Control21

A full Kintaro Oki/Kim Duk vs Tito Santana/Thor Kamata match was recently uploaded to Youtube. It makes for a fun watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMmrVLLci_g

Yeah, a lot of Americans in Japan did their promos in English and had them translated via subtitles, usually in video packages. The heel dynamic wasn't as evident as it was in America, although the "foreigner vs native ace" angle was one of the primary things that made wrestling so popular in Japan, especially after WWII when the country needed heroes to cheer on. This is why Rikidozan vs Lou Thesz drew such huge television ratings in Japan during the 1950s. One of their matches had an 87.0 rating! That would repeat through the 60s/70s/80s and onwards. Hogan vs Inoki, Inoki vs Jack Brisco, Baba vs Fritz von Erich, Flair vs Tsuruta, etc When Vader came over to UWFi, he was presented more of a "monster" type guy who wasn't a heel as he avoided underhanded tactics, but the fans were fully behind Takada, and the threat Vader posed to everyone as an unstoppable force made the fans more passionate about the matches between the two.

Great to see Prentice back with another grassroots promotion, this time in good ole' Kentucky. I missed reading the IPW shows and this hits the spot. You have a unique philosophy when it comes to booking and it makes your writing stand out I think. Keep up the good work!

WrestleWar was great! Lots of good stuff that makes Memphis wrestling what it is at its core. The Jerry Lawler vs Curt Hennig match went 60 minutes and I'm sure the fans got double their money's worth there. Jimmy Hart remains one of the scummiest men in the business, but you can't get rid of him either. I'm hoping Simmons and Reed get their revenge soon!

1989 has been a great year for PCW and I think you've utilized all of your talent pretty well. The arrival of Steve Williams and Terry Gordy has brought a lot to the promotion and their interactions with other members of the roster have always been interesting to read about. 1990 should just as exciting with some great young talent coming up through the ranks.

AWA is buzzing with hot angles and great matches! Can't wait for Super Clash and the hype for Nikita vs Hogan has been excellent. The inclusion of Col. Deebers has been a stroke of genius and I'm loving the promos between all three. I'm really looking forward to Orndorff vs Hansen as well. That should be a barnburner.

Excellent job with PWF so far. I can definitely feel the unique Florida 'flavor' here and it feels like the territory that made the headlines so often (both good and bad! ). The tournament felt big time. I'm sure the live and TV audiences will both appreciate the quality involved. Dory Funk Jr as champion will help establish a lot of credibility.

I loved how you handled WWF. You did well to bring so many of our favorite wrestlers and personalities to life here. Survivor Series was just proof positive of that approach. The British Bulldog, Ultimate Warrior, and Andre the Giant all really stood out. It seems like Bulldog is ready to make a huge run in whatever promotion he lands after the shakeup! Looking forward to seeing what you can do with WCW

You did a tremendous job with NWA and Starrcade was a great way to finish this project. Having Buddy Landel and Ric Flair have a big staredown at the end was fitting! I think you did the "NWA" initials justice with how hard you worked to bring us great action for so long.

Looking forward to what WWF will bring in the new decade. Lots of exciting opportunities and talent ready to make the jump to super stardom.

