UWF Newborn

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4 hours ago, LowBlowPodcast said:

I may have asked this before, but did Billy Robinson ever work for UWF?

He was one of the trainers for UWFi and did some appearances as an official/commissioner of sorts. Sakuraba was trained by Billy Robinson and so was Albright, along with a few others (Little Guido, Billy Scott, Kiyoshi Tamura, etc) 

[LowBlowPodcast]

Thought you’d enjoy this

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March 14^th, 1989

In some interesting news, it appears UWF Newborn will be sending three teams to the Crockett Cup hosted by the NWA on April 13th and April 14th. It's a bit surprise that the UWF would send talent to a traditional pro wrestling organization in America, but apparently UWF officials and Akira Maeda signed off on the idea, believing that American-based talent could benefit from the exposure and experience while promoting the UWF brand and concept stateside. Salman Hashimikov and Victor Zangiev were also sent as a team, and there is a belief that they would be strong reprenstatives for the brand while fitting into the American style of wrestling. Akira Maeda was apparently reluctant at first, but was convinced after Joe Malenko explained to him that the NWA usually lets their wrestlers work the style they are most comfortable with and that Hiroshi Hase has put in a good word.

Gong Magazine had an interview with Bob Backlund published last week, and it appears Backlund has his sights set on Akira Maeda. Backlund said that he was pleased he could defeat Takada cleanly and that he feels he is ready to climb the ladder in UWF and become the top star in the company. Of course, the interviewer said that this meant he would need to surpass Akira Maeda in popularity and skill. Backlund laughed it off and claimed that he was ready to beat Akira Maeda and anyone who stood in his way. Backlund also said that he was already looking forward to the U-COSMOS tournament later this year and that winning Lou Thesz’s belt would be the honor of a lifetime. Backlund was also asked about adjusting to the UWF style and how his background may help or hinder him. His response: “In amateur wrestling, you have your hands low to prevent takedowns. In the UWF, I’ve found that you need to keep your hands up to block strikes and give the opponent something to think about. Other than that, I feel like my wrestling background gives me an advantage.”

Sayama was also interviewed in the same edition of Gong Magazine and he talked at length about his growing confidence in UWF Newborn and how he feels his Shooto vision is starting to take ship. He praised Paulson and Sekishima as rapidly improving students, and he feels that Yorinaga Nakamura will become even better this year. Sayama said that he wants to run Shooto events under the UWF banner later this year, and already has plans for a show in either June or July. Sayama also talked about the U-COSMOS tournament later this year and said his ultimate goal is to win it to prove the strength of his Shooto philosophy.

It’s been confirmed that UWF will run two shows in April. They will run a show in Nagano on April 6^th, and another event for Korakuen Hall on April 27^th. It appears that UWF will try to run two shows every few months to allow for more talent to be booked, although almost everyone under a UWF contract is being paid a monthly salary regardless of whether or not they work a show. Talent is also invited to train at the UWF dojo whenever they choose, and American-based talent are also encouraged to spend time with the Malenkos and their gym in Florida. Training with Karl Gotch is also an option at this residence in Tampa. The two shows in April are obviously not aimed at attracting huge crowds in terms of location selection, but the promotion does plan on running bigger shows later in the summer. Sources say that there are plans to run a show in the new Yokohama Arena in June, and then the anniversary show in July will likely take place in Osaka Baseball Stadium, which has a capacity of roughly 31,000. If UWF could fill up the stadium, it would be an impressive display of strength in the run-up to their Tokyo Dome show in December. It is currently unknown when tickets for the Tokyo Dome show will go on sale, although early August or September have been floated as potential dates.

On the topic of UWF’s April events, Tokyo Sports has reported that UWF has approached several athletes who have participated in events for the World Kickboxing Association (WKA). UWF wants to bring in top competitors from the organization for their April 6^th event in Nagano. It isn’t clear if the names being discussed are under contract with WKA, although it also appears UWF has a relationship with the organization already established through Masashi Aoyagi, who was brought into the promotion last year. The report doesn’t mention any names, but one source did say that Andy Hug has impressed a lot of people with his striking skills, namely Satoru Sayama and Akira Maeda. Hug, who was born in Switzerland, has made a name for himself in recent years as a devastating Karateka. Maurice Smith, an American kickboxer, has also been mentioned as a possibility.

Card Announcement: 

UWF Newborn - "Fighting Base Sapporo"

March 22nd, 1989

Sapporo, Japan

Nakajima Sports Center

Yusuke Fuke vs Manabu Yamada

Kiyoshi Tamura vs Yasuto Sekishima

Minoru Suzuki vs Shigeo Miyato

Wayne Shamrock vs Tatsuo Nakano

Dick Vrij vs Kazuo Yamazaki

Bad News Allen vs Bart Vale

Dennis Koslowski & Duane Koslowski vs Victor Zangiev & Salman Hashimikov

Bob Backlund vs Atsushi Onita

Satoru Sayama vs Joe Malenko

Akira Maeda vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara

 

[Autistic Dragon]

The UWF is aiming high for it's anniversary show. Backlund v Madea would be a treat.

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UWF Newborn – “Fighting Base Sapporo”

March 22^nd, 1989

Sapporo, Japan

Nakajima Sports Center

Attendance: 5,200 (sold out)

Broadcast: WOWOW (taped)

The WOWOW commentary team welcomes the viewing audience to the show as they run down the card, highlighting the main event, Satoru Sayama vs Joe Malenko, the tag team match between the Russians and Americans, Bob Backlund vs Atsushi Onita, and the debut of the three new wrestlers from the first UWF dojo class. We get the opening parade of wrestlers next, and opening comments from Akira Maeda, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Satoru Sayama, and a fired-up Bob Backlund. The rankings are also shown for the audience before the start of the show.

1)      Nobuhiko Takada (10-1)

2)      Akira Maeda (8-2)

3)      Satoru Sayama (5-2)

4)      Yoshiaki Fujiwara (6-3)

5)      Masakatsu Funaki (6-3)

6)      Yorinaga Nakamura (4-2)

7)      Norman Smiley (4-2)

8)      Kazuo Yamazaki (5-5)

9)      Shigeo Miyato (4-1-4)

10)  Tatsuo Nakano (3-1-4)

Yusuke Fuke vs Manabu Yamada

A contest between two debuting “young lions” that were hungry and ready to get their first miles inside a live ring. Fuke and Yamada went pedal to the medal to the delight of the crowd, hitting each other hard with various palm strikes and low kicks. When the match went to the ground, Yusuke Fuke seemed to be the better of the two and was quicker with his counterwork to catch Yamada several times, forcing his opponent to the ropes. Yamada settled into the match though, and scored a knockdown soon after when he hit Fuke hard with a palm strike combo. The two continued to trade points in a heated match, and things eventually settled at 3-3 in the last few minutes before the match concluded as a draw in a special 15:00 time limit for the opening match. The WOWOW commentary crew praises both wrestlers for their impressive debut. 15:00 draw

Kiyoshi Tamura vs Yasuto Sekishima

Kiyoshi Tamura, another debuting “young lion,” came up against Yasuto Sekishima, who was coming in confident off a good win last month over Erik Paulson. Tamura impressed the crowd early on and demonstrated good technique as he caught Sekishima with a few clever leg entries, giving him an early advantage as he attacked early with nice grappling on the canvas. Sekishima didn’t panic though, and held his ground. Tamura may have been too eager to show off his athleticism as was very quick with some nice grappling transitions and maneuvers, but this opened him up to a confident and patient Seksihima. Tamura fell behind 1-0 after a clever cross-armbreaker attempt from Sekishima and got knocked down a few minutes later after Sekishima caught him with a jumping roundhouse. Tamura showed fire for the crowd and fought back, taking Sekishima back down to the canvas with a double-leg takedown and catching his opponent with a snappy kneebar. Sekishima was forced to the ropes, and Tamura briefly enjoyed some momentum before Sekishima fought back and eventually caught an overconfident young rookie with a triangle armbar in the center of the ring. Tamura didn’t take long to tap. After the match, Sekishima patted Tamura on the back and gave some words of encouragement. It wasn’t too long ago that Sekishima was going through his own baptism of fire in the Shooto dojo. Tamura earned some new fans tonight for the long but promising journey ahead of him. Sekishima defeats Tamura via submission (triangle armbar), 9:12

