KIMERA

[gordi]

That's a great-looking card. The last four matches all have the potential to steal the show.

[superkix]

KIMERA Heavyweight Champion, Vader, who returned to the United States after his victory over Akira Maeda, conducted his first interview since winning the title. First and foremost, he credited Maeda with giving him a strong challenge but that no one was stronger than Vader. When asked about his next challenger, between Bob Backlund or Hiroshi Hase, Vader said it didn't matter who won the match, they would both fall to his power. He said he didn't want to "break Backlund's hip" but that Hase was a nobody and that he doesn't have time for nobodies. Regardless of the winner, Vader confirmed that the title would be defended under "Strong Rules". He was then asked if he would consider defending his title under "Catch Rules", to which Vader laughed and walked off.

 

Meanwhile, three more matches were added to KIMERA's return show on 1/28. Shiro Koshinaka and Kazuo Yamazaki will face off under "Strong Rules", while Georgian freestyle wrestler, Grom Zaza, returns to take on Kiyoshi Tamura under "Catch Rules". Finally, Dick Vrij is set to face Yoshihiro Takayama under "Hybrid Rules."

 

 

KIMERA "CERULEAN BREEZE IN YOKOHAMA", 1/28

Yokohama Arena

 

1. Hybrid Rules: Dick Vrij vs. Yoshihiro Takayama

2. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament, Round 1 ~ Strong Rules: Kensuke Sasaki & Yuji Nagata vs. Kazuo Takahashi & Yusuke Fuke

3. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament, Round 1 ~ Hybrid Rules: Mitsuya Nagai & Masahito Kakihara vs. Masayuki Naruse & Yoshihisa Yamamoto

4. Catch Rules: Grom Zaza vs. Kiyoshi Tamura

5. Strong Rules: Shiro Koshinaka vs, Kazuo Yamazaki

6. KIMERA Light Heavyweight Title, 2nd Match ~ Hybrid Rules: Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs. Masanobu Fuchi

7. Catch Rules: Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Minoru Suzuki

8. #1 Contendership - Strong Rules: Bob Backlund vs. Hiroshi Hase

9. Hybrid Rules: Akira Maeda vs. Masakatsu Funaki

[superkix]

The final card for "CERULEAN BREEZE IN YOKOHAMA" has been released days before KIMERA's return show from the Yokohama Area. Yoshinari Ogawa makes his in-ring debut, facing off against Osamu Nishimura under "Catch Rules", while Yuki Ishikawa and Tatsuo Nakano will compete under "Hybrid Rules". A surprise has been added to the card, as American Duane Koslowski will make an appearance, wrestling against Gene Lydick under "Strong Rules". This is being viewed as a "trial" for Koslowski, who competed in the 1988 Olympics in Greco-Roman wrestling.

 

 

KIMERA "CERULEAN BREEZE IN YOKOHAMA", 1/28

Yokohama Arena

 

1. Catch Rules: Yoshinari Ogawa vs. Osamu Nishimura

2. Hybrid Rules: Yuki Ishikawa vs. Tatsuo Nakano

3. Strong Rules: Gene Lydick vs. Duane Koslowski

4. Hybrid Rules: Dick Vrij vs. Yoshihiro Takayama

5. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament, Round 1 ~ Strong Rules: Kensuke Sasaki & Yuji Nagata vs. Kazuo Takahashi & Yusuke Fuke

6. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament, Round 1 ~ Hybrid Rules: Mitsuya Nagai & Masahito Kakihara vs. Masayuki Naruse & Yoshihisa Yamamoto

7. Catch Rules: Grom Zaza vs. Kiyoshi Tamura

8. Strong Rules: Shiro Koshinaka vs, Kazuo Yamazaki

9. KIMERA Light Heavyweight Title, 2nd Match ~ Hybrid Rules: Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs. Masanobu Fuchi

10. Catch Rules: Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Minoru Suzuki

11. #1 Contendership - Strong Rules: Bob Backlund vs. Hiroshi Hase

12. Hybrid Rules: Akira Maeda vs. Masakatsu Funaki

[superkix]

KIMERA held its return show, "CERULEAN BREEZE IN YOKOHAMA", before a sold out crowd in the Yokohoma Area. As before, all of the competitors were paraded down to the ring, with Maeda introducing the show and thanking the fans.

Yoshinari Ogawa made his in-ring debut, picking up a victory over Osamu Nishimura by knockout after using a backdrop suplex. Ogawa seemed frustrated with Osamu continuing the take him down the mat and while he was able to use his craftiness to counter out, Nishimura had forced him to the ropes twice before Ogawa was able to use the suplex. That is, only after he raked Nishimura's eyes, earning him a yellow card.

