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11/28/98 ARENA REPORT: Super Hyper Visual Fighting "Strong Style Evolution" VENUE: Tokyo Dome CORRESPONDENT: Hideo Demura (PN Magazine) Following the intermission Hadi Moditian made his way to the ring to make an announcement. "Due to the unfortunate double disqualification in the Ed Dean/Eiji Miyazaki first round tournament match, there will only be one semi- final match. But in a show of good faith to you the fans, I've lined up a special bonus fight to take place. Your ticket stub promoted 8 fights, and that's what you'll get!" The crowd responded with a very good round of applause for Moditian's announcement. *Special Bonus Fight* Fight #5 - Alexandar Karloff versus Marco Russ This fight had as much heat as you could expect an announced fight to have. The crowd wasn't into it anywhere near as much as the previous fights however. It wasn't much of a match with Karloff controlling most of the way, and Russ posing little test for him. He scored several takedowns but allowed Russ back to his feet. He finally decided to put him away at 5:45 with a heel hook submission hold. Winner - Alexandar Karloff at 5:45 After the crowd saw that it was a bad mismatch, most people treated it like another intermission and made there way to the souvenir and concession stands. After the bonus fight it was time for the lone semi-final of the tournament as Junji Shirow was set to face "Man of Honor" Takashi Fukada for the right to fight Keiji Asamiya for the SHVF World Heavyweight Title. Coming into the match Fukada was the clear favorite since his first round mach only lasted 6:44 and he was in control, suffering little damage for the majority of the match, whereas Shirow on the other hand had a grueling match that lasted a total of 19:11 with Shirow having his right shoulder worked over heavily. The crowd, however, solidly behind Shirow coming off his excellent match against Mayashi. Shirow entered to no music, just a roaring ovation from the capacity crowd. The man of honor, Fukada entered to the beat of drums which were largely drowned out by the jeers of the crowd and chants of 'Junji, Junji'. Fukada acted as though he were the fan favorite once again, bowing and raising his hands to the crowd, smiling. Shirow was pretty sweaty and tired looking from his previous fight and also came into the match with his shoulder heavily taped. Fukada on the other hand looked fresh and showed no signs of injury. *SHVF World Heavyweight Title Tournament Semi-Final Match* Fight #7 - "Man of Honor" Takashi Fukada versus Junji Shirow They came to center ring with Fukada looking vicious and aggressive and Shirow looking somewhat tentative, still favoring his right shoulder. Fukada opened quickly on Shirow looking to land a spinning back elbow to his injured shoulder, but he side stepped it. The crowd applauded as did Fukada in a sarcastic way. They came back to center ring with Shirow leading with his left side to try and protect his right shoulder from attack. Fukada landed a hard side kick to his leg but Shirow countered with a kick of his own to Fukada's left calf. With Shirow heavily guarding his shoulder, he left his legs unguarded and Fukada was quick to capitalize with a drop toe hold. Shirow hit the mat hard but was able to take the impact on is good shoulder, preventing further injury to his right shoulder. With Shirow on the mat, Fukada sprang to his feet, shot off the ropes with a rolling elbow attempt to Shirow's injured shoulder but Junji was able to move at the last second. Shirow came to his feet and shot of the ropes towards a now standing Fukada but Fukada fell to the mat and Shirow stepped over continuing his movement. Shirow shot off the opposite side ropes with a lariat attempt with his good arm on Fukada, who was now back on his feet, but Fukada landed a hard knee to Shirow's stomach doubling him over. Fukada quickly grabbed Shirow by his right arm and shot him to the ropes, never releasing his arm, catching him with an arm drag takedown into kneeling shoulder/elbow bar to an 'ah' from the crowd. Shirow fought through the pain to roll to his knees and try and lean into Fukada, but Fukada landed an elbow to the back of his head to stop his progress. Fukada drove Shirow face first to the mat a version of the Fujiwara arm bar and outstretched his right arm, holding it to the mat. With Shirow's right shoulder left open to attack, Fukada raised his knee and landed several hard strikes to the back of Shirow's injured shoulder. Fukada came to his feet as Shirow lay on the mat, grasping his shoulder in pain. Fukada pulled him to his feet by his hair and landed two knees to his face on the way up. He quickly followed up by whipping Shirow to the corner hard and following him in with a high knee to his injured shoulder as the crowd 'ah'ed. Shirow fell forward stumbling in pain but grabbed the top rope and doubled over it in pain nursing his right shoulder and arm. Fukada approached from behind and proceeded to rip the tape off of Shirow's injured shoulder while landing hard forearm and elbow shots to his head and shoulder. The crowd booed. Fukada reached around Shirow's head and landed several hard