PGHW: Marching Down The Royal Road

[SomeDude03]

PGHW - Night of PRIDE - March 26, 2022

The year's first Big-4 Event, Night of Pride is to PGHW what the Supreme Challenge is to the SWF, what Total Mayhem is to TCW. It's a night where men have become Gods, where Pillars where turned to rubble, and where Gods have become men. Tonight, it will be main evented by two former Elite Series winners clashing for their 2nd tournament win, with the protege of company owner Yoshimi Mushashibo, Masaru Ugaki takes on Chojiro Kitoaji the son of one of the people who built PGHW, the the first person to ever hold the Glory Crown (a Championship he held three times times) and the person who won both the first and second Elite Series, Koryusai Kitoaji. While Chojiro doesn't have the titles his dad won, at least not yet, his battles in the tag ranks with his partner Bussho Makiguchi, along with his Elite Series win last year, have helped show that despite the accolade disadvantage, Chojiro is not entering this match as a major underdog.

As this is a match between two people in A-Block, it is a rematch. Their Night 5 encounter was one of the few matches this tournament that ended in a draw, further highlighting how evenly matched these two seem to be on paper.

Before that though, there's some matches that need to be looked over.

-Pre Show-

Pre-Show - Non-Tournament Triple Threat -  Eien Miyamoto vs Hitomaro Suzuki vs Totoya Munakata

In a match that was basically used to just get everyone on the card for the big event, Eien was able to pick up the win after making Totoya tap to the STF at 9:57, 63 Rating

 

Pre-Show - Non-Tournament 6 Man Tag - UWU (Matt Blackburn, Williams Hayes, Simon Flemmingway) vs Yuri Yoshihara, Yodo Okui, Yoritomo Arihyoshi

In what can basically be described as a foregone conclusion, the faction of Non-Japanese workers won after Blackburn took poor Yoritomo's head off with a Springboard Forearm, pinning the young lion after 7:41. 54 Rating

 

Pre-Show - Non-Tournament 10 Man Tag -  Bison & Yano, Kobayashi & Kamachi, Minoru Nakahata vs Hirokazu Yamanoue, Mamoru Nagahama, Omezo Shiktei, Stone Yoshikawa, Gonnohyoe Kada

Haranobu Kobayashi picks up the win for his team, pinning Stone in 10:05 after hitting a massive Kobayashi Plunge. 71 Rating

-MAIN SHOW-

Match 1 - Special Tournament Triple Threat - Ed Larkins (A) vs Yoshinaka Taku (B) vs Reaver (B) 

In a surprise upset, Yoshinaka Taku was able to steal the victory from Reaver, throwing him out of the ring after he hit Larkins with a Tumbleweed Splash and quickly pinning him after 11:34. 57 Rating

 

Match 2 - Non-Tournament 6 Man Tag - Shogun Watoga & Yasuda & Takimoto vs Danny Cavanagh & The Ring Generals

In a solid 15 minute match, Watoga makes his PGHW PPV debut a good one, making Cavanagh submit with his Watoga Lock. 73 Rating

 

Match 3 - PGHW Historical Champion Championship - Taheiji Konoe (C) vs Mitsunari Fugunaga

In Mitsunari's last match on his short term freelancer contract, he loses to Konoe after falling victim to the Savage Cradle DDT. Seemingly pushed by his terrible match with Hiroshi Morisue the night before, Konoe put on a solid performance against the aging Fugunaga. 71 Rating [Second Title Defense]

 

Match 4 - A-Block vs B-Block Special Match/Lucharesu vs The Royal Road - Masa Kurata (A) vs Seiji Jimbo (B)

In a a great piece of technical wrestling, Seiji was able to trap the high flyer on the ground for most of the match, eventually getting him to tap out to the Seiji Ocean Lock at 23:16. 77 Rating

 

Match 5 - Non Tournament Singles Match - SATO (Team GLORY) vs Hirotsugu Satou (The Syndicate Japan)

In a preview to the tag team match between the two factions taking place later, they would send out two of their other wrestlers to face each other, with SATO picking up the win after knocking Satou down with his Wind Sprint Elbow after 13:32. 62 Rating

 

Match 6 - PGHW International Championship - Avalanche Takano (C) vs Ryoma Muruyama

Despite the 1-time champions best attempts, the aging veteran was unable to overcome the Champion and his Mountain Takano, losing to Avalanche in a match many fans wished went longer, lasting just 16:44. 65 Rating [Sixth Title Defense]

 

Match 7 - Tournament Tag Team Mashup - Akinori Kwakami (A) & Bussho Makiguchi (B) vs Nobuyo Hikichi (A) & Shinji Mihara (B)

Despite his partners injury and lack of involvement in the match, Bussho was able to hold off his young competitors, pinning Nobuyo after hitting The Blazing Elbow at the 16:01 mark. It was obvious the lack of involvement from Kwakami made this match a bit awkward, despite the talent involved on both sides, making this encounter solid, but a bit disappointing. 64 Rating

 

Match 8 - Non Tournament Singles Match - "The Dragon" Kyoshi Muraguchi vs Noriyori Sanda

In his singles debut for PGHW, the former Mystic Dragon was taking on one of the companies' mainstays in Sanda, and while he was able to pick up the win after 21:08, his performance against the veteran didn't exactly set the world on fire, though, even off his game most people felt like he outperformed Noriyori. 64 Rating

 

Match 9 - Faction Action - Magnum Kobe (A) & Wolf Hawkins (B) (The Syndicate Japan) vs Kazushige Matsuki (A) & Kozue Kawashima (B) (Team GLORY)

For the first and maybe only time, both leaders of The Syndicate walk out together to Magnum Kobe's 80s song of the month, Touched by the Hand of God by New Order.

Despite an incredible effort from Kawashima, his partner, the obvious weak link of the four men in this match, even with Wolf only having one working eye at the time, just couldn't withstand the onslaught from The Syndicate. After Wolf was able to knock Kawashima off the apron and hit a Full Moon Rising on the outside, it was just a matter of time until Kobe was able to put Matsuki down with his Magnum Deathlock. While the match was good, the injury to Wolf and keeping Kawashima out of the ending took away from it. 73 Rating

 

Match 10 - Non Tournament Singles Match - Shozo Furuta (Team GLORY) vs Goemon Komiya

Shozo was able to beat the veteran in a match that many see as simply something to give people a break before the Elite Series Final. At the 6:48 mark he was able to hit Goemon with a good looking Lariat Clothesline. 62 Rating

 

ELITE SERIES FINAL

Masaru Ugaki (A-Block Winner) vs Chojiro Kitoaji (A-Block Runner-Up)

From the moment the bell rang they threw everything they had at each other. A rematch from earlier in the tournament, the two knew each others moves like the back of their hand, spending 20 of the matches first minutes mostly countering each others moves between throwing bombs at each other, but eventually stamina started catching up with both of them. They could match each other offensively, Ugaki had an advantage on the ground but while standing Chojiro had the slight edge, but defensively it was another story. Maybe it was the five extra minutes he had compared to Ugaki in his semifinal match the night before, maybe it was the experience gap, or maybe it was the expectations he put on himself, but Chojiro couldn't hold Ugaki off, getting hit with an Arc Kick at 33:21.

1.....2......kickout. Relying just on instinct Kitoaji was able to kick out of the move that had spelt doom for so much of the tournament. Ugaki tried to shake this off, but it was obvious from the way he was striking at this point, he wasn't sure if he could keep Kitoaji down. For another 8 minutes the two men continued to try and break each other until Ugaki went for another Arc Kick, a move Chojiro was able to dodge, hitting the ropes and before Ugaki could even put his leg down he was hit with a tired, but still devastating, Kitoaji Lariat.

1.....2......3. In 41:49, Chojiro Kitoaji was able to keep Ugaki down, winning Back-to-Back Elite Series.

In a short post match angle, his father Koryusai Kitoaji made an increasingly rare appearance. After helping pick his exhausted son up off the floor, pulling him into a hug, he just had a few words, roughly translated as "Bring that title home"

August 2022, Night Of Honour Main Event: Whoever Holds The Glory Crown vs Chojiro Kitoaji

Overall Rating: 87

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Post-Show Press Conference: Brought to you by PWLive.com's Puro News Department.

Q: How concerned are you by the 'off night' that Marv Statler had? Do you consider him to be too unreliable to trust?

