10 Academy Awards (For Pro Westling)

9. Best Director - New Japan Pro Wrestling

Omega Oscar
njpw1972.com

The Dirty Projectors rose to cult indie stardom with the bleeping, swooning, brilliant 'Stillness Is The Move' in 2009 - and it's a shame a woman sang it, automatically disqualifying it from the playlist of noted misogynist Kevin Dunn. It is a mantra he should aspire to. Unless he actively enjoys giving wrestling fans seizures which, since he hates wrestling, isn't even a joke.

In contrast, as expertly elaborated upon by the Showbuckle YouTube channel, the New Japan Pro Wrestling production staff rarely deviate from the tried-and-tested hard camera/close-up format, which both captures the full scale of the action and frames the most impactful moments in the most impactful manner possible. There are no cuts designed to obscure the impact of moves - that is the selling point of strong style - nor cuts for the sake of cuts because Kevin Dunn is a lunatic. Aerials are framed from a low, static angle to capture their majesty; forearm blows are filmed in extreme close-ups to capture the brutality.

The action simply dictates the production style.

Honourable Nominee Mention: Virtually every other wrestling promotion with a not inconsiderable budget doesn't kill the audience via death by a thousand cuts - so basically any promotion that isn't WWE or doesn't film its shows.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!