This is a Patreon-exclusive full episode. Sign up to the Wrestling Omakase Patreon now for just $5 a month to get access to it, along with:
-Four previous Patreon-exclusive full episodes with Alan4L, Rich Kraetsch, Nate from Everything Elite and Robin Reid from VOW Quiz Night.
-Daily tournament coverage of the King of DDT and Tokyo Joshi Princess Cup, with the first episode already up and 2 more to come on Sunday (8/9) & Monday (8/10).
-Our series covering all of the Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii matches in order, which has already completed 4 episodes (with 6 more to come).
-Our series covering all of the Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi matches in order, which has already been completed. Follow along with all 14 matches in this classic rivalry now!
-An exclusive review of the controversial NJPW Sengoku Lord show.
-Anime Omakase, our new series exclusively on the world of anime, which has four episodes up and a fifth soon to come.
-And much more!

It’s another Patreon-exclusive 5 Matches episode of Wrestling Omakase as we talk an incredibly stiff WCW battle (from one of the worst PPVs of all time), Tanahashi and Shibata from G1 24, Super Dragon vs. Necro Butcher from 2006, Kobashi vs. Takayma from 2004 and the Funks vs. Hansen & Brody from 1982! If you haven’t listened to a 5 Matches episode yet, every week John and the guest each choose 2 matches to watch and talk about on the episode. Then we each choose a third match, which is put up to a vote on the @wrestleomakase Twitter account (or on the Patreon!), letting the listeners choose our fifth and final match of the week. It’s a fun retro format featuring all sorts of different wrestling!

John is joined by first time guest Todd Martin (@ToddMartinMMA) from the PWTorch, as John and Todd start by discussing when it might be possible for both of them to return to Japan after this pandemic is over, hopeful signs for vaccines and more. Once that’s out of the way they turn their attention to this week’s 5 Match picks, which are in order:

1. Lord Steven Regal vs. Belfast Bruiser (Fit Finlay), WCW 3/24/96 (WWE Network)
2. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Katsuyori Shibata, NJPW 7/26/14 (NJPW World)
3. Super Dragon vs. Necro Butcher, PWG 9/2/06 (Highspots Network; match starts around 1:49:15)
4. Kenta Kobashi vs. Yoshihiro Takayama, NOAH 4/25/04 (Youtube)
5. Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody vs. Terry & Dory Funk Jr, AJPW 12/13/82 (Youtube; match starts around 6 minutes)

Topics that come up along the way include: boy was the rest of Uncensored 96 horrendous, Australia gets introduced to PPVs in the worst way possible, for once a DQ finish in WCW has a good explanation, Tanahashi and Shibata’s real-life heat, BACHI BACHI, Super Dragon’s career gets ended, John tells that Super Dragon story again, what makes a good Takayama match, they don’t make them like Kenta Kobashi anymore, Terry Funk’s first of seventeen thousand retirements, Stan Hansen gets mad at a trophy and more. Plus we wrap things up with some quick thoughts on the New Japan Cup USA!

Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/40248691

Wrestling Omakase has dedicated channels on TWO Discords! Come join either one where you can chat with John and show guests and submit questions for future episodes!
Super J-Cast Discord
VOW Network Discord

Missed any of the 5 Matches episodes or just want to revisit one of the matches discussed previously but aren’t sure what episode it took place on? Here’s a handy Google Doc with links to every single match we’ve discussed on this series so far, which will continue to be updated every episode!