Zoë Boyd is back to help Sarah, George and David get to grips with the last two shoot fights from Big Egg Wrestling Universe. Listen for Japanese TV networks cancelling kickboxing for the sake of national pride, a desperate attempt to figure out what the hell is going on in shootboxing, and Anderson Silva’s “sock full of paté”.

We don’t really get the scoring system either, so check out links to the rules and other related fights in the show notes: http://www.imaintainthedoublefootstompissilly.com/big-egg-podcasting-universe-episode-8-show-notes/

MATCHES
Match 5: Kumiko Maekawa vs. Sugar Miyuki (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlzKe2RZqwE)
Match 8: Kaoru Ito vs. Fumiko Ishimoto (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EkJxouIhu4)

Big Egg Podcasting Universe Episode 8 - The Strikers (feat. Zoë Boyd)

Vincent Kennedy McMahon gets everywhere. Returning hero Bull Nakano and America’s sweetheart Alundra Blayze squared off for the WWF Women’s Championship in one of Big Egg Wrestling Universe’s more spectacular matches. David, Sarah and George take a look in the context of a broader feud that played out in multiple promotions on two continents for nearly two years, and unpack the longer history of working agreements between AJW and the big American promotions. Come for the in-depth discussions of talent development and lazy booking; stay for pissed Cyndi Lauper, protracted rants about serial division-killer The Not So Fabulous Moolah, the Battle of the Bikes and our newest character, Crinkle Netherlands.

Find our sources, match recommendations and more in the show notes: http://www.imaintainthedoublefootstompissilly.com/big-egg-podcasting-universe-episode-9-show-notes/

MATCHES

Match 22: Alundra Blayze (c) vs. Bull Nakano (WWF Women’s Championship) (https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x50ut8a)

Big Egg Podcasting Universe Episode 9 - The WWF

Ho ho ho and a bottle of eggnog, and welcome to the PPP's annual festive extravaganza!  Warm your toes by the fire as the boys once again answer your questions, Statto and David give the Faroe Islands Tourist Board the most comprehensive free advertising they will ever get, some more gasoline is poured on the embers of BritWres, puro-themed Christmas crackers are designed in a task even Alan Sugar would deem too asinine, and our intrepid threesome take another trip to the Chinese wrestling scene and the fabulous wares of Mr. Terry Riley.

0:00:00 – Intro
0:03:43 – Q&A
0:44:38 – George and David’s Faroese Adventure
1:29:15 – Year in Review
2:29:23 – Christmas Crackers
2:39:33 – Terry Riley’s Personal Collection Vol.4 - Wong Tao vs. Steve the ESL Teacher (MKW, 21 July 2021)

Christmas Special 2021: It May Be Winter Outside (But In My Heart It's 6/3/94)

We couldn’t get through it without them, could we? In the cooldown spot just before we get into the main event that is the V*TOP tournament, we appropriately position the people that everyone has forgotten from Big Egg. No, not the shootboxers - the blokes. Why did men’s wrestling promotion Michinoku Pro get a showcase match at the biggest joshi show in history? Why did AJW have a minis division which consisted of three men? David, George and Sarah still don’t know, but they watched the matches anyway.

Find our sources, match recommendations and more in the show notes: https://www.imaintainthedoublefootstompissilly.com/big-egg-podcasting-universe-episode-11-show-notes/

MATCHES

Match 2: Silver X Tsunokake vs. Buta Genjin and Great Little Muta (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdV2F7pFBrM)
Match 19: SATO, Shiryu and The Great Sasuke vs. Super Delfin, Gran Naniwa and Jinsei Shinzaki (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR0c-jgbC2I)

Big Egg Podcasting Universe Episode 11 - The Men

Having dispensed with NJPW and UWFI's dealings with the now-former Soviet Union, the PPP crew turn their attention to the adventures of Eastern Bloc combat athletes in two other Japanese wrestling companies: FMW and RINGS.  Marvel in wonder as David finally gets to wax lyrical about carny par excellence Atsushi Onita, a fascist gets kicked, one of the greatest matches of all time is dissected at length, and we discover why one-night 32-man MMA tournaments are not the best idea.  We'll also look at what was going on in Russia in the mid-90s and how it precipitated today's awful imperialist mess.

