WAR Wrestle Association-R CHAMPION of R 11/24/97 – 03/10/98
By Maffew Gregg on 9 February 2025
Wrestle Association-R
Genichiro Tenryu has opened up a sushi bar in Tokyo called “Shimade’s,” which is his real last name. Yeah that’s the news.
WAR will be reviving the old Japanese heavyweight title in a tournament starting 11/18. Genichiro Tenryu and Junzo Hasegawa, who was the promoter of the old JWA, the dominant promotion in Japan during the 50s and 60s, held a press conference. There was talk of putting Tenryu against Naoya Ogawa to determine the first champion since it would be similar to the most famous match to determine the actual first champion on December 22, 1954 where Rikidozan (a former sumo star like Tenryu) beat Masahiko Kimura (a former judo champion like Ogawa).
Yeah none of that would happen. Tenryu and Ogawa would have a few tag matches years later but that was it.
Kitao isn’t on this show because PRIDE held their first show and:
Kitao, the WAR pro wrestler, beat Nathan Jones, a 6-10, 350 pound world’s strongest man contest type who went into the match with no fighting experience. Kitao took him down and grabbed an armlock in 2:14. Kitao was crying after the match, which some saw as a sign the match had to have been real, although there were more rumors of suspicion ahead of time regarding this match than any other on the show.
It’s rather infamous in MMA circles for being faker than Cody’s tears.
Koji Kitao has apparently been hospitalized due to injuries but was left the hospital to sit ringside to scout since the Tenryu vs. Kitao in a tournament match will take place on 12/24.
Yeah he’s sick alright…SICK OF WORKING.
Anyway WAR put out three VHS releases which cover the same period with a bunch of overlap so I figured I’d cover all three of them because we’re circling the drain at this point.
11/24/97
Arena: Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium
Attendance: 3,510
Osamu Tachihikari vs. Choichi Ichinomiya
Osamu’s kicks are terrible but he insists on focusing on them. Kitao was the same. The ex-sumos have less useful ACLs than female NXT wrestlers. Choichi counters a suplex to a Kimura but offers nothing the rest of the match, with Osamu dominating which is a scary thought as I guess he’s technically the veteran now. Chokeslam and lariat ends 8:06 I’ll never get back.
Momoe Nakanishi & Nanae Takahashi vs. Manami Toyota & Takako Inoue
AJW? The hell are you doing here? The late 90s were as bad for Joshi as they were for Puro so WAR is happy to work with someone other than LLPW. I dunno, ask Jabroniville.
Nanae holds Toyota in a Figure Four while Momoe repeatedly splashes her off the top rope. Nanae is full of glee and encourages the crowd to cheer as Toyota is flattened, and they do!
We clip to Takako pretending to sell Momoe’s Mongolian Chops before going “yeah right” and planting her with a DDT. Momoe lands an odd spinning crossbody that I’ve not seen even a yank indie wrestler steal, before Takako lariats everyone so Manami can roll around the ring with Nanae in that spinning pin holds thing. Crowd is eager to join in the clapping when prompted but shut up whenever they’re not being yelled at. After some pleasantly high crossbody dives to the outside, Manami bridges out of several pin attempts. Shoulderblock Doomsday Device can’t end things for Manami but a knee off the top does it for Takako at 13:43.
Everyone here looked really passionate and tried damn hard, which was in stark contrast to the usual WAR undercard. Shame it was clipped to hell.
International Jr. Tag Titles League Bout
Lance Storm & Battle Ranger vs. Masakazu Fukuda & Hiroyoshi Kotsubo (Wrestle Yume Factory)
We’re doing a Tag Title League to decide new champs. On Wikipedia it says “title vacated for unknown reasons” and I can’t find out why this was because no-one cares about 1997 WAR.
