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Survival Series is already shaping up to be good! These Brother Love segments are gold. Really well done. The Rockers are red hot, but I also have my eyes on Great Muta who seems to be on a upward trajectory too.

vs Templario 10/13/2022 CMLL Grand Prix Cibernetico 8/19/2022 vs Soberano Jr 9/1/2023 vs Titan 6/16/2023 vs Atlantis Jr 2/28/2023 vs Virus 9/29/2023

I agree, Kerry vs Terry Gordy sounds like a dream match of sorts. The Battle Royal for the title shot is shaping up to be very interesting. Lots of guys smell blood in the water...Nikita is a great wrestler but it will be interesting to see how long he can keep performing at the top level.

Billy Jack continues his hot streak in the run-up to his encounter with Barry Windham, and he's firing on all cylinders as he gets an impressive win over Curt Hennig. Dustin Rhodes vs Art Barr sounded like a fun match that I would probably wouldn't mind seeing in real life. Same goes for Cheetah Kid vs Chris Candido. Bob Backlund can't catch a break! Hope people living in Connecticut are taking proper precautions....

What a remarkable story for Ron Garvin as he comes back from the brink to win the A block and beats Bob Orton in the final! I'm sure Ron Garvin's fans are very pleased. Zero Fighters came close to winning but the Sheepherders were just one step ahead. I smell a "rematch" brewing at some point. Road Warriors come away with a great win over the Beasts of Burden in a brawl that gave the fans their money's worth. I was a Road Warriors mark as a kid (I got their replica chest plate once...) so it's always good to see them do well here. Speaking of guys I like to see do well, Junkyard Dog is giving Col. Deebers some fits! Can't wait for Starrcade on Thanksgiving night! Should be a great event.

Lots of interesting stuff happening in Fright Night! Leatherface making waves in both the opener and main event. Duggan probably isn't too pleased with that. Tammy Fytch in SMW is going to be interesting, especially with Chris Candido. The two could climb their way to the top. Cornette making lives difficult as usual!

Both semi-finals look really good! I wonder if KENTA can finally get his hands on a trophy in NJPW.

Yep! Sayama was the first Tiger Mask from 1981-1983. After he left for the first UWF, he became Super Tiger due to conflict over who had the rights to the name. Sayama then started wrestling as himself around 1985, and founded Shooto after the first UWF folded. Tiger Mask II (Misawa) popped up in 1984 after AJPW bought the rights to the gimmick, and then it reverted to NJPW with Tiger Mask III (Koji Kanemoto) and Tiger Mask IV (Yoshihiro Yamazaki), who is still wrestling today for NJPW. After Sayama returned to wrestling in 1996, he stuck with the "Super Tiger" moniker but he's the first Tiger Mask everyone knows and loves. It's interesting you bring up Onita. I'm trying something new with him. He won't be a deathmatch guy in UWF Newborn, but I'm aiming to retain the same "edge" Onita had but in a different form. Instead of a wild hardcore wrestler, he's a no-holds-barred Vale Tudo guy, which in the 1980s and 1990s, was probably the "deathmatch" of shootfighting/early MMA. That's why I kinda went with a new explanation for his return to wrestling with him spending time in Brazil and all that stuff. Hopefully, I can pull it off and it makes sense in the process. 1988 is actually when arcade games started taking off in Japan, and "Street Fighter" was released in 1987 as an arcade game. My goal with Onita is to base his character conceptually off games like Street Fighter, which is why I have him promoted as a "street fighter." You also have popular anime shows in the 1980s like "Fist of the North Star" which was similar to Street Fighter in some aspects. Most notably the show featured the protagonist killing "bad guys" in violent ways, so I'm taking inspiration from there too. He's still a wild, unpredictable dude with violent tendencies....but he's a shooter this time. Aoyagi and Onita had a series of matches in 1989 which were known to be a little bit brutal for their time. Onita had just opened FMW and was looking to cash in on the shoot-style craze by challenging Aoyagi to a series of wrestling matches. I'm accelerating things a bit by doing that a year early, but hopefully, it's a good way to introduce the "new" Onita to this world.

