Episodes
Thursday May 30, 2024
Thursday May 30, 2024
Steven Conway and Jeremy Finestone are back with Speaking of Strong Style! The pair discussed the latest in Best of the Super Juniors action. They discussed the intricate booking of the A block, highlighted by El Desperado, TJP, Blake Christina, Titan, Kevin Knight and more. They talked about how the booking built the drama perfectly in the block, keeping almost everyone involved in it until the last day of action. They also looked at the B block, and how injuries and substitutions may have changed New Japan's original ideas, and why DOUKI is moving closer to being on par with Hiromu Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori and the rest of the elite in the junior heavyweight division. Jeremy and Steven also gave their ideas on who should and should not join the Bullet Club War Dogs group, and why there may be some serious misdirection at play from New Japan. All this, plus talk of HENARE's return, Nakajima's possible future and should there be an IWGP title match at Forbidden Door?
Thursday May 23, 2024
Thursday May 23, 2024
Jeremy Finestone and Steven Conway return with Speaking of Strong Style! The pair talked about the recent batch of Best of the Super Juniors matches, focusing on how the standings could shake out to the end of the tournament. They talked about TJP and Hiromu Takahashi's recent run of good results and if it will result in a semifinal appearance for them. They also broke down the logjam in each bracket, using the last matches to read the tea leaves regarding El Desperado, KUSHIDA, Clark Connors, Kevin Knight, DOUKI and Robbie Eagles' chances of securing a top two spot in their blocks. Steven and Jeremy also talked about how Francesco Akira's injury may have changed New Japan's plans. The pair also looked at the recently-announced FantasticaMania card for Mexico City, plus NOAH news and thoughts on the new MARIGOLD promotion and how it could affect BUSHIROAD. And does Jon Moxley's match with Takeshita even matter?
Thursday May 16, 2024
Thursday May 16, 2024
Steven Conway and Jeremy Finestone are back with Speaking of Strong Style! The pair discussed the recent Resurgence show, featuring an excellent match between Jon Moxley and Shota Umino, and how the match was done differently than most mentor-student battles. They also talked about the chaotic tag team situation, Jeff Cobb's terrific TV title match with Lance Archer, Shingo Takagi's beatdown of Yuya Uemura, and more. Jeremy and Steven looked at the current IWGP title situation with EVIL, and weather House of Torture is the right move for a title match on a huge show after a poll suggested fans might see things differently. They also covered the first week of the Best of the Super Junior tournament that saw Taiji Ishimori, Black Christian, Titan and KUSHIDA get off to hot starts while Hiromu Takahashi and TJP struggled. Will that form hold, or will there be changes to the standings in week two?
Thursday May 09, 2024
Thursday May 09, 2024
Jeremy Finestone is back with Steven Conway for Speaking of Strong Style! This week, the pair talked about the two nights of Dontaku in Fukuoka, including Jon Moxley's title defense against Ren Narita, Jeff Cobb's win over Zack Sabre Jr., plus Nic Nemeth's wild ride versus Hiroshi Tanahashi and David Finlay. They also discussed the All Together show and why Gabe Kidd may be terrorizing a merch stand near you. Steven and Jeremy also looked ahead to Best of the Super Juniors, giving their predictions for the tournament. They also previewed the Resurgence card, when Moxley defends against Shota Umino and Eddie Kingston puts the STRONG title on the line against Kidd (is there a title Gabe isn't chasing?) and they give their best guesses as to the IWGP World Title is headed.
Thursday May 02, 2024
Thursday May 02, 2024
This week, Steven talked about the recent shows in Kagoshima and Hiroshima and how Yuya Uemura's win could change what we see from the KOPW title. He also previewed Dontaku, featuring title matches such as Jon Moxley versus Ren Narita, Jeff Cobb versus Zack Sabre Jr., Shingo Takagi facing Gabe Kidd, and Nic Nemeth defending against Hiroshi Tanahashi. He also took a look at the All Together card, plus the Best of the Super Junior Blocks and matchups. He also took a look back at the history of the Dontaku event.
