Control21

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/

Another year, another ballot Yoshiaki Fujiwara will probably miss for reasons only known to God.

The Starrcade Series has been very interesting so far. Big John Studd is holding his own at the top of the rankings, although some quality wrestlers are not far behind him. Similar situation in the B block with King Kong Bundy leading the charge, but Harley Race and Ron Garvin are right on his heels. Too early to tell where this is heading but it's certain to be great.

AWA is heading into the late part of the year with some good stuff happening. Looking forward to Hogan vs Fujinami! Should be a thriller

MVC are rampaging through PCW. Can anyone stop them? It's going to be interesting to see if anyone can step up to them, but I don't think that will be anytime soon!

Really loved this edition of SNME, some great matches lived up to their potential, especially the main event. I'm sure Martel and Muta delivered in terms of quality despite the dusty finish. Also, really nice to see Andre the Giant with the WWF title again (well, briefly at least)!

UWF Newborn - "U-COSMOS Grand Prix 1989: First Round" September 27th, 1989 Tokyo NK Hall Chiba, Japan Attendance: 7,000 (sold out) Broadcast: WOWOW (live) The UWF theme opens the show and after Nobuyuki Furuta's opening announcement, we get the full parade of wrestlers to a raucous crowd in Tokyo NK Hall. We get a few opening words from both Akira Maeda and Nobuhiko Takada, as well as Vader who is brief but to the point. Vader promises a quick victory and a demonstration of why he is "the one to beat" in this tournament. Lou Thesz, also in attendance tonight, gives some remarks as well and says he is honored to open the inaugural U-COSMOS Grand Prix and poses with his "historical world heavyweight championship," which will of course be the grand prize of the tournament. The WOWOW commentators go over tonight's tournament bracket and lineup, and things get underway soon after with the opening bell. Minoru Suzuki vs Yoji Anjo A very competitive opener between Anjo and Suzuki saw the latter take the initiative from the start, with Suzuki going for a host of takedowns to get Anjo to the canvas, Anjo seemed to be frantic in his defense as Suzuki had a great sense of urgency with his submission offense. Suzuki found openings early, and quickly racked up several points through rope breaks as Anjo seemed to be struggling under the spotlight. The Tokyo crowd got behind Suzuki more as the match went on, which made Anjo’s job even more difficult. Anjo managed to settle into the match to a degree, but Suzuki seemed to be the driver of this match for most of the duration. Anjo shined when he used his quickness to counter some of Suzuki’s proficient grappling, but this was Suzuki’s night. With a 3-2 lead on points going into the final few minutes, Suzuki regained control and finished the match with a double wristlock takedown that ended as a submission, with Anjo tapping out reluctantly. Suzuki defeats Anjo via submission (double wristlock), 11:31 Norman Smiley vs Erik Paulson Norman Smiley found a tougher match than expected with Erik Paulson, who was quite crafty with a variety of strikes and submission attempts that seemed to fluster Smiley at first. Paulson found ways to threaten Smiley seemingly out of the aether, and Smiley had to rely on his defense to weather the storm during the first few minutes of the match. The Gotch-trained wrestler from Northampton eventually made some key adjustments and started to regain control of the match as Paulson found his strikes being better timed by Smiley, who used them to reverse his fortunes to surprise Paulson on the mat with some slick grappling. Smiley also used a more methodical approach to control the tempo, which played into his favor. The match settled at a 2-2 tie on points, with Smiley almost submitting Paulson with an Achilles hold before Paulson got the ropes to break the hold. Paulson attempted to surprise Smiley with a high kick, but Smiley caught it and did a beautiful counter that turned a strike into a crucifix pinfall for the victory. Smiley defeats Paulson via pinfall, 13:49 Dennis Koslowski vs Shigeo Miyato The U.S. Olympian never seemed in danger against Miyato, who at times did challenge his opponent on the mat, but Dennis Koslowski was in full control and out grappled his opponent. Koslowski had a very technical and smooth approach, flustering Miyato with effective freestyle wrestling takedowns and reversals. Miyato’s opponent steadily built up a 3-0 lead on points after Miyato kept going for the ropes to escape Koslowski’s submission attempts. Miyato tried re-establishing himself by going for more of a strike-based approach, but Koslowski held his ground despite being knocked down. After Miyato tried repeating his success, Koslowski stunned Miyato with a powerful Dragon suplex that was turned into a full-nelson for a submission victory. Koslowski defeats Miyato via submission (full-nelson choke), 10:47 Volk Han vs Wayne Shamrock It seemed like the UWF fans in NK Hall were anticipating this match quite a bit based on their reactions to each entrance and the match itself. Perhaps