Control21

Volk Han and Maurice Smith were a pair that would have been cool to see in RINGS, so it naturally came to mind here. I always enjoyed the grappler vs striker matches Volk Han had, especially against Dick Vrij. Volk Han is one of the best to ever do it IMO.

UWF Newborn – “Fighting Base Yokohama” June 30th, 1989 Yokohama, Japan Yokohama Arena Attendance: 17,000 (sold out) Broadcast: WOWOW (live) The jam-packed Yokohama Arena is buzzing with excitement as the WOWOW commentary crew welcomes the viewing audience to tonight's programming. They hype up tonight's matches while clips of Akira Maeda, Nobuhiko Takada, Bob Backlund, Aleksandr Karelin, and a few others are shown with them backstage getting ready. We get the opening parade of wrestlers as usual, with loud receptions coming from the Yokohama crowd. Akira Maeda thanks the fans for coming and selling out the new arena, and he promises a victory tonight to move on from last month. Nobuhiko Takada and Satoru Sayama speak as well. Bob Backlund is showing eyeing Sayama while he speaks. Soon, the event is ready to get underway with the opening match. Manabu Yamada vs Kiyoshi Tamura The opening bout saw an entertaining and highly energetic affair between two talented rookies, with Tamura looking to secure a second straight win and cement himself as the top student in the first class of UWF “young lions.” Yamada had something to say though and gave Tamura some trouble as he made for a tough opponent on the mat. Tamura appeared to struggle with Yamada’s counter-grappling and transitional work, despite his own quickness and agility. The opening few minutes went in Yamada’s favor, with Tamura having to exhaust two rope breaks due to Yamada’s sound grappling abilities. As one would expect though, Tamura grew into the match and started to make things even as he demonstrated his striking skills were nothing to sneeze at either. Yamada got caught by several palm strikes, allowing Tamura to establish momentum and control his opponent on the canvas as they found themselves there more often than not. Soon it was Yamada’s turn to exhaust a few rope breaks in consecutive order, and the two young lions decided to start throwing more strikes as they both desperately wanted to score a more decisive blow. Despite the swings in momentum throughout the match, the two young wrestlers were evenly matched and the match ended in a fitting draw, with both taking something out of it despite being disappointed in not winning. 15:00 draw Shigeo Miyato vs Masahito Kakihara Kakihara, another talented rookie, had his hands full with Miyato, who was aware of Kakihara’s promising striking skills and did his best to keep the feisty young lion on the mat. Kakihara struggled with Miyato’s ability to control the pace of the match on the canvas, and couldn’t get much going early on with Miyato finding openings for early submission attempts, particularly with the cross-armbreaker. Whenever the two found themselves on their feet, Kakihara attempted to land his strikes on Miyato, but Miyato did well to defend and get his opponent back down to the canvas. Despite Kakihara’s best efforts, this match was all Miyato as he took the young lion to “school” on the art of grappling and how to control a match in UWF. Kakihara just could not get anything going despite his best efforts, and the eventual 3-0 deficit on points demonstrated that. Shortly after the 9:00 mark, Kakihara had a low kick caught by Miyato, who quickly turned it into a heel hook for the submission victory. Miyato defeats Kakihara via submission (heel hook), 9:09 Minoru Suzuki & Wayne Shamrock vs Masakatsu Funaki & Yoji Anjo An interesting matchup on paper turned out to be a very good one in practice as the two teams meshed with their partners well and tested their opponents significantly. Suzuki and Shamrock were on similar wavelengths and both aggressively took their opponents down to the canvas at every opportunity. Funaki did well to defend though, and Anjo was showing improvement in that part of his craft as well. Shamrock scored the first point of the match when he forced Funaki to go for a rope break after a well-timed double-leg takedown followed by a quick kneebar attempt. Both teams were applauded early for their smooth wrestling, and the team of Suzuki and Shamrock continued to enjoy the early momentum. Shamrock was impressive and looked very well-conditioned and Suzuki seemed like he had something to prove, especially when he went up against Funaki. Funaki had his hands full and exhausted another rope break, this time coming from a chokehold attempt from Suzuki. Anjo started to fight back after being tagged in and landed several hard strikes on Suzuki who had no choice but to play defense against the fired-up Anjo. Anjo’s efforts enabled him to score the first point of the match for his team, with a flurry of palm strikes sending Suzuki down to the canvas for a ten count. Suzuki wasted no time in getting back up and took the match back to Anjo. Shamrock evened the match at 1-1 after getting another rope break from Funaki, who was visibly frustrated as he felt his opponents had his number. The match saw the expected swings in momentum, but it appeared quite even and the fans were torn on who to root for. 15 minutes into the match no one had been eliminated, despite both Suzuki and Funaki being pushed to their last point each. In this case, it was fitting that the two were in the ring when a decisive moment came from Suzuki’s double-underhook suplex on Funaki, who was immediately smothered by a determined Suzuki. With a sense of urgency, Suzuki locked in a very tight double wristlock on Funaki and forced him to submit, leaving Anjo on his own. Anjo did his best to defend against Suzuki and Shamrock and picked his spots to get some offense in. Shamrock and Suzuki were too good though, and Shamrock put away Anjo after a belly-to-belly suplex led to a ten count, which Anjo did not beat. Shamrock & Suzuki defeat Funaki & Anjo, 17:18 Mark Rocco & Marty Jones vs Andrei Kopylov & Nikolai Zouev The style contrast in this match made for a unique tag team bout, with the high-level SAMBO skills of Zouev and Kopylov clashing against the classical catch wrestling skills of Marty Jones and Mark Rocco, who incorporated more pro-style offense at times as well. Rocco and Jones were a little unorthodox out of the gate, hoping to catch their dangerous opponents off their feet. Using moves like shoulder tackles, or arm drag takedowns, they both were able to fluster their Russian foes early in the match. Rocco, in particular, was a fly in their ointment and seemed to get the better of Zouev, even on the canvas. It was only a matter of time though before Zouev and Kopylov grew into the match and adjusted to their opponents. They were just too skilled. The British wrestlers were able to hold their ground and did get some nice moments on the mat against their skilled opponents, proving that catch wrestling skills were useful against SAMBO practitioners. Jones in particular confused Kopylov at times with some nice limbwork and controlled the tempo while exerting some painful looking holds. Rocco had the misfortune of finding himself on the canvas with Zouev for an extended period, and despite his efforts to contend with the Soviet grappler, Rocco found himself eliminated after Zouev locked in a painful-looking ‘banana split’ leg submission. This meant Marty Jones was by himself just past the 10:00 mark, and Kopylov did the honors of securing the match in his team’s favor after scoring a single-leg takedown and followed through with a knee crusher. Kopylov & Zouev defeat Jones & Rocco, 11:32 Maurice Smith vs Volk Han As someone would expect from a striker vs grappler matchup with competitors gifted in their respective fields, this was a wildly entertaining bout. Maurice Smith knew what he had to do to get Volk Han on the backfoot and scouted his opponent well. In particular, Maurice Smith knew the gut shot was Volk Han’s weakness and aimed for that area early in the match. Within a few minutes, Maurice Smith landed a sharp thrust kick to Volk Han’s stomach and the Soviet SAMBO wizard immediately fell to his knees for an early ten count. The American kickboxer gained a lot of confidence from this and picked up where he left off after Volk beat the ten count with some time to spare. Volk Han appeared flustered and was in danger of being knocked down a second time. Of course, this naturally meant that Volk needed to conjure some sort of SAMBO sorcery, and that’s exactly what he did. Volk Han gained control of Smith’s wrist after he blocked a flurry of palm strikes, and tossed his opponent around, using his exposed joints to manipulate him. Smith was helpless on the canvas and Volk Han went for a cross-armbreaker soon after, forcing Smith to go for the ropes to break the hold and get out of the bad predicament. The crowd was very pleased by Volk Han’s wizardry and seemed to get behind him as the match continued. For the next few minutes, Volk Han managed to keep Smith mostly to the canvas and frustrated his opponent with his grappling and submission skills, forcing a few more rope breaks from his opponent and earning himself a 2-1 lead on points. The fans were quite enjoying themselves by this point, and Volk Han seemed inevitable. Smith was able to launch a comeback though and found a way through Volk Han’s defense while delivering a variety of kicks and knee strikes. First, Smith caught Volk with a high kick after feinting another attempt at a gutshot. The Soviet grappler beat another ten count, but quickly found himself in a clinch from Smith who delivered a series of sharp knees to Volk’s stomach afterward. The quick succession of knockdowns seemingly put Smith within moments of victory, but Volk managed to beat the third ten count just in the nick of time. Volk came swinging back with a spinning backfist, which Smith had to dodge quickly. Volk spent a few moments grappling with Smith and trying to bring him back down to the mat. Volk finally managed to score a quick kani-basami on Smith, and quickly locked in a cross heel-hook. Smith did his best to reach for the ropes, but Volk held on tight for the submission victory. Han defeats Smith via submission (cross heel-hook), 13:08 Atsushi Onita vs Andy Hug Both wrestlers had their hands full here. Onita, of course, was his usual self - a confident young man who felt he had something to prove as he continued to try and climb the ranks of the promotion. Hug was the dangerous star Karateka who wanted to put his opponent in his place. The two started off the match quite strong respectively. Hug was clinical with his strikes and managed to land quite a few attempts despite Onita’s defensive approach. Onita responded with a few palm strikes but struggled to land any, and attempted to clinch with Hug using a single-leg hook, but Hug was able to grapple through the clinch and reverse it in his favor, and landed a few knee strikes for good measure. Onita did well to stay on his feet and lured his opponent to throw more kicks as he caught one of them and turned it into a takedown, bringing Hug to the canvas as he quickly went on the offensive. Hug was quite cautious and did his best to turtle up from multiple angles as Onita’s Luta Livre background posed quite a threat to him in the current situation. Onita worked diligently to secure a hook and fought through Hug’s makeshift defense, securing a straight arm lock from side control. Hug