Minoru Suzuki vs Shigeo Miyato

In the first meeting between these two competitors last August, it was Suzuki that got the better of Miyato. Since then, Miyato notched quite a few wins under his belt and looked set to get revenge against the younger Suzuki. Suzuki came out of the gates looking strong, getting Miyato down to the canvas several times as his quickness and agility were on full display. Miyato had to adjust rapidly in return, defending himself when needed as Suzuki constantly looked for openings with nice technique. Despite Miyato’s solid defense, Suzuki managed to sneak in a clever toe hold after a good scramble on the canvas. After his first rope break, Miyato took the match back to Suzuki and smacked him hard with a palm strike before going for a double-leg takedown. Suzuki found himself struggling as Miyato managed to hook him with a straight armlock near the ropes, forcing Suzuki to go for the ropes next. The match continued as a back-and-forth affair, with both getting 2 points apiece through several more rope breaks and an exchange of knockdowns. Miyato exerted some control over the match slowly and caused Suzuki some trouble with some clever striking but Suzuki continued to fight back and displayed some confidence on the canvas whenever he got the opportunity. Just as Suzuki looked like he was building more momentum here, Miyato pulled a clever trick out of his books. Perhaps with the benefit of more experience than Suzuki, Miyato realized that Suzuki had crossed his heels while going for a rear-naked choke. Miyato, knowing that he could reverse the situation by leveraging Suzuki’s mistake, wrapped one of his legs around Suzuki’s heels and forced Suzuki to tap with the clever maneuver. Suzuki nearly had Miyato once again and has shown a lot of promise in UWF so far, but his inexperience and perhaps overeagerness continue to haunt him. Miyato defeats Suzuki via submission (heel hook via leg), 13:14

Wayne Shamrock vs Tatsuo Nakano

Both competitors in this match have proven themselves to be tough as nails in a variety of ways so far in UWF, and the young upstart Wayne Shamrock wants some revenge after Nakano bested him last October. Nakano was his usual self to start the match, throwing some wicked strikes as he pounded Shamrock to soften up his much stronger opponent. Shamrock managed to weather the storm but did take some shots. Nakano, of course, wanted to keep some distance as Shamrock demonstrated the exact reasons for this. Shamrock continues to improve in all facets of wrestling through his training and gives Nakano a lot of trouble with some sweet takedowns and grappling techniques on the canvas. Shamrock’s offense isn’t anything extravagant at this stage, but he did enough to give Nakano something to think about as he forced his opponent to the ropes twice in the span of a few minutes. Nakano continued to fight back with some tough striking, but Shamrock closed the distance again and delivered a nice German suplex to continue his momentum. Nakano found himself on the canvas again and tried to settle into the match but Shamrock was determined to keep control. A 1-0 lead for Shamrock turned into a 2-0 lead after some more rope breaks and the one-sided match was in danger of becoming a blowout for Nakano but the crowd favorite (at this stage, at least) continued to show some fire and managed to score a knockdown after hitting Shamrock with a combo of palm strikes, followed by a huge side suplex. Shamrock found himself working defensively at this stage, as Nakano showed him that he could work the mat too. Shamrock had to exhaust a rope break, but did enough to avoid giving up another point and got back to his feet. Just as Nakano felt like he was getting some momentum, Shamrock caught him by surprise with another technically sound suplex, this time it was a Dragon suplex. Nakano couldn’t recover in time as Shamrock locked in a shoulder lock for the submission victory. Shamrock defeats Nakano via submission (shoulder lock), 14:48

Dick Vrij vs Kazuo Yamazaki

After somewhat of an absence from UWF, Dick Vrij returns to the UWF Newborn ring to some palpable excitement from the fans as the well-muscled and blonde-haired Dutch kickboxer carries his charisma and intimidation factor back in front of the crowd. Kazuo Yamazaki, coming off a bit of a winning streak against Sayama in December and a debuting Zouev in January, comes out to a well-deserved reception, stoic as usual. Yamazaki and Vrij engaged each other as expected as soon as the bell sounded, and both threw wicked kicks as they tested each other’s strength and determination. Vrij tried to corner Yamazaki at every opportunity, relying on the clinch to deliver his devastating knees. He was successful to some extent, but Yamazaki managed to stay on his feet and kept bringing the fight to Vrij in the opening minutes. Vrij is all about offense, and that brought him the first knockdown of the match after hitting Yamazaki hard with a kick aimed at Yamazaki’s kidneys. Yamazaki took his time to get up but beat the count. On the flipside, Vrij’s focus on all-out offense left him open to some nice striking counters from Yamazaki, and this slowed down the Dutchman as Yamazaki evened the score, and eventually built up a nice 3-1 lead after scoring another knockdown to the delight of the fans in Sapporo. Vrij was clearly frustrated and a bit angry and answered back with a flying roundhouse that caught Yamazaki square in the head. Yamazaki had to beat another ten count, as the crowd boiled up even more. The story of Vrij’s offense vs Yamazaki’s clever counters continued as they exchanged knockdowns in a very heated match. Vrij even attempted to take Yamazaki down to the canvas, trying to demonstrate that perhaps he learned a few things while training back in Holland in Dolman’s gym. Vrij’s basic grappling skills didn’t present too much of a problem for Yamazaki, and Vrij’s opponent even managed to send him to the ropes with a heel hold. Towards the apex of the match, and after more knockdown exchanges, the match was 4-3 in Yamazaki’s favor and Yamazaki scored the decisive knockdown after catching Vrij with a combo of high kicks. Ryogaku Wada called for the bell and Yamazaki celebrated his victory while Vrij had to recover himself. It was a great display from both competitors, and the crowd was delighted with the fairly even contest. Yamazaki just had a better game plan. Yamazaki defeats Vrij via TKO, 14:09

Bad News Allen vs Bart Vale

Bart Vale, perhaps the quintessential 80s American fighter with his long brown hair and a well-kept mustache to go along with it, knew he had a tough task against Allen “Bad News” Coage and prepared as much as he could, but he quickly found his opponent was more well-rounded and determined to get another victory. Bad News Allen made quick work of Vale, despite Vale’s best attempts to soften up his opponent in the opening minutes with some high kicks. Allen caught one of these kicks and quickly got Allen to the canvas and nearly submitted him with a cross-armbreaker but Vale managed to get to the ropes with his long legs. Things didn’t get any better for Vale as Allen tossed him around with several Judo throws and a double-underhook suplex. When Vale tried bringing it to Allen with his striking skills, Allen was able to corner him and delivered several body punches to end the engagement with a knockdown. Vale answered the count early but was met with a powerful STO (think osoto gari in Judo, or Naoya Ogawa’s finisher) from Bad News Allen, who then submitted his opponent with a kneebar. Bad News Allen celebrated his victory and appeared to appreciate the fact he has been gaining some new fans. Some chants of “Allen! Allen!” could be heard from the very knowledgeable Sapporo crowd. The commentary desk are clearly impressed with Bad News Allen and his performance too. Bad News Allen defeats Bart Vale via submission (kneebar), 6:04

Dennis Koslowski/Duane Koslowski vs Victor Zangiev/Salman Hashimikov

In their first match last December, Duane and Dennis Koslowski pushed the Russians to their limit, with Salman Hashimikov having to eliminate both Koslowski brothers in a very impressive showing. The follow-up match came hotly anticipated by the Sapporo crowd, and both teams made their entrances to firm receptions. The match started as expected, with the American duo eager to take it to the Russians. Dennis Koslowski and Victor Zangiev opened the proceedings first, and Dennis Koslowski looked impressive as he used a combination of speed and timing to take Zangiev down to the canvas several times. Zangiev, a good escape artist, was able to avoid most trouble. Zangiev got his licks in as well, getting Dennis with a well-executed belly-to-back suplex. Dennis defended well on the canvas, and after getting a clean break, he tagged in his brother Duane who went to work against Zangiev with impressive strength. After Zangiev tagged in Hashimikov, Duane and the Chechen went to work to the delight of the crowd as they traded suplexes followed by a nice scramble on the canvas. Both Koslowski brothers looked a lot quicker and more comfortable compared to their previous matches, and the training they had done with Billy Robinson appeared to be paying off. Hashimikov struggled a bit with Duane’s ability to find openings and was on the backfoot for most of the exchange. Zangiev provided some reprieve, as he was able to match Duane’s speed and got him to the ropes twice with well-timed takedowns and submission attempts. Zangiev was able to get a point off Duane as payback for Duane’s ability to get a point from Hashimikov.