MATCHES:
Atsushi Onita vs. Grigori Veritchev (FMW, 29 May 1991)
Akira Maeda vs. Andrei Kopylov (RINGS, 21 August 1992)
Tony Halme vs. Tariel Bitsadze (RINGS, 22 October 1994)
Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Volk Han (RINGS, 22 January 1997)
Tsuyoshi Kohsaka vs. Grom Zaza (RINGS, 22 July 1997)
Hiromitsu Kanehara vs. Mikhail Ilyukhin (RINGS, 28 March 1998)

Episode 26 - CCCPPP (III): The Maltese Volk Han

It's December, and you know what that means!  Warm your toes by the fire and luxuriate in the warm glow of the Christmas special critics are calling "reprehensible even by your standards".  We'll answer our fans' questions (which are just as demented as ever), reflect upon the very normal year 2022 has been, and visit the beautiful progressive city of Shenzhen for some more of Terry Riley's Chinese wrestling.  As well as that, Statto and Big Vince will struggle through not one but two fiendish quizzes of David's devising, and lay bare a complete lack of NJPW knowledge that would be worrying if you listened to this podcast for anything other than the IRA jokes and Scottish football references.  Enjoy, friends.

0:00:00 – Intro
0:06:09 – Q&A
0:48:23 – Year in Review
1:42:24 – "Festive Content"
2:18:01 – Terry Riley’s Personal Collection Vol.5 – Uncle Money vs. Zombie Dragon (Devil’s Rules Match) (MKW, 15 December 2018)

Christmas Special 2022: Fairytale of New Japan

Tanahashi vs. Okada.  Nakamura vs. Sakuraba.  Inoki vs. Vader.  Fuyuki vs. Anjo.  These are just some of the classic contests that have graced January 4th, that most hallowed day in the puroresu calendar.  Having decided to finally give up on the pretence that they might actually watch NJPW Wrestle Kingdom (don't worry, we're still reviewing the Rambo!), this year the boys are taking a look back at a carefully curated selection of half a dozen historic and momentous January 4th matches.   We hope you enjoy.

January 4th Special III: Back in Training (feat. Stuart Iversen)

You heard about the shootboxing, the minis, the rookies, the juniors. Now, after a lengthy hiatus, David, Sarah and George are back to dive into the main draw of Big Egg Wrestling Universe: the 8-woman V*TOP tournament. Featuring Yumiko Hotta’s ill-advised return to MMA against Gabi Garcia, the soothing properties of Eagle Sawai’s feathers, Combat Toyoda’s murderous aura, and a little-known talent called Akira Hokuto - wonder what happened to her?

Find our sources, match recommendations and more in the show notes: https://www.imaintainthedoublefootstompissilly.com/big-egg-podcasting-universe-episode-12-show-notes/

MATCHES

Match 14: Yumiko Hotta vs. Combat Toyoda (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWglKXYhBOw)
Match 15: Akira Hokuto vs. Eagle Sawai (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcm2_6y4ZMM)

Big Egg Podcasting Universe

Big Egg Podcasting Universe Episode 12 - The V*TOP (Part 1)

God made the Devil just for fun. When he wanted the real thing, he made Aja Kong the WWWA Champion for three years and put her in the V*TOP tournament. David, Sarah and George are rounding out the first round of the tournament with JWP’s Dynamite Kansai taking on homegrown Kyoko Inoue, and the small matter of Manami Toyota taking on Kong in one of the greatest matches of all time. No biggie. Sorry about the boys’ attempts at Hulk Hogan’s themes.

Find our sources, match recommendations and more in the show notes: https://www.imaintainthedoublefootstompissilly.com/big-egg-podcasting-universe-episode-13-show-notes/

MATCHES

Match 16: Manami Toyota vs. Aja Kong (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj_Bu01qvIg)
Match 17: Kyoko Inoue vs. Dynamite Kansai (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN_zEyAS13A)

Kong, Toyota, Kansai, Inoue

Big Egg Podcasting Universe Episode 13 - The V*TOP (Part 2)

David and George welcome back special guest Zoë Boyd, who has been cursed by a malevolent transphobic god to come on this podcast once per year and talk about some of the worst MMA of all time.  In this edition, we talk about a couple of occasions upon which combat athletes from the former USSR were brought in to face pro wrestlers in mixed martial arts contests which, typically for the 90s, may or may not be on the level.  Can Shinobu Kandori's legendary ego propel her to victory against a 330lb judoka?  Can Akira Maeda triumph over an amateur wrestling champion with a career record of 887-2?  What do you think?