quickly fought his way to the nearest ropes for the first rope break of the match, and Onita had a slight smile on his face afterward. Hug stuck to his gameplan, and continued to pick his spots at the right opportunity. Onita felt the force of Hug’s kicks and seemed visibly bothered by them each time they landed. Hug landed the first knockdown of the match after connecting with more high kicks, which sent Onita tumbling down. Onita took his time to get up and seemed a bit shell-shocked. Hug had the confidence to continue his assault, and Onita looked to be in deep trouble after Hug scored a second consecutive knockdown to build a 2-0 lead on points. Onita gritted his teeth and beat another ten count, and immediately grappled with Hug to close the distance and get his opponent back down to the canvas. Onita settled things down a bit and managed to keep Hug on the canvas for the next few minutes. Hug was forced to use a second rope break and Onita got a point back. The match developed into a bit of a back-and-forth, and both were quite determined to get a more decisive moment. At around the 12:00 mark, Onita got Hug to the canvas again with a leg sweep takedown and managed to secure his patented knee scissors for the submission victory. Onita defeats Hug via submission (knee scissors), 12:04 Aleksandr Karelin vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara Karelin has been quite impressive in UWF so far, and this was perhaps his first real test against an established star in the promotion. Fujiwara knew he had his hands full, and wrestled quite defensively against the much larger Karelin. The crowd watched intently as the two felt each other out, with Karelin figuring out the best way to attack his opponent while Fujiwara tried to lure Karelin into some traps. Of course, Karelin knew he had the size advantage and closed the distance when it suited him. Fujiwara struggled against Karelin’s strength as the Soviet gold medalist easily wrestled Fujiwara down to the canvas. Here, Fujiwara’s expertise helped him a little bit as he was able to slow things down a little as he took various defensive postures to shut down Karelin’s still-maturing submission skills. Karelin had to rely on his Greco-Roman background to keep Fujiwara busy. Fujiwara continued to defend from underneath for a brief time, before Karelin finally managed to get a simple but effective straight armlock from side control, forcing Fujiwara to go for a quick rope break. Fujiwara presented some trouble for Karelin and used some clever grappling to get Karelin briefly on his back, but again, the size of Karelin presented trouble for Fujiwara as he struggled to get any other offense going. Karelin continued to grow into the match and utilized his powerful throwing techniques more and more as Fujiwara’s defense softened up a bit. The crowd was behind Fujiwara but they were also amazed by Karelin’s show of strength. The two continued to mix in mat wrestling and while Karelin got most of the rope breaks, Fujiwara got a few in as well as he went for some quick but basic holds as ankle locks or armbar attempts. Karelin earned himself a 3-1 lead on points after a powerful belly-to-belly suplex knocked Fujiwara off his feet for a ten count. Fujiwara managed to beat it, but Karelin was a force of nature and was to some degree inevitable. The two fought on the canvas again after Karelin wrestled Fujiwara down again with another Greco-Roman hold. Karelin locked in a gutwrench and Fujiwara fought desperately to escape, but Karelin lifted his opponent for a powerful Karelin Lift and Fujiwara felt the full force of Karelin’s strength as he impacted the mat. Karelin took the opportunity to pin Fujiwara on his back….1…2…3! Karelin earned himself another impressive victory against one of the best UWF had to offer. Karelin defeats Fujiwara via pinfall, 17:10 Bob Backlund vs Satoru Sayama Backlund was on a roll and had earned himself a bit of a buzz after his previous match with Akira Maeda. The American was seemingly gaining more and more fans each time he made his entrance. Sayama would have his hands full, and Backlund quickly proved this as the match commenced. Moving like a well-oiled machine, Backlund’s amateur wrestling background was on full display as he quickly dodged Sayama’s striking attempts and managed to get a variety of takedowns on his opponent. Sayama’s Shooto background did present a challenge for Backlund on the canvas though, and the American found himself going for a few rope breaks early. Sayama established a 1-0 lead on points and seemed confident despite Backlund continuing to present some problems with his smooth takedowns. The two spent a lot of time on the mat over the next few minutes, with Backlund earning some rope breaks back after he went for some submissions of his own, including a Boston crab. With the match now tied at 1-1, Sayama changed things up and focused on his striking, being more tactical in how he approached things. Backlund got caught out a few times and was finally knocked down by a jumping roundhouse. Backlund beat the ten count from Motoyuki Kitazawa and got back up with a smile on his face. He lured Sayama into a grappling exchange and tried to surprise his opponent with some quick pinning maneuvers but to no avail. The match progressed with Sayama continuing to land his sharp strikes when he needed and got a few combos in as well. When Backlund did manage to dodge Sayama’s strikes, he was quite vocal about it and seemed to taunt Sayama at times. Backlund focused on the ground game and did his best to keep Sayama on the mat whenever he had the chance, and this resulted in a mostly grappling-focused match mixed in some spurts of Sayama attempting to change things up with his strikes. By the 15:00 mark, the match was tied at 3-3 on points and Backlund seemed to be getting most of the rope breaks. The decisive moment came when Sayama attempted another jumping roundhouse, but Backlund dodged and managed to secure Sayama’s back as he finished his movement. Sayama struggled but Backlund executed a near-perfect bridging German suplex and Kitazawa counted as Backlund kept Sayama’s shoulders pinned. 1..2…3! Backlund had pulled off another major win and Sayama was visibly frustrated with himself as his opponent celebrated. Backlund defeats Sayama via pinfall, 16:33 Nobuhiko Takada vs Vladimir Berkovich Takada had his hands full with a new opponent in Vladimir Berkovich. The 6’2 350+ pound Greco-Roman grappler presented quite a bit of challenge for Takada at first, who really had no choice but to throw some tentative strikes early to try and soften him up. Whenever Berkovich got his hands on Takada, he was clearly the stronger man and got him down to the canvas easily. Takada managed to keep those moments to a minimum though, and Berkovich’s relatively simple submission skills did not pose much of a threat. Where Takada did find trouble though was when Berkovich was able to execute a variety of suplexes on him, and this gave Berkovich moments where he appeared to be in control of the match. Takada landed on his head quite hard after a massive belly-to-belly suplex from Berkovich, and the fans were audibly concerned. As Takada usually does though, he fought back and landed a series of high kicks on his Soviet opponent. After a brief grappling struggle, Takada managed to give Berkovich a well-executed side suplex, thumping his large opponent against the mat. This allowed Takada to knock down Berkovich twice consecutively with a flurry of powerful strikes. Berkovich kept coming back and beat each ten count, but Takada finally managed to put away his foe with a powerfully connected high kick. This time, Berkovich didn’t get up in time and Takada celebrated his victory with a joyful audience. Takada defeats Berkovich via KO, 9:18 Akira Maeda vs Salman Hashimikov After his shock defeat to Bob Backlund last month, Maeda was looking for redemption here. Salman Hashimikov provided a good opportunity for Maeda to achieve just that. Hashimikov has already cemented himself as a respectable foe in UWF and has won quite a few fans over with his wrestling skills. From the start. Hashimikov pressured Maeda by closing the distance as quickly as he could to avoid Maeda’s hard kicks. Things seemed a bit troubling for the crowd favorite at first, with Hashimikov being able to wrestle Maeda down to the canvas several times and had the dominant position. Maeda had to defend diligently while Hashimikov worked for a shoulder lock or a straight armlock. The fact Maeda had to exhaust an early rope break after Hashimikov seemed to be overpowering him did not help matters much either. After the break, Maeda gained a bit more confidence as he managed to land some sharp kicks on Hashimikov, forcing him on the back foot. Maeda’s fans rallied as well and Maeda was in clear command, with Hashimikov not being able to close the distance as much as he could a few minutes earlier. Maeda scored the first point of the match after knocking down Hashimikov with a combination of palm strikes. It didn’t take long for Hashimikov to shake things off and beat the ten count from Masami Soranaka, but Maeda was immediately on the offensive again. The decorated Soviet athlete took the opportunity to stay close to Maeda while weathering another striking storm and managed to execute a high-angle German suplex on the crowd favorite. Maeda landed pretty hard and had to kick out immediately out of a pinfall attempt, and Hashimikov kept his grip to avoid letting Maeda establish some distance between them. Hashimikov continued his offense and landed a couple more suplexes on Maeda, with the last one causing another ten count, this time for Maeda. Maeda gathered himself calmly though, and the match continued. By the 13:00 mark, the match was tied 2-2 on points after Hashimikov got a few more rope breaks out of Maeda during an extended stretch of grappling on the canvas. Maeda stuck to his strategy of using his strikes to soften up Hashimikov while keeping himself in the match. But perhaps Hashimikov’s weakness was his willingness to get close with Maeda. Maeda took advantage of Hashimikov’s fatigue and locked in a Capture Suplex, which sent the Yokohama crowd into a frenzy. Maeda immediately applied a cross-armbreaker and that was enough to cause the Soviet wrestler to tap, handing Maeda the well-deserved victory. Maeda defeats Hashimikov via submission (cross-armbreaker), 14:22 Maeda celebrates his win with the ecastic Yokohama crowd while they chant "Ma-e-da!" in cadence to Camel's "Captured." Hashimikov has earned some respect from Maeda though, and he shakes hands with him before the Soviet wrestler departs. The WOWOW commentary team recap the events from the evening and promote the upcoming events for July, including Sayama's Shooto event at Korakuen Hall on July 10th, and next month's anniversary show coming to you live from Osaka Baseball Stadium on July 27th! They announce the anniversary show will be sold out with an expected audience of over 23,000. Akira Maeda and Nobuhiko Takada will face off once again in the main event! We also get a surprise announcement that in August, UWF will be holding its first event in the Soviet Union! The first-ever "Moscow Martial Arts Festival" at Luzhniki Stadium on August 24th will be broadcast on WOWOW on tape delay. Much to look forward to! We get the rolling credits as usual set to Queen's "We Are The Champions" with highlights from tonight's matches.

