution" and "The Texas Rattlesnake." Whatever it was, my personal favorite year in professional wrestling was 1996. The spring began with a bang as Scott Hall made his first appearance on Turner Television, joined just a few weeks later by Kevin Nash. In June of 1996, Stone Cold Steve Austin broke from Ted DiBiase and became the King of the Ring; during his royal coronation, Stone Cold uttered a phrase that would change his career forever—"Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!" But just as heels began to turn face, so did longtime heroes turn to the dark side. Along with the debut of the New World Order was the introduction of the evil Hollywood Hogan, who won the WCW title in August 1996 and held it just six days shy of one year. The Survivor Series that fall was famous for memorable main event matches as well as a number of debuts including that of the first ever third generation WWF Superstar, Rocky Maivia. Paul Bearer made the turn on �Taker in favor of the far more deranged Mankind; The Ultimate Warrior and Jake Roberts returned for a short period, each feuding with Jerry Lawler; Roddy Piper was featured on both WWF Wrestlemania and WCW Starrcade; ECW was beginning to break out nationwide. But most importantly—the Monday Night War was just getting underway. WCW debuted Nitro on TNT in the autumn of �95, and it was in 1996 that WCW finally succeeded in stealing Vince McMahon's spotlight.

4. 2001
In terms of the industry changing forever, 2001 might have been the most cataclysmic year in wrestling history. It was this year that WCW fans became aware of what was to become of their preferred promotion. Although many familiar faces were involved in negotiating the resurrection of WCW, it was Vince McMahon who purchased his competition for a mere $2.2 million dollars—a price that included licensing, tape libraries, and the contracts belonging to twenty-two WCW performers. In addition to the end of World Championship Wrestling, Paul Heyman signed a deal with Vince McMahon in 2001 some months after ECW was unseated by the WWF as Spike TV's premier wrestling program. The World Wrestling Federation was the winner of the Monday Night War and the Attitude Era was at an end. The summer of 2001 was highlighted by the Invasion storyline featuring an enormity of former WCW and ECW talents rallying together against the WWF with Shane and Stephanie McMahon leading the charge. This would be the year that Stone Cold Steve Austin would turn heel twice, first by joining forces with Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania and then by turning on the WWF and joining the Alliance. Speaking of Wrestlemania, Houston hosted the Seventeenth annual extravaganza—an event like none other that included the highly revered TLC triple threat tag match won by Edge and Christian. On September 13th, Vince McMahon and the WWF Superstars set a national precedent by appearing in Texas just days removed from the World Trade Center attacks in what Vince called, "the largest public gathering of its size since the events of Tuesday." In December of 2001 the two world titles were unified in a competition that would see Chris Jericho beat The Rock as well as Steve Austin in the same night to become the first ever Undisputed WWF Champion in history. The year 2001 was a peculiar period for the wrestling industry as it was the only year in which the WWF was faced with no immediate competition.

3. 1999
With the Attitude Era in full swing, 1999 was an enormous year for the WWF both inside the squared circle as well as on Wall Street. The WWF became the first wrestling promotion in history to go public in 1999, and followed the success with a series of groundbreaking business decisions still in effect today. The company introduced Smackdown on the UPN Network on Thursday Nights as competition to WCW's Thunder on the TBS Superstation. The Rock was enjoying his inaugural championship title reign and would face Steve Austin for their first of three �Mania encounters at Wrestlemania XV in Philadelphia. Unfortunately the good can often be overshadowed by the tragic; on May 23, 1999 the world of professional wrestling lost one of its favorite stars when Owen Hart fell to his death in Kansas City, Missouri. Owen will never be forgotten as his passing was one of the most earth-shattering moments in history—wrestling or otherwise. Behind the scenes, longtime WWF head writer Vince Russo had become disenfranchised by the �Federation and jumped ship to rival WCW where Eric Bischoff was forcibly removed from his post as president. As WCW struggled during turbulent times, the WWF continued to prosper with the continuation of the McMahon/Austin saga, the further explored escapades of Degeneration X, and the debuts of The Big Show and Chris Jericho. The WWF would experience its first Monday night ratings victory since 1996 when Mick Foley defeated The Rock for the WWF Heavyweight Championship on a taped episode of Raw airing January 4th 1999. Titles changed hands that same night on TNT when Hollywood Hogan won the WCW title from Kevin Nash for a fifth time thanks to a booking misstep nicknamed "The Finger Poke of Doom." The Land of Extreme was also abuzz in �99 as this was the year ECW would debut on national cable television thanks to The Nashville Network, soon-to-be-known as Spike TV. The last year of the 20th Century was a period of growth for the WWF, but proved to be an unpredictable era for WCW, making it difficult to compete in the coming years of the new millennium.

