FMW Strongest Tag League 04.20.99 DirecTV PPV

Korakuen Hall
Attendance: 1,700 (uh oh)

Previously In FMW…

The last stop before the first big show of 1999! And judging by that crowd number, it can’t get here soon enough.

Oh wait time for a quick detour:

03/19/99

AJPW All Asian Tag Title

Hayabusa & Jinsei Shinzaki vs. Masato Tanaka & Tetsuhiro Kuroda

Due to Tanaka and Kuroda taking Hayabusa & Fuyuki to a draw last month it’s only fair they get a shot at Hayabusa & Shinzaki’s AJPW All Asian Tag Titles. Can’t argue with that logic.

Tanaka and Hayabusa start fast from the get-go, with Tanaka showing at least one person is using their DirecTV subscription by halting a tope to the outside by yanking Hayabusa out the ring so he can land his own. Kuroda can only hold Shinzaki down for a while so Tanaka has to come in and subdue him. Or not, as Shinzaki dodges everything and attempts The Praying Ropewalk! Which doesn’t land because Tanaka elbows him off. Should have prayed to a better God. Kuroda locks in a Single Crab on Shinzaki while glaring at Hayabusa, who of course takes the bait and runs in to save his mate so Kuroda levels him with a Lariat. Well done Wile Coyote.

Shinzaki gets worked over until Tanaka accidentally elbows Kuroda, leading to Hayabusa and Shinzaki landing their double facebuster combo. Kuroda shrugs it off because he’s young and mighty and whatever the lyrics to the NXT theme song used to be so he DDTs Hayabusa on the concrete before landing the Running Crowd Lariat. Crowd aren’t digging that move yet. Tanaka grinds away on Hayabusa’s legs while looming over him missionary style because he’s on another level since running away from ECW. Kuroda continues the leg abuse. This goes on for a while as I assume we’re going long. Tanaka tags in to keep it going, wonderfully grabbing Hayabusa’s other leg when he throws a kick his way and turning it into a Figure Four.

Hayabusa finally kicks out allowing Shinzaki to land springboard chops and top rope shoulder tackles because he’s the biggest high flyer since the Hindenburg. Massive Dragon Screw leg whip sends Kuroda floating across the ring. Kuroda tries to lock the Nirvana Stretch in but Tanaka kicks him away, leading to Hayabusa flying in…directly into a Lariat. Tanaka kicks in but now Hayabusa has had a rest he’s able to land a beautiful Tope Con Hilo. Shinzaki and Hayabusa bust out The Dream Sequence (lionsault, knee drop, swanton) but Shinzaki tags in to run into another Lariat so thanks for trying. Kuroda dodges a Shinzaki springboard enabling him to land a second rope German suplex. Shinzaki isn’t impressed and attempts to cut off Kuroda who of course snaps his face off the ropes like he always does. A one count is enough to make Kuroda tag out, with a Tanaka top rope dropkick halting Shinzaki into taking the Running Elbow. Shinzaki attempts a Frankensteiner but Tanaka drops him with a powerbomb with Kuroda taking out Hayabusa, but it only gets two. Crowd are getting worried.

Frog splash and elbow drops can’t put away the monk, with Hayabusa tagging in to miss an Asai Moonsault because Tanaka ain’t taking anything. Oh until he gets kicked and tags a crossbody instead. Hayabusa’s Double Underhook is broken up by Kuroda, leading to Shinzaki taking him out so Hayabusa can land a 450 Splash on Tanaka…for two. Crowd are mewing now. Tanaka busts out the Special Occasions Only Reverse Superplex off the top but Hayabusa gets up before he does! Running Elbow puts him down but not out, leading to Kuroda charging a Lariat which Hayabusa ducks and converts into a German Suplex. Which Kuroda ignores to try again…leading to another German Suplex which is AGAIN ignored so Kuroda can finally Lariat him.

