UWF Newborn

[Control21]

Quote

 

August 1st, 1988

As expected, UWF’s second show last Tuesday was a sellout. As with the first show, the initial reaction seems to be positive with some criticism about the heavy emphasis on realism and the lack of traditional pro-wrestling “spots” but there is no doubt there is a massive audience for the UWF style of wrestling and that there are no signs of any initial problems in terms of being able to build up and move forward. There have been some particular comments made about Nobuhiko Takada’s win over Yoshiaki Fujiwara via submission. Some think Takada is being built up as UWF’s twin star to Akira Maeda, others feel that Yoshiaki Fujiwara is clearly better and deserves more shine. Weekly Pro Wrestling commented that Fujiwara’s popularity is more ingrained with the traditional pro-wrestling audience, and it would be wise for UWF Newborn to trust him more often. Still, it is still very early days for UWF.

As for the rest of the card, there was a lot of praise for Minoru Suzuki’s performance. Some press articles commented on his natural grappling abilities and sense for timing and speed. Masakatsu Funaki had a strong showing as well, and some other commentators in Japan were surprised by Ryuma Go’s new approach to wrestling. Go has struggled to cement his place as a top star in Japan after a promising start in the late 1970s. While Funaki lost in a decisive fashion, there is a general consensus that he still looked quite promising. Akira Maeda won against Osamu Kido via submission, and going by the post-match crowd reaction, there is no doubt Akira Maeda is one of the most popular and celebrated wrestlers in Japan at the moment.

UWF will look to continue their momentum with their next show on August 8th, which has been seemingly confirmed for Sapporo by some reports early this week. As commented last week, it will be an interesting test for UWF, especially for whether or not they can maintain their cult-like popularity outside of Tokyo. Shinji Jin, the president of UWF, must feel pretty confident if he is already planning shows for places like Sapporo.

[Control21]

Card Announcement:

UWF Newborn – “Fighting Network Sapporo”

August 8^th, 1988

Nakajima Sports Center

Sapporo, Japan

Masakatsu Funaki vs Yoji Anjo

Minoru Suzuki vs Shigeo Miyato

Tatsuo Nakano vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara

Akira Maeda vs Ryuma Go

Nobuhiko Takada vs Kazuo Yamazaki

 

[Autistic Dragon]

Solid card heading to Sapporo.

[Control21]

Quote

 

August 4^th, 1988

Reports are starting to emerge from Japan that the meeting between Satoru Sayama and Shinji Jin did occur as planned last week and that the discussion went well. Details are scarce as of press time, but Gong Magazine did manage to confirm that a press conference is tentatively scheduled for August 14^th. The report did not mention who would be attending, but the timing suggests a major development might be brewing.

Of course, nothing is confirmed until it is announced, but a return to professional wrestling by Satoru Sayama would be a game-changing move in Japan. Sayama has long thought to be done with wrestling after the 1985 incident with Akira Maeda. The idea of Sayama working in professional wrestling, let alone with Akira Maeda, would have been considered utterly crazy just a few months ago. People in Japan would have laughed you out of the room. But professional wrestling is a crazy business, and it seems it might deliver another crazy event.

Sayama is famously known for his Tiger Mask gimmick, which he used during his run in NJPW earlier this decade. By now, most readers of this newsletter know the story with Sayama quite well. Despite his popularity and industry-changing matches with Dynamite Kid, Sayama made the move to the first UWF in 1984 after a scandal rocked NJPW. Hisashi Shinma, the creator of the Tiger Mask gimmick and key NJPW figure, convinced Sayama to join him. It was only a matter of time before Sayama got new ideas that led to the development of the shoot-style. As philosophies clashed, a key relationship in Japanese professional wrestling between Shinma and Sayama ended very quickly. Shoot-style took off as a new in-ring style and Akira Maeda became a star. Maeda and Sayama would later have their own differences. The rest, they say, is history.

