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Fighting Spirit Review: All Japan “EXCITE SERIES 2014” on 2/5/14

By
Kevin Wilson
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0

Date: February 5th, 2014
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 936

As I continue on our trek with All Japan, I have to point out that All Japan’s attendances since the split last summer are just horrendous. Having under 1,000 at Korakuen Hall is literally indy level, there are almost a dozen promotions that have done better than that at Korakuen just in 2014 alone. I am not sure what they are going to do to fix this and they still have some high-priced stars. If they start losing sponsors I have serious concerns about the future prospects of one of the oldest promotions in Japan. But for now, we will look forward to the start of the Jr. Battle of Glory tournament, which is basically a Champion Carnival for Jr. Heavyweights. Looking at the match-ups we should have some good ones on this event, here is the full card:

– Ryuji Hijikata and Hikaru Sato vs. Shigehiro Irie and Takao Soma
– Jr. Battle of Glory – Block A: Kaji Tomato vs. Ultimo Dragon
– KENSO and Mitsuya Nagai vs. Osamu Nishimura and Masao Inoue
– Akebono and Yutaka Yoshie vs. Go Shiozaki and Kento Miyahara
– Jun Akiyama, Takao Omori, and Keisuke Ishii vs. Suwama, Joe Doering, and SUSHI
– Jr. Battle of Glory – Block A: Atsushi Aoki vs. Kotaro Suzuki
– Jr. Battle of Glory – Block B: Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru

I can assure you that something on this event will be good, some quality Jr. Heavyweights here. Let’s get started.

Ryuji Hijikata and Hikaru Sato vs. Shigehiro Irie and Takao Soma

Sato and Irie start things off. Takedown by Sato but Irie reverses it, Irie applies a front facelock but Sato gets out of it and gets Irie to the mat. Irie reverses positions and struggles back up, side headlock by Sato and he takes Irie to the mat but Irie applies a side headlock. Soma Irish whips out of it but Irie hits a shoulderblock. Irie tags in Soma and Sato tags in Hijikata. Hijikata and Soma circle each other, tie-up, side headlock by Hijikata, Soma Irish whips out of it but Hijikata hits a shoulderblock. Hijikata goes off the ropes but Soma knocks him down with a lariat. Stomp by Soma into the corner, Irish whip by Soma but Hijikata kicks Soma in the chest. High kick to the head by Hijikata, he picks up Soma and he knees Soma in the chest. More kicks by Hijikata and he tags in Sato and Sato kicks Soma to the mat. Cover, but it gets a two count.

Sato picks up Soma and they trade elbows, Irish whip by Sato but Soma dropkicks Sato and hits an elbow smash. Soma tags in Irie, Irie knocks Hijikata off the apron and then kicks Sato. Scoop slam by Irie to Sato, he goes off the ropes and hits a seated senton. Cover, but it gets a two count. Irie picks up Sato and goes for a suplex but Sato blocks it, Irie goes for it again and this time he hits the vertical suplex. Cover, but it is broken up. Irie tags in Soma, they throw Sato into the corner, Irish whip by Soma and he hits a running elbow. Irie follows with a lariat, then Soma hits a superkick followed by a lariat by Irie. Cover by Soma but Hijikata breaks it up. Double Irish whip to Sato but Sato dropkicks both Soma and Irie. Sato kicks Irie out of the ring, Soma picks up Sato but Sato hits a suplex. Soma ducks Sato’s kick and rolls up Sato, but Sato applies a cross armbreaker. Soma gets a foot on the ropes to break up the hold, Sato picks up Soma and kicks him in the chest and head. Sato goes off the ropes and hits a PK, cover, but he only gets a two count. Sato applies a crab hold to Soma and Soma has to submit. Your winners: Ryuji Hijikata and Hikaru Sato

Match Thoughts: Pretty basic opener. Some of the wrestlers here have the potential to put on really good matches, so wrestler quality wasn’t a problem, but unlike some openers we have seen in 2014 they didn’t really make an attempt to make it a good match. Perhaps intentionally to not overshadow the tournament matches, but the reason/intent doesn’t really matter to the viewers. Most of it was standard strike offense and Sato put away Soma pretty easily at the end. Overall it was technically fine, just lacking in excitement, intrigue, or a reason to watch. Score: 3.5

Kaji Tomato vs. Ultimo Dragon

This match is part of the Jr. Battle of Glory. Waistlock by Ultimo Dragon to start and he throws Tomato to the mat, they jockey for position on the mat and Tomato applies a wristlock. Ultimo Dragon flips out of it and hits an armdrag, sending Tomato down in the corner. Tomato returns to his feet and they lock knuckles, headscissors by Ultimo Dragon and he spins Tomato to the mat. Tomato manages to get up and Ultimo Dragon spins Tomato to the mat again, but Tomato gets a foot on the ropes. Ultimo Dragon knees Tomato as he gets up, Irish whip by Ultimo Dragon and Ultimo Dragon hits an elbow strike. Cover, but it gets a two count. Snapmare by Ultimo Dragon and he applies a stretch submission hold. Cover by Ultimo Dragon but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Ultimo Dragon and he delivers a dropkick. Ultimo Dragon slams Tomato’s knee into the mat and does it a second time. Ultimo Dragon twists up Tomato again and applies a knee lock, but Tomato gets to the ropes to force a break. Hammerlock by Ultimo Dragon and he rolls up Tomato, keeping the hammerlock applied while also applying a headscissors, but Tomato gets to the ropes. Ultimo Dragon picks up Tomato, Irish whip, and Ultimo Dragon hits a spinning backbreaker. Single leg crab hold by Ultimo Dragon but Tomato gets to the ropes to force a break. Chop by Ultimo Dragon and he hits Tomato into the corner, Irish whip by Ultimo Dragon but Tomato kicks him back and hits a rebound dropkick. Irish whip by Tomato, Irish whip, and Tomato hits a jumping elbow strike. Shoulder tackle by Tomato in the corner,he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a cannonball. Cover by Tomato, but it gets two. Tomato picks up Ultimo Dragon, knees by Ultimo Dragon but Tomato rolls him up for a two count. Backslide by Tomato, but it gets two again. Tomato picks up Ultimo Dragon and hits a scoop slam, Tomato goes up to the top turnbuckle but Ultimo Dragon dropkicks Tomato as he jumps off. Kick combination by Ultimo Dragon and he delivers the Asai Moonsault, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Ultimo Dragon

Match Thoughts: Tomato is a pretty respected wrestler in K-DOJO and has won a few different titles there, but here Ultimo Dragon treated him like a rookie. Which to the average viewer it is the legendary Ultimo Dragon against a wrestler most people haven’t seen before, but I wouldn’t have minded if Tomato had gotten a bit more offense in and came off as more of a threat. So it ended up being a pretty basic mat-based match, with Ultimo Dragon using a bunch of different submission holds, taking a brief moment of Tomato’s offense, and then quickly winning the match. I was hoping for a bit more, what we got wasn’t much. Score: 4.0

KENSO and Mitsuya Nagai vs. Osamu Nishimura and Masao Inoue 

KENSO and Nagai attack their opponents before the match starts as the action spills out of the ring. KENSO takes Inoue around the ring while Nagai singles out Nishimura. Nagai throws Nishimura into the ring post while KENSO slaps Inoue near the bleachers. KENSO grabs the camera from the cameraman and films the crowd before slapping Inoue again. Nagai comes overs and he rolls Inoue into the ring, KENSO gets in as well, Irish whip by KENSO to Inoue and he hits a lariat. Cover, but it gets a two count. KENSO slaps Nishimura off the apron before going back to Inoue, he picks up Inoue and throws him out of the ring. Nagai greets Inoue on the floor and throws him into the guard rail before sliding him back in. KENSO tags in Nagai and then throws Inoue into his boot. Snap suplex by Nagai to Inoue, cover, but it gets a two count. Nagai applies a stretch hold to Inoue before elbowing him in the shoulder. Nagai kicks Inoue in the chest and then stands on his neck near the ropes. Nagai picks up Inoue and tags in KENSO, Irish whip by KENSO and he chokes Inoue with his feather belt. He releases Inoue after a moment so the referee can check on him, KENSO then kicks Inoue low. KENSO picks up Inoue but Inoue elbows him off, eye rake by Inoue but KENSO slaps him. Nagai elbows Inoue from the floor while KENSO takes off the turnbuckle pad, KENSO picks up Inoue and tries to throw him into the exposed corner but Inoue reverses it, sending KENSO into the steel.

