UWF Newborn – “Dynamism: Budokan Super Bout”
January 26th, 1989
Nippon Budokan
Tokyo, Japan
Attendance: 14,500 (sold out)
WOWOW’s broadcast opens with a fancy lead-in and we get cool video-game style “vs” graphics for each match, and then the camera opens inside Nippon Budokan as we get the WOWOW commentary team welcoming the viewers to the event. They run down the matches quickly before we get the UWF theme playing inside the arena, which leads to the customary introduction of each wrestler on the show as they make their way to the ring. Akira Maeda, Nobuhiko Takada, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, and Satoru Sayama all give brief remarks as they hype their matches up and thank the fans for attending. Steve Willams and Gary Albright get very warm welcomes from the crowd as they are introduced, and they seem very appreciative. The commentary team notes Billy Robinson and Karl Gotch are both in attendance tonight as the camera pans to them. A third empty seat next to them is notably absent. Could it be someone important? We’ll find out later!
Shigeo Miyato vs Yoji Anjo
A feisty opening bout that saw Miyato deal with a determined and focused Anjo who sought to secure another win to start the new year. Anjo’s strategy centered on launching wave after wave of hard-hitting strikes, but Miyato weathered the storm and sought the advantage on the canvas whenever the opportunity presented itself. Anjo is no slouch when it comes to grappling, but perhaps Miyato’s experience aided him as he controlled the tempo and worked on finding one or two leg hooks to give Anjo something to think about. Miyato started building up a lead in the match after Anjo exhausted two downs through rope breaks and almost caught Anjo with a full Boston Crab, but Anjo scrambled to the ropes just in time. Miyato faced some opposition from this point, with Anjo hitting him with a hard palm strike, which led to another grappling exchange on the canvas where Anjo looked like he was about to lock in a kneebar, but Miyato found a way to the ropes himself. Eventually, with a 3-1 lead, Miyato finished the match with a high-angle German Suplex followed by a heel hook, which finally forced Anjo to submit in the center of the ring. Miyato defeats Anjo via submission (heel hook), 10:22
Minoru Suzuki vs Naoki Sano
This was fairly evenly contested, with both Sano and Suzuki having similar skill sets and strategies. Sano was looking to catch Suzuki off-guard early with quick takedown attempts, and Suzuki had to handle himself on the canvas to prevent an early defeat with Sano eagerly looking for any openings for a submission attempt. Suzuki’s quick transitions and counterwork on the grappling eventually gave him the edge, and Sano fled to the ropes several times with Suzuki laser-focused on whatever limbs he could grab. Sano was able to score a knockdown with several sharp palm strikes, catching Suzuki off-guard. Sano followed up with a nice dropkick for good measure, showing he wasn’t afraid to get a bit unorthodox. Facing an early 2-0 deficit, Sano eventually ties the match at 2-2 after scoring another knockdown on Suzuki, this time catching his opponent with a rolling kick. The crowd becomes lively at this point, and Sano looked to be in command on the canvas he had Suzuki’s back, but Suzuki found a way through his clever counterwork to eventually nab a kimura lock from underneath, and Sano was surprised by the maneuver. After Sano struggled to break free, he had no choice but to tap as Suzuki celebrated a well-deserved victory. Suzuki defeats Sano via submission (kimura lock), 11:09
Yasuto Sekishima vs Yorinaga Nakamura
In a match between teacher and apprentice, Sekishima and Nakamura squared off in a fast-paced match with Sekishima trying his best to throw off Nakamura early, but Nakamura was prepared and held off Sekishima’s opening salvos to control most of the match. This was generally a good display of Shooto techniques, and both Sekishima and Nakamura approached the match in a very technical and modern way. Nakamura kept Sekishima grounded early in the match and frustrated his disciple by using defensive techniques to prevent him from getting anything going. Nakamura showed off his great striking abilities as well and kept knocking down Sekishima, who tried to match his teacher in that regard but learned that was a mistake. As Sekishima exhausted himself with his his quick flurries, Nakamura started to take Sekishima to the canvas more often, and dominated for the rest of the match. Sekishima found himself at the end of a rear-naked choke and chose to tap in the center of the ring. Nakamura defeats Sekishima via submission (rear-naked choke), 9:16
Tatsuo Nakano vs Masakatsu Funaki
Nakano and Funaki followed up on their stiff and ugly match in September and pummeled each other from the opening bell with gnarly strikes. Nakano appeared to have caught Funaki in the nose early on, and the blood coming from Funaki’s nose throughout the rest of the match was proof of that. Funaki delivered several closed fists to Nakano’s lower body, taking advantage of the new rules. With Nakano softened up, Funaki tried to take the match to the canvas, but Nakano was very good at using his decent grappling ability to prevent Funaki from finding any angles and scrambled back to his feet several times. A frustrated Funaki attempted to get back at Nakano and threw several palm strikes aimed at Nakano’s nose. If Funaki wanted to draw blood from Nakano, he appeared to be successful and the Budokan crowd recognized the heat building in this match, with it being fairly split for both wrestlers as they were cheered on by their respective fans. Funaki started to get his way and took Nakano to the canvas more often, and started to demonstrate why his grappling abilities were better than Nakano’s. Nakano had to defend himself from a heel hook attempt and a toe hold in the span of a few minutes, as he tried to match Funaki in a leg lock battle. Funaki built up a 2-0 lead on points as Nakano had to scramble to the ropes twice, and was knocked down soon after by a well-timed kick from Funaki, which was aimed at Nakano’s kidneys. Nakano fought back though, and delivered several sharp knee strikes after clinching with Funaki to score his knockdown. The match continued to be evenly contested, and the hard-hitting strikes kept coming from both competitors. Funaki got caught off-guard by a well-timed palm strike combo, and more knees from Nakano landed on an already weakened mid-section. Perhaps this was enough to keep Funaki grounded as Yuji Shimada continued his ten count, and Funaki failed to respond in time. The crowd celebrated Nakano’s win over Funaki and voiced their support as Nobuyuki Furuta made the result official. Nakano defeats Funaki via KO, 12:41
The crowd at Nippon Budokan is treated to an explanation of the rules of the next match, which will be contested under “British catch rules.” There will be six five-minute rounds and will be best of three falls. A fall takes place with a submission or pinfall. A knockout or disqualification will automatically end the match, and a disqualification will take place if the referee deems a wrestler to be breaking the rules of British catch, which would include eye-gouging, striking an opponent while he is down, hitting with a closed fist, or strangling an opponent with their hands outside of a traditional submission move. A referee can use their discretion to warn a wrestler before disqualifying them. Similar to UWF rules, rope breaks can be used, but three rope breaks will lead to a “fall” being declared for the wrestler who uses them.
