Podcasts about Akebono

This week: Chad Rowan, who will be the first non-Japanese yokozuna in history, is the subject for the rest of our episodes. How did he come to sumo? What was his early career like? And how did he come to be known by the name Akebono-the rising sun? Show notes here. 

Kris and David are joined by Nathan K (one of our Patrons) to discuss the week that was April 2-8, 2005 in a show that Nathan dropped $50 on the Patreon for, letting him pick the week and sit in for a segment. Topics of discussion include:WrestleMania 21 (AKA WrestleMania Goes Hollywood) which featured John Cena and Batista being crowned as the WWE and World Champs, respectively, plus Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels having a classic, Akebono and Big Show doing a little Sumo, the first Money in the Bank ladder match, and tons more.A WrestleMania I reunion at the Hall of Fame as Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper lead the list of inductees and even Sylvester Stallone shows up to induct Hogan.Dwayne Johnson kisses and makes up with Vince McMahon.NOAH's plans for their July Tokyo Dome show.The end of an era in Japanese women's wrestling with The Crush Gals reuniting one more time as GAEA basically comes to a close.Ultimate Warrior gives a totally unhinged speech at the University of Connecticut.Kendo Kashin as Dragon Soldier B leaving quite impression at the ROH Best of American Super Juniors show.Drama backstage in TNA as they prepare for their first ever Lockdown show.TNA trying to secure a deal with Spike TV.This is a slam-packed show here, folks, so we hope you enjoy it!!Timestamps:0:00:00 WWE2:23:02 Classic Commercial Break2:27:24 Halftime3:07:53 Int'l: NOAH, BJPW, Dragongate, K-Dojo, Osaka Pro, WMF, AtoZ, GAEA, AAA, CMLL, Monterrey, & IWAPR4:05:22 Other USA: Ultimate Warrior UConn speech, ROH, CZW, NWA Wildside, IWA East Coast, CAPW, IWAMS, Wrestle Birmingham, PWG, & TNATo support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!If you're looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you've been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you'll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you're looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.You can also use code BTSPOD to save 25% on your first payment — whether paying month to month or annually — when you subscribe to Ultimate Classic Wrestling Network at ClassicWrestling.net!To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/between-the-sheets/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Kris and David are joined by Nathan K (one of our Patrons) to discuss the week that was April 2-8, 2005 in a show that Nathan dropped $50 on the Patreon for, letting him pick the week and sit in for a segment. Topics of discussion include:WrestleMania 21 (AKA WrestleMania Goes Hollywood) which featured John Cena and Batista being crowned as the WWE and World Champs, respectively, plus Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels having a classic, Akebono and Big Show doing a little Sumo, the first Money in the Bank ladder match, and tons more.A WrestleMania I reunion at the Hall of Fame as Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper lead the list of inductees and even Sylvester Stallone shows up to induct Hogan.Dwayne Johnson kisses and makes up with Vince McMahon.NOAH's plans for their July Tokyo Dome show.The end of an era in Japanese women's wrestling with The Crush Gals reuniting one more time as GAEA basically comes to a close.Ultimate Warrior gives a totally unhinged speech at the University of Connecticut.Kendo Kashin as Dragon Soldier B leaving quite impression at the ROH Best of American Super Juniors show.Drama backstage in TNA as they prepare for their first ever Lockdown show.TNA trying to secure a deal with Spike TV.This is a slam-packed show here, folks, so we hope you enjoy it!!Timestamps:0:00:00 WWE2:23:02 Classic Commercial Break2:27:24 Halftime3:07:53 Int'l: NOAH, BJPW, Dragongate, K-Dojo, Osaka Pro, WMF, AtoZ, GAEA, AAA, CMLL, Monterrey, & IWAPR4:05:22 Other USA: Ultimate Warrior UConn speech, ROH, CZW, NWA Wildside, IWA East Coast, CAPW, IWAMS, Wrestle Birmingham, PWG, & TNATo support the show and get access to exclusive rewards like special members-only monthly themed shows, go to our Patreon page at Patreon.com/BetweenTheSheets and become an ongoing Patron. Becoming a Between the Sheets Patron will also get you exclusive access to not only the monthly themed episode of Between the Sheets, but also access to our new mailbag segment, a Patron-only chat room on Slack, and anything else we do outside of the main shows!If you're looking for the best deal on a VPN service—short for Virtual Private Network, it helps you get around regional restrictions as well as browse the internet more securely—then Private Internet Access is what you've been looking for. Not only will using our link help support Between The Sheets, but you'll get a special discount, with prices as low as $1.98/month if you go with a 40 month subscription. With numerous great features and even a TV-specific Android app to make streaming easier, there is no better choice if you're looking to subscribe to WWE Network, AEW Plus, and other region-locked services.For the best in both current and classic indie wrestling streaming, make sure to check out IndependentWrestling.tv and use coupon code BTSPOD for a free 5 day trial! (You can also go directly to TinyURL.com/IWTVsheets to sign up that way.) If you convert to a paid subscriber, we get a kickback for referring you, allowing you to support both the show and the indie scene.You can also use code BTSPOD to save 25% on your first payment — whether paying month to month or annually — when you subscribe to Ultimate Classic Wrestling Network at ClassicWrestling.net!To subscribe, you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, and just about every other podcast app's directory, or you can also paste Feeds.FeedBurner.com/BTSheets into your favorite podcast app using whatever “add feed manually” option it has.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/between-the-sheets/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Why the hell did WWE book these unwanted WrestleMania abominations at all?! Simon Miller presents 10 WWE WrestleMania Matches NOBODY Wanted...ENJOY!Follow us on Twitter:@SimonMiller316@WhatCultureWWEFor more awesome content, check out: whatculture.com/wwe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last time we spoke about the advance to Ormoc Valley. As October 1944 unfolded in the Leyte campaign, American forces steadily pushed Japanese troops inland. Despite fierce resistance, they captured key positions, like Dagami, Catmon Hill, and multiple airstrips. While the Japanese reinforced areas like Ormoc, American regiments advanced through challenging conditions, relying on artillery amid minimal air support due to weather and resource constraints. By month's end, American forces had inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese, securing vital beachheads and pushing closer to full control of Leyte. After suffering losses at Leyte Gulf, the 7th Fleet withdrew, leaving Kenney's P-38s to defend Tacloban airfields amid Japanese air raids. As kamikaze attacks grew, USS Franklin sustained heavy casualties, while the Americans pressed forward, capturing Carigara on Leyte. Meanwhile, Australian forces began reclaiming New Britain, pushing Japanese forces back through guerilla warfare. Facing tough jungle conditions, Australian and native troops gradually secured strategic positions by December, reinforcing the Allied grip in the Pacific. This episode is the Battle of Ormoc Bay Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  As we have seen over the past few weeks, the Battle of Leyte Gulf saw Generals MacArthur's forces land and successfully defeat the 16th Division of Leyte Island as well as seized Carigara and Pinamopoan over the northern coast. The 24th Division also engaged the enemy's reinforcements, centred around the elite 1st Division during the battle for the northern entrance into the Ormoc Valley. Meanwhile Admiral Okawachi and General Yamashita aimed to bring more reinforcements to Leyte which would lead to another air-naval battle. The previous week, Colonel Verbeck's 21st Regiment was engaged in a mission to capture Breakneck Ridge, fiercely defended by Colonel Miyauchi's 57th Regiment. Simultaneously, General Kataoka mobilized his remaining two regiments to initiate a broad, four-pronged assault on the Pinamopoan perimeter. However, the rugged terrain slowed their movement toward assembly areas. On the morning of November 8 a typhoon, moving in from the west, swept over the entire island of Leyte. Jan Valtin, a member of the 24th Division, graphically describes it: "From the angry immensity of the heavens floods raced in almost horizontal sheets. Palms bent low under the storm, their fronds flattened like streamers of wet silk. Trees crashed to earth. In the expanse of… [cogon] grass the howling of the wind was like a thousand-fold plaint of the unburied dead. The trickle of supplies was at a standstill. On Carigara Bay the obscured headlands moaned under the onslaught of the… seas. Planes were grounded and ships became haunted things looking for refuge. Massed artillery… barrages to the summit of Breakneck Ridge sounded dim and hollow in the tempest. Trails were obliterated by the rain. The sky was black." In the midst of the storm, the 21st's infantry attacked. As the typhoon swept across the island, Verbeck's forces launched a three-pronged assault on Breakneck Ridge and Hill 1525, facing staunch resistance from Miyauchi's defenders but making considerable progress toward Hill 1525. Notably, plans for General Suzuki's offensive were found on a deceased Japanese officer, enabling General Krueger to redeploy his forces effectively. On 10 November General Mudge sent elements of the 1st Cavalry Division to patrol the area of the mountains of central Leyte extensively. From 5 November through 2 December, elements of the 1st Cavalry Division extensively patrolled the central mountain area and had many encounters with small forces of the enemy. At all times the supply situation was precarious. The 12th Cavalry established high in the foothills, at the entrance to the passes through the mountains, a supply base that was also a native camp, a hospital, and a rest camp. About 300 Filipino carriers were kept here under the protection of the guerrillas. The carriers had been hired for six days at a time and were not allowed to leave without a pass from their Filipino leader. This precaution was necessary, since the ration-carrying assignment was extremely arduous. The cavalrymen would frequently skirmish with the 41st Regiment and the 169th and 171st Independent Battalions during this period. Brigadier-General Julian Cunningham's 112th Cavalry Regiment, expected by November 14, was tasked with relieving General Mudge's 1st Cavalry Division in the Carigara-Barugo area to enable a southwest advance from the central mountains and ease pressure on General Irving's 24th Division.  General Bradley's 96th Division was directed to capture the high ground between Jaro and Dagami, with the 382nd Regiment remaining at Dagami to inflict significant losses on the 16th Division while securing Bloody Ridge. By November 4, the 382nd Regiment had made some progress into Bloody Ridge. The night of 4-5 November was not quiet. The Japanese delivered harassing fire on the 1st Battalion, and at 2205 elements of the 16th Division launched a heavy assault against the perimeter of the 2d Battalion. An artillery concentration immediately stopped the attack, and the Japanese fled, leaving 254 dead and wounded behind them. The following morning, after the artillery had fired a preparation in front of the 1st and 2d Battalions, the two battalions renewed the attack at 0900 and two companies from the 3d Battalion protected the regimental left (south) flank. The battalions advanced about 1,000 yards before they encountered any strong resistance. The defenses of the 16th Division consisted of a great many concrete emplacements, concealed spider holes, and connecting trenches. By nightfall, at 1700, the two battalions, assisted by the tanks from Company A, 763d Tank Battalion, successfully reduced the enemy to their front and captured the ridge. Each battalion formed its own perimeter and made plans to renew the attack on 6 November. At 0830 the 1st Battalion, with light tanks in support, moved out in the attack westward against a strong enemy force that was well entrenched in foxholes and pillboxes. Each of these defensive positions had to be reduced before the advance could continue. At 1300 the 2d Battalion moved to the high ground on the right flank of the 1st. The 1st Battalion encountered a strong concrete enemy pillbox which was believed to be a command post, since there were no firing apertures. As grenades had no effect it became necessary finally to neutralize the pillbox by pouring gasoline down the ventilation pipes and setting it afire. Two officers and nineteen enlisted men of the enemy were killed in the pillbox. The Japanese continued to fight tenaciously. There was no withdrawal, but by the end of the day only isolated pockets of enemy resistance remained. The Japanese 16th Division was taking a bad beating. Its supply of provisions had run out. All the battalion commanders, most of the company commanders, and half the artillery battalion and battery commanders had been killed. On the night of 6 November the 16th Division contracted its battle lines and on the following day took up a new position in the Dagami area. The new position ranged from a hill about four and a half miles northwest of Dagami to a point about three and three-fourths miles northwest of Burauen. On 7 November all three battalions of the 382d Infantry engaged the enemy and maintained constant pressure against his positions. The 1st and 3d Battalions advanced west, while the 2d Battalion drove north and west. The 3d Battalion encountered -the more determined resistance. Advancing, preceded by tanks, it met heavy enemy machine gun and rifle fire. A large enemy force assaulted the troops at close quarters and tried to destroy the tanks, but when the 382d Infantry introduced flamethrowers and supporting machine guns, the attackers fell back in disorder. The regiment overran the Japanese defensive positions and killed an estimated 474 of the enemy. Company E of the 2d Battalion had remained in the Patok area, engaged in patrolling and wiping out isolated pockets of enemy resistance. On 8 November strong patrols from the 1st and 2d Battalions probed west into the hills. They encountered the left flank of the enemy supporting position at a point about 2,600 yards west of Patok. A very heavy rainfall on the night of 8-9 November made an assault against the position impossible on 9 November. After all-night artillery fire, the 1st and 3d Battalions moved out at 0900 on 10 November. They met no resistance, but progress was slow because of the swamps. By 1225 the two battalions, supported by a platoon of light tanks, occupied the ridge formerly held by elements of the 16th Division. The 1st Battalion had advanced 2,500 yards. The 382d Infantry had destroyed all organized enemy resistance in its sector and removed the threat to Dagami.  Meanwhile, General Arnold's 7th Division stationed at the Burauen-Abuyog area began sending patrols from Baybay toward Ormoc to prepare for a larger advance, while the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Regiment moved to Baybay, successfully ambushing the Japanese unit advancing to Abuyog. Concurrently, Okawachi sent his fourth convoy from Manila, consisting of three transports, four frigates, and six destroyers under Admiral Kimura. This convoy carried the bulk of General Yamagata's 26th Division and approximately 3,500 tons of supplies, followed by another echelon of three transports with the remainder of the 1st Division. The echelon reached Ormoc the next day, unloaded successfully, and departed without issue. However, the main convoy encountered air attacks as it approached Ormoc Bay, beginning its debarkation by nightfall. On 10 November the 38th Bomb Group, based on Morotai, sent 32 B-25 Mitchells escorted by 37 P-47 Thunderbolts to attack TA-4 near Ponson Island. Reaching the convoy just before noon, the B-25s attacked at minimum altitude in pairs, sinking the two largest transports, Takatsu Maru and Kashii Maru, disabling a third, and sinking two of the patrol craft escorts at a cost of seven bombers, for which the group was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation. Although Yamagata's troops were finally ashore by November 10, most of the supplies couldn't be unloaded due to ongoing enemy air attacks. Shortly after leaving Ormoc, American planes intercepted the convoy, destroying two transports and one frigate, while further damaging another frigate and a destroyer. Meanwhile, Okawachi dispatched a third convoy, consisting of five transports, a submarine chaser, and five destroyers under Rear Admiral Hayakawa Mikio, transporting special troops and heavy equipment of the 26th Division. When one transport ran aground on Luzon's Bondoc Peninsula, Kimura sent two frigates and three destroyers to transfer its cargo to Ormoc. As a result, Hayakawa's convoy arrived at Ormoc Bay on November 11 and began unloading. However, ULTRA intercepts had detected the enemy convoy departing Manila, prompting Admiral Halsey to redeploy Task Force 38 under Admiral McCain. While under repair at Manila on 29 October, Nachi and Kumano were attacked by aircraft from USN Task Force 38. Nachi was hit by a single bomb to her aircraft deck, and this, as well as strafing attacks, killed 53 crewmen and further delayed repairs. On 5 November, again in Manila Bay, Nachi was attacked by three waves of U.S. planes from the aircraft carriers USS Lexington and Ticonderoga. She escaped the first wave undamaged, but was hit by five bombs and two or three torpedoes in the second wave while attempting to get underway. During the third wave, Nachi was hit by five torpedoes in her port side, which severed her bow and stern, and by an additional 20 bombs and 16 rockets. Nachi's flag commander, Vice Admiral Kiyohide Shima, was ashore for a conference at the time of the attack, but arrived at dockside in time to see his flagship blown apart. The central portion of the vessel sank in 102 feet (31 m) of water about 12 nautical miles (22 km) northeast of Corregidor. McCain launched an attack on Kimura's convoy. Just as unloading began, 347 planes struck, sinking all four transports and four destroyers, including the flagship Shimakaze, on which Hayakawa lost his life. This costly reinforcement operation thus ended in partial failure, with most equipment lost and over 1,500 casualties. Nevertheless, elements of the 1st Division moved immediately toward the Limon area, while Yamagata's units, though short on weaponry, were ordered to assemble at Dolores to prepare for joining the Imahori Detachment at Daro. At the same time, noticing the rapid advance of the enemy into the Carigara area, Yamashita concluded that Suzuki's proposed offensive toward Tacloban was destined for failure. He ordered the main force of the 35th Army to join the 16th Division in the advantageous mountainous positions of the Burauen-Dagami area to regain control of the recently captured airstrips, thereby limiting operations in the Carigara area to a holding action. Concurrently, as this adjustment to the tactical plan was made, Yamashita communicated his growing belief that the overall situation offered little hope for victory on Leyte and unsuccessfully tried to persuade General Terauchi to shift the decisive battle to Luzon. As a result of Terauchi's decision, the 68th Brigade was still to be sent to Leyte; the 23rd Division was scheduled to go to Manila in mid-November before returning to Leyte; and the 10th and 19th Divisions were planned for movement to the island by the end of the year. With the plans finalized for continuing the decisive battle on Leyte, Terauchi's headquarters departed Manila for Saigon on November 17. Back on Leyte, on November 9, the weary, mud-stained troops of the 21st Regiment launched another attack, with the 3rd Battalion assaulting the center of Breakneck Ridge and the 2nd Battalion targeting OP Hill, though they made only minor gains. Additionally, Verbeck's 1st Battalion attacked Limon but was repelled by heavy enemy fire, and fresh Japanese troops subsequently counterattacked the Hill 1525 position, forcing the Americans to retreat. Finally, Colonel Chapman's 2nd Battalion reached the western slopes of Hill 1525 in the afternoon, but it was too late for them to take part in the battle. On November 10, Verbeck continued his assault, successfully capturing OP Hill and making significant headway in the area. At the same time, Chapman's 2nd Battalion began advancing westward to establish a roadblock on Highway 2, approximately 2000 yards south of Limon. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Clifford's 1st Battalion of the 34th Regiment landed on the western shore of Carigara Bay and initiated a wide envelopment around the western flank of the 57th Regiment to secure the high ground known as Kilay Ridge. Additionally, Mudge's cavalrymen pressed forward toward Mount Minoro. On this day, Yamashita's adjustments to the tactical plan finally reached Suzuki's headquarters. As a result, Suzuki abandoned his initial strategy and directed Yamagata to move his troops quickly to Albuera to prepare for an offensive eastward, dubbed Operation Wa. To replace the 26th Division in upcoming operations on the Jaro front, Suzuki decided to deploy the 30th Division, which had not yet departed Mindanao, instructing them to land at Ipil and prepare to support the Imahori Detachment, already skirmishing with Bradley's patrols. On November 11, following a heavy artillery barrage, Verbeck resumed his assault, although the 2nd Battalion quickly found itself pinned down, while the 1st Battalion successfully secured a ridge 300 yards southwest of OP Hill. The next morning, the 1st and 3rd Battalions advanced against the crest of Breakneck Ridge, successfully capturing the objective before being halted by Japanese artillery fire. At the same time, Chapman's 2nd Battalion reached Highway 2, and Clifford's 1st Battalion, supported by elements of the guerrilla 96th Regiment, arrived in the Cabiranan area. By November 13, Verbeck's 1st and 2nd Battalions advanced 600 and 400 yards, respectively, without encountering opposition. Breakneck Ridge was secured, although the Japanese maintained control over several nearby spurs, particularly Corkscrew Ridge. Nonetheless, the 21st Regiment reported approximately 1,779 Japanese soldiers killed, suffering 630 casualties in the process. Additionally, Clifford's 1st Battalion successfully reached Kilay Ridge undetected and quickly established defensive positions. At 0855 on 13 November a column of Filipino men, women, and children entered the perimeter and brought approximately thirty-five boxes of rations from Consuegra. The battalion left the area at 0930 and reached the ridge without opposition. Trenches and prepared gun positions without a man in them honeycombed the ridge from one end to the other. It was evident that elements of the 1st Division had intended to occupy the area in the latter stages of the battle for Limon. On 14 November Colonel Clifford ordered his battalion to entrench itself along the ridge in positions that would afford the best tactical advantage. The battalion established strong points and observation posts on the knolls, placed blocks on the trails leading through the area, and sent out reconnaissance patrols to locate enemy positions. Colonel Clifford made arrangements to utilize the Filipinos as carriers. These men were to use a trail on the north end of the ridge and bring supplies to the battalion from a supply dump at Consuegra. The first human pack train arrived in the area at 1010 with twenty-eight cases of rations and a supply of batteries for the radios. At 1125 enemy artillery shelled the southern end of the ridge and twenty minutes later shifted its fire to the Limon area. The battalion did not succeed in establishing physical contact with the 2d Battalion, 19th Infantry, which was operating east of the road, but it was able to make radio contact. Throughout the day, patrols of the battalion were active in searching out enemy positions. Meanwhile the 112th Cavalry was landed at Carigara and attached to the 1st Cavalry Division to strengthen the assault on the central Leyte mountains. Meanwhile, the reserve 32nd Division, led by Major-General William Gill, was also dispatched to the island to relieve the fatigued 24th Division. This newly arrived division was assigned the mission of capturing Limon and advancing down the Ormoc Valley toward Ormoc. On the Japanese side, after receiving the rest of his division, Kataoka chose to move the 1st Regiment to the left flank to assist the 57th, which had also been bolstered by two fresh battalions. This combined force aimed to launch an attack along the main road toward Pinamopoan while the 49th Regiment and the 171st Independent Battalion sought to envelop the enemy's left flank toward Colasian. By mid-November, the headquarters of the 102nd Division and most of the 364th Independent Battalion had also arrived in Ormoc, with Lieutenant-General Fukei Shinpei taking command of the 41st Regiment and his other battalions on the island as they advanced toward Mount Pina. Furthermore, despite significant losses to enemy aircraft, five air regiments had reinforced the 4th Air Army, enabling General Tominaga to make the 4th Air Division fully operational, a unit that had previously focused solely on base activities and anti-submarine patrols. The replenishment of naval air strength was progressing well, with replacement aircraft for the 1st Combined Base Air Force outnumbering losses by 26% in November. On November 15, the Combined Fleet opted to cease training carrier air groups and instead focus on expanding the base air forces. The 3rd Air Fleet, stationed in the homeland, was tasked with training replacement units for deployment to the Philippines. Due to the successful reinforcement of Japanese air forces in the Philippines and General Kenney's ongoing inability to provide close air support, Halsey once again directed Task Force 38 to attack enemy airbases on Luzon. On November 13 and 14, McCain's carriers conducted several strikes against Japanese airfields in Luzon, resulting in a significant decrease in enemy air operations over Leyte. On 13 November 1944, on the threat of American carrier strikes on Luzon, Kiso was ordered to return to Brunei that evening carrying Vice Admiral Kiyohide Shima. Before she could leave for Brunei, she was attacked on 13 November while underway in Manila Bay by more than 350 carrier planes of Task Force 38's carrier task groups 38.1's Hornet, Monterey and Cowpens, TG 38.3's Essex, Ticonderoga and Langley and TG 38.4's Enterprise and San Jacinto. Three bombs hit Kiso to starboard - one in the bow, one near her boiler rooms and one near her aft gun mounts. Kiso sank in shallow water 13 kilometres (7.0 nmi; 8.1 mi) west of Cavite. Captain Ryonosuke Imamura and 103 of her crew survived, but 175 crewmen went down with the ship. Akebono, while alongside destroyer Akishimo at Cavite pier near Manila, was attacked in a USAAF air raid. A direct bomb hit set both ships ablaze, and the following day a large explosion on Akishimo blew a hole in Akebono, which sank upright in shallow water, with 48 crewmen killed and 43 wounded. After returning to Manila, Hatsuharu was caught in an air raid in Manila Bay. A series of near misses buckled plates and set fires, causing the ship to sink in shallow water. The attack killed 12 crewmen and injured 60 more, but 218 survived. Several other vessels were also sunk. Meanwhile, on November 14, the Hi-81 convoy, comprising the escort carriers Shinyo and Akitsu Maru, destroyer Kashi, seaplane tender Kiyokawa Maru, submarine chaser No. 156, seven escort ships, five oilers, and three transports, left Imari Bay under Rear-Admiral Sato Tsutomu. The convoy carried most of Lieutenant-General Nishiyama Fukutaro's 23rd Division and headed into the Yellow Sea, wary of enemy submarines. After stopping for the night in Ukishima Channel near the Gotō Islands, Sato's convoy resumed its journey on November 15 but was soon ambushed by two submarine wolfpacks. Commander Charles Loughlin's submarines were the first to strike, successfully hitting the Akitsu Maru with two torpedoes, which later sank, resulting in the loss of 2,046 lives, including most of the 64th Regiment. After the attack, Sato withdrew to Strange Island, located off the coast of Korea, to take refuge for the day. On the morning of November 17, the convoy resumed its journey but was soon detected by a B-29 Superfortress as it made its way toward the Shushan Islands. By late afternoon, Commander Gordon Underwood's submarines launched an assault on the Japanese ships, successfully striking the transport vessel Mayasan Maru, which sank quickly, resulting in the loss of 3,437 men, including most of the 72nd Regiment. Almost twelve hours later 200 kilometers off Saishu Island, Spadefish surfaced and attacked the Shinyo with six torpedoes. Four struck the carrier on the starboard at 11:03 pm, and it caught fire. At least 1,130 Japanese sailors went down with their ship; only about seventy survived, including Ishii. Kashi immediately dropped several depth charges where the Spadefish was thought to be. An oil slick and other debris eventually made the Japanese believe they had sunk Spadefish so the Kashi broke off the engagement, but Spadefish had escaped apparently without serious damage. Only minor cracks were reported to have appeared on the submarine after the alleged "sinking" by Kashi. Underwood's final strike was against the submarine chaser No. 156, which sustained three torpedo hits and sank rapidly. Following some rescue efforts, Sato continued his advance on November 21, eventually arriving in Kaohsiung five days later. Half of the convoy then proceeded to San Fernando, where the remaining members of the 23rd Division disembarked on December 2.  Yet thats it for today for the Philippines as we now need to shift over to Morotai.With Japanese reinforcements pushed back into the interior of the secured island, General Persons directed the 31st Division to capture several islands off New Guinea that served as observation points for Japanese outposts monitoring Allied movements. On November 15, the 2nd Battalion of the 167th Regiment landed on Pegun Island, followed by a successful attack on Bras Island the next day. By November 18, with the Mapia Islands secured, Company F of the 124th Regiment was sent to occupy the unguarded Asia Islands on November 19. In the Aitape region, Major-General Jack Stevens' 6th Australian Division was assigned to relieve American forces, similar to the Australian efforts on New Britain and Bougainville, in order to free up troops for the Philippines Campaign. By late October, a base had been successfully set up, allowing the 19th Brigade to arrive by mid-November, with the 17th Brigade scheduled for early December, and the 16th by year-end. Under General Blamey's orders, the new Australian garrisons were to adopt a more active approach than the American units had, so Stevens planned not only to secure the airfield and radar installations in the Aitape-Tadji area, but also to carry out extensive patrols in support of intelligence and guerrilla operations aimed at weakening the enemy in Wewak.  One of General Stevens' tasks was to give maximum help to AIB. and Angau units in the area in their tasks of gaining Intelligence, establishing patrol bases and protecting the native population. These AIB. and Angau units had been active in the Sepik-Aitape triangle since the time of the landing of American forces at Aitape in April 1944, and the 6th Division came into an area where, from the outset, practically all the deep patrolling had been done by groups of Australians. In the Aitape area, prior to the arrival of the Division (said the report of the 6th Division), Angau long-range patrols operated without troop support and, for their own protection, inaugurated a type of guerilla warfare. Selected village natives called "sentries" were taught to use grenades and Japanese rifles. The sentries, besides furnishing Intelligence, accounted for large numbers of enemy. This system was continued. As each area was freed the sentries were rewarded and returned to their villages. By early November, the 2/10th Commando Squadron had established a patrol base at Babiang, conducting numerous patrols throughout the month. Intelligence gathered suggested the Japanese forces were weakened, poorly nourished, and mainly focused on sourcing food. In response, Stevens planned two significant December operations: to sever the enemy's communication line along the Malin-Walum-Womisis-Amam axis and to neutralize enemy positions east of the Danmap River. By November 25, the seasoned 2/7th Commando Squadron had arrived at Babiang, and by month-end, the 19th Brigade took over the area. The commandos then advanced southward, setting up a base at Tong on December 4 and establishing an outpost at Kumbum three days later. Now to finish this week's episode let's explore the B-29 Superfortress operations during this time. After the Formosa Air Battle and the Omura raid on October 25, General LeMay's 20th Bomber Command conducted four missions in November. Three of these supported Southeast Asia operations as part of “PAC-AID,” while the fourth targeted the Omura Aircraft Factory, a key focus for the command. On November 3, 44 B-29s from India effectively bombed the Malegon Railway Yards at Rangoon. Two days later, 53 bombers hit Singapore's King George VI Graving Dock, the largest of several dry docks at Singapore and one of the world's best. The first of 53 Superforts attacking was over target at 0644, and the bombardier, Lt. Frank McKinney, put a I,ooo-pound bomb into the target within 50 feet of the aiming point, the caisson gate; Lt. Bolish McIntyre, 2 planes back, laid another alongside. This was the sort of pickle-barrel bombing the Air Corps had talked about before the war. Strike photos showed a rush of water into the dock, presumptive evidence that the gate had been strained, and subsequent reconnaissance photos indicated that the dock was out of use (A-2's estimate of three months of unserviceability was to prove quite accurate). There were other hits on the dock, on a 465-foot freighter in it, and on adjacent shops. For “baksheesh,” as the boys had learned to say in India, seven B-29's bombed the secondary target, Pangkalanbrandan refinery in Sumatra, and reported direct hits on the cracking plant. The Japanese, evidently relying on the inaccessibility of Singapore, put up a feeble defense, but the long trip took a toll of two planes and twelve crewmen, including Col. Ted L. Faulkner, commander of the 468th Group. On November 11, 96 B-29s launched from China to strike Omura under difficult weather; only 29 reached the aircraft factory unsuccessfully, while 24 more bombed Nanking with limited results. The month's final mission on November 27 saw 55 B-29s severely damage the Bang Soe marshaling yards in Bangkok. Meanwhile, in the Marianas, General Hansell's 21st Bomber Command prepared for strikes on the Japanese Home Islands. In order to properly plan missions to Japan, up-to-date reconnaissance photos of the proposed targets were needed. Other than information which was used during the Doolittle Raid in 1942, there was scant information about the locations of Japanese industry, especially the aircraft industry. On November 1, two days after arriving on Saipan, a 3rd Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron F-13A Superfortress (photo reconnaissance-configured B-29) took off bound for Tokyo. The aircraft flew over Tokyo at 32000 feet for 35 minutes taking picture after picture. A few fighters made it up to the camera plane's altitude but did not attack. These photos, along with other intelligence, gave the 21st Bomber Command the locations of the Japanese aircraft manufacturing plants and enabled mission planners to plan missions for the combat crews to attack. In honor of his mission, the aircraft was named "Tokyo Rose". In response, about ten G4Ms launched from Iwo Jima attacked Isley Field on Saipan the next day, scoring five bomb hits but losing three bombers. Hansell responded with a practice strike on Iwo Jima on November 5, though results were again limited. On November 7, the Japanese launched a follow-up attack, but it again resulted in minimal damage and cost them three bombers. A retaliatory strike by 17 B-29s the next day also fell short: one squadron had to jettison its bombs into the ocean, while another dropped its load through a gap in the undercast. Between Japanese attacks, American aircrew inexperience, delays in constructing airfields in the Marianas, and the slow movement of B-29s to Saipan, the 21st Bomber Command was behind schedule in its planned offensive against Japan. By November 15, only half of the 73rd Bombardment Wing's authorized 180 B-29s had arrived, but by November 22, around 118 bombers were finally in place. At this point, General Arnold ordered Hansell to begin Operation San Antonio I, marking the first strike against Tokyo. The chosen target was Nakajima's Musashi Aircraft Engine Plant, which supplied 27% of Japan's combat aircraft engines. On November 24, 111 B-29s took off for Japan, collectively carrying 277.5 tons of bombs. However, 17 bombers aborted mid-flight, and six others couldn't bomb due to mechanical issues. For the first time, the B-29s encountered the Jet stream, which was a high-speed wind coming out of the west at speeds as high as 200 mph at precisely the altitudes at which the bombers were operating. This caused the bomber formations to be disrupted and made accurate bombing impossible. As a result, only 24 B-29s bombed the Musashi plant, while 64 hit nearby dock and urban areas instead. The Japanese fighter response was less intense than expected, with the Americans claiming to have downed seven fighters, likely destroyed 18 more, and damaged nine, losing just one bomber in return. Another B-29 was lost on the return trip after running out of fuel and ditching. Despite disappointing bombing results in the mission—only 48 bombs struck the factory area, causing damage to just 1% of the building area and 2.4% of the machinery, with 57 killed and 75 injured—the raid exposed the weaknesses in Japan's air defense and showed the six million residents of Tokyo that they were vulnerable to attack. Given the limited impact of the November 24 mission, Hansell decided to launch a second major strike, dubbed San Antonio II, targeting Musashi once more. However, in the early hours of November 27, two G4M bombers from Iwo Jima carried out a low-altitude raid on Isley Field, escaping after destroying one B-29 and damaging eleven others.  Later that day, twelve bomb-equipped Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighters from the IJN's 252 Kōkūtai (252 Air Group) accompanied by two Nakajima C6N "Myrt" reconnaissance aircraft for navigation purposes departed Iwo Jima for Saipan. The attackers flew just above sea level to avoid US radar, and one of the A6Ms was forced to divert to Pagan after its propeller struck a wave; this aircraft was shot down by a USAAF Thunderbolt while attempting to land. The remaining eleven A6Ms arrived over Saipan at noon, shortly after XXI Bomber Command's second raid on Tokyo had departed. These aircraft strafed Isley Field destroying three or four B-29s and damaging up to two others. One of the Japanese pilots landed his fighter on Isley Field and fired on airfield personnel with his pistol until he was killed by rifle fire; this incident was witnessed by Brigadier General Haywood S. Hansell, the commander of XXI Bomber Command. None of the ten other A6Ms survived; four were shot down by USAAF fighters and six by anti-aircraft guns. The U.S. gunners also downed a USAAF Thunderbolt in circumstances which an official assessment later described as "inexcusable". Of the 81 bombers launched, 19 aborted, and those that reached Tokyo found the target covered by clouds, forcing them to drop bombs by radar over Tokyo's docks, urban areas, and the cities of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Numazu, and Osaka. Ultimately, for the loss of one Superfortress, the damage caused by this second strike was minimal. However, the strong Japanese response led Hansell to relocate some B-29s from Isley to safer Guam, strengthen Saipan's defenses and radar, and plan coordinated air-sea operations to neutralize Iwo Jima's staging fields. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The Americans pressed through Leyte's treacherous terrain and fierce resistance, aiming to secure strategic positions. Typhoons, enemy reinforcements, and brutal battles tested them harshly, but they advanced steadily. Despite heavy losses and airstrikes from both sides, American forces captured Breakneck Ridge and pushed onward, inching closer to victory.