A: Look, Marv's been here for years, you've seen him put on great matches. I am confident that this was a one off.

Q: It seems like everyone agrees that PGHW Night Of PRIDE has been a successful show. What are your thoughts now that it's over?

A: On nights like this, seeing matches like I saw tonight, I'm proud to say that I work for this company. I'm honoured to be able to work with such an incredible group of wrestlers. This show was a huge success, everyone in that locker room, from the wrestlers to the referees should be proud.

Q: We saw Masa Kurata have an off night tonight. Is his inconsistency going to hold him back in PGHW?

A: First off, he doesn't even work for us, but even if he did, No. If you've seen his work in World Level you know how good he is. Even tonight with his so called "off night" you saw him put on a great match with Seiji Jimbo. I'm sure this was a one off.

Q: Doppo Ibu is coming to the end of his current deal. Will he still be in PGHW six months from now?

A: If he'll sign, yes. He is a part of the PGHW Family, he's 100% getting offered a new deal.

Q: You hired Minoru Nakahata recently, how do you see him fitting on the roster?

A: This is a guy who had solid showings in VWA, the same company that helped train guys like Shinji Mihara and Shozo Furuta. The sky's the limit for him, but he's young and we have a very competitive roster, so it's up to how hard he works, but I have no doubt he'll be successful.

Q: How worried are you that Danny Cavanagh is risking his health by continuing to wrestle despite having a bad wheel? Surely one bad bump is going to be catastrophic?

A: Bad wheel? Is that an American expression? Oh, wait, I get it. Look, as someone who's dealt with his own fair share of injuries, I get it. The last thing I want is for any of these guys to get hurt. Right now, he's wrestling in matches that'll hopefully keep him protected.

Q: Looking at your competition, do you have any comments to make about Tadiyuki Kikkawa, the CEO of BHOTWG?

A: I thought you'd never ask! If it wasn't for Kikkawa stepping in as Burning Hammer's CEO, I'd probably be at home right now. He and I have always been like two ships in the night, considered two of the best to ever do it, but never crossing paths, and I'm happy I've been able to take this competition between us from the ring to the boardroom. I respect him, and from everything I've seen as an observer, I think he's doing a great job with BHOTWG.

[SomeDude03]

Updates before the Fortitude Tour Tour, April 2022

Roster:

Unsurprisingly, none of the special guests for the Elite Series returned for PGHW this month. This month, 3 tag teams from 3 different companies were brought in.

Samoan Destruction Inc., made up of Rhino Umaga and Samoan Machine. These 4-time tag champs for Golden Canvas Grappling have both already been on tour in Japan this year, with Rhino Umaga having one tour with SAISHO and Samoan Machine having two. While you can argue both are past their prime, they've been putting on solid performances in the U.S. for years at this point, and both of them turned the clock back during their short stints with SAISHO. They obviously aren't future champions, they may never see a PGHW ring again after April, but it's nice to see former mainstays in Japan finally get a chance to perform in a PGHW ring. Both work for PSW.

The Past Masters, the team "The Sandman" Henry Winks and "The Historian" David Barker. Two young wrestlers, one at 23 and one at 26, are finally making their first appearances outside their home promotion. While neither of them have the wrestling skills to really set the world on fire yet, they're solid, especially for their age, and if either of them manage to have their skills grow to match their star quality, they could become big stars no matter which company they end up at. In their short careers, they've already won the MAW Tag Team Championship once, with Barker also being the reigning MAW Atlantic American Champion. A solid team, this may not be the last you see of them in PGHW. Both work for MAW.

The Bern Boys, VWA's top tag team unit of Fabian Schwarz and Hans Piccard. Take almost everything that was said about The Past Masters, change references of MAW to VWA, and make them even younger and you get The Bern Boys. At just 23 and 22 respectively, neither one of them should be anywhere near their prime, as shown by the lack of in-ring skills, but both have the potential to be Europe's next big star. Back when they were on excursion, Shinji Mihara & Shozo Furuta had a great feud with The Bern Boys, and while they've since gone their separate ways in PGHW, there's hope that at least one of those two will be able to recapture that magic with a different partner. Lastly, during their time in VWA they have managed to become 2 Time VWA Tag Team Champions. Both work for VWA.

On the permanent signing end, PGHW brought in three new members for their roster.

"The Red Devil" Viktor Beskov. A man who's win multiple words as "Best Impactful Wrestler", it's a wonder that Beskov is so good at Puroresu despite never stepping foot in Japan. Wrestling since 2012, Beskov has been getting comparisons to PGHW Hall of Famer Raymond Diaz for the entire decade he's been in the business, and at just 29 years old, working in the same company Raymond did, it seems more likely than ever that he will reach them. Primarily a tag wrestler in his former promotion 21CW, him and his partner Yuri Iliakov won the 21st Century Tag Team Championship four times, and chances are, despite Yuri currently sticking with the U.K. (contract does not expire until August), and rumours that PGHW may not sign his partner at all, Beskov will probably start in a similar position in PGHW. Someone who should be handled with care, especially at the start, Beskov genuinely has potential to be this generation's Dread if PGHW plays their cards right. His 6 year, 55,000 dollar contract doesn't start until April 17, so he'll end up missing at least the first few shows of this tour.

"Big Bruiser" Findlay O'Farraday. Previously under contract with BCG for 8 years, rumors are that Findlay was brought in to at least temporarily team with Beskov. Standing at 6'7, weighing over 320 pounds, Findlay contrasts with a lot of men his size because he can actually wrestle. Just like Beskov, Findlay is a guy who's ability to physically dominate his opponents is comparable to old foreign stars in Japan like Diaz, Dread, and Pistol Pete Hall. Before joining BCG in 2014, he wrestled for MAW, winning the Mid Atlantic Tag Team Championship once with Ricky Douglas, the Sam Keith Classic once with BHOTWG Star Matthew Keith, the Rip Chord Invitational Challenge twice in back-to-back years, and winning the Mid Atlantic Championship three times. While in BCG, O'Farraday surprisingly never won the big one, potentially a reason why he agreed to leave, but did win their Challenger Series Championship once and the BCG World Tag Team Championship once with Animal Harker. While he's aging some, there's a chance that O'Farraday finally reaches true international stardom before he starts declining.

"Shadow Moses" Tsuneyo Yanagimoto. One of the top stars for EXODUS for almost 12 years, Yanagimoto finally jumped ship, but not the company everyone expected. A career Junior Heavyweight, though not quite as small as recent signing Kyoshi Muraguchi, Tsuneyo has a frame that looks like he could put on a bit more weight, and if he does and it doesn't weaken his other in-ring skills, he has potential to be one of PGHW's biggest stars within the next few years. At just the age of 33, he's won the EXODUS All-Asia Junior Heavyweight Championship once, the EXODUS Junior Heavyweight Grand Prix three times, and the EXODUS World Junior Heavyweight Championship four times, with his last reign ending just four days before he makes his first apperance for PGHW. 

Random News from Other Companies:

 After (almost) 5 years unsigned, Monday Next is once again working for a company in Oceania, signing a handshake contract with ZEN. Interestingly enough, this move came just two months after Monday worked a tour for BCG in February, finally achieving his goal of working for a named promotion in Japan. Maybe the first major star ZEN has ever brought in, Monday is a massive coup for the small New Zealand promotion, the question is now how long can they keep him before RAW possibly comes knocking to bring him back.

 Willy LaRoux has won RIPW's March To Victory tournament, showing that the Eisen's may have big things down the line for the Cajun Sensation.

 In shocking news from March, the manager Vita suffered a drug overdose, though she thankfully survived. The wrestling world wishes the best for her and her boyfriend T-Bone Bright during this difficult time.

 A massive defection from the rising Canadian power, Cameron Vessey has signed a multi-year contract with the SWF, one of the companies his dad worked for that he didn't win a Tag Team Championship in.

 Sad news out of Pro Wrestling SAISHO, just a month after winning the A-1, Zeshin Makioka suffered a medium concussion that'll keep him out of action for the next few months.

 Another defection between these two companies at war, BHOTWG signed Monkey Maraguchi from WLW.

 In another decent signing, BHOTWG picked up Bash Street who USPW decided not to re-sign. Relatively green right now, the intimidating worker has potential to grow into yet another foreign goliath for Burning Hammer.

