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12/20/98 ARENA REPORT: Super Hyper Visual Fighting "Super Crush Series" VENUE: Sendai Miyagi Sports Center CORRESPONDENT: Hideo Demura (PN Magazine) Super Hyper Visual Fighting's Super Crush Series continued this afternoon in the Sendai Miyagi Sports Center in front of a capacity crowd in excess of 6,000. The crowd was treated to the debut of two new fighters in addition to two ranking fights, one of which was to determine the recipient of a title match with Takashi Fukada on January 3rd. The card also featured Ed Dean in action. Before the fights began, Hadi Moditian and Tajiri Hayashi, as usual, made their way to the ring. Moditian welcomed and thanked the crowd. Hayashi then went over the rules for the evening. After the playing of the national anthem, the card was ready to begin. The show opened with the "ugly American", Ed Dean, meeting the promising newcomer, Manuel Salazar. Dean's appearance came so early in the card so that he, accompanied by Hadi Moditian, could leave for Super Japan Pro Wrestling's Tsunami show later that night. Dean was looking to build on his victory last week over Eiji Miyazaki while Salazar was hoping to score the big upset and hopefully big contract with SHVF. Salazar entered first, to the National anthem of Mexico, wearing long tights in the design of the Mexican flag with black boots and protective pads. The crowd gave him a better reaction than one would expect for a foreign newcomer, probably due to the excitement and charisma he portrayed on his way to the ring. Dean walked to the ring with no music, very focused, ignoring the crowds boos. He wore a red singlet, blue Asics, red kneepads and shin guards, with white tape on his wrists. He is accompanied to the ring by his tag partner for January's Ultra-Clash Tag League, Doug Thomas, who wears the official SHVF black warm-up suit with red and white trim, and Thomas's name on the back and the SHVF logo on the front. As usual the crowd was heavily against Dean, with Salazar getting the admiration of the fans if for no other reason than being Dean's opponent. Dean may be the most hated man in all of Japanese sports. FIGHT #1 - (5) Ed Dean versus Manuel Salazar Dean opened the match quickly with a running forearm but Salazar ducked under and shot off the ropes towards Dean. Dean side stepped Salazar and landed a hard knee to his stomach to an 'ah' from the crowd. Dean wasted no time in closing in from behind on the now sitting Salazar and landed three hard forearm to the back of his head. Dean pulled Salazar to his feet and locked his hands round his waist, preparing for a German suplex. The crowd rose to there feet in anticipation. Salazar blocked Dean's first attempt but Dean landed another hard forearm to the back of his head and was able to get Salazar off his feet. Salazar countered in mid-move breaking Dean's waistlock, stopping his momentum, and rolling through victory roll fashion into a rolling reverse knee bar for a huge pop from the crowd. Salazar wrenched down on Dean's right knee in the center of the ring for around thirty seconds before Dean caught him in the side of the head with a hard kick using his free leg. The kick opened a cut up just above Salazar's left eye causing Salazar to release the hold. Salazar lay face down on the mat with blood gushing out of the cut and into his eye as Dean made it to his feet. Referee Tajiri Hayashi attempted to check the cut but couldn't get a plain view of it as Salazar was on the mat. Dean approached from behind, preparing to move in for the kill, but was cut off by Hayashi. Hayashi helped Salazar to his feet and checked the wound as Dean looked on. Hayashi called for the ringside attendant to check Salazar out. The ringside doctor tended to the wound and sealed it with a butterfly bandage. With that the fight was ready to resume. The fight resumed at 4:43 with both men coming to center ring and circling one another. Salazar's left eye was almost swelled shut at this point. Dean threw a left punch into the air towards the left side of Salazar's head, seemingly to test his vision, and Salazar didn't appear to see it, not attempting to block it. As Dean threw the shadow punch, Salazar landed a hard combo of kicks to Dean's right knee/leg, but with little effect. Dean backed up and shook his leg out before circling Salazar again. Dean left his face open seemingly to draw Salazar into throwing a right hand, which he did. Dean stepped back, avoiding contact and leaned back in with a hard spinning back elbow that caught Salazar on the left side of his head/face, near the eye, knocking him back into the ropes. Salazar looked like he was out on his feet. As he leaned over the top rope, his eye re-opened by the elbow and pouring blood again, Dean approached from behind and hit a Ipponzei