MATCHES:
Shinobu Kandori vs. Svetlana Goundarenko (LLPW, 18 July 1995)
Akira Maeda vs. Aleksandr Karelin (RINGS, 21 February 1999)

Episode 27 - CCCPPP (IV): Akira Maeda Disgraces Japan (feat. Zoë Boyd)

It’s here, folks. We’ve seen idols, rookies, minis, shootboxers, interpromotional political shenanigans and some all-time classic matches. And here we are, with our final three matches from Big Egg Wrestling Universe. Join David, George and Sarah to run through three very different matches which collectively achieve what we thought impossible: making Aja Kong look vulnerable.

Find our sources, match recommendations and more in the show notes: imaintainthedoublefootstompissilly.com/big-egg-podcasting-universe-episode-14-show-notes/

MATCHES

Match 20: Akira Hokuto vs. Combat Toyoda (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2UF4vzy8dI)
Match 21: Aja Kong vs. Dynamite Kansai (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyWZUFuzQjk)
Match 23: Akira Hokuto vs. Aja Kong (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDtJsn1H4Hk)

Big Egg Podcasting Universe Episode 14 - The V*TOP (Part 3)

The Big Egg has hatched. In the final episode of Big Egg Podcasting Universe David, Sarah and George reflect on the legacy and influence of the biggest women’s wrestling show ever and ask whether it could ever happen again. And because we had to make it weird, each host and some very committed listeners share their own dream match card for a Big Egg 2 (Big Egg Harder? Bigger Egg? Big Egger?) Never has a wrestling show seemed quite so unhinged, and think of the ground that covers.

Find our sources, match recommendations and more in the show notes: https://www.imaintainthedoublefootstompissilly.com/big-egg-podcasting-universe-episode-15-show-notes

Big Egg Podcasting Universe Episode 15 - The End

The long-awaited sequel to our most self-indulgent and mystifyingly well-liked episode ever is finally here!  Statto and Sarah talk about their recent trip to Japan, where they took in live shows by Prominence, DIANA, Gatoh Move and TJPW.  Hear how Sarah was so eager to meet one of her heroes that she spent £35 on a towel, Statto accidentally told Chie Koishikawa that he and Sarah were husband and wife, what happened when two of their friends who had never been to live wrestling before were exposed to a Suzu Suzuki vs. Jun Kasai deathmatch.  As a special bonus, David tells of his time at the Granddaddy of Them All (the Eurovision Song Contest). 

(NOTE: This episode was recorded in May so there are some dated references.  Shocking, I know.)

The Puro Pourri Podcast Holiday Special II

It's Christmas time, there's no need to be afraid.  At Christmas time, we let in the most demented wrestling audio of 2023.  The PPP boys are here to bring you a solid hit of black tar festive cheer, as we answer your fan questions, look back on the last twelve months, pay tribute to one of the greats, once again lay bare our complete lack of contemporary puro knowledge in our Christmas quiz, see what Jolly Old Terry Riley has in his sack for us this year, and embark upon the mammoth task of trying to pick a defining wrestler for every year of the 21st century to date.  Find out what happened when a bagpipe-bothering war criminal walked into Big Vince Baker's workplace, remember the general existence of Dan "I've seen some things" Moloney, and discover the answer to the question, "Just how racist *is* WWE nowadays?"  Merry Christmas, one and all.

