Kings Road Chronicles

Kings Road Chronicles Whether it’s walking the Kings Road, on the Lions Mark or stepping into the world of Joshi, this page has it all. Let’s make the IWC fun again.

24/09/2026

Cracking final this, as on his 4th attempt Ryuki Honda hits the Final Vent and wins the Oudou (Ōdō) Tournament, overcoming a returned Yuma Aoyagi who had an absolute blinder in the group stages.

It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that Honda got the win here- it’s maybe too soon for crowd favourite Yuma Anzai to challenge Miyahara again for the Triple Crown if he’d reached the final, and with Aoyagi still trying to repent following his return from his suspension - Honda was really the only real threat left to Miyahara (who he knocked out of the tournament)

Should be interesting to see if Honda can actually cause the biggest upset of all and defeat the Best of the Best at Memorial Series next month, or whether he becomes yet another successful defence for Miyahara on his way to breaking the All Time record.

-
#

🌧️💵-
24/09/2026

🌧️💵

-

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️-
21/09/2026

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

-

21/09/2026

It’s V3 for MAO as earlier today in Korakuen Hall, the reigning KO-D Openweight Champion successfully defended his title against a very game Fuminori Abe.

I like MAO, his journey to finally being an Ace of DDT has been a long one and he very much deserves this reign, but I was definitely cheering for one half of Astronauts to win the belt. Wouldn’t have been fair considering MAO has only been champion for 41 days.

Love Abe though, he’s what you get when you take Inoki style catch that’s inspired by Atsushi Aoki, given the striking of KENTA, the explosiveness and creativity of Ibushi and the unhinged shoot style of Yuki Ishikawa.

He’ll have his moment one day. He has to.

-

21/09/2026

One of my favourite Taue matches and one of the greatest emotional epics you could ever watch. With Takeshi Rikio the man who toppled God mode Kobashi’s 735 Day reign as GHC Heavyweight Champion, his 8 month reign with the belt has been met with mixed success. He’s beat Akitoshi Saito, a product of Strong Style. He’s overcome a new Musketeer in Hiroshi Tanahashi. He’s even defeated the invincible Emerald Warrior Mitsuharu Misawa. But none of it matters, because it’s not getting him over with the crowd.

So up steps a Demon. But a Demon nearing the end of his powers. Akira Taue by this point is almost 45 years old, carrying the wear and tear of 18 years on the Kings Road. The injuries have mounted up, this truly is his last chance at glory. Almost 9 years on from his famous Triple Crown win when no one gave him a chance, he steps into a ring with a younger, stronger opponent.

But despite being looked at as a heel for the entirety of his career, this is the perfect example of Dynamic T being truly loved by the crowd - a crowd that roars him on every step of the way. But Rikio refuses to go quietly and this becomes less about sportsmanship and more about who can destroy the other.

With one final Nodowa Otoshi, and with blood dripping from his face, Taue physically holds down Rikio by the neck to add one final title to his incredible career. Just look at what it means to the Budokan.

-

Happy 57th Birthday to one of the greatest and most unforgettable figures in the history of Joshi: Megumi “Kudome” Kudo!...
20/09/2026

Happy 57th Birthday to one of the greatest and most unforgettable figures in the history of Joshi: Megumi “Kudome” Kudo! The Princess of FMW, the Deathmatch Queen, she brought charisma, intensity and an incredible willingness to put her body on the line. Her legendary deathmatches helped redefine what women’s wrestling could look like, while her personality and connection with the audience made her a genuine star.

Her battles with Combat Toyoda, Shinobu Kandori, Shark Tsuchiya, Aja Kong and others became unforgettable chapters in Japanese wrestling history. Simply put, “Kudome” is a legend. She pioneered a style that didn’t exist and trailblazed against an industry that originally rejected her in AJW. By the early 1990s she was one of the biggest stars in the country, facing the very stars that had been picked over her during her rookie year.

Kudo wasn’t simply a Deathmatch Wrestler. She was a storyteller that understood the drama and tension of building to a moment, having a crowd on the edge of their seats and ultimately she proved that Joshi could be brutal, beautiful and deeply emotional. To this day her 1997 retirement match against Shark Tsuchiya is one of the most emotionally charged matches of all time and a fitting send off to an Icon.

Happy Birthday Kudome!

-

After yesterday’s Great Bash Heel reunion and Toru Yano donning the crimson mask, I’ve received a fair amount of message...
20/09/2026

After yesterday’s Great Bash Heel reunion and Toru Yano donning the crimson mask, I’ve received a fair amount of messages wanting Togi match recommendations from the GBH era.

You only need one, this one.

Yuji Nagata (c) vs Togi Makabe
IWGP Heavyweight Title Match

New Japan 35th Anniversary Tour: New Japan Soul
CTU Farewell Tour.

July 6th 2007. A red hot Korakuen Hall packed to the rafters with Togi the monstrous heel and Yuji the ultimate hero. It’s an absolute war and a sickening bloodbath that has Togi stabbing Yuji with scissors and destroying him with a chain, there’s some insanely stiff shots as both men try to break each other.

It’s possibly the best match of Makabe’s career. He’s a peak as***le willing to do literally anything to win, and he almost does as well.

I don’t want to spoil the ending, but it’s well worth a watch.

-

Toru Fu***ng Yano.-
19/09/2026

Toru Fu***ng Yano.

-

41 years ago today, New Japan hosted Challenge Spirit from the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, with over 8,000 in attendan...
19/09/2026

41 years ago today, New Japan hosted Challenge Spirit from the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, with over 8,000 in attendance there for only 1 match.

Tatsumi Fujinami, the Dragon and the second man of New Japan faced his teacher and the God of Strong Style; Antonio Inoki.

What plays out is a catch style masterclass as for over 30 minutes Inoki & Fujinami try to outgrapple each other using holds and submission manoeuvres, including a very viceral figure four that lasts for nearly 10 minutes. Inoki’s selling is amazing at times, as it looks like Fujinami might finally be put over by the founder of Shin Nihon and the whole match feels like we’re building to that moment. When he hits the Dragon Suplex the place comes unglued, when he powers out of the Manji-Gatame for the first time you feel there’s a paradigm shift in the direction of the company…

and then in an utterly bizarre twist (or maybe because this is an Inoki match and he rarely loses) special guest referee Lou Thesz calls a stoppage while Inoki has Fujinami locked in Manji-Gatame for the third time.

Still, today we view this as a classic and the precursor to their 60 minute time limit draw 3 years later.

-

19/09/2026

Excellent little match this and a precursor to their rematch at God Bless DDT 2011, as pre-Cleaner Kenny in his Golden Lovers era faces one of the most underrated technical wrestlers of all time, the student of Fujiwara and “The Special One”: Minoru Tanaka.

While Minoru would take the win here, the bigger story is a month later Omega would become the Jnr Heavyweight Champion, defeating KAI at Pro Wrestling Love Vol 13 - Minoru would challenge him for the belt at DDT and on November 27th 2011 in his first title defence, Omega would debut the One Winged Angel.

-

Address

Sunshine Coast, QLD

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Kings Road Chronicles posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category