FMW Entertainment Wrestling Live ~Super Match in Yokohama~ 04/30/98 DirecTV PPV

Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium
Attendance 3,600 (announced as 5,950)

Previously In FMW…

Here we go, the Entertainment Era of FMW officially starts here. It’s in the name and everything.

With the steady decline in attendance that even Onita’s return hadn’t been able to turn around, FMW were approached by DirecTV to start doing shows for them. DirecTV were attempting to introduce the idea of PPV to Japan by way of hyping all the wacky American stuff you couldn’t get in the country with the commercials focusing on famous American Arnold.

With the Attitude Era being very profitable overseas on PPV, DirectTV figured FMW were already doing angles and feuds more like the West than any other Puro company so why not do it for them?

FMW naturally responded with whatever the Japanese equivalent of “AW HELL YEAH” is, fully committing to this new change in direction (and new cash injection) because their current audience was dwindling so if they’re not showing up then it’s time to find a new audience!

The Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium looks a lot more professional (and expensive) than usual which is encouraging.

Hido (Team No Respect) vs. Hideki Hosaka (ZEN)

Pre-show video package lets us know Hido is bald now.

We’re curiously JIP because I only have the VHS version of this show and not the live PPV. Hosaka lands a BK Bomb for two so Hido responds with a big lariat. His moonsault misses leading to Hosaka being unable to knock Hido down with lariats until a simple punch knocks Hosaka on his backside. Hido lands “Dusty Rhodes style” punches (called as such by the commentators) before a London Calling style top rope Ace Crusher gets two as well as no reaction from the crowd. Hosaka powerbombs Hosaka rather harshly for two, following with a release overhead powerbomb (like Big Show used to do, I can never remember how you describe it) and a third powerbomb. One of the commentators yells “JESUS CHRIST” to pop me and no-one else. Was that a requisite to joining DirecTV? English cursing? If so I’m all for it. Hosaka goes for a Frankensteiner but Hido rolls it into a Sunset Flip at 7:32.

Match was alright I guess. We then get terrible disco music playing as the commentators talk about the finish over replays to show they’ve stepped up the production to make this more accessible for the normies.

Team No Respect are happy with Hido’s victory and introduce his soon-to-be-wife and FMW legend Megumi Kudo, making her first (I think only?) appearance for FMW post-retirement. She presents husband Hido with a kimono. I think. I don’t know, this escaped my frame of reference. Crowd didn’t react much for Kudo but popped for the present. Well who doesn’t like those.

We get a trailer for ECW’s Barely Legal hyping up the bizarre idea of a Three Way Dance which segues into:

Hisakatsu Oya vs. Chris Chetti (ECW) vs. Koji Nakagawa (ZEN)

Woah three men at once? Oh wait FMW already did one of those earlier this year but they played it mostly for laughs, so is the first serious one for the company because Chris Chetti is in it. Cough.

Reservoir Dogs stand-off starts this off as the crowd laughs at the very idea of a three way.

We clip ahead to Nakagawa getting his arm worked over with a flying knee off the top from Oya for the tap-out. Nakagawa’s arm was badly taped up for months so that finish makes sense but we got maybe a minute of action out of him here.

Further clipping takes us to Chetti’s workmanlike German Suplex and his much better double jump Moonsault. Commentator yells “OH BEAUTIFUL!” Chetti misses a second attempt so Oya drops him with multiple backdrop suplexes for the pin at 9:48. Those suplexes were less stomach-churning than usual as I guess it was polite to not cripple the import. Match was clipped to nothing.

Jado & Gedo (Team No Respect) vs. Ricky Fuji & John Kronus (ECW)

Wow Chetti and Kronus? ECW were really sending their most valuable wrestlers for FMW’s biggest show of the year. Hopefully next time we’ll get Skull Von Krush. Highlight of the PPV so far is the pre-match video package focusing on Kronus’ wackiness which ends with his subtitles being in some kind of Wingdings as he was untranslatable.

We’re again JIP as there’s no room on the tape once they’ve shown the video packages. Gedo busts out a groovy moonsault off the top before Gedo comes back by DDTing both pyjama lads. “OH MY GOD!” yells the commentator while Kronus tags in to deafening silence. His twisting senton gets the same reaction but his awkward kick combo gets the crowd applauding for some reason. Kronus lands a chubby moonsault before Fuji starts landing his comeback moves to a very measured reaction. Listening to this apathetic crowd makes me worried about the rest of the show. Total Elimination lands to set up Kronus’ chubby 450 Splash to finally pop the crowd but Go Ito distracts the ref. Kronus tries to fight back but he looks gassed and fed up so Gedo drops him with a Brainbuster to end at 11:52.

