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Bam Bam was still a pretty big name at this time. I would expect a big trade for him Not to be that guy or anything but if we want to remain faithful to the intentions of the Untouchable list, we should really make sure every trade is 100% realistic and in line with the expectations of the time. Perhaps we could bring in a third party mediator to give their opinion

Some recommendations to help get you started - https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7wg6q8 https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4evgna I'm also doing a review of UWF 2.0 in the Microscope section if you want to follow along there and see what other matches you want to seek out yourself. Keep in mind that UWF 2.0 was mostly worked (maybe one or two shoots? Can't remember) and outside of Shooto, MMA wouldn't take off in Japan until the 1990s with Pancrase, Vale Tudo Japan, and eventually RINGS.

A great way to start off WWF in 1996! The IC tournament promises to be quite fun and Savio Vega has already made things interesting by beating Owen Hart. Will he face Sid or Farooq? Either will be a formidable opponent. The Ultimate Warrior has made a statement by beating Goldust and becoming the new #1 contender for the WWF title! Can the Ultimate Warrior redeem himself and become the top guy for WWF once again? Overall, this was very faithful to 1996 WWF and I enjoyed re-visiting all the characters again. Can't wait to see what's next!

The interaction between Dr. Death/Ted DiBiase and Abdullah the Butcher/Tarzan Goto is just what the doctor ordered! Can't wait to see these two tag teams lock horns in a proper match down the line. Should be very fun. Ron Simmons has friends in high places, and perhaps this will help him in the new WCW. He certainly has the pedigree to rise through the ranks quickly. Dan Spivey has made a statement and his presence makes the Horsemen a more formidable faction overall. I also like the team of Mando Guerrero and Ricky Santana. They will pose a danger to anyone who faces them. Another excellent WCW show. As always, the promos are very fun to read.

A flavorful entry in Prime Time Wrestling. The Rockers continue their hot streak in WWF, and Kevin Von Erich and Great Muta come away with some impressive victories leading into Summerslam. Dynamite Kid vs Dino Bravo was an excellent main event to keep the bar raised high for WWF's big summer event. As always, you certainly make this feel like 1980s WWF with all the characters you would expect. Can't wait for Summerslam!

Two very good pieces of television back to back for NWA as the Starrcade Series rolls on. Can Kamala take control of the A block or will Wahoo McDaniel make things interesting? I love all the interesting matchups in NWA, you never know what you will get next. Keeps things interesting and I'm sure the TV audience for NWA appreciates as the diversity, especially with the singles matches.

I plan on doing two shows a month for a while, but then I'll probably do 1 show a month, which is what RINGS usually did.

Harry Smith would have been 11 in 1996. Teddy Hart was like 15 or 16 when he debuted.

I think in shoot-style, losing by submission was seen by the fans at the time as part of the "realness" of the style. It wasn't necessarily damaging compared to someone losing within a minute by KO or something along those lines. Guys like Miyato or Nakano lost quite a bit but were still seen as real threats by the fans. I guess that without the existence of MMA, losing didn't lose you favor in the eyes of the fan. That was a different story in the late 90s/early 2000s with PRIDE arriving on the scene. Losing in an MMA match or losing against an MMA guy probably knocked you down a few pegs. I should note that in the 80s and 90s, a shoot-style guy losing in a regular pro-wrestling match did hurt them, which is probably why UWFi lost a lot of steam during the UWFi-NJPW feud in 1995/1996. UWF actually had pinfalls in real life. I took those out to suit my own personal tastes for now, but I may bring them back in the future, we'll see.

Excellent show. Murakami already looks quite promising. The King Kong Bundy vs Takeshi Ono match was pretty funny. Will be interesting to see how Shinya Hashimoto handles his role as a top guy in BattlArts. He's tailor-made for the style but will the fans accept him over Ikeda and Ishikawa? Overall, I'm quite excited to see what's next as it appears this version of BattlArts will have a very interesting flavor.

Terry Funk was good at whatever he chose to do and constantly reinvented himself as the business evolved without losing the core that made him special. One of the all time greats. RIP.

