Network of Wrestling – Battle Force ’94 Night 1 07/10/94

Network Of Wrestling

Kawasaki Shukugawara Station Back Parking Lot
Attendance: 2,300 (lies)

Previously In NOW…

It all returns to no(w)thing…

Getting up to date with the news since the last show: In March NOW held a four match Korokuen Hall show described as “terrible”. The opening match involved Umanosuke Uedam went less than 2:00 and ended via DQ.

The original sponsor pulled out shortly afterwards so NEW NOW came back with a new backer with whichever wrestlers were still around, which didn’t include Ishinriki because he’s already left for the greener pastures of WAR.

In April, they held a Toshimitsu Naoi tribute show and The Singhs no-showed because they’re cunts politics. They would head for IWA Japan shortly afterwards to kill that company too, but not before Tiger was taken to court for fraud (for claiming he was an active wrestler).

No stars or Singhs leads us to the last recorded show of a dying company.

Shunme Matsuzaki vs. Poison Sawada

I think the guy recording this is on a nearby hill as you can’t hear anything except nearby kids. Shunme Matsuzaki is still going in 2023 in places like Real GUTS. Well you’d definitely need them to wrestle in places like this. Poison would go onto greater things but here he’s curtain jerking a company that’s got a pillow in it’s face.

Shunme gets a nice body scissors which Poison can’t escape from, resulting in a whirly-dirly for two. This is a hard watch as the complete lack of audio takes away from any immersion. Like when Sawada gets a crucifix for the apparent three count but it’s not the end so he pops up and takes a Fujiwara Armbar for the submission win at 13:22. OK.

Apollo Sugawara vs. Nam Tae Ryong

Nam Tae Ryong doesn’t even have a Cagematch account and Apollo’s terrible so what in God’s name am I doing watching this?

Both men keep it simple which is a relief as Apollo still uses his fingers for math. You can see someone gardening their allotment on the hill behind the ring and I’m thankful for the distraction. I wonder what plants grow natively in that part of Japan? I only know spring blossom but those plants definitely aren’t those. While I’m Googling the Flora of Japan, I miss the finish and have to go back and see that the match ended after a NORMAL SUPLEX at 11:22. I regret rewinding.

Kendo Nagasaki & Kishin Kawabata vs. Chris Adams & Ryo Miyake

Gentlemen Chris Adams? What are you doing here? Aside from beating up women, obviously. No wonder he sodded off to Japan, this country idolises rotten Westerners. Give it up for the Dynamite Kid, everyone.

Ryo throws Kawabata outside and distracts the ref so Adams can mistake him for a wife and attack with a chair. Ryo is motivated and lands some sit-out dropkicks and a dive before everyone brawls on the outside because it’s a Kendo match and he has to. A police car drives past with the sirens blazing to scare the hell out of me as it’s literally the only thing audible on this show. This slows down as I think the things being trimmed in the background are Japanese holly. Adams hears “Holly” and thinks it’s referring to a woman and wears down Kawabata with armbars. Cameraman gets bored of the references to Adams’ miserable life and pans back so we get a lovely shot of the fans chilling by their parked cars. This would make a great stage for a fighting game. Kendo gets another crowd brawl because he’s got better things to be worrying about than pleasing these gardeners. Adams lands his fancy superkick but it’s not the end as this goes on and on because there’s barely any wrestlers booked. After yet another crowd brawl that transitions into another crowd brawl, Kendo piledrivers Ryo at 21:10.

9 Man Battle Royal

Poison Sawada vs. Apollo Sugawara vs. Chris Adams vs. Hanshan vs. Kendo Nagasaki vs. Kishin Kawabata vs. Nam Tae Ryong vs. Ryo Miyake vs. Shunme Matsuzaki

Four matches and one of them is a battle royal?

Oh man, everyone has the hands-on-hips pose waiting inside the ring. All aware that this show will not be getting a mention in their autobiographies. Hanshan is the only guy who hasn’t appeared on the show yet but who cares, Adams goes into the crowd yet again to attack anything with tits. I’ll only list the highlights: Poison Sawada steals the win by pinning both Ryo and Nam as they’re in a Sunset Flip.

Overall: I’m glad I watched this show while coming down from MDMA.

Three months later this company would be dead.

(To the tune of The Offspring’s The Kids Aren’t Alright)

Goro Tsurumi left in April to team up with Mr. Pogo in FMW before focusing on his own IWA Kokusai company that ran until his death in 2013.

Ryo Myake, Kishin Kawabata and Apollo Sugawara would leave for Takashi Ishikawa’s Tokyo Pro Wrestling to continue to make fans miserable.

Ueda would join The Singhs in IWA Japan in what would be his last contribution to wrestling after a car accident ended his career shortly afterwards.

Kendo Nagasaki would stick around until the company’s death in October but also invaded W*ING before that company’s imminent death. You’d think the idea of setting up company after company would eventually fail, but he’d create BJPW in early 1995 and that’s still around to this day so there was a method to the madness.

But more importantly for the dozens (AND DOZENS) of people following this exciting look at post-SWS, WAR would continue to avoid death for a few more years.

Hopefully their shows will be better than this one.

I’ve been Maffew and they called this a Peacock Of Wrestling in USA