Libsyn Directory

Eastern Lariat Special: 2025 Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame Discussion (w/Gerard di Trolio of the Emerald Flowshow)

Release Date: 10/28/2025

Eastern Lariat

This week, the Eastern Lariat dives into a possibly defining show for New Japan Pro Wrestling on 2/11: Tsuji remains champ, Jake Lee looked goofy and Tsuji called out Bushiroad – a lot to unwind for STRIGGA & Dylan! They also discuss the big question: where exactly do you go with Olympic gold medalist Aaron Wolf from here? Who's stepping up after Finlay and Hiromu being added to the list of departures? Maybe Callum Newman? The New Japan Cup may provide some answers. Dylan also plugs his obituary for Tadao Yasuda and STRIGGA is hyped for Katsuya Murashima moving to Europe. After 90...

Episode 318: New Year Potpourri

Eastern Lariat

Welcome to the 2026 edition of the New Year Potpourri! After Wrestle Kingdom and the Year End Awards, this show looks back how the first month of the year went for some of the top companies in Japan. Of course STRIGGA & Dylan start off by breaking down EVIL leaving NJPW and reflecting his legacy with the company. Was he a true top guy? From there on, the Eastern Lariat talks about the identity of Hayabusa and his match on Monday Magic including some more developments in the new season of the show. Then, the show takes a closer look at DDT’s busy January including the D GENERATIONS...

Episode 317: Year End Awards 2025

Eastern Lariat

It's this time of the year again! This episode is all about celebrating the very best of the year 2025 in japanese Pro-Wrestling as STRIGGA & Dylan unveil the Eastern Lariat Year End Awards that you, the listeners, voted for! Across 12 categories, both hosts break down the winners, debate cases and tight races, spotlight moments, matches, and performers that defined the year. From MVP, Best Wrestler, Best Jr. Heavyweight over Best Bout, Most Improved and Best Foreigner, this show offers a synoptic look at a crucial year for puroresu! Intro song: 「ANTI-FORMALISM」 by OBSESS...

Episode 316: Ace Gone

Eastern Lariat

The beginning of the new year is the endpoint of a career at the same time. It's not the endpoint of a regular career, but the endpoint of Hiroshi Tanahashi's career that shaped japanese pro wrestling over the past 26 years and helped change the balance of power in the business. So it's no exaggeration to say that fans witnessed the closing of the book of one of the most important careers not just in New Japan Pro Wrestling, but in modern professional wrestling as a whole. Besides the Tanahashi festivities and his tremendous final match against longtime rival Kazuchika Okada, STRIGGA &...

Eastern Lariat Special: 2026 Predictions for Japan

Eastern Lariat

It's the yearly tradition back again. 2025 is in the books and now we go over the predictions from the fans. We got a ton and Dylan goes through every single one, determining if things are more likely or unlikely to happen and my thoughts on the possibility of them happening. Finally he throws out a few predictions of his own that he foresees for 2026. It's a new year! What will the future hold for us? The Eastern Lariat Family comes together to try to determine one aspect! For more coverage of Japanese wrestling, and wrestling past and present please check out our Patreon for literally...

Episode 315: 25 under 25

Eastern Lariat

For the final show of the year 2025, STRIGGA & Dylan Fox dive into their 25 under 25 list of the very best Japanese pro wrestling talent under the age of 25. From already main eventing standouts to promising prospects with seemingly limitless ceilings, they talk strengths, trajectories, and who’s in line to define the next coming years of their respective promotion or maybe the entire scene. Join in, come up with your own list or learn about new talent that's about to put their stamp on the next decade.

Super J-Cup 2000

Eastern Lariat

Merry Christmas from the Eastern Lariat! As a special gift to you, STRIGGA & Dylan go 25 years back in time and present their review of the Super J-Cup 3rd Stage hosted by Michinoku Pro Wrestling on the 1st & 9th of April 2000! This tournament featured a colorful cast of characters from New Japan's Jushin Thunder Liger over Michinoki Pro's Great Sasuke and WCW's Kaz Hayashi to Big Japan's MEN's Teioh and BattlArts representative Katsumi Usuda. Join in as the Eastern Lariat travel back to a different world of professional wrestling!

Episode 314: From The Other Side

Eastern Lariat

This week on the Eastern Lariat, STRIGGA & Dylan kick things off by talking about one of their japanese pro-wrestling soft spots in ZERO1. As the company is "reborn", they took it to Korakuen Hall where the "reborn" Hayabusa faced Kaito Kiyomiya. Kiyomiya also recently faced "Mr. Smack Daddy" Yoshiki Inamura in the main event, so Pro Wrestling NOAH and their upcoming Budokan card is the next topic. From there, STRIGGA & Dylan take it to New Japan's Wrestle Kingdom 20 card that is shaping up nicely. While ZERO1 always seems to be on its last legs, All Japan continues to have boom...

Eastern Lariat Special: 2025 Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame Inductees (w/Gerard di Trolio)

Eastern Lariat

With the smoke clearing on the 2025 WON Hall of Fame ballots, we have a whopping 8 new inductees to discuss. With all 7 voted in being candidates voted on by returning guest from the Emerald Flowshow, Gerard di Trolio. We go over the inductees, near misses, surprising totals and the future of the ballots with new and returning candidates being announced, finally with picks suggested by us to big Dave himself that we feel should be on the ballot, belong and deserve a look in the future. It was a fun ride covering it once again in 2025 and for the first time we wrap it up with the results!...