UWF Newborn – “U-Cosmos Grand Prix 1989: The Elite Eight” November 30th, 1989 Hiroshima, Japan Hiroshima Prefectural Gymnasium Attendance: 5,180 (sold out) Broadcast: WOWOW (live) The live broadcast starts with Nobuyuki Furuta formally opening the show in the ring, and the viewing audience is greeted with fireworks and flashing lights, with the UWF theme thumping in the background. Furuta announces each wrestler in the customary parade, as they line up inside the ring. The Hiroshima crowd gives huge ovations for Akira Maeda, Nobuhiko Takada, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Satoru Sayma, Super Vader, and Aleksandr Karelin. After the parade concludes, Maeda, Takada, Fujiwara, and Sayama give short statements in Japanese as they thank the fans for coming and making the tournament highly successful so far. Super Vader gives one in English that is translated into Japanese, and he promises another victory on his march to becoming the undisputed champion of the world. Lou Thesz, Billy Robinson, and Karl Gotch (in their snazzy red sportcoats) are all welcomed into the ring by Shinji Jin and other UWF officials. Thesz presents the belt that awaits the winner next month in Tokyo. The WOWOW commentary team then break down the matches for the evening and we are soon underway. Ahmed Johnson vs Steve Nelson Steve Nelson, the newcomer to UWF Newborn, found himself in a bit of a mismatch but made the most of it. The smaller American had to rely on skill and a developing background in catch wrestling thanks to Billy Robinson. Ahmed Johnson went for brute force, attempting to overwhelm Nelson with his wrestling background and pure strength. Nelson had some moments initially, but Johnson didn’t have to wait long to gain control of the match, suplexing and slamming Nelson at will almost. Ahmed Johnson quickly racked up a 3-0 lead on points after three consecutive ten counts from the referee. After Ahmed regained his breath by controlling Nelson on the mat for a brief stretch, the WCW Power Plant product stunned the crowd with an incredible piledriver slam that sent Nelson crashing into the mat head-first. Ahmed Johnson went for the pinfall and secured it easily as Nelson remained almost lifeless on the canvas. It was a memorable start for Steve Nelson’s UWF career, but not exactly one he imagined! Johnson, on the other hand, had made his mark. Johnson defeats Nelson via pinfall, 9:49 Jerry Flynn vs Billy Scott In another match featuring two new UWF wrestlers from America, both Flynn and Scott impressed as they both had the opportunity to put their respective backgrounds on display. Flynn, the tall and dashing striker seemed quite confident and moved impressively against the Tennessean with a developing catch wrestling background. Scott was now one of Billy Robinson’s protégés and managed to bring Flynn down to the mat a few times with some tricky takedowns. Flynn was able to defend credibly and minimized Scott’s opportunities with solid defense. Scott got a few rope breaks to get a 1-0 lead, but Flynn started to press his opponent more and landed a variety of kicking combinations to get his first knockdown, evening the score as Scott had to take a few seconds to get back on his feet. Flynn remained in control, and Scott found himself having to navigate Flynn’s long reach and determination to win. While the Nashville native wasn’t totally out of his depth, it wasn’t his night. After Scott tried to get more points on the canvas, Flynn scored the finishing blow by knocking Scott off his feet with a spinning roundhouse. Scott was in no man’s land and couldn’t find his footing again as Yuji Shimada finished the ten count, handing Flynn a victory in his first UWF match. Flynn defeats Scott via KO, 11:06 Kiyoshi Tamura vs Manabu Yamada These two wrestlers previously had an encounter in June that was fought to a stalemate. Yamada, still quite green, was showing signs of improvement in the UWF dojo while Tamura remained a wonderkid of sorts, quickly impressing his instructors and his peers with growth over the past few months. Tamura made sure to remind the crowd of who he was as well and dictated the tempo of the match from the opening bell. Tamura’s impressive grappling kept Yamada quite busy, and the latter mostly fought from underneath as he worked to defend himself. Tamura secured a 1-0 lead on points after getting two rope breaks out of Yamada. Yamada did grow into the match, and as he did, it became apparent that Yamada’s Shooto base differed from Tamura’s Robinson-inspired catch wrestling base. The keen eye would have picked up subtle differences, including how Yamada worked to soften up Tamura with strikes before going for swift takedowns, including Sayama’s trademark flying armbar. Tamura remained patient and mixed in more calculated offense backed up by his athletic abilities. Yamada managed to tie the match up at 1-1 after getting back at Tamura and securing a few rope breaks of his own. Eventually though, Tamura proved to be the better wrestler this night in Hiroshima and secured a submission victory via a single-leg Boston crab. Tamura defeats Yamada via submission (single-leg Boston crab), 13:18 Chris Benoit vs Wayne Shamrock Benoit and Shamrock were both highly talented wrestlers, with each having a varying degree of background in catch wrestling through their training and upbringing. Shamrock, of course, has been learning his trade in the UWF dojo and has studied under Karl Gotch and Joe Malenko as well. Benoit learned from Stu Hart himself, and wanted to prove his worth tonight against an opponent has some familiarity with but hasn’t faced yet. Benoit was able to showcase his excellent skills early and often surprised Shamrock with a variety of moves that took him to the canvas, with Benoit always looking for an early submission. The two put on a clinic in catch-based wrestling at times on the canvas, and the crowd seemed quite impressed with both and their pacing. The score reached 1-1 on points, with both being able to gain points through rope breaks. Shamrock decided to mix things up a bit by throwing in several palm strike combos in the middle stretch and caught Benoit with a massive Dragon suplex. Shamrock attempted to take Benoit’s back for a rear-naked choke, but Benoit managed to roll to the ropes and forced a clean break. Back on his feet, Benoit answered back and took down Shamrock with a fine German suplex, and followed that up with a quick pinfall attempt but Shamrock kicked out. The match continued to pick up the pace, and Shamrock scored a knockdown with a flurry of palm strikes and followed that up with another knockdown from a belly-to-belly suplex. Benoit crawled back into play by forcing Shamrock to the ropes again with a kneebar, making the score 3-2 at around the 15:00 mark. Benoit seemed to be going for the kill when Shamrock caught him by surprise with a heel hook and left Benoit in the middle of the ring to accept his fate. Shamrock defeats Benoit via submission (heel hook), 15:44 Aleksandr Karelin vs Atsushi Onita Karelin has been on a roll, and although Onita had been successfully establishing himself as a key member of the UWF roster both in the ring and with the fans, he was probably running into a brick wall tonight. The match would also be a clash of styles, with Karelin’s Greco-Roman and SAMBO background going up against Onita’s skills in Luta Livre. Karelin’s strength was a key factor against Onita, and Onita found himself struggling to break free from Karelin’s upper body holds. As a result, Onita had to rely on his defense in the opening minutes as Karelin worked from the top and pressured his opponent constantly on the canvas. Karelin’s patience guided him to forcing several rope breaks from Onita, and he built up a 2-0 lead without much issue. Onita seemed flustered on his feet and didn’t seem confident in any strategy he tried to come up with, including trying to soften up Karelin’s with low kicks. Karelin kept coming though, and roughed up his opponent with a couple of suplexes. Onita did his best to put up a fight, but Karelin remained in total control. Onita had to beat a ten count after another suplex from Karelin, and soon found himself on the mat again with Karelin going for a shoulder lock. Onita defended quite well to his credit, but Karelin brute forced his way into locking in the hold, and Onita struggled to break free before deciding that tapping out was the best way to prevent the Soviet from inflicting more pain. Karelin defeats Onita via submission (shoulder lock), 12:31 Akira Maeda vs Kazuo Yamazaki Yamazaki had made it this far and had no plans of stopping. The only problem was that Akira Maeda stood in his way. Maeda had no plans on losing either and had most of the crowd in Hiroshima behind him. Both wrestlers were quite evenly matched in the opening few minutes, with both exchanging a variety of strikes, including kicks. Content with staying on their feet neither had much action on the mat. This changed when Yamazaki got one of Maeda’s high kicks and turned it into a single-leg takedown. Yamazaki had the speed advantage, but Maeda was more patient and managed to avoid firm submission attempts from Yamazaki. When he managed to get back on his feet, Yamazaki shifted his focus to low kicks. This was an attempt to slow down Maeda and give him something to think about, but Maeda fired back with some hard strikes of his own and caught his opponent clean with a palm strike. Yamazaki tumbled down to the canvas for the first time and faced a ten count, but he didn’t take long to beat it. The urgency increased as time went on for both, and Maeda seemed more willing to press his opponent with the clock ticking. Yamazaki relished the opportunity and only fired back when he was cornered. When Maeda brought his opponent down to the mat with an armdrag, Yamazaki was quick to try and surprise Maeda with a double wristlock attempt from the bottom. Maeda, with the crowd behind him, managed to fight out and returned the favor with a kneebar attempt. Yamazaki was forced to go for a quick rope break and this gave Maeda a 2-0 lead on points. Yamazaki got one back a few minutes later after landing a kick combo on Maeda, and Maeda had to beat a ten count of his own to keep the match going. The crowd continued to cheer for Maeda quite loudly, and the two fought to a stalemate again, which led to an extended battle on the canvas with neither