for good reason, as both Volk Han and Wayne Shamrock have proven themselves to be dangerous opponents while making a name for themselves with their abilities. Volk Han seemed to have the upper hand at first, luring Shamrock into situations where he could utilize his joint control techniques to take the offensive. Shamrock attempted to flip his way out of Han’s trademark wrist control, but Volk immediately took him to the mat and got control of Shamrock’s legs for a leg lock attempt. Shamrock rolled his way out for his first rope break, and this continued to be a problem for Shamrock as Volk continued to hunt for ways to catch his opponent by surprise. Shamrock made some adjustments and attempted to overpower Volk with a variety of suplex attempts. The Dagestan grappler found himself being tossed around but eventually found a way to counter one of the attempts into a double-wristlock takedown. While Shamrock was rapidly improving as a wrestler, Volk’s ability to counter and reverse holds became Shamrock’s weak point as he could not match the SAMBO specialist’s timing. At times, the two engaged in brief striking battles and Volk’s unorthodox striking moves sometimes caught his opponent by surprise as well, including a spinning backfist and an axe kick. The latter resulted in a knockdown for Volk as he gained a 2-1 lead on points. Shamrock attempted to use his muscle power to overwhelm Volk again with strong takedowns and another suplex attempt, but Volk caught Shamrock off-guard again with a rolling kneebar that ended as a submission victory. Han defeats Shamrock via submission (rolling kneebar), 13:21 Masakatsu Funaki vs Chris Dolman Funaki has enjoyed a very strong 1989, firmly establishing himself as perhaps the brightest young talent in UWF. While many in the Japanese press were predicting a deep run in the tournament for Funaki, Chris Dolman had other ideas. The Dutch judoka presented a formidable challenge to Funaki, and Dolman pressed the initiative from the opening bell. Dolman used his sizeable frame to smother and slow down Funaki, particularly on the mat. Funaki had to rely on a more strategic approach when it came to his grappling as Dolman controlled the opening few minutes with a cautious approach, often frustrating Funaki with simple but effective submissions as he constantly tried to make Funaki work to get out of his predicament. A forearm choke was eventually enough to cause Funaki to scramble to the ropes for the first rope break, and Dolman seemed pleased with his approach. Funaki continued to struggle as Dolman made life difficult for him, using his size and Judo skills to keep his opponent on the defensive and often leveraged the weight difference to easily get Funaki on the canvas again with a variety of throwing techniques. Dolman established a solid 2-0 lead on points after he continued to press Funaki with a basic but effective submission-based approach. Funaki enjoyed certain stretches of the match where he mixed things up and utilized strikes to catch Dolman by surprise, and a series of low kicks to Dolman’s left knee ended in a knockdown, getting Funaki back into the match at 2-1. But Funaki continued to make the mistake of trying to prove a point on the canvas, and Dolman eventually lured Funaki into a rear-naked choke from which there was no escape. Much to the surprise of a lot of people in the crowd, Dolman was advancing. Dolman defeats Funaki via submission (rear-naked choke), 15:09 Super Vader vs Tatsuo Nakano Vader wanted to prove a point right away, and he did. The spirited Nakano put up a fight, but this was a total mismatch. For every palm strike or low kick Nakano got on Vader, the super heavyweight responded with a devastating body punch of his own. The crowd cheered wildly for Nakano every time he got a hit on Vader, but Vader quickly silenced them with a huge fallaway slam. About three minutes into the match, Nakano started to feel the full force of Vader’s power as he fell victim to a nasty German suplex. Nakano was completely dazed, allowing Vader to finish off a very quick but frantic match with a massive face-first powerbomb, which busted open Nakano’s nose for extra effect. With a near-lifeless Nakano face first on the mat and dripping blood from his nose rapidly, Ryogaku Wada didn’t bother finishing the ten count and immediately called off the match in favor of Vader. Vader defeats Nakano via KO, 4:07 After the match, the bloodied Nakano is escorted out of the arena on a stretcher, and the commentators play up the devastation Vader has left in his wake. Salman Hashimikov vs Dick Vrij In a significant contrast of styles, Hashimikov and Vrij had quite an interesting match. Dick Vrij did everything possible to avoid going to the ground with the accomplished freestyle wrestler, and used rope breaks liberally to escape his grasp every time the Chechen got the Dutchman. The dynamic between the two drew excitement from the crowd, and Vrij found himself down 2-0 quite fast due to his strategy. Hashimikov continued to press Vrij, although Vrij attempted to halt his opponent’s momentum by going for several knee strikes whenever Hashimikov attempted a leg takedown. This resulted in a knockdown in