This was the worst of FMW’s mid card in one match: Zero flow, no crowd response and a finish out of nowhere. Yuck. The chubby 450 Splash was nice though.

Barbed Wire Baseball Bat Match

Jinsei Shinzaki vs. Yukihiro Kanemura (Team No Respect)

So after dispatching of his hated rival Mr. Gannosuke, Shinzaki still had unresolved issues with Gannosuke’s tag partner that needed dealing with. Oh and also Gannosuke was booked for the Double Titles match later tonight, otherwise the blow-off here would have been perfect. The pre-match video package shows Kanemura blowing fire at Hayabusa while Shinzaki watches on. I can only assume that was from last year because it wasn’t any time recent.

Shinzaki’s full entrance looks and sounds wonderful on a big stage though. He’s 100% aura. Kanemura comes out pointing at his groin while Shinzaki stares a hole through him. Then a really, really bad version of the Rocky theme plays as the special guest enforcer former professional boxer and former WBA and WBC super flyweight champion Jiro Watanabe heads out.

Kanemura shoves the holy warrior into the corner and keeps mouthing off at him. Shinzaki tries bouncing off the ropes but Ito grabs his foot and Kanemura takes full advantage, whipping Shinzaki into the guard rails to set up a splash off the top rope to the outside through a Japanese Table that the cameras fucking miss. So much for paying for all that brand new equipment. Kanemura can’t put Shinzaki away so he obtains the Barbed Wire Baseball Bat from somewhere and smacks him around with it. Crowd responds with a solid “ooooo.” Shinzaki gets the bat but Jiro for some reason gives him a countdown until he drops it. Huh? Oh I see he’s an evil enforcer. No wonder no-one popped for him. Jiro then begins to count him out as Shinzaki takes some time to calm himself down.

Upon entering the ring he is immediately kicked in the balls before Kanemura slices his arm open with the bat. Kanemura makes the mistake of taunting which is too much for Shinzaki as he finally explodes to smash the bat across Kanemura’s sizable titties before giving him a plancha through the ropes. Shinzaki obliterates another Japanese Table with a wonderful Praying Powerbomb to get the crowd chanting his name. The only thing more brutal than that is Shinzaki’s springboard dropkick to the back of Kanemura’s head. Absolutely JFK’d him there. The ref goes to count but Ito brains him allowing Kanemura to backdrop drive Shinzaki with great force. Diving back senton looks to subdue Shinzaki so Kanemura tries to smash half a table over him, with Shinzaki turning the tables.

Shinzaki’s amazing Dragon Screw sets up the Straitjacket Clutch but Ito tries kicking Shinzaki off. Instead Shinzaki Dragon Screws the twink halfway across the ring and applies the hold on him instead.

Kanemura breaks it up before pushing Jiro, who naturally responds by slapping Kanemura in the face to set up the match ending Praying Powerbomb at 9:48.

Fun, crowd-pleasing match that was all about Shinzaki ending his current FMW run the only way possible: by destroying one of the guys responsible for making his life hell these past few months. First watchable thing on the show so far.

Shinzaki would return in 1999, Jiro thankfully wouldn’t.

Street Fight

The Gladiator Mike Awesome & Tetsuhiro Kuroda (ZEN) vs. Super Leather & Horace Boulder (Team No Respect)

Street Fight means Everyone’s Wearing Jeans. Except Super Leather, sadly. In fairness, that’s how he was dressed when he was chasing that lass down the street at the end of the film.

We immediately clip ahead to Leather delivering a superplex to Gladiator while Kuroda keeps Horace occupied at ringside. Double Powerbomb can’t put Gladiator away so Leather lands a really sloppy and dangerous looking Tombstone with Awesome thankfully kicking out to prove he’s not dead. Horace accidentally clotheslines Leather outside so Kuroda smoothly lands a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Horace absorbs some lariats while yelling about how big he is before kicking out at 1 1/2 a few times. This is energetic even if it’s rubbish. Leather takes Gladiator out the ring before Horace clumsily spinebusters Kuroda off the second rope to end a hurried series of moves at 11:01. Crowd were into the sight and sound of the big guys going at it but I thought the whole thing was like chewing wooden toffee.

