UWF Newborn

[Autistic Dragon]

Some great first round action in store.

[Control21]

UWF Newborn - "U-COSMOS Grand Prix 1989: First Round"

September 27th, 1989

Tokyo NK Hall

Chiba, Japan

Attendance: 7,000 (sold out)

Broadcast: WOWOW (live)

The UWF theme opens the show and after Nobuyuki Furuta's opening announcement, we get the full parade of wrestlers to a raucous crowd in Tokyo NK Hall. We get a few opening words from both Akira Maeda and Nobuhiko Takada, as well as Vader who is brief but to the point. Vader promises a quick victory and a demonstration of why he is "the one to beat" in this tournament. Lou Thesz, also in attendance tonight, gives some remarks as well and says he is honored to open the inaugural U-COSMOS Grand Prix and poses with his "historical world heavyweight championship," which will of course be the grand prize of the tournament. The WOWOW commentators go over tonight's tournament bracket and lineup, and things get underway soon after with the opening bell.

Minoru Suzuki vs Yoji Anjo

A very competitive opener between Anjo and Suzuki saw the latter take the initiative from the start, with Suzuki going for a host of takedowns to get Anjo to the canvas, Anjo seemed to be frantic in his defense as Suzuki had a great sense of urgency with his submission offense. Suzuki found openings early, and quickly racked up several points through rope breaks as Anjo seemed to be struggling under the spotlight. The Tokyo crowd got behind Suzuki more as the match went on, which made Anjo’s job even more difficult. Anjo managed to settle into the match to a degree, but Suzuki seemed to be the driver of this match for most of the duration. Anjo shined when he used his quickness to counter some of Suzuki’s proficient grappling, but this was Suzuki’s night. With a 3-2 lead on points going into the final few minutes, Suzuki regained control and finished the match with a double wristlock takedown that ended as a submission, with Anjo tapping out reluctantly. Suzuki defeats Anjo via submission (double wristlock), 11:31

Norman Smiley vs Erik Paulson

Norman Smiley found a tougher match than expected with Erik Paulson, who was quite crafty with a variety of strikes and submission attempts that seemed to fluster Smiley at first. Paulson found ways to threaten Smiley seemingly out of the aether, and Smiley had to rely on his defense to weather the storm during the first few minutes of the match. The Gotch-trained wrestler from Northampton eventually made some key adjustments and started to regain control of the match as Paulson found his strikes being better timed by Smiley, who used them to reverse his fortunes to surprise Paulson on the mat with some slick grappling. Smiley also used a more methodical approach to control the tempo, which played into his favor. The match settled at a 2-2 tie on points, with Smiley almost submitting Paulson with an Achilles hold before Paulson got the ropes to break the hold. Paulson attempted to surprise Smiley with a high kick, but Smiley caught it and did a beautiful counter that turned a strike into a crucifix pinfall for the victory. Smiley defeats Paulson via pinfall, 13:49

Dennis Koslowski vs Shigeo Miyato

The U.S. Olympian never seemed in danger against Miyato, who at times did challenge his opponent on the mat, but Dennis Koslowski was in full control and out grappled his opponent. Koslowski had a very technical and smooth approach, flustering Miyato with effective freestyle wrestling takedowns and reversals. Miyato’s opponent steadily built up a 3-0 lead on points after Miyato kept going for the ropes to escape Koslowski’s submission attempts. Miyato tried re-establishing himself by going for more of a strike-based approach, but Koslowski held his ground despite being knocked down. After Miyato tried repeating his success, Koslowski stunned Miyato with a powerful Dragon suplex that was turned into a full-nelson for a submission victory. Koslowski defeats Miyato via submission (full-nelson choke), 10:47