cross face shots to his nose before scooping him up over his shoulder. Fukada walked around the ring once looking out at the crowd as he help the exhausted and injured Shirow before sprinting across the ring and dropping Shirow down into a shoulder breaker at 5:43. Shirow lay on the mat clutching his shoulder with Hayashi standing over him making sure he wanted to continue as Fukada stood on the second rope in the corner posing for the crowd to very loud jeers. A loud chant of 'Junji. Junji' began. Fukada stood on the opposite side of the ring waiting for Shirow to make it to his feet, which he did at 6:10 with the help of the ropes. As Shirow made it to his feet, Fukada charged from the opposite side of the ring with a running forearm attempt but Shirow got his foot up and caught Fukada in the face, staggering him backwards Shirow quickly followed up by running past Fukada, shooting of the ropes and landing a hard rabbit lariat to the back of Fukada's head to a huge pop from the crowd. Fukada crashed to the mat face down and almost motionless as Shirow stood and pumped his arms to the crowd encouraging them to get behind him. Hayashi administered a standing 10 count to Fukada, which he answered at 7 with the help of the ropes. Just as Fukada turned around, Shirow charged from the other side of the ring with a stiff back elbow to his jaw, knocking Fukada into the ropes. As Fukada fell back towards Shirow took him down with a hip toss. Shirow then dropped to the mat, in obvious pain, mounted Fukada, and applied a keylock submission hold to Fukada's left arm, to the roar of the crowd, at 7:18. Fukada struggled to break the hold unsuccessfully before landing three hard back elbows to the side of Shirow's head and to his injured shoulder, allowing him to make the ropes forcing the break at 8:14. Fukada came to his feet first, holding his left arm, followed by Shirow half a minute later still nursing his right shoulder. Fukada charged with a back elbow attempt using his good arm but Shirow saw it coming caught him with a high side kick to the back of his head as the crowd 'ah'ed. As Fukada stumbled forward, Shirow came from behind and fought through the pain in his shoulder to lock on a standing Fujiwara arm bar, in preparation for the Fujiwara arm driver. As Shirow grabbed the Fujiwara arm bar and raised up to hit the driver, Fukada dropped to his knees, reached through Shirow's leg with his free arm and rolled him up from behind, in the process freeing his left arm. Fukada then floated over into a mount position and quickly hooked a front face lock choke hold at 10:07. Forty-five seconds later Hayashi stopped the match when Shirow passed out in the choke. Winner - "Man of Honor" Takashi Fukada in 10:53. Most of the 58,000 in attendance were in a stunned silence with some jeering Fukada and others screaming Shirow's name concerned for his well being. Ringside attendants hit the ring directly following the match to tend to Shirow. They brought him to with smelling salts and helped him to the back for treatment on his shoulder. Fukada favored his left arm only slightly after the match, fighting through any pain to pose and antagonize the crowd. Fukada's surprising reversal of the arm driver and subsequent victory setup the match everyone wanted to see, Asamiya v. Fukada in the finals of the SHVF World Title Tournament. Asamiya would have his chance for revenge and Fukada would have a chance to regain his reputation as a great fighter as opposed to being a cowardly cheater. With the other semi-final match not taking place since Miyazaki and Dean were both eliminated in the first round, leaving Asamiya to advance with a bye, it was time for the first ever Super-Middleweight exhibition in SHVF. The fight pitted Chandrasekhar Yoshida against American John Taylor. This was Taylor's debut Japan, whereas Yoshida is certainly no stranger to Japanese rings having competed in the NPA, SJPW, PJW, and most recently G-Pro. He is certainly no stranger to controversy and always speaks his mind as was demonstrated in his run in Hadi Moditian's PJW. Yoshida's debut and subsequent diatribe will not soon be forgotten and is certainly the talk of the town: (The lights dim slightly as an ancient Japanese folksong plays over the PA. A female voice is singing, and the background music is played with flutes and drums. Japanese lettering illuminate the aisle and the center of the ring, reading "Strength through purpose". Through the curtains step a man and a woman. The man is about six feet tall, slender but athletic, and is wearing jeans so faded they almost appear white as well as a black "Garden of Eden" T-shirt. Over this hangs loosely an old Japanese army vest, the apple-green katakana signs show the rank of a Tai-Shu. On his back are the sheathed katana and wakizashi, traditional long- and short sword of the samurai. On his right wrist is a golden Rolex, and golden hoops hang in his ears. His long, jet-black hair hangs loosely down to his shoulders. His appearance seems like a unique mix of Eastern traditional garment and Western kitsch. This young man is Chandrasekhar Yoshida. The woman on his side stands maybe just over five feet tall. She is wearing a