Man, that was awesome. Really well done. Meltzer gave me a hearty laugh every time he said something. LOL. Great top to bottom. Damian 666 vs Super Crazy was a great opener, and Dynamite Kid vs Great Sasuke delivered as expected. The main event was fantastic with a nice twist. Beautiful chaos.

I wonder if we'll see the Steiner Brothers vs The Rockers any time soon...that is a firecracker match on paper.

Both of those shows were full of action. The Starrcade Series is off to a great start. The team of Ole Anderson and Harley Race is very formidable and they should keep the belts for a while. Tom Zenk is off to a winning start in NWA and could make a name for himself quickly. Speaking of Anderson/Race, perhaps the Road Warriors could make a statement if given the opportunity? Overall, NWA is on a roll this summer and it should be interesting to see what the next few months bring.

Fighting Network RINGS - "Maelstrom VI" August 24th, 1996 Ariake Coliseum Tokyo, Japan Attendance: 9,236 The Fighting Network RINGS theme plays (without the lyrics!) as customary, with each competitor being introduced individually. Large cheers for the usual suspects, including Volk Han, Kiyoshi Tamura, Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, and Yoshihisa Yamamoto. There's a big pop for the new guy, Yoshihiro Takayama, as well. Akira Maeda welcomes everyone and thanks the fans for coming. He says tonight will be a great event and will feature the debut of Brazilian fighters in RINGS. He also introduces the audience to Yoshihiro Takayama. Takayama is handed the microphone and says that he is glad to be here and is eager to prove himself in RINGS. He promises that he will be the #1 wrestler in RINGS in the future. Before the proceedings start, the WOWOW broadcast gives the RINGS rankings for August: 1) Volk Han 2) Yoshihisa Yamamoto 3) Nikolai Zouev 4) Bitsadze Tariel 5) Andrei Kopylov 6) Mitsuya Nagai 7)Tsuyoshi Kohsaka 8) Mikhail Ilyukhin 9) Dick Vrij 10) Masayuki Naruse Willie Peeters vs Wataru Sakata A somewhat spirited affair. Sakata comes out firing against Peeters, but Peeters shows the younger Sakata how to dance as the minutes pass. Peeters constantly applies pressure on Sakata, proving to be the more proficient grappler in this match by making Sakata scramble to the ropes several times. Sakata appears to have a chance against Peeters in the striking game, knocking down the Dutchman once, but Peeters punishes Sakata with his patented stiff palms strikes. The match features more grappling as we move into the 12:00 mark and Peeters continues to give Sakata fits. The score stands at 8-2 in favor of Willie Peeters when he locks in a north-south choke for the victory. Peeters defeats Sakata via submission (north-south choke), 17:42 Masayuki Naruse vs Egan Inoue Another pretty exciting match that sees Egan Inoue giving Naruse fits from the start. Egan Inoue is the better grappler, but Naruse does find his rhythm and prevents Inoue from doing any serious damage at the start. They both end up scrambling for a few rope breaks and the score remains at 2-2 for a while until they start engaging in a pretty fierce striking battle, with both throwing a lot of stiff palm strikes. Naruse knocks down Inoue with one of these strikes, and this gets Inoue going again as he manages to find Naruse in a clinch and brings him down for a rear-naked choke that ends the match in a submission. Inoue defeats Naruse via submission (rear-naked choke), 11:21 Bitsadze Tariel vs Yoshihiro Takayama Takayama is welcomed into RINGS by a loud ovation from the fans in Ariake Coliseum, and Bitsadze Tariel looks to present a formidable challenge to the newcomer. The first several minutes of this match feature mainly striking, with Takayama showing off his power against Tariel’s strength. Tariel’s kicks give Takayama some trouble, but he fires back with his own and manages to clinch with Tariel, scoring a few knees to the abdomen for his first knockdown. Tariel quickly gets up and soon returns the favor with a powerful right kick to Takayama’s kidney. The story continues for most of the match, with it remaining even and each scoring two more knockdowns. As they begin to seriously test each other’s grappling strength around the 11:00 mark, Takayama emerges as the more competent of the two and manages to snag a guillotine choke on Tariel for the submission victory! The crowd erupts with excitement as Takayama wins on