Control21

A very fun show to continue the build for Wrestlefest. Los Conquistadors vs Solar and Blue Demon was a solid opener, and Chono vs Tiger Mask II helped set the stage for what could be a potential show-stealer.

UWF Newborn – “Starting Over II” July 25th, 1988 Korakuen Hall Attendance: 2,005 (sold out) Tokyo, Japan Pre-event festivities get underway when everyone on the card is introduced individually. Akira Maeda speaks first and thanks the fans for coming and promises another great evening of action. Nobuhiko Takada speaks next and says that he will continue to make the fans proud and looks forward to his match against his former teacher, Yoshiaki Fujiwara. Finally, Masakatsu Funaki is given a chance to speak and he says that the spirit of UWF burns bright within him and that he will make everyone proud. Funaki ends by saying he is glad to be here. Minoru Suzuki vs Tatsuo Nakano A tough and physical 30-minute draw. Suzuki, being the younger trainee with more to prove perhaps, came out swinging against Nakano. Suzuki quickly proved that he is just as dangerous with palm strikes as Nakano is, getting his opponent on his back foot immediately. Nakano had to respond quickly, and he did. Catching Suzuki on a counter, he gets Suzuki down for his first knockdown after striking his younger opponent with a sharp palm strike to the face. Suzuki gets back up pretty quickly and is visibly frustrated. The score becomes 1-0 Nakano five minutes in. Suzuki adjusts his game plan and starts looking for ways to bring Nakano down to the canvas. Nakano is pretty sharp with his defense and keeps Suzuki at bay, blocking a few takedown attempts and keeping Suzuki either on his feet or scrambling around on the canvas after not being able to get a takedown on Nakano. About 10 minutes in, Suzuki finally manages to get Nakano where he wants him after blocking a low kick to the body for a takedown by catching his leg. Suzuki quickly finds side control and starts to work on Nakano’s left arm. He looks for a keylock but Nakano manages to find the ropes with one of his legs just in time for his first rope escape. The referee gets the two to stand back up and Suzuki continues right where he left off and goes for a double-leg takedown. Nakano’s defense is on point again, and he blocks the attempt and keeps Suzuki on the canvas while having a more advantageous position. A prolonged battle on the canvas occurs and the two fight for positioning for a good while, with fatigue starting to set in for both around the 17:00 mark. Nakano gets Suzuki on his back and quickly finds the positioning needed for a rolling cross armbreaker. He struggles to break free Suzuki’s arm, giving Suzuki enough time to find the ropes for Suzuki’s first rope escape. At about 22:30 minutes in, Nakano corners Suzuki into a turnbuckle and clinches his opponent for some knee strikes to the abdomen. Suzuki falls to the canvas, holding the area where the knees connected. The referee calls for another ten count and Suzuki gets back up by the count of seven. At 2-0 up, Nakano looks to be in control. Suzuki quickly musters enough energy to mount a comeback, and grabs onto his opponent for a belly-to-belly suplex! Suzuki quickly looks for a kneebar, and Nakano has no choice but to find the ropes for another rope escape. Suzuki gets his first point and it is now 2-1 Nakano at about 25:00 in. The match finishes up with another stretch of grappling on the canvas, with Suzuki desperately looking for a way to finish off his opponent, but time expires before he can find Nakano’s arm for a cross armbreaker attempt. With the score still at 2-1 for Nakano, he is declared the winner via points. Nakano defeats Suzuki via decision, 30:00 Masakatsu Funaki vs Ryuma Go Perhaps to the surprise of some, this was a hard-hitting and violent match. Ryuma Go revealed a side to him that hasn’t been seen since the 1970s. Funaki isn’t entirely new to the wrestling scene and is widely regarded as the best prospect for UWF Newborn, but even he appeared to be surprised. The match starts with Go throwing a combo of palm strikes, followed by several stiff kicks to Funaki’s legs. The audible noise of these strikes sends the crowd into a frenzy. Funaki stumbles back into the ropes, but Go does not relent. Go strikes Funaki’s skull pretty hard with another palm strike and Funaki’s legs turn into spaghetti. Funaki collapses into a heap and the referee calls for a count. Funaki appears to be in danger of losing quite quickly but gets back up by the count of eight. Go immediately goes back to work and finds Funaki’s back for a Dragon Suplex. Go quickly moves for a high mount. Go begins a “ground-and-pound” on Funaki with some more stiff palm strikes. Funaki appears to be in danger but manages to muster enough energy and hooks Go’s legs with his own for a sweep. The crowd voices their approval for Funaki’s fine counterwork from a vulnerable position and Funaki for the first time in the match finds himself on the offensive. Funaki quickly hooks onto Go’s left leg for a heel hook attempt, which sends Go scrambling for a rope escape. The referee stands both back up to applause from the fans. Funaki, perhaps finding some reprieve from the previous spot, goes on the offensive and strikes Go with palm strikes of his own. Go fires back, clinches onto Funaki, and fires several knees into Funaki’s abdomen. Funaki stumbles back into a turnbuckle but Go continues his ferocious striking. This time, Go lets loose an elbow and smashes Funaki across the face! The crowd is shocked as the sharp elbow draws some blood from Funaki’s nose. The referee calls for a clean break and shows Go a yellow card, the first in UWF Newborn! Go is deducted a point, which counts as another rope escape and the score is now 1-1 at about the 8:00 mark. Funaki quickly grapples onto Go, perhaps attempting to recuperate some energy. Go is the fresher of the two and works his way to Funaki’s side for a side suplex. The suplex takes some wind out of Funaki and the referee starts another ten count. Funaki is able to get back up by the count of eight again, but quickly finds himself targeted by a high kick from Go. Funaki stumbles onto one knee. Go takes advantage of Funaki’s vulnerability and fires another kick to Funaki’s head! Since Funaki was not fully “grounded,” the high kick does not count as a “soccer kick” and the referee has no choice but to count again. Funaki is very slow to get back up and only manages to beat the count at nine and a half. Funaki, clearly dazed, fires back with palm strikes of his own, but they only meagerly connect. Go comes back with a series of low kicks to Funaki’s abdomen. Funaki stumbles forward onto his knees in clear exhaustion. Go shocks the crowd by releasing some hard palm strikes on a partially downed Funaki, who is clearly on the ropes. Funaki collapses into another heap and seems unresponsive. The referee has seen enough and calls for the bell. Ryuma Go wins via KO! Masakatsu Funaki displayed signs of promise but was simply unprepared for a violent and focused Ryuma Go. Go defeats Funaki via KO, 9:42 Shigeo Miyato vs Kazuo Yamazaki Miyato came out eager to get a win and prove himself against Yamazaki after a relatively poor showing against Nobuhiko