The Miracle Apricot Podcast

PLUM is a spin-off of the Miracle Apricot Podcast that Connor decided to do during the High Speed Podcast’s break. While the last MAP covered the history of women’s wrestling in Japan, PLUM is looking at a part of history in American women’s wrestling, Total Divas. Flae Blazer, a long-time fan of Total Divas, is here to help Connor figure out just how depraved WWE is. Music used in order (Music composed by the Joe Hisaishi Orchestra for the BROTHER soundtrack unless otherwise specified) Drifter in Lax; Dead Dred - Dred Bass; Solitude; Tattoo; Death Spiral; Party ~ One Year Later; Blood Brother; Raging Men; CFO$ - Out Of My Mind; Wipe Out; Brother ~ Remix Version (Mixed with CFO$ - On Top of the World) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

n.b. This recording was made a couple of weeks before the announcement that GAEA Japan’s 25th anniversary celebrations would once again be put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so take anything we say about that show here with that in mind. In addition, the all-female audience Tokyo Joshi Pro show we discuss here was made availabe for streaming a few days after recording, and can now be viewed over at Wrestle Universe In 1976 a staff member from Fuji TV’s entertainment office issued an order to the higher-ups at All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling (AJW). Their order was to create a tag team which would emulate the Takarazuka Revue’s “top pair” formula, make a run at the pop charts, and turn around the promotion’s ailing TV ratings. AJW responded by putting Maki Ueda and Jackie Sato together as Beauty Pair, and the rest is history - AJW became a pop-cultural juggernaut through the late 70s to the early 90s, when it ran a 10-hour show at the Tokyo Dome, and finally the bubble burst. A quarter-century on from that supernova moment, women’s pro wrestling in Japan seem to be on the up once more. In February 2021, World Wonder Ring Stardom ran their 10th anniversary show at Nippon Budokan, becoming the first women’s wrestling organisation to play at that storied venue since 1997. The series of exhibition cards organised under the masthead of “Women’s Wrestling Assemble” has shown that the appetite for collaboration is growing across the scene, and also drew Akira Hokuto out of retirement. Is joshi wrestling entering a new Cool Zone, and if we are, what might that look like? In this roundtable, experts-in-the-field Alex Fraser (of the BeruBara Tag Boom podcast) and Sarah Parkin (of Big Egg Podcasting Universe) join Luke for a run-down of some of the key themes relating to joshi wrestling’s fluctuating fortunes since the boom period kicked off by the Beauty Pair. When did this wave peak, and when did it first come crashing down? What were the after-effects of this collapse, and how has the scene gone about recovering in the years since? Will we ever see a return to the glory days, and do we even want to see a second Big Egg anyway? Who can restore joshi wrestling’s wholesome reputation today like Mach Fumiake did for postwar Japan, and how crucial will Raku’s appeal to the train fan demographic prove in the long run? All this, and so much more in the inaugural Miracle Apricot Roundtable! Intro: Kakemeguru Seishun by Beauty Pair / Arashi no Densetsu by Crush Gals / Oro de Ley by Luis Miguel / Marshmallow Cacao Station (ft. Raku) by Up Up Girls Kakko Puroresu Outro: Dangerous Queen (4x4 mix) by DT Dream (releases 7th May on Profound Mystery) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

Two matches. The first, a clash between a once-in-a-generation entertainer and one of the most underrated young Aces of the 21st century. The other, an explosive deathmatch in a rainy parking lot in Delaware, featuring a former Rhodes Scholar candidate who chose a life of self-abasement after a brush with sexual deviancy. What links them? That's for us to know and you to find out, in this grand season finale of the High Speed Wrestling Podcast! Intro: Dan Gibson - Thunderstorm in the Wilderness; YAPOOS - Watashi no Nakano Tanin Midpoint: Johnny Pate - Constant Wind; Foul Play - Being With You (Remix) Outro: Korda - Move Your Body To The Sound (Alex Version); Masafumi Takada - Matchmaker (From “The 25th Ward: The Silver Case” Soundtrack) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

This episode is a special on retirements. Retirements — What’s with them!!! Listen to find out. Supplementary content discussed includes Salvation Ninja Ranmaru, the end of Pinano Pipipipi and the Rubber Man What Got Them Arms What Don’t Get Wrist Locked Too Good Intro: Dan Gibson - Thunderstorm in the Wilderness; Sueño Latino - Sueño Latino (Paradise Mix); YAPOOS - Watashi no Nakano Tanin Outro: Tetsuya Kawauchi - Theme of The House Of The Dead; Tito Beltrán - When a Child is Born (Soleado); The Deele - Shoot ‘Em Up Movies This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

