UWF Newborn

[Jimmy Jack Punk]

It's crazy to realize that the guy who became best known for his "Big Wiggle" dance years later in WCW was a convincing shooter 10 years prior.

[Control21]

1 hour ago, Jimmy Jack Punk said:

It's crazy to realize that the guy who became best known for his "Big Wiggle" dance years later in WCW was a convincing shooter 10 years prior.

Yeah, Smiley is really underrated. He also had a great career in CMLL as Black Magic during the early 1990s. 

[Control21]

UWF Newborn – “The Professional Bout”

August 22^nd, 1988

Ariake Coliseum

Tokyo, Japan

Attendance: 12,000 (sold out)

All eighteen competitors are introduced, with the crowd giving a warm welcome to the newcomers, and thunderous cheers for both Maeda and Takada, and perhaps even a louder one for Sayama. Maeda grabs the microphone and thanks the crowd for coming, and says that tonight's event is both historic and proof that UWF is here to stay. Takada thanks the fans as well and promises a great event. Finally, Sayama takes the microphone to even more cheers and says that he is happy to be back in the ring and will give it his all. "Thank you all for coming, please keep supporting us as we take UWF to new heights. Tonight, Shooto and UWF collide!"

Minoru Suzuki vs Masakatsu Funaki

This was a very even contest from the start. Neither Funaki nor Suzuki had the advantage for the first 7 minutes or so of the match, with it being almost exclusively grappling on the canvas. Both were quick with their counterwork and transitions, avoiding any serious submission attempts from their opponent and keeping each other busy, working for a dominant position. We see more of a stand-up game between these around the 10-minute mark, with both scoring a knockdown each as they start delivering hard palm strikes. With the score tied at 1-1, the match opens up a bit more on the canvas as they head for another round of grappling. Funaki grows more confident and bolder as time wears on, sending Suzuki scrambling for two rope breaks by the 13:00 mark. At 2-1, Suzuki knows he needs to close the gap and the crowd is lively as they head into the finishing stretch with Suzuki trying to get Funaki on the back foot. Funaki catches Suzuki as he attempts a double-leg takedown and manages to find Suzuki’s arm from a north-south position for a kimura lock! Funaki keeps Suzuki some distance from the ropes and Funaki scores the victory via submission. Funaki defeats Suzuki via submission (kimura), 16:11.

Wayne Shamrock vs Yasuto Sekishima

Wayne Shamrock finally makes his debut for UWF and his opponent is another debuting wrestler, who is from Sayama’s Shooto gym. Yasuto Sekishima is smaller in frame compared to Wayne Shamrock, who isn’t quite built like a Greek god yet but still has muscle on a leaner Sekishima. Shamrock quickly finds out that size isn’t exactly holding his opponent back as Sekishima shows off some snappy kicks and sharp palm strikes that he learned in Shooto, and his length helps him keep Shamrock at a safe distance despite the size differential. Shamrock takes a few minutes to adjust to his unknown opponent, preferring to play a conservative defense as he weathers the striking storm. Shamrock manages to lull Sekishima to the canvas as he manages to grab his arm for a wristlock. Sekishima responds by attempting a slick leg takedown on Shamrock but the North American grappler avoids any serious setbacks. Sekishima shows off some very cool grappling counterwork and transition work, showing his quickness and giving Shamrock all sorts of trouble as he makes Shamrock work to avoid giving off any openings. This becomes a very fun match as Shamrock and Sekishima go to work with the grappling, giving each other fits in their unique ways. Sekishima with his quickness and athleticism, and Shamrock with his size advantage and strength. The points stand at 2-2 around the 11:00 mark as each uses two rope breaks in an exciting grappling duel on the canvas. The two stand back up and we get another extended striking exchange, this time with Shamrock showing off his strength with his palm strikes. Sekishima attempts some nice kicks and even tries a rolling high kick which Shamrock avoids. This gives Shamrock the opening to snag Sekishima into a Dragon Suplex! The power of the suplex dazes Sekishima and Shamrock takes him down and locks in a heel hook as Sekishima scrambles for the ropes on his stomach. Shamrock keeps him from reaching the ropes and Sekishima taps! Shamrock defeats Sekishima via submission (heel hook), 13:37

Erik Paulson vs Yorinaga Nakamura

Another set of new debutants for UWF. Yorinaga Nakamura comes in with some mystique, and Erik Paulson is eager to prove himself. Paulson, like Sekishima, has a bit of a smaller frame compared to Nakamura but uses that to his advantage by being quicker. Nakamura isn’t afraid to close the distance though, knowing Paulson’s style inside and out from the Shooto gym. As with the previous match, this turns out to be quite fun with Paulson showing off his slick grappling abilities, while Nakamura shows off some very cool tricks of his while countering most of what Paulson throws at him. Paulson is perhaps too eager, as Nakamura controls the first 5 minutes of the match easily, sending Paulson to the ropes twice as he threatens to get a submission. It’s a similar story with the stand-up, as Nakamura isn’t afraid to stand toe-to-toe with Paulson and sends the younger Shooto student to the mat with some stiff palm strikes. 2-0 up, Nakamura finishes the match quite stylishly by hooking Paulson’s leg after a clinch, and he rolls with Paulson into a “banana split” position, hooking both of Paulson’s legs for the submission victory. The crowd was very pleased by that display of grappling prowess from Nakamura.  Nakamura defeats Paulson via submission (banana split), 10:52

Tatsuo Nakano vs Yoji Anjo

A fiery contest between two of the younger roster members on UWF looking to establish themselves more. Anjo is looking for his first win. If you like palm strikes and kicks, this match had a whole lot of them. Nakano tries using his size advantage to control most of the match, but Anjo proves to be learning the secrets of grappling waza on the canvas. This ends up pretty even at about 3-3, rope breaks and knockdowns both, as it heads into the 15:00 mark, with the crowd torn between the two. Anjo gets Nakano to the canvas again after scoring a nice German suplex. Anjo grabs Nakano’s legs for a Boston Crab and locks it in pretty tight in the center of the ring. Nakano tries to get to the ropes but he is forced to tap as his energy dwindles. Anjo gets his first win in UWF! Anjo defeats Nakano via submission (Boston Crab), 15:57

