superkix

Poor Tamura. Outclassed in the striking department, nearly gets choked out at least two or three times before he taps to the kneebar. Spoiler alert: Maeda isn't happy about the result.

Not one to be outdone by anybody, Shinya Hashimoto issued an open challenge for a UWF Rules match-up at this Saturday's Fighting Art 3 at Korakuen Hall. Hashimoto has been engaged in a bit of rivalry against Toshiaki Kawada and upon seeing Kawada's success in the UWF style last week against Kazuo Yamazaki, Hashimoto wanted to prove that he too could work under that particular set of rules. Hashimoto doesn't care who steps up to the challenge but promised a victory, stating the old "Annie Get Your Gun" adage of "anything Kawada can do, I can do better." Hashimoto won't be satisfied until he gets the opportunity to face Kawada one-on-one in the ring, regardless of the match rules. U-COSMOS "Fighting Art 3", 8/15/00 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. UWF Rules: Brock Lesnar (w/ Tully Blanchard) vs. Katsuyori Shibata 2. UWF Rules: Shinya Hashimoto vs. X 3. Kensuke Sasaki vs. Hiroshi Hase

Loved Zouev just clinging to that early armbar, not letting go for the life of him as TK tries to find a way out. Very competitive and smart matwork, whether it's fighting over holds, leveraging themselves for more pressure or positioning their opponents away from the ropes. Good stuff!

Nothing super fancy here but a good, competitive match-up with Hiromitsu bringing the heavy strikes and Ilioukhine holding his ground on the mat. By the end of it, Hiromitsu is on E but I liked that he was still trying to slap Mikhail as he’s being dragged down into the final submission hold, to which he taps out in anticlimactic fashion.

This ruled. Mikhail looked like a legitimate threat on the ground whereas Tamura on his feet is so quick and dangerous. When Mikhail's able to grab a hold of something (i.e. the head-and-arm choke takedown), it looks brutal but Tamura's beautiful escapes (and failed attempts) keep you on the edge of your seat. Never a dull moment. Tamura just cracks him with kicks and later on, crumples him with some gnarly knee strikes to the dome. But there was a lot to love here. 1) Mikhail grabbing the straight armbar and when Tamura tries to slip out, Mikhail rodeos him down to the ground, forcing the rope break. 2) The German suplex tease and Tamura's lightning-quick counter. 3) Tamura staying in control of the leg as Mikhail scrambles for a way out. World-class athleticism from Tamura and a strong victory. And yeah, Volk Han berating the losing Ilioukhine with water was very good.

At this point, Maeda still can't go as well as 1995 but the fans still love him and Volk Han does such a good job of putting the early pressure on Maeda, who tries to crawl out of each hold only to find himself in a new predicament thanks to Han's impeccable resourcefulness. Maeda knows the weak point on Han is his knee and tries to take It out with kicks to set up his famous kneebar and when he finally grabs it good, Volk yelps and taps in under five minutes. This was very good while it lasted, and maybe Maeda in these short bursts the best Maeda circa '98.

Tully Blanchard, the American liaison to U-COSMOS, invited the media to a training session featuring Brock Lesnar, and Russian sambo expert and former RINGS wrestler, Mikhail Ilioukhine. Blanchard revealed that he had acquired the services of Ilioukhine to "further enhance" his client's abilities in the ring, and seemingly indicated that Mikhail had signed a contract with U-COSMOS as an active competitor. Blanchard narrated as the media watched Lesnar and Ilioukhine spar in the ring, with Lesnar working through a series of transitions and holds, while Ilioukhine dished out a few throws and takedowns. Blanchard hinted that he was looking to bring in a "dangerous striker" to work with his client but that the deal was still "in the works". Following the workout, Lesnar was asked what his goals were in U-COSMOS and Lesnar's response: "to be the best." Blanchard said that Lesnar will compete in his first UWF Rules match-up this Saturday against another young rookie in Katsuyori Shibata. According to Blanchard, Shibata has been working with the likes of Kazuo Yamazaki and Yuji Nagata, and is showing a lot of promise..."but obviously, not to level of Brock Lesnar." Obviously. U-COSMOS "Fighting Art 3", 8/15/00 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. UWF Rules: Brock Lesnar (w/ Tully Blanchard) vs. Katsuyori Shibata 2. Kensuke Sasaki vs. Hiroshi Hase

