Wrestle and Romance 3/26/1995 Battle Angel Day 2
There's an 8-man International Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament tonight. Pretty cool line-up here with Jericho, Sean Waltman, Ultimo Dragon and Negro Casas.
WAR International Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament First Round Match - Gedo vs. Yuji Yasuraoka
Gedo rushes at him with a german and release backdrops him. Gedo powerbombs him then hits a top rope headbutt. We cut ahead and Yuji walks up the buckles and dives on him. Yuji tombstones him and hits a top rope splash. Yuji germans him for 2. More cuts. Yuji goes for a hurricanrana and is powerbombed down. Yuji trips him and hits la magistral for 2. More cuts and Gedo tornado ddt's him.
Yuji walks up the buckles and ropes then enzugiri's him. Gedo flips out of a backdrop then hits a nice lariat. Gedo puts him in the WAR special submission and Yuji taps out.
We saw maybe 3 of the 7 minutes here in this clipped affair.
WAR International Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament First Round Match - 1-2-3 Kid vs. Negro Casas
We join this in progress. Negro hits chops and Kid slides between his
legs. Kid headflips, Negro tries to pin him and they stand off. Negro
shotgun dropkicks him then hits a corner lariat. Kid kick combos him in
the corner and hits chops. Negro does a chinlock then elbow drops him.
Negro
comes off the 2nd rope and takes a boot to the face. Kid goes for a
hiptoss and takes a running chop. Kid spin kicks him then flip plancha's
him outside. We cut ahead and Negro corkscrew dives him inside. Negro
sentons him then misses a corkscrew dive. Kid hits a northern lights
suplex and wins it.
It was 4 minutes long and the knuckleheads
here still found a way to cut some of the time on this. I think we saw
most of it though. They had a miscommunication or two but it was fast
paced. It needed 2x-3x the time it got.
WAR International Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament First Round Match - Lionheart vs. Masao Orihara
Orihara is jumped by someone as he enters and takes a top rope hurricanrana into the side of a table. We cut ahead. CJ gets in and throws him out. CJ then does a top rope rider kick to the outside. We cut ahead and Orihara is up top. Jericho moves on his top rope moonsault and Orihara moonsaults to nobody on the floor.
CJ top rope kneedrops his arm then armlocks him. Oirhara dropkicks him then hits a stiff tombstone. CJ goes up top later on and Orihara dropkicks him. Orihara spider german suplexes him then goes for a diving headbutt but takes boots to the face. CJ top rope dropkicks him then tombstones him. CJ asai moonsaults him and wins it.
This went 8:52 and I don't even know if we saw half of it. I can tell you though that it was spotfest with nobody selling anything. Orihara got jumped and got sent into a table and moonsaulted off the top to nothing then was still going strong after.
WAR International Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament First Round Match - Ultimo Dragon vs. Ultimate Dragon
Ultimo shoulders him over then dropkicks him. Ultimate flips over Ultimo's back then dropkicks him. Both hit armdrags and dropkick each other at the same time before standing off. Ultimo liger bombs him for 2 then corner lariats him. Ultimo 2nd rope hurricanrana's him for 2. We cut ahead. Ultimate springboard twisting crossbodies him and Ultimo rolls through.
We cut ahead. Ultimo spinning heel kicks him then Ultimate springboard lariats him on the apron. Ultimate slams him on the floor and top rope ssp's him. We cut ahead and Ultimate slams him. Ultimate misses a top rope ssp then Ultimo hits la magistral for 2. Ultimo fisherman busters him then germans him and flips over for the win.
This went 9:58. We didn't even see half of this. The top rope ssp to the floor spot was wild and Ultimate Dragon was definitely still green at this time. He did not hit his spots clean.
WAR International Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament Semi Final Match - Gedo vs. 1-2-3 Kid
Kid backs off Gedo to start. Gedo side headlocks him then shoulders him over. Kid hits a nice spin kick. Gedo slides out and back in. He hits slaps then Kid slaps him and spin kicks him again. Gedo goes out and Kid teases a dive on him.