Vrij’s favor, but Hashimikov was quick to get back up. After five minutes, it appeared Hashimikov had the upper hand as he managed to Vrij for a German suplex, followed by a belly-to-belly suplex. Vrij was steadily being worn down, and despite landing more kicks on Hashimikov’s legs, this was Hashimikov’s night and after another German suplex, Vrij went down for another knockdown, taking the match to 3-1 on points. Vrij was resistant to being put away, but his reliance on rope breaks would eventually lead to an exhaustion of all his points, giving Hashimikov the match via TKO. Hashimikov defeats Vrij via TKO, 9:48 Atsushi Onita vs Duane Koslowski Both wrestlers had a methodical approach to this match. Neither was afraid to get down to the mat, and they were quite confident in their abilities. Koslowski seemed to have the edge at first, using his Greco-Roman background to work a variety of upper-body holds whenever Onita managed to get on his feet. Onita would eventually present several challenges for Koslowski though, with his Luta Livre background coming into use. The American was not entirely familiar with Onita’s skill set, but this didn’t deter Koslowski and the two settled into a protracted ground battle on the canvas. The pace was slow, but it wasn’t entirely dry either as the two were capable of creating moments of excitement with their abilities. Onita came up with quick reversals when Koslowski pressed him with a mount, and Koslowski was able to use his Greco-Roman abilities to catch Onita with a surprise throw or suplex. The match settled at 2-2 by the 12:00 mark, with Koslowski getting a knockdown after Onita took his time to get up after a hard belly-to-belly suplex. Onita and Koslowski mixed in strikes here and there, but they preferred to keep this on the ground and the pace started to pick up as both had increasing urgency to advance to the next round. After a brief striking exchange in which Onita created an opening for himself, Onita caught Koslowski with a sweet leg entry that resulted in a knee scissors. Caught in the middle of the ring, Koslowski did his best to escape the hold or ease the pressure, but eventually had no choice but to tap or risk possible injury. Onita defeats Koslowski via submission (knee scissors), 16:02 Akira Maeda & Joe Malenko vs Nobuhiko Takada & Chris Benoit Maeda and Takada were quite familiar with each other. Their partners, Joe Malenko and Chris Benoit respectively, were less so but they immediately found each other worthy opponents as Maeda and Takada both opted for their partners to start the match. Benoit seemed comfortable in this setting and locked up with Malenko as they tested each other slowly but surely. Malenko worked for a double wristlock while Benoit was content with playing defense and going for a leg takedown. The two warmed up the crowd for a great main event as they went back and forth, with neither finding solid momentum. Takada and Maeda soon followed, and they immediately turned up the notch on excitement as they traded a variety of strikes before Maeda took Takada down to the mat. They didn’t waste any movement, but they took their time and a few rope breaks were traded as a result. Whenever Maeda or Takada faced off against their opponent’s partners, they clearly had the upperhand despite Malenko and Benoit making things interesting for them. Benoit and Maeda had an interesting dynamic in particular, and Benoit proved why he was the most highly touted graduate of the Hart Dungeon in recent years. Benoit’s savvy grappling gave Maeda a few fits before the current #1 ranked wrestler in the UWF re-established control after catching Benoit with a Capture Suplex. Takada and Malenko weren’t as explosive, but they showcased highly technical grappling and defensive wrestling in the process. After several minutes of intense tag team action, Takada was eliminated by Maeda after a well-timed high kick allowed Maeda to apply an Achilles hold to submit his foe and eliminate him from the match. Benoit quickly managed to return the favor by catching Malenko in a guillotine choke that also resulted in a tap-out. Benoit and Maeda were the last men standing, and the two managed to take each other to a stalemate for the final few minutes until Maeda caught Benoit with another Capture Suplex. This time, Maeda went for a pin to secure the victory. 1…2…3! Maeda celebrated his victory while Takada regrouped with his partner and patted him on the back for the great effort. Maeda & Malenko defeat Takada & Benoit, 20:04 With a tournament matchup potentially on the horizon soon, Takada and Maeda shake hands, although you could say they were reluctant with the competitive spirit very much a factor for both. Benoit shakes hands with Maeda and Malenko too, and Maeda acknowledges the effort he put in tonight, which the crowd picks up on. Maeda and Malenko soak in the moment a bit more. The WOWOW commentary crew does a recap of tonight's events and analyzes the bracket heading into the next round. They promote next month's show on October 29th in Sendai, which will feature the next round of matches and more! They sign off, and WOWOW's rolling credits follow, set to Queen's "We Are The Champions."