This was solid tag action, if not a hair too long. I thought Makabe looked pretty good, between the suplexes and his big ass slaps. Takaiwa didn't do a whole lot, which is fine - he's good for a clobbering or two - but I thought Minoru in particular looked really good here. His armbar takedown always looks super slick. I mean, I won't remember this match a month from now but it was fun for what it was.

With the announcement of the U-COSMOS Crown, one name that has been in the conversation for top contenders is Kensuke Sasaki, formally of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Sasaki was enjoying quite the success in NJPW prior to the promotion's collapse and it seems Sasaki wants to carry that momentum forward into U-COSMOS. On the heels of another sold out show this past Saturday at Korakuen Hall, Sasaki was quick to issue a challenge for this Saturday's Fighting Art 3. "It's nothing personal," said Sasaki in a post-match interview, "but if I want to be the strongest, I must defeat those I admire the most." On 8/15, Sasaki will face none other than his former tag team partner, Hiroshi Hase, in standard singles action. Sasaki hopes that a win over his former partner will secure him a spot in the U-COSMOS Crown tournament in the near future. When asked about his relationship with rookie Takehiro Murahama, Sasaki said that Murahama has all the tools to succeed in U-COSMOS and he plans to mentor him as part of the aforementioned Kensuke Office. Another name associated with "the office" is Alexander Otsuka, who Sasaki said is one of the most dangerous competitors in the promotion and he'd rather have him as a friend than an enemy. When asked if any other names would be joining his office, Sasaki remained vague and thanked the press before making his exit. U-COSMOS "Fighting Art 3", 8/15/2000 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. Kensuke Sasaki vs. Hiroshi Hase