Last time we spoke about the Battle of Leyte Gulf. General MacArthur's forces landed on Leyte, prompting a response from Admiral Toyoda. Kurita's 1st Striking Force was sent to attack Leyte Gulf, while Shima's force faced confusion and delays. Japanese naval forces were hit hard by American submarines, with significant losses including the sinking of the Atago and Maya. Despite efforts, Japanese counterattacks faltered. On October 24, American forces secured key positions, and MacArthur announced the re-establishment of the Philippine government amidst ongoing naval battles and air attacks. During the fierce Battle of Leyte Gulf, Musashi endured multiple torpedo and bomb hits from American aircraft but continued to fight as it took on severe flooding. Despite efforts from Kurita's fleet, Musashi was eventually abandoned and sank, marking the largest ship ever sunk by air attack. Nishimura's force faced relentless torpedo strikes and a decisive night battle, with the battleship Fuso and cruiser Mogami being heavily damaged or sunk. Ultimately, Nishimura's forces retreated, and the Americans achieved a significant victory. This episode is the Last Carrier Battle  Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  Where we last left off during the Battle of Leyte Fulg, the 10th and 24th Corps had established successful beachheads at Palo-Tacloban and Dulag. In response, Admiral Toyoda launched Operation Sho-Go, mobilizing the full strength of the Imperial Japanese Navy to eliminate enemy warships and transports at sea. However, after losing three heavy cruisers to submarines, Admiral Kurita's 1st Striking Force faced severe damage from Admiral Mitscher's Task Force 38, culminating in the sinking of the battleship Musashi by the end of October 24. Shortly after the Sibuyan Sea engagement, Admiral Nishimura's Force C was annihilated by Admiral Kinkaid's 7th Fleet at the Surigao Strait. Despite these setbacks, Admiral Shima's 2nd Striking Force was approaching the area. Meanwhile, the Americans had identified Admiral Ozawa's decoy force by the end of the day. In response, the aggressive Admiral Halsey chose to leave San Bernardino Strait unguarded and pursue the depleted Japanese carrier force to the north, aiming to finish off the IJN. Unknown to him, Kurita, with four battleships, six heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and several destroyers, was advancing towards San Bernardino Strait to attack Kinkaid's transports and escort carriers from the rear. This set the stage for one of the final and largest naval battles of the Pacific War. To the north, as the Battle of Surigao Strait was in progress, radar-equipped aircraft from the Independence detected Admiral Matsuda's battleship carriers and later Ozawa's carriers in the early hours of October 25. However, due to a transmission error, the location of the Japanese forces was reported inaccurately. After the rendezvous of three of Halsey's four carrier task groups just before midnight on October 24, TF 38 headed north with every expectation of achieving a great victory. At 0100hrs on October 25, five radar-equipped aircraft flew off Independence to search out to a distance of 350NM. Contact was gained at 0205hrs on Force A and at 0235hrs on the Main Body. Because of a transmission error, the position of the Japanese forces was given incorrectly. The wrong position was plotted out some 120NM nearer to TF 38 than it actually was. In fact, TF 38 and Ozawa were actually about 210NM apart.  Despite this, Mitscher's carrier was readying for morning strikes while Admiral Lee's Task Force 34 was being reorganized. Meanwhile, Kurita's 1st Striking Force surprisingly navigated through San Bernardino Strait during the night without encountering resistance, proceeding towards Leyte Gulf and a confrontation with Rear-Admiral Thomas Sprague's escort carriers near Samar. However, the movement of Shima's force was not coordinated with Nishimura's. Shima designed his advance so he could attack separately from Nishimura's force. The gap between the forces was originally five hours, but Shima reduced this to two hours by the time his force began entering the strait. As he entered Surigao Strait on the night of October 24/25, Nishimura issued reports during the early part of his transit, which Shima received, but when he met serious resistance, the reports stopped. Shima was therefore unaware of the virtual annihilation of Nishimura's force. The only information available was gunfire flashes in the distance and snippets of radio traffic from Nishimura's ships under attack. Oldendorf was aware that a second force was moving to support Nishimura. The first firm indication of this was a contact report from the PT boats on Shima's force at 0038hrs. Oldendorf knew he was dealing with two widely spaced Japanese forces. Just as Nishimura was forced to deal with incessant PT boat attacks, now it was Shima's turn. These turned out to be more than a mere nuisance. Shima's introduction to combat came at about 0315hrs when PT-134 mounted an ineffective attack. One PT boat managed to hit the cruiser Abukuma with a torpedo at 03:25, causing a significant explosion and slowing her to 10 knots, forcing her to exit Shima's formation. As Shima advanced, he observed several ships ablaze and saw the destroyer Shigure retreat before detecting a radar contact 13,000 yards away. Without Shima's approval, his chief of staff ordered the two cruisers to maneuver for a torpedo strike against the distant and indistinct radar contacts. At 0422hrs Nachi and Ashigara each fired eight Type 93 torpedoes at the radar contacts. In fact, these were Oldendorf's flagship Louisville followed by Portland. Despite the element of surprise, the Japanese torpedo attack completely failed. Immediately after firing its torpedo broadside, Nachi faced disaster. The burning Mogami had loomed out of the darkness minutes before. Nachi's skipper failed to grasp that Mogami was underway, not stationary, and he failed to take proper measures to avoid the damaged cruiser. As Nachi was unable to pass forward of Mogami, the two ships side-swiped each other forward at 04:23. Frantic last-second maneuvers lessened the impact of the collision, but the result was still dramatic. Nachi took the worst of it, suffering a large gash in her bow at the waterline on her port side. Damage to the bow reduced her speed to 18 knots. Shima's four destroyers then continued north but failed to locate any targets. Fearing inevitable destruction, Shima decided to retreat south at 04:35. Although Oldendorf had dispatched his cruisers and destroyers to pursue the fleeing Japanese, his forces did not aggressively pursue, allowing Shima to escape. In the end, Oldendorf's pursuing cruisers only managed to catch the damaged Mogami and Asagumo, which they unsuccessfully attacked at 05:29. Despite sustaining additional hits, the Mogami continued to fight, escorted southwest by the destroyer Akebomo. The Asagumo, however, came under attack again at 07:02 and sank 19 minutes later. As Asagumo slipped under the waves, all that was left of Nishimura's force were hundreds of survivors in the water. Rescue efforts by at least four American destroyers resulted in only a handful being picked up. When one of Oldendorf's destroyer skippers asked at 07:35 what to do with the hundreds of men still in the water, Oldendorf simply replied, “Let them sink.” Japanese survivors who reached shore were, in many cases, killed by local inhabitants. While it seemed the Mogami might escape, Sprague's Taffy 1 group carriers launched their first strikes before 06:00. Four Avengers attacked the cruiser at 07:41 but failed to score any hits. Around 08:40, 21 aircraft also targeted Shima's force, but only inflicted minor strafing damage on the destroyer Shiranuhi. Before Sprague could continue his air attacks, new developments were occurring off Samar as Kurita's warships approached Rear-Admiral Clifton Sprague's Taffy 3 group. At 06:44, a lookout from the Yamato made visual contact, though he mistakenly identified the escorting destroyers as heavy cruisers and battleships.  Kurita's initial orders increased the confusion generated by the first contact at 06:44. He ordered “General Attack” at 07:03, meaning that each ship or division proceeded on its own against the Americans. This tactic abandoned any pretense of coordination between the various elements of the 1st Striking Force. Battleships Yamato and Nagato remained together, but Kongo and Haruna operated individually. For most of the engagement, the six heavy cruisers operated in three groups of two. The two destroyer flotillas, each led by a light cruiser, were kept to the rear by Kurita. He held his destroyers back to maintain their fuel reserves by not having them maneuver at high speeds, instead sending his heavy cruisers ahead to pursue at full speed. This precluded them from screening the heavy ships and kept them out of position to make a torpedo attack. The General Attack decision was a critical error. It resulted in a loss of control by Kurita and a melee for the next two hours. His rationale for ordering an immediate, but uncoordinated, attack was to close the range as quickly as possible and knock out the carriers' flight decks. Throughout the battle, Kurita maneuvered to keep the weather gauge; by so doing, he could prevent the carriers from turning into the wind to conduct flight operations. Meanwhile, an Avenger from Kadashan Bay sighted Kurita's force at 06:47 following radar contacts. Despite his surprise, Sprague immediately ordered Taffy 3 to head east, increased speed to 17.5 knots, directed every ship to lay smoke, and launched all available aircraft at 06:55. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Sprague began sending clear text messages at 07:01 to report his predicament and request assistance. Sprague's main objective was to delay the Japanese forces until reinforcements could arrive. To achieve this, he decided to use smoke screens and continuous air assaults, supported by Taffy 2's aircraft, to hinder Kurita's ships. As Kurita's cruisers advanced north, Sprague opted to maneuver southwest, moving closer to Leyte Gulf and the potential assistance from the 7th Fleet. Starting at 06:59, Kurita's battleships began firing from long range, with their salvos becoming more frequent and accurate. To mitigate this pressure, Sprague directed his forces into a rain squall from 07:06 to 07:15. Once clear of the squall, he changed course southward towards the approaching help from Leyte Gulf. Meanwhile, as Kurita's ships continued east before turning south, the range of Sprague's carriers was extended, and the rain and smoke impaired the accuracy of the Japanese gunners. Sprague also ordered his three destroyers to launch a torpedo counterattack to shield the escort carriers as they emerged from the squall. The Johnston, charging through enemy fire, engaged the cruiser Kumano with gunfire to close the distance for a torpedo attack. At 10,000 yards, the Johnston fired all ten of its torpedoes, scoring a critical hit that slowed the cruiser and forced it to retreat. It was inevitable that Evans would pay a price for approaching so close to a collection of enemy cruisers and battleships. This came at 0730hrs in the form of three large shells (possibly fired from Yamato) and a number of smaller shells that struck Johnston. The armor-piercing shells failed to explode, but damage was extensive. The aft machinery room was destroyed, which reduced speed to 17 knots. Most of the 5in./38 guns were knocked out, but after repairs were made during a providential 10-minute respite as a squall passed over, three were brought back online. The battleship evaded the torpedoes at 07:33 and retaliated with devastating gunfire against the Hoel. By 07:30, all operational aircraft were airborne, prompting Sprague to order the initial attacks on the heavy cruisers approaching his port quarter. Unrelenting American air attacks were the main reason for the Japanese defeat. Taffy aircrews were not highly trained for maritime attack, and torpedoes or armor-piercing bombs were in short supply. Most Avengers were launched with bombs instead of more effective torpedoes for two reasons. Torpedoes took more time and preparation to load, and the deck crews on Taffy 3 did not have the luxury of time. Also, once loaded with a heavy torpedo, the Avengers could only be launched if the escort carrier steamed into the wind. Moving downwind, like Taffy 3 was forced to do for most of the action, did not get enough wind across the flight deck. The first attacks by Taffy 3 aircraft were conducted in groups of two or three with aircraft not properly armed for attacking ships. Because Taffy 3 could not steam into the wind while being pursued by Kurita's force, recovering aircraft during the battle was impossible. When they ran out of ordnance or fuel, they had to land on Taffy 2 or fly 100NM to the newly opened airfield at Tacloban. Even when lightly armed or unevenly unarmed, the aircraft made unceasing strafing runs in the case of the Wildcats or dummy bombing runs in the case of the Avengers. These attacks were poorly coordinated, but the Japanese, on the receiving end of incessant attacks, saw it differently. After the battle, Kurita and others commented that the attacks were well coordinated, skillful, and aggressive. At 07:35, ten Avengers struck the cruiser Suzuya just as Vice-Admiral Shiraishi Kazutaka was boarding, scoring a near miss that reduced her speed to 20 knots and took her out of the battle. The damaged Hoel then attempted a second torpedo attack on the heavy cruiser Haguro at 07:50 but failed to hit the target. However, this attack forced the Superbattleship Yamato to open fire at 0659hrs. Her third salvo straddled White Plains, with one of the shells striking the carrier and causing some underwater damage. Around 0800hrs, to evade torpedoes fired from Hoel aimed at Haguro, Yamato turned due north. This evasive maneuver forced her to the north for almost ten minutes until the torpedo tracks disappeared, placing her at the rear of Kurita's formation and effectively removing her from the battle for a period. Nagato opened fire at 0701hrs at a carrier assessed to be 36,000 yards away. After the three salvos, the battleship stopped firing having hit nothing. At 07:54, the Heermann launched seven torpedoes at Haguro, but they missed. Destroyer escorts Samuel B. Roberts, Raymond, and Dennis also joined in the attack but also failed to score hits, though they managed to escape unharmed. The Heermann subsequently launched a second torpedo attack on the Haruna at 08:00, but once again, none of the torpedoes hit their mark. Despite using smoke and evading shell splashes, the Heermann avoided damage. The first ship to succumb to the barrage of Japanese shellfire was the crippled Hoel. After her run against Haguro, and only able to make 17 knots, she was trapped between Kongo on one side and four heavy cruisers on the other. Using every possible method to evade the storm of shells directed against his ship, Kintberger survived for well over an hour after the first hit was recorded. Hoel took as many as 23 hits, but the actual number will never be known since most passed through the ship without exploding. The final engine was knocked out at 0830hrs, bringing the ship to a halt. As the crew abandoned ship under continued fire, the Hoel finally rolled over at 08:55. Meanwhile, the Japanese cruisers continued to close in on the escort carriers. Under fire from the battleships, Sprague's initial course was to the eastsoutheast at full speed—17.5 knots. As the Japanese heavy cruisers began to pressure his formation's port quarter, Sprague was forced to alter course to the southwest. Kalinin Bay was at the rear of the formation. She took a battleship shell at 0750hrs (probably from Haruna) that went through the hangar deck and out of her unarmored hull. As many as 14 other hits followed, all probably from 8in. shells. Kalinin Bay retaliated against the cruisers at 18,000 yards with her aft 5in./38 gun. The smoke generated from all six carriers and from the destroyers and destroyer escorts on their starboard quarter succeeded in hiding the carriers from direct Japanese observation for much of the battle. The Japanese shot slowly and methodically with four-gun salvos, allowing the escort carriers to chase salvos. The smoke and evasive maneuvering kept damage to a minimum, but of the six escort carriers, four were eventually hit. Fanshaw Bay took six 8in. hits, all forward, that killed three and wounded 20. White Plains took a probable 6in. hit and suffered light damage. Kitkun Bay was not hit but suffered several personnel casualties from near misses. St. Lo suffered no damage during the battle. The Gambier Bay bore the brunt of enemy fire, with an initial shell igniting a fire at 08:10. Ten minutes later, a devastating hit reduced her speed to 11 knots and forced the carrier to lag behind the rest of the formation. At 08:22, Yamato reentered the fray, intensifying the assault on the carrier. Heermann closed on the carrier at 0841hrs to find her burning and listing 20°. Continued Japanese fire resulted in more hits, with most of the armor-piercing shells passing through the ship. Hit by as many as 26 shells from Yamato, Haruna, and several cruisers, Gambier Bay went dead in the water at 0845hrs; five minutes later, the captain gave the order to abandon ship. Gambier Bay capsized at 0907hrs, one of only two carriers sunk by gunfire during the entire war. Meanwhile, at 08:26, Sprague ordered the destroyer escorts on the starboard side of the formation to position themselves between the carriers and the Japanese heavy cruisers on their port side. As John C. Butler and Dennis engaged the enemy cruisers, the latter sustained minor damage from two hits. Samuel B. Roberts also was struck at 0850hrs. At 0900hrs, the destroyer escort was hit by two or three 14in. shells from Kongo. The large shells tore a huge hole in the side of the ship and knocked out all power. A total of six shells hit the ship. This prompted an order to abandon ship at 0910hrs for the crew of 178. Half (89 of them) did not survive. Samuel B. Roberts sank at 1005hrs. During this time, Rear-Admiral Kimura Masatomi instructed his destroyers to launch a torpedo attack at 08:45, targeting Kalinin Bay. Fortunately, Johnston detected the new threat and made a daring suicide charge through the smoke. Evans engaged Yahagi with gunfire at 7,000 yards, and several hits were gained. Then Evans engaged the next destroyer in column, again claiming several hits. Kimura ordered his torpedoes fired from about 10,500 yards—not an ideal range for even the formidable Type 93. Yahagi launched seven torpedoes at 0905hrs, followed by three destroyers beginning at 0915hrs, Urakaze fired four, Isokaze eight, and Yukikaze four. Evans may have been responsible for Kimura's premature torpedo attack, but now his ship was about to pay the ultimate price. The Japanese destroyers and Yahagi took Johnston under fire, joined by as many as three heavy cruisers. The hits began to pile up. By 0920hrs, Evans was reduced to conning the ship by yelling orders through an open hatch on the fantail to men below turning the rudder manually. At 0945hrs, Evans finally gave the order to abandon ship. The Japanese destroyers closed in and continued to pound the wreck. After an epic fight, Johnston rolled over and sank at 1010hrs. Most of the crew of 327 got into the water, but 186, including Evans, were lost. Meanwhile, Rear-Admiral Felix Stump's Taffy 2 group began their strikes against Kurita's fleet, with 15 Avengers and 20 Wildcats successfully hitting the Haguro with a bomb at 08:25. Five minutes later, six Avengers and 20 Wildcats from Taffy 3 joined forces with 16 Avengers and 8 Wildcats from Taffy 2 to launch a major assault on the enemy cruisers. At 08:50, the Chokai was attacked, and by 09:05, it had sustained severe damage from a bomb hit. The destroyer Fujinami arrived to assist at 10:18, but by then, the cruiser was immobilized. The destroyer evacuated the crew and sank the Chokai with torpedoes. At 08:54, four Avengers targeted the Chikuma, landing a critical torpedo hit that caused significant flooding. With American aircraft focusing on the Japanese warships, Kurita decided to withdraw at 09:11, planning to regroup and return to Leyte Gulf. Another attack against Suzuya was mounted at 1050hrs by as many as 30 aircraft. This time, a near miss amidships turned deadly. Shrapnel from the bomb ignited the torpedoes in the starboard forward mount, igniting a fire that caused other torpedoes to explode at 1100hrs. The explosion caused extensive damage to the secondary battery and the machinery, which left the ship unmaneuverable. For a second time in the morning, Vice Admiral Shiraishi had to transfer, this time to Tone. The fires reached the remaining torpedoes, with a large explosion resulting at 1200hrs. In turn, this caused the magazine of the secondary battery to explode, and soon the entire ship was an inferno. Surviving crewmen were taken off by destroyer Okinami after the order to abandon ship was given at 1300hrs, and at 1320hrs Suzuya sank. Twohundred forty-seven men were lost. The Tone suffered a bomb hit at 12:40, and three minutes later, Noshiro experienced minor damage from near misses. The destroyer Nowaki was tasked with rescuing Chikuma's crew and then scuttling the crippled cruiser, which was completed by 11:00. Due to these air attacks and fearing total destruction if the battle continued, Kurita signaled Toyoda at 12:36 to abandon the attack on Leyte Gulf and began his retreat north. During this withdrawal, Kurita's force faced attacks from 37 Avengers and 19 Wildcats at 12:45, resulting in only minor damage to Nagato and Tone. Subsequent strikes by Stump's carriers were also ineffective, but Sprague's carriers' total of 441 sorties that day was a notable accomplishment. At 13:15, 100 aircraft from Admiral McCain's carrier, which had been recalled on October 24 and were now arriving in the area, launched one of the longest carrier strikes of the war. Despite their efforts, they were unable to inflict additional damage. A follow-up strike at 15:00 with 52 planes also failed, allowing Kurita to escape. Tremendously outgunned, the commander of Taffy 3, Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague, began to plead for help minutes into the battle. As Kurita pressed his advantage, these pleas became more urgent. In response, Oldendorf recalled his advance guard at 0723hrs. Kinkaid ordered Oldendorf to bring his entire force north at 0847hrs to assist the escort carriers. He formed a task force of the battleships California, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania, because they had the most armor-piercing shells remaining. They were escorted by three heavy cruisers and 20 destroyers with 165 torpedoes. The next strike consisting of ten Avengers, each with two 500lb bombs instead of torpedoes, escorted by five Wildcats, all from Ommaney Bay, went after Mogami. The Avenger pilots claimed five hits on the cruiser; in fact, only two bombs struck the ship. By the time the attack concluded at 0910hrs, Mogami was dead in the water after the failure of her last turbine. New fires raged beyond control and the danger of the forward 8in. magazine exploding (the others had been flooded) put the entire crew in danger. After evacuating the remaining crew, the Akebono scuttled Mogami at 13:07, resulting in the loss of 191 men. Additionally, in the morning, Taffy 1 faced Admiral Onishi's first kamikaze attack. The first ship to be attacked was Santee. At 0740hrs, a kamikaze commenced its dive, gained complete surprise, and encountered no antiaircraft fire before hitting the ship forward on the flight deck. Fires from the resulting explosion were quickly put out, but not before 43 men had been killed or wounded. Within five minutes of the fires being extinguished, submarine I-56 slammed a torpedo into the ship. The converted tanker shook it off with no casualties and no loss of capability. The final aircraft also selected Petrof Bay but ended up going after Suwannee after it was damaged by antiaircraft fire. It struck the carrier on the flight deck forward of the aft aircraft elevator. The Zero's 551lb bomb exploded, creating a hole on the hangar deck. The fires were put out within minutes, and within two hours flight operations had resumed. The suicide pilots approached the remaining five escort carriers at low level before popping up to altitude a few miles from their target. At this point they were detected on radar, but no interception by defending Wildcats was possible. At 1049hrs, Kitkun Bay was attacked by a single Zero. The pilot failed to hit the carrier's bridge, but his aircraft hit the port-side catwalk before crashing into the sea. The ship incurred damage when the Zero's bomb exploded close alongside. Two more suicide aircraft were dispatched by antiaircraft fire. The last two Zeros selected White Plains for their attentions. One came in from astern but missed the ship after crashing into the water close aboard the port side. The other was deterred by antiaircraft fire and headed toward St. Lo. The last kamikaze was the most skillful. At 1053hrs, the Zero came in over the stern of St. Lo and dropped his bomb before performing a shallow dive into the flight deck amidships. The aircraft slid off the bow, leaving a trail of fire on the flight deck from its fuel. The fire was no problem to deal with, but the bomb penetrated the flight deck and exploded in the hangar deck, where six aircraft were being fueled and armed. The resulting explosion forced the ship to be abandoned, and 32 minutes after being struck, the ship sank with 114 crewmen after the fires reached its magazines. St. Lo was the first ship sunk by kamikaze attack. At 1110hrs, another four kamikazes appeared and selected Kalinin Bay for attack. Two were shot down by antiaircraft fire. The other pair both scored glancing hits. One Zero was hit by antiaircraft fire, remained in control, and then hit the flight deck at a shallow angle and slid overboard. The second hit the ship with a glancing blow aft. Looking north, despite losing contact with Ozawa's force overnight, Mitscher decided to launch an initial strike of 130 aircraft, led by Commander McCampbell, by 06:00. At the same time, he dispatched search aircraft, which reestablished contact with Ozawa's now reunited Main Body at 07:10. The American strike was then directed toward the enemy, and McCampbell's planes successfully located Ozawa's carriers at 08:10, beginning their assault. Despite encountering 13 Zeros on combat air patrol, the Helldivers struck first at 08:30, targeting the enemy carriers. They were followed by strafing Hellcats and torpedo-armed Avengers. The hour-long attack resulted in significant damage: Zuikaku was hit by three bombs and one torpedo, leading to fires, flooding, and a severe list; Zuiho sustained a single bomb hit causing fires on the hangar deck; Chitose was heavily damaged by three near misses that ruptured its unarmored hull, causing flooding and a severe list, and it sank at 09:37 with 904 casualties; the light cruiser Tama was torpedoed and had to make its way to Okinawa for repairs; the cruiser Oyodo suffered light damage from a bomb hit; and the destroyer Akizuki was hit amidships, caught fire, and broke apart before sinking following a major explosion. As this attack unfolded, Mitscher launched a second wave of 36 aircraft, which arrived at the target area around 09:45. Under McCampbell's coordination, these planes focused on the carrier Chiyoda, which was hit by one bomb and several damaging near misses that caused flooding and a list, ultimately bringing the carrier to a halt. Simultaneously, he deployed search aircraft, which reestablished contact with Ozawa's now reunited Main Body at 07:10. With the American strike directed towards this position, McCampbell's planes successfully located the enemy at 08:10 and began their assault on Ozawa's carriers. The Japanese were aware of the impending arrival of the initial strike, since radar aboard Zuikaku had detected the American aircraft at 08:04 about 110NM to the southwest. Four Zeros were already on CAP; these were joined by the last nine fighters on Zuikaku. Such a meager CAP meant that survival of Ozawa's ships depended on their ability to throw up accurate anti-aircraft fire and maneuver adeptly under dive-bombing and torpedo attack. According to American pilots, Japanese anti-aircraft fire was heavy and began with a display of multi-colored explosions at 15NM out as Ise and Hyuga fired sanshiki-dan incendiary shells from their 14in. main battery. The small Japanese CAP raced toward the approaching American formation, but the escorting Hellcats prevented them from reaching the Helldivers or Avengers. Essex Hellcats claimed nine Zeros, but one Hellcat was shot down and its pilot left in the water to witness the unfolding attack; he was rescued after the battle. The Helldivers launched the initial attack on the enemy carriers at 08:30, followed by strafing runs from Hellcats and then torpedo attacks from Avengers. Zuikaku came under attack from dive-bombers and torpedo bombers from Intrepid, and two light carriers. Five minutes into the attack, Zuikaku was hit by three bombs amidships, which created a fire on the lower and upper hangar decks. Just minutes later, a torpedo launched by an Avenger from either Intrepid or San Jacinto struck the ship on her port side. One of the engine rooms was flooded, and one of the shafts was damaged and had to be shut down. The ensuing flooding caused a severe list, but this was quickly corrected to a manageable 6°. The veteran carrier had an experienced and capable damage-control team. By 0850hrs, the fires were extinguished, and 23 knots were restored using the starboard shafts. However, steering was uneven, and the ship's transmitters were out of commission. Since she was no longer suitable as a flagship, plans were made to transfer Ozawa and his staff to cruiser Oyodo. Before this could happen, the second strike showed up.  Zuiho was caught out of formation launching aircraft when the first attack began. Enterprise's strike group targeted the veteran light carrier known to her crew as a lucky ship, since she had survived three earlier carrier battles. Reports from Enterprise air crew stated that the carrier was left dead in the water and on fire. In exchange, one Enterprise Avenger was seriously damaged by antiaircraft fire and was rolled over the side of the carrier when it landed back onboard. Another Enterprise Hellcat was lost to Zero attack. Intrepid Helldivers also selected Zuiho for attack and claimed hits. In fact, Zuiho suffered three near misses followed by a direct bomb hit at 0835hrs. The explosion caused fires on the hangar deck, but these were out by 0855hrs. After the dive-bombers did their work, torpedo bombers from Essex and Lexington attacked Zuiho, but no hits were gained. Light carrier Chitose was crippled early and was the first of Ozawa's carriers to sink. At 0835hrs, she was attacked by dive-bombers from Essex and Lexington. Helldivers from Essex reported dropping 12 bombs and claimed 8 hits, leaving the carrier burning and listing. In fact, Chitose suffered three near misses along her port side. This was enough to rupture the carrier's unarmored hull. The resulting flooding knocked out two boiler rooms and caused a severe 27° list. Damage-control efforts reduced the list and kept power, but steering was only accomplished by using the engines. At 0915hrs, progressive flooding knocked out the starboard engine room and speed fell below 14 knots. Ten minutes later, flooding caused all power to be lost and the list increased to a dangerous 30°. Hyuga was directed to tow the carrier, but her condition was beyond salvage. Chitose sank at 0937hrs with the loss of 904 officers and men; another 601 were saved. Light cruiser Tama was attacked by torpedo bombers from Belleau Wood and San Jacinto. One torpedo hit the ship in her boiler room. After emergency repairs, the cruiser was ordered to proceed independently to Okinawa at her best speed of 14 knots.  Oyodo was also subjected to attack and was slightly damaged. At 0848hrs, she was struck by a bomb and two rockets and recorded near misses from bombs. The cruiser's speed was unimpaired. Large destroyer Akizuki also came under attack from aircraft in the first strike. At 0842hrs the ship was struck amidships and set afire. The ship lost power and fell out of formation. Within minutes, a large explosion was noted amidships and at 0856hrs Akizuki broke in two and quickly sank. The cause was either a torpedo or a bomb hit that detonated torpedoes in the amidships torpedo mount. The commanding officer and 150 officers and men were pulled out of the water before more air attacks forced destroyer Maki to abandon rescue operations. Meanwhile, as this attack unfolded, Mitscher launched a second strike of 36 aircraft, which reached the target area around 09:45. Coordinated by McCampbell, these planes focused on the carrier Chiyoda, which was hit by one bomb and several near misses, resulting in flooding and a severe list, ultimately bringing the carrier to a halt. The climax of Halsey's battle of annihilation against the Main Body should have been an engagement by Task Force 34 with six of the world's most powerful battleships. But this was never to be. The plight of the escort carriers off Samar brought a flurry of urgent pleas to Halsey for assistance. These began at 07:07 with a plain text message from Kinkaid. In response, Halsey ordered Task Group 38.1 to steam west from Ulithi to support Kinkaid, but otherwise remained focused on crushing Ozawa with the rest of Task Force 38. This changed when Nimitz weighed in at 10:00 with an inquiry on the location of Admiral Lee's battleships, which finally prompted Halsey to order Task Force 34, supported by Task Group 38.2, south at 10:15. At this point, Task Force 34 was some 42NM away from Ozawa's remnants. This order was executed at 11:15 when the battleships turned south, yet the change of orders came too late. Even at their best speed, the battle line could not arrive off San Bernardino Strait until about 01:00 on October 26. At 13:45, Task Force 34 also slowed from 20 to 12 knots to fuel destroyers, something that took until 16:22.  By noon, as Ozawa transferred to the Oyodo, Mitscher launched his third strike. Launched between 1145hrs and1200hrs, the third strike was the largest and most effective of the day. It was active over the target area from about 1310hrs to 1400hrs with some 200 aircraft, 75 percent of which had taken part in the initial strike in the morning. The strike coordinator was Commander T. Hugh Winters from Lexington. By this point, the Main Body's formation was in a shambles. Two carriers were located to the north with a battleship and what was reported as two cruisers. Another carrier was located some 20NM to the south on fire and listing. A second battleship, a cruiser, and a destroyer were nearby the crippled carrier. Winters ordered TG 38.3's 98 aircraft from Essex, Lexington, and Langley, to go after the two operational carriers. Aircraft from Lexington focused on Zuikaku. By 1100hrs, Ozawa had departed his flagship and transferred to Oyodo. The nine surviving Zeros on CAP were forced to ditch around 1030hrs, so for the rest of the day the Americans faced no air opposition. Zuikaku worked up to 24 knots shortly after the third strike was spotted at 1308hrs. The attack by Helldivers and Avengers was well coordinated, with the Avengers coming in from both bows in an anvil attack. In less than ten minutes, Zuikaku was subjected to six torpedo hits—two on the starboard side and four on the port side. The first was a hit at 1315hrs that failed to detonate. The last of the six hit at 1323hrs. Within minutes of the last torpedo hit, the mighty carrier was listing to port by 14° and was dead in the water after all power was lost. In addition to the torpedoes, four bombs hit the ship, which resulted in renewed fires on the hangar decks. At 1327, with the list increasing to 21°, the crew was ordered up to the flight deck. The captain gave a final address and then the ensign was lowered. Finally, after this touch of the dramatic, the crew was ordered to abandon ship at 1358hrs. The ship rolled over at 1414hrs and took the captain, 48 other officers, and 794 enlisted men with her. Essex's strike focused on Zuiho. When aircraft from TG 38.4 arrived, including Enterprise's second strike of six Hellcats, ten Helldivers, and five Avengers, most were also directed at Zuiho at 1310hrs followed by more at 1330hrs. At 1317hrs, the carrier was hit by one torpedo on her starboard quarter. According to Japanese accounts, one small bomb hit the aft elevator, followed by seven very close near misses, and then 60 more near misses. Bomb fragments caused flooding in the starboard engine room and created a 13° list.  Mitscher's fourth strike, launched around 13:15 and reaching the target area by 14:45, involved 40 aircraft but only achieved ten near misses on the Zuiho and four near misses on the battleship Ise. Despite this, the Zuiho ultimately sank at 15:26, with 215 men lost. At 16:10, Mitscher launched his fifth strike, while a strong surface force under Rear-Admiral Laurance DuBose closed in on Chiyoda to finish her off. DuBose's force first encountered Chiyoda dead in the water with light cruiser Isuzu nearby preparing to rescue survivors. Isuzu quickly fled, leaving the heavy cruisers to open fire at Chiyoda at 1624hrs from some 20,000 yards. The carrier responded with her 5in. dual-purpose guns, but against a stationary target the American cruiser scored quickly and often and after 15 minutes the carrier was a mass of flames. A towering column of black smoke marked Chiyoda's final moments. At 1655hrs, the carrier rolled over—there were no survivors from her crew of 970 men.  Between 17:10 and 17:40, the fifth strike, consisting of 85 aircraft, targeted the Ise. However, due to pilot fatigue, only one bomb hit the battleship, with 34 near misses causing minor flooding. The sister ship, Hyuga, which was positioned south of the Main Body, experienced seven near misses but no direct hits. Mitscher then launched a final strike of 36 aircraft at 17:10, which reached the target area about an hour later but failed to cause further damage. Overall, Task Force 38 executed 527 sorties against Ozawa's force that day, marking the most intense effort by fast carriers against naval targets up to that point. Despite the lack of significant air opposition and heavy but largely ineffective anti-aircraft fire, the results were underwhelming. The limited damage can be attributed to heavy anti-aircraft fire, effective ship maneuvering, and pilot fatigue from previous attacks on the Sibuyan Sea. The Battle off Cape Engaño was not over yet. As DuBose's mop-up force continued north, they encountered three destroyers rescuing survivors from Zuikaku and Zuiho. At 18:52, DuBose's light cruisers engaged the Hatsuzuki, which tried to resist but was ultimately destroyed by the intense gunfire, sinking at 20:59. DuBose ceased his pursuit at 21:30. This decision was timely, as Hatsuzuki's distress calls led Ozawa to advance south with three battleships and one destroyer at 20:41. Finding no targets, Ozawa turned back at 23:30, bringing the battle to an end. On his retreat, two wolf packs were lying in wait. Although Ise avoided significant damage from a powerful torpedo attack at 18:44,  the Tama, already damaged, wasn't as fortunate. The cruiser was proceeding independently to Okinawa at 14 knots after taking a torpedo in the first air attack. Jallao's skipper fired three torpedoes from her bow tubes, but they all missed. He quickly lined up another shot with the four stern tubes. Three of the four hit, and two exploded. The damage was catastrophic, causing Tama to break in two and quickly sink. There were no survivors from the crew of some 450 men. Meanwhile, Halsey had dispatched the fastest ships from his battle line at 16:22 in a last-ditch effort to intercept Kurita's force before it could navigate the San Bernardino Strait. However, they arrived too late, as aircraft from Independence detected Kurita's force moving through the strait at 21:40. The only ship that did not make it was the destroyer Nowaki, which, overloaded with survivors from Chikuma, was attacked by the American forces at 00:54 on October 26 and was swiftly sunk by 01:32. During this time, General Krueger's offensive persisted with General Sibert's 10th Corps and General Hodge's 24th Corps making steady progress inland. To the north, cavalry units secured San Juanico Strait, while Colonel Newman's 3rd Battalion captured Hill C and Colonel Chapman's 2nd Battalion took Hill B despite heavy resistance. Additionally, Chapman's 1st Battalion secured Hill 85, and the majority of the 3rd Battalion advanced towards Castilla, 8000 yards southwest of Palo. Further south, a patrol from the 383rd Regiment reached the Binahaan River and linked up with Chapman's Company K; the 382nd Regiment pushed beyond Aslom and Kanmonhag; Colonel May's Company K attempted, but failed, to capture Tabontabon; the 17th and 184th Regiments consolidated their newly captured positions on Burauen while sending patrols towards Dagami; and the 32nd Regiment made some headway toward the Buri airstrip but was still unable to capture it. By October 26, Shima's two heavy cruisers and two destroyers had successfully evaded several PT boat attacks and made their escape. However, the damaged cruiser Abukuma, under the protection of destroyer Ushio, was struck by 43 B-24 heavy bombers in the Sulu Sea. Usually high-altitude attacks on ships were totally ineffective, so the bombers came in at an altitude of about 6,500ft. In the first attack, Abukuma took a direct hit in the area of her bridge at 1006hrs and another aft. The second group of bombers scored a damaging near miss forward, and then a direct hit aft that knocked out one of the shafts and the steering equipment. The resulting fires spread to the engine rooms and the torpedo mounts located aft. When the fires reached the torpedoes, four exploded at 1037hrs. A third attack at 1044hrs brought only near misses. Abukuma was mortally damaged but remained afloat long enough for 284 of the crew to leave the ship. The veteran cruiser, part of the force that attacked Pearl Harbor, sank at 1242hrs with the loss of 220 men (added to the loss of 37 from the torpedo hit from the PT boat). As they came in at a lower altitude, Abukuma and Ushio were able to account for three bombers in this action.  On the same day, kamikaze attacks resumed against Taffy 1. Three Zeros penetrated the CAP and attacked Suwannee, which had completed repairs from the prior day's suicide attack. One Zero hit the flight deck and smashed into a group of ten aircraft parked on the bow. The aircraft were quickly engulfed in flames that spread down into the hangar bay, where another ten fueled aircraft were preparing to be brought up to the flight deck. The resulting fires on the hangar deck were put out, followed two hours later by the fire on the flight deck. The crew paid a high price for saving their ship— 85 dead, 58 missing, and 102 wounded. Other kamikazes selected Sangamon and Petrof Bay for attack; both carriers reported being near-missed. The initial success of the kamikaze attacks, including one carrier sunk and five damaged, gave the Japanese hope that they had found a way to halt the American naval advance. This marked the beginning of the Kamikaze era in the Pacific War. As Kurita's force moved through the Sibuyan Sea, Admirals McCain and Bogan launched a strike at 06:00 with 257 aircraft. Despite this effort, the exhausted pilots managed only three bomb hits on Kumano, causing moderate damage. Aircraft from Wasp and Cowpens also found Kurita's main force. Noshiro was able to evade six torpedoes aimed at her, but at 0852hrs one struck with devastating effect. The ship lost all power and within minutes developed a 26° list to port. The next attack was conducted by aircraft from Hornet. A second torpedo hit the lightly protected cruiser at 1039hrs, and at 1113hrs she sank bow first. By this point, Kurita's destroyers were down to their last few tons of fuel, forcing them to reduce speed. Destroyers had to shift fuel among themselves to reach a tanker positioned at Coron Bay. Hayashimo was forced to temporarily anchor off Semirara Island south of Mindoro. She was attacked by Avengers from 1045hrs to 1050hrs, and had her bow blown off by a torpedo. As a result, she was grounded and sank in shallow water off Semirara Island. Kurita's remaining ships managed to reach Coron Bay or Brunei, except for the destroyers Fujinami and Shiranui, which were sunk by air attacks on October 27, resulting in the loss of their crews, including those from Chokai aboard Fujinami. By the end of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the IJN had been effectively decimated. Despite suffering a severe defeat, Admiral Mikawa assessed that he still had enough resources to carry out Operation TA, which involved transporting reinforcements to Ormoc. On October 24, the cruiser Kinu and the destroyer Uranami escorted five transports through intense strafing fire to Cagayan. After boarding the 41st Regiment, Admiral Sakonju's convoy set sail the next morning and successfully landed the reinforcements at Ormoc early on October 26. Although they faced occasional enemy air attacks, they did not incur significant troop losses. Sakonju then sent three transports to Manila, but these were targeted by aircraft from Sprague's carriers. The attacks resulted in two bomb hits on Uranami and three on Kinu, leading to the sinking of both ships in the Visayan Sea. Another transport proceeded to Bohol, embarked the 169th Independent Battalion, and landed them at Ormoc on October 27. Although the Leyte beachheads were secured against sea-based attacks, the Americans could not control all surrounding waters, allowing Generals Yamashita and Suzuki to continue reinforcing the island. This marks the conclusion of the Battle of Leyte Gulf. In exchange for the loss of one light carrier, two escort carriers, two destroyers, one destroyer escort, one submarine, one PT boat, 255 aircraft, and about 2,000 men, the Americans had destroyed approximately 300 enemy planes and sunk 28 warships, including the carrier Zuikaku (the last survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack), three light carriers, three battleships, ten cruisers, and eleven destroyers, with a total of 12,000 Japanese casualties. Despite losing all his carriers, Ozawa fulfilled his expected role and managed to survive the battle with two battleships and two cruisers. After the war, he noted that the final three strikes were not damaging, and his chief of staff remarked that he was unimpressed with the American pilots' quality. In contrast, Halsey faced severe criticism for his controversial decision to leave San Bernardino Strait unguarded while moving his entire force north. If he had employed more strategic thinking and embraced decentralized decision-making, Mitscher's carriers could have engaged and defeated both Ozawa and Kurita. Nishimura also performed his duties effectively; despite losing his life and almost his entire force, he diverted the 7th Fleet's surface forces, leaving Kinkaid's transports and escort carriers vulnerable to Kurita's attack. The Shima force contributed nothing to the mission but survived largely intact. Kurita demonstrated bravery throughout the battle but was occasionally indecisive. Although he was not responsible for the losses at the Sibuyan Sea and was unlucky with his lookouts misidentifying cruisers and battleships among Sprague's escort carriers, he faced American tactics that he perceived as skillful. Sprague's desperate maneuvers to avoid annihilation were seen by the Japanese as tactical excellence. Kurita acknowledged the effective performance of American destroyers, which broke up his formation with torpedo attacks and utilized smoke screens effectively. Both Kurita and his chief of staff found the American air attacks to be relentless, aggressive, skillful, and well-coordinated, considering them the most proficient attacks encountered by the 1st Striking Force throughout the battle. In the end, Toyoda's Sho-Go plan was fundamentally flawed and destined for failure. Although it contained some clever elements that exploited weaknesses in the US Navy's command structure, it was ultimately incapable of success and served only as a means of the IJN's destruction. Even if Kurita had advanced into Leyte Gulf, it would have provided no significant military advantage for the Japanese and would likely have led to the complete destruction of Kurita's forces. The failure of Sho-Go left the Japanese without a fleet and with no realistic hope of defeating the Americans. However, the emergence of Kamikaze attacks allowed Japan to continue the war for a while longer. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The Imperial Japanese Navy was virtually annihilated during the battle of Leyte Gulf. Few of her mighty warships remained and now she would cling to desperate measures to try and force the Americans to sue for an early peace to retain pieces of her empire. How long could Japan drag this war on?