This was Horace’s last appearance for FMW, the company that gave him a ***** match according to the WON. Mr. 1998 would make his WCW debut on 05/05/98 by defeating Juventud Guerrera on Saturday Night, and wrestling would never be the same again.

Masato Tanaka vs. Bam Bam Bigelow (ECW)

In a bit of weirdness, Tanaka & Hayabusa are the current FMW Brass Knuckle Tag Team Champions after defeating Hido & Hiromichi Fuyuki who had defeated Gannosuke & Kanemura in between tapings. But neither man bring their titles to the ring during either of their matches tonight. Huh.

This is Bigelow’s first time in Japan since his WAR tour in 1996 which coincided with Kimo beating the shit out of him in U-Japan. This is also his last match in Japan.

Bigelow demonstrates why he was in demand for so long in this country by using his body language and facial expressions to look as menacing as possible before he immediately sends Tanaka out the ring on a charge. Bigelow absorbs shots until Tanaka flies into him with a shoulder tackle. Bigelow is sent down but gets up and sends Tanaka down with high-arse spinebuster to let everyone know it was but a flesh wound. Bigelow plods around while looking as intimidating as a man in purple flames can before sending Tanaka down with a Powerbomb. Tanaka is in command now though so he shrugs it off to send Bigelow to the mat with top rope blows before clotheslining Bammers over the ropes and following with a tope. Tanaka gets cocky so Bigelow catches him on a plancha and sends him into the ring post. Bigelow sends Tanaka over the guard rail and into lots of chairs, so he can walk slowly towards fans and have them freak out and make lots of noise. Both men brawl to the back which very unhelpfully for FMW means the spotlights has to follow them and let everyone know how many empty seats there are. Some fans at least chant “E-C-DUB” to make you think the low attendance is in tribute to Philly.

Tanaka comes back with a chair which allows him to land a RVD-style kick off the top to a dangling Bigelow. Back inside, Tanaka lands a running chairshot and Tornado DDT which gets the crowd into clutch mode as they start making noise. Tanaka takes too long setting up a table so Bigelow powerbombs him and sets it up himself. Bigelow does something I’ve never seen before and is the most logical move I’ve seen in ages: Bigelow lays Tanaka on the table then chokes him for a while to ensure he’ll stay still. I’m sure he’s doing it to get a breather as well but man what a really obvious thing to do. Sadly the good work is for nothing as Bigelow’s top rope splash isn’t enough to break the table which awkwardly falls over. Bigelow yells “TABLE DIDN’T BREAK” and sets it up in the corner for a charge which does fold the wood. It doesn’t fold Tanaka however who kicks out, leading to Bigelow press slam him onto Tanaka’s unlucky seconds who barely have time to grab him.

Bigelow is happy to wait for the ref to count Tanaka out but he slithers back inside at 19. Bigelow works over Tanaka some more but you can hear him breathing over the crowd reaction so you know he’s tired. Bigelow tries for the moonsault but Tanaka powerbombs him with Bigelow kicking out. Tanaka lands two beefy lariats for two with Bigelow ducking the third which is then turned into a T-Bone for another near fall. Tanaka’s Rolling Elbow out the corner still only gets two so Tanaka heads up and into Bigelow’s awaiting arms for the match-ending Greetings From Ashbury Park at 15:10. Replay decides to show that move again to highlight the two feet gap between Tanaka’s head and the mat.

This was decent in some areas but lacking in others. Bigelow seemed exhausted in the second half of the match but his bumping was still top-notch when required. I imagine if the match had been shorter it would have been better so instead it’s just kinda there.

Street Fight Lumberjack Death Match

Atsushi Onita (ZEN) vs. Kodo Fuyuki (Team No Respect)

Onita, Nakagawa & Kuroda are the current FMW Six Man Street Fight Champions but like Tanaka & Hayabusa, aren’t proudly displaying them here. wow i can’t believe the aew six man tag team champions wouldn’t bring them out or highlight them

Onita gets easily the loudest pop of the night as well as the craziest fans who want to hug him and have his kids. This is Onita’s first singles match since December 1997.