Thursday Apr 25, 2024
Thursday Apr 25, 2024
Scott Edwards joins Steven this week to discuss Jon Moxley's IWGP title defense, TJP's big night uniting the Empire and a look ahead to two title matches in Hiroshima and two more at Satsuma no Kuni. They also discussed Jake Lee's surprise attack on Tetsuya Naito, plus looked at the state of STARDOM going into its big show, All-Star Grand Queendom, featuring a dream match between Mayu Iwatani and Sareee, and a potential nightmare match for Natsupoi and Tam Nakano.
Friday Apr 19, 2024
Friday Apr 19, 2024
Jeremy Finestone and Steven Conway return with Speaking of Strong Style! This week, the pair looked at the Wrestling World show from Taiwan, and how Oleg Boltin exceeded any expectations for a Young Lion by winning a belt before his theoretical "graduation." They also looked at how Hiroshi Tanahashi and Satoshi Kojima were welcomed by the crowd and Bishamon's title defense against Yuya Uemura and SANADA. They also talked about Tama Tonga's big WWE push and the sad news that YOH has been forced to withdraw from the Best of the Super Junior tournament due to injury. They also looked at each New Japan title, discussing the next step for the champions and their challengers, including Jon Moxley, Shota Umino, Nic Nemeth, Gabe Kidd, Eddie Kingston, Stephanie Vaquer, Jeff Cobb, Zack Sabre Jr. and more. Speaking of Strong Style will have you ready for the busy season ahead.
Saturday Apr 13, 2024
Saturday Apr 13, 2024
Steven Conway and Jeremy Finestone are back with a special edition of Speaking of Strong Style covering Windy City Riot! The guys were joined by Josh from the We Work Stiff podcast just after end of the big event from Chicago. Josh gave his thoughtful perspective on New Japan's storylines and how they shape the upcoming year in NJPW. The trio discussed Jon Moxley's victory over Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight title, and why this could be a unique opportunity for both New Japan and AEW to benefit from it. They also talked about Zack Sabre Jr. taking the TV title back from Matt Riddle, and why they're glad to see the bro go. Jeremy, Steven and Josh also covered TMKD winning the Strong Tag Team titles, Jack Perry's strong run in NJPW, why Stephanie Vaquer is making such an excellent NJPW Strong women's champion, and what the future might hold for Hiromu Takahashi, United Empire, Ren Narita, Shota Umino and much more.
Thursday Apr 11, 2024
Thursday Apr 11, 2024
Jeremy Finestone and Steven Conway are celebrating their 100th episode! This week, the pair were joined by Justin Knipper, an expert on the Japanese wrestling scene and the co-host of "Write This Down" with Fumi Saito. Justin has also been on the NOAH English commentary team, so he was the perfect guest to bring on to discuss two NOAH wrestlers participating in the 2024 Best of the Super Juniors, Ryohei Oiwa, Giulia and other names associated with NOAH and New Japan. Steven and Jeremy also broke down the Sakura Genesis card and the angles coming from it, including big wins for Tetsuya Naito, Jon Moxley, Shingo Takagi, Bishamon, the War Dogs and more. They also previewed the Windy City Riot show, featuring another IWGP World Heavyweight title match between Naito and Moxley, Hiromu Takahashi facing Mustafa Ali, Eddie Kingston and company versus Gabe Kidd and company, and title matches featuring Stephanie Vaquer, El Phantasmo and Hikuleo. They also looked at the Jack Perry-Shota Umino special singles match. They also looked back at the career of the late, great Akebono, who made a major impact in Sumo history and was a special attraction in pro wrestling.
Friday Apr 05, 2024
Friday Apr 05, 2024
This week, Steven and Jeremy previewed the Sakura Genesis card, headlined by the IWGP World Heavyweight title match between Tetsuya Naito and Yota Tsuji. They looked at possibilities for the rest of the matches, including SHO versus YOH for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title, a three-way match for the junior heavyweight tag team titles, Bishamon challenging Bullet Club for the heavyweight tag titles, plus Jon Moxley teaming with Shota Umino versus Jack Perry and Ren Narita. Jeremy and Steven gave their predictions regarding the show and why they think Moxley may have more involvement than just his scheduled match. They also looked at the recently-released schedule for the 2024 G1 Climax tournament and what it tells them about the format. All this, plus listener/viewer questions.
Speaking of Strong Style
A podcast covering the news, events and issues surrounding New Japan Pro Wrestling, hosted by Steven Conway and Jeremy Finestone.