2. 2002
If 2001 was the end of an era, 2002 was the dawning of a new age across the varied landscape of professional wrestling. The WWF began by changing its name to World Wrestling Entertainment in light of a conflict regarding the World Wildlife Fund. The campaign was dubbed "Get the �F' Out" and would help introduce audiences to an entirely new breed of "Ruthless Aggression," in the now-WWE. Two new promotions would rise from the ashes of the fallen WCW and ECW. There was former WCW Champion Jeff Jarrett's Southern-based Total Nonstop Action Wrestling—a subsidiary of the National Wrestling Alliance. TNA was originally intended to be a pay-per-view only promotion hosting ten dollar events once a week. In 2002 they crowned their very first Heavyweight Champion, former UFC and WWF competitor "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock. Meanwhile RF Video—a pro wrestling video distribution company, was looking for a new promotion now that ECW was gone. Rather than working with established groups such as CZW, RF owner Rob Feinstein founded Ring of Honor and ran their first event, "The Era of Honor Begins" in April 2002. Back in the WWE, the entire roster was split into two warring halves—one set for Smackdown and the other relegated to Raw. The year was infamous for the seemingly relentless parade of surprise appearances that lasted the entirety of 2002. Former Superstars like Mr. Perfect and Scott Steiner became part of the current roster once more; Eric Bischoff debuted as the new General Manager of Monday Night Raw; the NWO opened No Way Out; but perhaps most surprising of all was the return of Shawn Michaels after more than four years away from the ring. Michaels captured the World Heavyweight Championship in the first ever Elimination Chamber Match when he defeated five other superstars including Triple H. Maybe one of the greatest years in the past two decades, but not quite number one.

1. 1997
The Number One Year of the Past Two Decades is 1997, and it shouldn’t be hard to see why. This year was the official launch of The Attitude Era in the WWF, signifying Vince McMahon's intention to compete with WCW on a whole new level. The competition didn't waiver however, as World Championship Wrestling was eager to meet the demand of audiences across the world. The "New Generation" made way for D-Generation X, a heel group similar to the NWO featuring Shawn Michaels and Triple H at the forefront. It was DX at the center of one of the most scandalous nights in wrestling—"The Montreal Screwjob." WCW was having its best year since Eric Bischoff took control of the company and bested their direct competition every week thanks to compelling storylines and the introduction of a former Atlanta Falcon named Bill Goldberg. The NWO storyline had yet to run its course and was complimented by the slow-build and impending confrontation between Hollywood Hogan and Sting at Starrcade. The Undertaker would become the WWF Champion for the first time in nearly six years when he defeated Psycho Sid at Wrestlemania XIII in Chicago, the same night Bret Hart and Steve Austin would wrestle their Match of the Year to a stunning conclusion. Paul Heyman's third party promotion dubbed Extreme Championship Wrestling would present their first ever pay-per-view event Barely Legal thanks in part to the promotion they received during the ECW Invasion of Monday Night Raw. The WWF became far more innovative during this period and introduced audiences to the Hell in a Cell and by circumstance the demonic younger brother of the Dead Man, Kane. It was also in 1997 that a hapless play-by-play announcer named Vince McMahon became one of the most detestable villains in professional wrestling history. The WWF would also begin debuting a number of midcard titles including the European Championship first held by The British Bulldog, and the Light Heavyweight Championship won by Taka Michinoku. WCW continued to maintain their edge in the ratings due to quality in-ring performances as well as plot twists and surprise appearances from WWF Superstars-turned-WCW Big Boys. It's not really a question: when asked about the single most action-packed and influential year from the past two decades of wrestling, I don't hesitate when I say 1997.