getting the advantage. When both got back on their feet after a clean break, Maeda landed a few hard kicks on Yamazaki’s abdomen. This allowed Maeda to move in for a Capture suplex, and Yamazaki was sent flying backward. Maeda grabbed Yamazaki’s arm on the mat and went for a cross-armbreaker. Despite doing his best to escape the hold, Yamazaki had to tap or risk breaking his arm. Maeda defeats Yamazaki via submission (cross-armbreaker), 16:03 Nobuhiko Takada vs Super Vader The crowd inside Hiroshima Prefectural Gymnasium was anticipating this match to a high degree, and the building nearly exploded with the theme from Rocky IV heralding the arrival of Nobuhiko Takada. Takada marched confidently to the ring and it was clear he was amped up for his encounter with the unstoppable force known as Vader. Vader entered next to thumping music, and if Takada was confident, Vader was doubly so. The big man was wearing his trademark black singlet with red detail down the sides. Takada was in his black trunks and kickpads, and the two faced off as the referee checked both competitors for their readiness. Without any further delay, the referee called for the bell and both Takada and Vader sized each other up. Takada seized the opening initiative by landing several sharp kicks on Vader, who smartly raised his leg to help defend. Vader fired back with several hard body shots that bothered Takada as he retreated off his front foot. Takada, well aware of Vader’s power, remained calculated and didn’t give Vader much as he picked his spots with his longer reach. Vader seemed slightly unbothered if not a bit frustrated by Takada’s careful approach so far. Takada decided to test Vader’s standing grappling, and Vader seemed hesitant at first, which gave Takada the advantage as he nearly tripped up the big man. Vader finally realized he was much stronger than Takada, and took him down to the canvas easily in the next exchange. Vader went for the side control as he hunted for a shoulder lock, and Takada struggled as Vader’s massive frame was too much to handle. Luckily, Takada was near the ropes and he managed to escape via the ropes before Vader did too much damage. The story of the match continued to evolve similarly, Takada’s reach gave him an advantage over Vader but the American continued to land hard shots on his opponent, using his fists to let Takada know he could fight too. Vader also had the advantage in grappling despite Takada’s superior skill levels. Takada continually found himself on the canvas when he got near his opponent, and he had to quickly react to prevent Vader from overpowering him. Vader built a 2-0 lead on points just from Takada’s rope escapes and Takada picked up the urgency as a result. He started to throw more strikes and aimed for Vader’s knee as he attempted to chop down his opponent. Vader couldn’t prevent some damage from being done, and his visible grimacing urged the crowd to get behind Takada more. Vader refused to relent though, and answered back with sharp open-hand strikes to knock Takada off his feet. Facing the first ten count of the match, Takada quickly got back on his feet. Vader was in the driver’s seat but quickly found out that Takada would not easily give up. Takada targeted the same knee again with a series of low kicks, and Vader finally went down to one knee and he grabbed the other in pain. Motoyuki Kitazawa started another ten count, and the crowd roared as Takada raised his fist in the air. Vader finally got back on both feet at the eight count, and immediately launched himself at Takada with a running lariat to silence the Hiroshima audience. Vader managed to pick up Takada for a huge powerbomb near the center of the ring and Takada remained almost motionless on his back as Kitazawa started another ten count, giving Vader a 4-1 lead on points past the 15:00 mark. Takada was roughed up but did his best to remain in the match as Vader started to assert himself again. The two engaged in a heated striking exchange down the stretch, with Takada giving everything he had. But Vader proved why he was “Super” and landed repeated body shots and open hand strikes on Takada’s head, and the strikes grew in number as Takada was nearing the proverbial abyss. Finally, Vader landed the finishing blow with another kidney shot and Takada collapsed to the canvas with a 1000-yard stare, clearly having lost track of where he was. Kitazawa signaled for the bell, and the stunned crowd watched as Vader celebrated in the middle of the ring. He would be moving on to the semi-finals. Vader defeats Takada via TKO, 19:26 Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Satoru Sayama The rivalry between Sayama and Fujiwara has stretched from the days of the original UWF, and it always seemed like Sayama got the better of Fujiwara, including in their most recent encounter in UWF Newborn. Fujiwara was looking to change that tonight, with a trip to the next round of the U-COSMOS Grand Prix on the line. With the formalities done, Soranaka called for the bell and the match was underway. Sayama seemed in top form, executing brilliant kicks that overwhelmed Fujiwara and had the Gotch-trained submission specialist reeling. Fujiwara tried covering up, but Sayama landed his trikes where he needed them and sent Fujiwara down to the canvas for an early knockdown. The Hiroshima crowd was a bit surprised and urged Fujiwara back to his feet. Sayama continued to feel inevitable as his fleet-footed approach gave Fujiwara a ton to think about. But Fujiwara was too good to totally fade out, and he steadily re-inserted himself into the match. Sayama found his opponent predicting his kicking patterns much better than earlier, and Fujiwara got him down to the canvas a few times after turning some of them into takedown opportunities. Fujiwara and Sayama were both brilliant mat wrestlers, but Fujiwara had the upper hand once again as was usual in their rivalry so far. The former NJPW dojo product was very good at finding openings, even where Sayama was defending well to ward off a sudden submission attempt. After some extended exchanges on the canvas, Sayama continued to lead 2-1 on points thanks to rope breaks being exhausted by both. Sayama’s advantage when it came to striking continued to be evident, but Fujiwara’s defense continued to be strong, and this limited Sayama’s ability to score another knockdown. Fujiwara had some surprises of his own, including a sharp headbutt that was used as a counter to one of Sayama’s flurries. This enabled Fujiwara to get Sayama back down to the canvas, where he established control with some clever matwork to control his opponent from the top. Fujiwara worked patiently for a Fujiwara armbar attempt, and Sayama saw it coming. Fujiwara’s opponent did his best to escape, but Fujiwara constantly hunted for his arm even as Sayama shifted and reversed positions. Gaining control of Sayama’s back, Fujiwara locked in his right arm and locked in his favorite hold. The crowd grew louder as Sayama grimaced in pain, and the ropes seemed quite far with the pain shooting through his body. A struggle commenced as Sayama did his best to reach salvation, and Fujiwara fought to keep Sayama from escaping. After what seemed like an eternity for Sayama, he finally reached the ropes and escaped the hold. Fujiwara continued his momentum as he perhaps found the most success in keeping Sayama down to the mat so far in their long rivalry. Sayama grew more and more frustrated as Fujiwara continued to hunt for a variety of submission holds, including another Fujiwara armbar attempt. Sayama was forced to change his strategy, going from a striking-based approach to one of defensive submission wrestling. Fujiwara’s strategy paid off and he gained a 3-2 lead on points going past the 14:00 mark. Sayama had to dig deep, and he utilized his creative Shooto techniques to get back into his match. He caught Fujiwara by surprise with a triangle choke, and this nearly finished the match, but Fujiwara managed to escape the hold after struggling for the ropes just like Sayama did minutes earlier. Back on his feet, Sayama caught Fujiwara with a flying armbar and this led to a cross-armbreaker attempt that Fujiwara broke out of as well, using the ropes again to escape. Now tied at 3-3 points, both men looked fatigued as neither could find a decisive breakthrough. Sayama continued to buy his time though, and worked patiently as he knew Fujiwara wouldn’t rush things either. Both approached the final few minutes like chess masters, working small holds here and there as they mixed in very few strikes. As Fujiwara attempted to lock in a rear-naked choke after catching Sayama’s back, Sayama fought to remain on his feet and suddenly found a way to reverse positions. Sayama quickly caught Fujiwara with a German suplex position and managed to execute the maneuver. Not letting go, Sayama sent Fujiwara flying backward again. This time, Sayama held the bridge and pinned Fujiwara’s shoulders to the mat. The crowd chanted as Soranaka slapped the mat…1…2….3!!!! Despite how the match was evolving, there would be no creative submissions to end the contest, instead, Sayama would be advancing to the semi-finals via pinfall. Sayama defeats Fujiwara via pinfall, 17:03 After the match, Sayama celebrates his victory as Fujiwara gathers himself and tries to figure out how he let Sayama slip from his grasp. The two shake hands eventually, and certainly, this won't be the last time they meet each other. Sayama takes in the crowd a bit more before heading backstage. The WOWOW commentary team recaps the hard-fought main event before moving on to the rest of the evening, where they talk about some key moments. They move on to the bracket and explain the format for the semi-finals and final next month in the Tokyo Dome. The semi-finals and final will be happening on the same night - December 31st! The semi-finals will open the big show and the final will of course cap off the highly anticipated event. This will test the willpower and strength of the four wrestlers remaining - Akira Maeda, Super Vader, Aleksandr Karelin, and Satoru Sayama. There will be no doubt that the victor will be the most deserving winner of the U-COSMOS Grand Prix. Their status as the undisputed world champion will be unquestionable. With Japan's new emperor, a new decade and a new era await on a momentous New Year's Eve. Who will emerge from the Final Four?