Card Announcement: UWF Newborn - "U-COSMOS Grand Prix 1989: First Round" September 27th, 1989 Tokyo NK Hall Chiba, Japan First Round Matches: Minoru Suzuki vs Yoji Anjo Norman Smiley vs Erik Paulson Dennis Koslowski vs Shigeo Miyato Volk Han vs Wayne Shamrock Masakatsu Funaki vs Chris Dolman Super Vader vs Tatsuo Nakano Salman Hashimikov vs Dick Vrij Atsushi Onita vs Duane Koslowski Special Tag: Akira Maeda & Joe Malenko vs Nobuhiko Takada & Chris Benoit

Very well said. I've had him at #1 for a while and I have found it hard to dislodge him from that spot.

UWF Newborn – “Moscow Martial Arts Festival” August 24th, 1989 Moscow, USSR Luzhniki Stadium Attendance: 70,000 Broadcast: WOWOW (taped) The broadcast on WOWOW opens with a ceremonial lighting of the Olympic torch located in the stadium, with several Soviet and Japanese dignitaries who medaled in previous Olympic events from Judo, Wrestling, and Boxing. In what is described as a "display of peace and friendship," the group gathers to light the torch as one. Orchestral music is heard playing in the stadium as the fans cheer, and then the regular proceedings begin. Nobuyuki Furuta makes the show introduction in the ring, with Japanese translated into Russian for the audience. The parade of wrestlers follows, and of course, the Soviets get the loudest cheers of the late afternoon. Akira Maeda and Shinji Jin give a statement (which is also translated) thanking everyone for coming and for the cooperation of the Soviet government in making this event possible. Aleksandr Karelin is chosen to speak for the home team, and he also thanks the fans for coming and promises a victory over Takada. Some more statements are given by various dignitaries who honor the origins and history of martial arts in both the Soviet Union and Japan. The WOWOW broadcast then briefly plays behind-the-scenes footage of the UWF crew exploring the sights and sounds of Moscow. The commentary crew then break down the matches of the evening before the event gets officially underway. Masakatsu Funaki vs Minoru Suzuki The jam-packed Luzhniki Stadium was treated to an opening bout between two bright talents who are beginning to make a strong push to stake their claim in the UWF hierarchy. Funaki and Suzuki opened things up with a grappling clinic in the first few minutes, wowing the crowd with impressive wrestling and counterwork on the mat. Funaki, in particular, was very sharp as he made things difficult for Suzuki, who had a lot to offer as well. Suzuki attempted to catch Funaki by surprise with a few pinfall attempts, but Funaki was alert and fended his opponent off. Suzuki continued to try and mix things up by trying to outstrike Funaki, and he seemed to have his rival on the backfoot at first as he mixed in various palm strikes and low kicks. Despite Funaki’s attempt at regaining some momentum, Suzuki scored a knockdown to tie the match at 1-1 on points after Funaki established a lead earlier through rope breaks. Suzuki continued to build on his momentum and had Funaki in some dangerous positions on the mat as he was able to find angles to attack Funaki’s legs with a variety of hooking attempts. Funaki weathered the storm though, and eventually found the breakthrough when he caught Suzuki for a huge side suplex that knocked Suzuki right on his neck. Funaki seized the initiative and finished things off with a high-angle Boston crab, which was enough to cause Suzuki to tap out. Funaki gleefully celebrated a huge win in Moscow as a good amount of cheers filled the air. Funaki defeats Suzuki via submission (Boston crab), 12:37 Wayne Shamrock vs Nikolai Zouev Another outstanding display of technical wrestling followed as Nikolai Zouev and Wayne Shamrock illustrated their respective skill sets in SAMBO and catch wrestling. Zouev’s reach made things difficult for Shamrock as Zouev found ways to get his opponent down to the mat and control the tempo in the process. The Soviet crowd provided a second wind for Zouev as well whenever Shamrock tried to reverse his fortunes, but Zouev had a great strategy and kept moving on the canvas while not giving Shamrock any openings either. Zouev scored the first point of the match after sending Shamrock to the ropes twice by the 5:00 mark. Shamrock used the opportunity to get back on his feet again to try and outmuscle Zouev with a show of strength, attempting to set him up for a German suplex. Zouev managed to fend off the attempt and had to defend himself against a furry of strikes from Shamrock, and answered back with a few of his own. Despite Zouev’s position of strength, Shamrock did manage to claw his way back and hit a bridging German suplex for a pinfall attempt, but Zouev managed to kick out just in time. Shamrock continued to press Zouev though, and eventually tied the match back at 1-1 on points after getting a few rope breaks out of Zouev. Zouev answered back with a beautiful rolling kneebar and sent Shamrock to the ropes once again to regain the lead at 2-1. After another striking exchange between the two, Zouev caught one of Shamrock’s kick attempts and kicked his other knee out for a lightning-fast heel hook that forced Shamrock to tap out, delighting the fans in Luzhniki Stadium. Zouev defeats Shamrock via submission (heel hook), 13:18 Volk Han vs Andrei Kopylov Volk Han has had an impressive streak in UWF so far, wowing the Japanese fans with his skilled technique that combines flash with precision. The Dagestani grappler had another opportunity here to add to his win column and get his win back from a formidable Soviet rival. Kopylov, to his credit, has had some impressive wins as well and seemed to have the upper hand over Volk Han at first. Volk wasn’t able to get much going with Kopylov keeping his distance with some strikes and picking