Big moment for Kerry Von Erich to close the show! Ric Flair will have his hands full with his old foe. Scott Norton and Psycho Sid both looked impressive tonight in different ways. I'm also looking forward to seeing what Sgt. Slaughter can accomplish in WCW, and that was a good way to debut him.

I love the Nikita/Jake The Snake promos and interactions. Great job with those. The build for Jumbo/Hulk continues to deliver as well!

Koko/Bushwhackers vs Muta/Midnight Express sounded like a fun match. I could picture that taking pace clearly. Rick Martel looks like a million bucks. I wouldn't want to be standing in his way right now.

That Malenko vs Guerrero match sure sounded like a classic!

Lots of interesting things happening in AWA lately. The Nikita/Jake the Snake buildup has been interesting and I'm enjoying the promos there. Can't wait to see Hogan go up against Jumbo in the squared circle, that will certainly be a blockbuster match!

RAW should be a very interesting addition to WWF's programming. Martel as IC champion in 1989 just feels right as well. It'll be very interesting to see how SummerSlam shapes up.

Looking forward to Great American Bash! Looks like it's already shaping up to be a great event.

I don't see a problem with it.

UWF Newborn – “Fighting Base Fukuoka” May 31st, 1989 Fukuoka, Japan Hakata Starlanes Attendance: 4,000 (sold out) Broadcast: WOWOW (taped) Yusuke Fuke vs Kiyoshi Tamura With both competitors eager to demonstrate their improvement in front of the crowd at Hakata Starlanes, the groundwork for an exciting match was laid early on. Tamura seemed to be quicker than Fuke at first glance and out-grappled his opponent consistently in the opening minutes. Tamura impressed the crowd further with a nice flying armbar, and almost got an early victory but Yusuke fought to the ropes to break the cross-armbreaker attempt that came afterward. Yusuke regained his footing and managed to slow down his firey opponent just enough to regain some momentum in the match. Fuke showed off some of his striking skills and knocked down Tamura with a combo of palm strikes. Tamura got up quickly though, and the two continued to trade points through rope breaks and another knockdown from Fuke. With the match tied 3-3 going towards the 15:00 time limit, Tamura got Fuke off his feet with a snap German suplex, followed by a rear-naked choke. Fuke tried to reach the ropes, but this time he could not muster enough strength and tapped out, giving Tamura the submission victory. Tamura defeats Fuke via submission (rear-naked choke), 14:11 Marty Jones & Mark Rocco vs Yoji Anjo & Shigeo Miyato This match offered an interesting contrast for the crowd, with the team of Marty Jones and Mark Rocco combining classical British catch wrestling with more modern techniques. Anjo and Miyato had a solid background in catch wrestling as well and relied on their submission and grappling skills to try and control the tempo of the bout. Jones and Rocco sought to push things and often tried to use some clever techniques to get Anjo and Miyato off their feet. Their strategy paid off as Anjo and Miyato had to exhaust some early rope breaks. Marty Jones in particular appeared to be very comfortable in the ring and gave both Anjo and Miyato fits with some of his grappling abilities. The Billy Robinson-trained Jones had no problem winning the crowd over again. Rocco’s unorthodox offense was also a challenge for both of his opponents, utilizing speed and movement to create openings for his submission skills, which were nothing to laugh at. Miyato was able to re-establish some momentum eventually and finally was able to slow down Rocco in particular, challenging him on the canvas and showing off his own abilities in catch-as-catch-can wrestling. Both Miyato and Anjo earned back some points over the next few minutes, and Miyato finally was able to send Rocco out of the match with a nicely-timed heel hook. Marty Jones managed to eliminate Anjo with a Manjigatame. Jones and Miyato squared off for the rest of the match, and after another great display of catch wrestling, Jones secured the victory for his team after catching Miyato with a double wristlock. Jones & Rocco defeat Anjo & Miyato, 20:11 Wayne Shamrock& Joe Malenko vs Masakatsu Funaki & Naoki Sano The team of Wayne Shamrock and Joe Malenko combined experience with raw talent, but one could argue Shamrock’s raw talent has been refined at a quick pace since his debut in UWF Newborn. They proved to be a tough matchup for Masakatsu Funaki and Naoki Sano, which was a solid duo that was brimming with talent and potential as well. Funaki was a handful for both Malenko and Shamrock, giving both wrestlers all they could handle while arguably keeping himself and Sano in the match. Sano wasn’t useless, but his relative lack of experience did not allow him to outwrestle Shamrock or Malenko. Malenko’s strategy was to control the tempo of the match, keeping the two Japanese young guns relatively grounded and giving Shamrock a chance to take advantage of the openings to score more damage. Sano was vulnerable to this strategy and was the first to be eliminated. Sano wasn’t completely washed out of the match, but it was clear he was behind his two opponents. Malenko managed to score the elimination after dragging Sano down for a Fujiwara armbar in the middle of the ring, forcing Sano to tap. Funaki kept himself in the match though, and snagged a heel hook on Shamrock after the American was perhaps a bit too eager to lock up with Funaki to get one up over a potential rival. Funaki and Malenko had a great closing stretch, and their grappling skills were on full display for the crowd. Malenko was just a little bit better tonight though, and wore down Funaki enough to allow a Bridging German suplex, which kept Malenko’s opponent down on the canvas long enough for the pinfall victory. Malenko & Shamrock defeat Funaki & Sano, 17:44 Minoru Suzuki vs Mark Fleming Mark Fleming had the experience and knowledge from training with Lou Thesz, but Minoru Suzuki had the youth and eagerness to get back in the win column. Fleming’s strategy wasn’t anything unique. He attempted to control the pace of the match by using his grappling skills to slow down and limit Suzuki’s offense. This appeared to work at first, with Fleming presenting all sorts of trouble for Suzuki on the canvas. Suzuki attempted to use his speedy transitions to counter Fleming’s offense on the mat, but Fleming was able to prevent most of these attempts from working through his craft. In particular, Fleming focused on the arms of Suzuki to throw his opponent off his game. Fleming built up a 2-0 lead on points through several rope breaks, and the crowd grew more desperate for the young Suzuki to launch a comeback. With a second wind behind him, Suzuki battled back and used some unorthodox moves like dropkicks and running forearms before resorting back to his grappling, which has been improving over the past few months. Suzuki’s mixture of both pro-style and shoot-style offense allowed him to quicken the pace of the match, and Fleming struggled to deal with a more focused Suzuki as he picked up points through rope breaks and eventually settled things at 2-2 after a double-underhook suplex forced Fleming to take his time to get back on his feet. Suzuki finished things off with a side suplex followed by a Gotch-style piledriver, which allowed the younger wrestler to pick up a well-deserved win over Fleming via pinfall. Suzuki defeats Fleming via pinfall, 15:28 Nikolai Zouev vs Dennis Koslowski Zouev and Koslowski were well-matched opponents for each other, with both relying on skilled grappling finesse, albeit influenced by different backgrounds with Koslowski relying on American freestyle wrestling while Zouev utilized his background in SAMBO. The crowd was very impressed by the technical display, and both refused to go for rope breaks in the