his debut over a strong RINGS heavyweight wrestler. Takayama defeats Tariel via submission (guillotine choke), 12:19 Mitsuya Nagai vs Dick Vrij Dick Vrij comes out swinging against Nagai and appears to have Nagai on the ropes several times with several hard strikes resulting in three knockdowns by the 3:40 mark. Nagai tries to get Vrij on the canvas, knowing that he is a better grappler than Vrij. Vrij plays good defense, and manages to score on another knockdown on Nagai! But in the last minute, Nagai comes roaring back and catches Vrij by surprise with a double-leg takedown. Nagai takes the initiative and locks in a kneebar as Vrij struggles to break free. He has no choice but to tap! Nagai gets the surprising victory to the delight of the fans as his old mentor Maeda, dressed in a fine red jacket at ringside, looks on approvingly. Nagai defeats Vrij via submission (kneebar), 6:42 Kiyoshi Tamura vs Maurice Smith A very evenly contested bout. Maurice Smith opts not to use any gloves as he has in some of his previous matches in RINGS, and this may allow him to challenge Tamura on the canvas. The two open the match with some tentative striking, with Smith testing Tamura with some sharp kicks aimed at Tamura’s legs. Tamura returns the favor, showing he is a dangerous kicker too. Tamura soon tries for the double-leg takedown after Maurice Smith aims too high with a knee. Smith controls Tamura at first, keeping him in a half-mount and making Tamura exert energy to try and counter Smith on the canvas. Smith attempts to work his way into a rear-naked choke on Tamura, but Tamura has excellent defense and avoids the attempt. Neither can find the advantage on the canvas, so they opt for the stand-up again and Tamura brings some more fire here, working in some combos with palm strikes to keep Maurice Smith moving. Smith uses his kickboxing experience to land a few hits on Tamura as well, but neither is in danger of being knocked down. At around the 8:00 mark, Tamura makes Smith scramble for the ropes as he nears locking in a leglock attempt. Smith opts to take the match to the canvas, but as Tamura grows into the match, so does his danger. After Tamura and Smith trade control, with Smith keeping Tamura busy with some counter sweeps, Tamura seizes the initiative and manages to exploit an opening by getting a cross-armbreaker on Smith. Smith tries to find the ropes, but is some distance away and is forced to tap. The crowd erupts in joy over Tamura’s fine victory over a very capable opponent. Tamura defeats Smith via submission (cross-armbreaker), 10:31 Adilson Lima vs Mikhail Ilyukhin Adilson Lima is the first Brazilian to debut in RINGS and has a formidable opponent in Mikhail Ilyukhin. On paper, this is an interesting Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu vs SAMBO match. In reality, the match is mostly a cautious affair with Adilson not doing anything too risky while Ilyukhin doesn’t commit fully either. Adilson is happy to trade some tepid strikes with Ilyukhin and the two measure each other out for the first few minutes. When they get to the canvas, Lima is more calculated, keeping Ilyukhin from doing anything too dangerous. Lima uses a smart vertical four-quarter hold and keeps Ilyukhin pinned. Ilyukhin struggles to break the hold but eventually manages to roll over to the nearest set of ropes to force a break. With the two standing back up, Ilyukhin tries to take the initiative but Lima proves to be too adept and avoids several takedown attempts. By the 15:00 mark, the match is 4-1 in favor of Lima as he manages to get Ilyukhin to scramble to the ropes several times while he looks for a submission hold. The last few minutes see the match pick up a bit as Ilyukhin gets Lima to the mat and gets the opportunity to look for a Keylock, but Lima fights through it and sweeps Ilyukhin, getting the advantageous position and uses his side control to grab Ilyukhin’s arm for a cross-armbreaker. Lima immediately locks it in and Ilyukhin taps. Adilson celebrates the victory while Ilyukhin holds his face in frustration. Lima defeats Ilyukhin via submission (cross-armbreaker), 17:37 Volk Han vs Tsuyoshi Kohsaka Following up from their exciting match in July, this proves to be a grappling masterclass by both. Volk Han is up to his usual tricks at the beginning of the match when he gets wrist control on Kohsaka and spins him around with a creative wrist lock. Kohsaka finds