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Fighting Network RINGS - "Mega Battle Tournament 1996: Second Round" November 22nd, 1996 Osaka-jō Hall Osaka, Japan Attendance: 8,068 Lenne Hardt welcomes everyone to tonight's event and introduces the competitors one by one, with large receptions for Akira Maeda, KiyoshI Tamura, Yoshihisa Yamamoto, Kazushi Sakuraba, Yoshihiro Takayama, Volk Han, and Frank Shamrock. Ricardo Morais gets a strong welcome as well. The WOWOW commentators recap last month's events and highlight tonight's tournament matches and the story behind tonight's main event with Akira Maeda attempting to get revenge on Ricardo Morais for squashing Yamamoto in August. We see tonight's tournament competitors getting ready backstage before the first match. Akihiro Gono vs Rumina Sato A fun opener to get the crowd going. Gono and Sato have a high-paced match that demonstrates the athletic ability of both. There’s a ton of quick counterwork and smooth transitions here, with both not willing to give an inch to their opponent. While mostly a display of fine grappling, Gono’s striking causes Sato some issues at times, with Gono getting an early 4-1 lead on Sato after two knockdowns. Sato keeps the pressure on Gono though, and eventually retakes the lead at 5-4 after Sato establishes control on the canvas. By the 11:00 mark, Sato is in clear control and wins the match after he submits Gono with a flying armbar that gets a very good reception from the crowd. Sato defeats Gono via submission (flying armbar), 11:41 Naoyuki Taira vs Caol Uno Taira and Uno pick up where the previous match left off, and go at it for 10 minutes plus with non-stop action. Taira’s striking is on top form, but Uno answers right back with some solid counters, and the match is tied 4-4 within the first few minutes with both trading some surprising knockdowns. Taira and Uno also go at it on the canvas, and they are evenly matched here as well with Taira using his experience to catch Uno off guard, as the young Shooto prospect mostly relies on his athletic skills. Regardless, Uno eventually catches Taira with a very smooth rolling takedown, and he quickly transitions into a kneebar which causes Taira to tap. Uno defeats Taira via submission (rolling kneebar), 10:22 Yoshihiro Takayama vs Dick Vrij Takayama continues his great form as he gives Dick Vrij everything he can handle. The Dutch kickboxing maestro is unable to exert his will on Takayama, who mixes his strong striking skills with some nasty suplexes. Dick Vrij grows increasingly flustered and throws some very stiff knee strikes. One of them appears to catch Takayama square in the face and a bit of blood comes pouring out a cut above his left eye. Takayama gets treated by the cutman, and quickly goes back to work on Vrij, returning Vrij’s medicine with a vicious combo of stiff palm strikes and punches to the stomach. Vrij is dazed and is caught in a Maeda-esque Capture suplex from Takayama and the referee calls for a 10-count. Leading the match at 6-2, Takayama decides to take Vrij to the canvas, who is unable to defend himself from a well-timed Katahajime from Takayama. Takayama defeats Vrij via submission (Katahajime), 11:04 Yoshihisa Yamamoto vs Sanae Kikuta Sanae Kikuta has been on a roll and possibly fought himself into the Mega Battle Tournament with his impressive wins earlier, but Yamamoto is a tougher challenge. Kikuta isn’t intimidated though, and puts the pressure on Yamamoto early but getting him to the canvas. Yamamoto is a good grappler in his own right, but Kikuta has proven himself to be quite effective in this department and makes Yamamoto go to the ropes early in the match. Yamamoto finds himself trying to fight from behind again, and this is perhaps his strong suit. With each passing minute, Yamamoto gets more fire in him and throws stiffer palm strikes as Kikuta puts him to the test in the striking game as well. Yamamoto also begins to figure out Kikuta’s movement on the canvas and fights for openings better, especially as Kikuta makes the mistake of getting into a leg lock battle with Yamamoto, who is a bit of a veteran when it comes to that in RINGS. The match is tied at 5-5 in points by the 12:00 mark after a further exchange in rope breaks by both, and the last two minutes see Yamamoto and Kikuta give a very strong performance from the crowd as they exchange more strikes and both teeter on the brink of a knockout. Kikuta tries to clinch with Yamamoto to buy more time as exhaustion sets in, but Yamamoto fires back with Muay Thai knee strikes followed up by a nice combo of palm strikes. Kikuta stumbles to the canvas and the referee begins the 10 count. Kikuta can’t find his legs before the referee reaches the magic number, giving Yamamoto the victory! Yamamoto defeats Kikuta via KO, 14:13 Kiyoshi Tamura vs Kazushi Sakuraba As expected, these two are right at it as the crowd becomes very lively for a highly anticipated matchup between two rivals from UWFi. Tamura and Sakuraba pick up where they left off several months ago, and engage in a terrific grappling contest where the counterwork and transitions on the canvas are top-notch. Sakuraba and Tamura know each other very well, and neither gets control of the match as they read each other’s moves like the back of their hand. The pace keeps up for the next few minutes, and the crowd eats up every moment. It appears both of these competitors are willing to use the ropes for a break, perhaps to please their egos. Sakuraba is finally able to get Tamura to go for the ropes around the 6:00 mark after he smartly goes for a heel hook and gives Tamura something to think about. Tamura gets fired up and lures Sakuraba into a striking contest as he shows off very sharp kicks and knee strikes in the clinch. Sakuraba fights his way through, avoiding a knockdown, and reminds Tamura that he knows a thing or two about kicking as well. The match continues to be a back-and-forth affair, with Tamura getting the score even at 1-1 after he tries to catch Sakuraba in a guillotine choke near the ropes. Tamura establishes more control of the match on the canvas, getting Sakuraba to slow down a bit as he looks for control of Sakuraba’s back more often. Sakuraba tries to scramble when needed, but Tamura has a better read on him this time. The minutes add on, and it feels like Tamura can’t quite get Sakuraba where he needs him, but a moment of magic comes around the 15:00 mark. Sakuraba attempts to turtle up and get Tamura in a roll, but Tamura doesn’t relent and stays on top of Sakuraba. As Sakuraba tries to roll through, Tamura comes along with him and ends up locking him in a rear-naked choke at the end of the move. Sakuraba struggles to get the ropes and begins to think about passing out instead of tapping, but for some reason he relents and taps the canvas, giving the referee a signal to end the match. Tamura jumps up and celebrates, and the two begrudgingly shake hands afterward. Tamura defeats Sakuraba via submission (rear-naked choke), 15:31 On the WOWOW broadcast, there's a break in between matches as the commentators go over the recent SAMBO World Championships event in Japan, which leads into a highlights package: Volk Han vs Tsuyoshi Kohsaka Kohsaka and Han meet again for the third time this year, and Kohsaka immediately takes it to Volk Han with an opening flurry of palm strikes. Volk Han avoids most trouble here and prepares for a scrappy contest with the up-and-coming native RINGS star. Han catches Kohsaka on the counter and slips behind his opponent for a standing shime-waza (strangulation technique). Kohsaka goes down to the mat as Volk Han drags him down, but he quickly turns out of the