 

Edited August 9 by SomeDude03

[SomeDude03]

Hey, so just wanted to say I appreciate all the reactions these posts have been getting while I was gone! Glad the Elite Series was just as successful on here as it was in-game! If any of y'all feel like answering, do you think you prefer what I did with the Elite Series, actually writing the stuff out on the forum, or the Canva images I've made to summarize stuff? 

 

Anyway, I went to a concert last night and just got back home, gonna spend the rest of the day resting. You'll at least be getting the Fortitude Tour tomorrow, maybe more depending on how much I feel like playing. 

[SomeDude03]

Night of Fortitude will be posted within the next few hours!

[SomeDude03]

PGHW - Night of FORTITUDE - April 24, 2022

-Pre Show-

Pre-Show - Tag-Team Match - The Ring Generals (Dean Waldorf & Marv Statler) vs Young Lions (Yodo Okui & Yoritomo Arihyoshi)

Statler pinned Yoritimo after 7:26. The outright terrible performances from both young lions is sparking rumours that they may each be sent on a very early, quite long excursion. 51 Rating

Pre-Show - 8-Man Tag - Omezo Shikitei, Goemon Momiya, Eien Miyamoto, Stone Yoshikawa vs The Bern Boys (Fabian Schwarz & Hans Piccard) & The Past Masters (David Barker & Henry Winks)

Eien submits Fabian after 7:43 in a solid match that was able to showcase the two young teams decently well. Of the four, Winks was a big standout, giving a performance that was equitable to some of the veterans on the PGHW team. 63 Rating

Pre-Show - Tag-Team Match - Brothers In Vengeance (Hiroshi Morisue & Battle Sakata) vs Hirobumi Takimoto & Tetsunori Yasuda

Hirobumi pins Sakata after just 5:13 in a terrible match that was basically just done to get the PGHW team on the card. Chances are, this will be the last time you ever see Morisue or Sakata in a PGHW ring, something some fans wish would've happened after Morisue's terrible performance against Konoe. 49 Rating

-MAIN SHOW-

Match 1 - PGHW Historical Japan Championship - Taheiji Konoe (C) vs Ryoma Muruyama

Taheiji wins a solid match against the veteran, pinning Ryoma after his devastating Savage Cradle DDT at 15:53. While Taheiji has continued to improve improve during his stint in PGHW, this match highlighted Ryoma's obvious decline and potential incoming push far down the card. 62 Rating [Third Title Defense]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 2 - Tag Team Match - Decimation (Viktor Beskov & Findlay O'Farrday) vs Samoan Destruction Inc. (Samoan Machine & Rhino Umaga)

In a surprisingly great match, the team of Decimation, making their official debut together, was able to beat the Samoan team in an all-out brawl that went for 10:22 after Beskov locked the Red Devil Lock on Samoan Machine. 68 Rating

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 3 - Eight Man Tag - UWU (Reaver, William Hayes, Matt Blackburn, Simon Flemmingway) vs Spyder Yakuta, Hirokazu Yamanoue, Danny Cavanagh, Gonnohyoe Kada

Blackburn pinned Spyder, who appeared backstage asking for a match, after 8:46 when he hit him with a Springboard Forearm. 56 Rating

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 4 - PGHW Glory Tag Crown - Kwakami & Sanda vs KazuSATO (Kazushige Matsuki & SATO)

Akinori Kwakami, who finally recovered after his injury last month, made SATO tap out at 13:47 after locking in the Kwakami Pain Lock in a solid match. 71 Rating [Fourth Title Defense]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 5 - PGHW International Championship - Avalanche Takano (C) vs Shinji Mihara

Given this title shot because he pinned Takano during the Elite Series, Shinji was able to repeat his success, catching Takano off guard at the 21:04 mark after Avalanche spent most of the match in control, winning his first championship in the company. 72 Rating [Title Change]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 6 - Team GLORY (Kozue Kawashima & Shozo Furuta) vs BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi

In a surprisingly short match for something involving the Ace, Kawashima did what everyone expected and pinned BISON after hitting him with the Kawashima Driver 2005 after 16:15. 73 Rating

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Match 7 - 6-Man Tag - Kyoshi Muraguchi, Shogun Watoga, Tsuneyo Yanagimoto vs Hitomaru Suzuki, Totoya Munakata, Hirotsugu Satou

In what'll probably be the last of these unofficial "new signing showcase" matches, at least for Kyoshi, the six men were able to put on a surprisingly good match, with Kyoshi picking up the win after making Munakata tap at 8:33. 70 Rating

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 8 - Singles Match - Minoru Nakahata vs Mamoru Nagahama

Minoru wins a bad match against the aging Mamoru after 7:35 after hitting him with a Death Valley Driver. Mamoru seems to be yet another wrestler who may not be getting another contract when his runs out, especially if he continues to complain backstage about having to put over younger, and more importantly, better wrestlers. 49 Rating

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Match 9 - 6-Man Tag - KitoGuchi (Bussho Makiguchi & Chojiro Kitoaji) & Seiji Jimbo vs Haranobu Kobayashi, Tsurayuki Kamachi, Nobuyo Hikichi

In a solid 6 man tag, Jimbo was able to make Kamachi tap out with his Ocean Lock after 13:38, despite suffering a swollen calf muscle during the match. 76 Rating

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PGHW GLORY CROWN

Magnum Kobe (C) vs Masaru Ugaki

Having beaten Kobe during their A-Block match for the Elite Series, these two facing off once again was a foregone conclusion, and without the 20 minute time limit holding them back it did not disappoint. For 32:12 minutes the two of them kept the wrestling world in the palm of their hands, with both men seemingly have the other beat multiple times throughout the match, only for a dramatic kick out to shock the audience. Eventually, Ugaki's missed Arc Kick led to him getting caught by the move that has beaten many men in both WLW and PGHW, getting hit with The Glorious Red and losing to the Champion. 92 Rating [First Title Defense]

As Kobe was walking up the ramp after the match, Konoe and Mihara joined him, with all three holding up their singles titles, showing the grip The Syndicate Japan has managed to take over PGHW over just four months. 

Overall Rating: 90

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Post-Show Press Conference: Brought to you by PWLive.com's Puro News Department.

Q: Hirotsugu Satou was off his game tonight; how disappointed are you in his inconsistency?

A: Despite how long he's been around, he's still young, I know he'll become more consistent as time goes on. I have faith in him.

Q: It seems like everyone agrees that PGHW Night of FORTITUDE has been a successful show. What are your thoughts now that it's over?

A: Like I said last month, we have an incredible group of wrestlers, and I'm delighted that they were able to go out there and put on a great show tonight.

Q: How are you intending to use your new signing Findlay O'Farraday

A: We have a very competitive roster so it will be down to how well he fits in and how hard he works, but this is a guy who I've been watching for years, even while he was still in the U.S, I have no doubts in his ability to become a major piece of PGHW. 

Q: BISON Yano is coming to the end of his current deal. Will he still be in PGHW six months from now?

A: I'm not sure, it depends on a lot of things, like his wage demands.

Q: Unfortunately Seiji Jimbo sustained an injury. Any thoughts?

A: I know Seiji, and from what our doctor's have said this isn't bad at all. You saw how he still performed despite it. He'll probably recover quickly and be back to 100% in time for our Night of GLORY next month.

Edited August 20 by SomeDude03

[SomeDude03]

Sorry for another one of these, but I haven't been feeling super well post-concert so I just haven't really felt like writing stuff up. Felt a bit better today so hopefully sometime tomorrow or the next day I'll be able to start back up! 
 

 

[alpha2117]

2 hours ago, SomeDude03 said:

Sorry for another one of these, but I haven't been feeling super well post-concert so I just haven't really felt like writing stuff up. Felt a bit better today so hopefully sometime tomorrow or the next day I'll be able to start back up! 
 

 

Just wanted to say I am loving this and get well soon.

[SomeDude03]

2 minutes ago, alpha2117 said:

Just wanted to say I am loving this and get well soon.

I really appreciate it! And thank you, at this point I'm thinking it's just my allergies deciding to act up again because it's pretty much just devolved into a stuffy nose and a bit of a headache at this point, which isn't great, but could be worse lol.

The few days off has definitely given me some motivation though, glad there's still a place for some PGHW-focused stuff even with them getting what looks like a bit less attention from players this go-around. 