Volk Han vs Wayne Shamrock

It seemed like the UWF fans in NK Hall were anticipating this match quite a bit based on their reactions to each entrance and the match itself. Perhaps for good reason, as both Volk Han and Wayne Shamrock have proven themselves to be dangerous opponents while making a name for themselves with their abilities. Volk Han seemed to have the upper hand at first, luring Shamrock into situations where he could utilize his joint control techniques to take the offensive. Shamrock attempted to flip his way out of Han’s trademark wrist control, but Volk immediately took him to the mat and got control of Shamrock’s legs for a leg lock attempt. Shamrock rolled his way out for his first rope break, and this continued to be a problem for Shamrock as Volk continued to hunt for ways to catch his opponent by surprise. Shamrock made some adjustments and attempted to overpower Volk with a variety of suplex attempts. The Dagestan grappler found himself being tossed around but eventually found a way to counter one of the attempts into a double-wristlock takedown. While Shamrock was rapidly improving as a wrestler, Volk’s ability to counter and reverse holds became Shamrock’s weak point as he could not match the SAMBO specialist’s timing. At times, the two engaged in brief striking battles and Volk’s unorthodox striking moves sometimes caught his opponent by surprise as well, including a spinning backfist and an axe kick. The latter resulted in a knockdown for Volk as he gained a 2-1 lead on points. Shamrock attempted to use his muscle power to overwhelm Volk again with strong takedowns and another suplex attempt, but Volk caught Shamrock off-guard again with a rolling kneebar that ended as a submission victory. Han defeats Shamrock via submission (rolling kneebar), 13:21

Masakatsu Funaki vs Chris Dolman

Funaki has enjoyed a very strong 1989, firmly establishing himself as perhaps the brightest young talent in UWF. While many in the Japanese press were predicting a deep run in the tournament for Funaki, Chris Dolman had other ideas. The Dutch judoka presented a formidable challenge to Funaki, and Dolman pressed the initiative from the opening bell. Dolman used his sizeable frame to smother and slow down Funaki, particularly on the mat. Funaki had to rely on a more strategic approach when it came to his grappling as Dolman controlled the opening few minutes with a cautious approach, often frustrating Funaki with simple but effective submissions as he constantly tried to make Funaki work to get out of his predicament. A forearm choke was eventually enough to cause Funaki to scramble to the ropes for the first rope break, and Dolman seemed pleased with his approach. Funaki continued to struggle as Dolman made life difficult for him, using his size and Judo skills to keep his opponent on the defensive and often leveraged the weight difference to easily get Funaki on the canvas again with a variety of throwing techniques. Dolman established a solid 2-0 lead on points after he continued to press Funaki with a basic but effective submission-based approach. Funaki enjoyed certain stretches of the match where he mixed things up and utilized strikes to catch Dolman by surprise, and a series of low kicks to Dolman’s left knee ended in a knockdown, getting Funaki back into the match at 2-1. But Funaki continued to make the mistake of trying to prove a point on the canvas, and Dolman eventually lured Funaki into a rear-naked choke from which there was no escape. Much to the surprise of a lot of people in the crowd, Dolman was advancing. Dolman defeats Funaki via submission (rear-naked choke), 15:09

Super Vader vs Tatsuo Nakano

Vader wanted to prove a point right away, and he did. The spirited Nakano put up a fight, but this was a total mismatch. For every palm strike or low kick Nakano got on Vader, the super heavyweight responded with a devastating body punch of his own. The crowd cheered wildly for Nakano every time he got a hit on Vader, but Vader quickly silenced them with a huge fallaway slam. About three minutes into the match, Nakano started to feel the full force of Vader’s power as he fell victim to a nasty German suplex. Nakano was completely dazed, allowing Vader to finish off a very quick but frantic match with a massive face-first powerbomb, which busted open Nakano’s nose for extra effect. With a near-lifeless Nakano face first on the mat and dripping blood from his nose rapidly, Ryogaku Wada didn’t bother finishing the ten count and immediately called off the match in favor of Vader. Vader defeats Nakano via KO, 4:07

After the match, the bloodied Nakano is escorted out of the arena on a stretcher, and the commentators play up the devastation Vader has left in his wake.

Salman Hashimikov vs Dick Vrij

In a significant contrast of styles, Hashimikov and Vrij had quite an interesting match. Dick Vrij did everything possible to avoid going to the ground with the accomplished freestyle wrestler, and used rope breaks liberally to escape his grasp every time the Chechen got the Dutchman. The dynamic between the two drew excitement from the crowd, and Vrij found himself down 2-0 quite fast due to his strategy. Hashimikov continued to press Vrij, although Vrij attempted to halt his opponent’s momentum by going for several knee strikes whenever Hashimikov attempted a leg takedown. This resulted in a knockdown in Vrij’s favor, but Hashimikov was quick to get back up. After five minutes, it appeared Hashimikov had the upper hand as he managed to Vrij for a German suplex, followed by a belly-to-belly suplex. Vrij was steadily being worn down, and despite landing more kicks on Hashimikov’s legs, this was Hashimikov’s night and after another German suplex, Vrij went down for another knockdown, taking the match to 3-1 on points. Vrij was resistant to being put away, but his reliance on rope breaks would eventually lead to an exhaustion of all his points, giving Hashimikov the match via TKO. Hashimikov defeats Vrij via TKO, 9:48