The contest continued, offering both fine displays of freestyle-esque wrestling and submission work. Hashmikov grew into the match and was able to exert control over Dennis Koslowski as they met each other in the ring. Dennis found himself dealing with Hashimikov’s pure strength, which was supported by the Chechen’s technical skill. Hashimikov executed several throws and a powerful belly-to-belly suplex that knocked Dennis off his feet briefly, prompting Motoyuki Kitazawa to start a ten count. The American advantage established in the opening minutes of the match gradually waned, and the Russians made the contest more even as Zangiev and Hashimikov worked in tandem to contain the fired-up Koslowski brothers. The crowd appreciated the fine display of wrestling, and over time, both teams worked until all four competitors were down to their last point. To the credit of the Koslowski brothers, they had a good game plan and avoided early eliminations as they kept track of the points and tagged each other at opportune times, leading to a “hot tag” at one point where Duane Koslowski saved his brother from being overwhelmed by Victor Zangiev. The crowd ate everything up as Duane came in storming in as a hero of sorts. Duane Koslowski grabbed Zangiev for a powerful full-nelson suplex and attempted a rear-naked choke, but Zangiev rolled towards the ropes for a clean break. With the 25-minute mark announced by Nobuyuki Furuta, both teams attempted to secure the all-too-important elimination to set up the finish but neither side relented. Perhaps due to exhaustion and fatigue on both sides, the match reached the 30-minute time limit with neither side being able to secure an elimination. The crowd applauded both teams as the UWF committee converged to discuss the result, which was ultimately announced as a draw. Both teams gave small displays of sportsmanship as they acknowledged each other and shook hands, but there was also a feeling that both teams really wanted the win for bragging rights. Some in the crowd might have felt disappointed at the result, but both teams got well-deserved applause for their effort. 30:00 draw

Bob Backlund vs Atsushi Onita

Backlund, hot off his win over Nobuhiko Takada last month, came out to a roaring recording of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, Movement 4. Perhaps finding a new theme for himself. Sapporo greeted him with a great reception in return, with chants of “Back-lund!” breaking out. The American isn’t a stranger to Japanese audiences, even before his time in UWF, and has endeared himself once again to the Japanese fans. Backlund’s challenger, Atsushi Onita, came out next to the theme from Fist of the North Star. Perhaps realizing that Backlund also wears blue gear, Onita instead chose to wear white trunks with white kickpads. With both men in the ring and introductions made, Motoyuki Kitazawa called for the bell and Onita immediately went on the offense. Onita, with his Luta Livre background and training, went after Backlund with an aggressive posture and grappling-based offense. Backlund, perhaps a little shocked that Onita was willing to close the distance so quickly, had to adjust. Onita moved quickly to find openings from Backlund on the canvas, and the American wrestler resorted to his infamous “Wooah! Wooah!” vocals as Onita worked to find a submission, perhaps trying to mock Onita in the process. Backlund was physically defending himself in the process of course, but Onita got the better of his opponent with a snappy heel hook, which forced Backlund to the ropes for an early rope break. Backlund was eager to re-open another engagement with Onita, and Onita was happy to oblige. For a few minutes, Onita enjoyed more momentum as continued to work aggressively on the canvas. Backlund was obviously not familiar with the abilities of Onita but grew into the match over time despite having to use another rope break, giving Onita a 1-0 lead. After the rope break, Backlund stood up and resorted to his familiar physical taunts and facial expressions, drawing some hearty chuckles from the crowd as Onita looked on, and appeared a bit peeved as well. The two met in the center of the ring again, and after Backlund tried grappling with him some more, Onita broke free and delivered a hard slap across Backlund’s face that drew some shocked reactions from the crowd.

Perhaps that was all Backlund needed as Backlund became more serious as the match progressed, and adjusted quite well to Onita’s slick leg entries and wristlocks. Backlund used his amateur wrestling experience to find ways to leverage his own strength against Onita’s physical momentum and scored a few takedowns, beginning to use some wristlocks and armlocks of his own to slow down his feisty opponent and exert control over the match. Onita tried to mix things up with more hard striking, but Backlund defended himself well and fought through the strikes that did land. Onita was treated to sharp fists from Backlund in return, aimed at Onita’s abdomen to soften him up. Backlund evened things up at 1-1 after getting two rope breaks from Onita, and gradually built himself a solid 3-1 over the next few minutes, with Onita realizing that Backlund was no joke when it came to the grappling arts as well, and Backlund demonstrated great technique to close down and counter Onita’s rapid Luta Livre offense. Backlund scored the third point after hitting Onita hard with a leaping lariat that knocked Onita off his feet and prompted a ten count from Kitazawa. Onita appeared a bit dazed, and this allowed Backlund to execute two consecutive German suplexes. The crowd swelled as they sensed what was coming next, and with Onita’s back exposed, Backlund secured a decisive Chicken Wing Crossface for the first time in UWF. Onita tapped pretty quickly, giving Backlund another big win in his new home promotion. After the match, Backlund appeared to taunt Onita some more, and Onita attempted to stare him down but was held back by Kitazawa who wisely suggested that he should keep his distance. Onita marched off out of the ring disappointed but got some support from the younger fans who chanted his name. Backlund celebrated some more with his new theme playing in the arena. Backlund defeats Onita via submission (Chicken Wing Crossface), 16:17

Satoru Sayama vs Joe Malenko

While these two were familiar with each other in the first iteration of UWF, they had never met before. Two superbly talented wrestlers in their own right, this made for an interesting clash of styles as Sayama preferred to utilize his striking game this time against Malenko’s expert submission knowledge. Sayama was on form, energizing the crowd in the opening minutes of the match with a series of well-executed kicks and palm strikes. Malenko had to defend himself constantly as he struggled to close the distance with Sayama. This allowed Sayama to score an early knockdown after catching Malenko with a series of high kicks, frustrating the American. After beating the ten count from Masami Soranaka, Malenko made a few adjustments and slowly closed the distance on Sayama, getting his first clinch on the opponent. The two engaged in a calculated grappling exchange, and this set the tone for the next part of the match as Malenko was able to get Sayama down to the canvas a few times. Malenko impressed the crowd with some clever submission attempts, getting a toehold here, and an armbar there as Sayama reckoned with his well-seasoned opponent. Malenko evened things up at 1-1 after a second rope break, and Sayama had a wry smirk on his face as he regained his footing. Sayama took the match to Malenko again, opening up with a jumping roundhouse before sweeping Malenko off his feet with a powerful low kick. Malenko took this chance to get Sayama off his feet by doing a nice leg entry and got Sayama in a kneebar which sent the Shooto founder to the ropes again. Sayama continued to get his strikes in, but Malenko was able to close the distance much more often. As the match evolved, the score reached 2-2 after another knockdown from Sayama, and more great grappling from Malenko. The match continued to get the crowd involved with the fans chanting for Sayama as he launched another series of strikes at Malenko. Sayama scored another knockdown after landing several kicks into Malenko’s abdomen. While Malenko beat the ten count here, this softened him up quite a bit and Sayama seized the initiative by scoring the decisive KO after landing two consecutive roundhouse kicks. Malenko fell to the mat and struggled to beat the ten count in time. Soranaka reached the final count of 10 and called for the bell as Sayama celebrated with the very happy Sapporo fanbase. Sayama defeats Malenko via KO, 16:39

Akira Maeda vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara

Two old rivals from the original UWF and NJPW met once again in a much-anticipated matchup as the Sapporo crowd greeted both wrestlers to huge cheers, with Fujiwara coming out to his familiar “Ride of the Valkyries” while Maeda came out to Camel’s “Captured.” Masami Soranaka checked both wrestlers before the bell sounded, and both competitors quickly went straight to business as they tested each other. Maeda threw several kicks, while Fujiwara responded with some palm strikes and low kicks of his own. Chants for Maeda steadily grew louder as the frontman of the promotion landed harder strikes with each passing moment. Fujiwara smartly baited Maeda into throwing more kicks than needed perhaps, and took his opponent down to the canvas with a single-leg takedown. For the first time in the match, Fujiwara took the opportunity to challenge Maeda’s grappling ability. Fujiwara’s cleverness with matwork gave Maeda some trouble, and Fujiwara scored an early rope break after forcing Maeda to the ropes with a double wristlock. The match developed from here as a methodical battle between two very good wrestlers who leveraged their unique skillsets against each other. Fujiwara’s defensive abilities allowed him to control the pace of the match as Maeda had to be aware of his ability to reverse strikes and find weaknesses when it came to grappling engagements. Over time, Fujiwara built up a 2-1 lead through rope breaks, and Maeda managed to knock Fujiwara to the canvas briefly, but the sage veteran got back up quickly. Following another brief exchange of strikes, Fujiwara and Maeda had an extended contest on the canvas as both worked to score more points on that front. Maeda worked to secure a leglock, but Fujiwara was one step ahead. Maeda’s opponent managed to secure a rear-naked choke, but Maeda smartly rolled to the ropes for a clean break. Later on in the match, Maeda caught Fujiwara with a high kick and secured another knockdown to tie the match at 2-2, with the crowd erupting for Maeda. Sapporo has its fair share of Fujiwara fans who made their presence known, but the arena was squarely behind the “new Fighting King” as he was once billed in NJPW. Fujiwara beat the count again and took it to one of his former students as the two continued to pummel each other with strikes. Fujiwara blocked another high kick and scored repeated headbutts as Maeda got knocked down for the first time in the match. He appeared slow to get up but beat the ten count from the referee by the count of eight. Fujiwara attempted to throw more headbutts, but Maeda gained wrist control and closed the distance on Fujiwara. In the clinch, Maeda hooked Fujiwara’s leg for a huge Capture suplex! As Fujiwara attempted to recover from being slammed to the canvas backward, Maeda finally scored a leglock as he secured a very tight kneebar on Fujiwara, who was caught in no man’s land after the huge suplex. Fujiwara had no choice but to relent, giving Maeda the victory via submission. Maeda defeats Fujiwara via submission (kneebar), 20:02

