Control21

As it stands, he's in my top 40. I think people who want to rank him high shouldn't sweat it. We have limited footage, but he's a tremendous worker in what we have and it's clear why his legacy is what it is.

Very curious to see what the Triangle of Terror is about. They are picking some interesting targets.

WrestleMania V was awesome! Very well done and I enjoyed the detail you put into this. Steiners, Davey Boy, and Muta all getting huge wins sets up WWF for a very big year with some young stars coming up through the ranks. You are building up Muta quite well with Paul E. and the dynamic there easily comes alive when I read it. I loved Dusty and the Von Erichs getting huge wins as well. Andre the Giant getting another moment in the sun was nice to see as well. Of course, the main event absolutely delivered with Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior putting on an 80s classic. Props for delivering another classic event to us!

Sounds like CMLL's lightning matches to an extent

One of the more underrated and under-discussed matches in RINGS. This was worked in the realistic house style that RINGS adopted during the late 1997-1999 period, and the result was a very fluid match with incredible grappling and counterwork by both. This match asks for some patience and attention to detail for a 14-minute match, but the award is a very good technical battle between a SAMBO specialist and one of the best shoot-style workers from UWFi and KINGDOM. Lots of nice reversals and a good finish where Ilyukhin catches Kanehara off-guard. This looked like a modern MMA contest in some ways. Ilyukhin was really good, and his name doesn't get mentioned enough in terms of great shoot-style workers. The same applies to Kanehara. ****3/4

Some names have been announced tonight: Rampage Jackson, Mike O'Hearn (???), and Davit Modzmanashvili, who was a medalist for the 2012 Olympics before getting stripped over doping allegations. Not sure where the Mike O'Hearn connection comes from. He's a 55-year-old bodybuilder with no previous wrestling experience. Davit seems like someone Maeda would book for a RINGS show, so I'll give him props for that. A bit random, and I think he'll probably need bigger names to draw a decent crowd.

I think this is almost as good as their 12/16/94 match, and I enjoyed some of the exchanges in this match. Tons of heat from the crowd as well. The post-match where Yamamoto is handed the Mega Battle victory crown by Akira Maeda is really interesting as well. Yamamoto clearly felt he didn't deserve it and kinda put it on reluctantly. A bit of foreshadowing there, unfortunately. But overall, this is probably one of my favorite RINGS matches. ****1/2

Another RINGS match that flies under the radar. This was a borderline classic with lots of fluid wrestling and counterwork from both men. Kohsaka pulls out some flashy moves here, including a flying omoplata of some sort. Kohsaka also has some slick reversals in his bag, giving the stronger Ilyukhin a run for his money. Ilyukhin was also very good here, and worked his realistic SAMBO style to near perfection here, including pulling out a kani-basami. Fantastic stuff all around. ****3/4

I remember loving this the first time I watched it a few years ago, and I just watched it again to make sure...yep, this was great. Yamamoto played the role of the young company favorite with Maeda out injured, and Kohsaka was the exciting new product from the RINGS dojo system. Very spirited grappling on the mat and great counterwork here, with some great exchanges and a bit of drama with the crowd invested. Nice set-up for the submission finish from Yamamoto as well. ****1/2

Since it doesn't seem like anyone had Taz on their roster, I will go ahead and add him under his real name, Peter Senerchia

Bas Rutten Bas Rutten’s fame comes from his days in Pancrase, where he became one of the best shootfighters in the world and had memorable bouts with the likes of Masakatsu Funaki and Ken Shamrock. Beyond that, Bas Rutten had a brief run as a professional wrestler appearing for promotions like BattlArts and New Japan. Bas was a solid worker for both promotions and added legitimacy to both when they were seeking it. He was a solid worker who understood the basics of wrestling and usually had quality bouts to pad the work-shoot spectrum of his resume. vs Osamu Nishimura (10/14/2022) vs Koji Kanemoto (10/26/2002) vs Yuji Nagata (7/20/2002) vs Carl Malenko (10/14/2001) w/ Amir vs Alexander Otsuka & Carl Malenko (10/26/2001) Yusuke Fuke Yusuke Fuke started his career towards the end of UWF Newborn’s run in 1990. He then made the jump to Fujiwara’s PWFG promotion for a brief time and then was a founding member of Pancrase. After his Pancrase days, he has worked for a variety of Japanese indie promotions with occasional stops at bigger names like AJPW, NOAH, and BJW along the way. He has had a relatively interesting career and his longevity might make him someone worth considering. w/Hitamaru Sasaki vs Minoru Suzuki & Takanori Ito (4/16/2022) vs Hikaru Sato (2/12/2022) vs GENTARO (3/12/2009) vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara (2/24/1992) Shinya Aoki Aoki is probably more of an outside-the-box nominee, but he has had a very solid run in the past couple of years as a former MMA guy who can work both solid shoot-style matches and entertaining comedy stuff. Like Daisuke Nakamura, he is an extremely talented grappler and his technical skills are easily translated inside a wrestling ring. He is quite consistent as well and usually avoids putting on bad matches just because his fundamentals are really good. vs Kazusada Higuchi (10/12/2022) vs Takanori Ito (12/30/2022) vs Tetsuya Izuchi (3/7/2023) vs Masakatsu Funaki (6/2/2017) vs HARASHIMA (2/17/2019) vs HARASHIMA (10/28/2018) Volador Jr Volador Jr has been one of CMLL’s mainstays since the 2000s, becoming one of the top wrestlers in the world with his athleticism and ability to convey great matches through pacing and psychology. In terms of Lucha Libre, Volador Jr grasps the nuances of in-ring storytelling with the best of them. He has had tremendous feuds with the likes of Barbaro Cavernario, Mistico, Ultimo Guerrero, and Rocky Romero. At 40 years old, he is still going strong and has become one of the standard bearers for CMLL. vs Barbaro Cavernario (10/7/2016) vs Ultimo Guerrero (7/14/2017) vs Angel de Oro (9/16/2023) vs Rocky Romero (6/30/2023) vs Rocky Romero (1/20/2023) vs Caristico (1/21/2019) Dragon Lee Dragon Lee was something of a prodigy when he got his start in CMLL, and quickly ascended the promotion’s ranks as a thrilling wrestler who could combine athleticism and skill. The feud with Hiromu Takahashi, then Kamaitachi, put him on the map internationally and he eventually became one of the icons of NJPW’s junior heavyweight division during the 2010s. He has had an endless amount of good-to-great matches with the likes of Will Ospreay, Shingo Takagi, Taiji Ishimori, Mistico, and Titan. While his WWE run hasn’t captured the same heights of his work in the 2010s, he has still shown he is a great wrestler in the confines of WWE’s style. vs Hiromu Takahashi (2/11/2017) vs Will Ospreay (6/9/2019) vs Hiromu Takahashi (2/9/2020) vs Shingo Takagi (5/23/2019) vs Taiji Ishimori (5/3/2019)

