Japan Wrestling Association April 1986

[gordi]

JWA in Osaka - April 4th, 1986

 

Misawa & Hase vs Yamada & Hoshino

This was worked almost as a shoot-style match, emphasizing Hoshino’s boxing background (he was a pro) and Yamada and Hase’s amateur wrestling backgrounds (Hase was an Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler and Yamada fought in the Japanese national high-school championships against… Toshiaki Kawada). Misawa was also an accomplished amateur wrestler (he placed fifth in the junior division at the 1980 freestyle wrestling World Championships) but he mostly stuck with stiff strikes in this one. In fact, it was a Running Elbow Smash that put Yamada down for the count.

 

Dos Caras, El Canek, & Fishman vs Fujiwara, Takada, & Funaki

You might reasonably expect that this match would also be worked semi-shoot-style, but in fact Funaki, Takada, Dos Caras and Fishman flew around the ring using athletic and exciting moves to fire up the crowd. El Canek threw in some impressive power offense, and even Fujiwara went a little bit out of his comfort zone, delivering a Swinging Neckbreaker and a Superplex before finishing Fishman off with the famous Fujiwara Armbar.

 

Black Tiger, Kobayashi, & Kensuke vs Tiger Mask, Hashimoto, & Mutoh

Black Tiger almost put Mutoh away early in this one, after a brutal beat-down. Then, Hashimoto and Kensuke hit each other really hard for a few intense minutes. Then Tiger Mask fought valiantly against both Kuniaki Kobayashi and Black Tiger, who used quick tags and questionable tactics to keep the advantage. Finally, young Mutoh got the hot tag and took some measure of revenge on Black Tiger with a Leaping Clothesline, a Snap Suplex and a DDT before tagging Tiger Mask who finished things off with a Tiger Suplex.

 

Tenryu & Hara vs Danger Zone

Hickerson & Shaw were fresh off of having injured Tenryu & Hara’s young stable-mate Samson Fuyuki, so the Japanese team came out fired up and angry. The big Americans took a hellacious beating, but fought back with desperation eye pokes and chokes and so on. Nothing was going to stop Tenryu and Hara on this day, however. When Hickerson & Shaw went outside and grabbed some folding chairs, Tenryu simply flew out of the ring with an insane Suicide Dive, taking Danger Zone out completely. Hara followed Tenryu outside, grabbed one of the chairs, and went to town swinging it at the downed heels. The match officially ended without a victor, in a DDQ… but Tenryu and Hara pretty clearly came out on top.

 

***BREAK***

 

JWA Trios Champions The Machines vs Bam Bam Bigelow, OMG, & Bossman Traylor

The American team weighed in at close to 1200 pounds (530 kilos). The total combined weight of The Machines, however, was 800 pounds (365 kilos). If, based on the American team’s 400-pound weight advantage, you extrapolated that The Machines spent the whole match fighting from underneath… you were correct. The Americans earned close near-falls with a Bossman Slam, a Second-Rope Elbow Drop, and a Running Senton, respectively. Eventually, OMG went for another Elbow Drop but Sumo Machine moved, hit Gang with a huge Shoulder Block as he was staggering to his feet, and tagged in Very Tall Machine who finished things off with a Missile Dropkick as Super Strong Machine fought off Traylor and Bigelow’s attempts to interfere.

 

 

JWA Tag Team Champions Power Rush vs Tatsumi Fujinami & Kengo Kimura

We gave the fans what they wanted in this one: a full dose of that classic Fujinami vs Choshu action. The two Kimuras were mainly there to break up pinfalls and submission attempts, to do a bit of bumping and selling (in Kengo’s case) and to rile up the crowd with old-school heeling tactics (in Rusher’s case). Choshu and Fujinami went hard on the mat, threw nasty strikes, dropped some bombs, and even tried stealing each other’s finishers (Fujinami with the Scorpion attempt and Choshu going for the Figure Four). There was almost a double count out after Fujinami threw Choshu into the barricade before getting Clotheslined into the ring post, but both men made it back into the ring just in time. Fujinami was busted open, however, and eventually he had to tag Kengo Kimura back in. Fatigue from the blood loss (which Fujinami sold beautifully) prevented him from making the save after his partner ate a Double Lariat Attack.

 

Giant Baba, “X”, “X”, & “X” vs The Blonde Heels, Bruiser Brody, & “X”

The Blonde Heels entered the ring first. Then, as “The Immigrant Song” played, Brody charged through the crowd accompanied by Stan Hansen.

