Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
30th September 1989
att. 2300
In spite of the unwieldy title up there, and the months that have passed awaiting the transition of the stars and oceans and gods that deign to re-align and offer us the beauteous bounty of shoot-style tapes unearthed, the most important thing is that this blog continues in its quest to bring to you (and mostly to me) the good news about the olden tymes wrestling that purported to be real (it was not but also...it was).
Let me recap in Plain English for those of you playing catch-up. The second version of wrestling company UWF emerged in 1988 and died in 1990. In their time spent on earth before ascent to heaven (RINGS) they produced 31 shows of gripping and profoundly moving professional wrestling that merit special discussion. The first 11 shows were easily available and have been covered within this parish. A gap of two missing shows vexes before reviewing shows 14 and 15. Then another gap of two shows before covering the final two shows of 1989 (18 and 19). The remaining 12 shows, taking place in 1990, are the least widely disseminated. And up to now I have only covered one of them (show 23).
The major news is this: four more shows have been unearthed. One of our friends in the shootstyle annals sent me a private message on the hellportal known as Twitter with directions to shows 16 and 17 (this review) and two more from 1990. So here we are and here we go until time and tide halts us again. Order be damned. We shoot our shot.
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| the three words he wants to hear |
After a period of absence a quick re-orientation: these two shows take place between the Nagano show that featured a really inexplicably dreadful Fujiwara-Funaki main event (spoiler: we do not see Funaki until next April and apparently he had a pretty bad arm injury going into that match, which explains it well) and the excellent Nakajima show featuring Akira Maeda putting Kiyoshi Tamura out of action for a year.
The chants of MA-E-DA that we hold so dear appear over a montage before the triumphant parping of the unsurpassed UWF theme (unsurpassed in terms of summoning immediately to mind a parade of proud warriors ready to do battle with nothing in their hearts but love) and then a ten bell salute in a light that fades up from darkness.
We are here in Korakuen, that perfect combat rectangle, where the crowd are clapping heartily as six chosen fighters emerge and glide over the attractive parquet flooring of this Suidobashi tower block toward the ocean blue ring. Over the two nights of this show we will see pretty much all of the big names of UWF - and some familiar guests - in a setting that seems more akin to a "house show", the intimate spectacle where perhaps not all of the stops will be pulled out though what stops are pulled out (what are stops?) will be done that little bit closer to your face.
To preserve the notion that this is real, our friends will only fight once, effectively spacing out one long night of action over two. Tatsuo Nakano speaks briefly and gets a loud cheer. That's your oration for the evening.
So, we know what fate befalls Kiyoshi Tamura next month, so let us deeply revel in his being alive as he faces "Mr 200%" Yoji Anjo. 45 minutes time limit should be enough for Tamura to unveil volume one of his multi-parted excellence, though his booking has barely allowed him to survive longer than six minutes whilst he is still a youthful pup.
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| TA-MU-RA |
After some greasy groundwork, Anjo knees Tamura in the mid-section, opening up a cool exchange of kicks. Anjo grabs a cravat and knees Tamura in the head gruesomely, and though Tamura tries to jink and slink his way to an escape, Anjo ends up in full mount and pounding on our boy prince in an ungainly manner.
Tamura remains cool and fights his way to parity, trying to ensnare the more upright Anjo into precarious leg entanglements. He can't quite get any advance as Anjo gets the cravat again and then works through to a rough-looking kimura that Tamura scuttles to the ropes to break. Another flurry follows on standing and then another Tamura break.
They return to standing again and Tamura steps on the throttle, unloading with palm strikes and kicks, bringing the crowd to boiling point. After making Anjo flinch and recoil, Anjo takes the initiative, suplexing Tamura to a palpable wave of disappointment - they want Tamura! - which is quelled as Tamura returns the favour with a snap suplex so crisp that its essence has been analysed by pilsner craftsmen worldwide.
