Into the Indies 09.14.11: YouTubaPalooza
Posted by Ryan Byers on 09.14.2011
Ever think that I2I didn't have enough video content? Well, this is your lucky day! Check out ten big videos of all the most entertaining promotions and performers currently on the international indy scene, right here.
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Into the Indies, the column that is copping out.
I'll admit it. I have no problem admitting it. I just haven't had the time to put together a full-fledged column this week. Rather than skip out, though, I figured that I would provide some content that doesn't require a lot of time or though. Yes, that's right, I'm going to use and abuse YOUTUBE~!
So, today, we're bringing you ten YouTube videos designed to give folks who haven't had it before a little bit of exposure to the international independent scene. If you like what you see, don't just track down more of the promotion or wrestler featured but ALSO head to the YouTube page of the individual who uploaded the video because, in most cases, they've got plenty of more cool looking stuff from across the globe.
Up first, we've got a look at an oldie but a goodie, the Great Sasuke. With his athleticism waning in his older years, Sasuke has recently started to taking some really insane bumps to catch the audience's attention. This is a compilation of some of the more bizarre spots that Sasuke has been involved in lately, peppered with a few big moves from early in his career.
From insane bumps we go to crazy-snug shoot style pro wrestling, which is personified by Munenori Sawa (at least when he's not wrestling under his alter ego of Lingerie Mutoh). Sadly, Sawa recently announced that he was going to retire as a result of his home promotion, BattlArts. As far as I know, there is no announced retirement date yet, but we'll be sure to enjoy Sawa for as long as we can while he's still around.
If you like to alternate your Sawa-esque serious wrestling with a little bit of slapstick grappling, there's no better place to look than Okinawa Pro Wrestling. One of the brightest spots in O-Pro is Kijimuna, an Australian wrestler (formerly known as Dingo) who currently wears a red spandex body suit and pretends to be some sort of mischievous demon with a butterfly net. He's athletic, he's entertaining, and he could be a fixture in the Japanese indies for some time if he wants to be.
From Japan we shoot across the globe to the Western Hemisphere, specifically Europe and even more specifically Finland, where we find the subject of our next video. His name is Starbuck, and he is a Canadian-Finnish veteran who books his own promotion, Fight Club Finland, in addition to being a staple of other independents in mainland Europe and a main event level player in Tajiri's SMASH promotion. This video, though, focuses more on his European exploits.
Starbuck is a big, intimidating man, but wrestling isn't all about the intimidation factor. Sometimes you want something a little bit lighter, fluffier, and, frankly, cuter. That's why our next video is from Ice Ribbon. It's not a highlight reel like most of the other videos we're watching today, but it rather is a recap of the entrances of two dance-tastic entrances of Ice Ribbon wrestlers, Riho and Miyako Matsumoto. I dare you to watch this and not be smiling by the end.
I don't feel particularly macho after watching that last video. Let's get manly. Let's get blood. Let's get guts. Let's watch a tribute to BIG JAPAN PRO WRESTLING~!
And from brutality we segue into finesse. Featured in our next video is Mascara Dorado, who is pegged as being the next big thing in Mexico. He has also toured Japan on several occasions, though it appears that, at least for the time being, he would like to continue calling Mexico his home. Dorado really blows me away. I don't think that I've ever seen a wrestler so innovative and so breathtaking since I first saw Rey Misterio, Jr. in a wrestling ring over fifteen years ago.
We've been focusing largely on current wrestling so far in this column, and I thought that it might be nice to also go a little bit old school as well. As such, here is a glance through the looking glass at Frontier Marital Arts Wrestling (FMW), featuring none other than Hayabusa, the man with one of the most tragic stories in all of professional wrestling.
Though Hayabusa is no longer with us, there are still a ton of talented fliers on the independent scene, many of whom call Michinoku Pro Wrestling home. One of my favorite acts in M-Pro these days is the Yapper Men, a bizarrely attired tag team that busts out some insane wrestling holds despite the fact that they look like b-rate extras from an episode of The Wiggles. Outside of M-Pro, the Yapper Men are Hercules Senga and Tsutomu Oosugi, a pair of graduates from the Ultimo Dragon gym.
And we wrap things up this week with a look at Daisuke Sekimoto, who for my money is the best guy on the Japanese indies who hasn't got much play as far as being brought over to the US market. (He's been here, just not at the level that he *should* be.) Sekimoto brutalizes people with suplexes, lariats, and brainbusters, and it is almost always glorious.
And that will do it for this week's Into the Indies. Join us in seven days, when hopefully I will have things back on track.
Cheap Plug!
Do you like joshi puroresu? Do you like SHIMMER? If you're reading this column, chances are that you answered "yes" to at least one of those questions. If you answered "yes" to at least one of those questions, chances are probably also good that you'd be interested in some merchandise related to Hiroyo Matsumoto, one of the brightest young stars in joshi and a former SHIMMER Tag Team Champion.
Well, you're in luck! Artist and joshi enthusiast shupercousin has obtain from Matsumoto and her booking office S-Ovation the rights to produce and market a Hiroyo Matsumoto t-shirt to the English speaking world, with all proceeds going back to Hiroyo. It looks a little something like this:
If you're interested in owning one of these bad boys, visit shupercousin's Hiroyo Matsumoto fansite right here.
Looking forward to the next installment of Into the Indies? Keep an eye on 411's Twitter accounts, and you just might see it pop up!
"Mascara Dorado, who is pegged as being the next big thing in Mexico."
Thats completely wrong. Only the fans on youtube pegged him as the next big thing in Mexico. He did receive a big push in CMLL initially, but he was constantly botching his moves. The result of that was the fans turning on him and he was immediatly placed at the bottom of the midcard. CMLL brought in 'el Satanico' to re-train him, and he is slowly improving, but he has a long way to go.
He is only 23 years old, so he still has plenty of time to improve. But to become the next big thing in Lucha Libre he must first win back the fans.
Posted By: Guest#8263 (Guest) on September 14, 2011 at 06:24 AM
"...Though Hayabusa is no longer with us..."
Jesus Christ, Byers! I thought he'd died when I read that!
Posted By: DarthDaver (Guest) on September 14, 2011 at 10:06 PM
"...Though Hayabusa is no longer with us..."
Jesus Christ, Byers! I thought he'd died when I read that!
Posted By: DarthDaver (Guest) on September 14, 2011 at 10:06 PM
Agreed, I even looked it up to see if he died or something.
Posted By: Paul (Guest) on September 14, 2011 at 11:55 PM
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