FMW Over The Top Super Fight Part 2 – 02.27.99
By Maffew Gregg on 3 August 2025
Korakuen Hall
Attendance 2,150
FMW Double Champion
Kodo Fuyuki (since 11/20/98)
FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Champions
VACANT (since ??/01/99)
Yoshinori Sasaki vs. Ryuji Hijikata
I was going to write this off as basic opener but Hijikata throws big strikes from the get go. The big man absorbs them and avalanches the green horn but he comes back with an ankle lock. Sasaki blocks his follow up kicks and powers out of an armbar to win via chokeslam at 2:29.
Very spirited short match, much better than these never-ending young lion encounters. Both men slap each other hard afterwards because it’s Japan.
We get the announcement of the tag titles being vacated due to Daisuke Ikeda’s injury (he held them with Hayabusa) so it’s time for yet another tournament, the month after we just finished the giant Over The Top one. So get ready for a bunch of new alliances. Such as Hayabusa and Fuyuki teaming up after Fuyuki saved him from a beat-down from Mr. Gannosuke on 02/21/99.
Super Leather vs. Naohiko Yamazaki
JIP to a Tombstone ending a match that only went 5:06 and they still didn’t want to air it. We’re really starting strong tonight huh. Leather drops Yamazaki with a brainbuster after the match just for fun.
Team Taco (Masao Orihara & Takeshi Ono) vs. Ricky Fuji & Flying Kid Ichihara
Fuji insults Orihara and mate beforehand so they naturally attack him from behind. Fuji headbutts Orihara before Flying Kid sadly has to get in and try to do some acrobatics. He’s several yards away from colliding with a handspring so Orihara heads outside to regain his self-respect. Ono and Orihara get stretched on the floor because they know even Flying Kid can’t miss that due to the concept of gravity. Fuji blocks a low blow with one of his own with Ono also running in to take one. Orihara lands a Michinoku Driver but is shocked when his nonchalant pin doesn’t end it. Series of top rope double stomps gets some heat for Flying Kid to make the hot tag to Fuji. Ricky storms in for some funny hot tag offence (nuggies, DDTs, yelling “rock & roll!!”) but crowd pop for it. Fly Kid lands an in-ring moonsault before taking out the front row with an Asai Moonsault. Both of them land stereo Kamikazes before Fuji suplexes Orihara onto himself (?!) and then Ono tapes Fuji to the ropes. Orihara then murders Flying Kid with a Gotch Style Tombstone off the second rope to end this at 11:35.
Could have been worse I guess, at least Team Taco worked to their opponent’s level rather than miserably struggle to bring them to theirs. It’s sad that I knew straight away they were winning because they sold so much for their opponents but that’s on me for watching too much Orihara.
Kodo Fuyuki (Team No Respect) vs. Gedo (Team No Respect)
Unsure why this is happening. Gedo shakes Fuyuki’s hand but then sneak attacks him because the name of the group is not Team Lots Of Respect. Gedo beats on Fuyuki with his WWF Metal style offence. A terrible tope to the outside is followed by Gedo walking directly into two Yelling Lariats and a Stretch Plumb…before Gannosuke’s Outlaws wander into to attack both men at 2:05.
You’d think this would be when Hayabusa then saves Fuyuki to double stamp their relationship. Instead, both men get bust open and everyone leaves. OK then.
Team Battlarts (Daisuke Ikeda & Katsumi Usuda & Mohammed Yone) vs. Team No Respect (Koji Nakagawa & Yukihiro Kanemura & Hido)
Nakagawa refuses to do the Team No Respect dance at the start because he’s a moody goth. This is happening because there’s still a Battlarts/FMW relationship but with Ikeda injured there’s not much going on with it. Oh wait, he’s here in this match? So he’s good enough to wrestle but not to defend his title? Ah I see, many wrestlers suffer from that affliction.
Yone has a blond mullet rather than a lovely afro which is off-putting. Ikeda starts with Hido and they trade headbutts because I guess they’re not legal in Battlarts. Plus with Hido’s battle-scarred forehead, it means he’s busted open within seconds. Hido lands a sneaky kick which annoys Ikeda into trying to choke Hido so Nakagawa has to save. Oh this is already heated. Kanemura tags in for stiff shots to Ikeda’s back and wild punches. Ikeda responds with a Dragon Screw leg whip, beautifully taken by bump-loving Kanemura. Ankle lock is broken up by Hido via stomps to the head as this is already the best thing on the show. Kanemura gets stuck in another ankle lock, with TNR doing their best to break it up Battlarts are learning so everyone deflects the interference with wild kicks. Yone applies another ankle lock but refuses to break it as Hido lands shot after shot. Crowd are yelling a lot during this, nothing gets puro fans stirring like inter-promotional feuds. Nakagawa isn’t much of a submission guy who he sticks to cheap shots. TNR won’t stop interfering and cutting off any Battlarts momentum, finally climaxing with everyone in at the same with the ring-side second’s threatening to go at it also.