U-COSMOS returned in front of another sold out crowd at Korakuen Hall, and as per custom, the parade of windbreaker-adorning competitors made their way to the ring to open the show. Nobuhiko Takada and Akira Maeda once again thanked the fans for their attendance, and promised a very special show tonight, hyping the “dream match” main event. The show opened with a big six-man tag match, featuring Jun Akiyama, Hiroshi Hase and Minoru Tanaka teaming up against Kensuke Sasaki, Alexander Otsuka and Takehiro Murahama. While Akiyama and Hase were on opposing sides last week, it’s seems the two have come together to take on what Sasaki is calling his “Kensuke Office”. Tons of suplex throws throughout, and an excellent exchange between Akiyama and Otsuka which saw Otsuka fold him in half with a release German suplex. Murahama gave Akiyama some fire during the finishing stretch, rallying the crowd behind him, and while he survived one Exploder suplex, the wrist-clutch variation was enough to put him away. Brock Lesnar, lead to the ring by his manager, Tully Blanchard, took on a former Olympic wrestler in Tamon Honda. Despite Brock’s size, Honda put Lesnar to the test on the mat as the two put on an amateur clinic, with tons of holds, counters, reversals, escapes, and some big throws toward the end of the match. After a belly-to-belly suplex by Brock, Tamon was able to grab an armbar upon impact but Brock used his strength to turn it into a rear naked choke, and Honda had no choice but to tap out. Backstage, Blanchard bragged that Lesnar “mopped the floor” with an Olympic athlete, and that he would do that with everyone here in U-COSMOS. In an UWF Rules exhibition, Yoshihisa Yamamoto and Masayuki Naruse, formally of Fighting Network RINGS, worked very hard to get the crowd invested in their match-up. Tons of stiff strikes from both guys – kicks, knees, open palms. Yamamoto, sporting his signature yellow trunks, seemed to have the clear advantage over Naruse in blue. Naruse did catch him with a nasty spinning backhand but Yamamoto was able to recover and rolled him up into a kneebar for the submission. Midway through the match, the rumored Golden Cups made their way through the crowd to sit in the front row and watch the remainder of the match. Following his win, Yamamoto told reporters that he would once again rise through the ranks and be considered at the top of the UWF style. The legend Tatsumi Fujinami made his in-ring debut for U-COSMOS in competition against another legend in Yoshiaki Fujiwara. Fujinami, who teamed with Osamu Nishimura against Fujiwara and his former trainee, Yuki Ishikawa. A very old-school feel to the match, a slow burn to a hot finish, with Fujinami getting fed up with the feisty Ishikawa and slapping the shit out of him before submitting him with the signature dragon sleeper. But the exchanges with Fujiwara, between both Fujinami and Nishimura, were very entertaining. All four men shook hands after the match, with Fujinami seemingly indicated that he would like to face Fujiwara in a singles match. Kazuo Yamazaki laid out the challenge to Toshiaki Kawada for a UWF Rules match, and Kawada came in ready to do battle. Yamazaki overwhelmed him right out of the gate with some big kicks and jumping knee strikes. He backed Kawada into a corner, and forced him to fire back with a flurry of mid kicks and a rolling wheel kick. The fans were super into the idea of Kawada being forced to work outside of his comfort zone, but Yamazaki wasn’t having it and kept trying to submit Kawada with a cross armbreaker. After a big German suiplex, Yamazaki tried one last time to secure the armbar but Kawada fought out, punted Yamazaki in the head and nearly took it clean off his shoulders with a roundhouse kick for the KO. After the match, Shinya Hashimoto made his way out to the ring to confront Kawada. The two went nose-to-nose but before anything could escalate, Takada intervened. In the semi-main event, Ken Shamrock and Masakatsu Funaki joined together to do battle against Minoru Suzuki and Kazunari Murakami. Suzuki and Murakami, who were accompanied to the ring by Kazuyuki Fujita and Daisuke Ikeda, jumped Shamrock and Funaki before the bell and controlled the first part of the match. Funaki was isolated and prevented from making the tag to his partner, and when thrown outside the ring, was double teamed by Fujita and Ikeda while Suzuki distracted the ref. Eventually, Funaki was able to fight off Suzuki and Murakami, making the hot tag to Shamrock, who hit belly-to-belly suplexes on both Suzuki and Murakami. Murakami eventually succumbed to the ankle hold but before Shamrock and Funaki could celebrate, they were overwhelmed by Suzuki-gun. And right when it seemed like they were getting control of the situation, Kendo Kashin entered ringside through the crowd and cracked Shamrock the back of the head with a kendo stick, which led to all five men beating them down. Kashin officially joined Suzuki-gun as Minoru stood over Shamrock and Funaki, grinning like a mad man. The main event saw Kazushi Sakuraba make is in-ring debut against the Russian sambo expert, Volk Han. Despite the age difference, Han more than held his own against Sakuraba and the two exceeded expectations in a match that went over 15:00. Han pulled out all the tricks, including the scissors takedown into the kneebar, the split-legged hold, and even a hammerlock throw. Sakuraba, however, was in much better shape and managed to slip through most of Han’s serious submission attempts. The fans, of course, ate everything up and were split on who to support, as Han’s popularity in Japan is immense. Both men were driven to the ropes numerous times but in the end, Sakuraba emerged victorious when he caught Han with the kimura and cinched in it. The two embraced after the match and Sakuraba bowed to Han, thanking him for the match. U-COSMOS "Fighting Art 2", 8/8/2000 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 2,000 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House 1. Jun Akiyama, Hiroshi Hase & Minoru Tanaka beat Kensuke Sasaki, Alexander Otsuka & Takehiro Murahama (11:33) when Akiyama used the wrist-clutch Exploder on Murahama. 2. Brock Lesnar (w/ Tully Blanchard) beat Tamon Honda (7:42) with a rear naked choke. 3. UWF Rules: Yoshihisa Yamamoto beat Masayuki Naruse (9:50) with a kneebar. 4. Tatsumi Fujinami & Osamu Nishimura beat Yoshiaki Fujiwara & Yuki Ishikawa (12:56) when Fujinami used the dragon sleeper on Ishikawa. 5. UWF Rules: Toshiaki Kawada beat Kazuo Yamazaki (10:14) by KO (roundhouse kick). 6. Ken Shamrock & Masakatu Funaki beat Minoru Suzuki & Kazunari Murakami (14:38) when Shamrock used the ankle hold on Murakami. 7. UWF Rules: Kazushi Sakuraba beat Volk Han (16:09) with the kimura.