Nagai runs in to kick Nishimura off the apron, he picks up Inoue and hits a scoop slam followed by a leg drop. KENSO tags in Nagai and Nagai applies the texas cloverleaf, but releases it when Nishimura gets into the ring. Nagai picks up Inoue and kicks him in the chest. Nagai picks up Inoue and throws him into the corner so that KENSO can slap him. Nagai kicks Inoue out of the ring and then tags in KENSO, KENSO gets a running start in the ring and goes for a pescado but Inoue moves and KENSO hits Nagai on accident. Inoue makes the hot tag to Nishimura, Nishimura goes out of the ring and punches KENSO against the guard rail up towards the bleachers. Nishimura punches KENSO around the floor before bringing him back to the ring, uppercuts by Nishimura in the corner and Inoue comes in the ring. Inoue hits a lariat onto KENSO in the corner, Nishimura trips KENSO and hits a diving knee drop off the top turnbuckle. Figure four leglock by Nishimura, but Nagai breaks it up. Irish whip by Nagai to Nishimura but Nishimura kicks him and hits an uppercut. They trade blows with Nishimura getting the better of it, he goes back to KENSO and uppercuts him as well. KENSO throws white powder at Nishimura and then punches down the referee, which gets him DQed. Your winners: Osamu Nishimura and Masao Inoue

Match Thoughts: At least in this match they showed a bit of passion which others haven’t really showed, even if it was coming from goofy ass KENSO. The average age here of the wrestlers was 42 which isn’t usually a great sign but no one tried to wrestle beyond their means and at least KENSO using cheap tactics/fighting outside the ring fits into his character which made it seem like less of a time waster. The DQ ending was a bit lame, but since they were losing it made some sense, I get more annoyed when heels get DQed when they were winning the match anyway. For a mid-card ‘veteran’ match it wasn’t bad and actually is the best match on the card so far… which hopefully won’t remain true for much longer. Score: 5.0

Akebono and Yutaka Yoshie vs. Go Shiozaki and Kento Miyahara

Akebono and Shiozaki start things off. Tie-up, Akebono pushes Shiozaki into the ropes but he gives a mostly clean break. Shiozaki goes for a single leg takedown but Akebono pushes him away, he goes for a second one but Akebono pancakes him before letting him back up. Slap by Akebono, Shiozaki applies a side headlock, Akebono Irish whips out of it and shoulderblocks Shiozaki down. Akebono tags in Yoshie and Shiozaki tags in Miyahara. Side headlock by Yoshie, Miyahara Irish whips out of it but Yoshie shoulderblocks him down. Yoshie goes off the ropes but Miyahara hits a dropkick. Dropkick to the head by Miyahara and Yoshie is knocked off his feet, Miyahara picks him up, Irish whip, reversed, Miyahara goes for a sunset flip but Yoshie sits on him. Yoshie picks up Miyahara and he hits a scoop slam. Rolling senton by Yoshie and he tags in Yoshie. Yoshie kicks at Miyahara but Miyahara gets back to his feet, and Akebono quickly knocks Miyahara back to the mat. Akebono stands on Miyahara stomach and Miyahara rolls out of the ring, Yoshie joins him and throws Miyahara into the guard rail. Akebono then runs over and knocks Shiozaki off the apron as Yoshie battles Miyahara at ringside. Yoshie and Miyahara trade elbows while in the ring Shiozaki and Akebono trade strikes. Akebono throws Shiozaki out of the ring while Yoshie continues knocking Miyahara around at ringside. Yoshie slides Miyahara back into the ring, and Akebono hits an elbow drop. Akebono tags in Yoshie, and Yoshie hits a scoop slam to Miyahara. Stomp by Yoshie, he picks up Miyahara and knocks him into the corner.

Chops by Yoshie in the corner, Irish whip, and Yoshie hits a splash in the corner. Another splash by Yoshie, he picks up Miyahara, Irish whip, but Miyahara moves when Yoshie charges in. Miyahara goes off the ropes and hits a big boot, giving him time to tag in Shiozaki. Shiozaki chops Yoshie in the corner, Irish whip, reversed, and Shiozaki chops Yoshie. Shiozaki goes for a suplex but he can’t get Yoshie over, and Yoshie hits a suplex instead. Yoshie goes off the ropes but Shiozaki hits a jumping shoulderblock. Kick by Shiozaki, cover, but it gets a two count. Back up they trade elbows and chops, Shiozaki goes off the ropes but Yoshie hits a Lou Thesz Press and tags in Akebono. Akebono picks up Shiozaki, Irish whip to the corner and he hits a running splash. Yoshie then hit a butt smash in the corner, snapmare by Yoshie and Akebono hits an elbow drop onto Shiozaki. Cover by Akebono but it gets a two count. Yoshie hits a senton onto Shiozaki and Akebono follows with a body press, cover, but Miyahara breaks it up. Yoshie throws Miyahara out of the ring, they both go to splash Shiozaki but Shiozaki moves and the big men run into each other. Miyahara comes back into the ring to get Yoshie while Miyahara goes off the ropes but he can’t knock over Akebono. A lariat by Miyahara finally does the trick, cover, but it gets a two count. Shiozaki picks up Akebono and hits the Go Flasher, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winners: Go Shiozaki and Kento Miyahara

Match Thoughts: I am being very generous calling the final move the “Go Flasher” since obviously Shiozaki couldn’t get Akebono all the way up. I really enjoyed the bulk of this match, you could really feel that Akebono and Shiozaki didn’t like each other, they were going out of their way to attack each other and considering the wrestlers it kept a good pace throughout. Akebono is very limited but in a match like this he was able to play to his strengths. I didn’t like how quickly the match ended, they seemed to have a good build-up going but Shiozaki won so easily at the end. Akebono wasn’t really hurt but went down after just one lariat and a very ‘modified’ Go Flasher. As a Triple Crown Champion I would think he should have been better protected, getting pinned is fine but it should have taken more effort. Even considering the ending though it was still a good match and got the fans ready to see Akebono and Shiozaki go at it again. Score: 6.5

Jun Akiyama, Omori, and Keisuke Ishii vs. Suwama, Doering, and SUSHI

Omori and Suwama go at each other to start the match, as Ishii and SUSHI trade elbows in the ring. Suwama takes Omori up into the bleachers while in the ring SUSHI Irish whips Ishii and hits a jumping heel kick. Lariat by SUSHI in the corner and he hits a suplex to Ishii. Diving headbutt by SUSHI, cover, but Ishii kicks out. SUSHI picks up Ishii but Ishii hits a drop toehold followed by three backflip kicks. German suplex hold by Ishii, but it gets a two count. Ishii charges SUSHI but SUSHI ducks the jumping kick. Enzigieri by Ishii but SUSHI follows with a lariat. Ishii tags in Akiyama while Doering is also tagged in, Doering throws Akiyama into the corner and hits a lariat followed by an elbow drop. Vertical suplex by Doering to Akiyama, cover, but it gets a two count. Doering picks up Akiyama and goes for a powerbomb but Omori breaks it up. Doering pushes Omori back into the corner, Doering charges Akiyama but Akiyama kicks him back. Front facelock by Akiyama, he goes off the ropes and goes for a knee but Doering blocks it and hits a death valley driver. Cover, but Ishii breaks it up. Doering tags in Suwama, Suwama kicks Akiyama and goes off the ropes, hitting a big boot. Belly to belly suplex by Suwama, cover, but it gets a two count. Suwama punches Akiyama, Irish whip, reversed, and Akiyama knees Suwama in the shoulder.

Akiyama tags in Omori, Omori goes off the ropes and boots Suwama. Omori hits a spinning heel kick, he waits for Suwama to get up and applies a waistlock, but Suwama gets out of it. Omori punches Suwama into the corner, Irish whip by Omori, reversed, but Omori kicks Suwama as he charges in. Big boot by Suwama, he goes off the ropes but Omori hits a boot as well. Irish whip by Suwama but Doering lariats Omori from the apron. Chaos breaks up around the ring while Suwama picks up Omori, Doering comes in the ring, double Irish whip and they hit Omori with a double dropkick. Cover, but Ishii breaks it up. Suwama picks up Omori, Irish whip to the corner and Suwama hits a lariat. Doering follows with a lariat as well. SUSHI then hits a swandive dropkick onto Omori, cover by Suwama but it gets a two count. Doering grabs Akiyama in the ring and goes for a powerbomb but he is stopped by Ishii. The ring clears leaving just Omori and Suwama, Suwama goes off the ropes but Omori catches his leg when he goes for the boot. Suwama drops Omori with the Last Ride, cover, but it gets a two count. Suwama waits for Omori to get up and hits a lariat in the corner followed by a release German suplex. Lariat by Suwama, cover, but Omori gets a shoulder up. Suwama picks up Omori and goes for another powerbomb, but Omori reverses it into the Axe Guillotine Driver. Akiyama comes in the ring and knees Suwama in the corner, and Omori follows with a lariat. Full nelson slam by Omori, cover, but Suwama kicks out. Omori waits for Suwama to get up and hits the Axe Bomber, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winners: Jun Akiyama, Takao Omori, and Keisuke Ishii

Match Thoughts: Not a bad match since it continued a few different storylines, even if it was a bit short. Omori and Suwama had some good interactions as did Akiyama and Doering, but I don’t think that Ishii and SUSHI added much to the match. I understand why they were there, but in terms of the match itself they really didn’t add much to the party. A solid match action-wise, it just needed more time with six wrestlers to really get their stuff in. Score: 5.5

