WAR Wrestle Association-R – Super Summer Wars 07/21/96
By Maffew Gregg on 22 September 2024
Wrestle Association-R
Sumo Hall
Attendance: 10,500 (closer to 7,500)
Naoki Sano & Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Nobukazu Hirai & Osamu Tachihikari
Ever so slightly one-sided match-up to start. Sano & Sakuraba enjoy slapping Osamu’s gormless are around because why should UWF-i’s wrestlers treat him any different than usual. Osamu gets an amazing moment of abuse where he locks Sano’s legs around the ropes like Goldust’s Shattered Dreams but instead blasts him with sumo strikes. Sano makes up for this by kicking Hirai damn hard in the face.
We clip ahead to Hirai’s awful Frankensteiner getting a two count and Sano feeling so bad about having to sell for it that he lands a snap German Suplex (the snap being Hirai’s neck) and ends with a quick armbar at 11:24. Highly edited, pleasant showcase for the shoot-lads.
Oh…wait I’ve only now realised it’s THAT Kazushi Sakuraba. Oh wow. I changed my mind, I give that match ***** out of respect.
Nobutaka Araya vs. Michiyoshi Ohara
I don’t know Ohara but his offence is in tribute to Animal Hamaguchi (flying clotheslines and quick elbows drops). Checking cagematch, it turns out Animal was his trainer. Fair enough. Long armbar takes up most of the match until Araya drops Ohara onto his head horribly after an aborted powerbomb. Don’t worry, he fought Randleman so he can take it. Araya finishes with a moonsault at 10:26 and I don’t know why they bothered including this on the tape.
John Tenta vs. Arashi
So at last night’s show they teased doing Tenta vs. Kitao II but today we’ve got this? Yesterday was the set-up for the set-up show? No wonder WAR didn’t come close to selling this show out.
We’re JIP with the crowd reacting much louder to Quake than yesterday thanks to the air he’s getting on his leg drops. This match is cut to shreds but Arashi gets to scoop slam Tenta and surprisingly finishes him with a nice Frog Splash at 7:09. Just highlights.
Oh then Kitao in a polo shirt arrives to talk shit as the crowd come alive. If they were set on doing this rematch at a later date, then why have Tenta lose here? Oh whatever, the match is going to suck anyway. (edit from the future: oh just you wait).
J DREAMER’S SPECIAL MATCH
Ultimo Dragon & Yuji Yasuraoka & Lance Storm & Rey Misterio Jr. (AAA) vs. Jushin Thunder Liger (NJPW) & Gedo (Fuyuki-gun) & Chris Jericho (Fuyuki-gun) & Juventud Guerrera (AAA)
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH
Liger and Ultimo start off and go fast and hard with their pin attempts and charges, getting a lovely indie stand-off applause break. Rey tags in to take on Liger, in one of the only two encounters they’d have in their long careers. Rey slides under Liger’s legs, with Liger not liking that and turning a springboard Frankensteiner into a hard powerbomb. Crowd laughs.
Juvi tags in to batter Rey and to rampage across Australia. Rey sends him outside with a headscissors and lands a delicious leaping Frankensteiner off the apron.
We then cut (THEY TRIMMED THIS MATCH??) to Gedo slamming Dragon multiple times. Well I’m glad they left Gedo’s offence in. Rey tags in so Liger tags in to deliver that brutal rolling kappo kick of his with Rey stuck in the ropes so all of his tiny body takes the shot.
Lionheart wants to get used to wrestling Rey seeing as he’s going to be seeing a lot more of him over the years, with Rey springboarding a dropkick into the back of Jericho’s head. Jericho is all about the cardio in 1996 so he instantly recovers to press slam Rey off the top as he also falls, climaxing with a C’MON BAYBAYY.
We cut ahead (NO) to Lance taking the daft-but-serious quadruple team where he gets bent over and slapped across the back by everybody like he’s going through AJW initiation. We clip again (NO) to Storm carrying Jericho on his back so Rey can springboard crossbody him into the corner so everyone can give him a well-deserved kicking. Yuji reminds us he is here as well, managing to not bungle his dropkicks or step-up corner kick for once. Jericho also doesn’t miss a low blow enabling Juvi to springboard leg-drop Yuji’s mullet. Liger drops Yuji directly onto his head with a Brainbuster to again cut ahead (NOOOOOOOO).
