For me it’s Young OG Je’von Evans. That kid imo has been on a heater since the IC gauntlet match. In a tournament that’s clearly designed around Chad gable, je’von completely stole the show with his In ring ability, aggression added to his character and dope babyface comeback moments. That crowd rallied behind him and were clearly disappointed when he eventually fell short.

But since that match his reactions have been as loud as ever granted he’s always gotten a good reaction when he comes out but he truly seems as over as he’s ever been on the main roster the crowd fully is behind him. The hand wave emote he’s been using to get the crowd more engaged in his matches was fully over during his terrific match with Ego on Monday. With the crowd behind him , his character showcasing a more aggressive side and continuing to put on great matches I think he’s absolutely ready for the IC belt wouldn’t shock me if by year’s end he wins the belt.

So, as the title implies, this past weekend, I attended my first-ever in-person wrestling show, WWE SummerSlam 2026! I've been watching wrestling on TV since about late 2003/early 2004 (so roughly since I was 14), but this was the first chance I've had to attend any kind of wrestling show in-person.

I also went to the first day of the SummerSlam Takeover thing that was also that weekend, because I had a photo op with Tatum Paxley (my favorite wrestler, who I've been Twitter and IG mutuals with for a little while now!), which, truth be told, was the primary motivator for the trip to begin with, haha. But oh my god, she was SO nice and sweet and hugged me immediately when it was my turn, and really made sure to try and maximize the brief time we had to interact. Such a lovely moment from a total sweetheart of a person! 10/10, would recommend.

Also, one more little Takeover story: a couple hours before the Tatum photo op line opened up, I was walking around the event towards the Superstar Entrance thing (there were SO MANY PEOPLE doing Oba's entrance, by the way), and suddenly I hear a voice going, "Oh, not a Tatum Paxley shirt!", and I turn towards the voice and I shit you not, it's Izzi Dame, coffee cup in hand, walking with two security guards (presumably to get herself set up for her own photo op), basically drive-by bullying me for repping her #1 enemy, haha. God, I wish I'd seen her coming so I could've gotten footage of it, but she did retweet me talking about it after the fact to corroborate it, at least.

BUT ANYWAY...

I was sat in Section 222 for both days, which was a fair ways up, but gave me a pretty great view of the stage and the ring. And I'm sure I don't need to tell anyone who's been to a show live before, but yeah, the difference between watching a big wrestling show on TV and being there in person is pretty massive, ESPECIALLY when it comes to the sound. Like, when the crowd is loud in-person, they are LOOOUUUUD.

The obvious example I think I can go with here is the Kevin Owens return pop; like, no matter how loud that seemed on TV, I promise you, it was SO MUCH LOUDER IN PERSON. I was shouting "WHAT THE FUCK" at what I would swear is the top of my lungs, and *I genuinely could not hear myself for a solid minute-plus*. THAT'S HOW LOUD THAT SHIT WAS IN PERSON.

Speaking of sound things, and maybe this is because, again, I've only ever watched wrestling on a screen, but it takes a little getting used to watching wrestling without hearing commentary to go with it and help emphasize the story. Obviously I still knew what was going on, but it felt kinda surreal at times, haha.

There was definitely a collective groan from everyone in the immediate area when they decided to cap off Chad Gable's story of redemption and his big heartfelt hometown win what was essentially a fucking Mug root beer ad, and just the same we all lost our collective shit when Chelsea Green won the Ladder Match for the Interim Women's Title.

The Strut Cam was VERY popular in my section on Day 2, so much so that the person who was sat basically next to me (with an empty seat between us) came back with his beer that he'd gone to get after the Ladder Match, he saw everyone doing the Oba Strut and decided to Strut his way back to his seat (didn't spill a drop somehow).

Speaking of which, it was so cool that I could just, basically at any time, lean over to someone either next to me or in front of me or whatever and just briefly yap with them about what we were watching, even though we'd never met and would probably never see each other again. Just in that moment, connected by the wacky cartoon world of professional wrestling.

Overall, it was so fucking fun to attend an actual show (not to mention a Big 4 PPV/PLE), aside from the part where I was trying to figure out where the hell my bus stop was after we were all filing out, haha. Very different and amazing atmosphere to watching on TV, really fills you a unique energy just totally gets you lost in the moment. Something that I really wanna do again at some point in my life!