The legendary "Dragon", Tatsumi Fujinami, will make his in-ring debut for U-COSMOS this Saturday in tag team action. Fujinami will team with Osamu Nishimura in what he hopes will be a "classic" catch-as-catch-can match against another stalwart legend in Yoshiaki Fujiwara and Fujiwara's former trainee, Yuki Ishikawa. All four men are renowned for their grappling ability, and while Fujinami admitted that he's nearing 50 years old, he feels like he has much to give back to the Japanese fans and the younger wrestlers in the industry looking to uphold the traditional style. Fujinami, who was spotted at the U-COSMOS Gym with Nishimura, has put his faith in the promotion as a means to restore professional wrestling in Japan after the widespread collapse of the industry. "Going back to the basics", Fujinami said, "is a simple but powerful idea." U-COSMOS "Fighting Art 2", 8/8/2000 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. Tatsumi Fujinami & Osamu Nishimura vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara & Yuki Ishikawa 2. UWF Rules: Toshiaki Kawada vs. Kazuo Yamazaki 3. Ken Shamrock & Masakatu Funaki vs. Minoru Suzuki & Kazunari Murakami 4. UWF Rules: Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Volk Han

When Toshiaki Kawada said he wanted to explore new styles in the squared circle, Kazuo Yamazaki was listening. The former NJPW and UWF alum challenged Kawada to a UWF Rules match this Saturday at Korakuen Hall. Yamazaki, one of the trainers at the U-COSMOS Gym, wants to show Kawada just how tough the rule set can be. While Kawada has been known to work a very strong style, Yamazaki explained that the UWF style, the shoot-style, is the purest form of competition in professional wrestling. Yamazaki has been working with some of the younger, more shoot-trained fighters to incorporate more elements of pro-wrestling. He's also been working with rookie Brock Lesnar, helping him to develop a broader skill set which includes more strikes and submissions. U-COSMOS "Fighting Art 2", 8/8/2000 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. UWF Rules: Toshiaki Kawada vs. Kazuo Yamazaki 2. Ken Shamrock & Masakatu Funaki vs. Minoru Suzuki & Kazunari Murakami 3. UWF Rules: Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Volk Han

This was pretty dope. Sugiura looked good here - I like the singlet look but he's also throwing Honda around with some impressive throws, his strikes are on point, and he even pulls out a roll-up kneebar, which looked slick. Honda keeps things moving on the ground, with his quick little transitions and set-ups, and gives rookie Sugiura plenty of room to work his amateur style. Good stuff.

Honda's matwork is always a treat, and paired with Ikeda's more rough-and-tumble bati-bati style, it makes for an interesting match-up. I thought the stuff on the ground was the easy highlight, especially some of Honda's transitions. That legwhip to set up the finish was nuts. Of course, Ikeda is going to strike when he's got the opportunity but Honda made him work for it. Probably not as high on it as others but still a very solid match.

I thought this was really good. Kojima busting himself open on the tope was gnarly, as mentioned, but I thought the armwork was great and consistent, with good selling from Sasaki as he tries to survive and battle back with his injured lariat arm. I liked Kojima turning the Tornado Bomb into the armbar, and then catching the lariat attempt only to slam Kensuke's arm into the turnbuckle. Sasaki unable to hit the North Lights Bomb due to his injured arm allows Kojima to spike him with the modified Michinoku Driver in a cool spot. I thought the use of the crab hold to finish off Kojima was weird but the lead up to that, with Sasaki not dying to everything Kojima was dishing out, was compelling.