Akira Maeda celebrates with the joyous Sapporo crowd as he soaks in the moment and Fujiwara recovers. The two later shake hands and show respect, even if their rivalry might have been renewed tonight. They exchange a few words before Fujiwara departs the ring. Camel’s “Captured” plays in the arena again as the WOWOW commentary crew recap tonight’s events. They promote the two upcoming events in Nagano on April 6^th and April 27^th. They also mention that several UWF competitors will be competing in the Crockett Cup in the United States, a tag team tournament to determine the best wrestling duo in the world. Fujiwara is shown giving an interview backstage, where he gives Maeda props for his performance and says that Maeda is still the best wrestler in Japan, at least until he gets his hands on him again. Maeda gives some words backstage as well before we sign off, congratulating Fujiwara on the great match, and says that he would like to face Bad News Allen next on April 27^th! The rolling credits hit, and we get the WOWOW sign-off as Queen’s “We Are the Champions” plays.

[Autistic Dragon]

The Young Lions show what they can do even if none of them get a win.

All 6 men headed to the Cup are looking strong.

Backlund is truly finding his groove here.

Maeda is back on the winning track.

[spaldoni]

Youngsters, Fuke and Yamada get a chance to showcase their talents and succeed. 

Tamura shows he has a promising future. On the flip side, Sekishima is becoming a contender. 

Miyato's experience comes into play as he evens things up with Suzuki. The video showed how impressive that finish was. 

I was impressed with Shamrock as he wrestled a smart match and stayed calm to defeat Nakano. 

Yamazaki defeats Vrij in quite a contest. I like that Vrij has been working on his ground game. 

Allen is a force! Big things ahead for him and that's more bad news for future opponents. 

Oh man, the Koslowski's and Russians go toe to toe for 30 minutes while the crowd ate it all up. Great match and I'm sure we can expect another. 

Those strikes from Onita woke Backlund up as he gets it together and wins with his signature move. A Backlund vs. Brown match would be very interesting. 

Malenko put up a fight but Sayama came in clutch at the finish. 

Maeda gets back on the winning track with an impressive win over old rival Fujiwara. Great way to end the night. 

 

[Scarlet-Left]

Great write-ups as always! Akira Maeda looks very strong at the end of the night!

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Quote

March 29^th, 1989

UWF’s Sapporo show was another sellout event with Akira Maeda beating Yoshiaki Fujiwara in the main event. UWF’s new dojo trainees also made their debut as expected, with Yusuke Fuke and Manabu Yamada going to a 15:00 minute draw in the opener, and Kiyoshi Tamura debuting against Yasuto Sekishima in a losing effort. The show also had the return of Dick Vrij and Bad News Allen, with the latter winning easily against Bart Vale. Dick Vrij looked impressive in his match against Kazuo Yamazaki but lost via TKO. The Koslowski twins also made their return, going a full 30 minutes against the team of Salman Hashimikov and Victor Zangiev in what was said to be a very impressive match as both teams were obviously very well-conditioned. Bob Backlund had an impressive performance against Atsushi Onita, and people think Backlund is starting to adapt to the UWF style more and more. Backlund won via submission after locking in the Chicken Wing Crossface on Onita. Satoru Sayama defeated Joe Malenko in the semi-main via KO. We’re also starting to get tapes from UWF’s shows in the past few months, and what people have said about WOWOW’s production values is correct. UWF’s shows are being presented as big-time events in a very sports-like fashion, and the graphics being used to introduce wrestlers and demonstrate the point system add a lot overall. It feels very innovative, and it isn’t like anything being done in Japan at the moment. Even with NJPW’s deal with TV Asahi, the production doesn’t feel the same.

The main event for UWF’s upcoming April 27^th show will feature Akira Maeda and Bad News Allen. Allen has looked impressive in his first two UWF matches, despite them being short in length. There is a healthy amount of buzz about Akira Maeda going up against a WWF wrestler, and both Tokyo Sports and Gong Magazine are building up the match big time already. For UWF’s April 6^th show next week in Nagano, it appears Marco Ruas will be going up against Nobuhiko Takada. That’s a very interesting matchup as Marco Ruas is from a legitimate Vale Tudo background and has very little, if any, professional wrestling experience. Of course, the match will likely be worked as a shoot between the two would end very poorly for Takada. Ruas has told both Japanese and Brazilian news outlets that he wants to take Lutra Livre international and beat the Gracies to the punch in terms of global expansion. Ruas feels that doing wrestling matches is a trade-off to introducing new audiences to Luta Livre, but one worth taking. Of course, having Atsushi Onita in his ear has probably helped him gain a positive view of the UWF style of wrestling. People familiar with the Brazilian Vale Tudo scene have also said that Vale Tudo fighters doing pro-wrestling matches isn’t an entirely new concept, as historically the two have been interlinked in Brazil to various degrees. Also scheduled for the April 6^th show will be a slate of new competitors from the WKA promotion. As previously reported, it appears Andy Hug and Maurice Smith are being brought in to compete against some of UWF’s wrestlers. No other matches have been announced yet, although ticket demand in Nagano hasn’t been an issue as this will be the first time UWF has done a show in that area.

UWF will also be gaining a new American face as Peter Senerchia, who has wrestled under the Tasmanic gimmick for WCW and various other smaller promotions, will be making his debut for the promotion soon. Senerchia has gained a reputation for his suplex abilities, and it is easy to see him fitting into UWF. He has also apparently been training with the Malenkos in Florida to prepare for the UWF style.

[Control21]

Card Announcement: 

UWF Newborn - "Fighting Base Nagano"

April 6th, 1989

Nagano, Japan

Nagano Citizen Gymnasium

Yasuto Sekishima vs Manabu Yamada

Tatsuo Nakano & Shigeo Miyato vs Kiyoshi Tamura & Yoji Anjo

Masakatsu Funaki & Naoki Sano vs Minoru Suzuki & Wayne Shamrock

Masashi Aoyagi vs Andy Hug

Maurice Smith vs Gerard Gordeau

Don "Nakaya" Nielsen vs Dick Vrij

Atsushi Onita vs Osamu Kido

Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Mark Fleming

Nobuhiko Takada vs Marco Ruas

 

[kevinmcfl]

Really enjoyed all the match details.  That is something I really struggle at.  Also really liked the rankings with the records.  This adds some level of realism to all of this.  

Also the videos you add really give me a glimpse of what went on in Japan.  So technical and real.  I did not see 100 false finishes per match like here.  I wonder if this would have worked in the US?

[Control21]

UWF Newborn – ‘Fighting Base Nagano”

April 6^th, 1989

Nagano, Japan

Nagano City Gymnasium

Attendance: 4,500 (sold out)

Broadcast: WOWOW (taped)

The WOWOW commentary crew welcomes viewers to the show and they break down the matches before a clipped version of the parade of wrestlers is shown with the UWF theme playing in Nagano City Gymnasium. Takada, Onita, and Fujiwara give their opening remarks as they welcome the fans to the show and thank them for attending. 