Atsushi Onita vs Duane Koslowski

Both wrestlers had a methodical approach to this match. Neither was afraid to get down to the mat, and they were quite confident in their abilities. Koslowski seemed to have the edge at first, using his Greco-Roman background to work a variety of upper-body holds whenever Onita managed to get on his feet. Onita would eventually present several challenges for Koslowski though, with his Luta Livre background coming into use. The American was not entirely familiar with Onita’s skill set, but this didn’t deter Koslowski and the two settled into a protracted ground battle on the canvas. The pace was slow, but it wasn’t entirely dry either as the two were capable of creating moments of excitement with their abilities. Onita came up with quick reversals when Koslowski pressed him with a mount, and Koslowski was able to use his Greco-Roman abilities to catch Onita with a surprise throw or suplex. The match settled at 2-2 by the 12:00 mark, with Koslowski getting a knockdown after Onita took his time to get up after a hard belly-to-belly suplex. Onita and Koslowski mixed in strikes here and there, but they preferred to keep this on the ground and the pace started to pick up as both had increasing urgency to advance to the next round. After a brief striking exchange in which Onita created an opening for himself, Onita caught Koslowski with a sweet leg entry that resulted in a knee scissors. Caught in the middle of the ring, Koslowski did his best to escape the hold or ease the pressure, but eventually had no choice but to tap or risk possible injury. Onita defeats Koslowski via submission (knee scissors), 16:02

Akira Maeda & Joe Malenko vs Nobuhiko Takada & Chris Benoit

Maeda and Takada were quite familiar with each other. Their partners, Joe Malenko and Chris Benoit respectively, were less so but they immediately found each other worthy opponents as Maeda and Takada both opted for their partners to start the match. Benoit seemed comfortable in this setting and locked up with Malenko as they tested each other slowly but surely. Malenko worked for a double wristlock while Benoit was content with playing defense and going for a leg takedown. The two warmed up the crowd for a great main event as they went back and forth, with neither finding solid momentum. Takada and Maeda soon followed, and they immediately turned up the notch on excitement as they traded a variety of strikes before Maeda took Takada down to the mat. They didn’t waste any movement, but they took their time and a few rope breaks were traded as a result. Whenever Maeda or Takada faced off against their opponent’s partners, they clearly had the upperhand despite Malenko and Benoit making things interesting for them. Benoit and Maeda had an interesting dynamic in particular, and Benoit proved why he was the most highly touted graduate of the Hart Dungeon in recent years. Benoit’s savvy grappling gave Maeda a few fits before the current #1 ranked wrestler in the UWF re-established control after catching Benoit with a Capture Suplex. Takada and Malenko weren’t as explosive, but they showcased highly technical grappling and defensive wrestling in the process. After several minutes of intense tag team action, Takada was eliminated by Maeda after a well-timed high kick allowed Maeda to apply an Achilles hold to submit his foe and eliminate him from the match. Benoit quickly managed to return the favor by catching Malenko in a guillotine choke that also resulted in a tap-out. Benoit and Maeda were the last men standing, and the two managed to take each other to a stalemate for the final few minutes until Maeda caught Benoit with another Capture Suplex. This time, Maeda went for a pin to secure the victory. 1…2…3! Maeda celebrated his victory while Takada regrouped with his partner and patted him on the back for the great effort. Maeda & Malenko defeat Takada & Benoit, 20:04

With a tournament matchup potentially on the horizon soon, Takada and Maeda shake hands, although you could say they were reluctant with the competitive spirit very much a factor for both. Benoit shakes hands with Maeda and Malenko too, and Maeda acknowledges the effort he put in tonight, which the crowd picks up on. Maeda and Malenko soak in the moment a bit more. The WOWOW commentary crew does a recap of tonight's events and analyzes the bracket heading into the next round. They promote next month's show on October 29th in Sendai, which will feature the next round of matches and more! They sign off, and WOWOW's rolling credits follow, set to Queen's "We Are The Champions."