Episode 313: Favorite Lucha Dumpling

Eastern Lariat

For the firs time in a long time STRIGGA & Dylan invest a lot of time into DRAGONGATE and analyze the current stable landscape of the promotion guiding you through the different camps and what their aspirations and goals are. In doing so, they also discuss the most recent Gate of Destiny and King of Gate events. From there, they take it to New Japan Pro Wrestling in November and on their road to the Tokyo Dome. This episode was taped before Tanahashi's opponent was announces, so part of this speculation is redundant – it's fun nonetheless! Finally, the Eastern Lariat reviews DDT's...

More Episodes

It's time for the Hall of Fame! Dylan is joined by the Emerald Flowshow and WON Hall of Fame voter Gerard di Trolio to discuss this year's ballot, with particular spotlight on the new candidates on this year. Every single region is covered as he reveals his ballot, with perhaps one Dylan swaying him on somewhat? Buckle up and check out our look at a wrestling history perspective for over 3 hours, with a couple of tangents on the Blue Jays, Gerard showing up to Sweet Daddy Siki's karaoke nights, and who could be next on the pipeline to be placed on the ballot in the future. It was another edition at the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame for the year 2025. Below is the full ballot and list of candidates:

I FOLLOWED THE HISTORICAL PERFORMERS ERA CANDIDATES (Six maximum)

Ole Anderson

Afa & Sika Anoa'i

Bob Armstrong

Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson w/J.J. Dillon

British Bulldogs (Dynamite Kid & Davey Boy Smith)

June Byers

Wild Bull Curry

Junkyard Dog

Cowboy Bob Ellis

Pampero Firpo

Black Gordman & Great Goliath

Archie "Mongolian Stomper" Gouldie

Hart Foundation (Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart)

Sputnik Monroe

Dusty Rhodes & Dick Murdoch

Iron Sheik

Sweet Daddy Siki

Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood

Mad Dog & Butcher Vachon

Kevin & Kerry & David Von Erich

I FOLLOWED THE MODERN PERFORMERS IN U.S/CANADA CANDIDATES (Six maximum)

Mark & Jay Briscoe

Edge/Adam Copeland

Bill Dundee

FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheleer)

Bill Goldberg

Samoa Joe

Matt & Jeff Hardy

Becky Lynch

Drew McIntyre

Mercedes Mone/Sasha Banks

Jon Moxley

Kevin Nash & Scott Hall

Randy Orton

C.M. Punk

Cody Rhodes

Seth Rollins

Sabu

Trish Stratus

Rick & Scott Steiner

I FOLLOWED WRESTLING IN JAPAN CANDIDATES (Three maximum)

Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan

Yoshiaki Fujiwara

Hayabusa

Masaaki Mochizuki

Antonio Inoki & Seiji Sakaguchi

Zack Sabre Jr.

Meiko Satomura

Io Shirai/Iyo Sky

Tiger Jeet Singh

Yoshihiro Takayama

Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada

I FOLLOWED WRESTLING IN MEXICO CANDIDATES (Three maximum)

Angel Blanco & Dr.Wagner

Sangre Chicana

El Dandy

Dorrell Dixon

Gran Hamada

Los Infernales (El Satanico & Pirata Morgan & MS 1)

El Hijo del Santo & Octagon

La Parka AAA

Mascarita Sagrada

Volador Jr.

I FOLLOWED WRESTLING IN EUROPE/AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND/PACIFIC ISLANDS/AFRICA (four maximum)

Spyros Arion

Dominic DeNucci

George Gordienko

Steve Grey

Billy Joyce

Les Kellett

Killer Karl Kox

Gilbert Leduc

Ted Boy Marino

The Royal Brothers (Bert Royal & Vic Faulkner)

Adrian Street

Jose Tarres

Otto Wanz

NON-WRESTLERS (Seven maximum)

Dave Brown (U.S. & Canada modern)

Zane Bresoff (U.S.& Canada modern)

Bobby Bruns (Japan)

Bob Caudle (U.S. & Canada historical)

Joe Higuchi (Japan)

Jim Johnston (U.S. & Canada modern)

Larry Matysik (U.S.& Canada historical)

James Melby (U.S. & Canada historical)

Bill Mercer (U.S. & Canada historical)

Gorilla Monsoon (U.S. & Canada historical)

Rossy Ogawa (Japan)

Reggie Parks (U.S. & Canada modern)

Morris Sigel (U.S. & Canada historical)

Tony Schiavone (U.S. & Canada modern)

George Scott (U.S. & Canada historical)

Kevin Sullivan (U.S. & Canada historical)

Mike Tenay (U.S. & Canada modern)

Ted Turner (U.S. & Canada modern)

Jesse Ventura (U.S. & Canada historical)

Roy Welch (U.S. & Canada historical)

Stanley Weston (U.S. & Canada historical)

Grand Wizard (U.S & Canada historical)

Koichi Yoshizawa (Japan)

If you wanna hear more of Gerard and talking about modern NOAH, AJPW, occasionally GLEAT & BJW, check out the Emerald Flowshow!

twitter.com/emeraldflowshow

https://open.spotify.com/show/1sjbd84fZN0VC46hCnyc3V

For more coverage of Japanese wrestling, and wrestling past and present please check out our Patreon for literally 1000s of hours of audio and written content as well: https://www.patreon.com/easternlariat

https://www.twitter.com/easternlariat

https://www.twitter.com/strigga

https://www.twitter.com/viva_zero

@easternlariat.bsky.social

@vivazero.bsky.social

@strigga.bksy.social

https://www.instagram.com/easternlariat

TOPICS