0:00:00 – Intro
0:05:56 – Q&A
1:25:15 – Year in Review
2:09:53 – Antonio Inoki: A Tribute
2:20:11 – Christmas Puro Quiz
2:42:15 – Terry Riley’s Personal Collection Vol.6 – Xia Li vs. Karen Q (WWE, 19 September 2018)
2:58:38 – The Baby Boy Bono-chan Awards, 2000-2023

Christmas Special 2023: O Come, O Come Emmanuel Yarbrough

Episode 4 sees the hosts begin their first story arc, as they start to explore one of the most famous and most controversial feuds in the history of puroresu - New Japan vs. UWFI.  Join George, Daniel and David as they give you the lowdown on the history of shoot style and New Japan's dalliances with martial artists, get into Street Fighter and Nuts TV, and discuss how long they think they'd have lasted in the ring with Rickson Gracie.  All this, and more, on the Puro Pourri Podcast!

Matches:
Yuji Nagata and Tokimitsu Ishizawa vs. Kazushi Sakuraba and Hiromitsu Kanehara (NJPW, 9 October 1995)
Shinjiro Otani vs. Kenichi Yamamoto (NJPW, 9 October 1995)
Takashi Iizuka vs. Yoshihiro Takayama (NJPW, 9 October 1995)

Episode 4 - NJPW vs. UWFI (I): Strong Style and Shoot Style

Join George, Daniel and David for the first in a new series called Match Microscope, in which our intrepid hosts tackle a single puro match in detail and tie it in with what it meant to Japanese pro wrestling at the time.  Then, in Part 2, the guys welcome Jamie from Dramatic DDT for an expert interview about the DDT promotion, and try to unpick the full story of this most offbeat of promotions.  Featuring George making the case for the most underrated high-flyer of his generation, the time a pork cutlet won a pro wrestling belt, the flamboyant enigma that is Danshoku Dino, and all the good cheer you've come to expect from the Puro Pourri Podcast!

Matches:
Kota Ibushi (c) vs. YOSHIHIKO (c)(KO-D Heavyweight Championship and DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship) (DDT, 25 October 2009)

Episode 8 - Match Microscope (I): Kota Ibushi vs. YOSHIHIKO (feat. Jamie from Dramatic DDT)

Strap yourselves down and force your eyelids apart with cocktail sticks, as the boys are back with their second in a trilogy of in-depth looks at classic Japanese pro wrestling matches a little off the beaten track.  This time around Daniel, David and George are hurtling back into the dim and distant past (the 1980s) to run the rule over a clash between two of the greatest technical wrestlers the Western world has ever produced.  Along the way we'll take in exactly how the UK's most terrifying geezers were produced, which Japanese women's wrestling legend has a burning desire to visit Wigan, and revisit Daniel's love of Last of the Summer Wine in what is alarmingly not a first on this show.

Matches:
Billy Robinson vs. Nick Bockwinkel (AJPW, 11 December 1980)

Episode 9 - Match Microscope (II): Billy Robinson vs. Nick Bockwinkel

Our dive into a trio of notable puro matches concludes with the last of our trilogy.  But will it be more Return of the King than Return of the Jedi?  (It's the former.)  George, Daniel and David present an in-depth look at one of the greatest displays of pro wrestling acrobatics you'll ever see, and along the way take in the genesis of Dragon Gate, class war, male pattern baldness and its role in wrestling psychology, and Daniel and George pit their wits against each other in another thinly veiled parody of a 90s British quiz show.

Matches:

Shin M2K (Dragon Kid, Masaaki Mochizuki and Kenichiro Arai) (c) vs. Crazy MAX (CIMA, Don Fujii and SUWA) vs. Do FIXER (Genki Horiguchi, Magnum TOKYO and Susumu Yokosuka) vs. Italian Connection (Condotti Shuji, Milano Connection A.T. and YOSSINO) (Four-Way Elimination Trios Match for the UWA World Trios Championship) (Toryumon, 30 August 2003)

Episode 10 - Match Microscope (III): Shin M2K vs. Crazy MAX vs. Do FIXER vs. Italian Connection

And now for something completely different as, following hot on the heels of their series on the humiliation and eventual collapse of the shoot style promotion UWFI, George, David and Daniel cover what Nobuhiko Takada and friends did next; the MMA phenomenon that was PRIDE FC.  In this first episode, the boys dip into the formation of the promotion, and review a few fights that really sum up the madness that was the early years of the company; a match where one competitor weighed nearly four times the other, an obvious fix, and a NINETY-minute classic.  Along the way your hosts get into a rock legend's questionable political views, the legendary VHS known as Dickie Bird's Greatest Cricketers, and much more besides.  Discussing MMA rather than wrestling isn't going to stop the Puro Pourri Podcast!