first several minutes as they preferred to rely on their knowledge to get out of difficult situations. Koslowski mixed up submission attempts with creative pinfalls, but Zouev came prepared and found his way out of both attempts to end the match in Koslowski’s favor. Zouev seemed more focused on going for the submission win, and Koslowski had to contend with creative leg entries that threw him off balance and allowed the Soviet specialist to go for various leg hooks. The stalemate broke around the 7:00 mark when Zouev finally forced Koslowski to go for a rope break after a smooth transition into a kneebar. The American continued a mixed strategy of going for both pinfall and submission attempts and used his pinfall attempts to open up avenues to attack the limbs of his Soviet opponent. They traded rope breaks until both were tied at 1-1 by the 12:00 mark. Koslowski finally managed to get Zouev with a nice freestyle pinning maneuver, and Ryogaku Wada seemed ready to commence the count, but the Soviet sambist somehow found a way to reverse Koslowski’s hold into a great leg lock of his own and locked in pretzel-like kneebar hold that forced Koslowski to tap, giving Zouev the surprising victory. Zouev defeats Koslowski via submission (kneebar), 14:55 Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs David Gobejishvili A clash of styles was apparent here, with David Gobejishvili using his background in Chidaoba and freestyle wrestling to try and overpower Fujiwara with a combination of strength and technique. Fujiwara wasn’t intimidated though, and relied on his extensive background in catch wrestling to control the pace of the match when needed. David had the size advantage, but Fujiwara found a way to limit this by snatching onto the Georgian’s long limbs whenever an opportunity arose, either via wristlocks or standing leglocks. David quickly found out why Fujiwara has a well-deserved reputation as a defensive wrestler and struggled to establish early momentum with his creative offense. Whenever he tried to get Fujiwara off his feet with a clever throw attempt, Fujiwara turned it into some sort of hook as he managed to get the 6’7 Georgian to the canvas. The crowd at Hakata Starlanes was thoroughly impressed and rallied behind Fujiwara for the entire match. David found himself using several rope breaks as Fujiwara enjoyed a good amount of control over the match, and his opponent established a solid 2-0 lead on points by the 8:00 mark. David was a sound professional though, and never quite gave up hope as he finally found ways to break through Fujiwara’s defense and get him off his feet with a huge fireman’s carry throw. David quickly established control on the canvas and worked for a shoulder lock as Fujiwara, now a bit fatigued, struggled to get the huge frame of the Georgian off him. Fujiwara was forced to go for his first rope break, and more followed as David settled into the match and found his flow, seizing upon the openings that were now opening up with Fujiwara on the back foot. David continued to combine his Chidaoba and freestyle wrestling and was able to grapple Fujiwara to the canvas more often. After landing a belly-to-belly suplex, Fujiwara had to take his time to get back up and David got a point on the board at 2-1. After beating the ten count, Fujiwara fought back furiously and tricked David into the receiving end of several headbutts. This allowed Fujiwara to get David back on the canvas for a Fujiwara armbar. The Georgian did his best to escape but submitted to the inevitable. Fujiwara defeats Gobejishvili via submission (Fujiwara armbar), 14:29 Bad News Allen vs Casemiro “Rei Zulu” Martins When one of the toughest men in wrestling goes up against one of the toughest men in Brazilian Vale Tudo, sparks, of course, are going to fly. Almost immediately, Casemiro and Allen traded palm strikes and body punches as they attempted to score an early knockdown. Allen appeared to get some good hits on Casemiro, but Casemiro fought through the contact and managed to clinch with Allen, and fought some attempts from his opponent to get him off his feet. This allowed Casemiro to land several knee strikes and score the first knockdown after Allen dropped to his knee to recover from the sudden surge of sharp pain from Casemiro’s powerful knees. Allen didn’t take much time to beat the count and quickly got back into the match. This time, Allen opted to grapple with Casemiro and use his Judo techniques to get back at Ruas. Casemiro’s grappling background clashed against this, and the two had an extended grappling exchange with neither willing to allow their opponent to get control of the match. Allen managed to get Casemiro off his feet with some spectacular throwing maneuvers, but Casemiro proved his worth on the canvas, defending Allen’s attempts to score a submission. With Allen attempting to go for a cross-armbreaker, Casemiro managed to reverse their respective positions and got Allen on his back while keeping control of his opponent’s legs. Allen had to desperately fight off a kneebar attempt from Casemiro and went for the ropes to break the hold. Allen returned the favor a few minutes later with a beautiful sweeping takedown, which allowed him to finally lock in a cross-armbreaker. Of course, Casemiro went for the ropes as well. After a series of knockdowns and rope breaks via grappling exchanges, Casemiro held a 3-2 lead on points. Allen exhausted everything he had in his tank but still looked determined. After another clinch, Casemiro left himself open to an armdrag takedown from Allen who immediately applied another cross-armbreaker attempt. This time, Casemiro felt the squeeze and decided to tap, handing Bad News Allen a parting victory as the crowd at Hakata Starlanes applauded Bad News Allen for his contributions to UWF Newborn over the past few months. Bad News Allen defeats Martins via submission (cross-armbreaker), 15:11 Satoru Sayama vs Yorinaga Nakamura In a rematch from their previous encounter where Yorinaga got a shot victory over his former instructor, Sayama was determined not to have a repeat performance and did well to slow down Yorinaga’s offense in the opening minutes of the match. Yorinaga let the sparks fly and unleashed a flurry of strikes, but Sayama dodged and countered most of them, landing some clean hits of his own. Sayama was able to get Yorinaga down to the canvas, where both displayed slick grappling maneuvers. Sayama seemed just a bit quicker, allowing him to establish control in the opening phase. It seemed Sayama surprised Yorinaga by going for one or two pinfall attempts, but Yorinaga quickly got out of each. In response, Yorinaga was almost able to get a rear-naked choke locked in, but Sayama quickly went for the ropes to break the hold. Back in the stand-up, Sayama was flashy with his jumping kicks and spinning backfists, which caught Yorinaga off-guard at one point, resulting in a knockdown. Sayama’s Shooto co-instructor was quick to get back up but the crowd was solidly behind his opponent. Nakamura attempted to land some more strikes, but Sayama made things difficult and took down his opponent once again to the mat. Things were a little more even this time, with Nakamura managing to get Sayama into some difficult positions at times. Sayama was just a little bit better though, and established a 2-1 lead on points after an ankle lock attempt led to another break from Nakamura. Sayama had more tricks up his sleeve and lured Nakamura into a sudden European Clutch attempt. Nakamura was a bit shellshocked, and could not kick out in time as Sayama secured the three count. Sayama celebrated his victory while Nakamura came to terms with how he could be caught off guard by a move like that. Sayama defeats Nakamura via pinfall, 14:55 Nobuhiko Takada vs Norman Smiley Smiley has certainly earned his top 10 ranking in UWF so far, and the talented Gotch-trained wrestler