Conclusion
This list is ripe for discussion and debate, just as any other countdown featured in The Lucky Thirteen. You might agree, you probably disagree, I may have even listed your favorite year toward the bottom. It’s nothing personal, I promise. This list lives outside of the WWE Universe, but is of course greatly influenced by it. In regards to not including 2014, I didn’t want to include a year that hadn't yet concluded when I began compiling my information. I will say however with NJPW, the birth of the WWE Network, the salvation of TNA, and the first ROH Classic PPV, 2014 is sure to climb higher than any other year of the “Reality Era.” Whatever your feelings may be, I hope to see you again next week for another exciting countdown exclusively at Cheap-Heat. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty and this has been—The Lucky Thirteen.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-pro-wrestling-noah-new-year-navigation-2015-day-2-11215-yokohama-japan/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-pro-wrestling-noah-new-year-navigation-2015-day-2-11215-yokohama-japan/#comments Mon, 12 Jan 2015 17:21:55 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Akitoshi Saito Atsushi Kotoge BRAVE Daisuke Harada Davey Boy Smith Jr. El Desperado Genba Hirayanagi Hajime Ohara Hitoshi Kumano Jonah Rock Katsuhiko Nakajima Ken-o Lance Archer Maybach Taniguchi Mikey Nicholls Minoru Suzuki Mitsuhiro Kitamiya Mohammed Yone Naomichi Marufuji New Japan Pro Wrestling NJPW No Mercy NOAH NWA Pro Wrestling NOAH Quiet Storm Shane Haste Shelton Benjamin Suzuki-gun Taichi Taiji Ishimori TAKA Michinoku Takashi Iizuka Takashi Sugiura Takeshi Morishima Yoshinari Ogawa Zack Sabre Jr. http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8791 The following results are from a recent Pro Wrestling NOAH live event. В The event took place on January 12th, 2015 at В the Radiant Hall in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan:   Singles Match El Desperado defeated Hitoshi Kumano (5:09 minutes) 3-Way Match Ken-o defeated Genba Hirayanagi and Yoshinari Ogawa (4:56 minutes) Singles Match Quiet Storm defeated Hajime […]

The following results are from a recent Pro Wrestling NOAH live event. В The event took place on January 12th, 2015 at В the Radiant Hall in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan:

Singles Match
El Desperado defeated Hitoshi Kumano (5:09 minutes)

3-Way Match
Ken-o defeated Genba Hirayanagi and Yoshinari Ogawa (4:56 minutes)

Singles Match
Quiet Storm defeated Hajime Ohara by disqualification (10:15 minutes)

Singles Match
Katsuhiko Nakajima defeated Zack Sabre Jr. (12:01 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
No Mercy (Takashi Sugiura, Akitoshi Saito and Daisuke Harada) defeated Takeshi Morishima, MAYBACH Taniguchi and Mitsuhiro Kitamiya (7:33 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Suzuki-gun (Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Takashi Iizuka) defeated Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls and Jonah Rock (9:28 minutes)

4 on 4 – Eight-Man Tag Team Match
Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Shelton Benjamin, TAKA Michinoku and Taichi) defeated Brave (Naomichi Marufuji, Mohammed Yone, Atsushi Kotoge and Taiji Ishimori) (16:09 minutes)

http://www.cheap-heat.com/doubleshot-2-in-1-wrestling-reviews-g1-climax-2014-aj-styles-vs-minoru-suzuki/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/doubleshot-2-in-1-wrestling-reviews-g1-climax-2014-aj-styles-vs-minoru-suzuki/#comments Thu, 08 Jan 2015 04:28:49 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews A.J Styles AJ Styles Bullet Club G1 Climax Minoru Suzuki New Japan Pro Wrestling NJPW Ric Flair TAKA Michinoku http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8611 Doubleshot: 2-in-1 Wrestling Reviews G1 Climax 2014 – AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki Written by Mark Haggerty & Gary Mastriano Welcome to the jungle where instead of fun and games we're supplying objective opinions as to what is being called by many the "2014 Match of the Year." Ladies and gentlemen my name is Mark […]

Doubleshot: 2-in-1 Wrestling Reviews
G1 Climax 2014 – AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki
Written by Mark Haggerty & Gary Mastriano

Welcome to the jungle where instead of fun and games we're supplying objective opinions as to what is being called by many the "2014 Match of the Year." Ladies and gentlemen my name is Mark Adam Haggerty and I'm joined this week by my brother from another planet-we've-yet-to-discover Gary Mastriano. If you haven't already had the chance, do yourself a favor and check out Gary's growing library of incomparable content featuring far-out fantasy-booking and more mainstream musings on the current state of professional wrestling. The man is an exceptional talent who I'm proud to say has been my best friend since we were only fifteen years old. Several years later and just on the southern-side of thirty we're both overjoyed to introduce our first joint-venture for Cheap-Heat, a retrospective review series titled, "Doubleshot: 2-in-1 Wrestling Reviews." For the debut edition we thought it might be fitting to talk about one of the most impressive contests of 2014: the G1 Climax showdown between "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles and Minoru Suzuki.

A Stranger in a Strange Land
By Gary Mastriano

Where is Michael Cole? Does AJ Styles think that tattoo is cool? Will the Shield have a run in? What is G1 climax? What is with Suzuki's hair? Can I download his awesome theme song somewhere? These were the questions I was asking myself as I sat down to watch AJ Styles vs Minoru Suzuki at G1 Climax. Luckily I found an English commentary track over the match to help my American ass understand this better.