Matches:
Emmanuel Yarbrough (1-1) vs. Daiju Takase (0-0) (PRIDE FC, 24 June 1998)
Nobuhiko Takada (1-2) vs. Mark Coleman (6-3) (PRIDE FC, 29 April 1999)
Kazushi Sakuraba (8-1-1) vs. Royce Gracie (12-0-1) (PRIDE FC, 1 May 2000)

Episode 13 - PRIDE FC (I): Pride (In the Name of Graps)

Welcome, one and all, to the first ever Puro Pourri Podcast Christmas Special!  Join your intrepid hosts, two of whom are royally hungover and one of whom is getting steadily more wasted on cheap wine in a misguided attempt at solidarity with his stricken brethren, and see how quickly you can guess which is which.  In this cornucopia of Christmas cheer, Daniel, David and George shoot the breeze about anything and everything in their inaugural Q&A, tackling such thorny issues as time travel, the ethical dilemma of fancying someone who tried to have foreign aid money diverted to an illegal occupation army, and the best kinds of crisps.  Then it's time for a feast of festive frolics, with quizzes, challenges, Christmas wishes and gift-giving.  At some point the lads even review a wrestling match.  You'll find little puro discussion in this episode, but if you're after good Christmas vibes and a healthy smattering of slightly inebriated fun, then look no further.  God bless us, every one!

0:00:00 - How We're Spending Christmas
0:19:00 - Q&A
1:16:50 - WWE Trivial Pursuit
1:39:17 - Mr. Christmas vs. Kevin Mask (NOAH, 24 December 2011)
1:56:32 - The Queen's Speech
2:07:29 - Stardom Streamer Collection Olympics
2:32:47 - Christmas Wishes for 2018
3:02:37 - Secret Santa

Christmas Special 2017: Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire Pro

Dan has internet again, so we're back with the long-awaited (shut up) second part of our PRIDE FC retrospective.  Join George, Daniel and David for another dive into the legitimate businessman-fuelled madness that was the boom period in Japanese MMA.  We've got it all; the world's greatest pub car park fight, the most brutal German suplex outside of mid-90s AJPW, a succulent Chinese meal, and the most convoluted April Fool ever to involve a fake letter from Kensuke Sasaki's lawyers.  Get this down you, and bask in the warm glow of that good ol' Triple P.

Matches:
Don Frye (14-1) vs. Yoshihiro Takayama (0-2) (PRIDE FC, 23 June 2002)
Mirko Cro Cop (5-0-2) vs. Igor Vovchanchyn (51-7) (PRIDE FC, 10 August 2003)
Fedor Emelianenko (18-1) vs. Kevin Randleman (15-7) (PRIDE FC, 25 April 2004)
Giant Silva (1-1) vs. Naoya Ogawa (6-0) (PRIDE FC, 20 June 2004)

Episode 14 - PRIDE FC (II): When The Tache Is Semiotic

Fresh off the heels of our warmly-received Robot Wars special, that good ol' P-to-the-P-to-the-other-P brings you #FootballIsProWrestling, an irreverent look at exactly why the greatest sport in the world can be explained in terms of the greatest simulated sport.  In this, the first part of two, we cover footballers who turned their hand to pro wrestling, footballers we reckon would have excelled in the squared circle if they'd chosen to follow that path, and the greatest promos in the history of football (yes, we do talk about THAT Kevin Keegan interview).  If somehow the modern world isn't giving you a sufficiently large fix of the beautiful game, why not listen in, and find out what happens when the hosts' natural inclination to talk fitba is given free rein...?

#FootballIsProWrestling (First Leg)

The half-time oranges have been eaten and the surreptitious shots of ephedrine plugged into their arse cheeks, and the boys are back for the second part of #FootballIsProWrestling.  Hepped up on a combination of extreme tiredness (George), inebriation (Daniel) and just being Scottish (David), podcasting's greatest back three run their VAR-enhanced eyes over the most rigged football matches of all time, as well as the greatest moments and angles from the sport that may be known as football officially, but is also very much pro wrestling.  It certainly has a better claim to be wrestling than 2002 TNA.