In this special episode of The Sensible Hippie Podcast, we dive into the spiritual roots and rich cultural traditions of sumo wrestling, dedicated to honoring Akebono, the first non-Japanese Yokozuna from Hawaii. Join us as we explore how sumo transcends sport, becoming a sacred ritual tied to Shinto beliefs, where every action holds deep spiritual meaning. We'll uncover sumo's purification rituals, such as the symbolic use of salt-throwing, shide (zigzag paper strips), and the sacred significance of the sumo ring (dohyo). Discover how Akebono's journey as a Yokozuna forged a cultural bridge between Hawaii and Japan, and what makes sumo an enduring symbol of balance, honor, and tradition. Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review as we explore these fascinating traditions. Whether you're a sumo fan or new to the sport, this episode offers a deeper look into sumo's spiritual and cultural importance. Stay tuned to learn more about the spiritual connection between sumo wrestling and Shinto rituals, and how these traditions have continued through the centuries. Discover the spiritual roots of sumo wrestling in this episode of The Sensible Hippie Podcast. Dedicated to Akebono, Hawaii's first Yokozuna, we explore sumo's deep ties to Shinto rituals, the symbolism of sumo's purification ceremonies, and the cultural bridge between Hawaii and Japan. Explore the spiritual roots of sumo wrestling in this episode of The Sensible Hippie Podcast, with clips from NHK and National Geographic. Dedicated to Akebono, Hawaii's first Yokozuna, we delve into sumo's deep ties to Shinto rituals and the cultural bridge between Hawaii and Japan BUY ME A COFFEE LINK https://buymeacoffee.com/sensiblehippie If you like to be on the show or have guest suggestions please email me sensiblehippie@gmail.com ⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/sensiblehippie/ https://www.facebook.com/SensibleHippie https://lvnta.com/lv_IcTq5EmoFKaZfJhTiS USE DISCOUNT CODE: OHANA FOR 20% OFF Website Reference: Sumo Culture - Mai-ko https://mai-ko.com/travel/culture-in-japan/sumo/sumo-2/ YouTube Video: Sumo Rituals on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ofAjMB8vMQ Salt Throwing NHK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvc0oAg4TXg Bow Twirling NHK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2L5nrgXh_k Sumo Wrestling 101 National Geographic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj_QyxPZE8M Funeral for first foreign-born sumo yokozuna Akebono Nippon TV News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVyXp2aFSPk References : "Sumo: A Pocket Guide" by David Shapiro and Junko Taira This book provides an overview of the traditions and rituals in sumo, including the use of sagari (fringes hanging from the mawashi belt) and the role of odd numbers like 17 to 21 in maintaining spiritual purity and luck. "Shinto: The Kami Way" by Sokyo Ono This is a highly regarded text on Shinto practices. It provides context for the role of shide (zigzag paper strips) as symbols of purification and protection in Shinto shrines and rituals. The Japan Sumo Association Website The official website of the Japan Sumo Association offers detailed insights into sumo traditions and rituals, including the significance of sagari and salt-throwing in purification practices. Website: Japan Sumo Association https://www.sumo.or.jp/En/ "The Essence of Shinto: Japan's Spiritual Heart" by Motohisa Yamakage "Japanese Culture: The Religious and Philosophical Foundations" by Roger J. Davies "Sumo Wrestling: The History and Ritual of Japan's National Sport" by Lora Sharnoff Website Reference: Sumo Culture - Mai-ko https://mai-ko.com/travel/culture-in-japan/sumo/sumo-2/ YouTube Video: Sumo Rituals on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ofAjMB8vMQ Sound Effect Credits: Sound effect from Pixabay. Visit Pixabay for more free audio and media. Hashtags: #SumoWrestling #sumo #shinto --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sensiblehippie/support