Osamu Kido vs Norman Smiley

Norman Smiley makes his debut in UWF after spending several weeks in Florida, training with Karl Gotch and Bart Vale. This proves to pay off as Norman Smiley shows off his athleticism and conditioning against Osamu Kido, applying various techniques learned over the past month. Kido does prove to be a worthy opponent though, and controls the first 7:00 of the match, keeping Smiley from posing any serious threat. Kido isn’t as quick but does show great grappling defense and counterwork on the canvas, making Smiley work for any advantage. As the match wears on, Smiley grows bolder and starts to show off some great striking techniques, particularly some low kicks that cause Kido to slow down and grimace in pain. Smiley scores a knockdown here. Kido manages to score two knockdowns and makes Smiley go for the ropes twice, giving him a 3-1 advantage as the match heads into the 15:00 mark. Norman Smiley wows the crowd with a flying armbar as he locks in Kido with some nice wrist control! He takes Kido down to the mat, and with his arm locked in tight, Kido taps almost immediately. Even with the decisive loss, Kido congratulates Smiley after the match and pays his respects to another student of Karl Gotch. Smiley defeats Kido via submission (flying armbar), 16:04

Ryuma Go vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara

A relatively quick and brutal match that sees Ryuma Go continue his tremendous fighting form. Fujiwara responds in kind as the two exchange some brutal palm strikes. Go’s low kicks are just as powerful, which sends Fujiwara reeling. By the 5:00 mark, we already see two knockdowns apiece as they do not relent with the pace or striking power. Not much grappling in this match, although they do test each other on the canvas twice briefly where Fujiwara has the clear advantage.  If Fujiwara is tested enough, he unleashes the headbutts. Go makes the mistake of clinching with Fujiwara, and Fujiwara delivers some sharp headbutts as a response. Go falls to the canvas with a bloody nose and fails to get up by the count of 10. Fujiwara is your winner! The crowd very much enjoyed this despite its briefness. Fujiwara defeats Ryuma Go via KO, 9:41

Nobuhiko Takada vs Chris Dolman

This proves to be a very interesting matchup as Chris Dolman, debuting for UWF, comes out wearing a traditional red SAMBO gi with blue sweats. Dolman is both a judoka and sambist by training. Takada forgoes the gi as expected and only dons his black tights and kick pads. Dolman proves tough to handle at first, using his stocky frame and strength to show off a few nicely executed throws, influenced by both his training in Judo and SAMBO. This catches Takada by surprise and he appears to struggle with Dolman’s willingness to close the distance and clinch with his opponent. Takada’s kicks don’t deter Dolman much as he gets Takada to the canvas again with a sweeping leg takedown. Here we see Dolman’s grappling come into play a bit more. Dolman isn’t as quick as Takada might be, but his ability to keep Takada from using much defense with his tight holds and good positioning makes Takada use his first two rope breaks by the 6:00 zone. Takada re-adjusts and tries to keep his distance from Dolman better, making more use of his kicks and better reach to make Dolman work for another takedown. Dolman does manage to get off a nice Ippon-seoi-nage on Takada, which causes Dolman’s opponent to stay down long enough to get the referee to call for a count.  The final two minutes of the match see Takada take the initiative and throw some tremendous kicks and even hits a rolling high kick on Dolman. This causes Dolman to go down for his first count and he appears to be a bit dazed. He tries to get up by the count of 10 but the referee calls for the bell. Dolman appears a little confused as he argues he got up in time but the referee raises his fists as a gesture, suggesting that Dolman needed a better signal. With that said, Dolman and Takada shake hands and bow to each other. The fans show their appreciation for both and Dolman certainly got them going with his nice throwing techniques. Takada beats Dolman via KO, 11:55

Satoru Sayama vs Kazuo Yamazaki

The long-awaited return of Satoru Sayama to the squared circle proves to be a success. The clash between Sayama and his former student delivers, with Sayama showing off his sharp striking abilities and demonstrating he hasn’t missed a beat. Yamazaki responds in kind, but Sayama feels motivated and keeps the pressure on. On the grappling side, the two test their mantle on the canvas early, and while Yamazaki is the quicker of the two, Sayama’a defense and counterwork prove to be very good, and he mostly keeps Yamazaki at bay, controlling the early battle. Sayama’s ability to pull guard and exploit his opponent’s openings frustrates Yamazaki. The match continues to be both even and exciting, as the striking game resumes and Sayama begins to show off his old style, landing smooth jumping kicks. They both score a knockdown on each other by the 10:00 mark, makings things even at 1-1. By the 15:00 mark, Sayama’s strength on the mat comes into play and Yamazaki is forced two use two rope breaks in due course. At 2-1, the pace of the match does not let up, as they continue to trade battles with the stand-up and grappling. Yamazaki and Sayama make things even at 3-3 by the 20:00 mark, with Sayama scoring another knockdown before Yamazaki has a brief period of great offense, which causes Sayama to lose his footing twice. Regardless, Sayama keeps his cool and catches one of Yamazaki’s low kicks, converting it into a single-leg takedown and then locking in a kneebar. Yamazaki attempts a brief leg lock battle, but Sayama’s experience pays off and he eventually snags the leg just enough to force Yamazaki to tap. The fans cheer for Sayama quite loudly as he is announced the victor, and Yamazaki pays his respects to his former teacher. Sayama defeats Yamazaki via submission (kneebar), 23:27

Akira Maeda vs Dick Vrij

Maeda comes out to Camel’s “Captured” with a rapturous crowd providing the background noise with “M-AE-DA!” timed to the music. Maeda’s opponent tonight is a bit of an unknown, but as soon as Dick Vrij comes out, the crowd recognizes he means business. The Dutchman with somewhat extravagantly dyed hair and long black tights is almost built like the Terminator, and certainly stands as an imposing figure, at least one worthy enough to be in the same ring as Maeda. Vrij is billed as a kickboxer by the announcer, and he quickly proves the danger he poses as the match gets underway. His strong, sharp kicks and well-timed palm strikes immediately pose a challenge for Maeda. The crowd is molten hot for this match, as they urge Maeda on against the Dutchman, who is almost cyborg-like in his approach. Maeda tries to use his reach to keep Vrij at bay, but Vrij just keeps coming, with low kicks that audibly connect in the Ariake Coliseum. Maeda winces, certainly feeling the power of those kicks. As the minutes begin to add on, Maeda grows bolder, beginning to take the initiative and landing some nice combos on his opponent, something Vrij hasn’t been able to do quite yet. Vrij quickly shakes it off though, and the two resume their striking battle before Maeda gets Vrij with a double-leg takedown. Maeda tests Vrij’s grappling mantle for the first time on the canvas. While Maeda is the better grappler, Vrij’s defense is decent enough, and he avoids any serious mistakes but is forced to go for his first rope break after Maeda tries for a leg lock.