Ok so maybe I have only seen about 5 New Japan matches in my life, including this one. That being said I am glad I had Bob Saget sounding American commentator to take me through the background of the match. Apparently these guys were in some sort of 2 week tournament. That sounds pretty cool. AJ Styles is still the TNA champ? Or is that the Divas championship? Can AJ wrestle in a ring without 6 sides? AJ is in the Bullet Club, that I know. They are like NWO 2000. I think Finn Balor was in that group too. Suzuki is in… the New Hart Dynasty?

Right off the bat this Suzuki dude impresses me. Not only does he have an awesome receding hairline and kickass theme song, but also every move he does is "his finisher" according to Bob Saget. AJ brings his educated legs to Japan with a flurry of kicks. Suzuki brings his educated Ric Flair chops to AJ. Are the fans chanting for Triple H? Wait…wait… TAKA MICHINOKU!!!???????? CHOPPY CHOPPY TO PEE PEE!

All jokes aside, this was an exciting match. Hard hitting and frantic right from the get go. My favorite spot had to be the finger submission Suzuki applied to AJ. I have never seen a finger submission before. Very cool. Very lucky AJ wears gloves while he wrestles. Side note… his hands must get sweaty. The run in was cool, mostly because I saw a lot of guys I knew. I have never been a fan of the Styles Clash. It just looks overly complicated and unnatural. Styles is a great talent, and I am happy to see him doing well. After seeing Suzuki for the first time I looked up some of his other matches on YouTube. That should keep me busy for a while.

I think what put me off the most to this match was the lack of backstory. Yes the wrestling and athleticism was fantastic. But that is only a small part of the reason I enjoy professional wrestling. I admit it—I LOVE the soap opera storylines and personalities. The fact that this match was just another match in a tournament really hurt it in my opinion. If this was the blow off to some long-standing feud, then I would rate it much higher. In my opinion it was a solid match, with decent action, but far from my top match of the year.

Everything is Something
By Mark Adam Haggerty

Whenever I sit down to review a match I find myself taking notes page by page until I'm left with nothing more than a yellow pad riddled with short hand phrases such as, "Drop Kick F AJ T Suz." Of course that's referring to the high angle drop kick performed by AJ Styles immediately following the initial string of chain-wrestling and rope-running. From the moment we're introduced to the competitors, it's made clear that we're no longer in WWE and this main event is about to take place inside a Japanese community center. I personally enjoy the stripped-bare presentation of independent wrestling, so I don't really read much into any promotion staging an event on a youth basketball court.

The match was off to a lightning quick start which allowed both men the chance to display their specific brand of high-octane physical prowess without being blown up too early. However just as fast as the action itself, so came the screeching halt when the two combatants slowed things down on the outside of the ring. Sometimes when I watch the strong-style wrestlers such as those commonly seen in Japan, I question the constant use of kicks and forearm strikes. But that's when I remember that closed-fist punches are illegal in wrestling, I'm just not use to a company that cares about consistency. I thought the ring psychology outside of the squared circle was just as beneficial to the outcome as anything between the ropes, and actually worked to establish both characters in their respective roles. Suzuki's use of the bell-hammer as a mere prop was subtle yet worked to distract the referee from Suzuki's ultimate intentions. Jim Ross likes to say, "Bad guys can't cheat when there aren't any rules to break." It appears that NJPW keeps its rules intact, perhaps for that very reason.

I was taken out of the action by the seemingly meaningless ref-bump that allowed for various third party players to become involved, though it was interesting to see Styles and Suzuki react. It's easy to forget the disadvantages both English-speaking and Japanese wrestlers could encounter; outside talents have to rely greatly on their miming abilities, whereas domestic workers are faced with a rather low glass ceiling. I commend guys like AJ and Suzuki who are able to convey a sense of urgency to every fan in attendance—from the front row to the rear of the auditorium to the geeks on their computer back here in The �States. Suzuki reminds me of Big Van Vader and Stan Hansen, which isn't surprising as both American Geijin achieved mythical status during their tours of Japan. Both "The Lariat" and Leon White operated at full speed with an arsenal of maneuvers meant to inflict damage, not look pretty on TV. Much the same can be said for the knee-and-elbow pad-lacking Minoru Suzuki who appears more fixated on injuring AJ Styles, than he is with winning the G1 Climax.