Judo Throw into a juji gatame. Salazar's cornerman, Hector Urualia, through in the towel before Hayashi could stop the match to prevent injury, realizing that Salazar was knocked out by the elbow. Winner - Ed Dean at 5:56 After the match Dean quickly made his way to down the isle to jeers from the crowd. It was clear from his style in the match that Dean was looking to end things early in order to save himself for the All-Asian title tournament that he was to take part in later in the evening. His haste to finish the match almost cost him a loss in a warm-up match. The next match featured promising rookie Zane "Flash" Miller facing off with prelim fighter Takao Yoshie. At all other SHVF cards reporters have been issued very detailed press releases on debuting fighters. But with Zane Miller that wasn't the case. The release did say that Miller is trained in jiu-jitsu in addition to wrestling, listing him at 6 feet tall, 245 pounds, and twenty years of age. Yoshie entered first wearing the official SHVF warm-up suit with his name on the back. His wrestling attire consisted of white tights and boots along with blue elbow pads and shin guards. Miller's entrance followed. He entered to the sound of lightning, and thunder crashing, followed by the playing of "Fire" by Jimi Hendrix. He made his way to the ring as pyrotechnics exploded in the background. He paused on his way to flirt with a very attractive lady sitting ringside. Miller wore a sparkling red robe to the ring that read "Flash" on the back in yellow letters that each resembled lightning bolts. In the ring Miller wore long bright red tights with Flash written in yellow letters similar to how they appeared on the robe. He wore white wrestling boots (with black laces) along with elbow pads, shin guards and kneepads under his tights. The crowd gave Miller a polite round of applause. Many of the ladies in attendance seemed to be taken away with his handsome features. FIGHT #2 - Zane "Flash" Miller versus Takao Yoshie Both men came to center ring and circled one another before locking up. Miller controlled the lock-up with a flying headscissors takedown that pleasantly surprised the crowd. On the mat Miller clamped down on headscissors while Yoshie looked for an escape. Yoshie turned himself into position and was able to flip onto Miller body, slipping out of the hold. Miller quickly locked on a waist lock and bridged to his feet to the 'ah's of the crowd. From the bridge, Miller turned over and flowed into powerbomb as the crowd 'oh'ed. Miller hung onto Yoshie following impact from the powerbomb, and pulled him back up into position for another. Instead of dropping him again, Miller pulled the dazed Yoshie down across his shoulders first in death valley driver position. He then quickly swung him into position across his right shoulder, and dropped down with a shoulder breaker to a round of applause from the crowd. Miller continued the flashy series of moves (pun intended) by coming back to his feet with Yoshie still on his shoulder and dropping him again, this time with a devastating Michinoku Driver to a small chant of 'Flash' from the crowd. Yoshie sat up slowly, clutching the back of his head and neck. Miller quickly followed up from behind, locking on a kata hajime choke sleeper. Miller fell back to the mat, taking Yoshie with him, but before he could take full control with a body scissors, Yoshie rolled to the right and hooked the bottom rope with his foot to force the break. After the stand-up both men came back to center ring and circled one another again. Miller went for the lock up Yoshie side stepped him and locked on a go behind waist lock. Yoshie went for a German suplex but Miller blocked it and went for the ropes. Yoshie stopped him just short of the ropes and went for the German suplex again. This time Yoshie got him up but Miller countered, flipping over the top and locking on a dragon choke sleeper to a big crowd pop. Yoshie fought towards the ropes but Miller landed a knee to his back and picked him up vertically, dropping him down on his head while still holding onto the choke. The crowd gasped as Yoshie's head met the mat. That may very well have been the finish were it not for the poor ring positioning. They were close enough to the ropes that after the drop Yoshie's feet came to rest on the second rope forcing the choke to be broken. After the break Yoshie was groggy and slow to stir, prompting Hayashi to administer a standing 10 count. Yoshie made it to his feet, with the help of the ropes, at the count of 6. After Hayashi checked Yoshie to make sure he was able to continue, the action continued. Both men came back to center ring and circled in fighting stances. Yoshie threw a hard sidekick that connected to Miller's right thigh. Yoshie went for a roundhouse kick to Miller's right hip, but