Atsushi Aoki vs. Kotaro Suzuki

Tie-up to start, Aoki pushes Suzuki into the ropes and he gives a clean break. Tie-up again, side headlock by Aoki, Suzuki Irish whips out of it but Aoki rolls up Suzuki and goes for a cross armbreaker. Suzuki quickly gets out of it and they trade hold attempts on the mat until both me return to their feet. Hammerlock by Suzuki, Aoki reverses it into an armbar and then into a wristlock, but Suzuki spins out and reverses the hold. Aoki takes Suzuki to the mat while applying an armbar, Aoki pushes Suzuki into the corner and gives him a hard elbow. Another elbow by Aoki, Irish whip, Aoki charges Suzuki and hits a running elbow smash. Irish whip by Aoki, reversed, but Aoki kicks Suzuki back. Aoki goes off the ropes, snapmare by Aoki, Suzuki goes for a handspring attack but Aoki dropkicks him in the back. Suzuki falls out of the ring but Aoki goes out after him and throws Suzuki into the guard rail. Aoki picks up Suzuki onto the railing with him and hits a vertical suplex off the rail onto the floor. Aoki picks up Suzuki and slides him back into the ring, cover by Aoki but it gets a two count. Kick to the back by Aoki, cover, but it gets a two count. Aoki picks up Suzuki and knocks him into the corner, Aoki goes for a suplex but Suzuki blocks it. Elbow to the back by Aoki, he picks up Suzuki and puts Suzuki onto the top rope. Aoki then gets a running start and connects with a running kick to Suzuki’s back. Cover by Aoki but it gets a two count. Aoki picks up Suzuki and he hits a snap suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Aoki applies a single leg crab hold but Suzuki gets to the ropes. Aoki knees Suzuki in the back, they get back up and they trade elbows. Headbutt by Aoki, he picks up Suzuki and hits another headbutt. Aoki slams Suzuki into the turnbuckles twice and goes for a backdrop suplex, but Suzuki lands on his feet. Handspring elbow strike by Suzuki, he waits for Aoki to get up but Aoki avoids him in the corner. Hurricanrana by Suzuki and he hits a vertical suplex. Jumping knee by Suzuki in the corner and he hits a jumping knee off the second turnbuckle for a two count cover.

Suzuki picks up Aoki and goes for a slam but Aoki gets out of it and hits a jumping lariat. Aoki picks up Suzuki but Suzuki hits an elbow, and they trade shots. Suzuki goes off the ropes but Aoki catches him with a lariat. Aoki picks up Suzuki and hits another lariat followed by a backdrop suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Aoki picks up Suzuki and hits a scoop brainbuster, cover, but again it gets two. Aoki picks up Suzuki and goes for the Assault Point, but Suzuki gets to the ropes. Elbow to the back by Aoki and he tosses Suzuki out of the ring. Aoki gets a running start in the ring but Suzuki uppercuts him from the floor as he goes to do a dive. Suzuki gets back into the ring, he waits for Aoki to get up and sails out onto him with a tope suicida. Suzuki throws Aoki back in the ring, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Aoki recovers and punches Suzuki. Aoki joins Suzuki on the top turnbuckle and he goes for a superplex, but Suzuki lands on top of Aoki and gets a two count cover. Suzuki picks up Aoki and goes for a tiger driver but Aoki gets out of it and applies an armbar. Cross armbreaker by Aoki and he blocks Suzuki’s attempts to get out of the hold until Suzuki gets into the ropes. Aoki picks up Suzuki and applies a wristlock, then he kicks Suzuki in the arm. Aoki goes off the ropes, Suzuki gets him up in a tombstone position but Aoki reverses it and hits a shoulder breaker. Cover, but it gets a two count. Aoki applies a hammerlock and then rolls over Suzuki into the cross armbreaker, but Suzuki rolls up Aoki for a two count. Strike combination by Suzuki, cover, but it gets another two. Suzuki picks up Aoki and nails the Blue Destiny, cover, but Aoki gets a shoulder up. Suzuki puts Aoki up on his shoulders but Aoki slides off and applies the cross armbreaker. Suzuki gets out of it and applies La Magistral, but it gets a two count. Suzuki rolls up Aoki a few more times with also no luck, Aoki charges Suzuki in the corner but Suzuki elbows it back. Suzuki goes up to the top turnbuckle and pulls Aoki up with him, but Aoki recovers and hits an avalanche cross armbreaker. Suzuki can’t get to the ropes this time and he has to submit! Your winner: Atsushi Aoki

Match Thoughts: A really good mat-based match. Aoki did a solid job on focusing on the arm during the match and the avalanche cross armbreaker is a good looking move. Suzuki didn’t get a lot in which seemed strange, it never really looked like during the match he was on the cusp of winning, and since the match got plenty of time there was no real reason for him not to get a longer stretch of offense in. But I liked Aoki’s focused offense, he is a more mat-based Jr. Heavyweight and he grounded Suzuki pretty effectively. Overall entertaining, if not oddly one-sided. Score: 7.0

Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Big boot by Mochizuki right as the match starts, Kanemaru gets back up and they trade shots. Irish whip by Kanemaru, shoulderblock by Mochizuki but Kanemaru fires back with his own shoulderblock. Back kick by Mochizuki and he kicks Kanemaru in the head. Mochizuki picks up Kanemaru and hits a vertical suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Kanemaru rolls out of the ring to re-group but gets back in after a moment, and Mochizuki kicks Kanemaru when he is on the apron. Punches by Mochizuki and he throws Kanemaru into the corner before kicking him in the chest. Kanemaru comes back with elbows and applies an armbar, but Kanemaru gets to the ropes to force a break. Mochizuki stomps Kanemaru and kicks him in the arm, he picks up Kanemaru and goes for a suplex but Kanemaru blocks it. Mochizuki goes back to the arm and this time applies a crossface, but Kanemaru gets to the ropes. Back up, Mochizuki hits an armbreaker but Kanemaru blocks one and applies a sleeper. Mochizuki gets to the ropes to break the hold, he flips Kanemaru out to the apron and then hits a springboard kick which sends Kanemaru down to the floor. Mochizuki goes outside the ring after Kanemaru and elbows him in the arm. Irish whip attempt by Mochizuki but Kanemaru reverses it, sending Mochizuki into the steel.

Kanemaru elbows Mochizuki and throw shim into the rail again, he goes for a springboard move off the rail but Mochizuki moves and kicks Kanemaru in the arm. Mochizuki gets back into the ring with Kanemaru slowly following and Mochizuki hits a vertical suplex. Cover by Mochizuki but it gets two. Mochizuki applies a keylock and then applies a cross armbreaker, but Kanemaru quickly gets to the ropes to force a break. Kicks to the head and arm by Mochizuki, Irish whip by Mochizuki, reversed, but Mochizuki avoids Kanemaru’s dropkick. Mochizuki picks up Kanemaru and throws him into the turnbuckle, reversed, but Mochizuki kicks Kanemaru back. Mochizuki goes off the ropes and hits a kick to Kanemaru’s chest, cover, but it gets a two count. Mochizuki picks up Kanemaru and goes for the Twister but Mochizuki reverses it into a vertical suplex. Mochizuki is up first, he charges Kanemaru but Kanemaru moves and dropkicks Mochizuki in the knee. Kanemaru charges Mochizuki, Mochizuki goes for an axe kick but Kanemaru catches it and hits a dragon screw leg whip. Kanemaru goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving crossbody, cover, but it gets a two count.

Kanemaru picks up Mochizuki and throws him into the corner, and Kanemaru hits a lariat. Scoop slam by Kanemaru, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Mochizuki moves out of the way of the moonsault. Roll-up by Kanemaru, but it gets a two count. Kanemaru goes for a suplex but Mochizuki lands on his feet and hits a dragon suplex. Mochizuki goes off the ropes and kicks Kanemaru in the chest, then kicks him twice in the head. Mochizuki picks up Kanemaru and hits the brainbuster. Kanemaru is up first and goes up to the second turnbuckle, and he hits the Deep Impact. Cover, but Mochizuki gets a shoulder up. Kanemaru picks up Mochizuki and goes for the brainbuster but Mochizuki blocks it, Mochizuki goes off the ropes but Kanemaru hits a release German suplex. High kick by Mochizuki, he sets up Kanemaru in the corner and hits a running knee. Twister by Mochizuki, cover, but Kanemaru barely kicks out. Mochizuki is up first, he waits for Kanemaru and goes to run off the ropes but Kanemaru grabs him by the waist. Kick to the arm by Mochizuki and he kicks him again, he goes off the ropes but Kanemaru catches him with a lariat. Kanemaru goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits another Deep Impact, cover, but it gets a two count. Kanemaru picks up Mochizuki and goes for a brainbuster but Mochizuki gets out of it. Mochizuki goes for a high kick but Kanemaru blocks it and hits the brainbuster, cover, but Mochizuki gets a shoulder up in time. Kanemaru picks up Mochizuki and goes for a second brainbuster, but Mochizuki quickly applies an inside cradle and picks up the three count. Your winner: Masaaki Mochizuki

Match Thoughts: An unusual match… I’m not really sure how I feel about it. Mochizuki dominated the bulk of the match but his offense was all over the place, he seemed for awhile to be focusing for the arm but the last few minutes he switched to the head and the arm was forgotten by both wrestlers. Kanemaru didn’t do much until the end of the match but then at the end he was dropping bombs, almost picking up the win in the process. It wasn’t bad, it just felt a bit random and the structure was a bit off here and there. Score: 6.0

Final Thoughts:

Best Match: Atsushi Aoki vs. Kotaro Suzuki. Of the three tournament matches this was definitely the best one. Aoki did a great job on focusing on the arm, and it had enough ‘high spots’ sprinkled in to keep the excitement going in the nearly 20 minute match. I had a few minor squabbles with the match, such as Suzuki not really looking very competitive, but overall it was quite entertaining.