At the 10:00 mark, Maeda gets his first knockdown as he lands another combo with some swift palm strikes, and backs Vrij into a corner, using that advantageous position to deliver some knee strikes into Vrij’s abdomen. Vrij falls for the first time and the referee starts the count. Vrij doesn’t take long and responds by the count of five. Vrij comes firing back, taking some swipes at Maeda’s face and backing Maeda into a corner of his own. Vrij puts the heat on and sneaks in a knee right to Maeda’s face. Maeda responds to a ten count of his own in a timely fashion as well. Maeda soon gets his opponent back to the canvas in response, this time using a nice belly-to-belly takedown to establish side control on Vrij, immediately trying to work for an ude-garami (americana) on Vrij. This is enough to force the Dutchman to use a second rope break. At 2-1, the two continue to pick up the pace. At around the 15:00 mark, Maeda attempts a rolling roundhouse after locking in Vrij’s wrist for control, but Vrij manages to dodge. Maeda ends up landing on the other side of the ring after the roll, and Vrij immediately pounces with somewhat of a shoot Shining Wizard into Maeda’s abdomen. This gets the crowd going, and Maeda feels the level of his support as the referee calls for another count. 2-2 now as Maeda responds by the count of seven. As the two face off once again, the level of striking continues to be very good, and Maeda soon scores another knockdown to make it 3-2.

(for visualization!)

As the match reaches its climax, Vrij comes swinging with some vicious high kicks, and Maeda looks to be on the back foot and in danger. But Maeda catches one of them and sends Vrij back down into the canvas, the swelling with every move as Maeda looks to lock in an ankle lock at first, but then switches into a single-leg Boston crab! Maeda locks this one in tight and the Dutchman taps in due course. As expected, the crowd cheers loudly for Maeda’s win and certainly for the great main event they just received as well. Maeda defeats Vrij via submission (single-leg Boston crab), 21:22

12,000 fans make their adoration for Maeda known as he celebrates in the ring. He comes over and shakes hands with Dick Vrij before they have one final stare-off. These two will probably meet again sometime down the line. Shinji Jin enters the ring and awards Maeda a large golden trophy as a gesture of appreciation. Maeda takes the microphone and asks everyone to give a round of applause for tonight's event and Dolman's crew. He says that UWF will grow internationally and that Dolman and Free Fight Holland have established the foundation for that. Maeda also thanks Sayama for agreeing to return to the ring and that he looks forward to facing him again in the future. Maeda, exhausted, thanks the fans once again before being helped backstage, passing through the adoring crowd. 

[Autistic Dragon]

Congrats to Anjo for getting his first UWF win!

The night being filled with submissions allowed Fujiwara and Takada's KOs to stand out.

I literally have no idea how Maeda got up from that knee by Vrij.

The UWF truly delivered on its biggest stage yet.

[kevinmcfl]

I really enjoyed this show.  One of the reasons is that I am able to learn a lot about a world I know nothing about.  Just looking at the card and seeing so many submission wins, I realize how different this style is.  In the world I am used to, I rarely remember too many submissions in big matches as it often ruined the loser who would now be seen as week.

[Control21]

1 hour ago, kevinmcfl said:

I really enjoyed this show.  One of the reasons is that I am able to learn a lot about a world I know nothing about.  Just looking at the card and seeing so many submission wins, I realize how different this style is.  In the world I am used to, I rarely remember too many submissions in big matches as it often ruined the loser who would now be seen as week.

I think in shoot-style, losing by submission was seen by the fans at the time as part of the "realness" of the style. It wasn't necessarily damaging compared to someone losing within a minute by KO or something along those lines. Guys like Miyato or Nakano lost quite a bit but were still seen as real threats by the fans. I guess that without the existence of MMA, losing didn't lose you favor in the eyes of the fan. That was a different story in the late 90s/early 2000s with PRIDE arriving on the scene. Losing in an MMA match or losing against an MMA guy probably knocked you down a few pegs. I should note that in the 80s and 90s, a shoot-style guy losing in a regular pro-wrestling match did hurt them, which is probably why UWFi lost a lot of steam during the UWFi-NJPW feud in 1995/1996.

UWF actually had pinfalls in real life. I took those out to suit my own personal tastes for now, but I may bring them back in the future, we'll see.

 

[spaldoni]

UWF is on fire! 

New faces have arrived. Shamrock rocks in his debut and will certainly rise the ranks. 

Sweet finish by Nakamura! What a cool visual. 

I like when the youngsters like Nakano and Anjo go at it. Anjo earns his first win. Feel good moment. 

Smiley's training pays off. 

Fujiwara scores a devastating ko on Go. Damn! 

Takada gets the win, but Dolman walks out with respect. 

Sayama makes his long awaited return and doesn't disappoint. I know the crowd loved this. Props to Yamazaki for putting up a fight. 

Vrij might've walked in a relative unknown, but after that performance I'm sure that's changed. Maeda makes an unbelievable comeback and wins the match. 

Now that I'm getting more familiar with the names, I'm really getting into this. I'm looking forward to potential match ups. 

Great work! 

[LowBlowPodcast]

I feel like I need to see some matches to better build my capacity for this type of promotion. I loved Pride and really enjoyed UFC and I am in the middle of the understanding of those and this. I appreciate the hard work for sure.

[Control21]

 

Quote

 

August 29th, 1988

UWF's show on August 22nd at the Ariake Coliseum was a huge success. With a confirmed sellout of 12,000 and a live gate of what is being reported in Japan as roughly $800,000, the script of how to run a wrestling promotion, at least in Japan, has been completely rewritten. At the beginning of the decade, the future of professional wrestling in Japan appeared to be based on the high-flying, athletic approach introduced by Dynamite Kid and Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama). Eight years later, things are changing entirely and the realism of UWF and its focus on legitimate holds and moves is probably the new zeitgeist. Of course, it is interesting to note that the man who revolutionized wrestling as Tiger Mask is also apparently revolutionizing wrestling once again, and he already laid the groundwork in 1984-1985 with the first UWF. Now in 1988, he is joining the movement he partially created with Akira Maeda.

The August 22nd show featured the debuts of several new wrestlers, including three from Sayama's Shooto gym, and Sayama himself.  Live reports from the show and reporting from Japanese press this week indicate that all three Shooto wrestlers had impressive debuts, demonstrating the Shooto fighting style with quickness and athleticism not seen in UWF yet, outside perhaps of the younger guys like Masakatu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. Yorinaga Nakamura in particular was said to have been a stand-out performer, with an amazing finish against Erik Paulson. One could even begin to draw comparisons between Sayama introducing a high-flying style in the early 80s and now introducing a hyper-realistic style of wrestling with a similar emphasis on speed, conditioning, and athleticism. 