Under "Hybrid Rules", Tatsuo Nakano and Yuki Ishikawa slugged it out for a little over six minutes, throwing plenty of kicks, knees, and elbows in an attempt to knockout their opponent. At one point, Ishikawa was able to secure a sleeper hold but Nakano was able to break out before Yuki could drag him to the mat, and in the end, Nakano caught him with a knee to the face for the KO victory.

Newcomer Duane Koslowski scored a big win over Gene Lydick in a match that featured tons of suplex throws. The two fought back-and-forth over a German suplex and Koslowski was able to sneak in with the rear waistlock, overpowering the larger Lydick with the German suplex hold for the pinfall. Backstage, Koslowski said he would like to return to KIMERA in the future.

Whereas the last match featured a ton of suplexes, the "Hybrid Rules" match was all about the kicks and knees as Vrij and Takayama took turns taking shots at each other. Vrij was much more aggressive early on, but Takayama was able to rally back with a few knockdowns. He tried for a German suplex but Vrij was able to fight out and pop him in the head with a high kick for the KO.

The KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament continued today, as the team of Yuji Nagata and Kensuke Sasaki beat Fujiwara-gumi's Takahashi and Fuke after Sasaki planted Fuke with the Northern Lights Bomb. Masahito Kakihara and Mitsuya Nagai were also victorious in their "Hybrid Rules" match, beating young boys Naruse and Yamamoto after Kakihara choked out Yamamoto. The semi-finalists have now been decided as these winning teams join Stars + Strikes and Sudden Impact.

Kiyoshi Tamura and Georgian freestyle wrestler, Grom Zaza, wrestled a clean "Catch Rules" match. Lots of counterwork on the mat and some fireman's carry throws from Zaza up top. He wasn't much of a striker so he tried to keep Tamura grounded but Tamura was able to snag an arm and get the submission with two seconds the spare.

In a "Strong Rules" match-up, Kazuo Yamazaki defeated Shiro Koshinaka when he evaded the hip attack and blasted Koshinaka with a roundhouse kick. The match was, more or less, evenly match, with Koshinaka getting the slight advantage. He nearly scored the pin after a powerbomb but Yamazaki turned the pin attempt into a triangle. Afterward, Yamazaki hinted that he would like to challenge Maeda to a "Hybrid Rules" match at some point.

Jushin "Thunder" Liger even the scored in he and Masanobu Fuchi's best of three series to determine the promotion's first light heavyweight champion. Fuchi more than held his own against the more feisty Liger, catching him with some especially hard slaps to the face to score a couple of knockdowns. At one point, Liger came at him with a shotei attempt and Fuchi damn near took his head off with a dropkick. Liger was able to pin him down in a front mount and pepper him with palm thrusts to the head. Fuchi kept teasing the backdrop but Liger didn't let him hit it and ended up knocking him out with a running shotei. The two will now face each other under "Strong Rules" to crown the new champ.

Minoru Suzuki may be quicker than Yoshiaki Fujiwara but the old man is craftier, and although Suzuki took him to the ropes back-to-back, using Fujiwara's signature armbar at one point, Fujiwara was able to hang in there. With less than a minute remaining, both men had utilized rope breaks twice but when Fujiwara was able to counter an armbar attempt with the wakigatame, Suzuki had no choice but to use his final rope break, awarding Fujiwara the victory. Suzuki seemed upset after the match, saying that he made a few mistakes in his match but that he wouldn't let that discourage him for continuing the train in all styles.

Hiroshi Hase and Bob Backlund had a very good match under "Strong Rules" to decide who would face Vader for the KIMERA Heavyweight Title. Hase was the clear fan-favorite but Backlund put on quite the show, foregoing his normal goofiness to work in a little mean streak after Hase. He kept targeting Hase's arm to try and neutralize the uranages, and mostly kept him on the ground. Whenever Hase would make it back to his feet and start to build some momentum, Backlund would cut him off and go back to the arm. Hase tried for the giant swing but couldn't maintain his grip and this allowed Backlund a nearfall off a backdrop suplex. He tried for his crossface chickenwing but Hase was able to reverse it into a Northern Lights suplex hold for the win. Hase celebrated in the ring after his victory, and issued a statement to Vader, saying that he wanted to wrestle him for the title under "Strong Rules".

