The Mania Week Indie Show Thread

[Supremo]

This is very important to me.

[Chris B]

If one thing has impressed me this week, it's the fighting spirit of Yoshihiko. I know the likes of Cornette don't appreciate their talent, but they had a great, brutal, bloody match with Minoru Suzuki on DDT Pro. I'm pretty sure Suzuki was throwing some shoot kicks in there, too, but it added to the emotional aspect of the match. Genuinely, that ending was draining and upsetting. Got to be match of the weekend.

Edited April 22, 2025 by Chris B

[Kfogg1991]

Yeah the sabu match was just unnecessary, the face first bump into the spiderweb board for one but then the board and cracking his head open on the floor.

I expected it to be a shit show but it just felt dangerous, gcw are getting a load of shit for not having protection on the concrete floor 

[Merzbow]

GCW want it both ways, the WWE partnership and mainstream growth and the deathmatches which got them the first bits of fame. I quite liked them as the better alternative to CZW but this more recent version fucking blows.

[The King Of Swing]

Watched barely any Stardom this year, so decided to check out their US shows on triller.  

Really bland efforts. Imo, not even a good showcase with a chunk of the roster (most noticeably Saya Kamitani, Tam Nakano and Mayu Iwatani) not being present. 

In the future, I'll just wait for US shows to pop up on stardomworld even if it's six months down the road. 

Edited April 19, 2025 by The King Of Swing

[Kfogg1991]

3 hours ago, Merzbow said:

GCW want it both ways, the WWE partnership and mainstream growth and the deathmatches which got them the first bits of fame. I quite liked them as the better alternative to CZW but this more recent version fucking blows.

Yeah I agree with you on that, two years ago I watched every show they did in one year leading up to the first Hammerstein show, now I skip through and check bits and pieces. No storylines, no big points to make you need to watch the next show.

[garynysmon]

4 hours ago, Merzbow said:

GCW want it both ways, the WWE partnership and mainstream growth and the deathmatches which got them the first bits of fame.

You know what, I was thinking the very same about TNA this week.

Admittedly I’ve never liked Sami Callihan or death matches, but they did a barbed wire massacre match on Thursday night’s app/live show in Vegas. I’ve only seem brief clips of that match but it was gory.

Even 2 years ago this wasn’t an issue for TNA holding shows in front of 6-800 hardcore wrestling fans.

But its a slightly bigger issue when you’re wrestling in a decent venue in front of 3,000 paying fans containing loads of kids and families in Hardy Boys and Joe Hendry merch.

[Vamp]

My problem with Bloodsport is the "I'll let you elbow me in the face if you let me elbow you in the face" tit for tat bollocks. They did that in virtually every match. 

I liked the Nattie/Miyu match (though I think a lot of the credit should go to Miyu) a lot but I was immediately taken out of every match where that happened. It just doesn't fit their context. 

It's funny that their go to "rest spot" is doing that when working a hold would probably make more sense. 

[lanky316]

1 hour ago, The King Of Swing said:

Watched barely any Stardom this year, so decided to check out their US shows on triller.  

Really bland efforts. Imo, not even a good showcase with a chunk of the roster (most noticeably Saya Kamitani, Tam Nakano and Mayu Iwatani) not being present. 

In the future, I'll just wait for US shows to pop up on stardomworld even if it's six months down the road. 

Honestly, I enjoy Stardom and I couldn't justify spending the extra on them this year, it was always looking like a relatively bare bones roster going and that they'd taken their time announcing anything for it, I got the impression it would be skippable.

Compare with TJPW who'd left a skeleton crew at home and took nearly everyone you'd expect on a big show to it, it also helped that for the most part the show felt like one of the big shows in how they did it. Fairly minimal amounts of the silly stuff and some good to great title matches, the main event between Miyu and Mizuki was particularly good and while I've still got catching up to do on some events is one of my favourite matches so far throughout the whole week.

[Merzbow]

It's telling that Daisuke Ikeda has never worked Bloodsport, but did wrestle in WXW's equivalent. But yeah a lot of Western modern shoot-style just feels clumsy and off, it's a very tough art to get good at especially in the post-MMA world.

I can still go back to UWFi, Fu-Ten etc and be in awe at the top matches as it somehow still feels like a fight.

This is just beautiful.

 

[The King Of Swing]

25 minutes ago, lanky316 said:

Honestly, I enjoy Stardom and I couldn't justify spending the extra on them this year, it was always looking like a relatively bare bones roster going and that they'd taken their time announcing anything for it, I got the impression it would be skippable.

Compare with TJPW who'd left a skeleton crew at home and took nearly everyone you'd expect on a big show to it, it also helped that for the most part the show felt like one of the big shows in how they did it. Fairly minimal amounts of the silly stuff and some good to great title matches, the main event between Miyu and Mizuki was particularly good and while I've still got catching up to do on some events is one of my favourite matches so far throughout the whole week.

I bought the shows on impulse. Dumb move on my part. 

Won't be bothering anymore unless Bushiroad actually make an effort. Which they probably won't. 

Actually just watched the TJPW show and being honest it blew Stardom out of the water. They actually made Stardom look small time in comparison, imo. 

Better venue, much better production, as you said pretty much the entire main roster was present, every title on the line and even a solid TNA KO Title match.

The International Title match was probably my favourite match on the show but the main event was also a really good effort. 

I might actually start watching TJPW on the regular, again. 

[Vamp]

I haven't watched TJPW in a while but when I did their match quality had a higher ceiling than I think they're given credit for but it's also true that the gulf between their lower card and their upper card can be huge. 

[Olly1984]

9 hours ago, Supremo said:

This is very important to me.

We can live in hope my friend??

[The King Of Swing]

Minoru Suzuki clearly not giving a shit and being willing to do pretty much anything, is inspiring.

Taking bumps and selling for a doll. A true legend of the sport. 

[Chris B]

I only watched the Yoshihiko/Suzuki match and the 2 hour Clusterfuck Battle Royal, and I feel like I had a better wrestling experience over the weekend than most.

During the Clusterfuck, Santana Jackson (the Michael Jackson impersonator) brought out a baby doll as Blanket, while going up against Yoshihiko, which led to a doll stand-off, and the baby face move of the week... because if a baby is in the ring, you only want to see one man.

https://bsky.app/profile/ringsidenews.com/post/3lnauqu4jxq2o