Both men need to mash the pad to get up, with Kuroda up first so he can land three Rolling German Suplexes. Shinzaki cuts off Kuroda but this results in Hayabusa being planted with a running powerbomb. Cheers mate. Tanaka lands a scary Splash Mountain that lands on more head and neck than back. Hayabusa still kicks out. Suplex-into-stunner sets up Diamond Dust which is Tanaka’s MDK move now so Shinzaki has to run in to save his mate.

Kuroda attempts a suplex but Hayabusa isn’t sure what he’s going for so there’s an awkward moment when he pretends it’s a reverse DDT. They repeat the spot with Hayabusa insisting on it being a stunner and it only kind of works. C’mon lads don’t ruin it. Shinzaki flies to absolutely plant his feet into Kuroda’s chest on a springboard sit-out dropkick. Praying Powerbomb and sex pin is broken up by Shinzaki as he knows Tanaka’s coming so he can floor with a superkick. That was nice. Hayabusa attempts the Pheonix Splash but Tanaka interrupts so they can land an elevated ace cutter! For two. Crowd are surprised.

Reverse powerbomb/DDT combo is broken up by Shinzaki who lands his gravity-defying turning Pele kick. God that’s pleasant to watch. Flapjack/springboard dropkick splats Kuroda’s face across the canvas but only gets two. Dragon Suplex can’t end Kuroda as the commentators sound like they’re being boiled alive. Lariat is charged up and actually connects but Hayabusa kicks out as the commentators continue to die horribly. Hayabusa palm strikes a charging Kuroda, leading to Hayabusa landing two quick Falcon Arrows and THAT is enough to finish at 30:35.

Ahhhhh. Opening few minutes let everyone know this was going to last a while but that didn’t prepare you for the sheer amount of bombs both teams were landing on one another during that last ten minute stretch. Very similar to last month’s match in fairness, but with the crucial difference of having a decisive finish. Recommended match that I’m glad they stuck on this PPV.

Alright back to Korakuen Hall and harsh reality.

Yoshinori Sasaki vs. Naohiko Yamazaki

Oh goody, a JIP Young Lions match. Both lads slap each other hard but everything else is basic and not appreciated by the fans. Chokeslam wins for Sasaki at 9:40.

Ricky Fuji vs. Masao Orihara

Orihara’s last appearance in FMW, what a relief I’m absolutely done with his grand-standing.

Sure enough he starts the match by backflipping off the top rope. Orihara attempts to knock off Fuji’s cowboy hat so he blasts him with a Kamikaze and nearly wins with a choke-pin-sexy taunt. I was about to type “like Val Venis” until I realised Fuji really does fit that comparison because he also was around for way longer than anyone wanted. Orihara’s head-butts have no effect on Fuji so he kicks him low instead. Crowd are also not into this despite these two feuding for the past few months. A giant delayed piledriver on Fuji wakes them up. Orihara kills them again by going outside for a lifeless brawl before hitting the ref for no reason. Ref recovers quickly too, like the crowd he’s giving him nothing. Fuji’s Sunday Night Heat offence does little to warm this match up. Orihara goes back to the low blows but Fuji lands a brainbuster on a chair to shut him up. Orihara AGAIN low blows Fuji to land a Michinoku Driver on a chair for two. And then when this shows a hint of getting interesting, Orihara refuses to stop choking Fuji with wrist-tape and gets DQ’d at 10:36.

Yeah farewell, Teddy Hart With Nicer Hair.

Hisakatsu Oya vs. Katsumi Usuda

Usuda is a Battlarts guy who strongly dislikes FMW. After the previous two matches I understand.

Lovely exchanges on the mat prove both men know their judo well. Usuda powers out of a hold with headbutts to apply an armbar. Oya is howling which leads to the commentators shushing so they can enjoy it. It’s better than silence I guess. Usuda attempts an ankle lock but he leaves himself wide open for a chinlock. Usuda treats it seriously and has to escape via reverse armbar to stop it. Usuda has had the advantage for most of the match but the crowd aren’t getting behind local lad Oya yet. Usuda tries using the rope for leverage but the fans are apparently glued to their chairs. Oya ducks an enziguri so he can land his own but his backdrop suplex is halted with a rolling ankle lock. Oya goes low with a greco-roman mule kick to apply his Octopus Stretch. Usuda rope breaks out of it so he can apply his own and he really synchs the sucker in. Oya rope breaks out so he can do his best to KO Usuda with a German Suplex and Backdrop Suplex combo. Usuda still kicks out so Oya gives him another to kill him for real-real at 10:19.