hold and finds his way out of it. Kohsaka and Volk Han stand back up, and Kohsaka continues to put pressure on his Dagestani opponent by throwing a variety of strikes. Volk Han catches one of these strikes and surprises Kohsaka again by getting him in a standing double-wrist-lock, but Kohsaka counters with a sweet hand-wheel throw that lands Volk Han squarely on his head. A bit shocked, Volk Han tries to buy some time as he gets Kohsaka in a kneebar on the canvas, but the hold is weak and since both are near the ropes, the referee stands them both back up. The match continues with a fired-up Kohsaka continuing to apply pressure on Volk Han whenever he gets the chance, with Volk Han trying to catch his opponent with a surprise hold or two that Kohsaka works his way out of, leading to a 2-0 lead for Volk Han at the halfway point. Volk Han catches a kick from Kohsaka, which he turns into an inverted kneebar as Kohsaka is caught in the middle of the canvas. Kohsaka tries to work his way out of this, even with Volk Han’s attempt at a leg-lock and neck-crank combination hold. Kohsaka and Volk Han scramble on the canvas more, leading to a cross-armbreaker attempt from Kohsaka, which sends Volk Han to the ropes and gives Kohsaka his first point of the match. Kohsaka and Volk Han stand back up, and Kohsaka promptly hits Volk Han with a gut punch to the stomach. Volk Han keels over and the referee starts a 10 count, but Volk Han finds his footing before the 8 count. Kohsaka continues to apply the pressure though, and delivers a series of sharp knee strikes to Volk Han’s abdomen. Volk Han is knocked back down for another 10 count! Volk Han beats the count again but now faces a 5-2 deficit against Kohsaka. Volk Han, working from behind now, loses a bit of steam as Kohsaka continues to rack up the points with a cross-armbreaker attempt near the ropes, and Han is again forced to expend a point by using the ropes. It is now 6-2 Kohsaka 10:00 mark. Volk Han, of course, is a magician and finds a way. As Kohsaka attempts to take him down for a reverse-scarf hold, Volk Han turns his body and gets his patented gyaku-ude-garami (entangled armlock) for the submission victory! Kohsaka looks on in frustration as Volk Han celebrates. Han defeats Kohsaka via submission (entangled armlock), 10:27 Frank Shamrock vs Nikolai Zouev In another grappling masterclass, Zouev and Shamrock put on a clinic from the start. Zouev is a perfect foil for Shamrock, and both take joy in finesse. Zouev aims for Shamrock’s legs for the first few minutes, choosing to use leglock entries and takedowns whenever the opportunity arises. Shamrock remains patient and avoids most trouble by using his awareness to avoid any sudden submissions. Shamrock, recognizing that striking is probably Zouev’s main weakness, chooses to engage on that front after an extended scramble on the canvas. Zouev has trouble blocking Shamrock’s sharp palm strikes and low kicks and mainly plays defense here. By the halfway point, neither competitor has opted to use the ropes or score a knockdown in another tense stalemate. Shamrock steadily builds a 2-0 lead after Zouev begins to tire out, and scores a cross-armbreaker attempt near the ropes which Zouev promptly chooses to reach for. Zouev scores a point on Shamrock after catching him off-guard with a kani-basami (flying leg takedown), which he turns into a heel hook. With a 2-1 lead, Shamrock begins to apply the pressure on Zouev. Zouev’s defense is pretty good and gives Shamrock some trouble on the canvas again as he continues to look for leglock attempts, but Shamrock works his way for a guillotine choke and gets the submission victory over his RINGS Russia opponent. Shamrock defeats Zouev via submission (guillotine choke), 14:21 Akira Maeda vs Ricardo Morais Maeda comes out to a hero’s welcome to “Captured” by Camel as the boisterous crowd makes it known they are fully behind him for this challenge. Morais comes out next, and the muscular Brazilian Vale Tudo fighter seems focused on dispatching his opponent. After easily defeating Yoshihisa Yamamoto in August, Ricardo Morais comes in as a monster opponent for Akira Maeda. Morais is an imposing 6’8 figure, even for Akira Maeda. Maeda, who has both knees bandaged up, leaves a bit wanting in comparison to the fitness levels of Morais. In any case, Maeda immediately brings it to Morais with a series of low kicks. Morais, without gloves this time, fires back with punches aimed at Maeda’s abdomen. Maeda seems flustered as Morais pressures him. Maeda seems to be on the back foot for the first part of the match as Morais manages to get him down to the canvas, and Morais uses his frame to keep Maeda working from underneath as Maeda is unable to get much going. Morais is happy to tire Maeda out by keeping him moving and doesn’t spend much energy to go for any submissions except for a collar choke. Maeda has to go to the ropes as the pressure Morais puts on his neck isn’t particularly dangerous, but it is very annoying. It doesn’t take long for Morais to come back at Maeda again, putting more pressure on him with a combo of low punches and palm strikes to the face. One of them catches Maeda dead on and Maeda stumbles back a bit, clearly stunned. Morais gets a clinch on his opponent and delivers a few Muay Thai knee strikes for good measure. Maeda stumbles down to the canvas and Morais gets his first knockdown to make the match 3-0 at around the 8:00 mark. The crowd rallies behind Maeda and chants his name as he beats the 10 count by the count of 7. Maeda is beginning to look like he is gassed and tentatively offers some low kicks to test Morais’ reach. It doesn’t look good for Maeda, and Morais lowers his guard in a moment of confidence. Maeda suddenly catches Morais right in the head with a superbly timed high kick! Morais falls to the canvas in a heap and is out cold! Ryogaku Wada doesn’t even bother to start a 10 count and immediately calls for the bell. The crowd erupts in joy as Maeda celebrates his stunning victory with a vicious high kick. “MA-E-DA! MA-E-DA! MA-E-DA!” fills the arena as some of Maeda’s RINGS Japan stablemates come into the ring to celebrate with him. Adilson Lima, Morais’ cornerman, comes into the ring as the medical team checks on Morais, who doesn’t know where he is. Lima seems a bit livid and shoves his way to confront Maeda, and the two have a staredown before the RINGS Japan and RINGS Brazil guys can separate them. Maeda takes in his victory a bit more as Lima helps Morais to the back. Maeda defeats Morais via KO, 9:36 Maeda makes his way back behind the curtains as the commentators go over the match just unfolded and highlight Morais' overconfidence leading to the knockout. The commentators also discuss Lima confronting Maeda and the scuffle that unfolded after the match. They also discuss the other results from the evening and confirm the semi-finals that will take place next month with Yoshihisa Yamamoto going against Kiyoshi Tamura, and Volk Han meeting Frank Shamrock. They discuss Yamamoto recovering from his brutal loss against Morais, which Maeda just "avenged" and Volk Han meeting one of the world's best shootfighters in a real test for the Russian SAMBO master. We catch Maeda backstage as he praises Morais for the challenge he presented, but says that he was too arrogant and he needed to show the strength of RINGS Japan after Morais defeated his apprentice. He says Adilson Lima challenged him to a match and he accepted. It will take place next month and RINGS Brazil thinks they can walk into RINGS and tell him what to do. Maeda says they are wrong. The commentators say goodbye and the WOWOW credits roll to Queen's "Made in Heaven."