Match starts hot with both men chopping the other while yelling (well Fuyuki’s always fucking yelling). Onita busts out his headbutts he used to do on Goto but they don’t work so Onita tries a side headlock. That’s stopped by TNR dragging him outside and pounding him for a while. Fuyuki sends Onita head-first into the ring post so Onita can really obviously get his blade ready and commence gigging. Fuyuki works over the tiny cut as Onita starts his Gowron-from-Star-Trek facial expressions. That kills a few minutes as the crowd aren’t into it yet. Onita gets sent outside again so Fuyuki dives off the top rope onto him and his team. Well I imagine the idea was for Onita to catch him but as TNR were holding his arms back, Fuyuki instead bounces off them like Lawler getting hit by Gilbert’s car. Fuyuki powerbombs Onita for two to set up the Yelling Lariat for two.

That finally gets the crowd into the match, helped by Onita’s blood finally showing up. He was at Luger ’88 levels for a while there. Stretch Plumb on Onita gets kids yelling, with Fuyuki deciding to release the hold and go for a pin like a tit. Onita rolls outside to get some water and kicked a bit. Onita sees Fuyuki coming and counters another Yelling Charge with a big ol’ headbutt. Onita sends Fuyuki outside and manages to connect with a tope. Wow. I didn’t know his body had it in him anymore. ZEN start brawling with TNR (where have they been the whole match??) enabling Onita to piledrive Fuyuki through a Japanese Table. It gets two so Onita follows with a just-as-impressive Butterfly Suplex for two. Onita’s really busting a move tonight.

Fuyuki low blows Onita to prove he can also bring the move-set. Onita disregards that because if the stories are true, that part of his body works harder than Stan Hansen. Fire Thunder Powerbomb can’t put Fuyuki away as the crowd begin chanting for their favourite sex pest politician. Fuyuki starts firing off Yelling Lariats with Onita taking them very impressively but they can’t end the match. A fourth attempt is blocked so Fuyuki attempts the back elbow counter that put away Hayabusa but Onita kicks out of that cos he’s better than Hayabusa dammit. Several more Fire Thunder Powerbombs from Fuyuki follow, as well as Ito breaking his crutch over Onita which Onita STILL kicks out of. Fuyuki then lands a ninth Yelling Lariat and a really rough sixth Fire Thunder Powerbomb which Onita sandbags/tires on to finally end it at 15:32.

TNR and ZEN head inside to brawl some more with Horace Boulder inexplicably getting a chance to choke Onita so he must have left FMW with very little notice. Then TNR all dance on Onita’s grave which is enough to get him to recover and powerbomb Ito while everyone bails.

This played out like all the great Onita matches, with him taking an absolute kicking before coming back with the same three moves over and over again. The difference being that this time, his opponent also spammed the same moves over and over again, so the crowd response was there even if the action wasn’t. This was more of a match you should read about because of the issues around it than actually watch.

OH and in a moment not recorded on the show: Onita (being so mad at not headlining and having to lose to Fuyuki) goes through the crowd telling everyone he’s leaving and the fans should join him. And a large portion of fans left to go hang out with Onita rather than see the main event because Onita is a dick.

FMW Double Titles Match

Hayabusa vs. Mr. Gannosuke (c) (Team No Respect)

Mr. Gannosuke is the reigning Double Champ, having defeated Masato Tanaka in January. This is his first defence because he’s been spending his time until now beefing with Shinzaki. Spending his time bothering a dead Japanese guy instead of defending his title? Yeah OK Logan Paul.

Hayabusa earned this shot by defeating Tanaka, Jado and Gladiator in a tournament. This is their second big singles match, the first being the Hair vs. Mask match last year that ended with Hayabusa winning but refusing to cut his former friend’s hair. Gannosuke told him to fuck off and has had a hard-on for Hayabusa ever since.

Special-Occasions-Only Brown Gear for Hayabusa. Shinzaki seconds Hayabusa but Gannosuke atypically heads out by himself. Gannosuke is reluctant to fully engage with Hayabusa so he plays keep away before committing to exchanging holds to show they’re on the same level. Gannosuke takes a Frankensteiner on a charge but is able to clothesline Hayabusa on the outside and introduce him to the guard-rails. Back inside, Gannosuke stomps his opponent for a while until Hayabusa dropkicks Gannosuke directly in the left leg and he folds up which turned out to be a legit knee fracture injury. Hayabusa isn’t aware and works him over with ankle holds with Gannosuke’s selling and facial expressions being some of the best of his career.