his spots to get to the ground with Volk and using a similar strategy that Zouev employed to control the tempo of the grappling. Volk Han was able to break through at times with his counterwork though, and the two built up a 1-1 tie on points several minutes into the match. Kopylov impressed the crowd with some slick throwing techniques, and Volk seemed to be in a pickle as Kopylov managed to score a knockdown a few after with a series of body punches. Just as when Kopylov seemed to be in control after another scramble on the mat led to a rope break from Volk Han, the Dagestani grappler caught Kopylov with a spinning backfist which really impressed the crowd in Luzhniki stadium. Volk regained control of the match and took Kopylov down to the mat with a spinning armbar takedown. Kopylov eventually found himself tangled up with Volk Han, who submitted his opponent with a figure four-esque knee crusher. Han defeats Kopylov via submission (knee crusher), 13:43 Atsushi Onita vs Vladimir Berkovich On paper, Onita appeared to be outclassed against a 6’2 323 lbs Greco-Roman wrestler, but as we have seen, no task seems impossible to Onita who continues to be confident in his abilities. Berkovich immediately tried to use his power to overwhelm Onita with a variety of suplexes, but Onita managed to fight off most of them and only fell victim to one belly-to-belly suplex. Berkovich attempted to keep Onita grounded and even went for a pin attempt, but Onita fought off the big man quite well. Berkovich continued to swarm all over Onita, and Onita found himself in a world of trouble as Berkovich continued to lift him in the air for a few more suplex attempts. With each one, Onita seemed more stunned and the Soviet crowd was firmly behind Berkovich as he gained a point after Onita had the wind knocked out of him for a ten count. A similar story continued for the next few minutes as Berkovich built up a 3-0 lead with Onita taking a ton of punishment from the much stronger wrestler. When Berkovich wrestled Onita to the ground with a Greco-Roman hold, Onita was seemingly struggling to break free but somehow he managed to find a way to catch Berkovich in a triangle armbar, and Berkovich attempted to power his way out of the hold by slamming Onita onto the mat, but Onita kept the hold firmly locked in. With his arm being pulled even tighter, Berkovich had no choice but to relent and tap out, shocking the fans in Luzhniki Stadium. Onita defeats Berkovich via submission (triangle armbar), 9:22 Marco Ruas vs Timur Zalasov Timur Zalasov was a lanky freestyle wrestler who had a significant reach advantage on Ruas, but Ruas was also much more skilled, and determined to beat his Russian opponent. Zalasov’s strategy simply seemed to get Ruas to the ground for a pinfall, but Ruas was just too strong and did not relent. Ruas caused a lot of problems for Zalasov on the canvas, and the Soviet crowd urged on their compatriot as he quickly racked up the rope breaks with Ruas earning a lot of points quickly. It was evident Zalasov was outclassed, and with a 2-0 on points within a few minutes, Ruas went for the kill. Zalasov attempted a side suplex, but Ruas reversed the attempt into an armdrag takedown and snatched a cross-armbreaker in the middle of the ring. Zalasov did his best to reach the ropes but couldn’t quite get there and tapped out. Ruas defeats Zalasov via submission (cross-armbreaker), 6:01 Judo Jacket Match: Bad News Allen vs Grigory Verichev Allen “Bad News” Coage was a 1976 Olympic bronze medalist in Judo and a two-time gold medalist from the Pan-American Games. Even 13 years later, he was still a formidable Judoka. On the other side of the ring was Grigory Verichev, also a Judo bronze medalist from the recent 1988 Olympics in Seoul. Verichev was also a gold medalist from the World Championships in 1987. Verichev was also fourteen years younger than Bad News Allen and seemingly had youth on his side. Allen had the benefit of being much more experienced in the squared circle and is a veteran of a few “Judo Jacket” matches as well. Verichev also had the crowd on his side and this quickly became apparent with the opening bell. Both Verichev and Allen were quite strategic in their approach, like true Olympic Judokas. Allen seemed to favor a more offensive approach and pressed Verichev in the opening minutes, with Verichev doing well to fend off Allen’s strength whenever the two locked up and pulled on each other’s Judo gi. The Soviet crowd grew more vocal whenever it seemed like Verichev was setting himself up for a takedown, but Allen managed to stay on his feet. Allen continued to settle into the match and eventually got Verichev off his feet with a nice takedown, and quickly went for a cross-armbreaker. Instead of going for the ropes, Verichev rolled through the attempt to relieve pressure and managed to break Allen’s hold to the delight of the crowd. The match evolves as time passes, with both Allen and Verichev finding more luck in getting their respective opponent to the canvas with a variety of takedowns and throws. Verichev gives Allen fits at times, and builds up a 2-1 advantage on points after he catches Allen with a collar choke which forces the American to go for the ropes. Allen responded with a Harai Goshi hip throw and goes for a pinfall attempt, which Verichev kicks out of just in time. As much as the crowd was with Verichev, Allen’s experience and wit inside the wrestling ring appeared to be the ace up the American’s sleeve. After Allen tied the match at 2-2 after getting Verichev with another cross-armbreaker attempt, Verichev attempted to get Allen off his feet again with an Uchi Mata, but Allen defended well and scored a shoulder takedown that he turned into a pinfall attempt, and Verichev was unable to kick