[Autistic Dragon]

The Grand Prix is off to a hot start. Vader in particular looks like an absolute beast!

[rainmakerrtv]

In classic style, Vader mulches Nakano. My boy Volk takes out Shamrock but has an incredibly tough draw in the second round against Maeda.

[spaldoni]

The much anticipated tournament has arrived! 

Tonight's matches really set the tone. 

I thought Doleman's upset would be the buzz of the night, until the next match with Vader. Vader looked like a beast tonight! I can't wait to see how Vader vs. Backlund goes. 

You did such a great job of building this promotion and giving us a look into the wrestler's backgrounds. I think that is what really puts this tournament over. We now know who all these guys are, so now we're invested in how they do in this tournament. 

Can't wait for round 2!

 

[Control21]

Quote

 

October 14^th, 1989

The first round of the U-COSMOS Grand Prix can be considered a huge success for UWF, which sold out Tokyo NK Hall in the run-up to the much bigger Tokyo Dome finale in December. Those in attendance said most of the matches were pretty good and ended up as expected, although one significant upset occurred when Chris Dolman defeated Masakatsu Funaki. The Japanese press was pretty stunned by the outcome, as most expected Funaki to make a deep run. Although perhaps Maeda wanted to do a favor for Chris Dolman (especially with Dick Vrij losing against Soviet wrestler Salman Hashimikov), who has been an early supporter of UWF’s global outreach with his gym based in Holland. Other notable matches include Volk Han defeating Wayne Shamrock via submission, Vader defeating Tatsuo Nakano in a total squash, and the main event which saw Akira Maeda and Joe Malenko defeat Nobuhiko Takada and Chris Benoit in a tag match. Chris Benoit has earned some praise for his adjustment to the UWF style and many thought he looked like a legitimate threat in a match that featured three highly-regarded wrestlers with real skills in combat sports. The event was aired live on WOWOW and the broadcast network said it was one of its most successful live events so far this year, beating out one or two boxing events.

The second round of the U-COSMOS tournament is shaping up to be quite action-packed, and the main event will see Volk Han and Akira Maeda have their third match of the year. Bob Backlund will also square up against Vader in a match that will probably be the most interesting to readers. Vader has looked incredible so far in his UWF run and Bob Backlund may be up against a wall early. Regardless of the outcome, this match will most likely be incredible in the context of the UWF style. Aleksandr Karelin will be facing Dennis Koslowski in a very interesting match that will see the American freestyle wrestler and Olympic medalist go up against perhaps the best Greco-Roman wrestler in the world and someone who could go on a very deep run in the tournament.

A very interesting and major story broke last week thanks to a report from Baseball Magazine. Naoya Ogawa, a highly regarded Judo prospect in Japan and a two-time gold medalist from this year’s World Championships in Belgrade, announced that he would be leaving Judo to become a pro wrestler. At 6’4 and 200+ lbs, Naoya Ogawa has the build and skills to become an immediate star in Japan. Ogawa said that his decision was a difficult one but the money in pro-wrestling right now was too difficult to pass up. Some commentators have said that Ogawa may have grown tired of the criticism he has received over his unorthodox approach to Judo. Speculation has been rampant about which promotion Ogawa will join. Antonio Inoki has been talking to Tokyo Sports and saying that Ogawa could be a golden ticket for New Japan and that he has had conversations with him. Giant Baba, who has had success with major prospects like Genichiro Tenryu and Jumbo Tsuruta, has proclaimed that All Japan would be very interested in securing Naoya Ogawa’s services. Of course, UWF is also keen and they have scouted him during the past year. There is also some speculation that Ogawa has already met with UWF officials, including Shinji Jin. For now, it’s unclear where Ogawa will be heading but this is a story worth keeping an eye on in the coming weeks. 

In other news, Ahmed Johnson will likely make his debut for UWF at their upcoming show later this month. He has been one of the talents scouted over the past few months in the United States. The former WCW Power Plant trainee has a background in a variety of sports, including amateur wrestling. Ahmed Johnson was seen as a promising prospect by some in the US but for one reason or another, he hasn't broken through and Ahmed decided to try his luck in Japan instead.

 

[Autistic Dragon]

Ahmed Johnson could be big in Japan.

Ogama is set to be subject of a serious bidding war.

