[SPEAKER_00]: This podcast is a member of the Voices of Wrestling Podcasting Network.
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[SPEAKER_02]: Look at that one so hard!
[UNKNOWN]: Hope you fall!
[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome back to Open The Voice Gate for June 2nd, 2026.
[SPEAKER_01]: We are members of the Voices of Wrestling Podcasts, where it can find us on the Voices of Wrestling Podcasts, or on our own dedicated Open The Voice Gate, or wherever you get your podcast, you can follow us on social media, at Open Voice Gate, both on X and on Blue Sky.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm one of your hosts, it's your old pal, Mike Spears, and I'm joined alongside K-Slow, and I'm just going to say, K-Slow told me to hit record, and that's why everything was so fast, because we had a topic and pre-production that was supposed to be the lead topic.
[SPEAKER_01]: So, okay, stay get away.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to make it very clear.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've been doing this show with Mike for a very long time now.
[SPEAKER_00]: I never once have began to show this way, which is a second before Mike started recording.
[SPEAKER_00]: I said, fuck you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's start recording.
[SPEAKER_00]: And now we're here.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's something that we haven't invented to do in quite a while.
[SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, we were going over our schedule.
[SPEAKER_00]: Uh, and some, you know, you're going to get voice get a day early next week.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not going to be on voice gate two weeks from now.
[SPEAKER_00]: The next episode of those days, TBD, but it's going to be a huge one.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's going to be worth the wait.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Mike starts pontificating over what he might do the week that I'm going.
[SPEAKER_00]: And he mentioned a promotion.
[SPEAKER_00]: And like I saw, I saw this earlier today and I thought there's no way that what I'm reading is true.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's no way that this can actually be that this summer this summer, which we're which we're in now.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can tell we're in summer right.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can tell we're in summer because one, my, my copy on the call tonight, he's like, hey, just so you know, I have a severe storm warning for the next 15 minutes.
[SPEAKER_00]: I go, well, do you want to wait 15 minutes?
[SPEAKER_00]: It just makes sure you're okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: He goes, no, I'm good.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know we're in summer because Mike is broadcasting from a hurricane every single week.
[SPEAKER_00]: And also, I've been in the mood to watch jaws recently.
[SPEAKER_00]: So there are, there are summer adjacent things happening, but on July 1st, which is a Wednesday.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, I, I'm well aware.
[SPEAKER_00]: from SGC Hall, Ariakeh, which is a legendary video.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, this is a new one.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, it's already legendary in my mind.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: Fair.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you know, given the matches that are booked on the show, how can it not be legendary, I'm reading and you tell me if I'm wrong.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm reading that it's the fifth anniversary of great one month from now.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, and you know what makes it even worse for me.
[SPEAKER_01]: The fact that my birthday is forever now tagged to the Glate Anniversary song.
[SPEAKER_01]: Stop, let's talk.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, especially this year, it's a 540.
[SPEAKER_01]: For them, it's 540 for me.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, I don't, I don't want to be celebrating my birthday in this way, guys.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, I can't imagine that you would.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know how anybody would.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't believe this promotion is five years old.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and especially with how everything with this promotion has been, I think people turn towards us and not to to my own horn, but turn towards me and go like, oh, how are we doing?
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, how is this promotion still existing in I would not to that horn to gladly, I would be very shameful about that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I would not feel good here some Catholic shame, I consider your direction.
[SPEAKER_01]: I have, like, like, like Casagico, Cata, and the young box.
[SPEAKER_01]: I have a life oath obligation to cover the split until it ends.
[SPEAKER_01]: And if she becomes back, that's it.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's over.
[SPEAKER_01]: Glake can go f off.
[SPEAKER_01]: But until then, I'm covering the split until it ends.
[SPEAKER_00]: So what's been happening in 2026?
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, so really everything has been in the aftermath of all the departures and trying to find stability throughout this incredibly broken promotion and how broken is it?
[SPEAKER_01]: Ryuchi Kawakami has a face turn and that kind of was the big kind of story line he's now showing up in like a flower singlet and bright orange hair as like the leader of the baby face army.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, yeah, Jesus Christ.
[SPEAKER_01]: I expected to be bad.
[SPEAKER_01]: He finally monsters no longer exist, by the way.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, I want to be clear.
[SPEAKER_00]: I have a watch a second of Glate this year.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know what's happening in the promotion other than that.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's been some stuff that I've seen on paper.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think they're doing a tournament right now, and I think she didn't.
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't yell at more or just wrestle each other.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, they are in the midst of the G-class tournament, which is their single elimination kind of tournament, which the winner of the G-class tournament will be facing ill-independent probably most likely for the G-Rex title at the fifth anniversary show, which they're calling Sonic Wrestling.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, I want to be very clear and that a sheet of versus Yamamura, and I think maybe they did two Hawke versus the sheet of two, or they're going to do two Hawke versus the sheet of that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: First is the Ashita is the finals, which will be happening the same time as the Thursday Dragon Gate Gorkon All Show.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jesus.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, shit on top of shit.
[SPEAKER_00]: Awesome.
[SPEAKER_01]: So yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're in it.
[SPEAKER_01]: 2027.
[SPEAKER_00]: There is a way might have.
[SPEAKER_00]: You play might have the better match on paper out of any of those.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, that's a dark statement to make, but it might be true.
[SPEAKER_00]: I might prefer to talk first of she did anything on that Thursday show, which you're going to be doing the written review for.
[SPEAKER_00]: So
[SPEAKER_01]: Right, and like everyone's remarking at how bad T. Hawks current render is right now, but let me tell you, the person who's actually like showing the pain most right now is all in the man because he stopped looking like a teenager.
[SPEAKER_01]: He looks like a weird man now.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know what I'm saying?
[SPEAKER_00]: Look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look,
[SPEAKER_01]: No, no, no, no, no, no, you don't want the render.
[SPEAKER_01]: You want the actual photograph home.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is what I'm going to do for you, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: You look like him.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're weird, man.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, if somebody said that, I'll be, I can't fight.
[SPEAKER_01]: Case, what I'm about to do in my other window.
[SPEAKER_01]: I am touching the poop and pulling up the great channel.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to pull up, and I'm going to take a photograph and screenshot it and send it to you.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'll come to you to tell me.
[SPEAKER_01]: OK. How do you feel a lindiman looks like right now?
[SPEAKER_01]: At the first time to figure out where he is on this car that happened, it's one of the opening matches of it, but the big issue that we have with this is that essentially his like super drawn look and like buzz head, he just kind of hit the point where now he no longer looks like a teenager and it's a odd look.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it was a weird man, apparently.
[SPEAKER_01]: He looks like a weird man to me, man.
[SPEAKER_01]: Let me fast forward.
[SPEAKER_01]: I had to fast forward to dice gay second mode and knocking out your boy in a minute and a UWFI double match with Kyle.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know what his boy is in 20, 20 sec.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's because he has Zuchi.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I mean, he was, I think he was my boy for a half second.
[SPEAKER_00]: That feels like a lofty allegation.
[SPEAKER_01]: I can't find this photo, but I will send you a photo in the discord after the show of this.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't want to burn more timeie scrubbing through a great show just for a joke here.
[SPEAKER_00]: But yeah, so Calacame turn face, whereas we were in a flower singlet.
[SPEAKER_01]: a flower singlet and bright orange hair.
[SPEAKER_01]: Frass Knuck's June is the leader of the heel army, which is called The Sick and it's, and other than Ubari Genki from I don't know if he's two a, w or JTO, it's the same slummers from anti-glee warriors.
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, and then really like the other thing of it, like Hedaki Shrek Shaken is in this feud with talking or you know, over the lid that UWFI belt, and that's where Tetsuya Azuchi got knocked out in a minute from a, from a, from a, one of like the, the, the, the narrow, narrowly is looking close lines have ever seen.
[SPEAKER_01]: The re running the match this week, because it was such a narrowly finished, and they hate Tetsuya Azuchi, so he has to get fed to the wolves again.
[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, no.
[SPEAKER_01]: The show that they're having up on July 1st, Sonic Wrestling, a lot of AAAs showing up on it, but it's not like actual AAA stars, or at least what WWE AAA, whatever you say it, the current draw go has been hanging around, and they're sending a Beesmode Negro Jr. in Elfyscale.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I mean, people this is what I was going to this is what I was going to read you was I want to get the first so the glee the great version one show from July 1 2021.
[SPEAKER_00]: This was Lendon versus the I know.
[SPEAKER_00]: Lendon versus Hayato tomorrow, Kiyoko in a way versus Michiko Miyagi.
[SPEAKER_00]: Shima Onatsuka in Iriya versus Hayashi, Katsayashi, Kichi Sato, and Soma Watanabe.