Takada. Yamazaki, coming off a loss against Akira Maeda, is looking for a win too. Miyato smartly keeps the match on the canvas in the first few minutes, showing off some smart grappling against Sayama’s first student. Yamazaki, to his credit, begins to show off some nice defensive counterwork and demonstrates his grappling abilities that may be underrated. Yamazaki keeps Miyato jockeying for position, and slowly Yamazaki takes the initiative by forcing Miyato to go for a rope escape at around the 4:30 mark by going for a guillotine choke near the ropes. As the referee stands the two back up, Yamazaki is back in his comfort zone and begins to assail Miyato with a series of kicks. Miyato once again struggles to contain a superior striker but manages to get in a few palm strikes of his own. Yamazaki is undeterred and keeps Miyato on his back heels. Miyato gets Yamazaki back on the canvas and at around the 9:00 mark, manages to get a toe hold on Yamazaki after some grappling near the center of the ring. Yamazaki looks to be briefly in trouble but he manages to reach for the ropes after some struggle. To Miyato’s credit, he looks to hold his own against Yamazaki for the rest of the match before Yamazaki catches him by surprise after catching one of his low kick attempts, and brings him down to the canvas by dragging the caught leg and turning it into a single-leg Boston Crab. Miyato has no choice but to submit in the center of the ring as it is locked in tight. Yamazaki defeats Miyato via submission (single-leg Boston Crab), 12:09 Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Nobuhiko Takada With both competitors coming off a win from the Starting Over, there is a level of confidence with both that will ensure a spirited match. Takada quickly goes to work with some sharp low kicks targeting Fujiwara’s shins. Fujiwara is forced to utilize his defense and uses raised knees to block some more kick attempts. Fujiwara goes for the clinch on Takada and catches him by surprise with a sharp forearm uppercut. Since Fujiwara does not use a closed fist or elbow, this is allowed. Takada fires back with a sharp palm strike, but Fujiwara catches this and drags Takada to the canvas. A grappling contest ensures for the next few minutes as Fujiwara shows Takada better technique, keeping the popular firebrand scrambling to avoid any joint locks from his experienced opponent. Fujiwara manages to catch Takada by surprise by getting side control and going for a Kimura, which causes Takada to toss one of his free legs onto the rope for a rope escape. As the two stand up again, Fujiwara hits Takada with some clever palm strikes that are aimed upward at his chin, forcing Takada to stumble back. While Takada is probably the superior striker, Fujiwara’s shrewdness comes into play and eventually causes Takada to stumble to the canvas and Fujiwara gets his first knockdown at around the 8:00 mark. Takada quickly recovers and goes after Fujiwara with some more kicks, this time aimed at Fujiwara’s abdomen. One of them catches Fujiwara in the kidney and he keels over. Takada clinches on and goes for some knee strikes but Fujiwara baits him and catches one of them. Takada is dragged down back to the canvas and Fujiwara manages to get into position for a knee-crush/calf-slicer, forcing Takada to reach for the ropes again for another rope escape. Fujiwara has a 2-0 advantage and Takada is forced to adapt. Takada opts for a more defensive approach and tries to bait Fujiwara in by having him seize the initiative in the striking game. The two are more tentative for the next few minutes as they trade a few strikes and try to grapple for a dominant position, but neither can get any advantage. The decisive moment comes around the 17:00 mark when Fujiwara catches one of Takada’s kick attempts and gets Takada back down to the canvas. Fujiwara seems to be looking for a cross-collar choke from an open guard position. Takada shows great awareness here and quickly raises his legs to trap Fujiwara in a triangle choke! Fujiwara attempts to stand up and escape but Takada catches his arm and turns it into a triangle armbar. Fujiwara finds himself in an untenable position in the center of the ring and taps. Takada defeats Fujiwara via submission (triangle armbar), 17:52 Akira Maeda vs Osamu Kido While this is their first time meeting UWF Newborn, they did meet several times in the original UWF and NJPW in the early 1980s. Maeda has more experience now and is aiming to continue his winning start. Kido was Karl Gotch’s favored student, but Maeda believes he is better and is eager to push Kido aside. The two start the match by feeling each out with some tentative palm strikes, and Maeda mixes things up with some low kicks to check Kido’s reach. Maeda appears to be on the front foot as Kido is unable to close the distance. Kido avoids being cornered and keeps his opponent moving. Finally, Kido ducks one of Maeda’s palm strike attempts and goes for a double-leg takedown. While on the canvas, Kido goes for an open guard position and strikes Maeda several times with some palm strikes aimed at the abdomen. Maeda attempts to defend by latching onto one of Kido’s arms but Kido manages to avoid being caught and keeps moving to a side control position. Maeda’s defense is good as Kido attempts to stretch Maeda’s arm out on the far side. The two battle for position a bit more before they slow down a bit near the ropes, and this causes the referee to stand both competitors back up. The match continues with neither gaining a clear advantage. Osamu Kido aims to keep the match on the canvas, where he is more comfortable and he manages to get Maeda on the mat a few more times, but Maeda’s defense is quite good and he keeps Kido at bay, avoiding any serious submission attempts. While standing up, Maeda has a clear advantage and he keeps Kido on the back foot for most of the match with superior striking skills, especially kicking. Maeda knocks down Kido three times during the later stage of the match, but Kido proves his resilience and gets up quickly each time. Kido, to his credit, manages to get Maeda to use two rope escapes, making the score 3-1 in favor of Maeda at around the 15:00 mark. Kido attempts to get a German Suplex on Maeda, but Maeda keeps his footing and brings down Kido with a rolling kneebar. Maeda isn’t able to quite lock it in, which leads to a prolonged struggle on the mat. Maeda changes his position and eventually manages to get Kido’s back. Kido, exhausted, isn’t able to prevent Maeda from locking in a Katahajime this time. Kido is stranded and has no choice but to tap. Maeda defeats Kido via submission (Katahajime), 19:22 As Maeda is declared the winner, cheers erupt in the jam-packed Korakuen Hall. Maeda raises his arm as an acknowledgment to the fans. The adoring crowd surges forward from the stands and surrounds the ring as they pay homage to their hero. "MA-E-DA! MA-E-DA! MA-E-DA!" chants follow the tune of "Captured" by Camel, Maeda's theme. It doesn't take long for it to segway into the UWF theme, becoming the music in Tokyo's mecca for professional wrestling. If anyone in the crowd could have a testament 30 years later, they would easily say that it felt like the UWF movement was invincible.