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| AN-JO-OH |
The closing moments see a kick battle won by Anjo to the tune of a knockdown, a palm strike battle won by Anjo for another knockdown, a violent assault of knees by Tamura rejected and turned into a choke by Anjo, and then a final roll into a kneelock that wins the bout for the experienced senior fighter in just over 8 minutes. A brief handshake is accepted by Tamura, who has at least demonstrated his superior fighting if not his superior ability to win (or be booked as winner).
Norman Smiley returns and speaks to camera:
Today's opponent is very very tough and experienced - Mr. Fujiwara - has been wrestling for many many years and has a lot of experience and is a good wrestler. He's going to be a very tough opponent today for me to compete with - and hopefully beat - and one of my many goals is to be known as a great wrestler here in Japan and the United States.
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| NO CHANT AVAILABLE |
Yoshiaki Fujiwara is also interviewed, looking full Murder Dad, but I don't yet possess the Japanese. It sounds good though.
Fujiwara starts by doing his semi-circle around his opponent. On locking up, Smiley hurls Fujiwara down and takes it to the mat. Such confidence is admirable, but taking the fight to Fujiwara's home town? Borderline insane.
The two roll nicely if not exactly wild with intensity. The exhibition feel is highlighted as Fujiwara smiles and lies flat on his back while Smiley is trying something a bit florid on his legs, breaking the crowd into laughter. Smiley gets them back though, working through Fujiwara's knees for something more straight-forward and legitimate that gets everyone's attention.
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| FU-JIWAR-AH |
On standing, Smiley looks to Greco-Roman for inspiration, holding Fujiwara around his waist and attempting to shackle his villianous arms. It is for naught as Fujiwara simply shifts his hips and sends Smiley's body centre southwards, heading face-first to the mat.
This becomes the rough sketch for the whole match: Smiley is muscular and strong but it is nothing compared to Fujiwara's peerless technique and steely nerve. Smiley grounds Fujiwara in mune-gatame, looking for a kimura, but Fujiwara works away, hiding his arm and forcing Smiley near the ropes for an easy break.
The pair stand and trade kicks. Fujiwara takes a few and looks annoyed. The crowd laugh. There's a brief grapple and then Fujiwara launches head first at Smiley with a headbutt. Smiley stays down clutching his face in agony for the full ten and Fujiwara's forehead is put over as a new murder weapon alongside pretty much every other part of his body.
There's a brief confusion in the ring between the two as to whether that was the actual finish or a botch. But so many Fujiwara matches end in this creative and weird way that I can't help but feel that this is how it was meant to go down.
Tonight's main event pits the newly beloved Tatsuo Nakano against the second most beloved man in the Kingdom Nobuhiko Takada.
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| NA-KA-NO |
Nakano runs straight at Takada and throws wild slaps and punches that backs Takada up into the corner momentarily. Takada pauses and picks up the shorter man and hurls him overhead and boots him for good measure onto the floor.
Nakano is utterly undeterred, having made his name afresh on pure adrenaline-guided brutality. It is not Nakano without punishment taken and with quarter given. Even the collar-and-elbow tie up that Nakano does has the qualities associated with stags locking horns or two beer monsters fighting in the taxi queue on a Wigan Saturday.
In the face of this love for his opponent, Takada attempts to pour cold water on the situation rather than firing back. He grounds Nakano with a seated rear choke. But Nakano is wise to this, fighting out and getting round Takada to fire kicks and slaps on his seated opponent. A bruising kick to the head sees Nakano score a knockdown and eruptions of devotion from the 2300 in attendance.
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| TA-KA-DA |
Takada is wise and returns to his plan after regaining consciousness. This time he finds himself in mount, grinding Anjo down with a succession of captures every time Anjo thinks that he has wriggled to freedom. Takada circles Anjo away from the ropes in a waki-gatame, weakening the shorter bomb-thrower.