Taz has been sent to Bluegrass Championship Wrestling on loan

UWF picks up Fujinami

(The upcoming Thanksgiving holiday will probably cause a slight delay, but I have most of it written except for the final few matches. Thanks for your patience!) Card Announcement: UWF Newborn - "U-COSMOS Grand Prix 1989: The Elite Eight" November 30th, 1989 Hiroshima, Japan Hiroshima Prefectural Gymnasium Ahmed Johnson vs Steve Nelson Jerry Flynn vs Billy Scott Kiyoshi Tamura vs Manabu Yamada Chris Benoit vs Wayne Shamrock U-COSMOS Grand Prix Quarter-final: Aleksandr Karelin vs Atsushi Onita U-COSMOS Grand Prix Quarter-final: Akira Maeda vs Kazuo Yamazaki U-COSMOS Grand Prix Quarter-final: Nobuhiko Takada vs Super Vader U-COSMOS Grand Prix Quarter-final: Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Satoru Sayama

Fighting Network RINGS - "RINGS USA: Showdown in Casper" November 6th, 1997 Casper, Wyoming Casper Events Center Attendance: 1,963 Valentijn Overeem drew with Dave Menne, R3 of 3 (15:00) Jeremy Horn def. Travis Fulton via split decision, R3 of 3 (15:00) Maurice Smith def. Egan Inoue via TKO, R2 of 3 (9:41) Carlos Newton def. Elvis Sinosic via submission (keylock), R2 of 3 (6:45) Kevin Randleman drew with Randy Couture, R3 of 3 (15:00) Mark Kerr def. Renato Sobral via split decision, R3 of 3 (15:00) Josh Barnett def. Bitsadze Tariel via submission (double wristlock), 15:11 Frank Shamrock def. Dan Henderson via submission (rear-naked choke), R1 of 3 (4:22) Notes from the Wrestling Observer: RINGS held their first event in the USA on November 6th in Casper, WY. The show was pretty good and available on PPV in select markets. The buy rate wasn't spectacular, but that was to be expected with the limited promotion. The live gate was solid but below the UFC event held there in 1995. The announced attendance was 1,963, compared to 2,500 fans for the 1995 UFC event. Frank Shamrock was most likely the main factor, and he put on a tremendous performance against top prospect Dan Henderson, who was submitted by a rear-naked choke in the first round. After the fight, Frank Shamrock told the crowd that he had big plans for RINGS in the US and that future shows would be happening going into the new year. He praised Dan Henderson as a promising fighter and said that he would make an impact in Japan soon enough. The show was mostly shootfights, with Josh Barnett vs Bitsadze Tariel as an exception, which was contested under traditional RINGS rules compared to the round format of three five-minute rounds. Josh Barnett won in a huge surprise but looked tremendous against a well-respected member of the RINGS roster. Tariel got some strikes in and knocked Barnett down several times, but Barnett came storming back and managed to get Tariel to the ground for a double wristlock. Josh Barnett has caught the attention of Akira Maeda and there are plans for him to appear regularly at more RINGS events in Japan going forward. RINGS will hold its next major Japan event on November 30th in Osaka, which will be the second round of the annual Mega Battle Tournament.

I am amazed this footage was unearthed. It's a miracle. Very high-quality as well. I always dreamed of seeing Hackenschmidt wrestle on tape.

RINGS passes on the rest of the draft (We only really wanted Kurt Angle )

Fighting Network RINGS - "Mega Battle Tournament 1997: First Round" October 30th, 1997 Tokyo, Japan Tokyo NK Hall Attendance: 7,000 Results: Masayuki Naruse def. Christopher Haseman via submission (keylock), 11:37 Kiyoshi Tamura def. Semmy Schilt via submission (rear-naked choke), 12:19 Wanderlei Silva def. Hans Nijman via KO, 8:03 Mikhail Ilyukhin def. Rumina Sato via submission (kneebar), 14:01 Tsuyoshi Kohsaka def. Grom Zaza via submission (cross-armbreaker), 15:14 Yoshihiro Takayama def. Dick Vrij via TKO, 10:29 Volk Han def. Andrei Kopylov via submission (heel hook), 16:07 Akira Maeda def. Kazushi Sakuraba via TKO, 13:53 Current bracket for the second round: Akira Maeda vs Masahyuki Naruse Kiyoshi Tamura vs Yoshihiro Takayama Mikhail Ilyukhin vs Tsuyoshi Kohsaka Volk Han vs Wanderlei Silva Notes from the Wrestling Observer: The first round of the 1997 Mega Battle Tournament saw a near-sellout at Tokyo NK Hall, and reports from the event indicate it was a good show overall, with most of the matches going as expected. Both Takayama vs Vrij and Han vs Kopylov were said to be the best matches on the card. Maeda vs Sakuraba was thought to be disappointing, with Maeda not standing out well against a much better wrestler like Sakuraba. Maeda also had a hard time keeping up with his opponent. The attendance figures were very good all things considered. Maeda will be facing Naruse in the next round. Wanderlei Silva might be primed for a deep run in the tournament to further promote RINGS Brazil as one of the more dangerous factions in RINGS. Silva's next opponent will be Volk Han, the reigning Mega Battle champion. If Silva beats Han, it would be a major victory for Silva and most people in Japan think it would make sense for Silva to get a win there with Han on the wrong side of 35. Some are disappointed that Sakuraba lost to Maeda in the first round, and most thought Maeda should have put Sakuraba over. On the other hand, Maeda has been the clear top draw in RINGS since the beginning and a pre-mature retirement might not be in RINGS' best interest despite his age and fitness levels. Especially if you consider PRIDE. Speaking of PRIDE, Mark Coleman has been announced as one of the participants for their debut in November. It's notable because Coleman has been very close with some of the RINGS USA crew and his decision to go with PRIDE has reportedly left a sour taste with a few of them, especially Frank Shamrock. PRIDE has begun promoting their event and there is increasing excitement over the Takada vs Rickson match, although Takada certainly won't stand a chance against Rickson Gracie. RINGS USA announced a few matches for their upcoming event in Casper, Wyoming. Frank Shamrock will be taking on Dan Henderson in what is being billed as a shoot. Bitsadze Tariel will also be making an appearance at the show and will be facing Josh Barnett in what will presumably be a pro wrestling match. A full card will be released soon.