The main event saw Masakatsu Funaki challenge the Big Boss, Akira Maeda, under "Hybrid Rules". During an interview earlier in the night, Funaki said he sees himself as the future of KIMERA and that Maeda has already shown that he cannot stay at the top forever. Funaki immediately opened the match with a lfurry of kicks and slaps, taking Maeda down for an seven count within the first minute. Maeda shook it off and played more of a defensive role against the more aggressive Funaki. He was able to catch a kick and tease the capture suplex, but Funaki blocked it and they went to the mat, fighting over leglocks. Funaki employed his speed and his counterwork to try and stay on top of Maeda. But Maeda was able to grab a facelock or a kimura, forcing Funaki to the ropes. Back on there feet, Funaki tried for the high kick but Maeda caught it and planted him with the capture suplex. He thought he had the match won but Funaki struggled back to his feet and when Maeda came in to finish him off, Funaki was able to deliver a German suplex into the double wristlock. Maeda, however, turned this around on Funaki and in the end, submitted him with the crossface chickenwing. The two hugged after the match and Maeda raised Funaki's arm to honor him. Funaki did not want to talk to reporters after the match but Maeda praised his skill and said that he too saw Funaki and Suzuki as the future of KIMERA.

 

KIMERA "CERULEAN BREEZE IN YOKOHAMA", 1/28

Yokohama Arena

17,000 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House

 

1. Catch Rules: Yoshinari Ogawa beat Osamu Nishimura (8:12) by KO (backdrop).

2. Hybrid Rules: Tatsuo Nakano beat Yuki Ishikawa (6:54) by KO (knee strike).

3. Strong Rules: Duane Koslowski beat Gene Lydick (8:26) with a German suplex hold.

4. Hybrid Rules: Dick Vrij beat Yoshihiro Takayama (9:11) by KO (high kick).

5. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament, Round 1 ~ Strong Rules: Kensuke Sasaki & Yuji Nagata beat Kazuo Takahashi & Yusuke Fuke (11:08) when Sasaki used the Northern Lights Bomb on Fuke.

6. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament, Round 1 ~ Hybrid Rules: Mitsuya Nagai & Masahito Kakihara beat Masayuki Naruse & Yoshihisa Yamamoto (9:22) when Kakihara used a guillotine choke on Yamamoto.

7. Catch Rules: Kiyoshi Tamura beat Grom Zaza (9:58) with an armbar.

8. Strong Rules: Kazuo Yamazaki beat Shiro Koshinaka (13:23) with a roundhouse kick.

9. KIMERA Light Heavyweight Title, 2nd Match ~ Hybrid Rules: Jushin "Thunder" Liger beat Masanobu Fuchi (14:31) by KO (shotei).

10. Catch Rules: Yoshiaki Fujiwara beat Minoru Suzuki (10:00) by decision.

11. #1 Contendership - Strong Rules: Hiroshi Hase beat Bob Backlund (18:45) with the Northern Lights suplex hold.

12. Hybrid Rules: Akira Maeda beat Masakatsu Funaki (19:21) with a crossface chickenwing.

[superkix]

KIMERA has announced their return show for February 25, entitled "HIGH KICK FANTASIA", set to take place at Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo. Five matches have been announced for the big show, including the semi-finals of the KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Titles, with the winners facing off in the finals later in the evening to determine the promotion's first KIMERA Openweight Tag Team champions. In addition, the KIMERA Jr. Heavyweight Title will be decided under "Strong Rules" as Jushin "Thunder" Liger takes on Masanobu Fuchi. In the main event, the #1 contender to the KIMERA Heavyweight Title, Hiroshi Hase, will challenge the champion, Vader, in his first title defense. The match will be contested under "Strong Rules" per the request of the challenger. More matches are expected to be announced in the coming days.

 

 

KIMERA "HIGH KICK FANTASIA", 2/25

Ariake Colosseum

 

1. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament - Semi-Final: Chris Jericho & Lance Storm vs. Masahito Kakihara & Mitsuya Nagai

2. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament - Semi-Final: Dan Severn & Bart Vale vs. Kensuke Sasaki & Yuji Nagata

3. KIMERA Jr. Heavyweight Title - Strong Rules: Jushin “Thunder” Liger vs. Masanobu Fuchi

4. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament - Final:

5. KIMERA Heavyweight Title - Strong Rules: Vader © vs. Hiroshi Hase

 

[superkix]

As Minoru Suzuki and Masakatsu Funaki continue on their journey of 'mastering' the different styles, the two will be in action on 2/25 against two veterans of the strong and catch styles. Suzuki will meet Bob Backlund under "Strong Rules" while Funaki will go toe-to-toe with Yoshiaki Fujiwara under "Catch Rules". And after Kazuo Yamazaki challenged Akira Maeda to a match last month, Maeda has accepted the challenge and will face Yamazaki under "Hybrid Rules" at "HIGH KICK FANTASIA".

