Japanese Pro Wrestling: Eras Coming to Anime Boston 2015!!!

[Xias]

Since others have started posting on their confirmed panels for AB 2015, I figured I'd share the news with everyone that Japanese Pro Wrestling: Eras has been approved for this year's con! Last year I hosted AB's first-ever panel on the Japanese pro wrestling (also referred to as puroresu) scene, to more interest than I ever imagined- we actually filled the moderately sized room, which I was not expecting at all for a panel on such a niche topic. In addition, feedback on the panel, which covered the current landscape of Japanese wrestling, was overwhelmingly positive.

Whether you attended last year's panel or not, my goal is to improve on it in every way this year. Rather than focusing exclusively on today's scene, I instead intend to cover multiple different "eras" of Japanese pro wrestling (which has a rich history going back multiple decades), looking at peak periods for different promotions of a wide range of styles. Without giving away my entire panel, expect it to include:

-The early peak of joshi (Japanese women's wrestling), the famous mid-80s hair vs. hair match that drew over a 15 rating (!) on Japanese network television.
-The early-to-mid 90s All Japan Pro Wrestling promotion that many still feel featured the best wrestling matches of all-time, anywhere.
-Toryumon's early-00s peak as the punk rock lucharesu promotion and why it's my favorite promotion ever!
-Finally, we'll wrap things up covering the current boom period of New Japan Pro Wrestling, almost indisputably the #2 promotion in the world today (and, arguably, #1 in quality).

We'll talk about all of that and much more, and to help us fit it all in (with match clips for every promotion, of course!) AB has graciously expanded our panel length to 90 minutes this year! I hope you'll come join me in celebrating this massively underrated niche of Japanese culture!

UPDATE: We have received our schedule slot for Friday 4/3 from 5:30 pm until 7:00 pm, in Hynes Panel Room 309.

[Aurabolt]

NJPW is #1 in quality no question.

The problem is unless you're a die-hard fan of Pro Wrestling, you probably haven't even heard of NJPW if you're in the U.S. WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA but probably not TNA despite many current and former WWE superstars having spent time in NJPW. I heard Legendary former WWE Commentator Jim Ross has been doing commentary for NJPW ever since he was fired a few years ago. A real shame after all the years and dedication.

Anywho, your panel sounds interesting. Providing it doesn't overlap with my own panels, I'll see if I can stop by ^_^

[Xias]

NJPW is #1 in quality no question.

The problem is unless you're a die-hard fan of Pro Wrestling, you probably haven't even heard of NJPW if you're in the U.S. WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA but probably not TNA despite many current and former WWE superstars having spent time in NJPW. I heard Legendary former WWE Commentator Jim Ross has been doing commentary for NJPW ever since he was fired a few years ago. A real shame after all the years and dedication.

Anywho, your panel sounds interesting. Providing it doesn't overlap with my own panels, I'll see if I can stop by ^_^

I definitely agree with you that NJPW is #1! I only threw that "arguably" in there to avoid angering any WWE marks or anybody (although god knows I have no clue how they could be offended, given how bad WWE has been for like eight straight months now).

It's true that ex-WWE guys have appeared in NJPW from time-to-time, and there were periods where their gaijin (foreigner; I'm sure most of you know that term already but it comes up a lot in Japanese wrestling too!) roster was heavily reliant on them, but interestingly that's not the case today. They've got some ex-TNA guys that are doing way better in NJPW than they ever did there (2-time and current IWGP Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles, Young Bucks, Alex Shelley), some guys who are basically homegrown gaijin (Karl Anderson, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga), and really only one ex-WWE guy on the whole roster in Doc Gallows. I think it's arguable NJPW is using him a million times better than WWE ever did, too; he's a way bigger star there than he ever was to me in WWE. Most of the other ex-WWE guys they had- Davey Boy Smith Jr (aka Harry Smith aka whatever his dumb name was in WWE), Shelton Benjamin, and Lance Archer- are all in the Suzukigun faction that was sent en masse from NJPW to NOAH (in an awesome invasion angle), which has basically become New Japan's sister promotion. Anyway.

Jim Ross has only done commentary on one New Japan show, it's not a regular thing. He did the 1/4/15 Tokyo Dome show last month because Jeff Jarrett got it live on US PPV for the first time ever (WCW had aired a couple on tape delay before back in the early-90s). I thought he and his partner Matt Striker did a pretty decent job, although honestly at this point I'm so used to the Japanese commentary I prefer it even though my Japanese is far from perfect. Anyway, no one knows if he'll be on commentary again. There is a New Japan weekly television show of older matches airing on AXS TV (the former HDNet) and that has English commentary as well, without Jim Ross. Definitely a great way for newbies to check out New Japan, if you're lucky enough to get the network (I don't!).

Would love to see you at my panel dude, definitely come by if you can it should be a blast.

[Xias]

Update: We have received our schedule slot for Friday 4/3 from 5:30 pm until 7:00 pm, in Hynes Panel Room 309. I've finished editing all my clips and I think you're really going to enjoy this panel if you've got even a passing interest in pro wrestling, so please come join us!

[Ugly Bob]

I find all the wrestling terminology (especially those reserved for insiders) very odd. Mark, smarck, what have you, it's just weird, especially the apparent effect they had on story directions with Roman Reigns and several other people throughout 2014.

[MollyThornhart]

Id like to help out in any way I can. I have 20 years in the business underneath my belt and know of someone that trains in Japan. Message me sometime and maybe we can work something out.
I'm a legit Kowalski student, I assure you Im not a backyarder or a "valet"
I think I may be able to help you out a little if you want to do this panel in 2017.
PM me for more details.