#FootballIsProWrestling (Second Leg)

Join David and Statto for a special episode commemorating the 25th anniversary of one of the greatest wrestling matches of all time; the peerless pacing, the titanic strikes, the huge bumps, all of it.  It's 06/03/94, what else can you say?

06/03/94 - 25th Anniversary Special

Greetings grapple fans!  In this episode, David and George (sans Daniel, who is off crowdfunding for his proposed 50-foot statue of Nicky Weaver) take a hiatus from the Match Microscope series to bring the first in a special two-part look at Japanese wrestlers in British wrestling.  This edition covers three matches from the World of Sport era, in which future legends of puro, most of whom are billed as distant cousins of the very much not-Japanese Bruce Lee, tie it up with BritWres mainstays.  Along the way we'll take in Giant Haystacks height truthers, debate the most prestigious shit trophy in wrestling, quote commentator Kent Walton several hundred times, and then Statto will reference Jonathan Swift for some reason.  Prepare your respective souls to accept the gospel according to the Puro Pourri Podcast!

Matches:
Sammy Lee (Satoru Sayama) vs. Sid Cooper (Joint Promotions, 11 October 1980)
Kwik Kick Lee (Akira Maeda) vs. Giant Haystacks (Joint Promotions, 19 January 1983)
Fuji Yamada (Jushin Liger) (c) vs. Mark Rocco (World Heavy-Middleweight Championship) (All-Star Wrestling, 13 June 1987)

Episode 20 - Puro Wrestlers in the UK (I): Rollerball Rocco's Modern Life

NOTE: Daniel's sound is fairly fucked up for the first half of this.  Still, at least he's audible.

After a Christmas hiatus and many group counselling sessions after the general election, the guys are back with the concluding part of their look at Japanese wrestlers in the UK.  This episode moves from the World of Sport era into the 21st century, as David, Daniel and Statto rake over Mitsuharu Misawa's grand tour of Britain (Carluke and Coventry), agree that what seemed cutting-edge in 2015 might have lost its lustre in 2020 - Ed Miliband, for example - and try to wring a few drops more juice from the shaft of the "Is BritWres dead?" debate.  Apologies for the length of time it's taken between Parts 1 and 2, Alex Shane paid the guy delivering our new mics not to show up.

Matches:
Mitsuharu Misawa, Yoshinari Ogawa and Tiger Emperor vs. Doug Williams, 2 Cold Scorpio and James Tighe (TWC, 19 March 2005)
Kyle O’Reilly vs. KUSHIDA (RevPro, 2 October 2015)
Kay Lee Ray vs. Emi Sakura (Pro Wrestling EVE, 13 October 2018)

Episode 21 - Puro Wrestlers in the UK (II): Straight Off The Top Of My Skydome

In these tough times, the good old Triple P is stepping up to the penalty spot, ready to ripple the back of your net with a Julian Dicks-style volley of content over the coming weeks. First up on the docket is an unreleased pilot from David’s in-stasis project Purotrash with Grand Exalted Viceroy of Channel Islands World Wrestling, Patrick W Reed (@Patrick_W_Reed). David and Patrick dive headfirst into the bizarre world of wrestling on Eurosport from the late 1980s and 1990s, taking in Croatia’s greatest export that’s not named Davor Suker or Cro Cop, distorted Dutch pornography, and the bizarre apartheid sympathising of one Orig Williams. Recorded on 5 April 2019, sit back, pop your earbuds in, lie back and transport yourself to a world where you can buy any type of rice you want, and have friends round to watch all those Collective shows you spunked an entire capital portfolio of ill-gotten FITE TV credits on. Stay safe, and uphold Inokiism.

