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SquaredCircle’s Weekly Pro-Wrestling Discussion Thread! (February 2nd, 2025) (Spoilers) (lemmy.zip)
submitted 6 days ago by GeekFTW@lemmy.zip to c/squaredcircle@lemmy.zip
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Hello SquaredCircle! Welcome to our Weekly Discussion Thread!

What have you watched lately? Seen any great matches? Have suggestions for things to watch? Anything not getting covered in other threads that ya wanna fill people in about? Questions about promotions, wrestlers, 'the business' or more?

Feel free to post below!

(Reminder, this thread can and will contain spoilers for possibly any show. Spoiler tags are not required in here, but if the show just happened try and keep spoiler talk it to its respective discussion thread for the first day).

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[–] Brain@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (2 children)

Hey, if you guys used one of those API bots on reddit that deleted your comments or garbled them when the Reddit exodus happened, go double check it hasn't returned, I just got a comment on a 9 year old post that should have been gone.

EDIT: After some hours digging through pages in my profile, it appears that it is hit and miss what did or did not get removed with a variety of Removed by User, Deleted, gibberish, etc followed by full on posts. If I had to guess, I think it's possible they may have shut down the bots access in the middle of it doing its job so it never finished and I just obliviously didn't notice.

[–] Neon_Carnivore@lemmy.zip 3 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

I deleted my accounts, so it won't be easy to check.

Oh, and fuck Spez.

[–] GeekFTW@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 day ago

Oh that's dirty, fucking Reddit.

[–] ImADifferentBird@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 day ago

You know, I've been thinking about how AEW keeps trying and failing to "restore the feeling". And I think the big reason they can't is that "the feeling" had little to do with the in-ring product at all.

AEW, when it first started, was the promotion for wrestlers by wrestlers. The Elite were the faces of the promotion (hell, the place is named after them), and Tony Khan was more of a silent partner than anything. As TK has taken more of an active, public-facing role in the promotion, it has detracted from that feeling. He may be a wrestling superfan, but he's not a wrestler, and he damn sure isn't The Elite. As well, there's still the shadow of CM Punk that never quite went away. AEW used to be the place where everyone got along and worked to create the best show they could without the politics, but Punk destroyed that image, whether he cracked that foundation or merely exposed the cracks that were already there.

I still love AEW, it's still the only promotion I watch on a weekly basis, but it's undeniable that they've lost something important. And I don't know if it's something they could ever get back. I certainly don't see how they could.

[–] Zero22xx@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

Having stomped my feet and stormed off from TNA in protest of Tessa Blanchard, I think that in addition to trying to get into Stardom, I'm gonna start checking out NXT.

For Stardom, I think I'm going to go back in time a year. I found a download on the archive for All Star Grand Queendom 2024 and I'm going to take it from there, slowly making my way through PPVs (or also weekly shows if I really need to). I'm thinking that'll probably be the best way to get you know everyone and how things work, while easier access to translations and / or subtitles without any wait. So this is gonna be a long term thing to get into.

And for my immediate needs and to fill the hole for my weekly soap opera drama, I think I'm gonna start with the closest NXT PPV and catch up from there. I get the impression that they also feature women's wrestling a lot, plus I'd be seeing the Knockouts there. And it seems disconnected enough from the main roster that Raw and SmackDown would be optional, not mandatory. Although, honestly, I might check out how people like MCMG, the Lucha Bros and Jordynne Grace are doing too.

[–] ImADifferentBird@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Having stomped my feet and stormed off from TNA in protest of Tessa Blanchard, I think that in addition to trying to get into Stardom, I'm gonna start checking out NXT.

I'm gonna be real with you; if you are swearing off TNA because of your moral objections, then you should probably also avoid any WWE product. Vince may be gone, but it's still tied to some absolutely horrible people.

[–] Zero22xx@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Yeah I was actually kinda thinking that while I was typing it. It's probably going to be difficult finding a wrestling promotion where pieces of shit haven't been involved in some way. It's just that the TNA thing is fresh and blatant and the timing of them hiring Tessa Blanchard, right when a bunch of companies were bending over and removing diversity and fairness, was fucking awful.

But I agree, I have felt a bit like a hypocrite saying that I'm gonna drop TNA for NXT. I'm just not sure where else to go for good women's wrestling from the USA. Maybe things have changed but I very much have the impression that it's an afterthought in both AEW and ROH. And I'm not prepared to put up with people like the Young Bucks just for one women's match in 3 hours lol.

But I'm hooked on Stardom right now anyway and haven't even been in the mood for TNA or NXT. And I found a website that also has TJPW and a bunch of Japanese stuff. So it might be keeping me busy enough in the next few months to not even miss American pro wrestling.