Kanemura bashes Yone with a chair to nullify any of his technical wrestling. Nakagawa continues to cheap shot while the ref is trying to restore the order so Yone JFKs Kanemura with a kick to the back of the head. Yone responds to the jeers with a hearty “fuck off” before drilling Kanemura with more kicks. Kanemura is able to tag in ratboy Nakagawa who lands more cheap shots. Hido continues landing stiff shots as he’s good at this, showing proper aggression while looking like he’s about ready to do some scaffolding. Crowd are loving it too. Ikeda keeps running in with those perfectly good legs of his that can’t drop titles. Usada tags in but it doesn’t matter as everyone is coming in whenever they feel like it to break up submissions and throw lariats. Hido kicks out of more abuse and the crowd is cheering him like mad. Kanemura has to help his mate escape more punishment and lands a spike piledriver on Usada. Fire Thunder Powerbomb only gets two before Ikeda kicks Kanemura right in the face from behind. Hido then nearly pins Usada before he turns a lariat into a spinning cross armbar for the submission at 13:08.
Oh but then Oya and Orihara and others run down for a big ol’ pie fight with chairs and kicks being thrown while the Beastie Boys plays over the speakers. Kuroda and Mammoth also wander out for more lashings of violence that spreads into the crowd with Kanemura burying one of the seconds under a sea of chairs.
And it keeps going and going! The entirety of Fight For Your Right plays and re-starts while Ikeda is lariating people and telling fans where to go. Yone says something negative about FMW and that appears to be the end but then he dares them to do something AND THE BRAWL IS BACK ON as they play the song again. Kanemura and Hido re-emerge from the back to throw the intruders out and for Kanemura to give a reluctant Kasuda one hell of a brutal powerbomb.
Kanemura grabs the mic and does the “wanker” motion which AGAIN start the brawl and song, with Oya dropping Usada with a brutal back suplex. Ikeda will not stop throwing kicks at ringside and it’s not until Hido is floored and has to be helped to the back that it finally ends.
This was all fucking great with tremendous heat and stiff shots and everything else that happens when two promotions go head-to-head. It’s about time Battlarts started being interesting, watch this to see how excitable Puro crowds can get.
During intermission we get a hype package for Masato Tanaka because FMW are going all in on him.
We’re treated to highlights of the Fuyuki-Gun 01/06/99 show, featuring a main event of Fuyuki vs. Oya. So remember Mr. Gannosuke beating Oya on 01/05/99 to win a title shot against Fuyuki? Well on 01/06/99, Oya got a title shot against Fuyuki.
For losing against Gannosuke the day before.
He didn’t win the title.
Mr. Gannosuke & Hideki Hosaka vs. Hayabusa & Hisakatsu Oya
This isn’t part of the tag title tournament. Hayabusa and Oya are good guys but Oya is still resentful after Hayabusa didn’t register him as a threat in December. Hopefully that won’t come back to bite either of them.
Oya works over Hosaka slowly, the only way Hosaka knows how to work. Hayabusa easily runs circles around him before backflipping to annoy Gannosuke. Gannosuke can’t land anything on his rival who simply dodges everything. Oya suplexes Gannosuke to set up Hayabusa for a springboard kneedrop and seem to be working alright together. Oya keeps Gannosuke floored for a while as that’s where Oya excels. Hosaka interrupts to attempt to be a different character now he’s had a haircut. He manages a wristlock on Oya who sells because he must be still tired from attacking Battlarts for fifty minutes. Hosaka uses his knowledge of wrestling holds to apply…a nerve hold? Oh.
Hayabusa gets gently worked over before he tags in Oya who blasts Hosaka with an armbar. This is enough to warm up Hayabusa who lands a beautiful Asai Moonsault to the outside. Swanton/Moonsault combo sets up a Fisherman’s Buster but Gannosuke ain’t losing to a simple four cool move combo. Oya makes him sweat with repeated roll up pin attempts and a lovely German Suplex. Hayabusa thinks he can put the blond bombshell away but Hosaka comes in to pretend to be Big Boss Man. Sadly it’s the 1999 version. This enables Gannosuke to apply the Nirvana Hold which put away Oya last time so he’s quick to break it up. 450 Splash only gets two because of Fat Boss Man. Oya then holds Gannosuke while Hayabusa to springboard into him…only for Oya to release Gannosuke and side suplex Hayabusa!
This enables Gannosuke to land a Reverse Fire Thunder for the easy win at 18:21.
Ah so I guess Oya did hold a grudge.