Akebono was the very first foreign-born man to reach the level of yokozuna. He remains a bridge between cultures and will be remembered for his ferocity and size in the ring, his generosity, kindness and care for others outside the ring. Thank you to John Jacques, Bumbo Kalima, and Lynn Matsuoka for sharing your memories of Chad (who later became Akebono). You knew him personally, and you give us all the gift of your stories. More about Sumo Kaboom and our BINGO game: www.sumokaboom.com Big Sumo Fan sponsors our BINGO game. Need sumo merch from the US? www.bigsumofan.com Twitter @SumoKaboom Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sumokaboom/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SumoKaboom/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/SumoKaboomPodcast Check out our Sumo Kaboom tshirts and sweatshirts at Bonfire. (https://www.bonfire.com/store/sumo-kaboom/) If you'd like to buy us a mawashi or support us monthly, go to: https://ko-fi.com/sumokaboom There's no way we could do this without you, so thank you! Ever wonder where we get our research? Check out the Show Notes section of our website. Please follow or send us a review. It all helps! Thank you so much! Special Guests: John Jacques and Lynn Matsuoka.

Lets Learn Sumo - Akebono Taro - First foreign yokozuna Grand Champion in Sumo. Why was he special.

It was a night of vindication for the boys of Whiskey Hell. NPR got kicked in the balls this week as staff is making it clear it's an ultra liberal mess with zero balanced though. Ghost weather stations make it blately obvious that the Climate Crisis is a manufactured data failure. Brazil is not the free speech capital of the world. In fact, it might be where it goes to die. Fitz tells us the story of Mr. Hand. Jefe has a Farm Report. State representatives say alot of stupid stuff. Akebono the American Grand Champion Sumo wrestler died and a whole lot more.  Think Critically Act AccordinglyBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/whiskey-hell-podcast--5683729/support.

In deze aflevering passeren alle grote kickboks organisaties de revue. Ik heb het over de terugkeer van Levi Rigters tegen veteraan Jahfarr Wilnis en ik stel de vraag of deze partij een mismatch is.

WH Park & Karen Peterson recap a variety of shows featuring Japanese talent during WrestleMania XL Week in Philadelphia, including the surprise appearance of Giulia at WWE events shortly after entering free agency on April 1st and with the rumored announcement of Rossy Ogawa's new promotion within the next week.They discuss the life and legacy of the late Akebono and his impact on the Japanese sports scene as a foreign athlete working in Japan.Plus: Preview of NJPW's Windy City Riot and AJPW's upcoming Champions' Carnival as well as updates to United Japan Pro-Wrestling's ALL TOGETHER show in May.Photos Courtesy: NJPW / AJPW / WWEPOST Puroresu Theme by Chris Maffei: https://soundcloud.com/cmstrikeSubscribe: https://postwrestling.com/subscribePatreon: http://postwrestlingcafe.comForum: https://forum.postwrestling.comDiscord: https://discord.com/invite/Q795HhRMerch: https://store.postwrestling.comTwitter/Facebook/Instagram/YouTube: @POSTwrestlingOur Sponsors:* Check out eBay Motors: ebay.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Welcome to the Mike & JD Show. On this week we discuss the following:CM Punk - Jack Perry All In FootageMike's tells a story about his altercation with Akebono in 2006 at Yokota Air Base in Japan. RIP AkebonoWill Ospreay claps back at Triple HPorn or AEWOur Sponsors:* Support our sponsor eufy and learn more about the new eufy Video Smart Lock E330 by searching "eufy video lock" on your search engine of choice or visit http://eufyofficial.com/videolock to see how you can finally gain complete control of your door. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Former WWE star Matt Morgan and Raj Giri are back with a "Gigantic Pop" Quick Hit to discuss AEW releasing the backstage scuffle between CM Punk and Jack Perry at ALL OUT last year and the passing of Akebono.Please like and subscribe:YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@GiganticPopApple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gigantic-pop/id1705464388?i=1000628211904Spotify:https://spotify.link/Mo1Lkm4hcDbAmazon Music:https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3da1772b-c193-4bd3-be6e-1c3f8fa95e90/gigantic-popGoogle Podcasts:https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5yZWRjaXJjbGUuY29tLzJkYzNhZGNkLTRmNzYtNDgyNC1iYjg4LTkxMjhiYTU5MDhiMw%3D%3DAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jeremy Finestone and Steven Conway are celebrating their 100th episode! This week, the pair were joined by Justin Knipper, an expert on the Japanese wrestling scene and the co-host of "Write This Down" with Fumi Saito. Justin has also been on the NOAH English commentary team, so he was the perfect guest to bring on to discuss two NOAH wrestlers participating in the 2024 Best of the Super Juniors, Ryohei Oiwa, Giulia and other names associated with NOAH and New Japan. Steven and Jeremy also broke down the Sakura Genesis card and the angles coming from it, including big wins for Tetsuya Naito, Jon Moxley, Shingo Takagi, Bishamon, the War Dogs and more. They also previewed the Windy City Riot show, featuring another IWGP World Heavyweight title match between Naito and Moxley, Hiromu Takahashi facing Mustafa Ali, Eddie Kingston and company versus Gabe Kidd and company, and title matches featuring Stephanie Vaquer, El Phantasmo and Hikuleo. They also looked at the Jack Perry-Shota Umino special singles match. They also looked back at the career of the late, great Akebono, who made a major impact in Sumo history and was a special attraction in pro wrestling.    