long flowing blue silk kimono, ornamented with golden drawings of flowers and dragons. Her face is painted white, and an orchid sticks in her carefully groomed hair. She appears like a traditional geisha. The crowd starts to mumble nervously as Chandrasekhar climbs the stairs. The geisha opens the ring ropes for him to climb through, which he does. He grabs the house microphone and waits for the fans to calm down. He seems hesitant and looks for words before addressing the crowd) Chandrasekhar: "A new federation. New hopes. New virtues. New dreams. How much time will pass before they shatter and fade in the wind?" (The crowd pops uneasily) Chandrasekhar: "I used to believe in all these virtues you seem to hold sacred. I once wrestled in Super Japan Pro Wrestling. I followed the tradition and the bushido, and I once held a championship in probably the best known wrestling federations that ever existed in Japan. When I won that championship belt I thought it was the greatest moment in my life, that I truly have become a samurai." (The young ghost walks across the ring, slowly nodding to himself) Chandrasekhar: "You know where that coveted title belt is right now? A title belt that should be around the waist of proud samurai. But it is not. You know where it is?" (Chandy looks into the crowd, as if asking for answers. After a short moment, he nods grimly and points at his earrings. The crowd begins to yell) Chandrasekhar: "The rest of what was left of the belt I threw in the gutter of Kyoto's slums to watch the hungry children fight for it. That's right, two pieces of cheap jewelry and memories lost in dust and garbage. This is all SJPW has become. And you know what? Because SJPW abandoned all we ever lived for, all the ideals we build, and became a corrupt political cesspool full of bribery, skullduggery and blackmailing. That is why." (Some fans start to boo, others pop as Yoshida bitterly spits out the words) Chandrasekhar: "So when SJPW folded under the incompetent management another fed rose from their remains like a phoenix from the ashes. PJW they called themselves, and they started just like SJPW did. A proud, independent federation supporting bushido and the way of the samurai. A federation full of ideals and values. Yes, once again I followed the call of the blood that runs in my veins. Once again bushido helped me to overcome my opponents, and PJW chose me to represent their promotion for the NWC World title." (Crowd pop) Chandrasekhar: "The NWC World title. An American-based wrestling alliance. A Japanese federation allying itself... no, _bowing down_ to an American federation. A federation where the spectators are on the same level of evolution as cavemen and where the matches are mindless bloodbaths to entertain those retards. Where two overweight immobile fat mutants run against each other in chop-and-clothesline festivals until one cannot get up anymore. And WE bow down to THEM?" (Some fans in the crowd start to boo) Chandrasekhar: "We were always the masters of bushido. Samurai were always feared and respected. Why should we sell out to THEM? Why should we bow down to ANYONE? SJPW did, PJW did, and they both met an honorless death. What about you, SHVF? When and to whom will you sell out? Who will tear into your flesh, rape your morals and bleed you dry? Tell me, SHVF, what lies behind the mask of puroresu and honorable bushido fighting?" (The fans are now utterly silent as Yoshida's words are almost a bitter yell) Chandrasekhar: "SJPW and G-PRO disgraced themselves. PJW died in misery after selling out. The line must be drawn... here!!" (Cheers erupt from the fans!) Chandrasekhar: "Bushido has failed because we couldn't adapt. The world has changed. Bushido preaches modesty, and we live in capitalism. Bushido preaches spirituality, and we are disbelievers. Bushido preaches sacrifice and we take. Well, *I* have adapted. I used to believe in a fight to be an honorbound dual between two samurai, but all you wanted to see was a bloodbath. You want a bloodbath?" (The young samurai nods grimly and looks into the crowd) Chandrasekhar: "I give you a bloodbath!!" The crowd gave Yoshida a standing ovation at the end of his speech. John Taylor made his entrance to "Firestarter" by Prodigy accompanied by EMWC legend "Thunder" Curtis Hansen. He received a very good round of applause from the crowd. Since this was an exhibition match it had a 10 minute time limit. *Super Middleweight Exhibition* Fight #6 - Chandrasekhar Yoshida versus John Taylor Yoshida and Taylor had a very quick, fast paced match that the crowd was very into. Due to space restraints on this column, I'll have to be brief in my description. Neither man could gain control early with both exchanging kicks, forearm, and hand strikes. At the 4:25 mark, Yoshida caught a Taylor with a high side kick. Taylor however was able to answer the standing ten count at 6. Yoshida continued his assault with an arm drag takedown into ankle lock at 5:39, but Taylor made the ropes at 6:12. Taylor took control at the 6:44 mark when he blocked a Yoshida lariat attempt and turned it into a death valley bomb. Taylor followed up with a triangle choke hold at 6:59 but Yoshida narrowly