out in time. The Soviet crowd was disappointed that Verichev couldn’t beat the American, but a few rounds of applause broke out for Bad News Allen. Allen defeats Verichev via pinfall, 15:49 Gary Albright/Steve Williams vs Salman Hashimikov/Victor Zangiev (Unlike previous UWF tag team matches, this match is announced as a contest decided by the usual UWF rules, and not by elimination) Just like their previous match in January, these two teams brought heavy metal wrestling to the forefront as neither held back right out of the gate. Gary Albright and Hashimikov were the first to lock up, and they traded heavy suplexes before Albright took Hashimikov to the mat and kept him grounded with a straight armlock attempt. Hashimikov struggled at first, but managed to break free from the hold and the two resumed wrestling on the canvas, with Albright looking for a clever pinfall attempt but Hashimikov was well aware of Albright’s strategy and avoided any dangerous situations. After a few minutes, Zangiev and Williams were tagged in. Williams continued the suplex focus while Zangiev wanted to get Williams down to the mat and they both had equal success. Zangiev worked his way out of a bridging German suplex and took Williams’ back for a rear naked choke, which Williams did well to survive. A smooth ankle pick from Williams caught Zangiev off his feet and Williams took the opportunity to lift the Soviet for another German suplex. The Americans seemed to have the Russian team’s number, although Hashimikov and Zangiev earned their team a few points by forcing Williams and Albright to the ropes as the minutes passed. Albright and Hashimikov found themselves back in the ring eventually, and Hashimikov took it to Albright to fire up the home crowd. Hashimikov scored a double-leg takedown on Albright, who had to work from the bottom as Hashimikov attempted a shoulder lock followed by a pinfall attempt, which Albright managed to kick out of. While this match lacked striking so far, Albright managed to switch things up a bit by landing a few body shots on Hashimikov to soften him up. The Chechen wrestler had to survive a huge belly-to-belly suplex from Albright before managing to tag in Zangiev. Zangiev, a bit slicker than Hashimikov, managed to get some offense going against Albright by bringing him to the mat, and Zangiev enjoyed a good stretch where he managed to force Albright to tag in Williams, and then Williams found himself on the mat due to Zangiev’s aggressiveness. Just as when the Soviet team was seemingly enjoying a shift in momentum, Williams found himself up against Hashimikov who was caught by an Alabama slam from “Dr. Death.” Hashmikov struggled to get on his feet as Williams locked him up for a bridging Fisherman’s Suplex for the pinfall attempt. 1…2….3!!! Steve Williams secured the victory for his team and silenced Luzhniki Stadium as he celebrated with his partner. Williams & Albright defeat Hashimikov & Zangiev via pinfall, 18:22 Super Vader vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara After a good amount of hype, Vader finally made his debut in UWF Newborn in the most interesting way possible. Clad in black and red attire, the red-masked wrestler marched his way down to the ring and seemed to be focused on the business at hand. Nobuyuki Furuta introduced him as “Super Vader” and he promptly took his mask off. Vader was also wearing Vale Tudo-style gloves and awaited his opponent who followed next. Yoshiaki Fujiwara had a stern look on his face and did not seem deterred by the massive size of his opponent. Motoyuki Kitazawa checked both men for their readiness and signaled for the bell. Vader immediately pressed Fujiwara and commenced firing off several hard closed-fist body shots on his opponent. Fujiwara was backed into a turnbuckle pretty quickly as Vader continued to wail on him. Fujiwara managed to get off a few palm strikes, but Vader did not seem bothered by them and grabbed onto Fujiwara for a quick throw out of the turnbuckle. Surprisingly, Vader followed him to the ground and although Vader was no mat genius, he displayed some competence as he went for a straight armlock and almost got it locked in too easily, forcing Fujiwara to go for an early rope break. Vader seemed very determined to win the match and continued to dominate over the next several minutes, with Fujiwara getting very little offense in as he found himself getting knocked down twice in quick succession from more body shots and a few hard palm strikes. Fujiwara did not give up though and did his best to soften up Vader with a series of low leg kicks that almost seemed to catch the big man by surprise. The more experienced veteran actually managed to get his larger opponent to the canvas a couple of times using clever takedown techniques, but Vader’s massive presented an issue on the mat as Fujiwara had very little luck in locking his armbreaker and heel hook attempts in. When they found themselves back on their feet, Vader continued to pile on the knockdowns and established a 4-0 lead on points eventually, causing Fujiwara to unleash everything he had. Palm strikes, low kicks, and even a headbutt attempt that Fujiwara immediately regretted as he stumbled to the canvas in a daze. Vader seized the initiative and lifted Fujiwara for a bodyslam. The Russian fans were enamored with Vader as he exerted his dominance and finished the match with a huge powerbomb. Fujiwara faced another ten count but the referee didn’t bother to finish the count as Fujiwara clearly could not get back on his feet despite a brief attempt at doing so. Vader defeats Fujiwara via TKO, 10:45 Akira Maeda vs David Gobejishvili David Gobejishvili made Akira Maeda look much smaller than really is, and that isn’t particularly easy. Maeda, who stood at 6’3, was