Miller caught it and held it, allowing him the chance to level Yoshie with a lariat. The force of the lariat sent Yoshie held over heels, face first to the mat but he quickly made it to his hands and knees. As Yoshie came to his feet Miller charged the ropes and shot off with a running high knee lift attempt to Yoshie's chest. Yoshie recovered enough to catch Miller in mid-air by the right knee and drop down with a knee breaker sending Miller to the holding his knee. Yoshie held onto Miller's right leg, grabbed his left (pausing to play to the crowd), brought him into a position similar to a standing figure four, dropped to mat and locked a Nagata lock (could be described as reverse or inverted figure four) as the crowd 'oh'ed. Miller struggled in pain for around 90 seconds before finally making the ropes to a round of applause from the crowd. He came to his feet after the break favoring his right leg. Both men came to center ring with Yoshie attacking Miller's right knee with sidekicks. Yoshie got in close and landed a knee to knee blow before executing northern lights suplex, dropping Miller at an angle on his head and neck to a round of applause from the crowd. Yoshie side rolled through and brought a dazed Miller back to his feet looking for another northern lights suplex. Yoshie brought Miller up parallel to the ground but Miller managed to land a knee to Yoshie's throat/chest to break his momentum. Miller landed on his feet with Yoshie doubled over clutching this throat. Miller dropped down forcing Yoshie's head into his knee and then rising back up, pulling Yoshie with him and pulling him into DDT position. Miller pauses and looked out to the crowd before locking on his most common finishing hold, the Flash in the Pan choke (Flash choke for short). The hold begins in DDT position. Miller wraps his arm around his opponent's throat, and locks that arm around his other. He then applies pressure, pushing in, and pulling up at the same time. A truly devastating move, which forced a quick tap out from Yoshie to avoid blacking out. Winner - Zane "Flash" Miller at 7:52 After the match the fans gave Miller a very loud round of applause with some scattered and sporadic chants of 'Miller' and 'Flash'. Miller's flash choke is a very impressive move and effective finisher. While his debut match wasn't a completely one sided affair, it was very exciting with a lot of crowd interest which could be worth more than a two minute squash win would have been. Miller definitely has a shot at being a major player in SHVF especially due to his strong charisma and ring presence, supported by his able ability. The third fight of afternoon matched the debuting "White Lion", Chris Lawrence against a veteran fighter, Poland's own Marco Russ. Lawrence hails from Cleveland, Ohio standing 6 feet tall and weighing in at 220 pounds. Moditian is very high on the work ethic of Lawrence, a former Ohio State Karate and Martial Arts champion with an extensive background in wrestling, amateur and professional. Russ entered to "Cold Wind" by the Atlantic to a small round of applause from the crowd as he made his way calmly to the ring. He wore long green tights with white boots, elbow pads, and shin guards. Lawrence entered to "Eye of the Tiger" accompanied by a small pyrotechnic display. He wore long black leather tights with "White" written on one side, and "Lion" written on the other, along with black wrestling boots and elbow pads. He walked to the ring while raising his arms and slapping hands with the fans. The fans greeted him with a warm polite hand. FIGHT #3 - "The White Lion" Chris Lawrence versus Marco Russ Both men came to center ring and shook hands before circling one another. Russ forced a collar and elbow lock-up, but Lawrence back peddled and made the ropes. After the break both men returned to center ring and circled one another again. Russ went for another collar and elbow tie-up but Lawrence ducked out of it, went behind and caught Russ turning around with a stiff sidekick to the chest that echoed around the arena. After the kick Lawrence and Russ both put distance between themselves before coming back to center ring and circling again. Russ shot in with a double leg takedown but wasn't able to make it to the mount position as Lawrence got into a guard. They were stalemated for around two minutes before Russ was finally able to find an opening and make the mount. Lawrence covered up to block any striking attempts of Russ from the mount but Russ was able to float over into a side choke. Lawrence countered with a float over head scissors, breaking the choke. The White Lion attempted to adjust into a leg lock choke but Russ made the ropes to force the stand-up. The crowd gave both men a round of applause as they made it back to their feet. 3:55 Both men back to center ring and circled