Joshi

FMW History

A weekly hour long chat about pro wrestling outside of the main stream. Looking at bigger issues that effect the genre, historical profiles, major events news, previews and reviews from Japan, Mexico, and Europe. A wrestling show about the path less trodden.

The Truepenny Show

Truepenny Show - Beginners Guide To Japan

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The Truepenny Show joins the Wrestle Talk TV Podcast Network with a show looking at New Japan's New Beginnings shows, a preview of the ongoing J Cup, and the problems the company have with the departure of AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson.  James Truepenny and Alex Watt talk all things NJPW!

The Truepenny Show is a weekly podcast that looks at wider wrestling issues, historical stories, and wrestling news and reviews from the wider wrestling world. If you like Indie Wrestling, Japanese Wrestling, Lucha Libre, World of Sports or even just good old fashioned wrestling from your local town hall, it will be covered at some point on The Truepenny Show.

New Beginnings For New Japan

James Truepenny and Marcus Green look at the best and the worst gimmicks in wrestling history. What makes a good gimmick? What is believable? And what builds believablity in the other worldly characters of the pro wrestling world.

Gimmicks

How is Dallas preparing for this year's Wrestlemania? As the "Showcase of the Immortals" touches down in Jerry Jones' rhapsody in brushed steel; AT&T Stadium, we ask the important questions. What is the best way to around travel? What to see when you get there and what you can expect in Dallas should you be going, plus some good old fashioned wrestling analysis. James Truepenny talks to Dallas native Alex Hernandez of shouldersup.net in preparation for Wrestlemania 32! 

A Visitor's Guide to Wrestlemania 32

As TNA release its next series of tapings, resident Wrestletalk.tv TNA expert Marcus Green joins James Truepenny to discuss the spring signings, releases and the action from TNA's shows in Florida and discuss the companies new World's Champion; Drew Galloway.

You can subscribe to the Truepenny Show, and the other Wrestle Talk Podcast Network Shows both here and on I Tunes at https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/wrestletalk/id1086452023?mt=2#episodeGuid=tag%3Asoundcloud%2C2010%3Atracks%2F252052191


TNA Springs Into Action

"So I started an inter-gender wrestling promotion with Mad Man Pondo . . .". Pat Lucey, Co Owner of Gender Wars, is the guest on this week's Truepenny Show and to celebrate Gender War's debut card on the 12th of April, he joined James to discuss inter-gender wrestling, its politics and presentation and how he got into being a promoter. 

Gender Wars

This week's Truepenny Show breaks down into two distinct but related subjects, and has two guests to cover some big territory.

Firstly World Wonder Ring Stardom are coming to the UK this weekend and to honour this occasion, Stardom wrestler and the most successful European Joshi of ALL TIME, Alpha Female Jazzy Gabert joins James to talk, Joshi, Stradom, life in Japan, here favourite matches on this trip, the pressure and joys of working of working for a major company, her training and a little bit about what the future holds for The Alpha Female.

In Part 2 Chelsea Pollen of ShouldersUp.Net talks about her journey as a female wrestling fan. Chelsea has a unique and fascinating take on pro wrestling, she talks about her experiences about joining the Internet Wrestling Community, writing and podcasting about wrestling and what drew her too the genre.   

Alpha Female , World Wonder Ring Stardom and Being A Female Wrestling Fan

The revolution in women's wrestling these last twenty four months had to start somewhere. James Truepenny is joined by Shoulders Up's Chelsea Spollen to look at Dream Slam I, AJW's epic joint promotion with JWP, LLPW, and FMW, to find out where women's wrestling has gotten its drive from in recent years. 

They break down the card and look at its influence on the wrestling of today, its effect on Joshi, and what wrestling of that era for women in Japan was like. The pressure cooker effect of joint promotion and the high stakes, high impact matches that makes this a true "Rights of Passage" watch for all wrestling fans. So come join James and Chelsea at Yokohama Arena on the 2nd of April 1993 for what James believes is the greatest wrestling card of all time.

