HUSTLE

[6.0] "[6.0] One of the weirdest promotions of all time. I consider myself a bit closer to a wrestling purist, liking it treated as a legitimate sport and such, but HUSTLE just dived so far into goofy shit that you can't help but love it. It was never a dominant promotion in Japan and honestly, I think that's a huge chunk of the reason I never really had as much issue with it as I did other sports entertainment promotions. That said, I think the silliness was done better both by HUSTLE's contemporaries and has been done better since, in particular I think of something like DDT, where despite the silliness being what they're mainly known for, it's not a focus and instead complements legitimately great wrestling. On top of this, I don't think HUSTLE really ended up having much appeal beyond being wacky, they tried switching to a more traditional puro style to try and save themselves after DSE went under and announced they were folding almost immediately after due to financial struggles, so there's not much way to tell. Overall, like I said, really weird promotion, very fun even if not my cup of tea."

[1.0] "i don't get people who defend "sports entertainment" like this, as though it weren't corrosive to actual wrestling. if hustle had succeeded, the damage to the current puro scene would have been incalculable. many fathoms worse than inokism at its worst."

[7.0] "HUSTLE was a short-lived promotion, which existed from 2004 to 2010. Created by Nobuhiko Takada, the goal was to have a more sports entertainment flavour of puroresu. The company was all about melodrama and caricature instead of the serious competition most other puroresu companies had, where a faction of good guys were trying to defend the sport from the evil Generalissimo Takadas Monster faction. This style would last until 2009 when Takada was killed in kayfabe and left the company. Afterwards, the company announced that they would step away from the Fighting Opera schtick, and try a more traditional style. But by that time, business was already down, as they struggled to pay the wrestlers. And since the one draw they had, Takada and his faction, left, the crowds quickly diminished, and a couple of months later, HUSTLE announced that they were folding. HUSTLE is now renowned as one of the worst wrestling promotions of all-time, but I wouldn't say that's fair. It went wrong a lot of times, yes, but seeing those usually serious legends perform in such a goofy manner, it has its charm. It's not for everyone of course, but it had its place. Unfortunately the big names were missing more and more often and there were also no real talents of their own... aside from Hot Gay. It felt a bit like a lesser DDT, but it was still entertaining."

[10.0] "Very underrated promotion. Run by Nobuhiko Takada, Hustle created a untransferable atmosphere of fun and great stories, like HG's or Tenryu's. Very sad, that they don't exist anymore, but if you want to watch something unusual - Hustle is your choice: their shows are free in the net."

[10.0] "Unfairly low rating. I haven't seen much of this promotion yet, but everything I've seen has been top-notch. Great Comedy atmosphere, great matches and all this from unknown enthusiasts and true legends of the industry who decided to try themselves in entertainment wrestling and did not lose. Performances by Tenryu and Kawada at the highest level. Hard Gay is a local legend and I already adore this guy. There is still a lot to see, but for now I understand that this product to my taste."