had another chance to defeat Takada, with their first meeting last year ending in a victory for Takada. Takada came out to a very warm greeting from the fans at Hakata Starlanes, and Smiley was greeted by an enthusiastic bunch as well. In the opening stages, Smiley appeared to have the advantage as he used smart limbwork and counterwork to hold off Takada’s offense, particularly his striking. Takada found himself on the canvas several times, trying to hold off Smiley as he looked for his openings patiently. The crowd watched intently as Smiley and Takada continued to test each other on the canvas before both rolled to the ropes for a clean break. Over the next few minutes, Takada finally started to get some clean hits on Smiley, using his trademark kicks to soften up his opponent and get the crowd more vocally involved. Smiley was able to check some of Takada’s strikes, but Takada clearly had his opponent on the back foot and the crowd sensed it. Takada continued to stalk his opponent and scored an early knockdown after connecting a combo of palm strikes and kicks aimed at Smiley’s abdomen. Smiley was able to beat the ten count and quickly recovered as he took Takada back to the canvas and immediately started working for a kneebar. Takada put up a struggle, but Smiley was determined to get the hold and forced Takada to go for the ropes to break the hold. The match developed into a bit of a stalemate, with Takada and Smiley exchanging rope breaks on the canvas, although Takada scored another knockdown towards the end after connecting with another combo. Takada built himself a 3-1 lead on points and was in control of the match. The decisive moment came when Smiley clinched with Takada, allowing Smiley’s opponent to snag him for a huge side suplex followed by a double wristlock. Smiley did his best to escape the hold and nearly reached the ropes, but Takada held on tight and finally scored the submission victory when Smiley relented and tapped. Takada defeats Smiley via submission (double wristlock), 16:22 Akira Maeda vs Bob Backlund Maeda made his way to the ring, marching to the tune of Camel’s “Captured” as Hakata Starlanes made it clear who they were backing. Backlund followed next, and a normal wrestler perhaps would have felt the intimidation of following up on such a big act as Akira Maeda, but Backlund was no normal wrestler. Coming out to Dvorak’s Symphony Number 9, Movement 4, Backlund walked confidently to the ring to meet his long-awaited opponent face-to-face. With Masami Soranaka breaking down the rules for both, the bell soon followed and the match got underway. The crowd launched into their “Ma-e-da! Ma-e-da!” chants right away, and Maeda immediately got to work with a series of low kicks aimed to deal some early damage. Backlund felt some of them, and vocally made it known, perhaps as a way to tease his opponent. Backlund got into his trademark stance as he looked to clinch with Maeda, and Maeda was happy to oblige. Maeda seemed to be in control at first, with Backlund mainly defending himself from Maeda’s calculated but formidable grappling skills. Backlund was weary of being pinned and did his best to stay off his back as he tried to incorporate some tricky counterwork to try and catch Maeda off guard. Maeda remained in control though, and earned himself an early rope break after getting a single-leg Boston crab on the American. The match continued as a mostly grappling affair, with Maeda picking his spots to soften up Backlund with a variety of strikes. Backlund was able to land a few body punches in return but chose to keep the match on the canvas as often as he could to wear down his opponent. As the match progressed, Backlund was able to get Maeda in increasingly difficult positions, and his amateur wrestling background became beneficial with the methodical pace that had set the tone. While Maeda was no slouch when it came to grappling, his catch wrestling skills weren’t as refined as his striking abilities. Backlund evened the match at 1-1 on points after catching Maeda with a straight armlock, with the simple hold doing enough to make Maeda think about breaking the hold. Chants for Maeda broke out again, with the crowd sensing that Maeda had a lot on his hands with Backlund. Maeda found himself dealing with an increasingly confident Backlund and the former WWF and PCW star was able to get Maeda up in the air for a German suplex, which he attempted to bridge into for the pinfall. Maeda was able to kick out at the 2 count though, and the crowd applauded with some relief. Maeda answered back with a series of kicks, and Backlund was caught off his feet for Maeda’s first knockdown of the match. Backlund gathered himself relatively quickly and beat Soranaka’s ten count with some time to spare. Maeda continued his assault intending to keep Backlund on the backfoot. After about a minute, Backlund got knocked down again, giving Maeda a 3-1 lead points. Backlund appeared a bit frustrated as he got back on his feet in time to beat the ten count again. Backlund came storming back, landing a few body punches and palm strikes on Maeda before lifting him into the air again for a belly-to-belly suplex. Backlund immediately went for side control on the ground and attempted to lock in a cross-armbreaker before Maeda went to the ropes to break the hold, preventing Backlund from putting him in any further danger. With both back up on their feet, Backlund went for an ankle pick on Maeda, but Maeda calmly held his ground and managed to stay even with Backlund as they went to the canvas again. Maeda managed to hold his ground this time, and worked his to a seated armbar position, with Backlund doing his best to break the hold or reverse it. Maeda eventually got it locked in, and Backlund shouted “woooah!” “woooah!” as Maeda leveraged his arm more and more. Backlund finally had to scramble to the ropes to break the hold, giving Maeda another rope break and putting him closer to a commanding 4-1 lead on points. The closing moments of the match came soon afterward when Maeda and Backlund were both exchanging strikes on their feet. Maeda appeared to be close to another knockdown, but Backlund caught him in the clinch and lifted him for a sudden but strong Olympic slam. Backlund attempted to lock in the Chicken Wing Crossface but had to settle for a double wristlock as Maeda did his best to fight his way out. Backlund changed his plans as Maeda stalled his attempt to get the hold locked in, and transitioned to a crucifix pin instead, using his amateur wrestling skills to get Maeda on his shoulders. Maeda found himself in a difficult spot and did his best to kick out, but the moment came and went in an instant. Soranaka counted the 1-2-3, giving Backlund the victory. Backlund jumped into the air like an excited schoolboy as the stunned silence of Hakata Starlanes overcame the chants for Maeda that were erupting just minutes earlier. Backlund climbed the nearest turnbuckle to celebrate his victory as Nobuyuki Furuta made the result official. Backlund defeats Maeda via pinfall, 18:09 After the match, Maeda does not look very pleased and confronts Backlund as the American continues to celebrate. Backlund and Maeda have a staredown before Maeda slaps Backlund across the face! Things look like they are about to explode until several other UWF wrestlers rush the ring to keep the two separated. Maeda points at Backlund, but Backlund just stares and laughs. Things calm down a bit, and Maeda exits the ring, but he's still clearly pissed off about something. Backlund applauds the fans before leaving himself, and the WOWOW commentary crew recaps the evening for the TV audience. They discuss Backlund's upset over Maeda and the kerfuffle afterward. They seem perplexed, saying Backlund got the victory clean. Perhaps Maeda felt disrespected by Backlund? The show closes with highlights set to Queen's "We Are The Champions."