Yasuto Sekishima vs Manabu Yamada

Two Shooto trainees at different stages in their respective careers met in a highly energetic match that saw plenty of technical and striking action. Yamada put up a good fight and surprised the crowd with an early knockdown after hitting Sekishima with a smooth high kick. Sekishima established control of the match afterward though, and started to read Yamada’s still-green grappling game to keep the young lion on the canvas. Sekishima secured the victory after Yamada left himself open to a cross-armbreaker. Sekishima defeats Yamada via submission (cross-armbreaker), 9:01

Tatsuo Nakano/Shigeo Miyato vs Yoji Anjo/Kiyoshi Tamura

The fans in Nagano were treated to two tag teams brimming with wrestlers who felt like they had something to prove in one way or another. Miyato and Nakano worked together well, as Yoji Anjo and Kiyoshi Tamura came out of the gates swinging. The brashness of the latter came up against the more confident former, and Miyato and Nakano countered well as they established control of the match on the canvas. Nakano and Tamura got into a stiff striking exchange where Nakano got his nose busted open, and started spilling blood. The Nagano crowd got behind the young rookie, but Nakano quickly put him in his place by responding with a devastating German suplex. Tamura landed right on his head, and seemingly never got the chance to recover as Miyato and Nakano managed to knock him out of the match with three knockdowns in the span of a few minutes. Yoji Anjo was on his own and started to wrestle like a cornered animal. Miyato had his hands full, and Anjo managed to eliminate his opponent after a back-and-forth affair with a clever rolling heel hook. Miyato tried to tag in his partner, but the pain was too much. With Nakano and Anjo now determining the outcome of the bout, the two took it to each other and the Nagano crowd came alive again as the two started swinging at each other. Nakano eventually scored the third and final knockdown on Anjo after catching his opponent with several knees to the head. Nakano, still covered in his own blood, celebrated his victory with his partner. Miyato & Nakano defeat Anjo & Tamura, 14:07

Masakatsu Funaki/Naoki Sano vs Minoru Suzuki/Wayne Shamrock

On paper, this appeared to offer the promise of a tantalizing grappling display and it delivered. All four men were at varying stages in their young careers, and each wanted to make a statement. Funaki and Sano made for a good team, using a good tagging strategy to keep each other fresh while maintaining the tempo of the match with some rapid grappling to try and catch Suzuki and Shamrock off-guard. Suzuki and Shamrock kept their cool at first and did well to defend, but both Sano and Funaki got a point off them after several ropebreaks. Shamrock established a presence in the match afterward, getting Funaki with a sharp Dragon suplex. Funaki got rocked by one of Shamrock’s palm strikes, and this got the crowd going as Funaki sold the strike quite well. Funaki wisely tagged in Sano, who tried taking Shamrock to the canvas after several kicks but Shamrock defended well. After an extended battle on the canvas, Shamrock managed to submit Sano with a sudden double wristlock. Both Suzuki and Shamrock enjoyed the advantage afterward, making sure to keep each other fresh as they battled with a very skilled and determined Funaki. With the young sensation gradually being worn down, it was Suzuki who took the opportunity to soften up his opponent with some strikes before getting the decisive submission on the canvas after Funaki left himself open to a heel hook from Suzuki. Suzuki and Shamrock celebrated the well-deserved victory as Funaki and Sano had to retreat and figure out what went wrong tonight. Suzuki & Shamrock defeat Funaki & Sano, 13:33

Masashi Aoyagi vs Andy Hug

(Andy Hug)

After the technical display in the previous match, the fans in Nagano were treated to a bombfest between two lethal Karatekas dressed in their traditional white gis. Andy Hug came out swinging, looking to establish himself in front of the crowd and get control of the match. Aoyagi had to withstand several powerful kicks and was able to hold his ground. Aoyagi responded in kind, and the match developed into almost strictly a striking contest with very little grappling outside of a few clinches to land knee strikes. Hug appeared to be better technically, timing his strikes better and countering when needed. Aoyagi’s clinching abilities aided him to some degree, and he was able to get a 2-1 lead over Hug within the 10:00 mark. The two continued to trade knockdowns, delivering some brutal strikes along the way to the delight of the Nagano crowd. When Hug managed to tie things up at 3-3 after landing a high kick on Aoyagi, he gained control of the match and never looked back as Aoygai looked to be physically shaken from the blow. Hug took the next few minutes to finish the job and secured the victory with a TKO finish after landing a series of body bunches on Aoyagi. Hug defeats Aoyagi via TKO, 12:01

Maurice Smith vs Gerard Gordeau

(Maurice Smith)

Gordeau and Smith had an interesting contest contested under UWF rules, both wore small kickboxing gloves which made the dynamic of the match even more intriguing. Both competitors opened things up with some tentative exchanges, and Gordeau landed some early hard shots which made Maurice think about a few things. Gordeau’s reach was an early factor, and Smith had to slowly adjust as Gordeau was controlling the tempo. Smith’s technique started to become a factor, and he started to land hard kicks and jabs. Gordeau, in his red and gold trunks, got staggered a few times by Smith and seemed a bit frustrated as his offense became more unpredictable. Smith, in his black and white trunks, was enjoying the ability to pick and choose his spots as Gordeau left himself open more and more. Gordeau finally turned the tide around the 10:00 mark with hard gut shots, which sent Smith to the canvas for the first time. Maurice responded to the ten count by Ryogaku Wada in time and came firing back with a combo of high kicks to even the score as Gordeau was sent to the canvas. It became a contest of Gordeau’s offense vs Smith’s counters, and Smith got the best of Gordeau after he blocked a high kick and responded to a combo of hard punches to the stomach, followed by a well-executed axe kick. Gordeau tumbled to the canvas and the ten count commenced, with Gordeau not responding in time. Smith defeats Gordeau via KO, 12:19

Don “Nakaya” Nielsen vs Dick Vrij

Like the previous contest, this was contested under UWF rules. Dick Vrij chose to forego the use of boxing gloves, although Nielsen opted to use them. This gave Dick Vrij a subtle but critical advantage as he was able to clinch with Nielsen a lot easier than if he was using gloves. Nielsen’s reach was negated when Vrij was able to close the distance and land his knee strikes at will. This gave Nielsen a lot of fits and never seemed to establish control over the match despite his superior technique compared to Vrij. Dick Vrij’s kicks were pretty hard regardless, and Nielsen wasn’t able to check them enough. Vrij slowly wore down his opponent and eventually knocked him down for a 1-0 advantage. Nielsen barely had time to recover before Vrij quickly closed the distance again to deliver another knee strike and knockdown, and built himself a nice 2-0 lead. Nielsen had to unleash his offense here and landed some nice strikes as he eventually scored a knockdown on Vrij to back into the match. Vrij responded to the ten count quickly and decided to finish the match for good as he hit Nielsen with a beautiful jumping knee. Nielsen fell to the canvas and stumbled around as Ryogaku Wada completed his countdown. Vrij defeats Nielsen via KO, 8:04

Atsushi Onita vs Osamu Kido

Onita was eager to get back in the win column after his loss to Bob Backlund in the previous event. Kido presented a tough test, but the veteran found himself trying to keep pace with his quicker and more aggressive opponent. Kido seemed to be the crowd favorite here though, and perhaps drew on that energy to settle into the match and slow things down a bit as Onita was very eager to get into grappling exchanges whenever he could. Kido’s ability to control limbs was a key factor here, and Onita was perhaps too brash out of the gates to get something going. After several minutes of a technical stalemate, Onita finally baited Kido into a clever kneebar to score his first point via a rope break.  Onita fired off a series of palm strikes and low kicks to soften up Kido and seemed to get back some control from this point going forward. Kido refused to relent though, and decided to keep the match to the canvas as much as possible. Kidos’ technique allowed him to reverse Onita’s aggressive wrestling and he scored an exquisite double wristlock to get even with Onita on points. Eventually, both tie things up at 1-1 after each exhausts another rope break. Onita took advantage of the resets with his superior striking skills to continue getting some damage on his opponent. Despite Nagano’s best efforts to rally behind Kido, Onita eventually secured the victory after a smooth double-leg takedown followed by a heel hook. Kido did his best, but couldn’t break free and tapped out. After the match, Kido embraced Onita and raised his hand. Kido seemed a bit emotional as well as he made his way out of the ring and back behind the curtains. Onita defeats Kido via submission (heel hook), 15:17

Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Mark Fleming

If any promoter put one of Karl Gotch’s best students against one of Lou Thesz’s best students, they would rightfully expect a technical masterpiece. These two certainly delivered, and they meshed together very well. More of an old-school grappling match at the start with a focus on limb work and control, but Fleming showed he could be quick as well and mixed things up as he used leverage quite well to counter Fujiwara’s technique and get him into positions where Fujiwara was forced to go for the ropes to break holds. Fleming got an early 1-0 lead from this strategy and seemed to enjoy the challenge Fujiwara was giving him. Fujiwara got into his bag of tricks though, and seemed to set up traps for Fleming as he baited the American grappler into going on the offensive, only to be met by Fujiwara’s prodigious defense. Fleming struggled as Fujiwara regained control on the canvas, and seemed to find openings much easier with Fleming losing some of his quickness. Of course, Fujiwara mixed things up at every opportunity with his great striking ability as he caught Fleming with several sharp palm strikes. As the minutes passed, it seemed apparent this was Fujiwara’s match and he eventually built up a 2-1 lead on points after Fleming kept exhausting rope breaks to save himself. Fleming attempted to change the course of the match by throwing several body punches, but Fujiwara caught one of them and turned it into a ripcord headbutt! Fleming got knocked to the canvas and couldn’t get back up in time as Masami Soranaka completed his ten count. Fujiwara enjoyed the adulation of the Nagano crowd while Fleming nursed his head and went back to figure out what went wrong. Fujiwara defeated Fleming via KO, 15:49