Bà trùm bất động sản Trương Mỹ Lan đã bị tòa án uyên án tử hình cho hành vi rút ruột ngân hàng SCB, đồng thời bị buộc phải bồi thường gần 27 tỷ đô la cho ngân hàng này, truyền thông trong nước đưa tin. Xem chi tiết: https://bit.ly/3UeFNJ5 Tin tức đáng chú ý khác: Chủ tịch QH Vương Đình Huệ mời Huawei ‘tìm hiểu cơ hội đầu tư' tại Việt Nam. Thủ tướng Phạm Minh Chính tiếp Ngoại trưởng Vatican. Nhà máy điện lớn gần Kyiv bị Nga tấn công. Akebono, nhà vô địch sumo gốc nước ngoài đầu tiên, qua đời ở tuổi 54. Đức: Microrobot ‘đầu tiên trên thế giới' với tiềm năng mới, điều trị ung thư.

Welcome to the Mike & JD Show. On this week we discuss the following:CM Punk - Jack Perry All In FootageMike's tells a story about his altercation with Akebono in 2006 at Yokota Air Base in Japan. RIP AkebonoWill Ospreay claps back at Triple HPorn or AEW

Bà trùm bất động sản Trương Mỹ Lan đã bị tòa án uyên án tử hình cho hành vi rút ruột ngân hàng SCB, đồng thời bị buộc phải bồi thường gần 27 tỷ đô la cho ngân hàng này, truyền thông trong nước đưa tin. Xem chi tiết: https://bit.ly/3UeFNJ5 Tin tức đáng chú ý khác: Chủ tịch QH Vương Đình Huệ mời Huawei ‘tìm hiểu cơ hội đầu tư' tại Việt Nam. Thủ tướng Phạm Minh Chính tiếp Ngoại trưởng Vatican. Nhà máy điện lớn gần Kyiv bị Nga tấn công. Akebono, nhà vô địch sumo gốc nước ngoài đầu tiên, qua đời ở tuổi 54. Đức: Microrobot ‘đầu tiên trên thế giới' với tiềm năng mới, điều trị ung thư.

A court says she was the mastermind behind a scheme to defraud the Saigon Commercial Bank of more than forty billion dollars over a ten-year period. Also: President Zelensky makes a plea for more air defences, and the death is announced in Japan of the first foreign-born sumo champion - Akebono.

The Flagship Podcast is back this week with instant reaction to AEW airing backstage footage of the ALL IN fight between Jack Perry and CM Punk with thoughts on what we saw, if it was worth showing, and more. We also dive into WWE branding The Triple H Era, the fallout from WrestleMania, RAW's massive ratings with The Rock & Cody Rhodes, plus reviews of CMLL, NJPW, and a look at the life and career of Akebono.Our Sponsors:* Support our sponsor eufy and learn more about the new eufy Video Smart Lock E330 by searching "eufy video lock" on your search engine of choice or visit http://eufyofficial.com/videolock to see how you can finally gain complete control of your door. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Flagship Podcast is back this week with instant reaction to AEW airing backstage footage of the ALL IN fight between Jack Perry and CM Punk with thoughts on what we saw, if it was worth showing, and more. We also dive into WWE branding The Triple H Era, the fallout from WrestleMania, RAW's massive ratings with The Rock & Cody Rhodes, plus reviews of CMLL, NJPW, and a look at the life and career of Akebono.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/voices-of-wrestling-flagship/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Sumo: 1st Foreign-Born Yokozuna Akebono Dies of Heart Failure at 54

WWE WrestleMania goes Hollywood! Eddie Guerrero challenges Rey Mysterio, the first ever Money in the Bank Ladder Match, Randy Orton battles The Undertaker, WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus defends against Christy Hemme with Lita, Kurt Angle goes to war with Shawn Michaels, Big Show competes in a Sumo Match against Akebono, WWE Champion JBL defends against John Cena and in the main event World Champion Triple H battles Batista!

Considerazioni post partita.

WrestleMania goes HOLLYWOOD!! And dare we say… SUMO?!? Join us as we cover topics such as: BIG SHOW vying for that Golden Thong Award as he takes on Akebono in the first and only Sumo match in WWE history!, the first ever Money in the Bank Ladder Match, JBL floundering as WWE Champion, and…. The Sandman Adam Sandler… you don't want to miss it!! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ruthlesspod/support

Those wrestling matches that are so damn bad... they're actually pretty darn good. Gareth Morgan presents 10 Terrible Wrestling Matches Everybody Loves...ENJOY!Follow us on Twitter:@GMorgan04@WhatCultureWWEFor more awesome content, check out: whatculture.com/wwe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All things in SVWAG are glorious, and that applies doubly for our glorious returns. We will also not be taking any additional breaks during the holidays! Yes, we can pledge an uninterrupted broadcast schedule through to the new year--leading directly to our annual end-of-year spectacular. And it shall be what, listeners? Say it with me,It shall be glorious.02:24 AYURIS: Bullet♥︎ (Joshua Van Laningham, Level 99 Games, 2021)Games Played Last Week:05:08 -Tidal Blades: Banner Festival (J.B. Howell and Michael Mihealsick, Druid City Games, 2022)08:12 -Riftforce: Beyond (Carlo Bortolini, 1 More Time Games, 2022)11:29 -Turing Machine (Fabien Gridel and Yoann Levet, Le Scorpion Masqué, 2022)17:27 -Roll Camera!: The Filmmaking Board Game (Malachi Ray Rempen, Keen Bean Studios, 2021)23:36 -John Company: Second Edition (Cole Wehrle, Wehrlegig Games, 2022)29:27 -Horizons of Spirit Island (R. Eric Reuss, Greater Than Games, 2022)33:20 -Terracotta Army (Przemysław Fornal and Adam Kwapiński, Board&Dice, 2022)35:37 -Pandemic: Fall of Rome (Matt Leacock & Paolo Mori, Z-Man, 2018)38:11 -Tiletum (Simone Luciani and Daniele Tascini, Board&Dice, 2022)39:44 -Brazil: Imperial (Zé Mendes, MeepleBR, 2021)49:02 -Oak (Wim Goossens, Game Brewer, 2022)50:46 -Frostpunk: The Board Game (Adam Kwapiński, Glass Cannon Unplugged, 2022)News (and why it doesn't matter):52:27 Calico app: cats on your phone53:20 French website Tric Trac to shut down54:18 Mythic Games divests itself of several IPs to CMON and Monolith Games56:01 Sweaty Tryhard vs. Filthy Casual: not meant as insult. New Myers-Briggs to be crafted?58:10 Inside Job: trick-taking with traitor58:52 IKI expansion: Akebono. Walker summons the purifying flames.59:23 Queen games reprints Stefan Feld's city collection with no updates in 9-day campaign. Allegedly.1:00:35 Topic: Random Events

On this week's show, Fumi Saito & Justin Knipper had an intriguing discussion about sumo wrestling and its deep influence on pro wrestling in Japan. From the structure to culture to style and influence, so much of what we watch from Japan today has sumo's DNA encoded inside of it. From Rikidozan and Toyonobori to Hiroshi Wajima and Koji Kitao, to Akebono and Konishiki, to Asashoryu to Hakuho, Fumi & Justin discuss famous sumo wrestlers, as well as sumo wrestler who would go on to become pro wrestlers and everything else in between. Join the Patreon for just $5.00 per month here: https://www.patreon.com/fightgamemedia Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fightgamemedia Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1958473677605950 Follow our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/fightgamemedia Subscribe to our YouTube Page: https://www.youtube.com/c/FightGameMedia Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fightgamemedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 40!  We're fans of professional sumo in Japan. It's fun to watch and takes a great amount of skill. There's actually a relatively rich history of Asian American and Pacific Islanders in professional sumo. Although there aren't any impactful AAPI in the sport now, there have been some amazing wrestlers in the past including Konishiki, Akebono, and Mushashimaru, but they aren't the only ones. Those three peers may not have achieved the levels they did without Takamiyama. We provide a quick overview of professional sumo, but if you're interested in learning more, we recommend the new Sumo Primetime and Sumostew channels on YouTube, the NHK Sumo and Sumopedia webpages, and the Sumo Wrestling Fandom Wiki. We begin this episode by celebrating Janet Yang for her recent election to President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Michelle Yeoh for her recent honorary doctorate from the American Film Institute. We close out this episode with a segment on the Origin of the term “Mongolian Spots.” For previous episodes and information, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com. Segments 00:25 Celebrating Janet Yang and Michelle Yeoh 02:29 AAPI in Professional Sumo 25:35 The Origin of Mongolian Spots

#MrFretz previews not only the most stupendous two night event in WWE, Wrestlemania but also some wild Indy shows from GCW, Impact, MLW, ROH, Control Your Narrative (lol) and more. How many people will Minoru Suzuki murder? How many different shows feature Speedball Mike Bailey? Will Joey Janella have a Spring Break? Will Logan Paul have the worst celebrity match since Akebono? Will the RKBROmance end? Will Roman find a new table? Will Fretz stop asking stupid questions and get to the F*** point? The answer to none of these is found on the Fretzlemania Pretzelmania Wrestlemania Preview Hour! Follow Fretz on Twitter/Instagram/Tiktok @Fretzlemania Follow WAR on Twitter @Addict_Wrestle Join our EXCLUSIVE $5 Patreon: www.patreon.com/wrestleaddictradio Merch: https://fretzlemania.myteespring.co/ Patreons get 15% off! Read our exclusive blog with reviews, fan fiction and more! https://writteninwar.wordpress.com/ Join our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/hWUGvp85 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wrestleaddictradionetwork/message

#MrFretz previews not only the most stupendous two night event in WWE, Wrestlemania but also some wild Indy shows from GCW, Impact, MLW, ROH, Control Your Narrative (lol) and more. How many people will Minoru Suzuki murder? How many different shows feature Speedball Mike Bailey? Will Joey Janella have a Spring Break? Will Logan Paul have the worst celebrity match since Akebono? Will the RKBROmance end? Will Roman find a new table? Will Fretz stop asking stupid questions and get to the F*** point? The answer to none of these is found on the Fretzlemania Pretzelmania Wrestlemania Preview Hour! Follow Fretz on Twitter/Instagram/Tiktok @Fretzlemania Follow WAR on Twitter @Addict_Wrestle Join our EXCLUSIVE $5 Patreon: www.patreon.com/wrestleaddictradio Merch: https://fretzlemania.myteespring.co/ Patreons get 15% off! Read our exclusive blog with reviews, fan fiction and more! https://writteninwar.wordpress.com/ Join our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/hWUGvp85 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wrestleaddictradionetwork/message

#MrFretz previews not only the most stupendous two night event in WWE, Wrestlemania. He also goes over some wild Indy shows taking place during the week from GCW, Impact, MLW, ROH, Control Your Narrative (lol) and more. How many people will Minoru Suzuki murder? How many different shows feature Speedball Mike Bailey? Will Joey Janella have a Spring Break? Will Logan Paul have the worst celebrity match since Akebono? Will the RKBROmance end? Will Roman find a new table? Will Fretz stop asking stupid questions and get to the F*** point? The answer to none of these is found on the Fretzlemania Pretzelmania Wrestlemania Preview Hour! Follow Fretz on Twitter/Instagram/Tiktok @Fretzlemania Follow WAR on Twitter @Addict_Wrestle Join our EXCLUSIVE $5 Patreon: www.patreon.com/wrestleaddictradio Merch: https://fretzlemania.myteespring.co/ Patreons get 15% off! Read our exclusive blog with reviews, fan fiction and more! https://writteninwar.wordpress.com/ Join our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/hWUGvp85 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/fretzlemania/message

This week, we three talk about the wondrous weather we had last week. Adam plans on doing the brake project on his Allroad, replacing the standard four-pot calipers with Akebono six-pot calipers in bright red, off of a 2019 S5. Will the project go as planned? Our movie this week was The Addam's Family, where Bruce's glee was on full display. The chip shortage is leading Ford to not include rear climate controls in their Explorers. And some more gas price discussion. In the second half, we talk about modifications people do to cars that should never happen - from stick on reflectors to fake caliper covers. If it's on our list, please don't do it. Subaru dropped a bombshell regarding the STI. The world will test negative, at least for a bit. And finally, AJ brings us a could great bits of trivia. Car model anagrams - phrases made up of all the letters in another phrase. And car acronyms - ABS? CVT? ESP? See if you're as up on your lingo as we are (or aren't). --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/brokecarsnobs/message

Greed wants an, ahem, "equivalent exchange" with Ed: knowledge of how to bind a soul to an object, in exchange for the secret of how to make a homunculus.  Will Ed do the deal? Will Armstrong come to blows with Sig? Will Izumi beat the crap out of Sig for talking with hostesses? Tim and Patrick discuss Fullmetal Alchemist chapter 28, and some spots in it where the translation hurt - or improved on - the intended meaning -- as well as digressing into their own separate stories of meeting sumo and K-1 wrestler Akebono!

On today's episode, we are talking about someone who is quite possibly the largest wrestler that has been in any G1 CLimax in the history of G1 Climaxes. Standing at 6 foot 8, 500+ pounds, this man was a former yokozuna in sumo wrestling, competed at Wrestlemania 21, in kickboxing, in MMA, he's done everything. Today will be looking into the career and the one and only G1 Climax appearance of Akebono!The G1 Climax is New Japan Pro Wrestling's elite summer tournament. Not everyone gets an opportunity to compete in the G1 Climax. Some wrestlers never appear, while some compete year in and year out. Every other week, host Ryan Neitzey will discuss the run of those wrestlers that have only competed in this exclusive tournament only once.SUBSCRIBE for more episodes! Leave a REVIEW!Follow Count Out on TWITTER!Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/g1-and-only/donations

On today’s episode, we are talking about someone who is quite possibly the largest wrestler that has been in any G1 CLimax in the history of G1 Climaxes. Standing at 6 foot 8, 500+ pounds, this man was a former yokozuna in sumo wrestling, competed at Wrestlemania 21, in kickboxing, in MMA, he’s done everything. Today will be looking into the career and the one and only G1 Climax appearance of Akebono! The G1 Climax is New Japan Pro Wrestling's elite summer tournament. Not everyone gets an opportunity to compete in the G1 Climax. Some wrestlers never appear, while some compete year in and year out. Every other week, host Ryan Neitzey will discuss the run of those wrestlers that have only competed in this exclusive tournament only once. SUBSCRIBE for more episodes! Leave a REVIEW! Follow Count Out on TWITTER! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/hit-the-books-realistic-wwe-fantasy-booking/donations

Avec amour, voici un nouveau chant pour vous, créé vendredi passé et dont le thème est la renaissance. Je ne saurais décrire ce que j'ai ressenti lors de l'enregistrement... J'étais à la fois ici et ailleurs tant la musique m'emportait. Car oui, pour la première fois, un instrument m'accompagne. Je tiens à vous le présenter (même si vous le connaissez peut-être déjà) et j'espère que le rendu final vous plaira. Le kalimba est l'un des noms donnés à l'instrument mbira. Ce petit instrument est né en Afrique. Tout d'abord fait de lamelles en bambou puis de clés en métal, il serait apparu il y a plus de 1300 ans ! C'est l'ethnomusicologue Hugh Tracey qui popularise le kalimba dans les années 1950-60 après une visite au Zimbabwe. L'art de jouer du mbira traditionnel au Malawi et au Zimbabwe est inscrit sur la liste représentative du patrimoine culturel immatériel de l'humanité par l'UNESCO depuis décembre 2020. Il est donc important d'honorer les racines africaines du kalimba lorsque nous en jouons, par exemple en priant, en partageant ces informations ou encore en redonnant à ce pays lorsque nous utilisons cet instrument à des fins lucratives.La version que j'utilise est une sansula, imaginée et fabriquée en Allemagne. À son identité africaine et allemande s'ajoute le Japon. En effet, la sansula est accordée selon la gamme traditionnelle japonaise Akebono.Voici donc un instrument très spécial qui rassemble à sa façon l'Afrique, l'Allemagne et le Japon.Avec fébrilité et grande joie, je vous souhaite une bonne écoute ! :)) (Disponible sur toutes vos plateformes d'écoute habituelles, et en téléchargement sur https://yogaavecvalentine.lepodcast.fr/Laissez un 5 étoiles sur Itunes Podcast pour me soutenir ou partagez simplement mon travail autour de vous ! Merci, merci, merci !)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with sumotori, judoka, writer, and intellectual Kevin Carter. This is the second part of a two-part interview. We spoke with him by phone Wednesday, April 14. In the 1990s, sumo in Japan began to reach a wider international audience, including in the U.S., with the emergence of several stars who were not Japanese. "You had Akebono, Musashimaru, Konishiki," Kevin Carter recalled. Konishiki, an American born in Hawaii, was the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach ozeki, the second-highest rank in sumo. Many believed that he would have been promoted to yokozuna, the highest rank, had he been Japanese. In 1993, Akebono, also an American born in Hawaii, became the first non-Japanese-born wrestler and the first American to be promoted to yokozuna. Musashimaru, born in American Samoa and who grew up in Hawaii, became in 1999 the second foreign-born wrestler to be promoted to yokozuna. "And then you had a few other Hawaiians who were in juryo, which is the second top professional division. So these guys were also in the top 50. You had those three top guys, and you had maybe three, four, or five guys who were one step below. And they were all thriving. The Hawaiians were really thriving. The Americans were really thriving," he said. But that success, though increasing sumo's worldwide appeal, did not sit well with many who ran the Japan Sumo Association, which governs the sport in Japan. The result was a blanket decision which reverberates today. "And then they banned all foreigners from coming in." With that, sumo's popularity, and where it was practiced outside Japan, radically changed. "When that happened, that basically put the kibosh on Hawaii. There was nothing for the Hawaiians to aspire to anymore. They really, they were basically told, 'We're not taking any of you for any reason.' "There was like a ten-year period where very few foreigners were coming in. They let a few guys in from Mongolia. They let a few guys in from China. But they had cut off other parts of Europe for a little while." And for some, this discrimination persists. "They still have an unspoken ban on Hawaiians, just like they have an unspoken ban on Africans and other Black people," he noted. At the same time, his own active participation in sumo competition was coming to an end. His last match was in 2002, but he still kept up with the sport. In 2005, it appeared that sumo would take a major step forward as an international sport with the emergence of the World Sumo Challenge. Their inaugural event was held October 22, 2005, at Madison Square Garden, and was shown on tape delay on ESPN2 that December. This was a professional event featuring top sumo wrestlers from around the world, planned to lead to a worldwide tour the following year. Some of the same people who organized the 1998 "Night of the Giants" sumo event in Atlantic City, New Jersey, were also involved in the World Sumo Challenge. One of them was Kevin Carter's old sumo coach, Yoshisada Yonezuka, who ran the Cranford Judo Karate Center in Cranford, New Jersey, and who also had trained Manny Yarbrough, who also was retired from sumo by this time. It would have seemed logical for the organizers of the World Sumo Challenge to have brought in Kevin Carter, with his experience and record in many areas of sumo. He also lived reasonably close to New York City. But, surprisingly to him, the call never came. With that snub, it was the end of the line for him in sumo. He said his attitude then was, "Fuck sumo." While the World Sumo Challenge drew some 8000 mainly enthusiastic fans to Madison Square Garden, their 2006 tour was a bust. Now called the World Sumo League, they had no TV deal, fan attendance in the arenas was quite low, and the tour was abandoned midway, never to be resumed. All these blunders drove one of its most serious devotees, Kevin Carter, from the sport. He no longer even followed it closely or watched sumo events. The appeal of the sport, though, and his love of sumo, were still lingering. In more recent years he has done some refereeing and judging, and was asked to be a referee at the 2020 U.S. National Sumo Championships, organized by the U.S. Sumo Federation. He wanted to do this, but was only unable to do so because of job commitments. In the meantime, he also became a black belt in judo. As we have noted many times, there has been a marked and recent revival of sumo in the U.S. New clubs have been formed and new tournaments have been held, a growth impeded mainly by the coronavirus pandemic. With mass vaccinations going on in the U.S, expect sumo to thrive even more, and, unlike in Japan, among a very diverse cross-section of people. And while just what Kevin Carter will do in sumo today is not clear, he wants to, and certainly should, return to playing an important role in the sport. "I really would enjoy seeing that revival and being part of that revival," he stressed. So this story of Kevin Carter and his love of sumo is not yet over. There hopefully will be some more fond chapters to come, because, as the late Teddy Pendergrass sang: "So good, so good, so good, "When somebody loves you back." Please also subscribe to the No Holds Barred page on Patreon for much more No Holds Barred content. The Podomatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store. The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow. No Holds Barred is sponsored by: LenneHardt.com, the home of Lenne Hardt, the legendary MMA and sports announcer, voice actor, singer, actress, and comedienne. Lenne is also known for her jazz vocals with her Lenne Hardt Jazz Cabaret Band. For more information, to book her, or to order a custom message from her, go to LenneHardt.com. Skullz Fight Shop, home of the Skullz Double-End Bag, the perfect punching bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve speed, distance, and timing skills. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. Skullz Fight Shop - Advancing combat sports equipment for the next generation of fighters. For more information, go to https://skullzfightshop.com. Adolphina Studios. Original art prints and handcrafted fine jewelry. For more information, go to https://www.etsy.com/shop/AdolphinaStudios. Thanks, Eddie Goldman EddieGoldman.com

