superkix

It'll be fun to see how WWE operates with a fraction of its current roster size.

Tournament should be a blast. I'm unfamiliar with like half the roster but that's what makes it fun.

Interesting including Kiyomiya as one of the four aces! I like the idea of a super heavyweight division. It's unique and adds something fresh to what was becoming kind of a stagnant division (the juniors). Those are some killer first round match-ups (Sekimoto vs. Okayabashi).

Super fun start to ECW. I like that it's full of surprises and the slow reveal of the wrestlers involved makes for an exciting read.

January 16, 2019 Tokyo, Japan Genichiro Tenryu and Yoshiaki Fujiwara were on hand at the new UWF Dojo to announce the upcoming match-ups and cards for the UWF Rules Tournament, as well as the J-Crown Championship Tournament to decide WAR's next junior heavyweight champ, which will run coincident. The J-Crown Tournament will be wrestled under standard pro-wrestling rules -- that is, pinfall, submission, or knockout. A total of eight cards were announced, culminating in the finals at Tokyo Korakuen Hall on February 2, 2019. According to Fujiwara, the shows will have a more intimate feel, only featuring five match cards. Wrestle and Romance "UWF RULES! 2019", 1/18/2019 Ota Ward Gymnasium 1. J-Crown Championship Tournament Round 1: Drew Gulak vs. Kazuki Hashimoto 2. Timothy Thatcher, Shotaro Ashino & Alexander Rusev vs. Shuji Ishikawa, Kengo Mashimo & Kota Umeda 3. UWF Rules Tournament Round 1: Minoru Suzuki vs. Daisuke Nakamura 4. J-Crown Championship Tournament Round 1: Munenori Sawa vs. Daisuke Sasaki 5. UWF Rules Tournament Round 1: Yuji Nagata vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima Wrestle and Romance "UWF RULES! 2019", 1/19/2019 Ota Ward Gymnasium 1. J-Crown Championship Tournament Round 1: Shinya Aoki vs. Fuminori Abe 2. Yuji Nagata, Tomohiro Ishii & KUSHIDA vs. Minoru Suzuki, Keisuke Okuda & Hikaru Sato 3. UWF Rules Tournament Round 1: Timothy Thatcher vs. Yukio Sakaguchi 4. J-Crown Championship Tournament Round 1: KENTA vs. Kota Umeda 5. UWF Rules Tournament Round 1: Takashi Sugiura vs. Shotaro Ashino Wrestle and Romance "UWF RULES! 2019", 1/20/2019 Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center 1. J-Crown Championship Tournament Round 1: TAKA Michinoku vs. Jonathan Gresham 2. Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kazusada Higuchi & SHO Tanaka vs. Hideki Suzuki, Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe 3. UWF Rules Tournament Round 1: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Alexander Rusev 4. J-Crown Championship Tournament Round 1: Koji Iwamoto vs. Hikaru Sato 5. UWF Rules Tournament Round 1: Shuji Ishikawa vs. Go Shiozaki Wrestle and Romance "UWF RULES! 2019", 1/23/2019 Hachioji Esforta Arena 1. J-Crown Championship Tournament Round 1: Akito vs. SHO Tanaka 2. Minoru Suzuki, Yukio Sakaguchi & Shinya Aoki vs. Timothy Thatcher, Alexander Rusev & Drew Gulak 3. UWF Rules Tournament Round 1: Matt Riddle vs. Takuya Nomura 4. J-Crown Championship Tournament Round 1: KUSHIDA vs. Dick Togo 5. UWF Rules Tournament Round 1: Jun Akiyama vs. Kazusada Higuchi Wrestle and Romance "UWF RULES! 2019", 1/25/2019 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. J-Crown Championship Tournament Round 2: X vs. X 2. UWF Rules Tournament Round 2: X vs. X 3. 1. J-Crown Championship Tournament Round 2: X vs. X 4. UWF Rules Tournament Round 2: X vs. X Wrestle and Romance "UWF RULES! 2019", 1/26/2019 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. J-Crown Championship Tournament Round 2: X vs. X 2. UWF Rules Tournament Round 2: X vs. X 3. 1. J-Crown Championship Tournament Round 2: X vs. X 4. UWF Rules Tournament Round 2: X vs. X Wrestle and Romance "UWF RULES! 2019", 1/27/2019 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. J-Crown Championship Tournament Semi-Final: X vs. X 2. UWF Rules Tournament Semi-Final: X vs. X 3. 1. J-Crown Championship Tournament Semi-Final: X vs. X 4. UWF Rules Tournament Round 2: X vs. X Wrestle and Romance "UWF RULES! 2019 ~ FINAL", 2/3/2019 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. J-Crown Championship Tournament Final: X vs. X 2. UWF Rules Tournament Final: X vs. X