Tojo shows everyone he still has it at the expense of poor Bruno. JT Southern gets an impressive win to close the show. Another great episode of Music City wrestling with some interesting angles.

Who's the mysterious green man? That should be a very interesting question going into 1989. As always, great shows and a fitting conclusion to 1988 for PCW. Bret Hart going at it alone should also be interesting, but perhaps this is what he needs to boost his career... Scott Hall vs Barry Windham is a great match on paper. Can Scott Hall make a statement or will Windham put away another young hot shot?

Starrcade looks tremendous! Really looking forward to the World Tag Team title match in particular

Great promos from Arn Anderson and Flair. Crush vs Rick Martel and Arn Anderson vs Chris Benoit sounded like great matches. The main event delivered as expected. I appreciate the detail you put in those shows, it brings all of these unique characters to life.

Two great teams lined up for the Turkey Trot. I really like those lineups! I don't think anyone wants Jake Roberts to enter that "zone," so watch out! Thanksgiving Thunder looks like it will be a ton of fun. Thugs vs Heavenly Bodies should be a barn burner, and Moondogs vs Rock n' Roll Express in a "Bones on a poll" match is an interesting twist I did not see coming. Great job as usual with the very authentic flavor.

Special announcement: UWF Newborn is pleased to confirm that we have come to terms with Mr. Bob Backlund to appear at our events going forward, starting with our highly anticipated show in Osaka on December 22nd, which will take place at Osaka-Jo Hall. We expect this to be our largest crowd to date, with nearly 16,000 tickets sold as of publication. Mr. Backlund has formally accepted a challenge from Mr. Nobuhiko Takada and that match will be the main event. Mr. Backlund has also provided the following statement: "I've been hearing a lot about this new promotion in Japan which calls itself UWF Newborn. Everyone knows that I appreciate scientific wrestling and seek to challenge myself as a wrestler. A few weeks ago, I received a call from Mr. Akira Maeda and Mr. Billy Robinson, who offered me a chance to wrestle in UWF Newborn against Mr. Nobuhiko Takada. I told both gentlemen that I would consider their offer. I have thought about it, and believe this is a great opportunity to show the world that I am the best wrestler in the world. Mr. Takada sent me a personal note, issuing a direct challenge to me. Mr. Takada is someone I am familiar with. Many years ago when I was still working for the World Wrestling Federation, I traveled to Japan and met Mr. Takada, who was a young boy at the time. I knew he had a lot of potential then, and he proved that to me when Pacific Coast Wrestling worked with New Japan Pro Wrestling in recent years. Mr. Takada, you picked the wrong time to challenge me. I hope you train harder than you have in your entire life over the next few weeks because you will need it. When I am done with you, you will be crawling back to the UWF dojo!" Similarly, UWF Newborn is also pleased to announce we have reached an agreement with Mr. Joe Malenko, who has expressed interest in competing for UWF Newborn going forward. Mr. Joe Malenko has requested a match against Mr. Osamu Kido, which will also take place on December 22nd. We thank the fans for their continued support and promise more announcements over the coming weeks as we head towards our next event in Osaka. We would also like to thank Mr. Don Owen of Pacific Coast Wrestling for his hospitality and cooperation.

UWF Newborn will pick up Mark Rocco (Black Tiger, but will be wrestling under his real name) and Marty Jones to go along with him.

Gungslingers get a huge moment to open the show. What a win for them! Colon vs Tsuruta delivered as expected but Buzz Sawyer exploits a moment from weakness from Colon. That should be another good match. Zbyszko feared Orndorff and resorted to cheap tactics to keep a hold on the belt...BOOO indeed... The Guerreros put on another outstanding performance and give the fans their money's worth. Koloff retains the belt with a countout after playing things smart on the outside. Slaughter doesn't seem to be willing to give up his chase quite yet, but another excellent match to close the show. This event certainly delivered as expected! Great job.