Nobuhiko Takada vs Marco Ruas

Takada and Ruas ensured the Nagano crowd were treated to a great main event. Marco Ruas held nothing back and constantly applied pressure on Takada, taking him down several times in the early stages of the match with great leg entries and takedowns, showing off the techniques of Luta Livre. Takada defended well on the canvas, even if he looked like he was having trouble at first. The two exchanged hard kicks in the stand-up, and Ruas landed several blows that had Takada reeling. The Nagano crowd did their best to empower Takada with their cheers. This was for good reason as Takada seemed like he was losing his advantage as Ruas kept hitting the same leg with powerful kicks. Ruas scored the expected knockdown after getting a clinch on Takada for several hard knee strikes to the lower abdomen. Takada quickly got back up, fired back with a series of kicks, and took Ruas down to the canvas with a guillotine choke. Ruas didn’t have much trouble escaping and scored a kneebar attempt to get Takada to the ropes for Takada’s second rope break. With a 2-0 lead for Ruas, the Nagano crowd became more concerned and urged Takada on. The surprising moment of the match came when Takada hit a hard palm strike across the face of Ruas. This appeared to cut Ruas above the eye pretty hard and blood came pouring out. The ringside doctors checked on Ruas out of precaution and determined that the cut was too big to continue the match, giving Takada the victory via TKO. Ruas seemed a bit frustrated but was graceful with the decision and shook Takada’s hand. Takada was in the danger zone, but a win is a win, as they say. Takada and Ruas raised each other’s arms and embraced each other after the decision became official and the Nagano crowd chanted Takada’s name to end another great evening of action for UWF Newborn. Takada defeats Ruas via TKO, 14:06

After the match, Takada celebrated his somewhat fortunate win a bit more. On the taped WOWOW broadcast, Takada is shown giving an interview backstage where he admits he was lucky with the TKO after Ruas got cut and said that Ruas is an incredibly talented competitor and that he looks forward to facing him again down the line. Ruas also gives an interview where he says that he felt he had Takada where he wanted him, but that sometimes things happen in combat sports, whether it is Vale Tudo or wrestling. Ruas says he has enjoyed his time in Japan and he looks forward to coming back and praises the Japanese fanbase for their passion. When asked if he had any problems with the UWF rules, Ruas says no and that he is open to fighting different styles unlike certain rivals back home...the rolling credits hit on the broadcast, which are of course set to Queen's "We Are The Champions."

[Autistic Dragon]

Nakano looks like a badass winning with a crimson mask.

Hug & Smith both impress.

Onita is back on track.

Ruas takes the L but gets Takada's endorsement.

[Scarlet-Left]

Nice to see Onita bounce right back! Fun finish on the final match, and lovely write-ups as always!

[spaldoni]

Yamada had his moments but Sekishima's experience comes into play to get the win. 

Props to Anjo for hanging tough against the odds. Strong ending for Nakano to seal the win for his team. 

Suzuki and Shamrock gelled really well together. These guys will get some buzz after that performance. 

Hug impresses the crowd with a striking win over Aoyagi. 

Smith proves that body shots hurt. 

Vrij was dominant tonight and shows he's a legit contender. 

Onita bounces back from his Backlund loss, but Kido didn't make it easy for him. 

That brutal headbutt definitely sealed the deal as Fujiwara puts Fleming down. 

Takada catches a break but like they said, a win's a win. I know Ruas will live to fight another day. 

Fun show 

[Control21]

Quote

April 12^th, 1989

In a bit of an unpredicted outcome, Nobuhiko Takada defeated Marco Ruas via TKO after Takada inadvertently caught Ruas with a sharp palm strike that resulted in a cut above Ruas’ left eye. The match came to a premature finish when the ringside doctors determined Ruas couldn’t continue due to the cut. At first, it felt like Ruas was in the driver’s seat after building a 2-0 lead in points. It’s currently unknown if the planned finish was for Takada or Ruas to win. It’s interesting, with Ruas’ legitimate background in Lutra Livre and Vale Tudo, you would think he would not be amenable to taking worked defeats against professional wrestlers. Ruas did mention in the post-match interview that made the WOWOW broadcast that he did not mind the UWF ruleset and that he enjoyed working with other styles. As previously reported, it appears that Ruas feels like he can gain a bigger global brand by working professional wrestling matches, and that outweighs any criticism he could receive back in Brazil. It’ll be interesting to see if Ruas does more traditional wrestling matches in UWF, and he seemed very sharp while working with Takada. Maurice Smith and Andy Hug, two other fighters with a more legitimate background were also widely praised for their debut performances last week. It would not be a surprise to see both men return at a later date.

Baseball Magazine reported this week that UWF will be introducing pinfalls to their ruleset at the upcoming Korakuen show on April 27th. This has been rumored for a while and now it seems official. The main event there will be Akira Maeda going against Bad News Allen, so it’s possible that plays into their thinking to some degree. Sources previously have said that the introduction of pinfalls could encourage wrestlers to not rest on their backs as often, and quicker matwork could come as a result. There’s also a rumor going around in Japan this week that Lou Thesz could be named as an honorary chairman soon, and Lou Thesz is known to be an advocate of bringing the pinfall back along with Karl Gotch. The pinfall rule will likely be made permanent and it won’t be a one-off deal.

It will also be interesting to see how the pinfall works with wrestlers with an amateur background. Aleksandr Karelin is scheduled to make his return, as well as Victor Zangiev and Salman Hashimikov. On paper, you would think the new rule would help those wrestlers, along with the Koslowski brothers, stand out a bit more. Bob Backlund is also scheduled for the next show and has been tentatively booked against Yoshiaki Fujiwara.

 

[Autistic Dragon]

The addition of pinfalls should add an exciting new layer to UWFI matches.

[rainmakerrtv]

A big change, will see how this rule change shakes up the competition in UWF.

[Control21]

Card Announcement:

UWF Newborn - "Fighting Base Korakuen"

April 27th, 1989

Tokyo, Japan

Korakuen Hall

Masahito Kakihara vs Kiyoshi Tamura

Manabu Yamada vs Erik Paulson

Peter Senerchia (formerly known as Taz) vs Chris Benoit

Masakatsu Funaki vs Tatsuo Nakano

Dennis Koslowski vs Victor Zangiev

Duane Koslowski vs Salman Hashimikov

Volk Han vs Andrei Kopylov

Kazuo Yamazaki vs Aleksandr Karelin

Bob Backlund vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara

Akira Maeda vs Bad News Allen

 

[Autistic Dragon]

Taz vs Benoit has me hyped. Backlund v Fujiwara and Madea v Allen are also huge.

[Control21]

UWF Newborn – “Fighting Base Korakuen”

April 27^th, 1989

Tokyo, Japan

Korakuen Hall

Attendance: 2,005 (sold out)

Broadcast: WOWOW (live)

The live broadcast for tonight opens and the WOWOW commentary crew welcomes the viewing audience. They break down the introduction of the pinfall rule to UWF's ruleset, explaining that anyone who secures a three count will automatically earn the victory. They explain the lineage of this rule to traditional catch wrestling and Billy Robinson is shown demonstrating how pinfalls can encourage quicker movement on the mat and how wrestlers can use pinfalls in creative ways in UWF's "real wrestling" setting. Next, we get the full parade of wrestlers as Nobuyuki Furuta formally opens the show. Maeda and Fujiwara give their opening remarks to the fans in Korakuen Hall. Bad News Allen gives some brief translated comments as well, promising to put up a fight for Maeda and that he will have some "Bad News" for him tonight.