MVP:  Atsushi Aoki. Aoki really established himself as one of the wrestlers to beat in the tournament, as he really took it to one of his biggest competitors. He kept his work on the arm interesting as he did a variety of moves to weaken it. A good showing by the former NOAH star.

Overall:   I was pretty disappointed in this event. Maybe because it was Day 1 of the tournament none of the wrestlers wanted to go all out, but the matches weren’t as good as I was hoping they would be. Ultimo Dragon and Aoki dominated their opponents, and while the Aoki match was still really good it wasn’t the back-and-forth affair that I was expecting. The other matches were ok, but the tournament matches were the hook here and they underwhelmed. Hopefully the rest of the tournament matches that made air will be better.

Grade: D+

WWE Network To Pay Tribute To The Ultimate Warrior, JR & Scott Hall Comment on Passing

By
Jim Somers
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0

WWE honors the legacy and legend of the late Ultimate Warrior tonight, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on WWE Network.

WWE fans will be able to watch highlights from Warrior’s historic induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, plus his emotional return to Monday Night Raw. Then, immediately after, the WWE Universe is invited to watch one of Ultimate Warrior’s greatest matches against Hulk Hogan when WWE Network airs WrestleMania VI in its entirety.

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– The WWE Hall of Fame special in the UK that aired tonight began with an “In Memory Of” graphic for The Ultimate Warrior. It read: “In Memory of James Brian Hellwig, The Ultimate Warrior 1959-2014.”

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– Jim Ross has a new blog on jrsbarbq.com with his thoughts on The Ultimate Warrior. Here’s part of what he wrote:

The most memorable moment for me this past weekend in New Orleans was the interaction at the WWE Hall of Fame between Warrior and his two daughters who accompanied their Dad on stage just before he gave his induction speech. The love and bond between a father and his daughters was obvious and heart warming.

In an arena full of Warrior fans, many of who were reliving their youth with their hero, Warrior made it clear that his greatest accomplishment was not being the Ultimate Warrior but instead being the father of his two daughters.

In a career and life often marked by controversy, the beauty of the weekend was seeing Warrior come home to WWE accompanied by his family and that they were able to enjoy the celebration together.

I live with this mantra daily, “Tomorrow’s aren’t guaranteed for any of us.” Today, that philosophy is more meaningful than ever.

RIP Warrior

1959-2014

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Scott Hall commented on Warrior’s Passing: Of the people inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame 2014 the smart money was on me and Jake checking out first….NOT the Warrior. RIP #BROTHER

Updated Warrior News: TMZ Reports New Info, “Catastrophic Medical Condition”

By
Crazymax Jack
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TMZ Update 2pm eastern.

TMZ spoke to people that were with The Ultimate Warrior during WrestleMania weekend in New Orleans and they note that he looked to be in rough shape all weekend.

They noted that he appeared to be in constant pain, sweaty and looked very uncomfortable. It was apparent to the people around him that something was seriously off. People also took notice when Warrior looked weak after doing his signature rope shake on RAW.

One of their sources said, “We all felt like he looked like he was going to blow a gasket. It was pretty easy to see.”

=============================================

Original News Post:

Details on exactly how The Ultimate Warrior passed away on Tuesday have not been released yet but below is the statement from Scottsdale police spokesman Sergeant Mark Clark, mentioning a catastrophic medical condition:

“On April 8 at 5:50 pm 54-year-old “Warrior” James B Hellwig collapsed while walking with his wife to their car at the Gainy Suites Hotel in Scottsdale, Ariz. Scottsdale Fire transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead soon after arrival. At this point in the investigation, it appears as though a catastrophic medical condition caused his death.”

Furthermore, TMZ reports that The Ultimate Warrior was seen clutching his chest moments before he collapsed at an Arizona hotel on Tuesday, according to their law enforcement sources who spoke with eye witnesses. They report that Warrior was walking down a hallway at the Gainey Suites Hotel in Scottsdale, AZ, headed toward his car with his wife, when he stopped, clutched his chest and went down. He never recovered. So far, there is no evidence to show drugs or alcohol were a factor in his death. All signs point to a massive heart attack. An investigation is underway and an autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.

TNA posted the following on their website in regards to The Ultimate Warrior’s tragic passing:
“TNA joins the entire wrestling world in mourning the passing of Warrior. He was one of the most popular superstars in the history of professional wrestling and will certainly be missed by millions of fans worldwide. We hope everyone will keep his family in their thoughts and prayers.”

Dixie Carter also tweeted: “RIP @UltimateWarrior. Much respect. Deepest sympathies to your family.”

PWInsider also reports that WWE had a camera crew following The Ultimate Warrior and his family around for the entire WrestleMania weekend in New Orleans. The footage was for a future project to focus on his return. On a related note, F4Wonline.com notes that Warrior stayed at a different hotel than the rest of the WWE crew in New Orleans and mostly hung out with just his family.

WWE News 4/9/14: Hogan on the Warrior’s Passing, Lesnar/Heyman, Mr. T, Prince Devitt, More

By
Jim Somers
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[spacer height=”20px”]- Hulk Hogan tweeted the following about The Ultimate Warrior this morning:

“We talked, both forgave each other, we hugged ,we shook hands as we told each other I love you, I am so sad, God bless his beautiful family HH”

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Source: F4WOnline

– Word is that Prince Devitt has not signed with WWE and may not be signing with them as rumors are that TNA is planning on making a big play for him.

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– WWE stars will be taking over tonight’s episode of The Soup. It airs on E! at 10pm EST.

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– As noted earlier, Steve Austin stated on his newest podcast that he and The Undertaker talked about doing a podcast interview soon before Taker’s match with Brock Lesnar this past Sunday. Austin said he’s looking to shoot the interview when he’s in Texas in a few weeks, but said it depends on Taker’s health.

—————————————————-

– The plan at Monday’s RAW was not for Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman to turn babyface, although some fans may have been under that impression. When they first came out, people hated them for ending The Undertaker’s Streak but everyone ended up cheering the duo because of how good the promo from Heyman was. That promo received rave reviews from not just fans but people within WWE.

—————————————————-

Mr. T took to Twitter and wrote the following about his 2014 WWE Hall of Fame speech being cut short:

To my fans: Thank you very much for all your support! I am very disappointed and saddened that you couldn’t hear the rest of my speech… I was told my speech went too long? Really? Seriously? Matthew 10:32-33

All the inductees were told that you, “the fans, wanted to hear our stories”, to take our time and enjoy the moment but something…

I was deeply moved by the outpouring of support you showed me after my HOF speech was cut short.

Soon I will post the remainder of my speech for you to read. Thank you for your support.

My mother taught me to stand up for what I believed in. I put a lot of care and love into my speech… I wanted it to inspire and motivate people when they are hurting. Since my mother taught me to always try and take the high road, I will. If my speech helped just 1 mother & 1 son out there, thank you GOD![spacer height=”20px”]

More Details on the Passing of the Ultimate Warrior

By
Crazymax Jack
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Source: TMZ

TMZ has an article about The Ultimate Warrior passing away at the age of 54.

According to the site, Warrior collapsed while walking to his car with his wife outside an Arizona hotel at 5:50 PM on April 8th. Warrior was then transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

We hope to have more soon. We would like to offer our condolences to Warrior’s family and friends during this difficult time.

The Ultimate Warrior Dies at 54; Outpouring of Comments

By
Crazymax Jack
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0

[spacer height=”20px”]WWE announced that The Ultimate Warrior passed away at the age of 54. On behalf of everyone on the site, I would like to personally offer our condolences to Warrior’s family and friends during this difficult time. #AlwaysBelieve

There aren’t many other details yet. The company sent out this statement:

WWE is shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the passing of one of the most iconic WWE Superstars ever, The Ultimate Warrior. Warrior began his WWE career in 1987 and quickly went on to become one of the biggest stars in WWE history. Warrior became WWE Champion at WrestleMania VI, defeating Hulk Hogan in an epic encounter. We are grateful that just days ago, Warrior had the opportunity to take his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame and was also able to appear at WrestleMania 30 and Monday Night Raw to address his legions of fans. WWE sends its sincere condolences to Warrior’s family, friends and fans. Warrior was 54 and is survived by his wife Dana and his two daughters.