Great listen. It's very frustrating that Takayama and Fujiwara seem to carry a certain stigma with WON HOF voters and the 'researchers' that drive the discussion around it these days. Ishii is in, Shingo is likely getting in this year.....if those two guys are in and Fujiwara/Takayama are still unworthy, all you can do is shake your head I guess.

UWF Newborn – “U-Cosmos Grand Prix 1989: Second Round” October 29th, 1989 Miyagi Sports Center Sendai, Japan Attendance: 7,000 (sold out) Broadcast: WOWOW (live) The WOWOW commentary crew greets the viewing audience shortly before the official bell time. They break down tonight's matches and hype up an increasingly high-stakes tournament. After a TV worthy fireworks and light show, the UWF theme begins playing and we get the parade of wrestlers. They enter one-by-one, with Maeda, Takada, Fujiwara, Vader, Backlund, Volk Han, and Karelin all getting the loudest receptions of the evening. Maeda and Takada speak, promising another great night of action. Both Vader and Backlund speak as well, and they seem pretty amped up for their upcoming match with both confident in beating the other. Ahmed Johnson vs Mark Fleming Ahmed Johnson’s UWF debut couldn’t have gone any better. The athletic Johnson had a background in multiple sports, including amateur wrestling, and he quickly transitioned to the UWF style against a formidable opponent in Mark Fleming. Johnson impressed the crowd with his active movement and quick takedowns that frustrated Fleming, who had to rely on a more strategic approach to defeat Johnson’s advantage with size and quickness. Johnson appeared to gain the upper hand after landing a huge belly-to-belly suplex on Fleming and going up 2-0 on points after forcing Fleming to go for his fourth rope break of the match. But the student of Lou Thesz had other ideas and changed the momentum of the match after going to work on Johnson’s left knee and focusing on keeping Johnson grounded. Fleming managed to get a point back after Johnson was forced to go for another rope break. Johnson attempted to get the upper hand again with another suplex, but Fleming weathered the storm and got Johnson back onto the mat. Despite Ahmed Johnson’s promising UWF debut, Fleming managed to secure the victory with a kneebar. Fleming defeats Johnson via submission (kneebar), 11:44 Atsushi Onita vs Yorinaga Nakamura Onita had solidified himself as one of the top up-and-coming talents in UWF, and his transition from an AJPW junior to a legit Luta Livre specialist couldn’t have gone any better. Onita had his hands full with Nakamura though, who was much more skilled and experienced. Nakamura’s striking was also an ace up his sleeve, and this caused issues for Onita in the early stretch. Onita repeatedly felt the power of Nakamura’s kicks on his thighs and lower legs, which opened up some opportunities for a flurry of palm strikes and body punches. Onita attempted to hold his own and fight back but found himself down 2-0 due to consecutive knockdowns by Nakamura. With Onita shaken up, Nakamura shifted his strategy to the ground. Attempting to outsmart his opponent, Nakamura went for a variety of leglocks which seemed to fluster Onita at first. After exhausting a rope break, Onita seemed to settle down and refocused, finding a comfort zone in battling Nakamura for leglock supremacy. Onita also found success in some clever counterwork, working from beneath as Nakamura was perhaps a bit too flashy with his grappling sometimes. Onita found his way back 2-1 on points after another rope break from Nakamura, and this opened the match up as Onita started to go on the offense with some great takedowns. The match seemed to settle at a 2-2 stalemate as Onita continued to press the advantage, although Nakamura enjoyed another period of supremacy on the mat after a double-wristlock takedown led to an extended control period. Onita found good fortune with a Judo-inspired throw that turned into a pinfall opportunity, and Nakamura struggled to break free from a shoulder lock that kept him pinned. Yuji Shimada counted to three and Onita celebrated his victory, advancing to the next round of the Grand Prix. Onita defeats Nakamura via pinfall, 15:16 Chris Dolman vs Kazuo Yamazaki After his huge upset win over Funaki, Dolman looked to continue his run and felt confident going up against Yamazaki. Yamazaki had the obvious reach advantage with his strikes, although this didn’t stop Dolman from attempting to grapple with Yamazaki, and he found success early on. Dolman sought to control the pace of the match and keep the more agile Yamazaki off the speedtrack. The Dutchman was successful with this strategy, and Yamazaki had to exhaust a few rope breaks with Dolman’s control and ability to work methodically for submission holds. Whenever Yamazaki got free though, the pace of the match changed as Yamazaki landed several strikes on Dolman. Yamazaki’s ability to land these strikes grew more successful as time went on whenever he managed to get on his feet and break from Dolman’s grasp. A well-timed combo from Yamazaki gave him a 2-1 lead on points, and Yamazaki didn’t look back as he continued to focus on strikes to throw Dolman off his game. Yamazaki’s advantage eventually grew to 3-1 and with Dolman starting to tire, he took him to the ground a bit more and started to work for a submission victory. Yamazaki’s efforts paid off as he managed to snag a cross-armbreaker in the middle of the ring, and Dolman tapped out. Yamazaki defeats Dolman via submission (cross-armbreaker), 10:31 Salman Hashimikov vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara In one of the more highly anticipated bouts of the evening, Hashimikov proved to be a formidable opponent for Fujiwara. The Chechen freestyle wrestler used his strength early on to pull off various suplex attempts on Fujiwara, who tried to be creative and weasel his way out of the attempts. Hashimikov was successful with most of them though, giving Fujiwara’s fans an early scare. Fujiwara also struggled to deal with Hashimikov’s size on the mat, and Hashimikov achieved an early 1-0 lead after forcing his opponent to exhaust two rope breaks. One downside to Hashimikov’s opening strategy is that it caused him to fatigue a bit early, allowing Fujiwara to get back into the match. Fujiwara, a patient wrestler when he wants to be, waited for the right moment to get Hashimikov down to the mat, reversing a lower body hold into a double-wristlock takedown. Fujiwara grew into the match from here on out and proved why he was one of the more dangerous wrestlers in the UWF in terms of his ability to even the playing the field with any opponent, including one like Hashimikov. Hashimikov had some moments as well, but this was Fujiwara’s night. Around the 14:00 mark, Hashimikov attempted to lift Fujiwara for a Water Wheel Drop, but Fujiwara managed to stay on his feet and took his opponent down for a Fujiwara armbar. Hashimikov struggled to get to the ropes, but Fujiwara held on for the victory. Fujiwara defeats Hashimikov via submission (Fujiwara armbar), 14:26 Norman Smiley vs Satoru Sayama Satoru Sayama was in prime form for this match, delighting the crowd at the Miyagi Sports Center with sharp strikes and great wrestling on the mat. Norman Smiley was up for the challenge and credibly held his own. The two had some fantastic moments on the mat, and Smiley had a few surprises up his sleeve with some creative counterwork and submission holds. After the match settled at 1-1 with both exchanging rope breaks, Sayama continued to pick up the pace and gave Smiley something to think about more with more targeted strikes, especially those aimed at Smiley’s legs. Smiley attempted to reverse some of Sayama’s leg kicks into takedowns, and was successful with a few of those kicks. Sayama did well to avoid Smiley’s leglocks and started to take the match back on their feet as much as possible, knowing Smiley’s striking defense wasn’t as good as his wrestling. Sayama earned himself two knockdowns within a few minutes and built up a 3-1 lead on points. Smiley continued to fight on and found some luck again taking Sayama down the mat with some good arm takedowns. Smiley managed to get another rope break from Sayama after a heel hook attempt, leading to a 3-2 scoreline going into the 15:00 mark. The back-and-forth action finally settled down as Sayama regained control of the match after a DDT-esque move took the wind out of Smiley. Smiley struggled to find his feet as Ryogaku Wada initiated a ten count. Beating it just in time, Smiley attempted to launch one more comeback attempt but Sayama connected with a high kick to send Smiley down to the mat for the final time. Sayama defeats Smiley via TKO, 16:11 Aleksandr Karelin vs Dennis Koslowski Dennis Koslowski looked to accomplish one thing his brother Duane couldn’t do in the Olympics – beat Aleksandr Karelin. Of course, that would be a tough task for just about everyone. Karelin had the clear weight and size advantage and used this in the early minutes of the match to easily control Koslowski on the mat and establish a good amount of momentum. Koslowski remained patient and used some great defensive wrestling to keep the damage to a minimum. As expected, the match mostly remained