[BornToFail]

Glad to see a PGHW dynasty pop up so soon, just caught up! After a long PGHW save in 2020 I probably won't be coming back to them in a while but it's still cool to read about the crew. Also, as someone who hasn't gotten "used to" the HTML formatting in dynasties (weird of me, I know), the Canva based posts are eye-catching and really fit the feel of the company. 

On a more geeky note, I know having basically an undercard match so high up is done for gameplay purposes to cool down the crowd a bit, but it is really jarring compared to the usual puro card formatting. 

Shame to see Muruyama starting to decline, he was in real warrior in my 2020 save, not declining even as we entered 2027. Also hoping that the young future core develops well enough, excited to see where guys like Yoshihara, Blackburn, Hikichi, Furuta, Nakahata and the lads on excursion end up (assuming by his push, Mihara is already well ahead of the pack). 

While I probably won't be commenting or dropping a reaction that often (poor forum behaviour of me), just wanted to let you know that you're doing a good job, keep it up! 

[SomeDude03]

3 hours ago, BornToFail said:

Glad to see a PGHW dynasty pop up so soon, just caught up! After a long PGHW save in 2020 I probably won't be coming back to them in a while but it's still cool to read about the crew. Also, as someone who hasn't gotten "used to" the HTML formatting in dynasties (weird of me, I know), the Canva based posts are eye-catching and really fit the feel of the company. 

On a more geeky note, I know having basically an undercard match so high up is done for gameplay purposes to cool down the crowd a bit, but it is really jarring compared to the usual puro card formatting. 

Shame to see Muruyama starting to decline, he was in real warrior in my 2020 save, not declining even as we entered 2027. Also hoping that the young future core develops well enough, excited to see where guys like Yoshihara, Blackburn, Hikichi, Furuta, Nakahata and the lads on excursion end up (assuming by his push, Mihara is already well ahead of the pack). 

While I probably won't be commenting or dropping a reaction that often (poor forum behaviour of me), just wanted to let you know that you're doing a good job, keep it up! 

Glad you like the Canva posts! I'm still tinkering with it some (I'm thinking tour updates on Canva, PPV cards as text posts, but it may just depend on how I'm feeling that day) but I'm definitely going to keep using them. And completely understand your comments about lower-card matches being higher up on the card, I've been trying to find ways around it and I'm considering just getting rid of the penalties in the game rules for the sake of realism. 

And Muruyama's decline definitely wasn't something I was expecting. I was hoping to at least get a good year out of him but I guess the destiny rolls had other ideas. I'm glad guys like Kwakami and Kawashima at least escaped time decline at the start. I've got big plans for some of the younger guys, Shinji is definitely the one who's developing the fastest but Hikichi, Furuta, and Blackburn aren't far behind, and if Nakahata can start catching up, being the most recent guy to return from excursion and all, he'll probably quickly enter that group as well. And no worries with not reacting or commenting a lot, the feedback in your reply here was more than enough! 

 

In other news, I do feel better today outside of a slight headache so chances are Glory Tour and Night of Glory should be out sometime tonight! 

[SomeDude03]

Updates before the GLORY Tour Tour, May 2022

Roster:

The Samoan Pit Bulls, made up of Akima Brave & Toma. On tour from WLW, they've been brought in as part of PGHW's International Tag Team Championship tournament. SWF Alumni, the pair are 4 Time Tag Team Champions, having won it twice in the SWF, and twice in WLW (they currently hold the WLW Tag Team Championship, having won it last month). While neither can make any claim to being the best wrestler on Earth by any means, they are solid in-ring workers who should be a nice addition to the tournament, even if they don't end up lasting in it especially long. Akima Brave is also a former FCW People's Champion. Both work for WLW.

"The Assassin Of The Squared Circle" Ernest Youngman. Returning to PGHW for his second tour of the year, he massively impressed during his previous month-long stint with the company, putting on incredible technical matches with a lot of the roster (his match with Masaru Ugaki was a specific highlight). At just 29 years old, Ernest is one of the few wrestlers on Earth who can be compared to the owner of PGHW, Yoshimi Mushashibo. With a technical wrestling track record that looks like it'd belongs in Four Pillars Era PGHW or NOTBPW, if he manages to continue to impress the higher ups in PGHW, there's a chance that you'll be seeing a lot more of him very soon. Works for PSW.

"The Brummie Behemoth" Quake. Maybe the most interesting wrestler PGHW has brought on tour so far this year, Quake isn't exactly a ring general. Outside of brawling it's difficult to argue that Quake belongs in a wrestling ring in general, let alone a PGHW ring, but at just 23, and standing at a very intimidating 6'7, weighing 332, Quake has the potential to become a solid scary foreigner who lacks in ring skills in the same vein as wrestlers like Marat Khoklov or Gargantuan. Interesting enough, despite never working with him in his life, Quake has been brought in to team with fellow wrestler on tour Ozman (Original Sinner) for the International Tag Team tournament. While they'll probably be a first round loss who spend the rest of the tour in multi-mans, their appearence in the tournament should hopefully highlight the title's new position in the company, which is a prize that wrestlers on tour will actually have a chance to win. He's only ever won a single title in his career, having held the VWA Swiss Championship once. He's also had two previous tours in Japan with BCG. Currently works for VWA & DSPW.

"Original Sinner" Ozman. A second generation big man from the U.S, the son of Primal Rage lacks a lot in the in-ring department, but just like Quake he makes up for it in size, also standing at 6'7. While he's never gotten a contract anywhere, he's been looked as someone with a lot of potential since entering wrestling, and there's a lot of hope that this tour in Japan may finally be the catalyst for a company to pick him up. Free Agent.

"The Omega Man" Harvey Robbinfield. A graduate from TCW's School Of Pro Wrestling, Harvey contrasts from the previous two in that he actually has some solid wrestling ability, being a solid brawler and technical wrestler. While he won't do anything spectacular in ring by any means, he has potential to be a big surprise this tour, especially if he gets a chance to showcase himself against some of PGHW's good technical talent. While he hasn't been brought in to be a part of the International Tag Team Championship tournament, he does have some experience in tag divisions, having won the Mid Atlantic Tag Team Championship with Seth Whitehead while he was signed to MAW for his developmental deal with TCW. Free Agent.

Outside of touring, there's a few more roster updates for PGHW.

"The Adonis" Mark Addison. In a massive shock to a lot of the wrestling world, 21CW decided not to re-sign Mark Adonis, leading to him unexpectantly signing a 6-month deal with PGHW that many are describing as a "prove it contract". He is by no means a classic PGHW worker, having minimal in-ring abilities outside of a solid ability to brawl and decent technical wrestling chops, but he's incredibly young and just oozes star quality. Signings like Addison and Beskov have many wondering if PGHW may eventually try and get a foothold in the UK, something that could potentially be massive with much of the islands being a "wrestling wasteland" outside of spots like Wigan and London. SNP Owner Mark Carnie was said to be furious after the signing, as he hoped he would be able to bring Mark in as a way to stick it to 21CW. 

Yoritomo Arihyoshi and Yodo Okui have both been sent on excursion, with Yoritomo, the smaller of the two, getting sent to New Zealand based promotion ZEN in hopes that his 5'8 frame and solid entertainment skills will get sharped in the promotion. Yodo ended up being sent to PGHW's new American excursion partner, PSW, with the hope that they'll be able to at least refine the big man somewhat during his 3 years overseas. 

BISON Yano's contract is coming up, and reports are that PGHW isn't willing to offer a lot to keep him around. Whether or not he ends up sticking with them or going somewhere else is still up in the air, but there's no guarantee that the three time Glory Tag Crown Champion and one time Elite Tag Team Series winner will be staying with the promotion he's spent the better part of 9 years with.

Other PGHW News:

Former BCG booker and PGHW alumni Masayuki Shiga sadly passed on May 2nd at the age of 57. Having worked with the company for 10 years between 2001 and 2011, being an important trainer for the company and a two-time holder of the Historical Japan Championship, he was inducted into their Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into BCG's Hall of Fame for his contributions while serving as head booker. One of the unsung heroes of Japanese Wrestling, he'll be sorely missed by the multiple generations of wrestlers who had the chance to learn from him.

Random News from Other Companies:

 TCW wrestler Roderick Remus has suffered a torn quad and will be out of action for a year. A massive blow for a guy who was finally building up some steam in one of America's Big 3.

