WAR Wrestle And Romance – 3rd Anniversary Revolution 07/07/95
By Maffew Gregg on 7 April 2024
Wrestle And Romance
Sumo Hall
Attendance: 11,000
We open with highlights of the 06/4/95 Tokyo Korakuen Hall show:
Shiro Koshinaki & Akitoshi Saito vs. Hiromichi Fuyuki & Nobutaka Araya (sounded hot, with the crowd going nuts for Fuyuki and his dickhead antics)
Lion Heart winning the International Junior Heavyweight Title from Gedo (even edited, Gedo looked sloppy. Crowd popped when Jericho won)
Genichiro Tenryu & Arashi vs. Koji Kitao & Big Titan (Fake Razor teams up with Fake Karate. Titan used a broken bottle on Tenryu but Kitao didn’t appreciate that style of wrestling and attacked his own partner. The Kitao politely asked for a rematch, which is a hell of a way to build to a Sumo Hall main event).
Osamu Tachikiari & Hiroshi Itakura & Yuji Yasuraoka vs. Masayoshi Motegi & Kamikaze & Fukumentaro
This is thankfully clipped to Motegi doing cool kick stuff. Osamu comes in which necessitates more clipping. He’s so bad the opposing team somehow miss him on a Triple Dropkick, so Osamu responds by not catching Kamikaze on a dive outside. Well with a name like that. Yuji comes across as well-trained compared to his mates, but then again I look pretty when stood next to a dog’s arse. Kamikaze lands Air Sabu in the corner with Osamu using the power of FAT and CONFUSED to no-sell it and flab everyone. Osamu ends after a chokeslam at 10:35. Wasn’t clipped enough.
Nobutaka Araya vs. Nobukazu Hirai
Araya is fresh from IWA Japan. Maybe ‘fresh’ is the wrong term. Hirai strongly dislikes Araya so they grapple on the mat from the get-go and start the headbutt machine. After trading piledrivers, it escalates to jumping powerbombs and top rope Frankensteiners and moonsaults. Crowd is digging it and Hirai is actually credible. Araya smoothly counters a backdrop into an Abominable Stretch to get the submission victory at 12:28. This looked surprisingly good! I’ll take good old fashioned hate over finesse any day.
BATTLE OF KT
Koki Kitahara vs. Arashi
Oh fuck, go back. I don’t care if it’s the newer, better Arashi I’m sick of watching Koki. He’s Steve Blackman without the coolness or sticks. When he’s on offence all the editor can find to showcase him is heatless kicks while Arashi is diving off the apron and changing-direction-in-mid-air Frog Splashes. German Suplexes are traded until Koki impressively powerbombs Arashi for two. Koki ends it with a Frankensteiner pin at 14:32. Eh whatever.
WAR International Junior Heavyweight Title
Lion Heart Chris Jericho vs. Ultimo Dragon
Ultimo lands on his feet on multiple takedown attempts so Jericho does the same, with both men landing the indie stand-off back when that spot mattered. We clip ahead (you left Osamu in but clip this?) to Jericho’s Butterfly suplex getting two and clipping ahead to Ultimo landing on the apron but being savvy enough to know Jericho’s coming so he lets him splat and oh my god that looked like it sucked. Even worse is Ultimo landing with a 450 to the outside to a downed Jericho which looked insane.
But the crowd laughed at that spot. Huh. Got to have a sense of humour to pay to watch Kitao headline. Jericho GANSO BOMBS Dragon on the outside as they’re letting it all hang out tonight. Ultimo recovers but Jericho falls victim to his own desire to be a large ham so while talking to the crowd, Ultimo dropkicks him out the ring and follows with a better-received Quebrada. Jericho tries to suplex Ultimo outside but gets dumped on his head for two. Ultimo who is going at it like a frog on a bike pump, immediately follows with an in-ring Asai moonsault for two. Ultimo like most people with internet access can’t stand Jericho as he continues to hound him with submissions until big dumb head comes back with a missile dropkick.
Lionsault is attempted but Ultimo trips him to set up La Magistral for two. Both men counter each other’s roll ups for more roll ups until a Dragon Suplex only gets two for Ultimo as we quickly head to the top rope as these two are going harder and faster than German trains. Jericho shoves Ultimo to the floor and follows with a crossbody as both men take a much needed break and reflect on their 2004 WWE careers. In one of the best spots I’ve ever seen Jericho involved in, he teases running the ropes so Ultimo instinctively goes down for the block but Jericho lands a Lionsault instead. Rolling backwards pin gets a very close 2.9 as crowd is losing their minds at how tight Jericho used to be.