Juvi connects with a somersault leg drop off the top and he’s letting Yuji’s face take all the impact judging by the look on his face. Juvi lands the Rey-style spinning-on-the-shoulders Frankensteiner off the top to lovely applause but no-one can get any momentum here due to everyone running in to break the pin attempts. Which means it’s time for the match to fall apart and everyone to dive outside! Rey’s top rope swanton! Jericho’s plancha! Yuji’s…German Suplex on the inside, causing Liger to run in to break the pin and leave himself open for a handspring elbow from Ultimo and a follow up tope suicida! Juvi takes advantage of everyone being outside and lands a springboard wheel kick on Yuji but the mullet kicks out.
After cutting some more (NO), Ultimo assists Rey by launching him up onto Juvi’s waiting body as he’s sat on the top rope for a sweet assisted Frankensteiner. Everyone runs in again so Lance and Yuji land their Powerbomb/German Suplex combo to end a wonderful 17:35.
This was all about the high spots and beautiful nature of the moves, with the cutting sadly removing anything resembling a story or structure. Still, the fact this happened at all is amazing and it made for a lovely highlight reel by itself.
Also this match marks Jericho’s last televised match for WAR as he headed to ECW before fucking up in NJPW and then heading to WCW to be amazing for a few years. Jericho’s WAR run is a must-watch to see how smooth and wonderful the man used to be before he turned into self-parody.
Jado vs. Yoshihiro Takayama
This is JIP too because no-one’s getting fed tonight. Takayama misses a charge and ends up kicking the ring post, so Gedo assaults him. A worn-out Takayama takes a beating until he powers up, only for Gedo to pull his foot out from underneath him. Jado lariats for the win at 10:12. I think this whole show was about having the winners from yesterday lose today, even if if results in the shittiest matches possible.
Riki Choshu & Satoshi Kojima vs. Kodo Fuyuki & Big Tai Do (Big Titan)
Big Titan joined Fuyuki-Gun a while ago. I would have mentioned this if it was important.
Riki starts off slowly with Fuyuki, unsure of how to take his yelling. Choshu attempts to block a lariat but he’s too loud to be denied. The crowd are having a good laugh yelling back at Fuyuki until Choshu shuts them up with a lariat of his own. Kojima tags in for the same, but with much more mocking included. Riki kicks Fuyuki in the dick so everyone understands he doesn’t like him. Kojima and Choshu are a perfect yaoi couple as Riki’s stoical as hell but Kojima is all personality. Titan no-sells a few lariats but regrets it as Kojima keeps throwing them until he does. Titan gets up and superkicks Kojima instead before landing an interesting looking reverse T-Bone suplex. Fuck knows what you’d call it. Titan is working fast & hard with Kojima who doesn’t stop moving, landing a lovely top rope elbow before tagging in big Riki. Choshu instantly goes for the Sharpshooter, with Fuyuki attempting to remove him from the hold but it takes forever because he’s Choshu. Fuyuki tries to send Riki outside but he’s not having it so Fuyuki yells at him before instantly tagging in Titan. Ha! Riki’s more miserable than usual so he lets Titan shrug off Kojima’s chops for a bit. Fuyuki chops Kojima for a while until he pops up to lariat him as this is struggling to build to anything because Riki and Kojima aren’t selling for longer than ten seconds. And then Riki tags in and lariats Titan to end it just like that at 8:34.
This was OK but felt like a set-up tag match you’d get on Raw to build to a bigger match later on, which wouldn’t come. Not bad but not great either, with Titan getting to at least look decent in his last appearance before leaving for WWF in two month to never to be seen again.
Nobuhiko Takada & Hiromitsu Kanehara vs. Tatsumi Fujinami & Shiro Koshinaka
Takada chops Shiro to start with the Ass Man staring at him in response. Kanehara tags in and he’s so ready he doesn’t even wait for Fujinami to tag in, kicking him as he enters.
Kanehara:
Kanehara’s strikes are crazy fast, so Fujinami takes him to the mat where Kanehara wraps himself out of the holds to try kicking again. Fuj side-steps and smothers the vicious so-and-so again but Kanehara will not stop throwing those shots. Takada tags in instead to calm things down. By “calm down” I mean “kick Fuj” and “take him down with armbars when he dares to stop him.” The UWF-i guy’s offence has more resembled self-defence classes than wrestling and I’m all for it.