For our first ever Christmas special, we decided to just watch BrothersofDestruction22 videos. It’s good to do. Nostalgia and wonder is in the air as Luke experiences Darkside Rules and also Sunday Night Heat. Your mouth has written a check that your ass can’t cash. PLAYLIST TO WATCH ALONG WITH: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUfNuSTOI0L9WRA3CCLZMu1gQIY2s8Ni5 Intro: Dan Gibson - Thunderstorm in the Wilderness; Nobuyoshi Sano & Raj Ramayya - Heroes Never Die; YAPOOS - Watashi no Nakano TaninOutro: Zenit - Colors In My Head; DJ Spen & Hanlei - No Good For You; West Bridgford Connection - Blue Beats This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

This time we watched Stardom. We looked at the good old days of Kagetsu being around, the scandalous antics of Natsu, what happens when you activate Natsu’s beast mode, plus a celebration of just how cool Hana Kimura was. its manjigatame time Intro: Dan Gibson - Thunderstorm in the Wilderness; The True Underground Sound of Rome - Sonic Crystals; YAPOOS - Watashi no Nakano TaninOutro: Wham - Everything She Wants; Glasgow Gangster Funk Tracs - Pirate Radio; Shakira - Waka Waka (This Time For Africa) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

It's Big Mouth LOUD. It's two very silly men. It's Fujiwaraism at its finest. Join Connor and Luke as they profile Don Arakawa's rise through parody wrestling and New Japan dark matches to the IWGP Junior Heavyweight scene, the Tokyo Dome, and small-batch hipster craft wrestling of the mid-00s. Find out why Luke is calling Don Arakawa "the wrestler Trainee White should aspire to be". Match link: https://youtu.be/dxFkXT9meT4 REMP: rotteneramemorypodcast.libsyn.com Opening Credits Theme: Watashi no Nakano Tanin by YAPOOS Closing Credits Theme: A Better Way (Richie's Deep End Dub) by Circle Line This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

It's time to get to talking about the place that coined the podcast namesake: NEO! And their New Years presentation of: The Matsumoto Triple Threat! Miyacoco, NWA titles, marriage angles, all and more talked about at length in here! Match link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN00ljRYOJU&feature=youtu.be&t=1470 REMP: http://rotteneramemorypodcast.libsyn.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

Hakkeyoi! This week the HSWP pays its first visit to Sumo, and to Tokushoryu's emotional victory against all the odds at the 2020 Hatsu Basho. Connor guides Luke through some basic questions about the sport (questions such as "why is Shōdai so boring?"), and Luke seizes the opportunity to wax lyrical about Zambia's 8-7 penalty shoot-out victory in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations final. Yumitori-shiki de happi!!! Match link: [bout] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk6mzI7B9JI&feature=youtu.be [interview] https://t.co/qEl6RqqxpZ?amp=1 REMP: rotteneramemorypodcast.libsyn.com/ Opening Credits Theme: Watashi no Nakano Tanin by YAPOOS Closing Credits Theme: Knyte Rydah by Andre Nickatina & Equipto ft. Mike 2Xs This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

Now more than ever, Pro Wrestling WAVE is here for you. This week we have a double header featuring two matches both from the last ever show on the WAVE NETWORK. Did Big E have Miyuki Takase in mind when he said he loved beef? We explore this and more! Match links: https://youtu.be/YaizWfvr1Hg / https://youtu.be/jhChmbA2Jj0 REMP: rotteneramemorypodcast.libsyn.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

In these unprecedented times, Connor and Luke descend to the basement for a furtive look at the Fu-Ten Promotion, Daisuke Ikeda's low down and dirty follow-up to Battlarts. On the slate this week: mapping the puroresu undercommons, how to match presentation style to crowd size, and why people are calling Daisuke Ikeda the "Céline Sciamma of shoot-style pro wrestling". Match link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB8fDbhdxvU&feature=youtu.be REMP: rotteneramemorypodcast.libsyn.com/ Opening Credits Theme: Watashi no Nakano Tanin by YAPOOS Closing Credits Theme: Wavin' Flag by K'NAAN This episode is dedicated to the memory of Hana Kimura (1997-2020) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

This week, we go into an era that is oft-passed over, the "dark ages" of josh parrosu, as we look at a match from AtoZ's first anniversary featuring a previously-looked at wrestler in Kana as well as the entire reason for this podcast existing in the future Natsuki Taiyo. Find out what they used to call GAMI back in the day right here Match link: https://youtu.be/l9Brfiagur8?t=385 REMP: rotteneramemorypodcast.libsyn.com/ Opening Credits Theme: Watashi no Nakano Tanin by YAPOOS Closing Credits Theme: Lowdown by Ronald Langestraat This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

This week Connor and Luke wave a fond farewell to the CubsFan archive, consider how to grow old gracefully in the wrestling business, and wax lyrical over the raw match-escalating ability of "fundamental dickhead" Rush........en Arena México!! Match link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiuumEWXwPs&feature=youtu.be REMP: rotteneramemorypodcast.libsyn.com/ Opening Credits Theme: Watashi no Nakano Tanin by YAPOOS Closing Credits Theme: LaLaLa Koppepan by Lucky Star This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