[–] GeekFTW@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Yeah I was actually kinda thinking that while I was typing it. It’s probably going to be difficult finding a wrestling promotion where pieces of shit haven’t been involved in some way. It’s just that the TNA thing is fresh and blatant and the timing of them hiring Tessa Blanchard, right when a bunch of companies were bending over and removing diversity and fairness, was fucking awful.

There's no ethical consumption under capitalism! (outside of piracy lol). Try not to worry about it too much, all you can do is talk with your wallet, try to limit who you pay for and go from there.

As for US women's: NXT/TNA have routinely been the best for a while stateside, I give em the edge cause they give them a decent chunk of airtime. AEW has 1 match a show frequently, but a lot of the women are cooking when they get a chance, ROH gets a lot more time for women's matches so hopefully the network their TV deal ends up at enjoys women more than WB does. Can't talk WWE main roster as I just watch clips on Bluesky and occasionally Reddit lol.

Japan wise, TJPW is another great option since ya found it. Neon and a few of the others here will have better knowledge regarding them than I do, but their shows are always awesome and TJPW is pretty much always the #2 to Stardom's #1.

[–] Zero22xx@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

While I'm kinda between promotions and exploring my options, I might as well throw hearsay and assumptions out the window and give AEW and ROH a decent shot again. Probably gonna burn myself out in a few months time lol but it's been a long time since I've made the effort to check out everything else and I'm enjoying it for now at least.

[–] GeekFTW@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Oh and quick useful update as I just saw it, re: Stardom subs and their time frame, at least as of today I can say they seem to have about a 5 day turnaround when it comes to the backstage post-match interviews. This past Sunday was the Supreme Fight event, Stardom World just uploaded them with the full subs, so they seem to be fairly on the ball!

[–] Zero22xx@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Oh very cool. I've actually been considering giving the Google Translate app or something similar that can translate speech a try lol.

I would honestly prefer just subtitles to gaijin commentary. I went back and watched Historic X-over 1. Thought I might as well seeing as there's only been two so far and watched the English commentary. And while it was nice getting an English break down of Mayu Iwatani and Kairi's backstories for example, those commentators were such fucking dorks lol.

I think it has the same problem for me as English commentary for Mexican stuff has been in my experience so far. They don't come across as part of the show but rather tourists or outsiders, or fans, which I guess they are. So I don't believe them when they start putting on their 'emotional' big fight Michael Cole voices.

It's better than nothing but if Stardom were to ever get English commentary or at least show hosts, I would way prefer if it was someone homegrown that can speak English, even if it's not perfect English, over Americans or Brits that come across more like people who post in wrestling forums than a part of the show.

[–] GeekFTW@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I know we aren't gonna get it cause they aren't play-by-play/color commentators nor do they really have the skills at it (yet 👀) but I'd love to see them have shows called by some of the wrestlers that are fluent in English (Mina, Waka, Momo Kohgo) plus the foreigners like Xena/Thekla/etc. Not gonna be worse than the NJPW guys at least lol

[–] Zero22xx@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 day ago

Based on what I've seen so far, Thekla would immediately add a strong language rating to the show lol. She could definitely work as the heel commentator that makes excuses or looks the other way when someone does something bad though.

I'd still love to actually learn Japanese though. I say that but my life is basically full of unfinished projects and plans with no action lol so, we'll see if that ever actually happens. But one thing that I still feel like I'm missing out on that subtitles and commentary will probably never fully cover is all of the shit talking in the ring. Which there is a lot of. And a lot of these women seem fucking hilarious.

Which right now, makes Thekla's chirps especially funny because it's a rare time I can understand exactly what someone is saying. The latest one I just saw was her saying to the ref "why are you always on my ass, bro?" None of the audience reacted but I thought it was fucking funny.

[–] ImADifferentBird@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

AEW's women's division has been on a steady upswing. It hasn't had the kind of spotlight that WWE gives their women, but they have some great talent there and they've been telling some engaging stories.

I'm honestly not sure where else to go for American women's wrestling these days. EVE has been putting on some amazing shows, but they're UK based. Still very worth checking out.

[–] Zero22xx@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'll get around to checking out AEW again. I'm going to be watching the crossovers while I'm catching up with Stardom here for a bit of variety, which gives me Forbidden Door 2024 to still get to.

And maybe I'll check out EVE some time. UK wrestling in general seems to be rare to come across in the wild on the internet.