British catch rules: Marty Jones vs Mark Rocco
Marty Jones and Mark Rocco are introduced to the crowd after making their way to the ring. Mark Rocco, wearing his old Black Tiger pants, stands at 5’8 in contrast to the 5’11 Marty Jones, who has opted to wear his full-length red singlet. With the bell sounding, both competitors get to work in the first round and the crowd is treated immediately to a fine display of traditional catch wrestling as both Marty Jones and Mark Rocco seek to gain the advantage with quick and technical grappling. Mark Rocco is a little quicker than his opponent and seems to use this to his advantage as he counters whatever Marty Jones throws at him, and seems to work on Marty’s arms with various armbars and takedowns. The pace slows down a bit as Rocco decides to control the tempo and keep Marty grounded, and seeks a few pinfall attempts which Marty quickly kicks out of. Mark Rocco seemed very confident and probably won the first round if one was keeping score, with Marty not able to get much going against his opponent.
In the second round, Marty was able to find his footing against Rocco and tricked his opponent into expending more energy, allowing Marty to find new angles of attack on the grappling side, going for Rocco’s legs and changing the tempo of the match. Rocco is forced to go for his first rope break as Marty gets a clever toe hold, which he wraps around his legs to apply more pressure. Rocco gets a clean break and stands back up, and seems a little peeved at how Marty outsmarted him there. Rocco opts to change things up by getting a wonderful bridging German Suplex on Marty, and Rocco holds the bridge for a pinfall attempt, but Marty kicks out at two! Marty locks up with Rocco and snags his back, which leads to a surfboard-esque submission attempt! Marty holds the submission for what seems like an extended period, and the Ryogaku Wada watches as Rocco finally declares he has had enough. Marty gets the first fall with a submission right before the bell! Rocco goes back to his corner and seems even more frustrated as he spits into a bucket. Marty seems confident and relaxes on his stool as the next round is ready to begin.
Rocco switches things up for the third round and starts things off by landing several European uppercuts on Marty. With Marty on the back foot, Rocco tries several pinfall variations by using the arms of Marty for leverage in several rolling takedowns. At this point, the crowd has fully invested in the contest and Rocco and Marty feed off them with another display of quick and very technical catch wrestling. The pace begins to slow as the two become more calculated, and Marty grows into his comfort zone. Rocco finds himself fighting off several leg lock attempts from Marty, who uses some interesting variations to disable the quickness of Rocco. Rocco continues to use some great counterwork but has to exhaust another rope break as Marty gets a single-leg Boston crab on his opponent. There’s some back-and-forth this round as both claim the momentum at some point or another. Rocco finishes off the round with a beautiful crucifix takedown, which leads to a pinfall attempt. Marty is unable to kick out and Rocco claims the second fall. With the third round over, both wrestlers are tied at one fall apiece.
The fourth round features slower, more refined grappling as the tempo of the match slows down a bit, with Marty doing his best to lure Rocco out of his comfort zone. The two work from hold to hold as they try to snag their respective limbs for a decisive submission, and Marty seems to get the better the better of Rocco. Rocco looks like he is being pushed to the limit at one point, as Marty seems to have tightened a painful-looking key lock. The ropes are tempting for Rocco, but he manages to reverse his position by rolling out of the hold, frustrating Marty. Rocco gets a side headlock on Marty and tries to get Marty to tap in the center of the ring, but Marty refuses and fights his way out of it. The crowd continues to cheer both competitors, and they exchange European uppercuts as they try to reclaim control of the match. Another finely contested round reaches its time limit and both go back to their respective corners for a brief break.
The crowd becomes very lively for the fifth and sixth rounds, and are treated to more tantalizing displays of catch and modern British wrestling. Rocco and Marty do their best to secure a decisive fall, but both are somehow able to survive. For any fans of British wrestling in attendance at the Budokan Hall, they got a glimpse of both old-school British catch and more modern wrestling that has stemmed from the evolution of European and British wrestling since the 1960s. The match concludes as a draw, with both men having one fall each by the end of the sixth round. Both men are applauded by the crowd once again as Nobuyuki Furuta makes the draw official. 30:00 draw (six of six rounds).
After the match, Nobuyuki Furuta makes a surprise announcement and welcomes Lou Thesz to the ring! Lou Thesz comes out to a very surprised and excited Budokan Hall. Thesz, dressed in a classy grey suit, bows in all four directions after entering the squared circle and grabs a microphone. Thesz says he is very honored to be back in Japan, and he has a very special announcement to make.
