Professional Wrestling Promotions In 2021
Let's take a look at where some of my favourite wrestling promotions are at in 2021!
All Elite Wrestling
AEW was really hitting its stride right before the pandemic got out of control. Now that we are deep into virus times they are putting on the best weekly shows I've ever seen from a promotion with recent episodes of Dynamite. Even their women's division seems to be hitting its stride after the success of the women's title eliminator tournament and the Britt Baker versus Thunder Rosa lights out match. There are still some aspects of AEW I would like to see improved though!
One major issue is their PPVs. It is true that some of the PPVs they have done are among the best major shows to happen in North America. It is also true that they could be more consistent about the PPV quality with a few adjustments. Number one among those changes is bringing down the length of these shows. I know they are charging PPV prices and want people to feel as though they got their money's worth, but sticking to a three hour main card plus half an hour pre-show would be best. Four and a half hours or more is just too long even with the roster expansions they have made.
I would also like to see the little sound issues they seem to have on Dynamite fixed. Transitioning between in ring and backstage segments should be smoother. Those gripes aside I've been loving the shows AEW has been putting out the last little while.
New Japan Pro Wrestling
NJPW has been up and down during the pandemic. They didn't do themselves many favours with Evil's title reign and the crappy debut of Master Wato right after they returned from hiatus. On the other hand even with crowds not being able to cheer the G1 was awesome in 2020 and Kota Ibushi finally achieved his dream of becoming IWGP champion at the start of 2021.
Another bright spot has been the elevation of the NEVER Openweight title to their top secondary belt. Though I am pretty skeptical about them ending the lineage of the IWGP title.
Game Changer Wrestling
GCW has put on a few really good shows during the course of the pandemic, though they have also been irresponsible at times. Speaking of irresponsible but good shows they have a ton of them coming up soon! From April 8 to 10 GCW will be putting on twelve separate events from the Cuban Club in Tampa, Florida. All of these shows can be seen through fite.tv. I'll at least be watching Bloodsport 6 and the Spring Break show.
Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling
TJPW is full of fun characters like Maki Itoh and Hyper Misao. Their characters really elevate the wrestling and makes everything fun. One thing they just announced is "That's J-PW". A twice a week single match show that will be all in English! Their Wednesday slot actual airs right after AEW Dynamite.
Pro Wrestling NOAH
NOAH brings hard hitting action into your wrestling life. Their current top champion is Keiji Muto which has gotten mixed feedback due to Muto's age. It has also been a joy to watch Kazushi Sakuraba compete in NOAH's tag division.
On a related note the parent company of TJPW, NOAH, and DDT has announced an inter-promotional event called CyberFight Festival 2021 that will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in June. I had predicted that CyberFight would announce plans to run the Tokyo Dome at some point this year so maybe that will happen if the Saitama show is a success!
TJPW and NOAH can be watched along with the other promotions under the CyberFight umbrella on the Wrestle Universe streaming service.
Other promotions I wish I had more time to watch such as Dragon Gate, Stardom, and Gatoh Move are out there doing good stuff. Check them out if possible!
This is my day 85 post for #100daystooffload
This work by Thomas Lloyd is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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