Is anyone using Taz/Tazmaniac right now? I double-checked the rosters and couldn't find him, and searched for his name in the Programming section. The last time he was used was in 2023 by LowBlow.

As we get into the middle of 1989, UWF starts picking up the pace quite a bit and the roster is coming together while the wrestlers continue to advance the UWF philosophy. This results in very good shows top to bottom. Two of my favorite shows in the promotion so far. UWF Fighting Square Nagoya (6/14/1989) Bart Vale vs Shigeo Miyato A bit underwhelming. Bart Vale wasn't a great worker and Miyato really seemed to struggle here to get something out of him. Vale's kicks were very soft and didn't add much to the match either. **3/4 Yoji Anjo vs Masakatsu Funaki One of the better UWF undercard matches I've seen so far. This was an excellent and spirited match between two young and hungry wrestlers at the time, and Funaki got the best out of Anjo here. Anjo was a great worker when he wanted to be, and really stepped up his game here. You had some good striking exchanges that got the crowd invested, and the grappling had a lot of commitment and purpose behind it. The 19+ minutes flew by, and it's understandable why Funaki was seen as the next big thing at the time. ****1/2 Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Minoru Suzuki Fujiwara gives Suzuki the "grumpy old veteran" treatment that Suzuki would give to others 25 years later. The match is pretty solid, and Fujiwara shows off his tougher side while giving Suzuki a pounding. Suzuki can take the match to the canvas at certain points, but Fujiwara displays his superiority here as well. This didn't drag on too much. **** Kazuo Yamazaki vs Norman Smiley A decent outing from both. Smiley's grappling was probably the highlight here, and while Yamazaki isn't a slouch in that department either, he can't string together things like Smiley does. As a result, the match dragged a bit and it felt like Yamazaki slowed things down while Smiley wanted to keep things moving. It probably could have been better, but it wasn't a bad match. ***3/4 Akira Maeda vs Nobuhiko Takada Maeda and Takada clash again, and the result is as good as you would expect. It didn't have the dramatic finishing stretch as their November 1988 match did, or the energy of their Budokan match, but it found a way to match both in the quality department. Takada posed a threat to Maeda at times, and Maeda had to find a way to be more clever in the grappling department to catch his opponent off-guard. While Takada gets some momentum at the end, Maeda gets a painful-looking heel hook on his opponent for the victory. ****1/2 UWF Fighting Square Hakata (7/24/1989) Mark Rush vs Minoru Suzuki This goes for the full 30 minutes and is a bit slow at times. The work wasn't bad though. ***1/4 Masakatsu Funaki vs Tatsuo Nakano Perhaps the second-best UWF match up this point, behind Takada vs Maeda from November 1988. This was a thrilling clash between two energetic wrestlers who wanted to stake a place in the promotion. Funaki has the flash and the toughness to back it up, and Nakano is a relentless machine who fights through anything to exert his will on his opponent. This match represents the UWF philosophy, where violence and sport meet to create something very special in the ring. Funaki draws blood from Nakano's delicate nose, but Nakano just keeps coming and Funaki has to defend and get creative to win the match. The crowd eats it up, because everything feels real and the intensity behind this match is second to none. It's one of the best sub-10-minute matches you will find. ****3/4 Shigeo Miyato vs Nobuhiko Takada A fun match between a company's top star and a slightly younger upstart who wants to prove his worth. It's a simple yet effective setpiece for a match, and it works here as Miyato goes on the offense against Takada but soon finds out that Takada has a callous side. Takada throws some mean strikes and Miyato is forced to work from underneath as Takada gains momentum but doesn't relent. Not bad at all. **** Akira Maeda vs Yoji Anjo Similar to the Miyato vs Takada match, this time Anjo takes on the true company ace. Maeda, while dealing with a feisty opponent, demonstrates his strength in the ring again. Anjo gets some offense in, but this is all about Maeda controlling the match and getting Anjo where he wants him. ***3/4 Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Kazuo Yamazaki This was a great display of wrestling and also a great display of psychology and storytelling in the context of shoot-style. Fujiwara doesn't take Yamazaki seriously at first, and sort of has a nonchalant approach to this match. Then Yamazaki catches Fujiwara with a sharp kick to the head and Fujiwara turns things up a notch. Fujiwara is a master at pacing in his matches, and there are moments of pure intensity followed by slower lulls, which makes sense if we look at real combat sports and MMA. While shoot-style wasn't trying to replicate MMA, it has its roots in catch wrestling, and catch wrestling contests were often games of chess between two chess masters. Fujiwara is the chess master, and Yamazaki is a man on the same path but is not quite there yet. The result is a compelling and exciting match that despite going nearly 30 minutes, draws you in as a viewer and keeps your eyes glued to the screen. The last five minutes see a pissed-off Fujiwara tasting his blood after a sharp headbutt from Yamazaki, and Fujiwara has no problem returning the favor to secure the victory via KO. Another great UWF classic and a match worth viewing. ****3/4

The Ugandan wrestling promotion has a white guy as a heel called "Lord White." Those guys know what they are doing.