[Control21]

UWF Newborn – “U-Cosmos Grand Prix 1989: Second Round”

October 29^th, 1989

Miyagi Sports Center

Sendai, Japan

Attendance: 7,000 (sold out)

Broadcast: WOWOW (live)

The WOWOW commentary crew greets the viewing audience shortly before the official bell time. They break down tonight's matches and hype up an increasingly high-stakes tournament. After a TV worthy fireworks and light show, the UWF theme begins playing and we get the parade of wrestlers. They enter one-by-one, with Maeda, Takada, Fujiwara, Vader, Backlund, Volk Han, and Karelin all getting the loudest receptions of the evening. Maeda and Takada speak, promising another great night of action. Both Vader and Backlund speak as well, and they seem pretty amped up for their upcoming match with both confident in beating the other.

Ahmed Johnson vs Mark Fleming

Ahmed Johnson’s UWF debut couldn’t have gone any better. The athletic Johnson had a background in multiple sports, including amateur wrestling, and he quickly transitioned to the UWF style against a formidable opponent in Mark Fleming. Johnson impressed the crowd with his active movement and quick takedowns that frustrated Fleming, who had to rely on a more strategic approach to defeat Johnson’s advantage with size and quickness. Johnson appeared to gain the upper hand after landing a huge belly-to-belly suplex on Fleming and going up 2-0 on points after forcing Fleming to go for his fourth rope break of the match. But the student of Lou Thesz had other ideas and changed the momentum of the match after going to work on Johnson’s left knee and focusing on keeping Johnson grounded. Fleming managed to get a point back after Johnson was forced to go for another rope break. Johnson attempted to get the upper hand again with another suplex, but Fleming weathered the storm and got Johnson back onto the mat. Despite Ahmed Johnson’s promising UWF debut, Fleming managed to secure the victory with a kneebar.  Fleming defeats Johnson via submission (kneebar), 11:44

Atsushi Onita vs Yorinaga Nakamura

Onita had solidified himself as one of the top up-and-coming talents in UWF, and his transition from an AJPW junior to a legit Luta Livre specialist couldn’t have gone any better. Onita had his hands full with Nakamura though, who was much more skilled and experienced. Nakamura’s striking was also an ace up his sleeve, and this caused issues for Onita in the early stretch. Onita repeatedly felt the power of Nakamura’s kicks on his thighs and lower legs, which opened up some opportunities for a flurry of palm strikes and body punches. Onita attempted to hold his own and fight back but found himself down 2-0 due to consecutive knockdowns by Nakamura. With Onita shaken up, Nakamura shifted his strategy to the ground. Attempting to outsmart his opponent, Nakamura went for a variety of leglocks which seemed to fluster Onita at first. After exhausting a rope break, Onita seemed to settle down and refocused, finding a comfort zone in battling Nakamura for leglock supremacy. Onita also found success in some clever counterwork, working from beneath as Nakamura was perhaps a bit too flashy with his grappling sometimes. Onita found his way back 2-1 on points after another rope break from Nakamura, and this opened the match up as Onita started to go on the offense with some great takedowns. The match seemed to settle at a 2-2 stalemate as Onita continued to press the advantage, although Nakamura enjoyed another period of supremacy on the mat after a double-wristlock takedown led to an extended control period. Onita found good fortune with a Judo-inspired throw that turned into a pinfall opportunity, and Nakamura struggled to break free from a shoulder lock that kept him pinned. Yuji Shimada counted to three and Onita celebrated his victory, advancing to the next round of the Grand Prix. Onita defeats Nakamura via pinfall, 15:16

Chris Dolman vs Kazuo Yamazaki

After his huge upset win over Funaki, Dolman looked to continue his run and felt confident going up against Yamazaki. Yamazaki had the obvious reach advantage with his strikes, although this didn’t stop Dolman from attempting to grapple with Yamazaki, and he found success early on. Dolman sought to control the pace of the match and keep the more agile Yamazaki off the speedtrack. The Dutchman was successful with this strategy, and Yamazaki had to exhaust a few rope breaks with Dolman’s control and ability to work methodically for submission holds. Whenever Yamazaki got free though, the pace of the match changed as Yamazaki landed several strikes on Dolman. Yamazaki’s ability to land these strikes grew more successful as time went on whenever he managed to get on his feet and break from Dolman’s grasp. A well-timed combo from Yamazaki gave him a 2-1 lead on points, and Yamazaki didn’t look back as he continued to focus on strikes to throw Dolman off his game. Yamazaki’s advantage eventually grew to 3-1 and with Dolman starting to tire, he took him to the ground a bit more and started to work for a submission victory. Yamazaki’s efforts paid off as he managed to snag a cross-armbreaker in the middle of the ring, and Dolman tapped out. Yamazaki defeats Dolman via submission (cross-armbreaker), 10:31