[SPEAKER_00]: Kawakami vs. T Hawke and then the second half of the show is all UWF rules matches with the main event being show defeating Takenori Eto by referees decision, which I don't remember at all.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's thire shit.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, we would have been, you know, somewhat intrigued by that, but I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I don't remember that at all.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I honest question, like not even like a joke answer, when you think about five years of great, what, what's the best thing that comes to mind?
[SPEAKER_00]: Because I have two answers for, if I had to justify this promotion existing at all, I could give you two things.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, first and foremost is the fact that we have a healthy, or at least what we assume is a healthy, talk a hero, y'all more at wrestling.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, like the fact that he came back for good and it is healthy now and hasn't had any neck or back issues since what all happened to him in the freelance strong heart stays.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I think that is an on-question positive and I think he would agree with me on that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I would, guys, that's not what I was thinking about but I would agree with that, yes.
[SPEAKER_01]: Number two, for me, T-Hoke finally showed personality as G-Rex tile run.
[SPEAKER_01]: You actually, that is crazy that that's where you're going.
[SPEAKER_01]: He had like a wild series of like matches where he's like big brother.
[SPEAKER_01]: Who I teahawk might be like my favorite person day in a day out when I watch Glake.
[SPEAKER_01]: He had that like this insane match against Shinya Oki last year that I know you still have not seen even on my case you need to watch teahawk versus Shinya Oki.
[SPEAKER_01]: But it was amazing.
[SPEAKER_01]: It was fantastic.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I like that kind of aspect of it.
[SPEAKER_01]: But
[SPEAKER_01]: other than that, it's turtles all the way down like it's it I don't think it's been a good landing spot for the people from Russell one who have ended up there I think that even though that was like the real bottle runs of the whatever it was left of the A school like that because most of them moved on to like all Japan or elsewhere but like I wouldn't say that necessarily that
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that that is it.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I just go to teahawk and y'all more and those are kind of my two positives.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, the y'all are more of one.
[SPEAKER_00]: Absolutely.
[SPEAKER_00]: I had it thought about that.
[SPEAKER_00]: The two things I think about.
[SPEAKER_00]: from this portion that I genuinely enjoyed was, one was the October 2022 quark in shell, which was Ashita's debut.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'm looking back at this card now.
[SPEAKER_00]: If this was Bandito and Commander versus Casayash and Somalata Nabe, Chexia Matani, when we believed in him, and Jake Lee versus Shima and Jun Tanshell, Kaichou Ashita and his debut versus Tetsuya, Zuchi,
[SPEAKER_00]: Lindenman, Honotska, and Teahawk versus Cosmosacomo to Shigahiriri in Tomoaki, Hanma, and then the main event, which was June, Kassai, and Masechita Keda, Versayato, Tomora, and Ryu Chikawa, Kami.
[SPEAKER_00]: Which I believe is still their highest attended cork and ever and yeah, the mix of bandito as she uh, in June, Kassai on that show, you couldn't help but watch it and feel like there was something happening there and for the first time ever.
[SPEAKER_00]: that promotion had momentum and then the next month they went back to cork and and this is when they put a sheeta in black generation with flamita and utani which is insane to look back on on hindsight and it was just one of those people that weren't in BGI like since we're doing this case they they're the listing of who all was in BGI is insane
[SPEAKER_00]: like, yeah, I mean, it, you know, but that angle where she did join, it just fell so flat, and it killed any immediate momentum that this approach had.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you knew it in the room.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was not as catastrophic as this because the stakes were high and I don't think it was, it was
[SPEAKER_00]: as poorly received, but it was the same thing as when menorah broke up the shudji kondo kai dreamgate batch and in the moment you and I have watched enough wrestling where you go, oh, this is bombing.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is bombing really bad and to see the difference between a sheet of coming in and feeling genuinely hot in us spending a lot of time talking about it to a month later,
[SPEAKER_00]: this unit with flamita and utani who you and I were super early on and bandito and action jackson you know in theory a great unit in particular as taca yeah yeah you had galino in it too for for like a second I think for a second yeah and so oh no galino was only in bulk generation sorry
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, you know, how could you, you and I will have to battle to the death and a five star match game, Glate edition, which nobody will listen to, and I would never make Joe Gadney do let the record show, but it was just finally get me my third one.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, it's going to be so dire when you out and I play this year, so it's going to be so bad, but
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to need questions about Paraslin Kagecki exclusively.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, Joe Gagby, lean heavy on Osaka pro booking this year, that is something I've paid attention to.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't promise anything else, but it was just interesting the way that it died and that Paraslin was never the same, but the other thing that it gave us,
[SPEAKER_00]: was that January 2023 Osacamats between Ashita and El Lendiman was felt like a long loss chapter of a of a dragon gate story that was fine.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, it's at his own generation.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's actually, yeah, that Jay was talking about a few weeks ago.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you really felt in that match where you just went God, like I, you know, I mean, Ashita obviously was around much longer than Lendiment was, but you just wish these guys could have stayed home and not had to make the decision that they did to leave because they're clearly such elite level wrestlers, that just aren't, I mean, Ashita never wrestles anymore.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, it's such a bummer.
[SPEAKER_00]: He was an algebra fan for a little bit of the great work there, but he's just never wrestles anymore.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's a complete non-intity and the grand scheme of things.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it sucks, it's really a bummer.
[SPEAKER_00]: And as of now, the card that we have, again, just to reiterate, it is a great AAA six man tag, and I want to talk to you about AAA in just a second, too.
[SPEAKER_00]: You didn't know that was coming.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some of Watson Ave, O'Rashi, and Elfyscal versus a Beesmo Negro Jr. SPK, and Nobu SON.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I guess no Tacuma Fujuaro, I would love to know the story there.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no, a SPK seems like he's over in Japan for a while.
[SPEAKER_01]: He's going to be on this this week's great shows, the G class finals.
[SPEAKER_00]: Gotcha.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then special tag match, Casayashi, Amidor Tanaka versus Niobichi Barifuji and Kotaro Suzuki.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, they're bringing in the Noah people that cyberfight doesn't know what to do with.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, they're bringing in all the team Noah people to further down the card.
[SPEAKER_00]: I actually retired.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, he's coming back for one match.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh my god.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm kind of a mate blame those days.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm kind of up for it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Even though like he was a charming presence and like non-essential throughout all of his existence and glate, but him coming back, that will sell some seeds, sell some tickets about.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't imagine, I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe that's six feet will be good.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it's actually what Tani is one of those guys that it just speaks to, I think a wider issue in Japanese wrestling where, I mean, that guy was really good for a second and it, you know, he went on excursion that never came back and it, you're just like, oh God, that guy,
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, he could have been the next Shoji condo when it doesn't feel that far fashion.
[SPEAKER_00]: Instead, he's just a complete non entity.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you have to be so deep in the weeds in either AAA house shows or indie hero to know who that is.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then you have to have some history here and have been around for a few years to understand that at one point he was kind of a sought-after prospect.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and like he came out that DDT DNA time period, too.
[SPEAKER_01]: So like you had like that portion of his career, even before you got to the great thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't even know, I'm gonna, I don't even know how much he really works because whenever because to be honest, I keep more up on SBK in Tokyo who actually have been working to States now.
[SPEAKER_01]: There is a new indie and Brownsville, like Rio Grande Valley that they worked at this week.
[SPEAKER_01]: interesting and interesting and they were at MLA a couple weeks ago.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that is that is great.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, is there anything that you've watched this year that I should I'm going to go back and watch the singles matches in this tournament because I think it looks decent on paper, but is there anything you see in the tournament has been good, Yamamura was good.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, the single matches have been good if the people that you expect them to be good.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, crap.
[SPEAKER_01]: like like you're you're not gonna like what they've done to my boy Jun Tonshow like he is a completely fucking lost cause is brass nucks too like it like everyone complaining about black t-shirt heels that's the worst heel in Japan right now.
[SPEAKER_01]: But I like Minoru Tanaka's like their seven minute match champion, but I wouldn't necessarily say like go out of your way for is just kind of a fun way to kind of have a legend on your card and and in consequential way and not overwhelm the rest of your booking in a bury your young guys.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's actually a start concept, but the single matches, I really, again, it was late last year, I think that the T-Hoc versus Shinyaoke match from the weird creepy cork and haul show that they did is worth going up your way forward.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, AAA really quickly I have had you know, I've had Fed Stan is telling me to kill myself for three days now on a tweet that I immediately muted because I knew it was going to anger people and boy did it, but oh, I have not seen this I have been so busy with like stuff away from wrestling that I have not really like seen this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, let me look at the numbers on it real quick.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I tweeted watch Jesus Christ.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what we just have a lot of replies.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, 320,000 views.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what, Rob Viper, sensible reply.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's all I care about.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I tweeted, I understand it's hot in Mexico, but a company who has never respected Lucha putting two white guys in mask and booking it as their top program is up to sleep lame and I've just done that more people don't feel this way.
[SPEAKER_01]: I wanna know, yeah, I mean, I completely coastline what you said.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no, I'm with you.