After the incident with Maeda, in which Sayama suffered a shoot kick to the groin, Sayama left professional wrestling. Sayama has since been reported to have started a gym focused on the art of “shooto,” which is apparently a modern form of mixed fighting that takes influences from several martial arts. Sayama has held a few amateur events featuring various trainees and practitioners of shooto, and tapes of these events are very hard to get, even in Japan. Sayama has declined several interview opportunities over the years, and has become somewhat secluded. He has made a few public appearances, but he hasn’t said much. He even published a book a few years ago that exposed some of the secrets of professional wrestling, which caused a bit of an uproar to say the least. Perhaps his return would give UWF some more legitimacy when comes to the promotion’s emphasis on “being real.”

It will be interesting to see what comes of the press conference. Ideological differences are bound to exist, but that has been often the case in professional wrestling. Sources within Japan are quite surprised, and there is a lot of buzz over what could happen over the next few weeks.

 

 

[rainmakerrtv]

The potential return of Sayama is a real game changer.

[spaldoni]

I'm fascinated by the history and all the behind the scenes business. You're doing an outstanding job with these write ups. 

[LowBlowPodcast]

Great work on the backstory which helps some like me that have no clue about any of these guys. Makes me wonder if a shoot fighting US promotion could do something with guys like Vader, Shamrock, Blackman, and others.

[Control21]

14 minutes ago, LowBlowPodcast said:

Great work on the backstory which helps some like me that have no clue about any of these guys. Makes me wonder if a shoot fighting US promotion could do something with guys like Vader, Shamrock, Blackman, and others.

It would have been interesting if someone tried that in the late 80s as MMA hadn't taken off in the US yet, so I wonder if it could have reshaped the perception of wrestling with US fans like shoot-style did with Japanese fans until PRIDE sucked all the oxygen out of the room.

[LowBlowPodcast]

Just now, Control21 said:

It would have been interesting if someone tried that in the late 80s as MMA hadn't taken off in the US yet, so I wonder if it could have reshaped the perception of wrestling with US fans like shoot-style did with Japanese fans until PRIDE sucked all the oxygen out of the room.

Do you think PRIDE was worked? I mean... there had to be some legitimacy but I feel like a lot of that was behind the curtain.

[Control21]

2 minutes ago, LowBlowPodcast said:

Do you think PRIDE was worked? I mean... there had to be some legitimacy but I feel like a lot of that was behind the curtain.

Some fights in PRIDE were worked like Takada's later matches with Otsuka and Coleman, but the majority were real. How many fights were "fixed" by dirty money is another question and one we might never know the answer to, but I'd say most of it was clean.

[Control21]

UWF Newborn – “Fighting Network Sapporo”

August 8^th, 1988

Nakajima Sports Center

Sapporo, Japan

Attendance: 5,200 (sold out)

As usual, the UWF wrestlers on the card are introduced one by one as they enter the ring. Maeda and Takada speak, thanking the fans for coming to Sapporo and making the show a success. Maeda promises a great event for the fans and says that Takada will be in the main event tonight as he has earned the opportunity.

Masakatsu Funaki vs Yoji Anjo

Funaki came out sharp and determined after his brutal loss to Ryuma Go on the last show. Anjo initially kept up the pace with him during an extended grappling battle on the mat, but Funaki was slicker and had better counterwork, making Anjo expend his energy faster. On the stand-up, Funaki’s striking abilities were on full display with stiffer strikes than before. With that said, Anjo knocks down Funaki once while Funaki gets two knockdowns before the 12:00 mark. In the closing stretch, Anjo is forced to use his second rope escape during the match making the match 2-2. Funaki decides to take the match to the mat for the final time to finish Anjo off, quickly capturing him in a heel hook during a leg lock exchange. Anjo is caught by surprise and taps. Funaki wins via submission (heel hook), 12:32

Minoru Suzuki vs Shigeo Miyato

While things have not gone Miyato’s way, nothing is stopping him from improving. There is a bit of a “young lion” rivalry here if you can call it that, as both are eager to cement themselves in the promotion as the better talent. Miyato and Suzuki start things off the canvas in a grappling contest, with Miyato showing off his ability in catch-as-catch-can by keeping Suzuki grounded and working for a better position. Miyato prefers a slower pace, and his more calculated approach keeps Suzuki from working on the quick transitions that he prefers. Miyato goes 1-0 up on Suzuki after he forces Suzuki to get to the ropes twice. A frustrated Suzuki stands back up with Miyato and shows him his ability as a striker is not far from Funaki’s. Miyato keeps his cool and exchanges with his opponent, delivering some sharp low kicks aimed at putting pain on Suzuki’s legs. Miyato catches Suzuki off guard with a high kick and goes 2-0 up after another knockdown.