I can see where you are coming from. I've always felt that UK and European wrestling has been overlooked for a long time in terms of historical significance.

Historically, I would argue that the UK should be considered the "center" of the wrestling universe as catch wrestling, which is what pro wrestling derived from, was created in the UK. Everything we see now has stemmed from that, including the divergence of classical catch contests into the type of "pro wrestling" we far familiar with today in North America (see "Gold Dust Trio"), which can be directly traced to the the arrival of catch wrestlers in the United States from Europe and the UK. Obviously, in the modern age, the US/Canada has become the center of wrestling operationally due to the presence of the biggest promotions in the world from the late 80s onwards.

Is that the one from 11/9/2003?

That was a fun show. Everything seems to flow seamlessly with the way you write and format these episodes. Kerry Von Erich and Terry Gordy are really heating things up and I can't wait for them to settle it in the ring. Looking forward to Title Night with the great card.

I would understand Ishii getting in if Tamura, Volk Han, Fujiwara, or Takayama got in before but that isn't the case so it leaves me mystified. Maybe he's just really influential for the voters who suddenly discovered NJPW in 2014? *shrug*

Blue Panther made me a wrestling fan when he appeared on all those Lucha tapes I watched when I was a kid so I'm super happy he finally got in. Almost makes up for the disrespect Fujiwara continues to get.

Another great episode of NWA Power. Benoit and Storm put on a potential classic and Ric Flair and Shane Douglas have a good main event. Bobby Fulton beats Terry Gordy but Gordy makes sure Fulton pays for it. Gordy might think his time is coming to an end and is desperately trying to cling on to relevance. Rob Van Dam and 2 Cold Scorpio have a great match as well. D-Lo-Brown vs Ric Flair should be interesting.