on the canvas and both wrestlers chose to participate in very little striking. Koslowski had some creative counterwork up his sleeve, which surprised Karelin at times as he reversed several holds to catch Karelin with a move of his own, including a slick back takeover that led to a rear-naked choke, leading to a moment where the Sendai crowd believed for one second that Karelin might lose. Karelin used a rare rope break to get out of the predicament. Karelin started to exert more of his strength to grapple with Koslowski on his feet and managed to execute a huge Dragon suplex to knock the wind out of Koslowski. Karelin regained control of the match and built up a 3-0 lead on points as Koslowski had opted to use several rope breaks so far. Karelin displayed his growing submission skills on the mat again and nearly caught Koslowski with a cross-armbreaker. Koslowski was on the proverbial ropes when Karelin impressed the Sendai crowd with a series of two gutwrench suplexes, with the second one leading to a pinfall attempt. Koslowski was exhausted, and Motoyuki Kitazawa counted to three. Karelin would be advancing, and Koslowski would be going home despite his best efforts. Karelin defeats Koslowski via pinfall, 14:06 Super Vader vs Bob Backlund Both wrestlers came into this highly anticipated match on an undefeated streak of some sort. Backlund had the longest run, and he certainly wanted to prove a point against another American opponent that he was slightly familiar with. Vader was not bothered by Backlund’s pedigree and seemed quite focused on the task at hand. Both wrestlers made their entrances to warm receptions from the crowd. After ring introductions were finished, the two immediately locked up as the bell sounded. Backlund was on the receiving end of early body punches from Vader, who followed a similar strategy from his previous matches to overwhelm his opponent. Backlund fired back with sharp palm strikes and low thrust kicks to Vader’s thighs, but the big man remained on the front foot and Backlund had a lot to deal with. Vader got an early side suplex on Backlund and took the decorated amateur wrestler to the mat, using his pure size and strength to immediately lock him up with a shoulder hold. Backlund had a ton of skill but even he was helpless to break free from Vader. Vader took the opportunity to pound Backlund with several open-hand strikes, and Backlund did everything he could to escape the perilous situation. Luckily for Backlund, he somehow managed to get his feet to the bottom rope to get a rope escape. The two started trading bombs again on their feet, and Backlund even went for a rare dropkick to get Vader off his game. Backlund attempted a single-leg takedown and tried to get his much larger opponent to the mat but Vader picked him up for a huge bodyslam. Whether he liked it or not, Backlund was getting his thunder stolen from Vader. The match continued with Vader dictating most of it, Backlund’s wrestling ability came at very little use against someone like Vader, and he was forced to try and stun his opponent somehow. This led to Vader knocking down Backlund more often than not, leading a 2-0 lead on points after Backlund managed to beat two ten counts. In another standup exchange, Backlund finally managed to do some damage to his opponent with a series of flying elbows to Vader’s head, and this finally caused Vader to take a knee, which allowed the referee to give Vader a ten count of his own. Vader had no trouble beating it of course, and took revenge on Backlund by giving him a massive German suplex. Vader took Backlund to the mat again and attempted to get an ankle lock, but Backlund twisted around his body and broke free. Backlund went for another single-leg takedown, and once again ran into a wall as Vader defended well and picked him up for a powerbomb. Backlund was dazed, and Vader knocked him down with a standing lariat. Vader opted to finish the match on the mat and beat his opponent at his own game. With Backlund helpless, Vader locked in an Anaconda vice, and Backlund, despite his own pride, eventually opted to tap out. Vader didn’t even bother to celebrate his victory, perhaps displaying that he was confident he would win all along. Vader defeats Backlund via submission (Anaconda vice), 16:07 Nobuhiko Takada vs Minoru Suzuki Suzuki surprised not only his opponent but the audience with his early success against Takada. The young hotshot wrestler was eager to impress and surprised Suzuki with a clever leg takedown followed by some spirited and highly energetic grappling on the mat. Takada relied on his experience to remain calm and eventually found even footing with Suzuki as he lured him into several grappling traps with patient counterwork. Suzuki was able to get Takada to go the ropes two times before things settled down though, and eventually both found themselves tied 1-1 on points. Takada opened the match up more with his trademark striking abilities, which were better than Suzuki’s of course. Takada picked his spots to weaken Suzuki’s advance and landed a few high kicks that took the wind out of his opponent. Suzuki’s strategy relied on getting Takada back to the mat, but Takada managed to delay such an approach to the point where Suzuki grew frustrated. Takada seized the initiative and landed more kicks on Suzuki, eventually leading to another knockdown. A similar story repeated quite often as the match continued, with Takada building up a 3-1 lead eventually heading past the 10:00 mark. Suzuki’s fans in the audience, which were obviously fewer in number compared to the Takada fanbase, urged their favorite on. Suzuki managed to get Takada to the mat with a clever rolling double-wristlock takedown and quickly attempted to lock in the same hold near the center of the ring. Takada struggled to break free and for a moment it seemed like Suzuki was about to secure a massive upset, but his opponent eventually managed to scoot towards the ropes and escaped Suzuki’s submission attempt. With the crowd frenzied, Takada came firing back on his feet with a huge strike combo and finished it off with another high kick, which sent Suzuki down to the mat for the final time for the KO victory. Takada defeats Suzuki via KO, 16:19 Akira Maeda vs Volk Han In their third meeting in a year, Volk Han and Akira Maeda lived up to expectations as they immediately treated the Sendai crowd to a thrilling opening few minutes. The Dagestani grappler gave Maeda all he could handle with a variety of creative takedowns and throws, forcing Maeda to exhaust two rope breaks very early as Volk Han looked for submissions whenever he got the chance on the mat. Volk Han’s 1-0 lead didn’t get into Maeda’s head too much though, and the crowd favorite steadily got back into the match on the strength of his ability to outstrike Volk Han from a distance. Maeda also found success in dictating the tempo on the mat, where slowing down Volk Han was the key. Maeda’s leglock defense was better than it was in April, and it seemed Maeda was well aware of Volk Han’s strength there. Maeda reclaimed the lead on points at 2-1 after getting Volk Han down twice in a span of a few minutes, which seemed to catch Volk by surprise. Volk attempted to get back at Maeda with with a spinning backfist and a flurry of low kicks, but Maeda latched on to Han with a shoulder lock and took him back down to the mat, where he looked for a cross-armbreaker. Volk attempted to defend but eventually opted for the ropes when Maeda got the target arm loose. Maeda went up 3-1 after catching Volk Han with a gutshot by thrusting his leg into him, leading to another knockdown. Volk Han beat the ten count from Soranaka and quickly went back to work, focusing on getting Maeda back down to the mat and away from his strikes. Volk reclaimed control of the match with a series of rope breaks from Maeda as Han’s submission skills came into play, and Maeda’s strategy of control faded with Volk’s increasing urgency. The match settled at a score of 3-3 on points, and Maeda realized that to win the match, he needed to keep Volk on his feet. Maeda did well to defend Han’s takedown attempts and managed to get his opponent on the back foot with his trademark kicks. Maeda scored another knockdown, and with a 4-3 lead, he quickly sought to finish the match via TKO. Han was visibly fatigued, with his hands on his knees. Sensing the opening, Maeda launched another high kick that knocked the Dagestani off his feet for the final time. Volk proved to be a worthy opponent once again, but Maeda had the better strategy and advanced to the next round. Maeda defeats Han via TKO, 23:11 Another great night of tournament action is recapped by the commentary team, and they preview the upcoming matches. They note the interesting matchups in Vader vs Takada and Sayama vs Fujiwara, with the latter two renewing their rivalry from the days of the original UWF. Some backstage comments are given by Akira Maeda, who heaps praise on Volk Han but says tonight was his night, and he looks forward to a tough match against Yamazaki. The next show is announced for Hiroshima on November 30th! We get the sign-off from WOWOW, and the rolling credits play with highlights set in the background with Queen's 'We Are The Champions.'