[SPEAKER_01]: You're right.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, just to cloud, not that anybody that fucking,
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I reacted reacted with, oh, you're an AW stands to listen to this, but I just, I, you know, because there's people, there's people in our universe that I even I had conversations about and there's nothing to do with the match, we talked about the match in a second, but nothing to do with the match, I am just stunned, I am absolutely taken aback by the abject white washing of AAA.
[SPEAKER_00]: not being a major talking point across any serious wrestling pundit podcast.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm stunned.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't want to name names.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm stunned that people that have deep history with covering lucha.
[SPEAKER_00]: are as okay with this as they are and I look I don't like the I mean I'm off of CMLL right now I don't like what that promotion is doing because I don't like all the AEW guys being involved and when I watch CMLL I would like to watch the CMLL wrestlers but the difference there is that's a booking decision that I don't agree with you know WWE is essentially
[SPEAKER_00]: the Trump administration, the company, you know, they're acting as an arm of the Trump administration.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, well, and Trump now has been disclosed as a actual shareholder of.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I said that to somebody shoot jobs day in that blue or mine, they couldn't believe that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_01]: Which, well, which I will give a shout out to someone who also gets a lot of people angry about their WWE views.
[SPEAKER_01]: Guess who's right about what the thing that they've been banning about for eight years about their company congrats Mongo E books, you are right.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it is literally that Trump fundraiser it is the Trump fundraiser it is a company that acts as an extension and LLC of the Trump administration and even if that if you don't care because I mean, I don't look for morality and wrestling by a large.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't care.
[SPEAKER_01]: I want to film school pre me too like I had to come to terms with morality and art and artists a long time.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like
[SPEAKER_00]: Even if you can separate our from the artist, which I can't, I don't have a problem with.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not looking for anybody in red.
[SPEAKER_00]: I never bought into David Star being a cool liberal.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't care that does nothing for me.
[SPEAKER_00]: If somebody wants to share my values, which are typically lean progressive, more power to them if they're a wrestler, they're conservative, which they all are great.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can still watch them wrestle.
[SPEAKER_00]: Bye!
[SPEAKER_00]: not only are they an arm of the Trump administration, they are a company that for 40 to 50 years has been telling you, loot your lever as a side show attraction, what we do is wrestling, what they do is a gimmick.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now we're going to come in here.
[SPEAKER_00]: back at least publicly because I don't buy into the idea that Myanmar, Caloay is is grinding over great tapes to see what he can do with S.B.
[SPEAKER_00]: Kentow into Kumafu Juara, but at least publicly he's the face of this Mexican brand now telling people to work an American style of wrestling that has nothing to do with the core of Lucha Libra.
[SPEAKER_00]: It drives me insane.
[SPEAKER_00]: that they promote AAA as traditional Lucha Libre, when they have always marketed themselves as not being that in nobody seems to care.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I just think it sucks that, yes, Loretto, kids booked, yes, Ray, Phoenix's booked, you've got the Nula Parka, great, whatever.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it sucks for Lucha as a whole that the top angle immediately became,
[SPEAKER_00]: white guys, cause playing as lucha doors.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's now your main event.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that's okay to say that sucks.
[SPEAKER_00]: That really bothers me just for the state of wrestling as a whole and for lucha Libra as a whole.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no.
[SPEAKER_01]: I did not watch that show.
[SPEAKER_01]: I did the idea of that show.
[SPEAKER_01]: me watching that never crossed my mind guys just so you know like about this match that allegedly is like the greatest bit of storytelling and modern wrestling apparently if you listen to like some people and people are acting like that it's Atlantees versus Ultimo Guerrero and it's just like to me.
[SPEAKER_01]: Nothing over the last eight years, and really when I stopped watching WWE pretty much when Danielson retired the first time, way before that, and nothing has made me really think that things have changed or anything's going to properly be the right side of history as seen through the guys of TKO and everything's kind of like pulled out that way.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think
[SPEAKER_01]: The thing that's like so distressing and really kind of frustrating to me is that like, it's not that, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, no, no shit, I think,
[SPEAKER_01]: at least in NXT UK Walter versus Alia Dragonoff stuff was, you know, and it just does not interest me in the slightest.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, it's the same thing about what will affect company in the 34-30 under 30 to me.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, it's just anti-thetical and what I believe for wrestling should be.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, again, I don't, my point just to clarify, you know, one more time, I'm not telling Mexicans they can't enjoy it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like that's a really good thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: I have a very good interpretation of that, but that's what people are saying that I'm doing, which is not my goal at all.
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, I think it's over.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm just shocked that more people in our bubble, people that have covered, and maybe reported literally brain results for years and years and years.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm just stunned that they're going, I'm okay with this too.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, it's really surprising to me.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I guess that's my own cross to bear.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I thought the match was good.
[SPEAKER_00]: I did not think it was great.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love what Kevin Hare wrote for voices of wrestling.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, Kevin is a good friend of mine and I love his opinion on everything.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't see what he saw in that match at all, but I love the Kevin Roke because I love Kevin's mind when it comes to wrestling.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so I'm excited that he wrote that article.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's a great read if you haven't read it, but
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: I just want to what to clarify that a little bit because, I mean, I knew I was going to get body and forth.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's not the point.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't care about that.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I also don't want people thinking that I'm policing what Mexicans can't enjoy.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's not the point of that.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I do think it's odd that the white washing of Luchelie Bre has happened so rapidly and so unapologetically and no one seems to care.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it's a real depressing thing when you like look at it from like a macro sense and think about what does this mean five 10 years down the road and what wrestling will be back at that point to me just it's the kind of thing that you and funny enough like a person who is like had like his his tabs on this in a way.
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't think I was going to find a way to bring this up.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, sheima wrote a blog this last week talking about the new Japan transfer to cyber-fighting TV Asahi as well as WWE and AAA and how it's like changing the complete landscape.
[SPEAKER_01]: And he is an opportunist, he sees it as kind of like this is a way for me to be agile.
[SPEAKER_01]: And the smaller companies now have an benefit there by you.
[SPEAKER_01]: really kind of like look at it and I don't know at least for me in 2026 and where wrestling is going.
[SPEAKER_01]: I used to think that like we were we were a very future forward kind of program.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think for a long, long time and I still think I'm kind of a future forward kind of person but it's just like I see how things are going.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going like not this way for a future, not this way and I just don't know how to veer it back on course in some ways.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, I don't know either and I know this is not my job or at least it's me being bad on my job.
[SPEAKER_00]: I have zero feel whatsoever for what this new Japan sales means.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even after listening to the flagship last week and after week or two, which is like my opinion.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I just can't I can't get a grasp on anything that might affect.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I have no opinion on it, which I know is not really what I'm supposed to do, but I'm comfortable saying I have no opinion on it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you'll need to do what we do, one thing that's going to frustrate people even more, let's reassess this in December, let's reassess this actually, let's reassess this January 5th, 2027.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's when I feel like by that, at that time, I feel like that it is able to kind of judge us and I understand the
[SPEAKER_01]: the reaction economy.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I understand that especially for the two of us, we've kind of have this nice little position where we have our kind of way of looking at wrestling.
[SPEAKER_01]: And sometimes it lets us to kind of have a little bit more of
[SPEAKER_01]: a provocative tape.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think this is time for provocative tape.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just like, oh, just makes a lot of sense.
[SPEAKER_01]: I always kind of thought that New Japan was going to get sold off before starting because startup works with the rest of the bushy road properties, which are doing awful right now.
[SPEAKER_01]: And this is just kind of neat sign to let play out.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I used to always say, you know, especially post-tandemic as a lot of the Japanese wrestling world started to not make sense to me.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I started to enjoy fewer and fewer promotions that, hey, you know, at least we always have Dragon Gate.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, that's what we do here.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what matters.
[SPEAKER_00]: They can go in the bin.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am tired of this promotion, Mike.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's talk about Kobe Sommel Hall.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, so they were back in the friendly confines on Sunday the 31st for there.
[SPEAKER_01]: Kobe Sombo Hall show, which I think, well, do you want to do a show review or do you just want to talk about about big takeaways?
[SPEAKER_01]: We didn't really consider this one.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're doing planning earlier about this part of it.
[SPEAKER_00]: What a great question that is.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do I want to do a show review?
[SPEAKER_00]: No, not really.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I loved the open are those six guys will talk about later on in the podcast.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think they're all great wrestlers.
[SPEAKER_00]: Anything they do.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm interested in I don't I did not care about you.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, yeah, great.
[SPEAKER_00]: I couldn't agree more.
[SPEAKER_00]: Love, ho, ho, not sure why he needed to win that match.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm sorry outside the ring.
[SPEAKER_01]: Love the guy, but what are we doing there?
[SPEAKER_00]: I and I don't maybe a story will come out that Oki and Gucci are being punished for all of you turn on me, but God has their booking over the last three weeks been completely baffling.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's see, Ginkie Horgucci want a battle royal in which he eliminated half of the heel unit.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll just leave that there.