Fuyuki runs out to save Hayabusa for the second time in one week. Fuyuki and Hayabusa officially confirm their friendship and desire to win the FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Titles. Hey if this match meant we get Oya instead of Hosaka teaming up with Gannosuke then it served it’s purpose. Aside from that, it was an acceptable standard TV match considering the quality of most of the participants.
Masato Tanaka vs. Tetsuhiro Kuroda
These two had a banger in Tanaka’s farewell match last year. Kuroda is rising up the ranks and wants to prove he’s improved enough to take out the returning hero.
Kuroda and Tanaka start a chair duel before the ring announcements are even made. Kuroda takes a chair shot but ignores it to lariat Tanaka to show he’s up for it. Go on my son. Crowd are eager to see what Kuroda can do. Fast-paced start continues as both attempt to tire the other one out. Kuroda is already bleeding. Tanaka starts working Kuroda’s arm to nullify his Lariat, helpfully bandaged to give Tanaka a hint. Kuroda applies a Figure Four which allows Tanaka to chop him while the crowd are still yelling for both men even when they milk this hold for all it’s worth. Good sign! Tanaka manages to shove him outside so he can land a wild tope to shut him up for a bit. Kuroda instead takes this time to land his running Lariat through the crowd, to the fan’s glee. Kuroda takes too long celebrating so Tanaka dropkicks him all the way down the stairs in a wild moment.
Tanaka lands the running chairshot and the buttery smooth Tornado DDT for two. Tanaka sees a lariat coming and TWATS Kuroda in the face before he can land it. Missile dropkick pretends to knock Kuroda down but he bonks Tanaka’s face over the top rope. Tanaka really doesn’t like that and splats Kuroda with a running DVD. Kuroda turns a running powerbomb into a wicked jacknife as this is going great so far. Kuroda revs up the Lariat but Tanaka blocks it with an elbow, only for Kuroda to use his other arm for a close two. Kuroda lands the rolling Germans, climaxing with a Dragon Suplex for another wafer thin kickout. Kuroda tempts fate by trying to suplex Tanaka onto his head but he keeps popping up so Kuroda has to Lariat him again…but Tanaka pops up to elbow Kuroda. Both men are tired but manage to land more shots and a desperate roll up for two by Kuroda. Tanaka refuses to stay down no matter how many German suplexes are thrown his way, with Kuroda again landing a lariat for a kick out and crowd are FIERCE now. Kuroda props him up to give him another but Tanaka will not stay the fuck down, even for this up-and-comer. Tanaka dodges another one to land a harsh Splash Mountain that can’t put Kuroda away.
Tanaka’s suplex-stunner sets up Tanaka simply charging Kuroda like a mad ‘un for two. Tanaka sets up Diamond Dust but Kuroda decides to land a fucking Emerald Fusion but even that hard head-first landing can’t stop The Tanaka. Tanaka elbows Kuroda and finally cements his return with a Diamond Dust at 19:30.
HELL YEAH. Just as good as last year’s war as there was the slight doubt of Kuroda actually winning this time. Both men focused on their opponent’s strengths (elbows and Lariats) while showing their familiarity with one another. Also helped the crowd was intense for the whole match while they destroyed each other, get this in you.
Afterwards, Tanaka congratulates Kuroda on his performance and asks to team up for the vacant FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Champions. Kuroda accepts which gives a reason to care about this tournament just as the show ends.
Notes…
Between this show and the last one, Hayabusa & Shinzaki would defeat Tamon Honda & Jun Izumida to become the first non-AJPW tag team to win the All Asian Tag Team Titles.
AJPW wanted Hayabusa on their shows but understood that as the reigning tag champ he couldn’t lose, so they gave him the lower card tag titles of their company instead. So AJPW got more Hayabusa and FMW got to tell fans that the AJPW titles would be defended on their shows so everyone wins.
Onita and Tenryu would patch things up after several years of real-life animosity so both could appear on upcoming WAR and Onita Pro shows. I’ve covered this month’s WAR show before but every Onita Pro show is exactly the same: staggeringly bad undercard, hot main event brawl, everyone pretends it’s still 1991 and everything’s OK.
Oh and Onita would show up to a NJPW show to declare he would be facing Masa Chono in a NRBW match soon. NJPW would apparently “leak” to the press that Onita would be doing a run-in to stir interest because NJPW is facing the same dip in business as everyone else. Man, if you can’t trust the wrestling press, who can you trust?
Overall: FMW shows continue to be the same in 1999 as they were in 1998: the bad stuff is bad but the good stuff is really good. Battlarts finally being cool as well as Tanaka vs. Kuroda II delivering make this an easy recommend as long as you fast-forward everything else, but at least the filler exists to set up next month’s big tournament.
Next Week: The Round Robin Tag Team Tournament begins!