UWF Newborn – “Fighting Base Sapporo” March 22nd, 1989 Sapporo, Japan Nakajima Sports Center Attendance: 5,200 (sold out) Broadcast: WOWOW (taped) The WOWOW commentary team welcomes the viewing audience to the show as they run down the card, highlighting the main event, Satoru Sayama vs Joe Malenko, the tag team match between the Russians and Americans, Bob Backlund vs Atsushi Onita, and the debut of the three new wrestlers from the first UWF dojo class. We get the opening parade of wrestlers next, and opening comments from Akira Maeda, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Satoru Sayama, and a fired-up Bob Backlund. The rankings are also shown for the audience before the start of the show. 1) Nobuhiko Takada (10-1) 2) Akira Maeda (8-2) 3) Satoru Sayama (5-2) 4) Yoshiaki Fujiwara (6-3) 5) Masakatsu Funaki (6-3) 6) Yorinaga Nakamura (4-2) 7) Norman Smiley (4-2) 8) Kazuo Yamazaki (5-5) 9) Shigeo Miyato (4-1-4) 10) Tatsuo Nakano (3-1-4) Yusuke Fuke vs Manabu Yamada A contest between two debuting “young lions” that were hungry and ready to get their first miles inside a live ring. Fuke and Yamada went pedal to the medal to the delight of the crowd, hitting each other hard with various palm strikes and low kicks. When the match went to the ground, Yusuke Fuke seemed to be the better of the two and was quicker with his counterwork to catch Yamada several times, forcing his opponent to the ropes. Yamada settled into the match though, and scored a knockdown soon after when he hit Fuke hard with a palm strike combo. The two continued to trade points in a heated match, and things eventually settled at 3-3 in the last few minutes before the match concluded as a draw in a special 15:00 time limit for the opening match. The WOWOW commentary crew praises both wrestlers for their impressive debut. 15:00 draw Kiyoshi Tamura vs Yasuto Sekishima Kiyoshi Tamura, another debuting “young lion,” came up against Yasuto Sekishima, who was coming in confident off a good win last month over Erik Paulson. Tamura impressed the crowd early on and demonstrated good technique as he caught Sekishima with a few clever leg entries, giving him an early advantage as he attacked early with nice grappling on the canvas. Sekishima didn’t panic though, and held his ground. Tamura may have been too eager to show off his athleticism as was very quick with some nice grappling transitions and maneuvers, but this opened him up to a confident and patient Seksihima. Tamura fell behind 1-0 after a clever cross-armbreaker attempt from Sekishima and got knocked down a few minutes later after Sekishima caught him with a jumping roundhouse. Tamura showed fire for the crowd and fought back, taking Sekishima back down to the canvas with a double-leg takedown and catching his opponent with a snappy kneebar. Sekishima was forced to the ropes, and Tamura briefly enjoyed some momentum before Sekishima fought back and eventually caught an overconfident young rookie with a triangle armbar in the center of the ring. Tamura didn’t take long to tap. After the match, Sekishima patted Tamura on the back and gave some words of encouragement. It wasn’t too long ago that Sekishima was going through his own baptism of fire in the Shooto dojo. Tamura earned some new fans tonight for the long but promising journey ahead of him. Sekishima defeats Tamura via submission (triangle armbar), 9:12 Minoru Suzuki vs Shigeo Miyato In the first meeting between these two competitors last August, it was Suzuki that got the better of Miyato. Since then, Miyato notched quite a few wins under his belt and looked set to get revenge against the younger Suzuki. Suzuki came out of the gates looking strong, getting Miyato down to the canvas several times as his quickness and agility were on full display. Miyato had to adjust rapidly in return, defending himself when needed as Suzuki constantly looked for openings with nice technique. Despite Miyato’s solid defense, Suzuki managed to sneak in a clever toe hold after a good scramble on the canvas. After his first rope break, Miyato took the match back to Suzuki and smacked him hard with a palm strike before going for a double-leg takedown. Suzuki found himself struggling as Miyato managed to hook him with a straight armlock near the ropes, forcing Suzuki to go for the ropes next. The match continued as a back-and-forth affair, with both getting 2 points apiece through several more rope breaks and an exchange of knockdowns. Miyato exerted some control over the match slowly and caused Suzuki some trouble with some clever striking but Suzuki continued to fight back and displayed some confidence on the canvas whenever he got the opportunity. Just as Suzuki looked like he was building more momentum here, Miyato pulled a clever trick out of his books. Perhaps with the benefit of more experience than Suzuki, Miyato realized that Suzuki had crossed his heels while going for a rear-naked choke. Miyato, knowing that he could reverse the situation by leveraging Suzuki’s mistake, wrapped one of his legs around Suzuki’s heels and forced Suzuki to tap with the clever maneuver. Suzuki nearly had Miyato once again and has shown a lot of promise in UWF so far, but his inexperience and perhaps overeagerness continue to haunt him. Miyato defeats Suzuki via submission (heel hook via leg), 13:14 Wayne Shamrock vs Tatsuo Nakano Both competitors in this match have proven themselves to be tough as nails in a variety of ways so far in UWF, and the young upstart Wayne Shamrock wants some revenge after Nakano bested him last October. Nakano was his usual self to start the match, throwing some wicked strikes as he pounded Shamrock to soften up his much stronger opponent. Shamrock managed to weather the storm but did take some shots. Nakano, of course, wanted to keep some distance as Shamrock demonstrated the exact reasons for this. Shamrock continues to improve in all facets of wrestling through his training and gives Nakano a lot of trouble with some sweet takedowns and grappling techniques on the canvas. Shamrock’s offense isn’t anything extravagant at this stage, but he did enough to give Nakano something to think about as he forced his opponent to the ropes twice in the span of a few minutes. Nakano continued to fight back with some tough striking, but Shamrock closed the distance again and delivered a nice German suplex to continue his momentum. Nakano found himself on the canvas again and tried to settle into the match but Shamrock was determined to keep control. A 1-0 lead for Shamrock turned into a 2-0 lead after some more rope breaks and the one-sided match was in danger of becoming a blowout for Nakano but the crowd favorite (at this stage, at least) continued to show some fire and managed to score a knockdown after hitting Shamrock with a combo of palm strikes, followed by a huge side suplex. Shamrock found himself working defensively at this stage, as Nakano showed him that he could work the mat too. Shamrock had to exhaust a rope break, but did enough to avoid giving up another point and got back to his feet. Just as Nakano felt like he was getting some momentum, Shamrock caught him by surprise with another technically sound suplex, this time it was a Dragon suplex. Nakano couldn’t recover in time as Shamrock locked in a shoulder lock for the submission victory. Shamrock defeats Nakano via submission (shoulder lock), 14:48 Dick Vrij vs Kazuo Yamazaki After somewhat of an absence from UWF, Dick Vrij returns to the UWF Newborn ring to some palpable excitement from the fans as the well-muscled and blonde-haired Dutch kickboxer carries his charisma and intimidation factor back in front of the crowd. Kazuo Yamazaki, coming off a bit of a winning streak against Sayama in December and a debuting Zouev in January, comes out to a well-deserved reception, stoic as usual. Yamazaki and Vrij engaged each other as expected as soon as the bell sounded, and both threw wicked kicks as they tested each other’s strength and determination. Vrij tried to corner Yamazaki at every opportunity, relying on the clinch to deliver his devastating knees. He was successful to some extent, but Yamazaki managed to stay on his feet and kept bringing the fight to Vrij in the opening minutes. Vrij is all about offense, and that brought him the first knockdown of the match after hitting Yamazaki hard with a kick aimed at Yamazaki’s kidneys. Yamazaki took his time to get up but beat the count. On the flipside, Vrij’s focus on all-out offense left him open to some nice striking counters from Yamazaki, and this slowed down the Dutchman as Yamazaki evened the score, and eventually built up a nice 3-1 