UWF Newborn – “Fighting Network Sendai” October 28th, 1988 Miyagi Sports Center Sendai, Japan Attendance: 7,000 (sold out) A large and boisterous crowd welcomes tonight's participants as the UWF theme plays and there is an eager reception for all. Maeda, Takada, and Sayama get the loudest cheers and all three get the chance to thank the fans for coming and hype up their matches tonight. Onita is given the chance to speak after some eagerness from the fans to see Onita in action once again. Onita says that Masashi Aoyagi will be a good opponent, but he will prove that the Vale Tudo way of fighting is superior. "Aoyagi hasn't faced a true street fighter before." Aoyagi is then given a chance to speak as well. He says that he will show Onita that he was rash in challenging him and that he has no fear fighting the way Onita wants to because he is a better martial artist than Onita. Tatsuo Nakano vs Wayne Shamrock A hard-hitting affair that sees both exchange some hard palm strikes from the opening bell. The pace doesn’t let up as both give each other a good amount of punishment. Nakano begins to show why he is becoming one of the better strikers in UWF and mixes things up with some fine grappling as well. Shamrock gives Nakano everything back in return, and they both end up bleeding from the nose as the stiff palms take their toll on their respective faces. There’s an extended grappling contest on the mat midway through the match, with Shamrock getting the better of Nakano here as he catches the more carefree Nakano with several submission attempts. Nakano uses the rope twice and the match is at 2-2 by the 9:00 mark, with both also trading several knockdowns. The crowd is very much enjoying this opening bout as there is plenty of action, and Nakano and Shamrock continue to trade blows. The conclusion of the match is fitting, which sees Shamrock deliver a devastating Dragon suplex, but Nakano just rolls through it and comes back up, giving Shamrock a taste of his own medicine and does a high-lift German suplex, sending the American backward with full force. Nakano locks his opponent in for a front guillotine choke and ends up wrapping his legs around for full effect, forcing the young Shamrock to tap in the middle of the ring as the crowd fully celebrates Nakano’s well-earned victory, who wipes some blood off his face after Yuji Shimada raises his hand. Nakano defeats Shamrock via submission (front guillotine choke), 11:18 Minoru Suzuki vs Yasuto Sekishima Suzuki and Sekishima engage in what is primarily a grappling contest, with both showing off the best of their abilities and knowledge. Sekishima and Suzuki are both quite athletic and its shows with very quick and athletic counterwork, and the engagement seems hyper-realistic at times with both quickly finding openings and going from hold to hold when either holds the dominant positioning. They trade rope breaks early on, with both beginning to look for leg locks as they choose to enter into a test of leg locking technique. The pace slows down a bit as Suzuki looks to contain the quicker and leaner Sekishima with more deliberate holds. Suzuki looks for an STF, which sends Sekishima to the ropes again, giving Suzuki a 2-1 lead on points. Sekishima chooses to introduce more striking into the match, forcing Suzuki to respond as Sekishima delivers several nice combos to his opponent. Suzuki fires back with some palm strikes, but Sekishima eventually gets Suzuki down to even the score at 2-2. The two go back to the mat, and the exciting grappling returns as Sekishima begins to give Suzuki fits, pulling from his Shooto playbook as he begins to look for holds from angles Suzuki does not expect. Sekishima’s leg lock entries in particular are a source of trouble for the young Suzuki. Eventually, Sekishima takes the lead through points again at 3-2, as Suzuki reaches for another rope break. The finishing stretch sees both reverse submission attempts with incredible skill and awareness before Suzuki finally ends the match with a rolling kneebar. Sekishima taps but he finds himself earning the respect of Suzuki as he shakes hands with his opponent and both take in a very appreciative crowd. Suzuki defeats Sekishima via submission (rolling kneebar), 11:44 Dick Vrij vs Bart Vale Both competitors start things off as you would expect, with plenty of kicks to test each other’s reach as the Dutch kickboxer and American Kenpo specialist get the chance to demonstrate their knowledge of the striking arts. Bart Vale seems to land a few knocks on the Dutchman, but the strikes aren’t particularly hard. Vrij mixes things up with both low and high kicks, getting his opponent off-balance. Vrih is more comfortable utilizing not only palm strikes but clinches as well to keep Vale guessing. As Vale keeps attempting to go for a high kick that would score his first knockdown, Vrij closes the distance and clinches with Vale, using Muay Thai-style knees. Unfortunately for Vale, this means Vrij will score the first knockdown as the power of the Dutchman’s knees is too much to ignore. Vale goes down but gets up relatively quickly, beating the ten count early. The engagement continues to grow in Vrij’s favor, as he seems to be one step ahead today despite Vale’s best efforts to make things more interesting. Vrij jumps out to a 3-0 lead after scoring two more knockdowns, and Vale is forced to respond by using all of his tools to try and make the match more