The longer it goes, the less chance Nakano has, and he knows it. He batters Takada with lunging kicks and puts Takada on his seat. Takada has had enough. He regains his karate pose and dumps Nakano in return for a 9 count. Takada attempts a spinning kick but is caught mid-flight by Nakano, who hits a stunning German Suplex to bring him one step closer to victory. Groundwork, however, has been Nakano's Achilles since day one. He cannot unpick the lock and Takada capitalises.
A worn-down Nakano senses time is running out and throws strikes that are easily rebuffed by Takada, growing into the fight. Nakano takes a knockdown and on getting up is hurled for a back suplex that Takada runs straight through into an armbar for the tapout victory. Great stuff though.
Nakano stays down for a some time after the bell. Takada checks that he is okay, proffers a handshake, and puts the spirited battler over to the crowd, subtly stealing some of his aura as the crowd chant NA-KA-NO until both men leave. Takada is interviewed while encasing himself in ice after the show, as is a bruised Nakano. Night one done! A lovely short show!
UWF Force Korakuen 2 Days (Day 2)
Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
1st October 1989
att. 2400
It is so subtle that you may not notice it but announcing a different - but larger - fake number for attendance for a show headlined by Maeda is so Akira Maeda that I just want to kiss it.
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| NO CHANT |
The oration on night two is performed by Shigeo Miyato, though the video cuts out the parade (which to be fair seems identical to the previous night). We then cut straight to Johnny Barrett (sometimes known as JUMBO BARETTA, a great name) who cuts a small promo:
Err. Suzuki's a lot smaller than the two opponents I've faced before in Japan. Takada's a big guy and Maeda's a big guy. So now I have to wrestle Suzuki in a different style. Be more aggressive with Suzuki since he is smaller than I am. But I'm not going to take him lightly because I've seen him wrestle and I know what he can do in the ring. So I think we're in for a really good match between Suzuki and myself.
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| SU-ZU-KI |
Barrett is monstrously huge and wearing an all-pink Jim Neidhart-style ensemble that accentuates this physique. He also makes good on his promise to use his size and aggression, backing Suzuki up, and then slapping Suzuki around his head. Suzuki, all in blue, rides out this opening wave and weaves between Barrett's limbs to force him face-down to the mat. Barrett, as mentioned in previous dispatches, is no slouch on the ground despite looking like a lower-ranked sumo wrestler. He turns Suzuki's halting attack into a kneebar of his own, prompting Suzuki into a second strategic rethink in as many minutes.
Barrett even gets a lovely bit of pro-wrestling technique out: his kick is caught but he leg-scissors Suzuki down with his formerly standing leg. Suzuki tries to roll this through into a waki-gatame but Barrett sees through this and rolls through himself, eventually mounting Suzuki with all 300lb of his bodyweight, throwing sweaty slaps into the void. The ref calls it a knockdown while Suzuki gathers his faculties by the ropes.
The middle of the match is a titanic struggle of grappling, fighting for position, cautiously avoiding exposure and yielding to one's obvious weaknesses (Barrett is slow, Suzuki small). There is little to separate them and it is fascinating. The crowd are completely locked into a match that is less "obviously spectacular" and more "like a fight" though of course it is not completely "like a fight".
A brilliant exchange of standing strikes ends with Suzuki collapsing and Barrett falling four-square on top of him in a brutal and possibly unintended 'splash'. Suzuki squirms out and takes Barrett over and quickly locks in the armbar. The crowd erupt at this ingenuity, having previously feared for the victor's health beneath the weight of Barrett. Both shake hands and the crowd chant SU-ZU-KI! until both leave. Cool stuff.
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| VALE-UH |
The beautiful Bart Vale, kenpoist to the stars, returns and looks a bit jet-lagged and talks to the people at home:
Yamazaki is a very good athlete and probably one of the most difficult men I will come up against. I feel I'm going to do real well against him. He's superior in more than just wrestling. I watched him train. He's very flexible, very quick, and very powerful.
Not sure about the last one Bart, but that was generous. Kazuo Yamazaki speaks also, whilst wearing the FORCE KORAKUEN 2 DAYS t-shirt that I now covet.