This is Storm’s last appearance before going full-time with ECW. Lance says he “didn’t come here to do the job” so Philly is already having an impact on his lingo. Lance lands the Rolling Boston Crab, no Singles for him right now. He’ll have plenty in his pocket after a few months with Heyman. Lance presses Ranger over the top rope and onto Fukuda before landing the crappy handspring body press and springboard clothesline. Jesus Lance, did you bring enough workrate for the rest of the card? The WYF lads accidentally lariat one another but then Ranger misses an Asai Moonsault to get stretched via STF at 9:27.
All Storm until the finish. Crowd didn’t react once.
International Jr. Tag Titles League Bout
Yuji Yasuraoka & Tadahiro Ishii vs. Masao Orihara & Hidetomo Egawa (Mobius team)
Egawa is a free-lance dude who’s wrestled previously for IWA Japan, DDT and Shin FMW. To be fair that describes half the WAR roster now.
Ishii wants none of Egawa, he’s got indie stench all over him so he slams him into Orihara’s corner and demands he tags in. That’s such a cool spot, especially with Ishii landing multiple dropkicks afterwards. I’m not 100% sure he fits the weight limit but who cares. Orihara kicks him low to get the advantage because he’s a dick. Yuji tags in to take Orihara’s “run up the guy then backflip off him” spot, which Yuji no-sells and dropkicks him. Orihara doesn’t take kindly to that so when Yuji tries his trademark Huge Crossbody To The Outside, Orihara walks away and poor Yuji eats all the shit.
We clip to Orihara double stomping Ishii on the face and neck. Ishii is bleeding as Orihara lands a fucking Tombstone off the second rope for two. No wonder Ishii went up in weight, it was so no-one could do that to him again. Orihara continues being a bastard and nails poor Ishii with his Spider German Suplex off the top. However, while he’s still in the ropes Yuji dropkicks him in the goatee. Egawa stops any follow up sadly but the crowd is behind Yuji and his Ishii. Ishii kicks out of a double suplex and crowd is buzzing now. Ishii keeps kicking out of moves as he has “future star” written all over his horribly garish tights. Yuji comes in to help so he naturally gets a kicking before Orihara powerbombs him on the outside, allowing Egawa to land his third German Suplex on Ishii to finally win at 15:56.
This was a lot of fun! Orihara is a natural prick and able to get the desired reaction from the fans by going low and dropping people viciously which is just the thing to get a crowd into cheering for someone. Shame Ishii’s team didn’t win.
Abdullah The Butcher vs. Nobutaka Araya
Tonight I have a fight with a fat, little Japanese boy. Abdullah will never get old! Or die! Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
Araya mocks Abby’s taunt to start before Araya uses the timekeeper’s hammer to bust open the rivets in his forehead. Even clipped this is just Abby bleeding and being punched before the ref gets shoved and it’s ended at 10:26. Abby’s promo was the highlight.
International Jr. Tag Titles League Final
Yuji Yasuraoka & Tadahiro Ishii vs. Masakazu Fukuda & Hiroyoshi Kotsubo (Wrestle Yume Factory)
So they’re doing a Tag League but the matches earlier were a non-factor? Ishii and Yuji lost but still get the shot at the finals? Maybe I’m over-thinking this but this sounds dumb.
Anyway Ishii is taped up and Yuji is Yuji, enabling Fukuda to yell and pound away. Oh until Yuji realises Fukuda is also taped up and goes for his bad arm.
We’re clipped to Ishii taking Sambo suplexes on his bad everything.
We clip to Yuji tagging in with his X-Pac style comeback, all big kicks and swinging around and sweaty mullets. Ishii tags in but he’s so banged up he can’t finish a German Suplex. Crowd are only mildly into it so that means Ishii has to take a few more Sambo suplexes and a STF before the crowd can care. Yuji takes a Kimura but Ishii rolls Kotsubo into a small package and…he kicks out. Crowd were ready for that to be the finish. Instead, Ishii takes a belly-to-belly directly onto his head (belly-to-head?) before taking another chokeslam and kicking out of everything. Crowd are really wanting Ishii to win but for reasons at 16:01 he gets pinned with a German Suplex.