More shortly.

We have no details as of yet, however The Ultimate Warrior passed away at the age of 54. Many in the industry have taken to their Twitter accounts to comment on the Warrior’s passing:

Vince McMahon tweeted the following about The Ultimate Warrior’s death:
“We are all so sad that the Ultimate Warrior has passed away. Our heart is with his wife Dana and his two daughters.”

Here is a picture of Vince and the Warrior together from earlier this week.

Triple H: “Saddened to announce the passing of the Ultimate Warrior. Icon and friend. My sympathy to his wife Dana and his daughters”

Stephanie McMahon: “#RIPUltimateWarrior Your strength of character is to be admired. There will never be anyone like you. Your spirit lives on in your family.”

Bad News Barrett: “Truly awful news about The Ultimate Warrior’s passing. Thoughts go out to his family. RIP.”

Jim Ross: “Sad to pass along the news that the Ultimate Warrior has died. Condolences to his wife & two, young daughters. RIP Warrior”

Hulk Hogan: “RIP WARRIOR. only love. HH”

Kevin Nash: “So happy I embraced Warrior with a hug when we saw each other backstage Saturday night.My heart goes out to his family.Always Believe.”

Hornswoggle: “This is absolutely horrific news. After just meeting my hero yesterday,finding out about @UltimateWarrior passing is unbelievable.Speechless”

Gregory Shane Helms: “The wrestling world has lost another legend. RIP ULTIMATE WARRIOR. Dammit.”

Austin Aries: “WTF?! Really!? #Warrior”

Nattie: “Thoughts and prayers go out to Warrior and his family. Incredibly sad to hear this news.”

John Layfield: “Really saddened to hear about @UltimateWarrior passing away. RIP A tremendous legend.”

Curtis Axel: “Shocked and very saddened to hear about Ultimate Warrior passing. Prayers go out to his family! RIP. Loss for words…”

Zack Ryder: “I’m in shock. The Ultimate Warrior has passed away. I just met him yesterday. RIP. I’ll always believe!!!”

Rowdy Roddy Piper: “Tomorrow is promised to know one!! Enjoy every second, with a tool called love!! My love to The Warrior and family. RIP”

Titus O’Neil: “Very disappointed 2hear of the passing of @WWE HOF #ultimatewarrior my Kids just met him this weekend&I enjoyed meeting his family. #Wow”

Chris Jericho: “Devastated to hear of the passing of @UltimateWarrior. He was a childhood hero of mine & he vs @HulkHogan WM6 is still one of the best ever”

Hornswoggle: “Saw him at the airport this morning and was going to say hello but didn’t want to bother him. Still so unreal and such mind blowing news.”

Trish Stratus: “Sad to hear news of Warrior passing. Just seeing him happy last 3 days – it puts life in perspective that it can’t be taken for granted. RIP”

Daniel Bryan: “Heartbroken. My sincerest condolences go out to The Warrior’s family. Seeing how much he loved his daughters and his wife this weekend makes it all the more heartbreaking. The Ultimate Warrior was my favorite as a kid, and getting to speak to him this weekend was one of my favorite moments. He was so nice to me. #RIPWarrior”

Randy Orton: “My thoughts and prayers go out to the Warrior family. It breaks my heart after seeing how proud his girls are of their father. Stay strong”

Batista: “After all these years I finally got 2 tell him that me shaking the ropes was an homage 2 him. Blessed to have had that moment. #onelife”

The Rock: “Loss always has a way of reminding us to live and love as greatly as we can. My prayers and strength to his family. RIP Ultimate Warrior.”

JakeSnakeDDT: Deeply saddened. We just had a great talk & buried a senseless hatchet. Talked working together. RIP Warrior. Taking solace we made peace.

Diamond Dallas Page: “Deeply saddened to find out about the passing of #WWE LEGEND, @UltimateWarrior. You & your legacy will FOREVER be remembered in our hearts!

We hope to have more as soon as possible. We would like to offer our condolences to Warrior’s family and friends during this difficult time.[spacer height=”20px”]

WWE Main Event Report 4/8/14

By
Crazymax Jack
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WWE Main Event Results 4/8/14, Live from Lafayette, LA

Okay guys, don’t get too comfortable with this… I don’t normally review The Main Event, we usually just cover the results, but since I have the time this week I figured, why not?

– We get an Ultimate Warrior Music Video on the Network as we head into this week’s episode.

– The show kicks off with a video package covering the situation with Daniel Bryan and HHH from both WrestleMania, and last night’s Raw…

We’re going to kick things off right away with the Wyatts vs. The Shield. The Shield out first, followed by the Wyatts, where it takes Bray a little bit of time to get the lantern lit…

1. The Shield (Reigns, Rollins & Ambrose) vs. The Wyatt Family (Bray, Rowan & Harper). Ambrose and Rowan get started with Dean taking the mask off of Rowan and getting the upper hand with a back elbow off the middle rope. Rollins tags in, but Rowan gains control… Rollins takes over, it looks like he tries a crucifix, it seems botched, but Rollins turns it into an odd looking body scissors submission. Rowan finally breaks free as all three members of each team step into the ring for a stare down going into the commercial.

Back from break, Bray & Rollins go at it. Bray with a unique version of the stomach breaker for two. Rowan and Harper take their turns working on Rollins. It’s clear that the WrestleMania fans have not made the trip to Lafayette, it’s much more quiet… Rollins is able to drop Harper face first into the middle rope and Reigns gets the hot tag…

Reigns pounds on Harper, and he and Ambrose try a back suplex/neckbreaker combo thingy, but Roman drops early and it gets all screwed up… Ambrose makes a mistake and Harper is able to tag back to Bray…. Ambrose now takes the heat from the entire Wyatt Family… Rowan uses the old Sgt. Slaughter knuckle grind submission. Ambrose continues to take a beating in the Wyatt’s corner… Rowan throws Ambrose out of the ring, but Dean skins the cat back in, or at least he tries, Rowan ends up dumping him. While Ambrose lays outside, we take a second commercial.

Back from break again, the Wyatts continue to punish Ambrose… Dean tries to fight back, but Harper drives his face down into the mat… Rowan locks Dean in a bearhug. Dean somehow turns it into a sleeper, but Rowan breaks with a jawbreaker for 2… Harper back in on Dean, Luke either channels some Akeem dancing or he’s doing some voodoo or something… Ambrose whacks Harper with a clothesline out of instinct, but Bray steps in. Wyatt misses a charge in the corner. Dean climbs to the top rope, but Bray goes for a Superplex… Dean blocks and headbutts Bray off the top. Dean jumps off, but he’s caught by bray and driven into the mat for 2… All six men are in, and the illegal men fight to the floor. Reigns gets rid of Rowan, but Harper superkicks Reigns off the apron and knocks him over the announce table…

In the ring, Bray tries Sister Abigail, but Dean counters with a roll up for 2, and then a DDT. Hot Tag to Rollins!!! Rollins on fire with some dives on both sides. Bray tries to trip Rollins on the apron, but he jumps over his hands and kicks Bray in the chest. Rollins springs back into the ring and takes out Rowan with one of his finishers, but Wyatt breaks it up… Harper tries to powerbomb Rollins, but Ambrose breaks it up… Then Ambrose is met with a flying body attack from Bray… Reigns then takes out Bray with a Superman Punch… Rowan then knocks Roman to the floor… Rollins with the Pelé looking inzuigiri kick to both Rowan and Harper… Harper feeds his head to the middle rope and takes the apron dropkick from Reigns!!! Ambrose hits a wild kick on Rowan, Rollings follows with a Curb Stomp, and Ambrose finishes the match with the reverse DDT for the win in 20:00….