lead after scoring another knockdown to the delight of the fans in Sapporo. Vrij was clearly frustrated and a bit angry and answered back with a flying roundhouse that caught Yamazaki square in the head. Yamazaki had to beat another ten count, as the crowd boiled up even more. The story of Vrij’s offense vs Yamazaki’s clever counters continued as they exchanged knockdowns in a very heated match. Vrij even attempted to take Yamazaki down to the canvas, trying to demonstrate that perhaps he learned a few things while training back in Holland in Dolman’s gym. Vrij’s basic grappling skills didn’t present too much of a problem for Yamazaki, and Vrij’s opponent even managed to send him to the ropes with a heel hold. Towards the apex of the match, and after more knockdown exchanges, the match was 4-3 in Yamazaki’s favor and Yamazaki scored the decisive knockdown after catching Vrij with a combo of high kicks. Ryogaku Wada called for the bell and Yamazaki celebrated his victory while Vrij had to recover himself. It was a great display from both competitors, and the crowd was delighted with the fairly even contest. Yamazaki just had a better game plan. Yamazaki defeats Vrij via TKO, 14:09 Bad News Allen vs Bart Vale Bart Vale, perhaps the quintessential 80s American fighter with his long brown hair and a well-kept mustache to go along with it, knew he had a tough task against Allen “Bad News” Coage and prepared as much as he could, but he quickly found his opponent was more well-rounded and determined to get another victory. Bad News Allen made quick work of Vale, despite Vale’s best attempts to soften up his opponent in the opening minutes with some high kicks. Allen caught one of these kicks and quickly got Allen to the canvas and nearly submitted him with a cross-armbreaker but Vale managed to get to the ropes with his long legs. Things didn’t get any better for Vale as Allen tossed him around with several Judo throws and a double-underhook suplex. When Vale tried bringing it to Allen with his striking skills, Allen was able to corner him and delivered several body punches to end the engagement with a knockdown. Vale answered the count early but was met with a powerful STO (think osoto gari in Judo, or Naoya Ogawa’s finisher) from Bad News Allen, who then submitted his opponent with a kneebar. Bad News Allen celebrated his victory and appeared to appreciate the fact he has been gaining some new fans. Some chants of “Allen! Allen!” could be heard from the very knowledgeable Sapporo crowd. The commentary desk are clearly impressed with Bad News Allen and his performance too. Bad News Allen defeats Bart Vale via submission (kneebar), 6:04 Dennis Koslowski/Duane Koslowski vs Victor Zangiev/Salman Hashimikov In their first match last December, Duane and Dennis Koslowski pushed the Russians to their limit, with Salman Hashimikov having to eliminate both Koslowski brothers in a very impressive showing. The follow-up match came hotly anticipated by the Sapporo crowd, and both teams made their entrances to firm receptions. The match started as expected, with the American duo eager to take it to the Russians. Dennis Koslowski and Victor Zangiev opened the proceedings first, and Dennis Koslowski looked impressive as he used a combination of speed and timing to take Zangiev down to the canvas several times. Zangiev, a good escape artist, was able to avoid most trouble. Zangiev got his licks in as well, getting Dennis with a well-executed belly-to-back suplex. Dennis defended well on the canvas, and after getting a clean break, he tagged in his brother Duane who went to work against Zangiev with impressive strength. After Zangiev tagged in Hashimikov, Duane and the Chechen went to work to the delight of the crowd as they traded suplexes followed by a nice scramble on the canvas. Both Koslowski brothers looked a lot quicker and more comfortable compared to their previous matches, and the training they had done with Billy Robinson appeared to be paying off. Hashimikov struggled a bit with Duane’s ability to find openings and was on the backfoot for most of the exchange. Zangiev provided some reprieve, as he was able to match Duane’s speed and got him to the ropes twice with well-timed takedowns and submission attempts. Zangiev was able to get a point off Duane as payback for Duane’s ability to get a point from Hashimikov. The contest continued, offering both fine displays of freestyle-esque wrestling and submission work. Hashmikov grew into the match and was able to exert control over Dennis Koslowski as they met each other in the ring. Dennis found himself dealing with Hashimikov’s pure strength, which was supported by the Chechen’s technical skill. Hashimikov executed several throws and a powerful belly-to-belly suplex that knocked Dennis off his feet briefly, prompting Motoyuki Kitazawa to start a ten count. The American advantage established in the opening minutes of the match gradually waned, and the Russians made the contest more even as Zangiev and Hashimikov worked in tandem to contain the fired-up Koslowski brothers. The crowd appreciated the fine display of wrestling, and over time, both teams worked until all four competitors were down to their last point. To the credit of the Koslowski brothers, they had a good game plan and avoided early eliminations as they kept track of the points and tagged each other at opportune times, leading to a “hot tag” at one point where Duane Koslowski saved his brother from being overwhelmed by Victor Zangiev. The crowd ate everything up as Duane came in storming in as a hero of sorts. Duane Koslowski grabbed Zangiev for a powerful full-nelson suplex and attempted a rear-naked choke, but Zangiev rolled towards the ropes for a clean break. With the 25-minute mark announced by Nobuyuki Furuta, both teams attempted to secure the all-too-important elimination to set up the finish but neither side relented. Perhaps due to exhaustion and fatigue on both sides, the match reached the 30-minute time limit with neither side being able to secure an elimination. The crowd applauded both teams as the UWF committee converged to discuss the result, which was ultimately announced as a draw. Both teams gave small displays of sportsmanship as they acknowledged each other and shook hands, but there was also a feeling that both teams really wanted the win for bragging rights. Some in the crowd might have felt disappointed at the result, but both teams got well-deserved applause for their effort. 30:00 draw Bob Backlund vs Atsushi Onita Backlund, hot off his win over Nobuhiko Takada last month, came out to a roaring recording of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, Movement 4. Perhaps finding a new theme for himself. Sapporo greeted him with a great reception in return, with chants of “Back-lund!” breaking out. The American isn’t a stranger to Japanese audiences, even before his time in UWF, and has endeared himself once again to the Japanese fans. Backlund’s challenger, Atsushi Onita, came out next to the theme from Fist of the North Star. Perhaps realizing that Backlund also wears blue gear, Onita instead chose to wear white trunks with white kickpads. With both men in the ring and introductions made, Motoyuki Kitazawa called for the bell and Onita immediately went on the offense. Onita, with his Luta Livre background and training, went after Backlund with an aggressive posture and grappling-based offense. Backlund, perhaps a little shocked that Onita was willing to close the distance so quickly, had to adjust. Onita moved quickly to find openings from Backlund on the canvas, and the American wrestler resorted to his infamous “Wooah! Wooah!” vocals as Onita worked to find a submission, perhaps trying to mock Onita in the process. Backlund was physically defending himself in the process of course, but Onita got the better of his opponent with a snappy heel hook, which forced Backlund to the ropes for an early rope break. Backlund was eager to re-open another engagement with Onita, and Onita was happy to oblige. For a few minutes, Onita enjoyed more momentum as continued to work aggressively on the canvas. Backlund was obviously not familiar with the abilities of Onita but grew into the match over time despite having to use another rope break, giving Onita a 1-0 lead. After the rope break, Backlund stood up and resorted to his familiar physical taunts and facial expressions, drawing some hearty chuckles from the crowd as Onita looked on, and appeared a bit peeved as well. The two met in the center of the ring again, and after Backlund tried grappling with him some more, Onita broke free and delivered