interesting. The American is finally able to trip up Vrij by kicking him in the gut with a thrust kick and immediately follows up with a well-timed roundhouse. The force of Vale’s kick knockdowns his opponent, and Vrij has to beat the ten count as he shakes the cobwebs off just in time. Vale feels the momentum, but the Dutch kickboxer quickly restores order and controls the rest of the match before finishing things off with two knockdowns in a row, earning him the TKO victory. Vrij defeats Vale via TKO, 12:19 Atsushi Onita vs Masashi Aoyagi The long-awaited clash between Onita and Aoyagi is finally happening after months of buildup and drama, and it’s inside a UWF ring! Onita comes out to a surprisingly good reception from the crowd, as the theme to “Fist of the North Star” (“Ai wo Torimodose!!”) plays in the arena. Onita looks like he is in the best shape of his life. Aoyagi comes out next and gets a similar reception as both competitors are fan favorites to different parts of the audience. Aoyagi chooses to wear his Karateka gi for this match, and Onita is dressed in Blue vale tudo tights and knee pads, choosing to forego the kick pads for the bare-footed traditions of Brazilian Vale Tudo. Onita looks very focused and fired up while Aoyagi has an abundance of contempt on his face. Onita comes out with a Luta Livre-based stance (see Marco Ruas), and the Onita everyone knew from AJPW quickly fades from memory as he and Aoyagi fire off some of the stiffest strikes we’ve seen in UWF yet. Free from the confines of the UWF ruleset both use closed fists, aimed at each other’s heads, as the crowd is fired up to see these two go at it. Onita lands some low kicks, and Aoyagi fires back with some very hard kicks of his own, and it is clear these kicks have an intent to hurt Onita. The two continue to clobber each other until Onita finally closes the distance. Onita aggressively looks for a takedown opportunity, but Aoyagi has great defensive timing and gives a sharp kick whenever he gets close to a takedown opportunity. For now, this keeps the match in Aoyagi’s comfort zone as he continues to land several sharp strikes on Onita, with Onita responding with a few closed fists. Things continue to heat up, and while anyone watching this match so far may feel like a knockdown is imminent, both competitors show an admirable capacity to take punishment. Onita scores a double-leg takedown on Aoyagi, who seems relatively calm despite being put into a potentially unfavorable predicament. Onita looks for a leg hook first, but Aoyagi prevents his limbs from being snatched, and Onita adjusts himself as he fights for a favorable mount position. Aoyagi knows what is coming next and braces himself as Onita begins to utilize “ground and pound” with his closed fists, giving Aoyagi more punishment. Onita isn’t fully where he wants to be in terms of positioning, but continues to expend energy to give his opponent a beating. This gives Aoyagi an opening, and he sweeps Onita and reverses the situation they find themselves in. With Aoyagi now on top, the Kareteka gives Onita a taste of his own medicine and unleashes a barrage of punches to Onita’s face. With blood flowing from Onita’s eyebrow, the former AJPW star has to quickly find a way to stem the flow, and he positions himself to hold onto Aoyagi, who is forced to stop the punches as Onita grapples with him. Ryogoku Wada, the referee, encourages more action and eventually forces the two to stand back up after they stall further on the mat. Some blood is starting to show on Aoyagi’s gi, as he is also bleeding from the lip and nose. Onita immediately tries to close the distance again as Aoyagi attempts to keep his reach by throwing some more kicks, but Onita clinches with Aoyagi and lands some knees, but Aoyagi immediately fires back with knees of his own. The two go down to the canvas again as Onita gets the better of his Aoyagi and Onita immediately starts looking for an angle of attack. Onita looks for a double wristlock from side control but Aoyagi defends well. Perhaps due to his gi, Onita’s grip isn’t quite right and Aoyagi slips out. Seeking to gain the advantage quickly, Aoyagi stands up while Onita is still grounded and launches a series of quick soccer kicks. The level of brutality here shocks the crowd, but it draws the reaction you would want to hear at this point. Onita has to quickly defend himself or risk being knocked out. Onita pulls himself up by the ropes as Aoyagi continues to punish him. Blood starts to flow more freely from Onita’s eyebrow. Aoyagi’s opponent is now clearly pissed off as one could read from Onita’s facial reaction. Onita comes roaring back with some closed fist strikes, which stuns Aoyagi as he stumbles back into the ropes behind him. Onita pins Aoyagi against the ropes and launches a sharp knee into Aoyagi’s head. Aoyagi might be out cold at this point, but Onita doesn’t give the referee a chance to make sure as he continues to pound Aoyagi with his fists. Aoyagi somehow rolls over and tries a primitive triangle armbar, but Onita uses his legs as leverage and works his way out rather easily. It was clear by now that Onita, who had promoted himself as a “street fighter” before the match, got the ugly and brutal fight he wanted. Both competitors were exhausted and were near the 30:00 time limit already. This wasn’t the best example of an ideal “Vale Tudo” fight if one was a purist, but both were giving each other tons