TO me, the match overall was probably not as good as the first two, but that entire lengthy finishing sequence was some good stuff…

– Renee Young Interviews the Shield in the ring… Ambrose is selling a rib injury hard… Not sure if it’s real or a work, but he sells it the most realistic of anyone in history, so take notes…

– Adam Rose Promo

– WrestleMania week video. I think they’ve played this song out enough…

2. Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger (w/Zeb Colter). Swagger is already far less over with the departure of Cesaro… Swagger goes to town on Dolph as things get going… Swagger with some boring offense, Dolph comes back, and this crowd REALLY sucks… It’s like the opposite of New Orleans… Swagger lays Ziggler out in the corner, but Dolph counters the Swagger Bomb with a foot to the face and a sunset flip for 2 by Ziggler, but Jack breaks free and goes for the ankle lock… Ziggler breaks free and hits the Famouser for 2… Ziggler tries the Zigzag, but Swagger hangs onto the ropes and drops Dolph for 2… Dolph comes back with a DDT for a near fall, but Swagger eventually gets him back in the ankle lock for the submission in 4:00. Not only is Dolph working the B shows this week, he’s jobbing…

– Bo Dallas Promo

3. Alexander Rusev (w/Lana) vs. Sin Cara. I love how the second Cara can do the original Cara’s ring entrance without screwing it up… Mistico was great in Mexico, but Hunico plays a much better Luchador north of the border… Cara is thrown to the apron immediately but lands on his feet, he flips into the ring and is met with a jumping superkick from Rusev, followed by an awesome spine slam and the “Accolade” Camel Clutch in LESS THAN A MINUTE… Rusev looking good thus far… Impressive on the major league level so far…

Six-Man match announced for Smackdown… This just added, I guess they just wrote it in… It’s Kane, Batista, & Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan & The Usos…

That’s it for Main Event!!!

Heroes of Wrestling PPV Review; Yes, THAT Show!

By
K.F. Brodzensky
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Credit for this piece goes to “KB”. A review so fun, I had to pass it along.[spacer height=”20px”]

“Heroes of Wrestling” PPV
Date: October 10, 1999 Location: Casino Magic, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
Attendance: 2,300 Commentators: Randy Rosenbloom, Dutch Mantel

Back in the late 90s, some lunkhead decided to try to use a bunch of old wrestlers for a legends/reunion thing and this is the result. This was somehow supposed to be the first of four shows. Basically, we have big names from the 80s and that’s about it. The main event was supposed to be King Kong Bundy vs. Yokozuna.

 

Yoko passed away a year after this so you know how well he was health wise. Other than that, this is the infamous Jake Roberts promo show, so let’s get to this and get it over with. This is widely regarded as the worst PPV ever, somehow getting 26,000 buys at 19.95 each, meaning that this show made half a million dollars. Let that be a lesson to you kids. Here we go.

Just to really show the 80s feel of this we start with a montage before we get to the commentators, one of whom was supposed to be Gordon Solie but luckily for him he got sick and couldn’t make it. Randy has no idea what he’s talking about. We go backstage to see Bundy who says he’s the best super heavyweight of all time and Yoko shows up to argue. We get a pull apart and we hear Bundy shout that he’s prettier.

The intro actually lists Gordon Solie as host, even though we’ve met the announcers and he’s not one of them. This is dedicated to Gorilla Monsoon, who passed away just four days before this aired. The voiceover guy says this could be the most powerful storm the Gulf Coast has ever seen. I’ve got nothing for that one.

We get a second highlight package for no apparent reason. There’s actually a decent crowd there which isn’t bad. Had this been even passable, this could be considered a success. We run over the card which looks passable. On paper, this could have been ok, but it would have been put straight to DVD today and it would have worked much better.

The thing is, this was the late 90s and a lot of these people hadn’t been on television in years so they would have been way out of shape. Having this be guys from the mid 90s would have been light years better, but they had a decent idea I guess.

Samoan Swat Team vs. Marty Jannetty/Tommy Rogers

So we have a Rocker and a Fantastic. This should be…yeah. The set and ring look decent too. The Swat Team are more commonly known as Tama from the Islanders and Samu from the Headshrinkers. Rikishi was the original member but he had a career at this point. Their manager talks for no apparent reason and talks about the faces being heroes.

I think he’s trying to be Jim Cornette or something like that, although we’re never told his name.. Note: there are children in the audience. That will come into play later. He goes on and on and even messes up the name of the town we’re in. Marty is known as the Rocker Marty Jannetty and his partner is Fantastic Tommy Rogers. Clever if nothing else. They have pictures of them before they come out and you can see Shawn Michaels’ legs in Marty’s picture. Well ok then.

They get Rogers’ old partner’s name wrong, calling him Jackie Fulton instead of Bobby. That’s Dutch Mantel, the wrestler, that said that mind you. Note: we’re 12 minutes into this show and both teams aren’t even in the ring yet. OH MAN Marty is wasted. You can see it in his eyes that he’s just gone.

Marty is in fairly decent shape actually. Tama is freaking FAT. He used to be awesome in the ring but I don’t think that’s going to happen here. The announcers are arguing about the first amendment or something like that. Apparently Dutch can tell that Marty looks tired from “years and years of experience in the ring”. I’m not even touching that one.

A dropkick is referred to as a leg kick by Randy which isn’t corrected at all. Mantel is worthless too. We’re still waiting on anything of note to actually happen but nothing has yet. Hey we get an actual wrestling move from Marty! It’s an armdrag which is called a throw by Randy. Tama, a savage mind you, offers a handshake.

This is just idiotic. Marty comes in without a tag and the referee just lets him stay. We’re on the chinlock inside of three minutes as I think Marty needs a shot. Marty has mastered the art of throwing his arm in the air as he’s managed to do it 4 times now. GOOD NIGHT Tama is a huge man. This is just mindless.

The heels take over with a kick to the back. Mantel says they know what each other is doing all the time. I do too. I know because I’m watching them do it. This is so stupid and bad I’m having trouble coming up with insults and jokes for it. And I made fun of the Doomsday Cage Match! If Dutch Mantel doesn’t freaking SHUT UP ABOUT HOW GREAT HE IS I’m going to freak.

I’m trying this whole capitalizing random words to keep myself interested here. We’re about 8 minutes in and Rodgers, the better wrestler, has been legal all of 20 seconds. Jannetty takes a horrible chair shot on the floor which is called unethical. Jannetty is wearing shorts by the way instead of tights.

Tama misses a Vader Bomb and finally Rogers comes in with another flying leg kick. He rams the Samoans’ heads together and naturally gets a double headbutt for his troubles. Marty jumps over the top rope with a plancha while Samu hits a TKO (seriously??? He has him in position for a SAMOAN drop and uses a TKO. Wow.

They call it a Samoan drop anyway mind you) on Tommy for the pin. Dutch says they can put that on their resumes forever now. Yes, because WILD SAMOANS HAVE RESUMES.

Rating: F+. Instead of calling every match average at first, it starts at an D instead and can move up. Dutch Mantel’s commentary keeps us at nearly failing on average so there we are. This was just a train wreck if there ever has been one. Seriously, Rogers is the only one with any talent that he’s capable of using out there and he was in there the least amount of time. That makes sense here though.

We get a clip of Sherri and George freaking Steele of all people walking off arm in arm. They’re sleeping together apparently. Sherri runs from him in an interview later on. This is just stupid.

Greg Valentine vs. George Steele

Valentine says he’s the son of the legend Johnny Valentine. Isn’t this supposed to be a legends show where Greg is the legend? He says he’ll leave with Sherri tonight whether she likes it or not. So he’s admitted he’s going to kidnap her and you could imply rape off of that but we’ll let it go.

Sherri comes out with George. Neither have music mind you. George looks exactly like he did over 20 years before this, as does Valentine. Valentine hits the floor and goes after Sherri with Randy saying he’s doing a bit of stalking, which he does while in essence in a pair of blue briefs. Can we get this guy arrested please? George eats a turnbuckle as somehow this is supposed to be serious.

He bites Greg’s arm and he’s hurt apparently. Sherri looks like she fell out of an ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. Apparently it’s a disqualification if Animal fights with a shirt on. Naturally Hammer jumps him while he’s taking it off and he can’t see. George’s shirt is over his head yet we’re going on anyway. Since he can’t see, Sherri beats on him also. Shouldn’t he be disqualified already?

He’s sitting in the corner with a shirt half on and half off while Valentine beats on him. He gets it off but doesn’t know Sherri beat on him. George pulls out a foreign object and gets a shot in with it before handing it to Sherri. Dutch says that Randy knows how women are but takes it back because Randy has never had a woman. I want to slap them with a cordless phone. See, even the stupid jokes don’t work.

Sherri of course hands the object to Valentine, which despite her kicking Steele earlier, this STUNS, yes STUNS I say, the announcers. Dutch takes his headset off to talk to Sherri. Why am I bothering with this? Oh yeah. ALL OF YOUR MORONS SAID I SHOULD DO THIS. You all owe me BIG TIME.

They fight over the object which the referee has no problem with. A foreign object is fine but a shirt isn’t fine. And then Sherri hits him in the head with a chair so Valentine can get the pin. Again, the referee is fine with this and the heels leave together. Can’t say I blame them. I’d want to get out of there too.

Oh and Steele eats a lifeless object full of artificial material that makes it bigger and it takes like Styrofoam. Now, am I talking about Sherri or a turnbuckle? George throws chairs in the ring for no apparent reason. Hammer comes back for no apparent reason and hits him with a chair that does nothing. So Valentine hitting him with one doesn’t even make him flinch but Sherri’s shot knocks him out for a pin. This is making me want to watch someone watch grass grow.