himself on the mat but uses his wit to wrap his legs around Han’s and grabs a quick leg-lock, bringing Han down with him. Han, of course, finds his own leg to lock into and we see an early exchange in the art of leg-locking techniques. Kohsaka finds himself in trouble but rolls himself to the ropes and we get an early clean break. Both Han and Kohsaka show off their fancy striking abilities, with Kohsaka perhaps showing better palm strikes of the two. Kohsaka takes down Han with a double-leg takedown but Han reverses in due course and attempts to get a cross-armbreaker on Kohsaka, but Kohsaka slips out of it, only to find Han snatching onto his leg again. We see another calm exchange in leg-locking techniques. Kohsaka grows bolder and eventually finds a way to confuse Han while working on top, spinning around to snatch in a cross-armbreaker, which forces Han to tap the ropes with his legs. Kohsaka goes 1-0 up and grows into the match, giving Han some headaches as the two continue to show off some tremendous grappling skills. By the 10:00 mark, the two are even at 2-2 as each uses a rope break a few more times. Kohsaka and Han find themselves back up and they exchange a few strikes before Han brings Kohsaka back down to the canvas. Kohsaka works to find Han’s back for a rear-naked choke but Han escapes with a rope break. As they resume, Han gains wrist control and does a beautiful joint-lock armbar takedown, which leads to a double-wrist-lock, and Han smartly traps both of Kohsaka’s legs with his own. Kohsaka calmly finds a way out though and gets a rope break and the two are tied at 3-3 at the 12:30 mark. Han fires back with some stiff palm strikes and goes for another double-wrist-lock takedown, but Kohsaka finds his way to side control and works into a triangle armbar position, but Han rolls to the ropes and gets another rope break. 4-3 Kohsaka as we head into the final stretch where Kohsaka gets Han into a rolling single-leg takedown where he attempts a knee crusher, but Han has great awareness and somehow snags Kohsaka’s arm for the armbar! Kohsaka taps! The crowd roars in approval of the great display of grappling and counterwork. Volk Han pulls another rabbit out of his hat. Han defeats Kohsaka via submission (cross-armbreaker), 13:39 Yoshihisa Yamamoto vs Ricardo Morais Ricardo Morais, standing at 6’8, poses a towering figure even against Yamamoto, who is 6’3. The muscular frame of Morais looks to be unstoppable, and Yamamoto’s hope seems to lay in the fact that this is a RINGS rules match, which will put both competitors on an even playing field. Yamamoto immediately tries to grapple with Morais, attempting a double-leg takedown, but Morais’ strength proves to be too much and he guards easily against the attempt. Morais hooks his arm around Yamamoto’s neck and drags him back up as Yamamoto tries to push away. Morais doesn’t let go, and lands a few hard knee strikes against Yamamoto’s abdomen, causing the rising RINGS star to fall to the canvas for Morais’ first knockdown. Yuji Shimada begins the count and Yamamoto manages to get back up relatively quickly, but the theme continues through the match as Morais bosses Yamamoto with his pure strength and striking ability, showing that even his palm strikes are dangerous. Yamamoto appears to struggle every time he tries to close the distance against Morais, getting knocked down three more times by the 5:00 mark. Morais even shows off his kicking ability, using his powerful legs to cut down his opponent at any opportunity. This is unfortunately a complete mismatch as Yamamoto tries to bravely fight back with some furious palm strikes, but Morais counters with a nice combo and delivers a sharp blow that knocks out Yoshihisa Yamamoto for good. Shimada calls for the bell as an audible gasp fills the Ariake Coliseum. Morais celebrates with his cornermen as several other RINGS Japan wrestlers attend to Yamamoto, who appears to be shellshocked. Morais defeats Yamamoto via KO, 5:49 The fans in Ariake Coliseum continue to take in what they just witnessed, as Ricardo Morais works his way back to the locker room. There will be no celebration or words of victory from Yamamoto tonight. The RINGS commentary team breaks down tonight's events for the WOWOW audience and promotes the annual RINGS Mega Battle Tournament, which will start in October. The WOWOW broadcast signs off with the end titles theme to "Apollo 13" as the credits roll.