I do not understand having Ishii go through all the abuse in the match earlier to only take even more abuse when the crowd are into him and then have him be pinned. This was like that Benoit & Malenko vs. West Texas Rednecks PPV match from 1999 where they won then immediately lost. Action was fine, if clipped to hell.
It’d be four months before the new champs would defend the titles. They’d do so once and then vacate them in August 4th 1998 because Fukuda would move up to the heavyweight division, with even-newer champs being decided in Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa on December 11th.
So that’d be two tag title defences and two tag champs in a calendar year. Welcome to WAR 1997.
Koki Kitahara & Arashi & Jun Kikuchi vs. Nobukazu Hirai & Masaaki Mochizuki & Yoshikazu Taru
We’re JIP to Taru and Kitahara going at it, with Kitahara doing his best to look hard despite being dressed up as a bus seat. Mochizuki lands his stunning springboard off the top rope into a kick, managing to get more spin on it every time. All the WYF lads dive to the outside, which sets up Arashi landing a plancha on everyone which should have got a bigger pop than it did. Crowd is deader than the tag titles. Kitahara lariats people and Arashi powerbombs but this is clipped to hell too. Even the pre-main is being trimmed?
Arashi’s release powerbombs at least look smooth. Frog Splash is broken up by a WYF lad who I don’t recognise, which really gets the crowd popping which leads to Arashi accidentally lariating Kitahara. Kikuchi tries to take on the established lads now he’s got a normal haircut but it predictably results in a German Suplex. Everyone brawls on the outside until Hirai sticks Jun with an out-of-control powerbomb for not much of a pop because everyone’s trying to watch the brawling on the outside. So Hirai does it again to win at 24:12.
Way too much was clipped to have any build or care, it was like trying to follow Jacob’s Ladder.
Araya shows up afterwards to be mad at Kitahara for losing, which presumably Kitahara responds with “fuck off, you lost too!” and they come to blows. OK.
Genichiro Tenryu vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara (PWFG)
Fujiwara is repping PWFG, which died six months ago. If you’ve got tenure, you can rep who you want.
Tenryu tries to take it slow but The Fuj applies a Fujiwara immediately with Tenryu escaping immediately. Fujiwara complains about Tenryu being greased and tells the ref to check him. When he doesn’t, he attempts to leave so Tenryu knocks him off the apron. C’mon Fujiwara he’s not a cheat like GSP. Fujiwara upon entering immediately takes the sumo charge in the corner and a cheeky kick when the ref is separating them. Fuj has a wicked grin on his face as he smashes Tenryu with a flurry of his own, which Tenryu tries to retaliate with chops. Fuj stares maniacally as he ignores them before headbutting Tenryu to cause the ref to check on the boss. Fujiwara knows this isn’t boxing so he cuts open Tenryu on the eye with harsh shots with the ref begging him to stop, so Fujiwara casually walks over to the other side to wipe Tenryu’s blood on the turnbuckle.
Oh he’s so cool. Tenryu goes low on Fujiwara which the crowd doesn’t react to. Fuj tries to roll out to get a breather but Tenryu stops him on the apron and tries to suplex him in, but Fuj turns it into an armbar and drags Tenryu to the outside and holds it on on the floor! God damn Fuj rules.
Ref begs him to release the hold so he does (eventually). Tenryu curses in English before rolling back in so Fujiwara instantly ankle lock him. Tenryu holds his arm to prevent further damage. Tenryu is able to get the ropes but Fuj is above the rules and drags him and keeps the hold on. Tenryu’s face is painted in pain this whole time as he grabs the ropes again and Fuj releases…only to apply a Fujiwara Armbar as soon as Tenryu steps away. I’ve had dreams where I’ve fought childhood bullies that were less vicious than this.