Kid hits kicks and high kicks him in the face. Gedo hits a snap suplex and we cut ahead. Gedo hits a nasty backdrop for 2. We cut ahead again. Gedo slams him and goes up top. Kid dropkicks him up there. Kid then top rope flip dives him off the top to the floor.
Kid bangs Gedo's head off a table. Gedo tries to leap frog him but is caught with a powerbomb. Kid northern lights suplexes him for 2. Kid sleepers him and Gedo low blows him off the break. Gedo tornado ddt's him then hits a german for the win.
This went 7:08. Again, we maybe saw half of it. What we saw looked good here.
WAR International Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament Semi Final Match - Lionheart vs. Ultimo Dragon
They shake hands and both try to get the crowd to cheer for them. UD shoulders him over then hurricanrana's him or 2. UD questions the count and takes an ocean cyclone suplex for it. CJ gorilla press slams him to the outside then triangle asai moonsaults him outside.
CJ slams him hen top rope headbutts him. CJ then hits a tiger driver for 2. CJ takes too long on the apron and takes a springboard dropkick. UD then asai moonsaults him outside. UD botches a wrap around pin attempt but it still looks cool. UD then top rope hurricanrana's him for 2.
UD asai moonsaults, CJ moves then Jericho figure fours him. UD ropebreaks. They go up top and CJ is thrown down off the top and UD hits la magistral for 2. CJ wraparound ddt's him for 2 then tiger suplexes him. UD goes for a top rope hurricanrana but is powerbombed down.
CJ slaps him and UD reverses his powerbomb with a hurricanrana for 2. CJ slams him and UD dropkicks him off of his asai moonsault attempt. UD slams Jericho and goes up top. UD 2nd rope sunset bombs him for 2 and then Jericho rolls him up to win it.
The legwork went nowhere here as expected. It was an indy style match with a lot of flying.
Masanobu Kurisu, Nobukazu Hirai & Ryuma Go vs. Hiroshi Itakura, Missing Link & Osamu Tachihikari
 |
| Hiroshi Itakura |
 |
| Hiroshi Itakura and Osamu Tachihikari |
 |
| Masanobu Kurisu, Nobukazu Hirai & Ryuma Go |
 |
| Masanobu Kurisu |
 |
| Ryuma Go |
 |
| Nobukazu Hirai |
We cut to Go and Itakura going at it. Go fujiwara armbars him and Osamu breaks it up. Kurisu shoulders Osamu then Osamu shoulders him over. Osamu takes a double shoulderblock then Hirai running forearms him in the corner. Hirai tries to 2nd rope elbow drop his neck but mostly misses. We cut ahead to Osamu chopping Kurisu. Kurisu walks the top rope with Osamu's arm then gets down and shakes his hand, leaving him confused.
Link gets in and bites Hirai's hand. He double axe handles Hirai's shoulder then headbutts him off the top. Link throws him out and chairs him outside in front of the ref. Hirai grabs Link by the beard and Kurisu double axe handles it. We cut ahead and Go lariats Itakura.
Go slams Itakura then Hirai moonsaults Itakura. Kurisu powerslams Itakura and botches an octopus, turning it into a grounded octopus. Kurisu submits him to win it.
We didn't get to see much of it and what we did get wasn't that good.
Jado vs. Arashi
We cut ahead and Jado top rope lariats him. Jado enzugiri's him then suplexes him off the apron to the floor. Jado then cannonballs him off the apron. Jado backdrops him in the ring for 2 then northern lights suplexes him. Jado takes a stiff uranage for 2. Jado superplexes him for 2 then top rope hurricanrana's him for 2. Jado comes off the top and is caught with a bearhug. Arashi then belly to belly suplexes him.
Arashi hits a top rope frogsplash for 2 then Jado rolls him up for 2. Jado crucifixes him for 2 then step up kicks him in the corner. Arashi spinning heel kicks him then germans him for the win (though Jado kicked out).
I didn't like the logic here at all. Arashi's this big dude and the smaller Jado had no problem throwing him around. Arashi was definitely green here but I liked his top rope frog splash and he did some things okay. The finish was messed up as Jado kicked out but the ref ignored it. And while we didn't get to see much of the 123 Kid and Ultimate Dragon matches, WAR made sure we got to see almost all of this.