Giant Baba made his way down the entrance ramp, stopping half way. Brody and Hansen stepped toward him menacingly, but pulled back when Jumbo Tsuruta came out to stand beside his mentor. Then, they started advancing again…

Now, I have to ask you to imagine something: Think of a typical polite and respectful 1980s Japanese crowd, and imagine that crowd completely losing their collective mind with joy and excitement… because that is what happened when “Real American” started playing and Jumbo and Baba were joined by Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant!

All eight men brawled on the entrance ramp, down to the floor, into the crowd, and finally back into the ring where order was eventually restored.

After that beginning, the match itself was something of an anti-climax. Hogan and Andre were still a little tired and beat up after their huge matches at WrestleMania, so Jumbo and Baba carried most of the load for their team. Late in the match Andre and Hansen got into it a little as a reprise of the excellent ‘Mania brawl, and Andre did the bit where he got tied up in the ring ropes and took some punishment. That led to more Bonzo Gonzo action with Baba and Jumbo taking Ueda, Brody, and Hansen out to the floor, which in turn led to Andre destroying Goto with a Big Boot in the middle of the ring. Hogan got tagged in and popped the crowd with the Axe Bomber, Leg Drop, one, two…THREE!

 

[rainmakerrtv]

Now that was the way to pay off a mystery partner reveal!

[gordi]

Thanks, Rain!

 

I definitely wanted to make the most of having those two living legends pop over to Japan right after WrestleMania.

[dawho5]

Great use for Hogan, Andre, Brody & Hansen. I'd agree that maybe the match itself would suffer a bit. But you just gave the crowd a good dose of Fujinami vs. Choshu. Also had the Machines score an upset victory over the big American team, as well as Tenryu & Hara get their revenge in a very Tenryu way. Add the quasi-shootstyle opener, the energetic second match and the tag with Tiger Mask cleaning house and Mutoh making a fiery comeback and you don't need a great wrestling match in the main.

[gordi]

Thanks, who. That's pretty much exactly what I was thinking.

 

I mean, you can't have Baba, Jumbo, Andre, Hogan, Brody and Hansen in the same match and not make it the Main Event... but I felt like making it too much of an epic wouldn't be realistic considering Hansen, Andre and Hogan all worked long and brutal matches before flying over here with only a couple of days to recover and adjust to the time difference...plus with Andre's body starting to turn on him around this time...

 

So, yeah, what you said: Give the crowd some scientific wrestling, some high-flying, some stiffness, and some big hoss battles early on, Choshu vs Fujinami in the Semi-Main, and let the big reveal and the major star power carry the Main.

 

I'm pleased you picked up on that.

 

Also: I got to give the JWA fans in Osaka just a little taste of Hansen vs Andre, which makes me happy.

[kevinmcfl]

Even though I am not very knowledgeable on Japanese wrestling your mix of talent from all over makes this fun for me. I really need to research some of your regulars so I could have more of a rooting interest in your matches. I have said it before, your graphics are awesome

[SirEdger]

A great way to open up your tour in Osaka. So much star power in the main event but nothing ever feels out of place with your cards. You're maximizing every opportunity you get with your tour guests.

[LowBlowPodcast]

Everyone has said it but I loved the intro of Hogan and Andre. My real favorite match is that of Bigelow, OMG, and Bossman. That's my dream team there lol. Awesome stuff from the land of the rising sun and the JWA is a true powerhouse in the world of wrestling with one of the best rosters and the ability to infuse top tier talent whenever possible.

[spaldoni]

OMG! With that star power, the main event was insane!!!! Good grief! I would of went crazy for Brody and Hansen, then Hogan and Andre come out! That was awesome! I really like how you add stats and backgrounds to the wrestlers. Mutoh looked strong here and it made perfect sense for Tiger Mask to get the finish. Even going down in defeat, OMG, Bossman and Bam Bam make one heck of a monster team. Power Rush is looking dominant. I would love to see them face off with NWA champs, the Road Warriors. Tenryu and Hara really took it to Danger Zone. I liked how you opened the show with some hard hitting, fast paced matches to get the crowd going before the heavy hitters came on. Well booked and balanced card. The fans got their money's worth tonight.

[gordi]

I really need to research some of your regulars so I could have more of a rooting interest in your matches.

 

 

Try this one on for size. It's generally considered to be one of the best tag matches of all time. All four guys are on my roster, and it's perfect example of what I hope the JWA 1986 Main Event Style comes across as. If you (and/or the rest of the guys, and/or anyone else) watches and comments on it, I can post more matches.