of punishment. Aoyagi’s gi was starting to get red as blood from both started to splatter all over, including the canvas as well. Onita chooses to rely more on grappling at this stage, sensing that Aoyagi is starting to tire. Of course, Onita is quite fatigued too. Relying on his Luta Livre training, Onita continues to look for leg hooks, but Aoyagi seems to have done his homework and his defense is quite good for someone with his background. As the match reaches its conclusion, Onita goes for a knee scissors, a bizarre yet thematic type of submission for this type of brutal fight. With the move increasingly inflicting pain as Onita locks it in, Aoyagi tries his best to buy time as he senses the time limit is near. Aoyagi somehow rides out the storm and the bell rings. The referee, Motoyuki Kitazwa, gets both men to stand up and they await the decision. The match is ruled a draw. The crowd lets their appreciation for the match they just witnessed known, even if it was a bit different from the usual UWF bout. Onita and Aoyagi decline to shake hands. Both battered and bloodied, it seems like these two aren’t done yet. 30:00 draw (demonstration of a "knee scissors") Kazuo Yamazaki vs Norman Smiley Norman Smiley and Kazuo Yamazaki begin the match with a prolonged grappling contest, with both preferring to test each other on the canvas. Smiley appears to get the better of Yamazaki at first, with smooth transitions and an eagerness to find any opening that counts. Yamazaki struggles to prevent Smiley’s offense and tries his best to at least control the pace of the match. The conviction Norman has so far doesn’t allow Yamazaki to get much going. Smiley begins to focus on Yamazaki’s legs and goes for a kneebar as Yamazaki leaves himself open again. Yamazaki, a bit frustrated, goes for an early rope break and Norman Smiley establishes a 1-0 lead after the second rope break. With both standing up again, Yamazaki quickly uses this opportunity to establish some presence in the match by utilizing his great striking skills against Smiley. Smiley can defend himself, but Yamazaki’s speed and timing allow him to get the British grappling specialist off-kilter. Yamazaki offers his hand at times as a gesture to go back to grappling, but he uses this as a feint to open up Smiley’s guard, which allows him to quickly kick Smiley in his legs. Interestingly, Yamazaki chooses to go back to the canvas here. Perhaps figuring that a weakened Smiley wouldn’t be so dangerous. Yamazaki makes sure he is quick on the draw, and quickly snags Smiley’s legs for a cross-heel hook. Smiley does his best to defend himself, but Yamazaki eventually finds the leverage needed to make a single heel hook painful, and Smiley quickly rolls to the ropes near him to break it. With Smiley still maintaining a 1-0 lead, the two go back up to their feet. As Yamazaki begins to mix in more strikes, Smiley calmly defends himself and manages to clinch with Yamazaki. Yamazaki tries to escape but Smiley manages to land a beautiful belly-to-belly suplex and immediately establishes side control as he begins to work for a keylock submission. Yamazaki squirms around as he struggles to break free, but eventually manages to find the ropes again. They choose to spend more time on the canvas afterward, with neither finding much give as each begins to rely on defense a bit more, and openings for counterwork are not to be found in this segment of the match. Yamazaki escapes as Smiley attempts to take his back, and Yamazaki unleashes a barrage of high kicks as seeks to change the momentum of the match. Yamazaki finally scores his first knockdown to even the match at 1-1, and Smiley brushes himself off quickly. Yamazaki chooses to press ahead with more offense and relies on kicks more and more to score another knockdown, or at least weaken Smiley enough to go for a submission attempt on the canvas. As Yamazaki clinches with Smiley and attempts to get enough control for a German suplex, Smiley does a beautiful drop leg sweep into a heel hook to surprise his opponent and get him back to the canvas. Yamazaki struggles to break free and the two engage in a nice bit of counterwork, as Yamazaki somehow manages to get the position needed for a Fujiwara armbar. Yamazaki returns the favor and somehow rolls out of this, as he quickly goes back to Yamazaki’s leg for a quick toe hold. The sudden pain shooting through Yamazaki’s leg finally convinces Smiley’s opponent to tap and Smiley celebrates as the crowd enjoys a shock victory for a popular newcomer. Smiley defeats Yamazaki via submission (toe hold), 15:04 Nobuhiko Takada vs Yorinaga Nakamura Nakamura comes in already a bit established with the UWF fanbase and has built a reputation as a formidable grappler and shooter. Takada has to be on top of his game here and immediately recognizes this fact as Nakamura attempts to soften up Takada with a series of striking combos. Takada has to play defense or risk going down early. Nakamura steadily begins to close the distance as he looks to grapple with Takada, and Takada is happy to oblige, at least for now. Nakamura’s great positioning skills become evident again as he forces Takada to go on the defense once again. Takada struggles to get anything going as Nakamura closes in on a Kimura attempt, but Takada manages to find his way out of this predicament and quickly tries to get Nakamura’s back. Takada’s opponent slithers his way out of Takada’s grasp and