a hard slap across Backlund’s face that drew some shocked reactions from the crowd. Perhaps that was all Backlund needed as Backlund became more serious as the match progressed, and adjusted quite well to Onita’s slick leg entries and wristlocks. Backlund used his amateur wrestling experience to find ways to leverage his own strength against Onita’s physical momentum and scored a few takedowns, beginning to use some wristlocks and armlocks of his own to slow down his feisty opponent and exert control over the match. Onita tried to mix things up with more hard striking, but Backlund defended himself well and fought through the strikes that did land. Onita was treated to sharp fists from Backlund in return, aimed at Onita’s abdomen to soften him up. Backlund evened things up at 1-1 after getting two rope breaks from Onita, and gradually built himself a solid 3-1 over the next few minutes, with Onita realizing that Backlund was no joke when it came to the grappling arts as well, and Backlund demonstrated great technique to close down and counter Onita’s rapid Luta Livre offense. Backlund scored the third point after hitting Onita hard with a leaping lariat that knocked Onita off his feet and prompted a ten count from Kitazawa. Onita appeared a bit dazed, and this allowed Backlund to execute two consecutive German suplexes. The crowd swelled as they sensed what was coming next, and with Onita’s back exposed, Backlund secured a decisive Chicken Wing Crossface for the first time in UWF. Onita tapped pretty quickly, giving Backlund another big win in his new home promotion. After the match, Backlund appeared to taunt Onita some more, and Onita attempted to stare him down but was held back by Kitazawa who wisely suggested that he should keep his distance. Onita marched off out of the ring disappointed but got some support from the younger fans who chanted his name. Backlund celebrated some more with his new theme playing in the arena. Backlund defeats Onita via submission (Chicken Wing Crossface), 16:17 Satoru Sayama vs Joe Malenko While these two were familiar with each other in the first iteration of UWF, they had never met before. Two superbly talented wrestlers in their own right, this made for an interesting clash of styles as Sayama preferred to utilize his striking game this time against Malenko’s expert submission knowledge. Sayama was on form, energizing the crowd in the opening minutes of the match with a series of well-executed kicks and palm strikes. Malenko had to defend himself constantly as he struggled to close the distance with Sayama. This allowed Sayama to score an early knockdown after catching Malenko with a series of high kicks, frustrating the American. After beating the ten count from Masami Soranaka, Malenko made a few adjustments and slowly closed the distance on Sayama, getting his first clinch on the opponent. The two engaged in a calculated grappling exchange, and this set the tone for the next part of the match as Malenko was able to get Sayama down to the canvas a few times. Malenko impressed the crowd with some clever submission attempts, getting a toehold here, and an armbar there as Sayama reckoned with his well-seasoned opponent. Malenko evened things up at 1-1 after a second rope break, and Sayama had a wry smirk on his face as he regained his footing. Sayama took the match to Malenko again, opening up with a jumping roundhouse before sweeping Malenko off his feet with a powerful low kick. Malenko took this chance to get Sayama off his feet by doing a nice leg entry and got Sayama in a kneebar which sent the Shooto founder to the ropes again. Sayama continued to get his strikes in, but Malenko was able to close the distance much more often. As the match evolved, the score reached 2-2 after another knockdown from Sayama, and more great grappling from Malenko. The match continued to get the crowd involved with the fans chanting for Sayama as he launched another series of strikes at Malenko. Sayama scored another knockdown after landing several kicks into Malenko’s abdomen. While Malenko beat the ten count here, this softened him up quite a bit and Sayama seized the initiative by scoring the decisive KO after landing two consecutive roundhouse kicks. Malenko fell to the mat and struggled to beat the ten count in time. Soranaka reached the final count of 10 and called for the bell as Sayama celebrated with the very happy Sapporo fanbase. Sayama defeats Malenko via KO, 16:39 Akira Maeda vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara Two old rivals from the original UWF and NJPW met once again in a much-anticipated matchup as the Sapporo crowd greeted both wrestlers to huge cheers, with Fujiwara coming out to his familiar “Ride of the Valkyries” while Maeda came out to Camel’s “Captured.” Masami Soranaka checked both wrestlers before the bell sounded, and both competitors quickly went straight to business as they tested each other. Maeda threw several kicks, while Fujiwara responded with some palm strikes and low kicks of his own. Chants for Maeda steadily grew louder as the frontman of the promotion landed harder strikes with each passing moment. Fujiwara smartly baited Maeda into throwing more kicks than needed perhaps, and took his opponent down to the canvas with a single-leg takedown. For the first time in the match, Fujiwara took the opportunity to challenge Maeda’s grappling ability. Fujiwara’s cleverness with matwork gave Maeda some trouble, and Fujiwara scored an early rope break after forcing Maeda to the ropes with a double wristlock. The match developed from here as a methodical battle between two very good wrestlers who leveraged their unique skillsets against each other. Fujiwara’s defensive abilities allowed him to control the pace of the match as Maeda had to be aware of his ability to reverse strikes and find weaknesses when it came to grappling engagements. Over time, Fujiwara built up a 2-1 lead through rope breaks, and Maeda managed to knock Fujiwara to the canvas briefly, but the sage veteran got back up quickly. Following another brief exchange of strikes, Fujiwara and Maeda had an extended contest on the canvas as both worked to score more points on that front. Maeda worked to secure a leglock, but Fujiwara was one step ahead. Maeda’s opponent managed to secure a rear-naked choke, but Maeda smartly rolled to the ropes for a clean break. Later on in the match, Maeda caught Fujiwara with a high kick and secured another knockdown to tie the match at 2-2, with the crowd erupting for Maeda. Sapporo has its fair share of Fujiwara fans who made their presence known, but the arena was squarely behind the “new Fighting King” as he was once billed in NJPW. Fujiwara beat the count again and took it to one of his former students as the two continued to pummel each other with strikes. Fujiwara blocked another high kick and scored repeated headbutts as Maeda got knocked down for the first time in the match. He appeared slow to get up but beat the ten count from the referee by the count of eight. Fujiwara attempted to throw more headbutts, but Maeda gained wrist control and closed the distance on Fujiwara. In the clinch, Maeda hooked Fujiwara’s leg for a huge Capture suplex! As Fujiwara attempted to recover from being slammed to the canvas backward, Maeda finally scored a leglock as he secured a very tight kneebar on Fujiwara, who was caught in no man’s land after the huge suplex. Fujiwara had no choice but to relent, giving Maeda the victory via submission. Maeda defeats Fujiwara via submission (kneebar), 20:02 Akira Maeda celebrates with the joyous Sapporo crowd as he soaks in the moment and Fujiwara recovers. The two later shake hands and show respect, even if their rivalry might have been renewed tonight. They exchange a few words before Fujiwara departs the ring. Camel’s “Captured” plays in the arena again as the WOWOW commentary crew recap tonight’s events. They promote the two upcoming events in Nagano on April 6th and April 27th. They also mention that several UWF competitors will be competing in the Crockett Cup in the United States, a tag team tournament to determine the best wrestling duo in the world. Fujiwara is shown giving an interview backstage, where he gives Maeda props for his performance and says that Maeda is still the best wrestler in Japan, at least until he gets his hands on him again. Maeda gives some words backstage as well before we sign off, congratulating Fujiwara on the great match, and says that he would like to face Bad News Allen next on April 27th! The rolling credits hit, and we get the WOWOW sign-off as Queen’s “We Are the Champions” plays.