UWF Newborn – “Chiba Super Bout” November 16th, 1988 Tokyo Bay NK Hall Chiba, Japan Attendance: 7,000 (sold out) UWF's usual opening ceremony starts the show with each wrestler being introduced individually by Nobuyuki Furuta to the UWF theme. Maeda and Nielsen get loud pops, followed by Takada, Sayama, Fujiwara, Smiley, Vrij, and the Koslowski brothers in terms of similar reception (not necessarily in order). Maeda gets on a microphone and thanks the fans for coming. Maeda says that UWF is very honored to be the first wrestling event in the new Tokyo Bay NK Hall. Maeda promises a great show tonight and that he has been working very hard to make tonight's match against Don "Nakaya" Nielsen a reality. He puts over Nielsen as a dangerous opponent and that he hasn't forgotten their match in 1986. Sayama and Takada give opening remarks as well. Billy Robinson also gets a nice pop from the crowd after being introduced at ringside. Tatsuo Nakano vs Shigeo Miyato Miyato is very eager to get a win over Nakano after his opponent’s impressive performance against Wayne Shamrock a few weeks ago. While Miyato has won a match, he hasn’t found the same luck or momentum Nakano has. Nakano continues where he left off and opens the match by delivering a series of very stiff palm strikes against Miyato. Miyato has to adjust quickly or risk an embarrassing knockout just a minute into the match and decides to clinch onto Nakano for dear life. Miyato gets a bit of a bear hug on Nakano and does everything he can to pull Nakano to the canvas. This is where Miyato establishes himself in the match, and he manages to pull Nakano into what is mainly a grappling affair on the canvas for the first half of the bout. Nakano’s grappling abilities aren’t too bad either, but Miyato displays a bit more urgency and refined ability as the two exchange rope breaks and submission attempts to bring the match to a score of 1-1 by the 7:00 mark. Neither wrestler is particularly flashy with their grappling so far, as they opt for patience and efficiency over speed. Miyato is just a bit better at the moment and Nakano realizes that he has to get back to striking if he wants to retake control of the match. Nakano scrambles as Miyato attempts to get control of his back and finds his way back to his feet. Miyato quickly has to go into defense as Nakano begins to throw hands again. Miyato weathers out the storm and finds an opening or two to fire back at his opponent, and Nakano is caught a bit off-guard. Both begin to add more spice to the match as they continue to exchange palm strikes and kicks. Nakano attempts to shift the momentum by hitting a German suplex on Miyato, but Miyato fights through the pain and smartly gains control of Nakano’s legs by wrapping them with his own. Nakano is pulled back to the canvas and has to resume a grappling contest with Miyato. Miyato eventually gets the better of Nakano and wins a leg-lock battle by snagging in a kneebar. Yuji Shimada calls for the bell after Nakano taps in frustration. Miyato defeats Nakano via submission (kneebar), 14:22 Masakatsu Funaki vs Naoki Sano Sano and Funaki waste no time in this match as they immediately get to work and the opening minutes of the match feature excellent displays of grappling and striking. Funaki appears to get the better of Sano with well-timed palm strikes, particularly a spinning back fist that catches Sano off-guard. Sano gets Funaki to spend more of his time on the canvas and keeps him busy by aiming for submission attempts whenever the opportunity presents itself. Sano’s counterwork also gives Funaki fits as Funaki tries to go on the offense but constantly finds himself dealing with Sano’s quickness and better positioning, at least so far. Funaki grows into the match though, and begins to find himself predicting Sano’s approach to the match better. Sano loses control of the grappling contest and scrambles out of an attempt by Funaki to get a Fujiwara armbar locked in. Sano tries to trade strikes with Funaki, but Funaki’s skill in this area is quickly getting better and better. Sano realizes this truth as Funaki knocks him down with a nice combo. Sano gets back up relatively quickly but finds himself in the same position a few minutes later as Funaki presses the advantage. Facing a 2-0 deficit, Sano throws a furious barrage of kicks as he tries to change the flow of the bout. Funaki’s defense works well here as he catches one of the kicks and quickly takes Sano down to the canvas as he quickly works in a heel hook. Sano manages to get the ropes, but it appears Funaki managed to cause a bit of pain as Sano struggles to get back up with a visible limp. Funaki, seeing an opening, quickly grabs Sano for a side suplex. Sano struggles to get a sense of where he is exactly and Funaki quickly transitions into a cross-armbreaker. Sano realizes he is in the middle of the ring and taps rather quickly. Funaki flexes the crowd and celebrates his victory as Sano evaluates how he lost control of that match. Funaki defeats Sano via submission (cross-armbreaker), 11:37 Norman Smiley vs Mark Fleming To no one’s surprise, a contest between two very good grapplers is mostly fought on the canvas, with Smiley and Fleming foregoing most opportunities to engage in a striking contest. Smiley is quicker and more willing to take risks as he looks for openings, but Fleming’s more traditional background allows him to control the tempo at times, and he seems to be waiting things out as Smiley expends his energy. This strategy seems to pay off at first as Fleming manages to find an Achilles hold after he slips out of Norman Smiley’s grasp and finds the back of his legs. This leads to the first rope break of the match. Grappling aficionados certainly get their money’s worth here as the two continue to trade rope breaks in a fine display of counterwork and positioning, and neither can maintain control of the match as their backgrounds prove to be very valuable in adjusting to their opponent’s approach. A 1-1 score doesn’t take long into a 2-2 score and Fleming finds himself working on Smiley’s leg again as he aims to take a 3-2 lead through a second rope break. Smiley tries to escape by distracting Fleming with a leg hook of his own, but Fleming has enough leverage to avoid falling into Smiley’s trap and rolls his opponent over for an inverted kneebar. Smiley has to go for the ropes quickly to avoid the sharp shooting pain in his right leg. With a 3-2 lead, Fleming seeks to continue his momentum by clinching with Smiley as he attempts to get his opponent into a suplex position. Smiley can’t do much as Fleming lifts him in the air for a beautiful German suplex, and the crowd feels the heavy thud in the center of the ring. Smiley quickly tries to dust himself off as he gets back to his feet, but Fleming keeps the pressure on and clinches with his opponent again. Smiley tries to work his way out of this predicament by leveraging himself out of Fleming’s grasp, but Fleming moves one of his knees forward for a series of sharp knee strikes, and the clinch is held as Smiley, knowing what is next, struggles to escape Fleming’s powerful hold. Fleming sets up Smiley for a double-underhook suplex and hits it as Smiley is sent flying through the air once again. The crowd seems pleased by Fleming’s display as Smiley begins to find his way back to his feet again. Fleming follows things up with a powerful shoulder charge. Smiley is knocked back to the canvas again and Ryogaku Wada begins a 10 count. Smiley takes some time to re-orient himself but he beats the count just in time. Fleming seems to be on the verge of winning the match with a 4-2 lead on points and presses his advantage. Lou Thesz’s student unleashes a rare display of striking as he pummels Smiley and tries to get control of his opponent’s back. Smiley leans over and turtles up, and somehow does a nice rolling move to reverse his position and gain control of Fleming’s legs from the rear! Fleming scrambles around in shock as Smiley begins to lock in a painful inverted Indian Deathlock. The ropes seem near to Fleming, but they grow further and further away as Smiley applies more pressure with his creative submission. The crowd is absolutely delighted as Fleming suddenly taps! Smiley pulls a rabbit out of his hat and gets the victory! Smiley defeats Fleming via submission (inverted Indian Deathlock), 15:44 Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Kazuo Yamazaki Fujiwara comes out to the largest reception of the day so far, and his opponent is someone whom he is very familiar with from their previous clashes in the first UWF and NJPW. The two competitors start things off with a quick pace as they exchange palm strikes, with Yamazaki adding sharp kicks to mix things up. Fujiwara opts to keep things simple and uses forearm uppercuts as well. Yamazaki moves as if he wants to avoid any extended grappling contests with Fujiwara, and scrambles quickly out of Fujiwara’s takedown attempts. Fujiwara keeps the pressure on and attempts to corner Yamazaki near one of the turnbuckles, hitting him with a flurry of strikes once again. Yamazaki has to cover up and clinches with Fujiwara to work his way out of the situation. After some more tussling in the middle of the ring, Fujiwara finally gets Yamazaki to the canvas and forces him to work from underneath. The veteran Gotch student gives Yamazaki fits and Yamazaki has to rely on using defense to avoid being submitted. Fujiwara attempts to get a double wrist lock, but Yamazaki manages to sweep his way out into a turtle position, where Fujiwara continues to look for an opening. The current exchange becomes a bit of a