I haven't seen anyone make a thread for this yet, so I figured I would share my thoughts on UWF 2.0/UWF Newborn as I am currently re-watching all of the events. Others are free to share their thoughts as well if they want (and they will probably be able to review matches much better than I can! ) UWF Starting Over (5/12/1988) Nobhuhiko Takada vs Shigeo Miyato Decent match with a weird structure. Miyato taps twice but the match is still declared a draw. Solid work, however, with some nice matwork from both. Miyato looks promising here, and Takada gets in his spots as expected. Good opener for UWF 2. 0. ***1/2 Tatsuo Nakano vs Yoji Anjo Another solid match where Nakano breaks out and makes a statement as a young wrestler that will become the one we all know and love. Anjo also looks good here, but seems a bit slow and unsure of himself at times. Maybe went on a bit too long. ***1/2 Akira Maeda vs Kazuo Yamazaki Pretty good main event for UWF's first show. Maeda and Yamazaki both looked great, and they exchanged a lot of strikes as expected. Yamazaki is an underdog but gets his spots in as well, and looks like a legitimate threat to Akira Maeda. Maeda was of course a megastar at this time, and the crowd was firmly behind him. The matwork was decent, especially on Maeda's end as he gets the katahajime for the finish. **** UWF Starting Over (6/11/1988) Shigeo Miyato vs Tatsuo Nakano This was a pretty good opener despite it going 30 minutes. Nakano and Miyato really gave it their all and this was a very physical bout with some lulls, but tons of energy to keep it going. Miyato seems to have the upper hand at first but Nakano adapts his strategy and slowly turns the table. That's the good thing with longer UWF matches, you see the wrestlers change their strategy and adjust. ***3/4 Kazuo Yamazaki vs Norman Smiley Norman Smiley was excellent here. This was his debut in UWF and his background in catch wrestling with knowledge gained from Gotch and the Malenkos really paid off. Yamazaki seemed to be caught off guard by Smiley's quickness and smooth transitions. Smiley actually has the advantage throughout most of the match until Yamazaki recognizes an opportunity to seize the victory with a smart submission. Very enjoyable overall. **** Akira Maeda vs Nobuhiko Takada This was a decent main event that could have been better in some regards. The matwork wasn't particularly engaging and was a bit slow. For someone who watched every RINGS show before UWF Newborn as I did, this could be a difficult adjustment as guys like Tamura and Kohsaka were much quicker and state-of-the-art compared to Takada and Maeda in the 80s. However, there is still a good amount of psychology here, and the striking is as good as you would expect from these two. The match structure pays off in the end as well. **** UWF The Professional Bout (8/13/1988) A couple of shootboxing matches opened the show, which I find interesting as Satoru Sayama had split off from the original UWF in 1984-1985 to establish Shooto, which was a mix of Japanese jiu-jitsu, wrestling, and shootboxing. It felt like a response to this somewhat. These matches weren't particularly captivating and felt one-sided. Shigeo Miyato vs Tatsuo Nakano I preferred their previous match over this one. This match dragged a bit, and I felt like it lacked the physicality of their last bout as well. ***1/2 Norman Smiley vs Yoji Anjo Norman Smiley continued his good form from his last bout with Yamazaki here. Anjo isn't as good as a dance partner as Yamazaki was, but this was still pretty enjoyable at times. The grappling was a bit slower and perhaps traditional in the pro-style sense, but Smiley does have a few flashes of brilliance when Anjo allows him to work. ***3/4 Akira Maeda vs Gerard Gordeau This was pretty good for a "wrestler vs Kickboxer" match, which we've seen Maeda succeed at with his match against Dan "Nakaya" Nielsen a few years earlier, and then, of course, his matches with Dick Vrij in 1991. Gordeau is presented as a real threat to Maeda, which helps a lot. There isn't much grappling here, but Gordeau doesn't look completely clueless when that happens (even if he is wearing boxing gloves). Gordeau gets in a nasty kick to Maeda's head in the 3rd round, and that makes me wonder if Gordeau was shooting on Maeda here. In any case, this was a serviceable main event to an otherwise okay show. ****

