Pacific Rim: Takayamamania, Joey Janela and Santino Marella in Tokyo

Fumi Saito went to two shows this week in Tokyo. The first was Jun Kasai’s Freedoms, a deathmatch-style show in Shinkiba which featured Joey Janela tagging with an invisible partner against Kikutaro and an invisible partner.

Fumi also went to a standing-room-only Korakuen Hall for the second Takayamamania, a fundraiser for the legendary Yoshihiro Takayama who suffered a spinal injury in 2017 that left him paralyzed. Wrestlers who worked the show for free include: Nagata, Ohtani, Minoru Suzuki, Marufuji, Masato Tanaka, and Akira Maeda & Keiji Muto in a “Special Talk Battle.”

Anthony Carelli, aka Santino Marella, was in Japan for a judo tournament and worked a DDT show.

In addition, we talk about the 25th anniversary of the IWA promotion in Japan and answer your #AskFumi Twitter questions on the 30th anniversary of the classic Jumbo Tsuruta/Genichiro Tenryu Triple Crown match, Samurai TV, Red Shoes, Young Lions, and much more. 

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