“52 years ago, in 1937, I wrestled in a contest against Everett Marshall to determine the undisputed heavyweight wrestling champion of the world. After defeating my opponent, I proudly defended the honor of being the undisputed champion and wrestled all over the world, including in Japan, to promote the sacred sport of professional wrestling. It is my opinion that professional wrestling now needs to determine a new undisputed heavyweight champion. The future of wrestling needs the credibility of one undisputed champion if it is to survive. Promotions all over the world have made the claim of some sort of title or championship, but this is not a fact, it is only a claim. With this in mind, I am here to announce that I will be sponsoring a 24-man tournament to be held later this year under the banner of UWF. This tournament will determine the new undisputed heavyweight wrestling champion of the world, and I invite all credible championship claimants to participate in this tournament. I offer my very prized possession, the original undisputed heavyweight championship, to be put up at stake as the grand prize for this tournament. This tournament will begin in August, and will conclude on December 31st, New Year’s Eve…at the Tokyo Dome! The tournament will be called the U-Cosmos Grand Prix. The U-Cosmos refers to the concept of U-Kei, which encompasses the world of combat sports, including kickboxing, Judo, SAMBO, and the noble sport of professional wrestling. Thank you very much for your time and I look forward to being present later this year to oversee this prestigious tournament.”
The crowd cheers loudly when the announcement is translated, and is shown on the big screen inside Nippon Budokan hall as well. A disguised item is bought into the ring by attendants and is unveiled to be the title Lou Thesz was referring to. Thesz invites Billy Robinson and Karl Gotch into the ring, and all three pose in the middle of the ring for photos as Thesz holds his title. The crowd takes in the historic moment, as perhaps the three most influential wrestlers of the modern era stand in the middle of the squared circle inside one of the most hallowed grounds in all of professional wrestling. The WOWOW commentators are very excited by the announcement and they talk about the huge potential of the upcoming tournament in 7 months. The news that UWF will be holding an event at the Tokyo Dome is definitely being hyped up by the commentary crew.
Kazuo Yamazaki vs Nikolai Zouev
Nikolai Zouev is another Russian Sambist making his debut, and the dashing blonde Russian appears ready for his opponent. Yamazaki makes his way into Budokan Hall and seems determined to get a victory tonight. Zouev is welcomed to UWF by the crowd with a polite smattering of applause, and Yamazaki gets a very warm reception. With the bell sounding, the match immediately picks up a quick pace as Zouev exchanges kicks with Yamazaki, and the Russian quickly closes the distance to grapple with his opponent. Zouev is quite creative in how he takes Yamazaki down to the canvas, and Yamazaki quickly realizes he has to go on the defense as Zouev looks for a submission attempt. Zouev clamps Yamazaki’s neck with a leg scissors while hooking both of his arms, and Zouev’s opponent struggles as he feels the pressure all around his body. Yamazaki eventually fights his way out of Zouev’s grasp and goes for a toe hold and they scramble on the canvas for a few moments as they look for an early submission. They eventually both find their way to their feet and the crowd applauds both for the hot start.
Yamazaki goes on the offensive with his striking-based offense, and Zouev has his hands full as he struggles to switch things up. Zouev attempts to clinch with his opponent, but Yamazaki’s experience here pays off as he delivers several knee strikes for an early knockdown. Zouev gets up quickly but realizes he has already lost a point and fires back with some high kicks. Yamazaki guards well and continues to lure Zouev into a striking contest as Zouev attempts to catch Yamazaki off-guard with some palm strikes. The match continues with Yamazaki mostly in control, but Zouev manages to get Yamazaki to the canvas a few times and eventually re-establishes momentum as he gets Yamazaki to go for the ropes twice with a series of leg lock attempts. After a clean reset, Yamazaki decides to switch things up with a series of low kicks and then follows up with a clever roundhouse which catches Zouev clean. With another knockdown, Yamazaki goes up 2-1 in the match and Zouev beats another ten count to continue the match. Zouev continues to attempt to get Yamazaki to the canvas and manages to get some nice offense in as he impresses the crowd with a mixture of SAMBO-based takedowns and clever grappling counterwork, but Yamazaki’s moment eventually comes when he lands a beautiful high-angle German suplex on Zouev, which dazes his opponent. Yamazaki lands a nice combo of lower-body punches and high kicks, which sends Zouev back to the canvas again for another knockdown. This time, Zouev struggles to respond before the count finishes and Yamazaki soon celebrates a well-deserved victory as Zouev is applauded by the crowd for the fine showing, but Yamazaki of course gets a firmer reception as the crowd favorite. Yamazaki defeats Zouev via KO, 13:35
Atsushi Onita vs Masashi Aoyagi
Onita, coming out to the theme from “Fist of the North Star,” looks like he has a certain swagger about him and strolls into the ring confidently. Aoyagi, the next man out, seems pretty determined and a bit pissed off at the same time. Nobuyuki Furuta makes the ring introductions and Onita seems to get a louder pop compared to last time. As soon as the bell sounds, both men don’t waste much time going at each other with fierce combo strikes from Onita and powerful kicks from Aoyagi. Onita’s palm strikes audibly connect and cause gasps from the crowd as Aoyagi stumbles backward, but Aoyagi delivers a huge high kick in return and Onita collapses to the canvas holding his head as Aoyagi scores a shock knockdown to start the match. Motoyuki Kitazawa starts the count but Onita is quick to get up, keeping the pace of the match as he goes after Aoyagi with a double-leg takedown. Onita re-establishes his momentum as Aoyagi struggles to deal with a more grappling-focused Onita, who utilizes his Lutra Livre training by causing all sorts of headaches for Aoyagi. Aoyagi goes for a rope break as Onita tries for a cross-armbreaker. Onita seems to be the sharper of the two, as he throws some insane strikes and causes all sorts of mayhem for Aoyagi on the canvas whenever he can get his opponent down on the mat. Onita eventually grabs a 2-1 lead several minutes in after Aoyagi exhausts another rope break from a kneebar attempt.