Braden Herrington and Davie Portman celebrate POST Podcast Day with a special look at the WORST WrestleMania matches of all time! The BDE go through the history of WWE’s WrestleMania as they review, rate, and discuss the worst of the worst. Cole vs Lawler, Big Show vs Akebono, Playboy pillow fights, Piper vs Mr T, Brock vs Goldberg, Vince vs Bret, and so much more.  The lads look at 35+ years of terrible wrestling matches, compare star ratings, take your feedback, and question why some of these matches even happened. What’s your worst?  - But wait! There’s more! On the upNXT Patreon, Braden and Davie do Best Match Ever, retro NXT reviews, Top 5, Reviews from the 6ix, and tons more. This week's schedule: April 1st: Best Match Ever w/ Jordan Goodman - Doink The Clown April 4th: wasNXT - NXT March 6th 2013 Last week’s shows included WWF Canadian Stampede, TakeOver London (2015), Spiderman Into the Spiderverse, and so much more! Only $5 for N/A tier! Photo Courtesy: WWE Subscribe: https://www.postwrestling.com/subscribe Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/upNXT YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/upNXT T-Shirts: https://www.prowrestlingtees.com/upNXT Discuss: https://forum.postwrestling.com Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: @upNXTpodcast BDE Chiptune Theme created by BetaClubFieldTrip.Bandcamp.com  

Former NFL Player, Actor, Wrestler, Kickboxer and MMA’s first huge superstar, Bob “The Beast” Sapp, joins Mike in studio for today’s episode! They talk about going from the NFL to the WCW, fighting his idol and being called a nobody, becoming a huge phenomenon in Japan, getting recognized around the world, how Mike Tyson came out of retirement because of Bob, responding to Shaq's callout, a revolutionary new Pay Per View structure for fight entertainment, how Ariel Helwani sold himself out, how huge Logan Paul vs Floyd Mayweather will be, picking a bone with the MMA media, why fighters need to understand the pay circle, Bob's new Fight Circus, how Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris went fake for entertainment, strange events at Thai strip clubs, and so much more! Don't forget we post NINE HOURS EARLIER on YouTube so be sure to hit that subscribe button and click the bell for notifications so you can watch the episodes as soon as they are released! Watch the taping of this episode here: https://youtu.be/zTAPCuAsYX8 Be sure and check out all the clips and highlights of The Real Quick With Mike Swick Podcast at the official clip account, Quick Swick Clips: http://www.youtube.com/c/QuickSwickClips Please check out our sponsors and save: AKA Thailand, The Worlds Premier Luxury Training Resort. Save 10% now by booking online at https://akathailand.com ! Go to https://www.manscaped.com and use Promo Code: “Quick” to save 20% and get free shipping! Timestamps: 0:26 Going from the NFL to the WCW 3:36 Bob beat The Fridge, and LT told him he'd always be a nobody 6:22 Record 54 million people watched Bob fight Akebono live 9:23 Fans rocking Sapp windows, body hair tea, and sex toys in japan 12:16 There are two worlds for celebrities 17:54 Bob gets recognized all around the world 21:42 Mike Tyson came out of retirement because of Bob 24:17 Fight entertainment has come full circle 34:00 Should Bob fight Shaq, Tyson, Lennox, or Evander? 43:03 Fights need good storylines and a revolutionary PPV structure 46:49 How Ariel Helwani sold himself out 48:57 How a fighter can earn more coming out of retirement than by defending their titles 1:00:41 Logan vs Mayweather is gonna be huge 1:02:34 Mike and Bob have bones to pick with the MMA media 1:11:18 Bob breaks down the fighter pay circle 1:20:24 Bob Sapp's Fight Circus 1:35:26 Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris both went fake for Entertainment 1:40:05 The Beast is back, and he's new and improved! 1:43:51 Bob faced off with a bear and an elephant. What animal is coming up next? 1:53:46 Unusual things happen at Thai strip clubs Business E-mail: Info@MikeSwick.com Follow: Bob Sapp: https://www.instagram.com/bobsappofficial https://www.cameo.com/bobthebeastsapp Mike Swick: http://www.Instagram.com/Mike_Swick http://www.twitter.com/OfficialSwick http://www.Facebook.com/MikeSwick Mike Swick is a 15-time UFC veteran and a former top contender in two weight divisions. He is also the founder and CEO of the AKA Thailand super gym in Phuket, as well as the owner of Swick Savage™ and Savage Life Media™. Follow Us: http://www.youtube.com/c/RealQuickwMikeSwickPodcast http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/real-quick-w-mike-swick-podcast/id1268441670 http://soundcloud.com/RealQuickPodcast http://Instagram.com/RealQuickWithMikeSwick http://Twitter.com/RQMSPodcast ​​https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=408915&refid=stpr Host: Mike Swick Guest: Bob Sapp Produced & Directed by: Mike Swick Filmed & Edited by: Greg Blunt Clips and Marketing by: Evan Shoman Music Producer: Benny Youngbaht Music: Danny Bunnathong Artwork: Simon Netherton For more info about AKA Thailand: http://AKAThailand.com https://www.youtube.com/c/AKAThailandGym http://Instagram.com/AKAThailand http://Facebook.com/AKAThailandGym http://Twitter.com/AKAThailand Thank you for listening!

Ultimo episodio per la nostra terza stagione. Prendiamo in esame due temi su tutti in questa puntata:1- Un confronto più esteso del mercato di Ineos e Jumbo Visma anche alla luce delle necessità delle squadre2- Come cambia il mondo del cross, al di là dei risultati quando Mathieu torna nei campiIn chiusura un saluto e un ringraziamento a tutti quelli che ci hanno sopportato e supportato in questo anno folle

Question #1: Akebono. Who is he? Question #2: Cellulitis. Why do so many wrestlers claim to have it? And, what's the link between these 2 very different things?

Welcome back to Open the Voice Gate - Rewind and Rewatch, where Case (https://twitter.com/_inyourcase) and Mike (https://twitter.com/fujiiheya) are Rewinding and Rewatching the Dragon Gate USA era of shows. This week, they look at “Bushido: Code of the Warrior” from 10/29/2010 in Fall River, Massachusetts at the Police Athletic League Hall. Before tackling DGUSA's iPPV debut, they run through the events leading up to this show, including the disappearance of Chikara Sekigun from DGUSA, the issues of iPPVs in 2010, Austin Aries jumping from Ring of Honor to DGUSA, other ROH shakeups, and the definitive timeline of the road to the Blood Warriors formation. After that, Case and Mike review the first iPPV in DGUSA's history, and the end of DGUSA's streak of great shows. The formation of Ronin, the end of Jimmy Jacobs and Jon Moxley's feud, and the only time that BXB Hulk and Shingo Takagi had a singles match outside of Japan are the highlights of this show. On the other hand, 2010 Homicide, Akebono, Austin Aries, and blowing up someone's near year long storyline are the low lights. It's a show of contrasts ya'll. The show review starts at 00:46:44 on this episode. Our podcast provider, RedCircle, offers the listeners the option to sponsor the show. Click on “Sponsor This Podcaster” at https://redcircle.com/shows/open-the-voice-gate and you can donate a single time, or set up a monthly donation to Open the Voice Gate! Please Rate and Review Open the Voice Gate on the podcast platform of your choice and follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/openvoicegate.) Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In addition to the usual shows, this week we turn the clock back to Sunday April 3, 2005 to take a look at Wrestlemania 21: Wrestlemania Goes Hollywood which had John Cena defeating John Bradshaw Layfield for the United States Championship and Batista defeating Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship and unfortunately we were subject to a Sumo Match involving Akebono and The Big Show. Ladies and gentlemen, some things just can't be unseen

Believe it or not, there have been multiple instances of sumo wrestling finding its way into professional wrestling companies. In this episode, we take a look back at the absurdity of Earthquake vs Yokozuna, Big Show vs Akebono, and Hulk Hogan vs The Giant (Big Show) in a sumo monster truck match. So strap on your keshō-mawashi and throw down some salt before you listen to our review of Sumo in WWE and WCW. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

History of FMW Volume 41 going over the year 2013 with clips. Atsushi Onita's popularity continues to grow as he has exploding barbed wire death matches with both Akebono and Yoshihiro Takayama. He also begins to feud with Jun Kasai in FREEDOMS through out the year. FREEDOMS also creates a new singles title belt with Masashi Takeda challenging for it as well as the BJW Death Match Title in an awesome match against Shuji Ishikawa as well as much more.

History of FMW Volume 40 going over 2012. We go over how FREEDOMS starts the year off slow after Jun Kasai would suffer an injury but he would return for the climax of his two year feud with MASADA. Atsushi Onita begins a career resurgence before facing off against Akebono in a Exploding Barbed wire Death Match. Kintaro Kanemura's body starts to break down as he would suffer two serious injuries while the Apache Army would continue to decline as well as much more.

RUNNING TIME: 3 Hours 7 MinutesHosted by Don Tony SYNOPSIS: S2 E19 (05/07 - 05/13) Bruno Sammartino vs Giant Baba: First time ever WWWF Championship is defended in Japan. Verne Gagne retires as AWA Heavyweight Champion. Eddie Gilbert seriously injured in fiery auto accident following WWF PA event. Nancy Argentino, girlfriend of Jimmy Snuka, dies after head injury suffered at PA hotel. This occurs a few months after Snuka is arrested in NY and originally charged with second and third degree assault of Argentino and a Police Officer. Looking back at the first ever episode of Saturday Night's Main Event (1985). Career vs Title: Jerry Lawler def Curt Hennig to win AWA Heavyweight Championship. Bonus Audio: Curt Hennig attacks owner of Toyota Dealership and destroys the CWA Studio. Looking back at 5th Von Erich Memorial Parade Of Champions (1988). Looking back at NWA WrestleWar 1989. Audio: Memorable attack by Terry Funk on Ric Flair following his NWA Heavyweight Championship win against Ricky Steamboat. Roddy Piper returns to WWF after two year retirement. Audio: Macho Man Randy Savage vs Steve Austin battle for the one and only time they faced off in the ring. Audio: Steve Austin comments on Macho Man Randy Savage. Bill Alfonso makes memorable debut in ECW. WCW announces Nitro expanding to two hours. Standards and Practices: WWF forced to edit Raw segment showing Goldust licking Undertaker up his leg and thigh. Looking back at AAA TripleMania IV (1996). Looking back at WWF IYH 15: A Cold Day In Hell (1997). Memorable Raw moment: HBK superkicks Bret Hart back into his wheelchair. Audio: Farooq accuses WWF of racism and lack of Black Heavyweight Champions. Audio: Rob Van Dam makes Monday Night Raw debut against Jeff Hardy (1997). Audio: Dustin Runnels tears up during Raw segment while speaking about Dusty Rhodes and Goldust character. Audio: Eric Bischoff challenges Vince McMahon to a fight at WCW Slamboree 1998. Online voting gone wrong: Ric Flair voted People Magazine's #2 Most Beautiful People In The World for 1998. Who was #1? MTV airs special WCW 'Ultimate Music Video Feud' and begins the crossover highlighted by Raven / DDP feud. Steve Austin makes memorable appearance on TSN's Off The Record. Looking back at Sable's leaving WWF and filing $110 Million Lawsuit claiming sexual harassment and unsafe working conditions. Audio: Debra vs Sable Evening Gown Match for WWF Women's Championship. Audio: Sean Waltman speaks on putting a cup of feces inside Sable's luggage. DT looks back at highest rated Raw episode (8.1) in history and how WCW never fully recovered from one preemption due to NBA Playoffs. US News And World Report publishes seven page story of WWF and explosion in popularity for pro wrestling. Looking back at WCW Slamboree PPV (1999, 2000). Miss Elizabeth wrestles her first two matches ever (vs Daffney, vs Rhonda Singh). Audio: APA destroy Big Boss Man and Bull Buchanan in a bar fight. Four days after Linda McMahon tells AP that WWF and NBC were working on second season for XFL and not being killed off - NBC and WWF discontinues XFL. Perry Saturn sent home by WWF after 'shooting' on Mike Bell during a match on WWF Jakked. WWF releases Scott Hall 48 hours after the infamous 'Plane Ride From Hell'. Batista makes his WWF main roster debut. Audio: Edge-A-Mania is running wild! Infamous Raw segment: Undertaker attacks, hogties, and drags Hulk Hogan while riding a motorcycle throughout the Air Canada Center. Launch of NWA - Total Nonstop Action (TNA) officially announced. Audio: Memorable Raw segment featuring Steve Austin, Christian, RVD/Kane and the surprise return (and final WWE appearance ever) of The Road Warriors (2003).   Audio: Freddie Blassie tells D-Von to 'Get The Tables!'. John Tenta announces retirement after developing bladder cancer. After two years of PPV only shows, TNA and Fox Sports announce creation of non PPV weekly series, 'Impact!' (2004). Almost a year to the day TNA inks a deal with Fox Sports Net and debuts Impact!, FSN drops TNA programming. Booker T and Batista fight during filming of Summerslam 2006 commercial. Audio: Beth Phoenix makes her WWE main roster debut. Audio: Dr. Vince McMahon gives the Commencement Speech at Sacred Heart University (CT). Audio: After Undertaker battles Batista in a bloody Cage Match and endures a post match beatdown by Mark Henry, Edge cashes in MITB Briefcase to win the World Heavyweight Championship. NWA officially ends their relationship with TNA. Looking back at TNA Sacrifice PPV (2007, 2008, 2012). Audio: Jim Cornette strips Kurt Angle of TNA Heavyweight Championship. Fresh off the disaster of moving Impact to Monday nights and dismal ratings, Dixie Carter issues an odd and desperate plea to wrestling fans. Infamous Raw moment: Jerry Lawler uses Michael Cole's tie to attack Cole within the Cole Mine. Brock Lesnar pulled from UFC event due to diverticulitis. New Japan Pro Wrestling holds their first ever show in the US with help from JAPW. Hulk Hogan's solution to increase fan interaction with TNA? Follow and film TNA Wrestlers anytime they are seen in public. Happy Wedding Anniversary to Gail Kim and Chef Robert Irvine. Baron Corbin makes his WWE NXT TV debut. After Christy Hemme botches the ring introduction of Austin Aries and Bobby Roode, Aries climbs ring rope and puts his crotch in Hemme's face. And TNA waits almost a week to denounce the behavior. Buck Zumhofe sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexually abusing his 15 year old daughter. Audio: Attitude or Ineptitude? TNA tries to get edgy by having MVP use the 'N' word during politically charged promo on Impact. Ray 'Adam Rose' Leppan arrested for alleged domestic battery and is immediately suspended by WWE. Looking back at ROH / NJPW Global Wars 2016. Billy Corgan finalizes the deal to purchase the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). And so much more! NOTABLE BIRTHDAYS: George Gordienko, Owen Hart, Hercules Hernández, Killer Karl Krupp, Boris Volkoff, Mike Shaw, Shawn Osborne, Kodo Fuyuki, Little Boy Blue, James Dudley, Joe Louis, Gus Edd, Rocky Tomayo (RIP), Danny Hodge 87, Jerry Brown 82, Tito Santana 66, El Espanto Jr and Sunny War Cloud 63, Paul Diamond and Dennis Rodman 58, Glacier 55, Akitoshi Saito 54, Humberto Garza Jr 53, Kevin Kelly and Hugh Mungus 52, William Regal 51, Akebono 50, Jason Helton 49, Doug Basham 48, Billy Kidman, Chip Stetson and El Cholo 45, Truth Martini, Francisco Ciatso, Ricky Ortiz and Antonio Garza 44, Robert Roode, Little Jeannie 42, Kevin O'Neil and Makoto Hashi 42, Yuiga 40, Nicky Benz 39, Jimmy Wang Yang and Arda Ocal 38, Niles Young, Star Boy and Puck 37, Robert KUSHIDA, Kaiser, Daizee Haze, Tormento, Chiaki Nishi, Shinya Aoki and Tanga Roa 36, Kevin Owens and Natsuki Taiyo 35, Tommaso Ciampa, Rhia O'Reilly and Phily the Kid 34, Chris King 33, Lince Dorado, Lars Manderson, Chihiro Oikawa, John Atlas, Matt Carlos and Angélico 32, Yoshihisa Uto 31, Nitro and Totoro Satsuki 30, Io Shirai and Mitsuru Konno 29, Scarlett Bordeaux, Viper and Koju Takeda 28, Omega 27, Will Ospreay and Nemesis 26, Halcón Suriano Jr 25, Yako Fujigasaki 22, Yua Hayashi 21 NOTABLE PRO WRESTLING DEBUTS: Perro Aguayo 1970, Tatsumi Fujinami 1971, Jake The Snake Roberts 1975, Kerry Von Erich 1978, Bull Nakano 1983, Ultimo Dragon 1987, Steve Austin 1989, Danny Doring 1997, Kevin Owens 2000, Kelly Kelly and Cody Rhodes 2006, Takaaki Watanabe 2011, Deonna Purrazzo 2014, Nia Jax 2015 NOTABLE DEATHS: Mack Morton 90, Carl Cooper 86, Walter Sirois 85, Sonny Myers 83, Judy Grable and Jesse James 82, Buck Davidson 81, Dale Haddock 80, Leo Garibaldi and Fred Ward 78, Tiger Joe Marsh 77, Adrien Baillergeon 76, Guy Brunetti and Jack O'Brien 75, Penny Banner 73, Casey Columbo 71, Frank Tunney and Del Skinner 70, Kato Kung Lee and John Bilbo 69, Ilio DiPaolo 68, Super Swedish Angel 67, Lenny Montana 66, Johnny Eagles 64, Big Bully Busick 63, René Guajardo 59, Gran Apache 58, Tarahumara and Paul Bunyan 56, Danny Little Bear 53, Silver King 51, Ram Man Johnny Evans 50, Jumbo Tsuruta 49, Tadayoshi Fujitayama 45, Big Daddy Lipscomb 31, Wayne Van Dyke 29 RIGHT CLICK AND SAVE to download the TWIWH S2 E19 (05/13/19) episode. CLICK HERE to listen to the TWIWH S2 E19 (05/13/19) online. CLICK HERE to listen to the AD FREE (05/13/19) episode. ITUNES LINK Please subscribe to us on ITUNES =================  PROGRAMMING NOTE: TWIWH (S2 E20) HOSTED BY DON TONY Your next episode of 'TWIWH (Season 2 Episode 20)' will be posted Tuesday, May 21, 2019. In addition to download links, a preview of TWIWH airs every week immediately following the live episode of Don Tony And Kevin Castle Show. ================= DTKC AND WRESTLING SOUP ARE NOW ON DISCORD!Join DTKC, Mish, Joey Numbas and fellow members of our DTKC Show family as we take our shows to a whole new interactive level. Join the thousands who have already signed up. Coming soon, call-ins to our shows, video podcasts, bonus content exclusive for our Patrons, impromptu chats with Mish and DT, even gaming! Want to challenge DT to some Poker? Spades? Hearts and more? Sign up now. It's free for everyone (Patrons and Non-Patrons) and you'll have a blast!  CLICK HERE to join us now. ================= PANDORA, WE'RE HERE! (DTKC SHOW NOW ON PANDORA!) Pandora Radio has launched an all new Podcast section, which features a very limited number of shows. And we are proud to announce we were chosen to be one of them! If you haven't experienced Pandora Radio, try it out. And if you are already a subscriber, you can now stream our entire library! Remember, at this time, all Podcasts on Pandora are available only thru their Phone App. CLICK HERE to listen to DTKC SHOW, BwB, TWIWH, and more on Pandora now! =================  IF YOU ARE A FAN OF 'DON TONY AND KEVIN CASTLE SHOW' and 'BREAKFAST WITH BLASI' and just can't get enough of the shows, check out our PATREON PAGE! You'll gain access to our Patreon Exclusive shows such as 'The Castle Chronicles' hosted by Kevin Castle, and 'BREAKFAST SOUP' hosted by Don Tony & Missionary (Wrestling Soup), BLAH³ hosted by Don Tony, our TUESDAY LIVE SHOWS: DTKC Show Xtra! and BREAKFAST SOUP LIVE!, and early access to other content. You also have exclusive access to lost episodes of 'The Minority Report' from 2004/2005, vintage episodes of 'The Masked Maniac Show', and retro Blackhearts Hotline reports from 2001/2002. In addition to the shows, we hold monthly PPV Predictions Contests and other prize giveaways! And by signing up, you'll help us keep the DTKC Show and BwB free for everyone, and get interactive with DTKC like never before. You get it all for as little as $5! CLICK HERE to visit our Patreon page and gain access now! =============== DTKC SHOW / BwB / BREAKFAST SOUP / MATARRAZ T-SHIRTS ON SALE!Pro Wrestling Tees has launched the only source for T-Shirts of' Don Tony and Kevin Castle Show', 'Breakfast w/ Blasi', 'Breakfast Soup', and even 'Deli Man'! Please visit our T-Shirt store now. More designs will be added shortly. CLICK HERE to visit our T-Shirt Store now! ===============  PROGRAMMING NOTE: DON TONY AND KEVIN CASTLE SHOWYour next episode of the 'Don Tony And Kevin Castle Show' will air Monday May 20, 2019 LIVE at 11:15PM EST following WWE Raw. Thank you to everyone who enjoys what we do. Please spread the word of our show. You are the reason why our show now receives over 150,000 downloads weekly and over six million downloads annually! =============== CLICK HERE FOR STITCHER CLICK HERE FOR IHEARTRADIO CLICK HERE FOR BLUBRRY CLICK HERE FOR IPHONE,IPAD, & IPOD TOUCH APP

Happy WrestleMania Day! Whether you're watching live from New Jersey New York or sitting from the comforts of home almost every wrestling fan alive will be doing their best to convince themselves they still love pro wrestling while sitting through 7.5 hours of sports entertainment. But the question always remains, what is the worst match in Mania' history? Thanks to the tireless efforts of Three Way Theater wrestling historian Lumberjake, Jake has compiled the list of the lowest rated matches from the first 34 WrestleMania's as rated by Dave Meltzer omitting the DUDs and unrated matches. So don't get mad at us that Akebono vs. Big Show or the Miller Lite Cat Fight isn't in this tournament! The boys watch each of the 'Stink Sixteen' as they seek out the very worst in show. So if you've got a long commute from NY/NJ or just need a break from Mania plug into your favorite podcast app and enjoy this very special BONUSODE! [insert air guitar] Who's your pick to go to the Finals? All matches are available on the WWE Network. Watch along for only $9.99 and tell us your Best Worst in Show in the comments. Like! Comment! Subscribe! Share! Visit our Teepublic store and help support the show! Check out our new TWT sponsor Soft Serve Brand now on Facebook! Listen and download on Spotify, Podbean, iTunes, TuneIn,  Stitcher Radio, & ThreeWayTheater.com!