Powerbomb gets converted into one of those really tight Frankensteiner pins for another close call, with Ultimo landing a second straight after for the same. Dragon Suplex from Lion Heart stops Ultimo’s offence long enough to prop him on the top rope but Ultimo falls so he lands on him instead. The near-falls are getting closer and closer as a Powerbomb gets turned into a Frankensteiner gets turned into a Sunset Flip with neither man wanting to slow down. This is how Jericho sees himself every week on Dynamite going against guys like Kyle Fletcher. Top rope powerslam can’t end it so Ultimo rolls out of the way of a moonsault. Jericho responds by rolling out of a Spiral Tap and delivering a top rope hip toss to blow the roof off the place at 19:59 and set up the next stage of his career.
Yes this still holds up. Breath-taking pace and offence from both men, showing their familiarity with either man’s offence but not in a way that felt protracted.
This match was watched by IWA Japan’s Mick Foley, who had come to watch his mate Jimmy Snuka and was so impressed with this match he offered to help Jericho get work in USA. So Jericho sent Foley a copy of this match to Paul Heyman and soon after Jericho would be in ECW.
The Eliminators & Hector Garza vs. Mil Mascaras & Bob Backlund & Jimmy Snuka
Yeah time for some WAR Wacky Tag Booking to cleanse the pallet. Bob soaks up the cheers before asking the crowd to simmer. Bob tries to shake hands with everyone but they decline so Perry takes all the dancing happy hip tosses from mad Bob who is having the time of his life. Mil tags in for the same Mil spots we see every bloody show with the crowd loving all of them. Kronus didn’t get the memo about not doing moves to Mil as he casually lands his chubby handspring moonsault to a stunned crowd response. Snuka tags in to leapfrog everyone and the pop for the BLIND LEAPFROG is so intense the entire opposing team run in to take the chop shot. Man Snuka is KILLING it. Garza lands his pretty spinning crossbody off the top, followed by Snuka landing the splash and Mil landing the crossbody to win at 18:08. Harmless feel-good fun with legends.
Fuyuki-Gun (Jado & Gedo) vs. Tarzan Goto & Mr. Gannosuke
Goto & Gannosuke are fresh from quitting FMW three weeks before their biggest show ever for reasons that have never been explained and probably will never be. Fuyuki-Gun showed up to their new home of IWA Japan to help set up this match and to also help FMW’s rival because Tenryu is still mad at Onita.
Goto’s acting like king shit because he’s at the peak of his post-FMW career and the pops reflect that. Fuyuki-Gun don’t care and start the match with topes. Gannosuke isn’t anything in 1995 but crowd still treat him with tons of respect as The Guns take him apart. Goto has enough and headbutts Gedo without making a tag. Fuyuki-Gun ignore him and land the AWA Special. Yeah why don’t you Tarzan Go To FMW? OH THAT’S RIGHT YOU CAN’T, HOW BOUT IT. Eventually Goto tags in to land his trademark falling armbar and Jado is a good enough pro to know that’s his speciality so he starts selling his arm before Goto even tags in. We clip to Goto splashing Gedo off the top. and then clip to Gedo making his own comeback as this sucker is going long. Moonsault lands on Gannosuke’s knees so Goto chairshots Gedo in the face as the ref blatantly blades him.
Goto apologies to the ref and then immediately goes back to the chair shots. More headbutts and lariats continue as Goto seems to be enjoying himself. Gedo lands crushingly head-first on a Brainbuster so the ref checks his pulse. This is going on forever but it’s making the crowd get behind Gedo so it’s doing it’s job. Plus Goto looks like a beast as he keeps on turning Gedo into a Pez dispenser with these lariats. Gedo bravely comes back with small packages as the crowd is SHRIEKING for the blonde fool. Goto kills him again as Gedo gives him a look like “c’mon man” before Goto pins him with a sit-out piledriver and a grin at 22:57.
This accomplished the goal of putting Goto over as a threat and Gedo got annihilated so mission accomplished lads. Went long but the brutality made up for it.
BATTLE OF I-SHI-N
Riki Choshu & Animal Hamaguchi vs. Tatsutoshi Goto & Michiyoshi Ohara
If anything can slow this killer show down it’s Goto. This is one of the last team-ups of Animal & Riki before the crazy-haired man’s retirement so crowd is hot for the legend. The Serious Bushwhacker trades headbutts with Ohara before they exchange diving elbows as the crowd is lapping this up like an old man watching Last Of The Summer Wine. Choshu tags in to a booming pop to take apart Goto. Animal takes weak chair shots at ringside as he’s close to death so we get the rare CROWD REACTION SHOT to let us know that even if we aren’t taking this match seriously the crowd is. Two hundred years old Animal takes more beating as Riki is allergic to selling. Goto gives him one (1) lariat before Riki comes back with a side suplex and a dick kick. As Goto tags out and rolls outside, Riki kicks him in the dick for good measure. Hey, that was funny! Animal tags in for more exciting old man antics as I’m losing interest in counting the individual grains of sand deplete in real time. Choshu and Animal connect with a Spike Piledriver before one last Flying Clothesline ends it for Animal at 8:55.
Even this long plodding affair couldn’t stop this show’s hot streak as the crowd loved the dinosaurs more than a petrol company.