The match continues on the mat again after Suzuki gets Miyato back on the canvas and this time he is the dominant grappler and keeps Miyato moving with some excellent counterwork, even reversing a standing rear-naked choke into a kneebar by rolling through Miyato’s legs. In the finishing stretch of the match, Suzuki catches Miyato with a stiff palm strike. As Miyato goes down, Suzuki quickly takes advantage and gets his opponent into a guillotine choke on the canvas. Miyato struggles to break free and despite his reluctance to do so, taps out. Miyato leaves the ring after the match in clear frustration, kicking guard rails as he exits. Suzuki wins via submission (guillotine choke), 15:34

Tatsuo Nakano vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara

Nakano is looking to test his luck against the veteran ring general, Fujiwara. Nakano shows he is not afraid to step up to his superior, throwing some vicious palm strikes to get his opponent on the back foot. Nakano gets a surprise a few minutes in when he knocks down Fujiwara after some furious strikes to the face. Fujiwara dusts himself off in a timely fashion but Nakano continues to keep on the pressure. Nakano even manages to click onto Fujiwara and gets a belly-to-belly suplex off. Nakano tries to work a cross armbreaker on Fujiwara, but this is where he makes his first mistake. Fujiwara reverses it by leaning into Nakano and managing to somehow get Nakano’s leg for a heel hook. Nakano quickly scrambles to the ropes for a break and the two stand up. Nakano manages to get two more knockdowns on Fujiwara in the next few minutes! Nakano goes 3-0 at around the 8:00 mark and the crowd begins to rally firmly behind Nakano in this shocking development. Fujiwara realizes that he needs to teach the young Nakano a lesson and begins to show why he is one of the best defensive wrestlers in the world. Fujiwara lures the firey Nakano into several traps, and even manages to catch Nakano by surprise with a vicious headbutt! Nakano is knocked down and the score is now 3-1. As Nakano gets up in time, Fujiwara gets wrist control and brings Nakano down to the canvas.

As Fujiwara manages to get Nakano into a grappling contest, he keeps his young opponent scrambling for the ropes and after a rope escape, Fujiwara gets the score at 3-2. Fujiwara keeps the pressure on Nakano, becoming a demon on the canvas, and begins to toy with his opponent in several ways. After Nakano struggles for more rope escapes, Fujiwara gets the score at 3-3 around the 16:00 mark. Finally, Fujiwara shows Nakano that sometimes you have to bring more to a match to beat a cold-blooded veteran by giving him a series of headbutts as they are locked up near a turnbuckle. Nakano collapses into a heap and the referee gives a full 10 count before Nakano can recover. Fujiwara wins via KO, 17:11

Akira Maeda vs Ryuma Go

This was a contest of pure technical ability in the art of striking. Ryuma Go continued his form from the last event and was not afraid to get up close and personal with his opponent, even if it is Maeda himself. Go showed off his abilities in palm striking, and low kicks, and even uses several forearm uppercuts to keep Maeda staggered. Maeda is on the back foot for the first half of the match and goes down 2-0 in knockdowns after the first 6:00. As Ryuma Go appears to gain the advantage though, Maeda comes roaring back with his trademark high kicks and even a rolling roundhouse! Maeda begins his comeback as he gets Go for the first knockdown and it is 2-1. A firey striking contest continues, with some brief exchanges of grappling on the canvas, but the two prefer to settle this the old-fashioned way. Knockdown after knockdown, the match approaches the 16:00 mark with both men tied at 4-4. An increasingly violent Maeda finally lures Ryuma Go in, catches him with a counter palm strike, and then finishes him off with a vicious high kick that clearly connects and is audibly heard in the arena. Ryuma Go collapses to the canvas and Maeda wins via TKO. An excellent contest if you love striking in the mold of a heavyweight boxing fight. Maeda wins via TKO, 16:55