Bad News Allen will return to the WWF from loan as of June 1st. (He will appear on my show that will be posted soon, which will be dated May 31st)

(OOC: A more "digest" version of my usual update, but I just wanted to keep the hype train going while I am on vacation/traveling.)

Yeah, like Rain said, Baseball Magazine actually covered wrestling. I've been using the names of real magazines like Tokyo Sports and Weekly Pro. As for the Ruas/Takada palm strike, incidents like that were not uncommon in shoot style. Maeda and Yamazaki had a match end in a similar fashion in 1989. The matches were worked, but guys were encouraged to hit each other pretty hard. They weren't trying to knock each other out of course, but the strikes were supposed to be stiffer than usual. When the first UWF was launched in 1984-1985, wrestlers had to be reminded to protect themselves

Hope you enjoyed the way I've used Bad News so far. I've been doing my best to make him look strong. Of course, Maeda said in Japanese "I always go over brother!"

The Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame has been a joke for a long time. Oasis constantly getting snubbed is like Volk Han constantly getting snubbed for the WON Hall of Fame. I know the Gallagher brothers want nothing to do with it but put them in anyways.

UWF Newborn – “Fighting Base Korakuen” April 27th, 1989 Tokyo, Japan Korakuen Hall Attendance: 2,005 (sold out) Broadcast: WOWOW (live) The live broadcast for tonight opens and the WOWOW commentary crew welcomes the viewing audience. They break down the introduction of the pinfall rule to UWF's ruleset, explaining that anyone who secures a three count will automatically earn the victory. They explain the lineage of this rule to traditional catch wrestling and Billy Robinson is shown demonstrating how pinfalls can encourage quicker movement on the mat and how wrestlers can use pinfalls in creative ways in UWF's "real wrestling" setting. Next, we get the full parade of wrestlers as Nobuyuki Furuta formally opens the show. Maeda and Fujiwara give their opening remarks to the fans in Korakuen Hall. Bad News Allen gives some brief translated comments as well, promising to put up a fight for Maeda and that he will have some "Bad News" for him tonight. Masahito Kakihara vs Kiyoshi Tamura Kakihara and Tamura put on an exciting opener, with Kakihara eager to impress on his debut. He throws sharp palm strikes and kicks out of the gate, which forces Tamura to try and take the match to the canvas. Kaikhara succeeds in defending at first, but Tamura eventually gets his way. Kakihara shows off some nice technique on the mat too and defends well against a determined Tamura who looks at every angle for a submission. They do a good job of demonstrating how the new pinfall rule might affect matwork too, with both aware that they can’t be on their backs too long, especially if their opponent has a mount. The referee, Yuji Shimada, is constantly on the lookout for the pin as he keeps pace with the two quick wrestlers. With a special 15:00 time limit for the opener, they are especially eager to beat the clock. Tamura towards the end gets a flying armbar entry on Kakihara and is eager to get the submission with both tied at 1-1 on points. Kakihara defends well though and the match ends in a draw. 15:00 draw Manabu Yamada vs Erik Paulson In a test between younger and older Shooto students, Yamada and Paulson impressed the crowd with slick grappling. Paulson always looked to be the more dangerous of the two, but Yamada had moments where he impressed as he threatened Paulson at times with heel hook attempts. Paulson looked to be steadily improving as a UWF wrestler, and even introduced the crowd to some clever pinning techniques picked up from amateur wrestling. Yamada was quick to escape though, with the second attempt ending in a one count. The two show off their striking skills as well, with Yamada surprisingly giving Paulson some trouble but the American was able to get his opponent back on the canvas and ended the match with a well-executed guillotine choke. Paulson defeats Yamada via submission (guillotine choke), 8:47 Peter Senerchia vs Chris Benoit Peter Senerchia was eager to prove a point against Chris Benoit, an opponent he was already very familiar with from previous encounters in WCW and elsewhere. Benoit, a Stu Hart-trained wrestler and a student of Tatsumi Fujinami as well, was no stranger to the art of submission wrestling. Senerchia’s strength comes from his expertise in suplexes and throws and quickly tried to overpower Benoit once the bell sounded. Benoit held his ground and was able to outclass Senerchia on the canvas with quick transitions and counterwork as Senerchia could not keep up with the more agile Benoit. After being sent to the ropes early due to a well-timed single-leg Boston crab from Benoit, Senerchia found his flow in the match and found the angles needed to begin taking Benoit to Suplex City. Benoit weathered the storm at first and reversed one of the attempts into a nice rolling kneebar that forced Senerchia to the ropes again. With a 1-0 lead in points, Benoit looked like the favorite. The WWF star flexed for the crowd and seemed comfortable in UWF already. Senerchia was only more motivated by this and took it to Benoit at full throttle. Benoit tried taking things to the canvas again but was only met by more suplexes from Senerchia, who added a different variant each time he got Benoit in his grasp. Benoit seemed dazed by a high-angle German suplex and had to be a ten count from Shimada to stay in the match. Despite Benoit’s best efforts to survive, Senerchia scored a bridging Fisherman’s suplex for the pinfall. 1-2-3! Benoit wasn’t able to kick out in time and Senerchia had the honor of scoring the first pinfall victory in UWF. Senerchia defeats Benoit via pinfall, 11:03 The commentary crew speaks very highly of both wrestlers after the match, and they all agreed Peter Senerchia will prove to be a dangerous opponent going forward, and that Chris Benoit seemed very comfortable with submission wrestling and grappling. Masakatsu Funaki vs Tatsuo Nakano A hard-hitting match saw Nakano and Funaki stiff each other constantly with hard palm strikes, kicks, and knee strikes. Things seemed to go into third gear from the start as the Korakuen crowd ate up the tough brawling from both competitors. Funaki was in full showman mode, using his background in various striking martial arts to catch Nakano with some creative modes of striking. Funaki posed for the crowd as he scored the first knockdown of the match and was brimming with confidence. Nakano beat the ten count, and immediately took it back to Funaki by catching square on the face with a huge palm strike. Funaki had to beat a ten count of his own, and the match continued at a tremendous pace with both throwing even more strikes. Things finally settled down a bit when Nakano finally got Funaki to the canvas with a belly-to-belly suplex. Nakano sought to control the match here and did his best to slow things down enough that he got the chance to get a breather. Funaki defends well on the canvas and even kicks out of a quick pinfall attempt from Nakano. Funaki and Nakano stood back up and traded more blows, and this time Funaki got revenge on Nakano by hitting him square with a palm strike that opened up the famously leaky nose of his opponent. With Nakano developing another crimson mask, Funaki regains control of the match and hits Nakano with a roundhouse kick. Nakano falls to the canvas and Funaki immediately seizes the opportunity to lock in a twisting half-Boston crab for the submission victory as the Korakuen crowd lets both wrestlers know how much they enjoyed the match, and the WOWOW commentary crew finishes off a great call of the match. Funaki defeats Nakano via submission (half-Boston crab), 12:24 Dennis Koslowski vs Victor Zangiev If someone expected a classic wrestling showcase out of this match, they certainly got it. Koslowski and Zangiev were evenly matched opponents who were very quick on their feet and in their heads as they tried to outwrestle each other with slick counters, escape, and counterwork as they displayed their respective technical talents. Zangiev appeared to get the upper hand a few minutes into the match as he used great control to slow down Koslowski. Koslowski had to exhaust two rope breaks in quick succession as Zangiev picked his spots well to shoot for a submission, mainly looking for a straight armlock and a double wristlock. Koslowski mixed up his strategy by going for pinfalls, and either looked to secure one via classical freestyle techniques or a bridging suplex variant. Zangiev grew frustrated as Dennis appeared to outmuscle him, and had difficulties countering Koslowski’s creativity as he worked the mat to secure a pinfall. What seemed to be giving Zangiev some trouble was that Koslowski was using leg lock techniques to constantly catch Zangiev off balance on the canvas, and Zangiev appeared to have trouble adjusting to this strategy. Zangiev had to exhaust two rope breaks as Koslowski appeared to look for a toehold submission. This was only a setup though, as Koslowski finally was able to secure a creative pinfall technique on Zangiev to pin him to the mat for a three count and the victory. Koslowski defeats Zangiev via pinfall, 15:53 Duane Koslowski vs Salman Hashimikov The other contest between an American and Soviet wrestler saw an energetic Duane Koslowski who was eager to prove a point from the opening bell. Despite his strength advantage, Hashimikov found himself having to adjust to a much more agile Koslowski on the canvas. Like his brother, Koslowski used the strategy of going for Salman’s legs to either secure a submission or a pinfall entry. Hashimikov did manage to establish momentum in the match whenever he could get a good grip on his opponent, using his strength to pick him up for a throw or a suplex. At one point, Hashimikov impressed the crowd with a deadlift German suplex that knocked the wind out of Koslowski. Hashimikov regained control on the canvas and appeared to be more comfortable dealing with Koslowski’s technical strategy. It seemed like at every opportunity, Hashimikov was trying to take Koslowski’s back for the advantageous position and did a good job rolling and countering to get that position. Despite his best efforts, Koslowski eventually fell victim to a bridging side suplex from Hashimikov for the pinfall. Koslowski kicked out just a tad too late and Hashimikov celebrated his victory. Hashimikov defeats Koslowski via pinfall, 10:08 Volk Han vs Andrei Kopylov An anticipated clash between two Russian sambists featured an upstart