Photo of Eddie Guerrero and Jerry “Mr. JL” Lynn by Karl Stern
Classic wrestling host and wrestling historian Karl Stern takes a look at the recent Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet match from NJPW to see what all the fuss is about. How does it fit historically? Is this a bunch of flippy-doos doing something other than pro wrestling or is it a good match? Are the criticisms of Jim Cornette and Vader valid?
This leads to a deep discussion of the evolution of the Japanese junior heavyweight styles, and then a talk about the psychology of gimmick matches in the 1970s and 1980s which leads into a heavier than expected examination of society — an amazingly complex question.
Other topics:
- Examining historical Japanese Junior matches like Tiger Mask vs Dynamite Kid and the Best of the Super Juniors from the 1990’s with people like Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Jushin Liger and seeing what Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet looks like historically.
- A great listener question about the history of humiliation gimmick matches like strap matches and chain matches that opens a whole can of worms I had never considered before.
Just a reminder that time is running out to order the giant wrestling history collection on the Super Stern Stick 16gb flash drive. The drive is going to be discontinued soon so if you’ve ever thought about ordering… well… time is running out.
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