Salman Hashimikov vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara

In one of the more highly anticipated bouts of the evening, Hashimikov proved to be a formidable opponent for Fujiwara. The Chechen freestyle wrestler used his strength early on to pull off various suplex attempts on Fujiwara, who tried to be creative and weasel his way out of the attempts. Hashimikov was successful with most of them though, giving Fujiwara’s fans an early scare. Fujiwara also struggled to deal with Hashimikov’s size on the mat, and Hashimikov achieved an early 1-0 lead after forcing his opponent to exhaust two rope breaks. One downside to Hashimikov’s opening strategy is that it caused him to fatigue a bit early, allowing Fujiwara to get back into the match. Fujiwara, a patient wrestler when he wants to be, waited for the right moment to get Hashimikov down to the mat, reversing a lower body hold into a double-wristlock takedown. Fujiwara grew into the match from here on out and proved why he was one of the more dangerous wrestlers in the UWF in terms of his ability to even the playing the field with any opponent, including one like Hashimikov. Hashimikov had some moments as well, but this was Fujiwara’s night. Around the 14:00 mark, Hashimikov attempted to lift Fujiwara for a Water Wheel Drop, but Fujiwara managed to stay on his feet and took his opponent down for a Fujiwara armbar. Hashimikov struggled to get to the ropes, but Fujiwara held on for the victory. Fujiwara defeats Hashimikov via submission (Fujiwara armbar), 14:26

Norman Smiley vs Satoru Sayama

Satoru Sayama was in prime form for this match, delighting the crowd at the Miyagi Sports Center with sharp strikes and great wrestling on the mat. Norman Smiley was up for the challenge and credibly held his own. The two had some fantastic moments on the mat, and Smiley had a few surprises up his sleeve with some creative counterwork and submission holds. After the match settled at 1-1 with both exchanging rope breaks, Sayama continued to pick up the pace and gave Smiley something to think about more with more targeted strikes, especially those aimed at Smiley’s legs. Smiley attempted to reverse some of Sayama’s leg kicks into takedowns, and was successful with a few of those kicks. Sayama did well to avoid Smiley’s leglocks and started to take the match back on their feet as much as possible, knowing Smiley’s striking defense wasn’t as good as his wrestling. Sayama earned himself two knockdowns within a few minutes and built up a 3-1 lead on points. Smiley continued to fight on and found some luck again taking Sayama down the mat with some good arm takedowns. Smiley managed to get another rope break from Sayama after a heel hook attempt, leading to a 3-2 scoreline going into the 15:00 mark. The back-and-forth action finally settled down as Sayama regained control of the match after a DDT-esque move took the wind out of Smiley. Smiley struggled to find his feet as Ryogaku Wada initiated a ten count. Beating it just in time, Smiley attempted to launch one more comeback attempt but Sayama connected with a high kick to send Smiley down to the mat for the final time. Sayama defeats Smiley via TKO, 16:11

Aleksandr Karelin vs Dennis Koslowski

Dennis Koslowski looked to accomplish one thing his brother Duane couldn’t do in the Olympics – beat Aleksandr Karelin. Of course, that would be a tough task for just about everyone. Karelin had the clear weight and size advantage and used this in the early minutes of the match to easily control Koslowski on the mat and establish a good amount of momentum. Koslowski remained patient and used some great defensive wrestling to keep the damage to a minimum. As expected, the match mostly remained on the canvas and both wrestlers chose to participate in very little striking. Koslowski had some creative counterwork up his sleeve, which surprised Karelin at times as he reversed several holds to catch Karelin with a move of his own, including a slick back takeover that led to a rear-naked choke, leading to a moment where the Sendai crowd believed for one second that Karelin might lose. Karelin used a rare rope break to get out of the predicament. Karelin started to exert more of his strength to grapple with Koslowski on his feet and managed to execute a huge Dragon suplex to knock the wind out of Koslowski. Karelin regained control of the match and built up a 3-0 lead on points as Koslowski had opted to use several rope breaks so far. Karelin displayed his growing submission skills on the mat again and nearly caught Koslowski with a cross-armbreaker. Koslowski was on the proverbial ropes when Karelin impressed the Sendai crowd with a series of two gutwrench suplexes, with the second one leading to a pinfall attempt. Koslowski was exhausted, and Motoyuki Kitazawa counted to three. Karelin would be advancing, and Koslowski would be going home despite his best efforts. Karelin defeats Koslowski via pinfall, 14:06