 

Choshu and Yastsu come out first. Choshu (JWA's top heel) is the one with the white boots, taped-up ribs, and extreme mullet, Yatsu with the knee-length tights, mustache and chin-beard.

 

Jumbo and Tenryu come out next. Tenryu (JWA champion) is the one with the perm and the yellow boots. Jumbo Tsuruta is my pick for Best Wrestler Ever and he has a big pad on his right elbow.

 

Bonus with this version: Japanese TV ads!

 

Read more about it here:

 

http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/34330-jumbo-tsuruta-genichiro-tenryu-vs-riki-choshu-yoshiaki-yatsu-ajpw-012886/

[kevinmcfl]

Great match. This seemed like a major event as the fans were dressed like they were going to a wedding. Was this normal in Japan at the time? Also the crowd seemed to be on the edge of their seats the entire time. Did the fans at that time belief that wrestling was real like some in the U.S., especially in the Southern territories. Each team also came out with an entourage. Was that common?

 

As for the match... very intense with great selling and bumping. These four meant business as we saw in the beginning with the spike piledriver from the top rope with no pin attempt after it.

 

The only negative for me is that I don't speak Japanese. Would love a translation of what Yatsu said on the mic at the end

[gordi]

You're maximizing every opportunity you get with your tour guests.

 

It helps a lot that everyone is sending over guys that fit right in with how I like to book things.

 

My real favorite match is that of Bigelow, OMG, and Bossman. That's my dream team there lol.

 

Yep. In the 1980s in Japan, having big gaijin hosses come over to fight is pro wrestling booking 101. I'll always have room for guys like that.

 

Power Rush is looking dominant. I would love to see them face off with NWA champs, the Road Warriors. Tenryu and Hara really took it to Danger Zone.

 

The Road Warriors were every bit as over in Japan as they were in America in the mid-80s. Having them come over and fight Tenryu & Hara, Jumbo & Yatsu, and/or Choshu and Rusher Kimura would be a mark-out situation for me..

 

Great match. This seemed like a major event as the fans were dressed like they were going to a wedding. Was this normal in Japan at the time? Also the crowd seemed to be on the edge of their seats the entire time. Did the fans at that time belief that wrestling was real like some in the U.S., especially in the Southern territories. Each team also came out with an entourage. Was that common?

 

As for the match... very intense with great selling and bumping. These four meant business as we saw in the beginning with the spike piledriver from the top rope with no pin attempt after it.

 

The only negative for me is that I don't speak Japanese. Would love a translation of what Yatsu said on the mic at the end

 

Yeah, it seems that the ringside fans often got dressed up for the matches in the 80s and 90s. I notice a lot of men in neckties in the crowd when I'm watching old footage from Japan. I have no idea what people back then believed, unfortunately. What I can say based on what I've seen is that the Japanese crowds in the 80s sure seemed to be very attentive, tuned in to the details and finer points, and very into the psychology and story-telling going on in the ring. My first live show in Japan was was the final show of NOAH’s Winter Navigation tour on December 4th, 2005, in Yokohama. Being part of one of those great Japanese crowds was really a dream come true for me. Didn't see many neckties, but the crowd was really tuned in to the action all night long.

 

I think Yatsu asked Jumbo Tsuruta what his name is, and when Jumbo started to answer, Yatsu cut him off and yelled "It doesn't matter what your name is!" then asked the crowd if they could smell what he was cooking.

 

I could be wrong about that, though.

 

I'll post another match in this thread in a few days, when I find a good one.

[GeneJackson95]

What a huge show, it's like Wrestlemania came to Japan! I also loved the Machines vs. OMG/Bossman/Bigelow as well Tenryu/Hara vs. Danger Zone!

 

Huge Main Event that would have made headlines all over the world, awesome job!

[gordi]

JWA Press Release April 5th, 1986

 

From now until early May, many of JWA’s top veteran stars will be busy filming the upcoming Rikidozan biographical mini-series for Asahi Television. To promote the mini-series (as well as to promote the JWA) stars such as Giant Baba, Jumbo Tsuruta, JWA Champion Tenryu, JWA Japanese Champion Fujinami, Riki Choshu, Umanosuke Ueda, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Tiger Mask, Dos Caras, Shiro Koshinaka and others will also be appearing on Asahi Broadcasting chat shows, game shows, and variety programs, and even making cameo appearances on Asahi TV dramas. Also, they will be filming commercial video advertisements for our major sponsors, such as Glico, IcoPro, Crown Royal Whiskey, CoCo Ichiban, Gyoza no Ohsho, Yoshinoya Gyudon, Nintendo, and so on…

 

In the meantime, JWA will be presenting a Middleweight Tag Team Championship Tournament on April 14th and 24th. The winner of the Tournament will be crowned JWA Middleweight Tag Team Champions.

 

The first-round match-ups for the tournament are as follows:

 

Footloose (Kawada & Fuyuki) vs Shootstylists (Takada & Funaki)

 

The Invaders (Invader #2 and #3, from WWC) vs Tiger Hunters (Black Tiger & Kuniaki Kobayashi)

 

Shining Wizards (Mutoh & Chono) vs Mighty Animals (Inoue & Hamaguchi)

 

Top Guns (Misawa & Hase) vs Los Nómadas (Fishman & Hamada)

 

Concurrently, JWA will be running the International Young Lions Showcase. Several of the very best young wrestlers from around the world will be travelling to Japan to display their skills for our fans. Additionally, several of the top independent professional wrestlers from around Japan will be joining the JWA for the remainder of the month to face these International Young Lions on the 14th and 24th and earn a decent payoff for once.

 

Match-ups for April 14th will be:

 

Sting (WWF) vs Mike Shaw

 

Leon White & Ron Simmons (AWA) vs Kensuke Sasaki & Shinichi Nakano

 

Brian Pillman, Scorpio (AWA), & Pegasus Kid (Chris Benoit from Lutte) vs Yoshinari Ogawa, Akira Nogami, & Shunji Kosugi

 

Youngbloods (Wellington & Blackman from the AWA) vs Yoji Anjoh & Osamu Kido

 

Chris Candido (Lutte/Wild West) & Owen Hart (WWC) vs Yoshihiro Asai (from the JWA dojo) & “Thunder” Yamada

 

Hot Property (Travis & Savoldi from MACW), & Spike Huber (MACW/Wild West) vs Triple H (Rocky Hata, Hirokazu Hata, & Mach Hayato)

 

Respectfully,

JWA President and Founder, Shohei Baba

JWA Vice President, Motoko Baba

JWA Managing Director, Hisashi Shinma

JWA Booker, gordi

 

Please direct any comments, questions, and/or corrections to gordi at PWO

 

[dawho5]

That's a pretty incredible tag team tournament there. Just the right amount of experienced guys to go with the exciting young guys. Simmons/White vs. Sasaki/Nakano should be a good power bout.

[rainmakerrtv]

I can't see a single match on that which I don't love.

[SirEdger]

Holy crap, I'm so pumped for Pillman/Scorpio/Pegasus vs Ogawa/Nogami/Kosugi. And I didn't even know who Kosugi was until 30 seconds ago!

[LowBlowPodcast]

Triple H would never work Japan.

[GeneJackson95]

Holy crap, I'm so pumped for Pillman/Scorpio/Pegasus vs Ogawa/Nogami/Kosugi. And I didn't even know who Kosugi was until 30 seconds ago!

I agree 100%! Pillman/Scorpio/Benoit are a dream team even in this timeframe.

 

What a card!!

[spaldoni]

Oh man that looks pretty awesome! Love the Middleweight Tag Team Tournament idea. April 14th is going to be one epic night for these young lions to really showcase their talents. Great booking!

[gordi]

Triple H would never work Japan.

Take a closer look, LowBlow. I think you might have missed the joke there.

 

...or maybe I'm missing your joke

[gordi]

 

Another great match for you all. Three of the four guys are on the JWA main roster, and the other is a free agent in our game. It's from 1989, but it gives a very good idea of how the veteran wrestlers like Giant Baba and Rusher Kimura were booked in Japan in the 1980s. Tenryu takes Baba out before the bell, Rusher is forced to take on two of the baddest wrestlers in the world on his own... can the old guys battle back?

[gordi]

JWA Presents: Middleweight Tag Team Championship Tournament/ International Young Lions Showcase

Day 1: April 14th, 1986 – Tokyo, Korakuen Hall

 

Aired on tape delay on Asahi TV World Pro Wrestling (ワールド・プロレスリング)

Commentary Team: Ichiro Furutachi and Takashi Yamada

YOUNG LIONS SHOWCASE MATCHES

 

Hot Property (Travis & Savoldi from MACW), & Spike Huber (MACW/Wild West) vs Triple H (Rocky Hata, Hirokazu Hata, & Mach Hayato)

A fast-paced, exciting bout that got the Korakuen crowd heated up nicely. A lot of rope running, hip tosses, arm drags and drop kicks to start off with. Then, Billy Joe Travis got to show off his bumping and selling as he got caught in the Japanese team’s corner and played the Ricky Morton role for a while. The Hot tag to Spike Huber got a pop from the fans, which continued as the muscular youngster threw all three members of Triple H around the ring. Mach Hayato, in particular, bumped spectacularly for Huber’s Backdrop. Huber then picked Hayato up in an Airplane Spin, tagged in Travis, who hit a nice Neckbreaker and then tagged in Savoldi. A Double Hot Shot from Hot Property put an end to the high-energy action.

 

Chris Candido (Lutte/Wild West) & Owen Hart (WWC) vs Yoshihiro Asai (from the JWA dojo) & “Thunder” Yamada

 

 

Yoshihiro Asai is the future Ultimo Dragon, and Thunder Yamada is the future Jushin Liger. So, it’s not like the action started to slow down with this bout. All four men got to showcase some big moves, with Yamada hitting a Hurricanrana and a Frog Splash from the top rope for nearfalls; Asai debuting his soon-to-be-famous Asai Moonsault (Springboard Moonsault onto a standing opponent outside of the ring) and hitting a nice Handspring Back Elbow on Candido in the corner; Candido nailing Asai with a Suicide Blond (Diving Headbutt) for a 2.999; and Owen and Yamada trading some very intricate, float-over and flip-intensive limb work near the ropes in a spot that eanred them a nice little ovation. The match went back and forth with neither team gaining a clear advantage until Candido and Hart lost patience around the 15-minute mark and started cutting corners, going after Asai’s throat and eyes. An enraged Yamada tried to break that up, but got tossed to the outside, leaving Asai to eat a nasty Blonde Bombshell (Superbomb) and the 1,2,3.

 

Youngbloods (Wellington & Blackman from the AWA) vs Yoji Anjo & Osamu Kido

It wasn’t advertised as such, and nobody made a big deal out of it, but this match was worked as an almost pure shoot style bout. No rope running, no fancy stuff. Just kicks, suplexes, and mat work. Wellington & Blackman more than held their own working that style. Their kicks, in particular, were pretty impressive. Anjo (who was part of the original UWF training class under Fujiwara and Maeda) and Kidoh (who trained directly under the legendary Karl Gotch) were clearly more experienced in the style and held the advantage for the majority of the match. Eventually, they isolated Blackman in their corner and wore him down with strikes and holds. Anjo manoeuvred Blackman into the middle of the ring and was about to finish him off when out of nowhere Blackman nailed a Flash Bicycle Kick that knocked Anjo clean out.

 

Brian Pillman, Scorpio (AWA), & Pegasus Kid (Chris Benoit from Lutte) vs Yoshinari Ogawa, Akira Nogami, & Shunji Kosugi

Unlike Owen and Candido, who wrestled a clean match until they got frustrated, Nogami and Ogawa didn’t hesitate to start cutting corners. Pillman, Scorp, and Pegasus each got a brief opportunity to shine, but the Japanese team kept cutting them off with quick tags and questionable tactics. Even Kosugi, who is more or less the Barry Horowitz of Japan, got in on the cheap-shot action. Scorpio was the first to lose his temper and start replying in kind. Of course, that got him a warning from referee Verne Seibert, which in turn fired up the crowd and got them boo-ing. While Scorp was debating with the ref, Ogawa attacked him from behind. That, of course, led to the ref being knocked down and everything going Bonzo Gonzo. Red Shoes Unno made his way to the ring to help Verne restore order. Once that was accomplished, Benoit and Kosugi were the legal men in the ring and Benoit was setting up for the Dragon Suplex. Ogawa and Nogami interfered to break that up. As the referee walked Ogawa back to his corner Benoit tossed Nogami out of the ring, nailed Kosugi with a Jumping Tombstone Piledriver, and tagged in Brian Pillman who finished things of with the Air Pillman (Springboard Clothesline).

 

Leon White & Ron Simmons (AWA) vs Kensuke Sasaki & Shinichi Nakano

 

 

Nakano is maybe the most talented young Japanese heavyweight wrestler not currently on the JWA roster. He definitely got to show off his talent for bumping and selling in this one. The powerful American rookies used Forearm Clubs, Shoulder Blocks, and Spinebusters to batter Nakano. The powerful Japanese rookie – Kensuke – fared a little better, dodging a Leon White Body Avalanche in the corner and chopping the big man down, but he only got a 2-count out of it. Both men tagged out, and after a quick shine segment (including a nice Dropkick) and little more punishment, Nakano ate a Seminole Slam (Spinning Side Slam), and the pinfall.

 

Sting (WWF) vs Mike Shaw

Sting is already very popular with the JWA audience from the long run he had here in 1985 as Blade Runner Sting. He even competed in our Japanese Championship tournament (losing in the first round to Riki Choshu in a good match, where Sting may have learned a certain finishing move). Phil Hickerson also lost in the first round of that tourney (to an Ashura Hara Superplex) and he accompanied his Danger Zone Team-mate to the ring here. This was worked in a semi-comedy style, with Danger Zone absolutely cheating up a storm. Shaw attacked Sting’s eyes and throat, pulled his hair and tights, and begged off every time Sting went on offense. Hickerson interfered blatantly and constantly. After 14 minutes of this, Sting whipped Hickerson into the corner, then crushed him by whipping Shaw into the corner after him… then crushed both men with a huge Stinger Splash. Shaw fell face-first into the middle of the ring. Hickerson collapsed to the mat and rolled out to the floor. Sting let out a whoop and applied the very hold that Choshu had used to beat him in ’85: The Sasori-Gatame a/k/a the Scorpion Deathlock. Shaw had no choice but to tap.

 

***BREAK***

 

 

JWA MIDDLEWEIGHT TAG TEAM TOURNAMENT MATCHES

 

Top Guns (Misawa & Hase) vs Los Nómadas (Fishman & Hamada)

A completely clean, highly technical match. The Korakuen crowd hung on every move and counter (and there were quite a few). Hase and Fishman put on quite a display of mat-work, and Hamada got a very close near-fall with a Tornado DDT on Hase, but in the end it was Misawa who got the win for his team, with the Tiger Suplex '85 on Hamada.

 

Shining Wizards (Mutoh & Chono) vs Mighty Animals (Inoue & Hamaguchi)

 

 

Mutoh and Chono fought from underneath for almost 15 minutes while Mighty Animals alternated between beating on the youngsters and working their smooth 70s-junior-style float-over offense, to the joy of the crowd. The end came quickly, as Inoue swung Chono into the ropes to set up a move only to get caught with a running Kenka Kick. Chono then tagged in Mutoh, who came off the top rope with a Diving Overhead Chop, dropped the staggering Inoue with a Low Dropkick to the knee, and finished him off with the Figure Four.

 

The Invaders (Invader #2 and #3, from WWC) vs Tiger Hunters (Black Tiger & Kuniaki Kobayashi)

This was an extremely close-fought match. With their experience dealing with the heels in WWC, The Invaders had a counter for every dirty trick that Tiger Hunters tried to pull. Invader #2 was not afraid to go toe to toe with either of his opponents, at one point brawling all around the ring with Black Tiger. Invader #3 worked a more traditional babyface role, bumping big and throwing crisp Dropkicks. Of course, #3 eventually got trapped in Tiger Hunters’ corner and got beat up before making the hot tag. #2 went on the warpath, throwing stiff Double Chops to his opponents’ throats and Slamming Kobayashi into the mat again and again. #2 then rolled Kobayashi up for the pin, and when Black Tiger tried to break it up #3 flew off the top rope with a High Cross Body Block to stop him.

 

Footloose (Kawada & Fuyuki) vs Shootstylists (Takada & Funaki)

 

 

Due to his knee injury, suffered at the hands of Danger Zone, Samson Fuyuki was unable to participate in this match. In his place, Kawada introduced his now tag team partner: Masa Fuchi. Their new team name: The Facekickers.

This match was ridiculously stiff. Takada and Funaki just hammered The Facekickers with various kinds of kicks and strikes. Fuchi had to save Kawada twice. Once after a High Roundhouse Kick from Funaki, and once while Takada had him trapped in a Crossface Chickenwing. Kawada threw several stiff kicks of his own, and (perhaps inspired by their injured friend) the Facekickers fought their way out from underneath. After several minutes of hard-hitting action Fuchi hit three consecutive Belly-to-Back Suplexes on Funaki, and bridged up after the third one to hold Funaki down and earn the pin.

 

[SirEdger]

Nothing needs to be said when your tag team is named "The Facekickers". A ridiculously good card yet again showcasing everyone!

[dawho5]

I like the use of all of the foreign talent. White and Simmons would be an incredible long-term tag team. The Facekickers is a good name for that team.