I watched on Dragon Gate’s YouTube channel, and it was quite unusual to see Hulk providing commentary.
Though it wasn’t Ichikawa-san doing the play-by-play, I was curious to see who it was.
Initially, they touched upon Kzy’s leadership change and Daiya’s participation in the BOSJ, but after that, there was hardly any match commentary—quite the contrary, they engaged in lively discussions about the venue and food (like yakitori and gyoza).
Even when BIGBOSS Shimizu sealed the match with a high-angle Liger Bomb, there was no particular mention of it (laughs).
When the match ended, it became clear that ring announcer Kikuchi-san was handling the play-by-play, and that’s why their conversations flowed so well!
Ah, I see, this kind of commentary is a thing too; it was quite refreshing, wasn’t it? (laughs).
While Ichikawa-san’s commentary is energetic and conveys a lot of passion, I feel like many commentators in various promotions these days are somewhat lackluster.
Ichiro Furusato-san has reached a divine level that nobody can possibly match. Still, I remember the passion in the commentary back in the day, like when Justi-Meat announced Misawa’s victory or when Tsuruta was defeated.
I’d love to hear unknown stories about current wrestlers or genuine frustrations during HOT matches (you can feel Milano-san’s anger).
Though it’s been a while, I’d love to hear enthusiastic commentary like when Nozomi Justice Shinpei defeated Yuji Nagata in NEVER, or when ShibaKatsu defeated Katsuyori Shibata.
Pro wrestling commentary, with its talk and intensity, is even more enjoyable than baseball or sumo! I hope they can convey that once again through their talk and passion.