Aoyagi does manage to get some offense in at times and is able to clinch with Onita several times to pound him with knee strikes. The WKA star is the first to draw blood after hitting Onita in the head with one of his knee strikes. A cut appears above Onita’s eyebrow and Onita seems enraged that Aoyagi got the better of him here. Another fierce striking contest emerges and Aoyagi sends Onita back down to the floor with a powerful axe kick. Onita stumbles to the canvas as blood pours out from the cut, and fights his way back to his feet before the 10 count. Kitazawa asks Onita to get checked out by the medical stuff before continuing, and they do their best to fix the cut, although it’s a tough task. With the match now tied at 2-2, Aoyagi seeks to maintain his momentum and keep Onita on the back foot. Onita’s defense serves him well and he gets a nice arm drag takedown to get Aoyagi back to the canvas. With another grappling exchange, both Aoyagi’s white Karate gi and Onita’s blue trunks become stained with spots of blood. Onita mounts Aoyagi and brutalizes him with several vicious palm strikes, and Aoyagi finally tastes his own blood as his nose lets loose from the beating. Kitazawa urges Onita to get off and begins a 10 count as Aoyagi is slow to get up, but he responds in time. Aoyagi is lured in by Onita, who launches him backward with a devastating belly-to-belly suplex that gets the crowd going quite loudly. Onita and Aoyagi go at it on the canvas, but Onita’s background and training eventually enable him to snag a heel hook, and Aoyagi taps as he realizes his ankle is on the verge of getting snapped to pieces. The sudden finish sends the crowd into a frenzy and they chant Onita’s name as Kitazawa raises the victor’s arm into the air after the bell sounds. Onita defeats Aoyagi via submission (heel hook), 15:49
Satoru Sayama vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara
Sayama and Fujiwara are quite familiar with each other, going back to their days in the original UWF where they had a series of excellent matches. In 1989 though, things could be different. Sayama has grown as a shooter with his focus on his Shooto philosophy, and Fujiwara has become a gnarly veteran who has only become better with the years. Sayama and Fujiwara enter the ring to large receptions from the crowd, and Sayama in particular seems determined to break his losing streak. On the other hand, Fujiwara is eager for a win over a long-time rival to start the new year and firmly establish himself as a top star in the company. With the ring introductions out of the way and with Motoyuki Kitazawa checking both competitors to see if they are ready, the bell sounds and the match begins.
Sayama checks Fujiwara with a series of kicks to open the match, and Fujiwara does well to play defense and not get caught in any of Sayama’s machinations. Sayama continues to throw some tentative strikes before choosing to test Fujiwara on the grappling side, and Fujiwara gets the better of him here as Sayama scrambles out of Fujiwara’s grasp before getting stuck in with the wily veteran. At the urging of the crowd, they decide to grapple again after another brief exchange of strikes, and Fujiwara takes down Sayama with a clever double wrist-lock and he goes to work on his rival by exerting more pressure with Sayama seated on the canvas. Sayama eventually fights his way out of the hold and begins to show Fujiwara the strengths of the Shooto way by using excellent counterwork and defensive grappling, giving Fujiwara a taste of his own medicine. Fujiwara eventually finds himself in a triangle choke as Sayama works from underneath, and quickly decides to go for a rope break to avoid any further trouble.
It now becomes a battle of Fujiwara’s defensive approach and Sayama’s powerful striking offense as the two try and find a breakthrough as the match continues to develop. Fujiwara attempts to counter Sayama’s kicks and palm strikes with reversal takedowns and striking-based counters, but Sayama seems undeterred and either finds a way back up or dodges Fujiwara’s attempts at knocking him backward. Sayama lands two jumping roundhouses to Fujiwara’s midsection and Sayama raises his fist in the air as he celebrates another knockdown. Fujiwara is slow to get back up but beats the ten count, and Kitazawa signals both men to continue the match. There’s more back and forth as Fujiwara gets his knockdown back and evens the score with a vicious right palm strike. Sayama’s legs turn wobbly and he falls to the canvas but refuses to relent.
Fujiwara begins to find some joy on the canvas he manages to get Sayama where he wants him as the match enters its later stages. Sayama finds himself at the hands of a willing and focused Fujiwara, whose grappling instincts neutralize any of Sayama’s techniques. Sayama goes to the ropes as Fujiwara applies his trademark armbar, and the Shooto founder begins to realize he needs to change things up. Sayama lands a flashy combo of quicks on Fujiwara after the match resumes, and Fujiwara attempts to fight back with a series of stiff headbutts but gets caught by another high kick which connects. Fujiwara stumbles to the canvas and finds himself at the receiving end of several kicks to the stomach by Sayama. Sayama receives a yellow card from Kitazawa as he is warned for striking a downed opponent, and the crowd gasps as Sayama shows his meaner side in a bit of a call back to their matches in the original UWF. Fujiwara gets up but is clearly vulnerable now. Sayama goes for a rolling kick and lands it, and Fujiwara finds himself in a tough spot as Sayama follows it up with a Katahajime near the center of the ring. Fujiwara gasps for air and decides not to give Sayama the pleasure of tapping out. Instead, Fujiwara chooses to pass out and Kitazawa immediately calls for the bell as Fujiwara’s limbs become lifeless. Sayama defeats Fujiwara via submission (Katahajime), 17:22
After the match, Fujiwara takes some time to get up as the referee checks on him. As he recovers and regains his energy, Fujiwara immediately stands up and stares down Sayama face-to-face as the two become a bit heated. They don’t shake hands as customary for most in UWF now, and they go their separate ways as we hear mixed chants for both Fujiwara and Sayama. Fujiwara is seen smirking a bit on the cameras as he walks backstage. The WOWOW commentary team recap the events in the match and they note this is the first time we’ve seen Sayama’s edgier side in UWF Newborn. There’s a ton of history between these two and it looks like an old rivalry has been re-kindled.