Masahito Kakihara vs Kiyoshi Tamura

Kakihara and Tamura put on an exciting opener, with Kakihara eager to impress on his debut. He throws sharp palm strikes and kicks out of the gate, which forces Tamura to try and take the match to the canvas. Kaikhara succeeds in defending at first, but Tamura eventually gets his way. Kakihara shows off some nice technique on the mat too and defends well against a determined Tamura who looks at every angle for a submission. They do a good job of demonstrating how the new pinfall rule might affect matwork too, with both aware that they can’t be on their backs too long, especially if their opponent has a mount. The referee, Yuji Shimada, is constantly on the lookout for the pin as he keeps pace with the two quick wrestlers. With a special 15:00 time limit for the opener, they are especially eager to beat the clock. Tamura towards the end gets a flying armbar entry on Kakihara and is eager to get the submission with both tied at 1-1 on points. Kakihara defends well though and the match ends in a draw. 15:00 draw

Manabu Yamada vs Erik Paulson

In a test between younger and older Shooto students, Yamada and Paulson impressed the crowd with slick grappling. Paulson always looked to be the more dangerous of the two, but Yamada had moments where he impressed as he threatened Paulson at times with heel hook attempts. Paulson looked to be steadily improving as a UWF wrestler, and even introduced the crowd to some clever pinning techniques picked up from amateur wrestling. Yamada was quick to escape though, with the second attempt ending in a one count. The two show off their striking skills as well, with Yamada surprisingly giving Paulson some trouble but the American was able to get his opponent back on the canvas and ended the match with a well-executed guillotine choke. Paulson defeats Yamada via submission (guillotine choke), 8:47

Peter Senerchia vs Chris Benoit

Peter Senerchia was eager to prove a point against Chris Benoit, an opponent he was already very familiar with from previous encounters in WCW and elsewhere. Benoit, a Stu Hart-trained wrestler and a student of Tatsumi Fujinami as well, was no stranger to the art of submission wrestling. Senerchia’s strength comes from his expertise in suplexes and throws and quickly tried to overpower Benoit once the bell sounded. Benoit held his ground and was able to outclass Senerchia on the canvas with quick transitions and counterwork as Senerchia could not keep up with the more agile Benoit. After being sent to the ropes early due to a well-timed single-leg Boston crab from Benoit, Senerchia found his flow in the match and found the angles needed to begin taking Benoit to Suplex City. Benoit weathered the storm at first and reversed one of the attempts into a nice rolling kneebar that forced Senerchia to the ropes again. With a 1-0 lead in points, Benoit looked like the favorite. The WWF star flexed for the crowd and seemed comfortable in UWF already. Senerchia was only more motivated by this and took it to Benoit at full throttle. Benoit tried taking things to the canvas again but was only met by more suplexes from Senerchia, who added a different variant each time he got Benoit in his grasp. Benoit seemed dazed by a high-angle German suplex and had to be a ten count from Shimada to stay in the match. Despite Benoit’s best efforts to survive, Senerchia scored a bridging Fisherman’s suplex for the pinfall. 1-2-3! Benoit wasn’t able to kick out in time and Senerchia had the honor of scoring the first pinfall victory in UWF. Senerchia defeats Benoit via pinfall, 11:03

The commentary crew speaks very highly of both wrestlers after the match, and they all agreed Peter Senerchia will prove to be a dangerous opponent going forward, and that Chris Benoit seemed very comfortable with submission wrestling and grappling.

Masakatsu Funaki vs Tatsuo Nakano

A hard-hitting match saw Nakano and Funaki stiff each other constantly with hard palm strikes, kicks, and knee strikes. Things seemed to go into third gear from the start as the Korakuen crowd ate up the tough brawling from both competitors. Funaki was in full showman mode, using his background in various striking martial arts to catch Nakano with some creative modes of striking. Funaki posed for the crowd as he scored the first knockdown of the match and was brimming with confidence. Nakano beat the ten count, and immediately took it back to Funaki by catching square on the face with a huge palm strike. Funaki had to beat a ten count of his own, and the match continued at a tremendous pace with both throwing even more strikes. Things finally settled down a bit when Nakano finally got Funaki to the canvas with a belly-to-belly suplex. Nakano sought to control the match here and did his best to slow things down enough that he got the chance to get a breather. Funaki defends well on the canvas and even kicks out of a quick pinfall attempt from Nakano. Funaki and Nakano stood back up and traded more blows, and this time Funaki got revenge on Nakano by hitting him square with a palm strike that opened up the famously leaky nose of his opponent. With Nakano developing another crimson mask, Funaki regains control of the match and hits Nakano with a roundhouse kick. Nakano falls to the canvas and Funaki immediately seizes the opportunity to lock in a twisting half-Boston crab for the submission victory as the Korakuen crowd lets both wrestlers know how much they enjoyed the match, and the WOWOW commentary crew finishes off a great call of the match. Funaki defeats Nakano via submission (half-Boston crab), 12:24

Dennis Koslowski vs Victor Zangiev

If someone expected a classic wrestling showcase out of this match, they certainly got it. Koslowski and Zangiev were evenly matched opponents who were very quick on their feet and in their heads as they tried to outwrestle each other with slick counters, escape, and counterwork as they displayed their respective technical talents. Zangiev appeared to get the upper hand a few minutes into the match as he used great control to slow down Koslowski. Koslowski had to exhaust two rope breaks in quick succession as Zangiev picked his spots well to shoot for a submission, mainly looking for a straight armlock and a double wristlock. Koslowski mixed up his strategy by going for pinfalls, and either looked to secure one via classical freestyle techniques or a bridging suplex variant. Zangiev grew frustrated as Dennis appeared to outmuscle him, and had difficulties countering Koslowski’s creativity as he worked the mat to secure a pinfall. What seemed to be giving Zangiev some trouble was that Koslowski was using leg lock techniques to constantly catch Zangiev off balance on the canvas, and Zangiev appeared to have trouble adjusting to this strategy. Zangiev had to exhaust two rope breaks as Koslowski appeared to look for a toehold submission. This was only a setup though, as Koslowski finally was able to secure a creative pinfall technique on Zangiev to pin him to the mat for a three count and the victory. Koslowski defeats Zangiev via pinfall, 15:53

Duane Koslowski vs Salman Hashimikov

The other contest between an American and Soviet wrestler saw an energetic Duane Koslowski who was eager to prove a point from the opening bell. Despite his strength advantage, Hashimikov found himself having to adjust to a much more agile Koslowski on the canvas. Like his brother, Koslowski used the strategy of going for Salman’s legs to either secure a submission or a pinfall entry. Hashimikov did manage to establish momentum in the match whenever he could get a good grip on his opponent, using his strength to pick him up for a throw or a suplex. At one point, Hashimikov impressed the crowd with a deadlift German suplex that knocked the wind out of Koslowski. Hashimikov regained control on the canvas and appeared to be more comfortable dealing with Koslowski’s technical strategy. It seemed like at every opportunity, Hashimikov was trying to take Koslowski’s back for the advantageous position and did a good job rolling and countering to get that position. Despite his best efforts, Koslowski eventually fell victim to a bridging side suplex from Hashimikov for the pinfall. Koslowski kicked out just a tad too late and Hashimikov celebrated his victory. Hashimikov defeats Koslowski via pinfall, 10:08

Volk Han vs Andrei Kopylov

An anticipated clash between two Russian sambists featured an upstart Volk Han fresh off a win against the promotion’s top star, Akira Maeda. Andrei Kopylov did not shy away from the challenge and presented a tough test for his Soviet rival right out of the gate. Kopylov assailed Volk Han with a series of strikes and seemed to have his opponent on the backfoot, but Volk Han certainly had a few tricks up his sleeve. With Kopylov tried jumping the standing guillotine choke, Volk Han promptly slammed him right on his back and immediately seized Kopylov’s leg for a knee-crusher. After some struggle, Kopylov managed to reverse the hold and get control of Volk Han’s leg to force the rope break. The crowd continued to be greatly impressed by both as they put on a fine grappling display, particularly whenever they went to the canvas to battle each other in a test of wits via leg locks. Kopylov’s strategy here was to be patient with Volk Han’s flash and pick his spots to gain control of the flow during the match. Han got his moments in the spotlight though, and had an impressive display of wrist control as he managed to toss Kopylov around with wristlock techniques at one point, to the delight of the crowd. Volk Han caught Kopylov with a spinning back fist and sent his opponent down to the count to gain a 2-1 lead on points. With Volk Han seemingly in control, Kopylov had to regain his composure as he grappled with Volk Han a bit more down the closing stretch. Kopylov finally found a moment to bait Volk Han in with a knee takedown, which he quickly turned into an inverted toe hold that caught Volk Han in no man’s land. To the surprise of the crowd, Volk Han tapped as he struggled to get out. Kopylov immediately jumped up in happiness and celebrated as he got one over his rival. Han looked on in disbelief. Kopylov defeats Han via submission (inverted toe hold), 15:23