one another again. Russ shot in, dropped to his knees and went for a fireman's carry takedown, but Lawrence blocked it and landed a hard spinning back kick that caught Russ in the back of his head/neck. Lawrence then charged the ropes and landed a Yakuza kick to the top of Russ's head as he doubled over in pain. The crowd 'ah'ed. Lawrence waited in the corner for Russ to make it to his feet. As he turned around Lawrence landed a super kick directly under his chin sending him stumbling back into the corner dazed. The capacity crowd 'oh'ed as Russ's head snapped back. Lawrence charged from the opposite corner and landed a hard spinning leg lariat, landed on his feet, and caught Russ stumbling out of the corner with a kick to the stomach followed by a pick up into powerbomb position to a round of applause from the crowd. Lawrence spun around with Russ still on his shoulders in power bomb position and back into the corner. He paused before charging out of the corner and hitting a running Liger Bomb in the center of the ring, dropping Russ on his head to the 'oh's of the crowd. Lawrence rolled to his feet and was backed into the corner by Hayashi. Hayashi went over and checked on the groggy Russ. He administered a standing ten count, which Russ was unable to answer (only making it to his hands and knees), prompting Hayashi to call for the bell. Winner - "White Lion" Chris Lawrence at 6:06 After the match the majority of the crowd gave Lawrence a standing ovation as the ringside attendants took care of Russ. Lawrence showed a lot of potential in his debut. He displayed a wide range of skills from technical submission wrestling to striking. The Lion appears to be a well-rounded fighter and an asset to SHVF. It will be interesting to follow his progress in the weeks and months to come. The semi-final of the card was a ranking fight pitting the #3 Sunjinski against #4 Doug Thomas. Both men were coming off first round losses at Strong Style Evolution, 'Jinski to Keiji Asamiya (who advanced to the finals), and Thomas to eventual champion Takashi Fukada. Thomas entered first to "Fall" by Click. He wore red trunks, black boots, elbow & Kneepads with striking gloves covering his hands. He walked down the aisle with his eyes focused on the ring. Sunjinski walked slowly towards the ring through the crowd as the instrumental version of "Song 2" by Blur played over the PA. He wore a black leather trench coat with a picture of a hurricane symbol on the back and 'Sunjinski' above it. In the ring he wore blue tights with black trim and boots. FIGHT #4 - (3) Sunjinski versus (4) Doug Thomas Both men came to center ring and circled one another. Thomas acted like he wanted to lock-up and ducked under Sunjinski's attempt, taking him down with a drop toehold. Thomas floated over into a side headlock. Thomas wrenched down on the headlock in center ring for several minutes before Sunjinski was able to fight to his knees and then to his feet. On his feet Sunjinski countered the side headlock with a devastating side suplex to break the hold. Thomas rolled to his feet and quickly charged the standing Sunjinski but 'Jinski side stepped him and landed an elbow in the back of Thomas's head. Thomas staggered forward into the ropes and then backwards. As he stumbled backwards Sunjinski caught him with a high martial arts kick to the back of his head that KO'ed him, sending him face down to the mat as the crowd 'oh'ed. Winner - Sunjinski at 3:55 After the match, Thomas was revived by the ringside doctor and helped to the back to a round of applause from the fans. Next it was time for the final match of the evening. The highly anticipated main event featured the second meeting of two of the brightest young stars in SHVF as (1)Junji Shirow faced off with (2)Shiro Mayashi for an SHVF World Title shot. Their match at Strong Style Evolution is considered by many to be the best match this year. On that note the quality standards set for this match were very high going in. A win by Shirow would earn him a rematch with Takashi Fukada (they met in semi-finals of the SHVF World Title tournament at SSE), a chance to avenge the only loss on his record in SHVF, not to mention at shot at the world title. A Mayashi victory would avenge his only loss in mixed martial-arts competition (as Mayashi lost to Shirow in the 1st round of the SSE tournament) in addition to setting up a teacher verses student match for the title (since Fukada trained Mayashi). Mayashi made his way to the ring first to "Come with Me" by Puff Daddy. Golden fireworks accompanied his entrance and he wore black tights with black boots, shin guards, kneepads, and elbow pads. His hands and wrists were wrapped in white tape. The crowd gave Mayashi a very warm reception with some chants of 'Mayashi, Mayashi'. Shirow entered to no music, but to a standing