Matches:
Owen Hart vs. Colonel Brody
Mile Zrno vs. Fit Finlay

Purotrash: The Lost Episode

In the first of what will hopefully be a long-running series of interviews with luminaries of the grappling scene, mat maestro Daniel Makabe, in a chat recorded just before this year's Wrestlemania weekend, takes us through a hand-picked mixtape of his favourite puro matches, and tells us how they influenced his career and his thinking.  With a diverse array of wrestling styles covered, it's a wide-ranging discussion that was an absolute blast to record, and the tangents on punk and football are very much in keeping with the PPP ethos.  We learned a lot, and are sure you will too.

MATCHES:
4:29 - Antonio Inoki, Tatsumi Fujinami, Kengo Kimura, Kantaro Hoshino and Umanosuke Ueda vs. Akira Maeda, Nobuhiko Takada, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Osamu Kido and Kazuo Yamazaki (NJPW, 26 March 1986) - dailymotion.com/video/x60ilzd
27:53 - Akira Hokuto vs. Shinobu Kandori (AJW, 2 April 1993) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrSQyoEfAvQ
44:03 - Atsushi Onita, Katsutoshi Niiyama and Mr. Gannosuke vs. Mr. Pogo, Hideki Hosaka and The Gladiator (FMW, 25 September 1994) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDvvTsuQufw
1:06:51 -  Shinjiro Otani (c) vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (UWA World Light Heavyweight Championship) (NJPW, 17 June 1996) - https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x760nmb
1:17:56 - Mitsuharau Misawa and Jun Akiyama vs. Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue (AJPW, 6 December 1996) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1KJ102doqE
1:29:50 - Volk Han vs. Kiyoshi Tamura (RINGS, 22 January 1997) - https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1wvyj0
1:46:11 - CIMA, Curry Man and Super Boy vs. Minoru Fujita, Jody Fleisch and Shiryu II (Michinoku Pro, 21 December 1999) - https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xe1n8b
2:17:31 - Minoru Tanaka (c) vs. Takehiro Murahama (IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship) (NJPW, 20 April 2001) - https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5ozmrr
2:28:15 - Yuki Ishikawa vs. Daisuke Ikeda (Futen, 24 April 2005) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxRLkhX_yMs

A Life In Puro (I) - Daniel Makabe

Look everyone, it’s another wrestling podcast! Sarah Parkin joins George and David for a special limited series focusing on Big Egg Wrestling Universe, the legendary all-day joshi extravaganza from November 1994. This first instalment whizzes through the story of Japanese women’s wrestling and traces the Road To Big Egg, where more than 30,000 people went to a 10-hour show at the Tokyo Dome years before Wrestle Kingdom felt that long.

We’ll be putting links to watch the show online and lots of other lovely sources and info (and links for our shameless plugs) in our show notes: http://www.imaintainthedoublefootstompissilly.com/big-egg-podcasting-universe:-episode-1-show-notes/

Big Egg Podcasting Universe Episode 1 - The Road to Big Egg

A show like Big Egg Wrestling Universe takes a lot of build-up and demands some pomp and ceremony, so here we are, with David, George and Sarah bringing the pomp as we talk about the opening ceremony. Like London 2012, but with less Brunel and more Bull Nakano.

Find our sources, match recommendations and more in the show notes: http://www.imaintainthedoublefootstompissilly.com/big-egg-podcasting-universe-episode-2-show-notes/

Big Egg Podcasting Universe Episode 2 - The Opening Ceremony

You’ve been waiting for two whole episodes now; finally, some wrestling. We start our deep dive into every match at Big Egg Wrestling Universe with some of the biggest drawing stars in Japanese history - Chigusa Nagayo, Lioness Asuka and Jaguar Yokota were some of the biggest names of the 1980s, and they all made a comeback in November 1994. Meanwhile, David falls in love with a Bison. Enjoy.

Find our sources, match recommendations and more in the show notes: http://www.imaintainthedoublefootstompissilly.com/big-egg-podcasting-universe-episode-3-show-notes/

MATCHES

Match 9: Chigusa Nagayo vs. Reggie Bennett (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV_bppVFqxs)
Match 12: Lioness Asuka and Yumi Ogura vs. Jaguar Yokota and Bison Kimura (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ef9bKT2t-M)

Big Egg Podcasting Universe Episode 3 - The Legends

Episode IV: A New Hope

A long time ago in a wrestling promotion far, far away, Chigusa Nagayo had to retire. She did not approve, and a few months before Big Egg Wrestling Universe she announced a company of her own that would eventually become the next big player in joshi. Welcome to GAEA, whose first few signees are in the early matches that David, Sarah and George are tackling in this episode. Plus bonus Chaparita Asari, and who doesn’t love a Sky Twister Press?