(For those curious, UWF Newborn did indeed sell out their shows very quickly in real life. If you go back and read the Wrestling Observer in 1988 and 1989, Dave Meltzer talks non-stop about wild UWF's popularity was at the time, especially without a TV deal.)

A very eventful episode of Memphis Wrestling. Terry Gordy vs Buddy Landel should be a very intense rematch, especially after a tough test against Too Cold Scorpio.

Fantastic match between Owen Hart and Brian Pillman. I imagine that was an instant classic. Joe and Dean Malenko vs the Can-Am Express also sounds pretty tasty. For the third night, Hashimoto/Neidhart vs Yatsu/Fuchi seems like the MOTN.

Card announcement: UWF Newborn – “Starting Over II” July 25thth, 1988 Korakuen Hall Tokyo, Japan Minoru Suzuki vs Tatsuo Nakano Masakatsu Funaki vs Ryuma Go Shigeo Miyato vs Kazuo Yamazaki Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Nobuhiko Takada Akira Maeda vs Osamu Kido (OOC: Thanks all for your feedback! I'm glad you are all enjoying this so far. Still trying to find my bearings in terms of writing style and all that, but I feel it coming together! I'm excited to see where this goes, especially in the long term! I've been enjoying this a lot.)

Dan Severn continues his dominant run in PCW. Can anyone stop him? Also good to see Owen Hart making the finals of the Tournament of Lions. Hart vs Pillman should be a great match.

A shocking end with Dutch Mantell and Austin Idol revealing themselves. Also great to see Terry Gordy get his hands on a title even if he has to thank Slater for his services.

Top-to-bottom, a quality show for AWA which also might be the show of the summer. Fujinami vs Zbyszko (despite Zbyszko's antics!) and Brown vs Koloff both delivered as expected!

Larry Zbyszko vs Fujinami and Bad News Brown vs Nikolai Koloff both appear to be must-see matches!

I love how you incorporate those old-school figures with your matches to help visualize things. Very creative concept. I remember having a few of those as a kid and thought they were the coolest things ever. Randy Savage being the champion is probably the right call, but Ricky Steamboat isn't going to away quietly I bet. Great middle with the match between Muta and Benoit. Muta is destined for stardom in WCW.

Another great episode of IPW. After that match, Tojo Yamamoto and Head Hunter probably aren't the most popular folks in the territory...

Like my second post, I will occasionally have entries that reflect a wrestling newsletter in the style of Dave Meltzer/Wrestling Observer. I don't imagine it being Dave Meltzer specifically, but something along those lines. Just a little something to help develop storylines.

Damn, Norman Smiley would have been perfect for my roster. Can I get an exception or something? I'll move Bart Vale to a non-wrestler role for now if not to make space.