The defining moment of the match occurred as AJ caught Suzuki's leg and made an unsuccessful attempt at the "Styles Clash." Suzuki turned the tables once more, gripping Style's leg in a vicious ankle lock submission. The script continued to flip as both wrestlers gained leverage each with their own variations on the ankle lock until Suzuki broke the monotony with a cross arm-bar. Another exchange of slaps to the face and chest courtesy of both individuals bled into the final moments of the match; amidst the confusion of an already turbulent bout, AJ powered the mighty Minoru Suzuki into his infamous "Styles Clash"—this time capitalizing and earning the 1-2-3.

I'm not sure if I would call this the Match of the Year, but it was still fantastic and included many of the components I admire in such high-caliber contests. An all-around incredible twenty minutes of non-stop action featuring two of the greatest wrestlers in the world, telling a story about honor and AJ's lack-thereof. I can't give this match a full five-star rating because of the inauspicious run-in by The Bullet Club and Killer Elite Squad, but a very entertaining match nonetheless.

Gary's Star Rating: 3
Mark's Star Rating: 4.25

New Japan is most certainly a polarizing entity, as are many things found in the whimsical world of professional wrestling. While the strong-style employed is perhaps more than enough to satisfy some, the product does seem to lack somewhat in the more traditional sense of pageantry and presentation. Though we both grew up in the exact same shadow of New York City watching Shawn Michaels on TV each week, it's clear that Gary and I have differing ideas as to what comprises a truly excellent wrestling match. It was both interesting and informative for both of us to read the others' opposing opinion regardless of whether or not we agree. Thanks for reading this very special preview—we invite you join us next week when we compare WWF Wrestlemania 17 to WCW Greed in the first official edition of "Doubleshot: 2-in-1 Wrestling Reviews."

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-new-years-dash-1515-tokyo-japan/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-new-japan-pro-wrestling-njpw-new-years-dash-1515-tokyo-japan/#comments Tue, 06 Jan 2015 02:18:13 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha AJ Styles Alex Koslov Alex Shelley Bad Luck Fale Bobby Fish Bullet Club Captain New Japan CHAOS Davey Boy Smith Jr. Doc Gallows El Desperado Forever Hooligans Hirooki Goto Hiroshi Tanahashi Hiroyoshi Tenzan Jushin Thunder Liger Karl Anderson Katsuyori Shibata Kazuchika Okada Kenny Omega Kota Ibushi KUSHIDA Kyle O'Reilly Lance Archer Manabu Nakanishi Matt Jackson Minoru Suzuki New Japan Pro Wrestling New Years Dash Nick Jackson NJPW reDRagon Rocky Romero Ryusuke Taguchi Satoshi Kojima Shelton Benjamin Shinsuke Nakamura Sho Tanaka Suzuki-gun Taichi TAKA Michinoku Takashi Iizuka Tama Tonga Tetsuya Naito Tiger Mask IV Togi Makabe Tomoaki Honma Tomohiro Ishii Toru Yano YOSHI-HASHI Yuji Nagata Yujiro Takahashi http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8547 The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. The event took place on January 5th, 2015 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan:   Tag Team Match Suzuki-gun (TAKA Michinoku and Taichi) defeated Tiger Mask #4 and Sho Tanaka (7:29 minutes) Tag Team Match reDRagon [2] (Kyle O’Reilly and […]

The following results are from a recent New Japan Pro Wrestling live event. The event took place on January 5th, 2015 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan:

Tag Team Match
Suzuki-gun (TAKA Michinoku and Taichi) defeated Tiger Mask #4 and Sho Tanaka (7:29 minutes)

Tag Team Match
reDRagon [2] (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish) defeated Forever Hooligans (Rocky Romero and Alex Koslov) (10:30 minutes)

Special Five on Five Match
Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Takashi Iizuka, Shelton Benjamin, Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr.) defeated Tomoaki Honma, Manabu Nakanishi, Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Captain New Japan (11:59 minutes)

NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title Match
Jushin Thunder Liger (c) defeated El Desperado (16:56 minutes)

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Ryusuke Taguchi, KUSHIDA and Alex Shelley defeated BULLET CLUB (Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (9:16 minutes)

Special Match
BULLET CLUB (Bad Luck Fale and Tama Tonga) defeated CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada and Toru Yano) (10:17 minutes)

Special Match
Togi Makabe, Yuji Nagata and Kota Ibushi defeated CHAOS (Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI) (13:58 minutes)

Special Match
BULLET CLUB (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows and Yujiro Takahashi) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hirooki Goto, Katsuyori Shibata and Tetsuya Naito (14:45 minutes)