stalemate and Yamazaki does well to stall enough to get the referee to stand both back up. The match continues with a good pace, and both exchange knockdowns over the next few minutes. Both end up catching one another with well-timed counters, and the match is tied at 1-1 after Fujiwara uses one of his patented headbutts after ducking a high kick from Yamazaki, which sends his opponent back to the canvas. Yamazaki beats the count and gives it right back at Fujiwara, throwing flashy kicking combos as Fujiwara realizes it is his turn to play some defense. Yamazaki ends up having one of his kicks caught by Fujiwara and gets dragged back down to the canvas as Fujiwara looks for a heel hook. Another grappling exchange continues on the canvas, and Fujiwara eventually builds a 2-1 lead as Yamazaki continues to get outwrestled by the “Terrorist of Sapporo.” Yamazaki once again tries to re-establish control of the match through his striking skills, but Fujiwara catches another leg from Yamazaki and this time gets the positioning needed to finish the match with a Fujiwara armbar. Yamazaki is too far away from the ropes and is pinned to the mat by Fujiwara’s strength. The decision to tap is easy enough. Fujiwara celebrates his victory and Yamazaki nurses a tender arm. Fujiwara defeats Yamazaki via submission (Fujiwara armbar), 14:39 Dennis Koslowski & Duane Koslowski vs Chris Dolman & Gerard Gordeau (In order: Koslowski brothers, Gerard Gordeau, and Chris Dolman) The crowd is fired up for UWF Newborn’s first tag team match. As previously explained, all tag team matches in UWF Newborn will follow an elimination format, and each competitor has a maximum of three knockdowns instead of five. The Koslowskis come out in red and blue singlets to a good welcome from the audience, as the Americans have already made quite a few fans in Japan with their good looks and good fundamental skills. Dolman and Gordeau come out next, and Gordeau this time forgoes the kickboxing gloves and trunks for white Savate pants. The ring announcer explains the rules to the fans and we are soon underway as Motoyuki Kitazawa calls for the bell. Gordeau and Dennis Koslowski start things off with Gordeau throwing some very hard palm strikes to quickly demonstrate why he doesn’t need gloves. Koslowski is caught by some of them and doesn’t waste much time in clinching with his opponent to take the match to the canvas. Gordeau, while not totally incompetent, clearly does not prefer the grappling side of things. Dennis works in a shoulder lock and Gordeau scrambles his way to the ropes for his first rope break. Dennis doesn’t let off though, and quickly grabs onto Gordeau again as they stand up and lifts him for a high-angle German suplex. Gordeau doesn’t have much time to recover as Dennis immediately finds his back. Gordeau manages to roll over and sets up a guard as Koslowski tries to utilize his Greco-Roman knowledge to find a way through Gordeau’s defense. Gordeau lands a cheap but effective open palm strike on Dennis’ face, which forces the Olympian to back off and stand up, and signals to Gordeau to stand up as well and he doesn’t look too happy with the Dutchman. Gordeau is happy to oblige and smirks, and quickly decides to demonstrate his Savate striking skills but utilizing some well-timed kicks to Dennis’ legs. Dennis Koslowski tries his best to defend himself from the painful strikes, but Gordeau doesn’t relent and delivers another palm strike to Dennis’s face, which lands squarely on the nose. Dennis doesn’t seem happy as he wipes a bit of blood from his nose and decides to tag in his brother while Gordeau follows suit and tags in Dolman. The crowd already seems to think Gordeau is a little dirty! Dolman and Duane Koslowski lock up as Dolman is a bit more willing to grapple with an Olympic wrestler. Duane applies a lower Greco-Roman hold as Dolman tries to find a way to bring him down. Dolman manages to reverse Duane’s hold and brings him down with a nice Judo throw. Duane has to work from underneath as Dolman attempts to get a keylock on Duane, but Duane remains relatively calm and forces Dolman to relent with a nice display of defense. As Dolman continues to work from side control, Duane sweeps and establishes the top position. While the grappling isn’t particularly high-paced here, the level of detail and focus both men have draws a good reaction from the crowd as Duane attempts to get a double wrist lock on Dolman, but Dolman fights his way to his feet and Duane has to readjust. The two continue to forego most striking for grappling, and it’s a bit of a stalemate as Duane manages to show off some nice moves, but still can’t get any points on Dolman. They both decide to tag their partners back in after some fatigue sets in. Dennis and Gordeau face off again and this time, Dennis wants some payback. Gordeau starts throwing strikes but Dennis weathers the storm and slaps Gordeau hard across the face before locking him up for an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Gordeau is in a bad place as Dennis attempts to lock in a cross-armbreaker, although the Dutchman leverages his way out of danger. With his free hand, Gordeau claws Dennis in the face and seems to dig one of his fingers into Dennis’ eye! The crowd jeers at this blatant illegal move and Gordeau receives a yellow card from Motoyuki Kitazawa. Gordeau seems unbothered though, but quickly discovers the bad side of Dennis Koslowski’s temper as the American treats his opponent to a series of devastating suplexes, showing off a different variation for each one. Gordeau stumbles around after the third, and the referee calls for a count as Gordeau leans against the ropes. Gordeau finds himself in a similar spot a few minutes later after Dennis locks in a full-nelson suplex, which sends Gordeau flying backward again. With two knockdowns, Gordeau realizes he is in a bad spot and attempts to tag in Dolman but Dennis drags him back for another German suplex. This time, Dennis Koslowski finishes off Gordeau by picking up one of his legs for a standing ankle lock! Gordeau quickly taps as he is dragged to the center of the ring. Gordeau is eliminated from the match to the crowd’s delight and Dolman must now now contend with both Koslowski brothers on his own. The Dutch SAMBO specialist puts up a decent fight with Dennis and Duane, but he is eventually worn down by both. Dolman and Dennis Koslowski do have a nice stretch where they both show off some very nice wrestling skills, reversing several holds with smooth counterwork. To Dolman’s credit, he does get a point on Dennis as he manages to force him to the ropes for a second time with a kneebar attempt. Chris Dolman appears visibly fatigued now though, and Duane finishes off the match with a nice Judo throw of his own, which is quickly transitioned into a cross-armbreaker! Dolman decides to tap and the American duo celebrates their victory. Gordeau and Dolman shake hands with their opponents, but Dennis gives Gordeau the side eye as they depart. Billy Robinson seems to have a stern word with Gerard Gordeau and gives the thumbs-up to the Koslowski brothers. Dennis and Duane Koslowski defeat Chris Dolman and Gerard Gordeau (cross-armbreaker), 17:25 Satoru Sayama vs Yorinaga Nakamura Sayama faces his first Shooto student and a co-instructor at his gym. Nakamura knows the scale of the challenge before him and seems very eager to meet the moment. The two lock up with each other right away and Nakamura tries using his quickness and great sense of awareness to try and catch his teacher early, but Sayama uses his defense to prevent Nakamura from getting what he wants, namely a submission attempt. Sayama’s guard is enough to keep his student at bay and even slips in a counter as he catches Nakamura by surprise with a triangle choke. Nakamura doesn’t have much trouble getting out of it, and both stand back up as the crowd applauds for both. Sayama delivers a series of hard kicks, which Nakamura returns with some of his own and a heated striking battle erupts. It’s a bit of a stalemate as both Nakamura and Sayama aren’t able to get a knockdown or get their opponent on the back foot. Sayama finally gets the first knockdown after a jumping roundhouse, but Nakamura gets up quite quickly to beat the count. Both go back to the canvas relatively quickly, and Sayama looks to keep the pressure on by constantly going for Nakamura’s arm, which might have been hit hard by one of his kicks earlier. Nakamura has to get creative with his defense and uses his legs to trap Sayama into a leg variant of a neck crank. Sayama reaches for the ropes to avoid getting choked out and Motoyuki Kitazawa stands both back up again. There’s another great display of striking here, and Nakamura evens the score at 1-1 after returning the favor to Sayama with a nice jumping roundhouse of his own, which was preceded by a well-timed kick to Sayama’s abdomen. Sayama gets up to beat the count by 7 and quickly tries to trip up Nakamura with the patented tiger spin, but Nakamura is all too wise to Sayama’s tricks by the point and calmly grapples with Sayama on the canvas again. Nakamura goes up 2-1 after he sends Sayama to the ropes again with an Achilles lock attempt. Nakamura senses the momentum is in favor and continues to pressure Sayama by clinching with him to deliver sharp Muay Thai knee strikes. Nakamura does something a little surprising next by giving Sayama a shoot DDT! Sayama’s head bounces off the mat and this is enough to give Nakamura the opening he needs. Sayama struggles a bit and does his best to keep his eager student at bay, but Nakamura eventually grabs one of Sayama’s legs