January 15, 2019 Tokyo, Japan Genichiro Tenryu held a public press conference at the Aristrist Omotesando in Tokyo, Japan to officially announce the return of Wrestle and Romance (WAR) to the professional wrestling landscape. Tenryu stated that while wrestling in Japan has received much exposure in recent years due to online steaming services and international tours, he feels that the “strong style” that once defined Japanese pro-wrestling has been lost as companies look to appeal more to Western audiences. Not only will the newest incarnation of WAR represent the “strong style” of wrestling but it will incorporate elements of “shoot style”, which defined and influenced many pro-wrestling companies during the late 1980s and 1990s, and was a direct precursor to the mixed martial arts boom in the mid-90s. Tenryu introduced a partnership with the UWF and representative, Yoshiaki Fujiwara. Fujiwara appeared with the old UWF Heavyweight Championship and revealed that he would be working alongside Tenryu to help introduce the “newest generation of fans” to the classic stylings of Japanese professional wrestling. The UWF Heavyweight Title would be restored and coveted as WAR’s top prize, only to be defended and challenged under “UWF Rules” – that is, by knockout, submission, doctor/referee order stop or judges decision. In addition to the UWF Heavyweight Title, Tenryu confirmed the return of the J-Crown Championship, the top junior heavyweight title, and the WAR World Six Man Tag Team Championship. Both the J-Crown and the six man tag titles will be decided in upcoming tournaments. Fujiwara, however, announced that the champion who best represents the philosophy of the UWF is none other than Hideki Suzuki. Suzuki was then brought on stage to accept the title belt from Fujiwara and Tenryu. Suzuki commented briefly that he was very honored to hold and defend such a prestigious championship, and that he would do his best to help elevate WAR as a promotion. However, before he could continue, Suzuki was interrupted by commotion in the back of the conference room...with the arrival of Minoru Suzuki and his Suzuki-gun stable, which includes Yukio Sakaguchi, Hikaru Sato, Shinya Aoki and Keisuke Okuda. Minoru stormed the stage and confronted both Hideki and Fujiwara. He said he felt “betrayed” by Fujiwara for not considering him for the UWF Heavyweight Title, considering their history with the UWF and Fujiwara-gumi. Minoru said that the belt belonged to him by right, and he will not stop until the belt is his. Tenryu intervened and made it clear that a 16-man “UWF Rules” tournament would take place to establish the top contender to the UWF Heavyweight Title. Tenryu said that Minoru would have to fight for a chance at the title, along with 15 other men, which will include legends such as Jun Akiyama and Yuji Nagata, as well as top foreign names Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher, among others. Tenryu said another short press conference will be held in the coming days regarding the tournament but for now, Minoru would have to wait his turn and if he or his Suzuki-goons did anything “uncharacteristic” of the new promotion, he would have no problem removing him from the tournament. Tenryu ended the conference by revealing the full roster of talent contracted to WAR (see above). In addition, Tenryu and Fujiwara have brought on Katsuyori Shibata and Josh Barnett to serve as trainers and mentors, and to help with the transition in style.

Legend-mode Daisuke Sekimoto has been one of my favorite things in the last year or so. He's simplified his style but he pours a lot of emotion and feeling into every little hold and slam. Hama is limited in what he can do but Sekimoto makes a little feel like a lot. The way he sells that butt splash in the corner like death, with a worried Okabayashi on the outside, was awesome. This isn't as good as the 2016 match between Hama and Okabayashi but it's still a pretty great match. Hama truly is the immovable object and Sekimoto plays the old-school fighting champion so well. Favorite match of the year so far (of the two matches I've seen).

Wrestle and Romance (WAR) Owner Genichiro Tenryu Partner Yoshiaki Fujiwara Trainers Katsuyori Shibata Josh Barnett Referees Frank Atsushi Yukinori Matsui Titles UWF Heavyweight Championship - Hideki Suzuki J-Crown - KUSHIDA WAR World Six Man Tag Team Championship - Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kazusada Higuchi & SHO Tanaka Heavyweight Roster Jun Akiyama Shotaro Ashino Kazusada Higuchi Tomohiro Ishii Shuji Ishikawa Kengo Mashimo Yuji Nagata Katsuhiko Nakajima Daisuke Nakamura Takuya Nomura Matt Riddle Alexander Rusev Yukio Sakaguchi Go Shiozaki Takashi Sugiura Hideki Suzuki Minoru Suzuki Timothy Thatcher Junior Heavyweight Roster Fuminori Abe Akito Shinya Aoki Jonathan Gresham Drew Gulak Kazuki Hashimoto Koji Iwamoto KENTA KUSHIDA TAKA Michinoku Keisuke Okuda Daisuke Sasaki Hikaru Sato Munenori Sawa SHO Tanaka Dick Togo Kota Umeda Units DAMNATION (Daisuke Sasaki, Dick Togo, TAKA Michinoku, Jushin Liger) Burning (Jun Akiyama, Go Shiozaki, KENTA) Escalante (Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kazusada Higuchi, SHO Tanaka) Kingslayers (Shuji Ishikawa, Kengo Mashimo, Kazuki Hashimoto, Kota Umeda) Lion’s Pride (Yuji Nagata, Tomohiro Ishii, KUSHIDA) Moon Vulcan (Hideki Suzuki, Takuya Nomura, Fuminori Abe, Koji Iwamoto) Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Yukio Sakaguchi, Hikaru Sato, Keisuke Okuda, Shinya Aoki) WAR International (Timothy Thatcher, Alexander Rusev, Drew Gulak, Jonathan Gresham)

Thanks! I don't really have much for him to do other than a "special attraction" match or maybe an English commentator. I don't see an issue with him working for both NJPW and UWF.

