[1992-06-25-PWFG-Turn Over] Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Bart Vale

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

I think this may be my new favorite PWFG match. From the beginning, the match is pretty awesome, with Vale's surprise single leg being a highlight for me. Vale's kicks in general look great. Fujiwara gets in his shots too, but I really saw this as a strong selling performance from him, especially as the match winds down, taking a little longer to get up each time he is knocked off his feet. Vale's inverted chinlock looks really painful, and I can't say I've seen that hold before. Tremendous match with Fujiwara putting Vale over strong.

[Tim Evans]

Fujiwara headbutting Vale to knock him down for like the 3rd time was great. Not as good as the Fujiwara Florida match but it was decent.

[shoe]

Fujiwara looked much different here than the Florida bout. I found this one dull though.

[Phil Schneider]

This was awesome, each mat exchange didn't just have one reversal, it had reversals reversed into a reversal. Alot of Fujiwara's signature reversals got modified as Vale countered their initial move. I don't know what the politics of the promotion were, but Fujiwara doesn't job to anyone but he does two straight jobs to Vale without ever getting the win back. This really was the only match where Vale actual looked good enough to deserve to go over Fujiwara.

[Kevin Ridge]

With the hushed crowd you get to hear Fujiwara grunting and breathing heavy. Vale had some head kicks that just missed. Them reversing each other was pretty good. Figure Vale would be returning the job here so was surprising to see him get the victory. Fujiwara had a small armband around his bicep area. Was wondering reason for that.

[WingedEagle]

I watched this shortly after attending Wrestlemania, and for whatever reason it made me think that this could be truly difficult for a live audience to appreciate because absent an awesome big screen in the arena, much of the nuanced groundwork will be lost on folks that aren't near ringside. That being said, I was not ringside and liked this quite a bit. Action is quick early with Fujiwarwa working for holds on the leg and arm. Loved the spot where Vale has a single leg and Fujiwara spins it into one of his own. Things get heated after an awesome high kick knockdown by Vale. The finish was great as you don't quite see it coming it fits into how the match was structured.

 

***3/4

[PeteF3]

PWFG so far has sort of had the same issue SWS had with regard to the roster--it's just Fujiwara and a bunch of other guys not on his level. Well, Vale already showed that he's on Fujiwara's level (kayfabe-wise, at least) so for the first time that we see, Fujiwara goes into a match where he can't just toy around with his opponent. I liked this as much as any "matwork + reset + repeat" shootstyle match so far, because Fujiwara gets a chance to show off his supremely underrated abilities as a seller. It was deliberately paced and lacked the raucous U.S. crowd but it was another excellent addition to this series. Vale puts Fujiwara down with a sleeper and I'm about ready to type up a smartass quip about why he'd bother letting it go, but Fujiwara doesn't get up. Shut my mouth. The result surprises me as I was expecting an "I'll do a job on your home turf and you do one on mine" deal.

[MikeCampbell]

I sometimes have trouble getting into these sorts of matches, but not this time. The reversals and counters kept this exciting, and I didn't see the finish coming at all. After Vale won in FL, I expected Fuj to get the win back here.

[garretta]

I was just about to wonder why they screwed Vale, as he had two knockdowns that weren't scored in addition to the two that were. Then his sleeper worked better than he ever dreamed, and he became the first person I know of to beat Fujiwara twice. The first part was a total squash for Fuji, which made Vale's comeback all the more surprising.

 

They finally put some scoring on screen in PWFG, although they scored the rope breaks separate from the knockdowns. Still, once I figured that out it was a relief not to have to score the bout myself on order to keep track of what was going on.

[dawho5]

I liked Fujiwara being one step ahead on the mat early.  And the headbutt was sweet.  I was surprised Vale didn't come in with kicks after that.  The matwork went on a little long for me despite being good.  If Vale wants to win he knows that's not going to do it.  The finish was great.  When Vale finally starts coming in with big kicks he gets a big advantage and the surprise KO.  I just thought Vale should have switched tactics sooner given how much of a drubbing he was taking on the mat.

[xlynwoodx]

Fujiwara was 43 here, Vale 35.  I thought Fujiwara looked old when he came to ring and I had to look it up.  He was pretty aggressive from the start, and came out on top of every grappling battle, forcing Vale to the ropes with regularity.  He hit a nasty headbutt on Vale that dropped him like a sack of potatoes, but Vale made it back to his feet somehow.  As the bout progressed, Vale started to get the upper hand as Fujiwara began to slow down.  Fujiwara had Vale in a leglock and Vale just kicked him in the mouth to get free.  Seeing these guys kick with boots on always make me cringe a little.  Fujiwara got to his feet, but got taken down pretty quickly and caught in a choke hold.  I thought it was weird when Vale let go and stood up, but Fujiwara was out.