Tenryu again gets the ropes and again Fuj waits a second before applying it again. Camera shows Kitao watching the action, trying not to look worried. Fuj will not stop applying holds, only going for strikes because he wants to. Camera catches Fuj grinning at Tenryu’s attempt to comeback with chops but an Enziguri and Blind Elbow gets two. Powerbomb connects but Fuj counters with another Armbar, with Fuj threatening a DQ by refusing to release on the rope break. Fuj is 48 here but is so full of scorn he’s able to bounce around quicker than Tenryu. Shots to the eye bust open Tenryu proper, with blood pumping out profusely. Fuj goes for repeated pins to tire Tenryu out before applying another armbar. Tenryu gets the ropes but is very slow standing up, not helped by Fuj’s shots. Tenryu knows his chops aren’t doing anything so he flat-out punches Fuj in the face. THAT doesn’t work so Tenryu launches a Kappo Kick which glances off Fuji who laughs it off.
Fucking hell. Tenryu starts throwing haymakers to get Fujiwara into the corner so his Kappo Kick can’t miss. Nice strategy, except Fuj goes for the pin on Tenryu after it lands. Oh my God. Yet another armbar gets the ropes as Fuj would have won on 2K25 by now. Tenryu stands up quickly after a kick out and wellies away with a Kappo Kick again getting no reaction from him. So Tenryu lands three snug chops and quickly covers for the flash pin at 15:47. Fuj applies another armbar afterwards as he doesn’t realise (or care) he’s lost.
God this was sweet, Fujiwara every bit the stereotypical bad-ass old Japanese guy anime has conditioned me to believe exists in real life. Guy was like a shark the whole time, with Tenryu a perfect partner for him as he’s more than happy to take as much pain to make a match work. Fuj’s offence was very believable and his defence was hilariously great, able to laugh at anything Tenryu did until he was finally able to connect with something resembling sustained offence for the shock pin.
Probably the last great WAR match but we’ll see.
If you don’t trust me then please trust Joseph Weirdness’ lovely dive through this match.
12/24/97
Korakuen Hall
Crowd: 1,620 (really not sold out)
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hidetomo Egawa
Highlights only with Ishii landing beautifully stiff German Suplexes and Tombstones for an easy win at 8:28
Yuji Yasuraoka vs. Masakazu Fukuda
Another clip package ending with Yuji picking up the win with a DDT off the second rope at 13:44.
Koki Kitahara & Osamu Tachihikari vs. Arashi & Jun Kikuchi
As soon as the bell rings, Kitahara sends his partner outside and smashes a chair over his bowling ball head.
We hilariously clip ahead to Osamu back on the apron like nothing happened, before Osamu breaks up a Kitahara pin to kick him in the head. Kitahara kicks him out the ring and pins Jun with another powerbomb at 7:56 as Kitahara is suddenly 2002 HHH.
J1 Heavyweight Title Tournament Semifinal Match
Nobutaka Araya vs. Nobukazu Hirai
Araya batters Hirai as I’m convinced these two are friends in real life as they have great chemistry together, even though Hirai stinks in singles. Still clipped to buggery though. Moonsault wins it for Araya at 16:32
To show you the level of care people have for this period of WAR, this match is listed on their ROAD TO J1 TOURNAMENT VHS but it’s actually Nobutaka Araya vs. Koki Kitahara.
Kitahara obliterates Araya in the entrance way and slams a ton of chairs onto his opponent before powerbombing him on the raised platform with the cheap seats. Kitahara continues to work brutally stuff with his punches and kicks causing visible bruising on Araya’s big dumb face.
Then Araya wins with a swollen-face moonsault at 10:32. Too clipped to evaluate but those strikes looked & sounded HARSH.
J1 Heavyweight Title Tournament Semifinal Match
Genichiro Tenryu vs. Koji Kitao
Kitao’s last recorded match for WAR and his last match of any importance.
Kitao lands gentle shin kicks causing Tenryu to freak out and punch one of Kitao’s seconds at ringside. When you’re needing multiple people to bump for you, you know it’s time to reconsider your job options. Tenryu sticks Kitao in an ankle lock for a few minutes, enabling Kitao to get his breath back and wallop Tenryu upside the head to tease the sleeper finish. Tenryu comes back with a Kappo Kick that mostly missed so Kitao smothers him with his love pillows in response. Crowd are biting on Kitao’s offense so he gets credit for that, with Tenryu making sure to stretch his time on defence for as a long as possible to maximise impact. Plus people enjoy watching Tenryu casually slap the lump.