UWF Newborn – “Starting Over” July 11th, 1988 Korakuen Hall Attendance: 2,005 (sold out) Tokyo, Japan Before the show opens, all wrestlers on the show along with Minoru Suzuki and Masakatsu Funaki come out to stand in the ring while the ring announcer introduces them individually. Afterward, Funaki and Suzuki hold a demonstration of the UWF Newborn ruleset while highlighting some common submission moves and striking techniques. Yoji Anjo vs Tatsuo Nakano A special 15-minute time limit to help open the show and “educate” the crowd further. A hard-hitting duel between two of UWF Newborn’s younger roster members. Nakano came out slinging with some furious palm strikes, and Anjo fired back with some stiff kicks to the lower body. Nakano manages to corner Anjo and clinches him for a series of knee strikes to get the first down. Anjo gets back up by the count of seven. Anjo keeps firing away with lower leg strikes and manages to get Nakano down to the canvas by hooking his leg. Anjo finds Nakano’s leg quickly and tries to work in a heel hook but Nakano manages to keep him at bay and works on Anjo’s legs as well. Both are unable to find the advantage and after a conversation in the art of leg locks, the referee forces them to stand back up. Nakano manages to get another down on Anjo after a sharp palm strike to the face. Anjo gets back up at the count of seven again. At about 9:00 minutes in, Nakano looks to be in control but Anjo catches him by surprise with a high kick. Anjo gets his first down on Nakano and Nakano manages to find his way back up at the eight count. They go back to the mat again and Nakano attempts to get Anjo in a rear naked choke while controlling his back, but Anjo manages to roll his way to the ropes and the referee forces a clean break. With about three minutes left in the match, Anjo knocks down Nakano again after they trade blows. The match goes the full 15:00 and with both men scoring two knockdowns, the committee rules it a draw for both. 15:00 draw Nobuhiko Takada vs Shigeo Miyato Takada was in control for most of this match. The younger Miyato could not keep up with his more experienced opponent. Immediately Takada’s strikes are harder and more direct, and his patented kicks target Miyato’s torso, which forces him on the defensive. Miyato attempts to go for the lunging takedown but Takada is able to control his opponent and takes Miyato’s back. Miyato quickly scrambles for the ropes for the escape. Takada does not relent and follows through with a series of palm strikes to get his first knockdown at around the 4:00 mark. The story remains the same throughout the rest of the match, with Miyato attempting to take the match to the canvas but Takada’s superior defense and striking ability leads to a pivotal moment at around the 12:00 mark. After being knocked down three times, Miyato grows desperate and attempts to match Takada with some furious striking but Takada counters with a powerful leg kick to the head, forcing Miyato back down again, and this time he doesn’t get up before the 10 count is completed. Takada defeats Miyato via KO, 12:24 Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Osamu Kido A slower-paced match compared to the two previous bouts. This was more of an older-style grappling match in the vein of the Inoki vs Robinson or Inoki vs Brisco matches of days past. While the grappling was focused and calculated, the crowd was very into it and gave their approval at times, particularly when Fujiwara reversed an attempt by Kido to get his opponent into a rear-naked choke while Fujiwara was in a turtle position. Fujiwara was able to grab a hold of Kido’s leg and reversed it into a heel hook attempt, forcing Kido to scramble to the ropes. Fujiwara’s skills as a defensive mastermind were on display here, and despite Kido’s knowledge of catch wrestling gained from Karl Gotch over the years, Fujiwara was one step ahead of him. Despite Fujiwara’s advantage, this was a good chess battle between two experienced wrestlers throughout. Some of the grappling exchanges on the canvas might have appeared to be a lull to the untrained eye, but they were always on the move. Both are tied at 1-1 on knockdowns after each was forced to use two rope escapes. It was clear that neither was willing to use rope escapes until then. Fujiwara goes 2-1 up on knockdowns after Kido tires and Fujiwara controls the canvas, forcing Kido to use his fourth rope escape attempt after going for a cross armbreaker near the ropes. For about the last four minutes or so, Kido attempts to gain the advantage by throwing some palm strikes, but Fujiwara ducks one of them and goes for a scissors trip. He quickly catches Kido’s free arm for a Fujiwara armbar and Kido is unable to get to the ropes and taps out. A real battle between two students of Karl Gotch. Fujiwara defeats Kido via submission (Fujiwara armbar), 24:52 Akira Maeda vs Kazuo Yamazaki The main event of the evening, which had the jam-packed Korakuen Hall fully behind it. Yamazaki was one of Satoru Sayama’s original students in the early 80s, which makes the dynamics behind this match quite interesting. The two are tentative at first, but Yamazaki shows he is much sharper with his kicks. Maeda’s defense is passable and avoids any significant hits from his opponent but Yamazaki appears to be on the front foot. Maeda gets Yamazaki into a guillotine choke from the clinch and brings him down to the mat. Maeda appears to be the better grappler here, with Yamazaki doing his best to play defense against his taller opponent. Still tentative, Maeda tries to work Yamazaki’s legs into a lock but Yamazaki rolls with his body weight and gets the entanglement near the ropes, forcing a break without using a rope escape. The two stand back up and this time Maeda appears to be more willing with his kicks, forcing Yamazaki on the back foot for the first time in this match. Yamazaki throws a few palm strikes, which causes Maeda to respond with his own. They audibly connect and Korakuen Hall erupts in cheers for Maeda as he forces Yamazaki against the ropes and clinches him for a few knee strikes to the abdomen. Maeda throws a few more close-range palm strikes for good measure, which forces Yamazaki down for the first time. The referee begins to count and Yamazaki gets up by the count of seven. Yamazaki comes back swinging with some high kicks, including a roundhouse which catches Maeda off-guard. Yamazaki works his way into a clinch and manages to find Maeda’s back for a side suplex. Maeda quickly gets back up and stumbles backward in a bit of a shock. Yamazaki throws another quick high kick but Maeda catches this one, and manages to return the favor by grappling on to Yamazaki for a Capture Suplex! The match heats up here as Yamazaki stumbles around on the mat as the referee counts again. This time he gets back up by the count of eight and quickly gets Maeda to the canvas, hoping to recover and avoid any further knockdowns. Yamazaki manages to get Maeda on his back. Maeda goes into full guard as Yamazaki begins to throw some palm strikes. The crowd gets louder as Sayama’s student gets Maeda flustered and the referee sees enough to force Yamazaki to stand back up and begins a count for Maeda, giving Yamazaki his first “knockdown.” Maeda quickly gets back up by the count of six. Into the final third, Yamazaki takes the initiative and throws some furious high kicks as Maeda stumbles back towards the ropes. Yamazaki launches a Sayama-esque flying high kick, which connects and causes Maeda to fall to the canvas again! Another knockdown for Yamazaki and the two are tied on points. Maeda gets back up at the eight count. After some more grappling, which results in Yamazaki using a rope escape to avoid a toe hold from Maeda, the two find themselves back up standing. This time, Maeda uses another Capture Suplex to get Yamazaki back to the canvas and he quickly seizes Yamazaki’s arm for a cross armbreaker, causing his opponent to tap! Maeda defeats Yamazaki via submission (cross armbreaker), 25:39 After the match, Akira Maeda celebrates in the ring while the crowd chants “MA-E-DA! MA-E-DA! MA-E-DA!” After a minute or two, Maeda grabs a microphone and thanks the fans for coming, and promises more great events in the coming months. He confirms that UWF Newborn’s next show will be on July 25th, also at Korakuen Hall.