Be-mulleted Bart wears a black vest with his white loose trousers that accentuate his rangy legs. He proves their efficiency by immediately booting Yamazaki in the head for an eight count before we're even half a minute old. Vale tries to keep Yamazaki at distance and pick his smaller opponent off, but that flexibility and speed comes into play as Yamazaki catches and darts in beneath the now-horizontal leg of Bart Vale. Vale's not for co-operating here and the position falls to nothingness.
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| YA-MAZAK-I |
This happens a couple of times - Vale's legs are so hard and their owners fall so deadweight that Yamazaki is struggling to manipulate Vale in a stricken position. Eventually Yamazaki gets something, working in a single crab. But Vale is so tall that the ropes are nearby from anywhere, leading him to simply wake up and pluck one at will.
The next time Yamazaki works on Vale's leg, Vale boots Yamazaki in the face with his free leg. This does not stop Yamazaki, who is adamant that he will single crab Vale to death. The crowd eat it up. Strangely, in the middle of a good old cinch, Yamazaki gives up a good position to chase a free arm and thus loses momentum as Vale shrugs it off. They stand and Vale does a big old amateur gutwrench takedown and then works through for a nasty-looking waki-gatame that the crowd buy as a possible finish. Fortunately for them, their local hero does not submit.
Yamazaki is in trouble though and an attempted Vale submission brings Yamazaki to retching and coughing as his airwaves are mangled. Vale is mad with attack and Yamazaki momentarily looks not just beaten but clueless. The referee exhorts Yamazaki to GIVE UP? but he will not.
The pair return to standing and Yamazaki fires a solid looking headbutt in and gets around the back for a rear naked choke. Whilst the choke is settling, the crowd unmistakeably chant VALE-UH! VALE-UH! in the first real fluttering of affection for a foreign combatant here in UWF. However, it doesn't last long, as this choke is the final moment in the bout. Vale taps and the flames of joy are extinguised.
Main event promos from Shigeo Miyato and Akira Maeda, with presumably the former being mercilessly fed to the latter. Maeda dwarfs Miyato and doesn't think much of his strikes either, gleefully walking into them to throw shots of his own. Miyato abandons strikes and tries to grapple but Maeda just says NOPE and starts throwing horrendous knees that double Miyato over for a standing count.
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| MI-YAT-OH |
On resumption there is no change. Maeda forces Miyato over and pretzels him roughly. Miyato is getting nothing but punishment. The crowd cheer for him to show some spirit from deep within the single crab he finds himself locked within the core of. Instead he escapes as Maeda gets up, looking bored, allowing Miyato to scuttle away.
Maeda takes Miyato down again and works into a kesa-gatame too near the ropes. Miyato continues to show heart in the face of the beast, but his kicks are caught and converted into a mammoth Capture Suplex. Maeda follows this with a leg submission. The crowd will Miyato to escape, and he tries, kicking vainly with his free leg. Miyato takes another down.
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| MA-E-DA |
Then Maeda decides to play really rough, kicking away Miyato's standing leg and punting him in the head. The referee intervenes as Maeda is about to unleash hell with Miyato hiding in the ropes. Maeda calmly waits for the resumption, wins the next strike battle with a furious headbutt, and puts Miyato down once again for an eight count.
Then - DRAMA - Miyato lands with the rolling sole butt and takes Maeda over for a single crab. The crowd loses their minds. Maeda looks okay beneath Miyato but the crowd want to believe it as so much more, clawing at the walls of Korakuen until Miyato wins. Miyato stands after Maeda breaks in the ropes and attempts to suplex Maeda, who rebuffs and performs a quick suplex of his own and follows into an armbar for the tapout. 6 minutes 15 seconds of drama, a perfect Maeda-esque match. Back to his brutal best.
Post-match promos are performed, though Maeda has barely broken sweat. A fine pair of house shows!
NEXT: a UWF show from 1990!
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