The Greatest Cards Of All Time; Dream Slam 1

The Truepenny Show starts a new series covering the entire history of Japanese Professional Wrestling. James is joined by Marcus Green as they tackle the emotive subject of Rikidōzan and his promotion the Japan Wrestling Alliance. They look at the cultural context that enabled this new spectacle to shine in Post War Japan, how Rikidōzan became a national hero, his promotion that set so many standards and practices for Japanese wrestling, and his influence on the wrestlers of today. 

WrestleTalk Podcast Network

The Beginner's Guide to Japanese Wrestling - Part 1 Rikidōzan & The JWA

James is joined by Chelsea Spollen of Shoulders Up to talk through the early history of Joshi, its customs and traits and the business model that created some of the most artistically pleasing wrestling of the 70s and 80s. Joshi now hits our screens via Asuka in NXT more regularly than it has ever done before, so James and Chelsea delve into the the style that has changed the way mainstream wrestling looks at women. 

The Beginner's Guide to Japan Part 2; Joshi, The Beauty Pair & Jaguar Yokota

James is joined by Chelsea Spollen of shouldersup.net to discuss the birth of New Japan Pro Wrestling. It has been over 40 years since Antonio Inoki founded the promotion and now it stands tall as the biggest in Japan and second biggest in the world. James and Chelsea guide you through the early years, the big name stars and That match with Muhammad Ali. They also look at the birth of Strong Style, and the concept that began in Europe with Karl Gotch and evolved on the world stage.

The Beginner's Guide to Japan Part 3; NJPW, Inoki & The Making of Strong Style

The Beginner's Guide to Japan continues as James is joined by Alex Edwards to look at the early days of All Japan Pro Wrestling. After the demise of the Japan Wrestling Alliance in 1972, Baba founded his own promotion and set off on a twenty year journey that would see him become one of the most artistically and financially successful promoters in the world. The development of his "King's Road" style is the subject of today's session, and how he got from a fairly conservative American style promotion, to filling Sumo Hall every month with his own hard hitting brand of wrestling, is a story well worth telling.

The Beginnner's Guide to Japan Part 4; Baba, AJPW & the Start of the King's Road

As Antonio Inoki moved on wards into the 1980s, and New Japan's grasp on big money business continued in Japan. Two wrestlers helped bring it to new heights. Riki Choshu and Tatsumi "The Dragon" Fujinami were two exceptional wrestlers that captured the hearts of the Japanese fans. James is joined by Chelsea Spollen of shouldersup.net to examine this era of Japanese wrestling.

Beginner's Guide to Japan Part 5; Choshu and Fujinami, NJPW's First Generation

James is joined by Chelsea Spollen of shouldersup.net and Marcus Green of wrestletalk.tv to discuss the Crush Gals and their epic feud with the Gokuaku Domei pairing of Dump Matsumoto & Bull Nakano, as well as the super over young tandem of The Jumping Bomb Angels. They talk about the impact all three tandems had on AJW and the WWF, as well as how it set up the next generation of Joshi as the Beginner's Guide to Japan continues.

Beginner's Guide to Japan Part 6; Crush Gals, Gokuaku Domei & Jumping Bomb Angels, AJW's Revoloution

James is joined by Chelsea to delve into the bizare world of well known Japanese politician Atsushi Onita. From his beginnings as the savior of All Japan's Junior Heavyweight division, to his first (of many) retirements and then his emergence as the King of Hardcore, the man who took the successful hybrid style of shoot wrestling and spun it on its head, applied some barbed wire and set light to it.

This is the story of the Double Hell Death Match.

The Beginner's Guide to Japan Part 10; Atsushi Onita Baba's Wayward Son

By 1990, FMW had gone from MMA curiosity, to serious Indie contender. James and Chelsea look at the rise of the company in that first twelve month period. They look at their developing Joshi division, a first for Japanese wrestling, as Combat Toyoda and Megumi Kudo light a fire under the notion of what a woman can do in a Japanese ring. Atsushi Ohnita main events against an array of opponents and delivers some of the most diverse wrestling in history. 16 year old Mascarita Sagrada pinning men more than twice his size? Check. MMA mixed tags with gloves? Check. Tarzan Goto's Mullet? its all here folks.