Super Vader vs Bob Backlund

Both wrestlers came into this highly anticipated match on an undefeated streak of some sort. Backlund had the longest run, and he certainly wanted to prove a point against another American opponent that he was slightly familiar with. Vader was not bothered by Backlund’s pedigree and seemed quite focused on the task at hand. Both wrestlers made their entrances to warm receptions from the crowd. After ring introductions were finished, the two immediately locked up as the bell sounded. Backlund was on the receiving end of early body punches from Vader, who followed a similar strategy from his previous matches to overwhelm his opponent. Backlund fired back with sharp palm strikes and low thrust kicks to Vader’s thighs, but the big man remained on the front foot and Backlund had a lot to deal with. Vader got an early side suplex on Backlund and took the decorated amateur wrestler to the mat, using his pure size and strength to immediately lock him up with a shoulder hold. Backlund had a ton of skill but even he was helpless to break free from Vader. Vader took the opportunity to pound Backlund with several open-hand strikes, and Backlund did everything he could to escape the perilous situation. Luckily for Backlund, he somehow managed to get his feet to the bottom rope to get a rope escape. The two started trading bombs again on their feet, and Backlund even went for a rare dropkick to get Vader off his game. Backlund attempted a single-leg takedown and tried to get his much larger opponent to the mat but Vader picked him up for a huge bodyslam. Whether he liked it or not, Backlund was getting his thunder stolen from Vader.

The match continued with Vader dictating most of it, Backlund’s wrestling ability came at very little use against someone like Vader, and he was forced to try and stun his opponent somehow. This led to Vader knocking down Backlund more often than not, leading a 2-0 lead on points after Backlund managed to beat two ten counts. In another standup exchange, Backlund finally managed to do some damage to his opponent with a series of flying elbows to Vader’s head, and this finally caused Vader to take a knee, which allowed the referee to give Vader a ten count of his own. Vader had no trouble beating it of course, and took revenge on Backlund by giving him a massive German suplex. Vader took Backlund to the mat again and attempted to get an ankle lock, but Backlund twisted around his body and broke free. Backlund went for another single-leg takedown, and once again ran into a wall as Vader defended well and picked him up for a powerbomb. Backlund was dazed, and Vader knocked him down with a standing lariat. Vader opted to finish the match on the mat and beat his opponent at his own game. With Backlund helpless, Vader locked in an Anaconda vice, and Backlund, despite his own pride, eventually opted to tap out. Vader didn’t even bother to celebrate his victory, perhaps displaying that he was confident he would win all along. Vader defeats Backlund via submission (Anaconda vice), 16:07

Nobuhiko Takada vs Minoru Suzuki

Suzuki surprised not only his opponent but the audience with his early success against Takada. The young hotshot wrestler was eager to impress and surprised Suzuki with a clever leg takedown followed by some spirited and highly energetic grappling on the mat. Takada relied on his experience to remain calm and eventually found even footing with Suzuki as he lured him into several grappling traps with patient counterwork. Suzuki was able to get Takada to go the ropes two times before things settled down though, and eventually both found themselves tied 1-1 on points. Takada opened the match up more with his trademark striking abilities, which were better than Suzuki’s of course. Takada picked his spots to weaken Suzuki’s advance and landed a few high kicks that took the wind out of his opponent. Suzuki’s strategy relied on getting Takada back to the mat, but Takada managed to delay such an approach to the point where Suzuki grew frustrated. Takada seized the initiative and landed more kicks on Suzuki, eventually leading to another knockdown. A similar story repeated quite often as the match continued, with Takada building up a 3-1 lead eventually heading past the 10:00 mark. Suzuki’s fans in the audience, which were obviously fewer in number compared to the Takada fanbase, urged their favorite on. Suzuki managed to get Takada to the mat with a clever rolling double-wristlock takedown and quickly attempted to lock in the same hold near the center of the ring. Takada struggled to break free and for a moment it seemed like Suzuki was about to secure a massive upset, but his opponent eventually managed to scoot towards the ropes and escaped Suzuki’s submission attempt. With the crowd frenzied, Takada came firing back on his feet with a huge strike combo and finished it off with another high kick, which sent Suzuki down to the mat for the final time for the KO victory. Takada defeats Suzuki via KO, 16:19