Man, this match was BEGGING for some heat as the crowd had apparently not read the memo about this being a hate-filled feud. The opening stretch was nice but also felt like it was going to be part of a much longer match before ending abruptly. Not great.

Mr. Gannosuke vs. Yukihiro Kanemura

The two former best friends are still beefing so Gannosuke runs out during his spooky monk entrance to sucker punch Kanemura in a cool moment. Kanemura doesn’t agree and launches a chair at him. I wonder if The Undertaker ever did that. Probably not, would have required effort. Both lads get sent into the empty chairs before a table is thrown in. Gannosuke slams him on an un-set-up table which must have sucked. Kanemura is bleeding and it’s covering his eyes so Gannosuke assists by wiping his face into the table so it leaves a stain. Kanemura has enough and lands a fucking WILD arse drop off the top rope to the outside and wow did that looks nuts.

Kanemura poses to cheers which is nice cos the crowd has been silent until now. Both men land vicious headbutts at one another as we’ve hit that point. Gannosuke blasts Kanemura across the head with half his arm, which Kanemura ignores so he can land kick his legs out from underneath him. Kanemura’s splash meets knees so a hard powerbomb sets up an even harder Falcon Arrow. Man, Gannosuke is really landing those moves hard. Kanemura tries a German but Gannosuke mule kicks him, so Kanemura ignores the low blow and does the move anyway. Ha! I was worried this match wasn’t going to touch their previous one after the slow start but they’re letting it all hang out now. Gannosuke tries the Nirvana Stretch but Kanemura rolls it into a Sunset Flip for two, leading to Gannouke TWATTING the table over Kanemura’s head. They usually do the spot where it breaks but that one didn’t budge. Kanemura barely cracks it over Gannosuke’s head, leading to Gannosuke lariating him twice and finishing with a truly vicious Fire Thunder Driver at 9:14.

Fuck me, these two beat each other so hard it made you wonder if they were secretly in love. Unexpectedly brutal outing here considering there’s no real story between them currently and I like the fans was very happy to see it.

Afterwards, Gannosuke teases using a barbed wire baseball bat on Kanemura but instead leaves it next to him before leaving. Oh NOW you want to be friends? Ah it turns out he wants to team up against the greater enemy: audience apathy Battlarts!

FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Title Tournament Semi-Final

Masato Tanaka & Tetsuhiro Kuroda vs. Koji Nakagawa & Gedo (Team No Respect)

Team No Respect make their entrance to The New Age Outlaws’ theme for some reason. This match seems like a foregone conclusion (my favourite Looney Tunes character).

Tanaka bounces Gedo to the outside via his barrel chest. God he was thick in ’99. Kuroda blasts Koji’s little legs around the ring post, and when Koji attempts to do the same to him he merely flexes him into the turnbuckle. Tanaka & Kuroda land their do-si-do version of the Running Crowd Lariat as so far TNR has had nothing. Koji absorbs more moves from Tanaka and Kuroda until finally escaping to tag in Gedo who instantly…runs into a lariat. Well done. Gedo attempts to dodge something but gets lariat’d again as the crowd laugh. Tanaka continues to have his way with his opponents despite Gedo insisting on kicking out of everything. Diamond Dust looks to finish until Koji breaks up the count, leading to Gedo ducking a Doomsday Device with a cheeky roll-up. This allows Koji to run in to take even more abuse including the nifty elevated stunner. Having these nothing matches go long and feature all the cool offence from the mega match earlier on this show takes away from it, y’know. Oh and then Koji somehow trips Kuroda who runs into a Samson Clutch from Gedo to…win the match at 13:51 ahhhh what the fuck.