ovation with a strong chant of 'Junji, Junji'. Shirow wore green tights with yellow trim along with yellow boots, knee and elbow pads. Since this match was a top contender's match, it had a 20-minute time limit, with two 5-minute overtime periods if necessary. MAIN EVENT - (1) Junji Shirow versus (2) Shiro Mayashi *Winner meets SHVF World Champion on Jan. 3rd* Both men came to center ring and circled one another. They tentatively locked their hands together (in test of strength fashion) and drove into each other, chest to chest, with each man attempting to drive the other to the mat. Shirow controlled the lock-up with a back heel trip and drove Mayashi into a bridged position with his head touching the mat. Mayashi displayed his strength by fighting his way back to a vertical base from the bridge position. Mayashi then drove Shirow's arms down from his shoulders to his waist and cranked down on his wrists driving him to his knees on the mat to release some of the pressure. Mayashi continued to wrench Shirow's wrists backward for several more seconds as Shirow sat on his knees on the mat in pain. Mayashi then released Shirow's right hand (continuing to wrench down on his left wrist) and threw three hard sidekicks to his chest. The crowd 'ah'ed as Mayashi landed the kicks. Mayashi let go of Shirow's left wrist to play to the crowd, prompting a round of applause, as Shirow sat on his knees holding his chest. Mayashi approached Shirow (who was still on his knees) and grabbed his hair. Shirow threw a couple of punches to Mayashi's stomach but they had little effect and Mayashi shrugged them off and pulled Shirow's head into his knee. Mayashi then landed three more stiff knee strikes to the head causing Shirow to slump over and grab his head in pain. Mayashi brought a groggy Shirow to his feet by his hair and led him to the corner. Mayashi pulled Shirow's head between his legs into powerbomb position and raised his arms in the air, gesturing to the crowd which drew a round of applause. Mayashi then lifted Shirow up across his shoulders and raised him above his head. Mayashi then ran to center ring and dropped Shirow over his head and to the mat with a Splash Mountain powerbomb (Ligerbomb from Razor's Edge position). The crowd 'oh'ed as Shirow lay on the mat moving only slightly. Mayashi then hooked Shirow's legs under his arms and rolled backwards, still holding onto Shirow's legs. Mayashi came to rest on his knees with his head under the small of Shirow's back and Shirow's feet tucked in front of his hips. Mayashi then struggled to position Shirow onto his back in a back to back position. Mayashi made it to his feet with a dazed Shirow draped across his back. Mayashi hooked Shirow's arms and began to wrench down on them. After the fight Mayashi told reporters that he called the submission hold the 39AD stretch because the position of the victim laying on his back on Mayashi's back resembles the position of Christ during his crucifixion in 39AD. The hold applies tremendous pressure on the victim's pectoral chest muscles (due to the arms begin hooked and wrenched) and the abdominal muscles (due to the feet being hooked in front of Mayashi's hips). Shirow grimaced in pain as Mayashi wrenched down on the 39AD stretch applying tremendous pressure to his arms causing intense pain. Mayashi wrenched down for several minutes before Shirow was finally able to find an opening and break his right arm free. Shirow landed an elbow to the side of Mayashi's head causing him to lose his balance momentarily, but Mayashi recovered and hooked his hands under Shirow's chin, applying a Gory Guerrero Special, before he could break free. With his hands locked under his chin Mayashi begin to wrench down on Shirow's neck. Mayashi continued to wrench down on Shirow's neck for an extended period of time as Shirow attempted to wiggle his way free break the hold with some fans chanting 'Shirow, Shirow' to encourage him. Finally at the 8:33 mark Shirow used his hands to pry Mayashi's chin lock free. He then rolled down off Mayashi's back and into a knee bar to a big pop from the crowd. Shirow wrenched down on Mayashi's right leg but Shiro made the ropes to force the break at 9:34 to a round of applause from the crowd. After the stand-up Mayashi paused to shake out his right leg as Shirow stretched his arm and chest muscles. Mayashi charged Shirow in center ring but was caught with a double arm side Greco-Roman throw to the 'ah's of a crowd. Shirow floated over into a mount position and threw a quick series of hard fists down to Mayashi's face/head stunning him. Shirow came to his feet and pulled a dazed Mayashi with him, shooting him to the ropes. Shirow caught him coming off with a hard spinning back elbow that sent him to the mat. Shirow waited against the ropes for Mayashi to come to his