[SPEAKER_00]: See, I love it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh God, his theme music plays somehow.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, uh, C. L. versus Monte, let's table those thoughts.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, uh, Yamatoi versus Tanaka and Yoshiyoka, very nice of you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Kyoshiyoka to show up to work with a shirt on and give minimal effort.
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought the Tanaka Yamato stuff was thrilling.
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought the Tanaka doist stuff was very good.
[SPEAKER_00]: Unfortunately, this match made me want really a Tanaka versus Yamato at Kobe world, which I don't think is a possibility.
[SPEAKER_00]: was fine.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why, why was this match built around BB Hulk?
[SPEAKER_00]: What?
[SPEAKER_00]: What has I was going to happen to this promotion?
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, like my uh points.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no opener.
[SPEAKER_01]: Great.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like it's and that's for for clarification.
[SPEAKER_00]: That was Kame Rita at Mochizuki Junior versus Humare Kazuma Kamura and Rio Futa who are in Futa included and Lord knows I've been hard on it.
[SPEAKER_00]: But those
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, for me, I am happy that Humarii brought back the drop salt into the wrestling lexicon, that was tight.
[SPEAKER_01]: Food, I have the issues with because he always like, the guy has no emotion until he faces a mocha zuki.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I've been saying that for three years.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, I see it now.
[SPEAKER_00]: I see it now.
[SPEAKER_00]: He looks like fucking Kowata on this roster compared to some of these people now.
[SPEAKER_01]: True, uh, UT polling Jewish stick was kind of funny to me, but I'm higher on zero than you.
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's fine.
[SPEAKER_01]: Same things about the three-way tag Royal Samba.
[SPEAKER_01]: We went through that.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to talk about Seattle on Montaille later.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's really hard for me to believe that Yuki Ochioka is going to be the Kobe World Man event, with that semi-man event, unless the t-shirts on because he's actually cutting and getting shredded.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's the only thing because it just felt like he was happy to be there and that with that.
[SPEAKER_01]: And the main event, yeah, the amount of Hulk stuff that we have to get through.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I know that Hulk is kind of lumped on the good side because he's in paradox, but I have no use for beefy Hulk.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think I've been all for him.
[SPEAKER_00]: He was completely like he was faced out of this time last year.
[SPEAKER_00]: Was it doing anything?
[SPEAKER_01]: He should be a third in a triangle gate team and nothing more.
[SPEAKER_01]: And the fact that the finish was instead of Fulmita coming back doing awesome things because he's Fulmita and he's still like he still makes the motion feel a little better, but like your finish is Casey over Hulk and you're like, oh,
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's move on here.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, like they the only stuff I would say worth going on the wafer folks would be the opener in CLovers is Monta be honest.
[SPEAKER_00]: I will counter.
[SPEAKER_00]: I will say the opener.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then I really liked portions of Yamada versus Tanaka News.
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_00]: I liked that more than the other half of the questions.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, but I like that more than anything that happened in CLovers is Monta.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's fair.
[SPEAKER_00]: I had the exact same three and a half stars for all three, but I was just picking to where are you at in terms of vibe on I don't think it's this bad yet, but you can check me because I obviously did not love this show.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that...
[SPEAKER_01]: This one, the fact that you had that three match structure of comedy match, non-sensical three-way tag, and then the, and then Ginkie Mania, that colors things.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then the main event that really wasn't great considering the guy's show, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, how show we had that.
[SPEAKER_00]: How show after that?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: So, I don't feel like I'm like groaning to myself when I would like to see like a
[SPEAKER_01]: Like it's not that bad to me, at least this video.
[SPEAKER_00]: So the last time they were in this venue, it was April 24th.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it was whole Gucci and conda versus dragon kid in the rookie doye, e-shin versus zero, a battle royale that Takashi Yoshito won.
[SPEAKER_00]: Heo Kame and Rita versus Cagotorses, Sumu and Yamato, Tanaka, Yoshio versus Cazigan, strong machine J and C. Yellow, Humara and Skywalk versus Jason Lee, Coach Bendora.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yoshiki Kato.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't remember, at this show is a month ago, I don't remember a thing about this show.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, because it was all Golden Call of Sandbilt.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I mean, let me, let me go back one more.
[SPEAKER_00]: They ran this, this would be March 29th, Tanaka Yoshio, covers Aki and Gucci.
[SPEAKER_00]: I remember really liking that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Heo versus Giro, a Kai.
[SPEAKER_00]: win in the Battle Royale, Ganky, Kanda, and Montaverses, Mochi, Fuji, and Ultimo, Binkay, Kame, Mochi, Sufi, Jr., and Riteverses, Drankay, Kagator, and Rukidois, Sumiko, Ska, and then Cielo, Homare, Skywalk, our versus Eshen, Manora, Kato.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, these Kobe Sumble Hall shows are not great this year, but nothing is great this year.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you know, we're we're about to get two core can shows and, you know, sometimes they make the point where it's like, God, this would be one amazing core can show that they split into two.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not sure there's one good core can show if you mash up those two cards.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, uh, do you just want to get into the core can preview and just blow through this?
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, let's let's preview though.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's go Thursday and then give our thoughts and then Friday.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so Thursday is a 630 local time start, uh, UT Gucci and Aki versus Kniecho, right punched him in Aga and Hamari, who's an open or duty on both of these shows.
[SPEAKER_01]: After his loop of baldness, I was hoping we get a little bit more.
[SPEAKER_01]: uh... maybe happens later on in the shows gyro shambashi vs. Toro washi uh... yamato bbhulks isumia kosa niruki doye vs. vidoka kuda kota menor Jason Lee and Kai three ways six men jackie read and mochizuki junior vs. drama shijai kaze inflameda vs. luizmante al sealo and and kasmuk mora
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, really it's Naka and Yukiyoshioka versus Heo and X special six main tag match.
[SPEAKER_01]: You'll, ultimo dragon, the great Sasuke and Tiger match versus Dragon Kid, Masaki, Mochizuki and Dawn Fuji and your main event is the All-Aisha tag team championships, Ginkihore Guchi and Yuzu Shikonda versus the open the twin gate and soio tag team champions.
[SPEAKER_01]: Asian and Yoshiki Kato, your special referee is Kohai Wada, the exhibition match before the show starts, will be Kagatora versus Daisu Jiguchi.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, Kada, I mean, that boy, that card just keeps going on.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's the reason.
[SPEAKER_01]: Is fun.
[SPEAKER_00]: But here's the crazy thing, let's start there because I can't even get excited about that match because it's match four and I don't think it's going to get a lot of time.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I feel like it's probably positioning, straw machine JKZ, flameda to probably be the next triangle gate champions whenever the Okinawa bullshit's over.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, I don't know what they're gonna do there.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I was thinking about destroying the main event of the Kobe show, because like you said, flameda still carries some level of cashier, especially in this era of natural vibes, flameda, so that's two years now, where when flameda's there, that unit feels like a bigger deal,
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, strong machine J is ice cold as a unit leader right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: He doesn't, he doesn't, he doesn't, he doesn't.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's gonna put a cold for a year.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know, I know, but it's bizarre.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's true, it's why, like I forget when I'm writing sometimes, I forget that they did the angle where KZ said, this is now your unit.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can't think of a more meaningless storyline.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this isn't a 2026 script.
[SPEAKER_00]: Is it wrong for years to go?
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_01]: When he got named, that this was useless.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's completely useless because I still look at KZ as the figurehead of that unit.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's still the guy that if you need a big natural vibes match, you go to KZ instead of strong machine J or at least you should go to KZ instead of strong machine J.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, outside of like the rare strong machine J drinkate match, who is the focused person who's protected in natural lives?
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not strong machine J.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's KZ.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, no, you're exactly right.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, God, I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, should we do the CLO conversation right now?
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so Cielo faced Luis Monte on the 31st show on in Kobe.
[SPEAKER_01]: He gets the win reversing a, it was kind of, well, like he reversed like a, he did his fade out reverse backhand spring into a Casa Dora for the win.
[SPEAKER_01]: He cuts a promo immediately on Yoshiki Kato saying Yoshiki Kato, I forgot about you.
[SPEAKER_01]: And Yoshiki Kato says, you need to do something to actually have me to care.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm a twin-gate champion, I'm a double champion, I won King of Chop, I won Young Dragons Cup, bring me some belts before or bring me something for me to be worth my time.
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's what we had going it coming out of Kobe.
[SPEAKER_00]: So.
[SPEAKER_00]: Can we live in the world for just a second?
[SPEAKER_00]: We're C. L.O.
[SPEAKER_00]: versus Cacuta, or I guess C. L.O.
[SPEAKER_00]: versus Cato is a Kobe world main event.
[SPEAKER_01]: I just like, I saw Jake tweet that I, maybe this is like a me thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: I just don't see a lows at that point.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I know he's popular in all, but like that's the most untastic Kobe world main event of all time.