Kazuo Yamazaki vs Aleksandr Karelin

This was a very interesting matchup with Karelin’s incredible strength and power going up against Yamazaki’s striking ability. Yamazaki opened the match with a strategy by going after Karelin’s leg with well-timed kicks as he picked his spots and carefully kept his distance from the Soviet gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling. While Yamazaki was successful in his assault on Karelin’s legs, particularly the left leg, the Soviet kept closing his distance. Karelin finally managed to catch one of Yamazaki’s kicks and pulled him into a Greco-Roman lock as he wrestled Yamazaki to the canvas like a grizzly bear. Yamazaki was outclassed on the canvas by Karelin. Yamazaki was no slouch to grappling and was trained by the best in catch wrestling, but even he could not find a way to deal with Karelin, who had been improving his grappling skills back in the Soviet Union. Yamazaki quickly racked up the rope breaks as he used them to escape Karelin’s reach as quickly as possible. Yamazaki threw as many strikes as he could to keep Karelin at bay, but Karelin grew into the match and predicted Yamazaki’s timing better. Karelin continued to press Yamazaki and eventually built up a 3-0 lead on points after Yamazaki exhausted a few more rope breaks. At this point in the match, Karelin finally managed to get Yamazaki off his feet for a huge side suplex, followed by a Greco-Roman headlock throw. Yamazaki was gradually being worn down for the coming “Karelin Lift” and when Karelin finally managed to execute it on a worn-down Yamazaki, the crowd knew the Sayama trainee was finished. After Yamazaki landed pretty hard on his shoulders, Karelin moved in for the rear-naked collar choke and quickly tightened the bear-like vice around Yamazaki. Yamazaki had no choice but to tap, of course. Karelin defeats Yamazaki via submission (rear-naked collar choke), 14:17

Bob Backlund vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara

Backlund and Fujiwara were great opponents for each other and it quickly became evident as they started off the match with feisty antics. Fujiwara delivered several palm strikes to Backlund, almost teasing him. Backlund responded with a few low kicks to Fujiwara’s gut before prancing around the ring and making faces as the crowd responded with a few hearty laughs. Things quickly got more serious though as Fujiwara and Backlund locked up more, and tested each other’s grappling skills. Fujiwara got the advantage early and was able to find openings better than Backlund, who appeared to rely on his amateur wrestling background to play defense and prevent an early submission. As always, Fujiwara was great at seizing opportunities and snagging limbs for submission attempts, and eventually, something had to give. Fujiwara got a clever heel hook for the first rope break of the match, which frustrated Backlund. Backlund and Fujiwara went straight back to grappling after the break, with Backlund vocally growing more involved in the match as he went on the offensive. Backlund had better luck on the canvas this time, primarily working from side control as he looked for an armbar. Backlund’s strength was a challenge for Fujiwara, and it became evident as Backlund was finally able to secure the hold to force a rope break. After a few more minutes, the match evened at 1-1 as both competitors were able to force their opponents to go for the ropes a few more times. Backlund shifted strategy a bit and started to use more throws and suplexes to get Fujiwara off his feet. Backlund was also mindful of Fujiwara’s headbutts and was able to block most of the early attempts from landing. Fujiwara also had to contend with Backlund trying to get a few pinfall attempts, although he was able to kick out of most of them quickly. The match heated up a bit more around the 10:00 mark with both wrestlers throwing more strikes. Backlund was aiming to clinch with Fujiwara to close the distance and use his knees to soften up Fujiwara. With the match tied at 3-3 after several rope breaks and knockdowns for both, Backlund delivered an Olympic slam on Fujiwara and attempted another pin, which Fujiwara kicked out of. Fujiwara was dazed though, and this allowed Backlund to finish things up with a Crossface Chicken Wing for the submission victory. Backlund defeats Fujiwara via submission (Crossface Chicken Wing), 17:33

Akria Maeda vs Bad News Allen

The Korakuen crowd made it known that they were highly anticipating this main event, as chants of “Ma-e-da!” filled the arena to the beat of Camel’s “Captured.” Allen came out with some cheers of his own as the fans certainly knew about him from his previous days in Japan and his exploits in WWF. After Masami Soranaka checked both men and broke down the rules, the Korakuen crowd greeted the start of the match and the bell to even more cheers. Maeda threw several kicks to start things off, with Allen doing his best to check and block them. Allen knew he had to close the distance as much as possible, and battled through Maeda’s strikes to get his hands on him. The former judoka and Olympian quickly tossed Maeda down with a Judo throw and established side control, giving Maeda some trouble as Allen’s power and weight made Maeda’s attempt at countering on the canvas difficult. Allen steadily worked his way to a straight armlock, forcing Maeda to go for the ropes to break the hold before any more damage was done. Maeda resumed his offense with another flurry of kicks and palm strikes, and Allen weathered the storm again to get his opponent down to the mat. Maeda’s fans made their concern known as Allen worked from the top again on the mat, and Maeda struggled with Allen’s ability to control his opponent. For the first half of the match, this seemed to be the narrative as Allen racked up the rope breaks with Maeda being controlled by Allen’s calculated Judo techniques. Allen resorted to simple but effective holds that constantly applied pain to Maeda’s joints. After another rope break from a shoulder lock, Allen enjoyed a 2-0 lead on points and seemed very confident. Maeda threw more kicks, this time they had real power behind them and Allen was caught off guard by a kick to the gut, sending him down to the canvas and giving Maeda his first point. Allen promptly beat the ten count, but the damage was done. Allen began to incorporate more throws and suplexes into his moveset as he sought to get Maeda off his feet. At one point, Allen manages to get a belly-to-belly suplex on Maeda. Maeda was slow to get up and faced a ten count that he beat, but Allen now had a 3-1 lead on points.

The Korakuen crowd urged Maeda on, and he started to draw from their energy to launch a patented spirited comeback. Their hero started to strike Allen with a variety of kicks, palm strikes, and lower-body punches. Allen was also starting to fatigue a bit and attempted to pin Maeda after scoring another bold Judo takedown. 1…2…kickout! Maeda got the Korakuen crowd roaring as he fought off the pinfall attempt and struck Allen dead in the eye with a high kick. Allen was too slow to get up this time and barely beat Soranaka’s ten count. Maeda greeted him with a Capture Suplex, followed by a quick and tight kneebar. Allen did his best to fight off Maeda and escape the hold. The Korakuen crowd perhaps made things more difficult as they cheered Maeda on, almost blowing the roof off the building. Allen finally relented and tapped out. Maeda celebrated his victory and Allen came to terms with his first defeat in the UWF, although his performance took Maeda to the limit. Maeda defeats Allen via submission (kneebar), 17:55

Maeda continues to celebrate his victory to Camel's "Captured" as we get some replays of the finish. The commentary crew breaks down the match a bit and we are shown Maeda and Allen embracing in the ring as they congratulate each other on their performances. Maeda raises Allen's hand afterward. We are also shown the new UWF rankings on screen:

1)      Nobuhiko Takada (11-1)

2)      Akira Maeda (10-2)

3)      Satoru Sayama (6-2)

4)      Masakatsu Funaki (7-3)

5)      Yoshiaki Fujiwara (7-5)

6)      Kazuo Yamazaki (6-6)

7)      Yorinaga Nakamura (4-2)

8)      Norman Smiley (4-2)

9)      Shigeo Miyato (5-1-4)

10)  Bob Backlund (3-1)

With the show over and the fans making their way out of Korakuen Hall, the commentary crew recaps the rest of the show and they all think the introduction of pinfalls has created a new, exciting dynamic for UWF. The live broadcast comes to an end after three hours+ of great action. We get the rolling credits from WOWOW set to Queen's 'We Are The Champions."

(A quick programming note, my next show is scheduled for May 31st but I will be traveling in the middle of next month as well. I should be able to get things finished up on time, although there might be a slight delay if I end up getting too busy with everything. Hope you guys enjoyed reading!)

[Autistic Dragon]

Senerchia makes history on his first night in the UWF.

The Koslowski bros break even with the Soviet team.

Bad News taps! Did not see that coming.

[spaldoni]

Kakihara and Tamura get things going with a fun draw. 

Paulson beats Yamada with the always effective guillotine choke hold. 

It's only fitting that Senerchia scores the first UWF pinfall. What a suplex display. 

After one hard hitting match, Funaki is able to submit Nakano. They really won the crowd over. 

Koslowski and Zangiev change the pace with Koslowski showing off some nice wrestling to get the pin. 

Duane didn't fare as well as his brother, but no shame because Hashimikov is at the top of his game. 

Kopylov hangs tough and gets a surprising win over Han. 

Karelin put on quite the display as he dismantles Yamazaki. 

Fujiwara puts up one heck of a fight, but that slam leading up to the crossface chicken wing sealed the deal. 

Maeda and Allen deliver in the main event. I thought Allen was going to take it, but Maeda came on strong at the end to send the fans home happy. 

Fun show. Always a great read.