feet. Slowly Mayashi made it up to his feet. Just as Mayashi turned around, Shirow caught him with a hard lariat, but Mayashi didn't go down instead he stumbled backwards into the ropes and shot off with a lariat of his own that sent Shirow backwards into the ropes. The crowd came to its feet. Mayashi composed himself and called for Shirow to "Bring it on!" Shirow charged with a very forceful lariat but Mayashi ducked under and shot to the ropes as did Shirow. Shirow ducked a Mayashi's lariat attempt and both men shot to the opposite ropes again, this time Mayashi caught Shirow coming off with a flying shoulder tackled sending Shirow to the mat. Mayashi landed on his feet and pulled Shirow to his feet. Mayashi went for a spinning back-fist but Shirow blocked it and landed a hard double chop to each side of Mayashi's neck. Mayashi stumbled forward towards the corner with his back to Shirow. Shirow charged and hit a flying forearm to the back of Mayashi's head driving him face first into the corner. Shirow locked a waist lock Mayashi from behind and pulled him out of the corner executing a released German suplex. Mayashi tried to flip out of it but came up short and his forehead hit the mat hard followed by the rest of his body. As Mayashi attempted to come to his feet Shirow approached and locked on a single leg Boston crab in the center or the ring at 14:45. Shirow cranked back on the hold as Mayashi struggled to make the ropes. Mayashi made the ropes at 15:46 to force the stand-up. After the stand-up both men came to center ring. Shirow shot in for a takedown but got caught with a knee to the head. Shirow stumbled backwards towards the corner before regaining his balance only to be hit with a stiff sidekick to the chest, knocking him into the corner. Shirow attempted to fight out of the corner with a double leg takedown attempt, but Mayashi blocked it, grabbed his head and landed a hard knee to Shirow's mouth. Shirow stood up in the corner holding his mouth. Mayashi landed a hard spinning back kick before pulling Shirow out of the corner and mounting his shoulder applying a rolling arm bar to a huge crowd pop. Mayashi wrenched on the right arm of Shirow and he winced in pain. Shirow struggled to the ropes at 17:23 to a round of applause from the crowd. After the stand-up Mayashi was anxious to get back to action. Both men came to center ring with Shirow favoring his right arm. Shirow tried to use his good arm for a takedown but Mayashi side stepped him and caught him with an axe kick to his injured shoulder. Shirow staggered to the ropes holding his shoulder. Hayashi checked on him to make sure he wanted to continue. Shirow came back to center ring and got caught with a stiff sidekick to his right arm that backed him to the ropes. Mayashi followed him in with an axe kick but Shirow caught his foot and held it, leaving Mayashi's face/head open. Shirow threw a vicious fist that connected squarely on Mayashi's chin, send him to the mat dazed. Hayashi backed Shirow off to the corner as he administered a standing ten count to Mayashi. Mayashi slowly made it to his feet at 8 to a round of applause from the crowd. Mayashi still looked very groggy as he came to center ring to resume the fight. Mayashi stalled, backing away from the action as Shirow followed. Shirow cornered him in the corner with Mayashi just hoping to cover up. Shirow through a series of jabs to his stomach before backing out of the corner. Mayashi followed him out and went for a left hook but Shirow saw it coming, ducked and landed a super hard straight right jab that landed right above Mayashi's right eye opening up a large gash. Mayashi fell to a sitting position in the corner very groggy, near TKO, with blood pouring into his eye. Hayashi checked him and began administering a standing 10 count but the bell signaling the end of regulation sounded as he made it to 8. At that point Mayashi had made it to his knees. During the break in between the end of regulation and the start of the first overtime period, Hayashi continued to check Mayashi's eye which was still bleeding badly, perhaps worse than during the closing seconds of regulation. Hayashi called for the ringside doctor. The doctor tried to close the wound without stitches but was unsuccessful. Due to the seriousness of the cut Hayashi ruled Mayashi unable to compete and awarded the match to Shirow. Winner - Junji Shirow at 20:00 Mayashi was extremely upset about the decision and verbally berated Hayashi before being convinced to go to the back to be taken to the hospital so the cut could be closed. The angry Mayashi received a round of applause as he left the arena. Shirow looked concerned for Mayashi as he waved to the fans in the ring. Overall, another solid show for Super Hyper Visual Fighting. 
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