Shiro tags in and is able to chinlock Takada but it feels like he’s only defending himself rather than getting offence. Kanehara tags in and starts throwing more lightning bolts at Shiro, with Fuj tagging in for a revenge suplex. Fuj tries to get an armbar stuck in but Kanehara reverse so smoothly it’s like he’s playing the game with all the cheats on. Shiro tags in to throw THE ASS at Kanehara which feels out of place but also necessary as Kanehara sells it. Fuj wants Takada and absolutely tears him up with a beautiful Dragon Screw leg whip which pops the crowd. Takada side steps THE ASS leading to more Kanehara abuse. It all breaks down with Shiro taking a side suplex before Kanehara’s armbar threatens to end it. Fuj makes the save so he can apply the Dragon Sleeper onto Kanehara. Takada BLASTS Fuj with a Ford Focus of a kick to the back to break up the hold but this allows Shiro tag in and pin Kanehara after a sex pin powerbomb at 9:20.
Ahhh this was tremendous stuff. Really heated and stiff affair with Kanehara’s offence really bothering everyone who had to take it. Their pain is my pleasure though as he was so good here he made me want to go and find more of his matches to enjoy. Bit odd Takada lost his match here when we’ve got Tenryu vs. Takada later on but it’s theme for the night.
Masahito Kakihara vs. Tatsumi Kitahara
Kakihara attempts an armbar which sees Kakihara slip out before holding the guard for a while. It’s all mat-based tension-less exchanging of holds until Kakihara starts launching the low dropkicks. Kitahara fires his own, but they’re high and aimed at the face so don’t look as natural. Kitahara sticks to ankle locks to build tension (and to get the crowd into it) until Kitahara SLAPS THE SHIT out of him and gets the quick tap-out with an ankle pick at 8:25.
I don’t rate Kitahara and never will but that slap was brutal. Shame he tries to be a big shot on a show with actual big shots who are better than him in every way. But aye, nice slap mate.
Genichiro Tenryu vs. Yoji Anjo
Yeah Anjo isn’t Takada in terms of star power. Or popularity. Or likability.
Both men start in striking stances until Anjo gets Tenryu in the ropes and kicks him out the ring. Tenryu charges him so Anjo runs away and taunts him. Ha! Anjo lands a low blow but Tenryu holds on with Anjo having to choke Tenryu to get him off, with the ref having a conversation with Anjo while he’s doing it. Oh man Anjo’s great. He kicks Tenryu in the back, causing Tenryu to stand up menacingly and making Anjo leave the ring in response. Tenryu catches him this time and chops him before he runs away again. Anjo wrestling is like watching a Dark Souls No Items run.
Tenryu is able to roll out of Anjo’s holds but he’s not able to counter the counters coming his way. Anjo gets too over-confident and gets stuck in an ankle lock, with his yell of pain getting the crowd laughing. Tenryu tries to lariat Anjo but he sees it coming and turns it into a Fujiwara Armbar to the crowd’s disgust. Anjo thinks he’s winning so he lands a dropkick with a daft “ooo!” yell. However Tenryu has had enough and lariats Anjo before choking him in fury. This is fantastic. Tenryu punches him in the face with Anjo trying to complain, resulting in more punches to the face and a mad Tenryu. Ref gives Anjo some respite, allowing him to superkick a distracted Tenryu and get a quick armbar in.
Tenryu powers out so Anjo gets a flurry, which is ignored and he gets shot down. Anjo somehow powers out of a powerbomb (or maybe Tenryu lost his strength mid-move, either way it was a good save) to chinlock Tenryu. Crowd is reacting like it might end the match. They’re getting worried about a chinlock! Anjo is able to remain on offence for a solid minute, worrying the crowd. Anjo applies a spinning ankle lock and crowd are officially really concerned. Tenryu eventually makes the ropes which lets him land a ton of strikes and a proper powerbomb…which Anjo rolls into an armbar as the crowd shit themselves in fear of an actual honest-to-God Anjo win. Tenryu only just escapes before lariating the ever-loving-fuck out of Anjo before a powerbomb ends it at 11:44.
What a tremendous display of character work and annoyance. Anjo’s dickhead antics gelled stunningly with Tenryu’s mastery of timing and playing with the crowd who reacted as if they were watching a horror movie. Coupled with Tenryu absolutely BLASTING Anjo with shots, this was a hell of a main event, even under twelve minutes. Highly recommended.
Overall: Some really good matches and some really naff ones. The main point of the show was letting UWF-i know that they may have won yesterday but the WAR (urgh) is far from over. Weird way to build to Tenryu vs. Takada (and Kitao vs. Tenta I guess) but at least we got the mother of all spot-fests and a wicked Anjo match out of it.