 21CW's Cornell Cup was won by Leigh Burton and Roly Muckletruck. A big victory for the makeshift team.

 Black Canvas Grappling's major tournament, the Yoshifusa Maeda Grand Prix, happened last month and was won by their ace Funakoshi. His fourth time winning the tournament, he continues to prove why they built the company around him. BCG also found their next booker after Shiga's passing, with them bringing in former BHOTWG veteran and fan favorite Kansuke Konda in to fill the position, a move that shocked many who assumed they'd have an in-house hire take the job.

 In what will surely be one of the most controversial moves in indie wrestling this year, former IPW Champion Lug Phelan has jumped ship to the company's arch rivals, GSW. 

 BHOTWG Junior Heavyweight Masakazu Kaima suffered a herniated disc and will be out for a year recovering. A bit of a blow to the company, but most expect their stacked Junior Division to be able to make up for it. In other news, Atsumori Takemura beat Takayuki 2000 to start his 2nd reign with the BHOTWG Japan Championship.

 USPW wrestler Eddie Howard suffered an Achilles tear and will be out of action for a year, a major blow to the already aging star.

[SomeDude03]

PGHW International Tag Team Championship Tournament

Decimation (Viktor Beskov & Findlay O'Farraday) vs The Ring Generals (Dean Waldorf & Marv Statler) - Night 1

The Samoan Pit Bulls (Akima Brave & Toma) vs Haranobu Kobayashi & Tsurayuki Kamachi - Night 3

Matt Blackburn & William Hayes vs OzQuake (Ozman & Quake) - Night 5

BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi vs Reaver & Simon Flemmingway - Night 7

Winner of Match 1 vs Winner of Match 2 - Night of GLORY

Winner of Match 3 vs Winner of Match 4 - Night of GLORY

Semifinal Winner vs Semifinal Winner - Night of GLORY

Edited August 15 by SomeDude03

[SomeDude03]

MASSIVE NEWS FROM BCG - PWLive.com Puronews

In a shocking turn of events, former Yoshifusa Maeda Grand Prix Winner Blast Ikoma & rising star Yoshinaka Taku have both been released by the company, and, with a few days passing without any other releases, it looks that they will be the only victims of the roster cuts. While the interest for Ikoma has been minimal at best, many are wondering if Taku's free agency will start a bidding war. 

Many are a wondering why those two roster members specifically have been released. Blast Ikoma, being one of BCG's mainstays, was expected to have a contract with the company until he retired, and Yoshinaka Taku looked like someone who they were planning to build around. There are two main rumors for the releases, with the first being that this was a simple cost-cutting measure by the new booker, while the second, specifically focusing on Taku, states that he told Konda he wanted out of his contract to join PGHW, the company he had a major showcase in the Elite Series with and where his dad works. 

-OOC-

As someone who's had difficulty booking Ikoma before I get that one, but why in the name of God would they release Yoshinaka? I'm not complaining obviously, but it just doesn't make sense.

In other news, I won't be able to get out the tour update post tonight but it should be out tomorrow. I just wanted to update you guys with this because it's just very interesting.

[SomeDude03]

[SomeDude03]

PGHW - Night of GLORY - May 22nd, 2022

-Pre Show-

Pre-Show - 8-Man Tag - The Dads (Hirokazu Yamanoue, Mamoru Nagahama, Gonnohyoe Kada) vs OzQuake (Ozman & Quake) & Simon Flemmingway

Mamoru wins after 7:49 with Simon Flemmingway giving the standout performance of the match and Quake putting on a surprisingly good performance. 58 Rating

Pre-Show -Singles Match - Hirotsugu Satou vs Harvey Robbinfield

Hirotsugu wins a solid match between the two at 8:58. 62 Rating

-MAIN SHOW-

Match 1 - International Tag Team Championship Tournament Semifinals - Decimation (Viktor Beskov & Findlay O'Farraday) vs The Samoan Pit Bulls (Akima Brave & Toma)

In a short but solid brawl, Viktor Beskov was able to get Akima Brave to submit to the Red Devil Lock at 7:38, booking Decimation's place in the Finals of the tournament. 70 Rating

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 2 - Singles Match - Shogun Watoga vs Ernest Youngman

In another great showcase for Ernest Youngman, he falls victim to Shogun's Watoga Lock at 14:48. Having yet another incredible performance, it seems like a matter of time before PGHW tries to bring him in on a full time basis, unless one of America's Big 3 or their Japanese rival BHOTWG's tries to sign him first. 75 Rating

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 3 - International Tag Team Championship Tournament Semifinals - William Hayes & Matt Blackburn vs BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi

In another good, but short, match, Yano & Kikuchi were able to pull out the victory at 8:50 when William Hayes got caught with the Stereo Choke Slam. This sends Brute & Bison to the Finals of the tournament to face Decimation. 70 Rating

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 4 - Six-Man Tag - Yoshinaka Taku, Tsuneyo Yanagimoto, Minoru Nakahata vs Stone Yoshikawa, Totoya Munakata, Goemon Komiya

In a fun, fast-paced match, PGHW's team of 3 newer signings were able to pull out the win, with Yoshinaka Taku pinning Goemon at 10:36 after hitting a nasty Full Nelson Bomb. Tsuneyo Yanagimoto continues to disappoint compared to some of the hype he had when he was brought in. 70 Rating

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 5 - Singles Match - Nobuyo Hikichi vs Danny Cavanagh

Nobuyo was able to make Cavanagh submit at 7:53 after locking in the Cross Armlock. 67 Rating

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 6 - Tag Team Match - KitoGuchi (Chojiro Kitoaji & Bussho Makiguchi) vs Team GLORY (SATO & Shozo Furuta)

In an incredible match, KitoGuchi was able to come out on top against Kozue Kawashima's faction members, with Bussho pinning Shozo after hitting the Blazing Elbow. Despite the loss, this was an incredible showcase for the youngster and shows just how far he's developed since him and Shinji Mihara split up. 85 Rating

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 7 - Historical Japan Championship - Taheiji Konoe (C) vs Kazushige Matsuki

In the first of tonight's Championship matches, Taheiji Konoe was able to get Kazushige to submit despite cracking his tail bone during the match. 62 Rating [Fourth Title Defense]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 8 - International Tag Team Championship Tournament Final - Decimation (Viktor Beskov & Findlay O'Farraday) vs BISON Yano & Brute Kikuchi

In what is realistically their final match together as a team, Yano & Kikuchi unsurprisingly put on a strong performance, but just couldn't keep up with PGHW's new signings. Like everyone else who's faced him in a PGHW ring, BISON Yano just couldn't compete against "The Last Emperor" Viktor Beskov, eventually falling victim to his Red Devil Lock and tapping at 14:44. 71 Rating [Title Change]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 9 - Singles Match - Masaru Ugaki vs Seiji Jimbo

Despite Seiji's slight hamstring injury, the two of them were able to go out there and put on an incredible technical match, with Seiji eventually having to tap to the Ugaki Clutch at 24:30. 90 Rating

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 10 - International Championship - Shinji Mihara (C) vs Ryoma Muruyama

Shinji wins in a solid but short showdown between the two, eventually catching the aging Muruyama with a Spinning Elbow Strike at 14:58. Once again, Ryoma massively underperformed in this match. 70 Rating [First Title Defense]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 11 - Special Glory Tag Crown Championship 4-Way Tag Team Match - Akinori Kwakami & Noriyori Sanda (C) vs Haranobu Kobayashi & Tsuyaruki Kamachi vs Tetsunori Yasuda & Hirobumi Takimoto vs The Ring Generals

In a solid, but chaotic match, Akinori Kwakami & Noriyori Sanda were once again able to escape with the Tag Team Championship after 18:21. 74 Rating [Fifth Title Defense]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 12 - Singles Match - Kozue Kawashima vs Kyoshi Muraguchi

In a dream match pitting one of Burning Hammer's greatest Junior Heavyweights against the Ace of PGHW for nearly the past decade, Kozue Kawashima was able to come out on top after 22:05 when he hit his Kawashima Driver 2005. Despite all the hype, this match didn't really live up to it, with Kawashima putting on an uncharacteristically good-but-not-great performance and Kyoshi being off his game. 73 Rating

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PGHW GLORY CROWN

Magnum Kobe (C) vs Avalanche Takano

After accepting Takano's surprise challenge during the tour, many expected Kobe vs. Takano to be a relatively quick performance that Kobe dominated throughout, but to the surprise of pretty much everyone, Takano was able to keep up with the champion and, for a few brief moments throughout the match, looked like he was going to be able to pull out the upset. His talent was obvious throughout, but just couldn't close the gap with Kobe's experience, as just one mistake led to him getting caught in the Magnum Deathlock, and after holding out for nearly a minute, he had to tap at 28:07. 86 Rating [Second Title Defense]

Crowd: 15,000 | Overall Rating: 85

-----------------------------------------------

Post-Show Press Conference: Brought to you by PWLive.com's Puro News Department.