Victor Zangiev & Salman Hashimikov vs Steve Williams & Gary Albright
The next match is preceded by audible anticipation from the crowd. As Nobuyuki Furuta announces the next match, large cheers for the names mentioned break out, and “Love It Loud” by Kiss plays through the Budokan as Gary Albright and Steve Williams make their way to the ring. Wearing fancy letterman jackets from their respective alma maters, Albright and Williams march down the walkway and slowly make their way to the ring like heavily armed tanks as fans try to reach out to them from seats nearby.
As the two get into the ring and take off their jackets to reveal their red singlets, the music for Salman Hashimikov and Victor Zangiev plays as the two make their way to the ring with Soviet wrestling tracksuits over their blue singlets. Hashimikov and Zangiev have an air of confidence as they enter the ring and we are treated to the ring introductions by Furuta before the bell sounds and a highly anticipated match gets underway.
Hashimikov and Zangiev talk briefly, and Hashimkov appears to be the first representative of the two Soviet wrestlers. Williams seems to convince Gary Albright to let him go first, and Hashimikov and Williams face off to start the match. The crowd cheers as they square each other up, and they lock up quickly as Williams backs Hashimikov into the ropes before quickly breaking off as Masami Soranaka orders a clean break. They clinch again in the middle of the ring before Williams sends Hashimikov flying into the air with a side suplex which seemingly turns into an uranage.
Williams tries to get control of Hashimikov’s back but Hashimikov spins out and gets back on his feet quickly. The Chechen wrestler quickly ties up Williams’ arm for a side arm-drag takedown, which he tries to turn into an inverted armbar but “Dr. Death” easily fights his way out as he stands back up on his feet again. Williams gives Hashimikov a taste of his own medicine with a double-arm front suplex and Hashimikov has to have his head on a swivel as Williams fights to gain side control with the Chechen on his stomach. Williams gets a small gutwrench suplex off through a double under leg hook, but it doesn’t bother Hashimikov too much as he quickly gets back up. Steve Williams doesn’t relent though, and is quick to get Hashimikov back on the canvas with a swift double-leg takedown. Hashimikov and Williams grapple a bit on the canvas as Williams tries to get control of Hashimikov’s back again, but the Chechen smartly rolls near the ropes to get a clean break. Hashimikov, sensing the need to get back at Williams, quickly locks up with the American near the center of the ring and sends Williams flying backward for a massive overhead belly-to-belly suplex!
The crowd is awed at the display of strength from the Soviet and there’s another scramble on the canvas as the two super heavyweight wrestlers try to get supremacy on the canvas. They both sprawl as they each try to get a better position, and they find themselves back on their feet in short order. With a few minutes of heavy metal wrestling, they both decide to tag their partners in to get a well-deserved rest.
Zangiev and Albright lock up in the center of the ring and Zangiev immediately baits Albright into a low-angle Fireman’s Takeover slam. Zangiev fights for side control as he tries to get a grip on Albright’s arm for a simple but effective keylock. Albright struggles to fight out but finds himself in a tough spot and goes for an early rope break. The crowd continues to cheer both on and they clinch again in the center of the ring. This time, Albright gets the better of Zangiev and tosses him backward for an overhead belly-to-belly suplex! Albright maintains side control and looks for his own keylock attempt as Zangiev rolls out, but Albright keeps the pressure on his back and attempts a double wrist-lock instead, forcing Zangiev to go for the ropes to get even. With both back on their feet again, Zangiev goes for a low-angle ankle pick on Albright, but the PCW star smartly defends and exerts his strength to gain control of Zangiev’s back again on the canvas. Zangiev has to scramble quickly as Albright appears to look for a rear-naked choke, and Zangiev defends himself after rolling over on his back. Albright can’t seem to get the quicker Zangiev in his grasp as the Soviet freestylist fights his way back onto his feet. Zangiev and Albright keep at it and quickly lock horns again. This time, Albright takes control of Zangiev’s back and delivers a powerful German suplex, and Zangiev stumbles backward into the ropes he regains his footing on some wobbly legs. Albright comes back at him, but Zangiev reaches to tag in Hashimikov just in time. Hashimikov and Albright lock up for a bit, but neither can find the advantage enough to get much offense in. Albright chooses to tag in Williams and another encounter between “Dr. Death” and the Chechen ensures.
Williams mixes things up by throwing a few tentative palm strikes, but Hashimikov is undeterred and clinches with his opponent once again. Hashimikov hooks Williams’ leg and goes for a side-angle belly-to-belly suplex, which amps up the crowd further as Williams finds himself on the canvas, but the Oklahoman scrambles back to his feet quickly and returns the favor to Hashimikov with a similar suplex as Williams takes control of Hashimikov’s arm and attempts a standing armbar, forcing the Soviet to go for his first rope break. Hashimikov shows Williams that he can do a clever ankle pick too and takes him down again, but Williams does well to find his feet quickly and takes down Hashimikov back to the canvas with an arm-drag takedown.
The quick pace with these two is heating the match up as the crowd takes it all in. Hashimikov gets his own freestyle-esque arm takedown in and is quick to find William’s leg for a single-leg Boston crab. As Hashimikov remains on his feet and applies more torque, Williams is forced to go for his first rope break as well. Soranaka doesn’t need to do much here as they keep going at each other, and Hashimikov and Williams go through a test of strength as the two massive wrestlers hook their arms and push each other to their limits. Williams seems to get the better of this as he manages to lock in the positioning needed for big side suplex! Hashimikov turns to Zangiev and tags his fellow comrade back into the match.