Other matches of note include Wayne Shamrock vs Yasuto Sekishima, which was said to be one of the better matches of the card with Sekishima's speed going up against Shamrock's strength and conditioning. Shamrock has been training at Bart Vale's gym for the past month and has also reportedly sought out Karl Gotch as well. Norman Smiley also had an impressive debut against Osamu Kido and even used a flying armbar to finish the match. Of course, most of the talk in the Japanese press so far has been about Sayama vs Yamazaki, Takada vs Dolman, and Maeda vs Dick Vrij. Sayama vs Yamazaki was what you would expect, with Sayama and Yamazaki putting on a wrestling clinic in its purest form and Sayama demonstrating everything he has been teaching at Shooto for the past three years. Takada vs Dolman featured arguably UWF's #2 star going up against a SAMBO world champion, who wasn't particularly flashy but did come out strong during the match and got the crowd going with throwing techniques. Maeda vs Vrij was the main event and Dick Vrij was apparently made into a new foreign "monster" almost instantly with magazines like Tokyo Sports and Gong Magazine putting emphasis on his Terminator-esque appearance and approach to kickboxing. Dick Vrij also came out of this match looking strong, and Maeda reportedly said in an interview backstage after the show that he was banged up pretty badly by Vrij and praised Vrij's technique. Both Dolman and Vrij appear to be lined up as two of the promotion's top foreign challengers to Takada, Maeda, and probably Sayama. This is something the promotion probably needs in order to continue elevating themselves and create more compelling matches.

The popularity of UWF may be cutting into the mainstream now as well. A reader sent us a tape of a recent television newscast in Sapporo, which covered the UWF Sapporo show earlier this month. It is very rare to see a newscast treat wrestling as seriously as this one did. While UWF's explosive popularity may prove to be a transient phenomenon, it is hard to see how anyone can ignore it. While their style may be boring to some, one would be very hard-pressed to find another promotion that has seen this level of growth in such a short period of time while selling themselves as legitimate. Plus, with the current schedule UWF is working (two shows a month), the chances of some of these athletes going "all in" to put on the best match possible is pretty high.

UWF's next show is being advertised for September 8th in Fukuoka, Japan. This will be another test of UWF's strength outside of the Tokyo market, but if the Sapporo show was able to sell out easily, then it is likely this show will be a similar success. No matches are confirmed at the moment, but sources tell us that Norman Smiley and Wayne Shamrock are both booked for the show, and Bart Vale will be making his debut as well. 

What did Dave Meltzer say?

August 22nd, 1988

August 29th, 1988

September 5th, 1988

 

 

[Control21]

28 minutes ago, LowBlowPodcast said:

I feel like I need to see some matches to better build my capacity for this type of promotion. I loved Pride and really enjoyed UFC and I am in the middle of the understanding of those and this. I appreciate the hard work for sure.

Some recommendations to help get you started - 

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7wg6q8

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4evgna

 

I'm also doing a review of UWF 2.0 in the Microscope section if you want to follow along there and see what other matches you want to seek out yourself. Keep in mind that UWF 2.0 was mostly worked (maybe one or two shoots? Can't remember) and outside of Shooto, MMA wouldn't take off in Japan until the 1990s with Pancrase, Vale Tudo Japan, and eventually RINGS.

[Autistic Dragon]

If the UWF continues growing at this rate, television stations will be fighting each other to give them a TV show.

[spaldoni]

I have a feeling the UWF is only going to get better, especially with all the international talent coming in. 

[Control21]

Card Announcement:

UWF Newborn – “Fighting Network Hakata”

September 8th, 1988

Hakata Starlanes

Fukuoka, Japan

Minoru Suzuki vs Wayne Shamrock

Masakatsu Funaki vs Tatsuo Nakano

Shigeo Miyato vs Yoji Anjo

Bart Vale vs Kazuo Yamazaki

Satoru Sayama vs Ryuma Go

Nobuhiko Takada vs Norman Smiley

[Autistic Dragon]

Another solid card as the UWF looks to see if they can draw a crowd without frontman Maeda.

[Control21]

UWF Newborn – “Fighting Network Hakata”

September 5^th, 1988

Hakata Starlanes

Fukuoka, Japan

Attendance: 4,000 (sold out)

After the wrestlers are introduced individually as customary, Takada speaks to the audience and says that Akira Maeda is in Russia representing UWF at a sports and culture festival. Takada says that he will make the audience proud tonight and thanks everyone for coming, putting over Norman Smiley in the process. Sayama speaks afterward and says that it feels good to be in the ring again and that he will continue to prove why Shooto is the strongest. Sayama tells the fans that he hopes they continue supporting UWF as they enter a new season.

Minoru Suzuki vs Wayne Shamrock

As one would expect, this was a highly technical match. While everyone is aware of Suzuki’s grappling skills by this point, Shamrock proved himself as a quick learner and proficient in the grappling arts as well. Suzuki used his quickness and ability to put together smooth transitions to keep Shamrock working from defense, but Shamrock had good counterwork and prevented several moments of danger. Shamrock’s ability to detect moments of vulnerability while Suzuki spent a ton of energy on offense enabled the UWF newcomer to pose some questions to his opponent even while working from the bottom. To the delight of submission connoisseurs in the crowd, most of this match takes place on the canvas, and the two continue to demonstrate excellent knowledge of the art of catch wrestling. By the 8:00 mark, the match is tied 2-2 on points, with both causing each other to eventually expend several rope breaks. The two test each other’s striking ability for the first time, with Suzuki getting the better of Shamrock early with nice palm strike combos, causing the American rookie to stumble to the canvas, giving Suzuki his first knockdown. Shamrock gets up without much of an issue and continues coming at his opponent with his palm strikes. Shamrock clinches with Suzuki and lands a strong belly-to-belly suplex, immediately allowing Shamrock to work from side control. Shamrock immediately works for the cross armbreaker, but Suzuki’s defense prevents Shamrock from locking it in. Suzuki transitions to a full guard, but Shamrock smartly recognizes an opportunity and transitions into a mounted guillotine choke! Suzuki finds himself struggling to break free and is unable to find the ropes, and eventually taps. Shamrock is your winner! Shamrock defeats Suzuki via submission (mounted guillotine choke), 12:17

Masakatsu Funaki vs Tatsuo Nakano

In a clash between Funaki’s grappling and Nakano’s striking, it was Funaki who proved to be the better man. While Funaki has enjoyed a run of victories since his UWF debut, Nakano has struggled to put together something similar. Nakano was eager to prove himself, starting the match strong with a series of stiff palm strikes and low kicks. Nakano seeks out an early knockdown, but Funaki does well to stay on his feet and begins to counter with some good strikes of his own. The Hakata Starlanes crowd buys into the hot start and the two competitors keep testing each other like prize fighters. As the match continues, Funaki tests Nakano’s grappling ability and Funaki is a lot better here, using his timing and awareness to get Nakano to the canvas. Nakano struggles to free himself of Funaki, who stays on top of Nakano at every opportunity. Funaki takes an early 1-0 lead in points as gets Nakano to grab the ropes twice in the span of a few minutes. Nakano does manage to knockdown Funaki following the extended grappling exchange, catching Funaki by surprise with a palm strike before following up with several kicks to Funaki’s abdomen. Funaki returns the favor after getting back up, delivering a sweet combo after countering Nakano’s attempts. Funaki wins the match when he blocks a suplex attempt from Nakano, and reverses it by getting Nakano’s back and locking in a rear-naked choke. Nakano tries to get to the ropes but passes out before being able to grab them. Funaki defeats Nakano via submission (rear-naked choke), 10:37