UWF Newborn Title History: TBD

The card for UWF Newborn "Starting Over" at Korakuen Hall on July 11th has been announced. UWF Newborn – “Starting Over” July 11th, 1988 Korakuen Hall Tokyo, Japan Yoji Anjo vs Tatsuo Nakano Nobuhiko Takada vs Shigeo Miyato Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Osamu Kido Akira Maeda vs Kazuo Yamazaki Also announced was the UWF Newborn ruleset. Matches can only be won by submission, knockout, or TKO. Unlike the first UWF iteration, pinfalls will not be used. Wrestlers will have five knockdowns each. During a knockdown, a 10 count will be given for the wrestler to recover and signal they can continue the match. After all five knockdowns are used, the opponent will win via TKO. Rope escapes can be used to "escape" submission holds. After two rope escapes are used, it will be considered a knockdown. Rope escapes can be used after that, but another pair will result in another knockdown, and so on. The time limit for each match will be thirty minutes. Any attempt to force the opponent out of the ring on purpose will result in a disqualification. Closed fits are prohibited. Palm strikes can be used on any part of the body except for the groin, same for kicks. When the opponent is down on the canvas, palm strikes will also be allowed. "Soccer kicks" will be prohibited when the opponent is on the canvas grounded. Headbutts will also be permitted unless the opponent is grounded. If a match goes to the time limit, the wrestler with the most points scored will be declared the winner. In the case both wrestlers are even on points, members of the UWF Newborn committee will decide the winner. Tag team matches will also be recognized under the new UWF Newborn ruleset. Tag team matches will also have a time limit of 30 minutes. Instead of five knockdowns, each wrestler will have three knockdowns that can be deducted. The same rules apply above. Tag team matches will also be held in an elimination format, meaning if one wrestler is submitted, KO'd, or TKO'd, the other wrestler on the same team can continue and win the match by eliminating the other two wrestlers on the opposing team.