Look I know tournaments make for surprise results but why would you have the two dudes who are being pushed as the future kings lose to lads who have nothing going for them?

Oh I’m sorry, they do have something: Gedo is beefing with Jado was thankfully reminds us by appearing in the crowd after the match and yelling. That goes on for a while and they decide to have a match at the 05/05 mega show to settle things.

FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Title Tournament Semi-Final

Hayabusa & Kodo Fuyuki vs. Daisuke Ikeda & Mohammed Yone

Battlarts are full on dicks here and get the closest thing to heat on the show but the crowd are still miserably quiet. Hayabusa sells the threat of Ikeda by absorbing a kick to the head pretty beautifully. Why wasn’t Ikeda this interesting when he was teaming with Hayabusa? Fuyuki takes Yone’s shots and responds with his own stiff chops and headbutts to the crowd’s mild delight. Hayabusa flattens Yone’s face with a springboard legdrop. Fuyuki turns an angry Yone’s kick into a single crab, requiring Ikeda’s kicks to save. Hayabusa works over Yone’s leg and when he attempts to stop it, Hayabusa slaps the SHIT out of him to an impressed crowd reaction. Hell yeah Hayabusa. Ikeda then sends him into the chairs at ringside because of course. Ikeda tries a cross armbreaker but Hayabusa blocks so he drops him on his head instead. Hot tag to Fuyuki who fat lariats everybody, including Ikeda who attempts to mock him for being fat. Stretch Plumb gets broken up by Ikeda who has to go low to escape the submission expert known as Fuyuki. Ikeda blocks a springboarding Hayabusa with a kick to the body, but he should know by now that Hayabusa Must Dive so he follows with an Asai Moonsault to Yone.

Match is quickening now but the crowd are still a mile behind. Fuyuki Falling Butt Drop can’t end Yone but his face ends up even flatterer than before. 450 Splash very nearly puts away Yone but Ikeda again sticks his foot into places it shouldn’t be. A lariat can’t put Hayabusa away and yeah that makes sense, why would making-it-look-real Battlearts wankers be throwing lariats? Ikeda plants Hayabusa with a disgusting German Suplex but he kicks out so he’s OK. Shotei can’t end Hayabusa as I want to know which discipline these Battlearts people are supposed to be studying where they do these wrestling moves. Fuyuki drags Ikeda outside so Yone can legdrop Hayabusa in peace. Fuyuki grabs Yone’s foot long enough for Hayabusa to land a Shotei of his own before the Falcon Arrow finishes at 17:02.

A decent match that dragged the crowd kicking and screaming into it whether they wanted to or not. Couldn’t hold a candle to the other tag match on this PPV, and the Battlarts guys didn’t vary their offense enough to stand out, but the crowd made the most noise tonight so I can’t hate it too much. I wouldn’t go out your way to watch it though.

Notes…

NOW ran their 1999 reunion/relaunch/whatever it was. It sucked. The only people to show up who were part of the original were Nobutaka Araya & Kendo Nagasaki. I skipped this show when I was covering NOW a few years ago and I don’t regret it.

Onita showed up in NJPW again to wrestle Masa Chono on 04/05/99, a match known for it’s entrances. Chances are if you’ve seen pictures or videos of Onita in NJPW, it’s from this.

Match would go to a draw because politics.

Overall: It says a lot about a PPV when the highlight is from a different show. The AJPW tag title is very recommended as is the Gannosuke vs. Kanemura slugfest. Everything else was supposed to be a set-up for the next show but we still don’t know what the main event is for the Biggest Show Of The Fucking Year which is not a good sign. Especially when you’d assume it would be the tournament final to this tag thing they’ve been building to, but uhhh apparently not. God knows what’s going through FMW management’s heads right now, but we’ll find out soon enough.

Next Week: FMW’s first big show of the year is upon us! And oh boy does a lot of stuff happen.

I’ve been Maffew