Nobuhiko Takada vs Kazuo Yamazaki

Takada is on a hot streak, and Yamazaki is looking to put a stop to that. Takada comes out swinging, testing Kazuo’s striking ability with his own by being active with both low kicks and high kicks. Yamazaki does a good job of playing defense and is content with exchanging strikes with his opponent for now. With both unable to get their opponent on the backfoot, they lock up in the middle of the ring and Yamazaki quickly takes down Takada by wrapping his leg with his own. Takada plays turtle defense and does a good job of keeping Yamazaki looking for an opening. Yamazaki attempts to go the rear-naked choke but Takada doesn’t give an inch. Takada attempts to go for Yamazaki’s leg in a reversal but Yamazaki dodges and the two stand back up to the applause of the crowd. The next stage of the match features some more grappling on the canvas, with Yamazaki having a slight edge as he forces Takada to go for a rope break twice in the span of a few minutes. Yamazaki is 1-0 up at around the 7:00 mark. This gets Takada going, and he is more forceful in his strikes as he launches some fierce high kicks which send Yamazaki stumbling. Takada gets Yamazaki in the clinch and he delivers some sharp knees, this is enough to send Yamazaki to the canvas and the referee starts his first count of the match. Yamazaki gets up relatively quickly. With things tied at 1-1, they go back to the canvas. Another round of grappling sees neither gaining the advantage. They decide to take things back to the stand-up and this is where things get interesting. It doesn’t take long for each to score a knockdown and things are tied at 2-2 in the 15:00 zone.

This is an even contest and neither are looking to give an inch. Yamazaki manages to get Takada to the canvas again after hitting a snappy side suplex. He doesn’t waste much time to get side control on Takada and he works for a kimura. Takada has excellent defense still, and this frustrates Yamazaki as he attempts to weaken Takada with a few palm strikes to his ribs. Takada feels their effects and feels his arm tighten enough to scramble for the ropes. This happens to be the second rope break for him in this stretch and the score is now 3-2 Yamazaki. The rest of the match is very even, and it is now Takada’s turn to get Yamazaki scrambling for the ropes after he manages to catch Yamazaki’s leg for a kneebar. It’s 3-3 now at the 22:00 mark as Yamazaki is also forced to use a second rope break. The last few minutes pick up the pace and they start landing some strikes, sending each other stumbling backward. The ring announcer calls out the 25:00 mark in typical dramatic fashion. Proving that any moment can end a match in UWF, Takada catches Yamazaki with one of his trademark high kicks to the cranium. Yamazaki is out! The referee sees no point in a count and he calls for the bell. Takada jumps in the air in celebration and climbs the turnbuckles to take in the adoring crowd. What a match! Takada beats Yamazaki via KO, 25:46

Takada is sure to raise Yamazaki’s hand as well, congratulating him on the great match. The crowd gives their approval for Yamazaki and they appreciate his effort in the main event. Afterward, Takada grabs the microphone and he thanks the fans for coming and supporting UWF. He also says that winning feels great and he wants to prove himself further. He is open to any match at any time. Takada bows in the ring and the fans chant “TA-KA-DA! TA-KA-DA!” as the UWF theme plays In the background.

[Autistic Dragon]

I'd say it's safe to say that the UWF Reborn proved two things tonight.

1. They can sellout a show outside of Tokyo.

2. Maeda doesn't have to be in the main event to sellout.

[spaldoni]

I agree with AD, the buzz has spread and here come the sell outs. 

Funaki rebounds well from his Go loss. 

I can see why Miyato was frustrated. He was so close. 

The young gun Nakano came out swinging but the old vet Fujiwara showed him how it's done. That finish was brutal. 

The Maeda/Go match was exactly what I thought it would be. What a fight! Maeda wins it, but it was hard fought. 

Takada deserved to celebrate after that epic main event. This is the kind of match that will keep the fans coming back. 

Once again, your match descriptions are so well detailed. Props to you and all your hard work. 

