PRO WRESTLING FUJIWARA-GUMI SHOW #12 5/15/92

Yuki Ishikawa v. Dussel Batt

TKG: PWFG added a rope break/KO's scoring system about a show ago. It really is unclear what the system consists of exactly. No one has won or lost do to the scoring system. And sometimes they put up a number for rope breaks sometimes not. And they seem to be scoring knock outs separately. I can't figure it out. This is another opening match that went too long. As this is a thirty minute draw. Ishikawa comes in with a pressure bandage or tape wrapped around his head covering one of his ears like he was playing rugby earlier in the day. Batt does no real amateur rolls in this and instead of doing superkicks he does a bunch of Karate Kid style crane kicks as every kick he throws involves him leaving his feet and waving his arms like a bird. He also makes a bunch of amusing noises. Every time he throws a kick he makes a high pitched squeal. When he's in a submission he says "Cha cha cha cha" like Jimmy Durante.

PAS: Yuki Ishikawa is one of my favorite wrestlers of all time, but he really shouldn't be working 30 minute draws in his second match ever. This actually would have been a fine 15 minute match, and I am looking forward to watching all of the rematches. It is kind of weird to see Ishikawa throwing slaps, instead of the best punches in the history of knuckles.

Ryushi Yanigasawa v. Jerry Flynn

TKG: Jerry Flynn has ridiculous eighties stand up comic hair. He should come into the ring with a skinny tie and suit jacket rolled up to his sleeve. Jerry Flynn matches are normally built around his opponent having advantage on the mat while he has advantage standing. Here the works as guy better on the mat. Flynn's defensive stuff is a ton of fun here. As he does some nice defensive stuff in the kickboxing stand up section. Neat deflecting stuff. Flynn's always been very defensive on the mat...this is the most fun his mat offense has been, and the combo of his mat offense and his defense preventing Yanigasawa completely eliminating Yanigasawa from being able to do anything on the mat was alot of fun here. Flynn also throws amazingly great worked knees.

PAS: Yanigasawa completely blew when he came into New Japan ten years later, but he is fun as a rookie kicking hard. I was looking forward to seeing alot of nasty kick exchanges, but this was based around matwork. It really kind of works against both guys strengths, but was still pretty good

Minoru Suzuki v. Kazuo Takahashi

TKG: Suzuki works pretty heelish in this refusing to break, fishhooking etc. Takahashi is just a fucking great jobber selling frustration at all of this stuff.

PAS: We have talked allot about how great Takahashi is at selling strikes, but this match was all about him selling chokes and submissions. Early the in the match Suzuki gets a front neck crank, and Takahashi is choking and spitting like he just swallowed a wasp. After he loses to choke his whole face is red and he is gasping like he has a peanut allergy.

Masakatsu Funaki v. Yusuke Fuke

PAS: This was basically a squash too, with both guys doing alot of throwing hands. Funaki pretty much controlled, including kicking Fuke right in his wrapped knee. He also does a nasty thing where he grinds his elbow right into Fuke's eye. Still basically one sided.

TKG: Fuke does full on Ricky steamboat busted leg selling and is fun as underdog while Funaki is pretty boring outside of the elbow grinding. Standup was real fun and liked the face heelish behavior. Like the match before it, this ended with a handshake after one guy was a dick to the other.

Ken Shamrock v. Bart Vale

PAS: This was pretty fun, although at this point Shamrock has done really distracting things to his body. His pectoral muscles are rectangular and he doesn't appear to have nipples anymore, he kind of looks like a He-Man action figure. I really like how Bart Vale sells the knock down, he kind of crumples with his head in his hands like his wife just told him that his daughter wasn't really his.

TKG: Shamrock's body is really weird. Also Shamrock decides to debut lots of head and shoulder movement. Lots of juking stuff and well he isn't good at the head movement at all. Like a Def Jam comedian parody of a white guy dancing. You expect Vale to figure out the timing and just nail Shamrock. This was better than I expected. It ends really weird as Shamrock throws some tiff knees and then Vale has this look on his face like "Oh we're no longer working" and throws the stiffest stuff he's ever thrown and Shamrock eats a KO. Vale just throws a nasty palm strike followed by a couple kicks. First time I've seen someone eat a KO from Vale where I actually bought that it should knock someone out. And it wasn't because of the selling.

PAS: My favorite part of this whole match is that after UFC debuted, Vale used his "victory" over Ken Shamrock to advertise his MMA dojo. Amusing carny shit, I imagine Funaki trying to get a WBO middleweight title fight because of his Duran win.

Yoshiaki Fujiwara v. Don "Nakayana" Neilson

PAS: Not much, as about a minute into it, Neilson catches Fujiwara with a kick and takes a thumb sized chunk of flesh out of his eye. So they have to stop the match. Real shame, as I imagine Fujiwara could have done something really fun with this guy if he had a chance.

TKG: Yeah nothing to see here.