takes Takada’s back instead, and Takada has to fight his way out of a rear-naked choke attempt by going for a rope break. Nakamura builds a 2-0 lead through rope breaks as he manages to keep the match on the canvas and build momentum through some very smart grappling and counterwork. Takada decides to try and get this match going with the stand-up game and eventually lures Nakamura into another prolonged striking contest. Takada re-establishes himself by eventually landing a series of high kicks to the crowd’s delight, and Nakamura suffers his first knockdown as he recovers quite quickly. As Nakamura and Takada grapple some more, Takada eventually locks in Nakamura for not only one German suplex but two! The back-to-back suplexes are devastating for Nakamura, and Takada evens the score up at 2-2 as Nakamura is forced to recover on the canvas with the referee counting. Nakamura is slow to get back up but shakes the cobwebs off and grapples with Takada again, bringing him down to the canvas. Takada submits Nakamura for the victory with a kneebar after the two exchange leg lock attempts. Takada defeats Nakamura via submission (kneebar), 15:51 Satoru Sayama vs Osamu Kido Osamu Kido hasn’t had much luck in UWF Newborn so far, failing to secure a win up to this point. While Kido puts up an honorable fight against Sayama here, Sayama is just too good and experienced, even for someone of Kido's pedigree. Kido builds an early 2-1 lead with some fine grappling and submission attempts, but Sayama’s kicks are the story here as he chooses to keep one of Karl Gotch’s best students guessing in his approach. Sayama ties the score up after landing a nice roundhouse kick and begins to mix in more grappling as he steadily wears down Kido. Kido stays in the match, but Sayama secures a double wrist lock and pulls Kido down to the canvas where he eventually transitions into knee-crush/calf-slicer. Kido has no choice but to tap in the center of the ring, giving Sayama the victory. Sayama defeats Kido via submission (calf-slicer), 13:34 Akira Maeda vs Gerard Gordeau Gerard Gordeau comes out wearing red kickboxing trunks with gold trim while choosing to utilize lightweight boxing gloves. This match will utilize a system of five rounds of three minutes each, a first in UWF as Gordeau and Maeda clash in a true wrestler vs kickboxer match. Round 1 – Tentative striking from Gordeau and Maeda as they exchange low kicks. Maeda gets a double-leg takedown on Gordeau early but Gordeau sweeps and lands a bit of a cheap shot on Maeda on the canvas, but nothing illegal. Gordeau gets in one high kick before the bell ends the round. Round 2 – Gordeau tries to land some punches to open the round, but Maeda gets another double-leg takedown on Gordeau before the referee forces them to break. Gordeau lands some hard body punches on Maeda as the round progresses, and even manages to get a Muay Thai clinch on Maeda in which he delivers some sharp knee strikes. Maeda catches one of Gordeau’s knees and turns his clinch into a Capture Suplex, but Gordeau is quick to get out of the predicament on the canvas. The two trade some more strikes before Maeda gets Gordeau with a Judo throw that he quickly turns into an armbar, but the bell saves Gordeau from further trouble. Round 3 – Maeda throws kicks to keep Gordeau at bay, but the Dutchman comes swinging back with some more body punches followed by another Muay Thai clinch and a barrage of knee strikes. Maeda tries to get Gordeau to the canvas again, but Gordeau blocks and keeps working on Maeda with some powerful knees. Gordeau continues to beat up on Maeda near the ropes until Maeda gets another double-leg takedown on Gordeau as he looks for a keylock on his Dutch opponent. Gordeau has great defense here and forces the referee to stand the two back up after some inaction. Maeda immediately goes for another double-leg takedown and tries to get a kneebar on Gordeau, but Gordeau slithers his way out. Gordeau lands a sharp, vicious high kick that audibly connects to Maeda’s cranium, drawing a strong reaction from the crowd as they begin to chant Maeda’s name. The bell sounds, and this was clearly a strong round for Gordeau. Round 4 – Gordeau keeps coming at his opponent with strong strikes, but Maeda catches one of Gordeau’s leg kicks and brings him down for an ankle lock attempt. Gordeau struggles to slither his way to the ropes, and Maeda keeps the hold locked in tight as the Dutch kickboxer and Savate fighter decides to tap to save his ankle from being shattered by Maeda’s submission. Maeda defeats Gordeau via submission (ankle lock), Round 4 of 5 (1:10) Akira Maeda celebrates in the ring to the delight of the crowd. Gordeau gave Maeda everything he could handle, but couldn’t quite finish the job. Maeda is presented with a large ceremonial trophy by Billy Robinson and both Gerard Gordeau and Chris Dolman shake Maeda’s hand. The crowd continues to chant Maeda’s name as he soaks things in a bit more. Akira Maeda thanks the fans for coming and says he wants to face his old foe, Don "Nakaya" Nielsen, next month. This gets a big pop from the crowd as Maeda says he will continue to prove he is the best. Maeda promises more action next month in Chiba as UWF will hold a show at Tokyo's NK Hall! Maeda gives a special thanks to Billy Robinson and Chris Dolman for their presence this evening and signs of. The UWF theme plays in the arena as the fans chant Maeda's name in cadence.