Beginner's Guide to Japan; FMW's First Anniversary and the Summer of 1990

James is joined by Chelsea Spollen this week as they don their safety goggles and head back to the land of Double Hell Death and two cards from FMW in 1991. The build up to the companies 2nd Anniversary Show was hampered by the departure of three company executives, and lead heel Mr. Pogo. Tales of laziness and aggravation trailed Ohnita as his early success went to his head. Can our hero pull it out of the fire? Chelsea and James go in depth on the upliftingly violent world of FMW, and of course, there are mullets galore.

The Beginner's Guide to Japanes Wrestling Part 20; FMW in 1991

James is joined by Simon Heath this week and after a big come down from the G! they return to the Beginner's Guide to Japanese Wrestling looking at FMW in 1992. FMW in '92 was a strange place, they toured Mexico and the USA, you know kinda like Japanese companies do now.  They had a heel champion who was a vaguely racist Indian stereotypical caricature, um, okay. And they had a resurgent women's division that had been held down and never given an opportunity to shine until now.  Oh yes and some odd MMA matches between World Champions and ground based fighters . . .  so essentially the predicted everything about 2017 but the Trump Presidency.

The Beginner's Guide to Japan Part 23: FMW in 1992

To celebrate Atsushi Onita's 60th Birthday, James is joined by Chelsea Spollen of shouldersup.net and Marcus Green of wrestletalk.tv to discuss FMW in 1993, their Origin and Summer Spectacular Baseball Stadium filling, blood, barbed wire and explosion extravaganzas. FMW were really hitting their stride at this point both financially and artistically. James, Chelsea and Marcus discuss the violence and the drama that made FMW such a success in such a short time.

The Beginner's Guide to Japan Part 28; FMW in '93

James is joined by Alex Watt and Alex Edwards to start a new era for the Truepenny Show by reviewing the year of 2017 in Asia.  They look at the big matches, the ongoing trends and give out the annual Truepenny Show Awards.

Asia Year in Review 2017

FMW reached a financial zenith in 1994. With an Anniversary show down looming at Kawasaki Basebal Stadium, Atsushi Onita put his career on the line to seal the sellout deal and 52,000 fans were in attendance. James is joined by Chelsea Spollen of Shoulder's Up to talk about this period of FMW's time, the artistic resonance it had with its audience and what Onita did next.

The Beginners Guide to Japan Part 33;  FMW in 1994

Atsushi Onita really did change the way pro wrestling was presented in Japan this week James Truepenny looks at his career and the start of his greatest achievement; FMW.

Telling Stories Episode 6 - The Death Match Kings

Five shows that try and give well rounded discussion to everything in wrestling around the world.

The latest show in the Truepenny Show family is All About All Japan as Christy invites guests to discuss Japan's legendary promotion and its rising stars in her own unique way. Featuring guests from across the wrestling commemorate.

The Wrestling Rewind is hosted by Darragh O’Connor and Dave Stephens as they take an in-depth look at the stories in North American pro wrestling from the previous week. They look at WWE, Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor with a wry sense of humour but go deep on the issues facing the industry in North America.

If it's wrestling and it's a little bit different, The Truepenny Show covers it. James Truepenny and his crew of wrestling experts from around the world; Chelsea Spollen, Christy of Wrestling Sexism and NJPW Gifs, Alex Watt, Alex Edwards, Marcus Green, John Dinsdale of Steel Chair Magazine, Simon Heath, Canadian Indie Expert Anna, Queen of Tokyo and DDT historian Michelle Cain take you on a journey around the pro wrestling world.

Today at . . . is James’ show where he gives a quick round up of the day's action at any given event around the world on any wrestling day. The G1, The Best of Super Juniors, World Tag League and Wrestle Kingdom week have been covered so far with more shows to look at throughout the year.

Tellin' Stories looks back at James' writing  career as he looks back on articles he had written in the past that have become relevant once again or were just a fun read, re read with notes for your listening pleasure.

Beginner's Guide to Japan; FMW's First Anniversary and the Summer of 1990

The Truepenny Show Channel