I know it probably doesn't fit his schedule and lifestyle but I really wish NJPW would use him with Josh Barnett. They were great doing the AXS shows

Yota Tsuji beats Goto in the New Japan Cup final. Right decision, even if it would have been nice to see Goto win it for once. Tsuji looked great and it was a good final after a relatively shitty tournament from a booking perspective.

Salman Hashimikov Salman Hashimikov arrived on the scene with his compatriot Victor Zangiev in 1989, when Antonio Inoki was able to secure their services from the Soviet Union in a bilateral partnership. While not as famous in terms of cultural impact as Victor Zangiev, Hashimikov was a solid wrestler and was briefly the IWGP Heavyweight Champion. At the time, his legitimate skills were seen as a thrilling addition to a promotion that had built itself on the “strong style” idea and where Inoki was still bringing in competitors with backgrounds in legitimate combat sports. Like Victor Zangiev, his legacy perhaps merits more consideration. w/Vladimir Berkovich vs Gary Albright & Dan Severn (12/5/1993) vs Riki Choshu (7/12/1989) vs Steve Williams (2/10/1990) vs Nobuhiko Takada (/7/18/1993) Mascara Sagrada The original “Mascara Sagrada” has been lost in the shuffle due to disputes over the rights to his name/gimmick, but he was a solid worker during the 1990s, being one of the original AAA stars who joined the promotion when Antonio Pena split from CMLL. Since leaving AAA, he has bounced around the Mexican indie scene and appeared occasionally for CMLL. Most of his well known matches occurred in the 1990s. I think Mascara Sagrada is one of the more underappreciated names in Lucha Libre. vs Black Cat (5/8/1994) vs Black Cat (5/15/1994) (clipped) w/ El Hijo del Santo & Octagon vs Fuerza Guerrera/Heavy Metal/Jerry Estrada (11/12/1993) vs Universo 2000 (8/2/1992) vs Pierroth Jr (9/20/1996) SANADA SANADA has become a bit of a divisive wrestler in recent years. While he has become one of the established names in NJPW since his arrival several years ago and was recently the IWGP world champion, there are still a good number of people who aren’t sold on him. Still, SANADA’s output has been consistent, and he often has good-to-great matches with people who mesh with his style. He probably isn’t someone I would have nominated in 2018 or 2019, but in 2024, I think he has done enough where it is worthwhile to look at his overall body of work. w/Manabu Soya vs Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi (10/23/2011) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (11/5/2016) vs Kenny Omega (7/28/2018) vs Kota Ibushi (7/26/2018) vs Kazuchika Okada (2/10/2018) vs Kazuchika Okada (3/24/2019) vs Kazuchika Okada (8/3/2019) vs Yota Tsuji (6/4/2023) vs Kaito Kiyomiya (7/25/2023) vs Tetsuya Naito (1/4/2024) Kaito Kiyomiya The “Supernova” of NOAH, Kaito Kiyomiya has made a name for himself in recent years. Seen as the next “ace” of the promotion, Kiyomiya has continued his journey to establish himself as the clear #1 in NOAH. While he hasn’t been entirely successful, his quality of work has improved with each passing year since his debut in 2015. Recently, he has also worked with NJPW more often, adding to the list of opponents and styles he has worked with. The one thing I appreciate the most about Kiyomiya is that he is a very smooth wrestler, similar to SANADA, but has the flair to spice things up when needed. Nine years into his career, I think he has done enough that make his resume worth looking into. vs Takashi Sugiura (6/9/2019) vs Kenoh (1/6/2019) vs Go Shiozaki (1/4/2020) w/Yoshiki Inamura vs Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (6/6/2021) vs Keiji Muto (7/16/2022) vs Kenoh (1/1/2023) vs Kazuchika Okada (2/21/2023) w/ Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kento Miyahara vs Kazuchika Okada, Kenoh, & Yuma Aoyagi (6/9/2023) vs Shota Umino (7/21/2023)