Zangiev does his best to bait Williams into a trap, but the WCW man does well to avoid anything Zangiev has planned for him and instead goes for a single-leg takedown on his opponent. Williams appears to attempt an armbar, but Zangiev somehow reverses the hold and takes Williams down to the canvas, where he finds the same leg Hashimikov was working on earlier and applies a single-leg Boston crab! Williams appears agitated and quickly kicks Zangiev off him with brute strength as Zangiev looks a bit surprised. Zangiev and Williams lock up again, where Zangiev uses his quickness and technique to get Williams to the canvas, where Zangiev finds the spot needed to apply a cross-armbreaker, but Williams does well to fight him off and rolls through the submission attempt. There’s more of a back-and-forth between the two, and neither can seem to get the upper hand. With the two back on their feet, Zangiev attempts to send Williams flying again with a German suplex, but Williams reverses their positioning and finds Zangiev’s back for a German suplex of his own. Zangiev lands pretty hard on his head and appears a bit dazed, but Zangiev tags in Hashimikov before Soranaka can think about applying a ten count. Williams decides to tag in Albright to take a breather of his own.
Hashimikov squares up with Albright, and Albright grapples with Hashimikov as he pushes him into a turnbuckle to corner him. Albright utilizes some knee strikes to soften his opponent up and takes control of Hashimikov’s back for another German suplex.
Albright maintains control of Hashimikov’s back as they go back to the mat, and the two engage in some slow, methodical grappling as Hashimikov attempts to fight off a wristlock from Albright. Albright continues to control Hashimikov on the mat and appears to lock in a headlock variation, but Hashimikov slithers his way out and scrambles to the ropes to get Albright’s weight off him. Clearly a bit fatigued, Hashimikov is a bit more tentative as Albright keeps the pressure on him. Albright attempts to get another sleeper hold on Hashimikov, but Hashimikov deploys a Judo-esque takedown and converts it into a cross-armbreaker attempt, and Albright is quick to find the ropes as Hashimikov begins to extend the arm. It appears Hashimikov gets a bit of a second wind here as he manages to outmuscle Albright for an overhead suplex. Hashimikov and Albright struggle on the canvas some more, but neither can lock in a submission attempt. Finally, Albright finds control of Hashimikov’s back again and executes an amazing deadlift German suplex on his opponent, which heats up the crowd quite a bit. Albright continues to hunt for Hashimikov’s back and locks in a full-nelson, which makes Hashimikov scramble to the ropes once again to find some salvation. The Chechen is quick to tag back in Zangiev.
If the Soviets needed a change in momentum, Zangiev provided it by swiftly going for Albright’s leg for a single-leg takedown. With the Nebraskan on his back, Zangiev goes for a neck crank on Albright, who has to fight his way out of the painful hold. Zangiev maintains control on the canvas and works for a simple but effective toe hold as he utilizes some of his SAMBO background to mix things up. Albright has to exhaust another rope break to avoid further trouble, and quickly gets back up as Zangiev follows. At this point, the crowd realizes that both Albright and Hashimikov are one fall down, giving both teams an even score of 1-1. Perhaps both men realize this as well, and they quickly grapple in the middle of the ring again. Zangiev gets a clever headlock takedown on his opponent and tries to lock in a kneeling chokehold, but Albright reaches out and tags Williams in! Steve Williams quickly takes it to Zangiev, and executes a swift but devastating spinebuster on Zangiev as the Soviet representative attempts to defend himself from the charging “Dr. Death.” Zangiev is slow to get up, and this prompts the first ten count of the match from Soranaka, but Zangiev wills himself back to his feet before too long. Williams has some confidence in him as the score is now 2-1 in favor of the Americans.
Zangiev chooses to tag in Hashimikov, who has regained his strength and the Chechen is quick to challenge Williams again as they go at it and shove each other like rampaging bulls. Williams pushes Hashimikov into the ropes, but the burly Soviet is quick to lock his arms around William’s waist to take him down back to the canvas with a waistlock takedown. Williams briefly gets a full mount on Hashimikov and he throws several palm strikes, but Hashimikov rolls out of danger and turtles up, forcing Williams to change position. Williams attempts to get a gutwrench on Hashimikov, but he is somehow able to fight to his feet and challenges Williams as the crowd senses the time limit approaching. First, we get a 20:00 call, and for the next five minutes, Hashimikov and Williams go at it with everything they have. They each get a German suplex on each other, but neither relents. Next, we get a 25:00 call. They are still going at it! Hashmikov senses the urgency needed to even up the score and is able to lock up with Williams again. This time, Hashimikov lifts Williams over his shoulder for his trademark move, the Water Wheel Drop! The crowd meets the moment of the match, and the apex audibly fills Nippon Budokan when Hashimikov lifts Williams over his shoulder and slams him to the canvas backward. Hashimikov regains his composure and quickly realizes that Williams is facing a ten count after taking too long to recover for Soranaka’s liking. Williams takes his time to find his feet, grabbing the ropes as if one of his knees is bothering him. The score is now 2-2, and we get a 28:00 call as both men decide to tag in their partners for the last two minutes. Zangiev and Albright try everything they can to put their team in a better position. Zangiev gets another ankle pick on Albright and appears to have the American right where he wants him on the canvas, but time soon expires. All four men look clearly exhausted as they converse in their respective corners with the crowd appreciative of the match they just witnessed. The crowd is informed that both teams are tied on points and that each has exhausted an equal number of rope breaks. With that, they are informed that the UWF Newborn committee is now discussing to determine the official result. The WOWOW camera pans to the judges’ panel, with a red-suited Billy Robinson leading the discussions.
The WOWOW commentary team continues to discuss the match and go through replays as discussions continue. It doesn’t drag on too much, but the wait probably seemed like an eternity for the eager fan. Masami Soranaka and Nobuyuki Furuta, the ring announcer, are called over to ringside by the three UWF committee members, and Billy Robinson converses with them briefly. After that, Soranaka returns and calls both teams over to the center of the ring, where they stand with Soranaka separating them as we await the official result from Nobuyuki Furuta….the Soviets have it by split decision! Hashimikov & Zangiev defeat Williams & Albright via decision (30:00).
