Speaking of Strong Style - An NJPW podcast

Blue Justice, King of Pro Wrestling, NJPW's Dominoes Begin to Fall

This week, Steven and Jeremy previewed the Blue Justice card, Yuji Nagata's annual show in Chiba with some intriguing preview matches. They also looked ahead to King of Pro Wrestling, headlined by Tetsuya Naito versus Zack Sabre Jr., and discussed recently-announced matches for Royal Quest. They also covered Clark Connors' appearance in STARDOM, Hiroshi Tanahashi's meeting with Kenny Omega and looked back at more of Tanahashi's history. Steven tells he was a kay player in the evolution of both the CHAOS and Bullet Club factions.
 

Destruction in Kobe Review

Steven and Jeremy are back with a special episode reviewing Destruction in Kobe 2024, featuring Tetsuya Naito's IWGP title defense against the Great O-Khan, David Finlay v YOSHI-HASHI for the Global title, DOUKI v Yoshinobu Kanemaru for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, and HENARE v Shingo Takagi for the NEVER Openweight title. Plus, we got a new member of TMDK. 

Destruction in Kobe Preview, Queen of Villains

 With Destruction in Kobe coming up in a few days, Steven and Jeremy looked at each match, previewing the big card headlined by Tetsuya Naito v Great O-Khan. They also speculated who might win the Global title match between David Finlay and YOSHI-HASHI, and how Hirooki Goto's battle with Gabe Kidd earlier in the night might tip us off as to the winner. Plus, who's the new member of TMDK? Wrestling content on Netflix, Tanahashi's career and meetup with Kenny Omega and more. 
 
 
 
 

Fun Times In Hokkaido on Road to Destruction

This week, Steven and Jeremy discussed the recent show in Hokkaido, how Toru Yano was the man of the hour, and how a full house of excited fans made what might have been a pedestrian night of wrestling into a fun show. They also talked about some of their early shows as kids, kicked around ideas for Ryohei Oiwa, considered a Shota Umino heel turn, and spoke on why sometimes a multi-man tag can be a lot of fun for people who don't see wrestling live so often. They also looked ahead to the Destruction in Kobe show and looked more at the history of Hiroshi Tanahashi.
 
 

Road to Destruction: Four Excellent Main Events

This week, Steven and Jeremy talked about four shows this past week, each of which provided an excellent main event. They discussed Shingo Takagi's 20th Anniversary Show, Jeff Cobb's TV title defense against Yota Tsuji, HENARE's NEVER Openweight title match with Hiromu Takahashi, and Taiji Ishimori's challenge of DOUKI for the Junior Heavyweight title. They also debated rematches, who might be the next challengers, and fretted about injuries to Jake Lee and Ren Narita. Finally, they looked back at the life of Kuniaki Kobayashi, a man who was part of a critical time in pro wrestling and had a long-term job behind the scenes making him a positive influence on the careers of many top stars of today.
 
 

Road to Destruction, Shingo Anniversary & Brainstorming Ideas

This week, Steven and Jeremy discussed news regarding Yuya Uemura's injury, Jake Lee's contract status and Ryohei Oiwa wrapping up his NOAH run. What would be the best fit for Oiwa's return to New Japan? Should he slide back into a faction or create something brand new? They also talked about Shingo Takagi's 20th Anniversary show and previewed this week's title matches, including DOUKI versus Taiji Ishimori and Jeff Cobb versus Yota Tsuji. Jeremy and Steven looked at each match and its implications, and whether Hiromu Takahashi should take the NEVER Openweight title from HENARE. Should there be big changes in LIJ? And should two members of the company's top faction square off at Wrestle Kingdom? Steven also went back in time to examine Hiroshi Tanahashi's first NJ Cup win, his first G1 victory and his first IWGP title run.
 
 

Capital Collision Live Recap Special

Jeremy Finestone and Steven Conway are back with a special edition of Speaking of Strong Style, covering the Capital Collision event from Washington DC. The pair discussed each match on the card and picked the best and worst matches. They discussed how the crowd reacted to stars such as Zack Sabre Jr., Mercedes Mone, Lio Rush, Mustafa Ali, Tetsuya Naito and Hiromu Takahashi. They also wondered why NJPW Strong still has poor production values and talked about whether these shows truly deserve PPV status.
 
 

Larry Sternshein On Attending the G1 Finals Live, Capital Collision Preview

This week, Steven and Jeremy were joined by special guest Larry Sternshein, host of the "Reel Early" podcast, who attended the G1 Semifinals and Finals in person. Larry shared his thoughts about seeing New Japan live, who got the best reactions and some highlights from his trip to Tokyo. He also told us about a former death match wrestler whose restaurant makes great food. Jeremy and Steven also previewed Capital Collision, including Mercedes Mone versus Momo Watanabe, TMDK versus Hechisero and Virus, TJP versus Tetsuya Naito and Hiromu Takahashi versus Mustafa Ali. They also looked at the early years of Hiroshi Tanahashi and his ascension to the main event level.

Zack Sabre Jr. Wins G1 Climax 34, Interesting Autumn Ahead

This week, Steven and Jeremy cover the semifinals and finals of the G1 Climax tournament. Zack Sabre Jr. got his well-deserved victory, and the pair discussed how New Japan used its own booking style against us to make us feel Zack was in jeopardy, what the future holds for finalist Yota Tsuji and how David Finlay has risen in the eyes of fans with his strong performances. They also talked about Shingo Takagi's sublime selling, why Jake Lee and Gabe Kidd make an intriguing tag team and why they are thrilled Hiromu Takahashi is chasing HENARE's NEVER Openweight title. They also looked ahead to future title matches, talked some Hiroshi Tanhashi history and discussed why Zack's decision to challenge at King of Pro Wrestling makes the autumn more interesting than usual.
 
 

G1 Playoff Winners Move on and the Final Four is Previewed

Steven Conway and Jeremy Finestone return with Speaking of Strong Style! Episode 121 looked back at the end of block action in the G1 Climax 34 tournament, along with the first round of playoffs. New Japan is down to its final four! Jeremy and Steven discussed the journeys of Zack Sabre Jr., Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji and David Finlay as they prepare for the semifinals. They also looked at why Konnosuke Takeshita should be in New Japan full time, where El Phantasmo could be headed and how Yuya Uemura's injury interrupted a fine run. They also discussed Capital Collision and took viewer questions.