Akira Maeda vs Volk Han

In their third meeting in a year, Volk Han and Akira Maeda lived up to expectations as they immediately treated the Sendai crowd to a thrilling opening few minutes. The Dagestani grappler gave Maeda all he could handle with a variety of creative takedowns and throws, forcing Maeda to exhaust two rope breaks very early as Volk Han looked for submissions whenever he got the chance on the mat. Volk Han’s 1-0 lead didn’t get into Maeda’s head too much though, and the crowd favorite steadily got back into the match on the strength of his ability to outstrike Volk Han from a distance. Maeda also found success in dictating the tempo on the mat, where slowing down Volk Han was the key. Maeda’s leglock defense was better than it was in April, and it seemed Maeda was well aware of Volk Han’s strength there. Maeda reclaimed the lead on points at 2-1 after getting Volk Han down twice in a span of a few minutes, which seemed to catch Volk by surprise. Volk attempted to get back at Maeda with with a spinning backfist and a flurry of low kicks, but Maeda latched on to Han with a shoulder lock and took him back down to the mat, where he looked for a cross-armbreaker. Volk attempted to defend but eventually opted for the ropes when Maeda got the target arm loose. Maeda went up 3-1 after catching Volk Han with a gutshot by thrusting his leg into him, leading to another knockdown. Volk Han beat the ten count from Soranaka and quickly went back to work, focusing on getting Maeda back down to the mat and away from his strikes. Volk reclaimed control of the match with a series of rope breaks from Maeda as Han’s submission skills came into play, and Maeda’s strategy of control faded with Volk’s increasing urgency. The match settled at a score of 3-3 on points, and Maeda realized that to win the match, he needed to keep Volk on his feet. Maeda did well to defend Han’s takedown attempts and managed to get his opponent on the back foot with his trademark kicks. Maeda scored another knockdown, and with a 4-3 lead, he quickly sought to finish the match via TKO. Han was visibly fatigued, with his hands on his knees. Sensing the opening, Maeda launched another high kick that knocked the Dagestani off his feet for the final time. Volk proved to be a worthy opponent once again, but Maeda had the better strategy and advanced to the next round. Maeda defeats Han via TKO, 23:11

Another great night of tournament action is recapped by the commentary team, and they preview the upcoming matches. They note the interesting matchups in Vader vs Takada and Sayama vs Fujiwara, with the latter two renewing their rivalry from the days of the original UWF. Some backstage comments are given by Akira Maeda, who heaps praise on Volk Han but says tonight was his night, and he looks forward to a tough match against Yamazaki. The next show is announced for Hiroshima on November 30th! We get the sign-off from WOWOW, and the rolling credits play with highlights set in the background with Queen's 'We Are The Champions.'

 

[Autistic Dragon]

Johnson looks strong even though his UWF debut ends in defeat.

Backlund makes Vader look like a killer.

Looking forward to Karelin take on Onita in the next round.

[Scarlet-Left]

The write-up for Vader versus Backlund was great!

The tournament is shaping up nicely!

[spaldoni]

Sorry for falling behind.

Johnson impresses but Fleming's experience pays off. 

Onita's been on fire and it continues as he advances. 

Yamazaki's plan works as he stops Doleman's recent momentum. 

Fujiwara was clicking on all cylinders. 

I give Smiley a lot of credit. He took some serious shots but kept coming back. Sayama earned that one. 

Koslowski gave it his all but Karelin's suplexes sealed the deal. Karelin vs Onita is going to be a very interesting match up. 

I was really looking forward to Backlund vs. Vader. Vader once again looks like an absolute beast as he dominates Backlund.

Suzuki came so close to a huge upset but Takada's flurry at the end did the job. 

Maeda advances after another tough fight with Han. These guys tore the house down again. 

Can't wait for the next round!