UWF Newborn – “The Professional Bout” August 22nd, 1988 Ariake Coliseum Tokyo, Japan Attendance: 12,000 (sold out) All eighteen competitors are introduced, with the crowd giving a warm welcome to the newcomers, and thunderous cheers for both Maeda and Takada, and perhaps even a louder one for Sayama. Maeda grabs the microphone and thanks the crowd for coming, and says that tonight's event is both historic and proof that UWF is here to stay. Takada thanks the fans as well and promises a great event. Finally, Sayama takes the microphone to even more cheers and says that he is happy to be back in the ring and will give it his all. "Thank you all for coming, please keep supporting us as we take UWF to new heights. Tonight, Shooto and UWF collide!" Minoru Suzuki vs Masakatsu Funaki This was a very even contest from the start. Neither Funaki nor Suzuki had the advantage for the first 7 minutes or so of the match, with it being almost exclusively grappling on the canvas. Both were quick with their counterwork and transitions, avoiding any serious submission attempts from their opponent and keeping each other busy, working for a dominant position. We see more of a stand-up game between these around the 10-minute mark, with both scoring a knockdown each as they start delivering hard palm strikes. With the score tied at 1-1, the match opens up a bit more on the canvas as they head for another round of grappling. Funaki grows more confident and bolder as time wears on, sending Suzuki scrambling for two rope breaks by the 13:00 mark. At 2-1, Suzuki knows he needs to close the gap and the crowd is lively as they head into the finishing stretch with Suzuki trying to get Funaki on the back foot. Funaki catches Suzuki as he attempts a double-leg takedown and manages to find Suzuki’s arm from a north-south position for a kimura lock! Funaki keeps Suzuki some distance from the ropes and Funaki scores the victory via submission. Funaki defeats Suzuki via submission (kimura), 16:11. Wayne Shamrock vs Yasuto Sekishima Wayne Shamrock finally makes his debut for UWF and his opponent is another debuting wrestler, who is from Sayama’s Shooto gym. Yasuto Sekishima is smaller in frame compared to Wayne Shamrock, who isn’t quite built like a Greek god yet but still has muscle on a leaner Sekishima. Shamrock quickly finds out that size isn’t exactly holding his opponent back as Sekishima shows off some snappy kicks and sharp palm strikes that he learned in Shooto, and his length helps him keep Shamrock at a safe distance despite the size differential. Shamrock takes a few minutes to adjust to his unknown opponent, preferring to play a conservative defense as he weathers the striking storm. Shamrock manages to lull Sekishima to the canvas as he manages to grab his arm for a wristlock. Sekishima responds by attempting a slick leg takedown on Shamrock but the North American grappler avoids any serious setbacks. Sekishima shows off some very cool grappling counterwork and transition work, showing his quickness and giving Shamrock all sorts of trouble as he makes Shamrock work to avoid giving off any openings. This becomes a very fun match as Shamrock and Sekishima go to work with the grappling, giving each other fits in their unique ways. Sekishima with his quickness and athleticism, and Shamrock with his size advantage and strength. The points stand at 2-2 around the 11:00 mark as each uses two rope breaks in an exciting grappling duel on the canvas. The two stand back up and we get another extended striking exchange, this time with Shamrock showing off his strength with his palm strikes. Sekishima attempts some nice kicks and even tries a rolling high kick which Shamrock avoids. This gives Shamrock the opening to snag Sekishima into a Dragon Suplex! The power of the suplex dazes Sekishima and Shamrock takes him down and locks in a heel hook as Sekishima scrambles for the ropes on his stomach. Shamrock keeps him from reaching the ropes and Sekishima taps! Shamrock defeats Sekishima via submission (heel hook), 13:37 Erik Paulson vs Yorinaga Nakamura Another set of new debutants for UWF. Yorinaga Nakamura comes in with some mystique, and Erik Paulson is eager to prove himself. Paulson, like Sekishima, has a bit of a smaller frame compared to Nakamura but uses that to his advantage by being quicker. Nakamura isn’t afraid to close the distance though, knowing Paulson’s style inside and out from the Shooto gym. As with the previous match, this turns out to be quite fun with Paulson showing off his slick grappling abilities, while Nakamura shows off some very cool tricks of his while countering most of what Paulson throws at him. Paulson is perhaps too eager, as Nakamura controls the first 5 minutes of the match easily, sending Paulson to the ropes twice as he threatens to get a submission. It’s a similar story with the stand-up, as Nakamura isn’t afraid to stand toe-to-toe with Paulson and sends the younger Shooto student to the mat with some stiff palm strikes. 