Shigeo Miyato vs Yoji Anjo

Anjo and Miyato are both eager to get a win tonight, especially Miyato as he seeks his first victory in UWF after missing out on the Ariake Coliseum show. Miyato is quite explosive with his striking early on in the match, testing Anjo early with palm strikes and knees as Miyato manages to clinch with Anjo several times. Anjo manages to stay on his feet, but Miyato keeps him on the back foot. Anjo struggles to answer back with his own strikes, and Miyato takes the early lead in the match by knocking down Anjo twice in 5 minutes. Facing a 2-0 deficit, Anjo is desperate to get the match to the canvas. Finally, facing a third knockdown, Anjo gets a single-leg takedown on Miyato and tries to change the flow of the match by controlling Miyato’s back on the mat. Miyato is fine in terms of his grappling skills, but Anjo’s desperation proves to be key here as he works for a katahajime. Miyato recognizes he is close to the ropes and goes for a quick break to avoid Anjo’s grip. Anjo continues to put pressure on Miyato as Yuji Shimada, the referee, gets the two to stand back up. Anjo clinches with Miyato as he goes for a leg sweep to get the match back to the canvas. Anjo finds himself on top of Miyato again, and he works from side control this time. Miyato plays good defense and prevents Anjo from doing anything too dangerous. Anjo does switch up and goes for Miyato’s legs and tries for various leg holds before Miyato rolls for the ropes again and gets another rope break. Miyato takes control of the next stage in the match, as his striking ability comes into play again. Despite Anjo’s attempt to launch a comeback, Miyato is undeterred as he gets several more knockdowns on Anjo and finally ends the match via TKO as he corners Anjo around the 14:00 mark and slaps him several times and finishes things off with a hard knee strike to Anjo’s stomach. Anjo is knocked down for the fifth and final time. Miyato defeats Anjo via TKO, 14:21

Bart Vale vs Kazuo Yamazaki

Bart Vale, a Kenpo specialist and a decent grappler as well, is equal in stature to Kazuo Yamazaki with both standing at 6’2. As the match begins, Vale immediately shows off well-time high kicks which prope Yamazaki’s defense. Yamazaki answers back with low kicks that test Vale’s commitment to his approach. The two have a bit of a stare-down from distance before Vale comes in with a high roundhouse kick, which catches Yamazaki by surprise. Yamazaki stumbles backward but immediately regains his composure and delivers a middle thrust kick to Vale’s abdomen. Vale is sent backward and has a bit of a smirk on his face before he sets himself again to continue with the match. The long-haired Vale responds with a combo of palm strikes followed by a high axe kick, which Yamazaki smartly dodges. The crowd gives their approval at the display of talent and Yamazaki quickly tries to lock in with Vale to test his opponent’s ability on the canvas. Vale tries to block a takedown attempt but Yamazaki catches Vale’s leg and trips him, bringing him down to where he wants him. Yamazaki tries to work in a simple yet effective collar choke on Vale, but Vale has too much energy and willpower at this point in the match to fall prey to this, and his defense is effective enough to where Yamazaki changes plans and goes for Vale’s long legs instead, trying to work in a heel hook but Vale works Yamazaki’s legs as well and the two have a battle of leg locks before the Yuji Shimada forces the two to stand back up due to the eventual lack of action.

The match continues with things turning out to be fairly even, as Yamazaki and Vale trade knockdowns with their patented kicking abilities, but neither is in real danger of being beaten by the count. Yamazaki gets Vale to the mat a few more times where Vale plays mostly defense and prevents Yamazaki from locking in any dangerous submissions. Vale grabs the ropes a few times to prevent any significant developments as well. By the 16:00 mark, the match is tied 3-3 on points after Yamazaki and Vale trade knockdowns again, with Vale growing into the match and gaining the front foot after connecting with a high kick on Yamazaki. Vale makes the mistake of allowing Yamazaki to clinch with him, and the two find themselves on the canvas again. Vale gains Yamazaki’s back, but Yamazaki has great defense as well and Yamazaki eventually finds Yamazaki’s arm for an inverted armbar. Vale tries to reach for the ropes but even with his long limbs, they appear to be out of reach, and Vale taps. The crowd cheers for Yamazaki as he celebrates a well-earned victory. Yamazaki defeats Vale via submission (inverted armbar), 17:11

Satoru Sayama vs Ryuma Go

While Ryuma Go has proven his skills so far in UWF Newborn, he hasn’t had a win since his first match with Masakatsu Funaki. Of course, this motivates Go to come out firing once again as the bell sounds. Sayama, of course, is prepared. Go’s palm strikes are mostly defended by Sayama, who appears to be calmer in demeanor and isn’t entirely worried by his ambitious opponent. Sayama answers back with pointed low kicks, which causes Go to take the backfoot as Sayama begins to dictate the flow of the match. Sayama hits Go with some palm strikes of his own. Go tries to answer back but Sayama does a nifty move where he takes down his opponent with a low leg sweep that resembles one of Sayama’s patented kicking motions. Sayama takes hold of Go’s free leg and begins to work in a single-leg Boston crab, which eventually causes Go to scramble for the ropes. The first half of the match follows a similar pattern, with Sayama waiting patiently for openings to take Go to the canvas while keeping his opponent busy with tentative strikes, but nothing too dangerous yet. Go lands some shots and does get some offense in the canvas, but Sayama controls the match by the 10:00 mark with a 2-0 advantage on points by forcing Go to go for the ropes three more times within the timeframe.