Titan One of the most promising wrestlers to come out of CMLL during the 2010s, Titan has become a mainstay in both his home promotion and NJPW. He is one of the most exciting and explosive wrestlers around in terms of pure athleticism. He is also able to build a sound match structure around these abilities, which is often a skill that other athletically gifted wrestlers lack or ignore. Titan is also an incredible seller and utilizes believable selling with good ring psychology to make his matches feel emotionally real. He is quickly becoming one of CMLL’s top stars and has become a fan favorite in Japan as well. With the resume that he is building, I think a deeper discussion about his career is worthwhile. Recommended matches – vs Master Wato (5/28/2023) vs Barbaro Cavernario (2/22/2019) vs Soberano Jr (2/27/2023) vs Polvora (1/1/2013) vs Virus (1/28/2014) vs Mascara Dorada (9/29/2023) vs El Desperado (5/26/2023) Seichi Ikemoto Ikemoto is primarily a MMA competitor, but he has done his fair share of wrestling matches as well, most notably in U-Style and GLEAT. He has also worked AJPW, NOAH, and Hard Hit. His output has been very consistent and his grappling skills make him stand out just about every time he steps into the ring. One of the more unheralded deep Puro wrestlers that might benefit from a closer look if people enjoy more technically proficient wrestling. vs Crafter M (3/13/2004) vs Ryuki Ueyama (10/9/2004) w/Ryuki Ueyama vs Kiyoshi Tamura & Takaku Fuke (12/7/2004) w/Takanori Ito vs Minoru Tanaka & Yu Iizuka (6/11/2022) vs Tetsuya Izuchi (8/20/2022) vs Yu Iizuka (9/4/2022) w/Tetsuya Izuchi vs Shinya Aoki & Yu Iizuka (3/21/2023) Daisuke Nakamura Daisuke Nakamura has earned a reputation in MMA circles for being an incredible and flashy grappler, having great bouts with the likes of Hideo Tokoro and several others. On the wrestling side, he approaches things in a similar way, relying on his speed and athleticism to work the mat in a very smooth fashion. Nakamura got his start in U-Style, and had a great match with Frank Shamrock. He has bounced around the Japan indies scene for a while, and has recently found a home in Kyushu Pro, where he had a great match with Hitamaru Sasaki in 2021. vs Kazuki Okubo (12/7/2004) vs Frank Shamrock (11/23/2005) w/Yu Kobayashi vs Takatoshi Matsumoto & Tsuyoshi Okada (9/21/2019) vs Hitamaru Sasaki (9/6/2021) Hitamaru Sasaki Hitamaru Sasaki, aka Kyosuke Sasaki, was a U-FILE dojo trainee, who studied under the tutelage of Kiyoshi Tamura and debuted in Tamura’s promotion, U-STYLE. Since then, Sasaki has traveled the Japanese indie scene and has built himself a solid resume over the years. Not strictly a shoot-style guy as he has worked regular matches as well. Similar to some of the other former shoot-style guys, he’s a great technician and can have a good-to-great match occasionally. vs Takehiro Murahama (4/6/2003) vs Dokonjonosuke Mishima (6/29/2003) vs Hiroyuki Ito (10/6/2003) vs Kiyoshi Tamura (3/13/2004) vs Kensuke Sasaki (8/18/2004) vs White Moriyama (10/1/2022) vs Hikaru Sato (1/3/2023) Dennis Koslowski Dennis Koslowski was a Greco-Roman wrestler who won the bronze at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the Silver at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He didn’t have that many matches, but his work in UWFi was usually solid and had some moments of brilliance, such as his matches against Kiyoshi Tamura and Kazuo Yamazaki. He didn’t have too much trouble adjusting to UWFi’s style. Not a particularly flashy name, but he’s another name that could be considered by people who enjoy “purity” in their pro wrestling. vs Kazuo Yamazaki (2/14/1993) vs Yuko Miyato (8/13/1993) vs Masahito Kakihara (10/4/1993) vs Kiyoshi Tamura (12/5/1993) Duane Koslowski The brother of Dennis Koslowski, Duane Koslowski competed in the Olympics as well but never medaled. He worked for more promotions in Japan than Dennis did, appearing in a match for UWF Newborn at U-COSMOS against Nobuhiko Takada before jumping to PWFG where he had a handful of matches. Duane Koslowski was more of a power suplex and throws wrestler, whereas his brother Dennis was more focused on finesse. Duane became a solid wrestler over time and even earned a nomination in the Wrestling Observer for the Rookie of the Year award in 1993. vs Nobuhiko Takada (11/29/1989) vs Wayne Shamrock (7/26/1991) vs Kazuo Takahashi (8/23/1991) vs Yuki Ishikawa (8/29/1993)