Gannosuke rolls outside to see if he can put it back together but Hayabusa pounces as soon as he heads back inside for even more abuse. With the knowledge of Gannosuke’s real injury, his pained moans are so engaging here. After grabbing the ropes to get away from Hayabusa’s pain-filled hands, Gannosuke manages an enziguri before converting a lariat into an armbar on the mat. Gannosuke struggles to his feet foot to continue to keep his rival horizontal. After he gets the ropes, Gannosuke takes him down again with a running armbar DDT. Gannosuke is suffering landing these moves but it doesn’t stop him from following with another. Hayabusa helpfully dropkicks Gannosuke in the leg again so send him outside, however Gannosuke side-steps an Asai Moonsault (again mostly missed by the cameras due to the amount of photographers in the area. Send HBK to sort them out). Gannosuke tries to end the match with a Falcon Arrow but it takes him so long to even be able to pin Hayabusa that he easily kicks out.

Gannosuke mostly lands a Praying Powerbomb because Shinzaki is at ringside, but Gannosuke’s leg is trying to tell him he shouldn’t be doing that. I think Gannosuke committed to doing whatever he could regardless of what’s best for his body. A second Prayer is cut off by a Frankensteiner and then a Tope Con Hello sends Gannosuke rolling. Gannosuke takes more and more abuse from Hayabusa but is able to squeeze out a cheeky Gannosuke Clutch for a near-fall that the crowd were biting on. Hayabusa decides to go for a really quick twisting swanton on Gannosuke as he realises he’s moved him too close to the ropes for anything else, but poor Gannosuke is too close even for that so Hayabusa ends up landing directly onto his bastard leg. What are the chances of that? 450 Splash connects but knackered Gannosuke isn’t giving up. He probably should have. Falcon Arrow is again kicked out of, with Gannosuke looking close to death.

However, he guts it out to cut off Hayabusa going to the top and delivers a Razor’s Edge. Big-Arse German Suplex folds Hayabusa up which lets Gannosuke somehow muster a Fire Thunder Driver for two. Jesus that’s a risky move to give your mate when you’re in one piece. Gannosuke goes for another but Hayabusa “nopes” out of it but Gannosuke insists by hitting a second anyway for a close two. Hayabusa responds by attempting to Frankensteiner his former friend off the top but Hayabusa slips so Gannosuke does his best to turn it into a Powerbomb counter. C’mon Hayabusa you’re supposed to be carrying this match! Hayabusa blocks another Gannosuke Clutch with a low blow, perfectly justified after absorbing the dozens given to him by TNR to set up a wicked Dragon Suplex…for two.

Hayabusa delivers another Falcon Arrow which again is denied by Gannosuke. Hayabusa tries for a springboard but does so directly into Gannosuke’s path and gets swatted out of the air like a fly. Desperate Lariat can’t end it so Gannosuke kicks Hayabusa low for old times’ sake and connects with a Fire Thunder Powerbomb for two. Crowd are chanting for Hayabusa as Gannosuke delivers a perfect Northern Lights Suplex for two. That was 0.8 Alicia Fox. Hayabusa folds up Gannosuke like Nana’s laundry with an enormous German Suplex to set up the Phoenix Splash to finally put Gannosuke’s title reign and leg out of it’s misery at 21:45

All things considered, this shouldn’t have been as good as it was. Gannosuke’s leg turning on him makes this match fascinating viewing, seeing as he does his very best work around it and to also not get in the way of putting his long-time friend over at the highest stage. While not perfect (it dragged a little towards the end as Hayabusa looks understandably doubtful at what he should be doing next) but is still absolutely recommended, even if just to see a match be so wonderfully worked around an unfortunate injury.

Overall: Well the complete show wasn’t the wonderful introduction to this new era that FMW were hoping for, to say the least. God was there a lot of filler and rubbish on the undercard, not helped by the least valuable ECW guys showing up. The main event and Kanemura/Shinzaki matches were the standouts. You can chuck the Onita match in for historical purposes I guess, but the rest made you look at this new era and think “yeah…and?”

I’m sure things will have to get more exciting/weirder to separate this company from the rest.

Next Week: Hayabusa vs. Tanaka II!

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