Q: We saw Noriyori Sanda have an off night tonight. Is his inconsistency going to hold him back in PGHW?

A: I'm not sure how a multi-decade veteran can be held back. This was probably a one off.

Q: We saw Brute Kikuchi also have an off night tonight. Is his inconsistency going to hold him back in PGHW?

A: Well with the recent news that he's going to be moving to singles competition, if he isn't able to address it, his career with suffer.

Q: Will you be making an effort to keep Danny Cavanagh on the roster? His deal is coming towards its final month.

A: Realistically, I doubt we'll be offering him a new deal. He's aging and consistently hurt, but I absolutely wish him luck in the future and will be putting in a good word to other companies in North America.

Q: You hired Yoshinaka Taku recently, how do you see him fitting on the roster?

A: You've seen his performances in BCG and during his special guest spot in the Elite Series, this guy is incredible. I have high hopes for him, that's for sure.

Q: Will you be making an effort to keep Haranobu Kobayashi on the roster? His deal is coming towards its final month.

A: We're gonna do whatever we can to keep him, it'd be an enormous blow to lose him.

Q: You hired Mark Addison recently, how do you see him fitting on the roster?

A: To be quite honest, I'm not sure. He hasn't really been working a style similarly to PGHW in 21CW, but he's a high potential prospect who they, for some reason, didn't try to re-sign, so this 6 month deal is going to be one where he has to prove it to us. It's all down to how he fits in and how hard he works.

Edited August 20 by SomeDude03

[SomeDude03]

Updates before the Strength Tour Tour, June 2022

Roster:

"Staggering" Spencer Edmund. One of the brightest young stars in Canada, Spencer Edmund is an incredibly talented 22 year old who graduated from the Dragon Academy. At 6'2 and 220, Spencer is one of the larger junior heavyweights in wrestling and if he grows into his frame he'd fit right in to a company's heavyweight division. While he isn't excellent at anything specific, his solid technical ability at such a young age means he may end up becoming one of the countries' biggest stars in the coming years. In just four years of active competition, Spencer is a two time ACPW Tag Team Champion with his partner Erin Grey. Works for ACPW.

"Glorious" Logan Diaz (Wolfsbaine). Maybe the best under 30 talent in all of wrestling, it was just a matter of time before Logan finally appeared in a PGHW ring, with the main issue over the past year being his 3 separate tours with BCG taking up a lot of his time. Normally working as Logan Wolfsbaine, the company is having him use the last name Diaz in honor of his uncle and PGHW Legend, Raymond Diaz. An all-rounder who has skills that should belong to a 15 year veteran, not a 6 year youngster, the sky is the limit for Logan, and if he impresses this tour, he may be brought in full-time later in the year. Working for the same company as other touring favorite Ernest Youngman, Logan is a three time PSW National Champion, and is a one time PSW Champion, a title he still holds with his reign currently sitting just four days shy of a year. Works for PSW.

Shogo. Returning to PGHW for his second tour this year, Shogo is a Japanese-Australian worker who has an argument to be the best in-ring performer in the entire country. He was a major highlight during his first tour in January, and many are glad that he was brought back for the Strength Tour. During his time in-between tours, he lost his DIW Championship, with his reign ending at 217 days and 5 defenses. Works for DIW.

"The Natural" Christopher Gerard. Another Australian worker, Christopher Gerard is a multi-sport athlete who also has a claim to being the best in-ring worker in all of Australia. While he only really excels at two in-ring areas, brawling and technical, he is really good at both and is leagues above many workers in APW. One of APW's most decorated stars, he's a three time APW Commonwealth Champion, having just started his third reign 24 days ago, and he's a one time APW Australian Champion. Works for APW.

"The Raging Bull" Fernando Fernandez. A young wrestler from Mexico, he's recently bulked up enough to be able to compete against heavyweights, and at 6'1, he won't have a height disadvantage against a lot of them either. While he contrasts from a lot of PGHW's roster with his background in hardcore matches, he's still a great brawler and solid technical wrestler and there's a chance that this tour in PGHW can finally be his springboard into getting a contract back home in Mexico. Free Agent.

"The Eliminator" Herman Newton. One of the most shocking tour signings of the year, Herman Newton just debuted in March, but the training videos he's posted on social media show a wrestler who, despite his rather unathletic look, can put on great matches. With a style reminiscent of Japanese stars, with a technical and puro skills far beyond his years, the 18 year old is already drawing comparisons to wrestlers like Raymond Diaz and Viktor Beskov. If he's ever brought in on a full-time contract, it'll probably be a few years from now, but bringing him in on a tour so early into his career just shows the level of interest PGHW (and realistically, other Japanese companies) have in him. Free Agent.

Outside of touring, BISON Yano is officially gone from PGHW, while Yoshinaka Taku and Mark Addison are starting their first full-time tours. Koshiro Ino will also be joining the roster during the tour.

Random News from Other Companies:

 With SWF not re-signing Steven Parker and USPW not re-signing Dusty Ducont & Melody, CWA brought in all three of them. 

 Blast Ikoma signed with SAISHO, meaning both of BCG's releases were quickly picked up by other companies in Japan. They also brought in Kawanari Enomoto, who BHOTWG let go.

 Along with taking BISON Yano from PGHW, BHOTWG also brought in touring veteran Aztec Prince (who was leaving CILL) and Yunokawa & Tomonaga, who just returned from excursion from CILL.

 With Nathan McKenzie quitting (signed with APW afterwards), RAW brought in Chuck Everlasting from APW as a sort of replacement. Kerry Wayne also tore his achilles and will be out for a year.

 Steve Frehley beat Nicky Champion to start his third reign with the USPW World Championship.

 Remo beat Rocky Golden to start his fourth reign with the SWF World Heavyweight Championship.

 

[CobheadJake]

Really enjoying this so far. I really enjoy Dynasties that have 'summary' posts throughout the months, and works really well for tours. I've enjoyed seeing the different Wrestlers you bring in for touring contracts etc, seeing how you use them. Will be interesting to see how you build some of them and sign some permanently, and who become your big Gaijin workers.

[TheWorldIsOurs13]

39 minutes ago, CobheadJake said:

Really enjoying this so far. I really enjoy Dynasties that have 'summary' posts throughout the months, and works really well for tours. I've enjoyed seeing the different Wrestlers you bring in for touring contracts etc, seeing how you use them. Will be interesting to see how you build some of them and sign some permanently, and who become your big Gaijin workers.

Agree with all of this. This is probably May favorite diary going so far. 
 

I like how you have adjusted to the way the game world is unfolding. Makes me want to try a Japanese company for the first time. Loving the Far East version of the syndicate and hope to see the other members in Japan for a tour as well

[SomeDude03]

20 hours ago, CobheadJake said:

Really enjoying this so far. I really enjoy Dynasties that have 'summary' posts throughout the months, and works really well for tours. I've enjoyed seeing the different Wrestlers you bring in for touring contracts etc, seeing how you use them. Will be interesting to see how you build some of them and sign some permanently, and who become your big Gaijin workers.

 

19 hours ago, TheWorldIsOurs13 said:

Agree with all of this. This is probably May favorite diary going so far. 
 

I like how you have adjusted to the way the game world is unfolding. Makes me want to try a Japanese company for the first time. Loving the Far East version of the syndicate and hope to see the other members in Japan for a tour as well

Really appreciate both of these! I only started playing TEW in 2020 so this is my first experience with touring contracts and they're definitely a fun way to spice up playthroughs and scout for other talent. I never paid attention to guys like Shogo or Christopher Gerard in 2020 so being able to bring them in, even just to be lower card guys for a month, is fun. It also lets me build up overseas talent who I have some plans for over the course of a year or so instead of just plopping them into the middle of the card, which gives me room to plop other guys into the middle of the card instead. 