The Return of the UWF: Shinji Jin announces the formation of UWF Newborn

UNIVERSAL WRESTLING FEDERATION (JAPAN) “UWF Newborn” Owner: Shinji Jin Promoter: Akira Maeda Honorary Chairman: Lou Thesz Commentators: Sōichi Shibata, Kenichi Takayagi, Sadaharu Tanikawa, Shogo Tanaka Referees: Masami Soranaka, Motoyuki Kitazawa, Yuji Shimada, Ryogaku Wada Ring announcer: Nobuyuki Furuta Trainers/advisors: Karl Gotch, Billy Robinson Location: Tokyo, Japan Historical Background UWF Newborn, established in 1988, was the resurrection of the original Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) in Japan, which was active from 1984-1985. UWF was created by Hisashi Shinma in the wake of a scandal that caused heavy turbulence for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Antonio Inoki used NJPW’s surging profits to offset a risky investment into a biotechnology company in Brazil. Inoki had immediately became a pariah and stepped down as company president, and Shinma, an important figure in NJPW that also spearheaded the Tiger Mask gimmick, was fired. Before the first UWF show, it was presumed that Antonio Inoki would be the leader of the new promotion, joining his friend in launching a venture into the world of professional wrestling. However, TV Asahi grew weary of continuing their relationship with NJPW without Inoki, and Inoki found himself back in power before long. Without Antonio Inoki, UWF’s would-be TV partner in Fuji Television withdrew from its business relationship. Without Antonio Inoki, UWF would launch with several other NJPW wrestlers who decided to take a chance with the new promotion, most notably Akira Maeda, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Nobuhiko Takada, and Satoru Sayama, the original Tiger Mask. UWF would become known for launching the “shoot-style” revolution in Japan. The first few UWF shows were an eclectic mix of traditional pro-style wrestlers, Lucha Libre practitioners, and the former NJPW talent mentioned above that were eager to try something new. Satoru Sayama was the most vocal of the group and saw an opportunity to take the promotion down a more realistic and grounded path. Sayama’s stance led to a clash with Hisashi Shinma and the creator of the Tiger Mask gimmick was soon shown the door. With Sayama’s crew effectively in charge, UWF was quick to fully embrace “shoot-style,” and the promotion featured matches that were considered revolutionary at the time. Gone were Irish whips and other less realistic aspects of wrestling. As the era-defining clash between Yoshiaki Fujiwara and Sayama’s new persona, Super Tiger in December 1984 suggested, the new flavor was realistic submission holds, martial-arts-inspired kicks and strikes, and suplexes that were now devastating outside the confines of traditional pro-wrestling. This is where the phrase (and eventually UWF Newborn’s tagline) “Kick Submission Suplex” derives from. The first UWF would not last long. By 1985, financial problems were becoming apparent. Without a major TV deal, the promotion faced long odds. Even with the growing popularity of “shoot-style” among the hardcore fanbase in Tokyo, a stable future was out of reach. Even within the revolutionary group of Sayama and Maeda, problems were beginning to develop and egos clashed. Akira Maeda personally felt that Satoru Sayama was beginning to exert too much control, and was pushing his ideas over others. Things came to a head in a faithful match in September 1985, where Akira Maeda legitimately injured Sayama with real kicks. Maeda was fired, and Sayama soon left himself after other wrestlers within UWF felt there was no reconciliation. Without Sayama or Maeda, UWF would meet its fate and cease to exist in late 1985. Maeda, Takada, Fujiwara, Yamazaki, and company would have no choice but to return to NJPW. But this would prove to be a boon to them. Maeda had established himself as a legit “tough guy” in the eyes of an increasingly younger, more in-tune wrestling fanbase in Japan. The UWF brand was cemented the night Maeda made things real with Sayama. Antonio Inoki recognized this and quickly established a “war” between UWF’s returning stars and other NJPW talent. This was perhaps the first major example of an “invasion” angle in professional wrestling, one that would be emulated years later with UWFi, an off-shoot of UWF Newborn. Akira Maeda, now the face of UWF and the “shoot-style” revolution, was seemingly set for a moneymaking feud with Antonio Inoki. Unfortunately for Akira Maeda, what was the gift of popularity through the act of shooting also became a curse. Maeda, perhaps feeling the occasional need to prove his credentials, found himself getting into ugly situations. The first occurred in April 1986. During a match with Andre the Giant, Maeda started to become frustrated with his drunk opponent who was not in the mood to sell. Maeda kicked Andre’s legs repeatedly, and Andre soon decided to lie on the canvas to be pinned. Maeda refused to do so, prompting Inoki to come out to ringside and call for the end of the match. This perhaps was the moment that ended any hope of a program between Antonio Inoki and Akira Maeda. Despite this incident, the UWF vs New Japan feud would continue into 1987. The popularity of the UWF stars delivered strong attendance and gate records for NJPW. TV ratings would suffer however, although some attribute this to an unfavorable timeslot while others attribute it to a frustrated casual audience that had become accustomed to the faster-paced style of NJPW over the increasingly realistic approach the company was taking at the time. In November 1987, another faithful incident occurred. During a six-man tag team match, Maeda took matters into his own hands and decided to deliver a shoot kick to the face of Riki Choshu while he was putting Osamu Kido in a Scorpion Deathlock. The kick resulted in a broken orbital bone for Chosu, and Maeda quickly found himself in hot water. Choshu was sidelined for a month, and Maeda was suspended. The company offered Maeda a chance to lift his suspension in exchange for going on an excursion to Mexico to learn Lucha Libre, but Maeda promptly refused this offer. In February 1988, Maeda left New Japan along with several of his UWF allies, including Kazuo Yamazaki, Nobuhiko Takada, Shigeo Miyato, and Yoji Anjo. This is where our story begins. But with a twist.* *Editor’s note – To present an interesting alternate reality, this iteration of UWF Newborn will include the scenario where somehow Akira Maeda and Satoru Sayama were able to make amends. This will be explained later. In reality, Sayama left professional wrestling altogether in 1985 and established an organization called Shooto, which was focused on the art of shoot wrestling and shoot boxing. It was functionally the first organized MMA promotion in the world by 1988 and would later become famous for exciting lightweight grapplers and shoot boxers that defined the early MMA era of the 1990s. But what if Sayama was able to train some of his best students as shoot-style wrestlers instead? What exactly is “shoot-style” wrestling? “Shoot-style” wrestling, as explained above, was a style of professional wrestling in Japan that arose out of the UWF revolution in the mid-1980s. The style was focused on incorporating more realism into matches, and this meant submissions, strikes, and a general structure heavily influenced by catch wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling, and other martial arts such as karate (Akira Maeda himself was a karate student). Often confused today to be “fake MMA,” it was meant to be a more distilled version of the strain of professional wrestling that defined “Puroresu.” When Karl Gotch came to Japan in the 1960s, catch wrestling quickly became popular with the viewing audience and he was presented as a credible, realistic foil to the national hero at the time, Rikidozan. Of course, one of Rikidozan’s students was Antonio Inoki. Inoki, also trained by Karl Gotch, adopted the phrase “strong style” for his vision of professional wrestling. This was focused on a credible presentation, incorporating everything he learned from Rikidozan and Karl Gotch to have a sports-focused approach with realistic moves. Inoki would also become famous for doing “mixed fights” with other combat sports practitioners, including Muhammad Ali and Willem Ruska. This is what essentially inspired the UWF crew, who went further in terms of realism and presenting what they considered to be “real wrestling.” To put it simply, “shoot-style” represents what professional wrestling looks like if you take it back to its roots as a contest between catch wrestlers and mixed it with influences from other combat sports. Of course, even in shoot-style, things are still pre-determined, and Maeda’s shoot kicks, however critical they were to the popularity of the style, are not necessarily common occurrences! (More to come tomorrow! Stay tuned!)

Hey all, are you still looking for new writers? I'd be interested in taking part in this project. I have a particular interest in shoot-style and 1988 is right around when UWF Newborn in Japan is taking off, so I would love to cover that promotion if possible! I'm not sure if this only focused on US territories or not but I saw someone write for NJPW earlier in this project. Thanks!

Daisuke Ikeda in RINGS

Good to see your thoughts again KB8. Did you watch the Maeda vs Yamamoto match from January 1996? I thought it was one of Maeda's best matches and it set up the table quite well for RINGS' 1996. It just makes Yamamoto's downfall a lot sadder too.