Tenryu heads to the top rope with a chair to twat Kitao who doesn’t fall so Tenryu kinda Powerbombs him for two. Crowd are respectful for that because it’s Kitao. Tenryu tries to use a punch to KO Kitao but he responds with a sleeper and a giant back senton. Tenryu really can get something out of nothing as the crowd sound like they’re watching Emmanuel Yarbrough. Kitao manages the Fire Thunder Driver and crowd are like “NO NO OH GOD NO” but Tenryu gets his foot on the ropes, causing Kitao’s Dojo lads to complain to the ref to really get the crowd yelling. Kitao can’t capitalise because he’s fat so Tenryu is able to recover and lands a rare Enziguri to the FRONT. Tenryu attempts a pin with Kitao trying an armbar at the same time with Tenryu sucking up the pain to roll Kitao into a pin with the crowd chanting his name at 11:35
Not since Roosevelt was able to hide his polio has one man been able to hide the negatives quite like Tenryu. This was a genuinely exciting affair with the crowd going wild every time Kitao landed anything, thanks to Tenryu’s amazing timing and willingness to sell. The finish was beautiful as well. Hell of a way for Kitao to end a bizarre career he never deserved in the first place.
01/14/98
Korakuen Hall
Crowd: 1,950 (still not a sell out)
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yoshikazu Taru
Taru’s a Kitao Dojo guy, which means less than nothing because it’s dead. They had a big burning in a baseball stadium and everything. Only the ending is shown, with Ishii ducking a karate kick and landing a German Suplex to win at 8:42.
Arashi & Yuji Yasuraoka vs. Koki Kitahara & Masao Orihara
We’re JIP here too which is a shame as this looked sweet on paper. Arashi is bleeding and mad so he dropkicks a chair into Kitahara’s body while Yuji lands the Crazy High Crossbody. Arashi’s changing-direction mid-air Frog Splash can’t put away Kitahara but Orihara abandons the match to tell the fans on the mic “HAPPY NEW YEAR.” Kitahara losing his partner helps him beat both opponents following a powerbomb pin on Yuji at 12:50. Nice of them to bother pushing the hell out of someone not named “Tenryu” right near the end of the company.
J1 Heavyweight Title Tournament Final Match
Genichiro Tenryu vs. Nobutaka Araya
Tenryu throws chops before the bell even rings. Araya attempts to ignore some strikes but Tenryu nonchalantly kicks him in the face before sending him outside and follows WITH A DIVE THROUGH THE ROPES. Christ. Tenryu then follows that by sending Araya through some empty chairs and dives off the guard-rail for good measure! Hey at least try and make Araya seem like a threat, bloody hell.
Tenryu tries to fly off the top with a chair but Araya dropkicks it directly into his face. Araya moonsaults a standing Tenryu (who wasn’t in proper position for it, but that made it look better) for two. Araya grabs a Singapore Cane and starts wailing away on Tenryu, rightfully getting mad when the ref tells him to stop. “What about those chairs from before??” he presumably yells before twatting some more. Tenryu graciously blades his forearm which Araya focuses on because he’s a pro. Araya tries to charge but a chop sends him flying. However, Tenryu goes for the Blind Elbow but Araya’s READ HIS BOOK and counters into a Running Powerbomb. Crowd were impressed with that. Fat Tittied Moonsault gets two so Araya tries going for one to the outside, except Tenryu stops it with flying chairs. Tenryu wallops Araya in the face to get him to bleed, before flying off the turnbuckle with a crazy old man swanton. And he follows THAT with a dive off another elevated area of the hall!