And I definitely would recommend a Japanese company game! Maybe not PGHW to start just cause financials are a bit wonky but BCG is another favorite of mine. Touring schedules can be a bit daunting (I lower the amount of dates just because booking 8+ tour shows can get a bit brain numbing) at first but once you get adjusted to it it's definitely a fun contrast to American work rate companies or Wrestling Soap Operas like RAW.

[SomeDude03]

PGHW - Night of Strength - June 26th, 2022

-Pre Show-

Pre-Show - 6 Man Tag - Tetsunori Yasuda, Hirobumi Takimoto, Shogo vs Dean Waldorf, Marv Statler, Herman Newton

Hirobumi wins in a solid Pre-Show opener after 7:30, putting on by far the best performance of the match. 70 Rating

Pre-Show - 6 Man Tag - Minoru Nakahata, Omezo Shikitei, Totoya Munakata vs Christopher Gerard, Fernando Fernandez, Spencer Edmund

Minoru wins after 9:40, and during the match Totoya strained his rotator cuff. 60 Rating

-MAIN SHOW-

Match 1 - International Tag Team Championship - Decimation (Viktor Beskov & Findlay O'Farraday) (C) vs Danny Cavanagh & Logan Diaz

Despite the quickly put together team of Cavanagh & Diaz not having great chemistry, Decimation was able to carry them to a solid 7:44 match, with Beskov making Cavanagh tap with the Red Devil Lock. Cavanagh was, by far, the weakest performer in the match, with Logan easily outperforming him. 70 Rating [Third Title Defense]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 2 - Tag Team Match - Tsuneyo Yanagimoto & Yoshinaka Taku vs Hirokazu Yamanoue & Mamoru Nagahama

Yoshinaka pins Mamoru after 8:14 with a Full Nelson Bomb in a short but solid tag team match. 60 Rating

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 3 - Six Man Tag - KitoGuchi (Bussho Makiguchi & Chojiro Kitoaji) & Koshiro Ino vs UWU (Matt Blackburn, William Hayes, Simon Flemmingway)

Koshiro pins Hayes after 19:43 when he hit his first Kobra's Bite in a PGHW ring. Koshiro's age is definitely catching up to him, by far being the weakest of the three, but for a match showcasing him on a major PGHW stage for the first time, it was solid. 75 Rating

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 4 - Historical Japan Championship - Taheiji Konoe (C) vs Shozo Furuta

Taheiji wins after 13:55 with his Savage Cradle DDT. Shozo continues to show his improvement, putting on a performance that was relatively equal to Taheiji. 68 Rating [Fifth Title Defense]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 5 - 8 Man Tag - Avalanche Takano, Mark Addison, Nobuyo Hikichi, Kyoshi Muraguchi vs Eien Miyamoto, Goemon Komiya, Hitomaro Suzuki, Gonnohyoe Kada

Nobuyo submits Eien after 13:24 when he locked in his Cross Armlock. 69 Rating

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 6 - Singles Match - Shogun Watoga vs Reaver

Shogun wins after 10:39, making Reaver tap with the Watoga Lock. Reaver was definitely outperformed by Shogun, and after complaining before the match, he has some people wondering if his days in PGHW are numbered. 67 Rating

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 7 - Singles Match - Hirotsugu Satou vs Brute Kikuchi

In the first match of his new singles career, Brute Kikuchi wasn't able to start off strong, tapping to Satou's Scorpion Deathlock after 9:20. 67 Rating

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 8 - International Championship - Shinji Mihara (C) vs SATO

Shinji wins after 15:22 of great action, hitting SATO with his Spinning Elbow that continues to look more and more devastating as Shinji improves. 79 Rating [Third Title Defense]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 9 - Team GLORY (Kozue Kawashima & Kazushige Matsuki) vs Ryoma Muruyama & Masaru Ugaki

In a solid match, Kazushige was able to pin Ryoma in 22:01 after he hit the Fist of Fury. Ugaki put on a great performance, and Kazushige was only able to pin Ryoma after Kawashima hit Ugaki with a surprise Kawashima Driver 2005. 77 Rating

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Match 10 - Glory Tag Crown - Akinori Kwakami & Noriyori Sanda (C) vs Haranobu Kobayashi & Tsurayuki Kamachi

In a shocking upset, Haranobu Kobayashi was able to pin Noriyori Sanda after hitting the Focus Shift at 17:36. Akinori Kwakami tried to fend them off but just couldn't do what he was able to do in the rest of their title defenses, and Noriyori was eventually just overpowered by the much larger Haranobu. 65 Rating [Title Change]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PGHW GLORY CROWN

Magnum Kobe (C) vs Seiji Jimbo

In a rematch from their match in January, Kobe and Jimbo proved why they are two of PGHW's best with 30:38 of great action. Seiji tried everything he could to once again be champion, but just couldn't keep up with the tear Kobe's been on this year, eventually falling victim to the Magnum Deathlock. While the match was good, many felt that there just wasn't enough selling from either man to truly have it hit the highest tier. 88 Rating [Fourth Title Defense]

Crowd: 14,868 | Overall Rating: 86

-----------------------------------------------

Post-Show Press Conference: Brought to you by PWLive.com's Puro News Department.

Q: Not for the first time, Spencer Edmund has botched a move and caused an injury. Isn't it true that he is simply unsafe to work with?

A: I'm not sure what you mean by the first time, I haven't heard about anything like that happening in his home promotion but I also don't keep up with ACPW as much as I should. Anyway, thankfully Totoya wasn't too hurt, but Spencer still messed up and should apologize, especially since he's a guest here in PGHW. 

*reports later came out that Spencer did just that, and Totoya later met with Yoshimi telling him that it wasn't a big deal*

Q: Do you have any comments about Totoya Munakata after his injury?
A: I know how bad shoulder injuries can be, so I'm glad it wasn't worse.

Q: How concerned are you by the "off night" that Mark Addison had? Do you consider him to unreliable to trust?

A: Like I said last month and he's said in the media back in the U.K, this isn't exactly a long contract. He's being given an opportunity to prove himself here, if he doesn't address these inconsistences, his career here in PGHW will suffer.

Q: Eien Miyamoto was also off his game, are you disappointed in his performance?

A: Not really, I'm sure this was a one off, normally Eien is quite good for where he's needed.

Q: Kobayashi & Kamachi won the PGHW Glory Tag Crown tonight, is a long reign on the cards?

A: A lot of people feel like this was a long time coming, and now it's time for them to prove that they deserve it. They've been given the chance here, let's see how they do.

Q: Sosa Morri's contract is coming up, will you try and re-sign him.

A: Sosa is a member of the PGHW family, just as much as guys like Nobuatsu and I. We'll definitely be offering him a deal.

 

Edited August 20 by SomeDude03

[SomeDude03]

Big things happening for The Syndicate Japan next month........more to come in Pre-Tour Update.

Flint Slater won the TCW Television Championship on June 28th, and as part of the company's talent trades with TCW, he's being brought in for the tour and for a bit more experience.

Rough Translation of Hirotsugu's post: Why not make Shinji do it?

Having recently reunited, Dead Men Walking are taking the GSW Tag Team Championships on tour for PGHW, and it looks like they may be doing it while representing The Syndicate Japan.

[SomeDude03]

Updates before the Warriors Tour Tour, July 2022

Roster:

"The Rottweiler" Flint Slater. Similar to Wolf Hawkins' month long stint with TCW during the Elite Series, Flint is being brought in on a talent trade deal, rather than on a touring contract, but it effectively serves the same purpose. A former Light Heavyweight Champion in MMA Promotion GAMMA, Flint already has a bit of a fanbase in Japan, but having been in wrestling for just over a year, he's still considered a bit of a youngster in the business so this tour is hopefully going to be a learning experience for him. Even with his inexperience, Flint's a solid technical brawler with a great in-ring presence and he'll probably play a solid role for his month in PGHW. As a member of The Syndicate back in TCW, he'll be a member of The Syndicate Japan as well. He's also currently the TCW Television Champion, winning the belt at the end of June to get his first piece of gold in less than two years after entering the business. Works for TCW.