[SPEAKER_00]: Mike, it would be, it would be the most untested.
[SPEAKER_00]: Other than like rookie Nakamura headlining the dome, it would be the most untested Japanese main event of all time.
[SPEAKER_00]: So,
[SPEAKER_00]: Look, I went through Cello's cork and history.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just to go, I go, maybe I'm forgetting, maybe Cello's like headline a bunch of shows that I don't remember, you know, because this reading J's tweets felt insane to me, just because I don't look at Cello as being on that level either.
[SPEAKER_00]: I would like to say a month ago if Cello was popular or not, because it's not coming across to me when I watch these shows.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, he was getting a, he was getting a ton of calls during the Monte match and after words, like he is popular.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's fair to say, I just.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just hard for me to believe that there is that much emotional investment in a guy who has only talked on microphone four times, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And it just, and he's been around since octo since September.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like it's just I know who he once was and all of that and the kind of push he was trying to get, but that we might as well forget the Revolution day.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think that that might be something that's coloring everyone with this a little bit and I'm stoked that he's back and I'm stoked that that we're even having this kind of conversation.
[SPEAKER_01]: I just think like.
[SPEAKER_01]: God, given everything in this promotion and given how things are like do you really want to do like a title switch over to in that kind of direction and because essentially then you fuck off class of 2016 at that point if you do that because at that point I mean.
[SPEAKER_01]: Shoons not on the new banner.
[SPEAKER_01]: That that was a Kobe.
[SPEAKER_01]: I wouldn't read too much into that as that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Ben is still out.
[SPEAKER_01]: But if you're moving on to Cato and Cielo, like we talked it with Jay about having a lost generation, I feel like that you're kind of creating another one by doing that.
[SPEAKER_00]: So this is Cielo's cork and a hall history.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you you tell me if you think this guy is ready to headline Kobe world Mike,
[SPEAKER_00]: November, CLO and Gianni Villeta defeat El Cacuy and Puch Tamanaga 2 minutes 31 seconds.
[SPEAKER_00]: December 3rd, CLO and Shuniskaya Walker defeat Dragon Kid in Yamato 5 minutes 16 seconds.
[SPEAKER_00]: December 16th, CLO and Shuniskaya Walker defeat Dragon DIA in Yuki Yoshiyoka 559, January 18th,
[SPEAKER_00]: Jason Lee in Coachman Nord defeat LCLO in Humari three minutes 35 seconds.
[SPEAKER_00]: February fifth, Kai in Yoshiki Kato defeat LCLO in Humari five minutes 49 seconds.
[SPEAKER_00]: March 3rd, Team 2,000 X, Masakidabia, Tettusuke, and Takashi Yoshigura defeat Bigbao Shimizu, Coachman Nora and Yoshiki Kato and LCLO Humari in Shun's Skywalker 1951.
[SPEAKER_00]: April 6, L.C.
[SPEAKER_00]: L.O.
[SPEAKER_00]: and H.M.R.A.
[SPEAKER_00]: Defeat, Cotabinora, and Yoshiki Kato in a minute, 58.
[SPEAKER_00]: May 8th, L.C.
[SPEAKER_00]: L.O.
[SPEAKER_00]: Defeat's Dragon Kid and Luis Bante in a three-way dance in 846.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then on this show, like you said, Kame Rita, Mochizuki Jr. versus Storm Machine, J.K.C.
[SPEAKER_00]: Flamita versus Mante S.C. L.O.
[SPEAKER_00]: Camora on the undercard.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then the next item will get to this.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not even the pre-intermission match, because that'll be not the pre-intermission match.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then C. L. O. versus Montave versus Yoshioka in a three-way dance the next night.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, this guy's not even close to being at that level.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's, I mean, I would trust him to headline an Osaka number two show.
[SPEAKER_00]: I wouldn't trust him to headline.
[SPEAKER_00]: Kobe, what do you got to your mind?
[SPEAKER_01]: I wouldn't trust him at this point.
[SPEAKER_01]: Past.
[SPEAKER_01]: Champion gate.
[SPEAKER_01]: But I'm also, I think, a lot more in the sense of Dragon Gate and Dragon System and Booking, I think I've found myself to be much more of a traditional as conservative in that kind of manner.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it just feels like
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, I'm going to run down this Friday card just real quick, uh, uh, uh, retent junior versus humouring, kamora, Yamato, kid, BB Hulk, Kakitora, Ultima Dragon, much azuki, Don Fuji, Toro Washi, Jiro has another mystery, uh, opponent match, the Yoshio-Ka Monteseel match you mentioned, the,
[SPEAKER_01]: Natural Vives versus Natural Vives, Kaisi, Kinki, Susumu, Panchamanaga, Kamay versus S.J.
[SPEAKER_01]: Fulmita, UT, Gucci, and Aki, Brave Gate, Tanaka versus Doer, and then the Gajadokoro settles family business main event.
[SPEAKER_01]: I look at basically matches four through seven, and if we're not getting any sort of momentum or movement coming out of those to any sort of
[SPEAKER_01]: not even like July, I'm not even caring about the July cork and even though it's there.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like if we don't even really have someone getting into Kakura's face by the end of this show, what are we doing here?
[SPEAKER_01]: Because it feels like if you ask me, coming out of that match for Yoshiyoka, could step up, that feels that to me, Monte code but wouldn't.
[SPEAKER_01]: But it just like, or Tanaka shows up and goes, like, I'm forsaking the 12th defense because I want your ass, Kukuta.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, stuff has to be happening there to make it make any sense on what's going to go forward for the next eight weeks going into Kobe world.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because we're at that point, really, because because Kobe world's on the 20th of July, we're less than 50 days away.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's the point that we're going to have to continue making until we get through it.
[SPEAKER_00]: But again, all of this stuff.
[SPEAKER_00]: All of our complaints with this promotion, if there was a guy that we go, okay, well, they've been grooming him since January, they've been grooming him since March, or they've been grooming him since April.
[SPEAKER_00]: If the direction of the promotion was obvious coming out of Golden Coliseum, which again, as I talked about last week, I go, okay, well, what's like
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't understand it's Hamari supposed to be down on his lock as he supposed to be is he supposed to be ashamed that he got a haircut or does it not affect him or I don't know what story they're talking with with Hamari.
[SPEAKER_00]: Soon has by and large defected and C. L. O. D. I when it's not like
[SPEAKER_00]: Seattle got some sort of rocket pack and that cage match.
[SPEAKER_00]: In fact, you when I talked after the show about how we were surprised that he and Kato weren't featured more in the cage match.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's not any of those guys.
[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't seem like it's Yoshioca.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll get to me the safe bet in this feels crazy, but the safe bet to me is Tanaka more than any of these guys.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it's it's it you just see.
[SPEAKER_00]: the holes in the booking.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the fact that we're going to go into Kobe world in Yamato doesn't have anything to sink his teeth into.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the fact that Flamita's here and Flamita's not really doing anything interesting in montages continues to be hung out to dry.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think there's a real chance that Kami and Rita,
[SPEAKER_00]: don't do anything important on Kobe world this year.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a bad promotion right now in the problem, at least for people like you and me.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if you feel this way, but it's actually one of those.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're sort of like sometimes I'll look at drag a booking on a go like, I don't know about this and then I sit down and I look at some results and I look at some cars and I go, okay, you know what this is better than I was giving it credit for.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not all of this stuff really jumped out to me.
[SPEAKER_00]: at first glance, but they've, they've, they've done the work here.
[SPEAKER_00]: The problem right now is that the, the deeper you dig, you go, oh, oh God, this is, this is worse than I thought.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is awful.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, we're a month out from Kobe world.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a chance that Humare, Kame, Rita, and Yoshiyoka, and, fuck, let's say, Mante, too.
[SPEAKER_00]: They might be completely inconsequential on that card, and you go, well, that who else is there?
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: Apparently, we're pushing BB hope now.
[SPEAKER_00]: I, you might, your models not doing anything.
[SPEAKER_00]: Your models are complete afterthought this year.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the Yamato versus Gucci stuff is so interesting.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love the way they work with one another, not something they're exploring.
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought it was obvious.
[SPEAKER_00]: to me it was at least with the Yamato Gucci stuff that there should be an ongoing vives versus paradox triangle gate thing that takes us to Kobe world where vives have the belts and they're defending against all these different combinations of paradox and I don't think it's the end of the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: If Yamato, July 21st or whatever that show is, or July 19th, I think, if he picks up Gucci and drops him on his head at Kobe World and then paradox when the triangle gate belts from there, because Gucci's young, he's not Yamato, not the end of the world, he'll be okay, but we can't even get that story.
[SPEAKER_00]: We have nothing going on in this promotion right now.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and the things that you would be able to have as a touchstone and follow periods outside of Tanaka and the brave gatebooking, which I think we could say like if we're doing a checklist and we're going to go give Rio Saito his report card, the brave gate is the one thing he gets above a sea on.