and stretches the other one out in a banana split submission. The crowd is a bit shocked at what is transpiring and they appear to be shocked even more as Sayama taps! An audible “oooooh” comes from the crowd but they give Nakamura a warm applause as he celebrates the huge upset over his former teacher. Nakamura gives Sayama the honor of bowing to him, which Sayama returns. Sayama raises Nakamura’s hand and tries his best to hide his disappointment in himself. Nakamura defeats Sayama via submission (Banana split), 18:17 Nobuhiko Takada vs Dick Vrij (Dick Vrij makes his entrance) Takada and Dick Vrij engage in a very frantic contest early on, with both showing off their excellent striking abilities. Dick Vrij goes toe-to-toe with Takada every step of the way, and the muscular Dutchman built like a cyborg moves like a stone-cold killer with his long black tights and ice blonde hair. Takada has his hands full and has to resort to attempting to take the match to the canvas, where he is a stronger grappler than Vrij. Vrij is decent here, but Takada knows he has to establish some control of the match here and moves diligently as he looks to get an early cross-armbreaker. Vrij clasps his hands together tight and prevents Takada from getting the submission attempt. Takada keeps moving and continues to try and find a limb to hook. Vrij stalls things enough to get the referee to stand both back on their feet. The crowd tries to motivate Takada as Vrij continues to deliver some very strong kicks, and after a prolonged striking contest, Takada finds himself facing a 2-0 deficit after Dick Vrij gets two knockdowns by the 8:00 mark. Takada begins to realize why Vrij has become one of the most formidable foreigners in UWF so far and begins to adjust the strategy in his head as the imposing Dutchman stares him down. Takada opts for more tactical low kicks instead of trying to trade power blows with Vrij, and it seems to work as he begins to throw off Vrij’s stance a bit and scores a series of well-timed strikes. This opens up the Dutch kickboxer enough so Takada can mix in the occasional palm strike as well. Takada appears to stun Vrij several times, but Vrij keeps coming back for more and Takada finds himself on the back foot again as Vrij adjusts to Takada’s approach and begins to throw in a variety of axe kicks and thrust kicks to beat Takada’s reach. Takada tries to fix this by grappling with Vrij, but Vrij’s Muay Thai kicks in the clinch are enough to give the Dutchman a third knockdown and a commanding 3-0 lead. Vrij celebrates, prematurely you could say, as Takada faces his third referee count from Masami Soranaka. Takada beats it by the count of 7 and immediately grapples with Vrij again, unafraid to face more of Vrij’s knee strikes. This time, Takada returns the favor and gets his first point as he sends Vrij to the canvas for the first time. The crowd grows excited and they cheer on Takada more and more. Quite an excellent match continues, and Takada takes Vrij to the canvas more often as time wears on, finding his groove as he steadily ties the match at 3-3 after a series of rope escapes from Vrij, who begins to find out Takada is a well-rounded wrestler. Vrij tries to stop the bleeding with a series of high kicks. Takada blocks and dodges, and grapples with Vrij to send the Dutchman flying backwards with a beautiful Dragon Suplex! Vrij lands on his head and becomes a bit stunned. Vrij opts to stand up and continue the fight, but leaves himself open to a devastating high kick from Takada! This time Vrij can’t beat the count and the referee counts to 10 as Vrij shows signs of life but stumbles around in a daze. Takada celebrates his victory as the crowd erupts and chants his name. Takada defeats Vrij via KO, 18:03 Akira Maeda vs Dan “Nakaya” Nielsen Similar to Maeda’s match with Gordeau last month, this will be fought under the UWF round system with five rounds of three minutes each. Nielsen comes out with long black kickboxing pants and black kickboxing gloves, while Maeda sticks to what he knows best with the usual gear. Round 1 – Nielsen and Maeda feel each other out, with both exchanging low kicks. Nielsen tentatively jabs at Maeda, but Maeda deals with most of those easily and ramps up the pressure as throws palm strikes that catch Nielsen a few times. Nielsen doesn’t seem troubled and throws a few kicks to Maeda’s abdomen. Both end up clinching towards the end of the round and Maeda tries to get Nielsen to the canvas, but Nielsen holds on to the ropes and avoids having to go to the ground with his opponent as the bell sounds. Round 2 – The pace picks up a little bit as Maeda goes on the offensive, but Nielsen becomes better at reading Maeda’s body language and strikes and throws a few solid counters with his hands, giving Maeda something to think about. The crowd is eating this up and is solidly behind Maeda, but Nielsen has some fans in the building as well and they make it known. Nielsen throws a roundhouse and Maeda stumbles backward into the turnbuckle. Nielsen immediately clinches with him and lands a few knee strikes, but Maeda is saved by the bell as he clearly needs a break. Round 3 - Maeda still appears to be a bit stunned from the last round and is more cautious as Nielsen continues to apply the pressure. The crowd becomes quite loud as Nielsen connects a few sharp punches on Maeda, but Maeda stays on his feet and Nielsen throws some kicks to try and cut down his opponent. Maeda throws some very weak kicks and tries to get something going but Nielsen clinches him with a standing guillotine and takes him down to the canvas. Nielsen’s basic guillotine choke doesn’t give Maeda too much trouble and this gives Maeda a chance to recover his energy. Masami Soranaka, the referee, stands both back on their feet after a brief moment. Nielsen throws a combo of kicks but Maeda catches one of these kicks and quickly grabs Nielsen for his trademark Capture suplex! Nielsen is taken to the canvas and Maeda quickly locks in cross-armbreaker but Nielsen uses his lanky frame to roll out of this and reach for the ropes. The bell sounds as the referee tells Maeda to break. Round 4 – Nielsen immediately opens the match with a well-timed high kick to Maeda’s skull, and this knocks Maeda down for Nielsen’s first knockdown! The crowd is in shock as Maeda appears to have no clue where he is and stumbles around. The referee reaches the count of 8…then 9….and Maeda manages to beat the count just in time as he somehow gets himself back to his feet and raises his fists. Soranaka makes sure Maeda is okay to continue and gets the men back in the center of the ring. Nielsen throws everything he has at Maeda as his fans urge him on, with the crowd swelling once again. Nielsen throws jabs, haymakers, kicks…whatever he has and Maeda bounces off the ropes but refuses to go down again. Nielsen gives Maeda a taste of his own medicine as he catches one of Maeda’s high kicks as his opponent attempts to get something again. Nielsen sweeps Maeda’s standing leg off the ground and gets his opponent to the canvas. Despite having gloves, Nielsen grabs both of Maeda’s legs and turns him over for a full Boston crab! This appears to be a callback to their 1986 match where Maeda won with a similar move. With Maeda caught in the center of the ring, he appears to be ready to tap…he raises his hand in desperation…but he is saved by the bell! Round 5 – Maeda is in a bad spot and Nielsen still has some left in the tank. Maeda continues to play defense and seems to be basing his strategy on getting that “one moment” to change the match completely. Nielsen knows he is very close to victory and continues to swarm Maeda when he has the chance. Most of the crowd continues to chant Maeda’s name in cadence as their beloved hero is barely hanging on. Maeda keeps his feet moving at least and trades some palm strikes with Nielsen’s punches. Nielsen hits a thrust kick, which sends Maeda stumbling backward. Nielsen tries this again, but Maeda catches his leg and hits another Capture suplex! The crowd roars as Maeda gets a kneebar on his opponent, but Nielsen’s lanky legs continue to allow the kickboxer to leverage his way out of a match-ending submission. Knowing that he has to do something quickly before the bell sounds, Maeda drags Nielsen a bit on the canvas and transitions his kneebar into a figure-four leglock! This time, Maeda has enough leverage on Nielsen’s long legs and Nielsen tries his best to run out the clock but the pain is too much, and decides to tap to save his career as a kickboxer. Maeda is your winner! The crowd nearly blows the roof off the place as Maeda stands up and raises his fists into the air to celebrate his victory. Masami Soranaka raises his hand as "Captured" by Camel plays in the arena. Maeda defeats Nielsen via submission (figure-four leglock), Round 5 of 5 (2:44) The crowd continues to celebrate Maeda's win as they chant his name in cadence to his theme music. Maeda continues to soak it in. Eventually, Maeda and Nielsen shake hands and they pay respects to each other by bowing. Billy Robinson hugs Akira Maeda and shakes hands with Nielsen as well. Maeda is handed a medium-sized ceremonial trophy by Robinson as Maeda raises it in the air for the crowd. Maeda and Nielsen exchange more words, and it feels like this won't be the last time we'll see Nielsen in UWF Newborn. Maeda gets on the microphone again, expressing his appreciation for the fans, and tells everyone to stay tuned as UWF has a lot of special announcements to make over the coming weeks for next month's event in Osaka-Jo Hall. The UWF theme plays and the crowd is sent home happy.