Bob “The Beast” Sapp is an international MMA megastar, professional wrestler, actor, and former NFL player, WWE professional wrestler, and world champion kickboxer. He mostly fought in Japan where he has appeared in numerous commercials, television programs, and various other media. He remains the most- merchandised, most-adored, and most-watched fighter in the history of the sport with 54 million Japanese who watched him bully Akebono in 2003. During this episode, Bob will share how his transition from a fighter to an entertainer has given him long term success. Expect to learn about his personal portfolio including his plans for retirement and future investments. Find out how Bob will add a key element to the MMA industry in Thailand.   Links: The Official Bob Sapp   Where we are: Sam Marks - Tampa, Florida Johnny FD - Chiang Mai, Thailand Bob Sapp - Washington State, USA   Books: Everyday Millionaires: How Ordinary People Built Extraordinary Wealth―and How You Can Too Retire Inspired: It's Not an Age, It's a Financial Number The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness Hardcover   Time Stamps: 03:04 - Watching Bob Sapp as a kid 08:44 - Bob's background and introduction 11:59 - Transitioning from a fighter to an entertainer 17:43 - Traveling to nearly 200 countries & location arbitrage 23:07 - Investing philosophy to practice as athletes & entertainers 23:53 - “Do your best to no longer be using loans or credit cards” - @BobSappMMA 25:14 - Buying a house with cash in any country 28:03 - Planning for retirement and future 36:12 - The difference between a real fighter and entertainer 38:01 - “They can pay to see you get knocked out or they can pay to see you win” - @BobSappMMA 42:57 - Finding your niche and Promoting your brand 51:06 - Fight recap and match highlights 54:38 - Johnny’s key takeaway from this episode If you enjoyed this episode, do us a favor and share it! Also if you haven’t’ already, please take a minute to leave us a 5-star review on iTunes and claim your bonus here! Copyright 2019. All rights reserved. Read our disclaimer here.  

RUNNING TIME: 3 Hours 31 MinutesHosted by Don Tony SYNOPSIS: Episode 52 (12/25 - 12/31) Audio: Iron Sheik def Bob Backlund to win WWF Heavyweight Title. Includes promos from Backlund and Iron Shiek. Audio: Macho Man Randy Savage def Terry Taylor to win NWA Mid America Heavyweight Title. Audio: Hulk Hogan abruptly leaves AWA and returns to WWF. Mean Gene Okerlund makes his WWF debut. Macho Man Randy Savage marries Miss Elizabeth (for real). Looking back at NWA and AWA 'Star Wars' (1985). Madusa wins AWA World Women's Championship. Vader debuts for NJPW and defeats Antonio Inoki and almost causes a riot Audio: Vader speaks on NJPW debut and defeating Inoki. Looking back at WCW Starrcade 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998. Lou Thesz wrestles last ever match at age 74. The Christmas Creature (Kane) loses Mask vs Title match against Jerry Lawler. Audio: Jerry Lawler, Kane, and Mad Man Pondo look back at the 'Christmas Creature'. Audio: Macho Man's Holiday message to kids at 4th Annual George Steinbrenner Children's Holiday Concert For Underprivileged Kids Of Tampa (FL). Audio: Highlights of Ric Flair def Vader (Starrcade '93) to regain WCW Heavyweight Championship. ECW makes their New York City debut. Audio: Cactus Jack vs Sabu in NCAA Olympic Rules match (ECW Holiday Hell 1995). Akira Hokuto def Madusa in Tournament Final to win WCW Women's Championship. Audio: Sting def Hollywood Hogan to win WCW Heavyweight Championship. Audio: Kevin Nash ends Goldberg's 173-0 Undefeated Streak and wins WCW Heavyweight Championship. DT looks back at WCW ratings before and after Goldberg's undefeated streak ended. Was it really the monumental mistake and ratings killer many have labeled it over the years? Audio: Moolah (76) and Mae Young (76) vs Crash and Hardcore Holly. WWF tapes Raw and Mankind winning first WWF Heavyweight Championship (Airs on 01/04/1999 Raw, the date WWF recognizes). Audio: Chris Jericho and Chyna become Co-IC Champs after double pin - A three week title reign not recognized by WWE. Audio: Raven wins his first of 27 WWF Hardcore Title reigns. Bonus Audio: Chris Jericho Taco Bell Commercial (2000). Looking back at Ring Of Honor: Final Battle 2004 and 2008. Audio: Austin Aries ends Samoa Joe 645 day reign as ROH World Heavyweight Champion. Joanie Laurer rushed to hospital, considered too wasted to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. WWE signs Tamina Snuka and Sin Cara (aka Hunico). TNA signs Nick and Matt Jackson (Young Bucks). WWE announces Bret Hart returning to WWE Raw (as Guest Host) after ten year absence.  Tommy Dreamer wrestles last match for WWE ECW. CZW wrestler Nick Gage arrested after robbing NJ Bank. Brock Lesnar announces retirement from MMA one day after TKO loss to Alistar Overeem at UFC 141. Audio: Daniel Bryan joins The Wyatt Family. WWE announces strict enforcement of requirement that all WWE Superstars carry Medical Insurance. And so much more! NOTABLE BIRTHDAYS: Bronko Lubich, Tim Arson, Mark Starr, Pete Managoff, Joanie Laurer, Jerry Tuite, Gran Markus, Joe Dusek, Karl von Brauner, Dave Morgan, Luther Lindsay, Jack Vansky, Woody Farmer, Wilbur Snyder, MS-1, Dick Torio, Mike Mazurki (RIP), Strong Kobayashi and Dean Ho 78, Demolition Ax 71, Tatsumi Fujinami and Bill Kazmaier 65, Lanny Poffo 64, Pantera Sureña 63, Tony Zane 60, Mark Madden 58, Tornado Negro 56, Mike Barton 53, Bill Goldberg 52, Pierre Carl Ouellet 51, Mideon 50, Nobukazu Hirai and Tom Howard 49, Diablo 47, MIKAMI, Braden Walker and Tony Rivera 45, Ryan Sakoda 44, Vance Nevada 43, Kristi Myst 42, B-Boy and Psycho Mike 40, Hiroshi Nagao and Justin Roberts 39, Cesaro and Matt Cross 38, Kamakazi Kid 37, JT LaMotta 36, Eddie Edwards, El Desperado and Kyle Maverick 35, Ariel 34, Rusev and Taryn Terrell 33, Laredo Kid 32, Andy Leavine and Wil Maximo 31, Infierno 29, Rey Fénix and Zelina Vega 28, Rachael Ellering 26 NOTABLE PRO WRESTLING DEBUTS: Angelo Mosca (1960), Jim Brunzell (1972), Akebono (2004), Sienna (2008), Brian Pillman Jr (2017) NOTABLE DEATHS: Sam Muchnick 93, Luigi Macera 88, Amazing Zuma 85, Andy Tremaine 84, Pete Mymko 81, Chico Cortez and Kenny Mayne 77, Bill Dromo 75, Armand Hussein 73, Earl Freeman 67, Jay Clayton 64, Ari Romero 62, Emilio Charles Jr 55, Tank Patton 52, Motoshi Okuma 51, Buddy Wayne 50, Dr Death Steve Williams 49, Gorgeous George 48, Mike Davis 45, Danny Fargo 44, Rollin' Hard 34, Ed Gantner 31, Yukon Braxton 24 RIGHT CLICK AND SAVE to download the TWIWH EP52 (12/31/18) CLICK HERE to listen to the TWIWH EP52 (12/31/18) online. CLICK HERE to listen to the AD FREE (12/31/18) episode (Patreon Link) ITUNES LINK Please subscribe to us on ITUNES =================   IF YOU ARE A FAN OF 'DON TONY AND KEVIN CASTLE SHOW' and 'BREAKFAST WITH BLASI' and just can't get enough of the shows, check out our PATREON PAGE! You'll gain access to our Patreon Exclusive shows such as 'The Castle Chronicles' hosted by Kevin Castle, and 'BREAKFAST SOUP' hosted by Don Tony & Missionary (Wrestling Soup), BLAH³ hosted by Don Tony, and early access to other content. You also have exclusive access to lost episodes of 'The Minority Report' from 2004/2005, vintage episodes of 'The Masked Maniac Show', and retro Blackhearts Hotline reports from 2001/2002. In addition to the shows, we hold monthly PPV Predictions Contests and other prize giveaways! And by signing up, you'll help us keep the DTKC Show and BwB free for everyone, and get interactive with DTKC like never before. You get it all for as little as $5! CLICK HERE to visit our Patreon page and gain access now! =============== DTKC SHOW / BwB / BREAKFAST SOUP / MATARRAZ T-SHIRTS ON SALE!Pro Wrestling Tees has launched the only source for T-Shirts of' Don Tony and Kevin Castle Show', 'Breakfast w/ Blasi', 'Breakfast Soup', and even 'Deli Man'! Please visit our T-Shirt store now. More designs will be added shortly. CLICK HERE to visit our T-Shirt Store now! ===============  PROGRAMMING NOTE: DON TONY AND KEVIN CASTLE SHOWYour next episode of the 'Don Tony And Kevin Castle Show' will air Monday January 7, 2019 LIVE at 11:15PM EST following WWE Raw. Thank you to everyone who enjoys what we do. Please spread the word of our show. You are the reason why our show now receives over 150,000 downloads weekly and over six million downloads annually! =============== CLICK HERE FOR STITCHER CLICK HERE FOR IHEARTRADIO CLICK HERE FOR BLUBRRY CLICK HERE FOR IPHONE,IPAD, & IPOD TOUCH APP

The P to the P to the other P return with the third and final instalment of their PRIDE Fighting Championship retrospective! Daniel, George and David have for your delectation another tranche of fights that combines the equal parts classic brutality and shitty nonsense that characterised Japan's greatest ever MMA promotion. Along the way we discuss the relative merits of violent combat sports and Jools Holland's Hootenanny as New Year's entertainments, which Brazilian MMA fighters would combine to make the best football team (complete with tactical discussions!), savour the sweet return of Podcast Spirit Animal Yoji Anjo, and end with an ill-advised musical number which Statto has been bound by penalty of Burning Hammer never to repeat. Enjoy, and tune in next time, when we'll actually discuss wrestling, honest... Matches: Wanderlei Silva (26-3-1) vs. Quinton Jackson (21-4) (PRIDE FC, 31 October 2004) Yoji Anjo (0-4-1) vs. Ryan Gracie (4-2) (PRIDE FC, 31 December 2004) Mauricio Rua (9-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (11-1) (PRIDE FC, 26 June 2005) Bob Sapp (4-3) vs. Akebono (0-0) (K-1, 31 December 2003)

As promised in our bonus episode about Americans in sumo, here is our research project on the most notable two of the bunch. We go in depth on the careers of Akebono and Musashimaru. Let us know what you think and drop us a line at 805-613-SUMO (7866)! Music by David Hall via SoundClound

For our latest history project, we delve into some of the Americans who have had success on the dohyo. We decided that since American yokozuna Akebono and Musashimaru totally deserve their own episode, we'd take care of everyone else here. Enjoy, and feel free to send us your questions or leave us a message at 805-613-SUMO (7866). Music by David Hall via SoundClound

RUNNING TIME: 3 HoursHosted by Don Tony SYNOPSIS: Episode 19 (05/08 - 05/14) Verne Gagne retires from pro wrestling as AWA Heavyweight Champion. Bruno Sammartino vs Giant Baba: WWWF Title is defended in Japan for the first time ever. Eddie Gilbert seriously injured in auto accident. WWF tapes its first ever 'Saturday Night's Main Event'. Music Video premiere of Cyndi Lauper: 'The Goonies R Good Enough' featuring lots of WWF stars. Audio: Jerry Lawler def Curt Hennig in Career vs Title Match for AWA Heavyweight Title. Roddy Piper returns to WWF after two year retirement. Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton wrestle for ECW. Looking back at AAA: Triplemania 2. Randy Savage vs Steve Austin wrestle for the first and only time ever in a singles match. WWF holds its first 'In Your House' PPV. "A Night To Remember": WWF holds it's last card at the Boston Garden. Audio: Bob Backlund revises history and announces a run for President of the United States. Bill Alfonso debuts for ECW. WCW announces change for Nitro from 2 to 3 hours. Audio: Infamous Farooq promo accusing WWF of racism towards black wrestlers. Audio: Rob Van Dam WWF Raw debut against Jeff Hardy. Audio: Excellent WWF segment on Dustin Runnels and Goldust. Audio: Eric Bischoff challenges Vince McMahon to a fight on an upcoming WCW PPV. Ric Flair: One of People Magazine's 'Most Beautiful People In The World' for 1998? Audio: Rain hampers WCW / MTV special from Chelsea Pier in NYC. Audio: Steve Austin on TSN 'Off The Record' with Michael Landsberg. Taz introduces the FTW (F*** The World) Heavyweight Title. Highest rated episode of Raw (8.1) airs. WWF lands the cover and major article in US News And World Report. WCW/ECW valet Chastity gets surprising amount of press for her appearance in a XXX Video. Miss Elizabeth wrestles her only two matches in her career. Lance Storm wrestles last match for ECW. Former wrestling hotline host turned convicted pedophile Jim Thompson (aka M.L. Curly) sentenced for sexual abuse involving minors. Vince McMahon and Dick Ebersol announce the closing of XFL. Audio: Batista makes his debut as Deacon Batista for Reverend D'von. Undertaker hog ties and drags Hulk Hogan from motorcycle. Official announcement for launch of NWA: Total Nonstop Action. Audio: Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal) make a surprise but sad, short lived return to WWE. John Tenta announcement retirement due to battling bladder cancer. TNA announces the change from weekly PPVs to Fox Sports Net. Amazing Red and CM Punk have WWF tryout matches. Tickets for ECW One Night Stand sell out in hours. Batista and Booker T fight during taping of Summerslam Commercial. Audio: Edge cashes in MITB Briefcase vs Undertaker. NWA ends their relationship with TNA Wrestling. Audio: Roxxi Laveaux shaved bald during TNA PPV. Nick Bollea sentenced for felony reckless driving leading to auto accident. Dixie Carter's desperate plea to fans who DVR Impact. Memorable segment involving Jerry Lawler attacking Michael Cole. Brock Lesnar pulled from UFC 131 due to second battle with diverticulitis.  New Japan Pro Wrestling invades the East Coast, and seriously injures an indy promotion in the process. WWE announces NXT to run full time in Florida. Hulk Hogan's ridiculous idea to add more 'realism' to TNA product. Gail Kim and Robert Irvine get married. Austin Aries 'sexually intimidates' Christy Hemme following an announcing botch. Dolph Ziggler suffers serious concussion and retrograde amnesia on an episode of Smackdown. Buck Zumhofe sentenced to 25 years prison for sexual misconduct with a minor. Audio: TNA tries to be edgy by having several wrestlers use the "F" and "N" word during a live episode of Impact. Audio:  Daniel Bryan relinquishes IC Title due to career threatening injury. Adam Rose arrested for domestic battery. Scott Hall suffers serious health scare while performing for Knight (Paige) Family promotion. Billy Corgan becomes the owner of NWA. And so much more! NOTABLE PRO WRESTLING DEBUTS: Perro Aguayo (1970), Tatsumi Fujinami (1971), Jake Roberts (1975), Ultimo Dragon (1987), Steve Austin (1989), Kelly Kelly (2006), Deonna Purrazzo (2014) NOTABLE DEATHS: Jesse James 83, Judy Grable 82, Fred Ward and Leo Garibaldi 78, Fred Atkins 77, Guy Brunetti 75, Gorgeous George Jr and George Gordienko 74, Penny Banner 73, Frank Tunny 70, John Bilbo (Jules Strongbow) 69, Ilio DiPaolo 68, Danny Little Bear 65, Big Bully Busick 63, Princess Jasmine 60, Little Boy Blue 57, Johnny 'Ram Man' Evans 50, Jumbo Tsuruta 49, Wayne Van Dyke 29, Eric Kulas 22 NOTABLE BIRTHDAYS: Danny Hodge, Killer Karl Krupp, Scott Irwin, Steve Williams, Tommy Rogers, Mike Shaw (RIP), Butcher Vachon 80, Robert Fuller 67, Tito Santana 65, Vader 63, Paul Diamond, Akira Taue, and Dennis Rodman 57, Glacier 54, Humberto Garza Jr 52, William Regal and Kevin Kelly (Announcer) and Hugh Mungus 51, Mantaur 50, Akebono 49, Doug Basham 47, Billy Kidman 44, Truth Martini and Little Jeanne 43, Shawn Osborne and Ricky Ortiz 42, Bobby Roode 41, Nick Berk 39, Nicky Benz 38, Nobuhiko Takada and Jimmy Yang 37, Puck 36, Shinya Aoki and Daizee Haze 35, Tommaso Ciampa and Zack Ryder 33, Lince Dorado 31, Bestia 666 29, Io Shirai 28, Scarlett Bordeaux 27 RIGHT CLICK AND SAVE to download the TWIWH EP19 (05/14/18) CLICK HERE to listen to the TWIWH EP19 (05/14/18) online. ITUNES LINK Please subscribe to us on ITUNES ================= PROGRAMMING NOTE: 'TWIWH (EP20)' HOSTED BY DON TONY Your next episode of 'TWIWH (EP20)' will be posted Tuesday, May 22, 2018. In addition to download links, a preview of TWIWH airs every week immediately following the live episode of Don Tony And Kevin Castle Show. #ThrowbackTuesday =============== IF YOU ARE A FAN OF 'DON TONY AND KEVIN CASTLE SHOW' and 'BREAKFAST WITH BLASI' and just can't get enough of the shows, check out our PATREON PAGE! You'll gain access to our Patreon Exclusive shows such as 'The Castle Chronicles' hosted by Kevin Castle, and 'BREAKFAST SOUP' hosted by Don Tony & Missionary (Wrestling Soup), and early access to other content. You also have exclusive access to lost episodes of 'The Minority Report' from 2004/2005, select vintage episodes of 'The Masked Maniac Show', and retro Blackhearts Hotline reports from 2001/2002. In addition to the shows, we hold monthly PPV Predictions Contests and other prize giveaways! And by signing up, you'll help us keep the DTKC Show and BwB free for everyone, and get interactive with DTKC like never before. You get it all for as little as $5! CLICK HERE to visit our Patreon page and gain access now! =============== DTKC SHOW / BwB / BREAKFAST SOUP / MATARRAZ T-SHIRTS ON SALE!Pro Wrestling Tees has launched the only source for T-Shirts of' Don Tony and Kevin Castle Show', 'Breakfast w/ Blasi', 'Breakfast Soup', and even 'Deli Man'! Please visit our T-Shirt store now. More designs will be added shortly. CLICK HERE to visit our T-Shirt Store now! ===============  PROGRAMMING NOTE: DON TONY AND KEVIN CASTLE SHOWYour next episode of the 'Don Tony And Kevin Castle Show' will air Monday May 21, 2018 LIVE at 11:15PM EST following WWE Raw. Thank you to everyone who enjoys what we do. Please spread the word of our show. You are the reason why our show now receives over 150,000 downloads weekly and over six million downloads annually! =============== CLICK HERE FOR STITCHER CLICK HERE FOR IHEARTRADIO CLICK HERE FOR BLUBRRY CLICK HERE FOR IPHONE,IPAD, & IPOD TOUCH APP

I dagen podd går vi på djupet och lär oss allt om den japanska nationaldrycken sake. Ciceron är en verklig expert på ämnet - Åke Nordgren som sedan 1997 driver företaget Akebono som sysslar med import av japansk mat och dryck, företrädelsevis just sake, men även öl och andra drycker.    