Volk Han fresh off a win against the promotion’s top star, Akira Maeda. Andrei Kopylov did not shy away from the challenge and presented a tough test for his Soviet rival right out of the gate. Kopylov assailed Volk Han with a series of strikes and seemed to have his opponent on the backfoot, but Volk Han certainly had a few tricks up his sleeve. With Kopylov tried jumping the standing guillotine choke, Volk Han promptly slammed him right on his back and immediately seized Kopylov’s leg for a knee-crusher. After some struggle, Kopylov managed to reverse the hold and get control of Volk Han’s leg to force the rope break. The crowd continued to be greatly impressed by both as they put on a fine grappling display, particularly whenever they went to the canvas to battle each other in a test of wits via leg locks. Kopylov’s strategy here was to be patient with Volk Han’s flash and pick his spots to gain control of the flow during the match. Han got his moments in the spotlight though, and had an impressive display of wrist control as he managed to toss Kopylov around with wristlock techniques at one point, to the delight of the crowd. Volk Han caught Kopylov with a spinning back fist and sent his opponent down to the count to gain a 2-1 lead on points. With Volk Han seemingly in control, Kopylov had to regain his composure as he grappled with Volk Han a bit more down the closing stretch. Kopylov finally found a moment to bait Volk Han in with a knee takedown, which he quickly turned into an inverted toe hold that caught Volk Han in no man’s land. To the surprise of the crowd, Volk Han tapped as he struggled to get out. Kopylov immediately jumped up in happiness and celebrated as he got one over his rival. Han looked on in disbelief. Kopylov defeats Han via submission (inverted toe hold), 15:23 Kazuo Yamazaki vs Aleksandr Karelin This was a very interesting matchup with Karelin’s incredible strength and power going up against Yamazaki’s striking ability. Yamazaki opened the match with a strategy by going after Karelin’s leg with well-timed kicks as he picked his spots and carefully kept his distance from the Soviet gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling. While Yamazaki was successful in his assault on Karelin’s legs, particularly the left leg, the Soviet kept closing his distance. Karelin finally managed to catch one of Yamazaki’s kicks and pulled him into a Greco-Roman lock as he wrestled Yamazaki to the canvas like a grizzly bear. Yamazaki was outclassed on the canvas by Karelin. Yamazaki was no slouch to grappling and was trained by the best in catch wrestling, but even he could not find a way to deal with Karelin, who had been improving his grappling skills back in the Soviet Union. Yamazaki quickly racked up the rope breaks as he used them to escape Karelin’s reach as quickly as possible. Yamazaki threw as many strikes as he could to keep Karelin at bay, but Karelin grew into the match and predicted Yamazaki’s timing better. Karelin continued to press Yamazaki and eventually built up a 3-0 lead on points after Yamazaki exhausted a few more rope breaks. At this point in the match, Karelin finally managed to get Yamazaki off his feet for a huge side suplex, followed by a Greco-Roman headlock throw. Yamazaki was gradually being worn down for the coming “Karelin Lift” and when Karelin finally managed to execute it on a worn-down Yamazaki, the crowd knew the Sayama trainee was finished. After Yamazaki landed pretty hard on his shoulders, Karelin moved in for the rear-naked collar choke and quickly tightened the bear-like vice around Yamazaki. Yamazaki had no choice but to tap, of course. Karelin defeats Yamazaki via submission (rear-naked collar choke), 14:17 Bob Backlund vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara Backlund and Fujiwara were great opponents for each other and it quickly became evident as they started off the match with feisty antics. Fujiwara delivered several palm strikes to Backlund, almost teasing him. Backlund responded with a few low kicks to Fujiwara’s gut before prancing around the ring and making faces as the crowd responded with a few hearty laughs. Things quickly got more serious though as Fujiwara and Backlund locked up more, and tested each other’s grappling skills. Fujiwara got the advantage early and was able to find openings better than Backlund, who appeared to rely on his amateur wrestling background to play defense and prevent an early submission. As always, Fujiwara was great at seizing opportunities and snagging limbs for submission attempts, and eventually, something had to give. Fujiwara got a clever heel hook for the first rope break of the match, which frustrated Backlund. Backlund and Fujiwara went straight back to grappling after the break, with Backlund vocally growing more involved in the match as he went on the offensive. Backlund had better luck on the canvas this time, primarily working from side control as he looked for an armbar. Backlund’s strength was a challenge for Fujiwara, and it became evident as Backlund was finally able to secure the hold to force a rope break. After a few more minutes, the match evened at 1-1 as both competitors were able to force their opponents to go for the ropes a few more times. Backlund shifted strategy a bit and started to use more throws and suplexes to get Fujiwara off his feet. Backlund was also mindful of Fujiwara’s headbutts and was able to block most of the early attempts from landing. Fujiwara also had to contend with Backlund trying to get a few pinfall attempts, although he was able to kick out of most of them quickly. The match heated up a bit more around the 10:00 mark with both wrestlers throwing more strikes. Backlund was aiming to clinch with Fujiwara to close the distance and use his knees to soften up Fujiwara. With the match tied at 3-3 after several rope breaks and knockdowns for both, Backlund delivered an Olympic slam on Fujiwara and attempted another pin, which Fujiwara kicked out of. Fujiwara was dazed though, and this allowed Backlund to finish things up with a Crossface Chicken Wing for the submission victory. Backlund defeats Fujiwara via submission (Crossface Chicken Wing), 17:33 Akria Maeda vs Bad News Allen The Korakuen crowd made it known that they were highly anticipating this main event, as chants of “Ma-e-da!” filled the arena to the beat of Camel’s “Captured.” Allen came out with some cheers of his own as the fans certainly knew about him from his previous days in Japan and his exploits in WWF. After Masami Soranaka checked both men and broke down the rules, the Korakuen crowd greeted the start of the match and the bell to even more cheers. Maeda threw several kicks to start things off, with Allen doing his best to check and block them. Allen knew he had to close the distance as much as possible, and battled through Maeda’s strikes to get his hands on him. The former judoka and Olympian quickly tossed Maeda down with a Judo throw and established side control, giving Maeda some trouble as Allen’s power and weight made Maeda’s attempt at countering on the canvas difficult. Allen steadily worked his way to a straight armlock, forcing Maeda to go for the ropes to break the hold before any more damage was done. Maeda resumed his offense with another flurry of kicks and palm strikes, and Allen weathered the storm again to get his opponent down to the mat. Maeda’s fans made their concern known as Allen worked from the top again on the mat, and Maeda struggled with Allen’s ability to control his opponent. For the first half of the match, this seemed to be the narrative as Allen racked up the rope breaks with Maeda being controlled by Allen’s calculated Judo techniques. Allen resorted to simple but effective holds that constantly applied pain to Maeda’s joints. After another rope break from a shoulder lock, Allen enjoyed a 2-0 lead on points and seemed very confident. Maeda threw more kicks, this time they had real power behind them and Allen was caught off guard by a kick to the gut, sending him down to the canvas and giving Maeda his first point. Allen promptly beat the ten count, but the damage was done. Allen began to incorporate more throws and suplexes into his moveset as he sought to get Maeda off his feet. At one point, Allen manages to get a belly-to-belly suplex on Maeda. Maeda was slow to get up and faced a ten count that he beat, but Allen now had a 3-1 lead on points. The Korakuen crowd urged Maeda on, and he started to draw from their energy to launch a patented spirited comeback. Their hero started to strike Allen with a variety of kicks, palm strikes, and lower-body punches. Allen was also starting to fatigue a bit and attempted to pin Maeda after scoring another bold Judo takedown. 1…2…kickout! Maeda got the Korakuen crowd roaring as he fought off the pinfall attempt and struck Allen dead in the eye with a high kick. Allen was too slow to get up this time and barely beat Soranaka’s ten count. Maeda greeted him with a Capture Suplex, followed by a quick and tight kneebar. Allen did his best to fight off Maeda and escape the hold. The Korakuen crowd perhaps made things more difficult as they cheered Maeda on, almost blowing the roof off the building. Allen finally relented and tapped out. Maeda celebrated his victory and Allen came to terms with his first defeat in the UWF, although his performance took Maeda to the limit. Maeda defeats Allen via submission (kneebar), 17:55 Maeda continues to celebrate his victory to Camel's "Captured" as we get some replays of the finish. The commentary crew breaks down the match a bit and we are shown Maeda and Allen embracing in the ring as they congratulate each other on their performances. Maeda raises Allen's hand afterward. We are also shown the new UWF rankings on screen: 1) Nobuhiko Takada (11-1) 2) Akira Maeda (10-2) 3) Satoru Sayama (6-2) 4) Masakatsu Funaki (7-3) 5) Yoshiaki Fujiwara (7-5) 6) Kazuo Yamazaki (6-6) 7) Yorinaga Nakamura (4-2) 8) Norman Smiley (4-2) 9) Shigeo Miyato (5-1-4) 10) Bob Backlund (3-1) With the show over and the fans making their way out of Korakuen Hall, the commentary crew recaps the rest of the show and they all think the introduction of pinfalls has created a new, exciting dynamic for UWF. The live broadcast comes to an end after three hours+ of great action. We get the rolling credits from WOWOW set to Queen's 'We Are The Champions." (A quick programming note, my next show is scheduled for May 31st but I will be traveling in the middle of next month as well. I should be able to get things finished up on time, although there might be a slight delay if I end up getting too busy with everything. Hope you guys enjoyed reading!)

