PRO WRESTLING FUJIWARA-GUMI SHOW #11 4/19/92 NO MAS

Yuki Ishikawa v. Kauzo Takahashi 

 TKG: Isikawa is young. Young. Young. He looks 10. Looks younger than 1999 Red. Isikawa is already really smooth and fun trying to go for escapes on the mat. Takahashi does a couple of neat pieces of torture style working over rookie things. Of course I'm kind of jaded. I've seen Ishikawa and I've seen him take same nasty beatings so you really need to beat him in his rookie match for it to mean much to me. Even if I wasn't jaded this was too long and too competitive for it to work. 

 PAS: Ishikawa is also wearing these green leopard print trunks, which are amazing. Really looked like something Chaz might wear. Takahashi is really great as a jobber, but he isn't much in the Fuchi role. 

Yusuke Fuke v. Ryushi Yanigasawa 

TKG: Fuke does nice job dominating Yanigasawa on the mat with Yanigasawa needing constant rope breaks but again this went too long and too competitive for a what was essentially rookie trying to prove himself type match.

 PAS: This did go too long, but I think I liked it a little more then Tom. This definitely was about roles, as Yanigasawa has some of the hardest kicks in this promotion, but Fuke can kind of take him down at will. This could have used more near falls, and it got a little repetitive. 

 Bart Vale v. Lato Kiraware 

TKG: Weird. Styles make matches and all that and sometimes too mediocre guys match up well. Part of the problem with Vale and Kiraware matches is that obviously better wrestlers have to sell for their offense. Here these two guys work even and you buy it. Nothing that Kiraware does looks that much better than what Vale does and vice versa. Feel like guys who should be working evenly. The Vale throw on Kiraware is especially impressive and this was fun short match up.

 PAS: Yeah this was shockingly good. I really like the way Kiraware's fat jiggles with the body kicks. Makes the normal weak Vale kicks look a lot better. 

 Yoshiaki Fujiwara v. Jerry Flynn 

 TKG: This was disappointing. Most of the Flynn stuff I've seen thus far has been built around Flynn being stronger guy standing and opponent being sharper on the mat. Flynn takes this to the ground in the beginning and they trade positions on the ground. They stand up and Fujiwara shrugs of his first couple of kicks. Flynn seems to work even looser after the comedy no selling. Disappointing. 

PAS: This had some nice stuff, as all Fujiwara matches do. Still Flynn had been so good that I was expecting much more. I don't think this was even as good as Fujiwara v. Kiraware. 

 Minoru Suzuki v. Ken Shamrock 

 PAS: This was really fun. Clearly your main eventers made some friends in Miami as they have all come back with 15 pounds of muscle. Shamrock is especially preposterous looking as he looks like Popye with crazy outsized upper body and slim waste. Actually hard to concentrate on the match. Lots of nice exchanges from both guys, and an amazing finish as Shamrock tries to lift Suzuki for a big throw, and Suzuki locks on a choke in midair for the win. 

 TKG: Aww man. They just spent a lot of time working out with Gotch's equipment. A lot of time. It's Florida in the earl nineties. Yeah it was the early nineties they were in Florida, of course they bought drugs. Who wouldn't. If you're in NYC you buy a foam Statue of Liberty head piece, if you're in Hawaii you go to a Luau, you're in Thailand you fuck a 12 year old, you're in Florida in the early nineties you buy drugs. I imagine Bart Vale set up the meet. Shamrock was all nervous as Funaki started singing along to the Freak Nasty on the dealers boom box. It was distracting watching kung fu billy Graham with hair. Still really fun match. Shamrock was all about throws with Suzuki scrambling around on the mat after taking them..and finish ruled. Post match Suzuki jumps up and down and runs around the ring like a BJ Penn. 

Masakatsu Funaki v. Roberto Duran 

PAS: This was alot better then I expected it to be. Meltzer described this match in the Funaki bio as Duran refusing to do anything, but that really wasn't true at all. In fact I can't imagine what else he possibly could have done, he threw alot of punches, jabs and nice bodywork, and he ate a couple of big throws. Funaki actually seemed unwilling to eat any punches to his pretty face, as Duran would connect to the body, but Funaki would dodge or deflected any punches to the face. In fact Duran only landed one punch to the face, a nice hook which he followed with two shots to the body. It would have been the perfectly place for Funaki to drop for a dramatic 8 count, but instead he shoots and gets a neck crank for the tap. It really felt like he wanted no more of Duran, pussy, no wonder he didn't allow punches to the face in Pancrase. 

 TKG: Yeah this was way more fun than I expected it to be. Duran takes a bunch of bumps and sells desperation by grabbing ropes when Funaki goes for clinch. Duran works first two rounds with his shirt on and then before the third round takes the shirt off and it's "oh shit he dropped the strap". Match ended too abruptly. I would have liked to see Duran vs. a better worker. Duran has to job and pretty much has to job to a "no mas " submission. Did 2 Cold have a submission move? Too Cold is flashy enough but really isn't pretty enough to play Sugar Ray Leonard.