Death Mask vs. Koki Kitahara
 |
| Koki Kitahara |
 |
| Death Mask |
DM basically deadlift suplexes him then legdrops the back of his head. Koki kicks him and rolls him up for the win.
This was clipped and what we got wasn't good. Death Mask was JBL. Why a guy named Death Mask didn't wear a mask is beyond me.
WAR International Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament Final Match - Gedo vs. Lionheart
They go face to face. Gedo slaps him on the ropes then CJ slaps him back. They headlock takeover each other then leapfrog each other. CJ messes up a roll up then they armdrag each other. They then dropkick each other at the same time. They trade headbutts and Gedo germans him for 2. Gedo hits a headbutt off the top and takes a backslide.
CJ straightjacket germans him then spinning heel kicks him. Gedo rolls out and CJ triangle crossbodies him outside. CJ slams him then misses a corkscrew headbutt off the top, but it is sold anyway. We cut ahead and Gedo ddt's him. Gedo hits a bad tornado ddt then puts him in the WAR special. CJ ropebreaks.
CJ hits a rough alabama slam for 2. Gedo boots him in the face then is lariated off the apron. CJ tries to plancha him outside but takes a boot to the face. They slap each other inside then collide with shoulders. Both go down. Gedo hurricanrana's him then Gedo counters Jericho's hurricanrana with a powerbomb. CJ hits a top rope powerslam for 2.
Gedo's leapfrog is caught then he headbutts CJ up top. Gedo top rope crossbodies him and CJ rolls through it for 2. Gedo is rolled up when he tries to roll up CJ. CJ goes for a top rope powerbomb and Gedo botches a hurricanrana on him out of it. Geod then picks up the win.
The finish was botched and it was a sloppy and very indy style match.
Animal Hamaguchi & Riki Choshu vs. Heisei Ishingun (Michiyoshi Ohara & Tatsutoshi Goto)
 |
| Michiyoshi Ohara |
 |
| Tatsutoshi Goto |
 |
| Animal Hamaguchi |
Riki and Goto go at it. Riki backs him up then Goto backs him up. Riki side headlocks him then Animal and Riki club on Goto's back. Animal hits a nice dropkick and elbow drop. Ohara gets in and boots Animal. They headbutt each other and Ohara goes down. Animal hits mounted slaps. Riki gets in and trade shots with Ohara.
Riki scorpion deathlocks Ohara then Animal elbows Ohara while he's in the hold. Animal slams and elbow drops Ohara. Ohara atomic drops Animal. Goto gets in and lariats Animal. Animal is held up for a lariat. Goto lariats Animal over.
Ohara hits nice chops on Riki then uppercuts him. Ohara rakes his face then Riki takes a double headbutt. Goto hits mounted punches on Riki then chokes him. Riki dobult boot Goto then lariats him. Riki ddt's Goto then Animal flying neckbreakers him. Ohara pulls down Riki then back body drops him.
Ohara slams and sliding elbows him ala Animal. Ohara misses an elbow then Riki lariats him. Ohara takes a neckbreaker + backdrop combo then is spike piledrivered. Animal samoan drops Ohara for the win.
It was a compact and brief match. No real wasted motion here but it should have been twice as long. It ended right as it felt like it was heading to the 2nd half of the match. The match was good with fast paced action and nice execution of the basics. I loved Animal's energy here and he made a good partner for Choshu.
Genichiro Tenryu vs. Yokozuna (w/Mr. Toyota)
Tenryu's busted open and Yoko bites his cut. Yoko puts him in a trap hold then throws him out. Tenryu gets back in. Yoko bends over and Tenryu throws him backwards. Tenryu then does his top rope elbow drop. Someone then interferes on Yoko's behalf, nailing Tenryu and the ref. Yoko throws the gut out and Tenryu recovers.
Yoko belly to belly suplexes Tenryu then legdrops him. Yoko regains control and misses a bonzai drop. Tenryu running lariats Yoko and wins it.