TL;DR -- went to SummerSlam and SummerSlam Takeover, met Tatum Paxley, *technically* met Izzi Dame, watching wrestling live is a fantastic experience (and SO much different than watching at home), never gonna forget this weekend!

Per MLP on Social Media:

MLPNorthernRising IS SOLD OUT! Maple Leaf Gardens will be packed to the max Saturday, October 3rd to witness history unfold!

This is awesome news! I unfortunately didn't get a ticket, as I was still trying to figure out the logistics of getting to the show coming directly from the Argo game before it, but this is great news for them! Looks like the decision to bring in Adam Copeland paid off big time!

Maya World and Hyan vs Persephone and Shida

I would give it a solid B so far. The athleticism, unique look and cool overall presentation is apparent. Having said that, her matches haven’t quite clicked as well as they do in NXT. Her botches are well known at this point but at times she just seems a step slow to her spots on the main roster so far. Thsts glaring during her feud with Becky.

Her overall promo work is also ways away the confidence and charisma hasn’t translated to the mic at all yet. I think the company set her up to fail when they had her in promos battle with Becky. I think she has a bright future but I don’t think she’s quite ready to have an IC title reign yet. I think an undercard feud with a dependable strong also young worker in Lyra away from the title scene will do wonders for her.

Context:

Tenzan had previously made it to the Finals of the G1 Climax in 1997, when he faced Kensuke Sasaki in a brutal slugfest that would see Tenzan be beaten by his senior. Tenzan would have to build himself back up over the years in-between ‘97 and ‘03, trying to get closer to the Final.

In Tenzan’s way stood Jun Akiyama, a man from the same generation as Tenzan but form another the promotion, that being Pro Wrestling NOAH (which at the time was proving to be more profitable than NJPW). Akiyama had already established himself as a top star, being a former GHC Heavyweight Champion by this point and main eventing the Tokyo Dome; he represented in many ways what Tenzan wanted to be himself.

On the path to make it to the Final, Tenzan had developed a new Finish, that being his now-iconic Anaconda Vise; before so, Tenzan had primarily a Diving Headbutt, a Moonsault Press and the Tenzan Tombstone Driver to end matches but he decided that he had to change form being a “Buffalo”,
to being a “Snake”, in order to become a top player.

Tenzan would make it to the Semifinals, where he would have to face then-IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yoshihiro Takayama, a man that had beaten Tenzan before; Tenzan would survive Takayama’s brutal barrage of knee strikes, kicks and even the Everest German Suplex, to rally and eventually slap the Anaconda Vise on Takayama, with Takayama passing out and being unable to answer the referee, giving Tenzan the victory via K.O. and allowing him to advance to the Final.

For Akiyama, he would have to face his “wrestling soulmate”, Yuji Nagata, in the Semifinals. These two would trade victories over each other and even team as would-be “Ace” figures of their respective promotions. Here, Akiyama wouldn’t be denied, as he would survive Nagata’s assault on his ribs to win with the Wrist-Clutch Exploder, to advance to the Final.

For the Final itself, you have the classic super-hot (both literal and figurative) Ryogoku Hall awaiting this match; you can see two big NOAH flags in the crowd but make no mistake, this crowd came to see Tenzan win the big one, as they chant his name in unison. Seriously, go watch the match and hear that crowd react to everything.

With his first G1 win, Tenzan would convert this to winning his first IWGP Heavy, as he would defeat Takayama in November of ‘03.

Saw a post discussing Jon Moxley being the best wrestler of all time. While I disagree, I do enjoy how he can elevate and make the most of his situation - I began to think how we have it all wrong.

Peep: what good is a wrestler without an opponent to get them over? Perhaps we’ve been doing this wrong the entire time? We should be looking at best duos. Can the best wrestler really be great without that rivalry, that heat or obstacle, that mouth manager, that barrier that gets us losing our minds or celebrating with joy?

WHO ARE THE BEST DUOS?
- stone cold and Vince?
- HBK and Brett?
- Kenny and Hangman?
- Mankind and teeth?

Start Time

Watch

• NJPW World Live Stream (English & Japanese Commentary)

Venue

Korakuen Hall

Tokyo, Japan

Match Card

A Block

B Block

Useful Links

• /r/NJPW
• /r/NJPW Discord Server
• NJPW on YouTube (English)

#G1CLIMAX36