2-0 up, Nakamura finishes the match quite stylishly by hooking Paulson’s leg after a clinch, and he rolls with Paulson into a “banana split” position, hooking both of Paulson’s legs for the submission victory. The crowd was very pleased by that display of grappling prowess from Nakamura. Nakamura defeats Paulson via submission (banana split), 10:52 Tatsuo Nakano vs Yoji Anjo A fiery contest between two of the younger roster members on UWF looking to establish themselves more. Anjo is looking for his first win. If you like palm strikes and kicks, this match had a whole lot of them. Nakano tries using his size advantage to control most of the match, but Anjo proves to be learning the secrets of grappling waza on the canvas. This ends up pretty even at about 3-3, rope breaks and knockdowns both, as it heads into the 15:00 mark, with the crowd torn between the two. Anjo gets Nakano to the canvas again after scoring a nice German suplex. Anjo grabs Nakano’s legs for a Boston Crab and locks it in pretty tight in the center of the ring. Nakano tries to get to the ropes but he is forced to tap as his energy dwindles. Anjo gets his first win in UWF! Anjo defeats Nakano via submission (Boston Crab), 15:57 Osamu Kido vs Norman Smiley Norman Smiley makes his debut in UWF after spending several weeks in Florida, training with Karl Gotch and Bart Vale. This proves to pay off as Norman Smiley shows off his athleticism and conditioning against Osamu Kido, applying various techniques learned over the past month. Kido does prove to be a worthy opponent though, and controls the first 7:00 of the match, keeping Smiley from posing any serious threat. Kido isn’t as quick but does show great grappling defense and counterwork on the canvas, making Smiley work for any advantage. As the match wears on, Smiley grows bolder and starts to show off some great striking techniques, particularly some low kicks that cause Kido to slow down and grimace in pain. Smiley scores a knockdown here. Kido manages to score two knockdowns and makes Smiley go for the ropes twice, giving him a 3-1 advantage as the match heads into the 15:00 mark. Norman Smiley wows the crowd with a flying armbar as he locks in Kido with some nice wrist control! He takes Kido down to the mat, and with his arm locked in tight, Kido taps almost immediately. Even with the decisive loss, Kido congratulates Smiley after the match and pays his respects to another student of Karl Gotch. Smiley defeats Kido via submission (flying armbar), 16:04 Ryuma Go vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara A relatively quick and brutal match that sees Ryuma Go continue his tremendous fighting form. Fujiwara responds in kind as the two exchange some brutal palm strikes. Go’s low kicks are just as powerful, which sends Fujiwara reeling. By the 5:00 mark, we already see two knockdowns apiece as they do not relent with the pace or striking power. Not much grappling in this match, although they do test each other on the canvas twice briefly where Fujiwara has the clear advantage. If Fujiwara is tested enough, he unleashes the headbutts. Go makes the mistake of clinching with Fujiwara, and Fujiwara delivers some sharp headbutts as a response. Go falls to the canvas with a bloody nose and fails to get up by the count of 10. Fujiwara is your winner! The crowd very much enjoyed this despite its briefness. Fujiwara defeats Ryuma Go via KO, 9:41 Nobuhiko Takada vs Chris Dolman This proves to be a very interesting matchup as Chris Dolman, debuting for UWF, comes out wearing a traditional red SAMBO gi with blue sweats. Dolman is both a judoka and sambist by training. Takada forgoes the gi as expected and only dons his black tights and kick pads. Dolman proves tough to handle at first, using his stocky frame and strength to show off a few nicely executed throws, influenced by both his training in Judo and SAMBO. This catches Takada by surprise and he appears to struggle with Dolman’s willingness to close the distance and clinch with his opponent. Takada’s kicks don’t deter Dolman much as he gets Takada to the canvas again with a sweeping leg takedown. Here we see Dolman’s grappling come into play a bit more. Dolman isn’t as quick as Takada might be, but his ability to keep Takada from using much defense with his tight holds and good positioning makes Takada use his first two rope breaks by the 6:00 zone. Takada re-adjusts and tries to keep his distance from Dolman better, making more use of his kicks and better reach to make Dolman work for another takedown. Dolman does manage to get off a nice Ippon-seoi-nage on Takada, which causes Dolman’s opponent to stay down long enough to get the referee to call for a count. The final two minutes of the match see Takada take the initiative and throw some tremendous kicks and even hits a rolling high kick on Dolman. This causes Dolman to go down for his first count and he appears to be a bit dazed. He tries to get up by the count of 10 but the referee calls for the bell. Dolman appears a little confused as he argues he got up in time but the referee raises his fists as a gesture, suggesting that Dolman needed a better signal. With that said, Dolman and Takada shake hands and bow to each other. The fans show their appreciation for both and Dolman certainly got them going with his nice throwing techniques. Takada beats Dolman via KO, 11:55 Satoru Sayama vs Kazuo Yamazaki The long-awaited return of Satoru Sayama to the squared circle proves to be a success. The clash between Sayama and his former student delivers, with Sayama showing off his sharp striking abilities and demonstrating he hasn’t missed a beat. Yamazaki responds in kind, but Sayama feels motivated and keeps the pressure on. On the grappling side, the two test their mantle on the canvas early, and while Yamazaki is the quicker of the two, Sayama’a defense and counterwork prove to be very good, and he mostly keeps Yamazaki at bay, controlling the early battle. Sayama’s ability to pull guard and exploit his opponent’s openings frustrates Yamazaki. The match continues to be both even and exciting, as