Card Announcement: UWF Newborn - "Fighting Base Sapporo" March 22nd, 1989 Sapporo, Japan Nakajima Sports Center Yusuke Fuke vs Manabu Yamada Kiyoshi Tamura vs Yasuto Sekishima Minoru Suzuki vs Shigeo Miyato Wayne Shamrock vs Tatsuo Nakano Dick Vrij vs Kazuo Yamazaki Bad News Allen vs Bart Vale Dennis Koslowski & Duane Koslowski vs Victor Zangiev & Salman Hashimikov Bob Backlund vs Atsushi Onita Satoru Sayama vs Joe Malenko Akira Maeda vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara

That Killer Khan vs Terry Gordy match sounds brutal

Looking forward to seeing who becomes the first WCW World Women's Champion. Debbie Malenko had a good showing and looks set to be a contender already!

He was one of the trainers for UWFi and did some appearances as an official/commissioner of sorts. Sakuraba was trained by Billy Robinson and so was Albright, along with a few others (Little Guido, Billy Scott, Kiyoshi Tamura, etc)

Damien with a big win over Rotunda! I didn't see that one coming. Tom Zenk looked very impressive against Steiner. I wouldn't call that an upset as Tom Zenk is a tremendous wrestler when given the opportunity to showcase his talents. Chris Walker looks great as well. You are making good use of him here. Saito and Goto as the babyfaces make for an interesting dynamic. I think that's a good call on your part. Keep 'em coming!

Stan Hansen in the AWA will be a good fit. Looking forward to seeing what he brings to the table. Tony St. Clair and Dory Funk both had very impressive wins! Carlos Colon vs Chicky Starr sounded like a great match as well. Also, I think Koloff vs Slaughter and Tsuruta vs Armstrong delivered for the fans. Two great matches to round things off.