Tenryu vs Steamboat sounded epic! Can't wait for the rematch. Buddy Rose has his hands back on a title, that's good news for the Portland fans but bad news for Brian Pillman! Steve Austin shows his wild side, which even Cactus Jack couldn't handle.

Very much enjoyed reading Champagne Slam. As always, you made the event come to life and the detail really makes it easy to imagine these matches happening in AWA in 1989. Good stuff! Big nights for Hulk Hogan and Jumbo Tsuruta, who seem to be on a collision course but Vader might have something to say about that. Looking forward to Title Night in Japan!

The Dangerous Alliance is on the rise in the WWF and seem to be unstoppable. The Rockers are still on a roll as well. Big Bossman vs Randy Savage is going to be quite a match.

Sting and Sid looked impressive tonight, but it was Luger who stole headlines towards the end. Very enjoyable show overall, Ric Flair and the Horsemen still seem to be the top dogs.

Card Announcement: UWF Newborn - "Fighting Base Korakuen" April 27th, 1989 Tokyo, Japan Korakuen Hall Masahito Kakihara vs Kiyoshi Tamura Manabu Yamada vs Erik Paulson Peter Senerchia (formerly known as Taz) vs Chris Benoit Masakatsu Funaki vs Tatsuo Nakano Dennis Koslowski vs Victor Zangiev Duane Koslowski vs Salman Hashimikov Volk Han vs Andrei Kopylov Kazuo Yamazaki vs Aleksandr Karelin Bob Backlund vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara Akira Maeda vs Bad News Allen

I see a lot of comments to that degree on Twitter or the Discord channels I visit.

I find the Lucharesu criticism odd when Dick Togo finished higher in the 2016 poll than the likes of Hiroshi Tanahashi and Terry Gordy. Granted, not a lot of Lucharesu guys made the final 100, but I don't think it completely ignored the style.