It is being rumored that the Golden Cups will be making their presence known in U-COSMOS. The original Golden Cups were led by Yoji Anjoh in UWFi and consisted of Yoshihiro Takayama and Kenichi Yamamoto. But according to the source, Takayama will serve as the new leader, bringing in both Yamamoto and another UWFi alum in Hiromitsu Kanehara. It is unknown at this time if the trio will be appearing at Fighting Arts Vol. 2 on Saturday, August 8th.

Kaki and Nagai are a fun feisty underdog team, Yone's a fine punching bag and Kea got some power shine. Kaki hyping the crowd is always a joy, and that smack to set-up the Kaki Cutter on Yone was something else. Perfectly solid tag match, and I hope we get more of the Kaki/Nagai team.

I'll take what we can get but I WISH it was more. What we got was a neat snapshot into what was probably a very fun match. The matwork with Hase tying up Fuchi was good, and then that finish, with Fuchi passing out after trying to give Hase the giant swing was worth checking this out.

Pound for pound, one of the best fighters in mixed martial arts is returning to his wrestling roots this Saturday as Kazushi Sakuraba will make his debut for U-COSMOS. With multiple scandals crumbling the blossoming MMA scene, Sakuraba decided to leave Pride alongside Nobuhiko Takada and others with his integrity intact. Regardless, Sakuraba is excited to return to his hybrid style, and believes U-COSMOS will revitalize the professional wrestling landscape in Japan, and abroad. Speaking with media at a sparring session at the U-COSMOS Gym, Sakuraba revealed that when he met with Takada about joining the new promotion, he had one request for a singles match. With the dissolution of Fighting Network RINGS and Akira Maeda's newfound association with U-COSMOS, Sakuraba asked for his first match to be against who he considered to be one of the best in the world...Volk Han! Sakuraba confirmed that the match would be taking place this Saturday in the main event, under UWF Rules. This will mark the first time these two competitors have come together in the ring and for many, this is considered a "dream match". U-COSMOS "Fighting Art 2", 8/8/2000 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. Ken Shamrock & Masakatu Funaki vs. Minoru Suzuki & Kazunari Murakami 2. UWF Rules: Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Volk Han

"The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock issued a response to the unprovoked attack by former friend and colleague, Minoru Suzuki, and his Suzuki-gun. First and foremost, Shamrock said he felt betrayed by the assault, owing to almost 10 years of friendship. Suzuki, who most recently was working in Pancrase, assembled a crew of some of the toughest athletes in Japan prior to "invading" U-COSMOS but Shamrock isn't scared. He said Masakatsu Funaki has his back, and in fact, the two will be teaming together this Saturday when U-COSMOS returns to Korakuen Hall for another installment of Fighting Art. They'll take on Suzuki and Kazunori Murakami under standard tag team rules. Shamrock vowed to extract revenge on Suzuki, and said he dismantle all of Suzuki-gun in order to get his hands on Suzuki one-on-one. U-COSMOS "Fighting Art 2", 8/8/2000 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 1. Ken Shamrock & Masakatsu Funaki vs. Minoru Suzuki & Kazunori Murakami

Mohammed Yone and Mike Awesome is the team I never knew I wanted.

GOOD SHIT!