Dead Men Walking, made up of Mobstar and Gravedigga. Two of GSW's biggest stars, Dead Men Walking were split up for around two years before joining back together early in 2022, quickly winning GSW's Tag Team Championships once again. Neither worker is necessarily your average touring guy in Japan, but both are really good in-ring and should hopefully be a highlight of the tour. Surprisingly enough it looks like Magnum Kobe is bringing them into The Syndicate Japan during their tour, which seems to be a sign that he's going to at least occasionally be looking at touring wrestlers for the faction from now on. Most are expecting that they're going to be paired with Flint occasionally as a trio, which means that they may be getting a bit of a stronger push than most touring wrestlers get in PGHW. As a duo, they've been of the American indie's brightest teams over the past decade, having won the GSW Tag Team Championship five times and the IPW Tag Team Championship once. Gravedigga is also a one time GSW West Coast Champion, and Mobstar is a one time GSW West Coast Champion and former winner of their King Of California tournament. Both work for GSW.

"The Warsaw Hammer" Cub Balowicz. Joining PGHW for his second tour of the year, Cub is still a solid Polish powerhouse who stands as one of the most threatening forces in Europe. A solid brawler with decent puro skills for a foreign worker, he's been a delight for his previous tours, so chances are he'll just continue that this go-around. While in Europe, he's won the UEW Tag Team Championship twice with Clubber Kohl, and in the singles ranks he's one of Europe's best, being a one time UEW Nations Champion, and a four time VWA European Champion, with his most recent reign being ongoing, starting on June 10th. Works for VWA & UEW.

"Hispanic Heat" Marco Gonzalez. The son of one of Puerto Rico's brightest sons, the late great Shawn Gonzalez, Marco is a 21 year old who has skills far beyond his years. His dad never had the chance to come over to Japan, surprisingly never working a tour with Warrior Engine, which makes this a lot more meaningful for the younger Marco. He probably won't set the world on fire, but if he impresses and doesn't rub anyone the wrong way, you may be seeing more of him over the next few years before a larger company swoops in and grabs him. He's the current FCW Tag Team Champion, having won the belt with his uncle Carlos on July 8th. Works for FCW.

"Solid" Jay Silver. Another young wrestler from the U.S, Jay Silver's yet to be picked up on an actual contract, but that doesn't mean he can't work, being one of the most solid U-22 wrestlers in the entire country. There's not much else to say beyond that, but he's another guy who has the potential to be a recurring tourer if he's able to impress the higher-ups in PGHW. During this tour, he's going to be paired up with Marco at least once to see if the two young guys have any sort of chemistry. Free Agent. 

Stable/Tag Team News:

Along with Flint & Dead Men Walking joining up with The Syndicate Japan, Team GLORY ended up bringing in a more full-time member, with Kozue Kawashima publicly announcing Minoru Nakahata's admittance into the group. Another young guy in the vein of Shozo Furuta, it seems like Kozue's battle for the Heart and Soul of PGHW against The Syndicate Japan is further expanding into the next generation of PGHW stars. It seems that most people are thinking that Shozo & Minoru are going to be paired together as the faction's second tag team behind KazuSATO. Ultimate Wrestlers United was also seen making moves, with Reaver recruiting Mark Addison for the faction.

Along with this, the recent pairing of Tsuneyo Yanagimoto & Yoshinaka Taku has been made official, with the two star's contrasting styles working well enough in a tag team setting for the company to have faith that they may work well together. 

Lastly, after seeing the two pair together decently well on tours, Avalanche Takano & Shogun Watoga have been paired together as well under the team name Team Destiny 2022, a somewhat obvious homage to Yoshimi Mushashi and Shuji Inukai's Team Dynasty 2000 pairing.

With the Elite Tag Series drawing near, it seems that PGHW is trying to strengthen their tag division before the big tournament, so right now it's difficult to say whether or not these teams will have staying power as units or if they'll just be pairings that occasionally come together.

Random News from Other Companies:

 Lots of news from U.K's biggest promotion this month. Bedlam was able to beat Leigh Burton for the 21CW World Championship. They also announced that Darin Flynn will not be returning to the company once his contract is up. Lastly, their economic troubles have gotten bad enough that they've started pre-recording shows.

 Roderick Remus, who is still injured, will not be re-signed by TCW. Sammy Bach is also taking time off and will be out for awhile. 

 Alicia Strong, considered by some to be the greatest Non-Joshi Women's Wrestler of All Time, is leaving USPW.

 Just a few months after joining the company, Monday Next has managed to win both the ZEN Harmony and ZEN Master Championships.

 The BCG World Championship had to be vacated as Bunrakuken Torii, just 44 days into his third reign, broke his leg. Many are wondering if they are now regretting the releases of Blast Ikoma and Yoshinaka Taku, two wrestlers who could've had a chance to pick up the belt post-vacating.

[Yokai]

Echoing everyone else's thoughts, really love this so far. I'm a huge CornellVerse Puro fan so always nice to see more of those diaries. The rotating of guys on touring contracts has been very interesting and well done and it'll be cool to see who stays long term. Keep up the great work.

(And push Avalanche Takano to the moon!)

[SomeDude03]

I'm not entirely sure how/if I'm going to do the Summary post for this tour because it was another one that nothing spectacular happened in, but while I'm thinking up ways to do that, here's a fun little update on PGHW's rival.

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Kikkawaism Reborn: Brought to you by PWLive.com's Puro News Department.

Seven months of economic decline has left Burning Hammer desperate. Sources from the company report of a massive collapse in funds, with the company dangerously close to dropping below 1 Million, a fall from the 7.5 Million at the start of the year. Having to cut back on production and the quality of their events, Burning Hammer has started to spiral in everything except match quality. While their biggest rival, PGHW, hasn't faired the best economically, the consistent investments Yoshimi Mushashibo and his investment group promised as a condition for the buyout have kept the company afloat during these trying times. 

With multiple major stars, like current BHOTWG World Champion Heihachiro Sakai, who's held the title for well over a year at this point, multi-time Tag Team Champion, massive draw, and member of one of their most important factions Matthew Keith, and Junior Heavyweight mainstay Helikaon all having their contracts expire around the same time in October of 2022, it's highly possible that their trouble with funds will continue into the coming months and potentially, years. 

As a response to this decline, current BHOTWG's CEO Tadiyuki Kikkawa is seemingly delving into his bag of old tricks, seemingly announcing that Burning Hammer will start to look a lot more like his old promotion, INSPIRE, a company that survived for 3 years in Japan from May 2006 to April 2009, did. A company that without a doubt had some major success for a time, standing toe to toe with Burning Hammer in popularity for a bit, and being the former homes for wrestlers like Billy Russell, Marat Khoklov, Samoan Machine, Willie York, and Kikkawa himself, it still fell off soon after opening, and 13 years relatively free of shoot-style wrestling can not have helped with potential interest in the style. It's difficult to guess whether or not this will be a success or not, but with the company stuck in a spiral that is quickly becoming unsustainable, it is hard to blame them for trying something different. 

More news on Kikkawa's escapades as we get them here at PWLive. Our next write-up should be on rumors of a potential Wolf Hawkins appearance at PGHW's Night of Warriors.....

[SomeDude03]

Forgoing another tour update for some more In-Universe stuff.

After a solid performance on Night 2, Koshiro Ino issued a public challenge to Taheiji Konoe, wanting a match for the Historical Japan Championship. Taheiji, who's urge to fight overpowered the need to listen to his stable's leader, Magnum Kobe, agreed to the match, and they will be facing each other at Night of Warriors.

With Flint Slater's debut serving almost like an omen for his arrival, Wolf Hawkins will be returning to PGHW for Night of Warriors after his excellent performance in the Elite Series. Joining fellow member of The Syndicate in TCW, Flint Slater, and leader of PGHW's The Syndicate Japan Magnum Kobe, they're hoping that they can defeat Team GLORY's group of it's leader, Kozue Kawashima, and the stables' two youngest members, Shozo Furuta and Minoru Nakahata.

In a speech after the last match on Night 3 of the tour, Shinji Mihara revealed how much he needs to get revenge against those who beat him in the Elite Series, even at the cost of risking his International Championship. A few days after the video, he released a video announcing who he wanted to start his revenge tour with, challenging Seiji Jimbo to a match at Night of Warriors. In a quick response Seiji Jimbo said he'd love to have a match and the opportunity to prove how far Mihara still has to go before he's at the top.