PRO WRESTLING FUJIWARA-GUMI SHOW #21 9/23/93

Mark Ashford- Smith v. Carl Greco

PAS: This was pretty good match, there were parts that felt a little awkward, but allot of good stuff too. Ashford-Smith had a bunch of really great looking chokes, various different styles of choke, all of which looked good. Greco looked good too, he had a lot of nice ankle locks, where Ashford-Smith would counter and he would shift the atttack. They also used more rope breaks then usual, and near the end of the match both guys were close to the limit. Ashford-Smith didn't get knocked down once, which is his forte, yet I still liked this.

TKG: I didn't like this as much as Phil. I had a sense that these two guys had a potentially better match down the line. I kind of want to see this after they work it around the horn and get all the kinks worked out. Once in a while things felt too cooperative. Both guys did have some nice throws and for the first time I had the sense that Ashford-Smith was a guy who could finish a match as all his submissions looked absolutely nasty. Phil mentions the chokes but he also had some nice heel hooks. Ashford-Smith didn't do any of his dramatic kick eats but he did some really pro-style dramatic dives for rope breaks.

Charlie Anderson v. Jerry Flynn

PAS: I watched this after seeing Kawada v. Nakamura, and Suzuki v. Nagata, and this smoked both of them. Anderson is kind of green at this style (or any style, anyone know who the fuck this guy is?) but Flynn is a total master. I thought initial this would be a squash as Flynn comes out way more aggressive then normal. throwing some big shots, and Anderson has an almost Ashford-Smithish selling style. Anderson is able to get some really nice takedows though using leverage nicely. The finish was a shocker, as I thought Anderson had no chance but he was able to reverse a missed enziguri into a one leg crab for the tap. Really fun, and I am going to miss watching Flynn

TKG: This was really good and I too will really miss Flynn. Favorite thing was Anderson would go for a takedown and Flynn would immediately move into defensive clinch as soon as he lands. Anderson goes for simple hiptoss and finds himself completely tied up on the ground with Flynn. This really felt like a match built around Anderson showing his toughness by hanging with Flynn. Anderson worked like overmatched guy and so the finish came as a real shock.


Joe Malenko v. Bart Vale:

TKG: I think Vale and Flynn are being jobbed out as they leave the territory. PWFG is moving from one school of Florida indy guys to another. And so we have this battle of Maestro's/Promoters , like Zandig v. Fat Frank. Well a lot better than that. This ruled. Vale has gotten really great and Malenko can twist a guy into all kinds of pretzels. Vale dominates standing and Malenko has a bunch of amusing kick sells. My favorite is when he sold like a carnival duck game eating a kick that turned him around and than eating another turning himself back, but this is a battle of Maestor's and Vale needs to prove himself and he keeps on going for takedowns. Vale goes for takedown, Malenko goes for submission, Vale goes for escape...and just all really sweet looking.

PAS: This was great, this might have been Bart Vale's last professional wrestling match, and it was a heck of a swan song. Joe Malenko, much like Dean has a standard match, and it is up to his opponents to insert themselves into it. Vale does a really nice job of working into a Joe Malenko match, and adds some Bart Vale touches. Malenko comes up with some just awesome ways to twist and turn Vale's bodyparts, but Vale also has great counters and reversals.

Yoshiaki Fujiwara v. Toshimitsu Ishizawa

PAS: Fujiwara goes over pretty quickly in what was basically a semi-competative squash. Which really makes the previous shows match inexplicable. Ishizawa did have really nice takedowns, although having his match followed by a Duane Koslowski match really exposed how limited he was at his stuff.

TKG: I don't know about squash. It was short but I didn't feel like it was squash. too short to be memorable. Kashin has one ugly singlet.

Duane Koslowski v. Yuki Ishikawa

PAS: This was a really great show, and this was the best match on the show. This is Ishikawa's first main event, and he is fully in the top young native role previously held by Takada in UWF and Funaki earlier in PWFG. The young native v. top outsider match is a staple match in these promotions and Ishikawa is really better at it then either of his predecessors. The match opens with a really great stare down, and you get a big match buzz even before the bell, Koslowki dominates most of the match with beautiful throws, but each of Ishikawa's comebacks is really milked for the most effect. I bought all the near falls, and Koslowki's backslide into a choke was totally awesome. Just a total blast, and Ishikawa feels like a made guy.

TKG: Match was all about big hot spots. The two compete for big throws and when the throw comes its this big crowd popping spot. Match was about building heat for the big throws, and the dramatic submission attempts. Match about working toward crowd heat. For a guy who worked prelim matches against a guy who really hasn't had a high end PWFG match--Ishikawa v. Koslowski really had this great MAIN EVENT FEEL.