dwarfed by the long frame of the 6’8 Georgian freestyle wrestler. Maeda focused on his strategy of slowly cutting down his opponent with sharp kicks, but he wasn’t afraid to grapple with him either. David’s grappling background was probably better and more unique, and that became evident as he surprised Maeda with a few takedowns and throws. Maeda opted to be more calculated in his approach and managed to present a challenge to the Olympic gold medalist on the mat. The two traded rope breaks in the first several minutes, leading to a 1-1 tie on points by the 8:00 mark. Maeda’s calm catch wrestling approach flustered David who seemed to be more comfortable with trying to throw Maeda around instead of trying to beat his submission game. David did appear quite strong at times on this end and got the Soviet fans excited by getting his opponent off his feet several times with Chidaoba-inspired moves, but ultimately Maeda prevailed when he landed a combination of devastating kicks on his opponent. David did his best to beat the count, but couldn’t respond sufficiently enough to Masami Soranaka’s liking in time. Maeda defeats Gobejishvili via KO, 15:33 Nobuhiko Takada vs Aleksandr Karelin The much anticipated main event was finally here. The crowd at Luzhniki Stadium went ballistic as “For Whom The Bell Tolls” by Metallica played through the stadium’s sound system, with Karelin returning to his home country triumphantly. The 1988 gold medalist marched his way to the ring with a confident swag, backed by his cornermen. Karelin, wearing a red singlet, seemed quite focused on the task at hand as he awaited his opponent. Nobuhiko Takada entered the stadium to Rocky IV’s ‘Training Montage” theme and while it appeared he had confidence, it also seemed like he had a hint of nervousness. The two waited in their respective corners as Nobuyuki Furuta made the ring introductions, and Masami Soranaka made checks on both before signaling for the bell. From the start, it seemed evident that Takada’s strategy was to immediately soften up Karelin’s legs with a series of low kicks. Karelin wanted to get close, but Takada did well to keep the Olympic gold medalist at a distance. Things were at a bit of a stalemate with Takada continuing to lay kicks in at opportune moments, but Karelin managed to catch one of his kicks and turned it into a single-leg takedown, taking Takada down to the canvas. The crowd in Luzhniki roared as Karelin established side control on Takada, and Karelin quickly went to work as he attempted a double-wristlock, which Takada had to break by using the ropes much to the delight of the jam-packed stadium. Back on his feet, Takada stuck to the same strategy by going after Karelin’s legs, but Karelin did much better here to check Takada’s kicks and minimize their damage. Karelin was once again able to close the distance on Takada and applied a Greco-Roman body lock on him, while Takada struggled to break free and avoid going down to the canvas. Karelin's strength won out though, and Takada once again found himself on the canvas as Karelin worked to lock in another hold. Takada did well to defend and forced a clean break by making Karelin get close to the ropes with him. Takada continued to rely on his striking abilities, while Karelin focused on getting Takada down to the canvas to rack up more points through rope breaks. Karelin continued to seem the more dominant wrestler out of the two, and frustration was becoming more visible on Takada’s face. Karelin built up a 3-1 lead on points after several minutes and even managed to knock Takada off his feet after a well-executed Dragon suplex. Takada, for his part, managed to get a high kick on the Olympic medalist and the Soviet machine briefly displayed a moment of weakness before beating the count. The Luzhniki crowd continued to urge Karelin on as Takada resumed his striking-based assault. Karelin seemed more comfortable with grappling rather than striking and latched onto Takada for a devastating overhead belly-to-belly suplex. The Soviet pressed the advantage and grappled with Takada on the canvas as he tried to look for a rear-naked choke, but Takada had a few tricks up his sleeve and managed to get into the position needed for a heel hook attempt. Karelin was caught off guard and scrambled to the ropes pretty quickly. Takada seemed to be enjoying a second wind as he caught Karelin with a few kicks to his midsection, but sooner or later, the inevitable was going to become reality. Just as when Takada seemed to be on the verge of a second knockdown, Karelin managed to latch onto Takada for a gutwrench suplex, followed by another. Luzhniki Stadium roared as Karelin finished the series of events with the “Karelin Lift” for the third and final act of the finish. Takada landed sharply on his head and Karelin followed him to the ground, hooking both of Takada’s legs for the pinfall. 1…2…..3!!! Karelin had defeated one of the top stars in UWF on Russian home soil. Karelin defeats Takada via pinfall, 18:23 After the match, Karelin celebrates with his cornermen who lift him up on their shoulders and parade him around the ring as fans desperately reach out to greet their hero. Karelin is given a bouquet and a ceremonial trophy by UWF officials and other dignitaries present at ring side. The UWF theme plays in the arena once again to close the show, with the commentators hyping up the huge win for Karelin. They break down the other matches before a graphic appears on screen, which unveils the bracket for the U-COSMOS Grand Prix tournament starting next month back home in Tokyo. The commentators hype up the start of the tournament and praise the historical show that just took place before the rolling credits set to Queen's "We Are The Champions" close out the program.