I think Fujiwara embarrassed Tenryu into trying harder. Araya’s mouth gets busted open as Tenryu plays keepie-uppie with his face. WAR Special gets locked in but Araya low-kicks out to try another moonsault, with Tenryu countering the same way he did earlier with a Running Powerbomb. That bit of poetry only gets two and the crowd are wild. Backdrop driver powers Araya up into delivering his own, but Tenryu also pops up after taking one to LEVEL Araya with a lariat.
Both men are feeling the tired now, but they both stand in front of one another while throwing what little bombs they have left in their arsenal. Araya keeps kicking out out of lariats and Tenryu keeps landing them, with Araya attempting to absorb them until physics does it’s job and a fifteenth lariat puts him away finally at 13:20
Tenryu was like the man playing all the instruments in Mary Poppins out there. This had blood, dives, chair, more blood and more dives so I’d consider THIS the last great WAR match. Even if no-one bought Araya winning, the crowd loved the wild and crazy action so fair play to Araya with hanging with one of the best and taking a million lariats in the process and bleeding from the face AGAIN.
Tenryu would defend the prestigious J1 Title twice, with only one of those defences being recorded.
The Japanese business fallout continued this past week with the Wrestle Association R (WAR) promotion announcing on 1/27 that it would be ceasing operations after the current tour and the rumored imminent demise of the Kingdom promotion. The announcement regarding WAR was made by President Masatomo Takei, and the group’s top star and former President Genichiro Tenryu, was not at the press conference.
Ah that’s why this bit of the tape is called FINAL FIGHT. The crowd isn’t great courtesy of Michinoku Pro running in nearby Ota Ward Gym the same night.
03/10/98
Tokyo Korakuen Hall
Crowd: 1,850 (closer to 1,500)
Arashi & Shoichi Ichinomiya vs. Osamu Tachihikari & Yoshikazu Taru
Osamu starts with Mongolian Chops before acting like the veteran to Shoichi. That’s a scary thought. There’s a ringside brawl, a plancha from Shoichi and some lariats but there’s little emotion in anything. Soon AI will be able to generate matches as lifeless as this. Arashi finishes Taru with a Frog Splash at 13:01.
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Keisuke Yamada
This is Yamada’s WAR debut, he’s better known today as Black Buffalo. Ishii starts with the face slaps to start and dares Yamada to do the same and they are LOUD. The pair of them continue to attempt to cave in one another’s chest and knock the head off the shoulders. Yamada gets LAUNCHED into the third row as he makes the mistake of jumping after the Irish whip. Yamada enjoys the challenge and also sends Ishii into the chairs, with Ishii bleeding from the nose and mouth. Ishii takes a vicious chair to the back but walks off with a “ah so he wants to play” expression on his face. Yamada chairs him in the face, presumably out of fear. Ishii responds with more brutal forearms and a stalling Brainbuster before attempting to TKO Yamada with an insanely hard lariat.
Tombstone and diving headbutt… surprisingly do not put away Yamada. A German Suplex pin also doesn’t put the debutant away as he’s able to lariat Ishii for two, with Yamada trying to end Ishii with a LOUD headbutt. Both men have a proper scrap on the turnbuckle over a Superplex which you don’t see enough of. Both men on all fours start headbutting one another leading to even more shoot-slaps across the face until Ishii looks in genuine pain after an Enziguri. Yamada does a move that can best be described as “jumps off the top and lands with all his weight on Ishii in the least comfortable way possible” but it only gets two. This is a war. Yamada charges but Ishii low dropkicks the shin and appears to legit hurt Yamada. But it’s not enough for these two to stop, so Yamada lands a top rope DDT to finally end Ishii at 13:09.
JESUS. What a ridiculously stiff battle between two lads eager to show what they’re made of during a time of uncertainty. Ishii left the ring looking like he’d got into a fight with a 7.5t truck but Yamada looked like he’d just got out the shower. A must-watch.
Alright fine, THIS has to be the last great WAR match.
Right?