Fighting Network RINGS 1997 - A Year in Review The semi-finals of the 1996 Mega Battle Tournament saw Volk Han defeat Frank Shamrock in a thrilling match, and Kiyoshi Tamura overcame Yoshihisa Yamamoto in a short but brutal bout that possibly turned into a shoot at the end, at least according to some of the rumors that have gone around. Volk Han and Kiyoshi Tamura faced off in a highly anticipated final that was widely praised as one of the best matches in RINGS to date. Despite Kiyoshi Tamura's confidence going into the match, Volk Han walked away as the victor and the 1996 Mega Battle Tournament champion. This set the stage for RINGS' 1997 run, which saw a rapidly growing and increasingly successful company corner the shoot-style market (especially after the sudden collapse of BattlArts) in Japan and even start to make some waves compared to the big "two" (NJPW and AJPW). While RINGS did not draw as many as those two companies on average, they became the clear #3 promotion in Japan in terms of total attendance as of this month. RINGS continued its global outreach into different markets, expanding its roster and making its presence felt in areas where MMA and NHB have started to take off, particularly in Brazil and the United States. Akira Maeda has solidified his relationships in Brazil despite a rocky start, and two promising rookies have been recruited into the RINGS Brazil branch (Anderson Silva and Renato Sobral). In the USA, RINGS continues to build relationships through the likes of Frank Shamrock and Maurice Smith, who have brought in highly touted talents such as Dan Henderson and Josh Barnett. Some journalists in the US feel that RINGS could cause the UFC a few headaches if they choose to further expand the work-shoot spectrum by focusing on shootfighting in America. In Europe, the RINGS Holland brand has evolved into something that resembles NHB/MMA rather than pro wrestling. There have been rumors that Nobuhiko Takada, Maeda's long-time rival, is looking to start a new MMA promotion in Japan to promote an upcoming fight with Rickson Gracie (more on that later). While RINGS remains first and foremost a pro wrestling company, a rapidly evolving landscape could force it to further blur the lines between pro wrestling and shootfighting. 1997 highlights and notes: Kiyoshi Tamura recovered from his loss to Volk Han with an extended unbeaten run, defeating the likes of Masayuki Naruse, Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, and Andrei Kopylov. Volk Han also went on an unbeaten run, overcoming Hans Nijman, Bitsadze Tariel, and Yoshihisa Yamamoto. Volk Han did lose to Semmy Schilt in August, which set the stage for a rematch with Tamura. The two would meet in September, where Kiyoshi Tamura finally claimed a win over RINGS' top gaijin. It was another highly acclaimed match and a potential contender for Tokyo Sports' Best Bout award. Akira Maeda's injuries and general health appear to be catching up to him, but he did claim a win back over Yoshihiro Takayama in March, and he overcame Adilson Lima at the January show as well. Maeda made a lot of waves in Japan by challenging Rickson Gracie to a shoot, and things were trending in the right direction before Rickson Gracie pulled out of a tentative agreement in April. Gracie claimed that he was misled by some of his compatriots in RINGS and that he only wanted to do a real fight. This led to some controversy back in Brazil as well, where a riff became apparent between some who see value in pro wrestling, and Gracie's camp, who have always viewed pro wrestling below them. Rickson Gracie later announced an agreement with Nobuhiko Takada to participate in a shootfight at the upcoming PRIDE debut show in November. Maeda said that Takada did "dirty" things to get Rickson Gracie's signature and that the relationship between the two has been irreparably broken. The PRIDE vs RINGS dynamic will be worth keeping an eye on in the coming months. Against the backdrop of all that, the RINGS Brazil vs RINGS Japan feud continued to boil throughout the year. Wanderlei Silva made his proper RINGS debut in March, where he defeated Alexander Otsuka. Maeda would lose to Lima in a rematch in June, where another brawl broke out after Lima refused to let go of a hold on Maeda's bad knee (this was worked). The two sides traded wins during the summer, with a potential RINGS Brazil vs RINGS Japan card in the works for sometime next year. Mitsuya Nagai left the company in May, citing differences with Maeda and unhappiness with his position on the card. The departure was a bit shocking for some, but also understandable due to the depth of talent now available to RINGS. Kazunari Murakami and Alexander Otsuka joined from BattlArts, and both have picked up a couple of decent wins to cement themselves in the company. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka has emerged as a real contender in RINGS, despite losing to Kiyoshi Tamura earlier in the year. Sakuraba has also staked a solid claim to the top half of the card as well. The SHOOTO branch has been a consistent highlight in RINGS, with both Sato and Uno becoming fan favorites due to their highly frantic approach in the ring and incredible submission skills. There is talk of creating a lightweight title of sorts, but nothing has been confirmed as of now. Unfortunately, Yoshihisa Yamamoto suffered an injury in August that will keep him out for several months. Yamamoto assured his fans that he will return after speculation grew over his future with the company. Speaking of titles, the 1997 Mega Battle tournament will decide the first RINGS Openweight champion. The first round will take place on October 30th at Tokyo's NK Hall. The card was announced earlier this month. RINGS USA will be holding a show in Casper, Wyoming in early November. This will be RINGS' first USA-based show and most of the RINGS USA roster members have been training for this event, which explains their absence from the Mega Battle Tournament. The show is being billed as a shootfighting event, although a pro-wrestling match or two is also being advertised locally. RINGS plans on holding more regional events heading into next year, including events in Holland, Russia, and potentially Brazil. 1997 RINGS Mega Battle Tournament: First Round Masayuki Naruse vs Christopher Haseman Semmy Schilt vs Kiyoshi Tamura Hans Nijman vs Wanderlei Silva Mikhail Ilyukhin vs Rumina Sato Tsuyoshi Kohsaka vs Grom Zaza Dick Vrij vs Yoshihiro Takayama Volk Han vs Andrei Kopylov Akira Maeda vs Kazushi Sakuraba