Card Announcement: UWF Newborn - "Moscow Martial Arts Festival" August 24th, 1989 Moscow, USSR Luzhniki Stadium Masakatsu Funaki vs Minoru Suzuki Wayne Shamrock vs Nikolai Zouev Andrei Kopylov vs Volk Han Atsushi Onita vs Vladimir Berkovich Marco Ruas vs Timur Zalasov Judo Jacket Match: "Bad News" Allen vs Grigory Verichev Gary Albright & Steve Williams vs Salman Hashimikov & Victor Zangiev Vader vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara Nobuhiko Takada vs Aleksandr Karelin Akira Maeda vs David Gobejishvili (OOC: This month was a bit busier than expected, so I will be 1-2 days late. Rest assured, it's cooking in the oven!)

ZSJ vs Tsuji was a great final. A very well-deserved win for ZSJ because he stuck with the company during the pandemic when other foreigners like Ospreay peaced out. I think ZSJ will beat Naito next, especially with Royal Quest coming up right after their match. It's going to be an interesting fall for NJPW though, and I think decoupling the G1 winner from the Tokyo Dome main event is a good move because it makes the build-up a lot more interesting I think.

Tenryu/Chono vs Blackman/Severn was a beastly match on paper and it certainly delivered. I'm enjoying Eddie Guerrero's title run so far. He's certainly one of the brightest up-and-coming talents in the business at this rate and seemingly can't have a bad match.

WrestleRock was amazing! A very awesome show top to bottom. Hulk Hogan getting his crowning moment in AWA came across quite well. Very well executed. I love how Sammartino is seemingly inside Zbyszko's head and continues to make life difficult for him. Brian Adias vs Hulk Hogan is a very tasty matchup on paper. Can't wait to see how that one shakes out!

The new RAW show continues to deliver with some excellent matches and angles. Also enjoyed the SNME card with The Rockers getting back on top of the tag team division. Will anyone bring them back down to earth?