[Control21]

UWF Newborn Special Press Conference

August 14^th, 1988

(assume all comments are translated)

Reporters quickly gather in the press room and get their cameras ready as the “two-minute warning” is given. The cameras quickly get to work as Satoru Sayama and Shinji Jin come out, nicely dressed in tailored suits. They sit down as the sound of cameras snapping photos fills the room.

Shinji Jin: I would like to thank everyone for being here today. This is a special day not only for UWF but for wrestling as a sport. I am incredibly honored to be joined by Satoru Sayama today. Satoru Sayama is widely regarded as one of the best to ever grace the ring, and he has continually innovated himself and the industry as a whole. We are very pleased to announce today that Satoru Sayama will be joining UWF to present his new vision of fighting to the world. As you may know, Sayama is currently the president of Shooto, an organization that is focused on producing a modern approach to combat sports. As part of our deal with Mr. Sayama, some other renowned individuals from Mr. Sayama’s organization will be joining UWF as well. We will also promote Shooto through other means, such as through our programs and promotional material. Again, we are very pleased to announce Satoru Sayama is now an active wrestler for us. I will now let Mr. Sayama speak.

Satoru Sayama: Thank you, Mr. Jin. It is an honor to join you today and have the opportunity to rejoin the world of combat sports. I say combat sports because I not only believe in my work with Shooto, but I also believe that UWF represents wrestling as a real sport. Mr. Jin has done an incredible job to revitalize the UWF idea and make its vision a reality once again. With that said, I am also very eager to present my ideas that will make this vision even stronger. Mr. Jin was very kind to meet me in private, without anyone else, and any press. He listened to my ideas and desires very thoroughly. Mr. Jin presented a very interesting and fair offer. With the support of Mr. Jin and UWF, I felt that I could improve as a wrestler and fighter and that my fellows in Shooto would benefit as well. I am sure in time the Shooto way of fighting will prove to be the strongest in UWF. I know that you will have many questions for me, as I have not been entirely public over the past few years. Please keep in mind that I will be fully honest with my answers. Thank you.

Reporters rush to get their questions out, and the UWF media representative slowly gets to them one by one.

Reporter #1: Mr. Sayama, you left professional wrestling in 1985 after a confrontation with Mr. Maeda. Have you spoken to Mr. Maeda at all? What did you say to him?

Sayama: I have not spoken with Mr. Maeda, and I do not feel the need to. I am sure in time we will cross paths. But for now, it is not something that is required. Mr. Jin assured me that there would be no issues, and I do not think this deal would be possible with the objection of Mr. Maeda.

Reporter #2: Do you have any regrets about writing your book a few years ago? Many have said that it exposed professional wrestling and harmed its reputation.

Sayama: I do not have any regrets. I am sorry if certain people felt offended by my book, but I wanted to speak truthfully about professional wrestling. As I stated earlier, I do not view UWF as professional wrestling. In my eyes, it is real wrestling. I think the fans understand this difference as well. I do not think there will be any problems.

Reporter #3: You have not wrestled in three years. The last time we saw you in the ring, you were yourself. While another Tiger Mask has popped up in All Japan Pro Wrestling, people have had a hard time accepting it. Is Tiger Mask dead?

Sayama: I had many great memories wrestling as Tiger Mask. It was an honor to inspire so many with that mask. Tiger Mask will always be with me, but I want to move on. I believe I can inspire so many more as myself. I have great respect for Mr. Baba and I understand business, but their Tiger Mask is a different one. I apologize. As far as I know, Tiger Mask is no more. I have done my work in Shooto with the belief that I can be recognized by changing the world of combat sports without the mask.

Reporter #4: Can you speak more about your work with Shooto and how you envision your approach in UWF?

Sayama: Yes, of course. I know it’s been difficult for the press to access my Shooto events, but I did not trust the media to cover it. I believe Japanese combat sports media is still dominated by those who respect their connections with professional wrestling promotions. I apologize again for offending anyone, but I think there was a reason why my departure from professional wrestling was criticized, and that’s also why my book was widely criticized. In any case, Shooto is combing the art form of kickboxing, Japanese jiu-jitsu, and catch wrestling. As some who have attended my events can attest, it is a modern form of fighting I believe it can become the top fighting style in combat sports. I will carry that style into UWF, along with my fellows in Shooto.