[–] ImADifferentBird@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

EVE does post their shows on YouTube, but some require a paid subscription. https://youtube.com/@prowrestlingeve

[–] Zero22xx@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Nice, thanks. I never think about checking YouTube for wrestling. I think a few smaller / indie promotions use YouTube. And TNA of course.

[–] ImADifferentBird@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 23 hours ago

No worries. Glad to help!

If you're interested in more indie stuff, there are also streaming services that feature that sort of thing, though I haven't delved too deeply into them. Fite.tv, IndependentWrestling.tv, and highspots.tv are the ones I'm aware of.

[–] GeekFTW@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 day ago

Don't look for it any time soon as the adhd is strong, but eventually I plan to have youtube links side-by-side with the website links for all the promotions in the sidebar, to make it simple.

Actually this might be what fuels me to hyper-fixate on it and do it sooner lol

[–] GeekFTW@lemmy.zip 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

All Star Grand Queendom 2024

Not a bad idea, that's around when Rossy left/Okada began booking so you'll get a fresh start going forward!

[–] Zero22xx@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Nice, seems like a perfect place to start. I actually started watching TNA around the time of a regime change too, so it works.

Haven't started watching yet, although I've checked out about 5 minutes of the beginning segment with the four hosts (commentators?) talking about stuff. I was kinda hoping it would be a subtitled download by now but funnily enough, after a few repeated watches of the Ghost in the Shell franchise, it's not complete gibberish to me anymore.

I don't know exactly what they're talking about but I can figure out what's going on and get the idea. And pick up basic shit yes or no and types of greetings. Makes me wonder if I should pair getting into Stardom with some Duolingo.

[–] GeekFTW@lemmy.zip 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Makes me wonder if I should pair getting into Stardom with some Duolingo.

Not a bad idea tbh, you'll get farther than me who gave up after learning the words for toilet and beer lol.

Expect the first chunk of what you're watching to probably not have any English period (despite the stuff I told ya yesterday which will apply more later in 2024).

When Rossy left his right-hand man Sonny left too (thank christ cause he was a piece of shit), and Sonny was responsible for 99% of the editing/translating/uploading to Stardom World/etc so when they left that segment of production tanked.

[–] Zero22xx@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Just finished the first match for the 'Future of Stardom' championship, I'm guessing these ladies are kinda like young lions or in the development division. Seems like a great match to start with and give me someone to follow on their upward arc.

I honestly zoned out most of the commentary and Pink Devil did a victory speech at the end that sounded snarky and cocky as fuck. I'm honestly thinking I could just get by with looking up old reviews afterwards, and looking up any specific wrestler I'm interested in though.

And I'm glad to hear that I seem to have chosen a time to start when problematic management has just been ousted.

[–] GeekFTW@lemmy.zip 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Just finished the first match for the ‘Future of Stardom’ championship, I’m guessing these ladies are kinda like young lions or in the development division. Seems like a great match to start with and give me someone to follow on their upward arc.

For rookies yeah. FoS is a title fought for by those who have less than 3y of wrestling experience (or are under 20yo regardless of experience level, iirc). Gives a good idea of who the company sees something in despite being rookies, and is usually defended on New Blood shows (which are for rookies, junior members of the roster, and freelancers/visitors from other companies).

I honestly zoned out most of the commentary and Pink Devil did a victory speech at the end that sounded snarky and cocky as fuck.

Rina is a little brat I love her lol. She's one of the youngest on the roster so she calls everyone else old hags lol.

[–] Zero22xx@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I'm about halfway through now. Probably gonna do part 2 later.

Hope you don't mind me dumping this here, just gotta say, so far it looks like I'm gonna be liking everyone from Oedo Tai based on first impressions. But God's Eye also looks like a faction to keep an eye on. Also I'm immediately a fan of Saya Iida "Gorilla Power" lol.

[–] GeekFTW@lemmy.zip 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Not at all, more Stardom discussion is always welcome!

Saya is one of the most underrated people. Shes strong as hell, and has a habit of getting her hoodie stuck in the rafters (you'll come across them when they happen lol), but Rossy saw nothing in her and she was a pin eater for the longest time. You're watching her do her best work right now.

[–] Zero22xx@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Just finished. A 5 hour runtime (minus two pre show matches) is actually pretty brutal, so I ended up taking multiple breaks. But I'm definitely in. It has everything from flippy rookies to hoss legends and in between.

Realised that Oedo Tai aren't simply trouble causers and tweeners but full heels (although cool heels). So I'm probably going to be loving to hate them. Kinda pissed with them now after the way they turned on Starlight Kid lol.