Find our sources, match recommendations and more in the show notes: http://imaintainthedoublefootstompissilly.com/big-egg-podcasting-universe-episode-4-show-notes/

MATCHES

Match 1: Chaparita ASARI and Bomber Hikaru vs. Hiromi Sugo and Hiromi Yagi (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsalpoe5CGY)
Match 4: Suzuka Minami vs. KAORU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y20opLWbi80)

Big Egg Podcasting Universe Episode 4 - The New Breed

The Shoot. The Incident. The Split. If you love drama as much as we do, welcome to the episode where David, George and Sarah finally cover the messy history of Jackie Sato, Shinobu Kandori and the birth of LLPW from JWP. We also get to rave about some of the most violent matches on the card at Big Egg Wrestling Universe and compare Kandori’s hair with Pat Butcher.

Find our sources, match recommendations and more in the show notes: http://www.imaintainthedoublefootstompissilly.com/big-egg-podcasting-universe-episode-5-show-notes/

MATCHES

Match 10: Shinobu Kandori and Mikiko Futagami vs. Toshiyo Yamada and Tomoko Watanabe (https://youtu.be/ykz-LeJ6ZGg)
Match 11: Etsuko Mita and Mima Shimoda (c) vs. Yasha Kurenai and Michiko Nagashima (UWA Women's Tag Team Championship) (https://youtu.be/N0Or5Gb5aT4)

Big Egg Podcasting Universe Episode 5 - The Invaders

In another edition of Match Microscope, the boys finally get to talking about the contest that is, in a roundabout way, responsible for the podcast's very existence (in that Statto and an extremely steaming Daniel bonded over it at a RevPro show back in 2015).  Anti-Aging Hero Yuji Nagata takes on Akira Taue, "the ultimate mobile tree man" (copyright David Forrest), in a match where the honour of Pro Wrestling NOAH is on the line to an even greater extent, if such a thing is possible, than the Kevin Mask vs. Mr. Christmas bout we reviewed in our first Christmas Special.  And as an added bonus, there's a treat for all you quiz fans as Daniel and David once again pit their wits against each other - with varying degrees of success - as Statto challenges them to name as many wrestlers as possible who featured on NOAH's first-ever show.

Matches:
Yuji Nagata vs. Akira Taue (NOAH, 6 June 2003)

Episode 22 - Match Microscope (V): Yuji Nagata vs. Akira Taue

Sarah, David and George are back to pick up where we left off examining Big Egg Wrestling Universe, with special guest martial arts fan Zoë Boyd. While you might think the title of this episode describes our approach to podcasting in general, it’s actually a tribute to one of the odder aspects of the Big Egg card - showcasing amateur wrestling in all its grapply glory. Listen for the bonkers story of the Yamamoto family, how shoot fighting became so wrapped up with pro wrestling in Japan, and the immortal question: “Look, Zoë… is this good?”

Find out about the Yamamoto and Hamaguchi families and try to work out how the scoring works in the show notes: http://imaintainthedoublefootstompissilly.com/big-egg-podcasting-universe-episode-7-show-notes/

MATCHES

Match 6: Kyoko Hamaguchi vs. Doris Blind (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM8856bIags)
Match 7: Miyuu Yamamoto vs. Anna Gomis (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMEVsSY4hkk)
Exhibition Match: Meghna Singh vs. Nidhi Gurnani (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbzBB--LijQ)

Big Egg Podcasting Universe Episode 7 - The Amateurs (feat. Zoë Boyd)

Ever wanted to find out more about Japanese pro wrestling (puroresu) in all its variety and glory?  Of course you have!  Join Daniel, George and David for an irreverent look at the good, bad, ugly and bizarre of Japan's greatest cultural export.

The Puro Pourri Podcast

Popular tracks