 

 

KIMERA "HIGH KICK FANTASIA", 2/25

Ariake Colosseum

 

1. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament - Semi-Final: Chris Jericho & Lance Storm vs. Masahito Kakihara & Mitsuya Nagai

2. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament - Semi-Final: Dan Severn & Bart Vale vs. Kensuke Sasaki & Yuji Nagata

3. Strong Rules: Bob Backlund vs. Minoru Suzuki

4. Catch Rules: Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Masakatu Funaki

5. Hybrid Rules: Akira Maeda vs. Kazuo Yamazaki

6. KIMERA Jr. Heavyweight Title - Strong Rules: Jushin “Thunder” Liger vs. Masanobu Fuchi

7. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament - Final:

8. KIMERA Heavyweight Title - Strong Rules: Vader © vs. Hiroshi Hase

[gordi]

Fujiwara vs Funaki is also a classic student vs teacher match-up.

[superkix]

The final card for 2/25's "HIGH KICK FANTASIA" has been released and features the promotion's first six-man tag match, in addition to several other singles matches.

 

 

KIMERA "HIGH KICK FANTASIA", 2/25

Ariake Colosseum

 

1. Strong Rules: Shiro Koshinaka, Shinjiro Ohtani & Akira Nogami & vs. Yuki Ishikawa, Yoshinari Ogawa & Osamu Nishimura

2. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament - Semi-Final: Chris Jericho & Lance Storm vs. Masahito Kakihara & Mitsuya Nagai

3. Hybrid Rules: Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Yusuke Fuke

4. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament - Semi-Final: Dan Severn & Bart Vale vs. Kensuke Sasaki & Yuji Nagata

5. Catch Rules: Grom Zaza vs. Kazuo Takahashi

6. Hybrid Rules: Dick Vrij vs. Tatsuo Nakano

7. Strong Rules: Bob Backlund vs. Minoru Suzuki

8. Catch Rules: Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Masakatu Funaki

9. Hybrid Rules: Akira Maeda vs. Kazuo Yamazaki

10. KIMERA Jr. Heavyweight Title - Strong Rules: Jushin “Thunder” Liger vs. Masanobu Fuchi

11. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament - Final:

12. KIMERA Heavyweight Title - Strong Rules: Vader © vs. Hiroshi Hase

[gordi]

The match that leaps out to me there is Fuke vs Tamura. I'm a big Fuke fan, I think he's often overlooked and I'd love to see him in there with an all-time top guy like Tamura.

 

Edit: just looked it up on Cagematch. They had a 3-minute match once, in U-Style, and also teamed up there once. Something for me to look for.

 

I hope you give them more than 3 minutes.

[superkix]

Quick results.

 

KIMERA "HIGH KICK FANTASIA", 2/25

Ariake Colosseum

12,000 Fans - Super No Vacancy

 

1. Strong Rules: Shiro Koshinaka, Shinjiro Ohtani & Akira Nogami beat Yuki Ishikawa, Yoshinari Ogawa & Osamu Nishimura (8:12) when Koshinaka used a powerbomb hold on Nishimura.

2. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament - Semi-Final: Masahito Kakihara & Mitsuya Nagai beat Chris Jericho & Lance Storm (10:52) when Kakihara used high kick on Storm.

3. Hybrid Rules: Kiyoshi Tamura beat Yusuke Fuke (7:46) with a kneebar.

4. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament - Semi-Final: Kensuke Sasaki & Yuji Nagata beat Dan Severn & Bart Vale (9:22) when Sasaki used the Northern Lights Bomb on Vale.

5. Catch Rules: Grom Zaza beat Kazuo Takahashi (6:49) with a full nelson hold.

6. Hybrid Rules: Dick Vrij beat Tatsuo Nakano (12:05) by KO (knee strike).

7. Strong Rules: Minoru Suzuki beat Bob Backlund (14:33) with a Gotch-style piledriver.

8. Catch Rules: Masakatu Funaki beat Yoshiaki Fujiwara (10:00) by decision.

9. Hybrid Rules: Akira Maeda beat Kazuo Yamazaki (16:24) with the crossface chickenwing.

10. KIMERA Jr. Heavyweight Title - Strong Rules: Jushin “Thunder” Liger beat Masanobu Fuchi (18:40) with a running Liger Bomb to become the 1st KIMERA Jr. Heavyweight Champion.

11. KIMERA Openweight Tag Team Title Tournament - Final: Masahito Kakihara & Mitsuya Nagai beat Kensuke Sasaki & Yuji Nagata (15:12) when Nagai used a capture suplex hold on Nagata to become the 1st KIMERA Openweight Tag Team champions.

12. KIMERA Heavyweight Title - Strong Rules: Vader beat Hiroshi Hase (24:28) with a spinning backfist (1st defense).

[superkix]

Anyone interested in this thing continuing? I've got a bunch of cards planned up through Vader's defeat.

[SirEdger]

I sure am. I don't comment a lot but I really enjoy this as I get to discover puro from that era.