the striking game resumes and Sayama begins to show off his old style, landing smooth jumping kicks. They both score a knockdown on each other by the 10:00 mark, makings things even at 1-1. By the 15:00 mark, Sayama’s strength on the mat comes into play and Yamazaki is forced two use two rope breaks in due course. At 2-1, the pace of the match does not let up, as they continue to trade battles with the stand-up and grappling. Yamazaki and Sayama make things even at 3-3 by the 20:00 mark, with Sayama scoring another knockdown before Yamazaki has a brief period of great offense, which causes Sayama to lose his footing twice. Regardless, Sayama keeps his cool and catches one of Yamazaki’s low kicks, converting it into a single-leg takedown and then locking in a kneebar. Yamazaki attempts a brief leg lock battle, but Sayama’s experience pays off and he eventually snags the leg just enough to force Yamazaki to tap. The fans cheer for Sayama quite loudly as he is announced the victor, and Yamazaki pays his respects to his former teacher. Sayama defeats Yamazaki via submission (kneebar), 23:27 Akira Maeda vs Dick Vrij Maeda comes out to Camel’s “Captured” with a rapturous crowd providing the background noise with “M-AE-DA!” timed to the music. Maeda’s opponent tonight is a bit of an unknown, but as soon as Dick Vrij comes out, the crowd recognizes he means business. The Dutchman with somewhat extravagantly dyed hair and long black tights is almost built like the Terminator, and certainly stands as an imposing figure, at least one worthy enough to be in the same ring as Maeda. Vrij is billed as a kickboxer by the announcer, and he quickly proves the danger he poses as the match gets underway. His strong, sharp kicks and well-timed palm strikes immediately pose a challenge for Maeda. The crowd is molten hot for this match, as they urge Maeda on against the Dutchman, who is almost cyborg-like in his approach. Maeda tries to use his reach to keep Vrij at bay, but Vrij just keeps coming, with low kicks that audibly connect in the Ariake Coliseum. Maeda winces, certainly feeling the power of those kicks. As the minutes begin to add on, Maeda grows bolder, beginning to take the initiative and landing some nice combos on his opponent, something Vrij hasn’t been able to do quite yet. Vrij quickly shakes it off though, and the two resume their striking battle before Maeda gets Vrij with a double-leg takedown. Maeda tests Vrij’s grappling mantle for the first time on the canvas. While Maeda is the better grappler, Vrij’s defense is decent enough, and he avoids any serious mistakes but is forced to go for his first rope break after Maeda tries for a leg lock. At the 10:00 mark, Maeda gets his first knockdown as he lands another combo with some swift palm strikes, and backs Vrij into a corner, using that advantageous position to deliver some knee strikes into Vrij’s abdomen. Vrij falls for the first time and the referee starts the count. Vrij doesn’t take long and responds by the count of five. Vrij comes firing back, taking some swipes at Maeda’s face and backing Maeda into a corner of his own. Vrij puts the heat on and sneaks in a knee right to Maeda’s face. Maeda responds to a ten count of his own in a timely fashion as well. Maeda soon gets his opponent back to the canvas in response, this time using a nice belly-to-belly takedown to establish side control on Vrij, immediately trying to work for an ude-garami (americana) on Vrij. This is enough to force the Dutchman to use a second rope break. At 2-1, the two continue to pick up the pace. At around the 15:00 mark, Maeda attempts a rolling roundhouse after locking in Vrij’s wrist for control, but Vrij manages to dodge. Maeda ends up landing on the other side of the ring after the roll, and Vrij immediately pounces with somewhat of a shoot Shining Wizard into Maeda’s abdomen. This gets the crowd going, and Maeda feels the level of his support as the referee calls for another count. 2-2 now as Maeda responds by the count of seven. As the two face off once again, the level of striking continues to be very good, and Maeda soon scores another knockdown to make it 3-2. (for visualization!) As the match reaches its climax, Vrij comes swinging with some vicious high kicks, and Maeda looks to be on the back foot and in danger. But Maeda catches one of them and sends Vrij back down into the canvas, the swelling with every move as Maeda looks to lock in an ankle lock at first, but then switches into a single-leg Boston crab! Maeda locks this one in tight and the Dutchman taps in due course. As expected, the crowd cheers loudly for Maeda’s win and certainly for the great main event they just received as well. Maeda defeats Vrij via submission (single-leg Boston crab), 21:22 12,000 fans make their adoration for Maeda known as he celebrates in the ring. He comes over and shakes hands with Dick Vrij before they have one final stare-off. These two will probably meet again sometime down the line. Shinji Jin enters the ring and awards Maeda a large golden trophy as a gesture of appreciation. Maeda takes the microphone and asks everyone to give a round of applause for tonight's event and Dolman's crew. He says that UWF will grow internationally and that Dolman and Free Fight Holland have established the foundation for that. Maeda also thanks Sayama for agreeing to return to the ring and that he looks forward to facing him again in the future. Maeda, exhausted, thanks the fans once again before being helped backstage, passing through the adoring crowd.