I'm still not sure what a "top draw" means exactly but he was a consistent headliner for the first UWF, and headlined a fair number of shows for the second UWF as well. Almost 50% of the shows he was on for the second UWF had him in the main event. The main events he was in for NJPW 1986-1988 drew considerably well. That's about 6 years or so right there combined. His PWFG promotion faced obstacles, with half of his roster leaving in 1992 to form Pancrase. The PWFG Tokyo Dome show wasn't a sellout like UWF U-Cosmos was, and that seems to be a knock against him, but they still drew 20,000 or so (40,000 in total was the reported attendance, but most of that was paper). But that shouldn't be a significant knock against him considering he was drawing houses of 10,000+ constantly for UWF 2.0

I wrote an article outlining the case for Fujiwara's candidacy. Hopefully, it changes a few hearts and minds. https://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2023/10/25/won-hof-2023-the-case-for-yoshiaki-fujiwara/ I think the idea that he couldn't draw crowds needs to be put to rest. The data I found clearly says otherwise. If Fujiwara isn't a draw, then I don't know how you define "draw."

Skipping the undercard matches is fine with me. Eager to see how this tournament continues to shape up, although I'm a bit sad to see ZSJ exit early. I wonder if SANADA can make a run?

Fighting Network RINGS - "Mega Battle Tournament 1996: First Round" October 25th, 1996 Aichi Gymnasium Nagoya, Japan Attendance: 5,006 The RINGS theme plays in the arena as Lenne Hardt, a newcomer and talented voice actress/announcer, introduces the Mega Battle Tournament participants as they form up in the arena with a healthy reception for all, but especially for Kiyoshi Tamura and Yoshihisa Yamamoto. Lenne Hardt's unique and charismatic style of announcing quickly becomes apparent. Akira Maeda and Yoshihiro Takayama get a huge reception too, and Akira Maeda speaks to the fans, thanking them for coming. Maeda says his time off from injury has been difficult, but he has been training hard and chose Takayama as his opponent specifically because he believes he is a formidable opponent. Yoshihisa Yamamoto vs Grom Zaza The Georgian grappler with a background in both amateur wrestling and SAMBO presents a tough challenge for Yamamoto, but the RINGS dojo product comes firings back around the 12:00 mark after being down 5-3 on points to score a knockdown on Zaza. Yamamoto manages to grapple with Zaza and secures a victory after locking in his opponent with a triangle armbar Zaza taps and the fans celebrate as Yamamoto advances! Yamamoto defeats Zaza via submission (triangle armbar), 12:42 Sanae Kikuta vs Todor Todorov Todor and Kikuta ensure the fans have an exciting match, as both pull out some slick grappling maneuvers and submission attempts. Todorov roughs up Kikuta a few times with his flashy throwing maneuvers and shoot suplexes. Kikuta holds steady though, and stays in the match that is fairly even throughout. Kikuta finds angles through this great counterwork to trap Todorov in a few submission attempts, and Kikuta has the lead of 4-2 near the 11:00 mark. After Todorov lands a a high-angle belly-to-belly suplex on Kikuta, Kikuta is forced to work from the bottom and manages to sweep Todorov before establishing side control and a keylock which gives him the victory! Todorov is frustrated but shows good sportsmanship by shaking Kikuta’s hand to healthy applause for both competitors. Kikuta defeats Todorov via submission (keylock), 11:35 Kazushi Sakuraba vs Mitsuya Nagai Sakuraba gives Nagai all he can handle, and Nagai tries to maintain control of the match through his striking skills. Sakuraba wants to keep the match on the canvas but is willing to trade blows with Nagai when needed, and shows off some of the striking skills he learned in the UWFI dojo through Muay Thai training. Nagai gets more frustrated with himself as he is unable to find much of an opening, with Sakurba using great defense and quick counterwork. Nagai manages to score a knockdown, which gets the match at 5-2 near the 10:30 mark in Sakuraba’s favor. Nagai attempts to launch a fierce comeback, with the crowd favoring the RINGS dojo product as he shows good fighting spirit. Sakuraba has other ideas, and manages to score a surprise Judo throw followed by a cross armbreaker for the submission victory! Nagai shakes Sakuraba’s hand but walks to the back quickly, looking upset. Sakuraba celebrates in the ring as the crowd shows their appreciation for the newcomer as well. Sakuraba defeats Nagai via submission (cross armbreaker), 11:16 Tsuyoshi Kohsaka vs Dick Vrij The Dutch kickboxer opens up an early 4-0 lead as he scores two quick knockdowns on Kohsaka, who has to adjust his gameplan quickly as Vrij looks to establish himself once again as one of the most dangerous strikers in RINGS. Kohsaka settles in and mixes up his great grappling skills with some respectable palm strikes as well. Vrij steadily loses his momentum as Kohsaka manages to get him to the ground a bit more midway through the match. Vrij is a decent grappler and can defend himself when needed, but Kohsaka is too much of a killer on the canvas and he eventually gets back into the match at 4-2, still in favor of Vrij. Vrij turns up the heat a bit and looks for the knockout blow, but begins to get Kohsaka on his backfoot. As Kohsaka looks to be out of sorts and on the verge of being knocked out, Vrij launches a high kick which Kohsaka somehow counters! Kohsaka’s counter comes by the way of a vicious palm strike which sends Vrij into a daze. Kohsaka follows up with a palm strike combo, and Vrij is sent to the canvas! Vrij tries to beat the ten count but stumbles all over. Ryogaku Wada finishes the count and calls for the bell. Kohsaka wins via KO! Kohsaka defeats Vrij via KO, 12:51 Bitsadze Tariel vs Nikolai Zouev A contrast in style as Zouev, the SAMBO-based grappler, has to work his way through the massive Bitsadze Tariel, who is a Kyokushin Karateka. Tariel appears to have the advantage early, as he mixes in well-timed strikes and clinches to dictate the match. The Georgian jumps out to a 2-0 lead after scoring the first knockdown in the match. Zouev gets back up quickly and readjusts his gameplan as he lets the Georgian kick him some more, this time the SAMBO specialist is ready and gets Tariel down the mat after catching one of the kicks for a single-leg takedown. Zouev manages to get Tariel to spend more time on the canvas, where Zouev’s opponent is quite uncomfortable. The match evens up at 2-2 after Zouev forces Tariel to go for the ropes twice. As one would expect, Zouev isn’t particularly flashy with his submission skills like Volk Han is, but he gets the job done through his finesse and ability to find opportunities to lock in a submission. Tariel manages to get some more offense in though, and things are tied at 5-5 in an excitingly even match heading into the 11:00 mark. Zouev is one step