Hiromichi Fuyuki vs. Shiro Koshinaka
Can Fuyuki main event? No. Can he beat Shiro? Maybe. Can he annoy Tenryu and get fired next year? Yes.
Crowd sound tired. In a God-fearing world this would go five minutes. Shiro bungles a leapfrog but comes back with a dropkick, which Fuyuki ignores and lariats anyway for a big boo-cheer. Fuyuki-Gun triple team Shiro behind the ref’s back as the crowd are back into it already, with the NJPW lads angrily removing them from the equation. Hey don’t take away Fuyuki’s interference, it’s his best asset! Shiro clutches Fuyuki then starts yelling at the crowd so they can yell back at him, before Fuyuki tries a springboard crossbody! Which Shiro stops with a kneel. THE ASS sends Fuyuki outside for a THE ASS off the apron and onto the back of Fuyuki’s THE HEAD. Fuyuki side-steps a dropkick so Shiro eats all the shit in the ropes, leading to Fuyuki-Gun resuming offence while the NJPW lads look on, appearing as threatening as The Final Testament. Fuyuki mocks Shiro as he fails to miss strikes aimed his way. Shiro absorbs the lariats like a balding sponge before a Stretch Plumb allows him to build his spirit meter. Shiro comes back with two brutal double stomps off the top rope before landing a sweat-filled lariat. Another THE ASS off the top sets up a powerbomb for a close two. Shiro keeps on Fuyuki with pin attempts but another unlikely crossbody gets two for Fuyuki as there’s definitely crowd support for the cheating bastard. His lads all cheering for him at ringside helps. Shiro lands another powerbomb before signalling it’s time for THE END. Which is another powerbomb and another powerbomb and another kick out. So not the end. A lengthy Abdominal Stretch does it for Shiro and that was not the way I thought the match was going to end at 18:55.
Anticlimactic finish aside, Shiro worked well with Fuyuki because his antics work best when there’s someone the crowd respects and wants to win. Shiro brought a lot of NJPW fans with him which only inspired the crowd to react louder. Crazy Fuyuki didn’t win here to be honest but Japanese politics is complicated.
Genichiro Tenryu vs. Koji Kitao
I’m sure the original idea for this main event was going to be Tenryu vs. Fuyuki given that Fuyuki pinned Kitao months ago, but then Kitao somehow found himself in the main event of NJPW’s Fukoka Dome show in May in front of 52,000 fans and Tenryu went “well might as well capitalise on this.” Fuyuki never had the makings of a varsity athlete anyway.
Like the first match it’s held under round rules because Kitao is fat. Kitao lands his plodding kicks to give Tenryu the chance to oversell everything by rolling out the ring. That’s the whole round.
Tenryu launches a chair at Kitao before Round Two which only brings a smile to Kitao’s face. Big soft knees send Tenryu to the mat as the crowd are lapping this up. Soft clobbering sends Tenryu on his arse as I wonder if Lawler vs. broomstick would look like this. Tenryu lands a back suplex as the crowd loses their mind but the WAR Special can’t end it. Probably because of the oh I don’t know, giant gi he’s wearing. Kitao lands Tenryu’s own cheeky mat kick and applies a STF as the crowd can’t get over Kitao knowing a real hold. Tenryu grabs the ropes to end Round Two.
Kitao starts Round Three by landing the KICK THAT KILLED TENRYU but Fuyuki-Gun appear at ringside to start shenanigans, ending with Fuyuki smashing a bottle over Tenryu’s head (because Big Titan wasn’t on this tour). Tenryu is given loads of time to blade and recover which makes you wonder why they did that after the big kick spot which did the same thing anyway, except this stopped the action. Round ends as crowd boo the inactivity.
Round Four starts and I think Kitao is supposed to be letting Tenryu recover because he doesn’t want to win like that but he’s not great at conveying emotion. R2D2 is better with facial expressions. Kitao uranages Tenryu anyway and lands more pillow shots as the ref has to hold Kitao back. Tenryu connects with a desperate Kappo kick as Kitao is suddenly dizzy. Tenryu smacks him with an enziguri and somehow powerbombs Kitao to get the pin but not the large pop he was expecting.
Yeah this wasn’t quite the miracle we got the first time around with the bottle spot/ringside distraction genuinely annoying the crowd rather than warming them up to the idea of face Kitao. I don’t think Tenryu realised people only show up to boo Kitao and that’s it.
Overall: One of WAR’s best ever shows. One of Jericho’s most impressive performances, Fuyuki working hard, feel good legends matches, clipped crap and even Kitao wasn’t that bad.
It’s also the last ever WAR show as they’d rename the company to WAR:
WAR is also going through a reorganization, with a name change from Wrestle And Romance to Wrestle Association R, keeping the same initials. Fuyuki will be pushed as the main star with Tenryu being phased down as he’s trying to phase down his career.