Yeah, Smiley is really underrated. He also had a great career in CMLL as Black Magic during the early 1990s.

Quite an interesting episode heading into the big card for Winnipeg. Boris Zhukov vs Nikita Koloff should be an interesting clash. I also love the idea of Buzz Sawyer vs Carlos Colon.

The main event had a few twists and turns but it certainly delivered. Impressive showing by Goto and Abdullah the Butcher. Will be interesting to see how much of a force they become in WCW with the other powerhouses in the promotion.

That Summerslam card looks great! Kevin von Erich vs Great Muta is certainly one I'm looking forward to. Also will be interesting to see how quickly The Rockers can climb the tag team ladder in their new promotion.

Sad to see IPW go (although I can't wait to see what is next!). I thought it had a very unique flavor and this final episode certainly closed things out in the same manner. Great job overall!

That's a good way to introduce the new NWA! The Shane Douglas vs Piper feud promises to be a blockbuster. Pillman introduces himself in a predictable yet compelling way. RVD vs Chris Jericho might become the mainstay of what the NWA of the 1990s is all about. I love all the detail you put into this. Good stuff all around!

Agreed, that was really good! Good to see all the characters in W*ING come to life. You really captured Onita well. Enjoyed the main event especially. Can't wait to see Aja Kong vs Megumi Kudo down the line.