STRIGGA & Dylan open this week's episode of the Eastern Lariat podcast by talking about the medical conditions of Katsuyori Shibata, Akebono and OKUMURA and the reporting about these situations. From there the two transition to a wide potpourri of topics including Stardom, Sendai Girls, Ice Ribbion, Big Japan and other promotions running shows during Golden Week. The duo also dives into WRESTE-1 for the first time in months to check how Keiji Muto's company is doing.

MSL and Court Bauer talk about the passing of Roman Reigns' brother Matt Anoa'i (aka Rosey/Super Hero in Training). Plus, the guys talk RAW is BRAUN, is there a pushback on the WWE bullying story?, booking Satoshi Kojima, Akebono in bad shape and more.

On this date in 1993, the American-born sumo wrestler Akebono became the first foreigner promoted to the highest rank of yokozuna. Here are some things you may not have known about sumo, and Akebono. Sumo is a wrestling sport where opponents try to force each other to be the first to step out of the ring, or touch the floor with anything but the soles of their feet. One strategy is to simply be the larger participant. Sumo wrestlers are known for their sometimes enormous weight. There are no weight divisions in professional sumo, so wrestlers sometimes face off against someone twice their weight. However, weight isn’t everything. With the proper technique the smaller wrestler can defeat a much larger opponent. Sumo wrestlers wear a loincloth called a mawashi. It is made of silk and, when unwound, is about 30 feet long and two feet wide, and can weigh up to 11 pounds. It is an automatic disqualification if the cloth comes off.  Only former professional sumo wrestlers are allowed to train new wrestlers. Sumo wrestlers’ lives are highly regimented. Most wrestlers live communally. Lower ranked wrestlers must wear a thin cotton robe and wooden sandals, year-round. As wrestlers move up the ranks, they’re allowed to wear better clothes and sandals. Junior wrestlers are also responsible for upkeep in the training facility. Because some wrestlers were too big to drive cars, all wrestlers are banned from driving. Wrestlers below the second division make a small allowance. Top-level wrestlers, such as the Yokozuna, make as much as $30,000 a month. Yokozuna means “Horizontal Rope” and refers to the ceremonial rope they wear around their waist. The rope can weigh up to 44 pounds.  72 wrestlers have earned the rank of Yokozuna, the first recorded in 1749. Yokozuna are selected based on their power, skill and dignity and grace. Some allege that the dignity and grace criteria was used to prevent foreign wrestlers from achieving Yokozuna status.  That changed in 1993, when Akebono was promoted to yokozuna.  Akebono was born Chad Rowan near Honolulu. He was an all-star center in basketball in high school and went to Hawaii Pacific University on a basketball scholarship. At 6-foot-8, it was thought that he was too tall to be a sumo wrestler, but he was allowed to join a training stable. He adopted the name Akebono, which means “New Dawn.” He rose through the ranks quickly, compiling several championships in 1992 an 1993 to earn promotion. Akebono lasted nearly eight years as a yokozuna, which is an unusually long time. However he battled injury because of his height and weight. He was one of the heaviest wrestlers ever, fighting at more than 500 pounds. He retired in 2000. Since then, he has fought in mixed martial arts and in American-style professional wrestling. Our question: Of the four current yokozuna, how many are Japanese? Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It’s unofficially National Chocolate Cake Day, National Fun at Work Day, and National Geographic Day. It’s the birthday of writer Lewis Carroll, who was born in 1832; actor Alan Cumming, who is 52; and comedian Patton Oswalt, who is 48. Because we’ve featured 1993 recently, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random. This week in 1988, the top song in the U.S. was “Need You Tonight” by INXS. The No. 1 movie was “Good Morning, Vietnam,” while the novel “The Bonfire of the Vanities” by Tom Wolfe topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.  Weekly question: In the song “American Pie,” who is referred to as “The Jester”? The answer is Bob Dylan. The first correct answer came from Kevin Lazar. He was followed closely by Trent H, Tom, and Brian and Elisa. Links Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or our website. Also, if you’re enjoying the show, please consider supporting it through Patreon.com Please rate the show on iTunes by clicking here. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_27 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mawashi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akebono_Tarō https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makuuchi#Yokozuna https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_yokozuna https://www.checkiday.com/01/27/2017 http://www.biography.com/people/groups/born-on-january-27 http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/numberonesongs/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_1988_box_office_number-one_films_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Fiction_Best_Sellers_of_1988 iOS: http://apple.co/1H2paH9  Android: http://bit.ly/2bQnk3m

Tanner and Sam are joined by TJ Hawke this week to talk...to talk. AJPW comes up which of course leads to us talking about how cool Akebono is. As with all modern wrestling discussions dictate we barrel through a tirade of promotions that are not booked well or at least booked in a manner that we would consider enjoyable. Survivor Series is certainly a show that is happening on Sunday if you were curious.

The boys return for their last live episode for 2 weeks! First they are joined by NWA President Bruce Tharpe looking at his early days in wrestling, how he became president and the impending NWA Classics on demand channel. Then they look at 5 quality WrestleMania's, including Akebono, Candace Michelle, Donald Trump, Snoop Dogg, Kid Rock and some actual wrestlers!

This week's Guests on the show include: - Chad Mendes talking about his upcoming fight against Ricardo Lamas, how he stacks up against the Bully, Lamas' strengths and weaknesses, personal thoughts on Ricardo and the Conor McGregor parody video, why he was so happy during the Jose Aldo fight, what he'd do differently in a rematch with Aldo, TJ Dillashaw's chances against Aldo, if he's impressed yet with Conor McGregor, Conor's chances against Aldo, if he would ever go down to Bantamweight, and more. - Royce Gracie returns to Submission Radio to discuss the evolution in MMA, if the UFC is as real now that there are so many more rules, why point fighting is ruining the sport, Gyms and BJJ schools teaching for competition rather than self defense, his role in the new Scorpion King movie, being on the set with Roy Nelson and Bigfoot Silva, sharing stories with Lou Ferrigno, his fight against the 400lbs+ Akebono in K1, CM Punk coming into MMA, Jon Jones' failed drug test, his role as a Bellator ambassador, his autobiography, and more. - Jake Shields talks about his upcoming fight against Rousimar Palhares, if he's worried about the Brazilian's leg locks and holding on too long, how he sees the fight going, Jon Fitch's mistakes against Palhares, a potential fight against Ben Askren, his time so far in WSOF, if he would return to the UFC depite Dana White's comments, GSP rematch and what he would do differently, Nick Diaz preparing for Anderson Silva, Robbie Lawler as a champ and if he will remain a long term champ like GSP. - Seth Petruzelli talks about his long career and what led to his retirement, Kimbo Slice's return to Bellator, the call out, and if he would come out of retirement to fight Kimbo. Seth also talks about how the rematch would go, why Kimbo would call out such a dangerous opponent, what happened backstage after he knocked Kimbo out the first time, the demise of Elite XC, if he knew that the company would crumble, what he's been doing since retiring and why he's in such good shape, funny Halloween stories, funny stories from The Ultimate Fighter season 2, and plenty more. - Also on the show is discussion and a breakdown of UFCon Fox 14, the fights on the card, and what's next for the fighters. - twitter.com/SubmissionAus , - facebook.com/SubmissionRadioAus , - youtube.com/user/submissionradioau

This week's Guests on the show include: - Chad Mendes talking about his upcoming fight against Ricardo Lamas, how he stacks up against the Bully, Lamas' strengths and weaknesses, personal thoughts on Ricardo and the Conor McGregor parody video, why he was so happy during the Jose Aldo fight, what he'd do differently in a rematch with Aldo, TJ Dillashaw's chances against Aldo, if he's impressed yet with Conor McGregor, Conor's chances against Aldo, if he would ever go down to Bantamweight, and more. - Royce Gracie returns to Submission Radio to discuss the evolution in MMA, if the UFC is as real now that there are so many more rules, why point fighting is ruining the sport, Gyms and BJJ schools teaching for competition rather than self defense, his role in the new Scorpion King movie, being on the set with Roy Nelson and Bigfoot Silva, sharing stories with Lou Ferrigno, his fight against the 400lbs+ Akebono in K1, CM Punk coming into MMA, Jon Jones' failed drug test, his role as a Bellator ambassador, his autobiography, and more. - Jake Shields talks about his upcoming fight against Rousimar Palhares, if he's worried about the Brazilian's leg locks and holding on too long, how he sees the fight going, Jon Fitch's mistakes against Palhares, a potential fight against Ben Askren, his time so far in WSOF, if he would return to the UFC depite Dana White's comments, GSP rematch and what he would do differently, Nick Diaz preparing for Anderson Silva, Robbie Lawler as a champ and if he will remain a long term champ like GSP. - Seth Petruzelli talks about his long career and what led to his retirement, Kimbo Slice's return to Bellator, the call out, and if he would come out of retirement to fight Kimbo. Seth also talks about how the rematch would go, why Kimbo would call out such a dangerous opponent, what happened backstage after he knocked Kimbo out the first time, the demise of Elite XC, if he knew that the company would crumble, what he's been doing since retiring and why he's in such good shape, funny Halloween stories, funny stories from The Ultimate Fighter season 2, and plenty more. - Also on the show is discussion and a breakdown of UFCon Fox 14, the fights on the card, and what's next for the fighters. - twitter.com/SubmissionAus , - facebook.com/SubmissionRadioAus , - youtube.com/user/submissionradioau

This week hosts Kacper Rosolowski and Denis Shkuratov have on the show: - Chad Mendes talking about his upcoming fight against Ricardo Lamas, how he stacks up against the Bully, Lamas' strengths and weaknesses, personal thoughts on Ricardo and the Conor McGregor parody video, why he was so happy during the Jose Aldo fight, what he'd do differently in a rematch with Aldo, TJ Dillashaw's chances against Aldo, if he's impressed yet with Conor McGregor, Conor's chances against Aldo, if he would ever go down to Bantamweight, and more. - Royce Gracie returns to Submission Radio to discuss the evolution in MMA, if the UFC is as real now that there are so many more rules, why point fighting is ruining the sport, Gyms and BJJ schools teaching for competition rather than self defense, his role in the new Scorpion King movie, being on the set with Roy Nelson and Bigfoot Silva, sharing stories with Lou Ferrigno, his fight against the 400lbs+ Akebono in K1, CM Punk coming into MMA, Jon Jones' failed drug test, his role as a Bellator ambassador, his autobiography, and more. - Jake Shields talks about his upcoming fight against Rousimar Palhares, if he's worried about the Brazilian's leg locks and holding on too long, how he sees the fight going, Jon Fitch's mistakes against Palhares, a potential fight against Ben Askren, his time so far in WSOF, if he would return to the UFC depite Dana White's comments, GSP rematch and what he would do differently, Nick Diaz preparing for Anderson Silva, Robbie Lawler as a champ and if he will remain a long term champ like GSP. - Seth Petruzelli talks about his long career and what led to his retirement, Kimbo Slice's return to Bellator, the call out, and if he would come out of retirement to fight Kimbo. Seth also talks about how the rematch would go, why Kimbo would call out such a dangerous opponent, what happened backstage after he knocked Kimbo out the first time, the demise of Elite XC, if he knew that the company would crumble, what he's been doing since retiring and why he's in such good shape, funny Halloween stories, funny stories from The Ultimate Fighter season 2, and plenty more. - Also on the show is discussion and a breakdown of UFCon Fox 14, the fights on the card, and what's next for the fighters. - twitter.com/SubmissionAus , - facebook.com/SubmissionRadioAus , - youtube.com/user/submissionradioau

This week hosts Kacper Rosolowski and Denis Shkuratov have on the show: - Chad Mendes talking about his upcoming fight against Ricardo Lamas, how he stacks up against the Bully, Lamas' strengths and weaknesses, personal thoughts on Ricardo and the Conor McGregor parody video, why he was so happy during the Jose Aldo fight, what he'd do differently in a rematch with Aldo, TJ Dillashaw's chances against Aldo, if he's impressed yet with Conor McGregor, Conor's chances against Aldo, if he would ever go down to Bantamweight, and more. - Royce Gracie returns to Submission Radio to discuss the evolution in MMA, if the UFC is as real now that there are so many more rules, why point fighting is ruining the sport, Gyms and BJJ schools teaching for competition rather than self defense, his role in the new Scorpion King movie, being on the set with Roy Nelson and Bigfoot Silva, sharing stories with Lou Ferrigno, his fight against the 400lbs+ Akebono in K1, CM Punk coming into MMA, Jon Jones' failed drug test, his role as a Bellator ambassador, his autobiography, and more. - Jake Shields talks about his upcoming fight against Rousimar Palhares, if he's worried about the Brazilian's leg locks and holding on too long, how he sees the fight going, Jon Fitch's mistakes against Palhares, a potential fight against Ben Askren, his time so far in WSOF, if he would return to the UFC depite Dana White's comments, GSP rematch and what he would do differently, Nick Diaz preparing for Anderson Silva, Robbie Lawler as a champ and if he will remain a long term champ like GSP. - Seth Petruzelli talks about his long career and what led to his retirement, Kimbo Slice's return to Bellator, the call out, and if he would come out of retirement to fight Kimbo. Seth also talks about how the rematch would go, why Kimbo would call out such a dangerous opponent, what happened backstage after he knocked Kimbo out the first time, the demise of Elite XC, if he knew that the company would crumble, what he's been doing since retiring and why he's in such good shape, funny Halloween stories, funny stories from The Ultimate Fighter season 2, and plenty more. - Also on the show is discussion and a breakdown of UFCon Fox 14, the fights on the card, and what's next for the fighters. - twitter.com/SubmissionAus , - facebook.com/SubmissionRadioAus , - youtube.com/user/submissionradioau See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(8/31/14) We return with a full review and analysis of the 8/27 IMPACT, with the debut of Chris Melendez. We talk about his introduction and prospects of becoming a star. We also analyse the first three-way meetings between The Wolves, Team 3D and The Hardy Boys, dubious developments in the Storm/Sanada, and Anderson/Shaw storylines and more.We also have full review and analysis of the 8/28 NXT where the main event of NXT Takeover 2 is announced. We discuss all the matches, build for the 9/11 special, and talk the main roster potential of Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, The Ascension, Charlotte, Prince Devitt, Kevin Steen, KENTA and much more. We have results and notes from AJPW's major show in Nagoya, with Joe Doering making his first Triple Crown title defence against Akebono. We also talk all the latest news from Pro Wrestling NOAH, including results and review from the 8/17 TV Taping, and the 8/24 show headlined by Naomichi Marufuji and Takeshi Morishima at Korakuen Hall.

(8/31/14) We return with a full review and analysis of the 8/27 IMPACT, with the debut of Chris Melendez. We talk about his introduction and prospects of becoming a star. We also analyse the first three-way meetings between The Wolves, Team 3D and The Hardy Boys, dubious developments in the Storm/Sanada, and Anderson/Shaw storylines and more.We also have full review and analysis of the 8/28 NXT where the main event of NXT Takeover 2 is announced. We discuss all the matches, build for the 9/11 special, and talk the main roster potential of Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, The Ascension, Charlotte, Prince Devitt, Kevin Steen, KENTA and much more. We have results and notes from AJPW's major show in Nagoya, with Joe Doering making his first Triple Crown title defence against Akebono. We also talk all the latest news from Pro Wrestling NOAH, including results and review from the 8/17 TV Taping, and the 8/24 show headlined by Naomichi Marufuji and Takeshi Morishima at Korakuen Hall.

(8/22/14) We return with our second show of the week, with our reaction to the news that John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar will headline Night of Champions in September, we look at possibilities for the Sep show, booking ideas for the autumn/winter, possibilities for the Wrestlemania main event and much more. We look at the announcement that Impact will be staying on Spike TV till the end of the year, where things stand in negotiations, TNA finding a new home, and more. We also have a full review of AAA TripleMania XXII, a look at the general landscape of AAA at the moment, what big money matches they have coming up, and notes on Averno, Mysteziz, Del Rio, Mysterio, El Rey, Vampiro and others. We also take a look at Dragon Gate's Dangerous Gate PPV with some super matches, smart booking, a new faction forming,and the Summer Adventure Tag League. Finally, we take a look at news from AJPW, returns of Akebono and Go Shiozaki, the card for the big show in Nagoya, Open Championship tournament and more.

(8/22/14) We return with our second show of the week, with our reaction to the news that John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar will headline Night of Champions in September, we look at possibilities for the Sep show, booking ideas for the autumn/winter, possibilities for the Wrestlemania main event and much more. We look at the announcement that Impact will be staying on Spike TV till the end of the year, where things stand in negotiations, TNA finding a new home, and more. We also have a full review of AAA TripleMania XXII, a look at the general landscape of AAA at the moment, what big money matches they have coming up, and notes on Averno, Mysteziz, Del Rio, Mysterio, El Rey, Vampiro and others. We also take a look at Dragon Gate's Dangerous Gate PPV with some super matches, smart booking, a new faction forming,and the Summer Adventure Tag League. Finally, we take a look at news from AJPW, returns of Akebono and Go Shiozaki, the card for the big show in Nagoya, Open Championship tournament and more.

(08/04/2014) We return with a packed show covering Destination X, the best TNA TV show in a long long time featuring a terrific match between The Wolves and The Hardy Boys. We talk returns of Low Ki, Homicide, Brian Cage, the booking of the show, Team Dixie angle, Lashley vs. Aries, and the decision to promote Dixie's table bump on next weeks show. We also have full review and analysis of the 7/31 edition of NXT, whats planned for the next NXT live show, Kidd/Natalya rift widens, Becky Lynch, new tag team, and more build toward Neville vs. Breeze. We take a look at nights 6 and 7 of G1 24, the latter of which was one of the best wrestling shows of all-time. We talk the performances of most of the participants, injury to Tomohiro Ishii, tournament MVP, praise for Karl Anderson and Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and wether AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki deserves to be included in the MOTY discussion. We talk about the standings and booking so far, possibilities for the final, and NJPW booking heading into the Tokyo Dome. We also have notes on Joe Doering capturing the AJPW Triple Crown, why it happened, next title feud, returns of Go Shiozaki and Akebono, attendance since the latest reboot and much more. Additionally for the first time ever, we dedicate over 45 minutes to British Wrestling, specifically Preston City Wrestling. We talk their event on Friday Night featuring Mr Anderson and Austin Aries, live experiences, future events, booking, thoughts on venue, promoting style, and all the matches. We also have more details on British Bootcamp, and some bold predictions about the most likely winner.

(08/04/2014) We return with a packed show covering Destination X, the best TNA TV show in a long long time featuring a terrific match between The Wolves and The Hardy Boys. We talk returns of Low Ki, Homicide, Brian Cage, the booking of the show, Team Dixie angle, Lashley vs. Aries, and the decision to promote Dixie's table bump on next weeks show. We also have full review and analysis of the 7/31 edition of NXT, whats planned for the next NXT live show, Kidd/Natalya rift widens, Becky Lynch, new tag team, and more build toward Neville vs. Breeze. We take a look at nights 6 and 7 of G1 24, the latter of which was one of the best wrestling shows of all-time. We talk the performances of most of the participants, injury to Tomohiro Ishii, tournament MVP, praise for Karl Anderson and Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and wether AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki deserves to be included in the MOTY discussion. We talk about the standings and booking so far, possibilities for the final, and NJPW booking heading into the Tokyo Dome. We also have notes on Joe Doering capturing the AJPW Triple Crown, why it happened, next title feud, returns of Go Shiozaki and Akebono, attendance since the latest reboot and much more. Additionally for the first time ever, we dedicate over 45 minutes to British Wrestling, specifically Preston City Wrestling. We talk their event on Friday Night featuring Mr Anderson and Austin Aries, live experiences, future events, booking, thoughts on venue, promoting style, and all the matches. We also have more details on British Bootcamp, and some bold predictions about the most likely winner.

(06/01/2014) In our second show of the week, we have full analysis of IMPACT including split opinion on Brittany lesbian reveal, MVP injury, and everyone feuding with everyone else. We also have a full review of NXT Takeover, which featured one of the best women's matches in company history. We also have full details on the first two nights of NJPW's BOSJ tournament, scandal with Taichi and his future, and more. We also look at Akebono vacating Triple Crown, title changes, CHIKARA iPPV return, King of Gate finals and MUCH MORE

(06/01/2014) In our second show of the week, we have full analysis of IMPACT including split opinion on Brittany lesbian reveal, MVP injury, and everyone feuding with everyone else. We also have a full review of NXT Takeover, which featured one of the best women's matches in company history. We also have full details on the first two nights of NJPW's BOSJ tournament, scandal with Taichi and his future, and more. We also look at Akebono vacating Triple Crown, title changes, CHIKARA iPPV return, King of Gate finals and MUCH MORE