The Flagship: Contract Season, NJPW New Year Dash, NOAH & AJPW New Year's Shows & more!

Gerard flies solo to cover DDT, GLEAT, Big Japan, and of course NOAH and All Japan. With the end of the year and the start of a new one there is a lot of news, great matches and some not so great booking directions. All Japan put on a Match of the Year Contender while NOAH leaned in way too much into Team 2000X. So who came out looking the best at the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026? Give a listen and find out!Our Sponsors:* Check out our sponsor BetterHelp at https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Joel and Damon are back with a three hour blockbuster show reviewing Wrestle Kingdom 20 weekend. Joel , who was in Tokyo and at the event, and Damon have you covered match-by-match along with vibes before the show, reactions after and everything in between. The guys discuss Aaron Wolf's impact, the leveling up of Yota Tsuji, and the epic Tanahashi retirement match. Our Sponsors:* Check out our sponsor BetterHelp at https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ian Hamilton returns for the first Euro Clutch of the year, chatting about the main happenings from Rev Pro’s Live in London 103 from a week ago - and how they could be a worrying sign for that Road To Wembley - before recapping how 2025 went for several of Europe’s big promotions.Track: Midnight - Next Route [Audio Library Release]Music provided by Audio Library PlusFree Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-nrOur Sponsors:* Check out our sponsor BetterHelp at https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week on The Flagship: contract season updates, NJPW New Year Dash, Yota Tsuji and NJPW's return to the original IWGP Title lineage, and much more from New Japan.Plus reviews of NOAH and AJPW's New Year's shows, including GHC and Triple Crown title defenses, Perez Hilton, and, of course, mid-2000s celebrity gossip.Our Sponsors:* Check out our sponsor BetterHelp at https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Christmas Break is over, has everyone lost their mind or is this just a proper rest. Rob smacks Jeff around on his dumb.Our podcast provider, RedCircle, offers the listeners the option to sponsor the show. Click on “Sponsor This Podcaster” at https://redcircle.com/shows/shake-them-ropes-pro-wrestling-podcast-wwe-nxt-njpw you can donate a single time, or set up a monthly donation to STR!Please Rate and Review Shake Them Ropes on the podcast platform of your choice and follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/shakethemropesOur Sponsors:* Check out our sponsor BetterHelp at https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Mike & JD discuss Vince McMahons sham retiremet of 2022 and try to understand the TKO shareholder lawsuit. Then they discuss Wrestle Kingdom featuring Tanahashi's retirement match, Yota Tsuji finally winning the IWGP World Title, & a Washed Naito shows up in NOAH. Plus Free Ageny news regarding Matt Cardona, Tommaso Ciampa, EC3, and EVIL!For exlusive and premium content head to patreon.com/themikeandjdshowOur Sponsors:* Check out our sponsor BetterHelp at https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Welcome back to Open The Voice Gate! Case (https://twitter.com/_inyourcase) and Mike (https://twitter.com/fujiiheya) are back with an update on the comings and goings of Dragongate.It’s the final Voice Gate of 2025 and time for the Ulty Awards! On this episode, Mike and Case discuss the year-end shows in Kobe (12/27-28) including an incredible series of Triangle Gate matches before finishing the show with the Ulty Awards including MVP, Most Outstanding, Best Unit and they give their top ten Dragongate matches of 2025!Our podcast provider, Red Circle, 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.Our Sponsors:* Check out our sponsor BetterHelp at https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The final Flagship of 2025! This week, we preview NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 20, featuring the in-ring debut of Aaron Wolf, Hiroshi Tanahashi's final match, and more.We also preview major New Year's shows for Pro Wrestling NOAH, All Japan Pro Wrestling, review STARDOM's Dream Queendom show, discuss fallout from AEW Worlds End 2025, Brandon Thurston's article on Vince McMahon and WWE/Endeavor, and our now-annual look at the Uncrowned Awards. Our Sponsors:* Check out our sponsor BetterHelp at https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

At long last the 5 Star Match Game returns! We've been on hiatus but we would never miss our year end spectacular! Yes, our power panel of Alan Counihan (@Alan4L), Mike Spears (@fujiiheya), and Case Lowe (@_inyourcase) fields five rounds of trivia about the wrestling world of 2025. Biases are revealed and grievances aired! Alan can't beat the WWE fan allegations! Case gets retweeted by Dave Meltzer! Don't you dare miss it!Our Sponsors:* Check out our sponsor BetterHelp at https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Mike & JD are back discussing JD's experience attending AEW Worlds End + a Full Show, match-by-match breakdown. They also dive into the latest free agency news with updates on Chris Jericho, Anna Jay, David Finlay, and Clark Connors. For premium and exclusive content, head to patreon.com/themikeandjdshowOur Sponsors:* Check out our sponsor BetterHelp at https://www.betterhelp.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy