Japan Wrestling Association April 1986

[kevinmcfl]

I enjoyed the balance and the different types of matches. You had something for ever type of fan from the fast technical guys to the big horses and from the foreign heels to the hometown faces. Very well thought out card.

[rainmakerrtv]

Awesome show! Obviously loving my AWA guys getting time to shine. Wizards over Animals is quite the shock. Absolutely love the main even.

[spaldoni]

That card was amazing! I love the way you give backgrounds on the wrestlers. Great job in showcasing the American talent. Thank you for the MACW rub. Loved the Sting/Shaw match, all kinds of fun. I'm sure the fans loved the team of White and Simmons. My favorite would have to be the Shinning Wizards. However my favorite name goes to the Facekickers LOL. Invaders get a nice win. You definitely accomplished your goal of showcasing the Young Lions and the fans got their money's worth tonight.

[LowBlowPodcast]

Triple H actually showed up to work... awesome.

 

Love to see some Gaijin love and of course seeing Sting do work is always a pleasure.

[GeneJackson95]

Man..this card is a tape trader's dream! So much great stuff going on. I especially enjoyed Sting vs. Mike Shaw and the six man tag with Benoit/Scorpio/Pillman. Shining Wizards vs. Mighty Animals would have been a show stealer for sure.

[gordi]

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

 

I'm glad everyone seems to like the name. They might be sticking around as a team for a while.

 

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.

 

It's easy to make good use of the foreign talent when everyone keeps sending awesome wrestlers over to Japan.

 

I enjoyed the balance and the different types of matches. You had something for ever type of fan from the fast technical guys to the big horses and from the foreign heels to the hometown faces. Very well thought out card.

 

Thanks. That is one of the main things I am always trying to achieve with my cards.

 

Awesome show! Obviously loving my AWA guys getting time to shine. Wizards over Animals is quite the shock. Absolutely love the main even.

 

Wizards over Animals actually reflects your influence, rainmaker. I was thinking about who JWA could use in a role the way the AWA is using Leo Burke right now. Animal Hamaguchi is a well-known trainer, having had a hand in bringing Kojima, Otani, and Naito along, among others.So, I thought he might be good for the role of helping bring our younger guys along in their careers as well. Inoue and Hoshino will be doing some of that as well. Sort of a mix of how you are using Burke now, and how the WWF used, say, Pedro Morales in the mid-80s.

 

 

 

 

That card was amazing! I love the way you give backgrounds on the wrestlers. Great job in showcasing the American talent. Thank you for the MACW rub. Loved the Sting/Shaw match, all kinds of fun. I'm sure the fans loved the team of White and Simmons. My favorite would have to be the Shinning Wizards. However my favorite name goes to the Facekickers LOL. Invaders get a nice win. You definitely accomplished your goal of showcasing the Young Lions and the fans got their money's worth tonight.

 

Thanks! Hot Property fit pretty well in the "heat up the crowd" opening match spot similar to how I use guys like Mutoh and Yamada (Liger) at this point in their careers. I imagine them working hard to win over the Korakuen Hall crowd.

 

Triple H actually showed up to work... awesome.

 

Love to see some Gaijin love and of course seeing Sting do work is always a pleasure.

 

And Triple H did the job, too!

 

Man..this card is a tape trader's dream! So much great stuff going on. I especially enjoyed Sting vs. Mike Shaw and the six man tag with Benoit/Scorpio/Pillman. Shining Wizards vs. Mighty Animals would have been a show stealer for sure.

 

I always think about what I would have liked to have seen myself, back in the tape trading days, when I'm putting my cards together... so I really appreciate that particular compliment.

[gordi]

Card for: Middleweight Tag Team Championship Tournament/ International Young Lions Showcase

Day 2: April 24th, 1986 – Tokyo, Korakuen Hall

 

Main Event: JWA Middleweight Tag Team Championship Tournament finals (TBD)

 

Semi-Main Event: 5-Man Tag Team Elimination Match: Sting, Shinya Hashimoto, Pegasus Kid, Brian Pillman & Scorpio vs Chris Candido, Kuniaki Kobayashi, Kensuke Sasaki, Yoshinari Ogawa, & Akira Nogami

 

***BREAK***

 

Shootstylists (Takada & Funaki) vs Anjo & Kido

 

Owen Hart vs Keichi Yamada

 

Youngbloods (Blackman & Wellington), Hot Property (Travis & Savoldi), & Spike Huber vs Triple H (Hata, Hata, & Hayato), Yoshihiro Asai, and Shunji Kosugi

 

Tournament Semi-Final: Facekickers (Fuchi & Kawada) vs Invaders (#2 & #3)

 

Tournament Semi-Final: Top Guns (Misawa & Hase) vs Shining Wizards (Mutoh & Chono)

[dawho5]

That tag tourney is shaping up to be something! Also, wild 10 man elimination tag.

[spaldoni]

I agree, seeing that 10 man tag gets my money. Another great card lined up with tourney matches and young lions showcase.

[SirEdger]

So much talent in the semi-main event, despite being Young Lions!

[gordi]

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

Day 2: April 24th, 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

 

 

Tournament Semi-Final: Top Guns (Misawa & Hase) vs Shining Wizards (Mutoh & Chono)

 

 

Misawa debuted for All Japan in '81, and he was still working as Tiger Mask in '86 “in real life.” Baba didn’t start pushing him up the cards in earnest until 1990, although he did have an NWA International Junior Heavyweight Championship run in ’85. His partner here, Hase, represented Japan in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In ’86 he did excursions to WWC and Stampede, and got a major push on his return to New Japan in 1987, winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship from Kuniaki Kobayashi. In the Armchair booking world, my current plan is to start Misawa’s push a little sooner, and to bring Hase along a bit more slowly.

Mutoh and Chono both debuted in 1984. In fact, they faced each other in their very first pro match. In ’86 “in real life” Chono was still travelling the world and learning his craft and Mutoh had just returned from his American excursion and was working under the “Space Lone Wolf” gimmick. In 1988, while on an excursion in Puerto Rico, Mutoh, Chono, and Hashimoto formed Toukon Sanjushi or “The Three Musketeers.” In this world, they have been working together all along as “The Young Lions.”

Anyway: The relative veteran Misawa pretty much dominated while he was in the ring, while the rookie Hase got a little shine but mostly took a ton of punishment when he was in. Eventually, The Shining Wizards managed to isolate Hase in the red corner where they worked over his leg leading to Mutoh putting him away with the Figure Four.

 

Tournament Semi-Final: Facekickers (Fuchi & Kawada) vs Invaders (#2 & #3)

This was a flat-out brawl, with the Facekickers living up to their name throughout the match. Invader #2 looked tough and fearless as he gave as good as he got, but the smaller #3 mostly just ate a ton of punishment. #3’s big moment came near the end of the match as he got a close near-fall on Kawada with a Flying Cross Body. After Kawada kicked out, though, #3 got trapped in the Facekickers corner, where he got kicked in the face a whole bunch of times. Finally, a Gamengiri from Kawada put an end to a very hard-fought match.

 

Youngbloods (Blackman & Wellington), Hot Property (Travis & Savoldi), & Spike Huber vs Triple H (Hata, Hata, & Hayato), Yoshihiro Asai, and Shunji Kosugi

Billy Joe Travis was unable to make the long flight from America due to injuries he suffered after a Spike Piledriver from The Stud Stable. Rocky Hata graciously offered to sit out the match, allowing it to proceed as a 4-on-4 bout.

The highlight of the match was a long segment worked in semi shoot style between Mach Hayata and Biff Wellington. The Korakuen crowd got really heated up as the two traded stiff strikes and technical holds. There was also a nice exchange between Asai and Huber as the muscular American tossed the young and acrobatic dojo boy around the ring but Asai kept coming back and using his speed and athleticism against the bigger but slower American. As the 15-minute time limit was drawing near, Hirokazu Hata and Mach Hayato worked Steve Blackman over in their corner. They tagged in Shunji Kosugi and he prepared to finish Blackman off… but instead he was surprised by a Bicycle Kick “out of nowhere” that put Kosugi down for the count.

 

Owen Hart vs Keiichi Yamada

 

 

Just a reminder: Keiichi Yamada is the future Jushin Liger. So, once again we got the young Liger and young Owen thrilling the Japanese crowd with smooth mat-work and spectacular moves. The difference is that this time Owen Hart was clearly working heel. He pulled tights, used the ropes, went after Yamada’s eyes…

A fired-up Yamada came back hard and made Owen pay for his cheating ways, but that anger also led to Yamada making a fatal mistake. He went up for a Frog Splash a little too soon, and Owen was able to get his knees up to block it. Hart then rolled up the winded Yamada with a handful of tights for the win, much to the crowd’s displeasure.

 

 

Shootstylists (Takada & Funaki) vs Anjo & Kido

This match was an opportunity for Anjo & Kido to get one more JWA paycheque, and for Shootstylists to get some of their heat back after losing in the first round of the tournament. Nonetheless, Takada and Funaki gave Anjo and Kido a ton of offense, fighting from underneath until the final couple of minutes. The action was stiff and realistic, and built to a nice climax where Shotstylists trapped Anjo in their corner and kicked him in the arm again and again before Takada tapped him out with a Cross Armbreaker.

 

***BREAK***

 

 

Semi-Main Event: 5-Man Tag Team Elimination Match: Sting, Shinya Hashimoto, Pegasus Kid, Brian Pillman & Scorpio vs Chris Candido, Kuniaki Kobayashi, Kensuke Sasaki, Yoshinari Ogawa, & Akira Nogami

 

The critics rave:

 

…wild 10 man elimination tag - dawho5, San Juan Daily Star

 

…that 10 man tag gets my money – spaldoni, The Charlotte Observer

 

So much talent in the semi-main event… - SirEdger - Montreal Gazette

 

 

This was more of a straight-up New Japan style elimination match, rather than the cibernetico-type elimination tag matches that JWA has run in the past. No tags in this one. Man-on-man until we get a pinfall or submission, then the next man enters.

 

Part 1: Scorpio vs Akira Nogami – All action to start out as these two heat up the crowd with some nice high-spots, without getting too far into overkill territory. Akira got near-falls with a Sunset Flip and a Diving Splash but in the end it was a Scorpio Somersault Leg Drop that ended the first stage of this match.

 

Part 2: Scorpio vs Yoshinari Ogawa – “Rat Boy” Ogawa showed how he earned his nickname in this one. After eating a near-fall off of a Scorpio Superkick, Ogawa started cheating up a storm. He managed to bait Scorpio into losing his cool, and lured him into making a blind charge at Ogawa in the corner. Of course, Rat Boy was playing possum, and he dodged the charge and pinned Scorp with a flash Roll-up.

 

Part 3: Ogawa vs Brian Pillman – As Ogawa was celebrating his pinfall, Pillman flew off the ropes with an Air Pillman Springboard Clothesline, taking Ogawa’s head off for the one two three.

 

Part 4: Pillman vs Kensuke Sasaki – These two battled back and forth with the momentum constantly shifting for over fifteen minutes. Pillman was able to match Kensuke’s outstanding power, and he earned to close near-falls with Diving Crossbody Blocks… but Pillman went to the well once too often. On his third Crossbody attempt, Pillman got caught in mid-air by Kensuke and crushed into the mat with a vicious Powerslam.

 

Part 5: Kensuke vs Pegasus Kid – The two men went toe-to-toe in the middle of the ring exchanging stiff chops. Kensuke, worn down after his tough battle with Pillman, dropped first. Benoit knocked him down again with a series of clotheslines, stomped on Kensuke a bunch of times, followed up with a Diving Headbutt, then picked him up and finished him off with the Bridging Tiger Suplex.

 

 

Part 6: Pegasus Kid vs Kuniaki Kobayashi – Ten straight minutes of non-stop stiff and violent action, capped off when Pegasus Kid caught Kobayashi with a Second-Rope Tombstone, followed up with a Back Body Drop, and once again used the Tiger Suplex to earn the victory.

 

Part 7: Pegasus Kid vs Chris Candido – More stiff and exciting action, building up to Candido crushing the Pegsasus Kid with a Blonde Bombshell Superbomb then following up with a Diving Headbutt of his own to finish things off.

 

Part 8: Candido vs Shinya Hashimoto – Hashimoto wasted no time, nailing Candido with a Jumping DDT before he could get his bearings. He followed up with a Running Legdrop and then a Vertical Drop Brainbuster for the pin and the victory.

 

Hashimoto then pointed at Sting, who had not had a chance to fight, then at himself… and the crowd roared in approval. Sting entered the ring and shook Hashimoto’s hand.

 

Part 9: Hashimoto vs Sting - The two team-mates squared off and fought hard but clean for ten minutes until Sting, in an impressive display of power, hoisted Hashimoto up with an Overhead Press Slam, then pinned him with a Diving Splash.

 

Sting picked Hashimoto up from the mat and raised his hand. Pegasus Kid, Brian Pillman, and Scorpio joined them in the ring to celebrate their victory.

 

 

Main Event: JWA Middleweight Tag Team Championship Tournament finals: Facekickers vs Shining Wizards

 

 

After such an epic semi-main event match, we kept the main event basic and nasty. The action was ferocious, but both teams stayed within the rules. Chono and Kawada went back and forth, as did Mutoh and Fuchi. Masa Chono very nearly beat Kawada with the STF… but Kawada escaped and made the tag to Fuchi, who kicked and stomped Chono for a few minutes before applying an STF of his own. This time, there was no escaping.

 

The Facekickers were crowned the new JWA Middleweight Tag Champs in a relatively short ceremony, and they posed (unsmilingly) for photos with the belts to end the show.

[rainmakerrtv]

Great job of setting the scene for the Top Guns vs. Shining Wizards match. Facekickers kicking faces! Gotta love the Youngbloods pulling off the victory. Even at this early stage, Owen vs. Yamada had to be awesome. That elimination match had to be epic. Sting press slamming Hashimoto was super impressive. Fackickers as the most stoic champions ever.

[kevinmcfl]

Wow, the Americans came off really good here and Sting is a rising star. Was this much success for the foreign wrestlers common in Japan? I have only seen one house show in my life and the fan favorites won most bouts. On TV, the Americans hyped up the heels but they seemed to get their beatings at the house show

[spaldoni]

That card sure delivered! Facekickers win the tournament by kicking some faces. Shinning Wizards looked good and no doubt sets them up for good things to come. I think the Facekickers will be fun champions. Hart/Yamada was the hidden gem on the card. What a fun match with Owen's heel tactics coming out on top. Nice job with the continuity on Travis. Glad to see his team pull off the victory. The 10 man tag certainly lived up to the press's expectations . Man that was exciting. Sting winning with the overhead press and splash would of been a sight to see. Sting really has momentum going in his favor right now. You're doing a great job getting the young American wrestlers over with the Japanese crowd.

[SirEdger]

Another great card. Love the way every young gaijin got their moment to shine on that card, especially in the semi-main.

 

And Owen's reputation is about to precede him worldwide!

[dawho5]

All of the young gaijin get a chance to look good. I loved the Yamada/Owen match with a heel Owen. Liger was always better paying back a dickish heel than in any other mode. The 10 man elimination tag was indeed great and lived up to the hype. Facekickers getting the win is great because Kawada/Fuchi is one of those teams I wish we had gotten about a thousand more matches from IRL.

[LowBlowPodcast]

Just an all around spectacular show! I of course loved seeing Sting win and now I need to find a way to bring that back into the WWF fandom... perhaps someone had a handheld. All around through, your presentation is spectacular and the pictures from the games just make it that much better. Awesome stuff from Japan!

[gordi]

Great job of setting the scene for the Top Guns vs. Shining Wizards match. Facekickers kicking faces! Gotta love the Youngbloods pulling off the victory. Even at this early stage, Owen vs. Yamada had to be awesome. That elimination match had to be epic. Sting press slamming Hashimoto was super impressive. Fackickers as the most stoic champions ever.

 

I love the idea of Owen and Yamada working in Japan as young boys. The Facekickers' stoicism is going to become a big part of their character, going forward.

 

Wow, the Americans came off really good here and Sting is a rising star. Was this much success for the foreign wrestlers common in Japan? I have only seen one house show in my life and the fan favorites won most bouts. On TV, the Americans hyped up the heels but they seemed to get their beatings at the house show

 

There have always been certain American wrestlers who had a lot of success in Japan: Funk, Abdullah, Andre, Hansen, Brody, Gordy, Williams, Vader... mostly big tough brawlers and hosses (until the 90s when guys like Benoit also made a splash over here). I don't think we ever saw anything like the Young Lions Showcase in Japan in the 80s, though. It was the result of trying to imagine somewhat realistic ways to make the JWA different from what AJPW and NJPW actually did back then. It sets us up for the future by making some of the hot young talent from over there familiar to our audience. That could pay off big time when we head into the 1990s.

 

That card sure delivered! Facekickers win the tournament by kicking some faces. Shinning Wizards looked good and no doubt sets them up for good things to come. I think the Facekickers will be fun champions. Hart/Yamada was the hidden gem on the card. What a fun match with Owen's heel tactics coming out on top. Nice job with the continuity on Travis. Glad to see his team pull off the victory. The 10 man tag certainly lived up to the press's expectations . Man that was exciting. Sting winning with the overhead press and splash would of been a sight to see. Sting really has momentum going in his favor right now. You're doing a great job getting the young American wrestlers over with the Japanese crowd.

 

Yeah, exactly, the idea was to get guys like Owen, Pillman, Scorpio and so on over with our fans now in the hopes of getting a big payoff by having new gaijin stars coming over in the future. Also, it was a blast to book.

 

I like that both you and rain remarked on the visual of Sting slamming Hashimoto. I think that was a big moment that our fans will remember. Sting vs Hash could be huge money down the line a few years!

 

Another great card. Love the way every young gaijin got their moment to shine on that card, especially in the semi-main.

 

And Owen's reputation is about to precede him worldwide!

 

Thanks. Giving everyone a moment to shine was absolutely one of my main goals in booking the YLS.

 

All of the young gaijin get a chance to look good. I loved the Yamada/Owen match with a heel Owen. Liger was always better paying back a dickish heel than in any other mode. The 10 man elimination tag was indeed great and lived up to the hype. Facekickers getting the win is great because Kawada/Fuchi is one of those teams I wish we had gotten about a thousand more matches from IRL.

 

Kawada & Fuchi is kind of a dream team for me as well. Hopefully pairing them up will strap a bit of a rocket to Kawada's back. It's time for a select few of our young lions to start getting pushed a little more (Kawada, Misawa, Hashimoto, and maybe Takada will be the ones we start with, I think).

 

Just an all around spectacular show! I of course loved seeing Sting win and now I need to find a way to bring that back into the WWF fandom... perhaps someone had a handheld. All around through, your presentation is spectacular and the pictures from the games just make it that much better. Awesome stuff from Japan!

 

I'll ask Asahi TV if they can prepare a tape package for you. You prefer VHS or Betamax?

 

Our fans remember Sting well from his prior excursion to Japan. He'll always be welcome here.

 

Hopefully a few other gaijin young lions made a strong impression this month.

[GeneJackson95]

Awesome stuff, I agree about the added visuals from the video game really adds to the presentation. AWA and Japan are really two hotbeds for the developement of young talent in the project.