The second half of the match picks up, with Go finding an opportunity to corner Sayama near a turnbuckle, allowing him to land a nice palm strike combo as Sayama struggles to defend himself. Go backs off, luring Sayama in as Sayama tries to recover while staying on his feet. Go seizes the initiative and takes Sayama’s back for a side suplex delivered with intent. Ryuma is tempted to go a dangerous (and illegal) soccer kick as he gets back up but restrains himself as Sayama tries to recover on the canvas. Ryogoku Wada calls for a count, giving Go his first knockdown of the match. Sayama recovers by the count of seven and immediately goes on the offensive to re-establish himself. Sayama lands several high kicks on Ryuma, which is followed up by a well-executed high roundhouse kick. Go stumbles backward and hits the canvas as Sayama gets his immediate payback for the previous knockdown. Go faces his first count and gets back up by the count of eight. Sayama opts to take the match to the canvas again, and the two have an extended grappling fight on the canvas for the last few minutes of the match. Go manages to make the score 3-2 after he surprises Sayama twice with some clever submission attempts, but Sayama’s conditioning from Shooto proves to be a key factor here, as he takes advantage of Go’s growing fatigue and finds one of his legs for a knee-crusher. Go gets a taste of his own medicine here as he is caught by surprise by how quickly Sayama finds the opening and locks in the hold. The pain is too much and Go has no choice but to tap, giving Sayama the victory. Sayama defeats Go via submission (knee-crusher), 19:52

Nobuhiko Takada vs Norman Smiley

Norman Smiley proved to be a very capable wrestler in his first outing with Osamu Kido last month and has been awarded a main event spot against Nobuhiko Takada, who is on quite a hot streak as he seeks to continue establishing himself as the clear alternative to Akira Maeda. Smiley is already somewhat of a crowd favorite after wowing the Ariake Coliseum audience with his slick grappling skills and chain wrestling. Takada is very well aware of the danger Smiley poses on the canvas. As the bell sounds, he seeks to keep things in the stand-up as he tests his opponent early with sharp kicks, which mostly serve as a tool to keep his distance from Smiley and inflict damage to his opponent when the opportunity arises.  Smiley invites Takada to grapple after a minute or two, extending out his arms and locking hands with his opponent. Smiley immediately works in a position where he has side control of Takada’s back as it appears he is looking for an early manjigatame, or Octopus hold. Instead, Smiley opts for a banana split takedown, as he traps one of Takada’s legs with his own and keeps the other within the grasp of his arms. Takada’s tall frame helps him here, enabling him to find an escape route quickly as he positions himself for a cross-armbreaker. Smiley has no problems defending this as he rolls Takada over and goes for a quick heel hook, which sends Takada to the ropes for the first time in the match.

Takada steadily grows into the main event bout as it continues, although Smiley continues to find openings to get Takada to the canvas, and as one would expect, Smiley proves to be very capable here. Smiley’s quickness and ability to read Takada on the canvas allows him to find openings when he needs to, and Takada has to have an excellent defense to keep Smiley from doing anything too dangerous. Takada, of course, proves to be the better striker and knocks down Smiley twice in the span of a few minutes to get the match even at 2-2 as we head into the 15:00 mark. Smiley is undeterred and gets up both times, seemingly relishing the challenge Takada is presenting. Takada throws some palm strikes and more kicks, closing the distance in the process and clinching with Smiley. Takada attempts to take control of Smiley’s back for a suplex, but Smiley reverses while maintaining wrist control. Smiley pulls Takada’s arm in for a single-arm takedown and promptly transitions into a cross-armbreaker attempt. The move catches Takada by surprise, which forces him to quickly go for the ropes as he is unable to fully process the chain of events that just occurred. With that rope break, Smiley takes a 3-2 lead on points. As the two stand back up, Smiley comes right back at him with a series of forearm uppercuts. Takada is reeling here! Smiley follows up with an unorthodox high kick and promptly locks up with Takada to position himself for a snap suplex. Smiley converts it, and quickly finds Takada’s back on the canvas as he catches Takada for a Crossface Chickenwing! Smiley gets all of it as he also applies the body scissors, and Takada looks to be in a bad spot. The crowd is becoming quite vocal by this point as they chant for Takada.

Fortunately for Takada, he senses the ropes are next to his feet and finds them after a brief struggle. The referee for this match, Motoyuki Kitazawa, stands the two back up and Smiley is a little amazed that Takada was able to get out of that one. Takada comes right back at Smiley, hitting him with some sharp kicks to the abdomen. Smiley stumbles backward as Takada hits him with a roundhouse kick to the same area, which catches Smiley off guard as he feels that one. Takada grabs Smiley as closes the distance and hits him with a devastating Saito Suplex. Smiley grabs his ribs and grimaces, which enables Takada to quickly find Smiley’s free leg for a heel hook! Smiley feels this one pretty tight, and taps. Motoyuki Kitazawa calls for the bell and the crowd roars as they celebrate Takada’s victory over Norman Smiley. Takada defeats Smiley via submission (heel hook), 21:45

Takada celebrates his victory over Smiley and takes in the moment as the crowd cheers "TA-KA-DA! TA-KA-DA! TA-KA-DA!" Smiley gets his share of the applause as he works his way to the back, even in defeat. Takada bows in all four cardinal directions and sends the crowd home happy. Maeda is certainly building connections for UWF abroad, but at what cost? Takada has clearly cemented his place as the primary rival to the hottest wrestler in Japan, at least for now...will they meet in the ring soon? Only time will tell. And what of Sayama? Perhaps he's biding his time in the slow lane.

picture top - Bart Vale lands a high kick in Yamazaki's face.

picture bottom - A magazine cover highlighting Takada's win over Smiley

[Autistic Dragon]

I know Suzuki and the Shamrocks had a rivalry in real life so it's cool to see them going at it. Shamrock wins round 1.

Nakano goes out the hard way against Funaki.

Anjo kept getting up but Miyato kept knocking him back down back down.

I think you wrote the result for Vale vs Yamazaki backwards. Still a impressive debut for Vale even in defeat.

Go's downturn continues.

Takada cements himself as a headliner in the UWF. Could we be looking at a three way power struggle?

[Control21]

5 minutes ago, Autistic Dragon said:

I know Suzuki and the Shamrocks had a rivalry in real life so it's cool to see them going at it. Shamrock wins round 1.

Nakano goes out the hard way against Funaki.

Anjo kept getting up but Miyato kept knocking him back down back down.

I think you wrote the result for Vale vs Yamazaki backwards. Still a impressive debut for Vale even in defeat.

Go's downturn continues.

Takada cements himself as a headliner in the UWF. Could we be looking at a three way power struggle?

Good catch! I must have been distracted when I wrote that part. 

[kevinmcfl]

I appreciate all your hard work.  Since I know so little of this style and what was going on around the world, I find myself reading this and rooting like it was the Olympics.  I am all in on the Americans!!  Ken Shamrock is my new favorite UWF wrestler after the big submission win!

[Control21]

58 minutes ago, kevinmcfl said:

I appreciate all your hard work.  Since I know so little of this style and what was going on around the world, I find myself reading this and rooting like it was the Olympics.  I am all in on the Americans!!  Ken Shamrock is my new favorite UWF wrestler after the big submission win!

Thank you! Speaking of the Olympics, I plan on debuting the Koslowski brothers next month and I think by December, the Russians will be fully involved. Lots of interesting things are planned for UWF over the next few months.