Rating: F-. It was a comedy match and a bad one. I saw maybe three wrestling moves in here and all of them sucked. Seriously, who thought Steele and Sherri were good ideas here? We have a heel turn on a one off show. That makes sense.

They talk of a rematch to let Steele get his girl back. Yeah I’ve got nothing.

Julio Fantastico says that he’s great and will beat 2 Cold Scorpio.

2 Cold Scorpio vs. Julio Fantastico

Julio is more commonly known as Julio Dinero in case you’ve heard of him in ECW or old school TNA. Scorpio I’m sure you’ve heard of. If not, imagine a Godfather/Luchador combination. Yeah he was a weird one. Why is Julio on this show again? I have no idea either but whatever.

Why do these two and two tag teams have music but Steele and Valentine didn’t? Oh I guess it’s because they sucked. Scorpio is carrying a replica WCW Title belt. I know that because I see it, not because it’s mentioned or anything like that. This match might have potential to be something close to decent. Can’t you hear my enthusiasm in this show?

Lou Albano comes out for commentary for absolutely no apparent reason. I think he just wandered in here and needed a place to sit down. Albano, having no apparent power or anything, has the authority to give both announcers raises. You know, for the one night show, they’re getting raises for next week.

Albano babbles a lot but if you listen to him, he seems like he knows his stuff. Of course he does, but it’s so much rambling it’s hard to say. Can we just let him talk all night? He’s FAR more entertaining and interesting to listen to. He’s not bragging the whole time and he’s actually offering some insight and says that it’s a dropkick instead of a flying leg kick.

He then offers this and I had to listen at least three times to get all this. He says this about Randy: he’s a nice guy but he looks like he’s got the brain of a dehydrated baby if they put him in a pigeon pack and had him fly backwards. Ladies and gentlemen, this man was responsible for what became Wrestlemania. Apparently Lou looks like a pitbull in heat next to Dinero. This is making the show, hands down.

The match is very sloppy as Scorpio is having to carry this, but that’s the best choice I guess. There’s some decent stuff in there though but it’s just sloppy. We see Scorpio holding the ropes and pulling back for something but we go to a shot of Dinero and just see him being crashed on. Nice one guys. Scorpio’s hair is braided by the way.

Dinero isn’t bad at all actually and it was this match that got him a job with ECW of all things. In other words, Heyman or someone under him actually watched this and scouted talent from it. What does that tell you? Dinero takes a nice backdrop over the railing onto the floor.

They fight into the crowd and we can’t see crap because of the lighting and an annoying kid in a 49ers jersey. And the announcers point out that they don’t know what’s going on. Nice one guys. The referee sees a low blow and is fine with it of course. Dutch: we have a 2 count. The referee counted two. THANKS FOR THAT.

Albano gets on Randy for the leg kick thing again which is kind of amusing I guess. This needs to end like NOW. Dinero shoves the referee into the ropes to crotch Scorpio and that’s fine too.

Scorpio hits Trouble in Paradise which Dinero was going down from before it hit but whatever and a 2nd rope Tumbleweed (Harlem Hangover) hits then he goes up for a moonsault where he twists into another leg drop. He misses by a foot and a half, but that’s decent here.

Rating: D-. By FAR the best mach so far. This got something close to entertaining if you can believe that. The sloppiness just freaking kills it though as Scorpio just can’t do anything at all without botching it at all. There was something close to a decent match here though so that’s better than nothing.

Albano is the new commissioner and he makes a brief acceptance speech on the headset which the fans can’t hear. Brilliant guys, brilliant.

We have 5 matches to go. I can’t take this.

We go to the back for another Bundy interview. He says that he’s going to beat Yoko. I’ll give them points for trying to build to a main event if nothing else.

Bushwackers vs. Nikolai Volkoff/Iron Sheik

I’m calling them the Bushwackers as they’re Luke and Butch, formerly the Bushwackers. There’s some guy with Volkoff but he’s another guy that is imitating a better manager. I’m just not sure who he’s imitating. We get the USA chant going, despite the faces being from New Zealand but this isn’t the smartest crowd in the world.

The manager is dressed up in a Russian military uniform. Oh dear. He speaks English with a so bad it’s funny but the show is so bad it’s not funny accent if that makes sense. Oh and Volkoff is now an Olympian also. We get the Russian National Anthem of course and the Persian clubs which are as old school as possible.

The clubs become Iranian all of a sudden and we’re three minutes into this. Sheik needs to humble someone. It would be more entertaining. We hear about Hogan and Backlund for no reason at all but whatever. That’s my word for this show: whatever. We’re at about 5 minutes of build for this disaster. I guess Bushwackers is a copyrighted term.

Somehow they look better than anyone else. Luke licked my face once. Can we get the tape of the Bushwackers on Family Matters instead of me having to watch this atrocity? Apparently they’ve won tag titles in 26 countries. Well ok then. The heels jump them early to start to further establish that they’re EVIL. Dutch explains the term short end of the stick which has some kind of scale according to him. Please, just take me now.

Sheik gets on the mic and says if they keep chanting USA then he’ll leave. You know what comes next. The announcers argue about cutting each other off. I hate this show quite a bit. They’re really trying to get this whole they’re Heroes thing embedded in. Can we just watch Heroes instead? Just the first season though as it’s by far the best. Sheik is wearing shorts also.

The kicks they’re throwing aren’t even close at all. How much are these guys being paid? I guarantee you it’s too much. After a “slam” Nikolai covers Luke and Butch comes in for the save. He doesn’t need to though as Nikolai reacts to the saving shot before it hits so there we are again.

The camel clutch, which made British Bulldog tap inside of 5 seconds in 1986 is on for 15 seconds before Butch saves. At least I think he saved as we cut to a shot of the manager so for all I know Butch just did the Charleston for awhile and Sheik didn’t like his movement and showed him what to do. Who knows though?

I do however know that the manager raised his right arm. You can hear individual lines from the fans by the way. And I mean individual conversations, not just random screams. ANOTHER foreign object misses and Luke pins Sheik with the fastest count this side of Nick Patrick gets the three. The heels almost fight afterwards but they hug it out.

Rating: G+. That’s below an F-. This was stupid and bad. I think it was a comedy match but I couldn’t tell. They did manage to name the heel team The Iron Curtain though which I can’t believe no one got that before. We’re half done with this and I want to cry. Or die, either one. Getting humbled wouldn’t be bad either. When the Bushwackers are the best workers in there, that’s not saying a lot at all.

They plug a site with memorabilia from this show on it for the second time tonight. I can live with that since they were really just trying to break even here.

Tully Blanchard says nothing as Stan Lane hits him and dumps him into the trunk of the limo. He doesn’t shut it though, making the limo rental completely pointless. We get another promo from Tully where he says this was supposed to be fun and he doesn’t need to do this anymore.

He goes into a promo on Lane which is actually good. The first half could totally be put into an ad about how much this show sucked. Blanchard can definitely still talk. This was actually really good. It’s complete nonsense, but it’s very well delivered and actually got me buying the match. Tully really is awesome and that’s the first time I’ve ever said that I think.

Tully Blanchard vs. Stan Lane

So Blanchard, a career heel, is the face here while one of the Fabulous Ones, a career face team, is the heel? (Yes I know that he was a heel for a lot of his career). Lane pulls a Kennedy and does his own intro. He says he works for ESPN which is true. He once covered a boating race for them, I kid you not.

He even looks like Kennedy. This is kind of weird. Blanchard is in and we’re immediately at it. Yeah Lane is definitely heel here. Screw the Horsemen. Lane was a FABULOUS ONE. He definitely knows how to be the heel better than Tully. Mantel calls the ring the crib. I want to shoot myself even harder now. Surprisingly they both look decent considering how old they are.

They clearly stay in at least decent shape. Tully has a bit of a gut but that’s more than understandable. Also, let it be made clear: Tully Blanchard, a guy that has broken all kinds of arms and legs and more or less tried to murder both Dusty Rhodes and Magnum TA is a HERO of wrestling.

We get a figure four on the floor for no apparent reason as this match is slow and lumbering but it could be much worse. We get a belly to back suplex and both guys’ arms are down but Blanchard gets it up just in time. I guess he called his doctor about Cialis.

Rating: D-. This is likely your match of the night. It was far from great or even good but it could have been far worse. Both guys kept things in the 80s but that’s what they’re best at so I can’t argue that. It was watchable and at seven minutes it’s the second shortest match of the night so that’s all fine and not very good but somehow that’s high praise for this show.

We see Anvil and Bundy (again). Anvil does his usual insane interview and I already feel sorry for what he’s going to have to deal with later on.

One Man Gang vs. Abdullah the Butcher

Oh this isn’t going to be easy. Gang has issues getting into the ring. We have an interview with him where he shouts the whole time. I would have preferred Akeem but whatever. Abdullah’s manager is named Honest John Cheatum. We’re a minute in and Abdullah is bleeding.

