Control21

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.

I liked Ospreay a lot better during 2016-2018 run. Since then, I think he has picked up some of the worst habits imaginable. I'll explain in detail down the line perhaps, but for now, I'll say he is one of the foremost purveyors of the "MCU all-action" style of wrestling that feels like an overproduced action movie or video game than a contest that conveys a sense of struggle. Ospreay didn't create that style of course. You can link it back to the house style PWG encouraged, but Ospreay has indulged in it, especially in America. He chases crowd reactions too much and forgets the psychology/selling part. My personal opinion is that people often confuse "high spirit" no-selling comebacks like Ospreay does and think it conveys psychology. 90s AJPW is often cited to justify what Ospreay does, but those guys executed it entirely differently.

Some roster moves for UWF: Osamu Kido has been released. Lou Thesz has been named honorary chairman. Andy Hug and Maurice Smith have joined the roster

Bloodsport Bushido card: Jon Moxley vs Josh Barnett will be the main event as well Overall, it's a decent card for this type of show but I'm not sure if Sumo Hall was the best venue choice for this. Tickets were not selling very well the last time I checked.

I honestly don't like the idea of putting the belt on Moxley but maybe it'll turn out to be a good idea in retrospect. We'll see. The Chicago show was fun. I think the whole NJPW/Jack Perry thing is weird. NJPW only got like what...2-3 months out of Perry? What was the whole point of that? It shouldn't be NJPW's job to heat up an AEW guy and he's really not a great wrestler anyway. The Umino/Perry match was merely passable. I'm not a big fan of the AEW/NJPW relationship and the way some of this stuff is working is just making me even more concerned.

Welcome back! I enjoyed reading your previous work and I'm excited to see what you can do with CSW. I'm already liking some of your pairings.

Terry Funk beating Dr. Death is a bit of an upset for me, but it's good to see Steve getting some of his mojo back to save Dibiase at the show's end. Ric Flair vs Jerry Lawler will be a barnburner.

Spivey could do wonders in WWF as a solo guy. I know in real life his singles push didn't pan out as expected, but he had a lot of potential. I also think Savage being a tweener champion is really interesting.

Interesting move to bring in Onita and Bruiser Brody. You can definitely get some good matches out of those two with the current roster.

Yeah, I would agree with this. I've always enjoyed his versatility as a wrestler, especially in his early years.

Frank Shamrock This is admittedly a very unorthodox nomination. Frank Shamrock only has one traditional pro-wrestling match under his belt against Daisuke Nakamura in U-Style. Albeit, I think that was a very good match. In order to push his nomination to meet the threshold, I will throw in a few of his matches in Pancrase and RINGS that were shoots, but I think they are close enough to pro-wrestling to where considering them wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Frank Shamrock had two really great matches against Kiyoshi Tamura and Tsuyoshi Kohsaka in RINGS that were technically brilliant and took place under a pro-wrestling setting with nominally pro-wrestling rules. His Pancrase work also mostly took place under Pancrase’s pro-wrestling ruleset. So why nominate him? If you consider solely in-ring work and performance, Shamrock is a technician on Tamura’s or Kohsaka’s level and could entertain while fighting for real. It’s a nebulous concept, but consider it a trial balloon for the idea that Pancrase work and other shootfights in a pro-wrestling setting should be considered. I think if you take the fact that Pancrase was a concept to take pro-wrestling back to its competitive catch roots while not abandoning the idea of entertainment value, Frank Shamrock ends up as a guy very much worth considering. FWIW, there’s some discussion about whether or not some or all of Frank Shamrock’s early Pancrase stuff was worked, although this is hearsay that occasionally pops up in the discourse about Pancrase. vs Allan Goes (5/13/1995) vs Minoru Suzuki (1/28/1996) vs Osami Shibuya (4/8/1996) vs Bas Rutten (5/16/1996) vs Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (9/26/1997) vs Kiyoshi Tamura (4/23/1999) vs Daisuke Nakamura (11/23/2005)

Well said. I would be in favor of counting Sakuraba's PRIDE career as well considering he considered himself a pro-wrestler in his MMA career and it all links together in terms of the evolution of pro-wrestling and Kakutogi ("the long UWF") in Japan. Honestly, that probably played a role in my high Sakuraba ranking. There are a lot of guys who had MMA careers like CM Punk where it should be treated as a separate thing, but it's hard to ignore it for a good amount of folks who came through during the 90s/00s.

Yeah, his pre-Pancrase stuff is really underrated and one of the main reasons why he is so high on my list. His 2000s work in AJPW isn't bad either. I'd check out the cage match he had with Suzuki. It's probably too late to do this for 2026 without rocking the boat too much, but for 2036 (yes, a long way from now), I might make the argument that Pancrase should be included in how we evaluate wrestlers who did both pro-wrestling and Pancrase. From 1993-1997, Pancrase is so interlinked with the roots of pro-wrestling that it is hard to ignore it. It was shootfighting, yes, but it was also shootfighting with a pro-wrestling ruleset that called back to the days of wrestling before the Gold Dust Trio took things in a different direction. I think for guys like Ken Shamrock, Masakatsu Funaki, Minoru Suzuki, Frank Shamrock (albeit he only did pro-wrestling once), and Bas Rutten, there's some practicality in considering their Pancrase work but that's a debate we will have another day.

Seems like they are going after the footage on Twitter now...which seems....uhh....not exactly productive

Going by both Wikipedia and Wrestling Data, it appears Awesome Kong actually debuted in 1991