[Control21]

WXFL Channel 8 goes into their nightly news report, and the sports segment features a rare TV interview with Tampa’s very own Karl Gotch recorded earlier in the week. First, we get scenes of Karl Gotch doing conditioning and demonstrating the use of Indian maces for bodyweight training, and the narrator covers Karl Gotch’s background and accomplishments, including the invention of the bridging German Suplex. The narrator goes into Karl Gotch’s emphasis on conditioning and strict requirements before anyone can be instructed on his grappling knowledge.

Karl Gotch: I require everyone to meet these strict standards because if you are exhausted in a match, you can’t think clearly and you’ll leave yourself open. If you are not thinking about how exhausted you are, you’ll already have an advantage. Wrestling is the toughest sport because you have to know how to attack and defend from three different positions. Standing up, on all fours, and underneath. In amateur wrestling these days, rounds are a lot shorter than they used to be so they go for 3-4 minutes and then you see nothing. Back in the 1930s, rounds were for 20 minutes so the conditioning requirements I’m used to are a lot higher.

The narrator goes into Karl Gotch’s philosophy and describes how Karl Gotch sees grappling while old footage of Gotch in a wrestling match with Antonio Inoki is shown.

Karl Gotch: Wrestling isn’t about strength, it’s about timing, balance, and knowledge. It’s circular. If it doesn’t come back full circle, then it won’t make sense. People often see wrestling as linear, from point A to point B, but it’s like geometry or mathematics, you deal with an equation and figure it out. Catch wrestling is all about using your opponent’s reaction against him. That’s why the key bodyweight training principles I teach incorporate circular motion. Footage is shown of Gotch doing Hindu and Moon pushups.

Scenes are shown of Gotch watching a wrestling show on TV, with Gotch having a bit of a stone face. The narrator covers Gotch’s feelings about professional wrestling today and how his philosophy differs from promotions people are familiar with today, like AWA or WWF.

Karl Gotch: I’m not afraid to say it because there used to be 34 territories in this country, and I got kicked out of all of them. It’s like watching a dance, but there’s no song or music. There’s too much emphasis on the entertainment aspect and choreography. When people do diving headbutts or acrobatics, I roll my eyes. I think wrestling has moved away from authenticity to getting the most reactions out of people with flash and pomp. I understand it’s a business, but I believe people appreciate authenticity.

The narrator says that Karl Gotch keeps in touch with his trainees in Japan, including Akira Maeda and Yoshiaki Fujiwara. The creation of UWF Newborn is discussed, and the narrator also says that Karl Gotch has at least one wrestling promotion that follows his philosophy. Video is shown of Karl Gotch going through old pictures from his trip to the first UWF dojo in 1985.

 

Karl Gotch: I taught those boys in Japan a lot, and I am very glad to see them carry on my lessons in a wrestling promotion that stays true to the things that make wrestling great. Fujiwara told me a few months ago that when he realized UWF was being launched, he couldn’t turn down the opportunity because it was the best way to honor me as a teacher. I am very grateful for that. UWF has stayed true to the fundamentals of wrestling, they’ve minimized the theatrics and focused on presenting a legitimate sporting contest. It’s refreshing compared to what is on TV today. I don't agree with everything they do, of course, I told Maeda that he should bring back pinfalls. For some reason, they took those out. I don't understand why. 

TV reporter (also the narrator): Do you think that version of wrestling can be successful in America today?

Karl Gotch: I think it’s possible, you have to educate the audience. I don’t think wrestling fans are dumb, but you have to explain why certain holds are dangerous, and why you should be on the edge of your seat when someone applies an ankle lock. You know, no matter how big you are, everyone’s ankle size is the same. That’s what Billy Robinson said to me once and he was pretty popular here in America for a while. People appreciate authenticity.

Footage is shown of Karl Gotch teaching the TV reporter the Gotch toe hold in Gotch’s garage, and of course, both laugh about it while the TV reporter is put through the baptism of having one’s ankle in a bad place.

TV reporter: Who would you say is the greatest wrestler of all time?

Karl Gotch:  No one could touch Strangler Lewis. That’s the first name that comes to mind. Lou Thesz and I didn’t always see eye to eye, but he was very good. Ever heard of Waino Ketonen? He was a Finnish wrestler. George Hackenschmidt deserves a lot of credit as well. You know, they said America has the greatest wrestlers in the world. The reason for that is that this country has a mixture of nationalities, they all came here and added lessons of their own. The English with Lancashire Catch, the Germans with what they knew, the Finnish…and of course, the Eastern Europeans and Iranians as well. They combined all of that and called it American catch-as-catch-can. It was part of what we call the melting pot of America I suppose.

The narrator closes the segment by saying that even if Karl Gotch keeps his distance from professional wrestling today, Tampa should be proud to call a wrestling icon and living legend one of their own. More footage is shown of Karl Gotch putting the TV reporter in several other holds and Gotch doing a handstand against his garage wall. The segment cuts back to the TV news anchors, with one of them saying Tampa’s mayor is due to issue a proclamation declaring a day to honor Karl Gotch in the future.

Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson on a ferry in Japan, circa 1971

[Autistic Dragon]

I'll be frank, I'm young enough that Karl Gotch is basically a name I know from hearing others talk about what a legend he is. Still I recognize his endorsement means a lot, especially to a guy like Maeda. 

Perhaps the most interesting line was when Gotch said American fans would need to be "educated" as to why certain holds are dangerous. I feel that could be seen as pushing the bounds of kayfabe, which would be surprising from such an old school guy like Gotch.

[Control21]

18 minutes ago, Autistic Dragon said:

I'll be frank, I'm young enough that Karl Gotch is basically a name I know from hearing others talk about what a legend he is. Still I recognize his endorsement means a lot, especially to a guy like Maeda. 

Perhaps the most interesting line was when Gotch said American fans would need to be "educated" as to why certain holds are dangerous. I feel that could be seen as pushing the bounds of kayfabe, which would be surprising from such an old school guy like Gotch.

Yeah... there are some interviews that Karl Gotch did on YouTube and elsewhere (look up his conversations with Jake Shannon, they are interesting). He also did an interview with the Observer in 1990 where he famously called Harley Race a "kamikaze."  The impression I got is that he didn't really pay attention to kayfabe when talking about wrestling, and he wasn't particularly fond of the American scene at the time. So I guess when I have him say "educate the audience" here, it is meant in more of a "stop goofing around and take it back to the basics" kind of way. There are probably people who could capture Gotch's voice a lot better than I can.

[spaldoni]

Shamrock kicks things off with a big win. Very impressive maneuvering at the end. I'd like to see these two go at it again. 

Funaki looks crisp in his victory. Nakano is a fighter but seems to be struggling to put it all together. 

Miyato was eager for a win and he gets it. What a flurry at the end. 

Yamazaki pulls it out. Him and Vale almost steal the show. 

Props to Go for having his working boots on tonight. Damn, Sayama is a machine. So well conditioned and can take a lot. 

