Wild Shooter vs. Shiryu
This would be a perfect opening, and a very close match, since these two are great workers, with styles that match each other very well. I could see this going as a draw, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Shiryu wins with a rana at about the 16 minute mark.
Tetsuhiro Kuroda vs. Gran Naniwa
This would be good as well, though not as even as a fight. Sure, Kuroda's good, but Naniwa's just that much better. Naniwa takes it after doing his rope-walk into a rana at 12 minutes.
Dos Caras vs. Koji Nakagawa
Again, as in the last match, Caras is good, but Nakagawa is really better. Dos Caras is actually better when he's fighting bigger guys, so I say Nakagawa with a fishermanbuster at 22 minutes.
Kato Kung Lee vs. Hisakatsu Oya
Personally, I'm not a big fan of either wrestler. I think Lee's the better worker, but Oya is a much bigger star. Because of this, I'm gonna say Oya after a powerbomb in a mercifully short 7 minutes.
Shoichi Funaki vs. La Pantera
This would be a good way to get the show back on a good level after the last match. Both would put on a good show, but I have to go with La Pantera, who is the bigger star and better worker. Pantera with a hurricarana in 13 minutes.
Barbed Wire Bed of Nails Match
Super Leather/Horace Boulder vs. Terry Boy/Yukehiro Kanemura
What would normally be your average FMW Death Match gets even more interesting with Terry Boy in the mix. To make a long story short, Super Leather no-sells, Boulder does a good job, Terry Boy gives and gets, Kanemura juices buckets. Super Leather pins Kanemura after a DDT on the nails at 25 minutes.
Miwa Sato/Bad Nurse Nakamura vs. Chapparita Delphin/Megumi Kudo
I like all of these ladies (except for Sato, who I never cared for.) As usual, Kudo takes a boatload of punishment, this time from Sato. I'd also love to see Delphin and Nakamura working together. It's close, but I just love the team of Delphin and Kudo, and I say Kudo pins Sato with a leaping DDT at 31 minutes.
Ricky Fuji vs. Tigermask IV
As you may have noticed, I'm a Fuji mark, so I might be a little bit partial here. I think both of these guys are good, but I think Fuji's better, and Koji (TM IV) is still a tad green. Fuji wins it with a Dragon Suplex at 14.
Two Out Of Three Falls
Hayabusa vs. The Great Sasuke
WOW. I can't see this match as being anything below **** and 1/2 stars. Both these guys are great, and would steal the show, no doubt. I am a Sasuke mark, but this one is still almost too close to call. First fall is Sasuke's, after a moonsault in 10 minutes. Hayabusa takes the second one with a Shooting Star Press in another 8. The final fall is a 25 minute classic, with high spots galore. It's REAL close, but i say Sasuke drags Hayabusa into the ring after a Sasuke Special and pins him.Barbed Wire Barricade Death Match- Falls Count Anywhere, Special Refs Atsushi Onita and Victor Quinones
Mr. Pogo/Super Delphin vs. Taka Michinoku/Terry Funk
I know, Michinoku isn't really main-event caliber, but he and Funk would make the perfect team. I see Pogo and Funk beating themselves bloody with the barbed wire around the ring, while Delphin and Michinoku fly all over Kawasaki Stadium. Here's the finish I see; after about 25 minutes of what I described above, Delphin and Michinoku make their way back towards the ring. While Delphin locks Taka in the Delphin Clutch, Pogo hits Funk with one of Onita's fave moves, the Thunder Fire Powerbomb. Onita goes to make the count, Quinones hits him with a chair. Onita shrugs it off, gives Quinones a DDT, crowd pops huge, Onita makes the count, crowd pops huger. Uh-oh, Vic's buddies the Headhunters come in and start to rough up Onita, but only to be fought back to the locker rooms by a late-coming Hayabusa and Masato Tanaka.
Overall, an absolutely incredible card. If you're scoring at home, Michinoku Pro with 4 wins, FMW with 3.
Actually, right now, I think I'll go into our buddy Mr. Pogo. I've had people ask me exactly why I don't like him. Well, to me, the reasons are simple; he's not much of a worker and he gives much more than he gets. Just about every match he had with Onita went just like this; Pogo pushes Onita into barbed wire about six times, Onita headbutts Pogo a thousand times, but Pogo doesn't hit the wire, and finally Pogo gets DDT'd and pinned. The only match I've really seen him take a lot of punishment was a match against Tarzan Goto, and he didn't look all that thrilled.