ahead of Tariel here, and he manages to turn one of Tariel’s clinch attempts into a leg sweep takedown. Zouev quickly finds a heel hook for the submission victory. Zouev defeats Tariel via submission (heel hook), 11:22 Kiyoshi Tamura vs Mikhail Ilyukhin The first meeting between these two was as exciting as you would expect, with both competitors being well-conditioned and having the ability to combine their athleticism with natural grappling ability. Tamura appeared to be too quick for Ilyukhin at first, but the Russian quickly adapted and found the pace needed to keep up with his opponent. Most of this match occurs on the canvas, and there is a ton of great counterwork. The ebb and flow of this match is back and forth, with Tamrua and Ilyukhin trading periods of dominance on the mat. Tamura’s hyper-realistic transition skills are enough to give him the points when needed. Ilyukhin’s strength and SAMBO skills present some opportunities for him and manages to nearly submit Tamura with a cross-ankle hook, but Tamura manages to get the ropes just in time. Tamura shows off his striking ability towards the end of the match and catches Ilyukhin off-guard with a series of high kicks. Tamura follows up by getting his opponent to the canvas with a tricky feint and quickly locks in a rear-naked choke near the center of the ring. Ilyukhin thinks about trying to fight out of it but chooses to tap once the inevitable becomes clear. Tamura defeats Ilyukhin via submission (rear-naked choke), 14:40 Volk Han vs Masayuki Naruse Volk Han and Masayuki Naruse are familiar with each other, having a series of great bouts earlier in the decade. At this point, Volk Han is widely recognized as the secondary star to Akira Maeda and the most formidable foe in RINGS. Naruse is a lot more experienced, but as he finds out during this match, Volk Han is just too good at this point. The Dagestani SAMBO specialist puts Naruse through another masterclass in submission grappling, and Naruse isn’t able to get much going here. He does appear to put up a fight at one point when he manages to knockdown Volk Han with a nice striking combo, but Han gets back up and sticks to the same gameplan. Even as Naruse escapes a double wristlock attempt from Volk Han, the technical wizard manages to end the match with another amazing submission hold, this time it’s a combination of an ashi-kansetsu leg-lock and a kubi-hishigi neck crank. Han defeats Naruse via submission (leg-lock into neck-crank), 10:24 Semmy Schilt vs Frank Shamrock The two former Pancrase stars square off and deliver a very exciting match that is full of great striking and grappling. Schilt, the 6’11 Dutchman, has tremendous reach and keeps Shamrock busy throughout the match. Shamrock has to be smart and uses brief opportune moments to close the distance. Schilt appears to be in control after knocking down Shamrock twice in the first few minutes. Shamrock establishes himself in the match though, and gets a point on the board after managing to take down Schilt with a nice double-leg takedown, and then finding a kimura from side control. Schilt reaches for the ropes easily, and the referee stands both back up. Schilt still poses a significant threat to Shamrock though, and with a 6-1 lead after scoring another knockdown, Shamrock appears to be in real danger. The American manages to get the Dutch giant to the canvas again, and this time he keeps him on the mat for a longer period. This gives Shamrock the chance to wear down Schilt and snag a katagatame. This hold prevents Schilt from using his reach to go for a rope break, and Schilt appears to pass out instead of tapping. The referee is quick to break the hold as Schilt fades out and gives Shamrock the victory. Shamrock defeats Schilt via submission (katagatame), 9:45 Akira Maeda vs Yoshihiro Takayama Akira Maeda’s long-awaited return from injury is finally here, and his opponent is given the chance to prove himself in a very high-level spot despite not being in the Mega Battle Tournament. Takayama takes the initiative and immediately goes on the offensive. Using a mix of his trademark kicks and knees from the clinch, Takayama throws off his senior opponent very early, and Maeda is forced to contend with the young upstart more than he expected. Despite being in better shape than the last time we saw him, Maeda looks slow and a bit behind Takayama’s movements. Takayama appears to have endless energy as he keeps bringing it to Maeda, delivering sweet combos and nice strikes as he looks for an early knockdown. Maeda manages to get something going with some low kicks followed by fists to Takayama’s abdomen, but Takayama is very determined to win this match! The crowd gets more behind Maeda as he appears to be in danger, and this gives Maeda the second wind needed to get back into the match and assert himself. Takayama probably avoided going to ground with Maeda as he knew Maeda was a lot more experienced here, and he realizes that quickly as Maeda manages to take him down. Maeda is an expert at positioning, and he slows down the tempo as he patiently looks for submission attempts. Maeda gets a shoulder hold near the ropes, which finally forces Takayama to go for the ropes to break it. The next part of the match is quite thrilling as Maeda and Takayama trade knockdowns, with both demonstrating their powerful kicking abilities. While they go down to the mat a few times, this match is mostly a slugfest and Takayama proves to be resilient even as the jam-packed Aichi Gym is fully behind their hero. With the match tied at 6-6 heading into the 15:00 mark, Takayama unleashes everything he has on Maeda. The two continue to go at each other like heavyweight prize fighters, and Takayama manages to pull off the shocking upset as he knocks down Maeda two more times, with the last coming through a series of knees to Maeda’s abdomen. The crowd is in shock as the bell rings and Takayama is declared the winner. Maeda embraces Takayama and the two hug as Takayama has his hand raised by RINGS' president and ace. Takayama defeats Maeda via TKO, 17:09 The crowd is in shock still, but they are still pleased by the outcome and some chants for Takayama can be hard as the two work their back behind the curtains. The RINGS commentary team recap tonight's events and hype up the next show in November for the second round of the Mega Battle Tournament. Akira Maeda gives his comments backstage and says Takayama was too quick for him tonight, and that he has a bright future in RINGS. Maeda says that it will be interesting to see who wins the Mega Battle Tournament and that a lot of people looked strong tonight, including Yamamoto. Maeda suggests that Takayama should face the winner of the Mega Battle Tournament sometime next year. Maeda finishes the interview by saying that he wants another challenge next month, and has an opponent in mind, mentioning Ricardo Morais from Brazil as a possibility. The show closes off with the WOWOW end credits and sign-off.