It was looking like a good match then the interference happened and completely threw it off track.
Shiro Koshinaka & Kengo Kimura vs. Hiromichi Fuyuki & Masahiro Chono
Fuyuki and Shiro start us off. Shiro slaps him off the break. Shiro then takes a lariat and facekick from Chono and goes down. Fuyuki gets mad at Chono for this. Shiro takes a stiff double shoulder then Kengo and Shiro split Chono's legs. Chono eye rakes Kengo.
Chono holds up Kengo and Fuyuki hits shots on Kengo. Kengo blocks Fuyuki's boot and slaps him. Kengo hits a nice jab then drops him with a slap. Shiro single arm ddt's Fuyuki then does hip attacks. Fuyuki headbutts him then Chono gets in. Chono back body drops Shiro and takes shots at Kengo on the apron. Kengo boots Chono then Chono takes a double headbutt.
Kengo sleepers Chono then knees him in the gut. Shiro top rope double stomps Chono. Kengo knees Chono in the gut. Shiro hits elbows on Chono then shoulders him over. Chono does a back bump for no reason then is stomped by Shiro.
Fuyuki throws out Shiro and Chono sends Shiro into the seats. Chono then beats him with a chair. Fuyuki lariats Shiro then Kengo and Chono get in. Chono atomic drops Kengo then Kengo takes a nice face kick from Chono. Chono accidentally kicks Fuyuki.
Shiro blindside top rope hip attacks Fuyuki. Chono is thrown out then Shiro butt bumps Fuyuki. Shiro slams Fuyuki then Fuyuki takes a hip attack + knee combo. Shiro single arm ddt's Fuyuki then Kengo ddt's Fuyuki for 2. Fuyuki takes a double shoulder then Shiro powerbombs him three times.
Kengo flying knees Fuyuki then Chono kicks Kengo in the knees. Chono boots the knee multiple times and twists his leg. Chono throws Kengo out then Kengo gets beat up by Jado and Gedo outside. Fuyuki stomps Kengo's knee. Chono grabs the ref so Jado and Gedo can interfere. Fuyuki does a weird half crab on Kengo and Shiro breaks it up.
Shiro hits a nice dropkick and slam on Fuyuki then top rope dropkicks him. Chono enzugiri's Shiro hard in the back of the head when he tries to suplex Fuyuki. Shiro butt bumps Chono then Chono low blows him. Fuyuki slams Shiro on a table and sends him back in.
Fuyuki bites Shiro in the corner then Chono punches and headbutts Shiro. Shiro gets busted open and Fuyuki punches Shiro down. Fuyuki then sliding kicks Kengo in the knee. Fuyuki blue thunders Shiro. Chono and Shiro slap each other then Chono stf's Shiro. Kengo breaks it up. The seconds fight outside as Chono digs his knucles into Shiro's cut.
Fuyuki germans Shiro for 2. Chono pounds on Shiro thne Fuyuki throws a table at Shiro's head outside. Chono dragon sleepers Shiro and Kengo breaks it. Shiro avoids a double team and takes face kicks from Chono. Chono misses a dropkick on Kengo then takes a flying knee. Chono top rope shoulderblocks Kengo.
Fuyuki single leg crabs/single leg sharpshooters Kengo and taps him out twice. The ref doesn't see it the first time.
The match was good with real good mastery of the basics. Mostly everything they did looked good and was sold well. I thought they could have cut the 2nd half of this as the first half pretty much told the story well enough and the match dragged some. The finish was botched as Kengo tapped out twice but the ref didn't see the first time. Fuyuki and Chono were real good here. The post-match angle was great with Tenryu attacking everyone then Choshu getting involved. It felt real wild and Fuyuki seriously got thrown through the door hard.
Overall thoughts: A very weird tape. The first half was all clipped up and we only got to see the 2nd half of the show in full. I'm sure the first half was good, but we'll never know. The 3rd match from the top and the main were the best things on this show. Tenryu/Yoko looked like it was on its way to being good but there was interference and the match fell off track after it. I wouldn't recommend this one due to all of the clipping, making the first half of this unwatchable.
No comments:
Post a Comment