Some murmurs and audible comments can be heard from the press, and another reporter is picked out to ask a question.

Reporter #5: Can you tell us more about who will be joining you?

Sayama: I am very pleased to say that my former student and now a teacher at Shooto, Yorinaga Nakamura, will be joining me. As you may know, Mr. Nakamura is a talented catch wrestler who has traveled the world teaching the art form and learning other fighting styles. He is also the winner of the first Shooto event I held in 1986. Mr. Nakamura’s most prized student, Erik Paulson, will also be joining us. Mr. Paulson has been trained by Mr. Nakamura in the United States. He was the first American to fight in Shooto this year. Mr. Paulson is an excellent catch wrestler, and he has the potential to become even better than Mr. Nakamura himself. I am sure Mr. Nakamura would agree! I even heard he gave a fellow by the name of Rickson Gracie some trouble. Laughs

But in all seriousness, Mr. Paulson was scouted by Mr. Jin last week and he was very impressed. Finally, two of my current trainees will also be joining. Yasuto Sekishima is one of my best fighters from the past two years and has a very respectable record. He is still learning, but he has earned several great victories against other opponents. Mr. Sekishima will prove to be an excellent fighter. Manabu Yamada will be joining the UWF dojo. Mr. Yamada has just started training at Shooto, and he will combine the training that he will receive at the UWF dojo to become an even better person and fighter. Young Yamada will please any crowd he will fight in front of in due course.

Thank you all for your questions. I would like to turn this over to Mr. Jin, who I am sure would be pleased to answer any other questions you may have.

Jin: Thank you Mr. Sayama for your comments. I look forward to working with you. I think this relationship will reshape the world of combat sports. Additionally, I would like to announce that Mr. Sayama will wrestle his first match with us on August 22^nd. UWF will hold its biggest event to date at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo. Mr. Sekishima, Mr. Paulson, and Mr. Nakamura will also make their first appearance on that show. Ticket details will be released very shortly. I will now be happy to take any questions.

Reporter #1: Mr. Jin, ticket sales for UWF have been very strong so far. What made you decide to host the next show at Ariake Coliseum?

Jin: Thank you for your question. So far, our indicators have shown there is a great demand for what we are presenting to the fans. We decided that an outdoor show in August that aligns with other public festivities for the month would be a great idea. We are very confident that we can put on a great show for the fans and we thank the fans for their continued support.

Reporter #2: Can you provide any details on how the agreement with Mr. Sayama came about?

Jin: I am sure Mr. Sayama would be happy to provide further details if he wishes in the future. I would like to respect the privacy of our discussions for now. I will say though that Mr. Sayama has always had a passion for wrestling and combat sports, and that we share a mutual love for bringing UWF to the world.

Reporter #3: It was previously reported that Mr. Maeda would be making a trip to the Soviet Union next month. Can you confirm if this trip is still planned, and how Mr. Maeda was selected to be an ambassador?

Jin: As you are aware, Mr. Maeda was selected by the Japanese government to be one of our sporting ambassadors to the Soviet Union. In this official capacity, he will be attending the Moscow World Cultural Festival scheduled for September 8^th – September 14^th. Mr. Maeda is deeply honored by this role given to him by the government and looks forward to representing UWF and our sport in Russia. He will be attending several Soviet combat sports exhibitions, including SAMBO, freestyle wrestling, and Greco-Roman wrestling. I will let your imagination do the rest, but Mr. Maeda is focused on representing our country in a very important occassion ahead of the Olympics this year. I am not a politician and will limit my comments here, but I think this event will further the cause of world peace through sport and culture.

Reporter #4: Mr. Maeda also visited the Netherlands last week. Can you comment on how that meeting went?

Jin: Thank you for asking that question, I planned on commenting on that. Mr. Maeda told me that the trip went very well and that Mr. Chris Dolman was very open to working with us and providing talent. Mr. Dolman himself commented that he was eager to test his skills against the best wrestlers in the world. I believe we now have an agreement in place with Mr. Dolman where we will see at least one other fighter from his Free Fight Holland gym participate in our show on August 22^nd. We will announce the card at a future date, but you can be assured you will see Dutch representation.