Akira Maeda and Nobuhiko Takada opened the show with the traditional gallery of the evening’s competing wrestlers, all sporting very dope U-COSMOS track suits. Maeda and Takada thanked the fans in attendance for supporting their vision, and promised an exciting showcase of athleticism. The night opened with Tully Blanchard dressed in a classy suit and tie leading the 2000 NCAA Heavyweight champ, Brock Lesnar, to the ring for his debut match against veteran Naoki Sano. Lesnar’s size and agility played a major factor in the match as he was able to overpower Sano with takedowns and suplex throws. Sano got in a few big kicks, including a rolling solebutt to the gut, and he even managed a nice backdrop suplex. But in the end, Lesnar overwhelmed him and after a big belly-to-belly, Lesnar scored the pinfall with a folding powerbomb. Backstage, Tully hyped up Lesnar's debut and guaranteed Brock would be a dominant force in U-COSMOS. Exciting tag team action followed as Minoru Tanaka and Koji Kanemoto teamed up to take on Shinjiro Ohtani and Masanobu Fuchi. Plenty of back-and-forth action, stiff strikes, and even a signature facewash from Ohtani on Kanemoto. The final few minutes exchanged between Minoru and Fuchi was very good, with some great counters and reversals by the wily Fuchi until Minoru was able to snag the jujigatame for the submission victory. Under UWF Rules, Alexander Otsuka and Mitsuya Nagai put on a hard-hitting match with plenty of nasty knee strikes and mid kicks from Nagai and Otsuka doing what Otsuka does best – SUPLEXING! Nagai was able to survive a release German suplex, getting back to his feet at the count of 8 but the follow up dragon suplex throw was enough for the KO, earning Otsuka his first win in U-COSMOS. Prior to his tag match, Kensuke Sasaki said that he thought Takehiro Murahama would be a breakout rookie in Japan, and would back him fully as he picked up more experience in the promotion. Likewise, Yuji Nagata teamed with a rookie of his own in Katsuyori Shibata. Both Murahama and Shibata looked very polished in the ring, with Murahama showing a little bit more in regards to his versatility. He took out Shibata with a dive to the outside, utilized plenty of strong kicks and nifty takedowns, and tried to end the match with a brainbuster, which was countered by Shibata into a guillotine choke. While the rookies got more time to shine, Sasaki and Nagata didn’t leave fans disappointed with their exchanges. Sasaki was able to turn Shibata inside out with a lariat to finish the match. Submission wrestler, Carl Malenko, was put to task against Kiyoshi Tamura under UWF Rules. The two put on a mat-based clinic and while Tamura seemed to have the upper hand throughout, Malenko kept pace with Tamura managed to counter many of Tamura’s early attempts. Malenko sent Tamura scrambling to the ropes with a front necklock, and nearly had Tamura’s number with an arm triangle choke. Tamura, however, was able to escape the hold and turn the tables on Malenko with a double wristlock. The two shook hands after the match in a mutual show of respect. Fans were treated to a big tag team match in the semi-main event, with the former AJPW favorites, Toshiaki Kawada and Jun Akiyama, teaming together against Shinya Hashimoto and Hiroshi Hase. Hase, who hasn’t been as active of late due his political obligations, didn’t hold back when he squared off against Akiyama, laying into him with some big open hand slaps to the face. The fans, however, were ecstatic with the initial interaction between Kawada and Hashimoto. They beat the snot out of each other, and even after the match, following Akiyama pinning Hase with the wrist-clutch Exploder, the two couldn’t keep their hands off of one another, and had to be pulled apart. Backstage, Kawada said that Hashimoto’s pride would be his downfall, and warned him to keep his distance unless he wanted a fight. The main event didn’t disappoint…well, that is, until the end, but prior to that, Ken Shamrock and Masakatsu Funaki put on a hell of a fight. Funaki isn’t quite in the same shape he once was but he didn’t let Shamrock’s size and strength overcome him . His kicks were on point, and his groundwork was slick, as he managed to take Shamrock to the ropes quite a few times. Shamrock, on the other hand, worked a style reminiscent of his days in PWFG, taking Funaki with some nasty suplex throws and working his ankle over to set up his signature ankle hold submission. At one point, he tried for a full nelson suplex but Funaki was able to slip out and roll Shamrock up into a kneebar. Shamrock countered that into the ankle hold but as he was struggling for the ropes, the match was interrupted by…Minoru Suzuki! Suzuki, a former companion of both Funaki and Shamrock in PWFG and Pancrase, slid into the ring. As the referee tried to intervene, Suzuki slapped him down and the match was thrown out. Both Shamrock and Funaki confronted Suzuki, who grinned widely, opening his arms as if in a welcoming embrace. Suddenly, Shamrock and Funaki were attacked from behind by Kazunari Murakami, Kazuyuki Fujita and Daisuke Ikeda. Suzuki than joining in on the beatdown and ended the assault with a Gotch-style piledriver on Shamrock. Suzuki grabbed a microphone, declaring the arrival of the Suzuki Army as the fans booed him to close out the show. U-COSMOS "Fighting Art", 1/8/2000 Tokyo Korakuen Hall 2,000 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House 1. Brock Lesnar (w/ Tully Blanchard) beat Naoki Sano (9:58) with a folding powerbomb. 2. Minoru Tanaka & Koji Kanemoto beat Shinjiro Ohtani & Masanobu Fuchi (12:07) when Tanaka used a cross armbar on Fuchi. 3. UWF Rules: Alexander Otsuka beat Mitsuya Nagai (7:50) by KO (dragon suplex). 4. Kensuke Sasaki & Takehiro Murahama beat Yuji Nagata & Katsuyori Shibata (10:26) when Sasaki used a lariat on Shibata. 5. UWF Rules: Kiyoshi Tamura beat Carl Malenko (9:19) with a double wristlock. 6. Jun Akiyama & Toshiaki Kawada beat Shinya Hashimoto & Hiroshi Hase (16:40) when Akiyama used a wrist-clutch Exploder on Hase. 7. UWF Rules: Ken Shamrock vs. Masakatsu Funaki – No Contest (14:23)