Victor Zangiev The archetype of the burly strongman from the Soviet bloc. Zangiev would become one of the most recognizable and impactful foreigners from the late 1980s for Puroresu. Even influencing video games such as Street Fighter. Zangiev would make his debut in 1989 for NJPW after Antonio Inoki visited the Soviet Union and negotiated access to two Russian amateur wrestlers (Salman Hashimikov was the other). Zangiev was perhaps the more charismatic of the two and was capable of having good matches. Seemingly a natural, Zangiev became one of the most formidable outsiders in 1989. Zangiev would later work on several UWFi shows. Recommended matches – vs Shinya Hashimoto (4/24/1989) vs Nobuhiko Takada (10/8/1994) w/Vladimir Berkovich vs Naoki Sano & Yoji Anjo (8/18/1994) w/Salman Hashimikov vs Kazuo Yamazaki & Yoji Anjo (6/10/1994) Taiji Ishimori One of the more talented junior heavyweights in wrestling since the mid-2000s. Ishimori has made a name for himself in NOAH and NJPW. He has combined his considerable athleticism with technical skills and a knack for inserting a ton of energy and excitement into his matches. While other wrestlers like KUSHIDA and Hiromu Takahashi may overshadow him, he still has quite a resume and continues to deliver worthwhile matches. His consistency and output warrant at least a conversation. Recommended matches – vs Hiromu Takahashi (6/4/2018) vs Hiromu Takahashi (6/21/2022) w/KENTA vs Kota Ibushi & Naomichi Marufuji (7/15/2007) w/Naomichi Marufuji vs Kotaro Suzuki & Atsushi Aoki (6/13/2012) vs Dragon Lee (5/3/2019) Hiroyuki Ito Making his debut in Kiyoshi Tamura’s U-Style, Hiroyuki Ito was a talented grappler and shoot-style underdog. He was quite decent and had several worthwhile matches with Kiyoshi Tamura, Kyosuske Sasaki, and Ryuki Ueyama. After U-Style’s closure, Ito would go on to further ply his trade in NJPW, Futen, Battlarts, and Big Mouth Loud. His output remained consistent and is probably worth a closer look. vs Kiyoshi Tamura (8/18/2004) vs Manabu Hara (4/24/2005) vs Yuki Ishikawa (4/19/2006) vs Ryuki Ueyama 10/6/2003) Naoyuki Taira “The Real Baki the Grappler,” Naoyuki Taira was a talented shootboxer that eventually tried his hand at pro-wrestling, and was quite good at it. Taira spent most of his time in BattlArts, but also appeared in RINGS for a handful of shoot matches. Taira distinguished himself with flair and style and often appeared quite competent in terms of building match structure. Perhaps he falls in a Kohsaka-esque category of wrestlers who were just really good with a small body of work. vs Alexander Otsuka (5/11/2000) vs Carl Malenko (7/20/2000) w/Kazunari Murakami vs Yuki Ishikawa & Carl Malenko (9/7/2000)

Dokonjonosuke Mishima Dokon only had a brief run in U-Style, but he delivered in almost all of them. One of the most unique JMMA fighters also proved why he could have been one of the most unique wrestlers in the 2000s if he had continued his career. He’s a bit like Megumi Fujii in the sense that he deserves a nomination based on how unreal he was in a worked format. His matches against Tamura, Manabu Hara, and Kyosuke Sasaki are worth checking out. Recommended matches – vs Kiyoshi Tamura (4/6/2003) vs Manabu Hara (2/4/2004) vs Kyosuke Sasaki (6/29/2003) vs Kiyoshi Tamura (8/7/2004) vs Crafter M (12/7/2004) Wataru Sakata Sakata was a RINGS dojo product and spent most of his career in shoot-style before working Zero-1 and HUSTLE in the 2000s. He wasn’t the flashiest of wrestlers but was a solid hand for the RINGS undercard for several years before becoming a similar roster member for more diverse promotions. He went from facing the likes of Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, Nikolai Zouev, and Kiyoshi Tamura to going face-to-face with CW Anderson, Jun Kasai, Tenryu, and Super Crazy. Certainly a colorful career worth examining. Recommended matches – vs Hiromitsu Kanehara (6/20/1998) vs Kiyoshi Tamura (7/20/1998) vs Masayuki Naruse (12/13/1997) vs Naohiro Hoshikawa (12/15/2002) vs Genichiro Tenryu (3/12/2006) Ryuki Ueyama Ueyama was one of the last UWFi dojo trainees along with Daijiro Matsui. Both would become JMMA-focused guys but Ueyama had some runs in the squared circle as well. After the end of UWFi, Ueyama would try his luck in KINGDOM, RINGS (although most of these matches were probably shoots), U-Style, DDT, HEAT-UP, and even a match in AJPW! As you would expect from someone who was trained in the UWFi dojo, Ueyama was technically proficient and capable of working a sound match. Another guy who I think deserves some examination here. vs Seichi Ikemoto (10/9/2004) vs Hiroyuki Ito (2/15/2003) w/Seichi Ikemoto vs Kiyoshi Tamura & Takaku Fuke (12/7/2004) vs Ryuji Hijikata (4/12/2003) vs Daisuke Nakamura (3/19/2015) w/Kiyoshi Tamura vs Hidehisa Matsuda & Yuki Kotake (6/29/2007) Osamu Kido Karl Gotch’s unheralded student and “son.” Kido was a proficient technician and became a staple in NJPW from its conception all the way into the 1980s and 1990s. Kido was also a key piece in the early years of the UWF revolution, participating in its first iteration. Later in the 2000s, Kido would make a stop in Big Mouth Loud and had a hand in training Shinsuke Nakamura in the NJPW dojo. A very underrated wrestler and one that probably merits his own thread based on a very consistent body of work. Recommended matches - vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara (9/6/1985) w/Akira Maeda vs Kengo Kimura & Tatsumi Fujinami (8/5/1986) w/Keith Haward vs Akira Maeda & Pete Roberts (12/5/1984) w/Akira Maeda vs Antonio Inoki & Yoshiaki Fujiwara (12/10/1986) vs Tatsumi Fujinami (2/6/1991)