[SPEAKER_01]: You don't have the twin gate because you have it completely tied up into this all Japan tag so real bullshit so like that's going to need time time spool eventually the triangle gates as we talked about before are in open how on a team that's going to be essentially done after this week so what are you going to do with that like they're going to.
[SPEAKER_01]: They are going to fucking put a triangle gate tournament on Kobe world on us.
[SPEAKER_01]: I just feel into my teeth, and it's awful whenever they do want to load.
[SPEAKER_01]: There's just no direction.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's no direction at all.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and and and like when I had the moment a couple months ago when I go like oh shit is this coat of manure time that is me trying to read the tea leaves for the way that things used to be and how things would be things were competent because like that's where things would go and they completely detoured off it could be an arm or it could be.
[SPEAKER_01]: kicked out a godjato girl and says well if i'm going out i'm taking your head with me with uh kakura and at least that way we would have the main event set up you know like i'm begging for that like look like just some north star to go to i mean say what we will about later earlier on the show we at least have stuff on their show coming up for their big a show of their year like what are we doing here
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just bizarre, and it's the tough work.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't really think you and I have been in this position before.
[SPEAKER_00]: For as long as we've covered this promotion where
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just sort of all, it's all consuming right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like it's the conversation that we're going to have to continue to have until I mean, you know, maybe they do a 180 on these core controls and they turn it around.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I want it count on it.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's the conversation that we'll have to have through world because we're a month and a half out.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I just have no faith in them.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you know more than anybody, the reservations and the concerns I've had
[SPEAKER_00]: But the closer we get, the closer we get to it, and the more realistic that that seems, the more I go, oh, I think this might be their best option.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe they should just do this, and I mean, I'm telling you, people have to, you don't.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't buy in the manure at all.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't buy in the baby face manure at all, but I mean it's to a point where, again, I think the boring save option is Yoshio, and I don't think that would be good.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the the most exciting option is Tanaka.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the suicidal option is CLO, and I guess an option.
[SPEAKER_00]: is Coach Menorra and I'm not particularly plus about it, but it seems like that's the direction that we might be headed, but then again, if it's not, then I don't know what they're gonna do.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is a promotion in complete disarray right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is really, really interesting to watch.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even just compared to like, oh, it's fascinating.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it sounds like, like the main June core can shows last year.
[SPEAKER_00]: that we got in May, we got that Mochizuki versus voletta match, which I think is one of the best individual Mochizuki performances of his entire career.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then we got the Hioa Contra Hill match.
[SPEAKER_00]: That was, that was a year ago, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no, that was last year.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that was the, that was the, that was the May cork and show, which was the consensus training match the year.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then we got all of these great title matches in June last year.
[SPEAKER_00]: This shows this year, we don't have a triangle gate match because they're in Ryuku Dragon.
[SPEAKER_00]: We don't have a twin gate match, which is a bummer, but they're tied up and guys that have their own
[SPEAKER_00]: other thing going on.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so we get an all-Asia tag match, which again, I want to go back to that Thursday show for just a second and just a second.
[SPEAKER_00]: But an all-Asia match in a tiger mask retirement match headline the first show.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then the second show, yes, we get to knock a versus joy, which is on brand perfect.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm all about it.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then just this hodgepodge,
[SPEAKER_00]: that I'm sure will be important, but I mean, Mike, I'm not excited to watch it.
[SPEAKER_01]: No, no, I, you know, I'm excited to get through it.
[SPEAKER_01]: And like, I guess the one thing about this that like, if I'm looking for a tether and you know my brain probably as well as anyone who I talk wrestling with, it's kind of fascinating at a way to see this happen.
[SPEAKER_01]: like it.
[SPEAKER_01]: It is the one thing that's holding onto my sanity of 2026 wrestling going like, all right, is this going to like end up being like this giant face plant or somehow like the execution into landing will come in and and then we'll talk July 21st or 20 second and we'll go like, well, hell.
[SPEAKER_01]: it worked out or like we're on a good direction here like this.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I find the the foibles of this promotion kind of fascinating in a way because it's a promotion that we we know how good
[SPEAKER_01]: We know how good it can be and we know how good it should be and I don't know maybe there is just like a little bit of the scientists and me the anthropological scholar them like let's see where how this is kind of going in a little bit.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't know what that says about my psyche beyond his case, but yeah, it's kind of interesting in a weird way.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, it's interesting in a weird way, absolutely so just to go back really quick on that six or thirds day show.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, I'm of the belief, I'm of the stance, and I don't, I don't think I'm going to have time to write anything, which is a bummer.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think Tiger Mask for historically as an underrated wrestler, actually, he should be celebrated a little bit more than he's being celebrated for that being said.
[SPEAKER_00]: don't really need a man.
[SPEAKER_00]: So don't need him in the semi-main event of a Drengeate Corquant Show.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, if this is, if they flipped the match order and they put that Tiger Mask badge is matched for and they put match four, which is the three ways six-man tag as the semi-main event.
[SPEAKER_00]: I have completely different thoughts on this show, but that's not the reality that we're living in.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I do want to note, you know, I think historically Tiger Mask is actually underappreciated slightly underrated.
[SPEAKER_00]: So they want to honor him fine.
[SPEAKER_00]: Match five is Yoshio Kentonaka versus yellow and X.
[SPEAKER_00]: Who was your read on who X might be?
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it'sishimori.
[SPEAKER_01]: Now that you've put the thon my head.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, yeah, I mentioned it each and more before the show to you.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, like it would be cool if it's if Ben's back.
[SPEAKER_01]: But I don't know why we would be saying X for Ben.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that would be really strange.
[SPEAKER_01]: It would be.
[SPEAKER_01]: Could it be soon?
[SPEAKER_01]: No, I don't think it could be shown.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I think it's itchimori.
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you should more a the other names that can make sense.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yo, actually, heo and it's yo.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm sorry.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's yo.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's going to be yo.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm sorry, case.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's going to be yo and he's awful now.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that does not excite me.
[SPEAKER_01]: It shouldn't like he is I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you think that to knock a versus yo at Kobe world?
[SPEAKER_01]: No, because it feels like yo, he's so alive and best as super dreamers.
[SPEAKER_01]: Right now at this point, it's impossible to tell where the real direction is in the New Japan Jr. heavyweight division, of course, but I can't see them bring any yo over to lose, you know, I mean, when do, when really do New Japan wrestlers lose
[SPEAKER_00]: Boy, none of those options you gave me excite me at all.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm sorry, buddy.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, it's so I thank you for being able to be an interesting one.
[SPEAKER_01]: Soon, like coming back as a face with you would be weird.
[SPEAKER_01]: It would be very disconnected, but at least.
[SPEAKER_00]: But you know what, I'd be okay with that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I would honest to God be okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I could look past some storytelling liberties if you just came out and was a little bit more raw raw than he has been in six years because I'm ready for it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't feel like I need
[SPEAKER_00]: a complete justification of it.
[SPEAKER_00]: As a fan, I'm there.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to cheer for this guy.
[SPEAKER_00]: I said this about Saip Hatcher and October.
[SPEAKER_00]: I said the best thing they could do would be to lean into all of their face tendencies.
[SPEAKER_00]: This company nailed destroyed grand slam.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Giovanni Valetta face turn.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even after that, they're like, okay, so they're going to be unlikable tweeners.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're not going to make a decision on what they are and it killed me because I just want to be able to cheer for Shoot Skywalker when I'm rooting for wrestlers of this promotion and it's just not there.
[SPEAKER_00]: So they could do that and I wouldn't feel any sort of need for any massive story like justification or really wouldn't bother me, but I don't think it'll be shoot.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think a little bit you know.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no, I'm with you on that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, that's the cork and haul show is coming up.
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll talk about it early next week.
[SPEAKER_01]: You should hit your feet a day earlier than usual.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'll have the written review for Thursday.
[SPEAKER_01]: Case will have the written view on Friday.
[SPEAKER_01]: And maybe we'll be coming back to the show on Monday.
[SPEAKER_01]: And maybe things can be better.
[SPEAKER_01]: Is this the kind of solutions that they talk about?
[SPEAKER_01]: Actually, I should say I do know these solutions that they talk about.
[SPEAKER_01]: But maybe we'll be back here on Monday.
[SPEAKER_01]: Case and I'll be a lot better.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, no, because the all Asia tag batches had lighting the first night and I just can't imagine that goes well.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it's like I said last week, we're in a position where either gay and condo win and they now beat E shit in Yoshi, Kikato and a man of that or E shit and Kato win and they go and lose an all Japan.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is a lose lose situation.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's unbelievable.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I, I, I, I'm with you on that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, let's talk about something for the rest of the show that's going to put us in a better mood, voices of wrestling and Griffin Peltier have put together, I think it's the, is this the fourth annual 30 under 30 list, I think it's the fourth annual.