Tully Blanchard arrived in Tokyo earlier this morning, accompanied by none other than the 2000 NCAA Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, Brock Lesnar. Reporters at Haneda Airport caught up with Tully to ask about his involvement with U-COSMOS and his relationship with Lesnar. Tully said that while he won't be competing in U-COSMOS as an active wrestler, he will be managing Lesnar and mentoring him as he embarks on his first professional wrestling venture. In addition, Tully said he would be working with co-owners Akira Maeda and Nobuhiko Takada to help globally expand the company's brand, especially in regards to working events in the United States and new talent acquisition. Blanchard revealed that Lesnar would be making his debut on Saturday, in a singles match against Naoki Sano. When Lesnar was directly asked a question regarding his experience, Tully intercepted the question and said that Lesnar would be ready for Sano this weekend. U-COSMOS "Fighting Art", 1/8/2000 Tokyo Korakuen Hall Brock Lesnar vs. Naoki Sano Toshiaki Kawada & Jun Akiyama vs. Shinya Hashimoto & Hiroshi Hase UWF Rules: Masakatsu Funaki vs. Ken Shamrock

With the big announcement of U-COSMOS yesterday, Japanese fans and media have been buzzing with anticipation for the new promotion. With the dissolution of several major promotions only a couple of months ago, the pro-wrestling landscape in Japan had been razed. While some of the bigger names have traveled west to try their luck abroad, others vowed to remain in Japan in order to help re-build the industry. One such wrestler is veteran Toshiaki Kawada, who spoke to the press earlier today regarding his decision to sign with U-COSMOS. Kawada said that both he and Jun Akiyama resigned from AJPW prior to the promotion's collapse but when approached by Nobuhiko Takada and Akira Maeda regarding their vision, Kawada was intrigued. He admired the original UWF pioneers as a young boy and is now at an age where he wants to explore new styles in the ring. Once he and Akiyama came to an agreement, they immediately began training at the converted Fighting Network RINGS gym (now the U-COSMOS Gym) to adapt their styles to the new influx of wrestlers and fighters. Kawada said his fighting spirit is motivated once again and he vows to bring his very best as he makes his debut this Saturday, August 1st, in tag team competition. Kawada announced that he and Akiyama would be teaming together against Shinya Hashimoto and Hiroshi Hase under traditional tag team rules. When asked if he would be competing for the previously announced U-COSMOS Crown, Kawada said if he earned the opportunity, he would seize it. He thanks the fans and invited everyone to the debut show at Korakuen Hall. U-COSMOS "Fighting Art", 1/8/2000 Tokyo Korakuen Hall Toshiaki Kawada & Jun Akiyama vs. Shinya Hashimoto & Hiroshi Hase UWF Rules: Masakatsu Funaki vs. Ken Shamrock