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!