[SPEAKER_01]: list.
[SPEAKER_01]: It was released over the last two days.
[SPEAKER_01]: Balleting was open for like a last few weeks and then we were getting captions together for it.
[SPEAKER_01]: But, okay, so this is genuinely one of my favorite things that we do every year.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I know that
[SPEAKER_01]: I, I have looked through the 30 for 30 under 30 final results and I have some takeaways of myself, but I, I kind of want to see what where your head is at with the results and who ended up on the 30 under 30 list.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, I haven't seen any of the results yet.
[SPEAKER_00]: I have not looked at this whatsoever.
[SPEAKER_00]: I said in a ballot, I have not seen how things landed.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, so I guess like how we want to kind of take this here.
[SPEAKER_01]: Do you want to talk about the 30 and 30 list first or talk about our personal ballots first?
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's talk about our personal ballots first and talk about the the Draingate guys and then anything else.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, let's do that way.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that might that might be of interest to you and then from there you can you can hit me with the results of the actual
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, so I will run through mine 30 to one.
[SPEAKER_01]: Number 30 was Madoka Kakuta.
[SPEAKER_01]: Number 29 is Kaito Kiyomiya.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yep, that's my timeout zone for those guys.
[SPEAKER_01]: Ryuki Honda 28, Francesco Akira, 27.
[SPEAKER_01]: Akie 26, who taught me high as Shishita is 25, which is the one that kind of blows my mind that she's still under 30, but there we go.
[SPEAKER_01]: Mao at 24 Viento Miligno at 23 neon 22, Mochizuki Junior 21 Siyaka Kurara at 20 Kazuma, uh, Sumi at 19 Showa at 18 Oscar 17 Azumi, 16 Gucci 15 Dikyo Shima, uh 14 Siri Yamoka 13 Rita 12, Uto I-11,
[SPEAKER_01]: Heo 10, Hommari 9, Kohai Fujita 8, Jackie Kame 7, Kevin Knight 6, a mascara Darada 5, Kalam Numan 4, really it's not that it was my highest rated Dragon Gate wrestler at 3 and 2 and 1 were Kyle Fletcher and Saia Kamantami was number one for me.
[SPEAKER_00]: I will not read my full 30, but I will hate you with a sourdough bowl is no, no, you're all good.
[SPEAKER_00]: I had aero panther representing D to you in my number 30 slot.
[SPEAKER_00]: I should note that I accidentally omitted Mochizuki Junior from this list, which I guess has partially an indictment on the booking of Mochizuki Junior, but he would have been on there.
[SPEAKER_00]: an arrow panther would have fought off, but I did want to have him on the list because I do feel like he and fight panther are the best wrestlers not working in a major league promotion right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I had him at 30.
[SPEAKER_01]: I had cause I got to photo.
[SPEAKER_01]: Let I'll let you know.
[SPEAKER_01]: Griffin made sure to get the wild mother fucker there.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love to hear that.
[SPEAKER_00]: So he was at 30 29 28 29 28 20.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what?
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll read the full list who cares.
[SPEAKER_00]: So arrow panther at 30.
[SPEAKER_00]: Kazumi Sumi at 29 Nick Wayne at 28 Ryuki Honda out of all Japan at 27 Gabe kid at 26.
[SPEAKER_00]: Kazuma Kamura at 25.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jeno Garcia 24.
[SPEAKER_00]: Show Mizuno from Osaka Pro 23.
[SPEAKER_00]: Dikyo to Schema from Noah 2022 or 22.
[SPEAKER_00]: Kosev
[SPEAKER_00]: Utah, I 17, Viano 3, Junior 16, 15, I had Gucci 14, Utah, 13, Zandook and Junior, 12, Eashan, 11, where you amatsafusa, from Osaka Pro.
[SPEAKER_00]: Number 10, Calum, Numan, Number 9, Eskara, Dorada, 8, Rhea, Tanaka, 7, Rita, 6, Neon, 5, Yuma, Anzai, 4, Kevin, Knight, 3, Atlantis, Junior, 2, Jackie, Kamey,
[SPEAKER_00]: Number one, with a bullet, didn't have to think about it with Shumsky Walker no longer being eligible.
[SPEAKER_00]: Kyle Fletcher, who I not only think is the best 30 and a 30 restler, I think right now, he is the best wrestler in the world.
[SPEAKER_00]: So my drink, eight guys, Kame, Rita, Tanaka, Ishin, Gucci, Humare, and Kazuma Komora with an honorable mention to Mochizuki Jr.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, mine would be just listed on Gate 1s one more time.
[SPEAKER_01]: Kakura, Aki, Mochizuki, Jr., Gucci, Rita, Hio, Homare, Jackie, Kameh, and Rue, It's Naka.
[SPEAKER_01]: The one that I left off that kind of kicks me that.
[SPEAKER_01]: I ended up doing the caption for even though I didn't vote for him was Eash.
[SPEAKER_01]: And Eashn was a name that I should not have left off my list.
[SPEAKER_01]: He gets, he's in my Mochizuki, Jr. Faze, full for that one.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so, so, uh, case we represent the two view points, really, for number one, it is Kyle, uh, Fletcher and Sia-Khamatani.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know when the vote totals are going to get released, but they were two and one Sia ended up winning the poll this year.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sorry, you say who won the poll this year?
[SPEAKER_01]: Sia-Khamatani.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, okay, and then Fletcher number two.
[SPEAKER_01]: Fletcher number two.
[SPEAKER_00]: interesting.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, all right, well, I can't speak to Comotani, but I, you know, flutter, you know, should be other one or two.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that, that makes sense.
[SPEAKER_01]: Running through the dragon system honorable mentions aeropanther aki i'm just going to scroll down the list as we're going to as i'm doing this so there is a pause here i'm filling air.
[SPEAKER_01]: So those two geez a diea so that there was a diea voter i think jessie was the diea voter so diea it was an honorable mention as well Gucci honorable mention.
[SPEAKER_01]: Heo honorable mention, Asian honorable mention, and with just that Jay, there's so many of these.
[SPEAKER_01]: I know.
[SPEAKER_01]: I will say, yo, I feel like honorable mention, zoom me honorable mention.
[SPEAKER_01]: Sorry.
[SPEAKER_00]: No, you're, you know, heo, the bummer with him is that.
[SPEAKER_00]: you know, with a different Super Junior's output, I think you probably place this pretty easily.
[SPEAKER_00]: I would imagine that he's a guy who was on the cuffs for a lot of people and then just did nothing to show for it in Super Junior's, which is such a bar.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, it was the one that we expected, which is the shame of it all because like it was going to be exactly like this, but you know, it just, it's a shame that it, uh,
[SPEAKER_01]: It hasn't really replicated.
[SPEAKER_01]: He has exactly three ones, like we expected.
[SPEAKER_01]: Codam and Nora got an honorable mention.
[SPEAKER_01]: Madoka Kakuta, honorable mention.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm zooming through as fast as I can.
[SPEAKER_01]: I know this is awful audio.
[SPEAKER_01]: I apologize.
[SPEAKER_01]: Mochizuki Jr.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'll be mentioned.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that might be it for the Direct Rita.
[SPEAKER_01]: How is Rita an honorable mention?
[SPEAKER_01]: Are we the only Rita voters damn?
[SPEAKER_00]: That's tough.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you know, reach it for me.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's top 10 guys.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's a complete shoe.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think I think, you know, he's just a remarkable story that's maybe a little bit unersold and wrestling where I always go back to the point.
[SPEAKER_00]: I made this point after going to Coliseum where you'll drag it his failed comment and reach him because the type of person that gets excited for.
[SPEAKER_00]: forbidden door or the type of person that has embraced the CMLL wrestlers in AEW, even if they're not regularly watching CMLL, that type of fan should hit their pillow every night, hoping for a young box versus coming retematch at some point, because I think Rita would blow people's minds if more people saw him, but they just haven't broken out of that way, and so it doesn't surprise me at all that Rita's not in the top 30.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, Rita is perhaps the most outstanding wrestler in the world under 160 centimeters.
[SPEAKER_01]: So, yeah, Humari is 29, getting into drag and system guys who have made the 30 under 30 list.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, Humari is a very fair placement forum.
[SPEAKER_01]: Rue, it's knock as 19, which I think that's a little low.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's very low personally.
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's it for the the 30s to 16.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I could tell you who the one dragon gate person at top 10 is he is number 10, he is Jackie Kameh.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm happy with Jackie at 10.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, Kobe at 10 feels like a whim.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, yeah, I mean, I personally, at least with the way that I kind of look at it, I think Tanaka has this is one that I feel like that I tried to balance both the present and future with and that's why I saw a Comotani was such an obvious number one for me, but for like Kamei versus Tanaka, I think it's the interesting conversation because you have Kamei whose present is that he is
[SPEAKER_01]: I, as I wrote about it, he, no one has the sheer amount of quarterback control or body position as he does.