Williams and Albright seem exasperated by the decision, and the cameras catch them laughing a bit as they lean over the ropes and come to terms with the result. Perhaps they feel a little bit of home cooking helped the Russians? The WOWOW commentary team agree that they were a bit surprised, and expected a draw, but that the Soviets were able to turn the tide of the match at the end and Zangiev was able to get Albright and Williams in moments of danger on the canvas. Williams and Albright turn around and have a bit of a staredown with the Russians. Hashimikov offers to shake hands….and the two sides agree to the display of sportsmanship. Perhaps this won’t be the only time we see these two teams lock up again. The crowd certainly wants to see it again as they applaud both teams, both walking back to backstage their separate ways. Albright has his hands on his waist as Williams pats him on the back before they disappear behind the curtains and the camera cuts back to the ring.
Akira Maeda vs Nobuhiko Takada
The crowd is amped up and highly anticipating the match. Nobuyuki Furuta stands in the center of the ring and announces the next match is the main event. “Captured” by Camel plays in the arena as Akira Maeda comes out to a thunderous ovation. As is usual, the crowd chants “Ma-e-da! Ma-e-da!” In cadence with the tune. Fans crowd the seats near the aisle way as they attempt to get a glimpse of their hero or at least one of their heroes. The last part is important to emphasize because as soon as Maeda enters the ring and takes off his track jacket, Nobuhiko Takada’s theme plays and Takada comes out to perhaps an equally loud reception as Maeda’s challenger makes it clear he also has plenty of fans. Takada marches his way to the ring, and with both men standing in their respective corners, Furuta makes the ring introductions and the first meeting between the “twin stars” of UWF is quickly underway as soon as the bell sounds.
Maeda checks Takada early with a high kick that hits Takada’s arm, and Takada quickly brushes it off. Maeda keeps the distance with some low kicks aimed at Takada’s ankles, but they don’t bother his opponent too much. Takada steps up to trade some tentative kicks with Maeda, and the two continue to test each other’s reach and strength. Maeda and Takada think about locking up with each other and extend their arms, but they back off as they fail to establish any sort of supremacy. Maeda finally finds an angle to take down Takada with a waistlock drag, but Takada quickly finds his way back to his feet and Maeda follows suit.
The crowd applauds both as they reset and measure each other up again. Maeda throws harder high kicks and mixes it up with some palm strikes, and he backs Takada into a corner, but Takada comes right back and takes down Maeda to the canvas by catching one of his high kicks. Takada establishes side control on Maeda’s back as Maeda turtles up, and Takada methodically looks for a wristlock until he backs off and decides to take the match back to the stand-up side. Takada throws a wild kick as Maeda gets up, but misses, eliciting an “oooh!” from the crowd. Maeda keeps his focus and continues to check Takada hard with more powerful kicks. Takada answers back with a right kick of his own and it catches Maeda in the face, and Maeda visibly recoils at the impact, but quickly regains his composure as the crowd reacts excitingly again. Furuta calls out the 5:00 mark.
Takada throws a series of hard kicks, but Maeda catches one of them to push Takada down to the canvas and comes right back with a series of low kicks as Takada tries to get up. Maeda and Takada get into a quick brawl as they throw wild strikes and the crowd eats it up, but they quickly slow things down again and Maeda gets Takada into a headlock, getting his opponent to the canvas with a side-headlock throw. Maeda quickly tries to look for a wristlock but Takada fights hard to keep his arm locked in place. Maeda switches things up and attempts a cross-armbreaker, which Takada tries to bridge out of as Maeda extends his arm. Takada does well to escape and there’s an extended scramble on the canvas as Maeda tries to regain the cross-armbreaker, but to no avail. They continue to grapple on the canvas, with both engaging in methodical counterwork to try and maintain control and positioning. Maeda works his way for another wristlock attempt, and this time he gets enough of it to force Takada to the ropes for the first rope break of the match. As Takada gets to his feet, we get the 10:00 call.
Takada offers to grapple with Maeda again and extends his arm out as a gesture of goodwill. Takada quickly adjusts his body to execute a Judo throw, and Maeda finds himself defending Takada’s side control. Takada appears to be hunting for a kimura, as Maeda tries his best to keep his opponent from snagging the hold. Instead, Takada switches to a keylock attempt and quickly tries to exert enough pressure to give Maeda something to think about. Despite Takada’s best attempts, Maeda does well to avoid having to go to the ropes during another extended struggle on the canvas. Both men find themselves back up on their feet, and a wild striking exchange ensues over the next minute as both Takada and Maeda exchange powerful strikes to the delight of the crowd. Takada appears to be a bit staggered after Maeda lands a series of high kicks, and Masami Soranaka can be heard saying “down! down!” on the ring microphone, but Takada fights through his rubbery legs. Perhaps through adrenaline, Takada fires back and lands some sharp lower-body punches on Maeda. Maeda answers back with a sharp knee to Takada’s head, followed by a well-timed kick to the head to finally send Takada to the canvas. Takada faces the first ten count of the match but answers back relatively quickly. The crowd urgers both on, with things seemingly evenly split in terms of support. Maeda quickly applies more pressure on Takada, softening him up with some lower-body punches before taking him down to the canvas with a quick overhead snap bodyslam. After some struggle, Maeda eventually locks in a Fujiwara armbar, and Takada is forced to the ropes again despite his fans urging him on. With the second rope break for Takada, the match now stands at 2-0 for Maeda.
