Wrestling Dontaku nights 1 & 2 in depth, G1 Special at the Cow Palace ticket sales, other news & notes, a t-shirt giveaway, & some big news for the future of the podcast! Plus our classic matches! This week we cover: [Keiji Mutoh vs Shinya Hashimoto 8/15/95 G1 Final](http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00137_2_1) [Yuji Nagata vs Kensuke Sasaki 1/4/2004](http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00164_1_13]) [Prince Devitt vs Kota Ibushi 1/4/2014](http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00217_1_9) and coming up next week: [Sasuke vs Ultimo 8/5/96](http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00145_1_1 ) [Okada v Tanahashi 2/12/12](http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00189_1_6 ) [KUSHIDA v O’Reilly 6/7/2015](http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00317_13_9 ) And don't forget to check out the [NJPW US Blog](http://www.njpw-us.com) from our colleague Wilfred for some incisive commentary on the current happenings in New Japan Pro Wrestling. As always, thanks so much for listening and send any comments, questions, or feedback our way to @kopw72 on Twitter or [email protected] Don't forget to hit that subscribe button and remember to leave us a review. It all helps us to forge an even better podcast for all our loyal listeners! ...
Paul & Sam are joined by Wilfred for news, notes, & night 1! Sam has to step away to be a new dad & Wilfred fills in on 2-6 with Paul. But keep listening after the outro music for a quick burst of G1 thoughts from Sam, recorded after a few days of 4 hours worth of sleep... It's the most wonderful time of the year and there's a lot to cover in this year's very deep tournament, not only in terms of in-ring action, but long-term storytelling too! Find us on the web at [kopw72.podiant.co](http://kopw72.podiant.co) Don't forget to visit the home of the [NJPWUS blog](http://njpw-us.com)! And, of course, special thanks to the Hails for intro & outro music. Check them out on iTunes to pick up their newest EP or visit their [site](http://thehailsofficial.com) for more information on touring and releases. ...
Sam gets the opportunity to chat with Pat Laprade during Shimmer weekend in Berwyn, IL. Pat is the co-author of "Mad Dogs, Midgets & Screw Jobs: The Untold Story of How Montreal Shaped the World of Wrestling", "Mad Dog: The Maurice Vachon Story", "Sisterhood of the Squared Circle: The History and Rise of Women's Wrestling", & the upcoming Andre the Giant biography. He also served as field producer on the HBO Andre the Giant documentary as well as being interviewed on-screen. We're very lucky and grateful to have had him as our first guest on the podcast. Check out thoughts on Andre in Japan, Andre as a heel, women's wrestling, and even discover what book Sam read on his honeymoon... All this and more! ...