[2000-03-27-FMW] Tetsuhiro Kuroda vs Kodo Fuyuki

[Loss]

I'm very interested in other thoughts on this one. Very unique match. It started off on the slow side, but picked up immediately when Tracy Smothers and Balls Mahoney interfered and started gouging Kuroda in the forehead until he was bleeding heavily. They rolled him back into the ring where Fuyuki was waiting, and now the match took on a very different tone, with Fuyuki dominating a bloody Kuroda, a layout that plays far better to what Fuyuki did well at this stage. They do a good job building heat here, specifically with Fuyuki taking a few big bumps on the chairs his ECW friends threw in the ring. Kuroda has a few goofy selling moments (to say the least), but I was into this and didn't really care. This ended in a schmozz (IN JAPAN IN 2000) with everyone brawling to set up an elimination match in a week that looks completely insane on paper that we'll cover when we get there. Masato Tanaka shows up in a post-match angle and lays out both Fuyuki and Hayabusa, then leaves with the ECW guys. Good stuff, even if it is a bit sports entertainment all things considered. ***1/2

[soup23]

A match that really broke a lot of the rules of stuff I enjoy. I am kind of questioning if it is my inherent favortism to excuse the interference here more just because I know who Balls and Smothers are compared to the early GAEA stuff that was filled with nameless entities. I did like the opening of this a good deal with Fuyuki working the mat and the match almost going off the rails but never quite. Once the interference starts happening, Kuroda becomes really sympathetic with the blood and constant beatdown. I will support the ending angle as everyone rushing the ring really felt like an organic and chaotic moment the way it was filmed. This culminated in Tanaka making his return and laying the boots to Fuyuki before challenging Hayabusa. ***1/2

[Moonsault Marvin]

I really liked Fuyuki's squeals when getting his arm worked over in the early going. After fighting into the crowd, Kuroda gets jumped by the ECW crew and busted open with a weapon and chairs, and I got invested into his battle back against Fuyuki, as they have a battle of the clotheslines. After Mahoney comes back with the weapon, H and the locker room come out for a brawl between FMW and ECW. This one kept my interest throughout. Very good match.

[Tim Evans]

I had no idea that Tracy Smothers was in FMW in 2000. This truly is the Sports entertainment era of FMW. Lots of run ins and interference spots. I still dig Fuyuki.as the leader of the heels. He looks like a fat Ricky Fuiji here. Decent match. Finish was a great visual with all the guys running in and the fans running to ringside.

[Edwin]

This was pretty awesome. This was the new era WEW Sports Entertainment era FMW from the time Fuyuki was in charge. IIRC Fuyuki got a ton of heat from the local FMW fans for his decisions as he wanted to change FMW's direction and that's why they took a more Sports Entertainment approach.

 

It started out slow with Kuroda working over Fuyuki's arm as he used the lariat a lot in his matches. The match really picks up when they're brawling in the crowd and the ECW Japan crew appears and they get a ton of heat on Kuroda with an awesome extensive beatdown featuring Kuroda getting all bloodied up, getting slammed from the ring apron by Balls and getting whacked with the remnants on the table until its completely in shreds.

 

The finishing stretch and the post match angle was fantastic as they built up perfectly for the next big event with Masato Tanaka making his return to the promotion after an absence while touring ECW in the U.S. to take out both H and Fuyuki before aligning with the ECW Japan crew.

 

Really good match.

 

***3/4