Yuji Yasuraoka & Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Masakazu Fukuda & Hiroyoshi Kotsubo
Yeah good look following that lads. Editor cut everything out of this so it’s only the finishing stretch. Fukuda no-sells a Mochizuki DDT to lock in an armbar. Crazy High Crossbody connects on the outside, allowing Mochizuki to land the double jump kick off the ropes and into a winning German Suplex at 15:36. Looked solid but cutting the majority of it out made it hard to get into.
Genichiro Tenryu & Shiro Koshinaka vs. Atsushi Kikuchi & Nobutaka Araya
Nice of Shiro to guest star one last time. And what the fuck is Kikuchi doing in a main event? He’s the loser’s loser.
Tenryu suplexes Araya into the ringside chairs to start before lariating the little fat lad on his arse. Shiro declines to sell any of Araya’s chair shots because he’s so far above him, so Tenryu has to sell. Once this settles in the ring, both veterans take apart Kikuchi with ease. This goes on for ages as the crowd cheer in delight but there’s zero excitement. Araya tags in and has to land three lariats on Shiro before he can even considering leaving his feet. Tenryu tags in as he thankfully has no issues with selling. For about thirty seconds before Shiro tags in to start landing dropkicks low on Araya. Crowd don’t care to cheer for Araya so this is one-sided again for ages. Tenryu chops away until Shiro takes a double team for ten seconds before Shiro tries to rip his nose off. Tenryu tries to punt Kikuchi’s head off but even this passionate crowd has given up because of the one-sided nature of this. Nice bit happens right at the end when Shiro struggles to powerbomb Kikuchi, which Araya uses as a way of moonsaulting Shiro. However, Shiro simply tags in Tenryu to finally end it seconds later after a lariat.
I’ve clearly been spoiled by Shiro vs. veterans because he was completely unwilling to do anything other than pound his younger opponents to death for twelve and a half minutes which meant there was less tension here than an old mattress.
Waste of time for the fans, but Tenryu would spend the rest of the year teaming up with Shiro as the new, hot (old) tag team for NJPW so this was one big advert for them.
It made for a woeful main event though.
The confusing situation with the WAR promotion seems to be that they will be running a show on 3/10 at Korakuen Hall, another on 4/26 in the same building and five or six other spot shows between now and the end of May. All the wrestlers in the promotion with the exception of Genichiro Tenryu and Nobutaka Araya have been fired, but they are going to try and use them on a per-show as opposed to a weekly salary deal.
It’s the late 90s so it’s not just WAR feeling the pinch:
The final show of the Kingdom promotion on 3/20 at Yokohama Bunka Gym was a major flop as four of the five foreigners (Chad Casey, Billy Scott, Nicholas Starks and Vaughn Labby) weren’t there. It was announced at midnight the day before the show that all four weren’t going to be there due to weather problems fouling up their flight to Japan. The belief is that with the advance so poor, the promotion simply decided to cancel to save money. Mark Hall did appear and lost to Yoji Anjoh in the main event of a show that only had three matches before a crowd of a few hundred. Former WAR wrestler Koki Kitahara was called at the last minute just so they would have eight wrestlers and be able to put on four matches on the show. And it wound up only being three matches because one of the rookies who was to debut named Taro Kohada was injured two hours before the show started and couldn’t wrestle.
The rest of 1998 is Tenryu having fun in NJPW while WAR holds spot shows that weren’t recorded. Terry Gordy appeared on a few of them so maybe it’s for the best no-one recorded them (or bought a ticket).
But somehow it’s still not the end for WAR.
Overall: Well there’s three really great matches to enjoy over three VHS releases along with a lot of panicking, guessing and stop-starting. Ishii is really showing a lot of promise which is a shame as WAR would die and he’d have to start again someplace else because no-one cares about this weird company if it doesn’t involve Tenryu.
But anyway, we’re coming to the end of watching these shows so God knows if anyone actually reads these reviews and thinks “wow I think I’ll watch that match that looked good” but if you do, at least watch Fuj vs. Tenryu.
Or enjoy the GIFs on here.
Whatever, I’m not your mum.