[SPEAKER_01]: You is a top of wrestler, I mean, the problem is that he's a sum of your coast gut and a company that needs a sheema.
[SPEAKER_01]: And whereas I think Rootsanaka is that sheema and has, you know, he, he's having the, the 20, 25 and 20, 26 that we will come back and talk to about five years from now if you ask me.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you know, the difference is that I can give you about seven or eight, wow, I don't know if you can hear that fire church or Jesus Christ, this apartment, I've lived here a year now and this apartment was so quiet for the longest time and it has over the last few months.
[SPEAKER_00]: It has become such a noisy apartment.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can cut all those if you want, but my upstairs neighbor,
[SPEAKER_00]: I was pissed off during the show last week.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if they were dropping bowling balls up there or what they were doing, but there were so much noise coming from upstairs.
[SPEAKER_00]: And now there is traffic sounds coming that I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm moving in a month, so it doesn't matter.
[SPEAKER_00]: But anyways, um, you know, I can give you seven or eight.
[SPEAKER_00]: four and three quarter star in one, five star, Kamehash read his career.
[SPEAKER_00]: And for his greatest Tanaka's been, he just doesn't have that recall of the true top of the line high in level wrestling.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so for me, even for his greatest Tanaka's been during this brave gate run, it's an easy decision for me where I can go, okay, well Tanaka's great.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think they should be building around Tanaka as much as they can, but Kameh is still a level above Tanaka.
[SPEAKER_00]: And a way that Tanaka just doesn't have the resume to compete with now.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's fair.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's fair, especially about the top end thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, because we like think about Tanaka, what would be his greatest singles match at this point?
[SPEAKER_00]: That's that's what I'm looking at right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's probably, you know, it's probably the Kame match from last year.
[SPEAKER_00]: And if it's not that, then it's, it's probably the Billy Ken Kid match, but it's, it's probably he and Kame from last September.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and, and I think that that at this point, I mean, the thing that that's secondingly about Comey is that he was, he entered the promotion at 20.
[SPEAKER_01]: So like he, well, like he, he's going to have another three more years on the ball here.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that's going to be kind of the interesting thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that we really felt the loss of Shun Skywalker in the
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, class is 2016 greatly aging out other than menorah and Wolmanor's not 2016 biggest lumped in there.
[SPEAKER_01]: But, you know, you know, you know,
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, other than heo, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's at a point now where like, Kamei at 10 makes me think, okay, I don't think that there's going to be a world that Kamei can be have a reasonable argument for number one, because he's never going to be a world champion.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that that is kind of limiting for him, whereas I look at Tanaka and I go like,
[SPEAKER_01]: Kamei is probably going to end up being there from the next few years.
[SPEAKER_01]: Senaka is the person that has the huge amount of growth and I mean, Mocha Zuki Jr. should be up there, but we all know why Mocha Zuki is not up there.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think this year in particular, you're really seeing a
[SPEAKER_00]: the harm of the bad booking show out and something like this.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're realistically, I think, you know, on my own ballot, I think Komora could be a few spots higher.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think I could remember Mochizuki Jr.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think, you know, I mean, Gucci's completely,
[SPEAKER_00]: papered off since since April, because he's been giving given nothing else to do.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so if I had to vote again today, I don't know if I would have Gucci that high, just because of lack of opportunity.
[SPEAKER_00]: But, you know, comics made the most of the few opportunities that he's had, Tanaka's made the most of a lot of opportunity which has been really nice to see.
[SPEAKER_00]: But, you know, a year from now, this promotion is being booked the same way that it is.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think these guys are going to struggle more and more.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that's a bummer because there's so much young talent in this promotion.
[SPEAKER_00]: But it's now at a point
[SPEAKER_00]: But it's now at a point where it's getting harder and harder for them to shine.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, no.
[SPEAKER_01]: And until the company gets itself right, it's going to be harder and harder.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I know that two of us, like we have our beliefs, and we believe in our voting.
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's going to be harder and harder.
[SPEAKER_01]: for people who aren't like died in the world, dragons isn't partisans to really pick them up, especially when you look at promotions like Stardom, who like have a lot of the same situations that that dragon gate should have or has had in the past, but is booked confidently.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, well, I'll say this as a non Joe she viewer, this list feels very Joe she heavy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now I accept the caveat, I accept the caveat before John Carroll don't get mad at me.
[SPEAKER_00]: I accept the caveat that New Japan's a mass, Noah's a mass, all Japan, you know, their guys are represented, I think.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I think it's fair.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, and I had Honda on my list as well, I really like him, but you know, all Japan is properly represented.
[SPEAKER_00]: GDT, I think those guys split the vote and dragon gate is what it is.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I get it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not saying there's I my stance is not there's too many jokes you on this list, but just looking at it for the first time as we're doing this, it's noticeably Josie heavy, but I think, I mean, are you you tell me, can I I'm just flipping through here?
[SPEAKER_00]: Is it all
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, not miracle that may not be a miracle, okay.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, miracle, if we're talking about promotions that don't make young stars, like they're one young star, dislocated their her shoulder last week, and that's after, and that's after a Tommy left, and like the rest of the roster is, if we're using a baseball term, non-prosperce.
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's considering that someone on that roster is the child of Manorotanaka, and I'm calling them a non-prosperce.
[SPEAKER_01]: but startups in a great spot.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, like, you think about it.
[SPEAKER_01]: And in some ways, like, startups having people like Azumi and Hanan, Hina and Rina, like wrestling for as long as they didn't as young as they did, like, you get really good after about a decade of wrestling.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that there's some of that playing off a little bit, but they also have their dojo systems getting is finally kind of stepping up and it makes a lot of sense.
[SPEAKER_01]: The person that's on the list, I'm very interested about that I think he was an honorable mention.
[SPEAKER_01]: That'll be enters in seeing where his career takes some and see where it goes as vanburg drag.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think Vanvert Jack is going to have a very interesting next decade considering that he essentially has almost like a Josie like thing where he's been wrestling since he was seven his dad's a wrestler out of Fukuoka and now he's making all these indie shows at this point and it's the lower-end stuff, the lower-end national stuff and seeing where he can be going over the next decade.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that that's an interesting kind of candidate that's on that that has made a lot
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I I grew with that.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's so many that is very intriguing to me.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's somebody that I want to see more of.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I, you know, baby, baby.
[SPEAKER_00]: Don't want to see more of and I, you know, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby,
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't have anything else to touch on this week and that's not nor do I all right.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to call it here case.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're actually done in half an hour before the love island USA premiere.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a big moment for my culture guys.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm sure it is.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm certain you you haven't been a finals and stuff, but maybe I'm locked it on on my fucking Chicago white socks be it on a ball five team right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: It'd be a final one thing, but I got my white socks.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, so must be fun to have a sporting team that you devote a lot of your time to that hasn't decided in recent years become objectively morely
[SPEAKER_00]: No, it's uh, you know, Jerry Ryan's office, Jerry Ryan's door, but it seems like he's not on the same statue.
[SPEAKER_01]: He's out.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's not putting racist statues out, and that's the, that is much like the Dringy booking, the deeper you dive into that racist Texas Ranger statue, the worst it is.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and on top of the fact that it's yet again another year that they don't have pride month.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's hard for me to I have not gone to a Rangers game in over a year and I don't see myself going into one in a while.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's completely killed my love of baseball to be honest like he's can't I just can't support like going to games like that, you know, yeah, absolutely.
[SPEAKER_01]: But at least case on Monday, we'll have these two corkens to talk all about what I've written reviews up on voices of wrestling as well.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we're going to get to Kobe world buddy.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm here for you and we'll get there together.
[SPEAKER_00]: that's all I was on you that sounds like a threat more than a promise I thought you were pausing because I thought that there was like a siren in your running no I thought I had a but I just that sounds more like a threat that I promise I'm not sure I want to get to Kobe world this year
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, we'll see where the next six weeks take us.
[SPEAKER_01]: You can follow us on social media at Open Voice Gapof on Twitter and on Blue Sky.
[SPEAKER_01]: Case is on Twitter at underscore in your case.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm on Twitter at Fujiheyo with two eyes like Don Fuji.
[SPEAKER_01]: The voice is a wrestling discord is a great place to join in the conversation on Dragon Gates.
[SPEAKER_01]: Open the voice gate channel, which is whenever we have a historical episode or those days going up, we make sure that we have stuff posted there for you.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're currently
[SPEAKER_01]: The, one of our YouTube channels went down for those days, but we're going to find a, I'm going to find a way to get that stuff back available for that.
[SPEAKER_01]: But we post all of that there as well.
[SPEAKER_01]: And the next of those days should be coming up before the end of June as well.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's going to be a big one.
[SPEAKER_01]: But, case, I think that's it for us tonight.
[SPEAKER_01]: We will be back with you next week.
[SPEAKER_01]: Take care everyone.