This week, the camera at Takeover cuts to, oh my, Indie legends Connor and Luke in the crowd!! What could this mean for the NXT title scene?? This is a discussion of a good match as well as an opportunity to talk about just what role WWE plays in all of our fandoms. Including all those fancy stages they don't do anymore Match link: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4v5t2h REMP: rotteneramemorypodcast.libsyn.com/ Opening Credits Theme: Watashi no Nakano Tanin by YAPOOS Closing Credits Theme: The Sun Rises by Rei Kondo This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

WELCOME! TO WRESTLEMANIA! In this extra-special bonus episode Luke and Connor saddle up for the Showcase of the Immortals, discussing highlights and lessons learned from the past few weeks of weird empty-arena wrestling, heaping praise on the Boneyard Match and eventually getting round to reviewing what is surely the only main event in Wrestlemania history to go under 5 minutes. Yee haw! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

This week, Connor and Luke pay another visit to the weird and wonderful world of Shoot Style with a choice cut from FIGHTING DETECTIVES BATTLARTS. Discussed within: The value of character work in even the most "realistic" of presentations, the way in which the discursive value of a wrestler can end up obscuring their actual qualities, and just what Yuki Ishikawa has to say to these clods who think wrestling ain't real. Match link: https://youtu.be/NneE0PzN1kE?t=4620 REMP: rotteneramemorypodcast.libsyn.com/ Opening Credits Theme: Watashi no Nakano Tanin by YAPOOS Closing Credits Theme: Theme One by Cozy Powell // Son by Juana Molina This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

This week sees a look at an unlikely candidate for this podcast: All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling! The legacy of this promotion, its changes in style, an examination of specifically Manami Toyota; Whether she is a good wrestler or a demon. All this and much more this week on At The Movies! Match link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3bU-oXPnFo&t=596s Connor's other venture, REMP: rotteneramemorypodcast.libsyn.com/ Opening Credits Theme: Watashi no Nakano Tanin by YAPOOS Closing Credits Theme: (You Gotta) Fight For Your right (To Party) by Beastie Boys // Rainbow Road by Kenta Nagata This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

This week sees our first trip to Mexico, and it's an occasion to reflect on the vexed subject of realism in pro wrestling. PLUS! We pay tribute to the art of crowd-work, learn a new slang term for "armchair socialist", and discuss why companies should be putting their top title on Yuki Miyazaki if they want to shoot for real mainstream appeal. Match link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CphJvKrLTtU&t=4558s Connor's other venture, REMP: http://rotteneramemorypodcast.libsyn.com/ Opening Credits Theme: Watashi no Nakano Tanin by YAPOOS Closing Credits Theme: Glossopharyngeal Speech/Frogsound by Harm A. Drost // The Sex Life of the Fern -Spores, fertilization and growth -Pine cones and the petrified forest by Edward Williams This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

REJOICE! SEASON 2 OF THE HIGH SPEED WRESTLING PODCAST IS HERE AT LAST! For this first episode back, Connor and Luke take a trip to Ice Ribbon, where adulterous rumblings are afoot...What are the secrets behind the Tokyo Sports 2018 Joshi Puroresu Grand Prix Award winner's mysterious rendez-vous with a married panda? Can sheer animal power overcome the wrestling skills of a company Ace? And what does Dixie Carter's husband Serg have to do with any of this? Match link: https://rutube.ru/video/20063841a96c13445c003bbafe4ec6c1/ Connor's VK: vk.com/videos458416377 Opening Credits Theme: Watashi no Nakano Tanin by YAPOOS Closing Credits Theme: Mimichan to Pandakopanda by Ado Mizumori Thanks to Johnny Landmine for translation help & to Matt Slade for design assistance This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com

“The longevity of a lucha legend and the consistency of one too.” That’s how one of our guests once described Sakura Hirota, the comedy wrestler and stalwart of the post-AJW Japanese women’s wrestling scene, who debuted in GAEA Japan 23 years ago this summer. In this episode, Luke, Connor and Tara dive into a cross-section of Hirota’s matches from GAEA and a range of other promotions, and discuss a range of topics thrown up by her work. Such topics include: comedy’s lowly status in the world of art and the joys and benefits that come with that; Hirota’s revolutionary grasp of timing and selling, and the value of novelty in pro wrestling’s crowded marketplace. The GAEA and WAVE matches we discuss, plus many more besides, are available for viewing on this YouTube playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3LT4gJQbe_OYkJ6gjkb1FAnVcAA7wCQy Please support the podcast on Patreon! Your pledge will be taken each time we put up new content and will go a long way towards ensuring a viable future for the show. LINK: https://patreon.com/apricotpod damn son whered you find this TWITTER: Podcast - @apricotpod Luke - @oystersearrings Connor - @isalrightnow Tara - @ae2501maeth This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marshmallowbomb.substack.com