escaped with a rope break at 7:20. After the stand-up Taylor attempted a backdrop driver but Yoshida countered, floating over the top. Yoshida landed several stiff forearms but attempting a death valley bomb of his own, but Taylor slipped out and hit a death valley bomb of his own. Hayashi administered a standing 10 count but Yoshida made his feet at 8. After the stand-up Taylor and Yoshida exchanged kicks with Yoshida taking more of a defensive approach. Taylor scored with knee to the stomach followed by an inverted Russian leg sweep at 9:10 and went for a an arm bar but Yoshida made the ropes before he could apply it. The final 40 seconds of action were hot and heavy striking with both men scoring near knockout blows with time expiring. The fight was ruled a draw as there are no overtime periods in exhibition fights. The crowd was really into the match, and it was a very good high impact, back and fourth match. The middleweight division looks like it will produce some very strong and entertaining matches. After the exciting middleweight match, it was finally time for the main event. This was the match everyone had been waiting for, especially since the tournament semi-final when they learned the participants. This was certainly a dream match. Long time heated rivals, Keiji Asamiya and Takashi Fukada, would meet in the finals of a one night tournament to crown the first SHVF World Heayweight Champion. Both men made the same entrances they'd made all night. Fukada entered first to the boos and jeers of the fans, so loud in fact that they shook the dome itself. Asamiya entered to a reaction of the same degree of Fukada's, only positive. The dome broke out in a loud chant of 'Asamiya'. Hadi Moditian entered the ring carrying the SHVF World Heavyweight title belt with him followed by several reporters. Moditian and Hayashi were able to coax Fukada and Asamiya into coming to center ring to pose for a photo. Moditian stood in between the two men holding the belt as the reporters snapped photos. Following that Moditian took the microphone to read the traditional title match proclamation. After these pre match activities it was time for the fight to begin. *SHVF World Heavyweight Title Tournament Final Match* Fight #8 - Keiji Asamiya versus Takashi Fukada This match was down several notches from the previous fights of the night even though the crowd heat was overwhelming. Asamiya controlled the early stages of the match over the physically strained Fukada, working on his left arm and gaining several near submissions with arm bar variations. Asamiya came to close to locking on the Asamiya arm driver twice but Fukada made the ropes both times to prevent the hold. Fukada made a comeback at 13:34 countering an Asamiya piledriver attempt with a back drop which aggravated Asamiya's back which Sunjinski had worked over in the first round. Fukada followed up with two back breakers and a camel clutch. After a long struggle, Asamiya was able to finally make the ropes to break the camel clutch at 17:13. Fukada took Asamiya back to the mat and locked on a reverse chin lock with his knee in Asamiya's back inflicting more pain on Asamiya and allowing himself a chance to rest. When the announcement was made that one minute remained in regulation Fukada realized he had to make his move to prevent overtime. He brought Asamiya too his feet and shot him into the ropes. Fukada went for a lariat but Asamiya ducked under, landed a kick to Fukada's shoulder and went for the arm driver again. Fukada escaped the arm driver with a back elbow to Asamiya's head, stepped over Asamiya's shoulder, and took him down with an arm bar. Fukada wrenched down on the arm. The bell rang signifying that time had expired in regulation. Fukada refused to break the hold after the bell, only releasing it after being issued a red card. It appeared as though Asamiya wouldn't be able to continue due to his arm injury but he refused to submit or forfeit. Junji Shirow assisted a ringside doctor in taping Asamiya's arm to his side. It is believed that it was hyperextended at this point. Fukada wasted no time in attacking the injured arm of Asamiya. He landed a hard side kick to it at the bell and begin tearing the tape off soon after. As Asamiya lay on the mat in pain from Fukada grabbed his arm looking for the arm bar, but Hadi Moditian, concerned that his top draw would suffer permanent damage, left his ringside seat and ordered the ref to check Asamiya's arm to see if he was fit to continue prompting Hayashi to back Fukada to the corner. Hayashi ruled that Asamiya's was unable to continue and awarded the match to Fukada. Winner - "Man of Honor" Takashi Fukada at 1:43 in overtime. The crowd booed the finish heavily and begin to litter the ring with trash. As a result of the fans being in a near riot state, the flashy post match ceremony that had been planned to crown the first SHVF World Champion was scrapped and instead Fukada was handed the belt as he left the ring by Moditian, followed by Hayashi raising his hand and then being escorted to the back by security and SHVF officials as Asamiya received medical attention in the ring. 
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