Kazuchika Okada On Wrestle Kingdom Night 2, Kevin Nash Update, New AEW Backstage Hire | Fight Size
Here is your fight size update for Thursday, January 19, 2023:
– Kazuchika Okada spoke with Sports Illustrated about the upcoming second night of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom. Okada will team with Togi Makabe Japan against NOAH stars Kaito Kiyomiya and Yoshiki Inamura. In the interview, Okada explains how he views interpromotional bouts
“When I fight against wrestlers from other organizations, my goal is to carry New Japan Pro-Wrestling on my back,” says Okada. “I do not watch NOAH, so I don’t see his matches—I’ve only seen Muta vs. [Shinsuke] Nakamura. I respect his career and his fighting spirit, but I am focused on representing New Japan to the highest degree.”
“Makabe has such a great presence, and he is a very important wrestler for New Japan,” says Okada. “Inamura looked great in a 10-man tag at last year’s Wrestle Kingdom, so I am really looking forward to wrestling and testing myself against him.”
– Kevin Nash has addressed his mental health on Twitter after recent sarcastic comments made on his podcast caused concern.
Everyone take a breath. Let’s not take my biggest coping mechanism SARCASM and blow it out of proportion. I appreciate the concern and the fact that others find it a perfect time for insults. Continue to get you updates on @TMZ and wrestling sites. I’ve got legs to train today
— Kevin Nash (@RealKevinNash) January 19, 2023
– Dylan Stevens is now AEW’s Associate Producer of Graphics. Stevens shared the the new sign indicating his position on Twitter.
New sign — pic.twitter.com/xrs1CSBUTT
— dylan (@SpicyBrown115) January 18, 2023
– WWE has shared new details about the Royal Rumble Superstore, which will operate in San Antonio, Texas.
– Renee Paquette would prefer not to travel with Danhausen as he appears to curse flights.
Dear AEW travel, please no more flights with @DanhausenAD. He curses them. Thank you.
— Renee Paquette (@ReneePaquette) January 19, 2023
– AEW Dark regulars Charlette & Robyn Renegade will appear at the Baltimore Celebrity Festival on Sunday, February 5, 2023.
– Disastrous contract signings: WWE Top 10, Jan. 19, 2023
– Independent wrestling commentator Mose is seeking new bookings across the indie scene. Mose has worked in places like GCW, ACTION Wrestling, TWE, amongst many others. Mose will be featured on Fightful Overbooked’s Spotlight next week.
My only goal this year is to work at promotions that appreciate/want me. That’s it.
I have a lot of open dates the next couple of months so if you want a dependable commentator for a very reasonable price please get in contact with me.
— MOSE (@moseKOBK) January 19, 2023
– Ahead of Raw’s 30-year anniversary celebration, Kevin Owens, Liv Morgan, The Miz and more Superstars recall their favorite memories from WWE’s flagship show.
– A new wrestling comic book, The Gimmick, will release its first issue on March 5:
THE GIMMICK by Writer Joanne Starer and Artist Elena Gogou is a No-Holds-Barred Dark Comedy About Superpowers and Pro-Wrestling
Featuring Covers by Erica Henderson, the Eisner Award-Winning of The Unbeatable Squirrel GirlIssue 1 Features a Variant Cover by Khary Randolph, The Artist of Excellence and Sirens of the City
(November 17, 2022) The Undertaker. Danhausen. El Santo. Every wrestler needs a good gimmick: a colorful in-ring persona that dazzles the crowd. Then there’s wrestling champ Shane Bryant. Shane’s a “nice guy” who floats through life with no repercussions and a forgettable gimmick. But Shane’s been keeping a life-changing secret: he has super strength. And when he loses control of that strength, punching his fist straight through his opponent’s brain—in front of 2.4 million horrified viewers—everything changes. Now Shane needs a new gimmick—and a new life.
Welcome to THE GIMMICK, a Coen Brothers–style dark comedy from AHOY Comics, writer Joanne Starer (Sirens of the City; Away From Here), artist Elena Gogou (Quests Aside), colorist Andy Troy, letterer Rob Steen, and editor Tom Peyer. THE GIMMICK features covers by Eisner Award-winning The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl artist Erica Henderson, and issue 1 features a variant cover by Excellence artist Khary Randolph.
In the series, the now fugitive Shane Bryant flees to Tijuana, where he begins a career as a masked wrestler. But Shane’s life has too many loose ends to make a clean escape possible. His manipulative mother, his ex-girlfriend, his child, the friends he left behind, and the daughter of the man he killed all want a piece of him….
Joanne Starer has written the acclaimed comics Sirens of the City (illustrated by artist Khary Randolph) and A Way From Here (illustrated by Gabo), both of which are available via the Glass Eye Studio Substack. Joanne also once owned a women’s wrestling promotion out of Pennsylvania and championed equality in the field.
“THE GIMMICK is born from the wild, incredible, and sometimes terrible experiences I had in the world of pro-wrestling,” said Starer. “I’ve seen it from many angles: as an in-ring performer, a promoter, and a wrestler’s girlfriend. I’ve got stories, y’all.”
Elena Gogou is a freelance comic artist and illustrator living in Patras, Greece, who made her US-comics debut with Vault’s Quests Aside, written by Brian Schirmer. She holds a very cool degree in Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics that she never uses but likes to mention.”THE GIMMICK gives every appearance of being about wrestling, but at its core it’s about people—like the ones you know, only larger and stranger and less predictable,” said THE GIMMICK editor and AHOY Comics Editor-in-Chief Tom Peyer. “And character is where Elena’s art shines, a perfect fit for a quirky tale of misfits thrown together and cast apart.”
“The Gimmick combines three of my favourite elements in a story, comedy, violence and character drama,” said Gogou. “Shane is the human equivalent of a dumpster fire, going from one messy situation to the next in the most ridiculous ways. He makes a man’s head explode in the first pages of the first issue, goes on the run with his mentor, falls in love. It is an outrageous, fun and messy ride and I was immediately sold when I was approached about working on the book. The way Joanne has tackled this story perfectly encapsulates the over-the-top essence of wrestling, but remains grounded by its characters, who are distinctively flawed and human. I’m really excited for people to read what we’ve created!”
The debut issue of THE GIMMICK will be released on March 8, 2023.
– At ACTION Wrestling LORDS OF CHAOS, Billie Starkz & Bobby Flafo square off one on one.
– Miu Watanabe vs. Janai Kai will happen on February 18, 2023 in Tokyo Joshi Pro. Janai Kai makes her Japan debut at Korakuen Hall on February 11.
– Alex Hammerstone loves Vinny Pacifico energy drinks… or not
Ya boi Hammer loved them energy drinks– pic.twitter.com/iZolwK5cvi
— Vinny Pacifico (@VinnyPacifico1) January 19, 2023
– Eddie Kingston paid tribute to Jay Briscoe during the celebration of life held following the 1/18/23 AEW Dynamite.
Eddie Kingston honoring Jay Briscoe. #JayBriscoeRIP #aew #roh pic.twitter.com/X9yG4YCQLq
— alex (@anamelessrage) January 19, 2023
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– mån.sôör digs deep in the search for ma.cé: Making it Maximum, Jan. 19, 2023