Even in a losing effort, Smiley shines in the main event slot. Takada's on a different level as a showdown with Maeda looms. 

UWF is really clicking and just wait until the Russians arrive. 

Very interesting interview with Karl Gotch. All the names he mentioned are still talked about today. BTW, love that picture with Robinson. 

 

[Control21]

 

Quote

 

September 15^th, 1988

UWF Newborn continues to make waves as their show on September 8^th was a confirmed sellout of 4,000 at Hakata Starlanes in Fukuoka, Japan. The card differed a bit from their big August show in Tokyo as it had lower-key matches, but that hasn’t deterred the dedicated UWF fanbase. Regardless of the lack of big-time matches, the show was said to be very good and featured solid matches from top to bottom. Wayne Shamrock is on a bit of a winning streak now after he bested Minoru Suzuki in what some said was a grappling clinic, while Bart Vale had a solid debut against Kazuo Yamazaki despite a losing effort. Norman Smiley is said to be incredibly over in Japan now and is already making a lot of fans with his flashy grappling style. He was in the main event against Nobuhiko Takada. Takada, as one would expect, went over Smiley but sources who attended the show say that Smiley looked quite strong. After the match, Smiley said he was very happy and thankful for the opportunity to wrestle in UWF and that his style matched up perfectly with the promotion. He said he was in the best shape of his life and that every match in UWF presents an interesting challenge. He put over Takada as a dangerous striker and said that Maeda better watch his back.

The semi-main event featured Satoru Sayama against Ryuma Go. Sayama won a fairly even match, but Ryuma Go appears to be heading for the exit door. Other results saw Masakatsu Funaki beat Tatsuo Nakano via submission, and Shigeo Miyato getting his first win in the promotion by besting Yoji Anjo with a TKO.

Akira Maeda was notably absent, but this was expected, as he was attending the Moscow World Cultural Festival from September 8^th-14^th. There hasn’t been much information about Maeda’s trip yet, but sources in Japan indicate that it went very well and Maeda had friendly conversations with Soviet officials in both their SAMBO and amateur wrestling federations. The same sources stressed that nothing concrete was discussed, but there is a view to have more discussions over the coming weeks. Tokyo Sports did publish an article promising more details in the next few weeks, and this newsletter will certainly keep an eye on that. On its own, it is quite remarkable that Maeda is discussing business with Soviet officials as a sporting “ambassador” for Japan. The Soviet Union has opened up a bit more recently with their Glasnost policies, and Russian ice hockey players are already being courted by the NHL with some due to arrive in the next year. Of course, the Soviet Union isn’t known for its professional wrestlers but perhaps they see an opportunity to utilize “soft power” by having some of their best amateur wrestlers and SAMBO practitioners appear in Japan for pro wrestling matches.

On September 10^th, Ryuma Go gave an interview with Weekly Pro Wrestling stating that his contract with UWF Newborn ends soon and that he was only on a short-term contract to help his old friends. He was very thankful for the opportunity but said that he was looking for new opportunities in either Japan or North America. He also expressed interest in starting his promotion, and bizarrely, talked at length about UFOs and aliens. Sources in Japan confirmed that Ryuma Go is indeed on his way out. Ryuma Go was made to look very strong in his first match with Masakatsu Funaki but suffered a bit of a downturn since then. Some sources even suggested that he was trying very hard not to look like a fish out of water since his style didn’t suit UWF. Ryuma Go was a bright star in the late 1970s and early 1980s with NJPW, having an incredible trilogy with Tatsumi Fujinami. He even wrestled in the first iteration of UWF, but wasn’t one of their main guys as they adopted the shoot-style approach. His departure from UWF Newborn fits his struggles to find his old form again in recent years.

Gong Magazine ran an article featuring a statement from former AJPW wrestler Atsushi Onita. Onita said that he has been away from wrestling for almost four years now and that his devastating ankle injury sent him to a bad place mentally and physically. However, he was pointed towards Brazil by an athletic trainer in Japan and discovered a doctor and physical therapist who helped him recover and find his strength again. Onita also said that he took up Luta Livre training under the guidance of Marco Ruas and got back into shape. He called Marco Ruas one of the best wrestlers in the world and that he was miles better than the other guy, presumably referring to Rickson Gracie. Onita built himself up as a “street fighter” and claimed that he won several Vale Tudo fights in Brazil recently and that he wants to return to Japan to restart his professional wrestling career. He called out Masashi Aoyagi, a renowned Kyokushin Karateka in Japan that competes in the WKA martial arts organization. Onita also said that UWF should host the match if they say who they claim to be and that they probably couldn’t handle his level of violence.

Onita famously showed up to a WKA show last year and made a bit of a commotion by having a staredown with Aoyagi from a front-row seat. Onita was kicked out of the show for the disturbance. Onita afterwards claimed that wrestling was stronger than Karate, and challenged Aoyagi to a match. Onita’s antics were seen as embarrassing by the Japanese press and he was further ostracized for his behavior. It’s not clear whether Onita’s most recent comments were a work or a shoot. Since Gong Magazine is seen as the closest to UWF Newborn in terms of connections, some sources in Japan think the article was a setup to promote an Onita appearance in UWF Newborn soon. Sources were less certain on whether or not Onita was issuing a “grandstand” challenge to Aoyagi or if plans were actually in the works. There is some doubt about whether or not Onita would be a good fit for UWF right now, and other sources have called him a “headcase with a chip on his shoulder.”

In other interesting news, Billy Robinson was interviewed by a local news outlet in Tokyo to help promote the Japanese amateur wrestling team at the Olympics in Seoul. Billy Robinson said that he’ll be at the Olympics to watch the wrestling events. Robinson also said that he would be scouting for talent on behalf of UWF. He mentioned Dennis and Duane Koslowski as two athletes he was very high on in terms of medal chances. Robinson further added that he felt Team Japan was poised to make a run in the medal table and that the Americans, Europeans, and Soviets would find themselves challenged by several Japanese wrestlers. When asked if he was interested in returning to the wrestling scene in Japan, Robinson said that he hoped to be more involved with UWF in the coming months and that he was eager to give back to Japanese wrestling, which holds a very special place in his heart. Robinson mentioned that he wanted to be a trainer and that the UWF dojo had been in contact with him about a potential role there.

UWF's next show is scheduled for September 26th at Tsuyashi Sports Center in Nagoya. Confirmed matches so far include Dick Vrij vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara as the main event. Akira Maeda will also return and go up against Yoji Anjo.  Wayne Shamrock has been telling people close to him that he will go up against a mystery opponent yet to be announced.

 

 

[LowBlowPodcast]

UWF bringing a different flavor to the table - I am getting more intrigued by this promotion as you continue to evolve. I will definitely give you props on the presentation and the overall feel of the shows being different than those we run in the states.