That man should have a blood bank named after him. I think this is a hardcore match but I’m not sure as it’s never actually told, but we’re told this should be a treat for hardcore fans. We have chairs and chains used so I’d assume it is one. Butcher is bleeding badly to the shock of no one at all.

It can’t be a good idea to have One Man Gang run the match. This just isn’t going to go well but somehow Gang has won a more prestigious title: he actually held the US Title for a few months in 1995. Abdullah’s manager gets on commentary for no apparent reason. I guess he just wandered over there and got bored with the match. He’s from Paducah, Kentucky of all places and talks like a southern preacher. And believe me, as I’ve heard a lot of southern preachers.

He likes saying where he’s from. Apparently Butcher is here to destroy the idols. This is just odd indeed. And he’s gone now. So Butcher is the favorite here, and therefore the man that’s being cheered, but he’s not the idol? Either that or he’s going to destroy himself. Gang is bleeding too due to the fork shots.

The elbow hits, although you wouldn’t know it because the cameras were elsewhere. Have we seen a single finisher tonight??? We get a double countout. Really? Really? These guys were afraid to lay down here? REALLY??? The brawl goes on forever as they fix/clean the ring.

Rating: F-. It was a hardcore brawl, but just not a very good one. They went with the smart thing here of the brawling but it just wasn’t that good, although this was the best they could do. It was a freak show match, but still, this is hardly a kid friendly show like they seem to be marketing it as.

We have replays forever from this match.

We see a clip from a poker game between Snuka, Orton, Albano and some guy we don’t know. Orton is apparently cheating. This sets up the match for tonight. This makes great sense because, you know, in a CASINO they clearly couldn’t find a card game to play in and it’s perfectly common to play poker with a guy you’re having a GRUDGE MATCH with. Also, WHO FILMS A POKER GAME???

Albano says nothing of note. He’s managing Snuka, even though he’s Commissioner.

Orton says nothing of note.

Bob Orton vs. Jimmy Snuka

They say Orton is from Kansas City, Kansas even though it’s been Missouri his whole career. They say they’ve been excited for this match since the video of the poker game, meaning all of 3 minutes. Albano is stepping down as Commissioner after tonight. Good to know I guess.

They do a long mat sequence which is the highlight of the match but gets an Orton is gay chant. Yeah because good wrestling is such a terrible thing to have on the card. Ok to be fair he does work the arm way too long, as in he does it nearly 5 minutes. Nothing at all of note happens in this match, but it’s by far the least sloppy of them all.

Snuka wins with a crossbody from the top. Why? You have one of the most famous finishers of all time and you use a freaking high cross body that they act like is the same thing as the splash. I don’t know what to even say to this.

Rating: F+. Somehow this was 11 minutes long. I think nearly half of that was arm work by Orton. Did any of that actually mean anything? Not at all of course as that would have been psychology and a good thing and we can’t have our HEROES do that.

And here it is. The moment that makes this show so infamous. Jake Roberts cuts a promo before his match with Neidhart, and he can’t even look straight. He’s babbling, he’s slurring his words, he’s playing with his hair. Think about Roberts messing with his hair. Think about all of his promos and have you ever seen him do that?

He says he cheats at cards, making me wonder if he coached Orton earlier. He rambles on and on and on about playing cards and gambling and the snake and none of this makes any sense whatsoever. Jake is being loud and ridiculous. Think about who I’m saying is doing this. Jake Roberts is being loud. He staggers around to show the snake to Anvil and then starts saying DDT over and over again. Jake has to lean on the interviewer to stand up and the poor guy is clearly not comfortable with this. That takes us to ringside.

Jake Roberts vs. Jim Neidhart

Now the person that I feel sorry for here is Anvil. He’s a 44 year old man that was a decent wrestler but his time has gone. He was in WCW about a year before this doing nothing at all and he hasn’t meant anything in wrestling since. He gets a phone call one day offering him to come to Mississippi to wrestle in front of a few thousand people for more or less a legends show.

Say for argument’s sake he’s getting a thousand dollars for a ten minute match. That’s not bad really. He gets his gear together and shows up ready to work for the pay promised. Based on who he’s fighting, it’s fairly safe to think that Anvil is going to lose to a DDT. The match is about to begin, and he gets this. Jake can barely talk yet he’s supposed to be able to wrestle a coherent match?

Oh and the announcer says Jake is accompanied by his little friend Damien. We’ll ignore that Damien is about 12 feet long and that he died back in 1991 thanks to Earthquake but whatever. The announcer that earlier made fun of the guy that called it Biloxi, you guessed it, calls it Biloxi. Jake can barely walk to the ring and then puts the snake down and walks back up the ramp. His boots aren’t even laced up. Think about that for a minute.

Again, Anvil is playing to the referee about the snake being there and is stretching a bit before the match. In other words, he’s doing exactly what he’s supposed to be doing. And now Jake goes back through the curtain for a bit. Sadly enough, the first thing that came into my mind was he needed a hit to keep going.

Anvil again is left to make something of this but people didn’t pay to see him stand in the ring and throw his arms up. To be fair to him though, he signed up to wrestle Jake Roberts, not do a one man show. I can easily see why this is considered a bad show. Imagine paying for this and watching it live. Ah there’s Jake, sans shirt.

Jake grabs a fan’s hands and rubs them on his chest. She doesn’t seem to mind, but what if she did. Keep in mind, the match hasn’t actually started yet. Hey he made it into the ring!

The snake has gotten partially out of the bag, so Jake, likely having no clue what country he’s in at this point, takes it out and puts part of it between his legs and, you guessed it, jerks it off, thankfully on a wide shot. He lays down on the mat, which more than likely wasn’t his intention, and licks the stupid thing while Anvil just walks around. What in the world did he ever do to deserve this?

They mention Jake’s Intercontinental Title reign. For those of you racking your brain to remember it, it aired on the same tape that the Rockers won the tag titles on and that Hogan beat Flair in MSG for the world title aired on. (For those of you that don’t get it, Jake never won the IC Title. Those other things happened, but they never aired on TV or tape but they both happened.)

Anvil tries to work the arm and run the match, I think as the heel. After a LONG sequence with Anvil being in control on the mat since I don’t think Jake is capable of walking more than thirty seconds at a time. Jake loses his boots and is now in his socks as this is continuing to somehow get even worse than it already was. I didn’t think that was possible but somehow I’m wrong again.

Bundy comes out for no adequately explained reason. He breaks up the DDT for no apparent reason either and gets flipped off by Jake, again with kids in the audience. We get a 2-1 beatdown until “The Former” Yokozuna come out. Yeah that’s what they call him. It turns into a tag match with Yoko and Jake vs. Neidhart and Bundy.

They say we have 650 of Yoko and Bundy and 450 and Neidhart at over 300, even though he was announced at 256. Now we have a problem. Yoko is SO freaking fat that he can’t do anything in the ring longer than about 8 seconds. Our other option is Jake and even though they were sent out to prevent him from looking terrible, they pick him to work the majority of the match.

Oh good night this is almost too much. So it’s a standard tag match, or at least standard when one guy can’t stand up. Yoko and Bundy, the main event, interact for about 8 seconds if that. Eventually we hit the floor for no reason and Anvil hits Jake twice with a chair. I wonder if there were some extra hard shots there.

See Jake if you’re interested in shots I guess. Other than that, this is a mess. We go back into the ring and Jake makes the clear tag but Bundy splashes him and pins him anyway. Jake and Yoko beat up Bundy’s manager who didn’t appear until the end. The fans chant DDT and Yoko says give it to him but Jake won’t do it so Yoko has to give him a Samoan Drop instead. Jake puts the snake on him and it just ends without anything other than that.

Rating: Agoobwa. I have no idea what that means, but there was no rating around that I could think of to adequately describe this. It was an embarrassment to wrestling to allow this to happen and an embarrassment to Jake to allow himself to do this in front of both fans and especially children.

I get that he has demons, but he needs to get rid of them before he climbs in a ring again. If he wants to wrestle then fine, but if I was the promoter and saw him in that condition, there would be no way I would send him out there, period.

Make the main event a triple threat or something, but no way do you send him out there. This show goes WAY up if he doesn’t appear. This wasn’t funny or entertaining. It was very sad and very disturbing. Grow up Jake. You need to.

Overall Rating: S. As in I am speechless about how bad this was. The intention was there. The idea itself isn’t completely terrible but it wasn’t thought out at all. The matches were bad, the commentary was awful, nothing made sense, the stories kept changing and it just was a disgrace.

This actually cost $20. You should be given that back and a sincere apology if you bought this show. This was a complete train wreck where Tully Blanchard, who hadn’t wrestled in a mainstream company in nearly ten years had the best match. I have no idea what they were thinking backstage, but I don’t want to know.

This was just flat out bad and as Norcal put it, it’s infamous for all the wrong reasons. Avoid completely, as usually I would say to watch it for the comedy, but it’s not funny in the slightest. This could actually be the worst show ever.[spacer height=”20px”]

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