Reporter #5: We previously reported at Weekly Pro Wrestling that UWF will send scouts to the Olympics. Can you tell us more about what you would be looking for? Finally, Mr. Sayama mentioned the UWF dojo, can you tell us more about that?

Jin: UWF is very eager to attract the best fighters and wrestlers in the world. Naturally, we would be interested in viewing relevant events unfold at the Olympics. We don’t have anything in particular in mind, but we will certainly be watching with a keen eye. As for the UWF dojo, we have indeed established one. Mr. Yamada will join the incoming class. We are still applying entrance exams to applicants and nothing is official yet, but I will take the liberty to mention some of our top candidates. Kiyoshi Tamura, Masahito Kakihara, and Yusuke Fuke have proven to be very promising and I am sure they will be successful in finishing all required trials soon.

Once again, thank you all for your questions. We also thank the fans for their continued support and hope we can continue pleasing them. We will be happy to take any further questions through our media representative. With that said, I would like to conclude our press conference. I look forward to seeing some of you again at our show on August 22^nd.

[Autistic Dragon]

Great, organic way to lay out all the happenings at the UWF as they head into their (hopefully) biggest show to date.

[kevinmcfl]

I really enjoyed this interview.  It gave some real insights into your world if the UWF and how it is different from pro wrestling.  It also gave some interesting details on the state of pro wrestling in Japan in the 1980's.  How did you get interested in this hobby.  

[Control21]

21 minutes ago, kevinmcfl said:

I really enjoyed this interview.  It gave some real insights into your world if the UWF and how it is different from pro wrestling.  It also gave some interesting details on the state of pro wrestling in Japan in the 1980's.  How did you get interested in this hobby.  

Thanks! I figured it would be a good way to explain all the pieces that are moving and introduce Sayama and his motivations for coming back. I'm trying to roll things out bit by bit so I can look forward to introducing new wrestlers every month and give decent backstories to how certain people may be returning or arriving on the scene. 

As for this hobby...well, in terms of wrestling in general, my first exposure to it was probably watching Lucha Libre tapes as a kid. One of my parents lived in New Mexico and you could find a whole bunch of them at swap meets and stuff like that. I got into WWF shortly afterward. I could go on all day about my evolution as a wrestling fan, but I would say guys like Blue Panther and Bret Hart laid the foundations for my appreciation of technical wrestling. That probably led me to shoot-style, which I really got into several years ago. Promotions like UWF Newborn and RINGS really appealed to my personal tastes and how I would envision my ideal version of professional wrestling. In terms of fantasy booking, I was browsing this forum and realized DoW was in 1988, which was right when UWF 2.0 takes off. I needed a creative outlet, so I figured I would take the opportunity to write about my favorite type of wrestling. I actually haven't really done this before.

[kevinmcfl]

Glad to have you.  Awesome work with UWF Newborn.  Very interesting and educational for me.

[Jimmy Jack Punk]

Yeah, much like most of the others I have 0 knowledge of shoot style in this era but you are doing a good job of introducing every one to it and getting us acclimated. Kudos for the hard work that clearly goes into these shows.

[Control21]

 

Quote

 

August 15th, 1988

One of the biggest developments for professional wrestling in Japan, at least in recent memory, was confirmed yesterday during an extraordinary press conference. Satoru Sayama, who was accompanied by Shinji Jin (UWF's president) confirmed that he was returning to professional wrestling. Sayama emphasized "combat sports" instead, promoting his work with Shooto and underlining UWF's focus on "realism." Shinji Jin said that UWF would promote Sayama's Shooto events through UWF's media such as programs. Sayama's return is dominating headlines in Japanese wrestling media, although various rumors haven't made this a total surprise. There is a lot of interest in how Sayama will get along with other personalities in UWF, particularly Akria Maeda. Sayama said during the press conference that he had not spoken with Maeda yet and that there wasn't a need to. Perhaps this is half a shoot, and half a work, as there could be certainly plans for the two to meet down the road if they can agree to work together. Also confirmed at the press conference were three other wrestlers (or fighters, if you will) from Shooto, including Yasuto Sekishima, Yorinaga Nakamura, and Erik Paulson. Nakamura is one of the first Shooto students and is currently a co-instructor with Sayama, and Paulson and Sekishima are two very promising Shooto guys who have already had an impact in Sayama's organization. 