I've got quite a few first impression favourites so far. Although I haven't looked up translations or too much info yet, so I don't really know them yet. I don't want to spoil current storylines or champs before I get there, so I guess I'm just gonna go low information for now. But it's enough to hook me. Now I just hope it's not going to be too much trouble looking for shows between then and now.

[–] GeekFTW@lemmy.zip 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Realised that Oedo Tai aren’t simply trouble causers and tweeners but full heels (although cool heels). So I’m probably going to be loving to hate them. Kinda pissed with them now after the way they turned on Starlight Kid lol.

Oh yeah lol. They are really the only full on heel stable in Stardom, but they do a good job at it. Don't worry too much about SLK though, no spoilers but she'll be fine.

I don’t want to spoil current storylines or champs before I get there, so I guess I’m just gonna go low information for now.

For the best. There'll be..well I don't wanna say a lot of changes over the year but a decent bit which you're just starting right now and you'll see soon!

[–] Zero22xx@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Nice! I'm honestly itching to get to the rest of it now. Thought I'd start catching up with NXT but I'm just in the mood for more Stardom at this point.

If you don't mind me asking a quick question. I've made myself a quick list of all the big events from where I am to current day based on this Wikipedia page, while ignoring any results as best I could. Looks like a good excuse to catch a NJPW show here and there and finally check out Rev Pro. Then apart from the big events, from what I've gathered their weekly show is 'We Are Stardom!!' and that runs on weekends? Am I correct with that and is this basically everything I need to know?

[–] GeekFTW@lemmy.zip 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

I'd say you pretty much got it. As for We Are Stardom, it's more of a '1-2 months behind recap show' (watched an episode from a week or two ago and I think it was covering late Nov/early Dec-ish?). It's your "I dont follow Stardom regularly and don't keep up with the news about shows but would still like to watch the occasional wrestling match' program essentially. I forget how the subtitles are on it or if it covers promos (if it does its another helpful avenue for those), but match wise I wouldn't worry too much about it since you'll already be watching those matches in full during the events.

Beyond that you pretty much got it. There'll be the odd NJPW show and Rev Pro show as you said, some AEW/ROH appearances for the odd person like Mina, AZM, Hanako, etc. Later in the year there'll also be some other interpromotional fights (once things got up and running at a good pace under Okada as the booker they opened up the 'forbidden door' a bit more and have had more people from Sendai Girls/Diana/Wave/Oz/etc come by, as well as sending Stardom women to their promotions to win/defend titles.

[–] Zero22xx@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

I need to ask just one more question if you don't mind lol. Just started watching 'GoldenWeek'. I don't think I saw this listed (amongst a couple of other things here) on that Wikipedia page. And on the steam I'm watching at least, there's no commentary or match graphics / stats. And the sound quality is pretty weird, like the ring is loud and you can even hear the vinyl of their ring gear squeaking. At least in this first match I'm watching so far.

Are these kinds of shows basically just house shows that they've recorded? Or should I expect any story and rivalry developments here?

[–] GeekFTW@lemmy.zip 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

S'all good! Golden Week is a holiday week in Japan (29 April to 5 May) which contains multiple holidays within it. During that week/week and a half Stardom did a bunch of shows, 5-7 of em I believe, all starting with that title. During Golden Week pretty much everything shuts down, so most of the work on editing/uploading the stuff gets put off until the holiday period is all over, so between new people taking over production, a (probable) rush to get the product up for viewing and possible technical problems, ya got this lol.

Can't remember a lot of the shows by memory, I do see at least a couple title matches during the shows. The time period is also kinda their period after 'Wrestle Mania' so to speak so you can probably fast forward through a lot of it, but, watch it.

[–] Zero22xx@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Thanks! I might skip through some of it, or else I feel like I'm probably only going to catch up to 2025 by 2026 lol. But I see now it is worth checking out, even not just for title matches. Coming up to a tag match with SLK & Tam Nakano in a team, which I guess advances that story I saw start in Queendom. And honestly I think I'm kinda liking the no commentary.

[–] GeekFTW@lemmy.zip 4 points 3 days ago

And honestly I think I’m kinda liking the no commentary.

Right? I find it makes me appreciate things more cause I'm just focusing on the fighting and the sounds of the match, plus when the crowd does pop for something there isn't someone chatting over it.

[–] Zero22xx@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 3 days ago

Nice, thanks for all the info. And I've actually just found another 'watch-wrestling' website (this one with a hyphen) that has Stardom and a lot more Japanese stuff on offer than the old watchwrestling website I've been using. And it seems to list everything here in a handy chronological list. So looks like I'm set.

[–] GeekFTW@lemmy.zip 5 points 6 days ago