RINGS' roster: Owner - Akira Maeda Booker - Control21 Commentary Team: Kenichi Takayagi, Sadaharu Tanikawa, Hideyuki Kumakubo Ring Announcer: Nobuyuki Furuta, Lenne Hardt Backstage Interviewer: NA Non Wrestlers: NA 1. Akira Maeda (President and currently active as a wrestler, RINGS Japan) 2. Kiyoshi Tamura (RINGS Japan) 3. Yoshihisa Yamamoto (RINGS Japan) 4. Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (RINGS Japan) 5. Masayuki Naruse (RINGS Japan) 6. Wataru Sakata (RINGS Japan) 7. Kazushi Sakuraba (RINGS Japan) 8. Yoshihiro Takayama (RINGS Japan) 9. Hiromitsu Kanehara (RINGS Japan) 10. Kenichi Yamamoto (RINGS Japan) 11. Alexander Otsuka (RINGS Japan) 12. Kazunari Murakami (RINGS Japan) 13. Sanae Kikuta (RINGS Japan) 14. Naoyuki Taira (RINGS Japan) 15. Kazuyuki Fujita (RINGS Japan) 16. Rumina Sato (SHOOTO) 17. Caol Uno (SHOOTO) 18. Hyato Sakurai (SHOOTO) 19. Akihiro Gono (SHOOTO) 20. Volk Han (RINGS Russia) 21. Andrei Kopylov (RINGS Russia) 22. Nikolai Zouev (RINGS Russia) 23. Mikhail Ilyukhin (RINGS Russia) 24. Grom Zaza (RINGS Georgia) 25. Bitsadze Tariel (RINGS Georgia) 26. Bitsadze Ameran (RINGS Georgia) 27. Todor Todorov (RINGS Bulgaria) 28. Dick Vrij (RINGS Holland) 29. Willie Peeters (RINGS Holland) 30. Hans Nijman (RINGS Holland) 31. Semmy Schilt (RINGS Holland) 32. Joop Kasteel (RINGS Holland) 33. Gilbert Yvel (RINGS Holland) 34. Valentijn Overeem (RINGS Holland) 35. Egan Inoue (RINGS USA) 36. Maurice Smith (RINGS USA) 37. Frank Shamrock (RINGS USA) 38. Kevin Randleman (RINGS USA) 39. Josh Barnett (RINGS USA) 40. Dan Henderson (RINGS USA) 41. Mark Kerr (RINGS USA) 42. Carlos Newton (RINGS Free) 43. Christopher Haseman (RINGS Australia) 44. Elvis Sinosic (RINGS Australia) 45. Ricardo Morais (RINGS Brazil) 46. Adilson Lima (RINGS Brazil) 47. Wanderlei Silva (RINGS Brazil) 48. Anderson Silva (RINGS Brazil) 49. Renato Sobral (RINGS Brazil)

I'll take over Fighting Network RINGS again. Not sure how much end-to-end writing I'll be able to do monthly, but I'll have something.

Well, that's just flat out wrong but I'm not part of the "intelligentsia" so what do I know? Read my piece from last year: https://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2023/10/25/won-hof-2023-the-case-for-yoshiaki-fujiwara/