The only other "extras" I had on my list were: Josh Barnett Akito Daisuke Nakamura Kazuki Hashimoto

UWF selects its head trainer, Katsuyori Shibata. UWF is done drafting. NJPW is up with two.

UWF selects Munenori Sawa. ECW is up.

UWF selects Yukio Sakaguchi. WCW is up next.

UWF selects Sho Tanaka. WWE is up.

UWF selects Keisuke Okuda. WCW is up.

UWF selects Kengo Mashimo. IWC is up.

UWF selects Go Shiozaki. ECW is up.

Based on my roster, there's a good chance UWF could be re-branded as the new incarnation of a Tenryu-backed WAR.

UWF selects Kota Umeda. WWE is up.

UWF selects KENTA. WCW is up.

UWF selects Daisuke Sasaki. WWE is up.

UWF selects Shotaro Ashino. WWE is up.

UWF selects Drew Gulak. NJPW is up.

UWF selects Takashi Suguira. WCW is up next.

It's been awhile. I experience significant wrestling burnout the last quarter of 2018 and I'm still recovering. But here goes: U-STYLE (4/28/04) Hiroyuki Ito vs. Naoki Kimura Kimura shows a bit more color here, playing dirty with the forearm and fist rubs, but it's mostly Ito on top with front mounts. At one point, he gets the standing leglock ala Volk Han, working it into a single leg crab. Kimura lets loose on him for a half a second with strikes before but he can't get much of anything going and Ito keeps downing him with kicks and knees, finally tapping him with the heel hook. Dirty little diddy. Koichiro Kimura vs. Junji Tanaka Love that Junji's rocking the "Texas Body Shop" shorts. He's okay in this match but he's out powered and outmaneuvered by Kimura, who shows his prowess early on going for armbars and wristlocks. Junji tries to cling to holds but Kimura will palm thrust him off and stretch him. Kimura wins via cross heel hold in a nothing match. Ryuki Ueyama vs. MAX Miyazawa I liked this one quite a bit. MAX is much more rough and tumble compared to Ueyama's quickness on the mat and ability to grab holds out of nowhere. Max gets some throws, has some pretty decent kicks, and counters out of an armbar attempt with a powerbomb. There's a spot where Ryuki spikes the shit out of MAX with a front necklock takedown. In the end, Ueyama starts landing some kicks and takes him out with a high kick to the head. Manabu Hara vs. Crafter M I love that Crafter has on this shitty mask and trashbag pants and compression shirt and wrestles barefoot but he kind of rules? It works. It's perfectly mid-2000s. Other than his German suplex, Hara is mediocre in just about everything else he does. He's trying to snap off kicks while Crafter slip-n-slides around the mat, grabbing limbs and putting him in predicaments. Hara can't powerbomb out of a triangle hold but he does hit a snap suplex>armbar combo and when that doesn't work, he hits his big German suplex into the rear naked choke for the tap out. Yasuhito Namekawa vs. Shoichi Ichimiya Ichimiya looks like Hideki Szuki turned into Mr. Gannosuke. He sucks. He tries overwhelm Namekawa with palm thrusts but that's about it for him. He looks so uncomfortable in there getting pummeled and fooled by fake out strike and the ref finally calls it. Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Kazuki Okubo Okubo gives zero shits regarding Tamura and Tamura's like, "alright, we'll see what happens." Okubo expends all his energy early on with fun strike exchanges, mostly mid to low kicks and face slaps. But then Okubo burns out quickly, which allows Tamura to be more selective. I mean, he'll give Okubo openings but poor Okubo is zapped. Double wristlock into the armbar by Tamura sends him scramblign for the ropes. Then Tamura just starts toying with him and Okubo is trying, bless him, and by the end, he's swinging drunkenly and FINALLY gets a single leg crab on Tamura. But Tamura keeps blasting him with kicks while Okubo staggers around, swiping at Tamura, who dances around the attempts and pops him with shots, finally putting Okubo to pasture with midkicks. Masahito Kakihara vs. Kyosuke Sasaki A dope match on paper but pretty underwhelming in execution. Kakihara, of course, comes out strong with the kicks and open hands. Sasaki's got the "U" shaved into the side of his head so you know he's ready to roll around the mat. But Kaki is slappy and stays aggressive, knocking Sasaki down with slaps, kicks, knees, etc. Sasaki's able to snag the single leg and then turns it into a cross kneebar, putting Kaki on the rocks. But ultimately, Kaki grabs the side headlock and wrenches it on, tapping Sasaki. Decent match from an okay show. Nothing high end to report.