I just think its a case of people being lazy and not doing the research needed.

Yeah, it bugs me when people say Ishii has the match quality argument when the likes of Takayama, Hayabusa, Fujiwara, Volk Han, and Tamura aren't even in the HOF.

I mean the Tokyo Dome is on pace to sell over 35,000 tickets right now. I know SANADA has a reputation among internet fans for being boring but that's where the subjectivity of pro wrestling comes in. I think he's actually a great wrestler and has had a pretty solid title reign while reinventing himself. There's a pretty lazy narrative about SANADA for some reason and it's one of those cases of the popular narrative being horribly incorrect

I'm a fan of the Zenk/Koko pairing...that sounds like a very fun team on paper. The random tag matches are a great concept...that should be fun as well. Rick Martel is probably someone who never got quite got the run he deserved, so I'm rooting for him as we head into 1989. Perhaps he can get something going here. Good to see Duggan get the huge moment at the end of the show with Andre helping out. I'm sure that will stick with a lot of people as a cherished memory.

I enjoy the short format as well. Keeps things concise and informative in absence of the more traditional route. An angry Terry Funk is not something people will want to deal with...Dusty Rhodes should proceed with caution!

I think the WK card is pretty good. Naito vs SANADA is a big match, especially after Muto's retirement last year. There's a good story there. The WTL is looking pretty good with the inclusion of CMLL talent. As far as I know, this is the first time NJPW has booked CMLL talent in a heavyweight tournament so hopefully that means we'll get CMLL stars in the G1 down the road.

Wahoo McDaniel vs Loe Lightfoot sounds like it is going to be a war. Ron Garvin looks set to take the title from Blanchard. Will it happen?