Shinji Jin also announced that UWF's next show will be at Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo. This will be their largest event to date with a potential capacity crowd of 12,000. Tickets went on sale on Monday, and reports already suggest that they sold out within six hours, although this newsletter hasn't been able to confirm that yet. If that is the case, especially at the prices they were selling at, the next event could very well enter into the top 10 live wrestling gates of all time with at least half a million dollars. Speaking with sources in Japan, there is a building consensus that what UWF is building is incredible, that Akira Maeda is probably one of the hottest wrestlers in the world, and that Nobuhiko Takada is not far behind. Initial skepticism is slowly fading and some Japanese outlets, especially Gong Magazine, are readjusting their coverage to account for the explosive popularity of UWF. UWF's format isn't for everyone, but after reviewing the tape from their first two shows, it is clear that UWF is able to build a silent type of heat in their matches, and that the crowd is significantly invested in the outcomes as a result. They get lost in the product being presented and fully believe it. The real question is how long UWF can maintain interest without a TV deal. News on this front seems to be silent in Japan, but you can probably guess that Shinji Jin is working on it. 

Some other interesting items were discussed at the press conference, including Akira Maeda's trip to Russia next month, and UWF sending scouts to the Olympics. This appears to confirm our earlier reports that UWF has been interested in the Koslowski twins since launching a few months ago. Duane Koslowski in particular is seen as a medal contender in the men's Greco-Roman 130kg category. Dennis Koslowski is viewed as more of a dark horse in the Greco-Roman 100kg category. In any case, they would both add more legitimacy to UWF, and we should know more about their plans sometime after the Olympics end in early October. 

Norman Smiley and Wayne Shamrock will certainly be making their debut on UWF's August 22nd show at Ariake Coliseum. Smiley in particular is said to be very excited about the prospect and is eager to wrestle in front of the Japanese audience in the UWF style. It is expected that UWF will confirm the card for the show sometime this week. Chris Dolman, a SAMBO world champion that runs the Free Fight gym in Holland, and Dick Vrij, a Dutch kickboxer training at Dolman's gym, are also set to be on the card.  It continues to be remarkable that UWF can sell tickets even without a confirmed card. If the momentum continues, the next few months are setting up to be even more transformative for the young promotion.

What did Dave Meltzer say? (a new feature in these newsletter posts, linking to some Wrestling Observer summaries from 1988, at least if I feel it is relevant)

July 18th, 1988

July 25th, 1988

 

 

[Autistic Dragon]

Cool idea linking to actual Dave Meltzer articles.

[Control21]

Card Announcement:

UWF Newborn - "The Professional Bout"

August 22nd, 1988

Ariake Coliseum

Tokyo, Japan

Minoru Suzuki vs Masakatsu Funaki

Wayne Shamrock vs Yasuto Sekishima

Erik Paulson vs Yorinaga Nakamura

Tatsuo Nakano vs Yoji Anjo

Osamu Kido vs Norman Smiley

Ryuma Go vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara

Nobuhiko Takada vs Chris Dolman

Satoru Sayama vs Kazuo Yamazaki

Akira Maeda vs Dick Vrij

[Autistic Dragon]

It's only natural that for the UWF's biggest crowd, they bust out their biggest card yet.

[spaldoni]

The UWF is quickly becoming a ground breaking promotion in our game. It's really cool that you've brought something different. 

I loved the press conference. It really moved things forward and enlightened me on a lot of things. It was a solid format in giving the fans an idea of what's in store for UWF. It also put over the foreign competition really well. I can only assume everybody wants to see Maeda vs. Sayama. 

Smart move going to the coliseum. Good way to capitalize on the UWF demand. 

The next show is a big turning point with more international competitors competing. Can't wait until the Russians come. 

[LowBlowPodcast]

Wayne's World is about to be unleashed on the UWF. I will be honest - if Shamrock was there in the draft - he and his mullet were coming to me no matter what. Either way - he is where he belongs and a place where I think he'll flourish.