Akira Maeda hasn’t made a name for himself by not being merciless with his opponents, and he demonstrates the rougher edge that has made him famous by continuing to boss the weakened Takada around with knees to the body and more high kicks. Takada doesn’t have much time to recover as he tries to fight off Maeda’s relentless pressure. Maeda continues to punish Takada, and the continuing knees and high kicks to the head finally send Takada down to the canvas for the second time. Maeda, with a 3-0 lead, looks at Takada while striking an intimidating pose. Furuta continues the ten count until Takada finds his feet at around the count of 7. Just when the crowd might have thought Takada was letting this match slip away from him, he somehow finds his footing and….WHAM! Maeda is caught by a ferocious right kick from Takada that connects with the skull of his opponent, and the crowd erupts as Maeda goes down to the canvas for the first time. Furuta starts another 10 count, and Maeda has to regain his composure quickly as he wonders what just happened. Maeda responds by the count of 8. The match now stands at 3-1, still in favor of Maeda.
Not resting on his laurels, Takada goes back to work by taking Maeda back to the canvas with a single-leg takedown. Takada tries to catch Maeda’s arm for another cross-armbreaker, but Maeda is able to focus and fight off Takada’s attempt. They go back to their feet, and Maeda holds onto Takada’s leg as he tries to throw his opponent off-balance, but Takada slaps Maeda hard across the face! Maeda appears to try for a Capture suplex, but Takada fights out of Maeda’s grasp and takes him back down to the canvas with a knee grab. There are dueling leglock exchanges as they try to establish momentum on the canvas, and Maeda appears to have Takada’s knee better than Takada does with one of his own. The crowd continues to eat up the moment as chants for both Takada and Maeda break out. Maeda applies enough pressure to send Takada to the ropes again. With another rope break exhausted, Takada throws everything he has at Maeda and lands several high kicks, knee strikes, and lower-body punches before Maeda falls to the canvas for the second time. Furuta calls out another 10 count, and Maeda responds again to find his footing. Takada continues to come at Maeda like a machine, clearly in the zone as he fires off several more high kicks. Maeda tries to answer back, but Takada counters with another high kick that catches Maeda on the head. UWF’s “promoter” falls to the canvas again, and the match is tied 3-3 as Maeda has to respond to yet another 10 count. The crowd is going absolutely wild.
Maeda appears to be quite out of it at this point, and Takada senses his opportunity to continue his momentum. He grapples with Maeda for a quick belly-to-belly suplex and establishes control of Maeda’s back as he locks in a rear-naked choke. Maeda’s fans urge him on and Maeda finds enough strength to go for the ropes for the first time in the match. They continue to go at it back on their feet, and Maeda somehow finds Takada’s back for his own rear-naked choke attempt. Takada eventually fights his way out though, and finds Maeda’s legs for a single-leg Boston crab! With Takada desperately trying to apply enough pressure, Maeda has no choice but to go for the ropes….but Takada pulls him back! Maeda’s fans are desperate, and perhaps their desperation gives Maeda the strength to go for the ropes again…this time he manages to reach them. Takada takes the lead at 4-3!
Maeda is gassed at this point, and he seems to be a bit dazed as Takada quickly ties him up for a huge side suplex. Maeda hits the canvas hard and Takada looks for another double wristlock attempt. Maeda tries to fight his way out, but Takada turns it into a chicken-wing crossface as he takes Maeda’s back again. Perhaps with Bob Backlund still in mind. Maeda has no choice but to reach for the nearest ropes next to him, and Maeda is down to his final rope break. The crowd senses the climax of the match approaching, and Maeda is on his last legs….or is he? He somehow finds the strength to hook up Takada for a massive Capture suplex and Maeda’s fans go crazy. Takada is a bit slow finding his footing, and Soranaka promptly calls for another 10 count…and we are tied at 4-4 going into the homestretch! Takada eventually finds his bearings, but just in the nick of time. Furuta reaches the count of 9.
With both perhaps running low on energy, they give the next minute everything they have. They trade high kicks, low kicks, body punches, you name it. In the midst of this, we have the 20:00 call from Furuta. Fans of both men are about to blow the roof off the Nippon Budokan. Maeda appears to have the upper hand as he connects a high kick on Takada’s head…but then Takada fires back with some high kicks of his own! One connects, then another…and the third finally brings Maeda down! Maeda’s legs turn to rubber and Maeda has no clue where he is as he desperately tries to get back on his feet, but it is too late. Takada scores the final knockdown of the match and wins via TKO! Takada jumps on the nearest turnbuckle to celebrate his victory, and Nippon Budokan has 14,500 screaming fans who just witnessed a classic! Takada defeats Maeda via TKO, 20:40
Nobuhiko Takada continues to celebrate his epic come-from-behind victory as Akira Maeda recovers. The crowd chants “Ta-ka-da! Ta-ka-da! Ta-ka-da!” as the victor celebrates in front of all sections of the crowd. Maeda approaches Takada and they briefly shake hands, but there is an air of competitiveness from Maeda who seems to signal that they will meet again very soon. Maeda leaves the ring for Takada to take in his moment, as he has earned it.
The WOWOW commentary team recaps the match and they signal that Takada’s kick from out of nowhere may have changed the course of the match. Maeda is shown backstage and he gives a brief interview, saying that Takada surprised him tonight and that he was the better opponent. However, Maeda claims that Takada should be more prepared next time as he is certain he can even the score. After Maeda’s interview, the WOWOW commentary team recaps the other matches and events from the night, including Lou Thesz’s surprising announcement about the U-Comos Grand Prix and its conclusion on December 31st at the Tokyo Dome. They promote next month’s event on February 27th in Tokushima, and they give the viewing audience a tasty preview as they announce two rematches are already booked for the show. Bob Backlund vs Nobuhiko Takada and Volk Han vs Akira Maeda! We get rolling credits to Queen’s “We Will Rock You” as we close out the evening’s live broadcast.
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