PRO WRESTLING FUJIWARA-GUMI SHOW #20 7/21/93

Charlie Anderson v. Carl Greco

TKG: I have no idea who Charlie Anderson is or where he comes from. He kind of looks like Rich Vos. He has some nice choke variations and does this really cool thing where he puts on a wrist lock to prevent Greco from breaking a submission. Greco has some nice throws, kicks and mat work too. But this was kind of caught in a constant stalemate...and Greco blows out his leg right when it felt like it was about to pick up.

PAS: Yeah this had its moments, Anderson had a really nasty tight choke. Still this was pretty dull, and Greco getting hurt, denied us any payoff for the dullness.

Jerry Flynn v. Mark Ashford-Smith

TKG: This is more multifaceted Flynn and he's really fun in this both standing and on the ground. So this fed had a rope break/down scoring system with no one ever winning by TKO due to the system. Untill Ashford-Smith shows up and does it twice in a row and it rules. Ashford-Smith again takes some great bumps for kicks and it feels like he is starting to modulate the degree of the bumps. Does a great sell for the Sano/Zbysco back kick to the gut. Not sure if I buy him as a guy who has the tools to win a match yet. His best submission here was a nasty looking body vice. Flynn has a gut and it looked like it was being squeezed right off. But for the most part Ashford-Smith's mat work was all about trying to break opponents grip spots. He has weirdly learned how to throw really great knees. And well most of your actual guys trained primarily in worked shoot have a hard time throwing good looking knees. Odd that he can do it right out of the box.

PAS: This took a while to get going, but mad did it kick into gear when it did. Did these guys ever match up on WCW Pro. I would assume their Pro match wouldn't have the matwork, but might have the Ashford-Smith sell of kicks. Tom was right about the knees, I especially loved Ashford-Smiths knee from his back, which was brutal looking and got a great 9 count. The finish here was great as both guys were attempting to lock on knee bars, and Flynn locked it, causing Ashford-Smith to go to the ropes where he was TKO'ed because he was out of rope breaks.

Bart Vale v. Yuki Ishikawa:

TKG: This ruled. PWFG does some neat hierarchy booking here and there. Last time we saw Ishikawa he was working Greco where the two worked young flashy guys who were more or less even. Here he's working Vale who is several levels above him. the problem with Vale in UWF was that he was protected by the booking, booked as a top guy when his work didn't feel like top guy work. Now he actually has learned to work like the Man. And so this is like Ric Flair vs Sam Houston. Except it isn't about Vale coming in underestimating young Houston. This is about Houston coming in underestimating himself. Early parts of this were worked with Ishikawa as guy just trying not to loose, as match goes on he gains more confidence...confidence that he can hang and maybe challenge. Ishikawa goes from tentative to guy taking risks and crowd pops as Ishikawa grows in confidence. Vale has an answer for everything Ishikawa does but Vale also sells enough that Ishikawa's attempts come off really dramatic. I mean Vale isn't Funaki trying to put over being top guy by no selling. Vale sells big time. Really hot match.

PAS: Teddy Atlas will often talk about a fighter "doing just enough to lose the fight." Early in this match Ishikawa was doing just enough to lose. He is moving away, attempting a leg takedown, but really much more concerned with avoiding Vale then trying an attack. Then as the match goes on, there are a couple of big moments where Ishikawa lets it all out and the flurries are much more impressive because of how tentative he was earlier. Ishikawa was really amazing as guy growing before our eyes.

Tokimitsu Ishizawa v. Yoshiaki Fujiwara

TKG: I have no idea what was going on here. Ishizawa is Kendo KaShin and is working as young amateur wrestling superstar. Fujiwara is working defensively but not in his normal defensive guy countering way. Instead he's working like guy on the bottom in Greco trying to keep himself from being lifted or turned. Fujiwara really never attempts an offense. And so its a thirty minute version of Rulon Gardner vs. Alexis Karelin. I mean there was a point where Kashin realizes he can't either lift or turn Fujiwara so he just lets go and asks for stand up. And you think well now something else is going to happen. but then Kashin takes Fujiwara down, Fujiwara turns giving Kashin his back and its back to the same thing. I have no idea what this was about.

PAS: This felt like it might be an exhibition, not a real match, because at no point does Fujiwara ever attempt an offensive maneuver. He never makes even a cursory stab at winning. Ishizawa takes him down, he goes into a fetal position. Ishizawa, attempts to grab something, Fujiwara stops him. The eventually stand up. Parts of this were compelling as Fujiwara makes the defense kind of interesting, I kept waiting for Fujiwara to lure him into his trap, but it never happens. I thought this might be a shoot, because it had the anti story, that shoots sometimes have. As a match it made no sense.