Card Announcement: Fighting Network RINGS - "Mega Battle Tournament 1996: First Round" October 25th, 1996 Aichi Gymnasium Nagoya, Japan Yoshihisa Yamamoto vs Grom Zaza Sanae Kikuta vs Todor Todorov Kazushi Sakuraba vs Mitsuya Nagai Tsuyoshi Kohsaka vs Dick Vrij Bitsadze Tariel vs Nikolai Zouev Kiyoshi Tamura vs Mikhail Ilyukhin Volk Han vs Masayuki Naruse Semmy Schilt vs Frank Shamrock Akira Maeda vs Yoshihiro Takayama

If there's one thing Bob Backlund hates, it's probably being pinned by a small package! Actually, he probably hates more things than that, but you get the picture. Windham beats Owen Hart this time, but I have the feeling he'll be seeing him again down the line with the roles reversed perhaps...

JT Southern seems like a good fit for Music City...fun fact...JT Southern actually wrestled in UWFi for a few matches as he was one of the guys from Tennessee recruited to UWFi by Shinji Sasazaki. Let's just say his time there wasn't memorable. Miss Kentucky continues to make her presence felt. I wonder if this is the start of her "Reign of Terror."

Ron Garvin vs Bob Orton is a great finale to the Starrcade Series. Fright Night looks solid from top to bottom. Looking forward to the Four Corners elimination match. I'm rooting for the Zero Fighters myself.

I personally enjoyed that and picked up on it. It definitely seemed like something an 80s episode of SNME would do sometimes. The 80s were a crazy time I guess...

David Taylor in AWA seems like a perfect fit. Uh oh, Sgt. Slaughter is angry on a mission, look out!

Great to see Little Guido get some shine! I always thought he was underrated. Looking forward to Battle of the Belts

Jim Cornette really adds a lot of flavor to SMW, which already had tons of flavor! Really good stuff all around.

Fall Brawl delivered as expected. It's good to see the Latin Connection with gold around their waists The clash between Tarzan Goto/Abdullah and DiBiase/Williams lived up to the hype. It'll be interesting to see how the Samoan Swat Team does in WCW. The Horsemen face a setback after losing to Sting and Luger, but what other schemes do they have...

Interesting idea. I think one of the big what-ifs for NJPW is if COVID-19 never happened and they had a normal 2020.

That was jam-packed with action! Hogan losing the belt was a bit shocking, but I guess you should never underestimate the Macho Man. The Rockers are red-hot and have the world at their finger tips. Really enjoyed reading this, made me feel like I was in 1988!